In this episode, I dive into what functional health really is and why it is so different from conventional health. Hopefully this conversation will give you encouragement that you are your best advocate for your health.
0:00 Welcome to the treasured wellness podcast where we talk about all things health, and where nothing is off limits, you will uncover what may be holding you back so that you can break those chains. Get to the root cause, and walk into freedom with confidence the way God intended for you to live. Hi, I’m Michelle McCoy, functional health coach and holistic lifestyle advocate, ladies, together, we are going to dig deep into real life so that you are educated and equipped to create the whole health you desire without the overwhelm. Now more than ever is the time for breakthrough action and restoration. It’s time to get intentional and reclaim your health. If you’re ready for mind, body and soul clarity, then let’s get to it.
0:56 Welcome back, I’m so happy to have you here. Okay, there is so much conflicting information regarding health out there, right. And it can be so overwhelming. All the social media chatter and censorship going on, especially in this last year and a half, can make anyone throw their hands up and not know who to trust. I mean, when our top medical experts in the media and government aren’t acknowledging simple basics, such as vitamins, fresh air and sunshine, it makes a girl wonder, right? I mean, who truly has my best interest in mind, who truly has the best interest of my family in mind?
So because of all of the confusion out there, my intent is to help you to empower yourself to nurture yourself holistically, completely, to trust yourself, to find your voice if you have lost it, and to break whatever is holding you back from living that life that you were meant to live
2:04 as a daughter of the king, to embrace that power that we all have inside of us to know what to ask for what to do and how to do it. I want you to get inspired to live healthy, peacefully and confidently. And I want to encourage and motivate you to trust the necessary process of growth and stay focused. Because this is going to take effort, this is going to take time. There is no one size fits all and there is no quick fix. It’s really time to get intentional about our help. Hey, do you guys ever come up with a word of the year, I started that about maybe six years ago started coming up with a word of the year that I would just focus on throughout the year, I would look up verses about it. I would write it at the top of each new month on my planner. And that can be really powerful to keep you kind of centered and grounded in that word and what that word represents. And last year, that word for me was intentional. And it’s been just such a game changer in how I am looking at things I’m looking at, really everything through that lens of that word intentional, and really asking God to show me what is it He wants me to learn from that. I don’t know if that’s anything that you guys do. But it’s really kind of neat. If you don’t have a word of the year, I encourage you to think about getting one or think about finding one. Okay, so since I’m going to be providing a variety of health resources and suggestions to help you feel equipped, so that you can create a plan to change your life, then think about really blending that with the word intentional and to see how it fits for you. Because we need to do what works for us, right? Because otherwise we won’t keep doing it.
So really, why should we keep stressing ourselves out keeping up with what other people are doing? It’s almost like, remember when you were growing up and you really wanted to do something that your friends were doing, but you weren’t allowed? And your parents said, Well, if everyone else was jumping off the bridge, would you jump to? I mean, it can almost get like that right? Where we are trying so many things and it just kind of keeps us frustrated. Staying in that hamster wheel cycle of frustration, because there’s that comparison factor. There’s the shame, the guilt and the overwhelm. And in my coaching, there’s generally been one thing that is a stumbling block for just about all my clients. It’s the sheer overwhelm, what to do, how to do it, and how to get started. I totally understand that. As a Christian and a health coach, I really believe the power is within us to care for ourselves if we know what to do and where to turn for help. Having some guidelines can greatly help us to keep ourselves accountable in our own health journey.
5:32 It’s progress, not perfection. So I want to help bring you clarity to what your unique body needs to feel amazing, so that you can then trust yourself and commit to yourself for abundant longevity. Hey, have you ever heard of the Blue Zones, that is where people live who are so healthy, they are living into their one hundreds talk about the golden years. But the Blue Zones,
6:00 it’s just really fascinating to hear about these people. We have five Blue Zone areas. And they are in Japan, Italy, Costa Rica, Greece, and California, there’s actually one in Loma Linda, California. Unknown Speaker So quick story, when my daughter was in college, she took a study abroad trip for a few weeks to Ikaria, Greece. And that is one of the Blue Zone areas. So she was able to see how these people live. And unfortunately, she wasn’t able to really talk to any centenarian or anybody that was well into their 100. Because they just weren’t around, they were just kind of probably hiding out because of the tourists but just kind of living their life. But it was really neat. One thing that she came back with was just how happy everybody seemed, living off the land, growing their own food,
7:09 all that fresh air and sunshine and the amazing ocean breeze and the salt water, she was able to see how those people really live. But the thing is, our health care system is gravely flawed. I mean, we actually don’t have a health care system, we have a disease management system. Would you agree to that? Because so many of us are not getting the care that we need. When we go to the doctor, we sometimes wait up to an hour to see the doctor for maybe, you know, 10 or 15 minutes, where we’re not really heard, we might end up with a new prescription and walk out sometimes with more questions than answers. Well, let me give you an example. You go in for fatigue, trouble sleeping and weight gain, you wait 45 minutes or so in a waiting room, then you get into the room, you wait some more, you finally see the doctor, and you walk out with an order to lose weight. And by that they say eat better and workout more, and maybe a prescription for a sleep aid to just help you start sleeping again.
So you’re driving to the pharmacy, and you’re just kind of replaying that conversation in your mind and you’re starting to get frustrated. I mean, do you even want another medication? Did the doctor tell you how to eat better what to eat? I mean, did you get to share all of your concerns? Well, the likely answer is no. There simply wasn’t enough time. The insurance companies are mandating time spent with patients and doctors have a full schedule. So rare are the days when you have an actual eye to a conversation about your health. And I say eye to eye because how often do we actually get focused eye contact? Well, not very often. I have heard that complaint over and over. And I have experienced that many times myself. Or here’s another scenario, you get your yearly labs done and everything comes back quote in range or normal. So your symptoms or concerns are mostly ignored, or certainly not really, truly addressed. Your practitioner says everything looks good and send you off kind of still scratching your head wondering why you still feel like crap. Now, I don’t really blame the doctors.
9:41 I mean, a little bit, but I don’t really blame them all the way because they have to follow the protocol. And I’m sure if you were to ask them, they would say that they wish they could spend more time with each patient. But the truth is they are losing control over their own medical model. And honestly, that’s In part why some really good functional and integrative practitioners have gone to a more concierge or cash pay system, because that gives them control instead of the insurance companies, and they can take the time necessary to truly help their patients.
10:17 But hear me on this, you are in control of your health, you are your best health advocate, you are the only one who can make the necessary changes to improve your quality of life. But accountability, education and support really make those changes much easier. And this does not happen in a 15 minute session. So taking a functional approach means that we are looking at the whole picture, not just one area, we dive deep to the root cause of health concerns. So remember when I shared my story about my daughter and her migraines, if you missed that, go back to episode one. And you can catch my story about that. Doctors were looking at just her brain, essentially, not her whole body. Remember when her pediatrician said that food was not a factor in her headaches, except for it was with her gluten intolerance. And I knew it deep down. I just knew it had to be food related. I didn’t know what. That’s why I was trying so many different things. But I just knew it had to be food related because it made the most sense. It was something that she was doing consistently every day eating, right. I mean, there was nothing else that made sense. But I wasn’t getting the support from the quote experts. And I was following what they told me to do. And at the same time, I was feeling like I wasn’t being heard visit after visit. And I was so frustrated that no one was helping her. I mean, why did it have to take three years?
Okay, let me just really date myself here. Because this was before the massive explosion of the internet, right? So research was much, much tougher. I mean, internet became available around what the 90s, early 90s 1991 or so. But not everyone had immediate access. And I’ll tell you our family was late to the game. My kids still remember that dial dial up tone. So really, oftentimes, we have to peel back the layers to really get to the bottom of our health concerns. And it doesn’t happen overnight. peeling back the layers to get to the bottom is a little like peeling back the layers of an onion. It takes time. It takes patience and maybe a few tears, right. And when it comes to our health, we need education and support. We need accountability and sometimes some tough love. Ladies, you know your body better than anyone. Even if you have stopped listening to it. You’ll get that insight back and your body will thank you for it.
Close your eyes for a second. Can you see that? Can you imagine? Feeling good? Can you see what that would look like for you? No more brain fog, less bloating, deep restful sleep where you wake up and you actually felt like you slept? Maybe that energy that you once had? I mean, it sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Now I’m not saying you should fire your doctor, though, maybe in some cases you should. But it’s hard to know what to ask for. If we don’t have clarity. If we don’t have direction.
No worries, I’ve got you. Because I’ve gone through all this too. I mean, how many of us have started a new way of eating or a new healthier habit and we’re all gung ho in the beginning. But then a few days or weeks into it, we lose all of our momentum for it. hands raised up all over right? It is really difficult to stay focused and to trust the process. Especially when we feel alone in that process. Because you will hear me say this a lot, but it is so much more than what we eat. It’s how we digest how we eliminate how we perceive the stress in our lives, how we sleep, how we play if we play, how we think and on and on and on. And that’s why we will be discussing a whole variety of topics around mental and emotional, physical, spiritual health. So really, if you ever have a question or topic you would like to discuss on the podcast just reach out to me. You can reach out to me at treasuredwellness.com and I’ll also have all the contact info in the show notes, and I honestly, I would love to hear from you because we all have struggles.
So let’s think about that. What are you struggling with today? What is your number one stressor. This can be mental, emotional, physical, it can be anything. Close your eyes if you are able, or come back later to this spot where you can really focus, when you can really focus on this. But today, I want you to recommit to yourself. What would that look like? Just one little step forward. Is it drinking water instead of a sugary caffeine charge drink at lunchtime to get you through the rest of the afternoon? Is it eating lunch, not skipping. Going for a short walk before ending your day. Just taking a minute for yourself. As a woman of faith is it your lack of time with God.
Pick your thing. What was the first thing that just popped into your mind? journal it, jot it down on a sticky note, declare it out loud set a reminder in your phone. However, you are going to remember whatever that is, take this week to do just that one thing and own it. Remember, the idea is to cut out the overwhelm. So don’t get caught in the trap of feeling like you need to do everything all at once. Again, progress not perfection, you tell this to your kids. So think about it for yourself, you have so many plates already spinning in the air. So let’s just simplify. And as you begin to really focus on this one thing and implement in each day, I promise you will naturally desire to do something else. Because consistent baby steps get us to where we want to go in a way that feels right for us. And that’s what it’s all about.
We need to do what feels right for us so that we can continue to do that. And expand on that. So if you chose drinking water, but you’re not a water lover, maybe add some fresh lemons or limes or berries to your water to infuse it with a different flavor. You can get those Stur drops, you can get those stir drops at most any grocery store. And that will flavor your water without the artificial sweeteners. If you are in a habit of always skipping lunch or breakfast, then just find one thing that you can do that’s easy. Maybe like boil up some eggs, and have them peeled and ready to go.
Or make a protein shake or something that you can sip on if you don’t like to eat first thing in the morning. If you’d like to go for a short walk, before starting the next phase of your evening, right? You know, like when you just get home from work, you know, if you can go for a quick walk or something, have your clothes laid out on your bed so that when you walk in the room, you see that it’s a reminder to you. And if you can’t do that, then you know if you can’t get out and walk then perhaps you could do a little bit of stretching before you go to bed that night or get the kids involved or something. Unknown Speaker 18:34 You know, the thing that popped into your head so you know what it is your body is most needing right now from you. So go with that. And if it’s your lack of time with God, then you know maybe get up five minutes earlier just to have a quick prayer time. Or utilize your commute. Turn off the radio or put on worship music and just praise and pray. So again, whatever popped into your mind, that’s what your body’s needing. That’s what you’re needing to do. That’s what’s most on your your heart right now. So just own that. Just do that one thing every day for this whole week. You’re going to be intentional about implementing this one thing in a way that does not overwhelm you.
Ladies, let me pray over you. Father God, there is so much conflicting information out there in the world on health and wellness. Would you help us to pause and be still so we can hear your voice? Help us to focus on what is true and right. Help us to focus on what you have for us. It is your desire that we live in good health. So now I ask that you would show us each the path that we should take to live a life that is healthy and honoring of you. Help us to live well, Lord, and we thank you for your direction. In Jesus name, amen.
Ladies, if you want to be sure not to miss an episode, hop on over to wherever you listen and hit subscribe. And while you were there, leave me a five star review because this will help other women just like you find the show. I appreciate you all so much. Have a wonderful day and until next time, remember that you are a beautiful treasure.