Welcome! My name is Jessica Gilman and I am a health coach… and now I can officially call myself a blogger!

I’m a newlywed dog mom from southern California, currently living in Seattle and missing the sunshine terribly.

I love hot yoga and hiking. I am addicted to music, entrepreneur and true crime podcasts, and Netflix. I’m a Disney and Harry Potter nerd and proud of it! I would love to be able to travel and experience more of the world.

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from San Diego State University and my health coaching certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

I started my health coaching business Live It Up Wellness while working full time in Human Resources. I’m officially taking the plunge to make my side hustles my full-time career – it’s a super exciting time for me!

I’m not a professional photographer, writer, or social media genius; I am a regular person with a passion for health and wellness. I do my best to make healthy choices most of the time, but I’m certainly not perfect.

Down about 30 lbs, Sophomore year of college on a trip to Vegas

I have gone through many phases of weight management, yo-yo dieting, and trying extreme things that were ill advised to my actual health.

After gaining the Freshman 15 (thanks to late night burritos after too many vodka shots… sorry mom!) during my first semester in college, I took diet pills and cut my calories down to about 1,000 a day. I lost 25-30 pounds… and became anemic. I was the thinnest I had ever been and thought I looked great, despite some rather concerning bruises.

For the record, they ended up pulling that diet pill off the shelves and adjusting the recipe because people were having heart attacks. Yikes!

After the diet pills and living on low-cal meals for months, I got a personal trainer. My first day working out with her, I almost passed out in the gym because all I had for breakfast before my training was a rice cake.

Since that time, my weight has fluctuated up and down a few times. I’ve learned a LOT in the years since then regarding health, fitness, and wellness.

I have a lot of different topics I want to cover in this blog and I’m so excited to share my knowledge and experiences regarding health, beauty, and wellness with you!

I want to start by sharing one of the first changes I made when I started getting into health:

I start every day with a cup of hot water before my coffee. You probably have heard about drinking hot water with lemon in the morning and that’s great too, lemon can be very detoxifying. Be careful not to drink water that is TOO hot, you don’t want to scald your tongue or esophagus.

Here’s why hot water first thing in the morning is so beneficial:

You are dehydrated when you first wake up. Rehydrating after 6-8 hours of sleep is super important.
Your body is detoxifying and rebuilding while you sleep. Rehydrating your cells first thing helps rinse out your system to flush out those toxins.
Hydration first thing helps activate and aid in digestion. Your organs will thank you.
Hot water helps relieve constipation as it helps your intestines contract and allow waste trapped in your intestines to pass.
Drinking hot water has a calming effect to your nervous system and reduces stress levels.
Similar to how a warm bath helps with circulation, so can drinking hot water.
This routine may also promote weight loss, skin clarity and brightness, and energy.

This was a simple health practice for me to add into my morning routine, I can’t start my day any other way now. Give yourself 10 minutes in the morning to have a cup of hot water first thing and you will begin to crave it!

If you don’t already have one, buy yourself a cute kettle that will look great in your kitchen and start your day with some hydration! I can’t wait to hear how you feel about it.

Thanks for reading! If you have any other topics you would like me to cover, please let me know.

Click here to inquire into one-on-one health coaching with me! As your coach, I will educate, guide, and support you to reach your goals through either in-person or Skype sessions.

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