Lately I’ve been inundated with marketing pitches from people asking me to promote their products or interview an author on this site. I like reviewing products… I like reading/reviewing books. But they have to be subject-relevant. And most of these pitches are centered around one thing…

Weight loss.

I am NOT a weight loss blogger. I have been fairly open about being a recovering anorexic on here. And note… I say recovering… I don’t know if I will ever be fully recovered. Those thoughts linger, even when you are in a healthier place. But to keep myself in a healthier place, I need to avoid the temptation of being sucked into diet and weight loss trends.

• I will never ever ever discuss specific weights on here, pounds gained or loss. (Although I will say, I’ve gained over the years I’ve been writing this site. It’s hard for me to deal with emotionally sometimes, even though that gain is healthy. Nature of the eating disorder beast. Even the right thing is so hard at times.)
• I will never ever ever promote a quick weight loss solution. This means fad diets, cleanses and meal plans that consist of eating tons of strange pre-packaged food-like substances.
• I will never ever ever encourage anyone to exercise for the sole purpose of losing weight. Undertaking a healthy eating and exercise plan should always come from the place of wanting to feel better and live longer. If someone who needs to drop weight loses some due to this, okay… but they’ll be more likely to continue those habits if they’re focused on benefits other than size/weight/shape.
• I will never ever ever promote contraptions that promise to change a person’s body, especially if it’s a method that “doesn’t require any work on your part.”

Source: moreconfidenceplease.tumblr.com via Jill on Pinterest

Here’s what I am:

• I am a gal who discovered that she really loves running, yet still struggles with motivation from time-to-time like anyone else.
• I am an advocate for positive body image messages.
• I am tired of hearing women’s (and men’s) bodies being berated in the media and held to unrealistic standards of what “beauty” has become.
• I like to encourage the concept of whole health, meaning that you have to focus on your physical AND mental/emotional well-being to be truly healthy.
• I started doing yoga in 1996 and love the way it makes me feel, but I prefer to do it for mental benefits and have decided I don’t like to count it as a “workout.”
• I am a certified running coach, I love helping beginners start to run – seeing them progress and reach their goals fills me with warm fuzzy feelings.
• I can’t coach as much as I would like, I do have a full-time job that has nothing to do with running or this site.
• I am a techie, I love playing with new gadgets and apps that apply to running and fitness, as long as they don’t venture into what I feel is disordered territory.
• I like writing reviews… I started doing this completely organically, I purchased something, used it and wrote about it. It’s nice to receive some things for free in exchange for review so I can review more things than I could purchase, but I’m not going to take a product just because it’s been offered. (I’m looking at you e-cigarettes… why me?)
• This site isn’t my job, I just do it for enjoyment.

Just needed to get that off my chest.