About Me

Hello & Welcome! My name is Alyssa, and I am super excited to share my journey with all of you :)

Let's start this off with a bit of my background story - Growing up, I was naturally quite thin and fitness was never something I put a lot of thought into. I played on a basketball team and did track and field for a couple of years, but it was always more for fun than exercise. So, when I entered into my 20's and that teenage metabolism wasn't quite what it used to be, I found myself slowly putting on the weight. I am 5'8 and went from being 20 and weighing in at @ 125lbs to now being 23 and seeing 185lbs show up on the scale.... It wasn't until recently that I actually weighed myself, and seeing a number that was 60lbs more than the last time I weighed in 3 years ago was, well, awful! My first thought was "I sure don't feel like 185lbs." When I picture 185lbs, the image that comes to mind is much larger than what I see in the mirror. I immediately felt overwhelmed, and couldn't believe I let myself get to this point. I have been incredibly self conscious about my body for the last couple years, but seeing that number really drove it home. 

About a year and a half ago, a friend told me about Tone It Up - A couple of beautifully strong women who have dedicated their lives to health and fitness and motivate thousands of women every day through their blog, Facebook and Twitter. I immediately started following them on Facebook, and was surprised to see just how fun they made fitness! I continued to follow them silently, watching so many amazing women transform their lives and wishing I could do the same. 

You see, I was the classic "I'll start on Monday" girl. As miserable as I was with my image, I just didn't have the motivation to really commit to a new lifestyle. There was always an excuse to not go to the gym and always a piece of cheesecake that looked too good to pass up. Needless to say, I had really lost control and all those excuses I had created were dragging me down.

This all changed on September 30, 2012. I ran my first 5k - the CIBC Run for the Cure. It was my first registered race, and I loved it! Something happened though....somewhere along the 2k mark it hit me....I am healthy and SO blessed! There are so many people struggling with their health and wishing they could run, let alone walk, a 5k. Meanwhile, here I am in great health and not doing anything with it. I am young and have an amazing future ahead of me, there is no reason for me to make excuses and not make the most of both my body and soul. So, with my newly purchased Tone It Up Nutrition Plan in hand, I was ready to start my journey.

The next day I started TIU's 5 Day Slim Down, and felt beyond amazing!! I checked in consistently on Twitter and felt so motivated when Karena & Katrina and other TIU girls would reply to my tweets and keep me focused. The community of women that K&K have brought together continue to inspire me daily and I feel privileged to be a part of such a beautiful group! 

I hope this blog will not only continue to keep me motivated, but maybe someone will recognize their own journey within mine.

Let the beauty we love be what we do.

Alyssa Dawne