My Story
In my profile post, My Friends Call Me Camy, I confessed I am not a writer, I’m actually a designer. I began my design career nearly 40 years ago in branding and packaging design. For the last couple of decades, I have worked with my husband in our own design firm on a plethora of entertainment and experiential projects with a few monumental public sculptural projects along the way. (My husband is the brilliant sculptor, not I.)
While design is my profession, I'm starting to think my vocation is health and wellness. Growing up, I accompanied my Mom to those hippie-dippy health food stores that reeked of strong-smelling vitamins (probably the iron and B varieties), where I would meander through the aisles reading the labels of the better-smelling lotions and potions. I remember she was always experimenting with a myriad of those new-fangled health foods and alternative medicines such as chiropractics, reflexology, iridology, and acupuncture, and, likewise, I tried everything as well. It hadn’t dawned on me until I was writing this, but some aspect of health wellness has been in the back of my mind since childhood.
My Motivation
Fast forward to 1996. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been paying as much attention to my health as I should have, and found myself at a very unhappy juncture in life. I was probably close to 25 pounds heavier than I am now, constantly tired, out of shape from where I was in my teens and generally in an enormous funk. Compound that with leaving a job I had loved for 10 years and I was feeling very lost. I had also come to the realization that I wanted to have children—which up until then I was on the fence about—and thankfully, my husband was beginning to warm up to the idea, as well.
Somehow, I knew instinctually I was going to become a mother later in life, which started to concern me. First, since I tended to gain weight easily, I was terrified I was going to become as big as a house. Second, I was nervous about getting pregnant in my forties, as it is labeled “high-risk” and all the scary things that come along with that moniker. Third, I was worried about being the “old Mom” in the group of new moms, not being able to keep up with the pack and embarrassing not only myself but my child.
An Epiphany
However, I desperately needed a change in my life’s trajectory if that was going to happen. I have a snapshot memory of being in a bookstore, standing in front of the tall wall of best-selling books and “The Zone Diet” by Dr. Barry Sears practically jumped into my hands. I bought it, went home, read it cover to cover and decided that diet was going to kickstart the change I needed. Exercise soon followed: my husband and I joined the Y and I started taking pilates. Clean living was next: I wanted to eliminate as many toxins from our life as I could so I threw out all our non-stick and aluminum cookware, plastic cooking utensils and Tupperware. Anything with dyes and fragrances also got the boot. I started to look at every aspect of our lives that needed improving. We were on a new track.
A Goal Realized
Fast forward, again, 10 years later to 2006. I’ll save the rollercoaster of getting pregnant for another time, but my husband and I were finally—finally—blessed to be pregnant. Yup, at 45. While the doctors held their breath and handled me with kid gloves, I walked 4 miles every other day, lifted weights and continued with my pilates routines up to the day our son was born. My pregnancy was one of the happiest times of my life, and—with the exception of the requisite two-hour afternoon naps—I honestly never felt better. I experienced none of the expected “high-risk” issues and when all was said and done, I had 5 pounds to lose when I left the hospital.
One last fast forward, our son is now 15 going on 25. His motto from when he could string two words together and was in the infant swing was “higher, faster.” I have thanked God every day for the past 15 and half years I had prepared for this balls-to-the-walls little boy. As you can see from the collage below, I have never been sidelined in our son’s life. I have shimmied up the climbing towers, chased him across the ropes and obstacle course, walked 12 miles around Disneyland, summited mountains, completed extreme adventure courses 20 feet above the ground and ridden in a 650 hp sand car in the hot, dusty sand dunes. This is the life I had been training for.
The Training Continues
The past 25 years have taught me that we have total control of our health if we make it a priority and I’m living proof. Now, I’m training for the next stage of my life where I have so much left to accomplish. As my husband and I dream new dreams for our business, I’m going to continue to need strength and stamina! We have a mile-long wish list of places we hope to still travel to and experiences to share with our son, and someday his family. Once again, I have no intention to be sidelined.