Author: Julia Dulgerova
I’m beyond excited to announce that the GAPS Youth Movement (GYM) will have its own 2-part lecture series at OnCon 2024, and I, Julia Dulgerova, GAPS Youth Movement Outreach Coordinator, will be a keynote speaker! I’ve always had an interest in what food really does for the body and living on a homestead and having the opportunity to garden has grown my connection to food. Being 18 myself, and graduating from a public high school gave me a perspective of what a modern teen does to care for their internal and external health and truthfully it made me want to help the youth learn about how their choices today will impact them for the rest of their lives. No matter our age, we should take care of our health and wellbeing and it’s never too early to start.
The GYM project was introduced to GAPS in April of 2023. The goal of the movement is to create a worldwide network of young people, ages 10 to 28 who connect to learn about and implement the GAPS Lifestyle. Young people can get involved by forming a cooking club at school or home, starting a garden program, volunteering at local co-ops and CSA farms, or simply by following along on Instagram, YouTube, and more!
For those of you who may not know, GAPS has an annual online conference where keynote and featured bonus speakers share their knowledge on GAPS over 3 full days to a worldwide audience. The theme of OnCon 2024 is “Raising Children the GAPS Way: Helping Your Child to be Healthy at Every Stage of Life”. This means that the GYM plays a vital role at the upcoming conference as youth is our focus.
The GYM lecture track will include useful information for young people about keeping their bodies nourished and healthy, internally and externally. The content of these lecture sessions will educate children and young adults about how to care for their bodies starting at a young age. This can be a wonderful way for parents to help their children gain a deeper understanding about how their health choices in their young years can affect not only their developing bodies, but their future adult bodies as well.
GAPS OnCon GYM YoungStars Series Part 1: Nourishing & Sustaining Your Health from Within
In Part 1 we will address the body from an internal perspective. Exercise, sleep, and recovery are extremely important for good health, but the most crucial part is diet and nutrition. The food you eat today will impact your health for the rest of your life! Having an “I’ll worry about it when I’m older” attitude about nutrition may result in future health challenges that could have otherwise been avoided. The decisions you make right now will stick with you in the future.
Julia will break down ingredients in processed and factory-made foods and why you should avoid them. And, on the contrary, ingredients and foods that are wonderful for healing our gut flora and all the benefits they offer. The state of your gut and gut flora has an incredible impact on all parts of your body, for example bad bacteria’s can cause things ranging from joint pain to mental disorders.
Of all health and wellness aspects, GAPS nutrition should be number one on your list and part 1 of this series will emphasize how to take control of your health from within.
GAPS OnCon GYM YoungStars Series Part 2: Nourishing & Protecting Your Body Externally
In Part 2 we will discuss the body from an external perspective. Our skin is a barrier, but it is also a sponge, meaning that anything we put on our skin is absorbed into our bodies and affects us directly. So many products labeled as “self-care” do much of the opposite and harm our bodies more than care for them.
Julia will discuss how to stay away from common ingredients in hygiene and self-care products and how they can cause damage. And in contrast, she will share GAPS-recommended products and ingredients that will feed your skin and body. For example, silicones can clog pores and make a barrier on your skin that doesn’t allow moisture to seep in causing your skin to be dull and dry while tallow balm has a similar composure to our own sebum, so our skin absorbs the moisturizing effects and benefits from it.
Afterall, the decisions we make and the products we use on our bodies will impact us and our health for the rest of our lives! Part 2 of this series will break down how to nourish and protect your body externally in order to keep the internal body balanced and healthy too.
To learn more about the GYM read here!
GAPS YOUTH MOVEMENT (JOIN THE GYM!) – GAPS Training
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