A few months ago I started to look at my health journey differently. My name is Ashley and I decided to start this blog to share my health journey, help you live healthier, and encourage you to take a natural approach to healing the body.
For the past few years I have been really focused on getting fit and eating healthier. I followed workout/nutrition programs and even became a coach to help others with their goals too. At the beginning of 2018 I took a step back from this approach. My heart was pulling in a different direction, even though at that time I didn’t know what the hell it was pulling towards, I knew it wasn’t the road for me.
I had just switched shifts, from night to days, from a warehouse job to a desk job. It was a great opportunity but it was the hardest switch I have ever made, especially for me and my husband being on different shifts. A lot of emotions were happening as my grandpa had passed away. Lack of sleep. We had to give one of our dogs to a new family, he was like our baby. My husband and I were missing each other with the switch. News of the warehouse shutting down and I would be out of a job if I didn’t find permanent position. I was unmotivated and not getting as much exercise as I was used to. It was really tough for a few months.
Knowing I had to pull myself together and figure out my direction in life, I went head first into researching. I watched a ton of YouTube videos. Listened to podcasts. Brainstormed, wrote to do lists, tried the newest fad diet of keto, realized it wasn’t for me, started researching even more, figured out things I really wanted out of life, and found my passion.
I came across holistic living and fell in love with all of it. I didn’t even know how much until I ignored my findings, started keto, quit keto, and found for me it all pointed right back to taking the holistic approach. Living and eating for the body. Eating more whole foods plant based, less meat. Naturally healing the body. Being so in tune with body, mind, life and Earth.
See I had been having some health issues myself. Not anything extreme but since I had learned to start listening to my body more, I found I was not feeling my best and I wanted to feel good and be healthier, naturally. Growing up I had always experienced headaches, sometimes migraines. It wasn’t all the time, just on occasion. But this time my headaches were lasting for several weeks and I was so tired of feeling like crap. I had also noticed that my lymph gland at the base of my head was swollen all the time and hurting, this too has happened off and on throughout life but normally before I got sick and would go away within a couple days. It was not going away. I was always feeling bloated every time I ate anything and was just feeling miserable. It was time to make some changes.
I hesitated to take the natural approach at first, but really felt that tug. I found a local holistic nutritionist and made an appointment. What she told me was intriguing, but I wasn’t completely surprised as I had done my own research before walking in there. The headaches and bloating were likely linked to foods I was eating and bad gut health. The swollen lymph nodes, well that was from toxin build up and it wasn’t able to fully drain properly. Every time I had previously gone to the doctor for the lymph node, they had said it’s an ear infection, prescribed antibiotics and went about their way. The many years I have taken antibiotics have too caused the bad gut health and toxin build up. See when you take antibiotics it kills the bad bacteria but also the good bacteria that our bodies need to properly function. The scariest part she told me was if I didn’t start fixing this now, before having kids, I could pass these issues onto our babies. Huge motivation right there!
Middle of July 2018 I began my natural healing journey. Following an elimination diet, no gluten, no dairy, no sugar, no processed foods, for three weeks to start. It was easier than I thought it would be and I started feeling better. Less bloat and my headaches were gone. Goal was to start using less chemicals for everyday use to get away from the toxins. A few months earlier I had switched my deodorant to natural, no aluminum. And a couple weeks before I went to the nutritionist I had quit using the chemical filled shampoos and conditioners. I started doing different things to stimulate my lymphatic system, like dry brushing when I remembered to, massage the neck in the shower (my husband has even helped researching and giving me a lymphatic massage), and oil pulling when I thought about it.
Though it is still very early in my healing journey, I have had great improvements when following these protocols. I am not perfect and I will never be, but I am learning as I go and loving every minute of it. I have even taken my healing journey a step further and enrolled in the Energetic Health Institute to get certified as a Holistic Nutritionist. I was nervous to start classes again but I am so excited. I can’t wait to learn everything I can to heal myself and others. I will share with you my journey, my findings, tips and advice I learn along the way to inspire you to take a more natural approach to life and healing your body to feel your best every day.
Please leave me a comment introducing yourself and let me know one thing you wish to learn about Holistic Living.
Much love, Ashley