Reassessing My Approach to a Balanced Life

Being focused on nutrition and physical fitness was not enough for me to stay healthy.  I was lying in a hospital bed when I realized that I needed to shift my mindset and put my life into balance.  I realized that all the kale smoothies and endless hours of pilates wasn’t enough to create the balance that I needed.  

 My husband was away during the week for work and I was maintaining the household and 3 kids all by myself.  My oldest was 10 and my youngest was 5.  Of course this challenge did not prevent me from signing up for all the volunteer opportunities at the school including classroom parent, crossing guard chaperone and weekly book club guide to name a few.  I was also inundated with youth sports including club gymnastics, soccer and little league baseball. My husband was home on the weekends and that provided huge support, but Sunday night would always inevitably come around, and we all said our heartbreaking goodbyes before diving right back into another hectic week.
Then one day I woke up with a dull, achy pain in my abdomen. I wasn’t too concerned, despite the fact that I had no desire to eat anything and exercise was out of the question. I went about my busy week - putting the kids first as I always did. Finally, after a week of this relentless pain, two trips to Urgent Care and a trip to the Emergency Room, the doctors realized that my appendix had burst and I needed emergency surgery. Due to the length of time I had suffered with a burst appendix, my hospital stay was longer than most who undergo appendectomies.
While recovering in my lonely hospital room, I realized that this was not the life for me. I needed to take care of myself- my whole self - and to make myself a priority so that I could be the best mom to my kids and a best friend to my husband and in turn they would provide me with the loving relationships I needed to be healthy. Learning to manage my stress, turning to my spiritual side, mending my relationships, and taking care of myself physically were all important parts in my healing process.
Enrolling in the Institute of Integrative Nutrition to become a Holistic Health and Wellness Coach was a natural next step for me.  Let me help guide you on your journey to a balanced life focused on nutrition, physical fitness, and healthy relationships.