In the beginning…
My journey to health began as a pre-teen. I became focused on what went into my body as I neared adolescence. It started with gaining pudgy pounds common to a bored pre-teen. One day an older family member said to me “my, haven’t you just turned into a little piggy.” I know this person did not mean it in a hurtful way because in their mind being chubby meant you were well fed. But that flipped the “if I am pudgy, I will not be liked” fear switch in my brain. My personality approached this fear with the need for control. I quickly developed an extreme obsession with controlling my weight and food. This lead to militant exercise, disordered eating, and anorexic behavior. I prided myself on my control wanting to brag about things like when I only ate a sleeve of saltines or ran for miles. I quickly fell into the trap of perfectionism, arrogance and surprising insecurity.
Can I insert a little “I am sorry” to my family and friends from that time? I am sure I was a challenge to put up with, thank you for doing so and please forgive me!
Thankfully God loved me too much to leave me in my mess and slowly brought people and circumstances into my life to help me see the true light of who I was. As I came to understand how I was wired and how my personality directed my life, healing began to flow. One of my favorite parts of that journey was meeting a young man who chose to love me just the way I was. He chose to make me his high school sweetheart and eventual bride! This guy truly demonstrated to me what unconditional love looked like and continues to do so every day.
Through a long road of hope and healing, I am happy to say I am free from any eating disorder! But some of those old lies and fears still tried to resurrect themselves. This is what set me on a quest to find what true health looked like.
I began by going to college and graduate school to study the ins and outs of nutrition. I found that I really loved exercise and wanted to inspire others to love it with me. I am fascinated with natural solutions to health challenges and am constantly seeking to learn how nature can be used in healing. And learning how each person is unique and their personality can determine their life continues to help me learn and grow.
And now all these passions have converged to create Real Well U.
So why does this matter to you? Stay tuned for the next post to learn more.
