A Healthier Me -- Beyond the Body

My name is Hannah I am a sophomore music major (with psychology, business, and child advocacy minors). I decided to create this blog on a whim today in an attempt to force myself to begin my journey to a healthier lifestyle. I, for a long time, have been wanting to do a "life-detox". Over the past two years of college, I have become a fairly unhappy person -- mentally, physically, and spiritually. A lot of this is just due to my stress and anxiety levels which have really come to a head in the fast-paced environment of the music school at which I attend. Another reason is the excuses I have made that, until now, I have let myself believe are legitimate excuses. For example: I'm too tired to work out, run, make a healthy meal, etc.; I don't have to time to work out, run, make a healthy meal, etc.; I'm too poor to buy "healthy" food, it's so much cheaper to buy food that's bad for you.

But as of right now, I'm deciding that those excuses are lame and not really even true. Where there is a will, there's a way.

My hope is that this blog will document my honest progress over this summer for encouragement for myself, as well as others who may be having the same struggles (whether you're in college, high school, graduated -- whoever you are and wherever you may be in your life), as well as provide helpful tips to help other students/busy workers/parents, etc., who may be extremely busy/on a tight schedule.

My goals are:

1. To lose the nearly 30 (ouch, yes 30) pounds that I have gained over the last two years. I would love to lose all of it over the summer before school starts again next semester (Fall 2014); however, I want to do it in the healthiest way possible, so if I don't reach it by mid-August, then I would like to reach it by the end of next semester (December 2014). I'm planning on spending this summer practicing yoga nearly every day, doing cardio 5 or 6 times a week, and eating clean. 
2. To cleanse my mind and soul. I am planning on getting a 6 month unlimited membership to a yoga studio this summer and, in addition to regular cardio, I would like to go to yoga 5 or so times a week. Yoga is a practice that I have found recently and have fallen in love with it. I would love to grow my practice and at the same time become physically more healthy, and mentally learn to better deal with my anxiety through this. 
3. Grow closer to the Lord. One excuse that I have made for spending less and less time with Jesus is that I don't have enough time. Well, that's a terrible excuse and it's ending. I miss my quiet time with the Lord and am excited to spend more and more time with Him strengthening my spiritual walk and growing nearer to Him. 
4. To embrace me. I have grown to dislike myself so much over the last two years -- I mean, I've gained so much weight and my face is broken out and my anxiety is through the roof! Now is my time to learn to love myself no matter where I am in life and know that I am loved by my Creator as I am and that he makes me whole, no matter what. 
5. To love myself. One thing I've neglected, as well, is taking the time to care for myself. Not just by working out and eating healthier, but taking the extra time to pamper myself and paint my nails, soak in the bathtub, and do my makeup. It's important to spoil yourself sometimes. 
6. To run a half marathon. In OKC, we are about to have a marathon that benefits the Oklahoma National Memorial & Museum, which was created after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building. The run will happen in just a few weeks, and a year from then, I would like to be running in the half marathon, a new me. 

I hope that posting this on the internet for the world to see will give me the push I need to do the hard thing (I mean, it would be awfully embarrassing to post all of this and never get around to it, right?).

Here's to a healthier mind, body, and soul.

HG