Those who have the privilege to learn, have the duty to share.
My name is Mary Maciel Pearson. Besides being a wife, mother, daughter, and caregiver, I am a nutrition, fitness and lifestyle coach.
After a financial technology career on Bay Street and having raised my children (now young adults), I went back to school. A family wellness challenge inspired me to embark on a learning journey that culminated in my becoming registered as a nutritionist, certified as a personal trainer and life coach.
Gratefully, what I learned helped me overcome the family challenge. However, the more I learned the more I realized how little I knew as I applied my knowledge in clinical settings.
I continued to scour the literature, reading hundreds if not thousands of scholarly articles and countless health books, attending many conferences and health lectures. I 'sharpened the saw'; added more tools to my toolbox (Stephen Covey 1989). Today I am a member in good standing of The International Organization of Nutritional Consultants, CanFitPro and Certified Coaches Federation.
Fortunately, I have had the privilege to learn many valuable life lessons including:
The root cause of many of our afflictions are self-limiting thoughts and beliefs.
Not all calories are created equal.
One person’s food can be another person’s poison.
Telling an overweight person to just “eat less, exercise more” is as misguided as telling a depressed person to just "cheer up” as Dr. Arya Sharma from the University of Alberta has observed.
Our genes are not our destiny. While DNA influences who we are, our lifestyle (the way we live) can materially alter our quality of life.
I started this health journey with a very logical left brain approach, focusing on matter (the physical realm), looking for data, for evidence-based protocols. I came to understand that medicine is more of an art than a science.
It became clear that mindset plays a critical role in health. A holistic approach to health has to take our living conditions, lifestyle choices, thoughts and beliefs into consideration.
As Einstein wisely recognized, it is incumbent upon those who have the privilege to learn, to share that knowledge with others.
Hence this weekly blog. The focus will be adding quality years to life - increasing health span.
Healing is enhanced in community. Together, let us learn to live well to feel better.
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