Kathy and husband Vic after her half-marathon!
Meet Kathy
Elementary school teacher, athlete, avid runner, and new mom!
The Goal
When Kathy came to Solaris Whole Health, she had two goals in mind: 1.) to regulate her menstrual cycle (which she had not experienced in 3 years) so that she and husband, Vic, could start their family, and 2.) to prepare her body for running a half marathon. Little did she know just how many positive effects a change in nutrition would have on her life.
The Solution
“Kathy’s goals would seem almost contradictory,” Stephanie Solaris, owner and director of Solaris Whole Health explains, “She needed to increase her body fat in order to regulate her menstrual cycle and eventually lead to a healthy pregnancy, but at the same time, wanted to keep her body in shape for marathon training.”
Stephanie approached Kathy’s situation by addressing her irregular menstrual cycle first. Her body fat percentage was very low and body fat affects estrogen and hormone levels. In order to regulate her monthly cycles, her percentage of lean body fat needed to be increased. It was a real balancing act for Kathy. She was a runner. Running was (and still is) her passion. She was worried that the added fat would affect her speed, but her body needed it.
“At one point, I asked Kathy a critical question,” Stephanie recalls, “I asked her if she was grabbing for energy from an external source or if she was getting the energy from within her body. In other words, I wanted to know if Kathy felt strong when she ran, like she had a good foundation of stored energy.” As it turned out, Kathy wasn’t getting the energy from within, and her body would look for external sources, like sugar in the form of cookies and Tastecakes to get what it needed for energy.
Kathy recalls, “I felt slightly overwhelmed with all the information after my first meeting, but also very motivated. The first few days were very challenging. I brought myself to tears as I felt my body going through ‘sugar detox’. I honestly started to sympathize with the patients on Dr. Drew’s Celebrity Rehab reality TV show! Stephanie was available to speak with me about my feelings and got me back on track by helping me adjust what I was eating and at what time of day.”
“I was impressed by Kathy’s dedication. She just “did it” like Nike. Once I explained the methodology, she understood it, trusted the process, and practiced it fully. Because of this, she got the results she wanted,” says Stephanie.
“After about 2 months on this program, I finally got my period. It had been 3 years since my body had experienced a normal menstrual cycle. This truly is a remarkable success and I am so thrilled to see my body functioning as it should! I have been a runner for most of my life. I ran cross-country and track in high school. As an adult, I decided to give myself a goal to work toward and signed up for a half marathon. Stephanie has given me a program that feeds my body everything it needs to get me through runs and more! I feel more energy, drive, and strength during my runs than I felt as a 14 year old in high school! I can honestly say that my body is like a well-oiled machine that will never run out of gas.
‘Another healthy perk to sticking to a healthy diet has been my complexion. I had tried many face washes, including Proactive. None of them worked. My face is clear and smooth every morning when I wake up and it was only a matter of changing what I ate. I feel healthy, vibrant and better than I ever have thanks to this program,” says Kathy.
Not only did Kathy improve her own health, but she took husband, Vic, along for the nutrition ride as well! While Kathy’s goal was to increase her lean body fat, Vic’s goal was to reduce his; but we’ll save his success story for another time!
With Kathy’s perseverance and dedication, she lead a healthy pregnancy and was even able to run during most of it. She and Vic welcomed their healthy baby boy on September 26th, 2009 – our first Solaris Baby! We got to meet the little guy (just 3 weeks old!) for the first time at our Tastings Social October 22nr . Here is a picture of the happy family from our event!
Congratulations to Kathy and Vic on the birth of their first son!
Tiffany Gale is the newest edition to the Solaris Whole Health team and we are delighted to have her!
