5 Months Down... A Lifetime to Go!

May 6, 2021

Before...

For several years now, I haven’t been taking very good care of myself. As a mom, a wife, a daughter, a nurse… I have placed other’s needs before my own. I would sacrifice anything, including my health for those that I love. But don’t most of us have that frame of mind especially when comes to our kids? We want our children to have the best – to have things that we were not blessed with when we were kids. 

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

I have been looking into the mirror over recent years and not loving the person staring back at me. I have avoided pictures because I could not recognize that woman in that picture and was horrified that she was me. Isn’t it crazy how we can have that one image in our minds of how we are but when we see ourselves from another point of view, we don’t recognize ourselves?

I’ve tried diets and other self-help things over the years, but nothing seemed to help or work like I expected it to. Sometimes, I would place a lot of effort into them and other times, I would not. I always had an excuse as to why I couldn’t do it or why it didn’t work for me. I didn’t just need a diet; I needed a lifestyle overhaul! I needed a community of support. I needed someone cheering me on that could relate to my struggles. 

Skin issues

My health wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. For the past 5 years, I have been struggling with facial dermatitis and these random hives that would pop up unexpectedly. Those hives were mostly on my face at first, but it soon progressed to anywhere on my body. I thought I was having an allergic reaction to something, but I just didn’t know to what. It was uncomfortable. It was embarrassing. I did everything that I could think of – changed laundry detergents, body wash, facial cleanser, moisturizers, make-up, etc. Nothing worked. 

I finally went to the dermatologist and wasn’t given a definitive reason as to why I was experiencing this. I was placed on Xyzal 4 tablets daily and doxycycline 50mg daily finally after trying so many creams that just seemed to exacerbate the problem. I did this for 2 years. I really don’t know if it really helped. My hives did get less and less frequent, but the dermatitis was still there on my face. I found moisturizers that took away the itch – it was bad at times. 

Depression

I can’t tell you how depressed I felt and how hard I was on myself for not doing this or that. COVID hit and I felt like I started to let myself go even more. 

Change is in the air!

Then one day, I noticed a friend of mine talking about changing her lifestyle here on FB and how she had become a health coach. I watched her from a far for months. You know how we all act as FB stalkers sometimes! LOL Then one day, I decided that it was time for a change. I really wanted a change. I was tired of the way that I felt, the way that I ate, and of the way that I looked. I knew that I could be better than this. Finally, after all of these years, I decided that it was time to take care of me!

I CAN DO IT!

And look at me go! This journey that I have been on over these past 5 months has been very transforming. Not only for me, but for my family too. I feel so much better! I have so much more energy. I sleep so good at night – like a rock! I used to wake up to every little noise in the house and I would not feel rested at all of the mornings. I sleep so well now that I want to get up when my alarm clock goes off. I don’t need the morning coffee to get me going anymore. I’m happy. My mood has changed. I’m not as grumpy as I once was. Oh! The energy! I have so much more energy now. I get things done. I feel like getting things done! That is huge for me. 

I feel lighter like there’s nothing holding me down. I do not have to take all of that Xyzal anymore! I’m not on the doxycycline either. All of my skin issues have resolved! That’s one doctors visit that I can mark off of my list. After having 2 huge 9 & 10 lb babies, I had trouble with stress incontinence. Although, that hasn’t resolved, it is so much better now. Through the next phase of my journey, I’m excited to see how this will continue to improve. 

On top of all of this, I’m down 40lbs, and a total of 24.75 inches lost! When I look in the mirror, I’m seeing me again. I am digging myself out. I have kept myself buried for way too long! I love the “new” me. She is confident. She is beautiful. She is happy. She is healthy! I’m not finished with this journey… it’s a lifelong commitment to myself for a longer, happier, healthier life. 

This program is really transforming me into the person that I want to be. This is why I have decided to train to become a health coach myself. I want to be able to help other people in a different way than what I have in the past through nursing. I want to help other people to see their potential and to change their lifestyle into a healthy one. I have studied healthy lifestyle practices through nursing education for a long time. Now, I don’t want to just read about it, I want to help guide people on this journey to improve not only their health but their quality of life too.  

If you’d like to know more about this incredible life changing journey, feel free to reach out! I've decided to become a health coach and would love to coach you towards your health goals.