For those of you who do not know, I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. These are some pictures of me at my worst. Unable to walk for almost a year, dealing with severe side effects from both the disease and medicine. I am 5.10 and was under 95 lbs. Losing chunks of hair at a time from Methotrexate (chemo) and other thyroid issues. Dealing with extreme pain from inflammation all over my body, including my organs, eyes and mouth. Through trial and error of Western and Eastern medicine, I have been in remission for a couple of years now. My success has been through specific diet, spiritual work, exercise and lifestyle. Through hard work I have been grateful to be the face of dozens of activewear/yoga lines and am very passionate about creating a healthy body image. Discrimination comes in all forms and I have recently seen some negative comments regarding me being too skinny. I am now a healthy 125 lbs and have earned every muscle I have gotten back since my recovery. Diet and movement play a huge role in my goal to stay in remission so the consequence of that may be a leaner body. I want to encourage people to have compassion towards one another no matter size, shape or anything else. Everybody has a story. My passion is to inspire and encourage you to embrace your body type and support each other in the process. Here are some easy tips to embrace your body by taking good care of it. - Choose foods that nourish your body and make you feel good, not only during but after. - Move your body everyday. Some days you might feel like you can climb a mountain. Other days a brisk walk and a nice stretch will do just fine. The key is to listen to what your body needs each day but at the very least, walk and stretch. - Steer clear from toxic environments & relationships. Protect yourself through spiritual work and set boundaries to who you let into your energy field. There is nothing wrong with sending love from a distance:)

* Be kind and compassionate to yourself and others. Everyone is fighting their own battle, including you.