A few years ago, our pastor told this story about the Pixar creator, Ed Catmull, being 2 inches from dying in a car accident as a child. Had that had happened, there would be no Pixar. The people that met through Pixar would’ve never met, would have never had their children, would never have the lives they live today.

How many times have we been 2 inches away from a drastic life-changing scenario, and we didn’t even realize it?

How many of the ordinary things that we do every day are actually a compilation of events that have the potential to change our lives?

6 years ago, I had just completed another yo-yo diet. I was successful on the diet, but it was expensive and it wasn’t something I could maintain forever. So I did what I normally do after a diet, I binge eat all the junk I want and then feel gross and sorry for myself.

My 2 Inch Moment

My 2-inch moment was a decision that I almost didn’t make. My 2-inch moment would have been the difference between living a life that I love, and living a life that I was just getting through.

Brandon came home one day and told me about this new diet that our friends wouldn’t shut up about. I initially told him, no way. I had already made my decision and it wasn’t going to happen.

What if he hadn’t convinced me to do this with him? What if I hadn’t taken a few minutes to research Paleo? What if I hadn’t stumbled upon Mark’s Daily Apple the next day at work?

If You Are Afraid To Go, Go Together

In the message our pastor shared, he related it to God knowing us better than we know ourselves. He said that God brings people into our lives to help us go through situations that we are afraid to go through alone.

In the time leading up to our lifestyle change, I felt like I was backed into a corner that only God could get me out. My depression, anxiety, and fear were at an all-time high. (Typical for me when I am in and out of strict diets) Brandon was dealing with some similar issues and we were both on the verge of requiring medication and guidance.

God Puts People In Our Lives When We Can’t Make It Alone.

I couldn’t do this change alone, but together, we were able to stick with it. That is what Brandon and I always say about our new journey. If I weren’t here cooking for him, he would have quit. If he hadn’t convinced me to start, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

Don’t Let Fear Hold You Back

Looking back at photos and re-watching the “2 Inch Moments” message, it forced me to reflect on how many things almost kept me from making a decision that drastically changed my life.

I wonder how many times I was too afraid to take a risk.
How many moments did I miss because I didn’t have a community or a partner to say, we can do it together.

People aren’t meant to be alone in life and while I often need alone time, I can’t do life alone.

This year has been my year of reflection and my year of taking risks. I could write tons of posts on the changes I’ve seen this year, but I won’t (for now).

I will share that the moments that stand out the most, all link back to community and support. I took a huge risk to make changes to my career and my faith over the last 3 years.

None of these would have happened if I hadn’t made a decision to change my lifestyle 6 years ago. The things I love about my lifestyle today, wouldn’t exist if I didn’t say Yes to my husband begging me to go Paleo 6 years ago.

Taking time to reflect on my life in celebration of our 6 years Paleo-versary has helped me see a bigger picture. My lifestyle isn’t just about the food I eat, it’s about the people I hang out with and the things I have learned along the way. There is so much more in store and I am excited to see what moments happen next.

Pay Attention To Your Moments

What if today we start living life the way we want and finding people in our community who support us, encourage us and help us to create a life we love?

Don’t let fear keep you from making a 2-inch moment that could change your life in ways that you wouldn’t believe in 1, 6 or 20 years from now.

Do you have a 2 inch moment story? I’d love to hear it, comment below!

Follow me on Facebook to see how to get connected to a community every month.

Have you discovered that you eat a lot of crap …. It is time to start planning your “lifestyle change” when it comes to food.

Are You Prepared To Work Hard 

Is that hard to cut out foods for 30 days?
What will I miss the most? What can I live without? (Think about your biggest cravings)
What do I want to keep out of my diet and what do I want to stay in?
How do I feel right now? Will I feel gross if I add all my foods back in?
What is my goal ? (Always have a goal to achieve!)

Chances are that if you do a whole 30 and then jump back into eating junk again, you’ll be puking in the toilet or walking around like a zombie.

Here is what I discovered during my first  Whole 30 challenge

Day 31

I added back honey, maple syrup, lots of fruit (unless you still need to drop weight, then you should limit your fruit still) dark chocolate 72%^

Week 1

I added dairy. My body felt awful and bloated so I removed dairy after just three days and I felt great again. I can have a ice cream or a little cheese here or there but no more Greek yogurt for breakfast, milk to drink or cheese on everything (luckily I was never a huge dairy fan anyway- just love ice cream!!) Brandon was okay with dairy and he will eat grass fed cheese and out cream in his coffee but he can’t have any dairy with added sugar like ice cream. We stick with almond milk and coconut milk at our house.

Week 2

I ate a sub (roll and everything) – let’s just say, I spent the night on the couch in tears having stomach pains… I gave it another shot the next day with some bread and the same thing. It took me a week to go to the bathroom. (Pre paleo, I went every 2 weeks. Once I cut out the gluten, this problem was fixed!) GLUTEN is not my friend and I do NOT touch the stuff. If you must have bread or pasta etc. try making your own with almond flours OR try gluten free options. Brandon feels a little bloated after gluten but for the most part it doesn’t bother him, however, we know gluten is awful for you so we choose to avoid it anyway.

Week 3

I had a gluten free cupcake (sugary and delicious)! This did not bother me and I still enjoy this sweet treat on special occasions. When it comes to sweets, I know that this is what makes my pants tight and what makes my face breakout so I limit the sweets to special occasions and try not to eat more than one a week–this includes dark chocolate and paleo treats!Brandon gets a headache from sugar so he avoids sweets!

Keep It Simple and Listen

The key with getting into a lifestyle eating routine is to LISTEN to your body. Add things in slowly and remove them as you feel needed. Don’t let yourself get back into the habit of feeling awful for food you clearly don’t need (you lived 30 days without them, you’ll survive!) if your pants start to feel tight again or that new found jaw bone disappears, cut out the sugars and limit fruits. If your not able to GO regularly, monitor dairy and gluten.

My suggestion is to try and eat paleo as an introduction to lifestyle change from whole 30 and allow yourself to have something on special occasions rather than every day. Make your ‘cheat foods’ worth it.

1. Start following some active, inspiring websites, Instagram and Social Media sites. 

• Crossfit
• Active
• Morrill Performances
• These have a lot of videos and pictures and teach you proper technique so I find them very helpful.

2. If you have a smartphone, use it to your advantage. 

My husband put WODfinder and Crossfit apps on his fancy smartphone for me. Now anytime I see his phone, I get inspired to try a new workout. Sometimes I just read it and try a few things like proper formation of a jump or tricep dips. It encourages me to try new things even if I don’t do all of the reps.

3. Make an Active board on pinterest.

You are on pinterest all the time anyway so you might as well start doing some of those pins! I made an Active board on my pinterest page. Now when I am mindlessly pinning away I can look at that page and get motivated to try a new workout

4. Find a friend.

I have 4 friends that are constantly encouraging my to work out. One is doing a crossfit challenge with me right now. My husband makes me workout because we like to try new workouts together (and it gets pretty competitive). And I have 2 more friends that are always dragging me to the gym to try new classes! “When you surround yourself with good friends, good things will happen” -my mom (Such a smart woman!)

5. Make your own WOD finder.

I started cleaning house this summer and throwing away junk that we don’t need. My husband loves magazines and he is always bringing home new ones. He had stacks of them in the bathroom, in his man room, in the family room. I just couldn’t take it anymore and I started throwing them out. I realized that inside a lot of his magazines were a lot of fun new work outs. I decided to go through all of them and tear out the workouts. This was my lightbulb moment. I realized that I could make a book of workouts and that way even if I don’t have internet access (I don’t have one of those fancy phones) I can still find great work outs. I can travel with it and bring it anywhere. It is neat and organized and I don’t have to read a whole magazine to get to the workout.

6. Stand as much as you can.

It is easy for me to wake up in the morning, make my breakfast and sit on the couch surfing the web or reading a book. I sometimes have to make myself stand up and move. I started setting up the laptop on my breakfast bar and I will stand and squat and surf the web. Standing gives you a great motivator to do more than just sit in front of a computer because I get bored and find myself doing laundry, washing dishes or making meals for the week. It also results in this Lazy Girl Fitness

Those are my tips and this has kept me motivated. I have been home from school for 38 days and I have worked out every day with 1 break day a week. I hope you feel encouraged to move a little more than you did yesterday!