A NEW CHAPTER…

The New Year is still young as I take on a new chapter in my life…. but before I tell you what that is, let me tell you a little bit about my upbringing….

I have always loved to exercise! Running was my outlet; my way of expressing my happiness, nervousness, excitement, or sadness. I started running when I was eleven as part of my school’s cross country team. I love the way I felt and the freedom it gave me each time I started a run. Getting the award ribbons after the meets wasn’t so bad either! Throughout all the stages and changes in my life, my desire to run has always remained constant and true.

My love for food was just as GREEDY as my love of running. Growing up, I consumed a lifetime of Little Debbie snacks. I’m sure I ate a banana or two in between the Swiss Rolls! As a child, I was told to always finish what was on my plate. My mother would tell me about children halfway across the world that were starving and would love to be able to eat what I had on my plate. After I had children, I didn’t want to force them to eat everything on their plate….so I finished it for them.

As I got older, my body started telling me that running just wasn’t cutting it anymore. My eating habits were less than desirable and my cholesterol was evidence of that. I have tried very hard to encourage my children to make healthy food choices since they were young while at the same time ignoring my own advice to them and consuming whatever I wanted. I took a look at my life and my children, and knew changes needed to take place NOW.

The changes I made at first were small. Just the simple act of eating together as a family, so my children could see that mommy was eating the good food right there along with them, made a huge impact. They would try something different which would encourage me to add variety to our meals. It’s not always perfect at our dinner table. We still have the occasional groans, with the disgusted face proceeding, “What’s THAT?!”

Along the way I became part of the OTAC team which continued to encourage my positive outlook on a healthy lifestyle. My role as a Fitness Coach brought me close to members who were new to exercise and wanting to know how they could improve their nutrition as well. I identified with their frustration on how to get started on the path to better nutrition amidst all the confusing and misleading information out there in the media world.

This is where my new chapter comes in…

I became a certified Nutrition Coach to help, educate, encourage, and guide not just myself and my family, but others who are considering a change or are ready right NOW to eat better and lead a healthier way of life. We can make this change together!