With all the questions I’ve received from discussing it on Instagram, it’s time to post an?update on this blog of my health journey for you all. It’s been an incredible journey, and it is absolutely worth sharing in a blog post. With that being said, let’s dive in!
The Breaking Point
In 2020, my health was beginning to decline. My body was so stressed from the home life effects of Covid. All at once, I went from working at a fitness center to at home without warning, homeschooling basically overnight, and my husband went from in-person to online finances classes at the university he was attending. I know that’s the story for most people who were dealing with the economical side effects of “the vid”, and it was absolutely the story for us. Fast forward to later in 2020, Gerardo applied for and was offered a job in Hawaii. He accepted and we began the moving process.
The culmination of all that mental tension affected my body in a way I didn’t realize. It was harboring the stress and that stress was manifesting into ailments, despite how often I worked out and how well I ate.
By 2021, between the move to Hawaii, Covid, deep-diving into homeschooling, adjusting to living on an island (and I’m sure many other stressors) my body was freaking out internally even more, but I truly didn’t even realize it!
By mid-2021, I was bloated, gassy, and in stomach pain EVERY single night. It was so frustrating and uncomfortable. I tried changing up my diet, eliminating foods, working out more, working out less, researching supplements, and anything else I could think of. But I knew deep down there was more going on than a nutrition change could repair.
Finding a New Doctor
After I had had enough, in September 2021 I booked an appointment with my Naturopath doctor who helped me tremendously! She advised me that between my age (35 at the time), home stressors (mentioned above), and in what order and combinations of macros I was eating (even though I was eating fairly well), my internal organs and bodily systems were completely out of whack and not functioning at their highest level. That’s why no matter how I changed my diet, nothing was making me feel better and I was unable to lose weight. My issues were beyond what simply nutrition habits and workouts could fix on their own.
I needed to give my body a complete RESET.
How My Doctor Helped
Right away, she put me on a hormone support herbal remedy, mega-probiotic, lymph cleanser, and parasite killer. Though she changes up my supplements with each appointment, as she re-evaluates what I need now or don’t need anymore, that starting pack of remedies was a game changer for my health. She also advised me on how when I should eat what (detailed below).
In addition to that, I didn’t drink alcohol for almost the first month, almost zero coffee, hardly any sugar, and hardly any complex or simple carbohydrates. I dove in HEAD FIRST and didn’t look back. I also did acupuncture, acupressure, yoga, meditation, changed up my workouts, went to bed earlier, and increased my water intake.
Within 6 weeks I lost about 20 pounds, had no more gut issues, slept better, and felt WAY more energetic overall. (Also, 10 of those pounds were water weight because my hormones were so out of whack. She didn’t tell me that, but I could feel it.) My cycles have become WAY more tolerable every month as well. If you’re a woman, you know what a huge blessing it is when your cycles improve.
One side effect that I will mention when I began this reset and allowed my body to cleans and purge itself of the internal mess was a massive rash I broke out in from neck to feet. I immediately stopped taking the remedies and called the doctor to see if it was an allergic reaction, but they assured me my body was just getting rid of all the junk inside and advised me to keep taking my supplements. Within a couple weeks the rash was gone and none of it has ever came back.
What I Did To Change My Health
Not only did I begin to take the herbal remedies my doctor gave me, but I also decided on many of my own changes to make to my health protocol to feel better and allow my body to heal. Here’s a lot of what I did and still continue to do:
-I started one of my favorite workout programs, Body Beast, and when I finished it moved onto traditional weight lifting with Gerardo at the gym everyday.
-I eat my fruit for breakfast in a smoothie (with TONS of greens), have the bulk of my carbs for lunch, and have protein and veggies for dinner. Sometimes I have a SMALL amount of complex carbs at night, but I try not too. I used to eat fruit for lunch and protein and carbs for breakfast, but Dr. Joy suggested I switch those around and I much prefer eating my macros in that order throughout the day now.
-I significantly cut back on caffeine, sugar, and gluten. Getting rid of most gluten was a HUGE help for me that I didn’t realize I needed! I didn’t replace carbs that had gluten in them with gluten free carbs necessarily either. This is something many people who are trying to cut back on gluten do. I simply cut back on complex carbs altogether and when I do have some, I try to ensure they are gluten free.
In regards to the caffeine… I love the taste of coffee. Therefore, I was drinking quite a bit everyday. Not for the caffeine, but simply for the taste of coffee. I wasn’t factoring in how much that was affecting my metabolism, mood, energy levels, etc. Once I cut back on it, I realized I didn’t need or want as much as I was previously intaking. Now I drink decaf coffee mostly and the only caffeine I intake is my preworkout from Beachbody.
-I intermittent fast again. I usually eat breakfast around 10/10:30, after I workout. And my last meal is around 5:30/6. I listen to my body though and if I’m not hungry by 10, I don’t eat right away and if I am hungry earlier, I drink a glass of water and then eat. I truly believe our body tells us what we need, when we need it. We are usually just too stubborn to listen to it.
-About once a week to every 10 days, I do an all-day liquid fast and eat protein and veggies for dinner. If you’re unsure about this, you can research how fasting is beneficial for your health. There are many different types of fasting and all have different benefits. Just ensure if you are fasting, you’re doing it for the health benefits and not a quick way to lose weight. There IS a right way and wrong way to fast. So again, do your research.
-I cut back on phone time significantly and start my day with the Lord and His Word rather than my phone. I try not to check any notifications until I’ve done that! Also, staying off my phone as much as possible during the day has been beneficial. And honestly, the days where I’m on my phone or computer a lot I am hungrier throughout the day!
That’s the gist of the health journey I’ve been on the last 6 months! I feel really good and I’m so happy I connected with my doctor. She’s been a huge blessing to my health and I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t gone to see her.
Remember, your internal health is so much more important than how you look on the outside! If you’re frustrated that you don’t feel at your peak, that you can’t lose weight, that you’re tired all the time or forgetful, moody, anti-social, bloated, gassy, or whatever the case may be, it could be a result of what’s going on inside your body.
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