Change is hard. No one embraces change with ease or contentment…unless they are faced with such a dire circumstance that forces them to have a difficult mental discussion within their own head where change is imperative.

I feel that is where I was. When I was diagnosed, almost a year ago I knew I had to make a serious change. At first it was easy, I was running on adrenaline and moving through the motions of appointments and scans.

But then chemo started…the red “devil” pretty much equaled it’s terrible nickname. I almost felt back in pregnancy “survival mode” (which seems like a terrible comparison, because I loved pregnancy...hopefully you mamas out there get what I mean by this) where I ate whatever my body craved for the first few months to get through. But deep down I knew that I needed to drastically change my lifestyle.

Once I was done with radiation I knew I had no more excuses, if I wanted dramatic results with my cancer journey I knew I had to take action. I could not rely on Western medicine to “cure” me of cancer (which it can’t) …I had to change the way I ate, change the way I lived, what I put on my body, what I surrounded myself with.

I started with Young Living, ditching and switching all of our household needs with plant-based, safe products...then came Camp Gladiator, Evan signed me up for a free month and I was hooked. I loved the diversity of each workout, I loved the camaraderie, I loved the competition against myself. I loved feeling like I had something to push myself for…I could not get that from a gym.

Then I started really learning about what foods were best and worst for my body, I learned about Whole30 and I dove in head first. I took the month of March to wrap my head around it and started cutting things out…this step was crucial for my success, so I wouldn’t fail by allowing myself to indulge unnecessarily. April 2nd (the day after Easter) I was all in… 100% and I gave up dairy, grains, alcohol, legumes, all sugars… I had taken the month before to prepare so I actually felt awesome. Again, almost like I was running on adrenaline, I was so excited to get myself in the best shape possible… inside and out.

Results came in May 2nd… I lost 20 lbs of body fat since the end of February. I lost 15 pounds total. My percentage of body fat went down 8%. The guy at Total Nutrition was astounded (where I did my body composition test...if you haven't done this you totally should). I was shocked, especially by that first number. I knew there was a huge change because my clothes fit so much better, I was able to wear clothes I hadn’t fit in since before babies.

The biggest takeaway is I was stronger, I gained confidence, I gained a lightness about myself, I was reassured that I was on the right path for my body and my journey.

I encourage everyone to have that difficult mental conversation with themselves about where they are at…what can you do to make yourself better? Emotionally, physically, spiritually. Are you well? Are you happy? Are you confident in yourself? Do you feel strong? If you are skeptical about any of these then, make a change. It is hard, but worth it. I became completely undone, and then I grew.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates

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