From “healthy” to healthy 1

From the age of 3 to 18, my entire identity was sports. My parents were my coaches, my best friends were my teammates and everything else was on the back burner. Starting in 8^th grade, I got my first concussion at a soccer tournament. It felt like it lasted only for a moment, but the consequences would come later. From there, I endured 3 more throughout my high school years. It ended up taking away my D2 scholarship to a school in Arizona. From there, I had to rediscover who I WAS, not what I did. I started going to church more and taking my school seriously. Up until that point I had thought I would get a non-useful degree and be a mother instead of someone who worked. After getting closer in my faith and taking a variety of classes, I learned that health is my passion. I wanted to learn how to help myself survive and get back to full mental function as well as be there for others who get not only sports injuries but all other types. I ended up enrolling in a Christian university and getting my degree in Biochemistry, pre-med track. I aimed high but did not find joy in the classes I was taking. This made my first two years extremely difficult. I ended up spending 90% of my time studying and had hardly any time to exercise. This led me to gain 30 pounds and become depressed as I am a big extravert. From there, I spent many weeks praying where God really wanted me. I stumbled upon a degree in Kinesiology. It ended up being the perfect fit for every aspect of my life. It brought me back to my first love, sports. From there I was also able to learn people and science and lose the 30 pounds I gained. I now focus my life on a holistic approach of health: mind, body and spirit. I have never felt so whole and so taken care of once I was able to learn that health is more than just working out or more than just eating. I now know that your spirit and your mind matter too. There is no once part to health and it is a lifelong journey to achieve. I now am finishing up my Kinesiology degree and going to pursue my masters in Nursing so I can help others achieve good health in ALL aspects of their life.