The amount of things I do on a daily basis in the name of health — well, it’s ridiculous.

I began thinking about it one morning, as I took my liquid vitamin D, put my other supplements in my bag, made my lunch, prepared my hot water with lemon and green smoothie for breakfast.  And that’s just part of the nutrition side.  I drink over 90 ounces of water a day (trust me, that’s a lot of bathroom breaks), I’m about 90% meat-free, sober about 98% of the time (wine, despite being wildly delicious and utterly fascinating, also enhances my leg spasms and other MS symptoms) and I don’t eat very much gluten.  I have to say that when all these changes were first presented I was completely overwhelmed by all of it.  I didn’t think I was unhealthy but there were a lot of adjustments that were suggested as better alternatives. (In the years since I began this journey, I have learned that many of those adjustments did indeed make life better.)

Outside of food (and all those components) I also use a dry brush (my trusty Yerba) in the mornings before I shower — to help circulation, the lymphatic system and keeping my skin healthy. I try to meditate every morning. I moisturize every day (this is THE most tedious part of my day — I just find it completely tiresome), I have a pretty strict face routine (tinted moisturizer for the day, a different moisturizer for sleeping, different face washes/masks for the morning and evening — and I count to 40 -slowly- while washing my face).  I also count to 40 while brushing my teeth, and I use a tongue scraper morning and night (one of my favorite things — i have to say, as gross as it is, the junk that builds up on your tongue is a pretty good indicator of how healthy your insides are).

And in addition to all these things (which can seem endless) I also, oh, y’know, work and live my life.

It’s insane to think that when I was young I didn’t think about any of these things.  I didn’t worry about my intestines or my colon, I didn’t read my tongue’s debris like gypsies read tea leaves, I didn’t think about what I was eating at.all.  And let’s be honest — I’m not that old.  In fact, I don’t think of myself as old at all.  Thirty-five is just the right age.

I do attribute the life changes to both getting older and being more self-aware as well as MS.  And it’s crazy because the more you learn about things and decide what you agree with and what you think is just absurd (and trust me, there are things that seem completely insane in the world of nutrition and health), the more changes you make.  Almost unnoticeably.

To be completely honest (which should be a given, since this is a blog by me, about, well, me) I am proud of myself and how far I’ve come.  As John and I gear up to buy our house and move away from our first (and to this point, only) home together, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on where we began and how far we’ve come.  We started out as two kids who didn’t have two nickels to rub together, eating incredibly unhealthy dinners (as we learned to feed ourselves outside of the restaurant industry) and dreaming of ‘one day.’

Well, now, six years, a dog, a wedding, several jobs & several cars later, we’ve arrived at ‘one day.’  We took some detours along the way (no one plans for a chronic disease, right?) but we got here, and it feels kinda great.  It also reminds me that I have grown up — even if I still feel like I’m 17.  (There are things that a teenager just can’t — and maybe shouldn’t — understand.)  I think life, aging and all the things in between are fascinating.  I like analyzing it and dissecting it in my head, in my thoughts.  Understanding how I’ve gotten where I am and what I’ve learned along the way.

It’s kinda cool.  Even if it takes up a lot of time.  🙂