Find out how Winsome lost 23 lbs in 7 weeks after she almost lost hope

by Michale Leave a Comment

Here Winsome’s story about how she almost lost hope to get healthy and lose weight until she saw my wellness talk on Leptin Resistance.

Check out her ‘gut-wrenching’ story about how she felt before starting her Fit n Healthy plan and how she feels now. WOW! Winsome is a superstar! As a previous nurse with all those years of not sleeping, she is now able to sleep well, feed her body properly, lose a whopping 23 lbs in just 7 weeks, have the energy to do what she loves to do. Congratulations Winsome!

Want to lose weight too?

If you’re struggling to get healthy and lose weight and ready for a simple, no-nonsense approach that doesn’t include deprivation, starving, counting calories or grueling exercise, book your FREE CALL with Michale by DM ‘Lose 20’ to get your clear path to weight loss.

How Journaling Can Help You Get in Shape, with Michale Hartte

by hartteuser Leave a Comment

We are beyond excited to tell you about our interview with Diet and Detox Specialist, Michale Hartte, because we know her ideas can help using journaling.

Whether you struggle with achieving wellness goals or you’re just looking for extra inspiration to maximize your health regimen, you won’t want to miss this conversation. Discover the ways journaling can help you achieve optimal health and fitness.

SUMMARY

Michale’s Top Three Tips to Help Slim Down and Get Stronger

1) The Value of a Good Night’s Rest
2) Healthy Meal Plans That Squash Inflammation and Lower Blood Sugar
3) Your Action Plan

To learn more, listen to our interview, or read below to see highlights from our talk.

https://www.journaling.com/articles/how-journaling-can-help-you-get-in-shape-with-michale-hartte/

Michale has 20 years of experience helping people get fit and healthy through her courses and 1 on 1 consulting. She is also the author of The Fit ‘n Healthy Plan and writes for numerous magazines. Michale’s passion to help others stems from experience reversing her own cases of amenorrhea and osteoporosis through diet, detox, and daily routine.

Michale credits journaling with saving her life. As a child, she struggled hard to fit in. Low self-esteem and a desire to feel accepted led Michale toward unhealthy behaviors like smoking and starving herself to be thin.

Years later, Michale began to seek answers. “I sat down and asked, ‘Who am I, and why am I here?’ I journaled about it, got it out of my body, and I started to see my story in my journal. It made sense, and I realized exactly why I’m here.”

Since this life-changing discovery, Michale has established healthy habits, a strong mind and body, and now she helps others do the same. She attributes much of her success to journaling.

1. Have confidence in the right plan. There are so many diets to choose from. The goal is to select a plan that will work for the long-term and that emphasizes health not merely weight loss.

2. Be consistent. Establishing a morning time journaling routine helps maintain a schedule that ensures you reach your goals. Michale suggests starting each day by recording important key indicators in your journal which include tracking:

sleep patterns
energy levels
bowel movements
menstrual cycles if you are a woman

This kind of record keeping shines a light on important details you can use to track your body’s response to diet, exercise, and particular sleep routines. You’ll see where and when you’re falling off track. In these ways, journaling helps us stay accountable.

3. Find your courage and glean support. You don’t have to do this alone. Seek out or cultivate a community void of judgement in which you are loved and your health goals are supported.

The Value of a Good Night’s Rest
Each of us has different health goals. In Michale’s case, she’s focused on optimizing her brain and body health in order to ensure a long and productive life. To achieve this goal, she commits to getting enough sleep. As an explanation, she recommends everyone read Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival by T. S. Wiley and Bent Formby.

Wiley and Formby show that getting the required amount of sleep supports healthy weight loss because it curves our cravings for unhealthy carbs. Among other benefits of a good night’s rest cited in this book are:

reversal of type 2 diabetes
relief from depression
normalized blood pressure
reduced risk of heart disease and cancer

All of this sounds great, but sometimes a good night’s sleep feels elusive. Michale has an answer for that. She explains that preparation for a good night’s sleep starts in the morning.

Michale credits a consistent morning routine with her healthy sleep hygiene. In the morning, she puts a kettle on for beloved black organic coffee—chock full of antioxidants to support healthy aging. For this part of her day, Michale remains in a fasted state, giving her body time to “clean up old worn out cells.” She does an oil pull with coconut oil while waiting for coffee. From there, along with her coffee, Michale drinks one liter of water within 2 hours of waking. This helps turn the brain on and gets her feeling energized. From there she enters her office where she takes out her journal and records key markers (sleep bowel movements, menstruation, and energy) from the day before. Michale reviews the information and makes connections between how her body is performing vs the food, exercise, and level of activity she engaged with the day before.

This journaling routine, Michale notes, helps people be in alignment with their goals.

Healthy Meal Plans That Squash Inflammation and Lower Blood Sugar

Michale doesn’t track the specific foods she eats and never records calorie counts. She discourages her clients from doing so as well.

Instead, she offers tips to ensure your body gets exactly the nutrients it needs to perform well.

Choose your protein source. Protein is a part of every cell in the body and it’s a fundamental part of a healthy diet.
Eat healthy carbs. We need fiber found in colorful veggies to produce regular bowel movements that remove toxins from the body.
Consume healthy fats for their anti-inflammatory effects.
Prebiotic foods like beets and dandelion greens and probiotic foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and yogurt encourage healthy gut bacteria.
Digest minerals to help take pain away. Sea vegetables full of trace minerals such as nori, dulse, and kelp are good sources. Drink a cup of bone broth each day.
Season your food with herbs and spices—parsley is a diuretic for the kidneys, oregano bolsters the immune system, and cilantro is a heavy metal detoxer.

If all this talk of food is making your mouth water, you can download Michale’s cookbook, Fit ‘N Healthy Plan, on her website.

Your Action Plan
1) Learn more about Michale’s work. Visit her online at www.askmichale.com.

2) For healthy meal plans discussed in our interview, check out her cookbook Fit ‘N Healthy Plan on Michale’s website.

3) Listen to my conversation with Michale.

4) Cultivate your own morning journaling routine.

5) Take a look at Journaling.com’s Top 10 Journaling Resources for Physical Health.

Michale’s final words of wisdom came to her via Bob Proctors and his staff.

She teaches, “See what you want. Be it how you want it and become it now.”

We would also add, love who you are right now today even before you lose the weight.

Weight Loss Stalls on Keto? 3 Top Reasons

by hartteuser Leave a Comment

You’re doing everything right on the Ketogenic Diet but frustrated with weight loss stalls.

You’ve given up bread. Upped your fats. Eating enough protein and cut your carbs.

You’ve initially had success. But now reached the dreaded weight loss plateau.

You’re scratching your head – Why haven’t I lost more weight?

I can just imagine the sheer frustration! All that effort with no result.

Before I share the 3 Top Reasons why you’ve stopped losing weight on the Ketogenic Diet, I want to point out that losing weight and keeping it off can be tough to master.

Let’s begin with the basics.

Sometimes, the basic foundations for breaking past the weight loss stalls are forgotten because they seem like no big deal.

However, the shortlist below is a big deal. If you aren’t doing these, I would start there.

Weight loss stalls on Keto – Start here

Sometimes common sense isn’t common practice. Look below for the most common pitfalls I see to weight loss stalls. If you aren’t doing the basics – start here.

Tracking optimal water intake (1 liter/lb of body weight).
Having higher protein, moderate fat, and minimal carbs at your first meal of the day.
Keeping carbs below 50 grams per day.
Having 1 to 2 bowel movements per day.
Practicing time-restricted feeding.

If you’re doing all of these and still spinning your wheels, here are 3 Top Reasons why you have weight loss stalls on the ketogenic diet.

CHECK YOUR THYROID

THYROID

According to the Thyroid Foundation of Canada, a staggering 1 out of 10 Canadians have some form of a thyroid condition. Of those, as many as 50% are undiagnosed!

Healing your thyroid is an important part of restarting your metabolism.

Proper thyroid function directly controls how much fuel your body turns into energy and how much gets stored as body fat. This is exactly WHY those with sluggish thyroid function are overweight and fatigued.

The good news is, there are ways to support healthy thyroid function and get it working better again.

Here is a quick quiz to see if the thyroid is one of the reasons for your weight loss stall.

Underactive Thyroid (Hypothyroidism) Questionnaire

Mark (1) for sometimes or mild; (2) for often or moderate; (3) for very often or severe.

Skip all statements that do not apply to you.

____Muscles stiff in the morning, feel need to limber up

____Fail to feel rested even after sleeping long hours

____Feel “creaky” after sitting still for some time

____Heart seems to miss beats or turn “flip flops”

____Nauseated in the morning

____Start slow in the morning, gain speed in the afternoon

____Motion sickness when traveling

____Dizzy in the morning or when moving up and down

____Cold hands or feet

____Sensitivity to cold, prefer a warm climate

____Hair scanty, dry, brittle, dull, lustreless, lifeless

____Hair loss from the outer third of eyebrows

____Flaky, dry rough skin

____Sleeplessness, restlessness, sleep disturbances

____Poor short term memory, forgetfulness

____Poor response to exercising

____Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)

____High cholesterol, cholesterol deposits on eyelids

____Constipation, less than one bowel movement per day

____Emotional, “go to pieces” easily, cry easily

____Dislike working under pressure, being watched

____Diminished sex drive, lack of sexual desire

____Yellowish tint to the skin on hands or feet

____Cracks on bottom of hands

____Clogged sinuses

____Low heart rate

____Low body temperature, especially at bed

____Recurrent infections

____Depression

____Headaches

____Puffiness of face or eyes

____Swelling of hands or ankles

____Irritability, mood swings

____Multiple food allergies/sensitivities

____ Coughing, hoarseness, muscle cramps – all worse at night

____FEMALE: Lumpy breasts, cystic breasts

____FEMALE: Menstrual irregularity, excess flow, premenstrual syndrome

Add up the numbers beside each of the statements that applied to you. If your total is 14 or higher, you may have hypothyroidism.

What is Hypothyroidism?

The thyroid is a pinkish, butterfly-shaped gland situated in the front of the neck below the larynx (voice box). Its function is to regulate the metabolism of every cell of the body. A deficiency can affect virtually all body functions.

If the thyroid gland is not functioning properly, everything else will suffer.

Normal thyroid function requires normal leptin signaling, certain minerals, along with normal pituitary, adrenal, and ovary/testes function.

Leptin Resistance – the possible driving force behind hypothyroidism

Leptin resistance occurs first. And later down the hormonal chain comes the pituitary hormones, which regulate the thyroid and growth hormones.

You cannot address one area without addressing the others.

What is Leptin Resistance?

Leptin is produced by your white fat cells and enters your hypothalamus (in your brain) through some complex signaling. Leptin’s primary job is to tell your brain when you’ve had enough food. Quite simply, when to eat and when to stop as well as how many calories we burn and how much fat we carry on our bodies.

This feedback system is designed to keep you from getting overweight.

Leptin resistance is when you have plenty of leptin, but the messages aren’t being received. If you don’t address this, your attempt to lose weight will likely fail.

How do you know if you have Leptin Resistance?

To definitively know, get a blood test. Spectracell Laboratories tests Leptin as well as other important blood sugar markers such as Insulin, Glucose, HOMO IR (the estimate of insulin resistance), Hemoglobin A1C. You can check out their blood test by clicking below

Cardiometabolic and Pre Diabetes Testing

Alternatively, you can take the Leptin Resistance Quiz found below to help identify if the problem is due to improper leptin signaling.

Leptin Resistance Quiz

TESTING FOR THYROID FUNCTION

Medical blood tests often fail to detect an underactive thyroid. This is because they usually only measure Thyroid Stimulating Hormone or TSH. It’s important to know that your thyroid could be producing sufficient TSH, yet there may not be enough active hormones getting to the individual cells.

Thyroid Blood Test

More comprehensive blood tests for thyroid function include TSH, Total T4, Free T4, Free T3, Reverse T3, Anti TG, Anti TPO, Tg, and TBG.

If your medical doctor cannot run this full panel, you can check out SpectraCell Laboratories and get tested.

SpectraCell’s thyroid panel looks like this

Thyroid at home test

An easy at-home test you can do is the Basal Temperature Test (BTT).

What is the BTT?

The basal temperature test (BTT) is an effective self-test that can be performed at home. It measures the result of one of the thyroid’s main functions – body temperature. A low BTT suggests hypothyroidism.

THE BTT TEST – 2 SIMPLE STEPS

Step 1: Place a thermometer by your bed before going to sleep.

If you have a mercury thermometer, shake it down to 96 degrees F or less.

Step 2: Take your temperature as soon as you wake up. Before stirring, place the bulb of the thermometer under your armpit for 10 minutes. This will give you your lowest temperature of the day (which directly relates to thyroid gland function). Record the reading on 5-10 consecutive days.

The normal morning auxillary temperature should be between 97.8 – 98.2 degrees F (36.6 – 36.8 degrees C). If it is below 97.8 degrees F (36.6 degrees C), AND stays within the same range of temperatures (within .5 degrees), the thyroid may be underactive. For example: Day 1 = 35.5, Day 2 = 35.6, Day 3 = 35.5, Day 4 = 35.5, Day 5 = 35.8, etc.

If your temperature fluctuation is greater than .5 degrees, then it’s primarily the adrenal glands that need support. For example: Day 1 = 35.5, Day 2 = 34.5, Day 3 = 34.9, Day 4 = 35.8, Day 5 = 34.5, etc.

Additional note: Men, pre-pubescent and post-menopausal women can take the BTT test at any time. Menstruating women should begin testing on the second morning after the start of their flow to eliminate the temperature fluctuations that accompany the menstrual cycle. The test should be finished before ovulation begins.

CHECK YOUR MICRONUTRIENTS

Weight loss stalls, when you are doing everything right on the ketogenic diet, maybe due to a lack of specific nutrients.

Because your diet is limited you may actually not have the nutrients to tap into your fat reserves and burn them for energy. Those that tend to eat the same foods, day in and day out are also at risk of micronutrient deficiencies as are poor digestion, high stress, and low food quality.

Nutrients specific for proper weight loss include: Carnitine, Zinc, Lipoic Acid, and Vitamin B5

Carnitine – Carnitine helps with weight loss because of how it shuttles fatty acids into the cells so they can be burned for energy. Research shows it helps reduce visceral adiposity (belly fat).

Zinc – Deficiency of zinc affects healthy leptin levels. Leptin levels need to be within range and recognized by the brain to eat when truly hungry. Low zinc is also associated with low stomach acid, which is needed for proper digestion.

Lipoic Acid – Lipoic acid is well known for its role in the uptake of glucose into cells. This, in turn, helps burn carbohydrates more efficiently.

Vitamin B5 – Having enough vitamin B5 lowers body weight by lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that burns fat cells. One study linked adequate vitamin B5 levels to reducing hunger.

For a more complete list of nutrients required for a healthy weight, look below

SpectraCell’s nutrient list for healthy weight

CHECK YOUR LIVER

Most people make the mistake thinking it’s the thyroid that regulates your metabolism.

However, the liver is actually one of the organs that also play an important role in your ability to lose weight.

When your liver isn’t functioning properly, it’s full of fuel but your body cannot use it. As a result, your body moves into a state of stress and relies on other ways to try to obtain fuel.

One of the ways your body obtains its fuel is from breaking down muscle.

This is one of the reasons why you may not have seen any results from your exercise regime. Initially, you may have lost a few pounds, but with the loss of muscle came a slower metabolism.

Not only that, whatever weight you lost came back even when you’ve still been watching what you’re eating.

Good news is once the liver regains its function, your weight begins to ‘fall off’ while you eat more food. You will also notice your energy levels climb, the dreaded 3 pm energy slump is a thing of the past, and you stay naturally thin, all year round.

Think of your liver as your ultimate natural pharmacy.

Some of the nutrients it stores are Vitamin B12, iron, copper, vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin K.

Your liver is also the main organ that keeps you from being sick and toxic.

It’s your primary organ of elimination, removing what you don’t need and keeping what you do.

Your liver works hard for you. It stores fuel (glycogen and triglycerides), conjugates hormones, and helps to balance your blood sugar.

Liver Resistance and its direct link to weight loss stalls

Just as someone can become leptin resistant or insulin resistant, one can also become liver resistant.

When your liver becomes overloaded with an over-accumulation of toxins, wrong diet, or just too much food in general, it prevents your fat cells from breaking down by making itself, resistant to insulin’s signaling.

Extra fuel in the form of triglycerides, that would normally be taken up by the liver is then circulating around the bloodstream. Sadly, this is not harmless to the body and instead, leads to damage to blood vessels and nerves.

Eating less, while can help the liver with less fuel to process, doesn’t really solve the problem, which is a liver that needs good toxic clear out.

All the while refeeding with specific nutrients to function optimally and to remove the excess triglycerides.

How healthy is your liver?

Take the Liver-Gall Bladder Questionnaire test to see if an overloaded liver is why you have a weight loss stall on Keto.

Liver-Gall Bladder Questionnaire – click the link below

liver_gall_blad_aire

Weight loss stalls – Figuring it out

Figuring out why you’ve stalled in your weight loss goals while going keto can be tough.

The most important thing to remember is that everyone’s body is different and will react differently to a number of variables.

I always like to start with the basic foundational principles to weight loss and go from there.

After which, once you’ve covered those off and still not losing inches, then this is a time to turn to proper blood tests.

TEST DON’T GUESS

There are proper tests that can help you pinpoint exactly what your body needs to start losing weight gain.

The best part is, these tests are easily accessible. Remember, blood doesn’t lie. Getting proper blood work done can really short cut your way to slim, strong, and feeling sexy again.

Clinically, all the clients I test are so grateful because it’s pinpointed what we don’t see, to then further customized their diet and supplement regime.

I truly hope I’ve helped shed some light with the 3 Top Reasons why you are having weight loss stalls with some simple solutions to fix it.

MAKE KETO EASIER

How to Lose weight on a Ketogenic Diet, improve energy and get healthy again.

For those that want more help, come to my next KETO WORKSHOP! This is where we get to connect and take a deep dive into Keto and Weight Loss.

How to Lose Weight on the Ketogenic Diet WORKSHOP!

Need a more personalized plan?

Get help with weight loss. Contact Michale
Get your personalized plan for weight loss with my 6 Weeks to Slim, Strong, and Sexy Plan

Michale Hartte, BASc (Nutr), NNCP, CH is your leading Nutritionist and Detox Specialist, focusing on gut-related health issues such as weight loss resistance, constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, leaky gut, ulcers, IBS and Fatty Liver Disease.

For more information on how to become a client, please contact Michale at 250-718-1653 (text or phone), Email Michale or visit www.askmichale.com. Serving all English speaking countries via phone, Skype, FaceTime or WhatsApp.

Rev up your Libido with this quick tip!

by hartteuser Leave a Comment

Nothing beats a good boost to libido, than exercise.

No need for fancy supplements, weird tasting foods, or uncomfortable counselling sessions. Simply put on a pair of runners, rock it out and rev up your libido!

Whether its going to the gym, going for a run or even a brisk walk. Elevating your heart rate and moving your body, through exercise will not only make your body look hotter, but it can also increase your sex drive.

Simply engaging in only 30 minutes of exercise most days can be all it takes to put you in the mood and get busy between the sheets!

Exercise raises testosterone – the libido booster

Get ‘your desire on’ by raising your testosterone through exercise. It’s been proven that the best way to enhance testosterone is through exercise. Exercise also has the added benefit of increasing lean muscle, building stamina and getting strong. Those over the age of 40 should take note. Its about that time that testosterone begins its decline along with your breasts moving straight down to your waist. Not what we want ladies!

But, that doesn’t have to be you! Lorna Vanderhaeghe, in her book, ‘Sexy Hormones’ reports that even 20 minutes of exercise increases blood levels of testosterone for up to 3 hours after!

It’s testosterone that ignites that sexy fire inside, gets us slim and strong. This goes for men too.

Exercise increases endorphins – the ‘feel good’ hormones

Get ‘high’ by engaging in some exercise. You’ve most likely heard of the ‘runner’s high’. Lorna shares with us that this high is caused by an increase in endorphins during intense exercise. She tells us that if you exercise for more than 30 minutes, your blood levels of endorphins increase more than 5 times the levels found at rest.

Exercise elevates Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factors (BDNF) – the building of new neurons

Get smart and sexy through exercise. Dr. David Permutter, in his groundbreaking book, ‘Brain Maker’ shares with us that we can actually build more brain cells by simply exercising. Yes, not only do we look and feel better, we think better! His research shows that it only takes 30 minutes a day and all you need to do is buy one piece of fancy equipment – a pair of sneakers. That’s it!

So, there you have it. Improve your sex life, get smart and feel ‘high’ with regular exercise and oh, don’t forget the perfect playlist to get you in the mood! Soft lighting, a little dance and maybe a favorite scent???

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Looking to shed those extra pounds without crazy diets or endless exercise?

Then get the insiders scoop on my soon to be released –

‘6 Weeks to Slim, Strong, and Sexy’ Program!

Simply email: info@fitnhealthynutrition.com and type into the subject line ‘I want to be an insider’.

Learn the ins and outs of slimming down, building strength and feeling sexy at your own time, in the convenience of your own home, and get lasting results.

This program encompasses 25 years in the health and fitness arena with 17 years of one on one clinical, hands on, in the trenches experience. All while raising healthy kids! Kuddos to Rheece (my husband) for all his support.

Please share this with someone you love.

For more on hormones and how to balance them go here

6 Major Players to Balancing Hormones and Getting Lean

Burn fat, balance hormones getting natural sunlight

The #1 Secret to Balancing Hormones and Getting Lean

6 Major Players To Balancing Hormones And Getting Lean

by hartteuser Leave a Comment

This is the final one of a series of posts on Balancing Hormones and Getting Lean.

At the end of the series, you will be given the practical steps that encompass all 6 major players to balancing hormones and getting lean.

In my last article, The #1 Secret To Balancing Hormones And Getting Lean I shared with you how getting lean requires good hormonal balance.

Gone are the endless days of the eat less and exercise more strategy. While eating less and exercising more does have its place in fat loss, it’s designed to be a tool to incorporate into your long-term health and wellness strategy.

So, to get lean in a healthy way, there are 6 major areas to balance and make that goal happen – I’ve already outlined the first of the 6 in this post.

The other 5 are: A Hormone Balancing Diet; Safe and Easy Detox; Restorative Sleep; Stress Management; and Proper Exercise/Movement.

Without going into great depth of all 5 of these areas, instead, I would like to focus in on the diet, detox, and sleep, and leave stress and exercise for another blog post.

I will wrap this post up in a nice Xmas bow and end with an easy to follow Fit ‘n Healthy Daily Routine that covers all these 6 Major Players to Balancing Hormones and Getting Lean.

11 Hormones Responsible For Getting Lean And Building Sexy Muscle

There are 11 hormones responsible for getting lean and building muscle.

These Hormones are:

1. Insulin – The Fat Storer

2. Glucagon – The Fat Burner

3. Ghrelin – The Hunger Hormone

4, Leptin – The Fuel Gauge

5. Thyroid Hormone – The Metabolic Manager

6. Cortisol – The Stress Hormone

7. Adiponectin – The Satiety Hormone

8. Human Growth Hormone (HGH) – The Fountain of Youth

9. Estrogen – The Feminizer

10. Progesterone – The Partner of Estrogen

11. Testosterone – The Body Sculptor

Therefore, creating a Diet and Lifestyle Plan that balances these 11 hormones would be a good, sound strategy to getting and staying Fit ‘n Healthy.

Let’s start with Diet.

Hormone Balancing Diet

Out of all the 11 hormones listed above, balancing Insulin and Glucagon will give you the fastest results and simplest solution to getting lean and building sexy muscle – long term.

A good start to balancing Insulin and Glucagon is consuming a diet rich in high-quality protein and omega 3 fats while swapping highly processed, high glycemic carbohydrates with high fibrous, low glycemic ones.

For more details on this way of eating, check out my Slim, Strong, and Sexy Diet Plan.

Are You 15 + Pounds Overweight?

If you are struggling with 15 + pounds to lose, you will most likely need to start by balancing Leptin and Ghrelin. Take the Leptin Resistance Quiz and fix it here.

One other consideration, when it comes to a Hormone Balancing Diet, is eating just enough. This means NOT overeating. Overeating is another way insulin rises independently of a carefully balanced diet.

A good trick to help you NOT overeat is to ensure you’re well hydrated. Sometimes, you may feel hungry when in fact, you’re actually thirsty. This is why I recommend my clients to start their day with 1 litre of filtered water and drink the rest of your required water intake between meals and not to close to bedtime.

A good rule of thumb is 1 litre of water for every 50 lbs of body weight.

Safe And Easy Detox

Toxicity is of much greater concern now than ever before. We are exposed to many new and stronger chemicals, many of which we place on our skin and consume in our foods every day.

And with new threats, like genetically modified foods and an excessive amount of EMF exposure, we need to be even more diligent to clean ourselves out.

For these reasons, getting lean, feeling strong and reaching peak performance needs to include a solid, safe and easy detox.

Simply put, excess toxins cause havoc on your hormones. Your liver, kidney, lung, and to some extent, your gut are the organs that play the biggest part in getting you lean.

These are your primary organs that keep your insides, clean. If any one or more of these ‘organs of elimination’ are sluggish, then your ability to burn fat is diminished as well.

‘When you get cleaner, your body will get leaner’

This is a direct quote from fitness and nutritional expert Shawn Stevenson of The Model Health Show.

“One of the ways excess toxicity leads to weight gain is through inflammation. Just think of how Estrogen Dominance plays a role in being overweight? In fact, some recent research points to the inability of our bodies to burn fat as fuel even when on a Ketogenic Diet.”

Mike Mutzel, fitness and nutrition expert and author of The Belly Fat Effect, does a great job explaining how important going on a good detox is essential before going on a fat burning diet.

He sums it up by saying, “constipation is common with ketosis and can kick you out of ketosis. Constipation can also cause the recirculation of nasty chemicals, negatively impacting your liver. Do a detox before going on a ketogenic style diet. Clean house.”

I fully agree. Another factor to consider when your body starts to burn body fat is that toxins are being released into your bloodstream. Your liver, kidneys and gut go to work trying to get these out. If anyone of these ‘fat burning’ organs are sluggish, then you feel crappy!

Doing a safe and easy detox alongside a solid weight loss plan is essential.

Are your ‘fat burning’ organs clean enough?

Go here and find out:

adp_detox_questionnaire_v2

digestion_aire

kidney_health_aire_aadp

liver_gall_blad_aire

Detox is actually quite simple.

First and foremost, start by eliminating as many Sources of Toxicity as you can. This is exactly how I begin the detox process with all my clients – by handing them my Sources of Toxicity Checklist with Simple Solutions on How to Eliminate Them.

To assist your kidneys, start your day with 1 litre of filtered water with added freshly squeezed lemon juice and a pinch of unrefined salt.

Do this BEFORE or along with your morning organic coffee or organic green tea. Always drink your water away from meals. Drink nettle tea during the day also to help with kidney function.

Additionally, to support the gut with having 1-3 good sized bowel movements per day, incorporate non-starchy, fibrous carbs (just think of above ground vegetables like kale, radishes, peppers (all colors), broccoli, and celery). Remember to save your starchy carbs for your evening meal (think of below the ground veggies or properly prepared grains, beans or legumes). Drink peppermint tea!

Enjoying little-fermented foods prior to your evening meal will also aid in proper bowel movements along with about 300 mg of magnesium. I like magnesium glycinate.

For your liver, eat Liver Friendly Foods like broccoli, broccoli sprouts, artichokes, beets, onions, garlic, and incorporate lemons and limes into your meals. Drink dandelion tea.

Practice deep breathing to support lung function. I recommend performing 5 deep belly breaths in the AM and again in the PM, being careful to keep the shoulders down and breath from your belly.

To take it a step further, go on a safe and easy detox. The one that I perform regularly and get great results is using a method called Biotherapeutic Drainage.

Restorative Sleep

Burn fat, get smart, and heal your body while you sleep! This is by far the ‘lazy persons way’ to cut fat, build lean muscle tissue and set up the stage for peak performance!

You heard right! A solid nights sleep is a great way to burn fat!

Did you know sleep is the only time your brain detoxifies? This is also the time you repair and regenerate from the day’s activities?

Just think about those days when you’ve had the best sleep – you feel pretty remarkable don’t you?

I always liken a good nights sleep to going the spa. That’s exactly how I feel when I’ve had the best sleep ever.

It’s one of the secrets to fat loss, and much has to do with keeping Leptin and Grehlin in balance, along with Insulin and Adiponectin, with a subsequent increase in Human Growth Hormone and Testosterone.

Having a good night’s sleep is essential in getting these hormones in balance.

What A Normal Sleep Cycle Looks Like

Starting at about 6 am, you get a surge of Cortisol. This wakes up your brain and body. Soon after (within 2 hours), Ghrelin rises signalling you to eat along with Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide (VIP) signalling you to ‘poop’.

At around 9 am or 10 am your sex hormones rise (which is a good time to enjoy sex). This can help reset your circadian rhythms if you are having troubles sleeping at night.

Sometime around sunset, your hormone Leptin gets released from your fat stores. If your circadian rhythm is in sync and leptin is able to do its job properly, leptin can actually shift your body into burning fat, suppress your appetite and control any late night food cravings. This continues until bedtime along with another hormone, adiponectin.

Snacking after dinner and before bedtime stops leptin and adiponectin from doing its job. This leads to a complete halt to the magic of burning fat while you sleep.

Assuming you haven’t been dosing yourself with artificial light (computers, tv, cell phones), melatonin gets released at 10 pm. At around midnight, melatonin peaks allowing leptin to enter into the hypothalamus. This is super important from a fat burning perspective because if this all happens, thyroid gets the signal to be upregulated.

Next, your mitochondria begin to produce heat (as your core temperature drops). A proper sleep cycle allows your mitochondria to burn fat for heat while you sleep.

Do you see how obesity can be linked to chronic lack of sleep?

Another great advantage of melatonin peaking at midnight is the surge in prolactin. This is an incredibly important hormone as it promotes the release of Human Growth Hormone (HGH).

According to NIH research cited in the book, Lights Out, 6 hours of prolactin production in the dark is the minimum necessary to maintain immune function like T-cell and beneficial killer-cell production.

But you can’t get 6 hours of prolactin secretion on 6 hours of sleep a night; it takes at least 3.5 hours of melatonin secretion before your body even makes prolactin. That’s 9.5 hours of needed sleep IN THE WINTER MONTHS (7 hours in the summer), every night, for proper immune function.

The connection is clear. Scale back on too much gym time and unnecessary calorie counting. There is a MUCH easier way to slim down and get Fit ‘n Healthy – enjoy a restful nights sleep!

Simple Solutions For A Restful Sleep

10 hours before bed – no more caffeine
3 hours before bed – no more food
2 hours before bed – no more work
1 hour before bed – no more screen time (TV, computers, phones)

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips on 3 of the 6 Major Players to Balancing Hormones and Getting Lean. I promise to get the other 3 out to you sometime soon.

As an XMAS GIFT TO YOU, I want to leave you with my easy to follow Fit ‘n Healthy Daily Routine that covers all these 6 Major Players to Balancing Hormones and Getting Lean.

FIT ‘N HEALTHY DAILY ROUTINE

GET FIT ‘N HEALTHY WITH THESE 4 STEPS:

STEP: 1 MORNING ROUTINE

Drink 1 litre towards your required amount of filtered water. Drink the rest between meals and not too close to bedtime. BENEFITS: Aids in detox. Rehydrates for easy fat loss. Recharges energy. Your required amount of water for the day is ___ litres of filtered water per day. Always away from meals.

Get outside within 30 minutes of waking for 2-5 minutes and let the natural sunlight enter your eyes. Look about 15 degrees away from the sun. If the sun is not up yet, then look in that direction. This sets the stage for proper Circadian rhythm (best sleep, best digestion, best mood).

STEP 2: DIET

Make sure your breakfast has ______g total protein and 1-2 tbsps of extra fat (ideally from coconut oil, grass-fed butter or fat from your pasture-raised meat) with some non-starchy fibrous carbohydrates. See ‘The Fit n Healthy Diet – Create your healthy meals in 4 simple steps’ handout for sources. Use as your new template to make your meals. Breakfast ideas include: Eggs and bacon or leftover meat from last night’s dinner, plus a cup of lightly cooked green leafy veggies with or without extra above ground, colorful veggies OR a smoothie: Grass-fed Protein Powder (to yield 25 grams) plus 1/2 cup of coconut milk or coconut kefir, plus 1-2 cups of dark leafy greens, plus a handful of seasonal berries, plus 1 tbsp of sprouted seeds. Blend. You know you’ve eaten enough when you can wait for 4-5 hours before lunchtime. If you can’t, you need to eat more fat. CHEW YOUR SMOOTHIE OR FOOD VERY WELL!

LIMIT CARBS TO ______ GRAMS FOR THE DAY IF YOU ARE OVERWEIGHT BY MORE THAN 15 LBS. IF YOU ARE ACTIVE, YOU CAN UP YOUR CARBS BUT KEEP BETWEEN 100-150 GRAMS. WHEN YOU ARE AT A NORMAL WEIGHT, BEST TO KEEP CARBS AROUND 100-150 GRAMS DEPENDING ON YOUR ACTIVITY LEVEL AND AGE.
ACTIVITY LEVEL AND CARBS: CYCLE YOUR CARBS DEPENDING ON ACTIVITY LEVEL (EM-EM PLUS EL-EL)

EM = Exercise More

EM = Eat More

EL = Exercise Less

EL = Eat Less

For those weight training: CONSUME 0.7 GRAMS OF PROTEIN PER POUND OF BODY WEIGHT (in divided doses). This will keep you in a healthy ‘nitrogen’ balance for optimal regeneration and repair. ONLY for those who perform some type of ‘strength training’ exercise for 20 minutes 2-3 times a week.

For example, if your ideal weight is 160 lbs, you would consume 110 grams of protein in a day. A good example would be 55 grams of protein at breakfast, 35 grams of protein at lunch, and 20 grams of protein at dinner.

Your daily protein requirements are _____ g per day.

Breakfast: __________ grams

Lunch: __________ grams

Dinner: __________ grams

For those NOT weight training: CONSUME 0.55 GRAMS OF PROTEIN PER POUND OF BODY WEIGHT (in divided doses). This will keep you in a healthy ‘nitrogen’ balance for optimal regeneration and repair. Once you begin strength training (only when you are leptin sensitive), then you can up your protein to 0.7 grams per pound of body weight.

Using the same example: if your ideal weight is 160 lbs, you would consume 88 grams of protein in a day. A good example would be 45 grams of protein at breakfast, 25 grams of protein at lunch, and 20 grams of protein at dinner.

Your daily protein requirements are _____ g per day.

Breakfast: __________ grams

Lunch: __________ grams

Dinner: __________ grams

EAT THE MOST FOOD IN THE MORNING WITH DECREASING AMOUNTS AS THE DAY GOES ON.
SAVE YOUR ‘STARCHY’ CARBOHYDRATES FOR YOUR DINNER MEAL. Starchy carbohydrates can help ensure a better, quality sleep (which is why we save them for the evening meal). See The Fit ‘n Healthy Plan, STEP 2: Choose your carbohydrates. Always with your protein and fat.

CONSUME 1-2 TBSP OF ADDED FATS TO EACH OF YOUR 3 MEALS OF THE DAY. Add coconut oil to your morning organic coffee or tea, or eat 1 tbsp of it. Your best fats are coconut oil, MCT oil, pastured butter, heavy cream, red palm oil, ghee. Avocado and olives are good too. Limit nuts and seeds (exception: use when on a hormone balancing protocol)

EAT PREBIOTIC, PROBIOTIC, AND FOODS RICH IN POLYPHENOLS. Part of becoming leptin sensitive is healing the gut. Prebiotic, probiotic, and foods rich in polyphenols nourish your gut. This, in turn, lowers inflammation and fixes leptin signalling. See The Fit ‘n Healthy Plan, STEP 4: Choose your extras.

EAT 3 MEALS A DAY INITIALLY, BUT AS YOUR HUNGER AND CRAVINGS FADE, YOU CAN ADAPT TO EATING 2 TIMES A DAY, IF YOU LIKE.

STOP EATING 4-5 HOURS BEFORE BEDTIME IF YOU ARE 15 LBS PLUS OVERWEIGHT. OTHERWISE, STOP 3 HOURS BEFORE BEDTIME.

SNACKING IS NOT RECOMMENDED. This completely stresses the liver’s metabolism. Your liver needs to relearn how to use gluconeogenesis when you are asleep and awake. Snacking destroys the timing and circadian clocks that work in unison with leptin.

STEP 3: LIFESTYLE

GET OUTSIDE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. Spending time outside (sunglass free) keeps your Circadian Rhythm in check. This helps with the entire hormonal cascade and leptin to work properly. Getting outside and in nature is an excellent way to balance stress. Strive for 20 minutes in the morning and 20-30 minutes in the afternoon. Ideally, go for an easy walk after dinner. This helps with good digestion, fat loss and best sleep.
MOVE. Move as much as you can during the day. Try not to sit for more than 2 hours. READ YOUR BODY. Rest when you need. Move when you can. If you have an office job, invest in a standing desk.
WITHIN 1 HOUR OF SUNSET, MAKE YOUR SURROUNDINGS AS DARK AS POSSIBLE. See ‘Tips for Optimal Sleep’ handout.
ELIMINATE AS MANY SOURCES OF TOXICITY AS YOU CAN. See ‘Sources of Toxicity Checklist with Simple Solutions’ handout. An over toxic body is a body that is in constant inflammation. Inflammation is what drives excess body fat. You must do everything you can to reduce inflammation. Not only do we need to eat ‘clean’, we need to live ‘clean’.
LEARN TO MANAGE STRESS. A lifestyle with too many demands, time pressures, without enough ‘down time’ and rest, put our hormones out of balance, no matter what diet or movement plan we are following. Best stress management techniques are; meditation, yoga, walking in nature, having a bath, listening to great music and laughing out loud!
START A JOURNAL. Begin by writing down what you are grateful for and why you want to be Fit ‘n Healthy. Making change can be difficult. TRY THIS: OPAR – VISION (what is your vision); O – OBSTACLES (what are your obstacles), P – PLAN (what is your plan to overcome the obstacles), A – ACTION (take action), R – REFLECTION (look back at the result and tweak if needed).
‘LOVE HOW FIT ‘N HEALTHY FEELS’ – take this mantra and remember it to stay on track.

STEP 4: DETOX PLUS SUPPLEMENTS

Struggling to get Fit ‘n Healthy? I would love to create a Personalized Nutritional Plan for you. Get one on one help!

Whether it’s to drop some extra weight, balance your hormones, build some sexy muscle or even just do a whole body tune-up!

Simply GO HERE to learn more and get started NOW.

What’s it going to cost you if you don’t take action now?