For years, I abused my body. It was a cycle of restrictive eating, binge drinking, 2-3 hours sleep a night alongside negative self talk and obsessive overthinking. The binge drinking caused chronic tonsillitis, depressive episodes and severe IBS.

In 2020, my IBS was horrendous, food was becoming a nightmare and eating out was almost impossible, as it would lead to headaches and severe stomach pain. Despite exercising and eating a vegan diet, I was suffering terribly with my general health - feeling sluggish with low moods, excruciating periods and chronic bloating after every meal.

I was trying to implement generic advice from health influencers I followed online, rather than looking at what worked for me on an individual basis with regards to my own health history, previous traumas and likes/dislikes. Health isn’t a one size fits all!

In 2021 I limited my alcohol intake and focused on an integrative approach to my health: a new bedtime routine of 8-9 hours sleep a night, high-protein breakfast everyday, exercising 3-5 x a week, with no more negative self talk.

And even with all of this, change didn’t happen over night.

It’s been a journey of learning to be kind to myself, and developing an understanding about gut health, the effects of living in a constant ‘fight or flight’ mode and ways in which you can regulate your nervous system, and how poor lifestyle choices impact your overall health.

All of this research and trial & error to help fix my own health led me to wanting to help others, so I enrolled with CNM and graduated in 2024 as a qualified Health Coach.