My Crohns Story

My Crohns Story

About 7 years ago, I got really sick, spent a number of days in and out of the hospital having tests done to find out what was wrong with me. When all was said & done, I found out that I had Crohns Disease. The news shocked me. I didn't really understand what that ment, or what it would mean for me in the future.

The doctors told me I would need to be medicated to treat this illness. My specialist told me it couldn't be controlled with food and had nothing to do with the digestive system. Now you tell me, how does a disease that causes inflammation to the digestive tract, not have anything to do with the digestive system? I really couldn't understand, and I started to second guess all the reasearch I had done on this illness. After over a year of being heavily medicated, going in and out of the hospital, I needed to have an emergency surgery. They found that I there were internal ruptures, but they didn't know where.

After a long and very painful recovery, I had a friend suggest that I see a naturopath. She had been raving about what he has done for her and how much better she feels now. So I decided to give it a try. He was really thorough, ran some tests, and found what vitamins/minerals, etc, I was missing. He put me on a 3 week detox diet, removing sugar, alcohol, gluten, dairy & acidic foods. It was no easy task! I couldn't believe everything that has gluten and sugar in it. Reading labels became a huge part of my shopping experience. After 3 weeks, I went back to see him. We learned that I had to completely eliminate2 major things permanently, gluten and dairy. It was so hard to do, but at the same time, once my body adjusted to it, I felt amzing! I no longer felt bloated and uncomfortable, never got cramps, my energy increased and I rested better when I slept.

My naturopath helped me regulate my body, so I didn't need to be on medications anymore. And since then, I've been living a heathly, happy, pain-free, medication-free life for almost 5 years. Nothing feels better than being able to live a normal life and not be concerned about pain. All due to the guidance of my naturopath.

Why I became a personal trainer.

Growing up, I was always active, loved playing sports & keeping busy. Fun time for me, was playing outside, running around, not sitting in front of the TV, or playing video games. Throughout highschool, I still kept active, playing baseball, hiking, attempting track – it wasn't a strong things for me. But once college hit, that changed. I got busy with studying more, eating less healthy, and my activity level dropped right down. By the time I was done college, I had to lay on my bed, sucking in my stomach, just to try and do up my pants! Things needed to change.

I started to research exercise programs. I really wanted to join a gym & get a trainer, but the only gym in my home town seemed to be more geared towards meat-heads, not the general population. So, home workouts it was! I tried a variety of different things from Tae Bo to yoga. And it kept me going for awhile. I was very diligent on exercising and making changes. I started to pay more attention to my eating habits, and noticed where I was going wrong.

Then, and old friend of mine opened a new gym in our home town. I immediately joined, and soon found myself going everyday. Not only was I going, seeing changes, but I was loving it! I never thought the day would come that I would say that I feel in love with exercising! When I moved later that year, into a city, I kept it up. I got a trainer, who gave me a great program, that the body changes kept coming.

People started commented on the changes I had made, and started asking me for advice. I was getting asked my opinions on workouts, meals, supplements. I realized how much I enjoyed being able to help them with their questions. How good it felt to be the one they trusted with their concerns, and their journey towards a healthier lifestyle. It just seemed like becoming a personal trainer was the natural choice, the best choice. To this day, nothing feels better than to watch someone tansform and reach their goals. And knowing they did it with my guidance.