I am a freelance writer, instructor and communications consultant who has worked in communications for the past seven years, in both the public and private sector. Before I focused on this full-time, I was heavily involved in the fitness industry. I was a Can-Fit-Pro fitness instructor specialist; Twist Conditioning Sport Movement level 1 & 2 trained and a YMCA strength & conditioning instructor.

Fitness has been my best passion for half of my life. At age 15, I was doing aerobics in my basement. At age 25, I trained in kickboxing and sports training and was teaching over 50 participants three times a week. By age 28, I had an offer to present at a national fitness conference and move into the industry full time.

Then, everything changed. I developed a chronic knee condition that abruptly ended my fitness career. Dealing with this has been both an emotional and physical challenge. Along the way I have learned how crucial exercise is to one's emotional wellbeing and physical health. Despite your limitations (injury, weight, health issue, etc.), exercise is critical to staying emotionally healthy and physically strong.

This blog is about how to stay healthy, both in mind and body, in spite of the obstacles — whether it be an injury, a medical condition, low confidence, or just the voice in your head telling you that you won't make it. The best source of inspiration is within yourself — I hope this blog will inspire you and me.

Finding and Keeping your Motivation for Lifelong Health

By Jennifer Kelly

Life is precious, but so are the people that make it so.

There are times in one’s life when a scare happens. I don’t mean the time where you almost rear ended someone, or when someone snuck up on you in the hallway. I mean those times when you experienced a “missed call.” A situation that caused your life to become seriously compromised or when you came [...]

Don’t fear the Christmas cheer! How to stay on track during the holidays

For many, the Christmas season means stressing over calories, feeling guilty for overeating and experiencing frustration because you can’t seem to resist the food at those holiday parties. Some of you may be groaning, thinking “It’s November and she’s writing about this now?!” That’s right, I am and that’s because planning ahead can help you [...]

What’s the universe trying to tell you?

Regular readers know that I recently decided to pursue my lifelong dream of teaching after working in the communications industry for nearly eight years. It is this dream that inspired my “what’s your dream?” blog. That blog was written for those of you who secretly have a dream about transforming your life in some way. [...]

Finding Motivation in Life

During my recent cruise with Celebrity Cruises, I found more than just the beautiful ship impressive – it was the cruise ship staff that had me amazed. All staff – from the cruise ship director, to the dining room waiter – seemed determined to assist guests and go out of their way to make them [...]

Old man winter got you down? Surviving the winter blues

It’s 4:00 p.m. and it’s already dark. As you walk to your car after a long day at work, the cold snow-filled wind seems to pierce your skin. Later, sitting in traffic, the darkness seems to envelop everything and a feeling of sadness suddenly overcomes you. Yup, it’s definitely winter. The cold days and darker [...]

What’s your dream?

Most of my life, I have wanted to be a writer and a teacher. Truthfully, after years of neglecting this dream, I am only now trying to pursue it and make it happen as a full-time career. It’s made me think about how as adults, we are rarely encouraged to pursue our dreams. As children [...]

What have you done for you today?

There’s nothing like going through the decision making process to make you realize your priorities. Recently, I had to decide whether or not to take a new job. As I mulled over my mental list of pro’s and con’s, I noticed that I thought a lot about how other people react. I worried about how my [...]

The Evolution Of Self

While stretching after my work out last night, I bumped into a fitness instructor who still teaches at the same club I used to. She looked fabulous. Toned, sleek, healthy – it wasn’t hard to tell she had been teaching a lot. While I was happy to see her, I also felt a sense of embarrassment. [...]