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My Journey - Maria's Health and Fitness

MY
JOURNEY

A Little About Me...

I was born in France in a little town called Lagogne to parents of Calabria Italy.  When I was five we migrated to Vancouver, BC and I had a wonderful childhood.  In the last month of high school I meet the love of my life Gian and married in 1984.  We have three incredible kids and 4 amazing grandsons and 1 beautiful granddaughter.  I live my life for them and need to be healthy so I can enjoy every moment.

 

This Website & Blog is about my wellness therefore I need to provide a little history of what has impacted my health: 

  • I was in a car accident that damaged L3 – 5 discs in my lower back at age 21.  This caused me to have three different types of surgeries and spent several months in a hospital bed.  I went through the first GF Strong chronic pain rehab program to help cope with pain. 

  • I fell down the stairs at work and had to have my ankle reconstructed and went through a second GF Strong chronic pain rehab program. 

  • I injured my neck and shoulders at work while installing a telephone system.  It caused me to have three neck surgeries to remove C3-7 discs and replace them with titanium cages as well as both shoulders had to have rotator cuffs repaired.  Needless to say I went through a third GF Strong chronic pain rehab program.

  • In total I've had 18 surgeries from repairing bone, torn ligaments and taking out organs I no longer need

 

Coping with pain has been something I’ve done for a very long time.  Since that car accident there hasn’t been a day when I’m not in a lot of pain.  For a couple of years I was taking 16 extra strength Advil’s per day to cope with it.  This is where my wellness journey began……

Explore the Outdoors - Maria's wellness journey

Explore
The 
Outdoors

I love to get outdoors and hike. My goal is to complete as many hikes as possible and share them with you.  Provide my thoughts on the hike itself and if it was worth the trek. 

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Cutting the onions to prepare a recipe

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Try 
Our
Recipes

Being Italian I absolutely love to cook.  No wonder there is a recipe section with over 500 recipes in my blog.  The idea is to have a mix of healthy and not so healthy options.  My philosophy is to eat healthy all week and on the weekend I don't worry about what I eat. This has allowed me to enjoy the foods I absolutely love like pizza and pasta and never feel guilty about eating them. Find your new favorite recipe or share your own!

Mindfulness written on a paper in front of a window

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M
M
M

aria's

indful

oments

Being mindful, what does that mean? Explore our blog posts of being present in the moment and enjoying life's precious moments. 

Weekly Meal Plans - Maria's Wellness Journey

Weekly Meal Plans

Meal plans help us prepare for the week ahead by not having to figure out what to make at the last minute.  Grocery lists helps us shop for only what we need for the week therefore everything gets used up and there is less waste.  

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These help us save time and money.  

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Everything Wellness

Our wellness journeys take us on many paths.  Some may be clear and others not so clear.  Its how we approach the paths that determine where we end up.  

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I have a section called "Everything Alzheimer's" where you can find resources that help with Alzheimer's and dementia.  

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In "Everything Wellness" I bring you information about the foundational core that make us human and we require to live life well.   These are:

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Next Stop: Italy 
Prossima Tappa: Italia

With life taking a detour in Italy I thought why not blog about our Next Stop: Italy.  Here you will find information on:

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  • Italian culture 

  • Cities and towns

  • Places to visit

  • The people that make Italy special

  • Challenges we face

  • Differences between Canada and Italy

  • Restaurant reviews

  • And so much more

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I hope to inspire you to make your

Next Stop: Italy!โ€‹

Con la vita che prende una deviazione in Italia, ho pensato perché non blog sulla nostra prossima tappa: l'Italia. Qui troverai informazioni su:

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  • Cultura italiana

  • Città e paesi

  • Luoghi da visitare

  • Le persone che rendono l'Italia speciale

  • Le sfide che affrontiamo

  • Differenze tra il Canada e Italia

  • Recensioni su Ristoranti

  • E molto altro ancora

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Spero di ispirare a rendere la tua

Prossima Tappa: Italia!โ€‹

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