I first contacted Ally at the end of July 2020, with my initial driver being the desire to lose weight. However, as I began to work with her she led me to understand the impact that changes in nutrition and in wider lifestyle factors could have on my physical health as well as mental well being in a much more holistic way.

 

As a keen cook I had always considered myself to ‘eat well’ as I didn’t rely on convenience foods or takeaways. However, Ally supported me in examining the nutrient density of the food I was preparing and helped me to design weekly meal plans based around plentiful fruit, vegetables and whole foods. Having previously been well known for use of the phrase “no meat, no meal”, I was sceptical about a largely plant based diet but was very pleasantly surprised to discover that considering a spectrum of beans, nuts, seeds and pulses as my source of protein meant that I felt more energetic, and that I was actually able to eat larger, more fulfilling portions without a heavy feeling of having over eaten.  Ally also helped me to examine my eating schedule and ensuring that as well as three daily meal times I was considering nutritious snacks, particularly in the afternoon. I found that upping my vegetable in take through a mid afternoon snack in this way helped me considerably in beating the fatigue and loss of concentration that I had previously felt at this time of the day and attempted to beat with caffeine and sugar! This increase in energy helped significantly with motivation and fuelled a drive to exercise more, which in turn helped with my initial weight loss goal.

 

As well as helping me track and analyse my nutrition, Ally helped me to identify how issues with my sleep were impacting on my physical health and well being. Whilst changes in diet began to impact on this area and increase my overall energy levels, Ally supported me in addressing my sleep health by encouraging me to establish a sound evening routine focussed on reduction of stress and introduced me to breathing techniques as well as practical methods such as foot baths with Epsom salts and lobelia to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system. Having considered myself an insomniac for many years, I now routinely sleep 8 hours and above, restfully most nights. We also looked at my alcohol intake and Ally provided readings about the impact of this on general health. She helped me to  structure a significant reduction in how much I was drinking and the positive improvements on my sleep and levels of anxiety have been a significant enough of a driver to mean I now rarely drink at all. Ally has taught me about the impacts of stress on my mental and physical well being, including body composition and advised a diet rich in green leafy vegetables as well as natural supplements of magnesium to help when I know my stress levels are high. We also discussed how to implement various cognitive and thought pattern strategies to deal with acute stress and confidence issues, highlighting how Ally has helped to support my health development from a completely holistic point of perspective.

 

While I had always thought my diet was relatively un rocessed, Ally helped me to identify a range of sources of chemical contact I could be having through my lifestyle, ranging from the type of salt I used for cooking, to the soap I was using for washing, to pesticides and preservatives on fruits and vegetables. She taught me about alternatives as well as ways to combat these to relieve health conditions. Having been diagnosed with asthma while in primary school, I was suffering from coughing and restricted breathing each morning and used an inhaler every day prior to my work with Ally. I have now not required Asthma medicine of any form for months and put this down to the reduction in potential toxins. General aches, pains and inflammation that I had experienced too are also significantly reduced if not mitigated.

 

I feel that Ally has encouraged, supported and educated me about a sustainable approach to my holistic health. Whilst I know some strategies will have a quick impact, nothing we have covered is a short term fix, and this has developed my own mentality of continual improvement and a drive to make better choices for myself so that I can give the best of my self to other people. Working with Ally has been an exercise in coming out of my comfort zone, breaking habits and forming new ones which can make long term impact. While I have achieved that initial goal of losing weight, I actually now consider this a side effect of adopting a focus on my health as a whole.