The freezing Dakota winters made it easy to overlook my weight, but the warmer summers pushed me to make a change. 

After seeing several doctors, I found out that I had high blood pressure and cholesterol.

But, these were the consequences of being overweight, not the cause of the extra pounds piling up.

All the tests felt like a waste of money when one doctor told me "that's what happens when you get older".

But as it turns out, I was wrong.

No matter how many more excuses I heard, I never stopped feeling miserable and depressed.

In North Dakota I looked after our home while my husband was always busy working.

We didn’t have much of a social life because he had a lot of work meetings and events to attend.

Everything changed when we moved to Florida and he discovered his newfound free time and love for life!

He knew a lot of old work colleagues that had retired in the area too.

He really enjoyed the beaches, but for me it was too embarrassing to even think about wearing a bikini.

I couldn't even relax around our private pool, what would my husband think when he got home?

What he'd think about his wife in comparison to all the other half-my-size women in Florida.

I was feeling hopeless,..

That’s when a journey started in an unlikely place: a trip to the hair salon.

I was getting my hair colored, and I heard a woman talking about her transformation.

She told me about a method she does every morning, and I wanted to ask her more about it.

She said it's called her ‘Simple Morning Ritual’.

Seems like, I was at the right place at the right time.

I went to get a haircut and that helped me and my husband change our

lifestyle.

I did not really know what it was, and honestly I could care less at that point.

All I wanted to know was how it could help me.

Could it fix all my problems?

After all, this isn't the retirement I dreamt of...

Being surrounded by golden beaches that I can't enjoy.

I Sat at home alone every day, struck with jealousy because I refused to join him and his friends.

Up to that point all I knew was failed diets, useless doctors and health experts advice,

feeling depressed and hopeless.

But then it was like a switch had been flicked.

My belly fat began to shrink once I started implementing this daily routine.

I even went to see a doctor again and found out it had reduced my blood pressure and cholesterol down!