Welcome.

I am starting this blog as a way to document the unique life I lead. I have several other blogs which tend to turn into journals, vent-fests etc but really what I love to read online are the blogs of successful people who took their lives into their own hands. So I decided that mimicry is the simplest form of flattery and therefore the creation of my new blog.

Let me give you some background info:

I am 22 years old, for another two and a half weeks at least. I grew up in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado in the average American family. My brother has always been athletic and extraordinarily fit, and I have always been into music. My dad was larger as is most of his family so when I started gaining weight as a child and the "it's just baby fat" excuse didn't work any longer, the "it's in your genes" excuse took its place. I have been overweight since I was at least 10 years old if not younger and it has always been a concern to my friends and family but never really to myself. When it comes to health and nutrition I never thought I had options and then when options were made available I just never wanted to do it. Typically weight loss for me would be 5 lbs and then regaining that and more, just to try to appease my mom who wanted nothing but the best for me. My story is like that of so many others in this world, and I feel bad for feeling cynical about it at all. I grew up in a great family, we had our issues and they got worse as I got older, but at least I had people who cared.

My breaking point happened after a 5 year relationship and 9 month marriage to a man who treated me with less respect than I deserved. I gained over 40 lbs in the 3 years we lived together and he convinced me he just loved to watch me eat and be happy, so I ate, and ate and ate. The day I finally left him I was devastated and my self-esteem was at an all time low. Until I finally realized I was the one who was choosing to make it that way. July 4th of 2009 a photo was taken of me at Elitch Gardens in Colorado. I am bursting at the seams in my clothes, my eyes look sad and I look like I can barely hold myself up. When I saw this photo I realized I was no longer me on the inside or the outside. This photograph changed my life for the better.

As far as health is concerned I am a strong supporter of the Primal/Paleo lifestyle. I think it is important to remember that we have only been consuming processed foods like grains and sugars for a bit over a thousand years... which is nothing in retrospect. I have been Primal for 6 months now and have lost almost 40 lbs (totaling 60 since the pic that changed my life) but have not been doing much for exercise. The Primal lifestyle also advocates for the gym CrossFit, and as of this week I am officially a member. In this blog I hope to document milestones with both Primal living and being a member of CrossFit.

Primal and CrossFit are huge components in my life which are very influential in the decisions I make on the day to day, however, there are other abnormalities in the way I handle my life which I would love to share. Many people my age have no idea about finances due to the fact that we haven't had to worry about it yet. Most people I know are just getting their first student loan bills in the mail and trying to figure out how to balance that and living expenses on a fresh-from-college salary. I hope to share on this blog some of the major financial milestones I experience. When it comes to finances I have found that the program established by Dave Ramsey is the most affective for me personally. I will share with you some of those exciting new endeavors as I take them on myself.

Lastly, something I hold near and dear to my heart is the power of positive thinking. On this blog I hope to share some of my favorite positive quotes, meditation guides, ways to look on the bright side, and ways to think ahead to a better and brighter future. I truly believe that half of the reason why I got to where I am today is because I am a positive thinker. It plays into my determination so well that failure tends to not be an option, and when I stumble I find a way to get back on top.

I hope you find this blog informative. For me it is more about having a full documentation of my experiences in this new life I am living. This year I have taken on so much, the primal lifestyle, CrossFit, total money makeover, focusing more on positive thought, as well as my first year in my career as an American sign language interpreter. These are all important components in my life, and I know in the future I will be grateful for having kept a running blog regarding them.

Thanks for reading.

'Manda