Prioritizing What Your Soul Needs

Hi everyone! My name is Kelby and I like to think that my unusual name destined me for an unusual path in life.

In less than two weeks I will begin the journey of a lifetime. I am going to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail! For those who do not know, the Appalachian Trail (AT) is a hiking trail extending from Mount Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia and is 2,189 miles long.

As an ultra marathoner, I am familiar with pushing my body and mind to uncomfortable limits, but never in my life have I prepared for an adventure like this. I have been building muscle by hiking with a fully loaded pack and lifting weights and I love to refuel with ToYou’s Post Workout bar. To prepare my mind for the journey ahead, I have read countless books and hiking blogs. One of the books I read suggests making three lists before embarking on the AT. The first list should answer “Why am I hiking the Appalachian Trail?” Well, fair question and I am sure all of you are wondering what would possess someone to put their life on hold for 5-6 months to hike 2,000+ miles.

I am thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail because…

I want to need to recharge before I dedicate myself to a meaningful career in public health. These past two years of my life have been absolutely hectic. There were times where I was holding down three jobs while going to school full time. My passions and relationships with loved ones were put on the backburner. I need to fill myself up with the things I love in order to pour myself out into work focused on eliminating health disparities and achieving social justice.  

I want to show women, young and old, that we can all be a #ForceOfNature. Women’s bodies are often judged by the way they look, not by the amazing things they can do. I want my adventure to interrupt the endless social media feeds of selfies and filtered photos. Just think of the ripple effect that could happen if one woman thought “Well if she can do that, what’s stopping me?”

Life is about pursuing adventure. This one is plain and simple. I never want to look back on my life and think “I should have done x, y, or z.”

And that is a little about me ToYou!

I will be teaming up with ToYou to share my story on the blog and social media so stay tuned.

Use hashtags #toyousnacks and #healthyandfit to share your journey with us!