A New Season of Healthy

I am not a newbie to health issues.

I’ve spent years figuring out gut problems, ear challenges, autoimmune disease, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis symptoms, and fibromyalgia.

I’ve gone gluten-free, low FODMAP, and limited dairy.

Navigating doctor’s appointments across countries and states, all the tests and labs and procedures, I’ve continued fighting for health with diet, exercise, sleep, and needed medications to help with symptoms.

{If you just want to know what I’m doing now, skip ahead to the things at the end of the post!}

For the longer version, keep reading…

2021 began my fight with mental health and the incredible, long-term impact and trauma of emotional and narcissistic abuse. I realized how much the lack of emotional safety and the difficulty of hitting up against the unchanging harm of another person was having on my physical health.

Over the past 5 years, with God’s help, I’ve merged the fight for mental health and physical health by obeying God’s command to STOP, come under His full protection, and refuse to engage with what was destructive and abusive. It took standing firm in His strength every single day to break free and let boundary lines fall in pleasant places around me.

Unfortunately, the fight was exhausting and terrifying. The battle was long. The process of breaking free nearly broke me. I had to focus on the big things so intensely that all the little things were truly at the bottom of my list each day.

Read: Surviving an Unwanted Divorce by Lysa Terkeurst

Listen: Therapy and Theology Season 10

Little things like going for walks, reading a book, eating healthy, taking time to food prep and plan all fell by the wayside as I simply tried to survive the day. Ice cream was my friend.

Starting a coaching business, exiting a destructive marriage, fighting for my ministry credentials, launching a whole new life in a new town, finishing a degree, and mothering neurodiverse young women on my own as they launched their lives… it was all so much at once.

Within one month in 2024, the divorce was final, I moved into an apartment, we got a puppy, and I opened an in-person office. The part of me that breathes, “Just keep going,” was on overdrive.

From morning coffee to bedtime Psalms, I was in constant prayer, challenged with making life work and willing my business to provide each month. I didn’t have help or support which left me carrying it all… but at least I was free, carrying it with Jesus holding me up.

I was learning to let it be well with my soul even when everything felt shaken and torn.

Oh, the goodness of God.

As I think about this new season of healthy, I am thankful and grateful for His hand on me. The author and sustainer of my faith and my hope. My Shepherd, Protector, and Provider, He is proving Himself faithful moment by moment.

When I think about how much has been lost – networks, friends, coworkers, ministry, and years of work, the sadness can be overwhelming. Yet, I put my full trust in the One who holds it all.

When the heavy waves of grief, loneliness, fear, anger, and questions come over me, {and they do still come in the heaviest waves} I stand in His rock-solid faithfulness.

As I tell my coaching clients in this same situation, ride the wave. Ride it out. Let it go. Let Jesus be Lord.

With His help, the girls are thriving, my business is growing, I’m starting another level of my degree, and somehow, it’s all feeling more normal, peaceful, and safe. I knew it was time to pick back up the small things. I needed to refocus and replan how to highlight the healthy practices and processes that had been unattended for so long.

A New Season of Health

Over the past 6 months, I’ve rebuilt my exercise routine, changed my diet yet again, lost 22 pounds, and drastically committed to being as healthy as I can.

With autoimmune disease, nerve challenges, and fatigue issues, I needed a plan that was healing and filling and helpful. Because of the damage to my nervous system, anything I chose to do had to work with the energy I had available to give. Any changes couldn’t overwhelm my capacity to be fully present and engaged with clients. Honestly, I had to increase energy and capacity without any setbacks and without adding stress.

My research led me to a few key things.

1} Weight – I bought a body scale that gave me important information about the state of my physical health. I had to be honest with the number on the scale, the data I was seeing and what it meant overall. For years, I’ve had a number that I didn’t want to see again and I was seeing it this year.

2} Walking – I have been in love with the Walk At Home program by Leslie Sansone for 25 years so it was my go-to once again for starting a walking plan. I purchase the yearly plan, put the app on my TV and now, walk miles around my living room. It works amazingly for strength-training, cardio and getting my steps in. I also got a dog which naturally increases steps and forces me outside every day. I don’t know that I’ll ever run again so for now, I’m a walker and dog mom.

3} Food – This is where I got super serious. As I said above, I’ve gone strict with my diet before. It was time to take it to another level of serious. I read books, watched videos, and made a plan. The plan keeps changing as I learn more about this way of living but I’ve settled in a keto-carnivore mix. I focus on being in a ketogenic state, intermittent fasting, ketones, and macros. I’m using a very low-carb {under 30g}, high fat and moderate protein daily food schedule. And, it’s working.

Some key tools to help:

1} myfitnesspal – I got the premium app so I could watch all the macros

2} Keytone Strips – I read Anyway You Can by Dr. Boz and ordered these strips. Who knew that ketones were magic. I’d love to get the keto-mojo meter but I’m saving up for it first.

3} Fast Like A Girl – Everything Dr. Mindy Pelz plus, I use the FastHabit app to choose my eating windows each day.

4} Youtube – I followed keto and carnivore doctors, researchers, and people. The videos were the community, support and encouragement that I needed each day to learn more, keep going, and try new things with how I was healing my body with food. Some of my favorites are Dr. Boz, Dr. Mindy Pelz, and Metabolic Mind. Once you start googling and researching, your youtube will start showing you even more information on what is called, “keto-vore.” Watch, put together what could work for you, and just start.

5} Supplements – There will be a lot of discussion here from various experts about what is most helpful, but for me, I make sure to have MCT oil, good butter, healthy proteins, lots of eggs, Vitamin D, fish oils, minerals, magnesium, real salt and electrolytes.

6} Weights – For walking, adding resistance can be really beneficial. I use this Walk at Home band and a weighted vest. I also use small hand weights occasionally for added training.

7} Walking Pad – I purchased this one for the days that I just want to get in more steps. Then, I added a tall table so I can work and walk.

8} Food scale – This is a must. The only way to really know what you’re eating is to start paying attention to it this closely. Not religiously or compulsively – just closely.

9} Planner – Having a calendar planner can help with keeping track of important things like fasting days, changes in macros, weight loss, goals, and workouts. Health journaling at it’s best.

10} Daily life – I still do all of these things.

Month by month, I slowly started changing my health. I embarked on a new season of healthy practices that are sustainable and possible with where I am and where I want to be.

If you’re curious, hop around to some of the links, read the info, and feel free to ask a question!

Have you ever tried eating keto-vore or a walking at home routine?