Pursuit of Wellness - Top Wellness Tips For 2024 & New Year Goal Setting

Starting point is 00:00:00 So I wanted to give you guys some lessons that I learned from my best performing episodes. Wellness tips, hacks, learnings, quotes, realizations, and we're going to talk about it right here. This is the Pursuit of Wellness podcast. If you're new here, my name is Mari Llewellyn. I am the host of the show and happy January 1st. Happy 2024. Wow. I literally feel like 2023 flew by. Like I swear it was yesterday that I did my first ever episode of this show. This show launched January of 2023. It flew by. We have done 57 episodes in 2023. So many conversations, so many interesting, amazing guests. I've learned so much you guys have supported and encouraged me beyond my imagination and I really hope you guys gained so much from the show I know I did

Starting point is 00:01:16 a couple announcements I am officially in the new pow studio So if you're watching this on video, which you should be, because right now we have video on Spotify and YouTube, you can see how gorgeous this new studio is. I mean, I have to give it to V. That girl is a doer. That's what we say on the team. She's a doer. She wanted to transform the studio. I agreed with her. I feel like we glowed up. We've got these gorgeous rigs for our lights. We've got the sign, got the shelving unit behind me. I mean, it's stunning. And I've already done one episode in here with a guest and it worked great. So I am so happy with this studio. Let me know what you guys think in the comments or wherever you're watching this.

Starting point is 00:02:06 Second announcement is we have our hats. You can see I'm wearing our gorgeous In My Healing Era hat, which we designed from scratch. We did not go through a merch company. Fee and I said we want to do this the right way and we're both big hat girls so went ahead and designed it ourselves with the gorgeous coloring it's embroidered not screen printed so it's super high quality it says in my healing era which all of us here are on the pursuit of wellness whether it's physical mental spiritual and it says pursuit of wellness on there so you can rep the show and the pal girl community i can't wait to match with you guys these hats launch on january 8th which is next week keep your eyes peeled make sure you sign up for the newsletter

Starting point is 00:02:51 i'll put the link in the description box of the show make sure you follow us on instagram follow me at maria llewellyn and the show at pursuit of wellness so you can secure your hat we only got a limited quantity because we've literally never sold anything through the show before. So I've no idea what to expect. So if you want one, I highly recommend you grab it while you can on January 8th. The third and final announcement is kind of a crazy one. I am now independent. And I don't know what you guys know about the podcasting industry, but I was previously signed to the Dear Media Network. I learned so much. I was around some amazing people, but it's better suited for me and my

Starting point is 00:03:32 career to go independent. So I'm doing this solo now. If anything, we could call this the network because I'm officially on my own network. And yeah, we're doing this. It's a big, brave, bold step, but I couldn't be more excited. And this show truly is my main priority right now of everything that I do. So I can't thank you guys enough for all the support. You are the reason I'm doing this truly. So thank you for joining me on my pursuit of wellness and hopefully I'm helping you with your pursuit of wellness. So I really wanted to open 2024 with a bang and give you guys something really valuable to start the new year with. I know that this time of year is filled with a lot of pressure to kind of become the best version of ourselves and set goals and, you know, create new mindsets. So I wanted to give you guys some lessons that I learned through 2023. I'm going to talk about my top learnings from my best

Starting point is 00:04:34 performing episodes from 2023. So I'm basically going to condense everything I learned from 57 episodes and my favorite moments. I'm pulling out the best wellness tips, hacks, learnings, quotes, realizations from all 57 episodes. And we're going to talk about it right here. I also want to give you guys some of my personal tips for goal setting and becoming the best version of you in 2024, no matter what that means for you. I have some experience with transforming and improving my life from nothing. If you don't know my story, go back to my first episode. I lost 90 pounds in 2017 and completely changed my life. So I figured let's discuss how you can go about your own goal setting. Even if you're not trying to completely change, maybe you're

Starting point is 00:05:22 just interested in stepping it up and, you know know upgrading your life or doing things that you've never done before this conversation is for you and we're gonna have the best year yet guys I can feel it 2024 is gonna be a good one so let's start with lessons learned from 2023 from the top performing pursuit of wellness episodes, the ones that you guys loved the most. First lesson I learned, eating mindfully is important. And I learned this from my episode with the food therapist Shira Barlow. This is a funny one because the team, we were just eating lunch actually, and someone made a comment about, oh, I should probably sit down and eat because eating on the go, standing up, rushed can actually have a negative impact on your health. When we eat in a rushed, anxious and distracted way we don't actually digest and absorb nutrients

Starting point is 00:06:16 properly. Being in the moment and slowing down helps us digest our food and helps us know also when we're full it can also help with emotional overeating. So I felt like this was a great tip. It's something that I've continued to do since talking to Shira. I tried to put my phone down. I tried to get in the moment and be grounded and really be present with the food I'm eating. My next learning was the importance of steps and the pace of those steps. This is from my episode with Ben Greenfield. Ben is really, really intelligent, super in the weeds when it comes to biohacking and science and longevity. He says that taking more steps per day tends to benefit your longevity, but the number of steps

Starting point is 00:06:57 varies with other factors like age. The Lancet study gives great guidelines for what your goal steps should be per day and the rate you should be completing those steps because it turns out walking speed is incredibly correlated to longevity not just step count. So what I took from this conversation with Ben is just how important walking is. I actually started implementing walking while I was working at home. I had a walking track pad. Now that I work at the office for the most part out of the studio, I intentionally take about three to four walks a day around the block. Walking is so good for us longevity wise, but I also try to keep in mind the pace I'm walking at. So we're not dawdling out there is basically what I'm trying to say. Birth control has long

Starting point is 00:07:42 term impacts on our hormones. this was something i learned in my episode with dr mindy pelz this episode exploded which to me really indicated the amount of women who are really struggling with their hormone health she really opened up the conversation around the harmful impacts of birth control and how kind of ironic it is that we all go on this pill when we're 16, 17, 18 without much conversation around the long-term impacts it might be having on us. So many women my age, late 20s, are struggling to conceive and are having long-term imbalances on their hormones. Fasting in conjunction with your cycle can be a great way of balancing hormones and working

Starting point is 00:08:22 with your body rather than against it. If you want to hear more about hormones, that episode with Dr. Mindy Pels was really, really impactful on me and I know it was on you guys as well. Emotional trauma has an impact on our gut health and therefore our overall health. In this episode with Dr. Will Cole, we discuss how mental health affects our gut health and vice versa. The stress from trauma can be stored in our cells and have a lasting impact on our health. Mindfulness, meditation and grounding can help with this. I think the big realization I had from that episode was meditation and grounding aren't just sort of nice practices to do for your mental health. They actually have an impact on our physical health as well. That was a huge realization for me. A lot of people have gut issues and various autoimmune issues that actually stem from stored trauma. The problem with consuming highly processed foods,

Starting point is 00:09:15 I feel like highly processed foods were a big theme for my show in 2023. And in my episode with Max Lugavere, who I love, he's an awesome friend, we talk about processed food. In every 10% increment of ultra processed food consumption, the risk for dementia goes up by 25%. The more ingredients a food has, the more processed it is. In that episode, we really unpack, you know, what is a processed food? A food that has a lot of ingredients and has been through many different processes in the manufacturing is considered processed. So something I took from that conversation is really focusing on whole foods, something that has one ingredient. And I feel like one thing that really stood out for me about 2023 is how much cooking I was doing at home

Starting point is 00:10:02 and how little kind of processed store-bought foods I was getting. And that had a huge impact on my health overall. I have been traveling a lot lately with the holidays, some work trips, and I always think about the fact that when I land, I like want to feel fresh. I don't want my breath to smell. I don't want to feel crusty, dusty. I just did a red eye to New York. And that's where I bring my Bite toothpaste. You guys have heard me talk about Bite so many times and it's because I actually think it's such a good product. So many girls in the Bloom office have started using Bite because they heard me talking about it and wanted to try everyone's absolutely obsessed you guys know i'm so ingredient conscious most commercial

Starting point is 00:10:51 toothpastes are filled with harsh chemicals artificial flavors and preservatives not things i want to be putting in my mouth plus i found out that we swallow about five to seven percent of our toothpaste every single time we brush so i do not want to be ingesting these harsh chemicals bite makes dry toothpaste tablets made with clean ingredients that are sulfate free palm oil free and glycerin free plus they are so convenient you just pop a bit in your mouth chew it up and start brushing they come in refillable glass jars which are so cute on your countertop or in your purse. They send refills in compostable pouches so they're better for our bodies and the earth. Bite is offering our listeners 20% off your first order. Go to trybite.com slash pow or use code pow p-o-w at checkout to claim this deal. That's

Starting point is 00:11:38 t-r-y-b-i-t-e dot com slash pow. I have had so many health experts on the podcast talk about the importance of clean water and how a lot of our tap water isn't as safe as we think. And I drink a ton of water, so I want to make sure I'm using the safest, cleanest system possible. Having safe, clean water is the last thing you have to worry about. But unfortunately, according to extensive research by the Environmental working group three out of four homes in america have harmful contaminants in its tap water and that's why greg and i use aqua true we actually have a reverse osmosis system under our sink so we have filtered water so we know it's safe every single time i use it for everything drinking water washing fruit and veg even for the dogs aqua true purifies using a four-stage

Starting point is 00:12:26 reverse osmosis purification process and their countertop purifiers work with no installation or plumbing it removes 15 times more contaminants than ordinary pitcher filters and are specifically designed to combat chemicals like pfas in your water supply pfas are found in almost 45% of US tap water and I'm so grateful that AquaTrue is certified to remove these contaminants. I get asked all the time what is the best way to purify my water and I really think the countertop purifiers are the best way to go. Long-term exposure to high concentrations of PFAs can potentially lead to adverse health effects like cancer, endocrine system disruption and liver toxicity. Water quality is so important. Plus, having your pets drink it is really important as well. I can truly tell the difference drinking this cleaner water, guys. In the past, I was

Starting point is 00:13:18 intaking, you know, whatever it may be, moldy water water and i could have i can tell the difference on my health plus this gets delivered straight to your home and it's so easy to set up aqua true comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and makes an even better gift today my listeners receive 20% off any aqua true purifier just go to aqua true.com that's a-q-U-A-T-R-U.com and enter code POW, P-O-W at checkout. That's 20% off any AquaTrue water purifier when you go to aquatrue.com and use code POW, P-O-W. The next lesson I learned was the order in which we eat our food is important and how to eat sweets in the healthy way. This was in my episode with Glucose Goddess, which I highly recommend you guys go back and listen to. It was one of my top performing episodes. We learned about the

Starting point is 00:14:19 importance of blood sugar, how to keep it stable and why it's important to do so. I actually learned that blood sugar spikes age us. Spiking our blood sugar impacts our skin, mood, energy and overall health. Her tip is to eat your carbs last. Here is the ideal order in which to eat on your plate. Veggies first, protein and fats next, sugars and starches last. This will prevent a blood sugar spike. I went on a whole blood sugar rabbit hole this past year and I ended up getting a glucose monitor to see how things were impacting me. Turns out my blood sugar really wasn't spiking that much during the day, probably because I eat a very high fat, low carb diet. The one thing that did spike my blood sugar was when I ate three cherries by themselves. So just a note. Check all

Starting point is 00:15:07 of your skincare and makeup for poor clogging ingredients. As you guys know I went on a pretty intense acne journey in 2023 and one of the main things I did was swap out all of my products and this was something we discussed in my acne episode with Danielle and Kaylee the founders of Clear Stem. We spoke about how important it is to check all of the ingredients in your products. Poor cloggers can also cause wrinkles even if you're not acne prone. Checking ingredients on products is a long and tedious process but it is so worth it. I felt like it was something I had to wait a couple months to see the results of but now I truly only use clean products and I've seen

Starting point is 00:15:46 such a big difference in my skin. Any alcohol consumption increases your risk of seven different types of cancer. In the episode with Dr. Daniel Amen who is a brain doctor and psychiatrist we dove deep on brain health. He spoke about the shocking statistics when it comes to our brains and alcohol even people who drink a little, meaning a glass or two a week, have older looking brains in their scans. You guys absolutely loved this episode with Dr. Daniel Amen. He is the brain doctor for Justin Bieber, Bella Hadid, many other celebrities. I actually went and got my brain scanned with him down in Newport Beach.

Starting point is 00:16:21 You can watch the whole video of him analyzing my brain scan with me on YouTube on his YouTube channel. It was so eye opening. For me, it definitely exposed some, you know, I had the same patterns many people with trauma have in their brains and also some signs of OCD, which was surprising to me, and definitely changed the way that I approach my mental health. So that episode was a really, really good one. Sometimes lower impact workouts are better. In my episode with Gracie Norton, we discussed how high impact workouts constantly can have a negative impact on our hormone health. Slowing down can help you lower cortisol, rebalance hormones and be healthier in the long run. That's something I realized on my personal hormone journey. I was someone who was working out six days a week,

Starting point is 00:17:10 hit weight sessions, I was beating myself to the ground. And something I had to do was kind of take my foot off the gas in order to heal my hormones. And now I work out maybe three, four times a week and feel much better for it and a lot more walking as well women should eat more meat now the conversation i had with paul saladino was a controversial one one of the most popular episodes i've ever done but it did have a lasting impact on the way that i think about health although i didn't agree with a hundred percent of what paul said i love the fact that he practices what he preaches and brings real evidence to the conversation. During the time my skin was really bad,

Starting point is 00:17:48 I did try a carnivore way of eating and I felt like it did help me heal quickly. I think it's worth trying if you're struggling with autoimmune issues or acne, but it's a tool. I don't think it's something that should be a permanent change. Now I've reintroduced vegetables, potatoes, bread,

Starting point is 00:18:06 etc. But I do think it was a really interesting take on nutrition. Lab tests are essential. In my episode with my naturopath, aka Dr. Sam, we discussed getting tested is so important for optimal health. Here are the most important tests. Microbiome gut test, aka where you poop in a dish, Dutch test and blood work. This has been essential in my health journey. If you guys can look into this, I highly recommend you do. It gives you a point to work from because otherwise you're kind of just throwing things at the wall and hoping it sticks. It's important to know where your meat comes from. In my episode with Farmer Paul of Pasture Bird, a great episode, we talk about common farming practices in America and the impact it's having

Starting point is 00:18:51 on our food and bodies. If you can, try to source your meat from somewhere that uses regenerative farming practices like Pasture Bird, White Oak, Ranch Direct, Maui Nui venison, whatever it may be. That has been life-changing for me personally. I think that the quality of meat we consume is really important. Toxic products impact our hormones. In my conversation with Dr. Jolene Brighton, we discuss the endocrine disruptors that exist in society today. Many things we don't think about, like fragrant candles, soap, cleaning products, makeup, those have an effect on our hormones, even the pans we're cooking in. An app I recommend downloading to check your products is Think Dirty. Highly recommend. It's okay to take a break.

Starting point is 00:19:39 In my episode with the KK Fit twins Kat and Kendra we spoke all about this that episode went viral on Instagram I mean Kat and Kendra have been through such a journey from bodybuilding to kind of living a more wellness soft gentle lifestyle and I really appreciated them coming on the show it was the first time they've ever done a podcast and really spoken about what they went through we talk about the toxicity of the fitness industry and how obsessive it can become. I related to their situation in so many ways and I know you guys did too. Happier doesn't always equal leaner and slowing down is okay was what I took from that conversation. There's no loss in educating yourself around fertility. This conversation I had with Dr. Ghadir made a big

Starting point is 00:20:25 impact on myself and the audience. Many of you listening are millennials, maybe you're Gen Z, but you're thinking you want to have kids in the future, or maybe it's just an option you'd like to keep open. There is a benefit to learning what you can do to keep that option open for yourself later in life. We talk about IVF, we talk about egg freezing, sperm freezing, things you can do for your fertility. I felt like this was a really eye-opening episode for me. Pay attention to your cooking oils. In one of my most recent episodes with my health practitioner Emily Morrow, she explained why we should only be cooking in ghee, tallow or butter. when you heat olive oil or

Starting point is 00:21:07 avocado oil they produce free radicals which breaks down the cell membrane structure they are okay used in unheated pure form but they're not meant for roasting frying and sauteing which is what many of us do so that was a really good tip and i know many of you were a little surprised by that one I have to tell you guys cooking in ghee or tallow or butter is so delicious it makes everything so flavorful and it was one of the main things I did on my acne journey as well so those are my top lessons from 57 episodes in 2023 we have such great conversations coming for 2024 guys. I'm doing two episodes every week in January. I've committed to that. I don't know how we're going to do it. We're

Starting point is 00:21:53 going to drown in the process, but I freaking love this show and I love you guys and I want to keep it going. So we are officially in the new year and i don't know about you guys but i'm really looking to reset my routine get on top of my meals and my food in my house and there are some really cool subscription boxes out there and one of them being wild grain wild grain is the first ever bake from frozen subscription box with sourdough breads fresh pastas and artisanal pastries guys also it's made with clean ingredients like i'm obsessed with this subscription box i think it's such a good idea greg and i got ours a couple weeks ago croissants sourdough fresh pasta, all made with incredible ingredients. Every item bakes from

Starting point is 00:22:46 frozen in 25 minutes or less, no thawing required. My favorite item that we tried was the pasta. Literally, it took six to eight minutes. It comes frozen. You just throw it in the pan. It's made with unbleached flour, which is incredible. It's non-GMO, clean ingredients. It was so freaking delicious with some tomato sauce, some fresh grass-fed beef, and it was so quick and easy. I feel like this is such an easy way of cooking for your family in a clean, healthy way. And I love the fact that it's like it meets in the middle with healthy and yummy at the same time. We want our diets to be sustainable and enjoyable. And you can now fully customize your wild grain box so you can get any combination of breads, pastas, and pastries that you like. If you want a box full of bread, all pasta, all pastries, you can have it. Plus for a limited time, you can get

Starting point is 00:23:35 $30 off the first box plus free croissant in every box when you go to wildgrain.com slash pow to start your subscription. You heard me, free croissant in every box and $30 off your first box when you go to wildgrain.com slash pow. That's wildgrain.com slash pow or you can use promo code pow at checkout. Now let's hop into a little bit of my advice for goal setting in 2024 even if you're not into new year's resolutions which i know many people are kind of adverse to at this point with all the marketing that happens around new years i really think of this as a blank slate opportunity to live the life you've always wanted or be the person that you've always dreamed of being.

Starting point is 00:24:31 I feel like why not grasp an opportunity to try something new and push yourself a little bit more. What I like to think about when I enter a new year is what excites me right now. When I think about it, what makes me have butterflies in the best way? What makes me feel nervous in the best way? Some examples for me in 2023 were horses. That was a huge addition to my life. I wanted to do something that kind of went back to childhood Mari, something that's innate to who I am. Like what's something I love and wish I could do more of? And now I've competed in my first horse show. I my own horse it's a huge part of my life so that's something I'm so grateful that I took on in 2023 in addition the podcast every time I went on a podcast I had butterflies I love this form of content and I felt like it was something that I really enjoyed and that I felt like I was good at launching myself into the podcast in 2023 was the best thing I've ever done and it expanded my

Starting point is 00:25:29 knowledge and my ability and my confidence more than I ever expected. So I encourage you guys to think about, you know, what's exciting you right now? Is there something you've always wanted to try but haven't yet? Why not this year year when I think about goal setting I like to start with like a big goal shoot for the stars vision and I know some people don't love that because maybe it's a little like unrealistic but I do love a vision board you know I made one on the the background of my computer in 2023 I think it it's still there. It has a horse on it. And the podcast is on there. I think it just like gets you excited about the goals, you know, and even when I was on my fitness journey, I didn't necessarily say I'm going to lose 90 pounds.

Starting point is 00:26:17 I just had this like big vision goal for myself. And the people I admired were like the best of the best. Because if you shoot for the stars stars you're going to land somewhere close you know what I mean when I admire or look up to people I really try to look up to the best of the best you know even in the podcast industry or when it comes to horseback riding try to think about what your dream life looks like and who you want to be from there I like to break it down into smaller, more tangible goals. So for example, if you're trying to get more fit, maybe you want to get to the gym three times a week or just exercise three times a week. Keep it broad. Maybe that could mean a walk with a friend, a workout class in the gym. If you give yourself a little bit more freedom, it might be more

Starting point is 00:27:01 sustainable for you. I think sustainability when it comes to goal setting is really important. For me, the podcast, I wanted to have a lot of growth with the show. I wanted to have a really good show. And I committed to one episode a week at minimum for 2023. And just by putting one foot in front of the other each week we got here. And it wasn't easy it's a lot of work but by keeping that promise every single week look where we are now make a promise to yourself and keep it and just show up every single day doesn't have to be an amazing perfect workout as long as you show up and keep that promise to yourself you will build that confidence I also recommend making it as easy for yourself as possible. Schedule the classes in advance,

Starting point is 00:27:46 set up the recording session, hold yourself accountable, contact that gym buddy, plug it in your calendar, make a plan, put everything in place. If it's a fitness goal, start in December. Maybe you want to go find the plan you want to use. Maybe it's the strength app. Website's on my page. Get the supplements you you need hopefully they're going to be bloom get the gym membership find the workout buddy find the healthy recipes you like i also have healthy recipes on my app by the way for those of you who don't know i do have an app it's called the strength app it was actually the first product i ever made it's it's the advanced version of the pdf guides i made on my fitness. The plans I used and still use and live by.

Starting point is 00:28:28 And there's abs in there. There's weights. There's HIIT cardio with Paulina. There's healthy recipes. Tons of different plans to choose from. So if you're looking for one, I highly recommend the Strength app. And then obviously you're going to need your greens for the new year. A greens routine is crucial. As you can see behind me where are they there they are so guys happy january 1st

Starting point is 00:28:52 happy 2024 thank you for sticking with me and if you're new welcome to the show we are so honored to have you here as a pal girl or pal boy or whatever you may be don't forget to hit that subscribe or follow button and if you enjoy please leave a review I will be doing two episodes every week in January I might even keep that going if you guys enjoy it and if I can survive love you so much and happy new year bye thanks for joining us on the pursuit of wellness podcast to support this show please rate and review and share with your loved ones if you want to be reminded of new episodes click the subscribe button on your preferred podcast or video player you can sign up for my newsletter to receive my favorites at marielawelland.com it will be linked in the show notes

Starting point is 00:29:43 this is a Wellness Out Loud production produced by Drake Peterson, Fiona Attucks, and Kelly Kyle. This show is edited by Mike Fry, and our video is recorded by Luis Vargas. You can also watch the full video of each episode on our YouTube channel at Mari Fitness. Love you, Power Girls and Power Boys. See you next time. The content of this show is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individual medical and mental health advice and does not constitute a provider patient relationship. As always, talk to your doctor or health team.

Pursuit of Wellness - Top Wellness Tips For 2024 & New Year Goal Setting

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