In this week's blog/podcast we will introduce you to a member that just started her journey with us on January 19th, 2022. Her name is Dawn Ruiz, a 50-year-old grandmother from Galloway, N.J. Dawn deals with the negative health consequences of chronic Lyme disease. Yet, Dawn decided to take up running in 2022 and drop 11lbs in a month. Let's find out how she was able to do this!

My name is Coach Tadris Parker, I have a passion for helping people become healthier one step at a time. My podcast is designed to help share stories of everyday people that are doing amazing things with their health through running, walking, and following a whole food approach. My blogs are my shorthand notes for the podcast. The notes may not always be complete, but they are short and to the point for a quick read. Continue to scroll down for a quick read and check out this week’s photos.

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Coach: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to come onto the show. Let’s start out by telling everyone what you do for a living.

Dawn: I have a health and wellness business. I enjoy helping people achieve their optimal health. Arbonne offers healthy products for the inside and out, plus a positive, uplifting community. (View Dawn’s healthy products here)

Coach: How long have you been in this health and wellness space?

Dawn: I've been working with my Arbonne business for 6 years now. 

Coach: Do you have a family?

Dawn: Yes, I'm a married mother of three. I'm also a grandmother to a little beautiful boy. 

Coach: What made you want to get back into running at the start of 2022?

Dawn: Well, I never was a runner. I actually hated it lol. I wanted to do something completely out of the box and challenging. I have a chronic illness that causes me to have pain and fatigue. I guess I almost wanted to shock my body and not give into the increasing pains I was feeling. I also had been watching Coach Tadris, and I loved his style and methods. 

Coach: Dawn, what challenges do you face in order to be the best you?

Dawn: Probably the biggest most challenging aspect of chronic Lyme disease is that the flare ups. My flare ups are super random and completely unpredictable. I never know how I’m going to feel day-to-day, making it really difficult to plan my day and my life. It is the only reason I left my nursing career. I would feel fine going to bed, and wake up feeling like I been hit by a train. The reason that I decided to start running, was because I was at a crossroads with a lot of new painful symptoms. I had these migrating pans for a few years, and I know I have limited options as far as treatment. The last time I had something like this, I was on antibiotics for two years and that in itself causes a lot of problems. In my mind, I figured doing something so out of the box for me and so challenging would shock my body and possibly correct what is going wrong right now. It was kind of an intuitive thought and I still truly believe that I’m exactly where I should be, doing exactly what I’m doing, with the people that I’m doing it with. Stay tuned!

Coach: Wow, you have a lot to overcome for sure. I know you just started your journey with runtothebestyou.com, but how do you feel now since adopting this healthier lifestyle? 

Dawn: Mentally I feel amazing! I have more energy and actually want to run! I love the changes in my body (down 11lbs) and my endurance is way up. And regarding my illness, I feel like I have attacked it head on, instead of giving into the pain.

Coach: What has the accountability portion of our program meant to you so far?

Dawn: Accountability has been everything to me with the run/walk club. In the fall when I had hired a personal trainer I quickly realized that I didn’t have to eat so clean in order to complete my twice a week workouts. With running, as many of you know, you can’t eat poorly and run. It’s as simple as that. The group is so inspiring because we are all different ages, health status, & experience levels, Everyone within the group has the heart of a lion, when it comes to their fitness goals, and a heart of gold when supporting each other

Coach: I’m glad you can see and feel that love and support from our members. Dawn have you started intermittent fasting? 

Dawn: I try to adhere to a 14 hour fast. In the future I would love to get to 16 hours, but I want to tackle one thing at a time.

Coach: That’s a great approach. How does your family and friends enjoy this version of you?  

Dawn: they are super proud and supportive as always. They may think I’m a little nuts to run in single digit wind chills, but they always cheer me on!

Coach: What are you excited about today, any special goals that you are working on at that moment?

Dawn: I’m working towards my 1st competitive race ever on April 2nd, 2022, which will be the Atlantic City 8k event. I'm also working towards a total weight loss of 50lbs in a healthy way.

Coach: That's awesome Dawn, congratulations on your weight loss so far. We are all routing for you with your spring goals. 

Thank you for being on our show!

Before we let you go........

WHAT can you say to our listeners who may be ready to start their journey tomorrow? 

Dawn: Just start where you are! Start scared. Start uncertain. Start unprepared. Come with an open mind and be coachable. Coach Tadris will take you by the hand and give you the tools to reach your personal goals. Jump in with two feet and never look back. You’ve got this!

What Are Your Thought?

Are you routing for Dawn Ruiz to reach her goals in 2022? Are you inspired by Dawn’s story and ready to start your own health goals in 2022? Please feel free to leave a comment below. You can also now leave a 60-second message for the show. Introduce yourself with your name and where you are from. Then leave a question, words of motivation, your personal story, or just tell us how you enjoy the show. 

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Week That Was

From left to right: Walkers, Hunter & Marie finished off week strong with 3.1 mile walk. Lexi came for her first workout with the crew. Lexi come with zero running experience. While I was guiding her through her first workout, she actually said out loud with a smile on her face: “This Is Fun!” Lexi used to have trouble with breathing during a run and that’s what caused her to assume running wasn’t for her. I’m looking forward to coaching her towards her goals. Walker, Renee came through after a stressful day to melt the stress away. Renee got a few jogging segments in as well as she was helping guide Lexi. Jessica was beaming with joy by completing her goal of running a mile without stopping twice this week. Chris, doing what Chris does, supporting other members. This week Chris ran with Melissa, (front on bench) so that she wouldn’t be alon in the dark. They both ran to the guidance of Nike Run Club 5k headspace questions during the run. Last but not least is Dylan! After two years of being sheltered due to Covid-19, Dylan is back to attack the pavement.

Great job to all those that came out this week. Extra shout-outs: Congratulations Charissa McFarland for taking over a minute off of your one mile test. Congratulations also goes out to Lara and her son Leo from California for signing up to the Atlantic City 8k race on April 2nd, 2022. Yes, they train with us virtually and will be participating in race event on April 2nd. My friends from the Atlantic City Marathon Series will mail them both their medal and shirts.

Like To Learn How You Can “Run To The Best You” In 2022?

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What You Will Learn:

1. How To Run Pain-Free

2. How To Run w/o Shortness Of Breath

3. How To Run For Weight Loss & Keep It Off 

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