What's Good April
Contents:
Life Update - The body always finds a way
Good For The Body: Alkaline Eating
Good For The Mind: 10 Factors for Optimal Brain Function
Good For The Sprit: Follow Your Instinct (that’s your sprit talking though you)
Good For The Planet: Love the Earth Everyday
Nutrition Corner: New Recipes!
Life Update: This month it has come to my attention that my adrenals glands have been vastly overworked and are in need of a break. I realized this after a couple days driving to work (a job that i love) and not feeling up for it. See just a couple weeks before I was joyfully driving in, thinking of what motivational element I could add today, excited about the playlist or a move we’d be performing. I knew something was wrong when I no longer had that spark of life. I’d get thought the workouts and be on high for a good hour, then my energy would tank and an overwhelming sense of dread filled the gap spaces. The moments between the doing, which I’ve come to realize was my biggest distraction and downfall. I was/am a human do-ing not a human be-ing. And what my body was trying to tell me is that it needed to be more. It was so burnt out, overworked and fed up with the stress imposed on it that it went on an energy strike.
It (my body) knew what it needed to feel better and the sooner I surrendered to what was happening, the better. More like the sooner I got my head out of the way to allow rest to be my priority, the sooner I was able to recognize what was happening and take the necessary steps to get onto a road of recovery. It (the body again) will always find a way to get its needs met, unfortunately we humans think we can out smart it. We think we can out smart eons old technology that lies at the core of our being, within our cells. We deny its requests. The more we avoid it and push off its needs till
”later”, the harder the blow. The longer the recovery will take, the more damage there will be to heal. Kinda like when the Covid epidemic broke out right? It was the same message but on a global scale. The world wanted rest and used this virus as a means to the ends. My adrenal fatigue episode is my body’s needs for rests manifestation.
Good news is, the body does heal. It is always trying to heal and survive. We can deny it and distract ourselves with life but it’s still there, silently trying. Its shifting our cellular metabolites to try and get the balance back toward health. It isn’t easy in todays day in age, we often we don’t help it with our many choice. Easter Candy I think was the catalyst for destruction, the last nail in the coffin. The blood sugar spikes that followed were the last straw. I had been pushing my body hard for weeks prior, subbing more and leading more challenging classes, taking on more and more stress. Add that to the house sale and the uncertainty of where we are going to live. Added to the kids stress, the everyday get-it-done stress, school papers, emails, bills… Kaput!
I am happy to report that these last couple days I have been feeling more of myself and my energy again. My body is burning ketones and I’m working to get my alkalinity on (you’ll see this trend in the coming weeks) and my recovery is taking shape. I’m still waiting for some lab results as I believe there could be something more driving this dysfunction to happen. My hunch is that something is making my progesterone low for which my cortisol is low (did you know that progesterone is a precursor for cortisol? We can’t make cortisol without it). I know there is a why and I’m going to try and find it. But while I’m searching, I know its in my power to start repairing in the best way I’ve learned how. RESTING and making dietary modifications to support the preferred state of my body.
GFT Body: Alkaline Eating
And what dietary modifications you ask…. Well, choosing to consume foods that support our bodies natural and preferred pH state. Alkalinity. Our body is constantly works to maintain a slightly alkaline pH between 7.365 - 7.45 which is crucial for proper bodily function, including metabolism, membrane potential, cellular growth and proliferation (healing), movement of substances across membranes to name a few. If the body gets acidic, that is below 7.3 thats when troubles starts. pH at 6.8 is where symptoms can occur and 5.8 is where cancers can begin to form.
Fun Fact: you can easily test your urine to get an idea of your bodies acid/alkaline level. All you need are strips which are available at most drug and grocery stores. FYI: mine during this process has remained in the 5.5 - 5.75 range. I know the strips are good though cuz Alice’s scored a 7.5.
Our bodies have regulatory systems in place that try to keep our pH within working ranges; a buffer systems, respiratory (breathing) system and the renal (kidney) control. These processes are capable and efficient when natural resources (minerals) are plentiful. But with most things, the more stress you impose on the system, over time the less capable it becomes. Not to mention there are several factors that can interfere with your bodies ability to regulate its pH balance including: prolonged acidic (poor) dietary choices, stress, toxic overload, infection, shallow breathing and excessive caffiene use. Also certain health conditions and medical emergencies can alter ph including; asthma, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, lung disease, gout, shock, hemorrhage (bleeding), drug overdose and/or poisoning. As more acid accumulates in the body, it interferes with the functioning of several organs and glands including your thyroid, adrenal glands and liver [s].
How to know if your pH might be off? Some early signs of acid-alkaline imbalance include: allergies, breathing disorders, chronic colds and flus, headaches, indigestion, inflammation, fatigue, muscle cramping, pain, skin troubles and sinus problems.
So what is the remedy? How can we help our bodies tip the pH scale back to the alkaline side? Choosing to eat foods that are on the alkaline scale and consuming quality electrolytes to support our buffering systems. I like to swap really. Swap out the bad, add in the good. The good being alkaline promoting foods (which you probably have herd countless times over) choosing those dark green leafy veggies, cruciferous vegetables, other vegetables like sweet potatoes, turnips, rutabaga, jicama, taro root, onion, kohlrabi, parsnips, beets and other root crops, avocados, coconut, lemon, lime, grapefruit, tomatoes and sour cherries. Swapping out caffeinated beverages for herbal teas. Swapping conventional meat for organic, grass-fed, free range and wild caught for meats, poultry and fish. Avoiding refined sugar and flours, food additives, unhealthy fats (PUFA’s), processed foods, alcohol, dairy is highly acidic and canned fruit, fruit syrups, and juices. Basically (ha!) focusing on real whole food.
There are also other lifestyle choices to consider that can help alkalize the body including deep breathing practices, meditation, yoga and exercise, dry brushing and massage therapy.
GFT Mind: Factors for Optimal Brain Function
Our brains are really something special. The receive stimulus from our environment and translate it in to these beautiful pictures and experiences. Everything we hear, see, feel, read, touch, taste, think, imagine and create are all because of the power of our brains. Now me, I’m always looking to see how I can improve, how I could be better even if by just 1%. What I have done is present for you various factors that could contibute to a worsening or improving brain function. Some people believe that we are born with the brains we haves and that’s it. Only 1/3 of our Brain Functioning is genetics. That means 2/3’s are completely is within your control. You have the power to improve your brain! Cue He-Man ”I have the Power!”
How? Well how many decisions did you make before you decided to open this email? In any one day the average adults makes over 35,000 choices [s]. And even if close 95% of them are made with your subconscious, that leaves well over 1,750 choices you can harness the power of. Every choice, or cause, has an effect. We can consume “on purpose” to enhance our lives or we choice blindly and see what happens. The choice is yours either way. With that in mind, I’m going to give you 10 factors that maybe you could see an area of opportunity for 1% growth for your brain sake.
Brain Diet - How frequently are you eating foods that support brain health?
Killing ANTS - How frequently are you squashing Negative Automatic Thoughts that ruin your days picnic?
Exercise - How is your activity level?
Brain Nutrients - How could you harness the power of nature and feed your brain?
Positive Peer Group - What does your peer group look like?
Clear Space - How tidy is your space and mind?
Sleep - How is your sleep?
Brain Protection - Have any?
New Learnings - When was the last time you learned something new?
Stress Management - What are your tools and how frequently do you use them?
I got into greater detail with each section of course with lots of yummy suggestions on how to enhance your brain boosting ability in my blog post.
GFT Sprit: Follow Your Instincts
We never really want to have regrets in our life. Right now I’m thinking about an occurrence where I had the idea to do something but I didn’t follow through with it. I didn’t because I was trying to prioritize time, I was trying to prioritize my energy and in doing so I neglected this one idea that I had and this idea is still with me. As I think back on it I am regretting not doing the thing when I first thought of it. I regret not helping and not being there for my friend when I originally had the idea to.
Background - a dear friend of mine had underwent an operation earlier this month and I couldn’t go with her as much as I wanted to in my heart because I had family obligations. The following day, when she returned home from her surgery I had the idea to stop by, I wanted to go visit her but again my familial obligations, my time and dedication to my job prevented me from having the energy to show up for my friend like I wanted to.
Three days went by and I still hadn’t made it out there and darn it I am just holding the space in my heart of regret. Regret because I didn’t listen to my inner guidance. Regret that I let my ego take the lead. Thing is, I could’ve made the time, I could’ve went the day before instead of coming home to recuperate and make myself a lunch. I could’ve went to see my friend that I love. I could’ve sacrificed a moment of my time for my friend in her time of need and I believe that’s why it hurts so much on my heart because I know myself to be a person that shows up for my friends.
I had an opportunity to and I let it pass away.
And I have regret for it now.
Regret is what happens when our spirit is unhappy with the decision that we’ve made. We didn’t listen to our hearts when we made this choice, we listened to our head, we tried to be “smart” about it.
Our head won’t feel this ache in our heart. Our head only tries makes sense of it, to makes sense of the how’s.
But our hearts still hurt.
As I was taking this dictation I got the answer to my delima. My children were in the car and they came up with the best solution “Mom just go there right now.” and so we did. And that made my heart so happy. To hug my friend big and warm. I am so grateful for my little pure hearts, they remind me how simple life can be. How easy we can correct missteps of the heart to get back on our spirits side.
The #takeaway is, had I listened to my heart when it first spoke to me and acted when I could, I would not have been filled with heart ache (regret). Bonus #takeaway, it’s never too late to make amends with the heart.
GFT Planet: Love the Earth Everyday
April contains Earth Day and I am a person that really love celebrating and loving on the Mother Earth every single day. So I wrote a nice post all the ways we can show this one and only planet how much we love her. For the full details read the post but I’ll summarize some for you here.
Support local farmers & Regenerative Faming could probably have the most impact for our planets overall health & wellness.
Recycle ♻️ - did you know that you can recycle more than just glass, paper, plastic containers and tins? Oh yeah! You can recycle those plastic bags film and coverings too! Alls it takes is your effort to collect it and bring it to an approved drop off location (which is often your grocery store).
Reduce Use of unnecessary things
Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute (and if you do just do your part to pick it up every once in a while).
Conserve Resources - Water & Energy
Plant Trees & Plants
Get Involved
Nutrition Corner: New Recipes
Since I talked a lot of nutrition with the body, here are some of the newest recipes I’ve created. I’m going to be adding lots more focusing on keto-alkaline (which really isn’t too far off what I already do, more like a little tweek).
Quinoa Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (GF, GI, Whole 30, Paleo)
Keto-Alkaline Protein Balls (GF, GI, Paleo, Whole 30)
Father’s Day Breakfast Hash (GF, Keto, Paleo, Whole 30)
Cauliflower Hashbrowns
Weeknight Pan Fried Fish
Chocolate Cherry Protein Balls
Nourishing Kitchari
Pineapple Skin Tea