Inspiration Friday

Ever since finding out gluten was a big no no for me I have been on a mission to improve my health.

A couple of weeks ago I showed you a before and after image of myself prior to going gluten free vs me today. It's true that I have lost over 30 pounds since going gluten free however you have to understand this is not a fad diet for me nor am I doing it to lose weight. I am gluten free in order to LIVE. Period.

Many people ask me, my Mom being one, if I think my weight loss is the diet or the running.  I always respond with...it's a combination of the two. They go hand in hand for me. I can not do one without the other.  See before, I didn't feel like doing anything. I was tired all the time, had no energy and simply didn't feel like being active at all.  Once I stopped consuming gluten my body started to heal and I started to feel like I could run again. So one day I took off running and I've never looked back.

Even though you can see a big change in my appearance it left me wondering what was really going on inside my body? So under the advice of my doctor I had my blood tested again to see if the highs had declined and if the lows had increased and I got some AMAZING news today when I met with my doctor to go over the results.

Take a look!!

My Vitamin D is way up! It was 20 before it's now at 47!! Huge improvement considering it's most beneficial to be between 50 -80 to help wart off diseases. So I'm super stoked about this reading.

My Cholesterol has been high for a long long time and I am so excited to report that my LDL dropped 36 points, down from 167 to 131. While my HDL increased 5 points to a whopping 78!!! Overall my cholesterol is still considered high by looking at my total, but I have made awesome progress. I couldn't be happier with my improvements. Keep in mind this has all been attained naturally and with no harsh Cholesterol lowing meds! All my results are from eating a healthy diet that is right for me, exercising and also taking a Niacin supplement. 

The only bad reading I had last time that really wasn't corrected was my Ferritin levels which were a measly 4 last time we tested and this time it only increased to 5.9 and it should be around 40. So it's still way to low and I have now been placed on iron to help increase this.

So where is the inspiration in this post??

I'll tell you where...

It's inspiring and empowering that we can heal our bodies naturally by nourishing them with foods that do not make us sick.  I honestly believe that many of our ailments can been corrected by making simple changes in the foods we eat. Trust me I have been told so many times that I need a drug to improve my health and every time I have responded with "No I can do this on my own!" And now I have!!! 

I hope after reading this you are inspired to continue working towards a healthier you!

No matter what your goals are continue to work hard to attain them.

and

Remember... if you believe it...you can achieve it.