The road to regaining my health and fitness wasn't a straight one, nor was it an easy one.

My story begins when I became sober and had a baby not long afterward. During that time I had gained a lot of weight - more than I was used to and more than I was comfortable with. It's something many new mothers can relate to: I was unhappy and started to feel uncomfortable in my own skin. At times, I felt like I didn't even want my husband to touch me.

Poor health did nothing to help my feelings of unhappiness. At 29, I had high blood pressure, chronic migraines and extremely low self-esteem.

It's been said change happens in your life when the pain of staying where you are becomes greater than the "pain" of changing. In my case, I could no longer live the way I was living. Something had to give, and I made the decision to do something about it.

Like so many people before me, I immediately got a gym membership and began trying every fad diet, skinny pill, skinny tea and weight loss gimmick I could find. And like so many of those same people, I got little to no real results. I even hired a trainer, and while that helped to a degree, I still wasn't progressing the way I wanted to.

It was at that time that I made an important realization: Health in its fullest sense is more of an inside job than an outside one. Looking good is fantastic, but health is far more than a number on a scale. I realized that my mental health was as important as my physical condition.

Since that time, fitness has become, not just a passion, but also a form of therapy. When I go to the gym or to a fitness class I just feel better. On the physical side, my blood pressure is down my headaches have improved.

Through my passion for fitness I've found a new way to help others. I want to teach women that fitness and health is not one-size-fits-all - your journey won't look like anyone else's and that's OK... it isn't supposed to.