Hope for Healing

I've been working with a holistic health coach for the last month and a half. I just started working with a craniosacral therapist who does integrative bodywork. I am getting AMAZING results working with these two people. I have cut a lot of inflammatory foods out of my diet, added in a lot of healing foods, am engaging in some new self-care practices, and am finally starting to add exercise back in. The CST and bodywork are transformative. I am completely convinced that my disease (rheumatoid arthritis) is directly related to the trauma and stress I have experienced over my lifetime, and that as I work through these things I will heal myself. For the first time in a long while, I am feeling positive about my future.

This January I participated in a 10 day cleanse focused on clean eating and other self nurturing practices (e.g. exercise, body brushing, meditation). As I continue to follow much of what I was doing on the cleanse my energy and mental clarity have been slowly improving, and I have been a lot less irritable. The cleanse was exactly what I needed to get me out of the long period of stagnancy I've been in since well before my diagnosis. I feel as though I'm finally starting to live again, instead of just surviving. The fatigue and pain are still here, but my mind and spirit are feeling better, and I believe in time that my body will, too. I'm so very thankful for the nutritional coach and friend who led the cleanse, and for the fabulous group of people who participated. My heart is full of gratitude.

Junk Food Cravings

I'm learning that I can quell my cravings for junk food with much healthier and satisfying choices.  Craving queso dip and corn chips?  Have some fat-free cottage cheese and salsa with multi-grain tortilla chips.  Dying for a cinnamon roll?  Indulge in a bowl of oatmeal with lots of cinnamon and a little butter and sugar.  My taste buds are satisfied and so is my body.  Nutritious calories go a lot further than junk food calories.

I don't do "diet" food, by the way.  No artificial sweeteners.  No low-fat junk food loaded with artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives.  And no low-fat sweets in a box: they always add more sugar to make up for the flavor loss caused by cutting the fat.  Those so called "healthy" snacks may help a person lose weight, but eating them can actually make a body less healthy.

Oh, and if I really want junk food, I'm going to have real junk food.  Everyone needs to be naughty once in awhile!