The word gut has been tossed around a lot. Sometimes it's used to describe the roundish shape of your belly, other times it refers to the inside of your digestive tract and how you feel when you eat. Sometimes it refers to your instincts. I believe you should listen to them all, but one in particular.

In the early 2000s, I was working full time in restaurants, which meant a lot of nights and weekends. I also had a young baby so that meant no sleep. I was tired all the time. Yet, I would still force myself to get up and go to the gym every day. I knew I needed it. I knew, of course, I wanted to lose the baby weight. But I also knew that mentally it made me feel better. It gave me the energy to make it through my long shifts in restaurants, on my feet for 8-10 hours. So, I would make myself go even if I didn't want to because I just knew that it was good for me. But it was definitely a battle.

At that time, I had a background as an athlete, so I knew what I was doing in the gym. I didn't have in-depth knowledge and understanding of our bodies or how they respond to different exercises, but I knew the basics. Mostly, I just did what I liked.

Then in 2011, I had the opportunity to start working part-time doing what I loved, which was teaching group fitness. I no longer had to stay up late and first my baby was older and I actually had another baby who was also older. I was back to sleeping typical hours. I could exercise whenever I wanted and I started to learn more about our bodies and how different exercises did different things, but I still wasn't feeling great.

I knew something was missing.

Then I discovered Dr. William Davis, and his research and work about wheat. Through his research, I began to understand that food is so much more than calories or even macros. It's not just about burning fuel or storing it. The food that we eat and the movement we do with our bodies has a direct effect on the hormone balances in our systems. If we don't fuel our bodies properly and move them effectively, our hormones and our hormonal systems are severely negatively affected, they get all out of whack.

One thing that really struck me when I first started following his research was the effect that wheat had on your blood sugar because I have had blood sugar issues my whole life. I just thought it was one of those things I was just going to always have to deal with.

I didn’t understand that the wheat that I was consuming all the time, was causing my blood sugar to spike, which then caused my insulin to spike with it. Then it triggered ghrelin, which is your hunger hormone, making me think I was hungry all the time, even though I had just eaten. It created a vicious cycle.

Having the right food, sending the right signals to your brain is the difference between a life of health and longevity or illness and suffering.

The food that we eat can cause joint pain, mental and emotional issues like anxiety and depression, and of course digestive issues. There are some digestive issues that you wouldn't think were linked to what you're eating. They can make you feel like maybe your digestive system doesn't work quite right. Skin problems can be linked to what we do or do not eat too.

When I learned this, I was exercising more than 20 hours a week, I was eating what I thought was clean, but I had no idea the hormonal battle that was going on within me. That kick-started my desire to deep dive into nutrition, not for vanity but for longevity.

I just wanted to feel good. If I looked better along the way, that'd be awesome, but I was pretty content.

I have spent the last four years learning everything I could about our bodies, how they respond to different foods, and how they respond to different types of exercise stimuli.

Everyone wants that magic pill or the magic bullet that fixes their bodies.

The truth is, we have to learn to listen to our bodies. If you don't feel right, there's a cause. Something caused you to not feel right. Instead of looking for something to get rid of that feeling, we need to look at what caused that discomfort and get rid of that.

Now, I have a system that I use to help my clients find the perfect way to fuel their bodies and move their bodies that suits their lifestyle and the body that they have. It's not a cookie-cutter, one size fits all system. Because I like to say everybody is different, and every body is different. We have to understand our own individual bodies and what they need.

In my system, I've been able to take all the years of research and study and use it to guide countless clients to transform their bodies into lean, mean, healthy machines that feel great (not just look great).

There are plenty of programs that will help you burn fat and gain muscle rapidly. But they may not take into account your overall health and wellness. They may not be sustainable.

What I have found to be most effective, is to listen to your body. Get to know your body and pick up on the subtle little signals. If you can't pick up on those little signals because they're muffled by so many toxins and so many things that are causing inflammation. That's a problem worth exploring too.

If you'd like to have a chat to help you to get on the road to feeling better, please feel free to connect with me via DM on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn or email. If you know you need to get started right now, click this link to schedule a call.

Either way, it’s time to start listening to your gut!