About Me

I can see it in your eyes
I can see it in your smile
You’re all I’ve ever wanted, (and) my arms are open wide…

I promise that will all make sense in a minute. 😉

My name is Erin, and I’m a 30 year old health and wellness coach living in Charlotte, North Carolina. Well, I technically live right over the border in South Carolina.  I moved down here after living up north for my entire life because I wanted to live closer to my parents and my sister who moved down here about ten years ago. Now I’m a southern gal. I have the sweetest puppy ever and a wonderful, loving, and supportive husband named Michael (we were married in April 2010).

I was born on April Fool’s Day (which is ridiculously appropriate).  When I was a child, I used to wear a button that said Normal is Boring and also used to insist on being called Pickle Juice.  I won’t get into too many other oddities just yet since I am trying to attract readers and not frighten them off! 😉

Anyway, somewhere along the journey of growing up, I covered up my true self and just wanted to please everyone around me. It took a lot of self-discovery to realize that I need to be the best version of myself and that I cannot live for other people. So, everyday I pretend that I am walking out the door with my Normal is Boring pin stuck to my shirt as reminder to just be me.

And I cannot forget to add that I am the world’s biggest Lionel Richie fan. In the history of the world. Ever. Times ten. The last song played at my wedding reception was even “Dancing on the Ceiling” and it was glorious. 🙂

Why a health blog and not a Lionel Richie fan page?

Healthy living is my passion, and I have wanted to start writing my own health blog for quite some time now. I’m constantly inspired by all of the amazing blogs out there, and I am so excited to bring my own voice to this amazing community in 2011 (and hopefully beyond!).

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had an interest in health and fitness. As a little girl, I’d workout in my bedroom with my Get in Shape Girl! (anyone else have those?), and I’d often pretend that I was an aerobics instructor (with Denise Austin as my role model).

Throughout my adolescence and early teenage years,  I enjoyed reading about diet and nutrition, but for some reason, I remained clueless when it came to applying what I read.

When my body started to change and develop, I put on a normal amount of weight. However, I had a grandmother who criticized me for it and would often send me coupons for Slimfast in the mail. At 13 years old, this was confusing (not to mention hurtful), and it screwed up my relationship with food and significantly impacted my body image.

In high school, I lived on bagels and diet food. I’d go to the gym and then come home to polish off a box of Snackwell cookies. They were fat free after all!

My turning point came when, at the age of eighteen, I was diagnosed with Lupus. It was a horrible time for me both personally and physically. I was just starting my freshman year of college yet I couldn’t have any fun because I could barely lift my arms to change my shirt or bend down to put on my socks. Walking to class was a horrible chore, and climbing into my lofted dorm room bed at night made me want to cry. My weekends were not spent partying with friends. Instead, I was traveling home to visit my family doctor, so he could run more tests.

Finally, my Uncle (who specializes in nutritional research at a major university) called me one afternoon and told me the plain and simple truth. My diet was destroying my body. He taught me to cut out the refined carbs and diet snack foods and eat real nutritious foods. Within a matter of weeks, I reached a healthy weight, and I was feeling much better. I felt so good, in fact, that I was able to hit the gym everyday and attended a kickboxing class twice a week.

Since then, health has taken on a new meaning for me. I appreciate my health and treasure it. I am proud of the fact that I am no longer on prescription medication and that my body is able to workout almost everyday. Food is a source of fuel and has healing powers (not to mention that it is downright yummy!).

This blog will follow my life as I continue to manage my health through my diet and exercise…and some other fun stuff too. 🙂

Contact me at: easturner@gmail.com