I have been “skinny” before. I was actually the smallest I had ever been for my wedding and honeymoon, but so much was missing during that time. My lifestyle wasn’t healthy, and instead of learning what to eat I had just cut way back and worked out a ton, so of course, I lost weight. But I didn’t change my lifestyle, so I put the weight back on. I wouldn’t consider my pregnancy with McKenzie to be unhealthy, but I also wouldn’t categorize it as healthy either. I carried a lot of water weight, gained more pounds than suggested, treated food as a luxury instead of fuel, felt tired all the time and only implemented prenatal yoga in the third trimester. Another thing that changed on June 27, 2013, when my daughter was born was my outlook on health. I knew I wanted what was best for McKenzie which is why I was excited about all the amazing benefits breastfeeding and making my own baby food would provide her. Yet sadly all of the other changes I knew my family needed to make didn’t happen. Life happened, we got busy, and living a healthy lifestyle seemed out of reach and out of our budget. As a result of my lifestyle, I found myself a year and a half postpartum still struggling to feel like myself again. As a busy mom, I became complacent with feeling uncomfortable in my skin and unhappy with my body. I felt lost during this time in my life and it showed. As my daughter became older and started observing everything, it became really important to me to embrace this body of mine and it was finally time to start treating it right after all it had done for us. I made the decision and finally committed to getting healthy from the inside out. I wanted to give myself the best chance to be around for as long as possible and I wanted to be the healthiest version of myself so I could have the amount of energy my daughter deserved. I also wanted to lose the extra weight and I wanted my clothes to fit better so I could feel some confidence again! It wasn’t about getting my old body back, it was more about loving my new body, the one that grew and gave me a beautiful baby girl. I finally wanted to do it for all the right reasons! I just didn’t know how. I’m not quite sure why it took me until becoming a mother to understand the importance of taking care of myself but I suppose it was because I am no longer just living for myself anymore. I also realized that I was no longer only responsible for myself, I am now my kids’ educator and mentor. I guess this was the push I finally needed to change my family’s lifestyle, once and for all! In 2014 I was introduced to the concept of Total Wellness through searching for a new business endeavor. It focuses on four areas: physical, financial, personal, and environmental wellness. It is a lifestyle for the entire family that is both achievable and affordable. It forced me to evaluate and detoxify my life and home. This concept and lifestyle change made my whole household healthier and provided such a better balance.