When we think of weight loss or maintaining a healthy physique, what comes to mind?

• Counting calories?
• Measuring portions?
• Watching our fat intake?

All valid, but {in my opinion} very flawed measures. We know that calorie counting is bogus {read my rant here}, measuring portions is for the birds, and that fat is…wait for it…GOOD for us! Yes, in theory, one CAN lose weight using these old school techniques, but there’s actually a much more effective means to lose weight and keep it off for life. And it involves a bit of what you learned in high school chemistry. Don’t fall asleep yet – hear me out.

Having a balanced body chemistry and maintaining the proper ratio between acidic and alkaline foods in your diet are vital to maintain health and lose weight. One of our body’s greatest responsibilities is to maintain a pH that supports cellular life. The initials “pH” stand for “Potential of Hydrogen.” Acids have pH values under 7 and alkalis have pH values over 7. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to aim for pH levels in the 7 range. For you home gamers out there, you can easily test your personal pH levels with home test strips like these.

Regulatory mechanisms in our bodies such as breathing, circulation, digestion, and hormone production balance the pH level in the body by removing acid residue from body tissues. If the pH deviates too far to the acidic or alkaline side, cells become poisoned by their own toxins and die. What a tragic way to go.

For the most part, the Standard American {eating the Standard American Diet – or SAD, as it’s ironically coined} are hovering in the overly acidic range, simply due to the overconsumption of processed foods, waaaay too much sugar, caffeine addiction, insane amount of chemicals and additives in our food and environment, booze consumption, stress, and lack of good solid shut eye. So what’s the big deal?

Quite a bit, actually…

First up, if you’re overweight, you most likely do not have a “fat” problem, you have an acidity problem. Too much acid in the body, called “acidosis”, has two consequences:

1. It can cause the body to produce more insulin, and thus, to store more fat.

2. It can cause cells to break down due to pressure to continually produce insulin.

Second, damage to your cell wall by free radicals {those pesky buggers that age and disease us} is accelerated. What does this mean?

1. Premature aging

2. Eyesight and memory problems

3. Wrinkles and age spots

4. Horrific hormone regulation

Third, when your blood becomes acidic, it acts like a chemical irritant that slowly and meticulously eats away at the inner walls of arteries and veins, causing them to weaken and mess with your blood pressure. Think of it like this. Acetone, or paint thinner – that stuff is straight up acid. What does it do? Removes paint. This is what’s happening to your insides. Have I gotten your attention yet? No? Keep reading.

Fourth, being overly acidic disrupts lipid and fatty acid metabolism, which results in hormone imbalances. Balanced hormones are mission critical to losing weight. I geek out on this topic in more concrete terms here.

Last, because of all of the above, our cellular metabolism becomes ridiculously inefficient, limiting our body’s access to energy reserves, leading you – you guessed it – constant energy drain {yaaaaawn…}. Are you a frequent passenger on the energy drain train? Read here to learn how to get off once and for all.

Do any of these sound familiar? Is it as if I were writing a biography about your body chemistry? Ok, maybe not, but the good news is that even if you have just one of the above ailments, it’s totally fixable through diet and lifestyle modification. Yes, really.

10 tips to naturally improve alkalinity

1. Add lemon to the water you drink throughout the day.

2. Eat plenty of greens {at least two servings per day}.

3. Limit alcohol intake.

4. Cut back on dairy, particularly ultra-heat pasteurized and homogenized commercial dairy.

5. Increase your vegetable intake, especially fresh, organic raw vegetables.

6. Decrease intake of sugar, processed/refined salt, and processed foods.

7. Limit meat, chicken, fish servings to the size of your palm or a deck of cards.

8. Be active for at least 30 minutes a day {this decreases stress, which improves acidity}.

9. Practice deep breathing exercises.

10. Avoid over-exercising or overly strenuous exercise for extended periods of time {over-exercise creates stress, which worsens acidity}.

Still not sure where to start? I’ve got your back {I always do}. In my fully-supported program, Lose Weight, Feel Great – 8 Weeks to a New You, you will learn just how to do this, easily, deliciously, and without gimmicks, crazy diets, deprivation, countless hours at the gym, or calorie counting so you can lose those last 10-20 pounds and keep them off, while becoming an alkaline bad ass. Pretty sweet, huh? You’ll also reap these benefits:

• Become the master of your metabolism and never again succumb to the old wives tale that “weight gain is inevitable as we age”.
• Melt belly fat for good.
• Understand the causes of weight gain and what prevents you from losing weight
• Enjoy traveling and going out with your friends and loved ones without stressing over “what am I going to eat?”
• Never. Diet. Again.

You want in? Check it out here.

Do you do any of these things to keep your body in balance? What else would you add? I’d LOVE to hear! Please leave a comment.

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Kristen Boucher is a registered nurse, healthy living junkie, health & wellness coach, real foodie, full-time working wife to an amazing husband, cloth-diapering crunchy mama of two beautiful girls, creator of The Superwoman Slim Down: A Real Food Detox & Cleanse for Real Women, Lose Weight, Feel Great: 8 Weeks to a New You, and Founder of MIX | Wellness Solutions For A Balanced Life, where she inspires busy women to eliminate the overwhelm to lose weight, kick cravings, stress less, and cook delicious, healthy, and family-friendly meals so they can gain confidence, double their energy, and save money without crazy diets, countless hours at the gym, or quitting their day job. Kristen can be found pushing the envelope at www.mixwellness.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.

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