I am originally from the Boston area; however, as the result of a job change for my husband, we now live in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. I left behind my family, my friends, and my career as a HMR Health Educator for an exciting new life with my own family with new friends and a new job as a stay at home mother of a one-year old boy. Since that time, I have been promoted to the position of Senior Stay at Home Mother to 3 wonderful children ranging in age from 4 years to 14 months.
While many things in the past few years definitely have changed, some things have not. One of them is a commitment to health for not only me, but for my husband and children. Even though I moved 1/3 the way across the country, I immediately found a gym to call home. I knew that physical activity would be a key for me to keeping my 65 pounds of baby weight off, but also for my mental health, as I adjusted to what I thought was the country! Who knew that I would have 2 more children in the next two years--apparently in Ohio, you should not drink the water. I knew I had to stay active during my pregnancies for the health of my babies, the deliveries, and for the craziness that would follow. My biggest challenge was, and continues to be, finding the time to fit in my physical activity while balancing three children and a home. The gym is a must for me, even if it is only for 15 minutes before swimming lessons or on our way to soccer practice. Something is better than nothing, and I try to remember that as I spend time running around with my children, even if it's only in the front yard as they play outside.
With a Master's Degree in Nutrition and Health Promotion, I pride myself in teaching my children what it means to eat a completely balanced meal, and yes, that includes fruits and vegetables at every meal. There are days when I forget to include a fruit or a vegetable on the table at a meal, and I am called to the carpet for it! When I was a child, I distinctly remember my mother providing a variety of vegetables at the dinner table and encouraging my siblings and me to give them a try. To this day, that sticks in my head, and I do the same thing with my own children. If we try something and do not like it, it gets entered into a rotation, and will come back at another time-sometimes 3 times before they like it.
It has been a few years, but I am thrilled to be back on board at Full Life as a Personal Coach! I have worked with many people in the past with achieving their weight management goals and working on their skills and am looking forward to working with many of you on your goals in the future.