I was first truly introduced to the concepts of NUTRITION about 15 years ago. It was all new to me, but it made so much sense! The food you eat HAS to get into the cell in order for it to really "nourish" the body. I started making changes and kept modifying my diet and lifestyle as the years have gone by.
That was 8 babies ago!
That was also before I crossed the "over-35" mark.
I'm still ecstatic about nutrition (NeoLife!!), and I'm so thankful that I've had it all these years and through all the babies (otherwise I could REALLY be thrashed - and FAT!) ... but I've also realized a slow decline at the same time... due to my choices! As they say ...
Nutrition won't do a bit of good
unless it's put into your mouth!
I had slacked off.
I had gotten busy.
I hadn't prioritized my health anymore.
The bottom of the barrel: After I experienced my first miscarriage in October and had quite a time trying to get myself recovered from all this, I realized just how bad off I was. My hormones could not regulate themselves! My energy level had slowly dwindled and I was not the picture of health anymore, feeling chubby and bumpy. I also realized that if something didn't change, I was on a down-hill trajectory.
What I was doing was not working.
Enter recovering mode ...I began to slow down and really evaluate what had happened over the years, and what needed to happen to get me out of this slump.
Step #1: IDENTIFY THE TREND -- What had contributed to getting me where I was today?? Over the past few months, it's become more obvious that several things have contributed to my decline over the years ... THAT I WASN'T EVEN AWARE OF.
Are you doing the same things? And thinking it's good?
You may be slowly sabotaging your health, like I was!
5 things I didn't realize were sabotaging my health
1. Stretching too long between meals
I'm a busy Mama! The "alarm" goes off when the little ones get up and it's non-stop action from that moment until they're in bed. By the time everyone was up, dressed, helped, and breakfast was made, it had already been 2 hours and my blood sugar was low. Ok, BEYOND LOW! Anyone else experience that anxious "I'm starving get out of my way or I'll plow over you" feeling?And then on throughout the day as I march along ... then it's 2:00 and I'm wondering how it got so late already and what happened to lunch! By 3 or 4 I'm wiped out, but I keep pushing (hello OVERDRIVE!), taxing my adrenal glands. The groggy afternoon fog sets in as I snack away at something that "sounds yummy" (sugar, carbs, caffeine) and then dinner gets pushed back, too.
The cycle does 2 things ...
1) taxes my adrenal glands (by pushing beyond what I'm nourished to handle) AND
2) keeps my body in a state of ups and downs (as far as blood sugar goes). The result is fat storage and adrenal/hormonal issues.
2. Didn't exercise
The lack of exercise has done more for me that I bargained for! I thought I would just never be a "super-toned" person, you know? I didn't have time for workouts and all that fitness stuff! I kept most of my weight off for years and I was good with that. I also thought I ate OK, so I wasn't worried about cardiovascular stuff like cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc. My body didn't seem that bad ...But, the real results were that I had slowly lost all my muscle tone! I started getting headaches as my hip/back/shoulder/neck would fall out of alignment and send shooting pain up my arm and into my head. Even after massages and chiropractic adjustments, my body with slip right back out of the right place. My pelvic floor had also lost ALL muscle tone and I was having issues holding my organs in! (LOL! - there's a word for that: prolapse). Whao Nelly!
3. Cut back (hello budget!) on my nutrition
We were busy building another business (our 3rd so far in our marriage!) and I was in full administrative swing. Putting everything we had into our business meant cutting in other areas. I cut back from my regular pregnancy/nursing programs to taking more of a "minimal" dose of nutrients ... whenever I remembered.
4. Pushed long hours and found myself snacking on sweets to get me through
You've been there before. You're in the middle of a project and don't want to stop. Or, you're on the go (shopping) and have to go to just 1 more store! All of the sudden, you realize it's been 4 maybe 5 hours since you've eaten. At this point (if your stomach isn't growling already), your body starts sending signals for something yummy. A coffee, a Snickers bar, a bagel, pastry, maybe ice cream or another dessert. It's that carb/sweet thing that starts talking ... and it's sooo easy to give in.
Typically, if you push your body more than 3 hours, you've pushed past the normal blood sugar levels and are now dropping fast! The body needs fuel. It really wants protein. Instead of protein, throwing a high fat or high carb meal ... or worse: both! ... means that the body now goes into a fat storage mode. It's a horrendous cycle.
5. Thought I could survive on less
I don't know, maybe it was just that I didn't realize my own needs. Somehow, I convinced myself that my body didn't need extra B's, extra cal-mag, extra nutrition I was giving it all these years. Was I comparing myself to others around me that drank those big frappa drinks and didn't seem to have any problems? Of course ... time would only tell, right?
But the body, being fearfully and wonderfully made has such a huge need for adequate nutrition. Think about it:
- Every hormone in the body needs protein. Not just any protein ... but strings of specific amino acids that can be put together to make any and every hormone necessary for adrenaline, reproductive processes, ambition, drive, etc.
- The glandular system thrives on minerals!
- The body needs large doses of Vitamin B's to cope with stress
- The 75 Trillion cells in your body
Can you relate to any of these?? If so, then get ready to take next step!
Step #2: STOP THE TREND
Once you realize the downward trend, it's time to STOP. There is a solution and there IS a better way to live. Making the smallest changes can have huge results down the road.
Have you ever read the book "The Compound Effect" by Darren Hardy? The point that jumped out to me was the fact that consistent changes ... even SMALL changes! ... will yield such huge differences in the long run.
It's a choice. I could either keep doing what I was doing and watch my body continue to deteriorate, my blood sugars spiking and dropping ... leading me towards a chubby, diabetic, insulin-dependent mama. Or, I could make a decision to change ... and make even the slightest change. It is just a matter of choosing and being consistent.
Step #3: MAKE THE CHANGES
Detox - My first plan was to detox my body so that everything would function better! Since digestion begins in the digestive tract, it's so important to have a clean, healthy environment to facilitate the best absorption.
The Healthy Body 3-Day Detox helps to eliminate bacteria and other harmful substances from the body throught the digestive tract. This detox also helps to jump-start the lymphatic system by cleansing the liver, adrenals, sinus, spleen, and more. When this system functions better, the whole body works better!
Exercise -- Start with a little every day. Taking a walk, doing a 10-minute workout in the morning to jumpstart your metabolism, anything! Get a friend to join you, if you need the accountability, like I did. When our friend, Shandell, decided to change her health, she started by walking to the end of her road and back each night after work. Remember, consistent is more important that intensity.
Balance Hormones -- Drinking a shake or 2 each day really provides the foundation for giving the body the right building blocks for hormones. Add mineral support found in the ProVitality Pak and Cal-Mag and you'll be well on your way to getting back on track. I noticed that my cycle regulated and my hair started growing in thicker!!! I hadn't realized how much hair I had lost, but when it started growing back ... I was shocked!!
Get on a good program -- The beginning program includes the nutrients found in the ProVitality Pak along with the NeoLife Shake (once or twice a day). I take extra Cal-Mag, Cod Liver Oil, Liver, and a variety of other nutrients to support myself in this restoration stage.
Join a challenge -- Commit to changing your health by joining a 30-day Weight Loss or Fitness Challenge. Simply taking before pictures and emailing your goals to challenge@neolifeclub.com can enter you in a competition with yourself to Be Your Best!
And watch the results!
I've been thrilled to see my energy level pick up, my natural go-getter attitude come back (thank you, hormones!!), and my ability to take care of my family get back on target. Thank you, NeoLife!
Join NeoLife today!
This is me after my Challenge - having lost 12 pounds and running 2 miles, twice a week! Thrilled to be on the right track with my health again!