Journey to Health, Volume VI

2018

2016 vs 2017

What a journey I have been on in my health journey the past couple of years.

I'm  not exactly where I want to be (wherever that is) but I'm certainly happy with how far I've come.  Prior to this summer, I had lost 90 pounds.  This summer was challenging for me, mentally and emotionally.  I'm an emotional eater and when times get tough, I turn to food.  I'm grateful that over the past two years I've trained myself (more often than not) to step away from the sweats during times of stress and turn to my essential oils.  I'm not going to get into that now but will share a bit about my journey from this summer.

I started working from home 4 days a week in June and although this was great (and still is), I quickly realized that I do not get up and move around enough.  When I go into the office, I have a good walk from my car to my office and also to the restroom, kitchen, etc.  When I'm home, the kitchen is only 35 feet from my desk and the restroom is about the same. Some days I would be so busy that I wouldn't leave my desk at all. A typical work day would end for me around 4:00 pm and I'd have less than 300 steps.  When I go to the office, I'd at least have 4,000 steps by the end of my work day (and a lot more if left the building for lunch). I'm not even one that counts steps. I don't have a daily step goal however this data is available to me and so I check it from time to time. During this time, I gained 12 pounds. It crept up fast and I had to do something fast before it got out of hand.  I've always loved running but will make every excuse not to go outside to run. Once I'm out there I'm good, and will run for a long time, but I make a million excuses. Too early, too hot, too cold, too many mosquitoes, too late, too dark, too close to dinner, blah blah blah blah blah...  One day, something clicked and I thought to myself, "I'll just run inside my home"... and so on the days I work from home, I started running. I run for 5 minutes every 90 minutes, starting at my front door and going to my bedroom, then bathroom, back to my room to the widows, out to the family room and into the kitchen, around the island and then into the dining room, around the table and then back into my office and then to the front door. When I first started I was doing 5 laps and the last time I did it, I ran 8 (I've not ran in 2 weeks).  I don't sprint... it's just a jog (I'm not trying to wipe out on our slick wood floors or tile) and I'm certainly not looking to sprain an ankle or knee.  This not only helped me to get some extra steps but it gets me up and moving which leads to extra energy throughout the day. Thankfully I was able to drop most of those extra pounds and am down another 2 this week (that's right, I'm down 2 pounds the week of Christmas).

It's been 2 years today since I had my surgery and I still have no regrets.  I feel great and have more energy than before. I'm no longer embarrassed to walk into Jayden's basketball games or go in public. I no longer feel confined to my home (although I really love my home and still love being home). I have more confidence and actually enjoy shopping for clothes again. I no longer hate every single picture of myself and although I know our self worth has nothing to do with how we look, I very much let it affect my day-to-day life. Women often struggle with insecurities and I was not above that, I greatly struggled in this area.  Something about shedding some pounds and having more energy has also strengthened my relationship with the Lord (maybe it's because I don't need to sleep as much and can spend more time in prayer and communicating with him).  I never really felt unworthy of his love when I was overweight, but yet deep down, I knew he wanted me to take care of myself (the temple) and so I would get down on myself and be harsh as if he didn't love me as much as he would if I would take better care of my self. I know these are lies of the enemy, I knew it then and I know it now but I would still fall for them. Are you in this space? Are you believing the lies of he enemy? If so, I encourage you to reach out to me, reach out to a friend, reach out to someone. It does NOT matter where you are in your health journey, He loves you RIGHT where you are. He shows us grace when we eat too many sugar cookies, he shows us grace when we indulge and overeat, he shows us grace through our trials and tribulations and our stressful days and tough situations. He is a mighty Father and He loves us all so very much!

Jeff has been on a health journey of his own.  I'm super duper proud of him for losing over 50 pounds. He looks great and feels even better. He is still working out multiple times a week and has also picked up running. One day, we will run together, but until then, I will continue to do my little laps in the house and he'll continue to run through the neighborhood.

This health journey we are on is so much more than losing weight. We've had a complete lifestyle transformation in our home. From eating healthier to removing the majority of plastic and replacing it with glass, to removing the extremely toxic non-stick cookware and replacing it with cast iron and stainless steal to removing the plastic utensils and replacing with wood and metal. We've all transformed to a healthier lifestyle. We tossed all the over the counter medications and solely use essential oils (we don't even have Tylenol or Ibuprofen in our home anymore).  Again, there is a time and place for medication. I still go to the doctor every 6 months and get my thyroid and hormones checked. I still take prescription medication for Hashimoto's and my hormone imbalance and although they've lowered my dosage since I've been using oils, I am still under doctor care and will be until I've fully transitioned to oils.  We've replaced all candles with diffusers (which is not only better for you, smells better and is also less expensive) and have changed to a non-toxic laundry soap and hand soap. If you'd like to know more about any of this, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. It's taken me years and many hours of reading and doing research to get to the point I'm at right now and I wouldn't turn back for anything. I am passionate about helping others and would love to help you too.

Wishing you all a very blessed New Year.

xoxo,
Trina