Hiya, pretty! It’s finally that time of year – we can open up our windows, put on our floral dresses, and dance around the streets in our flip-flops. But if you’ve felt hesitation to look at yourself in the mirror lately, dreading what your lackluster winter diet did to your arms, buttocks, and stomach, I have a plan for you! Spring doesn’t have to mean exposing flabby arms, summer doesn’t have to mean covering up the cellulite on your legs, and you shouldn’t need to suck in any belly fat. There are many beautiful ways you can support your body both now and year-round to keep those lean lines and make you feel your best in your monthly fixes.
As a functional nutrition practitioner, I coach women just like your pretty self to find the best foods that can nourish the body, be good to your digestion, and keep you lean and happy all year round. I’d like to offer several of my tips to you today! Let’s dig in.
1. Color, Color, Color!
Just like your wardrobe, your plate should be filled with vibrant, colorful foods. White foods like bread, rice, and sugar offer minimal nutritional value, are often the cause of bloating and skin rashes, and just don’t serve your body well! Instead, focus on dark leafy greens like kale, spinach and collard greens with every meal. Indulge in seasonal fruits like blueberries, peaches, and strawberries and enjoy colorful cruciferous veggies like purple cabbage and broccoli or broccolini. And as much as you can, enjoy organic produce as well as organic and pasture-raised meats (so long as you’re not a vegetarian). Grab my free recipe guide to see these foods in action!
The more whole foods you can eat, the better you’ll nourish your body, and when you eat naturally, you help to balance your metabolism naturally. Not only can good food choices help you to lose weight, they can also give you brighter, more glowing skin, a clearer mind, and more energy to enjoy the beautiful summer sunlight!
2. Follow the 80% Rule
Have you ever been guilty of eating until you’re painfully full? I am, and with the massive portion sizes we’re fed today, most of us are overeating. More calories in equals more weight on the scale — especially if it’s unhealthy calories. A rule of thumb I encourage all of my clients to follow is this: Eat until you’re 80% full.
Did you know that it can take up to 20 minutes for our brain to receive a signal from our stomach that we’re full? Scarfing down meals doesn’t give your body time to send that signal, so you may not actually realize when you’re full — until it’s a bit too late. So slow down, fill your plate a little less, and enjoy every bite! That brings us to my third tip…
3. Become Mindful of your Food
Mindful eating is a beautiful concept. It means becoming more in tune with your food and nourishing your body. This not only allows you to appreciate the flavors of all the colorful foods you’ll be eating, but also to slow down and not overeat.
The first step is to become present with your meal. You can do this by putting away electronics, taking a few deep breaths before sitting down, and smelling your food. These small rituals send a big signal to your digestive system that it’s time to eat, which helps to promote healthy digestion. Then, focus on chewing more and chewing slower. This may seem like simple tips, but you’d be surprised how often we don’t do this! Many of my clients, as healthy as they are, often realize they half-chew their food and by chewing more (about 30 chews per bite of food) they were able to better digest their food. Half-chewed food is much tougher for your digestive tract to process, which can cause food to sit stagnant in your belly, causing uncomfortable pain and bloating — and who wants to feel that way during bikini season?!
When you’re done eating, express gratitude. Feel grateful to be able to put food on your plate, to eat well, prioritize your health, and feel love for your body. These positive affirmations can go a long way towards boosting your health — the mind-body connection is real, ladies!
4. Drink Lemon Water with Apple Cider Vinegar Daily
This is my all-time favorite drink and I’m so excited to share it with you! I’m a huge fan of morning rituals and this is a good one for everyone to work in. Lemons are fantastic both for digestive health and detoxification, and apple cider vinegar (ACV) is great for digestion as well as metabolism, weight loss, and much more. Together, they’re a powerful combo.
Here’s how to make this drink:
Mix 1 Tbsp of ACV with the juice of 1 fresh squeezed lemon and mix in 8 oz of filtered water. Drink this every morning before eating breakfast.
This helps to stimulate your metabolism and digestion, as well as help your body to detox the toxins from the night (when our bodies go through the biggest detox process of the day). Many of my clients end up making this a part of their daily routine long after working with me because the benefits are so great and it really puts a pep in their step!
5. Get Curious About Your Metabolism
If weight doesn’t seem to budge no matter how well you eat or exercise, your metabolism and digestion may need a boost. There could be an underlying reason why the number on the scale won’t budge. Perhaps you’re low in enzymes that are necessary to digest food. This can lead to slower transit time and food sitting around in your stomach. If you go to the bathroom less frequently than you think you should, or feel a heaviness in your tummy, it could be a transit issue.
Or, perhaps there’s an infection going on that’s causing your system to go a little haywire, causing things like bloating, holding onto weight, cravings, and so on. If this is the case for you, you may want to look into running a functional lab test that looks at your digestion and metabolism with a practitioner like myself to then find out what you can to do rebalance your body.
Did you know that just a few nights of poor sleep can lead to faster aging of the skin, a decline in memory (hello, brain fog!), weight gain (eek!), and more? When we sleep, our bodies repair and rejuvenate themselves, so if we sleep less or sleep poorly, we lose the ability to do that, which can have widespread health effects.
So how can you boost sleep? First, check in with your mind. Is it racing before bed? If so, work in some relaxing nighttime activities like taking a bath, meditating, journaling, doing some yoga stretches, reading an enjoyable book, or another relaxing activity that will take your mind off of your worries. Then, check in on your environment. Do noises or lights wake you up frequently? If so, consider buying a white noise machine and a sleep mask to give your body absolute peace.
A few other rituals I like to practice are diffusing lavender essential oil near my bedside, taking magnesium before bed (this is very calming to the body) and drinking chamomile tea 1 hour before hitting the sack. Whichever tools work for you, make them a priority every night so you can improve your beauty sleep and wake up rejuvenated! Oh, and have patience — it may take a few days or a week to set into a routine and allow your body to adjust.
Live Your Best You This Spring and Summer
I am so excited for you to begin implementing these tips! They’re the ones I practice every day and encourage my clients to do as well. No matter where you are with your health today, doing one healthy thing for your body every day will do your body good. Over time, you’ll see a difference in your metabolism, weight management, appetite, mood, memory, and overall sense of wellbeing! Top that with an amazing outfit, and you’ll soon be unstoppable!
BONUS!
Join Alison and Kristin LIVE on Facebook on Friday, May 18th for a discussion on “New Diet, New Wardrobe: A Nutritionist and Stylist Help You Feel Your Best this Spring & Summer.” If you have questions you’d like us to cover during the Live, comment below to let us know! Head on over to our Facebook page and hit ‘Like’ so you can be notified when we go live on Friday, May 18th.
PLUS, those of you who attend live will be entered to win a FREE 30-minute session with Kristin and a Style Challenge by Get Your Pretty On!
About Kristin
Kristin Thomas is not only highly trained in Functional Health Practices, she has lived through chronic illness and reversed her own ulcerative colitis and other health challenges such as leaky gut, food sensitivities, hormone imbalance and a half dozen gut infections. She is a Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner and Holistic Health Coach with additional training in digestive health, hormone balancing, SIBO, thyroid conditions, detoxification, and stealth infectious disease. She helps clients determine what lab tests will best illuminate why they feel sick and what actions to take to feel better. She then guides them toward better health by eliminating the factors creating the loss of function, putting meaningful lifestyle interventions in place, homing in on the right diet, and working to unblock the physical and emotional factors that led to poor health. Kristin’s clients say that when they work with her, they feel truly understood, truly heard (often for the first time in their life), that she is compassionate and provides her clients with the answers they are so desperately seeking.
Hey pretties! It’s been SO long since I’ve done a favorites post like this, but I get a lot of requests for them. It’s not that I don’t want to do them, it’s just my follow through isn’t the best. Honestly I can’t tell you how many times I start a draft on one and never finish it!
I didn’t have an outfit post ready for today because Craig pulled off the ultimate Mother’s Day surprise for me. We’re going away for a long weekend as a WHOLE family. It’s been over two years since we’ve been able to have a vacation with all three kids. Devon, our college senior, usually takes summer classes and his spring break hasn’t lined up with the girls. His last final is today so we’re getting away as a family! I’ve been running around like a crazy lady getting ready this week and haven’t had time for outfit photos.
So without further ado, here are ten things that I’m doing, using, wearing and loving lately.
1. My Goats
Besides Craig, our kids and our dogs, few things bring me more joy than our pygmy goats! Meet Theodore and Eleanor (Theo and Ellie for short), our goat siblings that fell into my lap a few months ago. I’ve always dreamed of owning goats and these two came into my life by happy accident. It was love at first sight. They are #totesmagoats.
Theo looking all cute and innocent. Never mind the fact that he just head butted me.
Aww, my babies! Oh yeah, and Craig too. 🙂
2. Running Outdoors
See that? It’s my first outdoor run of my adult life, I kid you not! I haven’t run outside since the horrible mile and a half we did every spring in high school when all I wanted to do was puke after. It never made sense to me why they made us do that after being coach potatoes all winter. What it did accomplish was making me a lifetime hater of running.
Thanks to OrangeTheory Fitness some of that has changed (not all of it). I’ve been improving my pace on the treadmill for the past year but never dreamed of running outside. Last week I had to miss one of my workouts so I strapped on my sneakers and took to the streets. I promised myself I’d take it easy and quit when I needed to but to my total surprise, kept going for 2.55 miles.
Granted, snails, a tortoise and some power walkers passed me by, but I did it!
Which brings me to my new favorite running shoes that I bought a few weeks back, these Nike Epic React Flyknit. My over 40 knees and ankles need extra cushioning and support and these are like strapping pillows on my feet. I have them in gray but want ALL the colors, especially this light cream color.
Aubrey joined me at OrangeTheory this past year and it’s been such an incredible bonding experience for us. There are definitely many advantages to her spending her first year of college at home and this is one of them.
Not gonna lie, our cute outfits from Fabletics make workouts slightly more fun, but only slightly. 🙂
4. Kimonos
If you’ve seen me in actual real life lately, I’m wearing one of two things – my PJ’s (which I’ve been staying in until about 1 pm each day) or one of these kimonos. I have a slight obsession with them. Mainly because I’m lazy when it comes to putting together outfits and these instantly transform my daily jeans and tee uniform.
I’ve gotten three compliments on my blush lately, which has never happened before! I figured it must be worth noting and sharing. It’s Your Happy Look Pore Minimizing Blush in Clover Pink from Julep. It has a just right subtle amount of shimmer.
6. Summer Candles
Besides fall candle season and Christmas candle season, summer candle season is my absolute favorite! Here are the two that are taking me away to paradise lately.
Craig and I got our patio cleaned up and ready for summer a couple of weeks ago. It was time for a total refresh of our patio furniture pillows (they needed it desperately). So I went with this summer’s trendy tropical palm tree print, with some flamingos thrown in for good measure.
I found most of these pillows at Ross except the solid green ones which are from HomeGoods.
Skye and Bailey couldn’t stand the fact that we were working in the backyard without their “help”, so they pouted at the kitchen window all day.
9. Espadrille Sandals
I’ve been on the lookout for a pair of flat espadrille sandals but haven’t quite found “the one” yet. Here are a few contenders.
It’s Your Turn: What are you loving lately? Share it with me in the comments!
Looking for a perfect last minute Mother’s Day gift? Send her a Style Challenges gift certificate! It’s just $39 and good toward any current or upcoming challenge. Buy HERE.
I FEEL PRETTY
It’s the day of the week at GYPO where we celebrate what makes us feel pretty. Whether it’s a new outfit, hairstyle, or makeup, the I Feel Pretty link up is about anything and everything that makes your life prettier. Even if you’re not a blogger, you can still play along. Just tell me what made you feel pretty this week in the comments.
Hey pretties! Welcome to another edition of SAHMonday. If you’re new here, SAHMonday is my weekly outfit series for stay at home and work from home moms (like me) who may not necessarily be heading out the house on Monday morning BUT still want to look cute and put together. I started it as a way of getting myself out of the “yoga pants mom rut” and inspiring you to do the same. You can check out the other outfits in this series here.
A few weeks ago I was schlepping around Loft looking for pieces to include on the GYPO Summer 2018 Style Challenge when I stumbled across this ruffled top. I saw it online first and was completely unimpressed but something about it in person really caught my eye. First off, up to this point, I’ve had exactly nothing yellow in my closet. Yellow just so happens to be one of the hot color trends for summer 2018 so I figured it’s high time to change that.
This top hit all the right marks, I love the pretty blue floral and hummingbird pattern, the ruffles are really feminine and give it a fun detail and it can be easily dressed up or down, making it incredibly versatile.
This sweet little semi precious stone bracelet has a lot of meaning behind it. It was added to the collection to honor one of our Style Challengers that we lost this year named Penny. Ten dollars from each sale is donated to the American Heart Association in her memory.
Studs are my go-to earrings for everyday. I love these navy druzy studs because they go with virtually everything.
I’ve been on the lookout for a pair of flat striped sandals for summer and this chambray pair fits the bill perfectly. They’re inexpensive, comfortable and oh, so cute!
Looking for more easy outfit ideas? Check out the SAHM Casual Wardrobe Basics Builder. You get all the tools you need to rebuild your casual wardrobe plus 20 days of outfit ideas sent right to your inbox. It makes getting dressed the easiest thing you do all day! Learn more HERE.
I’m going to go ahead and proclaim it – this will be the summer of the kimono!
If you haven’t yet discovered the greatness of this lightweight layer, let me bestow it upon you.
Kimonos are the perfect way to add pattern and color to an outfit without adding warmth or weight.
If you live in a hot climate like I do, it’s super important to make your basics feel cute in the summer. We Texans get stuck in a tank top, shorts and flip flops rut. Accessories used to be our only option to make an outfit feel special without adding heat.
Enter the magical kimono…
It can instantly transform an outfit from blah to wow. There are SO many beautiful colors and patterns to choose from. Throw it on over your basics tee and shorts (or denim skirt), add sandals and accessories and you’re out the door in style!
For this month’s Pretty Fix, I’m styling a kimono one of the ways I’d wear it this summer. If you’re new around here and don’t know what the Pretty Fix is, it’s a few pieces I recommend to stay on trend without breaking the bank. The idea for it was born out of frustration some of you had with box styling services that are too pricey for the quality of the pieces. With the Pretty Fix, you can shop where you want and spend what you want.
This sweet little smocked top reminds me of one I had as a child. It’s great for layering under a lightweight kimono but the fun details make it perfect to wear on it’s own.
Denim skirts are a big upcoming trend for summer. They are a great alternative to denim shorts! If you don’t have one yet, now’s the time to add it to your collection. I promise you’ll get tons of wear out of it! I also like the length on this one and stretch on this one.
I keep seeing these round rattan crossbody bags everywhere this spring. They’re a cute way to add some neutral texture to any outfit and scream summer!
It’s Your Turn: What pieces do you plan to add to your wardrobe this month? Tell us in the comments!
I FEEL PRETTY
It’s the day of the week at GYPO where we celebrate what makes us feel pretty. Whether it’s a new outfit, hairstyle, or makeup, the I Feel Pretty link up is about anything and everything that makes your life prettier. Even if you’re not a blogger, you can still play along. Just tell me what made you feel pretty this week in the comments.
Hey pretties! I’m flipping the script on SAHMonday today due to lots of requests lately for date night looks. I hear ya and am happy to oblige!
Craig and I would love to go on date nights once a week but in reality it happens more like once a month, if that. The past few months, it’s worked out better for us to go on a weeknight instead of weekend. So last Tuesday, he pulled up the Open Table app and got us a reservation at one of our favorite date night spots, Sixty Vines.
The weather was PERFECT that day, a sunny 82 degrees, and our reservation was in their green house (yes, they have tables in an outdoor greenhouse, it’s really cool!) I already had a trip to the mall planned that day to do some trend spotting for the Summer 2018 GYPO Style Challenge. As luck would have it, I also found the perfect chambray jumpsuit for our date night.
I know that jumpsuits are pretty polarizing among GYPO pretties and I can see why. I hold both love and hatred for them at the same time.
Things I hate about jumpsuits:
You have to take the whole thing down to pee.
See #1
Things I love about jumpsuits:
They’re an instant outfit! Just add accessories.
They’re super comfortable and feel like PJ’s.
Fortunately the things I love outweigh the things I hate and fyi, try to avoid jumpsuits and rompers with button fronts, it makes the whole potty situation much easier.
This was seriously one of the easiest outfits I’ve ever put together (and the most comfortable too!), just add bright earrings and sandals. I went with flat sandals for comfort but you could definitely make this dressier with a pair of block heel sandals like this pair.
Incidentally, I love this outfit so much that I wore it twice last week – for date night and then again for the Alison + Aubrey launch party on Saturday night.
Sizing Tip: I’m wearing a size small in this jumpsuit and it’s pretty generously cut. For reference, I’m 5’4″ and 125 lbs.
These bright raffia earrings couldn’t be a better match for off the shoulder chambray. They made enough of a statement that I didn’t really need any other accessories! If you decide to get these earrings, today’s the last day to get $10 off $50 at Alison + Aubrey with code INSTA10.
Do you struggle to put outfits together? Are you stuck in a yoga pants rut? Not sure if you can make the latest trends work for you? You’re in the right place!
I’m Alison, a mom of three and recovering yoga pants addict on a mission to make getting dressed and feeling pretty the easiest thing you do all day! Learn more about my story HERE.
I am so glad I was part of the Fall 2019 Style Challenge. It gave me confidence and so many great outfitt ideas. The ladies in the group were very supportive and I will defintetly be doing another challenge in the future.
Betty Weyandt December 20, 2019
I’ve been participating in the GYPO Style Challenges for three years now and I’ve loved it. I’ve always loved clothes, but I didn’t know how to put outfits together. My closet is now full of mix-and-match outfits, I have learned how to dress myself, and there is no more stress in figuring out to wear. The private FB group is full of wonderful ladies that build each other up. It’s so fun and is seriously the best group on FB.
Kirstin Rasmussen November 20, 2019
Get Your Pretty On has changed my life, seriously. I have always chased what is trendy but found from season to season, that things go out of style and I was wasting money on items that I would only end up wearing a few times. GYPO has enabled me to simplify my closet, helps me make smarter purchasing decisions, and I feel so put together and confident using the outfit formulas that are provided. This program is a GAME CHANGER. I've been following GYPO for a few years now and my only regret is not jumping on board sooner.
Michelle Kline November 20, 2019
Great community of ladies, helping each other look stylish, without breaking the bank, and using much of what you already own.
Chosen Faith November 19, 2019
GYPO challenges have been one of the best things I have done! It had taught me so much more than just creating a closet of clothes that I love but also to have confidence in myself, how to pick and choose colors that work for me instead of against, and had given a wonderful community of Pretties who are so special.
Maraline Freeman October 16, 2019
I love GYPO!!! I finally feel put together and stylish! The shopping lists and outfit combinations make shopping and getting dressed effortless.
Krista Probst October 16, 2019
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Kristin Thomas is not only highly trained in Functional Health Practices, she has lived through chronic illness and reversed her own ulcerative colitis and other health challenges such as leaky gut, food sensitivities, hormone imbalance and a half dozen gut infections. She is a Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner and Holistic Health Coach with additional training in digestive health, hormone balancing, SIBO, thyroid conditions, detoxification, and stealth infectious disease. She helps clients determine what lab tests will best illuminate why they feel sick and what actions to take to feel better. She then guides them toward better health by eliminating the factors creating the loss of function, putting meaningful lifestyle interventions in place, homing in on the right diet, and working to unblock the physical and emotional factors that led to poor health. Kristin’s clients say that when they work with her, they feel truly understood, truly heard (often for the first time in their life), that she is compassionate and provides her clients with the answers they are so desperately seeking.
