I have always wanted to DO IT ALL, “ASAP.”
In June of 2014, I left my career in corporate finance and decided to turn my personal passion for health and fitness in to my life's work. Scary. I literally had photos of cliffs saved as the background image of my phone with inspirational quotes about "leaps of faith." Trading in my Theory suit skirts and stockings for a wardrobe bursting with spandex was a thrilling first step. Part of me immediately felt like I'd "made it." I looked the part!
Then, in my seemingly never-ending (and sometimes subconscious) quest for perfection, I wanted to be running at the same pace as my favorite health and wellness bloggers -- right out of the starting gates! Even while sitting out my last days in my old cubicle and before starting nutrition school and my personal training education at Equinox, I envisioned myself growing and juicing my own wheat grass, making natural cleaning solution in 'up-cycled' glass bottles scented with essential oils, roasting the perfectly crunchy kale chips and get this, I even seriously thought about how I could fit in a 4x4 feet vertical vegetable garden tower in to my NYC one-bedroom apartment, complete with an indoor florescent glow lights contraption.
Needless to say, I was beyond excited about joining this world of wellness. My heart and mind were literally bursting with ideas on how I could inspire and work with my future clients.
Thankfully, my sane friends and little whispers from my soul told me to breathe, slow-down and somehow know that my own wishes for self-improvement and professional growth would come with time. New habits and lifestyle changes can be overwhelming to your mind and body; that's science. Your brain is designed to protect you from too much change and keep you in your same old day-to-day routines. Even those routines and patterns of action that are incredibly detrimental to your short and long-term health. Nowadays, I work with my clients on "owning" a new habit to fully incorporate it in to their healthy lifestyle repertoire. That's when it sticks.
Please don't stress. It’s OK if more pressing “to-dos” take-up most of your days. That’s normal, that’s life. For me, the laundry had to get done, my Equinox uniform HAD to get washed, I had my nutrition school tests and new personal training clients and wonky gym hours, a new boyfriend, a half-marathon to train for and a body that needed sleep and sometimes, I’m proud to say, naps. Cleaning and re-organizing the closet could wait.
And guess what? Once I hit my stride on my “new life," (and confidently embraced my path) I started to have time and energy for the things I wanted to do, day by day, month by month. I figured out how to use a slow-cooker, I pickled and fermented my first jars of cabbage, I went to a functional medicine doctor and got my cortisol levels tested, I made that natural essential-oil soap, finally baked those healthified chocolate chip pancakes with a million (OK, four) different flours, started going to yoga twice a week and I even cleaned out that closet. I also found I had the creative energy to start this blog, and that my dear friends, was the biggest accomplishment of all. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity to share my knowledge, personal experience and quirky psychological introspections with you all and make your days on this gorgeous earth healthier AND happier.
Welcome.