I was never a big drinker. I certainly celebrated a thorough college life, but I was also known for throwing shots over my shoulder when everyones heads were titled back and mastering the Irish exit. This isn’t that story, of the thirty-something that went from rager to radiant because she chose a “softer” life.
This is, however, about how 5am Barry’s Bootcamp, fasting until 1pm, coffee on an empty stomach, being in constant fight or flight, and too much talk-therapy, had me in a fish-tank thinking I was in open ocean. Had me thinking I was healthy, when I wasn’t.
I danced for 17 years, I worked out 5-6x a week, I restricted my eating…from the age of 13 I don’t think a day went by where I didn’t think about being skinny. When you’re young it’s never about how you feel on an operational level, it’s how you feel when you look in a mirror or when someone looks at you.
Fast forward to 2020 when the pandemic hit and we were all forced to look inward for a bit longer than planned. I started battling these blinding migraines and went in for a physical. My blood pressure was high but nothing was answering why other than an excess amount of caffeine…and my breast implants. I’ve never been a hypochondriac and breast implant illness was something I believed, but I knew wasn’t my case. 2021 I decided to remove them anyway – why? Because they were heavy, too big for my frame, gave an appearance with certain articles of clothing and definitely didn’t help me look thinner. I never liked them.
What I didn’t expect was what came with removing them, beyond the change in appearance. Post-surgery I was forced to slow down. TikTok & Spotify became platforms for education and I began learning about cycle syncing, eastern medicine practices, hormones & whole foods, cortisol, our gut microbiome – nothing school taught me that I recalled.
It’s been 3 years and I feel like a completely different person. The implants were one thing, the true kicker…the list of things I changed right after:
| IN | OUT |
| morning supplements & matcha lattes *Holy Basil, St Johns Wort, Rhodiola (Mood & Physical Stamina) | coffee on an empty stomach, Coffee bevs from Starbucks, Energy drinks (celsius) |
| walking, pilates, yoga | HIIT training 5x a week |
| 7-8 hours of sleep | sacrificing rest to “rise & grind” |
| 30-40g of protein for breakfast | fasting |
| whole/raw milk | dairy substitutes |
| natural electrolyte water water, lemon, maldon or redmonds salt | electrolyte powders |
| morning sunlight | checking my emails/socials before going outside |
| *castor oil packs | modern detox supplements |
| *magnesium | laxatives |
| journaling & morning deep imagining meditations | talk therapy (traditional therapy) |
| allowing yourself the freedom to indulge | guilt-based restricting |
| skin contact w/ people you love for nervous system regulation | avoiding people until you heal |
The changes I made that ultimately changed my life, may not be for everyone. I’m not a dietician or health professional. But I’m a living testimony that living this life is a lot easier, softer (lol), some would say, than the one I was living before.
Lots of running. Lots of speed. All towards some cheat code..there are no cheat codes in health that exists from the inside out.
Slow down, listen to your body, learn from our ancestors, ask for help, let people in.
There are no cheat codes.
Xx,
Kenny
*References:
My promise:
nothing redundant.
KENNY'S DIGEST 
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