Over the weekend I turned 40! Contrary to the expected dismayed “How can I be 40?!” reactions that women of this certain age often have, I can honestly say I am THRILLED to be 40. Comparing my 40 year old self to my 30 year old self, yes, I am a little older, but I’m…
Making exercise fun instead of a ginormous pain in the butt
I’m just going to say it, I hate the freaking gym. Thank goodness that, unlike what those incessant corporate gym ads will tell you, you do NOT need to go to the gym in order to be healthy. The gym always felt like a chore to me. Doing the same things in the same boring…
There’s healing in the garden: how returning to the pain brought new life
For several years after my life-threatening flare up of Ulcerative Colitis in 2010, I couldn’t pass by the hospital where I spent a large chunk of that year without experiencing a borderline panic attack. To me, that place represented all of the pain and trauma of that time in my life, and I prayed to…
How to live the Simple Life without going broke
For me, a simple life is a life that removes many of the stressors brought on by our modern society’s standards, including the expectation that in order to be “successful” one needs to spend long hours working, even to the detriment of other parts of one’s life and health. As an autoimmune disease survivor, a…
How the Paleo and Vegan diets each helped me find my way
Though they are often pitted against each other, the Paleo diet and the Plant-Based diet have BOTH been integral parts of my crazy journey to healing and staying healed. With one being meat-focused and the other being anti-meat, the two may seem like total opposites at first glance, but they actually have several important things…
How Homeschooling helps my family stay healthy
Thanks to the pandemic, a huge new crop of parents are suddenly looking at homeschooling as one of their educational options for this coming school year. I keep hearing from other parents, “I could never do it,” or “you must be such a patient person.” My answers to these two statements are “If I can,…
What in the world caused this crazy disease?
This is one of those posts where I have to state the obligatory, “I am not a doctor, nor a scientist, nor a fortune teller.” What I am is a student of health with 20 years experience — now a flare-free survivor for going on 10 of those 20 years — of the autoimmune disease,…
The Pandemic is a call to action
As we approach the FIFTH month of this life altering COVID-19 Pandemic in America… While all of us are clearly susceptible, you know by now that the CDC lists two categories of people who are most at risk of severe illness: older adults and people with underlying medical conditions — which is a pretty broad…
Minimalism: It’s just crazy enough to save our sanity
A simple life is a happy, healthy life. As we talk about finding healing and living a life of wellness, it is most certainly not all just about what we put in our mouths and how we move our bodies. The amount of stress, pressure, commitments, and obligations in our lives directly impact our health. …
Increasing your intake of disease-busting veggies and fruit
It goes without saying that a truly healthy diet, particularly one that includes tons of fruit and vegetables, prevents disease. A nutritious diet also provides us with loads of energy, a clear mind, and can dramatically reduce the dreaded signs of aging. Fruits and veggies are nutritional powerhouses and are full of fiber, and many…