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The surprising truth about metabolism

Unlock the secret to enhancing your metabolism so you can increase in energy and feel good in your body.

The New Year is quickly approaching and the media is beginning to push weight loss resolutions down our throats. Keep yourself and your goals in check with these surprising truths about metabolism.

The body was beautifully designed – it works like a well-oiled machine; it heals and repairs itself if given the chance; it communicates with itself millions of times each day; and it has multiple energetic systems that work synergistically with one another to keep you alive.

All things are energy. You know this or you wouldn’t be here.

Think of all the energetic systems that are spinning and working each and every day to help keep you alive.

The energetic rhythm of the heart beat and its electro magnetic field can be scientifically detected some three to eight feet from the body; the energetic rhythm of the brain and its electro magnetic field that communicates with the heart and gut microbiome to keep you healthy; the gut microbiome itself and its function in digestion and nutrient assimilation, which is basically the center for all physical health maintenance and Healing.

The surprising truth about metabolism

The digestion and metabolism of food and nutrients is the outcome of the energetic system at work in your stomach and gut. Have you ever wondered what guides these systems? 🤔 The Sun and Moon, of course! In the case of metabolism, we will be focusing on the role of the Sun.

It is no coincidence that the third chakra is called the Solar Plexus. It is smack dab in the middle of your belly, right near your stomach and some of your digestive organs, and its color is yellow.

As the Sun rises and sets throughout the day in a rhythmic cycle, so too does your metabolism. When you wake in the morning, your metabolism is ready to be fired up with a small, well balanced meal to break your long overnight fast. You don’t need to have a full meal, but you should eat something (having a freshly juiced drink or smoothie counts!).

By midday, when the Sun is at its height and shining with all of its power and glory, so too is your metabolism. Lunch time is the perfect time of day to indulge in a big, hearty meal. It should be your main meal of the day and will power you through the afternoon until dinner time.

Your metabolism is working at peak efficiency during this time so it’s ready to receive and burn through whatever you ingest. Be sure to make smart choices about eating foods that are Energy-giving and not Life-draining.

As the Sun slowly makes its descent and winds down for the evening, your metabolism will also be following suit. Dinner time is when your metabolism will be functioning more slowly. Avoid having too much protein during these hours because they are hard to digest and could disrupt your sleep for the night.

The saying goes, Eat Breakfast like a Prince, Lunch like a King, and Dinner like a Pauper, and there is a perfectly good reason for that!

All in all, these meal times are opportunities to tune in and listen to your body, to learn its specific and personal cues, and to begin decoding its messages. This is where Healing begins!

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Fall back in love with eating by increasing in Body Wisdom

Learn how to rely on your body’s unique signals to help you navigate your health.

Collectively, we have fallen out of love with eating. The confusing messages and unrealistic beauty standards have set us way back and food has become a means to an end. It’s high time we go back to basics when it comes to health and weight. Read on for some essential pointers to get you back in touch with your inner wisdom so you can ditch the diet plans and fall back in love with eating.

Unfortunately, our society is fixated on outer appearance – height, weight, stature, pants size – and we have become people who no longer know how to let the body be our guide.

The body was beautifully designed – it works like a well-oiled machine; it heals and repairs itself if given the chance; it communicates with itself millions of times each day to keep you alive.

That being said, don’t you think it’s possible for the body to know what it wants and needs from you? That’s a resounding YES!

The body sends you messages all throughout the day. You feel pain to alert you that something is wrong, sleepy to let you know that it’s time to shut down and give your Mind and body time to rest and repair, and hunger when you are in need of sustenance and nourishment.

But sometimes the messages become confused. They get lost in translation while being filtered through the brain. Hunger is the perfect example of this, and you are not alone if ever you have confused your hunger signals.

What is your body trying to tell you?

It is not uncommon to feel hunger at random times throughout your day, or to have cravings – sometimes very specific cravings – at distinct times. Sometimes these hunger spells and cravings will ebb and flow depending on the moon phase or what you’ve eaten that day. Other times, they show up like regular unannounced guests.

Regardless, the message your body is sending you in times of hunger is almost always not the same message you consciously receive.

A common example is to desire something sweet after eating. A little something to finish off the meal and shut down your appetite. The message comes through in the form of a craving for sugary sweetness, which you might satisfy with dessert, candy, or maybe a piece of gum.

Would you consider the fact that your body is actually asking for more nutrient dense foods when you receive a craving for sweets? It’s true! The body always asks for what it needs, but, because we are human, we confuse the signals and dive head first into a pint of ice cream.

Ready for another? When you have a craving for fried foods, your body is actually asking for healthy fats – Omega 3s, essential fatty acids, they go by many names. When you can’t wait to bite into a juicy steak, you are likely low on protein or possibly heme iron.

The same is true for feelings of hunger that quickly follow a hearty snack or meal. If you are feeling hungry but know that your stomach hasn’t yet emptied, your body might be trying to tell you to drink up. Thirst is often confused for hunger.

In the same scenario, your brain might have missed the memo that you’ve consumed a snack or meal due to eating too quickly. It is calling for more food so it can check off its internal list of sensory stimuli that accompanies every meal.

Learning to decode your body’s specific messages, and practicing eating with awareness as often as possible, will transform your relationship to food beyond measure.

Essentials to keep in mind

If you are looking to heal your relationship to food, body, or weight, this is where the gold really is. You will want to read, and store, these tips for your next snack or mealtime.

  1. Write things down. Make a note of your sensations throughout the day, both before and after eating. Over time you will begin to notice patterns that are associated, and you can use them to understand your body’s unique signals.
  2. Show your food some love. Begin paying attention to your meal as if it were a guest at your table. Notice the tastes, textures, colors, and sensations in every bite. You will find yourself more satiated and with fewer post-meal cravings as you practice this one step.
  3. Slow down and take a deep breath. Literally! Deep breathing before and during a meal will help to increase oxygen to your digestive system, and also put you in a more relaxed state. If you are eating from a more present and relaxed place, your body will thank you with smoother digestion and more energy.

These are some big, but very effective, pointers. Choose one and begin practicing it regularly. Once you begin to feel like you are getting the hang of it, pick up another. Over time you will be able to check in with your body and know exactly what it wants from you.

Here’s to happy eating, my friend! Go on, and be well.

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Intermittent Fasting is sabotaging your weight. Here’s how to make it work for you.

If you’re in the US, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week. I want you to know that I’m thankful for you and your presence in my little, tight-knit community of people who want to improve their health.

While the Holiday Season may look different this year, I have no doubt that one thing that will remain unchanged is the loads of food that will bring people together. Because of this, it’s around this time of year that most people begin thinking of New Year resolutions or goals.

New Year, New Me” is probably the most popular resolution. With intentions on weight loss, healthier eating, and self-improvements, the internet will soon be flooded with searches for diets, quick fixes, and home-based workout programs.

Allow me to share some startling facts with you:

Within two weeks, nearly a quarter of those resolutions are broken.

Within three weeks, about a third, and by the one month mark nearly half of all New Year resolutions are broken.

Why, you might ask, is it so difficult to keep a simple goal? If you love yourself enough, desire to be healthy, and take pretty good care of yourself, why is that not enough to stick to your resolution?

The answer: your approach is all wrong

If you’ve been following my work long enough, you know that I teach about approaching health, weight loss, and self-improvement from a much different perspective than anything you’ll find through a Google search.

I want to do just that when it comes to intermittent fasting, because I believe this is a great tool for beginning your Journey towards health.

And there’s no better time than now to learn this valuable information so you can begin to implement it in 2021!

If you’ve never heard of, or tried, intermittent fasting (IF), it’s an approach to weight loss that cycles between periods of fasting and periods of eating. It isn’t a diet, per se, but rather an eating pattern – a timed approach.

The most common cycle for IF is 16:8, where you fast for 16 hours each day, and consume all of your daily calories and nutrients within an 8 hour window of time.

This is a great approach to heath, vitality, and weight loss. I have no qualms with intermittent fasting. However, I do believe that people are doing it wrong and that’s why it’s not sustainable or helpful in the long run.

Here’s my recommended approach to successfully fast intermittently:

Start your day early with breakfast and begin your fast earlier in the evening rather than later at night.

It’s that simple!

The mistake people are making is that they’re rising as early as 6 am and not having breakfast until 10 or 11 am. This gives them an eating window from 10 am to 6 pm, or 11 am to 7 pm. Pretty reasonable, if you ask me.

However, because your metabolism cycles with the sun, what’s happening between 6 and 10 am is that your body believes food is scarce. It will automatically shut down crucial processes as it shifts into starvation mode.

Starvation mode is very real and very detrimental to your health! In starvation mode your hormones are in flux, metabolism and digestion are slowed, muscle and tissue repair are totally halted, and everything you eat is stored as fat. These divinely designed processes are meant to prolong your life in the event that you are actually starving.

So, here’s what I recommend.

When you wake up, break your fast with protein and healthy fats. These will keep you fuller for  longer and reduce snacking and cravings throughout the day. A great example is eggs, maybe avocado toast if that’s your thang, or some oatmeal with nut butter and flax or chia seeds. I recommend having breakfast between 5 and 7 am depending on your geography.

By lunch time your metabolism is at its peak just as the sun is at its highest point in the sky. The ideal time for lunch is between 12 and 1:30 pm. Pretty much anything you eat at lunch you will burn before the end of the day, so don’t skimp out with a tiny salad or protein bar. You’ll want this to be your heartiest meal of the day.

Once again, what you include in this meal will determine snacking, cravings, or crashing in the second half of your day. Choose foods that will be life-giving rather than energy-draining.

At dinner time you’ll want to avoid consuming too much protein because it is hard on your stomach and has been linked to poor sleep. What happens is that it takes longer than the typical one to four hours for your stomach to empty because protein takes longer to break down and digest.

Depending on when your eating window ends, try to finish your last meal at least four hours before going to bed. I recommend eating between 5 and 7 pm, just as the sun is setting.

 

If you follow these guidelines while experimenting with IF, I know that you’ll feel better, have more energy, and find more success with this phenomenal approach to eating.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, experiences, and questions about IF and more! Comment below with your questions or to share your experience.

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5 big mistakes you’re making that are sabotaging your weight

Eating for Energy & Weight Loss FREE PDF

5 biggies that are sabotaging your weight. And they have nothing to do with what, or even how much, you’re eating.

It is common practice for medical professionals, nutritionists, and even dietitians, to tell their patients that their problem with weight is really a problem with food or will power. However, you’ll find that it’s not always about what you eat. Sometimes, your eating behaviors are as much, or more, the culprit around weight as anything else.

I know, you’re probably thinking I’m insane for writing this.

But I’ve become so passionate about this concept over the years because I see so many people struggle with their weight, body image, and relationship to food. I want everyone to know that losing weight and feeling healthy can be simple and stress free, with the right tools, of course!

I want to preface that losing weight the right way does not require pills, diets, special recipes with fancy ingredients, or even a gym pass.

It does, however, require time and awareness.

That, my friend, is my goal. To show you that by becoming a little more mindful of

H O W  you’re eating, you can still eat what you love without sacrifice.

Sounds appetizing, doesn’t it?

Well, read on to see 5 big mistakes you’re making that are keeping you from losing those extra pounds.

Mistake #1: You feel like you need to restrict or change what you’re eating to look better

Wrong and wrong.

Calorie restriction will only leave you feeling hungry all the time. This can lead to obsessive thoughts about food, poor muscle tone, and weight loss resistance. Your body, literally, thinks it’s on a deserted island when you calorie restrict.

Why use valuable resources to burn calories or build muscle when you need those resources to survive?

And let’s talk about changing your diet. Sure, eating healthier will help you to look and feel healthier. But if you’re consuming with poor habits, then changing what you eat is not going to help you.

Read on to see what I mean.

Mistake #2:  You’re eating too quickly

For some of us, Covid couldn’t keep us in a slower pace of Life because we had to resume working, schooling, parenting, or otherwise.

I’m hearing more and more from parents and professionals that, because of their new schedules and routines, eating is even less of a priority.

Maybe you’re juggling virtual schooling with working from home. Maybe virtual schooling itself is what’s eating up all of your time.

Regardless, as a culture, we are spending less time eating, and suffering more from the repercussions of a fast diet.

If you experience

  • gas
  • bloating
  • poor elimination
  • prolonged feelings of fullness
  • a need for ‘something more’ to complete your meal
  • and are struggling to lose weight

take a moment to time your next meal. If it’s under 20 minutes, it’s too fast.

Mistake #3:  You’re biting off more than you can chew

One of the many culprits that are keeping you drained of energy, feeling heavy, and weight loss resistant is not thoroughly chewing your food.

I get it; when time is short the goal is to shovel the food into your mouth and get it down as quickly as possible. This will lead me into my next point, but hear me out first.

One of the keys to slowing down and harnessing your natural energy without additives or caffein is to take smaller bites.

What’s happening is that when you take large bites, your tongue naturally moves food towards the back of the throat to make room for chewing the remainder of the bite. This leads to the natural response of swallowing.

The problem is that most of the food that you just swallowed was not chewed thoroughly enough for proper digestion to occur.

This leads to less vital energy because now your stomach has to work hard to break down the food for digestion.

It also causes poor nutrient absorption. The food particles broken down by stomach acids are nowhere near the scale they’d be had you chewed them. So they pass straight through the intestines and stress out the colon.

Read this as loose stools or constipation. If either of these is a problem for you, consider the size of your bites.

Mistake #4: You think of food as fuel for your body

It’s true. Your mindset about food has a whole lot to do with how your body responds to what you’re eating.

When you think of food simply as fuel for your body, you remove the elements of pleasure and celebration that should be part of every meal. These are highly tied to metabolism.

You also fail to consider food as nourishment.

I don’t mean chock-full of vitamins. I mean nourishing to you on a Soul level. The same way a long walk after a tough day can be nourishing, or an evening out with a good friend.

This is a biggie and something so many of us are unaware of! The diet and fitness industries push into our minds that food = fuel as a way to get you to prescribe to their formulas and to keep you buying their products.

Don’t be fooled just because they’re loud. They don’t have your best interest at heart unless it’ll bring them loads of money.

Change what you think about how you’re eating to go further and see lasting results in your health.

Our mindset is directly linked to our bodily responses in every capacity. Still unsure about what I mean? Take a moment to feel your pulse or heart beat. Now think about your worst possible fear. Did you notice a difference in your heart rate? What about your muscle tension? Anxiety? Stress level?

I’ve made my point clear on this one. So let’s move on to the final mistake you’re making that’s sabotaging your weight.

Mistake #5:  You’re not celebrating every meal

Have you ever wondered why so many Europeans, with their buttery pastries, freshly made pastas, cheeses, and wine, have fewer medical episodes and remain thinner than we are here in America?

It’s because they celebrate every meal!

People from all over Europe celebrate their meals in different ways; some take a siesta so they can enjoy a well-prepared meal at home. Others spend two hours each day eating with company they enjoy, laughing and talking. They consider the action of eating part of their Self-care routine.

Eating is an act of celebration and not just something that needs to happen to survive. The body responds in equal amounts of celebration by returning to you good health.

They are, literally, taking in all of the healthy fats from those butters and cheeses, absorbing all of the vital nutrients from the Semolina flour the pasta is made from, and receiving the benefits of the antioxidants in the wine they drink.

We could surely learn something valuable from their example!

Well, this was a pretty loaded post.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for sticking around. This tells me that something I said resonates with you. Join me for more, just like this, and check out my podcast for quick and easy listening!

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3 toxic myths you believe about weight loss

You, too, can be glamorous and graceful with any body shape

Raise your hand if you’ve spent more than 1-week of your life dieting or trying to lose weight 🙋🏻

I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely devoted years of mental real estate, hours at the gym or running outdoors, and tons of time on apps like SparkPeople just to drop into my “ideal” weight range.

Have I been successful? Sure, at times.

Other times, though, I’ve felt hungry, irritable and exhausted, all without losing a single pound and sometimes even gaining weight.

I bet you can relate on some level to my experience.

It wasn’t until my intensive training in Eating Psychology & Mind Body Nutrition that I realized I had it all wrong.

These two powerful approaches have completely transformed the way I think about food, my body, and especially my weight.

I no longer feel like I need to be on the “right” diet to lose or maintain my weight. And I fully understand why the thousands of miles I’ve jogged in the last 10+ years hasn’t changed the shape or state of my body by very much.

I now get it that feeling satiated, satisfied, and comfortable in my body has as much, or more, to do with  H O W  I eat, and less to do with  W H A T  I eat.

What about you? What are you struggling with when it comes to food, body, and weight? (comment below and let me know).

Maybe you eat when you’re stressed. It’s possible you weigh yourself daily, or get really down on yourself for eating too much of a “no-no” food.

Whatever the case may be, you no longer need to feel trapped inside of your own body, a body that may not feel safe or desirable to you.

My relationship with my body is constantly evolving because my approach to dieting is changing.

You can feel amazing in the skin you’re in, at any size or in any condition, if you’re willing to tune out what the diet industry is pushing onto you.

I’d like to help you start by busting these 3 toxic myths the diet industry wants you to believe.

Believing in these myths is problematic because they will hold you back from taking the right actions to reclaim your health.

In my personalized work with clients, I’ve seen one breakthrough after another when people begin to transform what they think and believe about dieting.

So, here they are!

Myth #1:

The only way to lose weight is to calculate calories in vs. calories out

This is an incredibly outdated view of health and weight loss. The diet and fitness industries want you to believe that under-eating and over-exercise are solutions for weight, but they’re not.

#TruthBomb

Under-eating actually leads to weight gain, as the body actually begins to think it’s on a desert island. It triggers a surplus of fat storage and shuts down essential processes like nutrient absorption and digestion.

Couple this with over-exercise and you’re bound to feel fatigued, irritable, and pretty frustrated that you’re not toning up or losing weight.

This is a trap that keeps you chasing one diet after another. It leads to best selling books, ever increasing gym membership fees, and keeps you believing that you’re doing something wrong (or that there is something wrong with you).

Myth #2:

It’s OK to have “cheat days” or to “fall off the wagon”

#TruthBomb

The truth is, you should be allowed to eat what makes you feel good – any time – and without guilt.

Food is neither inherently “good” or “bad”. We can label foods by how they make us feel either physically or emotionally, but that doesn’t make them good or bad.

So, having “cheat days” or “falling off the wagon” implies that 1. you’ve done something wrong, which will illicit feelings of guilt, shame, and lead to a downward negative spiral; and 2. sends the message that desirable foods are not to be enjoyed.

Learning how to find pleasure in the foods that make you feel good will trickle into allowing yourself to experience pleasure when you eat the foods that might not be so good for you but are so fun to eat! 🍕🍞🍪

Myth #3

You just haven’t found the right diet for your body yet

#TruthBomb

So.Not.True. Done. End of sentence.

The most powerful thing I’ve been teaching on, which has resonated with every one of my clients thus far, is that  H O W  you eat will impact your health, weight, physical appearance, and mental state far more than         W H A T  you eat.

Sure, eating the standard American diet day in and day out might put you in an early grave. But for some people, they don’t have any other choice.

Resolve this by slowing down with food, not by clinging to the next fad diet.

Eating more slowly, paying attention to your meal, and chewing more thoroughly will increase your metabolism, lead to better nutrient absorption, and give you a surplus of natural energy without caffein or energy drinks (say goodbye to that 3pm slump!).

So, take heart. There is a solution and it doesn’t require you to starve, sacrifice, or sweat.

That’s not to say you won’t have to work hard!

If you’ve made it this far, I know that something I’ve said here has resonated with you. Let it all simmer for a while.

In the mean time, if you have any questions or would like to share your story or experience with me, just comment below or email me at SanaAnimaWellness@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you! 💞