functional nutrition and lifestyle youth advocate -
about the doctor’s grandson
Introducing mother, Functional Nutritionist and Lifestyle Practitioner, and son, coach Jon Robbie, grandson, and nutrition & lifestyle advocate for youth and beyond. A fine team pairing of the combined knowledge and health perspectives from the two helps to create a healthier family unit, i.e., when one person's diet changes, another family member is tagged in a nice cascade of dominos helping the whole family. As a family, we inspire each other to take ownership of our health. You can do this too.
Jon Robbie Watson’s story
From the death of my grandmother to Alzheimer’s and my mother’s health conditions and her strong perseverance in her health, I knew I needed to spread the word that the most significant mover in the dial in our health is what one incorporates at home! By doing this, you take control of your health and are not at the mercy of a pill or protocol designed for the many. Once one becomes aware of the tools for a healthier diet and lifestyle, one will have hope to navigate steps toward optimal health and prevention. My drive is to become a medical doctor or engineer as I love science, but I also know that if I’m healthy I can focus on realizing my dreams easier. Many don’t connect the two, but through my own experience, our food and lifestyle fuel our brains and our bodies. It’s important for me to also continue to push teens to get involved in their community because it’s just a good thing to do. It makes you feel good and builds a bond amongst generations which is seemingly lost with the advent of social media. Reach out and talk to someone older than you and look them in the eye. Participate. We can learn from our elders and they can learn from us.
Join me in videos with my mom discussing how youth can succeed early on in the game with their health by avoiding some common mistakes. We need to develop good habits early to create healthy brain patterns and to realize that with health, we have the world at our fingertips and that does not mean our phones! I have peace of mind about my future and I want you to have this too.
A mom’s perspective on her son’s health and wellness routine.
As a mom and healthcare practitioner for two decades, I noticed my son was different. Different in a good way. At age 12, he desired to help change the expression of his grandmother's Alzheimer's by focusing on a healthy gut. With a healthier microbiome, he knew he could take a giant leap toward preventing his genome from flipping the genetic switches on for the disease. To him, it was simple to keep inflammation low by using proper diet, exercise, meditation, proper sleep, and other lifestyle factors. At age 12, he was one of the recipients of the David Hearn/Kia Foundation awards for being an all-around person, athlete, and golfer. He won $4,500 to donate toward the Alzheimer's Foundation of his choice. He chose British Columbia. He was the first British Columbia recipient since the Foundation had started. He is determined to help motivate his peers and anyone to change because we only have one body and life; we must use our machinery wisely. A better immune system, mental health, and wellness are spin-offs from good choices.
I have insight as a health care practitioner, having studied clinical sciences and having a lens into the medical system from growing up with a dad and mother as a doctor and nurse team. I have great respect for the profession, but somewhere the system fails to address the chronically ill or even suggest that nutrition might have an impact in a health condition. My dad, Dr. Bob, regularly did housecalls, adding a personal, compassionate bridge to Medicine. He felt lost when my mom developed a condition that, in his view, had no cure because medications were not available to treat it in its entirety. The prescribed medications did not make her better, caused numerous side effects, and her disease progressed. I dream of a better system that addresses the whole person, not just the downstream branches. I also saw the weaknesses of a system so ingrained over the centuries that it was difficult for people to understand that the approach needed an overhaul.
My son saw the pain that his grandmother's illness caused the family, and it resonated with him from an early age. He is a leader for his age group in that he is acutely interested in what he prepares for his meals trying to optimize how his body feels. He fuels for success in his life to be the best version of himself. He eats well and exercises for confidence and mental wellness. Did you know your digestive system works better with exercise? He is acutely aware of his future and wants to fulfill his goals feeling well. I have not yet seen a young man his age be as diligent with self-care, but he has had some role models from his mom and dad and other family members along the way. In our family, we all benefit and support each other's journey in health, and Functional Medicine Nutrition has been a great fit.
He is a leader in his own health, academics, and sports. He always says, "Look what proper nutrition has done for me with a smile". A compassionate bridge is needed for our teens to help them realize that their food and lifestyle choices matter in their focus, drive, and management of day-to-day life. Jon Robbie offers a personal viewpoint on academics, stress, Body Dysmorphia, social media, sleep, exercise, and nutrition.
