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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!
Best Veggie EVAH!
Hey Hey Diva friends!
As I go through my Autoimmune protocol training there is a heavy focus on nutritional approach for management and healing. While it's obviously very specific for autoimmune conditions with lots of science and targeting for treating those diseases, much of the information is generally beneficial for all health too...
So of course, it reinspired me to get more nutrition and more vegetables into our daily meals. Patrick and I then found ourselves at WholeFoods a few weeks ago and I stood in the produce section looking for new vegetables to try in an effort to diversify our nutrient intake as much as possible....this led me to discover an amazing root vegetable called sunchokes.
My friends, if you've already known about these amazing roots WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?! And if you don't....I'm going to share the deliciousness!
Jerusalem artichoke (sunchoke) is a root vegetable related to sunflowers. They are rich in potassium, iron, vitamin C and....flavor.
Similar in appearance to turmeric or ginger, you might think they need to be peeled, but happily, the skin is edible. You can eat them raw or cooked!
Patrick googled how to cook them and since it was SO delicious, we haven't tried eating them any other way yet. The recipe we use is below!
Ingredients:
- As many sunchokes as your grocery has :)
- Olive Oil
- Pan that can go on the stove and in the oven
Directions:
- Turn the oven on to 375
- Slice the sunchokes in half
- Fry them in olive oil for 5 minutes, sliced side down
- Transfer them from the stove top to the oven for 42 minutes
- Let them cool and enjoy warm and crispy!
This way of cooking them leaves you with a crispy outside and soft inside. It's similar in taste and texture to potatoes! We haven't tried salting or seasoning them but I'm sure there are many ways to enjoy these simply delicious veggies.
Have you tried them yet? If so, what's YOUR favorite recipe?
Slices Sunchokes
A batch frying in oil and a batch ready to go in the oven! (You can use one pan if it's big enough)
Reverse engineering your health goals, and becoming your biggest advocate.
Hey Hey Diva friends!
Happy Friday! So, I know that not everyone can afford getting tons of personalized lab testing, doctors visits, supplements, or personal trainers. I do. While I do encourage you to invest in yourself as much as possible, I also encourage you to be your own advocate and do as much of the groundwork as possible YOURSELF.
You know your body the best, you know how you're feeling, and YOU can answer the following questions in order to reverse engineer your own health journey. So let's get started...
1) What am I struggling with?
Sort of obvious, you need to identify what you're struggling with. Is it weight loss resistance? Blood sugar instability? A disease? Inability to be consistent? Lack of knowledge of where to start?
Step one on any journey is to identify and define the problem. Be aware that several symptoms or underlying causes may overlap. For example, blood sugar imbalance may be due to an infection in the gut etc....Only when you know what your goal is can you move to step two.
2) What causes this?
Really dig deep. If its an emotional struggle that you identified, this part might make you feel vulnerable, defensive, scared, or angry. Why can't I maintain a habit? Why do I allow stress to derail all my efforts? Why can't I take the first step?
If those are questions you're struggling with begin to dig deeper. Is there a trauma, mental association or insecurity that you haven't yet identified? Is there simply lack of commitment - maybe you don't fully understand WHY you are making a change?
If it's a physical condition you're working on this might require some time, effort, and research on your part! It's taken me many years and hours of personal research time to find the paths that have led me to the healthy road I'm on today. Don't skip this vital step by always trusting other people's opinions. Combine your research with your own intuition and listen to your body.
Most importantly have integrity in how you communicate with yourself. Don't make excuses to yourself and be willing to face some uncomfortable realities when you answer this question. This step will take time because you are the only one that can answer it. The good news is, if you're willing to put in the effort to answer this question you can continue on to the final step.
3) What activities, foods, supplements support this?
Regardless of whether your goal is mental, physical or emotional growth, there are always diet and lifestyle factors that can support you. The #1 thing that you have in your control EVERY day is the food you put into your mouth.
Your food not only affects your weight but it affects your moods, your energy, your ability to think clearly and work productively, and your ability to reach your goals. How awesome is that?! You have 100% control over something that can dramatically change the course of your life.
How have YOU implemented these steps in your own life? In what cases have you been your own advocate? Share the changes you've seen 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?
Where the heck do I start?
Hey Hey Diva friends!
I know. It can be overwhelming. Gluten free, Keto, Low carb, High fat, low fat, macros, portion control....WHERE DO I START?!?!?! What diet is right for me?! How in the world are you supposed to know where to start when there is so much conflicting information out there?!
Well today I'm going to give you 3 mindset shifts that I hope will allow you to being trusting yourself more and listening to your body for the answers....
1) Eat Real Food
Intuitively, we know this is the right answer don't we? Like deep in our CORE we know that a weight watchers lasagna dinner isn't as good for you as a sweet potato with broccoli and beef roast.
In our heart of hearts, we know that our bodies are begging for real food and normally what hinders us from jumping on the bandwagon wholeheartedly is convenience. Right? That meal that's mailed to our door is convenience. McDonald's is convenience. Frozen diet food is convenience. But if we stop and check in with ourselves and step back for a minute....are any of those providing VALUE?
Besides convenience, are those foods worth anything? Do they help build my heart, my lungs, my brain? Do they support my hormones, my moods, my energy? Do they help me prevent cancer, alzheimers, dementia and diabetes? If the answer is no well....then we need to make some changes.
Here is the one question you need to determine if something should go into your mouth:
"Did it come from nature? Or did it come from a factory?"
If it came from nature, or is a combination of things from nature (aka lara bars as an example - 2-6 whole food ingredients that you could technically make at home) then have at it. If it's from a factory and packed full of sugar, chemicals, preservatives or "other"...well...you know what to do ( or in this case, what NOT to do...)
2) No macro is bad
Macro is short for macronutrient. The main three nutrients that our diet is comprised of: Carbs, Fat, and Protein. Depending on which diet you've been on in the past, (maybe all of them like me!) you've probably vilified one or all macronutrients at some point. "Don't eat carbs you'll blow up! Don't eat too much protein, don't eat fat ever!".....All of that is garbage.
Your body needs all three macros. Desperately. Let me say that another way. Your body is in dire need of carbohydrates. It's fueled on fat, and it builds and maintains muscles with protein. Don't ever fall prey to a fad that tells you any of the macros are inherently bad.
Here's the catch. You have to follow step #1 in order for step #2 to be true. If you are eating a processed standard American diet then yes - carbs are garbage.
Processed foods are the entire reason we HAVE a diet industry in the first place. With processed foods you HAVE to portion control and calorie count.
If you don't, you'll blow up like a balloon from all the sugar, hydrogenated trans fats, hybridized grains, and so forth...
When you eat real food none of that happens. So stop weighing your carbs, and counting your pistachios....carbs and fat are good for you. Did they come from nature? Or did they come from a box?
3) Think minimums not maximums
We are SO USED to this restrictive mentality. What's mind-blowing about all of this is how much it resembles a hamster wheel! Processed foods make me crave more processed foods - they light up my brain like a motherboard stimulating appetite, addiction, and belly fat....so in order to control my weight, my appetite and my cravings I must measure, weight, and count my food... I must CONTROL and not go beyond my MAXIMUM......
BUT! When you jump OFF the hamster wheel of dieting and choose real foods that feed your brain, balance your hormones, stabilize your moods, quench your appetite send the proper hunger and full signals....you can then begin to view food as a GIFT. You can begin to view food as something that SERVES you instead of ENSLAVING YOU. You can then being thinking "How much of this does my body need? How can I get more of this into my body?"
Start thinking about #YOUTRITION not deprivation. Believe it or not, many many people I work with are under eaters. They beat themselves up because they are overweight (not understanding the hamster wheel yet) and think they must have no self control. While occasionally it might be a case of "get-off-the-couch- and-get-your-life-together", more often it's simply a case of the wrong foods wreaking havoc on your brain, your metabolism, your hunger, and your appetite. Get those foods out and watch the weight melt off, your moods balance, your energy increase, and your thinking become more clear. Essentially....a light bulb goes off and your body says, THANK YOU!
p.s. Would you like more support, tips, recipes, and monthly events? Join my FREE Facebook group: Stop Dieting and Live Your Life today!!
I'd love to hear from YOU! When you made a switch to eating real foods what has your experience been like? Share below!
My favorite "processed" foods
Hey Hey Diva friends! Another week, another Friday!!!!
Recently I was taking to a friend of mine and one of the struggles she had was thinking of things to eat as a snack. When you're making a lifestyle change it can be totally daunting I get it! I've been there - multiple times.
I always like to keep it simple and encourage my clients to go back to the basics. Just eat real food. Did it come from a tree? Or did it come from a factory? You get the picture....
In todays world where we are constantly on the go whether it be trekking 4 kids to different activities or working in our busier than ever world, often we need something fast that we didn't have to make, that still falls within our goals and nourishes us as if we made it at home.
While this is a little more tricky, it's still doable. The TRICK is to read the label every time. If the label has a few ingredients that tell you you could make this item at home then go for it. If the label has 50 ingredients, half you don't recognize, and many -ides, -ates -oses and chemicals.....then skip it.
My top 5 favorite "processed" foods
1. Simple Mills crackers. Simple Mills is an awesome brand that not only makes crackers, but they make cookie mixes, dessert mixes, pancake mixes, and even pre-baked treats as well. The reason I like them is because they try to not only keep the ingredients natural and healthy, but their goals is also to keep the ingredients minimal. That means, excluding spices, you'll normally find only 4-5 ingredient in each treat. And the ingredients are ones you don't have to worry about to boot.
My favorite flavors are Sun Dried Tomato and Natural Sea Salt.
2. Lara Bars
LaraBar brand's motto is "we believe in simplicity". Well, they also believe in flavor and each bar tastes amazing. Like I mentioned earlier, could you easily make your own Lara bar at home?! totally. I've done it, I've shared the recipe on this blog even. But when convenience without compromise is the priority, grab some Lara Bars and keep them in your purse! They now have crunchy seed bars and greens bars so you'll definitely be able to find a favorite, or two, or three :)
3. Rx Bars.
R.X Bars say it right on the label: "No B.S". You'll recognize every ingredient listed and get a nice boost of protein in each one too! I enjoy Chocolate Sea Salt and Maple Sea Salt but there are many others as well! They even have "kids" bars which are just smaller versions.
4. Shakeoogy. Truly one of the most nutrient packed snacks you can take on the go. This Shake is filled with superfoods from around the world, probiotics, digestive enzymes, and yes, some good ole protein too. I prefer the vegan version and my all-time favorite flavor is Vegan Chocolate. Legit tastes like cake - especially if you mix it with unsweetened Vanilla almond milk! Take it on the go, or add some PB or extras to beef it up as a meal!
5. Wild Rice Cakes.
They might be a little messy, but they are a great serving tray for some PB or almond butter! If you don't have an issue with rice or grains (always avoid grains with gluten, or genetically modified grains. Choose organic as much as possible) then wild rice cakes are a nice little treat. Top with PB and raisins, eat them plane, or create a savory snack with hummus and seaweed. I like the Lundberg brand!
Don't forget the fresh food snacks that are easy to take on the go as well like apples, bananas, grapes fresh off the vine, nuts, seeds or chocolate-free trail mix!
What's your favorite on-the-go snack? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!
Taking the plunge and investing in yourself...
Hey Hey Diva friends! Another week has flown by and if you're in Ohio, what a crazy week! 60 degrees - snow - no snow.....is it spring, is it winter?! Who knows : )
Today I want to talk about investing in yourself. So often, for whatever reason, we find it hard to spend time, money, or energy on ourself. We come up with excuses like "I can't afford it", or, "I'm too busy"....
I'll give you the DUMBEST example ever: I have a hard time buying underwear. You heard it. Not swimsuits or lingerie, or clothes....UNDERWEAR. Something relatively vital. But I literally wear them until they have a bunch of holes or fall apart basically. How ridiculous IS that? (Don't worry, I recently rectified the situation)
But here is what I have found to be true. While it might be scary, make us nervous, stretch our budget, or be difficult sometimes, investing in ourselves is IMPORTANT. When I use the word invest it can be time, it can be energy, it can be money, or it can be all of those. Normally, things of high value involve all three (think about your kids!)
So today I have some homework for you - choose one area of your life that you want to improve the most, take a leap, and invest in yourself today. Bite the bullet - take the plunge - change your life.
It's been shown time and time again that if you invest in something you're much more likely to get benefit from it than if it's given to you. Below is a list of ideas to get you started:
I want to improve my:
- Spiritual Life: Purchase a devotional like The Quest from Beth Moore, and get involved with a group of people you trust that are encouraging.
- Family Life: Schedule weekly family nights, invest your time in quality family dinners each night with no electronics. Purchase some games and start the conversation
- Social Life: Join a networking group, say "yes" to your next event invitation
- Health: Join my 8 week Get Gutsy program where you'll learn everything you need to get started!
- Work Life: Start reading some personal development books like "Eat That Frog" and "The Slight Edge" or hire a business coach or mentor.
Most of the things listed above involve time, energy AND money....assign value to the outcome whether it be mental, emotional, physical, or monetary payback afterwards.... then decide if that's right for you. If not, ask around and find something that is!
What have YOU invested in that really scared you but totally paid off? I'd love to hear it in the comments below!
My journey with H Pylori
Hey Hey Diva Friends!!!!
WOW! This past month has been a roller coaster. Time is just flying by and I can't believe it's almost spring already. Wasn't yesterday NYE?? :)
Anywho - I've been very upfront and honest with you about my health journey over the past year or....so I thought! I realized recently that while I chatted with my newsletter VIPS and talk extensively with my personal clients about it I never created a post about my H Pylori experience....so here we go!
To learn about my food sensitivities testing click here
In July 2017 I got my stool test back. Good news - there was only one thing that showed up. Bad news, it was H Pylori.
What is H Pylori?
It's a spiral shaped bacteria found in the cell lining of the stomach. You can acquire it from eating uncooked foods, drinking impure water, and saliva. Most likely if you have it your spouse does too. Your likelihood of infection is equal to a persons age whether they are symptomatic or not.
Over 50% of the population has
H. Pylori and doesn't know it!
How the heck do you have a bacteria overgrowth and not know? Well, sometimes the symptoms can go unnoticed. Or if you do notice them, you don't attribute them to the actual problem.
For example here are some of the symptoms:
Heartburn/acid reflux
Upper abdominal pain
Belching
Gastritis
Duodenal/Peptic ulcers
Carcinoma
Headaches – migraine
Constipation
Nausea
Acne
Halitosis
Undigested food in stool
Need for digestive enzymes
Chronic dysfunction at T6-T7 (upper middle spine in between your shoulder
blades.
Aches similar to muscle soreness in upper/middle back
Wow!! So... let's say none of those symptoms worry you a little...
H Pylori causes 90%+ of duodenal ulcers 80% of gastric ulcers and infected people have 2-6x increased risk of gastric cancer.
So, I'd say it's worth treatment right?! Well friends, if you know me, you know I'm pretty hard core. I jumped in and did the whole shebang! Unfortunately, when I retested in Feb 2018 I received this bummer news:
Oh my gosh Kylene, why are you sharing this?! You're a practitioner - shouldn't you be sharing success stories? Well I'm sharing this because I want to be HONEST with you. Sometimes these buggers are flat out hard to kill. One of the downsides to this particular test is that it doesn't give you a measurement. I've since moved on to using another test that does which is very helpful. This would allow me to see how much progress I made during the first round of treatment.
Why would it still be there?
So many possible answers so here are a few:
- Recontamination through toothbrushes, kissing, sharing utensils, toothpaste etc....
- Severity of the initial imbalance. Like I mentioned above its a bummer I couldn't see the progress level on the test, but ultimately that's information I don't need. If it shows up, there are enough present to take action.
- I wasn't quite as strict as I could have been round #1. I still did things like drink coffee and splurge on sugar which are things that can feed or create a happy environment for the little suckers.
- Duration of the imbalance. This may be something I've had for 2 years or it might be something I've had for 10. No way to know!
What to do?
Well what the heck do you do now? You already went through the protocol - do you do it again? How do you know it works?
Just like sometimes it takes a few round of antibiotics, or a few DIFFERENT antibiotics to kill a particularly difficult bacteria or viral infection, the same is true when using herbal remedies. In fact, potent herbal remedies taken over a longer period of time have been shown to be more effective than short term antibiotics for gut dysbiosis and imbalances. This can be due to the fact that antibiotics wipe out the good bacteria as well as the bad, leaving you susceptible for another negative bacterial overgrowth. Antibiotics, birth control, prescriptions and NSAIDS have all been shown to cause gut imbalance and inflammation as well so that's not a route I'm willing to go.
The second round of my protocol did change slightly. We tweaked a few things and I doubled down on details like replacing my toothbrush regularly, watching my sugar, and ditching coffee until I get the all clear. Do I think it's working? Absolutely - whenever I'm on the protocol I feel AMAZING. I basically don't get sick and if I do it's short lived and easily overcome. I have tons of energy, and well....I just generally feel better.
I'm still in the middle of round two and will move on to the upgraded testing for my follow up that will allow me to see levels should the H Pylori still be present. I wanted to share this with you because it's a TRUTH that the healthy answer isn't always easy. it just isn't. It costs money and it takes time to do things the more natural way. But is it worth it?! 100%
Interested in weekly updates? Sign up for my newsletter here!
Ready to start working on YOUR gut? Jump into my 8 week gut health program where I ease you in slowly with weekly challenges, tons of information, questions and answer sessions with me, recipes, detox tools, and upgraded testing (optional)! CLick "Get Gutsy With me" at the top of this page or email me at: KyleneT@thetinyfitdiva.com to get started - you only have a few days left to register!!!!!
Want to get tested yourself? Shoot me an email so we can set up our free 30 minute consultation to find out what's right for you :)
Easy Shepherd's Pie
Hey Hey Diva friends!
MARCH 2nd?! Where did February go? Well, the weather might be crazy warm for February, but it's still winter in my book and everyone needs a good Shepherd's pie in their back pocket.
Due to some food sensitivities ( chicken, cinnamon and cinnamon) I've avoided making it for awhile. But when my husband asked for it recently I decided to make it work!
We found it thoroughly delish! p.s. I said "easy" because I even incorporate frozen veggies - woohoo!
Ingredients:
- 1lb grass-fed beef
- 3 heads of cauliflower
- Grass-fed butter
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 stalks celery
- Frozen peas
- Frozen lima beans
- olive oil
- garlic
- salt
- pepper
- ground cloves
- ground nutmeg
- Bone broth (turkey, beef, chicken)
Directions:
- Cut up and steam the cauliflower until soft. Set aside.
- Turn the one to 350 and set aside a 13.x baking dish
- Meanwhile, heat up a large skillet and pour 1-2 TBS olive oil
- Chop the onion and place it in the skillet. Cook until it starts to become translucent.
- Chop 2-4 garlic cloves and celery and add to the onion mix
- Pour 1/2 a bag of frozen peas and 1/2 a bag of frozen lima beans into the onion mix.
- Continue stirring and mixing as all the veggies cook through.
- Add the spices to taste
- Add the beef and cook it until browned through.
- Meanwhile melt 2TBS butter in the microwave
- Pour 1/2 cup broth into the onion mix and cook just long enough to mix and heat through.
- Pour the beef mix into the baking dish
- Add your cauliflower and melted butter to a food processor - blend until smooth. If you need a little more liquid, splash some extra broth into the processor and continue to blend.
- Spread the cauliflower on top of the beef mix and place it in the oven
- Cook for 1 hour or until the cauliflower is nicely browned.
- Enjoy!
Guilt Free Carbs?!
Hey Hey Diva Friends!!!
I've slowed down a bit on the blog posting recently because I've been focused on my Get Gutsy group, my new podcast and everything else in my busy life!! If you love reading blog posts though drop a comment and let me know what topics you're most interested in seeing!
Let's talk about carbs for a second. If you've followed me or know my story, I'm all about NOT dieting, and NOT restricting, counting calories, or portion control! Every time I've tried that it totally fails for me long term. The only thing I've found to work (that I think is the only thing that works for EVERYONE long term) is discovering your perfect #Youtrition and through that knowledge, eating intuitively. That means, eating when you're hungry, and eating what you crave!
So back to carbs. They are your FRIENDS. Your brain, hormones, cell structure, and energy depend on carbohydrates (and fat but that's another blog post). To clarify, I always mean real food carbohydrates. I'm not talking about white sugar, cane sugar, or bread here. I'm talking about squashes, beans, fruits, root vegetables, and if you tolerate it, quinoa and rice! If you run on bread and sugar carbs then you are setting yourself up for blood sugar rollercoasters, insulin resistance and ultimately.....disease.
I don't believe in focusing on "low carb". But when you move from the S.A.D. diet (standard American diet) to a whole foods, nutrient dense, from the earth approach to nutrition, you naturally become lower carb. It just happens. You don't have to think about it. In fact, many who eat this way need to make an effort to INCREASE their carbs.
Stefani Rupert who is the founder of paleoforwomen.com recommends that women don't drop below 100grams of carbs/day and that they shoot for MINUMUMS not maximums. In a society where we are brainwashed into thinking less is more when it comes to calories and foods this type of thinking can be shocking. But let me stop and ask you....how is your energy? How are your moods? How are your hormones? How is your sleep? How are your cravings? Those are all clues to us that we are or are not getting the right nutrition.
For women in particular we can really use MORE carbs than less when chosen in the right context!!!
So don't be afraid my friends....this recipe is CARB LOADED and you can feel GUILT FREE while indulging :) If you must, use it as a dessert, but in reality - let's have it for breakfast :P
Carb City Snack bar
- 1 cup macadamia nuts
- 1 cup pitted Medjool dates (packed)
- 1/2 cup goji berries
- 1/2 tsp (or generous pinch) of sea salt
- Blend it all up in a food processor. It will look crumbly.
- Line a bread pan with parchment paper and pour the mix into the bread pan
- Squish it down evenly with a spatula
- Refridgerate
- Cut into 8 bars
- Enjoy!
p.s. Dates are packed with fiber, B vitamins, potassium, manganese and magnesium. Goji berries are rich in trace minerals that you need and nuts are a good source of healthy fats!
Interested in learning more about YOUR perfect #Youtrition, how to fix your gut health, ENJOY your food, and live a healthy LIFESTYLE? Join my second round of Get Gutsy March 18th!!!! Message me for details or click the link below to capture the early bird special by February 24th!
Join my FREE Facebook group below and get daily tips, and monthly challenges as you learn how to Stop Dieting and Live Your Life!
3 health concerns most women ignore
Hey Hey Diva friends!
Quick update for you :) January is off to a rocking' start!! I launched my very first Gut Health program #GetGutsyWithMe on January 15th and I'm already getting AMAZING feedback on the program, information, and recipes! This fills my heart with joy and happiness since it's my life's mission to help people make healthy changes in a doable, pleasant, and maintainable way!!
Stay tuned - Get Gutsy will be launching 2-3 times each year and you can expect edition #2 in a few months!
SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER TO STAY UP TO DATE!
I also chose to jump into the 80Day Obsession program by Autumn Calabrese! This is a beachbody program from the creator of 21 day fix. YES I'm a personal trainer, YES I could create my own workouts...YES MLMs like beachbody have a bad name (because of poor representatives I might add - not because of the products).... but I have seen GREAT success using at home programs, so have many of my clients and friends and heck...it saves me time and sanity to follow a program that's already designed! As I grow and focus on my OWN business, I enjoy popping down in my basement and not having to think about what to do next. #stressrelief If you want to join me just say the word!
I'm VERY pleased to announce that The Tiny Fit Diva podcast will be up and available to stream in February. We are currently working on a few last minute tweaks as well as preparing a few extra episodes for you to be on top of the game before we open it to the public :) GET EXCITED because Patrick and I share our best tips on this weekly show!
I have many goals for 2018 and one habit I'm slowly beginning to implement is an organized morning. Last year I read miracle morning and I loved a lot of the ideas but didn't implement them right away. As I'm getting busier, I want to make sure my priorities don't slip, so in the evening I have been making a list of to-dos the next day and that includes the first few things I want to get done in the morning which includes meditation, reading my Bible, and reading a personal development book!
All in all, January is shaping up to be a pretty darn awesome month and I have more goals, dreams, and visions for the next few years that I can't wait to share with you as they come to fruition.....
Today's topic:
3 health concerns most women ignore
1) Poop.
Man, it seems like this is all I'm talking about these days! Between Get Gutsy With Me, my podcast, personal conversations and now this blog....shew! I need t find another topic ;)
A common complaint that many of my clients have is inconsistent stools. Some may be constipated, some have diarrhea, or some fluctuate between the two. If you aren't having regular bowel movements and/or you have stomach pains that accompany inconsistent bowel movements you need to get it checked out! Consider ordering up a comprehensive stool test and/or a food sensitivities test. Often the two compliment each other well.
When you are constipated, your stool is literally putrefying in your body. Yuck! Stool is full of toxins that your body has broken down, processed, and passed through to successfully eliminate and get it out of your system. When it's held in, those toxins are getting reabsorbed which can cause an excessive toxic load on your liver, pain in your abdomen, and even issues with your mental clarity and energy, not to mention the potential damage and inflammation to your colon the longer this goes on!
If you regularly have constipation, diarrhea or a fluctuation between the two it can be an indication of food sensitivities, a bacterial imbalance or even a parasite. Ignoring these can lead to disease, chronic pain, chronic inflammation and even stomach cancer in the case of the H. Pylori an wildly common stomach bacteria. When inflammation and damage goes on too long in the body it can eventually lead to a suppressed immune system compromising your future health as well as your ability to recover.
2) Too much coffee during the day...
I almost titled this point "Fatigue" but when we rely on stimulants all day many people don't realize how tired they actually ARE. Many people will say " oh yes I feel fine, I get through my work day great!" but if you were to take away the caffeine, coffee or sugary beverages throughout the day these same people would crash and burn around 10am and have a tough time mentally and physically recovering to complete the rest of their day.
Limit yourself to 1 cup of (preferably black) coffee a day and keep that before noon. While extra caffeine throughout the day may give us the sensation that we have more energy, it's actually taxing on our body's natural energy production systems and can give us misinformation on how energized we actually are. The longer (later) caffeine is in out system the more it affects are ability to get to and stay asleep. We need to be able to rest when we are fatigued so that we can naturally reset and not rely on stimulants throughout the day.
Additionally, when you wake up your cortisol levels are at their highest for aproximately the first hour of the day. Cortisol (a steroidal hormone) gives you that energy to wake up and roll out of bed. Consider waiting to drink that cup of coffee until 1-2 hours after you wake to really maximize your body's utilization of the cortisol and the caffeine together.
3) Resistant weight loss
Many women thing "I'm just getting older", or "this is my life now" and lose hope when they struggle to lose weight in middle age ( or any age!). I'm here to tell you that weight loss IS possible and your body DOES want you to lose that stubborn belly fat. Weight loss resistance is a SYMPTOM and it's your body's way of telling you that something isn't right. Typically it's related to a stress response.
When your body is stressed whether mentally, physically, or emotionally, it releases cortisol which increases insulin levels and therefore affects your ability to gain or lose weight efficiently. When your body is chronically stressed, in it's desire to survive it stores fat and shuts down non-essential functions such as proper digestion and fertility ability. aka - it messes with your hormones man!
Weight gain or the inability to LOSE stubborn fat is generally a signal to you that there is a hidden stressor somewhere in your life that needs to be removed. This could be anything from an emotionally stressor like a bad relationship, chronic stress like business at work or lack of proper sleep, or physical stressors like over exercising and/or food sensitivities causing inflammation and damage to your gut lining.
All 3 of these are problems that MANY women encounter and therefore many women consider them "normal". These are not normal and by no means are you meant to struggle with them for life. In fact, with some digging there may be a relatively simple answer. It may take time, and it may take work. I never said changes would be EASY, but they may be SIMPLE.
Be your own health advocate, know your body, and don't "let it go" :)
Have you, or are you struggling with one of these? I'd love to hear from you - leave a comment below!
Making the most of snow days...
Hey Hey Diva friends!
Quick update for you :) January is off to a rocking' start!! I launched my very first Gut Health program #GetGutsyWithMe on January 15th and I'm already getting AMAZING feedback on the program, information, and recipes! This fills my heart with joy and happiness since it's my life's mission to help people make healthy changes in a doable, pleasant, and maintainable way!!
Stay tuned - Get Gutsy will be launching 2-3 times each year and you can expect edition #2 in a few months!
I also chose to jump into the 80Day Obsession program by Autumn Calabrese! This is a beachbody program from the creator of 21 day fix. YES I'm a personal trainer, YES I could create my own workouts...YES MLMs like beachbody have a bad name (because of poor representatives I might add - not because of the products).... but I have seen GREAT success using at home programs, so have many of my clients and friends and heck...it saves me time and sanity to follow a program that's already designed! As I grow and focus on my OWN business, I enjoy popping down in my basement and not having to think about what to do next. #stressrelief If you want to join me just say the word!
I'm VERY pleased to announce that The Tiny Fit Diva podcast will be up and available to stream in February. We are currently working on a few last minute tweaks as well as preparing a few extra episodes for you to be on top of the game before we open it to the public :) GET EXCITED because Patrick and I share our best tips on this weekly show!
I have many goals for 2018 and one habit I'm slowly beginning to implement is an organized morning. Last year I read miracle morning and I loved a lot of the ideas but didn't implement them right away. As I'm getting busier, I want to make sure my priorities don't slip, so in the evening I have been making a list of to-dos the next day and that includes the first few things I want to get done in the morning which includes meditation, reading my Bible, and reading a personal development book!
All in all, January is shaping up to be a pretty darn awesome month and I have more goals, dreams, and visions for the next few years that I can't wait to share with you as they come to fruition.....
MEANWHILE!!!!! It's snowmageddon in OHIO....ok maybe it's not that bad :)
[edit: the day this is posted it's freakishly warm :P so tuck these tips away to use soon]
I never understand why people get so upset about weather changes. There's nothing you can do about it except adjust your attitude. Personally I think it's beautiful. And it offers an opportunity for extra cuddles, hot chocolate and card games inside :)
Here are my 3 tips to make the most of your snow days:
1) Prioritize together time.
With your spouse, your kids, or your dog...whoever lives with you :) Use the extra inside time to watch a movie together, read a book as a family, play some cards or board games or...TALK to each other :) If you're BRAVE, bundle up in some snow gear and get outside for a walk or make some snow men :)
2) Focus on nourishing yet comforting foods.
In the winter we tend to exercise LESS and eat MORE. We want to stay inside and get less movement, but we also enjoy processed sugar and carb heavy foods ideal for packing on fat in hibernation times. To avoid this, focus on making foods that are nourishing yet comforting at the same time.
Make some homemade bone broth and drink it like coffee (SO GOOD) or make a soup with homemade broth as the base - check out my previous blog with info on how to do that here
Make some delicious homemade hot chocolate void of the sugar and chemicals you'll find in pre-made mixes...Use this recipe or come up with your own:
- 1 can of full fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup (or stevia drops to taste)
- Heat up the milk over the stove.
- Mix in the cocoa powder and sweetener of choice. Enjoy!
p.s. for a real splurge, add some Enjoy Life chocolate chips either in the full mix or in the bottom of your mug!
3) Tackle a hobby or goal.
Take a moment to write down a list of things you would like to accomplish in 2018. They could be fun things like hobbies, crafts, hanging out with friends, dinner with your mom etc... or they could be business goals you have, things that need to get done around the house,...you get the picture...
Create the list. Make sure if anything on your list requires actions steps to achieve it that you write those out as well. Then anytime you find yourself bored, snowed in, or with extra time on your hands tackle the list.
Here's to a warm and productive January! From my home to yours,
p.s. I'd love to hear YOUR receipt and traditions for this time of year! Share them below!
