Ask Michale Hartte

Email: askmichale@gmail.com Phone: 250 718 1653
HEALTHY - CONFIDENT- YOUTHFUL

START HERE – The Fit n Healthy Reset

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“You’re only going to be as Fit n Healthy as you ask your body to be”

– Michale Hartte

Author, writer, speaker, practitioner, and coach with the ninja moves 

You’re here because you know its time to get healthy.

Something inside is urging you to start cleaning up your diet and lifestyle. You may even be ready to embark on a new exercise program, replace old worn-out habits with new healthy ones, or perhaps feel the need to cleanse or detox. Ready to take your health more seriously. 

You’re in the right place.

START HERE – The Fit n Healthy Reset. My philosophy to getting Fit n Healthy starts with building a solid and strong foundation, enjoying the journey along the way, and feeling proud of your accomplishments. A daily routine with healthy habits that over time lead to self-mastery. We are in need of more healthy people and I am glad you’ve taken this next step. 

Did you know?

A meager 12% of Americans are considered Metabolically Healthy. Canadian stats are potentially equal to this given that the diet and lifestyle choices are to a great extent, similar.

The five metabolic measurements in this recent study included blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), blood pressure and waist circumference. 

What’s going on?

The shocking truth to this boils down to poor nutrition, a sedentary lifestyle, and what I call looking for the ‘next shiny object’ syndrome. 

Would you believe the average person walks around tired, brain fogged, bloated, constipated, riddled with painful joints, with insomnia, a loss of libido, growths on their face and body, with years accumulating toxins that are all trapped in their large amounts of adipose tissue (fat).

This big mess equals a 24/7 release of whole-body inflammatory markers zapping the life, fun and energy right out of them. And amongst all of this, they are searching for meaning, purpose, while struggling to get away from guilt and beating themselves up by day’s end.

Hoping the next day will be better. YUK!

We can do better than this! What if I said that you CAN leap out of bed with a heartfelt vigor to start your day with energy and purpose? Begin with a morning routine that sets the stage to be your best self for high performance, a feeling of wellness, and shear JOY? A body where your digestion, sleep, brain, recovery, and hormones are all working at top speed? 

What if we all felt like either Batman or Cat Woman?

Strong, confident and healthy!

You can! You just need to START!

Enter your information below to receive a Free PDF

Start Here – The Fit n Healthy Reset 

INCLUDES

√ How to have a ninja-like mindset, capable to tackle anything that comes your way.

√ How to eat healthy even in social situations and when out.

√ How to get your body clean from the inside to look lean and healthy on the outside.

√ How to have a daily routine that keeps you centered and well balanced.

√ How to get your digestion working smoothly and know when you’re hungry and stop when full.

√ How to get deep, restorative sleep to give you next day energy, strength and vitality.

√ How to make exercise a priority to look and feel proud of the steady work you’ve put in.

In other words, you are giving back to yourself and with confidence knowing that you’re also giving to other people too.

YOU are the role model.

YOU believe in yourself.

YOU keep yourself accountable 

Ready for your Fit n Healthy Reset? START HERE

For the complete reset plan go to 7 Day Simple Health Reset and start now!

 

 

 

 

6 Major Players To Balancing Hormones And Getting Lean

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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

  1. balancing hormones with waterDrink 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.
  1. 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

  1. 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)

diet for hormonesEM = 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

  1. sunlight for hormonesGET 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.
  2. 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.
  3. WITHIN 1 HOUR OF SUNSET, MAKE YOUR SURROUNDINGS AS DARK AS POSSIBLE. See ‘Tips for Optimal Sleep’ handout.
  4. 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’.
  5. 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!
  6. 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). 
  7. ‘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?

The #1 Secret To Balancing Hormones And Getting Lean

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The 1st Key To Getting Lean: Balancing Hormones and making darn sure you eat enough!

This article is about balancing hormones. In my last post, How do some people eat more and stay lean? I shared with you what I did to try to lose weight and how the result of my efforts turned my body into a devastating, SKINNY FAT.

Essentially, I became, a smaller fat person. Not what I was after.

I explained how the old model of Eating Less and Exercising More (EL/EM) to get lean, essentially kept me FIT but NOT Healthy. 

I certainly LOOKED lean but accomplished this through starvation, deprivation, and just plain misery. 

It wasn’t until I adopted the Eat More to Get Lean (and stay there) Strategy that I recovered my own health and life back.

I now attribute my newfound Fit ‘n Healthy Body to Balancing Hormones.

When your hormones are balanced, your body knows exactly what to do WITH your food. Your hormones simply direct your body what to do WITH the food once you’ve eaten it. 

Understanding and optimizing your hormones may seem like an overwhelming task, however, you may be surprised at how simple it really is. No magic pill. No weird foods. And for most of us, no expensive tests either.

Just setting up a good, solid diet and lifestyle routine that you enjoy and can stick to!

Getting back to the basics and checking in with my own body, is what I did to reverse my hormonal imbalance.

Literally, a few times throughout the day, I would take a few moments to do a quick internal ‘whole body scan’, starting with the time I woke up. 

I know it doesn’t sound sexy, but once you create the habit of ‘checking in’, you get to know what’s working and maybe what’s not working. Having these insights can help navigate your day ahead.

That;s working WITH your body and not against it by going on some crazy new restrictive diet and exhausting exercise routine.

So, before I get into the real, practical steps, I’d like to share the #1 Secret to Balancing Hormones and Getting Lean – Your mindset.

The 2nd Key To Getting Lean: Start with a Fit ‘n Healthy Mindset

This is where it all begins. If you approach your goal of getting lean with the right mindset, your daily healthy habits will easily follow – this is 2nd key to getting lean.

The endocrine (hormonal) system and the interplay with your brain are completely connected.

Where your mind goes, your body follows.

I learned this KEY secret to balancing hormones and getting lean when I wrote a book with Bob Proctor. 

The book was called, The Science of Perfect Weight. A new way of thinking, eating and living to achieve your perfect weight. One statement that really stood out for me was,

“You are what you think about, most of the time.”

High Stress = High Cortisol = Fat Storage

For example. We are all familiar with the stress hormone cortisol. If we live in fear, our cortisol levels rise, and if this goes on for too long, it leads directly to belly fat, among other harmful things. 

This is how you can become a Skinny Fat independent of what you eat and how you exercise. Simply living in fear can put belly fat on. Plus this is not a way to live either!

The Law of Physics states that ‘Energy cannot be created nor destroyed. It can only be transformed from one form to another’. The transformation of ourselves, as a human being is one of the most profound things in existence.

Whether it’s transforming your body to get lean, your mind to find purpose, or your relationships to get a connection, it’s a phenomenal process. 

But it can come with a dramatic struggle too. 

Good news, it doesn’t have to. There are certain steps that you can start taking RIGHT NOW to transform your body and life – working with your body to get lean, healthy and happy.

The Law of Vibration and Attraction states that “When you hold the image of what you want on the screen of your mind, you are vibrating in harmony with every particle of energy that is necessary for the manifestation of your image on the physical plane. By holding that image, the people, things, conditions, and circumstances you require are moving toward you, and you toward them”

See it. Believe it. And be it now!

5 Steps To Creating a Fit ‘n Healthy Mindset And Getting Lean

Step 1: Find Your WHY

Take some time to dig deep and discover your WHY.

What is YOUR reason for getting lean? Is it to be a great role model for your children? Be more attractive to your mate? Feel good in your sexy, slimming jeans or just simply look and feel good naked? 

Or maybe it’s because you know how darn good it feels to live the Fit ‘n Healthy lifestyle!

Whatever your reason. THIS IS YOUR DRIVING FORCE! Write it down. THIS is what’s going to keep you on track!

I HIGHLY recommend starting a Journal. There’s something about writing it down that makes it real and seemingly important to you. You can speak your why to yourself or others. Saying your WHY out loud activates the limbic system of your brain that’s been shown to motivate and live in-congruent with your commitment 

When I was diagnosed with Osteoporosis and Amenorrhea (a loss of menstrual cycle), my WHY to getting healthy was what would happen if I kept doing what I was doing? 

What was going to break down next if I didn’t take action to self-correct it?

Finding your WHY is what you’re going to go to when faced with OBSTACLES that take you away from your goal of getting lean… remember that!

Step 2: Get Clear

Clarity accounts for probably 80% of success and happiness. Lack of clarity is likely more responsible for frustration and failure than any other single factor. Step 2 works in conjunction with Step 1: Find you WHY

Your success in getting lean and life, in general, is directly linked to how clear you are about what you really, really want.

The more you See it Believe it and Be That Person Now, the faster it will come. Simple, Easy, and Quickly.

Unfortunately, sometimes ‘being that person now’ brings up self sabotaging self talk and takes us off track. How can you have the life you want if you don’t truly believer you deserve it? Without doing an overhaul of how you actually look at yourself (self esteem) and reprogram your mindset, you are likely to self sabotage yourself every step of the way.

This is when we want to ‘reinvent’ ourselves to who we really want to be. YOU have the power to do that!

Ask yourself this: I’m the type of person that……..(and fill in the blank). 

I good example of this strategy is saying or writing down, ‘I’m the type of person that exercises every day’. ‘I’m the type of person that stops what I am doing to say ‘Hi’ to my spouse when he enters the room’., ‘I’m the type of person that ensures my children have healthy meals’. That sort of thing. 

This is something I learned from Tom Bilyeu. Co-founder of the billion-dollar brand Quest Nutrition, and superhero in the world of mindset, motivation, and impact. He helps people take charge of their self perception to get the life they really want. 

So, my suggestion is to start by being clear on what you want and who you are.

What type of person are you (who you want to be)? Start your list and Be THAT person now. Then watch the magic that happens next…….

 

Step 3: Find a Role Model

Once you tap into your WHY and get clear on what you want and who you want to be, it’s time to find a role model.

Who is doing what you want to do? How are they doing it? This is, at least in my mind, the shortcut to getting what you want. Whether it be your version of Fit ‘n Healthy, the best Parent, or whatever.

Find someone, or a few, that are already doing this successfully and follow them. This could be me, or someone else. I suggest simply finding them, earn from them.

It takes longer to ‘reinvent the wheel’ than to find someone who’s done it already and just tweak to your lifestyle. Finding a mentor or teacher also helps keep you motivated to stay on track.

I have a number of role models. One is my Auntie Diana. She is grounded, authentic, and tells it just like it is.

I have others also. Some as the Mother I strive to be. Some as the humble, knowledgeable teacher that I wish to be now in all areas of health (Mindset/Connection, Diet, Detox, Sleep, Stress, Digestion, Movement/Exercise, Sunshine).

Step 4: Know That There Will Be Obstacles

Changing old habits will bring up obstacles.

Know that You will move you past your comfort zone. Embrace the struggle. View the struggle as necessary, important and an integral part of your journey so that you can feel the power to overcome it.

What you do some of the time is what you do all the time.

Be reverent to the challenge. Always keep your eye on what you want and NOT on what you don’t want. When the ‘don’t want’ creeps up, just see it and find a solution for it.

This is where setting up an environment for success comes in, with your role model along with a person, set of friends, or people all on the same page. This type of support plus your WHY, and being clear with who you are (best version), will get you through the inevitable obstacles.

Step 5: Take Action And Create A Routine

Taking action means every day, taking steps towards your main goal.

For balancing hormones, there are 6 major areas to make that goal happen – I’ve already outlined the #1 Secret to Balancing Hormones and Getting Lean.

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

Stay tuned for more on those.

At the end of this series of blog posts to Balancing Hormones and Get Lean, you will have a routine in place to make Fit ‘n Healthy Simple!

Are you 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 burn fat, build lean muscle, or even just do a whole body tune-up!

Simply GO HERE NOW to learn more and get started.

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

I would appreciate your comments on this blog post.

Please share this with at least 2 people you love and who need this

Remember. BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO BECOME.

SEE IT. BE IT. BECOME IT NOW!

Thank you.

With Love and Gratitude,

Michale Hartte

HORMONE BALANCING SMOOTHIE

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Transform your morning breakfast to a hormone balancing smoothie.

You’re likely no stranger to the health benefits of balancing your hormones. Most think of this as having normal periods, better mood, and easier weight loss.

While this is true, balancing your hormones has far health reaching affects like blood sugar balance, restorative sleep, and building sexy muscle.

Essentially, hormones — such as estrogen, testosterone, adrenaline and insulin — are key chemical messengers that, when in balance, keep you lean, fit and feeling healthy. 

On the other hand, when our hormones are out of balance, we get irregular or painful periods, feel anxious during the day, can’t sleep at night, lose our sex drive, and thinning of our hair.

Basically, we just feel ‘blah’ and ‘yuck’.

Let this Hormone Balancing Smoothie be your magic potion to lift your mood, excite your sensations, and give the energy burst you need to get things done! 

3 Main Secret Ingredients in the Hormone Balancing Smoothie

The 3 magic ingredients in this hormone balancing smoothie recipe include: cocoa powder, avocado, and probiotic.

1. Cocoa powder

Cocoa is a known aphrodisiac. This is attributed to two neurochemicals: tryptophan and phenylethylamine. Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, the happy hormone. Phenylethylamine is known as a chocolate amphetamine. When elevated, promotes a feeling of attraction and excitement. The combination of tryptophan and phenylethylamine create a powerhouse effect on your body’s sensations (which is likely where it gets its name as the ‘love drug’)

When you consume cocoa, your body also releases endorphins, also known as the ‘runners high’. No wonder cocoa makes people feel sexy!

2. Avocado

Avocados are natural hormone balancers. They work to ensure your brain is making the right chemicals needed for best mood, blood sugar balance, and even assist on a deeper level to support healthy digestion. Being in the ‘fruit’ category of foods, it helps to curb anyone’s sweet tooth while keeping their waistline trim.

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3. Probiotic 

Probiotics balance your hormones by keeping your gut healthy. Having an unhealthy gut is foundational to an unhealthy body. Depending on the state of the gut, if left unchecked it can lead to a condition known as ‘leaky gut’. This is when undigested food particles, like gluten for example, leak through your gut into your bloodstream and cause inflammation that impacts the entire body — especially glands like the thyroid that is very susceptible to heightened inflammation.

I’ve written about inflammation and how it’s the key drive to unsightly belly fat. You can find the blog post here inflammation and drop your belly fat. Here’s how

Good new is, a specific strain of probiotics called Acidophilus gasseri has been identified to specifically target weight loss. Find it here

Alternatively, using coconut kefir or organic non-homogenized yogurt can work as well.

Now to the Hormone Balancing Smoothie Recipe!

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HORMONE BALANCING SMOOTHIE

Serves 2. Ready in 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 -2 cups berries 

1/2 a large avocado, pitted

A handful of spinach, kale, celery tops, or beet greens

1 to 2 Tbsps cacao powder

1 cup of your favorite liquid: organic yogurt, almond milk (unsweetened), or coconut milk 

1/2 cup of ice (optional)

 

2 scoops of your favorite vanilla protein powder

Your chosen probiotic (if not using yogurt)

DIRECTIONS

In a high powered blender, mix in all ingredients until smooth and creamy (except protein powder and probiotics if using). 

ENJOY all the benefits the Hormone Balancing Smoothie has to offer you!

Need a personalized plan? Go here to learn more about How to lose 20+ lbs in 8 weeks or less Personalize your plan

Please be sure to share this with at least 1 of not 2 people you love who would also enjoy this hormone balancing smoothie recipe.

 

 

 

 

How do some people eat more and stay lean?

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‘You look like you’re starting to gain weight’ 

This was the first comment I remember growing up, that triggered my desire to lose weight.

Funny thing, looking back, I actually wasn’t overweight. Maybe I started to ‘fill out’ a little on my athletic frame, but I was definitely not overweight.

The point is, it didn’t matter. It’s how I perceived it. Heck, someone planted the seed that I was fat and as a young girl, that didn’t feel good.

The next thing I know, I was looking at ways to lose weight. I clearly remember overhearing a conversation from a teenage girl sharing her secret to staying slim – eat less.

So, that’s exactly what I did. Except, I took it too far (which you will soon find out)…..

EAT LESS EXERCISE MORE – THE OLD MODEL TO LOSING WEIGHT 

Way back in the day (I’m allowed to speak that way now that i’m 50 yrs old), eating less and exercising more was the old model to losing weight. 

OLD MODEL = EAT LESS EXERCISE MORE (EL EM)

For me, as an athlete, exercising more was already under the hat. Eating less wasn’t. Growing up I simply ate what I wanted or whatever my Mom served.

Shout out to my Mom for cooking all those home cooked, healthy meals!

My point is, I never gave nutrition any thought, what-so-ever. Like most kids I guess.

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EL EM = SKINNY FAT 

I had a goal of losing weight and now armed with a strategy to execute. Eat less and exercise more (EL EM).

Just as a performance athlete gets better with their game, I conditioned myself to become very good at eating less while keeping up with my athletics. I think as a trained athlete, that’s just what we do. We know, and often even expect, some pain and suffering. It’s all part of the game.

This was how I went from being Fit and healthy to being Fit and NOT healthy.

I became a skinny fat.

It’s not through lack of will power or being lazy! The problem was that I took the complete WRONG approach to losing weight. 

While that strategy DOES work, it’s all in how you use it. Eat less and exercise more is a definitely a useful tool for weight loss, but only in short duration. There is a ‘build up’ phase that needs to happen in conjunction with this. AHA!

The light turned on when I learned this concept.

Starving myself, feeling tired and pushing myself to overcome it was tough and stupid, but I’m definitely glad it happened.

I say that because it taught me what NOT TO DO TO LOSE WEIGHT, and since then, I’ve been able to help countless people avoid those same mistakes.

Fit n Healthy can be simple! You just need to know what to do.

NEW MODEL = EAT MORE AND STAY LEAN

Today, I’m going to share with you 1 of the 3 keys that I used to get myself back on track, in less than 2 months.

Feel free to use it and help yourself get lean or someone else you care about to get in better shape too.

1st Key to Getting Lean:

AVOID WEIGHT LOSS MISTAKE #1: To lose weight, take in less calories then you expend out (EL EM), long term.

Weight loss mistake #1 means, cut the amount of calories you take in each day so that it’s less than your caloric expenditure for the day.

We’ve already learned the long term consequences of this approach to weight loss. 

For me, I actually felt skinnier in the first couple weeks, but then after a while, things seemed to slow down (including my brain and energy). It was as if I got “stuck” at the same weight. So I tried even harder. Sucked it up and dropped even more weight.

Unfortunately, I also started to drop my beautiful golden blonde hair and muscle at the same time. My hormones started to plummet and I ended up losing my normal, healthy menstrual cycle. I later found out I was losing my bone mass too.

As a result of EL EM (long term), my hair started falling out, my menstrual cycle stopped, and my bones started to break down.

The Doctor’s diagnosis of Osteoporosis was a turning point for me. 

After my initial shock, I took a step back and dove into figuring out WHY my body was breaking down.

I relentlessly searched for answers to how I was going to build it back up – in a healthy way. 

Eating less for that amount of time, was clearing NOT the answer to long term weight loss or health.

My quest then became – what IS the answer to getting Fit AND Healthy without deprivation, starvation and suffering?

WHY EL EM doesn’t work for long term weight loss.

To make it super simple, the food you eat basically brakes down into units of energy (namely electrons).

Our body creates energy from stored energy, food and sunlight.

And this leads us to one of the biggest misunderstandings when it comes to losing weight: 

If you’re reducing both your caloric intake and sunlight exposure to BELOW your energy requirements for the day, then you are going to literally have LESS energy for your body to operate with than it needs.

This is going to cause you to be more tired, more hungry, cranky and in the end, less attractive and not someone to be around. 

Sure, your body has stored energy (in body fat), and that’s what we are attempting to ‘burn’. But staying inside and eating less will cause your body to fight back! 

EL EM causes your body to adapt by lowering your metabolism. The body is wise and lowers your ability to ‘burn calories’ because there aren’t much coming in! 

Your body adapts to EVERYTHING you do.

This is what led me to the game-changing information that helped me adjust to what I was doing and transition to what my body really needed.

Hormone Balance.

Food and sunlight, is simply information given to the body.

What CONTROLS the body’s use of it, is our hormones.

Hormones are basically like chemical messengers that transfer information from one place in our body to another.

Our hormones regulate what the energy we take in, actually does.

Your hormones literally determine whether your body stores fat or burns it. Period.

The simple truth is, we are all the same, but different. While we all need much of the same ‘inputs’ to be Fit n Healthy, our bodies will act completely different based on your hormonal function.

THIS is how some people can eat more and stay lean. It’s all because of what hormones are being released and when!

Make sense?

The solution to getting lean, is up regulating your fat burning, health enhancing hormones and down regulating the ones responsible for fat storage and disease.

That is exactly what I did. I ate (and still eat) a lot more food. Foods that are delicious, nutrient rich, and very satisfying. No deprivation, no struggling, and no suffering! I strive to get outside for at least 1 hour a day and .I am as Fit and Healthy as ever before. 

I’ve reversed my Osteoporosis condition, my bones are strong, menstrual cycle is healthy and golden blonde hair is back!

In the next few blog posts, I’m going to share specific things to balance your hormones, be an efficient fat-burner, recharge your energy and rebuild your health too!

I’ll share with you right now, that it’s going to involve eating MORE food. You too can eat more and stay lean.

I know it sounds crazy, but I’ll explain soon, so just be ready.

Remember, don’t settle for a partial solution, you deserve better! It’s about getting the right information, taking action and putting in the right inputs – the body will do the rest and reward you with a Fitter and Healthier Body!

That’s what I call working with the body instead of against it. Fit n Healthy Made Simple (is my new model).

In the meantime, I will get you the right information soon, so keep an eye out for it.

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. Click on Get one on one help

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