on the blog . . .
Bonus Blog! My Q&A with Bethany
I met Maggie a few months ago when she stopped by the farm to pick up an order. Her bubbly, inviting personality made it super easy and fun to chat with her. After a little while, she opened up to me about her incredible story (which we’ll talk about below). It completely blew me away!
I had the honor to be interviewed by Bethany at From The Pasture this week, and I want to share it with you! We go a little deeper into my story than I've written here on the blog, and it sheds a little more light on who I am and what brought me to this place in my life.
I'd love for you to read it! Feel free to leave comments below, or over at From The Pasture.
"I met Maggie a few months ago when she stopped by the farm to pick up an order. Her bubbly, inviting personality made it super easy and fun to chat with her. After a little while, she opened up to me about her incredible story (which we’ll talk about below). It completely blew me away!
I was so imporessed not just by what Maggie had been through, but also by her positive outlook and persevering spirit. Ever since then, it’s been a joy to keep in touch with Maggie and see all of the amazing things she’s doing to empower and inspire others to live healthy lives. She even started a blog about it (check it out at mywholehealthy.com)! I hope you’ll enjoy learning about Maggie and her story as much as I have!
Let’s start from the beginning. Can you give us a bit of background on where you were at in life before the accident?
First of all, I just want to say thank you for having me on From The Pasture! It’s no secret that I love your blog and the Primal Pastures farm. I’m honored to be interviewed by you!
So the accident happened in Nov. 2007 and the summer before, I was living in the San Diego area and working..."
READ THE REST BY CLICKING HERE!
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Learning How to Take Care of Myself
The Emergency Room of a hospital in a strange city (or anywhere!) is the last place you want to end up at 4 in the morning, but on the eve of New Year's Eve last week, that's exactly where I was.
My husband's sudden illness made me feel like these delicate feathers, clinging to a branch.
The Emergency Room of a hospital in a strange city (or anywhere!) is the last place you want to end up at 4 in the morning, but on the eve of New Year's Eve last week, that's exactly where I was. Before you think the worst, I wasn't being treated for anything but we called the ambulance for my husband after I woke to him getting sick so badly that it was soon clearly more than I and his family could handle. It turned out to be a nasty virus that wasn't the flu and he only really needed IV fluids, rest and something to ease his nausea, but it gave me a good scare.
We were visiting my in-laws as part of a big holiday trip that was supposed to continue on to Canada to see my family on New Year's Eve, but two days before Hubby got sick, what I thought was a cold led to me throwing up every bit of solid food I tried. My illness was not as severe as his ended up being and at first, I thought it was maybe a combination of my cold and being pregnant, but I'm now in my 2nd trimester with only one previous bout of "morning sickness" (evening sickness for me), so blaming the pregnancy didn't make sense.
The vomiting was intense, the sniffles became complete sinus congestion and headache, and I was hit with extreme fatigue. I knew getting on a plane now would be an ordeal; the congestion alone was guaranteed to make my ears excruciatingly painful since I couldn't take any over-the-counter meds to clear my head, never mind trying to fly while weak and nauseated. I had to make a tough decision.
Life holds a lot of bridges we have to cross.
Taking care of myself is hard. I don't mean the day-to-day life stuff like brushing my teeth and eating, but taking care of myself in a deeper way can sometimes be really difficult. My parents divorced when I was 10 and since then, I have always tried to be the "fixer" and keep everybody happy. I became practiced at splitting my time evenly between my parents so one didn't feel like they were getting the short end of the stick. I care deeply about a lot of people and love my family to the ends of the earth, so when I say I'm going to do something, I do it. Even if it's hard, or I don't really want to, or I'm under the weather. I'm just the type to suck it up and do what needs to be done. I can't help it. Maybe it's a trait of being a woman, too. We are caretakers! And male or female, some of us are just givers, always there for the people we love, no matter what. Tell me if you can relate!
Sometimes we need to change our perspective.
I had said I was going and I was looking forward to it. It was all planned. I had spent the money. "I should just go," I thought. Family and friends were expecting me. But I felt like garbage, weak and tired and unwilling to get out of bed. I wrestled with it most of the day, until the realization finally came... I DON'T HAVE TO GO. And my and my baby's health were paramount now.
I knew what the right decision was. With some sadness, I told my mum and dad we weren't coming and it was hard, letting go of the plans I'd had for a long time and knowing I wouldn't see my family. I didn't want to disappoint them, and I miss them, but I knew my health had to be the priority now, for the sake of the little person growing inside me. And I had to take care of myself - body, mind and spirit, because without those things intact and whole, I couldn't be at my best for those I love.
If we heal our own cracks first, we are stronger for those who need us.
Mum and Dad understood and I settled in to get better. I changed all the travel reservations from bed and I hoped to feel better soon. It was late at night on Tuesday that Hubby got sick and at first I thought it was the unpleasant, but less severe thing that I had. But after the third bout in the adjoining bathroom that I was awake for, I saw something was seriously wrong and off to the hospital he went in the ambulance with us following close behind. Thankfully I'd already switched our travel plans but even if I hadn't, there's NO way we could have gotten on a plane that day.
Holding my husband's hand in the ER.
If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen this photo of me holding his hand in the ER and my focus on my own recovery now included focusing on his. Taking care of him became part of my own self-care because we are so closely linked and if my husband isn't well, I can't fully heal either. We recovered together and by Saturday we were able to take a walk outside, taking my own advice to spend time in nature to speed recovery.
Playing in the snow.
We walked and took photos, practicing mindfulness by noticing the world around us and how it made us feel, talking, laughing, and stopping to photograph what caught our eye. Our walk was easy, not the athletic hike we would normally take, boots kicking up snow and flurries collecting on our hats. We talked, and were quiet, getting what we needed from our time out of the house.
Taking time to stop and capture the creek.
Taking care of myself is hard, but now that I have the bun to think about, too, my priorities are already shifting. Self-care can be a tough thing but after the holidays, it's a necessity. Especially if you were hosting and entertaining, or giving more of yourself that you do at any other time of year. This week was a big wake up call for me, to take a step back and go easy instead of putting pressure on myself to do what, deep down, I know is too much. It's HARD to break old patterns and trying to please everyone is nearly impossible. Do you struggle with trying to make people happy, maybe neglecting yourself in the process? Self-care is easy to overlook and neglect, but simple acts like making sure to get enough sleep, eating real, whole, clean foods, and practicing meditation and movement can be additions small enough to easily slip into your day.
If you commit to doing them.
Any or all of them will make a difference, and if you haven't read it yet, you can take action here, too.
Cheers to wellness and a healthy 2015! If you can relate to this post or have experienced how easy it is to put your own care on the back burner, I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.
XO Maggie
PS - All the photos in this post were taken on our healing walk and if you would like to see many of them full size or order any prints, please see the gallery HERE.
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A Beginner's Intro to Meditation
Meditation can reduce stress and cause all kinds of awesome things to happen in our bodies. AND it's really EASY. Did you know it can increase the grey matter in our brains and change our DNA?! Pretty amazing stuff and it doesn't end there.
Meditation can reduce stress and cause all kinds of awesome things to happen in our bodies. AND it's really EASY. Did you know it can increase the grey matter in our brains and change our DNA?! Pretty amazing stuff and it doesn't end there. But honestly, meditation felt super intimidating to me for years. I didn't get it, I avoided it and when I saw my mum doing it, I thought she was weird (sorry mum)*. Over the years I heard that more people were doing it and its "cool-factor" was going up, but it still felt strange and "woo-woo" to me. It was only when I read The Last Best Cure that it finally clicked.
* Note: Me thinking my mum was weird doesn't mean she is. My teenage brain just thought anything out of the ordinary, especially if it came from my parents!!! was weird. My mum's the one who got me to read the Last Best Cure!
It is not a book about meditation. It is a book about the author's healing journey, what worked for her and the medical research being done into how some of these "woo-woo" things actually create measurable, beneficial changes in our bodies and can help us heal and live healthier lives. Pretty rad, right?
I have a mind that always wants to know WHY? If I hear that such-and-such a thing 'is SO amazing, and you HAVE to try it!', I am often curious and interested, but skeptical. Making that kind of claim without anything to back it up always raises big red flags for me, or at least makes me want to get to the source and find out as much as I can about it. The journalist in me loves her primary sources of information, and since my accident, I'm really not into snake oil cures that waste my time, money and precious energy.
Reading The Last Best Cure filled in all the blanks for me and finally gave me the how and why that I craved about some healing practices. The author, Donna Jackson Nakazawa, is a science journalist and in her book, she delves into medical studies that have been done on meditation's effects, explaining exactly why and how it works. And then she describes, in an easy, accessible way, how she practices meditation in her own life. It was an epiphany as I ravenously read sentence after sentence thinking, "Oooooh.... oooooh! I get it now!"
The biggest revelation for me was how meditation can change our DNA. See, stress can change it too, in a bad way, but meditating can reverse those negative effects! We have these nifty little pieces of DNA on the ends of our chromosomes called telomeres. And basically, they protect the chromosome, but shorten as we age. Telomere shortening limits cells to a fixed number of divisions and is linked to aging and a higher risk of death! But telomere length seems to be malleable and by meditating, we may be able to lengthen those telomeres. Fascinating and hopeful stuff!
I wish I'd known how easy it is, and how it could benefit my health! It's also a simple thing I can do for myself that's free! You don't need a guru to teach you and there's no fancy equipment required. It was a huge missing piece in my recovery process, so I definitely want to share it with you! Check out my video below for my easy, introductory meditation how-to. I didn't say it in the video but you can totally meditate lying down if that's the most comfortable position for you. My way of doing it is just what works for me, so remember to make it your own and don't feel like you have to do it a specific way.
Here's is my non-woo-woo, calming, relaxing, easy meditation how-to, featuring Winnie the dog ;) Watch it through once to get a feel for it and then give it a go, or do whatever feels right to you! Happy meditating:
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So Many Gifts!
So this has been an amazing week and I have so much to share with you! Big, big news in this post, and last-minute Christmas help!
So this has been an amazing week and I have so much to share with you!
My itty bitty baby bump! I'm 6'1" tall and it's still early yet ;)
First off, I would like to officially, publicly, announce that I am PREGNANT!!! and my husband and I are over the moon with happiness! Honestly, after my accident I was scared that I might not be able to have children and even after I was told I still could, I feared there was some injury or damage that had gone unnoticed that would still cause problems. But thankfully, joyfully, we got pregnant pretty easily once we started trying!
I feel so blessed and grateful, and appreciative of the amazing healing my body has accomplished! Yes, I still have scars - physical and emotional - but my body is healthily and happily carrying a little person now! I am in awe.
Learning to walk again in the hospital after the accident. Head shaved, arm still in a cast with pins in my wrist, and I remember my left leg (that had been broken in 5 places) felt heavy and numb, like dead wood. I was 23 years old at the time.
Secondly, if you follow me on social media you probably saw that I wrote my exam on Thursday to earn my personal trainer certification with the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and passed with flying colors! I am so excited to have the qualifications necessary to work with and help people (you?!) one-on-one! I plan to start training later in the New Year and when I open the doors to accept new clients, I will let you know in my newsletter so make sure you sign up (top right of this page!) to make sure you're in the know!
And now, with Christmas right around the corner, I wanted to give you some gift ideas with products and companies that I have, use and LOVE! Some of the links are affiliate links, so I would get a teeny commission if you use the link to buy something, but all the items are meant to help you! Anything I would make goes to helping me support this site but I hope you love and enjoy these things as much as i do!
The next three companies make the most comfortable, stylish and functional organic clothing I've found yet! I don't like wearing synthetics made from petroleum (nylon, polyester, etc.) next to my skin when I work out and sweat, and the same goes for non-organic cotton which is sprayed with nasty pesticides, because I know there are cleaner, healthier options. I found these companies and since wearing their clothing regularly for months, I love them! They seem to have some killer pre-Christmas sales happening too, so check them out!
PACT apparel - This company makes the MOST comfortable undies I have ever owned (ladies, no panty lines!) and everything they make is ORGANIC and Fair Trade, and they hold a ton of other awesome certifications!
Plus You can feel good when you buy their products! So if you need stocking stuffers, head over to their website to pick up CUTE socks, COMFY undies and the softest, most comfortable leggings and tees (plus camisoles, hoodies, tights and long johns!) Besides, who wants to wear pesticide-soaked cotton next to your most precious parts?! Every pattern they release is a limited edition so grab it while you can, and if your size is sold out, unfortunately it's gone. But every spring and fall brings new looks!
YOGIIZA - Organic yoga wear. This company is a recent discovery but I have two of their yoga/sports bras and three tank tops and I love them all! I know more Yogiiza apparel is in my future. It's is so soft and stretchy and comfy, yet supportive. Really well made and I love how it looks on!
Here, I am working out (side lunges with a shoulder raise!) wearing a chocolate and turquoise color Yogiiza tank, Yogiiza sports bra and Gramicci leggings.
Gramicci - I discovered this company earlier this year while searching high and low for organic workout wear. Their NPT Athletic organic cotton and hemp line was the first thing I tried when making the switch to organic workout wear. And I keep looking with excitement every time they come out with a new line or new pieces! The hemp is naturally antibacterial so you don't smell all gross and sweaty even after an intense workout and the cuts and seaming of the clothes make easy movement a breeze. One feature I love is the little pocket in the waistband of the leggings where i can stick small things like my rings when they start to chafe during a workout! They are also committed to greener manufacturing.
Now for other things that have improved my life, and I hope they do the same for you!
Want to decorate your Christmas cookies without using the typical artificial (petroleum) food dye that's linked to hyperactivity in children? India Tree makes natural food dyes from vegetable colorants, and colored sprinkles made with the same. Seems like a great stocking stuffer to me!
I mentioned this film in last week's post and it's one of my favorite documentaries now. Released over the summer, I saw it in the theater and found it shocking, infuriating but also really inspirational because it shows what can be done. Our "food system" is broken and our nation is sick but there is a way through. This would be an awesome gift for anyone who cares about their health and is ready to make a change, or just become more informed.
Food, Inc. is THE film that inspired my husband and I to completely change how we eat. It wasn't a drastic change so don't feel intimidated but armed with the information in this film, it was easy for us to make smarter, better choices. The film is extremely well done, engrossing and inspiring. Shocking, too, in parts. It would be a great gift for anyone! It's kind of amazing :)
I recently found a toothbrush with a bamboo handle and I love it! Have you ever thought about how much plastic goes into the landfills because of all the toothbrushes we throw away? I'm using a different brand than this (the brand I found in my local store wasn't available on Amazon) but it looks pretty much the same as these and the bamboo is a sustainable resource (it grows back, fast) that will decompose when you throw the toothbrush away. Seems like a great gift for anyone who cares about the environment, and their teeth!
This book. Oh my god, THIS BOOK. I can't even begin to tell you how incredible it is and why everyone needs to read it. This book finally made me understand meditation and its benefits, and if you're like me and you need to know WHY something works, this book has it. The author is a science journalist who writes extremely well and who has faced more in her life than most of us, yet is still able to help thousands with her writing. It's so good. Just buy it for everyone you know who needs a little healing in their life.
I read this book right after I got out of the rehab hospital and it gave me SO. MUCH. HOPE! For anyone who has suffered a brain injury and is lucid and focused enough to read it, or the family or friends of anyone with a brain injury, this book is incredible. It's full of case studies that show the remarkable healing power of our brains and despite the scientific content, it's EXTREMELY well written and hard to put down. Highly recommended!!!
I love these spices! All organic, never sprayed with pesticides and no GMO ingredients. These spices are not certified gluten free but I've never reacted to them, and they have many spice and seasoning mixes that are gluten free. And the little glass bottles are so cute to look at and re-use!
I know many of you are reading from Canada and the Amazon links are to the U.S. site, but hopefully you can get them on Amazon.ca, or in a store near you!
You can also purchase photographic prints, cards and keepsakes for the art lover in your life from m.y. photography!
What are your stories of healing? Has your body ever amazed you with its ability to heal? Has healing been hard and left you wondering how you'll ever feel like yourself again? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!
And I hope this helps you with your last minute Christmas shopping! If you have any gift ideas of your own you want to share, leave them in the comments below! And what's on your wish list? I hope Santa brings you exactly what you're hoping for!
xo Maggie
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All In.
You are amazing. Do you know that? Because it's true. You are a whole, perfect being who deserves to feel amazing all of the time. But these days, you don't feel amazing... and maybe you never have. If you can relate, I hear you! And I'm here to help you.
You are amazing. Do you know that? Because it's true. You are a whole, perfect being who deserves to feel amazing all of the time. But these days, you don't feel amazing... and maybe you never have. If you can relate, I hear you! And I'm here to help you.
One night back in November 2007, I had dinner with my roommate in Montreal, laughing and talking over Thai food, before I grabbed a cab to the airport to catch a flight home for the weekend.
I was on track to have a successful journalism career, with dreams of being a top news reporter for a big newspaper dancing in my head. I was excited, the semester was almost over and I had plans to move to California after Christmas, I was newly engaged... everything seemed pretty perfect.
My plane was delayed a bit out of Montreal but I still arrived in time to rent a car before the rental counter closed. I threw my suitcase in the trunk, got settled in my car and called my dad, as is our ritual, to let him know I had landed safely and was on my way home. I pulled out of the rental lot and hit the road.
And I almost made it home. Traffic was light, as it typically is late at night where I grew up, the road was clear... just a couple more exits and a few miles to go. I was really looking forward to that big bear hug from Dad!
Until suddenly my peaceful drive was violently interrupted by a pickup truck suddenly swerving into my lane and colliding with my car head-on. You can read more about that, and how that led to this blog, right here.
- self portrait - Me in my Montreal apartment while studying journalism at university. And yes, the little pic on the wall behind me of the person with a mohawk, that was me when I was 17. I have loved punk rock since I was 15, And despite the image it maybe projects, I did not party much and I got mostly As in school. Don't judge a book by its cover ;)
That accident changed the course of everything in my life. But even before my accident, I dealt with constant colds and flu growing up. I wasn't "sick" and I felt "good enough" to get through the day so I didn't know anything was wrong! I just figured I was exposed to millions of germs at school and it couldn't really be avoided. Except I was sick way more often than a lot of my classmates, but I didn't think anything of it.
Suddenly being thrust into mega-recovery mode after suffering severe traumatic injuries quickly made it crystal clear to me that Medicine and doctors could only get me so far. If I wanted to get 100% better, I had to take control of my health and I couldn't settle for "good enough".
We are surrounded by toxins every day and most of us don't even realize it. I know I didn't until I started doing the research! We're stressed out with stress hormones coursing through our bodies and wreaking havoc; we eat processed/fast/junk food because we feel it's all we have the time or energy for; we don't feel that we can or need to exercise; we eat and drink out of containers that are leaching toxic and hormone-disrupting chemicals into our food; we breathe polluted air. I was even eating "good" food that is actually making me sick until I realized that I'm gluten intolerant! This is not an imaginary thing as has been sometimes reported and I will blog about it more in a future post.
You've probably dealt with some kind of illness or injury in your life, too, (even if it's just a broken heart) but despite all that, there is still a way to feel amazing every day. Really and truly.
I don't mean to minimize the experience anyone may be having if they have a terminal illness. At all. I know some things cannot be cured. One of my most dear friends and teachers passed away due to ovarian cancer and I have no illusions about the toll illnesses like cancer, and severe traumatic injury, can take. I will also never minimize your experience of what you've been through. Whatever you feel is the reality of your experience; that's what's true for you. And I will honor that. I've had people tell me that my injuries were worse than, and conversely not as bad as, someone else who experienced a similar injury... which just strikes me as a weird comparison to make. All I know is that it was the worst and most terrifying thing I have ever experienced in my life, but that doesn't change your experience of whatever you've faced, does it?
What I mean is, despite all the challenges thrown our way that can throw us off the tracks, there is always something we can do to feel more centered, happy in our skin and healthy in our bodies. I am so excited to be writing this post and launching this website for you, finally! My Whole Healthy has honestly been years in the making and I didn't even know it. I had to gain some major life experience before this vision for helping YOU became clear but I am over the moon with happiness to be able to share it with you now! Welcome, and thanks so much for being one of the first to be here with me.
I titled this post All In. So what do I mean? Hint - it has nothing to do with poker or gambling.
Photos by Jasmine of Let's Frolic Together
When it comes to achieving optimal wellness, you've just got to be all in, all of the time. Healthy can't be something you decide to be only on weekends. We have this one life to be here now and do whatever this life holds in store for us. Even if you believe in reincarnation, THIS life will never be replicated. It's special. Even if life right now seems particularly horrible (I've been there!), I stand by that. It's SPECIAL and offers us incredible opportunities to learn and grow and even those awful moments (or days/months years) are proof that we are alive. We are here on this planet, getting to experience all of what's beautiful... AND all of what's ugly and hard. To me, that's pretty miraculous.
Still, I know, what's familiar feels safe. Even if it sucks. Change can be scary! But the steps you need to take towards achieving whole health are actually really easy. I know I just said that if we want to be healthy, we have to be all in - all of the time. Doing something with 100% effort, 100% of the time, sounds kind of daunting, eh? But think about it - the lifestyle and habits you have now are already being done the same way. Whatever your life is now, it's already your 100%, as healthy or unhealthy as it may be. The scary part is thinking about change and the unknowns it brings.
For me at least, the idea of change is much scarier than the actual act.
So I'm here to guide you, to help you, to educate you, and hopefully be of service to you. I want to take away a lot of that scary unknown stuff. Ideally, I'll help you replace the fear with excitement and self-empowerment, because like I said, you are AMAZING and you deserve to feel that way! I have so much to share with you... I'm so excited! But I have SO much I want to say, it's hard to know where to start! So... please tell me if YOU have a particular health/food/fitness/meditation/wellness question, or anything else that's on your mind that you want me to tackle in the next post! I would be so happy to start this blog by writing something that's specifically useful to you right away.
I'm here to serve you, so tell me what you're wondering about!
Please read My Story so you'll know why I created My Whole Healthy, and you can Take Action with five EASY steps towards YOUR Whole Healthy right now, and I'd be honored if you signed up for my monthly newsletter (top right in the sidebar of this page) to get Whole Healthy gifts and guidance delivered to your inbox! Check out the site, visit and follow me on social media... this is going to be AWESOME.
Don't forget to tell me in the comments below if you have any questions or stuff I can help you with! Can't wait to talk to you!
xoxo Maggie
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