Freedom Found Kristen
Freedom Found Interviews put the spotlight on women who have found freedom and balance in the area of diet and exercise. Not all of the women I interview would say they "struggle" with this area of their lives by their definition or yours. I interview women that have found freedom and balance in their diet in a world that's lost and broken. I want to know why and how they found their freedom! In my opinion, that's something worth knowing. I hope through their stories you can take comfort in knowing you're not alone. Not comfort in knowing other people struggle, but comfort in knowing the same God that held them through their trying season holds you.
Let me introduce you to the Kristen Slate.
Kristen is someone I look up to as a friend, wife, and a mother. She is married to Matt and they have three precious kids: Cooper (6), Lily (5) and Caleb (2). The Slate family means a lot to us Hanes'. I don't think words can fully express how my husband, Beck, feels about Matthew Slate. So, I asked Beck to give me a direct quote on how he feels about Matt and he said "I don't know, babe. I just do what he says." Translation: God has given Matt a unique ability to speak into Beck's life, and it is a beautiful thing. Matt actually married us and he and Kristen lead us in pre-marital counseling. We are so thankful God's put them in our lives and so we look forward to making more memories with their sweet family!
Something you should know about Kristen: At the young age of 25 Kristen was diagnosed with Addison's Disease after having her first child, Cooper. Addison's disease is a disorder that occurs when your body produces insufficient amounts of certain hormones produced by the adrenal glands. Treatment involves taking hormones to replace the insufficient amounts being made by your adrenal glands, in order to mimic the beneficial effects produced by your naturally made hormones. Kristen says " Addison's has completely changed my life."
Who taught you balance in the area of diet and exercise?
Growing up, my family was always very active including my parents. My dad ran marathons. and encouraged us to be active as well. We had chores as a family and they weren't just "clean your room." It was more like "here's your sections of the garden." We always had a garden and we actually ate a lot of vegetables from that garden. Our chores were active and we were always encouraged to play outside and spend less time watching TV. There was no negotiating when it came to eating healthy in our house. We learned at a very young age that eating healthy was important to our parents and should be important to us.
As far as moderation, my parents never really told me I was eating too much or too little. We were all healthy eaters and we liked food. If we ate the good stuff first, and we were still hungry, we could have the junk cereal before bed. I didn't appreciate the abundance of fresh veggies when I had them! After moving away from home I was like "I can only find this in a can?" I started appreciating it more. Now our family has fresh vegetables during some seasons of the year.
When did finding balance become a priority for you?
My first experience with having to look at my lifestyle and eating habits was my freshmen year of college. I was away from home and I lived right across the street from Sonic. I could literally smell tator tots and grilled cheeses from my balcony. Being away from home and good, healthy cooking I started putting on a few pounds. I decided my senior year of high school that I wasn't going to participate in college athletics. I was always very active and for the first time in my life I wasn't competing in a sport. For the first time I had to make myself exercise on my own and not for a sports program. I realized if I gave into the sonic smells and didn't exercise that combination would make me... unhealthy!
If you could go back to a time when this area of your life was particularly challenging, what wisdom would you give yourself about body image, diet and exercise?
Laugh at circumstances while you can. I might be the only woman in the world that weighs more after she has the baby! They have to give me so many steroids and fluid because of my condition. When your doctor calls you a chipmunk...you know it's bad! But I try to laugh at that. Sure it bothered me. It takes me weeks if not months to lose that weight because it's designed to work that way. I have to understand and remind myself WHY I have to have it and be thankful for the steroids and extra fluid are saving my life. If I didn't have that I would die in labor and delivery.
My husband is also very encouraging. He reminds me he doesn't care how long it takes me to get the extra weight off and not to worry about it. I also cannot exercise the way I would like to when I am in this condition. It's humbling to have to take it easy, but Matt is always very encouraging through the process.
In college, I would have told myself I didn't have to rely on food from others (fast food, cafeteria, ect.). I could have gone to the store and made healthier options for myself. We had access to a kitchen, but it wasn't the most convenient way to do it. I could just walk across the street and pick up fast food, or cafeteria food. I could have gone to the store to make salads, fresh veggies, things like that. Plus, it would have taught me to cook earlier on.
What have the challenges and joys of having a family taught you about your relationship with food, and how you view your body?
My health makes it challenging to exercise the way I want to. Not only that, but finding time to exercise is a challenge! Having a baby changes your body and every woman wants to get that extra weight off. You are sleep deprived and your hormones are just off. Strolling the babies worked well for me. I could walk and they could sleep. If the weather wasn't working I had 2 or 3 workout DVDs on hand while the baby was sleeping. As far as addison's disease, if I have a crash (when my levels go low) it usually takes me weeks to get back into shape. It's a very slow process so it's something I have to ease into. Coming out of a crash from the Addison's makes me feel like I've never worked out in my life. It's been challenging with 3 kids and being ill. But what I can't do through exercise I can compensate through eating a better diet. Nutrition is more of a priority after a crash so I can recover, plus if I'm laying in bed not feeling well I realize my body needs proper nutrition.
What have your health challenges taught you?
Addison's has completely changed my life. I have to take medication daily to keep me alive and living well. It's particularly challenging when I retain water due to the amount of sodium in my body. It's a mental battle between wanting to be my ideal body weight and choosing to believe the side effects of gaining weight from this life-saving medication is worth it. Knowing my husband would rather have me heavier and healthy compared to where I would be without it is encouraging. You really begin to question how you look to others, how others will view you, but how Matt sees my body is really all I care about now. He's always very supportive. He's a sound of reason for me.
It's a daily reminder that this body is not my forever home. But one day I will have a perfect body when I'm in His presence. Since I can't deal with a lot of stress, this condition has forced me to take a deep breath and go with the flow of life. And to enjoy as much as I can of it, instead of getting caught up in things that are not important.
What has God revealed to you about this area of your life more recently?
I've learned I have a God who loves me and created me. He was not surprised by my getting Addison's. He values me with this disease. I have a husband who loves me. My kids don't care if I am speckled and polka dot from my vitiligo (a condition in which pigment is lost from areas of the skin). The bottom line is I am a daughter of the king and I have a supportive family and a god who loves me. With their love and support, I feel more equipped to face those insecurities that other people may bring out. They have my back!
How do you want to be an example to Lily?
With Lily, I want to be open with conversation about our body image. I am very open to talk about my vitiligo around my kids . Lily doesn't see it because she's always seen it. She sees me answer questions about it and explain to other people what it is exactly. She gets to hear me say "those are my special white spots. We all have some things on our body that we may not like, but it's okay for us to be different." I hope as she sees me face the world with my physical differences and sees we are made different but we are beautiful in his eyes. I want us to have open conversation about struggles physically. I want her to be open if she's struggling. and hopefully I can teach her the foundation of exercise and nutrition. And that we don't have control of our bodies. Things happen! You get Addision's. Or vitiligo! And, I forgot to mention, I have thyroid issues on top of that! With all of our kids I hope to open up their eyes and expand their horizon on a healthy lifestyle. We make them eat veggies and fruits a lot. They don't have choices in it. Us making them do things overtime they like it and eat it. People are amazed at what our kids will eat. Talking about a healthy lifestyle is important for all of them.
Kristen exudes confidence that can only come from the Lord. She knows who she is and she's proud of it- a quality we all want. This interview really put my daily struggles in perspective for me. Who am I to pick apart and hate this healthy body the Lord has graced me with? I hope this glimpse of Kristen's journey has brought you hope and healing.