The Soda Pop Ban Debate

What's your opinion of the ban on super sized sodas in New York City?

I think it's a good idea. People don't realize how many calories they are consuming and how much sugar is in them. People also don't take in account the amount chemicals they are consuming when they drink the diet and normal soda pop. Over time a large consumption of soda pop can catch up to your health and cause harm.

I understand that everyone has a right to choose what they eat or drink but we are still in the times of extreme marketing and advertising that hypnotise people and then have them addicted to the sugar.

Check out this infograph that presents some interesting facts:


Source: everyday HEALTH


-Michelle

Health Coach: The Ups & Downs of a Healthy Weight

As a healthy coach I not only want to help people learn to avoid cancer and disease but I also want to help them with weight issues. 

Lots of people assume I have always been this weight and it comes naturally to me. They assume that I have never had to work hard for my body and I've never struggled with my weight. Well let me tell you, they gotta it all wrong...

Feeling healthy and happy

I don't share this with a lot of people because it's a thing of the past but I want to be open and true with my clients and let them know that I've been in their shoes before, I want to share my journey through weight loss with you all.

When I was around 5 years old I was super tiny and a healthy kid. I was always outside and wanting to go go go. My family always had to drag me inside from playing. From the age 10-12 I started putting on more and more weight. I believe it was caused by a number of factors. Moving to a new school, staying inside more/less active and be self conscious of the weight I had put on. There were days when I would go out to the playground and kids would tease me about being fat. At the time it didn't really hurt me but it's one of those moments that gets drilled into your brain for the rest of your life. My eating habits didn't help and my family didn't know much about nutrition. We ate meat and potatoes or pasta. Always with a bun or bread on the side. I became a big snacker too.

The summer before I went into high school, I decided to start walking every where instead of taking the bus or asking for a ride. I was back to being outside and active again like I was when I was 5. Without even meaning to, the weight started to slide off. When I went back to school everyone noticed and commented. It felt great to be complemented. Like monkey see - monkey do = I started paying attention to what my mom was saying about dieting and keeping up with the latest diet fads in magazines. I started to try diets, running and working out. It became natural to worry about what I was eating and how my body looked. I kept a pretty standard weight during high school but had poor eating habits. I would sometimes only have a slurpee for lunch because it was what I was craving and I didn't want to eating anything else as I was afraid of gaining weight.

The year after high school I became clinically depressed. I felt lost in life, my family became healthy so I no longer could be the care giver and I had a poisonous relationship with my boyfriend that I could not give up. I became very vulnerable and insecure. It didn't help that my boyfriend at the time was lets say "not so great" and more attracted to other girls. Feeling like I wasn't good enough (physically), I started to control my weight intensely. There wasn't a certain point when I began my deadly downwards spiral. Slowly I became anorexic. I started to lie to family and friends that I was perfectly fine and I was eating. Truth was, I wasn't okay. My lowest weight was 108lbs - 113lbs and I'm 5'8. I would eat one piece of fruit in the morning and a snack at night. I would also run or walk for 30min everyday. I stepped on the scale 3 times a day. I was obsessed and it was something I could control when I felt like I had no control over anything in life at that time. I was also receiving lots of attention, so it felt good and I couldn't see anything wrong. I look back now and I can say I looked so unhealthy and unattractive.

At my unhealthy lowest weight

I never went for help for my anorexia directly but I had gone to a naturopath for my depression. He had found that I was allergic to several common foods and I had a brain allergy to sugar. Once I had something new to focus my attention on and something to control, I slowly returned to a healthy weight. I gained a new interest in health and nutrition and started learn about how the food we eat tremendously affects how our brain functions and our bodies feel.


With my knowledge of health and fitness I now maintain a healthy weight and am not afraid to step on a scale. I understand that a healthy combination of mind, body and soul can bring happiness to your life. There's been times when my weight fluctuates due to stress or something in my life being out of balance. I've learnt how to reflect and make corrections. I love the way I feel inside and out when I'm eating healthy, working out and my life is in balance for me.

I want to help people feel alive and healthy!

Have you ever dealt with weight issues?
-Michelle

So It Returns : Cancer

Honestly I go to write this and don't know where to begin. This has come as such a surprise and overwhelming. Overwhelming in the way that your thoughts don't properly form but just go in circles. My mom let me know on Thursday night that her cancer has returned.

My Mom and I

Back in 2001 my mom was diagnosed with a tumor in her neck that they had to operate on. When they went in it caused the dandelion effect (like blowing on a dandelion) and it spread, which was later found in her lungs. She fought for 9 hard years - chemo, radiation and all the drugs you could imagine. It was just my mom and I together through all her treatments. My mom is a single parent who has raised me on her own since I was 7 years old. Our family (my grandparents and aunt & uncle) were always around when we needed help. My mom and I became a team and she became my best friend. It's funny when we look back on those years we can't put events into a timeline. It was almost as if she went into survival mode and I was right there for it too. We always tried to make the best of it and I loved when there was times when the only thing she could stomach was popsicles and popcorn for dinner - fine with me. My mom had already been through a lot before first being diagnosed. She had been in an abusive marriage and was in a severe head on car accident with a dump truck which almost took her life. She's fought so many battles and never gives up. On my hip I have a tattoo that reads "Never Give Up" in Spanish for my mom as she is an incredibly strong, independent, and loving woman. This tattoo reminds me that anything is possible and any mountain can be conquered.

Her cancer has come back in her neck and her lungs. She has already started treatment and the lump in her neck has decreased in size (woohoo!). It's interesting to be older this time and have more knowledge of how all this cancer stuff works. This time she is not just taking doctors orders but also taking things into her own hands too. We've been eating healthy (lean, mean and green) for the past few years but she's going to kick it up a notch to help her body fight the cells naturally too. Weird thing is that in the last few months I have been sending her my Kris Carr email newsletters. Kris Carr attacks the cancer in a whole different way than the traditional method, think lots of green juice smoothies and yoga. Weird coincidence. She's also decided that instead of everyone giving negative emotions (feeling sad for her etc.) she wants everyone to be positive. This way the cancer has no way to live in her body if all she has in her is positive energy.

I've given myself till this Friday to get all my negative emotions out about this. After that it's time to turn all my good buzzing energy on and send it her way. I've found it hard to just let go and have a big cry. I break down during times in the day when I am alone. I know I have to get all these negative emotions out or they will just fester inside me and take up room that could be used for positive thoughts and actions.

I'm scared : my mom is my rock and has always been there for me. I know though that she will easily beat this thing.
I'm mad: why the hell are we still dealing with this disease. Something must be done to stop so many people from having to go through this. I'm mad that this is happening to HER again. If there was ever an example of a woman who doesn't deserve this (not saying anyone deserves this) but it would be her. Enough is enough!! buut she doesn't ever feel sorry for herself so.. I'll kick these thoughts to the curb.
I'm upset: I hate seeing her in pain, I just want to take it all away from her. I wish I could do this for her. She never complains and only worries that she is upsetting someone or putting them out. We all just want to hug her and make it go away but we can't and she won't let us - she's stubborn.. that's who I got my stubbornness from. So we wait until she reaches out and we are there in an instant because we love her so much and she gives so much love to others.

I'm CONFIDENT: that she is going to kick this thing in the butt again! There is no ifs, ands, or buts. It's already on it's way out and I'm positive that she will be right back to normal. This is only a bump in the road. Maybe to remind us that our bodies are so precious and what we feed them through food and emotions has an incredible effect. So why give any chance for your body to create active cancer cells. Take every prevention you can. Live each day to the fullest. Don't take anything for granted. And most of all - Don't take anyone for granted. Life is too short. Love the ones close to you and forgive easily. No need for negative in your life.

So please if you could, send all your happy - positive thoughts her way. Imagine her beating this and going on an incredible vacation to a nice warm sunny location where she can relax on the beach. She definitely deserves it.

-Michelle

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