Welcome back Fitlandians! Today’s episode is number 79 and my guest today is Evelyn DeDominicis and today we are talking all about having a hopeful perspective on menopause. I know it sounds crazy but Evelyn has a pretty incredible perspective and as a 45 year old woman, I was pretty excited to chat with her.
In celebration of support for menopause, if any of you ladies are perimenopausal or menopausal and want some support with your hormones, join the next 30 Days to Thriving with me! We start in just a few short days and to celebrate supporting all of you ladies with this wonderful time of life, I am giving you 50% off for 25 hours from the date that this is released! Hopefully you have subscribed to the show and you can take advantage of this offer. Just enter code MENO50 at the checkout to get 50% off for the April session
Today we are talking about menopause...but this time we are giving you a fresh and hopeful perspective! My guest Evelyn DeDominicis is a functional nutritionist and ready to talk all things menopause.
Evelyn and I first “met” when she listened to Leanne Vogel’s podcast and heard me talking about wine and how to overcome sugar, alcohol and carbs and here we are doing a podcast! Thanks to Evelyn for being an incredible addition to our online community on our Facebook group! We really connected on finding healthy relationships with alcohol and how to find out how to do that as individuals.
BUT...back to our fresh perspective on menopause. So I am 45 years old and a couple years ago my doctors told me I was perimenopausal but fast forward to when I found the ketogenic diet and my periods came back to normal as I found a hormonal balance that way but I know this is coming!
Menopause is something that all women experience but is sometimes a terrifying change! So what is this fresh perspective? Evelyn explains that she just turned 50 and that she has been menopausal (your period has stopped for a full year) for about two years now. The new perspective is that it is simply a hormonal rewiring.
Instead of ovaries producing the hormones in our bodies, our adrenal glands now pick up the job and that change can be challenging. A helpful resource is the book called The Wisdom of Menopause by Dr. Christina Northrup...she is phenomenal and has loads of information.
Her perspective is so refreshing...like it is a rite of passage! Not all that different than puberty! It doesn’t have to be dreaded one bit. In fact, perimenopause can be up to 15 or 20 years before you are actually menopausal...the average is between 4 and 14 years. There is definitely a stigma in this country about getting older and about menopause in general but understanding it is the key. It’s coming into who you are and learning to speak your truth.
With the decline of estrogen and progesterone can have an effect on many things...including our gut. This causes a lower stress tolerance and sometimes even digestive functions. So yes, learning to speak your truth is happening in your body, too!
Our adrenal glands always prioritize cortisol and therefore fights with the sexual hormones that are coming in during this time. Therefore, it is ESSENTIAL to manage our stress and listen to our bodies. We talk about how much stress we put on our adrenal glands climbing corporate ladders and we are left asking what our truths are...sometimes the passion feels passionless later on. Listening is key.
And this matters in all parts of your life...including your food and body. Take the wheel of life, you have your diet, exercise, movement, finances, relationships, spiritual, stillness, community and more...that’s a lot to balance but simply recognizing when something is OUT of balance is what it takes to know when it is time to make a change.
Embrace the journey, role with the punches, and find a state of grace in the changes of life. Spread some lightness in this world and it will ultimately reflect on you as well. Accept the support you need from those around you and it will all seem easier.
Evelyn explains that she was paleo for years and was working toward a keto lifestyle but was knocked out due to hormonal imbalance caused by perimenopause but has since understood what was happening in her body and why it wasn’t working quite right despite her best efforts. She encourages people to experiment with what feels best for your body and to always stay mindful to how you are feeling and what could be happening in your body.
So what are some top tips for managing these hormones with food for a positive experience?
Evelyn’s Top Food Tips for Menopause:
There are definitely symptoms associated with menopause (check out the website 34 Symptoms of Menopause) but here are a few we discussed:
A huge thanks to Evelyn for sharing her fresh perspective on menopause with us. As she says,
“It’s not the end, it’s really the beginning!”
If you love what you are hearing from Evelyn, be sure to check her out on her website, Instagram and Facebook. She even has a free Keto Kickstart Guide as well as a Keto Fast Formula for Menopause Program coming out this month! And if you are looking for some support with intermittent fasting, check out her DIY Intermittent Fasting Facebook group program!
Hello Fitlandians and welcome back to the podcast! This is episode number 78 and today my best is Brooke Alpert, Registered Dietitian, nutrition consultant, and author of The Diet Detox.
Before we jump into the show, I want you to come join my own mission to end dieting in the 30 Days to Thriving Program. It helps you release your reliance on sugar, alcohol, and refined carbs so you can start feeling your very best and create a dietary strategy that works for you.
For more info, head to fitlandiafitness.com/programs. There you can register for our the start of our next program on April 2nd. Just for being a valued listener, you can select any of the programs on that page and enter the code PODCAST20 to get 20% off as a big thank you!
So today I’m here with Brooke Alpert. Brooke is celebrating the release of her new book, The Diet Detox and is a Registered Dietitian. Welcome, Brooke!
For those who are new to the podcast, Fitlandia is all about NOT dieting...so it was a natural fit to invite Brooke to the show when I discovered her new book. Let’s have Brooke talk a little bit about how this book came to be.
Brooke says she has been a Registered Dietitian for 10 and ½ years and has owned her own private practice that entire time. Her focus is in weight loss...she helps people lose weight but not with harmful dieting. After the birth of her 2nd daughter, she had the hardest time losing the excess weight and was feeling quite like a fraud in her business.
She was feeling uncomfortable in her own skin and after a few months of trying to lose the weight the right way, she started to feel a little crazy. She was tempted to reach for the quick fix...and she truly understood the headspace that many of her clients are often in. She eventually had to sit down and have a real talk with herself about doing it the right way...the diet manifesto...the 10 rules to lose weight the right way for good.
So what are these 10 rules?
Brooke’s 10 Rules to Stop Dieting
Recipes/Owning Your Cooking:
What does intuitive cooking mean? Tapping into your inner wisdom of what your body is needing at each moment. Cooking doesn’t have to be overwhelming and it can actually be really meditative and calming.
Brooke talks about the 5 ingredient recipes in her book to keep it simple and delicious...and realistic for everyone! There are 45 recipes in her book and broken up into Protein, Fiber, and Starch so you know exactly what is on your plate each time. It’s all about connecting to your food, connecting to your body, and cutting yourself some slack! Make the best choices that you can...no one is perfect. Don’t feel guilty, just do your best in each situation.
Bonus Advice:
A big thanks to Brooke for sharing all her wonderful advice and for helping us realize once again that health and wellness doesn’t need to be complicated. Again, you can find Brooke’s new book, The Diet Detox, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and loads of other retailers and learn more about her and her work on her website b-nutritious.com! You can also follow Brooke on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Aerial yoga is a hot fitness trend right now and today we continue our exercise series with Jen Livengood of A-WOL Dance Collective here in Portland, OR to inspire you to get up in the silks!
Jen is kind enough to join us on the Podcast today and first we want to hear a little bit more about Jen’s studio in Portland, Oregon.
Jen explains that she is the director of a nonprofit arts directive that is called A-WOL Dance Collective. They have a studio in Portland’s Lloyd district with three teaching spaces. They offer classes to almost every age. Their classes start at age 4 (they even have some tiny tot classes for the 2-3 year olds now and then). They have aerial fitness classes and aerial skills classes. The fitness classes are things like aerial yoga, a flying fit class with trapeze bars, and various other conditioning classes to help more experienced movers target their workouts with silks and trapeze. The skills classes include mostly focus on building skills and vocabulary on the different types of equipment such as silks, trapeze, and lyra (hoops).
-Raised ceilings (the highest is 28 ft)
-Sprung floors (for extra bounce and safety)
-Props: Silks (floor to ceiling lengths of stretchy fabric in a loop or strand)
-Props: Trapeze (various kinds)
-Props: Lyra (hoops)
Jen explains how silks are incredibly valuable in yoga. Not only do they act as a support and prop throughout the class, but they specifically offer beautiful spine stretching abilities that regular yoga can’t.
Jen explains that if you are nervous about aerial, try aerial yoga first. This is done at a very low to the grown height and the entire class is designed to help meet people where they are. For the most part, aerial is a great option to help people learn more about the practice and to make it their own.
Jen found out about aerial when it was still very uncommon. She grew up dancing her entire life and when she was back home after college a woman approached her and said they were looking for dancers for their trapeze work. She auditioned and completely believed she was horrible at aerial but she LOVED the challenge. She was invited to be a part of Pendulum Company for quite awhile and through that experience, she met the other co-founders of A-WOL. They went on exploring themselves and without intending it to be a business, A-WOL was born.
The first year, they performed 31 times anywhere they could, just as aerial began to grow in popularity all over the world. They found rehearsal spaces and producing shows and finally people began asking for classes.
They first used an old warehouse in NE Portland to get started and eventually opened a more consistent space as their student interest grew.
It’s playful and fun but also requires a great deal of core strength, upper body strength, and coordination, so it is a great way for people to get moving and growing while still having fun. Without realizing it, aerial is also a wonderful lower body exercise as well. It is a great option for those who have not found joy in the old school forms of working out. It’s a beautiful way to use your own body weight for a natural workout.
Aerial Yoga: Yoga with silks as supports for movement and stretching.
FlyFit: Workout using trapeze bars for both upper and lower body strength
Conditioning: Fitness strength class using many props and pushing flexibility
Fly: Strength class divided by age group that focuses on the use of silks
Rope: Strength class using a rope in the style of a silk
Lyra: Strength classes using hoops to increase flexibility and strength
Trapeze: Many different styles of trapeze arts for strength
Flexibility: Trains in flexibility for all with a strength-based approach
Floor Movement: Dance based classes put on by the founders
Workshops: Different creative/combination workshops and classes offered throughout the year
Teacher Trainings (Soulaira): Weekend workshops put on by two of the experienced aerial teachers. For those who want to learn to teach aerial and be certified.
If aerial sounds even just a little bit interesting to you but you are feeling hesitant, just go for it! I’ve known so many people who have been empowered by aerial fitness and have seen it change lives and I encourage you to give it a try!
If you want to learn more about Jen and the A-WOL Dance Collective or about the classes they offer (almost 50 a week!), check out their website and be sure to follow both Jen and the collective on Facebook and Instagram. If you want to learn more about the Soulaira Teacher Training, check out that website, too.
Subscribe to the show, rate us and leave a review on iTunes or Sticker. We’d love to hear what you got out of the show!
Heidi and Christa met over two years ago when one of Christa's friends suggested she try out Heidi's class and they connected right away. Heidi embodies all the things we find really important at Fitlandia like body inclusion, modifying, honoring your body and having fun!
Heidi always says that having fun is the number one important thing to remember with all exercise, especially Zumba. There is no such thing as perfection, just having a good time is the priority.
Heidi and Christa talk all about the diversity and fun nature of a Zumba class. Christa remembers in the first class she went to she saw such a wide variety of people, bodies, skill levels and more and it was so refreshing to know it was a place you could be you and have fun. Christa asks Heidi to explain what got Heidi into Zumba.
Dancing is where Heidi can let go and be free...even forget what time it is! She grew up dancing and got into other arts like singing, instruments, and other dance like ballet. When she moved to Portland she could no longer afford ballet lessons so she left the dance behind and a part of her was really incredibly sad.
Time passed until one day her cousin begged her to go and try a Zumba class! Finally, when a friend asked if she wanted to try with her, she went for it. Her first class was in February of 2012 and within a week of taking classes, she knew she wanted to teach it. Zumba is secretly super addictive and she was hooked! She’s been teaching since October of 2012.
Principles and Background of Zumba
Unique Benefits of Zumba
Zumba fits perfectly with Fitlandia’s 4 cornerstones of fitness: daily movement, healthy eating, power of the mind, and community connection. Zumba’s community connection is incredibly powerful and motivating for healthy living! It provides a safe space for anyone starting to explore or working to get back into fitness and wellness.
For those of you worried about not being able to keep up...never fear! Everyone is accepting of others and if all you can do is march in place, do that and pick back up where you can. It’s not about perfection!
Another amazing thing about Zumba is that there is so much passion involved. People connect to the music, they connect to each other, they feel empowered and vulnerable and safe all at once and it is a truly beautiful thing.
Tips for Modifications in Zumba
Big thanks to Heidi for bringing her fun self and her Zumba enthusiasm to our show. You can find Heidi and her classes here in downtown Portland, Oregon at The Perlene or go to Zumba.com and type in your zip code to find fabulous instructors near you. All the classes are verified regularly. It’s not hard to find a fantastic instructor. Heidi’s Zumba Page: heidik.zumba.com
As always, be sure to follow Fitlandia on Instagram and join our Facebook Group to stay connected with the community.