Over the past month or so, I've had a lot of stomach issues, trouble sleeping, and itching in small places on my body. I didn't think much of it, until my boyfriend said something about it...something along the lines of my stomach hurting every day and I should see someone about it.

I thought maybe it was caused by my increase in coffee intake, so I decided to go on a coffee detox (I'm on day 11 and I still have intense cravings for coffee...I'll give myself a few more weeks and then allow it back in...I was only *slightly* addicted so I know I need to reset my system and only allow it in small doses).

Anyways - about 5 days into it, I was still super itchy...to the point where I was scratching so hard I was bleeding...it was bad. It almost felt like there were little bugs crawling under my skin and I couldn't stop it. It wasn't all over my body...just on my shins and calves, on my back where my bra sits, and it was just starting on my forearms.

As I was standing at the kitchen counter eating cheese and crackers, I looked at the ingredients of the crackers and it hit me like a ton of bricks....the first ingredient was wheat. Holy crap.

I realized that I had unintentionally been eating that way since just after Thanksgiving. It wasn't bad...or so I thought. It started small...some cheese and crackers here, apple or pumpkin pie there, can't forget the brownies too! Oh...and mac and cheese...love me some mac and cheese!

But I don't eat that way...I have a gluten intolerance and avoid eating anything that is going to cause me to feel sick or harm my body. And here I thought I was just doing it in small doses, until my body showed me otherwise.

This ^^ is how I felt...constantly. I couldn't stop itching. I also had stomach issues...it went back and forth between constipation and diarrhea. I had heartburn (so severe it hurt up into my right ear), and talk about irritable. I wasn't sleeping well, which makes me super grumpy (sorry, Scott). My neck and back and knees have been super sore and full of inflammation.

And I'd been living this way for a couple months!! It just became normal for me to feel that way. What?! How does that make any sense?! I. Was. Miserable.

So as of last Thursday, January 21, I cut out the gluten completely. Again. 

I'm so sick of itching, of always hurting in my stomach and my joints, of being severely tired and grumpy...my legs have such a distinct rash on them, I'm happy it's winter and they don't have to be seen.

So today is day 6 of avoiding gluten, wheat, grains, etc. I can't say that I am 100% better, but I can say that I am starting to feel "normal" again. I'm not having severe stomach pains anymore...I don't have heartburn anymore...when I feel like I have to go to the bathroom, I actually go to the bathroom!! Feeling that way and having constipation is one of the worst feelings...so frustrating.

I am still having issues sleeping, but it's getting better...I wake up several times at night to pee so now I have to figure out a cut off point at night to stop the water. And the rashes aren't spreading. It's hard to not scratch them, but I've been using coconut oil with essential oils, as well as Aquaphor lotion. I'm just trying to let them heal.

I wanted to share this story because I know how frustrating it can be to have all these problems and not know what is causing them. I am a Health Coach and know that gluten affects me this way...yet I was eating it.

I am certainly not perfect and enjoy food just as anyone else does. But I also know that my body doesn't tolerate it and it was telling me...well, I'm finally listening and I can hear it loud and clear.

I'm going to keep track of my progress because I want to see how long it takes for my body to heal after being glutened. I can tell you that I don't want to feel this way again.

I'm certainly not an expert on this, but listening to your body is key. It will tell you everything you need to know.

Have a fabulous day!!

With love and wellness,
​Whitney

Whitney Cumpson
Certified Health Coach, doTERRA Wellness Advocate, and LTL Weight Management Coach
www.wellnesswisdomwithwhitney.com
mydoterra.com/whitneycumpson
shop.com/coachwhitney

It's hard to be yourself in a world that tells you what you should be doing or what you should look like or what you should have or what job you should have.

In your 20s? Okay - you should be partying it up, having a good time, healthy and happy, no real plans on settling down just yet.

In your 30s? Okay - you should start settling down...find that significant other and get married...start having a family...have a good job/career and still be healthy and happy.

In your 40s? Okay - you should be well established in your career and with your family. Maybe start thinking about retirement and what you're going to do after you retire. Better still be healthy and happy too!

In your 50s? Okay - Woo hoo! It's retirement time! Right?! You should have an awesome stockpile in savings and you should be heading for retirement and a happy life after a long career! Kids should be starting to head off to college and you have an empty nest to celebrate life with your spouse! Don't forget to be happy and healthy too!! Keep up the good work!

​You get the picture. It's the shoulds...and darn it, you *have* to look a certain way, and act a certain way, and have a certain job, and move through life in a certain way. Right?!

​It's scary to step outside of those labels...outside of those "shoulds." It's scary to step outside of the box and do something different. I'll be the first to admit that. 

When I first started thinking about getting my health coach certification, I had a major freakout moment...like, major. I couldn't imagine leaving my government job and ran through every possible "What if" situation in my head. It was bad.

And as I started going through the schooling and leaning towards making my health coaching and doTERRA my "day job," you wouldn't believe the comments and remarks I've received from people. Holy crap...what was I thinking? Was I crazy? How could I leave my cushy government job for my own personal business ventures?

I was told I should wait...to be married. To make more money in my personal ventures. To have more clients. To be sure I would succeed.

You know what happens then? You end up waiting for your life to happen...and it just passes you by, hoping and wishing that things would happen for you. And before you know it, life has moved forward and your hopes and dreams have been left in the past.

I do NOT want to live that way! I want to live my life the way *I* want to live!! Happy and healthy and pursuing my passion! If that makes me crazy, so be it.

Does it absolutely terrify me to leave my "cushy" day job and not know what will happen? You better believe it. Do I have faith that God will provide and everything will work out? Yep!! Again, you better believe it!

Yes, being different is scary. Stepping outside of your comfort zone and outside of other people's comfort zones is scary. But don't let that stop you!! 

Don't be afraid to be YOU!! To be the wonderful, beautiful person that you are! And don't be afraid to pursue your dreams and your passions!! It's okay to dream big!!

Another thing that is a stealer of joy is comparing your life, your journey to others' lives. We have a bad habit of seeing what's on Facebook or what others post and thinking "I wish I had X" or "I wish my life was like Y." Even worse, we do that with celebrities and the magazines and TV shows...and that's not reality!!!

Your life, exactly as it is and where you are, is enough. You are exactly where you should be. 

Love your life. Live your life...for YOU. Feel the fear and do it anyway...whatever *it* is!!

With love and wellness, 
Whitney

PS - I need this message every now and again too. I find myself doubting my decisions and wondering if I am being crazy. But I'm finally giving myself permission to live the life I want to lead! Not the one that is expected or *should* be lived.

There's something to say about weighing and measuring every week when you're trying to lose weight. It's a great way to track your progress and see the results you're getting. 

But what happens when this becomes a source of unhappiness and misery? What happens when this causes stress and upset in your body?

For me, it did just that. I've never been one to weigh and measure myself. Ever. I wasn't a slave to the scale...instead, I focused on how I felt, how my clothes fit, and my progress at the gym. It wasn't a matter of what I weighed or how little I was. It was a matter of how happy I was...how healthy I was...how I was sleeping...how clear my skin was.

I'll be the first to tell you that it doesn't matter how healthy you eat...if you stress over weighing and measuring yourself, it actually has the opposite effect!

​This ^^ was actually how I felt. Like I wasn't enough. Like I wasn't good enough. Like no matter what I did, if the number went up, I was a failure.

And that was NOT the case...at all. I was eating healthy, working out and hitting huge milestones at the gym, yet I still felt like a failure!! I still felt like I wasn't doing enough!!

I hated that feeling. I dreaded the weekly measuring and weigh-ins. I would be so hard on myself if the numbers changed or it was higher on the scale.

And for what? 

Now I'm not bashing it or the effectiveness of this, but for me, it caused a lot of stress and unhappiness. And this spilled over into my personal life. I couldn't do it anymore.

Did it change the way I ate? A little bit. Did I stress about that? Yup.

But here we are, in the beginning of 2016, and I'm back on track. I know what foods work best for my body and have taken out the excess sugar (yay holidays!!). I'm feeling great and am loving the way I feel. I also am less stressed without focusing on the number on the scale!

** Caveat: I weighed and measured until I hit my goal...then the stress it created was too high whenever those numbers fluctuated even the tiniest bit. 

​But this^^ This is the beautiful truth! You. Are. Beautiful. No matter what that number is.

Always remember that.

With love and wellness,
​Whitney