A SPARK in the night...

I have struggled with my self-image for some time.  As a teen I was obsessed with being thin.  In the 90s that meant step aerobics and bagels.  I ebbed and flowed with the growing trends in health and fitness;  vegetarian, quasi-vegetarian, carnivore... running, spinning, elliptical- you name it.  Then I became a mom and I no longer took the time to obsess over myself.  Instead, I had (have) three beautiful girls that I had to save from that viscous cycle of self-loathing and fear of being fat.  It was time to think about HEALTH!  Novel, I know.

Fast-forward ten years.  I'm pushing forty and I will admit I do still struggle with my body image (tough habit to break), but more so, I worry about my health.  Cancer is such a prevalent beast, one that has stripped me of a father (and countless others).  I do not want that for my family.  I am blessed beyond measure with good friends, a great job that I love, a beautiful family- and it's because of this that my road has led me here.

Recently a very good friend of ours became a certified health and nutrition coach.  I have watched his transformation into a very good coach and I signed on right away.  With his guidance I've learned a great deal about nutrition and have made some strides in becoming a healthier person.  (I've learned more about fitness, too, but that I'll save for another time.)  This is not enough, though.  Although I have made a conscious effort to eat well (cleaner) and to exercise more, I am still lacking energy, unfit (by my standards) and displeased with my own progress.  That's when I got sparked!

We had never heard of Advocare until recently.  A few different sets of our friends were using the products and were raving about how well they felt.  Someone gave Pat an energy boosting vitamin drink called Spark and he could not stop talking about how amazing he felt.  Pat's generally a tough sell on things, so I was interested.  I needed to try this myself... and I did.  I was sold.

Tomorrow starts a new day- and with that day starts our new journey into wellness.  We are starting the Advocare 24-Day Challenge and I am excited.  It's all about being a better, healthier me.  It's about setting a strong example for my girls.  I've a new sense of purpose and with what I've learned over the last year and what I'm learning each day, I feel empowered and strong. 

Look out!