Be Inspired- My Friend Shana!

These are my friends Shana and Steven after a race. They are avid runners.

Today's challenge was to interview someone I look up to for their health journey. Shana came to my mind because she has five children and has managed to stay healthy throughout. Shana, Steven, and I were friends while I was in seminary in Kentucky. They went to the same church as me and we were involved in the music ministry together. I also got to babysit back when they had far fewer little ones running around. Read below about Shana's journey. I was inspired and I know you will be too! Thanks Shana!!!!

Have you struggled with your weight? When? How did you overcome the struggle?

I have struggled with my weight all my life. Even when I have been at a healthy weight, I feel like it's been a struggle to stay there and it's been a struggle to love myself at that weight. I wouldn't say I've totally overcome the struggle, but I've learned that it is part of my life and part of who I am. I can choose wisely and be healthier and feel better, both physically and emotionally, or I can choose poorly and feel bad. It's a choice I have to make every day, really at every meal. Sometimes I still choose poorly, but it's less and less often with every passing day.

What are some lifelong habits you've established to stay healthy?
Planning is the biggest thing for me. When I plan my meals and my exercise ahead of time, it is much more likely to get done. When I don't, I can still fit in healthy choices, but it is much harder. I have found that I have to make it as easy for myself as possible or I will not do it.

What is the hardest part of living a healthy lifestyle? How did you cope with that?
For me the hardest part is the constant mental struggle. Being healthy requires a lot of thought. It requires research and planning and reading labels and it sometimes seems like all I ever think about is food! Sometimes I don't want to think about it anymore, but I know that's really not an option for me. To cope with the mental strain, I try to retrain my thoughts into positive ones. I have learned that weight loss and healthy living is as much about your mindset as what you actually eat and do. I try to remain positive, concentrate on the good changes I have made or am making, and give myself grace when I slip up. Even on a bad day now, I'm still so much better off than I would have been on a regular day before I started paying attention to what I ate and how active I was.

What are your favorite snacks or go to meals that fit into a healthy lifestyle?
For snacks I always like to have a fruit or veggie and some kind of protein with it. Apples or bananas with peanut butter is a favorite of mine. I also love carrot sticks or celery with laughing cow cheese or pepper strips with hummus. I like meals that are easy, so I use the crockpot a lot. Two of my standard crockpot meals are mexican chicken and black beans and rice. The chicken is just 3-4 chicken breasts with a can of rotel tomatoes. Shred it up with a fork after it's cooked all day and you've got chicken meat for burritos or tacos, or taco salad. I usually do it on salad greens with a little more salsa for dressing. The black beans and rice is just canned black beans, brown rice and a can of rotel tomatoes again. I love those! You can make it veggie or you can add some turkey smoked sausage. Either way, it's easy, filling, and good for you.

What advice can you give me and the other Health Kwest contestants as we try and become healthier?
My advice is to view it as a lifelong journey. When you get to your goal weight, you have not arrived at the end of your destination - you have only just begun! Hopefully, if you've taken your time and lost weight in a healthy way, you have learned some good habits along the way for keeping it off. But weight loss and healthy living is not something I do for a few months until I get to where I need to be. It's who I am now. It really is a constant struggle, but it really is worth it for my health.

Any last words or thoughts?
No other thoughts, just good luck to you and good work so far! I hope this helps you win!