Imagine feeling so damn good you march forward, building the life you want, realizing your dreams with ease. Imagine feeling beautiful. Imagine bursting with energy, so much so you can’t help but expend it towards a better life.
I couldn’t have imagined any of this a decade ago. I was tired, overworked, sluggish, and bitter. Because I wasn’t doing what I wanted with my life, and I knew I could be doing something more than just getting by. And, I was jealous of others who were hustling towards their dreams. Jealous of their energy and their drive.
I have that energy now. I definitely have that drive. I’m not always where I want to be, but I’m hustling towards there. And, I’m learning more everyday about how to feel good almost all the time, work hard, and live better.
And, I’d love to share with you the things I do that help me feel strong and vital. Because they may also help you.
Is it crazy that a few simple changes transformed me and my life? I sometimes still can’t believe that a few critical tweaks in my diet, simple ones!, give me the juice I need to propel myself forward. Yet it’s true.
The very first thing I did was drop sugar. It’s probably the one thing that showed me I can create any world I want. I’m not gonna lie to you. It was hard. And, it was way easier. Easy once I committed, but hard to commit. Here’s why: I dreaded giving up sugar. I knew it was bad for me. I knew sugar was why I carried around a little extra padding. I knew it was what made me sluggish and tired. I knew my addiction to sugar was dragging me down. Addiction to most things does that, right?
But still I didn’t stop, the thought of living without sweetness was too sad to bear. At least in theory. No more cake, no more cookies, no more candy at movies, no more endless desserts at the buffet… oh, I love sweets. I love sugar. It never fails to satisfy something. And, it never fails to leave me wanting more. More, more, more. And that makes me sad. I didn’t like being a slave to addiction. And, I didn’t like the effects of sugar on my body. But I kept telling myself, one day, tomorrow, soon, I’m giving it up, just after this last bite. Finally, one day I did. And, I never looked back. After 3 days, I stopped craving it. By day 7, I was released from its evil spell. And, it’s only gotten easier. In fact, it was easy from the start. The hard part – and it was a challenge – was committing. I’m on year 7, and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made. No joke.
Luckily, I had help in making it easeful. I was on a beta version of the ageless supplement program, and that gave me a boost. And, I was eating 3 square meals a day – that made a huge difference. I did it for 6 weeks during the Reset, that turned into 6 months, and here I am years later… And the side effects of quitting sugar have been stunning. I lost weight because my body wasn’t dealing with chronic inflammation any more. My skin’s texture was smoother. And, my mind was more focused. Plus, the energy. I had energy to create.
I dropped all added sugars and sugar substitutes. Why? Because they made me a sick, brain-damaged, old-in-my-joints, inflamed chubby addict jonesing for her next fix. I was spending way too much time, energy, and money on getting more.
Do what I did: start with the 6-Week Ageless Reset. Give up all sugar and sugar substitutes. Give yourself this gift. Give yourself a chance to make a difference in the world.
AND… here are 5 reasons sugar sucks:
- Sugar keeps you hungry. Sugar makes you fat. When we eat sugary, processed foods our blood sugar rises. This signals the pancreas to release insulin, which is needed to deliver glucose from the blood into the cells, and therefore lowers blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels drop, the body gets hungry. Consuming added sugars, suppresses the hormone that tells your body you’re full. Sugar increases tryglycerides. After you eat, you never get the message to stop, it’s enough. As for those tryglycerides, well, another word for them is fat.
- Sugar ages you. Sugar causes advanced glycation end-products (AGEs).This ages the skin. It damages the collagen and elastin in our skin. Sugar is an anti-nutrient. What’s an anti-nutrient? It takes nutrients from the body to process sugar. Sugar overloads what’s called the insulin pathway. And this overload affects your blood vessels and speeds up the skin’s aging process.
- Sugar causes brain damage. Levels of blood sugar directly relate to risk for dementia. Studies have found that even small elevations of blood sugar translated into a significant increased risk for dementia, even among people without diabetes. Sugar damages the brain the same way early stressors like emotional, physical abuse, and deprivation do.
- Sugar makes you sick. Sugar and sugar substitutes compromise immune function. They reduce the efficiency of white blood cells by 92 percent, and white blood cells are an integral part of your immune system. Sugar causes disease. In fact, beyond the brain damage, aging, and weight gain, suppression of the immune system is sugar’s primary risk factor.
- Sugar is as addictive as cocaine. Sugar stimulates brain pathways just as an opioid would, and it’s habit-forming. Once you start, it’s really, really hard to break the habit. Sugar cravings can be as intense as the longing for cocaine or nicotine (two of these most addictive substances on the planet). To recap: Sugar inflames you, and this ages you and your skin. The chronic inflammation that sugar causes leads to obesity, disease, and dementia. Ever notice how around the holidays, when we’re all eating a ton of sweets, we’re more susceptible to getting sick. Because it compromises the immune system. Sugar contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease. And, eating too much sugar can lead to fatty liver disease, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and kidney disease. And, these lifestyle diseases? Well, they also lead to depression.
*One quick note on fake sugar. Added sugar in any form keeps you in an inflammatory state and wanting more, but sugar substitutes can be just as bad as the real thing. In fact, they can be worse because your brain doesn’t get the signal it’s had sugar, and the craving continues, stronger than if you had eaten real sugar.
Best way to drop sugar from your diet is to do what I did. Quit. Cold. Turkey. I promise all cravings will subside within 7 days. And then you’ll be free! The other ways to cope with sugar cravings are to eat a diet high in fiber, lean protein, and healthy fats, plan your meals, so you won’t be hungry, exercise, and always hydrate.
If I’m jonesing for sugar, I’m probably a little hungry and dehydrated. It’s a sign to drink water and eat a proper meal. If I really want something sweet, I’ll have a little fruit. I love a bowl of frozen cherries for dessert. Reminds me of ice cream. And, a quick burst of cardio, like 5 minutes of jumping jacks, makes me forget I want that cake. Also, I make sure to take my anti-inflammatory supplements. They really help cool down inflammAGING and suppress cravings for sugary foods. The more I feed my body good, wholesome, delicious real food, the less I’ll want added sugar in any form.