So you’ve done it…you’ve decided to change the way you eat. You started eating better, whether that was incorporating real, whole foods into your diet or going paleo (you know, the caveman way of eating…meat, fruits, veggies, nuts, etc.) or **gasp** you started counting calories. Now, I won’t get into this in detail here, but counting calories is (in my humble opinion) one of the WORST ways to lose weight. Especially because most people eat those fat free frozen meals or the fat free desserts thinking they are good for you. Guess what?! They are chemical shit-storms (pardon my French). They are empty calories that are not nutritious!! How can you possibly be getting what your body needs from a frozen meal?!?! Anyways, I digress.

So you’re eating healthier, however that may look for you (remember, everyone is an individual and what works for me won’t necessarily work for you – it’s that beautiful thing called bio-individuality). But you’ve noticed you aren’t losing weight…you aren’t feeling any better, you aren’t sleeping better. What gives? You’re frustrated and about to throw in the towel. It can be SO disheartening to feel like you’re doing everything “right” and yet still not having any results…at least positive results.

But let’s stop and take a step back. First things first, are you keeping a food journal and being completely honest with yourself about what you’re eating? When I first started learning how to cook (i.e., broke away from the frozen meals and microwave dinners), I didn’t pay too much attention to what I was eating or when or how much…until I started keeping track of it. I kept a food journal for quite awhile, mainly to keep track of what was bothering me and causing me symptoms, but also to keep myself accountable to what I was actually consuming on a daily basis. If I didn’t write it down, then I didn’t have that piece of pie (or three), right?! This is the time to really hold yourself accountable and be honest with yourself!

Also, take a look at some of the “swaps” you’ve made. For instance, I used to be a sucker for no-bake cookies…you know, the oats, chocolate, peanut butter balls of goodness that you threw together when you needed a chocolate fix. OMG – I could eat those for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Have I mentioned I’m a sugar addict?!

So when I switched to eating healthier and focusing on real, whole foods, I also switched my sugar/”sweet treats,” as I called them. I would still make myself a “sweet treat” after dinner, but use the “healthy” ingredients. So it couldn’t possibly be bad for me! I would make a chocolate brownie in a mug with coconut flour and coconut sugar and cacao powder and all the other little ingredients that went along with it…or a pumpkin pie in a mug…or fruit “ice cream” with cacao nibs and coconut milk. It was all natural and not processed, so it had to be good for me! Right?!?!

Except I still felt awful…I was bloated and my acne wasn’t improving and I continued sleeping poorly and feeling exhausted all the time. Having these “sweet treats” became an every night treat for me…it was an after dinner treat that I couldn’t not have. It became a necessity. That’s when I took a hard look at what exactly these treats were doing to my body. Because the harsh reality is that our bodies do not differentiate between the highly processed sugar treats and the all-natural “good for you” treats. Sugar is sugar is sugar, according to your body.

So for me, being super sensitive to sugar and having reactions to eating a ton of it (think acne and mood swings and trouble sleeping), having these treats every night was extremely detrimental for me. And I have to be careful when I do have them because I tend to go a little overboard.

My point in all this is to be careful in making these seemingly healthy treats. Hop on google and there are countless ways to make desserts paleo or healthier or “better for you.” But be careful…because it is still sugar!! And your body will still react to it, whether it’s “healthy” sugar or not!

This one thing may be one huge reason you aren’t seeing any results. I know it was for me. So keep track of your food intake…are you eating too much sugar? Test it out…take it out for 14-21 days, and see how you react. Do you feel better? Are you sleeping better? Does your skin clear up? Are your mood swings better? Keep track of it! I promise, you will see results and you will learn so much about yourself in the process!!

Have a fantastic weekend! I’m in Boulder, CO for a doTerra conference :) I’ll fill you in about it next week.

With love and wellness,

Whitney

It’s been a busy week…or couple of weeks!  I’m in the process of moving and finishing up teaching at my alma mater and life has been super busy!  Every day has flown by, and I can’t believe we’re already to Friday!  I move on Saturday and I’m still scrambling to get all my stuff packed.  Packing is craziness, I tell you!  But enough about that.  I know you’re dying to hear about the last part of my story!  So here we go…

On top of everything else I’ve talked about, I am also a big advocate for physical fitness and moving your body. I’ve always been into sports and being physically fit. I can remember waking up early on the weekends when I was in middle school to work out; remember step aerobics? Yeah, that was me. Seriously…in middle school. I ran track, played softball, played powder puff football (in college), played kickball (in my adult years and more for fun), and just generally enjoyed working out…yes, I’m one of THOSE people! I like moving my body and seeing what it can do for me. In my day job with DoD, I am the PT coordinator and have been trained in physical fitness. I also know that not every person will benefit from the same types of exercise or sports. Like everything else, you have to find what works for you; more importantly, you have to find and do what you ENJOY! Because working out should be fun, not work. I joined Crossfit Takeover (http://www.crossfittakeover.com) in February 2014, and I haven’t looked back. I have to admit, I was scared at first. The thought of walking into a Crossfit gym…I’d heard all the stories and pictured all these bad ass athletes and then thought of me walking in and looking like a complete fool. Mind you, I’d had knee surgery in May 2013 – I tore my ACL and my meniscus in an attempt to run a Tough Mudder. Needless to say, I won’t be doing that again. But here I am, February 2014, wanting to get back in shape but not really knowing where to start. So I walk into CTO and the rest, as they say, is history. The coaches were beyond helpful and welcoming, and the other members (i.e., all those bad ass athletes) were so friendly and encouraging. I love Crossfit, and I truly believe it’s something everyone can do and benefit from. The workouts are different every day and they truly challenge you. I’ve done so much more than I ever thought possible, and I am stronger and healthier and more fit than before my knee surgery, when I thought I was super fit.  Anyways – I didn’t mean to go off on a Crossfit tangent, but my point is to find something that drives you to get to the gym every day. And that’s what I’m here for – to help you find what works for you and, more importantly, to help hold you accountable to keeping on track. Whether it’s getting out for a 30-minute walk after dinner or playing kickball or another fun sport or joining a local gym, get your body moving!! You’ll benefit in so many ways!

As you can see, it’s been a long road, one that continues even today, but it’s been such an amazing one. I’ve learned so much about myself, becoming healthier and happier and having more energy than I ever thought possible. My hormones have started regulating, my face is finally clearing up (except when I overindulge in those sugary treats!), my sleep has improved drastically, and my anxiety has nearly diminished! The journey has been a fun one, albeit a frustrating one. I’ve done most of it on my own, which can be discouraging and disheartening. In all my research, it led me to IIN and I kept being drawn back to it over the course of a year. I loved how I felt and what I was seeing happening to my body and my state of mind. I felt a spark of passion and excitement I hadn’t felt in a long time, especially in my current job. I decided, after a lot of soul searching and questioning, that I needed to enroll in IIN and follow my heart. I knew that I wanted to make a difference in other people’s lives, the same way that I’ve made changes in my life. But I want to make this an easier, more fun process for all of you! It was a lonely road to get where I am today, but I’m here to make this journey one you can share with a like-minded individual; an accountability partner, so to speak.

The truth of the matter is that every individual is different. There’s nothing saying that what works for me will work for anyone else. It’s what we call bio-individuality. As it is often said in the nutrition world, one person’s food is another person’s poison. No two individuals have the same needs, whether it is physically, emotionally, mentally, or nutritionally. Just as I worked with myself (really, experimented), I’ll work with you to help you find what foods work to nourish your body. I coach based on the principles that not only do we nourish ourselves with the foods we choose to eat, but also by balancing our lifestyle as a whole through lifestyle nourishment. This includes our relationships, career, physical activity, and spirituality. My role as a Health Coach is to motivate, support, and help you reach your personal health goals. I’ll work with you to make positive changes step by step in a healthy way that is personalized and easily integrated into your diet and lifestyle.

You may be asking yourself why a health coach?  What are the benefits of having a health coach?  Well, here are a few:

• Help you understand and create healthy eating habits
• Help you build healthier relationship with foods
• Help you define your specific health goals
• Personalized action plan to reach your health goals
• Support and motivation!
• Gain awareness around lifestyle nourishment, to include relationships, career, physical activity, and spirituality, to name a few
• Access to wellness resources around a broad range of health topics
• Accountability on your progress

How would I help you put all your goals into action and attainable?  Well, here’s the action plan:

• Conduct initial health history assessment with you to create a relationship and understanding of where your health stands
• Set health goals and create personalized action plan to reach your goals
• Coach you through a step by step process to implement a personalized healthy lifestyle
• Coach you on the importance of a healthy digestive system
• Coach you on the importance of balancing lifestyle nourishment
• Meet with you on a regular basis to discuss progress, recommendations and notes
• Provide additional support through call/text or email
• Provide handouts, recipes, foods to try, suggested books, and other materials to support you between meetings

Contact me to learn more about working with a Health Coach and how it can help you become the healthiest, happiest version of YOU!!  I look forward to hearing from you and working with you!

With love and wellness,

Whitney