30 Day Renewal - Day 3 and Three Pounds Down

Health is a personal journey.

Weight is also a very personal journey.

Some people might read this and roll their eyes thinking that I really have nothing to worry about in terms of my weight. While it is true that I am not obese, depending on your definition, it is also true that my weight has been a private struggle and this is the first time I’m discussing it publicly.

I’m more comfortable telling someone my age than I am my weight. Not that my age or weight comes up in a conversation regularly, but it’s an interesting fact nonetheless. I’m sure many people feel the same way.

Lately, I don’t like looking in the mirror. I don’t like the way my clothes look on me. I don’t like the way I FEEL when I wake up in the morning.

It wasn’t always that way.

I was skinny as a kid – tall and lanky – but I could eat! My grandmother always commented on the fact that she didn’t know where I put it all. She said I had a hollow leg!

I lived my life being able to eat pretty much anything I wanted, and I stayed slim.

I was fairly active as a child and my mom was conscious about serving us healthy meals for the most part, but I could eat and eat and eat if I wanted to and it never impacted how I looked on the outside.

As I got older there were lifestyle changes as well as physical changes I experienced which seemed "normal". How I looked on the outside was starting to change, and I had to work out a little longer and a little more often to fit into my favorite jeans.

Then I met my husband-to-be and over time I didn’t exercise as regularly. We were incredibly comfortable with each other and so authentically in love with who each other was, that I didn’t care if I gained a few extra pounds here or there.

In my mid-thirties I had my daughter and started my business, Anamaya Resort, so I was chronically functioning on adrenaline. During that time I ended up losing a lot of weight as a symptom of elevated stress and working too hard. Operating like that inevitably ran my health into the ground and my thyroid, my adrenals and my metabolism were shot. Then my body started putting weight back on while I was simultaneously dealing with severe depression.

What a rollercoaster ride! Emotionally, physically and mentally.

That experience inevitably sent me on a journey to reclaim my health, and I partnered with numerous experts on the most misdiagnosed and misunderstood areas of women’s health. Everything I learned during that time I used to create the Optimal Health & Conscious Living Academy for women who felt their wellness and bodies were totally out of control.

During the creation of that program and after it was launched, I felt FANTASTIC! It’s hard to admit that after all that… after all that knowledge and support I received, and after creating a program that helped hundreds of other women…  I ended up falling back into a health funk.

Over the past couple of years my physical and emotional health took a turn in a direction I wasn’t anticipating, and among other issues I have slowly been gaining unwanted weight. Then the pandemic came along and tipped the scales… literally. Recently I realized I am heavier than I have ever been in my life (including when I was pregnant).

One of my goals for this 30-day renewal is to get back to feeling more like ME.

I know there are hormonal imbalances I’m experiencing (which I’m working on dealing with). I know since Covid hit there are emotional triggers I’ve been numbing with wine, chips & chocolate which have contributed to the weight gain.

I know a lot about hormonal health, proper sleep habits, body image, endocrine disruptors, toxins, and ALL THE THINGS when it comes to women’s health. Do I know it ALL? No, of course not. But what I do know is that I’ve made certain decisions that have gotten me to this point… so I'm choosing to make different decisions in order to create a new outcome for myself.

Today is day three of my 30-Day renewal and I’m 3 pounds down. My goal is another 18 pounds. Typically, in the beginning of a cleanse or detox, you lose more weight daily as your body releases retained water. I most likely will not reach my goal within the next 27 days because I’m not interested in doing some crash diet that will cause me more harm than good.

My focus is on health and wellness - not trying to fit into my old favorite jeans by a certain date. I don’t want to set myself up for failure, I want this to be healthy, sustainable, and successful.

I’m starting each day by drinking 16 – 24 oz of celery juice on an empty stomach, and I’m also doing the accelerated version of the Ultimate Lifestyle Transformation by a company called Purium*. Plus any meals I’m eating are from the recipes in the book Cleanse to Heal*. I’m also incorporating meditation, exercise, and drinking at least 100 oz of water per day.

I’m working on keeping myself accountable.
I’m working on my mindset.
I’m taking consistent action and I know my WHY!

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to heath, and I’m also realizing that what helped me in the past might look different to what will help me in the present. My personal approach to health and wellness needs to evolve, grow and change – just as I evolve, grow and change.

*I’m not affiliated with Purium or the book Cleanse to Heal. These are the current tools I’m using to help me on this new journey.