-GET UP ON TIME-

Are those nine extra minutes the snooze button gives you ever really worth it? Get out of bed when you first wake up and start your day already—especially since the two hours after we awake are potentially the most productive of our entire day. Running late or feeling rushed in the morning only adds to anxiety and fatigue, and can cause us to turn to coffee and sugary snacks to get through the rest of the day. Side note: I’m a big fan of showering at night in order to avoid dawdling in the morning (at which I am a pro).

-DRINK CLEANSING LEMON WATER-

Lemon Digestive Aid Water or Lemon Cleanse Water is a great way to stimulate digestion, release toxins from the liver, jumpstarts your digestive enzymes and give your body a vitamin C boost. Try adding a pinch of sea salt or raw, organic apple cider vinegar for even more detoxing effects.

NOTE: If you feel nauseous or experience tightness in the chest after drinking the morning lemon elixir, omit the raw apple cider vinegar. This reaction can occur from the body’s releasing of bacteria and toxins during detox. Continue to drink the lemon elixir, omitting the Bragg’s (or use only ½ teaspoon) for at least three days, and then reintroduce it. If the reactions continue upon reintroduction, continue to drink only the lemon water

-SCRAPE YOUR TONGUE-

By tongue scraping every morning, you remove bacteria that can lead to poor digestion and liver stagnation. Brush your teeth before you tongue-scrape. Then use a tongue scraper or a spoon to reach as far back as possible and pull forward, scraping off the white film, which is candida and streptococcus mutans.

DRY-BRUSH YOUR SKIN

Dry skin brushing improves lymphatic drainage, reduces cellulite, promotes digestion and supports detoxification. You can purchase a skin brush on Amazon, or simply use a dry towel. Gently brush in a circular motion, always moving from the extremities towards the heart, thereby improving blood flow to the heart. Use counter-clockwise strokes on your belly to improve detoxification.

-OIL PULLING-

Oil pulling has been a common detoxification practice for centuries and can be done with coconut, sesame or olive oil. Oil pulling should be done on an empty stomach to ensure maximum benefit. The best times are upon rising and before bed.

-TAKE A PROBIOTIC-

Probiotics (healthy bacteria) regulate and restore your intestines’ natural balance, and studies have shown they can help rid the body of heavy metals, free radicals and dangerous bacteria. 

Simply start with 3 of these detox rhythms today!

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- ANTHRO VOLCANO CANDLE DIFFUSER BLEND -

Your favorite candle scent – minus the synthetic fragrances and paraffin wax! This essential oil diffuser blend is scented with sugared citrus, light florals, and a hint of woodsy greens. OBSESSED!

READY FOR YOUR HOME TO SMELL LIKE ANTHROPOLOGIE?

There’s two ways to make this blend – a shortcut way with 3 gorgeous oils and a luxe version that uses 5 oils. I’m sharing both diffuser recipes here. So whether you’re brand new to EOs or already have a growing collection – you can make this blend!

This is such an easy swap if you love how Anthropologie smells but aren’t down with paraffin wax + synthetic fragrances in your home. Which btw. I checked with both Anthro + the candle manufacturer (Capri Blue) and was bummed to see this well-loved candle had BOTH in it.

It’s totally possible to make your home smell amazing, the natural way. My advice? Skip all the legwork involved in contacting candle companies about what’s in their wax blends, what their wicks are made of, and if their scents are naturally derived (or not). And just go straight for the simplest switch. Diffusers with essential oils. If you’re using pure, quality oils then you can rest easy knowing you’re using just 2 ingredients – water and oils.

The best part of using EO’s instead of candles is having control over the scent! You can make it sweeter, more or less woodsy, floral, earthy, simple, complex, strong scented or more subtle. 

Image by: Free Your Fork

WAYS TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR BLEND

Both of these blends have that sugared citrus, lightly floral, hint of woodsy greens vibe that we all know & love in those candles. With slight differences. The 3-oil blend is sweeter, more sugared citrus. The 5-oil blend is more floral and nuanced.

Fully obsessed + you’ll find us diffusing this blend a LOT in our house. Here’s some ideas for EO swaps you can make and how to customize this blend into your dream candle scent:

• Swap Tangerine for Orange if you want a sweeter citrus note
• Use Idaho Blue Spruce in place of Northern Lights Black Spruce – I alternate depending on what’s in stock, or try adding Pine for more classically woodsy scent
• Add more Valor to play up the “sugared” citrus note
• Add more Grapefruit if you like a brighter, crisp, clean citrus vibe
• Add Lime if you want it to be more tropical
• Add a few drops of Stress Away to add a vanilla note
• Add Lemon if you want a fuller citrus scent
• https://www.freeyourfork.com/anthro-volcano-candle-diffuser-blend/

Image by: Free Your Fork

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR PURE ESSENTIAL OILS + BIOAVAILABLE SUPPLEMENTS?

If THE WELLNESS WELL tribe had a motto it would be “quality matters”.

So I like to source products and ingredients – food, beauty, home cleaning, personal care, etc – from companies that are in line with that same belief.

I source all my essential oils from one trusted place – Young Living. They never use fillers or add synthetic chemicals in their oils. So what you’re getting is only the good stuff – pure, potent, essential oils. 

I really dig their:

• Seed to Seal promise
• Commitment to consumer safety (in-house and third party testing)
• Radical ingredient transparency (ethical sourcing, trusted farms, full ingredient lists)

You can order your starter kit here & I’ll send you even more recipes and resources like these so you feel comfortable using all your oils!

Sign up as a Member – for 24% off retail prices (recommended) this does not mean you will ever have to sell anything, it just means you are getting a starter kit & will therefore get 24% off retail prices (just like Costco!) AND joining my deeper wellness education tribe!

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Stress (cortisol) and undereating or eating the wrong foods can be detrimental to our thyroid and halt the production of thyroid hormone.

Symptoms of low thyroid include:

2. Cortisol

Cortisol is the main stress hormone in the body, produced by the adrenal glands. While cortisol is absolutely necessary for our body, there can be too much of a good thing.

Symptoms of high cortisol include: 

Low cortisol conversely can cause:

Insulin can be the main culprit in weight loss resistance and once an imbalance starts it can be a difficult rollercoaster to get off of. Insulin can be quick to become imbalanced due to stress and poor dietary choices, making your cells essentially numb.

Insulin resistance or even just poor glycemic control can lead to symptoms of both hypoglycemia and elevated glucose levels, both which can make you hold on to weight in spite of what you might have thought were your best efforts. 

4. Testosterone

Testosterone is a key sex hormone that is required by both men and women. Testosterone is essential for fertility, muscle mass and growth, fat distribution and bone health. It can be common in women (and men) for testosterone to decline naturally with age; however, it is very important to not take the hormone testosterone without doing a hormone panel.

Taking endogenous testosterone can lead to a build-up of androgenic hormones and unpleasant side effects for women, including facial hair, muscle growth, headaches, mood swings, and weight gain.

Not having or producing enough testosterone can also make you gain weight and not be able to build any muscle. 

On the topic of androgens, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) can also be an issue and influence hormone balance and weight. Typically, this includes high fasting glucose, high sex hormones and their precursors such as testosterone and DHEA.

Symptoms of PCOS include:

Acne
Facial hair
Elevated blood sugar
And weight gain

With PCOS your body cannot clear hormones effectively.

Estrogen is the fifth hormone which is mainly responsible for giving women their figure. Estrogen is made in the ovaries and needs to be in balance with progesterone. There is a delicate line between having too little and too much estrogen.

High estrogen or estrogen dominance can make weight loss very challenging for both men and women.

Signs of High Estrogen:

If you are over 45, be sure to check out our blog about estrogen and to find out if taking bioidentical hormones is a smart choice for you. This hormone should not have been demonized as it has been, especially with regard to our menopausal years. 

When I was in private practice, I saw hundreds of women who were so frustrated because they were not eating much and they were exercising but still not losing weight, or worse, steadily gaining it with no known explanation. 

They felt like their body was being invaded and they were becoming someone different on the outside than they were on the inside. While this is a horrifying feeling, the good news is that it is possible to balance your hormones at any age and to reclaim your sense of self. 

When we are experiencing the above symptoms, it is all too common to add more hormones through bioidentical hormone therapy or other methods. While this can work wonders for some, if we add additional hormones into a stressed body that is already in chaos, the body will often react negatively or will not know what to do with the extra hormones. This results in hormones going through the wrong pathway or not being detoxified correctly, leading to weight gain, anxiety, skin or immune reactions, and added stress. 

There are two strategies we have used with wonderful results in private practice and just recently in the Adrenal ReCode program. (right now its 50% off, ask me for the code!)

These 2 pillars include:

These two well executed, alone, take care of insulin, cortisol, and thyroid hormone by helping to regulate blood sugar, balance stress hormones, and shuttle active thyroid hormone into the cell, therefore creating balance. 

From there, the liver will get healthier and be able to detoxify excess estrogen and you will be able to get the sex hormone balance your body needs because it will be able to pull from healthy stress hormone precursors to create the testosterone it needs.

Over 80% of the population is not able to actually utilize the food they consume into appropriate fuel for the body, which is part and parcel of why our society is so darn tired all the time and reaching for quick fixes like coffee or processed sugar. 

The foods we eat should benefit us to the fullest, revving our cellular energy centers (mitochondria) and brain, and supporting our microbiome. If we can include foods which are synergistic to our adrenals, thyroid, brain, and nervous system, we can then effectively kick-start the healing process.

Nutrients For The Thyroid:

Food sources include:

Nutrients For The Brain:

Amino acids are essential to balance neurotransmitters and play a great role in maintaining a balanced, healthy weight, such as:

Foods and herbs which are great for neurotransmitters include:

The Importance Of Macronutrient Ratios For Hormonal Health

Macronutrients include: 

The issue with diets today: they often cut out one group, such as low-fat, low-carb, high-fat. 

When we do that, we cannot expect our body to succeed long term. 

There is a reason we have three types of macronutrients; they all have important benefits for our health. 

The number one question we get when speaking about macronutrient ratios is, “what percentage do you recommend?” 

The answer to this is so unique and is dependent on your own body's feedback

If you are coming from a low or no carbohydrate diet, start slow with adding carbohydrates back in, like ⅛ cup twice a day. You will need to train your body to metabolize carbs once again, versus storing them as fat. 

Alternatively, if you have been consuming a low-fat diet for a long period of time, see how you feel adding a ½ teaspoon of fat into your meals and gradually work up from there. 

To go into more depth on what to eat and do in order to achieve hormone balance take THE WHOLE JOURNEYS  free mini-course, where sample meal ideas and recommendations are provided along with downloadable recipes.