My Top 15 FAQs Answered

We're really only four months closer to the new year ... (let's all let that sink in for a moment).

That said, I wanted to take a moment to reflect back and gather some of the most common questions I've been asked by, both, clients and friends/family.

I figured 15 was a sweet spot and I've removed the ones that are more in-depth and personal due to me needing a health history in order to truly be answered.

I've sectioned the questions/answers into five categories:

- Nutrition/Wellness

- Mental/Emotional

- Physical

- Business

- Miscellaneous

I'd love to hear from you!

If you still have a question regarding what you've read, please let me know.

NUTRITION/WELLNESS

Q: How come I still feel so bloated after having a smoothie that has less fruit?

A: When I hear this question, I think of a few reasons:

1. Because of the lack of fruit and increased fiber, your digestive system isn’t used to breaking down the additional fiber, therefore, your stomach is expanding more than usual. My advice is to always start slow with the added fiber and work your way up as your body is becoming more acclimated with the great stuff!

2. There may be a possible allergy or sensitivity going on. Are you using raw veggies and your body isn’t able to digest them properly? Could you be allergic to the almond butter? Or is the plant milk you’re using filled with fillers that could be causing discomfort?

In this case, it’s all about elimination and making sure you keep your smoothies simple and drinking mindfully so you’re able to pinpoint exactly what may be causing your bloat.

3. You're drinking it way too fast and not chewing long enough. It's extremely important to slow down and enjoy the deliciousness!

I also encourage you to top your smoothie with something full of texture in order to activate your digestive enzymes and get your stomach ready for digestion.

4. You're stressed. When we're stressed or anxious, we tend to tense up, reduce our breathing and, in turn, prohibits our body from processing and breaking down our food properly - causing bloat and/or gas.

5. You're constipated. Not eliminating properly can cause build up of stool in your colon and this causes bacteria to ferment which causes that bloating discomfort.

Overall, these answers to this question don't solely apply to the smoothie but feeling bloated and/or gassy after eating a healthy (or not-so-healthy) meal as well.

Q: How do you feel about supplements? Which ones should I really be taking?

A: I posted this on my Instagram awhile ago where I shared my opinion on the two times taking supplements actually make sense.

Q: How can I get my child to eat healthier?

A: In this post I discuss my top tips on how to get your child to eat healthier.

MENTAL/EMOTIONAL

Q: I feel like I’m always having to reset when it comes to my eating and exercise and it gets SO frustrating and depleting! How can I avoid this?

A: I hear this often in my practice. First thing to remember is wellness is not binary (not black/white, right/wrong) and the mistake I constantly see is over-committing to one or multiple goals.

Some of my first questions to someone going through this are:

"Why are you doing it?"

"What tactics have worked/not worked so far?"

"Have you had accountability and them explaining the beauty and patience of the process?"

A lifestyle shift does NOT happen overnight. I see a lot of people comparing and attempting to engage in a process and/or activity someone else is doing or referring to them and believing that it's going to work for them. Especially influencers or individuals with a large following that aren't accredited in any way.

This looks like: removing excuses, really honing into what you truly can be doing different and developing an accountability routine. First, you have got to be honest with yourself and give yourself a bit of tough love.

Baby steps. What's one, small, step you can take each week? Substitute, don't dismiss something you enjoy all together and get creative with the way you eat and exercise!

Q: I’m so busy with work and my child – how can I maintain a healthy lifestyle?

A: Plan, prepare and let go of perfection. Here are also three ways to contribute to your health every day.

You can watch my vlog on my tools to how to maintain a healthy lifestyle while busy.

Q: Do you have any tips on eating better when I'm out with friends or family? I feel like I always regret what I eat or feel like crap once it's all said and done.

A: I know it's hard! We do have to live life but this post I wrote has stayed true thus far.

PHYSICAL

Q: Why do I feel like I'm always hungry???

In this post, I talk about the 7 reasons you may be hungry even if you feel you shouldn't be.

Q: Why am I so tired after my workouts?

A: Some of the most common reasons are:

1. You’re not fueling properly.

2. You’re working out too much.

3. You’re stressed.

4. You’re just not getting enough sleep.

As far as not fueling properly, this one is tricky and I don’t want to give a blanket answer due to it being so individual but I would say try to avoid heavy protein and/or fat intake prior a workout – you want to save those for recovery afterwards.

The other reason (especially for women) is pushing yourself too hard and/or not working out for your menstrual cycle phases. In the latter case, it’s important to move according to which cycle you’re in due to hormones, ligaments and joints altering throughout each phases.

And sleep is crucial, so make sure you’re not tired or stressed when thinking about working out. It’ll do more harm than good.

Q: I make sure I get, at least, 8-9 hours of sleep at night but I’m still tired. Why?

A: The questions I begin to ask clients after they ask me this are:

What did you eat prior to bedtime?

Are you stressed?

How much/little did you exercise?

And are you waking in the middle of the night?

Removing children from the equation - eating a high carb meal or just too much, excess sugar, stress, anxiety/monkey brain, starting a new routine, waking and not falling right back to sleep in the middle of the night - can all lead to losing quality sleep and feeling it the next day.

Q: What are some quick workouts I can do throughout the day to stay on top of my fitness?

A: Walking! We should never forget to power of walking and exercise snacking.

You can get short, effective bursts of movement in with mini bands and/or free weights, body weight squats, lunges, etc.

And never underestimate cleaning and the little movements you engage in throughout the day. The goal here is to not be sedentary for multiple hours back to back and focus on getting, at least 30 minutes in each day.

Whether that's broken up into three parts or all at once. It's all the same! Just keep your body moving regardless of what the movement is!

BUSINESS

Q: Do you work with people outside of Utah?

A: Yes! The majority of my clients are remote. Check out how we can work together on the "Services" page.

Q: Do you work with other wellness practitioners?

A: Currently, I work with one Naturopathic Doctor (AZ), three trainers: one based in Ohio, LA and Utah. However, they can all provide you with remote write-ups!

Discounts for Naturopathic visits and trainers are offered to Candid Health clients.

Q: What does the backwards "CH" stand for?

Aside from the obvious Candid Health, I wanted it to represent the correct way we need see ourselves when we really take the time to really look at who we are.

Most times, we step in front of the mirror to only assess and critique ourselves in the most vicious way(s). Some of us don't even like to pass by or look unless we have to.

The criticism of ourselves and foundation of our way of living is due to our upbringing flowing into society and how we feel things "should be." When, really, being candid is about being real, raw and imperfect.

Us seeing the logo (or ourselves) backwards or incorrect until we face ourselves in the mirror and see that what's in front of us is the perception of what's supposed to be.