The why behind bells & peppers

The Man and I after getting engaged at the finish line of the 2013 Cleveland Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon

Hello, friends! Welcome to my new blog “bells & peppers”. Many of you know that this is not my first foray into the world of blogging, and I had a short but relatively successful run on my blog “Life and Other Minor Complications.” This is, however, my first experience blogging on my own web site – a site I eventually hope to expand to include health and wellness coaching, fitness programming, etc. For my first blog entry, however, on my brand spankin’ new (and still work-in-progress) web site, I thought it would be prudent for me to explain the why behind this site and the title “bells & peppers.”
 
Now for a little context setting…I have been engaged to my amazing fiancé (affectionately referred to as “The Man” to protect the identity of the innocent) since October 2013, after a romantic proposal at the finish line of the Cleveland Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon. The following month, I paid a visit to my gynecologist for my annual exam, and after hearing about my engagement and in light of my impending 40th birthday that same month, she encouraged us not to wait to try to have children if we were considering it. I took her advice to heart, and The Man and I spent the next 2 years trying to have a baby, with no success. Having decided against pursuing fertility treatments, we were monumentally disheartened last summer when tests revealed that my egg supply was almost dried up, and my doctor told us that without fertility, we had basically no chance of having a baby (and even with fertility, chances would be slim).
 
After hearing this news, I allowed myself an appropriate amount of time to pout, and then I decided to take action rather than take the news lying down. As a lifelong athlete, Precision Nutrition Level 2 certified nutritionist, certified Turbulence Trainer and certified Food for Life cooking instructor, I turned to what I have always felt are the keys to all things health and wellness – daily movement and healthy eating – and I decided to challenge myself to 100 days of completing 100 different workouts and making 100 different healthy meals, not so creatively calling my experiment the 100 Healthy Days Challenge.

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Finishing the 100 Healthy Days Challenge with my 100th workout at CrossFit South Arlington

I repeat my advice to take a great deal of exercise, and on foot. Health is the first requisite after morality. – Thomas Jefferson
 
Let food be thy medicine… – Hippocrates
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Fast forward to the end of my 100 Healthy Days Challenge in early October 2015, and within a week of successfully finishing workout and meal 100 (actually, meal 103) in 100 days, I learned that I was pregnant at the age of 42. Fast forward again, almost 10 months later, and as I sit here typing, my beautiful, healthy, 8-week old daughter (affectionately referred to as "Beautiful Baby A" - or "BBA" for short - to protect the truly innocent) is just waking up from her mid-morning nap, and it is time for me to take a break and tend to her...

Beautiful Baby A

When I asked my doctor how this could have happened when my test results indicated I was no longer baby-making material, he simply stated that “we don’t understand everything.” As for me, I was quite certain that my focus on the simple formula of daily movement – primarily strength training with barbells, dumbbells and my beloved kettlebells (collectively, the “bells” behind bells & peppers) – and eating healthy meals based on an array of colorful fruits and vegetables (the “peppers” behind bells & peppers), played a significant role in creating a healthy environment to support the creation and growth of a healthy baby.
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And so I hope that through this blog, I can leverage my decades of experience as an athlete and my years of training in health and fitness to inspire, empower and provide you with simple strategies to help you become your healthiest self in a balanced, realistic and sustainable way. If you are someone who is looking to lead a healthier, happier life, I encourage you to join me on this journey.

Until next time, be happy and healthy,
Kathleen