My Wellness Journey-Part 3

Thank you all for following my wellness journey so far! I know part 2 was a little hard to read, and believe me it was equally as hard to write. I am happy I went through it though. It definitely prepared me for the direction my life has recently taken. Working with people who need guidance with their weight and wellness is a sensitive subject, and at times hard to navigate. I think these experiences have helped me relate to people, and I am thankful for that.

Once I got married, my obsession with food and exercise definitely subsided slightly. I was focusing more on marriage, and my job. I actually quit my job shortly after we got married because I wanted to be a volleyball coach. I got certified and started a few months later at a great middle school in Fort Worth. When I started teaching, I had no idea what I was in for. I had no concept of the hours, and work it would take to teach a health class and coach sports. It was exhausting, and I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I also had little to no guidance. Being alternatively certified left me a little out of the loop, and the other health/gym teachers were not very forthcoming with helpful information. I was struggling to get my bearings, and that carried over to other aspects of my life. I was stressed a lot which took its toll on my relationships. Especially with my husband, Hayden.

When I started teaching, I was up for practices early and up late for games. I enjoyed it, but it left little time for much else. I was not exercising regularly at all, and my diet was all over the place. My breakfast most days was the biggest low calorie monster energy drink I could find, and a powerbar. Again, no idea about nutrition. I went for the least amount of calories possible. I ate a lot of fast food, hamburger helper, sandwiches, and lunch room food. Soon, after I started my new teaching job, I got pregnant with my first son, Judah. You can probably guess what happened next! Exhaustion. New job. New house. New baby. Oh, and a body that was changing drastically.

The hardest part of being pregnant for me was gaining weight. I was getting bigger, and I couldn't control it. I couldn't stop it. Now, to people who have never struggled with their body image or weight, growing while pregnant probably didn't bother them but it bothered me. I had a constant struggle in my head with accepting my changing body. I also didn't help matters much because I didn't exercise at all, worked, coached, and at so much fast food. I am talking tons. Sonic, Panda Express, and Chick-fil-a were my main food groups! Not a fit pregnancy at all!

I am lucky though. I was active as a gym teacher and coach and walked a lot so I gained the normal amount of weight and had no issues with my pregnancy, and delivered a beautiful baby boy very easily.  Now the real meat of the story. Post baby body. What the heck! Flabby stretchy tummy, and huge boobs, and a sore body. What a combination! Why didn't anyone tell me! The truth is, nothing can prepare you for it. I nursed Judah without complications, and within 12 weeks I was about 10 pounds away from what I weighed before, but man was my body different! All the weight sat right in the middle at my belly button. Right where my stinking pants need to button! I guess we have good ol Eve to thank for that last bit of weight that likes to hang out right where we need it to not be! 

 I got lucky because I was a gym teacher, so HELLO stretchy pants all day every day! I mean I seriously wore the same stretchy black pants every single day! I started back to work, and between Judah, my husband, coaching, and teaching I had little to no time to take care of myself. I put myself on the back burner and just gritted my teeth and tried to make it through each day. I hated leaving my son. Absolutely hated it. I ached when he was away from me. I was nursing so that was probably some of it! haha! I knew when I held Judah the first time, that my life was forever changed. He was my new purpose. Career, money, and this perfect body didn't matter. I was so obseesed with that little baby. I was miserable every single day at work. I know now that it completely effected my performance, and I really wish I could apologize for that to my principals. My heart just wasn't it anymore. A tiny, little perfect boy had my heart now.

Once I stopped nursing Judah, I was able to free up some time to think about exercise. His baby sitter was able to take him earlier in the morning, so I started getting to school 1 hour early and I worked out in the gym. Every single morning. While teachers made their copies around me, I was running, jumping, and lifting all over that gym. I only worked out 45 minutes but I made it count! I bought Jillian MIchaels 30 Day Shred, and followed it every day. I even picked up a great workout partner along the way. The social worker at my school, Michelle, started meeting me in the mornings and she really pushed me! She got me into lifting weights more because she knew more about that side of exercise. I worked hard. Really hard. My diet sucked completely, but I put in the work. I stayed sweaty all day just so I could get my workout in. I made a choice. I chose to lose the weight. I chose to sleep less so I could get my workout in. I chose to do it early so it wouldn't take away from my family at night. I didn't have a gym membership or fancy equipment. I lost it all at home or in an old gym with dumbbells. You don't need a gym, you just need to decide and go for it! Those last 10 pounds were very hard to lose, and I know now it was because I was still starving my body and not fueling it properly. Monsters, powerbars, and lean cuisines was about all I ate!

The first 9 months with Judah were a blur of work, milk, and sleep deprivation. I left little to no time for the Lord. Little to no time for Hayden. My life was about Judah and my job. We struggled during this time. Marriages have seasons, sometimes its summer and spring and sometimes you are in the dead of winter. Our winter was our fist year with Judah. We weren't pursuing the Lord in any area of our lives, we didn't go to church, and we just didn't have time to really spend together. Thankfully, around April of that year we got invited to a new church, Christ Chapel, and this was my defining moment in the spiritual aspect of my wellness journey. I was at a good place with my weight and body image, but I was struggling spiritually. That first Sunday at Chrsit Chapel, I felt it. I felt God for the first time in a long time. I felt Him saying I am here and it is time to come back to me. I have never left you, and it is time to come back.

I did not renew my contract for my teaching job after my second year. My heart was with Judah, and Hayden and I felt it was what was best for all of us. I wanted to raise Jduah, and be home to deal with the chores, dinner, and just be a wife and a mom. Not anything else. Our dynamic completely changed when I stopped working outside of the home. I was with my baby boy, and I was able to be the wife and mom I truly wanted to be. I wanted to go to church and go on dates because I wasn't exhausted all the time anymore. The weekends meant time with Hayden and God, no longer filled with chores and to do lists a million miles long because I was home and able to handle those things thorughtout the week. Being home with my family, is the best decision I could have made for not only my family, but my spirtitual life. I was finally letting God in, and my relationship with my husband started to become so much better. We had time to connect, date, and talk. I no longer treated him like someone else who needed me and I didn't have time for it. I treated him like he was the man I chose 10 years ago. The man I loved desperately from the moment we met.

Following Christ is the only way to achieve full wellness. You cannot let him into bits and pieces. He wants it all. You can't hide from Him. He wanted my health and I held it back, and I developed an eating disorder. He wanted my marriage, and I held it back which led to a time of struggle for us to connect over work and Judah. He wanted me to love my body that he blessed me with and I held it back, which led to me struggling to love myself through pregnancies, and post baby. The best part about God is he never leaves. He is always there patiently waiting for me to see that I can't do it on my own. If I want true wellness, He is the only way. I am so thankful for Christ. My hear aches as I write this just feeling the love I know He has for me. If you don't know that love, I pray you ask someone about Christ. I would love to share Him with you as well. He continues to save me from myself, and I hope I can show others out there that Christ is all you need. If you start there, the rest will come. I am confident in that.

1 Timothy 4:8-10

"Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is savior to all people and particularly of all believers. "

I read this a few weeks ago, and I thought BAM this is it. Physical training is important, but if you are not training with God, what is the point. Christ has to be first, or you won't be successful at your physical or mental goals.

Thank you for reading my story. Believe it or not there is a part 4! But don't worry, after that you will be caught up! Part 4 will be my journey to paleo/gluten free cooking, a fit pregnancy with Silas, and the struggles I had post baby. Are you learning that wellness is a journey? So many failures and successes. They don't define me though, Christ does! Stay tuned for Part 4!

My Wellness Journey-Part 2

This part of my journey is going to be much harder to write. Some parts of it are pretty dark, and only my closest friends and family know the full details of my struggles. The sad part is, I started in such a great place but Satan has a way of taking something good and making it bad. I wasn't where I needed to be with the Lord, so I allowed that into my life. God brought me back, and for that I am so thankful!

When I graduated from college and moved back home I moved into my own apartment. It had a gym so that was perfect! It wasn't much but it was perfect for my needs. I was mostly a cardio junky back then, so if I had a treadmill I was happy. At this stage in my journey, my mindset was stable and I would say healthy. My knowledge of nutrition was pretty small, but I was doing the best I knew how to do. I didn't know that sugar-free, fat-free, and low-calorie were super processed, and most of the time not even real food by the time they were on the shelf. Again, very little knowledge about nutrition. I was just trying to keep my fat content and calories low. My diet mostly consisted of lean cuisines, yogurt, oatmeal, sandwiches, cereal, and salads. For snacks I ate peanut butter with Ezekiel crackers or rice cakes. I would say I was eating around 1200 calories a day. Was I hungry? Um, yea. Definitely. But I thought that was the right way. Exercise and very little food equals weight loss. That is how I saw it. Does it work? Yes. But not long term, and we will get into that later.

I kept this pace for 3 months or so, and I was at a happy place with my nutrition and workout regimen. I wasn't too skinny, and on the surface everything was fine. I thought I was fine. My whole life I have suffered with chronic stomach aches, slow digestion, heartburn, and headaches. I never knew my diet could be causing these symptoms but now I realize that is exactly what was happening. I now know I have problems digesting gluten and sugar. Well, my diet then was pretty much all grains and processed foods back then. So I looked good, and felt good for the most part, but still suffered with digestive issues. I was fit, and at a good size. I was content with my body, and felt very good about how far I had come since that walking class in college. Fitness and "healthy" eating were a way of life, and I was proud of that change.

Then the  moment I had been waiting for for five and a half years happened. Hayden proposed. I was marrying my best friend. FINALLY. Seriously, five and a half years I waited on this man, but he was well worth the wait! Now, here is where the story should get very happy but unfortunately for me, my health both mentally and physically was about to take a huge hit. I did what most women do when they start thinking about their weddings and honeymoons. I obsessed about the dress and the week spent in a bathing suit. I should have just kept doing what I was doing, but Satan took something good, like getting married, and turned it into something very bad. I took everything I was doing and magnified it.

I was not longer "skinny" enough. Mind you I was a size 6 and fit. A very good healthy size. I tried on a dress, and fell in love but still wanted to be smaller. Better. Because being small some how means you will be happier. I am about to show you how very untrue that is. Your size should have no value. How you feel has value. Knowing you are loved no matter your size by Christ is what matters.

People tend to think "skinny" people are happier. I was not happy. I was obsessed. Obsessed with being perfect. Obsessed with myself. Obsessed with an unattainable image I had set in my head. I would say I had little to no interaction with Christ at this point besides Sunday service. Which I now know is the sole reason why my life took such a dark turn. I didn't know Christ should be a part of my health. I didn't know He could help me see my worth in Him and not in my body. I didn't know. Christ is so much bigger than we ever give Him credit for. He could have saved me from the darkest time in my health journey, but I didn't let Him in.

I started eating around 1000 calories a day or less, and exercising every single day. I had to get at least 45 minutes of high intensity cardio in every single day, and if I went to bed hungry, even better because that means I am probably losing weight. What started as a healthy habit became something so dark. I now obsessed on every calorie. Every morsel. Every. Single. Bite. I was afraid of food. I had a very unhealthy relationship with food. I was afraid to eat out. I had to be in control, and going out to eat gave me an out of control feeling.

This is the part that is hard to share. Around this time, I started becoming so fearful of gaining weight that I started making myself throw up. It was not all the time. It wasn't daily, but it did happen. I was so afraid. So afraid of not being perfect. This is where Satan really took a hold of me. I let him in. I let him take me to a place of complete and total hatred for food and my body. I was not honoring the temple God blessed me with. I was starving it and over working it. To me the eating disorder staring with under eating, and then grew into bulimia. I think we so often blow right past low calorie diets as no big deal. I was starving my body. Dropping calories for short periods of times is something fitness competitors do. Emphasis on short periods of time. They always go back to eating a normal calorie diet, and if you read most women don't have their period, are always cold, extremely fatigued, and have digestive issues while cutting weight. Again, no maintainable.

By the week of my wedding, I was very stressed and fatigued. Which is normal I know. But when you have starved your body, and over worked it bad things start to happen. On the night of my rehearsal dinner, I went to the resteraunt and physically couldn't eat. I tried to take a bite, and I would get sharp stabbing pains in my stomach. I chalked it up to stress. Hayden drove me home, and we had to stop at a grocery store to get medicine because I became so nauseous I was sure I was going to throw up in my car. By the time we got to my sister's neighborhood to drop her off, I had to race out of the car and I threw up in her front yard. In my beautiful dress, on my hands and knees throwing up in front of my fiancé the night before our wedding. Can you imagine? Oh, its about to get way worse.

This continued through the night. I didn't sleep, and was able to keep down some toast the next morning. I was so sick all morning, my sweet bridesmaids bought me anti-nausea meds, ginger snaps, and sprite. I still couldn't eat. I actually passed out in front of the bank, while trying to get money to pay a vendor for my wedding. Guys, this is what happens when you don't nourish your body. This is what happens when you over exercise and under nourish. Your body shuts down. I knew I needed to eat, but I couldn't because of the nausea. My mother-in-law, even brought me prescription anti-nausea meds. Those didn't work. It was so hard for me to even get ready for my wedding. Thank goodness for an amazing make up artist and hair dresser. They covered up the redness and fatigue very well. I didn't get to eat my meal at the wedding either because I couldn't eat without stabbing pain. You might be thinking I was just stressed. You are right I was stressed, but a normal reaction to stress is being anxious and just not wating to eat. I wanted to eat, I just couldn't. My body wouldn't let me. Fast forward to the limo ride to the hotel. More nausea and having to ask a limo driver to stop at CVS because you aren't sure if you are going to throw up or have other bathroom issues. Mortifying. Thankfully, Hayden and I have been together for a long time and he was used to my stomach issues.

So, the same song and dance continued through my honeymoon. Sick, tired, and my body not working properly. In case you were wondering, being nauseous and constipated or having any type of digestive issues is never good. It is your body telling you something. It is saying, something is up. You aren't taking care of me. Health starts in your gut!

Fortunately for me, having Hayden living with me really took the focus off of me. I was very happy to finally be married to the man I had loved for so long, and I was very caught up in it. I still worked out but not as frequently. I had to eat because he was hungry for real food. I never threw up again after my wedding. I slowly became less obsessed with food, working out, and myself. I slowly came back to a more balanced place. Hayden's presence helped me come out of the darkness, and the obsession with my image and body. He loved it exactly how it was. He has continued to love my body at every phase. He has constantly showed me that my worth is not in my appearance. With the help of Hayden, church, and family members I was really able to step out of the darkness and into the light. My struggle with bulimia is now in the light. It is no longer in the darkness, so it has no power. I know Satan wanted me to leave it there, and I struggled with sharing it with you all. Christ showed me over and over again that I don't have to hide my struggle with an eating disorder. That sharing it would free me of it.

I still struggle with disorder eating. I have to fight the urge to skip meals or go to bed hungry. I still sometimes think that way, but that isn't what Christ wants for me. He wants me to nourish and care for the temple He blessed me with. Christ calls us to train our bodies not only physically, but spiritually. I have finally come to a place where I ask Christ to help me stay balanced physically because I am walking with him more closely. I ask Him to show me balance daily.  

My prayer is that sharing this with you will help you really evaluate your relationship with food, exercise, and Christ. Do you see that they all go together? Do you see that Christ can help you reach your wellness goals? That He plays a role in your spiritual and physical wellness journey. Let Him in. Let Christ guide you. Ask Him for help to honor the temple he gave you. Ask Him to save you from yourself. Ask Him for the motivation to workout out, and to eat healthy. This may seem silly, but God knows the desires of our heart. He knows when we desperately want something and are struggling to achieve it on our own. He will answer you! Just ask!

My Wellness Journey-Part 1

Sit back with a nice cool drink and your feet up because this is a long one! Maybe a nice glass of Greens or an It Works! Energy? Sorry, had to throw that out there!

I want all of you to really understand my journey. I want you to know all I have faced, conquered, and failed at. I want you to know me, and my heart. My journey did not start where it is today. I wasn't always fit. I didn't always eat "healthy". I didn't always walk around with my head up. I struggled, failed, and got back up more times than I can count. This is a journey, and here is mine!

I have been involved in sports one way or another since I was 5 years old. I started out playing basketball, and then when I got to middle school, I fell in love with volleyball. I mean shorty shorts, and cute socks, what's not to love? In high school, I got pretty serious and started playing in travel leagues during off season. I pretty much lived in spandex, sweaty socks, and a stinky gym but I loved it. Every single second of it. Ok maybe not every single second, the times I had to run because I couldn't keep my mouth shut weren't very fun, but I was obsessed with the game and I thrived in a competitive environment.

When you are in a team sport, you have constant support through your team. Someone to push you harder and hold you accountable. You have your best friends with you 24/7, which is amazing, but the sad part is one day it is over. One day, you graduate and you go from being a hot shot volleyball player that everyone praised daily, to a lonely freshman with no friends and no praise. I know that is a little dramatic but that is how I felt!

Anyway, my point is, my worth was tied up in the sport and how successful I was at it. I didn't get a scholarship because it fell through last minute. I had no where to go to school, and it was February. I picked Angelo State because it was the only college I had been to. I ended up walking on to the volleyball team for like a hot minute, but it didn't work out. So there I was, end of my freshman year completely lost. If I am not playing volleyball and a successful athlete, who am I? What do I do now? I had spent the last 8 years of my life surrounded by my closest friends, playing a sport I loved, and being forced to workout. Sports are so wonderful, and I am so thankful my parents supported my passion, but I think what happens is we lose sight of everything else around us. I traveled constantly, practiced multiple times a week, and did not have time for much else. Where your time and money is most spent, that is where your heart is. My heart wasn't with Jesus. My heart was this sport. I missed the part about BALANCE.

My wellness journey had come to a complete halt. Without a volleyball team to push me, how was I even going to go to the gym? I hadn't worked out alone in almost a decade! I will tell you what happened. I was lost. Completely and totally lost. Physically, mentally, and most important spiritually. Also, I will point out my diet up to this point consisted of Sonic milk shakes, Chick-fil-a, Dr. Pepper, and my personal favorite, a 4 express tender basket with mashed potatoes, French fries, and a large sweet tea from Chicken Express. Oh and don't forget the gravy. I had to have something to dip my fries in! I had no idea how to eat, but because I worked out hours a day, it didn't matter. Or so I thought. I can't even begin to think about how much better of an athlete I would have been if I had actually fueled my body correctly! 

Now, you are probably getting a good idea of what happened over the next 2.5 years. I not only gained tons of weight, lost a total sense of identity, but I also completely withdrew from God. There was no one to make me go to church, so I didn't go. I didn't want to face another room full of strangers. I went occasionally, and visited our Baptist Student Ministry a few times, but never consistently went to church anywhere for four years. It was a dark time spiritually. One I am sure I will expand on at a later date.

My sophomore year I started working at Buffalo Wild Wings 4 days a week. Which meant I was eating hot wings and cheese fries covered in ranch like it was my job. Then there I was shocked by the end of that year by my weight gain. Hot wings won't make me gain weight, right? Let's be honest it probably wasn't the hot wings, it was the complete and total lack of knowledge or support. I had no one around me to work out with, and no one telling me ranch doesn't make your love handles smaller. This continued through my junior and senior year of college. I wasn't going to church, I was gaining weight, and my boyfriend was my life along with some wonderful roommates. This may sound like college was terrible, it wasn't. I had a great time! But I always struggled internally. I was never confident in myself. I was just so insecure, and so far from God.

Okay, here is where this kind of sad story takes a turn. While, registering for my last semester of classes, I realized I had no physical education credit. So what did I do? Walking. Yes, you read that right. Walking. I could have done swimming, running, probably something way more fun but I chose walking. This was a defining moment in my life. You have moment in your life where things started shifting. This was it for me. A walking class in my last semester of college. Go figure.

I started my walking class that January, and after class it just so happened that I didn't have another class until that night. Hours of free time and nothing to do. I would like to think this was because of my excellent class scheduling skills, but it wasn't. This was straight up God. He did it. He opened up my day every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. He gave me that time, so that I could make no excuses. He opened the door, and I just had to walk through it. The door to getting my body back to a healthy place had just been opened and I walked through it. See what I did there?

Next big step, going to the gym that I had been paying for for 3 years and never walked into. The biggest Gold's Gym in Texas had just been built in San Angelo. So this wasn't a rinky dink hole in the wall gym This was a beautiful, huge, and full of fit people gym. Want to know what I did? I found the Women's section in the back of the gym, that had its own private room. I couldn't bring myself to work out with everyone else. All those skinny perfect people. I was over weight, intimated, and flat out insecure, but I went. Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday I went to that little section in the back and I worked my butt off. I did what I knew. I ran for 30-45 minutes and I lifted weights for 30 minutes on a circuit.

I started changing my eating habits too. And by my eating habits I mean, I cut out the hot wings, French fries, and ranch and took up Lean Cuisines, fat-free and sugar-free anything, and started making smoothies every morning for breakfast. I made small changes. I chose fat-free Italian instead of ranch. I chose the fruit cup instead of French fries. I chose water instead of coke. Those small changes started to add up, and I blossomed. I shed about 10 pounds from January to March. Ten pounds may not sound like much but it was life changing for me. I blossomed. I felt confident for the first time in years. I have what you would call an addictive personality. When I start something, I don't do it halfway. I am ALL IN. I will not stop until I am where I want to be. So I didn't stop. By May I had lost 15 pounds and was in such a good place mentally. I was just so happy that I did it. That I accomplished something I set my mind too. I proved to myself that I was enough. That I was worth the effort, that me being confident in my own skin was worth the sacrifice of making time for the gym.

I graduated college a confident woman. I can honeslty sit here and say loosing that weight gave me confidence. Confidence to hold my head up when I entered a room. Confidence to start a new job and live alone for the first time in my entire life. Those small changes added up to something so much bigger. We can sit here all day long and debate how your weight shouldn't change how you feel about yourself, but the reality is, it does. Being proud of how you look, and content in that is important. Should you walk around staring at yourself in the mirror all day? Should you obsess about every roll and lose spot? No. Absolutely, not. That is idol worship. That is not what I am saying. What I am saying is this, being our best self means there are no closed doors. There is no limit to what we can do for our families, ourselves, and Christ. When you physically change your outside, and are proud of that change, you change on the inside. You blossom. You thrive. There are no limits to what you can accomplish.

15 pounds did that for me. 15 pounds made me see myself in a new light. My journey has had many ups and downs since then. A marriage and two babies changes things. They change you as a person physically and mentally. They change your goals. My husband and kids have changed everything, but for the better. I don't even recognize that insecure 21 year old girl anymore. It all started with a walking class. What is your "walking class?"

Take the step. Maybe that step is getting a gym membership, or throwing out all the junk food. Maybe it is getting rid of a toxic relationship. I can tell you if you haven't already, your first step needs to be running to Christ. Ask Him to show your worth. Ask Him to give you the motivation to take the first step towards a healthier you. He will be there, and He will answer.

 

Wrap Time

My wraps came in! Yay! I have been waiting for a time when I could get some pictures of the process for you guys, and my wonderful sister, Hillary, volunteered to take all my pictures and wrap with me! We had so much fun! The wraps are very easy to apply and use, and I had some great results. My sister's were even more drastic but I will let the pictures tell the story!

First, I showered and exfoliated really well. I did not apply any lotion afterwards. Then I put on some makeup because you guys do not want to see no makeup and wet hair Whitney. It isn't pretty!

Second step, gather your supplies! Your Ultimate Body Applicator, witch hazel, a measuring tape, and saran wrap or something to secure the wrap in place!

Then I soaked a paper towel witch hazel, and rubbed my stomach and anywhere the wrap would be touching numerous times. Witch hazel helps open up your pores, and remove impurities so the lotion on the wrap can be absorbed more efficiently.

The next step is to measure, and take your before picture. Scary, I know, but it is the best way to measure your progress! It is important to measure because sometimes the results may not be as visible in photographs, so the measurements help you know you are making progress. Remember the results are progressive after 72 hours! I lost an inch by the next morning, and I haven't used my second wrap yet!

The before picture!

Now for the fun part! Let's try this Crazy Wrap Thing! Guys,  I was so excited that I dorked out and forgot to get a good before picture of my sister. We had both our babies, and we were in a hurry before our husbands got back. I will share some of her pictures right after the wrap, and hours later. You are seriously going to freak out!

Alright, so when you open the wrap it will be wet and you need to pull it apart and find the side with the lotion on it. That is the side that you will apply to your skin.

Now, let's put that bad boy on!

Step 1: Apply to skin. Step 2. Smooth down the wrinkles, to get it as flat as possible in contact with your skin. Step 3. Secure with saran wrap, the Fab Wrap, ace bandage, or a tight tank top. Step 4: Wait 45 minutes!

I ate while I wrapped...not the best idea because I was super full! No worries though because the results are progressive, so I saw progress by the morning! The wrap should feel tingly and cool, that is normal! My husband didn't even know I was wearing it, so if you are short on time you can wrap and go run errands, sleep, or do some chores(or not because chores aren't fun and wrapping should be fun). I played with my crazy boys, and before I knew it the time was up!

Time to remove the wrap and showcase the results! Check the wrap before removing, if you see lotion still on the cloth, leave it on a bit longer so your skin can absorb the rest of the lotion. I removed mine, and rubbed in the lotion that was on my skin.

I could tell my skin was so much tighter! I carry some weight in my upper abs for some reason, and I could tell the wrap helped tighten that area! Here are my results directly after taking the wrap off, and me measuring myself the next morning! An inch lost!

An inch around the waist! Insane! I went from 30.5" to 29.5". I am so excited about my results! You can see that my belly button is tighter, and the top portion of my abs is so much flatter!

Below are my sisters results. She was anxious about sharing her results but they were just too amazing to keep to herself. I wrapped her once. She has not wrapped again, and over a week later she says her stretch marks are still faded with one use. She has not wrapped again or used any other product.

Her skin kept improving, and by morning she was sending me pictures with some hilarious captions! This is not a gimmick, this is for real! She is 6 months post baby, and she was so excited to share with me her progress. I was so happy to do this for her, and I am so grateful that she let me share with you guys! Her stretch marks have continued to fade, and I can't wait to see what continued wraps and our stretch mark cream does for her!

I think this wrap is such a wonderful product. I am on my third wrap, and am down 1.5"! That is insane! I mean it took me 4 months of diet an exercise to lose 2 inches. I am 10 days in and that 1.5" is still gone, and the results are still there. It will last if you couple it with a good diet and exercise routine. Use this wrap to get you up and motivated. Use this wrap to show yourself that you are worth the effort. That you are worth the time and energy to get to the gym and cook your meals. Want to know why you are worth it? Because you were created by God. He created you for a reason, and that reason is so you can serve and glorify Him. You are worth everything to Him. He wants you to love yourself enough to be healthy. He wants you to be healthy so you can serve Him fully. You are worth it. Need help? Ask me. I am here. Don't know where to start? Start with Christ. Ask Him for the motivation. Ask Him to show you how loved you are. Start with Christ first. The rest will follow!

Want to try this crazy wrap thing? I assure you, you do! Email me, message me on Facebook, or on Instagram. I really want to help you start your wellness journey, and I really want you to see what you are capable of! This wrap could be your jump start, the supplements that It Works! offers could help carry you through and help you push on when you don't want too! I know I can help! Message me today!

Why It Works!?

Why It Works!? Why this company? Why now? These are questions I have asked myself numerous times in the past month. Initially, I blew It Works! off. Flat out blew her off. I said that isn't for me, and thanks but no thanks. P.S. Please stop telling me about it. 

I felt that wraps were a quick fix and that just wasn't my thing, but for some reason I couldn't stop thinking about this company. I had that little voice in the back of my head saying, "try it, just try it." To which I said, "no, little voice, I don't want to. P.S. Please stop telling me to try it." By the way, we all know the little voice is God right? Okay, good. I didn't want you guys thinking I was crazy...

 In the end, God always wins. He is always there showing you the way, you just have to get out of your own way to see it. So there I was about midnight one night, up reading on all the products and I pulled the trigger. I finally said, God you win. God: 8,753 Whitney: 0 Can you tell I get in the way alot?

So, I started researching their products. The more I read, the more interested I became. I read each products description, ingredient list, and looked up testimonials. Are there people who were negative? Yes, but not many. The overwhelming opinion was, well you guessed it, the products work! Was I still skeptical? Sure I was, but I knew two things. One, I was interested in trying the products for myself because they were all-natural and plant based. Two, if I could share my passion for wellness, and make a little extra money, what did I have to lose?

There were a few other reasons why I chose It Works! as my supplement company, and my new business venture that would lead me to launch Whitney Slack Wellness + Lifestyle. First and foremost, I love that their products are all-natural. Every ingredient is listed on their website. For example, almost all of their products are GMO free, refined sugar free, and some are even gluten-free. It Works! is conscious of what goes into their product, and that was extremely important to me!

It Works! strives to help people from the inside out. The wrap is what gets peoples attention, and rightfully so, I mean the wrap is amazing! I have seen amazing results! But they didn't stop there, they saw a need for all-natural supplements and skin care. I have tried supplements one other time, and for the first time in my life I had acne. Terrible and painful acne. My hormones were thrown completely out of whack, which caused a slew of other side effects that I won't get into right now, but the point is, if you are going to put in on or in your body it has to be compatible with your body. It Works! has done that. They have made their products not only effective, but most importantly, safe!

It Works! has a supplement for everyone! Need more energy, and a way to get more vegetables and fruits in your diet? It Works! has a supplement for that, Greens! Need a way to build muscle, and recover faster? It Works! has a supplement for that, New You! You see where I am going with this? It Works! can help anyone at any phase of their wellness journey, and you know what? Their products are not even the best part. The best part is the people.

I love that I get to really dive into people's health and wellness goals. I love that I get to hear their story, and be a part of their life. It Works! has given me that opportunity. They have given me a platform to share my love for training to the best you can be, but also a platform to share Jesus. A platform to share how to be a good steward of your body, and how being a good steward is worshipful. I have said it before and I will say it again. You get this one body, this one temple, and this one life. What are you going to do with it? I choose to be the healthiest I can be. That means not only fueling and training my body, but also training my mind with Christ. Daily time with Christ is a part of training the temple God blessed me with. I want to help others achieve this mindset, and It Works! and this website are going to give me a way to reach more people than I ever thought possible!

I chose It Works! because I just felt it, that push that you know is Christ telling you to step out on faith.  So, I followed. A followed that tiny voice in the So I am ready! I am ready to help you reach your wellness goals. I am ready to pour everything I know into your wellness journey. I am ready to show you how wellness and Christ go hand in hand. Are you ready?

Welcome to Whitney Slack Wellness + Lifestyle!

Welcome to Whitney Slack Wellness + Lifestyle! Thank you for visiting my website, and I hope you enjoy the experience! Whitney Slack Wellness + Lifestyle has been a dream of mine for a very long time, and I am so excited about the future. I have so much passion for health, fitness, food, and family. It has been an evolving journey to get where I am today, and I am sure my story will continue to change, but I feel that I am at a place where I can truly help others on their path to wellness.

Who is Whitney Slack? Well, I am 27 years old and I have been married for 5 years to my high school sweetheart, cute right? Yes, it is and he is pretty fantastic! I have a 3.5 year old little boy named Judah, and a 14 month old baby boy named Silas. I will probably call him a baby until he is 2! Why do they grow up so fast? They are wonderful, handsome, and crazy! Two boys keep me busy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! They have taught me a very valuable lesson, and it’s that it is not all about me! Kids have a way of doing that! I am a believer in God, and my prayer is that you see Him in all I do!

What is Wellness? Wellness is defined as a state or condition of being in good mental and physical health. Being “well” or healthy is not just about a six pack, even though those are great, or so I hear! I think being confident in our appearance is such a wonderful thing. I think it helps push us to do things we wouldn’t normally do, but it is not all that matters. We have to love our bodies at every stage because the reality is one day our bodies will change beyond our control. We must first focus on the fact that we are beautifully and wonderfully made by God. God gave you this one life. This one body. This one temple. I believe God wants us to treat that temple with love and respect. To feed it the best we can. To train it the best we can. He wants us to nurture this temple He gave us. To me that is Wellness. Serving God, by nurturing my body and mind properly.

I hope to offer you a place where you can come and get excited about your wellness journey. My desire is to meet and reach as many people as I can! I think becoming our best self takes support. I know I do better at the gym when I have a workout partner, and my food choices are healthier when my husband is on board with my vision for our family. Accountability and encouragement are so important! I want to provide you with a community that will do just that, which is why I am a member of It Works! a health and wellness company. It Works! provides many tools to help anyone achieve physical wellness, and that is why I am so excited to be working with this wonderful company. That is not even the best part about It Works! The best part is they have given me a platform to reach more people, and for that I am so grateful! You will see an It Works! section on my website, and I will be sharing successes, progress, giveaways and of course their amazing products there!

I will also be sharing my life with you all, and I hope you will share yours with me!