One Of The Best Life Decisions!
This is the first challenge that I participated in...and to be honest, I was unsure of what to expect. Upon entering the challenge, it seemed like 21 days would hardly be enough time to put an even minimal dent in what has been the absolute worst health year of my life...yet here I am feeling stronger, wiser, more structured, and hands down healthier than I did 21 days ago. December 1 of 2022 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. This followed an already long history of health ailments including being pre-diabetic, having high blood pressure, and the autoimmune disease, psoriatic arthritis, as well as anxiety, and depression. My past year has been filled with surgeries, radiation, radioactive dyes, scans, aromatase inhibitors and then of course, the trap of getting prescribed medications to relieve side effects of my medications. I felt my health spiraling downward quickly...and what was tanking even faster was my mental health. A former addict I began finding myself seeking out ways to mask the pain from the cancer and recovery as well as the toxic thinking that was taking over my head...more and more each day. I started self-reflecting and realized...if I want to live...through cancer...through depression... then I have to make a change...again. I had used food as medicine in the past to reverse my pre-diabetic status and lower my blood pressure but I did this in a manner that was in no way sustainable for me and family. My blood pressure was beginning to climb again, I was emotionally eating... I was desperate to find a way to take back my health and my life. I fell in the trap of purchasing every health supplement that had anything positive to say about cancer...and ultimately found myself with a cabinet full of pills and a complete lack of structure... all while my joint pain increased and my mental wellness decreased...then I found Dr. Livingood. Joining this challenge is hands down one of the best life decisions I have ever made. This challenge brought me structure. It brought me education and knowledge of how to course correct areas in my life...that were necessary...that no supplements alone were going to fix. This challenge brought me hope, consistency, support, and accountability. It brought me the ability to think in 1% terms and finally allow myself to succeed in areas rather than health hopping all over the place with no plan and zero results. During this challenge I went from drinking 3 to 5 vodka cocktails an evening...to drinking minimally only 5 days during the entire challenge. While I aimed for zero this is still a big win for me. I am replacing my need for alcohol with healthy food choices, movement, sleep, and self-care. I have gone from making excuses about why I cannot exercise to showing up consistently, daily, through this challenge. I began taking Dr Livingood's supplements for sleep and stress...and my anxiety has improved significantly. I also began taking the apple cider vinegar and the vitamin D complex and I am so happy to say that I have been able to stop one medication...Celebrex, which was prescribed for the horrible joint pain that is now, all but gone. My weight loss by scale has been minimal but I am beginning to see my muscles again that had atrophied the cancer process. What I would tell someone that is thinking about doing this challenge is to love yourself enough to give yourself this gift of health and wellness. No matter what your struggles have been...no matter how many times you may feel like you have failed...you are capable of making a 1% improvement everyday and just showing up is a win. You will have the best support system and you will find yourself being eager to cheer on your peers and before you know it... you will see glimmers of change, and hope, and health showing up in your life. Believe change is possible and know you are the solution. You deserve this. This is the beginning of the rest of my life...and I am so grateful to have finally found a sustainable way. I cannot wait to be a part of the next challenge and everyone thereafter.
