Chronic illness & life

Ok, let me tell you that this (see picture) is true. If you have chronic illness too you know that. But I also want to finish the story.

I've dealt with chronic illness for about 13 years. It's always there, it changes your normal. Sure. But you can still have a wonderful life filled with goodness, love, adventure, dreams. You can live with the "monster" always right there, threatening you, or you can choose to live each moment to its fullest, whatever that means each moment. Your illness doesn't have to be your identity! You may need to reassess a few things, make a few adjustments but that's ok!

You may have days that you mourn your old life or what you thought life would be like now, and that's ok too! Take those days. But *enjoy* the good days. Don't allow the illness to ruin your good days by looking at it in your peripheral vision. Try not to allow people who don't understand you get you down. They won't understand unless they have illness too, know that & remember just because they don't get it, it doesn't mean you should feel bad about yourself. They may act or think you're crazy. You're not.

Look straight at God. Give him your pain, your fears. Tell it to him, scream it if you need to. On really tough days, cry. Be angry. It's ok! And then let go. Allow peace that can only come from God to enter your heart. Keep hope knowing this is only reality for here, not for eternity. Never give up on yourself. Keep striving for better health because if you give up, it's over & it'll get worse. It's worth it. You are worth it!

This comes from someone who Dr's say should be disabled, but who instead is blessed because she didnt give up on herself, to run marathons, triathlons & her own business helping others reach their potential. - coach Emily

Never give up on yourself

"On the other side of fear lies freedom." Don't know who said this but I've found it to be true.

Waikiki

That's my head in the green cap right in the middle of the picture. In the middle of some fairly big swells I swam just fine. But that wasn't always the case. Before we moved to Hawaii I always said once we got here my triathlon days will be over. Ocean swimming, no way. No. Way. But once I got here I found, to my surprise, I wasn't quite ready to quit.

So I took ONE FULL YEAR to get myself comfortable with ocean swimming. Many, many times I panicked & made a bee line to shore. I often questioned if I'd ever be able to personally get past this fear, let alone train others.

Now, almost four years later I can't imagine ever going back to lap or lake swimming. I L-O-V-E it. I LOVE working with people,getting them comfortable in the water, helping them get past those same fears I had, helping them reach goals and take things to the next level. I think back and am soooo thankful I kept trying. I would have missed out on some of the best times of my life, the best clients, the most fun training with people and countless blessings.

Bottom line: If you don't want to do something, don't. But if you want to, never, and I mean never give up on ypurself. No matter how long it takes or what odds you face. You can do it and it WILL be worth the effort!

Eat your chocolate

This is a simple yet often misunderstood nutrition tip.

These 9 kisses are 1 serving & depending on the flavor all 9 are about 200 calories. That fits nicely into most people's daily diet, including yours. 

Remember you can have 100-400 discretionary calories/day depending on activity level.

Tip: eat your discretionary foods as dessert. You'll ultimately eat less than if you eat it as a snack.

So now you know you can enjoy chocolate guilt free daily. Eat mindfully and enjoy every bite!