Hi! I’m Alena, a 30 year old woman from the beautiful State of Oregon (located on the West Coast of the United States), currently living in Portland with my amazing husband, Dan.

I started my Healthylivingdreams (which evolved to @alenaelizabeth) instagram account Summer of 2014 when I was living  in Germany as a way to connect with others and to share my own personal fitness journey, towards finding a balance, and from there my passion for health, fitness, and wellness grew. Since then I have studied and became a Certified Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise, have co-written and developed a Women’s Lifting Guide Ready To Lift: Leg & Booty Guide, have travelled to and participated in numerous fitness events internationally, worked as a Social Media & Marketing Manager for a local women’s activewear company, based in Portland, OR and have shared much of the journey online.

Getting into fitness changed my life and in some ways it saved me. I feel so much healthier, stronger, more confident, and more emotionally balanced every day. I definitely still have my ups and downs, my good days and bad, but with each day that comes I learn a little bit more about how to take care of myself and live a healthy, balanced lifestyle, and I try my best to focus on the positive things. Since I first began my journey, my focus has shifted and evolved. I am striving to find more of a balance of mental, emotional, and spiritual well being, along with the physical.

Change doesn’t always happen quickly, but with enough determination and self-belief anything is possible. And SUPPORT. Having others around you that support you on you journey was an important aspect for me. I found this support through my friends and family, and an online community through Instagram. My goal everyday is to focus on the little things that make me happy and keep me motivated and inspired, like the people in my life and all the accomplishments I’ve made, big and small, in the past handful of years. I have learned so much about health and fitness, through my own personal experiences, my Personal Trainer studies, and working in the industry as a Trainer. I’ve learned more about the importance of self-care in other ways, beyond the physical through meditation, gratitude journaling, personal development , and being part of a community. I’ve learned how to better respect and take care of my body and mind. I am absolutely still learning everyday, but appreciating every moment of the journey.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

I was raised by what I would describe as a very health conscious family,  and even decided on my own at 5 years old to be come a vegetarian. But somewhere along the way I got lost and confused during those rough transitional teenage years. I started caring too much about what others thought of me and wanted to fit in so badly that I stopped caring if I was hurting my body in the process. From the age of around 14 to 23, I heavily struggled with balance of eating and drinking, and battled eating disorders, binge drinking and severe mood swings and depression. Shortly after my 24th birthday, I realized neither my body nor my mind could continue to live in this way at this pace. I needed to commit to making a real lifestyle change, and so I did, slowly but surely. While I sometimes wish I could go back and make different choices, and guide my younger self, I do not believe in living a life of regret. So, I do my best to move forward, continuing to become the healthy and more balanced woman that I am, and sharing my journey and story in hopes of helping others, especially the younger generations.

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME:

• I have lived abroad in Germany, France and Spain for at least a year in each, and during each experience I learned so much about life, my body and the importance of creating healthy habits of which I struggled to do at the time.
• I have a passion for Languages, I speak my native English, along with French, Spanish, German, and have also studied a little Swedish, and a bit of Basque.
• I love board sports, grew up Skateboarding and Snowboarding, and was on my High Schools Snowboard Team, and later coached the same team for 3 years.
• I absolutely love Traveling, exploring new places and learning about and participating in different cultures.
• I am a very positive and loving person, and always try to make others feel loved, supported, cared for and heard. I am passionate about helping others to love and accept themselves.

We each have the ability to start anew and change our lives, and the lives of others for the better. Each and every day I make a choice to work to be happy, to be healthy, to live inline with my values and to take care of this beautiful body body and this beautiful planet I am blessed to call home. You can do it too. Seize your opportunity and give it your best.

Welcome to my blog!

Much Love, Alena