In this episode, Coach Jo and Coach Kim explore the critical topic of toxic load, which is accumulation of harmful substances in our bodies that can lead to inflammation, chronic illness, and many other health issues. They break down which kinds of substances are leading to these issues, what your body might be telling you about your toxic load, and how to reduce your exposure through small but powerful changes in your daily life. 

One of the main focuses is how the body naturally detoxifies through four main pathways: urine, feces, sweat, and breath. The coaches share their personal struggles with inflammation and autoimmune conditions, illustrating how toxic load affects everyone differently. They identify the top ten toxic offenders—including everything from the typical villains like processed foods to more subtle ones, like scents and chronic stress—and offer actionable steps to reduce exposure without becoming overwhelmed. The episode emphasizes that while we can't eliminate all toxins, we can make informed choices to support our body's natural detoxification processes.

From choosing organic produce to improving air quality and managing stress, they pinpoint some of the worst contributors and share how their own personal experiences with limiting toxins has changed their families’ lives and health. They acknowledge the challenges of implementing changes while maintaining that small, consistent adjustments can lead to significant improvements in overall health and wellbeing.

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Transcript


Coach Jo 00:09

Welcome to Perfectly Unfinished Conversations, the Iron Lab podcast with Coach Jo…

Coach Kim 00:14

…and Coach Kim…

Coach Jo 00:15

Where you ride shotgun with us as we have raw, real, unfiltered, and unfinished conversations about trying to eat, sleep, train, and live with some integrity in a messy, imperfect life.

Coach Kim 00:27

We're all about creating a strong support system, taking radical personal responsibility, having fun, and being authentic. And one of the most common themes you're going to find in this podcast is the idea that we create positive momentum in our life, by doing what we call b-minus work.

Coach Jo 00:45

We’re making gains and getting ahead and loving life without self-sabotaging our goals by striving for perfection. We get it done by moving ahead…

Coach Kim 00:55

…before we're ready…

Coach Jo 00:56

…when we aren't feeling like it…

 Coach Kim 00:58

…and without hesitation.

Coach Jo 1:00

Be sure to subscribe now on Apple or Spotify, so you don't miss a single episode. It’s good enough. Let's go.

 

Coach Jo  01:10

Welcome to Episode 19 of Perfectly Unfinished Conversations. And in this episode, we're talking all about toxic load. Are you puffy, inflamed. and bloated? We are going to address what is actually classified as toxic load to the body, and what kinds of things increase toxic burden on the body and why it's a problem and what you can do about it. Disclaimer: This is not medical advice. We are always recommending that you consult your own medical doctor, functional medicine practitioner, or naturopath and follow their recommendations. Today's discussion is education, and of course, some thoughts and opinions between us both, but we've also done our homework to support this subject matter. These aren't “woo woo” or conspiracy claims. These are now proven facts that are creating major implications for our health and for the health of our children. So holy shit, Kim, where do we begin?

 

Coach Kim  02:09

I think it's a good place to start with just why this conversation is so important. Like someone could say, stay in your lane, ladies, but I see my lane as proactive and preventative: long-term, optimal health care. And so there's this term that exists, which has been coined to describe our current model of health care, which is unfortunately, “sick care”, that our medical system has become one that is only ever responding to sickness, muting and managing symptomology, and never actually supporting or optimizing health. And so let's be frank, while we know a lot of health professionals and doctors who take their jobs very seriously and are very deeply caring about their patients and people, and who are also concerned about the unprecedented epidemic of chronic illness, which is mostly metabolic in nature. Like. we still recognize that there are limits to conventional health care.

 

Coach Jo  03:14

Remember, most people see the word metabolic or metabolism, and we only think about weight— weight up or weight down. Your metabolism is the finely tuned symphony of chemical reactions, hormones, and energy use that tells your body how to run effectively, efficiently, and perfectly the way it was designed to. You were designed to clean yourself (detoxification). You were designed to fight illness and disease (immunology), and you were designed to regenerate and heal and grow and thrive, hopefully enjoying a vital and productive lifespan. But we've never seen so much chronic illness, general unwellness, and mental health troubles. Something is desperately fucking wrong, and we're ignoring the signals. Now, one of the things Kim and I teach in the Metabolic Blueprint program that we run is that it's more than just food, guys. This is why we won't give out any strict, calorie controlled food plans, like ultimately, we want you to nourish and hydrate, build muscle and manage your stress load, because stress is a real killer, guys. We still have so many people coming to us saying, I need you to motivate me. I need you to kick me in the pants and the ass and tell me what to eat. I must be eating too much. I just need to work out really harder. Meanwhile, their nervous system is highly taxed. They are drinking too much coffee and eating way too many processed foods. They don't like water, and are dousing themselves in chemical soup, staring into their phones until late at night, and saying that they just can't sleep.

Right.

 

Coach Kim  04:50

So you can always trust us to give it to you straight up. And I think it's important to understand that none of us are getting away with this like… It's not just you. It's affecting all of us. I'm guilty of ignoring it. We all want it to be easy and fast, but the reality is that we're harming ourselves by buying into the status quo. And so let me talk about my own experience and that of my family. Like I think most people look at me and think I'm in pretty good health. And generally, I agree, I'm doing enough to stave off things like high blood pressure. I move a lot. I love to sleep. I have a decent amount of muscle mass, but I'm actually struggling with hidden inflammation. So for example, I'm having a lot of bowel trouble right now, and I have had for many years. It's always been a bit of a struggle for me, but it's getting worse. And I got a stomach bug, intestinal kind of thing when I was in Mexico five years ago, and I've never really recovered from that. I've never really felt the same.

 

05:56

Damn ceviche in Mexico.

 

Coach Kim  06:02

It was the ceviche! I hate that, but it was. So, I've seen doctors and worked with doctors, and the scopes that are put in either end and come out clear, and the advice is always, “Just eat more fiber and drink more water.” And I think I'm nailing that, and there's no change, right? So the thing is, is that I've also had four different autoimmune diagnoses since the age of 21 and although I don't have any allergies that I'm aware of, I don't struggle with breathing or skin issues like eczema or psoriasis or cystic acne, but I do carry a bit more belly fat than I want to, and I tend to be puffy like I have water and inflammation, weight. And this can show up in people's faces as edema or even just water retention. Hands, fingers, feet, and in the softness of your belly. If your blue jeans are leaving a big crease, leaving the imprint of your blue jeans around your body, you're probably got some inflammation weight there, right? My kids—and I have four adult kids that have had a laundry list of health challenges from early on in their life—and I know that they have direct links to toxic burden. And if the toxic load wasn't a trigger—the trigger—it was definitely complicit in the development of those issues or illnesses. So all my kids have had one or more of the following: eczema, IBS, allergies, chronic sinus congestion, mast cell activation, syndrome, histamine issues, anxiety, depression, serious mental health crisis, including trauma, which is its own trigger and toxic load. EOE, which is eosinophilic esophagitis, which is swelling and inflammation in the esophagus that gives problems swallowing. Hydradenisti suprativa, which is a condition where the hair follicles develop inflammation and get infected. Retinal inflammation and scarring. And I'm talking, these are issues that my kids have been dealing with over the last 20 years, between the ages of 22 and 32 and they're still dealing with them. So how exactly do those diagnoses pertain to toxic load?

 

Coach Jo  08:20

Well, I think we need to begin and start with defining the actual term toxic load. What exactly are we talking about? It might sound scary, or it might sound very intense, but don't worry, let's just break this down fairly easy. Think of it like this, your body is like a bucket. Every day, things go into that bucket—things like the food you eat, the air you breathe, the products that you're putting on your skin, and even the stress that you feel in your day. Some of those things are totally fine and even good for you, but others, like not so much. The not so great things can include chemicals and processed foods, pollutants in the air, like scented plug-ins, toxins in your cleaning supplies, or your makeup products, or even that extra glass of wine after a long day. They're small doses of stuff your body wasn't exactly designed to deal with. And guess what? Your body does a pretty incredible job of cleaning its house thanks to your liver, your kidneys, your skin, and other organs. But here's where it gets tricky. If that bucket fills up faster than your body can empty it—like if you're constantly exposed to toxins or not supporting your body's natural detox systems—that's when you hit what we call your toxic load. Essentially, it's the tipping point where those toxins start to overwhelm your system, and that's when you might start to notice symptoms like fatigue and brain fog and digestive issues, or even skin problems, or furthermore. So in a nutshell, toxic load is the accumulation of harmful substances in your body and how close you are to that tipping point where your body is going to start to scream at you, saying, “I need a little extra help here!” But the good news is that you can do something about it, and we'll dig into the “how” later in this episode. But for now, just remember, your bucket doesn't have to overflow. I

 

Coach Kim  10:12

I love it that, that was so beautifully said. It's important to talk about why, or not even why… It's important to talk about detoxification and the body's natural detox pathways. Your body naturally detoxifies in four ways, and that is pee, poop, sweat, and air. That's urine, feces, sweating through the skin, and breath. Your body should do a good job of this naturally, but modern day life has a way of making our body work extra hard, and also it's important to remember that the liver must process and manage everything that you come in contact with, everything that you breathe in, eat, drink, or rub on your skin—your liver has to manage it. Good or bad, real or natural or synthetic and fake. That includes alcohol, tap water, unwashed foods, scented home products, everything.

 

Coach Jo  11:10

Let’s talk about the big offenders. So I've created a list of the top 10 big offenders in regards to toxic load. Be prepared. This might trigger some of you who are listening. Number one would be processed foods. You got to think fast food, frozen meals, chips and sugary snacks. They often contain artificial preservatives, the colors in them, flavors and high levels of unhealthy fats and sugar that can stress your body. Number two, any synthetic cleaning products, many household cleaners contain harsh chemicals like ammonia, bleach, phthalates, which release toxic fumes and can be absorbed through your skin or you breathe them in. You inhale them. We've got number three is personal care products, stuff like your shampoos, your… ladies… your lotions, your deodorants. One of the worst ones that I read the other day was actually your… what’s that shampoo spray? Oh, dry dry shampoo is like one of the worst ones, right? Think of it. It's a synthetic fragrance, and that's also included synthetic fragrance. And makeup, obviously can contain parabens, sulfates—all of which can be hormone disruptors,

 

Coach Kim  12:19

Yeah. And obesogens, right? So obesogens, I think we've talked about it in past podcasts. Everything Joe's talking about falls into the category of obesogens, which, when your body comes in contact with it, it stores it in a lipid layer, in your body fat, yeah, in order to protect you. 

 

Coach Jo  12:42

Number four is plastics and BPA. I know there was a big craze years ago, and I was like, don't get the “BPA nine” water bottle. The “nine,” you got it, or the “seven,” whatever it was. Everyone's like, get rid of it. And everyone's looking underneath, “Is it a nine or a seven?” And they were hiding it out. But like, plastics, especially when heated, like in a microwave, containers can leach those harmful chemicals like BPA and phthalates into your food or drinks or even your plastic lid on your Yeti to-go coffee cup. As you're drinking it, the hot coffee makes the lid. Or your Starbucks, your Starbucks… all the containers. I'm guilty. I know, me too. Number five is air pollution, and that includes stuff just simple as like vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, if you live close to anything like that. Indoor pollutants, we can talk about any dust or mold in the home, black mold, right? Or VOCs, which are volatile organic compounds like benzene from paint, which can leach into air and then you're breathing it, stuff that comes in your furniture or air fresheners. Number six, on the out of 10 on the list is alcohol and excessive caffeine. Your liver has to work overtime to process alcohol and detoxify it. Similarly, too much caffeine is going to dehydrate you and it's going to put stress on your adrenal glands. So number seven, we've got tobacco and vaping products—obvious offenders here, but they release toxins like formaldehyde, heavy metals, and tar, which are directly linked and added into your toxic load.

 

Coach Kim  14:09

And, when you think that breath is one of your primary detoxification vacation pathways, and then you pollute and cloud up your lungs.

 

Coach Jo  14:20

Number eight is pesticides and herbicides. This is found in non-organic produce and treated lawns. These chemicals can accumulate in your system over time. The EWG, which is the Environmental Working Group, works to protect our environmental health by fighting to change all the industry standards. They have a dirty dozen list on their website, like dirty dozen in regards to, you know, which chemicals and foods to avoid. But also, like the top 12 foods in your grocery store, like I'm talking strawberries, is really high on that list of heavily polluted. I mean, I think there was like up to nine to 12 or something in a strawberry of pesticides, they found when they just did like a bunch of tests. Which is crazy, because that stuff can lead into a lot worse things than that, right, then to toxic load. So those substances end up in what we eat thanks to legal loopholes that allows food ingredients to be classified as generally recognized as safe. The loophole lets manufacturers, instead of the FDA, determine which food chemicals are safe to consume. Chemical and food companies have exploited that loophole for decades. If you're wondering, well, how come we're allowed to eat it? Well, money is money, guys. Number nine is heavy metals—mercury from certain fish.

 

Coach Kim  15:34

And this makes me sad, because it's not just fish; it's mercury amalgam fillings.

 

Coach Jo  15:39

Yeah, aluminum in your deodorants and lead in old paint or pipes, right? Any of the heavy metals. And lastly, number 10 is chronic stress. It's not just physical toxins—emotional, as Kim discussed with her kids, like right? With mental stress, it can overwhelm your system, too. And the main stress hormone, which we've discussed previously, is cortisol, and that can disrupt your digestion immune function, meaning you're gonna get sick a lot more, and your body's natural detox systems. 

 

Coach Kim  16:10

You know, it's hard not to hear this list and go like, “Shut it off!”

Coach Jo  16:11

Yeah, holy fuck!

Coach Kim  16:12

Why did I decide to listen to this one? But here's the other thing is that some of these, like, it's just part of being human and being alive, and so let's talk about the things that we can do to support our system to be as optimally well as possible. And the other thing is, when it comes to some of these things, like, you're also exposed to heavy metals in soil and water, right? In plants; plants are full of heavy metals. Plants clean the earth when they grow and suck up through their leaves. And, even when it comes to something like mold, humans evolved with mold. Part of the reason mold is such a big deal is that our system is so taxed, we can't deal with it. We can't manage it. And so, it's important to just remember that you do have the capacity to help and support your body. And we're going to talk about some of what you can do that's pretty easy toward the end of this podcast. But let's talk about some of the things that you might not realize are potentially troublesome for you. For example, medications like if you're taking an antihistamine two times a day for the last 10 years, you've got… It's accumulating in your body. It's part of your toxic load. Medicines and supplements still have to be broken down and handled by the liver and the body. If you don't have a gallbladder… Like your gallbladder’s job is to add bile to the body and break down fat, which is helpful for elimination, which is detoxification. So if you don't have a gallbladder, you probably… there are things out there to support, specifically, people who don't have gallbladders. Constipation—if you are chronically constipated, and this means that you're having less than one decent bowel movement a day—your system needs some support. Like people go, “Yeah, some days I have one. Some days I don't.” And you know, but it's a problem. And with gallbladder and bowels, hydration matters. And kidneys as well, right? Like pee, poop—those are two of the four pathways. And so hydrating… being… good hydration. And again, like we've talked about this before, as well… Electrolytes support good hydration—actual hydration—because it is possible that if your system is already bombarded, you can be drinking a ton of water and not absorbing it properly, right? And so here's one that's probably going to shock some of you, and that is essential oils. Whether you are diffusing or inhaling or you're applying directly on your skin, your body may not be managing that load well. Now remember, many plants have their own medicinal and bio-identical and even estrogenic properties. They're phytoestrogens, meaning they mimic estrogen. Too much estrogen in the body is also not really safe, and it can interfere with a lot of your hormone, you know, processes. It can also contribute to sticky weight gain. Like, it is another one of those things where applying scented oils, just like a spray cologne or a perfume every day—it can be hard on your system. Junk light is another one. Junk light is man made light with blue and green hues that tells your body it's a different time of day than what it actually is. And you need to think about this as LED lighting, fluorescent bulbs, and any digital device with a screen. And we are on screens from the second we wake up and look at our alarm, until we go to bed. And a lot of us are up in the middle of the night looking at a screen, and it is screwing with your system. It's making your detox load harder. So, I love Jo's bucket analogy that she gave at the beginning. If your happiest body, or happy balanced body, is 20 marbles in a bucket of water and every stressor, drink, breath, item, perfume, food, assault, injury, or scent—like even just a scent—is another marble in the bucket, eventually, the bucket is going to spill over. Eventually, the body will get maxed out. And the maxed out shows up as sticky weight or allergies, chronic congestion, sinus problems, infections that won't go away, rashes, eczema, IBS, IBD, headaches. Bad PMS is also a sign that your body is maxed out, and so we forget that our body is just trying its best to handle all the things that we're giving it without considering the total impact.

 

Coach Jo  21:05

So top recommendations that we'd probably want to send your way, and remember, this is not medical advice. This is what we would do to take care of our own environment. And reminder— we're humans too, and we're trying in our messy, perfect world, and you know, not everything that we're doing is 100% on board, either; we're just trying to learn and navigate as we go as human beings. But these are all solutions to the above big offenders that were discussed earlier. So number one, go organic when possible. Especially when it comes to fruit that has a soft skin that gets absorbed. If it's a hard-shelled fruit, then you're usually, generally safe. Prioritize that organic for the Dirty Dozen produce, like strawberries, spinach, kale, to reduce pesticide exposure. Organic, it just basically means it came straight from the garden and there was no mass spraying, right?

 

Coach Kim  21:55

Here's another one. Sorry to interrupt, but it came to my brain when you were talking about pesticides and herbicides earlier. And you did briefly mention golf courses, I think. And I'm… I want to say. No, you didn't?

Coach Jo  22:08 

I said, “Lawn.”

Coach Kim  22:10 

Oh, lawn. Okay, so I thought golf course, because I will tell you that when I, Kyron, both and I my son, when he did work with functional medicine practitioners, that was one of the things, because he golfs quite a bit in the summer. They were like, you know that… It's being absorbed through… Yeah, it's, you're breathing it in. You're on the course. They're beautiful, meticulous. But if you're on the golf course a lot, or if your family is anal about their lawn care, like that is a big problem for people.

 

Coach Jo  22:40

Number two be like choosing those low VOC or zero VOC paints. So, minimizing any of the harmful off-gassing that might happen when you're repainting your living room because you're feeling like you need a new change. And then swapping out plastic. Reduce any plastic containers with glass or stainless steel for food storage, especially for anything that you're going to heat up. Try to find a reusable water bottle, like ditch the plastic one-time use kind where the plastic simply just leeches easily into the water. You got to order, like, even glass containers meal-prep kit off Amazon. I know, like we did that at the gym here a few years ago, where we got people in our meal prep challenge to order glass containers to go with it instead. Drink out of a ceramic coffee cup and ditch the plastic covers on your to-go cups. Yeah, that's a tough one for all my hockey parents listening. 

 

Coach Kim  23:26

And me too. Me too. And the other one that came up when I was listening to you read about this one is we also see this all the time, where you can buy broccoli or green beans in the bag and heat them in the microwave. And you’ve just got to throw them in a pot with some water. Dump them out, put them in the pot with the water, boil it for five minutes. As soon as it hits boil, boil for two minutes. You're done. Like, yeah, gotta stop nuking your food and plastic even.

 

Coach Jo  23:50

Like the KD, one-time little containers that you can throw in the microwave for your kids, right? I know it's easy and it's a great camping thing, but like… something to consider. Filtering your water. Install a water filter to reduce any chlorine, fluoride, heavy metals, and any other contaminants. Bonus, you're going to definitely stay more hydrated when you notice that your water is pretty clean. Like, I'm lucky I'm on a well. So our well runs really deep because we're kind of on a hill, like, it's a super deep well, and it is freaking good. And we got it tested when we first bought our house four years ago, and it's like, just like real water. When I come to town and I have filled my water bottle, I'm like, “Oh, like, it just tastes like I'm drinking chemicals.” It's a big difference.

 

Coach Kim  24:30

Yeah, for sure, it is. I can remember when we moved here 20… 25 years ago, and Lacombe was on its own water system at that time, and it really smelled sulfurous, like it smelled like an egg, you know, when you run the tap. And I believe now we're on Red Deer water, which is city water being piped out here. And so, it's essentially, like, even a Brita filter makes a big difference. Like, that's 25 bucks for a filter. It lasts for, you know… It's a good investment, I think.

 

Coach Jo  25:01

And there's lots of springs. Like, that's what people don't understand. Like, even heading out to Rimby, there's a beautiful spring up by Rimby. There's one out by Eckville. Like, there's all these springs.

 

Coach Kim  25:10

You can buy that water in the spring water that “The Good Water Company” locally, that has at Sobeys. I think it's $5 to get a jug of spring water. Yeah, totally. 

 

Coach Jo  25:19

Number five is clean green. Switching to natural cleaning products, or, like, even just making your own simple ingredients, like vinegar and baking soda, right? I know, like some of you might have, your grandma's old, you know, she cleaned with this, and it worked and, and some people don't. I'll be honest. Like, no offense, mom, but you always bought like, the most, like, you're like, it's gonna be clean and like, you bleached the life out of our house. But I've learned, like, I don't like the smell of that shit at my house, and I feel like I can't even breathe after a bathroom was cleaned, so I try to do it a little more natural.

 

Coach Kim  25:55

Yeah, I'm gonna tell you one of the things that I was told in working with both Jen from Mortar and Pesto, and in the reading that I've done over the years on hormone disruption, that if you are the person that walks down the laundry soap aisle in the grocery store and feels sick, that's a sign that your body's already overburdened. If you cannot tolerate the scented products aisle in the grocery store, your system is taxed. 

 

Coach Jo  26:23

There's a test, guys, totally. There's a test you can go do. And then checking personal care labels like look for products that are free of parabens, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances. Brands with the EWG, the Environmental Working Group seal, are great starting point to your products. You got to be aware of makeup. I hate to say it guys, but how much you put on. It's so hard, because I'm just going to totally go off cuff here, but it's so hard being at this age. I'm turning 40 this year, I'm noticing I'm changing. Like I'm getting. No, just let me go. But I like, I feel like my face is changing. It's like, at the point where, oh, do I need work? Do I not need work? Why would I get work? I don't believe in work. But I feel the pressure because I'm looking different. And, hold up, I got to put more makeup on because it's winter, and what the fuck is that on my face? I'm just like… You know what I mean? Like, it's all the things, and it's, it's also, like, I made a post about this once, I was like, “Do you feel the the rabbit race of feeling like you have to keep up. Or do you realize, like, fuck it, you know.” And I had a poll on my Instagram story, and it was like, 98% women, “I feel the rabbit race,” so we're willing to make our toxic load crazy just to look pretty. It’s such a contradiction!

 

Coach Kim  27:36

It is and it's so tough. Like, I think you're doing a decent job of acknowledging the fact that you're conflicted. Yeah, it's like everywhere, every time I post. Even some of these clips from YouTube where I go, “Holy shit, Kim, like, look at your wrinkles.” And the simple fact of the matter is, is that I try to keep it in check for multiple reasons, but I… I just can't, I just can't rationalize every every anti-wrinkle cream I've ever bought, nothing fucking works. 

 

Coach Jo  28:07

They don't work. I see all the little tools, and it's just like, what a waste of money.

 

Coach Kim  28:12

What a scam. I'm just sucking the money a roller, the thing I'm looking at. 

Coach Jo  28:15

I'm like, do I buy that roller that rolls up your cheek and makes your skin, not saying? And I'm like, “What am I doing?” Like marketing is winning again. 

Coach Kim  28:17

Marketing is winning .

Coach Jo  28:20

Anyways, let's move on. So prioritizing air quality, this is number seven, like opening your windows, where you can do the big spring, let the wind come through, the summer, the fall. Add air purifying plants, like spider plants or peace lilies. I try to have lots of house plants to just purify my air. And consider using an air purifier to filter out any of your home air. If you have pets, like that might be a thing you want to consider, yeah? Anyways, you want to, number eight, ditch, or try to ditch synthetic fragrances. 

 

Coach Kim  28:51

Huge offenders, huge offenders. 

 

Coach Jo  28:54

So I have a story after I say this, but replace air fresheners, candles, and scented sprays with… I put essential oils if you desire… But I think essential oils are probably leaning on the better spectrum over what is like a thing that you plug in that's full of oil, or those can… Remember what those? What are those blocks of wax we used to put in and heat them up and let them melt in the house? What were those called? Again, there was a whole racket on it where people would sell them. 

Coach Kim  29:19

Scentsys. 

Coach Jo  29:21

Scentsys. Like those were, those are bad.

 

Coach Kim  29:21

Even worse, you go to the dollar store and the one where you peel off the foil label and they have all those scented beads. Remember the scented beads that were in, even in the toilet paper. 

 

Coach Jo  29:31

I know, or those like packs that were scented you'd put in your underwear drawer when you were a kid with your mom… Anyways. But I have a story about that. I was down in Eureka, Montana two years ago, three years ago… I don't remember which when I was down there and Brittany—Brittany, this is about you bitch. We were driving after boating all day, and my cousin Megan was driving, and Brittany had had a few drinks (who didn't? we were on the boat!) and she saw that Megan had two of those Glade plugins for the car—one there and one there—and she came from the back seat over top of every… but she was ahead of the game, Britt, you were ahead of the game. And she grabbed them, and she's like, “What are these? And she threw them out the window. You're, you're killing us in this car.” We laughed so hard. But it's, but it's true, like it's, she's, she's aware of it already. So, good job.

 

Coach Kim  30:19

Yeah, totally, and I will say, like those Glade sprays, even the Poopourri or whatever, they're kind of… Poopourri, like to hide your poop. Seriously. Like, if you almost want to smell shit instead of Poopourri, you know you need to like… 

 

Coach Jo  30:35

You need a break! 

Coach Kim  30:36

Your body needs a break. 

Coach Jo  30:37

I once worked with a girl who was like, “Just don't spray that spray, because I can't… I go in there and I smell poop AND I smell that and I want to die.” She was so funny. Okay, so number nine is eat whole unprocessed foods. We know that's a given. You got to aim for foods as close to their natural state as possible. We even talked about it when I was coaching the noon class today. If it has one ingredient—sweet potato—boom, you're winning! If you look on the back and there's 39 ingredients, and you're like, but it sounds sweet... It's a sweet potato. Like, it's probably not a fucking sweet potato. I'm just trying to be funny here, I'm not shaming. 

 

Coach Kim  31:09

Yeah, no. I don't want it to ever come off as shaming, because we're, we're living it, yeah? And if you can't pronounce the words in the ingredients list, get the fuck away from it. 

 

Coach Jo  31:17

Yeah, and it, and it's going in your body. Yeah? So, like, we've mentioned it in the past, but we're gonna say it again. Like, did it come from the ground? Did it have a mother? Like, you got to think fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and any healthy fats. And the last one is minimizing your stress. Like support your mental health practices like yoga, meditation, journaling, or simply just spending some time outdoors in the fresh air, free of your phone, because stress is a sneaky contributor to toxic load. So that one's key.

 

Coach Kim  31:46

So, removing is good. But here are some extra unconventional ideas that we think are important as well. And the first one is flush your teeth every day and get your dental health checked. More and more, they are linking the health of your teeth and your mouth to the general health of your body. Check for mold in your home, in your washing machine, etc. Especially if you can smell it. If your home smells musty, you might want to consider having a look. If you if your home smells musty and your kids are chronically sick, you might want to invest in having your air quality checked. Support your body by cutting back on the regular assaults. Like Joe said, the colors, the additives, the highly processed food, as well as daily alcohol or weed consumption. Vaping—all so hard on a system that's already taxed, and the people that you know, fight for it as being it‚ “But it's a plant. It's, you know, alcohol, it's fermentation. We've always done it.” Like, yeah, and we were not already this toxic, you know, with air quality, food quality, fake things in our bodies, right? We got to drink adequate water and electrolytes, herbal teas, lemon water. Some people swear, if you don't have a gallbladder, by ox bile digestive enzymes and things like milk thistle to support the liver. But it could be as simple as adding in bitters, like Canadian bitters by St. Francis Herb Farm in the spring is a really nice way to support digestion and elimination, and it’s plants. It's just a tincture of plants that just help you digest better. And that also is the elimination pathway, right? And then, honestly, sweating—if you do not sweat, if you don't ever break a sweat when you're working out, or ever—sweating, is an exceptional way to support detoxification of the body. And generally it's pretty safe, unless you have, you know, an unstable heart condition or low blood pressure, or have had a heart attack or stroke, or aortic stenosis, uncontrolled hypertension, or you're pregnant or have acute infections, fever. Like common sense peeps, common sense. Epilepsy, severe skin conditions, anyone under the influence of alcohol or certain medications. But don't underestimate the power of changing things up subtly to improve your health status and that of your family. Like choosing to drink more water is not a high-risk decision. Eating more cruciferous vegetables, which we didn't talk about in our solutions, but cauliflower, broccoli, broccoli sprouts, cabbage—like those, are all very potent detoxifiers. It's not a high risk decision to add broccoli to your diet. Dimming your house lights at night, or making time every day to not stare at your screen is not a high-risk decision. Like these are great decisions.

 

Coach Jo  34:44

So there you have it. We've broken down what toxic load is. We've identified some of the big offenders and shared practical steps you can take to lighten the load in your daily life. Remember, small, intentional changes are going to add up over time, so don't feel like you need to tackle all this all at once. Start with just something small, like one small swap that feels manageable, and watch how it makes a difference in your life. If you found this episode helpful, share it with a friend who might need it, and don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss our next deep dive. Until next time, stay curious and keep building a life that feels good from the inside out!

 

Coach Kim 35:17

Ciao. 

Coach Jo  35:18

Bye, bye.

Coach Jo 35:20

You probably got a sense of who we are by now and what our personal approach is to developing a lifestyle that creates really great health and strength. Using a relational common sense coaching approach that is backed by knowledge and personal experience

Coach Kim 35:34

There are a couple of ways that you can work with Jo or I, one on one, remote or you can actually train here at Iron Lab. 

Coach Jo 35:42

The first is the Metabolic Blueprint, personalized coaching program, which is customized for your life and your body. 

Coach Kim 35:49

We work together very closely either in person or remotely to help you conquer old diet drama and to get lasting results. 

Coach Jo 35:59

Ideally, we'd love to teach you how to never buy a quick-fix diet program or app again. 

Coach Kim 36:05

Next, there is the accelerator academy, which is up to 12 months of self-paced weekly bite-sized lessons and journaling exercises, that we’ve created to help you create the lifestyle habits that generate a true transformation. 

Coach Jo 36:23

Find out more on our website: ironlablacombe.com/metabolic-blueprint