My Physical Journey

If I started at the beginning of why I was overweight, you would be reading a novel, and I know that you did not come to my page to read a novel today! What I will tell you is that I experienced severe and chronic pain for many years. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia Syndrome back in 2002. The associated trauma was two major rear-end accidents within the span of only one year.  It was a dark time in my life, but I had a desire for more! I have always had a desire to succeed. I would succeed in school, succeed in my career, and succeed in relationships. The problem is that I would succeed in every relationship except with me. What I mean is that I neglected myself. I was busy taking care of others because I was in the "helping profession" and spent more time on others than myself.

A Change Is Coming

Fast-forward to 2007 when I had a divine revelation about my body as temple and I began my journey.  Yay! But then when I got married in 2009, well, I might as well have been a ball bouncing back and forth between taking care of myself and not.  My husband always got on me about putting others first and I listened, well sometimes I listened.  Then in 2012 I became pregnant with my first daughter and something happened to me. I received another divine revelation about what I wanted to pass on to my daughter and I became healthier through my pregnancy. I gave birth later that year and a few months after her birth, I became pregnant with my second. Yes, you read that correctly! I became pregnant again in a few short months! I did my best to stay healthy through my pregnancy but after delivering again, about a year after the first, I forgot about me again. But then after a few months, I was reminded that taking care of myself is as equally important, if not more important, than taking care of my two children! 

Prioritizing me

And so I continued what I knew of getting healthier which was increasing my activity, mainly walking, and improving my food choices. I was unsure of how to get my new body healthier exactly, and was overwhelmed by all of the options to help me reach my goals. So I decided to start small and I transitioned into a "winning" mindset. Did you catch that? I started with changing my MINDSET. Just have more wins than losses in a day, Crystal.  Focus on winning rather than losing.  For example, walking 3 miles is a win. Drinking only water is a win. Avoiding those sweets is a win.   It worked and I had great results doing it on my own. Doing it on my own lasted for awhile and then I realized that I needed more. 

finding my way

As a mom of two children under 2 years, I had to find a way to help me take better care of me and at the same time, show my daughters the "right way" which meant no quick fixes, no magic pills, and no excuses. So as a busy woman with young children, owning a business, attending school, and everything in between...I needed a solution. That solution had to involve a quick breakfast or lunch on the go, whole foods, organic ingredients without "fillers and chemicals", no shame or deprivation, and a fitness routine that did not involve the gym.  I did not want to attend the gym for several reasons, but mainly because it no longer fit my lifestyle and I couldn't keep up with the classes due to being overweight and managing Fibro Flareups. So I searched and searched and researched for the "right fit".  And I found it in an unconventional, but very certain manner. I was so overjoyed with finding my way that I became a coach, putting my other business aside, to hold myself accountable and to offer encouragement, empowerment, and support to people like you!