I did a thing…

I don’t know about you, but the health education I received growing up was sub-par to say the least.

Only one semester of health education was required during my middle school and high school years, but there were countless requirements for other courses – most of which I’ve hardly used post high school, if ever in some cases.

Health is a topic critical for everyday life, so why isn’t more education being provided or required?

Knowing how your body works is life-changing.  It takes the guesswork out of living your best life.  It puts you in the driver’s seat and gives you the ability to create a life full of freedom instead of possible life-threatening limitations.

It wasn’t until my 30’s did I really start to understand how my body worked as a woman. 

Reaching rock bottom with my long time hormone imbalance battle led me down the road to a higher health education.  Had I known as a teenager what I know now, I could have prevented the 17+ years of irregular periods, chronic fatigue, weight gain woes, allergies, brain fog, waves of depression and anxiety, Hashimotos, disrupting the precious balance of my body with birth control and so much more.

A recent survey of 2,000 women (age 30 to 60) found that nearly half of them have experienced one or more symptoms of hormone imbalances, and 72% only later understood the causes of their hormone issues.

Some of the most common symptoms they experienced included:

• Low energy
• Weight gain
• Mood swings
• Sleep disturbances
• Urinary incontinence
• Memory loss and brain fog
• Anxiety, depression and lost of interest in daily activities

I can only imagine how much money, time and angst those 72% spent trying to find a fix for their health issues, not even realizing it was all related to their hormones because they don’t fully understand how their body works.

How many of those symptoms have, or do, you experience?

And men don’t necessarily have it any easier.  I’ve seen plenty of men dealing with these common symptoms too.

Take notice of the increasing number of commercials geared towards men for erectile dysfunction, poor sexual performance and low testosterone instead of fast-forwarding through the commercial breaks during your favorite HGTV, DYI and sports channel shows.

Your hormones control many major bodily functions; your emotions, cancer risk and even memory loss.

Just think what your life, and our world would be like if we all received more education about health and hormones at a younger age, or had access to better resources throughout our lifespan.

In my functional health coaching practice, I’ve worked with too many young women struggling with the same issues I had; some fearful or frustrated about not being able to get pregnant.  Then there are the numerous pre and post-menopausal women I’ve worked with who are trying to untangle their hormone issues so they can gracefully get through menopause or restore the life they had once before their hormones got out of whack.

And let’s not forget the men who’ve come to me seeking solutions for their unexplained weight gain, low libido, lack of energy, brain fog and challenges with building or maintaining muscle.

Something has to change. So I did one of the boldest things I’ve ever done in hopes of changing the course for women’s (and possibly men’s) health forever.

In this week’s video and blog, I share what I’m doing to promote change; to give women easier access to hormone education and resources.

We all deserve easier access to hormone education and resources so you can live your fullest life, and so you can give the generations to come a better quality of life too.

I’ll never forget what my client Dee said about receiving her DUTCH hormone test results and data-guided recommendations for diet, rest, exercise, stress reduction and supplements…

“It was like Christmas.  I was so excited to hear the results because we tested for things no one else was interested in…how amazing would it be to give this gift to every woman.”

She had been on a diet her whole life trying to lose weight with limited success; trying everything from Beach Body to Weight Watchers and Keto. She even explored Cross Fit for a while.

As she entered her 40’s, she gave up on weight loss as her focus shifted to how she felt with menopause kicking into gear – which led her to uninsured hormone replacement therapy, expensive acupuncture treatments and various other hormone therapies.  None of which fully resolved her health issues and got her back to feeling like herself again. She felt helpless when it came to her hormone health.

For the longest time, it felt as though I didn’t have control over my hormones either,; dating all the way back to my adolescence as my body shifted and my hormones seemed to rip through me emotionally and physically.  A feeling both Dee and I shared, as I’m sure most women do.

A false feeling conjured up by a lack of understanding around our hormones.

I’m happy to report that after working together and getting access to the right lab tests and resources to better understand her body and hormones, Dee has lost weight, her hormones are balanced and she feels great!

Dee’s comment sparked an idea that could change the course for women’s hormone education forever.

What if every woman regardless of income, insurance coverage, demographics or social status could have access to the right lab tests, resources and education to:

• Gracefully get through menopause or any stage of hormone change
• Advocate for themselves and collaborate with their health professionals
• Formulate a lifestyle and health plan that worked for their unique body

Women all over would stop suffering, and start living fuller lives.  They would be better daughters, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, moms, partners, leaders and teachers – and the men in their lives would greatly benefit from this too.

And so H.E.R 4 Life was born! – Hormone Education and Resources for Women for Life.

Last week I made a bold move to start a non-profit organization that would provide hormone education and resources, such as the DUTCH test, to women regardless of income, insurance coverage, demographics or social status; allowing women to embrace their bodies, hormones and be in control of their health to live their fullest life.

This project is in the beginning stages but the power it holds is incredible.

As the (W)holistic Health Boss, my mission to help busy health-minded professionals, like you, get your hands on the right lab tests and resources so you can actually fix what’s wrong and feel like yourself again – and that mission just got a whole lot bigger!

Stay tuned for more information as this project develops.

In the meantime, if you want to get the gift of the right lab tests and resources to live your fullest life like Dee did, click here to schedule an Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session.