A few months ago, I was feeling pretty down in the dumps about my life. Nothing was really wrong, but I knew I could be happier. I hit the same sort of slump at my heaviest weight””I thought I felt OK in my own skin, but after seeing some unflattering vacation photos, I knew something had to change. I didn’t realize it then, but my weight-loss journey taught me a serious lesson about how I should live my life.
One of the biggest sources of my recent stress was being totally overwhelmed by my lack of a work-life balance. I was working a full-time job, blogging, and freelance writing. Even when I was sleeping, my brain was still thinking about work! I dreaded Monday mornings so much that on Sunday nights, I was practically sick with anxiety about the upcoming work week.
Moderation was key to my weight-loss success. I wouldn’t have been able to maintain my weight if I could only stick to salads and seltzer””I needed to squeeze in some treats too. And reaching my goal weight wasn’t just about a diet. I made a commitment to a healthy lifestyle, which affected more than just the numbers on the scale””it changed my life.
Once I found my happy weight, I began to examine the other lackluster areas of my life. Since then I’ve often considered changing my career to one that is wellness focused, so that I could help others find a healthy lifestyle. Although I used to be all about beers with friends and post-bar burgers, now sharing my love for healthy living (and indulging a little bit!) is my passion. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and inspiring others to do the same is what ultimately led to my recent career change.
Last week, I resigned from my full-time employer in order to devote more time to my health-related passions. My new work week will be divided between my blogging career and a new role as a social media strategist for a company called NuVal. NuVal is a scientifically based nutritional scoring system that rates how nutritious foods are on a scale of 1-100. Consumers use the scoring system across all products and brands to make informed decisions about food. With my obvious interest in nutrition and social media, NuVal seems like the perfect fit for me.
Although I may not make as much money as I used to, I hope that I will love my work and wake up every morning excited about the day. When I started to lose weight, I knew my diet would change my closet and my self-esteem. And while my new healthy lifestyle eventually changed many different aspects of my life, I never guessed that it would score me a new job!
