The Beginning

So what is this website? Who's running it? What is the purpose?

This website was designed with accountability in mind. We want to be a community that provides information, motivation, encouragement and accountability for a healthy lifestyle. The best part is that it's free. You don't have to pay to be encouraged like many programs!

Who are we? Well, I'm Andrea and you'll meet Jen later. She was going to post this week but due to a flooded basement and having to possibly replace carpet, etc. she is a bit preoccupied at the moment.
Growing up, I was a walking stick: straight up and down, no chest, no hips, curves knew no home on my body. I wouldn't say I was healthy, though. I ate junk but was very busy and young so I never gained weight.
Then I went to college and gained the "Freshman 15." Since I don't drink, this was a result of greasy foods and no parental eyes watching my meal choices Because I had been a stick before, my added weight actually made me look more normal or average. A family friend once commented on how nice it was to see me looking "healthy" finally. Yet I wasn't making healthy choices.
Over the next nine years, I graduated, married a wonderful man who is the same weight he was in jr. high and have had two children. My body after delivering these munchkins looks nothing like it did before.
And I'm still not healthy.
A few years ago a friend and I both had gym memberships. We lived around the corner from each other and three times a week we would alternate picking each other up to go work out early in the morning. Eventually, I moved forty minutes away and that was the end of that.

I have discovered over time that women accomplish more when we have someone to hold us accountable. Maybe it is due to us being relational, I'm not sure. What I do know is that it is easier to exercise when you know you have someone to "check in" with. If you have someone you can exercise with, then that's great! My sister-in-law is training for a half-marathon and she was telling me this week about how it's easier because she has a group of women that she runs with and so she is not running alone.
If you don't have someone to exercise with, then welcome! You can check in your exercising with us as we do the same.

It's not all about exercise, though. Our bodies would appreciate our eating healthy as well. On this website you'll be able to find recipes and healthy snack ideas. I had a brief stint as a vegetarian and, while I'm a carnivore again, I tried and found foods that I wouldn't have tried otherwise. And since Jen and I aren't wealthy people, everything on here is budget-conscious as well.

Do I, personally, desire to be thin? Is that my motivation behind this? I would be lying if I said I don't miss my size-4 jeans and 118 pound frame. However, at this point in my life I just want to be healthy because I know that when I was skinny I wasn't healthy on the inside. I want to have the energy to keep up with my kids. I want to jog with my husband and actually be able to make it even a half-mile. I want to break the cycle of weight and health problems that are in my family.
I'll need your help. My goal right now is to exercise three times a week. On the days I exercise, I'll leave a comment as my "check-in."

What is your goal? Exercise? Train for a half-marathon, marathon, or triathlon? Maybe you just want to transform the way you eat. Do you want to cook healthier meals or cut out sugary snacks?
Email us with your goal so that we know what we need to hold you accountable for as well as how to encourage you.

We want this to be an uplifting environment so be sure to offer good words and encouragement for each other in the "comments" section. If you ever have any questions or ideas you want us to feature, please email them to us! We are always looking for recipes and exercise tips as well. If you would like to write a guest post please let us know!

And with all that intro stuff behind us - let's get started!