It is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, and I am featuring a guest post from a Wahls Warrior™ and Wahls Certified Health Coach, Alene Brennan:
I have a confession.
I’m a Nutrition Coach and I was overwhelmed when I first started the Wahls Protocol®.
I was fresh off an unexpected diagnosis of MS, in the midst of grieving the recent loss of my mother and in the throes of a busy work schedule.
My head was spinning… in the thick brain fog of course.
I wanted nothing more than to implement the protocol.
Dr. Wahls’ testimonial on the power of the protocol was such an inspiration. And she gifted us with all the details of exactly how she reclaimed her health so we could do it too.
She pulled the late nights to do the research. She put in the effort to create the protocol. And she even completed the monumental effort running the protocol through clinical trials. She even compiled this wealth of knowledge into a book for us.
Dr. Wahls did nothing short of putting the knowledge of how to unlock our health into our hands.
So why did I struggle, especially as a Nutrition Coach?
Because just like any habit change, the initial steps are the hardest.
Just like when a plane first takes off it uses twice as much fuel to get off the ground that it does in the “cruising phase.”
The initial liftoff of change requires the most energy.
When you’re living with MS or any other autoimmune, you may not have a full tank of “fuel” (energy) for takeoff. You may need to lean on someone who can help you with the initial transition and get to the cruising phase of living the Wahls Protocol®.
I lived it and that’s why I decided to become the nutrition coach that I wanted in my life when I was starting the protocol.
I wanted someone to walk me through every step and tell me exactly how to:
- Navigate the grocery store so I can stay within the protocol… and my budget.
- Incorporate the nine cups into yummy, family-friendly meals.
- Cook these meals without draining the little energy I have left.
- Survive eating out or traveling on the protocol.
- Manage cravings for my favorite foods that are not “Wahls protocol-friendly.”
- Develop lifestyle habits that will also help to manage my symptoms
I completed the training to become a Wahls Certified Practitioner and I continued to live the protocol in my daily life.
Within six months the lesions in my brain went inactive and shrunk and the symptoms of MS no longer.
It was working.
It was time to help others do the same.
I dedicated my nutrition coaching practice to help fellow Wahls Warriors eliminate the overwhelm of adopting the Wahls Protocol®. Now I work with people all over the world – via phone and video chat – to start the protocol in a way that works with their lifestyle, their budget and their goals.
Alene L. Brennan
Wahls Certified Health Coach, Wahls Warrior and Yoga Instructor
