Episode 4
Building Resilience: Megan Hanson's Tips for Women Balancing Family and Fitness
Megan Hanson, a distinguished functional health coach and registered nurse, joins us to elucidate the vital connection between self-care and overall well-being, particularly for women navigating the complexities of motherhood and personal health. At the crux of our discussion lies the assertion that women must prioritize their own health to enhance their efficacy in caring for others. Megan's transformative approach emphasizes the reclamation of energy, strength, and confidence through sustainable practices rather than ephemeral solutions. Throughout our conversation, we explore the significance of nurturing one's mental and physical health, the essential role of movement, and the importance of establishing healthy habits that resonate with individual values and lifestyles. Join us as we delve into Megan's inspiring journey and glean insights into fostering a balanced and fulfilling life amidst the demands of modern motherhood.
Takeaways:
- Megan Hanson emphasizes the importance of reclaiming one's energy and confidence through functional health coaching, addressing root causes rather than superficial solutions.
- She shares her personal journey of motherhood, highlighting the challenges faced and the growth achieved through physical and mental training.
- Megan advocates for the significance of movement as a necessity for health, urging women to engage in weightlifting and regular physical activity to enhance their well-being.
- The conversation stresses the necessity of mindfulness in daily habits, particularly regarding nutrition, movement, and mental health practices to support overall health.
- Megan discusses the emotional components of self-care, encouraging women to prioritize their health to better serve their families and communities.
- Lastly, Megan highlights the value of open communication in relationships, advocating for shared responsibilities and mutual support in pursuing individual goals.
Transcript
Hi, everyone.
Speaker A:Welcome back to Busy Free Mind.
Speaker A:Today, I'm thrilled to welcome Megan Hanson.
Speaker A:A powerhouse in every sense.
Speaker A:Megan is a functional health coach, bikini bodybuilder, a registered nurse, and a super mom to triplets.
Speaker A:Through her alchemist coaching program, she helps women reclaim their energy, strength, and confidence by focusing on real root cause solutions, not just quick fixes.
Speaker A:Hello, Megan.
Speaker A:I'm so glad you are here.
Speaker A:How are you?
Speaker B:Hi.
Speaker B:Great.
Speaker B:Thanks for having me.
Speaker B:Your.
Speaker B:Your summary was.
Speaker B:Was spot on and I appreciate you.
Speaker A:Before I.
Speaker A:Before get into the conversation, I just want to share a screen and I want to show the viewers.
Speaker A:And this is Megan Hansen, guys.
Speaker A:Look at her.
Speaker A:Stunning.
Speaker B:I started my own health journey pretty much after I had my baby.
Speaker B:So my kids are not quite 10.
Speaker B:They were born.
Speaker B:I really stepped into my own physical mental training.
Speaker B:I always like to take a little trip down memory lane sometimes by comparing myself now as almost being in my 20s because I feel like I'm even better now.
Speaker A:That's aging in reverse.
Speaker A:Yes, approve.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker A:So, Megan, we can't wait for you to hear your tips and stories.
Speaker A:Let's get the show on.
Speaker A:You have an amazing journey from competitive bodybuilding to becoming a functional health coach and a mom of triplets.
Speaker A:Please tell us about your journey.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, I feel like I could talk, like, for a long, long time about this.
Speaker B:But yeah, like I said, I had first of all, kind of my journey started with my struggle just to get pregnant to begin with.
Speaker B:That was a whole journey in and of itself.
Speaker B:And then I was so lucky and blessed that I could get three in one shot just through that process.
Speaker B:But I found that motherhood was even harder than I was ever anticipating.
Speaker B:I always say parenthood has been my biggest challenge.
Speaker B:I can do really hard things.
Speaker B:Parenthood continues to test me and, you know, keep me challenged and make me stronger each and every day.
Speaker B:So really, my own health journey came from the lessons I was getting with parenthood very early on.
Speaker B:So I found I needed to figure out how to keep myself afloat with, like, the sleepless nights and just the assembly line of feeding these babies.
Speaker B:It started with just like going for a run outside by myself, and I felt so much lighter that I was like, okay, I'm onto something.
Speaker B:I gotta, like, keep this feeling going.
Speaker B:And so that journey led me to really pouring into myself a little bit more each day.
Speaker B:I ended up getting a mommy makeover.
Speaker B:I got a tummy tuck.
Speaker B:I was starting to feel really good in my body, but I wanted to keep that feeling going even more.
Speaker B:So that's when I really fell in love with strength training.
Speaker B:And that's where my bodybuilding journey really began.
Speaker B:And it's just taken me to amazing places since.
Speaker B:Let's see, that was probably about seven years ago.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So which habits.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:So which habits from that bodybuilding world do you think are actually helpful for everyday women and which ones might be a bit too extreme for daily life?
Speaker A:Like meal prep or protein shakes, something like that?
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:I think in general if we think about just our bodies, our bodies were designed, were made for movement and when we're not allowing our bodies to do what they're made to do, that's when we have a lot of imbalance and dysfunction.
Speaker B:So although I will recommend every human on this earth, especially women, lift weights.
Speaker B:If you need to start like moving your body in different ways that feel good to begin with, I think that's a great spot.
Speaker B:But if you think of like, I like to compare ourselves to our, like our ancestors and like back in the caveman days, right, we were foraging for food or lifting boulders, we were, you know, being chased after by saber tooth tigers or whatever.
Speaker B:So our bodies were made to sustain stressors and things like that.
Speaker B:But you know, generations, fast forward many, many years we're living in the modern world where we have modern lifestyle diseases because we've become really out of touch with what our bodies really need and that includes movement, really nourishing our bodies with foods from the earth, taking time out to support your mental health, whether that be, you know, quiet meditation, just even just taking like three belly breaths, really simple things throughout the day, getting your, getting your face to some sunshine exposure, really focusing on sleep.
Speaker B:These are like really foundational things that I think especially women who are leading really busy families.
Speaker B:You know, I have a laundry list of like kids activities that I'm responsible for during the week.
Speaker B:It's very simple or easy to get out of touch with the basic things that really your bodies need.
Speaker B:So I would say for women especially just having some kind of movement practice, whether that be like a daily walk or a weekly yoga class that you always go to, for me it's lifting really heavy weights in the gym.
Speaker B:We could talk about that some more too.
Speaker B:But like you said, like maybe the competition phase of like bodybuilding isn't for everyone.
Speaker B:It is rigorous and mentally and physically intense.
Speaker B:And yeah, that's not for everyone.
Speaker B:But I think a lot of the tenants of bodybuilding, like having a discipline, having discipline, having a practice that you pours into your self care can translate to every Woman too true.
Speaker A:Persistence is very essential, right.
Speaker A:In bodybuilding.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So, Megan, I have here the podcast of yours about the mindset and your body, which I think is very, very important, especially for women who is going through changes like pregnancy, post pregnancy or menopause.
Speaker A:Tell us something about that.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think you're.
Speaker B:And that's one thing like when, when we coach our clients at Alchemist coaching, we really focus on, it's more than just the physical transformation.
Speaker B:The mind has to go with you along the way.
Speaker B:Because if you don't have a strong mind, if you don't have a strong foundation, when with your mindset, I can give you like a nutrition plan and a movement plan.
Speaker B:But if your brain isn't right, if your, if your mind is holding on to stories you hold about yourself and your capabilities, if it's holding on to like old traumas, old thought process that don't serve your goals, you're never going to meet your goal.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So it's really tapping into what you really want and identifying and being mindful with, okay, what are my barriers to getting those things?
Speaker B:Like what are, what are the areas where maybe I'm like self sabotaging?
Speaker B:Are my daily actions actually supporting my goals or are they pulling me farther away from them?
Speaker B:So a big part of like the work I do with clients is really helping them be mindful about their habits.
Speaker B:Because a lot of us are on autopilot with so many things from like, you know, rolling out of bed, just chugging some coffee, running out the door to go to work, and we're not thinking about like, okay, do I have time for nourishment?
Speaker B:And it just comes down to our daily habits.
Speaker B:Sometimes we just aren't even aware about what we're doing each day.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker A:So for our mindset, do you suggest meditation or breathing exercise or any other technique that we can bring our mindset to our body or our goal?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Do you suggest any activity for that?
Speaker B:There's a few different modalities I like to use, I think especially for people who tend to be that like, go, go, go, non stop kind of person who's always jumping from activity to activity.
Speaker B:You know, they're very dedicated to their family and putting their, their spouses first, their kids first.
Speaker B:I like to start with just taking three to five minutes of not doing anything.
Speaker B:And oftentimes that person will feel incredibly uncomfortable because they don't know what to do.
Speaker B:And that's not the point to do something, it's to just sit and, and Be.
Speaker B:And if you find you're saying like, I can't do that, or that's really uncomfortable, that means you need to lean into that and explore.
Speaker B:Why is that so uncomfortable for you?
Speaker B:Because that's going to translate into other things during the day.
Speaker B:Like, well, what is so uncomfortable about not being able to just sit?
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Like, why do you always have to be going and doing something?
Speaker B:So sometimes just a practice of sitting three to five minutes, I mean, belly breathing is always great.
Speaker B:Activating, like the parasympathetic nervous system is, has great effects on the body, especially if we're talking about like stress regulation or a nervous system regulation.
Speaker B:So even just like putting one hand on your heart, one hand on your belly, and just intentionally expanding your belly with each breath and feeling it relax, just so just like being with your breath can be something super simple everybody can do.
Speaker B:And then as you get comfortable with that, you can kind of advance into like, other breathwork techniques.
Speaker B:There's so many different, like, free guided meditation videos on like YouTube.
Speaker B:That was my entry level way to get into breathwork was I just found a really nice YouTube channel that was just five minutes.
Speaker B:And I would literally start each morning five minutes after the kids went to school.
Speaker B:And I felt so grounded that it just translated and flowed into everything I was doing that day.
Speaker B:So even just like sitting three to five minutes, being doing some breath work is a great way to like, get that mind flowing in the right direction.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker A:Many moms feel guilty taking time for themselves.
Speaker A:How do you help them see that looking after their health actually helps their whole family?
Speaker A:For example, like, getting extra sleep or taking time to listen to her favorite music.
Speaker A:They wouldn't do that.
Speaker A:They feel guilty for that.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So what do you want to say to those moms?
Speaker B:Yeah, and I've been there.
Speaker B:I totally get that.
Speaker B:I had those struggles myself.
Speaker B:And I. I see this firsthand also as.
Speaker B:So I've been a nurse for 14 years.
Speaker B:I work primarily in labor and delivery.
Speaker B:I see this all the time with my nurse coworkers.
Speaker B:Because we're caregivers.
Speaker B:We want to, like, care for others.
Speaker B:That's our job.
Speaker B:That's what we've been born to do.
Speaker B:That's what we've been programmed to do, is we care for others.
Speaker B:So we will work 8 to 12 hours holding our bladders, not eating our food because we want to be there to do our job, to take care of our patients.
Speaker B:Like, it's admirable.
Speaker B:Also, fast forward 30 years, we're dysregulated.
Speaker B:You know, maybe we've put on 30 to 50 pounds because we haven't been taking care of ourselves.
Speaker B:We pour into our families, but we haven't poured into ourselves.
Speaker B:So there is a long term ramification if we're always putting other people ahead of us.
Speaker B:But that's hard when we think we shouldn't do that.
Speaker B:We should do everything we can to help others.
Speaker B:So I think it's important to realize.
Speaker B:I think we've all heard the phrase, you can't pour from an empty cup.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:You always have to have some water in your own cup.
Speaker A:Something.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:To give to others.
Speaker B:So I like to think of that and that you're gonna have.
Speaker B:You're gonna be a more present family member.
Speaker B:You're gonna be a more present mom, a more present friend if you are grounded and centered first and foremost.
Speaker B:So luckily I've been taking my kids to the gym, for example, since they were babies.
Speaker B:So they're used to that.
Speaker B:They're used to, like, that's just a normal practice that mom goes to the gym and mom lifts weights.
Speaker B:I have a gym in my front room, so most people have, like, furniture in their entryway.
Speaker B:I have a gym set up.
Speaker B:So that's normal.
Speaker B:It's commonplace.
Speaker A:Yeah, I saw that.
Speaker B:That, you know, mom and dad move their bodies and that's how we take care of ourselves, is through movement.
Speaker B:So hopefully I'm impacting future generations in that way, whether my kids have kids or, you know, they work themselves or they encourage their friends to work out.
Speaker B:So I also like to think about impacting the future generations in that way too.
Speaker B:But it's.
Speaker B:It can be a tricky process to start identifying those moments where that mom guilt starts sinking in and checking yourself mentally of like, do I actually need to do this?
Speaker B:The answer is probably yes.
Speaker B:And really talking yourself through, like, hey, I'm going to be a better person.
Speaker B:I'm going to feel rejuvenated, happier, less resentful, even if I take time for myself to feel good and come back more refreshed.
Speaker A:First of all, thank you.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for the service.
Speaker A:When you say that you had to control your bladder for so much time, we really.
Speaker A:It's amazing.
Speaker A:Thank you for your service.
Speaker A:First and second thing, I love the point you said you have to normalize it so that kids or family members will know that it's her time and she needs to do it.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's a very good point that I absorbed from your answer.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for that.
Speaker A:And Megan, you are an amazing mom of triplets.
Speaker A:I have to admit that I often end up skipping my own self care when things get busy.
Speaker A:What's one thing you would never skip for yourself, even on the busiest days?
Speaker B:Yeah, and that's one thing.
Speaker B:Like you're going to prioritize what you value.
Speaker B:So I think it's an important lesson.
Speaker B:And when you're having that three to five minutes of quiet time, really thinking about, okay, well, what am I wanting?
Speaker B:What am I valuing?
Speaker B:Because when you identify what's really important to you, that's when you can start setting boundaries about things that don't serve your goals.
Speaker B:So for example, every Sunday, I will sit with my phone and I schedule in my gym time.
Speaker B:So I'll look at my schedule for the week, I'll look at my client work, my calls.
Speaker B:If I have shifts in the hospital, whatever it might be, and I plug in.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:If I have to work, if I'm, I should say if I get to work out five days a week, when is that time gonna happen?
Speaker B:Some days I have to get up early, so plug that in my phone that I have to be at the gym at 5am some days if I have a little bit more flexibility, then that might look like 9am so I make that a priority every week so that it's not something that maybe it'll happen if my day goes to plan or if I have a little extra time.
Speaker B:It's not something I'm just going to hope the universe gifts me with, but rather we have to be intentional with, with what we want and how we want to spend our time.
Speaker B:And sometimes that means we schedule it in like it's a doctor's appointment.
Speaker B:So that way there's no excuses, there's no guessing about, well, maybe it'll happen today or maybe it won't.
Speaker B:You show up just like you would show up to another commitment you make with another adult like, like the doctor or the dentist and just kind of go from there.
Speaker A:Wonderful.
Speaker A:I love that we have to write it down.
Speaker A:We have to make it as a schedule to follow.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:That's fantastic.
Speaker A:And Megan, women often say they are scared of getting too bulky when lifting weights, especially on their upper arm area.
Speaker A:So what does real effective strength training look like in simple terms like how many days do we have to do or how many reps and how to change the mindset of women that you won't get too bulky, but you will get fit.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I think there's a huge myth about, about that whole thing about being bulky.
Speaker B:So when you to get that, like, athletic physique, right?
Speaker B:Like, we think of, like, toned muscle, which toned muscle is having a foundation of muscle with less body fat.
Speaker B:So commonly people, women especially, they just want to jump into a diet, right?
Speaker B:Just throw me into a diet.
Speaker B:I'm just going to not eat much, so I'm going to lose fat.
Speaker B:The problem with that is if you jump into a diet, especially if it's a very extreme diet, you're not only going to feel deprived and you might go a little crazy, but you're going to lose muscle mass.
Speaker B:And so you're not going to get that athletic physique that most people look for with a toned muscle.
Speaker B:Because while you might lose some fat mass during that calorie deficit, you're also losing muscle mass.
Speaker B:So it's really important to really focus on building muscle first as like, the priority along with, like, building up your metabolism by actually eating a good amount of food to support your muscle growth.
Speaker B:And then really important too, if you do decide to do like a fat loss phase to try to work off some of that fat, that you're still eating a lot of high protein to help support that muscle maintenance.
Speaker B:So you don't lose as much muscle, but also you strength train, you lift heavy weights because that's going to help maintain muscle, too.
Speaker B:So I think a lot of women go through life, they'll go through dieting phases multiple, multiple times.
Speaker B:So what happens is you end up gaining way more body fat over the years because they're also just losing muscle over the years too, from, like, chronic dieting.
Speaker B:So I think not a lot of people kind of know about that because we're, we're ingrained with that philosophy that you just have to be in a diet or losing fat or all and all of that.
Speaker B:But we're forgetting about the importance of having muscle.
Speaker B:It's a very protective element of the human body, too, for your metabolism.
Speaker A:Wonderful explanation, Megan.
Speaker A:I think, as you said, you have to first concentrate on the growth of muscle.
Speaker A:So I think that is the phase.
Speaker A:Women think that they are getting bulky so they just quit lifting heavy weights, right?
Speaker A:And I think they have to just continue doing that, keep up the muscle growth going on, then they have to concentrate on fat.
Speaker B:And part of that too, is we have to look at what you're eating, because if you're, if you're eating just a calorie over excess while you're building muscle, yeah, you might, you might be a little bulky because you're putting on muscle and fat at the same time.
Speaker B:So Then it becomes a matter of, okay, well, what's the right balance of macronutrients?
Speaker B:Some people have a really hard time, for example, eating sources of fat.
Speaker B:Some people eat, like, too much fat in the diet.
Speaker B:Fat's not bad, but at the right balance in the body.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:If we're talking about any kind of imbalance in the body, it's all finding that, like, sweet spot for you and your lifestyle and your genetics.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So for women in their 30s and 40s, what should they really be focusing on when it comes to nutrition?
Speaker A:Like, what or which macros or micros matter most?
Speaker A:If you had to describe it simply, how should their plate look like?
Speaker B:Yeah, we.
Speaker B:We really focus on a balanced plate.
Speaker B:So if you look at having balanced meals, what does it look like?
Speaker B:It's identifying.
Speaker B:You have a protein, a carb, a fat fiber.
Speaker B:So we talk to our clients about, like, the.
Speaker B:The PCFF protein, carb, fat fiber.
Speaker B:If we're thinking about any disease process in the body, any imbalance, there's a ton of research on, like, the origins to the gut, the microbiome, and that we need to pay really close attention to what we're feeding our gut.
Speaker B:Those micro.
Speaker B:Because those microbes and the balance of which microorganisms are in our guts really dictate everything in our body from, are we burning fat, are we having a good regulation of glucose in our bloodstream?
Speaker B:All of these, like, little foundational things.
Speaker B:It comes down to, like, the microbes in the gut.
Speaker B:So because of that, it's really important to have some mindfulness around fiber.
Speaker B:So fiber is a prebiotic, so it feeds the gut bacteria.
Speaker B:So that's why it's important to have less processed foods in general, because you tend to lose a lot of fiber in the food processing system.
Speaker B:So reducing packaged foods, looking at nutrition labels, kind of like comparing foods to, like, okay, well, does this have fiber?
Speaker B:Does this not have fiber?
Speaker B:Kind of a nice sweet spot for women.
Speaker B:I think in terms of, like, a daily fiber goal is somewhere in the ballpark of, like, 25 to 35 grams of fiber.
Speaker B:So a good place to start is if you've never logged your food before, if you've never tracked your food.
Speaker B:Sometimes that's a nice place to start, is just, like, not restricting yourself, not trying to eat a special way because you're tracking it, but just being, like, honest with yourself.
Speaker B:There's tons of different tracking apps these days, but just logging your food and it'll tell you what your breakdown is for your fiber, your carbohydrates your fat, your protein.
Speaker B:So then you actually have awareness and mindfulness about what you're putting in your body and you can kind of go from there.
Speaker B:So see what your baseline is and then you can kind of tweak and go from there.
Speaker A:Wonderful, wonderful.
Speaker A:So this is fine when we are doing the everyday routine and stuff, but when traveling or having a packed week, what are your favorite tips to keep your gut hormones and energy balanced?
Speaker B:Yeah, I love, I love traveling.
Speaker B:I personally like, when I travel, I try to keep three things like on top of my mind with intentionality for when I'm traveling.
Speaker B:So one of those is protein.
Speaker B:So if I'm not tracking all of my food when I'm traveling, because sometimes that could be a little stressful.
Speaker B:But I try to be mindful of like, okay, I need to have protein in every meal, like a good solid amount.
Speaker B:I personally will sometimes travel with like single serving protein shakes, so those will go with me.
Speaker B:Or if I'm out and about, I can stop at like a gas station and get like a fairlife shake or something like that for a protein source.
Speaker B:So just being mindful, like when I go out at restaurants, I'm going to make sure it has like a heavy protein source in it.
Speaker B:Just knowing that with travel generally your protein intake will go down a little bit.
Speaker B:So just being mindful of that and then the one is going to be water.
Speaker B:So I don't know if you ever realize when you're traveling your water intake is probably not so great.
Speaker B:So especially going through like the airport and not wanting to get up to use the restroom on an airplane, most people aren't chugging the water.
Speaker B:So we find that if you're not drinking water, what are you also not doing on vacation?
Speaker B:You're probably not pooping as well.
Speaker B:And so to make sure your digestion is staying as optimal as possible, we got to make sure we're mindful about our water intake, our fluids.
Speaker B:So for me personally, if I know I have an early flight, I will drink like a full water bottle on the way to the airport, get through security, refill it, and then that way you already are like preloading your water for the day.
Speaker B:So just again, being mindful about your water intake is super important with, with travel and vacation.
Speaker B:Anytime your routine is like off and then the, the third piece is walking.
Speaker B:So walking is one of the best modalities of exercise you can do for fat loss.
Speaker B:It's that lower heart rate zone that is great for fat burning.
Speaker B:So especially maybe when you're traveling on Vacation, you're eating a little bit more than usual or you're eating foods you don't normally eat.
Speaker B:Walking is great for fat loss, but also for digestion.
Speaker B:So helping your body digest food and utilize nutrients more efficiently.
Speaker B:So those are like my top three if I'm going to be changing up my routine.
Speaker B:Traveling, vacation, protein, water and walking.
Speaker A:Beautiful.
Speaker A:Most useful tips.
Speaker A:And when we try to reduce fat, you know, when we get into this diet regimen, if a woman feels tired or foggy or craves sugar, what are the first three easy things she should check or adjust before running?
Speaker A:Labs.
Speaker B:Yeah, and labs are.
Speaker B:I feel like I could do a whole podcast in labs too.
Speaker B:But I think it's really important to think about, like, if you're in, you brought up like a, like a diet, a calorie deficit phase or fat loss phase.
Speaker B:So sometimes you don't actually need to be as steep into a calorie deficit as you might think.
Speaker B: where in the ballpark of like: Speaker B: ries all the way down to like: Speaker B:So you might only need 2 to 400 calories of a drop to make a difference in losing weight.
Speaker B:So that's kind of like a misconception too, is that a lot of women will go into too steep of calorie deficits right away when really if they just like drop it a little bit, maybe they add more walk walks or steps or exercise.
Speaker B:They might not need to be as severe of a diet, if that makes sense.
Speaker B:Because go too extreme, then you're going to have more of those severe symptoms, like you said, the fatigue, the brain fog, cravings.
Speaker B:Sometimes the cravings can be a result of maybe like some imbalance in the gut microbiome.
Speaker B:So that's again why it's important to have fiber.
Speaker B:Fiber is also very filling.
Speaker B:So if you're in like a calorie deficit phase or like a fat loss phase, really important to have protein for muscle maintenance fiber to make sure your gut microbiome is being fed up.
Speaker B:And also it'll help you not be as hungry because protein and fiber are very satiating.
Speaker B:But I think you can diet without being miserable, which I think most people don't realize.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And Megan, I have heard another podcast of yours about hair loss for women.
Speaker A:And when they are doing diet and if they lose so much hair, how do we know that it is not something that is due to the diet?
Speaker A:Or there is a thing called anagentelogen Phase for hair growth.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:How do we know that it is just a normal phase of hair growth and hair fall?
Speaker A:Or is it due to diet or is it due to stress?
Speaker A:How do we make sure that it's not something that is related to our weight loss journey?
Speaker B:Yeah, and like I said, you probably, I don't think hair loss should be like a normal part of it, but it could be an indication of one or more of those things like you mentioned, related to stress, but also hormonal imbalance.
Speaker B:So there could be like a androgen or testosterone, like overabundance or something kind of off with the hormones.
Speaker B:So there's a few tests you can run.
Speaker B:Obviously there's like blood work, but blood work can be pretty limiting because it's like just one time in the morning blood work.
Speaker B:So there's, there's also some more comprehensive labs you can run.
Speaker B:There's a hair tissue mineral analysis test, which it actually will.
Speaker B:You'll provide a sample of your hair and the lab will test it to see if you're deficient in certain, like, minerals which are very important for all, all processes in the body.
Speaker B:So if you have something off, that could be a route to pursue.
Speaker B:I also run, it's called a Dutch test.
Speaker B:So a Dutch test is, it's a dried urine test.
Speaker B:And what's neat about it is you do it at home.
Speaker B:It's a urine sample on like filter papers.
Speaker B:You let them dry, you send them to the lab, they send you an analysis and it looks at all of your hormone pathways and it also looks at your cortisol curve.
Speaker B:So cortisol is one of our main stress hormones.
Speaker A:Stress hormone.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So it's really neat.
Speaker B:So with your blood work you'll just get a one point cortisol test during, for the morning.
Speaker B:But this Dutch test will look at how your stress hormones are fluctuating throughout the day.
Speaker B:So it can be very enlightening in terms of like the information that you get from, from the Dutch test because it looks at more things than just like one point in time blood work, if that makes sense.
Speaker A:Blood work.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:But sometimes it's not just like one thing, but it could be a multitude of things.
Speaker B:Like I say, everything in the body is connected.
Speaker B:So sometimes we have like a symptom, but it ends up being like this tangled ball of yarn and we just have to work on like one thing at a time.
Speaker B:Like maybe that's your, your stress resiliency, maybe that's your fiber, maybe that's your hydration, maybe it's making sure you're getting enough vitamins and minerals.
Speaker B:So they all kind of play a really intricate role in the body, which is like super exciting about my job.
Speaker B:Working in functional health is trying to figure out like what one person needs because everybody is so unique with their genetic makeup, with their lifestyle, with their stress, with like their, their work and their family.
Speaker B:So everybody is very unique in that way.
Speaker B:Not one intervention will solve all of the problems.
Speaker A:Thank you for enlightening me with the Dutch test.
Speaker A:I have never heard of it and I'm having this hair loss problem.
Speaker A:I think I should do that one soon.
Speaker B:I can send you, I can send you the link.
Speaker B:I have a discount code.
Speaker B:But and it's one thing like that.
Speaker B:It's, I think because it's not technically FDA regulated, it's not something that's covered by insurance.
Speaker B:And so like your doctors aren't going to tell you about it because they also don't know how to read it.
Speaker B:So that's one thing that is nice to be able to offer outside of like traditional medicine too.
Speaker A:So if people want to do Dutch test, what can they do?
Speaker B:So you'd have to find a practitioner that has access to order it.
Speaker B:So because I'm a functional practitioner, I can order it.
Speaker B:If you have like a functional practitioner in your hometown, you can see if they have ordering privileges or if there's like a functional medical practice near you, you can inquire with them or you could just contact me.
Speaker B:I'm happy to help and order it for you.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:And Megan, if a mom has just 10 minutes for herself, what is the best way to use the time for to feel strong or reset her energy?
Speaker A:Yeah, a quick way.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I honestly, like I said, I think walking is amazing for your body and underrated.
Speaker B:And so I think a 10 minute, even like an undistracted 10 minutes.
Speaker B:So like if you can leave your phone at home, if you can leave, like don't bring your headphones, just go for a walk outside in the sunshine and just like view the world around you.
Speaker B:It can give you so much clarity and mental focus like for the rest of the day too.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I agree that it's not about the time, it's about the quality of time that we are spending without phone with being present in the moment.
Speaker A:That's all it matters.
Speaker B:Totally.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Meg, I have seen all your Insta and Facebook post and I love how you shared that your husband held down the food so you could study and follow your dream.
Speaker A:That's such a powerful Example of teamwork.
Speaker A:What would you say to the men out there about how they can really support their wives when they are chasing their own goals?
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:My husband's amazing in that way.
Speaker B:I have some wild and crazy ideas, and he's usually.
Speaker B:He's my grounding for force and source, where he will support me and my dreams, but he also can kind of bring me down a little bit to reality sometimes, too.
Speaker B:So I think it's really important to recognize, just like you need balance in the body, you need balance on the home front, and that I think it's important to have honest conversations about the role division in the home in terms of, like, going into this relationship, what you want, what your partner wants, so that there's no.
Speaker B:There's no surprises.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Because when we have surprises, that might lead to things like resentment and arguments and not being on the same page.
Speaker B:So I think it's important to have open conversations about, like, okay, well, maybe this month I'm gonna really focus in on this, and you're gonna support me in this way because I know you're gonna want to do this thing in a few months, and I'm gonna have to pour in a little bit more on the home front and be there more so you can go and do this other thing.
Speaker B:So I think it's a really important to have that growth mindset as a couple to support each other, because I think there's a lot of disconnection that can happen when one person really wants to take off and grow and do things, and the other partner is like, no, I want to stay over here, and I want to be the same person that I was when we got married.
Speaker B:And that's just not.
Speaker B:That's not reality all the time.
Speaker B:And that I think you have to be together with the idea that you're not going to always be with the person you married, but you need to grow together.
Speaker B:And that's a really hard thing for some people sometimes.
Speaker A:Beautifully said.
Speaker A:I think open communication is very essential.
Speaker A:We have.
Speaker A:Sometimes women don't usually come up and tell what they want.
Speaker A:Sometimes they don't know what they want because they are always thinking about their family.
Speaker A:So women have to take their own time, and they have to talk for themselves.
Speaker A:And before we wrap up, I want to hear Megan's wisdom.
Speaker A:Words for the woman out there.
Speaker B:Oh, that's a.
Speaker B:That's a.
Speaker B:That's a broad category there.
Speaker B:I say you have everything you need to do whatever you want.
Speaker B:And it comes with, like I said, that intentionality, that mindfulness of sitting with yourself and dreaming.
Speaker B:I don't think we dream enough.
Speaker B:I think, like, we teach the little girls and the little boys.
Speaker B:Oh, like, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Speaker B:Like, we allow them to dream.
Speaker B:And for some reason, when we become adults, we stop dreaming and we just think of logistics and responsibilities.
Speaker B:Responsibilities.
Speaker B:So I think there's something magical about an adult that still has the ability and the vision to bring their own dreams to fruition because we get into that distracted world of excuses and, oh, I could never do that.
Speaker B:And I could never do that.
Speaker B:And when you say you could never do that, you know what's never going to happen?
Speaker B:The thing you say you're never going to be able to do?
Speaker B:So it's creating that intention around dreaming and planting that seed of possibility and telling yourself you're going to do it.
Speaker B:Because when you put yourself in that mindset, when you visualize, it's.
Speaker B:It's neurochem, it's neuroscience, it's neurochemistry.
Speaker B:You're going to take action to do the things that you say you're going to do.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And, Meg, before we wrap up, I just want to say how truly inspiring you are.
Speaker A:Not only you do help women thrive through health and self care, but you're also about to donate a kidney.
Speaker A:And what an incredible act of courage and love.
Speaker A:We'll be keeping you in our thoughts and prayers for a smooth surgery and quick recovery.
Speaker A:And thank you so much for sharing your time, wisdom, and heart with us today.
Speaker A:Megali, we love you, girl.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:Such an inspiration.
Speaker B:I will accept all prayers and good energy.
Speaker B:I'll take all of them.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Thank you.
