Finding time to work out or eat right is SO hard since having my daughter, but I’m really trying! I’m a vegetarian, a Pisces, a photographer (I have a degree in it and everything!) and love working out. Especially yoga. It is my goal one day to own a photo studio/yoga studio.

I am also a newbie runner wannabe. Several years ago, I even went so far as to hiring a running coach, and at the end of the month, he said to me, “Some people just aren’t runners.”. Ouch! So I gave it up for a few years, sticking to the elliptical instead. Then just a few years ago, I found C25K. I thought, “why not?” and followed the plan religiously, completing my first 5K! I was SO hooked!

When I got pregnant, my body completely took over, and did what it needed to do to grow a perfect baby. Due to early potential complications, I was on an exercise ban for a few months, then released to very mild workouts. Between that and eating whatever I craved (and anything that would keep the nausea at bay), I ended up gaining 45lbs. Strangely enough, it felt fine. I thought it would be really hard to see the scale move up, or to see my body expand. It was actually wonderful, and I felt beautiful. My body was amazing to me.

I battled with disordered eating and behavior issues through most of my teens and 20′s, and it is something I still struggle with on occasion. When the doctor announced it was a girl, I was, and am, determined that she will grow up learning about nutrition and healthy behaviors. To love her body from the beginning, and know how to properly take care of it. To know that being strong and healthy is so much better and more desirable than fitting into a certain clothing size or a number on a scale. To understand that you only get one body, and how you treat it is how it will treat you. This is something I’m still struggling with myself, so I’ll have to learn as I go. Baby steps.