A Healthier Me

I've always wanted to start a blog and now I finally have something to write about. The reason I want to share my journey is this:

I'm a nursing student, and work in a hospital. I see so many sick people every day it's been a huge wake-up call. The amount of people I have taken care of that have had multiple co-morbidities, such as peripheral vascular disease (PVD), coronary artery disease (CAD), type 2 diabetes, and obesity (among many other things) is something I don't think I ever expected when I started school. Sure, its on TV and in the news, but when you start seeing people who are really sick because they clearly did not take care of their bodies, its really scary.

The affects of these diseases develops over time. Years of eating poorly and not exercising enough leads to obesity, which ultimately leads to diabetes in most cases, which then leads to CAD and PVD. Then you start losing toes and legs, having heart attacks and strokes and then you die. It sounds pretty rough... because it is. Its the long, painful death that I personally don't want to experience.

That's where my decision to get healthy started. In the past 2 years, I've started having stomach problems, my skin has been a disaster, and I generally don't feel as good as I could.

Here's what I'm going to do:
1. Start eating better - I'm cutting the amount of sugar I have been eating lately, eating more fresh fruits and veggies, going to a more lean meat diet, and going back to eating gluten free.

2. EXERCISE!! I'm joining the gym so that I can work out and take classes. I'd really like to find a great yoga class to go to a few days a week. Yoga is such a great way to exercise and de-stress.

3. Take better care of my hair, skin and nails- I've started by switching to products that are composed of natural, organic ingredients that support healthy hair and skin.

4. De-stress- Enough said.

5. Recommit myself to my spirituality and growing my soul because a healthy body starts with a healthy mind and spirit.

As I make my journey to becoming healthier, I am going to chronicle the good, the bad and the ugly on this blog. I will share what I learn along the way and  I hope you enjoy my stories. Feel free to comment and post as you like.

I leave you with this quote:
     "If you don't take care of your body, where are you going to live?" - Unknown