K. Schwager

At the time I applied for Medi-Share, I was already using a popular weight loss program. I was losing weight and considered my eating choices to be very healthy compared to “most people” and my health to be “very good for my age”. Frankly, I was shocked when Medi-Share required me to join the Health Initiatives program. My lab work was all within normal levels and I thought I knew how to eat well for my body’s needs. My initial reaction was that I didn’t want someone to tell me what to eat and do. I know that reaction wasn’t a good sign in itself, so I asked the Lord to help me change my attitude. He showed me that my health, apparently, wasn’t as strong as I thought and that I now had a unique opportunity to work with a personal “health coach” to strengthen my health, longevity and even my finances (no big medical bills). So I warily entered the Health Initiatives program.

My metamorphosis began while I was watching the videos. When one of the speakers said that I could actually choose to be free from heart problems, diabetes and many cancers, I was startled. I was used to reading about all the good foods or exercise that will reduce your risk of heart attack by x%, but I never heard anyone say that you can essentially choose to eliminate the risk. I said out loud to the TV screen and to God, “I want to make that choice!”

I learned from the Eat to Live book that my dietary choices were not nearly as healthy as I thought. True, I made better than average choices, but not the best choices. I had always believed that I needed lots of protein and translated that into being a primal carnivore – consuming lots of meat and trying to make it healthy be eating mostly poultry, fish and some “lean red meat”. I didn’t think that my body could function well or actually be content with less than 8-12oz. of meat a day. I thought that my joint and body aches were “normal arthritis” for my age. I managed them by taking over-the-counter pain relievers almost every night and occasionally during the day.

The program encompasses an entire healthy lifestyle of which healthy eating is a part. I especially like the daily records of my lifestyle – not only what I eat and don’t eat, but how I’m managing my life in other areas essential to good health – and relationship with God and others by doing relaxing, enjoyable things.

The website is a good resource for many things – recipes, information and lots of exercises. When I started on the program, I had struggled with a painful shoulder for a few months. I used a couple of Dr. Evans’ exercises on the Health Initiatives website and the pain disappeared after a few weeks!

I don’t believe that I would have or could have made the dietary changes without God’s grace, God’s power, the achievable health goal in the video, the plan and charts in the Restore materials, and the accountability and encouragement of Bill Tanner, my Health Consultant. I have been greatly blessed by having all those things and now I have better health too! I not only don’t eat meat everyday – I hardly miss it and don’t crave it – I rarely take a pain reliever. Rarely. I don’t wake up stiff and sore in the mornings. That “normal arthritis” seems to have disappeared. I had no idea that meat was doing that to me.

I am grateful for the life change that Health Initiatives had guided me into. I’m not through with the program, I’m just established in it and I’m grateful! Thank you so much for putting all these good things together!