Present Tense

July 5, 2013

My focus regarding health is dramatically different now. It's not about a diet or a program. It's not about deprivation and forbidden foods. It's not about guilt-induced, self-imposed rules and it's not about rewards for "being good." It's a  lifestyle. It's about being informed and making conscious choices about what I put in my body. It's about taking the time to prepare and enjoy my food, instead of eating the leftovers on the kids' lunch plates before loading them into the dishwasher and calling it "lunch." It's about eating when I'm hungry and stopping before I'm full. It's about finding a form of movement (a.k.a. exercise) that I enjoy and actually want to do. 

I think the defining moment for me was two part... a) I realized my life depended upon making changes and, b) I realized I was worth the changes. YOU ARE WORTH IT TOO!! You may not be facing a life threatening illness, but still, the quality of your life may depend on you making some positive lifestyle changes. 

What I'm going to share with you is a way of life - a whole new mindset. You may be surprised to find that not all the steps I recommend are directly related to food and exercise. My hope is that you will incorporate into your life some of the "first step" principles I will be presenting to help you on your journey to excellent health. My hope is also that you will find joy in that journey.

Until next time...

Be well. Live well.
Jeanne

The Journey Begins

July 2, 2013

The Journey Begins...

The realization that good health doesn't just happen, began in March of 2005 when I began experiencing extremely painful gall bladder attacks, which ultimately led to its removal - my first surgery since a tonsillectomy when I was three. I became so sick after the surgery that I was hospitalized. Three months and countless antibiotics later, the pain had dissipated, but I was still feeling uncharacteristically fatigued and run down. Additionally, my abdomen had become so tremendously distended that I had the appearance of a woman six months pregnant. Neither my surgeon nor his PA were able to offer any help.   They made no connection between the absence of my gallbladder and my present condition. In desperation, I consulted with a reputable chiropractor/kinesiologist in my area who determined that my body was essentially toxic from all the antibiotics and other medications I had taken over a four month period since the initial surgery. I changed my diet per his instruction and lost twelve pounds in one week! I began feeling better almost immediately. 

In May of 2006, a sunscreen-free, baby oil sun-baking adolescence caught up with me when my dermatologist removed a basal cell carcinoma from my forehead and several pre-cancerous lesions from my chest. I now sport a lovely one-inch scar on my forehead that daily reminds me to don plenty of SPF 40 sunscreen.

In August of that same year, at the age of  42, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  I had no family history of any type of cancer and really no risk factors.....Other than an extreme amount of prolonged stress! I'm not saying that stress caused my cancer, but I am saying that, stress is toxic and I believe it helped provide an environment for the cancer to flourish. Following the diagnosis, I endured a myriad of tests, painful biopsies and a triple lumpectomy. Ultimately, in October of 2006, I underwent a modified, radical right-sided mastectomy with an immediate TRAM flap reconstruction. As I began the arduous process of healing from all that my body had been through, I knew I had to make some serious lifestyle changes. I had been through that thought process before, but this time it was different. This time my life depended on it. 

Next time, "present tense..." the journey to good health continues.

Be well. Live well.
Jeanne