Let’s choose to investigate “under the hood” and learn specific ways we can optimize our own health and strengthen our immune system.
Choose to be a part of the solution and GET HEALTHY!
How can you GET healthy?
Well first, assume that none of us are a healthy as we could be – and we all have room for improvement.
Many of us, if not all of us, are running at low capacity and probably settling for our “normal” – instead of choosing to thrive each day, build resiliency and improve our vitality from the INSIDE OUT!
First, we should start working on our lifestyle habits- as we can’t out exercise a bad diet, nor can we out supplement poor lifestyle habits.
I know I am always re-assessing my health and managing my CHRONIC stressors. Recently, I changed my entire life (thanks to COVID for forcing us to work online!) by moving from Seattle to North San Diego. For the past two summer months, we rented an Airbnb in the mountains (“Tuscany Hills”) north of Escondido, CA, while we looked for the perfect house. We didn’t watch (and still haven’t) watched television and spent many hours each day outside- walking, biking, running, and wandering around new areas.
We call our move to expensive California as a move for improved #QualityofLife! We want to spend more times in the outdoors and thrive each day year-round – and we made that life choice. The goal is to reduce external chronic stressors and improve our health with more time outdoors, eating local food, and being active outside year-round.
I am taking care of ME and this was a part of my lifelong dream! Now, even as I write this article, I spend more time outside working and staring at the palm trees surrounding our amazing “Hilltop Sanctuary” home- with out very own outdoor botanical (drought resistant) gardens with a pergola and glass house (future health and fitness studio/office).
In order to practice what I preach, I recently ran new lab tests on myself to evaluate my INTERNAL sources of CHRONIC STRESS that impact our hormone balance, immune function, digestion, detoxification, energy system and nervous system. As I say everyday- “TEST and NOT GUESS” how healthy you are “under the hood” with well-chosen functional lab tests and proper individualized health investigation to put your missing pieces of the puzzle back together to reach optimal balance or homeostasis between body systems.
Just think of an orchestra with one, two or three pieces off tune or out of order- the sound would be off. Or think of your car… we get oil changes, tune ups and general maintenance at least once a year or ideally quarterly. Why don’t we invest in our own health to optimize all body systems, to strengthen our immune system and to build resiliency?
My OATS test came back and showed I had multiple hidden internal sources of chronic stress including mold toxicity and candida (overgrowth). I actually have been feeling good – but that just shows me (and a great example) of how we can be settling for less than optimal and could be thriving in life if we just identified the right sources of hidden stressors (clues) and created a 3-step protocol to rebuild, repair and restore the WHOLE me/you!
Now I am on a Mold Toxicity protocol to detox and repair my gut (“heal and seal”). I still needed the additional clues to help put the missing pieces of the puzzle together with the DUTCH Complete, GI Map, Food Sensitivities and Leaky Gut tests -as when one source of chronic stressors is identified, we usually can find even more sources of hidden stressors as there is a domino effect of breakdown and burnout.
Athletes will drop 10K on a new racing bike or wheels, but they contemplate on testing and assessing their own body systems are running. Instead, we end up running at 50% capacity or sometimes less, then accept deficiencies or our imbalances as our new “normal” – and probably just blame the aging process to our lack of vitality and struggles with fat loss or performance gains.
When I am coaching high performing individuals, and athletes of all levels, I start with assessing their nutrition habits and chronic stressors. Many people burn the candles at both ends and “live life as a race” instead of pacing themselves and pressing “ctrl-alt-del” more frequently each day. Many of us thrive in chaos and don’t know what to do with ourselves if we are not busy doing something!
I learned the hard way on what happens when we live life as a race and now it is my purpose to help others similar to myself to learn why and HOW to slow down, press pause and reset more frequently. I shared my personal story in my book “LIFE IS NOT RACE – IT IS A JOURNEY” (on Amazon) to help create awareness on how chronic stress accumulates (beaker of stress overfills) and creates “METABOLIC CHAOS®” to your body systems (including brain fog, memory and more).
Are you ready to invest in your health to test if you are fit and healthy on the inside and out?? Don’t assume that your gut is healthy, strong, and resilient as many of us live with chronic stress that is impacting our blood sugar regulation, digestion, immune system, and mitochondria function.
Many of us, if not all of us, are running at low capacity and settling for our “normal” – instead of choosing to thrive each day, build resiliency and improve our vitality from the INSIDE OUT!
First, we should start working on our lifestyle habits- as we can’t out exercise a bad diet, nor can we out supplement poor lifestyle habits as with the eight elements of “THE WHOLESTIC METHOD” coaching program.
Let’s look at one example of how we use the GI Map (stool) lab test to identify hidden internal sources of CHRONIC STRESS that we don’t know exist unless we run lab tests…
GI-MAP | GI Microbial Assay Plus
Optimal Health — It All Starts with the GI-MAP®
“Overwhelmingly, research indicates that gut health impacts overall health.
The gut microbiome, in particular, plays a critical role in mediating the effects of diet and other factors on health, including digestive, immune, metabolic and neuroendocrine functions. Assessing GI health with the proper tools can help practitioners work with their clients to get to the root cause of chronic illness. The GI-MAP’s accuracy and reliability allows practitioners to create personalized treatment protocols to address gut dysfunction based on which infections are urgent, which areas of the gut are already optimized, and which areas should be addressed after an infection is resolved. Additionally, the quantification offers a remarkable ability to see how treatment modalities are working because a retest after treatment can show whether a parasite has resolved, dysbiosis has improved, and more.”
GI MAP plus adding on testing for Zonulin, will tell us about dysfunction of the tight junctions in the gut wall lining. Other markers we can use to assess the function or condition of the gut lining health are:
- the presence of any pathogens, high level opportunists, parasites, or candida
- low Escherichia, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Enterobacter, Akkermansia or Bacteroidetes phylum
- low secretory IgA
Who Should Have the GI-MAP Comprehensive Stool Analysis Done?
“Almost every client can benefit from a GI-MAP gut health assessment. Some clients are looking to achieve optimal health, while other patients have been chronically ill and frustrated without a diagnosis for years.”
GI MAP
Some conditions that warrant testing are:
- Autoimmune diseases
- IBS/IBD
- Digestive complaints, diarrhea or constipation
- Brain fog
- Skin problems, like acne and psoriasis
- Mood disorders, depression, and anxiety
- Diabetes and weight loss issues
Learn more about the GI Map here
Are you ready to invest in your health and be apart of the solution to getting our country (and world) healthy?
First start with what you are eating – as well as how, when, and why. Then let’s work on the other lifestyle elements of “The WHOLESTIC Method” health coaching program (see my manual and workbook on Amazon).
With the right type of support and accountability are obviously two key elements to help you improve your health but even more importantly are the 3 main areas that I focus on with every client.
In our work together we will focus on …
1. Figuring out what foods are right for your body so it can function at it’s potential
2. Uncovering hidden healing opportunities within the hormone, immune, digestion and detoxification system using functional lab testing so we can restore balance to your body
3. Ultimately, I will teach you a model of self-care so you’ll know how to tune into your body at any time to give it exactly what it needs to continue improving or maintaining your health.
Let me know and we can get you set up with the right functional lab tests and nutritional therapy intake forms. Just say go and we can start the new rebuilding journey together!
I can send you a copy of my three key Health (RE) Building Coaching packages for you to review. We can chat to learn more about your needs, goals and areas of opportunities -then see which coaching packages is best fit for you as with the basic The JUMPSTART program. The cost of the well-chosen functional lab tests is separate, you pay the lab direct, and you test at your own home plus one blood test for food sensitivities and Zoomers. Here is the schedule link if you are ready to get started on you new health building journey.
Are you ready to invest in your health?
Debbie Potts
Health Coach, Author, Speaker & Podcaster
Host of ‘The Low Carb Athlete’ Health Building Podcast
Creator of ‘The WHOLESTIC Method’ Coaching Program
FNTP, FDN-P, NASM CPT, CHEK HLC, Kion Coach
BURN FAT. OPTIMIZE HEALTH. IMPROVE PERFORMANCE.