In December 2019, I embarked on a mission to cleanse my life of toxins. The results were remarkable. I transitioned from experiencing hot flashes every 5-10 minutes to having none at all. Night sweats, which had plagued me nightly, vanished. I felt rejuvenated. At the same time, I was caring for a horse with liver issues, and I was advised to remove all toxins from her environment to aid her recovery. The transformation was astounding. My horse, once aggressive and unpredictable, became gentle and affectionate. Even my equine chiropractor noticed the remarkable change in behavior, comparing her newfound calmness to that of geldings.
Maintaining a toxin-free environment had become a routine for us, ensuring our well-being and harmony. However, an eye-opening experience made me realize just how significant this change was. During a routine clean-up, I stumbled upon six jars of SWAT, an insect repellent I had previously used. Despite my better judgment, I decided to use them for the summer instead of sticking to my newly established, toxin-free practices.
The results were almost instantaneous. Within 24 hours, I began to experience hot flashes and night sweats again. The mares, who had previously been calm and cooperative, suddenly reverted to their aggressive, territorial behavior. The peaceful farm atmosphere quickly descended into chaos, with tensions rising and tempers flaring. It took me another few days to figure out what was going on while we all suffered.
This unexpected turmoil drove home a powerful lesson: even seemingly small toxins can have significant impacts on our health and the well-being of those around us. The experience reaffirmed my commitment to maintaining a toxin-free lifestyle, proving that the changes I had made were not just beneficial but essential for harmony and health.
I challenge you to start going through the ingredients before replacing something and look up the ingredients. See what is in the product you are using and what you are using on your horses too. Just start switching stuff out as you go. You will be amazing on the tranquility that descends on your farm.
I talk more about this on my latest podcast if you would like to listen to it. TURN RIDING FEAR AROUND.
There I was, 5 years old and all set up in the living room to play Monopoly with my aunts. When they arrived, I immediately waved them over to join me in the game! I was so excited. They looked at me and said, no way, we can't sit on the floor and play a board game, we will never get back up! To the 5-year-old me, it was devastating. In that moment, I vowed that I would never get to the point that I could not sit on the floor for a game of Monopoly with the kids!
Fast forward 50 years and there I was, groaning as I tried to put on my socks. MY SOCKS! WHAT?????? I was my aunts!!!!! It didn't happen in a bang, it sneaked in through the back door of not taking care of myself. Like many of you, that have just let a few pounds sneak up on you, or a few aches in the joints, or a little bit of brain fog that has crept in and we didn't notice.
I believe we were created to be healthy and enjoy life as we get a few more years on us. There is so much against us though. Marketing and advertising selling us junk food. Grocery stores that are filled with aisles of preservatives, sugar and dyes. The world is stacked against us. I fixed my issues and now I feel great! My wedding ring fits again. My Sudoku times went from 7 minutes to 4 minutes. I have not walked into a room and thought "what did I come in here for?" in 2 years! My joints feel great and I can sit on the floor and play a board game. There are solutions that help us get healthy. I feel better than I did when I was 20 and I know I am stronger!
I talk about my journey a little bit more in my latest podcast, Episode
34: Socks Linked to Fear? if you would like to hear a little more about my journey back to health.
Winter is a time to rest, recuperate, and rejuvenate to get ready for spring riding. I remember sitting there on the edge of the bed, struggling to put my socks on and it was like a slap in the face. I was becoming "that" person. The one that couldn't sit on the floor and play board games. The one that made the "oof" sound getting on my horse. The one that just didn't feel so good anymore, I was feeling old. Like many of you, this stuff creeps up slowly, inch by inch, to steel our joy.
I knew I wanted to go into my senior years enjoying riding and part of that was flexibility, balance, and energy but how?
I tried EVERYTHING. Some things helped, some things didn't help and some things were AMAZING.
Flexibility - this started with healthy eating. I got rid of grains and refined sugar and this helped some. I worked on doing things like lifting my knee to my chest, alternating this while I was doing dishes. I played with lunges and side lunges to stretch my inner thigh. I just played with flexibility and movement. I was actually shocked to find out that I could not move my arms like a bird flying but I could move them like a swimmer. It took me some time to get my bird flying shoulders going again. The more I moved, the more I could move.
Balance - this one again I play with. I will see how long I can stand on one leg (practicing with both legs) while brushing my teeth or folding clothes. Chores became a great time to play with balance. Could I load the dishwasher standing on one leg or the other without falling over. This also improved my strength.
Energy - this was by far the most challenging and the most recently solved. I didn't feel like working on balance, flexibility and riding again. It just seemed to take too much energy. The diet helped but wasn't the whole thing. I had to add in a coaching program (more information here if interested) that changed it all and put all the pieces together. The coaching linked the anti-inflammation, the dehydration, the energy, the brain fog, the balance, flexibility and boy do I feel AMAZING!!!! When all the pieces come together, just like a gorgeous jigsaw puzzle, You want to keep feeling better each day and the call to ride returns. It has been missing for me for a while. I love the horses but haven't been called to ride and now I am feeling like I want to get everything lined up and ready to start riding this spring.
I will be documenting my journey back to riding (I hope) with my new podcast starting episodes I am working on now. I will have more information coming soon!
Sitting there on the living room floor with the Monopoly game all set up, ready to play with my aunts when I was 5 and my world shattered. Ok, it wasn't that bad but to me, it was a defining moment. My aunts came in and said there was no way they could sit on the floor to play a whole board game, I had to move to the table. I was shocked. In that moment I vowed, never to let myself get to the point I could not sit on the floor with the kids and play a board game. Like many of you, I was not taught how to improve with age, I just assumed things were going to go downhill.
MYTH #1 We get Stiff as we age!
One morning, I was sitting on the bed to put on my socks and it wasn't easy. WHAT????? Me???? I had let myself down. I tried EVERYTHING to get the flexibility back and things helped but nothing was the answer. Now, after doing the 11-day jumpstart, I am as flexible (if not more so) than I was as a kid! I feel amazing! It was a combination of eating better, the timing of the eating, adding in an amazing anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and joining a coaching program that has a great support group!
MYTH #2 Our skin thins as we age!
I was always getting scratched and cut, doing the little things. One day, Doone jumped up and clawed my face. Dean and I both thought it ripped my face open. It hurt so bad; I was sure it was going to need stitches. When I pulled my had down, it wasn't even red! Again, Dean and I were both shocked! The changes I had made for my flexibility and adding in an amazing collogen, have my skin healing and actually getting as healthy as when I was a kid! Even my wrinkles are starting to run away. NICE!!
MYTH #3 We forget what we went into a room for!
It has been a few months since I walked into a room and thought, "what did I come in here for?". This one was more subtle, but Sudoku times are faster, I remember things clearer, my memory is back! I lost my dad to short term memory loss so that fact that my memory seems to be improving, is HUGE! It makes aging not quite so scary.
The 11-day jumpstart was the key. It took all the things I was doing, added in a few little bits I was missing and now I will be aging healthy and happy! If any of these myths have ever seemed familiar to you, or if you are young enough you don't want them to become familiar, I would love to have you join me in the Jumpstart!!! Click here to get the information.
There are some powerful tools out there to start the healing journey. Whether it is physical or mental, the mental healing can always aid the physical healing. Our minds are more powerful than most of us realize. Self talk, is one of the worst for keeping us from healing. I hurt. I'm tired. I don't feel good. There are so many of these words we tell ourselves or even share out loud without thinking about the power of the words. We are basically telling our brain, keep us feeling bad!
I had a friend that used to say all the time, "I am dying to have a baby". It made most of us uncomfortable she put so much passion into what she was saying. She died giving birth to her little girl, left without a mom. I WAS SHOCKED through my sadness.
It is so easy to get into the habit of looking and feeling, using words for right now. Help is on the way! I have a practice that helps pull us out of the pain and misery.
Start by thinking 12 months ahead, and how do you want to feel. AMAZING I am sure! Healthy, pain free, great energy and ready to dance through life. Write down, on a piece of paper you can keep in front of you, "I remember that day, 12 months ago, when I didn't see hope to be free from pain. I remember that day with so much compassion. I remember that was the day, that I started to feel better. I felt better and better every day after that day. Today, I feel amazing but I will always be grateful to remember that day, that I changed my thoughts." As you read your statement, picture the feeling you will have 12 months in the future and really feel how good that feels. Do this 4 or 5 times a day for a year!!!! You will be amazed!
If you want to jumpstart your healing and feeling better today, we are seeing amazing results in just 11 days! Imagine, feeling great after 11 days. Just click here for more information and to jump in!!!
