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Laura Loves Fitness Turns 10!
I realize many of my posts kick off with a commentary on the passage of time. While it’s hard to believe we’ve crossed the halfway mark for 2021, I’m having a harder time processing another moment in my personal history. This week marks an entire decade since my very first blog post appeared here on LauraLovesFitness.
It’s a bit overwhelming to think about how this blog – and ultimately, its creator – has changed during these past 10 years. The site started as a place to share exercise and nutrition tips a few times a week. However, a gamut of life experiences reminded me health and well-being are affected by so much more than a specific workout or meal choice. Death, illness, divorce, job loss and tragedies faced by loved ones all take a toll on one’s body and spirit, affecting everything from the motivation to exercise to sleep patterns. While exercise has remained a constant source of solace through the challenging times, writing seems to become an even bigger part of my mental health care routine with each year that passes.
Of course, this past year changed life in a way most never could have imagined. Neither exercise nor writing offered the solace I’d relied on in previous years to bring me back to my center, and the number of blog posts simply dropped off. I’m honestly not sure how much I’ll share here as we make our way through the second half of 2021. Yet, I find comfort knowing I have a space I can share my thoughts when I’m ready. And that is thanks to you, my wonderful readers.
Many of you have been here since day one – July 13, 2011 – and others joined the journey somewhere along the way. I am grateful to each and every one of you for taking the time to stop by and offer your own words of support and motivation. Whether you shared your sympathy after a loss, or congratulated me on one of my Avon39 walks, my first fitness competition or for finally finding my happily ever after, the support has meant more than words can say. While I am uncertain of how LauraLovesFitness may change moving forward, I know the site couldn’t have reached double-digits without you.
I close with a final heartfelt thank you to each of you for keeping me moving on this 10-year journey. Here’s to the adventures that lie ahead of us and all the opportunities to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Happy 7th Birthday, LLF!
It never ceases to amaze me how a date punctuates the passage of time. Especially as the number of years I’ve spent on this planet continues to climb. Now here we are on this particular Motivation Monday which kicks off a week commemorating the seventh “birthday” of this blog. I’m not sure how LauraLovesFitness.com keeps getting older, but I realize the years continue to pass thanks to all you wonderful readers who constantly inspire me to continue these weekly installments.
It was July 13, 2011 when I published my very first post. It would be impossible to discuss everything that’s happened in this world since then. When it comes to my own little world, through the end of relationships and jobs the beginning of new ones; the painful and sometimes sudden loss of family and friends; and the overall scary situations I think this country is dealing with on a nearly daily basis, my determination to stick with and even amp up my health lifestyle goals has helped me maintain some level of sanity when everything seems to be spinning out of control. A good sweat, some hard punches and kicks to the heavy bag or heart-pounding Tabatas at the gym (or the beach when I’m lucky enough to be on vacation) always seem to set my body straight.
It’s hard to believe seven years ago, I had never heard the word Tabata before, nor did I have any idea how good a kick-butt muay thai kickboxing session could make me feel. I also never knew starting the day with an Isagenix shake would become a solid way to start my day off on the right foot nutritionally no matter where work took me at any given hour of the day or night. While the ingredients may have changed a bit over the years, having a few go-to items in your daily routine when life is anything but can make all the difference when trying to keep this unpredictable thing called life from going off the rails.
So, as my “baby” blog enters a new year, her’s a look back at a few of my favorite posts from the past year:
My Project Runway Experience (A once-in-a-lifetime experience made possible thanks to my involvement with Avon 39. Sadly, the 39.3-mile walk in the fight against breast cancer no longer exists in 2018. However, I do look forward to continuing the battle with my four-year walking partner, Sue, this fall. Stay tuned…)
Bring on March….Please! (A very candid look at my difficult struggle with the “winter blues” as we kicked off 2018.)
Another Milestone (A total break from the norm as I reflect on how my Dad’s retirement after 51-years as an internist impacted my life – and so many others.)
I close with a heartfelt thank you to all my LauraLovesFitness “fans.” If you aren’t already following me on social media, I hope you’ll consider doing so as we move into year number seven. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram with the handle @FitnessLaura, and I also maintain a LauraLovesFitness page on Facebook. I hope to start posting more videos on my LauraDLovesFitness YouTube channel. If there’s anything you’d like to see more of or less of in the year ahead, please let me know. There’s nothing like the power of teamwork to keep us all on track with our plans to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
LauraLovesFitness Turns One!
Yes, I ate the cupcake! (As part of my “Everything-in-Moderation” lifestyle)
Wow! I have NO idea where the year went, but here we are 365 days after my very first post at LauraLovesFitness.com. It’s been a wonderful ride so far and I’m excited to see where the blogging adventure leads to in the days ahead.
Since July 11th, 2011, I’ve published 149 posts on topics ranging from key concepts in core training to the power of positive thinking and the importance of taking care of our mental health while focusing on our physical fitness. There have been express workout routines, music lists, interviews with icons in fitness and show biz, lo-cal cocktail recipes and reassurances for why it’s okay to take a day off from the gym AND indulge in a cupcake once in awhile.
Whether I was sharing my reasons for loving everything from small group training to Tabatas or offering a personal account of why you shouldn’t ignore warning signs like pain and severe fatigue, I wrote each and every post with the same purpose: to motivate people to take better care of themselves. Not everyone likes to exercise. Not everyone wants to choose celery sticks over cheesecake. Yet, if I’ve inspired just one person to go out and find some sort of physical activity that makes him or her feel good or pack frozen grapes instead of chocolate covered ones for that trip to the beach, that’s all I need to truly celebrate my blog’s first birthday!
Here are a few links to some of my personal favorites from the past year. (If you have others that you particularly enjoyed, please let me know!)
- An interview with fitness guru Chris Freytag about the importance of sleep
- Why I love the foam roller
- Why I can’t believe it took me until this year to discover Zumba!
- Motivation for your Workout Wednesday – or any day of the week
- My instant connection with a sledgehammer
Of course, I can’t let this special occasion go by without saying thank you for the support from my family, friends and all my readers. Whether you signed up for a subscription on day one or stop by occasionally to leave a “like,” post a comment or question, I appreciate anyone who takes some time out of a busy day to check in. Moving forward, I’d love to know which topics you’d like to read more about as well as the ones you’d prefer to see less frequently.
I’m also using this as an opportunity to invite fellow bloggers to appear as guests on this site. (If you’re interested, here’s a link to my contact information.) Sharing knowledge in different areas of expertise in the world of fitness, nutrition and overall health and well-being can only help more people on their journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
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