Sunday, July 17, 2016

My Journey to Health & Fitness

Today I thought I would move away from the farming aspect of my life and talk about something that is just as important to me; living a healthy lifestyle.

My whole life I have been very active and involved with sports. In high school I played on every sports team we had; this definitely does not mean I am a super talented athlete, I just grew up in a VERY small community so team try-outs were basically non-existent. You showed up, you made the team! However, I would say I was moderately athletic but more importantly just loved sports. Volleyball and basketball were my favorite teams but the sport that truly held my heart for most of my life was horseback riding, more specifically, JUMPING!!
Riley and I at a show
I have rode horses for the last 15 years of my life and competed for about 10 of those years. Since graduating from college and moving to New Brunswick I really haven't rode much at all. Between work and life there isn't much time for riding. I do still have the same 2 horses that I have had since I was 15 and I could not imagine my life without them. They are literally a part of me and the thought that someday I will have to live without them, scares me.
This is an oldie - probably 10 or 11 years ago!


NEIL!!!!!
Anyway, I love my horses, but this post was not intended to go in this direction haha. Back on topic NOW.

When I moved to New Brunswick my life changed so much that making time for sports and fitness was put on the back burner. For the first 2 years of living in NB this mindset continued. I ate what I wanted and only exercised when I started to feel bad about how I looked. One day I was on Facebook and a friend had posted some pictures of her doing CrossFit. I had no idea what it was but it looked kind of interesting so I Google'd it. I think I spent a solid 2 or 3 hours watching videos of people doing CrossFit workouts and after that I new I HAD to try it. I messaged my friend and she gave me the contacts of a local box (what CrossFitters call their gyms). I started about 2 weeks later and I have been hooked ever since. I literally haven't gone more that a week without making it to the gym every other day. I am a super competitive person and I forgot how much I LOVE to push myself to become better. Joining this gym also helped me to adjust to living in a new province even more. I made my own friends and my own life, separate to what Scott and I have together. I think it's healthy to have things that you enjoy to do alone.
Not a great picture but this is my first ever CorssFit competition in 2014
This was really the catapult to me living a healthy and active lifestyle. Once I started to see changes in my body, both getting stronger and leaner, I wanted MORE. I tried a paleo challenge, and although I didn't stick to it after the month was up, I did continue to be more conscious of what I was putting in my body. I also joined another gym so that I could do more bodybuilding-style workouts and continued to see positive changes in my body. About a year and a half ago I started the IIFYM (if it fits your macros) style of eating and tracking your food. Some people probably think it's excessive to count every carb, fat and protein that you eat but I really like it because it allows me to be flexible with my diet while still reaching my health and fitness goals. *I will do a separate blog post on IIFYM and macro counting.*
Gym selfies required!
 

I did my first 10k race in 2015 - very proud moment!
In the last 3 years I have gained so much confidence and it all stems from my decision to live a healthier lifestyle. I love the way I look (most days - I am still human!) but more importantly I love the way I feel and the things my body can do now! Health and fitness are truly a passion of mine. I want to share with you my ongoing journey - from the foods that I eat, to the workouts that I do, to the recipes I love. I hope that someone will learn a little bit from the things that I post but it's not the purpose of me posting about it. As I've said previously, I am not a nutritionist or a personal trainer so I am not here to teach. I only want to share with you all the aspects of my life, and this is one of them!

See you next time!

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