About Allison

 

Well first let me just say, I'm not the healthiest person you will meet.  But I will tell you why you should keep up with my blog!  My name is Allison, I live and work in Charlotte, NC as a Corporate Finance Paralegal at a local law firm.  Before that I was in office services, constantly up and moving around.  Throwing around paper boxes, and other supplies.  Sitting at a desk all day has been a big transition.  

Growing up I played basketball, and softball, throwing football, even taught my first dog Millie how to play football.  I would hike the ball to her and she would catch it and run for the touchdown.  

In recent years I've taken up hiking, specifically the Mountain to Sea Trail here in NC.  I'm currently doing the 30 Hike Challenge, and have enjoyed every trail thoroughly!  

So why am I starting this blog?  In 2020 my world was shaken not just by the COVID-19 Pandemic, but in my own personal health.  First in May of 2020 just as things were heating up, and we had been shut down for 2 months I was diagnosed with a thyroid condition called Hashimatos.  It is an auto-immune disease where my thyroid is under active and cells are attacking the good guys in my body.  If that wasn't enough, a month later in June of 2020 I suffered a severe mental breakdown and was in Behavioral Health Hospital, there I was diagnosed with Severe Reoccuring Depressive Disorder, PTSD, ADHD, and Generalized Anxiety. Since then I've been on a mission to change my diet and life to be better, and be healthier.  

After my diagnoses I went gluten free and dairy free, and lost 30 pounds! Actually I didn't have a great diet, I was sad and drank liquor mostly.  All the weight I lost, I've gained back, and still am not in remission of the Hashimatos, basically because I started eating gluten again and dairy, and other bad things.  Cookies?  Sure!  Cake!  Mmmm!  Hotdogs?  Sandwiches?  All my favorite.  Pizza?  Even better!

I recently have signed up on a Health App in making better food choices, and have recently taken up cooking again.  I went through 2 years of therapy and one of the things my therapist challenged me with was to try to new recipes.  A few weeks post-release from the hospital I burned my kitchen down trying a new recipe.  I've now worked through that trauma (laughing but not), and I'm back in the kitchen. 

Am I an expert?  No.  Just a normal 30 something professional living in the city trying to get things right.  I've started this blog to hopefully be that real person for people out there looking for practical help, tips, and a place to be real.  Check me out here to see what's cooking, and things mental health wise.  What I do know is this, I'm on the way to getting back into better practices, just like with my mental health I've got to do the hard work to achieve goals and feel good.  I hope you'll join me.

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