So, let me tell you a bit about me and how and more importantly, the "why" I’ve “evolved”…..
I do not pretend to know how "exactly" to eat paleo or even follow any type of such diet. However, I do know that I love to be outdoors working out, eating clean and feeling great!!!
Like many of us out there, I wasn’t always of this mind-set. I worked in “Corporate America” and like just about everyone else out there, I would make my daily stops at any fast food place for a “quick” meal. Now, I knew that home-cooking was the best, but really, who had the time???? In 2004 I was caring for my husband that had been diagnosed with stage 4 Lung Cancer. Between work, taking my husband to chemo treatments and caring for my child, who was 5 yrs.old at the time, I had no choice but to grab the closest food item near me! I look back at photos of myself and I can literally see the stress on my face plus of course, the fat!!! During that time, I had ballooned close to 200lbs.! Summer of 2005 after my husband passed away, I decided I needed to do something for me. So, like thousands of people out there, I joined a gym. I couldn’t afford a trainer, so I went about doing what I thought was effective. By the summer of 2006, I had lost 4 sizes, the weight come off and I was feeling great again! During all this time, in the background, my Mom is fighting diabetes (left leg amputated), congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, and then in 2008 she was diagnosed with stage 4 Esophageal Cancer! So, here I go again……stress eating, adrenal fatigue and gaining weight!
I find a friend and a mentor……
As the old saying goes, one door closes to let a window open, or something to that effect! Anyhow, in October of 2008, as my Mom is fighting this cancer, I was laid-off from my position of “Personnel Specialist.” Since the economy has slowed down to a damn near halt, there was no need for my position as the company I was working for was not hiring any new personnel! Yes, this was devastating to me! However, on the up-side, I was able to spend time with my Mom during her last few months of life that I would have otherwise spent at work! During the quality time I was able to spend with my Mom, we talked about the future, mainly mine and my daughter’s future. My Mom helped me to see that I needed to make a change, not only work but in lifestyle as well. I needed a career that would allow me to spend quality time with my daughter and I needed to make a change in my lifestyle. Life is so very short it can end in a blink of an eye!
In January of 2009, I joined a “Fit Camp.” It was held outdoors at a neighborhood park, I loved it! There was a group of women ready to make a change in their lives and the energy was high! The instructor shows up and she’s very cute, has a spring in her step and a very soft but motivating voice!!! She met with me after our first workout and gave me “eating guidelines” to follow. Throughout the month of January I faithfully attended her classes. We would talk after the workout and I learned so much from her. In February of 2009 my Mom passed away. I continued to attend the workout sessions and I found not only did I actually want to work-out but my body was “requiring” it! With the help of the instructor, I changed my eating habits and slowly started to change how I viewed food and exercise. Over the months that followed, the “instructor” and I bonded. She became a dear friend and mentor. Through her encouragement I became a Personal Trainer. It took me half a lifetime to find the key to being healthier and having “quality of life”. As I said before, I don’t pretend to know how the paleo diet works but I am learning and as a matter of fact would like your input and questions as it will help me to learn as well. I have learned however, that it’s "what" you do and "how" you spend that time that counts. In the end it’s about spending a bit more money on “quality food” to spend more “quality time” with your loved ones! If you eat crap...your body will be crap! And now my toughest challenge I face on a daily basis, is changing the mind-set of my 12yr. old daughter! And "that’s" what this blog is mostly about. The constant struggles and challenges of an "only" parent, to teach her child why all those “franken-foods” and “fast food” restaurants are not good choices! I’m sure anyone with a teenager knows how difficult it can be to "get back to basics!"
