Lifelong Journey to Health and Wellness

Lifelong Journey to Health and Wellness

This is a guest post from Connie Ragen Green on the topic of her journey of learning to eat to be well. Be sure to check out all she has to offer…books, training and so much more at https://ConnieRagenGreen.com

Life is a journey that takes many twists and turns along the way. What may start as a single step can take you in a direction that makes all the difference in the world. My journey took a twist and then a turn when I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age thirty-seven.

No one in my family had ever experienced cancer of any type. But that made no difference at all. I had known a dozen people by then who had gone through cancer treatments and all of them had died as a result. One of them was my first husband. He was diagnosed with leukemia at age thirty-eight and passed away fourteen months later. My stepchildren were teenagers at that time and we worked through the grieving process together.

I was determined to beat my cancer and to learn as much as I could as quickly as possible. Luckily I was surrounded by friends, family, and medical professionals who were open to traveling this journey alongside me. I was scared and going through treatments that left me weak and vulnerable. I had been given three to six months to live and a year later the doctors finally agreed I was past the worst of it and would survive. They refused to say I was in remission and did not believe in using the word “cured” but it was obvious that I was a survivor.

My life’s journey continued, as did my interest in alternative medicine and non-traditional practices. The role of stress and unhappiness and of living a life unfulfilled became apparent to me in my quest to stay healthy and strong. I meditated, practiced yoga, walked as much as possible, and added several supplements to my daily regimen.

What I truly needed in my life was someone who was devoting their life to the study and practice of holistic health and well being. Not a doctor or other medical professional but a laymen who had taken on the challenge of staying healthy amidst so much controversy from the government and private industry and someone had cracked the code to living a natural lifestyle no matter what symptoms, conditions, or beliefs were at play.

That person for me is Cheryl Major. We met in an online Mastermind in 2009 and it would be several more years before I understood what a  treasure she would become to me and to so many others. I won’t tell you her story here but you can read about it and learn things you may not have ever imagined in her book, Eat Your Blues Away: “Disappearing Depression by Changing How You Eat. This book will alter your life journey forever, no matter where you are right now.

As an author and entrepreneur since 2006 I spend about five hours each day in front of my computer. No longer in the work force, I make my own hours and choose the people and activities I will interact with on any given day. This freedom was exactly what I wanted in my life yet I was missing a crucial piece of what I needed to understand and live actively – how to feed myself.

Following Cheryl’s example I now know which foods will drain my energy and keep my mind from being able to properly focus. I also understand how to choose food from my local grocery stores and the farmer’s markets in both of the cities where I live. Cheryl has taught me how to be mindful of everything on my plate and to make each meal and snack one that has true meaning. This changes everything in a way you must experience first-hand.

For the past four years Cheryl and I have roomed together at my twice annual live marketing events. Our suite becomes a magical haven and makeshift garden for freshly prepared meals that we enjoy together. Breakfast each day is a salad, but one very different from what you may be imagining. Starting with a bed of greens, Cheryl may add oysters, walnuts, strawberries, blueberries, cucumber, avocado, hard-boiled egg, and a host of other delectable items, topped with the oil and vinegar she recommends.

When I get off track, Cheryl reminds me that perfection is not the goal and to focus on getting back to the foods that serve me as quickly as possible. Knowing that I am in charge of my moods, my level of energy, and my level of productivity, and that each of these can be managed by what we choose to put into our bodies is empowering, to say the least.

I do hope you are reading this with an open mind. Yes, the medical professionals we know and trust are one piece of our overall health and well being picture, but not the whole picture. Having the knowledge to know as much as possible about the power of food may keep you and your loved ones from depending upon the big business of medicine to stay as healthy as possible on your own in your lifelong journey to health and wellness.

I’m author, entrepreneur, and marketing strategist Connie Ragen Green. Find out more at https://ConnieRagenGreen.com and follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ConnieGreen.