Have you been feeling off lately? Do you feel like you hit a certain age and everything just started falling apart? Most likely, it's your hormones.

We all feel the effects of hormone changes- be it moodiness, hot flashes, weird smells, digestive issues, or weight gain.  What in the world do we do about it though?

As a clinical nutritionist, my goal is to always get to the root cause; and listen, sister, something is messin' with your 'mones! The place I ALWAYS start first is food (obviously I'm kind of bias in that way). The reason for this is...food, in one way or another,  is the building blocks of every cell, neurotransmitter, hormone, etc in the body. It only makes sense to start there. That's not to say that environment and other toxins can't have a huge impact. They do. But for this blog post, we are focusing on food. When someone comes to me with messed up 'mones, we first start by taking a look at their diet history and current food choices. At the root of so many hormone is...

By now, most people have heard about your microbiome or intestinal bacteria. Probiotics have been a buzz word for a few years now and prebiotics are also becoming more commonly known. So what does the bacteria in your gut have to do with why you may not be seeing weight loss? Kind of a lot! Let's take a closer look at how.

Picture your intestines like you would a city. There are about 100 trillion people (bacteria) in the city. Some of the people are good and they roam around freely. Some are bad and they are kept in check by the good guys. Kind of like jail. When the bad guys get out of jail, they can cause damage to the city. They also need to eat and they are fueled by sugar (among other things). When the bad guys are in places in the city that they aren't supposed to be, this can impact the good guy population and cause a takeover of the bad. More bad guys means more fuel is required for them. And that need for fuel can cause more sugar cravings.  Kind of make sense?

So let's say...

Hormones. What kind of image comes to your mind when you read that word? For many you may picture a teenager with acne and an attitude. For others you may picture a pregnant lady crying, then laughing while dipping a dill pickle in a pint of ice cream. Others may picture a fifty something woman fanning her face while asking why it's so hot in here. The truth is, hormones run the show for ALL of us and when they're not balanced a whole host of symptoms and conditions can develop. For the sake of this blog series, we are talking about the underlying root cause of weight gain (or inability to lose weight) so here we focus on 4 of the top hormones to pay attention to if you struggle with weight.

1. Cortisol. You may have heard this be called the "belly fat" hormone or the "fight or flight" hormone. Neither of which are completely accurate. Cortisol is produced in the adrenal glands. Most cells in the body have receptors for cortisol which means it impacts a LOT of functions. When our body...

As a health coach and clinical nutritionist, I've seen it....a MILLION times (only slightly exaggerating). A perspective client will come to me, feeling so low and defeated. They tell me they've done Keto, and Whole30, and Weight Watchers, and Atkins, and Paleo, and any and all other fill-in-the-blank diets that are constantly thrown out into the media as the "cure" for weight gain. They tell me they've failed. And nothing works. And they feel so hopeless. To which I reply, "friend, the diet did it's job then." 

A diet is not designed for the long haul. No. None of them. Not even that one your sister or neighbor swear by. If it was then you wouldn't be here reading this. Somewhere along the lines, a diet failed you (notice how I phrased that?). You may have seen a few pounds drop. Maybe you even saw a significant amount of weight loss. At some point though, something changed and you may have gained some, or all, or all and then some back. Do you want to know why? It's because that die...

At this point in our lives, we all know the basic benefits of establishing a healthy fitness and nutrition routine. Just to keep it fresh in your mind, some benefits include:

• increased energy
• better sleep
• less injury/illness
• better concentration
• improved mood
• overall feeling of well-being

And many more! So why, then, is it so hard to establish a routine and what can you do to help get started with one? I'm so glad you asked!

There are a number of reasons why it's hard to establish a wellness routine but one that I find to be especially true is SUPPORT! We humans like to be supported in the tasks that we do, especially when it comes to health. Could you imagine running a 5k or a marathon with no spectators cheering you on and nobody at the finish line putting a medal around your neck? It would be so boring and you likely would rethink your next race. Having the support of a group of people or even just one person can exponentially increase your success in achieving your well...

We've all wanted to change or improve a behavior at some point. When I say behavior, in this case, I mean a habit or an action. Maybe you want to add in something to improve your health such as another glass of water or a vegetable at dinner. Maybe you wanted to reduce or eliminate a habit such as smoking or biting your nails. If you have decided at any point to change something you most likely have encountered some obstacles along the way. Let's break down why this is and what we can do to make it easier.

Change is HARD!

We are surrounded by routine. Some of us even thrive on it. To change a routine (even if it's for a good cause) takes effort. For some, the effort to change becomes the biggest barrier. For example, raise your hand if you had every intention to add more veggies into your diet. You buy all the leafy greens, orange things, and shredded whatnots, and bring them all home. With nothing but hope and intention radiating from you. Then, when it comes to be dinner time, you ...

What is a "wellness routine" and why do I need one?

Maybe you already have one. Maybe you had one but then went through a life change and now need to find a new one. Maybe you have never had one but now you are ready to feel better and be in a good groove. Well, yay you! Let's talk about why a routine is so beneficial. 

First of all, mama's need to take care of themselves. You can't pour water from an empty cup and we are constantly being asked for a sip. What happens when our cup is empty? I can't speak for everyone but for me, it's like Satan's spawn himself emerges. I'm exhausted, easily angered, annoyed at everyone and everything, and I just want to be left alone. Nottttt exactly good qualities in a mother of 4 tiny humans.

We know it's important to take care of ourselves, so why can't we do it? Priorities, friends, priorities. Somewhere along the way, the need to take care of ourselves falls to the bottom of the list. Sometimes it falls OFF the dang list. And when something fal...

Ok friends.  I wanted to clear up some common misconceptions regarding the world of nutrition professionals. There is a lot of confusion, frustration, and a tid bit of anger so I want to shed some light on the situation that you may not have known was even happening. 

When it comes to the world of nutrition, most people are familiar with a Registered Dietitian (RD). You are made to believe that this is the be all end all of nutrition credentials, right? Nope. This degree is admirable. Don't get me wrong. RD's work extremely hard to earn their title and they should be respected. There is, however, another option in the nutrition space that many people haven't heard of. The CNS. This stands for Certified Nutrition Specialist (which in my honest opinion kind of dumbs down the amount of work it takes to achieve it...but that's just me). The name bugging me aside, this credential is nothing to downplay. Let's break down the similarities and differences of the RD and the CNS, shall we? Side...