I was scrolling through some of my older posts today and I came to the realization that I have been blogging for quite some time. I started writing Muncher Cruncher in February of 2008 as a mere means of organizing recipes and workouts for my clients, family, and friends. I had no idea it would be something that I would continue to do for years into the future. 
It caused me to realize a few things that I thought I would share.
1) I really am passionate about what I do. I have been in the personal training field since April of 2007, and I’ve pretty much been talking about health, fitness, weight-loss, and nutrition non-stop since then. You would think that I would tire of such subjects, but I haven’t. I am always intrigued to learn about and talk about new ideas, methods, products, and questions.
2) I have made some amazing friends through this process. The people that I work with are incredible. My clients have become my best friends. I have made wonderful friends in the blog world. I LOVE meeting new people through different events and forums. There are a lot of good people out there who share the same passions that I do, and it has been so fun to connect with them.
3) I am continually learning. I love this aspect of the health field. It is always evolving, which means it keeps me on my toes. I am always studying up on new methods and ideas to keep myself current.
4) Exercise has become something that I can’t live without. I know that not everyone loves to workout like I do. That being said, I don’t LOVE it every day. There are days I am tired and can think of about a million other things I’d rather do than workout, but I have eliminated the decision process. I no longer debate daily if I should workout or not. I just do it. It is a non-negotiable part of my daily routine. We don’t go without sleeping and eating. We shouldn’t go without exercise either.
It is my outlet. It is my stress-relief. It gives me satisfaction. I love it.
5) Nutrition is CRITICAL. Yep, all caps…C-R-I-T-I-C-A-L. If you want to improve the way you look and feel, you have to pay attention to what you are putting into your body. There is just no way around it. I whole heartedly believe the old adage is true, you are what you eat. I also believe that good food can taste awesome.
6) Change is possible. When making improvements with your health and nutrition you are going to have to take baby steps. Sometimes it may even seem like your baby steps are moving backwards. However, improvement is improvement. Even a small step forward is a successful one, and you can just keep building from there. I LOVE seeing these changes in my clients. It is incredible to see people achieve things they didn’t know they could do.
7) Extremism is real. I am a firm believer in moderation in all things. I am also a firm believer in being passionate about what you love. I have seen many people (including myself at times) get so wrapped up in their health and fitness routines that they become complete extremists. It’s a scary place to be. It can be difficult to find a healthy balance, but it is definitely possible. Anything that causes us to replace our relationships and loved ones with obsessions over food and workouts is too much, and isn’t worth it.
8) Life is more fun when everyone is on board. Making health and fitness a lifestyle is the way to do it, and it’s even better when you have the added support of your friends and family. I love that my family cooks together, hikes together, runs together…and heck we even eat frozen yogurt and caramel popcorn together sometimes. Include your loved ones on your journey. It will make it so much more fun!
9) There are some awesome products out there. One thing I LOVE about what I do is the opportunity to try new health products. I often have companies send me items to review, and it’s so fun to try different foods I may not have been aware of otherwise. Food is good people.
I look forward to continuing on this writing journey. It is something that I love, and I can only hope that it has been of some benefit to some of you out there. Happy Munching and Crunching. xoxoxo Megs