Tracy’s Wellness Journey
Discovering my own voice and sharing my personal wellness journey strategies is the purpose of this blog. It was a little over five months ago that I had a total “Meltdown”. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I felt overwhelmed, stressed, fat and beside myself. I was going to be turning 48 this year and had never felt so out of control of my life. During the last 8 years so much had taken place I really had neglected myself while taking care of others. Somehow I lost myself in this chaotic whirlwind I call my life and during that process gained roughly 40 pounds.
It was during this meltdown that my husband proposed a challenge. He said, “Tracy…why don’t you just focus on being the Best you for you, not for me, not for the kids, not for the grandkids, not for your clients, just you?” I wasn’t quite sure how to respond. What did taking care of me look like? I do things for myself all the time. I get my hair and nails done, I get regular facials and massage but somehow I knew this is not what he was talking about. Taking care of me was more than that but I didn’t really know where to start.
My first stop was the health food store thinking I might find something new and inventive that could fix me quickly. Instead I found a newspaper WomenSense with an article headline that said, “Lack of Energy, Weight Gain, New study reveals women ages 45-64 are the most stressed out of all Americans and that for the first time in U.S. history this group of women may not outlive their male counterparts.” Another headline read, “Mayo Clinic has linked serious health concerns with too much sitting!” I couldn’t believe it…this was me and from the article I knew this was not about a quick fix. I had to get serious about ME!
I continued to ponder my husband’s challenge for a few days and decided that in order to get my life where I wanted it to be I would need some clarity and focus. For starters I decided to go for a bike ride (get some movement) and just be alone with me. The ride felt good, the air was fresh and my neighborhood was beautiful. I’d live there almost a year and had not ventured down any of the streets. On my ride I met neighbors, saw deer, goats, dogs and horses yet still felt stressed. Only 3 miles into my ride I was feeling pressure, thoughts of work, chores and family responsibilities were at the forefront of my mind so I decided that was long enough for one day. As the days progressed I was able to ride a little farther before my mind would race.