Becoming the Healthiest I've Ever Been

Condensing and sharing all the things I've been doing to become the healthiest and most balanced version of myself physically and mentally

It’s been a transformative couple of years for me. I transformed my body from my postpartum era where I suffered from lack of energy, no core strength or muscle definition, and consistent pinched nerves and pulled muscles to feeling and being physically strong, lean, and in the best shape I have ever been in.

I’ve essentially rewired my brain through meditation, breath work, and healing wounds of my past. I’ve altered old belief systems that no longer serve me and adopted new ones that reflect back who I am at my core and who I strive to be. All of this yet I’m still very much a work in progress which honestly makes life all the more fun. I feel really good about where I am now and I know it can only get better from here.

I am dedicating this post to all the things I’ve been doing and committing myself to in order to become the healthiest version of myself and wanted to share it with you all.

GUT HEALTH AND DIGESTION

• Omnibiotics - Daily

  • I love this probiotic! I personally prefer powder probiotics over capsules because it is easier to digest. It’s easy for me to commit to taking every morning as it becomes a little ritual in itself. It has shown to be more effective, in my personal experience, at regulating my digestion. I’ve been using this brand for nearly 3 years. I mix it with half a glass of room temp water first thing in the AM, wait a minute, stir once more, and drink it. There’s no particular taste. These last few months I’ve been on the AB-10 probiotic which is good for overall maintenance. I’ve also used the Stress Release when I felt I was under more stress than usual and Hetox when I felt I needed detox support between the gut-liver. I used Hetox when I had a really bad eczema flare up on my cheeks 2 years ago which cleared up in about 6 months through a cleaner diet + healthier gut, movement, and reducing stress levels.

• Lymphatic Drainage Massage - 1-2x/month

  • I go to MOVA by Camila Perez (I book with Anna specifically but they’re all great). I’ve seen the difference immediately and continue to see the difference over a couple days post-massage. They have an infrared sauna in each room but I personally have not used it yet. I recommend asking about it with your booking! The massage doesn't hurt like other lymphatic massages I’ve gotten. Gentle yet effective.

  • I’m going to try Kontura Wellness next as I’ve heard great things. Be back with my thoughts once I do.

• Colostrum - Daily

  • ARMRA - I was skeptical at first but others have noticed my hair looks fuller and is growing faster. I personally have noticed that I’ve been less bloated and look/feel more lean and toned than usual. Also my immunity has been great this winter! *Knocks on wood* With a toddler in school, that’s a total win. I like the unflavored one. I tried taking it by mouth and it felt strange… not sure if I did it properly so I’ll be mixing it into beverages or yogurt for the forseeable future. The ingredients are simple for the unflavored one: Proprietary ARMRA Colostrum™ Concentrate (Bovine). That’s it!

• Colonic

  • I’ve only gone once at the end of last year. I’ve struggled with digestion basically my whole life and tried a lot of things to remedy it but this made a very big, positive difference in my digestion and overall health. It’s a controversial debate when I bring it up. Some advise against it unless you have severe health concerns related to the colon and some are big advocates for it. I recommend doing research on it because every body is different. But also note, like anything health related, there will always be articles arguing for either side… be mindful of what you consume on all fronts! Before getting a colonic, find a great naturopath who can help advise on best next steps. I’m glad I went because it cleared up chronic constipation, bloating and it helped me to feel a lot more energetic. I also made sure to focus on balancing out the gut microbiome afterwards.

• Other tips:

  • Drink more water!!! Preferably room temp and or warm lemon water.

  • I'd recommend consistent acupuncture and chiropractor (a really really good one!! I’ve been going to Dr. Wolfe for years, she’s amazing.)

  • Walk daily as much as possible, challenge yourself to walk more

  • Ashwaganda - can help support the immune, cerebral, neurological, and reproductive systems, and is clinically proven to help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression

  • Sauna weekly or sweat as much as possible as often as possible to help the body get rid of toxins

MY WORK OUT ROUTINE

• For the past two years, I’ve focused on building strength primarily through weight lifting 3-4x a week. After two years (during pregnancy and 1 year postpartum) of not working out consistently, I felt like I was starting from zero. Maybe even below zero. To begin building strength, I focused on correct form and started with lower weights and high reps. I’d split my work outs to arms + abs day, legs + glutes day, some days I’d do a quick full body. After a couple months, I increased the weight and did fewer reps. The last set of reps I would increase the weight more and lift until muscle failure. This method helped me build muscle and burn fat quickly.

• After I saw more muscle definition, I began doing Pilates 2-3x a week. This helped to sculpt, tone, and lengthen my muscles. It helped with posture as well. I’ve been going to Nofar Method for the past several months and love it there. Mat pilates at home is also very effective.

DIETARY

• What I Cut Out:

  • Coffee - I haven’t had coffee in almost two years. I started cutting down by switching to decaf. Once my body no longer relied on a jolt of caffeine in the morning, I stopped drinking decaf. Now I only drink 6 oz black tea with milk and a bit of sugar in the morning. I believe my cortisol levels were quite high and cut out coffee for that reason. High quality coffee does have health benefits but I personally feel better and fall asleep easier since cutting out coffee.

  • Alcohol - one of the best decisions I ever made was cutting out alcohol. It was gradual and then I stopped “needing” it (you know after one of those days, you think you need a drink) or craving it. My face and body became far less inflamed and puffy after around 8 months of no alcohol. That was enough for me to know what it does to the body.

  • Processed foods - I stopped eating chips, candy, processed frozen food, etc many years back. If I do have them, it’s very minimal.

• Diet:

  • Protein intake - the goal is to eat your weight (in grams) in protein but I’m still working on that. I always have a protein smoothie in the AM after my probiotic and tea or I’ll eat yogurt + fruit + carbs. Lunch is a protein and carb and dinner is a protein and salad or light carb with veggies.

  • For pre-work out I like taking a teaspoon of Manuka honey and pink sea salt.

• If I want a dessert, I get the dessert. I used to have a huge sweet tooth, basically my whole life, but it was at an all time high during the first year postpartum. In order for me to cut down on sugar, the key was to do it gradually. Over time, I noticed the less I fed my body sugar, the less I craved it. Now when I want a dessert, the craving isn’t as strong and if it is, it is satiated with a smaller portion. Another way to decrease cravings is to detox the body of parasites as they can trigger this.

FOR THE MIND, BODY, SOUL

• I do breathwork 2-3x/day and meditation at least once a day. Immediately in the morning after waking up while the brain is transitioning from theta to alpha waves. It’s a powerful time to meditate and effective way to start the day. As I’m laying in bed, I do breath work to help fall asleep. I used to have trouble falling asleep, taking 45 mins-1.5hrs of laying there, then I used sleep gummies religiously, but for the past month, I’ve decided to stop taking sleep gummies completely and just use breath work.

• Recommendations:

  • Books: The Energy Codes by Dr Sue Morter, Becoming Supernatural by Dr Joe Dispenza

  • Apps: Insight Timer

  • Search for Angel Frequencies playlists and tune into what you gravitate towards to or need the most in that moment - listen to it with headphones on, close your eyes, focus on deep slow inhales, hold, and exhale for longer

Hope you enjoyed this post!

xx,
Linh