Raina O’Dell, as known as its.just.raina on IG, is a health and fitness coach that advocates a healthy lifestyle and balance. She has over 85k loyal followers that she supports every day with her inspirational food and workout routine.
We all have a life journey worth sharing, and today Raina O’Dell tells us her story.
Tell us how The RainavsFood Brand came to be… Can you share your journey?
In 2012, I was married to a drug addict who had multiple affairs while I raised two daughters who were under 5 years old. I was struggling with anxiety, depression, anorexia, later bulimia, and I just had no idea who I was or what I wanted in life.
I knew that I needed to do something to start taking care of myself and to make my health a priority so I started logging what I was eating just to become aware of it on a website called MyFitnessPal. My profile name I created was RAINAVSFOOD because I literally saw it as a battle vs. FOOD, the one thing that was controlling my life that I KNEW I could regain control of.
It may have been ‘good luck’ but the name STUCK and really became my identity.
Can you talk about how you help women to have a better understanding of diet and exercise?
Exercise used to be a foreign word to me. I played B-Team in high school basketball and NEVER played because I was so bad at it. After high school, fitness wasn’t even on my radar, and even into motherhood, it wasn’t something that I made a priority or thought about making time for.
It wasn’t until I hit rock bottom that I decided to take care of my health. That included exercise AND learning how to really fuel my body. My mission is to help women specifically, learn how to regain control of their eating habits.
We’re emotional creatures. When things are good, we grab food. When things are bad, we grab food. Stress, fatigue, anxiety, celebration, socially, etc… we grab food.
I’ve spent YEARS putting my knowledge into play within my OWN journey to virtually transform before my followers’ eyes to SHOW what I offer works.
So now, I help women every month who need guidance in their journey. I run accountability groups online and provide tools to help them reach their goals. In addition, we do weekly calls and daily check-ins to give an extra push of accountability and motivation.
“I discovered CBD after finding out that I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. YEARS of destroying my body wreaked havoc on my insides.
This plant has brought so much RELIEF into my life.”
How did you discover CBD? What was your purpose in trying it?
I discovered CBD after finding out that I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. YEARS of destroying my body wreaked havoc on my insides and within a year, I had all of my large intestine and part of my small, removed, leaving me with a permanent ileostomy bag. <- THIS is a huge reason why I preach HEALTH. I am a firm believer that what I put my body through let me to my diagnosis.
After being diagnosed, I was told that I would be on prescription medications indefinitely. This didn’t sit right with me and leaving that appointment, I was determined to find a more natural option for myself. I looked online and did a lot of research on this and that’s when I stumbled upon VeslOils. I started dosing CBD daily, multiple times a day and noticed SO much relief that I weaned myself off of the prescription medications.
It’s been 2 years since my last surgery and I haven’t had any OTC or prescription meds since.
DISCLAIMER: I don’t suggest and will never tell someone just to STOP their medications. This is something I chose to do after REALLY looking into it and assessing my situation.
Can you talk about what Hemp and Cannabis mean to you?
RELIEF. That’s it. This plant has brought so much RELIEF into my life. Because of my history, I’m that woman who wakes up every morning with immediate anxiety. Could be my kids, haha… could be my hustle, could be the way I’m wired. I use CBD daily for that anxiety, stress, pain, inflammation… and even sleep.
It may sound extreme, but I can’t imagine where I’d be without being able to incorporate CBD.
Tell us something that you are especially excited about:
Life is just crazy right now. Hahah! COVID has messed us all up a bit, hasn’t it? But to be honest, not much in my life has shifted and THAT is what I’m excited about. I crave routine, I crave consistency, mentally AND physically.
The fact that I work from home already, workout at home, and have experience homeschooling my kids, saved me.
I’m in a really good place right now with my health, thriving actually. Physically I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been. Mentally, I can’t slow down, and don’t want to! Haha!
I’ve been stripped of my health, my mindset, my physical appearance, and my habits before… and now that I’m thriving, my FAVORITE thing in the world is to teach other women to regain control as well.