Tag: Health

Overcoming Challenges in Plant-Based Eating

 “Plants are infinite – this diet isn’t limiting and there’s so much more to explore! That’s what excites me about it most.” Denai Moore on the Simply Vegan Podcast

When I made the switch to plant-based eating, I jumped in with open eyes and hope for better health. I didn’t realize how many roadblocks I’d hit along the way. Essentially, I went from not eating any plants to eating nothing but plants. How could I go wrong you ask? While there was no doubt I was eating far healthier foods, there were many things I didn’t know anything about. This week, I’d like to share a few of the roadblocks I faced and what I learned along the way.

Benefits of Plant-Based Eating

A plant based diet can enhance cognitive function. Studies indicate that it also reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.  Both my mother and grandmother had Alzheimer’s, so this information motivated me to switch to a plant based lifestyle. Additionally, plant based diets are often lower in calories and saturated fats, making them beneficial for weight management. Further, plant-based diets offer numerous health benefits, including  reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. It can improve your gut health and potentially increase longevity.  

Plant-Based Challenges

Transitioning to a plant-based diet came with three key challenges. First, I had to figure out what to eat. Second, I needed to understand the importance of plant diversity. Finally, I had to ensure I was getting enough protein.

After building my knowledge and awareness, it was clear I needed to make some changes to my approach. Below are the changes I made and the impact they had on my journey.

1. Meal Planning

Eating a variety of plants is key when following a vegan diet—for more reasons than you might think. It can help support a healthy gut and also ensure you’re getting a broad range of nutrients, making the most of what plant-based foods have to offer. Mixing different fruits, veggies, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and herbs gives your body the fiber and beneficial compounds it needs to thrive.

Protein also plays a big role in keeping our bodies running smoothly—it’s essential for things like maintaining muscle, supporting growth, and staying healthy overall. While plant-based proteins aren’t always “complete” like those from animal sources, it’s totally possible to get all the essential amino acids you need with a well-rounded vegan diet. The key is variety and balance.

All of my initial challenges could be addressed through meal planning. Initially, I purchased a prepared vegan meal plan to guide me. I used this meal plan for months and felt confident that I was eating more balanced meals. There are several vegan meal plans available. I chose one that provided me with a weekly plan of recipes for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner. It also include a shopping list. I found it helpful in reducing my stress about meals and learning how to make delicious plant based meals. It opened me up to trying foods I may not have tried on my own.

Here is the plan I used – Forks Over Knives Meal Planner

Next Steps

If you are new to plant-based eating, I suggest you spend some time investing in yourself. This time is important to build your personal knowledge base. At first, I didn’t know how to create weekly meal plans that would address plant diversity and adequate protein intake. I was a creature of habit and found comfort in eating, on rotation, my favorite meals. I would select my groceries based on what I liked to eat. As I learned more about the importance of plant diversity, I knew I needed to make changes.

There are so many resources you can use, but I like to keep it simple. Here are a few to get you started :

Forks Over Knives (great information for your journey, as well as meal plans)

Food Revolution (courses, recipes and powerful docuseries)

The China Study: Reducing Health Risks with a Plant-Based Diet

Eat to Live

Looking back, shifting to a plant-based lifestyle was one of the most empowering decisions I’ve made for my health. It wasn’t without its challenges, but each obstacle taught me something valuable. By investing time into learning, planning, and experimenting, I’ve built habits that feel both sustainable and nourishing. If you’re considering your own plant-based journey, I’d love to hear from you! What questions do you have? What challenges have you faced—or are you anticipating?

Drop a comment or share your experience. Let’s learn and grow together!

Understanding the Injury Recovery Cycle: A Personal Journey

I’ve been taking a much needed mental health break these past few weeks, enjoying some down time. I received some bad news from the doctor regarding my injury recovery just prior to Thanksgiving. Hearing the words, degenerative damage, really sent me spiraling. I had been trying to hold on and push through, so hearing those words felt like a gut punch. Ironically, as bad as it was to hear, it was what I needed to move forward.

I’ve really been in a rut this last month. As my recovery time wore on, I became quite frustrated and deflated. I spent a lot of time trying to kick start my motivation and couldn’t quite get anything going. Having been through this before, I recognized that my mental wellness was suffering. While quite common during injury recovery, that should not be underestimated.

My thoughts recently have centered around injury recovery time and mental wellness of athletes. I am not a high level athlete, but I have always enjoyed participating in sporting events and working out. I thrive when I train and engage in these events, physically and mentally. I think it is the structure of training that fuels me. I love to workout for a purpose – i.e., to run longer distances, or run a distance in a shorter time. I strive to lift a heavier weight or to add a set to the lift. Knowing the end goal really pushes me to do the work.

Recently, I had been focused on my performance in pickleball. I’ve been working out at the gym to improve my performance, as well as drilling and playing games. I made steady progress and was truly enjoying the sport. It felt great to be part of the pickleball community. When the injury occurred, I assumed it would be a quick recovery. As the time passed and I still experienced pain, I began to try to navigate my way through.

I’ve come to understand that there is a cycle many athletes go through when recovering from injury. It doesn’t matter what level you are, though I imagine it’s far worse when you are an elite athlete. What matters is that, much grief, there are stages you move through as you work toward recovery. The mental aspect of this process is what I have been focusing on.

I have a competitive personality. I thrive when I am striving to accomplish a goal. I love to figure things out and especially love the learning process of it all. When I was a runner, I wanted to learn everything I could to make me a better runner. Same, in my professional life. I was always striving to learn and grow. My personal identity was strongly tied to my ability to run the distance, or improve my school. With an athlete mindset, I dealt with life through my sport, it is part of who I was. I was a runner, I was a Principal, I was an athlete.

The athletic part of my life became a strong coping mechanism for me, both growing up and as an adult. What a fabulous stress reliever to go out early in the morning for a long run, or workout. I started most of my days with an early morning gym session, run or walk. Therefore, when I get injured, it can feel like a personal threat to my identity. Suddenly, it feels like my life is altered and my routines disrupted. The morning athletic time is no longer an option, leaving me feeling isolated and sad.

I want to share my journey through this injury cycle. I hope it helps anyone else dealing with a similar situation.

Stages of Injury Cycle

Much like grief, there is a cycle people can experience when they experience an injury. Those, like me, who engage in training outside of professional sports, are no exception. The cycles do not necessarily follow a linear order. Instead, we go through them in response to our personal experiences. Here are the stages and my response to each.

1. Denial

The day I sustained the injury, I knew it wasn’t good. But, I thought if I stretched, I would be fine. When stretching did not help, I knew enough to leave the court. I went home and iced my foot, followed by compression and elevation. I thought for sure I’d be fine in the morning. I planned to take the next day off and expected to be ready to play by Saturday. I truly didn’t think it was anything serious. Honestly, I still haven’t canceled my playing commitments. I’m still going week by week, hoping to be back on the court. Denial of the injury is quite common and considered the first step in the recovery process.

2. Anger

As the days went on and turned into weeks, I started to get frustrated. I could barely walk to the corner without feeling pain. I didn’t understand why the pain wasn’t getting better and refused to stop trying to walk. Each day I got angrier about this inconvenience. I was angry at myself for not doing a proper warmup before playing and blamed myself for the injury. I was angry at my body for failing me. I was angry that I was missing so much playing time.

3. Bargaining

At this point, I was desperate to be done with the injury. I decided to rest for a few days and see if that improved my recovery. It was as if I said to my body, I’ll give you a week of rest, then will you heal? I remember thinking I just need to stop exercising entirely. I’ll recover quickly and it’ll be worth it. When that didn’t work out, I’ll admit I was back to anger. That’s what I say the cycles are not experienced in a linear fashion. When my bargain failed, I was right back to being angry. I was thinking, I gave you what you wanted, why are you not doing your part. It is quite frustrating!

4. Depression

Right before Thanksgiving I felt like I was at my lowest. It have been 8 weeks and I still wasn’t feeling better. Every day I had pain and I was ready to just give up. I remember hobbling in to the doctor’s office that morning and telling him I needed help. I shared with him everything I had done to improve and that nothing was working. I said there must be something he could recommend. I was on the verge of tears and said, soon I’ll be chubby and depressed. I will admit he was very patient with me and truly explained things to me. That is when degenerative issues came up. My feet have logged a lot of running miles. Many years of long distance running and training were not kind to my body.

5. Acceptance

This was the lowest point of my journey. I also think it was the moment that slapped sense into me. It felt like there was a moment of clarity for me here. I understood better the timeline and the reality of my injury. I also understood that it was not my fault entirely and I had done nothing wrong. As I drove home from the doctor’s office, I was extremely upset. When I got home, I got my gym bag packed and headed to the gym.

I decided that day, that I had to do something different. I was going down a slippery slope and needed to find something that wouldn’t cause pain. That day, I did something I’d been resisting. I put on my swim suit and got back in the pool to swim laps. I knew that meant I accepted my injury for what it was. I also knew that I still needed something athletic to engage in to improve my mental wellness. Swimming is something I’d done in the past when recovering from tendon repair surgery. I can’t say I love it, but it is very therapeutic and a great workout too.

Next Steps

I am two weeks past the news that this injury is way more than I anticipated. I have created a new schedule for my workouts. I have been able to lift weights throughout the injury, just modifying for anything that puts pressure on the foot. I’ve now added one mile lap swims two days a week. I also tried a Barre class locally and was able to do the class without pain.

My new routine has been so helpful for my mental wellness. I am focused on my recovery and finding ways to engage in movement is an essential component for me. I am now working out again, six days a week with one full day of rest. I started dry needling at the doctor’s recommendation. It is a bit painful, but I do feel it is helping.

My best advice is to find solace in setting new goals and focusing on other areas of your life. Injury recovery is tough, especially when you are used to being highly active. It is hard to accept that you are not able to just push through. Take that energy and use it to fuel your recovery. For me, setting new goals and focusing on other ways to move has been a lifeline.

I would be very interested to hear about your journey with injury. What have you found helped you the most? Please share in the comment section below, via email at laurakump@reclaiminghealth.blog, or on Instagram.

Break Through Weight Loss Plateaus: My Journey

“When you get to a plateau, think of it as a landing on the stairway to your goal. And maintenance is a lifelong plateau, so a bit of ‘rehearsal’ for maintenance isn’t the worst thing in the world”. -unknown

Recently, I have been deeply reflecting on my journey. I have been in a plateau for the past three months and it was starting to wear on my mindset. When I hit 160, I was a mere 10 pounds away from my original target weight of 150 lbs. I was so excited and remember sending a message to my coach saying, “Say goodbye to the 160s!”. Not so fast my body seemed to say, for here I am three months later still here and weighing in at 164 lbs. How many of you can relate to this? So close, yet those last 10 pounds still the ever elusive target.

In the past, this plateau would have caused me to get frustrated and perhaps even give up. This time, I’ve been digging in and holding on, embracing my time in this maintenance period. I believe my body was asking me for a break and time to readjust. Instead of giving up, I decided to really dive into what I am eating and how I am moving, trying to uncover why my body has stopped losing weight. This week, I’d like to share my process and reflection on being stuck.

What is a Weight Loss Plateau?

When we hit a plateau, it feels like everything stops. We question ourselves and often become overly critical. I know I always think I need to do more and be better to reach my goals. What we don’t take into account is that this journey takes time and does not happen quickly. It’s a SLOW process!

I know right now you are thinking about how long you’ve been trying, because that’s where my mind went. I’ve been on this journey for a long time too. This most recent journey started back on February 1, 2023, almost two years ago. What I think gave me some perspective on time, was when I thought about how long it took me to become this unhealthy. Truly the answer to that is a lifetime, but the most recent weight gain was a solid five year time span. Five years to gain over 80 pounds. When looking at that perspective, two years to lose 65 pounds seems fantastic. Plateaus are normal to hit and how we respond to them will determine our outcome. For me, I am holding on and trying to find ways to get things moving along again.

I wrote about weight loss plateaus when I first hit this one, back in July. I think the post is worth reading to understand the evolution of thinking about my weight loss plateau.

Pushing Past Weight-Loss Plateaus: Tips for Success

You can also learn more about this topic here:

Metabolism and Reverse Dieting

What I’ve Learned About My Weight Loss Plateau

In my original post, I talked about metabolic adaptation, or our body adjusting to its new normal. When we reduce our caloric intake, over time our metabolism adapts to the new intake level. In order to achieve balance, our metabolism slows. Over time, this means that our caloric deficit no longer gives the result of losing weight. This can lead us to reduce our calories further and increase exercise, which can give us the exact opposite result than what we are seeking. That’s what happened to me and the result I’ve had these past three months.

When I spoke with my coach and dietitian, they kept going back to my food logs. I log my food on Cronometer daily, to ensure I am meeting my macros that were set for me. Being plant based, I’ve paid special attention to my protein intake and my target was 90 grams a day. I struggled to reach that goal some days and would add additional protein shakes, or meals to my day. This left me not hungry and feeling full. The ironic thing was that my daily caloric intake was only at 1100 most days, far too low, yet I wasn’t hungry. It was concerning and I kept telling them both that I could not possibly eat any more food. I was literally so uncomfortably full.

My newest blood work showed that my LDL had increased again and they all believe, including my doctor, that this is tied to my low caloric daily intake, coupled with my high daily energy expenditure.

I felt like this testing was the slap I needed. My body scans showed that the minimal caloric intake I needed (BMR) was 1526. This rate is just for my body to do the basic functions needed to live, and does not take into account the high levels of movement I do each day. My new daily target is 1600 on less active days, and as much as 2000 on active days.

Further examination of my daily logs revealed that I was eating about 55 grams of fiber each day. The average RDA for women my age is 21. Though this intake is not unhealthy, this high amount of fiber was causing me, at times, to feel uncomfortably full. In my attempt to increase my protein, I was adding silken tofu, flax seed, hemp seed and chia seed at the same time to each shake, which was way too much.

What I Did in Response

I went back to a lower caloric intake and then slowly began to increase each week. I originally went from 1100 to 2000 in a day and was truly uncomfortable. It was too much too fast (story of my life!). This slower and gradual increase has been life changing and allowed my body to better adapt. I am now eating 1600 calories with ease and actually look forward to my meals. Once I am consistently eating in a healthier range, we will begin to look at cutting back to ensure a deficit, but for now the focus is to improve my metabolism.

I also increased the number of weight lifting sessions I do each week. I originally was lifting heavy two days a week with a trainer. First, I added a third day and this week I added in the fourth day. That will be my target going forward, to lift heavier weights four times a week. Despite the plateau of my weight, I have continued to lose inches as evidenced by my weekly measurements and clothing size.

I cut back on the number of days I was playing competitive pickleball games. This was a hard decision, but after reflecting on the data in FitBit regarding readiness scores, I decided I was stressing my body. Readiness scores are provided to help us avoid injury and ensure we take needed rest days. I am an over achiever by nature and tended to ignore that data. In consultation with my coach, I finally understood that I was stressing my body. My Fitbit step counts were averaging 25-30K steps per day, seven days a week. That included long walks and pickleball. I am now playing an average of 3-4 times per week and my average step counts are between 10-15K a day. I do not take long walks on days I play pickleball, just a nice short walk in the morning to start my day. I’ve also added a full rest day, during which I do a short walk and consciously rest.

Finally, I purchased a body scan scale that gives me valuable data regarding the composition of my body. As a data geek, I love to watch the shifts as they happen each week when I step on the scan. I am now better able to study my body composition, including body fat and body muscle percentages. I also find the BMR targets helpful, as they are targeted specifically to my body. When I started my metabolic age showed at 71! I was horrified. Today it showed as 49!

I will continue to monitor my journey, through weekly body scans, measurements and periodic blood work. I am extremely excited about the additional weight training session each week. I am seeing some nice definition starting and feel stronger each week. I am relieved that the increase of LDL was not something to panic over. I was truly feeling badly about that and it really helped to have a registered dietitian explain why it was happening and what to do in response.

Summary of Changes I Made

In summary, here are the changes I made:

  1. Slowly increased caloric intake to healthier levels
  2. Increased protein intake and split it evenly across 3 meals a day (50 grams at each meal)
  3. Increase weight lifting sessions to 4x a week
  4. Decreased cardio events each week to avoid over stressing my body
  5. Use of body scan to monitor body composition data

Next Steps

I hope this post gave you some food for thought about your journey. If you connected in any way to this post, please do reach out and share in the comment section below. I’d love to hear your experiences, as they always help me feel like I’m not alone on this journey. Feel free to answer any of these questions to help get a discussion going:

Why do you think your body is not letting you lose weight?

Are you currently doing weight lifting sessions each week? How many per week?

What have you noticed about adding in weight lifting?

What is your current daily protein intake?

Thanks for reading and I look forward to reading your comments. If you feel more comfortable sharing via email, you can do so at laurakump@reclaiminghealth.blog, or on Instagram.

Navigating Overthinking in Your Health Journey

“I thought about starting an ‘overthinkers anonymous group,’ but I couldn’t make up my mind.” – Anonymous

Hi, I’m Laura and I am an overthinker. I’ve been this way my whole life and it has both served me and held me back. When it comes to my health journey, recently it has lately been causing confusion and unnecessary complication. I’ll bet I am not alone on this path and that many of you will connect to this post.

Back in January of this year, I made the decision for my health to switch to a whole food plant based lifestyle. Like most overthinkers, I have strong analytical skills and used them to learn about this lifestyle. I enrolled in courses, became a certified health coach and learned new ways to cook. For me, learning is always stimulating and satisfying. Whenever I take something on, I fully immerse myself in the process. In fact, overthinkers are thorough and consider multiple aspects of a situation, which can lead to better decision-making and problem solving. This trait has served me well in my life and especially my career.

Overthinking can cause problems, as over time conflicting information, especially in the health and wellness industry, can cause confusion. There are multiple research studies to be found on any topic and all provide “scientific” evidence to support their claims. In my case, my need to ensure my health and wellness, led me to so much information and caused what’s known as analysis paralysis. This simply means that my overthinking led to indecision, which caused me to make unnecessary changes and ultimately led to confusion. My confusion caused me to over complicate my eating and then led to me doubting my ability to sustain this lifestyle.

Instead of changing course, I decided to seek someone out who could help fill in gaps in my understanding of my specific nutritional needs. I decided to work with a Registered Dietitian (RD) to better understand how to put information I learned into practice. You would think this would be an easy task, but it was most definitely not. It was very hard to find someone I felt comfortable working with who had a strong understanding of plant based lifestyles. Most RD programs do not have a specific focus on plant based foods, rather they cover it as one component in a holistic program. Sometimes this means spending as little as one week on the topic. When it comes to plant based and vegan lifestyles, it was important to me that I find a RD who specialized in plant based/vegan lifestyles, or was personally living it.

I finally found a dietitian that I feel comfortable with and am so excited to begin learning from her. I did, however, hit a few roadblocks along the way before I found her, so I want to share my experience to perhaps help you avoid making the same mistake.

Finding the Right Registered Dietitian For You:

  1. Search Your Healthcare Provider List for Participating Dietitians
    • This didn’t work well for me, as my search for Registered Dietitians mostly led to weight loss centers focused on surgery. It was hard to find one that didn’t specialize in that, and there were no plant-based RDs in my area.
  2. Search Online for Dietitians Near You
    • There were none to be found in my area.
  3. Search Online for Registered Dietitians
    • This search provided me with some leads. My next step was to set up interview meetings to see if we would be a good fit. This specific process led me to make a poor decision, but we learn from our mistakes.

Ensuring the Right Fit For Your Needs:

  1. Research Providers
    • It’s important to read through the provider’s website and ensure they speak to what you are seeking. I’d also do some google searching on the providers, as well as a social media search. See what others have said about working with them.
  2. Set up a Meeting on Zoom
    • I no longer work with anyone before I spend time speaking in a Zoom. If they are not providing a consultation meeting, then they are not for me. I would have know immediately that the first RD I met with was not a good fit for me and could have avoided wasting time and money.
  3. Be Careful of Programs
    • There are many programs out there that come up when searching for Registered Dietitians. They use the right words, but tread carefully. I had a consultation with one of these companies back at the end of August. I explained what I was seeking clearly and the woman I met with was just incredible. I signed up to work with this company, thinking I’d be working with her, for five months. I feel like it was a bait and switch routine, as the person I met with was NOT the person I work with. And, when I expressed my concern I was told I needed to trust them. When I emailed a second time, I received no response. This was an expensive lesson to learn, but learn I did. I just had a similar situation and knew enough to say no to this even more expensive program. Be careful as there are a lot of these types of programs. If it sounds like it’s too good to be true, it most likely is.
  4. Avoid Long Term Initial Contracts
    • I will no longer sign a long term contract to work with someone. There is no reason I would need to do this and I should have known better. I am paying monthly for a program that is not truly meeting my needs. If they are trying to lock you in, walk away. Reputable providers do not need to make you do this.

I finally feel like I am back on solid footing and have a strong plan moving forward. I felt better just from my initial meeting with the dietitian on Friday. She explained my blood work in a manner that I understood and she eased my mind about the concerns I had. She cleared up some misconceptions I had and is currently mining through the data I sent her. I am a data geek and was so glad she wanted the information I have. I am cutting back on the information I am taking in at this point. I plan to follow her guidance and find more clarity around my plant based food choices.

Have you had a similar experiences with overthinking? or, looking for a wellness provider? Would you like to share your story? So many of us are on this path to reclaiming our health and I’d love to feature your story in a future blog. Please reach out to me and let me know about your journey. We all can gain motivation and help each other through this sharing. Reach out to me at laurakump@reclaiminghealth.blog, on Instagram, or in the comment section below.

The Compound Effect

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”
― Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect

As the fall weather is upon us, I am cleaning closets and thinking of the approaching winter season. Fall is my favorite time of the year. I start to organize and purge what not longer fits, including more than just clothing. Life is always about evolving and growing as we go and fall is the perfect time to slow down and reflect. In that manner, I have decided this week’s post will be a repost of one of my most popular blogs from this year. In this post, I speak about the importance of consistency and holding firm to my journey as I move through the winter season. Let’s all use the fall to prepare for the winter ahead. Much like the squirrels gathering their food for the winter, I believe we need to gather our motivation for the days ahead. I hope you enjoy the reread of this much loved post.

I first read Darren Hardy’s book many years ago as a new school leader. The Compound Effect outlined, is the strategy of being consistent with smart, tiny choices over time that will produce significant results. As I read the book I was focused on leadership, yet in the back of my mind I kept connecting back to my health journey. The concept is that smaller steps over a long period of time will have a greater, more beneficial and successful effect on your life than bigger steps in a shorter period of time (that most people will not stick to). Today as I view the predictable dwindling off of the New Year’s resolutionists at the gym I am reminded of this concept.

For many years, I was that person. The one who gets all pumped up for the reclaiming health journey. Those who have followed me over time know that every spring I have a rebirth and start over. Then, every winter I slowly fade away and fall backwards. This year has been different, albeit not easier. The temptation to fall back has reared its head repeatedly, especially on these 18 degree days. Using the concept of the compounding effect, I know that consistency is the key to achieving and maintaining momentum. I have held tight to that concept on my darkest of days this winter and continued with the small, simple habits and daily routines that will add up to a healthier life. My goal this year was to make it through the winter with habits in tact and see where I am come spring. As we are nearing February, I am very hopeful that this year will be different for me. 

Consistency is not easy if you make your habits too lofty, the key is to keep things simple and doable. When I selected daily habits, I’d say I even set the bar lower than I knew I could accomplish this winter. This helped me through the harder days and gave me added bonus boosts when I achieved more and kept me motivated. We all know success fosters motivation and failure often motivates quitting. For my movement goal, I merely set a minimum of a 30 minute walk in nature goal for every day of the week. This goal has been the easiest one to maintain, rain or shine. Setting a doable goal like this sets you up for success and avoids repeated failure that can serve to make you feel like a failure and give up. Obviously, it’s not my only fitness goal, but it’s the one I will never skip. Walking and being in nature cannot be undervalued on any health journey.

Another doable goal I set was to improve my nutrition through simple choices for my meals. I made a commitment to have a healthy breakfast every day. To make it easier, I decided to to a morning smoothie with protein and healthy nutrients, using simple recipes found in Joyfull, by Radi Devlukia. This sets me up for my morning workout and keeps me full until lunch. There are so many great smoothie recipes, but if that feels overwhelming just use a high quality protein powder shake, such as this one from Complement. I like the chocolate flavor when drinking plain and unflavored when using with the recipes from Joyfull. I have been super consistent with this goal as well. No cooking required for this breakfast and the variety of smoothies is endless. For lunch, I generally eat the main meal of the day to allow more time for digestion. I eat a whole food plant based diet consisting of protein, legumes, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. This also is very easy to do as salads are super easy to put together. 

On this cold winter day, I remind you that it’s not about perfection. It’s about the effort we put in and more importantly, the consistency we apply to our health journeys. Approach every day with a clean slate. If you ate too much yesterday (me eating pizza during the football playoffs), it’s all good, just return to your daily routine today. You slept in and didn’t do your gym workout this morning, get up do your 30 minute walk and return to the gym on your next scheduled day. Perhaps your body needed the rest. What we can’t do is give up and stop. Just keep to your routines as best you can and watch the compound effect unfold. 

If you have any questions or comments, please do reach out. I love getting emails at laurakump@reclaiminghealth.blog about your journey. Take a photo of nature from your 30 minute walk and tag me on Instagram at reclaiminghealthblog with #30minutesinnature . Let’s do this together, motivate each other and reach spring feeling healthier. It is only two months away!

Reclaiming Health: How Alzheimer’s Shaped My Wellness Journey

Your mother is always with you…
She’s the whisper of the leaves
as you walk down the street.
She’s the cool hand on your brow
when you’re not well.
Your mother lives inside your laughter.
She’s crystallized in every tear drop.
She’s the place you came from,
your first home…
She’s the map you follow
with every step that you take.
She’s your first love
and your first heart break…
and nothing on earth can separate you.
Not time, Not space
Not even death
will ever separate you
from your mother
You carry her inside of you

-Deborah Culver

I have many new followers and subscribers and thought it was a good time to introduce Reclaiming Health Blog. This is not a money making blog, rather it is a labor of love. I find it very therapeutic to write and document my wellness journey. The road traveled is not always easy, as long time readers know, but the will is strong. I’m thankful to those who are here and would love to hear about they why behind your wellness journey.

In this post, I will discuss my why. We all arrive to the wellness journey at different points in our lives. My why was cultivated as I slowly lost my mother on her Alzheimer’s journey. I made a vow then that I would do anything I could to not have my children take that same walk with me. I’m on a mission to reclaim my health, hence the title of the blog. ReclaimingHealthBlog.com, is a space in which I share my journey with others. It allows me to interact with others and also hold myself accountable to the work, but how did I get here?

When I had my last running injury, my mother was well into her Alzheimer’s journey. I sustained a torn tendon that required surgery. Following surgery, I was on crutches and unable to walk. I remember being in a lot of pain as well. My dad brought my mom out to my house to visit me as I couldn’t drive to them. I remember trying to get up to get something and feeling pain. My mother, who was mostly nonverbal at this point, suddenly jumped up from the couch and said, “Can I help you?” It was such a profound moment with her and reassured me that her love was still strong, despite this cruel and heartless disease.

The day I went into the hospital for surgery, I remember sobbing and saying this was the first time in my life that my mother wouldn’t be able to comfort me. I felt her loss so deeply. Alzheimer’s is one of the hardest journeys to witness, and sadly I’ve witnessed it twice. As a young newly married mother, I watched my grandmother fade away. Then, a mere 30 years later I was watching the same happen with my mother. It was at that point, I began to realize I could be next.

This realization has been the driving force behind this blog and my health journey. I have read, studied and learned that there are ways I can possibly reduce my risk for getting Alzheimer’s. I’ve learned that what I once thought was a disease of pure genetics, can actually be delayed or avoided through lifestyle changes. If there is even a small chance I can avoid this fate, why wouldn’t I try? What have I got to lose?

Watching my mother leave was very painful for our family. She was an amazing mother, wife and friend. When one progresses through this disease, they lose their memories and then their voice. My mother was physically there, but she was gone at the same time. She didn’t recognize any of us and couldn’t communicate. I didn’t get to hear her voice for her last 5 years with us. Truly this was a long goodbye.

When I sat at the care center with my family during those last years, I often left sobbing. It was so sad to see so many people living with Alzheimer’s. It was then that I began reading, researching and learning everything I could about this disease. I made a vow to my mother and myself that I would do whatever I could to live a brain healthy lifestyle.

Sadly, my story is not unique. In the United States, an estimated 500,000 new cases of Alzheimer’s disease are diagnosed each year. In fact, Alzheimer’s is the fifth-leading cause of death among Americans age 65 and older. In 2023, an estimated 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. These statistics are staggering. In my family alone, we lost my grandmother, mother and father in law to Alzheimer’s.

After attending the 2024 Food Revolution Docuseries, I realized there was hope.It was the first time I heard talk about prevention, and that that should be more of the focus. I’d long been following work done to find a cure and each time a trial failed, I’d feel helpless. Hearing that lifestyle and nutritional changes can have an impact, gave me renewed hope. This learning has fueled me to live better and share my experience through this blog.

I do not have all the answers and I am not a doctor. I know what resonates with me and am trying my best to continue to learn and grow. I believe the research that says nutrition and lifestyle can prevent Alzheimer’s in some cases. I am hopeful that I am one of those cases. I plan to continue to attend seminars and take courses to learn more about brain health.

I’ve written blog posts that share my learning and specific actions taken, and will continue to do so. Generally, I post one blog per week.

Posts I’ve Written About My Brain Health Journey:

Fork Power

Longevity and Brain Health: Lessons from My 93-Year-Old Father

The China Study: Reducing Health Risks with a Plant-Based Diet

IRAH: Individual Retirement Account for Health – A Personal Transformation Journey

My Mother’s Story:

I wrote this post just after my mother died. It’s a very personal piece.

The Notebook

Resources to Learn About Brain Health:

I took a course recently with  Dr. Dean and Dr. Ayesha Sherzai, co-directors of the Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University Health. Through their research, they have found that lifestyle choices can have a long-term impact on brain health.  You can read more about the work being done at Loma Linda Memory Center at the links below:

https://lluh.org/neurology/our-services/memory-center

https://news.llu.edu/health-wellness/fight-against-alzheimers

I’ve also taken courses and attended the 2024 Food Revolution docuseries. You can visit their site at the link below:

https://foodrevolution.org/

Next Steps:

My next steps are always evolving as I learn and grow. I plan to continue on my whole food plant based journey and definitely notice improvement in how I feel. I am working with a Registered Dietitian who specializes in plant based lifestyles, to ensure that I get the right nutritional balance in my meals. I continue to follow up with blood work periodically and am due to have testing done this month. I also continue to spend as much time as I can with my children making beautiful memories, which I plan to keep.

If you are on a similar path, or have information to share on this topic, please reach out to me in the comment section below. I look forward to hearing from you and continuing this journey to wellness together.

Unlock Your Wellness Goals with Effective Scheduling

 “In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.” –Tony Robbins

This week, I walked into a yoga class feeling like the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz. I had a tough weight lifting session on Sunday, and boy was I feeling it. I had trouble putting on my socks for the class, that’s how stiff I was. When I started the class, I couldn’t sit comfortably and wondered how it had gotten this bad. Then it hit me, that I couldn’t remember the last time I took this class. Thankfully, my yoga teacher knew exactly what was needed and when I walked out of class an hour later, I felt much better.

Yoga is an important component in my wellness program. I have tight muscles and need to work to lengthen them. The deep and intentional stretching I gain from yoga has improved my flexibility and helped prevent injuries. Additionally, yoga keeps me grounded and focused on my emotional wellness. Whenever I don’t engage in regular practice, I notice a huge difference in how my body feels.

Later in the day, I was still thinking about this and couldn’t come up with any reason why I neglected to do my stretching. It was simply poor time management and veering from my schedule that caused me to miss yoga. Coming out of August, following my daughter’s wedding, I had COVID. This derailed me for a few weeks and getting out of my routines seemed to have lasting implications.

I bet so many of you can relate to this experience and have found yourself wondering why there never seems to be enough time in your schedule. We all lead busy lives and time seems to get away from us. Clearly, I hadn’t managed my time well these past two weeks. But, there is always learning found in these bumps in the road and now I’m highly motivated to focus on time management.

After reflecting on my time use, I noticed an increase in my screen time usage. I need to reevaluate this and move back to a more structured planning approach. I’ve decided to use the following strategies to renew my focus on my wellness:

Calendar:

The calendar will me the main tool I used to schedule and track my fitness goals. I will use the calendar in my phone, as it is always with me. I will schedule all training sessions, as well as personal appointments on the same calendar. When I wake each morning, I will check the calendar, prior to going out for my long walk. This will put the days events front and center in my mind.

Routines:

The secret of your success is found in your daily routine. Doing the same things on the same day, or in the same order, sets you up for success. Daily habits played an important role in my professional success. They will also play an important role in achieving my wellness goals.

My current wellness routines include, daily long walks each morning and assigning days of the week to specific activities. This repetitive use of time helps the activities become habitual.

Less is More:

I am an overdoer by nature. This causes me to become fatigued and has led to sport injuries in the past. Scheduling on the calendar, will help me to visually see how much I am doing each week. It will help me avoid overdoing and ensure I have ample recovery and rest periods each week.

Give Yourself Grace:

Missing a workout session happens, but when it becomes a pattern it can derail you. I can use the calendar I create to reflect on my daily progress, ensuring I’ve accomplished my daily and weekly goals. Based on this, I can make further adjustments as necessary and give myself grace for the things that come up. It’s always about progress, not perfection, but tracking and measuring can help with my focus.

Set Goals:

What gets measured, gets improved. Goals are the anchor to our wellness journey. If you’d like to join me on this wellness journey, I recommend you start by thinking about your personal wellness goals. If you haven’t already done so, consider doing the following:

  • Set a goal for your long term wellness. Ask yourself, What is my primary goal for long term wellness? What can I do right now to support that goal?
  • List what you currently do for fitness. From that list pick two primary fitness activities that best support your long term wellness goal right now. Those are the two you will schedule onto the calendar first.
  • Check your calendar for available time slots. Start building your calendar around your two main activities.

In Conclusion:

Time management can certainly feel like a juggling act, especially when we lead such busy lives. Creating a routine and schedule can alleviate some of the stress you may be feeling. It an also keep you focused on your wellness goals. Without this focus, it is far too easy to let things slide.

I implore you to prioritize your health when scheduling your week. Be as creative as you can and look for those pockets of time. For me, it was the hours I spent looking mindlessly at the phone. I used to start my day sipping coffee in bed, watching the news and sipping coffee. I’d scroll the internet and enjoy the quiet. But, that was two to three hours a day. It’s perfectly alright to sip coffee in bed, but across my week that was fourteen hours of time I was using.

I now rise, dress, walk for an hour, then come home and sip coffee. Getting up earlier can definitely give you some nice quiet opportunities for fitness. Be creative as you look at your week with new eyes. I know you can find some time slots to use toward your wellness. Your future self will certainly thank you!

Drop me a comment in the section below and tell me what you plan to do to find time for your wellness goals. I look forward to reading your ideas, so please do share.

Transform Your Diet: Embrace Whole Food Variety

“Eating healthy food fills your body with energy and nutrients. Imagine your cells smiling back at you and saying: ‘Thank you!’” – Karen Salmansohn

Imagine eating a peanut butter sandwich every day for lunch. That is exactly what I did for years. Honestly, it didn’t bother me because I enjoy them and they’re easy. How many of us eat the same food on repeat? I know I did and never gave it a thought. Learning how important variety in food choices are to my wellness has opened my mind to trying new things.

I’ve learned it’s important to eat a variety of foods as part of my whole food plant based lifestyle. Recently, I heard that you should try to eat 30 different whole foods across your week. I am, however, a creature of routine and habit, especially when it comes to food selection. The thought of having that much variety in my week did give me something to reflect upon. Initially, when thinking about increasing variety in my diet, I focused on using it to push me out of my comfort zone. I tend to eat the same few foods repeatedly. Now I know, that eating a variety of foods is more important to my wellness than I once thought. With this knowledge, I am now planning my meals with far more variety than before. It’s a work in progress for sure, as old habits die hard.

My Food Struggles

I was raised in the 1960s and raised in a family where dinner consisted of meat, starch and one vegetable. At some point, the popularity of convenience foods caused some changes to our daily menu. Vegetables readily available in cans were now seen as the better option due to their shelf lives. My mother’s favorite vegetable was the french cut string beans and they must’ve often been on sale because we ate them often. Just thinking about them still makes me gag.

It was during these years that I developed my strong aversion to eating vegetables. I wouldn’t eat them, other than corn, for decades after I left home. I wouldn’t even try them. In truth, I only started eating broccoli and nothing more until this year when I transitioned over to a plant based lifestyle. Imagine, a vegetable hater is now living a plant based lifestyle. Most people who know me chuckle over that.

My Food Transition:

In January, I took a six week course on living a Whole Food Plant Based lifestyle. As I learned about its connection to brain health, I knew I would make this transition. I was unsure how and what I would eat, but thankfully there were many resources out there to help me. I found ample recipes to try, especially on Forks Over Knives. The trouble was I was avoiding most recipes that didn’t call for broccoli.

You see, when I first transitioned to a plant based lifestyle, I liked broccoli, spinach and corn. I also would eat salad. I assumed it didn’t matter that I ate the same thing every day, as long as I ate vegetables and fruit. I made broccoli every day and put spinach in my smoothie each morning and had a salad for dinner. As I continued learning, however, I realized how critical it was to eat a variety of foods, especially when eating plant based. This may seem like basic knowledge to you, but it was life changing for me.

Variety of Foods:

I’ve spent the last nine months learning about this lifestyle I’ve chosen. I’ve heard many criticisms of it, with the top being difficulty getting the proper nutrients. This criticism can be true, if you are not careful which is why I continue to learn, study and monitor my health markers. One aspect that is critical is to ensure you eat a variety of foods. This is critical in any lifestyle, but even more so in a plant based one. Different foods provide different nutrients, so eating a variety of foods can ensure that you get the proper nutrients.  Many plant-based protein sources lack one or more essential amino acids, so eating a variety of plant-based proteins throughout the day also helps ensure you get enough of all the essential amino acids. 

When planning for meals across the week, it is essential to focus on both variety and the nutrients your food will provide. This can sound like a daunting task, but there are many resources you can use to help guide you. One resource I found very enlightening was My Fitness Pal. I use the paid version of this app and kept a food log on it for months. Keeping a food log on this app helped me see the nutritional breakdown of my food. It was there that I began to notice what nutrients come from each food variety.

Using this food log, I noticed I had a lot of overlap for some nutrients and gaps in others. Nutrients I was supplementing for were revealed to be at extremely high levels just from the food I was eating. This meant I was both wasting money on them and potentially causing harm to my health. I highly recommend using something like this app to get you started. This awareness led me to seek out further guidance with a Registered Dietitian who specializes in Plant Based Nutrition. If that is not an option for you, I highly recommend you work with your health provider to monitor your nutrition levels through blood work.

Like everything else, I suggest you start with small changes to your eating habits to gradually increase the variety of foods you are eating. There are so many foods to choose from, but just try to add one new food in each week. Here is a great list of nutrients found in vegetables.

59 Different Types of Vegetables and Their Nutrition Profile

Tips to Increase Variety :

  • Eat the rainbow, and try to include at least three different colors of foods on your plate. 
  • Swap out your side dishes. Here’s a great list to choose from – 57 Vegan Side Dishes
  • Try recipes from different countries. I now eat Indian, Asian and Thai cuisine often, something I never would have tried in the past.
  • Choose one new vegetable a week to try. There are so many recipes online to try. I started with Forks Over Knives which has many recipes.
  • Try new ways to cook vegetables each week, such as air fry, roasting, grill, stir fry, etc.
  • Experiment with less-common grains. Here’s a great list to choose from – 17 Grains You Never Heard of

Next Steps:

As I transition to increasing the variety of food I eat, I am keeping things simple. Each week, I purchase at least one new vegetable to try. I am planning my menu for the week to include new recipes and one new food item. Once I increase my vegetable options it will be easier to plan meals. This week I made a chili recipe into which I was able to add a few vegetables. Traditionally, I find soups and chili recipes are the easiest way for me to sneak vegetables in. I also purchased a copper roasting pan to roast vegetables. I absolutely love this pan and use it often. The pan also has a basket which allows for good air flow and since I rarely use oil it prevent sticking. I highly recommend this pan – Copper Roasting Pan.

Here are a few articles you can read to get more information on this topic:

4 Exciting Reasons to Rotate Your Food

What is a Plant Based Diet and Why Should You Try It

The Importance of Variety in Your Diet

I hope you’ll take some time this week to reflect on your food selections. Are you eating the same things over and over, like I was? If you are, start to think about the importance of eating a variety of foods across your week. I’d love to hear what your thoughts are on this topic. Are you a creature of habit like I was, or a food explorer? Please feel free to reach out to me via email at laurakump@reclaiminghealth.blog, on Instagram or Facebook, or in the comment section below.

Consider answering one of these questions in the comment section below –

What did you notice about the variety in your food selections?

How will you increase the variety of foods, especially vegetables, that you eat? Please do share.

The Impact of Giving Up Running on My Health Journey: A Reflective Journey

“Movement will give you access to joy that will dramatically improve the quality of your life.” – Kelly McGonigal

I’ve been reflecting a lot recently on my current health journey. I feel like I’ve learned so much about myself through this reflection. It’s no secret that this last journey has been by far my hardest. There were many causes that led me to my lowest point, I can not just name one. It was like the perfect storm, a particularly bad or critical state of affairs, arising from a number of negative and unpredictable factors. In isolation, each event that happened was life changing. In combination, they served to wreak havoc on my mental and physical health.

The past four years have been some of the hardest in my life, but as they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I am finally in a space where I can reflect on all I’ve learned through my experience. To share, my perfect storm consisted of the following events coming together, 1) physical injury that caused me to give up running; 2) COVID pandemic; 3) death of my mother.

I’d like to reflect today on the impact giving up running had on my overall wellness, as I believe it was deeper than I ever imagined.

Physical Injury

I was always a runner. I was up and out early mornings with my father as we ran around the neighborhood park. The loop was 1 1/3 miles and we did 3 loops to start our day. Later, I ran track in school and found I wasn’t good at the short, fast events, but I could run long distance. I’ve run 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon races. Running was a great sport for me, as I loved the time spent outside in nature. It truly is meditative.

During 2017 and 2018, I was training for the NYC Marathon. Both years, I did not make it to the starting line as I sustained a femoral stress fracture up near the hip joint. This injury required 12-16 weeks non weight bearing, followed by physical therapy. In 2018, I also sustained three broken toes. My body was definitely telling me it was time to cut back on running, but I had always wanted to run the NYC Marathon.

In 2019, I knew I wouldn’t be able to cover the training distance needed to get to the starting line, but was determined to get there. I used a different approach that year, cutting back on training run distance and working more on my functional strength, stamina and cardio. I signed up for CrossFit and used that as my main method of training, coupled with shorter runs, no more that 10 miles. That year, I was able to complete my goal and finish the NYC Marathon.

As excited and proud as I am about that goal, I know that I sacrificed my body to achieve it. I finished this race with another femoral stress fracture and this one seemed by far to be the most painful. I was back on crutches and back to the healing process. I knew that would be my last race and promised my family I would give up long runs. What I didn’t realize was how hard it would be to give up running and what role running played in my health journey.

Mental Wellness

When I returned to work, following the marathon, I was back on crutches. I was mad at my body and mad at myself for doing this to myself again. I truly felt that my body had failed me and didn’t understand why. Knowing my training and running days were over, I seemed to have less interest in recovery or maintaining my fitness levels. I had what I describe as a pity party and ate anything I wanted regardless of the fact that I wasn’t moving at all.

Going through COVID shutdowns and the death of my mother a few months later, I had no motivation to heal or do anything. If I couldn’t run, I didn’t want to do anything. I gained so much weight during this time and looked like a different person. When I look back now at the photographs, I don’t even recognize myself.

I didn’t understand that movement, not just running, had played a pivotal role on my wellness and its absence would have a profound impact on me.

Movement

I now realize the role movement played in my life beyond just running races. Movement was critical to my overall wellness, both mentally and physically. If I look back, I was running 4 miles most mornings with my dad around the park before the sun was up. Training for long races, required me to do long distances before work, meaning I was up and running most mornings before the sun was up. I’ve seen so many sun rises out on the road and never realized how important seeing them was to my overall mental health.

When I knew I wouldn’t be running anymore, I gave all that up without realizing it was the glue that held me together. Post-marathon depression may not be a clinical diagnosis, but it’s real. To put it into context, when you accomplish any goal that you worked toward for years, it’s only normal that a letdown occurs when it’s over. Add to this the knowledge that it was your last running event and you can see how deep the loss is.

When I finally pushed myself to get back out there, I was walking. It was different for sure, both in distance covered and effort, but it felt good to lace up my shoes. I like to say walking saved me. I wish I had known just how important movement was to my health. I never acknowledged that, just saw it as training or a work out session.

I’ve learned that, movement is vital for overall wellness as it significantly improves both physical and mental health by reducing the risk of disease, boosting mood, managing stress, and improving cognitive function. Essentially, it contributes to a better quality of life across various aspects of health. My journey can attest to these facts. When I stopped moving, my health declined both physically and mentally. In its absence, I was not well. When I started moving again, my wellness both mentally and physically improved.

Movement can take many forms, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.  Movement can include things like, walking your dog, mowing the lawn, sweeping or raking leaves, working out at the gym, swimming, playing pickleball, taking a yoga class. Honestly, the possibilities are endless. The more time we spend moving and not sitting the better we will feel.

Movement in My Day

  1. Walking – I walk outside twice a day, once when I first get out of bed, before the sun rise and once in the afternoon. I do this regardless of the weather, but do have access to a treadmill should I need to stay indoors.
  2. Pickleball – I play pickleball almost every day, either drills or competitive games.
  3. Weight Training – I am currently lifting twice a week, but will be adding in a third session soon.
  4. Yoga – I try to grab a yoga class whenever I have time.

Possible Movement at Work

  1. Walking – Walk around the block after you park your car before entering the building. Walk at lunch.
  2. Walking pad – They now sell walking pads that you can place under your desk to allow you to get your steps in. I haven’t used one to recommend, but here is a an option that looks portable enough – Walking Pad Compact Size
  3. 1 minute Exercise sessions – Set your timer for 60 minutes. When the timer goes off take a short walk, or do some air squats, or wall push ups in your office. Just get up out of the chair.

Conclusion

I find being outdoors walking in the early morning, before sunrise, to be magical. It’s so quiet and still out there and it’s truly unlike any other time of the day. I’ve been starting my day like this for over 50 years now and didn’t realize how critical it was to my health, until I stopped doing it. I am so thankful to be back out there and know that it’s helped heal me. I hope you find time to experience that time of stillness and beauty in your health regime. There are many proven benefits you will get, mentally and physically. For further reading, consider this article:

6 Proven Scientific Benefits of Walks at Sunrise or Sunset

I’d love to hear about your journey. What has helped you along the way? What roadblocks are you facing? Feel free to reach out to me at laurakump@reclaiminghealth.blog, on Instagram or Facebook, or in the comment section below.

Reclaiming Health: The Power of Taking the First Step

“The first step to getting somewhere is deciding that you are not going to stay where you are.” -J.P. Morgan

Several times a month, I get asked the same question, “How did you get started?”. It is a question I’ve asked as well, many times to many people on my health journey. Getting started always feels like the hardest part, especially when you feel so far removed from your healthiest self. I was literally at rock bottom at the start of this journey. I truly had given up and felt there was no way for me to get back to being healthy. I came to the point where I accepted myself as I was, which is fine, but also had no plan to do any work to regain my health. I felt I was past the point of no return.

I wish I could have given my friend the answer she wanted, but I know it’s not that simple. There is not one way to take this journey, and my way may not be the way that works for her. The simplest answer I can give to the question of where to start is just to start. Think of yourself as you want to be, healthy and happy. Ask yourself, what would it take for me to get to that place. Pick one thing you can do right now, this minute, that will move you toward that version of you. For me, I put on my running shoes and started walking. I was way past the point of being able to run, too heavy and out of shape. But, I knew I could walk, so I put on the shoes and walked around the block. That was all I could master at that point and that was more than enough.

A month later, I walked around the block of my school every morning when I got to work to add a second walk to my day. Then, I dusted off my old Fitbit and set a goal to reach 5,000 steps a day. I didn’t always make it, but I felt better about myself for even trying. After I retired, we moved to a community in Delaware and they had a health club. At that point, I added some weight lifting using the machines they had. I did that three times a week.

A year and a half later, I feel so much healthier and am so glad I took those first steps. Imagine how I would feel if I hadn’t. If you are also wondering what to do to get started, my best advice to you is to just start. Here are a few ideas to help you.

Getting Started

  1. Set Realistic Goals – For me, I was so unhealthy, I knew I could not return to running, as much as I wanted to. It would not be realistic for me to try to use running as my exercise of choice. In order to start, I needed to use a different form of movement. Walking was the best choice for my current fitness level. Select a movement that you feel you can do at your current fitness level. Do not over do it, or you will quit. Just move your body every day and increase gradually.
  2. Be Consistent – Consistency is your ticket to success. If you aren’t consistent, chances are you will not be successful. This is a commitment to a lifestyle, not a quick fix. I made the commitment to do at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. Since I was walking, that meant I would walk every day, rain or shine and I did. I wrote about the importance of consistency here The Compounding Effect. I know that consistency was a huge part of my success.
  3. Give Yourself Grace – You cannot change everything at once. That is an important concept to wrap your head around. I did not become unhealthy overnight. It was a combination of many things, but it happened over time. You cannot become healthy overnight, but you can over time. Give yourself the grace to work at this. You will have days where you make unhealthy choices. Just today, I ate some Nutella on a spoon. It happens. Give yourself grace and don’t let one decision deride your goal of improving your health. Just keep moving forward, one day at a time.
  4. Think About Your Habits – I really needed to evaluate my daily habits. This involved looking at my movement patterns, which at that time were nonexistent. It also meant looking at my eating patterns, which involved takeout and restaurants. Examine your habits and ask yourself if they are helping or hindering your health journey. Again, don’t try to change everything overnight, but begin to make plans to make small changes. For me, I started with my breakfast patterns. I changed those first, as they were the worst and easiest place to start. Then, I worked on my lunch. Finally, I made a drastic change and embraced a new lifestyle of eating whole food plant-based. I have not looked back in the past eight months.
  5. Sleep – If you don’t sleep well, you will have a hard time regaining your health. Sleep is critical to your health as it is when your body cleans and restores. I tried so many different approaches and one day my doctor finally said, if you don’t address your sleep you will not see real change. The road to sleep has been challenging, but I am making progress. I have a set sleep schedule and really try to stick to it, within reason. I wrote extensively about sleep in these past posts, Sleep Your Secret Weapon, Sweet Dreams

It is my sincere hope that you find your way to take those first steps, because they may be the hardest. I am so glad I did because if I didn’t I honestly don’t know where I’d be right now. It’s not an easy journey, but the rewards have been so exciting. I’m feeling healthier and I have energy to do more than I have in years. I’m looking forward to continuing on my path and am proud of the progress I have made. If you want to reclaim your health, I hope you’ll take those first steps. I’d love to hear about your journey and am here to cheer you on. Feel free to reach out to me via email at laurakump@reclaiminghealth.blog, on Instagram or Facebook, or in the comment section below. Let’s do this!