The Exchanges

Q To really be simple here, what's the right way to start the day breakfast-wise as a chick? What should we be eating in the morning?

A Make sure you're eating like, 20, 30 grams, 30 grams if you can, of protein in the morning to just start you off because your body is looking for that protein for all those amino acids, for all those nutrients. To keep it simple for myself, like, you know, I don't have time to cook first thing in the morning, so I'll make a protein smoothie that's also very digestible, absorbent, um, You know, meal that you can make quickly. I throw in, you know, pretty simple blueberries to get a little bit of fiber. Um, I throw in some protein in there, protein powder. Either almond milk or, um, oat milk, unsweetened usually. And what else? I throw in some nuts. Um, I throw in my creatine in there. And I think that's pretty much it.

AI assessment note: “Make sure you're eating like, 20, 30 grams, 30 grams if you can, of protein”

Q know, make America healthy again, and there's a lot of commentary about Seed oils, GMOs, additives, versus, like, portion size, calorie count. You know, is it both? You know, Mike, Mike's take is, Rattel, he was basically like, hey, uh, stop eating so much, and then you won't be fat. And then you have RFK, who's like, we're getting poisoned by seed oils. Is it both? What do you think?

A I would side with Mike's a little bit on that, in the, in the sense that Let's tackle like the big rock issues, like the, the easy, the easier issues. And, you know, um, are you eating? What are, what's the calorie amount that you're eating? What's the macro breakdown? Like those are, I feel in a sense, a little bit easier. And then when you have grasped that, when you're consuming enough protein, when you're prioritizing protein, then you can dial it in. Am I eating the right type of foods? Am I eliminating, um, you know, All of these other things that we know by now are not good for our bodies, but it's a, it's a step-by-step process, and that's what I tell, like, my family, too, like, stop consuming all of this crazy information, like, don't eat spinach and oxalates and this and that, like, don't do that. Start with the basics, like, and eat enough protein, um, move your body properly, because that is proven that will most likely Override some of these other things that you're not even doing in, like, big amounts, you know, and, um, if you want to, then once you've got this, like, foundation and big rock issues, then, then dial it in, like we were talking about before, even with supplements, like, big rock issues, and then see if you need to, like, supplement around that.

AI assessment note: “I would side with Mike's a little bit on that”

Q Yeah, like it's sometimes hard to love yourself?

A Well, yeah, um, I think I was raised by, by a perfectionist mom. I think that's where I got, you know, she, an A-minus was, uh, was failing, you know, so you needed to, to have all A's, and if you weren't first, you were last. So, um, that doesn't develop a whole, and the praise came very rarely, if at all. So, Yeah, it was definitely, it's been a learning curve as far as like loving yourself. Um, but I think Even strength training for me is, was one of those aspects that did help bring that, build that self-confidence and all of the other aspects, you know, kind of like stepping back from myself and looking at all of the things that I have done, you know, like graduating in three years with summa cum laude from, you know, well-known university and then going to business school while I was full-time working full-time and, you know, it's like, okay. If I were still, like, see all of this as, like, somebody else's resume, not my resume, right? Then I'd be like, wow, that's, that's an accomplished person. That person has done some things.

AI assessment note: “it was definitely, it's been a learning curve as far as like loving yourself”

Q Did you find it? Like, how did you go from anorexia and being depressed to, like, pulling yourself out of, out of bed and deciding to move? That takes a strong human.

A I don't, sometimes I do question, like, where I find this. It must be, like, some, some, some place that I'm pulling out from, um, because, yes, you have this kind of, like, two very opposing realities. This, this, this things that just want to keep you down, and then this Like, very crazy drive at some points, which I, I think I have. Um, but I just, I, I knew that something was wrong, so I, um, you know, would find help. Like, in college, found a therapist, and would try to find for, read books. Like, self-help books has been, like, my biggest friend alongside with, like, obviously working out with, like, self-help books, a lot of psychotherapy, a lot of, um, even Like graduate, like college level books for some reason fascinated me. Maybe I have a fascination with the brain and the mind and how it works. So it was kind of like a, a loop maybe, you know, help yourself to, to, to get out of this situation and that I did. And plus I had catalyst like an amazing primary care doctor at one point where she was running marathons. Like, I don't want to, Say every month, but at least every, like, quarter she was running a marathon. She was, like, in her fifties, and it was incredible, like, incredible shape, and that was, like, kind of the starting points. Like, Sonata, just run. Just, just go for a run.

AI assessment note: “in college, found a therapist, and would try to find for, read books”

Q Yeah, I think it's very easy to, there's always easy to tell people why they can't. It's very hard to inspire people while they can. And so I think that's, that's really, really beautiful. What What stuff do you do that's not working out for your body? Like, are we doing red light? Are we doing acupuncture? Like, what else should we do alternative-wise to stay healthy in your mind?

A When I can, I'll hit a cold plunge, I'll hit a sauna, you know, I'll do those, but I don't always have time for those things, and I, they're not always readily available, so I just did actually, um, Chase the real dopamine kind of post, and it went viral, if you will, and it includes things like cold plunge, and sauna, and meditate, and all of these things, and people are like, I don't have time for all of that. I'm not doing all of those things every single day. I, you know, don't have access to, to all of those things every single day, but whenever I can, and pick and choose, You know, if it's sauna, if it's cold plunge, if it's meditation, if it's yoga, if it's working out, like what, whatever those elements that you are, that you can bring in that will release that natural dopamine, do that. Um, for me, working out is a non-negotiable. Meditating is a non-negotiable. And, um, I do a little bit of yoga after my workout, just like five, 10 minutes to bring, it's my cool down. Um, So those are kind of my non-negotiables. It's the mind, um, mindful stuff. You know, it's the meditation, and the yoga, and the workouts.

AI assessment note: “When I can, I'll hit a cold plunge, I'll hit a sauna”

Q Yeah, I like that. And so basically mind, if we've never heard of that before, mind-muscle connection, The, the first activation is you touch it, so if I'm, like, trying to move this part, I actually touch it with my finger, and why does that actually help? Like, why, how have we gotten so disconnected from our muscles?

A Because we're thinking about, you know, what am I gonna have for dinner? Am I, what TV show I'm gonna watch, you know, or, you know, the children have, you know, this sport and that activity. We're, we're busy, so we are not in our bodies. Most of us are, like, you know, Watching a series or something while we're working out or listening to, to music, or I don't even listen to music anymore because I'm, I want to be present with, with what I'm doing in that moment. That's like my moving meditation in a way, not the discount actual eyes closed and bringing it to, you know, internally, but that's my moving meditation. That's one of the reasons, especially nowadays that we've become so disconnected, but there's also a chemical, um, Process, if you will, that, that happens when you do actually touch. All of a sudden, your brain is like, oh, that's, that's, that's, that's being worked. Like, it's actually a chemical process that's occurring as well, not just the, a woo-woo that I'm touching. Yeah, yeah.

AI assessment note: “We're busy, so we are not in our bodies... there's also a chemical process”