My husband and I spent most of last week, my birthday week, unloading one super packed, to the ceiling, storage trailer onto the sidewalk and driveway of my parents house. We literally went through our life in boxes. We had trash piles, donate piles and keep piles of household items to organize into our fifth wheel trailer home.  Most of this stuff had been packed for about a year, from when we first got rid of our house in Redding and started our long distance relationship. I came across a couple things that had me raising an eyebrow.

The first thing I came across was cellulite removal lotion. As soon as I pulled that out of the box I felt emotional because that was something I had struggled with for so long. The feelings of embarrassment and self-consciousness came rushing over me. I even looked down at my legs as if suddenly it would reappear. I actually thought this stuff was the answer. It never worked. I am happy to say that I tossed it straight into the trash.

I am proud that I have been able to overcome that “problem area” on the back and sides of my legs. I accomplished that through the proper nutrition plan and workout routine. That moment just really took me back in time and made me realize how far I have truly come on this journey. Something I never thought was within my reach, happened and I moved on almost forgetting I ever had that self consciousness about me.

The second thing I came across was a box of sleeping pills. At first I wasn’t even sure what they were until I looked inside and I only saw 2 missing from the blue plastic box they came in. I then remembered I stopped taking them  because they gave me horrendous nightmares as a special little side effect. I am proud to say that I now sleep uninterrupted. I have found that consistently working out and properly fueling my body with the appropriate nutrition, gives me the energy I need during the day, and the strength I need for a proper night of sleep.

Back when, I went to see my doctor and told him I was having trouble sleeping. I don’t even recall him asking me if I was active or even recommending anything other than drugs. He simply prescribed me some pills, and that was it. I no longer feel like a pill is the answer, but I had that mindset for a long time. That’s what the doctor always did as I grew up. Oh your arm hurts, here’s a pill for that. Imagine a world where everyone looked deeper into issues as to what was causing them, then to just bandage over them. I’ve become such a believer in holistic health because of this.  Not only is it cheaper, more effective, and more eco-friendly, but it reminds us that we have control over our body and our health.

Going through all of that stuff really made me realize that I have come a long way as an individual in less than a years time. I started lifestyle coaching in July of 2014 and I am not the same person I was then. I have the burning desire to pay it forward and help other people gain their confidence back, change what they can control and keep pushing and fighting for what they deserve. I want to let you know that you are not alone and there is MORE to life than just sickness, unhappiness and all of these products that are used as band-aids over REAL issues. Teamwork makes the dream work. Together is better. We can do this.