http://www.rachelclairehhc.com/

Rachel Claire Functional Health, Cottonwood Heights, UT (2025)

09/30/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 + 𝗼𝘃𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘀:

I need to say this out loud: you are being lied to by your period tracking and ovulation apps.

Those “fertile window” notifications? They are guesses.

Educated guesses sure, but still guesses… based on a 28-day cycle (or past cycle length) that most of us don’t actually have. If you have PCOS, perimenopause, thyroid issues, stress, travel, illness, or just a cycle that isn’t clockwork perfect, those predictions can be completely wrong.

Here’s why that matters:

𝟭. Ovulation prediction is not the same as confirmation. The app doesn’t know when you actually ovulated, it’s just counting days and assuming.

𝟮. Your cycle length can change every month. Apps rarely adjust in real time, so you might miss your fertile window entirely or get a “late period” alert that’s actually right on time for your body.

𝟯. Symptom tracking matters more than math. Cervical mucus, basal body temperature shifts, mid-cycle symptoms… those tell the real story.

I love data, but outsourcing your entire understanding of your cycle to an algorithm is a good way to stay disconnected from your body.
Use the apps for logging/tracking (they’re great for spotting trends!), but don’t trust them blindly to tell you if you’re ovulating, fertile, or “late.”

Your body is not a calendar. It’s not broken if it doesn’t fit a chart… it’s giving you data.
Learn to read it!

K love you bye ❤️

09/26/2025

𝗦𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗸…. 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻….

A bit about why you get sick when the seasons change:
Every time the weather shifts, I get reschedules because of sickness. And no, it’s not just bad luck, there’s a real reason why your body struggles during season changes.
Your immune system has to recalibrate when temps swing from hot to chilly overnight. That transition can dry out your sinuses (hello, easy viral entry), mess with your vitamin D levels, and leave your defenses a little sluggish.
Add in less sleep, more stress, and spending way more time indoors sharing air with everyone else’s germs and you’ve got the perfect recipe for catching the latest bug going around.

The fix?

Double down on the basics: solid sleep, balanced meals with plenty of protein + veggies, hydration, and stress management.
Immune support tea I like to add in:
Ingredients:
1 cup hot water
1 slice fresh ginger (or ½ tsp grated)
1 slice fresh turmeric (or ½ tsp turmeric powder)
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp raw honey (optional, for sweetness + antibacterial support)
Pinch of black pepper (helps activate turmeric’s benefits)
Directions:
Add ginger and turmeric to a mug.
Pour hot water over them and let steep for 5–7 minutes.
Stir in lemon juice, honey, and black pepper before drinking.
Why it works:
𝗚𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 + turmeric: Anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting
𝗟𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻: Vitamin C to support immune
𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆: Soothes throat, has antimicrobial properties
𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗽𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿: Boosts absorption of cu

09/23/2025

This is why your workouts aren't getting you the results you want

Most women I work with are doing something to stay active
Walking, spin classes, yoga but they’re frustrated because their bodies aren’t changing.

Here’s the deal:

If your goal is fat loss, better energy, and a faster metabolism, you need to build muscle… and most women just aren’t training hard enough to do it.

Muscle growth (aka hypertrophy) only happens when you challenge your muscles enough that they adapt.

That means lifting a weight that feels hard by the last few reps… think 6–12 reps where you couldn’t do much more with good form. This progressive overload sends a signal to your body: “Hey, we need more muscle tissue to handle this stress next time.” More muscle = higher resting metabolic rate, which means you burn more calories even while sleeping.

If you’re going through workouts with light weights or never tracking progress, your body has no reason to change.

Strength training with intention aka gradually lifting heavier over time is one of the best things you can do for fat loss, hormone health, and longevity.

So if you’re putting in the time but not seeing results, take an honest look at your training.

Are you actually challenging yourself?

09/18/2025

3 Trends to Avoid:

1. 𝗞𝗲𝘁𝗼, 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀

Why?

These diets can deprive the body of essential nutrients or trigger inflammation. Restrictive diets may also disrupt gut health.

Better: Focus on an anti-inflammatory diet tailored to individual needs, like the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) or Mediterranean diet.

2. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 (𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴)

Why?

Extended fasting periods can stress the body, exacerbate fatigue, or cause blood sugar imbalances if don’t incorrectly.

Better: Try balanced meals throughout the day that supports stable blood sugar and energy levels.

3. 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻 "𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆" 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀

Why?

Popular products like turmeric lattes or green juices may not address root causes of inflammation and might even trigger sensitivities in some people.

Better: Identify root causes of inflammation (e.g., food sensitivities, infections, AI conditions, or stress) through testing and holistic care.

Want to learn more? Check out my website!

09/16/2025

Your gut and your immune system : tale as old as time

When people think about the immune system, they usually picture vitamins, hand sanitizer, or maybe that one winter they lived on Emergen-C packets.

But here’s the thing most doctors gloss over:

𝗨𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝟳𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝘂𝘁.

Yep, the little ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, and microbes inside you is basically the control center for how your body fights off colds, flu, and bigger threats.

If your gut flora is thriving, your immune system is smarter, more resilient, and better at regulating inflammation. If your gut is trashed from antibiotics, processed food, or stress (hi, everyone in Salt Lake County and Utah County traffic), your immune system struggles. You’re more likely to get sick, stay sick, or deal with chronic inflammation that makes everything harder… from autoimmune issues to allergies.

Bottom line: if you want a stronger immune system, start with your gut. No supplement, v*ccine, or “detox tea” can compensate for a dysregulated gut microbiome.

PS: If you’re in Salt Lake City, Utah County, or anywhere along the Wasatch Front and want to strengthen your immune system from the inside out, book a consultation with me. We’ll run the right labs, dig into your gut health, and build a treatment plan that actually addresses root causes.

09/11/2025

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do… BUT

NSAIDs can be a “root cause” of some of your gut problems…

NSAID: Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs like…
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), Naproxen (Aleve), Aspirin

While these can help reduce pain and inflammation short-term, they come with real risks to your digestive system especially when taken frequently or on an empty stomach.

Ps. An *occasional* advil won’t kill ya.
Here’s how NSAIDs affect your gut tho:

1. They weaken the stomach lining’s protective barrier

2. Reduce mucus production and blood flow to the stomach wall

3. Can lead to ulcers, gastritis, or leaky gut

4. Increase inflammation and disrupt the microbiome *over time*

Rule of thumb: Only take NSAIDs when necessary, always with food, and explore root-cause healing approaches to chronic pain or inflammation.
If your pain is from exercise… you’re not recovering well and this is the problem to solve not a problem to mask with anti-inflammatory drugs.

Check out my website to learn more!

09/09/2025

This is how I lost weight in Europe

TL;DR - I went to Europe for 6 weeks (yes it was incredible, my favorite country was Spain and Portugal was a close second) and I lost weight.

Anyway, here’s how and why I lost weight (**for educational purposes not a recommended way to lose weight**)
Note: This was not intentional. I did not have a goal of weight loss. I also did not track calories or macros.

Time:
I was so busy USING my time seeing and doing I didn’t think about food other than when it was meal time, I was hungry, or something caught my eye.
I was pretty consistent with eating meals even if the meal times varied so I didn’t ever go too long without eating or skip many meals.
Exercise:
I walked an average of 12 miles a day… that’s equivalent to 28k steps (more than double what I typical do on an average work day).
I didn’t train. Some of the weight loss was muscle loss (not great).
I was standing or walking more than 50% of most days.
Food:
Yes, it is true many places in europe have very fresh food with fewer ingredients than a lot of America.
I was eating less protein (hence the muscle loss).
Mental Health:
Obviously I was on vacation (mostly) so I had much lower stress levels. I noticed this immediately. Stress plays a very large part in weight gain and loss.

Why am I sharing this? I think it’s interesting! When we observe what’s really going on in our lives we can pinpoint how and why our bodies are responding in certain ways.

09/05/2025

𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵… 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀🙊

This isn’t fun to hear, but it’s the truth.

Most* of the chronic issues people battle every day fatigue, hormone imbalances, digestive troubles, stubborn weight, even inflammation-driven conditions... aren’t random.

They’re the product of years of daily choices stacking up.

Skipping sleep, living on caffeine, sitting all day, relying on convenience food, never giving your nervous system a break from stress… all of these chip away at health slowly, until symptoms show up loud enough to notice.

The good news?

Lifestyle is also one of the most powerful levers you do have control over. Small, consistent changes like better nutrition, more movement, stress regulation, and better quality sleep all have the power to reverse or dramatically improve so many of these issues.

The hard part isn’t knowing what to do it’s having the right support and accountability to actually do it.

Luckily I'm here to help. Just ask! Check out my link!

*𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦/𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦.

09/03/2025

𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗧

Let’s talk creatine.

Creatine pulls water into your muscle cells (that’s part of how it works to improve strength and performance). This shift can slightly reduce the amount of water available in other parts of your body.

Extra fluid helps your kidneys process creatine efficiently, especially if you’re active, sweating, or training hard.

While creatine itself doesn’t “dehydrate” you, dehydration risk is higher if you’re not already drinking enough, because your body’s water distribution changes.

Practical tip:

Most people do fine aiming for around half their body weight in ounces of water per day (e.g., 150 lbs = ~75 oz) and adding an extra 8–16 oz if you’re supplementing with creatine — especially around workouts.

If you notice dark urine, headaches, or fatigue, that’s your sign to up the fluids.

This is not medical advice, any supplement changes should be discussed with your healthcare providers.

08/29/2025

I know, MLMs have caused trust issues

The truth is, most people either:

👉🏻 Grab whatever looks trendy on the shelf
👉🏻 Take random recommendations from TikTok
👉🏻 Or assume supplements are useless altogether

But when supplements are chosen based on your lab work and your body’s unique needs, they can make a world of difference.

They’re not meant to replace real food but they can help fill in the gaps your diet or support healing from a sh*tty diet.

This is why I don’t believe in guessing.

I use functional lab testing (like hormone or gut tests) to see exactly where support is needed then I work with an MD to build supplement protocols that are targeted, effective, and not over the top.

✨ Supplements should be strategic. ✨

Anyway… what supplement MLM have you fallen for? And why was it Herbalife or Arbonne??

08/28/2025

This is actually hurting your muscle growth:

Over-doing cardio might be stalling your gains.

Cardio isn’t evil. In fact, it’s great for your heart, circulation, and overall health. But here’s where it backfires: when you overdo it, your body starts fighting against your muscle-building goals.

Here’s why:

𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻: Long cardio sessions eat up the calories your muscles need to repair and grow. If you’re not fueling enough, your body burns through protein (aka muscle tissue) for energy.

H𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁: Excessive cardio keeps cortisol elevated. That stress hormone makes it harder to recover and can slow down muscle repair.

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵: Lifting breaks down muscle fibers so they can rebuild stronger. But running endless miles or throwing in too many HIIT sessions without giving your body rest won’t allow for proper muscle recovery.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: enough cardio to support endurance and heart health, but not so much that it eats into strength gains.

If muscle growth is your goal, strength training + smart recovery should take the spotlight, and cardio should play a supporting role.

And as always make sure you are eating enough protein… if you’re in a calorie or protein deficit all the time, your body will burn fuel, not build.

I know I know it’s so nuanced but if you are serious about your health it’s important to learn these things that might help or hurt your goals!

08/20/2025

Your body whispers before it screams….

The whispers are these weird little symptoms you probably haven’t thought much about.
These unusual symptoms often reflect underlying nutrient deficiencies and can be early warning signs of imbalances that might need correction through diet or supplementation.

Want to test to see what supplements you really should/shouldn’t be taking? I’ve got lab tests for that!
My website has more info!

Rachel Claire Functional Health

09/30/2025

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08/20/2025

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