I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions!
I’m about focusing on change by building new not fighting old!
Last week, after I gave myself the harsh reality check, I looked myself straight in the eyes. I admitted to myself that I wasn’t happy with how I’ve been feeling these past 3.5 months.
It all started after a life changing experience. I spent 1 year travelling and living in many countries around the globe. I lived in Bali for almost 5 months and completed a second yoga teacher training course, this time 300hrs in Yoga Therapy. In Cambodia now, I visited my dear friend Deb in Cambodia and stayed for almost 2 weeks. I flew to back to Canada, stayed for a month and then I was off again. This time for work! I was the private yoga teacher and chef to a fashion photography crew of 3 young ladies and different international models throughout my 2 month gig. Portugal, Ibiza, and Morocco were breathtaking. I flew to Italy and Switzerland to visit friends and family and stayed for 3 months! In Foligno, Umbria, I reconnected with my ex-boyfriend of 18 years ago!
Never in a million years did I ever expect that I was still in his heart and that he was the one who was able to open my heart to a deep, respectful, compassionate love. I was on cloud 10. Is there such a thing? Well there was for me …. for a whole 3 months!
All that euphoria was replaced by another reality upon my return to Canada on September 23, 2018. This time against my deepest desires.
HARSH REALITY #1
I had sold every material item I owned the year before. I only kept my car and of course, clothes, books and electronics needed for working.
HARSH REALITY #2
I had given up my cozy full-time teaching job to pursue my passion. My desire to educate and support those who want to live a more natural, holistic healthy lifestyle.
HARSH REALITY #3
At 46, I find myself living with my parents (I am grateful everyday but it’s still difficult for all of us!), in a small town (I love Niagara-on-the-Lake but I’m so far from civilization , I don’t have a steady income, I’m busting my ass of picking up different sales and wellness jobs and feel like I’m not being appreciated and taken advantage of, I left the LOVE of my life, Stefano, in Umbria, Italy, 8,000km away! Now, at the same time, I’m building my dream of having my own holistic health and wellness practice which is a full-time investment.
WHEW …. that was a mouthful!!!!
My motivation to stay on track (yes even as an experienced holistic nutritionist and yoga teacher) and eat clean and healthy has been replaced by evil things!
I regularly give into unhealthy cravings. I stay up late past midnight and I wake up exhausted at 9am. Lethargy, excuses and lack of motivation sets in. I can’t even exercise, do 30 minutes of my own personal yoga practice or even go outside – its FREAKIN FREEZING here when you’ve been used to 30-40C for the past 16 months!!!! (I know it’s just an excuse but in my defense, I strongly dislike weather below 15C).
My days are spent, visiting clients or consulting with them over the phone, working on my client protocols, researching reading researching reading. I manage to sometimes cook a meal for myself, give myself minimal self-care and sleep!!!!
Do you get the picture!
Can you relate at all?
So I called in the SQUAD 
and put together attainable strategies by starting off slowly!
I want to feel OPTIMALLY HEALTHY like before or even better!
Thankfully, I live and breathe the natural holistic nutrition and functional medicine world and have been well educated and trained in it, so I got this!
I started to SLOWLY DECREASE the culprits ONE by ONE. I made a list of 4 things that I could stick to:
- Get to bed by 10pm, lights out by 10:30pm.
- Listen to @insighttimer so I give myself 30 minutes of meditation.
- MOVE MY BODY by getting a membership @vintage_hotels and taking different strength, cardio and of course regular gentle yoga classes.
When you teach, it’s nice to be taught!
4. Replace grains, sugars and certain fruits and vegetables with low lectin or lectin free options. It’s a huge adjustment because I was mostly vegan so I have had to modify that a bit! I eat fresh water wild caught SMALLER fish, pasture raised, grass fed organic eggs, tempeh and @edenfoods beans (they are pressure cooked so most lectins are removed plus they DONT line their cans with harmful xenoestrogen chemicals!) for the my major protein sources.
There is still a few more things I need to do. I have to get a full set of endocrine, lipid and metabolic blood tests and saliva tests and a urine heavy metal test but it’s my bedtime now! I will leave that discussion for another blog post where I will share the results of my BREAST THERMOGRAPHY.
Thank you for reading, for inspiring me to continue even when I want to give up and for being YOU!
Buona notte…..