Sometimes Shift Happens

Question.Have you ever held a pretty strong belief, but a little voice in the back of your brain keeps whispering “Are you really sure about that?”It’s a belief that you perhaps vehemently stand “for” 98% of the time, but the 2% tells you something is missing?And then, in a synchronous moment your entire world is rattled and shaken. That still and profound moment confirms the uncomfortable 2% feeling telling you something was missing, something wasn’t quite right.Well, that recently happened to me.And you know what?Changing your beliefs is hard!We are human beings, always learning, growing and striving to be better. The more I learn, the more I push, the more I read, the more I question - the better I become!If you’re focused on growth, then you know this is a key part of life. A part that we usually keep to ourselves, which is too bad! Often seeing another person experience a shift, can help give someone else courage to go through a shift for themselves!So let me open my heart to you and tell you what’s goin’ on :)For years as a trainer & nutrition coach, I placed a heavy value on calories. Weight loss? Body recomposition? Muscle gain? It’s all about the calories and the split of macronutrients.Or so I thought...After all, it would make sense that if you eat more than your body can burn you would store fat right? Right.Not to mention, the books I read, the research I did, the certifications & training I received - emphasized that calories matter and that they matter a whole lot.So I did what most trainers and nutrition coaches do, I taught my clients the art of calorie tracking (which by the way I still think has it’s place for certain clients).I became heavily focused on calorie equations for myself, my friends, family and my clients. I taught my clients to eat mostly nutrient dense foods and save room for treats (aka the 80/20 rule) - all if it fit within their calorie allotment.And it has worked in many cases, with great success.But something in the back of my head always had an inkling that even if you eat 80% healthful foods, and keep your calories in check - that there is something missing.The truth is - humans are not math equations, and our bodies have no idea what a calorie is- our bodies only know nutrients (being nurtured) and energy (quality of being nurtured).Let’s get real, your body will NOT process 100 calories of soda the same way it processes 100 calories from broccoli.These two foods induce a completely different hormonal response in the body after you eat it. For instance, after drinking a soda you’ll have an almost instant insulin spike. And insulin is a hormone.I started noticing more and more in my practice, people would come to me with weight loss resistance, metabolic syndrome, fat distribution patterns that were indicative of hormone imbalances.More and more of my clients had PCOS, amenorrhea, insulin resistance, general feelings of fatigue or BLEH.And the calories-in-calories-out approach just wasn’t the solution for them.So I started to research, HARD. I took the plunge and decided to go back to school for Nutritional Therapy and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition.I tested things on myself/friends/family and I noticed trends. When my clients who were experiencing these challenges started focusing on WHOLE/CLEAN food sources, kept carbohydrates in check, moderated protein and increased the healthy fat - everything seemed to balance out for them.You see, our bodies are not a simple mathematical equation - they are much more complex than that.And with the standard American diet (which we all have been accustomed to eating since BIRTH) - it’s no surprise that we have LOTS of imbalances.It really hit home for me when I urged my dad to go on a ketogenic diet as an attempt to lower his pre-diabetic fasting glucose numbers (120+).He went from eating roughly 1800 calories per day of mostly carbohydrates, to close to 3,000 calories per day using a whole-food ketogenic approach.The results? 15 lb gone in 1 month and most importantly completely normal glucose numbers (in the 80s-90s).Plus he feels the best he has in YEARS. All without any exercise. My dad’s health is the best it’s ever been and he feels amazing.But it wasn’t just my dad who experienced the power of real food nutrition.I have a few clients who struggle with insulin resistance, PCOS and estrogen dominance. I helped them to tweak their diets to change focus on food QUALITY over food QUANTITY, especially reducing dietary carbohydrates and replacing them with lots and lots of quality fats.One client in particular was experiencing tremendous weight loss resistance. We shifted the quality of her diet and got her eating a lot of amazing, clean fat sources.As a result, the weight literally melted off of her, her skin cleared up and her mind once again became sharp as a tack.With all of the amazing results I was witnessing, I knew I had to shift my business.I feel like fitness & wellness are often completely separate for people. Even for myself! I feel like there were times I put my “health” aside for the desire to reach certain goals that I had.There were times where I would wake up at 5 am and run 6 days a week even if I was tired.I would order dry chicken breast with veggies at a restaurant when I really wanted a steak.I would push through a double-workout because I was “committed”I fooled myself into thinking that I was putting my “health first” by doing these things, when in reality I was putting my “vanity” first and ignoring my body.I’m here to say that your fitness goals and your wellness should go hand in hand. There is no separation of church and state here ;)What happens when you ignore your body and push through?Adrenal dysregulationHormone imbalancesWeight loss resistanceAnd feeling totally out of touch with your BODY !Do calories have their place? Absolutely. Calorie tracking can be INCREDIBLY helpful when you need to ballpark numbers and shoot for certain targets - especially if you have been under-eating or over-eating for some time.What’s more important is focusing on food QUALITY, moving and exercising so that you feel and function better, and most importantly listening to that inner voice when she tells you that she needs to rest.Reaching your goals is so much MORE about the the body as a whole, rather than looking at things in silos (i.e. calories and cardio).So, with a pure heart and conscience, I can announce that my views have shifted completely. And because of this, my business is also shifting.I can’t wait for all of the exciting things ahead! And I’m excited to have you join me on this journey to optimal health! <3