Lynds in Real Life

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Bipolar Disorder Fitness Nutrition Personal

Health Coaches Need Coaching, Too; My Struggle With Sugar Addiction

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As most of you are already aware, I am a health & fitness coach, and I also live with bipolar disorder. A couple weeks ago, I was talking with my psychiatrist, and he said to me,

“Lyndsay, you are always taking care of your clients and inspiring them. You’re taking care of the kids you babysit and the dogs you care for. It’s great, but let me ask you, who inspires you?“

A simple question, but it hit me hard. In that moment, I wanted to break down and cry. I absolutely LOVE what I do as a coach. The progress my clients make, the breakthroughs, helping others to live longer.. it’s absolutely amazing! I am in awe every day of how wonderful my clients and friends are. I love the feeling of being needed. I’m sure there is a specific reason behind that, but like Miss Maudie said in To Kill A Mockingbird, “All anyone wants is to feel needed.” My career brings me satisfaction, happiness, and hope.

But at the same time, I am giving all my energy to my clients, and completely neglecting myself. How can I be a good coach/mentor if I am not taking care of my mind and body? Who can I go to when I am not feeling strong? When I need inspiration, motivation, and help with my nutrition? Yes, I know a good amount about health, nutrition, and fitness, but I don’t know it all.

As much as I don’t want to admit this, I am going to, because honesty is incredibly important. Not only for the people you’re talking to, but also for yourself. I have a sugar addiction. Like a hardcore, legit, anxiety-fueled addiction to sugar. I have dealt with this on and off throughout most of my life, but when I get incredibly stressed, I lose control completely.

I have felt myself slowly spiraling out of control over the past two months. Poor nutrition, poor fitness, poor mental health. It is a vicious cycle. I feel sad/stressed, so I want to eat something that will release dopamine and endorphins, so I eat sugar (it’s comforting). But the comedown from that sugar causes me to feel depressed/anxious/stressed… and the cycle continues.

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This photo represents the cycle of addiction. Any addiction. Did you know sugar addiction is similar to heroin addiction? It is very, very real.

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This is specifically what happens in your body when you consume sugar. Endless, awful cycle.

You know how they say that people come into your life for a reason, and at the perfect time? It’s amazing! I was searching through blogs and stumbled upon Lifelong Wellness Coaching with Nellie Russell. I originally found her through her blog, Bipolar Out Loud, and saw that she offers mental health coaching. It’s something I’ve never considered, but something I definitely wanted to try. It’s similar to therapy, but I also get a meal plan catered to me and my physical/mental health issues.. plus Nellie has bipolar disorder as well, so she totally gets me. It’s a little different getting life coaching from someone who lives with what you live with, as opposed to someone who only studied it. Totally not discounting what therapists do, but it’s just a different experience.

My first session was tonight, and oh my gosh, I already feel like a new person. I have hope again. I don’t feel stressed (and I’ve been stressed ALL day.. hellooo taxes). It feels so good to allow myself to be the client, and to go into a coaching program with an open mind. I get so caught up in helping other people transform their lives (which again, I LOVE), that I forget to transform my own life. I am excited for what these sessions bring, and I am excited to improve my life. Physical and mental health go hand-in-hand, and it is time for me take full control of them both!

  • Have you ever dealt with any type of food addiction? If so, how did you get through it?
  • If you are a coach (or in any profession like it), how do you stay inspired? Who helps you?
Fitness Nutrition Personal

When You Help Others Get What They Want, You Get What You Want

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I have heard this phrase very frequently lately: When you help others get what they want, you get what you want. It resonated with me, but I wasn’t sure if it was something that I ever truly felt. I’ve always wanted to help people become healthy and live the lives they wanted, but often times, I knew I was getting something out of it. I was always someone who did something for the reward/recognition.

Until now.

I qualified for this AMAZING team vacation to Big Bear, CA this past weekend. We stayed in this huge 3 story mansion/cabin, with 45+ people. There were A LOT of dishes and and shaker cups! I volunteered to do the dishes on numerous occasions, but I realized I was doing it just to help, not for the “Thank You”s. It was the first time I truly knew I was doing something to help others.

The second time I felt this way was yesterday. I was on the phone with one of my very good friends whom I have never actually met in person! She has been a client of mine since June 2013, and I have helped her to live a healthy, active lifestyle! Last night, we were talking about her life goals. Who she wants to be, where she wants to live, the things and feelings that would make her happy.

I have the opportunity to help people in various aspects of life (physical and mental health, wealth, empowerment, personal development, etc). I provided this opportunity to my friend for HER. It had nothing to do with me. I don’t care about the reward I will get. I care about her and helping her make her life better! I was full of so much emotion as we talked on the phone, because her and I are so similar, and if I could impact just one person, I would be happy.

The happiness and love I felt when discussing her life goals, THAT is truly getting what I want by helping others get what they want. And I am so incredibly excited for her!!

What is something that you can do to help others get what they want?

Personal SoCal

Be Present

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This past weekend, I was in Anaheim, CA for Herbalife’s Quarterly Event: January Spectacular. It is a two day event where we learn from the best health coaches and business builders around the country on how to improve in our business and personal lives.

Every three months, there is a BIG event. This event (JanSpec) was my fourth big event since joining Herbalife. And this was the first event in the past 14 months where I did not have anxiety and I did not want to “just get through it.” I was very present at JanSpec. Usually I am on my phone (Facebook, Instagram, texting) throughout most the training, and constantly checking the time wondering “when will it end?”

But not this time!

My mentor Elyse asked me last night, “So what is different this time?” I told her I KNOW this is my career, and I am now mentally stable enough to where I can process everything. There are so many trainers that go on stage and give so much information- often times it gets overwhelming for me because I cannot process it correctly. But not anymore!

The biggest difference: I know this is where I belong. This life is for me, even if I did not believe it in the past.

So every day I felt excited, and I listened from a new perspective (as if I was brand new to the world), and I enjoyed every minute! Time goes way too fast sometimes, and it’s so important to be present in every moment – you never know what you will miss!

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Our team (Holloway Org) at the 80s party on Saturday night. We get to dress up at night, and then be professional during the day! Super fun!

 

Fitness

30 Day Squat Challenge

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I hope you’re all having an amazing Monday so far! I am currently in a New Years body challenge, and I’m already doing the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pc-NizMgg8 – and I have now decided to also add the 30 Day Squat Challenge!!

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I am inviting you to join me!

Find me on Facebook – www.facebook.com/getfitwithlynds – and post that you are doing the challenge too, and we will hold each other accountable!! I am soo excited about this! Let’s see what can happen in 30 days. 🙂

Comment below if you are going to join, too!

Bipolar Disorder Personal

Welcome to the New Year

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Happy 2014 everyone!

I hope you enjoyed your NYE and NY day! I was in Ohio for Christmas with my family for two weeks, and it was great for reminding myself what is important in my life. I was able to get my head clear and my priorities straight, and I came back to LA with great vision of why I do what I do.

I work hard with my nutrition and fitness business because I want to have the opportunity to fly home whenever I want.

Although, maybe not in the winter, because my flight back to LA was canceled, and then I traveled for 17 hours to next day to make it back. It was definitely an interesting day!

So, new year’s resolutions. I used to have resolutions every year, and I would write them down in my journal on January 1st. Then I got to a point where I thought it was silly to change something just because it is a new calendar year. I thought that a new year wasn’t an actual reason to SAY I was going to lose weight, or whatever I picked that year. People on Facebook are very vocal about their thoughts on this as well. I see so many people posting “why now and not before?” etc etc.

I totally understand their point, however, I now disagree.

Who cares if you’re deciding to lose weight, get healthy, stop smoking, WHATEVER just because it is a new year. YOU ARE STILL DOING IT! Which is AWESOME!! Say your goal is to lose 10 lbs in January. You’re going to bust your butt to lose those 10 lbs. And guess what? You’re already going to be doing way more than the people who don’t want to make a resolution. I’m not saying you have to have a resolution to lose weight or be awesome, but sometimes for certain people, it is easier to have an actual reason to lose weight, or stop smoking, or learn to play the piano, and so on.

I will admit that I am one of those people. Having a reason, having something specific to look forward to, that helps me. And I have finally figured that out and embraced it.

Whether you like the idea of a “new year” or not, I believe we all secretly love new beginnings, even if it’s just because a calendar says so. So I suggest using the new year as a reason to improve yourself in some way. It doesn’t matter what it is, just something that makes you a better person this year.

What are you going to choose?

Bipolar Disorder Nutrition Personal

Old Journals

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I am in Ohio for the holidays for the next two weeks (I grew up in Cleveland), and I need to go through all my stuff I left at my parents before moving to LA. My old room is almost like a shrine- everything is where it was when I left! I was going through everything earlier today, and found a bunch of old journals/diaries. I have been keeping a journal since the 3rd grade.

This particular one I found is from 2009-2011. These were the years when my nutrition was AWFUL. I lived with my big brother, and all we consumed was pizza and Mountain Dew. My entire diet consisted of frozen and fast foods. Everything was refined, processed, FAKE. Reading these journal entries, it’s interesting to read how unhappy I was. Granted, having bipolar disorder means I have highs and lows at any given time. But looking back at these years, I was completely unstable. I was more depressed than anything, but my thoughts were all over the place. I almost don’t recognize the writings, as if it wasn’t ME who wrote these entries.

So the years when my nutrition was horrible, my moods were unstable. I find that so interesting. To be fair, I have had some times when my nutrition was great, and my moods were not (for example, this past summer). Sometimes I cycle into an episode for other reasons, like moving across the country (drastic life changes are a major trigger). But even then, my journal entries looked nothing like the ones from 2009-2011. I can’t help but wonder how much my poor nutrition played a role in my mental health.

Has this been something you have noticed, too? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Bipolar Disorder Personal

The Chicken & The Egg

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The way the mind and body work together amazes me. I’m so amazed, I’ve made the decision to learn as much about it as possible. A thought that I have been having lately is this: we need to have a healthy mind to have a healthy body, and we need to have a healthy body to have a healthy mind. So, which one comes first? It’s like the chicken and the egg question that we have all heard growing up. Which one came first?

Is our mental health any more important than our physical health, and vice versa? In my experience,  it has been one in the same. The times when my my mental health was stable were when I was keeping track of my nutrition and fueling my body properly. With that stability came the strength for me to eat right and exercise. The more I kept my body healthy, the more my mind was healthy, too.

It’s a cycle. In the end, I suppose it doesn’t matter which one comes first. What matters is taking care of both aspects to the best of our ability at all times. Wouldn’t you say so?

Bipolar Disorder Personal SoCal

#ThisIsMe24

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thisisme24

I AM Lyndsay. 25 years old. Born and raised in Ohio, 20 miles West of Cleveland. My parents are Dennis and Laura. I am the middle child, with an older brother Chris and a younger brother Michael. My dad owns his own financial planning business that he has spent most of my life building from the ground up. He is a very successful financial planner, and has taught me how to be a business owner. I am without a doubt a “daddy’s girl.” My mom is a special education preschool teacher, and is the smartest person I know. She has her master’s in education, and is finishing up her SECOND master’s in administration next year. She is always striving to know more, do more, and be more. Both my brothers are incredibly smart. Chris works for a software company in NE Ohio, and I have looked up to him for as long as I can remember. Mike is getting ready to graduate from Kent State University with a major in physics, and a minor in chemistry and mathematics. He will continue on to get his doctorate in physics. Both of my brothers have been my best friends throughout my entire life.

All my life, I have wanted to be something that meant something. That would leave some sort of legacy, even if it meant impacting one person. For the longest time, I wanted to be a psychologist. Then I wanted to be a journalist, and was actually the Editor in Chief of my college’s newspaper. Throughout high school, I was a dancer. I played softball and volleyball with city teams, but never thought I was good enough to try out for the high school teams. I loved dancing, and was good at it, but did not pursue it past sophomore year. I intended to go to Kent State University for journalism, but stayed at a local community college because I received an academic scholarship. I did well and received an Associates of Art. I then transferred to Cleveland State University and received my Bachelors of Art in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.

I graduated with honors, but my GPA was not high enough to get into graduate school for speech therapy. I was completely lost on what to do with my life. I was 55 lbs overweight, unhappy, and had big ambitions but never knew what to do about them. I wanted to help people, to impact the world, but had no idea how. At one point, I was working 4 part time jobs making essentially minimum wage. My life was at a stand still.

I had a few serious health issues. I was diagnosed with cervical cancer two days before my 21st birthday. I was also struggling with bipolar disorder, which is a mood disorder that results in unexpected highs and lows (mania and depression). Feeling so unhappy, the bipolar worsened. To be entirely honest, I feared for my life and did not think I would be able to continue on for much longer.

I don’t think I have ever CRIED writing or telling my story, but I am so incredibly emotional thinking of how Tim Schneider saved my life. My best friend of 19 years at the time. Tim and I grew up together in NE Ohio. He is the cousin of my best girl friend growing up. Tim and healthy living found me at the time I needed it the most. I was all set up to attend graduate school for some degree that I honestly can’t even tell you now what it is. I felt like that’s just what I was supposed to do. Go to college, get good grades, go to graduate school, get good grades, find a career, get married, etc etc. My life was empty with that plan. I visited Tim in LA in November of 2012. He took me to the nutrition club to see what healthy living was all about. It absolutely changed my life!! I cried twice listening to people’s stories of success with their health and their career, and for me, it wasn’t even about the money or the health results, it was about the community. I became a health coach the very next day.

Fast forward a few months. I moved to LA to live with Tim, who is now my boyfriend, roommate, business partner, best friend, and absolute love of my life. I am a full-time health coach, running my own nutrition and fitness business. I dropped exactly 55 lbs (went from 188 to 133). I am happy, I have purpose, I impact the world. At 25 years old, I now know what it feels like to love my life. To love unconditionally. To have best friends all over the country whom I have never even met. To be an inspiration. To help people know that they are worth it. To help people get health results. To help the world live longer, happier, healthier. To truly LIVE. And for the first time in my life, I no longer fear for my life.

I am here as a vessel for change. For hope. For happiness.
Watch me or join me. Either one is perfect. All of us needs each of us.

I am Lyndsay. <3

#ThisIsMe24

Bipolar Disorder Fitness Lifestyle Nutrition Personal SoCal

Welcome!

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Welcome!

Hi, I’m Lyndsay! I am SO excited to share my personal journey of physical and mental health with you! I have been through many struggles, and am continually in the process of overcoming them. My hope is that this blog will inspire YOU in some way to overcome any struggles or obstacles you are facing!
WELCOME to GetFitWithLynds (now The Balanced Brunette)!! 🙂