Kristen Bowen: Welcome to Living the Good Life Naturally. My name is Kristen Bowen. Today we are talking digestions issues. This last week in the shop, there has been more digestion issues coming in than I think I’ve ever seen before. We’re going to cover lots of ways, not to overwhelm you, but to help you find something that will ease that digestion, because nobody likes walking around with a bloated stomach or a gassy stomach. Sorry. We’re going to talk about things that are a little TMI. Nobody likes that. Digestion actually affects brain function, and affects energy level, so it’s crucial.

But number one, let’s start at the beginning, because sometimes it is so easy to hand our power over to a supplement to get our digestion better, but let’s evaluate if you are doing some basic grandma-wisdom type things that will make your digestion function better every single time. Our body has two gears, rest and renew, or fight or flight. Okay? Two gears. If you are in fight or flight, your stomach doesn’t properly produce the enzymes and all of the things that it needs to digestion your food. If you’re stressed out all the time, if you’re going to bed too late, you are setting yourself up not to digest your food properly.

Making sure, and I have to laugh a little bit at this one because this last week I have left much room for improvement in my life on this topic, making sure that you’re taking care of yourself. Sometimes we can feel guilty for self-care. Self-care is what helps us do those big things that we want to do. I usually am really on top of this, and this last week, I let time poverty kick in. I walked away from self-care, and I walked away from the strongest, healthiest me that I can be. My commitment to you today is I’m back. I am taking better care of myself and going back to those routines that I know make a difference. Going to bed on time is crucial. If you’re waking up exhausted, your body can’t be in rest and renew, and digest your food how it’s supposed to. Please remember that with all of these tips that I’m sharing, and all of the different layers. We need proper sleep. We need proper sleep to digest our food.

Now, a super simple tip is apple cider vinegar and water. My kids revolted at that when I tried to give that to them. The apple cider vinegar has minerals and enzymes that help increase hydrofluoric acid. It’s a super simple way if you can get it down. Now, there’s a couple things that we can do to tweak it and make it a little bit easier to get down. When I’m talking apple cider vinegar, I’m not talking dyed white vinegar. I’m talking a good apple cider vinegar that has the mother pulp. That’s what’s going to make a difference in your digestion.

Now, did you know adding honey to that apple cider vinegar is actually going to help drop cortisol levels? It also makes it taste a little bit better. If you have a hard time, like me, getting apple cider vinegar down in water, add just a little bit of local honey, and see if that makes it a little bit better. Because any time we drop cortisol levels, we digest better. Now, I still have some kids who won’t get that down. There is a pill. You can buy an apple cider vinegar pill that you can take. Is it as good as taking the apple cider vinegar, the real food? No, it’s not. But if you can’t get that down, how’s it ever going to help you or somebody that you love? The pill is plan B. It can make a difference in your digestion.

Now, number two. Well, not in order, just the next thing we’re going to talk about, not number two, but the next thing that we’re going to talk about are digestive enzymes. I love them. If you have compromised digestion, that means you have compromised enzymes, and you need more enzymes. It’s never made sense to me, though, to talk enzymes in pill form. If we have compromised enzymes, and we’re taking them in pill form, and expecting our body to break down the pill, but we’re compromised, so I love powdered enzymes, the E3Live are my favorite. We carry those at the shop and online at the website, Living the Good Life Naturally.

Now, you need to be careful with them, though. You need to be careful, because they’re a powder and they are so powerful. If you sprinkle them on scrambled eggs and wait too long, you will come back to a runny mess on your plate that doesn’t even look edible. That’s how amazing these enzymes are. They help you break down your food. If you drink soda, and if you drink tap water with chlorine, you have compromised enzyme action. Not even digestion, but enzymes help you break down your hormones, also. If you have a hormone imbalance, you also have a digestion enzyme imbalance. You can sprinkle them on your food. I like to sprinkle it in water and drink it in water. Now, some people have a hard time getting those down. This is one of my easy ones to get down.

At the end, it tastes a little bit gritty, but what a difference it makes in mental clarity. If you’re someone who has ADD, or you’re someone like me with shiny object syndrome, and focus is not your greatest strength, the enzymes can help give you mental clarity. If you’ve got brain fog, if you walk into a room and you can’t remember why you walked into that room, enzymes can help make a difference.

Enzymes also help you get more of the good nutrients from your foods. It’s one of those places that if someone isn’t feeling optimal, start them on enzymes, because it’s easy. I think it’s easier to add things than it is to take things away most people, not everybody, but the majority of people will really feel a benefit taking the enzymes. The other thing about enzymes that I love is you can take them one day and not the next day, and you haven’t caused an issue. You know, you haven’t created an imbalance, like if you were taking a boost for your thyroid. They’re just really easy, and I love them. Enzymes can just be a simple addition. They do work best if you add them about 20 minutes before a meal. Sometimes I forget, though, and I take them during the meal. They can be a really powerful way to boost your digestion issues.

Another layer are Swedish bitters. Now, these are powerful. We need bitters, and it helps us digest our food. It activates bile, and they’re powerful. This is one I just can’t get down. They’re a beautiful fit if you can get them down. Swedish bitters are a liquid. They have that bitter component. I don’t have a brand on this one that I just love the most, and so I just look for one that has the least amount of additives added in. Swedish bitters will stimulate bile to help get that digestion going.

While we’re talking about bile, can we talk to you if you’ve had your gall bladder taken out? Yeah, I’m talking to you. If you’ve had your gall bladder taken out, did you realize that it’s your gall bladder’s function to produce bile when you eat? If you’ve had it taken out, you need to step in and give your body the bile that it needed before they took out your gall bladder, so ox bile is a really important component. I can’t tell you the number of people that just feel like they’ve been given their life back after their gall bladder surgery. They just needed to understand I need ox bile. Usually it’s between 100 to 500 milligrams that people need to support their bile function if the gall bladder’s been taken out. Little bit of a squirrel there, but you followed me on that, right?

Now, the next layer I want to talk about I think is crucial for everybody. It just is one of those powerhouse foundations, and it’s called My Miracle Tea. It’s an herbal tea blend that promotes digestive health, reduces bloating, helps with constipation. It’s amazing stuff. I can’t tell you how many people will say, “Oh my goodness. I always had heartburn which started with a digestion issue, always had heartburn and it’s so much better now that I’m on the My Miracle Tea.” It’s very soothing, the herbs that are in it. It boosts your liver and it just helps you foundationally with peristaltic action, with liver function, and with digestion, so really powerful way. It’s safe for nursing mommas, for pregnant mommas, for newborn babies. It’s just an amazing super food to have in your home.

But that reminded me of something. We’ve got to get to the foundation, because if one of your digestion issues is acid reflux, that started out with a magnesium deficiency. Did you know that if your magnesium levels are low, that decreases peristaltic action? And, that decreases the opening and closing of a little muscle that attaches your esophagus to your stomach. Please remember all of these things that we’re talking about today, the foundational layer is magnesium. We need to get our voltage up, and magnesium is the first step that you take to build that strong foundation instead of chasing symptoms. Chasing symptoms is exhausting.

Now, there’s another layer that you might want to it. It is called DGL licorice. Now, you know, here on team we’re always trying different things. Some of the people on team, who shall remain nameless, think this tastes like candy. I personally don’t care for it. But, I love what it does to soothe my digestion, to soothe acid reflux, and to help lower cortisol in my body.

Now, for some people it’s not appropriate if you’re on high blood pressure medication or you’ve got some blood pressure issues. Please make sure that you’ve made sure that it’s appropriate for you to take, because it’s not appropriate for everyone. But man, oh man, if you’ve got some acid reflux happening, and you need a quick fix, that DGL licorice will soothe down. Just think of the acid reflux like fire in your esophagus, and think of the DGL licorice like a fire hose that you just totally quieted that acid reflux down.

Now, another thing for some people, not for everybody, but for some people, drinking lemon water in the morning. This is one of those things that you have to play with. Some people, it is a deal breaker. If they start every morning with a fresh lemon, and you take that lemon, and you squeeze it in some water, and then they drink that first thing in the morning, it can make all the difference in their digestion throughout the whole day. For me, it doesn’t make that much of a difference, so I don’t do it. But for some of my family members, it’s a game changer. That’s one of those things that you have to play around with to find out if it’s enough benefit to you to cut that lemon, get that glass of water, and have it by your bedside every morning. For some, it is, so try it and see.

One of the things that I always think is important is not trying a whole bunch of things at once, but making sure that you’re doing one thing, figuring out what it does for you, and then adding the next thing, because then you’re deeply connected to the benefits. People who are deeply connected to the benefits are those people who follow through. Those are the people that in two to three months start feeling better, and look back and go, “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe how much better I feel.”

Now, if you loved this information today, you are going to love my Stop Starting Over class. It’s coming up February 8th, 9th, and 10th. It’s held in beautiful Cache Valley, Utah. Three days of fun, and laughing, and learning, and building your foundation strong. I am going to share with you things in this class I can’t give you anywhere else. Here’s my promise to you: I am so convinced it’s a game changer, a life changer, that I will give you your money back if after three days of the class you’re like, “Wasn’t really worth my time or my money.”

I’ve never had anyone take me up on that because it is everything that I’ve learned on my journey of health that stops people from being healthy. We give it to you in a very logical, linear manner. You can ask questions. We have learning time. We have learning activities to cement the learning. It’s amazing. Plus, you get to hangout with amazing people. Some of the people that have gone to my classes are still friends now, and meet together as a class in different areas of the country. It is really a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I only do this class once a year, and I want you in it. February 8th, 9th, and 10th. Go check it out on livingthegoodlifenaturally.com. Click on shop. Click on workshops, and then you’ll see Stop Starting Over. The cost of the class is $97. We have a little gift bag that we get all ready for you to start you off strong, and finish strong. Join me at Living the Good Life Naturally: Stop Starting Over, and get on top of that digestion. It’s worth it. Pay the price, add those layers, and see what benefits you.

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