a roller coaster ride to a new life

My health and fitness journey began in 2009 as a freshman in college. My self esteem was low and the number on the scale was high. So I began the Insanity program and started to see an in-home personal trainer who changed my mindset completely! She was a great role-model and mentor during the early years of my fitness journey. I lost a total of 15 pounds during this period, and quickly realized that my new found fitness habits were bettering my life overall. It made me feel productive, healthy, and happy. 

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Although that success was visible, it was not enough. At this point I relied on what many do to lose weight, unhealthy habits and fab diets. I was eating sparsely, or not at all, and was unable to exercise. Constantly fatigued due to self-inflicted malnutrition, my life turned into a poisonous cocktail of depression, anxiety, and self-victimization. I was in a dark place in my life and didn't know where to turn or how to get out of it. Then a light shone when my family took a vacation to Cancun for my older sister's wedding! My family was unaware of the struggles I was going through, and I believed I was doing a good job of hiding them. Fortunately, I wasn't. My youngest sibling saw through the facade. They expressed their feelings of concern for my health and my life, and assured me of their support, should I ever be in need. This conversation opened my eyes to the harm I was inflicting on myself through the lifestyle I was living. If my own baby sibling could not look up to me as a person to be proud of, I was doing something wrong.