We present to you another woman's story, this time the story of Karolína Kostrňová. Karolína is a nutrition and lifestyle coach who "decided to inspire the general public to take responsibility for their health and truly solve problems, not just stick to speeches."
At Femvie, we focus on a holistic approach to the female cycle, and proper nutrition is an integral part of a healthy cycle. We believe that Karolína's approach to many aspects of a healthy lifestyle can be an inspiration and help to other women. In addition to individual consultations, you can join the 12-week online program " Give yourself health ", in which Karolína will guide you through all aspects of a healthy lifestyle and everything that affects it and health - stress, sleep, exercise, cosmetics. Her approach is comprehensive.
You can find more information about Karolajn and her program "Give yourself a gift of health" on her Instagram or on the website www.kerolajna.cz.
Karolína, thank you very much for inviting us to do an interview and share your story. To begin, let me ask you what does having a “healthy lifestyle” mean to you?
For me, it means making conscious decisions every day that are in line with my health, but also with my feelings and intuition, because every decision we make is actually a step towards mental and physical health or illness, if we look at it from a long-term perspective . Whether I choose with the best of my knowledge and conscience what to put on my plate, whether I eat my food calmly or in a hurry, whether I go to bed on time, go for a walk in the forest, invest in quality dietary supplements, non-toxic cosmetics and drugstores, whether I will remain in toxic relationships and associate with people who drain me, whether I will do what I enjoy and find fulfilling in life, or whether I will only deal with what others think and expect of me.
Every day, every hour, every minute, we make conscious and unconscious decisions, for the consequences of which, whether positive or negative, we are responsible only for ourselves, and the more information we have about ourselves and the world around us, the more conscious decisions we have the opportunity to make .
When and how did your journey to a "healthy lifestyle" begin? What moment in your life inspired you to make a change?
My journey began in my first year of high school, when my previous health problems peaked - chronic migraines, bladder and kidney infections, chronic tendonitis, ovarian cysts, and intestinal polyps. The problems didn't occur overnight, but it was the realization of the loss of freedom that any illness actually brings that forced me to change. Until then, I was a classic patient, going from doctor to doctor, from examination to examination, and receiving medications that only masked the symptoms but did not solve the problem. As a fifteen-year-old, I didn't know where to look for information and ended up with those that ultimately didn't add much to my health over time. The healthy eating I was striving for became a carousel of diets . Unfortunately, my experience with anorexia and binge eating forced me to take the change for a different - better - end, start educating myself in the field of a healthy lifestyle and, most importantly, not to overlook mental health and other aspects, such as dissatisfaction in life and relationships, the realization that I was trying to meet the expectations of others and start acting in harmony with myself.
What key changes have you made in your lifestyle?
There have been many changes, and I think I'm far from finished, because there's always an area that needs to be worked on. It started with my diet, which has gone through many faces, from low-fat diets to fitness diets to today's - natural form, where I primarily take into account the quality of food and also perceive my body, eat when I'm hungry and don't eat when I'm not hungry. Other changes were in my movement, which started with obsessive exercise in the gym and gradually stabilized into today's - again natural : -) form, where I spend a lot of time naturally moving in nature, practicing yoga and doing various seasonal sports for pleasure, not for numbers and performance. This was followed by changes in my sleep routine, switching to non-toxic cosmetics and household chores in general, but also leaving toxic relationships and educating myself in an area that makes sense to me. That's actually what I'm writing about now - HEALTH in the overall context, thanks to which I abandoned and stopped obediently fulfilling all expectations from those around me and for 4 years I have been inspiring the general public and providing comprehensive information related to health and helping people on their journey.
What products (cosmetic or hygiene) can be unnecessarily harmful to the female body, which we often don't realize?
Then we would be here for a really long time :-). In fact, all conventional cosmetics, drugstore products and hygiene products can be harmful to women's health. The toxic substances in all those scented products not only threaten our health, but also the health of the planet, as these substances are very often non-biodegradable and accumulate in the environment, where they harm ecosystems.
We should really be careful about everything and here we are again - EVERY decision matters. What do we wash in? What do we wash and lubricate ourselves with? What menstrual products do we use? What perfume do we wear? And we could go on...
What did you notice about yourself after you changed your approach to your health?
I am a completely different person. I have a lot of energy, I don't suffer from chronic inflammation or headaches, I feel happy in what I do and who I surround myself with. I can learn, concentrate, There are really a lot of changes, there is no area of life where something hasn't changed :-).
Did these changes affect your female health (menstrual cycle but also fertility, for example)?
Absolutely yes, before I completely changed my lifestyle, I thought that menstrual cramps were normal and that I couldn't live without them. I mentioned ovarian cysts above, which I also got rid of. Eating disorders also took a toll on my cycle, and for a few years afterward I had a cycle that was as long as 50 days. However, the comprehensive change in lifestyle and attitude towards myself was definitely worth it, as I will become a mother in a few weeks.
What are the most common problems your clients solve with you?
Many women, but also young girls, have a history of dieting these days, which I see with a big exclamation point. Subsequently, we mainly deal with the fact that they are afraid of food, compare themselves to unhappy role models on social media, have low self-esteem, which also affects how they make decisions in life, stay in toxic relationships, and don't know how to say NO.
The second large group are women who have problems associated with abnormal intestinal flora, which is caused by their current lifestyle, from diet to chronic stress to toxic environments (cosmetics, drugstores). The problems are usually intertwined and a total change in both physical and mental health is always needed.
You created the "Give Yourself Health" program for everyone who wants to take responsibility for their health and start living a healthy lifestyle. How does the program work and how can it help women (and men)?
I have put together the program exactly the way I approach health – COMPREHENSIVELY. It includes all areas of lifestyle that cannot be separated from each other (diet, sleep, drinking regimen, exercise, stress, non-toxic cosmetics, ...). The program is divided into 12 weeks so that all information is delivered to participants gradually, including partial tasks that serve to make the information immediately applicable to everyday life - slowly but surely :-).
What type of advice would you give to women who want to make a change in their lives but don't know where or how to start?
Here I would like to quote one of my recent Instagram posts.
It always depends on what you do given the CURRENT situation, in the CURRENT context, with the CURRENT options.
DO WHAT YOU CAN.
Every step and every decision has an impact on who you will be tomorrow. Nothing will ever be perfect, the “either-or” strategy on the path to health doesn’t work.
YOUR currently possible 100% is what matters.
It doesn't matter if it's faster or slower, what's important is that you work on change, make conscious decisions, and don't rely on anything or anyone.
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