Episode 7 - Wellness Journey

[Music] Welcome to Gen X Adulting. This is part two of discussing our health journey now that we've hit our 50s, our midlife health journey, I guess, as Gen Xers. And so in the last episode, what did we covered that we basically gave up alcohol? Yeah. So in the last episode, we talked about giving up alcohol. Right. I think the next big change that we made, would you say it was walking? Yes, definitely. So let's talk about the motivation behind the walking and how we got into it. Well, I think I, well, I needed something low impact because I've had issues with my lower back. I have a herniated disc and I have a bulging disc. And so I used to run. I loved running. I've been running since I was in middle school. But then once I had my back injury, when I ran, consistently, it would hurt my back. So I needed to find something that was low impact. And walking is like the best thing you can do. It's probably one of the best exercises you can do. Yeah. You know, it is another podcast to talk about your back. Yeah. How you essentially almost couldn't really bend over. And now you can actually bend over and pick things up and move around and have your life back. I have my life. We will talk about how I got how I got my life back. I mean, there I had days where I was in bed. It was completely debilitating for my life, your life, the kids lives. And you wouldn't even know I have a back issue now. No, like I do everything. It is amazing. So yes, let's remember to cover that. But walking became the consistent exercise for me and for us. Yeah. And so what's funny is that I wanted I well, OK, so I saw this tick tocker and she was getting up at like three in the morning and doing her workout. And then she would journal and then she'd

wanted I well, OK, so I saw this tick tocker and she was getting up at like three in the morning and doing her workout. And then she would journal and then she'd read. She would do all these things before she even left for work. I remember you talking about her. Yeah, I need to remember her name. But what I will actually put her name in the notes for if anyone is interested. But so she motivated me. Remember, I came to you and this is about a month after going dry with alcohol. So this would have been in February of twenty three. And I said I want to tackle something for this month and I want to start walking at five in the morning. Yeah, that was hard. And we did that. We would get up. I think my alarm went off at four forty or four forty five. We were out the door between five and five fifteen. Yeah. What was cool about it was it was dark out. There was hardly any traffic. We would we would see the guy delivering papers. Yeah. And he would start to wave at us. So we had a friend. We did. And then we saw this other couple who walked their dog Ruby. We would always see them. And then this one other lady in our neighborhood. We'd see the dude who would be that dude and his wife, the guy who would like lift weights in his garage. Yes, we see that. And we saw the the the the dude on his bike with the spotlight. Oh, my God. Reflective gear and too much. That guy was actually out of control. A negative on our walk. He would he would have a spotlight on the front of his bike that blinded you like someone. Right. So it's almost like if someone is in their car coming toward you and they put on their brights. Yeah, it would be like that. But it would start way far away as he was coming towards us. It's whatever. But we have it was downtown

their car coming toward you and they put on their brights. Yeah, it would be like that. But it would start way far away as he was coming towards us. It's whatever. But we have it was downtown Manhattan or Miami. Right. That would make sense. Yeah. But we live in a residential area. Right. And and it's just was unnecessary. It was unnecessary. Yeah. So I'm assuming in his past, maybe he did get hit and he was paranoid, whatever. But we would have our regulars. We would see. Yeah. And we would get back. We would because we walked between three and a half to four and a half miles, I would say each time, depending. We brought our dog Floyd. We have three dogs. Two little ones can't do the long walk. But Floyd is a black German shepherd mix. And he would come with us. And what's nice about cousin Florida can get warm and shepherds in general struggle with that. But at five in the morning. Yeah. And especially during winter here was sometimes cold at five in the morning for us. It was cold. Anyway, so it was dark. There was hardly any traffic. You still saw the moon. And then the sun was like walking at night, basically, it was. But then during our walk, the sky would brighten. And, you know, you wouldn't see the literal sunrise, but we would have our own version of the sunrise. And then we would get home and then I would wake up our youngest to get him ready for school and, and continue on with our morning. So I loved, I loved having it done before I got him up. I loved having it. I felt like it gave us more time in the day. Because we got our walk out of the way because our walks average an hour if we do our full walk the way we want it. Sometimes we have to cut them short if we don't, you know, for whatever reason, if

Because we got our walk out of the way because our walks average an hour if we do our full walk the way we want it. Sometimes we have to cut them short if we don't, you know, for whatever reason, if you have to get on a call or whatever. But it was wonderful. And we did that for a few months. But the problem was is you and I are both night out. Yeah, we have always been night owls. We are not the type where one of us goes to bed early and the other one stays up late. We both stay up late. And for us getting up at five in the morning or four 30, whatever it was, then you get, it was so tired, we get the late afternoon nap and then you'd be screwed into the night. Yeah. Keep the night out. Oh, there were times where at noon, I would take a 30 minute nap because I wasn't going to make it. Yeah. And so what happened was is as much as we were loving those walks, we were not getting enough sleep because we would have had to go to bed by nine 30 10. We would have had to go to bed by nine 30 10. Which is really challenging when you have a teenager, our daughter still lives with that. She lives with us since graduating from college. She's great. I mean, she has a job she she is on a schedule. But and then my mom lives with us and she's great. But when you have a lot of people in the house, there's a lot of noises. And so just saying, Okay, everything's going to be quiet by nine or nine 30. And then we can go to bed. There's just too many variables. So, we, we, I think the earliest we would get to sleep was 11. Yeah. And that's just not enough sleep. Not for me. It's not enough sleep. So if you go back, complete tangent there on both of our. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The motivation, right? So you were talking about your back. Yes. Getting in

enough sleep. So if you go back, complete tangent there on both of our. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The motivation, right? So you were talking about your back. Yes. Getting in the walking walking is basically no impact, right? Right. I've ripped on running. I probably need to dial that back a bit because I would run if I could. And it wasn't so bad for your bone. It's kind of that happy medium. So when you think back to when we started into where we are today, what do you think? I think it's amazing. I think, I think we, by walking, we walk an average, when we are on our schedule, we walk at least five days a week, Monday through Friday. And then sometimes on the weekends, we'll throw in a hike or a beach walk or beach walk, something different, right? By doing it as long as we've done it, we have a base foundation of being in shape. Yeah. Meaning, so we have something we can bounce off of, which really paid off for us. For example, we'd been walking for maybe a year or so, almost a year. And I've actually been walking even longer. Well, no, what I, what I was going to say was we, we had been walking for about a year when consistently together, when our daughter had signed up for a 5k and we decided to join her. And at first we were going to just walk it. But you know, when everyone takes off running, you get that fever, you know, it's exciting. So we ended up running the 5k, which actually I felt fine, which I'm so grateful for. But I think we were able to do it and not have any issues and be able to make it because we had the foundation of walking. It just gets you in that level of in shape that you can then bounce off of it to do other things that maybe you normally would have struggled at. If that makes sense. We were both surprised.

It just gets you in that level of in shape that you can then bounce off of it to do other things that maybe you normally would have struggled at. If that makes sense. We were both surprised. We're like, wow. But I think it's because of the walking. So, and we, we do a fairly quick pace and we keep going. Like we're walking. So, Katie, we could go faster. It's about a 17 to 18 minute per mile pace. Yeah. I mean, well, you know, cause yeah, you keep track of all that. But I mean, we're walking. And when it gets hotter, we slow down. Yeah. So if we get in later into the day where it's a little warmer, we actually do go slower. Yeah, that makes sense. That's like, it's like hot yoga walking. I call it down here. It's like doing it in a sauna. It's like doing it in a sauna. So that's, that's completely, has completely different benefits. So, and the nice thing about walking is to get your lymphatic system moving. There's so many positives to it. So it's something we have continued to do. We also don't have hills here. We don't. A hill for us is crossing the bridge. Yes. Or crossing a canal. Yes. So it's a little different. I wish we did because I love the challenge of going up a hill. But no, it's very conducive for walking where we live. It's very flat. So do you want to share our recent experience of walking home from a concert around? Yeah. You know, we got out of a concert looking for an Uber. Ubers were stacked. We're like, let's keep going a little further. A little further. We saw Billy strings. Saw Billy strings in State College and we had to walk back from the concert venue to our hotel. I think we wound up walking first night was I think, I think it was about three miles because we totally took the wrong

in State College and we had to walk back from the concert venue to our hotel. I think we wound up walking first night was I think, I think it was about three miles because we totally took the wrong path. Yeah. We took the adventurous path. Yes. The second night was a little better. It was only two miles. Okay. Yeah. I thought it was two and a half, but no, it was nice because there were hills too. There were hills. Yeah. Those were nice. But it was nice because, because we had been walking and because it's part of our life. It was no big deal to walk home from this concert and it was, it's, you know, state colleges. So cool. You felt totally safe. You walked through neighborhoods. You know, it was all really, it was very nice. It was very lovely. So again, I think it's something that we will always continue to do to kind of like how I talked about in the last episode. I want to be an active grandmother. I want to be active in my older age and I think walking is absolutely necessary for that to happen. I don't, if I, if we don't walk, I don't, I think just like how alcohol negates any progress you make. I think exercise wise walking has to be our foundation and then other things build off of that. Yeah. It's imperative. Yeah. So. So once you, what was next say after walking? So it's funny because it's the year of 2023 is when I did all these changes and every month I tried to implement something new and then I would spend the month doing that thing. So it became a habit. So in January was give up alcohol became a habit. February started walking. Well, you know, it's funny. It's once you give up alcohol, now you have a menu of options to choose from. Yeah. So now you can go walking and not feel like shit, right? You don't have the, you slept well

give up alcohol, now you have a menu of options to choose from. Yeah. So now you can go walking and not feel like shit, right? You don't have the, you slept well or better. Maybe not great, but you slept better. Yeah. You don't have the hangover. You don't have the weird sugar shit going on. So now you're able to actually walk and then do it and build up that base. Kind of like you were talking about. And then before you know it, you're feeling pretty good about it. Right. We actually did. The hike we went on down in the Everglades. Right. We saw those alligators and stuff. Yeah. 13 mile hike. Yeah. We've never thought we would do that. No. That was pretty good. We were it was you could feel it. But overall, you could feel it because again, you're walking in a sauna and a human sauna with bugs and sun, not a whole lot of shade, but overall it felt great. Yeah. I would say the last two miles I struggled. That was rough. I talked myself through it because I think you thought it was an 11 mile hike and then we realized towards the end, oh, it's actually a 13 mile hike. Well, we did the typical thing, kind of like walking home from Billy strings. It's like, let's get away from the Ubers. Let's get away from the crowd. Then it's like, well, shit, let's just walk home. Right. We were like, okay, let's just go see where we get. And then it was like, I think I remember the conversation. We're like, okay. We're at this point. We either go back and it's kind of chill or we push it. Right. We're at that mid point. Yeah. A little, we can go a little further. We went for it and it got a little exponential. It was a little rough. It was great. But the end. Yeah. And you had that walk in nice walking stick and I use that. I actually had never thought I

went for it and it got a little exponential. It was a little rough. It was great. But the end. Yeah. And you had that walk in nice walking stick and I use that. I actually had never thought I would use a walking stick in my life. I used it. Redwood one. Whatever one I gave you for Christmas. Anyway, so then in March, I focused on supplementation, really getting using supplements in my life. And I would say the first one I focused on, which is so important is D3 with K2. Um, that was K2. So K2, I have these notes here, so I, I wanted it so I didn't forget anything. So I wrote some stuff down. Um, so D3 with K2, the general benefits are D3 helps in the absorption of calcium and K2 helps direct the calcium from your soft tissue towards your bones. So they work together. That makes sense. K2 helps with the absorption of D3. They say if you're going to take D3, you need to take K2 with to help with the absorption. I prefer a liquid form. It's in like an MCT oil omega three base. I do a dropper under my tongue. So it's got a carrier. Yeah. Carrier oil. Right. Yeah. So I do that. Um, when you're depleted of vitamin D3, it can... Is D3 the same as sitting out and getting sun? It is. It's like, cause vitamin D was highly recommended during COVID, right? Yes. And so it's the same. It is. It is. Now you're combining it with K. For the absorption. When you take it in supplement. Yeah. When you say when you take it in supplement form. But D3, um, it affects your immune system, um, your hormone function. It affects your general wellbeing as far as energy. Um, it just, it does a lot, it does a lot of good stuff. Immune contributors too. Yes. Immune boosters. It's actually a hormone. D3 is? D3 is. When I get my blood work done every six months because I have

of good stuff. Immune contributors too. Yes. Immune boosters. It's actually a hormone. D3 is? D3 is. When I get my blood work done every six months because I have thyroid disease, Hashimoto's disease. And that is one of the things in my blood work they always test. Is my D3. I know for a woman, it's very important to have your D3 levels, right? It's people don't understand it. I think it can even affect your metabolism. I'm not sure. Probably. Don't quote me on that. But... Well, again, during COVID our doctor friends and our medical community friends were, everyone was touting vitamin D. Yeah. You know, and it was conspiracy level stuff, right? It's like you need to take the, you need to get the, the, uh, the hell is it? Immunization. What is it? Vaccine. The vaccine. Uh, you need to get the vaccine. In other words, we're saying you need to get vitamin D and it's going to come out. There's going to be a whole body of evidence. Right. No, I think vitamin D3 is get your levels checked for anyone that's listening that has never gotten their levels checked. Get your D3 levels checked. The next thing I added in was B12 and a B combo. Um, especially as a woman, those are very important. B12, especially for energy. Um, it's good for your neurotransmitters. Um, it helps with forming red blood cells and a lot of other good stuff. So, and I take that in liquid form too. I take both of those four hours after I take my thyroid medicine. So when I wake up, I take my thyroid medicine. You're supposed to wait 30 to 45 minutes after to eat or drink anything. But if you take supplements, you need to wait four hours before you do that. So I actually pay attention to the time I take my thyroid meds. And then I do my D3 and my B's four hours after that.

supplements, you need to wait four hours before you do that. So I actually pay attention to the time I take my thyroid meds. And then I do my D3 and my B's four hours after that. And this whole thyroid thing is another episode. Just a huge body of knowledge there. Yes. That's a whole thing. We'll definitely do that. And then I take turmeric for inflammation, especially with my back, but in general. I use that in my yogurt. Yeah. You use, you do the powder. I do a supplement. Yeah. I know it's important if you do the powder, like the spice, basically is what you're doing is to also put black pepper with it because in order for turmeric to do its thing, you need the, what is that ingredient for black pepper? Curcumin. Yeah. Yeah. You need to have like that. No, no, I've seen that. I've seen that everywhere. It's not, I don't think pepper is curcumin. Whatever it is, they need to go together. So they say, if you use the spice and you're trying to get those benefits, make sure you use black pepper. And then I take, we take magnesium. I get the calm one and in the powder form. And I like to mix that. We do that at night to help with sleep, but also to help with magnesium helps with so many amazing things. But magnesium is like the master facilitator. And it's that way in plants too, actually. When you, it is magnesium. When you look at a plant that may not be, maybe has yellow spots or isn't green magnesium and calcium, Cal-Mac, you'll see Cal-Mac as a mix. Right. Very common, especially in hydroponics. That's interesting. It's the master facilitator, basically. Well, I know like my muscles feel better. This helps so much with sleep. It helps with, you know, if you're, it helps keep you regular. But I like to take a little bit of tart

Well, I know like my muscles feel better. This helps so much with sleep. It helps with, you know, if you're, it helps keep you regular. But I like to take a little bit of tart cherry juice, like a little bit like, I like a lot. No, but you're not supposed to. I know. I understand. But so, I mean, maybe I don't even know if it's a fourth a cup and then put the magnesium in there and it dissolves and we drink that. Our daughter enjoys that too. So we, and then if I'm out of tart cherry juice, I mix it with water. It's totally fine. That's actually the sleep elixir. Yeah. And it's proven their scientific studies and whatnot on magnesium alone and magnesium with the tart cherry juice. Yeah. It works better. It's exponential. Oh, I believe it. And then I also sometimes do a cranberry supplement to help with vaginal health. But that's good for women to take a cranberry because, you know, if you drink cranberry juice, that's also good for vaginal health, but they have cranberry supplements. I'll do that. And then I'll do probiotics sometimes in pill form. And but then the collagen I take, I put in my coffee or my tea that has probiotics in it. So it depends if I'm getting it from the collagen or I'll do it. We need to find a new collagen because I like the collagen, but it definitely that the one we have messes with my stomach. See, I like that one. I think the other one is you're fine with. And then that's and then I do the collagen also for the gut health, the probiotics and the collagen. But those are the main ones that I stick with. I cycle sometimes, like I said, sometimes you do the cranberry. Sometimes I don't. I've done. I always say this one wrong. Reverse the troll. Reverse the troll. Resveratrol. Resveratrol. I've done

you do the cranberry. Sometimes I don't. I've done. I always say this one wrong. Reverse the troll. Reverse the troll. Resveratrol. Resveratrol. I've done that. I've done the beat. The berbering. Well, I've done the berbering sometimes. What's the other one? The beat? The beat root one. Oh, yeah. Beat root. So and then I do DHA EPA. That's like a fish oil. I do that one. We're actually we look like a minor pharmacy. So you know how you can get those clear plastic containers for organizing. We have two of those on our counter and it's filled because sometimes I can just sometimes I do black seed oil because they say that can cure anything except death. Sometimes I'll just take a scoop of the parasite. No, but sometimes so that's a whole nother thing. But I have my parasite droppers in there. Sometimes I do the I take a scoop of Manuka honey. That's good. It is. But just a little bit. So it depends like all dabble with the different things in our supplement containers. But there's ones that I always do. And that's the D3 and the bees and the turmeric and the DHA. Those are the ones I stick with. You know what I would say? And the magnesium. With all the things that you're doing, it impacts different people differently. And it's worth experimenting. Some people like I'm into the resveratrol and berbering. Some people think it's foolish. It's fool's gold. Others are completely supportive of it. There's scientific data that supports it. But everything you just described, I think, is excellent. But you don't you try if it doesn't seem to work or if it creates say digestion, digestional issues. You move on. So just a disclaimer. We're not medical professionals and this is not advice for anybody. This is what our experience is. And yes, like you're

digestion, digestional issues. You move on. So just a disclaimer. We're not medical professionals and this is not advice for anybody. This is what our experience is. And yes, like you're saying, what has worked for me. And again, if I have digestive issues for maybe taking too many supplements, I'll back off. Yeah. It's just like trying things out. You know, so. But I notice a difference when I don't take my supplements versus when I do. Yeah. When when you know, one huge thing in all of this is staying hydrated. Yes. Huge. Huge. What's your you know, we do the pre hydration for our son. He plays competitive lacrosse. It's hot in Florida. You need to hydrate. Yeah. So we'll use pre hydration for him. But for you, you're you know, what's your strategy there? OK, so the first thing I do is well, first of all, it's been amazing being actually hydrated since giving up alcohol. That's I can say I can actually feel what hydration feels like when I wake up after I take my thyroid medication. I put maybe five granules of Celtic sea salt under my tongue, maybe six because then I take my Stanley or we have Stanley's and Stanley dupe. So I don't want to sound like Stanley, you know, brand. But right now I have my Stanley amusing and I drink at least half of that. So I think that's 40 ounces in the full Stanley or 48 ounces. It's a lot. I don't know if it's more like maybe. I think it's 32. I don't know. I have to look. But I thought it was 40. I think it's 40. Either way, I drink at least half of that after that. I let the Celtic sea salt dissolve under my tongue because that is minerals. So and that you've been sleeping all night. So your body's depleted of minerals and water. So I put the minerals under my tongue. I let them dissolve.

my tongue because that is minerals. So and that you've been sleeping all night. So your body's depleted of minerals and water. So I put the minerals under my tongue. I let them dissolve. And then I drink at least half of that Stanley. So I try to drink at least two of those sandals a day. I don't always get to it. If I exercise outside easily, I easily drink too. And sometimes sometimes well, I'm also well, no, I'm not done. So when I make my Stanley, I always have either lemon juice or lime juice in the water. I always have a citrus in there. Just a just a just a dash, not like a ton. So that's my water base. And then after I've waited the 30 to 45 minutes after my thyroid meds, I make celery juice and make celery juice every morning. I learned that from the medical medium. Look him up. He's amazing. Anthony Williams. And so I make each of us, I think we drink 16 ounces each is what it works out to. So the celery juice is super hydrating. Um, I like it so good for your body. Actually. There's so many, so many pop. Look it up. If anyone listening, there's so many positives, the celery juice. You could do a whole episode on that. It's so good for your gut health. Oh my gosh. He's good to actually, like I say to me, it's like a treat. It's a non glucose, uh, creating drink. Really? Yeah. Well, and it, again, another thing to keep your regular mess with your sugar at all. No, not at all. And it keeps you regular. Um, it's they say it helps with parasites. There's so many benefits to it. So I do that. Then I make us the, um, olive oil, lemon juice, cayenne shot. We have that about 15 minutes later. Cayenne is super good for your body. So is olive oil, lemon juice. Obviously that's, it's really good for bloating. Um, so we do that.

juice, cayenne shot. We have that about 15 minutes later. Cayenne is super good for your body. So is olive oil, lemon juice. Obviously that's, it's really good for bloating. Um, so we do that. And then I will have, I have one cup of coffee, but I don't drink my coffee until I've had protein. I don't know how you do that. Well, just for my gut, I just can't, it's not good for you. At least for women's that can raise your cortisol levels. I only have one cup of coffee because I don't handle caffeine very well. So I, um, I have some sort of protein. I try to have at least 30 grams of protein for breakfast. So I, I, um, make that and I eat like at least a quarter of that. Then I can start drinking my coffee and I have my coffee with that breakfast. That's the only caffeine I drink. And then through the day, I'll have dandelion. Is that new for you though? You seem to have gotten back into that. You actually, it feels like you gave up caffeine for awhile. So I'm a, um, maybe addicted to caffeine or just doesn't have as much of an impact to me, but, um, it seems that you've just recently got back into caffeine. I gave up caffeine for years because my cortisol levels were off the charts. So to bring them down, I gave up caffeine. But do you think that was in play at all or just kind of, yeah, yeah, because I felt a lot better, but I know having a little bit of caffeine is actually good for you. It's a little bit so, and it does help me stay. Alert and awake the rest of the day, you know, it takes that. It shakes off the sleepies, I guess. So I have that, but then throughout the day, I have dandelion, at least one cup of dandelion root tea, hot tea, and I have at least a cup of, um, mint hot tea to help with bloating. And then the green tea,

day, I have dandelion, at least one cup of dandelion root tea, hot tea, and I have at least a cup of, um, mint hot tea to help with bloating. And then the green tea, and then I have that's decaf. So then I'll have a cup of hot decaf. So I'm having three hot teas a day minimum decaf green tea, the mint and dandelion. I'm drinking my Stan Lee's. I've had the celery juice. And then in the evening, if I'm feeling like I want a glass of wine or something, but I'm not going to, I'll have some club soda in a wine glass with a splash of pineapple or a splash of pomegranate or a splash of grapefruit and lime. So that's another hydrating, uh, thing, you know, so I feel hydrated by the time I go to bed. Oh, there was our dog, our dog's in your shick. Uh, by the time I go to bed, I feel like I've completely hydrated myself. And I noticed when I, like when we were traveling last weekend and I was not nearly as hydrated, I can feel it. I can so feel it when I'm not hydrated. That's one of the first stops, right? Was to the, I think it was CVS. I actually bought the gallon jug of water. Then we bought the individual bottles. Yeah. Yep, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So that was, but you still can't stay super hydrated even on when you vacation, it just not as hydrated as you do at home. No, it's not as conducive. It's hard, especially if you're drinking. So as we talked about in the last episode, sometimes we do drink alcohol depending on what's going on. And last weekend was one of the times where we drank some alcohol. So that was dehydrating for us. Yeah. Yeah, I would say so. Yeah. Once, once you got the, the walks down all this supplementation in place, all that stuff going on, what, what other exercise did you add in?

Yeah. Yeah, I would say so. Yeah. Once, once you got the, the walks down all this supplementation in place, all that stuff going on, what, what other exercise did you add in? So I added in weightlifting, which is especially since I've hit menopause. It's so important. I feel like it's the most important exercise I should be doing even more than walking. So I'm really trying to focus on that. You know, quick side note today at the gym, Nathan and I were talking and the guy next to us heard us and said something. Yeah. He's 75 years old. Wow. He's been lifting weights for 54 years. He said, wow. Yeah. And I looked at him and was like, holy shit. Yeah. Really good. Yeah. No, it's, it's so important for you too. Yeah. It's so important as we're getting older to try to hold on to some muscles. Yeah. So I'm doing that three times a week. Um, and then on the other two days, I tried to do weightlifting Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and then on Tuesday, Thursday, I do Pilates. There's, um, I love Pilates. So I actually, I do the weights at home because we have, you set up like a little outdoor gym and our backyard. And then I do Pilates in our room. I have a yoga mat and I use move, move by Nicole. I think it's moved by Nicole or move with Nicole. She's awesome. She does Pilates. She does yoga. She's so challenging. She has all it's on YouTube. I can't stand it because I can't do it. Some of the positions they get into and stuff. I just can't do it. Yeah. Yeah. So I love it. I really want to incorporate yoga back in. I would love to. I used to do yoga. I'm one of my good friends teaches yoga. I love hot yoga. So that's my next thing is to try to get yoga back in back in the repertoire. So, and at least do it like once or twice a month.

I'm one of my good friends teaches yoga. I love hot yoga. So that's my next thing is to try to get yoga back in back in the repertoire. So, and at least do it like once or twice a month. I'd love to do it every week. And then of course, hiking on the weekends and walking on the beach, all that. But weightlifting is something I'm really trying to focus on. What, uh, what do you think are the, how are you staying with it? Right. I know kind of how I do. I know it can be challenging, especially when you travel for a little while. And we just had a huge travel snafu. Um, took us 48 hours to get home. Yes. Multiple airports driving 800 miles. So that just kind of messed with us. Right. And so, um, I think that's all. How do you, what's your strategy for sticking with all this sticking with your, your nutrition? You're not drinking. Your supplementation. Your weightlifting the walking. It's all, it takes commitment. It takes commitment. Um, and I struggle with it once we leave our home and our schedule. So the consistency play consistency, consistency, consistency. Um, I've already mentioned things I do in the morning as far as the cell reduced to olive oil shots, eating, I'm trying to get protein. All it's hard to get enough protein through the day. I'm trying so hard. So I'm really trying to focus because that has helped so much with, you know, not being so hungry and just building muscle. So protein. Um, and then I really try to focus on gut health because if my gut feels good and not my brain feels good and I feel good. So anything that can help my gut health, Thank you So much for making this lecture today. And we eat a lot of berries. I buy frozen berries at Costco because fresh berries, first of all are so expensive right now

Thank you So much for making this lecture today. And we eat a lot of berries. I buy frozen berries at Costco because fresh berries, first of all are so expensive right now and they just don't last as long. So we have blue wild blueberries, make sure they're wild and, um, an organic strawberries frozen. We make a boy grow our own strawberries in the hydroponic garden, you grow strawberries. So we have berries. I went dairy free pretty much a couple months ago. I've been gluten free for, oh gosh, maybe six or seven, eight years, but going dairy free. That seems to be probably the more recent thing, right? Very recent, like I go last free. Maybe a more, maybe what, last three to six months? Not even, maybe three months. Maybe less, yeah. Lactose free, so I'll have dairy free cottage cheese, dairy free yogurt, dairy free cream cheese. And I just avoid cheese. I have lactose free. Lactose free, I should say, lactose free milk. It's an interesting concept. I know a lot of people are not necessarily lactose. There's some that are lactose intolerant, right? Then there's some lactose sensitive. And maybe just in general, like I would love to go lactose free just because it doesn't seem totally natural, maybe creates extra phlegm and mucus in your body type of thing. Have you noticed, like what's your motivation, I guess? What's, why, how's it working? I noticed a huge difference in my gut. It's much less bloating and gut issues. And I mean, I guess with the phlegm and so I never really noticed that with me, but it was for me, it was gut. So I saw a study and I haven't gone back to research it, but they said if you put gluten under a microscope and if you put dairy, like the cells, it sells the dairy and cells of gluten,

So I saw a study and I haven't gone back to research it, but they said if you put gluten under a microscope and if you put dairy, like the cells, it sells the dairy and cells of gluten, if I'm saying this correctly. Are they similar? They're almost identical. So if your body reacts to gluten, it could very easily also react to dairy because it can't necessarily tell the difference. So I just loved, I love cheese so much. So I took me and I love ice cream. So it took me a long time to get there, but it got to the point where I'm like, okay, I've tried everything, I have to. So even when we go get ice cream, like when you're craving Ben and Jerry's or something, I'll get the Oatly one. No, that's the recent find. Yeah, and then Ben and Jerry's also makes a lactose free cherry Garcia and a couple other flavors. And I'll tell you, I noticed the difference. Like I don't feel, it just made me feel like crap honestly. So I don't feel that way, but I really don't need a lot of grains, like very few grains. I'll have, maybe if I have a grain, that's the grain I had for the day. I try to have a lot of protein sources. I buy a lot of stuff at Costco, chomps, none. Real quick, if you go back to grains, what are you considering a grain? Right. Not that you're considering, it's a real, you know. Bread, rice. Yeah, even gluten free bread, grains. Yeah, no, just no grains. I can't do corn, my gut reacts to corn. So no popcorn. You seem to be able to do popcorn. No, I have a reaction. Meaning when I say reaction, meaning I have gut issues the next time. I'm blown up like a balloon and I've got issues. So if I'm gonna eat, like I like to make popcorn here for our family, I know, okay, I'm eating this and I know I'm gonna feel like crap from it.

I'm blown up like a balloon and I've got issues. So if I'm gonna eat, like I like to make popcorn here for our family, I know, okay, I'm eating this and I know I'm gonna feel like crap from it. Like it's conscious. You're so dialed in in a sense. And I can relate to that when we're home and we're eating, our diets are pretty limited. We're pretty, not necessarily strict, but just what works. And then you leave town or you leave town or you splurge and you wind up feeling like shit. Yes, it sucks. Yeah, it does suck. It sucks, because I wish I could feel as good as I feel at home. Yeah, totally. On vacation. There's gotta be a way, but it's just not. Well, I know there's people, okay, so we drank and it's hard not to drink on vacation because you're on vacation. So you're like, and you're doing things, but that right away, that right away affects everything. I know like we brought our exercise stuff, but we didn't go to the gym, we didn't work out. That would have helped. And then we indulged in different foods, but I mean, like we went to a bagel shop that makes homemade bagels and they had homemade gluten-free bagels. I'm gonna have one. And so it's just that, so I ate a lot of grains. In some ways, the problem is we're foodies. If we're vacationing, yeah, we love food. So you get out of market, you get out of your normal zone and we found this awesome bagel shop that people recommended and it was just amazing. So good. And the creamery, the Penn State University is known for their creamery. It's very good ice cream. It's hard not to go for it. And then we went to another place, was at Pickles and they had gluten-free beer. I never get to drink a beer, a gluten-free beer in a bar. I never get to drink a beer in a bar.

And then we went to another place, was at Pickles and they had gluten-free beer. I never get to drink a beer, a gluten-free beer in a bar. I never get to drink a beer in a bar. So I'm having a beer. So it's all those little choices. I don't think I did. Actually, I didn't drink. In that bar? Yeah, I didn't. And only mainly because the beer selection wasn't enough to entice me. Where you're it's like, you know, oh, you have a gluten-free IPA? I'm happy. And then when we went to that Happy Valley brewery, they had a gluten-free IPA. So we enjoyed. So we eat very limited and clean at home, but when we vacation, we enjoy. So, and I really didn't feel horrible until like the last day. We also got delayed for 48 hours. That didn't help. But here at home, we eat pretty limited. We eat a lot of the same food. And it's just making sure to get enough protein. I don't eat a lot of cookies and cakes and candy. If I do that, that's like a special thing. Like I'm like, okay, so today I'm doing that. I don't do it again for like another month. So even when I have chips, I have grain-free chips in the house. I get almost everything at Costco. Costco has such a great selection of organic and gluten-free food now. Do any of our local pizza joints, regulars have lactose-free cheese? Probably not. No, but you know who does is mellow mushroom. Oh, interesting. So yeah, and they're in the next town over. I've thought about, they have a gluten-free, they have a vegan pizza basically, gluten-free, dairy-free. I wanna try it. Cause I love pizza, but I feel like crowds. I'll get the gluten and the lactose. Yeah, balance out. But even on a vacation, I think what helped is we ate a lot of protein and vegetables. I don't know, I wanna get better at that.

I'll get the gluten and the lactose. Yeah, balance out. But even on a vacation, I think what helped is we ate a lot of protein and vegetables. I don't know, I wanna get better at that. I wanna work out on vacation. I want to just, I feel like again, it was towards the end that we kind of lost control. We did good the first few days and then we kind of lost control. So it's habit, it's just-- Well, that's part of the challenge of eating shitty, right? Once you eat shitty, it's a snowball effect. You need the next shitty food to make you feel a little bit better. Just like drinking, you have a drink. You wanna keep getting your sugar back to where it was, your buzz back to where it was. Food's the same cycle. 100%. So like here at home where it's controlled, it's not as much of an issue, but once we leave our safe little space, it's more of a challenge. So I would say that's our next thing is when we leave home, maintaining our healthy choices. So, you know. Speaking of say what's next or next challenge when we're away from home, what about while we're here? Do you have any big plans for where you're taking this thing next? Because I go along for the ride. I know, I know. I like it. Well, some of the other things I've implemented are I love lymphatic massage. I'm a big proponent of lymphatic massage. It's a wonderful detox. It brings down inflammation. It's just so good for you. So I try to do a lymphatic, go get a lymphatic massage once a month. I do dry brushing, which is very similar to getting a lymphatic massage. And I know you're not as quite into this. I'll show the camera. But it's where you brush your body. Feels like witchcraft to me. Feels like a gimmick. I know, but it's not. You're moving your lymphatic system.

I'll show the camera. But it's where you brush your body. Feels like witchcraft to me. Feels like a gimmick. I know, but it's not. You're moving your lymphatic system. Your detoxing your body. So yeah, and then I just find it makes a huge difference for me mentally and physically. I stopped using AirPods about a year ago to cut down on EMFs. That's, I noticed a different, like my ears would hurt my brain. I don't know, it just... Well, like I think we talked about that in the last episode and they do have those counter wave signals, that's how they're noise reducing. And the way that you reduce the noise is you emit an electrical signal that falls. Yeah, so that's, I don't know, I'd like to, I need to get wired ones for our son cause he still uses them, but that's been good. You know, these babies are in fashion. I know, but they're wireless. So it's still the same. These aren't? No, these are not, but the ones that like, that the kids wear are still wireless. The beats. Well, they're not even beats anymore. I mean, they have beats, but not the ones our daughter has. Hers are Sony's. Sony's, that's right. And then we started incorporating cold plunging, which has been phenomenal. Phenomenal, the benefits of cold plunging. I go in for four minutes. Cause I think three to six minutes is the sweet spot. Now we're in Florida, so our blood is thinner. And it's true, we get cold much easier. So right now I think the coldest we've done is 68. You've done colder. The coldest I've done is 68. I got it to 62 degrees and I was in for 15 minutes. You go for a long time too. It's amazing. I love it. Like we talked about in the last episode, cold plunging is one of the only things other than alcohol that's quiet your mind. Yeah.

You go for a long time too. It's amazing. I love it. Like we talked about in the last episode, cold plunging is one of the only things other than alcohol that's quiet your mind. Yeah. So I get why you stay in. I sound so bad. You either need to drink or cold plunge. I think it's for you, your mind is always going. It's never not going. I think for me, like I didn't think we talked about this, but I get in there and I breathe and I focus on the breathing. And then eventually you hit that nirvana state and it's very peaceful and the pain is gone. Like the pain, not some deep rooted psychological thing. It's the pain of the cold. Yeah. The pain of the cold is gone and it's now tolerable and it's invigorating. You get out and it's like, oh my God. I get four minutes and I'm good. So what I do is I light my lavender candle. I try to set it up like a spy, like my lavender candle. I have spa music playing on my phone. I set the timer and for those four minutes, I just breathe and I wait for the beep to go off. I don't wanna stay in longer, but I feel amazing. I feel amazing. You know, it's funny. I was talking to my buddy about the cold plunge and I found this, it was the Amazon days deal. I think it was 85 bucks for this big 127 gallon inflatable tub. Yeah. And it's a nice way to get into it. I can even post the link just to see, you know, and it gets expensive. You gotta use the ice and that does not scale at all. And it's very expensive over time. But this way, if you find that you build a habit, then you can invest in something different, which is what we're gonna do next. Apparently that's what you wanna do next. And build out our chest freezer. We're gonna do a DIY chest freezer. Maybe we'll make a video on that.

which is what we're gonna do next. Apparently that's what you wanna do next. And build out our chest freezer. We're gonna do a DIY chest freezer. Maybe we'll make a video on that. Yeah, for the YouTube channel. That's a good idea. And then you know what I want is I want sauna. So that's the next thing I wanna start looking into. The infrared sauna. Either infrared or what's the other one, finished sauna, they call it or something. It's worth the heat. So I'm open to both. So the cold plunge has been phenomenal. I mainly just try to keep my cortisol levels down. I try to not, like I don't listen to true crime anymore because that's very low vibe. I try to not absorb a lot of low vibe stuff, like the stuff I'm watching. It's hard on social media. Is low vibe the new way of saying like negative? Yeah, probably. Like when you internalize it, it just kind of brings everything down. Setting boundaries, protecting my space, that type of stuff. That's all been really helpful mentally and physically. And so that's been important. I also have started doing the breathing. I told you about Gary Brekke. He talks about this breathing where you breathe 30 breaths, three times, three sets of 30 breaths. And if you do it first thing in the morning, it just changes your day. And I just started doing that. That's been crazy. You feel high. Is that the thing you were talking about? You go outside and look into the sun? Yeah, you don't look in the sun, but you get sunlight in your eyes. Or face the sun, whatever, yeah. You just get sunlight in your eyes for about 15 minutes because it helps regulate when your body's gonna set off. Have you started it or you want to do it? I haven't done the outside one yet. I've done it like laying in

your eyes for about 15 minutes because it helps regulate when your body's gonna set off. Have you started it or you want to do it? I haven't done the outside one yet. I've done it like laying in bed before I get out of bed. I've tried to do the 30 breaths. And that alone has been amazing. You feel high, like you literally feel high. And it's very calming. I don't know what that feels like. Yeah, so, but now, next week, I'm gonna start going outside and getting, because if you let sunlight in your eyes in the morning, the theory is, then your body knows when to start releasing its natural melatonin that evening. Some biological lock type of thing. Yes, which is my biggest challenge. The one area that I have yet to find any success in, well, I found some success, but I still am highly challenged in sleep. Yeah, I was just thinking about that. And sleep is so important. The nice thing for me is as we come out of summer and get into the school year, everybody else is kind of back into my schedule, which is try to go to bed early and wake up early. Yes. Now that school's in, our youngest, he's gonna be in bed earlier, just by default. He's gonna be too tired. Gotta get up at the crack of dawn. So it's a wonderful thing. So now we almost, to me, I love summer, but not as much as you guys, because the shit doesn't change, really. Right, yeah, no, it'll be nice to have more of a regulated schedule, for sure. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. We can start walking again in the morning. Well, we have been walking, it's just we can walk earlier, because we were walking around 9, 9.30. Now we can get back to an early walk, not 5 a.m. We stopped that. What we would do is do more of a, when I got back from dropping him off from school,

because we were walking around 9, 9.30. Now we can get back to an early walk, not 5 a.m. We stopped that. What we would do is do more of a, when I got back from dropping him off from school, we'd do like an eight o'clock walk. Yeah. So it'd be nice to try to get to a seven o'clock walk, but we'll see. So yeah, it's just sleep, getting that sleep. Now I am getting deeper sleep, because I take the magnesium and I take progesterone, because since menopause, I am doing hormone replacement therapy. So I do have an estrogen patch, I think it's called estradiol or something patch. And I do a testosterone cream at night, and I take progesterone, and the progesterone has been amazing. What's amazing is listening to this. Yeah. You're doing a lot of different things, progesterone. You described your hydration strategy around the Celtic salt and the water and the green tea and all the supplements. Yes. It sounds kind of crazy, but at the end of the day, it's actually working very well for you. I think you've, between the back stuff and then you've got a new lease on life, I think. Would you say you feel better now than you have in a while? Absolutely. Right? Absolutely. I felt like when my 40s, in my early 40s, I got diagnosed with thyroid Hashimoto's, and then I hit perimenopause without realizing it. And so I did not deal with any of the symptoms of perimenopause, which is weight gain, bloating, your brain's foggy, your hormones are great. There's so many symptoms, right? Can't sleep, all that. So I just kind of suffered through my 40s. We had a baby, we had a middle schooler, we had a high schooler, then we had, they grew into elementary, high school, college. There was a lot going on. I feel like when I turned 50,

We had a baby, we had a middle schooler, we had a high schooler, then we had, they grew into elementary, high school, college. There was a lot going on. I feel like when I turned 50, I could finally look at myself again, and it was almost like putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. Like my body and my mind, not my mind, like I went crazy, but because my body kind of fell apart in my 40s, it affects your mental health as far as how good you feel about yourself, right? Plus with the menopause and the thyroid disease, everything, it does affect you mentally. So when I started focusing on my health in my, when I was 50, 51, that was, it's all these pieces. And I like to use both traditional medicine and holistic medicine. I use both. So yes, I do take medication. I take medication for my thyroid disease. I am on hormone replacement therapy. I do take metformin for insulin resistance. So-- I think I'm more holistic. I don't take anything. Well, you haven't needed to, right? If I take an Advil, it fixes, if I have back pain or any pain, I take it so seldom that it's like-- Yeah, I don't take any of that. I only take something like that. Yeah, well, you and I never use those at all. But for me, maybe because I'm a woman, I don't have hormone issues going into menopause this year, thyroid disease, all that. For me, I needed the traditional medicine, the traditional medications, and then I combine it with holistic living, supplements, and everything that goes with that. I'm in a lymphatic massage, cold plunges. So I kind of meld them, but if I didn't do that, I don't know where I'd be right now. I would feel 80 years old right now at the age of 53. I feel younger at 53 than I did at 45. And I think that's part of, that's one of the

I don't know where I'd be right now. I would feel 80 years old right now at the age of 53. I feel younger at 53 than I did at 45. And I think that's part of, that's one of the motivations of doing this whole podcast and talking and putting this stuff out in the public domain, at least for you, I think in terms of, you've mentioned on more than one occasion, it's like, I wish I knew some of this stuff beforehand. And I'd love to be able to share it with people now that I've discovered it and feel better. Absolutely, especially women. I think that there's many women that have undiagnosed thyroid disease, and there's so many symptoms from that, depression, anxiety, you feel like you're going crazy, fogginess in your mind. Do you still have the brain fog? No. Doesn't seem like it, right? No. No, no. There's a period where it's like, what are we doing? And there's like, I don't know. Yeah. And you would write everything down. Yes, yeah, no. It's all gone. It is gone. You're not really doing that anymore. No, it's gone. It's an amazing thing. I mean, I do keep lists. Yeah, yeah, but not the, it's almost like the, more like the stoners, short-term memory thing. No, it's, yeah, and you feel nuts. And I still have those moments where I walk into a room and I can't remember why, but I think a lot of people do. No, I, it's all gone. That's what I say. It's all gone. Everything you described, I've lived it to see it. And if I wasn't and I'm listening, I might be like, this is a little wonky, but it's working. It's an amazing thing, actually. No, you've been my husband through this. I mean, you, when I popped up pregnant with Dylan, I was older, I was 38, I had him at 39. And then I got the thyroid disease and things kind of just went crazy for me

I mean, you, when I popped up pregnant with Dylan, I was older, I was 38, I had him at 39. And then I got the thyroid disease and things kind of just went crazy for me for those 10, my 40s were crazy. Because we were also drinking a lot. So I was doing nothing to help myself. So I feel like my 50s, I've thoroughly enjoyed so far. And I feel like I've been able to focus on myself and it's a self-care decade for me. It's a self-care decade. And every time there's something new about my health, my wellbeing, I'm wanting to grab onto it, hold onto it. But what's funny is when I don't do these things, I feel it instantly. Like I'll say to you, I'm like, I need to get a lymphatic massage. And I know it sounds very like bougie, like I need to go get a massage. That's not what I'm saying. Quite bougie. I'm saying I need to go get a lymphatic massage. And then it almost is like going and getting a tune up. And then I'm like, okay, my body just needs that help to keep young, I guess, or to keep functioning. So I don't know, it's hard to explain, but when we were on vacation last weekend towards the end of the vacation, I was starting to like, I think I told you, because you know better than anyone, if I push myself too hard and don't take care of myself, or don't get enough sleep, or there's too much stress, I'll have a flare up, a thyroid flare up. And what happens in those situations is I'm in bed for the day and the night. I'm punched out. Yeah, this whole conversation we're having just reminds me of how debilitating it all was and how far you've come in terms of your health. And even the Billy Strings walk, we call it the walk, because we did have a couple of cocktails, we were having fun. And we made it home and we fist bumped each other.

in terms of your health. And even the Billy Strings walk, we call it the walk, because we did have a couple of cocktails, we were having fun. And we made it home and we fist bumped each other. We're like, all right, we made it home because we walked three miles the first night up and down the hills when we did it, no problem. We did it, no problem. And I was like, shit, we could have gone another, we could double that, no problem. Yeah, but 10 years ago, I wouldn't have been able to do it. And there were times in my early 40s where I was down for the count for a couple of days with the flare up. I would be telling you, I have to go lay down because when you are having a flare up and it's different for different people, I think some people feel sick, like they have the flu. For me, it's, I can't move. Like if a truck ran over me, hit me ran over me, that's how I feel. I can't move. I am done. And it's not a choice. So, and that doesn't work when you're the mom and you're running the show. It just doesn't work for the family. So yeah, it's rare I have a flare up now. But see, I also know when I'll say to you, okay, I can't do this, I'm gonna end up in a flare up. And thankfully, you've been very supportive. You never through all of this, never made me feel like I was a hypochondriac or that I'm making stuff up. I know you love me. Or that, even when things sounded crazy to you, you were like, okay, give it a shot, see what happens. Sometimes you just can't say the quiet part out loud. Just gotta roll with it. You're always very supportive. I mean, my gosh, I went to a chiropractor for my back, which is a whole nother thing. I remember that conversation. Yeah, and you did not believe in that at all. And that's been absolutely life changing.

a chiropractor for my back, which is a whole nother thing. I remember that conversation. Yeah, and you did not believe in that at all. And that's been absolutely life changing. Well, the price tag's like, okay, here's the, (mimics music) Cha-ching, what do you think? Right. But it worked. Thank God you were supportive. It worked. It worked. And that's a whole nother conversation. But while I have the best chiropractor in the world, I think he's amazing. So that was life changing, but-- We need to have him on sometimes. I do wanna have him on. Because he's a, I've never met him, but from what you told me about him, he sounds like an interesting guy. He's amazing. Dr. Fanno, focused spine and wellness and bocoratone. Go to him, he is a healer. He's amazing. And his staff is amazing. The best office staff ever. So-- I hate doing the endorsement sometimes because now you may get stuck in a line to get in, right? Oh, I know. Same with Billy Strings. I don't wanna say too much about Billy because we're late to the bus. I hate to have the bus blow up. I can't get any more seats. Gotta share the goodness. So, but yeah, so it's been an interesting evolution, but it's like I said, putting Humpty Dumpty back together again, it's been puzzle pieces and it takes all the pieces for my puzzle to be complete. And if I don't have some of the pieces, I feel it. It's very strange. Like if we were going to go anywhere for any length of time, I would have to pack supplements. I didn't for this trip because it was supposed to be short until we got delayed. But last summer when we were on the road for three weeks, we had three weeks worth of supplements with us and we had the magnesium with us and all of it. I brought bands with us.

But last summer when we were on the road for three weeks, we had three weeks worth of supplements with us and we had the magnesium with us and all of it. I brought bands with us. Yeah, to exercise. So, and that's the consistency. That's the commitment. I think when you're older and you go through a period of not being yourself and not feeling like yourself anymore, and then you start to feel like yourself again and almost recognize yourself again in the mirror and can do some of the things that you weren't able to do for a while, you don't wanna lose that. You grasp onto that and you're like, I'm never letting this go again. Because I wanna live for another 40, 50 years and I wanna be active. Oh, it's funny you say that because not that I'm some power lifter, but once you start lifting and once you start exercising regularly, your hormones change, right? Your endorphins kick in. So I hadn't lifted, again, I'm no power lifter. I didn't live every few days rest and whatever. But I hadn't lifted and today was the first day in nine days. I felt great. Yeah. And I wasn't feeling completely right and settled, but then just lifting a little bit, nothing crazy. Got your blood running, the endorphins running the hormones back in line. It's amazing. It's amazing, it's addicting. And I see why people that as they get older, once they find something that makes them feel good and keeps them healthy, I see why they get very like pickleball. Like people get very serious about pickleball, right? No, no, no, we're not gonna say, but I mean, it's, I get it, I get it. Like I get when you get something like that, you just don't wanna give it up. And I, like I said, I feel better than I have in years and I am not willing to give that up again. But it's funny the guy

Like I get when you get something like that, you just don't wanna give it up. And I, like I said, I feel better than I have in years and I am not willing to give that up again. But it's funny the guy was talking to at the gym, the 75 year old, what started the conversation as I mentioned to Nathan, my knee hurts. And he overheard us and he started laughing. He's like, my whole body hurts, but I keep going. And he's like, if I don't work out, my body hurts more. I just gotta keep going. I saw something and gosh, I wish I could remember who said it. It might be Gary Brekke, I like him a lot. It was something where they said, a lot of people as they get older search for comfort, but that's the worst thing you can do. You need to challenge yourself and feel uncomfortable. You need to try to make yourself feel uncomfortable at least once every day, whether it's exercise or cold, cold plunging or something where you've gotta get out of your comfort zone because the more comfortable you get as you age, the more you're gonna age. I think I actually, I buy into that both physiologically and psychologically. I love to get into something that makes you uncomfortable in your normal life. Physically, it's great. Cold plunge cures, that's totally uncomfortable. Extreme heat is uncomfortable. But then just getting into something that's just different, whatever it might be. My next challenge that I'm going to start, I might start at Monday or Sunday night is I'm horrible of being on my phone right up until we go to bed. It's one of the worst things you can do for your eyes, for your melatonin, for your psyche, everything. I struggle getting off my phone. I'm going to. I'm gonna start with putting it down an hour before I wanna go to sleep and I'm going to read a book.

for your melatonin, for your psyche, everything. I struggle getting off my phone. I'm going to. I'm gonna start with putting it down an hour before I wanna go to sleep and I'm going to read a book. I'm gonna go back to old school and I'm gonna try to push that time back a little bit further. And I'd love to be at two hours with no screen before I go to bed. That's my goal. Because I think it will help me sleep better and it's also just better for my brain to read and not be on my phone. That phone, I'll tell you. No, it's not good. I love it, but it's, mm-mm. I do love my Kindle. I got the Kindle Scribe, which is that black and white. I like it a lot. It's good. You can read different books or whatever. But it doesn't have the same effect on your eyes and stuff, because you're looking at a screen. It doesn't seem to. It doesn't emit, I think, the blue light. Plus my glasses block blue light. No, it doesn't seem to have that same effect. It has the same effect of reading a book where I start to fall asleep and doze out. And then what sucks is I might even fall asleep, one of those, and then I'm up. I was like, shit, I'm up for another hour. Yeah, you get that five-minute cat move. I'll look into it. But I'm starting old school Sunday night. I decided that I'm going to start, stop with the phone. And that's gonna be challenging. I like the idea, because your phone bothers me too. So I fully support it. We'll see how it goes. Sleep is going to be my next focus. Because that helps too with everything. It all goes together. It's all a recipe, and all the ingredients are important. So that's my next thing I'm gonna work on. And I think it's important to continue to find things to work on, to make yourself uncomfortable.

ingredients are important. So that's my next thing I'm gonna work on. And I think it's important to continue to find things to work on, to make yourself uncomfortable. Because that will make me uncomfortable. One maybe last question I have. When you are on TikTok, and you're picking up these little nuggets, I'm more of a YouTuber. I'll follow the YouTube trail on something I'm interested in, maybe research cold plunging, which leads to other things or lift and weights, whatever. Walking, running. On the TikTok front, there's so much misinformation out there, but there's also a lot of good stuff. What's the, what do you think? I don't know, the ratio? Are you finding more good stuff? Are you finding more cuckoo stuff? You know what I mean? It's a-- Well, see, a lot of what I watch are shorts of YouTube videos that are on YouTube. So, and they're reputable people. So that's, and-- You know what's that guy's name out of Stanford? I can't remember his name. The guy with the beard? Yeah, he's pretty, can not remember his name. I don't remember his name either. I do like him, he's pretty, he's a sharp dude. Yeah, what I do is when I do learn something off of TikTok, I will then research it before I participate in it. So I'll go online and I'll find different resources to see if it backs up what I learned. So that's kind of how I do it. You didn't do that with the Tide Pods and that almost killed you. Ah ha ha, he's kidding. So that's such a Gen Xer joke. That's such a Gen Xer joke. What do you mean? No, but so I don't just take it off of something I saw on TikTok. I'm like, I'm doing that now. You know, all sick, oh, that's interesting. And then, but most people that I'm watching are established people. It's not just like

of something I saw on TikTok. I'm like, I'm doing that now. You know, all sick, oh, that's interesting. And then, but most people that I'm watching are established people. It's not just like someone that came on and said, "Hey, you need to go do this." Because that it's proven, scientifically proven stuff or like it's not all holistic medicine is scientifically proven, but I think that's a whole other thing. The FDA, you know, they don't wanna be in competition with some of the stuff, but so I have found, they call it TikTok University. I love TikTok, I find a lot of great information on it. Is that a thing, TikTok University? Yeah, which is people call it that, because you learn so much. But I think you have to be careful with it, certainly. There's definitely people on there that don't know what they're talking about. You have to research what you're learning, which I do. I go on, I research. And if it all jives, then I try it. And if something works, I stick with it. And if it doesn't, I don't. You know, I don't do anything dangerous. Like I'm not ingesting things that could hurt me. I don't take any big risks like that, but I have found it out of all the social medias. Yeah. That's mine that I like. I'm not really a big Facebook person anymore. And I'm not huge into Instagram. Like for our socials, for Gen X adulting, but from, I will be, but I am. But personally, I'm TikTok. Because I find it interesting. Yeah, I've actually given up most social media and it's- Yeah, you haven't really been on. No, no, I really enjoy it. Yeah. It's too much. Other than our YouTube channel for Gen X adulting and our socials for Gen X adulting, it's a lot. I finally figured out on Facebook, I would go on there and it was all ads.

Yeah. It's too much. Other than our YouTube channel for Gen X adulting and our socials for Gen X adulting, it's a lot. I finally figured out on Facebook, I would go on there and it was all ads. And I didn't even, I was thinking, no one's that I know, none of my friends are posting anything. So I researched it and I set a filter. So now I actually can see what other people are posting. Yeah. But it's not enticed me back in. No. Maybe a little more, just, you know, but not, that's kind of run its course. I feel like it's really gone downhill in the last like five years or so. So that's just my personal opinion. I know there's people that still like it, but. So anyways, yeah, that as far as TikTok, anything I've learned off of there, I've researched. And I do go to see the doctor. I have an endocrinologist for my thyroid disease and- Well, you have an in-house expert as well. Well, of course, of course. Yeah, I just have to ask you and you know everything. What was I thinking? Good point. I could just go to you and you could just tell me everything and stuff. It's an excellent point. But that's where we are so far in our journey. And we're just gonna continue, I guess, to keep finding things to make ourselves feel uncomfortable. I mean, that's kind of our, you know, is what can we do to challenge ourselves more and increase our health? A 5 a.m. walk sucks. That's uncomfortable. I know. Listen, if we get the sleep right, we can incorporate 5 a.m. walks again. But we have to get the sleep right. Yeah. So I don't know. Maybe when our youngest goes to college, but we have four years of high school ahead of us. And that's gonna be a lot of staying up until- You know, now that he's in high school, we'll probably lose sleep, start drinking,

but we have four years of high school ahead of us. And that's gonna be a lot of staying up until- You know, now that he's in high school, we'll probably lose sleep, start drinking, and take other pharmaceutical grade drugs. We are gonna lose sleep because we're gonna have to wait up for him with his curfew. But that's what no one tells you. When your kids go to high school, so you're up with them when they're babies and toddlers. And then there's a period in elementary school where they start to sleep, and you just start to feel like you're getting freedom. And then they're in high school and they're out, and you're having to wait up for them. And you're back at sleep deprivation again. Yeah. You know. You become the Uber. Yeah, for at least a couple years. Yeah. So that's where we are. You know, we may do a part three if we continue to find new things that work for us or new experiences, but it's kind of our foundation. I think I'll document the cold plunge build. Yes, we'll put that up on the YouTube channel as you build that. And then also when you build me a sauna. We'll put that. I thought about that. Actually, a sauna in Florida can be a clear white greenhouse looking type of thing. Oh, okay. Right, it gets hot. It does, well, yeah. Yeah, it does. It's super hot. It does, so yeah, we'll document it though. And we'll document you going into the cold plunge. There you go. And all that. So thank you for listening. If there's anyone out there that has any health tips or suggestions that they would like to share, we would love to hear it. I would stay tuned. We're gonna have to do a deep dive on the thyroid stuff. For sure. You did have to find that pretty much on your own. Then you found it for our daughter.

I would stay tuned. We're gonna have to do a deep dive on the thyroid stuff. For sure. You did have to find that pretty much on your own. Then you found it for our daughter. You've advised other people symptoms and they start saying this, they're some of their, what they're feeling like and some of their symptoms. And you're like, you gotta get check out your thyroid and you're on it. Yeah. Not that you're a doctor, but you've become an expert by default. I think that happens when people have a, especially an autoimmune-- Like a rare one. An autoimmune disease in general. But any silent disease, they're called the silent diseases. You kind of become an expert because it takes a while sometimes to get diagnosed or listened to. So you start doing your own research. And so many of the people that suffer from them are women. So anyways, yeah, we'll do another one on thyroid disease as we continue this health series. Maybe that'll be part three, just covering thyroid disease. All right, interact with us. Send us comments, feedback, whatever. Any good success stories or anything, we'd love to hear it. Take care everybody. Thank you for listening. Bye. Bye. (upbeat music)