What ‘Healthy’ Really Looks Like: My Journey to Holistic Wellness

Wellness and movement have always been part of my life. They’re where I feel most myself—my reset button, my quiet moment in a busy day. I grew up believing that if you eat well and stay active, you stay healthy. Simple, right? I thought so too… until my body started telling me a completely different story.

I was doing everything “right.” Teaching Pilates classes at my studio, attending at least four sessions a week, getting in my 10,000 steps, going to two spin classes with my husband, eating home-cooked meals, sleeping well—the full checklist. And for years, it worked. Until suddenly, it didn’t.

In March, something shifted. My clothes weren’t fitting the same, and my body felt different in a way I couldn’t explain. I track my measurements regularly, so I noticed the changes immediately. Some days I looked exactly like myself. Other days, my waist had grown by several inches. It didn’t make sense—fat doesn’t appear and disappear overnight. Something was wrong.

What made it harder was how disconnected I felt from my own body. I couldn’t feel my core during exercises, no matter how much I tried to engage. As a Pilates instructor, that was one of the most unsettling parts. I’m used to understanding my body deeply, moving with intention, and helping others do the same. Suddenly, I felt out of sync with myself. I tried lymphatic massages—they’d help for a couple of days, and then the puffiness would return like nothing had changed.

Then came a breaking point. I had an event one day, and I’d gone to bed the night before with a flat stomach. The next morning, I woke up so bloated I didn’t even recognize my body. I didn’t feel good in anything I wore. I held it together through the event, but the moment I got home, I cried. That was the moment I knew I needed answers. I booked both a food intolerance test and a food allergy test with Valeo immediately.

Valeo made the whole process easy—they showed up at my home on time, took the blood sample in minutes, and the results were uploaded to the app a day or so later. And when I opened them… everything suddenly clicked. Lactose, gluten, wheat, eggs, chicken, almonds—and more. All foods I considered “healthy.” No wonder something as simple as a grilled chicken wrap and side salad, or even a matcha latte, could leave me feeling awful.

The allergy test added even more clarity—I was allergic to eggs (both the whites and yolks) and sesame seeds, which hadn’t shown up on the intolerance test.

Here’s what I learned through this process:

A Food Allergy Test identifies immediate immune reactions (IgE responses). Your body sees those foods as a threat, and symptoms show up quickly—rashes, swelling, trouble breathing. 

A Food Intolerance Test looks at delayed digestive responses (IgG or non-immune reactions). These show up as bloating, fatigue, digestive issues hours or even days later.

Doing both gave me the full picture—how my body reacts instantly, and how it reacts quietly in the background. It helped me finally understand what my body had been trying to tell me for months.

I followed my new diet strictly, and within days, things started shifting. I felt more like myself. My energy lifted. My body felt calmer. But there was still one thing left—my core. Even with the diet changes, it wasn’t firing the way it used to.

I reached out to my Pilates teacher, who also teaches neurology. She explained that after months of infection, my nerves were in overdrive and needed help reconnecting. She gave me specific exercises to help “wake” everything back up.

And then, one day, it finally happened. During a core session at the studio, I felt my muscles engage—really engage—for the first time in eight months. It felt like meeting my body again after being separated from it for so long. Movements felt coordinated, intentional, and strong. And the best part? Everyone in the class knew what I had been going through. When they saw me finally reconnect with my core, they celebrated with me. It was such a pure, supportive moment—exactly what community is supposed to be.

Almost ten months later, I look like myself again, my measurements are back to normal, and I feel grounded in my body. I’ve learned how to identify my triggers and now get my health checked more regularly instead of waiting for an annual test.

This whole experience taught me something important: being healthy isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s not about workouts, steps, or eating “clean.” It’s about understanding what your body needs—because it’s never the same for everyone. It’s the small shifts, the slow progress, the moments when something finally aligns inside you after months of confusion. That’s what real wellness looks like.

I still teach. I still move. I still love my routines. But now, I listen more closely. I pay attention to the quiet signals. I treat my body like a partner instead of a project.

Wellness isn’t linear, and it’s definitely not one-size-fits-all. It’s personal, intuitive, and always evolving—and that’s what makes it so meaningful.

// Vaneezeh Hassan, Founder of Vaneezeh’s Pilates