I’m Erin and this is the “Echowell Blog.” This is where you’ll find me writing about all things wellness, weight loss, and more. My intention is that this blog will be full of actionable strategies for weight loss and wellness, practical lifestyle information, and just the right amount of woo-woo to keep your head right.
And stories! Because is there really any better way to deliver this stuff besides real life stories of embarrassment, inspiration, humor and emotional highs and lows?
So who am I?
I am, like all of us, so many things. In my personal life I am a wife, mother, friend, dog mom. I would describe myself as an introverted extrovert (haha, is that a thing?) A genuine love of people takes me places – I love meeting them, love hearing who they are and where they come from. I crave connection and face-to-face, real life interactions. And…I also highly value my alone time.
Professionally, I am a Certified Health Coach. That means women hire me when they want to make changes to their nutrition and/or lifestyle. They trust me to help them create new habits, to be a source for accountability, and to help them identify the underlying reasons they’ve been unable to reach their goals in the past. Weight loss can be a sensitive topic for people to talk about, and I understand that. My love of people serves me well here. Sometimes we just need to know someone is listening.
I Wasn’t Always a Wellness Enthusiast
I used to overdrink, undersleep, and I fueled my body with late-night drive-thru dollar menu items. My energy came from highly caffeinated iced mochas and sugar. So. Much. Sugar. The effects of this were what you would imagine – I was about 30 lbs. overweight, had digestive issues, and a body covered in acne. Did I mention my sugar addiction? It was bad.
In an attempt to lose weight, I “dieted.” And I “cleansed.” Nothing was helping with any of my aforementioned problems. So I jogged. After months of this and not down a single pound, I began jogging alot more. Like, Forrest Gump would have been impressed. But that gave me knee joint problems and nothing else changed. Because short term solutions don’t solve the problem.
A New Approach to Weight Loss
It was time to take a different approach. I started looking at everything I was putting in my body. I would literally Google every food before I ate it, curious about what it was providing me. And when I found out, I would research what my body would do with those nutrients. Hmm, this was getting interesting…
I was like Alice, falling further and further down a proverbial rabbit hole. It was like a light bulb suddenly turned on. I was awake and my eyes were filled with both new strategies for weight loss and ambition! I fell in love with food, real food, not the imposter stuff I had been eating just to fill my stomach. The weight was falling off. The acne was clearing. My digestive issues were ceasing. Finally!
Years later, my mother was diagnosed with diabetes. Her blood sugar had gotten so high she was bedridden for days. It’s not that she was eating completely unhealthy, she just needed to find that sweet spot (pun intended) between the right combinations of food, treats, and timing. I used my resources to help her re-imagine some of her favorite meals so she could still enjoy food without feeling deprived. Lo and behold, she started feeling well again.
“Wellness” is a Moving Target
About a year later I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Hashimoto’s targets the thyroid and often times, like in my case, leads to hypothyroidism. During the time between my symptoms and my diagnosis, I also found out I have laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), aka “silent reflux.”
[Sigh], things were going pretty good there for a minute. Just the universe driving the point home that it is important, now more than ever, to take care of myself in the ways that I am able. Hypothyroidism has a reputation for basically creating total metabolic destruction. Many people with hypothyroidism have trouble controlling their weight. Managing what I can, while not slumping into full-on deprivation mode, has become a priority. I did mention that sugar addiction, right? Like an old friend, it still comes a’knocking from time to time.
Yes, I take medication to remedy my symptoms. And yes, I’m always trying to find a way off of these meds through diet and lifestyle. In the process, I have learned to listen to what my body is telling me and one day I made a decision to help others do the same.
I became certified as a health coach. I founded Echowell Collective on a philosophy that the energy you put out into the world will return to you, like an echo reverberating back. It speaks to gifting yourself a life well-lived instead of one just well-managed.
Echo. Well. Get it? Pretty clever, right?
My Invitation To You
I would like to invite you into my world, my rabbit hole. I want you to experience what is possible for you! More natural energy, better physical and mental well-being, and optimism about what’s ahead. The way you care for yourself echoes in every part of your life.
I want to invite you to let go of the pressures of feeling like you need to do everything “perfect” in order to live a life that feels “well.” It’s simply not true. This life is for everyone and it is fantastic!
And lastly, when you read my blog, I want you to feel at home here. This is a place to be yourself while also honoring your desire to make lasting changes.
So this is my invitation to stay connected. Get new strategies for weight loss and wellness, get notified when a new blog goes live, and get busy creating the best years of your life!
XO- Erin Christopher
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