In the Beginning...

I just wanted to post a disclaimer here.
Even thought I am a healthcare professional, this blog is just a journal of my daily life, workout routines and struggles. In no way am I offering medical/dietary advice. If you have questions or concerns about your health, please contact your physician. I am just blogging what works for me.

That said, I forgot to post a short bio.

My name is Holly Jo, nickname Hojo, and I have started a journey to obtain physical fitness. I have been down this path before, trying diets and juicing and half-hearted attempts on the elliptical or treadmill, with some results, but not much. I've always wanted to see how well of shape I could get in, but never had the time to put forth the effort required.  I am a newly-licensed LVN, finishing college to complete my RN/BSN, so I do work in healthcare and have had the available tools to figure out a dietary regime. I also ran track in high school, and thinking that I could just pick up running again, I foolishly decided to start training for a marathon. Three months and a knee injury later, I was out of commission and frustrated with myself for not being able to lose the weight I gained during nursing school.

As of right now, I am 26-years old, 5'9 and 150 lbs. I am a size 8-10. Even though my weight is considered "Normal" on the BMI charts, I don't feel healthy, and I get sick quite often. I suffer from migraines and allergy problems, as well as a bleeding disorder that I've kept under control and monitored since I was 18. I also have situational depression and stress issues, which exercise has been a fantastic outlet for alleviating these symptoms.

The reason I'm doing this is because so many of my family members have struggled with severe health issues due to obesity. Heart problems, diabetes, cancer, anemia, hormonal issues, ADHD, you name it, someone in my family has it. I'm not doing this to lose weight, I'm doing this for prophylactic measures, and I want to change over to a healthy lifestyle. I want to feel good!
I'm hoping I can keep up with uploading pictures along the way, as well as other tidbits of my life as I see fit.

Anyway, that's my intro. I hope this blog does well (breaks a bottle of champagne against it), and I hope I can help be an inspiration to others who are going through the same struggles I am.
Wish me well!
-Hojo