Steps To Begin Increasing Energy and Promote A Healthy Metabolism
All women desire to have a healthy metabolism and amazing energy levels, but what most women do not consider are their hormones being the foundation for both. Estrogen health is the key and if our hormones are not balanced, our gut also suffers just like when our gut suffers so does our hormonal rhythm. If our metabolism is suffering due to lifestyle choices or recent health issues, our energy will also suffer. But, let’s say you are “healthy” and are still having a hard time feeling energized without having that extra cup of coffee or can’t seem to get over the sluggish metabolism no matter how much you move your body, I have an answer for you. I am going to take you through my 5 step process in developing simple ways you can begin to change things up at home and see both your energy and metabolism improve all while caring for your female hormones and gut microbiome!
Step1: Where are you hormonally?
This is so important for a woman to consider as our hormones and health of our gut are the foundation of both of these underlying issues. I like to separate women into three different groups.
Premenopausal: women in their reproductive prime age 20-late 30s. This is the season of your life when your body begins to change hormonally every 7-10 days based on her monthly cycle and the different phase she moves into. In the early half of the cycle when estrogen is dominant, your energy and metabolic pathways are going to be really good. This is a great time to add cardio to your workouts, play with complex carbs in your Five - Thrive meals and enjoy a shorter fasting window like 12-12 or 14-10. When you begin to move into the later half of the cycle which is called luteal phase, progesterone then becomes the dominant hormone and body temperature increases as well as resting cortisol levels. This is when we begin to see changes in our metabolism and energy levels since estrogen is lower. This is a great time to trade cardio for balancing in my sculpt fitness method, increase healthy fats and be mindful about carb choices, and fast longer. Try 16-8 intermittent fasting schedule during the week then go back down to a 14-10 then 12-12 on the weekends.
Perimenopausal: women post reproductive prime but are still ovulating therefore menstruating and seeing changes in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. This is typically about a 10 year period that can be pretty chaotic for most women. We typically see this time begin for women from age 40-mid to late 50s or until they begin menopause. The same rule applies for perimenopausal women as it does for premenopausal women instead begin to challenge yourself more with your intermittent fasting schedule and be mindful about carb intake (usually better in the early half of the day in your Five-Thrive smoothie)
Postmenopausal: women who have gone an entire year without ovulating therefore have done an entire year without menstruating. This season can be a bit tricky to figure out, but I have seen my personal clients reach weight based goals and hightended energy levels when they begin to apply what I teach them. The reason we see energy and metabolism begin to change no matter how “healthy” you are eating or often you are moving your body is because the body has essentially stopped creating estrogen. Does this mean you need to be on hormone replacement therapy? Studies show that it is not safe for women to be on hormone replacement therapy for a prolong period of time, so my stance is no. I believe God created women with this season of life in mind and your body will begin to thrive in your new normal once you begins to change things up within your diet and fasting. Begin incorporating intermittent fasting into your diet. Start with 12-12 for a week then increase to 14-10 then to 16-8. Where did you feel your best? Try to stay where you felt your best but then begin to add some flexibility like doing 16-8 Monday - Thursday then 14-10 on Friday and Saturday and 12-12 on Sunday with maybe one or two 18-6 fasting days out of the month while pushing your body harder physically by adding weights to your sculpts and cardio pulses at least 2 x a week!
Step 2: Increase phytoestrogen foods in your diet
Phytoestrogen foods are plants with naturally occurring estrogen which help stimulate estrogen production.
When added to the diet in the later half of the cycle for pre and perimenopausal women and added to the diet in general for postmenopausal women, the thought is that the body will begin to naturally begin to produce more estrogen, thus, seeing changes in energy levels and metabolism.
There are pros and cons which is why starting in small amounts is key and around the later half of the cycle for premenopausal women.
Here is a short list of the few I like and recommend for my clients:
ground flax seeds for Five-Thrive smoothies (luteal phase or a few times a week for postmenopausal)
sesame seeds or tahini butter on Five - Thrive bowls
soy based tofu (although this can be tricky so be careful to find a pure product not highly processed)
hummus or chickpeas
Step 3: Increase fiber and decrease processed foods
I know it may seem simple but this is a crucial step. When we begin to increase dietary fiber in our diets and decrease processed foods, we then begin to increase good gut bacteria, because we are feeding them what they need to grow and multiply. This helps with the overall strength of our gut line barrier and health of our gut microbiome. As a result, our immune system operates better, our estrogen is balanced, our energy is stable without brain fog, and our metabolism improves as we are now properly digesting and absorbing nutrients properly.
Why fiber is essential for estrogen health:
If you are not feeding your good gut bacteria, your bad gut bacteria can create an enzyme called beta glucuronidase which takes estrogen (that has been taken to the liver to be neutralized and then to the intestines to be removed via bowel movements) and reactivates it and sends it back out to the blood stream. This is exactly the opposite of what we are trying to accomplish. Incorporating cruciferous veggies into your diet is essential, because they contain a compound called indole-3-carbinol (I3C) which helps your liver metabolize your estrogen more efficiently and reduces the harmful effects associated with excess estrogen in the body. I personally eat a wide variety of cruciferous veggies daily and adding a few of these to your diet a day may just be the trick you needed to jumpstart your health!
Cruciferous veggies to play with:
Fresh garlic
Sweet onion
Colorful bell peppers
Asparagus
Brussels
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Bok choy
Red cabbage
White cabbage
Kale
Spinach
Micro greens
See my recipes to begin making Five - Thrive meals with these veggies!
If struggling with bloating, gas, diarrhea / constipation — you may have leaky gut syndrome which is causing your metabolism to be sluggish because you are not digesting properly, therefore, your energy will suffer because energy is being taken to focus on your gut leaving you with brain fog and fatigue. My hormone balancing course will help this! Become a member and enjoy it for FREE or pay separately by clicking here. However, another thing I love to add to the diet when healing the gut is bone broth, L-Glutamine powder, and high quality beef liver (try Smoking Oaks if living in Nashville otherwise find a local butcher and ask).
Why bone broth?
Good bone broth contains a wide variety of nutrients including calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and several other amino acids
Known for gut healing this will aid in your bloating because of its role in maintaining normal intestinal barrier function.
Intestinal permeability (leaky gut syndrome) is characterized by a breakdown in the integrity of your intestinal gut barrier which is something I do believe we are currently treating.
Bone broth, L-Glutamine powder, and intermittent fasting will aid in this process
Step 4: Add superfoods to your Five - Thrive smoothies:
Superfoods help the body to essentially THRIVE! They are filled with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals used to give you the energy you need to look and feel great.
Here is a short list to begin playing with:
Cinnamon powder: balance blood sugar
Cacao powder: rich in polyphenols which help with brain and rich with magenisium and potassium helping with period cramps
Maca powder: plant sterol helping balance estrogen levels and increase energy
Ground flax seeds: rich in fiber, vitamins, amino acids and healthy fats
Spirulina: blue-green algae, higher in protein than red meat (so great for those who do not consume red meat), contains all essential fatty acids, and antioxidant rich
Extra virgin coconut oil: rich with MCTs helping heal your gut and antioxidant levels
Goji berries: super antioxidant rich and great for skin health
Wheat grass: rich in iron, calcium, and magnesium and helps fight free radicals
Turmeric: helps fight inflammation, stabilizes blood sugar, and can help prevent cancer cell growth (be sure to add black pepper when using to activate and enhance the curcumin)
Ginger: help relieve nausea, help decrease fasting blood sugar, and help with inflammation with muscle pain or stiffness
Wild blueberries: super antioxidant rich
Green tea: rich in antioxidants and polyphenols
Dark chocolate: cacao dark chocolate is rich in flavonols, polyphenols, and antioxidants
Step 5: Try your first luteal or longevity five day fast
I developed a five day fasting technique that honors the female cycle for pre and perimenopausal women and promotes healthy aging and longevity for postmenopausal.
The goal:
Try to make this a five day journey during the later half of your cycle (luteal phase first 5 days) or any 5 days a month if postmenopausal. During this time, you will find a change in your cognitive function, mood, weight, energy, cravings, pms symptoms, and bloat. During these five days, we are avoiding ALL inflammatory proteins which area:
1. Lectin: found in seeded veggies and legumes
2. Gluten: found in whole grains
3. Casein and Whey: found in US cattle / dairy products
As well as going completely plant based with no animal protein whatsoever during the 5 day stretch! This helps give the digestive system a break to store energy that would typically be used to break down the food you are eating and begin to heal your gut and balance your hormones.
Cellularly and biologically, this does amazing things for the human body as it:
Actively fights diseases such as obesity, Alzheimer's, cancers, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia
Creates autophagy in the body (removes damaged / dysfunctional parts of your cells and creates new) aka enhances cognitive function and brain activity
Resets taste buds and changes cravings while feeding good gut bacteria
Reestablishes self-control and enhances self-confidence
This is fasting mimicking, so it tricks the body into thinking you have fasted for roughly 30 days when in reality its been 5 (the menu of foods listed below keeps the body in a natural state of fasting just like we do when we are intermittent fasting. This 5 day stretch is powerful stuff as you enter into a natural state of rest by giving your digestive system a break, lean into the presence of God, and get extra physical rest)
Things you can do to help you stay in the game by day three:
Breathe— activate your parasympathetic nervous system by reading the word of God, pausing and taking a breath before you eat and encouraging yourself by saying “Yes I can!”
Add starch veggie like sweet potato cubed or oven roasted carrots again cubed to your dinner or lunchtime bowl 1-2 tbsp around day 3
Rehydrate the body by drinking 12-16 oz of room temp lemon water in one sitting
Foods to enjoy:
Leafy greens (kale, spinach, microgreens, etc.)
Fiber rich cruciferous veggies (see list above)
Minimal fruit that’s high in fiber and antioxidants (wild blueberries, raspberries, and citrus fruits)
Healthy fats (extra virgin coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed avocado oil, avocados, raw almond butter)
Foods to avoid:
Refined sugars
Processed foods
Soy
Gluten
Dairy
Alcohol
All animal products
Timeline approximation: what it could potentially look like (see recipes for some listed here and become a member of LWD to receive more help) this is just an idea giving you plenty of options if you are hungry
First wake up
12 oz of room temp water with 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon
Early morning
7am-9 am hot green tea or black coffee (if feeling fatigued or hungry add 1 small handful of raw almonds)
Mid Morning
Detox green smoothie typically after morning movement such as a walk or gentle sculpt with no added weight around 9:30-10:30 am
Early afternoon snack
12 -1 pm 2 living lettuce heads with 2 tbsp Whole Foods guac or bell pepper sticks + guac or smashed avo or walnuts
Early evening / afternoon
4-5 green tea and 1 small handful of raw almonds
Evening: 6-7 veggies stir fry over raw massaged kale salad
Late evening sweet treat
7-8 pm 1 tbsp almond butter with handful blueberries and 2 75% Lily’s dark chocolate square on top
Sister, I hope this helps and you are motivated more than ever to being playing with your diet, fasting, and fitness to see where your body begins to THRIVE! Don’t forget to become a member of the LWD community to learn more and have access to group coaching, courses, fitness, meal plans, and more or schedule a consult to learn about my 3 month coaching program!