Welcome to In the Pink
Musings on what it means to be "in very good health"
“I hope this finds you in the pink”
It’s an old expression that means “healthy and happy” as well as “in very good health.”
And, it’s the name of my new substack, which launches today.
Lately I’ve been contemplating what it means to thrive — to have endless energy, vitality, resilience and to glow from the inside out.
If you’ve met me in person over the past few years, it’s likely that our conversation has turned to health and wellness at some point. I’ve been known to bring up blood sugar or gut microbiome at parties, much to the amusement of my friend Graham, who is amazed that I can hold an audience with the topics that I choose.
The truth is that my passion for health is driven by three things:
my deep frustration with the medical industry for defaulting to pharmaceuticals and procedures
the heartbreaking loss of my mother and another cherished friend to cancer way before their time
the belief that we can impact our wellbeing through our daily behavior, diet and lifestyle choices
At this point in my life, I feel very fortunate to be among incredible friends who are reaching for their dreams and at the pinnacle of their careers. Except that most of us are challenged by more than the work + life balance. We are struggling with at least a few chronic symptoms that are impacting the quality of our lives today.
Health is currently defined as, “the absence of disease.” But, what do you do if you are not sick but not feeling well, either?
This was me in the summer of 2021. My labs were telling me what my body had been trying to show me for years — that I was metabolically unfit and heading towards chronic illness.
Before you get bummed out thinking this is a sad story about sickness, I’m going to skip to the part where I radically change my health, reduce all my symptoms and optimize for energy, strength and resilience. (My personal health journey here)
Our genetics contribute to disease but only by about 10% with the vast majority determined by our environment. Once we realize we have agency over our wellbeing and that each modifiable behavior such as nutrition, sleep quality, stress levels and physical activity affects us for better or worse, we understand how important our daily decisions can be. 1
This substack is my way of helping you navigate those decisions. My plan is to send you a short newsletter each week. It could a musing on a timely topic in health with stats and facts, summary from a fascinating article, podcast, book or blog that I found valuable, healthy but delicious and easy recipe or recommendation for a best-in-class product or service.
I hope you’ll join the conversation and let me know how you are doing.
xCelia
Parsley Health “Think You’re Doomed by Genetics?”
Today I mark the two week anniversary of my no-wheat resolution. I've also ditched sugar, including honey and fruit. These might not be the dietary changes that everyone needs to make to get their health pointed in the right direction but they're working for me.
For most of us the hard part isn't knowing what to do so much as knowing how to do it. I recently sat in on my partner's appointment with a nutritionist. After taking in a fourty minute eat-this-not-that lecture we skadaddled out of the office and my partner stopped at a convenience store for a Coke. He knew that the Coke was bad for him; neither of us needed the nutritionist to tell us that. What my partner didn't know is how to stop drinking Coke. Given how hard life is for many of us, given our frazzled emotions and ongoing worries, how do we put aside guaranteed momentary pleasure for some promised but as yet unseen benefit in the distant future?