Lifting/Nutrition was always my passion. I loved knowing that I could just change a workout or my meals and I could change my body. It was fascinating to me. I did a marathon, ½ marathons and a figure competition. It was my enjoyment and my stress reliever. For the last 20 years I’ve struggled with a syndrome called P.O.T.S. (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). POTS is when your autonomic nervous system doesn't control things like heart rate, blood pressure, stomach digestion, body temperature (sweating), breathing, etc. I have heat and cold intolerance. Within the last few months I was also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue. Due to my POTS I can’t take any medications for Fibro. Working out intensely causes more pain. My legs ache morning, noon and night. Instead of goals to tone my legs, my goals are to try and minimize the pain, try to not use as much energy in a day so I have more for my kids. This has been a very difficult reality to face. I attempted support groups but being on those type of groups with others that have chronic, untreatable conditions they tend to be very sad and depressing. So I figured I have 2 options. I can either be sad, angry and depressed about what’s going on or I can keep finding ways to cope. So what I can’t lift every day, instead I have to do water therapy twice a week and yoga twice a week (two things I swore I’d never do). I can laugh about my conditions (like when I lose my balance and bounce off the walls lol). Everyone has struggles in life, it’s just a matter of find ways that work for you to cope with those struggles. Some days it’s very difficult to find the positives in things but others it’s much easier. Lifting has helped to keep me to feel like I’m still fighting and I’m still winning (I grew up playing sports so everything is a competition to me lol). I never say “I can’t� and I never refer to myself as “sick�, even on my worst days.

It helps with my pain and it helps me mentally to feel like I'm defeating my conditions.