Beth came to Companion Health feeling overwhelmed by traditional healthcare. She knew what she wanted: to feel better, and to take better care of herself. What she had tried thus far simply wasn’t working; she wanted a different approach.

Continuing that theme, she had specific goals in mind:

• Lose weight
• Establish better sleep habits
• Make exercise a part of her routine
• Develop overall positive habits to be a good role model for her son

A successful business woman, wife and mom, Beth was giving her all in these areas, and now she wanted to do it for herself. And so, she was ready and willing to try new ways and new things. Establishing boundaries to allow for “me time” was something she desired and was ready to take on.

The first change that Beth made was to discontinue drinking alcohol. She acknowledged that she was using it as a stress-reliever, and she knew she didn’t want it to continue. Instead, Beth traded that habit in for breathwork practices to tackle the stress and has found this profoundly helpful. In fact, she printed one of the exercises out and placed it right next to her computer as a reminder to 1. recognize her body’s signals showing stress and 2. address it immediately. This tool is so handy that she reaches for it while on conference or Zoom calls with success.

An added bonus to the alcohol elimination was a positive response in sleep, but setting a firm boundary with work/her computer a few hours before bed has proved helpful as well. Working from home has its pluses and minuses, one of which is that work is always there. It was up to Beth to decide when to (literally) turn things off and to separate herself, a choice that has proved to be very helpful with more restorative sleep.

Anya Wallace, PA-C did a GI Map (gut test) to see exactly what the status of Beth’s microbiome was. She took this data and coupled it with a saliva hormone test to determine steps to help optimize how Beth was feeling.

Inflammation was indicated by the gut test and needed to be addressed. At the direction of Anya, Beth removed both gluten and dairy from her diet. Would you believe that she felt an immediate decrease of bloat, and the response got better over time as her gut lining began to heal and her microbiome stabilized?! After 8 weeks of going gluten- and dairy-free, she has only reintroduced a few foods back into her nutrition plan due to the noticeable positive difference she feels without them. Hormonally speaking, Anya addressed getting these optimized and Beth reports feeling much better!

As far as exercise, Beth was already an avid Pilates attendee when she first started working with Companion Health. With a desire to add in varied forms of movement, she joined Orangetheory and now does one or the other six days each week. To do this, she has created time in her day away from work; by making exercise a priority and putting it on her calendar, she ensures she is there each time.

The one thing she wants everyone to know about group exercise classes is this: “for anyone afraid to go to group exercise, get over yourself.” She is proof, as she was always fearful of the group exercise classes … and now loves them for the accountability, added drive, and friendships with the other participants, including the instructors.

With all of these positive changes, Beth feels more energized, no longer experiences the mid-afternoon slump, has lost weight and is ready to get back to rowing for fun and as a way to connect to nature and prioritize herself. The icing on the cake—or should we say, the almond butter on the apple— is that with all of these new changes that Beth has incorporated, feeling good is now her new normal. It’s apparent to all of those around her, namely her son, for whom she wants to set a good example.

“My mother very recently has made a shift in focus, focusing heavily on her health, “ says her 14 year-old son, Jack. “Ever since she has made this shift, I have been able to do so much more with her. In winter and spring, we were able to go skiing twice. While we do go skiing every year, this past year has been especially fun with how much more time we get on the mountain together. Additionally, with her new focus we have been able to discuss more about health, which has helped me with my personal fitness.”

Clearly, Beth has not only achieved but exceeded her original intentions!