A Beautiful Mess

Hey there! I’m Michele. I really don’t know where to start so I’ll just start by introducing myself. I wrote a description of myself in my early 30’s. It said, “I am a wild, crazy, trust-worthy, intelligent, out-going, sarcastic, supportive sports fanatic, teacher, and marketer; that pretty much sums me up, only now I’m also a busy, healthy wife and mama.

This is my first blog post on my new website. I’m not the best blogger but I do have a lot to say, literally, the majority of the time. So, I guess I’ll just start with my story and how I ended up here, writing this blog.

I was 35 years old. Lylah, my daughter, was one year old. My husband had recently reentered the field of television production, was traveling for work, and was gone a lot. I was working full time in the special events industry and had a brutal commute from our home located about 40 miles north of Nashville, TN. I had just taken Lylah from the care of my younger sister to a local daycare, which I was less than pleased with, and was not handling the stress of it all well at all. I was stress eating, stress drinking, not sleeping, not praying, not reading, essentially, I was not taking care of myself.

Fast forward 6 months when I see a post by a Facebook friend about a 21 day workout program that included a portion controlled meal plan and an accountability group. I knew I had to do something, and every therapist I have ever seen ALWAYS recommends exercise for stress and anxiety relief. So, I ordered the program and got incredible results. I kept going. I repeated the program. I structured my diet a little more and added in a dense nutrition shake. I did another program. I loved the fellowship of the online community. It was an escape. I could vent and share my struggles and triumphs. I didn’t have to be “on” like at work, or as a mother, or in front of my family when I was pretending I had it all together. (They all knew I didn’t but that’s another blog).

I kept implementing small changes that became habits, healthy ones! People started noticing and asking me what I was doing, so I started coaching. I shared my story and what worked for me, and it worked for those who were also ready to make a change. But, I couldn’t dive all the way in and commit. I was still working full time. Then, I became pregnant with my second child. I had a complicated pregnancy all while we were customizing our new home, my husband was in and out of town, the baby came early, we moved, and on and on. You know, life!

We made some adjustments financially in order for me to be able to quit my job to have more time with our kids, and I decided I wanted to pursue a career in health and fitness. It’s been nearly three years since I completed that first program. I am now a certified nutrition coach and am certified to teach PIYO Live and P90X Live as group fitness classes. I feel settled in to my new routine as a work-at-home mom of two to truly dive in and start motivating more people to join me on this journey. At age 39, I am truly in the best shape of my life: physically, mentally, and emotionally. My beautiful mess is my message and I hope it will inspire you to toast to your best self with me here at Cheers to Being Fit!