At the beginning of 2021, I was diagnosed on the low positive side of rheumatoid arthritis and x-rays showed I had bone spurs on my ankles. All of my joints hurt - even just driving my car was painful because of the angle my wrists & ankles were in while in a driving position. I was literally in tears at the end of my gym classes because I was in so much pain. I’ve also had colitis issues for almost 15 years and my weight has been creeping up a few pounds each year for the past few years, too. All of this compounded when I turned 51 and I knew I had to do something.
My friend, Kati Gibson, recently went through an intense certification program to do health & wellness coaching. Kati’s journey with juicing began when she got really sick with thyroid issues several years ago. Since then, she has totally healed her thyroid and gut and is now helping others on their way to wellness. Kati created her own business, "Here I Am With Movement", a Certified Health & Nutrition Counseling program through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition specializing in auto-immune disease, inflammation, digestion, and liver cleansing. This is NOT affiliated with an MLM (multi-level marketing) program so I decided to try it out for 4 weeks. Those 4 weeks (April 2021) proved to be LIFE CHANGING for me. I was able to create new healthy habits over that time period that I’ve actually been able to sustain.
Here's Kati’s contact info for anyone interested...
Kati offers
several different programs but her 4-week jump start program is SOOO worth the time & $$$ - plus it is really affordable considering all you get. And in my case, it probably is helping save me $ in the long run because I am healthier which means fewer doctor's visits and I am no longer on medicine!
One of the great things about working with Kati is that her program is totally customizable to work with YOUR body type, lifestyle, family schedule, health issues, health goals, etc. That being said, the following is what helped ME get into a more healthy state of being - but remember what worked for me might not work for you. I am sharing this to show there is HOPE! I am living proof! Here's what we did...
1. At the beginning of my 4 week program, Kati did a 1-hour intake that included health history info, before pics, goals, etc. The results were hard for me to hear but necessary to show me I had hard work to do. Kati told me my goals were totally doable & she would help me every step of the way!
2. Kati and I worked out together twice a week at her gym in Claremore. (She has a super dreamy gym/studio now at a spa in downtown Claremore.) This was really good for me because I typically work out about 4-5 times a week but Kati pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of. Now when I work out I hear Kati's voice in the back of my head pushing me harder and testing my limits!
3. Kati started me on
intermittent fasting. (Benefits can be found
here.) Before working with Kati, I woke up every morning starving & I never thought I could work out without eating a good breakfast first. She taught me that so much of our hunger is really mental & we’ll be “fine” going without food for a certain time period. I typically fast from about 7 at night to 11 the next morning & it’s totally doable!
4. This is the game changer for me... Kati started me on a 3-part regiment that I do before eating actual food... First, when I wake up, I drink a cup of
hot water & organic lemon juice. Benefits of lemon juice can be found
here.
Next, I j
uice straight celery. Benefits of celery can be found
here and Kati has a great video on juicing
here. (The video can only be seen if you are a member of her women's only private fb page. If you are a friend of mine & want to be added, let me know! Also be sure to check out the comments on that post for other helpful links & suggestions.) She also has an AmAzInG, new juicing e-book that can be purchased for $8
here. Juicing straight celery was really hard for me at first but I promise it gets easier! I started out juicing 10 ounces every morning (about 1 bundle of celery) but now I am up to 20 ounces. Kati says 32 oz. a day is optimal so that is my eventual goal.
This juicer is similar to the one I started out with and is currently only about $38. It’s a good beginners juicer but didn’t really make that much juice. My kids also love to help make it!
This is the one I use now & I’ve been really happy with it. It’s easy to use & clean - and only about $70 with the coupon & makes a lot more juice.
Last, about 30 minutes to an hour after juice, I have a
smoothie. I do a protein smoothie if I worked out with weights that morning. (
This is the plant-based protein powder Kati recommends. I like it & use it!) If I don’t do weights, I do this
detox smoothie recipe suggested by Kati. (I half the recipe because it makes so much.) Here are links to the “weird” ingredients that I get on Amazon -
Dulse Flakes,
Spirulina, &
Barley Grass Powder. It seems like a lot of $ at first but you only use about ½ tsp of the Spirulina & Barley Grass Powder so it lasts forever!
After I do my 3 part regiment, I can have food but now I’m trying to be more mindful of what I put in my body!
5. I kept a
food journal which was really eye opening. Before, I "thought" I was eating pretty healthy but recording the food I ate made me realize the toxic & processed foods that were going into my mouth and how often I was eating. I also did a zoom call with Kati on Fridays to go over the food I ate that week. She is not a fan of keeping track of calories & macros - just trying to eat little or no processed foods, with about 80% of our daily intake being “healthy” & the other 20% can be “so so”. Since I have inflammation & tummy issues, Kati said I should also try to cut out dairy & red meat. She also helped me with
better swap-outs for food. For example, instead of the low carb/high fiber tortillas that I “thought” were healthy, she suggested
these that you can get at Walmart. They only have 5 ingredients & are a better choice than the other brand I was using. Our family loves them! Instead of using regular pasta, I now use
Lensi brand Chickpea or Lentil pasta. Instead of snacking on peanut butter, I try to make
energy bites instead. And instead of Crystal Lite mix-ins for my workout drink, I now use
ZipFizz.
6. Kati sent me 2 emails a week with food/nutrition info & workout suggestions. These were SO helpful & I still refer back to them today!
7. When the 4 weeks were over, I did a final strength test & an outtake comparing my 4 week results.
 |
| (The second date should actually say April 30th.) |
I was so pleased to see I improved on my strength during that time period and I lost about 6 pounds. I was also starting to feel less pain in my joints and I attribute that to juicing celery.
Now about 9 months later, I have lost about 25 pounds which is a miracle for me because I have always had a hard time losing even 2-3 pounds! I’ve tried Keto & Whole30 in the past but it just wasn’t sustainable over time. Keto also messed up my cholesterol levels and made them really high. But the best benefit of all is that I now have almost ZERO joint pain & tummy issues are SO much better! It’s truly been life changing and an even age reversing experience for me. I have more energy & can do things today I couldn't do 1-2 years ago. I highly recommend Kati’s 4 week program but if you have any other questions, I’m glad to try to help!
