The Well Magazine Fall/Winter 2013 | Page 10

Living Well Family Transformation How one woman’s personal transformation transformed her family F By Victoria Knox or nearly two decades, Victoria Knox had a fastpaced career where nutrition and total wellness were not priorities. While she excelled in business and worked with some of the most powerful companies and brands in the world, it did not compensate for health or personal fulfillment. of relatives and friends. When my sons were small, I was cautious about their diets, breast feeding each one and giving them the best start I knew. Over time, I noticed the decline in the health of youth overall and it concerned me. At one point, I was a volunteer peer counselor for a crisis pregnancy center. Adolescent boys and girls walked in shaped like adults but couldn’t think straight. Their hands, mouths “I was tipping the scale at and pockets busy with Flaming Hot Chips, Coke, candy almost 200 pounds with and variations of fake foods. Sometimes that’s all they health challenges and other issues kept comwould eat or drink for the day, yet they were pregnant and ing. The physical weight delivering premature, health challenged and still born baI carried was a symbol of bies, or giving them up for adoption. It was disturbing. the cares I carried every My sons were misbehaving in school and day. I wanted the person their grades declined. They were impulsive I felt like on the inside to and lacked focus. I was at my end with reprilive on the outmanding them, missing work for school side. Weight loss accommeetings and calls from teachers. It didn’t panied F