3 Ingredients to Kick PMS & Cramping to The Curb!

Recently, I got a little personal with everyone on our newsletter and shared for the first time out loud that I haven't had a normal period in over a year and a half - some of them lasting 2 and a half weeks or longer! Trust me, It is as awful as it sounds! Luckily for mine and Chris's sanity, I started to detox all areas of my life - starting with a 10-day whole foods detox and cleanse first, followed by continueing a diet of clean whole foods, then my beauty products and cleaning products, plastics, etc. - and in a pretty short amount of time after I dropped over 6lbs of fat, the sugar cravings stopped, my stomach got flatter and my hormones started balancing out! For the first time in over a year and half, I had a normal 5 day period without PMS, minimal cramping - I'm talking only a couple hours on one day(!), and no lower back pain! It was shocking and exciting for me to feel so good after months of discomfort, pain and flat out annoyance.

During that one evening when I did experience some cramping, I decided I wouldn't take any over the counter meds to ease my cramping...that was my crutch before and it doesn't fit in with my life detoxification any longer. I was going to ease my pain naturally! So today, I'm going to give you my super awesome recipe for dealing with menstrual cramps and PMS in a safer, relaxing and more natural way!

Instead of picking up the pain meds, I reached for some of my favorite daily detoxification tools: Epsom salts, lavender and peppermint essential oils and made an relaxing PMS detoxing bath! Soaking in the warm bath for about 20 minutes soothed my aches, pains and left me super relaxed the rest of the evening. Here is what you do:

1. Fill bath tub with very warm water, not scolding
2. Add in 1-2 cups Espsom salt
3. Just before getting in add 8 drops lavender essential oil and 2 drops peppermint essential oil, then swirl water around
4. Light a candle, play some calming tunes, soak and enjoy for about 20 minutes

Soak up the benefits:

• Lavender essential oil – Calms and supports normal hormone levels. It also produces calming and relaxing effects on the body which can be used to relieve cramping, stress and anxiety.

• Peppermint essential oil - Makes you feel cool, relaxed and energized, reduces inflammation, helps ease cramping, and may help balance hormones.

•  Hot Epsom salt bath – The magnesium-sulfate from the Epsom salts is absorbed through the skin and help reduce water retention and bloating. It reduces inflammation to relieve pain and muscle cramps, relieves stress. The heat from the water also heats up the body causing toxins to get sweated out.

Do you have any favorite natural remedies to relieve menstrual cramps or PMS?

I Am Awakened!

Welcome to Awakened Nutrition! I am so excited to be able to connect you here! 

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My name is Amber, I am originally from sunny Florida and I now live in beautiful Brooklyn, NY. I moved up to NYC in September of 2008 and at the time I was a vegetarian and the heaviest I had weighed in my life.

I met Chris, the love of my life, while working together at a boutique hotel in lower Manhattan. By this time I had started eating meat again, but my diet was far from healthy. Chris was also working as a part-time personal trainer and I eventually went to him for help with my weight. He explained the importance of a healthy diet which consisted of having protein, healthy fats and complex carb with every meal, and advised me to eat 5 to 6 meals per day. This wasn't like the diets I was used to where I expected quick weight loss results, this was a healthy way of eating where I could expect gradual and safe weight loss. He then went into the importance of having a consistent weight training and cardio routine. He had to reassure me that weight training would not “bulk” me up, but that it would create lean muscle that would turn me into a fat burning machine! I took all of the wonderful information he gave me, as well as information I read from magazines and fitness websites and started on a NEW journey. I eventually lost 17lbs and got into the best shape of my life!

In July 2011, I started my blog Exsoycise and started to share my soy-free health and fitness journey. My goal has been to show others that eating healthy foods does not have to be difficult or boring; it can be an easy process and taste delicious at the same time!

Over the last year and a half of blogging, I realized that I wanted to do so much more than just blog about my own health and fitness journey. Comments and emails started pouring in from various social media websites, and text messages from friends started coming through on my phone, everyone was asking me for health, fitness, and weight loss tips. I realized that without even knowing it, that I was a health coach! I knew my passion alone did not qualify me to be a health coach, and because I wanted to have the chance to help even more people achieve their health goals, I decided it was time to go back to school!

I am currently enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and am now coaching clients! During my training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, I have been trained in more than one hundred dietary theories and studied a variety of practical lifestyle coaching methods. Drawing on this knowledge, I will help others create a completely personalized “roadmap to health” that suits their unique body, lifestyle, preferences, and goals.

When I am not blogging and studying, I am creating new healthy recipes, exploring New York City with my love, and working on my own health goals!

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Awaken Your Health Today!

When was the last time you talked with someone about your health and received the personal attention you deserve?

It’s rare for anyone to get an hour to work on their nutrition and goals with a trained professional. As a Health Coach and Personal Trainer team, we create a supportive environment that will enable you to achieve ALL of your health goals. Amber has studied all the major dietary theories and use practical lifestyle coaching methods to guide you in discovering which approach works best for you and Chris is an NASM Certified Personal Trainer  and has been training at one of the top health clubs in NYC for the last 4 years.

Most approaches to nutrition dwell on just calories, carbs, fats, proteins. Instead of creating lists of restrictions and good and bad foods, we coach our clients to create a happy, healthy life in a way that is flexible, fun and free of denial and discipline.

No one diet or workout approach works for everyone. We will guide you to find the food and lifestyle choices that best support you! We will also help you to make gradual, lifelong changes that enable you to reach your current and future health goals.

Could one conversation change your life? Email us to schedule a free initial consultation today!

Best,