A bit about me ; )

So I decided that in honor of reaching 2000 likes at Better Believe Fit, I would share with you a bit about myself and why I am so passionate about health. Not only am I amazed at how good healthy can feel, I am astounded at how simple it is to begin to bring health back into your life. I did not say EASY, just simple. EAT CLEAN, WORK HARD, LOVE YOURSELF!!! I just wanted to say that even though I love the fact that my body has rewarded me with dropping the weight and firming up, its even more rewarding to have control over my health.  : ) I relish knowing that what I am eating is actually benefiting me, its fueling my efforts in the gym, food is no longer a form of entertainment.For me personally to have done this, getting healthy, has changed my life for the better. I pray that you will dig deep and find what it is you need to reach your healthy, happy goals!

I have not always been healthy, far from it! I used to eat fast food ALOT, I would go through Burger King drive through on my way to work, super size EVERY THING and not think twice about doing it again for lunch. I never thought about nutritional content or ingredients, how what I was eating was making me feel. I went through times when I would try to loose weight, I would eat tiny amounts of food and by the end of the day I would be so hungry I would go nuts and binge on anything and everything I could get my hands on. Then I would feel so guilty and disgusted with myself I would purge. Even with that behaviour I still kept the weight on. I tried different diets...Atkins, Weight watchers points. They all led me right back to the junk food and the weight.
I was pretty depressed about the whole situation, but deep down inside I knew there was an answer. I also knew the answer required alot of hard work, and I was not sure if I was able to cut it.

About three years ago, i was in my closet going through my clothes trying to find one thing that fit. I started to wonder when was it that I stopped being important enough to make the effort to be healthy. That's when I decided it was time to make some changes. I bought a treadmill and I started to run for a minute and walk till I caught my breath and from there I just kept working at it. I took a long look at what I was eating. I cut out the junk food, tried to keep it healthy.My husband was a huge help, he had always been in a gym environment high school and college ball, weight training. He had loads of info he had gleaned from fitness magazines and online. IT WAS AWESOME!!! I really did it! I started to see amazing changes, i felt better the weight came off, I did not feel so worthless. I felt and feel like I can face a challenge and win! HA HA then you know what I guess I got a little too cute for my own good and I got pregnant again LOL . Seriously we planned this pregnancy, I did gain weight but I worked out the whole time and I did not go hog wild on the eating like I did with my daughter. I tipped the scale at 211lbs when i delivered with my daughter. So after delivering my son in Sept. 2011 I got right back on track and into the gym, but I still was not really seeing the results I wanted.
I did more research online , read more, watched some great documentaries (Food Inc., Forks over Knives, Food Matters) that really really opened my eyes to what I was putting into my body was sooooooo super important. I knew it was one thing to try to eat healthy but I had never really understood what it meant to eat clean. I discovered the Eat Clean Diet, I read up on it. I mean what could be more simple than eating non processed whole foods THAT SIMPLE!!! Sensible portions, real food!

I have been eating clean for about a year now, and I have been running regularly and I added in HIIT work outs (AHHHMAZING!!) those 20 Min. fat blasters are spectacular!!! I HAVE ABS!!!
I follow some wonderful pages who really helped me with my work outs and inspire me alot. Get Fit Naturally is one of them! I thank Lori for all her AWESOME workouts that got me on the HIIT band wagon ; )

So here are the dreaded before and after pics ; ) Me before I decided to get healthy and me after a really sweaty work out about 3 weeks ago!

I am excited and inspired every day by what eating clean and hard work can do for you mind body and soul!!! Its a wonderful thing these bodies we have, lets give them what they crave!!! Are we getting happy and healthy??? You BETTER BELIEVE FIT!!!

XOXOX, Astrid!