Wellness practices from a Holistic Nutritionist that ACTUALLY work

Happy Wednesday Friends! I have been having the urge to lean more into long content. I want to share more with you in the form of journalling but also education. Lately I have been pondering my top wellness trends and practices that are worth the hype. My son has been super sick so we have been doing a lot of legos, colouring, sticker art and just slowing down. We went into emerg yesterday and he tested positive for mono, my poor dudes! ❤ Having sick kids always pulls at your mama heart.

Onto why we are here…listen I get it, there are so many trends it’s hard to keep track of what the heck we should all be doing. I feel like half of my time in my nutrition practice is spent debunking myths and reminding my clients to keep blinders on when it comes to wellness trends, because it is an incredibly overwhelming space and everyone will claim their new practice is “the best”.

So I wanted to share my top wellness practices as a Holistic Nutritionist that ACTUALLY work, are worth your time and money, and are going to really improve your health in a noticeable way.

These are also things that I do every day and that I really would die on a hill for, and if you’re a client of mine you know this because I’ve definitely recommended all of these to you as well.

Wellness Practices That Are Worth The Hype

Warm lemon water with sea salt first thing in the morning before anything else – Truly so beneficial for gut health, liver support, skin, and hormones. High quality sea salt is high in minerals and electrolytes which are essential for adrenal and hormonal health. Here is my fave sea salt link.

Food before caffeine – I’ve said it before and I will say it for the rest of my life, everyone, but especially menstruating women, need to eat before drinking coffee for balanced blood sugar & cortisol. It seems simple but coffee on an empty stomach increases cortisol which messes with your body’s natural production of the stress hormone and your other hormones! Breakfast truly sets the stage for hormone balance throughout the entire day, it’s an opportunity to nourish your body and your hormones and balance blood sugar so you’re not riding a rollercoaster of energy and blood sugar crashes all day and blood sugar deeply impacts hormones.

30g protein per meal – This really is so worth it, protein is the key building block for female reproductive hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, critical for reproductive health, bone density, mood regulation, blood sugar. I tell all of my clients to aim for over 100g of protein per day, it’s honestly so doable and as simple as 3 meals containing 30g and 1 snack containing 10g.

Drinking electrolytes and minerals daily – Mineral and electrolyte levels are intricately connected to our hormone levels and cortisol levels, minerals impact hormone function by acting as cofactors in hormone synthesis, regulating hormone receptor activity & influencing the overall balance of hormones in the body and high cortisol/stress actually depletes minerals from the body. A big PSA that things like LMNT and other trendy electrolytes with exorbitant amounts of sodium are actually not beneficial unless you are doing something like a sauna or hot yoga, or intense training, you do not need that much sodium, aim for 500mg or under. I like Organika, (fave is wild raspberry & there is also a children’s version that mine LOVE) use NOURISHWITHALYSSA25 for 25% off.

Sunlight in your eyes in the morning – This helps to regulate your circadian rhythm, it also increases early-day cortisol release, the morning is the most ideal time for cortisol to be high, and it will actually help you wind down to sleep later that night as well.

Avoiding blue light before bed – Blue light after dark messes with our circadian rhythm which is our body’s natural clock, it also suppresses melatonin production which is a hormone that helps us sleep. I do no phone past 8pm and nothing in the morning until my morning routine is done.

Low impact exercise – Just like stress the body doesn’t know the difference between a high intensity cortisol inducing workout and being in actual danger, try trading your HIIT workouts for weight lifting or pilates and your sprints for walking.

Dry brushing & lymphatic drainage – So incredibly worth the hype, lymphatic drainage is essentially stimulating the lymphatic system with hands or tools to promote the removal of toxins and waste from the body. The lymphatic system is an essential part of our immune system, it consists of a network of vessels and nodes that transport lymph fluid throughout your body. Lymphatic drainage massage helps remove toxins and waste products, supporting your body’s natural detoxification processes, enhances lymphatic circulation which can strengthen your immune system, making it easier for your body to fight off infections, reduces swelling and fluid retention in the body, and can support digestion, skin, and overall health.

10K (or more) steps a day – Walking is the easiest form of low impact exercise, it’s so great for lymphatic drainage, reducing inflammation, weight management, cardiovascular health, but also for mental health, nervous system regulation, and lowering stress.

Cortisol & stress reduction through meditation, journalling, etc. – One of the biggest causes of hormonal imbalances in women is stress, when the body is stressed, it prioritizes making cortisol over progesterone because cortisol’s job is to help us survive and that is our body’s number one goal at all times.

Nervous system regulation – This was the missing piece in my healing, I tried literally everything and “did everything right” and it wasn’t until I started to regulate my nervous system that things actually began to shift. I deeply wish more people, primarily women, understood that when your nervous system is dysregulated, so many other things within us follow suit, and when we begin to regulate our nervous system, our cortisol lowers, our hormones begin to balance, our skin will clear, and our chronic digestive issues will heal.

Eating more vegetables & fiber for liver support and hormone detoxification – Everything we consume is processed through the liver, it is our main point of hormone detoxification so if the liver becomes stagnant, toxins and hormones are not removed and recirculate through the body & if things are stagnant in the liver and/or the gut then dominance of certain hormones and imbalances can occur and our body will make every effort to purge built up toxins and hormones through other ways, like the skin (hello hormonal acne).

Legs up the wall at night for lymphatic drainage and to regulate nervous system – The lymphatic system doesn’t have a “pump” like the blood’s circulatory system does, which means it relies upon gravity and movement to help aid in its function, so sitting with your legs up the wall (and back flat on the ground, bed, or couch) helps to get the lymphatic system to drain. Resting in an inverted position encourages breathing to slow, which in turn helps communicate to the vagus nerve that it’s safe to start fully relaxing. The vagus nerve is a long nerve that starts in the brain and wanders down through the body, connecting to areas such as the throat, heart, diaphragm, and ending in the gut. This nerve is always sensing what’s happening in the body and sending messages back up to the brain, which then influences how we feel.

Magnesium before bed – Magnesium for president honestly, over 90% of humans are deficient in magnesium, it’s one of the most important minerals to help balance hormones, without it you will not produce hormone at levels you need for a healthy & regular cycle, it’s also vital for regular ovulation and cortisol regulation. My fave is finding a magnesium chloride lotion from your local health food store. I rub it on my feet and on the back of my neck.

Prioritizing sleep – Sleep is the root of everything, it’s when the body repairs itself, when you don’t sleep well your cortisol is thrown out of whack which then affects your estrogen and progesterone.

Hopefully this provides some insight into what actually works, these are practices that I deeply trust and stand behind and I would love to hear if you try them.

xo Alyssa