My Journey To Vibrant Health

“Keep in mind that wellness is not a destination, but a lifelong conversation. It’s a commitment, a relationship, and a communion with your body — for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. And above all, it’s a decision to treat ourselves with absolute kindness and respect. To treasure our lives. Nourish our bodies. And take nothing for granted.”

— Jess Ainscough

We all have a story that got us to where we are today. Here’s mine.

A biochemical imbalance in my teens landed me in a rehabilitation facility for six weeks. I could blame my irresponsible wild-child behaviors, my genetic predisposition to depression, or the Western medicine approaches that clearly weren’t working for me. Nevertheless, it was my rock bottom. It shook me to my core and gave me an awakening that forever changed the trajectory of my life. It was then and there that my search for answers and true health began.

Three nutrition degrees later, and with a lot of support and guidance along the way, I began implementing foods and rituals into my life that helped me overcome my confusion and disjointed understanding of what true health really is. Through this process I didn't just change; I found myself. And it's the transformation I experienced from them that ignite my passion to pass them on.

If you're looking for some guiding light, here are the fundamental principles that have redirected my path.

1 ⎟Food Is Medicine
"What most people don't know is that food is not just calories; it's information. It actually contains messages that communicate to every cell in our body. Our gene expression, our hormones, our immune system, our gut flora, our brain chemistry, our muscle mass, our metabolism and more are all changed with every single bite of food.” - Mark Hyman

The quantity and quality of nutrients you ingest affects every system in your body: cardiovascular, digestive, muscular, skeletal, lymphatic, endocrine, reproductive, urinary, and nervous system. In other words, how you look and feel is directly affected by your daily nutrient intake. Your bones replace themselves every 10 years, your liver every 6 months, your skin every 35 days. Your body makes new cells from the food you eat. What you eat literally becomes you. So forget headaching over points, calories, or grams of [insert exhausting equation]. The key to cultivating your most vibrant health is not about eating less, it's about nourishing more. Keep it real, fresh, and authentic. Eat local, seasonal, and organic whenever possible.

2 ⎟One Size Does Not Fit All

Maybe you eat a clean, wholesome diet and still suffer from symptoms. Or maybe your friend is having great success eating one way, and no matter how much you follow suit, you can't achieve the same results? Most people struggle with their health because they lack a personalized approach that meets their bio-individual needs. Identifying hard-to-detect food intolerances and correcting imbalances requires going far beyond a “one-size-fits-all” diet. Personalization backed by evidence-based science is the key to success. Your health (and health goals) are unique to you, which is why the most effective solutions are found within realistic strategies designed specifically for you and contoured to your biochemistry, health history, genetics, personal preferences, and lifestyle.

3 ⎟Identify Root Cause For Real Solutions

“If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won't have to hear it scream.” - Unknown

Every day your body sends you messages that desire to be decoded, understood, processed, and assimilated: energy levels, headaches, joint pain, brain fog, cravings, bloating, discomfort, or restlessness. Rather than targeting each symptom individually, we embrace a functional approach where we look for the underlying root causes of these symptoms to produce longer lasting health outcomes. The goal is to correct imbalances before they turn into major problems, and work together to build your ability and confidence to decode the messages your body is sending to you, loud and soft. Our bodies are self-healing when we slow down, tune in, and provide them with what they are calling out for.

4 ⎟Daily Habits Breed Results (not the next fad diet)

"You'll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine." - John Maxwell

Why is it that we think if read a book on healthy living, we will instantly become healthy? It takes practice and studying yourself to learn from your mistakes and understand which areas you need to build in more strategy or support to improve and reach your goals. Intention is the art of living deliberately; deciding how we want to live our lives and then practicing living our lives that way. If you want to change, you must make intentional daily decisions until they form into unconscious daily habits.

Think about it this way - when you first learned to drive a car, you thoroughly considered every move you made. But now, you might drive to work and have no recollection of how you got there because every action you took was an unconscious habit you've formed over time. The same goes for healthy living. The initial changes you make to live a healthier lifestyle will undoubtedly take some upfront concerted effort, but overtime they will become second nature.

But let's face it: healthy eating won't turn into healthy living if it feels like a chore. Yes, change can be hard. Making a consistent effort to eat right, exercise routinely and manage stress, while still juggling your social life and your own needs can feel overwhelming. In the beginning, you might take two steps forward and one step back. But small hiccups don’t make you a failure, they make you human. Instead of beating yourself up with harsh self-talk, remorse, guilt, or shame, recognize that we all must fail forward in order to succeed in the long run. Progress, not perfection is the key to true success.

Almost every habit that you have — good or bad — is the result of many small decisions over time. Which means the stepping stones of sustainable transformation and lasting change can also be achieved through thousands of daily micro-decisions. Rather than making unrealistic and unsustainable attempts to achieve our health goals all at once, start by setting small goals that easily fit into your current lifestyle. Making simple, more manageable shifts today, like a small adjustment on the rudder of a boat, can steer you in a whole new direction for years to come.

Let this be a reminder to embrace the power that's in your hands. Each day is a new opportunity. There’s no expectation to “be good” or make the “right” choice. There is, however, power you have every day to nourish your cells, treat yourself kindly, and live to your fullest potential. After all, we only get one shot at this life.

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