GUEST BLOGGER!!!!!!

Guest Blogger!!!!!!!!  SO EXCITED!!!!!!  Danielle is an awesome nurse that I have met during my time at Cone Health.  She is so much fun and such an inspiration to me.  She balances working full time, going to the gym, and keeping up with 3 beautiful children and her wonderful husband, Adam.  I asked Danielle if she would be willing to share about managing life, career and fitness.  She graciously agreed and I am so glad she did.  Her husband is also going to have a post as well.  He is now working with his own buisiness called Team Genetics.  There is a link to his site on the side bar.  PLEASE check them out and look for them on Facebook.  They share some great information!!!!!!!

My start in fitness spawned from being frustrated with the yo-yo
weight fluctuations of pregnancy vs pre-pregnancy. While I was
pregnant, I'd throw all semblance of diet and exercise right out of
the window vowing that I would pick it up again after the baby came.
After having three kids, I was able to get back to my pre-pregnancy
weight, but it was a different body; a "mom bod" as I like to refer to
it.

I originally started my weight loss journey with Weight Watchers.
Weight Watchers helped be build a solid foundation on the nutritional
side of being fit. I really had to consider everything I was eating
and how that would effect my efforts in the gym. I tracked the
nutritional information on anything and everything that went into my
mouth. "If you bite it, you write" became my mantra! As my knowledge
of nutrition expanded, I learned more and more about how to use the
food to fuel my body and see better gains in muscle definition at the
gym.

On the career side of things, I've been a cardiac nurse since 2007 and
I see everyday what can happen when you don't take care of your body.
This motivated me even more to do all that I can to take care of
myself. As a nurse, it's important for me to set an example for my
patients. I doubt my patients would take me very seriously, or the
education I'm trying to impart on them, when discussing the importance
of following a heart healthy diet and maintaining an exercise regimen
if it were obvious that I didn't follow those same guidelines.

My husband is my biggest fitness supporter and "partner in crime". He
places a high priority on his own physical fitness and we help to keep
each other motivated. I'm often asking him for training advice. We
want to be the example for our kids and show them all the benefits of
maintaining a healthy lifestyle through proper diet and physical
exercise. Although, this is sometimes difficult as they are still
young and tend to be quite picky at times.

For me as a mom, my one hour workouts at the gym have become my little
"get away" of sorts. With three busy kids, it's hard to find a lot of
time to focus on myself. Exercise re-charges my body and my mind and
it's a healthy outlet for stress relief. I sleep better at night and
have more energy overall. I feel better in my body and about my body
now at the age of 32 than I did when I was 22.

Thank you so much Danielle!!!!!  I really appreciated it!!!!!

Pam