Ladies, Meet Your New Best Friend!!

For some of us, the gym is a scary place! If you're over-weight, the last place you want to be is in a room full of yolked out men & stick figure women. This blog isn't for fat people that want to be skinny, it's for people that want to be HEALTHY. If you have accepted that you are fat, big boned, or anything along those lines, there's something you need to know... YOU are the only person holding yourself back from being healthy.

A little about me: In 2003, I was 24 years old and weighed 270 lbs. standing a 5 foot 4 inches tall, single, and I didn't have any children. I didn't exercise or eat right, my parents didn't force me to eat healthy or exercise because they didn't. Being fat was accepted in our family as "genetic." Growing up in a Mexican American household we had lots of red rice, beans, tortillas and fried foods, all in BIG portions. We were taught to go to work and work hard, but never taught to work out. I remember hearing that I was just big boned, but being fat wasn't a big deal in our family because we were all fat. Once I started school, I was teased for 13 years for being fat. All of the teasing took a toll on my self esteem, but I still didn't know how to change. I had asthma and allergies and I used those illnesses as excuses for not exercising because whenever I attempted any type of physical activity I would run out of breath. When I started college, the weight continued to pile on. It wasn't until I went to a doctors appointment and the doctor told me that if I didn't make some serious changes, I was going to die. Now I know that seems harsh, and I cried myself to sleep that night, but the truth is I was scared. I felt like I seriously needed to decide if I wanted to live or die ... and I chose life. I didn't want to have diabetes, I didn't want to be on medication for the rest of my life, and most importantly, I knew what I wanted... I wanted to be healthy, I wanted to have kids, I wanted to live. But who was going to help me? Who was going to show me the way? I wished for a miracle. A miracle pill, a miracle liposuction procedure that I knew I couldn't afford, something, anything that would take all this weight away and nothing happened. I realized the only person holding me back... was ME.

I had to take responsibility for my own quality of life. I couldn't blame my parents or genetics, I couldn't blame society for encouraging stick figure bodies for women, I could only blame myself for what I did to my own body. I was the one cooking my food, serving my plates, chewing my food, and sitting on the couch for hours watching TV. Once I owned it, my anger was released and I took control of my life... that was when things started to change for me and I want things to change for you too. The first step is to take responsibility for your own quality of life. Once you stop blaming other people, your circumstances, your previous experiences, etc. you will officially take responsibility for your quality of life and then its up to YOU and YOU alone to change your life.

The next step is talking to your doctor to access the damage. Do you have a thyroid problem? Heart problems? Asthma? Anemia? What are you allergic to? Is your birth control making you gain weight? etc. These are things you need to know about your body. If you're Asthmatic like me, keep your inhaler handy at ALL times, especially when you're working out! No matter what the problem is, there is always a solution!

I don't want to over-load you with information so I will end here. Comments are welcomed, but remember: This is a judgement free zone. I encourage readers to ask questions and I will answer them on this blog. Email your questions to: allnaturalwellnesscoach@yahoo.com