1st – last week I came across an article about studies…I read it because I like to know HOW studies are conducted. ALL STUDIES – ones I’m FOR and ones I’m AGAINST!
I like to be informed about things I use to train my clients.
I wish I would have saved the article and if I find it I’ll share it! BUT – it simply informed readers how to look at “studies” objectively. Much like, “who” is funding the study and “why”? There’s always influence.
Which is why I LOVE using my own real life experiences because they’re real.
2nd – today I came across another article by Dr. Stacy Sims, who I very much trust because she focuses on women’s bodies in the fitness world and not mens. She shares how different our bodies are from a man’s body when it comes to working hard, fueling and recovery!
Her article today shared her peer’s study (a Netflix documentary about twins and nutrition) about protein and weight loss. You can read it HERE!
I will sum it up in my own words and then I want YOU to go READ IT YOURSELF!
This study was done by those promoting vegan diets as opposed to an omnivore diet.
In the end, the study supposedly PROVED that a plant protein diet was healthier and had more weight loss than an omnivore diet.
When in fact, if you look at the details further, the DEXA scan showed that the plant based people LOST more MUSCLE MASS as opposed to fat mass.
NOT GOOD, PEOPLE! There goes your immune system fuel, there goes your bone strength, there goes so many freaking things that it makes me very irritated.
I have watched OVER and OVER people who lose muscle mass become weak and frail. If you’re younger and lose muscle mass (and don’t know it) it’s as if you never really gain it back because you didn’t know you lost it.
MY MISSION is to spread the word that after 17 years it’s still true…PROTEIN should be your focus, and maintaining and building the muscle tissue organ is IMPERATIVE!
I can usually tell if someone is under muscled by how they move. Let’s get your body muscled up!
What does that look like?
Let’s see…
This is just a small taste of strong muscled up bodies.
Lift things on purpose to stimulate muscle growth and move often!
I’d love to introduce my client Andrea van der Laan. I believe I first met her in December 2012 when I first opened my fitness studio on the west end of town.
When I met Andrea she was the Superintendent of Buchanan Community Schools and very active in the community. As she continued working toward more movement we got to know each other more and more.
I’ve lined up a few interview questions for Andrea as she’s had such wonderful progress over the last ten years.
Andrea, what is your first recollection of meeting me? And what inspired you to begin fitness classes?
Andrea: Great question! I had gotten into a habit of skipping breakfast and had relied on lunch around 11 each day. This was not reality. I was moving from meeting to meeting where there were snacks (donuts, cookies, pies etc.) Many times, last minute meetings interfered with lunch and I found myself in the mid-afternoon slump which led to finding something to eat. Again many unhealthy choices. I had gained a lot of weight. I had an aha moment when climbing to the second floor of the high school and had to stop half way to catch my breath. I also discovered I could no longer bend down to tie shoes and putting my foot on a chair to do so was a hard task.I realized I was way too young to be this out of shape.Coming from a family with heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, this scared me.
When Bucktown Studio opened I was excited to start exercising. These classes were the basic aerobic and pump and sculpt classes. As much as I tried, I was not a regular. I remember meeting Brenda with the pump and sculpt class. I really liked her instruction and upbeat attitude while teaching.
When Bucktown Studio moved downtown , I followed her and continued to try several classes including yoga and zumba. I even went to some weight watcher meetings that were offered. Some of the weight came off and I was sleeping and feeling better but my 12 hour days still did not allow me to be a regular. However, I do remember making sure I went to her pump and sculpt class. It was my favorite. I was happy at this point just making the attempt to get better.
BLTraining: Health and fitness go hand in hand but yet the two are completely different. Health has to do with the quality of your state of being and fitness has to do with being able to perform tasks physically.
At what point do you feel you began to get serious about your overall fitness? What about the health part of it?
Andrea: When Brenda rebranded to BLTraining and moved, I decided to follow her due to the way she instructed her classes. I do remember trying aerobics and found I had a hard time getting through 20 minutes. I also remember hating to sweat. While I was starting to lose weight (perhaps 10-15 pounds at this point), there was a time I didn’t feel weight was coming off fast enough and almost decided to quit going. But Brenda kept changing and learning and she started sharing her knowledge not only about exercise but also about muscle groups and nutrition. We started more focused strength training, learned about small muscles, did cardio, discussed nutrition, etc. These little tidbits were making sense to me even though I didn’t always follow what she was sharing. Believe it or not, I really didn’t get serious about the fitness portion until 2017 when I retired! By this time, Brenda was moving into personal training and really focusing on flexibility and movement. I signed up for a personal session. I was not flexible at all! She pointed out several areas for improvement but started small. She gave me several exercises to do during the week before we met again. I met with her one on one for a month or two. She then started an IMPEL class which had five members in it. These were the same five women who followed her like I did. As we moved into talking about nutrition and sharing our failures and successes, they were a great support group. If I didn’t show up for a class, there was often a text asking where I was. At one point they asked if I was home eating potato chips. I replied that I was not. I was eating pretzels! While funny, it also goes to show how we were holding each other accountable. Brenda had even had us setting goals and was starting to weigh and measure us as we moved through our journeys together.
BLTraining: What was life like regarding caloric intake, quality of food intake before you began to get serious?
Andrea: I focused solely on exercise, flexibility and movement for almost three years. Brenda continued to push and started asking us about calories. If we came to a night class without at least 1200 – 1500 calories, she would not let us participate in the class. (Take into consideration this was after she had really gotten to know us and started to push us harder. I was no longer afraid of sweat. As a matter of fact, if I didn’t get sweaty, I didn’t think I worked out at all!)
Brenda was continually talking to us about macros and calorie intake. Many other programs I had tried (weight watcher, nutrisystem, fitness pal) wanted me to be at 1200 hundred calories in order to lose weight. Yes, these programs also talked about healthy eating but I was ALWAYS hungry and continued to fall back into bad patterns.
We first focused on macros (protein, carbs, and fats). We discovered I was getting less than 10% protein per day, my fiber was low and carbs were mostly junk food. I worked very hard at getting my protein up and now average 25-27% protein PER MEAL. I am continually working on carbs (fruits and veggies) and healthy fats. Overall, my macros are usually balanced at every meal.
When Brenda wanted me to eat 1800 calories a day, I found it difficult to do so. I was full all the time.
I had lost about 25 pounds by this time but had plateaued for more than a year. Brenda looked me in the eye and told me it was in the kitchen! In other words, look at what I was eating and move to more nutritious food.
To be honest this is a continual struggle. I rely on my support group for help. After getting my protein in line, my next goal was to get in 3 veggies a day and to get rid of snack foods. When I started focusing on this, I dropped another 15 pounds. There are times when I still eat too many cookies and have too many snacks during the week. Brenda knows me so well that she will text me and ask how I am doing. She usually “catches” me during these moments and I get back on track. That doesn’t mean I can never eat a cookie, have a piece of cake, etc. I just don’t want to binge on them and my goal is to mostly eat healthy all the time. I am a work in progress. Even though I am in Florida during the winter, I still get exercises from Brenda, do activities on my own and hear from my support buddies. This winter I am currently down another 5 pounds. I also try not to eat under 2200-2300 calories per day (yes, I still have 1700 days but more often I eat over 2300 calories. I even have some 2700 – 3000 calorie days). The more active I am, the more I eat. I also have learned that if I don’t eat enough and keep my protein up, I end up with sore muscles and in some cases minor injuries.
Interestingly enough, my inches have gone way down, I am no longer embarrassed to wear tank tops (I am actually quite proud of the muscles 🙂 I have gained.) I am way more toned in every part of my body, down to a size ten, and am way more flexible than I have been in 20+ years. My cardio is to the point that Brenda has to really push me to get my cardio up! I am sleeping 7-8 hours per day as well. My overall health is better now than when I was in my early 30’s.
BLTraining: What was this part of life like after you began to get serious back then?
Andrea: I have to move! I play pickleball 2-3 hours at a time several days a week. My husband and I are active competitive pistol shooters which also takes a lot of concentration and movement. I do some kind of activity on a daily basis even if it is just stretching and walking. I eat breakfast every morning within an hour of waking up. I try to work out in the mornings. This means eating when I am done. This might mean a snack between breakfast and lunch. I also may What was this part of life like after you began to get serious back then?
have another snack between lunch and dinner. If I eat an early dinner, I often have a snack at night. Popcorn has become a favorite. I am eating constantly. I am learning to listen to my body and eat when I am hungry. I continue to focus on healthy eating even though this is still a struggle. To date, I am down approximately 40 pounds and am now at about 14% body fat. I am no longer considered obese by the medical field.
BLTraninig: Did you find you had a hard time making changes?
Andrea: YES! The “kitchen” is my biggest struggle. I really have to think about what I eat. This may mean I eat differently than my husband. I make smoothies in the morning to which I add spinach. When I make scrambled eggs, I try to add peppers and onions. If I make a breakfast burrito and don’t have onions and peppers, I add salsa. I keep baby carrots and celery in my fridge for munching. I also keep apples, blueberries and halos. My husband and I also eat out a lot. If I eat hamburgers, I try to get a side of broccoli instead of fries. If it’s pizza, I have a side salad. Even with all of this, I am a work in progress when it comes to eating. This is my biggest struggle and continues to be so.
BLTraining: Did family or friends make it harder or easier to make changes?
Andrea: Both. I have family and friends who are very supportive, help me when I struggle, and encourage my progress. I also have those who think that by buying me chocolate, extra pie, etc. is what I want even though I tell them no thank you. I love chocolate, ice cream, and snacks like everyone else but I do NOT want them in my house. If I want them, I will go buy one candy bar or an ice cream cone and eat it right away.
If these things are in my house, I still don’t have the “willpower” to stop with one cookie. I will eat a BIG bowl of ice cream instead of one scoop. I am still a work in progress. I am better if these things are not in the house.
BLTraining: What does your active lifestyle look like these days?
Andrea: I start the day quiet (I am slow to wake up). I make a smoothie, drink my coffee, and take the dogs for a walk. I try to do some warm up exercises or some yoga. By 8:00 I am playing pickleball. This goes on for 2-3 hours. When I return home, it’s time for a snack, some stretching and then feeding and walking the dogs. Many days I also log onto Brenda’s app and also do the exercises she has programmed for me. I eat lunch and have snacks along the way. The rest of the day may be reading, doing home chores, gardening, etc. I do stop during the day to read, catch up on paperwork, watch T.V., etc. but mostly I am moving all the time.
BLTraining: How many calories do you typically intake currently?
Andrea: I try to stay around 2200-2300 most days. If I am really active, then I eat closer to 2700.
BLTraining: How many calories do you typically output currently?
Andrea: Most weeks I expend between 2200 – 2500 calories per day.
BLTraining: What do you find is the easiest part of your active lifestyle?
Andrea: I love moving. I have a hard time sitting still and am always looking for something to do. I have found that having daily exercises to do from Brenda is very helpful. I try to do those daily in addition to other activities. I really like Brenda’s app and count on this especially on rainy days. I know what she programs for me is based on my fitness level.
BLTraining: What do you find is the hardest part of your active lifestyle?
Andrea: Eating enough. I find it difficult to get rid of past perceptions of how people are supposed to lose weight. I have always been taught to exercise more and eat less. This has proved untrue. The more I exercise/have activity, the more I need to eat. The more I eat, the more muscle I gain and the leaner I look.
BLTraining: Overall how do “you” feel about yourself and your lifestyle right now?
Andrea: On a scale of 0-10 with 10 being the highest, I would give myself an 8. I struggle with eating healthy and continue to work on this. I am not sure whether I need to lose more weight (If I do, I would guess about 5-10 pounds) or whether eating healthier would bring the belly down more than it has already. I would say I am in maintenance mode at this point. Overall, I am really happy with how I look and feel.
BLTraining: What advice would you give to someone of middle age who currently does not incorporate fitness into their lives but are considering it?
Andrea: Get started with something even if it’s just walking daily. Move, move, move. I would also suggest yoga to begin getting some flexibility.
BLTraining: What advice would you give to those who have not yet chosen to make changes?
Andrea: It’s never too late no matter how old you are! I just met two women who are both 75. They play an excellent game of pickleball. I hope I am just like them when I am their age. I really didn’t get started until I was 59. I will be 65 in April and I am in better shape than when I was 30.
BLTraining: What is your favorite motto in life?
Andrea: Move it or lose it!
And there you have it folks! In my opinion, it pays to live your life around the environment you most want to be like! These stories lift me high! These stories make me deep down happy!
Tonight I finished my bike ride when I got home around 8:30 p.m. For some odd reason I also chose to bike in my shorts even though the house was cold and I hate being cold. I knew I’d be showering right after and hoping it would encourage me to pedal strong enough to get warm fast.
As I rode my bike, listened to my audio book and looked down at my thighs, I said to myself “do I actually see true muscle tone?”
Wow! I think I do. Hmmm, it must be because now that I’ve had an x-ray I’m using them more. No, not really, I’m actually doing a bit less squats than I had been the last few weeks.
I’ve not officially worked out any more than a few squats and band exercises here and there because of the damage I experienced in my hip. I tried so hard to heal it on my own but it just wasn’t getting there.
A mixture of near to zero estrogen after passing menopause and a bit of damage that grew worse.
I made so many changes this year in hopes of bringing more healing. But it just wasn’t cutting it. So I asked for x-rays and physical therapy.
X-rays showed some minor bone loss and degeneration in the hips as well as a bone spur in the right hip. Ahhhh! There it is. It made so much sense.
I had thought it might be a torn labrum but I don’t think so now. It’s very obvious that I do have a bone spur that causes me grief. When lift my leg I feel a twinge that is felt the entire length of the thigh which feels like at least two muscles crossing over that spur! I’m glad to know though and I’m excited to see what therapy will do.
I do know for a fact my hip muscles became very weak! I have been trying to strengthen them cautiously. While I felt I was doing it all right I didn’t really feel I made much progress until last week.
I also wrote that off to my imagination due to being excited to now know what’s going on in there. But tonight it hit me. The muscle tone I saw was real and when I realized I was filling my month two of my “Mitopure” tablets it all made sense as Mitopure is Urolithin A which works to strengthen mitochondria!
I remember reading what the mitochondria go through at different stages of adding Urolithin A to the diet. I am stoked to see what month 2 will be like. Having some muscle tone back in my legs is thrilling to say the least!
My skin has looked phenomenal as well. I started using the skin products a few weeks before Mitopure and I fell in love with them!
When I’m back to regular training I’m going to be the most joyous person ever! I feel like it’s been so long of a journey from the day of menopause to now. Migraine headaches, severely achy joints, irritation, it’s been tough but realistically short in the big picture. I refuse to live in misery and I’ve made so many changes in my life in the past one year alone.
It’s been many months since I had a migraine and my achy joints are better. I attribute that also to Mitopure.
I definitely promote Mitopure to anyone wanting to help their mitochondria get stronger. After all, mitochondria are our energy centers. If they aren’t working well, we feel fatigued and slugglish.
Keep watching for the rest of my success with my body! It’s been an awesome and beautiful journey of learning!
This blog started out as a “trainer” blog and then I turned it into a “human movement specialist” blog and then I turned it into my niche “how to keep muscle while losing weight”.
I’m now an empty nester! I’m a single mom, empty nester, trainer, human movement specialist, coach and motivator.
I’ve decided to be just “Me” for a while! Me, I’m all those titles rolled up into one! I love every one of them.
Since becoming an Empty Nester, I realize I need to spend some time on me. I need to spend some time really diving into my titles and what I want out of this second half of life! What do I really want to spend my time doing?
I honestly love to visit state parks in different states. I love nature. I love movement. I love helping others. So I think I’m gonna be the me who is all of the above!
I love learning about the movement of the human body. I love learning about the metabolism of the human body. I love the spark in someone’s eyes when they realize how well they “can” move. I love watching the motivation in women when they realize they can accomplish so many things around their home that they’ve depended on others to do for them.
When my girls were very little I would stay up late working on the physical part of desktop computers and rebuilding them. I’m so far removed from how that works today BUT I do love social media and creating digital products!
While it’s time to start chaning my role with my children, it’s also time to incorporate more of the things I love to do for me!
BCAA stands for Branched Chain Amino Acids. Amino Acids are molecules that combine to form proteins.
Branched Chain Amino Acids are three specific amino acids that benefit the body in a great way regarding health and fitness. These three are Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. These three stimulate the building of protein in muscle.
Amino acids are the building blocks of ALL LIFE.
What does that actually mean? It means, when your body has to use, make, end hormonal processes…it is done by using a host of different proteins which are amino acids and enzymes!. It means, that our immune system uses proteins as fuel. So many that I can not even possibly list them all here.
Many years ago, I read about a study that said those who eat 30-40 grams of protein at breakfast and again at lunch had on average 50% more protein synthesis throughout their entire day!
I realized this is why my good days were so good! I was eating my share of protein early on in the day.
Dr. Stacy Sims is a researcher of women athletes and their specific physiology. I’ve read her book “Roar” and I’ve also taken her menopause course. I’ve learned that these protein requirements are even more important for women than they are for men.
When our female bodies go through the life changes, we need to “already” have lots of circulating proteins in our body.
To endure a virus that attacks us, we need to already have lots of proteins in our body for our immune system to work effeciently.
Women’s bodies work different than a male’s body. They lose weight easier, they tend to eat more junk food without gaining weight easier…we women simply need to be informed and ahead of the game.
I like to focus on no less than 30 grams of protien from wake up to noon. Then I focus on 30 more grams before 3-4 pm. Then more in the evening.
I also supplement with a BCAA drink in the morning, preferrably on an empty stomach so that those proteins can get to work!
I also use BCAA as a drink right after a vigorous training or high activity. This might be a mountain bike trail ride or it might be spring cleaning!
Dr. Stacy Sims recommends BCAA for two reasons…
1. It will help counter some of the central nervous system fatigue and clear some of the brain fog.
2. It also keeps some of the amino acids circulating and a high level in the blood to work with the other food you’re eating to stimulate muscle protein synthesis.
She is also quoted as saying “The thing that people forget is that (BCAA) Leucine crosses the blood brain barrier and helps our central nervous system fatigue and one of the biggest things we have in peri and post menopause is brain fog.”
If you’re ready to start adding protein to your life (there are hundreds more reasons to do so than what I’ve discussed here) CHECK OUT my recommendations page! You’ll find the exact products I use!
This is likely a hard one for most females. But it’s true. But first, let’s talk about what does “perform” mean?
Specifically, it means to act on purpose. In athletes it means to carry out their physical task which may be a triathlon, it might be cycling, running, or volleyball or whatever sport/activity a person chooses.
It’s true, women perform best in a fed state. This means eating before the event so that the event is performed in a fed state.
Now, what about those women I know who are performing but not performing in an organized event? Do they count in this conversation? YOU BET!
Who am I talking about though?
I’m talking about your average female who stays active on purpose whether it be at the gym, outside, in her home during an online fitness class, that female who shows up regularly for fitness classes at the local YMCA.
I’m also talking about those women who are constantly busy running kids around, cooking, cleaning and managing a well managed household!
YES! That counts as being active and performing as well!
Because what happens when you don’t eat or rest and you just keep going and going all day? You BURN OUT!
If women learn to fuel for their day better, we’d have a lot stronger, more leaner, and clear thinking women!
As it stands now, I see so many unhappy with their bodies, complaining about their mid sections, feeling run down, starving themselves because it MUST be that they’re eating too much!
It’s so hard for me to watch after 17 years. I guess I thought I’d have helped everyone change by now! LOL
The truth is, it’s getting harder for females because not only are they not fully informed how the body actually works, they are being fed commercials galore on medications and starvation diets.
This IS HARD for me to watch! We were not meant to DIET! We were not meant to be on medication! We were not meant to be so confused.
I love that I help women start at step one, what is the overall big picture you want for yourself!
We start there and then I help them learn to fuel for their acitivity! Once they start feeling so strong and energetic, they see a whole new world available to them.
HERE IS THE SCARIEST part of what I do… most women do not even know just how miserable they feel because it’s become so commonplace for themselves and so many other women. It takes kind of tricking them into this space about their bodies and once they feel it, they almost always are hooked on wanting to chase being strong and clear!
I’m going to venture that men also perform better in a fed state but this article is specific to women and let me tell you why I like to point out specifics about women.
Because all the studies that we’ve been hearing about for years regarding fitness and health were done on men! I’m so thankful for Dr. Stacy Sims who has spent her life researching and studying women and their menstrual cycles as well as menopause. She’s been able to share this information and all the differences that a females body has compared to a males body.
For example, after vigorous exercise, womens bodies do not cool down in the same way as mens. If you’d like to read more about the difference between men and womens bodies regarding heat and exercise CLICK HERE to go to her blog!
With all that said, I wish for all women to think about fueling for their activities of the day as opposed to starving themselves during the day just because they find it easier to not eat while staying busy. Use the evening when you’re winding down to avoid eating! You’ll feel so much more clear the next morning!
Can addictions truly be things other than substances? Can we really be addicted to behaviors? Can we be addicted to anger? What about happiness? And chaos?
Whether those things fit the true definition of “addiction”, I’m not sure, but I do believe we can learn to depend on certain behaviors and substances and even emotions. Especially chaos! Which is why it’s important to always be committed to personal growth. My children watched me grow out of many negative behaviors from my childhood. Substances, behaviors and emotion! All of them!
It’s been a lot of work but I find a lot of joy in personal growth. I truly hope I’ve set a good example to children for always growing to be a better human.
I wasn’t supposed to be an Empty Nester for another year. Circumstances have changed and I find myself an Empty Nester a year early.
One thing I find that I’m struggling with months into this is the addiction to being Mom. I’ve been parenting for 27 years now. Making sure my school aged child is on par, has everything he needs and teaching him to be prepared in the final year as he enters adulthood. These are all things I’ve always looked forward to. Hoping to provide things I never had.
I liken this challenge to what it might be to quit cocaine cold turkey.
Now, one might say, how can you assume what it’s like to quit cocaine cold turkey when you’ve never been addicted to drugs? Well, I’ve been addicted to substances such as nicotine and while it doesn’t sound so serious, Diet Pepsi. Before you judge, I’ve drank 1-2 two liters of Diet Pepsi per day since I was 16. I’m now 54. For years I carried a 2-liter just about everywhere I went. Never truly realizing just what it looked like to drink from that big bottle like it was a sippy cup.
I quit drinking Diet Pepsi in February of this year. It really was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Migraines that used to appear maybe once a month became weekly and then almost daily. I’m truly thankful I was able to make all the right choices to overcome this addiction in the best way possible.
My point is, having to stop being Mom cold turkey is HARD! Very HARD. I am constantly working on my mindset. Daily, no hourly!!! Hourly I’m working on my mindset from minute to minute some days.
I’m filling my time with advancing my wealth while I’ve been advancing my health.
I’m working on remineralizing my body and mastering healthier eating habits. I’m also adding digital product creation and sales as well as focusing on my virtual programs as well as in person personal training clients.
My digestion has never been better than it is right now. I’m eating more calories and yet the scale remains low.
A couple months ago I hired a health coach who has been guiding me on the remineralization and I’ve got two wealth coaches who are just the best!
I’m excited to see where I’ll be at the end of this year, having overcome my challenges and reached some new goals.
That’s how long I’ve been in the fitness industry.
In all those years…how many times have I seen 3 day detoxes or exercises give anyone a flat belly?
That depends if we’re talking about a lasting result or a result that lasts 3 days.
I do not believe there is any one single thing that will make the belly flat. Here’s why.
It’s a rare occurrence to hear “I did a three day detox and have had a flat belly every since and that was six months ago”.
The majority of the time, someone who does a three day detox and continues on with a flatter belly, is someone who didn’t have an overly large belly to begin with.
As for exercises that are listed as flat belly exercises…I’ve watched people for 17 years perform them, all of them. And not once in 17 years have I witnessed any exercise or group of them give someone a flat belly. Not even abdominal exercises performed repeatedly.
I’ve watched ladies perform crunch after crunch, sit-up after sit-up, lunge after lunge, plank after plank etc. without losing their belly!
A mind muscle connection can come easy for some, but for so many people these days, it’s really hard to get that feeling of your core working when we are really bloated and have been letting the belly hang for so long.
It takes a mixture of mind, nutrition, movement and attention to get a flat belly!
If you ask anyone that has a flat belly and has had one for any length of time, they will tell you that it’s a lifestyle!
Ugh! That’s not what you wanted to hear is it?
The good news is that achieving a flatter belly is and can be less daunting.
It’s a matter of slowly adding small changes one at a time until they become habits.
The body loves easy. Be watching for Tips on Making a Flat Belly!
I’m FREE of all addictive substances! NO MORE DIET PEPSI!
I have A LOT to share about this journey and how I STOPPED MY MIGRAINES but the short of it is this…
Last fall I tried a drink to help a friend out. I liked it. But I was just helping a friend out by trying some.
WHOA, later after it was gone I realized I kept wanting more…so ODD!
Several clients kept asking about collagen so I decided to get on the wagon and research it.
Wow, lot’s of cool benefits to collagen. But, I kept desiring more. SOOO, I ordered more.
What I noticed this time was that I didn’t care that I wasn’t downing my Diet Pepsi! It’s as if it just didn’t matter.
So, I got inspired. I’M GOING TO QUIT DIET PEPSI!
I set my date for Valentine’s Day! 2/14/2023
I prepared my mind. I prepared my soul. You have to realize I’ve drank this since I was 16.
I set myself up with lot’s of my new drink and here we are! THREE MONTHS DOWN!
I wanted to complete three months because I started getting MIGRAINES more often!
If you want to hear how I stopped my migraines, keep reading.
Otherwise, I have samples now of this new favorite drink of mine that keeps my body filled with ALL THE GOODNESS it needs!
COMMENT ME in the comments and I’ll send you the details!
MIGRAINES…for over 20 years I’ve always gotten a migraine just before my period would start. No big deal, most of the time it was just a headache but every three months or so it was BAD! In bed, lights out, no moving.
But I could handle it a few times a year. Then I passed menopause last year and the migraines had become more monthly but 24 hours and it was doable. I had accepted that for whatever reason the hormones made it happen.
Then I quit DP (Diet Pepsi) and all of a sudden it seemed the migraines were coming every two weeks, then a couple times a week!
I was very worried. Something else was going on. Some people said “just drink your pop”. I said NO I’m giving it three months!
I thought that I possibly had a mineral imbalance. I started researching that. I also knew for a fact that histamine was playing a role.
One night it became very obvious that this was a NERVOUS SYSTEM issue.
I said to myself “I know that if I allow myself to be open the answers will come” and WALLAH there it was!
I searched up histamine and migraine and the first thing that popped up was an enzyme that metabolizes histamine in the brain. You can be born without it or acquire it’s absence throughout your life.
HNMT and DAO metabolize histamine in the body. HNMT specifically in the brain.
Using methyl donors it takes care of histamine. But I did a silly thing.
For 20 years I’ve taken my CellSential vitamin/mineral supplement. I’ve only thought of stopping it twice in my life and both times it took 30 days before I knew I had to keep them.
Last holiday I really thought I was ok not taking them for a while since I wanted to work on some other things.
Well guess what’s in a GREAT cellular nutritional supplement???
You guessed it, methyl donors. Those silly long names on the vitamin list that we never really know what they’re for…this is one example.
So, if I was born without or happened to lose my HNMT, I now didn’t have a buildup of methyl donors in my system either!
The trick I’ve been able to use every time and I’ve not had one migraine in about a month now, is diphenhydramine. Yep, Benadryl. IT WORKS! I’ve already started building my system back up with my cellular nutrition and I’m still taking lots of my favorite energy drink for all my other needs. Soon I won’t have to use Benadryl because I’ll have all the methyl donors I need in my body!
Many times people come to me with this questions expecting to hear a somewhat high quality, complicated answer.
Before I answer, I consider how much I know about the person asking the question…
Are they coming from a place of potato chips and french fries?
Are they coming from a place of “not” eating much food because food made them fat?
Are they coming from a place of “I must eat all organic and expensive choices”?
How many times have they tried to “lose weight” or “eat healthy”?
If I don’t know these answers already, I’ll ask a few.
Then this is what I say…
The best and most healthy eating choices are the ones that are the healthiest that you will stick with for life.
If you’re a processed food snacker, I recommend slowly removing the processed food and finding whole food choices to replace them with (over time). This is more about creating a new habit for your taste buds than anything.
If you’re someone who hasn’t been eating all day in order to keep from getting fat, I will tell you that first you must fuel yourself through your awake and active hours. Starting to add protein to your morning is a great first step and it also adds calories to your day instead of starving your body. Then you can begin to make healthier, whole food choices.
If you’re someone who has tried all kinds of fad diets, I’ll share with you that it’s more important to know how many calories your body needs a day and then focus on eating foods that you will stick with for life, NOT for losing weight. Then manage those calories eating foods that you like and that have a balance of all three macros.
It will not do you much good to eat chicken breast and broccoli for two months and then fall to sweets and junk food for another five.
In general, focus on whole foods meaning, vegetables as close to their natural state as possible. Lean meats such as chicken breast, turkey and lean beef as well as tuna and salmon. Healthy fats from almonds, walnuts, olives and avocados and carbohydrates from your vegetables and beans and legumes. All in all, what your body will tolerate and you will continue to keep as a habit is what you should eat. Keep your calories in your caloric intake range and exercise for health.
Eating healthy for 30 days, 60 days is great but eating healthy choices that you’ll stick with for months to years is even healthier for your body!
Most things are not inherently bad for the body. But consistent over indulgence of things not so healthy is where the damage usually comes from.
Brenda Lee Lewis, Me, Mom, Trainer 