Welcome to my first health blog. I appreciate you taking the time to read my thoughts on health-related stuff (and let’s be honest, the list is infinite!).
I thought I’d make this first offering about how my own eyes have been opened to both individual and societal health in recent years (and wonder why it took me so long to figure out where I was going wrong), and how I became a Health Coach. In later blogs I’ll give you practical ideas on how we can all do a better job by valuing the importance of lifestyle choices in our own lives.
For me it was all about energy, or a lack of it. I was working unsociable hours in a job I loved, but one that came with performance pressure. I was constantly knackered and over a Christmas break decided I needed to make changes otherwise I’d burn out very soon. I had a young daughter and another baby was on the way. I felt I had to do better. I sure as hell knew I needed more energy but felt completely daunted about what lay ahead.
Cutting out white flour was a big help to my weight loss
After visiting a dietician and radically changing what I ate, I saw immediate results. I’d never considered myself overweight but my body’s response said otherwise. I lost 8-9kgs in next to no time and my energy levels soared. People reckoned I was now too skinny. I knew better, I should have been this weight the whole time. Essentially I greatly reduced the amount of processed carbohydrate I was eating. I hammered down my consumption of sugar and white flour (starch) and the results were truly remarkable.
With an increase in energy came greater mental clarity, a strong and unexpected desire to exercise, reduced inflammation and soreness in my body and a hunger to learn about being truly healthy.
I came to realise everything is interrelated. A good diet is a huge piece of the puzzle, as too is exercise, better sleep and managing stress. If you get one of these going in the right direction the others should follow suit.
The more I discovered about myself, the more I wanted to learn about what good health actually looks like. I couldn’t stop reading and eventually decided to formalise my learning and become an accredited Health Coach to help others make inspiring discoveries for themselves like I had.
If you look around you will see chronic disease everywhere in the Western world. It’s all trending in a desperately bad direction and most of it is preventable.
I was 40-years-old when the penny dropped for me. I had to own it myself. The great news is it’s never too late to start prioritising your health. The body and mind can adapt amazingly quickly to lifestyle change and be healthier for it. And it doesn’t have to be a slog. Embarking on health change should be fun, with realistic goals absolutely achievable.
Good health doesn’t have to seem unattainable. It can be just around the corner.
Feel free to get in touch with me via kent@kentjohnshealth.co.nz and send me any questions or ideas about topics I can write about, Thanks, KJ.