I'm totally thrilled about today's post. The awesome Josie from Yum Yucky has so kindly taken time out
of her busy day of being a super-mom, food-taster, working on her fitness and running one of the coolest
blogs I've come across. But I'll stop talking and let Josie tell you more about herself...



Josie, thanks for taking the time for this interview and letting Team Giles get to know you more...
So, tell us a little bit about yourself?

I'm a 36 year-old greedy woman who loves cake, pizza, and blueberries
muffins. I was a single mother of two children for nine years
(those years were tough), then I met my wonderful husband and had
two more children. That makes four crazy kids and that's enough! I'm still
really greedy, but now I balance my love for food with through careful
moderation of the sweets stuff, a commitment to exercise, and other sensible
habits like eating lots of fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

I come from a big family too, I so know how it is!
Have you always had a healthy lifestyle and when did you start your
healthy lifestyle?

I was effortlessly slim through my teenage years and ate whatever I
wanted, like entire pizzas all for myself. Inactivity and double
lunches caught up with me in my mid-twenties. After the birth of each child
I held on to more and more weight. Pregnancy was my excuse to have a foodie
free-for-all and that was a big mistake. I became a tired, miserable
person. My healthy lifestyle began after the birth of my 3rd child
when I weigh in at 182 pounds. I worked hard and was in such good shape
prior to having my last child that I was back to running only weeks after
having a cesarean section.

Wow, that's awesome you were already back to running a few weeks later after a cesarean. Staying healthy
pays off! So when did you start "Yum Yucky"?

I started Yum Yucky in January 2009 after deciding it was finally
time to do something for myself. I've always been the support person for
someone else pursuing their goals and never made myself a priority. On top of
this, whenever I shared my enthusiasm for health and fitness with
certain people they'd blow me off or claim to know more even though their
life was an eyesore of unhealthiness. I hated that! Yum Yucky makes my voice
heard, gets people listening, and encourages change.

Very cool! It is hard to find health & fitness minded people around you sometimes, blogging is such an
open door to reach a ton more people with the same goals. I love it!
Where did you come up with the concept of "Yum Yucky" and how do
you think blogging helps your healthy lifestyle?

The Yum Yucky name popped into my head while when I was on a lunchtime
walk through the park, but my first choice was to call it "Taste
Buds". Thank goodness the domain name wasn't available! The original
concept for the blog was to have a serious tone with educational-type posts,
but I couldn't contain my wacky personality. I'm corny, I like to
laugh, and I'm greedy for food, so Yum Yucky quickly evolved to be
informative, yet fun and entertaining.

Blogging definitely helps with accountability. You can't preach
fitness and be a slacker, right? I'm having so much fun with Yum Yucky. It
helps me stay lighthearted and I meet a lot of great people too. All of this
keeps me smiling, which is great for my overall health.

I agree, Yum Yucky just fits your awesome personality! So I have to ask,
what's your exercise of choice?

Squats are my favorite because I can incorporate upper body moves
for a total body workout. Squats are primarily a strength & toning move,
but it also gets my heart racing for cardio benefits. I'm always squatting
and doing other workout moves around the house; when I'm cooking,
holding the baby, talking on the phone, brushing my teeth (try it on one leg for
balance & core), you name it. There are so many opportunities  for
fitness outside of a regular workout. This is especially important for me
because a larger family is more demanding and can easily steal
my time for a traditional workout.

Your favorite exercise is my least! Haha! But that's so awesome how you incorporate working out into
your everyday family life. What's your advice to readers who want to have a healthier life?

Don't feel overwhelmed and definitely don't attempt to tackle every
healthy tactic at once because you'll set yourself up for
disappointment. Fad diets are a no-no. You'll waste your money and end up losing
muscle mass instead of actual fat. Choose one or two healthy habits to start
with and then gradually phase in more. First, I started walking and
counting calories. Then I began to jog, workout to exercise DVDs,  and
make better food choices. You get the idea? For anyone who wishes to
get started immediately, I suggest you axe the soda and high calorie  fast
food, drink more water, and get ta steppin' (go for a walk)!

Couldn't agree more. Thank you Josie, it's been a blast chatting with you!

Be sure to check out Josie's Blog over at Yum Yucky and some love her way!

So tell me, what did you think of Josie's story on becoming a healthier person?
Do you feel you can relate to Josie's story of once being able to eat whatever you want and then noticing
that it's catching up to you? How did you handle it?

Tagged as: Blogger, Friends, Fun, Health, Interview, Life, Workout

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