Written by: Lisa D’Alessandro, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
For all you MINDSET junkies this is for you too. As most already understand that our cellular makeup consists more of microorganisms like bacteria than human cells.
Yet, we are energetic and emotional beings and when you're alive with JOY, gratitude, genuine compassion, KINDNESS and resonate in LOVE, the highest vibration you remain in a healthier state.
How you feel is NOT just in your head— science proves your microbiome matters and the gut has a bigger influence on the brain and nervous system, then the brain has on the gut or one’s mental state of being.
The body's two TOP priorities are to manage stress and respond to immunity threats.
When your heart rules your gut, your GUT rules your brain and the body follows the brain. And you could say too that your immune system knows your deepest feelings.
There’s no fooling your nervous system and you must feed your body, mind and soul well.
Hormones and the nervous system run the show internally. The chemical messengers communicate to the cells and depending on one’s perspective to surroundings and the input from the CNS determines metabolic functioning.
STRESS steals our joy, robs the body of needed minerals that support our energy, hormone balance, the ability to orchestrate a magnitude of metabolic functions in the body including natural detoxification.
When the body seems to be in survival mode or combating many stressors(whether they be physical, emotional, chemical or social) ALL other systems shut down (in an optimal sense of function.)
Every organism has its built-in protection system as we are uniquely designed to respond to any type of threat, no matter if you’re running late for work or being chased by an angry bear… stress is STRESS.
It can be very challenging in our modern-day lifestyles to detach from all the woe’s even when one believes they are living a HEALTHY lifestyle or wants to breakthrough from burnout and the mental muck because stress in all its ugly forms has made an impact on ones WELL-BEING.
It is part of my holistic practice to help people recognize they are caught up chasing DIS-EASE rather than putting their MINDSET in a place of health, their BELIEFS in a place of positivity, their THOUGHTS aligned with joy, optimism and recognizing how to flip the switch, the MOMENT when one’s ruminating in fear or worry and anxiety arises.
As any organism, we ADAPT to stress, but we also know, when we change the way we think or actively let go of what doesn’t serve us well and truly relax we can CHANGE the way we feel.
Holistically we can NOT just heal the physical body as emotions and experiences can get rooted in our tissues and keep looping in our limbic overactive brain.
Spring is the season of renewal a time to rejuvenate the liver which can hold onto the emotions of resentment, bitterness, sadness, anger and hostility you may be feeling.
To fully shift out of an overactive state of these lower vibrations it takes integrating a holistic approach to get off of the hamster wheel.
Metabolic UNWELLNESS is one of the biggest health crisis that will continue to escalate if we keep band-aiding symptoms with medications and chasing dis-ease.
In a survey conducted between 2006 and 2016 and published in Metabolic Syndrome and "related disorders in 2018, 88% of the population is metabolically unwell.”
This means that this goes beyond being able to fit comfortably in your pair of jeans. It means that most are NOT meeting basic medical guidelines for things like blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, and other markers of metabolic dis-ease.
To climb out of this rabbit hole of exhaustion, brain fog, memory loss, insomnia, blood sugar imbalance, belly fat, cardiovascular issues, hyperactive immune responses, hypothyroid issues requires resilience and looking to the ROOT causes.
Beyond stress and inflammation is the oxidative damage on the cells and an overburdened LIVER which becomes more like a recycling waste management system.
Some tips to spring forward to thrive, reframe and nurture the bodies needs has so much to do with giving the holistic body the nourishment it requires to remain in a better-balanced state.
1. Being determined to dominate your thoughts as the brain is wired to react negatively by 80% then positively. Recognizing when a negative thought arises, it’s at that moment we hit the switch and spend seconds in gratitude. Rewire your neurons to release self-doubt, anxiety, fears and worry by challenging yourself to looking forward to new challenges to face life with renewed purpose and optimism. Self-mastery wins!
2. Take numerous micro-breaks throughout the day to retrain your vagal nerve to calm the sympathetic stress response. Jump up and give yourself a ‘high five’ during the day when you’ve crossed off something from your to-do list. Set alarms on your iPhone to go off about 5-6 times during the day to take some deep releasing cortisol breaths in a count of 4 from the diaphragm all the way up to your shoulders then releasing it for another four with a gentle squeeze at the end. Or another fav of mine turn on your favorite music …dance, sing and hum loudly to vibrate in this happy place.
3. Eating quality whole foods, spices and herbs that support the stress response and simultaneously taking more responsibility to prepare your own meals that nourish your cells, tissues and organ systems. In today’s sugar ridden world of hidden types of sugar sources…HFC, sucrose, “oses”, malts, aspartame and more. Refined carbs with no nutrient value, additives, preservatives, the extreme consumption of hormones, antibiotics in our foods sources, PUFA’s(polyunsaturated fats), grains sprayed with glyphosate, processed and fake foods with GMO’s all overwhelm the immune system and the natural detoxifying pathways. Pushing out the debris begins with more unadulterated options and choosing organic foods or properly cleansing off the pesticides. Think about this—would you spray a piece of fruit with Raid, rinse it off and then eat it?
4. The necessity to drink clean filtered water helps amplify the purging of cellular debris. As the critical filtering organ is your kidneys, and pH determines how or if toxins get redistributed. This is why drinking half your body weight in water that is NOT chlorinated, flouridated or from a plastic bottle with freshly squeezed organic lemon juice supports alkalinity in the body. And its antioxidant component boosts the detoxification process.
5. Nourishing the gut with fibre-rich foods and a balance of quality proteins, healthy fats, friendly carbs(root vegetables, leafy greens, fruits, legumes, quinoa, oats and millet) and fermented foods aids in digestion and building up of a healthier mucosal barrier as opposed to a more permeable gut lining. The gut is the gateway to inflammation throughout the body, to the brain and affects the nervous system. Our organs and cells require nourishment and even more so when we are stressed.
6. We do have control over some of the chemicals and toxins that are responsible for chronic illness. Spending more time out in nature away from city smog, indoor pollution reduces breathing them in. Indoor air purifiers and plants help with the chemical overload. Changing up household cleaning products to natural less toxic brands. Eliminating personal care products that are loaded with toxic substances becoming endocrine disruptors or xenoestrogens messing with one’s cellular well-being.
7. Moving more, but in a relaxed state rather than over-exercising, pushing the stress load too far to the left all that causes more inflammation and adrenal stress. I’ve heard Functional Medicine Doctors say…If you don’t want to go bankrupt, you can’t keep withdrawing from the adrenal bank account without putting more funds in like quality sleep, trying yoga, meditation and other healthy lifestyle habits.
8. Saying NO to others and YES to your self-worth, care and journey. Simply put be aware of your boundaries, and put yourself first as it is NOT selfish, but is absolutely necessary for growth, creative flow, resiliency, enough energy and keeping your body in better balance to be in that place of health.
If your energy starts to run low during familiar activities or mid-afternoon it could be a warning that your CORTISOL pattern is disrupted. Catching more colds, NOT getting good quality Zzzz’s, suffering from anxiety, low moods or having a shorter emotional fuse are early signs stress hormones are at play.
This has everything to do with the amount of JOY you feel, the state of your true WELL-BEING and nurturing your heart~ gut ~brain ~liver axis is the action steps one must address for aging more gracefully, blissfully and vibrantly.
If you want to go into more depth of doing better for your liver health and want tips on foods to daily nurture the function of the gut liver axis visit my blog.
In peace, harmony and health,
Lisa
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Lisa D’Alessandro, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Lisa D’Alessandro is an Entrepreneur and Holistic Heart~Gut~Brain Axis Nutritional Coach who’s walked this walk with her own well-being, her children and countless others. She helps overwhelmed entrepreneurs and mama's put on their oxygen masks to boost their moods, memory, digestion, immunity, metabolism and resilience with holistic solutions for the gut/brain axis so they can calm the cellular chaos within and age more gracefully, blissfully with greater mental vigor and physical vitality. Her other mission is how children’s minds and lives are being compromised which is not beyond our control, but sadly manipulated by marketing, toxic overload in products and the big pharma for which lifestyle choices, food and specific phytonutrients are key to unlocking anyone’s full physiological potential. Let’s lead by example and be the change we wish to see in the world
