My friends who are parents tell me time goes by faster and faster as their kids get older. As this Motivation Monday marks the start of the week my “baby” blog turns five-years-old, I can totally relate!

It’s impossible to highlight all the changes we’ve witnessed as a country since my very first blog post on July 13, 2011. We’re marching toward what many consider to be the most important presidential election in our nation’s history. Everything from the climate, the state of Wall Street and celebrity relationships change on what seems like a daily basis.

Closer to home, I’ve been through plenty of changes in the past year alone. New opportunities emerged in the world of production and on-camera spokesperson work. I added Fitness Nutrition Specialist to the fitness industry certificates hanging on my wall. I powered through my second Avon 39 Walk for Breast Cancer and can’t wait to lace up for a third adventure in October. Of course, there have also been some major upheavals. Just last week, I said good-bye to a high school friend taken from this world far too soon in a tragic accident. Later this week, my parents will move out of my childhood home and start a new beginning at a new address.

As each year passes, I realize just how quickly things can turn from happy and exciting to scary and sad. I also know I’ve managed the ups and downs of another year thanks to my faith; an amazing network of people I am blessed to call friends and family and that daily surge of endorphins I get through exercise. It’s amazing how a good sweat helps bring me back to center even when I feel like life is completely out of whack.

Then there’s the weekly installments here at LauraLovesFitness. In this chaotic world, I find some sense of clarity when I can get my thoughts out “on paper.” It’s cathartic to share my successes and failures on the never-ending quest for well-being.

Here are some of my favorite posts since July 2015:

Avon39 NYC 2015

Sticking with those Healthy Resolutions

Birthday Reflections

A Little Support Goes A Long Way!

I close this blog birthday post like all the previous ones: with a heartfelt thank you to all my readers who inspire to keep on keepin’ on! Whether you’ve been following my blog since the first post or started just recently; taken the time to retweet something I’ve written; liked, shared or commented on my Facebook or Instagram posts – each act of support goes a long way! If there’s anything you want to read more or less about here, I’d love to hear your suggestions for ways to take LauraLovesFitness through another year.

So, here’s to what comes next not only for my blog, but for the adventures that await on our continuing journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!