This post is sponsored by Ignite Chiropractic and Wellness. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

I’ve been procrastinating showing these pictures and typing up this blog post. The main reason is because, truthfully, I haven’t wanted to post these pictures. Vanity is a beast. A ridiculous beast. I used to run marathons. I ran two full marathons but my distance of choice was half marathons. I ran at least 20 half-marathons in a span of a few years and weighed a steady 118 lbs (too underweight for my frame) and wore a size four to six for those years. (Size four was WAY too small for my body frame and I was hungry all.the.time but I reveled in the time when the teeny cloths fit my medium sized body frame.)

Then, we joined the ranks of pretty much every other couple our age and became parents. Somewhere in the midst of learning how to parent our son who we adopted at 10 months and then our daughter who we adopted at 18 months, I lost myself. When you adopt children from hard places, you learn very quickly that the “normal” parenthood that you see in movies, read in parenting books, and hear about from your friends with biological kids will go quickly out the window. We were submerged in learning how to care for a grieving 10 month old who cried for 50 minutes out of every hour for months, a grieving and terrified 18 month old who had night terrors and is still unable to sleep in their own room, a kiddo with sensory processing disorder and trauma related behavior (google amygdala and trauma and you will quickly learn a bit more of what we experience), kiddos who don’t handle transition well and have us tell them every.single.plan for every.single.day in order for them to feel safe and secure, a kiddo who was terrified of me for the first month I knew them and then didn’t attach to me for months after.. I could go on.

This picture is me a few months before I hit my highest weight. I felt so exhausted, I literally thought I was dying. Someday I will blog more about it.

Five years ago we became parents and five years ago I slowly began to lose myself. The running that I loved to do and that was a release for me quickly became a distraction from my goal at hand which was to parent my son the way he needed me to parent him. I forgot that being a good parent meant taking care of myself first. Then we adopted our daughter and the transition to becoming a family of four was really hard. For at least a year, I was up with her countless times a night and had to be by her side every minute of the day (including naptime). I was so exhausted. I was depleted of all energy (there are medical reasons for this too – I was severely anemic as well as depleted of Vitamin D & B) and I was depressed. The idea of working out was absurd and the little energy I had was invested in keeping my kiddos alive, well, happy and fed.

Once I realized just how sickly I was feeling, I went to the doctor and after reviewing pages of bloodwork, we realized my iron levels were so depleted that I was close to needing a blood transfusion and I desperately needed iron infusions. We created a gameplan (consisting of 20+ vitamin supplements a day and an antidepressant) and slowly I began feeling like myself again. A year and a half ago I reduced the amount of sugar I was eating and lost almost 30 pounds. 10 pounds crept back on when I became anemic again but all in all, I’ve maintained a healthier lifestyle cooking healthier and either running or practicing yoga. I feel so much better.

I know my trauma momma story may not be typical for most moms who have biological kiddos.. most of you don’t have to deal with children who have experienced severe trauma and exhibit behaviors related to trauma, but on the other hand, I KNOW I’m not the only woman out there who has lost themselves once becoming a parent. I’m also sure I’m not the only mom who literally forgot that taking care of themselves should be a priority.

One of the steps I’ve begun following to take care of myself is returning to my chiropractor Dr. Serrano at Ignite Chiropractic and Wellness. It was there that he introduced me to the 14 Day Reboot. The 14 Day Reboot is a simple plan that will rebalance your hormones so that your body functions the way it is supposed. As your hormones begin to rebalance, your metabolism will begin to work properly and you will burn up more fat than normal. There is nothing gimicky about the reboot. It is simply revising the way you live your life. If you follow the standard American diet (also known as the “SAD” way of eating), you are eating too much processed food, probably not focused on taking in organic foods and probably not eating foods in healthy ratios.

The 14 Day Reboot has a video curriculum which will teach you everything you need to know about how to implement the REBOOT Lifestyle in your home. You will also receive a daily guide which walks you day-by-day through the REBOOT, letting you know exactly what to expect. You will also be taught simple, 60 second exercises that you are optional but will definitely boost your metabolism even more if you choose to follow them. It’s very simple. The reboot comes with a nutrition guide, net carb counter, meal planner and so much more.

I followed the 14 Day Reboot and lost 7 pounds but more importantly, I felt amazing at the end of the two weeks. If you look at my pictures at the top of this blog post and above, you can see the before and after pictures. I notice the most results in my chin, the reduction of my bloated belly and the reduction of my pesky back fat. 🙂 I’m not back to a size 4 and I still have a belly, but I lost inches on my waist and my clothing fits SO comfortably now.

The first day of the 14 Day Reboot I had a severe “sugar hangover headache” as I removed sugar from the foods I was eating. As each day progressed, I felt better and better. I had a ton of energy and LOST ALL sugar cravings. It was awesome. It is now 3 weeks since the reboot, and I have continued on the way of eating where I eat mostly protein, tons of veggies, healthy fats and a little carbs. The month of October we have THREE family birthdays to celebrate and next month is my big 4-0 birthday.. so I’m definitely allowing more cheat meals than I probably should. Despite this, I’ve maintained my weightloss and still have awesome energy. I’ve even started following a new exercise plan where I use weights 4 times a week. The changes I have experienced have been so fun and empowered me to gain more muscular strength in addition to adding more mileage to my runs.

I highly recommend that you should try this if you are stuck in a rut either with your current healthy eating plan or with your current unhealthy way of eating. I think that everyone can benefit from this. Right now all of you can get an awesome discount on the two 14 Day Reboot plans available. Depending on the plan you choose, you can save up to $100! I followed the Reboot + Accelerator Pack plan but I firmly believe that if you closely follow the 14 Day Reboot Pack, you will get the same (if not better) results as I did. Head HERE for more info.

When you try the 14 Day Reboot, please share with me your results. Results will vary and I want to hear your thoughts and share in your successes! If you are a busy and tired mom like me, I would challenge you to take a minute or two to learn more about the 14 Day Reboot and to consider investing in yourself and your health. What I’ve learned the past five years is that if I don’t put my health first and take care of myself first, I will never be able to parent my kids the way they need to be parented. Let me know your results!

This post is sponsored by Valpak. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Eleven years ago, in the fall of 2007, my mom and I walked our local Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk. The walk was in scenic Clearwater and we walked 60 miles throughout Clearwater and down to St Pete. We had the time of our lives. Over three days, we were able to meet so many countless warriors who had overcome breast cancer and we also meant countless warriors who were in the fight of their lives as they battled cancer.

When we originally decided to do the 3 Day Walk, we weren’t personally affected by breast cancer. While we had lost loved ones to various types of horrific cancers, breast cancer wasn’t one of them. However, we knew of so many women – both young and old – who were either in the midst of fighting their breast cancer or who were in the lucky stages of remission. We decided we wanted to support all of the women we knew personally as well as all of the women we didn’t know (including ourselves and future generations – at any given moment we could find out we have breast cancer) by training for the 3 Day Walk, raising funds for the Susan G. Komen foundation and being an advocate for getting annual mammograms, having monthly self-breast exams and taking care of our bodies.

The 3 Day Walk was an absolute blast. Besides dealing with sweaty Florida weather, countless blisters on our feet and toes and this weird road rash that appeared on ours (and many other walkers) calves, we felt such camaraderie with all of the other participants, all the energetic and encouraging volunteers and all of the local residents who were outside cheering us on as we walked. My mom was so moved by the experience that she raised funds and participated in the 3 Day Walk again the next year! This year I was planning on walking the 3 Day Walk in Dallas until my iron levels dipped too low again (I am anemic). I decided that in order to really be physically and mentally there for my young children, my best plan of action would be to support the Susan G Komen foundation  from home this year. If you would like to donate to the Susan G Komen Foundation, please go HERE.

There are countless Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walks and 5k Walks located across the country. To find a local event near you, head HERE.  At checkout, paste promo code DealPro to save $5 you’re your registration!

Valpak has joined in the vision of Susan G. Komen and is spreading awareness of Breast Cancer Awareness Month! In 2018 Valpak will donate at least $50,000 to Komen and will encourage donations from local and corporate partners. Also, in October, Valpak  will spread Breast Cancer Awarenes by turning its Blue Envelope pink! Valpak’s pink envelope will highlight celebrity chef Sandra Lee, a breast cancer survivor and advocate for women’s health, as a “More Than Pink® Hero.” The pink envelope will introduce a related sweepstakes, inviting consumers to nominate a hero who has taken action in the fight against breast cancer. Throughout the month of October, Valpak will share the submitted stories and ultimately 25 lucky winners will each receive a set of pink KitchenAid appliances in support of Cook for the Cure®. The set includes a stand mixer, blender, 2-speed hand blender and a 5-speed hand mixer with a total retail value of over $800. The nationwide October Valpak envelope will also feature a special surprise for 500 lucky recipients, who will instantly win an immersion blender courtesy of KitchenAid by looking through their pink Valpak envelopes and finding a die-cut certificate shaped like an immersion blender! So make sure you go through your Valpak envelope closely!