Well Hello!

Hello my fellow health and foodie friends!

I have finally decided to start up my blog. It has just been sitting here with no posts for a few months now. I think it's about time to get things rolling. Especially since I have numerous recipes, workouts, quotes, stories, etc. I want to put up here for you all to enjoy!

Let's start out with the basics about me:

^^^^That is me^^^^
My name is Ali. I am a giant... 6 feet tall to be exact. I am 18 years old and currently residing in Salt Lake City. In two weeks I will be heading out to Northwest Portland to attend the University of Portland. There I plan to major in Engineering (not sure what type yet--I am thinking Bio-Medical). Along with tough Engineering and Math classes, I will be rowing for the University of Portland. Which is funny because I have never rowed before. And I got recruited to row. Ha. Ha. Ha. Here's the quick back story : I was visiting the campus and just walking around, minding my own business. When all of a sudden a VERY tall man waved me down and seemed very excited to see me. I wanted to avoid him but I am so glad I didn't. We talked for a bit about how I was liking the campus and soon enough he started asking me about sports. He asked me what sports I play. I simply responded with "soccer" and quicker than you can snap your fingers, he said to me, "NO NO NO. You need to try rowing.". From that point on, my mind was set on rowing. We exchanged contact information and within the next month I was back in Portland on an "Official NCAA Recruit Visit". I got to know all of the coaches over delicious dinners and beautiful tours around the campus and city. I stayed with one of the captains of the team and got to hang out with the "rowing crew" (see what I did there?). They were a good crew. I fit right in. I knew this is where I was meant to be. And not to mention, I was offered quite a great academic scholarship, along with a NCAA scholarship. I accepted University of Portland's offer and am now heading there the 19th of August. I couldn't be more excited.

So there's that "quick" back story. Besides sports, I absolutely love to cook (that's what you'll see most on this blog). I love to cook nutritious meals and snacks that nourish our bodies in the way they were supposed to be -- with whole foods. Not with processed, refined, or genetically modified foods. I have been experimenting with diet and exercise the past year and I am finally happy with a lifestyle I have created. It is a healthy and balanced one with lots of activity (whether it be weight lifting, road biking, or doing yard work), nutritious eating, positive thinking, and a gracious attitude. It has taken a lot of time and practice to get to the point where I am (which I am very happy with) but I know there is always room for improvement.

I used to be 170 pounds and I would work out only at soccer practice and eat more sugary, sweet, and fried foods than my body could handle. I finally wanted to take control of my life and health when my soccer season was completely over (it was senior year and now that soccer was over, I had no activity to look forward to) and I knew that continuing these unhealthy habits without exercise would result in a body and mind I didn't want to have. I started by working out really hard. I didn't see much change. I got really frustrated. It was then I realized that I had to change what was happening in the kitchen first. I started finding recipes that were "clean" and started buying my own groceries. That got me motivated to fuel and feed my body with nutritious foods made with wholesome ingredients. I started seeing changes. I felt better, my skin was clearing up, I had more energy, I looked forward to working out, and I started losing the extra weight I had always wanted to shed. I was doing great. Over a course of 6 months I lost 35 pounds. I felt great. But I couldn't stop losing weight. When I got to my ideal weight and was ready to just maintain my weight, I didn't know how to stop losing and stay at the point where I was. I got unhealthy. I wasn't nourishing my body with enough nutrients and calories--and the scary thing is that I thought I was. I felt sick a lot. I had headaches. I started losing hair. I got bruises really easily. I was pushing friends and family away. I had no energy.. yet I still managed to workout really hard... and deprive my body even more. And I really didn't have a clue of HOW MUCH I was restricting my body from what it needed. It took a lot of realizations and research on my own to finally comprehend how much I was hurting my body. I felt badly for my body. I wanted to turn things around. I just didn't know how. 
I saw a nutritionist but that didn't really help me. What really helped is that I slowed down my thoughts. Looked in the mirror. Told myself I love myself over and over. That helped me realize that my body needed nourishment. It wasn't fair of me to deny it of things it needed. 

I knew I had to make changes. I was going to figure out a way to get my body back to a nourished level. But that recovery doesn't happen in a day. It has taken me a whole month and a half to gain a tiny 2 pounds. The biggest step in my recovery so far has been to count my macros(grams of carbs, protein, and fat that I consume) - not calories. With this I know when I am eating enough or eating too little. It also really helps me to see if I am having a good balance of carbs, fats, and protein. It is not for everyone, but it has really helped me. Especially since I need to be gaining weight (preferably muscle weight) for rowing season, which starts in two weeks.

Another huge step for me was limiting the number of days a week I do cardio. Instead, I have started lifting weights more and more and it is so much fun! It's fun to try different workout moves and use different equipment.

My body is still in the process of recovering, but my mind is stronger than ever. I love to think in the now and how I can better myself in the moment to have a more positive future. And I hope this blog can help others through similar situations... or even just help give you ideas and inspiration to be the healthiest version of you that you can be. Thanks to all that have gone through this journey with me... I am so excited to get this blog rolling and appreciate all of your support!