From Athlete to Desk Job to Nutritionist - My Health and Wellness Journey

June 28, 2018 Yvonne Matthews

My health and wellness journey started before I even knew it, as it does for so many. So grab a cup of tea or bulletproof coffee and settle in.

I grew up with a very nurturing mom who was a high school health teacher, professional tennis coach, sports medicine master, and legit Boston Marathon Qualifier. We lived in the desert mountains above the Coachella Valley, in Southern California. As a young child, I remember going on long hikes with my mom and our dogs and learning about different plants and herbs that were native to our local desert. We would gather a few and take them home and drink some as tea and add others to the food we ate. It was a wonderful way to grow up and at the time I didn’t even realize it!

My next realization came when I was an adult. I made a conscious decision to stop taking birth control after 12 years of use. As a result, horrible acne started appearing on my face at the age of 28. I wasn’t in my teens anymore, why was I having such horrible acne? I went to some of the best estheticians in Los Angeles, I worked out most days of the week, I took all the supplements I thought I should, I ate a pretty clean and healthy diet, I even did juice cleanses! So what was going wrong? I also went to see a naturopath doctor, got some blood work and did a serious elimination diet. The acne got a little better but still nothing was completely clearing up my face.

Thursday Thanks ::5::

May 3, 2012 Yvonne Matthews

Hip Hip Hooray! I am posting my Thursday Thanks on time this week. There's something to be thankful for right off.

But in all seriousness, I am heading home again this weekend, for various different reasons. The top being to see my grandfather who is recovering from a stroke. And also sto say hi to my mother who has been in Florida for the past month.

I am thankful...

• that I get to spend time with my grandparents

• for a mister that is so flexible with me and is willing to travel (aka Drive) home to Palm Springs with me, stop for date shakes at Hadley's and play golf and tennis, it's rough ;)

• for a budding freelance career and limitless possibilities, and wonderful clients

• for KCRW and Jason Bentely's Morning Becomes Eclectic, it gets me through hours of work, joyfully

• May 5th, for many reasons: one, I am Mexican; two, I love beer and tacos (well all Mexican food really); three, it's my grandparents 72nd, yes, Seventy-second wedding anniversary (inspirational)

Happy early Cinco De Mayo!

Ok, now, I'm back. For Real.

April 23, 2012 Yvonne Matthews

Anyone who has ever said blogging is easy couldn't be any further from the truth. I have had a stressful couple of weeks. And things are finally feeling like they will get back on track this week. I thought I would start with a recap on what I have been up to.

A month ago I officially started freelancing as a graphic/web designer. Talk about difficult. It's great in some many ways, and I have never been happier. But when life calls, aka family emergencies, it's a lot easier to tell your employer hey I am taking a few days off. Rather than to try to fit a trip from one coast to another while trying to maintain a full freelance schedule. In other words, that means you will be working weekends and most likely will not get a full day off.

1.Said goodbye to being someone' employee.

2. Said hello to new clients

3. Ate a real Maine "Lob-stah" in New Hampshire

4. Visited the boyfriends's hometown

5. Three days later visited my hometown, Palm Springs then out through Idyllwild

It was not the ideal start to my freelance career, but nonetheless I was super busy and that my friends is Never a bad thing.

So now I have a huge laundry list of things I need and want to get done this week and for the rest of the year. It's a lot and I really hope to push through it. I have a great feeling it will be a really rewarding year.

Happy Monday!