Rebecca Albert, LMT & INHC, Owner of Body Be Well Solutions
My story is quite simple… I'm very blessed and grateful that a life changing event in my health "pushed" me to make major changes over a decade ago. Those major changes were made One Choice at a Time, and they are now Healthy Habits which keep my Body Well.
Keep in mind, as I age and my life continues to change, I am regularly adjusting my Choices and Habits to maintain ongoing Balance. This includes what I eat, drink, listen to, read and the activities I participate in and people I associate with.
I'm a former smoker, caffeine junkie, binge eater of sugar free, fat free, low calorie packaged food of all sorts. I have been overweight, experienced terrible mood swings, slept very little, had low energy, major brain fog and very poor self-esteem. Eventually all these poor choices and self-perceptions caught up with me and then ...CRASH.
My first step was to quit smoking and begin exercising. Additionally, I significantly reduced my caffeine consumption. I began to recognize there were other ways to relax and unwind without alcohol. Soon after reducing the caffeine and alcohol, I started to understand and appreciate the value of a good night's sleep and how my body felt when properly hydrated by drinking water.
Overall, I began to feel better; these Healthy Choices were moving me in the right direction... but I still had more chronic daily pain than I should at that my age and continued to generally feel sluggish. I was still over weight; even though I was exercising regularly.
My next step on my journey to Health Habits had the greatest impact of them all. I took the approach of “clean low glycemic eating” and began taking high quality vitamins and supplements. This is when things really began to change... and they did so quickly. I lost inches everywhere, especially around my waist. My percentage of body fat dropped into a very healthy range for my age. I lost the "extra pounds and sluggish brain-fog" I was carrying around. More importantly... my daily aches, pains and stiffness diminished significantly, my muscle tone improved and so did my strength and flexibility.
What was so different about this Healthy Choice? By eating clean low glycemic foods, my body was no longer in a constant state of unhealthy inflammation. As a bonus the high-quality vitamins and supplements I began taking with consistency enabled my body to "heal" some of the damage I had caused with so many years of prior poor choices.
As a massage therapist for almost 15 years, I specialized in helping my clients manage chronic pain. After experiencing these changes in my own health, I decided to share this approach of Healthier Choices with my clients. I chose to become a Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. During my training at IIN I studied over 100 different dietary theories, practical lifestyle management techniques, and innovative coaching methods with some of the world’s top health and wellness experts.
I do not believe there is one approach to being Healthy for everyone. However, an essential first step toward Making Healthy a Habit, One Choice at a Time is to understand how our food and beverage choices affect our health. Once we have this foundation, we can begin to find our personal BALANCE of healthy nutritious food and fun and interesting physical activity.
I have been practicing yoga for 5 years and doing so has changed my life on so many levels, it’s difficult to put into words. Physically as a massage therapist, yoga has saved my career, through my body awareness of movement, stillness and strength. I personally believe in myself and my value more than I ever have in my life. Yoga has been the outlet and provided the awareness I needed to understand and navigate through many difficult situations and relationships. Yoga is not just about physical movement; it can be so much more to those who want it. In a sense, the movements of Yoga can offer many of the same effects as massage therapy. Through the guidance of my yoga teachers I’ve experienced a level of connection and comfort within myself. As a Certified Trauma Informed Registered Yoga Teacher, I am sharing this through my Mindful Movement program.
