46: Leaves on the Floor

Join us as we dive into the liberating journey of body confidence as women in our 30s, exploring how hormones, motherhood, and aging change our relationship with our bodies.

• Embracing the changes that come with aging and motherhood
• Learning to track your cycle and understand how hormones affect your body and mood
• Discovering how stress, diet, and sleep affect hormone levels
• Finding freedom in the "I don't give a f*ck" attitude that often comes with entering your 30s and 40s
• Appreciating your body for what it can do rather than how it looks
• Recognizing that health matters more than appearance
• Navigating medical issues that develop with age and learning to listen to your body
• Understanding that women's bodies are amazing for growing, birthing, and nurturing children

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Turn the Page Podcast
• 2:52 Rosebud Thorn: Summer Flying By
• 8:01 Body Confidence and Hormonal Changes
• 18:00 Tracking Cycles and Hormone Discoveries
• 27:38 Health Issues and Listening to Your Body
• 36:18 Embracing Change and Freedom in Aging
• 44:29 Motherhood and Growing Self-Acceptance
• 48:22 Final Thoughts: Our Bodies Are Amazing

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Welcome to Turn the Page Podcast. Sisters, best friends and brunch enthusiasts With relatable episodes that feel like you're chatting with two of your closest friends or sisters. Join us as we turn the page to different topics about losing yourself in motherhood, adulthood, anyhood, and finding yourself again through meaningful friendships, shameless piles of unread library books and endless Amazon package deliveries Real, honest and a little bit chaotic. We talk about it all. So grab your favorite drink, put the kids to bed, lace up your sneaks or whatever you need to do, and join us. We can't wait to connect with you. Welcome to the page podcast. This is your host or co-host to one page. This is your other co-host sheree page barber. We are sitting here in an undisclosed location recording for you. But no, we had a sister night yesterday kid free night and it is now the morning. We are munching on some goodies and recording this before we go home for the day and tackle the day and prepare for the week.

Speaker 1: 1:12

Yeah, back to reality. The last few weeks of summer. Yes, yeah, summer is flying by. You know I was. This summer is the first summer where I was like, oh my god, like it's already august. Summer flew by. This is really scary. Yeah, like.

Speaker 1: 1:29

I just feel like we were just at our cousin's graduation party the end of june. It's because we were just like a month and a half ago. I feel like school ended. It didn't even end that late, but it felt like it ended late because because of all, like the snow days or for you I mean, summer started like the third week of june, okay, so that already felt like it cut into it. That's true, it's just my all of july, rj, I don't think they had. No, they took away like built-in days because of some of the snow days. Yeah, so maybe that's why it felt longer. But graduation for him kindergarten graduation for him was like June 5th, oh yeah. But they had, like they had to go to school some days where they on the calendar where it could have been like a no, but because of the snow days they had to use them. Oh yeah, the snow days they had to use them, oh yeah. But I think private I don't know if private school is different from, like, the state laws, because I know growing up, it's like you have to be in school 180 days. I don't know about that. I know that I feel like they try to keep it on a similar schedule, but I don't know their rules for snow days and stuff. Yeah, but we're gonna do rosebud thorn.

Speaker 1: 2:43

What's your rose? Oh, um, the rose is something. I'm something good. Yeah, um, I mean, I guess I'll just cheat and say sister night, it was nice to. Why is that cheating? Because it's like an easy one. Oh, um, yeah, it was just nice to get out of our sick dungeon. Yes, a little bit.

Speaker 1: 3:12

What about yours? So mine is the sister night, but I have another one that you just made me discover a product for her hair. Oh, yeah, the new can too. What's it called? It's a like a daily oil moisturizer. Yeah, yeah, and she was putting it in her hair this morning. I was like what is this? So that's my rose, because that's amazing. I love new hair products and I can't smell right now because I'm stuffy, but I trust that you said it smells good and I put some in my hair. Yeah, it smells good and it does like 15 things, which is great. So I will be having you send me a picture of that later.

Speaker 1: 3:50

Yes, um, my bud is part of what we're talking about today, which is body confidence. Yeah, like leaning into that, and then my thorn is just that summer's flying and I'm already seeing leaves on the floor on the floor on the ground and I'm like it's august. Guys like can we hold off nature? So that's kind of making me sad because although I'm a fall girly, like from birth, I love a summer. Oh my gosh, I love summer so much. Summer is fun. We know you're a fall girly, although you're spring by birth.

Speaker 1: 4:30

I love spring. Every spring I feel like I like come alive again. Yes, so I love spring, but I it's always been a tie for me. Honestly, I've always said like the intermediate seasons are my favorite, the ones that aren't too extreme. It's like like fall and spring. Yeah, it's like crisp and cool and you can wear like a crop top with a light jacket. It's like not disgusting or freezing. But fall is my favorite for just the vibe, like football and crockpot recipes and lighting candles and the colors. I am leaning more into that, like I do like those things, yeah, but I love to leave the house without a jacket. I love spring.

Speaker 1: 5:16

May is my absolute favorite, obviously because it's your birthday, mom. It's just a great month Like it feels great. Everyone's in a good mood. Yeah, okay, great month like it feels great. Everyone's in a good mood. Yeah, um, my bud is just probably being sick. Um, no, my bud is something I'm grateful for. I'm not grateful for being sick. So, yeah, well, the rose is something I'm grateful for. The bud is something. No, rose is something good and you can still be grateful for it. Yeah, but I think bud is like specific to something you're grateful for and thorn is something bad. Oh, I knew the thorn is something. Yeah, okay, rose is good. Bud is something I'm grateful for is, I don't know, that's always so hard for me, which is a problem, but, but I did take some DIY profesh headshots yesterday.

Speaker 1: 6:07

You did so. That was cool, right in our undisclosed location. Yeah, and also, add on to that, I took some really amazing photos, apparently. Yeah, shout out to my photographer. That was a good one. Do you have a 14? I have a 16. Don't look at me, yours is bigger than mine, but those were great photos.

Speaker 1: 6:29

On the studio yeah, I set up the. I Googled, like, what settings should I set my iPhone to for professional headshots? And it was studio light. Did you Google or chat GPT? No, I Googled it. Ai answered me, but it's like a little blur. Yes, at the top search. Yeah, it's, it was portrait mode, studio light, and then I edited, edited it with some suggestions from chat gpt, so, if you're interested, what's her girly pop and some professional headshot tips.

Speaker 1: 7:01

Hit your girl up my thorn. Yeah, and I'm just negative. Nelly, like mornings are so rough for me. Yeah, it's really hard for me to get up and get going, which sucks because I used to love mornings. You did, um, I still do when I can like take my time. Yeah, I think I'm just tired today because I don't sleep great when I don't sleep at home. So, yeah, that's all I'm sorry.

Speaker 1: 7:33

Side note um scrunchie, which is from the 90s and also it's shimmery. This is giving me extra claire vibes. Claire's, yeah, it came as a three pack with a pink and gray one, of course, of course, light gray, dark gray, um, like a heather gray. Okay, right in the middle it's giving me such claire's vibes. And then I have satin ones which are great for natural hair. Yeah, it doesn't pull when you take it out. Yes, yes, yeah, yeah. So yeah, that is tying into what we're talking about today.

Speaker 1: 7:58

We're talking about body confidence and just it's a loaded conversation, but I think it's. It's a good one, yeah, and it needs to be had. Um, just full disclosure. We're not going to be talking about pounds or size numbers. We're just talking about like, based on how we feel. But in high school, obviously I was a smaller person, sure, who I don't want to say who wasn't, but yeah, yeah. And then, as I got older in college, um, I, I was still small, I think, but thinking back I'm like, oh, I thought that, like I wasn't, which is like wild to me, yeah, but like, of course, as you get older and like your body changes, things change. I'm getting more into hormone stuff now, which is awesome. I've had two kids, two c-sections, like two pregnancies it did a number and I'm like closer to 40 than I am to 30. So a lot of that stuff is changing.

Speaker 1: 8:58

But I love hearing women in their 40s like fully embracing their bodies at that age. Yeah, so that gives me hope because obviously I'm not going to be the small frame that I was in my 20s, because that just doesn't make sense. I'm excited for 40s, because 40s just gives girl. You're like eight years away no, I mean for you and like because I'm enjoying 30s. I feel like I've really come into my own, but 40s feels like just like, don't give a fuck, like I'm just here to enjoy my life. Yes, I've heard that about 50s, but I feel like if you could arrive to it in your 40s, like it's amazing. Yeah, especially for women, because there's just so many unnecessary, unrealistic standards, and I feel like it's obviously different for men. But we can only speak because we are in women's bodies. Yeah, um, but yeah, it's been a journey. I um.

Speaker 1: 9:56

So, full disclosure I am on the physical pill, birth control but I've heard a lot of women and like my friends and just like talking to you, how's it go? Yeah, it hasn't given me any like side effects or whatever, but like when my friends have gotten off or you've gotten off, you're like I've made us a huge difference in like my body. I was like, oh, okay, so brain, yeah, so I'm. I'm switching the type of birth control that I'm using like in probably the end of this month or the end of this month, forgetting next month, and I'm pretty excited because I think it's going to have like positive effects, because I've been on the pill since I was like 16. So I've been pumped with like synthetic hormones like all throughout my body. But the birth control that I'm trying now is just more. It's more localized. Trying now it's just more, it's more localized. So I'm excited about that, since I am now studying stuff about hormones just for, like my interest and how it affects my body, and I have been religiously following the lively app which we've talked about on here.

Speaker 1: 10:56

Yeah, but I look at it every single day and this is based on, like your cycle, so every woman would be different, obviously, because your cycle is different. I also just found, downloaded and briefly got rid of it because I hate the paywall. Like I'm not paying for an app, I know, but you want to read more. Give me your credit card number. No, thank you. No, but the moody app does like similar. Oh, I've never heard that. It's like you might be feeling like this today because progesterone is high, or you might be like wanting more alone time. You might have increased appetite and they send you like little email updates because I deleted the app after I saw that you had to pay. Yeah, so that's another good one.

Speaker 1: 11:37

I just opened live. We just took, if you guys like a live introduction, but I think we also put it in our newsletter. I talked about it but, um, so it tracks your cycle and like specifically down to like the phase you're in and like the day of your cycle, yeah, and how many more days you have into your period. But then it breaks down like things you could be doing and moving wise and eating during like a particular thing. So I am in my, I'm on day 11 of my cycle, in the follicular phase oh, yeah, periods of 19 days and, for example, for suggestions of doing, it says start a new hobby or personal development course that interests you For the movement, strength training to build muscle and boost fitness, increase muscle mass, improves metabolism efficiency, boost fitness, increase muscle mass, improves metabolism efficiency.

Speaker 1: 12:26

And for eating lean proteins like chicken or tofu for muscle growth and repair colorful vegetables for a nutrient boost. But also they give you all these tips with all these cute little symbols and pictures. For example, you could be eating chickpeas, black beans, squash oh, not the food, but the sport. I noticed that when I saw the little person throwing stuff yeah, swimming, new experiences, peppermint oil. So just suggestions in the particular phase that I'm in right now. And it also breaks down my hormone levels. So it's like how much estrogen, progesterone, testosterone are like going throughout your body during that phase, yeah, um, and I wish they would have taught this in school and health class and not um.

Speaker 1: 13:15

The fact that a sperm and egg make a baby yes, we know that, but like so many more things that go into that, so that also affects like our body and my body like particular, and, for example, like my boobs. They were like we can talk about sizes for this because I mean it's not. Yeah, so I was a b cup in high school and I was like, oh my gosh, I'm so small and like I kind of was, but just because I had like a small frame, that doesn't really mean anything. But as I got older, I was like, okay, I'm a c now, cool. But like when I got pregnant with my first and it has not gone down I like doubled in size and breastfeeding was not successful for me. So maybe that's why because I've heard that if you breastfeed, some women who breastfeed like their boobs become like saggy and just like they lose their like form and shape.

Speaker 1: 14:04

Oh, and like everybody at some point. I mean it does, but I feel like it maybe speeds it up. Like if you breastfeed consistently, like, say, you have like three kids and it's like they're pretty close in age and you're successful with breastfeeding for all three. Yeah, so it's like your body never really gets a break till after the last one. Yeah, um, but yeah, so props to my two children for making my boobs bigger and staying. So I finally got what I wanted without paying for them, so I'm happy about that, but I've always wanted that, so I feel like that's I'm fine, embracing that. Yeah, that's fair and yeah, I'm just learning.

Speaker 1: 14:41

And also a lot of like my I guess, bloat and like tension with how I feel is in my midsection. Yeah, which is frustrating. But also, I don't know, it also depends on, like how much you're lifting and like what you're lifting, like if you're lifting weights, because that could like bulk you up and like make you look a certain way. It's all just like based on like your body. So all these like beauty standards that we've grown up on are bullshit. Yeah, because everyone's body is different and it could be based on anything Like some women have, like, obviously, internal, like medical issues that affect, like their outside. Yeah, and then genetics yes, that's a huge thing. It's out of everybody's control. I don't know.

Speaker 1: 15:27

I think I'm just in a phase right now where I don't care, okay, good, good, because I've cared for so long to the point where, like, making myself sick, yes, same, yeah, and does it feel freeing? How do you feel? Yeah, I mean I remember back in February, when we were getting ready to go on our honeymoon oh, that's right. Yes, I was like Puerto Rico's going to get whatever body it gets. Yeah, I remember you were saying that too, to get whatever body it gets, like, yeah, and I've just been kind of riding that wave. Yes, I just don't have the capacity to like care in that way anymore. I'm very black and white thinking, so like, if I do care, it means like being obsessive and like tracking and like over, yeah, doing things. Um, and I'm not in a space where not only do I have like no interest in doing that, because it's it's annoying and it takes over, and like I feel like I've spent a third of my life being in that headspace and it's very isolating and like damaging, um, and it takes a long time to undo and unlearn those things. And I feel like I hit 30 and I kind of was just like I don't give a fuck, like it is what it is. I've tried to change it and my body's gonna do what it wants to do, but I'm also okay with if this is where it's at.

Speaker 1: 16:57

When it like I'm healthy, I go to the doctor. Yes, that's a big part too. I feel fine, except for being tired, but it's not like a chronic fatigue. It's a mom of a toddler who works full time and it's a normal fatigue. The toddler you works full time works full time. We're all tired, we're all like yeah, so, but it's not like a medical fatigue, correct? Some people? Yes, yeah, yeah, and I think that's common for a lot of moms and and also same Like I'm healthy too, I go to the doctor.

Speaker 1: 17:37

We go to the doctor regularly and that has been instilled in us since birth. Thanks, mom, yeah, dad too, but mainly like Dad would go to the doctor as well, but Mom was always driving that ship. It's been instilled in us to always go to the doctor, like keep our annual appointments. Like, for example, I have a dentist appointment next week, I guess. Apparently, I go every six months. Now, there's nothing wrong with my teeth, everybody goes every six months. I thought it was annually. No, you're supposed to go twice a year. Okay, great, so I have always done that, but it's always odd to me where it's like, wasn't I just here? Let me take that back. Not everybody goes every six months, but I think that that's the recommended Okay. So that's how we were. We're growing up, yeah, because we just you know, our mom make an appointment, she make you have an appointment, say, we would just like go, yeah. But it's always a shock to me when I'm like, oh, wasn't I just here? So my, wasn't I just here? Moments arriving this week, what was six months ago, february, yeah, we, yeah, we went in march. We go again in, yeah.

Speaker 1: 18:31

And then my boys and I have instilled it with my children like they started going to the dentist and the eye doctor when they were like old enough to go, yeah, maybe like two, like the eye doctor. They're like we don't really see them until they're like four, unless there's like an issue, and there weren't issues, but there were some things we're like, oh, we need to get you in to see somebody Like my oldest has glasses now, yeah, and he's six. We've had you went to see somebody like my oldest has glasses now, yeah, and he's six. So he's had him for like a year. But that wouldn't have been discovered unless I would have if I had started taking him like now if we would have not been too late, but like the fact that I had started taking them at like 18 months, yeah, when they would see them, because it's like, oh, let me just get some things checked out, which I'm grateful for that. They go to the dentist regularly. They of course have their annual physical, which they both had after their birthday this year already, and they get their normal vaccines and everything. And, of course, if things happen in between, obviously we're going to the doctor because Daisy is our mother and their grandmother and we can't get past that. But so that also helps too.

Speaker 1: 19:37

My blood work has always come back fine and blood pressure has always been fine. Speaking of that, I just did a hormone panel. I'm excited I have that consultation this week to explain to me what the hell I was looking at with my results. Um, I signed up for joy and blokes. I will put that in the news, in the newsletter, and also I, oh, yeah, put that in the newsletter. Yeah, also the show notes. I got it from another podcast, the jenna kutcher podcast. But, um, yeah, so you sign up, you do a hormone panel. They recommend like places for you to go to get your blood drawn, and mine was just like one of our local lab cores and that was super easy. I that's where I get all my blood work done for, like the doctor's appointments and everything and the it was done like in less than three days, like everything. Oh, that's nice, which is amazing. So I'm excited to see what this means, which will also help me fully embrace more of my body, too, to see what, um, I'm low on or good on or like what to continue to do or like start doing.

Speaker 1: 20:38

But I did ask an important question if, like, being on birth control would affect the results. Yeah, and they said that it only affects the results for two types of hormones. I forget which one it was, but probably progesterone and estrogen. It was one of them, but also one that I've never heard of. So it might affect those levels, but everything else was fine, like everything else, like it wouldn't affect anything else, and it's like I think it's like a panel of like 40 or something 49 hormones. Yeah, and they also like there were that many and they also have like an advanced one, because it also um dives into like thyroid and like a bunch of other things too. Yeah, this was like a hormone panel. They have one, an advanced one, where it dives into like a bunch of other stuff too. Yeah, so I'm excited to see and I will share those results once I figure out what they mean.

Speaker 1: 21:31

We'll do an episode about that because I think that's really interesting. I always thought it was like so expensive. But Jenna Kutcher and the company are giving like a 50% off and it's oh good thing. If you, through your job, with your insurance, through your job, have FHA and HSA, it's approved so you can use your account for that, which I did, oh nice. And then, of course, well the well. For me, the lab work was free because it was covered under my insurance. That's nice. So if anyone out there is interested in that, I will definitely put in the show notes and, yeah, I'll put in the newsletter and then also share Jenna Kutcher's episode about it, because the the one of the co-inners was on her episode and that's where they talked about and that's how I found out about the discount. Oh yeah, I thought it was really awesome. Yeah, and like, whatever you're lacking, they have supplements that could like help you like through their company. Of course, you can use other ones too as well, but like specifically tailored to that, if there's like something lacking in your panel that you need Nice, excited about that.

Speaker 1: 22:40

Um, my periods have definitely changed since being pregnant and having the boys. Um, even being on the pill. It has changed from like when I was 16 until now. Yeah, um, it's shorter since the boys like it's it. When I first was getting my period back in the day, it was seven days got in the pill because it was like really intense periods over time and brought it down to five days still cramps. But now it's three days, oh my gosh, which I literally get it on a friday and it's like for the weekend, which is like wild to me. So I'm interested to see if that's going to change when I start my new birth control. I wonder if that's an age thing too, because somebody else I won't, yeah, say no, but said that theirs is also three days. So maybe that's something I have to look for. Mine is six days and still, yeah, I feel you're not on the pill anymore, I know, but that's that means that's my natural cycle, but even on the pill, it was always like five or six days. Yeah, mine just became three. I think it was like maybe right before harris, right before we got pregnant with harrison. That would be so nice, but I will say I don't know if this is the birth control or just like my hormones, but we talked about this in the last episode.

Speaker 1: 23:53

Um, I just had my annual gynecologist appointment. Yes, and for the past couple of months, past couple of periods, I have noticed things that I didn't notice before. Yeah, like the week of so, like, say, I don't get my period this week, I think it's in like two weeks, but say this week I get my period. Like Sunday, I will be depressed all the way until my period. Yeah, did you talk to her about that? That's what I'm about to talk about. So I talked to her about that.

Speaker 1: 24:23

I have never noticed that Like super depressed, like have no energy on top of like that's probably from, like you know, getting your period, but toppled with like depression and just like not feeling like doing anything. Every single symptom of period, like low, which I've always had low back aches during my period, like every symptom, and then the day I get my period, all those symptoms just magically disappear and I just get my period. Yeah, and I'm like that is. I've noticed it for the past four months. That has never happened to me before. Yeah, and I don't know if it's just appearing or if I'm just noticing, because I'm like how can I not notice that? Yeah, and like full disclosure, I'm also on like anxiety medication, so it's like I've been on it for a while so obviously, like it helps regulate me throughout the other weeks, but like I, distinctively, I'm just like there's something going on.

Speaker 1: 25:12

Yeah, so she said it could be pmdd. Like we'll see if it changes when I get on the new form of birth control. Okay, but that's something that's been like alarming to me. But then they just magically disappear the day I get my period. That's what always made me like question if I had it, because pmdd is like symptoms resolve once you're out of the like luteal phase is the worst. So like when your period starts it goes away. But mine, but mine is like I get it throughout it and then sometimes like the day or two after it too. So I have like I think there was one cycle where it was like 19 days of symptoms. Oh yeah, I remember you told me that. Yeah, so, and it helps to log because that's how she knew. Yeah, that is my current, I would say like body struggle just figuring that out.

Speaker 1: 26:02

Yes, and then I also noticed this past period. Um, I was depressed the week of my period, but it also started the week before, like the middle of that week, so 10 days before, and I'm like okay, something's wrong because it's not supposed to happen until sunday. It happened on like wednesday of the week prior and I was like what is happening? So that's when I was like I was going to bring it up to my doctor anyway, but I was like this is odd, maybe it is my birth control, because I don't know if you guys know, but like if you're on the pill, like you swallow it, obviously, but like it has to travel, like down to wherever it needs to go, but like needs to go, but like when you're on other forms, like it's more localized, so it's just in that particular area that it's in. So I'm hoping that that helps some of my symptoms.

Speaker 1: 26:42

Yeah, because these hormones are they're a beast, they are, um, and also a lot of everything affects your hormones. That's like more so, like what we're trying to understand as well too. It could be like based on like what you're eating and like stress, everything, sleep, and sometimes, like you didn't know this either, but sometimes you can work out too much, like your body is just like I can't do this anymore, but you keep, you ignore it and you keep pushing and you can go into like adrenal fatigue, yeah, which also affects your hormones, because it's not like a natural state your body should be in, which puts more stress in your body, which affects your hormones, because it's not like a natural state your body should be in, which puts more stress on your body, which affects your hormones even more. Yeah, which is like we shouldn't be taught this in school. I feel like it's just like too much to cover, because you really have to do a deep dive and it's very individualized. It is yeah, and it's very individualized. It is yeah, so, but still like there should be a like it's just all this stuff is mind-blowing and it's just makes me happy and sad for women who like discover things. You're just like, wow, so I wasn't crazy all those years, like it was my hormones, and it's like this is what we have in society, based off of like oh, you must be crazy, or getting your period Like no, like it's my hormones. They're fluctuating and you know, don't go have a baby, because your hormones are just all over the place right after. That's a wild time. It's a wild wild west for the hormones. Yeah, truly, it is wild.

Speaker 1: 28:13

On top of not sleeping If you're breastfeeding, just even if you're not breastfeeding, like you're still up feeding the baby. Yep, like, no matter how much your partner helps, it's like you're the mom. You're like the main source of everything for that child. At that moment it's rough, yeah, it's so rough. Yeah, I, I think I'm gonna do what you did and just go straight to formula and like not even.

Speaker 1: 28:41

Yeah, well, I tried it with both. I tried breastfeeding with both, both. But but in the hospital with harrison, you had him as formula fed, right, because they gave you formula, they did. We were also in a shortage then. So, yeah, same craziness. Don't want to relive those days and never will because I'm not getting pregnant again. But I did try him on the breast at first In the hospital. See, I feel like I'm going to change my approach, because that was what I did with Sage and that was like all that they focused on. And that's when you were like, oh, my God, this is for the birds.

Speaker 1: 29:12

Oh, that second day, yes, yeah, with the cluster feeding. That was insane. You're like, oh my God, I'm going to scream. Yeah, she was up every 30 minutes, oh nope. And then the nurses were in our room every 30 minutes between, yes, I had four IVs Checking your vitals and then checking on Sage. Oh my God, you don't get to sleep in the hospital after giving birth, no, no. But I also. They just casually were like yeah, you spiked a fever, like you have an infection, okay, so I had like two ivs in each arm that they would have to come in and change. That's awful. And they had to do one of my ivs twice. I got like bruising on my arm. I'm like this has never happened to me before. What is happening? I had to get one in my hand. I think I had that too. I also had one right here which they had to redo, and this might still be the bruise from like three years ago, but I just noticed this bruise too. Anyway, it was very painful.

Speaker 1: 30:03

We say all that to say like, listen to your body, do what works for you. Yeah, um, your body is forever changing. You can look at it as like a fun, not project, but like learning, like a good learning experience. Because if you would have said this stuff to me like even a year, eight months ago. I would have been like maybe a year ago because I was into hormones, like eight months ago, but I would have been like I'll get back to you on that, like I wouldn't have believed you that, like everything affects your body, I feel like I had the fortunate, unfortunate experience of like I mean, I know you did too, but I have dealt with depression my entire life.

Speaker 1: 30:46

Yeah, it was always kind of ruling out like, oh, yes, yes, yes, yes. So I feel like I I forgot, I've had to be aware of it, for did you ever? Were you ever on thyroid medication? No, because it was never an issue with my thyroid. I'm just depressed. No, I know, but I thought you you did get your thyroid checked a lot though, right, yeah, just like through blood work. Okay, it was always fine. But that's you like rule that out before you call it depression, because it could be, could be that, that instead, yeah, so, yeah, I feel like.

Speaker 1: 31:17

And then it was like having to kind of adjust my diet to see if that would help, which is also, like at the time, very triggering. Yeah, and then like IBS and just all these internal things that I've had to deal with, which I think I'm pretty sure the IBS was antibiotic caused, because it's wild that one winter that Brandon and I were so sick, I'm pretty sure we had COVID. Before we knew it was COVID, I was sick for like a month. That's when RJ was like six months. That's when we were like I'm pretty sure we had COVID. Well, maybe we did too. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was then Because I got three rounds of antibiotics and no one told me that it was going to fuck up my gut and it absolutely did.

Speaker 1: 32:08

So. They all they talk about anybody's um giving women yeast infections for some of them, yeah, yeah, which I didn't also didn't know that it also could affect your gut, yes, and your gut is also like directly related to your mood, everything that so that I, within maybe like five months after that, I got diagnosed with ibs um and had to be like on a daily probiotic and do an elimination diet for low FODMAP food. Oh, I remember this journey. It's been. It's been a journey, poor brandon.

Speaker 1: 32:42

It's been on such a roller coaster ride because it truly was like cutting out all the foods that I liked to figure out which foods were messing with me. And then I had like issues with dairy and like that's, is it a gluten thing? But like it's messed, but I would have to take lactate before I ate anything dairy, which is crazy. Also, when some people take dairy out like they're completely, they are completely different, like in a good way, yeah. Yeah, I've also have, I also have gi issues.

Speaker 1: 33:13

I have an inflamed stomach lining, which I've had since high school, but certain foods also like trigger like the inflammation and like makes me bloated. But it's like some sometimes the foods that do don't, but then also, like I've noticed maybe the past couple years, that food doesn't just do, but stress also triggers it. So, yeah, when I have a flare which I had one like last week, I randomly get them. I'm like, okay, I like break down, like what's going on in my life? Am I stressed? Have I eaten like a bunch of fried chicken lately or like things that I know trigger it? Yeah, where, like I've been doing fine, I'm like, okay, it must be xyz. So that's also what I'm learning too about my body that it's like. Sometimes it is stress which apparently is like a huge trigger for inflammation as well. Um, as part of my gi issues, yeah, and I always have medicine on hand for that. But still I'm like great, yeah, it's definitely a learning process and just having to kind of listen to your body it's like very.

Speaker 1: 34:15

It's hard to because, have you heard of poppy? Or like those drinks like the prebiotic sodas? I want to know they're prebiotic. Yeah, which is so like. They sound good, they have great flavors, they taste good. I made the mistake of like wow, this is so good. And like pounded, maybe two, one and a half. If you have ibs or stomach problems, they may not be for you. Um, because got a little bubbly action. Yeah, like fully triggered an ibs flare up. Oh my gosh. Yeah, so I can't drink. Is it because of the carbonation? No, it's because the prebiotic, like whatever is in that like because I don't know the difference between pre and probiotic. Same, I've seen that too. My body responds to the probiotic for the IBS and calming down my gut, but the prebiotic sent my gut into a total frenzy.

Speaker 1: 35:05

I, what is that Shoot? What's that lifestyle called where it's not paleo? For a while I did. I guess it was like flexitarian. I was trying to do like the in between, trying to lead more towards the whole foods and things like that. Is it the whole 30? No, I'm pretty. I think it might have just been flexitarian keto. No, this was part of when I was just trying to figure out like my elimination diet and things like that, and I've learned that when I have too much fiber or like too too many not too many vegetables, but like sometimes too much fiber like it triggers a flare. That triggers that for a lot of people too, like certain vegetables and I'm like it's vegetables.

Speaker 1: 35:51

It's like so odd, but again, this is just what it is and like it's your body and you just have to like. It's like you said, it's a lot of like trying things, but it's like trial and error, like our bodies are trial and error, which I think is so beautiful and amazing because obviously it changes as you get older. But if you just have the mentality of like one not that you don't care what you look like, because you should or whatever, but two, like making sure you're healthy, that's the number, that should be the number one. Like making sure you're healthy, no matter what you look like. It doesn't matter what you look like Like size wise yeah, making sure you're healthy. But also just like learning to and this is going to take journal work and therapy and just a lot of like um, shutting up the outside, always listening to yourself, like learning to, because our bodies are always giving us messages. So just learning to listen to the messages our bodies are giving, yeah, and exploring that, and that could that's fun.

Speaker 1: 36:48

I mean it's fun like you might have to go to the messages our bodies are giving, yeah, and exploring that, and that could that's fun. I mean it's fun like you might have to go to the doctor because something comes up. But, hey, it means you're going to the doctor and you're discovering things. But if you're a woman and you bleed and you have a uterus, and if you've never had kids, this doesn't matter. You have a uterus, you bleed or you have blood in the past. It's just like start looking into hormones, like anything hormone, and just type in hormones, women's hormones, and google or chat, gpt, whatever you use and then go to this is a rabbit hole you need to go down. Yeah, because it is wild and a lot of things like said, some things come up later. Like you didn't have IBS before you started taking those antibiotics.

Speaker 1: 37:33

Like sometimes, as you get older, some things just develop that you don't know about. Yeah, like some people, it's like your body just changes naturally and it's I don't know. It's like a fun journey to see. Like not fun because it's annoying. It's like, oh, what am I gonna eat today? That's gonna make my stomach flare up. But you know, it's just like learning to embrace every stage of your body that it's in. Yeah, I I always heard that, like 30s, your body changes or like responds differently to foods.

Speaker 1: 38:14

I haven't had that happen yet. I know that's what made me think, but I feel like mine happened before. So, like, maybe I'm getting a break, I don't know. Um, yeah, when I turned 30, I magically became allergic to wine and shrimp. Um, I'm fine now, at 37, almost no, oh, my god, 38, almost 39. Wow, sometimes you have to do the math. The older you get and the further down the the year chart that your birth is birth year is um, yeah, I became allergic to wine and shrimp to the point where, like I couldn't breathe. So weird. And this was all not even trial and error, like it just randomly happened and I was drinking organic wine for a little bit, which helped, but then I'm fine. Now, eight years, almost nine years later, yeah, fine, well, nine years is my 39th year, but anyway, um, that was a change for me in my 30s. That was internal, not external.

Speaker 1: 39:14

I, after I had sage, got plantar fasciitis. Oh, that's right. I also I don't even know what the, I don't know what the condition, but like I had to go to physical therapy for my hip. Yes, like my body just fell apart. I forgot about that. Yeah, fully, because, um, mommy, recently was like having foot pain. I was like it sounds like you have plantar fascia and it fucking sucks. Like I would get out of bed to on maternity leave and feel like I was walking on glass. So I'm like not only am I recovering from just having birth and sleeping every two hour or trying to get sleep every two hours, but now I was having back pain. I had to go to a chiropractor, I had to go to podiatrist, I had to go to physical therapy, I had to go to a nutritionist to get, like my gut refigured out.

Speaker 1: 40:10

It really, I think just like rolling with the punches and expecting things to change, like we're not always going to be spring chickens. No, sometimes that comes with things changing. What Sheree was saying before it's like I think I'm excited for 40s for you and like just to experience that with you, and like for me, me when it gets there. But it's like just embracing you getting older because it's a blessing, yeah, and everything that comes with it, and you're like I hit my 30s, just like I don't give a fuck anymore, I can't about, because it takes up, it lives right, it's lived. How I feel about my body has lived right in front of my head since I was like in middle school or high school yeah, mine goes back to second grade, shout out to my bullies look at me now. Yeah, um, it's just like it takes up so much energy and time. And I'm not saying it's like not worth it, because it makes it helps you discover other things later in life. But just being like do you really want to spend like the latter half of your life like that? It just it's exhausting. There's so many other things To focus on and like wear the swimsuit, eat the food that you want. Take the picture Work out or don't.

Speaker 1: 41:28

I mean, someone's probably going to tell you you should work out. Find something you enjoy doing to move your body. Yes, I love Zumba. It doesn't feel like I'm working out, it just feels like I'm dancing with friends. We should always be moving our body, not to like lose weight, but because it's health, it's good for you, like getting your cardio up is good for you, but like that may look like a orange theory workout or zumba or cycling or running, like you won't find me on a bike cycling outside, but I've done it before when I was younger, but that's anyway. Um, yeah, so it's like whatever works for you to keep you healthy and your blood flowing, it can look different, yeah, and it will look different, but it's not because you're dropping pounds, it's because you're just being healthy, yeah, and you're stepping into different. But it's not because you're dropping pounds. It's because you're just being healthy, yeah, and you're stepping into your body and it's like I don't give a fuck either, like just there's no time.

Speaker 1: 42:18

Yeah, I don't know about moms for young kids and up, but moms of littles definitely see you, we do. I hear it passes. I wouldn't know, because I'm still very much in the thick of it. The tiredness, just all of it that comes with being a parent of a little. It does, trying to keep up with the constant changes and not getting great sleep, and all the milestones and regressions and a lot happens in the first few years.

Speaker 1: 42:51

I will say, having a six-year-old, it passes, and then having a three-year-old, a couple, without like going through it again with that stuff. But every day I would say I'm like gaining a little bit of my freedom back, um, like little by little. Yeah, um, it helps that it's like two of them, because I'm like I'm not saying rj can like babysit harrison, but like I can like leave them in their rooms when I'm upstairs with them and like lay in bed and like read a book. Yeah, because it's like rj will run and tell me like harrison's doing something, or I will hear them, which I do. But like if it was just rj at three, I wouldn't trust. Well, I didn't trust that I also had harrison because they're three. It's like he's by himself or whatever. Yeah, like what are you? You're being left here in devices like stay with me. But it does get better when they get older, like when they are in like school. So our year is going to first grade.

Speaker 1: 43:49

Harrison's three. Um, it's definitely still crazy because they're boys, yeah, and it's still a wild house. But I'm getting a little bit of my freedom back little by little and I feel like I can leave them. Leave them with dad. It's like they're both of our kids, but this undisclosed location was dad's idea. And it's like if they were like three and like a newborn, obviously that would not have been offered because it's like it's just too much. Right then, yeah, but now they're six and three and you have a boy's night while mom has a girl's night out of the house. Yep, so it's just like it does get better. I'm only at six, only six years in that's what they say. But we'll see and don't do it. Don't look at old, don't look at baby photos of them lying in bed when you're not with them, because it will time's a thief. I did that this morning. I was like no, I know they're so cute, I know Time goes so fast, oh, such a thief. But yeah.

Speaker 1: 44:54

So we're signing off by saying we don't give a fuck about our bodies. I mean, we do and we're happy that they're healthy, but based on how other people see our bodies, yeah, we don't give a fuck what other people think about our bodies. Like, I'm going to wear wear a one piece and you're going to see my little kangaroo pouch, cause I've had two kids and I'm wearing a crop top today. So, yeah, and also, before we sign off, we are fully well me personally. I think you too would say the same thing we are fully embracing our bodies because it has done and will do amazing things. Yeah, like it has carried babies, grown babies. Amazing things. Yeah, like it has carried babies, grown babies, birth babies, fed babies truly like falling apart and broken. Yes, been been a pillow for babies, like our boobs and just like been the safe spot for them once they're out of the womb. Like our bodies are incredible.

Speaker 1: 45:46

All women's bodies are incredible. Um, we're speaking as a woman and moms, and I'm embracing that because my body is amazing and has nourished my children for um 40 weeks and three days. 40 weeks and six days, and you had it with 40 weeks and six. 40 weeks and three days oh, I didn't know what you were talking about. And 40 weeks and three days oh, I didn't know what you were talking about. And 40 weeks, I was You're. 40 weeks and six days yeah, mine was. 40 weeks and three days. And 40 weeks and two days yeah, in that order. So that's a lot, yeah, a lot. And then afterwards Thanks, kids, I'm no longer a size eight in shoes. My feet never went back. Postpartum was worse for me than pregnancy. So, yeah, yeah, but women's bodies are amazing. Mom's body we're amazing. Our bodies did amazing things. Yep, you will see a stretch mark, you will see a kangaroo pouch, because I grew a full-growngrown human being and my children were not small babies. Yeah, fair. So my body is a rock star. Your body is a wonderland.

Speaker 1: 47:02

Thank you, john mayer would say, um, and just working to make it healthy, keep making it healthy and loving it and working out because I love my body so we can keep showing up for these kids and ourselves. Yeah, yeah, I mean yeah, yeah, that's yeah, all in one, but also separate. Check out for yourself so you can show up for these little gremlins. Yeah, check out for yourself so you can show up for these little gremlins. Yeah, but we gotta sign off here, guys. Um, to tackle the day.

Speaker 1: 47:35

I've got so much stuff to do today. I'm literally going like straight to the couch. I gotta. I have some meal prep to do, but that's, that's about it. Yeah, I've got, we've got swim. I have to put some laundry away. Working on the newsletter. One of us is doing the food shopping. Then I have to figure out what we're prepping. That is one thing I will say has gotten easier since she's gotten older.

Speaker 1: 48:00

I was able to walk her up and down the stairs with me to do laundry yesterday, so I got three loads done. I just need to put them away. Yes, that is helpful. Yeah, three loads done. I just need to put them away. Yes, that is helpful. Yeah, all right, guys. Well, like, listen, subscribe and review, and we love you and we see you and we're here on this beautiful, messy journey with you. Yeah, we'll talk to you soon. Bye, all right, everyone, this was another episode of turn the page podcast. Thanks for hanging out. Don't forget to like, listen and subscribe, and also don't forget to leave a review, please, and let us know what you thought about today's episode and all the other episodes. Thanks, guys, talk to you soon. Bye.