As a parent I am a hypocrite when it comes to health. As a mother I am a control-freak. I am constantly hounding the kids not to eat that junk food, don’t drink the caffeinated sugar water, make sure you get an hour of exercise, no more than an hour of tech-time, be sure to get enough sleep! Ugh, I annoy myself with all the nagging.

The truth is, I am definitely not at my best, I need to be better. When I’m at my best I am showing my kids the healthier way to live rather than pestering them to do so. They are my biggest motivation to take better care of myself. I hope to live as an example of how good you can feel, how energized we all can be by daily exercise and healthy food choices. I want them to see how alert I feel upon waking rather than how exhausted I am in the morning from not getting enough sleep. I would like them to hear about what I learned from the exciting book I just read, rather than all about the dragon I leveled up in the pointless game on my phone.

My husband, friends, co-workers and neighbors are also a major inspiration to me to be healthy. I want to encourage people to be better to themselves, somehow. And that’s certainly not going to happen droning on about fatigue and illness, but by showing how fantastic it is to feel happier and more energetic by making healthier choices.

That’s my goal, to inspire.