Kim’s Korner: Just Because You’re Not Sick, Doesn’t Mean You’re Healthy

by Kimberly Wendschlag
 

Meet Kimberly Wendschlag:
     I have been a resident of Grain Valley since 1994, having moved here from Blue Springs. My husband and I have raised 3 children here in Grain Valley, all of whom have graduated from Grain Valley High School. 
     I owned and operated an in-home daycare center from 1991-2016 which filled my cup and allowed me to be home to raise our own children.  Joining the health and wellness community in March of 2015 really opened my eyes into more study and research with our bodies, food and plants. Sharing tips and tools for better health has become one of my favorite passions and I love to give back to the community. 
     Grain Valley has been good to our family. I spent approximately 24 years volunteering in the community, with most of those years being with Girls Scouts and PTA. I was honored to have been part of the founding committee when creating multiple PTAs for the school district.
     I am a member of Blue Springs Christian Church, where I serve in the high school student section. In addition to serving at church, I go into the Women's Correctional Center to minister.
     Most of my volunteer hours are spent with women and children, but I also spend a few hours a week at Shep's Senior Dog Sanctuary where we rescue and care for senior dogs. 
     I am a business owner here in Grain Valley, as a Health and Wellness Advocate with Plexus Worldwide. 
 
     Just because you’re not sick, doesn’t mean that you are healthy. Read that again… Just because you are not sick, doesn’t mean that you are healthy. Hmm.
     This statement can come across very confusing. Let’s break it down so we can make some sense out of this. 
     We, humans are creatures of habit, and often, these habits fall into the way we go about taking care of ourselves. Or not. For example, when you have a cold, you run down to the store and grab yourself some over the counter remedy.
     You are ready for that quick fix to get the show on the road. If you happen to visit a health professional, they may give you the dreaded “according to the chart” recommendation that you are going to need to lose about 25 pounds? (Or 10, or even 5 if you’re in the “lucky” group) 
What are you going to do? Cut the soda? Utilize the gym membership that you’ve been paying for? Most likely you will.  Don’t get me wrong, these are great things. Good for you, good for your heart, good for your body.
     You are going to feel better. You are going to have more energy. You are off to a great start!  You are doing amazing things for yourself.
     But...are you healthy? You see, there is so much more to our body than simply what we see on the outside. The outside is simply the picture. The picture without a filter added to make sure everything is just right. The picture without a background that blends just perfectly. The picture without any type of preset or photoshop or editing. This is fabulous!! What you see is what you get, right?
     Not so much, friends.  It is exactly what we have been taught to believe. We look good, we’re good.
     What if we’re not? What if you’re not overweight? What if you are suffering from a skin condition or something that is visible to the human eye…and you’re really not healthy? This is where we break it down.
     We have become a society that believes it’s totally normal to snag that quick fix bottle of medication. We drink another cup of caffeine when we need a boost in the morning.
     We stop by and grab the little bottle of liquid energy to last us for a few hours because we “just need that afternoon pick me up”.
     We drive through and grab lunch, or even dinner and then pick up some more indigestion tablets on the way to work in the morning. 
     I hear you. I do. “But Kim…I’m not like that. I eat well. I eat CLEAN. I am gluten free, soy free, dairy free, I even eat vegan”.
     Great! But are you healthy? You see, our body is unique, and it doesn’t lie to us. It is so easy to look around and think that we can spot someone who needs to take better care of themselves. It is so easy to look around and assume that the girl that is eating so great, doing all the “right” things, is perfectly healthy. She’s rocking this thing called life. She’s fit in her active wear and tennis shoes. You want to be like HER. It’s just not that simple, my friends. 
     How often do we really try to address the root cause of our health issues? The real cause of these underlying symptoms that we don’t consider a “sickness”. 
     I’m going to leave you with this thought this week. Something to ponder. Something to tease your brain a little and do a double take into your own life. 
     How do you feel? Do you feel good?  I know you all look good. Grain Valley residents are the most beautiful people around. Which category do you fit in? The “not sick” or “healthy”?