Rading Living Guest Expert: “Escaping the HELLthy Prison” with Alicia Melgoza

Hello Lovelies!!

This is the beginning of the Radiant Living – GUEST expert series! Each week – I will interview a passionate entrepreneur who is making the world a better place by serving others and playing BIG.
Today, we have a special guest on the blog! Her name is Alicia Melgoza and she is a Whole-istic Life Expert + Happiness Coach.

She is on a mission to  put the ‘life’ back into healthy lifestyle. She helps recovering “health nuts” break free from their HELLthy prisons and live whole-istically healthy, happy, joy-filled lives.

I had to have Alicia on the blog because I know from personal experience the negative impact of being obsessively healthy can have on your life! This is a HUGE problem today and I wanted make sure to address the real reality of over-obsessive HELLthy eating!

Let the interview begin!!

Q: Tell me a little bit about your story – What lead you on the mission to put the ‘life’ back into healthy lifestyle?
Alecia: My story began back in high school. I started on and off with obsessing over food and exercise. My entire life revolved around being “healthy”. My health all around suffered – mental, physical, and spiritual. I was unhappy, lonely, and miserable. People would praise me for my discipline and “healthy” living, but they didn’t really know what was going on in my mind. Deep inside I knew the whole time that wasn’t really being healthy, but I ignored that little voice.
I lost sight of all the things that really mattered in my life – friends, family, etc. – and those things were suffering and taking a back seat in order for me to “be healthy” and then healthy had lost its whole point…
There’s a huge misconception about what it means to ‘live a healthy lifestyle’ that’s unfortunately fueling a HELLthy (not healthy) lifestyle. I know there are others suffering in the HELLthy prison, that’s why I’m passionate about Taking Healthy Back, redefining healthy, and helping them put the ‘life’ back into their healthy lifestyles.
Are perfect abs really going to matter at the end of your life? No. You can eat all the “right” foods, but if you aren’t happy – what is the point?

Q: How has your life changed from when you were living a HELLthy life to now? How do you keep yourself from heading back down the HELLthy path?
Alicia: My life has changed drastically – I am fully recovered from my hellthy prison for over 8 years now. I am happier and healthier than I ever was during my extreme exercise + healthy eating phase. I am A LOT nicer to myself and much more confident. I am able to enjoy my life without having anxiety over food. Right now in my life, relationships are the most important. When you are stuck, living in the extreme of HELLthy living, your relationships get cut off. You skip social outings from fear of eating the wrong foods or missing workouts.
For example last night, I was at a bonfire eating a s’mores with a bunch of my friends! Now I  actually enjoy my time out and not feel stressed and anxious about eating a smore. In the past, I would have avoided the bonfire or gone and not eaten anything.
Q: How do you keep yourself from not heading back down the HELLthy path?

Alicia: I have built new coping skills + cultivated hobbies and interests not revolving around fitness/food. The biggest coping skills that helped me was practicing self-compassion, daily gratitude, and mindfulness. Another was learning how to deal with setbacks and rejections. It can be easy to go back down a negative path when things aren’t going the way you want. So practicing to let go of perfectionism tendencies and being more loving towards yourself really helps to shift to a healthy mindset.
I started new hobbies and found that I humor and comedy clubs! I am also always trying new things – right now on my list is to try stand up paddle boarding. I am also traveling more! Before traveling was a nightmare because it was stressful and anxiety-ridden. Now, my thought process is completely different. I am there to eat and enjoy the atmosphere because the food is delicious and life is meant to be enjoyed to the fullest!

Q: Since becoming an entrepreneur, have there been new challenges towards living a healthy lifestyle? How do you handle them?

Alicia: The main challenge is making sure I get enough sleep and breaks through the day. Many days, I get into a flow and end up
working longer than I should. My husband helps me to stay accountable by making sure I get to bed at a reasonable hour. They both make sure that I take time away from my computer and turn the power off.
Tula, my dog, is a HUGE help. When she wants to go for a walk – she wants to go now! So I’ll stop my work and take her for a nice long walk which is always a welcomed break and I never regret it! They both keep my accountable and make sure that I take time to shut down my computer and turn the power off.
But being a coach also has a huge benefit that when I am sharing my knowledge, it pushes me to practice these skills and cultivate them even more!

– Alicia’s Adorable dog Tula –

Q: What are your 2 non-negotiables for real healthy living as an entrepreneur?
Alecia:
1. First thing is taking breaks and time off. When you work for yourself, you lose structure of regular 9-5 so it can be easy to overwork and get sucked into the flow. My husband works regular schedule so I try schedule my time to match his. But I do have the flexibility to take extra time as needed and fit it into my life.
2. The second thing is my relationships. My husband and my friends always come first. They are what matter in my life. I always make sure to prioritize them.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for anyone stuck in the HELLthy life?
Alecia: The one thing that was crucial and a huge turning point for me was practicing self-compassion. People who struggle with healthy eating are usually perfectionist and have a mean inner critic. Start to notice how you treat yourself. What are you saying to yourself? Why are you saying this? Do I treat myself kindly? Why am I being so unforgiving towards myself? Start paying attention and notice it, practice talking to yourself like you would your best friend or a young child. We treat others kinder than we would ourselves. Ask yourself: What would I say to my best friend or my child about this?

Q:  What is a staple or go-to recipe that you LOVE?
Alecia: I love Pita Pizzas! Here is my favorite Pita BBQ Chicken Pizza.
Ingredients:

• 1 Single Pita
• BBQ sauce
• feta cheese
• red onion
• cilantro
• cooked chicken
  
  Take 1 Pita. Spread the BBQ sauce on top. Sprinkle with feta cheese, red onion, cilantro and top with cooked chicken. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes until crispy and warm. 

Q: Any last thoughts you want to share?
Alecia: I just want to offer people hope that you aren’t alone in these thoughts and way of HELLthy living. It IS possible to live a normal, happy, and fulfilling life. You can BE healthy and not live a super clean, super strict way of life. So many people are afraid and confused on what it means and looks like to live a healthy life and not go off the deep end. There is hope! – If you want to learn more – I am having FREE e-training on How to STOP obsessing over clean eating + exercise. It starts on September 1st so you want to sign up now!  

xxxxx

I had SO much fun interviewing Alicia! She is so passionate about helping others and I loved getting to know her better! <3

Like what you read? What to learn more?? >>>>>>>>>>You can find Alecia over at on her little corner of the web>>>  Here are her links.
Website: www.aliciamelgoza.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/takinghealthyback/

Do you want to learn how to STOP obsessing over clean eating + exercise? Sign up HERE for Alicia’s top notch FREE e-training! You won’t want to miss out on this!!
~ Actionable tips & strategies to end your obsession with “healthy” eating and exercise.
~What it really means to “live a healthy lifestyle” (because there’s a HUGE misconception)
~How your definition of “healthy” is fueling your obsession with food and exercise + how to change that
~The important message your clean eating/exercise obsession is telling you + how to use that to stop the obsess
~ The BIGGEST pitfall to avoid in order to end the food/exercise obsession.

I hope you all enjoyed this special guest expert post! Want to be featured or know someone who would be a good fit for this series? Shoot me an email at chelsea@chelseajolene.com

xoxo,

Chelsea Jolene