Health as Evolution – My Journey

By Traci P.

So Apple Ridge Staff – Here begins a new endeavor! As a commitment to help with our staff focus on health and wellness, I have offered to begin our health discussion by sharing my own wellness story. I am by no means an expert in the field. I am not the most healthy person you (or I) know, and I am certainly not an authority. However, I do possess one quality that can help to motivate others: I am passionate about health and wellness, I strive to constantly learn more, and I love to help others and share with those who are on a similar journey.

My journey to wellness, and my interest in health, began in my mid-thirties.

I’d spent the first third of my life, not really paying attention to what I ate, or how my body worked. I was overweight, undernourished, inactive, uninspired, and had little self-esteem. (Yes, these things all go hand-in-hand!). I had convinced myself that “this was just the body I was given”, it was my heredity, “Scandinavians are ‘thick’ people”, blah, blah, blah… and that there was not much I could do to change it.

Then, my grandmother developed breast cancer, and watching her struggle is what I identify as a turning point for me. She had not invested in her health through her life – and even when she was sick, she didn’t have the resources or wherewithal to help heal herself.

When she passed away, I received a (very modest) inheritance from her estate, and I decided I was going to use the money to do something in her honor, for myself. It made sense that my focus would be on my future health, as I felt I owed it to her memory and her life, to make my health a priority.

As luck(?) would have it, I had found a recent photo of myself from behind (eek!), and realized that I really didn’t like what I saw. It wasn’t even that I looked a LOT heavier than I thought I was – it was that I looked old, and tired, and defeated. At a point in my life where I should have been my most vibrant! So, I set out on a journey to lose weight – as I identified weight as my foremost health concern.

I joined NutriSystem, and lost about 35 pounds over about 4 months. I then continued on with Weight Watchers, and lost an additional 20. By this time, I had begun a modest exercise program – mostly walking a couple of miles a day. From here, my focus slowly evolved from simple ‘weight loss’, to healthy food, and so on.

The next big ‘aha’ moment for me on my journey was when I attended my first yoga class. I chose to try yoga, at the time, because I wanted to “become more flexible”… but what I found in yoga was so much more than just a bendy body!

This first yoga class was held at 10:00 in the morning on September 11, 2001 – yes, the day that two planes crashed into the World Trade Center, and the world came to a screeching halt.

And as I grappled with what was happening out there, I wondered if it was a good idea to drive myself out to a yoga class, of all things! But, I did – and it turned out it was the perfect place to be. I was introduced to a brand-new way of thinking about life, health, my body, the world around me, and my very existence. (More on the benefits of yoga in a later installment.)

Interestingly (but not entirely surprising), my health and wellness focus has evolved over the years, from weight loss and management to disease prevention and quality of life. I feel that since I just might live into my 90’s, I want to be as healthy as I can possibly be, so I can feel great, enjoy the time I have – and not end up spending a ton of $$ on illness and a ‘broken body’. This is my philosophy, and my motivation. Everyone has their own unique reason for seeking health. And many of those reasons will change over time.

So, this is how my health journey has unfolded.

I’ve reached a place where I understand wellness, food, my mind and heart, my faith, and even people around me, in a more clear and accepting way. I look at my body and my health as ‘sacred’ things to invest in –and treat with respect and love. I don’t “blame” my body for being out of shape and overweight… I respect it enough to want to treat it well, so it pays me back with good health - now, and later.

If you’ve read this far, first Thank You for taking the time; and second, I hope you’ve read something that either inspired you, or intrigued you. Stay tuned for more!