My Journey of Nourishment

Well, I finally did it - I started my blog! I've been toying with the idea of starting a blog for some time now, especially since I want to get my name out into the world as I start a new journey in my life.

But, wait. Let me back up before it gets too deep and give some background about me.

My name is Olivia, and I was born and raised on a farm near Elgin, NE (a small town of 700 with NO stoplights, believe it or not!). I love every minute that I get to spend at home, surrounded by nature and the peaceful nights. I attended grade school and high school in Elgin before heading to the capital city of Lincoln for college. I am currently in my senior year at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln working towards my Bachelor's degree in Textile, Clothing, and Apparel Design with a Business minor. I pushed it so that I can graduate in 3.5 years, which I am so excited about!

Why did I choose fashion as my course of study? That's easy, or I guess that's how it seemed at the time. My mother studied the exact same program at the same college 30 years ago, so fashion has always played a big role in my life. I grew up around it and couldn't avoid it (although I tried to when I was younger!). My mother, Emily, has worked in the bridal industry as a seamstress for over 25 years. Therefore, it was natural for me to follow in her footsteps and head to college to study fashion design.

Going into college, however, I never had the dreams to move to a big city and become a big name fashion designer. Really, my main goal was to learn how to make my own patterns for sewing garments. Now that I have finished up all of my design classes and have worked over four years in retail (mostly in bridal, which I love - more about that some other time!), I've come to the realization that it is not my true passion. Fashion is certainly a large part of my life, but not enough to make it a fulfilling, worthwhile career.

So then I was faced with the question - what do I want to do with the rest of my life? That's the big question we all ask ourselves at some point.

Well, that's where I feel my true story begins - trying to decide a career path for myself. About a year and a half ago, I discovered the Paleo lifestyle and began following the big names in Paleo - Diane Sanfilippo, LIz Wolfe, Sarah Ballantyne, Stacy Toth, Mark Sisson, etc. I have always been a healthy eater and avid exerciser (another story for another time!), but had always followed the standard "healthy" diet and lifestyle, aka a low fat, low calorie, full of healthy whole grains diet.

But reading into this "Paleo thing" made me stop and realize that just because a food was low fat or low calorie did NOT mean it was healthy. I took a hard look at my diet and decided to start Paleo in phases. I started slowly, because I loved my cereals (especially "healthy" Kashi!). But, with time and transitions, I am now totally Paleo and loving every minute of it.

All this to say, I became totally engrossed in the Paleo lifestyle and wanted to share it with the world. But, I knew that in order to share my passion for real food and fitness, I had to have some credentials behind my name. I researched and discovered the Nutritional Therapy Association, which offers a Nutritional Therapy Practioner Program. The program is holistically based on how real food can heal the body.

Once I found the NTP program, I knew that was what I wanted to do. But, I also realized the value of having a four year degree. So, that's where I am right now - I'm heading back to UNL to finish up my degree in fashion and business and planning on starting the NTP program in February.

My goal for this blog is to be a place where I can share my journey on this new path. I don't know what the outcome will be - I have a problem with the fear of the unknown and judgment. However, I know that hard work and determination have gotten me where I am today and it can get me where I need to be tomorrow.

So, I hope that you will join me on this journey as I chronical my days full of real food, fashion, and fitness. I adore home workouts, so I will be posting plenty of them, as well as fashion advice and maybe a recipe or two thrown in the mix!

I'm excited to see where this blog can take me in my quest to establish a career in holistic nutrition for myself, and I hope you'll enjoy following me along the way. Comment below with a bit about yourself or your journey. I'd love to connect with you and your story!

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