Dear Jessica,
I emailed you a bit more than a year ago to thank you for the positive contribution your blogging has made to my life, but after viewing your JS Health Story on Youtube this morning, I really felt that I needed to send yet another email. I am 17 years old and honestly, you have changed my life through your blogging and healthy mantras. Watching your video today actually brought tears to my eyes.
When I was 15 I went through an eating disorder that took over my life and as a result I became out of touch with myself, friends, family and food. After watching your story I went back through the notebook I had written when I was consumed by this disorder and couldn’t believe what how I had been treating my body! One carrot and cucumber for lunch, apple cider vinegar and green tea when hungry to ‘boost my metabolism’, tuna cans for dinner because they were low carb, 100 star jumps upon waking and before weighing myself… I did not realise how badly I was treating my body at the time but looking back I am truly grateful to my body for holding through, and now I make rest, nourishment and exercise a priority to make sure I can thrive and enjoy life.
My family, like yours, has always been very health conscious however I took this for granted, and perhaps a little too far. I now enjoy wholesome food and family walks along the river (even air yoga sometimes!) and appreciate the fresh air and fresh food that is available to me.
You are not only a role model for me in terms of healthy living, but your affirmations and ‘Monday Mantras’ always add a spring to my step. I want to be a human rights lawyer and I’ve created a vision board – just as you suggest – to help me create my future and live the life of my dreams. You inspire me with how hard you work and the difference that you are making amongst the JS Health Community and I really admire that you do not solely focus on food as the cause of health problems, but you factor in emotions like stress. You’ve truly set me up for life with a list of healthy habits that I will continue to implement and share. I no longer feel guilty about having the occasional latte, gelato or pizza, or about taking a day off from my marathon training when I feel the need to.
At the end of last year I visited Sydney and was so inspired by the healthy cafés around. While I can always be assured any food prepared by my family at home is healthy, coming out of my eating disorder I was nervous around ‘outside food’. Going to Lox Stock and Barrel was a delicious experience and now I spend each weekend exploring new healthy cafes around Perth.
I’ve attached a few photos of my healthy meals and one of my vision board. Keep doing what you are doing and always believe in the power of your message, because all of us in the JS Health Community certainly do!
Sincerely,
Jade
