“If I gave you a tour of my childhood pantry, you would find Snackwells snacks and Oreos, canned vegetables, and an array of processed meals. Fast forward to me as an adult trying to make healthy decisions for myself and my family but knowing nothing about selecting and preparing fresh foods. I carried extra baby weight from my three year old, I wasn’t sleeping well, I caught every cold my kids brought home, and I felt emotionally unsettled. ”
My Own Health Journey
Among the many “aha” moments that led me to realize I needed a lifestyle reset, was a single day in which my children rejected all three meals I had made. Whereas I might have normally chalked it up to poor cooking skills and simple childhood pickiness, the difference that particular day was that I was in the midst of helping my own mom with the onset of a distressing decline in her health and mental acuity. Her increasing struggles with cognitive ability began at the relatively young age of 68.
The convergence of my mother’s health issues, together with the pandemic, two young children to raise, and an overwhelming feeling of anxiety and malaise pushed me to pursue a path towards health and wellness. I understood that I needed to learn how to do better in order to feel better about myself as a mom, a wife, a friend, a professional, and a community member.
I started exploring what I can do now in my 40’s to alleviate or avoid later dependence on medications for the high cholesterol to which I am genetically predisposed. I adopted a plant based diet, consumed the advice of doctors and accredited influencers in the field of Functional Medicine, read books on healing and took cooking classes.
I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I began recognizing the patterns and habits I had learned in my childhood with respect to nutrition, weight, and fitness had perpetuated into my adulthood and my parenting. I was scared this could affect my and my children’s long term body and brain health. As I made incremental lifestyle changes, I began to love what I felt in return. Now, I sleep better, which offers me increased motivation to exercise. I eat a diet based on whole foods and I don’t get sick as often. I am happier overall.
Certification
National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, National Board of Heath & Wellness NBC-HWC
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach, Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, Inc.
Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Institute for Integrative Nutrition
