I don’t know about you guys but with the end of summer and the start of a new school year, I always feel like it’s a fresh start, even thought I don’t have kids in school any more! For this Blog, I wanted to make a public service announcement to do whatever you can to take a look at your individual health risks and make changes. Maybe you haven’t had your Vitamin D or other mineral levels tested in awhile and you don’t even know that your levels are low. Maybe you are behind on getting your cholesterol or fasting blood sugar checked and are missing important information that can help you avoid a future problem. For us gals, we need to get our dexa scans regularly, to make sure our bone density is not dropping too much as we age and go through menopause. And if you want to dig deeper, there are lots of “deeper dive” tests out there which will give you even more specific info. In this blog, I wanted to share the results of a genetic testing that I did with Dr. Eric Kephart. This test measures certain genetic markers (from a cheek swab) that give you lots of good information about your genetic makeup. There were some things that came up that I already knew such as a propensity for high cholesterol (thanks Dad), and a genetic mutation (called MTHFR) that makes it hard to metabolize folic acid. But some really interesting things that I didn’t know were that diet wise, I don’t need to eat more protein but I can eat more fats and less carbohydrates in order to lose or maintain weight. It also told me that I would do better with lower intensity but more sustained physical activity (vs shorter, higher intensity). I won’t bore you with more details but just say that I have some new plans, based on what I learned, that I think will benefit my overall wellness. As your online Wellness Coach (and for some of you, your actual Wellness Coach:), I highly encourage everyone to take the time to schedule these important tests, to review the results carefully with your doctor and to make a plan to make some lifestyle changes that will help prevent disease, make for a longer life and maybe more importantly, help you feel energetic and hopeful. Medications are always an option but there’s so much we can do with diet, reducing our dependence on “substances” (nicotine, alcohol, sugar etc.), physical activity, better sleep, stress management, spiritual/emotional growth, finding purpose etc, that will make our lives infinitely better. Don’t hesitate to reach out here with any questions or if you need resources for testing or lifestyle change.
p.s. If you are interested in the genetic testing with Dr. Kephart and Coaching with me, go here for more info on a special program we are offering. I'd love to chat (no charge) about the program!
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