It can be a jarring thing to wake up, staring down your mid-40's and realize everything you knew about your health, your body and the wellness routine that has always worked for you is inexplicably changing.

Let me back up. I've always been health conscious. I grew up with a mom who didn't allow sugar and taught me that water was my best friend. Don't get me wrong, I've indulged plenty of times throughout my adult life, but never veered too far from the health routines that have been engrained in me. I was taking shots of apple cider vinegar as a kid, before it was a thing lol, and treating sicknesses holistically from the day I arrived on the earth. I crave spinach and never (or rarely) drink any cold beverage but water. I was never one that counted calories or dieted. In fact, my day to day health was not something I fixated on. I trusted the foundations I had in place, mostly chose to eat healthy because that's what tastes good to me, and maintained a consistent weight and overall health that hummed along without too much thought or effort.

But around 42, everything started to change. I know, I know....this isn't shocking news, but it felt very jarring to me at the time. I had other friends that were starting to cut out soda or sugar, and looking at nutrition differently. But I felt backed in a corner. I remember so many times watching them thinking "I should've been eating junk this whole time, then I would have some levers to pull now." But instead I was starting from a place of healthy habits which made looking for solutions to my overnight weight gain and changes in my body feel daunting and overwhelming. 

As we begin to age and see changes in our body, there are so many emotional entanglements that come along with it. Feelings of discomfort, shame and self-doubt can appear. Unfortunately, we live in a society that can make seeing those changes in ourselves challenge our sense of self and worth. And all of that can feel isolating.
Sure, I can talk to friends, and without question, everyone has an opinion about what to do or the latest trend that will "change everything". But everyone's opinions are different, even within the professional health community. You're left meandering around, trying different things and wondering whose guidance you can trust.

While I'm learning more everyday about my new normal and working on different solutions that will get me back to feeling like myself, I don't yet have all the answers. What I DO have, is this community.

What a gift to find Marci and a tribe of people walking this wellness journey. So many platforms in the health + wellness space are focused on a specific method or outcome and I don't believe in magic bullets. There is no one thing that's going to be the solution to all your problems. Trust me, I know. So finding Sage Solstice Wellness, and a community sharing and exploring experiences across a broad range of wellness solutions has been amazing. It's all I can hope for.....to learn from other peoples shared experiences and the knowledge Marci brings to the journey. I find it is helping me to build an effective toolbox. And using all the tools in my new toolbox, at different times and in different ways, is helping me to navigate this new phase of life.

Thank you Marci! I will say it again - You are a gift. And I hope everyone else reading this will tell me what is or has worked for you. Help a girl out, LOL. And I'm here for all of you too.