15 - What is fatty liver, and do I have it?

There are so many chronic health conditions that we hear about in the media, with so much more understanding of some conditions compared to others. Over a decade before being diagnosed with fatty liver, a naturopath told me I was heading that way. I totally dismissed it, thinking it was just some hippy made up condition. No such luck – it turned out to be totally legitimate, and what’s more – I had it! It’s more prevalent than we realise, and very treatable in its early stages, so well worth considering if it’s part of your health picture.

Fatty liver is literally the accumulation of extra fat within the liver. It can be caused by excessive alcohol consumption, but in this case we will be talking about non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Let’s talk about the risk factors and symptoms, why it matters and what to do if you think you might be at risk.

Risk factors

The risk of developing NAFLD increases with excess abdominal fat, known as “central obesity”. This can be a misleading one, as it’s quite possible to have a weight that seems healthy, but to have excess fat around the middle, or hidden fat. This can be dubbed “skinny fat”. Most of my later teen years I thought I was getting away with surviving on junk food. My body was more petite than many of my friends, but little did I know I was skinny fat, and laying down the groundwork to develop fatty liver later on. My bigger boned friends were forced to take better care of themselves and stayed healthy.

Other risk factors are:

·      Insulin resistance

·      Type 2 diabetes

·      High triglyceride levels on a blood test

·      Metabolic syndrome

If you are a higher weight for your height, and in particular if you are “apple” shaped or carry your weight around your middle/on your belly then discuss with your doctor whether you are at risk of having a fatty liver.

Symptoms of NAFLD

The concerning thing about NAFLD is it can be symptom free for quite some time, so if you have the risk factors above, it’;s still well woprth discussing with your doctor.

In my case, I felt very slightly nauseous most days, which is what led me to get a checkup. It would have been very easy to ignore as it was subtle, but luckily In knew enough that nausea is often an indication of liver issues so I decided to check it out.

Other symptoms that might occur:

·      Fatigue

·      Nausea

·      Bloating, fluid on the abdomen

·      Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

·      Enlarged spleen,

·      Tenderness/discomfort on the left upper side of the abdomen (over the spleen) or on the upper right side (over the liver)

It can’t be stressed enough though that fatty liver is often without any symptoms until damage is done – so please discuss any concerns or risks early on.

Why it matters

It may seem a little inconsequential to have extra fat on the liver. And often a liver has fatty deposits for years until it is diagnosed. However, it’s an insidious condition that without a change in diet and lifestyle can worsen to permanent liver scarring. This in turn can reduce the liver’s capacity to function in the hundreds of processes it takes care of daily, meaning we can feel very sick without a high functioning liver.

Even worse, progression of fatty liver can increase risk of liver and other cancers, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease and liver failure.

The sooner we realise what’s happening with our livers, the sooner we can make the changes needed and take care of these essential organs. I will forever be grateful that I discovered my fatty liver diagnosis early enough to reverse it and enjoy good health again.

The great news is, the liver is usually extremely good at regenerating with the support it needs from you, so if permanent damage has not yet occurred, losing weight and living with your body’s needs is likely to reward you with much better liver health.

Getting a diagnosis

Luckily, getting a diagnosis is very straight forward in a mainstream health setting. Speak to your doctor about your concerns. If they believe you to be at risk, they will likely run some blood tests and may send you for an ultrasound scan.

While you are being assessed, discuss other metabolic conditions such as your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, fasting blood sugar and insulin levels and your weight. It’s great to get an overall picture of your metabolic health, and these factors often occur together.

First steps after diagnosis

Our bodies deposit fat on the liver when we are consuming too much sugar/ fructose or processed carbohydrates – or too much food in general. When our intake is more than our muscles can take up for the energy needs, the excess is deposited on our liver to keep our blood sugar levels more stable.

This means the first thing to do is to cut back on junky, processed carbohydrate foods such as biscuits, cakes, ice cream, chocolate, sugar and even fruits other than berries.

Extending the period of time overnight without food can also help encourage the body to access the fat on the liver for energy. This can mean not snacking after dinner, and once this is established as a habit, bring dinner earlier or breakfast later to get at least 12 hours fast overnight. This is an energy fast only – herbal (non-fruit) teas and water or even black coffee without sugar are fine as they won’t interrupt the fast.

Increasing movement and exercise is also useful to encourage the muscle cells to uptake extra energy from the food you take in, reducing the tendency to deposit fat on the liver and abdomen in general.

If you’re not clear on the dietary steps to follow to support your liver health, I suggest speaking to a nutritionist or naturopath to for a plan for restoring your liver health.

The above steps will help you begin to reduce any extra weight. There is no pharmaceutical remedy for fatty liver – this means it’s essential to embrace diet and lifestyle change and natural therapies to restore your liver’s health as much as possible.

For more on the steps I took to help my fatty liver, check out my post here.

Next step

If you’ve been diagnosed and are ready to improve your liver health, book in a free discovery call here to discuss your health goals and what naturopathy can do to support you.

Bibliography

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. (n.d.). Retrieved from Calgary Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology: http://www.calgarygi.com/index.php?mode=webpage&id=735

14 - How I helped my fatty liver

When my little one was almost a year old, I began feeling just a little off. Slightly nauseous, but no big deal. The symptoms themselves were no big deal, but I didn’t want to ignore them in case anything serious was going on. I had blood tests and a scan and was told I had non alcoholic fatty liver. At this point I’ll comment that my usual GP is fantastic and very thorough, but the GP I happened to see just told me the diagnosis and left it at that. No comment on how to improve it or what could happen next. It was just stated as the final word on the topic. The rebel in me bristled and replied “In a year’s time, I’ll be your healthiest patient”. Here’s what I did next.

I decided.

Without realising it at the time, my instincts in that doctor’s office were spot on. I didn’t make wishy washy comments that I would try to improve my health if it wasn’t too hard. I just decided with total certainty that I was going to do what I could for my health. Was my implementation of that decision perfect and straight forward? Heck, no. Was the decision itself mandatory for the results I achieved? Oh yes. When we decide something as a given, we tend to keep going until we get the results. When we want an outcome but don’t decide it with certainty, there is more likelihood our efforts will fizzle. Ask me how I know!

I was self-compassionate

Are you eye rolling at the fluffy idea that self-compassion could possibly help reverse a fatty liver? I don’t blame you, it does seem a bit woo. In my case, my diagnosis of fatty liver was very clearly linked with  decades of junk food and being very overweight (I found out later that at this point I was in the “obese” body mass index category). It was vital that my response was not one of hating on myself or self flagellation, or I couldn’t possibly have sustained the effort and resolve over an extended period of time. Fortunately, as it turned out for me, before I had received my diagnosis, when I was contemplating doing something about my weight (the diagnosis moved me pretty swiftly from contemplation to action!), I decided that I wouldn’t begin any weight loss efforts without also focusing on my self kindness. A few months of developing this stood me in good stead to then decide to take action – not to become worthy, but because I already was.

Begin with what’s obvious, don’t wait for the perfect plan

Although my weight loss journey began with a review of the scientific research, there were obvious places to begin. I’d encourage anyone needing to lose weight or improve a health outcome to begin with the obvious, the easy and the obstacles to the results they want. In my case, snacking on packets of crisps and bars of chocolate at night after dinner was the obvious obstacle to improving my health, so I began there. In fact, just by cutting out after dinner snacks at this point I lost about 5kg while researching my next move. This shows we don’t need the whole answer, just the next right action to get started.

Understand the cause of the problem

One thing I knew for sure was that there were too many random diets out there, and none of them had worked for me so far. I realised I didn’t have it in me to keep failing at diets any longer, so this time round I needed to understand what was causing weight gain and what actions would reverse it. What I found in my reading was that certain things we do increase our blood sugar, and our body then releases insulin to take the excess sugar out of our blood and store it – as fat. To lose weight I then had to work on avoiding excess surges in blood sugar and the insulin response. I learnt the things that increased blood sugar and insulin, and the things that lowered them. I focused on doing these things that actually work, and avoided all the magazine diets and gimmicks, and especially random plans that don’t fit me or my life.

I broke up with sugar and gave foods the right containment in my life

The most obvious action was to look for sources of sugar, refined carbohydrates and junk food in my life and remove them as much as possible. My after dinner grazing was already gone at this point, the mid afternoon snack bars, dried fruit and crackers were other things that had to go. It’s the cumulative effect of these foods that added up to a fatty liver for me – so it was important when I did have some to immediately return to a lifestyle without them, rather than allowing a lapse to derail me. Because of the all-or-nothing relationship I had with these foods, for me the right move was to remove them all together for a few months, before attempting to have a moderate relationship with them. Now nothing is off limits, but these foods are contained differently than they were before.

I fasted

The other key action for lowering my insulin (excess insulin and insulin resistance was part of the overall picture for me) was to gradually introduce fasting to my routine. It began with not snacking after dinner, and I encourage anyone wanting to try fasting to ease into it. At each step of the way with my fasting I noticed that I felt better for it, befkre increasing my fasting period incrementally. I now typically fast for 16 hours overnight, but for the period of time when I was reversing my fatty liver I went from no snacks after dinner, to a 12 hour fast, to a 14 hour fast and stayed at this point to reverse the diagnosis and lose 24 kg of weight. I would recommend introducing fasting under the guidance of a health professional as sudden or radical fasts can worsen hypothyroidism which will slow weight loss to a halt. Go at the pace that is sustainable for your lifestyle and your body, and only to the point where you feel better for it. I’d also suggest caution in people with a very complicated relationship to food, such as a past experience or unhealed anorexia nervosa.

I ate real food

Mostly in my life I have eaten healthy meals… plus a lot of unhealthy or excess snacks. So mostly the removal of the snacks corrected me to a point of eating mostly real food. But lunch can be trickier as I’m often tempted just to graze on crackers and cheese or whatever is to hand. I didn’t try to change my personality and have proper meals when I was having a busy day – but I did switch to snacking on real foods instead – vegetable sticks and hummus, soup, salad or a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts are my go-tos. I never go hungry – if the only food available is not ideal I’ll eat it, but I’ll learn from the situation and plan better the next time.

I moved a bit more

I still don’t do anywhere near an ideal amount of exercise. Fortunately, my dietary changes were enough to do most of the heavy lifting in improving my health. At the time, I was adjusting to mum life and not great at getting “proper” exercise in, and I still have the need to improve in this area. But I learnt to seize the moments where I got to move – joining my daughter for a dance to “Baby Shark” every chance I got, pushing the swing, and getting into some gardening. We tend to be perfectionist about “workouts” these days, but when humans came into existence there were no gyms, just movement and activity. Take the chances you get without letting perfectionism stand in your way.

I changed incrementally

The biggest difference with losing weight successfully and all the multitude of times I tried without results was this – I designed my habit changes to be sustainable, not radical. Every single other time I thought “I must do this 12 week bootcamp” or “6 week meal plan” that involved changing exercise levels, and every single thing I ate in one hit. This is not how lifestyle changes happen. When we overstretch ourselves, we snap back faster than a rubber band. Habit psychology teaches us to make the smallest change that is effective, and embed it. When I work with my clients I tell them I would rather they improved 1% forever than 100% for a week. The small change will snowball and gain momentum with new small changes.

I allowed for the cha-cha

Mindset is everything when it comes to long term persistence and consistency of any habit. In the case of weight loss and my fatty liver, the biggest mindset issue is getting on the scales and not seeing fast enough results, or worse – seeing weight gain. I reminded myself that progress is rarely linear, and that the number on the scales is not just my body but also bloating or inflammation or hormonal fluctuations causing water retention. I used the lowest number as my benchmark and just kept persevering until another 100g came off that number. And most of all, I remembered the scales were measuring the effects of my habits, not my value.

This is how I live now

Often we tell ourselves we will just be “good’ until those kilos come off, and then go back to our previous habits and hope the weight or health issue stays away. Unfortunately, for most of us, our previous habits got us our current results. If we want a different future, we need to live differently into that future. When I choose a habit, such as not snacking after dinner I remind myself “This is how I live now”.

My fatty liver diagnosis transformed my life. I have a different benchmark of what a balanced diet looks like, a new relationship to food and a new relationship to my body – one with a whole lot more compassion. I invite you to take this path too, regardless of the diagnosis that led you to this point. And I’d love to be part of the journey, by your side. Sign up for your “shop like a naturopath” guide and become part of my tribe, with manageable strategies for partnering with your body to transform your weight and health.

13 - Waking fatigued

A good night sleep is essential, but not enough, to prevent fatigue. One of the most common reasons (10-20% of reasons) women go to see their doctor or naturopath is because they feel fatigued, and a good night sleep doesn’t seem to be enough. In my twenties (a while back now!) I went through a period of years feeling fatigued. In a way I have that to thank for my love of naturopathy, as it was in looking for answers that I first discovered naturopathy and fell in love with it as I finally began to feel better. I have more energy now than I did then, which is pretty remarkable given that I now work, have a young child and am in my late forties! Fatigue might feel like a vague symptom, but it should never be ignored. Here are some possible reasons why you might be feeling like you were hit by a bus, even after a good night’s sleep, and steps you can take to deal with it.

Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder where breathing is interrupted during sleep. This reduces oxygen supply to the body and brain, leading to waking up feeling unrefreshed, tired and even sometimes headaches and dry mouth on waking.

Many people have heard of obstructive sleep apnea, which is a risk for those with considerable extra weight or for those who carry their extra weight on the neck. This causes an obstruction, making the body work harder to open airways to bring in enough air during the night.

However, sleep apnea is not just due to having a larger weight – another form called central sleep apnea can be caused by the brain simply not telling the muscles to breathe, usually in those with severe illnesses affecting the brain stem.

If you carry extra weight generally, or around your neck, have been told you snore, wake up with a headache, or have high blood pressure it’s worth asking your doctor about sleep apnea.

Cortisol dysregulation and excessive stress

Cortisol is one of the stress hormones secreted by our adrenal glands. When we’re healthy it helps to give us our “get up and go” – with a rise in cortisol shortly after waking in the morning helping us get going with our day. However, like anything, our adrenals can become fatigued and dysregulated, particularly after long periods of excessive stress. Disrupted daily rhythms caused by shift work can also disrupt our cortisol. When cortisol is depleted or just not following the correct cycle, we can wake up feeling like we don’t have the energy to get out of bed.

Iron or B12 anaemia

Iron and vitamin B12 help in the formation of red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body, including to the brain. Understandably, if this system isn’t working optimally, it’s easy to feel out of breath and exhausted after the slightest exertion, and even tired when we wake up. It’s really important to get proper testing done to see if this is the cause though, rather than just taking iron tablets, as too much iron can be harmful or even dangerous. Anaemia can lead to paleness, including pale gums and inside of eyelids, shortness of breath and feeling weak generally. It’s more likely in women who have heavy periods, digestive disorders, unmanaged celiac disease or who have a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Lack of nutrients in the diet

Have you heard of mitochondria? They are the tiny units in our cells which convert our food into energy. Most of us know we get energy from our foods such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. But did you know that this happens over a series of chemical reactions, each of which require different nutrients to occur? Some of the nutrients that help create the reactions which produce energy are CoQ10, B vitamins, carnitine and magnesium. This indicates a healthy, nutritious diet plus good digestion and absorption are necessary to fuel our body to produce the energy it requires. It’s difficult to measure this level of nutrition at the GP – chat to a nutritionist or naturopath if you’d like to know more. If you’re waking up fatigued and flagging in energy through the day, take a look at the quality of your diet.

Thyroid dysfunction

Even before lowered thyroid function crosses the line to officially be a diagnosed condition, it can produce symptoms of fatigue, brain fog and mood changes. It often accompanies a difficulty in losing weight. Initial blood tests can miss this at the beginning stages so it’s worth seeing a naturopath or nutritionist in addition to having a good check up with your doctor to really get to the bottom of it. It’s worth having this checked if you can relate to the symptoms of weight gain and fatigue, feeling cold and particularly if there have been autoimmune or thyroid conditions in your extended family it is worth having your thyroid checked out.

Blood sugar dysregulation

Sometimes it’s frustrating the way our culture talks about health in such on and off terms, and blood sugar dysregulation is one of them. We think of people as having diabetes or normal blood sugar – but for many people they are in between. We can go a long time eating a high carbohydrate diet, over eating and having spikes in blood sugar followed by over zealous attempts by insulin to get our levels under control, causing a drop and crash. This often looks like feeling tired mid afternoon after lunch, craving sugar and carbohydrates and general fatigue and feeling our of control around food. If your fatigue looks like this, simple blood tests and a chat with your health practitioner can determine how well your blood sugar is managed. Having diabetes in the family, autoimmune issues personally or in the family, a habit of eating lots of carbohydrates, large meals or snacking can indicate blood sugar regulation is worth getting checked.

Side effects of medication

Medications can be necessary to treat illness, and have a definite place in our health tools. And it’s important to understand that any medication – even natural ones – may carry side effects such as fatigue. If fatigue has developed since beginning a new medication, or if you take medications long term this is worth considering. Some medications change our neurotransmitter production, others create gradual depletions of the nutrients needed to create energy, or block chemical pathways that are part of energy production. It’s helpful having a chat with your pharmacist the next time you get a script filled, to understand if any symptoms you may be having could be a side effect of anything you are taking.

What do I do now?

If the above illustrates to you how multi layered fatigue is, then I’m glad. It can seem like such a simple or casual complaint but can be really hard to unravel and address without guidance. If you are experiencing ongoing fatigue, start here:

• Book an extended appointment with your doctor and ask for a full work up and blood tests for common fatigue markers such as blood sugar, nutrients and thyroid function

• Look at obvious causes of fatigue in your diet such as sugar intake, meals based around carbohydrates such as bread or pasta or lack of vegetables indicating inadequate nutrient intake

• Go into a pharmacy and talk with the pharmacists about the medications you are on and if you need to be aware of any side effects or interactions

• Book an appointment with a nutritionist or naturopath to discuss your lifestyle and diet and how these may be impacting your levels of fatigue

• Don’t assume there’s nothing you can do. There is a cause for your fatigue and there are steps you can take to address it

If you are fatigued you have my empathy and thoughts. It can feel so relentless and frustrating to drag ourselves through each day, lacking the energy we so wish to put into the people and things we love. Above all, please don’t resign yourself to feeling this way. Small steps you put into place each day can begin to turn the tide and build momentum to a whole new level of vitality. I hope that you, too, look back and say “I have so much more energy now than I did back then”. If you’d like some help getting there, book in a free discovery call here.

References

Arredondo, E., Udeani, G., Panahi, L., Taweesedt, P., & Surani, S. (2021, September 9). Obstructive sleep apnea in adults: what primary care physicians need to know. Retrieved from Cureus: http://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.17843

Asp, K. (2017, September 18). Obstructive vs. cnetral sleep apnea: key differences and treatment options. Retrieved from American Association of Sleep Technology: https://www.aastweb.org/blog/obstructive-vs.-central-sleep-apnea-key-differences-and-treatment-options#:~:text=Two%20main%20types%20of%20sleep,a%20lack%20of%20respiratory%20movements.

Bhadra, P., & Deb, A. (2020, April). A review on nutritional anemia. Retrieved from Indian Journal of Natural Sciences: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Preetha-Bhadra-2/publication/342216517_A_Review_on_Nutritional_Anemia/links/5f64797b458515b7cf3c102a/A-Review-on-Nutritional-Anemia.pdf

Biondi, B., Cappola, A., & Cooper, D. (2019). Subclinical hypothyroidism. Retrieved from Journal of the American Medical Association: http://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.9052

Celano, C., Freudenreich, O., Fernandez-Robles, C., Stern, T., Caro, M., & Huffman, J. (2022, April 1). Depressogenic effects of medications: a review. Retrieved from Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience: https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2011.13.1/ccelano

Hamilton, D. (2021, May). Nutraceutical support of mitochondrial function associated with reduction of long-term fatigue and inflammation. Retrieved from Alternative Therapies: http://www.alternative-therapies.com/abstracts/pdf/24042.pdf

Jones, C., & Gwenin, C. (2020, December 19). Cortisol level dysregulation and its prevalence - is it nature's alarm clock? Retrieved from The Physiological Society: https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14644

Maisel, P., Baum, E., & Donner-Banzhoff, N. (2021, August 23). Fatigue as the chief complaint. Retrieved from Detsches Arzteblatt International: https://doi.org/10.3238%2Farztebl.m2021.0192

12 - Can’t fall asleep?

Last night was a rare occasion when I didn’t fall asleep while settling my daughter in her bed. I actually had an evening! Being such a rare thing in this season of my life, I made the most of it with joining my husband in a glass of wine and a movie that wasn’t 4-year-old friendly. I then got a second wind and it was after midnight when I fell asleep.

Pretty usual stuff – and the tiredness that follows is pretty standard too.

Lots of us aren’t getting enough sleep. And we readily pin it on the idea of “insomnia”.

But there are two issues at play which get muddled. Taking a long time to get to sleep can be either due to sleep onset insomnia, where we can’t get to sleep despite giving ourselves the opportunity to do so. And then there’s sleep deprivation, where we don’t give ourselves the chance to get sufficient sleep. If we go to bed 6 hours before our alarm there’s no chance for 8 hours sleep!

I have had seasons in my life of sleep onset insomnia too – like when I was in the process of multiple traumatic miscarriages, and my thoughts wouldn’t let me rest. I’d read to distract myself until I was so exhausted I fell asleep, and this coping strategy extended beyond the grieving period as a habit.

Obviously these are very different situations, so to get to sleep better, begin by knowing what you’re dealing with.

Sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation is a habit based on a mindset or set of beliefs. I can totally relate to depriving myself on sleep. I always labelled myself as a “night owl” and the hours after 10pm were MY time. This was my chance to read and watch movies and just BE. Women in particular are conditioned to go through their days giving their time and energy and focus to those around them. The late night hours are the time we give ourselves permission to just think of ourselves.

If you can relate to this, these steps can help

·      Consider what your late night time is used for. Are you catching up with work or study? Having “me time”?

·      If the late nights are work and study spilling over to the night, your strategy might be on reducing work load, working more efficiently and having boundaries around your work

·      If you don’t have enough “me time”, then setting boundaries on the expectations of others, and aiming for quality time rather than quantity (half an hour doing an art project over 2 hours of social media scrolling). Consider giving yourself permission to say no to others and create opportunities throughout your day – even for 5 minutes at a time.

Sleep onset insomnia

Struggling to get to sleep can be part of other conditions such as pain, depression, metabolic syndrome. It’s worth discussing these conditions with your health practitioner and making sure the rest of your health issues are being addressed also.

Besides managing your other health issues, there are 3 keys to addressing sleep onset insomnia, detailed below.

Reduce hyper-arousal

I’m not talking about THAT kind of arousal! The kind that interferes with sleep in a bad way is hyper-arousal of the central nervous system. That boils down to stimulus that can be either mental or emotional in nature.

Hyper-arousal impacts us by increasing cortisol, changing heart rate variability amongst other changes which suppress our ability to sleep.

If you feel that your mind won’t turn off when you lie down to sleep, it’s likely that hyper-arousal is an issue for you. Implement an evening routine that reduces your arousal – avoid action movies or thrillers, don’t work late at night and observe the things that come up in your day that lead to the mental chatter later. A “brain dump” is a great tool – simply write everything in your brain onto a piece of paper – all the tasks, questions and other things in your mind. This way you won’t be attached to keeping the thoughts active to prevent forgetting them. The paper will be there if you need it!

Often hyper-arousal is due to unresolved emotional distress. We can tend to distract ourselves by being busy through the day but when we lie down to rest, the ignored emotions are still there waiting to be processed.

Add some emotional tools to your tool belt. You may like journaling, cognitive behavioural therapy, self massage, yoga, tapping, breathing exercises, meditation, tai chi or fascia stretching. Yes – emotional tools can involve physical release, others work directly with the thoughts behind the emotions themselves. I would recommend trying the ones that resonate for you, and try thought, emotion and body focused tools.

Eat a diet as clean and fresh as you can, choosing foods close to how they are found in nature. Never seen a ready meal growing on a tree? Avoid eating it unless every ingredient is one you understand and is directly from nature. This is because processed foods create an inflammatory response in our bodies, which places our adrenals in an aroused state. In other words, our body stresses out when we eat fake food.

Avoid negative associations

Everything we do on repeat forms a neural pathway in our brain. That’s why habits seem to happen as if on their own and without any mental effort on our part. Unfortunately, that includes insomnia. If we have a mental association of our bed with lying awake unable to sleep, working in bed, scrolling then we wont associate bed with sleep. This means when we lie down our conditioning will tell our brain to wake up and do all those things associated with bed!

The best way to deal with this is to disrupt the association, which takes a little discipline. If you tend to lie in bed after waking and read in bed (guilty!), then give yourself a reward for getting up and breaking the association of bed and wakefulness. Likewise, if you lie in bed at night tossing and turning, get up and read or listen to soothing music in a comfy chair under dim red or yellow lighting until the next sleep wave comes.

Get your circadian rhythm on track

In a recent article on setting good sleep foundations, we explored the importance of balancing the opposing hormones of cortisol and melatonin for good energy in the day and good sleep at night.

I understand that hormones feel like abstract chemical reactions that we don’t have direct impact on – but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Everything we do in the day is impacting our hormones. The habits that get our cortisol and melatonin ticking along more smoothly include

·      Getting natural light every day as early as possible

·      Getting up at a similar time each day

·      Addressing our stress constructively rather than putting our head in the sand and being kept awake by it

·      Keeping our environment dimly lit after sunset, with warm yellow or red lighting or candles

·      Winding down from your day from at least 90 minutes before bed. This means avoiding work and study tasks and anything too physically,  mentally or emotionally stimulating

·      Meditate for its regulating effects on cortisol

·      Avoid eating or drinking alcohol for a couple of hours before bedtime

If you get stuck…

If you get stuck, get some help! To explore how your chronic health issues are impacting your sleep, and how I can help you manage it, book in your free discovery call here.

References

Kageyama, K., Iwasaki, Y., & Daimon, M. (2021). Hypothalamic regulation of corticotropin-releasing factor under stress and stress resilience. Retrieved from International Journal of Molecular Science: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222212242

Levenson, J. C., Kay, D. B., & Buysse, D. J. (2015). The pathophysiology of insomnia. Retrieved from Contemporary Reviews in Sleep Medicine: https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.14-1617

Roth, T., Roehrs, T., & Pies, R. (2007). Insomnia: pathophysiology and implications for treatment. Retrieved from Sleep Medicine Reviews: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2006.06.002

11 - How to get a good night’s sleep

At the height of my best sleep ever days, I was using an app with a friend and we compared sleep. Mine was like a flatline every night – straight in to deep sleep and beautiful cycling through the levels until I woke bright eyed in the morning. I wasn’t on sleep medication, because sleep like that usually doesn’t come from medication, natural or otherwise. Sleep like that usually comes form habits that support it.

This is best understood by realising that sleep is the result of specific hormones, impacted by certain neurotransmitters and other hormones and the gut microbiome and the nervous system. Which is why sleeping tablets are a poor substitute for living in a way that supports these functions – no sleeping tablet at the pharmacy improves neurotransmitters and the gut and balances hormones. They are not addressing the reason why sleep is broken. To get good sleep – begin by getting the foundations in place, on step at a time. After you read this article I am going to ask you to choose just 3 actions which you can take to begin improving your sleep foundations.

Your morning ritual

I’ll confess, I’m a little bit woo. I love a morning ritual – whether saying affirmations in the shower or writing morning pages, I’m on board. When it comes to improving sleep though, there are three very specific aspects to a morning ritual that count.

• Don’t sleep in. You don’t have to be part of the 4am club – in fact, I’d suggest don’t be. I wake between 7-8am and this is fine. But don’t get in to a habit of sleeping until midday when you can and having a waking schedule that is all over the place. Getting up at a consistent time helps to establish your cycle of cortisol and melatonin (which act in opposition to each other and need to be balanced)– which will help you at night when it’s time to get to sleep.

• Get natural light early. Once you’re awake, get some natural light as soon as you can. Ideally this occurs between 6am- 8.30am. This is super important as the light receptors in our eyes send a signal to our pineal gland to stop melatonin production, which resets the circadian clock. Outside light is infinitely better for this purpose than indoor and artificial light, even on dull days. If you can get outside for 30 minutes that’s awesome, but even a few minutes in the morning and again on a lunch or coffee break later on helps. Do what is possible in your situation, it all counts.

• Exercise is great for overall health at any time of day, but when it comes to optimising our hormonal response to exercise to best regulate our circadian clock and get better sleep at night – morning is best. Exercise increases stress hormones such as cortisol, and also increases our core body temperature, so too close to bedtime can worsen our sleep. Morning exercise makes the most of the rise in cortisol to regulate circadian rhythm, and later afternoon exercise can stimulate a rise and subsequent drop in temperature that helps too. Resistance or weight training builds better muscle quality by increasing the mitochondria (energy creating factories) in muscle cells and releases the optimum hormones for sleep regulation.

Eat to sleep

Like anyone, I grew up hearing the phrase “you are what you eat”, and took it as fairly metaphorical old wives’ wisdom. The further I got in my naturopathy studies though, the more I realised that this truism is literal. Our body is quite literally constructed and run by the products we absorb in the food we eat. This goes for sleep too, how you eat will either help or harm your efforts for a good night’s sleep. Here’s the key dietary factors for a good night’s sleep:

• The timing of food has a massive impact on health, and I couldn’t be happier to see time restricted eating (also known as intermittent fasting) making a comeback. It helps with so many metabolic and hormonal issues. A good place to start if you want to improve your sleep is by having your last meal of the day early, and not snacking or taking in any calories for at least 2 hours before bed, more if you can. This means to get to bed by 10pm, have dinner before 8pm and only consume water or unsweetened herbal tea after that point. This prevents reflux when you lie down, a common disruptor of sleep. It also means that the distracting sense of fullness of digestion will have passed and your body can relax and allow sleep.

• Drink enough water and herbal tea throughout the day. Although it’s not exactly precise, aiming for 2 litres of fluids per day is a great place to start. Dehydration can disrupt sleep so preventing it removes this obstacle. The body uses a lot of water during sleep as the glymphatic system (watery glymph fluid washes the brain during sleep) and sleep also regulates immune functions such as the lymphatic system which helps remove waste products from our immune system from our bodies.

• Support your microbiome. Our gut microbiome is key for many functions originating in the gut, including serotonin production. Although serotonin is known as a neurotransmitter related to mood, many people aren’t aware that it is mostly produced in the gut, and it is a precursor to the hormone melatonin. So to support melatonin production you need a good supply of serotonin (see my article on nutrition for mood support here) and this needs a healthy microbiome. The two best ways to eat to support your microbiome are to have a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts and ancient grains in your diet – the more varied your plant intake, the more varied your microbiome. The other is to have fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, miso or tempeh daily to introduce more good bacteria to your microbiome.

• Magnesium is a key nutrient required to balance our stress response and support the mental and physical relaxation required for a good night’s sleep. During times of stress sour need for it increases, so in this day and age many of us have insufficient intake. Magnesium rich foods include leafy green vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains. It can also be absorbed topically by applying magnesium oil or spray or taking a bath with magnesium flakes.

• Caffeine and alcohol both disrupt sleep by differing mechanisms. Caffeine has along half life, so stopping caffeine intake by 2pm is a great idea to improve sleep. Caffeine blocks the receptors in our brain which recognise that we are tired, so it doesn’t actually help our energy levels but rather masks our fatigue. Caffeine is not a substitute for sleep! Alcohol can act as both depressant and stimulant on the brain, with the stimulation often occurring after falling asleep. So we can fall asleep ok but the quality and depth of our sleep is impacted.

Get in the zone

Ever fall asleep at a nightclub? No? Me, either. Okay – I did once at 5am after a long week. But normally we don’t, because that environment is specifically designed to stimulate us. We need the opposite to calm our nervous system and stimulate restful hormones to help us sleep.

• Dim the lights. In the evening after sunset, use dim lighting and preferably lamp light or candlelight not overhead lights. The tone of the light also matters – warm or red lighting is less stimulating than cold blue lighting. When you enter your bedroom, have it as dark as possible by using blockout curtains and removing or covering charger lights etc.

• Keep it cool. Don’t overheat before bed. Our natural body temperature cools down overnight, and when we override this we disrupt the quality of our sleep. Set the thermostat for between 15-18 degrees Celsius.

• Get the most supportive mattress you can. If we’re getting enough sleep then we spend 1/3 of our life lying on our mattress. Pain is a key disruptor of sleep so make sure your mattress supports the natural alignment of your spine and experiment with pillows until your neck feels comfortable. You may also need to use body pillows to adjust your positioning if you have an injury. If you wake up feeling like your mattress is trying to kill you, you can be sure the quality of your sleep is suffering too. Also be aware that new mattresses have volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that off-gas, affecting the quality of the air you breath and potentially impacting your hormones. If you’re buying a new mattress, as well as back support consider organic or low VOC.

• On the topic of air quality – make the air quality on your bedroom as fresh as possible by opening the windows/airing it, using an air purifier or keeping an indoor plant. Go for low-VOC products when buying any new carpet, paint or furnishings and inspect your bedroom (and house) for damp walls and signs of mould.

Your night time ritual

I bet when you started this article you were expecting something on an evening routine to improve sleep. Well, you’re totally right – how we wind down impacts which hormones we are releasing, and as we know, sleep is largely hormonal. Anything that might release stress hormones such as late night study or work, scary movies or running around catching up on every household task will impact your sleep, so finish these activities at least a couple of hours before bedtime. Awesome things to do at night instead:

• A warm bath. We don’t want a raise in temperature right before bed as we need to allow out body’s core temperature to drop to signal sleep. But raising our body temperature about 90 minutes before bedtime instigates an attempt by our body to drop the temperature after the bath, supporting the natural cooling of our core. This helps signal “sleep” to our brain and hormones.

• Apply magnesium either in the bath as magnesium flakes or as magnesium body oil. This helps relax the muscles, and can improve our blood levels of magnesium, helping mental relaxation also.

• If you have a lot on your mind, allocate some time to deal with your worries whether by taking an action you need to take, talking it over with someone, allowing yourself a good cry or journaling. Lying in bed at night stewing over our stresses can be hard to avoid in some situations but is not a helpful habit when it comes to our sleep. Racing thoughts stimulate cortisol which dis-regulates sleep at night. Get the supports you need to empty your mind a little.

• Meditation is a wonderful tool to lower cortisol levels. You can do this as part of your wind down routine, or even after lying in bed. You may like to begin by listening to a meditation app, but select apps such as Headspace which teach you the tools so you can meditate independently also.

Where to start

Go through the article again and choose one action which is the easiest for you to implement. Choose a second that you think will make the biggest difference, and a third that is a one-off action. Write these three actions down and choose one to begin with, adding one more each week.

When to get help

You can get extra support on any stage of addressing sleep issues. If you believe stress and worry is impacting your sleep, then accessing therapy services will be a vital aspect of addressing your insomnia. Likewise, if you are waking up in physical discomfort, then accessing a bodywork therapist will help also. If you have implemented the above approaches and still struggle, asking your doctor to refer you for sleep studies may diagnose your particular underlying issue. Seeing a natural therapist can help you address dietary, lifestyle changes and prescription of appropriate herbs and nutritional supplements to help.

If you’d like support with diet, supplemenst and lifestyle, book in your free discovery call here.

References

Baron, K. G., Duffecy, J., Reutrakul, S., Levenson, J. C., McFarland, M. M., Lee, S., & Qeadan, F. (2021). Behavioral interventions to extend sleep duration: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews.

Farhadian, N., Alipourian, A., Zereshki, E., & Khazaie, S. (2020). Relationship of sleep hygiene related factors with sleep quality among university students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scandinavia Journal of Sleep Medicine, 57-63.

Selvanathan, J., Pham, C., Nagappa, M., Peng, P. W., Englesakis, M., Espie, C. A., . . . Chung, F. (2021). Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in patients with chronic pain - a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Sleep Medicine Reviews.

Stevenson, S. (2016). Sleep smarter: 21 essential strategies to sleep your way to a beytter body, better health and bigger success. Hay House.

Wang, F., & Boros, S. (n.d.). The effect of physical activity on sleep quality: a systematic review.

Zuraikat, F. M., Wood, R. A., Barragan, R., & St-Onge, M.-P. (2021). Sleep and diet: mounting evidence of a cyclical relationship. Annual Review of Nutrition.

10 - Why vitamin Sleep is essential for cardiometabolic health

woman sleeping

Do you find yourself resisting going to be early? As a fellow night owl, I appreciate that late at night can feel like the time of day we get to just be, relax and unwind after meeting all the obligations of our day. Also, as an introvert it’s one of the few times I can just BE in my own company, or connect with my husband. But as your friendly neighbourhood nerd, by request, I have been diving into the research on sleep. It’s convincing enough to inspire even this stubborn introverted night owl to turn off the lights by 10. In future I will be looking into how to get better sleep and how to address common sleep issues, but for now let’s be clear on why enough sleep is the most vital thing we can do for our health.

Mental health

Insomnia contributes to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and lower resilience to stress. Mental health is VERY multifactorial and complex, so I don’t want to oversimplify or insult anyone going through this. For more on the contribution of nutrition to mental health, go here. However, it is key to know that sleep deprivation exacerbates any mental health vulnerabilities.

Obesity

When we are tired from inadequate sleep, we are more likely to consume more food to prop ourselves up (and make poorer choices) and do less exercise. To make matters worse, sleep deprivation alters our leptin and grehlin hormones that regulate the sensations of hunger and fullness. Our hormones become set to “hunger” and our appetite is artificially increased. Not only does this set us up for obesity, but the excess weight we gain from sleep deprivation favours visceral fat compared with a healthier weight distribution of those who get enough sleep. This means not only are we more likely to develop obesity, but it is more likely to be visceral obesity, the most unhealthy kind.

Insulin resistance

Ongoing sleep deprivation disrupts our circadian clock and increases blood glucose levels and insulin requirements. Our muscle cells can become less responsive to the insulin, contributing to insulin resistance. This then becomes a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes and increasing cardiovascular issues as a result.

Hypertension

Sleeping less than 5 hours per night increases the risk of hypertension, as during a healthy sleep our blood pressure tends to lower. When sleep is too short not only do we have higher night time blood pressure but this can carry over to our day time blood pressure. In one study, going to bed one hour earlier reduced blood pressure by 7/4 mmHG by the end of the 6 weeks. One of the mechanism of insomnia can be hyper-arousal and increased cortisol, which may underpin both the insomnia and the cardio-metabolic dysfunction.

Other issues

There is less established evidence but emerging indications that sleep less than 5 hours per night is also associated with poorer cholesterol results, increased coronary calcifications, with the risk increasing for each reduction in sleep duration.

So with the winter months ahead of us here in the South, it seems the perfect time to turn off Netflix, stop the scroll, leave unfinished tasks to another day. When that wave of sleep comes, don’t push through and wait for a second wind – catch it and snuggle down to the rest you need and deserve, and better cardio-metabolic health.

References

Cappuccio, F. P., & Miller, M. A. (2017). Sleep and cardio-metabolic disease. Retrieved from Current Cardiology Reports: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-017-0916-0

Covassin, N., Singh, P., McCrady-Spitzer, S. K., St Louis, E. K., Calvin, A. D., Levine, J. A., & Somers, V. K. (2022). Effects of experimental sleep restriction on energy intake, energy expenditure, and visceral obesity. Retrieved from Journal of the American College of Cardiology: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2022.01.038

Johnson, K. A., Gordon, C. J., Chapman, J. L., Hoyos, C. M., Marshall, N. S., Miller, C. B., & Grunstein, R. R. (2021). The association of insomnia disorder characterised by objective short sleep duration with hypertension, diabetes and body mass index: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Retrieved from Sleep Medicine Reviews: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101456

Nobre, B., Rocha, I., Morin, C. M., & Meira e Crus, M. (2021). Insomnia and circadian misalignment: an underecplored interaction towards cardiometabolic risk. Retrieved from Sleep Science: https://dx.doi.org/10.5935%2F1984-0063.20200025

09 - Why depression needs a holistic approach that includes nutrition

Every now and again I will be deep diving into a useful research article to discuss the relevant strategies we can all apply in everyday life.

Depression or other disorders of mood, comes up for almost everyone I talk to about their chronic health conditions. Frustratingly, it is misunderstood in common society. Our conversation around depression has been overly simplified to one just of serotonin neurotransmitter deficit, but depression is a mullti layered, complex condition that can include inflammation, neurotransmitters, hormonal changes and nutritional deficits. It can also be a response to trauma, diagnosis of a health condition or as a cofactor with other illnesses.

In this episode I discuss Nutritional therapy can reduce the burden of depression management in low income countries: a review, MB Ekong & CF Iniodu, (2021), IBRO Neuroscience Reports.

Let’s see what nutrition has to offer us in improving our moods.

How depression affects our brain

Depression can alter both the structure and the function of the brain.

Changes in neurotransmitters include not only the well discussed reduction in serotonin, but also reduced dopamine, noradrenaline, GABA and increased glutamate and monoamine oxidase which breaks down the other neurotransmitters.

Alteration in the regulation of the relationship between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and adrenal glands (known as the “HPA axis”) can affect hormones such as an increase in cortisol (on of our “stress” hormones) and dysregulated feedback mechanism to the brain of cortisol and inappropriate regulation of thyroid hormones and female sex hormones which then cascade to dysregulation of blood sugar levels either directly or through “stress eating” and insulin. Depression is often coexisting with insulin resistance and diabetes and other metabolic conditions.

Inflammation markers also may increase in those with depression also, and the gut microbiome in people with depression shows different dominant microbial species compared with non-depressed individuals. Excess fat can also increase our production of inflammatory cytokines which contributes to systemic inflammation.

A multifactorial approach

When you consider how much of the brain and body’s chemistry, structure and function has changed in someone with depression, doesn’t it make sense to address the condition with a multifactorial approach?

It may be beneficial to address serotonin receptors with pharmaceuticals, and this option should definitely be explored with a medical professional on an individual basis.

AND.. shouldn’t all of the above depression-related changes be addressed for the individual to reach their optimal health? For ANY person experiencing a mood disorder such as depression, not only are cognitive or somatic therapies helpful but nutrition can also be of benefit. For all the underpinning issues above, the food we eat can affect the chemistry of our body and each underlying issue has different nutritional implications.

Nutrition and herbs beneficial in nutrition

Every individual is different and each natural supplement must be considered for suitability and cross checked for the possibility of interactions with other medications. For this reason it is recommended that you discuss natural approaches with a health care professional rather than self prescribe.

Omega 3 fatty acids/ fish oil

Omega 3 fats are vital to reduce inflammation throughout the body and brain. They are essential parts of brain cell membranes. Omega 3 fatty acids are best sourced from fish such as sardines, salmon, mackerel; but also found in walnuts and ground flaxseeds for the vegetarians.

Amino acids

Good quality amino acids (the building blocks of protein) are cofactors in the production of neurotransmitters. Protein is also essential for the production of hydrochloric acid (stomach acid) to ensure optimum absorption of nutrients form food. Specific amino acids affecting mood include tryptophan (for synthesising serotonin), tyrosine (for synthesising dopamine and noradrenaline), and glutamine helps create GABA. Having a variety of protein sources in the diet can help ensure sufficient amino acids for neurotransmitter synthesis, with sources including meats, fish, legumes, tofu, tempeh, quinoa, teff. Specific prescribing of amino acids as supplements should be done cautiously with the advice of a health professional, and caution in those who are pregnant or have kidney conditions.

Avoid sugar and processed foods

Sugar and processed foods increase inflammation in the body and stimulate the excitatory pathways of the brain such as glutamate, in opposition of calming neurotransmitters such as GABA. The more we can reduce these foods, the better the impact on our brains neurotransmitter and mental health.

Vitamins and minerals

Many vitamins and minerals also play a role in management of depression.

Vitamin C is involved in the formation of monoamine, dopamine and noradrenaline neurotransmitters and stored in the adrenal glands so has a key role in managing stress. Ever noticed how after a period of high stress it’s easy to get sick? That’s because vitamin C is pivotal to the immune system also. Good sources include: citrus fruits, berries, capsicum, broccoli, tomatoes and kiwi fruit.

B vitamins are a group of vitamins involved in monoamine synthesis, serotonin, GABA and nerve and brain function. Food sources include salmon, meat, eggs, leafy greens, legumes and yogurt.

Vitamin D helps us to regulate brain function and immune function. The best source is daily exposure to sunlight, obviously at lower UV times of the day to avoid sun damage.

Magnesium is a cofactor in many reaction in the body, neurological regulation and nerve transmission. Our requirement for magnesium increases during times of stress. Food sources include whole grains, leafy green vegetables, legumes and nuts.

Zinc is a neurotransmitter cofactor and pivotal to immune f=unction. Good food sources include oysters, meat, whole grains and pepitas.

What now?

You may find it easy to see where your diet is lacking in some of the nutrients discussed here - or perhaps there’s an excess of sugar or processed foods that stands out to you. If this is the case, make changes that are sustainable for the long term. If you’d like support in this area, book a discovery call here and let’s discuss how I can help you address your chronic health concerns.

Reference

Ekong, M.B. & Iniodu, C.F. (2021), Nutritional therapy can reduce the burden of depression management in low income countries: A review IBRO Neuroscience Reports https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibneur.2021.06.002

08 - 5 steps to manage peri-menopause

I’ve been feeling some subtle changes in myself for the last couple of years. More irritability for the week before my cycle. Disrupted sleep (also have a kid, that could be part of it!), irregular cycles. Two years ago I had some blood tests done to see if my hormones reflected menopause, but it was only recently they started changing. Sometimes the symptoms come before the hormonal markers. Luckily I have a pretty good toolbelt I can use to make the most of these years!

1. Manage stress

A few years back I asked a lecturer how I could be in a good position for wellbeing before entering peri menopause.  She said simply: Manage your stress.  Throughout my research in health I would add that this is key for almost every health condition. Want to improve your immune system? Manage your stress. Digestion problems? Manage your stress. And yes – want to keep peri menopause symptoms to a minimum and cope with them better? Definitely manage stress. When you consider that activating our sympathetic nervous system into fight/flight reduces the emphasis on our body healing, digesting and resting. So by making choices that reduce our stress levels and by using tools such as mindful breathing to restore our nervous system to the parasympathetic healing state, we position ourselves for a smoother ride.

2. Love your liver

While many symptoms of peri menopause are activated through the nervous system, the balance of our sex hormones is supported by a healthy liver. Our livers have hundreds of functions that keep us well – one of them is to metabolise our hormones. Keeping this system healthy means less mood swings, heavy bleeds and symptoms around our cycles. Our livers love us for drinking lemon juice in warm water, eating bitter foods and eating leafy greens and broccoli sprouts. Keeping over the counter medications, supplements and alcohol to a minimum give our livers less work to do.

3. Move it

Daily exercise – this one comes least naturally to me so I’m reminding myself. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity, often a by-product of hormone dysregulation at menopause. If we are weight bearing it keeps our bone strength stable. And it supports healthy neurotransmitter production for better moods. Every little bit counts – start where you’re at and build up your efforts safely.

4. Eat cleaner

Clean your diet. Well into my thirties I still ate like a teenager whose parents were away for the weekend. When I was young I could “get away with” eating rubbish – I never seemed to put on weight. Well, turns out I wasn’t getting away with it, my body was just storing it in my liver and sending things awry insidiously from the inside. Eating for health is a change in mindset that pays dividends for the rest of your life. Some overpaid influencer once said that “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”. I balk at “skinny” as a goal, but I will co-op this to say that nothing tastes as good as health feels. This goes double during peri-menopause!

5. Get checked

Have an annual thorough check up at GP and have a go-to naturopath to support you to optimum health. You don’t need to work out your health on your own. Make sure you have a great GP and health care team in your corner. As Kris Carr says – you are the CEO of your wellness. Make sure your recruit your team well.

I’m just at the start of this journey, so you can ask me in a few years what I think of my own advice! But this is the approach I will be taking and I’d love to hear what you think. If you are building up your health dream team, jump on a free discovery call with me here and let’s chat.

07 - Where to start when overwhelmed

At the peak of my love for corporate life, I had a saying for myself, “if you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, chew faster”. I surfed a wave between boredom and overwhelm, preferring to have a finger in every pie and having a pile of exciting projects to dive into. It was fun, and stimulating… until I burnt out. In the past being overwhelmed meant there was no time for “health stuff”, there was only “work and family obligation”. Now I see overwhelm as a red flag for my health, and I respond differently. Here’s my take.

Drop your bundle

If you’ve dropped your bundle – leave it dropped. Take some time to re-examine what you pick up again. Not everything has to be yours to fix or do. Create a little space in your mind for taking care of your health by letting go of the things that crept in without you noticing, and the things that no longer have to be done or offer you meaning.

Rewrite your to-do list

Make a list of what’s your responsibility. Decide what doesn’t have to happen and stop. Of what’s left, see what can be automated. Then, what can be delegated. Then, what can be made simpler. Then, what can be made more joyful. Hopefully, when you’ve finished your list will be not only simpler, but will feel more appealing too.

Take care of your nervous system

Take care of your nervous system and mental/ emotional health. Overwhelm may be a part of a trauma, anxiety or depression response. Prioritise the tools that nurture your emotional wellbeing. Taking a break to meditate, journal or garden (or other tools that serve you) may provide you with a moment of head space that strengthens you. When you can, take stock of where the overwhelm is coming from and what changes need to be made.

Remove obstacles to health

Remove obvious obstacles to health. Sometimes when we’re overwhelmed, adding a bunch of new health habits isn’t feasible. It can take too much head space to plan new foods and exercise routines. If this feels hard, but you want to improve your health, begin by removing something that gets in the way. Stop having a glass of wine after work. Don’t buy that soft drink. Give up snacking at night. Stop staying up to watch TV or browse the internet or work -  go to bed (I’m talking to myself here). Sometimes removing something in our way opens up space for new better things.

Get support

Get support. Feeling overwhelmed can make it seem like we have to face a huge mountain on our own. But supports are out there. Whether you ask your family, friends or colleagues or seek out a counsellor, naturopath or pilates instructor – there is someone who can make this easier for you. You don’t need to climb this on your own.

One way or another your load can be lightened, your nervous system nurtured and your path forward guided and supported. Taking just a tiny action on any of the above that resonate for you can be the start of a virtuous cycle. If seeing a naturopath is on your plan, book your discovery call here and we can walk this path together.

06 - Stop sabotaging your health goals

“I don’t know what happens – I just keep sabotaging myself”

It’s a common issue the women I work with tell me. Things are going well. Changes are made and better habits formed. Health starts improving, weight starts coming off.

Then, some kind of chaos or crisis comes. Stress goes through the roof. Habits lapse.

Or, more confusingly, a milestone is reached. And celebrated. And – suddenly the momentum stops.

This has happened to me. In the lead up to my wedding, I could not get traction for losing weight. You’d think motivation would not be an issue with a wedding coming up! And even after my fatty liver diagnosis, although I reached my goals, it was by no means a straight path that took me there. A compliment on my weight loss could stall me. Starting to help others with theirs could stall me (hello, Imposter Syndrome!). Feeling things were getting too good, that I had more than my share could stall me.

In the past, I would have been completely derailed as we so often are. Now I know that a stall doesn’t have to mean a stop. We can pick up, re-examine what’s happening, start again and get further the next time. Here’s what helped me.

Identify your needs

Identify what you needed when you self-sabotaged. What was going on in your life? What did the lapsed behaviour or food provide you with? We eat the foods that sabotage our health for pleasure, comfort, to self soothe our nervous system, out of boredom or to procrastinate a task we’re anxious about, amongst other reasons. This means that self-sabotage is the perfect opportunity for growth. Instead of wasting time being angry at yourself, get excited that you have the chance to up-level. Ask yourself what the food or behaviour promised you, and explore other ways to meet that need. Be prepared to speak truth to the lie of what the food or behaviour has promised. “The chips promised to soothe me, but I ended up in an MRI machine and they brought compounded stress into my life” was a truth I learnt to face in myself.

Start with 1%

Start at 1% and grow not at 100% and lapse. Motivation is BS. Seriously – we get all fired up and promise ourselves we will do ALL THE THINGS. And then something else catches our attention. We run out of steam. We can’t keep up. The thing is, this isn’t self-sabotage – this is normal, it’s how we’re wired. Motivation is useful for single actions, not for setting up habits for the long haul. So use a burst of motivation to book in your health check-ups that you’ve been procrastinating, to throw out the junk food or to buy yourself decent shoes to exercise in. But to change your eating habits for life – start at 1%. Stick to it. Let it grow. A burst of enthusiasm is great, but know that it is like the ebb and flow of the tide, and don’t be taken out by it when it recedes for a while.

Know your why

Know your why and keep it close. When I’m tired and fried mentally or emotionally, salt and vinegar chips call loudly to me. And my fatty liver and the MRI machine aren’t always front and centre of my mind. But when I remind myself that I want to be around for my daughter as much as possible, and all the things I want to do with my life that are easier when I’m healthy – it’s easier to resist. When I remember how much better I feel now, how I got my vitality back – I’m not prepared to trade that for a chip.

Check your upper limit

Check in with your upper limit. Gay Hendricks wrote about upper limits in his fantastic book The Big Leap. In the simplest terms, it’s the amount of happiness we believe we’re allowed to have. If you can’t work out why you can’t budge past a certain point in your health or self care, consider whether you feel like you can’t outshine others, or have “more than your fair share”. Read this excellent book and see if it resonates for you too.

A place to start

When you know why self-sabotage is happening, you can uproot the cause rather than being baffled by the symptom. A good place to start is by making changes that are so small they slide, undetected, beneath your point of resistance. As you work on your habits, work on your mindset and sense of self worth, and allow all three to expand together. Your health journey can be a personal growth journey.

If you’re ready to grow in your self and your health, book in your free discovery call here to discuss how we can work together.

05 - How to have a health mindset

I was diagnosed with fatty liver disease related to excess weight and my lifestyle when I was halfway through a naturopathy degree. I worked alongside many, many nurses who smoke – a lot. And a huge proportion of people I know in the health sector have experienced burnout. We are all fallible humans. And knowing how to take care of ourselves is not the same as actually taking care of ourselves. There’s still plenty of room for me to grow in this area, but here’s what I’ve come to learn about developing a health mindset.  

1. Identity is Queen

Identity is Queen when it comes to health. We need to identify as someone who can be healthy, in order to be healthy. This may well sound like new age mumbo jumbo but it’s not. The moment the doctor gave me my diagnosis I replied “In a year I will be the healthiest person at this clinic”. I didn’t know it at the time, but my identifying as a healthy person, even in the midst of the onset of an often progressive condition, was the north point on my internal compass which helped me lose 24 kg step by step and reverse the diagnosis. In the plethora of books and articles I devoured to form my weight loss plan, I read Atomic Habits by James Clear which explained that we cannot maintain a habit that contradicts our identity. We can also change our identity through our habits. By seeing myself as someone who made healthy choices and through fasting daily and reducing processed foods, I become the person I had decided to be. Through the lifestyle coaching I do I have seen the opposite all too often. People who struggle with their weight tell me “I’m the fat kid from school” or “I’m just someone who can’t lose weight”. With these identities it’s an uphill battle  to get changes to stick. Challenge the identity, and it becomes easier.

2. Get your mind on board

Imagine that your health advisor said to you “I want you to follow this eating plan. It’s going to be boring, complicated and taste like rabbit food”. How long do you think you would stick by it, even if it promised to make you feel better? Chances are, you wouldn’t even start, right? This is what we do to ourselves! So many times my clients come to see me and tell me they’ve tried to eat better in the past but they can’t change because healthy food isn’t tasty, it’s too hard, and there will be no pleasure in it! We can only change our eating habits at the speed we get our mind on board. See it as a cross to bear and it’ll be hard to stick to once the first wave of desperation or motivation passes. See it as an exciting opportunity to finally feel better and it will be much easier to make the changes.  

3. Motivation is a con

The biggest mindset mistake I see people make is waiting to “feel like it”. Motivation is such a con! The idea of motivation makes us think there’s no point starting until we’re all in and fired up – so we never start. Truth is, making a small shift that we don’t actively resist is enough. Once we build up a little momentum, we can make another one. It’s a cumulative effort of continual course correction, not a crash and burn all – or – nothing. Don’t wait to feel like radically changing absolutely everything about your life. Just write down the things you feel would help, and choose one small step that you feel you can try.

4. It will never be perfect

Don’t wait till conditions are perfect – start now with the first right step. This is similar to the previous one, except this time people feel “motivated” but conditions aren’t right. “I really want to get healthier, but I’m busy at work” or “I really want to start a new diet, but I’m really tired”. When we wait for work to be calm, the kids to not need so much from us, our extended family all to be ok and there to be an absence of drama… we wait for ever. We tend to do this because we’re waiting to be able to do it perfectly. Don’t do it perfectly, just do 1% better than before.

Let’s do this…

I hope you’ve come to see that mindset matters as much as habits when it comes to starting to improve our health. When our mindset and habits are aligned, we can truly make traction to get the results we are after. You can probably tell I’m not a perfectionist about health – just passionately imperfect! Even the alignment doesn’t have to be perfect. Every degree of shift in direction you make in your mindset will take you to a whole new destination.

If you have a multitude of health issues you’re trying to get on top of, and want support getting your mindset and habits to lead to better results, then jump onto my calendar and book in your discovery call.

04 - No time to manage your health and weight?

Have you ever sat down and crafted the perfect weight loss regime for yourself? I have – complete with my exercise plan, an exotic organic shopping list, all the amazing meals and green juices and smoothies and body brushing and mindset work…. And then never got started because I couldn’t fit ANY of it in. But here’s the deal – the idea that we don’t have time for weight loss a story that doesn’t have to be true for you. Here’s 3 ways to shift from, “don’t have time for weight loss” to, “taking action for weight loss”.

1. Challenge the idea

Challenge the idea that you have to spend more time to get weight loss results

If there’s one expression that gets circled around the internet all the time that I can’t stand, it’s “we all have the same 24 hours in a day”. This is such blame culture, and no, those 24 hours are not the same for some heiress who can delegate all her tasks to staff to a single mother juggling work, study and bringing up her children. Not. The. Same. And being told that we should be able to squeeze in more keeps us stuck when we just can’t fit another priority in.

But here’s the thing – we assume that we have to do more and spend more time. Let’s shift what we’re telling ourselves from “I don’t have time to manage my weight” to “how can I add weight loss strategies that take no extra time into my day?” We now shift from stuck mode to solution-focused mode. See what comes up for you, and if needed start with the ideas following.

2. Make a swap

Swap a habit you can give up for a better, more constructive habit in the same or less time. Reaching for a carrot or cucumber to snack on takes no longer than reaching for a biscuit. Marching on the spot while you watch TV takes no longer than sitting on the couch to watch the same program. Dancing with your kid when they want to play with you takes no longer than sitting on the floor with the toys. What can you come up with in your life that can be swapped?

3. Drop something

Instead of adding more things you think you need, consider dropping something that is holding you back. It takes no time to not snack, not eat after dinner, not go down the chip aisle at the supermarket, or not prepare dessert.

And one last thing…

How do these ideas land for you? If you’re considering these ideas and feeling like a weight just dropped off your shoulders, then wonderful! Try out the strategies and let me know how they go for you.

But if you feel more constricted and resistant and have a whole slew of “yes, but…” thoughts coming up – then it could be that the thing holding you back is not just time, but also an obstacle in your mindset. So here’s my bonus strategy for you:

4. Do a brain dump

Do a brain dump of ALL the endings that come to mind for the following sentence: “I can’t begin a weight loss program because…” and see what comes up. The key is to challenge the ideas so that these thoughts can’t stop you.

Want support with this?

If you’re a woman who would like extra support managing your mindset and thoughts around weight loss to stop them from derailing your efforts, then send me an email at kath@kathleenrobb.com letting me know  where you struggle and we can chat about how my work can best support you.

03 - Can you be body positive AND lose weight?

Body positive weight loss?

In the online world I see two conversations when it comes to being a larger weight. It seems there are two camps: love your body as it is, and any attempts to make changes is taking part in fat shaming or body shaming OR feel bad about yourself and lose weight to be worthy again.

I’d like to define a new paradigm for body positivity AND weight loss. Firstly I’d like to preamble this conversation by saying that I think these ideas are personal to each of us and we all get to make our own choices how to value ourselves. I offer my thoughts as a possibility to consider if it feels honouring to you.

The first part of the paradigm..

Don’t question if your body is ok or needs fixing. This is a false choice, a false dichotomy.

DECIDE that your body is absolutely worthy and sacred and deserving of your best care and love.

The next part…

Then, ask yourself what that care looks like for you. If you, like me, have had a diagnosis impacted by weight, you may decide that taking the best of care of your body will include weight loss. Or, you may not. But either choice will come from a self caring, body positive space.

Ask yourself…

What does taking the best of care of your body look like to you?

I’d love to know. Jump into the comments on the video or my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/KathleenRobbMentor and let me know!

02 - Why vision is better than motivation

Motivation fades but vision propels us forward

Have you ever wondered why you don’t feel motivated to do what it takes for your goal, even when you know you want the result? Without a vision, a goal is like a boat without an engine - so much more effort to get where you want to go. In this article you will learn why a vision is important and the 2 key questions you need to find yours.We will be talking about what goals but you can apply it to any goal you have.

When I was diagnosed with non alcoholic fatty liver disease, I briefly had a vision of the direction I was heading in and what this meant to me as a new mum - and I didn’t like what I saw. I immediately chose a new vision - me, really healthy and making great choices for my body.

There were 2 key pieces to this vision.

Know what you want exactly.

Being an unhealthy mum wasn’t what I wanted for the experience of finally having my miracle daughter. I wanted to be as healthy as I could be and stick around for a long time to be there for my daughter. I told my doctor in response to his diagnosis, “In a year’s time I will be the healthiest person here”.

Describe what you want as if you could see it play out on a movie. I knew the number I wanted to see on the scales, the way I wanted to eat and live and I wanted to see my doctor give me a clean bill of health.

There needs to be a strong why.

The key wasn’t just in wanting to be healthy. There needs to be a strong why - for me, I wanted to stick around for my daughter. I had a glimpse of how precious life is, and I wanted to be there for it as best as I can.

Why this vision is important

Here’s why it’s important to see exactly what you want to achieve and why you want it: Your goal probably won’t happen in the hours or days of your first burst of inspiration and motivation. Before too long there will be bumps in the road and it will be all to easy to give up.

But if your vision of what you want and why you want it is compelling, it will get you past the obstacles and back on your feet when you stumble.

So, o stay the course, have a commanding vision of exactly what it looks like to have your goal, and why it’s so important. If you, like me, have a weight goal then ask yourself what health metrics matter? What do you want to weigh? What will that look like? And know your why.

For extra support to create your vision, check out my fun and easy workshop on Udemy: Create a vision board that truly inspires you. And have a wonderful time creating YOUR inspiring vision.

01 - The one strategy you’re forgetting, to reach your goal

Have you ever got into a state of motivation and set some goals, based on the areas of life you want to improve? And then, despite your initial enthusiasm, forgotten about them?

In my early 20s I was living on Hamilton Island. It was a whole lot of fun and seemingly paradise. Everyone seemed to be thin, tanned, fabulous… and much cooler than me. I was having a good time on the surface but comparing myself to others made me feel that I needed to improve in some way. I wasn’t good enough. So, I made a list of dozens of things I didn’t like abut myself and set myself the goals of “fixing” them.

And, despite thinking that reaching these goals would make me better in some way, that initial motivation just wasn’t enough to make them happen.

So, what’s the solution?

Here’s the one key strategy…

The one thing we need for any goal is to let go of the story that we need to improve… and create a new story that we are already worthy. Make your goals from this place of already being good enough, of being worthy.

How do we do this? The key is to be kind to yourself - make this the one improvement that counts. Be kind in how you talk to yourself about what you are allowed to have, the goal, and the obstacles.

Because a sense of worth makes our goals more possible and more sustainable.

How to be kinder to yourself

We’ve all heard talk of “be kind to yourself”, but how do we actually apply this in a practical way? By running the things we say to ourselves past the litmus test or filter of “would I say this to the person I care about most?”. If you wouldn’t say it to someone you love, you have no business saying it to yourself.

When I planned to lose over 20kg in weight, I decided that no matter what steps became part of my weight loss plan, I was going to begin by committing to be kind to myself. Such a difference to 20 year old me! This time it was easy to keep going on my goals - because I had my own back.

Begin here

If you have big goals and dreams, begin with this: decide you are worthy and treat yourself kindly. Run the words you say to yourself past the filter of “is this how I talk to those I love?”. The rest will follow.

If you enjoyed this post, please follow my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/KathleenRobbMentor for conversations about body positivity, mindset and healthy weight loss strategies.