"Unlocking the Secrets to Wealth From Within"

I want you to read the title of this blog post, and visualize what wealth means to you.

I wake up every day and tell myself I am wealthy, because I am. However- my version of wealth and how I decide to view wealth may be different than yours. I believe that true wealth comes from within.

I drive a Toyota Corolla, I get most of my clothes and house decorations from goodwill, my cell phone is from 2017, and I definitely will not miss a good deal when it comes to couponing at the grocery store. So from the outside looking in so many people would say I am not extremely wealthy. However, I do not let external things label me as "wealthy or not wealthy." Wealth is not just about the materialistic things and your external world, wealth also comes from within.

To me and a lot of other self help entrepreneurs- internal wealth is so much more important than any form of external wealth such as money, cars, clothes, etc. There are many celebrities and multimillionaire entrepreneurs who have it all in their "external world." They have the money, fame, cars, and million dollar homes, but many are still the unhappiest they've ever been. Why is this?

Your external world no matter how much you try- will not bring you internal happiness. I was that person in my early 20s focusing on finding happiness through my external world. I was comparing myself and idolizing my friends and family members who had the luxury cars, luxury clothes, and houses I never felt worthy of owning. Focusing on these things left me feeling even emptier on the inside. It wasn't until reading some self help books and listening to a lot of different podcasts that I came up with the following internal dialogue in my head, and reframed my views and moral compass around wealth:

Wealth and Happiness comes from within. You will only find happiness within when you stop chasing the materialistic things in your external world.

If you are someone who is continuing to seek happiness by chasing things in the external world like fame, cars, and luxury houses, I want you to ask yourself what exactly are you chasing? Validation? Happiness? Self Worth? Self Confidence?

You won't find it by chasing things in your external world. Start investing into yourself. Starting chasing things that bring you peace, balance, and joy internally. This is the true definition of wealth.

Pouring into yourself by doing things that make your internal world brighter will create a byproduct of happiness and wealth. Pouring into your external world by buying materialistic things will only create an illusion of internal happiness and wealth. These materialistic items for some will come at the cost of debt which over time will build up and create internal feelings of stress, resentment, anger, and frustration.

So from my own mistakes, road bumps, and experiences- I will share the three most important things that helped bring me internal wealth and happiness!

1) Finding Wealth Through Human Experiences

Something my fiancé and I both define as wealth is creating experiences and memories. We laugh and joke about how we live our life in four different boxes. We have our house which is our main box. Our places of work being our second box. The gym would be our third box, and the grocery store is our fourth box. Over the days, weeks, and months I will look at him and say I'm getting claustrophobic in our boxes, and am feeling like a robot- lets get out and breathe. Lucky for us we are at a time in our lives where we can go on adventures and trips to reground, re-center, and find balance and peace again internally. Being young, and only having animals-we have the support and love from our families to get away and break free from "robot" mode.

Even if you can't get away for long periods of time- that's okay. Find a day or even a few hours and take yourself to the place that re-centers and grounds you most. You can find so much internal wealth and happiness through life experiences because they shape us into who we are.

I always begin with the end in mind when I choose what to prioritize in my life, and those are things that bring my soul internal happiness. Prioritizing travel and experiences is more important to my values and morals because one day when I take my last breath I want to be remembered for the trips I took, the different cultures I diversified myself in, and the memories I created with the people I traveled beside.

Getting out and experiencing the world is a great way find wealth internally. The luxury cars will eventually break down, when you are gone your dream house may get remodeled because the next buyer didn't like your taste, and lastly all that money and fame doesn't go with you when you are gone. When people pass- they are remembered for how they treated others, the experiences that molded them into who they were, and the memories they made with those closest to them. These memories will be passed down to future generations. They won't remember your for your materials, they will remember you for your values, morals, and impact.

2. Find Wealth Through Gratitude

I have found so much internal happiness and wealth through the practice of gratitude. Rather than wishing and wanting more, more, more- I try to find happiness in what I currently have. When we lose sight of practicing gratitude, we start to operate from a place of lack, rather than a place of prosperity and abundance.

As a kid- I would have never known that my dad raised three kids and wasn't extremely wealthy. This was a realization that I came to as an adult. Growing up my sisters and I always had a roof over our heads, clean clothes, and food in our pantry.

Today my dad is thriving. He has his own business, a beautiful home, lots of grandkids, a beautiful truck, and the four wheeler he and I always dreamed of having when I was a kid. He always says things like you are going to be mad at me because I finally got that four wheeler, and it is quite the opposite- I am so proud of all that he has done.

The lesson in this all- is throughout my upbringing he never operated from a place of lack. He always practiced gratitude for what he had. He would never admit this to me now because he is the most humble person I know.

When raising us he probably desired all the things he has now, but never operated from a scarcity mindset. He was grateful for all that he had. Fast forward to today- he has all of his desires, and that makes his internal world so much brighter and fuller. If he was chasing more, more, when raising us- he would have lost sight of all that he already had. So now in the present moment with all that he desires- he can sit with abundance and appreciation for all that the universe and higher power has brought into his life. This is what makes you wealthy inside- practicing through a a lens of Gratitude..... not a lens of deprivation.

Gratitude is so powerful. It helps you be present, or at least circle you back into the present moment when you are practicing it. God will allow my life to be filled with the external things I desire when the time is right. Just like my dad- the external things are nice and something I desire in the future, but I already am grateful for all the external things I have.

I am just like my dad when he raised us- I have a roof over my head, I have clean clothes (when I actually do laundry lol), I never go to bed hungry, and I have lots of experiences and memories with those I love and care about. If it is meant to be by those above us- I too one day will have all that I desire. I will have the house I always dreamed of, the car I always wanted, and that dream beach-house on a ridgeline in Hawaii that I can drink my morning coffee and watch the sun rise at.

However- for now I focus on what I have, and if this is all I ever get I am still abundant. I have family members and friends who support me, I have a car, a house, and a roof over my head. I have a paycheck so I can afford groceries, and treat myself to an ice cream every once in a while. If I didn't focus on all that I have- my internal wealth would be non-existent.

3. Finding Wealth Through Healthy Habits

The last and final tip for finding wealth is to prioritize healthy habits on a daily basis.

I would love to spend my nights scrolling media for instant dopamine. Even though scrolling on my phone gives me instant gratification I know it is not a healthy habit that fills me up internally, so I try my hardest to prioritize reading self help books to grow, and in turn help others grow.

I would love to spend nights on the couch watching TV and eating out, but I know this is not healthy for the long term, so instead I prioritize eating a more whole food based meal and prioritize movement over being sedentary because I know that will make me wealthier internally.

When I am stressed I would love to turn to a beer or glass of wine to calm my mind. However, I know this is not wealthy or healthy for me internally, so instead I prioritize meditating and journaling to help me through the stressful storms that life brings my way.

It is so hard to recognize that practicing and maintaining healthier habits in your life will bring you more internal wealth. Healthy habits that make a positive bank statement on your identity will create a byproduct of internal happiness. Habits that make a negative bank statement on your identity will sometimes create a byproduct of instant dopamine for the short term, followed by feelings of anguish, regret, and resentment.

When you are able to connect your habits with what truly brings you happiness internally- you are cracking the code to wealth.

We often times lose sight of practicing healthy habits because they can be frictional to implement, and that is usually because most people try to implement a healthier lifestyle by falling victim to the all or none approach to lifestyle change:

Some examples of the all or none- mindset

- People who say they will start again next Monday

-People who overcommit and underperform with their daily habits/behaviors. This would be someone who doesn't exercise at all, and will start a wellness journey by committing to exercise 5x a week for an hour a day. Too much friction from the outset will create a lot of inconsistency with habits, and inhibit individuals from reaching their goals.

-People who have to be all in with their wellness journey and habits, or not in at all (Keto diet, carnivore diet, low carb diet, no cheat meals)

-Instant gratification habits like fad dieting

When you start trying to live a wealthier life internally by practicing healthier daily habits the process should be slow, gradual, realistic, and enjoyable. Habits can not be adopted overnight, and often times take weeks, months, and years to adopt into your true identity.

Don't beat yourself up if you feel far from internal wealth in regards to your daily habits. Self- awareness is step 1. When you become aware you need to make healthier choices and habits in your daily life- you then create a system to slowly, gradually, and manageably start finding alignment your ideal self. Don't be afraid to hire a wellness coach (cough cough- I am one) if you need accountability and guidance to get there.

I wrote this blog post to help you become aware that WEALTH does not need to be defined by your external world. Wealth can be internal happiness, peace, and abundance. So after reading this post- I hope you have some tools and strategies to start creating a WEALTHY life internally.

"The Transformative Power of Healing: How Healing Can Change Your Life"

Find Your Healthiest Self Again Through Inward Growing and Healing

Healing has been something I've really focused on the last few years of my wellness journey. I have been working on healing because with some inward inventory I noticed that a huge roadblock with my mental and spiritual health was my inability to grow as a person because I let my negative experiences in life consume me. I now recognize that when you look at any experience as a lesson rather than with a victim "why me" mentality- you see the world in a much brighter/more abundant lens. It is crazy thinking about it now.. because a few years ago outwardly I came off to a lot of people as caring, kind, and selfless- BUT that was not what I used to feel like on the inside. More days than not I was falling victim to letting my experiences control and dictate my happiness. My past traumas and negative experiences were not looked at through a positive lens, so this caused me to develop a victim mentality. I put up walls, mental road blocks, and ran away from facing, feeling, and growing through my negative trauma and experiences. Over the last few years I have worked on inward learning, healing, and growing to become the best and most ideal version of myself. Recognizing and becoming aware that you are falling victim to your experiences that are out of your control is the only way you will be able to begin healing, reprogramming your thought patterns, and living life with a more abundant lens. So follow along if you are looking for some tips, tricks, and even transparency with healing, and I will also share some my own healing and growing journey! 

When I first started a healing journey I immediately felt huge resistance, and a lot of regression before seeing one sign of progress. Just like any new routine or habit that you adopt- you initially are faced with friction, self doubt, resentment, and frustration. Changing your daily thought patterns, behaviors, actions, and habits can take weeks, months, and years, and it will never be perfect because you are human. Our brain loves to take the path of least resistance, so trying to grow as a person with your mind, body, and spirit usually comes at the cost of a lot of ongoing friction in your life.

I've learned healing through previous experiences and trauma is the same way too. It can get messy and unbearable at times. It takes a lot of unraveling, untethering, and acceptance to really heal through certain parts of your life and the flaws that you so willingly try to hide and bury deep down inside of you.

For me personally, I started to recognize the same lesson and same scenarios being played on repeat in my life. I didn't see change and healing until I decided to go internal and question why does the same lesson and experience keep being presented to me over and over again. I have recently begun calling these negative experiences lessons, because when you look at your experiences as lessons rather than in a negative light- you are able to be humble, honest, and stay in alignment with your best self by working through them and not burying them deep inside of you to never bring them up again.

Reflecting on a lesson doesn't mean you have to act like everything is okay.. you can admit the lesson is tough, and that you are having a hard time with it- but it is important that you don't allow that experience to consume you, and change you into someone who views the world with a victim mentality. These people are always saying things like "why me," and good things only happen to people because of "luck." These people fall victim to their circumstances, and don't have appreciation or gratitude for the good things going on in their life- they only focus on the negatives happening around them- which makes their external world negative.

And I'm only rambling about having a victim mentality surrounding your experiences, because I used to be one of these people, and I still am at times. However- I consciously make an effort to recognize and become aware if I'm stumbling back into these old behaviors, actions, habits, limiting beliefs and thought patterns.

When you are noticing the same lessons being presenting to you over and over again.. this is a sign from god/source that you are in need of healing. It is okay to accept that the other person is probably at fault too, but it doesn't hurt to hold yourself accountable and inventory if your previous traumas and insecurities are causing you to react a certain way. We all have trauma and insecurities that we project onto others, and the only way to find alignment with our truest and most authentic self- is to reflect on these experiences and come to a mutual understanding that sometimes our reactions to certain situations are a byproduct of our traumas and insecurities we try to hide from others. So when you come to the point that you don't want to keep having the same lesson over and over again and on repeat.. you have to choose to heal.. no matter how frictional and hard it seems at first...

The first step to healing is to recognize you are hurting, or recognize the way you project onto others or get triggered by certain environments and conversations can be directly related to your previous traumas and experiences from as early as your childhood.

How many times have you seen someone fall victim to their environment or to how someone treats them? A great example is someone who talks about only having partners who cheat on them. This person keeps picking unfaithful partners. May as well label their partners as James 1, James II, and James III. It's like they keep picking the same character on the inside, but they just look a little different externally. Like build an avatar on your computer. Your avatar may look different on the outside, but their inward traits seem to always be the same. This person keeps picking people with different looks but the same traits, habits, actions, behaviors, values, and morals. They are untrustworthy, selfish, unable to commit, and deceitful. Obviously- any person who cheats or is unfaithful is displaying horrible behavior patterns. But if this is a constant lesson you keep having in your life- stop pointing your finger and placing blame solely on the other people cheating on you.. take some time to recognize this is a pattern, a repeating lesson, and something that continuously happens in your life so INWARDLY you may have some healing to do.

So why does the same lesson keep happening, and what can you learn from it through healing? In the example above- a person with poor self esteem and poor self worth will allow cheating and untrustworthy people into their life subconsciously, and this usually stems from unhealed trauma, experiences, and insecurities. It doesn't have to be a partner either, it can be a family member, friend, or co-worker. These people try to bring you down, they make you question your worth, and when around them you don't feel good about yourself.

My first boyfriend in high-school cheated on me my junior year. Looking back on it now I laugh and am so grateful for this lesson today because it made me fight for ME, my self worth, my self esteem, and to truly be grateful for the right people who have come into my life and supported me. It has also given me so much opportunity to learn and grow since I had to keep facing this lesson with friends and partners throughout my 20s.

Back when my high-school boyfriend cheated on me and the following boyfriends I had who cheated or were unfaithful to me following him- caused my brain and ego to take on the identity of a person who was labeled as not being interesting, not worthy or capable of being loved, and not being enough for my friends, future partners, or family members.

At the time of dating "toad after toad" lol... I didn't have the tools and strategies to decipher that was my ego talking harshly about me, and that those were thoughts that were not true.

Fast forward to now... two thousand podcasts later, lots of self help books, and a wellness coaching certification/minor in psychology- I was able to provide myself the tools and strategies for healing through these negative thought patterns and limiting beliefs, and something I so divinely feel like sharing with others because I was that person who had a limiting belief system that I was not worthy of high value partners and friends. With that victim mentality and "why me" mindset- I was constantly seeing the same lessons repeat in my life. Friends who didn't truly want to get to know me for me and feeling like the "filler friend," partners who didn't value me for me and what I had to offer as a person, and people pleasing so much because I never felt like enough for others. It was so draining- that I felt hollow inside.

I fell victim time after time to settling for less than I deserved, feeling devalued, and feeling criticized. This caused me to project my insecurities onto others in the form of jealousy, rage, resentment, anger, mood swings, and a lot of negative self talk about myself and others. When someone would hurt my feelings I would hold a grudge and refuse to face my problems, and talk to them about how they made me feel- because I was worried they would label me as "unlovable". Over time I was able to recognize that I truly was the only person suffering. People hold onto their own traumas through their upbringing and experiences, so a lot of times- a person isn't even aware you are mad or upset with them because they have their own fears, insecurities, and inner battles to fight with. The only way you can heal through feelings of resentment, jealousy, and bitterness is facing it head on. It is so important to hold true to your inner voice and wisdom when approaching conversations, experiences, and social settings.

Facing all the self doubt and limited beliefs that were imbedded into my though patterns, daily habits, and behaviors was not easy. It took months and even years to change the way I spoke to myself. I still struggle with it to this day.. for me- the biggest change was when I began enjoying time with myself to learn about who I was, what makes me joyous, what makes me grounded, and what makes me motivated to serve others.

When you learn about yourself by spending time in solitude you do not allow others to take your power away. You stand strong and humble in all that you are. You begin enjoying the process of loving you for you... your strengths, weaknesses, flaws, insecurities, and past experiences. You learn to fall in love with all those parts of you. You wouldn't be here today without them.

The biggest thing I have noticed about healing from situations, conversations, and past traumas- is it does hurt initially, but as time goes on you have an ability to live life in the present moment more freely, joyously, and unattached to old resentment and insecurities. We spend so much time hiding our insecurities and shadows- that we don't truly live life in alignment with our ideal self until we face them and heal through them. So after reading this post, I encourage you to do some inward inventory.. start monitoring your thought patterns and how you talk to yourself. Change your lens, perspective and how you view the world from a negative light to a positive light. Start talking to yourself how you would talk and treat others, and lastly- if you are trying to hide parts of yourself from others- those are the parts of you that need healed most.. so Happy Healing.

Sincerely,

Julie

"Effective Strategies for Improving Your Nutritional Health"

Camping Eats- Photo by GWV Productions

Before we dive into talking about the what, why, and how to improving your nutritional health- I graciously thank you for joining me today for another one of my blog posts. I have created the Happy Habits 30 Day Challenge to get people aware and aligned with health and wellness habits focused on improving 4 core areas of a person's overall wellbeing, and that includes their physical health, nutritional health, mental health, and spiritual health. Last week we talked about physical health, and this week we are going to dive into nutritional health!

As a side note- My Happy Habits Challenge is set to start July 15th, 2023 for anyone interested in joining. We will focus on improving your daily habits surrounding your physical, nutritional, mental, and spiritual health. Just email me at jayfitness4you@gmail.com! It is free to join, and I am holding this to inspire and gift men and women as a collective the tools, strategies, and accountability to improving their mind, body, and spirit!

You are what you eat

Today we are going to talk about one of the four areas of your overall wellbeing and that is your Nutritional Health. This blog is going to break down the definition of nutritional health, and provide a system and strategies you can start implementing TODAY to improve your nutritional health and in turn your overall wellbeing. In my own personal experiences, trials, and tribulations when I started working on making healthier nutritional choices- I started feeling a more inward sense of happiness overall. When you prioritize healthier actions, behaviors, and habits- the byproduct will be a healthier mind, body, and spirit.

So... the statement you are what you eat could not be more true. I have continued to improve my nutritional health over the years by staying present, and practicing awareness with my daily nutritional habits, choices, and behaviors. It is of equal importance to monitor and ensure your daily nutritional habits are in alignment with your short term goals, long term goals, and long term health. I want you to answer this question right now in the present moment- are my habits/behaviors around my nutritional choices in alignment with my short term goals, and long term health? If yes- how so, if no- how come?

Whatever you answered is not a wrong answer, and either way the purpose of today's blog is to get more clarity on the topic of nutritional health, and to provide you tools and resources to improve your nutritional health in the moment when making decisions and taking action, and for your long term health.

What is nutritional health?

Nutritional health is the food you fuel your body with. Your daily habits, actions, and behaviors surrounding nutritional health have the ability to upgrade and improve your overall wellbeing, or downgrade and negatively impact your overall wellbeing. Through my own education, resources, podcasts, and mentors-I have found that what you eat ALSO plays a huge role on your mental, spiritual, and physical health.

If you do not eat enough on a daily basis you will feel tired, lethargic, lack motivation, have zero energy, and be underweight in an unhealthy way. On the opposite spectrum you could eat too much and also feel tired, lethargic, have zero energy, and be overweight in an unhealthy way. Which leads us to why people are always trying to improve their nutritional health both for short term goals, and for long term health.

Whatever goal you have with your nutritional health- most people are trying to prioritize and find a healthy relationship "mentally and spiritually" with food, and the right balance of foods that fuels your body appropriately "physically."

Most people internally feel happier and healthier when they find a relationship with food where they prioritize the following:

1. Eating a healthy amount of food on a daily basis (with the right ingredients)

2. Have enough energy to exercise/move throughout the day

3. Are in a good headspace mentally/spiritually

4. Are at a healthy/manageable weight per health standards

5. Feel confident about their body image, feel good in their own skin

However- It is very easy to get out of alignment with who we want to be when it comes to our health and wellness goals by falling victim to our surroundings, or participating in a negative habit/behavior for instant gratification/short term fulfillment even if it isn't the best decision for our long term health. This downward spiral of motivation and falling victim to poor nutritional habits will start one day, and a few years later you hear someone say "I don't even recognize the person I'm looking at in the mirror anymore"

You are not alone in this battle to finding a healthy relationship and balance with your nutritional health. We all fall victim to negative deposit nutritional health behaviors/habits, and when we recognize that we are not in alignment with our best self- that is where we have to find the confidence in ourselves to beat those old negative habits/behaviors, and create new and improved ones.

When I first started practicing awareness and alignment with my physical and nutritional health goals- I found myself wasting so much time and energy in my early to mid twenties drinking excess amounts of alcohol, eating junk food, feeling tired and lethargic from processed foods, and running on caffeine to get through the day because I had poor sleeping habits. My habits, actions, and behaviors were not in alignment with that vision of my "ideal self" I was inwardly longing for. I allowed myself to fall a victim of my circumstances, and my environment. I told myself false narratives like "if I don't go out and drink every weekend I won't fit in with my college friends," and "eating junk food is all I can do because I am a student and that's all I have time for." I also prioritized staying out late partying with friends so when I woke up in the morning I craved junk food and caffeine- not sunshine and movement.

The byproduct of me practicing these habits and behaviors out of alignment with my "ideal self" were poor self esteem/poor self confidence internally, and resentment with myself externally when I looked in the mirror. I had always been a person in my early childhood to late teens with the identity being physically fit and in good health. So when I came to the realization I wasn't living life in alignment with that anymore- I was heartbroken, devastated, and feeling lost.

So I want you to honestly ask yourself- are my habits, behaviors, and actions on a daily basis surrounding my nutritional health in alignment with my health and wellness goals? This can be a hard and triggering question to ask yourself, and for some people food is like a foreign language, and the education and resources out there can be conflicting and confusing.

So an example I have used to help my clients who struggle with what a healthy diet should "look like" is to close your eyes and visualize someone you really look up to. What do you think their daily habits surrounding their nutritional health look like? How much do they differ from yours? This may help recognize if you are practicing habits/behaviors out of alignment with your ideal self.

From my experiences in the field of health and wellness- I feel called and encouraged to share my own personal reflections on why people struggle to improve their nutritional health. These are my own reflections with zero intentions to trigger anybody. These reflections are from previous clients being vulnerable and opening up to me on their own personal struggles surrounding their nutritional health, and from my own personal struggles I have had in the past and presently.

1.) The food that we have access to may not have our long term health in mind

The food we have access to at the grocery store- specifically the inward aisles- are processed, pumped with added chemicals/dyes, artificial sweeteners, added sugars/sugar alcohols, and are nutrient poor which leaves you just wanting/craving more. These types of foods that contain the above ingredients can cause hormonal imbalances, weight gain, sugar cravings, joint pain, and even GI issues if consumed frequently and in large portions.

However- processed foods have become a profitable market, the food corporations can't help but have them easily accessible to us anywhere we go. People are frequently choosing the processed items over the fresh/whole food items because of "convenience" and because they are loaded with artificial sweeteners making them "taste better." The added sugars and chemically engineered ingredients leave you craving and wanting more, and you can't deny the sweet/salty or very rich tastes your brain remembers after having them.

Even if you don't want to eat sweets/chemically engineered foods- when we eat these types of foods our body subconsciously releases serotonin- an ACTUAL hormone that makes you "feel good". So our body and brain starts to associate processed foods with pleasure, which can have severely determinantal long term consequences if we don't prioritize eating these foods "in moderation" and for "special occasions."

In recent years I believe our country as a collective has lost the ability to eat these types of foods in moderation, and only as a treat for special occasions. Instead these high sugar, highly processed food items have become necessities on everybody's weekly grocery list, in our snacking cupboards/pantries, and with our everyday meals/snacks. The rise in obesity is at an all time high because our country has quick access to these high sugar, highly processed, nutrient poor foods leaving us eating more than needed on a daily basis, and with the wrong balance of nutrients (carbs, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals). So how do we fix this dilemma since we can't go anywhere without temptation? Well I don't feel like the processed easily accessible food is going anywhere anytime soon.... so all we can do is try our best to be HEALTHIER and MORE BALANCED with our nutritional choices on a daily basis. Become aware of your food choices.

2.) Several Cultures center holidays and special occasions around food so when you are trying to make healthier choices with your eating habits it is not always ideal.

Different cultures and many countries center their holidays and special occasions around food, and the norm of holidays is to eat large amounts of baked goods, alcohol, and highly processed food items. Think of the pies on thanksgiving, the cookies on Christmas, the green colored beer on St Patrick's Day, and the peanut butter filled chocolate candy eggs on Easter.

There is nothing wrong with indulging on the holidays in moderation, and enjoying yourself, but the way we "indulge" and the degree of "indulgence" around the holidays can create a toxic mindset, and negative thought patterns which allow these negative deposit eating habits to become a pattern, a routine, and part of who we are/our identity. When we eat these items, our brain continues to crave them, want them, and we have the urge to start allowing them into our daily lives/eating routines. The candy/cookies stays in our house for weeks after the holidays, so we continue consuming them, the drinking on special occasions turns into drinking every weekend which alters our inhibitions and causes us to eat the things we know we shouldn't have.

Over time these negative nutritional habits add up, and can cause personal hardships like weight gain, poor self esteem, poor self worth, and long term health consequences. Poor nutritional choices can also cause a byproduct of negative thought patterns about our self worth, self confidence, body image, and overall wellbeing. So instead of healing our relationship with food and implementing healthier habits- we use the trigger (negative eating habits) as the solution to our problems/emotions . Since we are not actually finding the right solution (developing healthier eating habits) to the problem (untethering and healing negative eating behaviors) - it leaves us in a constant downward spiral of motivation, and will never fix the root cause since we are just intensifying it.

3.) The type of foods we choose to eat for convenience and instant gratification is not necessarily good for our long term health

I don't really need to speak much on this as I already did before, but sticking to whole foods and food items with minimal ingredients on the nutrition label 80% of the time is the best way to approach your nutritional habits and choices. When we fall victim to foods that are processed for convenience or because they "taste better" this isn't necessarily beneficial to our long term health and aging as awesome as it feels in the moment. We all deserve our favorite treat in moderation, but there is a difference between eating the processed foods in moderation and as a treat, and eating them in excess which will effect our long term health.

4.) The standards social media has placed on us and our body image has created several countries as a collective to have a horrible relationship with food and their body image.

As many of you know I have been very transparent with my body building journey, and the habits/behaviors it took me to reach my show day physique. I was in prep for 14 weeks to try to reach a peak and ideal physique for show day (pictured below). This took perfect nutritional choices, 5-6 days a week of strength/cardio training (I would train for close to 2 hours each session), perfect sleep, perfect hydration, monitoring of sodium/fiber, and daily vitamins/supplements. It was something I trained for, and accepted I would only be able to maintain for the short term because it is not healthy on my mind, body, and spirit for the long term. However, what media doesn't tell you is the "ideal body" they show in magazines, on TV, and plaster over the billboards is not maintainable all year around, and often times cosmetically altered.

Young women in our country and several other countries think that they should look the way their idols/celebrities' in Hollywood do. So a big contributor to why so many people have a poor relationship with food and their body image is because media has failed us, the younger generations, and our country as a whole for showing an unrealistic and unmaintainable body image standard.

Me on show day. It took me 14 weeks of perfect nutrition (whole food only, minimal calories), exercise 5-6x a week, proper sleep, vitamins, and hydration/sodium monitoring to look like this. Not maintainable and not healthy for the long term.

6. Food is fuel, and some people don't eat enough to fuel their body 

As mentioned above- a lot of people fall victim to media and what they portray as the ideal body image- so they spend countless hours training, doing cardio, and walking, but aren't even eating enough to fuel their body for their activities of daily life, workouts, and mental/spiritual health. Ideally the best way to prolong age effects is to fuel your body appropriately so that you can exercise frequently with a solid strength training/cardiovascular routine. Another helpful way to increase the amount of food you can intake on a daily basis is to build muscle through strength training, and the only way to build muscle is to fuel your body appropriately with the right types of food. The issue with trying to build muscle is that in order to to build muscle you have to strength train outside of a calorie deficit- and most people are too scared to eat outside of a calorie deficit because of fear of "getting fat" or "putting on weight". This leaves them doing hours of endless cardio, suppressing their metabolism because of extreme dieting, feeling dizzy/lightheaded, feeling tired, feeling lethargic, and overall not feeling happy/healthy mentally, physically, spiritually, and nutritionally.

I came to the realization that most bodies do not healthfully handle extended dieting for the long term. So that is why it is important not to spend all your time dieting, and you should also be prioritizing time periods/phases where you are effectively building muscle and eating out of a deficit/diet. Personally, I began having a healthier relationship with food when I discovered you should not be in a "diet" all year around. I learned to fall in love with my off season body, and my "muscle building" body. When I came to this epiphany- my jaw hit the floor because growing up my friends and several of my family members were always broadcasting and promoting some type of diet (atkins, military, keto, etc). This lead me to have a self limiting belief system that diet culture was the norm, and that you should always be on a diet.

To this day- I feel people think the standard is to be on a "diet," but in my own personal opinion and several other health and wellness coaches opinions- that couldn't be further from the truth. You need to spend time out of dieting/deficits to keep your metabolism/hormones efficiently working.

So change the lens at which your view your nutritional health and release the stigma around "diet" culture and "fad diets." Start prioritizing healthier eating as a lifestyle and a process for your healthiest self, not to meet the unrealistic expectations and standards that Hollywood's ideal body image places on us.

As a health and wellness coach- I try to shift my clients lens of focus with nutrition on being more mindful, making and creating healthier choices and habits, and eating to fuel your body. If one of my clients has a fat loss goal we tackle that together, but in a way that will not cause long term negative effects on their metabolism, hormones, mental health, spiritual health, physical health, and overall wellbeing.

7. Food is used in a negative way (such as binging) to cope with trauma or emotions, and this can play a detrimental role on your overall wellbeing. 

We talked about this early, and how eating foods high in refined sugars/added sugars will release serotonin- an instant "feel good" hormone. The issue with this is you get that instant spike of serotonin after indulging, which feels good immediately, but most people feel immediately regretful or spiteful with themselves because they know the act of eating/binging food in excess to cope with their emotions is not healthy for the long term.

The first step in recognizing if you are practicing this habit of binging food to deal with trauma or negative emotions is to become self aware if this is happening. A lot of us develop a victim mentality around food, and create false narratives and scenarios in our heads like "I had a bad day so this is okay," "my best friend made me do it," "I will never give up sugar that's just how I am." These narratives create/program your subconscious brain to believe this thought is true/valid, and if you tell yourself these narratives over and over again and repetitively it will eventually becomes a subconscious habit just like brushing your teeth. So any time you go through a negative thought pattern or have a trauma response you instantly have the urge to binge/use food to cope with your emotions.

So you have to work triple time to CONCIOSULY become aware if your using binge eating to cope with your emotions in a negative way. When you consciously start to recognize your eating/binging is a coping mechanism for your negative emotions or trauma you can start working hard to reprogram your brain, and implement a healthier habit that will better benefit your long term health. Some examples include walking, meditating, journaling, listening to your favorite podcast, or taking a bubble bath. They may not give you the instant serotonin spike like sugar does, but usually after you complete the habit- you feel happier rather than remorseful. The famous motivational speaker Jay Shetty once said focus on how you feel after completing a habit, action, or behavior. If you feel happier after you complete it- that's a sign you are making "healthier" choices. If you feel less happy, remorseful, or regretful after you complete a habit, action, or behavior that is a sign you are making a choice out of alignment with your ideal/healthiest self.

The process and strategies to improve your nutritional health

Step 1 to improving your nutritional health is to be present enough in each moment so that you can become aware if your daily habits, choices, and behaviors are in alignment with your ideal/happiest self. Some inventory questions that have really helped me and some of my clients improve their nutritional health include the following:

1. What is your relationship with food currently, how does it make you feel?

2. Do you often use food to cope with any negative emotion or thought pattern. e.g- eat when sad, drink when sad, eat/drink when you get in a fight with a family member?

3. Have you always been trying to diet down or reach an ideal physique your whole life? Why?

4. Do you find yourself constantly thinking about food?

5. Do you look at food to fuel your body and in a positive way, or do you look at food negatively?

6. Do you label foods as "good" or "bad"

7. Do you feel like your eating habits are in alignment with your health and wellness goals honestly?

8. What are your roadblocks for developing healthier eating habits? How can we improve and prioritize more time in your daily schedule to prioritize your nutritional health?

Asking yourself these questions can be step 1 in recognizing if you have a healthy relationship with your nutritional health, and if your eating habits are in alignment with your goals/ideal self. These questions can also help identify if you use food in a negative way- like using it to cope with emotional triggers. If you recognize and come to a realization that your nutritional habits are causing negative deposits on your overall wellbeing- you set up some strategies and a process to start implementing healthier nutritional habits, choices, and actions into your everyday routine.

Nutritional Health Habits You Can Start Practicing Today

Here are the nutritional habits we are going to be using for the 30 day happy habits challenge that you can start implementing after reading this blog post, and if you complete the challenge with us! This is a tool/resource you can use to start prioritizing healthier nutritional habits on a daily basis that will not cause too much friction in your daily life. When you start out- in order to make a habit stick it should take no longer than 5-10 minutes to complete, and should be repeated consistently and frequently (basically everyday) till it becomes your identity.

Positive Deposit Nutritional Habits in Our 30 Day Happy Habits Challenge

1. Pick a whole food snack over a processed snack today- some examples of whole food snacks include apples, oranges, banana, kiwi, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and nuts. When you are craving a snack in the moment- sub out your usual processed item with a whole food item. The more frequently you can do this on a daily basis- the better for your long term health and nutritional goals! It doesn't have to be PERFECT- you just have to make progress.

2. Drink 80oz of water today- water is beneficial for many reasons. It aids in digestion, helps with acne, flushes out toxins, hydrates your muscles/body, and helps suppress your appetite naturally.

3. Eat home cooked meals all day- this is a great habit to start implementing if you eat out a lot. Restaurants can cook with deep fried and highly processed food items. The more you eat at home the more you can become aware of what you are putting in your body. With time- what you put in your body can become healthier and healthier in a gradual way. It is hard to gauge healthier eating from a restaurant when you are completely unaware what they are cooking with.

4. Pick the healthiest meal on the menu-If you do eat out a lot try to start prioritizing the healthiest option on the menu. I know personally when I used to go out to eat I went for my deep fried/or the restaurant's fan favorite- but change your lens- start prioritizing the healthier menu items- and you will see better results and significant change over time.

5. High Protein Snacks over processed snacks all day- if you were very successful with the 1st habit on this list- take 2-4 days of the week and sub out processed snacks for high protein snacks. High protein snacks keep you full and satiated. Protein takes the longest to metabolize and digest- so the higher your protein intake is- the less hunger/sugar cravings you have. This helps curb your appetite which in turn can help someone trying to lose fat/weight.

6. Eat a serving of veggies with 2 of your meals- veggies are loaded with minerals/vitamins, are high in fiber which is great for digestion, and help keep you full/satiated since they are very nutrient dense. Some easily digestible/GI friendly veggies include zucchini, cucumbers, arugula, broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, green beans, and squash.

7. Eat 30g of protein for each meal- this is a great goal when you have started getting in the habit of healthier whole food based eating choices. 30g of protein is the optimal amount of protein to eat each meal to allow muscle building/repair- especially if you are regularly strength training (which we all should be to prolong age related diseases). 30g of protein is easy if you prioritize lean meats (chicken, fish, lean ground turkey, and tuna) in your diet, a combination of one regular egg with 1 cup of egg whites, 1.5 cups of lowfat greek yogurt with berries/honey, cup of 1% cottage cheese with cinnamon/fruit.

Example 30g meals:

A. 5 ounces of chicken with 4-5 red potatoes and cup of broccoli- 37g of protein

B. Yogurt parfait 1.5 cups of lowfat vanilla yogurt, topped with 2 tbsp bran buds, blueberries, a 1 tbsp of dark chocolate chips, 1 tbsp of raw organic honey, and cinnamon- 30g of protein

C. 1 Cup of 1% cottage cheese, 2 tbsp blueberries, cinnamon. 30 grams of protein

8. Use the hunger scale by Lyndi Cohen with meals- this is a great tool if you eat really fast and feel like you always eat to the point you are "spilled over" and too full. If you slow down, eat slowly, hydrate well, and use the hunger scale as a tool- you will be more successful at appropriate portions and with your weight loss/fat loss goals. You want to stop at a 6 or 7 on the scale, avoid allowing yourself to get to a 1 or 2 because you will get so hungry that you may eat quickly and ravenously to the point you become a 9 or 10. The goal with your meals is to eat slow, when you start feeling hungry and only to a 6 or 7. The slower you eat and become aware of where you are on the hunger scale the better you will be with intuitive eating.

Hunger Scale from Lyndi Cohen:

9. Drink a glass of water before every meal and 1/2 a glass before each snack. This is an appetite suppressant and can bring you to feeling a 6/7 on the hunger scale quicker. Water has so many health benefits, and prioritizing it can really help improve your nutritional health habits, and so much more.

10. Share a dessert with a family member/friend- this will make your dessert manageable, a better portion, and still an enjoyable experience improving your mental health by connecting with a family member or friend while you do it. In an act of self care if you want to eat your favorite dessert- order a small so that it is a controlled portion size! We all deserve the treats we enjoy in moderation!

11. Journal your food intake for the day. Talk about your food, how it made you feel, what you ate, and become aware of your nutritional choices. Writing down your food choices and visualizing them by seeing them on pen and paper will sometimes connect the dots for someone if their eating habits are truly in alignment with their healthiest/happiest self.

Summary:

To wrap up this blog post- I hope that I have provided you with some mentorship, guidance, tools, and strategies for improving your overall wellbeing- specifically surrounding your nutritional health. I hope to see you join for the next blog when we discuss strategies to improve your mental and spiritual health!

Much Love,

Julie