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Health

Health, INSULIN RESISTANCE, Personal Blog
How to Have Good Gut Health
- October 18, 2022
- 0 comments
How to Get Better Gut Health

If you are wondering how to have good gut health, you aren’t alone. Gut health is definitely a hot topic lately, and it’s certainly something I’m sure we are all familiar with –but that doesn’t mean we are actually paying attention to how to have good gut health. It also doesn’t necessarily mean we are pursuing changing our daily habits and activities to achieve good gut health. I have been experiencing some stomach and gut issues the past couple months, ever since adding some carbs back into my diet, and this is MY personal reason for doing research into how to have good gut health- and why I want to make this a serious priority. I’m happy to be a leader for you and share what I’m learning along the way. Consider this post our introduction and get started chat. So — let’s do that, let’s talk about how to have good gut health, shall we?

As I shared above, the primary reason I am making GUT HEALTH a priority in my life going forward is that ever since I added carbs back into my diet (over the past couple months, at the direction of my functional medicine doctor. I asked her what to do since I”d reached my weight loss goal and wanted to start working out hard again and build muscle. She said I should not be 100% keto forever and would need carbs to fuel my training. I added carbs and 1) gained weight- which was predicted/expected but 2) also got BLOATING/GASSY FEELING AND TUMMY ACHES — UGH!!

Life is too short. So I cut back on the carbs I added…..the weight came back off and I felt better in my body again, but the symptoms in the tummy DID NOT GO AWAY. Don’t laugh, not trying to be punny but I just felt it in my gut that I needed to look into gut health. I had this overwhelming feeling or pull to start researching it and I did and then I discovered all these amazing women very similar to me who had made some significant changes in their lives and healed their guts and were now feeling a billion times better– and it was motivating as hell!

I immediately took out the book Eat Dirt by Dr. Axe. I had read it a year or so ago but truthfully I think I more skimmed it back then. This time I just gobbled up every sentence and learned so much! I found myself underlining the book it seemed. I have already ordered some sauerkraut and kimchi — because fermented food is very good for the gut– and I’ll be picking up some Ezekiel bread products and sourdough (the real kind, not imitation) per his suggestion.

I’d already made some changes based on what I read in The Glucose Revolution— getting in 10-12K steps a day– taking a walk after dinner every night, taking Apple Cider Vinegar before dinner and every meal with carbs in it, and I feel that these 2 habits alone have made a huge impact. I realized after reading Eat Dirt again, embarrassingly, that I hadn’t been taking PROBIOTICS in over a year!! OMG!! I ordered some immediately. I’m also adding back in taking L-Glutamine (tip: I learned it is important not to mix this into any HOT DRINKS or to mix with PROTEIN!) and am researching all these superfoods/mushrooms because I’m realizing/learning that they are crazy good for the gut– so stay tuned on what I discover there. Right now I have started with this superfoods drink and am adding it to my morning keto coffee and loving it: COCOTROPICS Nootropic Superfood Powder. And I’m also getting back to making sure I take 1-2 digestive enzymes before every meal- I had gotten out of that habit!

I’ll also be incorporating a LOT more bone broth on a daily basis to heal my gut. He talks a lot about that in the book and then I took his online quiz about what kind of leaky gut “type” I am and it said that cold beverages are not as ideal for my gut but warm soups/beverages are. We have an AMAZING instant bone broth from Pruvit (You can order from me by CLICKING HERE) so I plan to use that but also supplement it with some home-made– where I can make some like actual SOUP using bone broth elixir and add cooked veggies to it. 😉

I’m literally just at the beginning of this gut-health journey my friends, but I feel strongly it’s going to turn out fantastically. I’m excited to try new recipes using new healthy foods and superfoods…and expand my horizons. Stay tuned for more and let me know what questions you have about Gut Health that I can answer in future posts in this series!

But Wait, There's More!

If you liked this post, you’ll probably want to check out: Healthy Gut Diet Plan: CLICK HERE. How Much Fiber Do I Need? CLICK HERE. How to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth and NOT Destroy Your Gut: CLICK HERE. Grab my brand new KETO COOKBOOK with tons of healthy low carb recipes that helped me lose 36 inches and 30 LBS! CLICK HERE. Want to lose weight with me? Sign up for my KETO BOOTCAMP— CLICK HERE

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER

Note: this blog contains affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned in this post and support this channel at no cost to you. While this channel may earn minimal sums when a viewer uses the links provided, the view is in NO WAY obligated to use these links. Thank you for your support.

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BEAUTY, Health, INSULIN RESISTANCE, Personal Blog, WEIGHT LOSS
How to Get OUT Of Your Comfort Zone: The Top 10 Things I Didn’t Want to Try – But Did, And Now I LOVE THEM.
- September 30, 2022
- 0 comments
Why You Need To Do The Things That Scare You or Intimidate You or Freak You Out or Make You DOUBT. Get Out of Your COMFORT ZONE!

Do you wonder how to get out of your COMFORT ZONE and start doing things differently? Do you find yourself bored or let down by your life that is too predictable because you always play it safe and THE SAME? I can relate, I used to be the same. If you want to get out of your comfort zone and start making decisions in all areas of your life that will change your future– for the better, tune in to learn how easy that can be!
I’ve always been a creature of habit — and in the past this has kept me from enjoying a lot of new experiences. I’m not sure when it was — but it certainly was in the past 10 years or so that I made a change. I stopped being so skeptical and doubtful about things, and started TRYING NEW THINGS in every area of my life. Instead of always eating the same things, I started trying new dishes, new restaurants, cooking different types of cuisines etc. Instead of always wearing my same rotation of nail polish colors every spring, summer and winter, I started mixing it up and trying new colors every time I went for a fill. Instead of sticking with the same workouts I’ve always done for the past decade, I started adding NEW ones and doing programs vs. just picking out random dvds.
The bottom line is– once I started embracing this idea of “I’ll try anything!”– my life changed so much more for the better and I strongly encourage you to do the same, if you’ve been “playing it safe” like me in the past. I’m guessing once you read this post you might see that there are areas in your life where you could enjoy spicing things up a bit!

The Top 10 New Additions to My Life: Things I Didn't Want to Try But Now Am Rather Obsessed With!

Keep in mind, that these things I’m sharing with you are not in any particular order. Honestly this subject came into my head this morning as I was applying my makeup (one of the changes I’ll mention below)…and I started to think about so many of the new things in my life that used to not be a part of my life 5-7 years ago. I’m so grateful I branched out and became more adventurous!! Life is far more fun with diversity in all areas, trust me.

Per the selfie above– one of the things I was sooo skeptical to try was CURLING MY HAIR. My experience as a younger woman told me- that my straight hair would never hold a curl but- I did some YouTube watching and found out I may be able to do this! It’s all about NOT putting the oil stuff in your hair that you use when you use a straight iron and want to get those smooth ends– the oil (think CHI products) will not work with curls staying in place. What I learned works is using mousse (yes mousse) and products that have sea salt in them or are made specifically for CURLS or creating curls-– then letting my hair air dry- then using a wand curling iron to create the waves/curls (I started buying all L’Ange hair tools and have been very happy). Then I add a texturizing product like this and “scrunch” the curls. It’s sticky but it’s worth it! Then you spray the hell out of the curls and LEAVE THEM. You don’t brush them out for a while and then what I do is tease them and then spray them again. It’s a lot more time to do this but I’m actually surprised: my bone straight hair will hold curls for days!! Crazy! My favorite hair spray is still- after 30+ years — Paul Mitchell!!
Next up in the same category of beauty would be LASHES. I never wore fake lashes until recently and now I’m a fan– I was so intimidated to apply them so I avoided it like the plague!! but frankly I often just got tired of taking off the mascara at night when I’d wash my face….so I stocked up on some lashes and glue and started practicing and wearing them every day and I got hooked fast. They– like getting your eyebrows waxed and shaped- it’s amazing the difference it makes in your face having beautiful bigger dark luxurious lashes!! It’s crazy! I think my next level up may be getting the semi-permanent ones done. 😉
I referenced makeup above, and I’ve done a post about this— how I switched from liquid foundation to a cream makeup (Seint) and I have to say- it’s one of the best decisions I made! I will never go back to liquid makeup and the 30+ products I felt like I had to use previously just to contour my face! The makeup brushes are to die for and the foundation just feels and looks so fantastic it’s truly been a game-changer. I’m a rep for their product lines so you can get a color match through me and any help choosing products/colors/brushes. You can shop around yourself CLICK HERE or email me at kelly@kellyolexa.com to set up a time to talk. or a

Expand Your Taste-buds and Improve Your Weight Loss Efforts!

Of course if you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know that my most recent biggest change was GOING KETO. I was so skeptical about the Keto Diet and did not want to do it at all but I’m so glad I listened to my doctor because: going keto changed my body and my life! 36 inches down and 30 LBS lighter! I now know how to eat to keep myself leaner and healthier for the rest of my life. If you have insulin resistance like me, the keto diet is your gateway to changing your health and your waistline. JUST REMEMBER THIS– WHEN YOU ARE SKEPTICAL of something, ask yourself why? Then dare yourself to check it out or try it, what do you have to lose??

The thing I tried after starting the keto diet was exogenous ketones: I’d heard about them previously from my last doctor but never tried them regularly and besides when I tried them a couple years or so ago– that was when the company first started and had very limited product and,,,,it wasn’t yummy. It didn’t taste good. NOW?? OMG, now the exogenous ketones I take 2x a day (which give me crazy energy, help me focus, quash my cravings and virtually eliminate my appetite between meals) are FREAKING DELICIOUS! And the Keto Kreme coffee I make each morning- -from the little MCT OIL Packet we sell (I’m a distributor for the company if you didn’t pick up on that)?? So delicious and only 130 calories that will keep you full until lunch time! Trust me! Plus we have this KETO UP soda that even my husband is obsessed with and bone broth that is divine and soooo good for you. This company and the products have changed my world and of course, running this business provides wonderful income for our household. I’ve included links above if you’d like to order on your own, but if you’d like to chat with me about what products are best or if you’d like to learn about the business opportunity– how to earn income with the side hustle by joining my team, just email me kelly@kellyolexa.com and my assistant will set up a time for us to talk!

You want to know what’s boring? Eating the same thing all the time. I used to do this -ALWAYS! I’d discover something I loved and eat it all the time over and over again. While there’s nothing wrong with having some favorites– our bodies and taste-buds will respond favorably to a diversified diet. And– if you are like me, you’ll enjoy learning about other cultures as you start to branch out and make new cuisines from different countries.

I used to eat the same types of food over and over. And if someone asked me to try something, I’d often say “I don’t like x kind of food” or “I don’t do spicy” etc. Well now, my husband and I have discovered soooo many different kinds of foods from different cultures that we love–because — HE FIRST- then me, BRANCHED OUT and started going for it trying new things. When I first met my husband, he’d never had sushi, or an acai bowl or overnight oats or a bagel with cream cheese and lox or- well I could go on and on. But he just DOVE IN AND TRIED everything- it inspired me to start doing the same. He’s the one who got me into more SPICY FOOD– heck, I live in Texas now after all, where they put jalapenos on everything: now so do I!! Both my man and I enjoy watching YouTube or searching Pinterest or just stumbling on a recipe in one of our magazines that is totally different than anything we’ve made before– and we GO FOR IT. We’ve made some crazy great new recipes even just over the past month or so that I’m now adding to my KETO COOKBOOK! Check these out:

*Spicy Sausage and Spam (yes Spam! Had never tried it before or even considered it but wow, it’s amazing in this egg dish we made up) Egg Skillet

*Salisbury Steak with Mashed Yukon Potatoes (OMG!!! To die for!!!!)

*New Kicked up Chicken Salad (actually from a Tik Tok gal I follow)

*Crispy Chicken and Grilled Vegetable Parmesan Garlic “Pasta” with Faux Noodles (lo-carb)

*Chile Verde Pork with Cauliflower Rice

*Chicken Kabobs with Grilled Vegetables and Garlic Cream Jalapeno Sauce Over Rice or Cauliflower Rice

*Lamb Cauliflower Rice Bowl –which inspired me to make:

*Za’Atar Chicken Cauliflower Rice Bowl with Mint

In case you haven’t snagged my KETO COOKBOOK yet it’s just $27 and you get lifetime access so everytime like next week when I’m adding these recipes– you always get all the new recipes at no extra charge because the cookbook is 100% digital! Bam!

Generally speaking- the biggest thing NEW with food for me is trying new cuisines. We now love Middle Eastern Food and I’m buying all kinds of Middle Eastern and Lebanese cookbooks. I used to ONLY make/cook Italian dishes — BORING!! I also really like learning about all the different kinds of flavor combos in Asian cooking– WOW. Secondly, I now love making all our dishes SPICY!! I add Sriracha to everything and Jalapenos as well! Bring on the heat!

A food category new habit but not about eating- more about health/diet is- APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. I had heard for years about people taking ACV daily for gut health but never pursued trying it until I read the AMAZING BOOK – The Glucose Revolution. OMG lifechanger especially if you are like me with insulin resistance. In this book she talks about ACV being a hack you can use to help significantly lessen the insulin response from higher carb foods you eat. If you consume a TBS of ACV in water prior to or within 10-20 minutes of a meal with carbs in it, that ACV is going to significantly dampen that carb impact. Then, if you go for a walk (or do strength training) within 70 minutes of eating– your body will use the glucose from the carbs and burn it during the activity instead of it going right to your liver where it would be stored as fat– if you did not do the exercise. Steve and I now take Bijan the dog for a walk every night after dinner, about 20 minutes. And I do the ACV thing around every carb meal and I’m telling you I NOTICE a difference!!! Amazing!! Then I bought these METAL STRAWS because it was recommended to not drink the ACV water straight– but I’d heard people talking about getting metal straws previously and I thought: WHY?? Well now that I have them, I’m obsessed. I love drinking out of a straw and it makes me drink more water/ketones etc. which is good for hydration. You can drink faster out of a straw than gulping down liquid the other way.

Expand Your Fitness Horizons For Better Results and a Better LOOKING and FUNCTIONING Body!

When it comes to my fitness game, I have (FINALLY) and am branching out. I will say that my first experience branching out- doing something that intimidated me was back when I first started training with a personal trainer when I lived in Chicago. Both my trainer Jay and then my trainer from Gold’s Gym in Austin were so impactful in my life. As I type this I’m like oh man I want to do that again (one of my problems, wanting to do all the things all the time). I was intimidated to train with a trainer thinking I had to have a perfect body to do so. DUMB. That’s what a trainer does is help get you where you want to GO! More recently when I was doing my reverse diet prior to going keto and losing weight, I had to scale BACK my training- I had been over dieting and over training for so long, my body needed the opposite of that. It needed food and nourishment (reverse diet) and less intense training. I was told no high intensity cardio, only walking and for weight training, just nothing that would jack up my heart rate. So slow steady lifting or – yoga/barre. I began testing out some barre type classes and ended up being drawn to one I’d always made fun of before- Tracy Anderson workouts. Boy did I get taught a lesson! Once I signed up for a 2 week trial and tried a BEGINNER WORKOUT, I got my BUTT KICKED. Her workouts are INTENSE– totally different, totally not what you are used to if you are a gym rat but WOW. And the music is fantastic! I became an addict and then THAT opened my eyes to branching out and just being open to all kinds of fitness instead of pigeon holing myself into a small corner saying “I only do this type of training”– why? Because that’s what I used to do- but why does what we used to do have to dictate what we will do? HMMMM. I’m also planning to do ANOTHER THING that was TOTALLY NOT MY VIBE previously and that is — JOIN local studios and start going to classes. There are some really fun new health club concepts here locally and some Barre/Yoga studios and then some spin/yoga/hot everything fusion places……it’s time for me to stop isolating myself and only training at home– that’s my next step. What about YOU? How can you branch out and diversify? I also recently started doing a BEACHBODY PROGRAM-– 30-Day Breakaway> it’s a running and strength training program and the reason that’s a big deal is, I’ve never done programs before. I have always loved Beachbody workouts but I never did the PROGRAM. I’d always just mix and match my workout dvds and do whatever I felt like, well now I’m diving in and embracing change: doing a PROGRAM from start to finish. I’m digging it!
Do you like doing programs- working with a trainer- going to group classes– what’s your favorite way to get exercise in? What things in this post inspired you to try something NEW?

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER
Note: this blog contains affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned in this post and support this channel at no cost to you. While this channel may earn minimal sums when a viewer uses the links provided, the view is in NO WAY obligated to use these links. Thank you for your support.

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Health, INSULIN RESISTANCE, Personal Blog
How Often Should You Weigh Yourself When Dieting?
- September 27, 2022
- 0 comments
Is it better to weigh yourself daily, weekly, or not at all?

This post is sponsored by Eat Smart Products– All Opinions Expressed Are My Own!
How often should you weigh yourself when dieting? This question is often a hotly debated one and I’m not sure why but — it usually stems from this idea of weighing oneself being a bad idea that can lead to obsessive mindset. I disagree. I used to be the person who avoided weighing myself at all costs, avoided looking at the scale at the doctor’s office when they weighed me and had become TERRIFIED of knowing what the # was that I actually weighed– because I knew I was overweight but I didn’t want to know HOW OVERWEIGHT I WAS. I WAS LIVING IN FEAR and that fear grew and grew with each day I didn’t weigh. Here’s the thing- the longer I didn’t weigh, the more my fear grew and the more my anxiety about my weight grew. The more my anxiety grew and my wondering about how MUCH I was over my ideal weight– the more damage I was doing to my hormones– the more I was jacking up my cortisol which was affecting my adrenal situation which was affecting my insulin which was …..making me NOT BE ABLE TO LOSE WEIGHT. Hmmm. Crazy situation right? And I kept making it worse. See what happens when you just AVOID FACING YOUR ISSUES?? It’s like trying to sit on a beach ball in a pool…..that beach ball is gonna pop up and fly into the air……you can’t keep it down!
Friends!! I have come to learn that weighing ourselves is a gift to take the emotional nonsense out of dieting. Once I hired a trainer (Alex Mazzurco of Level Ten Coaching) to help me with a Reverse Diet, she had me weighing myself daily for the first time in FOREVER and it was the best thing for me. Suddenly I saw how the scale could fluctuate up and down for no apparent reason– even if I hadn’t changed my eating to cause it. I realized the scale did its own thing and was just a THING to provide ONE data point. I became friends with the scale and still am to this day. Sometimes, yes, sometimes I still get wigged out when it goes up on me. I’m female. It happens. But overall, I have come to see that weighing myself regularly, daily, gives me preventative power over being SURPRISED BY WEIGHT GAIN — who wants to deal with that?? No one. NO ONE!! When you regularly weigh yourself, you prevent unexpected creepy pounds from sneaking their way on your body……you are in control of your temple. For me, that’s the way I like it.

What Can Cause Fluctuations In Your Weight?

This question reminds me of when I had my first consultation with a neurologist about my migraine situation. She was going over all the things that could trigger a migraine. Suffice it to say, that list pretty much covered THE WORLD. Seriously, like EVERYTHING in the world can be a migraine trigger!!! It’s crazy! And in the context of things that can cause your weight on the scale to fluctuate– get ready. Some of the basic things that a lot of people don’t consider but should are– whether or not you are weighing at the same time every day, whether you are weighing on a truly empty stomach (did you pee yet? Have you had a bowel movement yet? Not to be gross but you might be surprised how much your poop can weigh girl!!) Have you had a cup of coffee? I weighed my cup of coffee and discovered it weighed .75-1 LB!! That’s right, it’s a big cup of coffee my friends– and you gotta think about any liquid you might drink like a pre-workout or anything like that– you drink an 8oz glass or more of that– you gotta adjust your weight. So that’s literal– then there are things that can be more vague or “when did this happen exactly??”– like the times it SEEMS you gain 3 lbs overnight. Clearly that didn’t happen but– if you worked out with WEIGHTS vs. cardio, your muscles will likely be inflamed and holding water while they heal– this is very typical. And the more you lift heavy and build muscle — you know what’s coming, you will GAIN MUSCLE AND probably see the scale weight go up, but your body SIZE will come DOWN. This is why you — as I stated above- not only WEIGH YOURSELF but also measure yourself and take progress photos and pay attention to your size and how you feel in your clothes! BIG PICTURE my friends….big picture! You may feel BLOATED- that’s not just a feeling. If you feel bloated, you might have undigested food (think about the question above about bowel movements: have you gone to the bathroom or are you missing some??) If you are backed up– this will show up as weight on the scale. This is why I take fiber every day to make sure I stay regular my friends! It should be your focus not just for weight but for a healthy gut and longevity! The supplements you take might also have an effect on your weight- as can medication. Some meds make you retain water like antibiotics etc. so keep that in mind.

The Best Approach to Tracking Your Weight

In my opinion and experience, the best approach to tracking your weight is to make it fun and make it a challenge for yourself. Make it a game of sorts with rewards for participation. It’s even better if your significant other or a friend can co-participate with you of course. I’m lucky that my husband is as committed to fitness as I am– we keep each other accountable. The goal should be to see how fit and HEALTHY you can get your body– and how to treat your body like the temple it is– and keep it that way. We are made as amazing creatures capable of far more than we realize. I’m 53 years old and so far in the best shape of my whole life and I’m just getting started– I challenge you to view your getting fit journey as a gift — an opportunity to carve out the best version of you so that you can have the best future possible. Don’t you want to be active and healthy and able to run the world and do whatever you want whenever you want wherever you want- at whatever age you are–??? I want to be able to take vacations with my husband in the coming decades and walk and take hikes wherever we go and not have to say “oh we are too old to do that”- and the wonderful thing is because of what we all have access to with this information on HEALTH and wellness– and the ability to apply it= we all can lead active and amazing lives far longer than generations before us. That’s amazing.
If you don’t yet own a body-weight scale and want to snag one of the best, my friends at Eat Smart have provided a $10 OFF discount for you on your purchase at EatSmartProducts.com— just use the code KELLYO and CLICK HERE to shop. I’ve been a customer of theirs for over 15 years now buying their food scales and now that I am using their body-weight scales I’m even more impressed. Let’s do this together shall we?? Take the blinders off and take ownership of your body! You’ve got this!!
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Eat Smart Products. All opinions expressed are my own.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll probably want to check out these other ones as well. My brand new Keto Cookbook is out now– just $27 gets you over 55 low-carb recipes that helped me lose 36 inches and 30 LBS! CLICK HERE to snag your copy! My Keto Bootcamp is live too- for just $99 you can watch my self-paced video taught course and learn how to go KETO the way I did– you get lifetime access to the FB group where you can ask questions after you’ve completed the videos and started implementing the KETO lifestyle! CLICK HERE to start losing weight now! The Best Treatment For Chronic Stress: Click Here. GOT PERIMENOPAUSE? NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT? Click here.

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER
Note: this blog contains affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned in this post and support this channel at no cost to you. While this channel may earn minimal sums when a viewer uses the links provided, the view is in NO WAY obligated to use these links. Thank you for your support.

READ MORE...