Naked Nutrition

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JOY HAWK, Love Yourself Naked: Real Life Story

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In this Love Yourself Naked: Real Life Story, I interview Joy Hawk as she explores auto immune disease, her journey of body acceptance, family history of eating disorders, plastic surgery and discovery of breast implant illness and the healing that has come with all of it.

Here are some of the things we talk about: 

  • ​auto immune disorders
  • eating disorders
  • family baggage
  • body image
  • concerned about weight loss
  • obesity
  • our judgement of “fat”
  • plastic surgery
  • “skinny doesn’t always mean healthy”
  • breast implant illness 
  • the emphasis our culture puts on what we “should” look like 
  • overburdened liver
  • MTHFR gene mutation (Methylene-Tetra-Hydro-Folate-Reductase)- makes it hard to detox
  • “your mess is your message”
  • stopping the trauma cycle in our family

  • Warrior Goddess Training – book recommended

Follow Joy Hawk on social media here.

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“Bikini ready” pisses me off (video)

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Hi there. So, the headlines I often see that say, “Bikini ready” really piss me off.  Also, recently I have gotten the question: “how can I love my body and want to change it at the same time?”

So I created a quick video (it’s only 8 minutes or so) to address this really important conversation.  It’s a facebook LIVE, so I got to take a question too and I hope to continue the conversation with you in the comments.

Follow my personal page on Facebook by clicking here for future FB LIVE videos.

Also, I really want to hear from you on this topic! What do you think of the headlines that often promote getting “bikini ready”?

Do you have any thoughts on the video that you want to share? Post them below in the comments and we can continue the conversation.

Thanks for tuning in,

                    Watch below:

NOTE: Based on your computer, you might need to click the “FULL SCREEN” button on the video in order to turn the volume up.

Losing weight is not your life's purpose

Lies On Weight Loss, Law of Attraction and Fat Shaming

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Yesterday, I saw a ‘spiritual teacher’ say this: “excess weight is a sign that you are not being loving and grateful!” What the heck? NO. This is not right. I felt so angry when reading this because there were all of these people celebrating the comment and looking to this person for more advice. 

What world are they living in? I’ll tell you…

It is a world, where people put this “spiritual teacher” on a pedestal because she is speaking to their shame and they don’t know it yet. They think her words might save or that her magic pill will solve their problems. 

This is not right and it is this so-called spiritual teacher that has inspired this blog post today.  I want to break down what you really need to know about “weight loss” and “the law of attraction” and why I see her words as fat shaming… because they tear down at our self esteem.

It’s like the “excessive weight” comment is an insult assuming this person isn’t good enough because they have “too much weight” or that their struggle is all of their fault because they haven’t figured out “loving and gratitude”…

It’s a shame throwing insult wrapped up in guilt and disguised as a spiritual new age affirmation.

 

And it’s all bull shit. 

 

Every-single-one-of-us can be more “loving” and “grateful” right now. We all have room for that growth. Okay, that’s out of the way.

The statement “excess weight is a sign that you are not being loving and grateful” is one of the problems with the body, food and “weight loss” culture we are living in. This is like saying, your car stopped running because you didn’t give it enough car washes and sweet words in the past 10 years. Sure… your car, could use some more gratitude and love from you, but it didn’t stop running because of it.  Your body is like a car, it  is way more complex and deserves way more credit for it’s complexities. 

Seriously. 

If we believe this crap about “excess weight being a sign that you are not loving and grateful” we immediately shame and guilt ourself for our weight in a way that is super unhealthy. This is a form of fat shaming. 

This spiritual teacher talks a lot about the law of attraction. The law of attraction is mostly taught completely wrong and the other problem is that there are other “universal laws” that I believe need to be learned with it in order for it to actually work.  Regardless, I could plainly see that the “teacher” is teaching it all wrong and people are buying into this…

So I want to take a minute to share a few things with you about all of this. 

There are 4 main reasons people struggle with being overweight.

1) Inflammation in the body. This is caused from various factors, including stress, food/diet, genetics, environment.

2) Toxicity in the body. The body is not in alignment and it’s having a tough time releasing the toxins that it wants to. Again, this can be caused from various factors, including: stress, food/diet, genetics, environment.

3) Mindset and feelings. How do you see yourself? How do you feel about yourself? How do you treat yourself and speak to yourself?

4) Self acceptance of your present moment situation.

One of my clients shared this with me:

“I’m constantly berating myself for being alive. I am obsessed with thinking about what to eat, what I ate yesterday, my food choices tomorrow and if I’m doing it right. I feel guilty all the time. I shame myself when my clothes don’t fit. I punish myself for my lack of confidence and blame it on my weight. Everything I do, talk about and think basically supports the idea that I am fat.”

My first impression of this client, after hearing her speak was amazement. She is so self aware. My second feeling was her sadness. I could feel how deeply painful this all was for her.  She could literally see what she was doing to herself and how her thoughts and words were directly impacted her reality.  The problem, was that she felt stuck because she didn’t know how to stop it and she didn’t know what to do… 

So, I got irritated and annoyed with people lumping the weight loss conversation into such simplicity because the people who are reading it are in a very vulnerable place.

This quote I keep referencing is making us think that our thoughts, feelings and energy can change everything …  And they really can change so much, but we must simultaneously change our food, beliefs and habits around our body in order for it to work. We must look at the inflammation and toxicity of our body too.

Science tells the truth and I like a bit of the woo-woo sprinkled on top of my science and truth.  This is called the Law Of Polarity, which is another one of those laws that needs to be practiced with “attraction stuff”. 

1) It isn’t about weight loss. I know, I know… you might say, “but it is about weight loss for me!”  I hear you, I really do. And yet, you cannot ask for the universe to give you what you want. The Universe doesn’t listen to demands. It doesn’t just respond to what we want when we ask in this way. 

Wayne Dyer said it best,

“First of all, I think the law of attraction has been misstated. You do not attract what you want. You attract what you are. That’s how the law of attraction works.”

Constantly focusing on “wanting to lose weight”, like it is our full time job – basically says to the universe this: “Gimme, gimme, gimme. I want, I want, I want” and this translates into “I don’t have enough”. It translates into having a shortage. This shortage is a feeling and thought that tells the universe to give you more of that – a shortage and not enough.

So instead, using Wayne Dyer’s wisdom, instead… YOU ATTRACT WHAT YOU ARE.

2) You Live What You ARE. 

You instead ask the universe this:

“How can help? How can I serve? How can I show up and ‘be’ today? How can I serve others? How can I serve this beautiful body today?”

And the universe will respond back with, “how can I serve you?”

If you are someone who wants to lose weight, then please don’t look for the magic pill… instead, follow the system I wrote to you and live this so you can LEARN WHO YOU REALLY ARE.

I know it’s not always easy, but it is simple:

  1. Reduce inflammation in your body
  2. Reduce and then eliminate toxicity (making sure your body continues to do it on it’s own)
  3. Change your thoughts and feelings about your body and Self. 
  4. Practice Self-Acceptance (and radical appreciation)

A quick tip: practicing self-acceptance of your body exactly as it is right now.  Move forward from this space is the only way to grow. Acceptance of where you are now.  This sometimes triggers people and makes them, mad, angry, frustrated and confused.

If this is you, take these feelings and emotions as good signs. Seriously. It means that you are ready to make a change and finally feel into the emotions and feelings that have kept you stuck for so long.

Anger and frustration can be a great catalyst for our change.

Accepting doesn’t mean you settle.

Accepting means you are ready to take action.

You body is beautiful, I know this because it is the house of your soul.

How will you serve with your body today?

Love,

PS. Sometimes, we need help with this stuff. The self aware client that I shared above… when she asked for help and we looked at her “calorie counting”, which I am not a fan of… we discovered she wasn’t eating enough! No joke. She needed to eat more food to hit her goals. It’s okay to ask for help. I have a few openings for private coaching right now and I begin filling our next coaching group soon. If you are serious, fill out an application here.

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Want change? Address these 3 key areas…

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Hey there, people who make the biggest change, address these 3 areas… before I get to that, to illustrate why all 3 are important, a person in our community just shared this with me, perhaps you can relate…

“I have a very heavy load at home and work. I’m so busy. I don’t feel consistent in most anything right now. People are so hard on themselves, I mean, I am hard on myself. I guess all of us are, right? Maybe it’s just me. The world can be mean, but I think we can be meaner to ourselves. Renee, you helped me to feel great about being imperfect and reminded me there are people just like me. I make myself a priority in the midst of how busy I am now and it has changed me. Well, it has changed my whole family. I needed to see the whole picture. Thank you.”

In all of my years, the people who have made the highest change have addressed these three areas.

Food, feelings and thoughts.

And we are going to do it over the course 12 weeks in Love Your Life Academy.

Have you ever heard someone say, “everything is energy?”

Kind of hard to prove something you can’t see, however I want to prove it to you today.

If you break your arm, the energy stops flowing effectively in that area. You body will try to instigate healing, but until it heals, the energy will be stifled.

Another example: if you have inflammation from too much sugar and white carbs in your body, the energy in that area of your body doesn’t flow like it needs to be.

There is science to back this up.

What also happens, is that you can get emotionally impacted and feel like crap from all that sugar too. So now that sugar, is impacting your body physically and emotionally.

And then you feel lazier from that sugar and perhaps more depressed. You might not follow through on things and your thoughts become negative. Your relationships become impacted. These are all mental impacts.

So this one example of sugar (it could be anything though: overweight, gluten, stomach issues, etc) impacts the entire energetic body emotionally, mentally and physically. ​

When you work with me, we often start with the physical and the food in Love Your Life Academy. We get this straight and your body in harmony.

However you need all three areas (food, feelings and thoughts) in alignment to change you whole life.

Anyone can get their food and body in shape for a little while, maybe you’ve done this before with a cleanse or diet plan. But then, something happens in life that throws you off… relationships, career or with finances and your emotions get all out of wack.

Some people do some healing around their emotions, but then they go back to the same mental habits of procrastination or security in comfort foods and the cycle continues.

You need all of these areas in alignment to change our life and to break the cycle.

I’m looking for people who believe that if they made a big change in how they feel in their body and how they manage their emotions and thoughts it would make a big difference in their entire life.

I want to work with these people.

My 90 Day course, Love Your Life Academy, begins soon with only a four more spots left and limited time in my calendar to chat with me.

Click here to apply​

One of the things I said to the person who shared above is, “how long have you been unhappy and stuck in your thoughts? And what is it costing you?“

Because the cost of continuously focusing on pieces of the puzzle but never putting the whole thing (food, feelings and thoughts) together is not only costing us money, it’s costing us our precious time. And we don’t get our time back.

Take the first step and apply and schedule your breakthrough session with me here.

Thanks for reading,

PS. My calendar tends to book pretty fast this time of year and there are less than two weeks before Love Your Life Academy begins to speak with me. I am excited to talk with you. Apply

One of the things I said to the person who shared above is, “how long have you been unhappy and stuck in your thoughts? And what is it costing you?“

Because the cost of continuously focusing on pieces of the puzzle but never putting the whole thing (food, feelings and thoughts) together is not only costing us money, it’s costing us our precious time. And we don’t get our time back.

Take the first step and apply and schedule your breakthrough session with me here.

Thanks for reading,

 

 

 

 

PS. My calendar tends to book pretty fast this time of year and there are less than two weeks before Love Your Life Academy begins to speak with me. I am excited to talk with you. Apply

lyla

What is Love Your Life Academy?

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Hi there! I am so excited to share that Love Your Life Academy – my group coaching academy on healing and aligning your body+health, loving yourself and loving your life is open for registration and just for a couple more weeks!

If you want to more energy, freedom, powerful relationships and self-mastery continue reading below…
Love Your Life Academy will give you alignment across your whole life.
  • The coaching program is 90 days and each week (12 total) is broken down into systems that combine the best of the best of the 8 years of coaching that I have completed with thousands that focus on strategy, mindset, nutrition, habits, emotional health and a spiritual connection to your desires.
  • 18 Day Whole Foods Lymphatic Cleanse – I have take my signature community cleanse and built it right into this program so you can work with a like minded group on your mind and body while you cleanse.
  • You will be getting personalized and group coaching from me.
  • Week 1 you will show up ready to be coached about your core thoughts, old patterns and beliefs. I will work with you in our community forum and on our group calls each week to make sure you get this. No one get’s left behind. This group has major accountability and we work with partners to help with that.
  • I’m going to build you up, be a catalyst for your self esteem and show you how powerful and beautiful you are so we begin this 90 days from a place of abundance and intention. Then I will show you how to sustain it for your life and by giving you the tools to point your thoughts and energy in the direction of your vision and ideal life story.
  • You’ll be part of a close-knit community that has your back.
  • You’ll have access to guest interviews from other masters in areas with money, body acceptance and mastering mindset.
  • Mostly, you’ll make a powerful impact on those around you by changing your life.
  • Oh and you get lifetime access to Love Your Life Academy course once you register. You will always have access to the membership website with trainings and teachings and you’ll get the special alumni discount to continuously enroll in coaching with me each time I teach a 90 day course.
I have been in the coaching industry and a student and teacher for 17 years now and in the past 8 years, I’ve created 9 different courses that have raving reviews from men and women from all ages, races and backgrounds. I’ve worked with medical doctors, psychologists, lawyers, actors, parents, artists, health practitioners, teachers, entrepreneurs and more. Love Your Life Academy was created by taking my best teachings from each of these courses and thousands of coaching hours with private clients. It directly focuses on the four components of health: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
The results are transformation.
  • ​If your eating is off or you feel slower, sluggish, tired, indulging more than normal, feeling obsessive, disconnected, stressed around your body or food.
  • If it feels intolerable to be here, in this space or in this body. Your relationships feel strained, distant or unhealthy.
  • If your emotions, thoughts, stresses and view on life could be described as depressed, anxious or constantly negative.
All of this impacts us all on a cellular level.
Processed food, body imbalance and fear impact us with toxic stress. We often don’t realize how much stress, worry, guilt and thoughts impact our life and body.
Our gut health is impacted and our ability to fight disease and experience joy.
Whether we are aware of it or not these things are impacting our entire life.
Again, I only have about 2 weeks left to chat with you about Love Your Life Academy to ensure we are both a good fit to work together in this program.
I want to talk with you on the phone because sometimes the issue is emotional, mental, physical. It could be hormones and what you are eating. Maybe you eat a lot of fast food, sugar or late night binges. Maybe we talk and we discover it’s much more about your self esteem and how you show up in your relationships. Sometimes it’s all of it. After we talk, I can help you focus in on what specifically we are going to solve together.
So if you are someone who desires to make an impact, find love and connection, health and healing and you value how you show up in your life, then you’ll want to apply so we can chat soon.
If you missed the last message about some of my shining start students, read below.

Apply here for Love Your Life Academy​

This changes lives. I know because clients tell me so.
Thank you,
Renee

Renee Jayne is a Holistic Healer and creator of Love Yourself Naked® and Love Your Life Academy.

Renee helps people end emotional eating, unhealthy nutrition, addictive patterns, emotional and mental limits and shows them how to activate healing and health so they can live free, love themselves and their life.

 

 

I want to take a minute to share some stories of my Shining Star Students with you.

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“I have a coach who walks the talk. Renee is completely authentic in her achievement of a healthy body, mind and business. She sees and offers the options that can move you out of stuckness and confusion. I am in the best place possible to continue to grow my business, to fulfill my vision of a passionate partnership and to recreate the vibrant physical presence I desire. Renee has been instrumental in all of these achievements.”

– Pascale Kavanagh

“My numbers for my physical health have never been better. I really don’t crave salt or sugar anymore. Renee, I owe my new life to you. I am in a mindset now that if you don’t own your own health, you never will. My time had come and I have no regrets.

– Lisa Howard

 

“I successfully reduced my sugar cravings and am living a healthier lifestyle without feeling like I’m missing out on anything, thanks to a program customized for me by Renee.”

– Steve Acho

 

“I cannot think of a better option for someone who is very serious about getting their health to where they want it to be than using Renee as their coach and practitioner. I want to also share that I learned something from Renee… she is making a living off of helping other people because she is so good at what she does. It’s a gift and it has been to me. So next time I would go into it with a more open mind. When I first spoke with her, I was a little close minded because I was willing to take any advice to help me get better but at first I wasn’t trusting that it would work. After our first session, it completely changed around me health, sleep and started healing my body.”

– Joe Piotrowski

“Renee is exactly the kind of coach I needed while I was struggling with my health and expanding my business, because she is an expert in both areas. I appreciate how kind and loving she could be while still being firm and pushing me forward to my goals”.

– Leslie Cirinesi

“Renee’s expertise and experience helped me understand nutrition and healthy living in a way that was both practical and easy to understand. Her personal interest in helping me achieve my goals went “above and beyond” the call of duty and her understanding of nutritional matters uniquely qualifies her to do what she is doing in this very important field of balancing nutrition and exercise to establish healthy living. I highly recommend working with Renee!”

-Dan Dalton

 

“Renee draws upon a wide range of tools, disciplines and techniques to help you work on what it is you are seeking to change and improve in your life. You can tell she really, truly is invested in your growth and is there to support you where you want it and need it.” – Heather Grisham

 

 

“Renee gave me the fortitude, and inner strength to overcome my fears, face my challenges and become a better man for my wife, my kids, and myself. As I look back today, had I chose a different path not involving her, I am not sure what the outlook would have been, but at least now I have clarity on who I don’t want to be and what I can do to get where I want to be in life.”

– Anonymous

“Renee Heigel, my deepest gratitude to you and all you do! I feel centered, full of love, and more alive than I have in a long time. Thank you so much for helping me rekindle my self love and reset my eating patterns.”

– Christina Perez

 

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Each of these students, has graciously shared their stories about transforming their life in regards to health, body, relationships, purpose and career.

And I am so happy to share that registration is opening for my next transformational coaching group called Love Your Life Academy.
For more information, details and registration, fill out an application to jump on a quick call with me.
Please note: I have limited time in my schedule so if you are someone who knows you need to make a change and you’ve been on the fence for a while, now would be the time to apply so you can get into my calendar before it fills up.
Gratitude,

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Golden Milk or Turmeric Tea: What I Eat

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This drink could change your life. I don’t say that lightly either. I see it as a little miracle beverage.

Turmeric is a spice that is golden yellow… almost orange in color. It is well researched and known for anti-inflammatory qualities. Many people hear about the benefits of turmeric and ask me about how to use it or put another way, what to put it on.

Sure, we can take a supplement, however turmeric really works best when consumed with a healthy fat and also when used as a raw spice.

If you’ve been reading my blogs or working with me, you’ll see that I’m a big advocate for healing the gut, supporting the liver and boosting immunity.  If we are open to the possibility that trying something new, that can impact or improve our general immunity, detoxing ability and gut health, will help us to experience powerful changes within our body for years to come.

I would like to introduce you to “Golden Milk” . It’s something that I drink personally and even share with my young son.

If you are someone who likes that connection and warm, healthy feeling of a good tea… try this out.

It gives some relief for colds, flu’s and coughs.

It helps support your gut best when you take it on an empty stomach either upon waking or before bed.

Turmeric has antibacterial and antiviral properties.

Do you have digestive issues?  Pretty much all digestive issues from candida, intestinal parasites to leaky gut or IBS could benefit.  Turmeric Milk or Golden Milk is a good place to begin.

For those of you taking part in the 18 Day Love Yourself Naked Cleanse Challenge or looking to support your liver to detox or cleanse, there are so many scientific studies centered around the impact of the curcumin within turmeric to prevent and reverse liver cirrohossis and fatty liver.

I addition to all of that, it tastes delicious, at least in my opinion!

Check out the recipe below.

Recipe:

Golden Milk or Turmeric Tea

  • 1-2 cans of coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup Ground Turmeric to make Turmeric Paste
  • 1/2 cup pure spring water or filtered water
  • 2 cups of coconut milk (from the can) – do not use the carton of store bought. (I sometimes mix hemp milk for one of the cups).
  • 1 tablespoon of Blackstrap Molasses
  • 1 teaspoon of coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon Raw Honey

Step 1: Make Turmeric Paste

Put ¼ cup of ground turmeric and water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat and stir continuously for 7-9 minutes. The mixture should become thick. I add drops of water to the thick mixture until I get the consistency I desire.  Then, place the mixture into a glass jar with a lid. It will store in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Step 2: Making the Milk

In a clean sauce pan, I add 2 cups of milk (homemade milk is best or raw milk), 1 tablespoon of black strap molasses, 2 teaspoons of turmeric paste, 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and 1 teaspoon of honey (optional). Heat and stir over low to medium heat for 2 minutes. Enjoy!

Love,

Renee

PS. Do you have more questions on your health, physically, emotionally or spiritually and you want answers.

Schedule a Whole Health Breakthrough Session with me, click here for details. 

edamame

The powerhouse that is your lymphatic system

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There are these ‘things’ that live inside of you… they are little warrior fighters that can become big or small depending on what kind of problem they need to solve.

They are so powerful that they can eradicate cancers and bad cells… Your army is the size of between 500-700 depending on your beautiful body and they are exceptional problem solvers. They work quietly, confidently and the average person has no idea that they have these powerhouses inside them working so hard. Well… until you get sick, then they start talking to you by getting inflamed and sore.

These little pea shaped warriors are your lymph nodes.

The right side drainage area for your body helps the right arm and right side of your chest. The left side drainage area impacts the drains for your entire body. The lymphatic system is pretty much half of your immune system, today I want to share with you how important this is.

The lymphatic system is a network of tissues and organs that help rid the body of toxins, waste and unwanted crap… It’s basically a drain.

When we eat too many processed/packaged foods, sugar, alcohol, caffeine (yes, even caffeine) they create constriction and slows up our lymph system. It can do it’s job mostly, but sometimes things get clogged. Just like you drains sometimes do. You know this because you have medical issues, regular sickness, hormonal, immune or energy problems.

It’s important to support our powerful army of lymph, you know?

This is why I have added something brand new to the 18 Day Cleanse Challenge – it’s a quick training on the ways to get your lymphatic system to move and drain while you are doing the cleanse. Food helps a lot, but it only a part of cleansing your lymph. I’ll teach you more in the training, including how to self massage your lymph.

Some people have asked me questions about joining The 18 Day Cleanse Challenge. Maybe you have some questions too or you are on the fence about diving in.

From my experience, I have almost always felt a little twinge of nervousness before a cleanse or doing something that I know will force me to grow and change. This is normal and also an indicator to do it.

I have a page here where I answer all kinds of cleanse questions. Some of the common questions are:

  • What if I don’t see results?
  • What if this won’t work for me?
  • I feel like I’m a hopeless case.
  • I’ll be out of town for a portion of this! What happens if I miss some of the program?
  • How much time will I need to devote to the program?
  • How do i know if this is the best fit for me? What is your refund policy?
  • Will I like the food?
  • Will I see results?

Click here to check out the frequently asked questions.

Click here to register for the cleanse and get the free Lymph System Bonus Training.

Renee

PS. Reminder that the cleanse registration closes soon for our LIVE group.

2017-03-21_11-29-26

Healing Adrenal Fatigue

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There are these two little glands in your lower back. It turns out that they are important and impact every-single-person reading this. Yes, most people will struggle with adrenal fatigue in their lifetime. These powerful little glands are adrenal glands and they pump out hormones to regulate your body and help you adapt to stress.

Adrenal Fatigue is a major issue and silent battle. Most of us have zero clue that “our issues” are actually because of our taxed adrenals.

If left untreated or ignored it can lead to weight gain, exhaustion, depression, sugar and carb cravings, sickness, thyroid problems, Candida issues, auto immune problems, poor digestion and gut health, strained and stressed relationships, poor sleep and bad eating habits.

Look at the state of our world right now… listening to 5 minutes of the news or scrolling through social media triggers stress hormones. I have a hunch that adrenal fatigue among people has increased along with the past year or so. Add onto that, working full time, children, family stress and travel. Then tired, exhausted days where we burn the candle at both ends, deal with exes, coparenting, mean bosses, finances, sports for our kids, school, business…

When we are so stressed that it becomes our ‘normal’ we unconsciously seek more of it. We may find it how to sit down and relax.

There are both physical and emotional reasons for this. First, our hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline raise blood sugar and activate muscles in our body.
 
The stress that many of us are under, triggers those hormones and then activates our flight or fight response. This keeps us going, going and going. Our inner energizer bunny comes out and we feel invincible and like we can juggle it all.
We try to manage and control everything and still put great meals on the table, run a thriving business, raise happy kids and travel the world while changing lives.
 
Until we cannot. Everything eventually stops.

We begin to break down.

Our immune system weakens. Now we are getting sick every season. Our digestion is poor and we are craving sugar like a crazy person and it it feels out of control! Our sleep is all off and we are putting on some weight. Exhaustion after workouts happens or we avoid them altogether. We cannot do what we used to. We wonder what the heck is happening to us. It’s depressing.
 
You see, these stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) are being used way to much and they are are turned up to high. You are high on life at this point and you might need lots of extra coffee and sugar to keep it going. You might know on some level that without your beloved coffee and sweet sugar you would crash into a deep sleep. You also know that you don’t have time for that because there is too much going on.
 
Yet, too much of this process for too long of a time is very dangerous for your body.
 
The constant go-go and high stress state eventually starts to flatten out our cortisol. This causes adrenal fatigue. With it come issues with our endocrine system, hormones and thyroid. Then the weight gain, health issues, high blood sugar, depression, exhaustion at 3pm, cravings at 3:05 and changes in your hormones and more fights with those you love.

How do I know so much about this?

Well beyond my holistic nutrition education, I have been my own best case study.

I started learning about my own adrenal fatigue in my 20’s when I pulled all-nighters in college as an art student. I followed those up with lots of sugar, soda and processed food. I added to that unhealthy, stressful relationships and workaholism. Years later, I had a baby (which taxes a woman’s adrenal glands). Then when both parents are up all night feeding sweet baby it taxes adrenal glands further. During this time I also went back to school and started a business during a couple year span and followed that up with a divorce a few years later. 
 
Combined with poor food choices, stressful life situations put extra stress on your adrenals. My adrenal glands were screaming at me and I was falling asleep in the middle of phone conversations.
 
My entrepreneurial friends and I now joke casually about our adrenal fatigue, but it’s not funny.

It’s not a badge of honor to be proud of.

I have no regrets building this great life I get to live and my adrenal glands have been a great teacher to remind me of slowing down!  I read once that, “slowing down to slay” is the way to go. 
 
My truth is that I still spend too many late nights writing my book or working on my business. And yet, now more than ever, I know something that has taken me over 17 years to grasp.

My self care is not some luxury item for rare occasions, it is my most important necessity.  And it’s your most important necessity too. 

“I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.”

– Audre Lorde 

Even though we can grasp this idea mentally, we must choose to put it into practice.
 
And it takes practice. 

So how do you support and heal your adrenals and put this into practice?

I’ll explain the key ways in a moment. Before I do, I want you to know that this was the motivation I had when I created the cleanse I built back in 2010, it’s called The 18 Day Love Yourself Naked Cleanse Challenge.
 
I knew I needed something to help me and my clients rebuild our health. It became a retreat for our body temple in the comfort of our own homes.
 
We need to lay the ground work for healing the root cause of our issues. So many people like the Free 7 Day Sugar Challenge that I offer but if someone has adrenal fatigue and they don’t do the healing at the root cause to rebuild those little and powerful glands, they will keep going back to sugar over and over again. Trust me, I’m living proof of that philosophy.
 

The 18 Day Love Yourself Naked Cleanse Challenge helps kick start and support the 6 ways you need to focus on to rebuild your adrenal glands. They are:

1. Improve your digestion. Your diet is one of the most important factors in healing your adrenal glands. Supporting your digestion helps you to absorb essential minerals you need to heal.
 
2. Cleanse out toxins. A whole foods cleanse can support our lymphatic system and liver and bring our whole body back into balance.
 
3. Build your immunity. Science has shown that our high cortisol and adrenaline can actually contribute to making bad bacteria grow in our body. A good cleanse will show you how to improve your immunity and protect your body from infection.
 
4. Self care is the highest form of love you can give. Many cleanses forget this piece… they are aggressive diets that might support your stress state. The Love Yourself Naked Challenge guides you to manage your energy, stress, mental and emotional state while you cleanse.
 
5. Rebuild your gut health. We use probiotics, fermented foods and many other tricks to improve your whole body health. I recommend supplements and vitamins that can support you on your path.
 
6. Add in the good bacteria. We all have good and bad bacteria. This is a long term process and you begin doing it during the cleanse. This is how we heal our adrenals moving forward after building about powerful cleansing practices. Without health digestion and a good balance of healthy bacteria, you will not be able to absorb the nutrients from all that healthy food you are eating and create the energy you need to show up for life.
 
Consider The 18 Day Love Yourself Naked Cleanse Challenge and treat yourself well. I even give you a bonus mindful meditation that most people describe as a life changer.
 
 
Love,
 
Renee
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Acai Bowl: What I Eat

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Acai is pronounced:  “ah-sigh-EE”

Acai is super high in antioxidants and it’s kind of a cross between a grape and blueberry – best when eaten raw. 

Eating breakfast can really affect your day for the good or the bad. Think about your food as fuel. What you put into your body to kick-start your day fuels your cells, your brain, digestion and energy level all day long.  I typically prefer a warmer breakfast but lately I’m becoming more and more fond of the Acai Bowl.

I also love that it’s all raw and it’s more like preparing food instead of cooking.

Sometimes it’s so nice not to cook.

I made a quick recipe that I shared with my family this week; we all thought it was delicious.

Check it out below and don’t forget to share in the comments!

Do you make your own Acai bowls? If so, what ingredients have you loved?

img_3289Acai Bowl 

Ingredients for acai smoothie

2 packets of unsweetened frozen acai (found in most grocery stores in the freezer section or your health food store)

2 cups coconut water

2 Bananas (best if frozen but not required) {18 Day Cleansers: replace with more blueberries or strawberries}

1-2 cups of spinach

1 cup strawberries (frozen)

1/2 cup blueberries (frozen)

2 teaspoons hemp seeds

2-3 tablespoons cacao powder

2 tablespoons cacao nibs

1 tablespoon maca powder

Ingredients for bowl toppings:

Apple (sliced), Blueberries (fresh), Strawberries (fresh), Raspeberries (fresh), Banana, etc

Shredded Coconut (unsweetened)

Hemp Hearts

Chopped raw nuts (almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts) – Pro Tip: I add sea salt to my nut mixture {click here for my delicious homemade cereal recipe}

*Get Creative! Choose your own toppings

img_3288Blend:

In your high speed blender, blend: spinach, banana, strawberries, blueberries, coconut water, hemp seeds, cacao powder, cacao nibs, maca powder. Blend until completely mixed, but keep it kind of chunky.

Add frozen acai packets to your mixture and then gently pulse. Be care not to over pulse or puree too long (it will be too soupy)

img_3292Serve and add toppings:

Pour into a bowl and then add your toppings (it should be a thick smoothie with toppings)

How was your acai bow? Any ideas to share?

I love hearing from you.

Leave a comment below.

Renee

PS. If you liked this, you might want to check out my delicious homemade cereal recipe here. 

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Easy Lentil Vegetable Plant Based Soup Recipe: What I Eat

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Have you ever had super busy weeks and struggled to feel like you are feeding yourself well? I’m a huge fan of plant based meals that I can have on hand when I’m pressed for time.  For me, sacrificing my health isn’t an option because then I feel cranky, exhausted and unable to support myself, my family and my clients.

When you are super busy, sometimes going back to a slow cooker (aka crock pot) meal can ensure you stay healthy with less stress. This is a quick soup/stew lentil, vegetable recipe using things that I already had in my kitchen.  The recipe is below the video. My goal is to inspire you to make healthy foods without a lot of time.

Do you have ideas of things you make in your slow cooker? MAKE A COMMENT BELOW and share yourself.

Ingredients:

Notes:

I didn’t measure a thing – I used the veggies left in the fridge before they went bad. So if you want exact measurements, this isn’t that kind of recipe 🙂

These veggies/foods are either local and/or organic.  Shop this way whenever possible.

1 sweet onion

2 large carrots

4 celery stalks

3 stalks of Swiss chard

1 small sweet potato

2 small potato

3 cloves garlic

1 cup brown rice

1 cup lentils

Vegetable broth

Water

Sea salt

Kombu (sea vegetable) – 2 pieces (click here to buy from our amazon store)

Rapunzel Vegan Vegetable Bouillon – 1 cube (click here to buy from our amazon store)

Spinach (this is served Raw along with the stew)

Prepare:

Rinse the brown rice with cold water several times. Use your hands to make sure it is rinsed thoroughly. This will help you avoid the starch being a part of your meal.

Add about 1 cup of liquid for each cup of lentils and rice

Add rice and lentils to slow cooker filled with broth/water.

Add the Kombu and Rapunzel Vegan Vegetable Bouillon.  Put the slow cooker on High.

After the lentils and rice begin to boil in your slow cooker, add all of your veggies above with exception to the spinach. Add the sea salt.

Allow the veggies, lentils and rice to cook. Add more sea salt.

Serve a bowl of raw spinach with soup/stew on top.

Tip: I don’t like to cook my greens because there is so many nutrients in them. They will also soften up when you put the stew on top.

Enjoy.

Renee

PS.  What are some ideas that you love to make in your Slow Cooker or Crock Pot? Share below. Interested in joining the 18 Day Cleanse Challenge, I am keeping registration open at a low price for a limited time click here. 

 

 *There are affiliate links in this email for Amazon.com.  We get a small percentage when you purchase from our store and it allows us to put money back into the business to support our blog.  Than you. 

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