It all started last spring with a clogged ear. After a shower one morning, I couldn’t seem to shake the water out of my left ear but was late for a meeting and so I just let it be clogged. That day turned into a week which turned in to a month which turned into two months where it stayed clogged on and off. I noticed myself avoiding dipping my head under while in the bath or in our jacuzzi, strategically placing my face this way or that while in the shower to avoid getting water trapped in it. But I just dealt with it in order to tackle everything else on my to-do list.
Eventually summer came around and I still had not treated my ear and we were on a flight to Mexico for our annual family vacay. The first dip into the ocean, and not one ear but both ears were clogged now, and my hearing decreased to about 40%. I was angry at myself for letting it get that far, but now we were in Mexico far from the ear clinic I had been to when this happened about five years prior.
Then Ida got lice and my Mexico trip was dominated by picking nits from her head and taking trips to the pharmacy for lice shampoo.
By the fifth day of our vacation, my hearing had gotten so bad that Jason found me a doctor, and forced me into a cab to go to the appointment. After a quick and painless five minutes, the doctor flushed out and cleaned my ears, gave me an antibiotic to prevent infection and I could hear again. He told me not to wear ear buds, but to wear the kind of headphones that go over my ears, apparently the buds can push wax deeper into your ear and make a bad situation worse. He also left me with a warning as well that I could have permanently damaged my ears had I let it go much longer. When water gets trapped inside the ear an infection can develop easily and without the proper medication can result in hearing loss. Yikes.
I honestly don’t know why I let it get that far, but it was a huge wake-up call.
I had been juggling work life and family life to the point where taking care of myself became the lowest thing on my priority list. And I’m not even talking about things like getting my hair or nails done— I’m talking basic ‘see a doctor if you’re sick’ type of self care. It was bad.
And I realized that I was doing that in almost every aspect of myself. I wasn’t exercising. I was eating a lot of processed crap. I felt lethargic, and at times maybe a little depressed. So I decided it was time to make a life change. I got a trainer who could come to me. (One of my excuses for not going to the gym or getting a trainer until then is because my husband and I share a car and don’t have access to a car in the mornings). She would come to the office and our shooting area would transform into a gym the hour before work started, and anyone from the office who wanted to work out could join in.
So I began working out with Stephanie three times a week. A couple of months after that, I was eating an apple and a chunk of one of my teeth fell out onto the floor. Yikes. It had been seven years since I had been to a dentist (I have anxiety/phobia around dentists due to some previous terrible experiences). I had done it again — waited until my situation had gotten drastic before taking care of myself. So this time I made an appointment with my dentist right away.
I needed a root canal. I cried a little bit when I found out, but I handled it, and that was the catalyst for the next phase of my self care journey.
After that, I got gangster. I went to the gyno, the dermo, and did a ‘wellness exam’ where I had blood work done to make sure all was good. It had been since giving birth to Ida (seven years!!) since I had seen a doctor besides one pap test.
I also began jogging three days a week for forty minutes, wearing sunscreen, putting oil on my face and neck before bed each night, flossing everyday, logging the food that I eat and drinking more water, and paying more attention to my digestion — since Ida was born I’ve had consistent diarrhea and constipation, and very painful periods and have done very little to address it.
I took a food sensitivity test (learn more about that in my Stories) and discovered that I have major food sensitivities to dairy, soy and peanuts (among other more mild triggers) and have since cut those things completely out of my diet.
I feel like I’m only at the beginning of this journey. I’m allowing myself to come in late for work in order to drop Ida off at school and then go for my jog. I’m prioritizing this over frequent blogging and Instagramming. I’m family using weekend time to go grocery shopping on the weekends so that I can pack myself lunches to take to work and set myself up for success with my eating. I am taking my bicycle places instead of taking a rideshare so I can get more cardio in, even if it takes longer.
It’s a long road that is more about creating new habits for myself than anything else. I have always hated jogging, but now after two months of jogging three days a week I crave it and even go on the weekends. I love my workouts with Stefanie, and oddly enough, I don’t even miss eating dairy (still working on the soy and the peanuts…) Below I have detailed some of the tools and products that have been making this journey easier and more fun, if it’s at all helpful.
I needed multiple wake-up calls to get me to where I am now, and I still have such a long way to go — but what I’ve realized is that I’m such a better mom, and such a better leader at work when I’m full of life, energy and feeling good about myself.
Getting some fun running shoes motivates me to keep going. These are my current faves.
The Renpho scale is a ‘smart scale’ that measures body fat, muscle mass, protein and body water in addition to weight. Because for me this journey is all about getting healthy, having a scale that gives me insights about how much muscle I’m building or water I’m drinking is much more motivating than a traditional scale. I try not to let this scale dictate how I feel, but it has been a helpful tool for tracking progress.
I track the food I eat using the Myfitnesspal app. I like this tool a lot because it’s not all about counting calories for me but about making sure I’m getting the nutrients and vitamins I need. During my wellness exam I found out I was deficient in iron, and during my food sensitivity test I learned I have a lot of yeast in my gut. Now that I can’t eat dairy or soy (and I eat fish but no other kinds of meat) the app helps me monitor everything from my iron and carbs intake to protein so that I focus on eating that fuels me.
I’ve been using two face oils at night, (alternating days, not two at a time). Josie Maran Skin Dope which is argan oil and hemp oil, and True Botanicals Pure radiance oil. My face feels amazing when I wake up in the mornings and it is a nice, nice feeling.
This visor does a good job of keeping the sun off of my face while I’m jogging, which is super important.
And this is the best sports bra for the price that I could find. It’s a bit stiff but it holds in the ladies.
Hi hi! Thanks for sharing. It’s all about updating your perceived preferences & creating systems to set you up for success! Then doing the work consistently. I love your gangster moves…. You are doing AMAZING!!!! I hate it when I hear ppl aren’t getting dental treatment bc of fear/phobia/trauma. As a hypnotherapist – this is an easy treatment & one to not struggle with. Most dental trauma is released in 1-2 sessions. Also do you know about the cups & how experiences move from your conscious into the subconscious & then into muscle memory? My trainer taught me – I think I’ve shared vids on my page about it too. As you work out 45min of sweaty exercise you are able to process & release stored muscle memory so be prepped to cry some weird stuff out on your jogs. You are a huge inspiration, keep up the great work!!!
This is so TRUE…about crying weird stuff out after a workout. That’s been happening to me quite a few times now after taking a long walk outside! Our bodies are incredible systems, self-care is sooooo important.
This is so TRUE
Self-care is important for your physical health as well as your mind, soul and, let’s face it, your overall health. Self-care is important to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself, sometimes called self-love. It produces positive feelings, which improves confidence and self-esteem too.
Exercise is the best for your fitness
thank you
Staying healthy with these supports is invaluable bubble shooters
Living in a life, no one wants to be a bad person, everyone wants a life with his head held high, not ashamed of people, not ashamed of his heart. But sometimes life is not as it should be, sometimes people have to live two sides in exchange for two words of peace.
Self-care has been all the rage these past years. It reminds us to do things for ourselves and not just endlessly serve others. I started my self-care journey too. Difficult at first, trying to convince yourself that you deserve rest and peace. But as time passed, it was easier and easier for me to care for myself. I’ve also been using hemp oils but I mix them into my diet. I believe that put into my body is reflected on the outside.
How to take great care of yourself with vacations and outstanding sportswear, knowing how to create a spiritual life for yourself is an important thing to create health and freshness for an individual .
waiting for more good articles, I have read a lot about it and know how difficult it is.
Excellent post
Ce site est génial, j’ai passé du temps à lire et à apprendre à leur sujet.
I have come to your website for the first time today and here I have get a lot of information, thank you very much for this.
Your article gives me another approach on this topic. I hope to read more articles from you.
It’s a very familiar story, I went through something similar. I got myself in a terrible physical condition, and the cherry on the cake was a broken leg. But, it was the broken leg that showed me that it was time to change something.
The tooth story is brutal)
Dental anxiety can be a difficult obstacle to overcome when it comes to maintaining good oral health. One helpful strategy is to find and talk to your dentist or dental care provider about your anxiety that you can TRUST. I was lucky enough to find a dentist I could trust. Dental professionals like the ones at Nolan Ridge Dental Clinic understand the importance of creating a comfortable and welcoming environment for their patients. They can work with you to develop a plan to make your dental visits more comfortable, such as using relaxation techniques or taking breaks during procedures. The link to the clinic I wrote about – https://nolanridgedental.ca/ they are located in Calgary, Canada.
So, don’t let dental anxiety prevent you from taking care of your teeth and gums and health!
It’s inspiring to see how you prioritized your self-care journey and made positive changes in your life. Taking care of yourself not only benefits your physical health but also enhances your well-being as a mom and leader at work. Keep up the great work!
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