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!

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??

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!!!

 

 

Are you an under eater?

Hey Hey Diva friends!!

I touched on this last week when I answered the questions, "Where the heck do I start?" but I wanted to dig a little deeper into this concept of under eating because it's a pretty common habit actually!

I'm going to give you some personal examples. I pick on my family because I love them and as a health coach I bug them all the time about this stuff. My Dad is a chronic under eater. He was a professional athlete in college, in amazing shape, and still is. He also began his own business, raised a family of 3 daughters and subsequently has dealt with a tremendous amount of stress in his life! He clings to his health by working out hard, but I constantly see that in order to sustain the burden of stress (mental and physical) that he endures, he needs to eat probably 2x the amount of calories he is currently taking in. As with many people, the fear is there of weight gain.

Quickly I'll give you another example (surprisingly these are both MALE examples but typically this is a common factor in FEMALES)...my husband. Now my husband doesn't do this on purpose. In fact, since I estimated his calories a few weeks ago he was shocked and has become intentional about packing MORE food for work. The problem for him is that he gets busy. He eats a great breakfast, he heads to work, he eats whatever he has packed, and then he eats whatever I make for dinner. This is probably ok if he isn't running several times a week and lifting heavy several times a week. But in THOSE cases, he needs to be more intentional about fueling his body and could stand to almost double his caloric intake.

So let's talk about the fear of weight gain. Because I totally understand that! Here's the super GOOD and also super obnoxious thing about our metabolisms. They adjust. So if you eat less, your metabolism slows down. You eat more, your metabolism speeds up. This is an interesting phenomenon that is certainly a mental game at first because when you begin to experiment with this you MIGHT GAIN WEIGHT. Typically, that is short lived and your body will find a new balance eating MORE calories than before. You WANT to be on the highest end of this as you possibly can be. Essentially, you want to get as many calories (aka NUTRIENTS) in your body each as possible to fuel your brain, hormones, energy, etc....as possible while maintaining a healthy weight.

So how do you know if you're an under eater? Here are 3 tips:

1) You are extremely active but can't lose weight. 

In my recent podcast "Workout Obsession" I shared how when I was training for the Beachbody classic I doubled my workouts AND cut my calories. Not surprisingly ( looking back) I plateaued immediately and could no longer lose weight. I should have INCREASED my calories to support the extra burden I was placing on my body, but instead I increased my exercise and decreased my fuel.

The night the show was over I had a huge steak that was probably soaked in butter and the next day after WEEKS of the scale not budging, I lost a pound. A POUND! Normally physique  competitors tell stories of gaining 5lbs overnight from all the salt and garbage foods they ate (just another reminder that REAL FOOD ACTS DIFFERENTLY IN YOUR BODY THAN PROCESSED FOODS).

If you've increased your exercise recently but haven't lost weight, your body may be begging you to support it with the proper nutrients.

2) You lowered your calories but didn't lose weight

If you have recently cut your calories and haven't seen a budge your body might be in survival mode. When your body thinks it's in danger whether from a tiger or lack of food, it produces cortisol. Too much cortisol for too long a period of time stimulates fat storage and makes it difficult to lose weight. 

This may be an indication of calorie deprivation OR nutrient deprivation. For example - are you getting enough healthy fat? Healthy carbs? Vitamins and micronutrients? Make sure you're getting ENOUGH food so that your body knows it's safe. Once it's in the safe zone the weight will being to shift again.

3) You miss your cycle or it becomes irregular.

Hormones are a delicate thing. As women, it's easy to look at guys get all shredded and think " I can do that too!" And in fact you CAN....but it might not be HEALTHY. This can become more of an issue after a certain age and/or after a prolonged period of time. Sure - you want to try competing one time? If you have no health issues, no hormone imbalances, and are young - go for it. 

But more often than not, our bodies are not MEANT to be that lean for long periods of time...or...ever really. Women in particular have more subcutaneous fat. This is by DESIGN because of our hormone cycles and our physical ability to create and carry other humans. It's for our protection! 

When a women goes through an extreme body change, diet change, or any situation where her body fat dips too LOW, she is in danger of essentially ruining her metabolism and creating a life of hormonal imbalance and struggles.

Missing a period, while we might think that sounds GREAT, is actually very dangerous. A woman's fertility ability is a good indicator of her overall health. Not to mention the delicate balance between your hormones, mood, and energy levels. Want to see a cranky woman? Find one that is carb deprived, body fat of 14% and prepping for a competition!

Fun tip: 2 of the first things to go when the body is under stress

are digestion and hormone regulation!

Here's the deal. Your body is a survival MACHINE. It's designed impeccably to keep you safe- NOT to keep you shredded. When you deal with stress whether too much physical exertion, mental strain, emotional burden, or not enough fuel from food, it will react to what it finds most important at the moment and normally that doesn't align with our physique goals. 

If your body deems itself unsafe it will take the appropriate measures. Cortisol is released, fat storage is turned on, digestion is deregulated and hormones are an afterthought....Don't brush off these signs that your body needs some love and affection. 

Make sure you're fueling your body with nutrient dense foods DAILY and let it tell you what it needs. When you and your body are in sync, the world is a happy place.

Share below! Have you discovered you're an under eater? Did something in this article ring true for you?

When to push hard and when to take a nap...

Hey hey Diva friends!

The past few years have been a rollercoaster of ups and downs in my fitness journey. Sometimes I wondered if I was doing enough, and sometimes I wondered if I was doing too much. Ultimately, knowing my body and being willing to shake things up has paid off!

Today I wanted to keep it simple and tell you to always:

Listen to your body!

There are so many things that go into deciding whether you will workout today and if you do decide to workout what workout is best? The super intense program you've done all month or is it time for  a break? Below I'm going share 3 ways you can begin to tune into what your body is telling you.

1) Do you feel energized or sleepy during and after a workout?

If you are feeling excessively sleeping during and immediately after a workout it may be a sign that it's too much stress on your body at this time. Symptoms are one of the last things to appear when something is breaking down in the body...when we are under chronic stress and that begins to turn into metabolic chaos ( breakdown in multiple systems) we notice things like fatigue more frequently. The last thing you want to do in those situations is add stress to your body by doing some crossfit, HIIT, or bodybuilding work. Instead, focus on getting quality sleep, and incorporate healing movement like yoga, and long walks. Make sure you are moving as often as possible ( in a gentle way) as that promotes healing throughout the body.

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If on the other hand you leave a workout feeling pumped up an energized then you're doing what's right for you at this time! Push those weights up, run a little faster and see what makes you feel your best!

2) Is your body refusing to budge?

Maybe you've started doing a lot more than you used to but your weight isn't shifting. There are several reasons this may be the case:

a) You're not moving as much as you need to (up those weights, or increase the amount of time you move in a day).

b) You're eating the wrong foods for your body causing stress and inflammation.

(see my blog on #Youtrition here)

c) Your hormones are out of whack causing you to store excess fat.

d) You're under chronic stress and your body thinks it's protecting you by storing the fat.

Some of this is relatively simple to experiment with on your own. Even C you can make great strides in diminishing your stress and increasing your quality of life. However sometimes working with a practitioner to dig a little deeper opens doors and explains things you simply cannot guess on your own. If you suspect a lot of hormone issues and/or gut imbalances of any kind we should talk! (comment below or email me: thetinyfitdiva@gmail.com)

3) What is your cycle telling you? 

This is my most recent fascination. Tracking your cycle and how you feel working out during each phase can be very beneficial! Some weeks you may find that you're consistently a little fatigued and others that you're charged up and ready to go!

Use a tracker like MyFlo that assists you in noticing these patterns. When you identify which weeks you have energy to spare then assist your body by lifting heavier and running faster. On the weeks where you notice you're consistently more fatigued prioritize walking, yoga, and rest!

Ultimately, YOU know your body. If it's giving you signs like headaches, fatigue, regular injury or pain of any kind then it might be time to take a break.

If you notice an increase in strength, energy and vitality then kick it in to high gear and keep doing what you're doing!

Just remember  - it's OK to take a break.

Often you come back stronger when you do!

p.s. if you are struggling to find out why YOU haven't been seeing results and you're READY for a change I'd love to have you in my January 2018 program Get Gutsy With Me! Don't wait, you'll miss the early bird discount available until December 15th!

Not sure you want to jump in? Feel free to set up a 30 minute call with me so I can get to know you and hear your goals and your struggles. Just e-mail me at TheTinyFitDiva@gmail.com or comment below!

Easy Peach Pie

Hey hey Diva friends!!

WHEW!!! There has been SO MUCH happening these past few weeks.... I just needed some pie. Anyone with me? Sometimes a girl just needs some pie!

Turns out, last year, my Mom went to the Peach Truck and got a TON of peaches....We weren't able to use them fast enough so we have had several bags of frozen peaches in our freezer just begging to be used. (yesterday they were screaming Kylene!!! Turn me into a pie!! turn me into a pie!!!)  So, I had the bright idea to see if all my practice of following recipes has paid off by attempting my own pie recipe from scratch!

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Turns out, I'm not too shabby a cook...or dare I say...chef?! Ok, Ok, I won't go that far. But side note, I plan to make the crust into cookies someday too because I liked it that much!

Crust:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 eggs
• 6-8 large pitted medjool dates
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 2TBS maple syrup

Directions for Crust:

1. Heat oven 350. Grease your pie pan.
2. In a food processor blend 2 eggs with the dates. You'll probably still have some date chunks and that's ok.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients and pulse until dough ball begins to form.
4. Place the dough into the pie pan and press it evenly across. 
5. Here is where you may need to do some personalization. Bake for 8-15minutes. I used a stone pie pan and cooked it for about 15 minutes. I would keep an eye on it because your goal isn't to cook it through, just to begin the baking process. Set aside.

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I had Frozen peaches and from past experience they get really watery, so this process is a little awkward and I would recommend making this with FRESH fruit. Because of that,I'm including 2 options:

Frozen Filling:

• Aprox 2 cups frozen peaches mostly thawed and drained
• 2TBS coconut sugar
• 2TBS coconut flour
• Honey (optional - to  taste)

Filling Directions:

•  Place the peaches in an oven safe dish. Bake at 350 until they thaw completely
• Drain the peaches and mix with the rest of the filling ingredients
• Place them in the prepared pie crust ad bake until bubbly and the crust has begun to brown.
• Enjoy!

Fresh Fruit Filling:

• 3-4 perfectly ripe peaches sliced
• Sprinkle with honey and coconut sugar for desired sweetness 
• Toss with 1TBS coconut flour and place in prepared pie crust
• Cook until bubble and crust begins to brown

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4 Steps for a Successful Fitness Routine

Hey there Diva friends! 

I get questions all the time about working out, so I wanted to give you my top 4 tips to being successful!!! 

Top 4 workout tips

1) Have a plan. There's nothing worse for a personal trainer than going to the gym and seeing the same people walking on the treadmill for hours at a time days on end....why? Because they NEVER SEE RESULTS. I lied - perhaps there is one worse thing, and that's seeing people either completely avoid the weight rack or go over there an have no idea what they are doing, no concept of form, and no plan on how to reach their goals!!!!

So have a plan. Know the equipment. Be willing to ask questions. Get out of your current routine!!!! If your current routine was working, I have a feeling you wouldn't be reading this post :) 

Even if you DO have a plan or a goal like "I want to tone my arms" - do you know the number of reps that are optimal? The weight you should use? The rests you should take? Will you (be honest) push yourself hard enough when you're alone and show up as many times a week as you need to? If you are SUPER self motivated and disciplined then WOOHOO! But for the rest of us that leads me to point #2 :)

2) Get yourself a trainer! This might be long term, or it might be short term to familiarize yourself with proper form, what weights to use, how to create a program that works for you etc....Tell your trainer what your goals are and come up with a plan together. 

                            Even me!

If you can't afford a trainer or, like me, you ARE a trainer and want another option, use at home workout programs! I use Beachbody at home workout programs every day. Why? Because they are effective, planned (so I don't have to train myself!), and there is plenty of variety to keep me interested and challenged. PLUS I don't have to hit the gym when I'm not training clients, I can just get down in my tiny basement and get it done when I have time in my day!

Either way - live training or in home workouts - These are ways you can set goals, see what proper form is, have a set schedule, and reach past your own mental limits!

p.s. to get access to EVERY at home workout beachbody has PLUS 1 month of shakeology for ONLY $160, click HERE! You'll also be added to my monthly challenges where I post encouragement and meal plans!

3) Focus on nutrition. It doesn't matter how awesome your workout program is, if you aren't supporting it with good nutrition you WON'T see results!!! Nutrition is truly 90% of your success. It fuels your brain, your cells, your energy and your muscles! Without the proper nutrition you will feel tired, unmotivated, your muscles won't respond appropriately, and your body composition will stay the same. But WITH nutrition PLUS strength training your fat will burn off, your body composition will become leaner, stronger, more muscular, and you will reach a happy, healthy weight!

4) Don't forget to stretch. No matter who you are, what age you are, or how naturally limber you are, do NOT forget to stretch! Make sure you warm up sufficiently for the excercises you will do, and cool down long enough to bring your heart rate down and get those muscles lengthened back out after you've contracted and pushed them hard!

I hope this helps! If you want set up your FREE 30 minute consultation with me, just comment below or message me with your e-mail. Can't wait to chat more :)

By for now!

How to make cooking fun

Hey hey Diva friends!!!

I know how daunting it can be to change your lifestyle and try to start cooking WHILE you are still absorbing information, learning new things, and trying to figure out whats what! I wanted to provide a few tips to help you make it more fun along the way.

1) MINDSET

Mindset is key in pretty much every area of our life isn't it? With our diet and lifestyle it's SUPER easy to let our mindset get in the way. We think things like "it's too hard", "It's too expensive", "I can't cook", "I have no time" etc....

                     There is a whole book you can read about this if you're interested!

Those are all excuses and I want you to drop them at the door! Anything you WANT to do you find the time, money, resources, and ability TO do! Cooking doesn't have to be hard, expensive OR time consuming! You just need the right mindset, the right tools, and the right plan :) 

I would encourage you to shift from the difficulty mindset into the ADVENTURE mindset! Cooking is a really fun adventure! You find out new recipes you like, new flavors, new tricks, new tools, new spices etc! Plus when your body starts changing and you feel better, all of a sudden the effort is #worthit.

Along the same lines, be willing to try new things! Invest in a quality spice set that allows you to make multiple flavor combinations, follow new recipes, and not get bored. 

Want to purchase some high quality spices from a trusted source? click here!

When you hit the store, make it your goal to stay in the produce section for 95% of your shopping trip and you can't go wrong. Grab a new fruit, a new veggie and research where it comes from and how to cook it!

Hot tip: If you google Paleo__"insert vegetable or recipe here"____ you will find a clean, whole foods, healthy way to cook almost anything!

Don't know what Paleo means? Read my last blog post all about it!

2) ATMOSPHERE

Spice up more than your food! Play some music and get in the MOOD to cook :) Whether you set aside 2 hours on Sunday to meal prep for the entire week or you enjoy 30 minutes every evening after work to get things chopped and in the oven, find your perfect pandora playlist and have some fun! Currently I'm on a French Cafe music kick thanks to our recent vacation. Find what inspires you, puts you in a happy place, and get to it!

                   Hey get crazy- maybe you'll end up with some fun kitchen karaoke!

If you have someone that will cook WITH you - even better! Kids? Have them participate by measuring things out or reading you the recipe! 

3) KEEP IT SIMPLE

DON'T overcomplicate things.....again, we get stuck in this headspace that cooking has to be hard and cooking healthy must be even harder. WRONG! I am a simple kinda gal friends. I never wanted to be a "housewife" and I certainly never thought I would enjoy cooking but I do!

Check out this website for delicious recipes made with only a few ingredients...

I've really learned to love making food at home. I know what the ingredients are, I have control over the quality, AND I get to cook according to my own tastes and shake it up when I feel like it. In fact, over the past few years I've enjoyed eating away from home less and less. Honestly we almost never have the same meals 2 weeks in a row - I'm always looking for new recipes and while we have our favorites we are constantly trying new ideas.

One reason I love paleo recipes so much is because they are (most of the time) EASY! Hey - when you can have an incredible dinner by adding a spice rub to some meat, throwing it in the oven for 30 minutes while you cook some vegetables and maybe adding a tasty side or fruit? BOOM. I'm there.

Dessert? NO PROBLEM - I definitely have a sweet tooth and most paleo baking recipes go something like this: 1) mix the dry ingredients 2) mix the wet ingredients 3) throw it in the oven. In other words, paleo is basically Kylene proof. So if I can do it- you can DEFINITELY do it! 

Admittedly some baking ingredients (almond flour, coconut flour etc....) can add up so if budgeting is important you might want to limit the desserts to 1 a week or less. Easier on your budget AND waistline!

Hot tip #2: Make a batch of brownies and freeze them! Your investment will save you from those late night cookie binges and satisfy any sweet craving when it hits. 

Almond Butter brownies

Chick Pea Brownies (super inexpensive!)

Ok I've talked about how simple it is - SHOW ME THE RECIPES right? :) Resources are your friend when starting out. Having some foolproof bloggers that you know you can trust is the best! When my family started this process Elana Amsterdam saved us. She is beyond skilled in giving you the best tasting recipes with the fewest ingredients possible. Talk about simple! She also divides her website up by special dietary needs, so whether you are egg free, nut free etc....she has recipes for you clearly listed. Check out her website HERE!

Hope this has helped. Bye for now!

Taking the stress out of 21 day fix meal prep...

Hi there Diva friends! I get it....BELIEVE me do I get it. When I decided to hop on board the 21 day fix meal prep train about a year ago, I sat down, looked at the requirements and immediately felt super overwhelmed. I wanted to quit before I got started! I mean, I had a great thing going, I already ate paleo, I was at a healthy weight my workouts were good....

Honestly, if I hadn't had the pressure of the upcoming Beachbody Classic physique competition I probably never would have tried! But I'm glad I did because I've taken bits and pieces of what I learned to use more regularly (aka making tons of veggies over the weekend!), it helped me understand my challengers who go through the 21 day fix program, and it's always good to challenge myself with new things.

All that being said, I'm someone who likes to be efficient, get things done quickly, and enjoy my food. I mean - I LOVE FOOD. So I wanted to share this article on how to make meal prep more enjoyable, so that hopefully you can learn to love it too!

1) Take a Deep Breath

That might sound silly, but like I said - when I started I was super overwhelmed! If you're following a plan like the 21 day fix container system, then take a deep breath and break it down into easy steps. For example, step 1 is to write down at the top of my page how many containers I can have each day. For me that is Plan C which is 1800-1999 calories (by the way I don't encourage anyone to go below that plan!) so it's 5 Green containers, 5 Red (protein), 4 yellow (carb), 3 purple (fruit) 1 orange (seeds) 1 blue (healthy fat) and 5 tsp of oil. Make a tally at the top of your page.

Then I write my meals down like this:

B:

S:

L:

S:

D:

Once I have that outline I can choose my meals and fill in the blanks. I often find it's easier to start with a recipe for dinner and then fill in the gaps afterwards. If pineapple kabobs are for dinner that is 1 red, 1/2 purple and 1/2 green, so I write that down and can fill in the rest of my day accordingly! There are TONS of recipes out there that are "fix approved" and have the container equivalents all figured out for you. But don't be shy about using your favorite recipes and doing your best to guesstimate how it would fit in!

2) Keep it simple but don't get bored

In the beginning you are so overwhelmed that it's easy to just be basic and make one protein, one carb, one veggie all in bulk for the week. I would encourage you not to do that for a few reasons, one being that your body needs more nutritional variety that that would provide, and two if your food doesn't taste good you won't stick with the plan! 

*NOTE* Shakeology counts as 1 red, and provides lots of extra nutrients to your day so it's a valuable addition to any meal plan!!!! Plus it taste like a treat, boost your energy, curbs your cravings and provides probiotics (all from whole food, natural sources!)

I would encourage you to make a variety of options for each container and then mix and match within your day! You will end up finding that combinations are really good like sweet potato with chicken and broccoli, or rice with beef and asparagus!

Even within a single container think of fun combos you can make like peppers+onions+mushrooms+spices sautéed in water. That = a green container! 

Use lots of spices, seasonings and flavorful ingredients to keep it interesting. Last night my husband and I made a whole chicken, shredded it, added some spices to the bowl so it wouldn't be plain chicken, and then used the chicken carcass to make our favorite homemade bone broth! The bone broth can be used later to cook rice and quinoa more flavorfully, and of COURSE we will drink it too!

3) Be flexible

Anytime you try something new it's really easy to get super dogmatic about it like if you go "off plan" something terrible is going to happen. I'm all about a healthy lifestyle NOT dieting, so PLEASE if you ever meal prep with something as specific as 21 day fix, give yourself some grace! You will go out to eat - make the best choices you can and eyeball it! You will make casseroles for your family that don't allow you to portion everything exactly - do your best and don't stress!!!

21 day fix meal prep and other meal planning structures, are simply here to give you a guideline. It's not a religion, and I promise nothing bad will happen to you if you estimate that cup of blueberries instead of pulling out your purple container!!!!  :)

These guidelines are here to get you on track, teach you some basics about nutrition (hello 5 servings of veggies every day!!) and introduce you to tips and  tricks that allow you to prep a lot of food over the weekend and save time during the work week!

                        My lunch from today! 1 Red + 1 Green+ 2 yellow + 1.5tsp

4) Try it and then live your life

This system is NOT forever. If you've never tried it before I would encourage you to use it for about a month! Then I want you to live your life without portion control and calorie counting and simply listen to your body! As long as you are still eating the nutritionally dense, whole, healthy, real foods, you should be fine! This isn't a diet tool that you go off of and gain 10 pounds. There should be no fear associated with dropping the program....it's simple a step to get you started. 

Once you've figured it out an gotten used to how it works, the stress is gone and you can bang out a meal plan in no time! Pull it out every once in awhile as needed to get you back on track, and then let it go. Remember, it's a TOOL. Just one of many that you have in your arsenal!

Join my monthly challenge group for daily fun and accountability! Click here to sign up or message me for a personal recommendation! 

p.s. Play some music and get your hubby or friend to cook with you! An enjoyable atmosphere can make the process way more fun and doing it with someone makes the time go faster! :)

Supplements you should consider....

Hey there Diva friends!

It's so easy when you are trying to be healthy to get overwhelmed by all the supplements available! I need this for my joint pain, this for my brain health, this one for my skin and this one for my belly!!! Trust me, I understand. As someone who is working on balancing my own hormones and recovering from years of damaged gut health from NSAID use and poor eating habits, I pop a handful of supplements every day and don't bat an eye! 

But for the average person who is just looking to improve their overall health and doesn't struggle with any chronic or serious conditions, a handful of supplements multiple times a day is not appealing....and the question may arise, "can't I just get what I need from food?"

Yes. And no. Getting nutrition from food is optimal of course and any supplements you take should be of the highest quality and derived from whole food sources whenever possible! My first response to that question however, is that 99% of the American population is not eating a diet healthy enough to come even remotely CLOSE to providing the nutrition they need. Full of homogenized, oxidized vegetable oils, starchy/processed carbs, and sugar, a typical American diet can actually cause malabsorption of the nutrients you DO try to get in. But for arguments sake let's say you've hopped onto the Whole30 or Paleo/Primal bandwagon with me and your daily fare consists of grass-fed meats, pasture raised chicken eggs, fresh veggies, organic fruits, and high quality healthy fats....even THEN it's tough to get what you need for 2 reasons:

Why Take Supplements?

1) You simply don't get enough variety. Let's face it, we are creatures of habit! Unless you are the rare healthy unicorn that tries something new every time you go to the supermarket and you also love to cook creatively (bless you - can you come to my house?!), we typically pick up the same rotation of our favorite vegetables. For example, I eat kale, brussel sprouts, carrots, onions and peppers on the regular....but I hardly ever have rutabaga, parsnips, cassava, swiss chard, or spinach! This can be compounded if you have picky family members or kiddos to consider....So even as healthy as my family tries to be - it's flat out hard to get nutritional variety  - at least on the level that you need daily.

2) We aren't just building our health, we are repairing it! Consider that even if you are the model of health in your nutrition choices now, for the first 20-30 years of your life you probably weren't. Most of us were raised (at no fault of our parents) on cereal, PB&J, commercial dairy products, and processed meats.....not to mention the fast food treat (even if it WAS only once a week!). Because of those foods (all processed!) we have given our systems a great load to bear. (For more information on how these foods have affected our overall health and our gut health specifically see my previous post HERE). 

For that reason we spend the second half of our lives reversing symptoms, building up our health, healing our guts, and strengthening our brains, organs, skin, guts, and overall wellness. Essentially...catching up! Thankfully our bodies are survival machines that do the best with the building blocks they are given....so why not give them the strongest stone possible to build a wall of health instead of foam bricks or worse...nothing at all?

 

 

Looking for daily accountability?

Sign up for my monthly health challenge here!

For those two main reasons I recommend that everyone take at least 3 supplements daily.

Which supplements are best?

1) Probiotics. Probiotics are KEY! Raise your hand if you have ever been on a round of antibiotics? You need a probiotic. Raise your hand if you have ever taken tylenol, ibuprofen, and NSAID of any kind? You need a probiotic. Raise your hand if you have ever experienced food poisoning, acid reflux, burping, belching, constipation? You need a probiotic. Raise your hand if you have ever taken Tums, or pepto bismol? You need a probiotic!*

* There area few instances where a probiotic could exacerbate an underlying health condition - while less common, if you bloat out after taking a probiotic or eating a fermented food like sauerkraut you may need further testing to rule out some bacterial overgrowth.

                        Have you ever thought about this before???

WHY? Because all of those things point to an imbalance in your gut microbiome. Your gut is like your second brain - lots of what happens externally or symptomatically in your body starts with your gut! (See my post on gut health here). Taking all those OTC medications can damage your gut lining and if you've ever taken an antibiotic....well....your gut microbiome is NEVER the same. Dramatic? Yes. True? Sadly. Antibiotics wipe out not ONLY the bad bacteria but also the good....and its tough for your body to recover from that. Like I said, it's a survival machine but have you ever come back from antibiotics and experienced side effects like constipation? Now you know why! If and when you need to take antibiotics it's ALWAYS beneficial to take a probiotic at the same time to replenish the good stuff! You can listen to a GREAT podcast on gut microbiome HERE.

For more info on how probiotics work and why you need them read this article here.

2) Digestive Enzymes. Along the same lines as probiotics, digestive enzymes help you have a healthy gut. Enzymes help you break down your food and digest it properly. It makes it easier on your small intestines to then absorb the nutrients properly without causing inflamation and damage to your gut as discussed in my previous blog post! The right digestive enzyme can also help you avoid acid reflux and stomach upset. This is of course assuming you aren't using an enzyme to excuse poor eating habits! 

Sign up to join my June health challenge group here!

3) Remember how earlier we mentioned how hard it is to get all the good nutrition in that we need even when we are health nuts? Thats why I recommend everyone have a multivitamin. Preferably one derived from whole foods! A multivitamin is a great tool to cover your bases, make sure you are getting some vitamins in your system daily, even if you happen to get busy and eat the same thing every day in a row for the week ha! Who hasn't been there before?!

Where can I get these supplements?

Well, I could give you a list of highly recommended brands and individual supplements to take in pill form, OR, I could simply recommend Shakeology! Did you know that Shakeology includes probiotics, prebiotics (fiber that supports your probiotics so they can do their job), digestive enzymes AND tons of vitamins and minerals BECAUSE it's made from whole foods?! While kale may be in my diet, yacon root, bilberry juice, and moringa certainly are not! (except that they are because I drink Shakeology every day hehehe)

I'll be honest - as someone who was already on the path of eating whole, real, health conscious foods, a shake didn't appeal to me. But when I did my research I discovered that Shakeology is made from high quality whole food ingredients from around the world. The ingredients are wonderful, and the taste....well....I always say they must be hiding the fairy dust in the ingredient list because it's DELICIOUS. Chocolate vegan is my favorite!

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Many people tell me that at $130/month for Shakeology seems pricey. I would say the quality of your supplements matter. If you purchase 3 high quality supplements you are getting close to the cost of Shakeology without the additional benefits of getting a tasty snack AND dose of quality protein. Health is always an investment - you can pay now for something to improve your health, or you can pay later when you are popping the RXs and hitting the docotors office weekly.  Ask me how you can get a monthly discount on Shakeology to make it more affordable!

So to wrap up - if you're looking for better digestion, a healthier gut, and something tasty to get lots of vitamins in your day without chugging a kale smoothie....you DEFINITELY need to try Shakeology. If you have any questions, message me or comment below - but before you leave, I have to mention one more thing!

For $30 above the cost of Shakeology you can ALSO get a full year of streaming access to ALL the Beachbody at home workouts. You heard me - a full year! Click here for all the details. With ANY purchase comes access to my monthly challenges that include meal plans, encouragement, tips, live videos where you can ask me questions, and FUN!!!! We see results -are you ready to jump in yet?!

Order Shakeology ($130) HERE

Order the All Access Pack ($160) here

I love to hear from you! Comment below with questions, takeaways or topics you'd like covered in the future! :)

Bye for now! :) Here's to your health...

(part 3) Top reasons people fail at achieving their health goals....

#1- TIME. #2- PLAN #3-SUPPORT!

Raise your hand (don't worry I can't see you) :P if you have ever stopped working towards a goal because you did't have support, motivation, or accountability? If you're being honest I think all of us would raise our hands for that.

Life is busy, and if you don't have support you are way less likely to follow through with something that is hard. I know that changing your life, your nutrition, and your habits IS HARD! According to Forbes.com, "Social support is critical. One of the most effective things you can do is to get an accountability partner, someone who checks in with you daily or weekly. It’s easy to break a promise to yourself, but far harder to admit it to a friend."

So let's recap the past few days:
 

• We need to be efficient with our TIME
• We need to have a solid PLAN
• We need something to keep us ACCOUNTABLE

These are simple steps that you can take to become one of the 8% that achieve their New Years resolutions. Only 8%! That means when you accomplish your goal you'll be in an elite group of people who stayed committed and did something amazing.

When I began participating in Beachbody challenge groups it was accountability and friendly competition really helped me become consistent. Sure I'd had spurts of fitness in the past, but I would always quit eventually or take too many days off. Hello stack of at home DVD programs that were just gathering dust! The challenge groups helped me because I knew I needed to check in and for the first time I began finishing these crazy at home programs 100%. Because of that my body started changing, my mindset shifted, and ultimately it changed my whole life! I'm not saying that to be dramatic.....participating in my first challenge group literally changed my life. Within a few months I made the decision to leave my masters degree in vocal performance and become a coach full time!!! Are you ready to change YOUR life?

I'm passionate about coaching because I know how it has helped me, and I have seen how the support, community, encouragement, and daily accountability in my challenges has helped others too. But don't take my word for it . Sarah says,

"From the beginning of my participation in Kylene’s challenge groups she has been patient, supportive, kind and pushy when I needed her to be. It’s great when you give your coach permission to do something and they actually do it! Coaches are there to help you achieve and do more and that’s exactly what Kylene does for me!”

 

This is your personal invitation to join my March challenge group. I'm inviting you to:

• SAVE TIME by using 30 minute at home workouts.
• Have a PLAN by using programs that are proven to work give you the results you want.
• Receive SUPPORT by connecting in the challenge group with others on the same journey. 

DON'T WAIT the challenge begins Monday but it opens on Facebook today! How to get started:

• Message me with questions (let's come up with a personal plan!)
• Reply "I'm in!" to get started

I can't wait to help you achieve your goals and join the 8%! 

YOU can do it. I'll guide you EVERY step of the way!

Top reasons people fail at achieving their health goals (part 1)

According to Bodybuilding.com, 73% of people who set a new years resolution give up on it before they have reached their goal. Within that number, 36% said that it's difficult to find the time to workout consistently.

We all know that in order to reach our goals consistency is key! One bite of broccoli isn't going to counteract years of eating pop tarts. But consistently choosing vegetables over packaged treats WILL make a difference long term. Similarly, one time at the gym every couple of weeks will have no effect, but finding time in your day regularly and showing up as a habit WILL.

I totally get it, making time for working out is tough - by the time you motivate yourself to get moving, get dressed, go outside in the cold to drive to the gym, get to the gym and workout by yourself, then drive home and shower you've probably used up about 2 hours of your precious time! 

When you have spouse, kids, and work obligations 2 hours is giving up a lot of time that could be spent planning your day, eating breakfast with your family, sleeping in, or otherwise being productive!

That's why I LOVE Beachbody at home workouts. I used to have every good intention of getting to the gym on a regular basis and forcing myself to workout for an hour every time. But honestly, I would make excuses like it's too cold out or flat out say "I don't want to today". But when I started using my at home workout programs that all changed. When I know that all I have to do is get my body down in my basement and push play then I truly eliminate all my excuses! With most workouts timing in at 30 minutes or less, I began to see BETTER results in LESS time than I ever had before!

*Less time
*Better results
*Don't have to spend time figuring out my own workout
*Just push play
*100s of workouts at my disposal

If you haven't checked out the Beachbody on Demand ALL ACCESS pack yet, you NEED TO NOW! This provides you with access to EVERY Beachbody at home workout for a full year - PLUS the new workouts that will be launched in 2017. This means you can choose from cardio, bodybuilding, yoga, strength training, dance, and more... you'll never get bored AND you won't run out of new challenges and variety to keep it interesting. 

I am more than happy to chat about your goals so that we can come up with an effective and doable plan for you to achieve them! This is just part 1. Stay tuned for more tips on achieving your goals in the next few days!

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Here's to your optimum health!

Prioritizing health not perfection...

What is perfection anyway? Does perfection mean you have "shredded" abs? Is it building bulk and gaining muscle? Is it fitting into a certain pair of jeans?

Everyone has their own goals and everyone has their own "If only this happened then I'd be happy" thoughts....in fact, I fell into that dirty trap last night. I am sore ALL OVER from the body Beast workout I just started on Monday and I looked in the mirror and told my husband that if the soreness "get's rid of this" (pinching my self proclaimed trouble area) then I'd be happy.....I caught myself quickly and said "No. that's not true. Your body doesn't make you happy, your attitude makes you happy."

I've been opening up more and more over the past year about my struggles with hormones and adrenal fatigue (more correctly know as Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis dysfunction now). The really short and simplified version is this: Stress in my life has caused stress in my body which results in stress on certain parts of the body that produce and balance hormones. This is also supported by, or hindered by, gut health. I've worked really hard on my gut health ( and continue doing so) while also taking some supplementation to help my body do it's job better.

I've made tremendous progress in the past year and have been really happy that my digestion, my moods, and my energy have all improved. I really like to be busy, get things done, engage with others and feel productive at the end of each day. But sometimes life wears me out and I have to take my own coaching advice and go slow to avoid taking a few steps back with my health. Since I believe many of you may struggle with similar issues I wanted to share some key things that really help your body thrive and deal with stress appropriately.

 3 ways you can prioritize your

health and not perfection:

1) Ditch the processed foods and COMMIT to eating a whole foods diet filled with nutritious veggies, meats, and the right healthy fats and carbs. Forget counting calories, portion control or counting macros...If it's processed skip it - if it's a whole food - enjoy it! If this isn't a step you've fully committed to yet, I would encourage you to start here. Every bite of food = communication to your cells on how to work and function. If you are fueling them with sugar and chemicals then your body responds accordingly. If you fuel it with micronutrients, vitamins, healthy fats etc....then your body begins to thrive, your skin glows, your energy increases, etc etc.... If you need encouragement and help along the way you can always message me or join one of my monthly challenges where I provide meal plans, workouts that are appropriate for you and encouragement. You can find out more HERE. If you're interested in working with me 1:1 check out my nutrition page HERE. I just heard from a client yesterday who I have been working with for only 3 weeks or so and she happily reported that she has seen increased energy, better digestion AND improved sleep in that short amount of time! I couldn't be happier!

2) Be willing to take a day off. Whether you take a day off work to just relax, or you skip a day in your workout routine, listening to your body when it needs a break is CRUCIAL. Don't let your mind play games with you and tell you that 1 day will mess with your progress. You know what will mess with your progress? Pushing yourself when your body is too tired--> this releases your stress hormone cortisol and guess what stores fat? Excess cortisol. Let's keep that baby in check and rest as needed!

3) Speaking of rest, prioritizing quality sleep is paramount. If you are someone who wakes up multiple times a night, has to go to the bathroom at 3am, or just generally wakes up fatigued, you may really want to start thinking about how you can prioritize getting deep quality sleep. Sleep is when your body repairs itself and skimping on that (whether you feel like you need it or not) is not ok! For some awesome tips on getting better rest, visit the king of sleep Shawn Stevenson and his article on getting better zzs HERE!

Basically - don't kill yourself trying to be perfect! Too much exercise, too little sleep, and too much stress can counter all the hard work you put into your workouts and your nutrition. So kick your feet up, get a massage, and prioritize your own health FIRST! Your healthy weight, lean muscles, and increased energy will be a side effect.

I'm passionate about helping YOU achieve optimum health and balance in your life. For more information on my journey to balanced hormones, and/or to get on my waitlist so that I can begin helping you on YOUR journey, sign up for my newsletter HERE. I will be a certified FDN practitioner in a few months and I can't wait to be your health detective and support you on your way to better health!