41: How To Reduce Inflammation In 7 Days

Summer is the PERFECT time to make small changes, that give you a BIG impact!

This week, dive into a powerful 7-day mini-challenge designed to significantly reduce inflammation in your body.

Get ready to feel more energetic, focused, and truly enjoy all your summer activities without feeling like garbage!

Your 7-Day Anti-Inflammation Challenge:
Nourish & Hydrate for Energy: Start your day with protein and veggies, drink half your body weight in ounces of water, and replace refined sugars - all to reduce inflammation.
Move & Recharge Your Body: Increase your daily step count, and aim for 40 grams of protein by 10 AM to stay fuller and more energized.
Mindset for Success & Gut Health: Commit to removing basic, inflammatory ingredients, and write down your wins every single day to build confidence and lower stress, allowing your body to thrive.

More support just for YOU

⭐️ Cook just 3 nights/week all summer long, with this easy, family-friendly meal plan
⭐️ Need your question answered in a future episode? Send me a note here!

Transcript

If I have learned one thing in the last 11 years of prioritizing my health with nutrition and the way I move my body, the one thing I can tell you for sure is that big transformations always, always start with small changes. If you're listening to this episode of The Family Fork, when it goes live,

You will probably agree with me that summertime can be a really difficult time of year to make big sweeping changes when it comes to your nutrition or your fitness.

And I get it. Sometimes it does feel a little bit easier to just wait until the fall when activities slow down. Maybe your kids go back to school. You honestly just feel like you have a more predictable routine. But I want to challenge you on that just a little bit. And today I want to talk about seven very simple things that you can do to reduce inflammation in just one week. Inflammation can have a big

impact on your body, but we can do something about it in very small steps. So you might even be wondering like, great, Ashley, so why does it even matter that I reduce inflammation? How is it that changing small things is going to give me a big result? So let's talk about it and let's talk about what it really looks like to have inflammation, how it impacts you.

So if you are a woman or a mom in midlife, you've probably already experienced inflammation and maybe you've recognized it or maybe you haven't. You know, when our bodies are inflamed internally, our body is trying to send us signals to say, hey, I need some support here. But we don't always notice what those symptoms or those signals are. So surely you have noticed inflammation like being bloated or maybe your hands have been puffy.

But tell me if you've experienced any of these things. You are unable to lose weight no matter what you try. It's like you've tried dieting or eating differently, you've tried moving your body differently, and you just can't lose any weight. Maybe you have brain fog and you just feel really, really forgetful. You often feel like, I don't know, you're kind of spacey.

I know a big symptom of this for me. know for me for a long time it was that I would drop words or sentences. You know, I'd be like in the middle of talking about something and I couldn't remember a certain word or my sentence would just get really jumbled and my gosh, that's actually really embarrassing. Another sign of inflammation is that you are tired all the time.

especially in the mid afternoon or maybe you get a second wind in the afternoon, but by 730 or eight, you are completely exhausted and you just have to go to bed. And then when you do go to sleep, if you're struggling with increased inflammation, you might actually not sleep very well. So maybe you have a restless night of sleep. You wake up a lot and you're tossing and turning. You're hot, you're cold. You just don't sleep well.

Some women with inflammation will experience incredibly sore joints. This was me. So maybe you noticed that like you're a little bit more stiff than usual, or if you've been sitting at a desk for a little while and you stand up and your back hurts and your knees creak. Another sign of inflammation is that you have really slow digestion. So you're probably constipated. You're feeling probably pretty bloated and kind of backed up and your system just doesn't

seem to be running efficiently. So if you have experienced any of these things, sure there could be other ⁓ reasons, but it's very likely that you are struggling with inflammation in your body. This high increased inflammation, it does not feel good. And we want the opposite. We want to feel good. Any time of year, you want to feel good.

You want to feel like you can wake up and have a good day and still have a little bit of energy left at the end of the day for your family or your partner or activities, whatever it is that you want to do and that you're hopefully wanting to get a good night's sleep. So if you're struggling with inflammation, you are not going to enjoy your life as well. You're not going to feel healthy and alert and active and energetic.

You're not going to have that energy to go on a bike ride with your kids or go on a hike with your girlfriends. You are just not going to feel energized when you wake up every day. So what I want to give you today is a roadmap or a mini challenge to help you reduce inflammation in just one week. It can happen that quickly. I want you to do seven things for seven days. And I promise they are easy.

Because remember, a big transformation like reducing inflammation in your body so that you can feel better and healthier and actually enjoy your life, it is all going to start with small changes.

So I want you to do these seven things for seven days. That's it. You can do this over the summertime, any time of year, no matter how busy your life is. They will all fit into your schedule, whether you're at home or on vacation or your schedule is chaotic. It's one week, just seven days. And I know you can do it.

So now grab a pen and a paper and I want you to write down these seven things. And then at the end of the paper, I want you to commit to your start date. When you are gonna try this for just one week so that...

Remember, you're going to try this for just one week. So you can watch that inflammation decrease in your body and really watch yourself feel better, healthier, more alert, more focused and more energetic. Sounds good, right? Okay, you ready? Number one, I need you to eat protein and vegetables for breakfast.

The reason behind including protein and veggies in your breakfast is that you want to start your day with very regulated blood sugar. When you can regulate your blood sugar from the very first moment in the morning, you will set up your entire day for feeling regulated throughout that day. And without those big spikes in blood sugar, like a big spike and then a drop and

that roller coaster that you put yourself on without these extremes throughout your day, your body will produce less cortisol automatically because it's regulated and cortisol is directly related to inflammation. So when you're well fed in the morning with veggies and protein and some carbs, your body will say, okay, I'm fed, I'm fueled. I know that more food is coming. Your body won't feel stressed.

And so with that lower cortisol, you're going to lower the inflammation that you see and feel in your body.

Now, what is this gonna look like on your plate? It can look like a lot of different things. It can be a really delicious omelet that's filled with lots of chopped veggies. So you've got the eggs for your protein and your veggies. Now, personally, I don't take any time to cook in the morning. So one of my favorite breakfasts is a breakfast bowl. I either use brown rice or roasted potatoes. And then I add some sort of veggie like broccoli or steamed green beans.

and then a really healthy dose of protein like chicken or ground bison, honestly, whatever you happen to have handy. I really encourage you to try eating this way for seven days. And I want you to notice something. Do you feel less hungry by 11 o'clock in the morning? Do you have more energy in the middle of the afternoon? You should because you've regulated and balanced that blood sugar first thing in the morning.

and that is going to set you up to feel so comfortable and healthy all day. You'll have less of that cortisol, which means you'll have less inflammation. So this is an easy one, right? You're simply changing up your breakfast to include veggies and protein. Got it?

All right, number two. Now this one, I'll be honest, it might be a little bit more tricky, but I want you to take out gluten for just seven days. Gluten can be really inflammatory to our gut microbiome and the gut lining. When our microbiome is disrupted, that can actually increase inflammation in our body because our body is fighting really hard to heal and repair the gut and the gut lining, which this

automatically results in an inflammatory response in our body. Oftentimes, what I find is that when people are intentionally taking out gluten, this has this like residual effect of removing a lot of processed foods from your diet or whatever it is that you're eating. So simply by removing some of the processed foods that have other inflammatory ingredients, this is going to help you reduce that inflammation.

But then you're also making more conscious choices. So instead of having a bunch of bread throughout the day, think bagels, sandwich bread, biscuits, maybe you're choosing gluten-free options like potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, things that are actually going to fuel your body even better.

But removing the gluten itself is going to help soothe and calm your gut lining, which will also help you to reduce some of that inflammation. And I really want you to take note on these seven days. How do you feel when you first eat protein and veggies in the morning? How do you feel when you take out gluten during the day? Do you start to notice that you're more focused or maybe that you're more alert or more energetic?

It is so amazing to me how quickly your body will adjust. When that inflammation goes down, your body will feel better so quickly. People usually see a change within just a couple of days.

All right, number three. Now again, this one is easy no matter where you are. Whether you're at home or on vacation, I need you to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water. So if you are 150 pounds, you will drink at least 75 ounces of water every single day for seven days. This is so good for your body. And I don't think we recognize how little water we typically drink.

unless we're being intentional about getting in half of our body weight in ounces every single day. That water, it is going to flush out the toxins. It's going to support your digestion. And when you do that, you know, things are going to move more efficiently. That is going to help reduce the inflammation. And obviously drinking water, it's so hydrating to all of your cells, which especially in the summertime, if you're outside with

strenuous or fun activities in the hot sun like hiking or paddleboarding or playing volleyball, whatever it is, you are going to need more water, but definitely aim for at least half of your body weight in ounces of water every single day.

Now, speaking of being out and about in the sun, number four, I need you to add 2000 steps to your average daily step count.

So it is very clear. The research indicates that workouts...

The research indicates that low impact workouts and strength training are truly what is best for women in midlife. So by adding some additional walking, like an extra 2000 steps, you are increasing the amount of low impact activity that you're getting, but you're still keeping it low impact, which is exactly what we're looking for.

Better yet, when you're out on a walk, try to get in your steps without technology. Crazy, right? So believe it or not, being able to unplug from that technology, it gives you that chance to look around you, see how blue that sky is, how white and fluffy the clouds are. You can listen to the birds or the crickets around you. Maybe say hello to some of your neighbors. All of this is going to have a very calming effect.

on your nervous system. And when your nervous system is calm, your cortisol is lower. And when you have lower cortisol, you have less inflammation. So it's like this trickle down effect. You can support your body with low impact movement like walking, and then add some extra steps, do it without technology, your whole body is going to shift. You're going to feel more at peace.

more aligned, more relaxed, and that will reduce inflammation, which as we keep saying, it's going to help you to feel healthier, more alert, more vibrant.

All right, number five, I need you to replace foods that include refined sugars. Again, just like gluten, this might make you feel a little bit nervous, like, ⁓ my gosh, how am going to get rid of all those refined sugars? So refined sugar hides everywhere. And one of the most common places that you can find it is in condiments. And we definitely see this a lot over the summertime with like ketchup and mustard barbecue sauce.

There are so many added sugars in our condiments and you don't even really think about it because they're like salty or savory. The reason we want to reduce refined sugars and added sugars is that your...

The reason we need to reduce refined sugars and added sugars is that you're eating that sugar, it's really disruptive to your microbiome, just like the gluten can be. So if you wanted to reduce some of your inflammation, you need to remove the sugar, but you can swap it out with sweeteners that are not as disruptive to your microbiome. I really encourage people to use

coconut sugar in place of brown sugar, maple syrup, like pure maple syrup, and then honey. These are all great options and they're all natural and they're actually really good for you. know, honey, has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties to it. So these natural sugars aren't going to create additional information in your gut. So overall, by taking out some of that refined sugar,

and then adding in with the more natural sources of sugar, you're going to reduce inflammation, which you will feel better, more energetic, which this is exactly what you need for all of the activities you have in the monks ahead.

All right, number six, you need to eat 40 grams of protein before 10 a.m. every day. This goes back to what we talked about earlier in terms of regulating your blood sugar. So you're eating that veggie and protein for breakfast. That is a great way to get in part of your 40 grams. The other thing about protein though, is that it is going to help you stay fuller for a longer period of time. So,

If you're one of those people where like you eat breakfast in the morning and then by 10 30 or 11, you are hungry, but your lunch isn't until like 12 30 by getting 40 grams of protein in before 10 AM, you will actually feel full and you won't need to think about food until it's actually lunchtime.

Again, the cortisol, when you have satiated your body, your body does not feel concerned about being hungry, which will lower the cortisol and that is going to lower that inflammation. Now, as for what kind of protein, it's really whatever feels most appetizing to you before 10 in the morning. Typically, what I do is I start my day post-workout with a protein coffee.

So I really like using prime protein from Equip Foods. I like the chocolate, the salted caramel, and I'll put it into hot water as opposed to like a smoothie or something. But I put it in the hot water and I put that in a travel coffee mug. So for me, it feels like having a nice warm cup of coffee, but I'm actually getting 20 grams of protein in right after my workout.

And then I'll have the breakfast bowl, which we talked about. That's like brown rice or potatoes, veggies, and then some sort of animal protein. What you're aiming to do here is fuel your body so that it feels calm and relaxed. It's well fed. It knows more food is coming. That lowers that cortisol and lowers the inflammation.

All right, coming in at number seven. This one is just a little bit different, but it is just as important to do in your week of reducing inflammation. Number seven, I want you to write down your wins every single day. So when you start doing a process like this for an entire week, you will easily be able to pick up on the things that you didn't do. Like, ⁓ my gosh, there was gluten in that meal, I had sugar every single day.

I didn't drink enough water for three of the days. That's really easy to point those things out.

But what I need you to do is change the narrative, change the story in your brain. I want you to focus on all the things that you did do, all of the wins that you had each and every day. By focusing on the positive thoughts, it's going to show you and really prove to yourself, hey, I can do this. I can make these small changes that I know will have a big impact over time. I'm fully capable of this.

And like we talked about, when it comes to regulating your nervous system, when you notice, ⁓ wait, look, I was able to do this. I drank enough water yesterday. I added 1800 steps. I didn't get to the 2000, but I got an extra 1800 steps in my day. All of this thought process is going to help you feel calm when it comes to actually creating these things as new lifelong habits. And when you feel calm and less stressful,

You have, you guessed it, less cortisol pumping through your veins and then you have less inflammation. So do you see how this all works together? It's being able to fuel your body with the right foods, move yourself in ways that are supportive, have positive thoughts and lower that stress, both mental and physical. And when you do all of this in combination, your inflammation will go down in just seven.

days.

And like we talked about at the beginning, you want to do this because you want to be able to lose weight. You want to think clearly and not be embarrassed when you drop your words. You don't want to feel bloated or tired all the time and you don't want to have sore joints. So if you're looking to do something that has an impact this summer without making these like major sweeping changes, this list of seven things is

absolutely going to help you get there so that you can enjoy all of the fun stuff you have planned for the summer.

So I want you to look at your piece of paper. I want to run through these one more time, just so you make sure that you have all seven elements and that you're going to do this for seven days. Number one, eat protein and veggies for breakfast. Number two, take out gluten for just seven days. Number three, drink half of your body weight in ounces of water every day. Number four, add 2000 steps to your average daily step count.

Number five, replace foods that include refined sugar. Number six, get 40 grams of protein in by 10 a.m. And number seven, write down your wins every single day.

All right, so double check your list. And like I'd asked you at the beginning, I need you to decide on a date when you are going to try this. It is only seven days. And if you want to be brave, like choose to do this while you're on vacation and really like see what you're capable of. How easy is it for me to reduce the inflammation and enjoy my vacation and feel amazing when we're on the beach or hiking in the mountains or

I don't know, riding tandem bikes across San Francisco. Whatever it is that you are doing, you want to feel good while you're doing it. So make that start date for yourself and then let me know. Reach out to me on Instagram at the Ashley Malik and tell me what is your start date for this seven day mini challenge. And let me give you some encouragement. I am just so curious to know how this is going to work for you.

Before I go this week, I wanna invite you to send me your questions. I really wanna know all of the questions you have around anti-inflammatory nutrition, losing weight in mid-life, how to balance healthy eating with what your family wants and needs. Tell me, where are you struggling? Send me those questions. I've put a link in the show notes so that you can send me your questions there.

Or you can just pop me a question, your questions onto Instagram at the Ashley Malek and I will answer your questions in a future episode. So send me those questions today. I'm already planning those episodes and I would love to feature you and your question in an upcoming episode.

All right, my friend, this was a quick episode, but I want you to dive in and remember that small changes over time is what produces big results. And the summer, it is a great time to try some of these easy seven day type mini challenges for yourself so that you can see how different does it make you feel. So that in the fall, when you're ready to be a little bit more intentional about making bigger, more intentional changes,

You'll already have built that confidence to say, yeah, I can totally make these changes. They made me feel so good and it was so worth it. I'm ready to do more. So get out there, try your seven day challenge. Let me know your start date and I will see you back here next week.