By: Adrienne Neale

It was 2012 and my husband and I were working out hard, lifting, doing interval training and overall, feeling pretty good. We ate whatever we wanted and took supplements, justifying that we didn’t need to watch what we were eating, as long as we were working out hard enough to burn off the calories we consumed.

We also assumed that by taking supplements, we were covering the bases for whatever we needed nutritionally.

Boy oh boy, did that blow up in our faces. Fall of 2013 hit us like a ton of bricks. We were 5 years into marriage and had just returned home from a cruise to celebrate, when my husband’s health took a sharp and rapid downturn. Then we found out I was pregnant. What should’ve been a joyful time in our lives as we prepared to meet our son was filled with tears, fear and so many medical visits. Nobody could figure out what was wrong or how to fix it, and we ended up with a fist full of payments and prescriptions, but no answers.

Finally, someone suggested we look into holistic health and nutrition. We thought we were already healthy because we worked out and took supplements. But nutrition goes wayyyy beyond that. We learned that what you put into your body matters just as much as how you care for it through fitness.

We realized you can’t outwork a bad diet. Our bodies are like

fine-tuned machines, and when you don’t fuel them properly they encounter disease and will not function properly. We also learned that it takes time to undo what’s been done, but it IS possible with discipline and diligence (just like setting goals and seeing results with fitness).

When I share what our diet looks like today compared to then, and that our son has NEVER eaten at McDonalds or a litany of other fast food places, people sometimes feel guilty, ashamed or even get defensive.

I am quick to tell those people that

a) We all start somewhere

b) You don’t know what you don’t know- the SAD (Standard American Diet) is full of highly processed food with little to no nutritional value and so many people aren’t aware that the food you eat matters ,and that ingredients and quality matter.

c) Small steps over time can make a HUGE impact.

If you’re wondering where to get started, this issue is a great stepping stone. It’s packed with awesome content put together with you in mind. We’re cheering you on as YOU make positive changes for yourself!

If you’re just getting started, here is my two cents. The easiest place to start is to begin making food and beverage swaps. Instead of picking up fast food on the way home from the gym you can cook a pound of beef at home with taco seasoning and have a DIY taco night! You can also grill chicken & burgers! Instead of reaching for a diet soda, try an organic iced tea. Eat real fruits and vegetables for snacks within your meals instead of chips, candy and cookies.

Remember

Everyone starts somewhere,

and little swaps over

time can add up for

tremendous impact on

your wellness!