What weight loss is really about…
How many diets, exercise routines or cleanses have you tried in order to lose weight?
Over the years I’ve tried almost too many to count.
Back in the day as a personal trainer, I was constantly switching up my workout routine trying to chase down the weight loss results I wanted so I could have the confidence I was looking for.
I cut calories. I tried carb cycling. I tried eating every two hours.
I set lofty goals to train for fitness shows and marathons in pursuit of the perfect body.
But even with my best efforts, I could only lose a few pounds and the second I stopped, I would put them right back on.
Trying to lose and maintain weight loss was frustrating, to say the least.
And to make matters worse, I was exhausted all the time, I would crack under pressure or stress, sometimes anxiety would get the best of me and I just didn’t feel like myself.
Once I realized what weight loss was all about, not only was I able to manage my weight better but I also had little to no anxiety, and got my energy and my old self back.
You have to get healthy to lose weight, not lose weight to get healthy.
Sometimes we have to let go of what we think we know in order to open the door for change. When the typical approach of diet and exercise just aren’t working anymore (or maybe they never did), then you have to dig deeper in order feel great in your own skin again.
When I dug deeper, I found a gold mine of reasons why I struggled so much with weight, energy, stress and ultimately confidence.
It wasn’t for a lack of effort. I had underlying health issues that were preventing my body from being in balance.
I unknowingly suffered for who knows how long from adrenal dysfunction, a sluggish liver, high levels of cellular damage and a variety of intestinal parasites, bacteria and yeast.
As soon as I resolved those underlying issues, my weight dropped, my energy went up and I felt like I could conquer the world!
In this week’s video and blog I share with you what weight loss is really about, how to find what’s getting in your way and how to go about losing weight.
I’ve struggled with weight more than once in my life.
Shortly after achieving my perfect body, regaining my confidence and resolving my adrenal, liver, cell and gut dysfunction, I slowly started packing on the pounds again. A total of 15 over two years.
The story was the same. I was doing everything right when it came to diet and exercise, in addition to supporting my body better than ever before with sleep, supplements and daily stress reducing activities.
Yet the weight kept coming, meaning this time I had to dig even deeper than before.
My investigation revealed elevated levels of estrogen and Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune thyroid disorder.
With these insights, I quickly took action to lower my estrogen and support my thyroid. The weight loss was slow but steady, and I’m happy to report I feel comfortable in my skin once again.
As we get older, it can get harder to lose weight, but it’s not impossible. You’re not destined to be overweight. It just might take a little bit longer to untangle unidentified dysfunction that’s been taking place for years in your body in order for you to get healthy and support your body in losing weight.
I’ve worked with many clients well over the age of 40 who have lost over 40 pounds without having a workout routine in place or counting a single calorie. We simply focused on uncovering hidden healing opportunities using functional lab testing and used this information to create a personalized health re-building plan that led to weight loss.
Losing weight is really about identifying “hidden healing opportunities.”
Hidden healing opportunities could be any kind of underlying dysfunction in the hormone, immune, digestion, detoxification, energy or nervous system.
Typical blood tests from your doctor won’t usually pick up on this kind of stuff, because it’s happening at a functional level. You may already suspect this if you’ve been suffering from other unresolved health issues (aside from weight) such as:
- Anxiety, depression or inability to handle stress
- IBS, gas, bloating or digestive upset
- Thyroid issues that aren’t getting better
- Low/high testosterone, estrogen or progesterone
- Infertility, painful or irregular periods
And the list could go on.
Weight is really a meter for how well all of the systems of the body are OR are not working together.
For example, as I discussed in last week’s blog, inflammation, toxins and insulin levels play a huge role in the accumulation of belly fat. It’s not just about diet and exercise.
Weight loss woes are symptom of something else, especially when diet and exercise aren’t doing the trick.
Before you go spending money on lab testing to uncover your hidden healing opportunities to promote weight loss, try this…
- Cut out the top inflammatory foods: gluten, dairy, sugar, soy and alcohol
- Be asleep by 10pm at least 5 nights per week
- Move your body daily for 20 minutes or more in a way that feels good to you
- Create a daily deep breathing or meditation routine
- Support bodily functions with a high-quality probiotic and multivitamin formula that includes antioxidants and liver support
If you practice these 5 things for 30 days and the weight still won’t budge, that means your weight meter is telling you to dig deeper.
I support busy, health-mind professionals just like you, in taking back control of your health by giving you access to the right lab tests and resources to find the missing pieces of your health puzzle so you can actually fix what is wrong and get back to feeling like yourself again.
Using over a decade of personal training experience, training in Functional Diagnostic Nutrition and Transformational Coaching, I create personalized health-rebuilding programs for clients that are realistic and sustainable for long-lasting results, and that empower them to be the boss of their own health.
If you’re ready to look at the “big picture” of your health (not just one disconnected piece at a time), to embrace healthy as a way of being, and to stop settling for anything less than you deserve when it comes to your health and happiness then, schedule a complimentary Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session with me here today!
Belly Fat Facts
I would say that 90% of the people I talk to would love to lose weight around their midsection. Most of them are seeking that ever so elusive flat stomach.
Are you one of those people?
If you are, I have good news for you…
There’s still time to flatten your stomach for summer!
And it doesn’t require counting calories, crash dieting or spending hours at the gym.
Because the fact of the matter is, belly fat is NOT always a result of eating too much and exercising too little. In fact, calories in versus calories out is a dying school of thought.
There is a plethora of research these days showing just how broken the calorie counting and crash dieting approach is. In fact, cutting calories and crash dieting can actually cause weight gain long-term.
Everywhere you turn you’ll see all kinds of marketing, promotional products and advertising geared towards the calories in versus calories out method for weight loss and finding that flat stomach.
And yet, people still struggle to lose or maintain weight loss, even when they’ve tried almost every diet and exercise routine out there.
And what about the people who have stick skinny arms and legs but are round in the middle – what’s their story?
What’s up with that belly fat that just won’t budge?!
The accumulation of fat in our bodies, and particularly around our midsection, is way more complex than what is portrayed in mainstream health.
Diet and exercise actually play a small role in the reason for fat around your midsection. In some cases, eating “healthy” and exercising can even contribute to fat accumulation.
Here are some facts about belly fat that I bet you didn’t know…
Excessive inflammation increases your storage capacity for fat cells, particularly white fat cells which are directly related to your “spare tire.”
White fat cells that accumulate around your midsection also serve as a protective mechanism to store the toxins you’re exposed to in order to prevent them from affecting your brain. So the more toxins you’re exposed to, the more white fat cells you make and the bigger the spare tire gets.
Constipation and poor liver detoxification can lead to a build up of toxins in the body which creates even more white fat cells around your midsection.
Excessive amounts of white fat cells trigger even more inflammation which can result in fluid retention (edema), resulting in even more white fat cells! And a toxic body will intentionally hold onto fat to hide toxins in order to protect you and your brain from the re-circulation of toxins if they are not eliminated.
Low glutathione levels reduces mitochondrial function which leads to weight gain or loss resistance. Glutathione is the body’s most powerful antioxidant and mitochondria are the organelles within our cells generate energy from the food we are eating.
Insulin resistance or carbohydrate intolerance contributes to a fatty liver. All of which contribute to inflammation overload and poor toxin detoxification.
Do you see now why diet and exercise aren’t enough to get rid of belly fat?
In this week’s video and blog I straighten out the facts about belly fat and give you tips so you can get that flat stomach for summer.
Now, that you know the facts about belly fat, it might seem like getting rid of is much more complex that you originally thought.
In some sense this is true. Diet and exercise are a part of it, but alone won’t get rid of it.
Don’t lose hope, though.
There are four simple steps you can take to reduce your inflammation and toxic load while boosting your liver function and glutathione levels to help you get that flat stomach for summer.
Step 1: Boost Glutathione & Liver Function
Your body needs cysteine (a sulfur-rich amino acid), B2 and selenium to make glutathione and for your liver to function optimally. Eat foods rich in these nutrients such as: organic grass fed red meat, wild salmon, eggs, chicken, lamb, almonds, brazil nuts, tuna, halibut, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, asparagus, onions, mushrooms, and spinach.
Step 2: Cut Down Carbs (especially processed ones)
This one should be easy if you focus on replacing carbs, especially processed ones, with some of the nutrient rich foods mentioned above. Eating too many carbs in one sitting, or multiple times a day can oversaturate your cells with glucose causing insulin resistance, even in the “healthiest” people. Focus replacing your carb intake by bumping up your healthy fats with avocados, fattier cuts of organic meat and poultry, and oils such as olive, coconut and avocado oil. This will cut your carb cravings, leave you feeling fuller longer and less bloated.
Step 3: Minimize Toxic Exposures
We can’t always control what toxins we are exposed to because we can’t always see, hear, smell or feel them BUT taking action to control the ones you are aware of can drastically reduce the toxic load on your body. Some swift and strategic toxin reducing actions you can take include: using non-toxic home cleaning and personal care products, drinking and cooking with filtered water only, getting a HEPA air filter for your bedroom and office, and getting outside for fresh air multiple times a day.
Step 4: Reduce Inflammation
By minimizing your toxic exposures, cutting down on carbs, and boosting your liver and glutathione levels you’ll already be on your way to reducing inflammation. There are a LOT of other unforeseen things that can cause inflammation such as food sensitivities, parasites, bacteria and yeast overgrowth in the gut. To sort out these other inflammatory agents you’ll need to do some testing. But you can also take reducing inflammation to the next level by getting to bed by 10pm and avoiding the top most toxic and inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, sugar, soy and alcohol.
I can almost guarantee, if you practice these simple steps every day, your belly fat will start going away in 30 days (or less!).
And if you still feel stuck with belly fat that just won’t budge, let’s test so you don’t have to guess about it anymore!
To get your hands on the right lab tests and resources so you can find the missing pieces to your health puzzle and start feeling like yourself again (or for the first time!), schedule a complimentary Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session with me here today!
#TBT Why Blood Tests Don’t Tell You Squat
It’s time for another Throwback Thursday blog!
This one comes to you in honor of World Thyroid Day, which just took place on May 25th, AND because this topic has been coming up time and time again in conversations I’ve been having with people.
I can’t tell you how many times someone has told me…
My blood work came back normal, but I still _________
feel exhausted
can’t lose weight
can’t get pregnant
get bloated and have stomach pain
can’t stop losing hair
feel anxious or depressed
(fill in the blank with your symptom)
There is no such thing as a perfect test, and blood tests certainly don’t provide the full picture of what’s going on with your health.
So I’m bringing this blog back to help you find the right tests and resources you need to find the missing pieces to your health puzzle so you can get back to feeling like yourself again!
***
I received one of the most disturbing messages from a client less than 48 hours before I went live with my webinar Why Typical Blood Tests Don’t Tell You Squat (and what tests to run instead).
This client, we’ll call her Sarah to conceal her identity, started working with me in December of 2015 after participating in one of my Seasonal Cleanse challenges. She was attracted to the Cleanse Challenge for its promise to boost energy, get rid of belly bloat, gain a flat stomach and an overall improvement in health.
Sarah enjoyed the cleanse challenge and saw some results, but it was obvious she needed more help, which is how we came to work together.
We ran some tests, identified some healing opportunities within her hormones and digestive system, got her started on the right diet for her body and some supplements to support the body’s healing process. Within a matter of weeks, she was feeling great!
For months after starting our work together Sarah saw significant improvements in how she felt and looked. Her anxiety dwindled down to almost nothing, her energy was up, she felt better in her body and her digestion was on point.
After about a year of being on her health re-building program, she hit a wall with her results and almost started going backwards.
I encouraged her to run a full thyroid panel for clues and that’s when she was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s.
Since then, Sarah and I have continued our work together to help her manage her Hashimoto’s with a holistic lifestyle approach, which included redefining her diet to support the healing process, changing up her supplements, taking more time for herself and working to eliminate toxins that disrupt thyroid function.
Part of Sarah’s health re-building plan also included following her dreams to leave New York City for the West coast or some area that better supports her health.
As she was getting ready for her upcoming move to the west coast in February and going through old paperwork, she came across this doctor’s report from 2009…
Back in 2009, Sarah clearly had Hashimoto’s that was overlooked. Her thyroid antibodies were well over 200 and even marked as “high” according to the traditional conventional lab references ranges.
Her TSH was high when compared to the optimal/functional range of 05.-2.0 and her Free T4 was on the lower side of the conventional range and the optimal/functional range.
Her health practitioner completely dismissed her thyroid results, even though Sarah was symptomatic, and even noted “Thyroid level was quite normal. This means the irritable changes are not from the thyroid.”
Had Sarah received a proper interpretation of her test results, or been more well informed to advocate for herself, she quite possibly could have reversed her Hashimoto’s 8 years ago. I can’t even begin to image how much different her life would be today. She could have been living a high energy, flat stomach and symptom-free life for the past 8 years had she known better.
This is the perfect example of why I just hosted the webinar Why Typical Blood Tests Don’t Tell You Squat (and what tests to run instead), and why I’m sharing the recording with you.
It’s time to put a stop to this confusion and to become educated about what your lab tests are really saying, or to figure out the right labs to run so you can become your own advocate and take back control of your health.
Access the webinar replay here!
In this webinar, I uncovered these truths about lab tests as it relates to your health:
- How blood and saliva tests don’t tell the full story about your hormones and what health secrets are hiding in your urine
- What’s wrong with lab reference ranges, how they could be lying about your health and what optimal ranges look like
- How markers on a comprehensive blood panel all give you clues about your gut health
- Why you should be running functional (not conventional) lab tests to find the missing pieces to your health puzzle
It is possible for you to have better energy, mental clarity, clear skin, a flat stomach and/or to feel good in your body again. You just need the right lab tests and resources to give you the right clues so you can find the missing pieces to your health puzzle and get back to feeling like yourself again (or for the first time!).
Access the webinar replay here!
***
I hope you find this week’s blog and webinar replay insightful, and empowering.
I like to say that I’m in the business of making the impossible, possible.
So if you find yourself feeling stuck, being told that “everything looks normal” by other health professionals, yet you know something just doesn’t feel right in your body, then schedule a complimentary Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session with me here today!
What foods are right for you?
Did you know there is a difference between eating healthy and eating right for your body?
Eating right for your body will include healthy foods, but not all healthy foods are right for your body.
What makes a food “healthy” anyways?
According to the dictionary, the word “healthy” means…
“in good health.: “I feel fit and healthy” “the family is the basis of any healthy society”.
So how does that apply to food then?
We tend to lump a bunch of foods under the definition of healthy – ones that we’ve been told are healthy because of certain nutritional values they hold. “Healthy” foods tend to be: high in vitamins and minerals, low in calories and sugar, and great sources of fiber and healthy fats according to who ever makes up these standards around healthy foods.
I think most of us would agree that these foods would fall under the definition of healthy because of their nutritional value…
- Organic vegetables
- Organic fruits
- Organic meats, poultry and fish
- Organic nuts, seeds, beans and legumes
Yet, not all of the foods in these categories are right for my body and they may not be right for yours either.
Last week I was reminded of this lesson when I ate something that appeared to be healthy on the outside but wasn’t quite right for my body on the inside.
Check out the Facebook Live Video where I share my experience, the friendly reminders my body gave me and how to know what healthy foods may not be right for you…
From the outside the food that I ate last week looked super healthy. It had clean ingredients, it was certified gluten free, Paleo, vegan, Whole30 approved and all that jazz.
Initially after eating this apparently healthy food for dinner, I felt fine. But the next morning was a different story. My body gave me all kinds of signs that this apparently healthy food, or combination of ingredients was not working for me.
After being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in 2016 I started eating a modified Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) diet to reduce inflammation, lower my thyroid antibodies and to allow my body to heal. After about 3 months my antibodies were down, I had lost some weight, I was feeling great and I was able to reintroduce some foods I had been avoiding.
Upon reintroducing foods, I quickly realized that some of the healthy foods I used to eat, such as bell peppers, chia seeds and walnuts, didn’t agree with me although they are “healthy”. Over time, as my gut has healed more, I’ve been able to add certain foods back in small amounts while still feeling great BUT red bell peppers and chia seeds still aren’t my friends.
I was able to figure this out by simply paying attention to how my body responded to certain foods and by using functional lab testing to identify what foods my body needs to function at its potential.
If you feel as though you “eat healthy” but aren’t getting the results you want, have tried every diet and they don’t work, or just plain stuck when it comes to losing weight or improving your health, then it’s likely because there is a difference between eating healthy and eating right for your body.
You could be eating the healthiest foods in the world BUT if they aren’t right for you, you won’t get the results you are looking for.
To figure out what foods are right for you…
1 – Tune Into Your Body
Often we are eating on autopilot and not recognizing or connecting with how foods make us feel. Reactions to foods can happen immediately or be delayed for as long as 72 hours. Reactions to foods can show up in various ways – not just as digestive upset. Check in with yourself 30 minutes to 2 hours after eating a meal to assess your mood, energy and how your physical body feels. If you feel anxious, tired, bloated, gassy or just “off”, this could be a result of something you ate.
These same symptoms can also show up over the course of 3 days after eating something that doesn’t agree with you. If I get “glutened” (secretly slipped some wheat) then I’m guaranteed to have anxiety for the next day or two.
Other signs of food reactions can also include: acne, eczema, psoriasis, irregular menstrual cycles, joint aches and pains, issues sleeping and more! If your symptoms come and go, start tracking them along with what you ate and see what you can correlate!
2 – Test Don’t Guess
Tuning into your body to find out what foods serve you best is the key, but sometimes the signs may not be super clear. Food sensitivity testing can pinpoint exactly what foods your body is reacting to so you can take empowered action to support your body with the foods you need.
Generally, food sensitivities are a result of having a leaky gut and they only need to be avoided for a period of time to help the gut heal. Once your gut is in a better place, you can retest your food sensitivities to see which ones have improved for those that can be added back in, and which ones still might not be right for your body.
Don’t be fooled by “eating healthy.”
Simply eat right for your body, and take the time to understand what healthy means for you.
If you want to figure out what foods ARE right for your body, OR how to heal your gut so you can enjoy some of your favorite foods again, then schedule a complimentary Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session with me here today!
Let’s K.I.S.S.
I’m just getting back into the groove of things after attending the Paleo F(x) and National Association for Nutrition Professionals conferences where I was surrounded by some of the biggest, brightest minds in the functional and holistic health world.
I’m beyond excited about the plethora of new research and information coming out at light speed in regards to health and wellbeing.
It’s absolutely fascinating, but I can’t help think that we are overcomplicating things.
There was a ton of talk at the conferences around new health monitoring gadgets and lab testing, which is all great, but you could spend thousands of dollars and hours chasing results trying to find an answer that may already be within you.
Chasing so-called standards of health, diets and exercise is not the answer.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of using functional lab testing and different health monitoring tools to find clues and healing opportunities, but the most intelligent and powerful tool you have is your body.
Your body holds all of the answers. Lab testing and health monitoring tools simply provide clues that can correlate with your symptoms and help point you in the right direction.
The pursuit for better health is like a scavenger hunt. You don’t know exactly what you’re looking for, but can use lab tests and health gadgets to collect clues along the way to eventually find the treasure.
Going on a health scavenger hunt can feel overwhelming and complicated.
Sometimes we have to throw what even the experts are saying out the window and just tune into our own body.
For lack of better words, sometime we need to K.I.S.S. – keep it simple, stupid (KISS).
This is a phrase I picked up in my previous days of project management in the corporate wellness world when projects started to get out of control.
Regardless of the situation, the basic and general principles of health will almost always outperform specific treatments anyways.
At any point in time you can tune into your body and recognize if your current strategy around diet and lifestyle is working for you or not. You don’t need a test or gadget to tell you that.
This innate ability to know what your body needs, without the use of lab testing or health monitoring tools is something that has been passed down for generations, yet connecting with our body has almost been lost in our material world.
In this week’s video and blog I talk more about tuning into your body, tuning out what the experts are saying and what we can learn from our elders to create better health.
Some of the most common questions I get asked by people who are seeking better health are related to diet and exercise.
Diet and exercise are topics we have certainly made overly sophisticated and complicated.
I see so many people get lost, frustrated and eventually giving up on their health because they’ve been chasing down a diet or exercise routine that works for other people but may not be right for them.
When my friend Jason Prall traveled the world studying the healthiest populations, the first question he got from people back in the US was: “how did they eat?”
It’s no doubt that when people think about health and longevity, diet and exercise are the top two subjects on most people’s minds.
Jason didn’t find the healthiest and longest living people on the planet eating one particular type of diet or doing one kind of exercise.
What he did find was that without any lab tests or health monitoring tools, the healthiest, oldest people on the planet are healthy because they keep it simple.
They simply get up when the sun rises in the morning.
They simply eat what is local and seasonally available.
They simply move their body every day by walking or working.
They simply spend quality time with family and friends.
And they simply go to bed at a reasonable hour after the sun sets.
Why do we try to make the pursuit of health and longevity so complicated?
This is exactly why Episode 3 of The Human Longevity Project resonated with me.
It cuts through the noise and dispels many the myths surrounding these sometimes polarizing topics of diet and exercise that we make so complex, and it focuses on the simple facts that truly promote health.
Episode 3 investigates the diet, eating habits, and how the healthiest populations view movement and exercise. You might find it fascinating that there isn’t a single “diet” that is uniform across all of these cultures.
Yet some recurring and simple themes among them all included: meals consumed in a communal setting with friends, family, and neighbors, and eating traditionally-prepared, locally raised & produced, seasonal, and non-processed foods as a significant majority of their diet.
The episode also shows how overly restrictive diets (common now in western world) are detrimental, over time, to the health and diversity of our microbiome – which requires a wide variety of plant foods to thrive.
The healthiest and oldest people across the world have lived a life full of health because they keep it simple in so many ways.
Episode 3 of The Human Longevity Project is sure to be one of the most talked about episodes in this one of a kind documentary and I don’t want you to miss it.
Tune in at 5:00 Eastern Time Here To Watch It! – and learn how you can keep it simple too.
P.S. In case you missed any of the previous episodes or want to watch them again, there’s an encore weekend happening May 19th so still sign up to get episode 3 here and you’ll get notified when it is released again!
Why these people don’t get “common” diseases
An estimated 50 million people, in the US alone, are struggling with autoimmune disease. Some know it and others don’t.
Some don’t figure it out until they are older or it’s too late to reverse the destruction.
That number gets exponentially higher when you add in the laundry list of other chronic diseases such as:
- ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)
- Alzheimer’s Disease and other Dementias
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Diabetes
What’s the point of living longer if your years are filled with illness, disease, pain, or things like dementia?
Sadly, this is the reality for people in their later years when they are supposed to be in the prime of their lives after kids have left the nest and retirement is reached, and it’s becoming all too much a reality for people even earlier in life.
These chronic diseases can be downright devastating to deal and so life-limiting in a number of ways when you’re having to deal with daily symptoms which might include:
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Pain
- Inflammation
- Skin issues
- Weight gain/loss
- Hair loss
- Dizziness
- Memory loss
In the midst of my own autoimmune crisis all I wanted was freedom from the burden of disease and, thankfully, I eventually found it.
If you or a loved one has been dealing with a chronic disease of some sort then I have something exciting to tell you about.
If you haven’t seen this, my good friend Jason Prall has produced one of the most anticipated documentary film series ever in the area of health.
It’s called The Human Longevity Project.
Jason and his film crew traveled the world to discover the secrets of longevity.
Here’s the good news….
There are populations today that are virtually free from the diseases that plague our world, proving it is possible for you or your loved ones too!
Here’s the best news…
Because you’re a part of my inner circle, Jason has personally asked me to invite you along for the journey so you can learn the secrets to living a long, happy and healthy life – for free!
In this stunningly beautiful series you will learn:
- Why people in certain areas around the world live longer, happier and healthier lives
- The underlying functions which allow them to be free of common diseases
- How to implement strategies into your own life to improve your bodily functions
- How to to get rid of debilitating symptoms
- So much more!
=> Go here to save your seat for this one-of-a-kind online event <=
This series has the power to change millions of lives for the better. Jason and I plan on doing just that by sharing this incredible information with as many people as possible.
Be sure to share this event with the people you care about. You don’t want them to miss out on this critical information so they can live their longest, happiest life too.
P.S. Don’t miss Episode 1 (starting soon): The Truth About Aging: Can It Be Slowed or Even Reversed?
You’ve got to see this!
As you know, we have an epidemic of chronic disease happening, particularly in the Western World.
Even more disturbing is that fact that our children’s generation may be the first to have shorter lifespans than their parents.
We can do better.
We have to.
Do you know that there are populations all over the world that are virtually free of chronic disease?
Places where people typically live well into their 90s and 100s.
A new investigation into the lives of these extraordinary people was conducted by my friend and colleague, Jason Prall.
Jason has traveled the world over the last 2 years to learn from these healthy populations. He interviewed leading researchers, doctors and experts to uncover the underlying mechanisms that afforded these populations such long, healthy and happy lives.
The results are stunning.
Here’s the best part, Jason is revealing these findings in a first-of-its-kind documentary series.
In the series you can follow along on his journey to these beautiful places.
You can sit in on the life-changing expert interviews.
And you can learn the secrets of the world’s healthiest people, and how to apply their wisdom to your modern life.
All for FREE!
In episode one, Jason reveals some surprising truths about aging. => Make sure to Save Your Seat Here <=
The documentary is scheduled to release May 8th.
Get access to The Human Longevity Project => Go here to save your seat <=
I believe the information revealed in this series can change our future, and the future of our children for the better.
With so many people suffering with preventable diseases, and so much confusion coming from the health space, I know this documentary is what the world needs right now.
Straight from the source. Straight from the healthiest people on the planet.
Will you watch with me?
I didn’t know I had brain fog until now…
I never would have said I had brain fog, not until now at least.
Brain fog is a term that is not typically recognized by most traditional health professionals, yet it is extremely prevalent.
It’s a phrase that basically sums up a collection of symptoms or feelings that can include:
- Forgetfulness or confusion
- Trouble concentrating
- Lack of focus or mental clarity
- Inability to handle stressful situations
- Difficulty recalling words or putting words together
- Feeling “frazzled”
- Mental fatigue
- Feeling “less productive” than before
- Struggling creatively
All of which are very common but NOT NORMAL.
As someone who has always excelled in any job I ever had, who is hard working and likes to have multiple projects going on at the same time, I never stopped for a moment to think I might be suffering from brain fog.
I simply kept working towards my personal and business goals, thinking it was normal to need so many lists or post-it-notes lying around to keep everything straight.
It wasn’t until my brain fog lifted that I realized it had been there.
These days I’m sharp as a tack, super clear, mentally tough and I’m bursting with creativity. I’m managing multiple program launches at one time, I hardly need a list for the little things any more, I can easily recall details, I’m knocking out tasks left and right without feeling physically or mentally exhausted, and I have energy to spare for social activities.
I am 100% back to being my go-getter self and I am more productive than ever before!
Sometimes we only know what we know until we experience something different. It took getting out of the fog for me to realize I had been in it for so long.
The fog crept up on me the same way it slowly rolls in off the coast line. Super stealthy, low to the ground, until wham! You can’t even see two feet in front of you.
I had become so used to living in the fog, I didn’t even know it existed. I adapted to my less efficient ways of functioning and thinking by creating more lists, using more post-it-notes, engaging in less social activities and taking on less work.
Some of which I needed to do to heal, but before I knew I needed that, I adapted because I couldn’t keep up.
Typically we tend to brush off symptoms like brain fog and associate them with “just getting older.” But what we don’t realize is that these symptoms are NOT a part of getting older, rather they are a sign that something isn’t right in our body.
These subtle signs of brain fog can actually be early indicators of brain inflammation, and left unattended to, they can increase our risk for dementia, Alzheimer’s, other degenerative diseases and larger scale health conditions such as autoimmunity or even cancer.
In this week’s video I help you uncover what might be contributing to your brain fog and how to lift it.
Just like any other dysfunction, disease or condition, inflammation is at the core of brain fog.
It is believed that high levels of inflammation alter 3 primary hormones that dictate brain function:
- Serotonin – your happy hormone
- Dopamine – your wellbeing hormone
- Cortisol – your stress, anti-inflammatory, energy, blood sugar and sleep cycle balancing hormone
And inflammation in the gut particularly has a huge effect on brain function since it can directly interfere with the gut-brain axis.
The key to lifting brain fog is figuring out what’s fueling the inflammatory fire.
Inflammatory factors can be different for everyone. For me, in my time of brain fog, toxic mold in my home was a huge inflammatory factor along with contaminated tap water, food sensitivities and a variety of intestinal parasites, bacteria and yeast overgrowth.
For others, brain fog and inflammation might be fueled by:
- Eating inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, sugar, soy and alcohol
- Unknown food sensitivities or reactions (not allergies)
- Hidden heavy metals, chemicals or other toxic contaminants
- A leaky and inflamed gut
- Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
- Various hormone imbalances
- Side effects of autoimmunity
- Over exercising when the body is already depleted
For some, lifting the fog can be as simple as avoiding the top 5 inflammatory foods, eating organic and getting to bed by 10pm.
And as I discovered, even once you start to lift the fog, there is an endless possibility for how much better you can actually feel.
Remember, you only know what you know until you know something different. So if you want to feel exceptional, then lifting the fog may just be the start of it and clearing the fog completely is your end goal.
Here are my 6 steps to bust through brain fog so you can think clearly and feel like yourself again…
- Avoid the top 5 inflammatory foods: gluten, dairy, sugar, soy and alcohol
- Be asleep by 10pm to balance cortisol and the circadian rhythm
- Exercise at an intensity that is invigorating but not exhausting
- Give your brain a break with a daily dose of meditation or deep breathing
- Investigate and eliminate toxins in your home and work environment
- Test your hormone, gut and liver function for hidden sources of inflammation and healing opportunities
If you take action in these 6 areas and find yourself still struggling with brain fog, then it just means you might need to dig deeper, investigate further and identify other contributing factors for inflammation like I did.
Don’t just suck it up and see signs of brain fog as “ getting older” OR let them get diagnosed as something else paired with a quick fix medication, leaving you settling for a lower quality of life or just getting by but still not feeling like yourself.
Do me a favor… don’t settle for anything less than what you deserve (which is the world plus some BTW) when it comes to your health and wellbeing.
Don’t let the signs your body is giving you go unnoticed.
If you need help getting your hands on the right lab tests and resources to lift your brain fog so you can feel like yourself again, then schedule a complimentary Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session with me here today!
My top 2 time saving tools…
If you caught my blog last week about taking a self-care sabbatical, then you know I’m in a time crunch of sorts with so much on my plate this month.
One of the major adjustments I’ve made throughout my health journey is making sure that no matter how much is going on in life and around me, my health has to come first.
To me, that means making sure my body gets nutritious food at every meal, being asleep by 10pm at least 5 nights a week, getting outside and moving my body for at least 30 minutes a day and doing at least 5 minutes of meditation daily to stay sane.
But all of that takes time, right?
It’s not always easy making sure my health comes first. I can get caught up with work, distracted by life and make up a million excuses as to why I can’t do something just as easily as the next person.
And I only have 24 hours in a day, just like everyone else.
In the grand scheme of things, food shopping and prepping are huge time sucks for me. Hours can be lost between writing a menu plan for the week, driving to the grocery store and back, actually doing the grocery shopping (especially if it’s busy) AND then the cooking!
I ain’t got time for that!
So this week’s video and blog I’m sharing with you two of my favorite tools that help me maximize my time AND maintain the healthy eating habits that support my body when I’m super busy.
Having the right resources and support makes putting me first easier.
The first time saving tool I discovered on my health journey that was the ultimate game changer in regards to menu planning, Real Plans.
Real Plans literally takes the thinking out of menu planning for me each week.
This is a 100% customizable tool to fit all of your menu planning needs. When you set up your account you personalize your dietary needs (such as Paleo, AIP, Whole30, etc.), how many recipes you want per week, how much time you want to spend cooking each day and how many servings you want to make.
Then, each week Real Plans sends you recipes according to your specs and where you live for seasonal availability of ingredients!
Not only does it send you recipes, but it also provides you with a grocery list based on the exact amount of each ingredient you need, organized by sections of the grocery store and available on your phone to making shopping quick and easy.
Some of my all-time favorite recipes from Real Plans include carnitas with carrot-lime slaw, mint lamb burgers and faux-mato bolognese sauce with spaghetti squash.
Just when I thought food shopping and menu planning couldn’t get any easier, I discovered time saving tool #2 – Instacart
Instacart may not be available in your area, but if it is it’s SO worth it!
This is a specialty grocery store delivery service for places such as Whole Foods, Costco, Ralphs, Gelson’s and a bunch of other places with delivery fees starting as low as $5.99.
So now I maximize my time by taking my Real Plans grocery list and plugging it straight into Instacart for delivery!
Using these two tools saves me a ton of time every week so I can focus on work, sleep, exercise, meditation or anything else that pops up in life.
Time is something I can’t make more of, so my time is worth money. The more I free up my time to take care of myself, the better work I do and the more available I can be for my loved ones.
It’s easy to get stuck in your routine, living on autopilot and, as a result, feeling cornered when it comes to your health.
When you feel stuck, ask yourself “what resources or support do I need?” in order to make your health a priority.
The answer could be as simple as implementing one of the tools I’ve shared today, hiring a house cleaner or a babysitter once a week, or having a simple conversation with a loved one to get the resources and support you need to make your health a priority.
If you need any 1:1 support in finding the missing pieces to your health puzzle along with the resources and support you need so you can get back to feeling like yourself again, please feel free to schedule a complimentary Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session with me here today!
Self Care Sabbatical…
I can’t believe it’s April already!
I don’t know about you, but the first few months of 2018 have been a whirlwind for me so far. Between coaching clients, traveling, mentoring functional health practitioners, launching a new program and last minute releasing the Seasonal Cleanse Challenge I’m feeling pooped!
One of the biggest lessons I learned from having Hashimoto’s (an autoimmune thyroid disorder) was to slooowww dooowwnnn, way more than I ever thought I needed to.
As a typical type-A success junkie, the art of slowing down wasn’t easy for me at first. The thought of doing nothing sometimes makes me want to crawl out of my skin.
But in order to heal my body, I had to learn how to be different.
Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity, after all.
I had to learn how to not care as much about what others thought, how it would look if I didn’t meet my own expectations, how to slow down and let go a LOT more.
As soon as I started putting this into practice, I had more time to take care of me, my body responded generously and I was in remission with Hashimoto’s in less than 6 months.
Sometimes we think we are taking good care of ourselves because we are “the healthiest person we know” or because “we do more for ourselves” than others do.
But the word “healthy” is relative by definition.
On a physiological and biological level, we are all unique. As a result, we all have different adaptability and various levels of vitality available to us at any given moment.
Because of this, what one person needs to create better health can look completely different than what someone else might need.
When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, a friend asked me, “are you mad this happened to you? Because you’re the healthiest person I know.”
Sure, I could have been upset, but instead I chose to recognize that although I was practicing a healthier lifestyle than most people, my body needed more from me.
As a result of having Hashimoto’s, I now have a different perspective of how much self-care I need in order to maintain my health, and what self-care means to me.
In today’s world, it can be way too easy to get swept up in stress, to weigh ourselves down with responsibility, and to forget to take time for ourselves. I have struggled in my own life to master my self-care, and I know that you struggle too, which is why I think it’s so important to pass on what I’ve learned from my experiences whenever I can.
As I look forward into April, my plate is piled high with two conferences, more travel and the launch of two new programs.
So needless to say, I’ve evaluated where I can slow down and where I can’t, so I’ll be taking little blogging sabbatical for self-care!
And the timing couldn’t be better.
I’ll be participating in my own Seasonal Cleanse Challenge that I just rolled out so I can stay focused on my self-care, and there are some great resources coming down the pipeline to help you continue your health journey while I take a little time for myself.
One of the first resources I have for you this month is the Live Your Layered Life: Discover the secrets to self-care in your Mind, Body, and Home!
I was recently invited to participate in an interview for this series that runs April 6th-26th. I’m so excited to be a part of this, and I think you will love it!
This online interview series is hosted by my long-time friend Suzanne Choplin, the founder of CAKE Lifestyle. Suzanne and I worked as personal trainers way back in the day together. I helped Suzanne train for her first fitness competition, and we both laugh now at how irresponsible we were with our health and bodies in order to cut fat and gain muscle.
Like me, Suzanne struggled for years with her health and happiness. Through her own personal challenges and experiences, she has discovered that adopting a positive mindset, taking care of one’s body, and creating a healthy, supportive environment are the stepping stones to a vibrant and meaningful life! This revelation has made such an impact on her own life that she has made it her mission to share the importance of self-care with the world!
In the Live Your Layered Life: Discover the secrets to self-care in your Mind, Body, and Home! series, you will be hearing from me and many other experts as we discuss:
- Loving who you are in this very moment, not just who you want to be.
- How complete health goes beyond your gym routine.
- How to nourish your body to flourish in life.
- Altering your outlook to occupy a more positive mindset.
- How organizing your space can improve other areas of your life.
- Creating habits to support your large-scale goals.
- How to stay on track and stay motivated.
In this week’s video and blog I talk more about why I’m taking a self-care sabbatical, plus I share a sneak peak of my Live Your Layered Life interview.
My mission is to support busy, health-mind professionals like you in taking back control of your health by giving you access to the right lab tests and resources to find the missing pieces of your health puzzle so you can actually fix what is wrong and get back to feeling like yourself again (or for the very first time!).
So, I hope you take advantage of Live Your Layered Life interview series for insights from myself and other experts about resources that might help you improve your health relative to where you are today.
And don’t worry, I’m not leaving you completely hanging while I take a little blog sabbatical this month for my self-care.
My weekly emails will just be a bit shorter than usual. I’ve got plenty of resources lined up with tips, tools, resources and motivational content from credible sources to help you continue on your health journey over the next few weeks, so expect to still get an email from me that will just be slightly shorter and different than usual.
In the meantime, if you need any 1:1 support to find the missing pieces to your health puzzle so you can get back to feeling like yourself again, please feel free to schedule a complimentary Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session with me here today!
