Author: Brandon Ryan

My name is Brandon Ryan, I am 36 years old and reside out of my Omaha, NE. I was born with cerebral palsy and have had the deck stacked against me since my very first breath. The very premise of my life has been overcoming obstacles and coming through great darkness. Doctors didn't I would amount to much, and teachers didn't think I was smart enough to graduate college. Now, I am a, college graduate (psychology major) published author, motivational speaker, certified fitness and nutrition coach and I also teach adaptive self-defense to people will a host of different abilities. I'm extremely passionate about helping those see, that they are stronger than you they know and that they can over come anything!

Gods Heart for The Disabled (And The Church)

What is Gods heart for the disabled? In short, the answer is that God is love (1 John 4 ESV). Of course, the answer goes beyond love and goes much deeper. This is in fact a question must do a better job at answering. In the many years that I’ve been a Christian I’ve yet to see a pastor address this issue, perhaps I’m not looking hard enough. In the few Churches that I’ve attended, it was a very rare occurrence to see other people with varying disabilities. At times there would be another like me with cerebral palsy, some that are visually impaired, some with down syndrome and some that are hearing impaired. It always moved me when others like me, were seen in the walls of the church. After all these were still people made in the image of God, with God breathed purpose in them.
Do you know what the common denominator was, as it came to having others with disabilities in Church? They all left… Sometimes I’d see others on a few Sundays and then my eyes would never see them again. Now maybe something took place in their personal lives, or they went to a different congregation, I’ll never know. Yet something inside would mourn when it was only me in the Church that could be seen in the physical sense. Certainly, there’re others in the body of Christ that have afflictions that go beyond the human eye. There was always something so, beautiful to me when I’d see other wheelchairs, canes and crutches taking up space on a Sunday morning in the presence of God. In a sense, the very face of God smiled as well.
There was an eagerness inside me, to let others like myself know how much God loved them, that they were not a mistake, that though our bodies inhabit the rendering of a sinful and broken world. There is still redemption, hope and peace to be had in Christ Jesus. At one point there was a vision in my mind to have a service directly for those who are apart of the adaptive community. For in my estimation, the good news of the gospel was simply not reaching them. That isn’t to say that the average Sunday morning sermon couldn’t reach them, the holy spirit is powerful and can convict and change the hearts of many. My point is simply that, most pastors have those with full function of their bodies in mind, not always the one that doesn’t have use of their bodies in some way or another. It’s a sad reality that I truly believe is accurate. An example is that when most pastors are communicating on what it means to be a Godly man, they’re mainly speaking to the man who is abled-bodied, can work a job and provide for his family.
Certainly, there are those with disabilities that can work a job and can provide for themselves and others. That is something to be celebrated and give thanks to God for. In this instance, I’m referring to those who cannot, and have varying degrees of severe physical and even mental or cognitive impairments. In my estimation pastors overlook these people, both men and women. Take for instance, then the man or woman who does not have much use of their arms or legs and has trouble speaking. It might be an extreme example, but it is still the pastor’s job to speak to them directly, admonishing them to pursue Godliness and the forsaking of sin in daily life by the grace and mercy of God. The same goes for the person that has severe chronic pain that very often goes unseen or understood.
They still play a role in the kingdom of God and its advancement. I was once working with a client or regaining some mobility and strength in her body, she was also very dependent upon her husband for care, most of her day was spent seeking God through prayer and scripture reading. This in my estimation is a life well lived and time very well spent. She may not be your typical proverbs 31 depiction of what a woman is, but her earnest pursuit of Christ speaks volumes amongst the kingdom of God. Praying for the souls of loved ones and making war in the spiritual realms. The same can be said in the life as a physically disabled man as well and should be. The church could not only do a better pursuit and equipping those with disabilities spiritually, but letting them be a part of the church, besides being a door greeter, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Let them be on a prayer team, let them sing on the worship team, let them read from the scriptures in a service. In a book I was once reading (Messy Spirituality) the pastors congregation grew annoyed because there was a member, who had a speech impediment, who was reading the scripture for the morning service. Members grew annoyed, as though to say, “hurry up already!” or think that this person was taking away from the service.
The sad reality to this, is that in some Churches, families that have or are care takers for those who have severe autism are often asked to go into a private room. As though not to disturb others. Okay, but its not often realized that- that severely autistic person, still has value, is loved by God and in my eyes is a part of the kingdom of Heaven. Nor do I think that God cares that if they are “disturbing others”. I’m sure it seems, as though I’m coming out of the gates strong, and I am, but it is because my heart and spiritual eyes see where the church could do much, much better in. Sometimes, it’s easy to feel discouraged and feel like the church as, as an institution doesn’t care. It’s easy to not want to step foot in a church every again, yet I’m not sure that that’s the answer.
Even if you’re one that cannot physically “go to church” during the week, because you don’t have the means to get there. My prayer is that you know just how madly you are loved in Christ. He has purpose for your life, seek him. Even despite how many days you are discourage or are in physically in pain. A world is fractured due to sin, as such our bodies follow suit. If no one has ever told you, you’re so deeply love, and God is bigger and more magnificent than anything you will ever experience in this temporary life. It’s not too late to change the course of your life in repentance and follow Christ as your Lord and savior.

The sad reality of dreams and wishful thinking.

There were two avenues growing up that set my heart of fire, they were:

Martial Arts and Fitness.

The martial arts was quite literally something that I was born into, watching my dad teach growing up, wether it was in a garage or a dojo setting. Was something that seemed to fit my personal desires.

Fitness followed, at an early age my dad placed a weight in my hand to teach me how to do a proper bicep curl. And taking a kids multi- vitamin to help me become strong. Martial arts and fitness were always on the forefront on my mind, even going through grade school, the thought of exiting the school doors to train filled my mind in such a captivating way.

It almost seemed as though, that these two avenues were my purpose and destiny in life. They weren’t vain pursuits for me. I didn’t merely want to make others look good on the outside, nor did I desire to teach others self defense for the sake of violence. Rather physically speaking the desire was to help others have a better relationship with their bodies, what they could do and who they could be.

With the martial arts, the ethos was similar, only that I desired to teach others how to have the security and confidence should they ever have to defend themselves, a loved one or a passer by from the hand of evil and danger. Fitness and martial arts are honestly the own two things that I’ve been good at and made me feel as though I was doing what God created me to do.

Though, if I’m exceedingly honest, it would seem that I’ve acquired more failures at both than there have been successes. Upon finally making the choice to become a certified personal trainer, perhaps my disposition was an over zealous one in that I believed that people with adaptive needs would flock to me, to become the best version of themselves.

Certainly, there is no denying that I’ve helped a fair amount of people with both my knowledge and passion. From a worldly perspective, it became exceedingly difficult to find paying clients. Often, being one that understands what living on a very fixed income is all about, there were many times I’d coach clients for free. The war in my mind was the equation of: do I want to make money or help others? What was more important to me?

Obviously helping others was the driving force, but money never hurt either, often out of the charity of my heart I only wanted to help others. Perhaps in hindsight, I shouldn’t have compromised on money as much if at all. The same can be said of the martial arts as well, teaching is something that has a profound love for. My of my greatest desires is to one day have a school of my own.

Yet, the reality of making money and retaining students has always been my dark shadow that has haunted me. So, what business do I have to even dream of a reality such as this? If you ask me, I don’t anymore. Or so it seems to be. These dreams have always been the spark that starts the engine of my soul, lately, however it would seem that its time to lock them up and toss the key away.

My personal bent has always been optimism, but maybe it’s time to see the reality for what it is, that being that I’m not very good as a trainer and martial artist. Perhaps it’s time for me to acknowledge them for what they are wishful thinking that will I will never succeed at. Perhaps this is only an ache in my soul, and will go away in time. At this point in time however, I feel as though there is nothing to show for in life. I feel as though I’ve failed too many times to ever have a straight path again.

The Role You Play in Death

Death is one reality that all humans share with each other, it comes for us all regardless of what factors make us up as a human being. Humans, especially in current times may not agree on much, and a lot more divides us than unites us.

The topic of death is one that I’ve written on before, yet in weighed on my heart as my eyes awakened to another day that God has set before me. A scary reality that few like to give credence to, is the lack of control that we posses as humans. Many times we can’t control the many factors that take place and shape our lives, and the chaos that shapes us, the parents that raised us and so on.

As it were, the one thing we can control is how we choose to respond to things that have happened to us, especially to what we see as bad. Through out my life, being born with CP, my childhood for the vast part was riddled with hardship due to the reality of dealing with various surgeries on my body and the long recover from each.

What my body and spirit endured through each surgery, shaped my young mind into a world view that was close to nihilism. All the pain that came upon me eventually made my mind and heart bitter, and over time they made comfortable homes inside me. My thinking was that of, this is how my life is going to be and this is my personal bent on life and existence.

While there was an early understanding that life was (and could be) a very cold, painful and bitter one. No one ever informed me that, if I faced everything that was inside me, that my life could change and I could be an entirely different person.

Of course, facing the realities and events that have shaped us into who we are today takes an exceeding amount of courage. It takes a certain amount of vulnerability, especially if we are going to find the courage and inner gull to look at ourselves for who we truly are.

There came a point in my life, where something inside me said that it was time for a change of course. I didn’t want to be an angry and bitter person anymore, one who faked the smile on his face. Certainly, I did not want the remainder of my life or even my last breath to be marked by pain and jadedness.

It was when I started reading more about stoic thought, that my thinking started to become more focused on death. Of course, as a Christian we too are told to be very mindful of the time that is given to us as it reality of eternity.

As a Christian, the reality of Heaven and Hell are two roads that can embark on, and for some the reality of hell is a laughable after thought. And yet, the more that I’ve personally thought about my life as it relates to death the more sober it has made me. There are people in this world, that claim that they will never forgive an offense that was done to them.

But what if ones own inability to forgive and let go, becomes hell (as it were) for you? what if you die with all that pain and agony inside you, with no way of escape? Even if there was no God that created everything and gave life, that’s still not a death to be desired.

It’s said and believed that hell is a party with friends, and yet if hell is true is a true existence when we did, it has to be far more painful and unending than anything else we could ever face in this world.

So once again, do you really want to leave this world without ever do the hard, scary work of not confronting your own darkness and pain? It is my belief and understand, that each of us are given ample opportunity of facing those realities about ourselves everyday.

The sad part of is though, is that some of us have become so comfortable in who we are and how we see the world that there isn’t a plausible alternative. That saddens my soul in such great and unexplainable ways.

If you have battled addiction for a long part of life, guess what? There’s still time to reverse the course of your life.

If you’ve made a habit of being deceitful and manipulating others, there’s still time to start living in and telling the truth. No matter how uncomfortable it may be. In doing so, you will experience a peace and weight lifted off you that you never thought possible.

You can let go of the pain and agony that life has brought you, wether you asked for it or not.

The process of trying to change ones life, is a long and sometimes an exhausting one. Sometimes it seems as though it us completely impossible to be different from who you once were. The fact of the matter is, however is that is possible to change. And while it may take a longer process that we would like, if you believe in God or not, you can take aim at dying without the heaviness of the world ruining you.

Take Care of Maya, my thoughts.

Living with an invisible disease or illness can be a very pain staking and unbearable reality, be it a form of a severe form of arthritis or some other means. From a human standpoint, it’s easier to understand when you can physically see it with your own eyes, it’s easier to understand someone having a broken leg or some other visible aliment, it becomes much harder to understand when a person has an unseen war happening inside it. Some months ago, the reality of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (or as it was once known by: RSD Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy)  was brought into my life by someone very close to me.

At the time, it was something that I didn’t understand, the more time that was spent around the reality of CRPS, the more it was my goal to understand what it is: According to SaintLukesKC.com  it is defined as:

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a rare disorder of the sympathetic nervous system. It used to be called reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD). It causes chronic severe burning pain in the arms, fingers, palm of hand, shoulder, or legs. If not treated, the pain and weakness may lead to limited use of that body part.

There are 2 types. They only vary depending on if you have had nerve injury. Both have the same symptoms and outcome. They are:

  • CRPS type 1. This is if you have no past nerve injury.
  • CRPS type 2. This is if you have had nerve injury. CRPS type 2 used to be called causalgia.

My intent here is not to be too exhaustive about the medical reality of CRPS, in terms of it definitions and so on, rather I’d like to share in the reality of it. Recently I watched a documentary called “Take Care of Maya” on Netflix, the documentary has made front page news over many outlets and speaks to the reality of a young girl who had been diagnosed with the disease, her mother and father bent over backwards to find care for her. In the many attempts to find the proper care for Maya, many doctors did not understand what was causing such a young girl such intense agony.

            As it were, Maya and her parents would often feel frustrated by doctor’s lack of understanding. Eventually When they did find doctors that did understand the reality of CRPS they were able to find treatment and the means to provide some relief from the unspeakable pain their daughter was facing. The relief would only last so long unfortunately, and Maya would relapse back into the reality she once knew.

When her father rushed her to John Hopkins All Children’s in Florida, the father tried to explain his daughter’s condition to the medical staff, but none of the staff understood what CRPS was, and upon Maya’s mother via a phone call made every attempt to explain her daughter’s treatment with Ketamine’s and the dosage that her doctor prescribed. The medical staff quickly concluded that the treatment protocol was too much, even when Maya’s doctor called to confirm the treatment was given to Maya.

            The medical staff saw fit to involve a social worker into the equation, thus separating Maya from her family. The conclusion was then put fourth that Maya was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which was to say that she was being abused. This conclusion troubled me to say the least, but it did not disturb me nearly as much as it did Maya and her family. On one hand I can understand not knowing much about something you don’t know, let alone a disease like complex regional pain syndrome. But to ensue that she is being abused in such a way even when her medical treatment was confirmed by another doctor is not something that sits well with me. To rip a family apart and cause a family anguish for months, is outrages and inconceivable in my mind.

What stood out the most to me, as a religious person is how Maya’s mother would pray for her daughter before the end of their phone call (which were also monitored).

            Her mother had a way of always telling her daughter to be strong, which is something to be admired. Through watching this documentary, one could see how stoic her mother was trying to be for her daughter, and yet on the inside of her own heart she was being torn to shreds. There is one crushing scene, when the family is in a court hearing against John Hopkins, the family lawyer asks if Maya’s mother could simply hug her doctor and the judge denied the request. What the hell for? What harm would a mother hugging her daughter done? If anything, that one simple hug could have anchored them for much longer.

That denial from the judge, unfortunately drove Maya’s mother into a much deeper despair. One that she would not bounce back from. This put me on edge, because while there is a part of me that rejoices that a documentary such as take care of Maya exists, it still leaves us with a intense uphill battle. CRPS is not something that is made up in the human mind, it is a reality of unseen constant pain that I’d personally wish on no person. CRPS can take so much from someone who was once very active and leave them fatigued and in constant pain.

            When you see first-hand (as I have) how such a disease can overcome a person, it can become easy to grow frustrated for them. Especially when they’re suffering from intense tremors in their body, and the screams of agony that comes from them. The frustration with the medical system, the lack of knowledge that still exists and the ignorance that resides in people still, simply because a person doesn’t “look sick” outwardly. All this to say that it is highly encouraged to watch the documentary “take care of Maya”. Perhaps to start gaining an understanding of what it is, if you know someone that has the disease. A simple internet search will bring you at least a base level of understanding regarding it.

In my belief, doctors should at least have that same base level of what CRPS is, at least so that they are aware, and are then able to have understanding and show compassion. And not assume that this is merely a made-up reality. As mentioned before,  this is an uphill battle,  one that I believe requires us (sadly) to remain poised, patient and  ready to continually educate, as redundant as things may be.

A. I. (artificial intelligence) is quickly taking over and only looks like it will do so in greater roles. Hell, very quickly it might make my job as a personal trainer obscure to say the very least. Instead of working with a human trainer, I’d imagine that a robot will be able to demonstrate how to do a proper squat and so on.

Robots will be able to spit out personal plans for clients at timely speeds and be able to make quick adjustments that a client may need. Sounds great, right? except that a human like myself is taken out of the equation.

Certainly, the benefits of AI are not without benefit, some of the greater realms of good are in the medical world. Which is not something that I’m directly apposed to. There’s some good to be gleaned from it. However, as with anything in life it comes with a cost.

The cost of the human soul, connection and to a degree human flourishing. All the things a robot was never meant to take the place of. People are more quickly choosing AI, as a mate in life rather than another human. This of course takes out other human complication in regards to relationships. Further, religious settings such as a Church are slowly being replaced by AI, which in my humble opinion is exceedingly alarming.

Nor is it something that God of the comos, ever desired.

How can we not see the battle taking place here?

The human soul has a war being waged against it.

I’ve always felt as though the movie Wallie was some sort of prophecy in regards to the future. Human beings hooked up to machines that can do everything for them, and the sad truth of the matter is we become disconnected from each other and to a degree ourselves too. We become more lazy and unhealthy than ever before.

I know how crazy these thoughts of mine must sound, I’m pleading you (my readers) to see what is happening right before our very eyes. In the midst of AI showing up more and more in life. Please remember what it is to be human. As complicated and frustration as other humans are, do not forsake the company of others.

Don’t forget what it’s like to go outside and be in the elements, to actually hold a real book within the grasp of your hands. Hell, don’t take for granted what it is to take care of your physical health, because before we know it we won’t even have to lift a finger.

I’m not saying that we completely revolt against the presence of AI, but that we only become more aware of the ramifications that it can have, and that we come to guard our hearts and mind lest we forget who we are and lose our souls.

Honest Thoughts on Transable-Ism

            In this blog I’d like to share some very candid thoughts, on the reality of the Transabled movement. The reason that I’ve chosen to use the wording of movement, is simply because this isn’t a new issue so to speak. Yet in has been gaining much more traction in recent years. I’m also profoundly aware, that my thoughts might very well offend some, however in as much as my aim is to live at peace with others (both online and in real life) sometimes truth, for the simple nature of what it is, offends and cuts beyond the human flesh and understanding.

The reality of being transabled falls under what is called Body integrity identity disorder (BIID).  This disorder is when a person has the desire to have their body medically changed into a physical impairment of some kind, whether that be visually impaired, amputee and even paraplegic.

In college this was a topic that I spend numerous hours, writing a term paper on. Somethings that caught my attention in a shocking manner, were people wanting to become blind and to accomplish such a task. It involved having acid poured into their eyes. I’ve known visually impaired people through out my life, and sometimes their desire to want be able to see is great.

In a sense they would do anything to see, even if it were a mere moment, they would never think of having acid poured into their eyes, my girlfriend has CRPS, due to a horse stepping on her foot and breaking all the bones in her foot, as a result she had to get her right foot removed. Her condition is not visible to the human, but what most people don’t know the amount of pain that she is in every day. Again, most everyday she wishes that she could get some sort of relief if for a moment. She wouldn’t wish what she must go through on anyone.  I myself have lived with cerebral palsy for thirty-eight years, have had a handful of major operations on my back and lower body. The thoughts that flow through my mind the most, are wishing that my right-hand full use, and that my legs were able to do things that most of us take for granted every single day.  

            While the reality of mental health issues is very real, this in my opinion is much deeper than the mind. It is a profoundly spiritual one as well. This is a battle between good and evil, these people that want to have their bodies willfully changed to live as someone with a disability, are still people made in the holy and beautiful image of God. On the other hand, because we live in a fallen and broken world, the mirror that we as humans have, reflecting the image of God is broken. As such, the enemy, Satan attacks people in the best place that he can overtake them, that being the mind. As a Christian, is it is of great importance to pray for these people and pray for them.

It is of equal importance then, to confront the lies of the enemy with truth and love. And the truth is that, as a society we are being deceived and lied to. The Bible tells us that we are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Our bodies are gifts of God and as such we should honor our bodies by taking care of them and not destroying them. I can assure you that it is not in the heart of Father God to have people doing these things to themselves, yet because many of choose not to listen or adhere to Gods voice and word sin and brokenness play out.  What causes my heart even more grief, not to mention how much it grieves and angers the heart of God as well, is the mere fact that medical professionals (doctors) are allowing such atrocity to take place in their own practices.

            It’s as though the reality of doing no harm, means nothing to them anymore to them anymore. Unless it puts a percentage of money in their pockets, which they should be filled with shame for. Licensed mental health professionals, should be doing whatever they can to steer their patients away from the idea of radically changing their bodies in such a great way. One that will change their lives forever, without being able to truly weigh and not the consequences that can follow such a decision. This may seem strong, but medical and mental health professionals who give a green light for people, to go through with such a desire should not be allowed to practice any longer.

Once again, it may seem harsh that my conviction is to strip medical professionals of their ability to practice, who do great harm to others in this way, by virtue of pandering to one’s desires. The questions that we must ask ourselves as a society, is how far we are willing to let this slippery slope go? How much more will we allow people to willfully destroy their bodies before we wake up from our sleep and say enough is enough?  I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’m tired of seeing society progress more and more into emptiness.

            It’s time that we as people, start pushing back against these norms, rather than allowing people to go down such routes. They must know that there made in the image of God, they must know that there is purpose in the bodies that God has originally blessed them with. They must know that there is a spiritual war that is taken place for the mind and soul, they must know that nothing else can satisfy them, the way the presence of God can.      

Have You Considered Berberine?

If anyone knows anything about me, from reading any of my blog entries regarding health, then you might notice that I’m not the biggest advocate for prescription medicine. At least right away. In a sense, my eyes have been opened to have been opened to how broken the medical industry is. In no way is this meant as a jab at medical professionals in any regard. There simply comes a point in time in which one begins to question the practices that are conducted everyday, and begins to champion their own health journey and experience.

Living a healthy life style has been a passion of my mine, even a calling if you will. The biggest motivation for me is being able to combat the health issues that make up some of my own family history. Much of that is metabolic in nature. If you’re not sure what that is, it roughly has to do with the following:

Diabetes (or pre)

High Triglycerides

High Blood Pressure

Depression and Anxiety- which I do believe can be linked to metabolic dysfunction as well.

Through out my life I’ve been on meds for each of this conditions, and at the moment i’m on a very low dose anxiety med that I’m honestly not sure works anymore. Each med has their fair share of disturbing side effects. Which is what has driven me to look for more simple, natural ways without all the damaging side effects.

This is where the natural supplement of Berberine enters the picture: Berberine is an alkaloid that is found in many different plants and is believed to be used in Chinese medicine for over three thousand years. I was first made aware of this natural supplement through the YouTube channel, high intensity health. One of the first things that stood out to me, is that it helps shrink arterial plaque in the heart. If that isn’t amazing in it’s self, it gets better.

Berberine (in many studies) has been shown to help stabilize blood sugar.

It can lower inflammation in the body, some say even better than turmeric can.

it can lower both cholesterol and Triglycerides.

Some research suggests that it can help prevent cancer.

and much- much.

I’ve personally been taking 500 mlg, twice a day for a few weeks now and can tell that there’s change happening. Certainly feeling less joint pain in my body, not having hardly any digestive issues after eating. What’s even better, is that it can act as a natural anti-biotic. Normally around this time of year, I’m personal prone to allergies and sinus infections. With taking berberine and proper sleep, the sinus pressure has gone down immensely.

My goal is to take berberine for a month process and go get my numbers checked. Though I’m still in the beginning process of seeing what more can happen, I certainly wanted to let you guys know as well.

The Darkest Part of CP, For Me Anyway

Last month was cerebral palsy awareness month, and typically my goal in that month is to encourage others like myself to get after their lives. Chase their dreams, better their health overall and to not let the world or cerebral palsy tell them who they can and cannot be. For the most part that is my motivation and how my mindset is most days. What is often not mentioned is how much living with cerebral palsy absolutely sucks!

And as someone who is “getting older” in life, there is certainly more evidence of both joint pain and spasms increasing in severity. Add to that the reality of people who have CP are prone to depression and anxiety as well, which in my opinion can also get worse as one progresses through life. For the most part, for me life is quite good. Yet, there are days and moments in my life that can be quite downcast and sorrowful.

            Which I’m sure that some might be shocked by that because I’m normally smiling and look as though I have “everything going for me” according to some. You can have everything in the world and still, life will attack you with suffering of various kinds no matter who you are. No one is immune to suffering or tragedy. The sooner we as humans realize such a reality, the sooner empathy and compassion can come alive in greater ways, when it comes to my personal living with CP. The hardest part of living with it, is feeling unseen in the world.

Feeling as though all people see is my disability, and what can’t be done in my body. It always seems that the abled bodied or more talented person is chosen over me. No matter what accomplishments have compiled or what is on my resume. When I was working a normal job, no matter the dedication shown and the ability to grow and adapt. I simply didn’t make the cut. This same feeling has crossed over into me a personal trainer, martial arts instructor, writer and more. From the outside in, it appears as though that from the abled bodied perspective people might think “yeah, you’ve helped people and you’re talented, but the fact of the matter is, because you cannot function as an abled bodied person were going to have to pass on you.”

Now, no one has ever told me this personally, but it certainly feels or seems this way at times. Which then to heavy amounts of fear that I’ll never be able to reach my goals in life, while doubting that I possess the ability and talent to even do so.  Moments such as these can turn into severe depression, that makes me want to lay in bed all day. For the vast majority of time though, the pain is stuffed somewhere inside me, and life is carried on with.

            Trust me, I’m not attempting to make others feel sorry for me or throw a pity party. Rather the world needs to see and understand, or at best try and see how a person like myself or myself might feel at certain moments in life.  I certainly wish that there weren’t days where it didn’t feel forgotten, looked down upon or incapable. The saddest reality is that some people will never see how much you or I are worth, and what we can offer to the world.

What then are we left to do?

I know that I’ve shared a heavy reality, however what we must all understand is that life is not always positive and hopeful. Rather life can bring about the darkest of conditions and seasons. It is up to us, amid that to find hope during such circumstances. For me, everything begins and ends with my walk with God. He tells us to cast our cares upon him, because he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).

He is the reason that there is hope inside me to begin with, my faith provides me the courage to keep going, yet God is the one feeling me with strength and not my own. Additionally, as much as our minds might lie to us and bring us down at times. We are not less than because of a disability, we are not incapable, and we do have gifts and talents to offer the world. Even if others are too stubborn to see it. Lastly, and from my perspective, the times when we grow the most tired, discouraged, depressed, anxiety ridden etc. Those are the times when we might need to rest and re-examine. Talk to someone, a friend or therapist, pray, journal, or spend some time outside.

            The kicker is this, after we rest, we don’t stay down… We get up and we keep going, we show the liar in our brains and people that may not see our worth or significant, that we’re still here and we aren’t going anywhere.  If you have things inside you that you want to accomplish, guess what? You still have work to do, and if you aren’t sure what your purposes or gifts are in this life, start the process of finding that out because believe it or not, the world needs your talents and gifts even if it’s on small scales. You can make a difference,     

 

Three Supplements Everyone Should Take!

As someone who has been in the health and fitness world, for quite awhile now, supplements are often recommended to clients. Primarily to those who are on very fixed incomes and live with a disability of some kind. While it is true that, we as humans should be getting most of our daily nutrients from food. For some people it’s very difficult to be eating as clean as we should be.

However, if there were three supplements that (I believe) everyone should be taking, are as follows:

NAC (N-Acetylcysteine)

There are a host of reasons that everyone should be taking this, but i’ll mention a few. The biggest reason that people should be taking it, is in light of certain viruses in the world. Especially those that impact the lungs in such a profound way, NAC helps expel mucus from the lungs much easier. Even those with asthma.

Beyond that NAC has the ability to improve cognitive function, reduce inflammation in the body and it can boost immunity as well.

Magnesium (preferably a complex)

The biggest benefits of Magnesium, is that it has been shown to lesson the chances of a person having type 2 Diabetes by helping regulate blood sugar. It has also been show to reduce ones risk of cardiovascular disease, furthermore it can be shown to help those with anxiety or depression, as it can help calm the mind and nervous symptom. Not to mention improve daily sleep.

Vitamin D 3 and K2

The last supplement that I suggest that people is a combo of vitamin D3 and k2, this combo has been shown to further aid humans in better heart health. In that it helps calcium is better absorbed in the bones and doesn’t calcifi. The combo can also further help strengthen the bones of the body and even improve muscle function.

Lastly, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on these 3 supplements.

For NAC, check out Deal Supplements

For Magnesium complex, check out wild food co

Vitamin D3 and K2, check out Deal Supplements.

In love and health,

The CP Health Nut

Guess What!?

I am now a certified keto health coach!

Now, this is a certification for a long time. The problem is most keto certs online are thousands of dollars, if not more. So, as one might be able to guess, this wasn’t something that I was able to do. That is until this Keto Health Coach cert on Udemy, this course was much-much cheaper and has over 90 lessons and is very in depth in my estimation.

This creates a freedom of sorts inside me, in that I can now coach and help others in a frame work that aligns with my convictions. Coming from a traditional PT and personal trainer background (still certified for a few more years) literally it is a very carb based outlook.

I’m not saying that Carbs are always wrong or evil, more so that our society is deeply addicted to the wrongs kids. Which can add to the destruction of our health. Further more, it is my belief that a ketogenic diet is great for those with auto immune disorders, metabolic issues, chronic pain and much more. Simply by cutting out the processed junk, we improve as humans.

Regarding the Keto, I tend to believe that a higher protein version is the best way, similar to the Atkins approach. Especially if you are one with a high metabolism or even an athlete. Higher protein will help kick the desire for crappier foods to the curb. All this to say, I’m excited to develop a new coaching venture! And if anyone needs help or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out!