*Google Search: How to Blog?

March 11, 2017 – Bachelor Farmers Cafe 3 days after blog launch

“20 websites, 3 cups of coffee, and 1 confused mind later. I still have no idea what I’m doing. Turns out blogging isn’t sitting at a coffee shop for hours at a time. Writing and taking photos of cute lattes with fun hearts on top. Or is it that? I can take pictures of clothes and coffee and tell people how I sat at a coffee shop all day and drank my weight in black silky heaven.

Nope, it’s definitely not that.

Days and infinite amounts of coffee later, I am out of things to say.
Wait, what am I doing? Maybe I should stop before I get in too deep.

And although you couldn’t pry coffee out of my cold, dead hands. I think I’m in over my head.

Why would anyone care what I have to say? What makes me special? I’ve already had friends and family unfollow me, they don’t support me. I’m so in over my head.

Lord, please make me a blessing.”

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That’s what I wrote in my journal 3 days after starting Fit Freedom Lifestyle.

Today, March 8th, 2018 is my one year blog anniversary! I wish I could fully put into words what Fit Freedom means to me. It seems impossible to try and share what has quite literally changed my life.

Fit Freedom isn’t just the name of another blog. It’s a place to share this active and free lifestyle that I found and a place of love, acceptance, and motivation.

As some of you may know, I struggled a lot with body image and comparison. I was so beyond hard on myself. I hated me. I hated what I saw in the mirror and I would cry just looking at myself. It’s amazing how those thoughts can consume every waking hour of your life. My low self-value, worth and confidence made me act a certain way to cover up all the sadness I was feeling.

And when I look at where I am now and where I was then, I feel reborn. I feel free. I feel brave.

I had no idea what I was doing when I started this but I had a desire to help women feel the confidence I spent years searching for. I found that through Jesus, fitness, eating right, and caring about myself. I overcame eating disorders, I overcame self hate to live a life of balance and pure happiness. When I found Jesus, I found it all!

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I have the ability to feel what others are feeling. I can take someone’s pain or joy and make it mine. I feel so deeply in every area of my life. My fear is that I won’t be taken seriously because it seems on the outside looking in that I haven’t dealt with weight issues, or confidence and that couldn’t be further from the truth.

But, He makes me brave.

I was trying to start something from nothing, with no hidden agendas. A blog for no other reason than to connect with other women. Secretly hoping I wasn’t the only one with issues ha!

Starting all this wasn’t easy. I am a people pleaser and a person who CARES what other people think. And if I wanted to get into this world I would have to start NOT caring what anyone thought in HOPES that someone would relate with what I have to say. But what ran through my mind were these limiting beliefs:

“I’m not fit enough”
“I’m not strong enough”
“I’m not special, why would anyone care what I have to say”

“I am not enough”

Ew, what an ugly thought.

I never knew what it meant to have faith in something so deeply that when all the evil voices telling you to stop, you do it anyway because there’s a higher and stronger and more powerful voice saying, “do it, don’t be afraid, I’m holding your hand every step of the way.”

What a powerful feeling.

I remember this day one year ago when I hit send to share to my 800 Instagram followers that I had started a blog. Between my pure joy that I had finally did it and seeing the comments come in filled with loving words and encouragement, there were also people leaving. Friends and family who no longer wanted to be apart of where I was headed.

To me, it meant they didn’t support me. And that cycle continued for the past year. People leave and I wonder why, then I question what I’m doing.

 These things happen for a REASON!

When I feel like quitting, one of YOU message me. Telling me that I inspire you, or you love one of my workouts, a recipe, or a message I shared and I am instantly reminded of my WHY and my reason.

And then, He makes me brave.

If you are someone who has ever reached out to me, I can’t thank you enough for saving me from giving up. For some beautiful reason, you always come at the right time.

I’m so happy I never gave up when it felt easy to and I’m so happy I have you guys to keep me going.

There are days when I’ll speak badly to myself and when that happens I repeat how enough I really am. This post is a reminder and an encouragement to you and myself that we should never give up and we should never let what other people may or may not think of us stop us from doing WHATEVER we want to do. You are BRAVE because of Him. He is holding your hand every step of the way. And what a FREE and FEARLESS feeling that is.

To those who follow, like, comment, share, encourage, thank you. 

Find the people that ‘get’ you. The ones who support and love unconditionally. Always be yourself, stay gentle, strong, mindful, grateful, and brave. Do things with intention and out of love.

Here’s to many more years! I hope you stick around for all we have planned next.

all my love,

Photos: Emily Alexander