"I See Abs...People!"
Almost Fourteen years ago I gave birth to a beautiful girl and a year after that I was blessed with a boy. They have been the joys of my world but prior to having them I had something that I have missed and never thought would return again...ABS!! That's right, I had abs. I had always managed to lose most of the weight I gained but somehow my belly managed to stick around.
What made things worse is that I just happened to have the MOST ATHLETIC SISTER IN THE WORLD! After popping out four amazonian sons she dropped right back down to her normal weight and her stomach was gone with the wind. At the time I was aware that I had a thyroid condition but was ignorant the affects it can have on your body. Years later I was informed that I was also dealing with Fibroid Cysts which is much too common amongst women today. Though these cysts have no visible affect on some women others end up with what resembles a pregnancy belly (you can gues what category I fit into).
Once I began to experience symptoms of these ailments in late 2014 early 2015 I had no idea what was going on. I gained about 15lbs that I couldn't get off, I was moody, had frequent Migraines and my already stressful work environment became unbearable. My body could no longer tolerate the abusive relationship (poor diet, alcohol, coffee, lack of exercise, Motrin, Aleve and other over the counter meds). I felt hopeless and I thought things would never change, I figured these are just things I would have to deal with for the rest of my life. My kids encouraged me not to give up so I decided that this was going to be my fate.
I began to search for natural remedies and was lead to the Michigan Institute of Natural Health. I began taking classes studying herbal history, nutrition, body systems and the minerals needed to make them function properly. I had an "aha" moment when I realized that before drug stores or hospitals were invented "Food was medicine". Though I have read and heard quite negative things about herbs they are simply food. I began to practice remedies on myself, some worked wonderfully, others didn't seem to work but helped with something I didn't know I needed to fix. It wasn't until I learned how to put myself on an herbal regimen, how to eat to live instead of living to eat and began walking several miles as often as I could that I saw physical changes.
I was motivated to continue learning and living this lifestyle. I now understand that consistency is more important than rigorous activity and your daily intake will fuel you or fail you. Though herbs are food, herbal regimens are temporary and the only thing you should do for a lifetime is eat and be active. Living an active lifestyle is many things for many people but for me I have been a Dancer all my life. I began to teach Dance again and it has made the difference physically and spiritually for me. When I don't Dance I simply go for a walk.
Is my physical body perfect? Well, I feel pretty darn good. I don't get headaches and if I do I know how to correct myself. I now have energy that I forgot existed and as icing on the Cake I will be a Master Herbalists soon and a Naturopathic Doctor in shortly thereafter (I'm so excited, I had to share). This is a lifetime journey for me so I'm far from done but as for today......... I SEE ABS PEOPLE!!!!
Peace
