100 Episodes + a Q&A!

100 episodes!!

To say that I’m honored would be an understatement. I’m so honored to be in this space, it’s unreal.

Thank you, first of all, for your support of the podcast. If you’ve been around since day 1, you know we’ve had some changes since that first day. But I couldn’t love this space more than I do. I love brining you a new episode every week. This space is so special to me, and I hope it is for you as well!

To celebrate 100 episodes, I’m doing a Q&A episode today! I asked you for your questions over on Instagram (if you’re not following me there, you’re gonna want to join the party!) and you sent them!

So, let’s dive in!

Find & listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, or Google.

Q: Is it OK to push yourself to do hard workouts because you feel good after?

A: I love a good workout where you finish and feel good because you pushed yourself. So, thinking about just simply how this question was written and not thinking into it, I’d say yes, it’s ok to do a tough workout and reap the benefits of the endorphins and feels that come afterwards.

But, I also know…because I’ve been there… that sometimes we can use hard workouts and the “feel-good” factor as a way to either cope with something or to justify exercise when what our bodies really need is rest.

With every workout you do, the important thing to consider is the “why” behind your workout. Speaking from experience, I know that sometimes that high from exercise can be addicting and to get that high you have to push yourself harder and harder, maybe even past what’s healthy. So, always ask yourself why you’re working out. And consider other ways to bring more joy into your life. If exercise is your only source of joy, which it definitely was for me back in the day, something may be out of sorts and you may want to evaluate the relationship you have with exercise.

Q: How do I implement weight loss into an intuitive eating approach?

A: With intuitive eating, we don’t focus on weight loss. I’ve talked about that in the last couple of posts HERE and HERE. Focusing on weight loss is not a sustainable goal because a lot of what goes into our weight is out of our control. So, even though you have the desire to lose weight, can you put that as a goal aside and instead focus on goals that are sustainable and that you do have more control over.

Oftentimes, when people say they want to lose weight, there’s an underlying goal that they believe weight loss will help them achieve. For example, they want to feel more energy, they want to feel more confident, they want to feel healthier, they want to feel good in their body.

Can I be real with you for a sec?

All of these goals can be achieved in the body you have right now.

So again, you’re not bad or wrong for wanting to lose weight. But, can you recognize that weight loss isn’t necessarily the end goal that you want… you want these other things that can come for you right now in your NOW body.

The best advice I have for getting to a healthy weight for you is to practice intuitive eating and with that your body will find the weight it’s meant to be at.

Q: Do I think that Paul had an impact in my recovery? If so, how?

A: The short answer is YES! Paul (my husband) played a huge role in me recovering from an eating disorder. I struggled with anorexia/orthorexia for 9 years of my life. When I met Paul, I was star struck like no other and we quickly knew that we wanted to get married. In realizing how serious we were, I also realized that my relationship with food could very easily come in between our relationship and future together. I realized that for me to have the relationship that I wanted with him, I had to let go of my eating disorder.

It wasn’t all that easy, but Paul was so encouraging. It would start with just wanting to fully enjoy dinners and meals together, to him encouraging me to have seconds. Paul enjoys being active, but also finds enjoyment just relaxing and watching a movie or show together so I also learned through him what it looks like to relax (something I wasn’t good about in the past).

So yes! Paul helped me tremendously (probably even more than he realizes) and still does help balance out my obsessive and perfectionistic tendencies. I believe all good relationships consist of someone else completing you in these ways… and my hubby does just that!

Q: Congrats! What have you learned about yourself doing 100 episodes?

Whooh… I love this question! In short, so much.

I’d say the biggest lesson I’ve learned with doing the podcast is that you don’t have to have everything figured out when you start something… all you need is a passion and desire to learn.

This is an approach I’ve noticed that I take with everything I do. I, sometimes to a fault, have a tendency to just jump into something without having all the details thought out. But, I learn so much along the way.

You’re never going to feel 100% confident when you start something new. Sometimes you just have to say “yes” while you’re scared. That’s, for me, been the times in my life that I’ve grown the most. I’m always growing and wanting to challenge myself. And I’ve learned that that’s what makes me a good coach.

And, it’s OK to pivot. It’s OK to make changes. Change is the only constant in life.

I have LOVED every minute of putting out these 100 episodes and hope for at least 100 more episodes in the future!

As long as this space is serving you, I’m here for it!

Thank you for those of you who sent in questions! And thank you for listening to the Redefining Health Podcast and supporting me in this way!

Cheers!