The journey begins

So... How many people are out there that have absolutely no idea what they are doing when it comes to eating healthy and taking care of their body? Calories are bad, right? Eat vegetables, meat for protein and milk is good too, right? Food labels are like a foreign language to you? Well, that is me. I have always been completely ignorant to what it is to keep myself healthy. As a teenager and early twenties, I had always been slim and never thought too much about my health. The only reason to want to eat right and exercise is to be skinny, right? Or at least that was my mentality at the time. 

Then, in a whirlwind of wonderful events, I became pregnant. Yay! Now, some women have these wonderful glowing pregnancies that run smoothly, they barely gain any weight and are back to their normal weight two weeks after having the baby... I was not one of these women. I gained a total of fifty pounds during my pregnancy and eight months later, can only fit into my maternity bottoms still. 

(Me, about a couple of months before I got pregnant. Don't worry, I kicked the bad habits when I found out I was preggers. But I had it going on!)

Not eating healthy and never exercising had finally caught up to me. I felt horrible. I had no energy and just overall felt sluggish, in mind and body. Now, I realize that I just had a baby, and that contributed to some of that fatigue. Then I started thinking, and the truth is, I couldn't remember the last time I had an abundance of energy. I was always getting sick through high school, and as an adult. I just attributed it to bad genes, but the truth is, I never ate right and I never exercised. So, after much musing, it occurred to me: the reason I feel like crap all the time, and have been for years, is because of my poor diet and lack of exercise.

(Don't let the ridiculously adorable baby distract you from the mess laying next to her. This is me now and it pretty much symbolizes how I feel most of the time. Don't worry, more unflattering pictures will be shown in the future)

Maybe this is obvious to most people, but again I tell you: I am completely ignorant in this area. For me, my ignorance always made me not want to learn about it. It was always too overwhelming and too time-consuming, and nothing really pressing was going on to give me the motivation to want to learn about it. Plus, who wants to give up their ice cream and Big Macs? If I learned about it then, I would be responsible with that information; no more feigning ignorance to get away with eating whatever I felt like. I didn't know that Big Mac and side of fries and soda was that bad for me (Cue big innocent doe eyes).

Well, now, here I am with a body I'm not proud of, and the energy level of an eighty-year old man. Most importantly, a little girl who I need to take care of, who needs my knowledge to teach her and show her the best way. So, here starts my journey to wellness for myself and for my family. In this blog, I will start my search for healthy living and also chart my own progress to become a happier, healthier me! Wish me luck!