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I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's in my 30's. 

This diagnosis made many of my random and frustrating symptoms make more sense. 

And it set me on a deep-dive journey to figure out how important the thyroid is and how it affects my health and hormones.

Understanding the connection between your endocrine and reproductive system is a game-changer. Your body is a whole component working together to keep you alive, healthy, and energetic. But when hormones start getting out of balance and shifting, it can cause dramatic results. Changing hormones doesn't mean you are at the mercy of crazy and frustrating symptoms. Let's discuss the importance of knowing your thyroid numbers, getting optimized, and ways to mitigate common symptoms.

What is the connection between perimenopause symptoms and the thyroid?

The thyroid is key to health. It is part of your Endocrine system and helps all hormones wor...

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Hitting menopause put me in a bad attitude.

I wasn't prepared.

I wasn't educated.

And I didn't care about mastering menopause since surviving this life change would be enough. Personally, I just wanted to cancel the whole thing.

You too?

I tend to always start things with a lousy attitude only to realize that it could be more helpful. And I miss all the good things in my challenging situation when I allow a bad mood. 

All women experience hormonal shifts, and it's important to understand that what worked in your twenties, thirties, or forties won't be helpful to your lifestyle and eating plan as much now. This is due to a decline in key hormones. 

You may notice this decline as hot flashes, night waking, and depression, or you might experience signs of hormone decline like decreased energy levels. Lower estrogen levels tend to catch the blame for menopausal symptoms because...

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I'm not going to change.

I'm not going to change the commitment I've made to myself.

That's exactly what Coach Kelly Rackley told herself all year long.

With one quick, impulsive decision, she committed to eating 100% on the Trim Healthy Mama plan for 365 days. 

The trajectory of her entire year took on a new look as she walked out this commitment day after day. And in the end, she learned more about herself and what eating Trim Healthy Mama really means.

MAKING A "DIET" YOUR LIFESTYLE

The ability to stay on the Trim Healthy plan has much more to do with how you talk to yourself than you might think. Kelly found this out with each passing day. Focusing her energy on solving her problems and pushing through the temptation rather than feeling deprived or sorry for herself took time and effort. 

She had to coach herself. 

"I literally truth taught myself out loud."

Becoming the...

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Impossible goals are. the. worst. 

And Anne felt like her health and weight loss goals were…impossible. 

She couldn't stick to the Trim Healthy Mama plan long enough to get traction. So…how was she supposed to find success in health and weight loss?

Hopeless and feeling like she was shoveling snow in a blizzard (she would know, she lives in Canada) - Anne kept trying. Eating on plan but falling off as soon as "life" happened. 

"I did not believe I would be able to find success for my health and weight loss. It seemed completely unmanageable." - Anne

One day, she reached out to me after a mutual friend recommended Feminine Freedom Path, my 6-month Coaching program. 

Her hormone and weight loss struggles made her a great candidate for Feminine Freedom Path. Years of blaming and shaming her lack of commitment didn't take into account her hormones needing to be optimized. 

It ...

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Wouldn't life be simpler if losing weight was actually a calorie-in/calories-out math equation? But in reality, eating less and exercising more does not guarantee you lose belly fat. And as you get older, it can create the opposite and cause you to increase in weight and inches instead. So, let's get this figured out. In menopause, your body needs supported hormones and strategic exercising to burn fat faster without burning you out.

STOP DOING SO MUCH CARDIO

A few decades ago, cardio was all the rage. Women couldn't get enough of it and thought this was the magic pill to weight loss. We now have the research to prove this is not true, and excessive cardio is not beneficial for women at any age. But in menopause, you for sure do not need more cardio. 

Let's also clear up the confusion around cardiovascular disease and cardio exercise. Doing one doesn't negate the other. The cause of cardiovascular d...

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I was sick and I didn’t even know it.

I was a mess. My hormones are out of whack, my energy levels were at an all-time low, and my mindset was toxic. I couldn’t get enough sleep. Day in and day out, I would think about how miserable I was. This, combined with the loss of a close friend and two of my teens struggling with other issues, led to a lot of stress. I was also going through perimenopause, which caused many hormonal imbalances in my body.

I tried to fix myself. I’d exercise, but if I overdid it, it would mess with my adrenals. I tried the Whole Raw diet, but that wrecked my gut. It got to the point where I finally threw in the towel and visited my Gynecologist. She gave me two options:

Either go on the pill, or start taking antidepressants.

I left the building furious and in tears. I couldn’t do that. This led me to a time of heavy study and discussion about hormones, food, and health. I would share what I learned ...

Menopause keys to weight loss

Choose foods that are anti-inflammatory to your body. Include foods that boost your gut health and gut microbiome and eat foods that are known to support hormone balance. This is the time of life to choose quality. No more cheap oils and processed, packaged “foods”. Your body is ready and eager to be blessed with nourishing foods. 

Protein is Queen!

Every single meal you consume needs to have a protein source at the center. Begin to diversify your protein choices by including more fish and more plant proteins. 

Find ways to lighten up your meals and use less heavy dairy products. Your body is less efficient at burning through some of the heavier fats, so it is time to make some changes.

An easy way to lighten up your protein-centered meal can be by choosing a protein (think fish), a non-starchy vegetable, and a garnish of fat, roughly about a Tablespoon.

 Instead of a Heavy S meal (animal protein + cheese + mayo + eggs + butter) shift to creati...

Hormones play a large part of fat loss and I'm not just talking about estrogen, progesterone, testosterone or DHEA. I'm talking about all your hormones, but especially insulin, cortisol, thyroid, and estrogen. Those four hormones are really mack daddy hormones that contribute to weight loss. 

The great thing about the Trim Healthy Mama plan is that everything that it stands for and all of the concepts the plan is based on help us with regulating blood sugar. There are some things though that need to change in our 40-plus season. These are the steps that we focus on in the Feminine Freedom path. Making these changes takes time and you might be frustrated with where you are right now. But if you can apply these principles, and you're consistent, then you can start shrinking fat cells, and you can see results. So I just want you to put on your patience. 

The Trim Healthy Mama plan is our foundation, staying on plan is key but we tweak it for our older season. I'm going to share...

What if you could love your menopausal body no matter what?

What if you knew that the symptoms you experience are just part of the menopause transition and they are taking you to a better place?

You do not have to be a victim to hormonal changes and crazy symptoms. You can have relief through this transition and support your body well while you manage your hormones. 

Symptoms during menopause like joint pain, aches, hot flashes and trouble sleeping are usually temporary. But the better you treat yourself, the better you are going to feel.

When you were younger you could push self-care to the bottom of your priority list. That is no longer the case! Punishment & deprivation are out. Neglect of your needs and desires has had its day. This season is a time for you to love on your body.

Choose to make peace with your body during menopause. Understand that your body is changing and needs support and care not anger and frustration. Treat your body with the care it dese...

Low self-esteem can cause negative self-talk. This can further lower your self-esteem causing a vicious cycle where you continually feel bad about yourself. The good news is that you can change the way you talk to and about yourself. When you conquer negative self-talk, your self-esteem will improve. You’ll gain more self-confidence and you’ll feel more optimistic about your life in general. 

If you’re ready to break the cycle of negativity, you need to understand these essential truths. 

Actions follow thoughts, so your thoughts are important. 

Your actions always begin with your thoughts. If you think that you’re destined to be overweight, then it doesn’t matter how many diet books you buy or how many nutritionists you talk to, you’re still going to be overweight. You’ll stay overweight because you haven’t changed your mindset. 

If you want to change your life, you have to change your thoughts first. Instead of thinking that you’re destined to be overweight, flip the script....