2 years ago, I was staring down the big 5-0 and wondering what I was doing with with my life. I was feeling more tired than I'd ever been, had zero job satisfaction, and was at the heaviest weight I had ever been, including in my 2 pregnancies.
When I looked in the mirror, I just didn't recognize the person looking back out at me. I sat back and took stock of my life, and realized that there had to be more - more excitement, more fun, more everything.
It wasn't always this way for me. I was a competitive athlete well into my thirties. I trained for the career I had, and was well reimbursed for what I did. I always had a great circle of friends, and a wonderful social life. However, I realized that despite what I had been telling everyone, the personal challenges that I had faced 3 years earlier really had taken a toll on me, and I had retreated into a very small, closed world, choosing to self medicate with food, laziness and self-denial.
In a moment of clarity on that October day in 2010, I knew that I was slowly and surely heading for a life of ill health - both mentally and physically. What was I doing? I wanted to be around to see my children grow up, get married, and have my grandchildren. I wanted to enjoy my life and have better health, but I wasn't doing myself any favours.
Over the previous few years, I had tried different ways to lose weight - Dr. Bernsteins, Weight Watchers, you name it, I had tried it. They would work for a while, but once I started eating in the real world, the weight would come back.
I decided that there had to be a better way.
Through my research, I not only found the way to better health, I found a new career, and a new purpose!
In March of 2011 I started a full time program at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and quickly realized that I had made one of the best decisions of my life.
As I learned about Natural Nutrition, I applied all of the learning to my situation. In essence, I became my first client. What a difference! I started feeling clearer, cleaner, had more energy, and best of all, the weight started coming off and staying off!
Over the next 15 months, even though times were stressful combining a full time job with school, I never flagged in my determination to finish what I started.
The reward came on October 18, 2012 - the notification that I had passed my board exam and I was now a qualified Registered Holistic Nutritionist. It was almost 2 years to the day from when I looked in the mirror and said that I wasn't going to live my life the same way anymore.
I've enjoyed the learning process so much, and the reward and joy of good health that it brought to me. I know that I will continue to explore and learn and add to the expertise that I can bring to my clients and their needs.
I'm looking forward to what the next chapter in my life brings.
