Balancing Hormones

Have you ever been told that, “Your thyroid test came back in the normal range!” or “The dose of thyroid medication you are on is perfect!”?  You know in your heart of hearts that something is wrong because you still have hypothyroid symptoms!  You feel fatigued! You can’t seem to get yourself going in the morning! You don’t sleep well! You have mental fog and seem forgetful!  Your joints and muscles hurt! You feel a little depressed! You can’t lose weight! If you lose weight you gain it right back and then some!  You just know something is off. Your doctor might tell you that, “Your weight gain is not due to your thyroid.  Maybe you are over eating and you are not getting enough exercise.” So you skip meals and try to muster the energy to hit the gym or go for a run.  Nothing seems to work for long. Sound familiar? It’s a vicious cycle.

We’ve talked about all the thyroid hormones and thyroid hormone conversion on our Facebook Live series, so be sure to check those out!  One of the things that is needed to have good thyroid hormone conversion (inactive T4 to active T3) is hormone balance. Testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, insulin, cortisol, human growth hormone, leptin, etc. all need to be in balance.  

There was a study done in 2012 by the National Academy of Hypothyroidism that looked at why the TSH test could be in the normal range but patients were still suffering from hypothyroid symptoms.  The TSH test (thyroid stimulating hormone secreted by the pituitary) is the blood test most conventional doctors use to determine thyroid health. The researchers found that TSH levels and even T4 levels could be normal but the conversion of T4 into T3 in the tissues like your muscles, could the problem (20% of conversion happens in the tissues like muscles, 20% in the intestines and 60% happens in the liver).  

What this study revealed, is that in many incidences, T4 was being converted into Reverse T3 which has no function. This plugs up the T3 receptor sites on the cell membrane, so T3 that is available, can’t attach and influence cell energy production.  This gives you all of the hypothyroid symptoms even though your bloodwork comes back normal. In our book, Thriving With Hypothyroidism, we talk about all 15 or so of the things this study revealed that influenced conversion.

Hormone balance was one of those important areas that was needed for proper conversion of T4.

In this blog we want to talk about Human Growth Hormone (HGH). It’s one of the “Master Hormones” produced by the pituitary, (referred to as the “Master Gland”) just like TSH. HGH and TSH are two very important hormones because they control other hormones.

We tend to think that HGH is only active in children helping their bones to grow and their body’s to mature and once their growth plates have come together it is no longer produced, or, we think of weight lifters who use high doses of illegal HGH from China to get their muscles to grow abnormally large. But HGH is so much more important than just helping our children grow.  It’s very important to the health of adults as well.

Have you ever wondered why your children bounce back from a cold quickly and you are still stuck in the bed?  Or they have played soccer all day long and you think to yourself, if I had been running up and down that field all day like my child, it would take me a week to recover? It’s all about HGH.  HGH increases the body’s repair of tissues.

In adults, HGH plays a key role in cell repair, muscle growth, strength and exercise and sports performance, helps to recover from injury and disease and illnesses, boosts the immune system, helps to repair muscles after a workout, helps with sleep, helps with metabolism and fat burning, improves mood, increases energy levels, balances other hormones and a whole host of other things.

Not having optimal levels may negatively impact your quality of life and increase your chances of diseases and cause fat gain, especially around the middle.

HGH starts declining around age 20, and after 25 it falls faster and by the time you are 30-40 your levels are as low as someone who is in their 70’s.  In doing this work and writing our book, we are finding chronic disease is developing in many people at an early age.

Many of the people we have had the pleasure of talking with have common complaints.  

They can’t lose weight, they don’t have the energy to workout, their joints hurt, when they do workout it takes them a week to recover from that delayed muscle soreness and they don’t sleep well, they are a little depressed and feel overwhelmed.

One of the reasons for this is low HGH.  HGH can be produced throughout your life. What causes HGH levels to decrease around age 25?  At this age, we are finished with college, hitting the rat race of working, raising a family, worrying about how to make ends meet, not sleeping, not eating like we are supposed to, maybe too much alcohol and staying up too late.

Researchers are finding that it’s more about detrimental lifestyle changes that suppress its release.  They say it is similar to what happens with other hormones as we age, our lifestyles cause hormone resistance. Like insulin resistance that comes from high carbohydrate/sugar diets or leptin resistance that comes from constant over eating.  Our bodies just don’t respond the hormones as well.

Same thing with HGH.  Declining levels of HGH have been shown to increase cardiovascular diseases, decrease in heart function, reduce exercise capacity, reduce muscle strength, decreased organ function, abnormal thyroid hormone conversion, decreased ability to burn fat, fat accumulation especially around the middle. etc. The more fat you have on your body the less HGH is produced.

With hypothyroidism, your ability to burn fat is decreased and the amount of HGH you produce is decreased.  What came first, was it the low HGH or the toxic load or the bad diet, sedentary lifestyle? No one knows but to help with thyroid function and to burn fat, you must increase HGH production.

3 Tid Bits for today to increase HGH

1. Lower your insulin production by changing your diet.  High insulin levels suppresses HGH production.

2. Get better sleep.  Easier said than done sometimes but getting into bed by 10pm is one of the best things to do.  You need deep sleep in order to produce HGH and most is produced before 12midnight.

3. Get your workout on!  Not just any workout but workouts that will increase your HGH and testosterone.  Cortisol, the stress hormone and the hormone that leads to fat gain and aging, is produced even when you work out.  But the type of workout you do determines whether cortisol is playing with insulin or whether it is playing with testosterone and HGH.  When cortisol is in the presence of testosterone and HGH then your body becomes a fat burning furnace! When cortisol is in the presence of insulin, it becomes fat storing.

There are many other things that we can talk about to improve HGH production.  If you need help getting your metabolism back in check, reach out to us, we can help!

What is MTHFR?

MTHFR stands for Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase.  It is a gene that produces an enzyme that converts folate into Methyl folate.  There are lots of reactions that take place first. I’ll explain more in just a minute.

Why are we talking about this today?  According to Dr. Ben Lynch and Dr. Allen Christianson, the vast majority of people with hypothyroidism have a defect in the MTHFR gene.  In one of their lectures, they even go as far as to say from their research, 100% of the people with thyroid disease has this defect. This defect is present in half of the people in the US.  Italians have a higher percentage of the gene in the population but do not suffer from its ill effects like we do here in the US. Why is that?

Let’s look at why this is an important topic.

MTHFR is the master methylator gene!  But what is methylation?? Methylation is an important process in every cell of the body, especially the liver.  It is a simple chemical reaction where a methyl group (CH3) from a Methyl donor adds a methyl group onto a protein to change its function so it works in the body.  An example of a protein that needs to be methylated would be serotonin. Serotonin needs to be methylated before it can become Melatonin, that hormone that helps you sleep.  Methylation is also needed to regulate gene activity. A methyl group is added to the DNA to turn off bad genes so it prevents it from being expressed. Methyl groups are added to toxins like heavy metals to prevent them from accumulating in the body and helps them to be excreted.  Methylation is involved in cell repair, cell replication, DNA synthesis and repair. Our big methyl donor in our cells is called SAMe.

When you have optimal methylation, the systems of your body are working like they are supposed to work.  The cardiovascular system is running smoothly with no buildup of plaque; the neurological system is making neurotransmitters, the reproductive system and the detoxification systems are working properly.

When methylation is not optimal, you have problems with DNA production, Neurotransmitter production (anxiety, depression, mood disorders), detoxification (toxins build up and inflammation increases), histamine metabolism (too much histamine in the body), estrogen metabolism (bad estrogens build up), eye health, fat metabolism (can’t lose fat), cellular energy (sluggish), liver health is compromised.  

How do you know if you have the gene mutation?  You can have your doctor test for MTHFR. It is a blood test that most labs will do.  You can do genetic testing to determine if you have this mutation as well as others that might have the potential to influence your health, or you can just look at your family history.  Do you have immediate family members with heart disease and the problems associated with heart disease or autoimmune diseases or neurological conditions? Do you have expended family members with heart disease or autoimmune issues?  If so, there is a chance that you might have the gene. With 40-60% of the US having the potential to have the gene, chances are, the gene is present. If you ask your doctor to test for it and they say no, it’s because there is no drug protocol for this condition.  It’s a matter of lifestyle and dietary changes. These changes are good for everyone!!!

I like to think about this as 3 interconnecting wheels or gears, each with their own biochemical reactions that interconnect and are dependent on the other.  When one slows down it impacts the other wheels.

Middle Wheel

It starts with Folate at the top of the middle wheel.  Folate comes from the word “foliage” which means plants.  Green leafy vegetables are loaded with natural folate some of which is methyl folate.  Folate is an umbrella term for all of the different types of folate. The other types of natural folate have to be converted to methylfolate to turn the wheel.  Many enzymes and B vitamins are controlling this wheel. Lacking B vitamins will slow everything down.

As folate comes into the body through the plant food you eat, there are lots of reactions that convert it to methylfolate at the bottom of the middle wheel.  MTHFR is responsible for the conversion. If you have one defective gene from just one of your parents, you slow the reaction down by 30%; hence, the wheel slows down.  If you inherit 2 defective genes for MTHFR, one from both parents, you slow this reaction down by about 70%. This in turn, slows the other 2 connecting wheels so all of the reactions slow down. (I am talking specifically about the C677T position.  There is another position, A1298C, that does not seem to have as big of a problems unless you have one of each.)

Let me talk about folic acid for a minute.  Folic acid is a synthetic vitamin and is not metabolized completely and gunks up the pathway. We should avoid synthetic folic acid that is found in many vitamin supplements and in processed foods and enriched foods.  

One of the things methylfolate does is to change homocysteine into SAMe through several chemical reactions seen here on the outside wheel (remember SAMe is our main methylator in the body).  Then eventually SAMe turns back into homocysteine to turn the middle wheel.

Homocysteine is an amino acid that is high in red meats and dairy.  When we consume too much red meat and dairy there could be a problem with levels of homocysteine that get too high, out of the optimal range.  Red meat is high in B12 which we need but too much can be a problem. When there is too much homocysteine in the blood stream it is very irritating to the inside of the arteries. It causes plaque to build up and this leads to arteriosclerosis and all of the problems that comes from this.  It leads to dementia and possibly Alzheimer’s disease. We want optimal levels and not high levels. You have to have it to produce SAMe! High levels of homocysteine is often called a silent killer because this happens before you have symptoms. Heart disease is the number one killer. People with MTHFR have a slower middle wheel and homocysteine can tend to build up and get too high so this is one of the reasons we should limit red meats and dairy.  I’m not saying don’t eat red meat but don’t eat a steak that is half your plate either.

Outside Wheel

SAMe is produced on this side.  SAMe is you major methylator to make proteins function in the body. To help with detoxification of heavy metals. It helps make important antioxidants like Glutathione that helps the cells detoxify so toxins do not build up and cause disease.  If you have a low level of glutathione then you will have high levels of inflammation. If you look up diseases caused by inflammation on pubmed.gov there are thousands of diseases that pop up. Inflammation is the foundation of all disease.

Your immune system is impaired due to the toxic load and autoimmunity starts to take over.

Neurotransmitters are produced over here.  If you don’t have good folate levels then it affects neurotransmitter production and you will suffer from anxiety, depression, ADHA, neurological conditions.  You won’t sleep well, you can’t focus.

Other Outside Wheel

This is where Cell replication and repair takes place.  DNA replication and repair is needed to grow new cells. Without good cell turnover, the body ages and cancer can pop up in the body.

It is important to say that just because you have a MTHFR gene mutation, you are not destined to have the problems associated with this condition.  There are many things that you can do to keep yourself healthy. You are in control! Always remember this! The new field of science called Epigenetics looks at how the food you eat influences gene expression.  It is a fascinating area of research!

So how do you improve your methylation pathway?  We are going to give you 3 action points today.

1. Everything starts with folate.  Making sure you get enough folate in your diet. Always start with diet!!  Eat your organic leafy greens raw or slightly sautéed. Boiling destroys the folate. Other foods high in folate and B vitamins are blueberries, asparagus, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, nuts and seeds, eggs, clean organic animal proteins.  This is probably why Italians have a lower incidence of diseases associated with this defect because their diet is loaded in fresh vegetables and salads.

2. Get rid of Folic acid in the diet.  Avoid processed foods that are enriched with folic acid.  Read labels on your multivitamin.

3. Lower the toxins coming into your body!  Use clean products, eat organic food. Help the body by not adding to its burden of getting rid of the toxins that are already present.

We cover this in more detail in our book and we have a program associated with that.  Fill out our questionnaire and set up a free consultation call to discuss how we can help you reach your health goals.

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3 Tips On Eating To Avoid The Midday Slump

It’s coming, you can feel it, you’re trying desperately to will it away, but, inevitably the clock strikes 3:00pm. Suddenly, you are beyond exhausted. Now I KNOW we have all been there!! Just the thought of striking the letters on the computer keyboard seems like a daunting task, not to mention, all of a sudden you can barely keep your eyes open.

‘Argh!’ you think to yourself. When this happened yesterday, you swore it wouldn’t happen again. As you walk to the café to get a cup of coffee, you wonder how to avoid this midday slump tomorrow. Here’s the good news:  there are steps you can take to energize your body throughout the day and avoid this desperate feeling.

The best place to start is with breakfast. Before we even talk about what to eat, let’s recognize that it’s important TO EAT breakfast. So many of us are flying out the door in the morning and forget, or just don't have time to eat breakfast, but you need to make this a priority before heading out!  Your body has been in a state of rest, relaxation, and recharging for several hours. It needs fuel in the form of carbohydrates and protein to get going in the morning. Instead of processed cereal and milk, or a grease fix through the drive through window why not go for oatmeal with almonds and blueberries? Or prepare a couple of hardboiled eggs that you can grab-n-go in a hurry, perfect for those crazy mornings!  Pair them with a brown rice cake with almond butter and jelly and you’re starting your day off on the right foot.

It’s also important to remember to drink water throughout the day!!  We have all been guilty of this. I hear people say all the time that they are staying "hydrated" through the day.... with coffee and soda... but this is simply dehydrating your body even more. Dehydration is certain to cause sleepiness and fatigue. Imagine that a few glasses of water could be the difference between your 3pm exhaustion and vitality.

Don’t forget to put some thought into your snacks. You want to be sure to stay away from excess fats and sugars, which are in candy bars and most packaged food. The fatty foods will make you feel lethargic and the sugars will provide an initial spike, but then you’ll feel the afternoon slump as you come down from the sugar high. Take a few minutes at home to prepare trail mix with almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and Goji berries. For sweetness, you can add some cacao nibs or mini chocolate chips (I prefer Enjoy Life brand because their products are free of common allergens). A protein shake can also be a great snack option!

The midday madness doesn’t have to continue. You can control how your body feels by nourishing it with healthy food and water throughout the day. 

The Magic Of Vitamin D

In our last blog, Does The Winter Season Make You Fat, we talked about the importance of Vitamin D and combating the winter season weight gain!  So we wanted to dive in and give you some more information on the magic of Vitamin D! Many health experts consider the benefits of vitamin D to be one of the most important health discoveries in the last century!!! How amazing is that? 

The Basics on Vitamin D:

Vitamin D is found in 2 forms. Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol) is made by plants. You can find it in foods that have been fortified, such as juices, milk, or cereals (not the best source). However, Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol), the most complete form of Vitamin D, is made when the skin is exposed to sun.  I'm sure when we think of Vitamin D, sunshine is the first thing to come to mind, and I know many of us are dreaming of the sun right at this moment!!

We’ve been somewhat “brain-washed” by the media to think that all sun exposure is bad. This is NOT TRUE! Getting 15 minutes of direct sunlight on unprotected skin is usually enough to get in your daily dose. Nature is your best bet for Vitamin D. Including foods in your diet that contain vitamin D, like fish (wild salmon is good), cod liver oil, milk, eggs, fresh fruits, and vegetables will also help. Unfortunately, most of us cannot get enough Vitamin D through food sources or sun exposure. 

It is estimated that up to 2/3 of the population is Vitamin D deficient and needs to take a Vitamin D3 supplement. Keep in mind that it is a fat-soluble vitamin and should be taken with a meal for the best absorption possible.

So what are some of the benefits?

• Bone Health - Vitamin D aids in the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous
• ncreases bone density & helps decrease fractures
• Helps to prevent osteoporosis
• Enhances the immune system, lowering the incidence of colds or flu
• Lowers incidence of cancer & rheumatoid arthritis
• Controls hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Aids in heart/cardiovascular health, preventing premature death
• Reduces inflammation
• Prevention against diabetes, autoimmune diseases, & multiple sclerosis
• Eases muscle aches & fibromyalgia symptoms
• Improves serotonin levels, thus aiding the control of depression
• Helps control appetite and even improves fat-loss efforts!!

As you can see, Vitamin D is absolutely necessary for good health & the list of benefits just keeps on GROWING.

How do I know if I am getting enough?  Have a blood test called 25(OH). It is the ONLY blood test out there that measures the amount of Vitamin D to determine if you are getting enough or not. This test is especially important if you have family history of cancer or autoimmune disease. 

Does The Winter Season Make You Fat?

As the holiday season comes to an end and winter is in full effect, most people are gearing up to work off all those holiday treats, which means lots of calorie-laden foods, like egg nog, turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and cookies.

For many, this means weight gain through the holidays.

Many people also start going into hibernation mode come dropping temps like we’ve seen lately.  They eat heavier foods. They gain (more) weight. They cozy up and hunker down.

There are numerous holiday parties that start after Thanksgiving leading up to Christmas.  Work parties, family parties, drinks with your girlfriends, neighborhood potlucks, the list goes on. And just when you think it will slow down, Christmas arrives, leading you into New Year’s Eve, and topping it off with Valentines Day.

Holy, more weight gain!  Continuous months of indulging and mindless eating and drinking.

So, how are you going to handle the duration of winter? Let's talk about some ways to combat the winter weight gain and to make the most of this season!

Fear not. Winter is a great time to detox, leading into the lightness of spring. We have talked about how a detox with the change of each season is a great practice. Doing a seasonal cleanse will help our bodies to remove any toxins that exist from stress, lifestyle choices, and even environmental factors.

Don’t forget to get your vitamin D.  The days get their shortest come winter.  Researchers at Aberdeen University found that obese people had 10% less vitamin D than people of average weight. The study also found that excess body fat absorbed vitamin D so the body couldn’t use it. Scientists now believe that there is a direct correlation between obesity and low levels of vitamin D. With that, get out there, even in the cold, and get your sunshine, if only for 10 minutes per day.  Vitamin D also plays an important role in the overall health of your thyroid!

Move your booty and continue exercising regularly. It can be as simple as taking a walk out in the snowy terrain, get to the gym if you can, or grab a set of weights for home workouts.  If you can get outside and move around, some of the benefits may outweigh those frigid temperatures.  

Sometimes you may not feel like it due to the cold weather, but hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. During the cold weather months, warm, heavy drinks are usualy a go to, but you can’t forget your water!!

Enjoy winter foods. Move toward the more warming winter foods and also emphasize the more warming spices and seasonings including ginger and peppercorns.

Here is a list of the seasonal foods of winter:

Avocado, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Endive, Escarole, Fennel, Grapefruit, Horseradish, Artichoke, Kale, Kiwi, Kohlrabi, Kumquats, Leeks, Lemons, Mandarin Oranges, Onions, Oranges, Parsnips, Pears, Persimmons, Potatoes, Radicchio, Rutabaga, Satsumas, Shallots, Sweet Potatoes, Tangerines, Turnips, Winter Squash

Enjoy them all.  Try new things.  Just remember, don’t let the couch lure you into curling up with the unhealthy comfort foods like creamy soups or mac and cheese.

Kick Cravings To The Curb With Healthy Snack Options

Cravings happen...PERIOD...even to the healthiest of us!! When your hunger, energy and cravings are out of wack, a whirlwind of out of control taste buds are sure to follow.  So be sure to keep yourself in check with these delicious and nutrient packed snack options to FUEL your body, instead of crash it!

Often, when a craving hits in the afternoon or in the evening after dinner, we get the urge to snack. Snacking can be a bad habit to get into, because the snacks we choose are often junky, un-nutritious, and high in calories, sugar, or fat.

The trick to snacking without piling on the pounds is to find healthy alternatives to the regular snacks you might normally reach for.

Usually, when we get a craving it is for either something sweet (chocolate!), savory (potato chips!), creamy (ice cream!), or crunchy (crisps!). Obviously, my examples are foods you shouldn’t eat all the time if you are trying to loose fat and be healthy. But that doesn’t mean you have to fight your cravings for the rest of your life. Instead, you just need to substitute.

Next time you get a craving for something sweet, why not try:

• fresh, whole fruit
• apples and almond butter
• dried fruit
• green smoothies
• banana “ice cream” (peel a banana, freeze, blend in a food processor with nuts, berries or  raisins ,and serve)
• dates stuffed with almond butter or other nut butter
• organic dark chocolate chips or carob chips

For your savory cravings, try these healthy alternatives:

• olives
• pickles and pickled vegetables, such as carrot, daikon, beets, and lotus root
• hummus
• steamed vegetables with tamari
• freshly made salsa or guacamole
• salted edamame

Your creamy cravings can be met by eating:

• smoothies
• avocados
• rice pudding
• dips and spreads, like hummus
• puréed soups
• mashed sweet potatoes (also a great sweet craving snack!)
• coconut milk

Finally, don‘t cave and reach for the Pringles, when you can eat these crunchy (but still healthy) snacks:

• apples
• frozen grapes
• rice cakes
• light popcorn or plain popcorn
• carrots (particularly the sweet, organic baby carrots)
• celery and nut butter
• raw, unsalted nuts like cashews, almonds, and walnuts

Don’t fight your craving. Instead, listen to what it is your body wants specifically and choose the healthier option that will be good to your waistline and will keep your hungery and cravings in check!!

3 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Health Today

Can I tell you something, and let's be honest...

There’s something that I didn’t realize when I first started working with people who want to make their health and wellness a priority.  People are sick of feeling less than amazing, and people are confused about who to listen to for advice...

BUT

Most of us already know a thing or two we need to be doing to improve our health and are not doing them!!

There is a lot of information (and mis-information) when it comes to the foods we eat. Just look at the variety of books in the ‘diet’ or ‘health’ section of your local bookstore. But when it comes down to it, we still know the basic things we should be doing to improve our health.

If I were to ask you, “What are three things you think you could be doing, to improve your health?” I'm almost positive I would get responses similar to these below:

1.    Be more active.

2.    Stop eating junk, stop drinking soda or stop smoking!

3.    Eat more vegetables.

We intuitively know how to make ourselves well, but when it comes to following through, that’s where we fall apart. I know!! I have done it, too. I still do it, we are all human! I eat chips, I drink wine, and sometimes I don’t eat as well as I know I can. The most important thing to remember is that it is ok to let yourself induldge some, just know how to get yourself back on track! Follow the 80% : 20% rule! 

For the next week, I’d like you to think about the obstacles that are stopping you from living your healthiest life. Think about it, journal about it, reflect on it.

What obstacles are standing in your way? Maybe you work long hours and cooking a healthy meal seems too time-consuming, or maybe you feel that the price of healthy food is too high. Perhaps you're too tired to get in a workout when you get home in the evening.

Your job for the next week is to simply think, reflect, and journal on these obstacles and come up with some ideas to knock these walls down. Knowing your obstacles, habits, and patterns will help you figure out how to work around them!!

I would love to hear your comments below. Tell me what is stopping you! Let’s work it out together!  You've got this!!

What Does Your Gut Have To Do With Your Mood

Your gut, aka "inside your belly", has been proven to be your bodies literal "second brain". For years, the medical world has been trying to figure out what causes our moods to change and what causes common problems that most of us face like stress, anxiety, and even depression. These are common problems, and we know they are linked to serotonin, but did you know that 95% of serotonin isn't even produced in the brain? Serotonin is actually produced in the gut!!

Did you know this?!

What we put inside of our bellies is directly related to our emotional health. Our gut consists of bacteria, and we need that bacteria to have a healthy balance or the rest of us will not be balanced either, including our mood. Your gut and your brain work together, so if one is out of balance the other will be also. Have you ever had an upset stomach because your mind was super stressed? Well, think about it, if it works one way it works both ways. There have been many scientific studies that have linked mood problems to gut problems and vice versa.

Is your gut balanced with 85% good bacteria and 15% bad bacteria? That is the recipe for a healthy gut and a healthy mood. The best way to make sure your body has healthy bacteria for your gut is to feed your gut healthy bacteria. Some symptoms of an unhealthy gut include gas, bloating, nausea, sugar cravings, and more. The best way to make sure that your gut is getting the healthy nourishment it needs is through probiotics. Probiotics can be in pill form, or you can get them right through your diet. Excellent sources of probiotics include kefir and fermented or cultured foods and beverages.  We also have a favorite probiotic we personally use, so ask us for more info if you would like to learn more.

Keeping a healthy gut in check will help you to digest food properly, absorb vital nutrients, and maintain a healthy state of mind aka your mood!!  One of my favoritre sayings is “The food you eat can be either the safest & most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison”! Ann Wigmore

The Magic 9 Letter Word

Did you know that studies show practicing this one thing can make you 25% happier? That’s 25% more happiness, joy, positivity and optimism, who doesn’t want that!!  It boosts your immunity to anger, disappointment, frustration and doubt. It's even been shown to heal pain and illness in your body. 

That one thing is GRATITUDE,

and amazing things happen when you integrate it into your meditation and daily practice. Many of us are so caught up in looking forward to the future, especially in todays super-crazy fast paced life, reaching goals and dreams and can, at times, forget to cherish the things right in front of you, now, at this very moment.  While dreams and ambitions are amazing things to want in life and to work towards, don't ever forget to be in the moment, the present and grateful for NOW.  Your journey & life is your story, unique to you and no one else can have that, so don't let it pass you by without showing it some gratitude.

Here's a fun exercise to try:

1. As you sit down to meditate, breathe in deeply and begin to give thanks for your life. Give thanks for anything that pops into your head.  No filter, just give thanks for it and show it appreciation. 

 2. Think about five things to be grateful for on this day. See these events as pictures. It may be the way your dog greets you when you get home or that nice person that let you have the parking space in the crowded lot, your family.  Just let the images flow in and notice the feelings they give.  This is a time for you to turn off all the negativity.

 4. Remind yourself that whatever you focus on expands. When you focus on gratitude and positivity, you will get more of that in return. Usher in what you are wanting to come into your life

What you appreciate, appreciates. 

 This is one of the truest things I have ever heard.  What you appreciate, appreciates. Be mindful that you will attract more abundance, love, and health by being grateful for your current state in these areas. Your body, your health, and your relationships can only be improved by honoring where they are in this moment.  Enjoy this wild journey we call life and be sure to soak up each moment!!

Stress, Adrenal Function and Sleep

OK - What is the deal with stress, adrenal fatigue and sleep and what do they have in common? The “fight or flight” syndrome – you’ve heard of it, right? Accompanied with the image of the saber-toothed tiger dashing after a hunter, getting ready to attack. I’m sure we all have experienced this right? In modern times, we’re not literally in that frantic position, but our bodies are often reacting as if we were fighting for our lives. This “flight or fight” response is controlled by the adrenal glands and takes over when we are stressed.  Our adrenal glands, located on top of each kidney, are forced to work overtime in an effort to deal with stressors we encounter on a daily bases:  injury, disease, work, family, finances, environment, etc. In today’s world, we have managed to create all kinds of stress for ourselves and our overall health begins to pay the price.  We start out in adrenal overdrive trying to over compensate for the stress, and we are left in adrenal burnout or ADRENAL FATIGUE!!!

It’s hard to imagine these small adrenal glands, essentially the size of a walnut, are responsible for the producing hormones that help the body to control blood sugar, burn protein and fat, help to regulate blood pressure all while reacting to the stress we put on our bodies everyday. One of the most important hormones is cortisol.  Cortisol production is crucial for the body to combat stress and it is also just as important for cortisol levels to return to normal following a stressful event. Nowadays, stress seems to be a state of being for so many people that the body doesn’t always have a chance to return to normal, resulting in health issues, adrenal fatigue, low thyroid function, sleep disruptions, lowered immune function, increased belly fat along with other negative effects.

Although not getting along with a boss or missing a bill payment are not life-threatening like the saber-toothed tiger, our bodies react to these stressors in a similar fashion. The body starts to feel unsettled. More and more cortisol is produced because the body believes it needs massive amounts of energy to “run for its life” or get through the day. This happens over and over again throughout the day:  getting the kids ready for school and getting yourself ready for work, traffic, spilling coffee on your new suit, your assistant calls in sick and you’ve got to send out 20 packages today, the babysitter is late picking up the kids from school and taking them to soccer practice, your late afternoon meeting runs over and you leave the office late so family dinner becomes you eating leftovers alone...so you can see how the body doesn't necessarily have enough time during the day to return to "normal".  And all this is going to happen again tomorrow!

Here’s the problem:  chronic stress can overload the adrenal glands to the point of exhaustion. For some, the fatigue will become overwhelming and the adrenals will no longer function properly to provide the energy and resources the body needs on a day-to-day basis. When someone is exhausted, the most natural and most suggested solution is to,

 get more sleep!!

That’s not always easy with adrenal problems because insomnia is a common symptom. There are, however, steps you can take to prepare yourself for a better nights sleep, which is certainly one of the best ways to refresh and rejuvenate your body, mind and spirit!

For better sleep and to begin to heal your adrenal glands:

1.  Go to bed at the same time every night between 9:30-10pm. Your adrenals do most of their recharging from 10pm-2am, with 10pm-12am being the most important, so be sure to stick to a sleep schedule as much as possible.

2.  Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and sugar in late afternoon/evening (or remove them completely from your diet to avoid any rollercoaster-like blood sugar surges).

3.  Keep a gratitude journal near your bedside. Every night, list five things for which you are grateful. Remind yourself that even though you may feel fatigued, there are wonderful aspects of your life and many reasons to heal.  Gratefulness and acknowledgement of successes in life have the power to lift moods and release stress!  Give this one a try!

4.  Take a relaxing bath with Epsom salt, not only is this detoxifying to the body, it will also allow your muscles to relax as well.

5.  Skip the alcohol and grab a night time tea.  Alcohol depressed the adrenal glands and lowers cortisol production.  Over time this can lead to low immune function, increase in inflammation and sleep disruption.

6.  Before crawling into bed, write your to-do list for the following day, or things you want to get accomplished.  The last thing anyone wants to do once in bed is to constantly think about what they have to do the next day.  Write it down and get it out of your head and onto paper.

7.  Shut off the electronics a few hours before bed.  I know this one can be tough but give it a try to see if this helps your sleep!  Instead, grab a good book, a book for personal development, personal growth and log in some reading before hitting the pillow.

8.  Be sure to get some form of exercise in during the day. Though not too much because with adrenal fatigue the last thing you want to do is put extra stress on your adrenals.  But a good sweat session with a HIIT class, sauna session, or some restorative exercises like yoga, pilates, walking will do the trick.  This will help you deal with the feelings of stress too!

We hope these tips for getting better sleep, decreasing stress and beginning to heal your adrenal glands was helpful!