Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated?

Avril is no dummy, ladies. Also, sorry for putting this song in your head.

I was away on a girl’s weekend recently and we were chatting in the sun, sipping cocktails and talking about how it’s probably time (after the weekend of course, ha-ha!) for a health reboot after a bit of overindulgence. One of my friends brought up hopping on a juice cleanse post-weekend and I started thinking about how we make seeking a healthier way of being so damn complicated sometimes. I want to be clear that there’s no judgement from me on cleanses. Actually, I’ll share when it might be a good idea for you in a second. But, I do feel that they can fall in the bucket of expensive gimmicks and sometimes lead you back to where you started, eventually.

I can’t tell you how many times I talk with women who are feeling like total sh*t; their cravings are out of control, they are quick tempered and feel scattered, they can’t find the motivation to work out no matter what they try, who can’t fall asleep and stay asleep at night, and who feel bloated, achey and overall just terrible where the answers aren’t; hydrate, eat more vegetables and protein, drink less alcohol, get more daily steps and go to sleep earlier. Seriously. And, this applies to me as well. Typically, when I’m not feeling my best, one or more of these things are off.

Want to know what happens when we do these things?

Hydration: Drinking enough water each day helps to regulate body temperature, keep joints happy, prevent infections, deliver nutrients to cells, and keep all of our organs functioning properly. Hydration helps with sleep quality, mood and cognition. We spend all this money on supplements when really this part of our health is overlooked.

Eat more vegetables: We can get in the weeds way too much when it comes to nutrition. We talk about food sensitivities and taking supplements in pill form when really, so many of the vitamins and micronutrients we need can come from eating more vegetables. When I start working with women on their nutrition, we typically find that while they feel like they eat “a ton of vegetables”, they’re really getting 1-2 servings a day. Ladies, we need a minimum of 3 cups of fruits and vegetables a day. Now, while cleanses do go heavy on micronutrients (whether in pill or juice form), I would much rather you chew your vegetables for the positive effect this has on your grehlin levels, the hormone that when you’re belly is full sends a signal to your brain that we have enough food on board and it’s ok to lower hunger.

Eat more protein: I guarantee you, you’re probably under-eating protein. You want to shoot for about .8-1g of protein for every lb of bodyweight per day. So this means a 150 lb woman would want to get 150g of protein each day. When we do a bit of food journaling at the beginning of my private nutrition coaching protocol, my clients on average are getting 50-70g of protein. That’s half of what we need to build and maintain muscle and control hunger for a calorie deficit (for those seeking fat-loss). Juice cleanses aren’t even touching this, FYI.

Drink Less Alcohol: While there’s always a reason to drink, Springtime weather often brings this up a lot for people as we’re getting outside, enjoying sunshine, being more social and cheers-ing to many things. Spring 2021 amps that up even more as we’re enjoying seeing one another’s faces as Covid protocols start to loosen up. Here’s the deal though and sorry to be the bearer of the bad news but, alcohol is poisonous to the body. Now, I drink moderately and so do many of my clients who have been super successful with sustainable weight loss BUT, it will get in the way of your priorities. I always like to remind myself that if my goal is fat-loss and I drink some cocktails, my body will shift into detoxing the alcohol over fat-loss. In the context of a post-celebratory weekend “cleanse”, the easiest and cheapest way to do it is to not drink for a few days or more. Promise that your liver knows how to do it’s job and cleanses for you constantly! A story (or a blog) for another time is that it’s quite possible to drink in moderation during a fat-loss goal but it requires a bit more planning. It must be said though, that if you feel as though you struggle with alcohol use disorder, I encourage you to seek proper help and guidance.

Get More Daily Steps: One of the best things we can do for ourselves after a period of overindulgence with food, alcohol and sedentary activities is to MOVE. For so many reasons. I recently took a course called “The Body Aquarium” with Dr. Perry Nickleston at Stop Chasing Pain and it BLEW MY MIND. Now, I’ve been talking about the hormonal benefits of daily walks for years but this brought my interest to the next level. Our body bathes in lymphatic fluid and blockages in lymphatic drainage require us to MOVE, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. So, if we’re bloated and working on clearing out toxins, movement is essential and it can be as simple as getting out to walk with your dog. On the fat-loss side of things, our non-exercise associated thermogenesis (aka: all the activity we do outside of our workouts) is actually MORE important to metabolic efficiency than how we actually workout. Get moving and stay moving, our body will be so happy.

Go To Sleep Earlier: I’ll be honest, there’s a reason I took the fitness component out of my one on one hormone and nutrition coaching protocol. I’d much rather be someone’s walking, sleep and nutrition coach because fitness comes last in my opinion when seeking a higher level of health. Many women come to me overexercising and very unaware of their stressors in their life. I like to work on this very early on so we can make lifestyle changes that accommodate better sleep patterns. There’s no argument that sleep is the ultimate reset button for our bodies and minds. If you’re resetting after a period of travel and overindulgence (positive stress) or negative stress like a huge work project, a major loss, divorce, life event, sleep is the ultimate tool for detoxifying and optimizing bodily functions. Our brain and our entire body works better at detoxifying and regenerating on proper rest. Maybe skip the pills and cleanses and put down the Netflix and sleep?

I promised earlier I’d talk about why cleanses might work for you and this comes down to mindset. In the context of resetting after a girl’s weekend, I’d venture to guess that if you’re like me today and still catching up from loss of sleep (I saw 2:30am two nights ago while catching up on the deck with my girls) you’re hormones are out of whack and it’s harder for you to be motivated and have the willpower to make good choices. In this context, a juice cleanse for a day or two might work out for you. It could be the bolus you need to not continue a bit of relaxed choices this week, and set you back on your good habits. But, is it worth the money? Probably not.

Take a long walk, eat a good protein and veggie packed salad, hydrate like crazy and go to sleep early (or better yet, take a nap). I coach this stuff and forget these things too! It’s not so damn complicated. Sometimes, I’m doing a body inventory and thinking “Man, this is so off and this feels so off - why do I feel like this?”, then I remember that I binge-watched The Handmaid’s Tale two nights in a row and it hits me. I haven’t been getting sleep and my wacked hormones are causing some cravings and lack of willpower.

If you feel like you need some help reading the signs and created better, sustainable habits for yourself, my one on one coaching might be right up your alley. Drop me a message and we can talk!