#TBT- When Diet & Exercise Aren’t Enough (+ Challenge Open and Webinar Replay)
I’ve been hearing so many people recently talk about their frustrations with weight loss, energy and their health – “but I eat healthy and exercise so I don’t understand why…”
– I’m not losing weight
– I still don’t have any energy
– My health isn’t improving
Even my own clients feel this frustration and I have to kindly remind them that there is more to health and weight loss than just diet and exercise.
We talked in detail about this during Tuesday’s webinar The Daily Detox: No Juices, Gimmicks or Supplements Required! and you can catch the REPLAY HERE
So in honor of #throwbackthursday and of these frustrations I’m bringing back this article I wrote earlier this year to ease your mind and to paint the big picture of what’s really going on…
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Have you ever struggled with weight loss? Or maybe you’ve noticed that as you get older, it seems harder to lose those extra pounds after the holidays, even if you kick off the New Year eating healthy and with a solid workout routine.
I used to get so frustrated with the scale when I was counting calories and putting in hours of cardio. I would tell myself it was “just water weight” that I was hanging onto or that my genetics were what was holding me back. Not long ago, not only was I struggling with losing weight but so were my clients. The age-old strategy of calories in vs. calories out just wasn’t doing the trick.
So what gives? – at what point are diet and exercise not enough?
Age and genetics do play a small role, but I’ll tell you that I’ve seen many clients successfully lose weight at any age and with all different genetics. And what about the people who diet like crazy, go to Crossfit daily and who still don’t lose weight as they want?
When diet and exercise aren’t getting you results, you have to look at the other pieces of the puzzle, and quite possibly the biggest key player is your liver.
We are exposed daily to high levels of toxins through food, water, air, home and personal care products. These toxins get filtered through the liver, kidneys, lymphatic system and are stored in fat tissue. Toxic build up prevents the uptake and utilization of nutrients, carbohydrates, and proteins.
When your liver is so busy working to filter out all these toxins it has very little energy left to filter blood, drugs and hormones let alone do its other job as a digestive organ – thus many find losing weight more difficult.
Your liver is also in charge of converting and excreting excess hormones. If liver function is sub-optimal, then hormones such as estrogen can build up causing estrogen dominance, which can lead to excess weight, hot flashes and an increased risk for cancer.
The liver is also where 60% of thyroid hormone conversion takes place, and most people know that an imbalance in thyroid slows your metabolism and can lead to weight gain.
If you are consistently exercising, then your muscles need fuel and your liver will help send fuel in their direction, but a clogged liver won’t. Then all that excess glucose fuel gets stored as fat.
In this week’s video and blog I talk more about the key role that your liver plays in weight loss and how to boost its function to shed those pounds.
Here are 10 common signs your liver needs detoxing:
- Abdominal bloating
- Menstrual irregularities
- Abdominal fat; pot belly; that “spare tire” effect
- Joint and muscular pains
- Low energy or fatigue
- Acid reflux/heartburn
- Dark spots on the skin commonly referred to liver spots
- Overheating of the body & excessive perspiration
- Acne/Rosacea or itchy, blotchy skin
- Unexplained weight gain and inability to lose weight even with calorie restriction
Keeping your liver in working order is a matter of reducing stress and toxic load on it. You can do this several ways…
- Reduce your exposure to toxins
- Eat powerful detoxifying foods; beets, grapefruit, dandelion greens
- Do a detox cleanse 1-2 times per year
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If you’ve hit a wall with your weight loss or suspect that your liver could use some love, then you are in luck!
SEASONAL CLEANSE CHALLENGE ENROLLMENT IS NOW OPEN!! ENROLL HERE
This challenge will help you boost your liver function naturally using foods and gentle cleansing methods so that you can:
- Lose those stubborn pounds
- Boost your energy
- Enhance your hormones and overall health
The challenge start October 25th, but Early Bird enrollment is now open!!!
Save $20 when you enroll by September 30th. There are only 50 spots available so make sure you grab your spot ASAP.
Don’t let diet and exercise hold you back from discovering your ideal health and weight, learn to love your liver and it will love you back.
