My health and wellness journey – it started AFTER I lost 50 pounds, and I’m excited to continue this journey with the help of the W.E.L.L. Summit held in Boston!
I always say my true health and wellness journey started after I lost 50 pounds and did my first round of Whole30. It was and still is a huge accomplishment, but even though I was getting compliments from friends and family, I was still miserable and insecure about my body. Never mind the other health issues I was still dealing with despite losing the weight. My thought was that if I kept losing the weight, everything would all of a sudden click. I would be happy, I would love my body and I would heal all of my other health issues, but that wasn’t the case at all.
Yes, I lost weight but there was still an exorbitant amount of health issues that needed attention and healing. I was still struggling with my eczema, anxiety and chronic migraines. I was still having digestive issues and couldn’t find the root cause. Not only that, but I was still insecure about my body and didn’t understand why I wasn’t instantly happy about everything in my life.
It wasn’t until I did my first round of Whole30 in June 2014 that it all clicked for me. For the first time in years, I found freedom with food by doing the program –which is ironic because I was eliminating multiple food groups. I broke up with the scale that month (which eventually led to breaking up with the scale indefinitely), let go of the diet mentality and started to heal myself from the inside-out. It was so much more than food for me. It transformed me physically, mentally and spiritually. I quickly learned that my happiness and worth was so much more than any number on the scale. I learned that food can be your medicine and holistically approaching things was better for my overall health.
I will be quite frank with you and let you know that it wasn’t a walk in the park. I was still battling with years of old habits and had to keep working on changing my mindset. I still struggle with my anxiety til this day, but have a much better grasp than I did a few years back. Some days I still struggle with my body image, but have learned to quiet those voices and not dwell on it. Some days I don’t want to workout. Some days I’m mentally struggling.
Something that really helped me was creating my Instagram account and creating a community that eventually became my tribe. I got vulnerable, shared my struggles and reached out to people who were in the same boat. Being open about my journey led to having a loving and supportive community. People were reaching out to me letting me know they were going through the same struggles and that I wasn’t alone. Without the encouragement from my tribe, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
I think it’s so important to have a strong community that supports you, and that’s why I’m excited about the W.E.L.L Summit Boston. I was asked to be an influencer for the event, and after doing my own researching and seeing what they are doing, I immediately said yes! This will be my first year attending, and I’m so excited to be surrounded by like minded people who are making waves in the health and wellness community. The summit was founded by Gianne Doherty and is led by strong women who believe in empowering other women. They’re main focus is to show you that health is 360 and that there are many aspects of it. They are bringing a group of people together to meet, network and grow their own tribe.
The day will be filled with talks from experts in the field, discussion sessions and there will be a chance to check out brands who make products that are safer for you and your community. As a health and wellness blogger, I want to continue to learn and grow. I’m excited to hear talks from Sare DiVello (a yoga teacher and author of Where In the Om Am I), Agatha Achindu (founder of Yummy Spoonfuls), and Asha Ramakrishna (a spiritual and business mentor). This is just the tip of the iceberg! I can’t wait to learn and share all the information I find to all of you.
If you’d like to attend the W.E.L.L Summit Boston on Saturday, April 21st, you can purchase your ticket here and use discount code ‘WSDolly’ to receive 15% off your order! Until then, I hope your’e growing and learning on your health and wellness journey!