Growing up I ate like a typical teenager with fast food, sugary treats, and ramen noodles as a staple. I didn't exercise much and instead, sat around watching movies and reading anything I could get my hands on. Since I was young and had great metabolism, that lifestyle worked for me. As I got older, I noticed that my once slender figure had vanished and had been replaced with a body I no longer enjoyed looking at in the mirror. My once youthful glow was gone, and was replaced by itchy, scaly, red skin.
How I changed my life...
My skin problems started when I hit puberty. Seemingly over night, my gorgeous clear skin transformed. I was left with red, itchy, scaly skin known as eczema. It wasn't just one area either, it covered a large portion of my face, my arms, backs of knees, and stomach. And it had varying degrees of intensity; sometimes mostly clear, sometimes so bad I would have gladly stayed inside the house for the rest of my life. I had no idea what to do and so I tried every cream and moisturizer on the market. This went on for years. Eventually, I thought that it might be what I was eating, so I tried to eat as clean as I could.
My understanding for clean eating back then included eating all of the things I was taught were good for me: dairy, whole wheat bread, and every vegetable I could get my hands on. It kind of worked, but not really. Finally, my dad suggested I get an allergy test done. Maybe I was allergic to some of the things I was eating. Sure enough, I results showed I was allergic to at least 30 different kinds of foods. My skin cleared up within a week of finding this out. That was the beginning of my passion for health and nutrition.
In 2007, I was introduced to yoga. It wasn’t love at first down dog (I was sore beyond belief after that class and wondered what I had gotten myself into), but rather the development of a lifelong love of physical and mental strength. After practicing yoga for a couple of months, I loved it but also wanted a way to lose weight with cardio. I reluctantly signed up for a run club with the some coworkers. Having never run before and after a lot of training and constantly having to tell myself i could do it, I completed my first 5 km walk/run in 2009. The sense of accomplishment I had, was the most amazing feeling, and it's that feeling that keeps me active. Running and yoga helped get me into shape physically, so I just needed to find a way to help heal my skin.
Having struggled with eczema and food allergies for most of my adult life, I was told that they would be lifelong issues I would have to deal with. I couldn't believe it. I had seen and heard of people healing from similar situations and knew that it was possible.
I set out to gain as much knowledge on nutrition and the healing powers of food and started my own journey to health. When I found out, I stopped eating all of it (there was a lot), and my skin cleared right up. It was a long road to get to that point, and I do still watch what I eat daily, but it was worth it.
In 2013, I enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to further my passion for healthy living, creating good food, and healing myself.
I have a Certificate in Health Coaching from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Mount Royal University.
In my spare time I keep fit and happy by nurturing my soul and body through a love of yoga, snowboarding, running, live music, meditation, education, and green (or sometimes not-so-green-looking) smoothies.
I'm located in Calgary, Alberta and can do sessions in-person, by phone, or Skype.
Excited yet? Pop on over to my contact page and connect with me to get started!
How I changed my life...
My skin problems started when I hit puberty. Seemingly over night, my gorgeous clear skin transformed. I was left with red, itchy, scaly skin known as eczema. It wasn't just one area either, it covered a large portion of my face, my arms, backs of knees, and stomach. And it had varying degrees of intensity; sometimes mostly clear, sometimes so bad I would have gladly stayed inside the house for the rest of my life. I had no idea what to do and so I tried every cream and moisturizer on the market. This went on for years. Eventually, I thought that it might be what I was eating, so I tried to eat as clean as I could.
My understanding for clean eating back then included eating all of the things I was taught were good for me: dairy, whole wheat bread, and every vegetable I could get my hands on. It kind of worked, but not really. Finally, my dad suggested I get an allergy test done. Maybe I was allergic to some of the things I was eating. Sure enough, I results showed I was allergic to at least 30 different kinds of foods. My skin cleared up within a week of finding this out. That was the beginning of my passion for health and nutrition.
In 2007, I was introduced to yoga. It wasn’t love at first down dog (I was sore beyond belief after that class and wondered what I had gotten myself into), but rather the development of a lifelong love of physical and mental strength. After practicing yoga for a couple of months, I loved it but also wanted a way to lose weight with cardio. I reluctantly signed up for a run club with the some coworkers. Having never run before and after a lot of training and constantly having to tell myself i could do it, I completed my first 5 km walk/run in 2009. The sense of accomplishment I had, was the most amazing feeling, and it's that feeling that keeps me active. Running and yoga helped get me into shape physically, so I just needed to find a way to help heal my skin.
Having struggled with eczema and food allergies for most of my adult life, I was told that they would be lifelong issues I would have to deal with. I couldn't believe it. I had seen and heard of people healing from similar situations and knew that it was possible.
I set out to gain as much knowledge on nutrition and the healing powers of food and started my own journey to health. When I found out, I stopped eating all of it (there was a lot), and my skin cleared right up. It was a long road to get to that point, and I do still watch what I eat daily, but it was worth it.
In 2013, I enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to further my passion for healthy living, creating good food, and healing myself.
I have a Certificate in Health Coaching from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Mount Royal University.
In my spare time I keep fit and happy by nurturing my soul and body through a love of yoga, snowboarding, running, live music, meditation, education, and green (or sometimes not-so-green-looking) smoothies.
I'm located in Calgary, Alberta and can do sessions in-person, by phone, or Skype.
Excited yet? Pop on over to my contact page and connect with me to get started!