I Love.

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like you just can't get things right? Are you harder on yourself than you would be towards others? If you're like most people, you spend far too much time thinking about what's wrong with yourself and the environment around you, and very little time thinking about the things you do like. It can do wonders for the mind and for the health when we focus on the good things in our life; the things we love. If you find yourself struggling to be satisfied with where you are at in your life, or in your journey towards healthy and inspired living, try this exercise, I guarantee it will spin your thoughts right around:

With a friend or family member, take turns saying "I love...." You can say whatever pops into your head at that moment. For example, "I love the Mountains during Summertime." Repeat this as many times as you like until you've said all you want to say, and you feel peace and calm settle in. When we take time to really acknowledge the things that we have in our lives and the things that make us who we are, the world seems to be a much better place, and suddenly our tasks and goals don't seem so insurmountable, while fretting about something as trivial as a "Calorie" appears quite insignificant. If you want to make this a more personal exercise, simply spend a few minutes in the morning or before bed writing out the things that you love.

Try it! When we release stress and worry from our lives, we bring in opportunity for health and well-being.

My Journey

Fitness. Nutrition. No two words make me happier. They are my passion and my heart. I've taken every step I can to make them a part of my life, and a part of others'. I was a dancer, a marathon runner, a yoga and Pilates practitioner, a weight lifter, a spinner, and a super healthy eater. I was happy and healthy. Three years ago, I was finishing up two Master's degrees and had pushed my body and my energy to the max. I was a super strong spirit, and respected my body and health, however, something still went wrong. I gained 15 pounds on my petite frame, my face and body became puffy, my thoughts became foggy, and I was tired. No more late nights studying, no more ensuring I was 100% prepared for my exams, presentations, and work, and a month before I was preparing to run my 4th marathon, I developed asthma. It was at this point my body and spirit started breaking down; the two things I thought were my strongest allies. Over the following months my mood changed, I was anxious, unhappy, and indecisive. I became unsocial and isolated myself from friends and colleagues. I would have to nap during the day, I couldn't speak clearly or articulate my thoughts, and I developed the most horrible muscular pain that I had to stop exercising. Over the course of 2 years, I had developed food sensitivities to almost everything except for meat and vegetables, I felt like I had a swarm of bees flying around in my head at all times, I was always nervous, and I lost all energy and passion that I had ever had.

After Autoimmune Disease, Fibromyalgia, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and about 6 six additional diagnoses, I still wasn't feeling relief and hadn't received the answers I was looking for. I was frustrated that I couldn't fix myself, if anyone could, it should be me. So, here's where it all began. I studied, and studied, and did certification after certification in holistic nutrition and functional medicine, and was able to provide myself with some relief. I began to unravel the pieces and find answers to WHY this was all happening. I wasn't interested in the name of what I had, or the diagnosis. That wasn't what was going to get me better. I had to find the root cause; I wanted to know why I had certain symptoms and diseases, because that's how I was going to get better.

Through this journey I have come to know the body better than I ever thought possible. And I am not so naive to think that something as "simple" as an equation can tell us how much we should be eating and how hard we should be exercising. The body is much too smart and complex for this. And it is even more important to realize just how different each of us are. What may be causing symptoms for me, may not be what's causing symptoms for you, and what works for me may not be what works for you.

If you stop at the symptoms without searching for the cause, you will never reach your true potential. Dig deeper, and stop counting calories! It's the road to feeling and looking your best, I promise!

No More Counting Calories.....REALLY!

As a health professional and nutritionist, clients come to me wanting numbers, amounts, weights, and exact measurements. They want some fancy formula to identify exactly how much they need to eat in a day, a week, a month, and a year, in order to lose a very precise amount of weight in a very specified amount of time. They want to know exactly how much time they should spend on each type of cardio machine, at what intensity, where their heart rate should be, and how many calories they should be burning. They want to know that "calories in = calories out".

If only that's how "simple" it were. Having completed a Master's degree in Nutritional Sciences and Exercise Physiology, I am all too familiar with the scientific equations used to devise exact exercise prescriptions and diet plans. The trouble is, we're not laboratory-operated beings. What happens in a laboratory may not be what's happening in our bodies. We are far too complex of beings for that to be the case. You, not the laboratory or fancy scientific equations, are the best scientist for determining what your body needs, when it needs it, and how much it needs. This is a fact, and it is exactly why I started this blog; to show you how to discover what your body needs. Your body's signals are more precise than any laboratory experiment; the key is learning to listen to the cues of what your body is telling you.

By tuning-out media and advertisements, and tuning-IN to your body, you will never need to count a single calorie ever again. Through this blog, I will teach you how.

I'd love to hear about your experience with counting calories, negative or positive. Post comments and questions below! Let's chat about it!! :)