Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Harris.
Hi Stacey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always wanted to help and serve the public in some way. I have always been active, from high school on, and have tried all different ways to stay healthy, eat better and move daily. I didn’t love running in high school but grew to love it after I had kids and wanted to do something for me that I enjoyed. I started getting up early in the morning before the house woke up, and I’d walk circles around our cul-de-sac until I was comfortable running. From then on, I ran daily, went back to school, and finished my degree in Health Promotions. I worked for various wellness companies, traveling, meeting people, and trying to find my niche in an industry that was ever-changing. During this time, I bought and owned a small fitness center in Pilot Point, training and creating programs to serve the community. In the seven years that I owned my gym, I earned my Master of Science in Exercise Physiology and my health coaching certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Here I studied over 100 different dietary theories understanding that everyone has their own bio-individuality. What works for me, doesn’t work for the next person. I fell in love with coaching others to find simple ways to improve their lives through movement and diet changes and this is when Living Life Balance was created. I wanted to build a platform where people would feel comfortable sharing and learning different, simple, ways to balance and align their lives with healthy eating and movement that worked well for them, not their neighbor or the fitness model in the magazines, but the person in the mirror. While doing this, I also share ways to balance and align your work, spirituality, social lives, family, etc. because it all goes together. Last year, I started my own special journey and I wanted to share that process with everyone around me to let people know, that anything is possible if you set your mind to it and have support and accountability from those around you. I had been participating in triathlons for about 5 years, completing all distances from sprint triathlons to half Ironman’s (70.3 miles). At the end of 2021, I would be turning 50 and wanted to complete a full Ironman (140.6 miles) before that birthday. I started my training in Jan 2021 with my race being set for May 23, 2021. Each day I posted something about my progress, whether it was what I did for training that day, what I was eating, and/or how I was feeling. My goal was to inspire just one person to make a positive change in their life. I had no idea what that following would look like, but it blew up and had so much support and feedback from people, my heart was so full! Race day was incredibly emotional but I could feel the support of those watching my progress from start to finish. Since then, I continue to inspire others to make small, positive changes that can make a big impact in their lives. I have a weekly Facebook Live I do with my friend and faith-based counselor, Carrie Breedlove sharing diet/movement tips and aligning them with your own faith, and another live session with my friend Shiela Cooksley, here we have a 30 minutes dinner conversation about anything and everything but it always ends with a take-away item. I also just finished a short cookbook that is available on my website, 5-Indredigent Recipes for Busy Folks – Life-Changing Recipes in 30 Minutes or less on a Budget. I love inspiring others, giving back, and reminding people that change is good, life happens, we CAN make positive changes and they be meaningful to you and to give ourselves grace. Not every day is going to be amazing, but we can make it amazing by how we react to what’s going on in our lives, how we give back to others, and how we talk to ourselves. I never want to stop creating and sharing how healthy is possible and you can have fun doing it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes, there have been struggle along the way. I was a single mother for a long time, which meant early mornings, working multiple jobs, worrying about money but regardless, I was always there for my kids and we always had a healthy meal to eat. I worked hard and they saw that how hard I worked so they would not have to go without. Even though it was difficult at times, I wouldn’t change any of it. My kids are now adults and have amazing work ethics, college graduates, and incredible human beings. Owning a gym or any business is hard work as well. I worked a full-time job at the same time, which meant if I was teaching classes, I’d be at the gym before 5 am and back home by 7 am to get the kids up and off to school, then drive an hour to work (I did this for 2 years and then was lucky enough to get a job closer to home – 15 minutes away) and back home for schoolwork and dinner. If I had a late client or evening class, I was back up there to handle business. My weekends were full of work in the morning and time with the kids at sporting events or outings after. It was a busy time, but I learned a lot about business, giving back to our community, and different ways I could inspire people to join the gym or take my classes.
There were always small challenges along the way. Sometimes, just getting up was hard! But I had to do it, not just for myself but for my kids and for all those that looked to me to provide a safe place to workout.
Training for my Ironman was not without obstacles as well. The workouts were long and part of it was in the wintertime which meant cold weather and long mornings on my bike trainer! I also wasn’t able to get into the open water until April and my race was in May. I trained in the pool but swimming in the open water is critical to the success of your race. It’s a completely different animal than straight-lane swimming at the gym! Every time I would go to the lake to swim, it would be too cold or too windy and not safe. I was only able to get a handful of open water swims in before race day but was confident that I wouldn’t have any trouble completing the 2.2-mile swim that morning. I was more concerned with my goggles leaking or getting kicked in the face than I was with finishing the swim. On race day, I was slow but my goggles didn’t leak, and encounters with random feet, I call that a successful morning!
Nutrition is also hard during a long event like this. You should train how you will compete and I didn’t do this very well. Instead of following my plan, I wouldn’t eat right during a long training session and I’d be starving or feel worse after I was done because I didn’t eat right. I had a plan for race day as well, and where I should have followed it like I had intended, I didn’t get hungry so I didn’t eat like I needed to. It was also raining during the 112-mile bike and I never felt super hungry, more concerned about riding in the rain, staying focused, and enjoying the event. Sadly, I paid for it on the run where I was nauseous for the full 26 miles. I ate ice chips, salty chips and drank soda. I also ran into a friend who stayed with me the entire run! Even though it was incredibly challenging, I was so, so grateful to have ran into him that afternoon! We talked the rest of the run and he encouraged and pushed me to the finish line. My kids ran the last bit with me on the outside of the shoot to cross the finish line. It made every step from the start of my training to the moment I crossed the finish line worth every step!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an Exercise Physiologist and Certified Health Coach. My goal is to empower others to find balance and alignment with their nutritional and movement habits. Understanding that what works for one, does not always work for someone else. It’s important that we let go of the things we cannot change and do not serve our higher purpose and to hold onto the things that have meaning and worth in our lives. We also need to remember that not every day is going to be rainbows and sunshine, some days are not going to be awesome. I try to remind people that it’s how we react to those days and how we handle adversity that will help them get through it. Know that we are blessed to have another day to start over and to give yourself grace on days that don’t always go as planned.
I educate people on incorporating small changes into their lives through movement and dietary changes. By making small changes you will see big changes in the long run. One of the biggest misconceptions about eating healthy or moving more is that you must spend a lot of money to eat healthy or workout for hours to feel fit. Neither of these are true. You CAN eat healthy foods on a budget and it be very tasty! You CAN also move just as much as YOU need to in a way that makes you happy to stay fit and healthy. Meals can be made in 30 minutes or less and you can get an incredible workout in the same amount of time. There ARE ways and I LOVE sharing that with everyone because I’ve been there and I’m still there. I don’t want to cook a meal that requires me to be in the kitchen for hours and I also don’t want to work out for hours a day, unless I’m training for an event 🙂 It can all be done on your terms, with foods you like in a timeframe that works with your lifestyle.
I’m most proud of my Ironman Project and how it inspired others to start their own journeys to better health, whether it was big or small. It’s all I ever want to do is see others take ownership in their health habits, creating a balance and alignment in their own lives to live the happiest, healthiest life for themselves and all those in their lives.
I think what sets me apart from other coaches or trainers is that I’m not pushing one way of doing things. There is no “golden” plan that everyone can follow and get the same result. We are all so very different that a plan built for only one type of person doesn’t work. It puts people into a mindset that, “I’ve tried everything and nothing is works.” I don’t coach that way. I know each person is different and coach to that person and their circumstances. I provide a platform where you can be successful and eat foods you enjoy and move in ways that make you happy because I know if you are enjoying the healthy foods, you prepare and the movement you are doing, you will continue to do them.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is seeing people shine in their own worlds. Meaning, they’ve found what works for them and they are enjoying their journey to a healthier version of themselves. There is nothing more satisfying as a coach than to run into someone you hadn’t seen in a long time, that you trained or you coached and they are STILL doing the things you suggested to them. It makes me so happy to know that I, in some way, have impacted their lives, gave them self-confidence to do something they never thought they could do and they have prolonged their lives in doing so. I absolutely love this.
I also love it when people share their versions of a recipe I’ve posted or a workout that I did and they made it their own. They figured out that you can be creative with their meals and movement and it’s a habit that has stuck over time. Love this so much!
Pricing:
- Free 20 Minute Consultations
- $75/hour Coaching Sessions
- Wine, Women & Wellness Workshops – Starting at $50
- Mornings & Mimosas Workshop – Starting at $50
- 5 Ingredient Recipes for Busy Folks – Life-Changing Recipes in 30 minutes or Less on a Budget – $4.99
Contact Info:
- Email: Live2bBalanced@yahoo.com
- Website: Live2bBalanced.com
- Instagram: @Live2bBalanced
- Facebook: @Live2bBalanced
- Youtube: Living Life Balanced
