The_HolisticPharmacist

The distance to 42.2km starts with 7.5 inches

It’s not the food
It’s not the training
It’s not the early bedtimes to be able to get up and run in the dark cold mornings.

On April 21, a beautiful sunny spring day in London, I watched my husband achieve his dream and be 29 minutes shy of achieving his ultimate bucket list goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon . Running through hamstrings injuries that nearly derailed his career, running through rain, cold, and exhaustion and living the running lifestyle (which is often counter to a social life and fun!) he achieved what he didn’t think was possible even just 2 years ago.

A marathon is not just 42.2 km as a distance. It’s the moments where your legs hurt, your lungs burn, where you don’t think you can another step. You have to dig deep, focus on the next step, the next block, the next mile the next. This is where 7.5” is vital.

It’s the space between your ears.

It’s your mindset.

You can choose to focus on the pain. You can choose to focus on how far you have left to go and all the runners passing you by.

Or you can focus on the next right step. You can choose the next right thought.

I teach women how to eat, think and to reach their “marathon” - a goal they didn’t think possible, often to break free of burnout to perform at the highest level at work at home and in life

And as I watched the marathon I reflected on how many of us let life’s circumstance sway our decision. We wait to feel “motivated” to do something, we wait until “we feel like it” and “ are in the mood”. Managing your mind means you are in charge of your results no matter what the circumstance.

Yesterday I watched as my husband dug deep to find that intensity to keep going as his energy tanked at the midpoint. His mindset carried him that last 13 miles and achieve the 4th star in the Six Star Marathon and that took more training than even the physical training needed.

🔥It’s here! Have a listen to the incredible Pearl of Female Fluence podcast as we breakdown the patriarchy, the load women carry and steps to breakthrough the Biology or Burnout

Link In comments

Happy IWD! To the women who came before me, to the friends I call family and to the women I teach and lead in their health and performance every day I honour you 💐

For showing up with vulnerability, determination, with curiosity and hope and for lifting all of us up.

Celebrate yourself today and always for all of the light you bring to the world. Together we rise ✨

Where do you abandon yourself? Where do you say yes to something else and as a result say no to yourself ? Where do leak energy mentally physically and emotionally?

Big questions on the last day of the Real Reset Retreat

I taught Energetics around Time Management: The secret to achieving goals in Health and Life without pushing harder and burning yourself out. “Time is a finite resource where energy CAN be limitless with the right focus”

We aren’t burnt out from necessarily doing too much. We are burnt out from hustling and grinding towards a goal because we “think” we will feel a certain way when we achieve it. (Spoiler alert - we usually don’t!)

We are also burnt out from not having enough joy and creativity in our lives. We settle for “meh” when we want to feel “connected and alive”. This weekend, these ladies had the experience of community, nourishment, and rebalancing their bodies with EASE>

There is a better and easier way to be even more successful in life without burning yourself out in the process. This weekend this magical group of ladies learned how.

✨Real Reset Retreat plans are underway for Fall 2024. Send me a DM if you want to be the first to know more and experience the same transformations these women did.

If this holiday season is leaving you feeling a little less than festive - I see you ❤️

For those who have empty chairs at the table, holes in your heart and wishes that can’t be granted in a package with a bow - I see you ❤️

My wish for you is you find peace and comfort in yourself and with those who can hear your words - spoken and not.

May you give yourself grace and permission to do the holidays in a way that honours you and your journey, whatever that looks like in the moment - a break, a walk, a laugh or a tear.

May 2024 bring some reprieve from the physical, mental or emotional pains and be full of health.

🤔Would you give up 15 hours of your week without a guaranteed outcome?

🤔Would you track your metabolic biometrics and energy and make changes based on results instead of eating everything you love?

🤔 would you say yes to 530 wake-up’s and no to late night outs?

If your passion was marathons you would without a question.

Today I watched my husband complete his 4th marathon to date. This one hit a bit differently as he was told he likely wouldn’t make it through. In August he was told his running future may be on hold for 6 months. That wasn’t acceptable. So he searched for a way through.

Biohacking and countless practitioners (including yours truly) got an injury that should take 6 months to heal functionally and well enough in 6 weeks to allow him to be called a Berlin Legend (better not think that’s his new nickname)

But more than the physical hacks was the mental hacking that had to be done. To realize your goal of a PR wasn’t going to happen and your new goal is just to finish, that all the year long training and sacrifice would not yield the result you had originally thought. To have the new thought of “this is meant for me” instead of “why is this happening to me” is what makes a true legend.

The tagline on the Berlin bibs is Impossible is Nothing - no truer words than today on a perfect Sunday in Berlin setting a PR for himself and a role model for our children❤️🏆🏁

I used to oscillate between stuck in on, go go go, working all the time OR collapsing, being exhausted, and using whatever form of help I could get. Usually my choice was 🍷

I remember when I used to work in senior level operations I would count down the minutes to when I could close my laptop, turn off my cellphone and leave for a vacation. I audibly sighed. And reached for a cocktail.

My nervous system was so hijacked, it would literally collapse on vacation, I would be exhausted but drag myself around to see the sights and enjoy ALLLL the food because I had planned and worked so hard for it and then come home to get back on the hamster wheel and repeat 5-6 times a year.

I was stuck in a loop that was hard to break.

Nowadays my nervous system is so much more regulated. It can easily toggle between active and calm without the 🎢 extremes of stuck in stress and collapsed. I ❤️ my work, I am excited for a vacation with my family but am not dragging myself across the finish line because I. NEED. A. BREAK.

I give myself permission to live in a way that supports and honours my body. I fuel it for energy, I joke I’m solar powered since I use the ☀️and 🌳for fuel (instead of the caffeine and wine of years gone by), and I exercise in ways that honour it instead of breaking it down with hours at the gym or cardio (EWWWWW).

And now I enjoy my life instead of living for vacation. This holistic pharmacist is jet setting, so stay tuned in my stories for highlights!

A mama would die for her child, but will she live her child?

I was on the fast track to dying…

I was overcome with crippling exhaustion

My labs were not normal

I had 2 autoimmune conditions that showed my body was destroying itself

Everything I ate gave me stabbing stomach pain

My hormones were a wreck

Everyone in my family either had cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or a combo of the above.

And I was on the same trajectory

And 9 years ago when my baby was born, I made a choice. I was going to live for her but more so I was going to choose to live for me

My genetics were not going to be my destiny.

I wish this story had a happy bow and it was an easy transformation.

It wasn’t.

It was trial and error and researching the evidence and when conventional medicine didn’t have answers I became trained in functional/root cause medicine and coaching because I knew my issues were in my biology but I had a glimmer my thoughts and mind were driving the bus.

Fast forward to today - as I celebrate my firstborn’s 9th birthday I am in control of my health, my emotions, and have freedom with food and I am stronger and healthier than ever and I have the tools to support me now and in the future. And now I have the privilege and responsibility to teach other women to do the same.

I choose what gives me life, so I can be here for hers and mine.

What’s your choice?

❤️ They say they become our best teachers.

As my youngest a turns 6, I reflect back to who I was 6 years ago. When our family was growing from 3 to 4, when the losses ahead were unknown. When I was tired but had no idea what exhausted mentally physically and emotionally burnt out meant.

When the future ahead was exciting and bright as it is when you don’t know what lies ahead.

I look back to the trauma and sadness I faced but I also look back at the strength I didn’t know I had. I hesitate to use the word resilience as though it’s a badge of honour that we give but what it truly means is that I didn’t give up.

I didn’t take my burnout and failing health as my truth and identity.

I pushed and persevered when some days that looked like barely functioning when I was living on the muffin diet (not gluten free dairy free or keto in those days) because making a meal was too overwhelming. That I learned that asking for help didn’t equal weakness in fact it was a gift to others and myself.

I discovered a path forward in healing that bridged the conventional and holistic medicine worlds that a creates health from the inside out instead of ❤️‍🩹 with 💉💊.

In the past 6 years I leaned my heart has a capacity for tremendous love and tremendous sorrow and both can exist in the same breath. I learned that healing myself I turn gives permission to others to take that first next step in their journey.

If you are looking for the next right step in your journey lets chat. (It actually can be easy)!

Make a wish my sweet boy, may all your dreams and more come true 🎂

When I was a kid I did not love doing homework.

When I got to the University of Toronto and was studying for my pharmacy degree I still didn’t like doing home work but the stakes were higher

I would often call my dad and he would give me the same advice he gave me as a child

Sit down for 5 minutes and work. If after 5 minutes you aren’t into it. Stop.

Whaaattt !? Wtf advice is that from a father? Did he want me to fail??

No of course not

He was indirectly helping me to manage my mind and subconscious by tapping into the science backed concept that motivation follows action

But we always think we need motivation to do the thing - to go to the gym, to eat better, to write the hard email or have the hard conversation.

But science shows motivation comes from action.

🤦🏽‍♀️Stuck in the job we hate ( and telling ourselves the $$ and benefits are good)

🤦🏽‍♀️Stuck in the relationship that is toxic (and telling ourselves it’s for the kids)

🤦🏽‍♀️Stuck in a body we don’t feel confident in (and telling ourselves we will start the diet on Monday)

🤦🏽‍♀️And stuck in a life that is not what we ever dreamed for ourselves as little girls.

Motivation isn’t coming for you like ⚡️. It’s coming for you in whispers and nudges that you want more.

To claim it you have to take the first step. Just try it for 5 minutes. If it’s not working, then stop.
54321 rip the bandaid and START🔥

I promise most times you will keep going and claim what’s rightfully yours. A life that’s worth living not just being alive

🦶How my itchy little toe got me thinking about YOUR life

My little toe is a weird looking toe. (Omg eewww feet. I promise this is going somewhere).

But it’s been itching So MUCH. As a pharmacist obvi I made sure there wasn’t anything major going on, but it got me thinking…

The littlest thing (legit the smallest thing on my already short body) got me so concerned and irritated and I started to wonder 🤔 What would happen if we zoomed out and took a whole picture view of our life instead of focusing on the small symptoms.

✨ what do we really want for the next 6-12 months if money and time weren’t problems?
✨ what part of ourself do we need to bring to the table to get that vision met
✨ if we keep going with the same broke ass excuses to our nutrition and lifestyle and health what will our life look like in 6-12 months or beyond?

➡️ and this is a biggy!!! If we stopped looking at the minutiae and little toes of our life what we would we really have to confront

🙈the career you got pigeon holed into that you drag yourself to every day and even the $$ isn’t enough anymore
🙈 the relationships that aren’t giving you life and make you feel like s**t
🙈 the path to disease that your health is leading to that won’t change that you actually call genetics but really is your coping

See - all this itchy little toe gave me so much insight on your life and mine.

These questions are BIG, HUGE (in the famous words of Julia Roberts IYKYK) and I can help break them into manageable pieces so you don’t feel swallowed whole or paralyzed to act. This is my . Send me a DM and let’s chat symptoms, toes, life and all. 🔥🦶

As Mother’s day is approaching, the question in our house is “what should we get mom”, and that was a question I would ask myself for my own mom.

As she has now passed away, I WISH I was able to ask that question. Though it breaks my heart, what saddens me more is how could I have helped her.😢

You see she grew up in a time where “health” wasn’t really taught and though she was a Registered Nurse, her conventional medicine training wasn’t enough to heal her chronic diseases.

I was always a “fixer”.

And so when my health deteriorated, I vowed to fix myself so my kids wouldn’t have to feel the pain I felt watching my mom battle disease after disease and be told there is no answer.

💡Conventional medicine may not have the answer but I PROMISE you there are answers to what is PREVENTING your body from creating health. There are universal ROOT CAUSE reasons, we just need to find what your biggest puzzle piece is to move the needle.

And why not do ALL the puzzle pieces together so you LOOK Better, you FEEL better and you FUNCTION better - that’s what I teach in the RxReset. ❤️

I’m opening the doors to the RxReset this month in a small group format, to come together to share community as women, as moms, as leaders in our careers and homes.

👉If you want to actually allow your family to honour you this week, say YES to yourself and being here for them, full of energy, health and with a toolkit to stay that way in the future. (though you may also want to take that breakfast in bed too!!).

Drop a ❤️ or send me a DM and let’s drop the stubborn weight, gain unstoppable energy, beat the boost and finally feel good in your skin. Spots are limited - don’t miss out!

So much of our behaviour is patterns and “rules” we learned in childhood

🙈 be the good girl (and now you people please)
🙈 be quiet (and now you don’t speak your truth)
🙈 get good grades (now you seek perfection and validation from others)

The messaging and rules are not your fault. AND you are a grown adult, you can choose if those “rules” are still worth following.

I say NO, because they were stealing my happiness and my health.

What are they stealing from you?

I am very honoured to be a guest speaker at this year's The Menopause Summit.

The Menopause Summit brings together 18 experts from around the world, across a range of fields and specialist areas in the menopause and women's health space to ✨educate and ✨ inspire.

They will teach and guide you how to change the way you are experiencing your menopause today. 

They will share their experiences and show you how to embrace this stage of life and prepare for a fabulous post menopause living.
🔥
You will learn that menopause does NOT have to be a time filled with stress, confusion, pain or struggle. 
You can reclaim the power in your health to live a life that you love and fills you up!

Topics covered during the summit include stages of menopause, hormones, symptoms, strategies, understanding your changing body, and much more.

For more details and to register click the link in bio

⚠️Rant Ahead ⚠️ I am so frustrated seeing pseudo science and people who have their Md from the school of Google or AI offering “advice” or health programs with zero scientific backing.

What breaks my ❤️and 🧠 even further is women giving away their power to these individuals or companies and being duped 🤦🏽‍♀️

If you want to lose the weight for good, have more energy, and reset your hormones I promise you
❌starving yourself
❌counting some variation of macros or calories
❌ doing only HIIT training in your 40s is not going to do it.

You know what it will give you??
😱 Burnout
😱Hormone Imbalance
😱metabolism that is not flexible and in the long term more problems.

You are a smart woman used to making hard decisions, leading people in your career and home and yet you are falling prey to these scams. And it’s not your fault!!
The media and society have not taught you how to use food as fuel, how to shut down the fires of stress inside your body (and I don’t mean just mental stress) nor has it taught you the mindset to succeed.

Women deserve to own the power in their health to transform their lives.

By bridging the gap between conventional and holistic medicine I teach women to solve the root cause of their weight gain, fatigue and brain fog from the mental, physical and emotional causes so they are free and confident to create impact and abundance in their relationships, career and life beyond their wildest dreams 🔥

If you want to master your mindset metabolism and mood to reclaim yourself please use evidenced based approaches. Don’t give your power away to the someone selling what they want you to hear. Medical professionals who believe in a root cause approach to sustainable change are what will create the change safely, easily and sustainably for you.
I know a pretty good one of these professionals 😉 Send me a DM, let’s get you looking great and feeling even better ❤️

Dr James Pencharz MD is a board certified family physician and marathon runner. Who also happens to be my husband 😱❤️

Join us to determine conventional medicine vs functional medicine: either OR vs both AND.

Live in the Hack your Hormones Health& Happiness FB community (link in bio)

❌Stop the junk = ✅ feel amazing!!
If only it were that easy…

If eating well were easy with no emotional drama around it there wouldn’t be fatigue, diabetes, hypertension, and weight that won’t budge.

✨That’s why I work on the thoughts and feelings behind what we do in order to get the result you want.
Creating health in your body needs more than a strategy.
Let’s chat if you have tried all the things and it’s just too hard. Let’s make it easy. ❤️

🚨What are you REALLY needing?

I hear women all the time say
😢I’ve tried everything
😢My doctor says I’m fine
😢This is a normal part of ageing
😢I’m so tired and burnt out
😢I’m eating so cleanly, why am I gaining weight?

When you are burnt out you just want an easy button.
You want someone to understand WHAT is going on, WHY is it happening and HOW to fix it.
You just want to feel like YOU again (maybe even a shinier model, with a few fewer pounds, maybe some clearer skin and actual energy!).

Don’t worry - I’ve got you!! ❤️As a pharmacist and Functional medicine and Mindset coach, I help women just like you break free from the root causes of burnout using evidence-based strategies with support.

Take the quiz in bio to see what is your Burnout Recovery Score, or at https://www.farahjamani.com/burn-out-recovery-score-quiz

🤯Feeling burnt out?
Here's what you need to know about this all too common condition:
✅Burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. It can manifest in a variety of ways including fatigue, irritability, insomnia, depression, and even physical illness.

But here's what burnout is NOT:
❌Burnout is not just feeling tired or a little stressed out. It's a chronic state of exhaustion that affects multiple aspects of your life.
❌Burnout is not just a problem for "Type-A" personalities or high-achievers. Anyone can experience burnout, regardless of their profession or lifestyle.
❌Burnout is not something that can be "fixed" by just getting more rest or taking a vacation. It requires addressing the underlying causes and making lifestyle changes to prevent it from happening again.

If you're experiencing burnout, remember that you're not alone. Take my free Root Cause Recovery Quiz in the bio and see what's behind your burnout.

The new week or season often signals a new start. A new time to get back on our habits and start new goals.

But what about when you’ve been doing well, achieving what you want in health and life… but things start to slip

🙈 maybe a little of the vices start creeping back in
🙈 maybe you aren’t getting the quality or duration of sleep anymore
🙈 maybe you haven’t exercised in a while (um… maybe you can’t remember the last time exactly)

It’s often not a massive derailment that sets off the downslide even though we think it’s the vacation or the holidays that sabotage us.

The small, insidious daily slips allow the snowball to roll down the hill and when you stop to look up you realize how far you’ve gone.

🙈 the nagging going pains that have come back
🙈 the few pounds that are creeping back
🙈 the tired circles
🙈 the skin that’s not glowy
🙈 the afternoon coffee you now NEED
🙈 the irritation with the kids.

What’s the first thing you let go of when life gets busy? Drop it in the comments (I’ll share mine too!)

(Spoiler alert - that’s probably the thing you need the most!!)

Can you really end the symptom struggle once and for all?

Can you avoid or come off of your prescription medicines and their side effects?

Can you really own the power in your health to transform your life?

Yes. Yes. and Yes.

It all starts by taking the first step in figuring out the root cause.

Take my FREE Root Cause Health Assessment and get to the root cause of your symptoms now👉https://holisticpharm.kartra.com/page/BFP418

I don’t know how to fix this, and I don’t have to...

This is the state of my car… It won’t drive, it won’t move, and I had to take it to the mechanic because it wouldn’t even start.

Now… I am not a car mechanic. I can barely figure out how to the Navigation built into the car. And I didn’t try to google, you tube or ask friends for what to do with the car. I took it to the expert, listened to their full assessment and plan to move forward and I made a decision to get the car fixed. I need to get from A to B.

So why do we think we are experts on our health? Or that Dr. Google knows more than a licensed health care professional. Why do we think we can cobble together a half baked strategy and think we will

🙄Lose the weight
🙄Gain the energy
🙄Burn the brain fog
🙄Feel better than we did in our 20’s

Because we decide our health isn’t as valuable as our cars. Because we think that we aren’t worth the expense and time of following a proven strategy that works. And because we have never given ourselves permission to stand in our power and our greatness and to finally feel amazing.

You are worth more than your car. Your capacity to be a mom, wife, employee or entrepreneur, friend, daughter, sister is HINGED on putting yourself first.

Don’t be your own mechanic, leave that to the experts.

I love travelling...

BUT I recently went on a trip and before I even left I was so frazzled I didn’t even want to go because I absolutely hate packing. I never know if I am going to forget something, or if I am taking too much. It’s so stressful and this is something I’ve done A LOT.

This time I decided to do something different to take back control and stop feeling so disconnected.

When I got home as I unpacked I made a list of all the things I took by category. What cords I packed, what supplements, how many jeans shirts underwear and what toiletries. I made a check-off chart so next time all I have to do is follow the chart and voila. Easy breezy trip for next time.

Similarly in our health, we think we need to reinvent the wheel. We need to research and google try all the different things, never knowing what is working and what isn’t. What we really need is an evidenced-based proven strategy that WORKS and then we just follow it and let the expert guide us.

Do you want to keep reinventing the wheel and feeling frustrated? Or do you want a step-by-step method to follow that has been proven to work time and time again?

Not sure what to do next? Grab my FREE Burnout Recovery Blueprint👉 https://www.farahjamani.com/burnout-morning-routine

Your metabolism isn’t broken. And nor are you!

I’m so done with seeing posts from well-meaning practitioners about how to “fix” your broken metabolism, thyroid, adrenals, gut *insert body part of choice*

This is not to say keep living with symptoms or not feeling amazing.

This is to say don’t tell yourself you are broken. Because you aren’t. You are whole and perfect as you are.

Maybe we need to “support” your metabolism to function more optimally

Maybe we need to “support” your gut to heal from leaky gut by nourishing it back to health

Maybe we need to “support” your adrenals with self-compassion and without the hustle and stress that got you there in the first place.

You do not need to be FIXED. All you need is some SUPPORT.

Let me know in the comments if you struggle with feeling "broken".