The Difference a Year Makes

Exactly one year ago this past month, I was in a place in my life where I was kind of running out of hope. I was really sick (I had severe postpartum depression) and I was so doped up on prescription medication to help me cope, I was just miserable. I felt like a zombie and it was affecting every aspect of my life. My health was in decline, my relationships were suffering, and I just wasn't involved in 'life' at all. I was trying so hard to make life meaningful and make memories for my family, and I can look back at pictures and see the things we did together,but I don't really remember doing most of it. I absolutely adore my family and they are literally what kept me going through the dark times. It was the feeling of being needed by them that kept me putting one foot in front of the other. I am the only mom my kiddos get, and I was determined to be here...no matter how I felt in the quiet moments by myself...and I knew how to paste on a smile and pretend I was okay for the world, but deep down I wasn't okay at all.......

I was praying desperately for answers. I knew that I needed healing for my mind, and for my body. I went to church on a Sunday and prayed as hard as I ever have for God to 'fix me', to make my mind whole again, for me to just FEEL better. The very next day I heard from a friend and she introduced me to AdvoCare. (Stay with me...this isn't an AdvoCare infomercial. I promise!) I felt like this was an answer to my prayers, so I decided to take a leap of faith and give it a try. After two days on products, I knew I was feeling better than I had felt in a long time, but it was when my husband looked at me and told me, "Kim, whatever you are doing, KEEP DOING IT! You have a light back in your eyes I haven't seen in a long time." that I knew it was working. So, I did what he said. I kept taking my products...and I kept praying. Within two months I felt like a completely different person. I wasn't completely better, but I was waaaay better than I had been. I was off of all of my medications and I felt like the fog was going away. 


(Please hear me when I say that AdvoCare isn't a magic cure-everything potion, and I know that it doesn't 'cure' depression, but what happened for me when I put good nutrition in my body was nothing short of a miracle as far as I was concerned.)

Over the next 6 months as I kept getting healthier I started making better food choices. I started getting more active. I found myself more involved with my family. I found my relationship with my husband improving. I just felt better!!!! And I went from a size 18 to a tight size 12 in the first half of those 6 months!!!! I was thrilled!!! :) I went through my very first Holiday Season without gaining weight. I was super happy about that! So, life was better. I was better. And it was during this time that I started to focus on the inner-me and doing some soul searching. I found an amazing ladies ministry that helped me through a lot of the 'self growth' I was diving into. I knew I needed to work on some things going on inside of me, and so I dedicated all of my efforts into that. That's when I started keeping a journal. That's when I started blogging. All pieces to the puzzle of finding my way to who God has called me to be.


It wasn't until March of this year that I decided it was time to focus on losing the rest of this weight and getting stronger and healthier than I've ever been. So, I went to work on the physical part of a healthier me. I found a local gym near my home, that is currently offering free fitness classes for stay-at-home moms (with free childcare!) and started attending. (The only cost to attend this class is checking in on their FaceBook page every time I workout! Super cool!) I also linked up with some friends and started seriously making myself accountable for what I was eating, and started diligently tracking my food and exercise on a free website that had an app for my phone. If you add it all up, it equals to a transformation of my every day lifestyle and going from the 12/14 size I had maintained to a 8/10 (so far!). I'm now stronger than I can ever remember being. I can now officially do hand-stands - and I'm talking, for the first time. EVER!  The awe in my girls' eyes as I did hand-stands and cartwheels in our yard last week is something that will be with me forever. My oldest daughter is 9 and she was totally impressed. #score!  I'm running a half mile, 3 times a week before working out, and it's getting easier and easier each time. (You have to understand, I've always been a bit....well, we'll call it curvy, in lieu of calling me a chubster!...and so running, or any type of athletics was never my 'thing'.) I've also signed up to run in my first 5k Obstacle Course/Mud Run with some of my friends, and so I'm in training for that. I'm doing things I never in a million years thought I could do. All because I made a decision to change my life. 

All this reflection of the past year came about as I was looking at some pictures with the kiddos yesterday, and it was during that time that I realized that the past year truly has been a period of transformation for me. The visual just made it really really real all of a sudden. Here, see for yourself!

BEFORE: February 2011                                NOW: June 2012

AdvoCare has had a HUGE part in helping me - simply because the products that they offer are top notch and the best in the industry in nutrition and supplements - but I don't discount the effort I've put in too. And I can't forget to give God the credit for helping me find what I needed to get well. For putting in front of me the door that I needed to walk through to get started on this journey. All I know is this: my life is completely different now.

I went to a meeting last night and my mentor said something that really hit home for me. She said, "You can't change the past, but you can completely change the future". And that's what I've decided to do. Every day I'm going to wake up with the goal to do 'today' the very best I can do it.

It's a journey, not a sprint, and it's only just begun!!!