by Allie Stark, MA
There was a really beautiful New York Times article titled, “Your Body is Younger Than You Think”, written by Nicholas Wade in 2005. The article shares evidence-based research that your body is in a constant state of flux as old cells are discarded and new ones are generated in their place. Wade states, “The cells lining the stomach, last only five days. The red blood cells, bruised and batted after traveling nearly 1,000 miles through the maze of the body’s circulatory system, last only 120 days or so on average before being dispatched to their graveyard in the spleen.”. This information is followed by three or more paragraphs that describe the body, system-by-system, while vividly painting a picture of the ever present life-cycle of birth, maturation, death, and re-birth. Although Wade’s article was specifically addressing the physical body as a whole, I was particularly drawn to the larger message:
Everything is impermanent and as human beings we always have the power to change, grow, and evolve.
As an individual who spent years of her life feeling like a rat trapped in the maze of the traditional medical model, I now know this much is true: It takes courage to take your health back into your own hands. It takes vulnerability to ask for help and support. It takes openness to become aware of and acknowledge that your physical ailments are often just manifestations of mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational imbalances in your life. Most of all, it takes a deep inner knowing that you are always capable and never alone in creating lasting lifestyle change.
As the new Wellness Coach and Lifestyle Educator at Tara Natural Medicine, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to support and empower you on your path of optimal well-being. Both Tara and I will work together with you closely, to co-create a nutrition and health plan that encourages self-awareness and self-responsibility. You will learn to implement practical behavioral skills built from your unique strengths and you own authentic expression, that will celebrate sustainable change, growth, and evolution for yourself, your community, and the environment.
For more information on one-on-one Wellness Coaching sessions or the upcoming workshops I will be leading in April on Practices for Mindfulness and Well-Being, please refer to our website or call the front desk at 925.949.8604. You can also schedule a 10 minute FREE information session with me to learn more about how we could work together. If you’d like to read the NYT article in full, please click here.
In growth,
Allie