My Story
Hey there everyone! Some of you may be curious to get to know a little
about me or why I started a lifestyle blog. My name is Leah Bennett and I am a
college sophomore at the University of West Florida; originally from Pennsylvania.
I have been exploring and pursuing the healthy/fit lifestyle for four years
now. I am continuing my pursuit with a double major in Exercise Science and
Physical Education. What sparked this interest was my involvement in athletic
teams during high school. As a kid, I grew up playing buddy ball, tennis, mini
golf, pee wee basketball, you name it I was all about it. Unfortunately,
nowadays high school sports are very strict and time consuming forcing teens to
choose a sport. I chose basketball and
was a three time state champ. In order to compete for play time and contribute
to success, I knew I had to do something to stand out. That’s where it all
began. I started gradually making better decisions with nutrition and finding
ways to build my stamina to the max. I was absolutely amazed with what I
started to see. My performance improved 100% from finishing sprints last to
first. Not being able to stay in the game long, to being able to stay in every
second of the game. It was at that point that I realized this is so much more
than a sport, this is a way of life. Now, it sounds all dandy on the outside,
but on the inside I will be brutally honest, it was hell. For those of you
involved in high pressure varsity sports, you know where I am coming from. It
is all about politics, control, and things that should never happen to a high
school teen. I will not get into too much detail, but I will say I would not
change a damn thing. It has made me the person I am proud to be and of course
led me to the lifestyle I am so passionate and grateful toward.
It makes me so happy to know that there are so many others out there who
enjoy health and fitness J I would
love to help inspire communities to become more active and care more about
nutrition. In order to do this, I created a health Instagram that I encourage
you to check out- Florida_Fitgirl – My Instagram made me realize how many
others are passionate about this lifestyle. I was inspired to create Leah’s
Lifestyle Blog. This blog is intended to help show how a very busy college girl
balances life tasks such as cooking, staying active, studying, working, and
crossing items off of my bucket list.
I’d like to make it a point that I’m not your average fit guru. Life is
all about happiness and taking in the moments, not dreading them. Sometimes I
question why people go to the gym when all they are thinking is “ugh I can’t
wait to get this over with” or “I just need to burn X amount of calories and
then I’m out of here.” Come on people this is the 21st century, get creative
with your bad self! Even the best of us get sick of the gym or the same old
routine, mix it up and I promise you will actually want to workout. A few of my
favorite go-to’s are kayaking, paddle boarding, biking, swimming, yoga, taking
my puppy (Jupiter) for a walk, and roller blading. Can you tell I’m a Florida
girl?
Nutrition is the number one most important aspect of health.
Unfortunately, it is also the hardest and whether someone wants to admit it or
not, we all struggle with what to eat. Your workout is only as good as the fuel
you give your body to complete that workout. Luckily, as so many others, I am
here to help with your day to day nutrition decision making J I have
probably tried every tricked in the book, but one thing I have never done is
call my nutrition a “diet.” I simply don’t believe in that word and if I had
the opportunity to take it out of the dictionary I would. That and “skinny”. I
simply don’t believe with the baggage and meaning behind these two words. Those
words degrade the healthy lifestyle and what I believe it is all about.
You may ask, what is it about then? Well it’s about that beautiful smile
and personality that God has given you and wants you to spread to everyone in
your life. Positivity is like watching Grey’s Anatomy. Once you get a dose of
it, you just can’t get enough! This lifestyle helps me to be a fresh breath of
air for those surrounding me. Those endorphins from exercising gives that
irreplaceable feeling of “everything that kills me, makes me feel alive”… yes I
stole that from Counting Stars it’s a great song. The point is, whatever I’m
feeling I never want it to stop and I would love for others to feel the same.
Furthermore, it is extremely difficult to sum up life in a few
paragraphs so I will just leave the rest for imagination and further posts
throughout my blog.