Live Like a Girl with Dr. Mindy Pelz - Laila Ali: Why I Stopped Trying to Outwork My Hormones

Episode Date: August 17, 2026

Laila Ali spent years training to win. As an undefeated professional boxer, her body was her career. She knew exactly how to train harder, eat less, and make weight when she needed to. Then perimenopause changed the rules.In this episode of Live Like a Girl, Laila joins Dr. Mindy for an honest conversation about what happened when her old strategies stopped working, why she eventually stopped trying to outwork her hormones, and how fasting helped her build a completely different relationship with her body.They talk about long fasts, exercising while fasting, food noise, refeeding, sugar cravings, body image, the scale, stress, and what it means to train for health instead of performance.Laila also shares how she talks to her teenage daughter about fasting, why she refuses to make healthy eating feel like punishment, and the lesson she learned from becoming a boxer against Muhammad Ali’s wishes: sometimes the most important thing you can do is listen to the spark inside you.In this episode, you'll learn:Why Laila stopped trying to outwork her hormonesHow fasting changed her relationship with food and controlWhat she learned from doing longer fastsHow she exercises during a fastWhy refeeding matters after an extended fastHow she thinks about weight, muscle, and body image nowWhy stress can derail even strong health routinesHow she talks to her daughter about fastingWhy she no longer counts macrosWhat Muhammad Ali taught her about following your own path__Resources & Supplements MentionedA Spark of Greatness by Laila AliLaila's Organic Spice BlendsZero Fasting AppFast Like a GirlQualia Creatine+ (use code MINDY for 15% off)Infrared SaunaRed Light TherapyElectrolytes Bone Broth (use code MINDY10 for 10% off)__More on Laila AliA Spark of Greatness by Laila AliLaila's Organic Spice BlendsFood for Life by Laila AliWebsite: lailaali.comInstagram: @thereallailaaliFacebook: @LailaAliFor more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep361__Connect with Dr. Mindy:Join Reset AcademyWatch the episodes on YouTubeFollow Dr. Mindy on InstagramSubscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter for tools and research on fasting, hormones, and metabolic healthDisclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

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and use the code Mindy, and you will get 15% off this amazing creatine complex. So that's Qualia creatine plus code Mindy at qualialife.com forward slash Mindy. Let me know what you think. Hey, Dr. Mindy here, and welcome to the Live Like a Girl podcast, where I bring you icons, disruptors, educators, scientists, and doctors that show you what can be possible when you love and celebrate the female body you are blessed to live in. Let's dive in. About 10 years ago, my scale broke. No joke. It just completely broke. And I remember standing there looking at this cracked little screen and making a decision right then and there that I wasn't going to replace.

it. I was done letting a number decide how my day was going to go, how worthy of love I was, or if I was beautiful or not. And I tell you this because today's guest has the exact opposite relationship with the scale than I have had. Yet somehow, through the art of fasting, we have both landed in the same place, a place that I am lovingly inviting you to land, a place that is free from the self-criticism that gets accompanied by the number obsession, that number on the scale and how it can trigger us. So today's guest has spent her entire career being weighed in public. literally stepping onto a scale in front of cameras, in front of judges, in front of the world, because in professional boxing, the number on the scale decides whether you are allowed to fight.

Ten pounds over and your whole career could wait. So when I tell you this woman knows what it means to have her worth measured in pounds, I mean that in the most literal sense a human being can mean it. And yet somewhere in the middle of an undefeated career and then decades further into her life, she came to a place of peace with her body that most of us will spend a lifetime chasing. Not because the number stopped mattering to her. It still tells her something, but because she finally stopped. letting it tell her everything.

Here's what I love about where she's landed. She still trains like an athlete, pushing her body through five-day water fasts with a weighted vest on an inclined treadmill and never loses an ounce of muscle. In fact, the opposite has happened. She has learned to use fasting as a tool to gain muscle. And yes, I promise you,

The science supports this. She has become such a fasting queen that even in the middle of those long fasts, she still is the one standing at the stove five nights a week, cooking dinner for two teenagers and a husband tasting nothing, seasoning everything by memory, because as she will tell you, life doesn't stop just because her body is in a fast. That's not a small thing. Fasting while feeding a family, pushing your body to new physical milestones while your stomach is empty, looking in the mirror after all of it and asking yourself a totally different question than the one most of us ask. Not do I look small enough, but do I feel

like myself? This is why I have brought you Layla Ali. Layla is a former undefeated professional boxer, an author, and someone who has quietly become one of the most credible voices in the fasting world that I have ever experienced. I'm so proud of this woman and what she has been able to accomplish with her health through the art of fasting. So in this conversation, we get into how she trains through a five-day water fast without losing muscle. This is a question so many of you have asked me. We also learn how she still shows up in her kitchen every single night for her family while fasting herself. Another question that I get asked a lot.

And how she finally made peace with a body that doesn't look the way it did in her 20s. and then decided that peace mattered a lot more than a six-pack. And if you haven't heard of Layla, she is full of motivation. I promise you, not only will this episode inspire you, but it will answer a lot of the questions you all have asked about fitness and fasting. I am over the moon excited to bring you Layla Ali. Let's dive in. Layla Ali, I am so excited to have you here. Let's start with that. Welcome to my podcast.

Thank you so much. I'm super excited to be here. Yeah. So, you know, it's interesting. I've been following your career for a while, and I think it's humbling when professional athletes go into their perimenopuzzle years. And you, as a professional boxer with an undefeated career, how the hell? Heck, did you manage the fitness changes that happen when your hormones change? Oh, it's so hard. I mean, just from the time I retired boxing, you know, I used to have to weigh in, right, to fight. Oh, right. Yes, you weigh in publicly. So weight has always been a thing for me because it's how I kind of know if I'm on track, right? You got to get on that skill.

And for me, just not having the same control that I used to have when I was in my life. my 20s and my life was about, my career was about working out, being in shape, right? And there was always an end goal. And that's something I have to get out of now because I need like, oh, I'm fighting in 10 weeks. Yeah. There's the end and I'm going to go home when I get there. Now there's no end, right? It's just like I've got to take care of myself and continually be focused on being better

at every stage for the rest of my life, right? So that was a challenge for me. I began to say just I used to be able to like, oh, I got to get 10 pounds. off this week, right, in order to weigh in. It's not healthy, but that's what we do sometimes. Yeah. I can't do that now if I wanted to. I can't just get 10 pounds off. My body does not react the same way that it used to. And that was one of the reasons why, and we'll get into that, how I came to fasting, because it put me back in, I felt like, control of my body, right? Yeah. So if you're willing, what were the biggest changes you saw? Because a lot of,

My audience is concerned about belly fat, the visceral fat that just randomly appears as estrogen goes down. The muscle loss, where we just can't seem to lift the same level of weights we used to. And then the motivation to work out seems to go down. What were some of the biggest fitness changes that you noticed compared to when you were a professional fighter? Well, for me, I've always been a big girl. So before I, when I say that, I mean 5-11. I have size 12 feet. I have big hands.

Yes. I literally mean a big girl in comparison to the average size woman. And I was proud of it because, hey, I got 21 knockouts out of my 24 wins for a reason, right? So I came to, oh, this is why my hands are so big anyway. That's the reason I'm going to tell myself. But I would say that, you know, I can carry a lot of weight, right? I've been as big as 220 pounds. I'm about 198 right now.

I'd like to be around 185. When I was fighting, I was 168, right? Wow. So there's a range there. For me, though, because I've had the opportunity to see and feel how it is to be my best, I'm always chasing that. Right. So I measure myself against myself. And that's something that I kind of have to let go because I've, you know, I've like, okay, no matter what I do, I'm never going to be able to get back to my twins.

So it's nice to have that vision. But to answer your question, the hardest thing for me has been just maintaining the weight that I like to be at where I feel most comfortable. So I don't feel too heavy. I don't feel like there's so much strain on my body. And being that I have a thyroid disease I've had since I was 15 years old, I have Graves disease. When I hit my late 30s, it became harder and harder to manage my weight and my mood and just all these things. You know that's a whole hormone situation. Right.

Right. So, yeah. I would say the hardest thing is the weight because, you know, we're very critical of ourselves. I'm very critical of myself. Yeah, most women. Yeah, I'm very critical of myself. Even though I'm as confident as they come. Don't get me wrong.

But what is this little voice in your head, right? This going on, this playing over and over. And that's when I walk by the mirror. It's like, oh, my God, my face looks heavy. Oh, my God, you know, my arms don't look as cut. You know, they just look big. when I'm on TV, that's 10 pounds extra. I just want to look at the way I look in person.

So now I'm like, oh, God, I got to get this extra 10 pounds off. And then I tell myself, then I get on myself for that. And I'm like, just be happy or healthy. What if you got sick or got cancer or something like that? You wouldn't be complaining about the way you look. So then I get on myself. So it's like, we have this constant voices in our head all the time, even the most confident of us.

So that's something we're always, I'm always fighting. Yeah. And I think you bring up such a valid point because I've been really speaking this to my community that there's these voices in our head. And sometimes we didn't make a decision if they should be there or not, but we're still running our life by that. You know, for me, there's voices in my head that my father was very much into looks. And so if I looked a certain way or dressed a certain way on the way

the door, he would make little comments. And here I am at 56, and his voice is still there. And it's really, I think you bring up such an important point that when we go through perimenopause and the muscle changes, that's a big one where the muscle starts to break down, no matter what you do, and you don't see the definition that you used to have, that all of a sudden, how do you deal with that voice inside your head? Have you come up with strategies? Is it just constantly being aware? and talking it through? Do you have a sense of where the voice came from? Because I think a lot of women deal with this. I definitely have a sense of where the voice came from. My mom was very critical of herself. And, you know, so I know I kind of got some of that from her. But I will say that

for me, because I know, and I've done it before, I know what it takes, I see a lot of women that are still in their 40s and 50s and even 60s and toned and ripped. It takes a lot more work. It takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of consistency that I don't want to give anymore. Yes. Me neither. Right. So I can do it. I'm like, yeah, I know.

I can look at someone and say, man, she looks great. I can look that way. But do I really want to do what it takes? No. Because I'm more focused on my children and my husband and enjoying life. I know how hard. It used to come a little easier. I mean, I train full time as a professional athlete.

I'm now training for health, right? Yeah. And just to feel good before I had to train to win my fights, I don't have to train like that anymore. So I'm not going to make working out my life. I'm not going to be just, I just want to be to where I feel comfortable. And we can talk about what I do now. So if I have something coming up and I have a certain goal I want to hit, I know that I can do it. But for me, like I said, remember I told you for me, it's like, okay, I'm doing it to this point.

I don't want to do this for the rest of my life. So what can I do that sustainable that works for me that makes me, that makes me, that makes me feel good. It's all about really finding that balance. Yeah, it's so well said. So a little bit on my background, I was a competitive tennis player, and I played on a tennis scholarship in college. And I used to say I could look at a weight, and I would build muscle. I didn't even need to pick it up. It was like, I'd look at it, and I was always worried about too much muscle, because then I felt like I looked heavy in my clothes. And then I went into perimenopause, and all of that changed. I couldn't build muscle for the life of

me and it became so much more difficult. So let's jump into what you changed. Like when you started to approach this differently, what did you look at? Was it diet? Was it workout? Was it fasting? I know you're, and we're going to get into your, you're a pro faster. And you went from professional boxer to professional faster. I give you that title. And so what changed so that people who are still trying to do what they did at 35 can release themselves from that. Yeah, you can't, you can't, you can't keep up with it anymore. I mean, for me, what change is, okay, so as a professional athlete, I used to go to the gym, right, every day when I was training. Well, six days a week. I'd run every morning. I'd go to the gym in the afternoon, do my boxing workout,

sparring. We already know that's a lot of work on your body getting hit, right? Then I would do weight training three times a week. And I didn't have to really worry about what I ate because I was young and I was burning off enough, right? Right. Now, once I came away from that, obviously, that was a long time ago. I retired in 2007 and I'm now going to be 49 years old on December 30th of this year. So I would be like, I got to just train harder. Whenever I had a goal for whatever reason I want to hit, I would train harder because I was like, I know how to get this weight off. I'm going to go run four miles or I'm going to get on my cycle and I'm going to do all these high intensity workouts and I would work hard, hard, hard, or I would eat less. None of that was

working. Now I know, I was just raising my cortisol, wearing myself out, stressing my body. And I was like, how am I not losing weight? This is crazy. And I actually went to a health and wellness place and I was trying to figure it out. At one point, I even was looking at, they were trying to get me to take the shots that everyone's taken down. I was like, I don't want to do that. I'm like, Wow. That doesn't make any sense. How old were you at this point? This was probably about 42.

Yeah, that's right on time. That's right on time. 42, between 42 and 45. I was really trying to figure it out. It wasn't working. So then I got to the point where I started looking at the fasting, watching videos, you know, going on YouTube. I came across you, watched a lot of your videos.

And I'm like, hmm, then I go down the rabbit hole. And then I learned about the therapeutic fasting and autophagy. And a concern of mine is always in my brain health, all of that. You know, my father had the Parkinson's. And but there were signs early on, you know, just from, you're getting hit in the head for a living, right? You're bound to happen. And I already know my memories a little shady. So I was like, wow.

And you know, as you know, there's so many different levels to fasting. So I started fasting. I bought your book, Fast like a Girl. Thank you. Bought it for like 10 other people. and you already know how that is because I know and there's people listening. I had a group.

I started a fasting group. I love that. Yeah, where I was the one encouraging everybody and I had one friend who actually stuck with it and I was so proud of her. I posted about her on my social media because she hit her goals for her health. She lost 30 pounds and she just,

I mean, she did it all while being a full-time mom going back to school at my age. And I was like, if she can do it, anybody can do it. it, right? I actually want to say one thing on that because it's an important point that I think people need to realize is when you want to make a habit change, the best thing you can do is invite other people into the habit change. And I did the same thing when I first learned fasting. I was like, oh, shoot, I guess I should try this. I had read all the research. And I was like, oh, God, but I had so many. My mom taught me that if you're having a bad day, eat. She,

conditioned me to be an emotional eater. She dieted it all the time. And I was like, go without food. I'm going to die. So what I did is I went to my patients. And I was like, who wants to fast with me? I'm doing a three-day water fast tomorrow. And five women signed up with me. And then I was in. I couldn't get out of it. I was like, I can't let my patients down. And we all did it together. So I love that you brought a whole group into that experience. And what was your reaction once you first started fasting? What was the first thing you noticed? Well, everyone knows how good you feel, right? Right.

So everyone's on a different journey and has different things going on with their health. So sometimes I don't want to pretend and act like that first day or second day or the first time around wasn't horrible because you're used to eating food, right? And you might get hungry. You go through these waves, but you have to know, like you say in your book, you recognize it, it's there, hmm, and then it just kind of goes away and you get stronger and you get more confident as you pass it. What I've seen people do and I've had friends that try to do it is they try to jump in

with the four day. I'm like, don't do that. Right. That's the way to do it. That's not the way I did it. And then I'll check in on them. Oh, no, I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it.

Oh, it's going great. I'm like, she's not telling the truth because I already know. I'm like, you're pretending. You're over there doing something you're not supposed to do. Oh, my God. You're not going to jump into a four or five day fast. And then I call you. on day two. And you're like, oh, I'm, oh, I'm great. Everything's great. Oh, my God. You're so,

you're like a fasting, you're like a fasting detective. I'm like, you're not telling the truth, because I already know. So, but I would just say, I always encourage people to know that every season of your life requires a different approach, right? And everyone is in a different season. We're not all we're going to be at the same place. But I've always been that person, no matter what it is I'm doing, you know, to try to encourage others. And I try to meet them where they're at, right? It's beautiful. So, you know, you can't expect everyone to be at the level that you are, but I stopped trying to outwork my hormones. Fasting removes the negotiation for me because I'm a negotiator when it comes to dieting

and all of that. Yeah, I'm going to negotiate if you, because I believe like a lot, and it's true, like I can be doing a diet and I can eat a peach or something that wasn't on diet and it won't show. So I can't get away with this. I can't get away with it. I can't eat not one grape when I'm fasting or it's going to ruin my fast. And that's why I love it because I don't have to think. Once I make the decision and I stick to it, there's clear boundaries and there's no constant negotiation. It's so, that's freeing to me.

I think that's such a good point. And I've never heard somebody say that before. But this is the way I feel too, is if I know I'm not eating, then when the thought comes up, oh, go ahead and get some food. my brain goes, no, remember you're not eating today. And so there's not like, what food should I get or what I need to make sure I'm eating more protein. I'm eating more.

Like that whole conversation goes away because you just go, no, we're not doing this. We're actually drinking water today. So I think that is a really important point. And what I'm hearing from a lot of people is that even after the fast, that food noise, the way that food talks to us has changed because we've trained. those neurons in our brain to stop screaming at us and trying to negotiate for a different food. Have you noticed that at all, even when you bring food back in? Yeah.

Well, I think we know that hunger passes and the results last longer. And once you, you know, just like with anything else that you're going to be successful in your life, once you realize it, you believe it and you become consistent, it just doesn't have that same power over you. And I don't like healthy eating to feel like punishment. I don't read. Yeah, I think that, yeah, I've always loved food. And that's one of the reasons I wrote my cookbook, Food for Life, and I created my spice blends.

I love seasoning food. I love taking healthy food and, you know, making it taste delicious. My problem is the sweets, but we can talk about that another time. That's my challenge. But eating healthy is just something I've always wanted to do because I want to nourish my body. But I just want to say for some, let me just tell you this. I just thought of, I used to be someone who was like, not eat. I'm never going to do that. Me too. Me too. I was literally that person, not because,

and I had a reason for it. It wasn't just because, oh, I can't do it. It was like, why do I need to do that? I used to even sell a cleanse, like as part of my, I had a nutrition line. I had a cleanse. And you ate, but you cleanse. And I talked to my friends that were doing fasting. And I'm like, I would, I would never talk someone else out of it, but I was like, I'm not doing that. I'm not even going to try to do that until my mind was changed. until I understood the benefits of it. But I always felt like, oh, no, you can juice or you can do all these other things. And those are okay things to do maybe for a certain reason at a certain time. You know, there's so many different ways that we can nourish our health.

I can only say why fasting works for me. And I even have come off of fasting. Like I said I was what I tell you, it was 198 right now. That's because I gained some weight back. You know why? Because. And again, remember, Weight, I know people have this sensitivity with weight.

Wait for me, I don't look at it like everybody else because I wait in for a living. Wait for me. I don't have a bad relationship with the scale. Like, I weigh myself because I like to know where I'm at. It doesn't make me feel bad. It just, I know what my best weight is, right, for performance and just not just performance, but also just how I feel. So it just kind of reminds me like, oh, okay, you need to tighten up because you're not

where you need to be for me. So it's just a measuring stick for myself. It's not for everybody. But I had this puppy that I had and it was a very stressful situation. Then my other third dog is a senior and I underestimated how tough that was going to be. And I don't have the dog anymore. I ended up having to give her back to the breeder because she turned out not to be a good fit for my family. But during that time, I had a hard time staying committed.

focused on the things I needed, not just the fasting, but sleep, taking my supplements. And I was very stressed because I had a lot of my plate, other things going on family-wise. And I fell off the wagon. As we all do. Yeah, right. And that's why I'm sharing this. And what I mean by that is even somebody who reached her goals with fasting and was like, I'll never go back to not fasting.

I feel great. Like, you know how you say in your book, like, you got to stop? We don't want to stop because, you know, when you're fasting for your cycle because of the hormones. And I had a show that I need to do. And I hadn't been done a show in years. And I was like, oh, I need to get this 10 pounds off. So I feel my best. And I did it.

But I didn't do it during according to my cycle. And then I started a bad habit of just fasting whenever I wanted to because things would come up. And I did throw off my cycle. Ah, look at that. Yeah. at least all I thought because I'm also 48 years old. So I was like, well, maybe my cycle's just going away. You know, it's been a little sporadic. Um, so it went away for like five months. And I was like, oh, my cycle's gone. I'm going through pair of in paws, you know. And then it came back.

Um, you know, during this time that I wasn't fasting. And I was like, oh, it's back. And then it's gone again. So it's like, so that's where I'm at right now. I just want to say, I don't have all the answers, but I'm like, okay, so now I need to start doing the fasting with the moon, right? Yeah. But I'm like, so that's what I'm doing. Yeah, that's a classic perimenopausal situation. And I just want to point that out too, because you start fasting and you lose the weight that you are gaining from the hormonal shift that's going on.

You get so excited about it that you do more and more. You maybe do it sporadically like you're talking about. And then you lose your cycle. And then you're like, wait, is this perimenopause? What is this? And you're not sure. So you actually did the right thing. Then you brought food back in.

The cycle started. And now where you're at, following the fasting cycle, according to the moon, is exactly right. You get an A plus plus. I feel like you're like a star student. But I see so many people who are like perimenopausal women shouldn't fast. And I'm like, no, no, no. actually perimenopausal women need to fast. It's just a little more abstract like you just pointed out. If I'm wrong, I don't want to be right. I'll tell you that right now. There's a little saying, right? Because

for me, again, I'm the type of person that I'm going to do what I feel is right intuitively. But also, I listen to my body. I'm going to listen to you, a fasting expert. And I'm going to I'm going to be like okay whatever I'm gonna because again there's so many people like as you know that have opinions right so I'm gonna choose what feels good for me and I'm like hey you know it is what it is but I'm gonna take accountability

I can say I know what I did because you said don't do this and I did it anyway because I yeah because I knew I had a show and it was a situation that I wanted to do and now I'm like okay yeah that was that was true you know, but I am at a place where I'm not, I'm not really worried about my cycle. I went back. So I started to say I wasn't fasting at all.

You already know when you're stressed, cortisol is high, all of that. Naturally, I'm done. Yeah. And I said in the beginning, I'm naturally, this is kind of the weight I, my body likes to settle at around 200 if I'm not being intentional about doing certain things. But I'm not going to say I haven't had a donut or two. You know, it's not like I can say, oh, I've been eating. it perfectly and I just stopped fasting and I gain weight. No, I've ordered a piece of for the kids. I had a couple slices. I kind of let go what I would call my version of letting go.

Never like everyone's version of letting go is different than the next person. So my version of letting go. And guess what? The fasting has given me the confidence to know that I can get right back on the wagon. That's what I love, Mindy, because and my friend that I told you about to loss her weight too. When she says, oh, we're checking in, hey, how's it going, girl? She's complaining about whatever. You know, we ran on each other and she's like, oh, I gained five pounds or whatever. And I'm like, well, girl, you know, you can get that off. It's not a big deal, right? Because again, again, the weight is just one of those things where you're like, okay, if you want to keep yourself in check where you know you feel at your best and you know you've been

overdoing some things that you shouldn't be, it's just a way to check yourself, you know? So everyone has a different goal with that. That's a beautiful way to look at that. I'm sorry. I just, because I deal with so many women who are obsessed with that number on the scale. And I'm like, don't, don't look at it. Like, my scale broke like 10 years ago. And I'm like, you know what, I'm just going to try not using it. And I want to go based off how I feel. And you just said something because you've been a scale watcher because that was part of your profession.

You found a number that you are happy with, that you're happy with. was that just a function of looking at the scale and then looking at your body and saying, am I comfortable? How do you come to peace with that number? I don't know. I think it's different with different cultures, too. You know, with African-American women, we like to be heavier, right, or thick. Like my husband likes me more bodacious. He likes my curves. And I'm like, I don't, you know, my pants don't fit the same. So obviously it's not just a look.

It's like my clothes don't fit. I need to fit in my clothes. You know, there's a certain size. So, you know, for me, I just like to feel athletic. I like to feel. Yeah, I like to feel. I know what I look like when I'm doing what I'm supposed to do for my body. I know what I look like when I'm not stressed, when I'm eating clean, when I'm doing my

workout. And my workout will talk about has changed. I know how it feels. if I don't have that feeling and that vibe and that weight, I know I've been off. It's for a reason. And I know that some people have a harder time because of the hormones. But I'm not at that point yet anyway. Who knows if it's coming where I'm not in some sort of control.

When things are off, a lot of times I can pinpoint what I do. Yeah, exactly what happened. And sometimes I'm going through something right now as we speak where at like two or three o'clock in the day I get really tired. I'm talking about like fatigue to where I feel. like I can go lay, I need to go lay down. And my husband's like, oh, you're just tired. And it's so annoying to me because he thinks he has the answer all the time that you just, you just need to sleep. That's a whole other show. That's a marital show. I'm like, it's not sleep, babe. I know, I know my body. Like, I have these hormones. So it's like that, you know, it's almost like my

thyroid medication is off, you know, where I'm dragging myself, right? So that's a challenge. again. So things come up and I might go get my blood work done and try to figure it out. But I think that for me, to answer your question about the scale, like I said, I have a range that I know is for me and I don't get upset because it's not about, oh my God, because if you tell most women, oh, I weigh 200 pounds, that sounds like a lot. But I'm 511. Like I said, I was saying, not if you're feeder size 12. Yeah, yeah. Like I'm not overweight, you know, so you You can't go by just a number. You have to know what feels good for you, right?

And if you're not happy with what you see, then continue working at it. Continue working at it. You know, it's about being healthy is the main thing. And health is beautiful. And I think what I hear in this that I really want to pull out for women is you created a relationship with your body that was just about you and your body. And you were like, this is the number that this is my range. It wasn't about impressing anybody else.

it was like, this is how I want to feel. I had the same, when I went through perimenopause, I remember having this moment of like looking at my belly and thinking, do I, does that really bother me? Like maybe women are supposed to have a little extra weight. Maybe I didn't have enough weight before. And like all of a sudden I started asking myself different questions. Like, do I mind that? It's just a little poof on my belly.

Is it really that big of a deal? Am I still? trying to get a six-pack? Maybe I'm never going to get a six-pack. Like, I think perimenopause offers you all that analysis where all of a sudden you go, okay, wait, I want to live in a body that I love. I don't care what the rest of the world thinks. And that's what I really heard in that answer, which is so beautiful for a professional athlete to get to that point. So. Absolutely. Like I said, it's a lot of, there's a lot that goes on in our heads. And it's really about finding that balance within yourself.

Yeah. Talk to me about your long fast because I love that you love long fasts. There's some really interesting new research coming out that is really showing that they're separating out the short fast from the long fast. And they're saying that if you want that deep healing, you really need to go over three days or more. And I know you've got a family. You go on these long fasts.

you have to cook for your family. How many long fasts have you done and what has been your experience with it? Well, let me just say that life does not stop because I'm fasting. Okay. Excellent. That's it. I have a daughter who's 15. My son is 17. My husband, I cook pretty much five nights a week.

Every day, it's what's for dinner, mom? What's for dinner? What's for dinner? And, you know, that's a commitment that I made years ago because I understand the value of eating clean, healthy food and coming together at the table. So I make the decision to fast. I remember when I first started fasting, I wanted everyone to know because I almost want a medal.

Like, I'm fasting. Yeah, of course. I'm on day three. Like, I'm superhuman. Like, you guys are eating. I'm not eating and I'm still going and I wanted everyone to know, right? Or sometimes I would complain and be like, well, I can't eat because I'm fasting. And then it kind of would bring the kids down because they were like, why, mom?

Because they don't understand. Like, why are you not eating? So I learned to find that balance. Like everyone doesn't need to know when I'm fasting. It doesn't need to be. I'm not talking about outside of my family because you already know you're going to get opinions and all this extra energy. I don't feel like dealing with that. For me, first of all, I prepare mentally for a long fast.

Okay. Great. So what I have found is that because I'm a little OCD, ADD, and, you know, I obsess over certain things when I'm fasting, I'm like, I should have ate an olive. I should have had that nut. I should have had like little things like that. Interesting. You don't know, you appreciate it. You have funny how that works.

Yes. Now I'm like, oh, oh, all these things. So now I'll have the things that I think I'm going to want before I fast. So just for myself, because I know mentally I'm going to be thinking about those things. Then I remind myself of that I'm going to feel hungry and that's okay. I'm just going to push past it. So when it comes up, it's not a big deal. then in the moment when I get, you know, through those waves of hunger or the family, I'm cooking for the family, because I'm still cooking and preparing meals.

Yeah. I'm like, that food will be here. Okay? The food will be here. Yeah. And I think about how wonderful I'm going to feel when I reach my goal, when I did what I said I was going to do. That's what I counteract those feelings of how great I'm going to feel and how quickly that time is going to pass. because when I'm on day one is, day one and day two are the hardest for me when I'm doing five days is the longest I've gone.

Because once you hit day one or day two, you think, man, I still have three more days. And when you're on day three, you're like, I still have two more days. You know, and I like to use fasting apps because I like to look at it and look at the hours that I pass. There's one called zero that I really like. Yeah, I was going to say which one's your favorite? I use zero, yeah, but I just like that it shows you how many more hours you have, how many hours you have to go. It just makes me feel good when I look at that. Whatever you need to mentally, because it's very mental, there's a lot of self-talk.

I mean, I'll be sitting in my computer and nobody can hear me, but I'm thinking to myself, girl, it's okay, keep going. Yeah, that food will be there when I have those moments because I might get angry or I might get stressed about something. And then you feel like you want comfort of food. And I notice that. now I'm realizing these things that I may not have noticed before that I'm not even hungry. You know, it's just that I'm like, hmm, let me go get, you know, I just want to put something in my mouth. So I will say that coffee has helped me a lot. Yep, agree. I'm a coffee drinker. And I know from reading your book that I was like, if I need the coffee to get through, so I was

relying on coffee a lot because I like coffee. I like the flavor of coffee. I did too. And I was even doing it with some cream in the beginning. But then I waved myself off because I was like, if this is what I need to keep me in it, so I feel like there's something I can go have. And obviously the electrolytes, of course, you definitely need to have and the water you need to have. And I still take my supplements. But the hardest thing, what some people would think is cooking for the family. It's actually not hard for me because I feel in so controlled.

What's hard is not being able to taste the food. But because I cook so much and I use my own seasonings, I kind of know. how much to you use and then I'll say hey can you taste this and just make sure I don't need more salt or something and every once in a while that didn't taste good I'm like hey oh well I'm fasting so eat it anyways yeah they're like they're like just make stuff you know how to make don't try anything new like and I'm like I didn't mean to but but yeah so and then some days I'll be like you know what I'm not cooking tonight you guys figure it out you're on your up I just don't feel like it so yeah how many of you felt your brain go offline the minute you hit

40s. When my brain started to go offline in my early 40s, I was crazy scared. I went from being the woman who could hold everything together to not being able to get through a full work day. The positive thinking that had always been my superpower, it just disappeared. Worst case scenarios replaced it. Anxiety I didn't recognize. A version of myself, I didn't sign up for. I thought something was deeply wrong with me. And then I went looking for answers. What I found didn't just help me. It changed the entire way I understand what it means to be a woman moving through this season of life. Your brain is not broken.

It's remodeling. That's why I wrote, age like a girl, to really lay that out for all of you. It's part science. It's part my own story. The messy, humbling, ultimately beautiful story of a woman who had to fall apart a little before she could figure out. who she actually was. If you're in that right now, I want you to know you are not alone, and this is not the end. It might just be the beginning of the most powerful chapter of your life. So age like a girl. It's available now at Dr. Mindypells.com slash books. And please know,

I am always cheering you on. You know, we have a fasting group on Facebook. I don't know how many people learn it now, but last I looked, it was like 150,000 people. And everybody shares their fasting story. Do you know one of the most common things that people share is they actually like to cook food when they're not when they're fasting? It's like they don't feel as deprived. Like they're touching it, they're smelling it, they're in the experience. They can be in community with it, with their family. So it's surprising to me that a lot of people are that way. The other thing I wanted to ask is A question I got a lot in my clinic was moms would say to me, I'm worried that my daughter, my teenage daughter is watching me not eat and is worried.

I'm worried I'm setting her up for an eating disorder. Have you had a conversation with both of your kids, but you mentioned you have a teenage daughter about why you fast? Yeah, so my daughter has asked me, and that's why I said sometimes, you know, I don't bring them into it quite as much. Like, they don't need to go through all the emotions with me. But she's like, why aren't you eating, mommy? Why aren't you eating?

And I'll say, Sydney, what I'm doing, I know you may not understand, but it's for health reasons. It's good for my health. I'm giving my body a break. You know, my body is cleansing itself. I know it's a lot to understand, but that's why I'm doing it. And then I, because I've talked about this before and just my, with my brand, Layla-Lolly lifestyle. And I've talked about my real goal about health. health and wellness, and my why is wanting to be here for my family. I truly believe that we are

in control of our health when it comes to what we choose to put in our body, what we choose to have, you know, you know, your skin is your largest organ. Oh, yeah. So we're using all these products and all these chemicals and all these scents and all these makeups and all these things. We're getting our nails done. And I'm not a fanatic, but I am someone who's very conscious of, you know, the detergent I buy and everything I use, you know, I'm not burning candles and plug-ins and things all around the house because all the neurotoxins and, you know, I'm going to pick my poison. I wear makeup, right? So I know, but I know that I'm putting something on my skin, but I'm not going to use 50 different things. I might choose three and then I might cut out some rest. So for me, it's all about

finding that balance. But what I don't want to do is also have a bunch of processed food and all this junk. So I teach my children. I've been teaching them for a long time because they're those kids that don't have the same snacks as the other kids. I still. Right. And mine work too. Yeah. So they're like, well, you know, but I let them have, like I said, I order pizza.

Like, they can get pizza. I'm not going to make them afraid of the world. I'm going to teach them that, you know, our body can only take so much, so much load, right? So, you know, pick and choose because, and cleanse. Cleansing is so important because you got to move off planet Earth at this. point if you if you want to agree oh my gosh it's in the waters it's in the airs and the food it's in the grass you know you're i can be using organic in my garden because i do have a garden you know i'm not using roundup and all that but my neighbors are right so i'm like and then the rain rains on my food

and what's in the rain so it's like i'm not going to like be afraid to live this life because at the end of the day i feel like god is in charge right but when you know better you do better so i to answer your question i know it was very long-winded but my children have seen me do a lot. They see me getting my infrared sauna. They see me, you know, using red light therapy. They see me, you know, jumping on my, what do you call it, Brie Bounder. All these, I'm thinking, like, what are you doing? I'm like, all these little things that I do, I tell them, look, you may not understand, you will at one, but just know, I'm doing it for health and whatnot. I grew up watching my mom, because people always think about my dad,

because he's Muhammad Ali in the greatest of all time. But my mom, you know, you know, used to take really good care of herself. And a lot of it was for vanity reasons. But she always ate clean. I'm talking about she would literally, we would be driving down, we lived in Malibu at one point, driving down PCH and she'd be hungry.

She'd fill up the car for gas and she would get, there was like a PC greens like next door. And she would go in there and get a bag of lettuce and eat it like a bag of chips. Like, whoa. That's how my mom did. And as a kid, I was like, ew, but I grow up now. I'm an adult and I remember.

So for those women who are worried about their daughters, I think it's important for us to explain to them why they're going to connect the dots. Don't make it about weight loss. Weight loss is great. Let's not pretend we don't all want to feel comfortable in our bodies. That's different for all of us. But it really is about the health reasons because you can do a lot of things just to lose weight, right? You can do a lot of things. If you want to just go get a shot nowadays, you could just lose weight.

So if you're thinking about fasting, you obviously understand there's more to it than just losing weight. It's about taking control of your health. It's about being healthier. It's been programming. And I'm in control. Like, I know what I need to do, right, in order to stay on top of my health and wellness. How do you build your workouts? Like, do you work when you do a three or four day or five-day water fast, like, what do you do with your fitness?

So for me, I like, because of the research I've done, I like doing the walking on an in-con. I have a treadmill. I like to walk because then I don't have the excuse of the weather here in Georgia where I live now. It's very hot and muggy outside. I don't feel like talking to the neighbors sometimes. I just don't. So for me, I rather just go get on my treadmill. And guess what?

I can also do work if I need to, you know, if I have to on my phone or if I want to read or just watch a podcast, whatever. I get on the incline. I'll go on a, for me, I'll go on a 10 incline at about 2.5 to 2.8. So slow, but I also have my 25 pound weight vest on. So I like to make it harder, right? So if I want to increase that, you know, obviously I can increase the speed. There's different things I can do. So I'll do that for 30 minutes to an hour.

Sometimes I get so caught up in what I'm doing. I'll just do an hour. I also cycle after dinner because I learned about that about, you know. Yeah, that's a good one when you're eating. It's a great one. Yep, because I don't want to go outside and go for a walk again with the weather or the rain or it's nighttime. So I'll literally, I move my bike up to the, because I have a gym in the house, but I move the bike up to the family room area.

And the family might be watching TV and I'll get on my bike for like 20 minutes. Not going fast, just moving my legs, simulating, walking. That has been really good for me. But to answer your question, so I'll do the walking. I'll also do hot, hit, high intensity workouts. So I might some days, I'll walk for 30 minutes, then do like 10 sprints on hit, where I'll jump off and on the treadmill and put it on like an 8.5 or a 9 and just run really fast for 15 to 30 second sprints. That way I'm getting that growth hormone and all of that and, you know, that fat.

And you're double stacking. You're double stacking if you're fasted and you're doing that. You're getting your double stacking. That's just for the first two days, though, because then my energy kind of trails off where I don't feel like I'm going to push myself that hard with the actual hit workouts. So then I'll just focus on the walking because what I don't want is I don't want to make my body feel like, okay, I need to eat now because that's the other thing. Like when I let go of a lot of energy.

As an athlete, I'm used to having a protein shake or something. So I keep it kind of easy so that I'm not spiking my cortisol. I'm not out of breath, but I'm getting that burn and I'm getting into that atopathy faster by using up all of the glycogen that's in my body. So there's so many different levers that you can pull depending on what your goal is. But if I can get into that deep therapeutic atopathy, not topogy, fasting, quicker than I do the thing. I see how you're, yeah.

I see how you stack this. So I just want to repeat this because one of the big things I preach is everybody can do these fast differently. And a lot of times I get asked like, what's the right and the wrong? And I'm like, sometimes there's no right or wrong. There's just different ways. So the first two days, you do the treadmill with the rucking vest and you do hit training. And then on like the third day, you start to.

And as we both know, but the audience might not, those are definitely growth hormone stimulators and autophagy stimulators, what she's doing at. Even the rucking vest on an incline, if it feels enjoyable, is also lowering cortisol. And so you're still doing, you're still within a good neurochemical situation, but then on the third and the fourth and the fifth day, you just walk. You bring it down. Yeah, I walk and I also, sometimes I just wear the vest around. the house. I have two. I have the 25 pound and I have a 16 pound because a 25 pound when that's on you feel it, right? But I can carry that though because of my size. But the 16 is kind of really

easy for me. It's just there. But I do do sit-ups and push-ups because I can do them just not quite as many. And I do the female push-ups, you know, the modified push-ups. Oh, listen to that. I want everybody to hear that. Layla-A-A-A-Lie does the female. Yeah. I do. I do. too. I do too. Like, yeah, because we should. Yeah. I didn't. The funny thing is I never have. Even when I was boxing, I never did them. Yeah, amazing. Yeah. So, but yeah, and I, and I never could do pull-ups. And I, and I knew one of my trainers tried to get me doing it. And I was like, I'm good. I don't want to do it. I'm good. I do so many other things. It's okay. And I'm okay admitting that. So I really try to get that burn doing them the other way. So, but like I said, I also listen to my body.

because I've noticed that some, I've had, I've done a five day fast before. We're on the fourth day, I started feeling like, maybe I need to break this fast. And I might have had like four more hours to go and I just broke the fast. You know, because other things might be going on in my body, you know, and I just break the path. So, yeah, listen to your body. Okay, I have something I've got to say that I really think a lot of women need to hear. If you've ever followed a health program and it didn't work, check this out. This is not your fault.

I promise you, let me explain. Most fitness programs, most fasting protocols, most dietary advice, it was researched on men. It was designed for men and then handed to women with a shrug and I here you go, hope this works for you. But here's the thing. You operate on a 28-day hormonal cycle. The foods you eat, the length of your fast, even the intensity of your workouts, all of it needs to be timed to where you are in that cycle to actually get a result. This is the science I teach inside my reset academy.

This is the science that I have researched for over a decade. And inside my academy every month, I walk you through it in a very practical and actionable and way. And it's actually built for your body, for a feminine body. body so it's going to work. I promise you, I see it over and over again. This is a moment to get back into relationship with this beautiful body that you are so blessed to live in. So if you're ready to finally understand this incredible body of yours and work with it instead of constantly fighting against it, come find me over in the Reset Academy. That's resetacadadademy.com. I'll see you there.

And have you, you know, a big fear that people have is you'll lose muscle and that you're permanently when you start fasting. Have you had that experience? No. And I actually get on a body, is it called a DECA scan where they'll scan the body? And no, I actually did not lose muscle. I gained muscle. And I will say this. When I do a five-day fast, I'll lose, and you know, a lot of it's water weight, but I lose like 13 pounds, right? Right. And I love the way I look. I'm like, ooh, but everything does look flatter, okay?

Right. So my butt doesn't look as lifted. But guess what? It comes right back. It fluffs right back. Right. So it's like that, you know, it's like your body has a weight, you know, when you're letting water go and everything, it'll go down and then it'll come back up,

especially if you eat a can of sardines or some salmon or something like that. It depends. You know, have your protein. So, but I'm definitely not going to lose muscle. It's not like I'm doing a 40-day fast and I'm going to keep doing it back to back to back to back. Like that much is not going to change. And the health benefits way outweigh what I'm worried about with my looks. You know what I mean?

In terms of muscle, but no, I haven't lost it. Yeah, the research actually shows that in the refeed, you can actually regrow muscle even stronger than if you had dieted and worked out through a different lens, the calorie in calorie out kind of thing. And ketones preserve muscle. So when you go into the state, you're right, it looks flatter. And the reason it looks flatter is because the water's coming out of you and your body's breaking down all the old. So I love your approach.

What have you noticed about cognition? Because I know that's a big concern for you. When you fast, are you seeing better mental clarity? What I love about fasting is how it makes me. feel more than anything. That's why I was like, I'm never going to stop this. You know, and I read that in your book. Before I started going for the five-day fast, I read it. And like I said, I was one of those people who's like, I am not going to not eat. I did not believe people that said they felt great. I'm like, yeah, right. How do you feel great? Like, so I can still remember how I

felt when I'm talking to people. But I feel great. I'm so clear. You know, everything is so clear. And it's going to take more time because I've been doing it now going on two years. It's going to take more time to see if it's going to last or if it's just, is it just when I'm fasting? But that was part of my theory I was trying to figure out. Remember I told you that I'm going through something right now where I feel fatigued. I feel tired. I think something's going on my body. But I hadn't been fasting regularly.

And the first thing I thought was that's because I stopped fasting. Like I don't, I just feel at my best when I'm fasting. When I say fasting, I'm saying I'll do a five-day fast. My goal, perfect picture for me is to do a five-day fast, maybe quarterly, right? Okay. Or even if it's two times a year, but we're quarterly. And then I like to do maybe like a three-day fast once a month. And then, you know, but then be doing the information.

minute fasting where I like to cut off my eating. I would like to say sundown, but sometimes it doesn't get dark in Georgia until 9 o'clock and then sometimes 6 o'clock. So for me, that's a hard one. I like to fat, I like to eat dinner, then start my fast. So I get that, you know, I wake up in the morning. You've already done X amount of hours. That's me. So I like to stop eating by like 8 or 9 o'clock at night on average and then I start eating again at like two in the afternoon. Like I haven't eaten today yet. I feel fine. I'm going to eat after the podcast. Me too. I haven't eaten today either. Yeah, I'm like, but what I love and let me tell you this, it literally makes me look 10 years younger. Like after I do a five day fast, not right after,

but the two weeks following after your body refeeds. And one of the biggest mistakes I was making, even after reading your book, even knowing the refeed is so important. It's so important. And I'm doing it wrong. Yeah. Like I know, remember I told you about me and negotiating? Mm-hmm. Once I'm like done and I get to eat, I would tell myself, you can have a donut because you did this.

Oh, yes. Yes. The award. It was so bad because I would have things that I shouldn't. have because I was just so happy to be able to eat again. And even if I'd be like, my stomach's fine. Because, you know, they say take your time, ease into it. My stomach would be fine. So I was more focused on how I felt more so than not realizing, no, it's what you refeed with. It's going to fuel your cells and all, you're building new cells with the food that you eat. So now I'm, I've taken

my game up to where I'm like, okay, I'm going to have the bone broth. And I'm going to be to have the eggs and the sardines and the avocado and sourcrow. And I had those things, but I also had a donut with it. So now I actually break my fast properly. Like if I'm going to build cells, what do I want to build those cells with? That's really my first priority, right? And then I do start eating faster. You know, like I might even have a big meal that same day for dinner, but it'll be a steak and salad. But, you know, I, my stomach's not sensitive when it comes to starting to eat again, like some people's might be. But I really prioritize really, really healthy foods. Like I have the sea moss now and just different things. Oh my God, I tried the sea moss recently.

Yeah. Yeah, are you, a lot of people are obsessed with protein right now. And one of the things that I was like, this is crazy. We've gone from counting calories to counting macros. Like, when do we as women get to not count anymore? And so I feel, personally, I feel like the protein's gotten out of control. But do you, do you, are you counting your macros in any way, shape, or form? No, no. Because like you said, there's always some fad, right? There's always some fad. And I don't think that, again, people can do what they want to do.

And that's what I meant when I said you look at these people, you can go online and look at these influencers and they're like, this is what I eat in the day. And this is, okay, if you want to do that, fine. Yeah. That's not what I want to do. Okay. Right. So for me, yes, I know. Just from what I know, and I know a lot over the years about eating and food and about how much I should eat.

I'm going to eat protein and I'm going to eat veg. I might have a little sweet potato or a little rice or whatever, you know, but my main meal is going to be the veggies on my plate, you know. And I love salads, like I said, and then I'm going to have a healthy protein. The quality of the food to me is really important. You know, like where are you going to get your meat and where you're and you've got to get the best you can afford because everybody can have the same budget. Yeah, the highest quality. Food is so expensive now. But I rather eat a smaller portion of a high quality than get a bunch of junk, you know?

Yeah, me too. And you don't need to eat as much. Actually, the research on the ultra-processed foods is when you eat it, you actually eat 500 calories or more a day because it stimulates appetite. So you have to eat more food, which costs more money. So what about carbohydrates? Do you fear carbohydrates? because a lot of people get so obsessed with the macros that they're like,

I'm never eating bread again. Do you eat bread? I do. I found a brand that I like. And then you find out things about brands that you like. And you're like, oh, man, I can't have that anymore. But there's a brand I like called Hero right now. And it's bread that's high fiber and, you know, it's non-GMO and all of that.

And I'm not a big bread person, let me just say. You don't crave it. That's not, yeah. No, no. Like I'm a sweets person. But bread I do like, though. I'm like, but I don't, I'm not, like, I won't just go make a sandwich for lunch. That's not my thing.

I'm fine having a lettuce-wrap burger. Like, I don't need the bun. But I do sometimes just want a piece of toast with butter on it. So I use this hero bread and it's high fiber. So it balances things out. And I just look for better alternatives. And I want to live like, don't, I don't tell myself, I can't have this. I can't have this because then you want it more.

You know, if I want something bad enough, I just have it. One day is not going to hurt me. But what are you doing 90% of the time is most important? Like, I was with my family taking the kids school shopping yesterday. And my daughter was like, I want ice cream on the way home. I was like, okay, we'll stop and get ice cream. And I got sorbet. And it just didn't matter.

You know what I'm saying? So yeah, yeah. Just don't bring it home. Don't bring it to the house. That's one of my number one rules. is you do not, I do not put food that I cannot resist in my home. Because like outside of my home, like one of my favorite things is sweet potato fries. I love sweet potato fries.

So I can't get sweet potato fries in my home. I'd have to go out of the house to get it. So I think that's a really good rule. What else have you found for your sugar? Because you've said this a couple of times and a lot of people have sugar cravings. Have you found any cures for it? So I use, and nothing I'm saying I'm saying is the best. I'm telling you what works for me.

I've used over the years. Yeah, of course. Yeah, I've used xylitol over the years, long as it's from a non-GM source, like birch trees. Right. I like that because to me it tastes and bakes and cooks like sugar. I also use stevia, even though very little because it has a very strong taste. Yeah, I don't like the taste to stevia. Yeah, I don't, I can do a sprinkle of it in my coffee.

You know, there's monk fruit, there's dates. But what I know about fasting, when I'm fasting, there's no sugar, meaning like if I'm really on, like, if I'm trying to like meet some sort of a goal, I'm not going to have sugar because it's still, no matter of the substitute, it's still going to act the same way in your body. So you have to know these things. But if I'm baking something, like I started, when I started on my keto journey, I was like, oh, I can make a cheesecake and I would do the cheesecake and then I would use, you know, there's the stevia or the monk fruit or, you know, different blends. So if I'm going to have something, I'm going to have a healthier version of it. I'm also, you know, I'm actually allergic to wheat. I'm allergic to cow's milk. I didn't know this until I did my blood work.

So I think it was making me puffy. but other than that, I didn't feel it until I got my blood work. So, you know, I just try to stay away from certain things for the most part. But, yeah, I love sweets, you know. So if I can find a recipe that I can make at home, then I'll be happy. Even if it's yogurt and I put some chia seeds in it and hemp seeds in it and fruit and nuts, just something sweet. Something to get that sweet. Yeah.

Burst. Yeah, I can totally. I do blueberries a lot. I'll do like blueberries and Greek yogurt and like pour just a little bit of honey in it. If I have a sweet tooth and that sometimes can just be absolutely enough. So I want you to talk about two books you've written because one you have coming out. But before you do that, talk about it was a cookbook you wrote, right? Was that the first?

Was it a wellness book with recipes? Yes. I wrote a cookbook. It's called Food for Life. And I have a passion for, actually here it is right here, for healthy foods, comfort foods, prepared in a healthier way. So this is my cookbook, Food for Life. They came out in 2018.

And then I also have my organic spice blends. So I invite you. I have them. I enjoy them. Thank you for sending me some. I really like them. Yes. Yes.

They're great. They're balanced to mix and match and layer. And on my website, I have different recipes and things. But just really encouraging people, because again, when we talked about ingredients, and the last thing you want to do is, be sprinkling poison on your food every day. You know, a lot of these spices have preservatives and color chemicals and all these things in them you don't want to be eating.

So that was one of the reasons why I created my spice blends. But I'm super excited about my next book that's coming out, September 8th, is called A Spark of Greatness. It is behind me. I wrote my book Reached years ago and that was geared more towards 12 and up. Oh, wow. Yeah, this book is for four to eight-year-olds. Oh, wow.

Yes, because I, you know, the healthy foundation we help build early can shape the choices that children make later in life. And I think about that now just with my own kids and a lot of the things I didn't get as a kid, the mistakes that I made that I wrote about in my other book, Reach. And how, you know, if children can find that spark within themselves, because we all have it and recognize their potential and the greatness that's already inside of them, the earlier that. they can do that the better, you know, and they're constantly giving us clues about who they're becoming. And our job, I think, is to notice them, encourage them, and help them believe and what's already inside of them. And so the book is for kids. It's my story. It's how I got into boxing, because a lot of people think that I just became a boxer because my father was Muhammad Ali, and I just wanted to be like him. And it's actually not that at all. He didn't want you to box.

I heard the story. Yeah. Yeah. And I didn't want a box until I saw women doing it in the ring. And I was Like women box? I want to do that. I never thought of becoming a boxer because my dad was a boxer. So I understand the importance of that first moment of seeing something and sparking it because I remember it happened to me. And my father's the greatest boxer of all time. And I never thought of boxing by looking at him. I looked at these women doing it. And I saw myself doing it. And my father tried to talk me out of it. He said, don't do it. It's not for you. It's not a woman sport. I don't want you to do it. And I understand why now. Of course, course he didn't want me to get hurt and women weren't doing it at the time. But I went against him. And I was like, uh, I'm going to do it anyway. So that was kind of the story. You know, I made, it's a picture book. And like I said, I encourage parents to to just show their kids positive examples of the people that we want them to learn from because there's so much

going on nowadays that's not positive. And, you know, children learn so much more by what we do than what we say. Yeah. It's so true. And I do, I love this concept because one of the things that I tried to impress upon my kids who are now 20, I keep losing track, 26 and 23, is I just kept saying there, that little thing inside you, whatever that is, keep listening to that. Stop listening to everybody else thinks you should do. Really focus in on what lights you up because what the world needs are people that are lit up. The world doesn't need people who are replicating their neighbor or doing what the other people are doing. So what a cool book for a four to eight year old to read. I think that's really phenomenal. Thank you. And yeah, like I said, I'm super excited about it.

It's available for pre-sale now. So, okay, we'll leave links for it. That's cool. You know, I want to knocking out the park. I want to knock it out the park. Of course. Yeah. I put a lot of work into it. So I hope everyone supports it. But it really is near and dear to my heart along with all the things that I do. There's so much I could have got involved in over the years. And I've really been consistent with just really trying to help people become the best version of themselves. Because remember, I grew up in my father's shadow, meaning that there's nine of us. I'm the youngest girl. I'm the only one who decided to

become a boxer and I'm the only one who told my dad when I was eight or nine years old dad I don't want to be your same religion and he was like what um so I have been that one from the beginning um that everyone thought was not going to turn out okay and I actually I actually did and I had to learn under the microscope you know I I entered into the sport of boxing against my father's will with the whole world saying why are you doing this and I didn't have that opportunity to train in private and learn on my own. So I've been doing it publicly. So I always want to encourage people to find that thing that spark in them, not try to be like anyone else. I didn't try to be like my father, even though people try to encourage me to. Are you going to do the rope or dope?

Are you going to call out rounds? Those are things my father did in his career. And I was like, no, I'm not Muhammad Ali. I'm Lala Ali. And one of the things people see when they look at me is the confidence and the strength. And I try to be honest about a lot of my own weaknesses, because because we all have them. And being Muhammad Ali's daughter, knowing how many people respect and look up to my father, but I still know his weaknesses and his imperfections. And there were so many. And it really viewed, I mean, it changed my view of people in the world. So I just want everyone to give themselves grace. Nobody's perfect. I'm not perfect. Muhammad Ali wasn't perfect. Nobody's perfect. You know, and we all have our challenges. Some people hide them.

their imperfections better than others, but they're all there. And the more that we can share and learn from each other and just continue trying to be better, that's the main thing. I mean, I can't imagine. Some people wake up and they don't even try to be better. They don't even try. Right. They just stay the same or they're still, yeah, they're just status quo.

So you're already ahead of the game. Yes, you're already ahead of the game when you become a part of a community of people who are trying to do better, who want to share with one another. Stay connected to those people because, no matter what's going on in life, we're all going to have struggles. We're all going to fall down, fall off the wagon. I told you, I do. I was off the wagon. I'm back on. I'm back on now. But, you know, just keep going. Keep going and surround yourself with people who are going going to encourage you. What do you think your dad would think of what you're up to right now?

Oh, I know he's proud. You know, my father. My father came to me. I told the story of him telling me not to box. He came to me after I won my first world title and said, I want to talk to you. And I'm like, oh, God, what now? You know, because these conversations we've had, he had that serious look. And he's like, I'm sorry. And he started crying. And he's like, I was wrong. You can box.

Women can box. And I'm proud of you. And that is important to me because these young men that we're raising nowadays, every time they see a woman breaking a ceiling or they see a woman being strong in her own way or boxing or whatever, it changes their idea of the limits. that we put on one another. And I'm never going to encourage people to go box because I believe boxing is crazy. Like I'm a little special, like to want to be a boxer in the first place.

But the point is do what you want to do in your heart. Don't let someone tell you you can't do it. Don't let that be the reason you don't do what you want to do because you only have one life to live. And one thing everyone that lives to an older age, what do they tell you? They wish they stop caring about what people think. They wish, you know, they have. all of these regrets, you know, and none of these people that judge you care about you, really. I mean, if you think about the person you respect. Think about Muhammad Ali or even like,

I'm just thinking of athletes, Kobe Bryant or people that Michael Jackson, people that have passed away that we loved. We didn't think about them today. We didn't think about them yesterday. They're gone. We care. But that's so imagine how it's going to be when we pass away. Like nothing, people's thoughts don't really matter. Like worry about yourself, your family, the people you care about. Make that your focus. Make you your focus because you only have one life to live and we're in control. We're in control of our health. I love it. Yeah, we are. It's the one thing when my life falls apart. I always come back to my health because I'm like, I can control that. If I can't control everything else, I can definitely control my health. My last question for you

is so I rename this podcast, Live Like a Girl, because I want to take back this derogatory statement of like a girl. You know, we say throw like a girl. Oh, she throws like a girl. Or she runs like a girl. And I want to rebrand like a girl as a power statement. What does living like a girl mean to you? Taking a day by day and being, getting, don't get bitter, get better, right?

Because there are a lot of things that can make us bitter, right? Yeah. If we let it. If we let it. So I think, you know, just, just like I said, trying to be better every day, focusing on the things that matter, embracing all of the parts of yourself. Right?

You're going to have good days. All of you. Yeah. So, you know, and it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, I live with intention. You know, I don't, I don't, I don't mean to say that like, oh, just take every day as it comes. Like, I am not going to let the day control me. I'm going to control the day. I'm going to live.

with intention. And what we do a lot is we don't know how to say no. Right. You know, we say yes to everything. And every time you're saying yes to everybody else and everyone else needs, you're going to have to say no to something that you don't want to say no to. I'm going to have to, if I fill up my schedule with everyone's asks, oh, can you come do this charity event? And because of the kindness of my heart, then I'm going to have to say no to my son. I can't be there for your game. I'm going to say no to my husband. I'm too tired because I've ran myself. rugged. So stop saying yes to things you don't really want to say yes to because you feel bad. It's okay. You know, we have to learn that. Yeah, it's beautiful. Well, Leila Ali, I adore you from many

angles. I love your fasting commitment. I love your mindset. And I'm really excited for this new book. So if I, here's where I'm going. I'm like, if I had a grandchild, I would give it to them. But I don't have a grandchild yet. So where can people find the book? And how can we find you and the things you're up to? Well, the book can be found anywhere books are sold. It's available for pre-sell now. I would love for people to purchase because of those count towards the first week of sales. And yeah, if you have a child in your life, whether you're a grandparent, a coach, a teacher, you know, then it's a great book to get.

And I would love that support. It's also, I have a link on my website, layla-le.com. I invite you all to try my organic spice blends. They're amazing. It's yummy. All things Layla on Layla Ali.com. There's a link to the book there as well. And I know you'll have a new show notes.

But yeah. And then I'm the real Layla Ali on social media. It's beautiful. Well, Layla, it's so beautiful to talk to you again. And again, just thank you for sharing your journey because I really do believe that when each woman shares from her authenticity, it frees another woman to live life on her terms. So thank you.

I really appreciate all. I appreciate you. and I appreciate your candidness today. And I'm sending your children's book a whole lot of love and well wishes. So we will do everything we can to help you get this on the list. So thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that.

And love to you and love to you all. Thank you. Thank you so much for joining me in today's episode. I love bringing thoughtful discussions about all things health to you. If you enjoyed it, we'd love to know about it, so please leave us a review, share it with your friends, and let me know what your biggest takeaway is.