Mindful Eating - Collin McShirley

Happy Friday, friends! Today, I am so excited to feature someone I recently met whose heart and passion align perfectly with my own. Those that know me well, or have been here for a while, know that me and food used to have quiiiite an unhealthy relationship. For almost a decade of my life, I struggled with emotional / comfort eating and extreme food-related guilt and shame. It was a cycle that viscously fed itself, and at many times resulted in a full-fledged eating disorder.  

As the years went on, I began to realize that I was not alone. I began to see what an issue this was, and found so many women who also shared my struggles with food and body image. Some women shared my struggle with emotional eating, some with food guilt, some battled an eating disorder of their own, and many shared the common thread of body-image related insecurity.

This is why I began my journey in health & fitness coaching. After tackling this issue in my own life and tasting freedom for myself, I now crave that freedom for others. I want other women to feel the same level of confidence before and after a meal. I want other women to know that their worth is not in a number on the scale, or a size written on a tag in their jeans. I want other women to be able to enjoy food without feeling guilt or shame afterwards. 

So when I met Collin McShirley, and heard about her passion and her work in precisely this area, I got excited! Collin is a Santa Barbara local, and is passionate about changing the way women and men look at their bodies, their self esteem, and their relationship with food. I am so thrilled to feature her here today, and share some of her wisdom regarding mindful eating. 

***

Two first steps on the path of Mindful Eating:

1- Pay Attention:

Mindful eating is learning to eat in the present moment. Become a connoisseur of every meal you have the privilege of being able to appreciate, no matter how inconsequential or routine it may be in your day to day process. Relearn how to appreciate the subtle tastes and textures of your food, even if its something you may have eaten before, try to experience this particular meal as if its the first time again. Also, adding new flavors and experimenting with your meals in small ways can help add to this rebirth of your culinary experience.

2- Ask Questions:

Why do I feel like eating – Are there any emotions triggering the eating?

What am I eating – Is it healthy for me to consume or is it junk food?

Notice the sensation of the food you’re eating – What does it look like? Smell like? Feel like? And, of course, taste like?

Be present both during, and after – How does it make you feel as you’re tasting it? As you digest it? Important: How do you feel after eating it?

Over or Under eating – Notice if you’re feeling too full or ‘stuffed’? Or is your stomach still empty after eating?

Emotional response – Do you feel a sense of guilt and shame? Do you experience regret or self-criticism?

Collin Christine McShirley grew up in Santa Barbara, and received her masters in clinical psychology. She also is certified in body image, emotional eating and self-esteem. Collin now works as a coach helping men and women change their lives and become happy and healthy. Her coaching sessions are available in person in Santa Barbara, CA in a private office, or on phone and skype for those who live outside the area. In your work with Collin you will be supported, empowered, and given strategic methods to help make positive changes in your life. One example of the strategies you will learn is the concept of mindful eating. Above is an example of some of the tips you'd pick up.

If you're interested in learning more about Collin and her services visit her website at collinmcshirley.com she has offered to do a free 20 minute discovery session for Sweet Home Santa Barbara Viewers. Call her today and give promo code "SweetHome SB" to receive this limited offer. 

Healthy Product Spotlight (& Giveaway!) - Squarebars

Hi, friends! Happy Monday! 

Today, I'm excited to share another "Healthy Product Spotlight" post. I can't remember exactly how I found out about Squarebar, but I'm sure glad that I did! I recently snagged a sample box that was advertised during an Instagram flash sale, and got to try all 5 organic, vegan flavors. These bars are delicious!

As mentioned above, these bars are made with only organic, vegan ingredients. The five flavors of cherry, almond spice, mint, crunch and coconut are all chocolate coated and uniquely flavored to perfection. Though I loved all 5, my favorites would be crunch, almond spice and mint. The mint one tasted like a healthy version of a thin mint!

{And all girl scout cookie lovers celebrated}

The size of the bars are perfect for a mid morning snack, which is how I enjoyed mine all of last week. They are a satisfying treat that will leave you full for hours. 

Another thing I love about this company? They make a quarterly contribution to the nonprofit Not For Sale, which means that each time you make a purchase, you are helping to end slavery & human trafficking. 

Considering that I was such a fan of these bars (& what they help support!), I'd love to give one of my readers the opportunity to try them. Enter below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And have yourself a very happy Monday, my friends!

Healthy Product Spotlight! - Nikki's Coconut Butter

Hi, friends! First off, thank you all so much for your support & encouragement on last Friday's announcement. I am so excited to be embarking on a new adventure with Beachbody coaching! 

In all honesty, it's taken quite a few steps outside of my comfort zone to get here, but who wants to live inside their comfort zone, right? Not me, that's for sure. :) 

As I've begun prioritizing my health & nutrition, I've been discovering all sorts of delicious and healthy treats. I thought eating healthy would be tasteless and boring, but turns out I was way wrong. Discovering how flavorful and yummy real food can be has dramatically decreased / eliminated my cravings. So 3 cheers for that!

I want to start highlighting the healthy products I find, as good news deserves to be shared! So today, I kick off the "Healthy Product Spotlight!" series with a recent favorite, 

Nikki's Coconut Butter.

I discovered Nikki's Coconut Butter while on my 21 Day Fix, and with flavors like "Vanilla Cake Batter" and ingredients that a paleo can eat? You bet I was sold. I have now tried 2 of their 5 flavors, and ohhhh my goodness. This stuff is heavenly!

I've blended it in my Shakeology, mixed it with melted semi-sweet chocolate for a healthy dessert, and most definitely eaten it by the spoonful. It's amazing how ever you choose to enjoy it!

If you like coconut, you will love this coconut butter. Almost as much as your body will love the healthy ingredients!

Try it for yourself! You won't be sorry.

What are your favorite healthy products? I want to know!

*The links in this post are affiliate links, 

meaning that I will receive commission 

on any sales generated from this post.*

My 24 Day Journey {& An Announcement!}

If you've been following along on my Instagram (@sweethomesb), you know that 24 days ago, on the first day of my 26th year, I started a fitness, health, & overall wellness journey. 

And friends, I've tried a lot of different health regimes. I've cut out sugar, I've counted calories, and to be brutally honest, the majority of my life I have bounced back and forth between feeling guilty about food and feeling restricted. 

And today, I can whole heartedly say that the last 24 days have

changed. my. life. 

I'm not going to shove before and after pictures in your face, and I'm not going to list statistics of how much I lost. Instead, I'm going to praise my God, and I'm going to tell you about how much I gained from this experience. 

I have been praying for freedom in my relationship with food for a long time. 

Those that know my story know that I battled a pretty brutal eating disorder for over 8 years of my life. Whenever I doubted if God was at work in this fitness journey of mine, whenever I wondered if I was doing this all for myself and my own desires, I was brought back to that fact. 

Over a third of my life was marked by an eating disorder, and my God, 

He redeems everything. 

So let me shout it really loud, with literal tears streaming down my face. 

This is not a fitness story. 

This is a redemption story. 

Man, my God is mighty good. 

In the last 24 days (3 Day Refresh + 21 Day Fix), I have found myself in a magically foreign place of having simultaneous joy + self control with food. The color-coded portion control system is so easy, and it really works. I have finally come to a place where I can enjoy my food (because guys, this girl loves food) AND treat my body well. 

And it feels so good, my friends. For a girl who has struggled in her relationship with food for nearly her entire life, 
I feel free. 

Photo by Becky Davis Photography

I was in a funk with my fitness routine before I started the 21 Day Fix, and was not looking forward to my work outs. I was doing them out of obligation, and that showed itself in the drastic decrease of my weekly work outs. 

These 30 minute videos? I love them. They have brought the joy back into my fitness routine, and I am so grateful. 

So yes, I lost weight in these last 24 days. But for me, that wasn't the goal. That was just the by product of the real success story here. 

Here's all that I gained: 

Joy. Joy. And More Joy. 

Peace in my relationship with food. 

Love for fitness, and for cooking, and for grocery shopping.

{Anyone notice that those are fruits of the Spirit? Galatians 5:22? I see you here, God.}

I Saved Money. My bank account was verrryy happy about how little I was eating out.

Muscles. ;) 

I made so many new Friends, other people doing the program who helped keep me motived and excited. 

Passion. Guys, I never ever saw myself in the health & fitness industry. But after experiencing this life change for myself, I want to be a part of it. 

My favorite part of the 21 Day Fix program is that it is absolutely sustainable. The eating plan is 100% do-able, and yes, I allow myself treats when the opportunity arises. The work out videos? You get to keep them for life, and can continue breaking a sweat each day & building those muscles. 

This isn't a 21 Day thing, it's a life thing. And I'm in. 

 So guys, as a result of how much I loved my experience, I am both excited and nervous to announce that

I am now a Beachbody Coach!

I believe in the programs this company offers. But I believe in them because 

I believe in YOU. 

You make the program successful, it doesn't make you successful. 

And ultimately, I believe in these programs because I believe in something bigger. 

I believe in a God who loves to change lives. 

I believe in a God who is passionate about freedom. 

And so this isn't a sales pitch, it's an invitation. This health thing? It's a lot like the journey of faith. It's not a one-day decision, it's an entire life endeavor. And like I said, I'm in. With every fiber of my being, I'm in. 

I want this freedom, guys. So this isn't me selling you freedom, it's me inviting you to join me on my quest for it. 

Photo by Becky Davis Photography

My wonderful coach (@carriemflynn) & I will be co-leading an August "Love Your Body" Accountability Group, beginning August 10th. 

If you have any interest in being a part of it, leave your e-mail address in the comments below, and I'll be in touch! Or, you can e-mail me at sweethomesbblog@gmail.com. 

I love you guys! I really, really do. You've been there with me through so many life journeys, and I thank you for being a part of this one, too. <3

Perfect Foods Bar {Review & Giveaway!}

If you follow me on any sort of social media, you probably already know that I have an obsession with Perfect Foods Bars. 

I have loved these bars for a long time now, and I'm super excited to be partnering with them for a giveaway! Before we get to that, allow me to tell you why I love these delicious things. 

One // I understand all of the ingredients. Yes, all. This is big for me, because how many bars these days claim to be healthy, but you can't understand a single thing that's in them? I'm not saying those ingredients are unhealthy, because how would I know if I don't know what they are? 

In Perfects Foods Bars, I know what each of the ingredients are. I see that they use organic products, and I can verify that there really are no artificial ingredients, no preservatives, and no refined sugars. Major win in my book. 

Two // There's an average of 15g of protein in each bar. All flavors have between 10 and 18g, and for a vegetarian like me, that's huge! Since giving up meat, I've been much more conscious of making sure I get enough protein through out the day. I actually think I eat more protein now than when I was eating meat, because I never thought about it before!

These bars are great for helping me to get that daily dose in. 

Three // The size! Most "meal bars" are way too small for me. Just keeping it real here, I'll usually eat a bar and get hungry within a few hours. Perfect Foods Bars are big, and dense! I love it, because they really can be a meal replacement. I not only eat them for breakfast (like, every day), but I've also had them for dinner before. Having a busy schedule, sometimes I have to just grab a bar on the go. The fact that I can have a bar for dinner, and be good for the rest of the evening? I'm a girl who is always hungry, so that's really saying something!

Four // The flavor. These bars are gooood. If you're a peanut butter lover like me, you will be just as obsessed as I am. I've tried every flavor, and just when I think I have a favorite, I get hooked on a new one! They're all amazing. 

Also, I've been having them almost every day for months now. Still haven't gotten sick of them. 

Five // Perfect Foods Bar is a family business, that's located right in my home town of San Diego. So basically, that makes me family too, right?  I'm definitely down to support a local company, and it's not hard to support them when I'm such a big fan of their product. 

I could probably go on and on, but instead, I want to give you the chance to try them for yourself! Perfect Foods Bar was kind enough to send me a sample pack, and they want to send you one, too!

One lucky winner will have their own sample pack shipped directly to their house, and I can't wait to gush over how amazing these bars are once they arrive!

Good luck! And Happy Friday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lara Bars

Before I get started, let me just say that this is not a sponsored post. LARABAR has no idea that I am even writing about them, I just love their bars that much that I want to devote an entire post to them.

True love, folks. True love. 

***

Back in April, I did 30 days with no sugar. And "no sugar" to me meant that I looked at the ingredients in everything I ate, and if I saw the word "sugar" or "honey" or "agave" or "maple syrup" or pretty much any name that I didn't understand, I put the item down. 

I was shocked to find that many of the things I considered to be healthy snacks, had sugar in them. Now, I'm not preaching that all forms of sugar are bad. I'm fully aware that some of them are better than others, but I wanted to take time away from it all to rid myself of that dang sweet tooth. 

LARABAR was pretty much the only bar that I could find without sugar. I've been hooked ever since. They are so good, that you don't even miss the sugar or honey or agave. 

When I was on vacation with my sister, I stocked up on bars for us to have for breakfast, dessert, snack, anything. I knew my sister was a picky eater, and pretty much sticks to only carbs, turning her nose to anything with color. But I was certain that she would love these bars. 

And love them, she did!

We had three different flavors:

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip bars did have sugar in them from the chocolate chips, but the Apple Pie bar? None!

And guess which one was my sister's favorite? (And mine too)

The Apple Pie bar! 

But seriously, they are all delicious. And they are all jam packed with natural, healthy ingredients.

If you haven't already, try one today! They have a ton of flavors, so be sure to let me know which one turns out to be your favorite!

Your Questions Answered - Health, Fitness & Fashion!

Goood morning, lovely people!! Happy Monday to you!

I'm so looking forward to answering your questions this week, thanks for the blogging material! :) I'm going to try and segregate these into different topics, and today, we're diving into health, fitness & fashion questions.

Starting with fashion: 

Shannon asked: Where do you buy your clothes? Does it take you a long time to pull an outfit together and honestly do you spend a lot on your clothing budget?

I like to shop at a lot of different places. My two recent favs are Cotton On and Old Navy. Both of which are extremely dangerous for me to walk into, because if I could, I would walk out with the entire store. 

Don't mind the dirty mirror, I swear I'll get around to cleaning it tomorrow eventually. 

Does it take me a long time to put an outfit together? Honestly, not too long. I would say it usually takes me less than 5 minutes to pick out on outfit, and then about 10 more to put it on and make myself presentable for the day. Let's just say that I really like my bed, so in order to maximize my time in it, I've minimized my time that it takes to get dressed :)

And do I honestly spend a lot on my clothing budget? Well, I guess this depends on what you consider a lot. Since I've been getting more into fashion lately, I would definitely say that I'm more lenient with my clothing/accessories spending. I'm a big advocate of pursuing your passions, and fashion has definitely become one of mine as of late!

That being said, I don't generally spend a lot on any one piece. I have a hard time rationalizing anything over $25, and that includes jeans/dresses/shoes/everything. I'm not saying it never happens (ahem Victoria's Secret bras), but I would say most of what I buy is under that price limit. Hence why my two favorite places are Old Navy and Cotton On where almost everything in the entire store is under $25. 

***

Anonymous asked: Are you still running? 

Yes! I unintentionally took a few weeks off due to a busy schedule, but I signed up for another half marathon in October, so time to get cracking! I kicked things off with a 5K this past week:

My race schedule for the rest of the year is:

September 7th: Bubble Run 5K

September 22nd: She is Beautiful 10K

October 13th: City to Sea Half Marathon

***

Anonymous asked: Are you still struggling with your eating disorder?

{For some background on this, feel free to check out this post}

The short answer to this is no, I am not! I'm very happy to report that I can't even recall the last time I struggled with the binging and purging of bulimia. 

This was much more of an issue sporadically through out high school and college. It definitely had a few brief appearances post-college, but I am happy to say that Christ has done quite a bit of healing in this area. I now see the worth in my body, and can't quite justify hurting it in this way anymore. 

The majority of this struggle was surrounded around stress and control, not so much on trying to attain a certain weight or body type. Understanding that was a huge part in my healing process. I now have found healthy ways to handle my stress, mainly bringing it all to my ultimate Comforter, God. 

***

Anonymous said: You look a little thinner. I'm concerned. Please take good care of yourself. Your inside beauty is beautiful, just like you. ;-)

First of all, thank you for the sweet comment about inner beauty :) Second of all, thank you for your concern! I fully understand that this comes from a place of love, and I appreciate that!

I hope my answer above reassured you that I am no longer struggling with my eating disorder, or any disordered eating at that. Honestly, these days I try my best to eat healthy, but I absolutely do enjoy the more-than-occasional indulges as well. 

I actually do not pay too much attention to my weight. I step on a scale maybe once every few weeks, and that number doesn't change too often. I'm fairly certain my body has found the weight that it likes, and I'm perfectly okay with that number. 

I am much more concerned with working on a balanced, healthy diet, and maintaining a regular fitness routine. If working on both of those things makes that number on the scale go down, fantastic! But if not, no big deal!

If I am looking thinner, I can absolutely assure you that it is a result of healthy life changes. But I can also assure you that there has been little to no change on the scale lately ;)

***

Tune in for more Q&A coming in the next few posts. Thank you guys for your wonderful questions! Hope you don't mind that I'm breaking them up into multiple posts. 

Have yourself a fabulous Monday!

Getting Healthy (Part 3)

This is part of a 3 part series. To find parts 1 and 2, go here and here.

Okay, before I even start this post, let me tell you how God is funny. Cue to: yesterday evening. 

If you didn't catch it here, my responsibilities at work have changed in the last few weeks. And by that, I mean they pretty much doubled. And it's a huge blessing, believe me! I love what I'm doing now; I'm extremely interested in the subject, and am loving the increased responsibility. But it's a lot more than what I was doing a few weeks ago. 

So, as a result, both Tuesday and Wednesday night, I had to stay a little late to finish up my work. AKA had to work right on through that work out time that I was discussing yesterday. On Tuesday, I was a bit bummed about missing my favorite class, but I rolled with it. 

Come yesterday? Not quite so graceful. I was legit upset that I had to cancel a running date, and was seriously considering skipping community group to go for a much needed run. 

Until it hit me. That I had literally just written a post on how working out does not define me. It's great to get a high from the burn, but whether I work out 7 days a week or 0, it doesn't change me. Sure, I might feel a little leaner after some solid work outs, and I may be loving that extra confidence boost of looser clothes, but that's where part 1 of this series comes in. 

Those perks to working out? They are not what make me beautiful. 

Jesus is what makes me beautiful. 

And so I, myself, had to remember that this week. 

***

Getting Healthy: Healthy Nutrition

Of all 3 parts in this series, this part was the hardest for me. This part is the one that takes the daily commitment, and this is the one where I fall short the most. 

And you know what? That's okay! We all have our strengths, and our weaknesses. We all have things that come easy to us, and things that require time and dedication. Getting myself into the routine of making healthy eating choices is absolutely one that requires time and dedication for me. But it's also one that I am now happy to make sure I put in the time and dedication that it deserves. 

I was a girl who bounced between diets. Special K? I've done it. Counting calories? Yupp. "Let's eat only fruits and vegetables for a week"? Yes, even that. 

Diets came and went, with no lasting change. I got over the Special K products, counting calories got exhausting, and let's face it: you can only eat so many fruits and vegetables before you get sick of them. 

So I thought that maybe if I focused on working out, I could forget about these strict diet changes and each whatever I want. 

Right? 

...

Wrong. 

In the beginning of 2012, I was working out more than I ever had before. A month passed, then two, then six: no change. It was getting to be a bit frustrating, how was I spending so much more time in the gym, and not seeing any results? 

It was then that I realized how important nutrition is. It really is essential to having a healthy lifestyle. But learning that and applying it are two different things, am I right? 

I'm not sure if I ever even mentioned it on the blog, but it wasn't far into 2013 that I realized what my word for the year was: surrender. 

I surrendered my finances, my dating life, and yes, I even surrendered my nutrition. And only 5 months in, I am already amazed at how much God has blessed my surrender. 

So what do I mean by "I surrendered my nutrition"? I prayed about it. I got on my knees, and told God that I needed help. I found that when I didn't make wise eating choices, it lead to me feeling bad about myself. And when I felt bad about myself, I ran to seek comfort, approval and validation. 

But 9 out of 10 times, I didn't run to God. 

So I said enough was enough, and I asked for help. And I'm so thankful that I did. I have found a new sense of self control with my diet that I never had before. I haven't had meat in 8 months, and just went full vegetarian a few weeks ago. I gave up chocolate for lent, and gave up all sugar in April. 

And I'm not here to preach about these diet choices of mine. I'm not saying meat is bad, and I'm certainly an advocate of treating yourself to sweets. I have incorporated sugar back into my diet since April, and I've had my fair share of delicious treats. 

The point is: I learned this year that I am in control of my nutrition. That control that I was desperately searching for with my eating disorder, I've now found it in a healthy way. I've learned that the best way to eat healthy is to actually do your research. What foods are good for you? What foods aren't? How much protein does this have? How much fat is in it? 

These are things that I never knew before, and now I'm thankful for the learning process. I'm thankful that I'm interested in learning how to best feed my body, and I'm thankful that there is grace when I say screw it! And go for the giant burrito or piece of homemade cake. 

I'm thankful for the healthy mindset that I've found, and the healthy work out plan that has now become a lifestyle. 

I started this series with this, and I'm going to end it with it as well:

I view my relationship with health in a similar way to how I view my relationship with God, always needing time, commitment and dedication. Just like with my faith, some days I rock it, and some days I blow it. That's just how life goes, am I right? 

But the point is, regardless of if it's a day where I'm rocking it or where I'm blowing it, I'm

happy.

Getting Healthy (Part 2)

This is part of a 3 part series. To read part 1, go here.

Out of all 3 parts of this series, part 2 was the easiest lifestyle change for me to make. I'm not sure why, as my work out routine had always been pretty inconsistent prior to 2012. But that year was a year of change for me, and my commitment to fitness was a pleasant outcome of all of those changes. 

I imagine that everyone has certain parts of this series that they will excel at. Whether you've been blessed with a healthy mindset your entire life, or simply have a knack for eating healthy. For me, it was the work out segment that came naturally, once I got in my groove. So without further adieu, part 2:

Getting Healthy: A Healthy Work Out Schedule

I'm gonna start with the advice I know you've already heard: find a type of exercise that you enjoy. And now, I'm gonna ask you, what is it that you enjoy?

Do you enjoy being outdoors? Hiking, biking or running are right up your alley. 

Do you love having someone to motivate you and take the pressure off of creating your own work out routine? Then you'll love group fitness classes. 

Are you a water person? Swimming is where it's at for you. 

There are so many different ways to get that exercise in. So find something that you enjoy, and do it! Better yet, find a few things that you enjoy so that you can have variety to your schedule. 

I'm 100% a cyclical person. I go through running phases, group fitness phases, and hiking phases. I'll run on the treadmill for 3 straight months and then ditch it for 3 months on the elliptical. But you know what phase I've officially out grown? The no-working-out phase.

Hallelujah!

Something that has really helped me is to start thinking "when am I going to work out today?" versus "am I going to work out today?" That one extra word seems to make all the difference for me. Sure! There are still plenty of days where it just doesn't work out {like yesterday, for example!}. But there are plenty more days where it does. 

Committing to a healthy work out schedule was easy once I realized how much happier I was with consistency. However, there was something important that I learned long after I had the schedule down. 

I love the high that I get from working out, I really do. But I reached a point where I realized I was using that high in an unhealthy way. Was I working out an unhealthy amount? No. Oh the contrary, I'm sure my body loved the consistent kick in the butt work out. 

But was I turning to working out in an unhealthy way? Yes. In much the same way as I was previously turning to food for comfort, I was now turning to working out for comfort. I realized this when I couldn't work out for a few days because of being sick, and immediately ran elsewhere for comfort. {There's your back story on this post}

So, this is why getting a healthy work out routine is part 2 on my list instead of part 1. I had to make maintaining a healthy mindset my first priority over maintaining a healthy work out routine, in order to truly find 

a healthy me. 

Once I realized this, I could go back to kicking butt in the gym or out on the trails without turning to these things for my identity. My identity lies in Jesus Christ first and foremost, and it's from Him that the strength was found to finally commit to a work out routine that led me to my 

happy, healthy spot. 

Getting Healthy (Part 1)

This week, I have it on my heart to share my experience with getting healthy. I don't think anyone will be surprised to hear that I am constantly hearing about diets, work out plans, and everything else that is health, fitness or nutrition related. It's a huge part of our culture, consuming minds of all ages and genders. 

I want to share my experience of getting healthy because I can 100% say I am finally in a place where I am happy with my health. I view my relationship with health in a similar way to how I view my relationship with God, always needing time, commitment and dedication. Just like with my faith, some days I rock it, and some days I blow it. That's just how life goes, am I right? 

But the point is, regardless of if it's a day where I'm rocking it or where I'm blowing it, I'm

happy.

And it's taken me a long time to get here.  

So this week, I'll be sharing with you my experience of getting healthy. A three part series. 

Because before I could even think about nutrition or fitness, I had to focus on my mind. 

Getting Healthy: A Healthy Mindset

For me, finding a healthy mindset was essential to ever getting to a place of lasting results. You see, for years I let my mind wander to an extremely unhealthy place, and it took a lot of time & love from Jesus to reverse that. 

I opened up about my struggle with an eating disorder once before on the blog, so if you're interested in hearing about my battle with bulimia, feel free to read more here. Bulimia had an incredibly profound impact on me emotionally. It was so much more than just a quick way to get thin. On the contrary, I quickly realized it yielded no such results. 

Struggling with that eating disorder dragged me into a very dangerous place of turning to food for comfort. And not just turning to food itself, but turning to the fact that I had "control" over that food. When things got too overwhelming, I said screw it. I'm gonna go indulge in whatever the heck I feel like, and take "control" over how it affects my body. 

The thing is, in an attempt to gain control, I really lost it. 

So, back to the main point here. How did I get healthy?

I changed my mindset. I took a good, hard look in the mirror, and realized that I am beautiful 
just the way I am, no changes necessary. 

And I'm not beautiful because of the number on the scale, the clothes that I wear, or the color of my hair. I'm not beautiful because of my complexion, my fashion accessories, or even because of how I feel when I look in the mirror. 

I am beautiful because the Bible tells me so. I am beautiful because Jesus tells me so. 

I am beautiful because I am wonderfully and fearfully made. 

And I'm here to tell you that you are, too. 

And upon learning this, my mission to get healthy changed a bit. I no longer focused on a goal weight, goal clothing size, or even a goal of how I want to look in the mirror. 

My new goal was to treat this beautiful body that my Heavenly Father made with the respect it deserves. My new goal was to treat this body with love that I had been neglecting myself for years. 

You see, changing my mindset changed everything. Because treating my body with the respect it deserves? That was a goal I was willing to commit to.