Donellan Yoon

Currently, I am working my way towards a Master’s in nutrition at the University of Arizona and will defend in April. I am also in the process of applying for a registered dietitian internship, and if selected, will complete the internship by May of 2014 (fingers crossed!).

In regards to my personal life, I was recently married last June. This was one of my best life choices. Not only can I admit the cliche things like marrying my best friend, in addition, I can also say that we are greatly supportive to one another. In my fitness and health journey, he has been a rock to help motivate and encourage me every step of the way.

I also have three cats (yes, three) and a dog. They are my temporary babies until Eric and I have a family of our own.

My Journey:

My physical activity and eating choices have gone through its ebbs and flows and while living the life of a busy graduate student I have put many of my priorities on hold. In my third semester of the graduate program I really developed some poor eating habits and stop hitting the gym. My stress level and depression increased and my overall cognitive function declined. I really felt like I hit a low point and needed to develop strategies to change. In a way, I feel that this low point really has as a hidden blessing because now more than ever I feel more equipped to help people with their own challenges.

I did in fact develop some good strategies and so far they have really improved my lifestyle. This blog will serve as a way for me to relay some of my strategies and document my journey. I would also like to include some recipes and meal plans. In my experience, food behaviors can be one of the most difficult barriers to change, however maybe I can provide some ideas to help.

It is my hope that this blog will help other people also develop their own strategies for overcoming barriers to change. My strategies may not work for you, but I hope at the very least it will get you to evaluate where improvements might be made.