Tag Archives: nicholas araza

Taking personal responsibility…and potty talk

Posted by beautifullystrong in Eat Well, Move Well and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

I have been asked on numerous accounts why I am doing the candida diet. The number one (and probably ONLY reason) I started the candida diet is because (I’m going to get REALLY honest with you right now…) I have had digestive issues since college…

My senior year of college, shit hit the fan in my life (family, school, relationship,friendships, not knowing what I wanted to do with my life, etc, etc…you know, the normal stuff!) and my poor body could only handle the stress I was going through by deciding to seize all function of my digestive system. I was in and out of specialists for a year (my lowest low was having an “examination” (digestive system…take a gander at where that exam was taken…) by a 70 year old man…lowwww low). I was drugged up, knocked out, and had the pleasure (*puke*) of experiencing my first ever colonoscopy at the ripe age of 22. The final diagnosis was IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). What’s a girl to do with that information??!   I was terrified to eat ANYTHING; I was constantly full of fear. It got to a bad point where I was only eating about 500 calories a day (not on purpose…just because everything was making me sick!). That 500 calories usually came in the form of a Smart One (the broccoli and cheddar potatoes :-p).

I was CONSTANTLY on the lookout for some MAGIC PILL that would get rid of my digestive issues.

*In walks Nicholas Araza*

Through Nick I learned all about the Paleo diet, and it completely changed my world. I started exercising…uh duh, I think we know how that affected my world. I started getting adjusted. All three of these things have COMPLETELY changed my world for the better…including my digestive issues. I no longer FEAR eating (I am actually quite OBSESSED with it, thank you!) and I haven’t had an “episode” in a couple years. Phew! :)

So why the candida diet… well…while my guts are much happier, they are not 100% better. I have messed up my guts for the majority of my life…and while changing my diet, exercising and getting adjusted has stopped it from getting worse I’m sure…I have lost a LOT of integrity of my gut lining. In laymen’s terms: my guts are screwed. Presently :-p I was hoping that the candida diet would clean up the last of those bad bugs because since adding exercise to my life, my bad guts have posed a WHOLE other kind of problem…

If I, or anyone, is unable to keep their abs tight while doing Crossfit…you are essentially efffffffffffffed. There is WEIGHT you’re lifting, weird positions you’re getting into, high repetition of exercises, BURPEES, full extension of exercises…etc, etc. If you are unable to protect your spine during these exercises, you are GOING to get hurt…period. WELL…unfortunately, when you have inflamed guts due to something you ate, or bad bugs that are taking over your guts…you cannot properly protect your spine, and you get yourself in the predicament I have been putting myself in for the last year and a half…which is constantly hurting myself, over and over again. 

back pain

Here’s where some venting comes in: people constantly ASSUME that since I am married to a chiropractor I don’t EVER have back pain, that I have a BEAUTIFUL spine, and la da da…well, not exactly. I met Nick in 2009, and I was diagnosed with a Phase 1 subluxation…borderline phase 2. My spine was as straight as a rod…and I have a congenital scoliosis in my mid-back. Not the “ideal chiropractor’s wife spine”…sorry to disappoint. We have made AMAZING changes so far (I literally started crying when I saw my most recent progress x-rays, I was so happy)…but as magical as my husband (or ANY chiropractor for that matter) is…he’s not a magician…and in order for him to do his job the best he can, I NEED to stop hurting myself!!!! Which in short means (because after many, many discussions, we both believe is mainly related to my irritated guts)…I need to stop messing up my guts, and I need to KEEP working on PERFECTING my form in the gym (and in life for that matter!).

I started the candida diet on June 25th, and then decided to have some homemade coconut ice cream this past Saturday (that would be TOTALLY okay if I were not doing the candida) that was topped with homemade whipped cream (this would NOT be okay even if I WASN’T doing the candida) and let me tell you…that whipped cream EFFED me. I have been feeling it since Saturday. Yesterday was a workout with burpees and pull-ups (my two biggest offenders)…so last night I was laying in bed, complaining and whimpering because my back was in so much pain. I’m frustrated. I feel like I should be stronger, I feel like I should be able to go faster, I feel like I should be able to do MORE reps; it’s hard to do that when you start progressing, then jack yourself, you know?

Let me tell you THIS much…I am SO grateful that I AM married to a chiropractor…I can’t imagine doing this, and learning this journey without my sweet, sweet husband to clean up after me. Tip, however: do not use your chiropractor as a custodian for your injuries and then wonder why you’re not getting the results you want. Clean up your own messes, prevent messes, and do what your chiropractor says! :)

Anyway, the point of this post was a vent, mostly. I needed to be honest and “out” myself…I DON’T, yet, have a perfect spine…I don’t, yet, do the movements perfectly…and I still hurt myself…kind of often :-\ I, too, am working on my health everyday. I, too, am on this journey with you.

With love,

Jen

Meet MY Health Coach

Posted by beautifullystrong in Eat Well, Move Well, Think Well and tagged with , , , , ,

So it’s probably safe to say that the changes I have made in the last couple years would have been a whole lot more difficult if I didn’t have a coach on my team. Readers, meet my coach,  Franson Family Chiropractic/Bonfire Health/Nicholas Araza…weeeew…long name :-p.

Why have a coach?

Do you not know what I’m talking about and/or do you have a blank stare on your face when you read Health Coach?

Do you think it’s the guy or gal who gives you a physical once a year and tells you to lose a few pounds?

Do you not know and /or not have one?

Chances are if you are like most Americans, you don’t have one.  Don’t beat yourself up, you probably didn’t know you needed one or no one ever told you to get one.  However, EVERYONE needs a health coach (even health coaches).  Not having a health coach is like trying to build wealth without a financial advisor, possible, but highly unlikely.  Why is it so hard to be wealthy or healthy without a coach?  Simply put, our modern society has many things in it that take your money and your health.  Sure you can get by for quite some time without one, but there is a HUGE difference between feeling fine and being healthy.  And in the end, your health is your most valuable asset, so you have to ask: are you investing in it or drawing from it?

A health coach is a person who has studied health and knows what is required to express it.  They understand what your goals are and also what’s going on in your life.  They are not responsible for your health, but they are responsible to tell you what you need but don’t always want to hear.  They hold you accountable in a world telling you to take the easy way out, they are the voice saying “you can do it and yes you’re worth it.”They will tell you to slow down when you need to, when you are doing too much, but they will also tell you to get moving because they know when you can do more and when to push.  They never guilt or judge you, but they are real with you and do help you to understand, REALLY UNDERSTAND, the consequences of your actions.  They care, not that you are 10, 20, 50 pounds lighter (although they will celebrate every one of your accomplishments) but more they care about your health.  They understand that there are side effects with being unhealthy like diabetes, cancer, arthritis, allergies…just like they understand that there are side effects with being healthy like energy, happiness, strength, muscularly toned and well-defined bodies.  A health coach is exactly how it sounds, a coach for your health, a knowledgeable and caring person helping you to invest in the one thing that can offer returns like no other commodity, your health.

So I ask again, who is your health coach?

If you live in the Santa Barbara area, please call SB Family Chiropractic and Innate Fitness because we would love to provide that level of service to you and your family.

If you live outside of this area, the following is a list of criteria that your health coach should meet (some if not all):

  1. They should be proficient in Functional Fitness and the tennents of crossfit, they don’t have to be a crossfit, but they should know about them.
  2. They should understand human evolution to a degree and use the words paleo or Paleolithic fairly often in describing models of health.
  3. They should have EDUCATION as part of their purpose and primary mode of influence.
  4. They should be HEALTHY, they should be attending workshops and workouts, working on themselves, they should look vibrant, full of life, be energetic and have a friendly / pleasant disposition.  (I wouldn’t take advise about $ from a poor financial advisor or a golf advise from a hacker and you shouldn’t put your health in the hands of unhealthy “health coaches.”
  5. They should be or know a great corrective based wellness chiropractor; a chiropractor who understands the impact of subluxation (misaligned joints) on proper human physiology and the damage that that type of often ASYMPTOMATIC condition can have on an individual’s stress load and overall health.
  6. They should know about the Weston A. Price Organization and healthy farming practices and should be involved with Community Supported Agriculture and know of which healthy animal farms are in the area.

AND They should have books on their shelves like…

Spark (revolutionary new science behind exercise and the brain)

Omnivors Delema

In Defense of Food

The Paleo Diet and Solution

Innate Diet and Natural Hygiene

The 14 Foundational Premises for the Scientific and Philosophical Validation of the Chiropractic Wellness   Paradigm

Innate Physical Fitness & Spinal Hygiene

Brain Rules

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

Switch, How to make Change when Change is Hard

The Queen of Fats

Nudge

Awaken the Giant Within / Unlimited Power

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Think and Grow Rich

Textbook of Medical Physiology

Mutant Message from Down Under

Compound Affect

The Slight Edge

The Primal Blueprint

One thousand Gifts

The happiness Project and on and on

One of my mentors said “Health is simple, it’s just not easy,” and that is why we all need health coaches to help nudge and guide us along our journey to a better way of living.

You can get healthier, and You are worth it!

Good Luck.

Dr. Nicholas Araza DC CCWP CSCS

You can watch my testimonial on Bonfire Health here:

 

ps: I was the most nervous person on the planet before, and during, this video. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the final result.

But wait Jen…I thought you did Crossfit?!

I do :) Bonfire Health talks a lot about functional fitness as their “Move Well” component…and Crossfit falls under the category of functional fitness.

As for the “Eat Well”…Paleo fits the bill :)

 

So, my question to you is…who is your health coach? Who is on your side telling you can do it, high-fiving you when you don’t eat that cake (instead of looking at you like you have 4 heads)…and pushing you to exercise when you have NO desire? I can confidently say that is it absolutely essential to a life change! :) So get get ‘em :)

Have a wonderful day :)

Much love,

Jen