Habits for a Healthy Lifestyle

So I have been through my own struggles with eating and body image. This is not a post because ~life was tough~, but to share how nutrition and eating is so important and natural to me now, the backstory is necessary.

I used to feel like the big, overweight kid, even though I ran cross-country, played basketball (club and high school) and did events and training for Track and Field. I can remember eating whole loaves of fresh French bread (like that you find hot and ready at the grocery store). Our house was "fend for yourself" by the time my brother and I were in high-school. Grocery shopping with my mom was for things that were as complicated as I wanted to make them, therefore my diet consisted of frozen dinners by Lean Cuisine, Hungry Man, Stouffers, etc. We would venture into the produce section, I was in a happy marriage with bananas and a spoonful of peanut butter washed down with cranberry juice. To my mom's credit and Kudos, she did her best to teach a body positive image (though not in the abused way it feels today). She always told me I was beautiful and how she was happy I was involved with so many activities, she never forced me to clean my plate because there are starving kids in Africa and I should be so lucky to have a full plate. It was still a struggle as a teen-ager to have a positive view of myself because I was a larger girl (I think in HS I was 180-185 lbs and 5' 11"). I was bloated, full of the wonders of teenage hormones, had acne, and though I was constantly active, I felt gross and fat. Much of this I contribute to eating mountains of bread and processed foods in quantities no one should consume.

By the time I got to college and was playing basketball, I didn't gain the fatal "freshman 15", but my habits SUCKED and it effected my ability to play and my asthma got worse. Tearing my left ACL is probably the best thing that could have happened for my health (though if you had asked me at the time, I would have cried and begged for more time playing basketball. In some ways, I still feel that way). What happened was I sat on my butt, went to physical therapy, and continued my poor eating, but now it was really starting to show. I went from 180 to 200 lbs, I cried that day flabbergasted at the numbers. That's when I knew things had to change. I started going to the gym and trying to work out, but quickly realized I had no idea what to do despite my involvement in sports for almost 15 years at that point, I also had no idea how to eat; at one point I was convinced that protein shakes and pasta was the way to go! My roommate Ali G. brought me to a Crossfit after noticing my state of disrepair, it was the second best thing that happened for my future while in college. I joined a place where I was taught mobility, how to move and what to do in my familiar "group" setting. This lead to a Paleo Challenge that changed the course of how I shopped for food. I started with things that had only ingredients I could pronounce, and as few ingredients as possible. I started shedding water weight so quickly! I had intense movement, I had a routine, I had a community, and I had a shopping list.

From that first dip into the Paleo nutrition to now, It has been a journey. I used to think that vegetables were essential for losing weight and being healthy, but if we ever talk food, you know vegetables should be reserved for animals. I'll eat the animals, that's the food chain. Keto is unsustainable though it has great initial results, Low Calorie is just not feasible for anyone long term, Vegetarianism isnt for me, and Veganism is a scam in my opinion. I have been mostly carnivore for the better part of the last 5 years. I feel so much better and have very little bloating unless I stray, which I think is just fine every now and then. From Cross-fit I went into traditional Olympic lifting and powerlifting. My workout schedule is approximately 4 days a week and I have a mix of heavy weight movements, bodybuilding volume sets, and cardio. Mobility is a must whenever I am about to move, so that happens about 6 days a week.

So now that the backstory is over, here's 4 actionable steps for changing your for being more healthfully minded.

1. Hydrate - this means approximately half your body weight (lbs) in Ounces (oz). It also means remembering to have electrolytes every now and then. Nothing fancy is needed, just a dash of salt in a shot of water will prove to be so beneficial, particularly if you're prone to muscle cramps, nerve issues like restless leg, or if you have that weird eye/muscle twitch (called a fasiculation).

2. Eat more protein - Animal based is best, but if you use plant based protein, fine, just consume it. For men, it needs to be about 1 - 1.2 g per Lb of bodyweight, women need about .8 - 1.0 g per lb of bodyweight. Feeding the muscles is a great way to reduce consumed calories and build up the organ that increases the demand for more energy. Eating more protein will help you feel more full at each meal, improve muscle protein synthesis, and decrease total consumed calories as you should stop eating when you feel full; not when you feel like bursting or when your plate is full. If you're going to track a macro, this is the one to prioritize.

3. Go for a walk - If you aren't really active now and the gym feels intimidating, build a habit of movement into your day. Going for three 15 minute walks a day can improve blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. Article here

4. Get Adjusted - The purpose of the chiropractic adjustment is to relieve stress and interference from the nervous system and joints. It's an oversimplified statement, but stick with me here: by relieving the interference in your body, you don't need as much energy to do simple tasks like moving around your house. When your joints move freely, they require less muscle fibers and less energy for active motion. When your body requires less energy for basic motion, that energy gets to be used for other processes using your brain. It helps improve brain fog, headaches and postural pains that can arise.

5. Sleep - Sleep hygiene has been undervalued and over supplemented. I have heard so many people complain about their sleep quality then take melatonin supplements in hopes of finally feeling rested. A lot of factors that effect sleep include how much screen time you experience in a day, your daily movement, hydration and whether or not you see the sun. Sitting in front of a computer or phone screen all day increases your cortisol levels ( separately from what you are using those screens for). As that cortisol builds, its easy to turn to food, thinking its a feeling of hunger. By changing a few things around sleep, you can improve sleep quality such as viewing the sun for 10 minutes before 10 AM, viewing the sun for 10 minutes during sunset, and getting some exercise in your day.

I highly encourage everyone reading this to try implementing these 5 simple changes to improve how healthy you feel in your body and mind. When you eat well, move often and move uninhibited, you'll notice a change in your attempts for weight loss with your total stress levels decreasing.

Helping to relieve neck pain, back pain, hip pain and shoulder pain are also so key in improving how you feel and how you sleep! Myofascial release with Graston tooling(IASTM), Active Release Technique (ART) and through chiropractic adjustment are just an appointment away! Please get in touch to see how you could feel and move so much better today.

My team photo from Aug 2009 (Left)

A trip with my parents in Nov 2011, 5 months after ACL surgery (Above)

My Crossfit coaches May 2013 (bottom left)

Snowboarding April 2013 (below)