I remember Christmas 2018, when we were all at Nelson Bay for Christmas, and I couldn?t even get off the coach to go and sit on the beach with my family. Once upon a time I would have been first in the water, but I couldn?t remember the last time I swam.? Fortnightly migraines, or on a good day, a very bad headache, had been an ongoing issue for 10 years (since I was 45), and this Christmas day wasn?t good.? I made a decision that day that I couldn?t live like this, so I removed as many foods from my diet that I could think of that might be causing the problem.? But the headaches continued.?

6 weeks later at the polocrosse at central coast, curled up in the float crying with another bad headache thinking there was nothing left I could do or try, and this was going to be life.  I was sick of being sick and frustrated from the limitations my health was causing on my life.  Things I had dreamt of doing were no longer within reach because I was in constant pain from inflammation and arthritis in both feet, and my body was just too tired.  It wasn?t just the physical limitations but also the emotional and mental barriers that had slowly crept in and taken over my whole perspective on life. Its hard to explain how mental strength affects your ability to function.  I just didn?t have the desire to even participate in life anymore.  

Being in constant pain doesn?t help but I just had no drive anymore. I couldn?t remember the last time I slept through the night.  Not being able to fall asleep, constant tossing and turning, not being able to get back to sleep if I woke, night sweats and hot flushes were all part of my life now.  

I imagined what it would be like to wake up with energy. To want to get out of bed and take on the day with excitement.  Instead of waking up and scanning my body to see how many painkillers I needed to get out of bed and get to the shower.  

I had put so many dreams on hold, things I had put off ?till later? thinking I would do them when I had more time, when I felt better,  like bushwalking with my family.  Then as the arthritis and pain progressed, later became too late.  I had given up and accepted that I?d never be able to bush walk with my family.

Between work or being in bed with a bad head, nothing else was really happening in my life.  I had our middle son take out our vegetable garden with an excavator because I couldn?t look after it anymore. And the rest of my garden, which I had loved and cared for so much, has just grown up with grass and weeds.

I felt like a spectator, watching my life go by.  

My family hadn?t given up on my though and for the past 2 years they had been trying to talk me into doing a health program called WildFit.? You would have thought I would have tried anything at this stage, but I just didn?t think I had the mental strength to commit, and I couldn?t see why this program would be any different to all the others I had tried.? Plus, I had removed so many things from my diet that there was nothing much left to play with. Regardless, the extra kilos were sneaking up on me from somewhere and the less I ate the heavier I became.? Just another accepted part of going through menopause.? I couldn?t get my work trousers done up and I couldn?t even get into my good jeans anymore.? I was frumpy and grumpy.

I have told the story earlier of watching mum do WildFit which encouraged me to give it a go.  But I just want to add that one of the reasons I put off doing the program was because I thought I would probably fail and not get the results I wanted, but by following the videos and the step by step process, the program just flowed and before I knew it, the 13 weeks were over, I had completely changed my relationship with food and my body was on the road to recovery. I was sleeping for the first time in years, waking up with energy, the inflammation was under control, ( though I am still in pain, most days it?s manageable), I swam in the sea at Christmas and was excited and wanted to be there (and it was bloody freezing).  Night sweats and hot flushes have stopped, and I haven?t had a headache for 2 months.  

Thankyou WildFit ? you have given me my life back.

November – 2020