Is Your Sluggish-Thyroid Stealing Your Beauty?

Did you know over 15 million Americans are suffering from thyroid problems that go completely undiagnosed? Not only are individuals unaware that their “health problems” are thyroid related, even doctors are in the dark about this collective issue. I am usually not one for statistics; however, these numbers are astonishing. This goes to show how pervasive our unconsciousness and lack of self-awareness has become. We have stopped paying attention to our signals from our loving body. We have cut communication with the most important marriage of all; the marriage of our body and soul.

When our lifestyle starts intervening with this sacred relationship, our thyroid cries out loud with it symptoms. One of the first ways our thyroid communicates this lack of attentiveness is by stripping away our beauty. I’ve always known the body was more intelligent than us; nature is like a intuitive goddess, she knows better. Perhaps if we start seeing our problems in the mirror we’ll begin to take responsibility again for nourishing our sanctified temples.

What is the Thyroid?

The thyroid is a butterfly shaped endocrine gland that manages our digestion, metabolism and energy. Though a small gland in comparison, it’s power and purpose is not to be reckoned. Many people underestimate the power of their thyroid and are merely concerned with more surface level organs like the skin and eyes. Even those who have been turning their attention their digestive systems with endless colon cleanses, detoxes and probiotics have been overlooking the little gland that governs most of this process. The thyroid releases hormones that “heat” up the body, which stimulate metabolism – the first phase of digestion once food hit the stomach. If the thyroid is under-active, metabolism will be weak or shut-off completely, leading to poor energy, weak digestion and the host of issues that go along with these.

Adrenal/Thyroid Connection

Though we can change our lifestyle to support the health of our thyroid, its critical to remember everything in the body is connected; what is good for the thyroid must be good for the entire body. This is why a holistic approach is so important to adopt when striving for health and beauty. What most people oversea is that what causes the thyroid to function or malfunction are the adrenals. Therefore we must nourish the entire system – especially the adrenals – if we want to heal our thyroid and stay beautiful. This is why most thyroid problems are so similar to adrenal and other stress-related problems; digestive issues, skin problems, hair loss and mood disorders. The thyroid and adrenals (two walnut shaped glands that produce stress-hormones) are partners in many ways. Because a healthy metabolism is dependent on proper cortisol an adrenaline levels, maintaining adrenal health is just as important as nourishing the thyroid. Cortisol and adrenaline are two hormones secreted by the adrenals during times of stress. When we over exercise, over think, under eat, and under sleep we experience what we call “stress”. Because the thyroid is such a faithful partner to it’s beloved adrenals, it responds to its communication with down-regulating metabolism. You see, in this marriage there is no room to believe in lies, their faith can be at times vulnerably. Though we are not really in danger, we trick our adrenals and thyroid into believing so with our poor behaviors and they together, respond to us faithfully. In time, this type of miscommunication robs us of our beauty.

How a sluggish Thyroid robs our beauty

You can see in the list of symptoms that are hair, skin and nails are affected by our thyroid health. If you follow this blog you may have heard me mention multiple times that beauty and health are one. Also, that health is simply nothing than  energy. Simply put, if we lack energy, we will not have the ability to repair and grow. Just as it takes energy to work, it takes energy to recover. After a long day of work, if you fail to get adequate rest, you will perform less than par the next day. In the same way, if we fail to cultivate new energy we will not only drag throughout the day, we will not have any left-over energy to grow healthy hair, skin and nails. These things are luxeries according to our body, we must first be healthy, have functioning organs and systems before the body cares to grow skin, hair and nails.

Below I will share a few examples of how our beauty is lost when we do not care for our thyroid. Here are the most common:

• Skin/Hair- Beautiful skin is dependent on a few things; balanced hormones, good digestion, and the correct nutrients and to name the most important. All of these work together to build beautiful skin. When our hormones are not in balance from excessive stress our adrenals overwork causing our thyroid to shut down; as we discussed previously. This is the beginning of skin-problems. Once the hormones are compromised we experience A glycation GE’s or- a process where sugars and proteins cross-link – causing wrinkles and aged skin. The adrenals and thyroid need minerals to thrive and function; however, so does our skin. When we use up those mineral reserves on the adrenals and thyroid, we starve the skin of it’s needed minerals. Then there is weakened digestion. When the thyroid slows down so does the metabolism and digestion. This keeps us from absorbing skin nutrients and also inhibits HCL (stomach acid) which is needed to break down silica and protein; both essential for health skin and hair. If our digestive system continues to be compromised it can lead to long-term nutrient deficiencies and even yeast infection. These issues will definitely rob our beauty!
• Weight/Body Shape- Ideal weight is usually synonymous with what we call “beauty”. I want to first say this…forget what you believe you should weigh in order to consider yourself beautiful. Rather than being obsessed with a number, I say focus on body-shape. It’s easy to get caught in a vanity trap and actually cause more thyroid damage by trying to stay sickeninly lean. Starving yourself for the sake of weight-loss can result in not only damaging your health but ironically enough cause other vanity problems; dry skin, hair loss, and mood disorders. Beauty is a state of mind, don’t lose your inner beauty getting caught up in your weight. This being said, do not confuse self-love with condoning unhealthy weight-gain; this has consequences just as bad as being underweight. There is a big difference between obesity and having a heavier build; that is one of health. One way thyroid related weight gain occurs is by the decreased activity of the metabolism. This is usually a result of adrenal fatigue. When we are stressed and depleted our bodies literally become catabolic- meaning they break themselves down. The thyroid then down-regulates metabolism to slow down this catabolism. The least scientific description of metabolism is that its function is to gain energy from food. It’s one thing when our adrenals become weak but we slow our metabolism, now we slow our oxygen and energy up-take from food. We become weak, tired and lethargic. It’s hard to be beautiful and beaming with life when we feel this way. In result, we gain weight mostly as toxic residue from a malfunctioning digestive system. Our muscles literally breakdown, which makes it that much easier for our bodies to store fat. In conclusion, we become chronically fatigued, weak and disproportionate.

Becoming Beautiful Again: How to Nourish the Thyroid

1. Care for your Adrenals- As you’ve learend, you have to care ffor the adrenals to heal the thyroid. The best things you could do for your adrenals would be:

• Remove: caffeine, gluten, sugar, processed foods, and and difficult to digest foods
• Diet: minimize animal protein to 20% and 80% non-starchy vegetables
• Consume a lot of Food Grade Vitamin C; Lemons are a great source, also unsweetened cranberry and black current juice.
• Drink probiotic liquids to heal the gut
• Eat cultured vegetables; rich in Vitamin C.
• Take a fulvic/humic mineral supplement 3x daily
• Take adaptogenic herbs like: Eleuthero, Licorice Root, Reishi, Bupleurum & Dragon Bone
• Meditate: read, write, walk, play in nature, sit by water, listen to peaceful music, yoga, deep breathing, laugh, anything that quiets the mind and brings back presence.
  

2. Get Your Omega’s (Healthy Fats)- Dietary wise, adding healthy fats is one of the most important elements (other than removing the previously mentioned culprits of course). Fat is key to building and balancing hormones – given the thyroid is part of the hormonal system – it only makes sense that a diet rich in the raw material for healthy hormones is necessary. The best fats for the thyroid would be:

• Coconut oil/butter/raw cream
• Grass-fed Ghee
• Avocados
• Stone-pressed Olive Oil
• MCT Oil
• Organic Full-fat Grass-fed Dairy (raw); butter, cream and kefir are all great options!
• Pastured-raised egg yolks
• Soaked Chia seeds
• Raw Hemp Seeds

3. Change Your Workouts- There is such thing as overtraining. For the individuals that are overly stressed from finances, relationships or any other emotional stress it would be an unhealthy idea to do CrossFit or spend your time competing in marathons. Working out is a stress, if you have enough stress in your  life, you would only be abusing your thyroid more leading to increased aging (think of how aged marathon runners look compared to sprinters). If your thyroid is not healthy your body is already catabolic, working out is catabolic and will create further imbalance. Instead, focus on shorter workouts that build and restore like HIIT training or energy building exercises like yoga, walking, Thai Chi or Qi Gong. Remember, the goal is not weight-loss, it is ideal weight through healthy body-shape. Choose exercises that strengthen and balance you.

The take home message is just a friendly reminder that health and beauty are one. This information is here to show you how connected and intelligent our body truly is. Learn to pay attention to its signals so you can strengthen your relationship with her and she will reward you with beauty.

I would appreciate your insights! Do any of you experience thyroid related health issues? How has it brought new awareness to your lifestyle?

Love,
Nick

3 Plants Foods Anyone Can Afford That WILL Change Your Life

Change your health, change your life. That’s what happened to me at least. I became a health nut at a young age for a few reason; I was bothered by skin rashes, incredible break outs from poison ivy, and acne. I can still recall the day I got my first pimple! What started off as an intuitive feeling that something was off, turned into a vain attempt to heal my skin then what became a transformational journey to higher awareness. A simple rash opened the doors to more optimal living for me in ways so far and wide I am writing a book about it.

Today, I want to share with you 3 plant foods that could potentially open some bigger doors to freedom for you. These foods are affordable- heck – some of them are growing in your backyards, and most of all, they are miracles. Out of the many foods to eat I chose these because their powers are so immediate you can’t help but know there is a transformational experience awaiting you in the simplicity of every day life. Use this foods as an experiment if you will and watch how your thinking changes, your body and your life.

3 Miracle Foods

1. Dandelion- Yes; those weeds that grow in your yard with the yellow flower- they are God’s gift to you. This is an eye opener, we’ve been paying thousands of dollars to remove them so our lawns look pretty, all while we complain about our health and finances…hmm. Maybe money does grow on trees or at least in our yards! This plant is literally good for everything- kidneys, liver, colon, immune system, which in result will heal your entire body. Remember what I am about to say next time you spend $1000 at Whole Foods on packaged food and over-priced plastic wrapped produce; dandelions are healthier than any food you will find in any store. It doesn’t matter how many superfood ingredients are in it, they were still packaged and processed in some way. Even fresh produce is grown in mineral-depleted soil to an extent and then shipped where it loses vitality. Dandelion is a wild food. It’s roots run so deep into the ground that these things are soaking up minerals deep in the earth. They are survivor plants! They are been seen growing through cement! If you want to be a survivor of hard times- eat foods that can survive hard times! To name a few benefits, dandelions are a source of; antioxidants, Vitamin A & E, B complexes, C, D, calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, silica, sodium, and phytoestrogens…that was a mouth full! The greatest part about dandelions is that their bitter taste cleanses the blood and liver better than any herbal tincture. We all know a healthy gut loaded with probiotics is key to optimal health and dandelion regulates intestinal flora! Around the early spring pick the fresh leaves, wash them and enjoy. If they’re too bitter for you, you probably need them even more! Instead of forcing yourself to eat them, juice them with celery and lemon for a medicinal drink. You can also toss them into a salad with other more palatable vegetables. You can also make tea out of the leaves and roots, or take liquid tinctures to get the benefits when you cannot find wildly.
   
2. Seaweed- There is not food more transformational and potent as seaweed. Known also as sea vegetables, they are the missing link to most peoples diet. This stuff seriously improves your skin, hair and overall health. Another miracle food; seaweed, is ounce for ounce the most nutrient dense food there is. It’s rich in protein, beta carotene, enzymes, fiber, iodine – a mineral we are lacking – and octacosanol, a compound needed for oxygenation. What’s amazing is the mineral ratios found in sea vegetables are identical to what’s found in our blood. Rich in Vitamins A, B, C, E and even a vegan source of B12! Alaria, a popular seaweed is richer in calcium than milk. Because they thrive in the mineral dense waters of the ocean they contain 10-20 times the amount of minerals than any land food. Thyroid problems? Take seaweed. Want your hair to grow like crazy? Seaweed. Want more protein? Seaweed. Want to look 5-10 years younger? Seaweed. I know I’m sounding a bit over the top and it’s all for good reason; sea vegetables are an over the top food. If you want super powers, eat this true super food. They nourish the endocrine system, especially thyroid and adrenals which have become a modern day epidemic; we need more sea weed in our diet! A few types of sea veggies you can start experimenting with today are Kelp (nori sheets), dulse and kombu. These are tasty and best liked initially. Other beauties are wakame, arame, bladderwrack and my favorite hijiki; a black rare seaweed so mineral rich your hair and skin are born again! Finding seaweed is actually easy; Whole Foods, any health food store, most markets, online, Asian markets and is now put into high-quality supplements. If you can’t stomach the idea of eating seaweed you don’t have to miss out on the healing magic. Get a detoxified iodine and an Ocean Plant Extract to start boosting your adrenals, thyroid and healing yourself! Add them to veggie dishes, soups and even smoothies, you can’t go wrong!
   
3. Aloe Vera- This dessert beauty is without doubt the most magical food of all. You cut it and it literally heals itself! If that doesn’t speak volumes I don’t know what does! I could write a short novel on this magic foods. The short story of aloe is it is natures true medicine. It has natural steroids, antibiotics, enzymes, minerals, amino acids and healing properties even science cannot fathom. One thing I love about aloe is its rich silicon and sulfur content. Wrinkles, thinning hair and weak joints all have a commonality in a loss of these magnificent minerals. They play huge roles in building strong cell walls, mucous membranes, artery walls, connective tissue, skin, hair and cartilage. It’s affectively used to treat all of our vanity issues; varicose veins, wrinkles, pimples, thin hair, sagging skin and so on. I’ve said it before, health and beauty are one. In addition to these surface level problems, aloe is one of the most effective cancer fighters. Being a strong colon cleanser it keeps us clean from the inside out, where all our cancers begin. Your skin cannot glow unless your clean and healthy on the side. If the physical exterior of your body is not glowing, then the physical outer reality of your life will not glow either. When it comes to consuming aloe; fresh is best. I find it growing in complete overflow in California, one of the most overpopulated places around. If you live near the dessert you should find it everywhere. Cut it open and apply to your skin and hair for a beauty treatment or heal burns and scars. Consume it in a smoothie for an internal cleanse and repair. If you cannot find it fresh look in health food stores for organic fresh gel, no additives. I also recommend Body Ecology Vitality SuperGreens as it’s loaded with beneficial healing ingredients with a super dose of aloe vera powder!
   

There you have it! My personal top picks for Life Changing foods. I would love for you to experiment with them and share with me what you find!

What foods have changed your life for the better? Comment below and let me know!

Love,
Nick

 

7 Beauty Foods for Healthy Hair and Skin

I’d imagine most of us have experienced looking into the mirror with less than authentic self-love. We see fine-lines, wrinkles, bags, puffiness and a seemingly endless list of “problems”. Once we start realizing that health and beauty are one, the fight for our beauty becomes a whole lot easier. No longer will we have to try to cover up our flaws; instead, we can embrace our reflection with a newfound love and appreciation. When we know taking care of ourselves is not only okay but fundamental to looking and living our best, the journey becomes one of joy and not desperation. To get started on this journey to true beauty, I offer you to try these 7 foods that will transform you from the inside out.

7 Beauty Foods
The key to healthy diet is to add more healthy foods in and crowd out the bad; focus on the good and forget the bad. Deprivation never works, you must focus on adding in more healthy foods not on eliminating the bad. Otherwise, you will always be focused on lack and feel a sense of unhealthy scarcity. In one regard, health will ultimately come down to what you take out (processed foods, bad fats, sugar and chemicals) and the best way to get rid of the bad is fill your life with so much healthy goodness that there is no room for toxic, aging foods. As you move through your journey to a healthier and more beautiful you, try adding these 7 beautifying, nutrient-dense and delicious foods to your diet.

1. Dark Leafy Greens- Kale, spinach, chard, arugula, watercress, romaine, and for an extra punch; spirulina, blue-green algae, and chlorella, all pack a nutritional punch that beautify you from the inside out. Rich in all things happy skin loves; antioxidants, polyphenols, amino acids, chlorophyll, fiber, vitamins A and K, as well enzymes and beautifying minerals like magnesium and calcium! Leafy greens are amongst the top of the list for beauty foods. Those with insufficient metabolisms may want to steam their leafy greens at first due to oxalate acid content. Without a healthy digestive system, these acids can be problematic. However, the best way to boost your metabolism is by eating nutrient-dense, non-toxic plant foods that it was designed to eat! Fermenting your greens is another way to make them easier to digest plus you get the added digestive support of probiotics, which will make you shine from the inside out. Adding a greens powder containing spinach, dark green micro-grasses, and algaes like Sunwarrior’s Ormus Greens or Body Ecology’s Vitality Supergreens. Both contain probiotics that cleanse and support your digestive tract while adding an easy-to-digest boost of beauty greens.
   
2. Sweet Potatoes- Dark circles under the eyes anyone? If you’ve ever been sleep depived; let me rephrase that…the days you are sleep deprived are usually painted on your face. The eyes are connected to the Kidney meridians in our bodies. When we lose sleep our kidneys take a hit, thus resulting in blood sugar imbalances and elevated stress hormones. This depletes us of minerals like magnesium and calcium, which shows up under our eyes as dark circles and puffiness. Good news though! Sweet potatoes are loaded with magnesium! To reduce and eliiminate this puffiness we want to take a holistic approach including good sleep, stress elimination and a nutrient-dense diet. Sweet potatoes are loaded with anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant that can support oxidative stress caused from elevated stress-hormones. You can also put slices of sweet potato over the eyes as a natural rememdy for puffiness and tired-eyes. The Manganese content found in sweet potatoes make them great for diabetics, those who suffer from hypoglycemia or for all of the times we feel diabetic for a day after no sleep! When choosing your sweet potatoes of course organic is going to be best. Look for ones with a deep orange color inside (you can peel a small piece of the skin away). Make sure the skin is evenly pigmented and choose medium sweets over large ones as they are lower in starch and more nutritious. 
   
3. Almonds- A delicious source of protein, fiber, vitamin E, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, calcium, magnesium and zinc, almonds fit the credentials for a top beauty food. Magnesium and calcium are two important beauty minerals we’ve already talked a little about. These minerals relax the body, increased nutrient absorption and support adrenals and thyroid in producing healthy energy and really health and beauty is in direct proportion to natural energy levels. When we are well rested and nourished, we shine! Zinc is another mineral that keeps us looking our best. It supports hormone function and grows thick, full hair. Additionally, almonds are packed with omega fatty acids. These healthy fats add supple-softness our skin, lubricate hair shafts for those luscious locks, and balance our hormones keeping us looking and feeling young. Your body doesn’t make essential fatty acids so it’s crucial we get them from our diet! When eating almonds it’s best to soak and sprout them. This activation process increases their digestibility, taking the burden off our digestive system which will leave us with more energy for growing healthy skin, hair and nails. Simply put organic raw (unpasteurized) almonds in water with sea salt and a tablespoon of fermented liquid like Innerbiotic and let sit up to 8 hours. In the morning, strain the water off, give a rinse and you have yourself a incredibly bio-available super food that you can eat alone, in a salad or combined a meal of non-starchy veggies. A great way to enjoy them would be to blend in a beauty-smoothie made of; coconut water, avocado, Sunwarrior Protein Powder, raw cacao powder and a few drops of liquid stevia. 
   
4. Berries- Keeping blood sugar levels balanced is key to keeping young and glowing. When blood sugar gets out of balance we create oxidative stress and excess cortisol that ages us rapidly. Berries are low-glycemic, meaning they have little impact on our blood sugar making them a beauty food staple. They taste amazing and are some of the best skin nourishing foods in town. They are amongst the highest in antioxidants and anthocyanins, which rejuvenate our cells. Berries are hydrating and rich in Vitamin C, both of which attribute to the production of collagen, a protein which keeps our skin elastic and young. You can enjoy berries alone for the perfect post-workout glycogen restore! I personally love adding berries to raw coconut kefir pudding for some tang and sweetness! Yum!
   
5. Coconut- Hands down; coconut is the King of beauty foods. This food; like many of others here, can be eaten, applied topically, used orally, and turned into a million and one DIY beauty-care products. This is truly one of the most holistic healing foods there are. At the root, extra virgin coconut oil detoxifies and cleanses. Because health problems and aging are a result of toxicity, when we ingest coconut oil we begin to free ourselves of the toxic material that has stolen our beauty in the first place. When eaten; coconut can also balances blood sugar, fights viruses, bacteria, parasites, nourishes the thyroid, warms the body, speeds metabolism and in short heals the immune system. Whatever heals the digestive system will heal the immune system which will heal all systems of the body, including any skin or hair conditions. When applied to the skin; it also works to cleanse and nourish the skin with anti-bacterial acids. It can remove fine lines, wrinkles and add back luster to dry hair. One of my favorite ways to enjoy the beautifying properties of coconut is to make coconut kefir from the raw water. This is the easiest way to digest this food and reap its many cleansing and nourishing benefits. Click here to learn how to make your own beauty kefir and why it’s so good for you.
   
6. Avocado- These rich and creamy delicacies are loaded with all the right stuff for a more beautiful you. Avocados are a rich source of protein, B vitamins like biotin and B6, omega3, sulfur, and glutathione. These particular nutrients are powerful liver cleansers. If you didn’t know, your skin is a reflection of the health of your liver. Got acne or other inflammatory skin problems? Chances are your liver isn’t too happy! Glutathione is a strong liver cleanser and antioxidant. Sulfur builds collagen and cleanses the blood giving your skin a beautiful glow and youthfulness. Enjoy these beauty fruits alone, as guacamole on mexican night with a cutie, or my personal favorite…in a smoothie! Throwing avocados in a smoothie makes them buttery smooth, almost like ice cream without the sugar plus a whole lot of skin lovin’.
   
7. Chocolate- Now introducing the star of the show and my dearly beloved…CACAO! Yes, you can eat chocolate again. Not only can you, I suggest you do, lots of it and love it. Before you dive into a german chocolate cake or snickers lets define chocolate really quickly. Cacao is the raw fermented bean from the cacao pod fruit. This means the source of your chocolate should be chose wisely. Opt for raw, organic and fair trade as they will be the cleanest, purest, most nutritious and supportive of the ecosystem. I highly recommend Bulletproof Cacao as it’s tested for molds and alfatoxins that are found in most cacao. This chocolate is so decadent, enlivening and leaves you feeling lifted without the addictive high. Eaten in it’s raw fermented form it is a super beauty food. It is one of the highest, if not thee highest, magnesium containing foods in the world. It is loaded with numerous phenols and antioxidants that replenish our cells after times of stress. Cacao butter increases free testosterone which keeps our muscles strong, bodies ascetically appealing and our sex-drive healthy. Cacao butter is best applied topically to the skin for it’s hormonal balancing affects. Also, when applied to the skin this tropical butter takes you on a ride to paradise, you simply have to try it for yourself…there are no words. Check out my raw chocolate recipe for the healthiest possible chocolate you could ever consume! 
   
   

For hundreds of more beauty foods check out The Beauty Food Bible

What are some of your favorite beauty foods? I’d love to hear from you!

love,
Nick

5 Reasons Why You Can’t Get Nice Abs: Six-pack Secrets

Why Can’t I See My Abs?

There really isn’t a short answer to this question. You can be incredibly lean and not have ab-appearance if you neglect to train our core. You can also build an incredibly strong core with a variety of isolated and compound movement but without a body fat percentage under 10% you might not see those rippling muscles underneath the blanket of fat. Then you have people who “do all the right thing” and still struggle. This is where things get complex. So what exactly are the right ways to get “ab-perance” the healthy way? And what about those people who do all the right things with no luck?

1. You’re not isolating your abdominal: I hear a lot of fitness and movement experts talk about isolation exercises as unnecessary. To a degree, I absolutely agree. We can spend so much time analyzing and in the process of – due to our fear to just do it- that we miss the whole point. Why do we want strong muscles? To do a back flip, to run, to jump, to make love, to move! As Ido Portal says “we don’t want to bench press os much, we want to move.” It’s a good question to ask, what are we training for? In this case, I am all for just doing it, as Nike would say. If we spend hours crunching away on a floor, doing repetitive abdominal workouts and do not apply movement, then we are just stuck on the floor. We got so good at ab-workouts we forgot how to run and climb! So just move! Get up and run, jump, climb, slither around. It’s all good and it will all engage your abs. Then there is the other side of the truth; many people do not even know how to flex their core muscles. Without muscle awareness in your abdominal you can engage in full functional workouts and not actually get a core workout or even hurt your back by overcompensating. Lack of muscle awareness will always leave you compromising, no matter how intensely you move. For those who are just starting out with exercise especially would benefit from a designing a ab-routine that consists of a mix of isolated and compound core workouts such as: rotation lunges, cable twists, barbell squats,  weighted crunches, leg lifts, L-sits and swiss ball planks. 
   
2. Your body fat is too high- You can workout your core like crazy but if you have a blanket of belly fat you won’t be able to see even the strongest most sculpted ab muscles. Ideally, you want to keep your body fat under 10% to see have that ab-perance. Caution keeping body fat too low, as you need body fat to have proper hormone function. The 7-12% range is normal. Anything below that can wreak havoc on your hormonal system. I have been able to maintain 7% body fat for years with keeping a very healthy hormonal balance. You cannot target body fat-loss; however, it can come on in troubeld areas. Belly fat is usually a result of elevated cortisol levels from emotional stress due to repressed anger.We often add weight to our bodies out of fear and need for protection. De-compress anger daily with keeping a gratitude journal. Create a fitness routine that involves boxing, sprinting or anything you feel helps you shift anger and emotions out of your body. Another major cause of too much body fat is diet of course. Eating right for your unique body-type is key to minimizing stress and increasing metabolism. Adding a cup of coconut kefir to each meal will sky-rocket metabolism and ensure digestion of each meal so no food is left undigested and store as body fat. 
   
3. You don’t have enough variety in exercise- Your body thrives off variety. I once heard someone say that the world is a book, if you do not travel then you’ve only read one page. The same goes for our bodies. Fitness is a microcosm of the collective world. What nourishes our lives nourishes our bodies. If you are not seeing definition in your abs then you could benefit from giving your ab-routine a more cultured and diverse workout. The popular P90x coined the term  “muscle confusion” and the proof is in the pudding here. All growth comes from new experiences, With your muscles the same is true. Adding variety to your workouts will help your muscles grow. You want a mix of strong stabilizer muscles and larger fascia muscles. Try innovative workouts that hit all areas of stability, flexation and extension. A easy way to do this is take your regular floor workouts to an Indo-Board, Swiss Ball or Bosu-Ball. These all add a balance and stability element that will rip up your core! Incorporate Yoga, Dance or Zumba into your routine. Any type of movement that challenges your nervous system to move in a new and creative way will provide new growth to dormant muscless.
    
4. Your diet and digestion are off- When your diet is off, you create digestive and metabolic stress on your system. As I spoke about in the first part of this series, if you are not digesting well chances are your not digesting your exercises. Gut-inflammation will keep you from any sort of fitness gain. Many times digestive distress causes bloating that hides your abs. Dealing with this stress is your body’s priority, sexy abs will come secondary. If your lacking in your diet you will be lacking else where. I often say “you are not what you eat, you are what you digest”. Just because you’re eating meals and working out does not mean you are absorbing them. If you know diet is an area you are lacking in, then make it priority now. You can get meal plans that simplify healthy eating, read books, determine your metabolic type or hire a personal coach to optimize your health and digestion. The correct diet will be one that is digestible, tasty, and nourishing on all levels. 
   
5. Your identity is sabotaging your success- Our subconscious minds are powerful machines. Whatever you think and then believe in your heart is who you will be. Now, this isn’t truly who you are. Who you are is unlimited potential. You can be, do or have whatever you believe you deserve. Where our subconscious minds work aginst us is that they limit us. For example, lets imagine you’ve experience tons of joy from being an elementary teacher. However, you are overweight and dream to have a six-pack but your students love you. As you identified yourself as a good teacher; based on the love you receive from your students, you look around for evidence to support your identity. Your evidence is going to come from your reality; your tell good jokes, you listen well, you’re fat. These are all parts of your reality you use to identify with to support your experience. The problem is when we create identities we also create limitations. One part of you wants to be a teacher, another part of you wants to be healthy, yet you’ve so strongly associated yourself with your current reality that you cannot move past it. To avoid sabotaging your weight-loss journey you must then expand your identity. You have to see yourself as something more than just an overweight teacher. The best way to do this is through meditation then jouraling our thoughts and beliefs. It’s easy to see how silly it is to put ourselves in a box. We attempt to pigeon hole life because we like to understand things, we enjoy the comfort of knowing and fear not knowing. However, we narrow our selves when we need to be expanding ourselves. You can overcome the limiting identities you have by writing out your beliefs and see where they are restricted or shrinking your reality. Then decide to expand yourself. Decide certain parts of your beliefs of yourself are limiting your life experience. You can keep the good about yourself and replace what’s limiting with something new. You can be the lovable teacher who is fit and healthy too.

       

These are the biggest blocks keeping you from your dream body. If you are not getting the results you want then you have to change something you’re doing or the way you’re thinking. Remember, “the principle always work if you work the principles”.

If you want to get a six-pack the healthy way I recommend you give this genuinely designed program a try: 0-6 Pack Abs

I’m interested where you might find yourself stuck and if these tips provided the clarity you needed! Comment below and share your experience with me!

Nick

 

How To Recover After a Long Day

When it comes to life, it’s all about balance. Everything in life is constantly working to achieve balance. In nature, the seasons bring balance to life. In our bodies, we need a proper electrolyte balance, blood sugar balance, hormonal balance and emotional balance. There’s not too much needed to say other than it is the natural ebb and flow of life.

We have all experienced what it’s like to be unbalanced. One day of poor sleep can really set you out of whack the entire day. Too much or little of food and we are not happy people. These experience’s are constantly reminding us that balance is way to a healthy and successful life.

However…We humans have a tendancy to try to defy nature and throw outselves out of whack from time to time. We eat too much, sleep too little, feel extremities of emotions, spend too much, and in general life seems to be all or nothing for us. Though all is well and it can be a healthy experience to test the extremes so we can reside in the middle; how do we recover healthfully

Recovering from imbalance

According to Chinese Medicine we have 3 types of energy that circulate health throughout our bodies; Jing, Shen, and Chi. Chi is acquired energy that we give to ourselves through diet, lifestyle, breathe and thoughts. When we are healthy and energetic we are constantly circulating our chi. This built energy is what brings balance, harmony and wellness. When we are over worked, we are overly “yang” we are putting out too much. In order to restore the balance of yin and yang we must bring chi energy back in.

1. Take your shoes off-  Usually after a long day people complain about their feet hurting, they can’t wait to get home, take of their shoes and relax. “Take your shoes off” has become a catch-phrase for relaxation and is no coincidence. Our feet are the center for all of our body’s meridians. These meridians are energy channels that connect everything in the body. Wearing shoes adds a restrictiveness to our bodies. By having our feet bound in tight, uncomfortable shoes we literally begin to feel bound and tight energetically. I suggest getting barefoot immediately after a long day, or during it if you can. If you work a job that requires you to be on your feet and you can’t make time to go bare-foot I highly recommend some Vibrams. These are formed to your natural contour of your foot and provide incredible stress-release. Also, wearing toe-sandals will actually stimulate your liver meridian. Your liver meridian starts at the big toe and wraps around to the second toe. The shape of these sandals will massage them as you walk. Because the liver manufactures all our energy, its a good idea to nourish it if we want to recharge and avoid depletion.
   
2. Grab some Coconut Water Kefir– When we stress our bodies with too much, we create an electrolyte and mineral imbalance. Most “electrolyte drinks” are sugar-rich, chemical water that only create further imbalance. Instead, coconut water is natures most efficient natural electrolyte replenishing drink there is. Alone, coconut water can be overly sweet with too much sugar. Sugar, even healthy sugar, can lead to imbalances of gut-bacteria. Instead, fermenting coconut water into a kefir will not only remove the sugar but make it easier to digest, add beneficial enzymes and bacteria and cleanse the kidney, liver and intestinal tract. All which are important for recovery. The kidneys can take a huge hit when we are over-stressed. They have to pump adrenaline and cortisol in excess and we then become mineral depleted. Coconut kefir is very nourishing for the kidneys helping them cleanse and recharge. Not to mention, during the fermentation process the healthy bacteria eat up the sugar and create tons of B vitamins as a byproduct. B vitamins are energy vitamins, helping restore our inner-reserve that becomes depleted through sweat and stress. Have about 8-12 oz of coconut water kefir after a long day before a meal to hydrate, heal and energize.
   
3. Practice mindful eating at dinner- The art of chewing is actually a great way to “get into the gap” as Deepak Chopra calls it. Because not all of us are enlightened sages who live in total awareness as the creator of their world, it’s easy to feel stress. Mindful eating brings back bodily awareness and shuts off the mind. One of the most effective ways to not be a victim of daily stressors is to say incredibly alert. When’s the last time you sat down, ate a meal and really tasted every bite? Shut your mind off, sit some where peaceful and quite and experience your meal fully. You owe it to yourself to eat like a God, in deep peace, with blissful, harmonious awareness. Chew your food thoroughly, pay attention to your body, how full you feel and how delicious the foods taste. As you enter this present moment, the stress of the day will melt away from you and you will be left with a clean slate. Chewing also exercises and stretches the muscles in your jaw which can become tense during work. A mindful dinner is a easy and simple way to give  yourself a mini-mind retreat to dissolve and cleanse yourself of all tension.
   
4. Give love- Despite what the law of economics says about giving, the law of love plays by different rules. Love is the force that drives the universe, it is much more powerful than economics. In short, what you give you receive back ten fold. After a long day we can be cranky, irritable, hungry and deprived. The fastest way to fill those reserves is to share a smile, give a compliment, some appreciation or thanks to life. I have done a lot of intense manual labor growing up. At the end of those days I felt as if I lived three days in one. Just recently, I worked with my brother and to my surprise had incredible energy to get done and go write! Yes, my diet is different, I am healthier than I was and more than both of those was my attitude. I gave thanks and love to my brother for letting me work. Before, I would make it through those days with a gratefulness for the money I earned and it was never enough. These days, I find gratitude in so many things. I was sincerely grateful for the chance to move my body to it’s fullest ability. I was grateful for the time I got to spend with him. The music we listened to while we worked and so many things. By the time I got done expressing all this love in me I felt recharged. Love is a spiritual life energy. Love is the powerful energy that creates babies! I felt nourished and recharged on a deeper spiritual level, my chi had began to restore.
   

I’d love to hear what you do to recover after a long day in the comments below!
Stay blessed, stay loved, stay healthy,
Nick

Why You Need Probiotics To Be Healthy

By now, I’d imagine most have at least heard of the term “probiotics”. Depending on your level of knowledge you might still be a little lost as to what a probiotic is. In order to clear up any confusion, I’ve decided to share a definition of what a probiotic is from the queen of probiotics herself Ms. Donna Gates.

What are probiotics?
Donna describes probiotics in a number of ways. One term she often uses to refer to probiotics is “microflora”. She goes on to describe their purpose as vital “gut fertilizer”, similar to the healthy flora or bugs that fertilize soil in a garden. These energetic microflora surround our intestinal wall or (inner-garden) where they live and co-create a healthy environment for our intestines. Referring to the garden metaphor, probiotics are then our body’s decomposers, live supporters and vital protectors. Just like we need healthy, nutrient-dense soil to grow a robust and life-giving garden; we too need probiotics to have healthy inner-soil, so we too can thrive.

A few reasons why we need probiotics

Now that we know what probiotics are; metaphorically speaking, I want to share with you a few specifics of their importance to our health!

• Probiotics make sure we are well nourished- In order to be well nourished a lot must go on. Sticking specifically to our gut-health, we must not only consume high-quality food but we must also make sure we are metabolizing, extracting, assimilating and absorbing the nutrients in our food. Probiotics nourish us in a holistic manner by making sure we extract nutrients to eliminate nutritional deficiencies. Any kind of nutrient deficiency can lead to imbalances in our hormonal systems, endocrine system and even cause accelerated aging.
  
• Probiotics assist in digestion- When consuming probiotic foods like sauerkraut or kefir we get a boost of enzyme activity that aids in digestion and assimilation of foods. Probiotic foods are enzyme-rich and release the burden from our bodies to produce so many enzymes to digest our foods. Many people are enzyme deficient and struggle to digest their food well. Eating or drinking a fermented food rich in probiotics and enzymes will act as a digestive-aid. Digestive enzymes are incredibly important to staying healthy and young. Enzymes are our life-force and without sufficient enzyme production we will not properly digest our food and always feel sluggish. You can either take high-quality digestive enzyme support with food and add fermented foods to each meal to enhance digestion and start healing!
• Probiotics produce vitamins!- There are certain vitamins; like B vitamins and vitamin K that are produced deep inside of our bodies. Though we can get these nutrients from food sources, they are actually are more readily available for us within us. Probiotic foods are not only a source of B vitamins but they are responsible for making them! Kefir and kombucha for example have a great deal of energizing B vitamins. This is because during the fermentation process they are produced. Likewise, when our guts are teaming with probiotics we have a constantly supply of B vitamins that keep us energized and beautiful. Many women are scraping the shelves for Biotin in attempts to get more beautiful hair. However, without a gut filled with probiotics, Biotin will not be absorbed sufficiently! Also, ample amounts of Biotin will be created in the gut of a healthy individual and resulting in those luscious locks! If you want to be beautiful on the outside, you have to be healthy inside! Health is beauty! In addition to eating fermented foods, you can take a daily probiotic as maintenance.
• Probiotics extract and retain minerals from food- Minerals are the beauty nutrients. In addition to being catalyst for nearly every cellular function, minerals provide building blocks for our hair, skin, nails, teeth and bones. So many people seem to be obsessed with calories, macro-nutrients and vitamins and leave these important corner-stones out of the picture. However, without minerals our food is practically empty. Calories are simple energy, macro-nutrients provide energy and hormonal function, but minerals make all this possible. It us usually a small mineral deficiency that throws off our entire system. A magnesium deficiency for example is prevalent today and leads to adrenal fatigue, constipation, hormonal imbalance, anxiety, and insomnia! Getting adequate minerals is not only key to physical beauty, but our over-all health. Probiotics actually are responsible for making sure our minerals are extracted from our food during the digestive process.
  
• Probiotics prevent digestive disease- Most digestive disease happens when the intestinal wall begins to be damaged. Disorders such as IBS, IBD, Crohns and colitis are nothing more than years of intestinal damage from stress, dehydration and accumulated toxins. A healthy gut is loaded with healthy bacteria which keep inflammation and intestinal damage at bay. They decompose waste from foods that would otherwise turn to toxic material in the gut. They also keep any unhealthy bacteria or parasites from overgrowing and making our intestines toxic in that way. They are anti-carcinogenic, and detox genotoxins that damage our DNA. Though I could go on for pages about their protective power, in short, they are our best defense from disease by keeping things in balance.
  
• Probiotics are the base of our immunity- Because our microflora and inner terrain are still so foreign to us we do not fully understand how they effect us. However, the information so far has been discovered and more is unfolding. All of these discoveries correlate to a profound positive impact on our immune response. Science has discovered that 70-80% of our immunity is located in our gut. We now know that the gut is the home of these bacteria where they proliferate and protect us against disease in many ways. Thereby, acting as an internal army of healthy bacteria for our entire immune system.
  

These are just a few of the many reasons how and why probiotics keep us healthy. The trick then is actually ingesting probiotic and prebiotic food to nourish our own microflora. Though managing our lifestyle holistically is important for the health of our gut, I find consuming these foods to be one of natures greatest gifts to us!

Let me know about your experience with probiotics in the comments below!

A life-saving morning routine

If you follow me, you know I am all about saving lives…I myself was once lost in life, with no awareness and not a clue how to really change things. Little did I know my actions were taking such a beating on me physically, mentally and spiritually. I had always thought I was healthy; a dedicated gym fanatic, personal trainer, ate healthy and made it a point to do things I loved. In time, I learned I was overly “yang” or in my living. I was primarily action-orientated and spent no time inward, rejuvenating, and my mornings were proof in the pudding. When my life started to not work as I hoped it to, I knew something had to change…so I changed and here’s what I did.

My old morning routine

I won’t spend too much time here because just thinking about it gives me adrenal fatigue. To summarize, I would wake up to an alarm clock almost daily. I recall every morning waking up with the feeling that I could still sleep for the next 2 days straight. In fact, I thought this was a normal feeling. I now refer to this sign of chronic fatigue or adrenal fatigue as “high-school morning syndrome”. Most of you have probably been there and maybe still are. You wake up feeling like you just got out of a wrestling match, your eyes are so heavy you don’t realize it but you are overspending yourself just to lift your eyelids. Then, to make matters worse I would in a rush get dressed, taking zero time to acknowledge if I was actually living or not. I was never a caffeine fan (besides those old pre-workouts…yikes) but I still chose to put my adrenals on their wits-end with a low quality, high-carb breakfast made from some sort of crappy almond or soy milk. Little did I know, starting a day this way was the source of many problems.

We can only give what we have

If you are happy, you give out a vibrational frequency of happiness. Basically, when you are happy you see happiness where you go! On a metaphysical or quantum level you attract others who are happy because of this measurable field of energy. To put it most simply, if you are tired because you got no sleep, you’re poorly nourished, your hormones are all out of whack and you go to school you are going to think school is the worst place on earth. It’s like being on a road trip and having to pee badly. You cannot focus on the beautiful scenery, your bladder is about to explode! You’re seeing the world through the lenses of this painful pressure in your lower abdomen! Therefore, if we do not take the time before each day to build a foundation of good energy and authentic positive emotions, we will take whatever feelings we have into the world; good or bad, and they will shape our day! If you want to have a successful day, you have to start off with a healthy attitude.

Nourishing your inner world

A healthy morning routine will always result in a healthy day. That means a day filled with positivity, feelings of joy, a fully functioning body, flexibility in your mind and body; all which will translate into your daily life. If you’re not healthy, what makes you think your actions, work, relationships or anything else will be? The good news is that there are things you can start doing and thinking of that will nourish yourself inward, so you can live healthy outward. Here are a few habits I have developed over the years that have had a profound impact on the health of my mind, body and overall life:

1. Gratitude– Before getting out of bed, before any actual actions I plant the seeds of an amazing day with profound gratitude. This is hands down the first thing to do. Some days I am so resistant to it, I think “just get up, you have stuff to do”. Stuff? What’s that even mean? I supposed from living on autopilot for so many years this is a negative belief that lingers from time to time. The more I sit through it and over power it with conscious gratitude the more I recognize it comes from fear. For me, it was the fear of taking the time to care for myself. Some where we got this idea planted in us that being busy is cool. So much so, that I noticed for myself I would be busy doing stuff just to convince my mind and others that I was effective. I’m going to guess I’m not the only one who has experienced this. If you have a belief you do not have the extra 15 minutes (an hour is even better) to nourish your mind with the things you are grateful for then chances are you need to do this more than ever! You can write in a journal, think it to yourself or post them on social media. I like to get at least 5-10 things you truly appreciate until your state of being is one of authentic appreciation. You will likely wake up and make the “right” choice more easily. If you’re in a state of mind that says “wow I am so blessed” your mind will go on a new type of autopilot, one where your actions have this awareness of love for your life. This will make each action habitually patterned with “since my life is so great, what should I do next?”.
2. Affirmations/Incantations– I am a big fan of incantations and affirmations. These seem pointless or esoteric at first; however, that resistance is proof you probably need to be doing them. I always notice the things I am most resistant to, I actually fear most and most need to experience. How I explain the idea of affirmations to people is that we all have tens of thousands of thoughts, words, beliefs and convictions we are rattling off in a day. That is inevitable, unless of course you do a lot of meditation or are purely enlightened! So if you are going to have thoughts scurrying about in your mind anyway, you might as well be conscious about what they’re going to be. Most of the time, our thoughts are out of habit. We are simply reacting unconsciously to situations with old beliefs given to us by our parents, friends and teachers. Many of our thoughts we affirm to ourselves could very well be limiting us. “Don’t talk to strangers” is a common belief we’ve made an affirmation. We have taken it from childhood and it may have served as well then but today it carries over into adult hood as shyness, limiting us to meeting new people, friends and business connections! Instead, giving yourself new messages daily will bring back awareness to your present moment and will better serve the way you respond to life. The main difference in that when doing an incantation you are sure to bring your body into the experience. When we tell ourselves “I am awesome!” It can be easy to not really believe it. Therefore, I like to do these affirmations on a walk, in nature, or looking in a mirror (After my gratitude). Anywhere I can pay closer attention to the way my body is responding. If there is resistance in my words then I know I need to shift something, I have to go deeper and see where a limiting belief is keeping me from believing. For example; if you affirm “money comes easily to me! and I make a living doing what I love” you could very well have some negative messages pop up. They might sounds like “yeah right” or they could be masked more deeply something like “I don’t need that much money though, it’s greedy, I should just work a regular job and be grateful.” Anything that challenges your affirmation is resistance saying “I am not good enough to have it”. The point isn’t to have everything you could ever desire, the point is to love yourself enough to know you deserve your desires. It doesn’t matter what you desire, just accept it so you can end self criticism. This will bring a new found energy into your life and each day you will begin to see new possibilities open up for you.
3. Hydrate– I cannot believe the difference in my energy and thoughts when I am dehydrated. Science has discovered you lose up to 70% of your cognitive brain function once you are even slightly dehydrated. Most people are chronically dehydrated…Dehydration has been related to every single disease out there. Tiredness is one of the most common symptoms of dehydration. If you are tired throughout the day, chances are you won’t have the best experience you could have. Staying hydrated improves your mood, your digestive function, increases productivity, and will even make you happier! The best ways I’ve found to hydrate are:
   -Spring water w/ apple cider vinegar, liquid fulvic minerals, lemon juice, a pinch of REAL sea salt.
   -8oz. of coconut kefir
   -Green juice of celery, cucumber, lemon and ginger.

    

4. Probiotics– As the knowledge of our inner terrain is expanded we have learned that a healthy gut is connected intensively to a healthy mind. I’ve worked with many people and have experienced for myself how mood disorders such as depression, anxiety, cloudy thinking are all connected to an imbalanced gut. Your stomach not only digests foods but on a more holistic level, it digests your experiences. If  you are unable to digest new experiences, new ideas, a new day and release yesterday then you will have stomach trouble. Taking a holistic approach by working on your mind with gratitude and affirmations mixed with working on your body by using natural foods and supplemental foods rich in probiotics is the ultimate formula for success. My favorite are always living, liquid and raw probiotics. You can make these yourself or purchase them online and in-stores.
5. 3 things- To do lists are a waste of time. They usually set us up for failure. We tend to make to-do lists that are completely out of are reach. They are like a wish list that just make us feel good by writing them out, paying no mind to actually accomplishing them. Instead, I like to ask myself “If I had time for only three things to do today, what would they be?” This puts your mind into a state of efficiency. It draws upon an intelligence that knows what is actually possible for you at this time. Also, because you are giving yourself a time limit (only three things in work day) you will automatically be thinking about how to effectively accomplish these things. Maybe it has something to do with challenging your mind that thinks its smart to do 20359853 things in a day, so you work faster and more efficiently to accomplish these three tasks in hopes to do something after. It’s leverage and it works! I also notice, narrowing our activity to a few things helps us stay centered and focus on what is actually important and valuable to us, not others projections. The more you do what you love, the better you will do it and the better your success,health and happiness.

These all have helped me incredibly over the past few years and I hope they help you. I usually spend about an hour now each morning before actually “starting my day” to build a foundation of health, happiness and appreciation. It works! I have un-friended the stress in my life and befriended authentic positivity. The more I practice the better life seems to get. Give this morning routine a try, maybe just add one of two things and start off with ten minutes to yourself and see the difference in your day! The moment you decide that the sun will shine in you, is the day you stop putting off to shinning your own light, waiting for the sun to shine.

Love,
Nick

3 Ways to Make Coconut Kefir Water

I love a lot of things in life and have many passions. Yet out of everything I hold to my heart, my deepest passion is to heal myself and others with the power of good nutrition. I had always wanted to heal myself because of nagging health issues growing up. Living in “poorer” conditions and eating very poor-quality foods, I would always get unknown skin rashes. At a young age I knew something wasn’t right. When I got my first pimple I intuitively knew my body needed some love.

Fast forward, I found myself experimenting with the world of fitness only to find exercise as a small sector to whole picture of healing the body. Soon enough, I took my nutrition studies to a whole new level by experimenting with every popular “diet” I could find. Each new study took me deeper into a fully understanding of health. I know study, practice and teach holistic health; a mind, body, spirit approach to healing the whole being.

Bacteria Changed It All
What does this all have to do with coconut kefir? In my quest to health, this magical elixir seemed to find me. After many many dietary dogmas I found the Book “The Body Ecology Diet“. The information in this book stirred something in me; I knew it was speaking the truth. Contrary to every other diet, The Body Ecology Diet spoke of healing the gut with probiotic (healthy bacteria) foods like coconut kefir. This alchemical potion was; to me, health in a bottle. The drink itself was a holistic masterpiece, working to heal the body on all levels. Kefir works to aid digestion, which is the foundation of our immunity. The breakthrough that I gained was this knowledge of gut health and how it’s so strongly connected to everything else; emotions, behaviors, deficiencies, infections and nearly every other imbalance. Kefir is the closest thing to a “cure-all” that I know exists because it works to balance the whole being and not treat a symptom.

What exactly is Kefir?

Hailing from Turkey, kefir translates to the words “feel good”. Traditionally made with raw cow’s or goat’s milk, kefir is referred to as “nature’s tranquilizer” or “nature’s Prozac” because it’s incredible relaxing effect on the body and mind. The reason is due to its high tryptophan content, an essential amino acid that when combined with calcium and magnesium actually helps calm the nervous system by converting into serotonin.  This neurotransmitter creates communication between nerve cells and is known to:

• Modulate emotions
• Improve behavior
• Improve sleep
• Support muscle contraction
• Nourish endocrine regulation
• Balance appetite
• Enhance learning and memory

Because kefir not only nourishes the cells but greatly improves the balance of mood and emotions it is a great holistic food for people who are depressed, anxious and nervous. Anyone suffering from mood disorders likely has a damaged gut. Kefir will help heal these mood disorders immediately by providing the necessary nutrients and then healing the root cause by providing beneficial bacteria for the gut wall. (The Guide to Growing Younger; By Donna Gates)

Coconut Kefir- a new aged miracle

This food was coined by Donna Gates, a true innovation and hero in the natural health movement. The story goes; Donna was working to heal her own digestion when she stumbled upon Don Kidson who introduced her to Thai Coconuts. Though too sugary for people with Candida; a common yeast infection, its powerful cleansing properties impressed her. It suddenly it her to ferment it with her starter culture she had created. Because the water from these young coconuts had a similar mineral make up to milk (rich in magnesium and calcium) with the addition of natural sugars, she knew it’d be a great food to ferment. In conclusion, the idea had worked magically. Coconut Kefir was born and has been saving lives of the autistic, depressed, and others suffering from skin disorders, digestive problems and yeast infections. The benefits of Coconut Kefir are similar to that of traditional milk kefir with a few exceptions. If you are not familiar with this food it’s important to know before you make it that the coconuts used are a younger green coconut, not the brown hairy ones you are most likely used to seeing. These young coconuts or Thai coconuts are the same as the brown just younger. They contain a much sweeter and more nourishing liquid containing B vitamins and minerals. Though the plain water can be too sugary for most, by fermenting it with a starter culture or water kefir grains you can get the same benefits plus some. Fermenting anything causes the nutrients to increase three –fold as well as making them easier to digest. Here are some of the many benefits of Coconut Kefir:

• Adrenal and heart health
• Cleansing for liver, kidney and heart
• Strong probiotic- making it intestinal healer/cleanser
• Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-parasitical
• Rejuvenates hair and skin
• Balances mood
• Reduces/removes sugar cravings
• Controls carb in-take
• Incredibly hydrating
• Immune boost and support

In all my experience, if there was one dietary change you were going to make this year I would advise adding this fermented food to your life. There are many facets to health and healing, some can be challenging to start. However, this drink is so delicious and easy to make that it’s a no-brainer to start here. The immediate and long-term benefits are so powerful that it almost seems like a cheat code. In just a few days of adding this magical food to your diet it will start you on a roll to making other healthy modifications with ease.

Making Coconut Kefir at Home

Like I said, making Coconut Kefir is a breeze! Because fermentation is a living process and you are dealing with live bacteria and yeast it involves delicate care. Other than being present in the process and having healing intentions, the actual physical work is simple. I will walk you through the step-by-step process of making your own kefir at home and provide some tips, words of caution and two alternative ways to make it!

Using a starter culture:
This is a preferred route for many because you do not have to deal with maintaining the health of the grains. Also, using grains is actually what is called a “wild ferment” meaning there are wild yeast and bacteria present in the process. Though totally safe and health for a person with a healthier immune system, anyone with a compromised immune system (yeast and bacterial imbalances, auto-immune disorders, digestive disease or parasite infections) these wild yeast can be found challenging. Therefore, it’s better to use a starter culture which ensures only the proliferation of healthy bacteria and yeast that will not compromise the gut.

1. Begin by cracking your Thai Coconuts. I like to gather an entire case of 9 and ferment them all in one go. You can crack them using a strong knife, clever or using a Coco-Jack. If using a knife or clever, just make four incisions on the top of the coconut and peel it back. (Check out the photo)
   
2. Boil about 3-4 32oz mason jars to sterilize them.
3. Once cleaned, pour the liquid into the jars. Each jar should take about 2 coconuts to fill depending on the amount of liquid in each coconut, they tend to vary.
4. Next, add an entire package of starter culture to each jar and whisk to combine liquid and powder. The ratio is one package to a quart of liquid. I find it best to use quart sized jars because larger jars can take too long to ferment and manipulate the bacteria if not fermented at the right speed. (about 18-24 hours)
5. Lastly, let the jars sit on a counter or cooler, somewhere out of direct sunlight and temperature changes. You want the room to be about 72 degrees to ferment at the correct speed.

Tips:

• You can seal the jar lid but it will expand because of the natural gases created during fermentation. I instead, like to save the exterior of the mason lid and put a nut-milk bag over top and screw the lid around that so it has room to “breathe”. You can also just use a paper towel and rubber band.
• The kefir should be bubbly and have a distinct sour aroma. You can test taste it to see. If it is still sweet then it needs to ferment longer.
• Store in fridge once finished where it will continue to ferment but much slower.
• The downside to starter cultures is sometimes the powder won’t come back to life or takes a second batch to “wake up”. This potentially increase the cost of purchasing additional coconut water.
• Save ¼ or about 6 tablespoons of the kefir to make a new batch (one quart).

Using left-over kefir or store-bought kefir:
If you’ve successfully made kefir before and have run out of starter culture or to save on cost, I highly recommend saving ¼ of each quart sized jar you make to make a new batch. You can only do this once, as each time you make a “transfer” batch it will not be as strong as the previous. However, it will still ferment and have trillions of healthy probiotic cells! To do this:

1. Crack your coconuts or use store-bought RAW coconut water like Harmless Harvest.
2. You won’t have to sterilize any jars because you can just use the jar that has the already made kefir in it. Making sure the coconut water is left out to become room-temp, then pour it into the ¼ filled kefir jar, give a quick stir (always using wood utensils).
3. Another option is to purchase raw coconut kefir from a health food store such as Inner-Eco. Use 6 tablespoons of this in replace of a starter culture or a left-over batch.
4. Just as you would with using a starter culture, let the jar sit in a room ideally 72 degrees for 18-24 hours.
   

Tips:

• Using the store-bought kefir always turns out great for me. Because they’re sold in stores they tend to always be fermented well and are bubbly and strong. Making it at home you always run the risk of over-fermenting and potentially making a weak or bad batch. Though this doesn’t happen often, using a store-bought bottle as a starter can save you that trouble.
• The down side is because it is technically a “transfer” you won’t be able to make a second batch from the batch you make from it.

Using water kefir grains:
I personally find that when using grains to make my kefir it always produces a very strong kefir, loaded with bubbles and packs a punch. However, there are downsides to the kefir grains too I will discuss. To make using kefir grains you will have to purchase them off Etsy or Amazon. The good news is they can be found very cheap!

1. Like the first two ways; you will need raw Thai coconut water stored at room temp. If using an entire case of coconuts you will again need about 3-4 32oz mason jars. If just making one batch you will need only 1 32 oz. jar and either two 16 oz. bottles of Harmless Harvest or roughly 2 Thai coconuts. Get crackin’!
2. Sterilize your jars and utensils in boiling water
3. One packaged of water kefir grains will fit in one 32 oz. jar. Put the grains into a jar with just under 32 oz. of coconut water.
4. No stirring necessary; once the water is in the clean jar with the grains, simply let them sit for about 12-18 hours. I find kefir grains ferment a little faster. Keep an eye on them after the 12 hour mark to see. Because grains are usually still “alive” and not in hibernation like starter cultures, they tend to render faster.
5. Once the kefir is ready, use a nylon strainer to pour the kefir into a new clean jar and retrieve your grains.
6. Because coconut water is so rich in minerals and sugar it can take a toll on the grains. To keep the grains alive you will want to alternate between kefir water and coconut kefir. So after your batch of coconut kefir you will want to make a batch of kefir water. This is a similar process to coconut kefir you just use organic sugar and purified water. Click here to learn how to make kefir water.

Tips:

• The benefits of kefir grains is I find them to make stronger batches that are more “alive”. This isn’t always the case, sometimes starter cultures produce a very good kefir!
• Always use wood, nylon and sterile glass with kefir grains. They are living and any type of metal can potentially damage them.
• The downside to kefir grains is increased labor. You will have to make a batch of kefir water after each batch of coconut water to maintain the grain health.
• Another downside is that this is a wild ferment, which can be immune suppressing for those with any dis-ease or weak adrenals.

There you have it! All you could need to know about the benefits and magic of coconut kefir with three easy-to-make recipes. I hope you find your way to some coconut kefir so you too can experience the transformational healing that I and many friends, family and clients have.

If you’re a veteran kefir maker let me know any tips you have in the comments. If you’re new to kefir and have any concerns also let me know below and I will be glad to answer!

**If you want to learn more on healing and anti-aging with kefir and fermented foods I highly recommend The Body Ecology Diet and The Guide to Growing Younger.

Love and health,
Nick

Do You Lack Discipline?

I am writing this blog today because after my most recent post “six-pack secrets” I got a lot of people messaging me saying they want to get healthier but lack discipline. This really brought a lot of attention to the topic discipline and where it exists in my life and other successfully “fit” people and if it exists at all. What I have come to find out over the years of living a healthy lifestyle and helping others along the way is interesting…

They’re just lucky
“Some people seem to just be lucky.” For whatever reason, their good health, prosperity, fun job, or pleasing personality are all just things that happened to them like magic. We cast things aside for ourselves that we desire because we weren’t born with them, our parents didn’t have it so we won’t have it. In short, this is only a dis-empowering belief. When we put the cause outside of ourselves we end up giving our personal power away to make our dreams come true.

Let’s imagine this is you…

You know deep down you could have what you want to have, be who you want to be and go where you want to go but you just can’t seem to be disciplined.

What does it mean to be disciplined?
I want to talk about this word disciplined for a moment with you. What does it really mean for us? Disciplined has its origins in Latin for tuition, meaning education from outside. Going back, we can see this entire idea of discipline continually implies that our source of success or happiness is somewhere outside of ourselves. It literally means to control, to follow the rules, to obey. If you don’t obey, what happens? YOU’RE WRONG! BAD BAD BAD!!! To live a life according to rules is no life at all, it allows no freedom, no creativity, and no love. Rather, to live life as if nobody will help you is a life of freedom.

Discipline = Motivation?
I know what some of you are thinking…”How will I ever be motivated” “Without rules, my would fall apart”. These are just fearful ideas in your mind. The truth is you don’t trust yourself. That is why you feel you must be disciplined, otherwise you will lose all control and destroy your life. This is a fear-based mentality, to live according to a set of rules. This is one of the greatest myths of all that; that you need to be scared, stressed and hate yourself in order to grow and change for the better. It in fact gets you no where; true growth happens only when you are relaxed and in a state of joy and inspiration. You cannot possibly be creative or come up with a good idea out of a bad state of mind.

My “I should list”
The point I want to make here is that discipline is basically a poor choice of words to getting anything you want. It is equivalent to saying “I should”. Now, the thing about the word should is you are, in effect, saying “I am wrong”. Either you are wrong now or you’re going to be wrong in the future. I personally see this as the problem in the first place. We have too many wrongs in our lives, we do not need to create an imaginary set of them too!

The Solutions!
Okay, I know I’m throwing a lot at you and it’s all for good reason. In all my experience, this lack of self-love is the root problem. Many people like to think if they weren’t fat they’d love themselves, if they had more money or better health they’d love themselves. However, I am here to tell you, you have those problems because you don’t love yourself. If you want to start achieving your goals, you’re going to have to start loving yourself first.

Here are the ways to help you with this perception shift:

Self-Love
I will keep this simple; you feel like you should be disciplined, because you don’t love yourself now. By not fully accepting yourself; flaws and all, you have created circumstances in your life that reflect your inner-emptiness. Now that you can see this darkness in your physical world in the form of lack of money, health or whatever the case, you are searching in panic for a solution. You believe that solution to buckle down and discipline yourself. However, we’ve learned that discipline only comes from this lack of acceptance in the first place. There is no other reason you would reach for such self-damaging thoughts if you loved yourself. If you truly accepted yourself; in whole, you would happily more toward your goals. Instead of getting healthy because your fat, ugly, lazy or lack discipline you can start loving and accepting yourself. Without self-love every day, every workout, every attempt for a healthy meal will be only an attempt fused with a lot of self-criticism…”I’m not good enough”. Self-love is really self-acceptance at it’s finest. Some people have good lives because they focus on their good qualities, and some people have amazing lives because additionally they have found a way to love ALL about them; even that part that you could never see as lovable. For some this sounds like “well, if they really got to know me then they wouldn’t love me”. Or, “I love myself, but…”. There is no buts!

To get to a place of total acceptance I want you to try out a few exercises:

1. Exercise 1 – Turn should’s into could’s: Think about the state of mind a should list puts you in? Instead of personal core values, you have turned what you most want into a standard of your own happiness. I want to personally invite you to remove the word should from your vocabulary along with the word disciplined. They put you in stress mode to accomplish something. Instead, let’s use the word could, and help us define a set of personal core values that will inspires and make us enthused about personal growth. To do this; take out a sheet of paper and write down all the things you feel like you “should” do in your life. Once you do that, rate the level of resistance and negativity you have toward each one 1-10. Next, turn each item on the list into a could list by finishing this sentence “If I really wanted to, I could…” As you add each of your should items to the end, notice the level of resistance with them now. Then ask yourself “Why haven’t I yet?” Is the answer maybe because you don’t even want to? Are there some things on your could list that you totally remove from your heavy list? For example; maybe for some of you it is “If I really wanted to, I could go on a diet” and you realized you don’t even want to. That in fact, your whole life you have been told by others because you were fat or “weren’t good enough”. Now it’s no wonder why every attempt to go on a diet has failed…You weren’t doing it out of your own choice to feel healthier, sleep better, or like your figure, you were doing it because you believed you weren’t good enough. If this is the case for you, let’s forget the whole idea about diet for now and work on accepting yourself as beautiful and complete where you stand.
2. Exercise 2- The mirror exercise: This might feel “stupid” for some of you to do but I want you to know it works. In my experience, the more challenging it is for you to do, the more reason you need to do it. If you find this hard, then chances are you could really benefit from it. That is what self-love is about anyway, dropping your judgmental mind and embracing all things. Chances are, if you have a list of shoulds then someone has conditioned you in a way you probably are unaware of and do not find serving anymore. For example, if you were told “don’t talk to strangers” as a child, today that might be greatly affecting your business career resulting in your shyness. You were also most likely convinced by being looked into the eyes, which created an emotional impact, when you were told by a loved one, friend or stranger of something. To undo this, simply look into the mirror every morning and tell yourself “I love and accept you exactly as you are”. It’s a simple exercise, but it works.
3. Exercise 3- Limiting beliefs: For this exercise, take about 30 minutes to write down every negative thing you were ever told by anyone that you can remember. What did people say about money, about your looks, about relationships, about your creative talents, anything negative you can remember. Now, as you begin to see where you are most emotionally impacted and how some of those beliefs might be affecting you today, simply observe them non-judgmentally. Look and say to yourself “So that’s where that belief came from.” Seeing the root of your own limiting beliefs will heal them. Awareness alone in a situation can dispel darkness by adding light to it.
4. Exercise 4- Self leverage: Now that you have dropped your demanding, self-criticizing idea of discipline, began the process of self-love, and removed any mental blocks that have been keeping you stuck let’s work on finding your voice. I want you to make another list, this time writing out your main outer (physical) and inner (mental, emotional, spiritual) goal. Then underneath each goal I want you to ask yourself why you want this goal? When your why is from your heart, a place of self-love you will reconnect with your personal power. When you have a strong enough why, you can figure out any how. Maybe your outer goal is a healthy body; this whole time prior your why was because you weren’t good enough, because you were ugly, because no one would ever love you otherwise. Knowing those are all judgments of the past and projections of others you might have a new list of whys: because I love myself, because I am beautiful, because I want to experience more of this beautiful life; for myself, for my friends, for God, for flowers, for sunshine…whatever the case, for love.

When you start doing things because you love yourself, your life takes on a whole new meaning.

Because you love yourself, you eat the healthiest of food.
Because you love yourself, you live in an amazing house.
Because you love yourself, you do work that requires your talents and creativity.
Because you love yourself, your life loves you back.

Love,
Nick

 

 

 

 

Sixpack Secrets: Getting To The Core

Today, I reveal to you the “secrets” to six-pack abs. In our modern society, there really isn’t too many people who haven’t fantasized about sporting a set of Brad Pitt abs. Movie stars, models, and even the health and fitness industry have done a great job of selling us the idea that a sexy pair of abs is proportionate to the epitome of health. However, I am here to debunk this illusion and share with you the truth behind a truly healthy core. I will also help you can obtain a handsome physique without paying the price of your health.

Getting to the core: A holistic perspective

I will admit, getting a six-pack of abs is no coincidence; it involves a holistic approach that includes functional exercise, an efficient metabolism, healthy digestion, low levels of inflammation and overall stress. Though it is true some are genetically blessed with body-types that make it easier to obtain the visual aesthetic of a six-pack, it is also true that not everyone with a washboard appearance has a healthy core. The paradoxical truth, is you can have a six-pack and look great but be incredibly unhealthy! What many people overlook is the actual function of the core. Our modern life has all of us caught up in the illusion of physical appearances. This creates a problem; working to only achieve the look of abs without regard to the process can look a lot like trying to get money by stealing. If you are focused only on money, you could easily do anything  to get it with no regard to a healthy process. Likewise, many people are starving themselves, suppressing their breathe, weakening their immune systems and core function just to have a thin waist and an aesthetically pleasing appearance.  What we need to bring our focus back to is a process that is healthy, which results in the desired outcome.

Core Functions

The core is our center, and though it sound crazy it actually provides a purpose other than sex appeal! Here are some of the vital functions the core serves:

• Protection of your central nervous system and internal organs- That’s right folks, your core actually serves as shield for our spinal cord, column and the organs that keep us alive. The washboard look we admire is a gift from Nature that protects our organs from external blows or invasions.  This is where I believe our sexual desire comes into play. Instinctively knowing that our abdominal wall shields our life, the visual appearance of a healthy core is a sign of someone who is fit for survival. However, so many treat it purely superficially, showing no real love for their core, with endless spine-damaging ab-workouts and inflammatory foods that damage the organs!
• Support for your internal organs- When exercised correctly, the internal organs are mobilized and massaged. This keeps them from “sticking together”, provides fluid and blood flow to them and is key to maintaining healthy bowel movement. If we treat our core purely as a vanity object we can very well miss out on proper functioning of it, leading to diminished function of our internal organs and our overall health.
• Circulation- Our largest artery and vein lies along the spine and is protected by our core. When we have proper functional movement, pressure changes in our core which stimulates blood circulation and lymphatic movement throughout the body via the inferior vena cava and adominal aorta. If circulation becomes stagnant we become susceptible to disease, parasites, constipation and low energy.
• Proper movement– A lot of us ignore our core during every day movement. We think our legs, arms, hands and feet do all the work and the core is along for the ride. The core is the center for all movement however. Without properly exercising the core, all over movement will be poor and our chances of injury increases.

Now that you have a better idea about how valuable your core health we can begin to build a better, healthier relationship with the way we treat it. I want to share with you the fundamentals for achieving a core the right way. After all, it’d be a shame to get to the top of the ladder only to find out we’ve been leaning up the wrong wall. It would be a waste to spend so much time, energy and money on trying to achieve a six-pack only to deteriorate your health along the way and mask a deeper issue of vanity!

Six-Pack Secrets

1. VISUALIZE, VISUALIZE, VISUALIZE!- This is secret number one for a reason. Some may call it law of attraction; however, it’s a simple truth. What you focus on, is what you will see. When I first had my six-pack fantasy I used simple visualization to start the journey to learning what it would take to do and obtaining it. I was in love with the idea of having this look because of my best friend’s older brother. He had the “coolest body” ever to me. He was a role model and a super hero in my eyes; all-state wrestler, guitar player, and everyone loved him. I of course associated this inner beauty with his outer body. I was young, about 12 years old and didn’t know any better. However, this love FOR a healthy body is what started the journey. Each day I pictured my face on his body, Brad Pitt’s body and anyone who had the abs I wanted. I went to work, doing sit ups, cutting out bad foods, and role-modeling his behaviors. In no time flat, my stomach was flat. The importance of this step is that whatever in life you want to acquire it is fundamental that you do it for what you love and not against what you hate. I didn’t do the work because I was running away from my chubby teen stomach but because I was attracted toward something in my eyes that was healthier. I obviously learned a lot in the process, but this principle has stuck with me and I find it very valuable. So in conclusion, workout for a healthy core, not against your current physique. In other words, workout because you love your body not because you hate it.
   To practice, I suggest docorating your laptop background with pictures of your ideal body, photoshop your head if you have to! Also, keep fitness magazines around, make a notebook filled with pictures or make a visualization board and look at these things as often as possible; daily. Now that you hopefully have a healthier reason for your six-pack it will be easier for you to “obsess” over it.
   
2. Digestion & Gut Inflammation- Behind every bloated paunch belly is a beautiful core waiting to be seen. However, consuming foods, drinks, especially alcohol and cheap beer that you are allergic too and that are inflammatory will affect your abdominal function. You may be tempted to “work off” your bad diet to keep your total fat loss percentage low, only to cause metabolic disorders and ignore a deeper issue. Anything that causes inflammation of an internal organ (intestines) is communicated to the nervous system and will cause the muscles in the abdominal wall to weaken and not respond to exercise. This is basically a stress-response from the nervous system saying “there’s something more important going on here, no time to exercise and grow muscle!” Not only will you greatly diminish your core function, appearance of abs will vanish and be replaced with a distended bloated gut. This distended gut will take away from the “cuts” between muscles that creates definition. You can only cheat your health for looks for so long until it catches up to you! To begin healing digestion, check out my blog on healing digestion. Consuming a probiotic-rich liquid can start the process of reincorporated healthy bacteria to restore digestive balance and flatten your stomach.
   
3. Functional Exercise- A lot of the exercises and machines people use to “target” abs are inefficient and only trigger back-pain. This is because most people who want a sexy six-pack first have to address number 2; gut-inflammation and a paunch belly. In many cases, when there is any intestinal inflammation present you can do sit-ups for days and never get your desired look. That’s because the nervous system is more concerned with stabilizing your spine and keeping you alive than your vanity problem. Also, many of the popular exercises and machines used to train your abs, do not train your abs at all. You are not engaging any stabilizer muscles that would need to be strengthen to build a strong core. Instead, you are lying on the floor or sitting in a machine, with the core essentially inactive. While in time, you may be able to build larger muscles, you are only providing false confidence. In the long run, you will suffer from poor stability, possible injury and not to mention overall weakness when it comes to any functional movement. You may be able to move 100lbs on some ab machine but you won’t be able to lift your own legs out in front of you due to weak stabilizer muscles. Your core would build much quicker and more efficiently with functional ISO-metric training such as hanging leg lifts, L-sits, sprinting, jumping, and free weight lifts.
   

Well there you have it, my personal “six-pack secrets”. These are principles I’ve learned over the past 13 years. I have managed to have a six-pack from the page of about 12 and the journey has taught me a lot. Aside from widely known advice specifically low body fat, I know these three principles are something highly overlooked and not thought about. However, they are fundamental in getting that dream stomach. I can promise that if you apply these principles they do work. By changing your relationship with your body you too can have your ideal figure in the healthiest of ways.

Let me know if you have any of your own six-pack secrets in the comments below!

Love and health,
Nick