health and well-being topics
My life is full of contradictions when it comes to health. I’m a Personal Trainer who hates the gym; a nutrition freak who despises cooking and loves junk food; a spiritual person who is not religious; a peaceful person with a Black Belt; and a proud, successful parent who didn’t mind babysitting but didn’t have any rational need for children of my own.
Growing up I had a hospital file that was as big as The Bible. If I wasn’t in hospital for stitches or sprains I was there with pneumonia, bronchitis, and asthma. At around eight years old I developed neck lumps accompanied by fevers and high white blood counts. To this day it’s a mystery of what was wrong with me but I was one of the first kids at CHEO (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario) and spent about five years in and out of hospital. I was sickly and a constant worry for my parents.
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Oddly enough I got healthy when I became a teenager which I attribute to babysitting. This one family didn’t have any good munchies and I was starved after school and helped myself to their smorgasbord of yummy children’s vitamins. I missed a lot of classes in high school but not once from being ill.
Coincidence? Maybe, but food for thought (couldn’t resist the pun) on the outcome of massive vitamin consumption. On the flip side later on in life I learnt firsthand the danger of taking too much of certain vitamins. A doctor prescribed Vitamin E for plantar’s warts which gave me body spasms that lasted decades. So always consult your physician when you decide to change your vitamin regime. For that matter consult your family doctor whenever you make changes to your diet, exercise, and medications.
My real introduction to nutrition and health came when I was 18 years old and moved out. Chips, chocolate bars, and gummies were my food groups by day and at night I had a liquid diet. This unhealthy lifestyle led to many problems.
With no nutritious food and so much junk in my diet I ended up with recurring yeast infections, anemia and had several colonoscopies by the time I was 30 years old. Initially, the only thing I was told was that I needed fiber and to buy the boxed fiber cookies found at the pharmacy. Then, when I was about 20 I added hypoglycemia to my ailments. My family doctor gave me a pamphlet about diabetes which had a sample diabetic diet – she claimed it was the “best diet”. This piqued my interest. There was no internet back then so I spent a lot of money on health magazines and books, and devoured any related reading material I could find. I even took a university nutrition course by correspondence, that’s snail mail studying, through the University of Waterloo. That course turned my life around. It armed me with everything I needed to know about nutrition to get me on track.
My understanding is traditional Chinese Medicine had a great health system; pay the doctor to keep you healthy and don’t pay if you get sick. Preventative care, what a concept! Preventative medicine has its place to keep your body, mind, and soul healthy but you can’t replace healthcare when something serious goes wrong.
When I got cancer I was thankful for all the wonderful people who helped with my care, surgery, and treatment. Something a few people commented on after my surgeries was my speedy recovery. This, I attribute to only having radiation, “not” having to go through chemotherapy, and having a head start having a healthy lifestyle. Not sure about other people who have had cancer, it’s traumatic, but I found the financial strain almost as stressful as the cancer itself. Cancer hasn’t defined who I am, but it certainly made its mark.
One of my favourite lines I use to use before cancer is “I exercise to support my eating habit”. I love junk food but have had to curb that habit. Inevitably, I no longer use that line, am committed to eating well, and try to work out, or do something active every day of my life. Since humans are very routine oriented I use that to my advantage and commit to exercise of some sort every day. This way even if I miss a few days I still get exercise several times a week. For me this is way better than taking a chance on life getting in the way and missing three scheduled workouts in a week.
This section on “Health and Well-being” is a compilation of what has worked for me. I hate cooking so will share my “lazy recipes”, tips, and experiments that save time and money, and are still tasty and healthy. As mentioned previously, you should always consult your medical physician for advice when changing your lifestyle, embarking on a new exercise program or prior to changing your prescriptions, vitamins and medical care to be sure there are no health issues to consider.
Struggling trying to make an impact on your health? I get it, I struggle too. Childbirth, medications, injury, exhaustion, illness, and surgeries have found their way into my life and it never seems to end. Every year there’s something, and that something results in a pendulum effect on my weight of 15 to 20 pounds. Off in the summer then back on in the winter. Do you experience that too? Follow me on social media and this blog to find out what is and isn’t working for me. Who knows, it may just work for you too. Or maybe something is already working for you, let me know in the below comments or on my social media.
Cheers,
Vickie Girolami
May 6, 2021
#middleagedteen #vickiegirolami #healthandwellbeing #bodymindsoul
| The information shared in middleagedteen.com is personal experience meant for entertainment and educational purposes only. Always consult the relevant professional for each topic covered, especially for health and well-being since it is not a prescription, diagnosis, healthcare, or treatment for any illness, disease, or lifestyle. Any business related to middleagedteen.com, including the author and publisher, are not liable for any outcomes from misuse or misunderstanding information and no client relationship is created. |
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Hi Vickie,
Your website is so inspiring! I love it! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and insight. It really helps 🙂
Leslie A.
Hello Leslie,
Thank you for taking the time to comment and thrilled you’re inspired. Stay tuned for more.
Cheers,
Vickie