This week I am celebrating that I made it through February with out so much as a sniffle, a sore throat and more importantly NO BRONCHITIS! My favorite exercise of the month: Deep Breathing!
 
I capped of February and kicked off March by participating in two events from which bronchitis has kept me out for two years! I ran the 10K in both the Cowtown and the Little Rock Marathons events! This was also monumental because I just started running again the week before Christmas after a more than 2-month layoff from a heel injury.   
 
It was during my running layoff that I began to look towards nutrition and evaluate my own diet as a possible cause of my annual battle with bronchitis as well as ongoing problems with eczema and yeast infections.
 
Last October I had just completed the Twin Cities Marathon and as a bonus while in Minnesota, I was able to spend time reconnecting with my college friend, Natalie. Natalie had been through her own health issues and after numerous dead ends with western medicine, had turned to traditional holistic medicine out of desperation!  Her story is much more traumatic than mine and I hope that one day soon she will share it with you here.  (Natalie, if you are reading this that’s a big ol fat hint…get to writing!)
 
Natalie inspired me by what she had been through and how much she had accomplished by simply changing her diet and lifestyle.  If simple changes could have such a big impact on her health, maybe they could help me avoid my annual date with bronchitis and clear up my eczema and yeast infections to boot!
 
Education was the key! There is a lot of information out there and sometimes making sense of it can be a bit overwhelming. Fortunately for me, my friends Drs. Jessica Dziurkowski and Sarah Hays, proved to be great resources in my quest for knowledge and their encouragement and support of me on my journey has been invaluable!  Through them I met Elizabeth Finch, a Holistic Health & Wellness Coach, who encouraged me to attend The Institute of Integrative Nutrition and began mentoring me in business on a fast track program.  I feel like a sponge soaking up all this knowledge and goodness surrounding me!
 
My own journey to get healthy and prevent the likelihood of getting bronchitis on an annual basis has taught me the concept of Bio-individuality. In short, Bio-individuality means that what works for one person might not work for another person.  The path to eating a healthy diet and living well will look a little different for everyone.  The common thread each path will share? Very little processed and refined foods, variety and the willingness to learn and grow along the way!