About a year ago, I was in a serious rut. I was lazy, overwhelmed with my job, finances and my many commitments, my diet was terrible and I was just becoming an all-around slob. The funny thing is, though, that I was in the best place I’ve been in my adult life, having just landed a great new job, living with my incredible, supportive, loving boyfriend Shaun and his sweet kitty-cat Princess, covered up in side performance projects and yoga teaching gigs and spending lots of time with amazing friends and family. I was happy.

That is, until I looked in a mirror.

I knew that the vision in the mirror was a happy, fulfilled person, but it was coming at the expense of something really important… health and fitness. As our lifestyle was changing so rapidly, so were our waistlines, finances and diets. Over the course of the year and a half (at that point) that Shaun and I had been together, we had managed to each gain more than 30 pounds. I like to joke, “They call this ‘happy weight,’ but I’m not happy about it!”

So, in July of last year, I began earnestly attempting to shed the weight. I joined Orangetheory Fitness and got hooked, working out 4-5 times a week… at 5am! I was convinced that if I could just make working out hard a daily habit, the weight would fall off!

But, here’s the thing: it hasn’t. In the past year, my weight has stayed exactly the same. Though I’ve worked out really hard, my diet has gotten worse and my daily life is totally sedentary, sitting in a desk for 8-14 hours a day, sometimes without even getting up to go to lunch! We also drink quite a bit and are very social, which means we ingest a LOT of calories from drinking and eating out with friends and spend a LOT of money, adding a lot of stress, due to my already fragile finances. And, in the course of this time, I have gotten more and more bummed out. It’s really hard to feel like you are working really hard and making no progress. So, in the past few months, I’ve lost my way. I’m making it to the gym maybe 2-3 times a week, sometimes less if I’m particularly stressed or bummed out. My eating habits are terrible, my finances are still in a bit of a pickle, and I am just getting bogged down in stress and discomfort and self-doubt. It’s gotten really hard.

So, therein lies the point of this new little internet endeavor. I am a person who really needs external motivation to accomplish goals. I love having a team to support and cheer me on, and I LOVE helping other people by doing the same. So, my hope is that, in sharing my story, my triumphs and challenges with all of you, I will be able not only to achieve my goals and become the fittest and healthiest version of me I can possibly be, but I might help one or two of YOU with your goals, through my story, encouragement, maybe a few videos, tips and tricks and some honest reviews of some of the various fitness and lifestyle things I attempt.

Oh, and I intend to have a lot of fun and at least a little bit of humor and silliness. Because, ultimately, “fitness” is just a blanket term for making life the best it can be and to me, the best way to live is lots of laughter and fun!! I can’t wait to start sharing my thoughts, videos, reviews and progress with all of you! And, I hope you’ll stick with me and have fun sharing with me!!

In love and great health,

HayleyFace