Mandy's Tips for Everyday Health
My story
I was born on Vancouver Island, couldn't have been born in a better place. I was raised in a religious house hold. My family is the best family I could have ever asked for. I have a beautiful sister and a hilarious brother, me being the oldest. My parents put me in a Christian school until grade 10, then from there I went to a public school. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, I just wanted to hang out with my friends and party. I got a job at the local bakery and worked there for 5 years. I had my son at the age of 20. Then I decided that I wanted to be a drafter so I went to the college here and took the drafting course and now I design bridges at an engineering firm in town. Around the same time I got my job I met Tod and his wonderful daughter.
Sitting here and thinking about how far we have come, we meaning my son and I, into the world of health. I could have never done it without my husband. I probably wouldn't have done it at all if it weren't for him, because before Tod I didn't know anything. I walked around saying, “Why me? Why can’t I have what they have. Energy, smiling faces, just the time to enjoy life! Why did I get dealt the shitty card? How do I change? What do I change? Where do I start?” I hated seeing runners out running. I was so jealous, I never had energy. I drank on weekends, even week days and wasted my evenings watching TV and eating junk food.
Before I met Tod all I wanted is to be in a healthy relationship, one where you truly respect one another and where you would do anything to make the other person happy. But that wasn't in my life and I longed for it. My parents relationship is very close, they would kiss in front of us kids. At the time I thought it was gross but now it's just cute. They were happy and I wanted what they had.
I have always been one to eat my veggies but I had no idea how far I had to go to get healthy. I started drinking a bit less, voluntarily being the DD when we would go out dancing, and that is when I met Tod (Kind of ironic how I met him in a bar, seeing as we both don't drink anymore). He was very impressed how I wasn't drinking that night. We talked all night and danced a little bit. He asked for my number and that’s how it all started. Friends said that Tod was a runner and all he ate was fish! 'I’m not a huge fish person' is what I thought. But meh! Tod’s hot! We went out for a movie and he took me to a Mother Mother concert and we had so much fun together. Staying up til 4 in the morning, being extremely tired at work and doing it all again the next day. We were so head over heals for each other.
I was a smoker and a drinker at the time. Tod looked past it for 2 months. Until we started to get more serious. I went out drinking one night and came back to his house. I was clearly a mess and he wasn't impressed with me. He took me home and I felt awful about how dumb I was acting. The next day he said to me, ” I need you to quit smoking and drinking, enough is enough. I want to think about our relationship more seriously but I wont have a girlfriend who her pollutes her body this way. I need a responsible woman, a healthy woman. One who can love me the way I deserve to be loved. And I can’t get that from you if your always down on yourself from eating unhealthy food, being hung over and having low self esteem. If you feel bad about yourself how can I get what I need from you? I am the best I can be for you every day, to treat and love you the way you deserve and I need it back!”
After this I was disappointed in myself and a bit mad. I was also a bit offended thinking 'I don’t treat you the way you deserve to be treated?' And I didn't want to quit smoking and drinking yet. I felt like I was young and could do those things if I wanted to, but Tod meant so much to me so I decided that I had to grow up and I quit drinking and smoking - cold turkey. It was brutal. I was cranky, winy, irritable, short tempered, annoying, and craving cigarettes like never before. Tod put up with my crap! I don’t know how but he did. I got these toxin head aches everyday. They were the stored toxins, like nicotine, leaving my body. I drank tons of water to help flush them out. I felt like I was going through withdrawals! Meanwhile Tod was cooking us healthy meals with a huge organic salads every night and I started to feel better day by day. I stopped eating out on lunch breaks with my coworkers and started packing a lunch, eating dinner left overs or a veggie sandwich. Packing soaked nuts and veggie sticks for snacks. I noticed as time went by I had more energy, I was smiling more, I was painting more, I lost weight, I was playing with the kids more, and for the first time I was enjoying life like I should be and i had Tod to thank for all of it.
The next steps I took towards health were:
- stopped eating deep fried foods
- stopped using table salt and switched to celtic sea salt
- stopped drinking cows milk, bought unsweetened almond milk
- stopped using the microwave
- making sure all the veggies and fruit I bought were organic
- cut chips and cheezies out of our diet
- stopped eating white flour and white rice
- stopped eating meat with hormones and preservatives, including deli meat
- stopped eating dyed cheeses, switched to unpasteurized cheese
- stopped eating refined sugar, no pop, no candy
- cut soy out of our diet
- cut out all oils except for cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil
- starting buying gluten free products
- started baking with organic oat and brown rice flour so it was gluten free, used honey and maple syrup instead of sugar, used banana instead of egg, used unsweetened almond milk instead of cows milk and use coconut oil instead of butter, so they were soy-free, sugar-free, gluten free, dairy free and made with organic ingredients! Healthy!
Now all of these things didn't just happen over night. I think it took about 1.5 years for me to get here. Day by day I try to make good decisions for myself and for our family, but what mother doesn't!
After the first six months I started to have enough energy to attend Zumba classes twice a week. I started running too! I ran the Times Colonist 10K in Victoria, BC. Tod was so proud and I started to really appreciate life. It all happened with just little changes to my diet over a long period of time. They seemed little but they were huge. I even felt like a better parent and a better girlfriend. Now that Tod and I are married with our new addition I couldn't be anymore happier. Everyday I stop and look around at my life and all the things I have. I'm not jealous when I see runners out running anymore, haha! Life is wonderful and I hope you all feel the same about your own lives!
Being inspired...
'Conscious health means choosing health. It means choosing health with understandind, awareness, intention, and vision. Conscious health is the active and deliberate creation of a vital body, mind, and spirit, with full knowledge, understanding, and belief. We create our lives, and we have the power to re-create them. When we are fully conscious, we can take responsibility for our own health. We can make the necessary choices and decisions. We can determine our health destiny.'
This book, Conscious Health by Ron Garner, has inspired me to live a productive, healthy, vibrant life. The book focuses on eating as much raw organic food as you can to build an alkaline ph balance, which is best for our bodies. It gives great tips on how to start. It talks about how the body works and how to prevent disease and sickness. Ron gives many examples of people who have beat cancer and disease just by eating a healthy diet. He talks about how it's important to stay away from stimulants, preservatives, junk foods, most meats, soy, sugar, etc.
Every time I read this book I feel like I've learnt something new. I look to this book as a reference daily.
I have emailed Ron a couple times asking him questions, about eating gluten-free and about pregnancy. He always gets back to me and is very nice.
Being honest, at times I get discouraged about healthy eating. Why? I don't know, maybe because I'm human. I think it's hard to see everyone else around eating other foods (that I don't eat) and I know that they taste some what good but they definitely aren't good for you. But for some reason I feel like I might be missing out. Like at gatherings with friends when other kids eat hot dogs but our kids don't. Or when I go out with friends and they have a beer or a drink but I don't. At times like these I need this book. I read a paragraph, any paragraph, and I know I am doing the right thing for me and my family. If I went out and ate McDonalds or ate junk food I know I would feel sick right away. My body tells me that it isn't for me and I listen to it. If we do eat out we always pick the healthiest thing on the menu and try to eat local and organic.
This book has taught me how to take care of my body. How to eat, drink, and even how to forgive (which is an important lesson in life that everyone needs). The part that excites me the most about being healthy is how it is slowing the ageing process. I want to live a long life. Be able to see my grandchildren get married and have kids. I want to live a disease free life, without back pain, Alzheimer's or cancer. I want to be happy and to be loved like everyone does and I know that I will get those things because I am doing what is right for my body.
There are so many people in this world who are barely living. People with depression, disease or sickness. I think most people who are unhappy (like how I used to be) are that way because of the food they eat. Unhealthy food creates toxic build up in our bodies which lead to joint pain, sore tummies, IBS, arthritis, bad skin, fatigue, depression...and so on, which makes us miserable human beings. All those things can and will be changed if you focus on being clean. Who knew that eating healthy was the key to happiness.
