TRACY’S wellness JOURNEY
Photo by Christina Stuart
time compliment
each other, and you
have a deep spiritual
connection. Wellness
tends to be more about
physical health, whereas
wellbeing is more of
a holistic whole-life
experience that has a
deeper focus on your
personal needs.
In mid-December,
my doctor said that
my cholesterol was
high and that I have
hypothyroidism. A
second auto-immune
disorder, on top of
diabetes. Apparently,
once you have one
auto-immune disorder,
it is common to get a
second or even third
one.
I am not a fan of
medication. I believe
that the body has the
power to heal itself
with proper rest and
nutrition. I asked
my doctor if she was
certain I needed
thyroid medication
and cholesterol meds.
She suggested more
testing and I got serious
about my nutrition.
My additional testing
came back clear but later
blood work still showed
thyroid issues.
Through nutrition and
exercise, I was able to
lower my cholesterol
numbers by 30+ points.
To honor and value my
beliefs, I checked with
my team of holistic
professionals. The
result: continue to
reduce cholesterol with
nutrition and exercise
I was recently asked, “What is a
From my perspective, a wellness journey is when you
raise your level of consciousness so that you become
more aware of your personal needs. We all know
what makes us feel recharged and what makes us
feel drained. The biggest challenge is honoring those
feelings often enough.
Because of the many roles we women take on, our
stress levels can become chronic or excessive without
us even realizing it. So much so that we don’t even
recognize the negative effects on our bodies. The
Cleveland Clinic shares that a personal wellness plan
with built-in periods of recovery and self-care can
help women manage stress and empower themselves
to make healthy life changes.
Self-awareness helps us to know when to say, “NO!”
It’s when you find a balance or blend that keeps
your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing
a priority. There is meaning and value in your
relationships, stress levels are low, work and leisure
and I started taking
medication for my
thyroid.
As I write this article, I
just finished running my
third 5K since January.
Increasing my movement
was part of my wellness
strategy for 2020. Not
only have I completed
three races, I have also
walked an additional 9
miles for a total of 18.6
miles in a little over four
weeks. I know that doesn’t
sound like a lot, but I’m so
excited to have stuck with
it…thanks to my good
friend Paula for being an
accountability partner in
this process. It makes such
a difference when you
know someone is counting
on you to show up.
T H E W A Y T O
wellness
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