Celebrating one year of Sparkling From The Inside Out!
Wow! I cannot believe today is Sparkling From The Inside Out's 1 year anniversary! Today is a special day because not only am I extremely proud of Sparkling From The Inside Out, but today I am also celebrating 2 years of successful weight loss! Throughout my entire life, I have struggled with weight. I have never been "naturally thin" and up until 2 years ago, I had never been on a diet that lasted more than a few months.
When I was 20 years old, I reached my heaviest weight. I can't pinpoint exactly what caused the weight gain, all I know is that it's all fun and games until nothing in your closet fits you anymore. I felt so embarrassed. I would drastically alter my hair color every few months hoping that the change would make feel pretty or in hopes that a new hair color would motivate me to hit the gym. Weird, I know! Needless to say, I was not happy. I didn't feel good... I was tired all the time, I was grumpy, I had constant headaches, my back always hurt, my stomach was always upset. Something needed to change and the last thing I wanted was to go on another fad diet, lose some weight, and then in a few months gain even more back.
When I decided to start preparing for Miss NM USA in January of 2013, someone recommended that I go on an all natural diet. There were no protein shakes involved, no supplements, no low-carb/ high protein, no low fat, no nothing! This was SO strange to me... I didn't know weight loss was even possible without some sort of shake. This is how I got introduced to juicing!!!!! I needed to add more natural fruits and veggies to my diet and juicing was the perfect way to do it. I'm not going to lie, I was skeptical.... Veggies were so not my thing and green drinks looked disgusting. However, I was desperate for a change and nothing else I had tried before worked so I figured, why not?!
From the moment I started juicing, the pounds literally started to melt off my body. For the first time in my life I found something that not only worked, but was also easy, fun, and maintainable! Today I weigh 40 lbs less than I did when I was 20 years old! I have been able to maintain a healthy weight and keep the extra pounds off for the first time in my life (celebrating two years today!) Sure, there have been a few bumps in the road every now and then, but the key to successful weight loss is balance. When you can find balance while maintaining a new lifestyle, you can achieve anything!
In the first three months I started juicing, I lost 30 lbs. I went on to compete in Miss NM USA 2014 at my lowest weight yet. I was proud, I felt good, I was healthy, I was happy, I felt energized, and most importantly I felt like I was radiating. I felt like I was Sparkling From The Inside Out. One week later I started my blog in hopes that I could help at least one person feel that sense of accomplishment. I knew this was one way I could leave my footprint in this world.
After writing my first blog, my inbox was flooded with questions. People wanted to know more! So, I continued blogging and sharing my experiences. After the first few months, I started receiving messages such as, "you have inspired me, I just bought a juicer, I’m starting on Monday, I’ve already lost 5 lbs from juicing, you have motivated me to make a change in my life." I was so inspired by all of the messages I received. Throughout the year, I continued to receive messages from people saying that my blog helped them lose all their pregnancy weight, or that they were fitting back into their skinny jeans. I even had people sharing that their skin and hair was healthier because they had started juicing after reading my blog. I can't put into words how touched I am to know that I have made a difference, even if it’s a small one. The best compliment in the entire world is when someone tells me I have motivated them to achieve their goals or that they think that I am inspiration.
I am proud to have had over 50,000 views in over 35 different countries in one short year. I am now endorsed by Google and my blog has its own website with clean recipes, at-home workouts, and more! As great as all of that is, I am even more proud of the success stories I have received from people across the world. There is nothing that brings me greater joy than knowing that I have helped, motivated, or inspired someone. I can only hope that this year brings even more inspiration and empowerment!
So thank you all for following along this past year! Sparkling From The Inside Out wouldn't be a success without all of you! I wish you all the very best in 2015 and I hope that you make it your healthiest year yet. When you feel good on the inside, you look good on the outside, which is why I always say, "When you sparkle on the inside, you radiate on the outside!"
Keep Sparkling!!!
Xoxo
Ashley
