Fresh Start Winter Renewal Detox Video

The winter detox is here!  If you are feeling heavy, bloated, and irritable after the holidays, this is a great way to get back on track!
www.personaljourneywellness.com/winterdetox2015



Fresh Start Winter Renewal Detox

Watch the Global Premiere of Origins the Movie

Watch the Global Premiere of Origins the Movie: From November 13th through November 22nd, watch the feature-length movie Origins for FREE from filmmaker Pedram Shojai. #OriginsFilm @Well_Org



FREE movie only until November 22.  So much good information about farming, our food system, and how it affects our health and the health of our children.  It is inspiring and will help to get you to make some needed changes in the way you eat.

Would You Have Recognized Me 5 Years Ago?

BAKERY MEMORIES

It's a funny thing how the sight of something as innocuous as a bakery treat can bring back a flood of memories, feelings, and emotions.  This week I am back home.  By home I mean the place that I grew up and spent the better part of my life.  Of course, just being here is a walk down memory lane.  But I was doing quite well dealing with the emotions a hometown can stir up, until I saw this...a pastry that must have a name, but honestly I don't even know what it is.  But the sight of it sent me back to the Sunday mornings of my childhood.  

My mom would take me to church with her every Sunday morning.  My distant memories of this are wearing frilly dresses and my favorite Mary Jane shoes, listening to men speak Latin, kneeling, and smelling incense.  But it was the stop on  the way home that was the highlight of the morning for me.  Walking into Capitol Bakery brought happiness to my young heart.  Of course, it probably contributed to my lifelong battle with sugar addiction, however, at the time I was blissfully unaware of  that.  Why I liked this little confection I can't say, I don't even know exactly what it is.  There is yellow cake on the bottom and some type of brown sugar crumble on top finished off with confectioner's sugar.  As the health coach that I am today, I should be horrified.  There is not one redeeming healthy component to this food item.  But I have vivid memories of being that little girl holding my mom's hand, excitedly walking through the bakery door, looking through the glass bin, and getting to pick out what I wanted. I would skip back to the car anticipating the sweet sensation of my little cake alongside a cold glass of milk. 

I hadn't seen this pastry in many, many years.  I'd never known anyone else who made it.  The bakery closed it's doors quite a long time ago and became a wholesale business.  That is most likely why I stumbled upon it at the breakfast buffet in my hotel lobby.  In a nanosecond I was transported back to Capitol Bakery, holding my mommy's hand, and looking through the glass of a pastry bin.  I lost my mom 9 years ago and there are days I miss her so much and then there are days I am so caught up in my present life that I don't think about her at all.  But standing there in the lobby of my hotel looking at that covered dish brought back a warm and precious memory of my mother and me and our Sunday morning excursions.  

Food, after all, is memories.  It is such a huge component of our lives. The sight and smell of it can transport us to times long ago.  That is most likely partly why those of us who struggle with emotional eating continually carry on a battle to keep food in it's proper place in our lives.  We struggle to maintain a healthy balance of food as fuel for our bodies and food for the fun of it.  I have been a health coach for 3 years now, lost 100 lbs by eating healthy and exercising, and firmly believe in clean eating and seasonal detoxing for digestive health.  So did I break every one of my self-imposed eating rules and have a pastry?  Did I take a brief moment of food for the fun of it?  You bet I did!  And thought fondly of my mom with every bite. 

COMING SOON!

EAT CLEAN AND LOSE WEIGHT

What Would My Life Have Been Like If I Hadn't Been Fat?

I have asked myself that question a lot lately.  Now that I am a health coach and have been living in a smaller body for the last few years, it has made me wonder what my life would have been like if I had had this body all along.

I grew up a chubby kid, an overweight teen, and an obese adult for most of my life.  What opportunities would I have had, what choices would have been afforded me, what path might I have taken if I had been slender?  Would my life be different than it is today?  I will never know, but it brings a focus on how our appearance and how we feel about ourselves can be so influential on how our lives turn out.  How many
dreams do we not pursue because our weight holds us back?

People who have always been thin might not have any idea what I'm talking about.  Their choice of marriage mates, careers, athletic pursuits, etc. might not have been as dictated or entwined with their size as

How Did This Happen to Me?

someone who is heavy.  For the overweight, their body can be a big factor in their ability to freely choose.  Some might say it is the world we live in.  We live in a thin and pretty world where fat people need to get a handle on themselves.  Or could it just be a lack of self-esteem and confidence on the part of the overweight and they are holding themselves back from reaching out and grabbing their dreams and goals knowing they deserve the very best?

I really don't know the concrete answer to those questions, it might all play a part.  But one thing I have come to realize is that is wasn't all my fault.  Since becoming a health coach and educating myself on food and nutrition, I have come to understand that I became caught in the processed and fast food phenomenon that reached epic proportions in the last 50 or so years.  As I grew into adulthood, the food industry was adding more and more salt, sugar, and fat into my food and I became a food addict, a sugar addict to be precise.  I didn't realize they were drawing me in, that they were making me an addict.  All I knew was that Rice-A-Roni tasted so much better than plain rice and that ice cream made me feel happy.  So I ate and ate until I finally tipped the scales at around 250 lbs. and wondered "how did this happen to me?"

How did I turn it around?  Believe it or not, it was when I threw in the towel on weight.  I knew I was never going to look like Gwyneth Paltrow so why bother.  But I vowed to get myself as healthy and fit as I possibly could.  I just wanted to feel better in my body and about myself.  So I started walking, cutting down on starchy carbs and desserts, and stopped obsessing over the scale.  It took almost two years, but I lost 100 lbs.  I still don't look like Gwyneth Paltrow...I'm not stick thin, but I'm healthy.  My thighs don't rub together, I can fit into any restaurant booth, and I look forward to buying a few clothes every now and again.  Not big things, but they make me happy.

Today

 Eleven years ago I moved to central Kentucky, a state with one of the worst records for obesity, especially childhood obesity, in the country.  It was one of the deciding factors that influenced my decision to become a health coach.  Sitting in a local theater one evening, I observed that nearly every young girl who walked in was either overweight or obese.  Having walked in those shoes, my hope is that I can play a part in educating women and girls struggling with weight issues to understand that they have choices and that I can support them on their journey to better health.

I have reaped so much joy from helping my clients change their relationship with food, make peace with their bodies, and find balance in their lives.  By giving them the tools that they need to get back into good old-fashioned healthy eating, I hope to help them to see wellness is not only about weight, but it is a permanent lifestyle change, and that they have a choice to say to the food industry 'you don't own me, I'm in control'.

So, what would my life have been like if I hadn't been fat?   Like I said, who knows, but one thing I do know is that I would not be where I am today, having the joyful pleasure of helping others learn the healing power of food.  And for that opportunity, I am grateful.

About Bonnie


Bonnie Peterson received nutrition and wellness training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City and is board certified by the AADP.  Bonnie offers private one-on-one health coaching and group programs in person or by phone, email, or Skype.
Bonnie also conducts workshops, seminars, and classes covering a variety of health-related topics and she will be leading a spring detox starting in a few weeks.  If you want to learn more about how to incorporate simple but healthy meals into your diet, or you need support, a nudge, and someone to be accountable to, find out how Bonnie can help you using any of the contact avenues below!  She offers a free 30 minute session.  

Contact Information

 

Phone: (859) 779-8325  

Email:  bonnie@personaljourneywellness.com

Website

Facebook Page

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