TAKING ACTION: ✅New Clients: Skip straight to the bottom of this post and check out the ⭐️ NEW CLIENT INFO! ✅Share your weekly wins today! 🎉 It’s Friday, friends, and you know what that means—it’s time to celebrate ourselves and one another! 🎉 Before we celebrate, however, let’s briefly talk about another cortisol-balancing technique that helps to lower cortisol during times of stress—breath work. We’ve added breathwork exercises to our Monday and Thursday programming, but the truth is that any stressful time is a good time to use your breath. Here is a quick technique you can implement any time ⬇️ Inhale deeply through your nose until your lungs fill up with air. Once you’re at the top, take one more quick inhale (almost like an extra inhale burst). Slowly exhale with your mouth open and allow for the exhale to activate your vocal cords (making the “Ahhhhhh” sound). Repeat 2-4 times. This breathing pattern emphasizes the exhale, which stimulates the vagus nerve and reinforces parasympathetic dominance—telling your body, “It’s safe to relax now.” This triggers a drop in cortisol and helps reset your stress response. You’re welcome. 😉 Now that we’ve all destressed, let’s get fired up and celebrate by sharing our weekly wins below! 🎉 __________________________________________________ ⬇️⭐️NEW CLIENT INFO and TO-DO’s⭐️⬇️ You made it to Friday, friends—and you know what that means! It means today, you get to celebrate your non-scale victories- or NSVs! It doesn’t matter if your NSV is big or small—we celebrate them all! 🎉 Speaking of, last week I promised you I’d explain a little more about the science behind why we celebrate small wins. Yes, we do it for fun, but we also carve out time each week for celebrating because science says that by doing so, your brain literally changes! You see, every time you celebrate a win (again, it doesn’t matter what size), your brain releases dopamine (a feel-good chemical). You feel good, and your brain says, “I want to feel that way again”! This process is what motivates you to keep going—because your brain knows it wants to feel good again and again! That’s exactly why we make celebrating ourselves a weekly call to action. When you celebrate consistently, you change over time. Hey, I didn’t say it. Science did! 😉

TAKING ACTION: ✅Will you adopt today’s cortisol-balancing tip? Do you normally get morning sunlight within the first hour of waking? Today’s AM cortisol-balancing tip ☀️⬇️ Natural light in the morning signals your brain’s “master clock” through your eyes and tells your adrenal glands, “It’s daytime. Time to raise cortisol.” This follows your circadian rhythm (your body’s wake/sleep cycle). Your body naturally produces more cortisol in the hours before waking and into the morning. Your job is to embrace healthy habits that support this natural cycle! 🔄 Studies suggest it’s best to spend anywhere from 5-30 minutes in the morning sunlight (within the first hour of waking) for optimal benefits. This regular exposure trains your body to align hormone cycles, sleep timing, and energy patterns, which supports fat loss, mood, and recovery. ☀️UV exposure is much lower in the morning, and the health-related risks are much lower. You can also focus on getting sunlight in your eyes as opposed to on your body (though getting some on your body can also be beneficial). *WORKOUT IN COMMENTS*

TAKING ACTION: ✅New Clients: Skip straight to the bottom of this post and check out the ⭐️ NEW CLIENT INFO! ✅What are your thoughts after reading the article below? Consuming a small amount of starchy carbs a couple of hours before bedtime is also a great way to lower your cortisol in the evenings. It’s important to note that a sharp rise in insulin can coincide with higher cortisol, so that’s why only a small amount of starchy carbs is advised. The article attached today explains this a bit more. In short, a small bump in insulin from starchy carbs actually works more like a signal that “fuel is available”. The stress response can shut down—and in turn, your cortisol lowers, and you sleep better. 😴 There are other ways to help balance your cortisol rhythm, and we'll discuss them throughout the remainder of the week! Check out this article below that explains what foods eaten at night are beneficial for cortisol and sleep. ⬇️ 7 Best Foods to Eat at Night for Lower Cortisol and Better Sleep

TAKING ACTION: ✅New Clients: Skip straight to the bottom of this post and check out the ⭐️ NEW CLIENT INFO! ✅I’d love to see everyone—old and new clients—post a sweaty HIIT day selfie in the comments below! 🤳 To caffeinate or not to caffeinate…☕️⬇️ There’s a lot of controversy when it comes to caffeine, but generally speaking, a little caffeine probably isn’t harmful. However, when you consume it absolutely matters when it comes to balancing your cortisol. ⚖️ ☕A little caffeine in the morning can actually benefit your natural cortisol rhythm. Remember, your body’s natural cycle is to have cortisol higher in the morning. The important thing to note is that you should hydrate with water first. You’re slightly dehydrated upon waking, and coffee dehydrates you further. Water first, then coffee. ☕The goal is to have your cortisol levels slowly decrease later in the day so that you can develop a healthy sleep/wake cycle. Since caffeine is a stimulant, it’s best to stop consuming caffeine around 2:00-3:00 PM if you typically fall asleep between 9:30-11:30 PM. This isn’t a hard rule for all, as some of us are more sensitive to caffeine than others. However, if you suspect you have an imbalanced cortisol rhythm, this is a good strategy to adopt. Also, when you’re stressed, your cortisol increases. With caffeine being a stimulant (and a cortisol booster), it’s best to consider this before reaching for a caffeinated beverage during times of stress. 👌 Check out these healthy, caffeine-free drink recipes to enjoy during times of stress or in the evenings! 8+ Healthy Caffeine-free Drinks - Food By Mars **WOROUT IN THE COMMENTS** ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ⬇️⭐️NEW CLIENT INFO and TO-DO’s⭐️⬇️ Last week, I gave you the freedom to practice carb cycling—but this week, you’re going to learn the HOW and the WHY behind this excellent fat-burning strategy! 🔥

My day began at 5:30 am Gym, work, then cleaned a house. Went home and cleaned my house up, 5 medical clinics cleaned and my church. This made me extra thankful. 🥹 because there was a time I couldn’t even walk, work, or even clean my house. And now I go non stop some days but it’s the overflow of blessings in my life 😭❤️🥹