To answer this question, it’s probably best that I share with you a defining moment… that brought me to where I am today – coaching people like you on exactly what to do to break the family cycle of obesity so they can leave a legacy of health to their children by being an example of optimal wellness.
That defining moment in my life happened after my son was born. I experienced a lot of highs and some real lows. With the immense joy came a lot of stress, anxiety, and guilt from being a busy working mom. Not to mention the chronic fatigue and the 30 extra pounds I was sick of toting around long after wrapping up my stint with breastfeeding.
I remember, one night in the fall of 2017, I was literally looking at myself in the mirror right before a shower. I stared at this balloon around my waist that never seemed to pop and I was shocked by the run-down look on my face.
“What am I doing wrong?”
I cried, wanting to know exactly what was leaving me bloated all day, constantly sick with sinus infections, anxious, and tired no matter how much sleep I got at night or the amount of caffeine I drank during the day.
I wanted to be that fun mom, outside playing and crawling around with her kid. But instead I turned my son into a couch potato, too. I was tired, constipated, my brain was foggy. I was run down from work. I couldn't concentrate, my cholesterol and blood pressure were going in the wrong direction, and I was uncomfortable in my skin.
“This wasn’t who I wanted to be for my son!”
Something one of the strong women in my family told me a couple of years earlier kept ringing in my head, “Stomachs just run in our family after a certain age.” Was 35 that age? Was bloat, overweight and obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke (all things that plagued my family) inevitable for me too?
And then what about my son, was he destined for this? That got me moving. I had to do something to prevent him from becoming a part of the childhood obesity epidemic.
As the woman of the house, I had major influence and change had to start with me.
I did what my doctor told me to do: I got back into the gym. I tried out high intensity interval training and saw some results, but I was frustrated because my energy levels were still in the dumps.
Next, I incorporated eating KETO and while my energy rebounded a bit, it took a nosedive after a few months. Plus, my stomach bloating and constipation issues were nowhere near resolved.
I read blogs, I read books, I asked friends for help.
But right at the point when I was about to give up, that this was just my burden to carry, I discovered what the underlying issue was. And this discovery led me to functional medicine, health coaching, and whole food supplements.
Through functional medicine, I came to the realization that the majority of my issues could be resolved by paying attention to my body, managing my stress, and eating foods that give life instead of foods that perpetuate disease: fast and processed food.
By investing in a health coach, I found the support, guidance, and especially the accountability I needed to push myself when I wanted to quit.
Lastly, being open to whole food supplements to support my immune system, energy, focus, metabolism, and nutrient absorption was the missing link. Now, I was truly on the road to optimal wellness.
Trust me, this wasn’t an easy transition for me to make. But I just knew I had to get to the bottom of my symptoms and discomfort. So, after some blood tests, I learned my nagging tiredness was something called adrenal fatigue caused by chronic stress. I found that I had excess inflammation coursing through my veins, which directly affected weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol. While my traditional doctor was prescribing me medications to cover my symptoms, my functional medicine doctor was giving me a food protocol, acting on the premise that food is medicine.
I didn’t fully understand it, but somehow it made absolute sense. Coming from the world of public health education, I knew I was supposed to eat certain foods and stay away from others, but I honestly hadn’t spent much time thinking about it and actively applying it to my life.
The fact that food can cause many of the health issues I was dealing with gave me a sense of responsibility. Knowing that I had the capacity to heal some of these issues with food and natural supplements made me feel empowered. Relief came over me knowing that I didn't have to depend on prescription drugs and chemicals that just covered up my symptoms.
Hiding my true self and not really living life because of the excess weight, because of the brain fog, because of the stress and chronic tiredness... because of thinking my genes were destined to turn on me was no longer an option for me and my family. I knew too much and I had a responsibility to my children’s children to act.
Our genes don’t have the final say...we do!
Since I implemented this road map to better health, I've gained more energy, my anxiety has improved, the balloon around my belly is gone, and my wardrobe needed a complete resizing. This was all without drinking endless cups of coffee, starving, or spending hours exercising. Plus, I now know I'm being a positive example for my family by leaving a legacy of health.
I’m breaking the cycle.
I have since made a commitment to dedicate the rest of my professional life to helping other hard working moms break the family cycle of obesity and poor health, so they can leave a legacy of health to their children by being an example of optimal wellness.
I’ve worked with many private clients, spoken in front of countless groups: I lived my dream of helping women to ignite their fire to get healthy for themselves and for their family and I have created The 90 Day Fat Loss Accelerator Experience ™.
The 90 Day Fat Loss Accelerator Experience is a series of 6 phases every hard working mom needs to achieve optimal wellness, release excess belly fat, get more energy, sharpen focus, de-stress, and boost their immune system.
The simple 6 phase roadmap to ignite your fire for health and fuel your life includes:
1) Gather Mindset Materials to Start Your Fire
2) Fuel Your Fire with Real Food
3) Stoke Your Fire with Intentional Living
4) Put a Match to Your Fire with Smart Supplementation
5) Keep the Fire Burning with Enjoyable Exercise
6) You Don’t Need Water, Let Your Fire Burn
