Do you ever ask yourself,
What’s all this talk about “inflammation” in the body?
What does it actually mean?
What does it have to do with gaining weight?
Why try to avoid it and what can I do about it?
Let's start at the beginning:
The word inflammation is derived from the Latin inflammo meaning to ignite or set a fire. 🔥
There are two types recognized: acute inflammation where the body is responding to an injury or infection with swelling, pain, redness, etc. That type goes away completely once the injury heals or trigger is removed.
The other type is chronic (long-lasting) where the body continues to respond to a trigger that is no longer there, and causing the chemicals it uses for acute issues to be released and cause ongoing inflammation.
Chronic inflammation can show up as obvious diseases such as autoimmune diseases (arthritis, thyroid conditions, celiac disease, lupus and others), cancer, heart disease, stroke, asthma, dementia, depression, Alzheimer's disease, fibromyalgia, and low back pain.
However, unless we are feeling like complete and utter s#!t, we may not even recognize that we are probably chronically inflamed! There are more subtle signs of chronic inflammation that can be just as dangerous to our long term health if left unattended and lead to the above major diseases.
NOT-SO-FUN FACT: Chronic inflammation may lead to being overweight 😱 and being overweight also causes chronic inflammation. Endless loop. Boo.
Signs of silent inflammation can be regular daily things we all tend to ignore like:
digestive issues (reflux, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal bloating)
skin rashes (psoriasis or eczema)
frequent infections (colds, sore throats)
mood swings,depression and anxiety
forgetfulness or brain fog
weight gain!! (here it is again) and trouble losing weight
chronic fatigue, or low energy (trust me, you don’t even know you have low energy until you actually have real energy) and even insomnia
You cannot lose weight while your body holds on to inflammation. It WILL NOT work.
Also, you are putting yourself at risk for more illness the longer you stay inflammed.
The good news is, you absolutely DO NOT need a prescription medication to fix this.
And….stop blaming your age or peri-menopause for your weight gain! This is a fallacy!
By implementing even 1 or 2 of the following tips to start, you are guaranteed to have a less inflammed and healthier body in 30 days or less!
Eat very little to no ultra- processed food (packaged food that is not found in nature that is ready to eat or heat). This includes cereals, soft drinks, fruit-flavored yogurts, instant soups, mass-produced bread, ice cream, crackers, cookies, frozen meals, chips, candy). As far as what you may eat, focus on natural, whole foods and work with a professional who is trained in this area and can help you create a plan.
Eliminate sugar as much as possible from your diet. Do your research and read labels as sugar is disguised by food companies by many different nicknames. If you're not sure,check with a qualified health coach or nutritionist.
Decrease alcohol consumption. Alcohol is a neurotoxin and new studies have discounted the previously held belief that small amounts are healthy - this is NOT true.
Learn tools to manage emotions to alleviate stress. Find ways that make sense for you, but just know that if you don't manage your stress hormones, they can impact your level of inflammation.
Too much to do? Start slowly and work your way up. Or get the help of an expert to guide you through your unique circumstances and needs to help you succeed.
I would love to be your health coach and get you to your weight and wellness goals.
If you're ready and not sure where to even start, book a free call with me. It costs nothing and I will help you get on the right track.
Let’s create your game plan and you can kiss both extra weight and inflammation goodbye 😚
Coach Penny 💕
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