Over the years I have become more and more passionate about my health. After having kids, gaining weight, and feeling out of shape I slowly began to work on my health. I have been on this health journey for over 10 years and I still have a ways to go before I reach my fitness goals, but I have learned so much! It’s amazing all the different books, diets, fitness trainers, and programs out there. I have tried a lot of them! This blog is my way to share what I’ve learned with the world (or at least a few friends and family members).

 

How did I get to this point? Let me tell you a little bit about my health journey:

 

Growing up I was a high school athlete who played several sports and ate whatever I wanted. When I went to college I struggled to stay healthy and fit because I wasn't nearly as active and hadn't established healthy eating habits. (My college roommate probably still remembers me getting up in the middle of the night to eat cookies. LOL!) After getting married and being pregnant I gained an unhealthy amount of weight with my first pregnancy. During my first pregnancy I did not exercise and ate tons of junk food. A little over a year after having my first baby I was pregnant again and already overweight. I began walking on the treadmill at the gym to try to stay healthy during my second pregnancy, but everyone kept asking me if I was pregnant with twins because I was so large.

 

After having my second baby I decided it was time to focus more on my health and get back in shape. I read the book YOU: On a Diet by Dr. Oz. and learned a lot of basic information about nutrition and a healthy diet. (https://www.amazon.com/YOU-Revised-Owners-Manual-Management/dp/1439164967) I started working out consistently and made a ton of changes in my diet. I wasn’t perfect with my diet, but I ate less processed foods and more fruits and vegetables. After several years of slow weight loss, I found workout classes that I actually enjoyed. I had some fun instructors that taught classes like Turbo Kick, Strength Training, and Zumba. I finally found workouts that I looked forward to. I always felt good afterwards and that encouraged me to go on a regular basis. Thankfully my kids enjoyed playing in the childcare room at the gym!

 

At this point I was feeling pretty good and seeing results from all my hard work, but my body wasn’t changing as fast I wanted it to. I sought out different diets and tried a few, but never really had very much success with them. Most of the diets I tried required expensive supplements or extreme cutting of calories. They had worked for some of my friends, but it just wasn’t worth it to me for such little results. I did my best when I went to classes at the gym consistently (at least 3 time a week) and ate mostly balanced meals. I was in the best shape I had been since having kids and then my husband and I decided to have another baby!

 

I worked hard at the beginning of my third pregnancy to be healthy and stay in shape. I did not want to have a similar pregnancy to my first two. I kept up with my regular classes at the gym and tried to eat the same balanced meals, but eventually I gave in to the temptations to eat whatever I wanted. Once I was farther in my second trimester I slowed down on my workouts and eventually went back to just walking on the treadmill. I did still gain extra weight during my third pregnancy, but I was a lot more active and still included at least a healthy meal or two every day.

 

After allowing my body to heal after my third baby I was ready and excited to get back into shape. I went back to a lot of the same routines that I followed before my last pregnancy and I saw some success, but weight loss for me is always a slow process. I tried a few other diets and some at home workouts and after a while I got frustrated and started researching more ways to help me in my health journey. I saw my regular doctor and then later decided to see a naturopathic physician. I have slowly been tweaking my diet and the supplements I take over the years and have found some short at-home workouts that I enjoy. I am now in the best shape I have been in since having kids! I still have more goals to reach and am far from perfect in my nutrition, but I am proud of how far I have come in my health journey. I’m excited to share in this blog some of the things that have worked for me along the way!