Winning The Sugar Game

November 2 2018

Cravings and Spiritual Nutrition

Have you ever had a sugar hangover?

I definitely have, more times than I care to admit. These do exist.

I believe we don’t often notice or associate it with the sugar though. I wasn’t until I sufficiently removed sugar from my daily diet and then added some back in, did I really see what this “hangover” was.

Waking up with headaches, aches and pains, tight jaw from clenching teeth while asleep, body soreness, indigestion, stomach gurgles, dehydration and guilt combined with out of control tastebuds searching for what to eat next. Later that day comes bloating, constipation, more dehydration, cravings and hormone spikes. Also, depression, low energy, lack of connection and motivation.

I’m not anti-sugar or anything. It’s normal to crave and desire this sweet sensation.

Personally, my body basically says HECK NO each time I consume more than my share of refined sugar and sometimes even things like Maple Syrup. So I just make other choices.

I share this because I know I’m not the only one.

I’m actually grateful my body rejects it because it has brought me to where I am today.

Through my experiences, I found a connection between my spirituality (aka connection with the present moment) and my choice to change my relationship with things like sugar over the past 8-9 years.

June 20 2018

Are you addicted to sugar?

Renee 0

Most people like sugar, but a question about being “addicted” to it still lingers, for some... There is such a big difference between someone who eats sugar once in awhile and can go weeks without it and someone who cannot stop thinking about it and needs it every single day.

In today’s video, I break down the other side of sugar addiction, watch it below.

If you are addicted to sugar, you are not alone. I’m a recovering sugar addict and I have a brief story about it to share with you, I share more of the story in other videos too so make sure you are subscribed to the blog to learn more.

Over 8 years ago, I began this nutrition and life coaching practice to help people and centered it around “loving yourself” because it seemed to be a common denominator between every person I worked with. As I began helping more and more people as a practitioner and coach, I noticed how I was personally still using work, sugar and obsessive eating of certain foods to escape and numb out. I started to see my own addiction to sugar and it was so loud I could no longer ignore it!

I was not just craving sugar here and there, I was in a committed relationship with the stuff and began to see that it was a pattern for most of my life.

The irony of it all is that the root of “addictive behavior” is the avoidance of loving yourself. So there I was, trying to teach others the practice to love themselves and to value themselves and I was being faced with the reality of not loving or valuing myself. Talk about a wake up call and a humbling smack in the face. It was hard to look in that mirror and I cried many tears during that time.

I knew I had no choice but to face my own lack of self love if I was to grow up and help more people.

I thought it was just about the sugar and the “sweet tooth” I had my entire life, but I learned it was about so much more. The lack of love I had for myself impacted how I showed up in all of my relationships, my career and day to day activities, even how I dealt with my finances.

Now, 8 years later, I’m coaching clients privately and within groups through their suffering with food, body, emotional healing, eating patterns, craving, obsessive behaviors, relationships, career goals and purpose.

At the root of it all, is Love of the Self.

This invaluable work really is so much deeper than “sugar addiction”, although this is where some of us must start to peel back the layers to grow and open our hearts.

This summer, I have a handful of openings for private coaching with clients who want to change their life and have the urge to create a new way of being and living. This person wants to own all the parts of themselves, heal the trauma and step into their purpose and serve the greater good. They want to get their health/nutrition, relationships and life into alignment and experience peace of mind and connection to helping others.

If this sounds like you, click here to fill out an application.

I want people to be healthy – mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I want us to have access to healthy food, attract healthy relationships and have the best resources without it being complicated or difficult.

I want you to know your value.

Looking forward to connecting more with you soon.

Watch the video above if you haven’t checked it out yet.

Thank you,

Renee

PS. Want to work with me? Click here to fill out an application or respond to this message and let me know. We can have a quick phone chat and I can listen to what you have going on to see if we are a good fit for the results you want to achieve with your health and life.

20 things to overcome depression, anxiety and fear

February 23 2018

20 things you can do now to overcome depression, anxiety and fear

Renee 0

This video is for you (or maybe someone you know) if you are consciously aware you are living with anxiety and depression and you cannot take it anymore or if you are someone who feels sad and down all the time, but you haven’t named it… You just cannot seem to pull yourself out of this slump you are in…

I’m going to share 20 things you can do now to overcome depression, anxiety and fear, click here to watch.

When you watch this video there are 3 things you get out of it:

Why are we all seeking to overcome this feeling of unease and being out of control.
How to find harmony
The top 20 things you can do right now.

Do me a favor, leave a comment under the video. I’d love to hear from you – I really believe community is how we overcome most everything.

Resources:

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Clutter – clean your environment – check out this resource to guide you
Water – A dehydrated body cannot be a happy one.
Sleep – this is how we heal our body, hormones, brain. Check out this blog for more tips
Nature – get outside – as much as possible. Spiritual connection to source.
Herbs, vitamins and supplements. Schedule a session with me so you can create a plan for you body.
Probiotics – I recommend a specific kind for depression and based on your situation.
Rebuild gut health – watch my video on celery juice
Hormonal balance – cutting out sugar can balance them really quick (join my Free 7 Day Sugar Challenge here)
Reduce oxidative stress – A supplement I’m taking that reduces oxidative stress and helps support adrenal fatigue- it has made A profound difference for me –ask me to learn more about this. (*order here)
Eat more living foods! Get on list to take part in my next cleanse.
Epsom baths – 3 times a week—add 1-2 cup of Epsom salts to warm
Magnesium – you may need a good magnesium. Most of us are deficient in this. Click here to read more. Click here to order my favorite Magnesium.
Vitamin D – have your blood work done and get your levels checked. Cannot be happy without vitamin D.
Prayer and meditation both (one is the input and the other is the output)
Working out and moving your body
Talking with someone – we cannot do this alone. For so many years, I thought I could do it alone. We need community. Contact me.
Work through your negative beliefs and patterns. We gotta do the hard work. I wish I could tell you it isn’t hard at times, but you already know it is. And you can do hard things… you are capable of so much more than you think.
Release toxic relationships.They drag you down and for many they are the root of depression.
Working with someone to shirt your limiting beliefs
Emotional release work to help you through any post traumatic stress and fear that you are carrying

Reach out to me with questions.

*I am an affiliate of a couple of the supplement companies above and I do earn a small commission off these sales. I use products these personally every day and recommend because they have changed my life. What small commissions I receive, I put back into the business to build content for our community.

March 21 2017

Healing Adrenal Fatigue

Renee 1

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.

Register here.

Love,

Renee

March 20 2017

Mom’s In Control Podcast: Winning The Sugar Game

Renee 0

I was recently interviewed by Heather Chauvin from the Mom’s In Control Podcast. She definitely targets mom’s and parents with her message, however if you have a interest in topics about feeding your feelings with food, sugar addiction, parenting, depression, anxiety and more… you’ll like this. We had a blast together and I loved this interview. I hope you do too.

Listen here for ANDROID USERS

Listen here for IPHONE USERS

In this episode, we talk about…

* The true addiction of sugar.

* How food and mood are connected.

* How to start eliminating your sugar intake.

If you like it, take a few minutes to check out Heather’s other podcasts and leave her some love on ITunes. She has some great topics that help so many!

Renee

March 1 2017

This should be illegal to market to children…

Renee 0

Mike from our community posted something within our community forum (thank you Mike). I shared it on social media and it’s caused some conversation and reactions. I want to include you in on the conversation and give you a heads up about a free online workshop I created.

This should be illegal to market to children, what do you think? By the way 93 grams of sugar is equal to 19 teaspoons of sugar.

Notice I said “illegal to market”, not illegal to sell. Freedom to sell things is important, even if I don’t happen to like it. (wink)

If people want to do drugs or smoke cigarettes, they can have free choice to do so. There are laws so cigarette and liquor companies cannot market towards children.

Now sugar, that’s a different story. Sugar is 8 times more addictive than heroine or cocaine. Click here for the short version of the science behind this.

Why don’t we have laws in place in the United States that restrict marketing sugar and junk food to young children? I live in the states and I know there are many grass root efforts. We have what I would consider a corporate oligarchy when it comes to our food system. A handful of companies and an elite few control our food system. This makes short term change challenging.

The money spent on selling sugar in the United States in particular, is staggering. Coca Cola spent $269 million on advertising Coke in the states and Pop Tarts spent $32 million last year. Here is a quote from the article:

“Despite the fact that fruits and vegetables are the only foods that experts encourage us to eat with abandon, all fruits, vegetables, and nuts are considered “specialty crops” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Less than five percent of land planted with food goes to growing fruits and vegetables. More than 50 percent goes to growing soybeans and corn, to feed animals and refine into sugar.”

In contrast, there are over 8 countries that are taking action against junk food marketing to children.

How will the United States get on that new marketing train?

You + Me + Education.

Okay, back to this conversation I’ve been in with people on social media that I want to include you in on. We were looking at this McDonald’s advertisement for a shamrock shake that markets to children and adults alike with 93 grams of sugar!

Many people are chiming in and saying things like:

“yuck” or “disgusting” and some are sharing how good it tastes.

Some are sharing that this is about education and teaching people how bad this is for them.

I could not agree more that it is about education. Education is where it all begins.

Another person was sharing that she spent 25 years dieting and starving herself because of her weight. She shared that it was her biggest source of stress and angst and that the struggle ruled her life. She ended up reducing her sugar and dropped 25 pounds in 40 days. She went on to lose 85 lbs! She explained that she was eating a lot of other foods and not sugary ones and her weight came off.

I started wondering a few things…

Do people know how much sugar impacts brain health, hormones and the body’s ability to gain or lose weight?
Do children know how they are being marketed to with products that can hurt their development and brain health?
Do parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and caregivers know how both they are their loved ones are being targeted by marketing companies?
Do people realize how much the constant marketing of sugar, driven by the subsidies that we give our agricultural industry for corn, soy and refined sugar, are psychologically impacting them, their family and children?
Do you know about the fact that sugar hides inside 74% of our packaged foods and this makes it challenging for people to stop eating so much sugar, even though they may want to.

I am curious if people within our growing community realize the addictive dependency that sugar/fructose/artificial sweetener creates on a person’s physical, emotional and mental self.

Do you know how much excess sugar impacts you in your daily life?

These questions and so many more inspired me to create an online workshop on the topic, called:

The 4 Types of Sugar Addiction: How To Control Your Relationship With Food, Create Long Term Harmony and Become Truly Happy On The Inside

click here to register

We must start with educating ourselves first. Knowledge is powerful. Learn the 4 types of addiction to sugar and which of those 4 ways is impacting you most.

I hope you join me and so many members of our community on this free online workshop and in the revolution to create change in our body and minds.

Talk with you soon,

Renee

PS. Remember, seats are limited for the online workshop, whether you’ll be with us LIVE or desire the recording make sure you register here.

16806959_10155031793963784_2352646619473897046_n

February 28 2017

Sugar Shame

Renee 0

During the 7 Day Sugar Challenge that I host for free, many people fill out surveys through out it that I get to read. I read every single word from every single person. I have read hundreds of forms in the past week!

I look for the message often between the writing… the story being told that isn’t fully being said. That story is one of “shame” and “guilt” for not always being our word with ourselves when it comes to habits, food, working out and more.

Many people are not doing what they say they are going to do and then they shame themselves for it. We have lost trust with ourselves, in many of the cases anyway.

The antithesis of shame and lack of trust is communication. You must find a place to share yourself and communicate… a trusted friend or trusted journal or our trusted FB forum. Find a way to communicate your real voice, the one that isn’t always easy to share.

If you are concerned how to keep up winning at the sugar game, then join in on my free online workshop: The 4 Types of Sugar Addiction: How To Control Your Relationship With Food, Create Long Term Harmony and Become Truly Happy On The Inside

If you are in the trenches with cravings and feeling like sugar has control over you, then click here to join my Free 7 Day Sugar Challenge.

Renee

February 18 2017

Hidden Sugar In Common Foods

Renee 0

It all started way back with me eating boxes of chocolate. Imagine me in the episode of I Love Lucy, where her an Ethel eat all the chocolates, it’s hilarious. (I posted the video below if you haven’t see it)

Later, when I finally thought I had gained control over eating so much sugar years ago, I was just finishing up nutrition school. It was 2010 and I was eating all of these healthy things… I was so proud of myself.

Then slowly I began to feel more cravings for sweets again… they crept back because of the “healthy” food I was eating. “Healthy” gets quotes because the protein bars I loved were filled with sugar – as much as 2 donuts worth – and also marketed as “natural” and “organic”. The yogurt I used to eat was touted as healthy but had more sugar than a can of Coke. The new gluten free crackers I found had 7 grams of sugar in them. The bread I enjoyed with my healthy almond butter, I realized had sugar. The delicious salad options I chose at restaurants had salad dressing that was full of sugar.

There are so many people who say, “I don’t have a problem with sugar. I don’t eat cookies and cakes” and what they may not realize is that 74% of packaged foods are full of sugar. People who don’t think they are impacted by the inflammation, hormone impacting and immune system lowering SUGAR actually are impacted… they are just temporary victims of the labels they aren’t reading. Awareness is the first step.

I decided that I wanted to create something for the people I love to give them a peak into living without sugar for 7 days. It changed my life and I needed to be able to share that. So I created this free 7 day sugar challenge to guide people. I offer to everyone now – think of it as my gift to you.

Click here to join my free 7 Day Sugar Challenge starting soon.

Much love,

Renee

PS. Here is Lucy and Ethel and their chocolates. Enjoy

February 15 2017

This is what happens when you drink soda

Renee 1

I was 17. There was a old, yellow, 70’s looking fridge in our garage; it had a 2 liter of coca-cola sitting right inside the door… That bottle was just sitting there, waiting for me to return home from class. It was on my mind while I listened to the professor speak. I was in my first year of college.
As I drove home in my 1990 gray Jeep Cherokee, I would eat an entire container of orange Tic Tacs that I picked up from Costco in bulk earlier that week and think about drinking in a tall glass of my Coke when I got home. It was my special treat. This all felt very normalized and yet somewhat secretive… maybe even sacred.

During this time, I had yeast infections (just being honest), stomach issues and daily allergies that involved me taking regular antibiotics and allergy meds. I popped allergy meds almost every day like they were another container of Tic Tacs. I was constantly sick with a cold. I was in a codependent relationship with a boy, he was charming, wonderful and an addict, at the time. It all felt unhealthy and yet somehow safe. I was a committed Marlboro Lights cigarette smoker and also addicted. My addictions were different than his. I liked cigarettes, refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

I had no idea the harm I was inflicting on my body at this time. I remember one day, when I came home, The Coca Cola was gone. My father had taken it I guess, it just wasn’t in the fridge, like normal. I remember this day vividly. When I asked, he shared that I had been drinking too much and I needed to stop. I was so livid with him! I knew he was right though. My grandmother came over later that week and shared with me that Coca Cola would “take the rust off the cars”. She barked at me, “imagine what it’s doing to your insides and you drink so much! You need to stop it!” I heard her, but I didn’t want to believe her. I closed my mind to the ideas she shared.

If you are someone who drinks too much Diet Soda or regular “pop” or soda. You need to stop it too. And yet, you already know this, I don’t need to tell you that drinking soda accounts for 184,000 deaths each year (source: Science Daily). Or that artificial sweeteners alter your gut microbiome making your very susceptible to disease. On some level you know this to be true, right?
Let me show you how to do this: The 7 Day Sugar Challenge begins soon.

Love,

Renee

May 1 2016

Delicious Homemade Cereal Recipe: What I Eat

Renee 0

Almost all cereal is sugar with no nutrients – it’s pointless and has no nutritional value. I know, strong statement and also very true.

So I make my own.

I rarely measure recipes, so just assume a handful for the nuts and seeds.

Ingredients:

chia seeds (soaked for 2+ hours)
raw cashews
raw almonds
raw macadamia nuts
raw pumpkin seeds
raw brazil nuts
sea salt (pinch)
can of coconut milk (3 tablespoons of thick chunky coconut)
fresh organic berries
lemon (teaspoon)
probiotic powder (optional)
dates (2 pitted dates chopped)
Unsweetened hemp, coconut or almond milk
Note: it’s best to soak chia seeds and nuts in water so they are softer and more digestible. Soak overnight or at a minimum an hour or so.

Prepare:

I take all soaked nuts/seeds and put them into my food processor and pulse until chopped (I do not add chia seeds yet)

I take the nut mixture and add to a medium bowl with chia seeds, sea salt, chunky coconut milk, lemon, dates, probiotic powder and mix together.

Add a nut milk to create desired consistency.

Add blueberries or strawberries as toppings.

You could also add maple syrup or honey, but I try to sweeten with dates and fruit, personally.

Get creative! Add cinnamon, coconut flakes, cacao powder or nibs

Manny, 6 years, said, “best cereal I have ever had!”

Remember your food is fuel (not therapy)

Be healthy today!

Love,

Renee

PS. For access to more healthy recipes and a lifestyle cleansing reboot, check out the 18 Day Love Yourself Naked Challenge Cleanse here.