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Holly Blazina

@hollyblazina

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Unlock food & mood cues and heal your gut
Gutsy Type Method
🏆Fearless Woman Award 2018
📖Bestselling author
5-Day Gut-Brain Reset
www.biggutsylife.com

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THIS is why I created Big Gutsy Life! Comment GUTSY to connect. by @hollyblazina

“I just want to know what I can eat that’s not going to bug my guts.”

I know.

I’ve heard this before, and I get it. I was there, too. At one point, I was so sick and tired of feeling sick and tired that I took out all sugar, including fruit.

I lost 20 lbs, and not in a good way. People were whispering to my wasband behind my back, “Is Holly ok?”

Underneath all that dietary control, I was really, really stressed.

I was running childhood patterns in my marriage, waking up anxious every morning, and eating resentment for breakfast. Again, not in a good way.

Continuing to focus solely on food won’t solve that kind of indigestion.

Don’t get me wrong. Some foods really do seem to trigger symptoms, and it makes sense to honour that Intel.

But knowing what sets off your symptoms doesn’t tell you why your body is reacting.

And if any of these sound familiar, it’s time to look at the bigger picture:

🧐 An episode comes up and the first question in your mind is, What did I eat???

😬 You find out there was gluten in the mashed potatoes and think, “uh-oh.”

😩 You’ve already taken out dairy, gluten, beans, eggs, shellfish, apples, and you’re wondering, “What’s next? Is there going to be anything left for me to eat?”

What else might be going on?

You’re carrying stress, and chances are, it’s affecting your gut.

That’s why I help women work with their whole gut-heart-mind-Spirit axis so they can stop guessing at every meal, trust their bodies again, and get their lives back.

It might sound like I’m adding another layer to the puzzle.

Instead, I’m helping you find your keys where you actually lost them, rather than under the lights because you can see.

“When I first started working with Holly, my guts, nervous system and psyche were overloaded. After the first session with Holly, my guts were settled for the first time in ages.”
 Terri Reuser, retired nurse

Want to find out what’s possible beyond your food list?

Comment “CURIOUS”. by @hollyblazina

A Choice Nobody Should Have to Make:

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be like this….

I hated the food.

I mean, why not just serve it up on a piece of sod and add some dressing?

The food truck choices at the music festival were:
1. Greasy (ie gross)
2. Rabbit food

Zero middle ground. A victim of the menu, I ordered a kale salad. As I predicted, was terrible. It made my jaw ache and my gut hurt.

Here’s the thing. What people think is healthy might not be. Some of the options out there? My eyes roll themselves. 🙄

Take kale, for example. It’s really hard to digest, and it’s not for all the Gutsy Types. Especially when it's raw!

Which is why it helps to know what works for YOUR body and the season, before you experiment with your diet (again).

Here are some tips for fall:
1. Choose fruits and vegetables that make your body say, YUM.
2. Eat them cooked. If you still want salad, eat it for lunch, not dinner.
3. Increase your warm spices (your taste buds know how much). Think ginger, cinnamon, turmeric…

You don't have to change everything at once. And you certainly don’t have to eat anything you don’t like.

You can start with breakfast, or with one new recipe.

My Gutsy Type Method helps you discover which foods work for YOUR body, rather than following a list of one-size-fits-all rules.

Want to get started? Comment RESET and I’ll get you the details.

We start November 1, and you’ll have support for 2 full weeks.

Start small, do it in your own time, in YOUR way.

P.S. There’s no kale in the Reset, I promise. by @hollyblazina

I prepared the crockpot for a roast chicken so I could just eat when I got home, coz I knew it was going to be a full day.

It looked so pretty I just had to snap a pic of it!

And I forgot to take another of the finished meal. 🙈

The truth is, I’ll choose my cast iron Dutch oven hands down over the crockpot any day.

Let’s assume you’re doing the crockpot version. You absolutely need:

Onions
Lemon or lime slices, peel on
Salt
Pepper
Whole chicken

I had these on hand, so I added them in:
A couple of carrots
2 ribs of celery
A turnip
Dried mushrooms
Fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary from my sister’s garden (I’ve also used dried herbs, and they’re lovely too)
Preserved lemons

I had potatoes to use up, but I wish I’d done them in the oven. They made it a bit stodgy.

I put the crockpot on low for 5 hours, and left it on warm after it was done. When I got home, I put the chicken under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the skin. Yum!! 😋

Do you prefer a Dutch Oven or a crockpot?

#CrockpotChicken #EasyDinnerIdeas #HomeCooking #FoodThatWorks #WhatsForDinner by @hollyblazina

I’m gonna brag for a minute: My pumpkin pie is the BEST!

It’s based on my Mum’s recipe, improved to within an inch of its life.

Once, a woman from a long lineage of pie lovers told me it was the best she’d ever had. Pumpkin was her favourite, and she ate TWO pieces, even though she’s strict keto!

Last year, I experimented with a vegan version. This year, I’m back to my previous masterpiece.

*Coz sometimes you just have to enjoy things the way they are.*

I make it this way because I love it. And I’ve been known to eat the leftovers for breakfast.

**You do NOT have to eat perfectly all the time to heal your gut.**

In fact, perfectionism might keep you from ever getting started.

**Here’s a better way:**

😋 Eat whole foods, low sugar, low dairy and less gluten *most of the time*, avoiding foods you know don’t agree with you.

😋 Occasionally, go to the “gut gym”: enjoy a family dinner or your favourite restaurant. Challenge yourself a little, without choosing your most challenging foods. Enjoy every bite, guilt-free.

😋 Notice how you feel afterwards and over the next day or two.

Then return to your usual routine. Rinse and repeat.

**The tricky part? Step 1.**

Cravings, not knowing what to cook, and food that feels uninspiring can make it hard to get started.

And when you’ve already tried so many things, the last thing you need is another set of rules to get right.

That’s why I created the **5-Day Gut-Brain Reset**. To take the thinking out of it for you.

Not so you can do it perfectly, but so you can start YOUR way.

😋 Try one or two cookbook recipes.

😋 Change up just one meal a day.

😋 Use only the non-food tools.

**If you start, you’re already successful.**

Want to discover how much easier Step 1 can be?

Comment **RESET** and I’ll send you the details! by @hollyblazina

What a great day in sisterhood yesterday with Erin @reflectionsforresults !

There’s something really special about getting outside on the land and having some serious-not-serious conversation with someone who gets you.

And I managed to double up on my latch hikes this year by changing locales! Feast optional, lol😂

What are you doing for 🇨🇦 Thanksgiving this year? by @hollyblazina

When I package this, it’ll be worth a fortune. 🔮

There’s a particular smell in the forest…. It’s an essence, kind of like vanilla or lavender….

To me, it smells like it belongs in fresh baking, like something I’d bake into scones!🤤

Being in the forest is actually kind of a good way to enjoy it, without the gluten, lol.

Speaking of scones…. My recipe for sourdough cranberry scones is in the What’s for Dinner? Solved fall recipe collection. And the membership is open for women right now.

And when I DO figure out how to get that essence into the recipe, members will be the first to know! 😜

Interested? Put SCONES in the comments and I’ll get you the deets.

Either way, enjoy the larch photos from the rest of our hike last weekend! by @hollyblazina

If you’ve ever wondered why your gut still isn’t right after years of gut work, there may be experiences your nervous system is still carrying.

S3xual assault is one of them.

The recent attention around the Cornell 7 boys brought consent, boundaries and respect back into the conversation. What happened to those women is inexcusable.

But there’s an even worse cultural narrative that isn’t being talked about: that if you’ve been assaulted, you’ll be scarred (or scared) for the rest of your life.

I want women who have experienced that to know something else:

YOU CAN HEAL.

I know what it’s like to have a nervous system that remembers what happened decades ago. I’ve healed from CPTSD, and I know firsthand, it isn’t something you can “regulate” or talk your way out of.

(And I will die on this hill: the way we’re talking about “regulation” shuts women down even further.)

Good digestion requires a fundamental sense of safety in the nervous system.

I’m not talking about the “take-five-deep-breaths-and-calm-yourself-down” kind of safety. When deeper stress is arising, this actually adds MORE stress.

I’m talking about the kind of deep safety that allows you to relax, let go, and receive nourishment.

When something violates that safety, your nervous system holds onto it. And that sticks around long after the experience itself is over.

A woman can spend years focusing on food, when there’s something deeper going on around safety, control, and boundaries.

Her nervous system needs to be reconditioned, not regulated. The hidden beliefs that come out of those experiences need to shift.

S3xual assault is an example of an “undigestible experience.” And it comes up often when women come to me wanting to heal their gut-heart-mind-Spirit axis.

Some clients I’ve never talked about food with. We worked with their PTSD, watched their physical pain become tolerable, and seen their guts come around.

You CAN heal.

Please consider supporting this message, to encourage a woman who needs to hear it. by @hollyblazina

Showing my friend around my backyard. She’s got a way of finding the best “tourist” spots, and then I show her what else is there! by @hollyblazina

Take a look at where your attention is going.

I just got back from an Indigenous fasting camp where I spent almost three days without my phone.

One thing I noticed was how good it felt to be away from screens and all the little things constantly pulling my attention somewhere else.

Coming home, I noticed how quickly I slipped back into the habit.

I can see exactly where I’m losing focus, even starting the same load of laundry three times.

It reminded me why I included the Daily Digital Detox in the 5-Day Gut-Brain Reset.

Try this:
1. Keep the first and last hour of your day screen-free.
2. Eat your meals without a screen.
3. Take one day a week to be off screens entirely, and ideally off your device entirely.

You can still use your phone when you actually need it. The point is to become more conscious of where your attention is going.

There’s still time to join this round of the 5-Day Gut-Brain Reset, where we’re working with food and non-food tools to help you have more energy and clarity, feel better in your body, and start getting your life back.

Comment RESET for the link by @hollyblazina

Doing the 5-Day Gut-Brain Reset while road tripping gave me a bigger challenge than I expected. After all, I used to do it all the time…. But it took HOURS of prep, and I wasn’t prepared to do that this time.

Some things went really well…. others have been a learning curve!

Last night we stayed with my beloved Aunt & Uncle. They always eat well, and they love to Treat!

Our evening meal was delicious and healthy. For breakfast, my Aunty went to her favourite pie shop and bought quiche… And then insisted we take some for our lunch. Yum!! And not exactly Reset food. 🙈

We were grateful for the treat, and lesson learned: Bring your family into the loop. I know they’d have honoured my wishes if I’d given advance notice.

Instead, we enjoyed it with all the love that was intended.

Stay tuned, I’m going to master this!! And rest assured, I’ll share my best tips with you.

😋 Holly

To join the 5-Day Gut-Brain Reset, comment RESET, and I’ll get you the details.

And yes, it’s more than ok to do it imperfectly. by @hollyblazina

So, I’m a little behind on my Reset updates. These are my meals from Monday…

Since I basically skipped breakfast because I bought the wrong fuel for the stove, I did a bit of an inadvertent fast. 🙈

Lunch was a feast! Stir fried veggies, eggs, bean salad and micro greens. Yum!!

We stopped at the fish shop in the afternoon, and I’ll be honest: When I saw the bacon wrapped scallops, I completely forgot I was on a Reset. We had fresh corn on the cob with ghee and sea salt, and a salad. Comment RESET to join me! by @hollyblazina