Need a new diet? No! Need a new lifestyle.

I am starting this blog to encourage not only myself, but all other women out there to eat healthy, to be strong and to be confident. After all, they coincide; one can not exist without the other!

I grew up constantly struggling with my weight, and for a girl that could affect so much more than you'd even realize. I'd find myself avoiding gatherings because I felt bloated that day or had a pimple on my face(yes, I am one of those people who believe the types of foods you eat affect your skin, or at least in my case) or was feeling super sluggish and didn't see myself anywhere but in my bed for the evening. My brother and sister are very thin, not even thin, skinny which is surprising coming from our big italian family genes. So, needless to say, we always had chocolate, ice cream, chips, sodas,etc. fluttering around the house just waiting to be consumed, usually within the day. I never thought anything of my eating habits besides, "Ew, salad? gross. Broccoli? yuck. Apples for dessert?? mom, come on. Pass me the Oreos." This all changed when I went to middle school: a.k.a. puberty in full throttle. I started gaining weight and entered high school at 135 lbs. I was never fat, but definitely a fuller figured, hippy girl. I love my body, don't get me wrong, but you can definitely tell when I had a cheeseburger for lunch for 3 days straight. I was constantly dieting, crash dieting, bingeing, and ignoring nutrition; unfortunately my body had to conform to my rapid weight loss and gain vicious cycle. Fast forward: so, January 1st, 2010 rolled along and I decided it was time to make a change, for good. No more crash diets to look good for a month then go back to the same habits; I wanted an entire lifestyle change. I am moving up to Atlanta in the spring of 2011 and want to be comfortable with myself and enjoy life to the fullest. I don't want to be held back by insecurities. I started my new lifestyle at 185 lbs.(thank you freshman 15) and have currently been maintaining 155-160 lbs. I feel a lot better about myself, but I know I can do better.

I've noticed so many people saying, "I'm trying this new diet! It lasts a week, and I'll drop 5 pounds!"...but for how long will you keep this unwanted weight off; a month? a week? Yes, their intentions are good, but intentions are just intentions. They will get you no where unless you plan on following through with them. I used to be all about some dieting; the no carb diet, the cranberry juice for 4 days diet, the eat an apple after every meal diet; I've tried them all. But diet's don't work!!!

Long story short, this blog will be dedicated to healthy lifestyles for all women. I am going to be studying fashion in Atlanta in the fall, and unfortunately the way or society sees it, you have to be at least a size 4 to get anywhere in the fashion industry. So, whatever your goal may be, set it reasonably and attain in! I intend on posting healthy recipes, inspirational stories, fun work out videos, pictures, adventures, healthy tips and tricks and much more. I'm excited!

<3 Molly

P.S. after reading the above paragraphs, I made it seem like the only bonus to being healthy is weight loss and that was definitely not my intention. Being healthy to me incorporations your mental, physical and spiritual health. The reason i chose the title Hear your Heart. Heart your Health is to hopefully make people realize, while weight loss is an incredibly wonderful benefit, being healthy "fuels your engine" as my dad would say. It keeps you going and feeling up to about anything. Your body will thank you immensely!

Here's an article from Women's Health Magazine: "Yo-Yo-No More" talking about "yo-yo" dieting fads and weight cycling and the effects such alterations have on our body. There will be much more to come at a later date, but it is 6:17 am so sleep is looking more and more wonderful as the minutes pass. Goodnig...morning!