In this episode, I reflect on the perception of time and how it relates to pursuing your health and fitness goals. It’s important to be patient and stay consistent on your health journey and understand that progress doesn’t happen overnight but it does happen by having the right knowledge and support. 

You don’t have to do this alone, and in this episode I talk a little about how as women especially, we feel like we have to figure everything out on our own when it comes to our health and that is simply not true.  

I talk about some key steps to prioritize health, including self-care, setting boundaries, and cultivating gratitude for your body. I also share the value of investing in your health and discuss my 6 Pillars of Wellness approach. 

Some key takeaways for this episode: 

• Patience and consistency are key in achieving health and fitness goals.
• Seeking help and support can make your health journey much easier and more enjoyable.
• Prioritize self-care, set healthy boundaries, and cultivate gratitude for your body.
• Investing in your health is an investment in your future.

Doors are now open for Body Liberation Together, my 12-week mindset and metabolism intensive, designed to help you shake off the holiday season funk, reset your intentions, and re-establish healthy, sustainable habits so you can start the new year feeling like your best self.

If you decide you’re ready for next-level support to follow through with your goals, I hope you’ll join me in Body Liberation Together. This program only comes around once a year and we start the second week of January, 2024. There are also only 8 spots available, and registration closes on Jan. 5, 2023, so if you already know you need something like this, apply now to join us.

Interested in working with Jeannie one on one? Schedule a 30-minute Coffee Talk here.

Hello again, and welcome

back to the nutrition edit.

2

I'm your host, Jeannie Oliver,

functional nutrition coach and

3

certified personal trainer.

4

And I'm so glad you joined me today.

5

I hope you're having a wonderful holiday

season and have had some downtime to

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rest and reflect on what I know has been

a really crazy year for so many of us.

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2024 is just days away.

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And as usual, the year absolutely flew by.

9

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions,

but I do like to take a little time at

10

the start of the year to set intentions

for what's to come and to think

11

about what I've learned and what I'm

thankful for over the last 12 months.

12

And something that I always end up

thinking about is the perception of time

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and how three months or six months, or a

year can sometimes feel so far off, but

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then when we look back, it feels like

the last year or five years or even ten

15

years have just gone by in an instant.

16

I just celebrated a big milestone birthday

and my friends and I were laughing

17

about how weird it is to be talking, you

know, about how long we've known each

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other or reminiscing about things that

happened like 20, 20 plus years ago.

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It's just bizarre.

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Um, and I think that this perception of

time is particularly relevant when it

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comes to pursuing our health and fitness

goals, you know, as a society, we are.

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So used to instant gratification and

getting anything that we want by simply

23

tapping a screen or clicking a link.

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And if we don't get results quickly

enough, we often abandon what we're

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doing and look for the next quick fix

because it just feels too hard and

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unfamiliar to be patient and really

settle into a process that takes time.

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But if you can think about it in terms of.

28

how quickly the last year has gone by.

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It can definitely help you realize that

if you can be a little more patient,

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stay consistent with your efforts,

that that time is still going to fly

31

by and you can make so much progress.

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A great example of this

is learning a language.

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I have been personally trying to learn to

speak French for about three years now.

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And let me tell you, it is one of

the most humbling, patience requiring

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things that I have ever done in my life.

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It may be the most humbling

thing I've ever done.

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Um, and there have been so many times,

especially in the beginning, when I

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was totally overwhelmed and it just

seemed like an impossible goal to

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speak even the most basic French, let

alone become fluent in French, which I

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still am not, , but I've been chipping

away at it and practicing every day,

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even if it's just for a few minutes.

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And now I'm to a place where

I can actually have a basic

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conversation with a French speaker.

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And I was even complimented on my

accent when we were in France this fall.

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And people are no longer automatically

replying to me in English when

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I speak to them in French.

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So that is super exciting.

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That was a huge win for me.

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And I was.

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I was really stoked, , when someone

complimented me on my accent

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because that is a tough thing.

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Those French R's are a

bear, let me tell you.

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, and at the end of the day,

speaking a language, yes, it's

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incredibly challenging, but it's

really just learning a new skill.

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And the same is true about

creating a healthy lifestyle.

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You're just learning new skills and

thankfully, these skills when it comes

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to, you know, nutrition or fitness,

your relationship with food, these are

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a heck of a lot easier to master than

learning a new language, and you can

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do that a lot more quickly than learning

a new language, especially as an adult.

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It's easy to learn languages

as a kid, but when we start

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as adults, it's a lot tougher.

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but yeah, choosing healthy

foods, it's a skill.

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Grocery shopping is a skill.

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Cooking is absolutely a

skill and it's actually a lot

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easier than most people think.

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Um, an easier one to learn too.

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It's also a skill to learn what your

body is trying to tell you and how

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to care for yourself emotionally

and physically, instead of just.

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anesthetizing with like sugar or

bread or alcohol, for example,

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um, these are all just skills.

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So what I think many people see as

being disciplined and motivated,

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more likely it's just a matter of

learning and practicing new skills and

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allowing yourself to be a beginner.

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Um, if you're familiar with Mel

Robbins, she talks about this a

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lot, like allowing yourself to

be a beginner because If you're a

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beginner, it's okay to make mistakes.

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It's okay to, you know, learn as you

go and not be masterful at something

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yet, because you're just a beginner.

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You're learning.

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And really, all of us are

beginners on some level at

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some point in our lives, right?

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So, Allow yourself to be a beginner.

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Don't feel like, well, I've got to do

this perfectly out the gate or not at all.

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I really find too that that most

people, especially us women, we feel

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like we should be able to figure out

our nutrition and fitness on our own.

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We'll hire experts like mechanics

to fix our cars or a tax expert,

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um, maybe an interior designer or.

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Whatever other professional that we need

to help us with aspects of life that we

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don't specialize in or where we are not

experts But when it comes to our well

90

being, we really feel like we know or

we should know what to do we shouldn't

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And I totally understand this because

I was that way for a really long time

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I spent all of my 20s and 30s on the

yo yo dieting hamster wheel because

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I didn't know what I was doing And I

didn't know where to find answers about

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what would work for my individual needs.

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And you know, that was before

we had to access to just tons of

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information on the internet too.

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So it maybe wasn't as accessible as it is

now, but I actually think it's more of a

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detriment to have all of this information

available to us because it's just.

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Just overwhelming.

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It's way too much.

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And you know, I didn't even start on

my health and fitness journey until

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my late thirties, and I often regret

not prioritizing my nutrition and

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fitness earlier in life because I could

have saved myself a lot of heartache.

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But the fact is that I wasn't ready until

I was ready, which was my late thirties.

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And, and now I'm really grateful

that I started then when I did.

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Because now at 50, my late 30s seems

so young, but you know, I just want to

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say to any of you who are just starting

to prioritize your health, I wanted

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to share with you like the main things

that I want to encourage you to do.

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These are the things that I feel

like if I knew then what I know now.

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You know, this is what I would do if I

could just jump in a time machine and

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start on this whole process sooner.

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So, I'm just going to read

off a quick list of these.

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first, I would prioritize my sleep.

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and my self care, and I

would learn to say no.

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Those are kind of three different things,

but I feel like they're intertwined.

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Sleep is so crucial, and it influences

so many things downstream, so I really

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think that that is a big thing, that

as young people, we're working, we're,

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you know, going out and having fun,

we're doing all these things, and sleep

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isn't a big priority, but it really just

influences so much about the choices

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that we make, and um, It's just a huge

needle mover, so that's where I would

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start, and prioritizing self care versus

just burning the candle at both ends.

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you know, learning to say no and set

healthy boundaries, that's a huge thing.

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That can be a lifelong

quest for us, right?

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Or a lifelong lesson.

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Um, but next I would definitely

have taken more time to figure out

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what was right for me, what worked

for me, in any aspect of life.

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And then I would stay true to that,

regardless of others opinions.

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This is not an easy thing to do, you know,

we are influenced by those around us.

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We just are.

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We care what they think.

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We want people to, you know, we want

to please people, even if we're not

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people pleasing to a problematic level,

like, you know, we want to make others

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happy and comfortable and feel loved

and cared for and all these things.

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We want to nurture people, um.

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But I think learning how to do that in

a way that is healthy for all involved

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and isn't to your own detriment, I

think is a really, really crucial thing.

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So, and then figuring out what works

for you and that includes nutrition,

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fitness, like what works for your body

versus what is the latest celebrity

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doing or influencer or, you know, So and

so next door that may not work for you.

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So figure out what works for you and then

really stay true to yourself Next I would

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really cultivate Gratitude for my body

and all that it enabled me to do instead

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of wishing that it looked different or

weighed less Again, easier said than done.

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I still have my moments when I

wish my body looked different.

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I don't like that I see wrinkles and

loose skin now where it didn't used to be.

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I mean, bodies are bodies.

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They're imperfect.

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And we're always going to have things,

if we could wave a magic wand, that we

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would change about ourselves, right?

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That's just human nature.

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Um, we may not have the face and body

that we would choose if we had, you know,

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our perfect aesthetic choice to make.

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But I think that learning to really Um,

you know, be grateful and thankful to our

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bodies and to recognize and appreciate

what they do for us and what they allow us

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to do is a really, really powerful thing.

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Um, you know, and the next thing,

which also ties into this, I would

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focus more on resistance training

instead of doing tons of cardio.

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I mean, I grew up in the day and age where

it was all about aerobics and cardio,

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and that was what you're supposed to do.

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And the higher the

calorie burn, the better.

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Well, turns out That's

really not the answer.

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Yes, cardio is good for us.

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It matters, but lean muscle mass

is everything like it is the best

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thing that we can do for ourselves is

build the muscle mass and when I did

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start strength training eventually

It helped me appreciate my body so

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much more because I felt strong and

I could see progress every week.

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Like I was lifting a little bit heavier

weight in this exercise or that exercise.

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And it felt so, I felt more powerful.

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I felt empowered versus just that

kind of disempowering, like, oh,

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I have to punish my body more.

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I have to work it harder,

um, make it smaller.

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Like that whole mentality of just

trying to, you know, weigh less,

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take up less space in the world.

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I hate that.

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If you've been listening to me for

any period of time, you know that

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that is not what I am pushing here.

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Um, you know, my hope for all of us as

humans, especially as women, is that

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we can start to really embrace and

appreciate our bodies, honor our bodies,

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learn to take care of them in a way

that nurtures us, like truly nurtures

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us versus just, you know, the Band Aid

approach where We're eating things that

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give us that kind of momentary pleasure,

but they're detrimental in the long term.

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Um, you know, we're over exercising

or under eating, like all of those

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things that are just really negative

and punishing to our bodies.

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Those don't create a healthy relationship

with our bodies or with food and they're

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not the key to happiness on any level.

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Like they just make us miserable

and feel deprived and depleted.

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And so.

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Um, yeah, I think building strength

is one really great way to, um,

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create that appreciation for

your body and to feel empowered.

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And next I would focus on eating enough

of the right foods versus just counting

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calories or macros because food is so

much more than calories or, you know,

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grams of carbohydrate or protein or fat.

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It is.

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It is life.

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It is nourishment for your cells,

for your brain, for your hormones,

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like, you know, your bones, your

muscles, your skin, everything.

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And growing up in the 80s, 90s, like,

you know, and still to this day.

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The mainstream diet culture,

medical industry, it is all about

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eating less, exercising more.

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And that is really not the answer.

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You know, yeah, calories matter to some

degree, macros matter to some degree,

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but it's just part of the picture.

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It's not, it's not the

whole, the whole pie, right?

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So yeah, I would definitely my

focus from, you know, counting

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calories or macros and focus more

on eating enough of the right foods,

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specifically nutrient dense foods.

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Next, I would diligently drink half

my weight in ounces of water daily.

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You've heard me talk about this

before on a previous podcast

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about water and hydration.

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Um, but that's kind of the general

number to shoot for, half your

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weight in ounces of water daily.

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, that again, like sleep, being

hydrated can really have so many

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positive downstream effects.

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So.

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That's something I would focus on.

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And then lastly, I would get involved

in a community, specifically an active

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community, be that one, um, with

dance, which is something that I love.

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Dance communities are

often really, really cool.

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Um, or a community around a sport.

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My husband has an incredible

community, um, of water sports

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people here in the Northwest, and

they're just wonderful people.

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And having that kind of community, it

just provides a certain level of support

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and camaraderie, accountability, you

know, fun, motivation, all of these

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things that can help you stay consistent

with whatever it is that you're doing.

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So have, you know, being involved

in an active community like

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that can be a real game changer.

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Um, and a really great way to just,

you know, make more friends and have

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a better, stronger support system.

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So that's something that I would

prioritize too as a younger person

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because as someone who is more of

an introvert, introvert, excuse me.

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I'm social, but I'm

definitely an introvert.

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That is something that

I didn't prioritize.

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Because I was just a

little bit more of a loner.

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And truthfully, I kind of always

prided myself on being fiercely

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independent, which I now know

wasn't necessarily the healthiest

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thing in the world, emotionally.

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But yeah, if I had it to do over

again, and something that's more

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of a priority for me now, is to

definitely be involved in community.

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And so, Those are kind of my main points,

but regardless of the stage of life that

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you're in, it is truly never too late to

start taking care of your body and mind.

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And I encourage you not to go

it alone, because it makes it a

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lot harder than it needs to be.

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So that's where that

community piece can come in.

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Because there is so much free information

out there, uh, with the internet

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these days, you know, we've got social

media, we've got online publications.

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Um, we now all have access to

science journals and studies

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and PubMed and things like that.

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Um, it seems like it should be easy to get

the information and the guidance we need.

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And yeah, it's easy to get information,

um, but not necessarily guidance,

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but since it's out there and it's

so readily available, it can feel

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frivolous to invest in hiring an

expert to help us with these things.

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Um, but you know, with

all of this information.

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free and readily available.

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Much of it is actually

contradictory and confusing.

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Sometimes it's downright false.

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So it can be incredibly overwhelming

and difficult to know where to start

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and what is even relevant for you.

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I mean, I studied nutrition and

fitness for a living and even

258

doing this full time, I will

always, always have more to learn.

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There's always new science

and information available.

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And.

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It's my job to filter out any BS

or to understand how it applies to

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different populations like women

versus men or age groups, different

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athletes, whatever it might be.

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And if I didn't have that education

and the experience that I have, it

265

would be impossible to navigate this.

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So the question to ask yourself is,

are you willing and able to make

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it your full time job to get your

nutrition and fitness dialed in?

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Or does it make more sense for you

to invest in working with someone

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who can help guide you along the way?

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Because that's what it is.

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It is an investment.

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It's an investment in your health

and your well being and it's

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an investment in feeling and

looking the way that you want to.

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Most importantly, I truly believe that

it's an investment in your future.

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I don't know about you, but both

myself and so many of my clients have

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aging parents right now and we're

seeing firsthand the consequences of

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those parents not investing in their

health and it's a real wake up call.

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It's hard to watch.

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It's often heartbreaking because

we're seeing them, you know, lose

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their cognitive function, um, their

personalities change, you know, it's,

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they've lost mobility and freedom in

their lives and it's really upsetting.

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But it's also a wake up call for

us because we kind of realize,

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okay, you know, there may be some

genetic predispositions there that

284

we need to, um, work on, right?

285

Because we always say like genes load

the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger.

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So just because you have a genetic

predisposition does not mean

287

that you are destined for that.

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You know, genes are expressed or not

expressed, and we can actually have some

289

control over what genes are expressed by,

you know, making the right food choices.

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you know, cultivating a healthy

lifestyle, taking good care of

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ourselves, prioritizing things

like sleep and stress management.

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So it's an opportunity, you know, when

we see these shifts in our parents to

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go, okay, now it's really time to sort

of recalibrate and, and prioritize my

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health at this, this stage in life.

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And, you know, of course it's

not, it's not always cheap.

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We were talking about investing in

getting help with your health, be

297

it with a doctor or with someone

like me, a nutrition coach, personal

298

trainer, whoever that may be.

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But you know what?

300

That's what an investment is.

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It's something that becomes more valuable

over time or the value increases over time

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versus a liability, which depreciates.

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Over time.

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So an example, have you ever bought

something inexpensive and then later

305

wish that you had sprung for the

pricier, better, better quality option?

306

I know I have.

307

I've done this many times and I almost

always wish that I invested in the

308

better quality thing that would last

longer or give me better results.

309

Now, sometimes we simply just

don't have the resources to

310

choose that better option.

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So we have to make do with

the more affordable thing.

312

That's okay, right?

313

There's a time and place for everything.

314

But often the cheaper thing ends up

costing us more time, more money,

315

and or more energy in the long run.

316

So it doesn't end up being worth it.

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I mean, like your cheap, like fast

fashion t shirt that loses its shape

318

after two washings versus like that

one amazing, like high quality,

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like 40 organic cotton t shirt.

320

that's going to last years

and still fit you perfectly.

321

we Americans are famous for this, right?

322

We go for quantity over quality.

323

Whereas Europeans shop very differently.

324

They have a very small wardrobe,

but they're high quality,

325

well made pieces that are more

timeless, maybe less, less trendy.

326

And they'll have those things for,

you know, decades, sometimes lifetime.

327

So.

328

Or lifetimes, they're often passed down

to their, their children and grandchildren

329

because they're just that good quality.

330

And I'll say that this happens

to me with clients when we're

331

talking about the health and, you

know, nutrition, fitness context.

332

Um, I will have an initial meeting

with somebody and it'll go well, but

333

they'll opt for a less expensive option.

334

Like maybe they'll go with a DIY app

based program or they'll choose to work

335

with someone maybe that's covered by

their insurance who, you know, maybe

336

they don't feel as, as good a fit,

but it's covered by their insurance.

337

So.

338

They want to give it a shot.

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Totally makes sense.

340

I completely understand this.

341

And sometimes these things will work

really well for them and they don't

342

need the more kind of customized

approach and support that I provide.

343

But more often than not, these people

end up circling back to me after a year

344

or two, having had little to no success

with the app or, you know, the person

345

that they didn't feel was the great fit.

346

The.

347

You know, doctor's office

or hospital, whatever.

348

And they share with me that they wish

that they hadn't wasted their time.

349

Doing those things and they wish that

they had just worked with me when

350

we first met But I always tell them

look it really wasn't a waste of time

351

Because through that process they learn

something about what doesn't work for

352

them and what kind of support that

they really need and they wouldn't have

353

Known otherwise, right and it's kind

of it's really kind of like dating.

354

So The whole point of dating is that

when you date different people, you

355

learn what you do and do not want

in a partner, what's important for

356

you to feel loved and cared for.

357

Um, you know, do you have the same

value systems, all of these things.

358

And there may be heartbreak or

difficult lessons learned along the

359

way, but you're not wasting your

time if you're learning something.

360

The important thing is that, like, once

you know better, you make choices that

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will serve you well, instead of making

the same mistakes over and over again.

362

Or the same choices that don't

serve you over and over again.

363

And I will tell you, you know, the clients

that I see who have the most success on

364

their health journey or achieving their

health and fitness goals are always

365

the clients who have tried everything.

366

You know, they've done the diets,

they've done the quick fixes, the

367

fads, pills, injections, whatever, etc.

368

And they've come to a realization

that nothing is really going to

369

change and they're not going to get

lasting results until they do the real

370

work of creating a healthy mindset.

371

And a healthy relationship with

their food and their bodies.

372

And the cool thing is that once

they do commit to this work, it's

373

so exciting to see their progress.

374

Um, I'm working with a woman right now and

she started working with me after really

375

hitting rock bottom with her health and.

376

When she committed,

she committed big time.

377

She really leaned into doing the

mindset work, and now she is making

378

breakthroughs left and right.

379

Even when she gets off track, she's able

to recalibrate and continue progressing

380

more quickly and easily because she's

got the tools and the support she needs.

381

So, and, you know, I don't know about

you, everyone is different, but I know

382

for me, when I invest in something that

is a little bit of a financial stretch

383

for me, I am so much more committed.

384

I mean, I am bound and determined

to get my money's worth out of

385

that and I will do the work.

386

However, if I buy something

and, you know, business.

387

Stuff is a prime example.

388

I've done marketing courses or social

media courses or whatever kind of

389

business course that I've looked into.

390

And there's some that I have purchased

that have been really inexpensive.

391

And guess what?

392

Those are the ones that I haven't

done because they kind of, it wasn't

393

really a big investment for me.

394

It was sort of a throwaway item

that if I didn't do the work,

395

it was kind of like no big deal.

396

Oh, well.

397

And I.

398

It's not to say that they

weren't fantastic programs.

399

I maybe could have gotten so much

out of that and had real success

400

with it, but because it wasn't an

investment for me, I didn't take it

401

as seriously and I didn't do the work.

402

Whereas, you know, the more expensive

coaching that I've invested in for

403

myself, business coaching or otherwise.

404

I tell you, I have shown up for

that and I have done the work.

405

So this is another example of

how an investment, um, while it

406

can feel big at the time, it will

actually grow in value over time.

407

It'll pay off in spades if

it's the right one for you.

408

And you know, sometimes It's

not the right investment.

409

So you have to kind of know

that and really listen to

410

your gut instincts about it.

411

Um, and I am a huge proponent of shopping

around, you know, figuring out what

412

feels right, what resonates for you.

413

I, um, you know, always talk with

people before they sign up to work

414

with me, unless it's something small,

like one of my DIY programs because

415

I want to make sure it's a good fit.

416

I'm not doing you any favors or myself

any favors by just You know, taking your

417

money and you're not getting any results.

418

That's the last thing that, that I want.

419

Any coach that has integrity

would feel the same way.

420

Um, you know, in a lot of my, my peer

circles and people that I work with,

421

other coaches, they all feel the same way

that they would rather, you know, make

422

less money and work with fewer people

who are really right for them or really

423

good fit who they can truly help versus

help a larger volume of people, , who

424

aren't necessarily the right fit because.

425

They're not going to get the results

because they're not right for you

426

or you're not right for them, right?

427

So anyway, I wanted to share with

you guys doors are now open for my

428

once yearly group coaching program

It's called body liberation together,

429

and I only have a few spots left.

430

This is a small group That I just run in

January and it's a really great option

431

if you like the energy and accountability

of a group It's more affordable than

432

coaching one on one with me and this Well,

this program, it's focused on mindset and

433

metabolism, but it's designed around my

six pillars of wellness, which I'm going

434

to share with you in a couple of minutes.

435

So it's really a whole person approach

versus just the typical, you know,

436

counting calories and macros, working

out X number of times a week program.

437

That's really common in the new year,

um, which is what most people offer.

438

And.

439

That's fine, that's totally

right for some people.

440

It's just not my approach.

441

you know, I want you to learn

to eat in a way that really

442

nourishes your body and soul.

443

I'm providing all the tools

that you need to do that.

444

You get four weeks of meal plans

with shopping lists included, so

445

there's no guesswork involved.

446

Um, and really the goal of this

Not just this program, but all of

447

the work that I do with clients.

448

My goal is to help you learn a way

of eating and of working out and just

449

living every day that is not just

Helping you to achieve your goals.

450

It's not just getting new results,

but you can step back and go Yeah,

451

this might take a little thought and

effort But I'm still enjoying my life.

452

This is doable for me.

453

I don't feel deprived all the time.

454

I'm not hungry all the

time I'm feeling good.

455

My energy is good.

456

I'm sleeping well and I can eat

this way the rest of my life

457

Like this is working for me.

458

So that's always my goal for you and

You know, while meal plans can be

459

great, especially at first, because

they provide some good structure and

460

they give you a nice, um, kind of,

you know, resource for, for recipes.

461

Flexibility, excuse me, flexibility is

actually really crucial when it comes

462

to creating a lifestyle and a way of

eating that's sustainable for you.

463

So, you're also going to learn how

to eat in a way that serves you well,

464

even if you're traveling or eating out.

465

Because it's just not practical

to always follow a meal plan.

466

I mean, what are you going to do if

you're on a cruise ship or you're

467

eating at a friend's house or

you're, you know, on vacation on an

468

airplane, um, you need to learn tools.

469

And ways to make choices that serve you

well, regardless of what setting you're

470

in, so that you're going to learn.

471

And I teach that in my one on one

work as well, and even in some of my

472

online DIY, like, self study programs.

473

So, yeah, so I want to quickly just cover

my six pillars of wellness to give you an

474

idea of my approach and how I work with

both my groups and my one on one clients.

475

So mindset is always the first thing

that we're going to start with.

476

This is number one.

477

, in this program we start by working on

mindsets and helping you get in touch

478

with your body, help you cultivate a

healthy relationship with your food

479

because your brain is driving the bus.

480

So having the right mindset is really

the foundation for creating a healthy

481

lifestyle and making lasting changes.

482

And this includes , your thoughts, your

self talk, as well as your beliefs about

483

who you are and what you can or cannot do.

484

Because often the stories that

you tell yourself are what holds

485

you back from reaching your

goals or making real changes.

486

So we always start with the mindset.

487

Next stress management.

488

This is a big one.

489

You know, we can't avoid stress, but

we can learn to manage it better.

490

And nutrition plays a

really big role in that.

491

Food can either be a source of stress on

your body, or a source of stress relief.

492

And by eating and moving in ways that

support your nervous system, you'll

493

find that you are less stress reactive.

494

So, what I mean by that is that You may

find that the stressors in your life

495

may not have changed, but they no longer

affect you as much as they do when your

496

body is stressed out by inflammatory

food, too much alcohol and or caffeine,

497

and too little or even too much exercise.

498

And improving sleep is a really

big focus under this stress

499

management umbrella as well.

500

Because like I mentioned before, sleep has

so many, effects on every other aspect of

501

your life, including, you know, appetite,

insulin sensitivity, um, what you crave

502

or don't crave, your energy, obviously.

503

So sleep is a huge, huge piece of this.

504

Next is inflammation and Reducing

inflammation is really kind

505

of about reducing the insults,

so to speak, to your body that

506

often come from external sources.

507

Um, examples of this would include like

reducing inflammatory foods, like High

508

glycemic processed foods or foods with

toxic ingredients and then reducing

509

toxic exposures to chemicals from

either agriculture or like personal

510

and household products, for example.

511

So reducing inflammation is a big thing.

512

Um, another piece of this is actually

identifying and eliminating any

513

foods that you're sensitive to or

reactive to because those can cause.

514

It's a lot of inflammation

in your body as well.

515

So that's the inflammation piece.

516

Um, detoxification, I know people

kind of cringe when they hear the

517

word detox and yeah, there's a lot

of quote unquote detoxes or cleanses

518

out there that are total nonsense.

519

But when I talk about detoxification,

really what I'm talking about is

520

supporting your body's natural detox

pathways so that you can eliminate

521

property properly, excuse me.

522

That doesn't just mean, you know,

pooping regularly, that is part of

523

elimination, and it's really crucial.

524

But this also means, you

know, eliminating toxins.

525

Like, that's part of what our bodies

do, is just eliminate stuff that we're

526

exposed to in the air and, you know,

water, whatever, on a daily basis.

527

And we need to have our organs

of detox, our detox pathways

528

open in order to do that.

529

We also need to detoxify

or eliminate hormones.

530

We need to use our hormones and then

eliminate any excess or eliminate.

531

used up hormones.

532

So that's a really big piece.

533

Um, your liver is a big organ of detox.

534

And if your liver isn't

functioning, functioning optimally.

535

It really can affect your energy

and cause weight loss resistance.

536

It can cause hormone imbalances,

skin issues, all kinds of stuff.

537

So the detoxification piece, we're

really looking at just kind of

538

supporting your body's natural

ability to detoxify and eliminate.

539

Um, and that again can have a really

big influence on your body's ability to.

540

Burn fat, et cetera.

541

Um, next is fitness.

542

So movement is a really key

component of health for sure.

543

Our bodies are designed to move.

544

We're not meant to be as

sedentary as we are in the modern

545

world sitting all the time.

546

However, you don't have to become

a gym rat or spend hours of week,

547

in the gym, , or hours working out.

548

Ideally, a few hours a week total,

but really, you're going to learn to

549

work out smarter and more efficiently

versus doing that kind of punishing

550

exercise we talked about before.

551

So when I talk about fitness, I'm

talking about really building strength,

552

increasing lean muscle, because these

things will actually improve your

553

metabolism or your metabolic health.

554

They're going to support

healthy brain, healthy hormones,

555

um, they're very anti aging.

556

That's the fitness piece.

557

Um, but wherever you are in your

fitness journey, you know, even

558

if you're just in a place where

you're like, Hey, I'm just walking.

559

Or, you know, maybe if you've got

any kind of, um, impediment or, you

560

know, disability, anything that you're

struggling with that prevents you

561

injuries, um, from moving in certain ways,

we're just, you know, going to meet you

562

where you're at and help you get moving

in a way that actually works for you.

563

And you can always build from there.

564

So don't feel like, Oh boy,

she focuses on fitness.

565

I've got to, you know, get in the gym and,

and spend an hour and a half every day.

566

Nope.

567

I love fitness.

568

That's not how I work out either.

569

So I'm all about efficiency.

570

I want you to get the most bang for

your buck in a shorter time as possible.

571

And then lastly, so, you know, nutrition

obviously carries through every aspect

572

that we've talked about here, and

that's always going to be a focus.

573

But blood sugar regulation is

one really key component of

574

nutrition that I always focus on.

575

I talk about this one a

lot, and it's really hard to

576

overstate the importance of it.

577

I mean, blood sugar regulation is the

key to preventing insulin resistance.

578

And trust me when I tell you that you want

to avoid or prevent insulin resistance.

579

Insulin resistance is often

happening long before.

580

Your blood glucose readings will

actually look bad or before they

581

will reach the pre diabetic range.

582

So we want to address or prevent insulin

resistance before that ever happens.

583

Now, the good news is that

type 2 diabetes is reversible.

584

Now, I'm not a doctor, so I can't

diagnose or treat anything like

585

that, but when it comes to your

nutrition, we can help you eat in a

586

way that helps You become more insulin

sensitive and less insulin resistant.

587

So that can actually

help with these things.

588

But, you know, that's something that

you've got to address with a doctor first

589

so that they can kind of monitor you, and

you can kind of track your progress there.

590

a lot of people in the medical

community, specifically the functional

591

medicine community, are referring to

Alzheimer's disease as type 3 diabetes

592

because it's so tightly connected

with insulin resistance in the brain.

593

So, again, you know, If you're in

that category of folks who are dealing

594

with aging parents and you're seeing

Um, them struggle with dementia or

595

Alzheimer's, any kind of cognitive

decline, , this is definitely something

596

that you want to pay attention to.

597

And even if you're not, regulating your

blood sugar is just a really, really

598

important piece when we're talking

about caring for your body, because

599

it's going to help you have better

energy, better cognitive function.

600

And, um, you know, most of you

listening are working with.

601

You know, pretty demanding careers

and lives, you're high performers and

602

you want to feel like you're on it.

603

You want to feel like you can bring

your A game and that cognitively

604

you're sharp and focused.

605

I know I want that.

606

That's really important for me, especially

running my own, my own practice.

607

So there are a multitude of benefits

to keeping your blood sugar, you

608

know, nice and, and well regulated.

609

Um, it can influence your sleep,

your hormones, your moods.

610

It's everything.

611

So this is a big one and if your blood

sugar is all over the place and you're

612

experiencing insulin resistance, it's

going to be really hard to lose fat.

613

So I know that's a big priority for

many of you and you know, that's,

614

that's one thing, one lever that

we can pull and um, work on for

615

sure when it comes to nutrition.

616

you know, it's also not just

your diet or food that affects

617

your blood sugar and insulin.

618

Bye.

619

production, it's also

exercise or lack thereof.

620

So too little and too

much , can both be bad.

621

Stress can affect it and your sleep.

622

These all can influence your body's

ability to regulate your blood glucose.

623

So that is something that I spend a lot

of time and I focus on in my practice, and

624

in both my group and one on one programs.

625

So these are the six pillars

there that You know, my practice

626

is basically built around.

627

And if you know that you need support

and guidance when it comes to feeling

628

your best, achieving your health

goals, um, you know, anything that

629

you want for yourself, especially

in this coming year, as the new year

630

starts, I would love to work with you.

631

The last day to sign up for Body

Liberation Together, the group

632

coaching program, is January 5th.

633

So if you're interested in

that, jump on it, go to BodyLib.

634

Together.

635

So that's body L I B as in boy together.

636

com and you can apply to join and don't

worry applying for this is not going

637

to obligate you to buy the program.

638

Once you've submitted your application,

I'll actually read through it.

639

And if it sounds like you're a good fit,

then we'll book a 30 minute chat to make

640

sure it's right for you before you commit.

641

If you're interested in getting one

on one support, which is, you know,

642

more customized, more individualized,

You can go to my website, and there's

643

a link right there on the homepage

to book a free 30 minute coffee talk.

644

That'll give us a chance to talk about

what you want to achieve, and to see

645

if I'm the right person to help you.

646

I also have several really affordable

self study programs available, which,

647

you know, I was kind of talking smack

about this sort of thing earlier.

648

But I have to say, like, I'm

really proud of these programs,

649

especially my 21 day reboot.

650

It's a really, really impactful program.

651

and it's affordable, but if you're

not used to buying good quality

652

food, that first week grocery bill

can be a little bit of a shocker.

653

Um, but it's a really incredible program.

654

People get fantastic results with that.

655

So definitely check that out if

that's more in your price range.

656

And that is.

657

Under the work with me tab on my

website, which is just J Oliver wellness.

658

com.

659

I'll also put links to all of

these things, these options in the

660

show notes for you, but whatever

you choose, I really look forward

661

to connecting with you in 2024.

662

And I'm really glad you joined me today.

663

Thanks for being here and listening.

664

This is actually the last episode this

season, so I'll be taking a few weeks

665

off, but I'm really excited for season

four and I'm going to be bringing you

666

more fantastic guests and helpful content.

667

Bye.

668

So stay tuned for that.

669

And in the meantime, if you're new to

the show, go back and check out seasons

670

one and two, and hit me up on Instagram.

671

My handle is at J Oliver wellness.

672

Shoot me any questions or

comments about the show.

673

And I just always love hearing from you.

674

And I especially love getting your

suggestions for future episode topics.

675

So hit me up over there.

676

Anyway, remember to take good care of

yourself, have a very, very happy new

677

year, and I will see you next time.