She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from California State University Long Beach, and received her Medical Terminology certification from Cal State Dominguez Hills.
She is currently a certified trainer and group fitness instructor. She teaches a variety of group fitness classes ranging from Kickboxing, Pilates, Yoga, TRX Suspension Training, Boot Camp, Spinning and high intensity interval workouts.
In addition to having the qualifications to tell me that simply wearing my exercise clothes won't get me to my fitness goals, she is also qualified to tell me why I'm so danged neurotic, or at least share the relevant theories of many a published psychologist.
Rossy is also a lifestyle coach for a major corporate wellness company on the East Coast, emphasizing corporate wellness by creating awareness, generating interest, encouraging and promoting participation in corporate Comprehensive Wellness Programs.
Rossy (pronounced "rosie") has linked the relationship between physical health and mental health. And she shares her findings with not only great conviction, but also from experience. Rossy is a survivor of Family Crisis and brings a relevant understanding to us all.
Rossy will give us the opportunity and encouragement we need to actively participate in improving our health. She will help us attain our goals in order to accomplish our desired success story and give that friendly push to anyone she can. She is committed to being a trusted resource for wellness.
And if anyone tells her about my chocolate habit, there will be consequences! Shhh!
The verdict was in: There’s nothing PHYSICALLY wrong with you, you are a healthy.
I’m sure anyone would find those words far from disappointing, and even comforting. You’d think that news like that would make anyone happy, or serve as a great excuse to bypass the regular Cheeseburger Combo at In-N-Out, and UPGRADE to the Double-Double Combo: Animal Style, with fries, then hold the soda...but add a chocolate shake.
I mean, being told you are “healthy” nowadays is pretty awesome. Yet, I was shocked. Scratch that, I was appalled!!
I was not convinced. I wanted more tests, different opinions, another specialist, you name it, I wanted a concrete excuse to blame what I self-diagnosed as a cardio/neurological condition. I was convinced that there was something the doctors and tests were missing. After all, medical mistakes are made all the time…aren’t they?
To my disappointment, the doctors and tests were 100% accurate. Anxiety and Depression. That was my diagnosis. My “so called” heart attacks were, in the real world, Panic Attacks.
Panic?!?! Did they mean stress...worry...fear? Yea, I was stressed, but who isn’t? I admit I’m scared of the occasional huge flying water bugs, roaches and other insects lurking in the backyard or house during the hot summer days, or the occasional possum or raccoon I’d see around the neighborhood. Okay, and maybe the occasional earth shaking.
We’re all afraid of something. But to panic so much about something that it turns into an attack? Really? said the girl with a BA in Psychology who studied these mental, cognitive, and neurological disorders for 4 years.
Panic, depression, anxiety...of course I knew what that was. In college I labeled it PDA, to remember that it was quite the opposite of a public display of affection. PDA meant loneliness, sadness, hidden feelings or emotions and definitely no signs of affection or happiness. You didn’t need to explain or send me to Wikipedia for a description. I was well aware. Yet, I was far from being aware that I was now one of the many case studies I’d so often read about in numerous text books or journals.
So, you’d think by now I’d come to terms with the doctor’s final diagnosis. Nope. I was still in denial, and on a PDA refutation.
Fast forward to two years later, and here I am. For the first time, I am publicly writing about my first response to being told that while on paper I was physically healthy, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally, there was havoc wreaking everywhere. There I was at 27, a fitness instructor, spreading my knowledge about health and fitness to others and I thought that my symptoms meant that I was seriously ill. I was fit, ate somewhat decently, and I exercised every day.
It took me almost 5 months to accept my condition. A condition that was emotionally, spiritually and mentally draining, and was physically terrifying. It sucked the little energy I had to carry out my necessary daily activities.
Every time I felt a panic attack coming, I was quick to pop a pill. I’d make sure to have my pills wherever, and whenever. If I didn’t have them, I’d panic, and down to the floor I’d go...hyperventilating and shaking… definitely not a pretty sight.
As I tried to naturally diminish my anxiety and depression, I revisited some of my textbooks, researched online, read the self help programs, listened to the audio programs...you name it, I tried it. However, I felt I was not targeting the missing link. Why was I told I was physically fine when in actuality I felt physically horrible?
There had to be some sort of physical connection to all this.
Aside from the breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, yoga, massages, herbal teas, aroma and music therapy, there was still a missing puzzle piece. Wait. I remember my doctor mentioning something about my nutrition and eating habits, but I guess she assumed since I was working in health and fitness that my nutrition was well balanced.
Again, on paper I looked great! Cholesterol, blood sugar, potassium, triglycerides, etc...they were all normal. She did say to avoid caffeine which I hardly drank anyway.
Obviously there is something in my body not allowing me to cease or at least diminish these attacks. The pills worked great but I was already very dependent on them and they always made so groggy and heavy-eyed. Back to the drawing board.
Eureka! I found culprit enemy #1! Yet again, something that put me in denial. I was SUGAR SHOCKED!
And I cried. Okay, maybe not literally, but deep down inside I knew my sweet tooth sugar-craving cells and hormones were about to have a panic attack of their own!
After almost 2 years of self directed research, reading, and attending seminars and workshops, I found that eliminating added sugars in my diet has been a huge contributor to my progress in treating my anxiety and depression.
I thought nothing could ever come between me and my beloved chocolate frenzies, pastry outings, or any excuse for a good dessert. After all, I worked out hard every day, and felt I “deserved’ a sweet reward. When I found out that sugar, aside from other contributing factors, of course, was a crucial part of that “nutrition” my doctor had mentioned, I had to decide between a life of pill dependency, or taking baby steps to eliminate all causing root factors.
I remember my mom telling me, “You don’t need sugar anyway...you’re already too sweet!” Sweet compliment indeed, but not convincing enough to make me go cold turkey on what I didn’t know was a sugar addiction. So here’s the scoop:
Numerous scientific research studies show that sugar has been found to be an addictive substance. One of the main reasons so many people find it difficult to stay dedicated to a healthy nutrition plan is because they are addicted to sugar.
Just like alcohol, it only takes a small amount of sugar to trigger relapse. According to Dr. Mark Hyman, a physician dedicated to addressing root causes of chronic illness through a whole-systems approach to medicine, sugar addiction is similar to any other addiction, such as alcohol, heroin or cocaine. Sugar addiction has the same symptoms of withdrawal and a sugar addict faces the same inability, as an alcoholic, to handle a small quantity of the substance without being triggered to binge. Interestingly, Dr. Hyman notes that, “Recovering alcoholics often switch to another easily available drug: sugar.”
The consumption of processed sugar has been linked to a group of harmful effects in the brain and body. Clinical studies have linked sugar to emotional disturbances of depression, anxiety, suicide, irritability, and anger outbursts. The research of addictions counselor, Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons, author of Potatoes Not Prozac, found a link between sugar addiction and depression, anger and irritability.
Other studies have linked sugar consumption to obesity, all-consuming cravings, food compulsions, binge eating, and food addiction in general. The high consumption of sugar is a crisis of immense magnitude that deserves special attention. Possibly, the prevalence of sugar addiction may largely explain the exponential increases in mental (and physical) illness in recent decades. Despite medical advances, chronic illness has been on the rise.
If you’re addicted to sugar it’s likely that you often feel one or more of the following:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Exhaustion
- Anger
- Irritability
- Lethargy
It’s also likely that, while these feelings are real, they may present themselves in strange, and inappropriate circumstances. You may have even wondered: Why am I so unhappy or anxious when my life is wonderful in so many ways?
Removing sugar from the equation may not change the issues you may be facing, however, it can make a world of difference in reducing the intensity of the feelings you feel, so that managing those feelings is at least possible.
Believe it. Sugar is a mood-altering drug. Expecting to manage the intensity of your emotional state while on a sugar-high is both unrealistic and unfair. It is a setup for failure. And, you deserve to treat yourself better.
Next post will be a closer look at this Sugar Shock Series. Until then, don’t be afraid to press your body’s CTRL, ALT, Delete buttons periodically to achieve the Ultimate Body Reset!
And most importantly LOL (Live your Life out Loud!)
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