I think there is often a ‘defining’ moment in which a person takes a deeper commitment to their own health journey.
Not to say there are not lots of little moments that influence our decision to invest in our health… in my own life there have been many ‘nudges’… but I think often we have a defining moment or season in life that makes us ask ‘Is there more I can do?” “Does that have to be my fate?”
For me, it really wasn’t until motherhood that I took a more serious look at my health, my daily habits and how everything was interconnected.
And more specifically, it was in my pregnancies and that first year where I nursed each of our girls that I took a sincere look at the impact of foods on my health and the health of our little girls. With breastfeeding, I saw first hand how the food I consumed, impacted reflux and sleep patterns with Stella and Nora. I saw unexpected changes in my own digestion and skin when I started making intentional dietary changes to be able to continue breastfeeding both Stella and Nora. A spark was ignited in me almost 5 years that has never gone away…
I know we each are each born with a specific set of genes. And our genes/DNA doesn’t change over time and play an important role in our health….
But there is more to the story. Our epigenetics or how those genes are expressed is not static. Looked at in a different way- genes are the cards we are dealt, but epigenetics are how we choose to play those ‘cards’. You see, you can share the some of the same genes as your siblings, yet the life you lead can cause some genes to be ‘turned on’ or expressed, while others aren’t. So although our genes are an important piece in the oily key of health, dare I say, epigenetics can play an even bigger role in our health?
Epigenetics are impacted by the diet we consume, our exercise habits, the air we breathe, physical and emotional stress, environmental toxins, even our thoughts… play a role.
As an FNTP, part of what I do with a client is consider genetics, but focus on epigenetics. What habits can we change or adapt so that we can live our optimal life? What is in our control and how can we use that to empower our own health journey?
I don’t know your why, but my why is these little girls and staying healthy so I can be present for as long as possible for all the big and little moments. I want to be there standing on the sidelines for their first horse competition, to be there to help them pick out dresses for prom and to be there when they walk down the aisle…
Health is fragile. We cannot predict the future, but I do believe we influence it. Our genes do not have to be our fate.