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About Danielle Pashko
Danielle Pashko is a New York City based Wellness practitioner with almost two decades of experience. She is a holistic nutritionist, certified yoga instructor, licensed massage therapist, fashion model, thyroid cancer survivor and author of “Smile At Your Challenges”.
Connect with Danielle
www.facebook.com/PashkoWellness
www.twitter.com/daniellepashko
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Show Notes
1:51 Danielle’s Journey as a Healer: At 18 Danielle studied with a healer. She became a massage therapist, a reiki therapist, a polarity therapist and a yoga instructor. She also received a degree in nutrition. She combines these modalities to help people. She was also a model.
4:05 Weight Loss Pitfalls: Many people go from unhealthy habits and nutrition in an immediate shift to very healthy habits and nutrition. A slow balanced transition to health is Danielle’s advice. Taking small steady steps and doing small things daily has a big impact.
6:59 Mindset for Health and Good Physique: We fall victim to the view that being heavy is genetic or that it is normal to put on extra weight and have our looks decline as we age. You are not fated to a body you don’t like. By believing you can look better with age and taking the steps to make it happen, it happens.
9:10 Changing Your Mindset: Foremost, you need to focus on being healthy. Becoming healthy, fit and losing weight is only possible if you believe you can do it. Visualize yourself healthy, fit and slimmer. Surround yourself with positive people. Each night before bed, Danielle does a 20 minute meditation and 5 minute visualization, picturing herself as and where she wants to be in her future. Thoughts become things.
12:19 The Joy of Being Healthy: Enjoy your life. Do things in moderation. Be social and happy. Be mindful of what you eat and exercise. If you are too rigid, it’s not going to hold. Your food choices are a reflection of what you become, so choose healthy, natural, fresh, beautiful food. Take pleasure in your food, look forward to it and be thankful for it.
15:48 Meal Timing and Frequency: Sumo wrestlers maintain their weight by not snacking and only eating 1 or 2 very big meals (lunch and/or dinner) per day. Sumo wrestlers also drink a lot of beer and wine. And they exercise. This hits home for a lot of us. To keep our metabolism going, we need to eat throughout the day. Lean children eat small meals and small snacks and keep active throughout the day.
19:50 Intermittent Fasting/Consuming Actual Meals: Intermittent fasting is not daily. It is intermittent. Many of us drink special order coffee and other calorie-filled drinks and have small snacks devoid of nutrients. Since our bodies still do not have the nutrition it needs, by dinnertime, we are ravenous. Our coffee drinks contain a great deal of dairy and soy. Dairy does not affect blood sugar, but it does trigger insulin, which helps us store fat. Soy is not much better.
22:36 Our Struggle with Cellulite: It is easier to prevent cellulite than to get rid of it. Cellulite can be genetic; however, it can be caused by poor quality foods and toxins. One doctor that Danielle interviewed said that grandma underwear, that has elastic at the top of the leg, acts like a tourniquet. After long term use, he said it could cause the rippling effect of cellulite. He recommended that women wear thong underwear. Studies of women in rural areas of other countries showed that they had far less cellulite, which could be from eating less processed foods, an active lifestyle and, perhaps, the lack of undergarments. Lymphatic drainage and massage may help. Women, who are “Skinny Fat”, can also have cellulite. Homeopathic mesotherapy injections and a sort of ultrasound called Vaser Shape may help also. Danielle is not a fan of surgical interventions for cellulite.
27:05 Declining Estrogen Levels: Wrinkles, sagging and increasing cellulite can be the results of age-related hormonal declines. Beyond bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, hormones can be assisted with natural supplements.
28:17 Improving Hormones with Nutrition: Cruciferous vegetables and greens are great for building healthy hormone levels. Drink lots of clean fresh water and work to improve your body’s natural detoxing.
29:00 Orthorexia, the Obsession with Being Healthy: Being so rigid and demanding negates many of the benefits of the healthy lifestyle. It corrupts our mindset, bringing it out of balance. You need to be healthy and have healthy habits, but you need to be able to live and be happy and have your soul fulfilled. It is far unhealthier to have an unhappy spirit than occasionally straying from your diet. You have to let yourself go once in a while for your soul. Maimonides said “Everything in moderation”.
36:08 Health is the Most Important Thing: Diet products, artificial sweeteners and starving yourself is like trying to beat the system. It doesn’t work. We are supposed to move and exercise. We are supposed to eat good quality food. Being healthy on the inside and looking great on the outside are intertwined.
37:36 Danielle’s Herb, Botanical, or Food That She Cannot Live Without: Danielle really likes powdered greens. She especially likes a chocolate green supplement. They have probiotics and give her energy, a little sweetness and she feels she is getting more vegetables.
38:38 Danielle’s Morning Routine: She starts her day with a drink of lemon water and yoga stretches. After breakfast, she showers and walks through Central Park to her office. Some days she goes to the gym.
40:35 One Health Policy Change: Danielle would like to see an end to artificial sweeteners, preservatives and processed foods. Why are we eating things that are not food?
This girl Is the type that makes me crazy!!! It makes me crazy to hear people spew shit cause they read one blip somewhere instead of researching all sides of the coin. She is so contrived. “I am in lotus position during this interview.” Oh a doctor said wear a thong to prevent cellulite. Yea sure doc., u like the string up my ass. Sumo wrestlers eat one time a day and they are obese so don’t eat once a day. Oh intermittent fasting is intermittent not everyday. Look into this further Danielle. Ahhhhhh so contrived.