This will be my third time trying to find a way to type out what I’d like to say and include in this post. But considering I have not posted anything on this blog since September, I may be a bit rusty. Let’s just say, I have had a lot going on in the last few months that I needed to take a step back to collect my thoughts.

Over the last year since starting this blog, I have been having an ongoing struggle and mind battle of if anyone would want to hear what I have to say or write about, and in turn, this has deflated my confidence. What started all of this was honestly the engagement levels on all of my platforms, or lack there of I should say. Instagram’s forever changing algorithm has not only deflated my confidence but many other’s as well, like a blown up duck in a bathtub with an alligator. I was noticing my engagement going from amazing numbers to absolutely nothing in the matter of weeks, and I had changed nothing about my content or posting schedule. I feel I can go on and on about this, so I may save this for a blog post on it’s own. Long story short, I found myself lost in counting the numbers instead of trying to get information out into the world to help someone. This was the moment I knew I needed to take a step back from social media. So what have I been doing since September and why am I starting to write again you may ask? Well, let’s just say I have had some health conditions along with some “a-ha” moments that have encouraged me to step outside of my comfort levels and give this a go again.

As you may know from following me on instagram, YouTube or this blog, you will know I just passed my 4 year anniversary of being diagnosed with celiac disease. To this day, I am continuing to heal my gut from the damages of the disease in my small intestine. I will have symptoms pop up here and there but they are starting to not be as frequent (unless I get cross contaminated again). Some of the on going symptoms that I seem to be having is a faint sharp pain in my upper right abdomen and acid reflux, but not the burning kind, it is the annoying something is stuck in your throat all the time acid reflux. This seems to be triggered with certain foods I eat and what kind of stress I am under. What foods are those? I have a small idea but I’m not 100% sure. There are some smaller symptoms but those two are the most irritating at the moment. Back in September, I knew the answer to having a clear mind was to heal my gut so I could think straight about everything else. Therefore, this has been a top priority for me not just in the last 4 years but will be ongoing into my future as well.

Next, I have had old injuries come back with a vengeance. For the last 2-3 years, I have gone from working out 5 days a week to very quickly and drastically dropping to zero days a week (excluding a few hikes and hockey games once in a while). I did this truly because I had no energy from my body trying to heal my gut and have my body not be in an autoimmune flare 24/7. The last few months I have been focusing more on my body’s strength, mobility and flexibility equally. After all, I am a Certified Athletic Therapist and should probably start taking my own advice at some point. However, something I have taken a notice to, is I will feel better both gut and body wise but I’ll head to the gym and go through a program that I used to do on a regular basis and I’ll be knocked out sore and tired for 1-2 weeks after. In the last few months I have been constructing a treatment plan for myself to slowly get back to what I was able to accomplish in the past but better than before. This is something that I am excited to use myself as an experiment and share with you the findings and outcomes. I’d like to bring you along the journey to maybe spark some inspiration in yourself or someone you know who may be feeling the same way.

Back in September 2020 I decided to start working with a lovely woman by the name of Stella. She has been helping me organize my thoughts and what I’d like to work towards into the coming future. With her I have discovered that I would like to move my practice over to a more active caseload rather than all hands on treatment. The reason for this, is not only because my body is hurting from being a manual therapist but also because I know deep down that they real way to get people pain free is by teaching them how to move their bodies correctly. Having an equal balance of mobility, flexibility, pliability and strength is very important to maintaining a healthy body. I have been also going back and forth in my head about going back to school or not. I am feeling very grounded with the decision to not go back to school at this time and instead improve my treatment techniques at the clinic and start putting focus into this blog.

Stella and I have put together a purpose statement for myself, “I teach people how to care for their bodies through the science of movement, mindfulness and nutrition. With this blog, I plan to do just that.

Now, with that being said, I am going to be starting to make consistent weekly posts onto this blog. I’ll be writing and sharing my experience as a celiac and what I’ve learned, information on athletic therapy and the human body, health and wellness, exercises and fitness, lifestyle tips, and some of my own gluten free recipes that I have made and would love to share with you all. I may even throw in some random plant facts in there as well, because we all know how much I love my house plants. Basically I will be sharing everything I love to spend my time learning about and my journey back to being better than I was before my diagnosis of celiac disease.

Follow along and share this with anyone who may be interested, and I’ll see you here once a week. Until my next blog post, have the best week!

LEW xxx