Push.

There are many things that inspire me to work hard in life. The moment when you feel like you can't possibly do one more thing for the day then - push - it's done; that is when I find my peace. The space in time that you know you just did something, above what you mentally were telling yourself you could or could not do.

There's a gal I know who I've looked up to for a few years now, Sara Christensen. Sara has been someone that has inspired me to always do better, be better. Someone who I see always pushing in a new direction, growing and creating. Sara has created Shine Healthy Living and will be opening a studio in So Cal soon. Sara shares below what brought her to a better way of life and what her inspiration has been. Thanks SC!!!

Sara and her boyfriend, Nate, in Sedona, Arizona

Don asked me to share with you my vision and big idea for Shine Healthy Living, a business that I'm really excited about opening in Southern California. Health and fitness has always been a part of my life to some degree or another, but a slight health scare several years ago drove me to dig in deeper and really do my homework.

What I found was alarming and a huge wake-up call.  I realized that living a stressful life and eating the standard American diet was just about the worst thing I could be doing for my health. I thought I was taking pretty good care of myself with my vegetarian diet, normal weight, and pretty active life - but the insane stress and inflammation I was creating in my body with what I was eating was really taking it's toll. 

I made some radical changes in the stress-reduction area: I sold the business that I ran and owned for 10 years. I got divorced. And I put the care of myself first via regular exercise and the very best nutrition. I got certified and started teaching Spinning and Zumba. I started eating mostly organic fruits and veggies and made a fresh, green veggie drink part of my daily diet. I stopped eating dairy and white flour. It was the best I had felt in my entire life - both mentally and physically! 

Then I started thinking how I could bring this knowledge and good feelings to others. Shine Healthy Living is going to be a place where people can go for fitness, friendship, and fun. The fitness component will be a offering of many different types of group exercise classes (indoor cycling, yoga, boot camps, Zumba, pilates) and small group personal training. There will be an emphasis on educating people on whole food nutrition via seminars, recipe sharing, cooking classes, and grocery store tours. 

For those people who are serious about their health and need a little extra help, we'll have coaches available to work one-on-one with people on creating health plans - and then sticking by their side to put those plans into successful actions. All that good stuff will be done with a huge emphasis on fun and laughter and celebrating each other. Think of it as recess for adults! 

Please visit us at www.shinefitstudio.com.  I invite you to join in on the fun!