So in the midst of all this…..Amy and I were still eating organic food and produce. We were vegan at the time but we were still shopping at Natural Grocers and Whole Foods, buying essentials only but ALWAYS high quality. We cut back everywhere else. There was no going out, no cable, no manicures and pedicures, no extra anything……We were living paycheck to paycheck in debt but we valued health so much that we still found time to eat right and workout (at the apartment gym). We were ALWAYS spending the majority of our $ on groceries, buying in bulk when needed. We were so committed to it we would let credit card payments, car payments, etc go late and spend on groceries. I remember knowing all the loopholes in terms of credit card and car payments like the car payment loans were allowed to be 30-60 days late without hitting your credit report so I would purposely build that into our budget...It’s amazing what you will do when pushed to the limit. As I sit here writing this, Amy just mentioned she recalls “I remember putting a $3 protein bar back on the shelf because it wasn’t in our budget.” We had both come from the standard American diet before making a major health shift a couple years before and just knew what it was worth to take care of yourself first. It was all or nothing when it came to our health…..

So what’s the point of telling you this quick story……It’s not to tell you to go in debt to spend on food. It’s not that we are any different from an average person. But when you start on your health journey to eating better and it seems like it’s becoming costly do you think about how expensive it is first?…consider how much it’s costing you in other areas…Are you ok with spending $10 to $15 on a movie but you’re not ok with spending $5 on a dozen of pasture raised eggs? Or $30 plus on nails but skip organic produce because it costs an extra couple of dollars. Which of those choices are contributing more value to your life. Many say eating healthy is so expensive but are you really allocating as much as possible towards your health or is it one of the last things on your list. How much of a priority are you putting on your health? Is it really that important to you? Are you saying you want something but your actions speak otherwise? There are more lessons than that wrapped up in this story but sometimes we need to lose it all before realizing we already have what we need to achieve it all. Now it doesn’t have to be a dramatic situation that gets you to change but when you look at your finances are you spending as much as you can on your health or are you allocating it to things that in one, three, or ten years from now won’t even matter? Health is true wealth.

To end the story…..after quitting the tutoring positions, Amy landed a pre-k teaching position and my career as a full time personal trainer (as an employee) began at Fitness Together Allen now known as Infinity Personal Training…..and the rest is history……

Invest in the right things and everything will always turn around :)

“Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.” – Thomas Jefferson

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Stay Tuned for part 3…..

P.S.~ I have been speaking with many people in the last couple weeks who are going through struggles, times of uncertainty and a feeling of sort of being lost. I've also met with a few people 1-on-1 and have been testing some new methods of coaching. We will be launching a life changing weekend event soon geared towards resetting your whole life, breaking down the walls of struggle, and getting back on a path of true health in every aspect of your life! If you’re struggling with something shoot me an email at cattaneo.ray@gmail.com ! Or if you feel like you need a jumpstart with working out and nutrition contact us for a strategy session and trial week by going to the contact us page!

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