Walk the Talk

I do not count calories or do portion control. I’m just not good at shit like that. In fact, I probably weigh myself once a year. If it does not taste good, I will not eat it- plain and simple. If it gives me diarrhea, bloating, a snotty nose, asthma trouble, or skin issues, I will definitely avoid it in the future.

The food I eat needs to make feel nourished, clean, and healthy. The training I do needs to be functional, whole body, and efficient. The wellness care I seek needs to help prevent issues as well as enhance my body’s performance. And the mindset training I do needs to make me feel calm, confident, and motivated. This is just the way I feel. You may feel completely different.

Prior to 2015, I had gotten out of a lot my lifestyle habits such as training, yoga, regular chiropractic adjustments, and clean eating. I became consumed with work. It’s not a bad thing, because I love the work I do. I’m more than passionate about it. In fact, I know BIRTHFIT is my life’s work. However, I let my health and wellness take the backseat. In fact, it was like the backseat of a station wagon facing the other direction. There would be weeks that would pass me by in which I only trained once. There were meals I’d have where I didn’t even recognize the food I was eating. And, as a doctor of chiropractic, I’m ashamed to say that I would go weeks without a proper chiropractic adjustment.

Not intentionally, but I did. I stopped putting myself first. It was only natural that I get caught in a downward spiral. Before I knew it, I was run down and in bed for a week straight. When your body yells at you like mine did, you have got to take it seriously.

I made a conscious to decision to live BIRTHFIT in 2015. It was time to WALK the TALK.

No, I am not pregnant, but I had not taken my own advice in about a year. I have considered having kids someday, but I don’t want them to be welcomed into this world into a sub par version of myself. That’s not cool on my end.

I needed to put into play the four pillars of BIRTHFIT- Fitness, Nutrition, Chiropractic, and Mindset.

When 2015 began, I committed to myself to workout three times a week. I signed myself up for three classes a week at DEUCE Gym. These are 60-minute classes in which I had no idea how they were going to fit into my schedule. I just knew they had to. I knew without the community support and accountability I would easily slip through the cracks again. Since the New Year, I’ve worked out three times a week every week except for one week in which a birth interfered (And, that was awesome).

My training consists of strongman implements, weightlifting, running (even though I hate it), gymnastics skills, and other skill work to enhance my weaknesses and make me a well-rounded athlete and human being. My training schedule is not perfect yet, but constantly evolving. Ideally, I’d like to workout four times a week with a yoga class once a week. Just showing up three times a week and doing the work has made a huge difference, which I knew it would.

I believe in eating real food. You know, the stuff our ancestors ate or what our grandparents may recognize as food. I do not believe in juice cleanses, detoxes, the master cleanse, or evening cutting/counting calories or limiting carbs or whatever whatever. There is so much bullshit in our current society in regards to nutrition, fitness, and what constitutes healthy and how to be healthy. I cringe when I over hear conversations that are full of misconceptions and no truth.

I eat quality red meat, pork, and lamb as well as wild-caught fish. I eat free-range whole eggs, but don’t eat chicken (not worth it and does not taste good to me). I eat lots of fruits, veggies, and even fermented veggies. I take Original Nutritionals liquid fish oil (liquid is better than capsules) and Caveman Coffee MCT oil daily. And, I consume more than enough water throughout my days. I start my days with a glass of water, Caveman Coffee plus grass-fed butter, and 10-15 minute meditation. For the past eight weeks, I strictly avoided grains, dairy, alcohol, and processed sugars and other imitation ingredients.

Plain and simple, I ate real food. It wasn’t easy, but after the first week I was on it. Yes, I was that girl at a restaurant or Whole Foods, and I was more than happy to explain why I don’t eat certain things.

Every meal I’ve eaten in 2015 has tasted amazing, even the new dishes I tried. I’ve sat down with my food for each meal, avoided technology about 80% of the time, and actually took the time to have a relationship with my food again.

On January 15th, I showed up at Dr. Jeremy Brook’s office. I told him that I needed to be a paying patient. I needed to be a paying patient for two reasons. Number one, I needed the accountability. Number two, I believe in the freaking power of the adjustment.

Dr. Jeremy Brook is by far one of the best chiropractors I’ve crossed paths with in this lifetime. He’s taught me a lot about adjusting and been a solid mentor for me. Remember, this year is about being selfish for me. So when I asked myself who the heck would I want to adjust me when I’m pregnant, it was a no brainer.

In simple terms, chiropractic is an art as well as a physical skill. The chiropractor helps to facilitate health within the body. Chiropractic adjustments are designed to enhance range of motion and alignment throughout the spine, so that the body has the ability to optimally function.

Naturally, the more consistent I was with getting adjusted, training, and clean eating my body began to look and feel better.

Everyone has different mindset practices. You may know what works for you or you may not have even discovered your practice yet. For BIRTHFIT, we use HypnoBirthing ® which incorporates visualizations and affirmations along with breath work. This is a very powerful training tool.

For me, sleep, acupuncture, and meditation play a huge roll in my mindset. I know that I function my best on 8-9 hours of sleep a night. My immune system is strong, my mind is clear, and my body has recovered from the day before. Try a week of getting at least eight hours of sleep, and tell me how you feel. Ask a new mom how she feels with intermittent sleeping. Sleep is important for our bodies to reset.

Acupuncture not only enhances my health and keeps my asthma under control with no medication, but it is a perfect time to practice breathing and my week’s mantra. When I got sick over the past Holiday Season, the first place I went was to my acupuncturist. I was a sick kid, but I refuse to be a sick adult.

Massage therapy is another forgotten art. People view this, acupuncture, and chiropractic as luxury items, when they are the top of my priority list. I demand a lot out of my physical body in my career and in training. I also do not want my physical body to ever limit me and my abilities. It is beyond important that I take care of my physical body. Since 2015, I’ve gotten a massage every 2-3 weeks along with acupuncture.

These past ten weeks were not easy. It fact, the first two weeks may have been some of the hardest of my life. My mantra those two weeks was simple- be selfish. I had to make small decisions every day that would eventually lead to big decisions. I took it one day at a time, one decision at a time, and one breath at a time. I budgeted my money to make sure I could pay cash for training, chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage. With my hard earned money, I paid for these services and I loved every minute of them. I was not perfect, but I did not let that stop me or get me down. I stayed the course and will continue to stay the course.

Relating this to BIRTHFIT. This is why I started BIRTHFIT years ago. I was selfish then and I wanted other women to be selfish as well. You have every right to respect yourself. We live in a crazy world and it will eat you right up if you are not on your toes. You have to be selfish in order to THRIVE. We owe it to ourselves to be the best versions of ourselves. We owe it to our babies. They need us to be the best version of ourselves. Our future generations need people of integrity and a fire within their soul. BIRTHFIT is not for everyone, but everyone will know when a person is BIRTHFIT!

Live with intention, passion, and fire. Stand up for yourself.

Be BIRTHFIT!

-LINDSEY MATHEWS, DC

@lindsey_k_mathews