Who Do YOU Think You Are?

Dear Friends,

Thank you for opening up my emails and letting me into your lives. You can't even imagine how much I appreciate you.

I'm writing today because I feel like I've been selfish. I feel like I've been holding out. Not on purpose, just because I still have a little, insecure voice inside me that sometimes rises to the surface and says,

"Who do YOU think you are?!?"

I want to fill you in and answer that question ... I'm a New Englander, born and raised in Massachusetts. My mother was a first-generation American, born to a Russian mother and Polish father, immigrants. My father's mother was a Canadian who went south to find a husband since men were scarce in Nova Scotia after both World War I and a mumps epidemic. Her husband was a New Hampshire Yankee. My mother contracted polio when she was 3 years old and spent time in an iron lung. Her mother died when she was around 7 and her father the following year. She spent a few years with her aunt, her mother's sister, and was basically on her own as a teenager. For many years, the only thing I observed about my mother's physical condition was that her right leg was thinner and slightly shorter than her left. She married, had a career, and raised four children. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother Cummings. She lived to be 100 and she was busy taking care of her

home and yard almost right to the end. She once said that it didn't matter if she woke up with some aches and pains. She said it was important to keep on going.

Both my grandmother and my mother were good cooks, sometimes we had cookies in the jar, and everything was made from "scratch". Looking back, I realize that I grew up eating "whole foods" - yay! I also walked a lot ... to school and to the local store and I rode my bike to the library and extracurricular classes - double yay!!.

I went to nursing school in my mid 40's and have worked directly in health care since 1995. Actually, that's not the right name for it. It's sick care. I've seen so many people suffering with dis-ease, what we sometimes call metabolic disorders/disease. So many of these could be avoided. I often hear patients tell me that their illnesses are "inherited" or even "genetic" and that everyone in their family has them. The truth is, these are familial, basically meaning if you practice poor habits, just like your parents or other relatives, passed down through generations, you're going to get the consequences. This isn't anyone's "fault" -- it's not knowing another way and being comfortable with habits that don't really serve us. The good news is that we have the power to reverse a lot of things like being over an ideal or better weight which can lead to conditions like Diabetes 2, high blood pressure, joints that always hurt, and many other stressors, both physical and mental.

Growing up I had a good start with nutrition and being active and I'm really grateful for that foundation. I saw my mother overcome some tough health challenges and I saw the results of what happened when she fell off her healthy path. From an early age I looked into whatever helped me feel my best and stay that way. I've learned so much about what it takes to live a good, long life and the difference between aging well and simply getting old and falling apart - it doesn't have to be that way. I've done intensive research into the mind-body connection and I look at my life and my health very wholistically. The thing is, I am not a mythical creature and I do not want to be a rare breed. I want to live in a world where people feel empowered and to be all that they can be.

For several years I've done some health coaching, especially in the area of stress management. I've conducted stress "reduction" programs in clinical settings and I've posted newsletters and quotes and blogettes on a regular basis for over 12 years with hopefully helpful hints. I'm working on finally writing a book that's been asking for permission to be released from my head, heart, and soul for a long time. Mostly, though, I really want to help as many people as I can simply feel good, feel better. I want people to know they can create health and not just manage illness.

Last summer I was fed up with the nearly 40 extra pounds I had gradually put on. I had let my health habits slip and even though I kept up with some of the important details like meditation and staying active, I really messed up the way I was eating. I had two different people recommend a way to address this and at first I didn't really like what I heard, but I finally decided to try it. The CDC reports that over 30 million Americans have Type 2 Diabetes and "obesity is seen as the main contributor to [this] increasing prevalence". I knew that was just one of the possible outcomes if I stayed on the wrong track and I wanted no part of it.

I've lost nearly 25 pounds and I've learned that the weight is important, but not the whole enchilada by any means. I already knew that and I've been trying to help others learn about healthy habits for a long time, but I've never quite managed to put it all together. Now I have a container. I've joined the company that put together the Plan I've been following which was designed by a doctor who wanted a better way to help his patients. I don't have to reinvent the wheel.

If you're still with me, (I know, this got a little long ), I'd love to know if anything I've written got your attention. I KNOW I can help if you're looking to feel better. Or, maybe you don't need a tune-up, but you might know someone who does. I'd be honored to have a no-obligation conversation with you or them (or both of you!).

Call or text me: 617-605-4117 or email me at cummingsbarbara@gmail.com Thanks for reading this and here's to taking charge of your health and well-being -- you don't have to do it alone or in the dark.

Sparkles and Love,