#TBT Why I stopped working out…
This week I’m in Maui taking a much needed break from work and my typical workout routine.
Taking time off from my vigorous workout regimen was something I rarely did in the past because I thought it was the only way to maintain my weight and feel good.
However, through my personal health journey I have learned to value rest days and breaks from my typical workout routine more than diet and exercise because of the massive results they can help you achieve.
So for this week, check out this Throwback Thursday blog about why I stopped working out the way I used to and how it helped get my health back, and back to feeling like myself again…
***
I stopped working out because my body told me to.
As a former fitness competitor, personal trainer and someone who genuinely likes to be active to sweat it out and use exercise as an escape, this wasn’t easy to do.
I resisted it BIG time. I talked myself out of it many times before I actually embraced what my body needed from me the most.
The signs weren’t very clear at first.
Over the course of 2 years I had slowly gained 15 pounds as a result of working from home fulltime and being exposed to toxic mold that then triggered a slew of health issues such as estrogen dominance, severe leaky gut and Hashimoto’s.
I was excited to see a few pounds drop on the scale initially within the first few weeks of remediating the toxic mold in our home, starting WP Thyroid medication for my Hashimoto’s and transitioning to an Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) diet.
But then the weight stopped coming off and I was stuck again.
The needle on the scale only moved slightly, despite all of my efforts with diet, sleep, exercise, supplements, toxin removal and meditation.
All of my old beliefs around calories-in versus calories-out resurfaced, and I started to question whether my diet, supplements, exercise and meditation where working…
Maybe I’m eating too much
Maybe I need to workout more or harder
Maybe I need to take more supplements
I continued to push along as I had been hoping this was just maybe a plateau of sorts. If I just got over the hump, I would see results on the other side.
I turned up the volume on my workouts, put my head down and pushed onward.
And 30 days later, the scale still hadn’t moved.
I racked my brain, did more research and re-confirmed I was doing all of the right things. I was eating the right types of food for my body, getting to bed before 10pm, meditating once if not twice a day and religiously taking supplements to support my hormones, immune, digestive, detoxification, energy and nervous system.
My workout routine was the one constant in the equation that hadn’t changed.
I was still hitting the gym to lift weights 3-4 times a week, doing hill sprints on Fridays, running 2-4 miles a few times per week, and hitting a yoga class on Sundays.
Most people would consider this a normal, healthy exercise routine loaded with all kinds of health benefits. And yes, under the right circumstances it certainly is. However, it wasn’t what my body needed at the time, and that’s what it was trying to tell me.
Exercise is typically a good stress, unless the body is already under a lot of stress.
In this week’s video and blog, I share more about how exercise got in the way of healing my body and getting the results I wanted, and how to assess if it’s standing in your way too.
When we exercise, our bodies respond by building stronger bones and muscles. We also get the added benefits of eliminating toxins through the lymphatic system and sweat, among other things. All of this is obviously good.
However, when the body is already under a tremendous amount of stress from external or internal factors and existing health issues, exercise can deplete it even more.
Exercise demands a lot from our bodies in terms of nutrients to rebuild muscle tissue, to build bone density, and for oxygen and blood delivery.
Exercise also elicits a sympathetic “fight or flight” response, also known as a stress response, that signals the production and utilization of the stress hormone known as cortisol. When we are in fight or flight mode, the body sends all of its resources outwards for quick moving and thinking, leaving little to no resources available for healing.
You have to get healthy to lose weight, not lose weight to get healthy.
Due to the amount of stress my body had endured from being exposed to toxic mold and the domino effect it had on my hormones, my body was nowhere near healthy. It needed time and space to heal in order to support weight loss.
By forcing myself to workout in my same old ways, I was creating a higher demand of resources and stress that my body simply couldn’t accommodate.
I had to take a step back, evaluate the burden of stress that my body was already dealing with, and take action empowered on reducing the stress even more. By doing this, I created space for my body to heal so I could receive the results I desired.
I stopped working out when I realized I could lose more weight that way.
As soon as I stopped working out in my old ways, my body instantly responded. My energy went up and my weight slowly but steadily started to come off. I overall just felt better about myself and in my body.
I’m not the only one who has experienced weight loss without working out. One of my clients recently lost 40 pounds without having a workout routine by simply focusing on improving his health and reducing the burden of stress on his body…
“The most dramatic change for me has been my weight, down 40 lbs since working with Jenn. The next biggest change has been with the quality of my sleep. I sleep through the night much more often than before.” – David
Often times, we think more is better. This belief is something that has been ingrained in our modern day culture. But more is not always better. In fact, I find that less tends to be better in a lot of cases.
The moral of this story is NOT to necessarily stop working out. It’s to listen to what your body’s needs.
There are many ways to move your body and receive the health benefits of movement without placing too much of a demand on your body.
For a few months, I shifted my focus to include more restorative type of movement and exercise such as yoga, long walks with my dog and by simply getting up from desk and moving about more during the day.
As soon as my body had healed and it was ready to take on more intense exercise, it let me know.
Now that my weight is back to my normal, my hormones are balanced and my energy is strong, I’m working out with a trainer twice a week, running and sprinting again.
***
If you suspect that exercise might be getting in the way of having better health or you want to assess the possible burden of stress on your body, then schedule a complimentary Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session here today!
Stop Counting Calories!
For the longest time we’ve been told that counting calories is the way to achieve weight loss – it’s all about eating less and moving more right?
Not so much.
I was an obsessive calorie counter for the longest time. I use to log every bite I took, and I even religiously wore an Apex Bodybugg (a calorie burning tracking device) for years.
But I still struggled to lose and maintain weight. And I’ve seen this calories-in-versus-calories-out equation fall short for many others as well. In fact, this broken approach is a big reason why I got into functional medicine – because as a personal trainer back in the day, my clients weren’t getting results even though they were exercising and watching what they ate. This was when I knew there had to be more pieces to the puzzle.
And sure enough, as I dug into how the body really works, it became clear that calorie counting doesn’t support long-term weight loss for a variety of reasons.
So if you’re counting calories, please stop, and here’s some of the biggest reasons why…
Reason #1- Your calorie calculations are all off
A study by Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center found that “our bodies sometimes extract fewer calories than the number listed on the label. Participants in their studies absorbed around a third fewer calories from almonds than the modified Atwater values suggest. For walnuts, the difference was 21 percent.” (Read more on the study here.)
Aside from the body actually extracting fewer calories than what you think you’re consuming, food manufacturers are also allowed to under report calorie values by as much as 20% to pass inspection by the FDA.
So there’s no way to know exactly how many calories you’re consuming or not.
Reason #2- One pound of fat is not 3,500 calories
Forever you’ve been told that in order to lose a pound per week you need to be in a deficit of 500 calories a day, which equals 3,500 calories in a week, and supposedly 3,500 calories equals one pound of fat.
Researcher Zoe Harcombe eloquently debunks this myth in her research where she shows that one pound of fat actually does not equal 3,500 calories, but in fact it can range from 2,843 to 3,752 calories. (See Zoe’s full breakdown here.)
This paired with reason #1 makes this calorie equation even more messy and less accurate.
Reason #3- We are not a closed system
The weight loss formula of calories-in versus calories-out is said to be based on the first law of thermodynamics- energy is neither destroyed nor created, it’s simply transformed– the energy of a calorie is transformed as you work out and burned off in the form of heat.
Here’s the flaw, this law only applies to closed systems where there are no outlets. And as Sean Croxton says in his book, The Dark Side of Fat Loss, “The human body seems pretty damn open to me. It pees, poops, and sweats into the environment.” (Check out his book here.).
Our body definitely does not abide by the first law of thermodynamics.
Reason #4- All calories are not created equal
When counting calories, you naturally try to conserve what you’ll spend your calories on. This often results in a scarcity mindset; triggering you to choose foods that are less nutrient dense and less satiating, such as 100-calorie pack snacks, in order to feel like you get to eat more and more frequently.
Fats contain 9 calories per gram, while protein and carbs contain 4 calories per gram. At first glance it appears as though carbs and proteins would be the ideal choice when counting calories. However, a higher carb diet spikes blood sugar levels repeatedly throughout the day resulting in more cravings and leading to insulin resistance which causes weight gain; while eating more fat balances blood sugar, cuts cravings and is a better source of fuel for the brain and body.
In this week’s video and blog, I share more reasons for why you should stop counting calories and what you should do instead to achieve your ideal health and weight.
Once I stopped counting and calculating, I finally started getting real results. Losing and maintaining my weight was no longer a struggle, it came naturally.
Instead of counting calories, I started eating foods that were right for my body so it could function at its potential and be the natural fat-burning machine it was meant to be; this is exactly what I teach my clients to do too.
When you’re eating the foods that are right for your body so it can function at its potential, you will:
- Have an abundance of energy that lasts all day
- Sleep more soundly and wake up feeling rested
- Feel satisfied between meals and no longer need to snack
- Support hormone balance, detoxification and other bodily functions
All which support the body’s ability to easily lose or maintain weight.
So you might be wondering, how do I know what foods are right for my body?
The first step to finding what foods are right for your body is paying attention to how food makes you feel – and know there is a difference between eating healthy and eating right for your body. Eating right for your body will incorporate healthy foods, but not every “healthy” food is right for your body.
Next, aim to eat foods that make you feel all-around good; the foods that keep you feeling full for extended periods of time, that give you energy and that DON’T leave you feeling bloated, anxious or tired. These foods tend to be whole, organic vegetables, proteins and fats that don’t come in a bag, box, can or 100-calorie pack.
And always eat with intention.
Before you take a bite, grab something on the go, or sit down to prepare a meal consider how you want to be feel and if the food you’re about to eat is in alignment with that feeling.
You’ll probably find that most of your calorie-counting type foods don’t meet these requirements because they result in energy crashes, the need to snack, bloating, anxiety or a variety of other ailments.
These simple steps will help you find foods that balance your blood sugar and boost your metabolism to support weight loss or maintenance.
As a recovered calorie counter for over 6 years, I can tell you this more mindful approach to eating is much more sustainable and produces long-lasting results so you’ll never have to get back on that calorie-counting rollercoaster ride ever again!
If you want more guidance on finding what foods are right for your body so it can function at its potential and you can stop calorie counting for good, then schedule an Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session with me here.
I did a thing…
In this week’s video and blog, I share what I’m doing to promote change; to give women easier access to hormone education and resources.
In the meantime, if you want to get the gift of the right lab tests and resources to live your fullest life like Dee did, click here to schedule an Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session.
3 steps to support & heal your thyroid
In this 3-part blog series over the last few weeks, I’ve been sharing with you the major steps I took (also the steps I guide my clients through) to support and heal the thyroid naturally.
This is a topic I feel incredibly passionate about as someone who became a thyroid statistic back in 2016 after being diagnosed with Hashimotos Hypothyroidism.
It’s estimated that 1 in 3 women have a thyroid disorder such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Grave’s Disease or Hashimoto’s.
Men are less likely to have thyroid issues, but I’ve seen my fair share of men struggling with them too.
I’m grateful to say that within 6 months of being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism, I was in remission, now my thyroid test results couldn’t be more perfect, and I feel like myself again.
Unfortunately, not all women or men have their thyroid properly checked and those who are diagnosed with a thyroid disorder, aren’t always provided the right lab tests or resources to get their thyroid issues under control as quickly as I did, or ever.
Most people who are diagnosed are immediately prescribed thyroid medication, which can provide immediate relief for those who are suffering, but medication is not necessarily a long-term solution and it certainly does not solve the root of the problem.
In fact, medication can become less effective over time as the thyroid continues to deteriorate as a result of the root cause not being addressed, and over-medicating can trigger secondary hypothyroidism.
Medication doesn’t address why you might have low thyroid hormone in the first place, and if you have an autoimmune disorder it doesn’t stop the body from attacking healthy tissue; that’s simply not the mechanism of thyroid medication.
The good news is, there are natural ways to support your thyroid health, to prevent thyroid issues from happening and even reverse an existing thyroid disorder.
In part 1 of this blog series, I addressed step #1 – knowing your thyroid numbers.
Knowing your numbers is important for a couple of reasons:
- To understand the type of thyroid imbalance (hypo, hyper, autoimmune) you might have
- To evaluate your risk or how severe your thyroid situation is so you know how much support your thyroid needs
- To get a baseline so you can measure progress with different therapies you might introduce
In part 2 of this blog series, I addressed step #2 – controlling what you can
The majority of thyroid disorders are a result of your lifestyle choices or factors such as:
- Foods you choose to eat
- Quality and quantity of sleep
- Frequency and intensity of the exercise
- How you deal with stress and emotions
- Toxins you’re exposed to and your body’s capacity to detox them
- Other underlying hormone imbalances, a sluggish liver, poor digestion and an overwhelmed immune system
Which means you have more control over your thyroid health than you might think.
It’s impossible to be perfect every minute of every day when it comes to your food, sleep, exercise, stress and environment. But you can become present. Start noticing what is going on in your lifestyle that might be impacting your thyroid health, and how you can make choices to support your body in the ways it needs it most.
The 3rd step to supporting and healing your thyroid is definitely a topic that most health professionals aren’t talking about – which is funny because it involves communication and trust!
There is more to thyroid health than the scientific approaches of modern medicine.
The study of epigenetics, frequency, emotional and vibrational energy has proven to us over time how health can be impacted by our beliefs and experiences.
In this week’s video and blog, I share the 3rd and final major step I took to boost my thyroid health so I could feel like myself again – medication free, and that has helped others do the same.
After being diagnosed with Hashimotos Hypothyroidism, I took immediate action to support my thyroid by changing my diet, getting more sleep, dialing back my exercise intensity, meditating ritually to offset stress, creating an even more toxin free environment, adding in additional supplements to promote the healing process and testing for other contributing factors such as viruses, parasites, bacteria and yeast.
I had all the “scientific” approaches nailed. But something was still slowing down my healing process, and then I remembered something I tell my clients all the time…
Healthy is a way of being, not just doing.
I was doing all of the “healthy” things, but the question was, “who was I being that led to a decline in my thyroid health?”
I started to notice how I struggled with the negative self talk every time I looked in the mirror. How I judged myself for not doing or being better. At times I would blame my body for failing me. I had a need to control everything, and yet I didn’t always openly or clearly communicate my needs.
That’s when the 3rd and final major step in reclaiming my thyroid health became very clear.
Step #3 – Trust & Communicate
In various Eastern medicine and healing modalities, the thyroid is related to the throat chakra. Chakras are known as energy centers, located in specific places of the body that help to regulate processes such as organ function, the immune system and emotions.
The throat chakra, is located exactly as indicated, at th throat. It is related to the thyroid, mouth, throat and ears (which is ironic given my history of ear infections as a child into my 20’s) as well as our ability to express and communicate.
When the throat chakra is out of balance it might show up as:
- Over or under communication
- Inability to express self, stand up for your beliefs or follow your dreams
- Sore throat, asthma and fatigue
- Struggling to find your words
- Thyroid disorders
Almost all of which have been obstacles for me throughout my life despite the fact that I was an overachiever A-type.
So as part of step 3, I engaged in some transformational personal self-growth work to rewire negative old belief systems and build my ability to communicate my needs with confidence in effort to rebalance my throat chakra to assist my thyroid in it’s healing process.
Along with this process I also had to learn to trust my body again.
It hadn’t failed me. If anything I had failed it in a way. I forgot to appreciate all the hard work my body and my thyroid were doing for me on a daily basis. I pushed the limits and resisted taking days of rest due to my own internal judgements about what would happen if I did, or what others might think.
So one day at a time I shifted my mindset, I learned to trust my body again and built my ability to communicate confidently by:
- Looking in the mirror with appreciation
- Writing down 3 things I was grateful for daily
- Working with healers and coaches to realign my beliefs about my body and life
- Learning and using energy balancing modalities (Kundalini, breath work and tapping)
- Taking time to do one thing for myself each day (meditate, long lunch, massage, etc.)
- Talking openly about my journey and letting those around me know how they could support me
Not everyone around me understood what I was doing, or could relate, but that was ok. Sometimes we have to leave people where they are (not behind) in order for us to move forward in pursuit of our goals and dreams.
As a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® Practitioner and Master Transformational Coach, trained in functional lab testing, data-guided health protocols and neuro-linguistic programming, I help people reclaim their health in similar ways as I have done, and that I have described in this series, so they can feel like themselves again, or for the very first time.
If you want to get your hands on the right lab tests and resources, and guidance so you can prevent or reverse a thyroid issue, schedule an Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Call with me here
Support & Heal Your Thyroid [step 2]
January is Thyroid Awareness month!
As I mentioned in the my previous blog, it’s estimated that 1 in 3 women have a thyroid disorder such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Grave’s Disease or Hashimoto’s.
Men are less likely to have thyroid issues, but I’ve seen my fair share of men struggling with them too.
I’m a thyroid statistic, but I’m grateful to say that within 6 months of being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism, I was in remission and now my thyroid test results couldn’t be more perfect.
Unfortunately, not all women or men have their thyroid properly checked and those who are diagnosed with a thyroid disorder, aren’t always provided the right lab tests or resources to get their thyroid issues under control as quickly as I did, or ever.
Most people who are diagnosed are immediately prescribed thyroid medication, which can provide immediate relief for those who are suffering, but medication is not necessarily a long-term solution and it certainly does not solve the root of the problem.
In fact, medication can become less effective over time as the thyroid continues to deteriorate as a result of the root cause not being addressed, and over-medicating can trigger secondary hypothyroidism.
Medication doesn’t address why you might have low thyroid hormone in the first place, and if you have an autoimmune disorder it doesn’t stop the body from attacking healthy tissue; that’s simply not the mechanism of thyroid medication.
The good news is, there are natural ways to support your thyroid health, to prevent thyroid issues from happening and even reverse an existing thyroid disorder.
I want to help you elevate your thyroid knowledge so you can avoid becoming a thyroid statistic, or so you can heal your thyroid and get back to feeling like yourself again too.
In this 3-part blog series, I’m sharing with you the major steps I took, along with the steps I guide my clients through, to support and heal the thyroid naturally.
In part 1 of this blog series I addressed step #1 – knowing you thyroid numbers.
Knowing your numbers is important for a couple of reasons:
- To understand the type of thyroid imbalance (hypo, hyper, autoimmune) you might have
- How severe your thyroid situation is so you know how much support your thyroid needs
- To get a baseline so you can measure progress with different therapies you might introduce
Progress is only made in what you measure.
This week, I’ll be discussing step #2 of 3…
When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism back in 2016, I immediately felt overwhelmed with a sense of fear and failure.
I was afraid of what my life would look like moving forward – I wondered if I was doomed to a life full of relentless weight gain, hair loss, being constantly cold and tired all of the time.
I felt as if I had failed myself and my body – afterall, I was the “healthiest” person I knew so I questioned where had I gone wrong to cause this. But then I remembered…
…although the statistics for being diagnosed with a thyroid disorder are high, it’s not a death sentence.
The majority of thyroid disorders are a result of your lifestyle choices or factors such as:
- Foods you choose to eat
- Quality and quantity of sleep
- Frequency and intensity of the exercise
- How you deal with stress and emotions
- Toxins you’re exposed to and your body’s capacity to detox them
- Other underlying hormone imbalances, a sluggish liver, poor digestion and an overwhelmed immune system
Which meant I had more control over my thyroid health than my fears lead me to believe, and so do you.
At first the list of contributing factors might seem daunting, make you feel guilty about the choices you have made, or leave you wondering where to even start; BUT the silver lining is that with a little education, the right lab tests and resources, you can step-by-step take back control of your thyroid health.
In this week’s video and blog, I share the 2nd major step I took to boost my thyroid health so I could feel like myself again – medication free, and that has helped others to do the same.
Step #2 – Control What You Can
Despite what you might think, you do have control over the food you put in your body, the sleep you get, the way you move your body, how you deal with stress and emotions and even some of the toxins in your environment – all of which can hinder thyroid function.
Let’s be real though.
It’s impossible to be perfect every minute of every day. So instead of striving for perfection, simply trade it for presence.
Be present and start to notice what is going on in your lifestyle, what might be impacting your thyroid health, and how you can make choices to support your body in the ways it needs it most.
In the realm of thyroid supporting lifestyle choices, here are the top 4 that have made the biggest impacts on my thyroid health and the people I have worked with…
- Eating a modified Autoimmune Paleo Diet for 30-90 days to eliminate the most common inflammatory foods (grains, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes and nightshade vegetables) if you’ve been diagnosed with a thyroid issue, and if not then simply avoid or significantly reduce gluten, dairy, soy and sugar to prevent one.
- Getting high quality sleep from 10pm to 6am to promote a natural cortisol rhythm and balance within all hormones that interact with the thyroid
- Dialing back exercise intensity for a period of time or taking regular rest days to reduce the burden of stress on the body and promote recovery
- Minimizing exposure to endocrine disrupting toxins by drinking, cooking and bathing in filtered water, using non-toxic cleaning supplies, makeup, body and hair care products.
It might be unrealistic to think you could make all of these changes overnight, and I definitely didn’t.
But step-by-step you can start to shift and address the factors that can lead to poor thyroid health. Pick one thing per week, make it a habit, and once it becomes just part of what you do, move onto the next thing on the list that would support your thyroid health.
Knowing your numbers allows you to create a strategic thyroid supporting plan, take empowered action towards your thyroid health goals, track your progress and make course correction as needed.
With the right lab tests and resources, you can make educated and conscious decisions about what lifestyle factors you need to shift in order to feel your best.
And lastly, remember, your thyroid didn’t wake up one day and just decide to stop working. The culmination of lifestyle choices you have made over what could be a long period of time have led to its demise, and so it will take time to heal – have patience.
Stay tuned for part 3 next week to wrap up this blog series so you can support or heal your thyroid and live your fullest life!
1 in 3 women have this…
Did you know that 1 in 3 women are estimated to have a thyroid disorder such as hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s?
This statistic hits close to home for me as a woman who was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s back in 2016.
My diagnosis somewhat came as a shock since I was one of the healthiest people I knew; I ate healthy, exercised daily and my doctor always commented about how I was the picture of perfect health.
But when I look back now, I can see the subtle signs that started to surface indicating something was up with my thyroid …
- I slowly started putting on weight despite eating healthy and exercising
- I felt sluggish during my workouts and struggled to recover after
- I wasn’t as efficient at work and got easily overwhelmed with tasks
- I was cold all the time when others weren’t
I simply didn’t feel like myself.
Initially I thought I was “just getting older.” However, there was a little voice inside my head saying something wasn’t right. I ignored it at first, but eventually I got to a point where I was so uncomfortable in my body I couldn’t stand it anymore.
I went to various doctors and health professionals seeking insights and not a single one checked my thyroid.
I finally decided to treat myself as one of my own clients and that’s when I got the answers I was looking for.
And now I’m grateful to say that within 6 months of being diagnosed, my Hashimoto’s was in remission and my recent thyroid test results couldn’t have been more perfect.
Unfortunately, not all women or men, who are diagnosed with thyroid disorders, are provided the right lab tests or resources to get their thyroid issues under control as quickly as I did, or ever.
Most people who are diagnosed are immediately prescribed a thyroid medication, which can provide immediate relief for those who are suffering, but medication is not necessarily a long-term solution and it certainly does not solve the root of the problem. In fact, medication can become less effective over time as the thyroid continues to deteriorate as a result of the root cause not being addressed, and over-medicating can trigger secondary hypothyroidism.
Medication doesn’t address why you might have low thyroid hormone in the first place, and if you have an autoimmune disorder it doesn’t stop the body from attacking healthy tissue; that’s simply not the mechanism of thyroid medication.
The good news is, there are natural ways to support your thyroid health, to prevent thyroid issues from happening and even reverse an existing thyroid disorder.
In honor of Thyroid Awareness month, I want to help you elevate your thyroid knowledge so you can avoid becoming a thyroid statistic, or so you can heal your thyroid and get back to feeling like yourself again too.
Over the next 3 weeks I will share with you the 3 main steps I took, and that I guide my clients through, to support and heal the thyroid naturally.
In this week’s video and blog, I share the 1st major step I took to boost my thyroid health so I could feel like myself again – medication free, and that has helped others to do the same.
Although the statistics for being diagnosed with a thyroid disorder are high, it’s not a death sentence.
The majority of thyroid disorders are a result of your lifestyle choices or factors such as:
- Foods you choose to eat
- Quality and quantity of sleep
- Frequency and intensity of the exercise
- How you deal with stress and emotions
- Toxins you’re exposed to and your body’s capacity to detox them
- Other underlying hormone imbalances, a sluggish liver, poor digestion and an overwhelmed immune system
Often it’s not just one thing that triggers a thyroid issue, it’s a combination of factors over a period of time that disrupt the natural balance of your body and ultimately your thyroid.
At first the list of contributing factors might seem daunting, make you feel guilty about the choices you have made, or leave you wondering where to even start; BUT the silver lining is that with a little education, the right lab tests and resources, you can step-by-step take back control of your thyroid health.
Over the next 3 weeks I’m going to break down the 3 main steps you can take to support and heal the thyroid naturally.
Step #1 – Know Your Numbers
To really evaluate your thyroid health you need to know all of your thyroid numbers NOT just TSH and parts of T4 or T3. Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is produced by the pituitary gland to “stimulate” the thyroid. It tells you if the pituitary is having to work hard or not to kick the thyroid into gear, but leaves a lot to be wondered about what is actually going on with thyroid function. Thyroid hormone T4 is produced by the thyroid and then converted into T3 primarily in the liver and gut, and then in various other tissues. Total T4 and T3 represent bound hormones (not available for use) versus Free T4 and T3 represent the unbound or active forms available for use. Thyroxine-binding hormone (TBG) binds to your thyroid hormone so it can move through through the bloodstream, and Reverse T3 prevents Free T3 form attaching to your cells (inhibiting its effects). Thyroid antibodies, Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO Ab) and Thyroglobulin (TG Ab) indicate if the body is attacking its own thyroid tissue known as an autoimmune response.
Can you see why it’s important to know all of these numbers to fully understand the big picture of what is going on with your thyroid and not just a few of them?
And don’t be fooled by conventional thyroid test reference ranges that were established based on people with existing thyroid disorders. Back in 2002 the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry even acknowledged that thyroid reference ranges were probably “skewed by the inclusions of persons with occult thyroid dysfunction,” – yet little has been done to update them.
Conventional ranges are very wide, and optimal ranges are much lower. In the functional medicine world, optimal thyroid reference ranges look something like this:
- TSH: 1-2
- Total T4: 6-12
- Free T4: 1.1-1.8
- Total T3: 120-180
- Free T3: 3.2-4.4
- Reverse T3: <15 or < than 10:1 ratio of RT3 to FT#
- TPO Ab: < 10
- TG Ab: < 20
Ask your doctor to run a full panel to include all of these markers, and if they won’t, find someone like me who will.
Stay tuned for Step #2 next week when I address controlling the thyroid affecting factors you can, and what to do about the ones you can’t.
In the meantime, check out the Free Online Hashimoto’s Days Project I had the pleasure of being a part of starting Friday, January 25th.
During this online event, experts from all over the world will be sharing their insights so you can learn more about thyroid health and related topics such as:
- Contributing factors, root causes and connections
- Simple lifestyle changes and how to implement them
- Nutritional support and balancing the immune system
- Promising, holistic therapies
Eat this for weight loss and energy!
In this week’s video and blog, I dive into more detail about why you should eat fat for weight loss, more energy and better health!
5 tips to achieve your 2019 goals (+ giveaway!)
How many times have you told yourself this is going to be the year?
The year you…
Finally lose the weight
Get your energy back
Ditch the stress and make more time for self-care
Figure out what is really going on with your hormones
Reverse your autoimmune issues and manage them naturally
Or get to the bottom of your bloating and digestive struggles
…and ultimately get back to feeling like yourself again (or for the very first time).
As most people do, you probably always start the new year with the best of intentions but quickly find yourself getting lost in the chaos of everyday life. And before you know it, the whole year has practically passed you by, and you still feel uncomfortable in your body, sick or tired all of the time.
I feel ya, I’ve fallen into this vicious cycle myself in the past.
And let me tell you, it’s not your fault if you haven’t reached your New Year’s resolutions in years past. There is no such thing as failure, only feedback. Feedback that you need a different plan of attack.
There’s more to achieving a goal than just setting one.
Marathon runners don’t just wake up one day and run a marathon. They train for it. They fuel their body for it. They buy the right clothing for it. They put energy and thought into exactly how they are going to make it to the finish line on race day.
Like training for a marathon, in order to achieve your health goals you need the right plan, resources and support.
In this week’s video and blog I give you 5 tips to help you actually achieve your health goals this year, for real this time.
I have worked with hundreds of clients, and no matter what the goal might be, I have found these 5 tips to be critical for reaching the finish of any health goal.
1 – Focus on the why, not the what
Who wouldn’t want to lose a little weight, have more energy or control of their health naturally? Those are surface goals. It’s not what’s on the outside that matters, it’s what is on the inside that will keep you motivated.
What would having more energy, control of your health and weight do for you? How would it change your life?
It would give you more confidence. You would feel more comfortable in your skin. You would be able to focus better at work, and as a result make more money. You would be a better partner and parent. You would be able to travel the world, hike the tallest mountain, do anything you physically wanted to do with a feeling of joy. You would be limitless!
When I trained for a marathon, sure there were days I didn’t want to get out of bed and run a ridiculous amount of miles. And when I was in the depths of healing Hashimotos and mold illness, there were plenty of times when I wanted to throw in the towel, but reconnecting with my “why” is what kept me going, and it’s what keeps my clients going too.
2 – Clear the clutter
Distractions are everywhere and the can come in any form; food, finances, physical clutter in your home, negative people who and drain your energy, or people who convince you to do things that aren’t in your health’s best interest.
If you have to stare the cookies in the chocolate chip eye every day in the pantry, eventually they will get the best of you.
Give yourself time to set up your environment to support the pursuit of your goals. Clear the food out of the pantry and fridge that isn’t in alignment with how you want to be eating. Put together a budget or get your finances in order so you don’t have to worry about them, and you can focus on yourself. Take one day and organize that hall closet, garage or other cluttered space in your home. And set some healthy boundaries for those people in your life who may not be on the same path as you – instead of gossiping over cocktails, grab a coffee or take a walk and set a time limit with a reasonable excuse as to why you need to get going.
Once the clutter is out of the way you can move forward on a clear path.
3 – Build upon your existing rituals
We all brush our teeth in the morning, or at least I hope you do. This is a ritual, or a habit, and something that we can build upon.
Often times what feels overwhelming about going after your health goals is the idea of having to “create time” or space to workout, eat healthy, meditate, drink more water etc. But what if you just built upon the time you’ve already carved out, the rituals or habits you already have in place?
This really helped me build a meditation practice. I started by doing just 10-15 minutes of meditation after our evening family dog walk as part of my nightly “wind down.” It eventually grew into 30 minutes and I yearned for it so much that I eventually implemented into my morning routine right before my workout.
Oil pulling is another great example for me. I do it 3 mornings per week while I prepare my dog’s breakfast – tackling two things at once! I’m all about efficiency.
Another great example that my clients really enjoy is doing their meditation in their car, in the driveway when they get home from work before entering their house. It’s a great way to disconnect from work and be present for loved ones.
Assess your current rituals and how you can build upon them with the things that you would like to be doing for yourself to support your health.
4 – Recruit the right support and resources
It’s ok to ask for help, and don’t let your ego tell you otherwise. Instead of spinning your wheels about what foods to eat, what exercise to engage in, which meditation to try, supplements to take or about anything else that might support your health goals, recruit the right experts and resources to be your guide.
As the old saying goes, “it takes a village to raise a child”, it can also take a team of experts or resources to help you reach your health goals. Set yourself up for success by hiring the right experts to hold you accountable and give you the resources you need to feel your best. Your health-goals dream team might include a personal trainer, health coach, chiropractor, acupuncturist, spiritual guide or other health professional.
YOU.ARE.WORTH.IT
5 – Stop shooting in the dark
If you’ve “tried everything” when it comes to diet and exercise, yet nothing seems to work then it’s time to test instead of guess. You are unique and therefore your diet, exercise, sleep, supplements and stress reduction needs will be too. What works for one person isn’t exactly going to work for you.
When your attempts to lose weight, increase your energy and get your health back under control aren’t working, it’s a sign that something bigger is going on beneath the surface such as hormone imbalances, liver congestion, poor nutrient absorption or fat for fuel metabolism, and your typical blood tests won’t pick up on these hidden dysfunctions.
Your results will always be lacking, no matter how many diets or workout routines you try, if you’ve got something greater going on under the hood.
So stop shooting in the dark, run some functional lab tests that will give you a bigger picture of your overall health and take a more strategic, and personalized approach to reaching your health goals this year.
Let me know how I can support you more in achieving your 2019 health goals…
As the (W)holistic Health Boss, my mission is to support busy, health-minded people like you in getting access to the right lab tests and resources so you can find the missing pieces to your health puzzle and get back to feeling like yourself again (or for the very first time!).
Here’s to you achieving your health goals this year!
(P.S. I would be thrilled to be on your team and I’m currently offering 20% off my coaching programs. Schedule a complimentary Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session here)
2018 Health Tip Highlights
Wow. Can you believe how fast 2018 has come and gone?
I swear, the older I get the faster time moves.
So much has happened in the world of health in 2018…
- Counting calories and portion control is becoming a thing of the past
- Low-fat diets are out, high-fat diets are all the craze and healthier in a lot of ways
- Stress is finally getting attention for being the #1 contributor to weight gain
- Glyphosate (aka Roundup weed killer) was publicly proclaimed to cause cancer
- The importance of sleep has come into focus with the wide range of activity trackers on the market
On average it takes almost 18 years for this type of new information to hit your doctor’s desk; so more and more people are turning away from conventional medicine due to the lack of solutions, and seeking more personalized care from functional and holistic health-minded professionals like myself.
As the (W)holistic Health Boss, my mission is to help keep you up to speed on the latest information, tips, tools and resources so you can find the missing pieces to your health puzzle and feel like yourself again or for the very first time.
This year, I’ve written over 42 blogs and hundreds of social media posts to educate and empower you about the right lab tests and resources you need to achieve your ideal health and weight.
But if you’re anything like me, then life has surely been busy and maybe you’ve missed a few of the important things I had to share with you.
So to close out 2018 I’ve compiled the top tips and pieces of information I shared in 2018 in hopes that these will give you the insights you need to kick off 2019 with a healthy bang!
Even if you read them the first time, read them again. A new golden nugget of information just might jump out at you!
As you reflect on the year, take a moment to envision what you want for yourself and your health in 2019.
Do you want more energy?
To lose weight so you can feel great in your body again?
To finally put your digestive issues, anxiety or crappy nights of sleep to rest?
All so you can feel healthy, strong, free and limitless to be adventurous and live life to the fullest every day?
If so, then 2019 is your year.
I’m currently taking a limited number of clients and offering a 20% discount on all of my coaching packages for those who want to start 2019 strong with a personalized, yet strategic health-building plan that is realistic and produces long-lasting results.
Schedule a complimentary Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session here to explore the possibilities.
And enjoy these top health tips from 2018!
Top Blog Posts
- Why I Stopped Working Out: How exercise can prevent or even cause weight gain
- It’s Time To Part Ways: How I got off thyroid medication and never looked back
- How Many Doctors Does It Take To Get Healthy: Tuning into your body and taking back control of your health
Top Facebook Videos
- Belly Fat Facts: Facts about belly fat and tips to get rid of it
- 3 Reasons You Look Good On Paper But Feel Like Crap: Why typical blood tests don’t tell you squat about your health status
- Difference Between Eating Healthy & Right For Your Body: Why not all healthy foods are right for your body
Top Instagram Posts
- Full Moon’s Effects On Your Health: The connection with the full moon cycles, your digestion and mood
- Supplement Organizer: My favorite supplement organizer from Amazon
- Contributing Factors To Thyroid Disorders: Breakdown of the most common contributing factors to thyroid disorders
Wishing you a happy holiday season and New Year!
Upcoming Events & Specials
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One conversation can change your life. During this FREE 45-minute session, I will devote my time to exploring what’s been going on with you, where your biggest healing opportunities are and what you should do next to take back control of your health and become your own health boss!
Let’s explore the possibility of working together; and if we do, you’ll save 20% off any coaching package! Tell me a little about you and with what I can help. Fill out the form on the link below and get access to my calendar to schedule an appointment.
The #1 problem with PCOS
“Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS may have infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods or excess male hormone (androgen) levels.” – The Mayo Clinic
That sounds like almost every woman I’ve ever known.
How many women do you currently know, or have you known, who’ve suffered from hormonal disorders, long or painful periods during their reproductive years?
Too many for it to be ignored I’m sure.
PCOS is one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions for women between the ages of 15 to 49. Some studies show that up to 15% of women are diagnosed with PCOS during their routine gynecology visits.
But just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s normal.
So why is PCOS so prevalent these days?
To explore this more, let’s take a look at what PCOS actually is and how it happens…
According to the Mayo Clinic, PCOS is when, ”the ovaries may develop numerous small collections of fluid (follicles) and fail to regularly release eggs. Early diagnosis and treatment along with weight loss may reduce the risk of long-term complications such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.”
Classic symptoms of PCOS can include:
- Infrequent, irregular or long periods
- Excess facial and/or body hair growth
- High blood sugar or insulin resistance
- Hair loss
- Acne
However, those symptoms can also correlate with high or low estrogen or progesterone, hyper- or hypo-thyroidism, autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto’s or Alopecia, nutrient deficiencies, a congested liver, carbohydrate intolerance or a high carbohydrate diet, too much sugar, food sensitivities and the list goes on.
All of which left unaddressed lead to an influx in inflammation, deeper metabolic dysfunction and can trigger issues with the ovaries.
The most accurate way to diagnose PCOS is with a vaginal ultrasound to see if the ovaries are enlarged, have follicles and are failing to function.
The #1 problem with PCOS is that it’s preventable and irreversible but nobody is talking about that.
Regardless of how PCOS is diagnosed, whether from a cluster of symptoms or an ultrasound, the reality is that it’s a lifestyle disease – meaning lifestyle factors such as diet, sleep, exercise, stress and toxins exposures are the driving factors. In this week’s video and blog, I uncover the lifestyle factors leading to PCOS, and how you can prevent or reverse it by changing your lifestyle.
All of us have genetic predispositions to certain disease states. Some of us reach disease states early in life, others later in life and others never at all.
So what is the deciding factor? Your lifestyle.
The food you eat, your sleeping habits, the way you exercise, how you handle stress and the toxins you’re exposed to all have an effect on your genetic code and signaling.
Your body can handle unhealthy indulgences from time to time, crappy sleep occasionally, ebbs and flows in your exercise routine, a little toxin exposure here and there, and even the daily stress of life.
But when all of that becomes more routine, more consistent and chronic, eventually the compiling factors cause the circuits in the body to break in a sense-triggering genetic expression, metabolic dysfunction and disease states.
Symptoms are the last to show up when metabolic dysfunction is in place.
PCOS is a cluster of symptoms used to diagnose women once metabolic dysfunction has already been in place for a while.
The 4 biggest driving factors of PCOS are:
- A diet too high in sugar and/or carbohydrates
- Prolonged periods of mental/emotional stress
- Staying up late or getting broken sleep
- Consistent exposures to endocrine disrupting toxins
While these factors might seem unrelated, they all have something in common. They directly impact insulin levels, cortisol and hormone balance, and ultimately fuel inflammation.
The good news is that the body is very resilient, and in most cases metabolic dysfunction is reversible given the right diet, lifestyle changes and tools.
When it comes to PCOS, I see so many women feeling doomed by their diagnosis, limited, and at a loss for getting back to feeling like themselves because no one is talking about how they can take back control of their health and body by making some basic lifestyle changes.
The 4 biggest lifestyle shifts a woman can make to prevent or possibly reverse PCOS are:
- Eating a diet lower in sugar/carbs, and higher in healthy fats and proteins
- Being asleep by 10pm and sleeping through the night the majority of the week
- Establishing a daily ritual to release stress using deep breathing or meditation
- Creating a low or toxin-free home and work environment
These 4 shifts will reduce inflammation, balance blood sugar and insulin levels, stabilize cortisol hormone rhythms, minimize external and internal impacts on estrogen, testosterone and progesterone, and ultimately lower the load on the body allowing normal metabolic function and hormonal balance to return.
Let’s start a conversation about how to prevent, or even reverse, disease states such as PCOS instead of settling for a diagnosis.
I help health-minded people just like you get their hands on the right lab tests and resources so you can prevent or reverse conditions such as PCOS and live your fullest life.
If you want to explore the possibilities of feeling like yourself again (or for the very first time!), then I want to invite you to schedule a complimentary Ideal Health & Weight Discovery session with me today here!
