I have struggled with my health journey. Working full time, raising kids, going to graduate school, and trying to maintain some type of life makes healthy choices seem impossible. My trainer told me time and time again that I needed to meal prep. I made excuse after excuse to tell her why I couldn't do it. She told me I needed to get moving, which I had excuses for that too, long hours and busy family life.

Then I went away. She took me out of my comfort zone. Away from work, away from my family, and my daily responsibilities. My trainer took a group of us to the ocean. The weekend was everything I expected and more. I knew I was going to work out, and I knew I was going to eat healthily. What I didn't know is that it would also be about balance in life. My trainer is not one of those people who demand that you do everything to perfection. She does not demand perfection. She does not yell at me when I have a slice of cake or a glass of wine. She encourages me in little steps and helps me make small changes.

Now, this may seem weird but there is something I should tell you about my trainer. We grew up together. The two of us have super embarrassing pictures together and we both look much better now. We grew up, got married and life happened. Her life changed, and she knew that she needed to do something for her health. She started on her health journey and out of it came her own business, Lifestyle by Marla. Her journey has taught her that health is not about being skinny. It is not about skipping out on the cake. It is about being able to enjoy your life and being able to run and play with your kids. It is about not being left in the sand when everyone else is running into the ocean. It is about having the very best life.

Spending the weekend with my trainer helped me realize that it is possible to plan ahead. She spent one-day meal planning and it only took 45 minutes. That was with 8 of us working on it, but with one or two people it only takes about 2 hours. It was not as hard as I believed it was. Then there was the dancing. Getting healthy can be as simple as blasting music and having a dance party. You can get your body moving and get your heart rate up.

My health journey has taken a reset. I am looking forward to practicing my meal prep skills and dancing in the living room. The whole point of life is to live it. It is more than just getting through each day, it is about enjoying each day. A weekend with my trainer changed my perspective and I would do it again in a heartbeat.