Welcome to my blog. It has been quite awhile since I've last written in one. In fact, it has been since the year 2007 when I last sat down to write all my innermost thoughts and faced them. I received my first journal in 4th grade. Every night, I would write with a funky colored pen to write my adventures of that day then lock it. I would question why things were happening. Wonder if I'd ever find the right guy. What was the meaning by someone's actions toward me. Eventually I realized, it was time to start typing it out-I would be able to get more done and faster too! So I joined various sites. Eventually I stopped...I felt like I developed the wisdom and my life was feeling more stable and happy. Looking back, my life has been very stable and fulfilling..It was like I didn't feel like I needed to sit down and write..
I must admit...I've been wanting to get back to this for awhile especially a few years ago when my husband deployed for the 2nd time. I just didn't... I may be a little bit rusty and OLDER now..yet it feels like home in a way. Familiar.
This is MY place. This is MY WEBSITE. I can't even believe I have my own website for my personal training business. Every day I am so grateful to be doing what I love with a group of people I admire. So please sit back and read if you wish. Post encouraging comments. Those comments are what will motivate me to continue to share my story. I am not sharing this space with you to debate. Nor am I writing to offend people. I'm sharing my LIFE, conversations I've had with others and my own experiences.
So MY WHY. Let's get to it.
I touched upon my WHY in my bio. I always thought it was only my DAD that inspired me to help people, to help others that reminded me of him. Or to help people from getting to the point he was. Since 2011 I have helped so many people get physically fit all while helping to gently encourage better lifestyle choices. I just never thought my WHY would evolve.
To my MOM. Back when I was in school for personal training, my mom at the age of 49 was diagnosed with Breast Cancer very early on. She went through radiation by herself. I stood at a distance, about 80 miles away, in support. At 26, I was in no mindset to begin to understand quite it all meant. My husband was in the middle east for that year. I was checked out from my personal life and focusing on my professional goals instead. I basically felt like I was a child still and shouldn't have to worry about my parent's health just yet. When she became cancer free, what a relief that was. It was like that chapter closed and I hardly thought about it again.
I just continued on my life. Lifting weights. Trying to eat mostly nutritious foods. Learning about self care. Switching to organic products. Destressing. Breast feeding for 1 year. Basically, I was trying to focus on "healthy living" to feel GOOD and reduce my risk of health issues.
Until almost 10 years later early June 2021. My mom had been complaining about leg pain for many many months. She finally went to the Dr. Physical therapy it was! It never got better. Eventually after SO LONG and an increase in pain, she learned she had a lesion on her femur which needed to be examined further. Metastatic Breast Cancer. What the heck is that? Of course I looked up what this could mean for her. What it would require of me to help her. Oh, it's stage 4 cancer that originated in the breast that has spread to other parts and bones of the body. No cure. She has hotspots in her breast, both legs, her lung and brain.
How quickly I jumped to "this was not supposed to be like this..." At 36, this was NEVER anything I thought I would be facing.
About a month after diagnosis, I have my moments of extreme grief. However, I have found myself deeply passionate to spread awareness and to help other people for another reason. I also feel there aren't many people at my age having to be in these shoes, raising a 5 year old child and helping their Mom with the end of life battling an illness. My fire has been sparked. It keeps me up at night with the message I want to convey and how I want to deliver it.
We will all die of something...Cancer rates are rising. More and more YOUNGER people are fighting it. At the same time, the overweight/obesity epidemic is GROWING. Cancer is the second leading killer of Americans, behind heart disease. We are in a downhill trend of our life expectancy not increasing anymore. I can't help but feel a healthy lifestyle would LOWER the risk of developing these conditions.. RIGHT? You look at all health conditions and they all say the same..Ways to reduce your chances of (Insert illness/condition) are eating nutritious food, exercising daily, reduce stress, more sleep, etc. I can't help but WORRY how many of us americans are at a serious RISK to developing cancers due to their predisposition. Yet so many people look the other way it seems to me.
My mom's diagnosis is now a NEW reason behind why I am doing my part to help others get healthy.
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