Whew, that got your attention, didn't it? (:
I'm seriously giggling at how many pageviews this post might get because of the title. If you know my friends, you know that 35 minutes into the new year I was being asked when I was going to have a baby. Truth be told, I've been prepping my body for over a year now.
As many of you know I was suffering from some digestive issues, as well as being diagnosed with adrenal fatigue earlier this past year. When I began making changes to my diet and lifestyle it was twofold. First, I obviously wanted to feel better, but I also knew that in the next couple years my husband and I would possibly want to start a family. It was extremely important to me that I be the strongest, healthiest person I could be BEFORE getting pregnant.
Maybe it's because I'm older and have had an opportunity to watch so many friends and family members have babies, but this is huge. Someday, God-willing, I will be someone's home for 9 months. My body will do what it was designed to do, to nuture a life and allow it the opportunity to grow into a beautiful baby. Right now, even though, we're (my husband and I) aren't quite *there* yet - I'm constantly keeping this in my mind as I make decisions around what I eat.
I truly believe that "food is thy medicine"
I know I have work to do still. In addition to cleaning up my diet I started seeing a chiropractor and naturopath. I was put on a number of different hormones to help with my imbalance, and while at first I felt great, I soon started to feel very fatigued and out of sorts. I just didn't feel like myself.
After starting acupuncture I decided to take myself off of the hormones and just stick to Chinese herbs and acupuncture (in addition to chiropractic care). It has been about 2 months now, and I feel better already. I don't feel perfect, but I feel better and more grounded than I have in a long time. I have had some side effects - which I'm working on, sans medicine. I have noticed that my skin is much drier than normal (despite the fact I drink a TON of water every day) and my skin isn't the greatest. To say I look like a preteen going through puberty is an understatement.
It's embarassing. But it's worth talking about. It's real life.
Our bodies are meant to do so much, and for most of us, our bodies do their jobs rather well. I decided to go back to cleaning up my diet (even more than I have been). I started a detox/cleanse, etc., call it what you will. Since January 1st I have had no dairy (with the exception of eggs in one meal - for protein...the first 2 days were rough), no meat, no processed sugar and no alcohol. I am not following any specific plan, but rather have created one for myself.
I have a calendar pre-set with all of my meals for the next 14 days. I'm testing this out to see how I feel. Typically it takes us about 21 days to really begin to see effects from these types of changes. I decided to start with 14 to see how I felt, and really, to see if I could even do it.
Four days into it and I feel good. I'm a little hungry, I'm not going to lie. It's hard to find new sources of protein. I'm also not someone who snacks very often, so eating in between meals has been difficult for me to plan for (even though I have tons of healthy snacks on hand, I'm not finding that I'm actually eating them). I am definitely detoxing though....I miss sugar. I miss alcohol. I don't miss dairy or meat. Weird.
The reason for this post is to be honest. To be real. To let you know that, certified health coach or not, we all have problems with our health and diet. We all have areas that need improvement. I could use less stress, more sleep and a better attitude (couldn't we all?). I am constantly learning. Learning how to listen to my body. Learning what works best for my body and lifestyle. Learning how to better myself.
It is so humbling to get your emails, your posts and your messages. Your words of encouragement and stories of how this blog is helping you make my heart smile. This is it, folks. This is your life. This is the body you were given.
Show it some love.
Join me. Share with me. Learn with me.
What are your reasons for bettering yourself? What is important to you right now or in your future?
Until next time...
XoXo,
Nicole
I'm seriously giggling at how many pageviews this post might get because of the title. If you know my friends, you know that 35 minutes into the new year I was being asked when I was going to have a baby. Truth be told, I've been prepping my body for over a year now.
As many of you know I was suffering from some digestive issues, as well as being diagnosed with adrenal fatigue earlier this past year. When I began making changes to my diet and lifestyle it was twofold. First, I obviously wanted to feel better, but I also knew that in the next couple years my husband and I would possibly want to start a family. It was extremely important to me that I be the strongest, healthiest person I could be BEFORE getting pregnant.
Maybe it's because I'm older and have had an opportunity to watch so many friends and family members have babies, but this is huge. Someday, God-willing, I will be someone's home for 9 months. My body will do what it was designed to do, to nuture a life and allow it the opportunity to grow into a beautiful baby. Right now, even though, we're (my husband and I) aren't quite *there* yet - I'm constantly keeping this in my mind as I make decisions around what I eat.
I truly believe that "food is thy medicine"
I know I have work to do still. In addition to cleaning up my diet I started seeing a chiropractor and naturopath. I was put on a number of different hormones to help with my imbalance, and while at first I felt great, I soon started to feel very fatigued and out of sorts. I just didn't feel like myself.
After starting acupuncture I decided to take myself off of the hormones and just stick to Chinese herbs and acupuncture (in addition to chiropractic care). It has been about 2 months now, and I feel better already. I don't feel perfect, but I feel better and more grounded than I have in a long time. I have had some side effects - which I'm working on, sans medicine. I have noticed that my skin is much drier than normal (despite the fact I drink a TON of water every day) and my skin isn't the greatest. To say I look like a preteen going through puberty is an understatement.
It's embarassing. But it's worth talking about. It's real life.
Our bodies are meant to do so much, and for most of us, our bodies do their jobs rather well. I decided to go back to cleaning up my diet (even more than I have been). I started a detox/cleanse, etc., call it what you will. Since January 1st I have had no dairy (with the exception of eggs in one meal - for protein...the first 2 days were rough), no meat, no processed sugar and no alcohol. I am not following any specific plan, but rather have created one for myself.
I have a calendar pre-set with all of my meals for the next 14 days. I'm testing this out to see how I feel. Typically it takes us about 21 days to really begin to see effects from these types of changes. I decided to start with 14 to see how I felt, and really, to see if I could even do it.
Four days into it and I feel good. I'm a little hungry, I'm not going to lie. It's hard to find new sources of protein. I'm also not someone who snacks very often, so eating in between meals has been difficult for me to plan for (even though I have tons of healthy snacks on hand, I'm not finding that I'm actually eating them). I am definitely detoxing though....I miss sugar. I miss alcohol. I don't miss dairy or meat. Weird.
The reason for this post is to be honest. To be real. To let you know that, certified health coach or not, we all have problems with our health and diet. We all have areas that need improvement. I could use less stress, more sleep and a better attitude (couldn't we all?). I am constantly learning. Learning how to listen to my body. Learning what works best for my body and lifestyle. Learning how to better myself.
It is so humbling to get your emails, your posts and your messages. Your words of encouragement and stories of how this blog is helping you make my heart smile. This is it, folks. This is your life. This is the body you were given.
Show it some love.
Join me. Share with me. Learn with me.
What are your reasons for bettering yourself? What is important to you right now or in your future?
Until next time...
XoXo,
Nicole
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