The Decision
I shocked my husband, family and friends a few months ago when I decided that I was going to leave my job in corporate America as a program manager and begin the journey of starting my own Wellness Consulting Company! First step...becoming a certified personal trainer. This is a very drastic change for me but something I have always been interested in.
Growing up to be Me!
As a young girl I was always really active as a swimmer and then as a high school field hockey player. I slowly gained weight my last 2 years in high school and my short self of 5ft 2in weighed 180 pounds when I went off to college at the University of Pittsburgh in the fall of 2000. I soon realized that I wasn't going to have much fun as a heavy girl and decided something needed to change...what had happened to the active girl who loved to exercise so much?? It didn't take long for me to get back into exercising and with a balanced diet and a lot of help from the gym I went home that summer of 2001 at 130 pounds. At my lightest I was 125 pounds and in great shape. Over the last 10 years I have stayed within about 10 pounds of that ideal weight of 125 pounds. I currently stay in shape through running, body pump classes, triathlon training and eating good food!
Brent (aka: husband) and have completed a number of races together with our most notable being the Marine Corp Marathon on October 31st 2010 and the National 1/2 Marathon on March 20th 2010, both located in Washington DC.
In mid-march of this year the Dr. told our family that my Dad had Stage 4 colon cancer and needed to undergo chemotherapy treatments immediately in order to extend his lifespan for a few years. This came as a huge shock and I threw myself into reading all about colon cancer, what it is, the stats, what alternative ways are there to treat colon cancer and what can I do to help make sure we beat this fight. I soon figured it out...my Dad needed to change his diet drastically and start exercising. These goals were no longer a new years resolution to lose weight lose but a decision for LIFE.
Within a few days I had drawn up a plan of attack, I needed to clean out my parents fridge and pantry of processed, sugar filled, salt overloaded foods and fill it with whole, fresh, good for you foods. We gave it all away; chips, white pasta, frozen fried foods, candy and replaced it with a Pescetarian menu full of fresh vegetables, fruit, yogurt, olive oil, avocados, hummus, beans, brown rice, fish and wheat pasta. After the refrigerator makeover my Dad lost 50 pounds and we are on our way to exercising the rest away. Soon not only will he have the attitude to fight cancer but he will have the body to kill it too!My Dad's sickness made me realize that even though I had put 6 years into a business career and I was doing well and excelling at my job, it didn't matter if it didn't make me and my family happy. If I can do something that improves my families lives, friends lives and strangers who become friends and clients than I am helping this world become a happy, healthier place!
I want to help people live longer, feel better and love what their doing...Exercising and Eating Right!
