Life Can Do a 180 in 365 Days--Mine Did
Happy Spark-versary to me! Today marks not only the anniversary of my employment here at SparkPeople but also my Spark-versary.
Last March, my boyfriend was laid off. Late one Sunday night, we were watching TV and cruising online job sites. I stumbled across an ad for an assistant editor/writer position here at SparkPeople. I was working as a business reporter and columnist at a large daily newspaper but wasn't truly happy. Business writing wasn't my passion. Writing was, along with healthy living--particularly healthy cooking. I was stressed, restless and anxious.
Just two weeks before, I'd had a conversation with my editor about my future in business, a department where I'd been transferred just six months before. My boss, an ambitious and talented journalist about a decade my senior, saw talent in me, praised my stories and wanted me to love business writing as much as she did.
I had been writing a careers column called life@work, about people who found passion in their work. I wrote about brothers who left corporate life to found a nonprofit that helped Guatemalan schoolchildren, a woman who started a vegetarian frozen foods company with her family, a couple who invented bathtub bumpers to protect their two young sons. Each week, I listened to interesting, heart-felt stories, and I felt twinges of envy. I was passionate about sharing their stories in the most honest and engaging manner possible, but I wanted to have a story worth telling. I wanted my own passion.
"I have passion for writing but not for business," I told her. "I want a job where I wake up every morning excited to go to work, like the people in my columns."
"Good luck," she replied. "Jobs like that don't exist."
I smiled and said nothing. They did--I was sure of it. And I knew that sooner rather than later, I knew I would take steps to find a job I felt passionate about.
I wrote up a cover letter, sent my résumé off that night, and got a response within a couple of days. (Tip: Always keep your résumé updated. If you wait until you need it, it could be too late.)
Less than a month later, I was sharing an office with Coach Nicole and the rest of our Cincinnati-based content and community team.
When I left print journalism, I knew I was making the right decision. I knew I'd be happy. I knew I had found a job that I could be passionate about. I just didn't realize how much I'd change. SparkPeople has changed my life away from the office, too.
I gained 40 pounds after college and worked hard to lose them during the year I spent in Korea. I walked everywhere, ate sensibly, worked out a few times a week and lived a low-stress life. But after two years at the newspaper, 12 of those pounds had crept back on. I was perpetually stressed, anxious more often than not and too exhausted to work out most nights. I made it to my Monday night yoga class, but some weeks, that was the majority of my exercise, aside from walking to interviews with sources around the city.
I ate erratically and often found myself going way too long between meals and reaching for whatever was in reach--usually junk. For a vegetable lover like me, this was a habit that made me unhappy.
Suddenly, I found myself in an environment where fitness and wellness are encouraged and supported. I joined a gym that's a couple of blocks from our office and starting taking Coach Nicole's weekly Spinning class. I learned to ride a bike, trained over the summer and eventually rode 85 miles for a day trip with friends.
I started taking Pilates classes again for the first time in years, and I went to the gym daily. I used the Nutrition and Fitness trackers, found new healthy recipes on SparkRecipes (and added some of my own) and did one of the Bootcamps!
After a few months, I was taking Spinning three times a week and practicing yoga most days. Within six months, those 12 pounds were long gone, and now I feel stronger and healthier than ever. I've set some toning goals and a few other fitness goals, too. Earlier this month, I completed a 30-day exercise streak, I've even decided that running isn’t so bad.
SparkPeople has helped me realize another dream: Becoming a registered yoga teacher.
In March, I started a 200-hour Ashtanga vinyasa yoga teacher training program. I've completed 50 hours, and I've already overcome a few personal hurdles--including a slight fear of headstands!
I'll be certified by the end of June, so stay tuned for more yoga-themed blogs, articles and much more!
My first year at SparkPeople has been like graduate school. I was passionate about nutrition and healthy living before, and that interest has only deepened. Every day I learn something new from our Experts--and our Members. Thank you to each and every one of you for sharing your stories, tips and experiences.
Keep dreaming, keep hoping, and don't let the nay-sayers get you down!
"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
--Paolo Coelho
What has changed in your life since you joined SparkPeople? Has losing weight and/or committing to a healthy lifestyle prompted you to set other goals in life? What are they?
Last March, my boyfriend was laid off. Late one Sunday night, we were watching TV and cruising online job sites. I stumbled across an ad for an assistant editor/writer position here at SparkPeople. I was working as a business reporter and columnist at a large daily newspaper but wasn't truly happy. Business writing wasn't my passion. Writing was, along with healthy living--particularly healthy cooking. I was stressed, restless and anxious.
Just two weeks before, I'd had a conversation with my editor about my future in business, a department where I'd been transferred just six months before. My boss, an ambitious and talented journalist about a decade my senior, saw talent in me, praised my stories and wanted me to love business writing as much as she did.
I had been writing a careers column called life@work, about people who found passion in their work. I wrote about brothers who left corporate life to found a nonprofit that helped Guatemalan schoolchildren, a woman who started a vegetarian frozen foods company with her family, a couple who invented bathtub bumpers to protect their two young sons. Each week, I listened to interesting, heart-felt stories, and I felt twinges of envy. I was passionate about sharing their stories in the most honest and engaging manner possible, but I wanted to have a story worth telling. I wanted my own passion.
"I have passion for writing but not for business," I told her. "I want a job where I wake up every morning excited to go to work, like the people in my columns."
"Good luck," she replied. "Jobs like that don't exist."
I smiled and said nothing. They did--I was sure of it. And I knew that sooner rather than later, I knew I would take steps to find a job I felt passionate about.
I wrote up a cover letter, sent my résumé off that night, and got a response within a couple of days. (Tip: Always keep your résumé updated. If you wait until you need it, it could be too late.)
Less than a month later, I was sharing an office with Coach Nicole and the rest of our Cincinnati-based content and community team.
When I left print journalism, I knew I was making the right decision. I knew I'd be happy. I knew I had found a job that I could be passionate about. I just didn't realize how much I'd change. SparkPeople has changed my life away from the office, too.
I gained 40 pounds after college and worked hard to lose them during the year I spent in Korea. I walked everywhere, ate sensibly, worked out a few times a week and lived a low-stress life. But after two years at the newspaper, 12 of those pounds had crept back on. I was perpetually stressed, anxious more often than not and too exhausted to work out most nights. I made it to my Monday night yoga class, but some weeks, that was the majority of my exercise, aside from walking to interviews with sources around the city.
I ate erratically and often found myself going way too long between meals and reaching for whatever was in reach--usually junk. For a vegetable lover like me, this was a habit that made me unhappy.
Suddenly, I found myself in an environment where fitness and wellness are encouraged and supported. I joined a gym that's a couple of blocks from our office and starting taking Coach Nicole's weekly Spinning class. I learned to ride a bike, trained over the summer and eventually rode 85 miles for a day trip with friends.
I started taking Pilates classes again for the first time in years, and I went to the gym daily. I used the Nutrition and Fitness trackers, found new healthy recipes on SparkRecipes (and added some of my own) and did one of the Bootcamps!
After a few months, I was taking Spinning three times a week and practicing yoga most days. Within six months, those 12 pounds were long gone, and now I feel stronger and healthier than ever. I've set some toning goals and a few other fitness goals, too. Earlier this month, I completed a 30-day exercise streak, I've even decided that running isn’t so bad.
SparkPeople has helped me realize another dream: Becoming a registered yoga teacher.
In March, I started a 200-hour Ashtanga vinyasa yoga teacher training program. I've completed 50 hours, and I've already overcome a few personal hurdles--including a slight fear of headstands!
I'll be certified by the end of June, so stay tuned for more yoga-themed blogs, articles and much more!
My first year at SparkPeople has been like graduate school. I was passionate about nutrition and healthy living before, and that interest has only deepened. Every day I learn something new from our Experts--and our Members. Thank you to each and every one of you for sharing your stories, tips and experiences.
Keep dreaming, keep hoping, and don't let the nay-sayers get you down!
"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
--Paolo Coelho
What has changed in your life since you joined SparkPeople? Has losing weight and/or committing to a healthy lifestyle prompted you to set other goals in life? What are they?
