Realfoodology - 32: Health Journeys with Almost 30 Podcast

Episode Date: April 21, 2021

On this weeks episode I sit with Krista and Lindsey from the hit podcast Almost 30! Show Links: https://almost30.com/ https://www.instagram.com/almost30podcast/ https://www.instagram.com/lindseysimcik/ https://www.instagram.com/itskrista/ Podcast Pro: https://almost30.com/podcast-pro Sacredness of Being Single : https://almost30.com/the-sacredness-of-being-single Saliva Test:ZRT Hormone Trio: https://store.zrtlab.com/index.php/saliva-testing 28 Day Test: https://www.gdx.net/product/rhythm-hormone-test-saliva  Dutch test:https://dutchtest.com/

On today's episode of The Real Foodology Podcast. People wonder why they feel so confused when all of their food is touching so many different people. So if it's a vibrational, you know, food is a vibrational thing. So you have the farmer picking it, you have the van, you have the packers, you have the people at the store, you have the people cooking it, you have so many different hands that touch our food. And you really can't input your vibration in foods people believe. And so there's so much about the way that we eat and how we can sort of manage our vibration. And you can look at it, like you can see it. The food in LA is just vibrating. It's like bright. It's colorful.

I'm so grateful for that. I'm so, so, so deeply thankful for that. But it's hard to always choose something high vibrational for people. It's not always that we have access to things like that. But it's hard to always choose something high vibrational for people. You know, it's, it's not always that we have access to things like that. So, but I do believe it's true. Did you know that most cookware and appliances are made with forever chemicals? Yes. That means your nonstick pans, your air fryers, your waffle makers, your blender could possibly have PFAS. And yes, even our beloved crockots and pressure cookers. I have actually been talking about this for so long. Back in 2006, my mom came to my dorm room and made me get rid of all my nonstick pans because she was concerned about me being exposed to something called Teflon. Teflon is a coating that is used on nonstick pans and a lot of these appliances that I just named.

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Hi, guys. Welcome back to another episode of the Real Foodology podcast. I'm your host, Courtney Swan. I am the creator of Real Foodology, which is, of course, this podcast, as well as a food blog and an Instagram. So if you don't follow me already, please find me on Instagram at realfoodology. If you love this episode, please, please give us a five-star rating on your podcast app. If you have time, a review really helps, or please give it a share on your social media or to your friends. It really,

really helps me out. Thank you guys so much. On today's episode, I interview Krista and Lindsay of the Almost 30 Podcast. If you have not checked out their podcast yet, I highly recommend it. I love these women so much. They are so magnetic and fun and just full of wisdom. I really wanted to bring them on today to show that everyone's health journey looks different. There's no textbook way to navigate this. There's a lot of trial and error to figure out what works best for you. And they share their food struggles, what they went through to find balance in their own lives. I found it very relatable, especially as a woman who has struggled in the past to find my own balance in all of this. It's a great reminder that we all have varying degrees of struggle

with our health. I find it's helpful to hear other stories to remind us that we're not alone. Also, hopefully you can learn from our hardships and avoid them. We talk hormonal imbalances, health non-negotiables, their diet philosophies, and so much more. This was such a fun episode. And with that, let's get to a question and then we're going to get to the episode. Before I get to the question, I just have a little disclaimer. As always, these answers and this podcast are just for educational and informational purposes only. I am an integrative nutritionist, but I'm not a doctor. And I don't know you personally.

I don't know what's going on in your body. So just know that this information on this podcast is not a sub for individual medical or mental health advice, and it doesn't constitute a provider patient relationship. As always, talk to your doctor first. Today's question comes from Anna, and she asked, I suspect I might be dealing with hormonal imbalance. What would you suggest someone do if they think that they might have a hormonal imbalance? So I actually talked about this with the Almost 30 gals because Krista admitted that she was having some hormonal stuff going on. So we dive into this a little bit about the saliva test,

but I wanted to talk about all the different options you have if you think that you might be dealing with this. So, and first and foremost, signs and symptoms of hormonal imbalance can look like a lot of different things. Fatigue, unexplained weight gain or loss, maybe an inability to lose weight no matter what you do, acne, PMS symptoms around the period, hot flashes. Now this can be depending on your age. This may just be normal. For example, if you were going into menopause, but if you are not anywhere near menopause, this is definitely something to look at as well. Hormone tests can help illuminate root causes of disorders such as premenstrual syndrome,

which is PMS, infertility, and menstrual irregularities. So the first one I want to dive into is the Dutch test. This is considered the gold standard. It's the most accurate way to check all of your hormone levels. They measure estrogen and androgen metabolites, which gives a fuller picture for more precise clinical diagnosis of hormonal imbalances and hormone replacement monitoring as well. So there's two different ones. And I talk about this one. Actually, I'm sorry. There are three different ones. There's a serum test that you can get. And then there's

this Dutch test that I'm talking about, which is considered the gold standard. And then when you listen to this episode, you'll hear we talk about the saliva test as well. And the reason why the Dutch test is considered the gold standard is because they do a 24-hour collection. The dried samples span about 12 to 14 hours of the day, six to eight hours overnight, plus two hours per day collection. And this represents the entire day's hormone production. But I will say the Dutch test is pretty expensive. So I generally like to send people first to do the serum test because that's generally hopefully covered by your insurance. And then the saliva test is pretty inexpensive. So there's a couple of different ones you can do. There's one that's called the Hormone Trio from ZRT Laboratory. And this is just one morning's

collection of your saliva. So it kind of gives you a little snapshot into what's going on. And then there's another one called the Rhythm Hormone Test, which is a comprehensive assessment of estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone that spans a full 28 days. This hormonal test analyzes 11 saliva samples of a 20 day, 28 day period. This is actually what I did. And I referenced this in the almost 30 in this podcast, um, in this interview where I did this for a full 28 days and you take collections of your saliva at different time points, depending on the day. And then they'll give you a graph showing exactly what's going on in your body in a 28 day period, which is like a really great zoomed out perspective

of what's going on. So I'm going to link all of these different tests in the show notes. So you can go and look at them, check them out, see which is best. A lot of them you'll have to order through a practitioner. So you'll have to work with your doctor, but some of them you don't have to. So this would be the first step to really starting to dive into and look at your hormones and start figuring out what is going on. I do want to note for my male friends listening that this is also for you guys too, because I think we often forget that men also have hormones. It's always a conversation around women and their hormones, but this is something that would be great for males to do as well. And you guys can also order these tests. Um, and it's going to give you a snapshot into what is going on into

your body and your body as well. Yeah. So I was talking with Elisa video about this recently, and I love her approach so much because we really plan our whole lives around our cycle and not in this like, um, unattainable way. But, you know, you kind of use that as your guide for what foods you eat and what exercises you do, because there's certain points in your cycle when you're gonna have more energy. And that's when you do the cardio and that kind of stuff. And then when you're in kind of a slower, more like relaxed stage, your body's working really hard. You want to do those like lower impact workouts. Yeah. It was, yeah. Ever since we had that conversation with, um, Elisa and read her book changed everything. I was like, wow, I've been doing this wrong for so long. I've been forcing

myself to work out, you know, around my period. And I was experiencing some like very intense menstrual symptoms. And yeah, when I, when I got hip to, oh, during that week, I'm going to walk and stretch and do like yoga. Um, and then also just like diet as well. So a friend of mine, we kind of, we're talking about the Elisa conversation and she's also a nutritionist. She's like, think about it like the seasons. So you're, when you are on your period, that's kind of like winter and it's like, you know, you hibernate and you want to be like alone and, um, you know, eating really like nourishing kind of comforting foods, obviously as healthy as you can. But then that first week after I have so much energy, I'm social. It feels like summer. It's

like, okay, what are we going to do? And eating more, yeah, just kind of like lighter, more veggies and salads and things like that. Because usually the week of my period, I'm not. Was that last week? Any salads? Yeah, that was last week. That was my social week. I had a social week last week. She was social. I was really taking advantage. But yeah, it's just so interesting. And I feel like not many women know about this. Thankfully, you know, Lisa's message is getting out there, but it's so liberating. It's like, oh my God. When you recognize that all the testing was done on mostly males for a lot of these things,

like intermittent fasting. And I think Lindsay was doing intermittent fasting very, um, very consistently and it ended up, you know, kind of not working for you during your period week. During my period, it felt, yeah, my, my period symptoms were so intense when I was intermittent fasting and I didn't really understand that connection until, um, yeah, I was reading, reading up on it and talking to a friend and she was just like, oh yeah, like when you wake up in the morning, especially when you have your period, like just being able to get that protein and carbohydrates, like your body is working really hard. You know, you can't be like not fueling your body in the morning. So that's been helpful to eat breakfast. Yeah, it seems like a trend with a lot of people like Jessica Seppel talks about working out

less, like walking and not training as much. Elisa Vidi, um, a lot of people that we've had on, it's kind of an interesting trend where a lot of them suggest that people walk more, people do less impact workouts and not do hit so much and not do strength so much, because I think for a while, so many of us were doing hit all the time. We were really just pushing it, especially when we were all doing cycling every day. It's like, that is really intense and it can be really damaging for your body. And I think the reason why it's so damaging is because people are doing it for not the right reasons. You know, not saying

that every single person is doing that, but I think most people that are doing one or two soul cycle classes a day is probably doing it because they love it. But also they might be trying to offset what they ate or things like that. This is really exciting. Organifi now has kid stuff. They just released two kid products. One is called Easy Greens, and it's a refreshing green apple juice where kids will never know that it's packed with veggies. And the other one is called Protect.

It's a delicious wild berry punch like the Kool-Aid that we used to have as a kid, but without any sugar. This is really exciting. And if you've listened to the podcast for a while, you know that I'm a huge fan of Organifi and most specifically because every single product that they make is glyphosate residue free. So you know that you're going to be able to give these powders to your kids and know that they will be able to consume them safely without any glyphosate in it. So let's break down each one. The Easy Greens is a nourishing and delicious blend of superfoods and veggies that provides essential nutrients, probiotics, and digestive enzymes to bring balance to kids' growing bodies without fillers, additives, or junk.

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Astragalus, elderberry, and propolis. These are all really great for overall immune health. If you want to try the products that I talked about today or any of the Organifi products, go to Organifi.com slash RealFoodology and use code RealFoodology for 20% off. products, go to Organifi.com slash realfoodology and use code realfoodology for 20% off. Again, that's Organifi. It's O-R-G-A-N-I-F-I.com slash realfoodology. Do you want to hear the biggest discovery of our time for promoting healthy aging? Of course you do because all of us are concerned about aging. There is a class of ingredients called senolytics that were discovered less than 10 years ago, and they are being called the biggest discovery of our time for promoting healthy aging and enhancing your physical prime. Now, when I'm talking about aging here, I'm not just talking about on a superficial level,

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are meant to complement one another factoring in the combined effect of all the ingredients together. If for some reason you don't like the product, you're not feeling the effects of it. It also has a 100 day money back guarantee. If you want to resist aging at the cellular level, try Qualia Synalytic, go to neurohacker.com slash real foodology for up to a hundred dollars off and make sure to use code real foodology at checkout for an additional 15% off. That's neurohacker, N-E-U-R-O-H-A-C-K-E-R.com slash real foodology for an extra 15% off your purchase. Thanks to neurohacker for sponsoring today's episode. Yeah, exactly. And then, and then I think it kind of turns off that natural intuition that we have because we're just like, okay, no rest days. Cause think about that

kind of like exercise mentality. It's like no rest days, go, go, go, go to the gym. Even when you don't feel like it, sometimes you may not feel like it. Cause your body is literally telling you, I need you to slow down. We're working hard right now. Like we're doing something. And that's what I love so much about this approach is that it really, it helps you tap back into your intuition and helps you learn to trust your body again and to listen to it, you know? And then like you were saying, when you have all that energy, that's when you go do the soul cycle classes, go for the runs, like do all the cardio. And then when you're in that other phase where you're just like, you know what? All I can really do today is go for a walk or like I can just like chill on my couch.

And that's totally fine. And that is you literally listening to your body and tuning into what it needs. Yes. So important. Yeah. I've definitely seen just a difference in like tuning into what my body needs has helped clear my skin has like, I've just noticed inflammation decrease, like just little things where our bodies are so intelligent and also will

send us messages when things are really out of balance. When I was working out way too much and then other things were happening, like my skin freaked out, you know, it was just this complete imbalance. Yeah. Sorry to interrupt you, but you said too, with your period, you were seeing symptoms. So I love this. I can't remember who said it. Maybe it is Elisa Vitti. Someone I listened to recently said that she sees your period as your monthly report card, and it's really telling you what's going on in your body. And so if you're having all of these horrible PMS symptoms, or you lost your period or it's really insanely heavy and it's not normal for you, that is your body literally telling

you it's like a report card being like, hey, something's off balance. We got to like check in and figure that out. Yeah, it's interesting with PMS. You know, I didn't really even notice that. But PMS, when you're having cramps or when you're really tired or when you're feeling irritable or you're feeling all these things, it actually is your body telling you something that you're deficient in iron or you need to rest more. You need all these things. I just thought it was normal, you know, and part of it could be for people. But for me feeling like I cried every single time before my period, I would

just like have a meltdown about something before my period. And then I'd have my period. I'd be like, oh, my God, he like, actually, we're not broken up. You know, like I would just completely turn. I'd be like, oh my God, that was whatever. And I realized that something was going on. And then also cramps. I had really bad cramps for a while. Not as bad as most people, but it was like, hmm, this is not as normal. And getting my diet in check more has really helped with things like that. And to the period point, I think growing up, we all wanted to avoid our periods. Oh yeah. I was on birth control for most of my life from 15 to 25. And I remember I would plan it around my trips and stuff. I'd be like, okay, I'm going to skip my period this week. I'm going to skip my period this time. Some even had the seasonique where you'd get four periods a year. You'd get no periods. Like there's tons of birth control

that doesn't have any periods. And feeling like that was, it's so funny how things happen is they plant everything that's like as liberation. They're like liberation, liberate yourself, liberate yourself by canceling your period. But it's like the actual true liberation is like letting your body do what it naturally is doing and not feeling ashamed about it. And so it's always just like very interesting what, um, how things are positioned in the media or pharmaceuticals, which is another conversation. But since really understanding my period more with Elisa, it's felt really good to like, look forward to my period, like honor my period, feel grateful that I have a natural healthy cycle and feel good about my body

working as it should be. Yes. And to your point earlier, when you were saying that you were like crying and then you got your period, I just think it's so funny that with women, I think we all do this where we're like, God, why do I feel so off? And like, Oh, what's going on with me? And then you start your period and you're like, Oh my God, duh. It's like, we forget every month that we have this. But yeah, I think this is why I love having these kinds of conversations because I really want to empower women to embrace their bodies. Like this is a natural thing and it means that you're healthy and it means that your body is working and doing as nature intended. And like you said, yeah, there's just so much shame around it. And we're taught to like hate our periods and

think they're gross and disgusting and we want to avoid them. And, but then it's painted in this picture of like liberation, like, yeah, just take this birth control and you just won't have it. And to me being fully empowered in my period is like knowing how my body works, knowing that when I'm on birth control, it actually shuts down my natural hormones and it's not even a real ovulation or period. That, that to me is so. I know. I will say though, too, like I, I think there's actually tons of women that don't get regular periods. I think so much, so many people in our community since talking so much about hormones don't get regular periods. And so obviously to just like liberating those women that are on their own journey of, um, getting a regular period, you know, trying to

get their body in sync naturally. Cause it's hard. Like it is really not everyone has a regular period all the time. That's obviously the goal. So not shaming yourself if your report card doesn't come on time or isn't like as perfect as you want it to be. Yes. Oh, that's so beautiful. I'm glad that you brought that up. So let's get into, I want to hear both of your kind of individual health and wellness journeys. Where, where did you guys kind of start? Were you always interested into health and wellness journeys. Where did you guys kind of start? Were you always interested in health and wellness and spirituality? And I just want to hear your journeys. Yeah. Where shall we start? I've always been kind of health conscious. Growing up with two sisters and a mom, I had a brother and dad too, but I felt like my mom was always cooking

really healthy meals. And we grew up during the time when it was like special K and, you know, like my mom was always like trying new things. Um, it was never like forced upon me, but I was just observing, you know, I observed my mom a lot. Um, and so I was, yeah, really health conscious. I was always super active. And I think, you know, I'm, I think back to, I'd say high school, I just had an awareness around what I was eating. Like before that in middle school, I would eat like a bagel and fries and some cream cheese and call it a day and feel like I was, you know, rocking it. And then in high school, I just had an awareness. I actually don't know where this came from. I don't know if it was because I like started to like boys and, you know, other girls were talking about it, but

I was bringing like, you know, some pieces of lettuce for lunch and like, you know, an apple and this all sounds healthy and it is, but like altogether it was probably like 80 calories, you know what I mean? And just being very conscious of, of what I was eating. And I remember like having the same thing for breakfast every morning, the special K or the special K bar or whatever. So there was just like this awareness around it, not an obsession, but, um, something that I probably didn't need to be totally like aware of, um, at that age. Um, and then when I went to college, um, yeah, I just, I think that intensified, you know, it was the first time I was like really free, you know, I have very strict parents. And when I went to college, I remember because I was like eating a lot more and like ordering late night food and getting drunk and whatever, I was taking laxatives in the morning to just kind of like move everything through.

And yeah, it got to the point where I was like, I'd be in class and I'd be like, okay, so I'm going to shit my pants. Like it just got to a point where you couldn't manage it, you know, and it was unhealthy, very unhealthy. Um, and yeah, throughout college, I think, you know, I, I just kind of would use drinking to kind of forget about any of those anxieties, you know? So, um, the laxative thing didn't become like an, a serious issue, but it was something that I was like, huh, okay. I have like this propensity to want to like control that part. Um, and then after college, yeah, I just moving to New York, it was like yet another arena of like, just overwhelm and anxiety and trying to make it and trying to survive.

And food was just one of those comforts. And I just noticed the cycle of like drinking, eating, and not paying attention to how I was nourishing my body. Drinking, eating, drinking, eating. And by drinking, I mean alcohol. And, um, yeah. And to, to kind of compensate, I would just like overwork out and not really pay attention to like what my body needed. So it was just that cycle of not really paying attention to what my body was telling me. Um, and honestly, it wasn't until, um, I moved out to LA that I really had this like deep awareness of my body and the connection to

my body. I think SoulCycle definitely brought that awareness to me just because I was using my body so much. But also just like the circles that we're in out here in LA, there is like this conversation around health and wellness and what that really looks like. And, um, I was drinking less and I was feeling better and I just felt more in my body. I was doing, I was outside. I was just like feeling much more connected to myself. And I think, you know, in that, um, I just had like a deeper appreciation for, for what my body could do and what it had always been telling me. So, yeah, I mean, we talked about the soul cycle thing, but yeah, I taught soul cycle for a while and that, um,

that was great, but also threw my body into like overdrive and adrenal fatigue and, um, constantly dehydrated and my skin was freaking out and I was inflamed because I was just working out all the time. So after I quit SoulCycle, I definitely noticed a change in my body. I was nervous to quit because I was like, what does it mean if I'm not teaching 15 classes a week? What will my body look like? How will that feel? And it was great. It's exactly what my body needed was the rest. And yeah, I feel really good today. I think because of all that we learn on the podcast, I feel really lucky because I'm always learning about ways in which I can truly nourish my body.

So yeah, it's kind of where I'm at now. That's amazing. I actually have a similar story as yours a little bit. I didn't do the laxatives and stuff, but when I was in college, why not? Why not? Come on. I remember all my friends around me doing it and I don't know, there was just something I've always had this like innate thing where I'm just like, Oh, that doesn't, that doesn't sound right to me. I love that. I just put like a bunch of pellets in my hand and be like, Oh my God, I love that. Cause you're like, I'm going to eat this. It will all be pooped out. Exactly. That's who your thought is. That's exactly. I totally,

I totally understand. Oh my God. That's not how digestion works. No, it sure isn't. Oh my God. That's so funny. But my thing was, so when I went to college, so I, similar story. I had pretty strict parents. My mom always made everything from scratch. So I was really blessed that I grew up eating really healthy. Oh, that's awesome. And then I went to college and I was like, ah, like Taco Bell, all this stuff I couldn't eat when I was in high school and then eating at the cafeteria.

And then, you know, the fourth meal thing when you're coming home at like 2 a.m. And then I, you know, I woke up one day and was like, I am like 20 pounds heavier than I have ever been in my life. And, you know, and it wasn't even so, I mean, of course it was about the weight in the sense that I was like, none of my clothes fit. I don't feel good in my body. I'm super fatigued. And for me, it was always more about like, I don't feel good. But then I went down this path of, you know, doing the slim fast and just kind of following, you know, the special K trying to eat that for a meal. And I tried that for a while, which eventually led me to where I am now, because I was like, wait, hold on. Like, let's zoom out here. What, like, how is this like a hundred calorie chocolate milkshake providing any sort of nutrients for my body? This is insane. Um, and then it led me on, you know,

to the path that I'm on now, but it's just interesting. Yeah. Super similar. I think a lot of people can relate to the overworking out, like, you know, eating and then overworking out. I think that was like a huge, huge thing. Um, so for me, I think my health and wellness journey has been first with like a deep focus on the body and then eventually led to like more spirituality and the spiritual relationship of my mind, my body and my soul and how grateful I am that this is like the vehicle for my spiritual experience in this life and not being ashamed of it wherever it is. But I grew up in a household that was, I had a sister and a mom and I had a dad and food was a big focus in a way that it was something that people were fearful of. Like it was kind of shameful. We kind of hid if we were

eating or overeating and it was always uncomfortable at the dinner table. So I had this feeling around food that I didn't know how to describe, but I was definitely uncomfortable. I felt judged if I ate or overate by my mom. And there was different situations that were happening that were just causing me to feel shame about eating or nourishing myself. So at a very young age, I learned to like disconnect from my body and not listen to what my body was telling me about what to eat or when to eat it. And I think I spent most of my life in that, you know, not trusting my body, whether it was working out all the time or taking diet pills or taking people's Adderall prescriptions. Um, I definitely have gone through a lot of phases of disordered eating and body dysmorphia and, um, you know, a really long, deep journey with, with how I feel about myself and how I feel about how I look. And when I moved to Los Angeles, after being in New York for two years, I was trying to be a

soul cycle instructor. So I was working out all the time, probably eight or eight or nine times a week. Probably I would do two days every day. And then, you know, sometimes I would even do three, whatever I was like trying to do. I was taking diet pills at that time. I was taking pre-workout. I was just doing all the things to really get in shape for what I wanted to be when I wanted to be a soul cycle instructor. And when I moved to New York, my body just gave up. My adrenals were absolutely shot. I was so tired all the time. I was sleeping, falling asleep in the middle of my workday. If I had any caffeine, I would feel so nauseous and sick. And my body just completely reacted. And I put on probably 20 pounds, a lot of water weight and then other weight as well. But it was very, very quick. It was like

within the period of a few weeks. And that led me eventually on my hormone, balancing my hormones because, you know, the adrenals are sort of part of that system where I was completely imbalanced with my estrogen, progesterone levels. My testosterone was off. My cortisol was off because I had been using so much to work out so often. And then also because I was recreationally taking diet pills, people's prescriptions, and other drugs for a long time. And so I had to really just sort of make nice with my body and really just listen to it because it was screaming at me so much that I had to stop a lot of what I was doing in my life to pay attention.

So for the next year or so, I healed my hormones naturally and got them in balance. And ever since I've had hormone health issues off and on. And what I will say about my body is that I just try and be as in the world. We talked to Jamie Lynn Kerna of It Cosmetics yesterday, sold her company for $1.2 billion. And in the book, she talks about her body doubt and how it's still the one thing that she can't figure out. Glennon Doyle talks about it. It's still the one thing she can't figure out. So for so many women, it's such a common thing that we have this like dialogue and conversation about our body and our, in our, um, how we feel about our body. And so I find solace in that, but then it also sort of breaks my heart that we're just so limited by our perception of how we look. Yeah. Wow. That was so powerful. Yeah. I mean, it's really sad because like you said, um, I've found in my own experience just with girlfriends that everyone has some sort of story like this, you know, and a lot of people are still struggling with it. I mean, I, in a way, I feel like we'll probably all struggle to a certain extent just because of

the way that society has conditioned us, especially as women. We put so much focus on women's bodies and it's just like you said, it's heartbreaking and it makes me so sad because I feel like if we could just change that narrative to be more about feeling good in our bodies and really making nutrition and eating well and, you know, and even like lifestyle changes, like you said, you were having a hormonal imbalance. I've found that that is a lot of what women struggle with too. And they just have no idea, you know, so that can be part of it too. And it's just, yeah, it's hard. It's a struggle. Yeah. The hormonal thing was something that we didn't know about until we talked about it on the pod. You know, we've had Elisa on two or three times and, um, we've talked about it quite often. And I didn't know, I was like, I didn't know how it connected to,

it was, you know, I think when you grow up, you're like, wait is how much I eat, how much I work out, which at a very simple, basic level, it could be considered that it's like burn more calories than you eat. But then when you really dig into it, it's like, it's actually related to your adrenals, to your hormones, to your thyroid, to how much you sleep, to how much water you drink. It's actually related to every system in the body, to how much you speak your truth, to how much you release your past. It's actually related to so many more systems in the body, which is liberating at some point, but then also can be challenging because you kind of have to figure out like a scavenger hunt of like what exactly it is that's causing you to feel like you're uncomfortable in your body for this reason,

or you have extra weight on for whatever reason. Yeah, exactly. Well, you think about it. I mean, it's as simple as like water retention, for example, is like part of like our hormones, you know, and it's why like when we get close to our period, you hold on to more water. So there's that aspect of it. Also, if your cortisol is really high, it can drive certain cravings. It can also cause your metabolism to go down. So, I mean, you know, I have, I have friends in the past that have struggled with where they were like barely eating and they were just gaining weight. And it was because her, their hormones were so off balance that her metabolism, metabolism wasn't working correctly. So there's so many different things that could be going on, you know, and it's, and like you said, but it's tough because you have to really,

um, you have to dedicate the time into really figuring out what exactly is going on, you know, it's hard. And it wasn't blood work that you got. I'm just trying to think of like for people out there who, you know, want to get that tested. So I got, um, blood work tested firstly, uh, with a company called your Hormone Balance. And then there's also Everly Well, which is you might work with them. But Everly Well also has a hormone test. And then I also did it recently with someone named Dr. Shirley in Beverly Hills. So she was an in-person clinic and that was blood work. So the first one was like a blood sample.

The second one's a blood sample with Everly Well and this was blood as well. I think they – I did urine and blood actually at this one. So I think they do both, but I highly recommend people getting tested. And especially if you just had a baby or you want to have a baby, I think it's really smart to figure out sort of where you're at because you're really going through a lot of different changes at that time. But you can also start to by just kind of looking at your symptoms. Like, how are you feeling?

Like, do you feel exhausted in the morning? Do you feel fatigue? Like, do you feel, you know, there's a lot of different symptoms that relate to different hormonal, uh, issues that people can sort of get a general idea of what's going on. Um, that is also helpful. Yeah. And there's another one. Um, I can, I'm blanking on the name of the correct, the correct term for the test, but there's a spit test that you can also do, which is considered to be a little bit more accurate because your hormones, they kind of go like this up and down, you know, throughout the day, like your cortisol rises in the morning to wake you up. And then your melatonin melatonin rises at night to help you relax and go to sleep.

And so with the blood work, you're getting a snapshot of what's going on in your body, specifically at that moment that you draw the blood. And I'm not discounting it. It's a great resource, but there's with the spit hormone test, depending on which one you do, there's like a seven day one. I did one that was 30 days back. I mean, this was five years ago now. We did a spit. Yeah, maybe I did do spit. I don't know. And it was hard. I mean, it is hard. Yeah, honestly, I was thinking of Sour Patch Kids. I was like, yeah, because you really you have to get like enough spit. At the end, I was like hawking boogies in there. I'm like filling it with water.

I'm like, whatever. It's like thick as shit. So glad I'm not alone. Filling it with Topo Chico. You're like. That's so funny. Yeah, but so it gives you more of a like a picture. It gives you a whole picture of what's really going on day to day.

Because one day you'll do it at like 7 a.m. Another day you'll collect it at, you know, 7 p.m. Sometime after you eat a meal, before you eat a meal. And then they make a chart and they kind of are able to see where your hormones are going throughout the day, which is really cool. Oh, that's amazing. Yeah. Do you know the company? I don't. I'll put it in the show notes. I know. For anyone listening, I'm going to tell you something that's actually not helpful because I don't know the name. So now you want it, but you can't have it. Welcome to my world.

I know. It'll be in the show notes, fam. Well, there's a lot of different companies that do it too, to be fair. But yeah, I'll add a little link in the show notes or like I'll add a- I'm like, I want that.

I want to do a test over a month. Like I fucking hate blood tests. I know. I hate them too. I would rather do a lot of blood tests. Yeah. Than one prick. I know. I hate them too. I would rather do a lot of blood tests than one prick. I die. I can't.

I hate it. Okay. So I'm curious, do you guys follow any sort of specific diet? And if you do, why? I do not. I definitely lean more towards like plant-based, but I do eat animal protein. Like last night I had some steak. Usually my body tells me, like it's very weird. It's kind of, yeah, I don't know. I just crave it. And I don't do dairy. And I stay away from processed sugars. Dairy for me was something that definitely affected my skin. It created more phlegm.

So if I'm speaking on the podcast or I'm singing, it's just annoying. You're hawking loogies. Yeah, I'm hawking loogies. Yeah, your voice was all crazy. Yeah, my voice was wild. And then I just really, I focus on, I have to focus on hydration cause I'm not really naturally good at hydrating. So hydration and then just paying attention to alcohol intake. So I don't really drink that much. And when I do, I'm just really mindful of like, okay,

have I eaten today? Have I hydrated? What type of alcohol is this? You know, is it going to keep me up? Bring me down. Is there a lot of sugar is this? You know, is it going to keep me up, bring me down? Is there a lot of sugar in there? Just being like more, more aware. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. Let's see. I am, I was, I started being vegetarian when I was, um, after doing every single diet under the sun, I became vegetarian when I was a junior in college. I read this book called eating animals by Jonathan Sanfoe. Have you read? Yeah, that's actually what made me go vegetarian as well. It's powerful. Powerful. Yeah. It's so I mean, it's so clear and powerful. And so then vegetarian for

I think 10 years or five years. And then I've been plant-based like vegan for, since I moved to LA six years ago, just felt like intuitively it didn't make sense that I was doing certain things and then not others. So I wanted to be an integrity about that. And, um, I feel really good. I definitely don't think it's the most healthy diet for people, but for me from like a, uh, integrity perspective, it feels like the most aligned. So that's, that's sort of been what I do. I love that. That's super important. Yeah. And I'm, I mean, I'm, I just was curious kind of what you guys, how you ate, what your diets were, but for anyone listening, I'm a huge proponent for listening to the experts, listening to people that you look up to and follow, but just use that as a guideline and then figure out what works best for you. Because ultimately, um, what works for me may not work

for you and vice versa. And the goal here is to feel good in your body, you know, have energy to get out throughout your day. And I mean, so for example, I was vegetarian for five years after I read that book. And then I hit a point where I was like, I mean, I was craving meat so bad, but I was in this like space where I felt like I couldn't eat it because I was like, I mean, I was craving meat so bad, but I was in this like space where I felt like I couldn't eat it because I was doing it for ethical reasons. And I was so concerned. And it got to a point where I was literally having dreams about me. I woke up one morning, air feeding myself chicken nuggets from like a dream. I freaking love, I had a friend that would like dream about chicken. She's like, I was dreaming about chicken. It wasn't okay. Yeah. It was, it hit a point where my mom was like, Courtney, God, please eat me. You're

dreaming about it. Did your body like being a vegetarian? No. And that was the other thing is that my body was just screaming for it. Like I had, I had such crazy hormonal imbalance. I had cystic acne all up and down my face, which I was able to later look back on it and be like, wow, that happened when I went vegetarian and then started clearing up as I started incorporating meat into my life. And I was so fatigued. Um, I had no energy. I also like, I really looking back now, I realized too, that I, my, um, sugar regulation was really off, like all out of whack. Cause I was just, I mean, I would eat a meal and then I would just be starving, like not even an hour later, you know? And that's just not from like a health standpoint, you want to get to a place where you can have a good hearty meal

and let that sustain you with energy and where you're not just like ravenous an hour later, you know? And no shame if you're listening and you're dealing with that. This is not to like shame anyone if you're experiencing that. But the goal is to get to a place where you can eat a meal and then be energized from that. And then you don't feel like you are chasing food all day. I think the sugar thing is I think that's the key. Yeah. I'm not the best at it. But when I'm when I'm'm good at it, I, I 100% I'm like, Oh wow. I feel sane. I feel satiated. I feel clear. I feel, I don't have cravings. Like for me, sugar maintenance or understanding of sugar is the biggest key for all things. I agree. It's crazy. I agree. I actually just released this week, a two part episode with a neuropathy surgeon. So he

does amputations on diabetic patients and oh my God, it's such a powerful episode or it's two parts because we talked for so long that I was like, we want to make this two parts. This is wild. But he just talked about all of the things that he sees, the impact that sugar has on our body and how horrible it is. It really is something. I think that's the real problem. Yeah, it is. You know what I mean? Like, oh, they just always like skate around. They're like, salt is the problem. And they're like, oh, it's actually fat. Oh, yeah. It's actually just fucking sugar. Oh, it's sugar. There was actually a thing that came out a couple of years ago now. I think it was the New York Times that leaked it. But essentially what sparked the low fat movement was a study that was done by Harvard scientists

in the seventies. And they found that it was sugar that's affecting our hearts. And the sugar industry got wind of it. And they essentially like had them skew the data and make it look as though it was actually fat and then spur the low fat movement. And we're still, we're still dealing with the ramifications of that today. Yeah. Yeah. You got to look where the money is. You got to look where the big companies are. Yeah. You know, it's not, it's not a theory. It's just true. It's just true. Yeah. So true. So I'm very curious to know, you guys talk to so many amazing people. You get so many experts on here and, you know, people have differing opinions about health and food and all that. How do you stay grounded in that, in that, and kind of like wade through all the information

and figure out how to apply it in your own life? It was hard for me for a little bit because I kind of like to try new things, you know, I'm always down. But I have this thing just in life in general where I'm like, oh, I should be doing it more like that or I should be doing it more like them. And I wasn't trusting myself. But once I got that down, the trust in myself, it translated to trusting my body and what it needed. And I was, um, I think I was, you know, I was plant-based for like basically vegetarian for, I would say maybe four to six months or something like that. And I felt really good for some things. And then like I hit a point where, um, like you, my body was just kind of craving an animal protein and I was low energy. And I did a session with our friend Kelly Lebec. She's amazing. Yeah, she's amazing. And I just had my

blood work done. And yeah, she's like, I just, I feel like, you know, you're one of those people that really would benefit from incorporating more animal protein into your diet. and so that really made a difference. And I realized that, Oh, that feeling that I had where I was like craving this is real and true for me. And, um, so I've really leaned into that and yes, we're getting so much information on the day on the daily. And I'm, I'm happy to try things that really feel true. I pass on a lot of information we get because it doesn't feel true to me. And it's usually just like, it's a ping. It's just like, I feel it in my body where I'm like, oh, I'm curious about that. I'd love to try that. And like, my body

will also tell me like, no, that's a hard no. That's not for you. But it's taken a lot of practice, a lot of practice because I didn't naturally trust myself. Wow. I can very much relate to that. And I think that's so important for people listening. Learn how to trust yourself and also don't be hard on yourself. I feel like only maybe in this last two years, I've gotten to that similar place where for the longest time I was listening to all these experts and being like, oh my God, but this person is saying this thing, it must be true. And then like low key killing myself over trying to do, I mean, for example, keto, I was like, this is, I was just laughing to myself about that. I was laughing. We had Jordan Younger on the other day and I was dying laughing. We were kind of doing keto at the same time. It's so not us. When did you do keto? I forget. It was like right when after my

hormones. Oh, yeah. I've been talking about. OK, like I wasn't fucking like keto girl, but I was trying my I was like being a stick. I would. Yeah, I was like having coconut oil all the time. I was like fucking eating jars of peanut butter. I was like eating fucking full avocados in my shake. Like it was like just I was like trying my best to be keto. And I was so, but it probably wasn't full keto, but it was so much fat. Oh my God. I was thinking about that. I mean, honestly, I probably put on tons of weight cause my body did not need that much fat. Like just in a, in a real way. But I think that was the one that I sort of got caught up in was doing that one. Cause that one was huge,

especially here in LA. Everyone was doing still huge. Yeah. For me, I'm like, yeah. And it was hard to be plant-based keto. Like I was kind of doing my own little plant-based keto style. But I think Kelly Levesque's advice of the fab four has been something that I've carried through a lot of our, our, um, a lot of our life. But now, you know, it's to the point where we've had so many people on talking about so many different things. It's helpful, but I think what I'm looking for in people that come on the show is more people that are aligned to like the spiritual aspect of eating rather than like, eat this, eat that. That's not interesting to me. And I don't think it's interesting to the audience that we have now. Everyone can go look at what everyone else is

eating, but I think conversations around the spiritual aspect of eating diet nutrition is more interesting. So Kimberly Schneider, you know, people like that, that we can talk to, um, have been probably the most impactful. I love that. Can we talk about that a little bit? I mean, um, I was actually at dinner with a friend last night and he was talk about that a little bit? I mean, um, I was actually at dinner with a friend last night and he was talking about this a little bit. He was like, yeah, just people don't understand. You need to focus on eating more high vibration foods so that you can live in a higher vibration. I was like, I love that so much. And so, yeah, what was the one thing? Um, I read this Ascension is like this weird blog, but this, this guy talks about it. He's like,

people wonder why they feel so confused when all of their food is touching so many different people. So if it's a vibrational, you know, food is a vibrational thing. So you have the farmer picking it. You have the, the van, you have the Packers, you have the people at the store, you have the people cooking it. You have so many different hands that touch our food and you really can input your vibration in foods. in foods people believe. And so there's so much about the way that we eat and how we can sort of manage our vibration. And you can look at it, like you can see it. You know, when I'm back in Ohio, which is where I'm from, no shade, but I can tell the food. I'm like, yo, the food in LA is just vibrating. It's like

bright. It's colorful. I'm so grateful for that. I'm so, so, so deeply thankful for that. But it's hard to always choose something high vibrational for people. You know, it's, it's not always that we have access to things like that. So, but I do believe it's true. Yeah. I hope we get to the point where people are being taught, hopefully for free, like how to grow their own food, you know, where, I mean, I know there are resources online and on YouTube and things like that, but it's such a powerful thing. Our friend Danica Bryce is doing that in her backyard in a big way. I'm like, wow. Um, but it's cool. It's like, wow, you can go outside and grab the lettuce for your

salad and the beets and the mint and whatever. But yeah, there's definitely something to it. And then also like as we eat our food, and I know Krista and I have talked about this on the pod where, you know, I'm able to infuse my food with good intention. So if I'm going to have a piece of cake, I am super mindful of what am I putting into this piece of cake as I eat it? Is it shame? Is it embarrassment? Is it what, you know, any negative emotion is going to affect how I metabolize that food and how I process that food. Um, and I've been doing that for a couple years now where like, if I have pasta, you know, like, and pasta is not bad, but I know like a bunch of carbs is going to make me feel the best. But I've noticed that like, when I just look at it as like,

wow, I made this and I made the pesto from scratch and did this, like, and I just, and so have so much more gratitude around it and gratitude for like nourishing my body and just having whole real foods. It definitely feels different when I'm digesting it and just like how I look at myself afterwards too. You know, we have that kind of, that body dysmorphia after we have a piece of cake and we're like, Oh God, look at it there. You know? And it's, and it's, and it's really charging what we put in our body. So I think we need to be mindful about that too. Oh yeah. I think that's a huge component of it. And also kind of back to your point that you made Krista with, I think about this a lot where, you know, the, the way that we eat traditionally in

this country now, it's a lot of processed foods. It's a lot of foods and packages. And from a, like more of a vibrational standpoint, it's like we've, we're turning off our, our body's innate intuition to follow foods that would provide nutrients for us because now, you know, they're genetically engineered to be very craveable and addictive. And then on top of that, then you add in the diet culture aspect where it's like, okay, um, you know, I don't do this anymore, but we've been conditioned as women to like track our calories. So then you're like, okay, I can only have 200 calories of this. If you're just like out foraging in nature. And I know this is not like relatable for people in real life, but if you think about it from that aspect, you wouldn't be like, oh my God. Okay. Am I getting like 200 calories worth of vegetables

or, you know, this meat or whatever. And I think that is also another thing where it's turning off our body's natural intuition to just follow our cravings and listen to our body and what our body needs. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I don't listen to your body is really a, um, it's a lifelong pursuit, you know, cause there's so many things that tell us to not listen to our body in, if you have sexual trauma, you don't want to listen to your body, which, you know, you want to leave your body. You want to leave your body. If you have other sorts of trauma, you want to leave your body. If you're uncomfortable, you want to leave your body. Being a human on this earth is uncomfortable. It's awkward. And so there's so many ways in

which we want to leave our body. And so, I mean, I, I look forward to the day when I'm like embodied 24 seven, but I enjoy the times when I am. Cause I'm not always. Yeah. I can very much relate to that. Yeah. Yeah. So what to take a little bit of a pivot, um, what advice would you give to someone listening who's struggling to find their path, whether that be struggling with health struggles, career, love life, whatever it is. Um, you know, what kind of advice would you give them? I feel like you guys are very good at giving advice. You'd be surprised. We did this one podcast years ago and it was like advice to people and I sucked at it. But the questions were like, the questions were like, should I masturbate in my mom's bed?

It was like they were it was a wild fucking show. And I was so uncomfortable telling people what to do. Yeah, I don't know. Like, I can kind of see both sides. I can also I can also consider this other scenario. I was like, not I was not like spicy enough. So much responsibility. Yeah. Right. Because well, okay, so then let me reframe that. No, it's not. I love the question. The questions were bad. We're saying, um, I'm trying to, maybe I should pick one. Um, right now I'm, I'm doing a, a program called the sacredness of being single and taking 80 women through, um, six weeks of just kind of like de-layering, um, our programming and our experience around being in a relationship. Um, and I feel like a lot of

people feel that pressure to be in a relationship because it is incredible and beautiful when it's, when it's right and aligned. Um, but we kind of miss out on that opportunity to build a relationship with ourselves and we hear it all the time, but I think like the other seems a little bit more, um, familiar, um, and comfortable, but with, with anything, I feel like I've experienced in my life, especially around transitions, it's always that invitation to come back to myself. Like how far have I walked from who I really am? And, um, especially when it comes to relationships, I just feel like whether it's friendships, family, romantic relationships, if I am not also doing work on myself and making an effort and a practice to know myself better and communicate with the soul part of me, then those relationships suffer or they are completely misaligned because it's almost aligning with a part of me that I have yet to integrate or maybe I've been avoiding.

So I'm like forgetting the original question, but I just, I just kind of picked up on like the relationship piece because yeah, I'm just seeing in these beautiful whole women, this perceived missing piece to them. And I just, it's really beautiful to see them kind of like lift up the veil and see themselves for the first time as just like a whole and complete person, even if they still have work to do, you know, and how that could be a beautiful part of the relationship down the road. So yeah, any transition has always just kind of like woken me up to, huh, where have I not been willing to like get to know myself in that way? I can very much relate to that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I think some people make the person, the purpose, like finding the person, you know, it's like their whole purpose is like to find a husband or find someone else.

So I think that's why sacredness is so important. You know, the sacredness program is so key. What I say for people that are looking to find their purpose is I think focusing first on your mindset is really helpful. So like your mental health, your wellness, and your mindset is going to be the most important. You know, I've never done any Tony Robbins, Robbins programs, but in his like elite level programs, he focuses like for an entire few days on people's health and wellness routines. Because if you have a clear mind, if you're well rested, if you have energy, if you feel clarity, if you feel mentally well, then you're much more able to pursue with clarity, whatever it is that you

want to pursue or be open from a vibrational level to receiving whatever purpose it is in your life. So I think when people are in the pursuit of health and wellness are in the pursuit of mental health are in the pursuit of like feeling really good about who they are, you will attract or be on the path to finding that thing. Um, so when people are doing self care, it's also really important, but your, you know, your purpose will, will reveal itself to you when you are ready for it. When you are like done bullshitting yourself, when you're done lying to yourself, when you're actually being really honest with yourself, when you're trying a lot of different things, it's not something that just falls in people's laps for the most part. Yeah. And you know, it's interesting when you literally

look at the body from a physical standpoint, there's a nerve called the vagus nerve that goes directly from your gut to your brain. And so there is a direct connection to your mental health with your gut and your digestion and what you're eating and what's going on in your body. Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Yeah. I think depression is linked. There's some link of depression in your gut. Yeah. Because 70% of your serotonin is made in your gut. Yes.

And so if you have any sort of imbalance, whether that be with the microflora, which is like the environment of the good and bad bacteria in your gut, there's a lot of different things that could be going on. If you have inflammation, of course, your serotonin is not going to be, you know, as productive. And there's absolutely a link. And this is not to say for anyone listening that that is like, you know, the end all be all, but it's something to look at. For sure. Wow. That's fascinating. I know. How's dating going? Good. Thank you. So as you were talking about that, I was like, you are speaking to me right now. You know, it's been really hard. But at the same time, I actually I feel like I got this almost

like a little bit of like a download the other night where I was just washing my face, getting ready for bed. And I was like, you know what? I for the last couple of years have been single. I mean, I've, you know, casually dated here and there, but not anything serious. And I had this realization the other night where I was like, you know, had I been in a relationship the last couple of years, there are so many things that I have been running from in myself and not facing that had I been in a relationship, I would not be facing those things. And I didn't even realize that these are things that have been holding me back. These are things like trauma that I've just been really holding onto in my body, like very tightly

that needed to be released and looked at and addressed and really like sat into. And so it's forced me to slow down, um, get in touch with myself again and really like find myself in a way, you know, that I wouldn't have had I been in a relationship. And so it's been, I was reflecting on this too. I was like, man, it has been so painful. It has been so hard and there has been so much self-doubt, but at the same time, it's been so beautiful too, which is like kind of cheesy, but it's just true. I really feel like I've, um, been coming into myself and finding myself through that. Yeah. And I think that, you know, that is what is so, or what I found to be so attractive, you know, like where I felt a new sense of like attractiveness about myself when I got to that point where I was like,

oh wow, like, yeah, I've done so much of this really deep work, you know, during this time and gotten to know myself better and, you know, just unearthed some things that had been like running subconsciously and everything that I did. And, um, I just, I think in doing that work, I took a lot of pride and it just gave me a lot more confidence. And I truly felt like the people that I was dating during that time and afterwards were feeling that, you know, I kind of felt a different type of attraction where it wasn't just like, Oh, hot girl, this guy, you know, hot guy, you know, whatever we want to say. It's like, no, it was literally like an electricity where they felt that work, even if I hadn't told them. So, yeah. And on that note, I've found too that I'm starting to

become attracted to different people than I was before. Yeah. A different type of caliber of man. Yeah. Where before I was like, I would have dismissed them. I'm notorious for just finding shitheads. Hot shitheads? Really hot shitheads. Lindsay knows a few. I know that. She knows that vibe. I know that vibe. But yeah, you, you, it completely changes. I think about the people I dated. I'm like, yeah, I did. Huh? I'm like, what was I thinking? Yeah, it's crazy. And though, and I look back and I'm like, God, the things that I was putting up with back then, that I thought was okay. Not only that was okay, but thought that like something was wrong with me. It was like, if I could just be better, do better, um, like change something in me, like they would love me and care about me.

But like now I'm able to zoom out and I'm like, no, actually, well, one, I think this is the universe literally being like, no girl, we're going to save you from this one. Um, and also just that now I'm realizing that those are traits in someone that I didn't, that I wouldn't even want anyway. So why am I like bending over backwards trying to get them to like me? And also in this time, I found too, that the way that I was approaching dating for so long is that I would go in not even really knowing this person, not even really knowing if I liked them or not, but not even checking in with myself, just deciding like, oh, they're hot and they're cool and they're funny.

So like I automatically have decided I liked them. And then I spent all my time and effort and thoughts into trying so hard to get them to like me and trying to be this version that I thought that they would like instead of actually just like being present in the moment, checking in and being like, wait, but do we have chemistry? Do I like you? So many women are like that where it's like they'll date people and they're like, oh my God, he said he doesn't like me i'm like do you like him right exactly you know like it's like but do you want to date him like no i don't hear women ever be like no he's not you know not for me like that integrated like no not for me it's always like oh my god he doesn't like me it's like um did you

feel a connection yeah you know i feel but it's i mean i relate to being wanting to be picked wanting to be liked i mean who doesn't want people to like them? And especially like I think, you know, in the dating scene, because it's so like we could just see other people's lives so much more now with social media and even on like dating apps, we're seeing things. And so it's just so much easier to like hop into that comparison loop of like, oh, but does he like girls like this? And like, I see him like follow girls like this and like, maybe I'm not that enough or, you know, so it can be really consuming. So then you try to put yourself into that box and

try to form, mold yourself into something that you think this person would like. But then if you actually get a relationship through that, actually I have a girlfriend that experienced this. She, you know, landed the guy she wanted by putting on a show, pretending or not even pretending, but being this one facet of herself. And then fast forward, woke up one day and was like, I am not happy because I'm basically just putting on a performance the whole time. I'm not even like being true to myself, my needs and my wants. And like this person doesn't even know the real me. Oh yeah. That's a nightmare. That's a nightmare. Well, before we wrap this up, I want to know, and I'm sure the listeners want to know this too. You are both very busy women, but I know that you really prioritize your spiritual and wellness and health practices.

What do you do every day to stay grounded? Maybe what are your health non-negotiables, which like, for example, for me, I get a walk-in every day. I make sure I get greens with one meal, things like that. Health non-negotiables. A few products that I love, Athletic Greens is one that I kind of pair with my Bulletproof coffee. So I'm getting my greens, but then I'm also getting my little hit of caffeine. And the fat in the Bulletproof coffee is great for just slow absorption and making sure I don't get that like super caffeine zing. And I just love the ritual of that. Beverages, man. I mean, they just just there's something about it

so every single morning and then yeah I mean I agree with the walking I think ever since quarantine I've really valued the walk and I try not to if I bring my phone it's just in my pocket and on airplane mode because I just really want to be present to what's happening around me. It feels really good to actually be looking where you're going and see flowers and people and just new houses or, you know, it's like kind of fun. It stimulates the brain. I can actually feel it happening. Whereas like if I'm on my phone and flipping through stories or whatever, it doesn't feel as expanded and open. So I just love, I love that. Um, and yeah, I just, for winding down for the day, like making sure that I'm just being really mindful about that and actually allowing myself to wind down from the day. So whether that looks like

a bath or I'm just like laying on my bed and reading a book, you know, this is even before dinner, just like kind of winding down from the work day by myself and just kind of coming back to, okay, like I, because I live in the place that we work, I'm tempted to like, well, I can just do work now and now and later. And you know what I mean? So it's like, okay, let's consciously wind down. And then I have so much more to give when I do sit down and work or start the work the next day. Yeah. Love that. Yeah. I think my non-negotiables, um, it was just thinking about while I was thinking about how, when you really start to love yourself, it becomes part of like self-care just becomes like a non, like the whole self-care becomes a non-negotiable and it becomes part

of your life where you're like, oh, how can I treat myself today? Yeah. Like it's not a chore. Yeah, exactly. You're like, well, how can I really love my body today? Or how can I love my spirit today? Or whatever that is. I would say meditation is probably my biggest thing. I've been doing it two times a day lately because Justin's out of town so I can just rip on Joe Dispenza really loud at my apartment. And also journaling. In the morning, I have this journal. It's a wellness journal and it has what's my intention for the day where I put I just put like actually what's my dream for the day. I'm like, well, it would be dope if this happened.

And then I do my dream journal where I recap my dreams from the night before. And then I'll write down my self-care for the day. I'll write down my gratefuls and I'll write down just my goals. So it's nice that it really structures itself that way. I think you can just search wellness journal and you'll find it online. And then for supplements, magnesium is like my go-to. I love magnesium. I feel like it's so helpful for your nervous system. It's so helpful for staying regular. Um, Kimberly Snyder, Saluna, they have a really good one called Detoxy

and it helps like flush out toxins from your system that I really like and enjoy. And then, um, I would say prayer, probably prayer as like a way to connect with self awake way to connect with the world is something that I do almost all the time. If I'm like walking around, if I'm in the car, I'm like praying. If I'm walking, I'm praying just like to use it as like a replacement for what would previously be negative self-talk or judgment talk or question thoughts or anxiety thoughts. So I just try and replace that as much as I can with something that's positive. I love that so much. Thank you for sharing that. Before we go, please let everyone know where they can find you.

Yeah. You can listen to Almost 30 anywhere you listen to podcasts and follow us on Instagram. We have some inspo, some things that'll probably make you laugh on there. Um, almost 30 podcast. And then our new website, almost 30.com has all of our courses and programs, um, our merch, and we have your podcast pro. Yes. Yes. Your podcast pros for people that want to start podcasts or monetize podcasts so we have courses and programs for that and then um we have youtube and everything but i'm at it's krista on instagram its krista and i'm at lindsay simsick and this has been so much so fun so fun thank you so much thank you just for being such a bright light and positive influence in this world

it's really needed thank you you. All right, guys. We love you. Bye. Bye. Thanks for listening to today's episode of the Real Foodology Podcast. If you liked this episode, please leave a review in your podcast app to let me know. This is a resident media production produced by Drake Peterson and edited by Chris McCone. The theme song is called Heaven by the amazing singer Georgie, spelled with a J. Love you guys so much. See you next week. ស្រាប់បានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានប� I know that it's funny

cause I always see him see him checking me out all we think tomorrow is still kissing and make me Thank you. Thank you. Bye.