My Story
I work with overachieving, athletic females with disordered eating patterns that affect their gut health, stamina, hormones, and performance. It stemmed from an unhealthy relationship with myself. I developed autoimmune conditions from not eating properly (I was also bulimic at 19), lost my period at 26 years old for 5 years from overtraining, undereating, and very unhealthy mindsets. In college, it took a toll on my D1 Diving career. It was not until I started to incorporate alternative testing and care and a personalized supplement routine and nutrition plan that helped me to bounce back and vastly improve my athletic ability. Here is how I used each of these tools.
Nutrition
Personalized Diet
You name that diet I probably did it. Through that process, I learned a very valuable lesson and that is everyone has unique needs. Vegan, Paleo, etc. Yet, from there I always loved to cook and I was able to put together a WHOLE FOODS way of eating for myself based on how my body was reacting to foods. This is how my cookbook was birthed. I learned to break free from the label and find what was the most nourishing for my body. It is not identifying this food or that food as bad but approaching food through the biological lens of the individual.
Alternative Medicine
During my Masters’s program. I started to become fascinated with Traditional Chinese Medicine and how it can apply to the body as well as mind and spirit. I saw how emotions and physical ailments were strongly connected and what foods can help to nurture either that element or “energies.” It all had to do with balancing out my Qi, or my vitality, and incorporating warming foods into my diet. This was more of a vegetarian approach with emphasis on foods such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, black beans, chickpeas, oats, all the orange starchy vegetables, beets, and spices such as turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon that is theorized to improve digestion, ease mental tension and increase blood flow. I still recommend these to everyone, athlete or not. Truth is, we lived in a stressed out world and our qi of “vitality” has been rocked in some way or another.
Mindset
What else did I look into? I had to increase the calories and I had to increase the carbohydrates. Was I scared? Yes. Why? I didn’t want to gain weight. Again, a faulty mindset that I had. For a time I was not able to work out as hard as I wanted to for fear that I was going to keep my period away. Low and behold, I captured what was probably the most important factor in my recovery, eating enough to fuel the body no matter what and changing my mindset around my workouts. I truly enjoy the hardcore workouts, long bike rides, hiking, etc. I love being active! The last thing I wanted was to lose that. So, I reframed my mindset away from the fear, and prepare my body for what was ahead. This is where I learned what it meant to “rest when I ran.” You don’t panic in the process, you just go with the flow. Along with my mindset, my faith and prayer have kept me on the right path.
Proper Macronutrient and Caloric Needs
This past year I also became a Precision Nutrition Level 1 coach. This helps me to map out my macronutrient needs as well as supplement with my micronutrient needs. This ensures that I am getting enough of each conducive to what my goals are. I know that this body needs to have a well-oiled engine and plenty of fuel. I incorporated foods proper for recovery, fuel and for nutrient density, and phytochemical potential that would keep me going.
Alcohol
It was a personal choice but I have decided to cut out the alcohol. It depletes your body of key nutrients, which I will go into more detail about, dehydrates the body which can really affect your performance and it can kill beneficial gut microbiota. This can also have an effect on someone trying to lose weight. Do you have to bypass it altogether? No. I would say limit intake to 1-2 per week, especially if weight loss is a goal. If you would like to know more about this topic check out my YouTube video “Alcohol and Athletic Performance.”
Alcohol and Athletic Performance
Supplements
After a lot of research and trial and error, I have finally found the right supplement routine. I am convinced this has helped me immensely with my performance and I believe that EVERY athlete should be incorporating these.
Fish Oil – Fat from fish contains Omega 3 fatty acids which are incredibly important for preventing clotting and decreasing inflammation. I have a genetic predisposition to clotting so that helps me to prevent clots. This is also extremely beneficial for recovery from workouts. In fact, Dr. Barker had just mentioned that fish oil helps to spare muscle. I can see this as inflammation can decrease muscle tone.
Juice Plus – This has sincerely been a Godsend. This is just fruits and vegetables picked at their peak, dried, and placed into capsules. It bypasses digestion and delivers antioxidants straight to your system.
Multivitamin or B Complex – When you are training hard your body can get depleted of key nutrients due to the stress being placed on it, particularly B vitamins, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Iron and Zinc.
Adaptogens – Adaptogens are substances that help the body to slow down processes and acclimate to the stress being placed on it. Personally I take a blend from Integrative Therapeutics called HPA Adapt. I take this at night before bed and it has helped my sleep and recovery IMMENSELY!
Collagen Peptides – When you are working out you need your joints to function properly and stay intact. What else do I like about collagen? They help with repairing the lining of the gut which can prevent proteins from leaching out. They are also an excellent source of glutamine which helps the body generate its natural antioxidant, glutathione.
Vitamin D – If you are living in the Northern Hemisphere, the winter months can be brutal. Low vitamin D can affect hormone production, mood, bone strength (super important for athletes!), and immune function. All of these can really take a toll on your performance. Personally, I would go to your PCP to get tested for Vitamin D levels and go on the appropriate dose for the deficiency.
Want to purchase supplements from the best nutraceutical companies? Check out my online dispensary!
Alternative Testing
MRT Food Sensitivity Testing
From numerous years of gut health issues, I have found that identifying foods that could be causing underlying inflammation has been a game-changer. This not only helps the body to decrease oxidative stress generated from your workouts but to repairs the lining of your gut and allows the body to detoxify properly. Just this year I was introduced to an MRT food sensitivity test that is 92% specific and accurate. Each food is given a number based on its reactivity. From there a Phase 1 and Phase 2 diet are incorporated eliminating high reactive foods and introducing them one at a time. This helps the body to repair itself. Why is MRT testing superior? It generates results from different metabolites from multiple hypersensitivity reactions. Many of the tests out there just measure IgG which is not a good indicator of how your body is reacting to a food. You could just have it every day and it could be elevated and IgG can be elevated in a good way as well. Therefore, it is important to see a certified LEAP therapist such as myself to put together a proper plan for you.
Information on MRT Food Sensitivity Testing
Organic Acids Testing
This test really gets down to the nitty-gritty and reveals depletions of nutrients before they become a deficiency and pose a problem. It looks at several different areas such as detoxification, how your body is reacting to stress, fat and protein digestion, bacterial and yeast markers, energy production pathways, and key vitamins needed for the body processes to run smoothly. This really gives the whole entire picture when it comes to optimizing the body. Why is this important for athletic performance or even the overachiever? Stress can wear down your adrenals, deplete the body of important vitamins, minerals, and amino acids (the building blocks to protein) which can, in turn, affect the whole system. Thus, if a client is experiencing lethargy, joint pain, gut health issues, brain fog, or is a highly active individual, this test is a key to replacing any nutrients ahead of time before a problem develops later on. This helps us to identify the root and attack it.
Great Plains Organic Acids Test Information
If you have been struggling with energy, gut health issues, hormonal imbalances, fear around food, and have seen that your performance has been hindered, let’s talk. I walked through the valley first and I am here to deliver a personalized eating, supplement, and lifestyle plan conducive to your goals. Personally, I work with overachieving, athletic females with disordered eating patterns that affect their gut health, stamina, hormones, and performance. If that is you, hop on over to my shop page and sign up for your Ice Breaker Call today!
Did you miss my talk? Check it out here!
