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Top 5 Essential Oils for Boosting Immunity
Hey Everyone, My name is Melissa. I’m a mama to 5 wonderful kiddos, one of which was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and has been one of the catalysts that started my journey to helping others with their health and wellness using essential oils. I was so excited when Kylene asked me to share a bit about essential oils and immunity. Through becoming a Crohn’s advocate and health coach, I love to use what I’ve learned on my health journey to help others. With that being said, let’s get to the good stuff!
When it comes to boosting our body’s immunity, there are many things that can be done. Obviously, focusing on eating healthier, getting adequate sleep and decreasing stress are great places to start. However, what I have found over the years is that sometimes our bodies need extra help.
Essential oils are a great tool to add to our daily routine to provide that extra help to support and boost our immune systems. Below are my top 5 essential oils for immune support. Some of you who are familiar with essential oil may be surprised to see that Thieves did not make the list. It is, by far, one of my favorite oils for this topic, however it is such a powerhouse oil that it deserves it’s own post!!
Top 5 Essential Oils for Boosting Immunity
First of all, what are essential oils? They are the lifeblood of a plant which is extracted from the flower, stem, leave, bark, or fruit. The oils provide nutrients to the plant as well protection from disease. Those same qualities of the plant can be used by our bodies to help increase our overall health. All essential oils have antimicrobial properties, however each differ in which properties they contain. When several are blended together and applied to the body or diffused, they provide a powerful compound which is especially useful for targeting a broad range of viruses and bacteria in the body or in the air.
Tea Tree
Tea Tree oil comes from the leaves of the melaleuca tree (or tea tree) and has been used for centuries by the aborigines to heal cuts, wounds, and skin infections. Not only is this powerful oil an immune stimulant, it also has twelve times the antiseptic power of phenol, as well as antiviral and antibacterial properties making it one of the most powerful immune-building essential oils.
Incorporate Tea Tree into your daily routine for immune support by adding a drop or two to the bottoms of your feet each morning. Because our feet contain the largest pores on our skin, applying oils there allows the benefits of the oil to be released into the body and absorbed more efficiently. Add 5 drops to a diffuser to purify the air.
2. Oregano
Like Tea Tree, Oregano comes from the leaves of the plant. Because of its antiviral and antiseptic properties, Oregano is profoundly beneficial for killing germs. It too is an incredible immune stimulant and is known for its ability to fight infection and inflammation. This oil is considered a “hot” oil, meaning when applied to the skin it can cause a warming or hot sensation. It is best to dilute this oil by applying with a carrier oil like fractionated coconut oil.
Combine Oregano with Tea Tree and coconut oil to the bottoms of your feet to fight viruses and help boost immunity. Add a few drops of Oregano to a diffuser along with a few drops of the next oil, Lemon, and enjoy a spicy and uplifting scent that purifies the air.
3. Lemon
All citrus oils are incredibly energizing and beneficial to those dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression. When diffused, Lemon oil has amazing properties that not only uplift your mood and ease anxiety, which contributes to our overall immune system health, but it also contains powerful antioxidants that boost the immune system by fighting off free radicals.
When ingested, Lemon oil helps remove toxins from the body and increase immunity. Try adding a drop of Lemon oil to your glass of water each day to stay healthy or help fight a cold. Sore throat? Add a drop of lemon to a spoonful of raw honey 3x a day. Diffuse 5 drops of Lemon throughout the day to purify the air and make you feel refreshed and energized. Please note that Lemon oil contains Limonene which can break down plastic. When adding it to drinking water use a glass jar and metal straw. Lemon oil is also phototoxic, so it should not be used on the skin before significant sun exposure.
4. Lavender & Frankincense
Both of these are “must have” essential oils for the home. Both are beneficial for almost any situation.
Lavender
This oil is incredibly versatile. In fact, it is known as the swiss army knife of oils for its countless uses. Unlike the other oils mentioned above that are immune stimulants, lavender helps the immune system by offering calming and soothing properties that can help reduce stress and ensure your body gets the restorative sleep it needs. Both stress and lack of sleep contribute to a lowered immune system.
Rub Lavender on bottoms of feet or Diffuse 8-10 drops of Lavender at night for restful sleep. To decrease stress and/or anxiety, add a drop of Lavender to each palm and rub together. Then cup your hands over your mouth and nose and breathe deeply several times. This can be done throughout the day or whenever stress or anxiety are elevated.
Frankincense
Like Lavender, Frankincense has numerous uses. Because of its grounding and antidepressant properties, it too works wonders in the lives of those dealing with stress and anxiety. When diffused or directly inhaled, this amazing oil balances emotions and has the ability to decrease elevated heart rates and high blood pressure, both contributors to stress, anxiety, and a weakened immune system. Where Frankincense differs from its friend Lavender, is its ability to fight against infection because of its anti-infectious, antiseptic, and immune-stimulant properties. Because of this, Frankincense acts as a shield, preventing the spread and development of germs in the body. Combining it in your household cleaner makes it a vital weapon against cold and flu as well!
For daily emotional and immune support, add a drop or two to the bottoms of your feet. Inhale directly from the bottle to uplift the mind and spirit or combine with other immune supporting oils mentioned above for an immune supporting powerhouse blend.
Immune Supporting Roller Blend:
Add 10 drops Frankincense, 10 drops Lemon, 10 drops Tea Tree, 5 drops Oregano, and 5 drops lavender to a 10ml glass roller bottle and top with fractionated coconut oil. Roll along the spine and bottoms of feet daily to boost the immune system. When the immune system is compromised or you are fighting a virus or cold, apply the oils more often throughout the day. Also, like any natural supplement or homeopathic, to see the effects you want, essential oils must be used frequently and consistently. They are tools to use daily to support overall health.
I encourage you to add essential oils into your daily routine! The above oils are great ones to start with. Essential oils are amazing tools to have in your tool kit to help support your emotions, sleep, and especially your immune system! Our family has been using them for years and we are the healthiest we have ever been! It’s important to note that not all essential oils are created equal. I only recommend pure therapeutic grade essential oils that you know have been grown, harvested, and distilled with the highest of standards.
If you are ready to incorporate oils into your life, I would love to help you or answer any questions you may have. You can find me over on instagram @well.made.essentials
Faith vs. Fear - taking charge of your responses
Faith vs. Fear
Hi friends! WOW. What a weird time we are living right now. The difference in emotions from last week to this week couldn't be more palpable! I am seeing so many posts about fear and anxiety surrounding what might happen, restrictions that are being put into place, and just not feeling like you can live a normal life right now....
So I wanted to provide several resources to hopefully support you during this time...
First, I wanted to share my perspective on all of this, and why I'm not personally freaking out.
1) Faith
Number one, and by far the most impactful is my faith. I know, as I did through my cancer journey, that whatever happens happens. And whatever I may personally experience in my own life, shows up for a reason. It's therefore my ONLY job, to be open to lessons I may learn, stay calm, and receive it in faith. When things happen in our lives beyond our control, it is the best opportunity to give God all the control. Ultimately He's in control any way so...
2) There is a difference between fear and anxiety, and being proactive and conscientious.
I am certainly being very proactive, and very conscientious, but I choose not to be fearful or full of anxiety about things that may or may not happen. So far, I have survived all scary and negative things that have happened in my life, and there has never been a moment where worry or anxiety helped me navigate those times better.
So what am I doing to be proactive? Well I'm certainly not slacking on my supplements. One of the things we DO have control over right now, is our bodies and our own personal home environments. Eating healthy foods, getting outside for walks and fresh air, taking immune boosting and detoxifying supplements etc.... my usual.
70% of your immune system lies in your gut. Prioritizing your nutrition, optimizing sleep, stressing less, and dialing in on your supplementation are all supportive.
In addition, when we went grocery shopping we did stock up a little more than usual. Being proactive is something within our control. When we take steps on things that are WITHIN our control, it helps us relax al little more about things that are NOT within our control.
3) Find the good.
Don't tell me that when a few activities were cancelled you didn't feel a LITTLE relieved that your schedule was a little less booked? :) Now, being quarantined for several weeks, not being able to eat out or gather in large groups is NOT ideal.
However, finding the silver linings and maintaining a positive attitude can only HELP your immune system (where stressing lowers it!). I'm choosing to be grateful for less stuff going on. This came after a particularly busy season where our lives and schedules were PACKED and in fact, had this not all happened, we would currently be hosting a German exchange student in our home, and in a little over one week Keegan and Patrick would be flying to Japan and my parents and I would be flying to Prague for vacations.
I could be totally bummed but I'm not. This in no way impacts my life in a negative way in the grand scheme of things, and in fact, it's nice to have some down time.
You don't have to love this, you don't have to LIKE it. But you CAN choose to be happy, positive and joyful. Which is good for YOU, your body, and your family during this time!
4) Find the JOY
Intentionally seek out things that make you laugh. Laugh at all the toilet paper memes. Make jokes yourself. Get on TikTok and watch how silly people can be in the midst of life upheaval. Watch funny Netflix movies. Be purposeful about stress relief!!
How can I help??
In order to support you more fully, I am posting updates in my FB group #Youtrition - in regards to healthy food delivery services, supplements when they are available etc (it may appear the world is out of Vitamin C, but there are options!).... to hopefully encourage you with some ideas and tips through this unprecedented scenario.
I am also offering stand alone coaching calls at a discounted rate from now until the end of March. I don't normally offer stand alone calls, but I wanted to offer this as an option for anyone who wants to ask some questions, get some tips or anything else you feel may be supportive during this time. The hour is all yours to use as you need!
If this would be supportive to you, you can book a call below.
DEEP breaths!!!!!! Take a moment to think about something that makes you happy, visualize it. Feel it in your body. Create a positive emotional state for yourself right now.
Stay safe, and stay healthy.
How to be successful in all aspects of life
Hi there!!!
Whether you want to be successful in business, relationship or my speciality….HEALTH, there are some common themes that you must adhere to in order to grow. So here are my top tips on
How to be successful in all aspects of life
1) Get ready to be uncomfortable.
If you are someone who finds that you constantly resist things that make you uncomfortable, then you are probably also someone that doesn’t reach the goals you want to reach. Why? Because growth means discomfort. And often. a LOT of discomfort.
If you want to get better in business, you have to work on your communication skills. Maybe you’re an introvert and have to push through some major fears.
If you want to work on your health, you have to make changes that are terribly uncomfortable. You must stop bad habits, put mental and physical effort into thinking about and preparing the foods you make. You must invest financially to get testing, hire a coach, etc…. Health is NOT COMFORTABLE (at first).
2) Get over yourself.
In order to grow we must get over ourselves. We obviously don’t know everything or we would have accomplished it all already. Be willing to learn, ask for help, hire a specialist, or start new conversations. If we walk around like we know it all, well….pride comes before a fall. And no one likes to be friends with a know it all anyway. Collaborate, listen, learn, and constantly be growing. Seek out new opportunities and continue to challenge yourself.
3) Be full of integrity.
If you were late to meetings and left projects unfinished at work, you would get fired. Yet we are willing to do this to ourselves constantly.
If you want to have a better relationship, you must keep your commitments, be full of integrity, show up, and be trustyworthy.
If you want to accomplish your biggest health goals, you must have personal integrity. Show up for yourself, Follow through on the goals you set. Get accountability. Finish what you started.
Sometimes this simply means doing what you say you will do, or acting on what you SAY is a priority to you. (actions are definitely louder than words when it comes to our health).
Other times it means hiring a coach or specialist who can listen to you, challenge you, keep you accountable, and push you when it get tough to keep you on track. Often people outside of our situation can see the big picture, identify our weaknesses, and see what needs to be done more clearly than we can! But often this takes embracing step #2 in order to be successful :)
4) Be willing to invest
EVERYTHING worth anything takes investment. The statement “you get what you pay for” really is true. Being a health coach, I see how often people want to discount their own value.
They wouldn't blink to spend the same amount of money on a child, a pet, or a charity. But when it comes to investing in their own bodies, health and future, they get really uncomfortable really fast. And I get it. It’s definitely hard.
BUT every relationship takes work, every business coach that is worth their salt costs money, and any health coach that will be able to take you from point A to point B will be an investment as well.
When I started viewing these costs as INVESTMENTS even though it brought a lump to my throat because of the commitment, I knew it was worth it. It held my feet to the fire. If I felt uncomfortable, I was more likely to put in the effort to take the steps necessary to see the growth and results I needed. And boy did I GROW.
And I see this over and over with my clients. Over the years, those who didn’t want to invest, or invested just a tiny bit of money or time didn’t end up seeing the results they wanted.
But those who were immediate action takers, jumped in with both feet, trusted me, did the work and invested to a point that made them uncomfortable, saw the biggest results and the long term WINS.
Investments aren’t just about money - they are about the emotional value you place on something. A rock might be worth nothing at all - but a rock with a famous artist rendering on it can sell for thousands of dollars.
When you’re working on your health you must value 2 things exponentially. The person you hire, and yourself. When those things align. you will see incredible results!
Change is hard. It’s scary. There are never any guarantees. But if you are ready to get uncomfortable, get over yourself, keep your commitments and be willing to invest, I bet you’ll see some dramatic changes over the next year!!!
To your health,
XOXOX
Supplements I love!
Over the past 3 years, I have really developed some FAVORITE supplements. I am convinced I’ll be on supplements for the rest of my life, and unless we have a massive overhaul in our farming industry where the soil becomes so incredibly nutrient dense again that all our organic produce is overflowing with natural nutrition, then I’m ok with it…
Over the past 100 years, modern farming techniques and industrial food practices, while providing food around the world and throughout the year, have lessened the nutrient density we get. Unfortunately, choosing organic doesn’t fully solve this problem, the soil itself needs to be regenerated. You can learn more about regenerative agriculture HERE.
www.ecoorganics.com
In addition to nutrient loss, we are also getting exposed to more chemicals, herbicides and pesticides. These products are shown to be carcinogens, liver toxins, neurotoxins, hormone disruptors, allergens, and in microscopic doses, they kill off beneficial gut bacteria.
This leads us to the need for good supplementation. Even when we eat a whole food, natural, healthy, organic diet, it can be difficult to get the levels and variety we need. Everyone is different of course, but here are some supplements I generally like for everyone.
A Multivitamin
This is just a no brainer. Simple, easy, covers a lot of your bases. But not all multivitamins are created equally. Sourcing, quality, and bioavailability are all important. You want to avoid vitamins with folic acid, and choose a more available form like folate or methylfolate. You also don’t want chemicals, fillers flavors, or poor quality ingredients added in.
My favorite multivitamin is: Dr. Amy Myers The Myers Way Multivitamin.
Beef Liver
Beef liver is like nature’s multivitamin. You might see an increase in energy with beef liver since it’s packed with B vitamin in a whole food source. Additionally, it’s a high source of vitamin A which is great for your immune system and your skin.
Historically, tribal cultures prioritized organi meats since they were so nutrient dense. NOW, we are used to eating the muscle meat and avoiding organ meat but we are doing ourselves a disservice.
Often the organ that you eat is beneficial for that organ in your body as well - so eating liver is supportive to YOUR liver.
I can hear the questions “But Kylene, the liver detoxifies, won’t you be getting a lot of toxins?” No! The liver certainly filters and breaks things down for us yes. But in order to do this, it stores up a TON of nutrients in animals as well as humans. So when you are eating liver you’re getting a mega dose of beneficial nutrients that help your body function well!
Don’t worry, you don’t have to eat it. I like Vital Proteins brand and I take 4 tabs a day.
If you want to branch out to additional organ supplements, check out another brand called Ancestral Supplements.
p.s. quality is important - only get animal products or supplements from pasture raised grass-fed sources.
Probiotic
Unless we are intentional about it, we don’t eat very many fermented foods today. The most common food we may eat would be yogurt, and often the yogurt that is available is low quality and full of sugars. But a high quality fermented food is incredibly healthy for your gut!
Foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented veggies and high quality yogurts (I usually go for dairy free and no adde sugars) are great additions to your regular diet.
If you have ever had antibiotics, struggle with bowel movements, bloating or any other digestive complaints, a regular dose of a probiotic can certainly be supportive.
I personally love Megaspore Probiotic. This is a spore based probiotic that does not need to be refrigerated. These are natural strains that you would be exposed to out in nature.
Other probiotics can be helpful with different strains and perhaps even used in combination with Megaspore, particularly in cases where you have had a lot of gut damage or previous antibiotic use.
Vitamin C
We are some of the only mammals that don’t naturally produce our own Vitamin C. When we are stressed our need goes up and our adrenals burn through whatever stores we may have. Conversely, having enough vitamin C helps our stress responses and supports our immune system.
I personally like This brand of Liposomal Vitamin C. A few pumps under the tongue for 30 seconds 1-2x a day and you avoid any digestive discomfort from tablets in addition to getting it right into your blood stream.
Everyone is different and of course every protocol I create for client is unique. You can take all the supplements in the world but if you haven’t address food sensitivities or gut pathogens you may not be absorbing them efficiently. Work with a practitioner if you are looking for a personalized approach to your nutrition and supplementation!
Interested in working together? Set up a free functional health assessment call at the link below and let’s get to know each other!
Additional resources:
https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/supplements-articles/what-is-the-best-multivitamin/
https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/supplements-articles/ben-greenfields-ultimate-supplement-guide/
https://www.thepaleomom.com/7-nutrients-youre-probably-deficient-in/
Kylene, what do you eat to stay healthy and fit?
Hi friends! I get a variation of this question a lot - whether it’s specifically in regards to MY eating, or women wanting to know what healthy eating means in general for THEM….
Maybe YOU have tried 20 different diets, you’re gaining weight, your’e tired, your’e frustrated and you simply can’t seem to move the needle. (Check out my recent post on the fad of “plant based” eating HERE.
I get it! Many of my clients begin this way as well and I’ll give the same answer I give to everyone. #YOUtrition. You can learn exactly what I mean in my podcast episode HERE or my previous blogpost HERE.
While I believe in a unique approach to each individual, here are the overarching guidelines that work for EVERYONE…
Healthy Eating Guidelines That work for Everyone
1) Avoid processed foods.
This includes anything with refined sugars, corn syrup, food coloring, or unnatural ingredients. You can simply ask - was it made by God, or made by a factory? If a factory, skip it. (I do still utilize packaged foods but I choose brands that use high quality ingredients. You can ask the question when reading the ingredient label - could I make this at home if I had the time or inclination? If so it may be an ok product. If it’s packed with words you don’t recognize - skip.)
2) Go gluten free 100%.
It doesn’t matter who you are, what your life history is, or what symptoms you are experiencing, for my clients and myself, this is a non-negotiable. You can learn more about WHY in this Youtube video HERE .
3) Go organic.
Unless a certain type of produce is a “safe” crop known not to be sprayed with pesticides and herbicides, or it has a thick skin that you do not eat, go 100% organic. Pesticides are linked to liver toxicity (which can lead to a whole host of disease but can also show up in weight gain and fatigue), cancer, hormone disruption and more….
You may even be doing your best to eat a “heart healthy” diet by starting the day off with a granola bar or oat based cereal like cheerios….but last year the environmental working group found that ONE serving of these cereals (and who measures just one serving?) goes above the “safe” limit of glyphosate for children. And I would argue there IS not safe exposure.
Microscopic particles have been shown to kill beneficial gut flora. Pesticides kill things. It also kills things in your GUT.
4) Dig deeper and get testing.
This includes food sensitivity testing, gut testing and possibly more. Simply addressing these sources of inflammation and lead to unexpected and EASY weight loss.
I personally live a life where probably 80% of the food I eat is purchased by me and made in my home. The other 20% is conscientiously choosing when out to eat without compromising core values (like being gluten free etc….).
Exercise doesn’t have much to do with it
You may be surprised to learn that as a former personal trainer, exercise is not a component of the plans I create for my clients. Now to be clear, I always encourage movement, walking, and if the client is healthy enough, exercise,. But I never lay out a fitness plan and in most cases I’m actually asking them to calm it down a bit to allow for healing.
And guess what - these clients STILL lose weight.
I’ve had clients drop 10 pounds without effort simply by following their food sensitivity test report.
I’ve had other clients from 10 pounds simply by going gluten free. Before they even GET a test result.
I personally choose to lift HEAVY, but I ONLY work out twice a week. I’m seeing amazing results. So while it would be tempting to double this amount, I listen to my body and even on weeks where we have tried 3 sessions, it doesn’t seem to give my body enough recovery time and I simply don’t feel as strong. This way I have lots of recovery time and I can not only CRUSH it every time, but I can regularly increase my weights.
Dig Deeper
If you do some of the basics and feel like you have “tried everything” but still can’t see results, that’s where a coach like me can come in and help you dig deeper!
Food sensitivity testing is certainly one of the most popular tests I run. However, I choose to run my business in a way where I never offer one test alone because I want my clients to leave with RESULTS. So while yes, many can simply follow a food sensitivity test and see some benefit, OFTEN where there are food sensitivities, there are also other imbalances in the gut so I like to pair it wit ha comprehensive stool test.
This allows me to see how we can REALLY make progress by healing the gut, removing stressors (stressors can be parasites, bacteria, food sensitivities etc….) and adding in needs ( things like minerals or vitamins your body needs).
Think Liver
Where there is weight gain and/or weight loss resistance, there is probably some liver stress, or what you might think of as a sluggish liver. Our bodies are bombarded by stressors daily and our liver does a phenomenal job but it needs two things:
1) A whole host of nutrients to function optimally
2) A break from toxins or else it can get bogged down
So for example, if you are eating a food daily that your body is sensitive too, and wearing perfume that is full of chemicals, experience a lot of mental emotional stress, and have some hormone imbalances, then your liver has a high work load!
Everything we are exposed to must go through the liver to be broken down and made non-toxic. This requires an enormous amount of energy and nutrition. In fact, your liver STORES extra nutrients for a rainy day. But if we aren’t eating a healthy diet, and instead we eat a nutrient POOR and inflammatory diet, in addition to living in the modern world, then we are setting our liver up for failure. Literally.
Fatty liver is something that is difficult to diagnose unless you actually get some imaging done for another reason. Bloodwork alone doesn't necessarily tell you that a fatty liver is developing.
If you experience fatigue regularly, weight loss resistance, pain in your right side, digestive issues, etc… your liver may need some support!
Are YOU ready to invest in YOUR health??
Interested in learning if working together one on one is the right fit for YOU? You can schedule a free functional health assessment call at the link below. This call allows me to understand your goals, your vision for health, what you have tried and determine if I am the right fit to help achieve those goals! If not, no worries, I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction by the end of the call!
Preparing for international travel
Friends! I’m going to be honest…I’m totally overwhelmed with everything we have going on over the next 2 months!
First, we are hosting a German exchange student through Keegans school. We were hoping to be in our new home and have lots of space for her but the timing didn’t work out so it’s crunch time to GET ORGANIZED in our small home and make space for her! In June, Keegan will go to Germany and live with her. It’s gonna be such a cool experience for him!
So right now we are in clean, pack, and organize mode….but just to make it more complicated, I decided to change the carpets before she gets here. Like I said, I was planning to host her in a brand new home, and when we started cleaning out the spare room to make this work I just didn’t feel good waiting on the carpets until after she’s gone. So we are getting new carpet and will have to pack everything in our bedrooms away, get it installed, and then unpack before she gets here… HA!
Right after we host her, we are all going on international travels. She is leaving back to Germany, Keegan and Patrick are going to Japan with his school over spring break, and my parents and I are going to Europe.
Pretty much as soon as we all get home our new home will be completed and we will need to sign off on it, close, and decide when to move in!
WHEW!!!!
It’s a lot on top of our already busy work schedules.
I’m definitely a planner, and one thing I’ve had to think about is traveling away from home with food sensitivities. Last November Keegan got his food sensitivities tested for the first time, along with a genetic test.
When we acted on the results, the change was immediate and dramatic. He felt better physically, and he seemed like a different kid emotionally. It was like a dark cloud lifted. He was happier, less moody, his gut felt good again…it was amazing!!!
We now have 3 tests that show he is sensitive to Gluten - a food sensitivity test, a stool test, and a genetic test. indicating predisposition.
When I researched being gluten free in Japan, apparently it’s a bit tricky.
I’ll be traveling to Prague and Vienna and it seems like it won’t be as big of a deal.
But for both of us there are precautious to be had.
Here are a few steps we are taking to make sure we stay healthy on our trips:
1) We will print out celiac travel cards.
I you go to this website you can choose which language you need and print out a card that you can show when you get into restaurants that says that it’s important your meal doesn’t contain wheat! Super helpful!
2) We will be taking gluten enzymes.
There are several to choose from, but the one I’ll send Keegan and Patrick with on this trip is Wheat Rescue by Microbiome Labs. The reason I’,m choosing this one for this occasion is because a) the bottle count is perfect for the amount of time and meals they will have while there - one at each meal. b) it’s a more comprehensive product including probiotics and beneficial yeast which will be supportive overall to their guts when on this trip
3) Keeping up on out normal supplements like vitamin C and Glutathione
Those are two major antioxidants that support your body under stress. Travel and flying is stressful on your body even if you don’t feel it emotionally! I personally feel crappy when flying and need to support my body extra.
4) STAY hydrated on the flight!!
I will be very focused on staying hydrated on our long flights!
5) Personally, I will also be ordering a new Vogmask for the long flights.
After my cancer journey in 2019, I am extra conscientious of any toxin exposure and stressor on my body so these are just a few steps I’ll be taking to be prepared. I’ve already gone through a liver support process for a month which should give my body some breathing room and I will be getting some Vitamins iVs before our travels to really give myself that extra boost!
What tips do you have for traveling with sensitivities?
Is plant based right for me?
Hey there friends!
There are topics I like to avoid and topics that I just love to dive into. This one is somewhere in the middle because I feel the NEED to write this, but also know I’m gonna be ruffling a few feathers here…but alas, here I am.
I have been noticing that more and more people are going “plant based” recently. And I’m fairly certain this is in large part due to the popular Netflix documentary “Game Changers” where they create a convincing argument for being vegetarian/vegan.
I have many problems with this and here are a few:
1) #YOUTRITION
There is NO one diet that works for everyone. Period. End of story. You can’t convince me otherwise.
We all come from different genetic backgrounds and experience different stressors, medical history, and athletic performance levels. Someone that comes from Italy and thrives on a pescatarian or Mediterranean diet will not feel as good eating meat and potatoes. But someone from Scotland will probably be starving and get really fatigued if they start trying to eat like an Italian.
How about this…..what makes you FEEL good? Have you ever stopped to ask yourself how meat or vegetables make you feel? Do you know how you feel after a steak vs fish?
2) Fake news
Documentaries (and news in general) can skew facts, pull them out of context, and make you believe that they want you to believe. You better believe that this documentary was made with the INTENTION of selling you on this lifestyle. It was a not a “let’s seek the truth and discover what works” documentary. Which is fine, just go into it with your eyes wide open.
3) Censorship
This is a documentary on Netflix, a company who happens to block other documentaries with opinions they don’t agree with. Again, this is fine being that they are a private company and have the right to do so…but just like any other news organization, realize that what you have access to is biased.
4) Practicality
It is exceptionally difficult to balance and maintain a HEALTHY vegetarian or vegan diet in the long run. Possible, but difficult. Many vegetarians or vegans will feel better up front and then at a certain point begin to feel worse than they did before they started. Usually because of nutritional deficiencies and sometimes due to choosing more processed foods.
A mom reached out to me to support her vegan daughter - when I asked what her diet looked like it was comprised of jello and vegan processed garbage food. Refined, processed, denatured foods are still garbage, nutrient void, inflammatory foods no matter what label they have. This young lady (despite the urgings from her concerned mother) was unfortunately unwilling to make the necessary changes to feel better and would rather stick to a misplaced ideology than support her body nutritionally.
But WHY do some people feel better when they make the switch?
If someone feels better it’s most likely due to the fact that they are starting out with more plants in their diet which makes everyone feel better. More fruit, more veggies, more nuts, seeds and beans….awesome.
If they feel better away from MEAT, it’s quite possible that:
a) they were previously eating conventional meat which is terrible for you. Conventional beef comes from a poorly treated, grain fed animal and when you stop eating crappy meat, you’ll feel better.
b) It’s also quite possible that if you feel better eating less meat you are genetically predisposed that way. But I did say LESS meat, not no meat. The percent of people that will feel good on NO meat long term seems to be very low.
I have known quite a few ladies recently who have tried “plant based” even for a short term cleansing purpose and simply felt like crap.
Look, I 100% understand wanting to be healthy. Wanting to prioritize plants. And wanting to avoid harming animals. I am with you on all of those things.
But the reality of it is that humans are carnivores and always have been. The choice we really need to make is to choose healthy farming practices, and support the healthy and HUMANE treatment of animals. This means that cows should be pasture raised and 100% grass-fed. It’s only when we feed them grains to fatten them up and support CAFO farming practices that we get skewed omega fatty acid ratios (more inflammatory than anti-inflammatory) and sick cows. Chickens should be pasture raised and free to roam and eat bugs. Basically - what is healthy for nature and the animal, ends up more healthy and nutritious for us.
How about we spend more money on these types of products and drop our consumption to fewer times a week to afford supporting these measures, instead of being so extreme and risking potential nutrient deficiencies?
Meaningless terminology
What the heck is plant based anyway? Vegetarian is plan based. Paleo is plant based. Keto can be plant based. EVERYTHING can be plant based. And frankly, it should be.
How about this….we stop following fads, and simply eat really food? Why not choose to give your body (and mind) flexibility without extreme limitations? Simply commit to choosing the highest quality on a regular basis and asking yourself when you look at a food - will this fuel my body and give it information and nutrients it needs - or not? (By the way, grass-fed beef liver alone provides extremely high amounts of vitamin A. In addition, it’s a great source of B vitamins, CoQ10, amino acids and all the fat soluble vitamins. It’s like nature’s multivitamin.)
When people make dramatic changes in their diets and feel BETTER its usually because they are:
1) EATING MORE REAL FOODS and
2) AVOIDING PROCESSED GARBAGE
It has less to do with the macronutrient content, and more to do with the quality of the foods being eaten.
The sad truth is, that every diet can have a junk food version. Fries and beer are vegetarian and “plant based”. Fast food bun-less burgers and crappy cheeses with fillers are “keto” and a flourless dairy free chocolate cake is “paleo”.
Let’s get honest with ourselves. How many fads have we tried? And how many are you currently still utilizing? Right. They weren’t life changing, they weren’t a magic pill, and they didn’t get you the results you want. So stop. repeating. the cycle.
The real reason we don’t see results is because we aren’t willing to make the DIFFICULT decision. That decision is prioritizing our health over our desires, wants, and fitting in.
We all want pizza. We all want soda. We all want Oreos. It’s EASIER.
Where there is true commitment there will be long term lifestyle decision that are made and that stick. Small steps, made consistently over time is where true change occurs.
When the commitment isn’t truly there, then neither will the results be.
3 things that are more dangerous than
(healthy, grass-fed pasture raised) meat
Gluten
Pesticides
Sugar
But that’s another article for another time :)
Want to dig deeper in the meat debate? Check out these articles below:
https://robbwolf.com/2012/03/14/red-meat-part-healthy-diet/
https://robbwolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Binnie2014.pdf
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/what-does-the-who-report-mean-for-your-meat-eating-habit/
https://thepaleodiet.com/red-meat-paleo-diet-often-type/
“A massive review of 20 studies including 1,218,380 individuals found that processed meat was associated with an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. However, no association was found for unprocessed red meat” https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-red-meat-bad-for-you-or-good#section3
https://chriskresser.com/why-the-optimal-human-diet-includes-animal-protein/
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a20706930/what-diet-is-best-for-the-environment/
Constipation 101 - Everything you need to know, to go!
Hello friends!! Today are going to talk about all things CONSTIPATION!!! That’s right poop. Or rather, lack thereof! We will answer the questions:
Why are you constipated?
Why is constipation bad?
How often should I be pooping?
What can I do about constipation?
So that you can take some action steps TODAY!
This is one of the #1 reasons my clients come to me and also something many are embarrassed to reach out and talk about. I’m here to normalize the conversation and talk about your poo! So let’s get to it!
Why are you constipated?
This is the million dollar question and how to treat the constipation highly depends on the answer! This is why when someone is chronically constipated I always encourage them to #TestDontGuess . Let’s get to the bottom of the CAUSE so that we can not only FIX it, but avoid having this problem in the future!
Causes of constipation can range from:
Lack of water
Lack of fiber
Too much fiber with not enough water
Food sensitivities
Gut damage/inflammation
Pathogens/bacteria/yeast overgrowths in the gut
Stress
Hormone fluctuations
Nutrient deficiencies/Malabsorption of nutrients (damaged gut)
Medications
Eating too much protein
Lead exposure
Mold exposure
Using too many binders
If this is a new issue, take a look at this list and see if you are able to identify anything here that may be the culprit. You can begin working on that right away, or find a practitioner (like me) that will assist you in getting the the bottom of it (pun intended) :)
Why is constipation bad?
Besides general discomfort when constipation becomes a chronic problem, constipation leads to many issues including:
Abdominal pain (pressure/stretching of the colon)
Reabsorption of toxins
Inflammation in the colon
Reabsorption and circulation of hormones (leading to hormone imbalance)
Extra toxic burden for the liver
May lead to weight gain (again toxic load and hormone imbalances)
When thinking about health your poo is one of the FIRST places to start because if you aren't pooping then we can't make progress in a lot of other areas.
For example - if you want to do a cleanse of any kind, nourishing different organs and pulling toxins out of your body, you must start with the colon or all those toxins will get built up, and just make you sicker!
If you want to work on your hormones, you better be pooping! Your liver breaks down toxins, chemicals, and used hormones and sends them off for excretion....if you don't excrete them, they get reabsorbed and can cause hormone imbalances .
If you are going through a gut protocol and targeting parasites, yeast, bacteria - all those fun things that cause bloating, fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, malnourishment and more.... you better be pooping!
Poo is about 60% dead bugs.... In addition to food, chemicals, and hormones, you are also excreting the exoskeletons of your microbiome....if you are killing more off intentionally to help your microbiome rebalance in favor of the good guys, you definitely want to be clearing them out - NOT holding them in!
What is normal poop?
Shockingly, many will tell you that if you poop 3x/week you aren’t constipated. In reality here is what you want to look for in healthy poo:
You poo every day a minimum of once. Preferably 2-3 times.
You poo within 20-45 minutes of waking up
Your poo doesn’t stink up the whole bathroom
You don’t see excessive amounts of undigested foods in your poo
It’s long not chunky (little balls, chunky poos, or hard and uncomfortable to push is leading to constipation)
Should be soft but held together
It’s not a weird color (green, black, yellow etc…) - medium brown color is normal.
You don’t require coffee to go
Do any of these shock you?? I bet you identified with at least one…maybe the coffee??? While a nice lovely perk in the morning, we shouldn’t be dependent on our cup of joe to make us go!
What can I do about constipation?
Again (sorry I’ll say it till it sticks!) I recommend working with a practitioner if this is a CHRONIC ongoing issue, or if it’s becoming chronic with children. If it’s just an occasional annoyance however, there are lots of at home remedies to try that are easy, inexpensive and that you can keep on hand once you find what works for you.
Prunes
Yup! good old prunes. Eat 3-6 dried prunes daily and see if that works for you! If you choose to do a glass of prune juice instead, make sure you drink it after a meal to avoid a big blood sugar spike!
Eliminate Gluten and Dairy
I know I know. I JUST saw your eyes roll. Here I am preaching against gluten and dairy again. I’m sorry, but they are the top two food sensitivities that I consistently see make THE biggest difference! Gluten in literally EVERYONE, and dairy in some (arguably most).
Just try it! What do you have to lose….except poop?
I really believe if you aren’t willing to eliminate these things to SEE if they help - you aren’t REALLY committed to your health. Just like alcohol, if you can’t get rid of it for 30 days….you have a problem my friend ;)
There are several reasons gluten is a problem and I made a video about it here if you want to dig deeper!
Increase fiber and water at the same time
Did you know that if you increase your fiber without increasing your water, that instead of making you poop fiber can also constipate you? POOP!
Make sure you are increasing both at the same time. In addition, don’t be drinking Metamucil to get your daily dose of fiber. Make sure you’re increasing things like broccoli, cabbage, root vegetables, chia seeds, flax seeds and beans.
Some recommend that you increase your fiber to a minimum of 50g a day. I recommend that you take a look at where you are starting from (maybe use myfitnesspal for a few days to get a baseline) and then intentionally add in the foods listed above. Start with a large side of broccoli at dinner for a few days for example and make up to half your plate in veggies at every single meal.
Castor oil packs or internal castor oil
Castor oil is a remedy that many in the holistic world swear by when it comes to constipation. Some use it as a regular castor oil pack and some take it internally. It does appear to be safe when ingested as long as it’s an organic, cold pressed version and dosed appropriately.
Castor oil pack:
Wool or flannel
Organic castor oil
Plastic wrap or towel
Heating pad
Fold the wool cloth into 4ths and soak one side in castor oil. Lay over the liver, cover in plastic wrap or a thin cloth, and then place heating pad on top to drive the old deeper into the skin. Let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour and repeat daily.
For more information on Castor Oil and dosages, click HERE.
Squatty Potty
Did you realize that in some cases it may simply be that you aren’t sitting the way God designed us to sit that may be causing your potty troubles? Squatty potty to the rescue! Simply add this little stepper in front of your potty and put your feet on it every time you need to poo. It helps open up your valves so to speak and let the flo go.
Coffee enemas
People get almost as freaked out by this as they do about going gluten free. But I’m telling you, everyone in my family has done this and it’s not as scary as you think. Coffee enemas are used to clear out the colon, stimulate the production of bile and glutathione - a major antioxidant.
To do a coffee enema boil 4 cups of purified water, add 3 TBS of coffee enema coffee (yes that’s a thing) and let it boil for 5 minutes. Strain the water so the coffee grounds are no longer there, and let it cool to between 98.6 and 101. (right around comfortable body temperature. Too hot or too cold and your body will reject it).
Follow the coffee enema package instructions to proceed. You can learn WAY more about why coffee enemas work HERE.
Things to know:
Start with less coffee and see how you respond
Start will less water ( or break your first one up into 3-4 small doses back to back) to see how you respond
Never ever hold it in if it’s uncomfortable or you have a big urge to poo
Always use lubrication of some sort and never use an enema with open sores or injuries near your butt.
If you are comfortable, the goal is to retain it for 10-12 minutes
Be smart about it.
I did a video all about coffee enemas!
Probiotics
Often, constipation may be due to an imbalance in your gut flora - the good bugs and the bad bugs….bad bugs can make you constipated. I would recommend taking a quality spore probiotic (Megaspore is my favorite) because spore based probiotics get all the way through your system just like food based probiotics. You’ll notice they do not need to be refrigerated and have less strain counts. They don’t need to have as many strains as other probiotics because many of those strains die in the stomach acid and don’t get through your system like spore based probiotics do.
You can purchase Megaspore by setting up an account with my online supplement dispensary here:
Supplements
There are a few supplements that may also help.
Magnesium: if you are constipated you may be in need of magnesium. You can get this through epsom salt baths, topical sprays ( I like EASE magnesium spray) or supplemental form. The best supplemental form of magnesium for constipation is magnesium citrate.
Vitamin C: can also make you go. Vitamin C diarrhea is the only side effect of high doses of vitamin C. As long as it doesn’t bother your stomach as you titrate up, you can take 1000mg every hour until you poop. If you start to feel uncomfortable just stop - but again, there are no know negative side effects other than diarrhea when you hit max capacity.
Dr. Christophers Lower Bowel Formula: is another supplement specifically designed with herbs to help you go. This is something you can take more frequently to avoid getting constipated in the first place.
Senokot: while this is an herbal laxative, it’s a little stronger than something you would want to take daily so I would use this for a limited time to clear out, but would always choose it over miralax or ex-lax!
You may find that a nightly combo of magnesium citrate and vitamin C does the trick! Find what works for you. Always be responsible when it comes to dosages and check with a doctor or practitioner when working with children or existing medical conditions!!
DIG DEEPER
If constipation is a chronic issue for you, don’t simply try to treat the symptom, figure out why it’s happening. I’ve worked with clients for years now with symptoms ranging from daily stomach pain, to chronic constipation, to rotating between constipation and diarrhea and the information we can get from functional labs is priceless!
Instead of guessing, we are able to clearly find healing opportunities in the body and work with nutrition changes, lifestyle modifications and targeted (not guessing) supplementation to address the problems, heal the gut, and get results.
One of my favorite client testimonies was an awesome lady who came to me at a time when she spent 1-2 hours in the bathroom
EVERY MORNING. Within a few weeks of working together, I checked in and she was down about 5 minutes every morning. That’s amazing!!!
Food, supplements, sleep…that’s all great. But if you have bugs causing the problem you’re not going to identify them, or effectively get rid of them, without test results and a target protocol!
Try all the fun tips above FIRST! And if that doesn’t help, let’s talk!
You can always schedule a health assessment call with me to see if working together is right for you :) ** (serious applicants only)
Want more content like this plus recipes, challenges, and a community of likeminded #YOUtrition seekers? Join my free FB community #YOUtrition - Nutrition that works for YOU!
To you and your healthy poo :)
References:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/apt.12913
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4403030/
http://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO200503039787121.page
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
3 things that trash your gut (and what you can do about it)
Hello friends!
I’m sitting on my hotel patio in sunny California this morning getting ready to attend the Mindshare Collaborate summit! I had some down time before everything gets rolling and wanted to share a few things that get our tummies into trouble and of course….what the heck we can do about it!
Almost all of my personal clients have SOME sort of gut distress whether it be bloating, constipation, stomach pain or acid reflux. Below are just a few things to consider when experiencing some of these problems!
Stress
YES STRESS!!! I put this point first because of ALL the things we want to address, stress is the one that we most want to overlook. We are busy, we live in a world where we want to go go go, drink all the coffee, and accomplish all the things….but stress is really the underlying problem that contributes to the development of disease, but also our seeming inability to heal once we experience symptoms….
Poor food choices
Well, obviously, you knew that I couldn’t mention tummy troubles without mentioning food. I promote #YOUtrition which means there is no one right diet that works for everyone HOWEVER there is ONE food I get hard core with my clients on and insists that they eliminate 100% and that is wheat/gluten.
The overarching principles that work for everyone are:
Avoid gluten like it’s the plague (it’s soaked in glyphosate which kills your beneficial gut bugs and gluten is inflammatory)
Avoid processed foods as much as possible and when needing something quick, choose foods that technically could be made at home if you had the time or inclination ( always read labels to determine this!)
Limit sugar intake. This might be the hardest right?! 3 things you could incorporate right away that make a big difference:
Stop drinking soda ( and don’t switch to diet)
Stop drinking latte’s and drink black coffee (I like Foursigmatic) or cold brew with a splash of vanilla almond or coconut milk
don’t have sugar in your house. Ever. ( This way if you are going out to eat and want a gf dessert you don’t stress about the sugar - it’s treat! But you also don’t have a bag full of white sugar at home just waiting to be used.
Overuse of Antibiotics, NSAIDS and pharmaceuticals
There is a time and place for all of these, but they are grossly overused in a culture where we seek a quick fix and a pill for every ill instead of putting the time and extra effort in to live a healthy lifestyle, get to the underlying problems causing the symptoms we want to relieve, and prioritize nutritional density like our lives depend on it (which they do by the way) :)
So what can you do about it?
Well, LIMITING your stress, ditching gluten sugar, and processed foods, and being mindful anytime you need to use prescription or over the counter symptoms reliever.
If your’e reading this then chances are you’ve been exposed to gluten, sugar, stress and prescriptions so I want to dig a little deeper into a few more things you can incorporate right away
Probiotics
I encourage everyone to use a quality spore based probiotic like Megaspore! Thats my favorite, and if you would like a recommendation, just shoot me your email and I’m happy to set yup an account for you! After stress, and, well, LIFE, it’s important to make sure we are refueling our guts with the good guys.
I also encourage you to begin incorporating probiotic rich foods like kimchi and sauerkraut on a regular basis! YUM. I love some good sauerkraut next to my meat and veggies!
Soothe and Repair
Beyond feeding our guts the good stuff, we want to make sure that the damaged caused from all our past bad habits (hello Mountain Dew and Oreos!) are healed - a great supplements like GI Repair from Innate response is filled with soothing herbs like marshmallow root, aloe, slipper elm, and include L-Glutamine which helps the cells in your gut lining repair themselves!
Bring in the JOY
Stress relief is about so much more than just becoming ZEN and getting into yoga, meditation and mindfulness. It’s a bout BALANCE which means you also need to create a life you live and include things that make you joyful and happy. Laugh more - spend time with friends, watch silly movies, take a hike and connect to nature, and walk barefoot outside!
What tips have you found helpful? I’d love to hear below! Share this post with a friend you think might find this useful!
3 Day Refresh
Hey there!!!! I am MORE than anxious to kickstart my healing journey and to give myself a solid 3 day boost, I recently finished the 3 day refresh from Beachbody!
Now before you think I’m just pushing an MLM product….let me share my Beachbody history and thoughts with you :). A few years ago (2015) I began my pursuit of a healthier, stronger me by joining an online fitness group using Beachbody workouts (21 day fix, etc!). I LOVED IT. I decided to sign up as a coach and actively worked that as a job for about 2 years.
The reason I “walked away” from that isn’t because I disliked it, but because I found my true calling as an FDN, and my focus on physical perfection became less and less important as I became more and more obsessed with the idea of lifelong vitality, internal health, spiritual health and exercise in moderation.
That being said, I promise to ALWAYS be honest with you and that means sharing things that I like AND don’t like about certain companies or products….so I don’t want you to assume that because I’m sharing a Beachbody product that I endorse everything they sell.
For example, here are a few things I do not endorse/support about Beachbody:
The exercise every day no matter what mindset
The portion control for life mindset (container system)
Many of their performance supplements/shakes (ingredients or quality or purpose)
Folic acid and fortification in the whey shakeology and Vanilla Fresh shakes (not necessary and not ok for people with MTHFR - which many people don’t know they have)
What I DO like about Beachbody:
Really great at home workout programs (as long as you don’t get obsessed and can still listen to your body and take breaks!)
Beachbody on Demand option allowing for streaming of yoga, bodybuilding or HIIT workouts in your own home
In their health and wellness line overseen by Isabela Daikler and Darin Olien the quality and thought that goes into their products is amazing - this includes Shakeology, 3 day refresh and the 21 day ultimate reset. This line is very separate and distinct from their performance/athletic line and is highly focused on deep nutrition and gut health - things I LOVE!
I really do LOVE vegan shakeology. There are several reasons I love it including the amount of nutrition you get in one shake, the flavor that beats all other protein shake competition, and their actual concern for the quality of the ingredients from around the world. In fact, whenever they do an ingredient or product formula overhaul I’m always pleased with their reasoning. The more research I did, the more I was impressed with their dedication to a truly healthy product packed with superfoods. That and the fact that I simply feel better when I drink it! Trust me - I stopped drinking it for 2 months and as soon I brought it back in I noticed a difference!
Whew! Now that we have that out of the way :) I’ve been struggling this past year with my love for SOME of their products, but my focus on building my own brand and not wanting to come off as promoting an MLM. But basically, I’ve gotten over it. I’m going to share products I love with you regardless of where they come from. But I will NOT share a product that I DON’T love, just because it comes from a company I like and support. Make sense?
3 Day Refresh
This is the second time I’ve done the 3 day refresh and each time was different! I remember a few years ago when I tried it I was super hungry and had some major carb cravings. This time, much deeper into my health journey, I was full most of the time and really didn’t have any cravings at all!
What is it?
3 day refresh is a like a little digestive break, detox kick for your body
3 days of nutrition guidance along with restricted calories and specific fiber and protein shakes throughout the day
What it is not
A permanent weight loss solution
A total gut healing package
Quick fix
When should I do it?
Before or after a vacation
When you need a boost to your metabolism
When you just feel stuck
When you need to get a good dose of fiber
When you feel like your digestion needs a break
If you want to ease your way into a 24 hour fast
Now, just to be clear, I don’t normally encourage extreme calorie reduction or portion control as part of a long term maintenance success plan. But for a focused 3 day thing, I view it as a modified fasting program and because it is so short, as long as you get back to real life by using real food afterwards without extreme deprivation and restriction…your’e good to go :)
Your day consists of 3 protein shakes, 2-3 servings of veggies,
2 servings of fruit, and some healthy fats.
Some people experience pretty significant weight loss, but that should not be the goal of this 3 days because most of that is not a maintainable weight loss. If your goal is to focus on veggies, increase your protein and fiber intake, help your poo and digestion improve and get your mind re-focused on healthy eating, then this 3 day refresh is a great idea!!!
If you are looking for a magic pill or sick fix then, well, the isn’t it.
My personal approach
A few modifications I made for my 3 days:
I could have coffee if I wanted (black or with a tiny splash of almond milk
I eye-balled the veggie and fruit portions
I didn’t organize all the meals/servings in the exact order they came on the plan. For example if I wasn’t hungry I’d save my lunch veggie and add it to my dinner veggie for more servings
I didn’t do raw veggies which you are supposed to use for lunch since my immune system was recovering from cheno
You can use this however YOU want and modify it as needed! It all depend on your personal goals.
Have any questions? Let me know! :)
Supplements I used during chemo
Hello friends!
Many of you have been interested in my use of an integrative approach to treatment during my 3 months of chemotherapy. I chose to follow the conventional method for 3 main reasons:
I wanted to stay home close to my family alternative care centers are based throughout the country and the world but would require me to live there for periods of time)
My specific cancer has an extremely high success rate when treated with chemo. This is not the case for all cancers. Even my holistic minded, naturopathic and functional medicine friends pointed me in this direction for this case.
I had already done SO much with supplementation and lifestyle, my goal was to eliminate the burden of the tumor in my body so that I could continue with my healthy lifestyle allowing it to remain in remission.
That being said, I took a very integrative approach to treatment and we spent over $20K out of pocket to incorporate things like a detox specialist (using after treatment) an emotional code therapist (to dig deeper to any emotional blocks or issues I needed to release that may be hindering my healing, hiring an integrative oncologist/naturopath to guide me through supplementation to counteract any side effects from the chemo and protect my body through the process keeping it as strong as possible, and Vitamin C IVs on the off weeks to help me recover, but also to act as an assist to the chemo itself.
That’s a pretty hefty price tag but one we were willing to pay. Choosing conventional treatment was something Patrick and I both had peace about, but living with long term side effects like heart damage, lung problems, or peripheral neuropathy was NOT something I wanted to deal with later. In my view, choosing to pay quite a bit up front to support my body through this journey is in replacement of paying for long term medical care the rest of my life.
One of the most effective and affordable portions of my investment were the supplements and many have asked what used! I wanted to share them below but first I must say that I don’t recommend just reading a book and incorporating supplements, or guessing at what your body needs. I know quite a bit about supplementation and my body but I hired a specialist to guide me through the process and the tweaks and adjustment she helped me make were invaluable the past 3 months. If you would like to hire the same woman I used you can visit her website at www.drheatherpaulson.com
So let’s get to it! Below are al the supplements I was taking by the end of my treatment and that I will remain taking for the next few months.
Most were recommended by my naturopath, some were from personal preference, some were added as we went along and some I was horrible at taking.
Acetyl L Carnitine - For protecting my heart, lungs, kidneys and possibly helping fatigue
L- glutamine - to maintain muscle mass, heal my gut and epithelial lining, prevent mouth sores, and protect against neuropathy
Vitamin E - immune system support
Vitamin D - immune system support
CoQ10 - protect the heart and mitochondrial support
Beef liver - provides B vitamins, Fit A, selenium, and I always feel better on it. In fact, I didn’t take this the first part of my treatments and I’m fairly certain my hair stopped falling out in conjunction with when I brought it back in to my daily regimen
Marrow plus - added in once my WBC began dropping after treatments.
Amy Myers Multivitamin - this was just a multi I really love and was already taking - I ran out and didn’t refill it towards the end just because I was taking so many other things
Vitamin C - immune system support
Complete B-Complex - B vitamins are very helpful with energy and preventing neuropathy. Always look for a high quality b complex that uses folate or L methyfolate and not folic acid
Alphs Lipoic Acid - protects against neuropathy
B-6 (pyridoxal 5 phosphate) - assist with nausea
Biocidin - this is an herbal antibiotic and I didn’t take this at first, but after getting an infection, spending an night in the hospital, and having to be on a ROUGH and strong antibiotic for 10 days, I immediately added this back in when that was over and never had any more problems. It’s the safest, most gentle and still most effecti antibiotic alternative I know of.
Fish oil - for inflammation and cell health. I was horrible at takin this but intend to be much more religious about it during recovery
Curcumin - anti-inflammatory - again I was horrible with taking this just on top of everything else!
And there you have it! This ended up being a VERY large handful of supplements at breakfast with a few second doses later in the day when I could remember and or make my self do it. It was quite a bit. But I will say, I think it helped me tremendously :)
Want more encouragement, tips, and information on integrative care? Join my free community
Healthy Through Hodgkins!
God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.
We hear this phrase often, but do we really believe it? Over the past 7 months, it would be easy for me to become depressed, discouraged, angry, frustrated and so much more. I mean, who dedicates their life to getting healthy and helping others stay healthy and then gets cancer? Doesn’t seem fair does it…
But because of my faith, I knew from the start that:
There was a plan
Whether I enjoyed the process or not, there was a purpose and
I would come out strong in the end andlearn some yet unknown lessons that needed to be learned
And sure enough, here I am, at the end of this journey (and the beginning of a new one) having fulfilled each of those things.
Plan
Not surprisingly, from day 1, I saw that God had been planning this journey for several years.
I discovered my tumor had been there for 2 years
I discovered later that cancer develops (like autoimmune diseases, another form of immune system dysregulation) over 7-10 years
I knew that had I not gotten sick in 2015, I wouldn’t have become an FDN
Had I not become and FDN, I wouldn’t have gotten to deep into healing, and already put in several years of work
Had I not put in the work, this journey may have been much more difficult for me
Had I not become an FDN and really invested in myself and my business I wouldn’t have gone to Mindshare (a networking summit with some of the top functional medicine docs around the country)
Had I not gone to Mindshare, I wouldn’t have had access to any of the experts I used to guide me through this process (detox expert, emotional healing expert, integrative naturopath specializing in cancer)
Had I not had access to these people I may have experiences loads more symptoms and not recovered as quickly in between treatments. I am walking away with no long term effects on my heart, lungs, or nerves and during the process I never experienced severe constipation, or pain of any kind. The most regular symptoms for me were fatigue, nausea and some acid reflux/discomfort from the epithelial lining being so raw from this process. I didn’t even lose all my hair ( I really think it stopped when I started taking beef liver again!) I had some many people praying for me across the country - I know that God protected me in many ways throughout this process.
So…..You see…..from the beginning I knew there was a plan. God knew that this was part of my journey and he set me up to navigate it as successfully as I possibly could. He blinded my eyes to the tumor ( which I could see in pictures stating 2 years prior) until it was the right time and I knew the right people.
But for whatever reason….this was still something He wanted me to experience.
Purpose
I knew there was some purpose to this. Maybe it was to solidify my stance that there is benefit to both conventional and natural medicines….maybe it was to strengthen my faith….maybe it was to help me empathize with clients and understand the body better….
Whatever the reason, I knew there was a purpose. And while I have learned MANY lessons, and had many A HA! moments, I may learn the ultimate purpose much later….or never at all….
Discovery
The first 3 months were the hardest. My body was shocked with this new treatment, I didn’t know what to expect, and anytime my white blood cells tanked it scared me. Everything was so new. The second treatment was the hardest as I ended up with an infection and an overnight hospital stay. This effectively eliminated my recovery period between treatments and so I wasn’t as strong going into the 3rd. But then around this time, I decided I really needed to continue living my life. I couldn’t just STOP living and so as I felt well, I did things that made me happy like singing and being around people again.
And throughout this last half of treatment I had revelation upon revelation about the kind of person I want to be, the kind of life I want to live, how I want to relate to other people and even how I want to run my business.
This isn’t to diminish the pain, fear, and uncertainty of this process. It’s not fun, and treatment weekends are the worst. Over the next 3 days I’ll spend most of my time in bed, popping nausea pills, sleeping, and forcing myself to drink water that to me tastes disgusting just to avoid dehydration which makes EVERYTHING worse.
But I simply don’t know how I would have navigated this without my faith. Without knowing that God had a plan, I wouldn’t have been looking for it. Without assuming there was a purpose, I wouldn’t have been able to keep my mentality positive and hopeful. Without knowing that there were lessons to be learned, I wouldn’t have be open to receiving all the downloads I was being divinely sent.
This was something I was meant to go through. I’m thankful that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I praise God for knowing what I needed, and I can’t wait to implement my new life goals. Some of the best things in life come from the most painful experiences. I hope I never have to go through this again, but the battle was worth the win.
10 ways to combat nausea during chemotherapy
Hey Hey Diva friends!!
Between chemo, antibiotics, and changes in my diet this process has been a nightmare for someone always focused on gut health and supporting my microbiome!!!
BUT I chose this path and know that it’s only temporary. I also know that I have all the tools to build my gut back up once I get through this….so meanwhile, I’m left with managing symptoms and by far, the biggest struggle for me has been nausea. Between myself, my doctor and my naturopath, I’ve discovered some tips that may help YOU or someone you love when experiencing this. Feel free to share it with a friend!
Something to understand about nausea is that everyone’s body, treatment and personal experience is different and some nausea is stronger than others. You may or may not actually feel like throwing up, you might just feel “off”. So this list ranges from homeopathic to prescription remedies, and from things to smell to things to ingest. Where I would normally advocate getting to the root cause of nausea so you don’t have to live on a prescription, when undergoing chemotherapy the treatment itself may BE the cause, and it’s certainly not something to mess around with.
In Chinese medicine they talk about yin and yang, hot and cold and that’s another great way of thinking about this as well. Some days you may have excess heat and so a “cold” remedy like peppermint may help but other days you may have excess cold and a “hot” remedy like ginger may sound better to you.
Listen to your body and when reading this list, some things may sound more appealing than others. Go with your gut!
Ginger Zevia. This is basically chemical and sugar free ginger ale! When you’re drinking something to combat nausea you want to make sure you’re not also drinking a bajillion calories, or other harmful chemicals that stress your body. This is a great option for mild to medium level nausea, but I would be careful if you have a lot of digestive complaints, acid reflux, or stomach pains as well because carbonation can be irritating in those cases. You can usually find this at your local grocery store and if they don’t carry it your local heath foods store.
Ginger Tea. This would be a warm, non-carbonated way to get some tummy settling ginger and an easy way to get some beneficial honey in as well! To me, warm drinks did NOT sound appealing, but if it sounds good to you this is a great option.
Peppermint Tea. Peppermint, along with ginger, has been used for centuries to combat nausea! Lesser known than ginger it can be just as effective.
Peppermint essential oil. I personally really liked this option. You can take a whiff of the bottle and keep it with you, use a diffuser in your room, or carry a hand diffuser with you like this one.
Peppermint gum or hard candies.
Preggie Pops. I haven’t personally tried these, but I heard that they are really helpful. My naturopath explained that nausea induced by chemotherapy hits the same parts of our brain as pregnancy nausea. These pops include helpful essential oils and if you are also experiencing funny tastes in your mouth from the treatment this may be a helpful option to distract your brain.
Gluten Free toast. I can never recommend regular bread ( do you even know me?!) but sometimes toast really does seem to help. I personally like the brand Eban’s Bakehouse and would add some grass-fed butter and honey on top! I liked using this honey for the added benefits of the bee pollen, propolis, and royal jelly!
Prescription nausea meds. To me, these are something to use as needed. By that I mean, I am more likely to use these the first 48 hours after chemo and when nausea is persistent or stronger. These come with their own side effects like constipation, headaches or fatigue, so I like to minimize my usage and incorporate as many other options as I can when they work.
Medical cannabis. No, I am not advocating that you go buy a joint off the street. It's critical to do this legally and keep your doctor informed! Some people find that this is by far the most effective nausea remedy they can use. I did find that it helps, but I also don’t love it. There are ways to vape it or get a tincture and since vaping really feels like smoking and well…YUCK, I prefer to use the tincture. Vaping can hit your system a bit faster, but the tincture works pretty quickly as well and has the added benefit of being able to titrate up 1 drop at a time until you find what dose works well for you.
Increase your protein. I know it can be hard the days immediately surrounding treatment because if you’re anything like me, my diet is anything but normal during that time (hello homemade jello, dairy free ice cream pops and gluten free toast 10x a day!). But as soon as you are able to get back to “regular” foods and meals, try to increase your protein. If eating a steak doesn’t sound good to you, simply adding a scoop of protein to your daily protein shake can be helpful too.
Overall, listen to your body!! It knows what it needs and does a pretty good job of communicating. So if you are craving a certain kind of food, go with it! At least during the really tough days. You can use the rest of the days to fill your meals up with nourishing fruits, veggies and gut healing foods!
I hope this was helpful - do you know someone struggling with their chemo treatment?
Feel free to share this post! Know of additional remedies? Please drop them below!
Massaged Kale with Fennel Salad
This salad is delightfully nourishing and gives you all the benefits of kale, without the digestive distress. When you massage kale you break down some of the tough fibers in the cell wall that make raw kale hard to digest.
If you normally have trouble digesting kale the solution is to either steam your kale or massage it. This recipe is one of my clients favorites! You still get all the amazing benefits of raw kale: the enzymes, magnesium, vitamin C and more.
Massaging nourishing oil and lemon juice into the kale also help make the nutrients more bioavailable and easier to assimilate. Plus, it tastes delicious and can be paired with grilled chicken or fish for a classic healthy meal.
Ingredients
1 bunch kale, chopped
1 large lemon, juiced
1 large garlic clove, minced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup thinly sliced fennel (optional if you don’t like the taste of licorice)
¼ cup pine nuts
Directions
Add kale to a large mixing bowl along with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Using clean, bare hands, massage the kale until it is wilted (about 2 to 3 minutes).
Once the kale is ready, top your salad with carrots, celery, fennel, and pine nuts. No extra dressing is needed.
If kale is something that’s hard to digest for you, there might be a deeper issue that needs to be addressed. If you want to be able to eat whatever you want and have no digestive issues, you need to check out my gut health program. These principles have truly transformed my life as well as countless others.
Check out my new 6 week program Stop Dieting and Live Your L.I.F.E - Discover your #YOUtrition launching February 11! Or join me for one of my upcoming webinars where you will learn more about your #YOUtrition and have the chance to ask me any questions!!
Are vitamin IVs right for you?
Hey Hey Diva friends!
WOW what a whirlwind this past month has been. My blogging has taken a serious hit with everything else going on - if you want to make sure you don't miss anything ( blogs, youtube videos, podcast episodes and more) make sure you're subscribed to my newsletter! I roundup everything I've been working on weekly and share it with my VIPS (pssst! thats you!) :)
I just got back from the 2018 Mindshare Summit in San Diego and I am STILL running running all day every day trying to keep up with everything I learned, the changes I'm making, connecting with new friends etc.... stay tuned... some SUPER exciting things are coming down the pike- I have a feeling 2019 is going to be AMAZING!
I'm also only a few days out from heading BACK to San Diego for the 10 year anniversary FDN conference. I'm particularly excited to meet all my fellow FDNs in an environment of networking, business education and further health education. I can't wait to learn more and more!
Because I knew that this month would be so busy (hello jet lag!) I wanted to give myself a boost and try some IV nutritional therapy (or vitamin IVs). I've been aware of them for a few years and didn't think much of it outside of extreme health cases or cancer treatment.
Like many things however, vitamin IV therapy can be used in many ways for many reasons and, because I always like to try things (within reason) before recommending them to my clients I began to search out local places to get them done.
I thought this month would be perfect to help boost my energy in between business trips. I figured the additional side effects of boosting my immune system and increasing my vitamin levels would be a bonus, but it turns out the timing couldn't have been better.
Just before my first IV, I received my Spectracell micronutrient testing results back and they showed a few vitamin deficiencies including a few B vitamins and Vitamin C.
There are many reasons for deficiencies like this, but since I'm still in the process of working on my own gut health and I just wrapped up a protocol to eliminate 3 (yes THREE) parasites, 2 of which were intracellular (meaning they wreak havoc on my cell structure) and a suppressed immune system, it made sense to me that the vitamins I am absorbing from my food - particularly vitamin C and B vitamins used for metabolism, energy production and immune system regulation would be depleted.....
SO back to the IV therapy! The timing was perfect. I received my test results only a few days before going into my first appointment. The particular clinic I went to is run by a doctor and so the initial patient visit was able to be submitted to insurance as my annual physical ( two birds!) but the IV treatments were/will be all out of pocket.
Once I got my physical, I showed the doc my tests results and began discussing the IV therapies. Luckily for me, this doc (one of only 2 I found in the area) is pretty flexible and actually asked if I'd like the IV that day. Knowing that I was traveling soon I said heck yes! And can I schedule another one for the 10 days I'm home in between trips?! :)
Depending on who you go to, you may be able to get personalized vitamin therapy - they mix the IVs before each one so you can actually change the dosage and types of vitamins in each bag. Most of the time they will offer certain popular combinations like the Meyers Cocktail, Vitamin C, or a Glutathione boost.
For me and my test results, a Meyers Cocktail addressed almost everything I needed anyway so instead of asking them to personalize it I just asked for a Meyers IV.
Meyer Cocktail
- B complex
- B12
- Vit C
- Magnesium
My experience:
The first IV was no problem! I hate needles and always get a little uncomfortable but other than a slight ache in my forearm it was no big deal. I had been curious how I'd feel since my only IV experiences have been in emergency situations where they pump you full of pain medications and by that point you really don't care about anything because you're so loopy!
The first IV was fairly slow - it took about an hour - once the nurse noticed it was going so slow she sped it up and it seems to go much faster.
Don't expect to come out of the office feeling way different- it's not something that takes effect immediately. Rather, you will probably notice results over the next few days to a week!
The next week I was having a great time in San Diego hob nobbing with some of the coolest people in the health industry and functional medicine fields. Being on west coast time and staying up late was EXHAUSTING and so I was super excited when I noticed one of the vendors was offering IV's right there at Mindshare! So of course, I signed up to get a boost.
Initially, I was going to get a full bag but I was running short on time so I opted for a smaller bag with just the B vitamins. This IV was super fast super easy, and super helpful midweek.
I had already scheduled a full Meyers cocktail for a few days after I got home and I figured it couldn't hurt to help me get back on track and minimize jet lag so I could be as productive as possible the 10 days in between trips. This IV didn't go off without a hitch but it wasn't too much of an issue- the nurse wasn't quite ready with everything and before she hooked up the IV I gushed blood but nothing painful or traumatic ha!
Overall I noticed that my energy and digestion both improved over the past few weeks. This was probably particularly effective for me since like I said I was actually deficient in a few of these vitamins to begin with, but most people who struggle with digestive issues, autoimmune conditions or chronic fatigue would most likely be in a similar boat and experience similar results!
Let's talk about the pros and cons:
Cons:
- Must pay out of pocket (approximately $130-180 per treatment)
- Take 1-2 hours of your day including drive time depending on location the office and duration of IV
- Difficult if you are squeamish around needles or blood
- Not many people offer these services so shopping around is difficult and you may not LOVE your provider if you have limited options in your area
Pros:
- Bypasses your digestion (super helpful for those working on gut health -this can be a HUGE boost in terms of speeding up your healing process and helping you navigate lifestyle changes by increasing your energy levels)
- Fast results! IV's get straight into your blood stream expediting your body's ability to absorb and utilize the vitamins immediately
- Optional treatment which means YOU are in control - you can request to get this done as often as you feel is helpful
- Can potentially be personalized - unique IV mix for YOUR nutritional needs
- Can help those with fatigue, pain, malnutrition, digestion problems, those who travel regularly or have vitamin deficiencies get a leg up and begin healing more quickly.
Takeaway
Overall, I found the experience to be incredibly helpful. I realize that this is a significant investment for most, but think about this...If you are someone struggling with fatigue to the point where you are missing work.....you are so tired you can't get out of bed to get your kids on the bus....your gut is damaged to the point where you aren't absorbing the nutrients from the awesome food you are eating....or you are spending hundreds of dollars on supplements that you can't properly utilize.....spending a few hundred bucks to get your body on track is SO WORTH IT.
Many don't realize that a something as simple as a vitamin deficiency can cause anxiety, inflammation, fatigue etc!!!!
After investing in the IVs you can maintain this level of energy and health through lifestyle, nutrition and targeted supplementation to keep you on track ( which is what I'm doing!). I'm currently supplementing with my deficient nutrients and will continue to do so for a few months before retesting to see if I'm back to normal.
Remember, supplements and protocols aren't for life. It's difficult to get what we need from our food particularly if you are really active, use a lot of energy during the day, live a stressful life, travel a lot, or struggle with chronic illness!!!
I would highly recommend giving it a try and researching good providers in your local area.
What are your thoughts? Have you, or
would you try nutritional IV therapy??
Watermelon Juice
Hey Hey Diva friends!!!
The 4th is TOMORROW and I'm sure you are heading to a BBQ or inviting friends over to celebrate while YOU grill out....either way, I wanted to share one of THE most insole yet delightful recipes I've recently stumbled upon....that is...WATERMELON JUICE!
Why make the juice instead of eating the fruit? I actually think it helps the watermelon taste sweeter. Think about it- when you cut the watermelon up, all the juice drains to the bottom of the bowl...when you make watermelon juice, you drink EVERYTHING and it tastes incredibly delicious!
Here's what you need:
- 1 very red, very ripe watermelon
- Blender
- Yup - that's it!!
- Cut your watermelon into small enough chunks to fit comfortably in the blender
- Blend
- Chill
If you really want to be fancy, garnish with some mint or berries or even top with some homemade whipped cream. When you stumble upon a truly ripe watermelon this incredibly basic recipe is truly a delight!
When things aren't perfect...hacking your digestion and PMS bonus tips!
Hey Hey Diva friends!
Recently I've been sharing my free guide: 5 steps to crushing your PMS where I share my biggest lifestyle tips on how to reduce inflammation, support your hormones, and get your cycle back on track. These are simple, but big steps and ones that may take some time to implement....
So....what happens if you're say...on vacation like I was when my last period started and things are NOT to perfect? You're drinking coffee, enjoying some sweet treats....etc....
Here are some extra bonus hacks to go along with the guide to dig a little deeper and give your body that extra support!
4 bonus tips to crush your PMS
1) Take extra nutrients.
During our vacation I KNEW I would be splurging so I planned ahead and purchased some Bulletproof Unfair Advantage
This little liquid supplement is good for your brain, cells and mitochondrial health. I took 2-3 a day while on vacation!!!
You may also want to increase your magnesium intake as stress (travel) can deplete it (most of us are already deficient!). I like Dr. Mercola L Threonate as it's one form of magnesium that has been shown to cross the blood brain barrier. Magnesium is important in over 700+ enzymatic functions in the body including recovery, muscle soreness, energy, and quality sleep!
2) Get on top of inflammation.
I knew my period was coming, even though I thought it would come once I got HOME....so I wanted to make sure I stayed on top of any inflammation that may occur from less than stellar nutrition choices that week. I made sure to take 1-2 fish oil supplements at each meal in addition to eating lots and lots of REAL fish that was easily available at the resort!
We (American's) are often too high in omega 6 fatty acids. This is often due to poor diet and exposure to processed oils like soy, peanut, and canola in our processed foods and not enough omega 3s which are anti inflammatory. One 3s are found in fish, walnuts, and seeds like chia and flax. Recommendations vary but an acceptable ratio is 4:1 omega 6 to omega 3 and most in America are more like 26:1. Ideally in a perfect world you could get 1:1.
I also took some ALEVE. Not much, but I have had SUCH pain in the past it made me nervous if I felt anything at all and I wanted to stay on top of it. NSAIDS can really wreak havoc on your stomach lining and gut in general. Often regular use of NSAIDS for pain, sinus infections etc... are a precursor for leaky gut and inflammation in the first place. So we want to avoid them as much as possible. They can however provide a valuable service on occasion when used in the appropriate way.
I do try to balance my NSAID use with a scoop of Innate - GI RESPONSE which is loaded with gut soothing and healing ingredients. This allows me to rest easy and I would recommend taking a scoop along with the NSAID.
**I would also not recommend you continue taking ALEVE every 2-3 hours or anything like that...take as minimal a dose as you can to feel comfortable and move on.
3) Digestive enzymes.
I take these anyways but if you don't you might want to on vacation. I ADD one on vacation called GlutenEase in case of cross contamination. The nice thing about this particular supplement however is that it also helps you break down casein so if I am choosing to eat extra dairy for example, I'll still take one.
Enzymes are just an extra boost to help your break down and process your food efficiently. The LAST thing you want on vacation is to get constipated or bloated - yuck!
4) DETOX.
Let's face it - NO ONE is perfect on vacation. You may want to include some gentle detox a few times that week. Activated charcoal is a great natural binder. It swoops in and grabs things like heavy metals, toxins, and things that may cause you discomfort, bloating or gas. It binds to those buggers and sweeps them out with your poo. :)
Let's just stop for a moment and clarify that I am NOT recommending you take these additional steps as an EXCUSE to binge and party for a week. We still ate incredibly healthy while on vacation - got lots of vitamin D, even worked out several times that week. But out of our normal routine we also included lots of treats, we relaxed, didn't stress and enjoyed our time and food.
Stress can play a MAJOR factor in how you feel, how you digest, and how your body handles your next cycle. I am happy to report than when my period came it was non-eventful. No pain, issues - just hello I'm here, have a nice day.
To ME that is progress. To ME who used to WRITH on the floor in pain, that is a miracle. So a few dietary tweaks, a few changes here and there, thinking ahead for vacation...TOTALLY WORTH IT.
Think you can't have a perfect period? Think it's too good to be true? Download my free guide today and get started!
*Kylene is an Amazon associate and the links provided in this post are affiliate links.
What does working out do for you except make you stronger?
Hey Hey Diva friends!!!
I love bringing information YOU WANT so thank you to everyone who has recently taken the survey I posted. IF you haven't yet, you can click the link below....it gives me feedback so I can bring you the best content! It also allows for you to ask me a questions and today I'm going to answer one that I received...
What does working out do for you
except make you stronger?
Great question! Do we really NEED to workout? What if we don't want to get "bulky" or have bigger muscles? Is there really a need?!
Well yes....and no....By now, I think you know my first answer is always that it depends on your body. In special circumstances (like when you're in the exhaustive phases of HPA axis dysregulation, or, adrenal fatigue) working out can act as a negative stressor to your body and should be avoided. Gentle and healing movements like walking, jumping on a trampoline and light yoga should then be the focus....
But for everyone else that is healthy and in a position to work out, what are the benefits? First of all, I'm going to answer this in the context of strength training (using weights) because I think anyone that is healthy enough to do so, SHOULD! Secondly, when I talk about strength training it applies to anyone lifting any sort of weight whether you use heavy weights with low repetition or light weights with lots of repetition....your body, your goals!
I always like to take the future view. Sure working out helps you look better NOW, but what does it do for your future? Well, it helps your bones, your heart, your muscles, and helps you avoid disease for starters!
Strength Training Helps Your Bones
While nutrition plays a huge roll in bone health (hello soda SUCKING the caffeine and minerals right outta your bones!) so does lifting weights.
In an article titled "The effects of progressive resistance training on bone density", it was shown that: "Physical activity, particularly weight-bearing exercise, is thought to provide the mechanical stimuli or "loading" important for the maintenance and improvement of bone health, whereas physical inactivity has been implicated in bone loss and its associated health costs."
Whether it be soup cans, or 30lb dumbbells it's important to lift things on a regular basis to not only maintain, but improve your bone health!!!! Wanna avoid breaking that hip when you're older? Lift some weights my friend!
Strength Training Helps Your Heart
We all know that cardio helps our....cardiovascular system DUH! But did you know that strength training, also known as cross training, helps your heart, circulation, and lymph systems too? Getting in some strength training ( even if it's only 20-30 minutes 3x a week) can still get your heart rate up at the same time that you are improving your strength. This works double time at improving your endurance!
This is why it's so important for anyone wanting to run a marathon (or just a 5k like me) to diversify their training routines and include some strength training as well. It helps balance your muscles, and improves your overall results! I'm partial to strength training because it improves my ability to run a 5k without me having to run all the time to prepare for it! The stronger I have gotten in the gym, the easier it is for me to pop out and run a 5k without "practicing".....
Strength Training Helps Your Muscles
Well, OBVIOUSLY.....but why is this important? Because the more muscle mass you have when you are younger = less muscle loss as you age. Again, if you want to get in and out of that recliner when you're 90 without it being a mechanic assist, you need more muscle mass in your younger years and you need to maintain movement and activity throughout your life.
We have all seen 90 year olds that look 65 and 45 year olds that look 90. Only a teeny tiny percent of that is genetics. The rest is based on how you eat, how you think, and how you live your life! Move now, so you can move later.
Hello, World!
Strength Training Helps Avoid Chronic Disease
Mayo Clinic shares some benefits of strength training in managing or preventing chronic disease:
- Heart disease. Regular exercise can help improve your heart health. Recent studies have shown that interval training is often tolerated well in people with heart disease, and it can produce significant benefits.
- Diabetes. Regular exercise can help insulin more effectively lower your blood sugar level. Physical activity also can help you control your weight and boost your energy.
- Asthma. Often, exercise can help control the frequency and severity of asthma attacks.
- Back pain. Regular low-impact aerobic activities can increase strength and endurance in your back and improve muscle function. Abdominal and back muscle exercises (core-strengthening exercises) may help reduce symptoms by strengthening the muscles around your spine.
- Arthritis. Exercise can reduce pain, help maintain muscle strength in affected joints and reduce joint stiffness.
Again, nutrition plays a huge part in this .... but nutrition and movement both play equal parts because they help you feel motivated to do the other. If you just worked out, you're not gonna wanna eat that piece of cake....and if you are fueling your body with healthy fats, veggies, and real food then you will have more energy to go out and get some exercise in!
Remember, everyone is different and you don't have to be a bodybuilder to see these results! Keep your joints, muscles, heart, and bones healthy be taking walks every single day - 10,000 tips is a basic goal that everyone can commit to! Get some strength training in 2-3 times a week for 20-30 minutes. Your age, fitness level and goals determine how intense those sessions may or may not be. When it comes to health (not vanity) even the lightest weights can be beneficial.
What benefits have you noticed from working out?
Share below!!!
Successful Traveling Part 1 - The Airport
Hey Hey Diva friends! So I always get a lot of questions about traveling. From navigating the airport, to being in a new place, to working around the feelings of relatives who made food....I'm going to answer all of your questions in a short blog series all about travel and food!
I recently took a short trip to Michigan and I would say this is the most difficult trip in terms of food that I've had in quite a while! BUT I'm also here to tell you - if I can do it YOU CAN TOO.
Me with a RISE bar - my new and current obsession...
So let's lay the foundation for the whole series:
Priority #1 YOU MUST KNOW YOUR BOUNDARIES. Because let's face it. If we don't have them, we will break them....because they don't exist. It's the same as stealing when you have no moral absolutes. Who's to say it's wrong?
What are your non negotiables? Do you have any? If not - set them. NOW. I
ll give you mine. My #1 non-negotiable is that I will not eat anything with wheat or gluten in it knowingly. This is for several reasons. a) I know enough about how it affects your body now to know it's not good whether you have coeliac, a sensitivity, or no observable reactions to eating it. It still causes inflammation and gut damage. So it's not for me! b) I've had a documented HIGH sensitivity to it. Again. Not worth it.
What will I negotiate on? Dairy and sugar. These are 2 things I normally don't have in my home but when in a pinch I'm not as concerned about them sneaking into my snack bars or restaurant orders. You might have a severe dairy reaction however, which would make that a non-negotiable for you. Gas? Skin rashes? It might be better to skip it....
Ok. Now that you've laid the foundation this allows you to easily make choices and know what you're willing to say yes or no to on your trip. So let's get right down to it and talk about airport foods.
Airport snacks
This one can be tricky as it varies from airport to airport due to size and city! There are however, a few staples that most airports provide. Keep in mind, these are not necessarily foods I recommend make up a majority of your diet - this is surviving on your negotiables in sticky situations.
- Nuts (just avoid the mixes with chocolate and sugar added)
- Chips (when possible choose a better brand like Terra or Jackson's Honest)
- Yogurt or parfait ( go for greek, high protein and low sugar options)
- Fruit. Most airports have stands with apples and bananas
- Snack bars. Cliff bars, kind bars, Lara bars and That's It bars are usually available. Just make sure to read all the labels s you don't get some of your non-negotiables in there accidentally. No one wants a gassy neighbor on the airplane.
In flight food
Depending on your flight, if it's really long, at the right time of day, or first class you might have the option to get an in meal flight. They usually have a gluten free option that includes a salad and protein. Skip the yucky dressings and extras. Top your salad with some nuts and skip the alcoholic beverage options. Go with water or black coffee if it's before noon. Oh - and skip that warm cookie they serve up at the end :P
If you aren't on a flight that serves a meal no worries! Sometimes they offer snacks like popcorn, chips or nuts. If they don't, that's ok too because you planned ahead and packed some snacks in your carry on!
Carryon Snacks
These are good for in airport, on your vacation or on the plane....anytime!
- Fruit ( grapes, apples, oranges and bananas travel well. Just be careful of the last two if you have blood sugar issues).
- Nuts
- Shakeology ( I bring mine every trip along with a shaker bottle so I can get some cold water and drink it up whenever I'm hungry!
- Lara bars
- Thunderbird bars
- Jerky (read the labels to avoid lots of sugar and/or wheat which is usually in soy sauce)
- Simple Mills crackers
- Mediterra Bars (a really nice and delicious way to actually get some greens while traveling)
- Rise Bar (whey or vegan protein available) a great tasting protein bar with only 3-4 ingredients that you can pronounce.
- Water - had to throw this in there. DRINK ALL THE WATER when you travel it's SO important to stay hydrated. Ever notice you get constipated when flying? It's super easy to get dehydrated when traveling. My tips to stay hydrated:
- Drink water before you fly
- Drink a bottle during flight
- Drink a bottle during your layover
- Drink a bottle on your second flight
- Grab another bottle when you land.
Airport Meals
Ok, so you have a super long layover and you are SO TIRED of SNACKS. Ugh I know, I get it. So here are some options:
- Bunless Burger
- Nachos with corn chips
- Smoothie from Jamba Juice or whatever smoothie bar they have at that airport
- Meat and Rice ( just avoid soy sauce and asian meats dipped in sauces you don't know about)
- Omelet
- Steak and veggie side
- Sushi
- Salad ( either from one of those kiosks or a restaurant)
Yup! All of those are options at an airport!! Will it be as good as home? No way. But stick to those non-negotiables, drink your water, and your tum tum will thank you when you finally get home :)
What are YOUR travel tips (or questions!) Post them below!
Next up....how to navigate family when traveling (or they're visiting)
I suffer from adrenal fatigue....what now?
Hey Hey Diva Friends!
Hey all! Thank you so much for taking the survey recently - if you haven't had a chance yet please take 2 minutes to answer few questions below so I can provide more information and fun content that YOU want...
I was reviewing your answers and one question stuck out to me and I got really excited to answer it!
"I suffer from adrenal fatigue like many women.
How can gut health, diet, or exercise help?"
I LOVE THIS QUESTIONS because I too have struggled with adrenal fatigue. In fact being aware of adrenal fatigue and the importance of hormones was what prompted to seek natural healing paths and ultimately led me to FDN!
Gut health, diet, and exercise are CRUCIAL components in the healing process so let's talk about each one...But before I jump into that, what IS adrenal fatigue? HPA axis dysfunction is the sciency-term for what we commonly call adrenal fatigue. There's a lot of huffing and puffing going on about the name of it because the more we learn about what it actually is, the more we realize it's not that your adrenals are tired but it's actually a breakdown in your stress regulation system.
Your hypothalamus receives signals from your environment (mental, emotional, or external) that communicate stress. Your hypothalamus then translates that information to your pituitary gland and your pituitary gland tells your adrenals what hormones to pump out. When we are in an acute stress state your adrenals are pumping out adrenaline, cortisol, and other fight or flight hormones.
Typically, this stress goes away shortly and there is a feed back loop where your adrenals communicate back to your brain effectively shutting everything back down and your body returns to homeostasis. Adrenal fatigue is when this hypothalmus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been activated so long, that the wires get crossed and the feedback loop is no longer effective. When this happens certain hormones become imbalanced and your body cannot regulate them in the appropriate ratios anymore.
This is when people begin to feel symptoms of fatigue, exhaustion, inability to cope with stress, blood sugar irregulation, anxiety and more.
There are many reasons that this can happen. Severe acute stress or trauma can induce adrenal fatigue, but more commonly in our society it's brought on by chronic stress. Chronic stress can be environmental (think mold or chemical overload), nutritional, mental/emotional, or physical. So let's talk about gut health, diet and exercise and they can help or hinder your healing process.
Gut Health
Your gut is commonly called the "second brain" but some experts wish it was more accurately called the first brain. Your gut sends more signals to your brain than your brain does to your gut. That's right....your gut essentially controls your brain. All those little microbiota in there are crucial for brain health... 2 parts of the HPA axis are in....the BRAIN!
You can get really in depth and talk about the science of how neurotransmitters and hormones are regulated in the gut, or you can go the woo-woo route and talk about how you manifest stress in the gut. It doesn't matter which angle you come from, the health of the gut is incredibly important for regulating your hormones AND your brain.
Diet
What helps your gut health the most but diet? Anything from inflammation in the gut, to hyper permability (leaky gut), to gut dysbiosis (parasites or bacterial imbalances etc...) can be influenced in a positive or negative way from your diet.
- Foods can cause inflammation or they can calm it.
- Foods can cause the tight junctions to open up in your gut lining or food can protect and soothe your gut lining.
- Certain foods can regulate hormones
- Food and fiber and regulate hormones, increase gut motility, and eliminate toxins (buildup of which can cause brain and hormone imbalances)
Thankfully, this is one aspect of our lives we have complete control over. When we commit to a pesticide free, chemical free, whole food approach to our diets, we lay the foundation for other changes to be more effective.
Exercise
While exercise is a helpful acute stress for healthy people, if you are in the exhaustive stage of adrenal fatigue (low cortisol, depleted hormones, tired often, inconsistent sleep and diurnal rhythms...) then exercise becomes another stressor that actually DEPLETES your body of the few resources it has left.
When trying to heal from adrenal fatigue calming exercise like walking and yoga are the best options. As your body heals you can increase the amount of exercise but since chronic exercise and over exercise can damage the gut, that's just another reason to take it easy until you've made lots of headway in the right direction!
Takeaway:
Stress relief, the right nutrition, targeted healing for the gut, and health promoting movement are all steps you can take to reverse your adrenal fatigue, balance your hormones, calm anxiety and get back to your best life! I know because I've been there and this year, 2018, I feel better than ever! I'm not done healing and I have more to work on, but I have seen amazing sleep, more libido, and tons more energy just to name a few improvements!
Interested in digging deep to find the root cause of your hormone imbalances? Click the link below to schedule a free call to find if working together is right for you!
Do you or have you struggled from adrenal fatigue? I'd love to hear your experience...share in the comments below!
