The Power of Slowing Down w/ Alexandrea Elman

00:00More people are realizing that we can't outsource our health to anybody. Like we really have to take it on as our own responsibility, along with the care and help of professionals that are really there to support your day-to-day life so that you can feel good now and then feel good later in life. And you don't end up hopefully in the hospital like I did. What's going on, everybody?

00:30Hey, welcome back to The WarriorBabe Show. And today I am really excited because I am joined by a powerhouse entrepreneur, a certified health coach, and a wellness advocate with over two decades of experience in building and scaling successful businesses. She is the founder of Alex, and I'm going to say, it's Alex Andrea, right? Like that's how you pronounce it. The most beautiful name that I've ever heard, by the way, the two combinations. She is the founder of Alex Andrea Simple Pursuit, a wellness brand that focuses on simplifying holistic health.

01:06And she's also the creator of the Pursuit of Health documentary series where she explores the intersection of nutrition, of movement, of mindfulness, and of overall well-being. And I'm really excited because as we were just kind of like chatting beforehand, she noted that we have a lot of similarities when it comes to the fitness space and a lot of viewpoints that align. So I'm really excited for her to be here and to share her story and just to be on the show. Alex Andrea, welcome. Thank you so much for having me, Nikki.

01:37It's a pleasure to be here. Yeah, I'm excited to dive in with you and hear everything about all of the things that you've done when it comes to your career that you've built and then just your viewpoints on health and wellness. So let's dive into it. You've built your career around like holistic health and self-care. What inspires you to take this path? Well, it's a little longer of an answer than... Go for it. That's why I love podcasting. Yeah, sure. So I've always kind of been curious about health since I was a child.

02:11And back before I decided to become a business major, I was a bio major because I thought I wanted to be a doctor. My father was a doctor. And he really actually urged me not to go into medicine because he knew that my goal with it was to help people stay and be like healthy. And he said, well, don't be a doctor. It has nothing to do with health. Wow. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, I had a different perspective of the health care world from a really young age.

02:44And so I, instead of following that path, I ended up being a business major and kind of going the route of being in business. And that ranges from I was in commercial real estate out of college. And then I worked for two high powered CEOs in New York for a long time that taught me quite a bit. Then I opened my own hospitality company, scaled that had at one point six locations of hospitality concepts between two different states and over 50 employees.

03:18So during that time, I actually wasn't really focused on. I was like trying to take care of myself, but also raising two young girls who are now seven and 11. Hustling. You know, I got married. And so a lot of the things I even kind of knew about health, like I just couldn't focus on as much as I wanted to. And then fast forward to a couple of years ago when my body just kind of, it just, I couldn't ignore it anymore.

03:52And some of the issues I've had with my gut that I really couldn't figure out for so long finally came to a head. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Um, which I knew something was wrong. We could never figure it out. And then at that point I decided it was really time to a hundred percent focus on this lifelong dream, which was to be more in the health and wellness space and to heal myself. And through that process, hopefully help others. So that's kind of a long answer.

04:22No, that was, that was great. That was beautiful. I think that's so cool that we have, um, like our stories resonate in terms of, I was in nursing before I started warrior babe. And I agree with your dad's viewpoint on, uh, he said the, I wrote it down that, that it has nothing to do with health. Yeah. That blew my mind. So can you actually unpack that a little bit in terms of like, how, how has your perspective on wellness evolved from that statement? I mean, at a very young age, you carry that, but like how, now that you've gone through your own health complications and you're on, you know, you're working through it.

04:57How has your perspective evolved over time? Um, I mean, here's the thing. Most, most doctors get into it for, because they really want to, they do want to help people on whatever their specialty is. And, um, unfortunately the system that we're in makes it really hard for them to do that job. So, I mean, thank God for incredible surgeons and for, uh, emergency rooms and, um, you know, the things that we really need that are like, um, acute and need attention immediately.

05:32But, um, for chronic illnesses, like we just, the system isn't set up to really help people thrive and to take care of themselves day to day. Um, I ended up having such bad inflammation throughout my entire gut, not just my colon, but my small intestines that I had intussusception, which is really, really rare for somebody my age. Um, I was 42 at the time, 41. And, uh, thank God for the surgeon that quickly got in there and, you know, he had to remove 13 inches of my small intestine.

06:09So my view is like, thank God for modern medicine, but modern medicine isn't there to help us feel good every day. It's there to usually fix a problem when it's gotten to that point. So, um, and I mean, we all kind of know this now, like more people are realizing that we can't outsource our health to anybody. Like we really have to, um, take it on as our own responsibility along with the care and help of professionals that are really there to support your day-to-day life.

06:43So that you can feel good now and then feel good later in life. And you don't end up hopefully in the hospital like I did. Yeah, that's a great perspective. I appreciate that so much. It is so important for the, some of the doctors that we do have, like for what they do and immediate reactions. Um, but I always viewed it in terms of like, they, it's addressing a, a, a problem, but it's not fixing the solution. Like it's not getting to the root cause of the situation. It's like almost masking it, masking the symptoms until, you know, you can get a little bit further with certain things on everything, but certain things.

07:16Yeah. Um, I appreciate that perspective. I want to pivot to one thing that, um, a lot of people think about like self-care. They think about it in terms of taking days off or doing like, you know, booking spa treatments, but you like your social media and the things you talk about and what you stand behind, you take it way deeper than that. How do you define self-care in a way that supports long-term health? Yeah. So, um, like most things I kind of like what, for whatever reason, my personality likes to learn the hard way.

07:51So my body had been telling me to slow down for a really long time and I didn't listen because of my determination. And also, um, you use this word discipline. You know, I am a very disciplined person, type a, I'm very goal oriented. So I didn't want to slow down because to me that meant like I was not achieving as much as I could. Right.

08:21But it turns out that, um, first of all, when I came out of the hospital, I didn't have a choice. I had to slow down and I had to completely shift a lot of the habits that I had every day. So what does that mean? And what does that look like for me? I used to think workouts had to be like five days a week, super hard in the gym. Um, like, you know, yeah, all of that. Well, I couldn't even do that.

08:52So I, all I can do is walk. And I think you talk about walking in one of your, um, quick episodes, walking is super powerful. And it, that to me walking in of itself is self-care. It is just, it's, it's, it's a, it's a habit that you can have now and for the rest of your life. And it's good for your brain. It's good for your metabolic rate. Everything. Right. So, um, part of the things that I do every day is like, I've had to learn to a slow down, like literally slow down, um, the pace of my life.

09:30And grow patience around that. And then also being mindful of everything that I'm thinking, doing, like, am I shoving food down my throat quickly? Or am I eating slowly and mindfully? Am I paying attention to how my body responds after I eat certain things? Um, it really is like a mindfulness practice every single day that I have to kind of like, I find myself sometimes I'll slip, like I, just like any human, right?

10:03Like I have to bring it back to that. And every time I do, then I find myself growing that foundation, um, that I need to feel good every day. And people like to throw out blanket terms, like, oh, just mindfulness and mindful eating and all of that. And really all that means at the end of the day is paying attention to. So paying attention to what you're eating, how you're moving, how you feel. That's all it means. Like a lot of us, myself included for like 42 years of my life, like, oh, I'll deal with that later.

10:39Like, I'm just going to go, go, go. And I'm going to push, push, push. And that was always what I did before. Sure. I physically can't do that now. But what I will say is that I have never felt stronger. I've never felt more, um, overall, like healthy in terms of like my physical body, my mental stability. All of these things have shifted because I had to slow down. And to me, slowing down is self-care. Like that in and of itself.

11:09It doesn't mean rushing to a spa appointment so you can get there, relax for an hour and then rush home. Like people ask me a lot of the times, like, well, what's your, what do you do? Like, what's your practice? Do you like meditate 10 minutes a day? And I'm like, meditation is great and all that's great. But honestly, your whole day, if you just take the viewpoint of slowing down and taking like one thing at a time and paying more attention to your body, it becomes a layer and a habit that you don't have to stop one thing to do another.

11:45Right. Yeah. Everything can be this sort of form of self-care in a way. That's so powerful. That's the whole statement because it's the flip of like how people view how they need to operate in society where they need to like go, go, go, go, go. And like wake up. And the minute that they wake up, they're stressed out because they have to like get to work or they're late. And then it's just like trickle effects into the rest of their day. The way that I'm viewing it from how you're saying it is like be more flow, be more with ease as you go throughout your day.

12:15And that's like a pillar of self-care and then like walking and food and all these other aspects that can layer into how you can show up with just a little bit more like flow to your day instead of rushing around. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's a hard thing to do in this society because we often like rate ourselves on our productivity. But what's happening is autoimmune diseases are going up. Cancer rates are going up.

12:46Metabolic disorders are rising. You know, stress levels are through the roof. People are inflamed. Like inflammation goes up with the stress that we have in addition to all the other things that we're exposed to, the toxic foods and all of it. Like I could go down a rabbit hole. But we are like inflamed all the time. And then we keep adding fuel to that with our lifestyle every day. So I see a lot of people and myself included.

13:17I was going through the world in a very inflamed state. And when you're doing that, you're like hyper reactionary. You are not operating in a place that you can allow your body to heal either. So if we're all just a little more in tune and take it down a notch, there's no solutions. There's only trade-offs, right? So if you're pushing and pushing and pushing and pushing and your bodies are inflamed and you're not feeling well, eventually something's going to break.

13:48You know, the check engine light's been on and you've ignored it. So you might borrow, you know, over here, but you're going to pay over here. So that's another thing we have to remember when we're trying to get so much done. Yeah. And that kind of brings me back to your point of how you mentioned that your body was telling you like, hey, like slow down. And then your check engine like came on and you were diagnosed with all specific latest. And I want to bring home something that like you mentioned on your Instagram, which I loved.

14:18It was a graphic and it mentioned how you were talking also earlier and how to just pay attention, be more mindful. That's what that means and be more in tune. When you were diagnosed with this and you were eating, you mentioned in the graphic that like food is information. Like food is like, can you unpack that? Like what does that mean to you and like and also how that correlate into your journey where you were like listening and being more intense, more attuned to what you're eating on a daily basis? Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with body changes you're experiencing during menopause?

14:55It's time to take control. If you're between 45 and 65 years old and tired of struggling with body fat and muscle loss, Warrior Babe is here for you. At Warrior Babe, we've helped over 18,000 women just like you lose body fat, build toned muscle and understand their bodies better with personalized plans based on hormone and thyroid testing and more. Imagine knowing exactly what your body needs to see real results and results that last. Look, don't wait anymore.

15:26Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warriorbabe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warriorbabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. Yeah, I think we're all trained to look at food in a certain way. We look at it as fuel and calories or fat and protein and carbohydrates.

15:57And all of that is true, but there's more to it. Like when I'm eating something, I think about the texture of the food and the fiber in the food and like what are the what nourishing aspects does this food have for me? Is this a calming food? Is this a energetic food? For me, I've actually had to really pay attention to that because of my digestive issues. So like, for instance, if I'm feeling like sluggish and I'm also feeling like my my digestive tract needs a break.

16:37What information do I need to give it? I need to give it something that's a little bit easier to digest a little bit like more gentle on the gut. So a lot of times I'll I'll like steam veggies and keep it really simple, like literally like steamed carrots and some olive oil on top or soup, because I'm knowing that the information I need to give my body isn't just about fats and carbohydrates and all those things. I need to give it something that's soothing.

17:11And it's the same with like, I feel like I could use like a little bit more flushing in my body. So I'll do more juices or things of that nature. Is it a cooling thing? Is it a warming thing? Do I want to be comforted? Do I want like energy? All of those things, if you really get curious about food, are really fun without being. I think we like to become too neurotic about it. Like most anyone listening to this podcast, I'm sure knows that we have an issue with some, you know, of the pesticides and things that are in and even whole foods.

17:52Right. We know that. So but don't we can't like hyper focus on all of those things either. You have to trust that you're giving your body what it needs enough of to be able to process those toxins and that you're you're moving your body, you're sweating, you're doing other things. And then you can then really find joy and like just a different sort of way of looking at food as as a form of self-care and nourishment instead of just I don't know.

18:25I think we get scared of food. We also get like we can there's a lot of things that are, you know, like food is really it's really interesting. And it's what we need to survive and it's beautiful, but it can cause a lot of stress as well. Yeah. I mean, there's so many and I'm sure you've heard this too as well from the people you've worked with. But some of you women don't eat enough. And it's like the epidemic of like the wellness space is that they go throughout the day. And by the end of the day, maybe they've had a thousand calories, but they don't know what they don't know.

18:57You know, like I always hear that with our babies. It's like, well, I just I grew up this way and I saw my mom eat this way and I just thought I had to eat less in order to lose weight. But I like what and then when they get into our ecosystem and I'm sure you also do this with your clients. It's like we give them more food and they start getting the results they want. They feel more energized. And, you know, and it's also teaching them the mindfulness of the aspects you're even talking about that make them more aware of how how food positively impacts all these different pillars of their life. Hundred percent.

19:28Yeah, I eat more than I used to for sure. And that's what's funny is like I also was like, OK, I've got a fast. I'm going to work. I mean, here's how I used to live. I was like, I'm going to get up super early because I like, you know, five thirty or five in the morning. I've got to get to the gym by five thirty. I've got to do a really hard workout. Then I'm going to fast or I'm just going to drink broth until like noon. And then I'm just going to eat like a salad with protein.

19:59And that's it. And then by the time I would get and drink a lot of caffeine, which I don't do anymore. And then I would get to dinner and be completely exhausted. And then a lot of times then you do want comfort because you're just like beyond exhausted. You're kind of just like I wouldn't say wrecking anything you've done, but your body's like confused. It's like what's going on? Food is beautiful and should be consumed. And it doesn't need to be the scary thing.

20:31And this is coming from someone who does have a lot of digestive issues. But I feel like I'm now a lot more body positive and a lot more in tune with like food where it comes from. And I get excited to eat it. And again, at 40, I'll be 45 on April 5th. I'm more fit than ever. And I probably weigh less than I did in college, which is why.

21:01And I do a lot more gentle like workouts. Isn't that crazy? It's like less than four. Yeah. And you're a fellow Aries sister. Let's go. Oh, gosh. That makes a lot of sense. I know it does. Yeah. Aries. Aries. I'm March 22nd. So mine's coming up. Well, happy early birthday. Thank you. And to you too as well. There's a lot of women probably listening to this that have gut issues and they may not even be aware of it.

21:31And like you speak so much to the point that you've learned so much with your journey and that you love food now. Like someone listening to this is I even want to girlfriends. I had just went away on a vacation with us previous weekend is afraid of things to eat because her gut is starting to act up when she's going on this journey to figure out things. So what would you tell that person that like is going through that right now? First of all, I wouldn't. I don't wish that on anyone that I don't like, you know, like it's really tough.

22:01To not feel good after you eat food. So there's a couple of things that I've started that I shifted that have helped. But I want to be really cautious and say every body is different and everyone is dealing with different things that they're sensitive to. Usually there's the there's the normal stuff like the dairy and the gluten and sugar and alcohol. Right. But for whatever reason, like for me personally, I actually do fine on gluten if it's the right kind.

22:34Like I can eat pasta from Italy and sourdough bread. In fact, it's really soothing for my gut. But but in general, like if someone's dealing with a lot of issues with their with their digestion, I a lot of times they've been eating the same thing over and over and over. Like a lot of salad, too. And raw vegetables, although they're wonderful, can be really tough on the gut to break down. So I like for a long time eliminated anything raw.

23:05And I went to to all cooked vegetables, soups, things that were a lot easier to digest. And if you don't have a celiac issue and you have and you have a beautiful piece of sourdough and olive oil, most of the time, that's actually going to be pretty soothing for most people because you're getting that good fat from the olive oil. That's protective and it's lining and soothing the stomach while you're I mean, I don't eat bread without some fat with it, because I think about also how is this flowing through my body and how is it going to spike my blood sugar?

23:39Perhaps the fat takes care of that simple. So simplify, like if you're also scared about how is my body going to react to something, but you're eating, I don't know, 10 different things on a plate. You don't know what it is that you're not responding well to. The other thing is like and this sounds really annoying because it's like, OK, well, how am I going to do that? But slow down before a meal.

24:09OK, so sit down, smell it, look at your food, make sure you're not like rushing from one meeting into like lunch or eating lunch over your computer, which I used to do all the time. Because your body is in that like state of like like it's like your your nervous system. All of your blood is not back in your stomach. You're like in the fight or flight mode. So you want your nervous system to be calm so that you can have your digestive tract working properly when you're eating.

24:45And this is something that takes a while to train yourself. It's like women have it tough because we're so there's a lot of things around food that are triggering, too. So learning how to just slow down, enjoy your food, not be like stressed about whatever it is you're eating and then simplify it. And I would say back off of anything raw and see how how that does for you. And just try it slowly, but surely.

25:20Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And that I've heard that before. I've heard other people say like it may sound silly, but like just slow down, like sit down and like chew your food slowly. And yeah, down in between bites. Yeah. The other thing I would say is, yes, you want to be you want to have a hydrated gut throughout the day. But a lot of us like chug cold water while we're eating food. It's not really recommended by most cultures. It's just like a very American thing to do.

25:53So you're just like dumping all this cold water on your gut that's trying to like digest and get all these nice digestive enzymes going. I would say back off of the cold water while you're eating. Just have a little bit of water, but but don't like chug a big thing of cold water. Hot water before a meal tends to really help soothe my gut. So I do that a lot. And also, I hate it, but I got I had to get rid of coffee for the most part.

26:25I do very little coffee these days. And that has helped your gut? Like from the acidics of the coffee that was bothering you? Yeah. And it's dehydrating. So it will. It also will. If you're taking like your multivitamins and things in the morning, not a good idea to do that with coffee, because there's studies that show that your body's not absorbing all those things that you're paying good money for. So and the other thing for someone who has like Crohn's or ulcerative colitis or IBD,

27:00you might be already running to the bathroom frequently back off of the coffee. That's another like really good way to to just ease that because it is a stimulant and it is a really powerful stimulant that we kind of take for granted. I don't do it anymore. I mean, I will have coffee here and there. I do matcha and I do green tea and a lot of herbal teas. Do you do decaf at all or just completely like?

27:33I don't like decaf for a lot of reasons just because of the process of it. Makes sense. Yeah. Yeah. And I used to own a coffee shop, so I know a lot about coffee. But I'm going to do coffee. It's like a single origin, very high quality coffee. And I do like a half of a cup now. And I wait till I've got something on my stomach. I don't wake up and then grab coffee. I never do that anymore. And I used to. That's another tip that like if someone's talking to me about gut stuff, I just go,

28:07tell me about your day. Like, how do you wake up? What's the first thing you do? And then I want to understand the flow of the day because your body is like in that flow too. And if you reach for coffee immediately, you're not hydrating your gut. You're not allowing your body to wake up naturally. You're stopping that flow. There's plenty of Huberman podcasts on that. But just without getting nerdy on it, like allow your body to fully wake up before putting any caffeine in it is my suggestion too.

28:40I love those perspectives. It's super helpful because I like, I remember hearing Huberman say that and I gave up a coffee last year, but it's hard for me to do on a regular basis. I love me my coffee, but I don't have, my gut is pretty solid, but I can see that and understand that from the perspective of a, of someone that has gut issues and trying to eliminate things out that re make it reactive. Yeah. Hey, while you're listening, if you're getting value from this episode, take a moment to tap that review button or share this podcast with a friend.

29:11It's a small gesture that goes a long way in helping more women find their way to feeling stronger and more confident in their skin. I appreciate you so much for taking the time to support this show. I want to pivot really quick to talking about, cause you and I are very aligned on this concept of like health is way more than just your diet and your exercise. It's, it's also the pillars of sleep and stress management and your emotional wellbeing. Do you think that there's like one specific area, like either stress or sleep or emotional

29:43health that the people tend to overlook? And if so, like, which one is it and why? Oh, I mean, honestly, uh, I think actually it's the emotional health that gets overlooked because all of those things are kind of tied to stress and sleep. So if you're not handling or dealing with or, or facing or, um, getting some outside help or whatever you're doing to process emotions that might be going on, they pop up right before

30:16bed when you're trying to sleep. Um, you might wake up in the middle of the night, like, you know, in that fight or flight feeling, um, the stress creeps in, but you don't know what it is because you haven't stopped to recognize your emotions around something. Like it's really interesting. Um, if I'm coaching someone and they're telling me they have, they're having digestive issues. Well, I definitely ask them about their work environment as well. And I'm like, it's super stressful. And, but then they want to move on.

30:47I'm like, wait a second. Like, we're going to talk about this. Tell me about like your day. Like, do you have time to eat? A lot of times they're like, um, no, I like a quick, like I'll grab a quick snack. And like, you can see like their body tenses up and like, like, well, let's talk about this a little bit more. And then you dive deeper and find out they're absolutely miserable with their work and they're in a really stressful relationship with their boss or, you know, something going on at home.

31:17These things can't be overlooked. And it's funny because you go to see a doctor, they'll never ask you, you know, what's, is there anything that's traumatic going on in your life right now? Like a lot of people have stuff that's going on and they're, they're putting it in a silo and not like looking at that as a big part of what's going on in their body. I had my father passed away in my twenties and I really hadn't dealt with a lot of that

31:49grief. And I do think that there is an aspect of that, that like, once again, kind of sat in my stomach, cause I just sort of swallowed it and let it sit there. And, um, I do, I don't think that you need to be unscientific to realize the correlation of emotional wellbeing and physical wellbeing and mental wellbeing. It's all, you know, pretty tied. And I think what's great about where we're at right now is that there's more and more awareness that they're not, this is a separate silo and this is this and this and this, like,

32:23it's all really a holistic thing. Um, and all those pieces need to be looked at. There's financial stress that really comes into play as well, which is emotional too. So I'd say emotions are huge because you don't talk to your doctor about emotions. You think that's a therapist's job, but your therapist also doesn't say typically, are you walking or what are you eating? So if we could like take those things and blend them, I, that's what I have always wanted. Yeah. Well, that's why I love your mission and I love what you do and what you're after and

32:57the work that you're, you're pursuing for yourself. Like, you know, because it's, it's, if we can get more people talking about this, like the holistic aspect of wellness, rather than just like the Ozempics or the fast acting diet crashes or, um, diet or do this diet, do that exercise. If we can get the whole pillar of holistic health, when it comes to emotional health and stress and sleep and, and address all of these things for a human being, like that's going to be the ultimate transformation that they can, that they can experience.

33:30So we need more people doing this work. So thank you for the work that you're doing because we need more people to do this. It's my pleasure. It's, it's like, it's, I'm lucky to be here. So I'm happy to, to do this. I want to be of service, uh, in this world. I love that. Um, you emphasize the importance of, you know, listening to your body. Why do you think that people have a hard time and struggle with this and how can they start to tune into it more effectively?

34:01Oh, um, again, it goes back to, well, I'll answer the first question. I think it's hard to tune into our bodies. It's not that we don't know things are going on. It's often, it's just really inconvenient. Like we've got kids or work and we've got other things that we want to handle first. And to be fair, the system that we're in doesn't make it all that easy to address certain things. Like it took me 20 years to get a diagnosis that I started having symptoms for when I

34:37was 17 and got a colonoscopy before. So I have to say, like, it's a couple of things where we're all have a lot on our plate, especially in the Western world. Right. We're trying to do a lot. So it can be inconvenient to pay attention to something that's bothering us until we don't have a choice or we might've brought things up, um, to a doctor and had our labs done. And they're like, Oh, everything looks normal, even though, you know, it's not. So then you're just like, Oh, okay, fine.

35:07I don't have time to dig, dig into this even more. Like I know something's off, but just going to go about my day. Um, and then I think you asked me, uh, how can they tune in? And really, again, that is slowing down and being mindful because the body is actually like so, so intelligent and it's telling you all the time. You're getting feedback from it all the time, but usually it's just not convenient.

35:37We're like, Oh, I'll deal with that. Or I'm yeah, I know I'm tired. Um, but it's, it's pretty, if you, if you slow down, if you take the time and, and really just focus on it, even for two days, like two, two days of like, I'm going to clear my schedule of things that I can. I'm going to pay attention to how I feel. How am I feeling in the morning? How am I feeling in the evening? And how do I feel after this workout? How do I feel after I eat a certain thing? You, you start to like get that feedback loop pretty easily without obsessing over it.

36:13I think is the key because that can also be a thing. Like it's paying attention to your body enough to give it what it needs or start down that path of, okay, I need to maybe get some stuff checked out, which I totally believe in labs and all of that, um, to confirm things or to really dive deeper. But you got to take it. You got to take a step back and, and just take it a little slower. And that's like such an unpopular thing to say. I know.

36:43I, I, I know you see, especially for like a business person, you know, like, and what you do day to day, people in this space are like, you got to hustle and you got to grind. You got to put the work in. You got to like, you know, don't sleep. And why do you sleep? And, you know, even start with Arnold Schwarzenegger. He's like, you know, to get less sleep, do more work. And that's just like the culture where it's like, almost like, yeah, it's just a culture that it, uh, we're in, but I agree with your perspectives. Like even so much, like in the last couple of months, I've really slowed down to just

37:14honor like me and the flow and the ease of the day. Cause I used to be very much like, go, go, go. And I've seen such a drastic difference in the way that I show up. So like what you're saying totally resonates. And I hope that others can hear that. Like it's not, it doesn't need to be like hustle and grind and go. Like it can be slow down, ease and listen to your body. And especially if you have gut symptoms or anything that you're dealing with, like, it's like, there's bigger things that are trying to call your attention so you can listen to it, which kind of brings me to like my next question. Like what key, like when our body is trying to tell these, like some of these signs that

37:48are showing up and especially for you, like in your personal, before you, um, learn that you had ulcerative colitis, like when our body is given these signals, like what are they like there when they're trying to tell us that we're there, it's out of balance and like, and then maybe what are some practices that you do to day to day? Like, you know, you mentioned like meditation earlier, walking or like, what are some of the, some of the things that we can do to respond to those things? Yeah. Um, well for, for me as a go, go, go person who I still am quite productive.

38:19I have to be just for my, just who I am. But something that I started to do is I don't, I really try to start the first hour of my day a lot slower. So if I do do a workout and you will find me at a 5 30 AM class, but it's a, it's a yoga class because I want to start that day, like in a slower, like flow type, um, feeling. Um, so I usually wake up, I try not to jump on a phone.

38:54I will do dry brushing of my body. I will drink my warm water with lemon and some, some Celtic sea salt. And I think starting the day, the first hour of the day sets the tone for the rest of it. And it's also signaling like, like I'm paying attention to myself. I'm giving myself what it needs. Like you're giving yourself some time. And it's for someone listening is like, look, I'm exhausted.

39:25I can't get up a little bit earlier to take care of myself. Well, that also is like, okay, what's going on that you're so exhausted in the morning that you can't give yourself a little time. Like you can really look at everything that you do throughout your day, throughout your week. And it tells you a story. Um, in terms of the signals that your body's giving you, like, it's not normal to be exhausted all the time. Um, it's not normal to be hyper reactive to things all the time. Like if you're like always like snapping, that's a sign that something is going on.

40:00You've got inflammation somewhere in your body or you're something else is going on because that's not a normal state. I thought it was, um, it's also not, if you've got some things showing up, like if you've got, uh, skin stuff, um, you know, a lot of people have eczema or they've got, um, you know, things that are going on in their skin, skin will show you. If not the skin, the stomach will tell you. Uh, you can also pretty much tell very viscerally what are your bathroom habits?

40:34Now, are you going to the bathroom every day? What does that look like? That's a really good way to tell what's going on. Are you digesting your food? Maybe something's going on there. So there's like, I mean, so many things. I was like losing patches of hair. I didn't even know. I was so busy. My dermatologist had to tell me, you know, by the way, are you concerned about this patch of hair that's missing? I was like, what patch? You know, I just was so busy. I wasn't taking the time, really taking the time.

41:06And if you don't do it now, it's not a selfish thing to do this. If you don't do it now, it's going to, the time comes off some other way. Yeah. Um, 100% fully agree with that. It's going to come on at some point. Yeah. It's like you can, if there is no way around that yet that we know there's no hack to that yet. Um, I, I totally believe in, in the right kind of stress for the body and the brain. It's really good for us. Like I purposely do a lot of really hot saunas because I want those shock proteins.

41:41I want to stress my body out in that way. Not, I go into a tailspin because someone cuts me off on the road. That's not, that's not like you want to fortify yourself for the right kind of stress that we have to deal with every day in this world, um, without living in that state all the time. Yeah, totally. And you mentioned there, um, that a lot of people look at, like, think it's hard to do that or like they want to wake up extra early in the morning to take care of themselves. Or they feel like it's like this extra task that they have to do when it comes to self

42:14care. How do you like, uh, help your people or help others see like how to shift their mindset to see that self care is so essential? Well, first of all, I want to know what, what does their morning look like? And I'm not going to tell somebody to completely change everything at once or to wake up an hour earlier. If they're already exhausted, what I will say is like, okay, if you're getting up and you're immediately, um, drinking coffee, I'm going to swap.

42:45I'm going to suggest swapping that for hot water and lemon. I'm going to ask you to take one minute to just breathe. I'm going to ask you to take two minutes to stretch like little things. And what happens is if you get positive feedback about that, instead of it feeling like just another task, just another chore, it then starts to become integrated. Like anything else you do a habit is first it's discipline and then it's integration. And it doesn't feel like anything other than your normal day, how you normally move through

43:22the day. I think that's key is integration. And that's why diets are really hard because, or, you know, crazy cleanses, but like you can't, that's not lasting. It can't be integrated throughout your life. So all these habits have to be first micro habits that just start to become second nature. You can't do it all at once. So it's one step at a time. And I mean, I think our challenge here is that we're so programmed to think now it's time to

43:55relax. Well, now it's time to meditate. Now it's time to write. But like in other cultures, it's very integrated. My brother lives in Spain. Their days are very, they walk a lot. The market's right there. So they go and get fresh food on their way home. And it's small amounts because they're walking. They take a long lunch. It's like, these are things that are integrated. And the challenge for us is real. The challenge for us is to figure out how do we take the world that we live in, the days

44:31that we have to face, and make them feel more integrated with these practices that may feel counterintuitive at first. That's the challenge. And that's like, I have to teach myself this over and over and over. Certain things, other things are now pretty, like, I wouldn't, I feel weird not doing it. Yeah, no, I love those points, like habits. Like you need to, if you want something different, or you want to experience something different, you have to change what you're doing in order to get new results.

45:01And the way you're going to do that is by integrating new habits into your day to day. And I know that you align, like it's starting small, like even just like the minute of breathing and the two minutes of exercising or two minutes of stretching. And like, that'll give you some good ROI on your feedback on how you're feeling. Yeah. And then from there, you want to do it more than just becomes a part of your day to day. I want to like, if you do that for four weeks, then you, you know, go the next day, you're like, Oh, I need to do this. Like it just starts to like click. Yeah. You want the positive feedback and you want the joy and you want to feel good.

45:34Yeah. That's what we're all trying to do. That's where my brain goes next with like environments, right? It's like health isn't just about what we do individually or like, you know, the diet, the exercise, the walking, the sleeping is also about the environment that we create, which is where these habits can like totally survive in. So like, how do you see how our surroundings and relationships like impact our wellbeing? It's a great question. And that's another thing I ask people. I go, what is your closet look like?

46:05What does your home life look like? Do you have a dog that barks all the time? Do you have like, these are actually really important things to look at too, because the environment affects us and we affect the environment. It's a two way street. And oftentimes if somebody feels super, super stressed out, I will be like, take a picture of your closet and their closet's a complete disaster. And this is no judgment. I get it. I've been there, but we like start to, everything kind of spills over into our environment.

46:38And then that stress, we see it all around us. So like, it's just in a reflection of what's going on on the inside. So that's another nice practice to do is like slowly week over week. All right, let's tackle this week. Maybe clear some things out of the closet next week. Let's clear some things out of the pantry. Less is more. And it really does bring down the stress and make you feel a lot calmer day to day when you have, when things are a bit stripped back, when everything around you is a little bit simpler.

47:11I swear every time I do a cleanse and an organization of like my, my kitchen and I keep purging and I organize, like, I know what beautiful spices I have. I know what's in the fridge. Everything feels a lot easier and it brings the stress down. If your house is chaotic, you're living in that chaos mode inside too. It's like almost impossible to avoid. So it's another thing that I like to talk about. I love that.

47:41And that's really important to talk about too, as well. Um, so what, if somebody is like in a current state, well, you said it, you were like, you just take the day at time to purge or take the time and throw it away. Like a little tackling things that one day at a time, one day at a time, one week at a time, you can't force things on people. It has to be in flow with what their schedule is like. So it's like, what can we eliminate so that you can do this task? I look at a lot of things that way in terms of like a business perspective. And what I'm offering as a coach is like, well, I want to assess, we're going to assess

48:14everything because it's like, I look at it just like a business. Well, what, what do you want to keep? What can we eliminate? Cause you can't have it all. You got it. We've got to like move pieces around on the board, but it's amazing when you really just look at those things, what can go, what can be added, what can be moved around. Um, and then, and then you can really get over time. Cause you didn't get there overnight over time. Um, big shifts happen. Yeah, totally. How about when it comes to like navigating relationships where people might not be like

48:46outward supportive of someone's journey that they're on, like, but they're, they aren't necessarily, and they're not aligned with like a healthier lifestyle. Like what, how would you handle that? That's really tough. And that's an area where I don't feel like, you know, I'm not a, I'm not a therapist and I'm not a, um, like if it's a partner issue, I'm not, um, not a couples counselor. So I would recommend counseling around that because that's, that is huge.

49:16Um, and it's, it's one thing for some, a coach to be like, well, get rid of that person. Like you can't, that's not life, you know? And, and, and there's a lot of complexities that go along with, uh, relationships and, and that interconnectedness that they have. Um, and if there's, if there is really, um, a situation that feels like it's not supportive, then there, there should be a deeper dive into that. And that, that probably isn't for me.

49:48I can help them identify it. And it's pretty quick to like, you can see people's mannerisms change and how they talk about stuff. It's very obvious. Um, and I'd say that probably needs to be looked at a little bit deeper. Um, yeah. And it's tough. There's a lot of, that's, it's, that's a tough one because peers and good friends and partners can often be, feel a little bit like they don't, it feels weird when somebody's

50:18focused on themselves and growing and shifting because the mirror changes a little bit. It's like always a reflection, but then you're like, Oh, like, do I need to do this? No, I don't like that. You're doing this because I have to look at this and it's a, it's a funny dance. It is totally. I always joke around that like coaches are not just like, here's your workout plan, your macro plan or nutrition plan or like addressing like the underlying issues that need to be like fixed. We're also like life coaches too, as well. Cause we take on like, you know, just how you ask your people, like, how do you start

50:50your day? Like, you know, what, where are you, how are you at work? How do you feel? It's like all of these different things that get intertwined to make it really successful for them to have some type of transformation or outcome that they're striving for, bringing awareness to situations that they're experiencing. Yeah. It's just the awareness because we all are having somebody that's like on the outside. That's not going to judge just listening with compassion because most of the time we know, but we haven't been given the space to talk through stuff to really have that aha moment

51:24that we need, or just feel comfortable talking about it to somebody. It's not your doctor. And sometimes it feels weird to like, think you need a therapist or whatever it is. It's like, you're in a safe space with a coach who is just there to help and listen. Yeah. This is all, we've talked about so many different things. We've gone by. I know. Is there anything that I didn't bring up today that you wanted to dive in a little bit more on together? We have like five, 10 more minutes.

51:55Um, I would just say this is that, um, because of my own experience trying to figure out what was going on in my own body. And there's a lot, we know there's a lot of autoimmune stuff that's coming up for various reasons right now. Um, and there's a lot of people that don't feel that great and they, but they've been kind of told you're fine. And I would say that, um, first of all, I feel for you and I understand how frustrating

52:29that is because you know, and you're somewhere like in you, like there's something going on. Um, please don't give up, keep advocating for yourself and know that like there is that person out there that will finally figure it out with you and give you the opportunity to make shifts. I I'd say that there's just so many people that are exhausted. I was exhausted. I had tried naturopathic doctor, holistic doctor, uh, acupuncturist, like cleanses, all these things

53:01to figure out what was going on. And I had multiple colonoscopies and they're like, well, we don't see anything. So if you really know something's going on, don't give up, please keep advocating for yourself and you can push your doctor or find another doctor. I know it takes time, but if your doctor's like, oh, I don't know. Um, I guess we can run, run labs that your insurance will cover. You're like, run every lab. Um, and let's, you know, because actually insurance will cover a lot.

53:34If your doctor says like, I want to run, run all these labs, but they're usually doing the baseline of things. And then you can take those and you at least have that information and you're utilizing your insurance. Because a lot of us are stressed about money and time and I get all that. So start where you are, push your doctor to run like a ton of different labs. If you feel like you need them and get that information that you need and then don't give up. It's it's, it can be so, uh, disheartening, not feeling like you're listened to.

54:07Yeah. So I just wanted to, to put that out there is that if anyone's listening to this and they feel like they haven't been taken seriously about their health, like I, I feel you, I understand. Don't give up. Keep advocating for yourself. Um, unfortunately that's just how we have to operate. And if I hadn't advocated for myself, even when I ended up in the emergency room with into susception, which is fatal, I would have been sent home because initially they said,

54:37it sounds like it's just a stomach bug. Well, if I hadn't had a CT scan and they saw the blockage and then immediately said, this is a serious situation. I don't, I mean, I was already very septic at that point. Wow. So, you know, I, it's a, it's a fine line between, you don't want to be a hypochondriac, but you know, your body and just please listen to it. It's all I would say. Cause you know, you're, you have to. That's so spot on.

55:08And it's such a great like message and especially an amazing way to end this podcast is advocating for yourself and, and, and one, like taking everything that you've already shared with us in this episode and like, listen to your body, like slow down, really like don't tune into it, see what it needs. And be able to, yeah. Like, don't, don't give up. If like you, if you're experiencing these things or there's like, there's symptoms showing, but you just want to keep pushing. Just know. I love the tech engine. Like I'm going to keep using that. Just know it's going to come on at one point, get tested, get checked out, but like, don't

55:41give up. If you're not getting the answers you feel like when you feel like you still need to keep like figuring out what may be off. I love that. Thank you for adding that. For sure. My pleasure. Yeah. Where can everyone find you on social media and talk a little bit about your programs too as well? Oh, sure. Um, you can find me at alexandriaspursuit.com. You can find me at, um, Alexandria's underscore pursuit, um, uh, for Instagram. Um, and most anything you need to find is there.

56:13I post a lot about what I'm up to these days. I am, um, launching a YouTube channel to talk more about these things. I also, um, have coaching that I offer. Um, I have a new program coming out that really does help people quickly drill down into where they need to be next. Cause I think a lot of us are, we don't have a lot of time. We don't have a lot of money. So I'm trying to offer something that, that fills that, that space.

56:43Um, and you can find all that information on my website and the new coaching will be rolled out here soon, but I'm here as a resource. You can find me pretty easily. Yeah. I'll put your, uh, links in the description below too. So if y'all want to just click into that and go follow her, please do. This has been such an awesome episode, so many topics covered. And I thank you for you being here and you sharing your message. And, you know, it's, it's important. It's, it's about self-care and it's about holistic health and it's about navigating all these buckets into one so we can be feel and be our best selves.

57:15And like your approach to wellness is very refreshing. Um, it's, it's just a reminder that it's not about just how we eat or how we're how we move. It's also about how we listen to our bodies, how we live on a daily basis and how we can create balance in our lives. So thank you. And anybody that's listened to this, you know, just remember that like small, consistent habits on a daily basis can make the biggest impact for you on, on, in your whole life. So even just like the minute of breathing, when you wake up in the two minutes of stretching and then like see all those positive feedbacks.

57:48But Allie, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate you and your time. Oh, thank you so much for having me. This has been really fun. Real quick. If this episode resonated with you or gave you the push that you needed, I'd love for you to pay it forward. Drop a quick rating and review, share the podcast with someone who might need it and help me keep spreading the word. Your feedback not only helps to show grow, but it might just be the nudge someone else needs to kickstart their transformation. Thank you so, so, so much for your support.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.