Happy & Healthy: Part One

I wanted to depart today from my usual style posts to tell you a bit about something that's very important to me, and indeed the backstory for Gumboot Glam. While you may recognize the girl on the right, a year and a half before I started blogging, I was the girl on the left.

It was the Winter of 2010, and I was unhappy, constantly sick, and easily exhausted by the simplest of activities. One day, at a friend's birthday party, someone decided to put up a slideshow of our friend-group's past year together. Two slides in and I couldn't recognize myself - was that really me? It sure wasn't the girl I remembered. At home I weighed myself for the first time in what felt like years.

It was time to make a change. I swapped the ice cream and cookies for salad and chicken, and started getting more active. And, since I didn't want to ever lose track of my weight again, I started taking photos of myself. Initially, it was just to track my progress - but, as the pounds began to shed, I started to photograph myself in outfits that I loved - but was too nervous or self-conscious to wear. (Who knew that a few photos would help me reconnect with my life-long love of style, fashion, and eventually lead to Gumboot Glam?!) But after a few months of devoting myself to this journey, I was still feeling sick quite a bit and  after a bit of research, specialist and naturopath appointments. I deceided to switch my diet completely and focus on eating whole, organic foods and cut sugar completely out of my diet. 

The change to sugar-free living was tough (and its still hard to avoid cookies, cupcakes and donuts at the office), but I started feeling the results almost immediately. Within weeks the sickness and exhaustion that I'd always chalked up to being out of shape just melted away. And, feeling better was just the boost I needed to increase my working outs and eat much cleaner than I ever had before. I attribute my success to clean eating more than anything else.  Fast forward a number of months it was Summer and I was 135 pounds.

It was quite the struggle, and, yes, I fell off the wagon a few times, but I've never been happier or healthier. Posting daily on Gumboot Glam - and, now, putting my "before & after" out there - despite how embarrassed I am about the before - keeps me on track and motivated to continue to move forward on this journey. I've now maintained my new weight for almost a year.

I'm by no means a fan of the gym. In fact, I usually do everything I can to avoid it - dance classes, yoga, and long walks with my dog all usually sub-in for an hour at the gym. But with Spring and Summer around the corner, the gym and I are becoming friends. 
I've put together an easy workout and clean eating plan that I am going to be doing - and sharing - with all my readers 

xo Ally