First Step To A Great Body

When it comes to successful body transformation there are a couple of very important steps that you should consider before you hit the gym and start dieting. 

Start with your gut

Second brain

Your gut is your second brain. It is the place where all the action happens; neurotransmitters are produced, food gets digested, nutrients get absorbed and the acid-alkaline base gets established.

In order for your gut to work well we have to make sure all the processes mentioned above are happening without any disruptions. Let’s have a closer look at neurotransmitters, the brain’s chemical messengers. The main four produced in the gut are Dopamine and Acetylcholine these are the energising ones  and GABA and Seratonin which are the relaxing ones. 

These neurotransmitters are responsible for the way we feel and function. We want to have the right level of the energizing neurotransmitters during the day and right level of the relaxing ones in the evening to help us sleep.

Choose wisely 

The food choices we make on daily basis will hugely impact our mental, physical and emotional state. Consumption of foods that irritate our gut or foods that might cause sensitivities for example: (wheat, gluten, diary and soy products, etc.) will compromise our digestion and disrupt the level of neurotransmitters production which as a result can lead to problems like depression, insomnia, mood swings, bloating and ‘leaky gut syndrome’ to name just a few.

Detox

In order to achieve a healthy gut and bring everything to balance a good place to start is to do a gentle detox.

Now, I am not talking here about starvation for days on end, liquid diets, juicing etc.

I am talking about bringing your gut to optimal health through elimination of certain foods from your diet, foods that cause discomfort, bloating, and irritation etc.

Rotation of foods on daily basis in order to avoid eating the same foods over and over again which may cause deficiency in production of certain enzymes responsible for breaking these foods down and ultimately inefficiency in digestion and nutrient absorption which as a result leads to all the problems we talked about in the above paragraph.

Nourish

I am talking here about nourishing your body through consumption of good quality, nutrient dense foods and organic produce that contains all the vitamins, minerals and enzymes necessary to ensure healthy digestion and nutrient absorption. A combination of best quality meats, fish and poultry to satisfy your body's needs for protein, ideally organically sourced fruit and vegetables for best content of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber and good quality fats from sources like oily fish for Omega 3's, also cocnut oil, butter from grass fed cows, nuts etc.

Supplement

Supplementation with digestive enzymes and probiotics is also very important and a great way to ensure healthy gut flora. The process of cooking may negatively impact our digestion and strip the foods of of its enzymes. 

Probiotics are good live bacteria that naturally occur in the gastrointestinal tract. Supplementing with them will not only help us keep our gut healthy but will also help us with fat loss. 

Healthy gut equals no additional stress from food and no problems with digestion which means right levels of neurotransmitters produced in the gut that leads us to better brain function, better mental, physical and emotional state which as a result lowers the level of cortisol (stress hormone) production and in the end no fat storage.

If you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above it is probably time to ‘listen to your gut’ and take care of it as healthy gut is the foundation of good health and first step to an amazing physique.