Episode 169: Practicing Holistic Fitness

doTERRA: Looking at the whole picture of your health is what holistic fitness is all about. And today, we'll share how you can start incorporating holistic fitness into your life.

Welcome back to Essential Oil Solutions with doTERRA, the podcast where you'll hear exciting, useful, and simple everyday uses for essential oils from experts in the field. If you like what you hear today, rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. We always appreciate hearing from you.

Today, we're excited to talk to Noelle Joye all about holistic fitness. Noelle, thank you so much for being here with us today.

Noelle Joye: Thank you so much! I'm so excited to be here today to talk to you guys.

doTERRA: So my first question for you is kind of just one to clarify what we're talking about today. And that is, what does holistic fitness mean? What is holistic fitness?

Noelle: So holistic fitness, to me, is just combining a holistic lifestyle with your fitness lifestyle to achieve better results. And that's something I’ve really immersed myself into pretty much the past 15 years.

Noelle’s Journey to Holistic Fitness

After I graduated from college, from the University of South Carolina, I was an exercise physiology major. I really got into teaching fitness classes when I was in college, and then when I moved to Las Vegas shortly thereafter, I really started learning more about natural health. And it actually stemmed from some problems I was experiencing with my skin.

I was breaking out along my jawline. And I always had really pretty skin the whole time I was growing up, and I would just like, “What is going on with my skin?” And so, I mean, believe it or not, that's actually what really sparked my whole education in natural health. And so I started looking into, you know, trying to figure out what was going on with my skin. And at the time, I had started my personal training business. And, you know, I was drinking energy drinks before going to teach my fitness classes, and I actually ended up going to dermatologists and trying to figure it out that way. We could never really pinpoint what it was.

I went through taking different medications, even Accutane. And, you know, it did clear up for a short amount of time and then it came back. And I was just like, really determined to find out what was causing my skin to break out. And so, lo and behold, I ended up finding out that it was the artificial sweeteners that were causing my skin to just really break out and it would be under the skin and it was painful.

And I remember one time I read this article in the yoga journal, and it just recommended that when you woke up in the morning, you drank a liter of room temperature water and added some freshly squeezed lemon to it. So I started doing that, and within a week, I kid you not, my skin automatically was looking way better. So I was like, “OK, there is something to this.”

And so that's really what started me really looking into that. And as a personal trainer, I was working with clients with their nutrition programs, and I was also starting to compete at the time in NPC bikini competitions. And so we were taking a lot of supplements.

And, you know, so I started looking on the back, looking at the labels of the supplements, and even—most of the stores carried supplements that had artificial ingredients added in, especially artificial sweeteners. And then also other preservatives added into the capsules that weren't necessarily healthy for you—fillers.

Discovering doTERRA

And so, one day, one of my clients—her name was Kierston Kirschbaum. She introduced me to doTERRA, and I had used the essential oils before when I would go to reiki sessions and things like that. But I never really knew how beneficial essential oils could be to your lifestyle until I was introduced to them by Kierston.

But the first thing that I really looked at was doTERRA's supplement line because that was my main area of work, and I had been searching for a supplement company that I could refer to my clients and have integrity behind it because I didn't want to just refer to them, to some company just to make money. That wasn't in alignment with my values. And so I'd been searching for years and years and years, and I started researching doTERRA’s supplement line and going through their ingredient list, and I was really, really impressed.

And I also started using them on myself. I don't know if you know this, but when you're competing, you know, you're taking a lot of supplements. You’re taking your multivitamins, your antioxidants, L-carnitine, things like that to help with enhancing stamina. Omegas, digestive enzymes, probiotics, the list goes on. You literally carry around a little supplement case with you, and I still do that to this day.

Noticing Results

So, yeah, I just started switching those out with doTERRA’s and had really great results. I even went on to compete in the Arnold Amateur and placing first in my high class, which was pretty much the height of my competing career. So that was great, and I will say I give it all to Slim & Sassy^® because I started putting the Slim & Sassy in Veggie Caps in the morning, first thing in the morning.

Just like how the yoga journal—how they recommended to put lemon in the water. Well, turns out I'm not that good about keeping lemons in my refrigerator. They turn hard or they go bad. So I just started using Slim & Sassy in the capsules in the morning on an empty stomach with my liter of water. And that provided the same benefits that I received from the lemon and also helping me reach my weight management goals.

So that is how I got into holistic fitness. It started from a pain point, and then it evolved after I had some realizations, and that pretty much sums it up. I've been teaching hot Pilates, hot yoga. I also am a holistic health coach with integrative nutrition. And now I'm also studying to be a certified juice therapist. So I just keep growing and keep evolving. And yeah, that's what it's looked like for me.

doTERRA: Well, that is an amazing journey to holistic fitness and with holistic fitness, like you said, for the last 15 years. Noelle, if someone is new to the concept of holistic fitness, what would you tell them the benefits are?

Noelle: I would say, the number one benefits, for me, that I've experienced has been more graceful aging. A lot of people think I'm a lot younger than I actually am. I'll be 41 this month and a lot of people think I'm in my early thirties, so it's just by eliminating all of those toxins out of their body

Removing Toxins

When I teach about holistic fitness with my clients and how I live it myself, it's just really focuses on removing toxins out of your lifestyle and then also going even a step further and detoxifying your body of toxins that have already been put in there from your past choices, right?

So this would involve like daily detox rituals like sweating. I love to go to hot yoga, hot barefoot bootcamp, or hot Pilates classes. I've been teaching goes for about 10 years as well. So getting in your daily sweats. You can also go to infrared saunas, which are amazing for that.

And also drinking lots of water. I love adding the Lemon essential oil to that or the Slim and Sassy metabolic blend is great as well, dry skin brushing to stimulate the lymphatic system.

I also make my own sea salt scrubs, using coconut oil and finely grained sea salts. And I love using the AromaTouch blend, and it just has a beautiful smell. Also, Epsom Salt Baths. I love doing those at night to get a good night's sleep.

Getting Sleep

That's important as an aspect of holistic fitness as well, because you know, that's when we're healing our body is when we're sleeping. So people that aren't sleeping good or have poor sleep patterns, they're not able to get the results that they're wanting to from their fitness routines because their body is stuck in a fight-or-flight cycle, and they're not getting that healing. And also by getting that sleep, you're going to have a lot more energy throughout the day, which is going to help you have better workouts, stronger workouts.

And another thing that I like to focus on is pure food sources, like organic produce. I love using the Lemon essential oil to purify the produce when I get at home before cooking it. Wild-caught fish, pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed beef, if you're doing that.

And for those people who are more on plant-based diets, you know, I definitely recommend only focusing on organic plant sources of food. So staying away from anything that's been genetically modified or has been sprayed with a lot of pesticides as those things are going to toxify the body as well.

Implementing Healthy Habits

So another benefit that I've noticed from a holistic fitness is controlled cravings. And so when I was in my twenties, I felt like when I was eating, like the bars that would have artificial sweeteners, and I mean, they're out there in the supplement stores galore and even in the gyms you can see them at the juice bars. And they just have all these—most of them have artificial sweeteners. You can just turn it over on the back.

And what I noticed was that it was stimulating my appetite. So it was like a struggle to eat healthy because I was always wanting to eat because of the artificial sweetener stimulating my appetite. So by switching over to using sweeteners such as monk fruit and organic stevia leaves, that really helps get those out of my body. Plus, I didn't want my skin to start freaking out again.

It also allowed me to heal some of the food addictions that I had experienced in the past when I was in college. I was able to move past those. So now with holistic fitness, eating has become more enjoyable, and I'm not having to count every single calorie or macronutrient. I get to eat intuitively and eat what I feel like my body needs for that day. It's really allowed me to tap into what my body needs more.

So having that freedom of mind has been life changing because dealing with food addictions is very mentally draining, and I'm sure many people can attest to experiencing that. So one of the things I like using for that, the Slim & Sassy metabolic blend, has really helped support my metabolism and also taming the sweet tooth and getting a hold of that.

Managing Stress

Another benefit of holistic fitness would be managing stress, so by sleeping more and taking out those toxins that are over stimulating our brain, you're able to just operate in a calmer mindset throughout the day. I have this morning energy routine because I do like to get up and have my energy drinks and stuff like that, but now I have a more holistic approach to it.

So instead of drinking one of those energy drinks that are out there, I actually I use this powder called Om, and it's a mushroom blend. Doesn't taste like mushrooms, though. It's really good, and it's sweetened with monk fruit. It has the immune boosting properties of the mushrooms in there. And so I just make a liter of warm water, and I dissolve it in there. I drink that, check my email, take my kids to school, and then by the time I get back home. Oh, and by the way, I also take the Slim & Sassy capsule with that drink, and I also take two of the Mito 2 Max® capsules with that as well to help as a workout boost. And so by the time I drink all that and those have gotten into my system, it's time for me to go take a hot class, which I normally take around 9:30 in the morning.

So, yeah, it just gives me this really clean energy that sustains me. It doesn't like get my mind going crazy, and it's just like a really nice calm energy that's able to take me throughout my workout. So that definitely helps manage my stress because I'm not taking these toxic energy boosters and things like that that are really chaotic on the brain and the body.

The other two benefits that I will say is my skin has been clearer because of detoxifying my body.

Drinking Green Juices

>I love drinking green juices as well. I throw in some celery juices. And as mentioned, I'm taking a juice therapist certification right now, so I'm going to be offering those programs online as well as to my clients. And so the green juices are great at bringing the body into a more alkaline state and detoxifying the body of heavy metals and other things that are stored in there that are hard to get out. That has allowed me to have clearer skin, and I'm not having to worry about my skin being all broken out any more, and that's really nice, because I never really realized how mentally damaging it was to have skin breaking out because that's like our face to the world, so I'm really grateful for that.

Working with Your Body

And then last but certainly not least, the benefit of holistic fitness is that it's easier to maintain whatever your desired body fat is because you're actually working with your body as opposed to working against it, by cleansing all the toxins and by providing your body with higher quality sources of food and supplementation.

doTERRA: Those are incredible benefits, and it's so amazing how you've been able to incorporate doTERRA products into each aspect of your life and your fitness journey.

Noelle: Yeah, it's literally been life changing. I've been using doTERRA supplements and essential oils for over 10 years now, and I'm in the solid routine. I would never change a thing. It's really been a blessing to my life. It's made life easier. It's made—my health and wellness is just top notch. So I love teaching about it. I love teaching others as well and leading the pack for them.

doTERRA: Absolutely. Noelle, my final question for you is what are your recommendations for someone who is looking to get started practicing holistic fitness?

Noelle: My recommendation would be, you know, first things first is one step at a time because it is comprehensive. Sometimes you might feel like you're changing every aspect of your day. So one step at a time, one thing at a time. And I actually do offer a program called the Essential Detox that will be launching on Monday, September 13. It's an online course, and it is a 40-day program, so it does kind of lay it out step by step, just so it's not overwhelming.

And I would say just knowing that any time you incorporate one change, that's a success, and it may take longer than 40 days, but as long as every week, every day, trying to implement something new is going to lead you down the path of holistic fitness. So, yeah, that would be my recommendation for sure.

doTERRA: Well, that's amazing! And that definitely makes it less intimidating to know that you can just take it one day, one step at a time and change as you move forward.

Noelle: Absolutely, absolutely. And, you know, focusing on the food, and I would say just only choosing organic food would be the number one thing, absolutely. Starting with that and then pure water, reverse osmosis water. And then, as we all know, using the essential oils and the supplements and replacing out the old ones from the supplement stores. Those three things I would say would be at the top for sure.

doTERRA: Well, Noelle, you have been able to teach us so much and give us some guidance on how to get started in our own personal, holistic fitness journey. Thank you so much for being here with us today!

Noelle: Thank you so much!

doTERRA: Thanks for joining us and congratulations on living a healthier lifestyle with essential oils. If you liked what you heard today, rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. Also, if you want to try any of the products you learned about, go to doterra.com or find a Wellness Advocate near you to place an order today.