My Dirty Secret........

I have a confession. It's bad. Really bad.





See, I'm a personal trainer. People come to me for nutritional advice and needing change in their lives. For the most part, I have the answers they need. I know nutrition facts. I know how they should be eating. I know the science behind weight loss. I know all about carbs, fats, protein, and counting calories. I give them all the information they need. I make my clients keep food journals and don't like it when I see poor food choices. I want them to be healthy and I want to help them.

Here is my problem: I can't follow my own advice. I eat a SAD (Standard American Diet), and am disgusted with myself that I KNOW better, yet still do it. It's addictive, and I've fallen into the trap.

In the Summer of 2009, my family completely changed their diets. We ate super healthy and I would not dare buy something boxed, pre-frozen or pre-packaged for my family. We still occasionally had fast food, but it was maybe once to twice a week. I pre-planned all our foods and always cooked dinner at night. At this time, I wasn't working and my life was dedicated to being a mommy and wife. I had the time to put thought into our meals and always cook for my family.

Fast forward to late Spring of 2010. Life changed. I was presented with the opportunity to start my own personal training business, and I jumped on it. This is something I've wanted for so long, and it came at a time that I was least expecting it. I couldn't turn this opportunity down and it was so heavy on my heart to do. I went from being home all day and having time to make fresh, healthy meals for my family to working 3-6 hours a day with clients PLUS the extra time it takes to plan out my clients workouts and meal plan for them.

It was a slow fade in my healthy eating. I was grabbing fast food more often as I traveled to see clients, hiding the fast food bags and cups, hoping no one saw them in my car. I gave in and starting buying boxed, pre-made dinners and frozen dinners for my family for convenience. The more I ate bad, the more I craved it! I am falling into the whirlwind trap of eating poor, dirty foods.

I truly believe that God did not design our bodies to eat processed foods. When we eat processed foods, we tend to experience symptoms such as irritability, depression, stomach sickness, sleepiness, lethargic, etc. We don't function the way we would if we were eating natural, nutrient-rich foods. These natural, nutrient-rich foods are foods that are grown in the Earth. Foods that God made and designed for us to eat.

So what's the point of all this? I NEED to change my life. I can't continue this "Do as I say, not as I do" approach with my clients. I want to have more energy. I want to fill my body with nutrient-rich foods, and not this heavily processed crap that we call food. I want to record my journey so that YOU can keep me accountable, and I want to inspire others to follow me and I will keep you accountable.

So here is my challenge, starting now (I was going to start Jan. 1st, however, I am so sick of feeling this way now, and I'm not going to wait to make a life change) I will be following a clean eating, natural foods diet. No more fast food (AT ALL!! Not going to allow a slow fade to set in again). No more convenient, boxed dinners or snacks. No more soda (and for anyone that knows me, knows that this is going to be the hardest thing for me!! I love soda!). I will be blogging about meal planning, sharing recipes, posting my workout log and food journal (oh, that's a scary thought! Let everyone see what I'm eating!!), discussing fitness and healthy lifestyles. I always encourage you to share your story, your workout logs, and your food journals with me. I want to keep you accountable too!!

This is not about a diet that we'll do for a few months. This is about a lifestyle change. This also is not about losing weight. I'm sure that will come naturally as healthy choices are made, but I want to encourage being HEALTHY. So join me!! Let's be a team and do this together!