Taking Control
3 MONTHS DOWN. FIRST WORKSHOP COMPLETE! Now I just really need to grasp an understanding of digestion, blood sugar regulation, & fatty acids…
This past weekend was the first workshop for the NTP program and wow was it a whirlwind. Leading up to the weekend I was extremely anxious, I didn’t know what to expect. Basically, it was the first day of college all over again, you were going to a place where you knew absolutely no one with the only exception being that we all had the same interest, health.
I’m not going to lie, I was close to having a breakdown Saturday night and dropping out of the course all together. After two days, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get through another day of randomly being called on to answer a question I didn’t know the answer to; remembering everything I should have learned by now regarding digestion, blood sugar regulation, and the other foundations; or being able to find the proper points for the functional evaluations. It’s just wayyyy too much to learn in 9 months!
Sunday night, on the way home, I reflected on the weekend and why I had started on this journey in the first place. I DO believe food is medicine & how we eat impacts our lives. Doing all of this, is the right decision for me! Even though this whole process is not easy and completely new territory for me…the NTP program teaches you the basics that we all should know – nutrient-dense food properly prepared will let you live life with optimal health.
My biggest AH-HA moments during the workshop:
- I most likely have low hydrochloric acid (HCl). HCl is required to breakdown the proteins you eat into amino acids. If they aren’t broken down, they enter your blood stream and can cause allergic reactions – hello my FACE! Today I ate an EPIC bar, which is mostly all protein. Almost immediately, I felt a burning sensation in my stomach. Contrary to what many may think, that doesn’t mean you have too much HCl.
- Muscle pain can signal issues with organs – traps/neck = pancreas in stress or piriformis = adrenal fatigue – chopping it up to the fact that to some degree I probably have some sort of blood sugar dysregulation. For the better part of 2016 I was always stressed, work was not the best environment. I’m a perfectionist at work which also leads me to believe that others have extremely high expectations of me. This meant I was running on an adrenaline rush all day long and then crashing every night with a glass or 2 of wine. Last year, I had been impressed that I was always able to go go go but inevitably I would collapse at the end of the day. I now understand that my body had adapted to give me the energy I needed to survive my stressor but the minute I changed my environment, I felt like doing nothing. Also, on some days I may have broken down during conversations for no specific reason.
- Finally, I may have figured why my shoulders and quads burn out so quickly during workouts – OMEGA-3 DEFICIENCY! Fat is the primary source of energy for your muscles in an aerobic state. The quicker your muscles fatigue the more likelihood you are deficient in essential fatty acids. Clearly by all the nut butters and oils we consume, I’m betting it isn’t omega-6! Here on out, I’ll be taking fish oil every day, especially while training (or when I start training, ha).
As overwhelming as the weekend was, I’m glad I signed up and am on my way to becoming an NTP. I know it isn’t going to be easy and I have A LOT to learn. But I did meet some pretty awesome people this weekend, all of whom have the same passions. I may be the odd one out in my family & friends but the NTA is onto something and people are starting to take charge of their life.