About Cheri
Coming from years of playing competitive sports, coupled with intense workouts training for triathlons and marathons in later years, I thought hours of working out, aches and pains and fatigue were part of the price to pay for being fit and healthy. I paired this with what I thought was eating healthy, avoiding fat, counting calories and always trying the new “healthy” product, and treated multi-tasking as an Olympic sport. Unfortunately, I spent several years dealing with the cumulative toll it took on my body. I had everything from back and knee pain, up and down weight and bloated stomach, to ulcers, irritability, horrible allergy attacks, poor sleep, horrible hangovers from hardly any alcohol, ovarian cysts, unexplained throwing up regularly for a couple of months, which led me to an MRI to determine I had chronic undetected sinus infections. (Nothing an antibiotic couldn’t fix. Especially 20 weeks a year of them.) I Motrined the pain, washed it down with Diet Coke and an apple, worked out harder, took steroids and antibiotics more chronically than my sinus infections and tried to do more since I wasn’t sleeping much anyways. It worked for a while…until it didn’t. Because I was in my early 30’s I was able to deal with it and attributed the way I felt to 3 young kids. I was normal so it must be fine. Until I wasn't.
Even if things weren't life-threatening, they certainly were life altering
After I was scheduled for sinus surgery with a notably bad recovery and the thought it might only last 2 years, I thought I should take a step back and consider other options, especially since one of my kids was following in my path of antibiotics overuse from croup, ear infections, and sinus infections. We cut out gluten, sugar, and dairy and felt amazingly better. In fact, I didn’t realize how bad I had been feeling. There were noticeable differences in my son’s mood and illnesses as well.
A couple of years later I went back to just not feeling great. Mentally, everything overwhelmed me. I decided to dig deeper and worked with a friend recommended holistic doctor. As he dug through the details of my history of lifestyle and medications, the simple question "why?" kept popping up from him. After several times of aggressively defending myself and informing him, I was doing what I was supposed to do that was healthy, and it was just where I was in life, he continued with the same "Why?" till the point I stopped and thought. I guess I had no real good reason why.
My body was always telling me different. I decided I should start trusting the information it was giving me.
While cutting out the inflammatory foods I was sensitive to help, I had never built back up what I had depleted in my gut to heal it. This led me to steer clear of processed gluten free, dairy free, sugar-free, for real whole foods. Rather than the being overwhelmed by counting calories, avoiding fats and worrying about carbs, I reached for foods rich in micronutrients and cravings I had fought for years went away. It was about adding in, as much if not more, than cutting out. When we give our body what it requires, it can deal with the stress we throw at it so much better.
I began to realize its a balancing act, and it was up to me to find my balance, not what everyone else "seemed" to be balancing.
At the same time, I mixed up my workout routine to give my body even more of a break. I was led to yoga by two good friends, went on a retreat and was humbled at the strength, mentally and physically, which I gained, far beyond the flexibility yoga is touted for.
Previously, I never wanted to “waste” a workout day on a yoga class. I kept up other exercise but slowly let go of the intense need for harder exercise as I felt so good. The yoga zone was the same I would get with running that I loved, only I always felt better after, not sore too. Now when I run, it is a much faster pace, thanks to the breathing of yoga. It is much less painful after because I haven’t been breaking down my body, I’ve been gently strengthening it.
Over the course of the six months yoga teacher training program, along with a year long Integrative Nutrition Course Study to become a Health Coach I pulled together all of the things I learned along the way while healing myself.
The things that normally overwhelmed me still existed, but it didn’t bother me near as much. I felt so much better mentally and physically.
Lower back and hip pain no longer exist, I’ve weighed the exact same for several years while eating more and working out less rigorously than in the past. My cysts mysteriously disappeared, I sleep through the night 98% of the time, I don’t’ hurt when I get out of bed and have been on only two antibiotics in 7 years, along with my kids. I don’t spend time worrying about what I’m not going to eat and feel guilty because I ate it anyway. I truly don’t crave the crap and sugar anymore. I don’t have a sugar and processed carb binge followed by a workout binge to burn it off. It’s not to say I don’t get sick or feel irritable ever, but it is far less frequent and far less severe. I can head it off before it happens as I notice the minor changes in how I feel.
Living the 80/20 rule has taken away the feeling of deprivation and kept things in balance.
This wasn’t meant to drag on about me. I feel my story is so similar to many. Thankfully, my health was not life-threatening, but it certainly was threatening the way I enjoyed living my life. My hope is that my story will give you insight and motivation to trust yourself. It isn't an immediate fix, but when you are in control of the process, you learn how to balance your body and feel better every step along the way. I'd love to be your Wellness Warrior and champion your causes to help you be on your path.
Ask yourself…
How do you feel?
Do you believe that just because so many others feel the same it is normal?
How is it you truly want to feel?
What are you willing to be accountable for to feel that way?
What aren’t you willing to do?
Why? Why again?
What will you do with your time when you feel great and stop having “get healthy”, “workout more” and “lose weight” chronically on your to-do list? (It doesn't need to be grandiose, just something that makes you feel happy)
If you would like guidance to filter all of the information out there and help you determine your path for your bio-individual needs, call or email for a free health consultation. I’d love to hear from you to discuss how a balanced approach can help you discover the real you again.
Cheers!
Cheri
773-391-6673