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Learn How To Eat Intentionally with Amanda Meixner - E4
29 Plays1 year ago
Are you struggling to maintain a healthy relationship with food and fitness? You may have tried countless diets and exercise regimes, only to land up stuck in a cycle of restriction and overindulgence. In this episode, we look at how to break free from destructive patterns and turn towards cultivating a balanced, sustainable approach to nutrition and overall wellness. Not only will you learn about transforming those critical relationships with what you eat and how you move your body, but also how to improve your quality of sleep, what supplements can support these changes and why morning journaling can set the tone for your entire day.
Amanda Meixner, a food and fitness influencer, has transformed countless lives through her inspiring journey and innovative approach to nutrition and fitness. With over 1.6 million followers online, Amanda has become a voice for those seeking to cultivate a balanced and sustainable lifestyle. Her unique perspective, shaped by her personal triumph over anorexia, has positioned her as a beacon of hope and guidance for individuals striving to heal their relationships with food and their bodies. Through her coaching programs, engaging content, and unwavering commitment to promoting holistic well-being, Amanda continues to empower people worldwide to embrace a life of vitality, purpose, and authentic connection.
“This whole all or nothing mindset needs to go.” - Amanda Meixner
In this episode you will learn:
- How Amanda transformed her relationship with food and fitness after struggling with an eating disorder in high school.
- The importance of focusing on food quality and unprocessed foods, rather than simply cutting calories, for sustainable weight loss and health.
- Amanda's balanced approach to nutrition, which includes prioritizing protein intake, eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, and allowing for occasional treats.
- The benefits of starting the day with a positive mindset by practicing gratitude, avoiding negative media, and listening to uplifting podcasts or audiobooks.
- How to improve sleep quality through lifestyle changes, such as avoiding large meals before bed, using blackout curtains, and monitoring sleep data.
- Practical tips for incorporating strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and recovery practices into a busy lifestyle while emphasizing overall well-being and vitality.
Resources
- Connect with Amanda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meowmeix
- Purchase Amanda’s custom nutrition and exercise program: https://www.master-your-health.com/
- Get your copy of Amanda’s guide to a healthy lifestyle: https://ebook.masteryourhealth.net/order1624231165868
- Shop all the products Amanda mentions in the episode: https://alively.com/products/amandameixner
This podcast was produced by the team at Zapods Podcast Agency:
https://www.zapods.com
Find the products, practices, and routines discussed on the Alively website:
https://alively.com/
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Transcript
Struggles and Recovery from Eating Disorders
00:00:00
Speaker
You want to gain weight like you yeah you do because you know it's the right thing to do, but like you don't like the feeling. You get into the feeling of like it's kind of like a high, like you're chasing this high of like running and going off of very little fuel. You actually are in the depths of like a really bad eating disorder. Sometimes it's better to not overly focus on health, you know, not overly focused on calories, like let go of some of those metrics for a while.
00:00:28
Speaker
This is the Home of Health SPAN Podcast, where we profile health and wellness role models, sharing their stories and the tools, practices, and routines they use to live a lively life.
00:00:41
Speaker
Amanda, it is so great to see you, you know, following you online. It's good to see you live this incredibly healthy, thriving, vibrant, lively life. And you help others do the same with your coaching practice. ah But what I understand it is it wasn't always like that necessarily for you. and And you kind of came at this through a very personal journey. And to the extent you're willing to share that, I'd love to hear about it. And I know our or listeners would as well.
00:01:09
Speaker
Absolutely. Well, thanks for having me on, Andrew. And yeah, I think a lot of people end up in you know the health space they're in because they probably had issues themselves getting into that. And then once they found the answers, the solutions, they share that with everyone else.
00:01:24
Speaker
So that was definitely the case for me. I actually was trying to lose weight like going into high school. I wanted to be healthier. I wanted to lose weight. And all I've heard was like they you know eat less, exercise more, which obviously can work for weight loss. But just that foundation definitely teach you much of anything that's sane.
00:01:47
Speaker
And so I was like running like a maniac. And I just kept eating less and less until I was down this path of basically having an eating disorder. um I was anorexic, super thin, I think now I'm like five, six, and like 135 pounds. And the lightest I was as was five, six, like 99 pounds. Not good. Yeah, not in a good place mentally and just I didn't really understand what foods I needed to help me feel good and I was just so focused on eating less and its just a really dangerous path out there especially for I think young women particularly.
Influence on Nutrition and Young Women
00:02:23
Speaker
I know men can also have eating disorders too that's probably not talked about enough but
00:02:28
Speaker
For me, you know I love to teach women that you can lose weight. That can be one of your goals. But to really focus on the quality of the food you're eating, and it's not... In a way, you're probably going to eat more volume, but you're just going to switch over to more of these healthy, unprocessed foods.
00:02:43
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, your story just means so much to me. I was a competitive swimmer and so many just the coaches at the time and and how they would speak to women on the team. So many women ended up with eating disorders. And now as a father to a girl, I live in this world where you think of the standard American diet and you can't just eat mindlessly. Otherwise, we know it's going to cause metabolic disease. And so I'm super mindful. I mean, I eat almost just whole plants. that That's just what I eat. I don't eat plant based because sugar is plant based. I eat plants. yeah And I do fast sometimes. And it's this fine balance of not wanting my daughter
00:03:26
Speaker
when I do a fast to see if food is the enemy or these things are bad, but to see it as fuel. And so think about the fuel you're putting into your body. And and is it a poisonous fuel or is it an energetic fuel? And you know she's only eight now, but I just don't know. right You don't know which direction that'll go. So it you kind of went down that path. You were trying to get healthier. And at some point, healthier in your mind was not eating. Yes. What is it? How did you get out of that? ah You know, this could be a nutrition, but this is very much a mindset. but question isn that That's so so difficult. Yes. I definitely like I have to thank my parents and like my doctor my doctor was very much like, I remember one time he weighed me and he was like, if you come back in and and you weigh less, like you you need help, like you need
00:04:19
Speaker
therapy, like you need mental, you need mental help because you're just stuck in that path. And I remember being there and actually like, you want to gain weight, like you you do, because you know, it's the right thing to do. But like, you don't like the feeling like at that point,
Healthy Eating and Mindful Choices
00:04:33
Speaker
yeah addicted to the feeling, you know, just like maybe like an alcoholic is addicted to alcohol, you get into the feeling of like, I don't know, like not eating, like it's kind of like a high, like you're chasing this high of like running and that going off a very little fuel.
00:04:49
Speaker
And it's so, it is so hard to get out of it yourself. And you just, you know, you've got to have the accountability partners, whether that's a friend, a parent, you know, I obviously met with therapists some, and it really helped me just like reframe, like first kind of letting go, like if you actually are in the depths of like a really bad eating disorder, sometimes it's better to not, like I'd say, not overly focused on health, you know, not overly focused on calories, like let go some of those metrics for a while.
00:05:17
Speaker
and you know gain gain the weight and then and then it was actually later on like years later when I graduated college that I did want to lose some weight because like college also unhealthy lots of drinking lots of drinking. Hey foods. And, i you know, so I was a little nervous, but then when I revisited and like did the research, you know, the podcast like this one and all listening to all the health information, like it made me kind of like click like, Oh, it's about eating the right types of food. It's about getting like enough protein about
00:05:49
Speaker
eating a plate full of vegetables and like a lot of these like less processed foods so that kind of helped me approach it in a much better way so it was so great the next time around when I actually did want to lose some weight I was able to do it in a healthy way and not you know focus on the quality of your food.
00:06:07
Speaker
it's It's really tough because it's so unnatural. If you think about how we evolved as a species and humans in the wild, you didn't have to think about it. You were just trying to survive. Just getting enough calories each day from plants and animals was a battle. It was an absolute battle. and Now we're in this world where if you didn't think about it and you just grabbed whatever was around you whenever it's available,
00:06:32
Speaker
We have multi-billion dollar companies that know the science to kind of hack our brains and make us crave more than we want and consume more than we want. and You go an extreme other direction. and so it's It's not food is bad. Food is necessary. It is absolutely essential. it's Certain foods are worse than others. and so It's this thoughtfulness that you put into it. and but i mean What I love about your content is the thoughtfulness plus It looks so delicious, like that that raspberry vanilla fudge or what what you do with the the broccoli stalks. I was like, oh my God, I've wasted so much broccoli in my life that now I can start doing this. I love that stuff.
00:07:10
Speaker
Yeah, it's crazy what a little bit of creativity and then, you know, we, you know, we are attracted to the rainbow, like, you know, brands take advantage of that, like eat the rainbow like Skittles, right? But when you actually eat the rainbow, like fruits and vegetables, you can make this beautiful, delicious plate and actually get the benefits from eating this variety of colors, which is why I feel like our brains are attracted to these colors in the first place.
00:07:33
Speaker
Yeah, we had a guest recently was talking about your eating doesn't even start with the chewing. It starts with your eyes because your eyes start sending signals to your brain. And so those different colors, how it's preparing, if you're pausing before you eat, it all kind of sets your body up to really appreciate, digest and and make the most of this food that you're putting in.
00:07:52
Speaker
Yeah, it is really crazy how these companies take advantage of how we've evolved. And like even something like Cheetos, obviously extremely highly processed. I don't think anyone thinks that's healthy, but it might not realize how easy it is to over consume, because they make it kind of like melt in your mouth. It's like airy. And so and like, it has like, obviously, like an explosion of flavor. So it's just it's so It's so hard to put down. like This is personally why I prefer not to even like try some things because once you try it, it's really hard to put down. they're They're engineered to be addicting, to get you to spend that money and eat a full bag. My equivalent on that are the lime tostitos. To me, it should be illegal. they're way They're way, way, way too good. I don't know what they put in this season. like I'd go for like classic chips or something, yes. yeah
00:08:41
Speaker
So, I mean, given that right you you eating the rainbow, you seem to have a really diversified approach to what you're consuming. What does day to day or more like week to week or month to month nutrition look like for you kind of meal planning or the number of meals you have a day during the day or or snacks or intermittent fasting? Like, how do you think about all of that?
Exercise, Sleep, and Recovery Balance
00:09:04
Speaker
Yes, I like to make sure I'm getting enough protein. So I pretty much focus on like adding some protein in with every meal personally, because I also work out a lot. um So I noticed that gives me more energy, it helps my muscle growth. So i've you know, I've got like eggs, grass-fed beef, you know, I do salmon every week, I try to rotate in different types of proteins. So also like my toddler, so you get that variety of benefits, you know, salmon or brain health.
00:09:32
Speaker
You know, so many different types out there, pasture-raised chicken. I love chicken thighs. Over just plain old chicken breast tastes so much better. Yeah, way more flavor. Yeah. Greek yogurt is also one of my favorite, like no cook, quick and easy protein sources. You know, you've got no sugar added sugar there, anything you can add your own fruit and honey.
00:09:51
Speaker
Such a good, high quality snack. You know, great for the whole family. So I do focus on that. And then I do like to get a variety of like fruits, vegetables. Usually get try to get one salad in a day. I do love like a good filling salad. It doesn't have to be boring, you know? Add a little bit of cheese, add some nuts, make it colorful. You don't want those sad salads. That's just lettuce and chicken. We're hungry two seconds later.
00:10:15
Speaker
yeah I like that. And then also like creating some sweet treats that I like at the end of the day, you know, maybe that's some dark chocolate because like cacao itself has a ton of health benefits. And it's really these fake milk chocolates that add so much sugar and you don't you know, the cacao is like so processed, you don't really get as much of the benefits as like an 85% good dark chocolate. um So I do like using fruit and chocolate chocolate as like a natural sweet tooth at the end of the day. I know a lot of my ladies out there can relate to eating a little dessert at the end of the day, you know? I think not just the ladies. Really? A stack of of dark chocolate at our house. Yes. Are there any dark chocolate go-tos? When i I was trying to get off sugar, I was doing a lot of the lilies. Yeah, Lily's good. I like I don't know if it's like low sugar, but I like Theo's Lily's Hugh kitchen has a really huge's really good. Yeah, really good. And then I think there's like, one other brand that's not coming to mind right now. But there are a couple out there for sure. Yeah. Yeah. And on on the protein, are you able to get hit the goals that you have just with Whole Foods? Or or do you supplement at all with any powders?
00:11:24
Speaker
You know, that's a great question because it just makes it so much easier. And also like a protein shake, you can just throw in, you know, some protein, fruit, spinach, nut butter, you're good to go. um So I do love like a chocolate collagen. I like vital proteins because, you know, it's grass fed and easy to find. um I'll also use like a grass fed whey protein, have that in the mix. And then, you know, there's a lot of good plant proteins out there like Truvani,
00:11:50
Speaker
just ingredients. So just kind of trying to mix in. I like having a couple of different options. Do you have a go to on your way? Um, I use like a New Zealand, I think it's a New Zealand grass bed way. I think that's the brand new or like it, I forget. I don't have like old names memories. Yeah. Now I i imagine eating as deliberate as you are, right? You're eating the rainbow. You're getting a variety of vitamins and nutrients. You're probably not very nutrient deprived, but are there any supplements you add in? Um, just saying, Hey, you know, I know,
00:12:23
Speaker
Whether it's vitamin D or whatever it is that you you put into your regimen? Yes, yes. Well, I always have a fish oil. like I like Nordic sort of tracks. Fish oil is very is high quality. um I do do a vitamin D. I do do like a multivitamin. I think usually it's true foods, but I have to check.
00:12:40
Speaker
but um or I think now foods, I don't know all the names. But yeah, i yeah now I know what you're talking about now. something yeah yeah yeah So I like to I do like to have a couple in rotation. But yeah, I always like omega three is for sure for like all the anti inflammatory brain benefits.
00:12:58
Speaker
um Yeah, and a vitamin D and a multivitamin are usually my go-tos. And I love, I will say my new thing is definitely I'm on the electrolyte train. You just feel so much better. And then, you know, for my breastfeeding moms, it's so beneficial for that. If you sweat a lot, athletes, so whether it's elements or noon, you know, those are some of my favorite brands.
00:13:18
Speaker
yeah I had an element this morning, and I made my daughter a noom. I'm well acquainted with both of those. My son loves a noom. Obviously, we don't give him a full serving, but he loves it. He calls it his pink water. Yeah. Her's, we'll give her a full serving, but it lasts three or four days. She has a bottle with it, and then she makes it.
00:13:42
Speaker
That's really neat. Now you mentioned you work out a lot. You exercise a lot. yeah i mean What's your routine there? So you're talking about building muscle. Is it a mixture of weight training and cardio or what do you do there? yeah I lift weights like three to four times a week. Lately I've been doing like full body because yeah, I'm just strapped for time with work and other, you know, it's a little bit crazy, but I do. Yeah. I love to do full body strength training sessions. I do typically do like one hot yoga session a week. You know, that's my favorite.
00:14:11
Speaker
good for mobility and injury prevention. And then, yeah, I try to do like cardio, like sprints once a week. And then I do so much walking with my son. Yeah. Well, I mean, that's, that's amazing, right? I just, I've recently learned the dosage for zone two is four hours a week. And so that walking is good to get that added in on the sprints. Is this running sprints or? I love sprints, but then, you know, but yeah it's like a love hate relationship.
00:14:42
Speaker
Do you do that outside? Do you do that on the treadmill? what How do you do those? The weather has been up and down. i mean Lately, I've been doing it on the treadmill, but you know i should I need to go outside and then you get the double benefit with the vitamin D. yeah yeah What treadmill do you have? Do you know?
00:14:58
Speaker
You know, I don't have, but I'm a huge fan of like the nord Nordic track treadmill, I think. um Yeah. But yeah, I need to get a, my old one just broke, so I need to get a new one. Okay. Time to go. And then do you have any particular shoes that, do you use different shoes for your running versus the weight training? or Yeah, I try to lift in flat shoes, obviously, to get the most, you know, benefit. You don't want too much support when you're lifting weights. So I use vans for that. Yeah. Okay. Good old flat shoe. And then I have a six for running. So those were always my guys running shoes. Yeah. And the vans are they low tops, mid tops, high tops? What do you do on the low top, low top? Okay.
00:15:40
Speaker
And then, so when you're you're working out like that, you're supplementing with a protein to to make sure your body's recovering. How do you think about the rest and recovery kind of in between days? So, you know, the the sleep side, but also any kind of other thoughts on recovery?
00:15:56
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I love my sleep. Like, don't mess with me in my sleep. There's no, you know, I definitely have the aura ring, obviously great for sleep tracking. And yeah, I just noticed like, I'd honestly rather maybe like work out a little bit less, you know, instead of putting up super early and like, wrecking your sleep. um I noticed that I'll just, oh, yeah, I'll feel better. My workouts will be better if I let and will allow for a little more recovery and prioritize the sleep.
00:16:22
Speaker
over like, like 5am. Like, not that's not in the zone. I'm in right now. So yeah, definitely I noticed that and that like, you know, it's not like every day should be like a brutal workout. um I don't know for you, like your strength, your sprints, like all of that.
00:16:41
Speaker
does not go well if you're just doing like brutal workouts back to back like some of them need to either be recovery workout or you have a rest day in between um depends on also i feel this overall stress in your life so yeah how stressed are you at work how's your sleep like all of that will affect your choices because if you're just constantly high stress high cortisol You're not going to get the results you want. Your digestion is not going to be good. Your skin health is not going to be good. So it is a fine balance because you also don't want to be that person who's like, OK, well, I'm not going to work out at all and just sleep because I'm so busy. So it's like definitely a fine.
00:17:18
Speaker
Balance that shifts to probably it's probably a personal balance and that balance based on season of life and even season of year. photo shift I mean it's ah it's a really important point you make on this is a big part of why we do the show why why we have a lively in the first place is.
00:17:36
Speaker
People think health, and some think of it just the absence of disease. i' Like, okay, I don't have cancer, so I'm healthy. Like, well, that's not the same as living with real vitality each day. That's one side. The other side is, oh, I just crush in the gym. I'm super healthy. ah Well, how are you fueling your body? Are you but you actually recovering enough? So you can't just optimize in one pillar or two pillars. If you're not dealing on that recovery side,
00:18:01
Speaker
you're not getting the fitness benefits yes that you could otherwise. you're not getting Your brain, if you're not getting enough sleep, is going to crave less healthy foods. We know the science behind it. yeah We know if you're not getting enough sleep, your cortisol levels are going up. yeah So your stress is going up. So you you think you're being healthy, but you you have this very healthy relationship after you know going to the other extreme, having been on the other side of saying, no, like I know I need fitness. yes But it can't come at the cost of taking away from this pillar because this pillar is absolutely essential and need my sleep. Yeah, I think also we've just like gotten out of tune with how we feel like our energy, like our digestion.
Optimizing Sleep and Morning Routines
00:18:42
Speaker
Because like some people out there, you know, I'm telling you, you don't know how good you could really feel. And if you start to try some of these, you know, methods that you have on this podcast,
00:18:52
Speaker
absolutely will change your life. Yeah, it's, I mean, I've seen it very personally many, many times. my My father was a pediatric cardiologist and thought, you know, I know nutrition, I know health, I know medicine, this is what I do. And put him on more just a whole food diet, right eat plants and animals. and um And he would get a cheat day every seventh day, right? The the normal temperature, so-called diet. In a year, he lost 65 pounds.
00:19:15
Speaker
and started running half marathons. He does a race every year, the the Petrie Road Race 10K on 4th of July, where he wears his high school singlet from his track team. and He just didn't know how bad he felt. right like he there He had no energy to go run a half marathon, but now he's in his 70s. He's excited each morning to get up because he feels so much better than he did in his 50s. People kept joking. They're like, you are aging in reverse. You're like Benjamin Button.
00:19:45
Speaker
It's because he was on the the normal path of aging and then realized, wait, that is not what health is. Health is not the absence of disease. Health is vitality. How can I address that?
00:19:58
Speaker
Yes. So you you wear the, or how long have you been doing that? I mean, how, how long have you been capturing data around your sleep? Like, like years now. I mean, you kind of, you kind of realize certain things and then also becoming a mom. Like there are certain things that you, you have no control over your sleep. You're like, I'm just not going to charge it tonight. Cause that's just going to stress me out more. Um, but no, it's, I do like seeing it because you know, there's a difference between being in bed and actually being asleep, right? You know, noticing how long does it take you to fall asleep? These are all things that obviously tell you also, you know, are you in a good sleep environment? You know, is there other issues around why you take so long to fall asleep? So I like all of those data points and also showing like, oh man, you know, I was in bed from 10 to, you know, 7am or whatever, however long, I don't know how long. That's probably that's a little too much, but like 10 to six and and you see that you didn't fall asleep till 1020 and you got to be like 540. Well, okay, that's only x amount of sleep. So I do love seeing the difference between time in bed time of sleep your your REM your deep sleep cycles and all that information. so So, you know, there'd be some mornings you wake up, you're like, why don't I feel as good and then you check your sleep score and you're like, well, that's why that's that's that would do it. That would be why.
00:21:18
Speaker
Are there things you learned and changed as a result, whether it's like room temperature, it's sheets, it's blackout curtains, it's timing of dinner or what you eat for dinner versus lunch, anything that you've learned over those years? I definitely benefit from not eating too big a meal too close to bed. Obviously, there's tons of research on that, saying that that will mess with circadian rhythm. um So sometimes I might still have like a light snack closer to bed. But yeah, I i don't eat a big meal close to bed, blackout curtains, definitely key. I do I do like the room cool. And then I think lately, we me and my husband have gone into that.
00:22:01
Speaker
There's like this method where you each have your own blanket. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Very European. Yeah, it's a European thing. And I think he's is particularly noticed his sleep cycles are a little better because I guess I was feeling the blanket. So there there's small changes like that, that definitely help sleep quality. Do you know what temperature you try to keep the room on?
00:22:22
Speaker
I like a pretty cool, like 69. I don't know. What do you guys put your temperature at? We sleep very different, right? Like I i like mine much, much colder. ah Mine would be kind of 67, 68. And then, yeah, my wife would be like mid to high 70s, right? So we we actually use the eight sleep pod cover. It's not the actual mattress. is This is the because This is a pod? No, it's it's a mattress cover. so it's it's They call it the pod. I don't think ah could be wrong. I don't know if they sell mattresses, um but they sell this. It goes over top and it it hooks to a water pumping device. and so You can go up 15 degrees and I think down 15 degrees. so You can really personalize it to each side of the bed. That's fancy. For couples that sleep at very different temperatures, it can be very, very useful.
00:23:15
Speaker
Yes, I also like I don't use this anymore because my son just wakes me up. But before when I would go to work and ah you know, they say like your regular alarm that goes off like, seriously like a fire alarm is like not a great way to start your day because it just shoots your cortisol right up. yeah Why switch to like this light alarm? It's called the Phillips um oh yeah And it like wakes you up that it gets like brighter and brighter and then it will it will play like chirping birds. And now I remember that's just such a better way to wake up. When you think about it, you know, like, let's just say you do have to be up before the sun is up like for work or you you want to work out. um The most natural way we wake up is light. And so it, it gets very bright. It would, the light alone wake me up. but
00:24:02
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, it's, I'm curious, you know, something soft like that, I think that A sleep will do something maybe with temperature or vibration, like it'll help um as an alarm, because I just don't use an alarm. And because I i wear an eye mask, and I put in wax earplugs, so I'm not sure either of those things would work anyway. if If I you're all decked out, you don't have the mouth tape on though.
00:24:26
Speaker
Oh yeah, no, I have the mouth tape. I ah go all in on sleep. I see it as foundational. you know its i A recent guest was talking about the sleep. You don't start preparing for sleep at night. You you do it in the morning. it's It's about the morning sunlight. and kind of It's setting up the day for how you're going to sleep. In a lot of ways, you set up your day on how you slept before. So your day doesn't end with sleep. It starts with sleep. And so just seeing its criticality in the quality of that day is really, really a big thing. No, I mean, like you said, it affects all your choices. Like it's how hard is it to make a good choice when you're in nutrition when you don't sleep well? and so up You know, it's just it's not it's not good. Yeah. Are there we talked about kind of supplements on the nutrition side? Do you take anything around sleep? Like do you do a chamomile tea before bed or
00:25:22
Speaker
Oh, definitely. I love a good, but yeah, there's a lot of research out around chamomile tea before bed. I think within those electrolytes, I get a good amount of magnesium. Magnesium is obviously huge, and there's great research to show that it can help with sleep. Luckily, you know, we take our i since um electrolytes that have limits money of magnesium in there. Otherwise, I would take it as its own supplement for sure.
00:25:45
Speaker
Yeah, I've been taking it, and then I did the math on what I eat, and it seems like I potentially say I'm eating over 1,000 grams of magnesium anywhere, milligrams, I guess. like So do I need to supplement? It seems like I'm probably consuming quite a bit. If you um take electrolytes that have magnesium in them, you probably don't really. And then yeah magnesium-rich foods, like you're good.
00:26:05
Speaker
We talked about with sleep and the recovery side, the lack of sleep or the alarm kind of spiking the cortisol level and in the stress and how it can impact your mindset you through the whole day and kind of compounding. We heard about earlier in your life, your mindset journey. Are there things, and I know it's very hard with a young child, but any practices you do today to work on mindset, you know, whether it's gratitude practice or meditate, anything like that. Yes, I definitely know. I'm huge. I have my like gratitude book. I like to write down five things I'm grateful for every day ah for me. mine Sorry, before you before you move on on that, connect can I just ask, is it morning or night? So yeah there's or or is it somewhere in between?
00:26:51
Speaker
You know, I prefer to start my morning with it, you know, start my ah day on a good note and just write down, you you know, three, things three, three things I'm grateful for. Why did I say five? But you know what? I'm always adding more to the list. Yeah, good. Great. so I do like to start my day off on that note. I also like I'm very particular about any media I'm consuming in the morning.
00:27:13
Speaker
so to me like so yeah so Honestly, right now, I don't have a consistent meditation practice. like Every day, I don't sit down and do that specifically, but I find like whatever I consume in the morning, media-wise, is huge.
Mindfulness and Positive Content Consumption
00:27:26
Speaker
yeah If you wake up and you start scrolling on social media,
00:27:29
Speaker
that sets the tone for a day in a certain way. For me, that's why I love actually starting my day with podcasts, positive podcasts, whatever area I'm trying to impact more in my life. It could be an Audible, it could be a business podcast, a health podcast. um you know If I'm actually like struggling with some, you know maybe like works a little bit harder than usual, I might listen and more like specifically focused on mindset.
00:27:56
Speaker
So that really helps out the tone for today versus like listening to news or or anything overly negative. Like my husband doesn't bother him as much. So he'll sometimes listen to some of that stuff. like Can you put your headset on? Because I do not want to hear that first thing in the morning. I just yeah prefer like not to. like And then even like yeah when I used to work at a corporate company, just not checking all of those emails.
00:28:21
Speaker
right first thing in the morning, it can just just allow your morning to be positive things that set you up in a good way, even if you don't do a consistent meditation practice, which I know there's so many research benefits for that. I just I'm not currently in the flow on that.
00:28:37
Speaker
Yeah, but I i think the the benefits of meditation are to help with that mindfulness. And I think you can come to that mindfulness in different ways. With your what you do in nutrition, you're very mindful about what you're doing. So as long as you're living a life that's getting that presence in the moment and that appreciation, that gratitude practice, all of that is some form, I would say, of meditation and and being mindful of what you put into your head because you say, oh, it doesn't affect me. It does. I'm sure you go do studies. It's going to impact if if you're starting the day on you some news channel, everybody shouting at each other. Your body is going to react to it.
00:29:21
Speaker
Some of those shows are so crazy, the yelling at each other. Yeah, it's insane. Yeah, so can I ask, do you have any kind of favorite podcasts that or your go-tos that you regularly listen to? I love them. The Model Health Show on Big R, like the Genius Life podcast. Those are like two of my big health podcasts.
00:29:42
Speaker
And then I'll pop in, I know Gary, like, I know Gary Vee is a little bit controversial, but he is, I don't know, he's pretty positive overall. Yeah. And it's a very go get them attitude. So if I'm like trying to get in the business zone, I love to listen to a little bit of Gary Vee. Or sometimes I'll just pop on YouTube and type in like, like if I'm in a not as good zone, like positive mindset video, and I'll show some of the top ones really quick.
00:30:07
Speaker
And when you're doing that, is it is it mostly on your phone as you're going about your morning yeah doing stuff? Yeah, I just you know, it's hard to get away from your phone, you know, to like check the time, do a couple of things. So I do try to be very mindful of like what I put on, which is why I like going straight to um a podcast or an audible. I think I'm reading this book called Grit. That's another great book. um But I like that. Angela Duckworth. Yes, I think so. Yeah. Yeah.
00:30:37
Speaker
but she has a great podcast by the way if if you like her and she has a very good podcast you check it out but yeah i like putting something on because that way you know you have something on in the background and you're not ah as attempted to like scroll or do some mindless stuff yeah you know you know sometimes it's kind of quiet you might want to fill some of the space if you're not meditating if you're not using that opportunity and so i try to do it with something positive Yeah, yeah, that's a ah strong point to make of there's very little space in our life for that uncomfortable silence now.
Creativity, Community, and Personal Growth
00:31:11
Speaker
And
00:31:12
Speaker
There's a benefit to it. There's a benefit to boredom. If you think about, I was reading the Iliad with my daughter and one of the gifts, they brought all these rich gifts and it was clothes. It was basically clothes and rugs. I was explaining to her, I was like, this is what being rich was back then. There weren't cars, there weren't crazy electronics and all that. This is what being rich was.
00:31:36
Speaker
and sort To entertain yourself, i mean back then, literally, there wasn't even written word. right like that That story was passed to us by world tradition. and so So much of human existence was boredom. and That's where a lot of creativity can get sparked out of that boredom. and so If we're constantly filling it,
00:31:53
Speaker
It can be a problem. And if we're constantly filling it mindlessly, like a lot of people do, versus saying, hey, here's the kind of stuff I want to put in my head, because this is the kind of stuff I want in my head to now put into the world. It's a very, very different approach. Yes, it that's such a good point. And I think one of like one of my favorite times is just like kind of let my mind do its own thing is in the shower.
00:32:15
Speaker
I come up with some of the best, you know, and they say i call some of the best work ideas in the shower. And also, it's like a great opportunity to kind of let like you said, that natural state of meditation, like not something maybe you're necessarily overly practicing, but the shower going for a walk, just taking that moment to just let your thoughts flow. You know, maybe, maybe you do use it as something positive, like sometimes I'll brainstorm.
00:32:41
Speaker
ideas in my head. Yeah. um but i But those are some of the times I come up with my best ideas. so yeah i and it Yeah. So you touched on before, you know, you used to go corporate job, you're going to the office, everything, and then now not as much. And a lot of people, their, their community can come from work, right? and if and Not a lot of people are proactive in building out that community. And as we think about the pillar of health,
00:33:08
Speaker
and healthspan that most often kind of slips people's minds. It is that social connection and purpose. And I think with with your coaching practice, everything you're putting out there, the purpose side is strong. How do you think about the social connection side and how ah how are you deliberately kind of addressing that on a daily, weekly basis?
00:33:27
Speaker
Yeah, it's so hard because obviously now we have these online communities, which are amazing. I love connecting online with people and like-minded people, but you know it's not enough. I also think we don't even like things that can can benefit you, but you don't even have to meet a person who's getting on the phone and calling someone and having that conversation and maybe going for a walk. Yes, you don't get as much of the benefit as you know meeting with that person, having face-to-face interaction, having that physical touch.
00:33:56
Speaker
But you know you still get a ton of benefit and get to connect deeper with someone if you just make that call and you know don't just be that person that only texts. So I do try to like have calls with my friends all the time to stay connected with them. And then I just moved from California to the Midwest where my husband's from, which is great because he has a huge Italian family here. So we've got We've got that built in. Big 10 community. That's lovely, but just trying to reach out to people. um You know, luckily I do have a lot of people in the space, so I meet people through Instagram and then actually meet in person, have a lot of play days with our kids. So you do have to put yourself out there and make the effort, especially at the start. And sometimes you might even get rejected, but in the long run, it's absolutely worth it to have some of those in-person connections and not just stay behind a screen.
00:34:49
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, there's certainly people out there in the world, and I'm not one of them, who are, it comes naturally, and their desire is to just go out and meet people. Like, they're they're the proactive, they're shaking hands, and I know these people, and you see them, and they make friends with everybody, like, that's amazing. You know somebody in every country, every city, like, you just go around. And then, for the rest of us, you know, it was easy when we were in school, because you're surrounded, like, here you're 30 classmates, so you're gonna have some people you get along with in that. and then at work here, the people you work with. and so you kind of find and You get these baked in communities, but as you become an adult, it it becomes harder and harder. you know The default now is a parent. It's like, well, what are the parents of my daughter's friends? like They've become a big group. but Otherwise, you have to go seek this stuff out. It doesn't just happen. and While it's uncomfortable, the example I always give of
00:35:42
Speaker
it is always going to be easier for us to sit on the couch and watch Netflix. that That's always going to be the easier answer. yeah And 10 years from now, would we like to look back and say, hey, that's what we did for 10 years, or did we got up and we met people and we traveled and we did this and like, yeah, it's going to be hard, right? It's going to be tiring to hop on the plane and fly here, do all these things. But That is life, right? like that the The life is working through those things for the the new experiences. And so, yeah, I totally relate to that that uncomfortableness, but also necessity of putting yourself out there yeah in those spaces of discomfort.
00:36:20
Speaker
I know that I mean, that was my first thought was, you know, meeting friends in your 30s is not is not easy. And, um you you know, you have to be comfortable, maybe like a certain level of rejection, too, because, you know, you put yourself out there and not everyone's going to reciprocate in the way that you think they should. um So that part is really tough, too. But in the long run, it's worth it because you get these new friendships.
00:36:42
Speaker
And you'll have, ah like you said, a vibrant community, hopefully around the world, because that's what's so cool about this day and age. But you do have to you do have to do the work, you have to put yourself out there, you have to join the gym, you have to go to these things. um So yeah, but i it's such an important part of life. And I notice, you know, that I do feel better when I build up that community.
Nutrition Coaching and Lifestyle Guidance
00:37:04
Speaker
Speaking of building that community, i mean that's it seems like a ah big part ah of what you're doing with the coaching and building this community around building that healthy relationship with food and nutrition and and wellness. Can you say a little more about your practice and and everything you do there?
00:37:20
Speaker
We have a whole Facebook group and app and me and my husband, you know, answer so many questions every day and love to work with our clients because it's just, you know, people really need to be met with where they are. This whole all or nothing mindset.
00:37:35
Speaker
needs to go. i mean That's what led me to also a very dangerous place. You're allowed to have fun in life. You're allowed to have these desserts. You're allowed to you know enjoy life and not be afraid to try like some of these cultural foods because your diet needs to be perfect and fit into these perfect macros. so That's really what I live my life about is helping people get to a healthy place, meeting them with where they're at and understanding what types of foods support our body and what types of foods make it really hard to stay on track and ones that are easy to over-consume. And that's that's what I'm all about.
00:38:13
Speaker
I don't want to gloss over that, because nutrition is a really complicated one on this, because in in some ways, it can be a religion. So you could say, OK, there is one objective truth. So even if there was, which with fitness, there's not. right Hence why we can get new world records in different sports of people doing stuff, because we're still learning. And 100% with nutrition, like you have the vegan camp, you have the carnivore camp, you have the omnivore or paleo or all these different camps.
00:38:41
Speaker
To say, here is the objective truth is difficult enough to go to the extreme. But even if you did know that, you say, hey, here is the perfect plan. If knowing the perfect plan leads to 0.002% adherence, it doesn't matter. right So meeting people where they are and saying, OK, well, here's where you are. Did you know 90% of the benefit of getting to that perfect plan is going to come from this first step?
00:39:08
Speaker
Yes. Just this first step. Yes. Let's just do this first step. And that first step is going to be different for different people where they are. but You know, the the difference of going from 60 minutes to 90 minutes of exercise a day is way less beneficial than going from zero to 10. If you go from zero to 10 minutes of exercise, that's the biggest single jump you can get. That's the same with our relationship with food. And so how how do you suss that out with your clients and kind of see, here's where you are. Let's feel out what the right next step that's going to be impactful and rewarding and sustainable for you is.
00:39:44
Speaker
Yeah, you know, a lot of it depends on their schedule, their food environment, their budget, you know, all of those things are taken into consideration, obviously. But I also love to tell them, you know, remind yourself something is better than nothing. You know, like you said, there's nothing worse. Let's just say you have 10, 15 minutes to work out um and you couldn't hit that perfect 30, 45 minute workout or, you know, even an hour. Do the 10 minute workout, do the 15 minute workout. You're going to have so much more benefit than doing zero.
00:40:14
Speaker
And I think with the well with the exercise protocol, you know especially busy women, I've got a lot of moms who I work with, and understanding you you know you don't need a workout seven days a week. You know you don't even need a workout five days a week. Just getting you know three to four um of those consistent strength training workouts, or even two full body ones a week, can do wonders for your health, your health span.
00:40:38
Speaker
And then when it comes to nutrition, again, making small changes. you know The one thing about America is that we do have a lot of conveniences and some of those are good. you know Some of those are maybe some like pre-made proteins that actually are cooked in good oils. you know If you don't have the time, you can buy pre-chopped vegetables, frozen vegetables, all these things that make it easier for you.
00:41:01
Speaker
you know just don't fall down the path of grabbing some of these ultra processed foods that are super easy and convenient, but will damage your health in the long run. I think somebody was explaining kind of processed foods on ah processed foods are bad. like Well, let's let's go through that because a bag salad is processed, right? Like it's been cut up, but you're still getting these nutrients and everything that are in these plants. It's very different than the processing of you know an Oreo and it is like so far removed from anything natural.
00:41:29
Speaker
and Those are delicious. i yeah like They're absolutely amazing. but that's That's why they're so dangerous because they they found all these things that trigger our brain and say, okay, we're going to distill that into this perfect, perfect bite so you can have 36 of them.
00:41:43
Speaker
I do, I do love the distinction between like ultra processed foods and like, yeah, what you would typically consider more, you know, probably junk food or um like something that's more processed like canned beans that, you know, still just, you know, check the ingredients because they add, you know, we add high fructose corn syrup and weird oils to everything. But that aside, if it's just beans and salt and water, you know, this is a great option if you're super busy or you don't have access to some of those fresh foods. Yeah.
00:42:11
Speaker
It I that that all or nothing approach I've been guilty of falling into whether it's nutrition or actually whatever it is. Yeah. And i'm just I I'm so much better about that now. Right. Like, OK, if I can't get to the gym while I'm walking to this place, like I'm just going to put heavier stuff in. I'm going to walk more. Yeah. And that's going to be I'm going to move my body. It's not that it's a workout. It's I need to move my body every day. I need to move it somehow, some way. Right. And we We have the ability and should be doing that. Yeah. I do think being a parent, I don't know if this for you, does even force you more to ditch the all or nothing mindset. You know, do what you can, um especially like, you know, when Dom was younger, my toddler, the sleep, the sleep, he did not sleep well at all. So I feel for my parents out there,
00:43:01
Speaker
And you know, sometimes it'll make sense to skip that workout because you didn't sleep well at all. And other times, you know, just go for a walk, move your body. And then other times, you know, it'll make sense to just shorten that workout, just do what you can. And I always try to talk to myself like that. So that way, I'm not throwing everything the baby out with the bathwater, right?
00:43:21
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it's one of those things we can have a lot of empathy and understanding for others at times. Yeah. And less so with ourselves, right? We we hold ourselves to potentially an unrealistic bar. So that's a really great point. Amanda, this has been a really lively conversation. I appreciate you making the time. We'll put it all in the show notes. But where can people find you? Where should they learn more about you?
00:43:45
Speaker
Yeah, you can find me i'm on my Instagram all the time. It's meow mix. It's meow meix. Don't don't ask me why. And then ah you can find out more about our coaching plans at master your health comm but there's a dash between each master dash your dash health comm anyways, but I really enjoyed our conversation today. And you know, there's always a lot of learnings I get from speaking to people like you too, Andrew.
00:44:09
Speaker
Yeah, I appreciate that. and for Seriously, for the listeners, just for kind of food porn and great ideas on really delicious looking things, definitely visit Amanda's account. It is a lot of fun. It's fun. You can get creative in the kitchen with just a couple of things. so I actually just had an article I wrote on creativity through constraint. And it was a Dr. Zeus, the cat in the hat came out of this requirement they were trying to teach children to read with better than the Dick and Jane box. Okay. And they said, Okay, there's ah a list of 100 words.
00:44:46
Speaker
that you have to figure out the entire book just using this hundred words. Oh, wow. And and then they went even further down. It was like 40 was the Fox another one. And that became the best selling children's book of all time until he got the constraint of 40 words or whatever it was. And then it was this other book, the the Fox or something. When you put more constraints on, sometimes you can unlock greater creativity like like with these brownies, it sounds like. Yeah, no, they're they're good.
00:45:13
Speaker
Well, I can't wait to try them. So I know where I'm going after we hang up, ah but it was it was great to see you, Amanda, and thank you again. Thanks so much. Thank you for joining us on today's episode of the Home of Health Span podcast. And remember, you can always find the products, practices, and routines mentioned by today's guests, as well as many other healthspan role models on the lively.com. Enjoy day.