Hi Everyone! I'm sorry I have been MIA lately. I've been in the process of re-branding certain aspects of my business (including this blog). I'm really excited about it, and I can't wait to share it with you all soon! Just a little hint: there's going to be a lot more Jesus, and let's face it, we all need more of that! Stay tuned!
In the meantime, I asked my friend Renee to write a guest post. Renee is a Holy Yoga Instructor, Stay at Home Mom, Health Advocate, Dairy Free/Gluten Free Pro, and Blogger. She has inspired me so much lately with her health and weight loss story. More importantly, she has inspired me with the way she has brought Jesus into every aspect of her health. I hope that, after reading her story, she will inspire you as much as she inspires me!
Hello there,
My name is Renee and I am a stay-at-home mom from Wisconsin. Welcome to my health journey! As most things go, my struggles began at a young age. I acquired a serious problem with food. My stay-at-home father was a food addict, and he ingrained his habits and emotional coping skills upon my brother and I. If we were sick, he'd go get us ice cream. If "we were good," he'd treat us to something sweet. Feeling sad? "Let's go get pizza." There was food for every emotion. Whilst I was growing up, it soon became apparent to me that something wasn't right. Children at school made comments to me about my eating habits, my physical being, and how my family looked. Of course though, being so young, I trusted my parents and hadn't thought that their decisions for me were anything but honorable.
These emotional eating habits carried on through my teen years, and into adulthood. In my early teens, the teasing and bullying was at it's highest peak. I decided I needed to start taking these matters into my own hands. So I joined basketball. The following year I added volleyball and softball to my agenda. I was determined to lose the weight and be fit like all the rest of my peers. Little did I know, that I'd have to change so much more than that. It was definitely a stepping stone in the right direction; especially now because I love working out and it's a crucial part in my everyday life. In all of this though, I felt like I was missing a huge part of my life outside of nutrition and fitness.
Over the years, I've tried programs such as Slim Fast, The South Beach Diet, Weight Watchers, Atkins, and many more. Sure, they worked for a certain time, and at times have you doing some crazy things, but they never stuck around long enough to make them into a lifestyle. And in the middle of all this hullabaloo (isn't that a great word?!), I found myself missing something in my life. Something that seemed so significant. After my Holy Yoga Instructor training had finished, it finally hit me. I need Jesus. Jesus was, and is, the only one that was going to truly get me through my rough days and encourage me in my greatest days. He is my greatest cheerleader along my journey. When I have moments of not wanting to workout or am feeling like I haven't done my best, I pray. I pray to God, asking Him to encourage me to do better next time; or to keep going. To have Him help me rely on the skills that I've acquired for me to continue my journey. I pray for grace so that I can pick up the pieces and make it the best of my abilities. Or even to thank Him and praise Him for my accomplishments. "I did it, dad!" And most of all, to not give up. No matter what's going on in my journey to weight loss and increasing my health, He is there for me. The best health coach!
Do I still struggle with particular issues? Sure! Every. Single. Day. But have I given up? Not at all; because he never gives up on me. Ever! Isn't that awesome? How often can you say that about someone? I wake up everyday happier, more confident, and comforted in knowing that God has a whole new and different path for me to follow. Much more grand and adventurous than I could ever imagine, and I have a front row seat!
~ Renee
If you want to follow Renee's progress with reaching her health goals, connect with her on instagram: @nayrobbo
She also has an awesome blog where she discusses how she overcame frequent migraines, clean eating habits, exercise, faith, daily life experiences, and awesome dairy free, gluten free, recipes! You can find her blog here: http://hosannahealth.blogspot.com/
You can also find her on Facebook as well. Her page is called Hosanna Health. You can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/britishwifeamericanmama
For my midwestern readers (or those of you who have friends in Wisconsin), Renee teaches Holy Yoga in Hudson WI! Class is at Bethel Highlands Lutheran Church on Tuesdays at 3:45pm.
Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby
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