So I met this amazing person at an event where she was speaking about her massive journey. I was so inspired that I thought that I would ask her to write it down for you.
Everyone meet my lovely friend Ruth.
Every time someone asks me ‘how did you end up doing what you’re doing?’, especially at networking events, I wish I could teleport them to my kitchen table, sit them down, make them a cuppa and start from the beginning.
In my late teens I was plagued with disordered eating issues that led to being a slave to every fad diet that ever made its way onto the best seller shelf of WH Smiths. Imprisoned by meal times and subsequent food choices I was miserable 90% of the time.
A move to London in 2006 saw me sign up to my first 10k. I got a bit fitter, ate a bit better and before I knew it had signed up to my first marathon in 2011. At that same time I saw a Facebook friend of mine link to the ‘Paleo Diet’ (told you I was mad for a fad!) in one of her status updates. Its promise of “eat all you want as long as it’s proper food” lured me in from the get go. It was the start of something truly beautiful.
Since first dabbling with the Paleo Diet (check it out if you’re interested, the Internet is full of decent resources from the likes of Robb Wold and Chris Kresser) I’ve fallen back in love with food, myself and life. Four years on I find myself with five marathons under my belt (three of which I ran in consecutive months in 2012) and am committed to living my healthiest, happiest life possible. I’ve moved on a lot from the Paleo template but I feel I owe it so much for getting me started.
Being my own guinea pig, for want of a better term, made me think about how much I could potentially help others to do the same; free them from issues that face so many of us, taking the beauty and enjoyment out of food entirely. I’m now half way through a four year qualification retraining to become a nutritional therapist.
My husband and I have moved back to South Wales, set up home in a Cardiff suburb and cut our cloth accordingly after bidding farewell to the London high life and a combined six figure income. We have a lot less but get so much more out of life. We’re blessed with being equidistant from the coast and the hills, lungfuls of fresh air and have the luxury of sitting down to at least one home cooked meal a day together. We’re even expanding and expecting our first baby in August this year.
What I want more than anything at the end of my studies is to help others find their version of healthy. I have my cake and I eat it. I’m no purist but I’m 110% committed to being kind to myself; a thoughtful foodie, if you will.
Leaving a career I’d worked hard at for nearly a decade was a huge leap of faith. Of course I was terrified but no more so than when I lined up at the start line of one of those marathons! Every day presents new challenges, I often question whether it was the right thing to do but I generally go to bed each night with a smile on my face, certain that it was!
You’ll find more of Ruth’s musings over on her blog at www.lethereatclean.com or you can follow her on Twitter @ruthwalters. For endless photos of her breakfast, lunch and dinner triumphs, her Instagram account @ruthwalters83 is the one you want!
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