Today on the podcast, I’m answering your questions from beauty to fitness to food and everything in between!
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Episode 85 Transcription!
1. Listener Questions: Beauty [7:55]
2. Listener Questions: Food [18:11]
3. Listener Questions: Fitness [37:59]
3. Listener Questions: Random [58:09]
Juli Bauer: Hello! Happy Saturday. Happy national royal wedding day. Is that what they call it? Where are they? London? I don’t even know. I don’t know where the royal family is. And there is so much about it on TV. Like, why? I guess because it’s Megan Markle, who was an American actress. But why is it never broadcast when the prince of Dubai gets married? I don’t know who the f*ck the prince of Dubai is, if there even is one. But why doesn’t that get televised like the royal wedding does? Why are we so obsessed as Americans about the royal family? We’re Americans. We don’t have a royal family. Is that why we’re so obsessed with it? The grass is always greener? They’re just so well to do? I don’t know. I don’t know, I don’t get it.
But, I’m over the Today show having a 47-day lead up to the f*cking royal wedding. So thank god it airs today, as you’re listening to this. And if you’re not listening to this and you’re listening to this 10 years later; well, you didn’t mess anything. Because nothing happens at weddings. Weddings are boring until the cake comes out.
I think they have a lavender lemon cake; so I’m all about that. Ok, I’m totally into the royal wedding. I’m in. I’m down. Megan Markle is stunning. Don’t you just want to stare at her teeth? She has such white teeth. How does everybody have such white teeth? I get it, you just whiten them. But I like to whiten mine in photos, so you can’t whiten them in real time. Everybody else has super white teeth in real time.
Oh, my face is so dry. I just got back from Palm Springs. And right before that, I was in Houston. Oh my god, my skin is like flaking off. Like an old human.
Anyway. I was just traveling for a total of 7 days. And I love traveling, and I even really love traveling by myself. I just like being able to go do whatever I want, and nobody else to entertain and make sure they’re happy. It’s the best. It’s like, at home, you have to make sure everybody is happy. You have to make sure; oh, what do you want to do for dinner tonight? You have to make sure that person has the right food, and dietary restrictions. And then somebody is not happy to go to f*cking top golf. So you’re like; ok, do you want to go see a movie?
You just have to entertain other people. And when I travel by myself, I just have to do what I need to do. It’s quite lovely.
Why is my skin so dry? Gross.
So, luckily, when I was in Houston, I got to see my friend Cassy, who I’ve had on the podcast a couple of times, of www.FedandFit.com. She’s the best. I got to meet her new baby. She’s f*cking; her baby is just as cute as her. Oh my god. She’s just an easy baby. She just lies there. She doesn’t do anything. She doesn’t cry. It’s like; oh, she starts crying, maybe she wants to eat. Oh, she’s tired. Normal baby stuff. Not like they’re sick; they have colic and they’re crying for no reason the entire time. Not down with babies like that, and I’ve experienced many babies like that in my day. It’s just too much; it’s just too much!
But her baby was amazing. And it was so good to see her. It’s so fun hanging out with women who women who do a similar job as me, because then we can talk about business and bounce ideas off each other, and what has worked and what hasn’t. Working with companies. It’s just so inspiring. She left me feeling so excited, and gave me some great business ideas. She’s just the best. She’s full of ideas. I love her.
And then I went to Palm Springs by myself. That was lovely. Palm Springs is the best. And it was kind of perfect weather, because May is their down, or low season, because it gets so hot over the summer there so nobody travels there. So it was really dead at every resort I went to. But, it was only 90-95 degrees. It’s not their 110, 115-degree weather. So you get this dead resort, perfect weather, a pool all to yourself. It was lovely. I love Palm Springs. Highly recommend going in May. Because I’m sure resorts are cheaper, too, because it’s low season.
But, the only thing that sucked while I was traveling is Jackson, my French Bulldog, got mighty, mighty sick. So he started puking all over our living room rug. And he started puking what looks like foamy Pepto-Bismol. So I’m not sure what the hell he ate, but he was puking it everywhere. And he couldn’t poop. And his heart was racing. And he was having trouble breathing. It was super f*cking scary, so my husband took him to the emergency vet. And of course, he walks into the emergency vet and then Jackson is acting fine, because he’s probably excited. He’s like; where is this place? I’ve never been here before, blah, blah, blah.
So, they gave him some anti-nausea; like a shot. And then the next morning, he puked and my sister-in-law came and check on him, because I was still out of town. And he had puked, so my husband came and picked him up and took him to work with him all day. And ever since I got home, the day after, he has seemed completely fine. I slept with him on the couch the first night, because I felt like a sh*tty mom. And he’s been totally fine.
But, I talked about how Jackson had to go on a diet, on Instagram or something. He had to go on a diet, because he was 40 pounds, and he should be 38. And those 2 pounds really make a big difference in French Bulldogs. Because he’s very small; pretty short. So he was snoring. And once he lost those two pounds, he was great.
Well, he lots another 2 pounds. So he’s 36 pounds right now. So he’s got this skinny little waist. And it’s probably good for him, but it’s so sad. As a mother; mother’s just want to plump up their children. Because that’s how I feel. I’m like; don’t worry. We’ll get you back to 38 pounds. I want you to be hungry. But he just couldn’t eat. Poor baby. So he’s back to normal now. He’s right by my side, just taking a little snooze. Waiting for his W-A-L-K.
Anyway. Let’s do some listener podcast questions. These are my favorite episodes to do. And a woman recently asked me on Instagram why my face looks like it does. And I was like; it’s just my face. She’s like; you always look so mad. I’m like; I probably sound mad all the time too, because that’s just my personality. I’m just not bubbly, like my amazing friend Cassy is. I’m just like; hey. You’re the worst. Why does your face look like that?
I didn’t say that. But she also had no photos of herself, so I couldn’t come back with a good comment. Other than, it’s just my face. So, sorry if I sound like a b*tch, too. I am, and so that’s probably why. So I guess I should say, sorry I’m a b*tch. {laughs}
1. Listener Questions: Beauty [7:55]
Wait, I got totally off topic. Let’s go back to listener questions. Back on it. We’re going to start with beauty questions. Because beauty is the best. I have another Profractional treatment coming up soon, but I’m doing a light Profractional treatment that doesn’t leave your face a bloody mess and freak everyone out and think they shouldn’t get Profractional. It’s the best treatment in the entire world, and I swear by it. My skin continues to get better and better. Profractional is the best! I get it done next week. Then I have cooking videos, so hopefully it heals fast.
Anyway. Treasured Tablespoons. We’re starting with beauty. “I need skin help! Did you do anything besides Accutane to heal your acne? What about chemical peels, natural remedies?”
Ok, girl. I did f*cking everything. I did chemical peels. I did extractions. I did oil pulling. I did all these; what else did I do? I took some nasty ass f*cking fish oil. I forget what it was called. I did all these different natural remedies, and my acne was incredibly sh*tty. I definitely had some dietary issues that I didn’t know were happening. I had an allergy to nuts and I had an allergy to eggs, and I was eating both of those at the same time. But, my cystic acne was not going away. It wasn’t until Accutane that I was able to get rid of my cystic acne. So yeah, it was Accutane.
I know not everybody is a fan of Accutane, but it was lifechanging to me. Whenever people ask me about it, I share my honest opinion. I would do it all over again. It completely changed my life for the better. I know not everybody has that experience, but I did.
Alyssa. “If you were to do just one skin treatment with your esthetician to minimize pores, what would it be?”
I don’t know if it minimizes pores, just because I don’t have huge big pore issues, I don’t think. But I would do Profractional. Profractional, Profractional, Profractional. I love that laser. I think it is the best thing you can do for your skin. I swear by it now. I’ve done it twice, and I can’t wait to do it again. So painful, so worth it.
Lisa. “You talked about an electric toothbrush you liked in your story a while ago. What toothbrush was it?”
Well, let me look it up. You can always message me on Instagram. Actually, that’s not true, because I don’t always see them because they just get pushed down. I get all notifications if someone tags me in a recipe they made, so a lot of the messages get pushed down by these tags. But anyway, you can always comment on my blog, and I’ll definitely respond to you there.
I got the sonic electric toothbrush; cordy power rechargeable dental toothbrush with automatic smart timer. Can you remember that? Send me a comment on my blog. It just is easier. I love this toothbrush. It’s the best. Can’t get enough of it. And it was like $40. So much better than $250 electric toothbrushes out there. Even my last one, I think it was $80 that I got at the grocery store. And this one is so much better. So much better.
Jen. “Curious about your regimen and experience with Retin A. How often do you use it? Have you noticed a difference when using it? How long did it take to see results? Do you use it on your neck as well?”
So, I use Retin A prescribed by my doctor. I think it’s 0.25; am I making that number up. Prescribed by my dermatologist. I use it every other night. So what I do is I put a little pea sized dollop of the Retin A on my palm, then I take my thick super moisturizing lotion. I use two different kinds. I use a Tula moisture and I use L’Occitane moisturizer. And these are super thick, and leave your skin really soft.
So I take a big dollop of that and I mix it with my Retin A. And then I put a little dollop on my cheekbones and my forehead, and I work my way in. Because a lot of times people use Retin A and start at their nose and wipe down, and that’s why you get those huge dry spots by your nose and your lip lines, because that’s where you wipe it directly onto your skin. So mix it with moisturizer. Start from the outside, and work your way in.
I don’t use it on my neck. I use it every other night. And I definitely notice a difference. My skin looks clearer. It looks more one-tone all the way over, which I have a lot of dark spots because that’s just how my skin takes. So as soon as I hit any summer sunshine, my dark spots start to come out and Retin A really helps with that. So yeah, that’s how I use it.
And it probably took, I don’t know, it probably took a month to get my skin to get used to it. And then I can totally notice the difference. If I forget at home while I travel; which really rarely ever happens. And I don’t use it for a week, I can see the difference once I get back to it and start using it again. I can see the difference in my skin so much. Highly recommend Retin A. Love it.
Ok, SS, blah, blah. “Apparently I’ve developed the habit over the past couple of years completely going ham on my face anytime I see a pimple. Can you recommend any treatments or products for dark spots and acne scars?”
Profractional for treatments. Highly recommend. I do BBL treatments and then Venus Viva, those are both laser treatments that I love. Profractional all the way; acne scars big time. And dark spots; what is it, vitamin C and mendelic acid. I use those two for dark spots regularly. And I know, I use a vitamin C with a hydroquinone in it. Which helps with dark spots. That’s what I use. But you can always go to the beauty section of my blog and it has my skin care routine. And I use all kinds of different products for dark spots, and it has a list there.
Loraze. “Does Primally Pure deodorant every stain your clothes? I have another brand of coconut oil deodorant and it stains, but I want to try Primally Pure.”
So I use the Primally Pure charcoal deodorant, and it has never stained my clothes. But, just make sure when you’re using those deodorants you don’t use 400 swipes. All you really need with those natural deodorants is one swipe up and it’s going to cover. Because it kind of almost expands; it has that oil in it. So just don’t over do it. But I haven’t had any stain my clothes. If anything is staining my clothes, it’s my sweaty f*cking armpits. And it turns it yellow! I have the sweatiest armpits. When does that end in life?
Amy. “Any tips for dealing with cellulite on your thighs?”
No. I’ve had cellulite since I was 12 years old, and that sh*t ain’t going away. Sorry. The only time the cellulite has gotten any better is when I was at my lowest weight. And still I had plenty of cellulite. Cellulite is often caused by genetics. And even when I’ve been my thinnest I had cellulite. I remember boys making fun of my cellulite when I was 12 years old. 12. Isn’t that crazy? So no. I wish I had better tips for you, but cellulite loves to be my best friend.
Caitlyn. “I have another question. Hair related.” I wonder what your first question was. “Do you recommend anything for defrizzing hair? Whenever I travel to tropical places, my hair frizzes like; whoa! I would love to hear.”
Ok, stop Juli. Sorry it’s like 7 here, in the morning, and it’s hard to record. It’s hard to talk, ok. So, Caitlyn, I’m obsessed with living proof brand. And they have a defrizzer. So check out on their website, living proof. They have a defrizzer, and I always use it for any frizzy hair that I have going on.
Ok. All the Whole30. “How many days does it take before you feel comfortable going out in public after you’ve had a Profractional treatment? I want to do it, but I’m afraid of the down time. Thanks, Monica.”
Ok, so I think it’s good if someone can take a long weekend. Like, they can have Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday off. Because I went out in public by the third day, but you still look like a sketchy f*ck. {laughs} It’s like, you need a hat. You still look pretty sketchy. You just have rug burn all over your face. But day 4, you can wear makeup. And then day 5; so say you took Thursday through Sunday off. Day 5 you can wear makeup. Your face is still red, but you’re able to put makeup on top of it. It’s a little rough, it’s a little dry. But it’s pretty not noticeable.
If you’re very self-conscious, and you’re really self-conscious about that kind of thing and worried, you might want 6 days. I know a friend who just recently did it and I think she took 6 days off. But I think by day 5 it’s totally easy to go in public. You can see on my blog, if you go to the beauty section. Go to my Profractional post, and you can see day by day. And by day 6, you can barely even tell that I had a treatment done. So check that out.
2. Listener Questions: Food [18:11]
Ok, we’re onto food. I feel like food is always the biggest; actually fitness might be the biggest category today. Ok, food. Let’s see. I’ve got Morgan. I’m going to take a sip of coffee, since it’s f*cking 7 in the morning here.
Okie dokie. This is Morgan. “I’m currently working out a lot and need a lot more protein. How do you get enough protein in during the day? What type of high protein snacks do you make to achieve this?”
Honestly, I really don’t think about protein that much. I always try to have protein for breakfast, so I have breakfast sausage, I have leftover ground beef. I have just whatever protein I have around. Lunch, same thing. I make sure I have some sort of protein in my lunch. And then same thing with dinner. I have some sort of protein. And these are all clean sources of protein. Meaning I have grass-fed, grass-finished, organic, pasture raised. These are the best sources of protein.
And you know I’ve talked about Butcher Box a million times. That’s what I use to get my meat. And I get my seafood from Whole Foods, but I recently just started getting seafood from Thrive Market, because they just started selling that. So super pumped about that.
But I don’t really worry about protein in my snacks. I don’t do a sh*t-ton of snacking. I just eat protein when I’m craving it, and that’s about it. But I don’t count any of that type of stuff. I just achieve enough protein by having it in my main meals.
Lee. “What’s your go-to drink when you’re sick of water? I drink a gallon a day and need something with some flavor to break up the taste of plain old water.”
So if I’m ever sick of just plain old water, I love Spin Drift. It’s kind of like La Croix, but they use natural; all fruit in theirs. They have a grapefruit flavor, and they have grapefruit in their water. It’s not “natural flavors” where you’re like; what the f*ck does that even mean? It’s just actual fruit in the drink. So highly recommend checking out Spin Drift. I get them at Whole Foods; love them. They’re just in the drink section.
CBeakman. “I’m really curious about your thoughts on kombucha?”
I’m not a crazy kombucha person. I used to be. I remember going on the 21-Day Sugar Detox, and it was like; you could have a kombucha a day. And I was relapsing; I don’t know what that means, actually. I was freaking out that I couldn’t have sugar. Like, sh*tting the bed that I couldn’t have sugar. So kombucha was my only go-to friend.
So I’m not a huge kombucha person. I like having them once in a while. And whenever I get one, I usually drink half of it, and drink half another day. But I want cool flavors. I know Health-Ade has a jalapeno one; I dig that. But yeah. I think they have extra sugar in them, so just keep that in mind. But I don’t really care about kombucha. {laughs}
Ok, Aimes. “Have you ever kept a food journal? Not like logging macros or anything like that, but to pinpoint your allergies or emotional ties with food or anything like that? Trying to learn about and grow intuitive eating for my body and wondering if you have any thoughts or tips.”
So, the only time I really ever kept a food journal was when I was counting calories. So, I guess I sometimes kind of keep a food journal, because I’ll share what I ate in a day. And if I don’t keep a journal throughout the day, I will totally forget. I think it’s easy to forget where you had a snack here. You had chocolate here. You had chips here. It’s just easy to forget all that kind of stuff.
But I haven’t ever kept a food journal to figure out what allergies I had going on. I think for me, if I start looking at why I’m having a certain reaction and what’s in my diet every day, I think it’s pretty easy to pinpoint. So with acne, while I was having nuts every day. And I was having eggs every day. And once I took those things out, I was able to figure it out. So I haven’t really done any journaling.
I think it’s pretty easy to start figuring out where your emotional ties are, when you’re emotionally eating. When you’re not hungry, but you’re eating something because you’re bored, whatever it is. I think if you’re just aware of yourself, I think it’s pretty easy to figure it out.
Ok. “How often do you go grocery shopping?” Oh, sorry, this is by the fit and fun mom. “How often do you go grocery shopping? Or do you rely on subscriptions for most of your food? I feel like I’m going to the grocery store at least twice a week for fresh veggies and fruit so they don’t go bad.”
I go to the grocery store probably two to three times a week. And then I also have Butcher Box that comes to my door, and Thrive Market that comes once a month. But I go to the grocery store all the time. But I’m also cooking for my blog constantly. So if I forget one item, I’m going to the grocery store for one item. So two to three times, if not more, when I have cooking videos or I jut need certain ingredients. Whatever. Sometimes it’s two to three times in a day. It’s just so much fun!
Let’s see. Page. “I would love to hear your advice on eating healthy out at restaurants that aren’t healthy. My current job involves a lot of lunches and happy hours with clients, and I try to do my best with healthy options, but sometimes it’s difficult to find good options.”
I feel like every restaurant has a burger. And that’s really my go-to whenever I’m going to a restaurant with sh*tty food. I ask for a burger, and whatever, if you want fries if you want to go to the carb route. Or you can ask for a salad. Then you have a burger on greens. I think it’s pretty easy, even at sh*tty restaurants.
The only time I’ve had a hard time, and I still figured it out, was I went to Denver Biscuit Company. If you have never been there, if you don’t live in Denver, literally all they have is f*cking biscuits. It’s like; hey, do you want a cinnamon roll made out of a biscuit? Hey, do you want a biscuit topped with French fries and gravy? All they have is biscuits. So I just got a side of sausage. That was the only option I had there.
But I think you can figure it out. Stay away from alcohol. And then maybe you should start asking if you can go to certain places. Maybe you put out the; hey. I have no idea what your job is, so take this with a grain of salt. But say; hey, can we go to this restaurant for happy hour today. And start putting out ideas of places that you want to go. But a burger and a salad; it’s pretty easy to figure out at sh*tty restaurants. Most of the time. Except for f*cking Denver Biscuit Company.
Love thyself. “When I’m having a meal or a snack, I usually go for volume to be satisfied. But sometimes, a lot of times, I’ll finish my meal and want to keep munching. Just a couple of bites of this or that. Do you have suggestions for turning off the eating when you’re done?”
I think, for me. This is just for me. When I have a meal that’s not high in carbohydrates, and it’s just green vegetables. Like last night I had salmon; so I had healthy fats. I had asparagus and I had arugula. And when I ate that, I felt satisfied. I didn’t even finish my full plate, because I was just full. And a lot of times, I’ll find myself being like; ok I just need a little bite of chocolate. And that’s usually just means I have a little sugar addiction going on.
So last night, I thought about it. I was like; oh, maybe I should have a bite of chocolate. I’m like; do I really want this piece of chocolate? Am I even hungry? Am I even actually craving it? Or is it just a behavior that I’ve created because I’ve been going to so many restaurants and having dessert after dinner. So I think just be aware of those habits, and talk yourself off that ledge.
For me, I know I don’t need anymore food. I just had a great meal where I felt satisfied. I didn’t feel overly full. And also, for me, when I have a meal that’s higher in carbohydrates, that’s when I find myself wanting to snack more. And that’s not everybody. Some people deal with carbohydrates pretty well. And it just depends on my workout schedule and what I’ve been having going on day after day. But if I limit my carbohydrates, then I don’t find myself snacking quite as much. Because my blood sugar has spiked and all that jazz. So keep that in mind, but find what works for you.
Shokie. “I notice that you eat a lot of red meat. Like many people, I grew up being told to mainly stick with chicken and turkey. What is your opinion on how often someone should be eating red meat versus white meat? Thanks.”
So, I think this is totally different for every person. We’ve been eating way more red meat because my husband had to cut out chicken and pork for a while. So we’ve been having way more red meat than usual. And I told him; I can’t eat this red meat as much. I just don’t feel like I digest red meat quite as well.
So I think it just depends on the person. And I think it depends on genetics. If you’re a person who maybe was born; grew up eating red meat, or your genetics put you in a place where you ate red meat. Your family members ate red meat. Sorry, it’s still 7 in the morning, ok.
So, I think it just depends on the person. But at the end of the day, I think if you’re eating great quality red meat, I would much rather a person eat really good, great quality grass-fed, grass-finished, pasture raised red meat versus inhumanely raised chicken who are fed corn and fillers and all that stuff. So I think it just depends on your sources of meat. And red meat can be really great for you, especially if you’re eating the best, high quality beef. So keep that in mind. Quality is very important. You are what you eat. And if your red meat is eating poor sources of food, you’re going to be ingesting that later on. So keep that in mind.
But I think it’s good to balance it out. I think it’s important to have great beef. Good quality chicken and pork. Lots of fish and seafood. I think it’s important to try to balance it out all throughout, and kind of bounce around throughout all those foods. But listen to your body, and see what feels best. For sure.
Kara. “You talked about how your breakfast evolved from cereal to smoothies to what you currently are eating. I am stuck in the smoothie phase, and wondering if you can talk about tips of how to get past it. I have always hated eating in the morning, and don’t like eggs.”
I think you just have to start figuring out what you can try to eat. And you don’t have to eat eggs. I don’t ever eat eggs in the morning anymore. So it’s figuring out what works for you. For me, it was that transition to bacon and eggs. And I was like; ok, I can do this. And you can always make; I made a pancake breakfast sandwich. I have that on my blog. And doing different steps to get more sources of protein and long lasting carbohydrates and fats in your morning routine.
And maybe you’re not going to love it at first, but it’s just slowly getting there. And think about what you may have when you go out to a restaurant, why you like that. They have steak and eggs. They have breakfast sausage. They have all these different things that you might really like; you just don’t think about making that for yourself at home. So keep that in mind.
Now, I don’t care; I’ll eat salmon for breakfast from the night before. I really don’t care. But it took me a while to get there. So just be open to trying new things. And if you don’t like it right away, that’s fine. Try something different. And slowly, you will get there. Slowly but surely. Check out my breakfast page on my blog, because I have tons of different breakfast ideas there.
Jenae. “If you had to eat one thing every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?”
Sh*t. I mean, chocolate. Chocolate for sure. What else would you need? Right? Come on.
Kimmy. Her name is like 47 I’s. Damn these f*cking yawns. Big breath. “I know you don’t eat eggs because it contributes to acne for you; does this include baked goods with eggs? I cut out eggs and it has made such a difference. Now I’m scared to eat anything with eggs.”
So, baked goods are just not something I eat every single day. So when I do eat it; like I had a muffin recently when I was traveling in Palm Springs. It’s really not; I don’t just break out in acne from that one muffin. But it’s also not a muffin I’m having every single day. I just don’t have baked goods every single day. So it doesn’t make a huge difference to me.
And I can also get away, usually, with having eggs. I just try not to eat all of them. But if I go to breakfast, and there’s not many options, I get eggs and just eat a couple of bites of it and I can get away with it. You can test those things out. It sucks. Who wants to get acne? But it’s just not something I have daily in my diet, so it doesn’t affect me that much.
Lindsey. “I recently did a food sensitivity test and found out I’m gluten sensitive. Would you mind sharing some of your favorite gluten-free brands of bread, baking flour, tortillas?”
So I love Canyon Bakehouse for gluten free bread. I actually had a piece this morning. And I love Siete tortillas; the cassava coconut flour tortilla. And then Bob’s Red Mill has great gluten free baking mix, and a paleo baking mix, as well.
Kiss by Brooke. “When you’re creating recipes, sweets specifically, do you look for similar recipes to get an idea of ingredient measurements? Or do you just wing it? Or have you been doing it for so long that you know what consistency will be with said ingredients?”
So, I often look to ingredients like; one of the things I’ve seen, hummingbird bread. When I was at a bakery, and I didn’t know what was in that. But I tried it, and I wanted to make it. So I go on and I look what ingredients are in that. I think it’s pineapple, and carrots or something. I made this a long time ago. But I wouldn’t know what was in there. So I look for that. But I’ve just been doing it for so long at this point. Say with a muffin recipe; and I fail a lot of times, too. But I know how many cups of flour I’ll need.
When I’m trying to play around with a new flour mixture, it usually fails a couple of times as I’m just trying to get the consistency right. But it’s just been a lot of trial and error. But say I want to make a cake; I’m looking at a cake that has normal flour in it. Like all-purpose flour. Say you wanted to make a red velvet cake or something. And it has two cups of all-purpose flour. Well, it’s not going to be two cups of almond flour. It’s not going to be one for one.
I’ve played around enough with it to know; I’m going to use coconut flour, and I’m going to use tapioca flour, and this combination of one and a half cups and a fourth cup and a half cup type of thing creates a consistency I like. But it’s been a lot of trial and error over the years. And now, it’s like; ok, I know this muffin recipe came out exactly how I want it to be. And say it’s a chocolate chip muffin recipe. Well, now I can make it a blueberry and I can make it a carrot cake muffin, and I can make it raspberry and strawberry chocolate chip. There are so many different ways you can make a muffin out of just one muffin recipe. If that makes sense. Hopefully that answers your question.
Lynn. “I noticed that you usually heat leftovers up on the stove. Is this a conscious decision to avoid the microwave? Also, on the same notes, do you store your leftovers in glass or plastic?”
I’m not sure where. Well, I guess I talk about heating it up in a pan. I like heating up stuff on the stovetop because it often gives the same texture. So if you made Brussel sprouts the night before, and then you have soggy Brussel sprouts. But then you heat them up in the pan and you’ll get crispy Brussel sprouts again. So I like doing that. And a lot of time, the microwave makes your house smell.
But, no I don’t care about avoiding the microwave. I use the microwave daily. And I do store most of my food in glass. But I still have some plastic ones. I just prefer glass ones, because they look nicer. {laughs} Just complete vanity.
Ok, Kels. “I see your food photos, and they are all cooked meat and veggies and such. So everything has to be cooked and heated. Do you ever eat anything cold; like sandwich and chips? I’m always finding myself cooking every meal, and sometimes want to eat something that I don’t have to cook up.”
Yeah, I mean not as often because I like my food cooked and I don’t really eat tons of sandwiches. I have coconut wraps that I make smoked salmon coconut wraps. Or I’ll make a chicken salad and wrap it in coconut. But I just like cooked; I don’t like a lot of raw vegetables. So I often cook my vegetables. And then might as well cook my meat, too. That’s why.
3. Listener Questions: Fitness [37:59]
Ok. We’re on to fitness. Let’s see. Three rinolyn. “How do you start working out if you have adrenal fatigue?”
I’ve been getting so many questions about adrenal fatigue. The next question actually is another one, so I’m just going to back it up with that.
Katrina asks, “How did you heal your adrenal fatigue, and how long did it take for the symptoms to completely go away? Did you take any specific supplements or get stricter with your diet? When you feel adrenal fatigue coming on, how do you kick it’s booty before it takes you out?”
So, ok. I’m getting so many questions about adrenal fatigue lately. I went through adrenal fatigue back in 2012 when I was over exercising, under eating, not taking rest days. So, figuring out; I guess I didn’t really understand that I had adrenal fatigue. But I understood that I was working out and eating less, but I was continually gaining weight. And that is a good sign of adrenal fatigue.
So for me, I had to workout way less. I was probably doing; I was doing multiple workouts a day 7 days a week. So at times, I was doing maybe 21 workouts a week, and then I went down to just 5 workouts a week. So that is a huge change. So I went from working out 7 days a week to just 5 days a week. And that sounds less dramatic; but I went from 21 workouts to 5 workouts. And I stopped lifting as heavy. I stopped worrying about beating someone else next to me. I just was getting through the workout.
I started adding in more carbohydrates. And oftentimes, when I hear other podcasts about adrenal fatigue, they say to limit your carbs and eat more fat. But for me, in doing CrossFit, I needed more carbohydrates and I wasn’t eating them.
I also stopped f*cking worrying about my weight. I think that was one of the biggest things to help with my cortisol and the adrenal fatigue I had going on; was I stopped worrying and carrying so much about my goddamn weight. And once I stopped caring and stopped worrying, the weight actually started to come off. And it took a long time. It took 3 years to lose 30 pounds. And someone else asked me how I stayed motivated in that. And it was because I didn’t have a goal to lose 30 pounds. That wasn’t my goal. My goal was just to feel better overall. So my goal was just to not worry and live my life. I stayed motived because I want to be the best version of myself. And that includes working out and eating healthy.
I think it’s important to talk to a doctor about any adrenal fatigue. A doctor who understands adrenal fatigue. And for me, I had to workout less. And some people can’t workout at all. I know that works for some people who have adrenal fatigue. And the symptoms took me a while. I’ve heard other people where it just takes a few months to go away. And for me, I had just been working out 21 workouts a week for years that it took me quite a while to come back down to normal.
I didn’t take any sort of supplements. And I wasn’t as strict on my diet as I had been before. I gave myself a little bit more leeway. That being said, I don’t drink pop. I don’t eat fast food. I do an 80/20. I try not to drink much alcohol. Because I can just see my weight fluctuate as soon as I even have two cocktails; I can see the difference in my body composition.
But yeah, it took me three years. And it was a long time. But my body had to find a new normal. And it took me a while. That’s not to say that’s going to take that long for everybody else, but it did for me. And whenever I feel those symptoms of adrenal fatigue come on, I know it’s time to change my behavior. I know it’s time to change my workouts up. It’s time to take a look at what’s happening with my body, and why. And I still have to do that from time to time.
Ok, Maria. “Now that you’re back fulltime at CrossFit, do you think you will do any more yoga classes? I find whether I’m working out regularly or not, I love a good yoga class. Curious if you plan to add it in.”
I definitely do. I prefer yoga sculpt. I need to go to more C2 classes at Core Power, and I like going to Transform here, which I like a megaformer Pilates. I like going to those classes. So it just depends on my schedule and how my body is feeling. I don’t plan ahead as much. Right now, I’m not doing overhead squats. I’m not doing handstand pushups. I don’t like the combination of deadlifts and handstand pushups because it really lights up my neck.
So if it’s a day like that, then I’ll just go do yoga instead. Or do yoga on the weekend. But yes, I still plan; I still have a class pass membership so I can go to different gyms whenever I feel like it.
Gina. “Do you plan out your workouts before you do them, or do you just do what feels good in the moment?”
So, when I’m at home, I just do whatever workout is at the CrossFit gym. That’s what most of my workouts are. When I’m traveling, I honestly just walk into the gym most of the time and plan whatever is available. If they have dumbbells, if they have a squat rack, if they have a treadmill. I kind of plan around what equipment they have, and ten I just make stuff up on the spot. I’ve done that for years on my blog. I did that when I was coaching. I made up workouts. So it’s pretty easy for me to come up with stuff.
Loviola. “What would you suggest for someone who is active, exercises a lot, but doesn’t seem to be able to build muscle? Thank you.”
Well, my first question is if you’re lifting weights? There are some people out there, we have a couple of women at our gym who are incredibly thin and it takes them a while to build muscle. But that’s the biggest way you’re going to be able to build muscle, is if you’re lifting weights. So if you’re not lifting weights, and if you’re not going heavier and pushing yourself so you can build more muscle, then you’re just not going to build as much muscle. So that’s my biggest takeaway from this. Lift weights. Lift heavier, and push yourself.
Nicki. “Have you ever dealt with no period or irregular periods from over exercising or being restrictive with eating? If so, what measures did you take to get back to having a regular cycle? Do you have any tips on this subject?”
I get this question almost every time I ask the listener questions episode. The only time I ever lost my period was when I first started CrossFit, and I lost a bunch of weight. I think I lost 30 pounds when I first started. I have this big 30-pound window. I’m really good at gaining or losing 30 pounds it seems like. Not great at losing it.
But I lost weight, lost my period, and it wasn’t until I gained some weight back that I was able to get my period back. So that was the biggest thing, was just gaining weight. And that’s how I got my period back. I don’t deal with that now. I haven’t not had my period in probably 6 years. Maybe even 7, because I started CrossFit 8 years ago, I think, and I lost it within that first year of doing CrossFit. So I’ve had regular periods for years now.
So I would talk to a doctor, first and foremost. For me, it was gaining weight back to where my body, it’s more natural weight wanted to be.
Heather. “What are your thoughts on Orange Theory? I know you did it for a while, but stopped. Thanks.”
Ok, so Heather, I’ve talked about this before. I did Orange Theory for months. I loved it. The only thing was I kept getting some coaches that I was not a fan of. They didn’t inspire me. They didn’t get me excited. And I was kind of dreading going to class. And I’m not going to pay for a gym I’m dreading to go to. No thank you. So I just decided to cut it off and go back to CrossFit and try different workouts.
So I think Orange Theory is awesome. I think they have great workouts. They come up with really creative stuff. I think it can kind of be a little bit too hard on the body depending on how hard you work. I have the mentality of a CrossFit mentality, where you f*cking work your f*cking ass off. When someone tells you to go hard, when some tells you to push it, you push it. So a lot of times, I’d be in a push pace. And for me, that’s pretty close to my all-out sprint. And then I’d be all out sprinting, and I’d get off the treadmill f*cking exhausted. And if I did that multiple times a week; I just don’t think your body needs to be in that type of state constantly. That’s my only thing about it.
And I didn’t always love; there was only one or two coaches at my Orange Theory gym that really made sure people had good form. And I would just see these people who couldn’t even do a proper squat, and nobody was telling them. I only knew two coaches at this gym who would help people wit their squat, or with their pushup. Make them modify and so they were doing it correctly. Most coaches didn’t do that, and I’m like; you can’t even teach someone how to properly squat. Come on. That’s the basics. So that kind of annoyed me.
But I really do think Orange Theory is awesome, and I think it’s a great physical activity for people and motivating and fun. I still highly recommend it.
Janine. “I know you’ve tried different workouts lately, but have you ever done spin classes, like soul cycle or flywheel?”
I’ve done a popup soul cycle class. We have a gym called Cycle Bar here that I really love. But I’m just not a fan of cycling. I just don’t love it. I don’t like sitting for 45 minutes to an hour. I don’t like my crotch bashing onto a seat and have a sore crotch to ass. No thanks. I like my asshole the way it is; I don’t need to bash it in with a seat.
How do guys do it? I don’t understand. Do your balls just hang to the side? Where do your balls go? Do they go up inside of you when you’re on a bike? I don’t get it. I’m not a fan of cycle classes. But I do love cycle bar here. I think the classes are super fun and inspiring, but not enough to pay for a membership. But they are on class pass, so randomly I go.
Alex. “I don’t do CrossFit, but I’ve been working out for years at Equinox. I sometimes take classes, but mostly workout on my own. How many days a week should be straight up HIIT, and then when I lift should those days be circuit style, keeping my heart rate up and straight lifting weights.” Oh my gosh, girl this is a long f*cking… “Straight up lifting weights without a cardio element. Goal is fat loss and general leanness.”
Ok. If your goal is fat loss and general leanness, check out your diet. Diet is so important here. And honestly, I am not the person to talk about this. I think you need to talk to a person who is trained years and years in fitness and exercise. This is why I love CrossFit; we’re always getting in a lift, or gymnastics training. And then we’re doing some sort of metabolic conditioning; Metcon style workout at the end. That’s why I love my CrossFit gym. I love having both whenever I go. I’m always going to get some sort of a lift in; heavy lift and I’m always going to get some sort of cardio in my workout.
So, I’m not a specialist in that, and I don’t have exact details for you. If you’re looking for fat loss and general leanness, you need to make sure you are eating well. That’s 80% of things. And then lifting weights is going to increase your metabolism, and it’s going to lead to lean muscle mass and just general overall health.
If you ever want to talk to more specialists in that region, the guys at Mind Pump, that podcast, they are so smart. They could have a better answer for you and not this bullsh*t answer like I have. They’re so intelligent. They’d be great to talk to.
Mary. “I was wondering if you had tips on how to switch your fitness routine from 80% cardio to more weight lifting. I love running and cardio, but really want to start adding in strength training into my weekly routine. Do you have any tips on weight lifting for beginners, and how to add it into your fitness routine without getting rid of cardio? Thank you.”
So, when I started lifting on my own, and started adding it to my schedule, I started looking up different movements online. Whether it was a biceps curl, to shoulder press, to row, to assisted pullups. I started looking those things up and trying to add in a few where I would do a couple of different sets of arms, a couple of different sets of legs. And then I would do my cardio on top of that.
But there’s great online workout help at this point. Kelsey Wells who has, maybe her Sweat app. There’s Alexia Clark, who has her app. So a lot of times they add in lifting, and you can try up those different workouts. And you can get an app for that instead of trying to figure it out on your own. They walk you step by step through the movement. So that might be worth looking into while you’re getting comfortable with lifting and having someone kind of walk you through it without needing a trainer or having to go for your phone and look up YouTube stuff. So check out those two ladies.
JN Itch. {laughs} “What’s your opinion on pre-workout? Do you have any specific ones that you recommend?”
I don’t believe in anything pre-workout, honestly. If you need something to settle your stomach, just eat a little bit of food. But I’m not a drink pre-workout person. I just don’t really understand the point of it, unless you’re an Olympic training athlete where you’re doing 3-hour long workouts. Or you’re training for a marathon, or a triathlon, or an iron man. I don’t see the point of a pre-workout when you’re just doing a CrossFit workout.
I just think people play up into the CrossFit; I don’t know what I’m trying to say. Like people, whenever they start doing different workouts, they’re like; ok, well I have to get the lifting shoes, and I have to get the knee sleeves, and I have to get the arm sleeves, and I have to get all the gear. And then I have to get pre-workout, and I have to get post-workout. It’s like, do you really need all that? You’re working out for less than an hour in a CrossFit workout. Or whatever workout you’re doing.
If you’re not training for something, I just don’t see the point of it. That’s just my opinion. I don’t do anything for pre-workout. I really haven’t ever done anything like that unless I was in a really negative behavior where I was drinking crack; pretty much f*cking crack before I would go run for 3 hours, because I was like; ok, I have to burn 8,000 calories today because I only ate 500. So that’s the only time I’ve taken it, and that’s why I’m not a fan of it.
Kaitlyn; two more fitness questions. And then we are onto random stuff. Kaitlyn asks; “My question is regarding rest days. I know everyone says you need rest days, but then there are some other fitness influencers out there that never have rest days. How do you allow yourself two rest days without feeling guilty from taking a break? I don’t think I overexert myself too much during my workouts. Three HIIT workouts and three strength training workouts. And one day just easy cardio, but still feel exhausted during the week. I think it’s due to not allowing myself rest days. Just wondering how you got in that right mind place.”
Girl, if you’re feeling f*cking exhausted, you need to take some f*cking rest days. So here’s the thing, I used to workout 7 days a week. I used to work out multiple times a day. And guess what happened? I gained weight and I was unhappy and my acne had flared up into cystic acne from hormonal issues. And I was depressed.
So all this working out more was leading to a less happy life. So I think that was the biggest thing for me; more is not better, obviously. Because if, in theory, I’m working out three times a day, well I should be the fittest person ever and I should be lean, and I should be thin. And I should be muscular. And I should be glowing. And I was f*cking exhausted, and my workouts were getting worse. I started to injure myself.
So I think when you’ve experienced it, it’s a little bit easier to say; ok, this is obviously my body telling me. So stop looking at other influencers out there who say they workout 7 days a week. Who gives a sh*t what they do? You need to figure out what you need to. And if you’re feeling exhausted, well there’s your sign. You need to take a rest day, probably. And I’m not telling you what to do. I’m not telling you that you have to take rest days. But if you’re reaching out, and you’re saying you’re exhausted, there’s probably your sign right there.
I just don’t feel guilty about it because, from what I’ve learned taking rest days, my body is able to heal. And after those rest days, my body looks more muscular and looks leaner. Because that muscle tissue was able to heal and rebuild. So when I was never taking rest days, I never was able to rebuild that muscle that needed time off. So now, when I take a rest day, I feel like my body looks better than if I hadn’t taken a rest day. So that’s what helped me kind of stick with it and not feel guilty about taking rest days. Because I know it’s the best thing for my body, and the healthiest thing for my body.
Don’t let people on the internet make you feel a certain way about how much you should be working out. You need to listen to your body and you need to see how it reacts and you need to experiment with it and test it and see what’s best for you. Because who gives a f*cking sh*t what these fake girls do online? I don’t give a sh*t. They’re not making me feel any better about myself. Moving on. Hope that helps.
A whole lot of Chelsie. “What’s your favorite shoe for cross training? Perfect for lifting and doing more cardio based workouts?”
So it just depends. I don’t have one shoe that I use all around the clock, but I really liked when I was doing Orange Theory and I would go from lots of running to in the gym stuff. And I still wear these, even in CrossFit. The Adidas ultra boost. And the thing with those, they’re not great for CrossFit, is because they don’t have a super flat sole. So when you’re going from running to a squat clean, you want a flatter sole so you can stay back on your heels and get in a better position. These ones are more squishy, the heels are lifted because they’re more running shoes.
So I like Adidas Ultra Boost, and I like Nike Metcons. Those are my two favorite shoes for kind of cardio and lifting. I just prefer the Adidas Ultra Boost when I’m running and we have longer runs in our workouts. The shorter runs, I use my Metcons.
3. Listener Questions: Random [58:09]
Ok, last section is random stuff! Cave woman in college. What are you going to rename yourself once you’re out of college? Are you just going to be in college forever because college is the best time? Whatever you want to do. Ok. “You’ve talked on your podcast before about having anxiety in social situations. Do you feel that way in circumstances when you travel alone, or is that a whole different experience?”
So, I do not feel that way when I travel alone. But also, I don’t really go to certain places that give me social anxiety. I don’t like going to, say, baseball games. My husband loves going to baseball games. And I always go with him, but I always feel a lot of anxiety when I’m in groups that large. Or say there’s a parade downtown; I hate going to those situations where it’s crowded, everybody is bumping into each other. Everybody is rude. You can’t find a place to park. You can’t get a taxi out. I just hate those situations where I feel so out of control.
And when I’m traveling by myself, I just go sit at a restaurant, eat dinner. I go on a little wellness adventure. I go to a gym. I just go to normal places that I would do at home that don’t give me social anxiety. And I like being by myself. So no, I don’t feel that way when I’m traveling solo.
Lemon and Fig. “My question is pretty personal. Do you ever feel out of place for not having children?”
That’s not pretty personal. It’s fine. I talk about that all the time.
“My husband and I don’t want kids any time soon, but many of our friends have multiple already and sometimes I feel like something is wrong with me that I don’t want kids any time soon. Is this ever a struggle for you, and how do you move past it?”
I go through phases of this where it doesn’t bother me at all, and other times it really stresses me out. After we got married, and everybody was talking about kids every day, it was really hard. Because I don’t have any yearn in my body to have a child at this moment. I don’t know if that will ever change. Because I know my husband would be an amazing dad and I think it would be really incredible to share that experience with each other, of having a child and bringing a person into this world and raising, hopefully, a great human being. But for me, I do the pros and cons, and there are way more cons on it at this point.
So, when I had these friends who don’t even mean to do it. But they’re like; oh, you’ll definitely have kids someday. You’d be a great mom. I know you’ll feel it soon. It’s like; ok, but what if I don’t? Does that make me any less of a friend to you? Does that make me less of a person because I don’t want to have kids? And I know my husband, as soon as I met him, I told him. I don’t know if I want to have kids. And that was kind of always in his life plan, but it was something that he faced then and there, that if I want to date this woman she might not want to have kids and I have to be ok with that.
So he’s always been ok with it. I think he hopes it changes someday, but I’m 7 years younger than him. And I just turned 30. And I have no want or need to shoot a baby out of my vagina. If you guys haven’t watched Ally Wong yet, on Netflix, watch her comedy special. It’s f*cking hilarious. And then it scares you even more to having children. Man. It’s just like; people do a number to their bodies. And I know that is just a small piece of it. But she talks about a woman having a baby, and then having two dicks for a vagina afterwards. F*cked up, man. Your vagina turns inside out. It’s so f*cked up.
I get it. It’s a muscle. It goes back. Whatever.
But I go through these phases of other times I see people’s lives who have children, and I do not want that. And other times their lives seem great, and I totally see that feeling of wanting to have kids. But I really like where my life is. I like traveling whenever I want to. I like traveling by myself. I like being able to pick up and leave. I like to be able to purchase a dress when I want to. I like being able to sit on the couch and do nothing at night. I really like my life where it is.
So yeah. I don’t feel that as much. But the only anxiety I get about it, and struggle I feel about it, is for my husband. And him not feeling like his life is complete. It’s funny because whenever I ask him about that, and am like; is this on your mind? He’s like, not at all. So I just make up these feelings that I think he’s feeling when he’s not even thinking about that. And he likes our life how it is, too. So it’s hard to feel that way, and I don’t think you can even move past it. Our lives are filled with children; our friends are filled with having children. And it’s a little bit different to not have children, or just not be at that stage because so many people were raised to have children early on. And I had a mother who had a child at 38, so I thought that was just the norm. I’ve just never felt that rush to have children. And I’ve never felt that yearn or want.
I don’t think it’s a feeling you ever get fully past. But I think you have to remind yourself of the life that you have. And if that’s the life that you like, then why would you want to change that, you know? So no, that’s not too personal because I talk about that all the time. It’s definitely a struggle, for sure, sometimes.
Nikki. “Have you ever considered getting Jackson a brother or sister? Or is he the top dog in the house?”
So we’ve talked about it all the time. I totally want another French Bulldog, but my husband doesn’t. He would want a bigger dog. But our house is pretty small. I don’t want a bigger dog in this kind of house. And Jackson, I know, would be a pain in the f*cking ass if we got another dog. He is very mean to other dogs, if they get near me and if they get near his food bowl. He’s an asshole.
And actually, he’s kind of calmed down in the past couple of months. I think he’s just getting a little older, and he’s like; eh, whatever. But he tries to fight with dogs sometimes if they’re at our house and they get near his food bowl. And there’s not even food in it. He freaks the f*ck out. So that’s not cute. We don’t really want to deal with that. So we go back and forth.
We always say if the situation came up, then we’d go for it. And a couple of situations have come up, where I acted on it, and then it didn’t fall through. There was an English Bulldog, and then there was a French Bulldog that both came up. But then someone else got the English Bulldog, and the guy who had the French Bulldog decided not to sell his dog. Things like that. Maybe someday. But not as of now.
Austin. “As a proud new Frenchie owner, I have a couple of Jackson related questions. What type of food do you feed him?”
I feed him this food called Pura Vida. It’s like a grain free dog food that he seems to do really good with.
His other question; or her. Austin. I like that name for a girl, actually. I don’t know if it’s a girl. “Would you ever travel with him, either on a road trip of a flight?”
So, he’s too big for a flight. He’s not a service dog, and I’m not going to pretend that he’s a service dog. And he’s too big to sit on my lap or go underneath the seat. And obviously not having the United situation of putting him in the storage overhead. What the f*ck? That situation is f*cking crazy. But he’s gone on many, many road trips with us. He’s probably been on like 5 or 6 road trips to Nebraska. So, he’s good on those. He just sleeps the whole time, and then we get him out and run him at any pit stops.
Ellion. “Your last post about Palm Springs made me wonder how you found out about this place.”
I think Palm Springs is pretty well known. {laughs}
She asks; “Do they reach out to you and invite you?”
I’ve talked about this a little bit before, but I work with a friend who contacts visitor bureaus to say; “Hey, I have this blogger who would love to come out and promote gluten free restaurants and wellness driven activities and things to do around the city.” And then the visitor bureau will decide if they want to have me come out or not.
She reached out to Palm Springs, and Palm Springs wanted to have me come out. So I come out, and they set up an itinerary for me. And I do all kinds of different things. And then I write about it, and share what I liked about the different trips that I’ve been on.
Ok, this one. Ange. “How can we be the best PaleOMG followers? Are there any certain forums of communication you prefer? DMs versus email versus comments. When you make a recipe of yours that we love, how can we tell you about it? What kinds of comments, questions are most helpful, unhelpful? Diane Sanfilippo recently gave a great overview of her “house rules” and I thought it would be cool if you did the same.”
{laughs} That’s hilarious. Diane is hilarious. House rules. What the f*ck, Diane? So funny. So I don’t have any house rules. But, I prefer that you contact me through my blog, just through comments on my blog. Because I see those first and foremost. I just get so much spam email, and email from the weirdest places. Email just gets bogged down, and it gets lost, and I suck at email. I even have an email assistant, but she has a real job now, and it’s just so hard to keep up with emails. So if you want to get in contact with me. If you want to have an answer to your question, leave a comment on my blog.
And if you like a recipe, leave a comment on m blog, and tell people that you liked the recipe. Or you changed something about the recipe and it worked out. Whatever you do, leave a comment.
And then, I think the biggest thing is just interact on social media. Instagram changed their algorithm now. So if it doesn’t get a certain number of comments or likes in a certain amount of time, then you don’t get to see it. If you see something and you like it; actually like it, or comment on it, be interactive on social media. Because the less people comment, the less my stuff is seen. Which is why I have organically accumulated however many followers on Instagram, and then only 1000 people like something. It’s because Instagram doesn’t show that stuff anymore. So I want to post less and less on Instagram, and just post on my blog.
So go to my blog. That’s first and foremost, where I like to talk to people the most. Hope that helps.
Victoria. “After hearing you talk about The Office all the damn time, I finally gave it a try and I’m so glad I did. It quickly became my new favorite show, because of how hilarious it constantly it. Wondering what episode is your favorite, if you could even choose one.”
Oh my god. The Office is the best. I hate when people don’t like The Office. It drives me insane. I just don’t get. My parents are like; I just don’t get the humor. I’m like; f*ck you. Hey, f*ck you. Whenever anyone says; “It’s just not for me.” That’s what I say. F*ck you. You are not worth talking to.
I just went to a trivia night for The Office, and it was the best. It’s just so good. I really love the CPR episode where everybody has to take CPR and Dwight cuts the mannequin open, and cuts the face off and wears the face on his face. And I love the Parkour episode. I love when Pam and Jim get married. I love when Michael proposes to Holly. And I love when Darryl is leaving, and their last request is to dance with him before he leaves. I cry on that episode. It’s so not a crying episode, but I cry. It’s the best. So I have obviously a lot.
Mama Pure Blog. “What’s the verdict on the purple pillow you bought for your neck?”
I love the purple pillow. I bought it, I love it. It’s worth $100. Now I want the purple bed. I stay way cooler at night. My neck doesn’t hurt when I wake up in the morning. I love it. I’m thinking about doing an entire blog post about it, because I love it that much.
Wellness with Alyssa. “Books that have changed your life?”
The only book that has truly changed my life is; {laughs} now I forget the name. The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf. Life changing, obviously, because that is my entire job at this point. Read The Paleo Solution by Rob Wolf. It’s f*cking; I think it’s life changing. It changed my life.
Ann Held. “If you didn’t have the option to do what you are doing right now; coaching, blogging, etc., what would you want to be doing?”
I would want to own my own gym. For sure. I’d love to own my own gym. Maybe I will someday.
Shine in and Out. “What are your tips for balancing work, career, and your health and fitness? Sometimes when it’s go-go-go all the time, you don’t have energy or inspiration to cook good meals, and make time for workouts and doing things you enjoy. I would love to know what your advice would be.”
I just don’t let that be an option. I always fit those things into my life. I write out a schedule, I fit in my workout. I write what I’m going to make for dinner that night, and make sure meals are thawed out. Like, last night, I didn’t want to cook. I’ve been traveling constantly. I’m exhausted. So what do I make? I made a dinner of salmon, asparagus, arugula salad, and it took 15 minutes. It really; there’s no excuse to go buy food somewhere else that’s going to take longer, have anything delivered it’s going to take longer. It took no effort at all. And I got my workout in.
I just plan those things out and I think I find balance in loving what I do and knowing that I’m doing what is best for my body. And sometimes that means not working out. So, I just tried to do what’s best for my body. But I write out the schedule to make sure I fit those things into my schedule.
Sam-tastic. “Do you always keep clothes that you post about, or do you take photos of them and then return? I just can’t imagine how much closet space it all must take.”
It is exhausting. I can’t imagine; some of these bloggers that I follow who are fulltime fashion bloggers. You know, they post four to five outfits a day; I just can’t imagine how their closet it. So, there are a couple of items that I’ll return once in a while if I know that I’m just not going to wear it consistently. If it’s a fancy dress that I just wanted to post for something.
But, stores really don’t like when you do that. {laughs} You know, that’s a huge expense for them when you return items. That’s not what they’re hoping for. So I try not to do that too often anymore. But yeah, I have an office that has become a closet, and I have a regular closet. It’s definitely tough. And I do a lot of gifting to friends and donating and selling my clothes.
This one is Dardie. “I’m in my mid-30s, and have heard it only gets harder from here to maintain your ideal weight and muscle comp. Like you, I fluctuate with my body sometimes. How do you feel about saying, ‘love your body at every stage?’ I think hormones are responsible for lots of these changes.”
I think that’s for sure true. You also can’t get away with what you did before. So even now, if I go out and have two drinks, my body composition is different from just two drinks alone. And I notice those things maybe more than other people. I’m just more aware of it. But, for me, totally love your body at every stage. But also, do the things that you need to do. Like maybe drinking less, and eating less sugar. And changing up your workouts. And lifting more. And doing less cardio. Or vice versa.
I think you have to change with your body, and you have to know that; when I was f*cking 12 years old, I was going to the mall and eating cinnabuns and getting away with that. And then 13 hit and my hormones hit and I had my period and life changed. And I stopped eating f*cking cinnabuns every day. Same thing with college. I drank all the time. I can’t do that anymore. So I think you just change.
And I am just hitting those 30s, and now I can tell that alcohol is hitting me worse than it did 2 years ago, at this point. So I can’t get away with those things like I used to. So I’m going to change with those changes. I have to accept that my body is going to completely change over and over, and I have to be aware of that, and I have to take the steps to help those changes that are occurring, if that makes sense.
So, I’m not going to say; oh, this is just my body. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing, because obviously my body is not liking it. So it’s time to change and figure out what’s going on and what you need to do differently. I hope that answers your question.
Annie. “Can you talk about flying traveling with food options and what are your go-tos?”
So I always pack snacks. What do I pack? I pack all kinds of different things. I pack jerky. I pack coconut chips. Dried fruit. Larabars. What else? Plantain chips. I pack all kinds of different things. And say if it’s a super early flight, where there’s not going to even be a place open for breakfast, or it’s just sh*tty options for breakfast, I pack breakfast with me the night before. I haven’t had any sort of issues with packing my own food in a container. So that’s my go-to.
Happy Healthy Kate. “What’s your favorite city in Colorado, and why?”
Denver. Hands down Denver. You have the city, you have really cute neighborhoods around. You have amazing restaurants. You have constant things to do. You have amazing rooftops. You have great patios. I just love downtown. I love having grocery stores nearby, healthy options. I just love it.
And then I really love Crested Butte. But that’s a little cute little town. They have amazing food and drink. I really base all my favorite places off food and drink, for sure.
That’s so Raven. “Since you mentioned having social anxiety before, how do you make friends at your gym? I’ve been going to a gym for over a year, and have tried to go to hangouts but it still stresses me out and I end up lasting 20 minutes before I have to leave.”
You know, I’ve never had issues with this. Problem because I have coached at CrossFit gyms and have been in the CrossFit community for so long. So even I went to a CrossFit gym in Texas, and I had someone that I met right away that we had friends in common. So I always have a common thread with people at CrossFit gyms that make me feel comfortable.
I don’t go to a lot of the events that our CrossFit gym has, but I’ll go to the smaller events. Like, my friend is having a birthday brunch from the gym, and a bunch of gym people are going. When it’s a party night, that’s not my style. But I hang out after class a lot, and hang out with those people that I like the most. And I go to one-on-one dinners with a lot of those people, and ask them to dinner. And take the time to hang out with them.
But that social anxiety is more big group places. It’s not as much those smaller places with smaller groups of people, if that makes sense.
Grown Mary. “You mentioned in your Instastory you have a damaged metabolism. Would you ever consider reverse dieting to repair the damage done and increase your metabolism rate?”
So I read this comment earlier, and I’ve never once said I have a damaged metabolism. I’m not sure where you heard that. I said I have a sh*tty metabolism, and ever since I hit 13 years old and I became a woman, I’ve had a sh*tty metabolism. I just don’t have a great metabolism. And I mean great that I can just eat whatever food I want and be fine, like a couple of my friends can do.
So I don’t know what reverse dieting is, and I don’t want to do that. I just eat healthy foods, and don’t eat sh*tty foods all the time because then my body starts to hate me. I’ve never said I have a damaged metabolism, I just have a sh*tty metabolism. And my genetics suck with that. That’s just how it is.
Hannah. “I was just listening to the Balanced Bites podcast about hormones, and hormonal birth control. I’ve wanted to get off hormones myself, but absolutely don’t want kids. This may be too personal, but I’m curious to get another health advocate opinion. What are your thoughts on hormonal birth control? If you don’t use it, what method do you use that you feel comfortable with?”
I’m on hormonal birth control. I’m on the NuvaRing. And I have loved it. I had no issues going on the NuvaRing, and I’ve no issues throughout. I’ve been on it for probably 6 months, and haven’t had any sort of issues, and I love it. I know there are so many people in the paleo community who are anti-hormones, and I get it. But I haven’t had any issues, and I like being on it, and I like not being pregnant. So, that’s my experience.
Amy. “What has been your favorite PaleOMG travel destination so far?”
Number one on that list is absolutely St. Martin, St. Bards, and Anguilla with Trade Winds. That was the best trip of my entire life; loved it so much. And the second one is Santa Ynez Valley in California. And it’s so cool, because somebody even wrote on my blog the other day that she did the exact trip that I went on in Santa Ynez Valley and loved it so much, which is so cool. She said she followed the trip to the T, and had the best time. And if you guys haven’t heard of Santa Ynez Valley, go. It’s the coolest place ever. I love it so much!
Ok, Little Bitty Steffi. “Is there a probiotic that you recommend?”
I really love Tula probiotics. I use their skincare; their probiotic skincare line and talk about it all the time on the blog. And I love their probiotic. Highly recommend. It’s amazing. And then if you use the code PaleOMG, you get 20% off. I work closely with them; they’re the best.
Trisha. “How do you balance the products you partner with when it comes to posting about them and using them? Example, clothing from different brands or companies, a product such as makeup or face products.”
I use whatever I want to use. If I have a sponsored post, I’m obviously not talking about a different skincare line if I’m sponsored; if I have a sponsored post with Tula. But I’m going to use as many products that I want, and different kinds of products. And I’m going to talk about those on separate occasions, because I use all those products together and love them.
And then also I’m not just going to only wear one clothing brand. Brands don’t expect you to only shop with them; clothing brands. I have a sponsored post with Express this week, and Express doesn’t expect me to only wear Express all the freaking time. I’m sure they’d love that. But I’m going to share different finds from Nordstrom and different clothes from Lole and all kinds of different stuff because I love different brands and support different brands.
So I think I just balance it by sharing all the different things that I use because that’s just normal human behavior. I don’t think anybody out there is only going to wear one clothing brand their entire life. If that makes sense.
Ok, two more questions and then we’re done! How long has it been? Ok this one actually I feel like we’re doing pretty good. “I have a friend who is struggling with her health in a big way. She’s over weight. She struggles with anxiety. She has daily migraines. About 5 years ago, I took control of my health and I started eating better and it made a huge difference in how I feel day to day. I’ve mentioned it to her multiple times, and have tried to suggest these same dietary changes may help her feel better. She’s nice enough about it, but I don’t think she’s ever going to take my suggestions. It’s so different to see a friend suffering, but unwilling to do anything to help themselves. I’m curious if you have ever been in that position, and how you dealt with that.”
I think we all go through these positions at some point in our life where maybe our loved one or a family member or a friend is just not doing the best thing for them. But at the end of the day, they have to want to make the change. They have to say; ok, I want to lose weight. I want to feel better. I want to be healthier. And it may take a doctor telling her those things for her to really think about it and process it and then ask for help from friends.
I think just saying these things in a positive way; like, “Oh my gosh, I was able to go on a run today. I feel so much better. I’ve been sleeping so much better since I started changing my diet.” Just telling the friend in a positive way, and not saying, “You need to do this.” Because it’s hard to take that advice from our peers, when we want to feel like we know what’s best for our bodies and obviously don’t. It’s hard to hear from a peer; it’s sometimes easier with a stranger.
Just speak to all the positive changes you have seen, and the positive effects that you’ve noticed from changing your own diet and changing whatever lifestyle changes you’ve added into your own life. I think that’s what’s best for helping a friend. You can’t tell them what to do until they want to hear it and they want that advice. So just try keeping the positive friend. I think that’s the only thing you can do.
You can’t tell a friend they need to change something to feel better until they want it. That’s what I’ve experienced at the end of the day. And maybe that friend will never want it. That’s what sucks sometimes.
Ok, last question. “Are there any books that have helped you become a successful online entrepreneur?”
No. I have not read any entrepreneur books. Any books like that. I’ve only read a couple of paleo books that I like. And then Big Little Lies. And that’s about it. That’s not true. Hunger Games. Twilight. They have not helped me with any sort of business advice, god dammit. But no, I’ve not read any books on that matter.
So that’s it for the day, guys. That is it. What time is it? 8:30. Well. I have some recipes to cook up today. I have about a billion emails to get to, because again, emails are the worst. I have a workout to get to. I have a date night to have with my husband. And then I hope to do a whole lot of nothing. I have a birthday party to go to. But other than that, I plan on just cuddling my dog and making out with him. Even though he threw up Pepto-Bismol all over our house. It wasn’t actually Pepto-Bismol. We have no idea what it was. Ok, don’t think I feed my dog Pepto-Bismol, you freak.
Ok. You’re the best. Thanks for listening. I am going to head out of here for the day. I hope you have a lovely, lovely whatever day you’re listening to this, day. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye-bye!
I just started season seven of The Office and I am obsessed. I wish I didnt know that Michael proposed to Holly but I guess I am happy about it haha She better say yes!
Hi Juli!
Just wanted to give you a shout out for being an awesome inspiration. I have been reading your blog for years and love listening to your podcast every week! Your healthy approach to food and fitness has been an incredible help to me on my own health journey. You’re awesome, keep doing what you’re doing girl…you make such a difference in people’s lives 🙂
awwwww thank you so much for the kind words, emily!! and thank you for listening to my little podcast!
You talk about the office so much I need to get on it!
yeah girl!! it’s the best!
Funnily enough, I’m in the middle of rewatching the series (currently on Season 5) and I saw one of my favorite episodes last night – Business Trip, when Michael and others go to Canada. The whole bit about the concierge/“geisha” is hilarious! It’s definitely a great show to relax with at the end of the day.
And as far as the Royal Wedding goes… I loved it! I’ve always had a soft spot for Harry since Princess Diana died. The wedding was stunningly beautiful. Plus, I got to see Marcus Mumford in the church a few times, so that was a bonus ????
the office is simply the best
Really enjoying your podcast Juli! You seem prepared and provide great content, but also keep it light and allow listeners a peak into your day to day life. Thank you for making my dog walks more enjoyable!
awwww thanks for thinking i’m prepared with my podcast lol still working on that part haha!
Thank you for saying to use one swipe up on natural deodorants. I’ve used a few brands, most recently Primally Pure charcoal and I love it. But I was such a sweat bag, so of course I caked on more and more. ????
I’ve been using one swipe up since you mentioned it on this podcast episode and no sweat!! Yay!!!!!
Thanks a whole bunch, you’re the best!!
yaaaassss!! glad i could help!!
Please help me out….you recommended two shoes on this Podcast – Nike Metcons and Adidas ???? I am hoping you can tell me what style of Adidas again. I think I need a shoe with a little bit of cushion, and I was interested in your thoughts. I should have written it down when you said it, but I was at work. Ugh! Thanks!!
i prefer adidas ultraboost for running!
Thank you so much for being open about your birth control and desire not to have children. I definitely want kids at some point, but at just 25 years old I am NOT ready for that! A lot of my friends are already having kids, though, and lately I’ve been feeling a bit of pressure. I love hearing that other women have the same thoughts. ❤️
Love your Podcast!
thanks crystal!