This November will mark the tenth anniversary of probably one of the biggest and most life-changing events to have happened to me.

No, it isn’t my wedding anniversary or the birth of one of my amazing kids, but rather a major car accident.

I went into a diabetic coma while driving my car at 100 km/hr, flipped it over two lanes, landed in the ditch on the other side, and walked away with whiplash, bruises, and a scratch on my finger.

I would like to say that this was out of the blue, a freak accident, but unfortunately, the signs were there, I had just chosen to ignore them.

 I chose to ignore them because I was too busy, I couldn’t stop, I had to accomplish everything for everyone, and I was intent on putting myself last so that I could feel validated by putting everyone first.

About a month or so after the accident, I was lying on my living room floor trying to stretch out my very sore and stiff body, all the bruising was almost gone but the pain was still there. Doctors had prescribed me Oxycontin the day of the accident, I had resisted the urge to start them but was I finally going to cave? Listen, I was addicted to A&E’s Intervention, and I knew that taking it would probably not be a great choice for me. As I lay there, it came to me, that voice again telling me that I needed to change my lifestyle, I needed to start putting myself first, and treating my body a heck of a lot better if I wanted to live.

This is the exact moment I knew I had to do things differently.

When my husband came home, I told him of my plan, he was a little skeptical but supportive. That day we went to the grocery store and when I came out there was a card for Zumba classes, instructed in English in a town other where 97% of the people spoke French. This was another sign, and that night I went to the lady’s house and paid for my sessions of Zumba. We switched to a vegetarian menu, dropped pop, and ate mainly whole foods.

To say this was easy would be a complete lie. In fact, I often missed a class each week or drank more wine than I wanted to on the weekends but the more I did it, the better I felt and the better I felt, the more I wanted to get serious about it.

I can’t say that this has been an easy journey, but it has been a worthwhile journey. But most importantly, I have learned a lot about myself.

There have been a few key takeaways in my journey:

• Don’t waste your time on perfection, consistency is where it is at.
• 80/20 is the magic number, if I forbade things then I just wanted it more, so don’t.
• You need support, there is nothing like having someone there when you feel like quitting and you will.
• Your journey can’t only focus on physical health, mental health is equally important, if not more important.
• Make yourself a priority, if you aren’t healthy, you will not be able to serve others well #doitforyou.
• IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO START.

I, too, used to think that unless I had six-pack abs, could run a marathon, or followed some rigid plan I wasn’t going to be considered “healthy” but that just isn’t the case. Today, I am vegan, I workout regularly, sleep well, I most certainly pay attention to that voice, and I work on my spirituality. Anyone can start at any age; you just have to be open to the process and stop the mental madness that you can win back your health because you can.

I’m Lisa, a Certified Flourishing Wellness Coach and if your inner voice is speaking to you, this is your time to take action and do something about it. To find out more about me, my journey, or how a coach can help you in your own journey, don’t wait book a discovery call today! #doitforyou