Simple Changes Making a Huge Impact

Simple Changes Making a Huge Impact
So you want to be healthy. That’s awesome! Good for you. So where do you start?

If you completely change your entire routine (the “cold turkey” route) your chances of success are much lower. 

You can’t go from fast food, Cheetos, soda & zero exercise every day to organic tofu, broccoli & an hour workout every day. This isn’t sustainable. It will be a shock to your system and your taste buds.

Let’s also talk about calorie counting for a minute. I’m not a calorie counter. Never have been. Never will be.

Do you actually expect to continue counting calories for the rest of your life? Probably not. So the moment you reach your end goal (whatever that is), chances are you’ll go right back to the way you used to be.

More likely than not, you’ll end up gaining all the weight back and then some from all the deprivation you put yourself through. 

I’m a health coach but I eat cheesecake. I’m a health coach but I eat French fries. I’m a health coach but I eat donuts. 

Do I do this all the time? Absolutely not! It’s all about balance and you do NOT have to give up the foods you love to be healthy. 

Here’s what’s sustainable: one step at a time, one choice at a time. First, work on getting more vegetables into each meal. This was key in my weight loss journey. Just. Eat. More. Veggies. 

The more vegetables you eat, the fuller you get. So you’ll have less room for the less healthy but maybe more indulgent foods, so you’ll eat less of them!

Next, take a look at how much processed food you’re eating. How much processed food is in your pantry? How much of your breakfast is processed food? Your lunch? Your dinner? It’s kind of a gross term but these are “dead foods”. If you want the vitality drained out of you, this is what you eat. These are chips, cookies, pop tarts, beef sticks - anything in a package with an ingredient list basically. Anything made in a factory.

If you want to feel energized and light and happy, stick with the “living foods”. Fresh fruits and vegetables. Whole Foods. Whole grains. Organic meats. Beans. Nuts and seeds. 

Again, please do not go cold turkey. Just keep these tips in mind during your next shopping trip. Get one less bag of chips and replace it with carrots and hummus. Or apples and peanut butter. Or both! Variety is a very good thing.

One healthy decision will lead to another and soon your body won’t even accept your old way of living anymore. You’ll try to give yourself a fast food burger for dinner in a pinch and you’ll feel like you’re going to throw up - at least that’s what happened to me!

Your body will tell you what makes it feel good. You just have to be paying close enough attention to notice what it’s trying to say. Then act accordingly.


You can also grab my free guide on 3 Easy Steps to Lose Weight and Feel Amazing here.

5 Easy Ways to Keep Your Stress Levels at Bay

5 Easy Ways to Keep Your Stress Levels at Bay
Stress management is huge. It impacts your whole world. How you talk to others, how you talk to yourself, how your food digests, the overall health of your body.

A body with well-managed stress is a lot healthier than a body that’s in fight or flight all the time.

And if you’re having gut health issues (eczema, acne, anxiety, headaches, fatigue), it’s that much more important to get your body out of fight or flight and into rest and digest.

Not to mention you just FEEL a million times better when you’re managing your stress appropriately.

Here are some of my favorite ways to manage stress:

1. Meditation
This is something I’ve only just started doing, but I’m already a huge fan. I’ve been starting with a 10 minute guided meditation, and I notice a massive difference in my stress (and patience) levels. I’m less likely to be triggered by things that usually annoy the heck out of me when I’ve done my meditation that morning. And I’m only 4 days in.

2. Yoga
It’s the stretching and the breath work. I have a feeling of zen I carry with me when I finish my yoga practice.

3. Connect with the Earth
Take your shoes and socks off, stand in the grass & just feel for a few minutes.

4. Essential oils
There are the obvious ones like Stress Away and Lavender, but Palo Santo and other tree oils are very grounding. Frankincense is another one that’s earthy and grounding. Valor and Peace & Calming are great ones to use too. Diffuse them, rub a couple drops together in your palms and take the scent in, put a drop or two on your wrists - there’s really no wrong way to do it. As long as you’re breathing in the scent, it’s working.

5. Sleep
Sometimes, you just need a good sleep. Take a nap, get 8-9 hours in, or just get under the covers and rest your eyes.

If you can find a way to work these into your daily routine, you'll be much better off - I promise! Which of these do you see yourself working into your morning routine? Your wind down routine? What are some of your favorite ways to manage stress? Let me know in the comments below.


You can also grab my free guide on 3 Easy Steps to Lose Weight and Feel Amazing here.

Mindset: You Can Do This

Mindset: You Can Do This
You have the power to change.
 
Every moment, you are consciously choosing your reality.
 
In order to have what you’ve never had, you need to do what you’ve never done.
 
A healthy weight is attainable for you. Looking in the mirror and liking what you see is attainable for you. Clearing up eczema is attainable for you.
 
Half the battle is mindset. Sometimes we self-sabotage. Are we scared we’ll fail so we never try? Are we scared we’ll succeed and go out of our comfort zone? Are we just plain feeling sorry for ourselves, and we don’t believe we can do it? Imagine what we can accomplish if we just let ourselves reach our goals.
 
We are the authors of our own stories. We let what other people have said about us dictate how we see ourselves or how we think about ourselves and what we are capable of. 

The fact of the matter is other people’s opinion of you is none of your business.
 
And the other fact of the matter is that any time someone has something negative to say about you, they’re projecting their insecurities onto you. So not only is it true that other people’s opinion of you is none of your business, but it’s also not even about you. It’s about them.
 
It’s time to start believing in yourself. It’s time to stop self-sabotaging. You can do this. I believe in you. You are the only person you can depend on to truly and wholly take care of you always. You know what you need. You know your body.
 
So, if you haven’t started already, start taking care of yourself. If you have started, keep it going! I’m proud of you. Your body is a temple and it’s always talking to you. Honor your body, honor yourself. Shift your mindset from self-sabotage to self-care so you can live out your true potential, as you were meant to.


You can also grab my free guide on 3 Easy Steps to Lose Weight and Feel Amazing here.

Why I Buy Organic

Why I Buy Organic

First and foremost, let me clarify: ANY fruits and vegetables are better than NO fruits or vegetables. 

“Conventional” produce refers to a system of growing food that uses technology and synthetic chemicals to help increase yields. Conventional farming may include growing the same crop in the same plot each year, genetically modified organisms & synthetic chemicals that target insects & weeds. This is industrial agriculture.

“Organic” produce refers to food produced through more traditional, sustainable methods that align with the natural rhythms of the land. Organic regulations prohibit the use of antibiotics, hormones, GMOs & synthetic insecticides/herbicides. Organic methods help encourage biodiversity through crop rotation & support mineral-rich soil.

There’s a lot of debate on this topic, so let me point out the elephant in the room – there has been research that didn’t find any evidence that organic foods have higher nutrient content than conventionally cultivated foods; however, there has also been research supporting that organic foods contain more nutrients than conventional foods.

HOWEVER even if nutrient content is similar...

1. Organic produce may be significantly higher in antioxidants (particularly in terms of polyphenols - Google the benefits!) when compared to conventional produce

2. Conventionally cultivated produce may have up to 4x more pesticide residue than organic produce

3. Organic foods/practices help nourish the soil & keep it viable for future harvests, whereas conventional methods are more taxing on the environment

A big thing about organic is it avoids synthetic pesticides, it doesn’t put chemicals into the groundwater, it doesn’t affect the wildlife, it reduces fossil fuel consumption, & it tastes better.

Cost is a concern for many, so the good news is the Environmental Working Group tests produce every year for a pesticide count. “The Dirty Dozen” lists fruits & vegetables that tested highest for pesticides (which means these are better to purchase organic), and “The Clean Fifteen” lists the produce ranked lowest in pesticides (which means depending on budget & priority, one may choose to purchase conventional rather than organic). 

If you just buy organic produce from “The Dirty Dozen” list, you’re drastically decreasing your exposure to pesticides.

Pro tip: In the grocery store, organics typically have 5-digit price lookup (PLU) codes that begin with the number 9. Conventional produce usually have a 4-digit PLU code that begins with a 3 or 4.

Choosing organic foods in the supermarket can help you avoid pesticides, antibiotics & GMOs, but the organic certification process is costly, so a farm may use organic practices without being organically certified. Knowing how the food is grown is important, so if you’re at a farmer’s market where you can talk to the people growing the food – ask questions! Local, organic & seasonal is best.


If You Think You're Failing On Your Journey to Health

If You Think You're Failing On Your Journey to Health
When self-doubt creeps in on your journey to optimal health, remember this: it’s about progress, not perfection – and 'set-backs' are normal.
 
Why is it so hard to lose weight? Because your body has a set point. This is the point at which your body knows it’s safe and can survive. It takes time, work & patience to change the set point. What determines your set point? The foods you eat. How much food you eat. How much movement your body gets throughout the day. All you daily habits - your lifestyle - add up to your set point.
 
Habits are a hard thing to change. And I get it – sometimes you just need that sweet treat. And that’s okay! Even health coaches have cravings sometimes, and I personally let my body have what it’s asking for – within reason.
 
We all know processed sugar isn’t good for you. There really isn’t such a thing as 'healthy' ice cream, 'healthy' cookies or 'healthy' cake. If it has processed flour and sugar, it’s not “good for you”, and foods go one way or the other - it’s either fighting disease or feeding it. Be mindful of this, but also don’t deprive yourself to the point where you will binge at your breaking point & quit.
 
With this in mind, remember there are healthier options when it comes to sweet treats. Arctic Zone is my favorite ice cream sweet treat. It doesn’t have all the sugar and icky ingredients most ice cream has. As far as cake, if you can make your own from scratch, that’s amazing. Just be mindful of the quality of ingredients you’re using. If it’s a box cake, pay attention to the ingredient list. Are there ingredients in there you can’t pronounce? Is the list so long you can barely read the font? Those are the kinds of things to consider when you’re trying to make healthier choices, but don’t want to deprive yourself.
 
Just remember, in a journey to weight loss – or just a journey to feel more energized, less bloated, and just better – there will be ebbs and flows. That’s natural. That’s what is supposed to happen. You won’t fail if you don’t quit. You won’t quit if you don’t deprive yourself and make small adjustments as needed. Any time you think you let yourself down or you ruined your day with a food choice or two, remember it’s not a failure. 

You’re learning how to navigate what your body needs. Be gentle with yourself.


You can also grab my free guide on 3 Easy Steps to Lose Weight and Feel Amazing here.

 
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