Becoming Healthy
For those of you that are just now following my little space on the internet, I want you to know that this ALL started because I completely changed my life almost a decade ago. Everyone that knew me, saw that in changing to a healthier lifestyle, I lost 60+ pounds and kept it off. Everyone that knew me had LOTS and LOTS of questions… to which I did my best to answer over and over and over again. I have also used my experience to help people as their weight loss consultant by sharing my story with them and by sending tips, healthy recipes, and quick and simple workouts I have learned along the way. I decided it was in my best interest to create a landing page to send people to so they could easily reference and search for common questions they might have. This is how Little Southern Life was created!
Since then, I continued to share my journey with y’all, as well as any and everything I’ve learned and continue to learn. Losing weight and becoming healthy became so easy to do once I changed my mindset, but changing that mindset is the most important part. I firmly believe that losing weight and getting healthy is something you have to WANT to do. I had to be motivated and driven to get to the point I am now. I also want to share that in loosing weight, I did so because I had a dramatic weight gain in college from poor nutrition, binge drinking and use of prescription medications that had weight gain as a side effect. I am someone who believes not in a certain number on a scale but feeling 100% my best on a daily basis and thriving instead of just being.
Before I became educated on the healthy lifestyle I have come to love, I was totally opposite from the woman I have become. I was a young socialite who loved going out with my “friends” and binge drinking and smoking cigarettes. I ate tons of late night McDonalds, Wendy’s for lunch, processed foods at my apartment and BBQ buffet plates every Sunday. I took antidepressant medication and birth control that caused me to gain weight on top of the weight I accumulated from drinking and eating so poorly. The medications only made me more depressed causing me to turn even more to my comfort: food. I would go out to Redbone Alley or Percy and Willies and order drinks, appetizers, an entree with a salad, and dessert. I still battle my urge to emotionally eat when our work week gets stressful or family problems come about. A few months before I met my now husband, I had a realization that who I was was not who I wanted to be. and so I started changing my life piece by piece.
I ended a very long relationship with a man because I just felt it wasn’t right for either of us. I started going to the gym at my apartment complex and working out, even if it was for only 30 minutes every day. I have always been the type of person to work out for a few days and then quit. Knowing this, I enlisted the help of my friends and we began meeting for daily walks at the Rail Trail, a beautiful nature trail in Florence, SC, and going to yoga at a local studio during the week. I formed true friendships with great people based on our spiritual interests and began reading more. Reading about health and why it is important to treat your body as a machine helped me quit eating crap.
To me, one of the most disgusting things about the USA is how lax our food laws are. We are the only country around the world that uses toxic chemicals in our foods. We are literally killing ourselves by eating things that are enticing because of their price and convenience. Learning about the large amount of toxins that are habitually in our food has made me turn to an organic lifestyle. What is labeled organic now is what our great-grand parents would call “regular” food. I know organic foods are more expensive, but I would rather pay more now and be healthy than pay a lot more later when I’m sick because my immune system sucks from the junk I’ve been stuffing into it.
After I began dating my now husband, I started going to his office to get adjusted. One of the perks of dating a chiropractor is the amazing adjustments! He taught me that the power that made the body heals the body. The nervous system controls everything in the body including digestion and hormones that control weight loss. After a few months of combining regular adjustments, healthier eating, and consistent exercise, I started to notice dramatic results.
In 9 years, I went from being overweight (for my height and normal sizing) to a healthy and thriving mom of five kids. I have worked my butt off (literally) to get to where I am today, and I am so blessed to see my transformation and how important changing my way of thinking has been. I am so excited to share more with y’all and answer any questions that y’all might have throughout your process. One of the many rewards I get by sharing my story is seeing how I can help others. It is important to know that if you feel like you want to change your life, YOU CAN DO IT. It takes making up your mind and figuring out what it is that motivates you. I am here to help you with anything, so let’s do this.
