I love being a guinea pig. I'm eager to try new things and see how they can change my body from the inside out. I'm curious and will research a topic/style of living/way to eat out to wazoo. I love to know WHY things work and I question everything. But this wasn't always the case.
When I began my journey with Beachbody over 8 years ago, it was purely aesthetics and mentality for me. I hated my job and my relationship and I needed to control ONE thing. I did what I was told to: follow a workout program schedule (did Insanity for the first time!) and ate the meal plan my coach told me to (lost 15lbs!). But outside of that I never questioned too much about WHY I was doing any of it. That was until one summer I started having terrible headaches, muscle pain, brain fog and had no idea why the f$%# it was happening. That's when I declared myself a detective. You can find out more about that journey here: How I Manage Lyme Disease. Essentially, I became obsessed with the question: WHY? Why did I have to be on birth control since age 16? Why was I being prescribed this medication without being asked what I eat? Why was I feeling these symptoms? To a fault, I research the shit out of topics now, and knowledge is power but sometimes its overwhelming (thats for another post though!). Anyway, so began my guinea pig journey where I research topics hardcore and try it out for myself. I've done candida cleanses, plant based elimination cleanses, parasite cleanses, specific diets and more. Each thing has taught me something about my body, what it likes, what it doesn't.
To bring you to where I am today, about to begin a 4 month protocol, I want to share about my WHY doing it. One of the topics I became obsessed with in 2020 was hormonal health. I've been off Birth control and was getting my period every month so I assumed I was healthy in that department. But I had noticed spotting before and after my monthly flow and after chatting with my amazing friend, Kathryn, I found that it wasn't normal. She suggested I read "Fix Your Period" by Nicole Jardim. I downloaded it on my iphone and listened within a week. I learned SO much. For instance, when you are on birth control, you are never really having a true period (mind blown!). For 10 years I wasn't experiencing a period?!?! WTF!.I also learned from other sources that certain foods, workouts, and lifestyle actions are important during certain times of the month. It all just CLICKED. It made sense why I had a surge of energy to get shit done after I was done my period. Or why I craved chocolate most during a certain week. Through my hormonal research I realized I was displaying symptoms of estrogen dominance. Since living in Wyoming I had gained weight from drinking more than I liked, and even though I've cut WAY back, I can tell that it did a number on my body and my liver. Your liver is responsible for eliminating estrogen. If your liver is taxed and can't eliminate, symptoms like muffin top (me!), spotting (me!), and weight gain (def me!) plus other symptoms can occur.
This rabbit hole led me to follow certain medical and hormonal specialists on Instagram. Specifically people like Dr. Jess MD & Functional Foods. Here were medical professionals who were actually talking about food, environment, fitness and how doctors are not required a nutritional course in order to graduate (that should scare you!). Dr Jess left the department she was in because morally she couldn't continue to treat people the way western medicine does today (there is def a time a place for western medicine but we can't deny the epidemic of obesity and disease in the US). Then Covid hit and I was so happy to see these professionals talk about the virus and things that can help you (zinc, vitamin D, quercetin with studies to back it up) that the news simply wasn't mentioning. I trust the hell out of these professionals, and it just made sense to me what they were saying. Again, something CLICKED for me.
Besides Covid hoopla, the professionals I was following talked about parasites, pathogens, lyme disease and more, something most doctors would consider 'woo-woo'. They talked about detoxing and how your pathways must be open in order to detox. Many of them were affiliated with a company called CellCore. Only medical professionals can be affiliated with it but I saw so many swear by it so I looked into it. They have many products and protocols that you can check out on their site, but for this blog I just want to share what I'll be doing: The Foundational Protocol. It's a four month protocol meant to open drainage, support the gut and immune system, detox and eliminate as many toxins as possible. Any cleanse or detox I've done before this didn't focus on opening drainage and pathways before detoxing, which is why I'm giving this a go and to work on the damage I've most likely done to my liver. Here is an amazing article by their other company on why drainage is so important.
This will be the longest protocol I will have followed, 4 months! My goal with this protocol is to work on my liver so that estrogen can be processed better and hopefully lose some weight that I've been holding onto the past few years. I won't be drinking for these 4 months either to fully feel the benefits and give my body the break it needs. When you're detoxing with any protocol, its important to get your lymphatic system going as it is the system in your body that rids it of toxins and waste. The lymphatic system doesn't move on its own so YOU have to move it. How? By working out, sweating, dry brushing, and infrared sauna to name a few. I wouldn't be a Beachbody coach if I didn't pair a program with this protocol. 9 Week Control Freak just came out on demand and so I'll be pairing that program with this protocol which in turn will get my lymph and detox juices flowing. As far as food, I'll just be focusing on whole foods, in appropriate portions, staying clear from processed or too much sugar so that my body can focus on the detox work its doing.
January 11th is my start date and I'll be sure to keep you updated on how its going. If you are interested in trying it yourself, you must purchase through a registered practitioners code. Comment below if you'd like the code for the professional I chose. This is a PRICEY cleanse which is why I'm taking it seriously and being more strict than I usually would with food, booze etc. Thankfully, the stimulus check helped me cover this (LOL).
I encourage you to be your own guinea pig and research away on ways to help whatever you find yourself ailed with. Leave a comment on what you're feeling and how you're figuring it out!
xo Jac
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