I’ve had the opportunity to work with AIM and coach Amy on two separate occasions, both times with different objectives in mind. My first stint I was focused on getting lean, shedding that lingering baby weight and getting a stronger grip on how to use nutrition to fuel me as an athlete. I've always considered myself a healthy, active person with reasonably decent nutrition but my first weeks with AIM was completely eye opening. I walked away with a well-rounded perspective on food and the relationship between nutrition and all other facets of health (physical, mental, etc.) Then Covid hit and our small business was forced to temporarily shut our doors and like so many in our community, we had to make some financial tradeoffs to stay afloat. I'm sure it's a feeling that resonates for many people during this pandemic, but I really struggled with a lack of control over seemingly anything in my life and that translated to a downward spiral where my mental and physical health took a real hit. I was able to return to AIM this fall and have since regained a sense of control over my health that was so desperately missing. What I appreciate most about working with Amy is that she will look at the entire picture of health-- yes, nutrition being key but how is that also connected to our physical activity, our mental health, sleep habits, etc. They all should work in concert with one another and there is no 'one size fits all' approach. She continues to challenge me to get comfortable with the uncomfortable, and always think about the long-term sustainability of any plan. Every week I look forward to connecting with Amy-to hold me accountable, call BS when needed, or just provide a fresh perspective.

While I may not be able to control where 2021 will take us and what curveballs get thrown our way, (gosh, let's hope it's better than 2020 though) AIM has given me a renewed sense of confidence that I get to call the shots when it comes to my health.