I was really hesitant to write this post, but then I gained a new perspective thanks to one of my mentors. The fear of judgment from others that has held me back stems from the fact that Iâm focusing on myself. And that is not why I started this blog.
I started this blog to focus on others. To help people who are struggling with chronic health conditions. To lift others up and inspire them to want to be healthier, higher versions of themselves. To share my experience because I know what has helped optimize my health and brought me to this place in my journey.
As you saw in one of my previous posts, I recently visited family members that I havenât seen in months. They helped me to become more aware of the transformation that Iâve made in just a few, short months.
My family made comments like âYouâre tiny,â and asked how much weight Iâve lost. But, the thing is, I havenât lost any weight. According to my doctor, Iâve actually gained a few pounds. The only difference that Iâve made since the last time I had seen them was taking new supplements to heal my gut. And the feedback that I was getting was speaking volumes of the healing that was happening within ~ it was changing my outward appearance.
These comments prompted me to look back at some progress pictures that I had taken along my fitness journey. The picture below was taken in the winter of 2016 when I was officially diagnosed with Crohnâs, IBD, and IBS.
As you can see, I was struggling with a ton of inflammation. I remember experiencing brain fog that made it difficult not only for me to focus in my therapy sessions, but to be effective with my consumers. I was tired all of the time, my hair was falling out, my joints were achy for how young I was, and I was overwhelmed with stress and anxiety.
This is where I began my gut healing journey. My GI doctor prescribed steroids and immunosuppressants to manage the inflammation in my gut, I started to eat healthier, and began working out regularly.
Even with all of those interventions, I still struggled to âfeel normal.â I continued to experience chronic fatigue, joint pain, hair loss, diarrhea, constipation, and anxiety.
Each time I saw my GI, Iâd tell her the same things. She continued to monitor my labs and didnât have a conclusive answer as to why I continued to feel this way. She suggested adding vitamin D, but I still wasnât feeling more energetic. In the picture below, you can see that I started to lose some weight and the inflammation was more controlled, but I still didnât feel like myself. I remember feeling frustrated that I wasnât farther along in my fitness journey since I was being so consistent. I began feeling as though I had to accept my reality that this is how I was going to feel forever.
Once I moved and started seeing a new GI, she referred me to a nutritionist (see previous posts for more info!) and a psychologist who specializes in chronic bowel disease. These interventions definitely helped me feel more in control of my food triggers and anxiety, but we still couldnât find a way to manage the hair loss, chronic fatigue, brain fog, and joint pain.
Fast forward a year or so and I stumbled upon a podcast about health and wellness called Primal Potential. The host was well-educated and passionate and I began to learn more about the gut-brain connection.
The more I learned about how your gut health can impact your moods, energy levels, and overall health, the more I tried to optimize my gut microbiome.
I began drinking kombucha, taking probiotics, and focusing on nutrition. But, I STILL struggled to feel well. I felt frustrated that I couldnât find a specific supplement that targets the gut-brain connection.
I know that this research is super new, but feeling like garbage for several years was wearing on me. I continued to listen to the podcast and one day the host began sharing about the additional steps that she was taking to optimize her microbiome.
I decided to reach out to her personally. And thatâs how I found the supplement line that has truly changed my life.
Within the first month of taking them consistently, I noticed that I had more mental clarity. I felt sharper and more energetic. Making it through an 8 hour day at work didnât feel like a chore anymore.
After a few months, my hair began to not only stop falling out, but it grew faster and thicker. Before the supplements, my sweet cosmetologist would gently ask, âAre you going through a shedding phase right now?â At my most recent appointment (6 months into taking them regularly) she asked for a recommendation of what I was taking to make my hair grow back so quickly.
I finally feel like I have optimized my health to a level that I thought was not possible after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. Iâm working out at least 5 days a week and waking up earlier than normal to do so. My knees donât ache, even though Iâm doing way more squatting than I was in the past (I used to avoid squatting because it hurt my knees). I have so much more mental clarity that Iâm reading and learning more than I have since grad school. My moods are more regulated and even though I still struggle with anxiety, mostly because of my high-stress job, I have more stress resilience than ever. That recent post that I wrote about anxiety was the first time that Iâve struggled with it so much in months.
Below is a picture that I took last week. I know Iâm totally putting myself on blast for owning this sports bra for 4 years, but itâs one of my favorites and I canât bear to part with it! You can see how dramatic the change is from the first picture. This is not to discount the other interventions that have positively impacted my journey, but I can genuinely say that my symptoms have never been as controlled as they are today.
Iâm so grateful that we have come so far with gut-brain research and how well I feel today. This has inspired me to share my experience with others, in hopes that they too can find the âmissing linkâ to their chronic health issues.
Feel free to comment below or message to share about your health struggles. Iâd love to share more information about what has helped me make such significant improvements in my overall wellness!
