Glitter and Grace: Health Freak

Ok, maybe I won't go as far as saying I'm a health "freak" yet. But I'm getting there!

I recently became a health coach for Take Shape for Life after watching two friends of mine make it their life mission to get others healthy. The more I learned about their passion, the more I wanted to do that in my life and for others too! And the information I have learned in the past month has completely changed my opinions on food, health, weight, and exercise.

Basically, the state of the nation is in bad shape (pun intended) health-wise. Most of the major food industries have made making healthy choices next to impossible and medical systems are forced to focus on sick care rather than health care. Our diabetes and obesity rates are climbing and climbing.

But the good news is that it is so easy to change that! And that's what our goal is as health coaches: teach America how to get healthy, one person at a time! The basic premise of TSFL is getting people to a healthy weight (most people lose up to 2-5lbs per week on program), then teaching people the skills to transition to a healthy lifestyle and then how to maintain that and stay healthy and thriving for the rest of their lives! And the health coach part is free! Clients just pay for food. It's not a diet (which most people find very difficult to maintain the weight loss after they've lost it), it's an entire lifestyle change. One of the most interesting things I've learned is that losing weight with just exercise alone is almost impossible. You would have to spend up to 90 min a day of vigorous exercise to see a difference. I had no idea! No wonder people give up on their gym memberships after Jan 31st!!

I went on program just for a week to see what it was like, and to start the journey of teaching myself better eating habits (like I mentioned previously, I was quite the unhealthy eater). Though losing weight wasn't my objective, I did lose 3lbs in just a few days, but what I was most excited about was what happened to my body after I started transitioning off. My cravings for crappy food were literally gone! It's like I pushed the re-set button on my body and became a different person, I love it. I now crave healthy food that will fuel me, eat little amounts throughout the day, and still drink lots and lots of water (this was tough for me but I'm starting to love it). And I am so hungry to learn even more about my body and healthy choices and creating the best life possible for me!

Runyon in LA. One of my fave hikes.

My favorite part of being a health coach is seeing the lives that have changed for good. While my story is great for me, it's pretty minor in comparison to the peoples' stories who have lost over 100lbs, go off their medications, and stay healthy for years to follow. Being a part of life change fuels me. As I was sitting in training last weekend listening to Dr. A (the founder and medical director of Take Shape for Life) talk about the Habits of Health and about thriving and not just surviving, I was reminded of the verse where Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). God doesn't want us to just "make it though" each day. He wants the best for us! In every category, and I believe that definitely includes our health and how we take care of our bodies.

Silver Falls in OR. Another fave hike.

So I am committing to health and would love to help others do the same! If you or someone you know needs to lose weight and start changing their life for the better, e-mail me: cutfatwithbacon@gmail.com (yup that's the coach name we came up with :) because I'd love to talk to you about it!

Happy, healthy, glittery.

Some Before and After's of people I know who went on program: