Special Day :)

I thought I would write a little blog post on this very special day. You might be thinking....is it a holiday? Her anniversary? Well, it's an anniversary...yes....but it's an anniversary that literally changed my life for the better. It is the 2nd biggest change I've made in my life after taking myself off of anti anxiety and depression medications that I had been addicted to for years. It was a decision I made for not only myself, but for my family. I made the decision to live a sober and tobacco free life. I started smoking regularly at the age of 14, and I started relying on alcohol religiously in my early 20's,after my first marriage had failed, and I became a single mother. My life kinda spiraled at that point and my anxiety became worse and worse. It was from that point on that there are moments in that time in my life that are a blur, or that I don't even remember....pretty scary to think about now. But fast forward to two years ago....after many, many years of drinking every night, doing things that I am very shameful of, I was laying in a hospital bed because of the choices in my life that I had been making. I had already gone through a transformation. I took myself off medications I had been on since the age of 16, and I had lost 87lbs by exercising and eating better. But I knew my transformation wasn't complete. I knew that I wasn't happy, even after my transformation, because I was living sort of a double life. By day I was an exercising machine, yes even smoking about 2 packs of cigarettes a day, but by night, I was drinking 30 packs of beer and fighting with my husband all night. It just wasn't good, and it needed to change, and I ended up in the hospital with a nervous breakdown because of those choices conflicting with what I knew in my heart had to change, because I knew how I wanted to live, and the way I was living, didn't match up with that vision. I knew, once again....just like I did when I just KNEW I had to stop my addiction to meds, that this was next. It was the missing piece that had been holding me back. And laying in that hospital bed overnight, I made the committment to live in sobriety and quit smoking.

Fast forward to today....two years later. What has changed in my life since I made this decision? Well, I became a Fitness Coach, for an amazing company called Beachbody which by using their in home workout program, I lost my weight and was introduced to the coaching opportunity they offered their customers and started helping others transform their own lives, which helped me find my passion and purpose in life. I decided to go back to school and start learning more about Health, Wellness and Nutrition at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to become a Certified Health and Nutrition Coach. I also decided to further my fitness knowledge and become a Certified Personal Trainer at The National Academy of Sports Medicine, with the vision of starting up my own Health Coaching practice to continue my passion of helping others pursue their goals in life. 

Three months after my decision to change, my amazing husband decided to join me and quit smoking and drinking as well. Something I thought was NEVER going to happen! I wake up every day with a new intention. An intention to enjoy this life, to continue to grow and to help others, and to continue my journey guilt free, shame free and happy and healthy! I still have alot of work ahead of me, but I do know how far I've come and I thank God for carrying me through with enough strength, and providing me with a grateful attitude. 

I hope you enjoy your day!!

The Invigorated Soul