A LIFE CHANGING MOMENT

When Jan asked me if i wanted to share some of my knowledge on his blog I was nervous and a little apprehensive as to where to start. What information can I (a fresh pharmacist living in the Whitsunday’s) give that people can be interested in I asked. I thought a good place to start and test out my blogging skills was to give you a little insight into my experience with health and fitness…

When growing up as a young female I guess I was considered somewhat lucky by my female friends as I was always on the slimmer side and never really had to watch what I ate. In saying this I was extremely lucky that my mum had always ensured we ate home cooked food and therefore it was instilled at a very young age that processed food and take away was not good for us. Thanks Mum.

Despite not having to worry about being overweight  I did still have to deal with some other emotional and hormonal imbalances that manifested themselves as acne, irritable bowel and my least favourite “stress”. The reason I say my least favourite  is this. Stress =increased cortisol=fat redistribution=a chubbier mid section (along with many other health problems). More on cortisol to come in later blogs …

UNIVERSITY

Next chapter was university. Cortisol was not my friend once again. The pressure of study, exams, tight finances, and being away from home (missing mums cooking and cleaning) ultimately allowed for a decline in my nutrition and fitness. Food consisted of mostly quick and easy packet meals (pasta, noodles), salad wraps or left over meals like curried sausages, pasta, stir fry and snack food for procrastinating (muesli bars,rice crackers, chips, lollies). Exercise consisted of walking three times a week.

Somehow I managed to avoid any major physical manifestations of the  “the uni bulge” however it was during this time that I started to develop chronic psoriasis, worsening of my acne, diarrhoea after most meals, a feeling of mental and physical exhaustion and became an emotional roller coaster. At this time, I attributed most of these symptoms to being in a stressful environment. And to some degree this was partly the problem. I did manage to graduate with a Bachelor of Pharmacy and moved home to start work with a strong drive to get back on track with my health.
I started working and got a mortgage… To which I discovered more cortisol. Perfect just what my body needed. I did however manage to get what I thought was back on track with my nutrition and exercise. I was cooking from raw ingredients (thanks to my thermomix) such as raw sugar, flour, eggs, milk to make most of my meals and snacks, rarely eating out or buying pre made foods and I joined the gym. I was attending classes as often as I could on my days off as I was not a morning person and finished too late in the afternoons. This sometimes meant doing two or three classes a day. I thought this was a good thing although I remember feeling tired and exhausted on these days but I believed I had worked hard and deserved to feel this way. This routine gave me very little time for relaxing and enjoying free time for myself. Even worse and more frustrating was that all my symptoms (dry, flaky inflamed skin, pimples, diarrhoea, stress) continued to worsen.

At this stage I was getting quite desperate and started seeking help. I went to doctors for which I was prescribed cortisone creams and oral corticosteroids which controlled but did not eliminate my psoriasis. I saw a naturopath and started taking natural supplements like krill oil and another hundred or so dollars worth of pills and applied a variety of creams to my skin. After 4 months of this tiring routine with little improvements I had had enough. I stopped all of it. I tried to eliminate some of the stress in my life, starting with working less hours and focussing on myself and creating time for me. And this is were the story gets interesting ….

It started with a man, as every good story does. Jan approached me at a gym outdoor training session where he chatted with me about training. He offered a free initial session to which I accepted as at this stage I was feeling bored and dissatisfied with my current training schedule. He got me at the initial session with his passion, belief, knowledge and enthusiasm about his style of training and way of life. I started training three times a week. He introduced me to some completely new concepts like foam rolling, mobility, the importance of fascia, recovery, the concept of less is more, effective weight training, sprinting, Paleo nutrition and seriously so much more. I believed in his concept straight away, which to this day still surprises me as I am a cautious person and always question things, but I saw in him a confidence and surety that made me believe. The best decision of my life to date…

My training completely changed. I changed my routine to train in the morning (tough to change this habit but definitely achievable). I train less (2 or 3 times a week) and for shorter intervals. I can lift weights I have never before without feeling intimidated, I can move and coordinate my body better than I ever could. I feel energised after each session, never tired or in pain. I spend less time exercising and more time enjoying life. Of course there were times where I struggled with this transition wanting to train more, push harder but when I allowed myself to trust the concept I reassured myself I was on the right path.

My nutrition consists of tasty whole foods that provide me with good quailty protein (grass fed meat/seafood), good fat (coconut oil/butter, avocado…) and natural good carbs (fruit and veg) with little or no refined/processed food. Eating this way has allowed me to see improvements in my acne, psoriasis and diarrhoea. Eliminating chocolates, chips, cakes, pastries, sandwiches, pasta, rice, oats, cereals, milk etc, overall has not been difficult for me. I think it is because I enjoy cooking, preparing and eating food that I know is tasty, nutritious and satisfying for my needs.
I have more time for myself and enjoying life. I am a firm believer that if you take a moment to stop and invest time in yourself, be it your health, your appearance, your attitude, your stress and take action steps to improve yourself everything else in your life will significantly improve. We only get one chance to live so why not make the choices that ensure it is a long and happy time.
Whole body integrated movements, primal/wholefood style nutrition and managing stress has allowed me to clear my skin conditions completely, change my body composition which looks much leaner and more defined, given me more energy, reduce my stress, improve my mood and ultimately given me a more enjoyable, healthier life. What more could I ask for…
Well there is one more thing…true love of course! Along this journey I was lucky enough to find this but that’s for another one thousand words…

Thank you Jan for believing in me. X