Journey from Disconnect to Devotion
To all coaches, nutritionists, teachers, health practitioners, families, friends and fellow human beings!
We are in a pivotal time in our history and as the statistics continue to show our health here in America is steadily on the decline. The rates of “diabesity”, obesity and diabetes, in our country are depressingly alarming. In a recent report published by the Center of Disease Control (CDC), 34.2 million Americans are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes while 88 million have prediabetes, which is over 110 million and accounts for one-third of the US population!
My personal health journey has led me down a path, and a calling, to help others take control. Although I personally have changed and learned so much, I also feel I have just begun my journey of self-exploration. Many people who knew the “old me” saw a shift and were impressed by my dedication. I recently realized that word did not sit right with me after listening to a podcast by Eric Godsey who used devoted rather than dedicated. Devoting myself to my health makes me feel how others may be devoted to their family, spouse, and faith. The word devotion captures my true feelings about how important these lifestyle changes have been for me.
While I was at Bauman College studying holistic nutrition, I was saturated with so much powerful information which I implemented to change my own life, but this information also inspired me to help loved ones, friends and acquaintances to shift their health. Now, I will be honest, my initial approach with my loved ones was not the best, and oftentimes it was not well received. No matter how passionate and well-intended my message was, I learned that people do not want to be told what to do; even if they tell you they do, most people will rarely follow through with a plan because if it was not their idea to begin with. As I have progressed in my approach to helping people, one of the most important lessons I have learned from my own experiences and from my coursework that led me to become a certified Health and Wellness Coach through the Kresser Institute, is to be present with those who are in need. We can all do this. Creating a space to show you care and actually hear what someone is going through is a huge first step in helping all of us to support one another on this shift to optimal health. Your health, your life!
The statistics don’t lie, and honestly, the statistics are not even needed to know where the health of our country is. Most people are on multiple medications, eat a standard western diet consisting of highly processed, nutrient-poor foods which obscure the ability to thrive due to the lack of essential vitamins and minerals. This leads to the struggle with many chronic illnesses. I have spent the past year connecting with friends and family all over the country in varying environments. No matter the location, the theme was fairly consistent: people are disconnected from their bodies.
People’s lives are infiltrated with tons of screen time, there is little to no mindful behaviors or prioritization of self-care. These problems are then exacerbated when combined with irregular sleep patterns which further contribute to a sense of being on constant auto-pilot and overall disconnect. I find myself now in a place where I have devoted my life to building routines and strategies to support myself, and hope to help others do the same.
Prior to being devoted to my body and my health, I feel like I endured a lifetime of being reliant on pharmaceuticals and doctor office visits. I always wanted to find an easy way out of whatever was ailing me at the time. I hope that others will see how far I have come and be interested enough to know how they can do the same. I can share my story to inspire others to take back their health. Observations that I have made sadden me because it seems that until people are presented with an ultimatum or an outcome that they HAVE to make changes, most do not want to. It seems it often takes a diagnosis of cancer, diabetes, heart disease or another major chronic illness to initiate change, but even then, oftentimes; people will turn to the quickest way out rather than looking at the big picture root cause. I am constantly asking myself how I can support others to create changes in their lives as a proactive solution rather than reactive necessity.
I was sick of being sick. I realized that my excessive drinking, my poor eating habits and terrible sleep were the main drivers of my unhealthy pattern. The pattern was gone out and get some drinks followed up with a late-night trip to Denny’s to eat a “tremendous twelve” which is pancakes, sausage, 2 eggs, hashbrowns and a muffin plus a chocolate shake and probably more dessert at 2AM. The day after drinking was usually spent running to the bathroom, popping Tylenol for my head and having an overall sense of feeling like garbage. At 6’4” and about 190 lbs. at the time I was active, fit and never missed work for how I was feeling. On the surface everything looked fine, but at the root of it all I was always dealing with some sort of illness or pain including stomach issues, chronic back pain, headaches, anxiety, depression, common cold and seasonal flu, allergies and the list goes on. After making this realization, the first step was to remove the alcohol then start building on a foundation of healthy eating habits. This led me to the doorstep of a program that helped pave the way for me to get the information necessary to do so. Attending Bauman College in 2018 was the first step in me regaining my health through diet and lifestyle changes and providing me the tools in order to do so.
Our broken, junk-food crazed, pharmaceutical driven society is in need of a global wake up call. How can we, as a country and world, support each other and future generations to come together to heal ourselves and the earth? This is important work and it will take a community to continue to spread the word of health. It is through the restoration of eating real unprocessed whole foods, moving our bodies, focusing on sleep and community connection that we can solidify the pillars of health.
We need to support our bodies and minds while respecting the gifts we have been given. All that we need has been given to us here on this earth. It is through action, community, and devotion that we can flourish as individuals and society. Reflecting back, I now see that how I lived for so very long was not in service to myself, nor anyone around me. Since devoting myself to this journey, I feel the best I have ever felt in my life. I no longer need pharmaceuticals to get me through my days, I have not been sick in over three years and my drive and motivation to show up for not only myself but for anyone who needs support is unmatched. I challenge you to experiment with many different whole foods, add in mindful practices such as yoga, meditation, journaling and breathwork and see how you can change direction to begin the journey from disconnect to devotion.