Its All About HEALTH!

We all have a gift, a reason we are here, something ONLY we can offer the world, a purpose...! It took me a long time to realize and find what my gift was, but now that I have, life just seems...well awesome :) We also all have shit, hurdles, struggles, pains....blah blah blah might be different kinds of shit, but we've all got shit! Yes I cuss every now and then!? Sorry thats just me :) Like it, leave it, love it. What you'll find here is Just Jen :) I'm Just Jen! I'm not an expert, not a doctor, not a college graduate...no nada me. What I am though is a Type 1 diabetic(who has learned to live with a disease WELL), a mother, a wife, a lover, a friend, a Beachbody Coach, NEWBIE Turbo Kick Instructor, and a "I can do all things through Christ" kind of person. Everything I say is just my opinion and all based on my experiences on what I've done to continue to make my life better every day and grow into the woman I'm meant to be. Its a process, a journey...but one I'm loving taking. I have a lot to learn, I have flaws, I've made and will continue to make mistakes, I'm no better than anybody out there, but I am someone who knows without a doubt the importance of having GOOD HEALTH! And all in all thats what this whole JUST JEN blog is all about! HEALTH!

So what is my gift? I believe with all my heart my gift is the gift of helping others. Or maybe I should say the gift of helping others take care of the most important thing in their lives...THEIR HEALTH! I realize there are a million people out there preaching, teaching, living, speaking, breathing...this same gift. Well thank God! We need as many folks as we can get out there giving the gift of health. After all no matter what, the KEY to everything starts and ends with YOUR HEALTH!

If you don't have good health, guess what? You don't have anything. People might think of my next statement as selfish, but its one I'll continue to say over and over again. On top of everyone's priority list should be HEALTH! Not family, not friends, not kids, not work, not money....none of that! HEALTH! Thats what should be #1!! Why? You've heard this before I'm sure, but if you make health your #1 priority in your life, everything else thats important to you will just excel and you will become more successful than ever. When you have GOOD health you will treat and love your family more, you'll be a better friend, mother/father, worker, lover,....! You will be more successful, you will get more done, you will be more organized, you will smile more, you will be happier, you will LIVE and you will LIVE WELL!

Sounds pretty simple doesn't it? One would think it would be easy to have good health, but for whatever reason it seems to be the ONE thing we all let slide. Which then leads to us letting everything else slide. Our relationships, family, spouse, work, dreams, goals, hopes....everything begins to go down the toilet! When we don't put ourselves, our health!!! on the TOP of our to-do list everyday, on top of our priority list, and first in our heart and minds...then nothing else is treated like the priority it should be. When we are not happy within ourselves and when we do not feel good, we become that person we hate. Too harsh? Not really, just a fact. If you don't like who you see in the mirror everyday and don't feel good about you, then you don't feel good about anything else. You start to hate people, you get bitter, mean, resentful, cold, heartless, lazy, bored, angry,....and on and on and on! You simply take how you feel inside and use it against everything and everyone around you. You know you do. Take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself...Do I feel good? Do I like what I see? Am I happy with those around me? Am I happy with me? Am I giving my life and my heart all that deserves? .......I could keep going with a list of questions that would force you to get right to the core of YOU! I'm telling you right now, the most least selfish thing you could do for YOU and anyone who knows you, is take care of your HEALTH first and everything else second!

As a type 1 diabetic I've had to learn the hard way about the importance of HEALTH. Being hit with a disease at 20 yrs old was a forever life changing experience. There really aren't any words to describe what it feels like when someone tells you have a disease, have to start taking insulin injections for the rest of your life, and have to change everything about yourself or else. Those words still play over in my mind all the time. I went from thinking I was perfect, healthy, together, smart, capable....to feeling like I didn't know anything, was a failure, would never be the same, would never live a normal life, would die young, would terrify my children, husband, family, .....blah blah blah the feelings that hit me like a ton of bricks were without a doubt some of the worst feelings I'd ever felt. It just makes me wanna cry now to think that I allowed those feelings to damage and affect about 8 years of my life. Damn near my entire 20's was spent feeling sorry for myself and feeling like crap all the time. What a shame, what a waste...man I'd sure like to have those years back! To think that all I had to do was take care of myself to make my life better, still makes me mad at myself! I guess we all live and learn though. Some quicker than others and then there is the procrastinators like me who like to take the hell road around instead of the high road! I can't change yesterday though, but wow have I changed today and all my tomorrows! Thats what matters most and that is NOW what I focus on! Sure I still have days this nasty disease gets me down and I get frustrated. I'm HUMAN, but I handle things so much better now. Since I started putting my health first, everything has just gotten easier and I know it will continue to get easier.

So thats why I'm here, thats why I'm blogging and sharing my stories of disease, diet, exercise, HEALTH, happiness...with the world. So maybe just maybe I can help someone not have to go through all the years and struggles that I did, to come to the realization that HEALTH is what matters MOST! And that its really not all that hard to make it first in your life, that its really not that hard to TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!

More too come :)

Beachbody Coach Jen Mangum

www.beachbodycoach.com/jenmangum

www.facebook.com/jenmangum

beachbodyjen@yahoo.com