We would like to kickoff our first community interview with a woman who is definitely an inspiration. A community interview is where we interview a woman who is a part of the Q.U.E. community whether through: social media, attends meetings, engages in our online events etc. I chose this individual because I saw her change her life from mental, physical and which carried over into her family. The power of social can do some wonderful things. This woman was my business partner and I saw her not only grow her business but truly change her life and health. Please take a moment to read our interview.

A little about Tasha: I'm an entertainment attorney. They can contact me if they need help with contracts and business formations. I'm also apart of an online shopping club that offers toxin-free cleaning products, organic health and wellness products, as well as offers discounts at 650 other retailers. I'm available to anyone who wants more information and is interested to switching there home over to a safe toxin-free environment.

Content Writer: What made you decide to make this change?

Tasha: I had been struggling with weight loss since high school. I tried every diet plan, pill and cleanse under the sun to try reaching losing weight. This has been a journey that I’ve been on for the past 18 years. I struggled with losing weight until I went through a journey in 2016 that was about loving myself, taking care of myself and putting myself first. I decided that I no longer wanted to be a slave to anyone or anything including my flesh.

I made an active decision to change to my lifestyle to become a healthier person for my family, friends and myself. I wanted to live a long life; free of the high blood pressure medicine I was currently taking and worry of the hereditary diseases that I was predisposed to.

Content Writer: When did you start this life change toward healthy living?

Tasha: I began my journey in March of 2016.

Content Writer: What does that look like? What changes did you have to make?

Tasha: While on this journey I began every day repeating affirmations pertaining to me being in control of my mind and my flesh. I made conscious decisions daily, even thought it was a struggle, to give my body what it needed versus what it wanted. Because I was an emotional eater I had to reprogram how I viewed food. I had to remind myself that I was no longer eating for pleasure or enjoyment but rather eating food for its true purpose, to fuel my body.

I began by making slow changes to my lifestyle and gradually adding in new things. I started by putting myself on an eating schedule to eat every 2-3 hours, which would equate to four to five meals a day. I also began drinking half my weight in ounces of water each day. I used a calorie calculator (here’s the link to the one I used https://www.freedieting.com/calorie-calculator) that told me how many calories I needed to eat in order to lose weight. That number was my daily goal and I planned my meals around the suggested number of calories. I used an app called Myfitnesspal to track literally everything I put in my mouth even if it was four chips (my weakness lol). The app is amazing because it is already programmed with the caloric information of most foods. You can scan barcodes of food purchased at the grocery store and look up foods from most restaurants

The next change I made was incorporating some form of exercise into my routine. I started using the Nike Training Club app to workout three to four days a week. This is a free app that’s like a personal trainer. You can create a customized workout plan based on how many days a week you want to workout, whether you’ll be working out at home or the gym, and if you’d like to add running to your plan. I made sure to add in running days because and it really helped with losing the weight.

Content Writer: How was it for your family?

Tasha: It was a huge change for my family as well. Of course they were super proud of me, but what I appreciated more was how I was able to lead by example. They began to be more conscious about the food they ate. I was proud to see them reading the backs of packages, making an effort to consume less processed foods and even getting in some exercise with me.

Content Writer: How do you stay consistent?

Tasha: Honestly, I worked entirely too hard to see all of that work lost because I cannot control myself. My overall goal is to be in control of my self in all areas of my life.

It’s a daily struggle and I know it will always be, but I’m committed to living my best life and to me that can only be accomplished if I am living my healthiest life. Every day I still have to actively work towards this goal by making healthy decisions about my diet and exercise. I understand that in order to maintain the lifestyle changes I have made, I will have to make a conscious and active effort everyday towards this goal. The reward is worth the pay off. I’ve changed the way I view eating healthy and exercising from tasks that felt like chores to self-care steps I’m taking to be my best self everyday.

Community Interview: Health & Wellness Lifestyle Change