Don’t let anyone tell you you’re too old or you can’t…… because why? Your brain is valuable real estate. You can plant anything you want in it!
Have a beautiful Saturday!
xoxo~ liz
Yes! You Can!
Wellness
HIIT Training is Good Medicine
Great article on HIIT training!
Thank you to the coaches at Mckinney Fit Body Bootcamp for keeping us on track and healthy! Even if we think we might be dying at the end of a workout 
….. sometimes you gotta die a little to live ALOT! (That’s actually a Biblical principal that applies to achieving and keeping a healthy body! )
….. sometimes you gotta die a little to live ALOT! (That’s actually a Biblical principal 
that applies to achieving and keeping a healthy body! )Benefits of HIIT training (verified by science):
improved aerobic capacityimproved exercise tolerancedecreased markers indicating disease riskcardiovascular benefitsmental health benefitsmetabolic benefitsimproved lung capacity (modified HIIT training is even beneficial to those with COPD or other lung 
conditions!)weight loss benefits (studies suggest that HIIT can burn up to 30% more calories in less time compared to other forms of exercise, AND show a marked reduction in total fat, abdominal fat, and visceral fat).HIIT training is good medicine ya’ll!
xoxo~ liz
Raindrop Training-Farm Style
Excellent Raindrop training day at the barn!
Though this session was for people, the dogs, horses and even the cows were asking when their turn was. (I will be giving them their turn in the near future).
. (I will be giving them their turn in the near future).Raindrop. It isn’t just for humans and It does a body (two legged or four lagged!) good.
.If you haven’t yet both learned it and experienced it, you’re missing out on a VIP wellness tool in your toolbox.
Education is a big part of what we do. Personal empowerment is a key component of wellness.
xoxo~ liz
Thyroid Clues Part 5-Medicine Cabinet Culprits
Remember the fable about the Princess and the pea? You may recall that the true princess felt the effects of a pea beneath twenty mattresses and had a terrible night’s sleep because of it. After all we’ve discussed, you well understand that the thyroid is the discerning princess in the body……it feels everything!
and the pea
? You may recall that the true princess felt the effects of a pea beneath twenty mattresses and had a terrible night’s sleep because of it. After all we’ve discussed, you well understand that the thyroid
is the discerning princess in the body……it feels everything!It’s hard to pin down exactly how many people use medication chronically in the USA, but a rough estimate in 2017 was 66%. (I believe that number has risen significantly since 2020, but to date, official data has not yet been released).
I will forever and always say that there is a time and a place for medication, but that it should be used as a last resort whenever possible. Pharmaceuticals by very definition are a toxin to the body. While they may be performing their “FDA approved task” within the body, behind the scenes they are likely setting up trip wires, snares, and grenades elsewhere. Many commonly prescribed medications are quietly sabotaging thyroid hormone function as they outwardly “play nice” in their appointed tasks of lowering cholesterol, quelling aches and pains, placating gastric reflux symptoms, smoothing out moody days, etc.
Certain medications have the ability to affect thyroid hormones in at least four ways:
1. Some may alter the actual production of thyroid hormones.
2. Some may affect the release of of thyroid hormones from the thyroid gland.
3. Some may affect how well thyroid hormone attaches to (or utilized) at receptor sites.
4. Some may interfere with the conversion of inactive T4 into active T3 in the liver
Who are the thyroid accosting culprits? As I hinted above, the gang is quite diverse. Nearly ⅓ of this gang of thieves bears a similar “tattoo”…….. They contain fluoride within their chemical structure. You’ll recall (hopefully!) that fluoride (and chlorine, another “tattoo” found in many medications) blocks iodine from its job helping the thyroid produce thyroid hormones. These small doses add up over time with chronic use medications.
As I hinted above, the gang is quite diverse. Nearly ⅓ of this gang of thieves bears a similar “tattoo”…….. They contain fluoride within their chemical structure. You’ll recall (hopefully!) that fluoride (and chlorine, another “tattoo” found in many medications) blocks iodine from its job helping the thyroid produce thyroid hormones. These small doses add up over time with chronic use medications.Medications known to inhibit healthy thyroid function (in one of these four ways) with chronic use include:
Lipitor, Crestor, Vytorin, Zetia (cholesterol meds) Prevacid (stomach acid / GERD) Betamethasone, Clobetasol, Dexamethasone, Fluocinolone, Fluticasone (topical, oral or inhaled steroids)Celebrex, Ibuprofen, Naproxen (NSAID pain) Lexapro, Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Zoloft (mood stabilizers) Haldol, Risperdal, Lithium (mood stabilizers) Levaquin, Cipro (antibiotics) Synthetic hormone replacement therapies, birth control pills Amiodarone (treats ventricular heart arrhythmia)Fluconazole (antifungal) Interferon Alfa, Sutent, Sorafenib (chemotherapy agents) Pramipexole, Ropinirole (for Parkinson’s) Metformin (Type II Diabetes) Furosemide (diuretic) Phenytoin and Carbamazepine (for seizures) Excessive Niacin (Vit B3) intake(Note that this is a short representation of a very long list of medications!)
I am in no way inferring that you should stop taking medication that you may be currently on because it may be affecting your thyroid function. That is a conversation between you and your trusted health professional. According to an article by the Natural Health Research Institute, almost 75% of chronic illness can be improved or cured with improved lifestyle choices. Has your health professional talked to you about this as part of your treatment protocol?
Statistics like this are meant to empower you. Chronic disorders are generally where chronic medication use comes into play, and changing lifestyle habits can have a huge impact on health outcomes and on pharmaceutical needs.
Five significant ways your choices can impact your health include:
1. Reduce exposure to toxins (thank goodness for our YL Thieves Household Cleaner, essential oils that do “all the things” in a natural gentle way, Savvy Minerals cosmetics and the ART, Bloom, and Orange Blossom skin care lines!)
2. Making better food choices (and ditching the toxic processed foods)
3. Exercise. There is an exercise program / type out there that will work no matter what health situation you may be living with! (NingXia Nitro or Zyng 15-20 minutes prior to workouts elevates my gym workout routine!)
4. Sleep….Make sleep a priority. Improve your sleep hygiene habits! Some of my favorite sleep aids are YL’s Tranquil or RutaVala Roll-on…. Give ‘em a try and load your bedtime diffuser with oils like Cedarwood, Lavender, Peace & Calming, Frankincense, Orange )
5. Manage stress. Recall that chronic stress is as dangerous as a regular cigarette habit to the body. Even simply working on the four previous suggestions will have a profound impact on better management of stress.
In addition to making healthier lifestyle choices that lead to a healthier version of you (and protecting your thyroid in the process), here’s an added bonus: Annually, direct health care costs average $6032 out of pocket for an individual with one chronic disease (that number goes up with each additional disorder). Indirectly, chronic disorders also have a profound impact on education, occupation opportunities, income, and social interaction. If your health professional has not offered up these five recommendations as part of protocols for any chronic disorder you may have, they are working as a dis-ease maintenance advocate instead of that as a healer. Ultimately though, it’s our personal responsibility to be our own advocates and in doing so, choosing whether to live in a space of dis-ease maintenance or healing. Care for that thyroid “princess” within your personal kingdom friends! It’s often the first organ in the body to recognize that something is amiss.
in the process), here’s an added bonus: Annually, direct health care costs average $6032 out of pocket
for an individual with one chronic disease (that number goes up with each additional disorder). Indirectly, chronic disorders also have a profound impact on education, occupation opportunities, income, and social interaction. If your health professional has not offered up these five recommendations as part of protocols for any chronic disorder you may have, they are working as a dis-ease maintenance advocate instead of that as a healer. Ultimately though, it’s our personal responsibility to be our own advocates and in doing so, choosing whether to live in a space of dis-ease maintenance or healing. Care for that thyroid “princess” within your personal kingdom friends! It’s often the first organ in the body to recognize that something is amiss.xoxo~ liz
How Do My Feelings Affect My Thyroid? – part 4
Thyroid Clues Part IV: Emotions, Feelings, and the Thyroid
Mind, body and spirit are so deeply interconnected that it is impossible to be robustly healthy if this triad is out of balance in any way. The “spirit” of what makes us ….”us” is a composite of beliefs, life experiences, relationships, and memories. Outwardly, this clue set may be exhibited to some small degree by our personality. Frankly though, an individual’s personality is the tip of the iceberg. What lies beneath the surface (feelings) always play a leading role in both sickness and health. No one holds the knowledge of your “submerged iceberg self” better than you, which is yet another reason why being your own CEO and chief health detective is so utterly important.
, body and spirit
are so deeply interconnected that it is impossible to be robustly healthy if this triad is out of balance in any way. The “spirit” of what makes us ….”us” is a composite of beliefs, life experiences, relationships, and memories. Outwardly, this clue set may be exhibited to some small degree by our personality. Frankly though, an individual’s personality is the tip of the iceberg. What lies beneath the surface (feelings) always play a leading role in both sickness and health. No one holds the knowledge of your “submerged iceberg self” better than you, which is yet another reason why being your own CEO and chief health detective is so utterly important.Surely you’ve heard of people who have died of a broken heart. This phenomenon has been closely studied and acknowledged by science. Interestingly, we (as a society) tend to lean more into accepting the role of emotions and feelings in a death than we do the role personal belief and hope plays in an abundant life, and we certainly tend to overlook them (emotions and feelings) as responsible parties in health and wellness in day to day living.
heart. This phenomenon has been closely studied and acknowledged by science. Interestingly, we (as a society) tend to lean more into accepting the role of emotions and feelings in a death than we do the role personal belief and hope plays in an abundant life, and we certainly tend to overlook them (emotions and feelings) as responsible parties in health and wellness in day to day living.How does this fit into the puzzle of thyroid health? Quite well actually! Every organ and part of the body is affected at a cellular level by emotions, feelings, and memories, and learning to let go of that which doesn’t serve us is profoundly important in wellness and healing. The thyroid is, as you may recall, highly sensitive to changes in its environment. The “frequency” in which we “bathe” ourselves daily affects the health and performance of the thyroid. Frequency is not voodoo. It’s biology and physics. Everything (including our cells) is in a constant state of vibration, and any disease process will be evident as a disturbance in the structure and function of these frequencies. Positive emotions and feelings drive frequencies upwards (healthy), while negative emotions and feelings drive frequencies downwards (unhealthy).
of thyroid health? Quite well actually! Every organ and part of the body is affected at a cellular level by emotions, feelings, and memories, and learning to let go of that which doesn’t serve us is profoundly important in wellness and healing. The thyroid is, as you may recall, highly sensitive to changes in its environment. The “frequency” in which we “bathe” ourselves daily affects the health and performance of the thyroid. Frequency is not voodoo. It’s biology and physics. Everything (including our cells) is in a constant state of vibration, and any disease process will be evident as a disturbance in the structure and function of these frequencies. Positive emotions and feelings drive frequencies upwards (healthy), while negative emotions and feelings drive frequencies downwards (unhealthy).Emotions and feelings tend to get blended together, yet they are not interchangeable.
Emotions:
They may manifest either consciously or subconsciously, and are a physical state or reaction to an event.They keep us alive! They are a primal response, and are deeply coded into our genetic being!They happen before feelings evolve about the event that occurred.They can be measured by facial expressions , body language, blood flow, racing heart, tightening of muscles, skin response, pupil dilation (etc)They generally last anywhere from a few seconds to an hour. Once the emotion has passed, the body returns to balance ( homeostasis).Feelings are quite different.
They are experienced consciously.They are a reaction (caused by emotions), and often influenced by personal experience, beliefs, and memoriesFeelings originate in the neocortical region of the brain (the home of conscious thought and separate from the limbic system which houses emotions ).Feelings form when your brain assigns a meaning to the emotional experience, and are mental interpretations of a situation.Feelings don’t drift off after an hour (like emotions do). They hang around because of a vast network of personal experiences, belief systems, and memories we hold individually.Ultimately, feelings are psychological responses while emotions are biological actions.The thyroid is the on location storage facility for some pretty hefty feelings. Some of these include:
Conflict between the conscious and subconsciousFeeling limited or stuckStruggling with love of self or feeling unable to speak up for oneselfFeeling a need to be in total control or feeling out of controlFeelings of humiliationFeeling fearful of self expressionFeeling a deep sense of frustrationFeeling chronically fearful of anxiousPairing the storage site (thyroid) with the lower vibrational frequency of harboring any of these negative feelings long term, and you may unearth a clue that has tremendous value in your thyroid health journey.
Now, what to do with this clue? There are a couple of valuable resources I’d like to point you towards:
Who Switched off my Brain? Controlling toxic thoughts and emotions by Dr. Caroline Leaf
And…..
The Pathway to Emotional Healing by Jen McCraw
These two books are extraordinarily valuable resources for healing the damage that stored negative feelings can inflict on the body. Doing “all the other things” (avoiding gluten, managing your iodine and other micronutrients, exercise, sleep hygiene etc etc etc) will never be enough if your spirit is not at peace.
Some of the essential oils you may consider when working towards healthy feelings (and subsequently, a healthy thyroid) as you nurture your spirit might include:
Endoflex: supportive of mind, body (endocrine system) and spiritTransformation: supports feelings of positivity and self awarenessValor: supports feelings of courage and confidenceEnvision: supports feelings of creativity and resourcefulnessSurrender: supports the desire to let go of either too much control or uncontrollable behaviorsPeace & Calming: supports a positive peaceful atmosphere and mindsetSacred Mountain: supports feelings of strength and empowermentBelieve: supports and encourages feelings of faith and inner strengthRelease: helps facilitate the ability to let go of anything that no longer serves youCardamom, Pine, Myrtle, Frankincense, and Lavender are additional oils that are helpful in supporting healthy (thyroid affective) feelings and letting go of those which do not serve.Oils are not magic friends. They are tools just as are the two books I’ve mentioned above. Neither the oils or the books will be helpful if they are bought and put on a shelf unused. The tools are there for the healer to use. YOU have the capability to be your own healer. It’s within you to do this. It’s hard work and it’s heart work, and you are worth the effort!
magic friends. They are tools
just as are the two books I’ve mentioned above. Neither the oils or the books will be helpful if they are bought and put on a shelf unused. The tools are there for the healer to use. YOU have the capability to be your own healer. It’s within you to do this. It’s hard work and it’s heart work, and you are worth the effort!“Each patient carries his own doctor inside of him [or her!]. They come to us not knowing the truth. We are at our best when we give the doctor who resides within each patient a chance to go to work.” ~ Dr. Albert Einstein