Living and loving it: Small changes, big results

A visit to a “medical personnel” has recently shown me how small changes can improve your life greatly. I write medical personnel in quotes because I am not sure of the person’s qualifications. They did not claim to be a doctor or even nurse, but said they could help provide useful information on how my body was working if I allowed them to do a few tests. Having received a glowing recommendation of them from my sister-in-law, I thought there would be no harm in trying. She had initially been very skeptical when she visited on the recommendation of someone else but was greatly surprised when this woman gave her an almost exact diagnosis as what a professional doctor and nutritionist had provided her earlier. So I got myself and the hubby to the “clinic” on a Sunday morning.

The test was done in a few minutes but the “reading of the results” took much longer, because the woman took me through what she said most of my body organs were looking like. I was especially interested in hearing what she had to say about my digestive system. 
“Do you suffer bloating, gas and great discomfort especially after meals?” she asked. I affirmed that I did, not all the time, but frequently enough for it to be a bother.

“Do you eat meals at varied times during the day without following a routine?” she asked further. I smiled sheepishly and said yes. Some days I have breakfast at 7am, other days at 11am. Supper is also had between 7.45pm and 10pm depending on how busy the day has been. 
“That is your problem. Please start having meals at regular times. Do not have supper past 8pm as much as possible; the body needs time to digest the food before you go to sleep. Ensure to have enough time between meals so that you are not eating too little or too much at any time,” she advised, adding that fruits, greens and salads should make a huge part of my diet. 
She also told me according to the test, my water intake was not good enough and I needed to up my game significantly. This was true. When she did the test with the hubby, she applauded him for his water intake saying the test showed he takes enough water and regularly. This was also true – he does not drink less than two litres a day.
When we were done, she offered to provide medicine but we said we would pass on that for the time being. We were keen to fix the problem naturally. I have started doing as she asked and the results have been almost immediate.

I now strictly have breakfast between 7am and 8am; lunch between 1pm and 2pm; and supper between 7pm and 8.30pm. I am also drinking at least seven glasses of water a day (I need to get to eight though). As long as I do all this, my body is happy and light. There is no gas, no bloating or discomfort. I can even wear some of my slim fits very comfortably – thank the heavens! But the day I have a meal out of those times, chaos reigns and I am back to a miserable discomfort. I have now decided I like my happy light body so much that my meal times are a priority and I shall do everything in my power to keep consistent. If an event I am invited to is providing lunch at 4pm, I shall eat a meal at my right time and then just have water and a small bite at the party.

I have also made changes to my sleep patterns after doing a three-day Bible devotional that talked about rest. The professional doctor in the devotional advised that it is best to sleep at 10pm because between then and midnight, the body is doing physical repair and growing. So now, as much as possible, I make sure I am in bed, the phone is away and I am drifting off to sleep, between 10pm and 11pm. The result is that even though on some days I have to wake up really early, I feel rested and ready to start the day, unlike before when I just wanted to go back to bed as soon as I got up.
Small changes, big results. I am loving it.
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