The Crossfit Open 2016, Naked In A Bubble

Well, we are two out of five weeks into the 2016 Crossfit Open.. What starts off as a $20 entry fee ends with the the best of the best competing in the Crossfit Games in Carson City, California. For me, being a part time Crossfit coach, the Open season is the BEST time of year, its the ice cream on top of the ice cream cake! I see people bring their A-game and their best strategies to their workout.

COMPLETELY EXPOSED.
EVERY ONE OF YOUR WEAKNESSES!
CACA-DOO-DOODLE-DO!

The twisty part is getting to switch hats. Going from coaching athletes to actually doing the dirty work.  And no matter how many times I tell myself, "it's just another workout"  I know its a total lie. It's more because you're putting your vulnerabilities out on the table, showing the world where you are today. Putting your first and last name out there as a Crossfitter tinkering with competing. And you're crossing your fingers (Pretty-Pleeeasse with a cherry on top) that you are better than you were last year.






Lessons in Humility. 

 A game changer for my dubs

The biggest take away from doing competitions comes where your weaknesses are layed out flat on the table like a poker bluff. It's like you just being naked and exposed for all the world to see. And your vulnerabilities will come out, (money back guarantee.)  But here's the silver lining. When I did an all-girls competition last year, called Girls Gone Rx, I had to do 20 double unders and I failed. I ended up doing one double, then one single and I did that for what felt like an eternity. I was embarrassed on behalf of my team mates and I was red faced and slightly angry the whole time. But after that, after I was completely vulnerable- I got serious about getting them. That was my gift from the competition, not shame - oh no - an opportunity to become better. That's what the Open gifts to you - use that gift to improve yourself and climb higher.

This year, I've already patted myself on the back. That's because last year, in 2015, one of the workouts had double unders in them, and so I skipped the workout entirely. Already, double unders have been in the workout in 2016 and I was THRILLED to be able to skillfully jump my little heart out. I actually felt GLEE as I jumped this year thinking of how proud I was. WEEEEEEEE!

So, of course I'll declare what I've realized so far and what I anticipate is approaching.

WORKOUT 16.1

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 20 minutes of:
25-ft. overhead walking lunge
8 burpees
25-ft. overhead walking lunge
8 chest-to-bar pull-ups

16.1

Exposure #1 - I can't link my chest to bar pull ups. Maybe I can get 2 together but I seem to drop my legs down as dead weight after one.

Exposure #2 - Brain working ahead of the body. When I was doing burpees over the barbell, I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that I had to go back and do the lunges. Instead of staying present, I was slowing down during burpees as I was mentally dreading what was to come.

Quick word on MENTAL TOUGHNESS. Again, as a coach, I watch people come in with a crum attitude that expresses itself in their workout. They get sloppy or they miss lifts or miss easy shit when they are focused on the wrong things. So, quick note on negativity. Your body AND your mind need training. If you're thinking negatively the whole time you work out, I know you aren't having fun and you aren't giving your best. Giving it your best means pumping yourself up and keeping the positive thoughts rolling in. And shifting your thoughts when they take a turn for the worst. Thinking positive is a practice, as our family motto goes, Practice makes Better! I suggest coming up with a mantra, something you repeat in your head if you notice your thought taking a nose dive toward hell. A few I thought of:

• Strong as Shit
• Everything is going perfect
• Killing it
• I've Got This

*********************************************************************************

Exposures Revealed From the Crossfit Open so far...

WORKOUT 16.2

Beginning on a 4-minute clock, complete as many reps as possible of:
  25 toes-to-bars
  50 double-unders
  15 squat cleans, 135 / 85 lb.

If completed before 4 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock and proceed to:
  25 toes-to-bars
  50 double-unders
  13 squat cleans, 185 / 115 lb.

If completed before 8 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock and proceed to:
  25 toes-to-bars
  50 double-unders
  11 squat cleans, 225 / 145 lb.

If completed before 12 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock and proceed to:
  25 toes-to-bars
  50 double-unders
  9 squat cleans, 275 / 175 lb.

If completed before 16 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock and proceed to:
  25 toes-to-bars
  50 double-unders
  7 squat cleans, 315 / 205 lb.

16.2 

Exposure #3 - Doing double unders with ease. One of the other coaches I know can do double unders for hours. I eye his jump rope with suspicious eyes wondering where the magic is hidden. I'd love to get to that place, maybe I'll hunt down a Genie Lamp.

Exposure #4 - Squat cleans turn into a power clean + front squat when the barbell gets over 100#. I love squat cleans! I really do, but when the bar gets heavy my body gets a little retarded and tries to break things up into manageable moves. I have to learn to get under it quickly, and hopefully this will translate to help with snatches too :) This also showed up last year in 2015 when we had to do the max clean and jerk and I could jerk more than I could clean because I couldn't  "get low".

I like to pretend I can double Unders barefoot. I like to impress one year olds

What I anticipate in the next Open Workouts: (DRUMROLL...)There will be bar muscle ups (which I can not do lately). And there will be something that gets outrageously heavy - which always brings on that overwhelmed feeling of almost pooping my pants. Part of me really hopes there will be pistols, "bring on the one legged squats" says my left leg. Though my right leg isn't quite sure. Damn you non-dominant leg!





Until next announcement, stay positive, breath deep and whatever you do, don't miss out on your own shining-light opportunities to improve. Don't shy away from these- face them with gusto! Work Your Weaknesses. You've got this, you're a Crossfitter, damit.

  When will this be in the Open? Useless Human Tricks.

Are You Surviving or Thriving? Nipping Stress in the Bud

You know those days when things just go EXACTLY as they should? Where nothing can go wrong, you're smiling at strangers, just because, you're walking with your head held high and a skip in your step. You know those magical days? And on the other end, you know the days when you just feel gloom, you're quick to anger, you feel resistance through your whole being and you just want to hide under a blanket all day? Both come at you blindly without any obvious reason.

As an example. My hubby called the other day and said he had stolen all the cash in his wallet, business deals were going south, he was hungover, and everything was going wrong. He called me, which he never does during the day, and I heard it in his voice right away, his voice gave it all away; he felt defeated.

We know these days all too well. What if I told you it was just negative energy that needed to get out? What if the answer was as simple as breathing and changing your thoughts? Would you want to punch me? Maybe if it was one of your bad days. Stay with me while I explain.

The Mechanism
Whether we get stressed by a perceived thought, or stressed by our environment, our body doesn't separate either one. To our body, we are in danger. And the obvious signal our body gets of stress is through your breathing. When you stop supplying your body with ample oxygen your body picks up on the queue immediately and sends distress signals to all your systems. Your digestion, your cardiovascular system, your lymphatic system, your endocrine system - everybody gets put on alert.

It's a sweet mechanism built to save your life, but can put us into a state of disease and will knock us out of homeostasis if over used. Overuse means you will begin feeling un-like yourself, you will have scattered thoughts, you will be acting from your flight or fight mode, moving like an emotion-less machine. Welcome to Survival Mode. I think most of us Americans live here, though we certainly don't need to.

How does your body know when you're stressed? Your breathing. How does your breathing get off track? Negativity. Doom and gloom thinking. Anticipating outcomes that frighten you. Take anger, for a prime example where does it come from? What feeds anger? FEAR.


Unfortunately stress is easy to do. Why, we are programmed to stress about everything. What we posted on Facebook, how that other person parked their car, we stress about what we ate an hour ago (example: I can't believe I ate that piece of bread before lunch.) And we stress about things that haven't happened. We cause stress just by worrying about things that haven't taken place. We picture it in our mind, and our mind signals our body as though it's occurred. To our body, the real thing and the thing we think might happen are REAL.


If you maintain a negative attitude, that invariably attracts negative vibrations and feelings – which disrupts your body’s natural energy flow. According to Davis Suzuki in ‘The Sacred Life’, condensed molecules from breath exhaled from verbal expressions of anger, hatred, and jealousy, contain toxins. 

Read more

Click Here for More

Want to know how to THRIVE when all hell seems to be breaking loose around you? 

Stay in parasympathetic mode. Remember this from middle school? Sympathetic and parasympathetic? Parasympathetic is where healing occurs, it's wear digesting of nutrients occurs and its where your body knows its safe. Sympathetic is the opposite. When you're stressed, you're using your sympathetic nervous system. Use these quickies for help:

1) Breathing is HUGE. Start with a huge exhale of all your breath and then breathe in deep in your nose, to begin the process. Breathing connects us to our inner self, it connects us to our soul. It puts oxygen into your brain which helps you think clearer and it is nourishment for your body is ways we will never fully understand. Your breath is yours, anytime. If you are alive, you can breathe.

2) Get basic in your self talk. Sometimes I am so stressed that I know I should be breathing and yet I'm even too worked up for that. That's when I just tell myself things like, "it will pass." And I don't keep diving into the topic that's stressing me out, you can never think yourself out of a problem when you're under considerable stress. Instead, I make a nonchalant statement like, "Everything is going well" and BOOM. It puts you into a positive spin.

3) Think of something funny. I like to think of one time in particular where I was with Juliet (my oldest daughter) and I was angry for some unknown reason, and then it got worse when she made this face that really got under my skin. We both looked at each other for a second and for some reason we both laughed. And then we immediately cracked up laughing for over 5 minutes and neither of us needed to speak or to explain it. Anger and negative emotions can easily be washed away with positivity.

Nutrition for the Plate and the Mind, with A Thyroid Focus

I just melt when I observe my daughters look at themselves in the mirror. They just look briefly, just peak, then they move on to play time. There's no judgement, no harshness, no analyzing, just pure self love. Today, my youngest, who's two years old, smiled in the mirror, turned her head and smiled again with her tongue sideways and head tilted. Pure, innocent love not tainted by judgment from media. Children are just as much our teachers as we are to them. They easily remind us of who we can be when we un-cap our wings.

Thoughts On Nutrition:

1. You are what you eat.  - Do you eat food made by mother nature in perfect form? Do you eat processed, chemical-filled foods that your body understands to be poison?
     
2. You are how you eat.  - Do you attack your food like you haven't eaten in months? Do you look at food and tell it how bad it is for you? Can you look at a piece of pie and enjoy it with pleasure or do you shame your lack of willpower while you eat it?

3. You are also what you think.  - Are you thinking positive things about yourself? Are you calling yourself fat? Are you judging yourself constantly? Are you judging others with harsh eyes? Are you feeling love for others through the day or anger/resentment? Are you feeling that you are healing or are you telling yourself over and over how sick you are? Some of the best advise I ever had was from a woman who did Reiki on me and said the best thing to do is keep my spirits high and that will begin the healing process.

Do you know of the scientific testing Dr Emoto did on water molecules? He would expose water to certain words and music and once it crystallized, he took photographs under a microscope of what the water looked like. This was a real, legit study showing the effects of our thoughts, words and outside influences. Our amazing bodies are at least 65% water, so we are effected by every thought and word spoken. I believe that strongly.

Did you know that feeling Stress (including negative or angry thoughts) releases insulin into the body? Insulin is great for us when we use it properly. Or as Diane Sanfilippo says in her book, Practical Paleo, Insulin is like your Mom, it wants to constantly put things away (like store fat.) That's just one metabolic reason you gain weight under stress. There are so many more. So breath deep and stay calm.

Nutrition with a Hashimotos Focus:

A great book for recipes!

1. Mind Your GUT. Did you know your gut is where most of your serotonin is created?  Your belly has more neurons than your spinal cord! Holy Smokes. If you feel grumpy in the mornings or feel a lack of impulse control (you eat at the mere sight of food withno regard to how you will feel after?) You might be able to relate it to low serotonin. Eat protein at every meal, stop snacking and fix your belly bacteria to fix the problem. You might just get to add a potato as an evening snack, too. Check out this book about how to increase your serotonin and endorphins.

2) Treat yourself to some sushi once a month- sea veggies are vital for minerals. Seaweed is great for iodine. A word of caution, I tried a seaweed salad twice now when I felt motivated to fix the thyroid issue, and both times I had to spit my first bite into the napkin. No wonder it's so good for you, it's disgusting. So I don't recommend the seaweed salad. But sushi? We can do that.

3) Stop masking your symptoms with unneeded poisons. Toxic makeup and hair products plus medications are adding to your toxic load. Only use if you HAVE to. I admit, I was using Latisse for growth of my eyelashes and eyebrows. I stopped so I can see what I'm truly working with. Obviously if you are taking thyroid meds, you would need to make a decision for yourself if that's right or not. For me, for now, I am opting to go medication free (YEAAA!) and treat instead with an acupuncturist who uses NAET treatment/diagnosis. 

4) DETOX.  Many hypo-thyroid patients are showing to have dysfunction in their phase 2 detox pathway. This means we are not getting toxins out of your system and they are getting reabsorbed. This causes massive amounts of hormone imbalances, mostly estrogen dominance. You know if you have this as a woman if you have swelling in the armpit area or as a male if you have man boobs. See my body map. Also, your thyroid can not function in the conversion of T4 to the usable T3 if there are too many contaminants in your bod; it makes it impossible for your liver and kidneys to do the conversion. So stay clean, LOVE YOUR LIVER and kidneys and consider adding chia seeds, romaine lettuce, steamed broccoli, and cooked swiss chard to your regular eating habits. Toxins get stored in your fat cells. A lot of people theorize that your body is protecting you from all the thousands of environmental poisons by increasing your fat cells. Drink Detox teas, detox juices. Cleanse your blood with beets. Add fiber and eliminate major irritants like dairy, gluten, sugar, alcohol and too many nuts/oils.

1) Beets are delicious in a raw smoothie or roasted and eaten with dinner. Bonus! Red Pee! My kids love them. They are great for bloating and high in natural sugar when you need a fix.

Molasses. Do it for IRON

2) Spirulina powder - this is so easy if you do green smoothies. You're just making them super green. This stuff is amazingly good for weight loss, detox, energy. If you want convenience, and to fork out the big bucks look here, otherwise grab a bottle for $30 that will last months. This is kept in the supplement section, not food section of stores.

3) Start consuming molasses regularly. Do it for IRON, for a sugar substitute, for selenium and calcium. If you want a treat, make some paleo-ish popcorn balls.

4) So many people with Hashimotos have issues with Vitamin D, Which should test out in 80-100 range, Add in Cod Liver Oil to your daily consumption. Helps with food cravings, keeping you full, battling inflammation. It's a nutritional powerhouse.

5) Soaked and sprouted Brazil Nuts. Ever seen the label? They have 700x the recommended amount of selenium. The taste was very earthy to me at first but I soon loved them, especially after I saw the label. I like spouted because they are easier on the digestion and you can sprout them yourself with a water soak + your oven on a low temp.

5) Steamed broccoli - As stated earlier, people with thyroid issues have trouble during their phase 2 detox. This is why you could be getting puffy or feeling heavy. This is why you need to focus on fiber. Phase 2 of detoxing is key and can be done by adding cruciferous veggies to your diet on a regular basis. This means a big steaming plate of broccoli, Brussel sprouts, kale and all those things we feel good eating but we don't typically crave. More info here Some people say that eating the crucifer viggies raw will interfere with thyroid function but I am out on this one. I tend to steam them because they taste better to me, but it's your call there. I think they are loaded with nutrients and that's what's more important.

Thyroid Boosting Smoothie:

 Makes Enough for 2-3 large Green smoothies (my own fav morning ritual!)

• 4 celery stalks
• 1 cucumber with or without skin (skin has zinc which is good for skin and hair!)
• Half an apple
• An orange
• Juiced lemon 
• Huge portion of parsley (help with detox and swelling)
• Huge portion of cilantro (heavy metal detox)
• 1 Tablespoon molasses (natural form of iron)
• 1 Teaspoon Spirulina  (protein/Chlorella/detox)
• 1 head of romaine lettuce (FIBER!)

CONCLUSION: 

I have some theories on what caused my immune system to attack my thyroid. I suspect different things (including a dentist visit with x-rays) but I know one thing for sure. My thoughts are a huge part of what got me here, and they will also help me out. In life, I need to be more assertive and speak up more for myself. People with thyroid issues might fit that criteria or be overly outspoken to anger. Either way, our bodies are letting us know they need something physically, emotionally and energetically. Listen to it. Figure out where in your life you feel like you are holding yourself back. 

A great book which has 30day protocol for autoimmune conditions

Loving Your Thyroid and Trusting The Healing Curve, My Story with Hashimotos

Our body is a beautiful, whole system which adapts and thrives despite our well-meaning and non-well-meaning attacks on it. But we don't need to feel victimized or distraught by a change in function of our thyroid gland. We are made with a high level of intelligence, much more brilliant than science and Western medicine. You can heal, trust that your body is working to heal and maybe the only thing holding it back is your thoughts toward it. 

The Greeks called the thyroid gland Thyreos, meaning shield. This shield reminds me of the game Red light/Green Light, since it is in charge of slowing and stopping all metabolic processes in the body. The speed and function of the entire body is regulated by the gland because very cell in our body has thyroid receptors.


Repeat after me. My thyroid is NOT the problem.

This is because if you have Hashimotos (80-90% of people with low-functioning thyroid glands do) your immune system is harming your thyroid while trying to protect you. I used to think of my thyroid as the bad guy, I would look at my neck and think, "What's wrong with you butterfly-shaped organ? Why can't you just work properly so I can stop gaining weight?" It never answered me ((sigh)) but through a lot of research, I have some killer insight.

Your thyroid is doing it's job, but your immune system has been making deals with the bad guys, and an attack has begun against your thyroid hormones. Yes, your immune system is still one of the good guys, but he's creating an army of bad guys (antibodies) which engulf the thyroid hormones before they have a chance to work inside your cells. Blaming your thyroid is equivalent to blaming President Obama for allowing Donald Trump to run as president. Your thyroid is doing its part. Vindicate your thyroid.




This Dr explains it very well

Modern Medicine Fail:

My Mom has a scar about 5 inches long across her neck from having her thyroid removed when she was 12 years old. Back in her day, when a body part reacted abnormally, we pulled out a fancy surgical knife and cut the body part out. There was no confidence in the body's ability to heal itself. There was no analysis to figure out why it malfunctioned in the first place. Today, if my Mom was having the same issue, they would not remove it so quickly. Current treatment today for Graves disease (overactive thyroid) shows we have learned nothing from our mistakes in medical past. To treat Graves disease today, patients take a radioactive iodine pill every day, have to stay away from women and children, then let the radiation KILL the thyroid gland. After they have a non-functioning thyroid gland, the patient has to supplement with synthetic (eek!) thyroid (Synthroid) for the rest of their life. What?! Western medicine really encourages sickness.

The problem with taking Synthroid or Armour or any other Big Pharma prescription, is that you are only masking symptoms. And sometimes you are only masking them for a short time, then your symptoms come back. Your body is screaming at you that something is wrong and you are just turning down the volume. That's because you never find out WHY the thyroid was under producing, you didn't find out the metabolic issue, you never search for the ROOT CAUSE as to why your body is scrambling messages. Because the very thing that caused the metabolic issue has never been addressed and therefore will manifest in another way.



This woman's story with healing her thyroid. She had Graves disease. Her functional medicine doctor told her to: 1) Take his herbs, 2) Eat veggies and fruit 3) Enjoy life. She healed. We can too.



My History With Hashimoto's

I was diagnosed as Hashimotos in 2009 and opted out of medication for 6 months, hoping the problem would vanish. No, it didn't fix itself though I was not proactively helping it either. We were trying to have our first baby that didn't happen. Red flags were waving all over the place that I could no longer ignore. It was finally when I went to touch my hair that was inside a pony tail and my hair collectively was the width of a pencil. My head was balding and I had reached my tipping point. I first went on Synthroid and a few months later, boom, we were pregnant with my oldest daughter. Easy Peezy. But of course that doesn't end the story. The story never ends with prescription drugs, it only begins there.

A few years ago, I decided to go the more natural route and treat my thyroid with a thyroid compound with has both T3 and T4 in it and less toxic substances. (Did you know that Synthroid has gluten in it?) Plus I wanted to send my middle finger to Big Pharma by pulling myself out of their guinea pig experiment. Even with treatment, Synthroid or Compound, I still experienced thyroid symptoms like dry skin, tiredness, freezing cold hands and feet, loss of eyebrows and lashes, mood issues, edema problems, etc.


Thyroid Symptoms: You might know these ALL too well by now...

• Fatigue - I used to fall asleep 5 minutes into sitting down
• Weight Gain - About 12 pounds in 6 months
• Depression - A dull mood in the mornings with awful depressing thoughts that come intermittently
• Constipation - Once I went 5 days without going to the bathroom
• Hypersensitivity to cold - There aren't enough socks or blankets, can't get out of shower
• Poor circulation and numbness in hands and feet - I get numb hands and feet mostly in bed
• Muscle cramps when at rest - Muscle tightness in my neck
• Weakened immune system - Sick a lot and building a list of food in-tolerances
• Excessive sleep needed - A 7pm bedtime is ideal in my world
• Itchy, dry skin - My legs and hands mostly, even a rash on my hands and legs sometimes
• Chronic digestive problems - Every night my stomach talks or gets massively bloated
• Dry/Brittle hair - My hair has split ends even the day after a hair cut
• Hair falls out easily - If you touch my hair, it falls out
• Low Body temperature - Temps are around 97 degrees
• Menstruation issues - No ovulation, long cycles, heavy or very light periods. We know the drill.
• Edema, especially facial swelling (myxedema) - Water weight? Fatty face? YES
• Loss of eyebrows/eyelashes - My face does not look the same! EEEKKK! Frustrating

After that I was diagnosed with a multitude of problems: adrenal fatigue, leaky gut, low progesterone, bacterial infection in my gut, low serotonin. During this, my body was screaming for help. I was getting bloated after every meal. Fasting is really hard on the adrenals, but it became my savior to get rid of the discomfort of bloating and s-l-o-w digestion. Then it came to where after I fasted I would over eat, no matter how much self control I practiced, my biological instincts had taken the wheel.

My current struggle with Hashimoto's Thyroid makes itself blatantly obvious. Of all the symptoms of a low-functioning thyroid, I have every single one. I felt that something seemed off in my body about a year ago. It seemed I wasn't absorbing nutrients, I felt and looked puffy. I remember waking up with swollen eyes and cheeks and even edema in my legs and butt. Of all places to be swollen, the face and legs- are some of the most damaging to your self image. My body was ballooning daily while I was tweaking my diet to the bare minimum. It was also becoming allergic to everything I ate. See Leaky Gut.

Most recently, my thyroid tested at 6.8 TSH which is outside the recommended level of 1.8-3.0 that functional doctors aim for. Proceeding the test result, came complete exhaustion, an attitude of "if you ask for sex, I WILL punch you," severe memory issues/brain fog, no motivation, no desire to get out of bed, massive hair loss, random crying and other craZy wife and Mom behavior. Indeed, on New Years 2016, I fell asleep at 730 pm even while entertaining guests. Bad host? Um, ya, luckily it was people related to me.




2014




Dec 2015 (me on right)


So I became my own researcher and developed some lifestyle hacks that have been getting me through the Hypothyroid/Hashimotos symptoms/discomfort. I am writing this because I sincerely hope it helps others, so please know it comes from deep in my heart with true desires to help us all in this ordeal. I formatted it in a way where you can skip to the symptoms you are most plagued with and get to work. If you experience all the symptoms then high-five sister - me too!


TWO GOLDEN RULES FOR HASHIMOTOS/LOW THYROID:

1) AVOID GLUTEN as though it's a hungry mountain lion chasing after you. If you learn anything from this entire blog post it's that you must skip the denial process and go straight to gluten free. Gluten molecules are almost identical to thyroid molecules, so your body creates more antibodies to fight your thyroid when you consume gluten. Thyroid antibodies are what destroy your thyroid and don't allow thyroid hormones to enter your cells. According to Chris Kessler,"There’s no “80/20” rule when it comes to gluten. Being “mostly” gluten-free isn’t going to cut it. You have to be 100% gluten-free to prevent immune destruction of your thyroid." 

2 ) CLEAN UP YOUR WATER. Chlorine is used to keep our water clean for drinking, but it is toxic to consume. It causes iodine to be depleted from our bodies. Iodine is necessary for a functioning thyroid. Fumes from heated chlorinated water are extremely toxic. So when you take that hot shower, you are inhaling compounds which destroy your thyroid function. Read here. Get a shower water filter.


SYMPTOM: Constipation:

Do everything to keep your digestion and elimination in tip top shape! When you get constipated, your body can reabsorb hormones (estrogen is common) that make you sick, bloated and very grumpy. So I suggest you become best friends with fiber. I mean a LOT of fiber. Read the Definitive Guide to bowel health.

• Get more fiber with food: Eat an entire head of romaine lettuce before your lunch (add some fig balsamic for taste.) When you need a meal that you can eat as much as you want of it, here you go. No holding back.
• Add phylum husk to your morning smoothie, you won't taste it
• Eat a big bowl of soaked chia seeds (double bonus for the omega 3's in chia seeds! Yummy recipe here 
• Prunes as a snack 
• Health Hack! Take Magnesium-Oxygen pills at night if you haven't gone #2 all day. Start with only 2 pills, this will work beautifully by morning time but don't overdo it, 5 pills is too many for me. Just trust me on that.

SYMPTOM: Bloating/ Edema: 


1) Seaweed + Epsom salt baths for magnesium, bloating, minerals and relaxation. Your skin absorbs things. If you don't believe me then why else did they come out with nicotine patches for your skin. Right. Take a bath before bed for a great way to help you fall asleep (Epsom salt is loaded with magnesium with relaxes you) Read my post about bloating here. Make sure to take a cold shower after the seaweed bath to rinse off because otherwise you will wake up itchy, or at least I do.

2) Hold facial edema (swelling)acupressure points, read this blog. I hold points while I am driving or when bored, waiting in lines, etc.

3) Do a facial/lymph massage -

4) Rebounding! While sitting on a big yoga ball, strengthen your lymphatic system with bouncing. The rebounding flushes your immune system and pushes out the bad stuff so your body doesn't have to hold onto it anymore. Some use a trampoline, but for me, I got to rebound by dusting off my big yoga ball. You can do this while catching up on Gray's Anatomy on Netflix, btw.

5) A castor oil liver pack - these make me pass out within 20 minutes, soooo relaxing! I wake up refreshed, usually have to pee (releasing toxins) and have reduced belly bloat, every time.


SYMPTOM: Hair Loss 

Besides the weight gain, this symptom is the one that hits most of us women really hard. I have sobbed and panicked while looking at globs of hair that fell off my head. I have disgustingly pulled out numerous hair strands that fell into the dinners I cooked. I am with you on this, so don't fret. Just remember that you will not go bald. You might have less hair but it will grow back. Again, it's just a symptom, it's a message from your body, so let's listen to it and not judge it. And it's not your fault. In the mean time, I recommend two products: Surface for your scalp and castor oil for your eyebrows (and nails.) A great post here.



SYMPTOM: Tiredness/Exhaustion


With raising two young girls, life in this household has been nick-named CraZy-Town. But when you have an autoimmune condition, when your body is attempting to heal itself, it's VITAL that you find peace through the chaos. It is imperative that you get regular and frequent tune-ups. Do things that raise your spirits, do things that relax your mind and body. Do things that bring you sheer bliss. And don't feel bad about it. The emotional aspect of thyroid issues, is a feeling of giving out energy to others without feeling any nourishment yourself. As Louise Hay says, its about feeling like, "When is it going to be my turn?"

• Spend time outside. Even in winter, seek out the sun if you can, sit on your porch wrapped in a warm blanket and read (my blog?) with a cup of tea or warm coffee, yum!
• Go to bed early, your body is demanding sleep, give it some. Sometimes I pass out at 8pm. Please find a wonderful support system (luckily I have my hubs) who understands the importance of this. Your body isn't asking anymore, when you feel exhaustion, your body is demanding activation of your parasympathetic system
• Listen to Louise Hay positive affirmations - It might feel cheesy at first, but trust me on this and just do it. I like to imagine what she says in my head so it reinforces the ideas. Her youtube videos are FREE.
• Call 5-minute time outs, or go sit in the bathroom for 5 minutes doing nothing but breathing and practicing gratitude. Get simple with it, "Thank for for my ability to breathe" 
• Take a baking soda bath to revitalize your spirits + soften your skin +balance your pH. Add 2-3 cups to the bath water and stay in for 20-30 minutes
• Energy work, works!! This stuff revitalizes me and I can do it to increase my mood anytime
• Acupuncture - An acupuncturist can balance your hormones and treat you for anything, including a puffy face, sore neck or digestive distress. Cost effective acupuncture is available by finding a community acupuncture center. In Denver, I go to Pin and Tonic, where the rate is $25 per session. It's healing and soooo relaxing!

Find a healer who treats your whole body and not just your thyroid symptoms:
paeophysiciannetwork.com
NAET Provider
primaldocs.com
thryroidconnections.com


I also highly recommend NAET treatment. Where muscle testing and real cures happen. This is where I've healed the most in my life and healed instantly, I see an acupuncturist who uses this type of treatment in Denver. His motto is GOOD HEALTH IS AN ACTIVE PURSUIT. I don't leave his office and feel weak and sick and stuffed with prescriptions or supplements and mistrust for my body. Instead, it's the opposite, I I leave the office feeling healthy, strong and optimistic.

Also, if you are interested in helping your thyroid without prescriptions or compounds (Yes, I am!) a possible solution, here: Nutrimed desiccated thryoid

CONCLUSION:


We are more than just our physical body. A great deal of our living is inside our head. Which is why athletes who imagine themselves completing their events activate the same muscles that are used during the actual event. Ever seen, the movie - The Secret? So what are you thinking that is causing you to be sick. Are you feeling dis-empowered? Are you not speaking up for yourself? Are your thoughts negative more than positive? A mental re-boot might be just what you need. Your body is letting you know it needs something. Listen to it. Figure out where in your life you feel like you are holding yourself back.










Recommended books

When You Are Feeling Fat...Shifting Gears in a Flash

Fat Shaming 101, here goes. 

I have a secret. When I used to go to the gym, if I worked out with a mirror in front of me, my motivation would pop like a balloon struck by a steak knife. I couldn't stand there and workout, because my negative mind was cruel and relentless. I decided that either I'd gained weight or my family played a mean trick on me and changed out all my clothes for smaller ones.  I judged my body with harsh, resentful eyes. It felt awful inside my head to have those thoughts; so I gave them way. Here's how you can, too.

It's near impossible to feel motivated for the gym when you feel yucky. It feels heavy in your heart and that heaviness contributes to additional heaviness of the body. That level of shame only brings you deeper into a state of despair that spreads into your whole life. Suddenly, social engagements are not exciting when you don't feel that you can hide your weight gain or that you don't have clothes that fit you like they should. Yes, it's a sad world where our appearances bear so much weight. (pun intended!) What's even more sad is hearing the overly-negative internal dialog of the mind and fall for it.

So I recommend you stay away from the gym if it doesn't sound good, don't force it!. If there's just a little piece of you that thinks it would be fun, then maybe, go. But if you have dread and anxiety towards the notion, then skip it. Listen to your inner voice. Take a couple months off without feeling guilt about it.

And definitely don't go somewhere that you leave, feeling worse about yourself. Instead, build yourself up internally. Find a trail to walk on instead, go for an hour long walk. Or don't worry about exercise for a while, just focus on eating nutrient dense foods, like a baked sweet potato with coconut oil and salt.

If going to the gym stresses you out, believe me when I say it will do more harm than good to go. Stress is the number one killer to all things healthy and vibrant. After you feel energetic to workout, find something to do that gets your body moving. If you're really eager, start a 100 day burpee challenge or do wall sits while watching TV or jump on a mini trampoline for 20 minutes. Just move your body in a way that's pleasurable and non-stressful. Plenty of people stay in shape without a gym membership.

When I lost weight in the past, it wasn't while shaming my body. It's always been the opposite. It's been a decision I made and following it out came easy sometimes and tougher other times. Your body reflects your thoughts and your eating habits perfectly, so make them beautiful.

 I also didn't sit there and feel fat, instead I was doing something about it. I also know through the universe that if you want to lose weight you have to operate at a trans-formative vibration. You have to stop looking backwards or forwards and instead focus one step ahead. Focus on what you are doing right now for change. Eating a healthy breakfast with no sugar and enough protein to fuel you. Good. Baby steps. Stay in the vibration. Be elated at that step even if that's your last step of the day. Don't look for results long term, just focus on feeling good. When you slip up, just look for what you can do in your next step. 

How Will I Feel After This...
I realized that I get off track easily when I don't listen to my inner guidance system. But lately I've realized that the further from my guidance I go, the worse I feel. If I want to feel good, then I need to reflect on how my activities make me feel. Does sitting down all day feel good? No. Does it make you feel good after you overeat? Maybe you get a temporary high but then the guilt comes in. The guilt isn't to just make you feel bad, no! The guilt is to inspire you toward change. Use your emotions as your navigation system, and they will lead you to anything you desire. Understand that dissatisfaction is what leads you to change. There is a reason you are feeling this way, it's to use it as your arsenal to get you where you want to go.

Asking Different Questions:

Self-Sabotage Questions:
How did I get to this weight
How did I do this again?
Why do I keep eating so much?

The Questions that lead to Transformation:
What am I doing that's working?
What can I do RIGHT NOW to feel really good?
What have I done in the last hour that has helped me in my journey?
What can I do tonight that will make me feel good tomorrow?

A Miracle Book for sure

My favorite transformative book. I highly recommend. I listened to it on audio CD's and it began my weight loss journey.





Things that you want to grow bigger, focus on. If it feels good, focus on it.  The more you think about something, the bigger it will get. If it makes you feel yuck and negative, send it away, let it go. Talking it out doesn't help for this. Instead, find your happy place. I find mine when I work out, partially because it feels good just to move my body and partially because sometimes it is so hard to do the workouts that I don't have any room inside my head for chatter. My problems can disappear during my workouts.

Get outside. It's a magical place out there and it offers the nurturing, giving, forever abundant energy of mother nature. Unless you are living in Antarctica, there is gear that will protect you from the elements, so get outside for a walk or sit out there and eat dinner. Take in some fresh breaths of air and send out your desires to the world.

Speed thinking/speed eating and speed in general causes all your body to work under stress. It's like having a drill sergeant scream at you to go relax, it won't work.  Slow your roll! When you eat, slow down and enjoy your food with pleasure. Eating quickly teaches your body to store food because your body thinks you are in danger. When you feel your thoughts moving too fast, stop whatever you are doing and sit down or lay down or hell, get upside down in a headstand. It only takes 2 minutes to reset your nervous system. Sit down, take deep internal breaths through your nose and begin again. Your parasympathetic system wants to aid you in weight loss but it can not be turned on when you are stressed out. Weight loss does not happen when you are amped up on caffeine, sweating in the racquetball court or eating like the world is ending. Weight loss happens when your body is at ease, when it's sleeping, when you're recovering from your work out, when it knows that it doesn't need to store energy.

Weight loss through grounding


Weight loss is a multi-faceted issue. It's like having 300 rivers converge into one. You have energetic reasons for your weight to be where it is, you have many physical needs and you have a spiritual pieces. Discover parts of you where your weight is speaking the strongest to and nurture it back to health. We're all here to learn. If we were all perfect, with perfect bodies and perfect thoughts, the world would be a boring place. Instead relish in the idea that you are in control of what your body does and feels like. If you don't like how it feels in this moment, you are one thought away from changing it. Another recent trick I learned, if I feel uncomfortable in my own skin, feeling panicked because I have gained weight, all I have to do is start moving. Any movement will do. I dance, I walk, I stretch, I stand up - movement is king. Movement will set your mind free.

THE ANTAGONISTS TO FEELING FAT:

1. Movement ** My favorite!
2. Lightheartedly accepting you are transitioning without adding negative judgement to your current situation
3. Slow down when your mind tries to race too fast
4. Get outside - get grounded!

REMEMBER THIS: No one ever got fat from having a cheat day, and no one ever dropped all their extra weight from doing one workout. It's about consistency. What are you consistently doing? Make it count.

My fav video

What Your Cravings Mean + Cravings Chart

Sometimes after a big event like the Tough Mudder, I will crave nothing else but a cigarette. It's like I wish instead of handing out bottles of water, they were giving me a Camel Light. It's SOOO strange. I have always been a little ashamed of it but now I understand more. Apparently craving cigarettes/tobacco means your body needs Silicon or Tyrosine. I'm assuming after a race my body wanted Tyrosine because it's involved in adrenaline production which I'm sure I was low on.

Cake + Ice cream, Nope.

Sometimes, if I don't obey my food cravings they eventually nip me in the butt later. So if I'm at a birthday party and they have cake and ice cream (this never happens, right?) And I really  want some, but instead I practice self-control, pout on the inside, and say no thank you. Then, the story is not over. Later that night I might go home and scarf down cookies in private. There's a balance one must find, between indulging and hearing your inner wisdom. I don't always find peace through hard core deprivation. Nor do I find it though a lack of self control. Balance, I swear.

Instead, try to soften your harsh thoughts towards yourself. Figure out what's causing the craving. Cravings mean something. Don't judge them. Instead, let them guide you and then analyze what they mean. Sometimes your cravings will lead you to have a big ass bowl of ice cream. Sometimes boredom or loneliness will lead you there. Well, if you think it will help something, eat the damn thing, be excited about it, relish in it and then examine why you wanted it. Remember that if you feel bad about it later, then use it as a guide to help you the next time you feel that way. Don't over analyze it, just learn and move on.

EMOTIONAL CRAVINGS:

I know about these all too well. If you aren't hungry but you find yourself feeding a bucket (your face) with a huge hole in the bottom. Remember there is not enough food in the world to make it feel better when you feel this way. You do need to feel better, but the food is not the answer, try another answer. Step #1: Trace back where in your day or in your week you needed some nurturing. Maybe because you kinda felt crummy all day and needed to be taken care of. Maybe you just used food to work through some emotion you were avoiding. Maybe you have just started a lousy habit of flipping on the boob tube and eating because it helps you disconnect from reality. If it's for these reasons, then you just need to figure out what else you want to do to cope instead. I like to meditate. I used to do burpees or sit outside. Or hug a tree or set up a massage.

Ginger Tea Recipe here

Food/Item	Deficency	Foods	Energy Meaning
Bread	B Vitamins	High protein	Feeling insecure
	Nitrogen	fish, nuts, beans	Needing comfort
Sweets and carbs	Magnesium	Fresh Squeezed juices	Do 3 protein meals with no snacks between
	B Vitamins	Green fruit smoothie
	Chromium	Broccoli, grapes, cheese, beans
	Phosphorus	Poultry, dairy, eggs, nuts, grains	Feeling unsupported Maybe feeling unhappy
	Sulfur	Cranberries/kale/cabbage
		/crucifer veggies
	Tryptophan	3 protein meals + sweet potato at night before bed
Cheese, fries or pizza	Vitamins E, A, D calcium CoQ10	Homemade French fries or roasted carrots, nut butters or hummus, walnuts, salmon, add fatty acids like fish oil to diet for long-term cravings	Exhaustion, need comfort or sadness about not reaching your goals yet
Coffee/Tea			Burnout, No energy for things you do not love. Resentment toward job or disappointment
	Vitamin C	Chai tea with no sugar Apple Cider Vinegar
	Iron	Black cherries/Meat
	Sulfur	Egg yolks, onion, garlic, crucifer veggies
Chocolate	Magnesium	Carob, Epsom salt bath or magnesium oil spray	Angry that life feels unsatisfactory
Soda pop	Calcium	Sparkling mineral water	Looking to stay   motivated &      energized
	B Vitamins and Vit. C	DIY ginger tea with lemon
PMS Cravings	Zinc	Red meats, cucumber skin, seafood	Feeling   disconnected from thoughts/behaviors
		leafy veggies

Lots more info & help here:

Supplements to Control Carb Cravings

How to Dog Whisper Your Cravings:

Nutrition for Intuition

Craving Chart



References: Nutrition for Intuition Book plus the above web sites

http://www.hayhouse.com/nutrition-for-intuition-paperback