A Day In The Life of Someone Healing With Hashimotos Disease
So many people have asked "what does a typical day look like for you" with hashimotos disease. I've been SO hesitant to share this. NOT because I don't want to share my life with you. That's what I do every day on social media. But because I once tried to follow a plan that someone else was following and it DID NOT work for me.
That's the thing with Hashimotos. You really do need to follow a plan for your specific needs and where you are in your journey.
Where I am now - I'm in remission. It means that I have no symptoms, I'm not on thyroid meds, and my numbers are in optimal range. The only lingering symptom I have is a few pounds to lose now that I'm done having babies.
The plan that I follow NOW is very different than the plan that I had to follow to get here. What I eat and use now in remission is VERY different than the healing, supplements, and lifestyle changes I had to make to get here.
With all of that said - here's what I have for you. In THIS blog, I'm going to share what a typical day for me looks like. I think it's important (and I'll keep screaming for those in the back) that healing absolutely MUST be done for hashimotos before you can move back into a more sustainable lifestyle routine. What my life looks like today is NOT what it looked like for me to get here.
Keep in mind that what I did to heal may not be what you need to heal! Especially if your root cause is different that mine (which is mold and chronic infection, which caused a lot of havoc in my gut).
So, here we go! Here's a rough outline of what MOST days look like in my world. And if you also don't know, I also own a real estate company. So I run this wellness empire along with a top producing real estate company, while also being a solo mom!
5 am wake up call and Lumen
I wake up at 5am because taking care of ME before anyone else is my priority. I also use my lumen which is my metabolism tracker. It allows me to see in an instant if I'm inflamed and how I need to adjust my day.
Pre-workout & Essential Amino Acids
I believe in cycling all supplements so the 3 pre-workouts that I've used are Energize, Early Bird, and Healthillie. Energize is my absolute favorite.
I drink essential amino acids during my workout for hydration and to assist with protein intake for muscle enhancement. Muscle = increased metabolism = no insulin resistance and less blood sugar instability.
Vibration Plate
I'm in my mid 40s and my body needs a little bit more time to warm up before I press play on my workouts. I use a vibration plate for 8-15 minutes to warm up, but it also helps with lympathic drainage, promotes healthy circulation, improves muscle tone and strength, and so much more.
Workout
I workout 4-6 days a week. I focus on strength training, limited to no cardio. I also will be incorporating some barre and pilates in to accelerate fat loss, increase flexibility, and more. I use BODi/Beachbody workouts and have since 2014. I’ve also started incorporating workouts from Chris Downing. He focuses on progressive overload, which is optimal for muscle growth for someone with hashimotos disease.
Post workout recovery
Remember that during workouts you break down your muscles. But recovery is where the results happen. Want lean muscles? Fat loss? That's your nutrition. I drink a protein + fruit shake within 30 minutes of my workout to get in quality protein and replenish my glycogen. Again, I cycle my supplements so I use Clean Lean protein or Bone Broth protein.
Shower and Get Ready
I'm one of those people that has to (at a mimimum) rinse off . But I also show up as the best version of myself if I'm put together. If it's hair washing day, I use keranique to help with hair strength and regrowth. I almost always use the shower steamers from Oneson or Body Restore. I use Lume or Each and Every for clean deodorant options. I use DRMTLGY or Primally Pure skin care. The ONLY makeup I put on my face is DRMTLGY universal skin tint and once a week I apply WinkClique lashes.
Morning routine and get kiddos off to school care
Like I said before, making ME a priority is so important. Most of what I do for the next 10 hours is serving others. So what I accomplished above is to take care of me! Now, it's time for wake up, breakfast, teeth brushing, affirmations and intentions, and getting everywhere that they need to be for the day! Bonus tip - I used to lose my temper a lot during morning duty. I felt like it was a constant losing battle and I was so frustrated. Working out and giving myself some time for me really does dispel a lot of that anger and frustration (in my personal experience).
Post workout meal and supplements
I follow an E4E nutrition protocol. My first 'meal' is approximately 60-90 minutes after I've had my post workout recovery. My breakfast is typically VERY simple. I do an egg scramble, always with a protein, veggie, healthy fat, and complex carb. My breakfast is around 50g of protein (which is what I need for my current goals), but you can customize for your specific needs.
I am also on very minimal supplements. I recommend that everyone take a superfood or supersupplement or multi mineral. They're all the same thing - it's a fancy way of saying that you are getting your vitamins and minerals in one place. Again, I cycle supplements so some of my favorites are Primal, Paleo, and Shakeology. I'll chat more about Shakeology in later sections. It's a GREAT multi mineral, but it also has digestive support, adaptogens, probiotics, along with your vitamins & minerals (especially selenium and magnesium).
Work hours
I’m currently able to knock out everything in my businesses in 3-4 hours a day. I've set up systems to be able to knock out EVERYTHING that I need to in 4 hours a day, 4 days a week. The rest of my time belongs to me and my loved ones. I've very intentional with my time. This is where I do all client calls, real estate meetings, social media, emails, etc!
Pick up and Lunch
This is very much where I tell myself "office hours are over". Every now and then I will take afternoon appointments, but they are fewer and far between. This is a time where I get to disconnect and go back to being MOM! Because I'm going straight from work to mom mode, I try to make lunch as easy as possible. We started making lunch our 'easy' meal and I use E2M Kitchen a lot! They have so many options that work for us, that are also clean, delicious, and nobody EVER complains. Especially me because it's one less thing on my list of things to do!
Afternoon walk
One thing that we do EVERY day is spend 45 minutes outside. I've done it since Savvy was a baby and it's something that we do 5 years later. It's a walk, bike ride, or simply doing yard work while playing. The sunshine and movement ALWAYS make for better sleep at night.
Snack and Hydration Supplements
I'm not much of a snacker. But I do want SOMETHING in the afternoon. I know I mentioned it before but I use Shakeology as an afternoon snack. Aside from all the vitamins and minerals, it's also low glycemic so it won't spike my blood sugar. It's blended so my gut doesn't work hard to digest it. And I get something that tastes like a milkshake while also be very focused on gut healing!
My afternoon is also where I take note of where I am on hydration. Have I had enough water yet? The answer is probably no. I have an alarm set on my phone to refill my water bottle with my liquid minerals + energy boost, along with my gut healing colostrum.
My root cause is chronic infection. Whenever I get a sinus infection and have to take antibiotics, it wreaks HAVOC on my gut. That's why I take so many precautions to keep my gut lining STRONG and lots of good gut bacteria. This won't be the case for everyone but it's necessary for me!
Open Time
This is kind of just open time for us. Sometimes it's play dates or play areas. In the summers, it's a lot of pool time. It's a very intentional 'be present time' for me and my family. I recommend scheduling intentional time for you and your family and create some traditions around it!
Dinner and when I stop eating
I am someone (again) who follows and E4E protocol. Because I don't need a majority of my fuel from food at night, my dinner is my lightest meal. It is typically a protein and veggie and VERY simple! I was raised a 'meat and potato' sort of girl, but I leave the potatoes to my kids at night!
I typically stop eating around 6pm so that my gut can have a break before bed. You don't want to go to bed with a fully stomach. If you do, your body will work hard all night to digest your food instead of sleeping and resting!
Night Time Routine and Lumen
How I end my day is just as important as how I start it. My morning and night routine are my bookends. Both equally important!
I stop eating around 6pm so that my body can digest.
My kids are sleeping by 8pm so I have time to relax and set my 'to do' list for the next day. If I write everything out the night before, I am proactive instead of reactive!
Because I'm in my mid 40s, my skin care is a really big part of my routine. Again, I use DRMTLGY and Primally Pure skin care. I also use red light therapy. I have a hand wand, a face mask, and a full face and neck mask that I rotate throughout the month! I recently started rotating in a microcurrent facial (because I couldn't bring myself to pay for the service in a spa).
The last thing I do in my day is quality magnesium for sleep. Again, I cycle options and I rotate between a magnesium sleep stack, beam cocoa, and Mary Ruth. These 3 the most as they don't create any grogginess when I wake up the next morning (or in the middle of the night if needed).
Oh, I lied. I take my lumen / metabolism tracking reading at the end of the day so that I can see how my FSSWW impact my day, and what changes I may need to make for the next 24 hours!
Again, I’ll emphasize this is what my days look like now. But before I got here: my food looked different, my supplements looked different, my workouts and daily habits looked different. If you’re someone who’s trying to move from inflamed and stuck to healing and thriving, please don’t hesitate to Contact Me directly or complete my complimentary assessment to continue your healing.