Work + Life = ME

If you are curious about what I do professionally, I am the Monroe County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences. So occasionally, you might hear me blog about my work life and what is going on within that avenue of my life because it is a big part of who I am and what I do on a daily basis. For those of you who have no clue what this is and what I do on a daily basis…I am a community educator who brings research based information back into the county to encourage Kentuckians with new knowledge and skills to improve their life for their families, schools, and communities.

Last year in 2012, I decided that I was going to be healthier and actually practice what I tried to “preach” and encourage others to do with their lives. I thought of myself as healthy but occasionally I let things slip because I did not have “time”. Having no "time" was just a big cover-up and excuse because being healthy in our crazy world is hard and takes dedication and I was not willing to do it until 2012! Last year on my quest to be healthier, I set a few goals for myself. I wanted to lose 71 pounds and be more physically active. As hard as this sounds I am slowly making progress on these goals so I thought I needed to celebrate a few on my successes!  

As of January 15, 2013 I have lost a total of 45 pounds! I have been pretty faithful to my new physical fitness routine and my "healthy challenge". I  try to move more "4-5 times per week" and make healthier eating choices every day. Do not get me wrong this has been a challenge and I am still working hard at it!  I am 26 pounds away from my goal but I believe that I can do it! I feel better and I am in love with my new self!

Life is all about the choices we make on a daily basis. Balancing those choices within life and sticking to a plan while meeting our own physical and emotional needs in life can sometime be a challenging task. If you truly want a better body and better health for yourself and your family, I believe you can make “changes” within your life that you need to make if you are true to yourself and what you really want. That is what I did and so far it has worked. So with all that said, I am almost to my goal…I have the last 1/3 of the race still to run but I know that I can do this! That is why “Make healthier lifestyle choices to improve my overall health and well-being” was one of my goals for 2013.

Follow me as I share all of my favorite tips and tricks to losing these last 26 pounds of extra weight. I would love hear your ideas, questions, and comments! 

Lara

Professional photo of 2011-2012

The official "before" picture in 2012 with my mama

Me "currently" as I celebrated the start of 2013 with a "special" friend ;)