Your thyroid is a 🦋-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 don’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—see symptoms on slide 6.
Swipe👉🏻 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 — 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).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ NUTRIENTS — 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.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ DIGESTION — 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.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ TOXINS — 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.⠀⠀⠀
Let’s talk about SUPPLEMENTS and which ones may be causing more harm than good— this is something I’ve learned A LOT about in the last few years!
The point of this post is NOT to demonize or cast any judgement for taking them. (Hello, I have too!!) but to make you think, and create informed decisions about how and why you would use certain supplements.
As always, challenge the status quo. 💊
Mother nature knows what she’s doing. When we try to outsmart nature by isolating nutrient compounds for convenience, we’re losing out on the health-boosting rewards that REAL foods have to offer.
Food>Supplements
If you don’t agree, that’s okay! You do you, boo! But please don’t @ me in the comments. As ALWAYS, this is NOT medical advice. Please consult with your dietitian before stopping or using any supplement.
💡 If you’re frustrated about not being motivated, this SHOWS that you do actually have some motivation.
Because if you’re truly not motivated, you don’t give a 💩 that you’re not motivated. 🤣
We are complex beings who are rarely driven by only one type of motivation.
There are many qualities of motivation, and when people say they “lost motivation”, they usually mean they lost intrinsic motivation. 👉🏻(Intrinsic motivation refers to behavior that is driven by internal rewards. In other words, the motivation to engage in a behavior arises from within the individual because it is naturally satisfying to you.)
But that’s fine, we aren’t always going to feel intrinsically joyful to meal prep our food for the week, or to get in the 12-15 workouts on our program each month. 🤷🏻♀️
Taking motivational inventory is the ability to search for and leverage other reasons.
Maybe you: -want to feel less aches & pains -want to sleep better -want to be a good role model for your kids -want to have energy to play with your kids -want to improve your performance & physique
ALL of those are motives, some are for external rewards for an outcome that feels rewarding.
Others are when you identify the outcome is meaningful to your current values, you may not want to exercise for FUN, or focus on your protein intake but you will do it because you want the outcome in the end.
You’re not always going to be motivated to workout.
Out of 12 workouts in a month:
Two workouts you might feel JAZZED and PUMPED
Seven workouts are like meh….
and three workouts you may have to force yourself to get it done. (Those are the ones that matter the most).
MOTIVATION
Simply put: Motive + Action
is the driving force behind your actions. It isn’t something you simply have and keep forever; motivation is like campfire that you must keep stoking to benefit from the warmth.
Because: 💯 Truth be told, you’re not always going to be motivated. It’s normal. Motivation itself is unreliable!
Exercise addiction is a state characterized by a compulsive engagement in any form of physical exercise, despite negative consequences.
While regular exercise is generally a healthy activity, exercise addiction generally involves performing excessive amounts of exercise to the detriment of physical health.
It may also involve a state of dependence upon regular exercise, which involves the occurrence of severe withdrawal symptoms when the individual is unable to exercise.
Exercise addiction shows a high comorbidity with eating disorders with approximately 39-48% of people that have an eating disorder being addicted to exercise.
TLDR: An unhealthy relationship with exercise tends to involve rules and rigidity, be joyless, shame-based, and shame inducing.
A healthy relationship with exercise tends to be flexible and fulfilling. It varies in the type of movement we are doing and the amount of time we are devoting to that activity.
Over a year ago when the gyms shut down, it illuminated that I had obsessive compulsive exercise behaviors. I NEEDED the gym. It was my therapy. Now I know, therapy is therapy. And while exercise can enhance our mental state, for me how I was doing it, was destroying my mental & physical health.
🙌🏼Freedom is exactly what I wanted, I wanted to live my life full of joy and experiences, outside of obsessing about my food and workouts.
🙌🏼And now I am doing just that.
💯 I choose every day to nourish my body, to eat enough food, I give myself plenty of permission for rest days, I strength training 4 times a week max. My health is improving, my soul is thriving! Patience is 🔑
It’s common for new clients to hire a personal trainer wanting to lose weight (fat loss). While I understand the desire to do this, we can and will get there.. We usually have to enter a different kind of approach before we can actually “diet” for fat loss because our first intention must be to achieve optimal psychological & physiological baselines.
Most clients have struggled with yo-yo dieting, binge eating, poor relationship with food, negative body image and sporadic consistency with their workouts. When we first discuss the concept of dieting in reverse, they are naturally hesitant because it’s quite different than what they are used to. 😲
The amazing part throughout this process they realize that achieving maintenance is a massive progress flex! 💪🏻 It still requires lots of effort and consistency.
In maintenance phase you experience:
🔘Better sleep 🔘Improved performance 🔘More muscle 🔘Not 🤔 about 🥘 all the time 🔘Stable energy 🔘Less mood swings😃 🔘Ability to be social🥂 🔘Restore hormone balance 🔘Increased libido😈
It’s important to spend enough time optimizing your metabolism, building muscle, and enjoying your life, so that when & if the time does come to enter a diet phase, things will be easier, an the progress will be sustainable.
🧸Gelatin is a colorless, flavorless substance made from the collagen found in animal bones, skin and tissues. Gelatin is the cooked form of collagen. It makes up about half of the protein found in animals.
🧸Gelatin is loaded with three amino acids (glycine, proline and alanine) that have hydrophilic (hydrating), anti-inflammatory, healing properties.
🧸Because gelatin can attract and hold liquids, this allows it to draw in digestive juices, which help us break down the foods we eat.
🧸The more digestive juices present (mostly bile and stomach acid), the better our food is broken down, which allows for improved absorption.
⚠️NOT ALL GELATINS are made the same. The brand I recommend is Great Lakes. @greatlakesgelatin
🤓The product has been a subject of several clinical trials that have proved its effectiveness.
📖 Check out the book Gelatin in Nutrition and Medicine to learn more.
🧸MY FAV RECIPE! •BLOOM Gelatin first by pouring 1/2 c pure juice into a bowl and stirring in 4 tbsp of gelatin and let sit for 5 min.
•While it’s doing it’s thing, warm up the other 1/2 c juice on a saucepan on the stove. •As it gets steamy and just before boiling, turn off heat. •Add in gelatin and stir well. •Let cool before pouring into gummy molds or containers for jello.
All nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes contain anti-nutrients that require neutralization. Nuts and seeds contain enzyme inhibitors that actually block digestion – and this can potentially cause negative effects on the body. Grains and legumes contain phytic acid that robs the body of super important minerals such as magnesium, calcium, copper, zinc, and iron. The overall impacts are negative because of the frequency and quantity in which these foods are present in the modern diet.
Soaking grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes generally involve adding the food to a bowl, covering the food in the bowl with water, adding a neutralizer, letting the food sit at room temperature for a while, and then draining.
If you decide to eat grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, always make sure to follow the guidelines below to prepare them for optimal nutrition (bio-availability) and health.
I do not recommend eating these foods all day every day, because even when soaked it can still be quite rough on the digestive system for some.
Soaking Grains:
Quinoa: Place 2 cups of quinoa into a large mixing bowl and cover with 6 cups of filtered water. Stir in 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice, or whey. Cover and leave the bowl at room temperature for 24 hours. Drain, rinse and cook as usual.
Rice + Millet: Place 2 cups of grain in a large mixing bowl and cover with 2 cups of warm filtered water. Stir in 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or whey. Cover the bowl and leave at room temperature for about 7 hours. Drain, rinse and cook as usual.
Oatmeal: Place 2 cups of grain in a large mixing bowl and cover with 2 cups of warm filtered water. Stir in 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or whey. Cover and leave the bowl at room temperature for about 7 hours to 24 hours. Drain, rinse and cook as usual.
All Other Grains: place 2 cups of grains in a large mixing bowl and cover with 2 cups of warm filtered water. Stir in 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or whey. Cover and leave the bowl at room temperature for 12-24 hours. Drain, rinse and cook as usual or dry in a dehydrator.
Soaking Legumes:
Kidney-, Navy-, Black-, Pinto-, White Beans: Place 2 cups of beans into a large mixing bowl and cover with warm filtered water. Stir in 2 pinches of baking soda. Cover and leave the bowl at room temperature soaking for at least 18-24 hours. Every 7 or so hours drain the beans, rinse the beans, and cover with warm filtered water again, and stir in another 2 pinches of baking soda.
Drain, rinse and cook in a large stockpot, dutch oven, or a slow cooker.
Garbanzo -, Fava Beans, Split Peas: Place 2 cups of beans into a large mixing bowl and cover with warm filtered water. Stir in 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Cover and leave the bowl at room temperature to soak for at least 24 hours.
Drain, rinse and cook in a large stockpot, dutch oven, or a slow cooker.
Lentils: Place 2 cups of lentils into a large mixing bowl and cover with warm filtered water. Stir in 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Cover and leave the bowl at room temperature to soak for at least 7 hours.
Drain, rinse and cook in a large stockpot, dutch oven, or a slow cooker.
Soaking Nuts & Seeds
All Nuts And Seeds: Place 4 cups of raw, shelled nuts into a large mixing bowl. Cover with filtered water and stir in 1 tbsp of Celtic sea salt. Cover the bowl leave it at room temperature to soak.
♦♦ See the chart below for specific times.
Drain and rinse the nuts or seeds and place them in a dehydrator. | Alternatively spread the nuts or seeds on a large baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper and dehydrate them in a warm over (under 150 ˚F) for 12-24 hours, you want them to have that crunch. I usually let the nuts dehydrate overnight when I use the oven. |
♦ Almonds: 8-12 hours ♦ Brazil Nuts: 4-6 hours ♦ Cashews: 3-6 hours ♦ Flaxseeds: 8 hours ♦ Hazelnuts: 7-8 hours ♦ Hempseeds: do not soak ♦ Macadamia: do not soak ♦ Pecans: 4-6 hours ♦ Pepita/Pumpkin Seeds: 8 hours ♦ Pistachios: do not soak ♦ Pine Nuts: do not soak ♦ Sesame Seeds: 7-8 hours ♦ Sunflower Seeds: 2-4 hours ♦ Walnuts: 4 hours
Sprouting Grains, Seeds, Nuts & Legumes
There are four simple steps to sprouting grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Step 1: Using a large bowl soak your grains, legumes, nuts, or seeds in water. Make sure that the water is double the amount of the item being soaked. Leave at room temperature for the specified amount of time listed below. If you desire you may rinse and change the water halfway through the soaking time.
Step 2: Drain the liquid, rinse, and fill the bowl back up with fresh water. Next, drain the liquid at an angle to create a humid environment (use a mesh lid on a mason jar). The goal is to keep the kernels moist until they sprout a bud. This happens when the kernels are exposed to light and moisture.
Step 3: Repeat step 2 every few hours, but at least twice daily.
Step 4: In 1-4 days, your sprouted grain, nut, bean, or seed should be ready to use.
Have you ever thought about WHY you are engaging in your fitness & nutrition routine?
🧠Intention is is a mental state that represents a commitment to carrying out an action or actions in the future. Intention involves mental activities such as planning and forethought.
Body Neutral Fitness is shifting the intention behind WHY you want to workout.
Instead of aesthetics being the main intention, the focus is more on how you want to FEEL and cultivating a more positive body image through developing body appreciation
It can be easy to fall into the trap of pointing out what you are insecure about, or hearing someone else do the same. But try to avoid this, or at least notice when you are doing it and how it makes you feel. Redirect the conversation to another topic
Body neutral fitness is about nourishing our bodies with foods full of vitamins and nutrients that you need, but also not depriving ourselves of delicious treats. We do not engaging in restrictive dieting behaviors.
Exercise is not meant to be a punishment. If your body needs a rest day, then give it a rest day. I work closely with my clients to build their programming with activities that they enjoy. More recreation, more walks and MORE FUN!
For me, I’ve spent years dieting and exercising to change my body and make her look a certain way. To be accepted. To be seen as worthy.
I’ve torn down my old identity and entire sense of self and rebuilt a new version from the ashes of who I once was.
I’ve shared a bit about this process, how a lot of it revolved around SELF-ESTEEM and improving my concept of self.
Contrast can be an amazing teacher. When we experience things we do NOT want or like, it provides clarity and insight into what we DO want.
🌱You’ve got to CHOOSE growth 🔝 We can either go through life, or GROW through it. 🌱
Growth hurts. & it’s always worth it. It’s also never ending. 📈
Health is not a destination that you “arrive” to and stay. 📍
It’s a flowing, growing, shifting, seasonal journey. 🗺
This past year I’ve done some deep soul digging to rebuild my identity around fitness to be coming from a place of excitement and joy !
“The deeper your why, the higher you fly”
Ready to make the shift into Body neutral fitness? Apply for coaching HERE
✅ Schedule it in & Commit When time is your biggest challenge when it comes to exercise, then knowing what you’re going to do and when you’re going to do it is very important! At the beginning of each week, schedule your workouts like you schedule your meetings or appointments. Create a plan, know what you’re going to do and when you’re going to do it, and commit! You can even have an alternative day to make up your workout if something does happen.
✅Morning or Earlier in the day workouts. Plan your workouts in the morning or during your lunch breaks. This way you dedicate that time for you before the day slips away. Being busy throughout the day usually leads to fatigue by the end of the day and can make commitments to workouts later in the day harder.
✅ Boost Your Daily Activities Try giving some of your daily activities a boost to get your movement in. Take advantage of every situation. This can be parking a little farther from the grocery store, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking while chatting on the phone, or walking during meetings that you do not have to participate in.
✅ Change Your Mindset Around Movement Movement should not be looked at as an activity that you dread or that takes over your life. We want to view movement as a GIFT to yourself not a chore. If you wake up and think “I don’t have time to workout today” you’re most likely not going to find the time to get it done. If you wake up thinking of it as a priority and how much better you’re going to feel after its done you are more likely to find the time.
✅ Make It Enjoyable Do something that you actually enjoy. It’s easier to get something done when you like the activity. Focus on what makes you feel the best, helps you to reach your goals, and is rewarding for your mind and body.
Change of any kind intimidating and it may seem like you have a long way to go in achieving your goals…
Here are some tips for hacking consistency:
1️⃣Focus on 1-2 habits that you can easily commit to start. Get into the groove with them. Next, build one or two habits on top of those, this concept is called habit stacking.
Example: Two daily habits could be eating protein with almost every meal and getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Next you could focus on drinking water first thing before coffee and adding in a morning stretch routine.
Building on habits is what creates a routine.
A routine is what creates consistency. Consistency is what creates results.
This is why fad diets, 30 day challenges and 75 hard is a waste of your time. If it’s not based around your own individual health markers, lifestyle and goals, if it’s not teaching you about your own biofeedback and empowering you—You’re likely not gonna stick with it.
2️⃣Focus on what’s being added in and improved. Adding in more protein, more fruits and veggies, more movement etc. (not what’s being taken away or restrained.)
3️⃣However your path looks like on the journey to feeling better it should be rewarding and tied to deep personal meaning and intrinsic motivation.
4️⃣Self-Efficacy is the name of the game- building belief in oneself over time, creating a foundation of knowledge that is a sustainable lifestyle.
Consistency is everything— if what you’re currently doing is too difficult to stick with, it’s not YOU. It’s your approach.
Wellness Simplified with Meganmefit 