How do you measure progress
How do you measure progress
To achieve the transformation goals you are looking for you need to know what progress looks like. You need to be able to measure progress in small little steps and above all celebrate those little success stories. And this is important because sometimes we forget that the journey never ends and we need to have gratitude for every positive step we make.
Let’s look at some of the ways you can know that you are making progress!
No Cravings
Does it ever feel like you’re hungry all the time? Like, you know you need to “get control,” but you can’t seem to “find the willpower” to stay away from that sweet. But cravings have nothing to do with willpower. It is all about hormones.
Many are used to eating this way even in the context of a healthy diet, and they end-up messing-up their hormones. As we digest our food, the gut sends signals to the brain about how much energy we’ve consumed to trigger satiation (the feeling of fullness), so we know when we’ve had enough. Additionally, when we eat refined carbs we create a roller-coaster effect to our blood sugars which makes us needing something sweet to stabilize them!
How does progress look like
With the ketOntrack Nutritional Series 1, this is the second habit we address. And we start slowly, step-by-step, by establishing 3 meals a day routine, reducing processed foods while at the same time adding healthy whole foods, that will ensure we give a break to our hormones and helps us feel satisfied.
The right food, will signal to our gut and brain that all is okay. We are okay. We are safe and comfortable and fed. We can stop now. Imagine, for the first time, feeling “full.” Not stuffed. Just satisfied. Feeling like you’ve had enough. Your gut and brain are calm. No panic. Without any worry. Yep, this is all possible. In fact, this is what you’ll start to experience once your nutrition is on track.
SUMMARY
- Cravings and snacking are a result of hormone imbalances.
- Eat healthy whole foods will help restoring all the right satiety signals in your body.
More Energy and better mood
Maybe you can’t remember a time when you didn’t feel exhausted. Your alarm is your enemy. You don’t hit snooze; you literally punch the clock to make it shut up. You need a coffee to really wake-up and sugar hit after lunch to keep your eyelids propped open. Maybe your brain and body are getting too much processed food and too much sugar. Maybe you’re not getting enough vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Even small deficiencies in certain nutrients, which are much more common than you think, can drain your energy and fog up your focus and consequently your mood.
How does progress look like
One day, you wake up before your alarm clock. Your eyes are actually open. You feel refreshed. You don’t need seven shots of espresso throughout the day just to cope with your work inbox. You pay attention to everything that happens during the day, you feel productive and that you can manage more things in a day. And above all, you feel good!
And having energy depends on getting all your nutrients on a daily basis. See below a couple of example of how single nutrients can affect so many areas of our life.
- Magnesium: We need magnesium for metabolic reactions, especially those that convert food into energy. Having more magnesium seems to improve cognitive abilities, while not enough seems to make cognition worse. Without enough magnesium in our cells, insulin doesn’t work as well, which makes it hard for us to use glucose. Many enzymes that help us convert food into energy need magnesium.
- Folate : MTHFR is a gene that initiates our ability to methylate, a key process that affects our stress response, inflammation, energy, detoxification, antioxidant production, cell repair and around 200 more critical body functions. In every one of this functions, folate is involved!
SUMMARY
- Energy is produced when your cells have the right building blocks.
- Get all your nutrients on a daily basis to have better energy and mood.
Better looking skin and hair
Our skin, our hair, nails and our teeth are the mirror of our health. When our nails breaks or when we have rashes or bleeding gums these are all signs that something is not right with our nutrition and with our gut. Our body is constantly sending us signals and we need to listen to it, and feed it the right foods. We might have an over-active immune system, nutrient deficiencies or we may not tolerate some of the food we eat every day. Restoring our gut can be a long process which is individual for every person.
How does progress look like
You have fixed your diet. You are getting close to 100% of your nutrients on a daily basis. You are getting enough protein which is the building block of everything, you are getting all the essential fatty-acids and vitamins like Zinc.
Now your skin colour has changed, your hair is stronger and your rashes are mostly gone. You feel like a new man or woman, confident about your looks and more out-going.
SUMMARY
- Every part of our outer body is reflecting the state of our health.
- Having nutrient deficiencies or eating toxic food will show at our skin, nails or hair.
Better sleep
You know those nights when you just can’t seem to fall asleep? Or when you toss and turn in a weird, hallucinogenic, sleeping-but-not-sleeping state? Sometimes, our clients don’t even know how tired and sleep-deprived they are, because five hours of sleep is their normal. There can be many reasons for poor sleep: stress, aging, hormonal changes, getting too much blue-light late at night, and so on.
Tuning-in with your circadian rhythm is key for getting proper sleep. Proper sleeping is all about giving the right signals to our body that it is time to wind-down and relax. If for instance you over-eat heavy meals late at night or drink to much you will not sleep well. You may also have disrupted hormones (such as cortisol, thyroid hormone, and sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone) from stress and poor habits, all of which are important for good and restful sleep.
How does progress look like
Following the Sleep Series, you’re now laid off the afternoon espresso. You are now having dinner earlier and giving your gut time to digest. Your sleeping environment now allows you to relax and sleep earlier and spent 25% of your time in deep sleep and 25% in REM. As it should be. You wake-up refreshed and full of energy!
SUMMARY
- Tune in with you cirdadian rythm.
- Eat dinner 3-4 hours before sleep and allow your body and mind to relax in a proper environment.
It feels more like a lifestyle!
Establish the right habits for a lifetime. Every single step you take is only forward. One-step a time until every change is part of your life. You learn it, experience it, believe it and now it is part of your new you.
What to do next
- Set and celebrate mini-goals. Don’t rush into changing. Enjoy your journey by setting mini weekly goals. Measure your progress. And don’t forget to celebrate everything you achieve one of them. Gratitude is all.
- Keep a journal. Keeping a daily journal is the ultimate tool to help you keep focused and accountable. This is the first good habit to establish.
