The 30 Day Challenge: Live Vibrant: Jessica Olsen

Bio

Jessica Olsen is a busy 32-year old Canadian who lives in the States with her husband and 2 children, 7 & 5. She is a weight loss success and transformation story and her passion is helping others start their own journey. She is currently in college studying Health & Fitness and is working on her personal training certifications while she is also an online Beachbody Coach. I reached out to her for our challenge and she is one of the few that said she would help all of us with our own journey. I have had a good time getting to know her she is a true genuine person!!

My Favorite Motivational Quotes

"If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough."
"If my mind can CONCEIVE it, my heart can BELIEVE it, and I know I can ACHIEVE it."

3 Words of Advice 1. It's not going to happen overnight. It might not happen after a few weeks, or months, and might even take a few years! Changing your body takes TIME. When I stopped expecting immediate results, I fell in love with my journey and got lost in it. One day you will just wake up, see yourself in the mirror and ask "Is this really ME?!" DON'T GIVE UP!

2. If you're reading this and haven't started because you are overwhelmed with how much weight you want to lose, (like I was) don't be! You CAN do this! The best way I have found that has worked for me has been to make SMALL daily changes, and be CONSISTENT. You will be AMAZED with the results over time! It doesn't have to be a drastic change to your life! (unless you want it to be :) Results do come faster that way but for me it wasn't worth cutting out every single thing I loved. Start small :) I also wanted to mention how "Looks" has been a SIDE EFFECT of my weight loss. Honestly, what motivated me to keep going was how making those healthy changes made me FEEL. I felt energized, healthy, strong, confident and happy. That's what kept me going, and what keeps me going today.

3.FORGET ABOUT THE SCALE! Or at least stop obsessing over it like I used to! I'm almost the SAME weight here but my body looks totally different! My sister's wedding 3 years ago where I was obsessed about reaching a number, 120lbs. (My yoyo dieting days) I had just finished the Master Lemonade Cleanse/Diet because I wanted to look good at the wedding. That didn't do me any good! I lost 10lbs fast and gained it all back. It wasn't until I stopped worrying about the number on the scale and started focusing on my health and getting stronger, when I started to change my body and feel better. If your tummy is also your problem, you CAN lose it! I don't have a perfect body, not trying to have one, just trying to be the best me. That is all you need to worry about. Being the best version you, feeling healthy and happy. Forget the scale :) ~Last thing, my sister is on a health journey too. But her and I eat VERY differently! I eat twice as much protein as she does and definitely more meat & fish. She eats more raw and plant based. We are both healthy. My point is that there isn't one size fits all. You can be healthy in a way that fits you, your goals, and your lifestyle.

Challenge/Failure throughout my journey

When Jessica was training for her first half-marathon, she had to restart her training four different times before she was able to run the race. The first time, she injured her knee and had to take time off. The second time, she started a different job and it conflicted with her training schedule. The third time, she went back home to Canada to take care of her dad who had a heart attack. It was then the fourth time that she started her training that she was able to run in the marathon that she had put off for so long.

MY WEIGHT LOSS STORY:

I was always a normal weight growing up. Then after going through 2 pregnancies, not knowing how to take care of myself, I went from 120lbs to 188lbs (which was borderline obese.) I was embarrassed and felt that I was inside someone else’s body, not mine! I had no energy, felt uncomfortable and craved sugar and fast food. I knew I had to lose 70-75lbs and felt completely overwhelmed. But... my desire to do it was greater than any obstacle in my way. I wanted not only to be thin like before I was pregnant, but HEALTHY & STRONG!

It took me a few years to lose it all. First I started eating low glycemic and worked out at home doing Beachbody programs, P90x and Insanity. Then I started running 5k's, 10k’s and then 2 half marathons. I lost 50lbs. I reached a plateau. I didn’t really care about losing any more weight, but I wanted to change my body. I started eating clean and lifting weights. I not only lost 20 more pounds, but it completely changed my life! I love feeling strong and setting small goals. It's become my passion so much that I decided to go back to school in Health & Fitness. I am currently trtaing for my first Figure Competition in October 2014!

These days I feel happy, I have energy, I wake up every day excited about life! I am so grateful that I never gave up--- no matter how long it took. NEVER EVER GIVE UP!