Mindful awareness to better self-care

Have you ever felt lost on the wrong path or in a closed space with no way out?

 

That was me!

 

In my 30s and 40s, I saw my physical and mental health decline. I was working 2-3 jobs, tending to the needs of my children, helping my wife with her own health issues, and I didn’t make the time to take care of myself.

 

Back in 2013, I was weighing in at 290 pounds, and I was always fatigued. This was affecting me emotionally as well – feeling irritable and not able to find the real purpose of myself. I tried a “fad diet” and lost almost 100 pounds in 5 months, but then gained it all back after stopping the “diet.” I tried other diets and some exercise but continued the yo-yo of weight gain and weight loss. Then COVID hit and the stress from losing my dad to heart failure and the isolation from family began to wear on me. I had suffered from gout for years, and it was out of control. I ended up needing ankle surgery in October 2020 to repair a torn tendon that was damaged from the gout. I continued to have difficulty losing weight and was not taking my health seriously enough.

 

I was not aware of the space around me. I was so caught up in taking care of everyone else and everything else that I lost sight of myself and what I needed to maintain my overall well-being. 

 

Then in January of 2022, I went in for my yearly exam, weighing in at 270, and was told my A1C was 7.1, and I was diabetic. I said to myself, “The hell I am!” That was the wakeup call I needed to make a lifestyle change.

 

I began a new journey in 2022 in more ways than one.

 

First, I began a lifestyle change using cognitive behavioral tools and online coaching to better understand my behaviors when it came to nutrition, exercise, and the “why” behind wanting to make the change to my physical and emotional health.

 

It wasn’t just answering the “why” of wanting to be healthy, but the “why” to that and the “why” to that. Digging down 4-5 “whys,” I determined that I wanted to live healthy to enjoy my grandchildren (be able to get down on the floor and play with them), see the successes of my children, and enjoy my retirement years – not get to retirement and not be able to reap what I have worked so hard for since my first job at age 14.

 

I began to mind the open space around me, noticing what I needed to do to take care of me, so I could be there in the future for my family, as well as for myself!

 

I set out to regain my health by finding a new pat of change. I started intermittent fasting, using biofeedback tools to track my nutritional intake each day, weigh in each day, and exercise during the week (being more active each day). Slowly I was seeing change and progress. It was a slow process, but one that stuck. Within 6 months my A1C was 5.8, lowering my uric acid level to 3.1 (NO MORE GOUT!). I was losing weight, and I was feeling happier and more confident.

 

As part of my journey, I completed a Ragnar in Southern Utah in May of 2022. and made a long-awaited trip to Spain with my wife and two youngest children.

 

As part of minding my open space, I recognized my passion to travel. A passion I had set aside for 35 years. I lived in Spain during my college years. It was a time of growth, an opportunity to learn a new language and culture, which has helped me in my career to give space to differences and to gain a better understanding of world views outside of my own experiences. I had always wanted to travel and return to Europe, specifically Spain, but life got busy, and my health got in the way.

 

In July 2022, after months of planning and anticipation, I made it to Spain with my wife and two youngest children. As we came in for landing in Malaga Spain, I took in the sites below – the sea, a golf course, and the city, as I listened to a little boy in front of me speaking to his mother in Spanish. My passion began to rekindle.

Our friends we had met a few years previous in Utah, who are from Malaga, met us at the airport. They took us to their home and shared an amazing meal of authentic Spanish cuisine, something I had longed for in my heart and pallet for decades. The thought of “Why did I wait so long?” arose but was overrun with “I am back!”. I couldn’t change the past, but I was living in the ‘now’ – minding my open space. After dinner and a wonderful visit, we arrived at our piso (flat). I could smell the salty sea, I could hear everyone speaking Spanish, I could smell the aroma of fish and seafood being cooked at the local restaurants. After getting our key, we walked up the stairs to the piso. On the wall next to the entrance, there was a sign that read – “Travel!  Money can be recouped, time cannot”. This passion for traveling struck my soul even harder. This is why I made changes to my health, this is why I get up everyday and go to work, this is my new journey in life, my new chapter – to travel and share this passion with others.

“Travel!  Money can be recouped, time cannot” has become my life mantra.

This new life journey has allowed me to find my open space. My weight has decreased to 210 pounds, with my A1C in a normal range, as are my cholesterol levels and uric acid level. I walk over 50,000 steps a week. I do intermittent fasting everyday – staying within my caloric intake range. I use biofeedback to help me be aware, each day, of my overall well-being. I find time each day for self-care through music, meditation, reading, and sharing my experience with others. I have since been back to Europe this past summer (2024), visiting Italy and Spain with my wife and introducing my love for Spain and travel with my sister and brother-in-law.

 

My hope is to help other’s find their open space, by understanding what they need for their overall well-being, whether that be health and wellness and/or through travel.

 

I am here to coach, teach and support others to regain their overall well-being and to connect people to destinations that support wellness, adventure, and help them find their open space.