Author Archives: Megan_mefit

About Megan_mefit

Nutritionist, Personal Trainer, Community Leader Personality: Driven, energetic, supportive, open-minded Certifications: Corrective Exercise Specialist (NASM), TRX certified Education: Bachelor of Science from the Radford University in Foods and Nutrition Iโ€™ve been passionately working in health and fitness for over two decades. Through these experiences Iโ€™ve learned a lot about myself and what my job means to others. In my coaching programs, we work to upgrade your mindset, overcome disappointments, obstacles, perceived failures, challenges and by doing so we create a sense of self efficacy (belief in oneself to complete the task). Also, by providing education that facilitates a sustainable foundation of knowledge, creating healthy habits that turn into a consistent routine and therefore lasting results. What we do together is not a diet plan or a cookie cutter workout program. OUTSIDE THE GYM Originally from Virginia, I moved out to Portland, Oregon directly after college for the delicious hippie food, circus arts, music, coffee and overall vibe. For recreation I enjoy hanging my hammock, dancing music festivals, hula hooping, hiking, and paddle boarding. I spent a year living abroad in Japan with my husband, and recently moved to the Hudson Valley area in New York. We love plants and animals! We garden, have many house plants, fish tanks and four pets. One miniature poodle, Butternut, one toy poodle, Hazelnut, one of their puppies Cashew & an orange tabby cat named Filbert.

Are popular fitness lifestyles destroying our fertility?

Leave a reply

๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ณ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜† ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ณ!

In Summer of 2020, my health began to take a dive. Years of chronic dieting, over-exercising, negative self-talk, and hormonal birth control was taking its toll. I was eating next to no carbs, minimal sugar, low fat, no dairy, lean protein only, working out 6 days a week, hours of cardio & felt terrible physically, mentally and emotionally. I began to take a hard look at the way I was living/eating/training and how it was working against my physiology.

When I began my healing journey and found the “pro-metabolic” community, I wasn’t looking for more diet dogma, but to improve my overall metabolic function and support progesterone creation and a healthy ovulation. Gaining weight was a necessary part of the equation. and when Discussing this with @fundamental.nourishment she brought this research to my attention ๐Ÿค“

We can easily fall into the traps of the diet and fitness industry. We constantly chase perfection and the desire to alter our bodies because we live with the belief that we are not good enough. We want to be a smaller size, a smaller number on the scale.

Recreating the relationship that we have with exercise and why we do it, is one of the most important aspects of shifting from restrictive-driven behaviors to cultivating a happy and lasting lifestyle that is pleasant to keep up.

โœŒ๐ŸผLooking for more support navigating your cycle with fitness & nutrition? Check out my FREE guide & pro-metabolic strength training guide available for purchase!


LINK to apply for 1:1 coaching โค๏ธ


#womenshealthย #prometabolicย #prometabolicnutritionย #prometabolicfitnessย #fitnessandfertilityย #fertilityย #womensfitnessย #dietculturedropoutย #hormonehealthย #hormonebalanceย #fitnessforwomenย #onlinenutritioncoachย #onlinefitnesscoachย #workoutplanย #metabolismย #progesterone

Diet Culture Fitness VS Body Neutral Fitness

Leave a reply

Where my diet culture drop outs at? ๐Ÿ™‹๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ

Re-evaluating our approach to fitness and exercise is a crucial part of any journey. But just because something like strength training or HIIT cardio can be abused, doesn’t make it “bad”.

Each one of us has a different metabolic identity, depending on past and current behaviors, and it can be very difficult to convey context and nuance for each individual through a social media post.

As you know, my message centers on shifting away from the diet culture mentality, over exercising, and โ€œearningโ€ your food, and refocusing on learning to properly and intentionally nourish, appreciate & respect your body.

We can easily fall into the traps of the diet and fitness industry. We constantly chase perfection and the desire to alter our bodies because we live with the belief that we are not good enough. We want to be a smaller size, a smaller number on the scale.

I’ve learned these lessons the hard way, as I’ve shared my fitness/health journey coming from a fitness/bodybuilding competition background & the health repercussion of competing.

Recreating the relationship that we have with exercise and why we do it, is one of the most important aspects of shifting from restrictive-driven behaviors to cultivating a happy and lasting lifestyle that is pleasant to keep up.

โœŒ๐ŸผLooking for more support navigating your cycle with fitness & nutrition? Check out my FREE guide & pro-metabolic strength training guide available for purchase!


LINK to apply for 1:1 coaching โค๏ธ

More info on http://www.meganmefit.com

#bodyneutral#dietculturedropout#dietculture#bodyneutralfitness#onlinefitnesscoach#fitnesscoach#onlinenutritioncoach#prometabolic#workoutplan#fitnessjourney#fitnessmotivation#mindsetmatters#prometabolicnutrition#prometabolicfitness#womenshealth

Body Image Basics & How to fix YOUR MIND about your body

Leave a reply

Negative body image (or body dissatisfaction) involves feelings of shame, anxiety, and self-consciousness. People who experience high levels of body dissatisfaction feel their bodies are flawed in comparison to others, and these folks are more likely to suffer from feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and eating disorders.

โ€ข85% of women and 79% of girls skip important activities due to body dissatisfaction.

โ€ขThose who frequently look at “fitspiration” on Instagram are less likely to be satisfied with their bodies and more likely to want to be thinner.

โ€ข70% of girls with a poor view of their bodies won’t be as vocal about opinions

โ€ข54% of women say they’re their own worst critics

โ”I want to hear from you, can you relate to any of this?

While we all may have our days where we feel awkward or uncomfortable in our bodies, the key to developing a more positive body image is to recognize and respect our natural shape and learn to overpower those negative thoughts and feelings with positive, affirming, and accepting ones. ๐Ÿ’•

I spent decades dieting and exercising to change my body and make her look a certain way. To be accepted. To be seen as worthy. These last two years Iโ€™ve done some deep soul digging to rebuild my identity around nutrition and fitness to be coming from a place of nourishment, excitement and joy. โœจ

โœŒ๐ŸผLooking for more support navigating your cycle with fitness & nutrition? Check out my FREE guide & pro-metabolic strength training guide available for purchase!

LINK to apply for 1:1 coaching โค๏ธ

Sources ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป

(NEDC, 2017)
Monica Johnson Psy.D.
Amy Launder

2021 Body Image Facts, Figures, and Statistics | Beauty Schools Directory

[26] Fardouly, J., Willburger, B. K., & Vartanian, L. R. (2017). Instagram use and young womenโ€™s body image concerns and self-objectification: Testing mediational pathways. New Media & Society, 20(4), 1380-1395. doi:10.1177/1461444817694499

2021 Body Image Statistics: 40 Shocking Body Image Facts (breakbingeeating.com)

#bodyimageย #bodyimagehealingย #bodyimagemovementย #bodyimageissuesย #onlinepersonaltrainerย #onlinefitnesscoachย #onlinenutritioncoachย #dietculturedropoutย #bodyneutralityย #bodyneutralfitnessย #prometabolicย #prometabolicnutritionย #fitnessย #selfhealersย #improvebodyimageย #eatingdisorderrecoveryย #disorderedeating

What body appreciation ACTUALLY is

Leave a reply

๐Ÿšจ SPOILER ALERT ๐Ÿšจ Weight loss, DOES NOT & WILL NOT improve your body image. Itโ€™s body appreciation and gratitude towards the body that are KEY ๐Ÿ”‘ in cultivating a positive body image.

Body appreciation is finding value in our body’s functionality and uniqueness as well as appreciating the differences of others. There is a benefit of having body appreciation above and beyond just the absence of a negative body image. After accounting for body dissatisfaction, body appreciation positively influenced self-esteem and coping skills, Intuitive Eating ability, as well as decreasing the risk of eating disorders.

Body appreciation can be present even in the face of dissatisfaction. We can have things we wish we could change about our body while still respecting and appreciating it for the life vehicle it is.

While we all may have our days where we feel awkward or uncomfortable in our bodies, the key to developing a more positive body image is to recognize and respect our natural shape and learn to overpower those negative thoughts and feelings with positive, affirming, and accepting ones.

Please have compassion for yourself as you retrain your thinking. Do not beat yourself up for your insecurities, show yourself patience and gently replace any harsh thoughts you have about yourself with kindness and understanding. Changing deeply ingrained thought patterns takes time, but with consistency, youโ€™ll get there.

Accept yourself. ๐Ÿ’•

Accept your body. ๐Ÿ’•

โœŒ๐ŸผLooking for more support navigating your cycle with fitness & nutrition? Check out my FREE guide & pro-metabolic strength training guide available for purchase!

LINK to apply for 1:1 coaching โค๏ธ

Sources:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.09.006
PMID: 11948650

#bodyimageย #bodyimagehealingย #bodyimagemovementย #bodyimageissuesย #onlinepersonaltrainerย #onlinefitnesscoachย #onlinenutritioncoachย #dietculturedropoutย #bodyneutralityย #bodyneutralfitnessย #prometabolicย #prometabolicnutritionย #fitnessย #selfhealersย #improvebodyimageย #eatingdisorderrecoveryย #disorderedeating

How to use Temps & Pulses for metabolic health insights

Leave a reply

In Summer of 2020 my health began to take a dive. Years of chronic dieting, over-exercising, negative self-talk, and hormonal birth control was taking it’s toll. I was eating next to no carbs, minimal sugar, low fat, no dairy, lean protein only, working out 6 days a week, hours of cardio & felt terrible physically, mentally and emotionally. I had hypothyroid & adrenal symptoms. I began to take a hard look at the way I was living/eating/training and how it was working against my physiology. It was like my metabolism was ‘broken’ or ‘slow’. But it was actually because I was undernourished and over stressed.

I begin tracking basal temp yet did not include resting pulse rates. At that time, my average temps were 96.5 and pulse 44 bpm. It wasn’t until I found individuals in the “pro-metabolic” community who turned me on to Dr. Ray Peat and Dr. Broda Barnes research.

According to Dr. Raymond Peat a well-nourished, healthy human, should have a resting pulse of 85+ beats per minute. A high resting pulse (in the absence of stress) indicates good metabolic health and strong ability to repair.

That’s NOT what you hear in mainstream health and nutrition: “Generally, a lower heart rate at rest implies more efficient heart function and better cardiovascular fitness. For example, a well-trained athlete might have a normal resting heart rate closer to 40 beats per minute.”-Mayo Clinic

But is this a good thing? A lower resting heart rate & reduced basal metabolic rate?

Thyroid Health can be so confusing, especially because you donโ€™t need to be diagnosed with a thyroid disorder to suffer from thyroid issues. Hypothyroidism or sluggish thyroid is much more common in women than hyperthyroidism.

These tests arenโ€™t 100% accurate, other factors affect the results. Itโ€™s important to use the data as part of your overall biofeedback picture, rather than in isolation, to understand your current metabolic state and what you need to improve.

To read more about the doctor that pioneered these tests grab the book called Hypothyroidism: The unsuspected illness by Dr. Broda Barnes

โœŒ๐ŸผLooking for more support navigating your cycle with fitness & nutrition? Check out my FREE guide & pro-metabolic strength training guide available for purchase!

LINK to apply for 1:1 coaching โค๏ธ

Sources ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป

Special shoutout to the mentors that introduced me on to this amazing research, go give them a follow!

@fundamental.nourishment
@hormonehealingRD
@Jessicaashwellness
@kasey.goins

PMID: 28740582
PMID: 26792255
Dr. Ray Peat


#thyroid #thyroidhealing #thyroidhealth #tempsandpulses #prometabolic #prometabolicnutrition #prometabolicfitness #hypothyroidism #adrenalsupport #adrenals #exercise #fitnessjourney #onlinepersonaltrainer #onlinefitnesscoach

How your monthly cycle can impact body image.

Leave a reply

๐ŸŒ€Body Image & your cycle๐ŸŒ€

Something Iโ€™ve noticed with myself & with clients is fluctuating body image days. ๐ŸŽข

The more we understand about our monthly cycles, the hormonal fluctuations & how they impact everything from our brain chemistry, energy levels and metabolic function, the better we can support our physiology during these more challenging times.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐ŸปSwipe through to learn what the research says, and my tips for working through this!

Have you ever heard of the term & concept cycle syncing? It was created by @alisa.vitti the founder of @floliving and itโ€™s a practice of planning your life according to the phases of your monthly cycle. Like the foods you prioritize. The movement you focus on, the work project you take on, the social activities you commit to & so forth. Itโ€™s more intuitive than you may think!

โค๏ธ

Listening toย @hormonehealingrdย Are you Menstrual podcast ๐Ÿ”Š is informative as well!

โœŒ๐ŸผLooking for more support navigating your cycle with fitness & nutrition?ย Check out my FREE guide & pro-metabolic strength training guide available for purchase!

LINK to apply for 1:1 coachingย โค๏ธ

#bodyimage#bodyimagemovement#bodyimageissues#bodyimagehealing#onlinepersonaltrainer#onlinepersonaltraining#onlinenutritioncoach#nutritioncoach#pms#pmsproblems#womenshealth#womenshormones#womenshormonalhealth#fitnessjourney#dietculturedropout#period#periodproblems#periodtalk#cyclesyncing#womensupportingwomen#women

Food as Medicine: How food and diet impact the treatment of disease.

Leave a reply

๐Ÿฝ FOOD AS MEDICINE ๐Ÿฝ
My heart skipped a beat when I saw this report released last week, Which also includes 10 key recommendations to stakeholders to advance food as medicine practices in the prevention and treatment of disease which are all very impressive calls to action. ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป

This is the first of MANY posts I’ll be doing on this.

Let’s dive in๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป
In the 18th and 19th centuries, scientific investigation and innovation dominated Western understanding of medicine During that time, American medical education underwent notable advancements. In 1745, the first formal course in human anatomy was established at the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1829, the first American textbook on pathology was published.

These innovations, among others, ultimately inspired a shift away from nutrition-based medicine towards allopathic medicine.

Allopathic medicine is defined by the National Cancer Institute as: โ€œA system in which medical doctors and other healthcare professionals (such as nurses, pharmacists, and therapists) treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery. Also called biomedicine, conventional medicine, mainstream medicine, orthodox medicine, and Western medicine

However, the use of food as medicine is rooted in science and has been adopted and practiced by numerous cultures despite the fact that the history of food as medicine was largely ignored by academics until the 21st century.

Now, largely because of its increasing social media presence and online attention,academic study of the history and use of food as medicine has begun to gain momentum, finding its place in journals, conferences, and programs of study!

Last slide says it all ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿป

SOURCE:
Platkin, C., Cather, A., Butz, L., Garcia, I., Gallanter, M., Leung, MM., Food As Medicine: Overview and Report: How Food and Diet Impact the Treatment of Disease and Disease Management. Center for Food As Medicine and Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center; March 30, 2022

Pro-metabolic Strength Training Guide 2.0

Leave a reply

๐Ÿฅ Drumroll Please! ๐ŸฅI am so excited for this guide!

My intentions are to educate you on how to approach strength training while honoring your physiology.

When dealing with hormonal issues, PCOS, thyroid & adrenal issues, and autoimmune flare ups itโ€™s important to be working WITH your physiology not against it.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐ŸปIn these women, we typically see low thyroid hormone (either production, conversion or cellular uptake) and high cortisol. So, over-exercising or the KIND of exercise can potentially set you back, push you farther away from achieving hormone balance and reversing your symptoms. ๐Ÿ™…๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ

As you know, my message centers on shifting away from the diet culture mentality, over exercising, and โ€œearningโ€ your food, and refocusing on learning to properly and intentionally nourish, appreciate & respect your body.

We can easily fall into the traps of the diet and fitness industry. We constantly chase perfection and the desire to alter our bodies because we live with the belief that we are not good enough. We want to be a smaller size, a smaller number on the scale. I’ve learned these lessons the hard way, as I’ve shared my fitness/health journey coming from a fitness/bodybuilding competition background & the health repercussions of competing.

Swipe through to learn more about it!
๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿปslide 4 The Pro-metabolic Decision Tree: For clients and I, the top recommendations for non-negotiables prior to incorporating intentional exercise would be: close to ideal temps/pulses, adequate rest and nutritional intake. There is obvious nuance and context here, but this is a general guide.

If you’re low on rest, but really wanting to move your body more than walking/household chores, stick with the blue color-coded workouts which are more core & mobility focused, or a light yoga session. If you’re well rested and well fed, the purple color-coded Strength Training workouts are more appropriate.

LINK TO GUIDES HERE!ย Check out my FREE guide & pro-metabolic strength training guide available for purchase!

LINK to apply for 1:1 coachingย 

#onlinepersonaltrainerย #personaltrainerย #prometabolicย #fitnesscoachย #onlinefitnesscoachย #onlinefitnesscoachingย #fitnessprogramย #pcosfitnessย #womenshealthย #womensfitnessย #strengthtrainingforwomenย #strengthtrainingย #fitfamย #womensfitnessย #thyroidhealing

REMINDER: If you’re a woman adding intermittent fasting on top of exercise, can be harmful to both your performance and health!

Leave a reply

โš ๏ธIf you’re adding intermittent fasting on top of exercise, you aren’t gaining any extra benefits.

Low energy availability is extremely common in females.

A 2019 survey of 1,000 female athletes across more than 40 sports published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine estimated the risk of low energy availability in women athletes at more than 47%.

Nearly half the performance-minded women may not be eating enough for their body to perform basic functions like creating muscle, regulating metabolism, and maintaining homeostasis after accounting for the energy they use for training.

๐Ÿ’ฅ Diets such as intermittent fasting and keto disrupt kisspeptin production. Women are more sensitive to kisspeptin, neuropeptide thatโ€™s responsible for sex hormones and endocrine and reproductive function.

๐Ÿ’ฅ Adding exercise to the equation just adds to the stress of denying our bodies important fuel sources. Our thyroid activity is depressed as a result, which messes with your menstrual cycle.

๐Ÿ’ฅ The long-term effects of intermittent fasting with exercise for women athletes is endocrine dysfunction, increases in abdominal fat, more prone to depression, and subsequent fat gain.

Pretty much the opposite direction of your goals.

I think back on before I truly grasped this concept, not only was practicing intermittent fasting days, fasted workouts/cardio, I was also chronically under-eating and over-training in general. ๐Ÿ˜Ÿ Never again!

๐Ÿ‘‡๐ŸปLMK Whatโ€™s your experience with IF?

Iโ€™m excited to expand more on this topic for Wild + Well Fed wellness Collective in July! @iamannikanicole@wildlyonswellness

Looking for more support navigating your cycle with fitness & nutrition? Check out my FREE guide & pro-metabolic strength training guide available for purchase!

LINK to apply for 1:1 coaching ๐Ÿ’œ

Sources:
PMID: 29860237
PMCID: PMC4818825
PMID: 27046965
Front. Endocrinol., 28 March 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2018.00123
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-020-0363-7
Dr. Stacy Sims
#intermittentfasting#intermittentfastingforwomen#womenshealth#womensfitness#onlinepersonaltrainer#personaltrainer#onlinefitnesscoach#fitnesscoach#fitnessmotivation#strengthtrainingforwomen#nutritionist#womenarenotsmallmen#womensfitness#fitnessforwomen#dietculturedropout#bodyneutrality#intermittentfastingdiet

How restrictive dieting (low calories) negatively impacts your thyroid

Leave a reply

Your thyroid is a ๐Ÿฆ‹-shaped gland that powers every cell in your body. It sets the pace for your body to function and operate.

Thyroid health can be so confusing, especially because you donโ€™t need to be diagnosed with a thyroid disorder to suffer from thyroid issues. Hypothyroidism or sluggish thyroid is much more common in women than hyperthyroidismโ€”see symptoms on slide 6.

Swipe๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป to learn how chronic dieting, under-eating, under-nourishing can lead to impaired thyroid function.

It’s important to understand that the years of stressors (Like: undernourishment, overexercising, lack of rest, sunlight, constant stimulation, trauma, halogen exposure, etc.) will not disappear overnight.

Here are some areas to focus on to bring back balance:

Managing STRESS โ€” Developing positive stress coping mechanisms like: journaling, getting outside, asking for help, breath work, taking a bath, therapy, &hanging with pets. Be sure to prioritize morning and bedtime routines, quality sleep, gentle exercise, and support your circadian rhythm by getting enough natural light (and less blue light exposure).โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €
โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €
NUTRIENTS โ€” Our thyroid requires specific minerals, like Vit. A, iodine, zinc, copper, selenium, etc. to properly function. Focus on nutrient-dense foods like shrimp, organ meats, bone broth, quality dairy, &fresh fruits.โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €
โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €
DIGESTION โ€” We need to properly break down and absorb our food to get the nutrients our thyroid requires. We also need enough stomach acid for a healthy digestive process. Try adding in digestive bitters if you suffer from digestive issues.โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €
โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €
TOXINS โ€” Specific chemicals called halogens (bromine, chlorine, and fluorine) compete with iodine and bind to thyroid receptors, preventing thyroid hormones from working properly. Filtering fluoride and chloride out of your drinking and bath/shower water helps those with thyroid dysfunction.โ €โ €โ €

Looking for more support navigating your cycle with fitness & nutrition? Check out my FREE guide & pro-metabolic strength training guide available for purchase!

LINK to apply for 1:1 coaching ๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿป

#onlinepersonaltrainer#onlinefitnesscoach#chronicdieting#hormoneimbalance#womenshealth#strengthtrainingforwomen
#thyroid#thyroidhealth#fitnessjourney