Healthy Living with Jilisa Ghareeb: Time for a Gut Check

It’s April! It’s April! It’s April! April gives me hope. I feel like when we make it to April, we are golden. I am so ready for Spring and sun and warm weather. Sure, we may get a late season snowstorm (see picture eek!), but it typically melts quickly. Also, it is the month (although it does land in March sometimes) of my favorite holiday. I love Easter but not for the chocolate bunnies and goodie baskets. Sure, I put up a few decorations, but the real reason is in my heart, and I love to celebrate that.

April is also a great month for taking stock of things. For me right now it is my gut health. We are well past the last quarter holidays, and we are emerging out of winter. It is time to shed things. This for me is the better time of year to set goals and take action over New Year’s. Spring is all about new and fresh and we are being rejuvenated. Let’s take the time for gut check. And I mean that literally. Let’s talk about our guts and how the vast majority of Americans live with gut issues and do not even realize it.

4 Signs Telling You It’s Time

I want to talk about 4 signs that you may have that you may not even realize are a big deal. These are some of the most common signs but please note there could be other symptoms you are experiencing that you need to pay attention to as well. I am going to come right out the gate and talk about the one thing that no one wants to talk about.

1. Yup I said it and I am going to talk about it. Your poop is the front-page story to your gut and digestion. The Bristol stool chart has you look at the size, shape and color of your stool and it tells you what the issue could be. For example, if your stool is like soft blobs with clear cut edges and it passed easily, it could mean that you are lacking fiber. If it is light and more yellow, you could be consuming too much fat or have trouble absorbing nutrients. I highly recommend that you look in the toilet and take note of what you are looking at. You might think it is gross, but this is your health and your worth it.
2. Oh yeah, I am going there too. Gas can get trapped in your gut and cause a lot of pain. You can experience embarrassing farts. It is uncomfortable whether at home or in public. There are many reasons that can cause gas; swallowing too much air while eating and food (probably most of the ones we want to eat). To find out what foods are the culprits you need to reset your gut which means you need to start eliminating foods.
3. Bloat while you are eating and after eating. Whether you eat a slice of toast or a super wet meat and bean burrito (ode to my favorite Mexican place), you feel discomfort while you are eating or up to a half hour/hour after eating. Bloating and gas normally go hand in hand but there are times you can be bloated without excessive gas. Bloat is caused by gas and can be very painful. Again, you will not know what is causing it without resetting yourself and finding the culprit(s).
4. Tired after eating. You eat any size meal and about a half hour to an hour later you are ready for a nap. What in the world, you didn’t even stuff your face like it’s Thanksgiving! You feel like it though. Tiredness after eating can be caused by eating too much, having a sedentary lifestyle, a sleep disorder and food allergies and intolerances.

Other signs could be……breakouts, frequent illness, poor sleep, cravings, performance plateaus. The list goes on. As you were reading the above and found yourself saying “Yes, I have that issue” to any of these, it is time to figure out why. These symptoms are not normal. You should not be experiencing any of these things on a regular basis. If you are the best place to start figuring out what could be a culprit, is with what you are eating.

Back to Factory Settings

An elimination diet can seem intimidating but honestly it is pretty simple. You start by eliminating. And it is best to start with the most common “foods” that are known to cause issues. Now what I am about to tell you is going to have you thinking that there is nothing left to eat but that is not true. The 6 foods (really categories) that you need to start removing are gluten, dairy, corn, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, and processed soy.  I typed that really fast just to get it over with.  Now just hang with me for a moment. You still have veggies, fruits, meats, nuts, beans, and healthy fats. The goal is to get back to factory settings so you can slowly and one at a time add a food back in to see if you can tolerate it. This does take some time, and, in the process, you may find that you do not even want to add those foods back in (this is what I really want for you)! If you are interested in doing this and finding out if the foods you eat are the issues, please contact me. I am on this journey right now and would love to share with you what I am doing. There is a plan for the madness.

And just so you don’t think I am lying about there still being yummy food to eat, check out the following simply delicious recipe!

Recipe of the Month:  Roasted Veggies

The ingredients for this are simple…your favorite veggies!

My favorites are radishes, green beans, carrots, onions, sweet peppers, butternut squash and even garbanzo beans! Cut those up. Toss in a bowl and spritz with a healthy oil (extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil). Seasoning with salt, pepper, and garlic power to taste. Use any of your favorite seasonings. Dump on a baking sheet or a large cast iron pan and stick that in the oven between 375 and 400 and roast to you like them (around 25 mins)

You can easily add some baked or grilled chicken or a sweet potato. It is a great meal! Side note, if you are mixing in carrots, par-boil those suckers first for about 5-7 minutes. It softens them up a bit and helps them roast faster.

Move of the Month: Backwards Lunge with Lateral Arm Raise 

With this move we are going to concentrate on the eccentric movement, that means we are going to move slower. Start with weights lighter than you think you will need. I use 5lb weights and try a few reps with 8lbs.

Stand with the weights in your hands and at your side, feet are hip width apart. Take a step back into a lunge and on a 4 count lower until both legs are a 90 degree angle. Raise up and bring feet back to starting position. Raise your arms (with palms facing the ground) to shoulder height, with a 4 count lower your arms back to your side.  Alternate sides with lunges. Try for 10 reps.  If you can’t make it to 10 just yet, make sure you end up even.

I told you to use a lighter weight!

My hope for you is to feel your best so that you can live your best life. Remember that lifestyle changes take time and hard work. But you are strong and can do anything you set your mind too!

Jilisa Ghareeb has been a Beachbody coach for 6 years.  Her favorite part of being involved with fitness and nutrition is watching her clients change and open up a whole new world.  As a coach, she is able to help others by introducing them to a change that is often scary, intimidating, and full of “what ifs” to an encouraging and inspirational lifestyle full of “I cans”. She uses her own story to show others that everything is possible with hard work and determination.  If you’re interested in reaching out to Jilisa for more information you can contact her via email, on Instagram, or Facebook.