Tears and Triumphs

Hold on, let me find some tissues to clean off the mascara streaming down my face after watching this. Holy cow! It is incredible to hear what people go through and still see them shine! Emily Belnap Dahl is amazing and we loved having her at the resort. She built people up every day and became a quick friend to everyone. Watch her video, and I apologize in advance if you tear up. It is Emily's fault, not mine!



Do you want to know how Emily did during her week here? Well, she hurt her foot pretty bad and couldn't go on the hikes the second half of the week. She had to make modifications to a lot of workouts, which I know can be discouraging. But I never heard one complaint out of her mouth and when she weighed in on her last day, she had lost almost 10 pounds! Are you kidding me? It goes to show that injuries may limit your body in one way or another, but YOU still choose how far you go and how hard you work in ways that you are able. Way to go, Emily!! Want to move in next door to me and continue to motivate me every morning?

On a side note, I grew up in the same town as Emily, though we never met each other until Fitness Ridge. But I did go to school with her older brother, Bubba, who she talked about in the video. She wasn't lying, the ladies did find him attractive and I was one of those ladies! He was totally my Jr. High crush. When he died, it broke all of our hearts to watch this family lose a beautiful child for the second time. I learned so much from their strength and belief that they would be together as a family again someday. It is so hard to understand why they had to go through such a tragedy...twice! It's hard to understand a lot of people's trials, and certainly our own sometimes.

But I have learned through my experiences that covering up the yucky, uncomfortable, hard emotions that come with trials with food is NOT the answer! I have found more answers coming here to Fitness Ridge than ever before in my life, and it is obviously not just me. Guest after guest share their story with me and it is so beautiful to watch people find a solution for the first time in their lives that is not food! If you are struggling at home let me tell you that you are NOT hopeless! There is a way out. Trust me, I've been there and I know how hard that is to believe, but there is hope. Take the first, scary step. I promise you will be forever grateful that you did.

XOXO

SARAH