Wellness

I began seeing a physician with a “wellness/anti-aging” practice about 5 years ago. It was life changing for me. After we moved to Tuscola I kept seeing her but I have found another wellness doctor in Abilene that I’m going to now. Their philosophy is not to treat you after you get sick but to help you from getting sick. I’m all about that. Who wants to be sick? I have to warn you though that if you think you might want to find a clinic like this you are probably going to have to make some lifestyle changes.

I thought I would tell you about my latest “thing”. My doctor in Midland had encouraged me to do a detox diet a couple of times before but hers were nothing like what I’m doing now. When I first heard the word “detox” I had visions of spending the majority of my days in or near a bathroom but it’s nothing like that.

When I first went for the consultation with the nutritionist I thought “no way will I be able to do that”. I’m 1/2 way through it now. It lasts for 4 weeks and I can honestly say that with the exception of a couple of times of jumping off of the detox train I have stuck with it. I have given up caffeine, sugar, flour, beef and some other foods that can sometimes cause inflammation but I mention those because they were the most difficult (I thought) to give up. I didn’t think I could go without beef but Jacky killed an elk and I can eat wild game so that’s my red meat for now. I will say the 1st 3-4 days I did have to drink a some caffeinated tea in the afternoons to fight off a headache but now I am going caffeine free. I did cheat at a birthday part but got right back with it the next day.

Why in the world am I doing this? I was really just not feeling that great and on a 1-10 scale my energy level was a -1. I was sleeping 10 hours a night and taking a nap in the afternoon and not really getting much accomplished and didn’t care. I also had been having a lot of headaches and I thought I needed to give this a try. I knew I wasn’t eating well and those bathroom scales kept creeping up every week.

I can’t even begin to explain how much better I already feel. I’m sleeping more soundly but fewer hours. I wake up and am ready to tackle the day. I’ve even gotten my desk cleared off and am caught up on our bookkeeping, which is my least favorite job. I’ve found some great new recipes which I will share after the holidays and I’m even kind of enjoying cooking because it’s something different.

Will I stay on this strict plan? No. It’s not meant to be long term but I do think it was a great way for me personally to to get back to a healthy lifestyle. I kept telling myself “tomorrow”. I just couldn’t get to the place where I needed to be. After my consultation I waited for a couple of weeks to start and then 1 morning I just decided that today was the day.

If you are interested in what I’m doing or want information on finding a wellness physical you can email me: westtxwoman@yahoo.com and I will try to help you out.

I started this post about a month ago and am just now finishing it. I did finish the plan and here are the takeaways from it: First of all, I feel much, much better with less pain and more energy. Second of all, I gained some mental toughness in being able to not give up and eat some things that aren’t necessarily bad for me but I had to get off of them to be able to add them back in and see if they were really ok. I actually did learn that peanuts give me a headache.. Third, I lost aboout 5 pounds.

I just got back from a Christmas Market cruise on the Danube River. I will admit I didn’t eat very healthy on it but I did cut way back on bread and sugar so that when I got back I could easily get back to healthy eating and I didn’t come back with that 5 pounds back on. I know I won’t be perfect over the holidays but I think that the thought of how much better I feel will keep me going, at least for a while.

I’m not trying to live longer. I just want to live better while I am alive. I’ve done a lot of damage to my body over the years so anything I can do to repair it now can only help. Keep all of this in mind when you start thinking about those New Year’s resolutions. Merry Christmas, my friends.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6