Forget the 6-week bridal crash plan. There is a smarter, more sustainable, and more science-backed way to look and feel your absolute best on your wedding day — and it starts right here.

In this episode, Dr. Kelsy Vick — board-certified orthopedic DPT and pelvic floor physical therapist — kicks off the Wedding Prep Series with the real framework for body recomposition: losing fat while building or maintaining muscle over months, not weeks, without crash dieting or overexercising.

What you'll learn:

• Why body recomposition beats crash dieting every time — and what the research actually supports
• The exercise handbag essentials every bride needs: strength training, jump training, and HIIT
• What true muscular fatigue actually means and why it matters for results
• The research on HIIT, sprint interval training, and visceral fat reduction in women
• Why recovery is not optional — and what the optimal training week actually looks like
• How a DEXA scan can objectively track your progress before the wedding
• Fueling basics — protein, calories, and creatine — including a luteal phase loading protocol

Links:

Dr. Katie's Episode: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/077def9c-370a-4963-b662-8d1f61256f73/

Exercise handbag series: https://player.captivate.fm/collection/edd38a37-6dd0-42b5-ac60-e8c2ff8b0419

Devil Wears Prada Cortisol Episode: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/a04568e4-b4c2-4194-9a44-81508ac46555/

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Welcome to Wellness Fixes the Pod, a

by Maven Media production, where we

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believe you deserve real education

from real experts, delivered

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in a way you can actually use.

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I'm Dr.

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Kelsey Vick, your board-certified

orthopedic doctor of physical therapy, and

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this podcast was built for the girl who

is done feeling overwhelmed and frustrated

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by conflicting health noise, and is ready

for something she can actually trust.

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Every week, we have honest, science-backed

conversations about your health,

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your hormones, your brain, your

body, and everything in between.

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No fluff, no fear-mongering,

just the truth.

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Because understanding your

body is the most powerful

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thing you can do for yourself.

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A table full of experts built for

the curious girl who wants the truth.

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So welcome.

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Your seat is waiting for you.

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A lot of girls want to look more toned on

their wedding day, so we're gonna chat the

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actual science-backed way to achieve that.

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We're not crash dieting.

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We're not crash exercising.

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We're not starving ourselves in

order to create the body composition

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or changes that we wanna see.

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The fast approach produces water

loss, muscle loss, hormonal chaos,

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and a body that's fighting you by

the time your wedding day arrives.

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Jump training is amazing both for

now and in the future, and I call

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it bone building on steroids.

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Intensity is that key driver of fat loss,

not volume, meaning a 20-minute high

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intensity interval training session can

have more positive benefits on fat loss

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compared to an hour of moderate cardio.

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Exercise is the stimulus.

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Recovery is where the magic happens.

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Muscle is built, fat is mobilized, and

adaptations are made when you rest.

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From a thousand times yes to I do,

let's chat science-backed wedding prep.

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Welcome back to Wellness Fixes the Pod.

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I'm your host, Dr.

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Kelsey Vick, a board-certified

orthopedic doctor of physical therapy

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and a pelvic floor physical therapist.

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And wedding season is here, so whether

you're the bride, a maid of honor, or

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just someone who wants a good excuse

to dial in their health and wellness

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routine, this episode is for you.

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We're doing something a little bit

different today in the wedding prep side

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of things and talking science-backed

wedding prep with different experts.

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So today, I am talking about something

that is near and dear to my heart,

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and that is body recomposition

and exercise and movement.

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A lot of girls want to look more

toned on their wedding day, which in

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my head makes me think a decrease in

fat and an increase in muscle mass

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or a maintenance of muscle mass.

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So we're gonna chat the actual

science-backed way to achieve that.

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Given this bridal era, your engagement

era is the perfect time to have a reason

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to dial in whatever that goal and that

exercise routine looks like for you.

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So a little vibe check before we dive in.

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This episode is for every bride,

every maid of honor, every wedding

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guest, really every person who wants

to dial in her own health routine.

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We're gonna start off talking about

body composition and recomposition,

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but we'll touch on a lot of different

subjects that brides care about as

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a way to narrow the focus on wedding

prep, wedding season, and all the

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excitement that comes with a proposal,

an engagement, and wedding planning.

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But these concepts are not just

for brides, they're for everyone.

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A wedding date is one of

the best motivators in

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existence, so why not use it?

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However, we're not doing crash anything.

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We're not crash dieting.

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We're not crash exercising.

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We're not starving ourselves in

order to create the body composition

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or changes that we want to see.

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This is sustainable changes that can

be done for a lengthened period of

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time to help you feel the best on

your wedding day if you're a bride

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or just the best at a date in the

future, even if you're not a bride.

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Crash approaches have a way of wreaking

havoc on your hormonal system, your

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ability to maintain or grow muscle or

lose fat or improve your bone mineral

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density or sleep, your energy levels.

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There are so many negatives to

crash anything that my goal is to

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really talk about and educate on the

science-backed way to create these

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sustainable changes that a lot of

brides want for their wedding day.

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And produce results that can

stick long after the honeymoon.

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You can think of this as your

wedding prep glow up series, but

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science-backed and research-backed.

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So let's start with body composition and

body recomposition more specifically,

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What it actually means and why we want it.

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Everyone says they want to tone

up before their wedding, but

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what does that actually mean?

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And what are the biological

processes that go into that toned

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look that a lot of brides want?

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So body recomposition is losing

fat and building or maintaining

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muscle simultaneously.

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That toned look that everyone wants is

not this new type of muscle creation.

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It is the subsequent building

or maintenance of muscle

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with the decreasing of fat.

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And real body recomposition happens

over months, not days or weeks.

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The slower approach produces

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changes that are actually

structural, meaning they will last.

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The fast approach produces water

loss, muscle loss, hormonal chaos,

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and a body that's fighting you by

the time your wedding day arrives.

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So the two of the most important

pillars for body recomposition are your

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fitness and exercise and your fueling.

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We'll dive into exercise today since

that's my expertise and something

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I feel very confident chatting

on, but we will also talk about

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fueling and the nutrition side of

the equation with experts who know.

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The key takeaway, we want to align your

goals and your vision for your body

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and your wedding day with a sustainable

approach that's not creating this fight

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or flight response from your body.

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That way you can actually feel and look

your best on your wedding day and have

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those habits stay and be maintained

even on your first anniversary.

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So back in the fall of twenty twenty-five,

we chatted the exercise handbag,

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which is a fun term and a fun metaphor

that I came up with to describe the

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essentials that every girl needs in her

exercise routine or exercise handbag.

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We talk about everything that girls

need in their exercise routines, both

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for their goals now currently, but also

their longevity goals in the future.

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So forget the bridal arm series.

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Here's what I'd actually focus on when

it comes to your exercise routine and

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fine-tuning your exercise routine to

help reach your body recomposition

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goals now, but also set you up for

success long term in the future.

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Number one is strength training.

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This is a non-negotiable

in your science-backed body

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recomposition wedding prep glow up

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If you haven't previously strength

trained, a wedding is the perfect reason

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to start to try and dial in that routine.

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A lot of girls want their arms to

look amazing on their wedding day,

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or their legs or their booty, or just

feel good in their bodies and feel

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confident, and that is wonderful.

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So the wedding's a nice reason, a nice

motivator to create these changes in

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your routine now to where you have

typically quite a few months in between

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proposal and wedding day to really

enact these habit changes and these

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new routines in your life to make it

more of a lifestyle change after your

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wedding, not just for the wedding.

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So strength training is what actually

creates the body composition goals that

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you want to see on your wedding day.

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As a simple rule of thumb, what

does strength training look like?

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And the whole goal of The Exercise Handbag

is to show that even if you like Pilates,

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even if you like barre, even if you like

running, there are still ways to get

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in your strength training no matter the

form of exercise that you actually enjoy.

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I feel like strength training can

create this image in people's heads

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of going to the gym, lifting heavy

weights, lifting barbells, really...

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Which is true.

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All of those things constitute strength

training and resistance training.

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But there's still a way to lift those

weights in that form of movement

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that is not strength training.

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Just like there's ways that

you can do Pilates and barre

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without actually creating enough

stimulus for muscle growth.

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So we wanna make sure that you are

able to incorporate the principles

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of strength training no matter the

style of Exercise Handbag or the

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style of exercise that you enjoy.

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So how do we do that?

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Some of the big pillars of strength

training and creating muscle changes

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within your body is you want to hit every

major muscle group at least twice a week.

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That means upper body, lower body, core.

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You can group them regionally to keep

it simple, but we wanna hit every

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major muscle group twice a week.

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That can be an upper body

day, a lower body day.

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That can be two full body days.

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For me, that typically looks like

an upper body day, a lower body

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day, and then a full body day.

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I like to add in three or four days

of strength training for my own goals.

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But if you're new to strength training

and you're looking to just build a routine

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for feeling your best on your wedding

day, The guidelines say two times a

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week hitting every major muscle group.

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One of the other pillars of strength

training is you need to be reaching

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muscular fatigue, and that's

different from neuromuscular fatigue

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or nervous system fatigue, where

you might, in a barre class or a

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Pilates class, hold that position for

a while or do those little pulses,

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and that can create neuromuscular

fatigue, but it might not actually

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indicate true muscular fatigue.

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So the reason we want true muscular

fatigue is so the body is cued

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for that subsequent rebuilding

after that exercise session.

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If we reach the fatigue point, we're

really telling our bodies, "Hey, I

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can't currently handle this weight

that I'm lifting or the amount of

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repetitions that I'm lifting this weight.

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Next time, we need to build

reinforcements so that I'm able to

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lift this weight again and again."

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So it's this cue for your body

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to build more muscle mass.

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So we all have different

points of muscular fatigue.

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For someone who's just starting

out with exercise, body weight

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might be enough resistance.

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For someone who has strength trained

for years, we'll need to lift heavier

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weight and add external resistance in

order to achieve that muscular fatigue

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point or add more repetitions in order

to achieve that muscular fatigue point.

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So the way you know you've hit that

fatigue point is if your form breaks down.

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I don't want to see any form breakdown.

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So if you're doing a lunge and all of

a sudden you realize "Oh my gosh, my

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knee is going in, my hip's shifting.

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I'm having to really use my back to pull

the weight up," it might indicate that

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you've already hit that fatigue point.

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Another way you know you've hit

that fatigue point is you physically

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can't lift the weight anymore.

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You also might start

slowing the tempo down.

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That's a sign that you're getting

close to that muscular fatigue.

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So if you're able to keep these pillars

in mind, no matter the form of exercise

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that you're doing, you'll be able to

implement some of those strength training

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principles to receive the benefits

of strength training in your exercise

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routine, your exercise handbag, no matter

the style of exercise that you enjoy.

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So a little love note to

my group fitness girlies.

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I love a group fitness class.

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I love a heated sculpt class,

but a lot of the times, I am not

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hitting true muscular fatigue.

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I'm hitting neuromuscular fatigue in

those classes, which there's a time

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and a place for that, and if you

enjoy those exercise classes, great.

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But if you are so consistent with

those classes and still looking to get

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the benefits and reach the pillars of

strength training in that class, you

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might have to modify the weights that

you're using, the repetitions that you're

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using, the depth that you're going in

certain exercises in order to accomplish

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the goals of strength training and

create that stimulus for muscle growth.

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Pulses and low-weight, high-repetition

exercises are great for mind-muscle

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connection, time under tension,

neuromuscular control, but they're not

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the most effective and might not create

the stimulus needed for true muscular

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growth and true body recomposition changes

or getting that sort of toned look.

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If the last two reps of your set are

not genuinely hard, where you are having

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trouble lifting the weight or rising and

lowering to the depths required, you're

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not truly reaching muscular fatigue.

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If it's a pulse and you're not able to

pulse any more or hold that position any

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longer in an isometric or static hold,

that's more related to neuromuscular

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fatigue, not true muscular fatigue.

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So there is a difference.

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This is not criticizing group

fitness classes or those modalities.

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Again, I love doing those classes,

and there's a time and a place for

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them, but it's just physiology.

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We need to have enough of a stimulus

to create the muscle changes that

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we want, and sometimes those group

fitness classes don't reach that.

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Some of them do, and I really try

and search out those classes and

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search out those instructors that

know those pillars of strength

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training and align with my goals.

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So I try and search those out, but I just

want to make you guys more aware consumers

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of these classes, that way you know what

you're getting when you go into one of

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these classes, and you know how to modify

it in the best way for your current goals.

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The next essential in your

exercise handbag is jump training.

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Jump training is amazing both for

now and in the future, and I call

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it bone building on steroids.

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It is one of the best ways to

create bone mineral density changes.

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And I know a lot of girls in their

wedding prep era are not thinking

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about their bone mineral density,

but it is one of the reasons that

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we need to make sure we're fueling

appropriately because we do not want

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bone breakdown because of under-fueling.

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We don't want any sort of hormonal

changes or load changes or building

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block changes to occur because we're

under-fueling, especially when it comes

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to our bone mineral density as women.

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And jump training is one of the ways

that we can actually positively affect

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our bones and incorporate it super

easily into our exercise routines.

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So not only does it help our

bone mineral density, it helps

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our cardiovascular health.

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It builds power.

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It works on some of those different

muscle fiber types that allow us

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to do these explosive movements.

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So very beneficial for all of our

exercise routines in this wedding

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prep glow up era, but also for life.

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So if you wanna add it to your routine,

you can do something as simple as ten

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or twelve jump squats or split lunges.

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Or jump rope at the beginning or end

of whatever your exercise routine is.

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Think of jump training as the secret

weapon that makes your exercise

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routine that much more effective.

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the next science-backed fitness wedding

glow up era essential is high intensity

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interval training and sprint interval

training, especially for women.

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When it comes to body composition,

I mentioned two pillars,

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muscle building and fat loss.

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Both of those are related to our

metabolism, And high-intensity interval

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training and sprint interval training

are two of the powerhouses that

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positively affect our metabolisms.

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So here's what the research tells us

about sprint training and high-intensity

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interval training specifically for women.

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Both high-intensity interval

training and sprint interval

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training produce significant

visceral fat reduction in women.

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Intensity is that key driver of

fat loss, not volume, meaning a

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twenty-minute high-intensity interval

training session can have more positive

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benefits on fat loss compared to

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an hour of moderate cardio.

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So not only is it less time, but it's more

efficient and produces longer-term results

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or biological changes that are happening

within your body that are working long

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after that 20-minute session of sprinting

or high-intensity interval training.

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High-intensity interval training

combined with resistance training

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produces better muscle retention, muscle

maintenance, and growth alongside fat

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loss Than either modality alone, than

either high-intensity interval training

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alone or strength training alone.

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So the combo is really the key.

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So here's a practical

wedding prep season protocol.

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I like to sprinkle in two to

three sessions of sprint training

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or HIIT training each week.

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Sometimes I'll combine it on

one of my upper body days,

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knowing I've hit the upper body.

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Sprinting, high-intensity interval

training, oftentimes I have to use my

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lower body to get my heart rate up enough.

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You want your heart rate at about

80 to 90% of your heart rate max.

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And your heart rate max is

estimated 220 minus your age.

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That's the easy formula to use.

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220 minus your age, then

take a percentage of that.

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Try and get your heart rate up to

that number during those working

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sets, followed by resting sets.

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And these can be a one-to-one

work to rest ratio, meaning

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one minute on, one minute off.

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It can be 20 seconds on, one minute off.

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You want to give yourself

a time for all-out effort

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followed by rest and recovery.

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And that can be a jog, that can be

a walk, whatever that recovery looks

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like for you, as long as you're able

to hit those percentages of your heart

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rate max, that 80 to 90% of your heart

rate max during those working sets.

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As a little caveat, if it's close to your

wedding, you're in a high-stress state,

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this is where I'd be a little careful

layering on high-intensity interval

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training and sprint interval training.

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We just did an episode on The Devil

Wears Prada and cortisol, so I encourage

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you to take a look at that episode.

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It's episode 99.

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But we look at the reason cortisol

gets a bad reputation and how to

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implement activities that have been

promoted as cortisol-raising and

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bad-for-you activities like sprinting and

high-intensity interval training in a safe

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way, even when you're in a stressed state.

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So if you are too stressed and

you're implementing some of these

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00:18:20,860 --> 00:18:23,310

high-intensity interval training and

sprint interval training workouts

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00:18:23,610 --> 00:18:27,580

and noticing your body just fighting

you back, this might be a variable to

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take out of it in a high-stress state.

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However, it's not saying that we don't

need it or they're not beneficial.

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It's just saying that your body might

be having difficulty coming down from

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that super high-intensity state because

of stress, and layering on something

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else that's higher intensity that

creates some of those cardiovascular,

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muscular, and neurological changes that

come with high stress, even if it's

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00:18:49,460 --> 00:18:53,190

good stress like exercise, might not

be as beneficial in a super high-stress

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season, like closer to your wedding.

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which is why this episode is talking

about not crash dieting, crash

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exercising, or anything, because

implementing high-intensity interval

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training and sprint interval training

at the right time is super beneficial.

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But if you wait till the very end when

you're already stressed and already

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wanting some of these metabolic

changes and worried about how you're

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going to possibly look and feel

in your body on your wedding day,

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that's not the time to be adding

in all of those things all at once.

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We wanna be able to have this

nice experimentation phase and

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allow our body to adapt to possibly

some of these new stimuli that we are

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placing on it in the form of exercise.

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So the last handbag essential that we all

need in our science-backed wedding prep

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or just science-backed prep is recovery.

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This is the exercise handbag essential

that's making all of the other

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handbag essentials more effective.

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Exercise is the stimulus.

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Recovery is where the magic happens.

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Muscle is built, fat is mobilized,

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and adaptations are made when you rest.

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So in your wedding prep era, you do

not need to exercise every single day.

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You need to have recovery built in.

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00:20:03,290 --> 00:20:06,880

Four to five quality

workout and exercise days

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With two to three genuine rest or

active recovery days is that sweet spot.

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00:20:11,390 --> 00:20:16,420

Active recovery can mean easy walks or a

light jog if that is your fitness state.

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00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:20,590

Gentle stretching, yoga, something

that feels good for the body.

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00:20:20,900 --> 00:20:22,950

You can also take it

as a complete rest day.

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Both are considered recovery.

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Sleep is also the most

underrated recovery tool.

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So making sure throughout all of this,

really trying to dial in that sleep

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hygiene so that the body can create

all of the processes that exercise is

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stimulating and work on rebuilding,

getting fuel for energy for all of the

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things that we're doing in exercise.

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That's where sleep and recovery

really come into play and why

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00:20:52,313 --> 00:20:55,943

they're essential to have in

your science-backed wedding prep.

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00:20:56,243 --> 00:21:00,513

So this next one's not necessarily

essential, but it's a bonus tool for you

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to utilize during your wedding prep season

to know if what you're doing in your

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exercise routine is actually translating

to the body composition changes that you

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want to see, and that tool is a DEXA scan.

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00:21:13,343 --> 00:21:16,823

We talked about it on the pod a few

weeks back, but if you're a data girl

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00:21:16,853 --> 00:21:20,343

and like to actually see changes that

are happening within your body, the

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00:21:20,343 --> 00:21:25,193

DEXA scan is the gold standard when it

comes to assessing body composition.

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00:21:25,593 --> 00:21:28,013

It'll tell you fat mass, it'll

tell you lean mass, it'll

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00:21:28,013 --> 00:21:29,763

tell you bone mineral content.

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00:21:29,763 --> 00:21:33,063

It'll break it down region by

region to say, "Okay, you're growing

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00:21:33,113 --> 00:21:34,863

muscle mass in your upper body.

358

00:21:34,863 --> 00:21:36,113

You're losing fat in your lower body."

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00:21:36,163 --> 00:21:41,213

It can tell you that breakdown and

give you a really clear picture on how

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00:21:41,213 --> 00:21:46,163

your body is responding to the exercise

routine and the stimulus of exercise

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00:21:46,293 --> 00:21:48,053

that you're adjusting during this season.

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00:21:48,353 --> 00:21:51,473

I'd recommend getting your baseline

scan soon after your proposal if

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00:21:51,473 --> 00:21:52,363

this is something you want to do.

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00:21:52,393 --> 00:21:53,473

Again, this is just bonus.

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00:21:53,473 --> 00:21:54,533

You do not have to do this.

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00:21:54,823 --> 00:21:56,783

But if you're a data girl

like me, sometimes it's

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helpful to have those points.

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00:21:58,083 --> 00:22:02,753

So I'd recommend getting it maybe

a few weeks after your proposal.

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00:22:02,903 --> 00:22:06,533

Get that baseline, especially if

you're going to try and adjust

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00:22:06,533 --> 00:22:09,913

certain things to reach certain body

recomposition goals that you have.

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00:22:10,213 --> 00:22:12,813

Then maybe schedule one for

six to seven months later.

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Check in.

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If things still aren't progressing,

that's when you're able to

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00:22:17,303 --> 00:22:18,393

tweak before your wedding.

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00:22:18,473 --> 00:22:22,713

Assuming, like a year-long engagement

or 10-month engagement, you're able

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00:22:22,713 --> 00:22:28,123

to have these data points to allow

for better and more purposeful

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00:22:28,123 --> 00:22:31,643

experimentation and sort of fine-tuning

of your exercise and fitness

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00:22:31,643 --> 00:22:33,703

routine in this wedding prep season.

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00:22:34,003 --> 00:22:36,003

A DEXA scan just takes the guessing out.

380

00:22:36,263 --> 00:22:37,373

Am I building muscle?

381

00:22:37,373 --> 00:22:38,203

Am I losing fat?

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00:22:38,503 --> 00:22:40,023

It takes the guessing game out of it.

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00:22:40,313 --> 00:22:44,983

Let's go get it checked and analyzed

and actually see if the changes that

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00:22:44,983 --> 00:22:47,353

you're implementing are creating

the results you want to see.

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00:22:47,653 --> 00:22:51,183

So we can't necessarily talk fitness

without also talking fueling.

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00:22:51,213 --> 00:22:53,583

But as I mentioned earlier,

I'm not the expert in this.

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00:22:53,813 --> 00:22:56,563

We will have experts on who

are able to chat about this.

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00:22:56,563 --> 00:22:58,663

But when it comes to fueling

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00:22:58,963 --> 00:23:03,843

and exercise, the main points that I've

learned from the dietitians we've had

390

00:23:03,843 --> 00:23:08,093

on this podcast is that We need enough

protein, and we need enough fuel.

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00:23:08,123 --> 00:23:12,313

A lot of girls are under-fueling,

which goes back into that crash dieting

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00:23:12,313 --> 00:23:17,243

culture, which we do not want to promote

in this wedding prep glow-up era.

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00:23:17,543 --> 00:23:19,293

We want to promote sustainable changes.

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00:23:19,293 --> 00:23:23,353

And what I've learned from a lot of

these dietitians is for these body

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00:23:23,353 --> 00:23:27,343

recomposition changes to happen, we want

to make sure we're getting enough protein

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00:23:27,543 --> 00:23:29,233

and that we're eating enough calories.

397

00:23:29,533 --> 00:23:33,833

we can't expect our bodies to be able

to build or maintain muscle without

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00:23:33,913 --> 00:23:37,633

the appropriate building blocks and

fuel, which is where protein and

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00:23:37,763 --> 00:23:41,543

caloric intake and energy, getting

energy for our bodies comes into play.

400

00:23:41,843 --> 00:23:47,043

The other thing I learned is the

importance of creatine, not only for our

401

00:23:47,073 --> 00:23:51,293

just overall physical state, even without

exercise, but especially for exercise.

402

00:23:51,653 --> 00:23:54,743

It gives our cells the energy

needed for exercise to make

403

00:23:54,783 --> 00:23:56,533

exercise that much more effective.

404

00:23:56,533 --> 00:24:02,053

So creatine is another super important

pillar when it comes to body recomposition

405

00:24:02,353 --> 00:24:05,813

and making exercise that much more

efficient for our female bodies.

406

00:24:06,113 --> 00:24:11,143

Creatine supports our muscle building

capacity our exercise performance, our

407

00:24:11,143 --> 00:24:13,393

power output, and we learned from Dr.

408

00:24:13,393 --> 00:24:19,303

Katie, gosh, now almost a year and

a half ago, that there is a certain

409

00:24:19,303 --> 00:24:22,933

creatine loading protocol that can

actually help our luteal phase and some

410

00:24:22,933 --> 00:24:24,293

of these symptoms in our luteal phase.

411

00:24:24,293 --> 00:24:29,523

So adding creatine and looking into

different loading protocols might also not

412

00:24:29,553 --> 00:24:34,103

only help us in our exercise performance,

but also help us in the symptoms that

413

00:24:34,103 --> 00:24:37,543

we might feel if our wedding day happens

to be scheduled in our luteal phase.

414

00:24:37,843 --> 00:24:42,363

Or creatine might be a nice tool to have

to help us feel a little less puffy, a

415

00:24:42,363 --> 00:24:45,893

little less swollen, and a little bit

more confident in our bodies on that day.

416

00:24:46,193 --> 00:24:46,593

So Dr.

417

00:24:46,593 --> 00:24:50,443

Katie's protocol that she mentioned

was five grams of creatine four times

418

00:24:50,443 --> 00:24:57,253

a day for five days, and that helps to

really bring water in intracellularly

419

00:24:57,253 --> 00:24:58,843

compared to extracellularly.

420

00:24:58,843 --> 00:25:03,283

So it hydrates the cells a little

bit more, it also helps to decrease

421

00:25:03,283 --> 00:25:05,043

that overall like puffiness we feel.

422

00:25:05,323 --> 00:25:08,903

It can also help with our power

output, especially during exercise

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00:25:08,903 --> 00:25:11,803

in that phase when we might

feel a little blah in general.

424

00:25:11,803 --> 00:25:16,663

So starting creatine and getting our

bodies used to creatine and then also

425

00:25:16,663 --> 00:25:19,553

looking to experiment with different

loading protocols of creatine where we're

426

00:25:19,553 --> 00:25:24,493

actually maybe taking more creatine during

certain phases of our cycle might help

427

00:25:24,543 --> 00:25:28,493

us with our exercise routine, but then

also with how we feel within our bodies.

428

00:25:28,733 --> 00:25:31,533

And I've been doing this since she

mentioned it a year and a half ago,

429

00:25:31,533 --> 00:25:36,863

and I will say it has helped both my

exercise performance and power output

430

00:25:37,163 --> 00:25:40,453

in that phase just subjectively,

just in how I feel in my body.

431

00:25:40,743 --> 00:25:44,453

And I have also noticed feeling

less puffy in my luteal phase

432

00:25:44,453 --> 00:25:45,513

when I do creatine load.

433

00:25:45,813 --> 00:25:51,033

this is the kind of female specific cycle

aware supplementation that the research

434

00:25:51,223 --> 00:25:55,583

is finally starting to support And it

is the perfect addition to a wedding

435

00:25:55,583 --> 00:26:00,283

prep protocol because it tackles two

things, not only our ability for body

436

00:26:00,283 --> 00:26:04,323

recomposition, but also our ability

to feel the best in our bodies on that

437

00:26:04,323 --> 00:26:08,293

wedding day, even if you're in a phase

of your cycle that might not promote

438

00:26:08,293 --> 00:26:10,243

feeling the absolute best in your body.

439

00:26:10,543 --> 00:26:13,773

Next week, we are continuing

this wedding prep season.

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00:26:13,773 --> 00:26:16,793

And I don't know if I mentioned

this at the beginning, but my sister

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00:26:16,793 --> 00:26:19,363

is getting married in June, which

really inspired this whole series.

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00:26:19,363 --> 00:26:22,093

So as a little note to

my sister, I love you.

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00:26:22,093 --> 00:26:25,173

I'm very excited for your

wedding come mid-June.

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00:26:25,473 --> 00:26:28,013

And thank you for inspiring this series.

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00:26:28,043 --> 00:26:30,893

She did ask me, she goes, "Where

was this series a year ago?"

446

00:26:30,893 --> 00:26:35,103

And I'm sorry that my creative juices

weren't flowing in this way, but I hope

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00:26:35,363 --> 00:26:39,543

all of you girls who are in this season

or looking towards a wedding as something

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00:26:39,543 --> 00:26:44,553

to really dial in feeling the best in your

body, I hope this series really helps.

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00:26:44,553 --> 00:26:48,903

We'll continue to chat about different

categories over the next few weeks,

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00:26:48,903 --> 00:26:50,673

but I hope you enjoy this episode.

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00:26:50,953 --> 00:26:52,193

I hope you guys learned a lot.

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00:26:52,493 --> 00:26:55,743

And I hope you can consider this

your permission to use a major

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00:26:55,743 --> 00:26:58,693

life moment as this huge motivator

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00:26:58,993 --> 00:27:03,123

to create science-backed changes in

your routine to help you feel the

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00:27:03,153 --> 00:27:05,483

absolute best you can in your body.

456

00:27:05,783 --> 00:27:08,503

So I'll see you guys in the next

episode of Wellness Fixes the Pod.