This is a very personal piece for me which I felt compelled to write. It explains my WHY for becoming a Life Coach but also too what many of us, at the latter part of our lives, will think about. It was after my 45th birthday that I really began paying attention to my skin, my hair and my body. The white hairs were taking root, the circles under my eyes seemed darker, I was getting pudgier around my waist. I was not too concerned about my hair; my father’s hair was at least 80% gray by the time he was in his 20s, well before I was born, I thought it was natural. However, I was disturbed by the dark circles and the slightly widening waist. I had to do something! I started taking Pilates and Yoga classes in a hot studio where I left each class drenched in sweat. I also found a company that sold plant-based products that decreased oxidative stress in the body; I began taking them along with Collagen. I am now reaping the benefits of my interventions. I have the knowledge to know what to do to decelerate the aging process but what about those people who don’t? It is so easy to assume that everyone has the knowledge you do but that is not the case. Last year, both my Aunts died of complications from Alzheimer’s dementia. My Aunt who died first had it worse; the last time I saw her, not only could she not recognize anyone, but she was beginning to lose her motor function. It was the last time she travelled to Antigua, the country of her birth. Why do I bring up my Aunts and Alzheimer’s dementia? Because we have now accepted dementia to be part of the natural aging process; it is not. Most forms of dementia are preventable along with the myriad of chronic diseases that have become all too common across the world (diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, arthritis). My WHY for being a Life Coach is to educate others on how they can live quality lives devoid of chronic diseases. With early interventions and lifestyle modifications, it can be done. My job as a Life Coach is to show that it is possible (lead by example) and provide guidance on how to do it. My Aunts both lived into their 80s; however, the last 5-10 years of their lives were spent battling Alzheimer’s. There is no turning back their clocks, but had I known then what I know now, would my Aunts have suffered? Likely not.
