The Why that Caused a Chain Reaction

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of American Heart Association for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Family

My husband, two kids, and dog. This little unit is the reason why every day I strive to be a better me. I want more adventures.  Hikes, trips, and races down the street in the summer.  I want to see the kiddos graduate elementary, middle and high school and helping them decide what is next. I want to see them live out their purpose using their gifts and talents.  To see them get married, help my daughter pick out the dress and to dance with my son. I want to be there when they have babies of their own. I see myself rolling around the carpet, wrinkles and all with my grandbabies. Reliving baby snuggles. I want to grow old with my husband Randy, holding his hand at 16 and still holding it at 100. To chase our crazy dreams together, taking care of him better each year. I want us to be that old couple at the gym lifting those five-pound weights and getting smoothies in the cafe. They are the reason why I want to live a healthier, longer life.  

Meeting Healthy

Life Is Why.  It led me to finally make the commitment to Healthy. We met in a 30-day fitness challenge where I finally decided to commit to taking care of myself first. Healthy helped me make little changes. I stopped skipping breakfast. I ate fresh fruits and veggies and I started to exercise at home. I traded my soda can for a water bottle. I made small changes for 30 days. The result was more than a physical change. Healthy made me feel better about myself, I had more confidence, more energy and less mood swings. Sometimes you don't know what you are missing because you never had it before and that is how I felt about Healthy.  Our relationship isn't perfect but Healthy is now my life partner.  

Chain Reaction

A funny thing happened once healthy didn't just come for a season.  It was like a spark and started a chain reaction.  Randy saw the change and the next month our family became members at a gym.  He gave up his two diet sodas a day without me ever telling him he needs to.  He jumped in and started eating healthy.  We both discovered a shared passion for cooking together.

My change affected the kids.  They see mommy and daddy active and they want to be active.  The little man sees me working out and he is right there wanting to jump in too. 

A video posted by P A T T Y (@makeitcozeee) on Mar 3, 2016 at 8:23am PST

 Every little change I made inadvertently affected them. From workouts to what's on my plate. 
They want some too. Loading my plate with veggies sparked their curiosity. 
They voluntarily want to try and even if they don't like it at that moment, I'm happy that they tried.
  We value and care for our health and they are learning how to as well. 

When healthy comes to stay it's infectious.  Pinterest became headquarters for inspiration, ideas, recipes and motivation. We started finding fun ways to stay active. Running is no longer a dreaded workout but a fun event for the whole family and even our whole neighborhood! 

I'm joining this movement towards a healthier, longer life for me and for my family. I've seen that taking care of myself allows me to take better care of everyone else. You have the power to make a change in yourself and in others.  It all starts with a "why". Everyone has a reason to live a healthier, longer life. What is yours? My family is why.