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This Is What I’m Doing Right Now on My Own Health Journey

I’ve shared with you before that I’m a huge fan of Amazon reviews. Other people might self-soothe through a weighted blanket or a vodka soda, but my guilty pleasure is slowly savoring all of the Amazon reviews on a vitamin or supplement or gadget.

I know, I’m weird.

But I want to know- how do you use this? How do you feel? How is your life better because of this product? Give me a peek behind the curtain into your life, please!

It’s a consumer-driven voyeurism and I’m not proud of it.

But I think we are all curious about other humans, right? As my kids get older and I devour books on raising teenagers, I’m learning that one of the foundational questions that is running through the mind of my teens is

“Am I normal?”

And I don’t think we lose that uncertainty as we grow into our elder years. We still want to make sure that we’re doing the right thing, that we’re functioning at status quo, that we’re normal.

I think that’s why chronic unexplainable health issues are such a source of agony for so many of us. We’re like, “hey! We know this isn’t normal! What gives?!”

From a spiritual standpoint (and I say it often to you and to myself), we live in a fallen and sinful world. Even those of us who aren’t necessarily spiritually minded still feel that nagging pull of this is not the way things should be.

That said, this is not a deep post. It’s just a breakdown of what I’m doing right now in my own health journey. It’s a little “behind the curtain”, if you will.

And the reason I share is because I want you to know that even health practitioners have long-standing health issues that we are trying to work on all of the time.

I get to work with new health coaches in my other job, and I constantly hear their sweet insecurities. They worry that since their own health is not perfect they cannot serve clients well. They feel like an imposter.

But I see this as a benefit! If your health coach is dealing with similar issues as you, there is a level of empathy and understanding that comes from the practitioner side. That’s a good thing.

So know that I am still dealing with issues with regards to my health. I probably always will be. That’s ok. I always picture the health journey as a winding path uphill. Sometimes the path gets rocky and steep. Sometimes it’s a beautifully sunny and clear day, and sometimes it’s a dark night on that path. Sometimes it’s hailing or snowing and you lose sight of what’s in front of you. But you know that if you stay on the path, you’ll keep making progress.

So I stay the path. And I want you to stay the path, too! Below, I’ll share what I’m doing for my Five Pillars of Health- the FDN-patented D.R.E.S.S. protocol.

Let’s dive in.

Diet

I wish there was a diet that solved all of our problems. Is it too much to ask to be at my ideal weight, have tons of energy, poop regularly, and clear skin, and enjoy a balanced mood?

I guess so, but I’m close.

You know I’m a huge advocate of an Ancestral Diet. That hasn’t changed. But in doing research for the class I just completed (Food and Culture), I got to dive deep into the literature and see how the healthiest global ancestral cultures traditionally ate. Surprise, surprise- it was all whole foods 🙂 But there was a strong emphasis on both meat and local produce everywhere from Southeast Asia to Northern Europe.

This past five months, I’ve been working on resetting my metabolism with the appropriately named Metabolic Reset. I’m eating more vegetables than I ever have, and I’m being super diligent to get two meals that focus on lean protein, and including fruit back in my diet to blood sugar balance.

When I’m PMSing or tired or bored, I’ll still have a few bites or more of chips, ice cream, chocolate, or french fries. Don’t think I’m an angel. I’m not. But for the most part, 90% of my meals are ancestral and I’m happy. Down around 25 pounds, skin looking good, and energy and sleep are pretty dang great. I’ve been off alcohol for 47 days as of today, and that’s amplifying my mood and energy and sleep.

Rest

A huge part of my Metabolic Reset is a focus on rest and activating the parasympathetic nervous system. I’m taking my own advice. I’m out in the sun daily, I’m diligent about my baths and my outside time and my bedtime routine. My house is a little messier since I’ve started making my kids clean their own bathroom, room, and do their own laundry but that’s a huge mental and emotional stress off me.

Not drinking at all means my sleep is on point, and my energy and mood are stable. I’m trying to work less on Fridays (not happening yet but I have grand plans!) and I just feel more content. If I’m being honest, some of the stress of being a little obsessed with getting those 25 pounds off has dissipated and my brain has calmed down. I’m also in a fantastic Bible study right now studying God’s covenants, and that’s settling me too- the constant reminder that I’m the grateful recipient of grace from a covenant-keeping God. I rest in that.

Exercise

Oh mercy. The years I spent working out like a fiend can never be recovered. Hours of daily exercise stressed my hormones, my joints, and my nerves.

So I refuse to do that now. No, I don’t want to come to your Crossfit gym. Thanks but no thanks, I’ll opt out of training for your marathon. My hormones are too precious to me, and those little things are sensitive.

I walk Baxter a few times a week. I go to my beloved LVL Fitness a few times a week. I play volleyball and Ultimate whenever I can, and I try not to sit much during the day. But I’m not stressing about “getting in a workout”. LVL helps me stay strong and walking gives me a minor cardio boost. Playing sports makes me happy and doesn’t feel like exercise. When I was actively losing weight, I was working out even less in order to keep my hormones happy. You can’t exercise like a fiend while reducing your portions. It’s too stressful.

That’s where I’m at right now.

Stress Management

This. Is. Everything. I promise you. What you eat matters less than how you manage stress. I’ll let you digest that for a minute since it’s true.

Not managing your stress will impede your health journey. All of your chronic health issues stem from a combination of mismanaged stress and micronutrient deficiency.

To manage my stress, I schedule myself a lunch every day and sit outside to eat my meal. I listen to relaxing music. I start my day in the Word. I take meetings outside as often as possible. Not drinking makes me calmer and less stressed and more present. Hugging my kids and having a healthy intimate relationship with my husband helps stress levels too.

Too stressed for sex? Nope, girl. You need to cut back on something in life and make room for your marriage.

Reading good books, journaling, doing breathwork regularly, and working on my heart rate variability helps too.

photo via unsplash by fotografierende

Supplements

Oh man. I have too many supplements. But I’ve got a routine down now that I’m comfortable with. Here’s what I’m taking based on my most recent functional labs (don’t copy my routine without lab testing, please!)-

Vitamin D + K2

Niacin

Thiamine

Vitamin C

Adrenal Support

Adrenal Cortex

Natural Dessicated Thyroid

Magnesium

Calcium

Progesterone 

Potassium

Collagen

That’s it in a nutshell. Write me back and let me know where you’re at in your health journey. You know I love peeking into your life 😉

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