Getting to the root cause of weight and symptoms should be the focus, not diets. Diets are surface level solutions to a more than likely bigger problem. Diets focus on the external results of those mechanisms the contribute to the whole reason for gaining weight in the first place, but don't get to what is causing the weight.

Now add to this the systematic messaging that you got the way you are because you cannot control your cravings, refuse to put out the effort, want to actually enjoy your food, or prefer a gentler way of moving your body than killing yourself.

I understand how you would think that dieting is the way to go. Restricting yourself, limiting yourself, denying yourself, counting, weighing, measuring, calculating points on and on and on. It's because like I've said before this is how the industry was built. You have been conditioned to believe that you require all of these things to lose weight and feel better because you cannot do it without them.

This isn't health....

Taking responsibility for your health isn't about shame, guilt or blame. If you find yourself triggered by it, more than likely those emotions are about something else - trauma. Being able to look at the state of your health objectively without self-judgement is what I'm talking about.

Accepting the state of things and accepting responsibility for your health as it is now and how you got here, is the gateway to being able to get real with yourself about what your next step should be. This isn't a blame game.

For some of you this may feel very uncomfortable. There is a reason, and it's completely understandable. It comes from a combo of negative degrading messages from the fitness industry and old unresolved trauma. If learning about how to be responsible was all tied up and associated with negative messages about your character as you grew up, in combination with the inaccurate message that overweight people are lazy and take no responsibility for their health, then hearing that you...

I'm going share something I LOVE with you today. That is, the unexpected consequence of living a healthier life. And when I mean healthy, I mean mind, body and soul.

In Pillar 2 of the M|body Method I explore with you how improving your health can impact more than just your pant size or reduction of symptoms. When you're healthier your mind is clearer, you have more energy and zest for life, and all of those dreams of living your desires returns from the dead.

Most people live in a state of tolerating feeling terrible. In fact most people have no idea just how bad they feel. It's become so familiar, they don’t even see or feel it. Yes there are symptoms that can be quite obvious, but a low level of terrible is unfortunately quite common place. 

Is this any way to live? I think not.

What is most common when women want to make changes, is the focus on one thing and one thing only - weight loss. And I get it because it's the visible, tangible part that you want taken...

You want to know the true key to changing your health and making it last? Go slow and take the time to build a solid foundation able to withstand anything life throws at you.

If you're truly committed to making changes to improve your health then run- don't walk away from "diets" or the latest trend that eliminates an entire group of macros (protein, fat or carbs), or workouts that expect you to jump into performing high intensity exercises without first building the stamina for it.

A forced get-through-it with-gritted-teeth-all-the-while-miserable restricted approach to improving your health is unrealistic, unsustainable, and will inevitably fail. 

The thing is, most people jump into the latest trend because they see how others have achieved great results, and I don't blame them. I've done it, and a few times if I'm honest, until I finally got it right by shutting out the noise, and started learning what I needed to become healthier and heal.

If doing something that...

Having extra weight on our bodies should be viewed as a symptom of something larger happening to our bodies, not a character flaw.

Since the dawn of the whole health and fitness industry, those who are overweight or classified as obese (having a BMI of 30+) have been characterized as being lazy, lacking willpower, unwilling to change, or not caring about their health.

But, look at how many people have gym memberships or go on multiple diets looking for that one that will finally work. There are countless books written about it, companies selling weight loss programs, hundreds of various diets promising the moon, and celebrity personal trainers with the latest and greatest exercise plans. If there wasn't such a demand, these things wouldn't exist and it's a $100 billion dollar industry.

The problem is that the industry continues to send the same message that your weight gain is a problem with you. It's somehow your inability to maintain some self-control or lack of willingness to...

Hormone imbalances are not the reason for the symptoms you may be experiencing. If you want to know what's really behind them, you have to get to the root cause of the imbalance to begin with.

It's totally understandable if you believe that at the heart of your symptoms is a hormonal imbalance because that's what has been talked about for ages. As women we're taught that having hormonal imbalances is "normal" and simply "part of being a woman". So many women have no idea what's going on or that there is even a problem! Many don't even realize that what they consider feeling "normal"  is actually pretty bad, and that there's a possibility for living a much more vibrant symptom free life. Typically when we go to the doctor what gets treated are the symptoms without time taken to dig deeper and find out the culprit behind your hormonal imbalance.

Here's the thing, if treating hormonal imbalances at the surface level with prescriptions solved the problem, then everyone would...

Calorie counting and restricting what you eat will not get you the results you're looking for when it comes to losing weight. This is a myth based on physics not physiology.

This blog post is a big one and an important one, because you're going to finally see how to lose weight and feel good by eating real food without having to count calories which is part of Pillar 1 inside M|B|M.

Most frustrated dieters attempt to lose weight by reducing the amount of food they eat. Pretty basic stuff and you're most likely thinking, "well yeah Shannon, that's how it works"!

Yes, the concept of calories in and calories out is what the industry has taught us for decades. It's the idea that if you want to lose weight you simply reduce the amount of calories you take in. But, often the result is binge eating, feeling hungry, succumbing to temptation, and continuing to eat the very foods that are causing the problem in the first place.

It totally makes sense that this is how you've approached...

Most people think that it's willpower that they have to have in order to lose weight and improve their health. But this notion of willpower or self-control just might be the biggest myth in the industry, and the worst advise you could ever get.

And I get it because I've been there. This message of willpower is everywhere, it's so prevalent it's even joked about, and it's been pounded into our brains forever while making us feel like shit about ourselves. But if it were true, then wouldn't everyone who used simple willpower to make a change easily and consistently lose weight?

The diet and fitness industry loves to send this message that all it takes is willpower to achieve your goals. That if you don't succeed at losing weight with sheer willpower, then it must somehow be a problem with YOU. You're not doing enough, you're not motivated enough, you're not disciplined enough and on and on. Ugh.

Can you relate?

Well we all know this is not the case. In fact, if you believe that...

Food is medicine.

In addition to doing all of the preventive measures such as wearing a mask or gloves, washing your hands, and practicing social distancing to avoid getting COVID-19, there's another piece to this.

What you eat.

Because at the end of the day, you are what you eat......literally.

And if you're now faced with the reality that you need to step up your game where your immunity is concerned, this is by far the most important thing you can give your attention to.

Food As Medicine

When it comes to your body, wanna know who's ultimately in charge?

The molecules in the food you eat. Boss is in de house.

Yes it true. When you eat, those molecules tell your cells how things are going to be.

The food that you eat is not only important in controlling inflammation levels, it also assists in balancing blood sugar, aids in digestion to process and eliminate waste, regulates blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and much more. 

So it stands to reason that you'd want to...

At no other time that I can remember has there been a better time to be eating your fruits and vegetables.

If you have been wanting to look at changing or improving your diet to help support your immune system or to improve your health overall, well, upping your fruits and vegetables game is where it's at.

As a health coach you'll hear me talk about buying organic.

Yes, this is true, mainly because of what I have learned about pesticides, particularly Roundup and how dangerous it is. 

But it can be very expensive. Especially now when so many people are currently unemployed and struggling. 

If this is you and your wanting to eat more fruits and vegetables, and you want to eat organic, but just can't afford it, here is an option in helping you choose when you buy.

There is some produce that you can buy conventional.

Those veggies or fruits in which you don't eat the skin is ok like avocados and bananas due to the limited exposure to pesticides. But others like grapes and...