Happy International Women’s Day – and Month! – this year, our Changemakers took to social media to share their personal #ChooseToChallenge stories. This international celebration can be interpreted in many ways: on a large scale, to question society’s stereotypes and prejudices against women, on a smaller scale, to promote equal rights amongst our friends and family, or on a personal level, to challenge yourself, discover our true potential and inspire change.
We’ve compiled the most inspiring #ChooseToChallenge statements and stories from CircleDNA users to show you how they plan to take 2021 head-on.
I #ChooseToChallenge my hereditary and fears
Kanishka, Digital Content Creator @kanishkaa
The disheartening experience of losing her grandmother to cervical cancer left a big impact on young Kanishka. Her grandmother was a huge inspiration to her. It came as a huge shock because no one in her family expected it. There were no signs and symptoms of cancer in her grandmother. Hence, by the time it was detected, it had already reached a fatal stage and was out of their control.
Kanishka developed a fear of cancer from a young age after being exposed to the horror and reality of how quickly and quietly cancer can attack. When she was a teenager, she became hyperaware of all the chatter surrounding cancer. Everything made her view cancer in an extremely negative light and simply hearing the word ‘cancer’ would give her anxiety.
As if that wasn’t scary enough, she recently lost her 50-year-old uncle to colon cancer and was unable to give him a proper goodbye due to the pandemic. The tragedy deeply saddened her and did nothing to ease her deep-seated fear of carrying a cancer gene or related gene mutation.
She has lived her whole life with uncertainty and a niggling fear surrounding cancer genes, but she didn’t know how to end the anxiety. When she heard about CircleDNA, she thought it was high time she got to the truth and inspire other women during International Women’s Month. In doing so, Kanishka was able to find out more about herself, understand her body, and most importantly, rest easy.
Empowered by this newfound knowledge, Kanishka is ready to take on challenges with confidence. From now on, she’s going to live a happier and healthier lifestyle while attempting a vegan diet – as she just found out through the CircleDNA test that she’s lactose intolerant!
I #ChooseToChallenge society’s harsh judgement against women.
Shub, Founder of @socialmediamomsg @shub_sg
After giving birth to her first child, a preemie daughter, Shub’s supportive family helped her return to the workforce seamlessly. However, she felt guilty due to other watchful eyes around her. Whenever there was a discussion about parenthood, the conversation somehow ended up at the idea that office-going mums can’t pay full attention to their children.
She constantly faced invasive and offensive questions, such as
- “Why do you work?”
- “Do you really need the money?”
- “Who takes care of your children?”
- “Why don’t you spend time with your kids instead of blogging?”
- “Don’t you think you should focus more on your family?”
The appalling discrimination definitely stung and left its mark on Shub. But now, she’s prepared to make a change. As a working mother in her forties, she is challenging the stigmas that she has to face on a daily basis. This International Women’s Month, she says: Working mothers can care for their children too. Women are just as able as men to climb the corporate ladder – all the way to the top. Being in your forties should not stop you from having new experiences and taking on challenges. You can be a model even if you don’t fit in society’s skinny beauty standards.
Shub strongly believes that there shouldn’t be anything that limits your future as a female. By combining her feminist approach to life with her CircleDNA test results, Shub can harness her true potential by honing her strengths and working on her weaknesses while loving her unique DNA wholeheartedly. She’s also taking her first step in making healthier lifestyle choices thanks to the insights provided by CircleDNA’s detailed analysis.
I #ChooseToChallenge my anxiety, chronic headaches, and stomach issues.
Tiana, Anxiety Coach @__masteryourmindset__
https://www.instagram.com/p/CL65YCbHqRm/
Tiana battled with a multitude of physical and mental problems for years. Despite her healthy lifestyle, she constantly felt sick, struggled with low energy levels, and found it difficult to function in her day-to-day activities. She was tired of always being in a state of fatigue, no matter what she did. For seven years, she searched high and low and took multiple health tests in order to understand her problems and find a solution, but to no avail.
Finally, she found some answers two years ago when her naturopath results showed that she had various types of food intolerances, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Candida Overgrowth, and extremely high stress and anxiety levels. While the results helped her to fix some problems, she’d be lying if she said all her issues were resolved through that.
In conjunction with International Women’s Month and in hopes of receiving more clarity regarding her health problems, Tiana decided to take a CircleDNA test. She believes we are the experts of our own bodies, she was determined to find out what kind of food, sleep pattern, and stress regulators work best for her body.
Through the test, she was able to take a more holistic and confident approach to reduce her daily discomfort. Besides that, she now knows that she functions best on a low-fat diet. Her body responds best to low-power, high-endurance workouts. Moving forward, she vows to approach her body with utmost curiosity and care to live her life to its fullest potential.
I #ChooseToChallenge how well I know myself.
Federico Patelli, Digital Content Creator @federicopatelli
Have you ever thought about how well you know your body? Do you know what the most effective diet for your body is? Wonder if you’re carrying any inherited disorders? Those are questions that Federico has for decades.
Growing up, Federico faced difficulties with finding the best food for his body. Having suffered from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, he had to avoid various foods and made multiple hospital visits. After months of research and trial and error, he discovered the Low-FODMAP diet. He decided to try it, which meant relying on wheat, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and lactose for his nutrition and energy.
When the DNA-based diet worked, he started looking into blood tests to understand his body’s needs better. He paid more attention to how he reacted to specific foods and tracked them in a food journal. However, while that did help him to recognise what food felt good for his body and what didn’t, it was a wearying process.
He decided to take a CircleDNA test since he could get the findings from the tranquillity of his own home. And he definitely doesn’t regret it. Now, he can easily determine the foods he should avoid and the optimal diet for his body. The test helped him discover his genetic makeup and how that can affect his daily life in every way. Moreover, he is also excited to learn more about his health risks and personality traits. Federico plans to wield this knowledge to embark on a journey of self-discovery and health. He plans to help others find themselves this International Women’s Month!
I #ChooseToChallenge my fitness potential.
Leoniel Dg, Athlete @leoniel.dg
Fitness has been a priority to Leoniel for as long as he can remember. He believes that looking good and feeling good are closely related, which is why he ensures his nutrition and exercise goals are aligned. Like most people, Leoniel wants to increase his muscle mass without packing on unnecessary fat.
Even though he knows his way around the gym and understands the nitty-gritty of working out, working towards his ideal body has been an arduous journey thus far because he lacks an understanding of the best health and fitness approach that is specific to his body.
As a result of taking a CircleDNA test to unearth his body’s inner workings, Leoniel will be able to make better everyday choices that will bring him closer to his health and wellness goals. It will also help him to supply his body with the right nutrients, making his body healthier and more functional.
As someone with mixed heritage (Malaysian, Burmese, Thai, and Sri Lankan), Leoniel is also excited to learn more about his lineage.
I #ChooseToChallenge a healthier lifestyle.
Matthew Kuan, Actor and Model @matthew_kuan
Matthew has a keen interest in personal health, nutrition, and fitness due to his job as an actor and model. As a result, he wanted to find out more about health insights, DNA, and what makes his body unique.
Besides that, CircleDNA helped him quench his curiosity with the comprehensive DNA test with 99.9% analytical accuracy. With access to 500+ reports across 20 categories, Matthew aims to live a healthier lifestyle.
Finally, he believes that your DNA is a family history book. Hence, you should invest in yourself by taking a DNA test to uncover some secrets and learn more about yourself.
Now, what would you #ChooseToChallenge?
#InternationalWomensMonth may be over, but our quest to health is a lifelong journey. #ChooseToChallenge your Health and embark on your very own journey of Health today. Unlock 500+ DNA insights with CircleDNA Premium and unleash the healthiest version of you for a lifetime.
