Moving through Midlife | Habit Stack & Movement Snacks for Midlife Moms, Parenting in Midlife | Fitness over 40

Ep 48: Understanding our Bodies with SJ, The Fit Productive Mum

March 28, 2022 SJ, The Productive Mum
Moving through Midlife | Habit Stack & Movement Snacks for Midlife Moms, Parenting in Midlife | Fitness over 40
Ep 48: Understanding our Bodies with SJ, The Fit Productive Mum
Moving through Midlife
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Show Notes Transcript

Today I am speaking with SJ, a teacher turned Entrepreneur who wants to help you be a more Fit and Productive Mum without the overwhelm.  Today she is diving a bit deeper in regard to Cycle Syncing for healthy hormones.

-How you became The Fit Productive Mum

-Understanding relationships with our hormonal cycle

-Hormones are like seasons

-Benefits of macro's

The Productive Mum Podcast

IG: SJ - The Productive Mum (@fitproductivemum) • Instagram photos and videos

Website: The Productive Mum (networktoempowerher.com)


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Welcome to raising healthy humans, where you as a busy mom can come each week to find information on health and wellness for your family. Enjoy experts discussing tips to help raise children through each phase of life. Gather current information on nutrition and wellness. And listen to Courtney, a personal trainer, health coach, movement specialist and founder of form fit a community where she helps busy moms move more. Here she provides you with movement and posture tips, while sharing information you need to help raise healthy humans. Today, I'm speaking with Sj, a teacher turn entrepreneur who wants to help you be a more productive mum without the overwhelm. Today, she is diving a bit deeper in regard to cycle syncing for healthy hormones. Hi, thank you so much for having me. I'm very excited to be here. And so I'm SJ. I am a former secondary school teacher. So high school. And like teenagers, I did that for 14 years, which kind of shows my age a little bit. And I was teaching like sports, I was teaching humanities subjects or geography, sociology. And I have my daughter, who is now four years old. And teaching and being a present mom just weren't working. So I was dropping her off at nursery daycare. And she was there from like, eight in the morning till six o'clock at night. And I just wasn't, I wasn't seeing him. So when she was, this was just before COVID here, actually, I decided to leave teaching, I had all these plans to build my own fitness studio where we live, and to like, start my own fitness, business and everything and then COVID here. And here in the UK, we really spent a lot of time in lockdown. So I had to like, like, you probably did take a lot of your stuff online and work with my clients over zoom. And so yeah, so that's sort of where where I got to, and I found as I was, as I was training women that I work with, that more and more, they were, like, I could really see you know, a couple of weeks where they were really high energy, and they really, really wanted to go for it. And then a couple of weeks where they were just like not turning up for their workouts or not turning up to classes. And in terms of you know, you can sort of start to see a pattern of, you know, really going for it. And then you know, not wanting to be in their workouts and not doing the way that they should. And I knew myself that that was often like a pattern I could see in my own training. And I dug more and more into the cycle thinking and through my own learning about cycle syncing. And I will say, you know, it was all self taught, just like going down the rabbit hole of learning everything. I actually saw a pattern in myself where I was getting these migraines every month. And I wasn't making the link between what was going on with my menstrual cycle, and my headaches. And I started to kind of marry the two up together and change. And some of these things, I'm sure we'll probably talk about the the episode and change the way that I was working out the food that I was eating the things that I was doing. And, you know, obviously I'm not a doctor, but I did, I managed to get rid of these migraines that I was having. That would wipe me out literally like for two days, every single month. So that allowed me to show up as a better parent, and also to show up for the work that I was doing as well. So it's been quite a journey to be honest with. Yeah, so did you when you said that you were able to kind of figure it out? Were you like writing down the days that you were having dealing with these headaches? And what did you determine for yourself? Like what portion of the cycle? And why do you know? Yeah, so I was starting to sort of see that as I was, like training my own clients and doing my own fitness programs. I could see where I was kind of putting these like rest days in forced rest days because I had these headaches. And even throughout my teaching career as I look back on it now. I used to put it down to stress. I thought you know, it's a really stressful job. And you know, we'll get colds and headaches and things like that and I hadn't made that link and I started to See this pattern within the workouts that I was doing, and I thought, oh my gosh, like, Okay. And then I started to read and see that there was a link between, you know, what was going on within my menstrual cycle and the hormones. And I actually discovered my style, because I did actually go to the doctor. And I said, I had a male doctor, I said, you know, I think I've got a pattern going on here with some headaches and that kind of thing. And he said to me, Well, you know, here's some painkillers, here's some strong painkillers, and you can kind of push through it. And I was like, Okay, that's great. But you're not, it's not solving, like the underlying issue. And I just did a lot of reading. And I found that I was having these headaches just after I was ovulating. And my estrogen levels were really high. So when, when I know, I think you've covered this in a previous episode a little bit about what goes on, on with the hormones. So when I was ovulating, my estrogen levels were high, and then it was just dropping really, really quickly. And that was what was triggering these migraines. Okay, and what did you feel that you had to do to kind of get over that. So a number of things. First of all, I started to look at actually what was going on before my ovulation. So in that follicular phase in that first phase after your period ends, when your estrogen levels are starting to rise, and you're feeling a bit more energetic, and you feel that you can take on the world. And I was really starting to look at what I was eating in that stage, in particular, because it's almost like, it's the same in fitness, isn't it, it's like what you do today, you're not going to notice until later down the line, you don't get an instant result. So with my cycle, I would find that if I was eating like junk food, in the follicular phase of my cycle, that was then meaning I was more likely to get those headaches and get those migraines after ovulation. So I kind of was having to like, eat really, really clean, and I say clean and like egg coats, you know, really, really unprocessed foods, foods in their most natural state that I could possibly, you know, eat them, and really good, like lots of fiber, slow release carbohydrates, and just make sure that my diet was really, really on point. And then I've then found that I wasn't getting these migraines. So it's definitely the nutrition that made a really, really big impact on that. Okay. Okay. Did you notice? Because in my previous episode, I had mentioned exercise as well, do you notice that you were dealing with different tolerances within your exercise program as well, I know, you said that women would be really going hard, and then they would drop off. Did you notice that as well for yourself? And how? Yeah, when you asked your nutrition, did it change? Yeah, absolutely. And I think so many of us in the fitness world, and as personal trainers, we kind of always wonder this, like, Yeah, let's go for it. Let's push as hard as we can every single time. And I think more and more that I've learned about cyclists thinking I think it needs to be as part of their personal training qualifications. And, you know, like the guy personal trainers need to be ready to have those conversations with women, because I work out with my husband at home. And he can just turn up every single day and feel the same. Like he can, you know, he's not going through this sort of up and down roller coaster in the same way as we do. And I definitely noticed that once I was changing my diet at the front end of my cycle in the follicular phase, and I call that the spring phase. Okay, so we live on a farm here in the UK. And I talk about like cycles in terms of the seasons that we have on the farm. So like the spring phase being you know, the the hormone levels, your estrogen levels rising, you're feeling a little bit more energy. And I'm sure you mentioned the different types of exercises and things that you would be wanting to do when in that phase. And then the ovulation phase being the summer. You know, you're sort of out and want to go and do all of the things and have the barbecues and well certainly we do here and you get a lot of sunshine that show you just grab it with both hands. And so sort of after that ovulation point that was when I was getting the migraines, and as I was cleaning up my diet I started to find that as I was going into the luteal phase after ovulation, I still had fairly high estrogen and not estrogen energy levels. So I had high energy levels. And that's normal. Because as the progesterone kicks in, we still do have good energy. And I found that I was able to shift my training to more weights based training, but I was still had the energy to do it. And I wasn't being knocked out for those two days by those migraines. And for somebody, I'm I pre my daughter, I used to compete a lot in like road cycling events and things. And so my training was really, really impacted by those headaches before. And I hadn't noticed, honestly, I wish I could go back and shake myself and go, Oh, look at this. And I didn't notice that. And often, you know, when you're planning to enter races, and that kind of things, and, you know, athletes now are looking at when these races fall within their cycle, so that they're getting the best performance. And I was finding that I was thinking, you know, oh, yeah, I'm gonna be okay to do that race at that point. But the migraines that kick in, but once I cleaned up my diet, in the follicular phase, I knew that I was going to be in a good place to actually compete in these races in these cycle races in my luteal phase, which isn't necessarily like that optimum time to, you know, be out there doing that kind of thing. But it certainly meant I could still go, rather than have to, you know, put it on hold and try again, another time. I find it interesting that you said like you what felt like you had to shake yourself, because you can see it now on the other side. And I think it's so common for us, we think of everything else, did I get a good night's sleep? Did I what did I eat yesterday, you know, it's not about your hormones, but it really is about your hormones as to how you feel, and we blame it on everything else that it could possibly be. So that's interesting, you know, that's great that you were able to see that when you were cycling, it started to kind of like slot into place, it kind of kind of clicked. And I think it's I think really, it goes back to I don't know, how, who or how you were taught about your menstrual cycle. But I was taught about mine, by a science teacher, who was about 50 years old, in a really cold science lab, out of a textbook. And it was just kind of taught that this was something we had to put up with, and get on with. And it was something to be ashamed of. And I really think that that's really does us a disservice as women, because it's something I mean, like half the population has. And it's also something I think men need to know about. Because there's kind of this joke about, you know, women get really grumpy towards the end of their periods. This is like, we feel actually had an idea of what was going on inside our bodies. And this constant change of hormones, you might have a better understanding of my husband him now that I teach on this and talk about it. He's like, Oh, my gosh, I get it, I really, really understand it. And I've, you know, he kind of he sort of knows, like, when to you know, don't pick a fight with me, these certain times, I actually feel it's really benefited our relationship as a couple as well having this information. Yeah, massively. Okay. Well, can you speak into that a little bit more? So like the relationships do you notice? Are there certain certain things that we can do within our relationships, whether it be with our children or our significant others in regards to cycle seeking? Yeah, I mean, I would as a former teacher of secondary school, so teenagers, I would love and I think this is one of the things I would love to do in the UK here is actually to be able to go into schools and teach this to girls and say, you know, this is what is going on in your body. This is why you might be feeling the way that you do. And it's normal, and it's okay. And in terms of our partners, I actually sort of got because my other half is a farmer. So he likes science. He's quite interested in science. And I actually showed him like what was going on with the hormones and the graph and that visual image of it and he was like, oh, My Gosh, it looks like a roller coaster. Yeah, this is kind of what it feels like sometimes. And I think it's so I mean, I think men as a whole are quite visual, you know, they're quite good at sort of visually seeing things. So I think in some ways, almost actually saying, you know, look, this is what is going on with my hormones, you know, and our husbands, if we're having children, and we're having an intimate relationship with them, we should be able to talk about these things, I really feel quite strongly about that. And, you know, to be able to say, look, this is, this is what it looks like. And then this is what it feels like, this is how I feel, at this particular, on the whole, this is generally how I feel, and just have this open dialogue about it. And I really feel for us as a couple, it's really kind of helped him to understand that there's times where I'm gonna feel more tense and more stressed. And he can kind of have that in the back of his mind and be thinking, okay, what can I be doing to support you more at this particular point, and you know, what, maybe he might like, cook me dinner, or, you know, depending on what works for you, or he might sort of go, do you know, what, I'm going to take our daughter out to the park for a couple of hours, and you just sit down and just chill out in. And it's just, I think, if they've got that information, and if they're good people, which, if you're married to them, I'm sure they they are, then they're gonna want to help you. And if they have this understand, then it's going to help them. Because let's be honest, like guys, a lot of the time, they can feel pretty clueless, and they don't know, how we're feeling or what's going on. And I think if we can kind of give them more information. And obviously, we need to learn this ourselves. Because we don't get taught it. Yes, if we can have this, if we can learn it, and share it with them, and share it with our children. And I do say girls and boys, because I think if we if we're moms of boys, I think we need to have this conversation with boys. Because the chances are, they're going to live with a woman, whether they're in a relationship or how sharing or whatever, right. And to have this information, I think can be a huge, huge thing in terms of building stronger relationships, and not to see it so much as a weakness. Because it is, you know, like, there's so many incredible successful women out there who are absolutely doing amazing things, but just to kind of have an understanding that we feel different from they from the way they do. And that actually, there's things that we can be doing in terms of, you know, what we're doing at home, or what we're doing at work and how we're eating. And, you know, this is why you're getting this food at this particular time of the month because it helps me right, just so that they've got that information. Well, and I think it's really important as well, for us to ensure that our children, like you said, understand this, because I'm thinking how many of us, I mean, I didn't know anything about really my hormones up until recently. I mean, you know, you know some of the basic things, but it's amazing, all the information that you can learn about hormones and the importance of knowing it. And you don't you don't learn this. I don't believe most like OBGYN they're not usually speaking to you about how you need to be supporting your hormones through nutrition and exercise and just even your mindset. Yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean, the way our health care operates here in the UK is a little bit differently. So you have a GP, and that's the first person that you go to if you've got a problem, like I did with these migraines, right. And he gave me something that would fix like the migraine, but it wasn't dealing with that underlying issue. And I guess this is where we have to take some responsibility for our own health and trying to educate ourselves as much as we can about our own bodies. You know, it's it's information that, you know, my mom didn't know this stuff. No, she didn't know it to tell me. So I think we're in a great position as women and parents now that we're learning all of this, and we've got the internet and podcasts like yours, that we can get this information and we can see oh gosh, like I might be listening to this now and thinking do you know what I do get a headache every month, or I do struggle really badly with period pain every month, or I get really grouchy just before my period heads. And, you know, actually maybe there's things that I could do if I go away and find out more to help myself. that's really powerful. I think that's a brilliant thing. Yeah, definitely in when you I love how you talk about it. In the seasons, I really love the seasons altogether. And honestly, I didn't think about each month as a season like you did. I think that's so great for like that helps us visually with it. You had mentioned about your, the way that you eat in the follicular phase with yours. Do you feel like everything starts there? Like, if you can get that time right, then everything else will fall into place? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I really, I really do for myself, it might not be for everybody else. But I think and it's really difficult, because in that phase, we've got all of the energy, and we want to do all of the things, and we're probably gonna be out socializing and drinking and having all the food. But that's the time where actually we need to be getting at, like giving our bodies the best chance for that. Second, if you will kind of like to vote, divide your cycle in half, right? Do you have your philic killer, and you're ovulating, I call them spring and summer. And then those are the times where you want to be doing all the things and eating all the things and having all the fun. But then autumn and winter, if you think about the seasons, then the times when you know the leaves are falling, and you know the animals are getting prepared to go into hibernation, and our bodies are kind of doing a similar process. And what you do, and this is why, like the farm is such a good analogy for this, because what we do in spring, impact summer, and impacts winter, and then it then clicks rounds again through into the next year. But as cycles are like that, so what we're doing in that early part of our cycle was of course, like it does with our fitness, we know that what we're doing, you know, if you're working out consistently over a period of time, it's gonna you're gonna see results. So what we're eating and doing in that phase of our cycle can really impact the the second half of us April, definitely. Okay, so I have a question for you. Because it's interesting how people come to it from different aspects. Because when I think about my cycle, and how I talk about cycle thinking, I concentrate on the fall and winter coming in, and really taking care of our bodies at that time. So I want to hear more from you about, like, what can we be doing during that spring and summer? I mean, I know I've spoken about it, but I don't think because I focused on this time, I think you're focusing and not that either, you know, not saying either one's right or wrong or anything. But I think it's very interesting how different people, you know, work through different things. So can you talk to us a little bit more about, like what we need to be doing during this follicular phase? Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, you've spoken about the different types of workouts and things. And I think it's important to remember in that phase with your workouts, for example, that, yeah, if you've got that energy, like, go for it, you know, do your hit workouts, do your spin classes, and all of those things, but don't forget that you still need to have rest days, and your body still needs to recover. And if you're doing all of those exercises and pushing hard, you've got to give back, you can't take out, you know, in the same way, I'm going to go back to the farm with this as well. So in springtime, we're planting the seeds, but we've got to add things to those seeds to see the crops grow. So if you're planting the seeds, and you know you're doing all of the exercise, you've got to give yourself the good stuff to be able to see the results. So I'm not saying that you need to not do those things, right. It's it really is I think in this phase, I really, really feel quite in the follicular inoculator. And I kind of divide the cycle into on ways when I'm talking to my clients just to kind of make it a bit more, like easier. So it's like, you know, one half and the second half. In this phase. It's like, you know, just remember that what you're eating is your fuel. And it's your it's almost like if you're pushing hard in that first phase, but you're not giving yourself the food and the fuel that you need. You're going to your body's going to be even more depleted in that second half of your cycle, where it is more challenging for you Body and there's a lot more things going on, and your body is having to work hard anyway, you're gonna make it work almost twice as hard. If you've pushed it pretty hard, and you haven't given it the nutrition that it needs in the first half. Does that make sense? Yes, no, that's, that is a great way to talk about it. Perfect. I love it. Because I was looking at everything, just very much like this phase is this. But the way that you're explaining it, just, it makes it so much. It makes me understand it even more as well. Like it's not stop breaking it down into like this phase, we do this this phase, we do this, but it's really about, I mean, always, it's about nourishing our body and really providing it with what it means. I noticed that you also work with moms in regards to Macros. Yes. Can you speak with us about this and the benefits of looking and paying attention to your macros? Yeah, I think in all honesty, when it comes to Macros, when women come to me, and they normally come to me for weight loss, and they have tried all of the crazy diets, so they've drunk all the shakes, and they've eaten all the bars, and they put themselves on these really, really low calorie diets, I use macros to really just help them understand what it is that their body needs, and why it needs it. And I think the whole for my clients, I don't want them to be counting macros for the whole of their life, okay, and I don't like to give them like, a never another diet because like, let's be honest, and I was thinking about this the other day, I mean, I must have been on a diet from, like, 2004, when I first like went into teaching, I think I started going on diets from that point on, I really don't want to give women No, and now the diet beat us up with. And I use the macros to really just help them understand what it is that their body needs. And also the quantities as well as a not a stick to beat themselves with. But just like a tool to use for a short period of time to help them really understand, you know, what's in their food, and why their body needs these these different macros, right? Okay. And speaking about macros, like you and I know we're talking about, but can you speak into what different macro macros you should be focusing on paying attention to? Yeah, so we were talking about, you know, like, the basic fuel that your body needs to stay alive and just like to sleep and to, you know, just to sort of go get out of bed in the morning. So we're talking about the fuel that your body needs. And that can come in the form of fats, carbohydrates, and protein. So those are the macros that we're talking about. And depending on what your goals are, your body composition, the workouts that you're doing. And if you're using a personal trainer, your personal trainer can tweak your macros for your training program. And it's just a way of really sort of getting clear on how am I fueling my body? What does good fuel look like for my body, and how food can really help you to do the things that you want to do? Whatever your goal is, whether it's to, I don't know, like cycle 100k or, you know, just do like a 5k run whatever it is, you can use your macros to help your body to feel the exercise and the day to day living that we're doing particularly as mums we're chasing after our kids all of the time and doing all that housework and that kind of thing, too. So and do you notice is there one area you find that women really struggle with with their macros? I think you know what we know though, right? Oh my goodness. I think like definitely, it's carbohydrates. But carbohydrates get such a bad rap don't really, you know, we there's so many diets out there that are just like, ah, low carb and don't eat carbs. And I'm just thinking like, I'd want to chew my arm off. But you know, we carbohydrates aren't like devil foods that are good for you. Your body needs it. But it's where are we getting those carbohydrates from? And I think the thing to remember when it comes to food is food is big business, isn't it? You know, like how much time and money do these big companies spend making this food like appealing to our taste buds and releasing the dopamine in our brain to make us feel good when we eat it. So it's really hard to not indulge in the wrong food. And not I'm not trying to kind of label food as good or bad. But, you know, there's so much energy and time that goes into, you know, creating like the, I always use Pringles as an example. You know, like Pringles, once you pop, you can't stop the ingredients and nose is designed for you to keep eating them. That's what it's designed for. So carbohydrates aren't bad, but it's just the form in which they come. And we know that the closer to its natural way the food has come, is going to be better for us than if it's been processed. And I think that's the important thing to think about. Because I know like, as a society, it's very easy to consume a lot of carbohydrates isn't in there, and it's everywhere. And we like them, our body likes them, it releases some amazing dopamine in our in our brains, particularly no sugars. And everybody's just like, Yeah, this is amazing, and it feels great. And combine it with some fats as well in your favorite chocolate bar. And it's just like a little party. It really is just trying to remember, in your mind, that the food that you're putting in now is going to have this, this knock on effect of how you're feeling. So is it? Yes, I'm going to eat it now. And I'm going to feel great, but how am I going to feel the next day when I do my workout? Is it going to mean that I've got less energy? And I'm not going to be able to do you know? Or is it going to mean that I'm going to have a massive sugar high. And then in a couple of hours time, I'm going to be really grouchy with my kids, because I've got a sugar withdrawal. Like that's, that's how to the way that I try. And I'm not saying we get it perfect, because we don't as you know, trainers, right? No, no, but just how I try and try and think about. Okay, and then you do you give a you said that you base it based on each individual? Correct. So you don't give like a standard? You know, this amount of protein, this amount of fat, not specific recommendations. Yeah, I tend to work out a specific one for the people that I'm working with. Yeah, right. And then like you mentioned, you don't want this to be something where they're constantly assessing everything that they're doing. So you're trying to guide them to then be able to figure it out for themselves. And just, it doesn't matter if one is, you know, 10% over at one meal, right? Because I think, you know, I look at people who get so stuck in this trying to eat a specific way, say with macros or whatever. And then they, they, it becomes so it becomes psychological with them having to try to be perfect. Or they and you touched on this as well. Where it's, it's perfect, number wise, but it may not be perfect nutritionally wise as well. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And I think just going back to what I said earlier, about, you know, pretend like being on a diet, since like my early 20s. I look at my daughter who's four. And I think I don't want that for her. I really don't, I want her to know what healthy eating looks like. And children, I think, when they young, if you watch like toddlers and things, they stop eating when they're full, don't they and they have this great control. They don't just overeat because they like the fact that there's a whole big bowl of ice cream in the freezer, they will stop when they're full. And I think it really is like teaching women to and I say women because they're the people that I work with. And we tend to be the ones who are in charge of what goes in the cupboards at home and what goes on the shopping list and the meal plans. And if it's if we can know what a portion looks like, and what a portion of good food looks like, and ultimately almost to get to a point where you can look at your plate. And you can say, that's about right. That's what I need. And then over time you're going you're going to get more like in tune with your body and what your body's telling you it wants and telling you what it needs and in a different way to what you think you want. Because you've walked past the donor mouth as well, and you touched on a key point with that, and that's one thing I'm constantly trying to recommend through my podcast through just even working with clients is listen to your body. Uh, we have, we have stopped listening, even from like this cycle sinking aspect, we have stopped listening to what our body is telling us. And if we would just slow down. And listen, I think we would all find the answers to more of what, what it's asking for. Yeah, yeah. And, I mean, we could probably do so many different podcast episodes around cravings and that sort of thing. But, you know, just sort of digging in just to touch on that, you know, if you're craving certain foods, then if you do, do your reading and do your research, you can usually find out that actually, you're may be missing something within your diet. And you know, perhaps you need to be looking at, you know, changing the way that you're eating and the foods that you're you're putting on your plate. So, yeah, so do you, can you speak into that are there so think about, like, what are some of the common cravings that we have? And do you? Can you speak into that with the nutrients that they might be missing and what they should be eating instead? Yeah, I mean, I think it's quite common, isn't it for us to be to be wanting to crave things like chocolate, particularly in the luteal phase of our cycle as as we're going heading towards that period. And I think it's important to remember and I don't know if you touched on this, but in the luteal phase, your body does actually need more calories, because it's doing a lot more. So on average, you're probably going to be looking to I mean, don't go crazy. But you know, we're talking about maybe 200 to 250 extra calories a day, which you'll probably think everyone's like, Yeah, great. Actually, it's not that much. But if you are feeling more hungry, in that stage of your cycle, there's a reason for that. And it's because your body does need some additional calories. So if you're finding that, you know, maybe you're craving some some chocolate, it might be that you are lacking in magnesium, or maybe you need to look at some Antiox oxidants. You know, perhaps you need to be thinking about getting some more fruits and vegetables in your diet and making sure you're getting those vitamins that your your body might need eating and maybe iron as well, if you're, you know, as you're going into your luteal, and your menstrual phase, and your, your body's building up the lining of your uterus, that's a lot of hard work for your body to be doing. And that's gonna use up a lot of iron reserves in your body as well. So you might be thinking about ways that you can, you know, add more iron into your diet as well. So really getting in tune with your with your body. I mean, I guess you could, I don't know what, what it's like for you guys. But if you really wanted to dig into it, maybe you could get bloods done with your doctor and see, and but this is the problem, I think for women as well as it's going to depend on where you are in your cycle. So actually is almost a good idea to get your bloods done a few times to see, you know, what's going on if you've got deficiencies. I mean, my dad, for example, went to the doctor recently, and they found that he was lacking in B 12. But for us as women, like we might be lacking at one point in the cycle, but but not in others. So I think, do some research, do some digging, and if you can afford to do blood work, then I think that's that's quite a good way to go with your, with the guidance from your doctor. Or fit. Thank you so much for that. I think that's very important, especially with the checking it throughout, because right after our period, our numbers are going to be completely different. Yeah, then going into our period. So that's definitely something and I don't think people think about that when they get their blood work drawn. So yeah, yeah. And of course, you know, we're not doctors, we're not medical professionals. And everything you know, is if you do have like big worries or big concerns, it's definitely something to be going and talking to a doctor about going through that process with with a medical professional. But I think in terms of you know, if your audience are listening to you, they're obviously interested in their health and their lifestyle and there's so much that you can do and so much that you can read about of things that you can do really easily yourself just to Make a few tweaks and hopefully that would have a really positive impact. Yeah. Excellent. Do you can you tell us where we can find you and how we could work with you. Okay. And so thank you so much. I love coming on podcasts and chatting about this. I could be here like all day, about periods. It's like the crazy, crazy topic and embarrass my husband with a quite a lot sometimes. And so I'm over on Instagram, at the fit productive mum. And I will say m m u m, because we're moms, not moms. But yeah, come and find me over there. And I also have a podcast like you do called fit, productive mom. And so I actually hang out more over on the podcast than I do on Instagram. I find that I fall down the Instagram rabbit hole. And don't come out. Yeah, that's, that's where where I am. But thank you so much for having me. It's been so much fun chatting with you. Oh, you're welcome. And how can people work with you if they're interested? Do you offer personal training or what type of programming Do you offer? So I do do some coaching. And I don't do personal training. In person anymore. What I do is I work with my clients for a month to take them through it through a cycle. And we start off with thinking about what their goal is. And I'm sure this is similar for you. So we look at what their goal is. And we really get clear on what that goal is. And I've always found with people that when it comes to fitness, actually, what we need to do is dig into their calendar, I look at their priorities, which I do to then help them find the time to implement the fitness program that I then give them. So we kind of do that first before we then think about doing any fitness work because otherwise people tend to not do that. That's I call I call it a productivity package. So we look at the goal, we unpack what your life is like your lifestyle, finding the slots to do the action steps that you need to take to hit that goal. And then I then give them the health and fitness plan to then hit the goal. Okay, so you're working one on one with individuals. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, cuz it's quite intense. Yeah, no, that's great. That's great. Okay, so we can find you in your podcast, and on Instagram. And then do you have a website? And I do, I will give you the link to pop in the show notes because I can never. Okay, that's okay. That's okay, that is quite all right. And do you have anything else you would like to tell our listeners or have them think about? I think if you've been listening to this episode with us today, and you have learned something new that you didn't know about your body, then go and share this episode with your friend with your girlfriend, or if you've got a daughter, who's who's of that age, share this episode with them. Because let's start this conversation. Let's really like make ourselves aware as women of what is going on on our body and give ourselves the knowledge which will then give us the power to be able to do more things that we want to be doing. Excellent. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to listen to our podcast. I hope you found this information valuable and hope that you're able to immediately use some of the information that was provided today. Make sure to check out the show notes for all the links that we discussed. If you are a busy mom who is looking for a community where you can practice living a healthier life. I would love for you to join us over on our form fit community on Facebook. You are also welcome to join our membership for just$15 the first month to receive access to our 30 days of Hormonal Health. quick workouts you can do in less than 10 minutes each day. foam rolling exercises, meal plans and accountability calls you can head to form fit naples.com backslash join and that will provide you with access to our community and our membership portal for 30 days. If you decide at that point, you want to cancel you are welcome to or you can continue on for just $29 a month. Now go out and enjoy your day while practicing small healthy choices that will make lasting changes