Katrina Owens
I’ve always been the type to pick a cheeseburger over a salad, milkshakes over milk, and pop over water, until recently that is.

Over the last few weeks I’ve slowly included more healthy options into my daily diet and you know what? It’s not that bad! Making healthier choices isn’t killing me! It may even be making me stronger.

Saying that, as I write this my neck is slowly coming out of a day-long nerve clench and I can’t help but think if I invested in better quality pillows I wouldn’t be flinching every two minutes.

I’m coming to terms with the notion that living a healthy life doesn’t just surround what I’m putting into my mouth. Rather, it’s an inter-twined system of good sleep, posture, nutrition, holistic remedies, emotional and spiritual health.

To be honest I can’t believe I just said that. I used to be the one who rolled their eyes when someone said such a thing, I dare say I made fun of my fellow peers who praised a cleaner, holistic lifestyle.

So I wouldn’t feel completely heartbroken if you, the reader, were doing the same. I started my ‘journey’ when I saw a picture of myself and didn’t like what I saw; that combined with winter weather up here taking hold of my moods, I knew it was time to start because well, what have I got to lose?

However, I want to make one thing clear. I am not a doctor, nutritionist or naturopath [if I were I wouldn’t be writing this], so take what I say with a grain of salt. FYI, Himalaya sea salt is a great alternative.

I also don’t condone using kooky concoctions in place of modern medicine. Just the other day I read an article about a young boy down in Calgary who died as a result of his mother not bringing him to the hospital. He was seven and when first responders found him he was severely malnourished, had a strep infection, meningitis and pneumonia.

In fact, it came to light that the little one didn’t even have a birth certificate and actually had never seen a doctor, all because his mother didn’t believe in modern medicine. She thought using dandelion tea would cure his ailments, which actually was the reason why he died.

It’s common knowledge that serious sicknesses should always be addressed by a doctor; nurse, at least someone with some sort of an idea about what is going on. Without modern medicine we might as well go back to the dark ages and be considered elders in the community at age 18, because we’ll be dying soon.

Before you say, “What about doctors over-prescribing antibiotics?” I will say though this is pretty common and your body could fight some minor illnesses on its own, in some circumstances, such as the one mentioned above, that little boy would have lived if he had just been able to take antibiotics.

I said before that good emotional and spiritual health is a necessity and I will say it again! Take time for yourself because self-care isn’t selfish. If you’re not in the best shape you can be, how will you be able to be the best you can be for others?

A lot of people don’t realize that the ‘winter blues’ are an actual thing. It’s called Seasonal Affective Disorder.

This is a real-deal sort of depression that kicks in during the same time each year, but it usually comes knocking in winter. Make an effort to take care of yourself this year, its well worth it.

And that’s coming from a cheeseburger loving, crappy pillow buyer who can’t stop flinching.