ABOUT

I’m a Virginia girl who knows that the key to happiness is health. I’m on a mission to live as naturally, healthfully, and happily as I can… and spread that spirit to anyone and everyone who will listen.

I have a B.S. in Kinesiology from James Madison University, and am working on becoming an ACSM certified Health Fitness Specialist, as well as a certified Health Coach.

I love fitness and nutrition, but more than that, I love to help people change their lives! Empowerment is key. With the right direction and the right motivation, I believe that everyone can take simple steps to making their lives healthier, and happier… naturally!

I started becoming more healthy after realizing I am lactose intolerant in college. Once I cut out dairy, I felt amazing. That’s when it hit me: We are in control of how we feel, and food is a huge part of that. After being an athlete for more than 10 years, the nutrition finally started to fall into place. But I was still caught up on only looking at the number of calories and grams of saturated fat in foods… And that’s ALL I cared about. If it was within my limit for the day, I would eat whatever I could get my hands on regardless of the mile-long ingredient list packed with words I couldn’t pronounce. Despite my attempts to “behave” myself by only eating one or two pieces of candy, grabbing the whole wheat pizza dough instead of the white, and getting the low-calorie snack options–the traps that so many of us have fallen into–I was still sick.

Fast forward a couple of years to meeting my current boyfriend. Andrew helped me take my “healthy” eating to another level. I had already eliminated dairy due to being lactose intolerant, but he introduced me to a world beyond even that. A world without refined sugar, without gluten, without soy, and without counting calories. There are enough healthy sugar replacements that I didn’t miss white sugar too much (hellooo fresh fruit!). But I was a total carboholic. No gluten? No pasta, bagels, pita chips…? I’ll be totally honest; I dragged my feet, HARD. It took me a couple months to come around completely. I started with looking for “real food” and monitoring my ingredients, then moved on to first eliminating most gluten, and then  came around to just getting rid of all grains (most of the time…. I do still have brown rice once or twice a week). I’m not perfect, but I don’t necessarily have to be. But what keeps me motivated to stick with it is this: my allergies are a thing of the past.

I’ve had severe sinus allergies for as long as I can remember. Sinus infections that would last 2 weeks to a month were a constant in my life, I had at least one infection with every new season. I learned to quell my symptoms with weekly allergy shots, daily decongestants, and the occasional Netti Pot rinse, but I still had the occasional flare up or sinus infection. And then I committed to primal living. No more shots, no more pills, rarely any symptoms at all. And the craziest part (and how I know it’s actually the lifestyle working) is that if I cheat one day (particularly with gluten or refined sugar), I wake up in an allergy fog the next. It’s a direct correlation for me. So I know it’s worth it to stick with forgetting the toxins, and keeping it clean. Right now we’re in the midst of the horrible yellow pollen season. Every car is positively coated. And while everyone else is miserably suffering through the days like I did for so many years, I feel fine. Great even. No meds, no Netti Pots, no antibiotics. It’s a whole new world, and I’m happy to be enjoying it.

And the same can be said for so many other conditions as well. Your body is constantly being assaulted with damaging food items, mostly because you don’t know any better. We all have a general perception of “healthy,” but very few know what it means to actually live with good health. Think about what may plague you: allergies, acne, arthritis, muscle aches, fatigue, excess weight, insomnia… the list goes on. Your body is fighting something, and it’s trying to tell you that with these symptoms. Could it be that it’s fighting the exact thing that you’re trying to nourish it with–the food you eat? When it comes down to it, you’re an animal. Your body has been specifically honed to eat and live from nature, and it’s ready to return to its inner beast. Life is about finding inner peace and joy… and the most important place to start is your body. It is the only thing that is with you 24 hours a day for your entire life, and it’s time to take care of it!