HOW TO BE WELL WHEN YOUR BODY FAILS (YOU)

“You’re doing it all backwards,” he said as I shared all that had been swirling around in my head.  “Just write.”  And of course, he was right… 

As usual, my husband’s simple no-nonsense approach to life trumps my over thinking, got to have it all together, drive myself batty approach.  He has a way of clarifying my crazy and that night as tears of frustration ran down my face, he knew just what I needed to hear.

So, here I am writing.

First, I had to ask myself if I was really going to do this writing thing what would I write about?  That was easily answered because months earlier I clearly heard the Lord say to write what He has done.  Write for His glory.  Write how He has redeemed me.  Write how He rescued me.  Pursued me.  Patiently waited for me.  Loved me enough to show me Himself in the crazy journey away from this place and back again. 

You see, I’ve recently moved back to the community I lived in 20 years ago in what I like to call my previous life, when I was married to my first husband. Looking back on all that God has done since then has impacted me more than I thought possible.  Being back here has been a time of great healing and I want to honor all that God has done in me by sharing His faithfulness as best as I can with you. 

Yes, we are going to talk about health and wellness too because it’s all connected. We can’t ignore the body, but it’s not the focus here.  I love a good sweaty workout as much as the next girl, I love how I feel after I’ve pushed myself beyond my comfort zone and survied. I love to feel strong.  But our fitness is fleeting.  It’s our spiritual wellness that will see us through to the end of our lives and beyond. 

I’ve been known as “that fitness girl” for about 19 years now and honestly, it’s been hard to let go of that title since moving back to this place. I’ve learned so much since the first time I lifted a dumbbell or mixed my first protein shake, and friends I’m here to tell you; it’s not about the fitness.

 True health and wellness is about so much more.

So, if you love fitness or hate it, if you struggle with eating healthy or you have your diet dialed in; no matter where you land on that spectrum this is a place for you.  Why?

Because the truth is, your body will fail you. 

You will age.  Injuries happen.  And chocolate and bread are good and made for your pleasure, not to leave you feeling guilty or ashamed.  Because just maybe there’s more to this wellness thing than tracking your calories and a number on the scale.  And maybe there’s a way you can love yourself and care for your body well without striving to look like the next girl. 

This is a place for you because we are going deeper than our fitness routines.  Don’t worry, I won’t get too heavy on you, but you can bet I’ll be honest and authentic along the way. And speaking of honest, aren’t you tired of it all?  Tired of trying to keep what you have or of feeling like you’ll never get there?   Why not stick around and find out what this 54-year-old fitness professional has learned in my years of training and coaching hundreds of women, women just like you and me.

I want nothing more than to support you in being healthy and well, and because of that we are going to talk about real life and the very real struggles that come with it.  We are going to talk about relationships, and marriage, divorce, and raising kids.  We’ll talk about having it all and losing it all, about aging, body image, careers and all the good stuff in between. 

Most importantly we are going to talk about the One who has led me here, Jesus Christ who knows you just as you are and loves you completely.  He gave His life for you and created every detail about you. He adores you regardless of the size you wear or what you ate after dinner last night.

Let me say that once more, you are adored; right now, just as you are.

If you know the Lord stick around, I hope to deepen your faith and support your wellness journey.  If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus yet, I’d like to say – I get you.  I’ll share more about my story later, but for now I will say I’ve always been slow to change and that was absolutely the case when it came to my relationship with God.  He was so patient with me and He will be with you too; I hope you’ll stick around and see.

Lastly, I want you to know that my life is not perfect.  Yep, the secret is out on the world wide web for all to see, Lauren Kamashian is not perfect!  Oh, I’ve pretended to be for a long time, thinking that is what I needed to do to be a good leader. Now I know differently. 

I want to lead you well, and I promise I will do my best to do just that.  No, I’m not perfect, no one here on earth is; but it is in the imperfect places that God does His best work.  My hope is you will see that clearly as I share my life with you.  So, I’m taking the mask off.  Vowing to be real but also to use what I’m learning in the rough spots of life to point you to God’s never-ending love and faithfulness in it ALL. 

I am so grateful for the opportunity to share with you and pray you are blessed by our time together.