We all have a story. We all have our own health journey. Today I’m sharing my health journey, the story I’ve never told. Most of my adult life has been spent helping others achieve better health. It’s my life passion and calling. However, I didn’t just arrive at this point. I have been on a long health journey myself, which inspired me to help others live a well-balanced, healthier life. Gut dysfunction, hormone imbalance, exercise anorexia, body image issues, bodily harm done by modern medicine, a body healed through holistic medicine, a life saved by modern medicine, a life-altering family event that derailed my health philosophy; I’ve been through it all.
Childhood – A Wonderful Foundation
I grew up in a small Texas town and on a farm most of my childhood. I spent my days around animals, plenty of green pastures, ponds, trees to read under and climb, jumping from hay bale to hay bale, playing pretend in my treehouse that my dad built, and laying with my dogs in the evenings. I’d follow my dad around while he worked on the land asking him all kinds of questions about nature. He loved science and nature. He was a science teacher and coach when I was younger, then principal, and later superintendent. My dad was a wealth of knowledge for me.
My parents kept a garden the size of about a fourth of an acre. I would eat raw veggies from the garden, then watch my mom can them or perhaps fry up some squash and okra. That’s how it’s done in the south, ya know. 😉 Overall, my parents provided an amazing foundation for my health journey. It’s where it all began. I fell in love with nature at a young age.
The only health issue as a young child that I can recall is recurrent ear infections that resulted in me having to get tubes in my ears as a baby. For whatever reason, I consistently got ear infections, which led to antibiotic after antibiotic and eventually tubes in my ears was the only solution.
We didn’t know things as we do now. Some of you reading this, still may not be aware of some of this information. We didn’t know that antibiotics destroy the gut microbiome and set you up for a slew of health issues. We didn’t know that conventional, non-organic animal products could disrupt hormones. I would continue to receive antibiotics for pretty much any illness throughout my childhood. My gut was DESTROYED by the time I was in middle school. Our gut microbiome influences all aspects of our health from immunity to anxiety and disease. I’m sure there are many of you that will relate to what I’m about to share.
Puberty & Hormone Disorders
I was a very active pre-teen/teen. I was involved in gymnastics, cross-country (gag, only because my basketball coach forced it upon us), cheerleading, basketball, track, and tennis. Athletics were my life and passion. I loved sports. I started my period the summer between 6th and 7th grade. Everything seemed pretty normal for a while.
We are hearing of girls starting their period earlier and earlier these days, as early as second and third grade. I believe early exposure to hormone disruptors in our personal care products, food, and environment is a major problem.
Just a few years after I started my period, I began having horrible problems with my cycle. I started bleeding extremely heavily and experienced cramps that felt like birthing pains (I know now what that feels like after having a baby natural and unmedicated) It was just as bad as birth contractions, the doctor confirmed that, and it happened every month. It was so bad, I was bleeding for weeks and passing clots! I once passed out in basketball practice while on my period from lack of iron. To “fix” the problem they put me on birth control. It did “fix” the problem for several years, later resulting in a major hormonal imbalance.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Once high school hit, I began having HORRIBLE stomach problems and would catch every stomach bug that would circle around. I didn’t know it had a name back then, but I was dealing with irritable bowel syndrome and had no idea. I had to be sure a bathroom was nearby every time I ate. At the time, I assumed this was all normal. It’s not! I lived with this for several years.
Body Image Issues Begin
I modeled a bit throughout high school. At one of the modeling conventions I went to, I had several agents interested in me, but almost all of them said, she’s a bit too athletic. “You would need to lose 10 pounds and get rid of some of that muscle for us to take a serious interest” Mind you… I was 5’6, 120 with a pretty good six-pack, and I played five sports so I was a thin & toned athlete. Those comments would be burned in my brain. It’s also worth noting my parents tried everything they could to keep me out of the modeling world, but it was something I wanted to explore. I grew up in a tiny Texas town, and going to the city for modeling was VERY exciting. Thankfully I decided I wasn’t willing to starve myself for modeling, so I gave it up.
By my senior year, cheerleading had become my passion and I was preparing for college cheer. I started stunting with a guy for co-ed cheer. It’s been so long, I can’t remember if someone told me this or I put this in my own mind, but if I could just lose 5-10 pounds, it would help my chances of making the squad and make it easier for the guys to throw me up. I began reading magazines about how celebrities lost weight. Then I started a very strict low-fat diet that consisted of turkey and mustard sandwiches and an apple. I also started running. The weight fell off pretty quickly. I was impressed with the results.
Although I had finally lost those 5-10 pounds, I decided, being a 5’6 female, co-ed stunting was probably not in my future, I was more of an all-girl squad back spot. 😉 I was recruited by Texas State University for their all-girl squad and invited to try out in the spring. This sounded like a much better fit. So that was the plan, I would head to Texas State University in the fall and would cheer on their all-girl squad. Unfortunately, the weekend before tryouts I badly sprained my ankle in track doing long-jump and I was unable to attend tryouts. Devastating!!! But God had other plans, he always does.
I ended up staying close to home at Midwestern State University and trying out for the indoor arena league football dance team. For this squad, we wore outfits that showed our stomachs. I remember being SO self-conscious about my stomach being exposed and they would tell us we need to eat a certain way and exercise a certain amount and keep our weight down. As you can see…. it was only a matter of time before an eating disorder developed.
Exercise Anorexia
After a couple of years in college at MSU, I was ready for my independence. I needed to spread my wings. I had previously fallen in love with the beautiful, historic campus of Texas State. The trees, rolling hills, and flowing river captured my heart. I transferred to Texas State in 2005 for their physical therapy program. I’ll never forget the summer I arrived at Texas State. This small-town girl had her mind blown by a world I didn’t know existed. I would go to the pool at my apartment complex and be surrounded by girls that were rail-thin, had fake boobs, and caked-on makeup. I was pretty confident in who I was, but that comparison started to consume me.
This is when my eating disorder began. Now, this is no fault to these girls, I just wasn’t confident in who I was at this stage in life. This led me to exercising twice a day and eating a very small amount. I remember one summer day… I woke up, went for a 2-3 mile run, ate an apple and a few slices of deli turkey then headed to the pool to meet up with friends. We may or may not have consumed a few beers. 😉 After a day at the pool and drinking, I felt the need to go into the fitness center and burn off those calories. I jumped on the elliptical for 45 minutes.
All I had consumed that day was the turkey meat, an apple, and the beverages at the pool. I felt so guilty I needed to exercise twice that day. The next morning I woke up and realized.. this isn’t normal. That was not a healthy thing I just did.
Thankfully my eating disorder only lasted about a month. It hit me like a rock and I snapped out of that eating disorder quickly. Mine was short-lived, but I know many are not so lucky. If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of an eating disorder, please seek help, it can be a slippery slope.
Body Obsession
At this point in college as a junior, I had switched from physical therapy to exercise and sports science, and business management. (Organic chemistry scared me away from Physical therapy, Yikes! But again God had a plan). I started to learn more about the body and how to train it properly and feed it properly. I began lifting weights and eating healthier but still pretty strict. My body started to transform and I was OBSESSED with the results that weight lifting gave me. I was very proud of my body, and I dare to say, obsessed with vanity and how I looked. It had become an idol of mine. I found my worth in how my body looked.
Introduction to Alternative Medicine
Although I was happy with my body, the inside of my body STILL did not feel good. My IBS was at an all-time high. I’ll spare you the gross details. But I had a very embarrassing event happen and that was the last straw for me. It was time to do something about it. I called my mom and when I went back home for the holidays, we visited a health food store. They found me a good probiotic and gave me peppermint tea. Within a month my gut felt better than I could ever remember and my symptoms were gone! I believe the probiotics that I would continue to take, slowly healed my gut that all the antibiotics destroyed over the years. I was very interested in this new alternative health world. That was 2007 and I’ve been studying alternative health ever since then.
Young Professional Years & the Shaping of my Health Philosophy
During my last year of college, I got accepted into the internship at Cooper Fitness Center. Thank God for this place and Dr. Cooper and his balanced health philosophy. I had always found his philosophy intriguing and fascinating. I wasn’t sure what it was but it drew me in like a magnet. This is when my passion and philosophy for health would really be shaped and formed in a healthy way. Dr. Cooper is all about preventative health, health for longevity, and overall well-being. I trained under some of the best personal trainers, exercise physiologists, and doctors. My personal health philosophy was inspired by healthy nourishing foods, preventative health, stress reduction, and functional fitness.
After my internship & college graduation, I worked as a personal trainer & fitness instructor at Dallas Country Club, Cooper Fitness Center, and Equinox and later went on to open my own business. During this time, I trained some of the most prestigious people in Dallas. Oftentimes, I trained over-worked, over-stressed men that often neglected their health. I trained women with autoimmune diseases like Lupus and Fibromyalgia. I trained many women that under-ate and over-exercised. In addition to training these women, I also trained their teenage daughters that were quickly following in their footsteps.
Side note: The best thing a mom can do for her daughter, is love her own body. Show her what it means to live a healthy lifestyle without obsessing over food and exercise. I was personally very blessed to have a mother that NEVER spoke a bad word about her body. That made a huge impression on me and I think it may have played a big part in how I always quickly bounced back from my lows.
10 years on Birth Control Took a Toll on my Body.
At 24 years of age, I could tell something was off with my hormones. I didn’t know what, but something. I went to see a holistic gynecologist. She tested my hormones. My testosterone was nearly zero.
Remember that “fix” in high school? Birth control for 10 years to normalize my period? Well, 10 years of birth control depleted me of nearly all my testosterone. BIRTH CONTROL IS TERRIBLE FOR WOMEN. However, I do realize there is a time and place for it. I suggest like with all things, do a risk/benefit analysis before diving in.
Thankfully with the help of this holistic gyno, I got my hormones to normal levels. I only wonder if I hadn’t done this… would I have trouble having kids later in life? No one knows. But I do know we have a worldwide infertility epidemic among women my age. Combination of hormone-disrupting foods, personal care products, household cleansers, and birth control? Who knows. There’s definitely something going on there.
Pregnancy – A Deep Dive into Alternative Health & Functional Medicine
I met my husband in 2009, we got married in 2010, and I became pregnant with our first son in 2011. I knew I wanted to bring my kiddo into the healthiest environment possible. So I started to gobble up as much research as I could about holistic health and functional medicine. I found an MD/pediatrician that had healed herself from cancer through holistic health & functional medicine. We have two boys, now 10 and 7. They have been with her since they were born. I owe her so much. I am so thankful for her that I could cry. She has kept them so healthy and has educated me so much along the way.
One example of how a functional pediatrician works still stands out in my mind today. My youngest had to get on an antibiotic at two months old because he couldn’t get over an upper respiratory illness. She warned me, that if I give him this antibiotic, we are setting him up for a food allergy. “Watch for it over the next couple of months,” she said. Two months later, he had bloody stools and I had to cut dairy from my diet, as I was nursing him. Also, after MUCH research I decided a delayed vaccine schedule was the healthiest choice for my boys. She happily guided us through that over the first five years of their life. I am so incredibly grateful for her knowledge and passion for kids and their health.
It’s 2016 and My “Healthy” 36-Year-Old Husband Has a Heart Attack
My husband and I were healthy individuals for the most part. We ate a paleo diet and worked out 5 days a week. Ryan mostly lifted weights, did little cardio, and ate a meat-heavy diet. In 2016, my mostly “healthy” husband suffered from a widow-maker heart attack. 99% of his LAD artery was blocked. Thankfully, we rushed to the hospital and they put a stent in just in time. We are lucky he is alive today. You can read the full story about his heart attack here. He looked mostly healthy from the exterior. Most people considered us “the healthiest people they knew.” I specifically remember those comments after the heart attack because many of our close friends were “shook” by the experience and went in for well checks shortly after.
People have asked if his heart attack shaped my health philosophy. It absolutely did. I spent the next 4 years figuring out how to naturally reverse his heart disease because we “thought” we were doing all the right things.
Before his heart attack, Ryan was a heavy weight-lifting, overworking, paleo-eating, steak-loving, over-stressed, in a constant state of fight or flight, fast-paced living being. After seeking guidance from a couple counselors, he handles stress much better now, (with the exception of our kid’s sporting events). 😉 He eats less, more plants, and less meat, and I prescribed him an exercise plan for his specific health needs. His workout routine consists of two days of aerobic cardio, two days of functional weight training, and yoga when he can sneak it in. He is now 42, 25lbs lighter with improved health. He takes Repatha, a cholesterol-lowering medication, every two weeks, along with natural supplements like red yeast rice with CoQ10 and turmeric. Modern medicine + healthier lifestyle choices saved his life.
Heart disease is the #1 leading cause of death in America. Many people are just hours away from experiencing a heart attack and don’t even know it. Can some of it be due to genetics? Sure. But for MANY it is lifestyle choices that can EASILY be tweaked with the help of working with an integrative nutrition health coach and trainer.
In Conclusion
As you can see, health has ALWAYS been my passion. There have been times in my life when I had an unhealthy view of my body. There were times in my life when I was so incredibly unhealthy due to conventional medicine and conventional foods. I am grateful for both modern medicine and alternative medicine and I believe there is a place for both in this world. I’ve learned a thing or two over my lifetime and I am passionate about helping others achieve a better quality of life.
Do I struggle with body image issues anymore? I’d be lying if I said NEVER… I do just like all women. I really struggled after having my first son. My body wouldn’t drop the baby weight until I was completely done nursing, but I didn’t know that’s what was going on. Everyone said you lose weight when you nurse. WRONG! Not for everyone. I was hard on myself. However, once I figured out what was going on, I gave myself Grace, especially the second time around.
If this is you, give your body TIME and love it through the process.
I may not have the perfect six-pack, flat stomach like I did in my younger years, but I am more confident in my body today and for the right reasons. My body has housed and nursed two babies. I birthed two babies, one unmedicated and natural. My body is STRONG and AMAZING! God’s creation is a beautiful thing. I am so grateful for my health, this body he has given me, and the opportunity to grow and feed two little humans that keep me on my toes. These days, I focus on being healthy internally and externally while enjoying life. I love helping others achieve this in their life, I always have. It’s my calling.
It’s Time for Me to Get Back in the Game!
I became very frustrated with our government and healthcare system during the pandemic. Don’t get me wrong here. I am SO grateful for our health care heroes, truly. They helped so many! But even ethical healthcare heroes know EXACTLY what I mean when I say we have a messed up healthcare system. 78% of people that were hospitalized, put on ventilators, or died from Covid-19 were overweight or obese. What if our government focused on helping people achieve better health? What if they paid for everyone to have health coaches? Pipe dream, I know.
At the beginning of Covid, I told my husband, that we are about to go through a lot of hardship, but many people will have their eyes open to holistic/alternative/preventative health and the many flaws of the American healthcare system through all this. And they have, maybe you have. Many have realized it’s time to make their health a priority, but many don’t even know where to start. There is SO much noise in the health and wellness industry.
I worked as a personal trainer, wellness coach, and personal business owner from 2008 – 2016. You can read about my background in health & fitness here. I put my career on the back burner for a few years to stay home and raise my babies. (And I’d do it again, no regrets. They are only little once.) I have decided it’s time to return to the health and wellness field. I believe “if you don’t like the way something is being handled, then do something about it.” Be the solution to the problem. Don’t just complain about it.
I enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2021, and I graduated with my integrative nutrition health coaching certification in April. I started working with clients again several months ago, and my practice is fully up and running now.
What is your story? How is your overall health & well-being?
Are you someone that has put your health on the back burner? Are you over-stressed and you KNOW it is taking a toll on your health? Or maybe you’ve tried ALL THE THINGS and nothing has lasted. You’ve reached a point where you are finally ready to prioritize your health. But maybe you aren’t really sure where to go or where to start because it’s failed in the past. Maybe you are here because you needed to hear this today. Maybe it’s time for you to prioritize your health, the right way, the long-lasting, life-changing way without dieting or restricting.
If you don’t know what it feels like to feel good then you don’t know what you are missing. You have nothing to compare it to, I didn’t either. I’m here to tell you you can feel GREAT and life is too short not to. Here are a few symptoms that are NOT normal and don’t let anyone tell you they are: acne, achy joints, and ligaments, regular diarrhea or constipation, constant fatigue, lack of energy, low libido, brain fog, insomnia, hair loss/thinning hair, and the list goes on. You’d be amazed what can happen when you eat a diet that consists of whole food nutrition, reduce inflammatory foods, and incorporate movement into your life.
Through whole food nutrition, personalized exercise, and lifestyle coaching, I work with my clients to achieve an effortless, well-balanced, healthy lifestyle. I help my clients silence the noise in the wellness industry and simplify the process. If this is something you are interested in, let’s chat! Let’s see if we are a good fit for one another and if I feel like I can help you achieve your health goals. Or maybe you know someone that could benefit from my services. I’d love to help. You can learn more about my health coaching programs or book a 20-minute, complimentary discovery call here.
Thanks for sticking around and reading my health journey. I’m so grateful for the journey, I wouldn’t take back a thing and through my life’s health journey, experiences and expertise, God used every bit of it to work through me. I now guide others in achieving a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle. I am so glad you are here. Please reach out if you need anything at all. Stay healthy friends! Be sure to subscribe to my blog for all things health and wellness and upcoming health coaching programs.
Xoxo
Charity Smith | BS, IIN, CPT
Integrative Nutrition Health Coach & Trainer