To My Body, I Heal

I don't think it really sank in for me about how important what I ate was-until I sat in the Doctor's office with a full blood panel in front of me. October 2020 was when my body decided it needed to become exhausted, nauseated and keep me up most of the night. It was after week two that I made the call to the Doctor-and within another week was sitting across from her with the blood results in my hands.

What she told me, not only surprised me-but brought a sense of "Oh. This is why I have been this way." Come to find out, I was lacking a deficiency of vitamins, not just from my diet but also from my blood cells. I have what's called Microcytic Anemia. What this means is that my red blood cells are smaller than the average person-meaning that my body has to work overtime to produce enough red blood cells to keep me balanced, causing a huge amount of exhaustion-but it also was not absorbing the nutrients I needed, because they're so little they can only take in so much.

Because of this, I have mood swings. Some days I have energy and I am productive and other days-I am exhausted, anemic, irritable, and so full of anxiety it can drive the people around me nuts. But it was in this moment as she prescribed medication to help me sleep, that I realized what I preached about as a Massage Therapist I would now have to follow.

Over Christmas Break in 2020, I found myself nestled in a cabin in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, far away from any McDonalds, Chick-Fil-A, or Little Caesars. I had no access to Coke-Cola or Pepsi, which is my biggest addiction especially when I am stressed out or worried. I had more openings for healthier food though and all the water one could need especially in high altitude.

I went cold turkey on most everything I was on, and as I type this I would recommend whether you believe that is the right choice for you or not. If it is not I would highly recommend you start by cutting back before you immediately start cutting out. In certain instances, cold turkey can be dangerous and even deadly.

As we meandered the little mountain town of Guffey, Colorado-there's a little grocery store on the edge of town called Mountain Aries-that had a book called "Eat Right For Your Blood Type." by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo. This book not only changed my view but helped me gain a better clarity for my goals for 2021.

The book gives an extensive explanation on what you should be eating and not eating based on your blood type. For example as I am an O- dairy is a no go for me, and can make me sick. Although everything I should stop eating I may not be able to fully pull out-due to having more mouths to feed than my own and cost, it was a blueprint to start healing my body like a good Massage Therapist says to-from the inside out.

Eating a cleaner diet is my number one goal for this year. Living in a city where it's far easier and cheaper to hit McDonalds for fries, I have begun to resist the temptation to go back to the habit of eating out and resisting the urge to pick up a Soda, which has been my hardest fight. I have started to buy organic where I can, cooking more than going out.

My second habit I need to implement is to drink more water. Colorado city water is covered in fluoride which is not healthy for you in mass amounts, and water has no flavor-so I avoid water like the plague. I bought a water bottle that has times and ounces of how much I should be drinking by weight. 108pds=54 oz. of water a day. If you are looking for an accurate way to measure your water intake, go by weight. Oversaturation is just as harmful as dehydration. If you are going to the bathroom every half hour to an hour you are over saturating and this can cause health issues.

My third intention-is the most cliché-is to work out. As a Massage Therapist I tear down my muscles every single day by working on someone and although the myth is "That's a full body workout!" my strength and my body mechanics will suffer because of it. In three years, I will no longer be able to do Massage Therapy if I do not keep my strength up. January 5th, 2021, I joined Beach Body. With Covid-19 and the expenses of a gym cost, I felt that if I was going to spend money I wanted it to be on something I can do at home and at any time. With it, came a group of women who pushed me and helped me through my limits, but without harming me to the point of torn muscles.

My most final ambition is two fold. I long to and desire for more money to come in from multiple income streams, Vocal being one of them. In this, comes the second portion, the ability to care for myself and my family within the creation of my own schedule and not that of another. (the money conversation is a whole other post.) Self care and self development is critical and essential to having a healthy life, for if one is out of balance then the rest will be.

I started this on Christmas 2020, and beginning January 2021, I have already seen a difference in me. I am sleeping better, so my rest has gone up. I can think more clearly and feel more deeply on a spiritual level because I am not bogged down by junk. I have two kids and because of this, I have a morning routine now including a 30 minute workout. I have started searching for work online to supplement income. I still crave soda but the withdrawals are not as fierce as they first were.

I have had to become more creative to cook healthy meals, taping me into places and people out of my comfort zone and out of my normal buying. As I have begun to heal physically, my mind and spirit have as well.

Healing starts with one step, even if it's a small one. I can't change my tiny blood cells, but I can be grateful for them, and take action to help my body produce better, so I can bring in 2021 abundantly. May your year be as wonderful and Abundant as you wish it to be.

Hello, 2021.