Raise your hand if you’ve ever been on a diet. Most of us have, given that we live in an image-obsessed, diet-crazed society and that the quick fix weight loss business is a multibillion-dollar industry. Did dieting work for you? If so, were you able to achieve your goal and keep the weight off?
Many women today have estrogen dominance – a condition where estrogen is high in relation to progesterone. It doesn’t necessarily mean that estrogen is elevated (although most of the time it is) – it means that there is not enough progesterone production to oppose estrogen and keep it in check. As if hypothyroidism wasn’t enough of an epidemic, estrogen dominance is epidemic as well and can have some serious implications for thyroid function. Kind of a double whammy.
Jen Sinkler is the former director of fitness content for Experience Life magazine and self-professed “workout connoisseur.” I found out about Jen when I became an Experience Life ambassador and not only do we share friends, but we’ve now become big champions of each other’s work. She interviewed me about easing out of Hashimoto’s for the launch of her new website and I train with her at Movement Minneapolis. Jen was recently named one of Shape magazine’s “Top Motivators for 2013” and in 2012 she was listed as one of Huffington Post’s “20 of the Best Fitness Experts Worth Following on Twitter.” I recently caught up with Jen and asked her about resolution-setting (it probably won’t surprise you what she says), workout recommendations for beginners, and all the many plates she spins.
Allow me to get personal with you. I’m going to have a baby soon-like. My first. No, I’m not pregnant. My husband and I are adopting. We’re at the end of the rope with the red tape (literally, not emotionally) and we’ve been told we’ll be matched SOON. We’re going domestic, so things can happen quickly. And we’ll have a NEWBORN. It’s crazy and scary and exciting and mind-boggling.
Hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function, is a silent epidemic. And in most cases, hypothyroidism isn’t rooted in a thyroid problem in the first place. It’s rooted in an immune system gone awry (Hashimoto’s). Making dietary changes is your first line of defense.
I’m co-writing a Thyroid Health cookbook! I’m so excited I can hardly stand it. This idea was hatched at about 8:30 the night before one of my Fire Your Thyroid classes, as I was emailing with my very close friend and class participant, Lisa Markley.
I recently wrapped up Version 2.0 of my Fire Your Thyroid teleclass series. What an amazingly rewarding experience – again. I’m amazed at how many people enrolled and I feel so honored to be able to share what I know with so many. I had people from seven countries participating and the feedback has been to touching.
As popularity in the Paleo (short for Paleolithic) diet has grown, so have questions from my clients about its merits. Many of my clients are nutritionally savvy – they’ve done a lot of their own research on hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s, and adrenal fatigue, and come to me to help them sort out the contradictions and confusion and give them a supportive program with which they can start putting one foot in front of the other. And there is a lot of confusion about the benefits of going Paleo.
We’ve all heard the idiom, “You are what you eat.” You also feel what you eat. We know that the right foods help ward off disease and help keep our bodies healthy as we age. Yet many people don’t make the connection in how food can be our most powerful defense in alleviating moodiness, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and stress, and improving outlook and attitude.
