A Journey to Better Health

OK, you KNOW it's been too long since you have blogged when you look at your blog site and the background is still CHRISTMAS!! Ugh!! I promise to do better! Life's responsibilities just seem to always get in the way of my blogging! Oh, and a lot of times my life is just plain boring, and I don't have much to blog about. :)

Today I DO have something to blog about, and it's something that excites me! This past weekend I attended a Women's Wellness Weekend event in Franklin. It was organized by Calie Shackleford, creator of Broccoli Cupcake. The event centered around teaching women how to get healthy physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, and it was AMAZING!! I plan to take the information I gathered from the event, and the resources I learned about, to focus on my health and FINALLY (Lord willing!) get my life in order. My plan is to have you participate in my journey via my blog (which means I WILL be blogging more often!).

About a month ago I went to a "traditional" physician (Internal Medicine Dr.) for a physical. Most specifically, I wanted to have my blood sugar and cholesterol/triglycerides checked. I told the doctor to give me the good, the bad, and the ugly so I would finally do what I needed to do to get my health in order. Overall my visit went well, but when I got my blood test results I was WHACKED upside my head with some of the numbers. My blood sugar was slightly high but not too bad. That can easily be remedied with changes in diet and exercise. My cholesterol/triglycerides were another matter entirely! My triglycerides have been high before, so I knew they could be this time, too. I didn't know HOW high they could be, though! Let's just say they were out of control!! I knew it was time to get my rear in gear (like I haven't said THAT a million times before!!)!!! The thing that frustrated me after my visit, though, was that the doctor just mailed the results with a letter that told me to work on diet and exercise (DUH!), take fish oil supplements, and come back in 3 to 6 months for more testing. Well, thank you very much!! I could have figured THAT out all on my own!!

After my blood test results came back, I knew I HAD to make some changes in my diet, so I decided to start with the Daniel Fast. I decided to do it for Lent and to jump full force into new eating habits. Basically, the diet consists of fruits, veggies, nuts/seeds, legumes, and whole grains (kind of like a vegan diet). You are not allowed to have meat, dairy, sweetners of any kind, refined/processed foods, etc. It's a great way to kick start healthy eating! I am almost two weeks into the diet, and while I have strayed every so often (I have had meat and dairy a few times), I have done pretty well. It's not something I would want to do forever, but it's been a good way for me to get rid of my cravings for sugar and junk food. The first few days were very hard, but by Day 5 I was feeling pretty good! I also gave up caffeine for Lent, and that has helped a lot, too. The Daniel Fast is supposed to last 21 days, but I am trying to stay on it for all of Lent. I may have meat from time to time, but my BIG things I am focusing on eliminating from my diet are sugar, caffeine, and just plain ol' JUNK for my body. I have lost about 6 lbs. so far, and I plan on losing a lot more!!

Now, here comes the next step in my plan to get HEALTHY! Around the time of my physcical, I saw a brochure at church about the Women's Wellness Weekend. It intrigued me, so I decided to attend. I knew I needed to lose weight and get more healthy, but I needed some resources and people in my life to help me accomplish my goals (not just some doctor sending me a letter in the mail telling me to eat better, exercise more, and take fish oil supplements!). Boy, am I glad I attended the Wellness Weekend!

At the Wellness Weekend event, there was a doctor named Jana Joshu. Dr. Joshu is a Chiropractor who specializes in Alternative Medicine. Now, before you go off on some tangent thinking she is some tree-hugging, granola eating, "voo doo" doctor, hear me out! Dr. Joshu specializes in bringing balance to her patients' health and well-being. She works with her patients on nutrition, lifestyle, and overall health. She has a program called "12 Weeks to Wellness" where she works with her patients in bringing about changes in nutrition, lifestyle, etc., and she gives them the tools they need in order to be successful. She is upfront about her 12 week program being hard, but she is confident in her ability to assist her patients in living better, more healthy, lives. I LIKE THAT! At the Wellness Weekend I signed up for an initial consultation with Dr. Joshu, and I look forward to learning more about her program!

Another step I am taking on my journey to better health is opening myself up to different forms of exercise. For me, exercise has NEVER been something I enjoy. For the most part, I LOATHE it. However, I know I have to make it an integral part of my life if I am going to succeed in getting and staying healthy. During one of the sessions at the Wellness Weekend, we learned about a form of exercise called Ruah. It's sort of like a cross between yoga and pilates (I am no expert in either area!), and I LOVED the session! I felt like my body really got a workout, but I wasn't hopping all around trying to keep up with some aerobics or zumba instructor. Ruah was hard and relaxing all at the same time, and I was fascinated by it! I decided to give it a try on a regular basis! I purchased the DVDs and can't wait for them to arrive!

One of the Ruah instructors, Suzanne Bowen, also owns a fitness studio in Franklin called Seren Motus. The classes at Seren Motus focus on Barre Sculpt, which from what I understand is a lot like Ruah, but it also uses a ballet barre. One of my friends who attended the Wellness Weekend with me has attended Suzanne's classes a few times, and she swears by them. Since I liked the Ruah session at the Wellness Weekend so much, I decided to try out the Barre Sculpt classes at Seren Motus. I'm sure I will be the chubbiest girl in the class, but I am determined to find something I LOVE for my exercise! I can always go for a walk outside or jump on my treadmill, but I want to try something NEW for a change. The classes aren't cheap, but I figure if I like them and stick to them, the changes in my health will be worth the price I pay for them!

I know I should have mentioned this FIRST, but the BEST thing about the Women's Wellness Weekend was that everything was taught from a Christian point-of-reference. We started the weekend learning about how important it is for our spiritual lives to be healthy, and how if our relationship with God isn't in order, our relationships with others will suffer. My spiritual life is another area I want to improve upon, so along my journey to wellness I will share about that, too. My plan on my journey is to blog along the way about what I learn and how I feel about everything, whether it be mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually. So, join me on my journey! It's going to be HEALTHY!!