How it all started...
In school, I never participated in any organized sports. I went on hiking and biking trips with my family but had not discovered my competitive side until my 22nd birthday. There was a local 5K that my mom had registered us for, as a birthday gift. We woke up bright and early (which is the last thing a 22 year old woman wants to do on her special day) and headed down to the event. It was amazing!! You can feel everyones' energy before you even start. We picked up our race packets, t-shirts, and lined up at the start. The National Anthem played, the gun went off and running we went. I took off as if I was being chased by a pack of wild animals and before going a tenth of a mile, I was exhausted and had to walk. "See you at the finish line! Keep going strong!" my mom yelled as she flew past me. I kept switching back and forth between walking and running and before I knew it, I could see the finish line. At that point, I gave it my all! I could hear my mom and other people cheering me on as an overwhelming sense of accomplishment ran through my body and I sprinted through the finish line. All I could think about after that was beating my time, beating my mother and having the ability to run the entire thing. I did not train for my first 5k and knew if I put more time and energy into it, I would succeed in my goals. This race was the best gift that I have ever gotten and it has forever changed my life. I have since run countless 5Ks and 10Ks, completed 2 du-athlons and 9 marathons and an ultra-marathon. Running has taught me many life lessons and I often compare training and running a marathon to the journey of life. My passion for running has also influenced others into pushing their limits and seeing what they are made of. On the road to fitness, I have met a lot of amazing people who have pushed me and have made me become a better runner. Thank you mom, I will be forever grateful.
When it comes to being a vegetarian, I am not sure why I started on this path. I remember for years, I felt awkward telling people I was a Vegetarian... I would always say "I'm not a Vegetarian, I just don't eat meat". I didn't like the taste or texture. Growing up we ate meats like hamburger hot-dogs chicken and ham but we never really had steak. I remember as a teenager, I started having nightmares about meat and slowly starting taking different items out of my diet. Since 2004, I had cut everything out except chicken, fish and eggs. In 2005, shortly before my first marathon, I went to a holistic doctor who had opened my eyes to what happens in factory farms and how animals (especially chickens) are raised and treated. It made me sick! I stopped eating chicken from there on out and started educating myself with the politics behind farming and the way our society eats. I still eat fish and eggs a couple times a month but I am still slowly trying to transition to become a Vegan. I feel if I am 95% Vegan, than I am living the healthy lifestyle that I want to live... Not only for my body but the animals and planet too. I am lucky that, I was on a natural path to become a vegetarian before I had all my facts about factory farming. I know not everyone is as lucky as me and they crave meat. If you are not able to eliminate meat from your diet, make sure you know where your meat is coming from. It should be organic and humanely raised and bought local when possible. Know the facts... don't just assume that if a package says it is healthy, it is. Education is power!
When it comes to being a vegetarian, I am not sure why I started on this path. I remember for years, I felt awkward telling people I was a Vegetarian... I would always say "I'm not a Vegetarian, I just don't eat meat". I didn't like the taste or texture. Growing up we ate meats like hamburger hot-dogs chicken and ham but we never really had steak. I remember as a teenager, I started having nightmares about meat and slowly starting taking different items out of my diet. Since 2004, I had cut everything out except chicken, fish and eggs. In 2005, shortly before my first marathon, I went to a holistic doctor who had opened my eyes to what happens in factory farms and how animals (especially chickens) are raised and treated. It made me sick! I stopped eating chicken from there on out and started educating myself with the politics behind farming and the way our society eats. I still eat fish and eggs a couple times a month but I am still slowly trying to transition to become a Vegan. I feel if I am 95% Vegan, than I am living the healthy lifestyle that I want to live... Not only for my body but the animals and planet too. I am lucky that, I was on a natural path to become a vegetarian before I had all my facts about factory farming. I know not everyone is as lucky as me and they crave meat. If you are not able to eliminate meat from your diet, make sure you know where your meat is coming from. It should be organic and humanely raised and bought local when possible. Know the facts... don't just assume that if a package says it is healthy, it is. Education is power!
Juice Plus didn't enter my life until September of 2011. Not only did I become a consumer but I jumped all in and became a distributor as well. Danielle (my up-line) can contest that this did not happen overnight, in fact it took about 6 months of learning the product and trying samples of Juice Plus and Juice Plus Complete before I was a believer. Being a Vegetarian who eats fruits and vegetables everyday, I was a little skeptic to say the least. But Danielle kept sharing her knowledge about Juice Plus with me and exposed to me some amazing athletes who believe in Juice Plus. As an athlete I need the extra nutrients to support my immune system. I now find this whole food to be an important part of my lifestyle and know that a lot of people out there would benefit from it too. For a lot of people this products helps close the gap between what they should be eating and what they are eating in terms of fruits and vegetables. It goes along with my mission to motivate people to live a healthier lifestyle. That is why I want to share it with the people I care about.
