People are like books, filled with pages and chapters. Each page signifies a day and a lesson learned, while each chapter symbolizes a year of experiences. I recently celebrated my 41st birthday and I reflected on my 40th year —a significant chapter in my life brimming with invaluable insights, particularly concerning health. Today, I am eager to impart some of the wisdom I've gained as I step into my 41st year, embracing my identity as Anabella.
Let’s start by talking about physical health and how I learned to listen to my body. If you've read my older blog posts, you know that weight has been an ongoing issue for me. It seems like everyone has a new approach or a "magic" solution. Cut out sugar, try the keto diet, work out until exhaustion - the list goes on. The constant bombardment from society about different diet fads is enough to give anyone a headache!
On top of those challenges, I’ve also had my fair share of health issues - liver problems, thyroid issues, stomach troubles and chronic headaches. I learned that these issues were my body's way of communicating with me. Our health issues are just our bodies releasing important signals that indicate that something is off-kilter; but unfortunately, we often ignore or suppress these indicators with over-the-counter medication. When we do this, our symptoms either alleviate temporarily or worsen and new ones may arise. Why? Because our body is our friend, and yet, we are ignoring it.
The symptoms we experience during health challenges are our body’s way of screaming for help. Let me reiterate: our body is our friend. Isn't knowing that our body loves us enough to send us prompts that we are in distress, a beautiful way to think about the definition of health?
Historically, I battled with my weight, primarily because I neglected my body's cries for help. I lacked sleep, lived a high-stress life and I would constantly compare myself to others. I ate unhealthy foods and drank alcohol - I was not taking care of myself, plain and simple.
As I was sifting through the Instagram-world of bioenergetic and pro-metabolic eating lifestyles, I discovered a profile on Instagram that taught me the true meaning of health. Strong Sistas (@strong.sistas) saved my life. Their program called Rooted in Resilience, is Deaf-friendly and easy to understand. As someone who is devoted to learning and internalizing information, this eating lifestyle was easy for me to follow.
Here are a few cringe-worthy (but essential, I promise!) questions to ask yourself:
How is your digestion? Do you have regular bowel movements?
Are you getting enough sleep? Do you wake up in the middle of the night or struggle with restlessness?
What is your stress level? Are you incorporating daily physical activity? Are you moving your body for enjoyment or just to burn calories?
How often do you consume alcohol? Is it more than one drink a day? Do you drink every day?
Are you consuming bioavailable protein? Do you pair your carbohydrates with protein? Are you eating a variety of nutrient-rich foods?
Do you ignore your hunger signals by drinking water to suppress your appetite?
Do you experience fluctuations in body temperature throughout the day? How is your energy level?
There are more questions to explore, but take a moment and carefully consider each of those questions and then ask yourself:
Do keto diets teach you to pay attention to your body's signals?
Do vegan diets provide the necessary nutrients for healthy hair, skin, and nails?
Can low-fat diets provide you with steady energy throughout the day?
The answers are clear: NO.
Take a moment to reflect and listen to your body. I love Strong Sista’s "5 Big Picture Habits that can Greatly Improve Health":
1. Sleep
2. Engage in frequent walking throughout the day
3. Incorporate resistance exercise
4. Consume real, nutrient-rich food
5. Spend time outside and get adequate sunshine
In their Rooted in Resilience program, you will learn the HOW, WHAT, WHY, and WHERE to support your body's healing and vitality. Eating pro-metabolic is not a diet; it's a way of nourishing your body.
I’d love to share a few testimonies with you.
For months, I struggled with swallowing and talking due to persistent throat pain. Strong Sista’s encouraged me to take a full thyroid panel, which revealed hypothyroidism. I have had thyroid nodules since I was 20, unaware that they could be cured. By taking raw desiccated thyroid and other supplements to eliminate excess estrogen, my thyroid began to heal. Within a few months, I was finally able to swallow and talk again without pain.
Another example: For three years, I’d struggled to bring my iron levels up to optimal range. Once I started consuming liver daily or taking organ capsules from a reputable source, my iron levels improved significantly. Now, I no longer need iron supplements! Food is medicine and the right type of food has a healing effect.
It makes me cringe when people recount their weight loss journeys of shedding 50 pounds in less than 6 months. From personal experience, I know that being a size zero wasn’t sustainable and I would always end up gaining weight rapidly. I was skinny-fat and miserable. Instead of responding defensively to criticism about my eating habits, Strong Sista’s taught me to show people what I eat and why, rather than being critical and preachy.
I remember going to a family member's house and eating whatever was available. My energy levels plummeted, I suffered from chronic headaches, my sleep was disrupted, and I often reached for a glass of wine to calm my nerves. I learned that I cannot do that anymore. I must prioritize my well-being and be a better friend to myself. And guess what? I lost weight this way - but not in the conventional sense. I lost the weight of self-torture, worries, anxieties, people-pleasing, trauma, and self-hatred. In return, I gained self-love, self-awareness, self-acknowledgment, self-care, self-kindness, and most importantly, a new friend - my own body.
My friend, I hope this blog post inspires you to visit https://www.armstrongsisters.com and learn more about Strong Sista’s. If you're tired of diets, feeling sick, visiting doctors with no answers and trying countless failed diets, look no further. You will love Strong Sista’s, and your body will thank you.
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