Empowered by Endometriosis to live a healthier life
A recent graduate of Ryerson's Medical Physics program, Christina Paruag was motivated by her illness to take better care of her body through yoga and meditation.
We recently had the pleasure of meeting with Christina Paruag, a recent graduate from Ryerson’s Medical Physics program. Inspired by her own struggles with her physical wellbeing, Christina went on to become an entrepreneur and advocate in the field of women’s health.
Christina’s health and wellness journey began at the young age of 14, when she first fell in love with yoga and meditation. When she initially came to Ryerson, she added running to the mix, and frequently used the RAC’s indoor-running track. Her health regime, however, came to an abrupt end when she became ill with endometriosis; a chronic reproductive condition that left her practically bedridden for two years.
Her battle with endometriosis quickly became a catalyst for change in her life “I started to reassess what I was doing. I found that the way I was living as a student, wasn’t exactly healthy. I was having a French vanilla every morning from Tims, I was going to McDonalds regularly - I was still eating healthy, but not as healthfully as I could have been. I could have made a lot of different choices.” After Christina underwent surgery for endometriosis, she was allowed to begin exercising again "I started doing yoga regularly again, and I started doing meditation and then I got back into running and weights and all of that stuff. Endometriosis was a big motivator, because if I don’t work out, the chronic pain sets in, inflammation sets in. I kind of have to stay in the gym, but in a safe way.”
Ultimately, Christina was able to transform her illness into a foundation for a healthier life - though the transition didn’t happen overnight. Christina initially felt isolated by her condition, due to the stigmatization of reproductive health. “When I was first diagnosed with endometriosis, I wasn’t very open with it, but now I talk about it all the time. I’ll say things like uterus, fallopian tube, and I’m not ashamed. I even started my own platform called FemEvolve which is all about breaking down the taboo side of intimacy, mensuration, reproductive health from a scientific perspective. I want to help people understand their bodies, and encourage them to do things like yoga and meditation.”
Christina ultimately recommends starting your own wellness journey with a bit of guidance, and highlights the RAC’s women only hours as a good-point of entry for women who are just starting out. “As a woman, it can be intimating when you go in [to the gym] and only see men working out. You think ‘i don’t even know how to move the weights, they’re just going to laugh at me.’ So try going to women’s only hours, or go with an experienced friend. Eventually you’ll be so into it, you’ll love going, and you’ll just do it on your own - it just becomes a natural thing.”
Christina ends by emphasizing that achieving wellness involves a whole lifestyle change; it encompasses the health of both your mind and body.
