By: Dr. Melanie DeCunha, ND

If you were to stop for a minute and imagine your absolute ideal life, what would it look like?

Would it be extraordinary? Would it be similar to what it is now? What do you need to change in order for you to obtain that life? Is it better opportunities? More time in the day? Better health – extraordinary health?

Now I want you to stop for a minute and imagine your absolute ideal health. What does extraordinary health mean to you?

For me, extraordinary health would look like:

• I have great, restful, refreshing sleep
• I wake up feeling energized and excited for the day
• I have high, consistent energy throughout the day
• I have a stable and balanced mood
• I feel nourished, satisfied and healthy from the foods I eat
• I have the stamina to lift weights, go to yoga, dance and accomplish my goals
• My body feels strong and vibrant
• I have clear, glowing skin
• I have clear focus and motivation
• My mind feels sharp
• I have an ordinary menses which does not disrupt my life
• When I get sick, my symptoms are minimal and I recover quickly
• I age gracefully without illness

Do you think that’s too ambitious? What if I told you it wasn’t? Your thoughts about what is “attainable” is the only thing holding you back from actually achieving extraordinary health.

So often I have patients come to me and when we go over their health history and I ask about certain things, before we even discuss them, they say “oh no, that’s fine, I have _________ so, that’s why I experience _____”. Fill in the blank. I have endometriosis so I will always have painful, draining periods. My generalized anxiety disorder causes me to always be anxious. I have arthritis so I will always be in pain. My IBS means I will always get stomach cramps and diarrhea. I’ve always had allergies so I have to take meds every spring.

Whatever excuse you are telling yourself about how you are supposed to feel is wrong. I am not trying to diminish the extremely disruptive symptoms of the above concerns, but they are just that – symptoms. They do not define you, and they do not prevent you from achieving extraordinary health or an extraordinary life.

While there are potentially a few factors that might be a big challenge to overcome in order to achieve the ideal life you just thought of, the majority of them are within your control. Feels kind of nerve-wracking to have all that responsibility, doesn’t it? But you have a choice – you can address those factors that are holding you back from your extraordinary life or you can continue on the path you’re on – WHICH IS ALSO JUST FINE! Not everyone wants to live an extraordinary life, and that is totally okay. But I do. I want an extraordinary life. I want to achieve everything on my bucket list and feel amazing while I’m doing it. Which is why I am committed to my vision of extraordinary health. Not just for myself, but for anyone else who wants my help achieving it for themselves.