Migraines . .. pretty specific topic but something that affects so many of us. If you are one of the lucky ones that does not get or has never had one. . .say a HUGE prayer of thanksgiving. If you think you have possibly had one, you did not. And, for the love of all that is sane and good, never say "I have such a migraine" ….if you are capable of saying that, you absolutely do not have a migraine so be quiet cause it is not remotely funny to those of us who suffer from them. If you can relate to anything I have said (or know somebody who can) then this is for you.
I have suffered from migraines since I was a kid. I remember curling up in bed and tying a blanket around the left side of my head trying to sleep or wishing I could sleep. It was awful. I seemed to out grow them for a few years and then they came back during college. Thankfully at this point there were medications to help. Imitrex became my best friend. As the years progressed they got worse. Different when I was pregnant and nursing my babies but still would come and go. In the past few years they got to the point where I became a chronic migraine sufferer with 4-5 a week. I took imitrex like candy and thankfully it worked for me. But, over time I started to realize that the side effects of taking this medication were super negative. Besides the constant fog I walked around in.
After being sick a couple of years ago, my doctor sent me to a neurologist. They believe the imitrex use was a trigger in my ischemic colitis attack. So, in order to keep a functioning colon (definitely desirable), I needed to find a way to decrease the migraines to in turn decrease the medication use. I saw a neurologist and he put me on a preventative medication. Long story short, the side effects to these medications stink. Though my migraines decreased some, the meds absolutely stunk. Fast forward to this past summer and I was fed up. I didn't want to be on medications and I wanted to find a natural way to help these. Exercise was not cutting it alone. So time to figure this out.
As you know I went Gluten Free in the fall. That helped immensely! Maybe 6 or so migraines a month. HUGE improvement. But, get this….in January I did a 21 day purification (will blog about that soon) and started taking the doTERRA lifetime vitality vitamins. Here is the incredible thing . .. I have had 2 migraines in the past 6 weeks. Seriously? Did you see what I said? I have had fewer migraines in the past 6 weeks than I was getting each week! How incredible is this? I have been off the vitality vitamins for a week and couldn't order them fast enough today. I finally started connecting the dots and they seem to be a huge factor in this improvement. Of course diet is huge as well. The combination is working so I am going to stick with it.
I will continue the experiment and keep you posted. But, if you are one of those people who suffer, I would strongly encourage you to connect with me and we can talk about these lifetime vitality vitamins. It is exciting when there is success on the journey and I am excited to hear about your Journey to Wellness.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Exciting News!
Well, it is official . . .Journey to Wellness is more than a blog. It is my new business and the doors are open . . .so to speak. I spent the month of January studying for my Fitness Nutrition Specialist certification and completed that a week ago. My Journey to Wellness facebook page is updated with new info, an exciting special and current pricing. The first 5 people to sign up for a package will receive a second package for their friend at half price. I love to have a "partner in crime" when I am working on a goal. My biggest successes have been with a partner. Whether it has been training for a race, changing my eating habits, improving nutrition and fitness, studying for a test, etc . .. having a friend or Brad partnering with me has been HUGE!
My passion is nutrition and fitness. I absolutely love working with people who desire change and want to make positive changes in their lives. I am so excited for the opportunity to do what I love. I have spoken with many of you and I keep hearing the same story. Frustrated, discouraged people who just do not know where to start. Often when we feel this way, we continue the downward spiral that makes us feel worse. It is a very difficult rut and I completely understand where you are coming from.
Though I am not offering you a quick magic pill, I am offering a program that will help you become a healthier and more confident version of you! My programs offer in depth, personal attention to help you have the tools to succeed. Check out Journey to Wellness on Facebook for all the details. I am thrilled to partner with you on your journey!
My passion is nutrition and fitness. I absolutely love working with people who desire change and want to make positive changes in their lives. I am so excited for the opportunity to do what I love. I have spoken with many of you and I keep hearing the same story. Frustrated, discouraged people who just do not know where to start. Often when we feel this way, we continue the downward spiral that makes us feel worse. It is a very difficult rut and I completely understand where you are coming from.
Though I am not offering you a quick magic pill, I am offering a program that will help you become a healthier and more confident version of you! My programs offer in depth, personal attention to help you have the tools to succeed. Check out Journey to Wellness on Facebook for all the details. I am thrilled to partner with you on your journey!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Baby Steps...
I know, I know .. .it has been way to long! But, I have been busy studying for my Fitness Nutrition Specialist certification! Yes, I will be official and can't wait to work with many of you. I am procrastinating studying right now to write for a bit. I have spoken with so many and heard quite a few stories about positive changes people are making for themselves and their families in 2014. I LOVE IT!!! I thought that might be a great topic to chat about.
I often have people ask what my day of eating looks like. Generally, I will redirect the question. The majority of people seeking to make major lifestyle and health changes, would be scared off by my diet. I don't mean that in a bragging way, I mean it in a perspective way. We all have to start someplace and comparing my diet to yours is not the way to build motivation. If somebody told me 5 years ago that I would be where I am today, I would have been either scared out of my wits or laughed so hard I would have fallen out of the chair I was sitting in (and most likely peed my pants . .the joys of birthing 3 babies .. but I digress). When we take time for change and follow it when we are ready to make it, our success is greater. My evolution has happened very slowly over many years. Today I am on day 9 of a 21 day purification. Yes, I get to eat plenty of food to not be hungry however that food is all veggies, some fruit, protein shakes and a tiny bit of brown rice or lentils. I will be absolutely honest, I really miss chocolate and my cup of decaf coffee, a glass of wine .. . and just the freedom to "cheat" a few meals a week. But, I am committed to this process in order to be able to talk about it with you all. Supposedly it will remove most toxins from my body which seems like a good idea! 3 weeks is a short period of time overall so it should be no big deal, right? Guess what, when you are ready to do your purification, I have some great ideas for ways to enjoy those veggies. I am actually looking forward to my roasted veggies for dinner. Seriously.
Back to the topic, baby steps. So, instead of talking about my diet, let's talk about the little things we can do in our houses to make healthier lifestyle choices. One of the things I will repeat from a previous blog is menu planning. I mentioned it before as a time saver but I will mention it now as a way to make healthier choices. If you plan your menus for the week, you will be less likely to grab take out, drive thru, or snack on junk. Take it a step farther and shop/prep for the week. That will make for a relaxing week in the kitchen and a healthier table. One of the things we are going to start doing is making protein shakes for the kids for breakfast. Yes, they are green but they don't taste like it. My kids love them and they are stuffed full of kale and spinach. Protein, fruit and veggies to start your day? Or cereal? Which do you think is going to prepare them for the day? Also, one step closer to decreasing the gluten in their diets. Win win
One thing we have done in our house is talk about health. I don't push it on everyone, just talk about it. Maybe with a certain food, why it is not a great healthy choice and give an alternative. Mac N Cheese for example…. it is not that hard to make some pasta and melt some grated cheese on it for a homemade version. Or, you can make it out of a box that has powder cheese and chemicals. Get really crazy and use a brown rice pasta or wheat at the very least. Can't fully admit my house is there yet but I am working on it. My kids have started to ask questions about food choices and are slowly taking their baby steps to better health. Do they have a treat after dinner, yep. Do I? Not right now but sometimes. The conversations about foods and why we eat what we do are helping to give them the ability to make better choices when they are away from home and into adulthood.
Another thing we are working into our routine is using essential oils. I am in love with doTerra Essential Oils. We are replacing any medication we can. I used them to treat Grace when she got croup (no middle of the night in the shower!). My kids have their own hand sanitizer in their backpacks that is make from oils not chemicals. They can drink it if they want .. which would be good for them. I clean our counters and bathrooms with the same oil (on guard). It smells good and keeps us healthy! I could go on and on but you get the point. Removing chemicals and toxins where I can.
So, where do you start? Start with YOU. What do you want to change? Where are the places you would like to improve upon with your health? As you slowly incorporate those into your habits, you can add them in for your family as well. But, be the role model first. I am truly amazed what rubs off when you make a change for the better. Many times my eating changes have been completely focused on weight loss so I wasn't doing it to make family changes but over time it has made a difference for us all.
Brad was at the store a couple of weeks ago with the cart full of veggies and a couple of other items. The checker asked if he had overdone it over the holidays and was trying to get back in the swing of things. Brad's response was, no, this is our norm. What is sad to me is that society's "norm" is to eat healthy after the new year, when we party too hard, or have been on vacation. And we wonder why obesity is out of control. Never mind heart disease, diabetes, etc.
Wow, I did not really mean to get on a soapbox. What I really want to accomplish is a brainstorm where you can share ideas too! We all want to make some healthier changes in our homes and I would love to hear some of your ideas. What is the small change you have made? What other changes do you want to make as part of your baby steps? Alright, I need to study. 6 chapters to go and then I can take my test. Can't wait to pass this baby step for me! Studying and tests…yikes! We all have our vices and our challenges but it is how we handle them and tackle them that counts. I can't wait to hear what some of you are up to! Please send me messages, comment below, etc! I love hearing your thoughts. Let's Journey to Wellness together! Cheers with my can of flavored seltzer water :)
I often have people ask what my day of eating looks like. Generally, I will redirect the question. The majority of people seeking to make major lifestyle and health changes, would be scared off by my diet. I don't mean that in a bragging way, I mean it in a perspective way. We all have to start someplace and comparing my diet to yours is not the way to build motivation. If somebody told me 5 years ago that I would be where I am today, I would have been either scared out of my wits or laughed so hard I would have fallen out of the chair I was sitting in (and most likely peed my pants . .the joys of birthing 3 babies .. but I digress). When we take time for change and follow it when we are ready to make it, our success is greater. My evolution has happened very slowly over many years. Today I am on day 9 of a 21 day purification. Yes, I get to eat plenty of food to not be hungry however that food is all veggies, some fruit, protein shakes and a tiny bit of brown rice or lentils. I will be absolutely honest, I really miss chocolate and my cup of decaf coffee, a glass of wine .. . and just the freedom to "cheat" a few meals a week. But, I am committed to this process in order to be able to talk about it with you all. Supposedly it will remove most toxins from my body which seems like a good idea! 3 weeks is a short period of time overall so it should be no big deal, right? Guess what, when you are ready to do your purification, I have some great ideas for ways to enjoy those veggies. I am actually looking forward to my roasted veggies for dinner. Seriously.
Back to the topic, baby steps. So, instead of talking about my diet, let's talk about the little things we can do in our houses to make healthier lifestyle choices. One of the things I will repeat from a previous blog is menu planning. I mentioned it before as a time saver but I will mention it now as a way to make healthier choices. If you plan your menus for the week, you will be less likely to grab take out, drive thru, or snack on junk. Take it a step farther and shop/prep for the week. That will make for a relaxing week in the kitchen and a healthier table. One of the things we are going to start doing is making protein shakes for the kids for breakfast. Yes, they are green but they don't taste like it. My kids love them and they are stuffed full of kale and spinach. Protein, fruit and veggies to start your day? Or cereal? Which do you think is going to prepare them for the day? Also, one step closer to decreasing the gluten in their diets. Win win
One thing we have done in our house is talk about health. I don't push it on everyone, just talk about it. Maybe with a certain food, why it is not a great healthy choice and give an alternative. Mac N Cheese for example…. it is not that hard to make some pasta and melt some grated cheese on it for a homemade version. Or, you can make it out of a box that has powder cheese and chemicals. Get really crazy and use a brown rice pasta or wheat at the very least. Can't fully admit my house is there yet but I am working on it. My kids have started to ask questions about food choices and are slowly taking their baby steps to better health. Do they have a treat after dinner, yep. Do I? Not right now but sometimes. The conversations about foods and why we eat what we do are helping to give them the ability to make better choices when they are away from home and into adulthood.
Another thing we are working into our routine is using essential oils. I am in love with doTerra Essential Oils. We are replacing any medication we can. I used them to treat Grace when she got croup (no middle of the night in the shower!). My kids have their own hand sanitizer in their backpacks that is make from oils not chemicals. They can drink it if they want .. which would be good for them. I clean our counters and bathrooms with the same oil (on guard). It smells good and keeps us healthy! I could go on and on but you get the point. Removing chemicals and toxins where I can.
So, where do you start? Start with YOU. What do you want to change? Where are the places you would like to improve upon with your health? As you slowly incorporate those into your habits, you can add them in for your family as well. But, be the role model first. I am truly amazed what rubs off when you make a change for the better. Many times my eating changes have been completely focused on weight loss so I wasn't doing it to make family changes but over time it has made a difference for us all.
Brad was at the store a couple of weeks ago with the cart full of veggies and a couple of other items. The checker asked if he had overdone it over the holidays and was trying to get back in the swing of things. Brad's response was, no, this is our norm. What is sad to me is that society's "norm" is to eat healthy after the new year, when we party too hard, or have been on vacation. And we wonder why obesity is out of control. Never mind heart disease, diabetes, etc.
Wow, I did not really mean to get on a soapbox. What I really want to accomplish is a brainstorm where you can share ideas too! We all want to make some healthier changes in our homes and I would love to hear some of your ideas. What is the small change you have made? What other changes do you want to make as part of your baby steps? Alright, I need to study. 6 chapters to go and then I can take my test. Can't wait to pass this baby step for me! Studying and tests…yikes! We all have our vices and our challenges but it is how we handle them and tackle them that counts. I can't wait to hear what some of you are up to! Please send me messages, comment below, etc! I love hearing your thoughts. Let's Journey to Wellness together! Cheers with my can of flavored seltzer water :)
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