Vanessa G Fitcast

This might just be what you and your gut need in 2025... We talk about gut health a lot on this show and for good reason. There are so many ways our gut affects our overall health including the areas of digestive wellness, our immune system and health, our gut brain axis that affects our mood and mental well-being, and so much more. Our gut also plays a massive role in our metabolism and energy regulation for weight management and weight loss.  Some gut issues can look like: - Mood disorders- Stool changes- constipation, diarrhea- Abdominal bloating and gas- Feeling full quickly- Heartburn, GERD, reflux- Stomach pain, burning, or cramping, nausea- Hormonal imbalance (gut issues common in perimenopause)- Food sensitivity- IBS, IBD, Crohn’s, colitis, etc- Autoimmune disease- Skin issues- eczema, acne, psoriasis- Nutrient deficiencies (poor absorption)- Getting sick often/easily To alleviate these issues, most go with taking medication, an antibiotic, go the FODMAP diet route, cut out gluten and dairy, or take random supplements. What if another route existed? In today's episode and Part 1 of these series, we're going to cover a lot of gut health topics that may be slowing your progress down and explain why the 5R gut protocol might be useful for you. Stick around for Part 2 where we'll dive into the protocol piece by piece. Time Stamps: (1:51) 5R Gut Protocol(2:37) The Importance of Gut Health(12:59) Noticing Changes In Your Gut Health(22:55) Gluten and Dairy(25:08) Why We Don’t Recommend Supplements(26:17) The 5R Gut Protocol---------------------Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. ---------------------Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program---------------------Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!---------------------Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!---------------------Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!---------------------Check out our Youtube Channel!---------------------Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

I tried a lot of things for hormone health in 2024… Some I've shared on social media and on this podcast and some have been complete flops that I will never share. I enjoy the trial and error and being a guinea pig for these modalities. To save you a bunch of time and effort, I want to share with you what I'm taking into 2025 when it comes to health hacks and self care practices. I'll list them below in case you want a detailed explanation of each and let me know which ones you take into 2025! Flush Protocol:Liver = 10-20% of metabolismFunctional foods, juices, supplements, and medical food powders to nourish thyroid and adrenalsI aim for 1-2x/year for ongoing maintenance, everyone can benefit from at least 1 flush in their lifetime! Follicular Phase Progressive Overload:Days 1-17ish I aim to increase my training volume (increased weights and/or reps) compared to prior month follicular phaseI reduce volume (or don’t train at all) in luteal phase (Days 17+) Silent Walks:Helps with blood sugarSilent = nervous system supportingOverall movement = muy bueno!I aim to do 1-2 per day, the more the merrier! Scheduled Play Time:It’s so important to broaden your life!Put play on your schedule and treat it as an appointment that can’t be missed Lymphatic Drainage:Dry brushing, gua sha, lympathic massageHelps move lymph fluid for better detoxification (and aesthetics!) Weekly Yoga Class:I used to do a lot of yoga at home, but love going to a class 1x/weekVinyasa or Yin onlyI keep my practice restful- goal is nervous system management! Caffeine Limits:I’ve gone from drinking 600mg caffeine per day in 2021, to 0mg per day in 2023, to having 50-125mg per day in 2024 and feel great!This is MY limit that keeps my adrenals happy, yours might be different! Warmer Cold Plunges:I used to do plunges as often as possible and as cold as possible, but newer research suggests warmer and less often is more optimal for womenAim for 45+ degreesLess frequent during luteal phase Feast/Fast Cycles:Most women should NOT be fastingFasting only works if you have fed up and restored your hormones!I usually do light intermittent fasting around my follicular phase, and will throw in longer fasts around ovulation or menstruation every once in a while Sober periods:Started doing this by accidentGoing months without alcoholKeeps liver from getting sluggish IV Drips:Maybe 1x/quarter I’ll do an IV dripIV therapy = almost 100% absorption compared to ~50% for pillsAnytime I feel like I’m getting sick or just feel run down I’ll schedule an IV  Time Stamps: (2:39) Treating Myself As The Guinea Pig (3:32) The FLUSH Protocol (5:10) Favorite and Not Favorite Parts (7:49) Follicular Phase Overload Training (10:37) Silent Walks (13:12) Scheduled Play Time (17:22) Lymphatic Drainage (21:04) Limiting Caffeine Intake (23:13) Warmer Cold Plunges (24:49) Feast and Fast Cycles (27:22) Sober Cycles (29:30) IV Drips---------------------Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. ---------------------Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program---------------------Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!---------------------Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!---------------------Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!---------------------Check out our Youtube Channel!---------------------Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

Have you ever had a quote or short essay completely change how you look at something? Whether it's gaining awareness about something new or looking at an old problem through a new lens, seeing and hearing other's perspectives can change our hearts and minds for better or for worse sometimes. In today's episode, I want to focus around a central subject about how you feel in your body and the many factors that can contribute to that feeling. I want to share one of my favorite books recently titled, "101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think" by Breanna West and specifically share 18 short passages from this book and give you my interpretation of what they mean. Please let me know if you have a favorite one and Happy New Year! Time Stamps: (1:43) Favorite Thing About Christmas (4:44) The Relationship With Your Body (7:37) Your Kids Hear and Internalize Everything (8:52) Photoshop and The Distortion of Reality (12:57) Judging Others and Your Opinion Of Yourself (16:10) Your Friends and How They Treat Their Body (17:16) The Media You Consume (18:09) Your Heritage and Your Hometown (19:57) Relationships and Physical Expectations (21:16) The Journey vs A Destination (22:54) Genuine Friendships (24:00) Cat Calls (24:40) Your Body’s Acceptability (27:07) The Sun and Vitality (28:24) Your Self-Worth (30:20) The Body of Celebrities (31:57) What Our Bodies Were Meant To Do---------------------Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. ---------------------Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program---------------------Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!---------------------Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!---------------------Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!---------------------Check out our Youtube Channel!---------------------Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

Everyone wants to know how to eat to balance your hormones and I wish it was an easy answer... “Just tell me what to eat” people will ask.  I’m actually really happy that we as a culture have shifted away from the low fat of the 90’s, low carb of the early 2000’s, and the overall fearing calories of recent years, and are starting to bring awareness to eating FOR hormone health!  But we’re also very much still a culture of processed foods and fast food. Everyone’s living off caffeine and stress, and our blood sugar is all over the place. Eating to balance your hormones is a matter of going back to basics and eating in a well rounded & nourishing way. In this episode, we're going to share the 3 steps to follow to eat in a way that promotes balanced hormones including how to eat a mostly whole food diet, how to avoid eating naked carbs, and how to get 20-40 grams of protein at each meal. These steps have helped the thousands of women we've coached at Vital Spark and we hope they work for you too! Time Stamps: (1:32) It’s The Mold! (2:08) Eating For Your Hormones (5:22) Diet Aka Did I Eat Today? (6:04) #1: Mostly Whole Food Diet (9:27) #2: Avoid Eating Only Naked Carbs (13:26) #3: Eating 20-40 Grams of Protein At Each Meal---------------------Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. ---------------------Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program---------------------Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!---------------------Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!---------------------Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!---------------------Check out our Youtube Channel!---------------------Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!