This time last year, I was still struggling with my health. I couldn't do much and when I did, my body would hate me for days. I would get stabbing pain in my lower back and abdomen as well as constant pain in my leg and arm muscles pretty much all the time. The extreme fatigue did not help either. I would sometimes tear up from pain just to get out of bed. Little did I know then, that a few months later, I would add Fibromyalgia to my list of illnesses. I will spare you the details but all of it wore me out and took a toll on my mental health. The only thing that kept me going at the time was studying for my holistic naturopathy and nutrition exam. That was my goal and I put a lot of work into it. I broke down into tears from relief and joy when I passed as you can imagine.
Fast forward about 12 months and here we are. My pain has been very low for at least 3 months now (I'm actually afraid to say this out loud so please Universe, don't go all Murphy's Law on me!). I have a lot of energy throughout the day that I didn't have before. I can do things at the weekend like take a trip in the van or have long workout sessions or go on 8-kilometre mountain hikes (that's 5 miles for my non metric friends 😊). It might not sound like much for a standard person but it is pretty amazing for a spoonie. And it is definitely amazing to me. A few months ago, I never thought that I would be this active again without paying the physical consequences later. So let me tell you about what I have been doing. But before I go on, just remember that everybody is different and that my lifestyle might not work 100% for you and that you might have to tweak it to suit your needs. I am lucky enough to work for myself and to decide on my working hours... and even though I do have more energy than before, I still take short breaks now and then. Rest is essential for our bodies to regenerate and function properly.
January was a pretty bad month health wise. The aftermath of my exam, the effects it had on my body and mind and let's be real... it was a tad ambitious of me to think I could take 2 trips in one month without worrying about what I could or could not eat and how my body would respond... Anyhoo, it was bad and eventually took its toll on me so after I got back home, the first thing I did was to forgive myself for falling off the wagon and I started taking care of myself properly again.
I created a health routine, I even made a free guide about it (If you don't have it and want more health tips and recipes, you can find it HERE, it's free!...you're welcome 😊).
But about three months ago, I even took it further. The routine was working well, I was sleeping again and I felt happier however I was still in pain. So I focused on getting my body all the micro-nutrients that it needed. What is a micro-nutrient you ask? Well, first you need to know that "mAcro-nutrients" with an A are fat, carbs and protein. Micro-nutrients are commonly referred to as minerals and antioxydants (think acid folic, manganese, iron, potassium, amino acid, zinc for example) as well as all your vitamins. They are essential to the proper functioning of the body's various systems and work together with the macro-nutrients.. They are needed in small quantities everyday and a lack of micro-nutrients can lead to serious health issues such as anaemia, brain damage, miscarriages, osteoporosis, eczema, chronic symptoms and so on.
I receive emails and messages daily from people all over the world telling me about their health and what they are doing ...and I often say the same thing: it might not be what you're doing or what you are eating but it is more than likely what you are NOT eating or doing....
Of course what you eat and how you eat it is key as food is our primary medicine. But you also need to look at what you are not giving your body and what you should include into your everyday eating habits.
The answer is simple: Start juicing! And if you have just rolled your eyes at me, it is clear that you have never done it or not for long enough.
By juicing everyday, once or twice a day maybe morning and lunch (I am NOT talking about a juice fast here) and embracing a more plant-based whole foods diet, I promise you will quickly see an improvement on your health. Simple as that. I am proof that it works and with everything else that I am doing, juicing has tremendously helped to improve my blood circulation and boost my immune system. And it is not just me. By juicing and taking care of your gut, you can eliminate toxins and chronic diseases and bad bacteria. And let's face it, you can never have too many vegetables. It is also a very good way to get a great amount of veg if you don't like to eat them. In one tall glass, you can actually get all the benefits of three of four servings depending on what you put in your juicer.
You will also notice improvement in your digestion (since it is a juice, you will gain back the energy you normally use to digest your normal food), improvement in your skin (it will brighten and clear up), your vision will improve too (carrots contain Vitamin A which is good for your eyes for exemple), your energy will be off the charts (without any crashes later on), your body will get rid of the toxins (which can slow you down) leaving you with clean filtering organs (like your liver, colon and kidneys), you will get that hydration that is essential to our bodies since fruit and veg contain a good amount of water and finally, you will also start to lose weight. It will also improve your mental health as you will start to feel happier.
NB: you should not rely on juices only for hydration but continue to drink a lot of water everyday throughout the day, and if you find it boring, just infuse it with basil, lemon, cucumber, berries or whatever herb or fruit you like.
- Whatever you do, don't buy your juice as you do not want any added sugar or additives in it. Unless someone makes it at a juice bar in front of you, it is always better to make it yourself. If you want some quick recipes, I am thinking about posting a few so let me know if you are interested - on here or on Instagram - (There are already a few in my Instagram highlights in the Health Tips section).
Of course, you also need some common sense. If you continue to grill steaks every time you organise a barbecue or have fried food or chicken wings dipped in whatever greasy sauce or munch on sweets or crisps or all of the above, you will get little to zero benefit from juicing. However if you decide to seriously start taking care of yourself, eating right and juicing is the way to go.
It tastes fresh and delicious and you can get creative with fruit and veg of course, but also herbs and roots and plants. You will be amazed at what you can do and how your body will respond.
And for my spoonies out there, if you only have one or two spoons to spare, just do this for yourself, for your body. It will thank you later. (Juice, go back to couch, drink slowly and let someone else do the cleaning for today 😌)
Every little step counts and as I always say: do not forget that YOU have the power to heal yourself. It is never too late and choosing to do so is always a step in the right direction. You got this.
