Fuel Your Strength

Too often in life, we tend to go toward the things we think we are good at and avoid the things we are not so good at, even though those are the things that could make a big difference in your life. Alison Marras wants you to expand your repertoire and your mind by fostering an exciting relationship with food and your body.

Based out of New York City, Alison is a nutritional therapist, coach and founder of the blog Food by Mars. She is a fellow side-hustle-to-full-time-gig success story and is passionate about building a tribe that fuels each other. After a frustrating health journey and eventual Hashimoto's autoimmune disease diagnosis, Alison took to her blog to find joy for herself while also educating others.

Today Alison is outlining a guide for those of you that are frustrated that you don't feel great in your body, and need a starting point. She is sharing her favorite tools that she herself has used when in a state of perplexment with your body, and what lead her to the AIP diet. By identifying your stressors, trusting your body and paying attention to your hunger cues, it's possible to unlearn your diet habits and have a healthy relationship with your body.

Alison believes in figuring out what you can enjoy more of, instead of focusing on your restrictions. She is urging you to let go of the math and the calories and whatever prevents you from enjoying something, and instead get more in tune with what your body is trying to tell you.

Have you ever had to rebuild your relationship between food and your body? Tell me about it in the comments on the episode page!

• Building a healthy relationship with your body and food
• Going through the process of figuring out what makes you feel best and building on that
• Signs that it is time to work with a professional to get your health on track
• Simple steps that you can take to get started in the right direction

"Finally I went back to school for nutrition and really realized, this is what I want my career and my life to be about. Helping others and helping people not go through some of the stuff I've had to go through with my health, and it really became more of a mission." (10:07)

"That's kind of how I approach the blog, I don't want anyone to go through this negativity of feeling like they can't have anything, so I really wanted to build awesome recipes so people didn't feel very deprived." (22:10)

"I didn't want to now demonize everything or demonize all these foods and be fearful every time I went out. I wanted to enjoy things again, so I really tried to loosen up" (29:19)

"This is a partnership. This is us putting our two heads together to figure out how they can find balance and how they can heal themselves and do all this stuff. Because no matter what, you are the expert on you. But it sometimes takes an outside opinion, just like anything else." (49:02)

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5 Day Mindful Eating Challenge

Food By Mars Website

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Intuitive Eating

The Slow Down Diet Book

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Divorce is such a loaded subject, and for women especially, something that we get judged harshly for by society, friends, and family. For many years, I avoided admitting the truth about my own divorces for fear of judgment. (Sometimes, we're our own harshest critics.)

In this episode, I'm sharing my stories about divorce, why I was afraid to date my current husband, and why kindness and compassion about people on the other side of the relationship coin is vital.

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Aimee Suen is a nutritional therapy practitioner, author of the small eats blog, and one my dearest personal friends. Aimee is passionate about helping people improve their health habits and lifestyle in an ultra approachable way. Today we are discussing perfectionism, taking care of yourself, and mindfulness, to make sure you are taking care of your body in every way possible.

After a very real quarter-life crisis, Aimee decided to stop placing her value on the things that she did, and more on who she is. She brings this life-altering realization to all of her readers and is here to help you on your health journey. By taking lots of small steps, being kind and affectionate to yourself, and accepting life's inevitable mistakes, you can work to develop tools and skills to help guide you through any situation.

If you are ready to work out at the gym of your mind, then listen in now! What do you think about Aimee's tips to help put yourself first? Let us know in the comments on the episode page!

• How to gain perspective when dealing with perfectionism
• What is mindfulness cognitive behavioral therapy and why it can beneficial
• Why you should have no shame in therapy
• Embracing change as the only constant
• Small steps you can take to be more kind to yourself

"It became really clear to me that I had put myself last and I had put art and college and doing and achieving first. I've always been a really good doer and achiever, I haven't always been great at taking care of myself." (13:09)

"It's really nerve-wracking. And I think what's so natural to happen is your identity, without you realizing it, gets super wrapped up in 'this is who I am and this is the only thing I can be'. " (22:24)

"Paying attention to my thoughts in a very non-judgemental way has been very helpful, but 1000% did not happen overnight." (27:19)

"It's almost like a storm sometimes, these thoughts. These thoughts you get caught up in and then sometimes you realize a little too late like, oh no I'm still outside and it's raining." (30:40)

"The idea of self-compassion is just turning all of that compassion and support that you know you can very easily give to someone else, and turning that on yourself. (37:48)

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Join the Small Eats Circle on Facebook

Small Eats Website

Not At My Desk Lunch E-Book

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She Thrives Radio with Taylor Gage

Epic Bar Meatcast

Self Compassion by Dr. Kristin Neff

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Self-sabotage is one of the toughest parts about making healthy lifestyle change stick, and if you experience it, you're not alone. In fact, mindset in general is one of those umbrella topics that influences our ability to make better choices. Yet unlike diet and exercise, mindset is a much more abstract thing. How, then, can you get a handle on mindset work?

In this episode, the last in my Core Four pillar of health series, I'm introducing you to different reasons you may be self-sabotaging and providing three starting points for exploring the impact of mindset in your own life.

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Harder to Kill Challenge Kicks off October 1

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Get Your Mindset Right Pillar #4 Blog Post

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You've probably heard arguments incorporating evolutionary biology made to justify why we should be eating more of certain foods and less of others, but is that reasoning really legit in today's world? Hilda Labrada Gore has traveled the world researching various tribal diets and their wellbeing, and brings that knowledge to us today.

After being inspired by Dr. Weston A. Price, Hilda followed in his footsteps and traveled to Kenya and Peru to work with native tribes and study their diets and wellbeing. Through this experience, she has found a passion for learning and spreading the news of traditional diets and the benefits of real food living.

A fellow podcaster, Hilda focuses on promoting new ways to connect with the people around us by paying attention and truly listening. She believes that everyone has something that you can learn from, and with a genuine curiosity about who people are, you will discover new things about yourself, and others, in the process.

By spending a little less time in the supermarket and a little more time in the farmers market, Hilda believes that we can cure our societies need for overeating, by eating nutrient-rich foods instead. By recognizing the power of real food and the importance of preserving the foods in which your ancestry came from, Hilda hopes to show others the power of exploring what other people around the world are eating.

Have you experimented with any traditional diets? What were the results? Let me know in the comments on the episode page!

• Tips for successful communication for both the introvert and the extrovert
• Tools and practices to listen more equally
• How Hilda got started on her own podcasting journey
• Getting back to a traditional diet even in our modern industrialized food supply chain
• Embracing diversity in what a healthy diet looks like

"Being present and listening is a skill I have kind of developed along the way, and its actually bringing me much more joy than kind of my frenetic way of being before." (7:57)

"[Weston Price] found that the traditional peoples of the world were thriving on their real food diet, and when modernity crept in and some of their tribes started eating processed sugars and flour and refined oils and things like that, that literally, their health would start to deteriorate, their face shape would even change." (19:52)

"Everyone's got something they are supposed to bring to the world. And I don't think they should get hung up on the little technicalities because somebody else will have that in their lane if you will and they will be able to bring that and come alongside them on that point." (31:02)

"We are being bombarded by 'eat this' and 'eat that' and the pretty colorful packages in the supermarket. So find a way to shut that down. I feel like desire is created in us artificially by people who want us to become consumers only." (39:19)

"The most happy, satisfied people I met were the people who had their own land and were growing their own food." (46:56)

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Holistic Hilda Website

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Wise Traditions Podcast

Nourishing Traditions Cookbook

Weston A. Price Website

FoodTalks DC

HTK 109: Adam & Vanessa Lambert of Bee the Wellness

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Are you frickin' tired? Feeling like you're running on empty or that you can't get ahead with rest? You're not alone. Our modern lifestyle sets us up to be "on" all day with little chance for rest and renewal. And when we finally get to sleep at night, it's just not enough. My third pillar of health framework is Recharge Your Energy.

In this episode, I'm walking you through how to recharge your energy, both DAY and NIGHT, including strategies for more efficient workflow and sleep hygiene. Protecting your energy takes a 24-hour approach, and I'm sharing practical tips you can implement today.

Mentioned on this episode:

Harder to Kill Challenge Kicks off October 1

Join the Harder to Kill Club on Facebook

Recharge Your Energy Pillar #3 Blog Post

Episode 129 w/ Dr. Jen Esquer

Episode 115 w/ Mark Groves

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Do you struggle to focus on what actually makes you feel happy because you're too busy with the other mundane tasks that seem to creep in and fill up our lives? Lori Harder wants to help you find the top contributors to happiness in your life, and figure out how you can get more of that.

Lori is the perfect example of someone living her truthfully every single day. Author of the new book A Tribe Called Bliss, Lori is sharing her message about finding your happiness in an authentic way and gloriously living by example.

By focusing on your relationships and what they reflect back into your life, Lori aims to show you the importance of human connection. Being face to face with other humans and having valuable human connection can increase your happiness and productivity. Lori preaches gratitude, setting boundaries and asking for what you need to live your best life.

I'd love to hear about your own journey to finding happiness - wherever you are in it - in the comments on the episode page.

• The connection between your physical and spiritual self
• How to focus on what actually makes you happy
• Motivating yourself to build habits around what makes you feel good
• Leaning into forgiveness and letting go
• The difference between expectations and agreements
• Recognizing when a relationship has run its course in your life

"Life is just one massive story that we tell ourselves. Right down to our feelings, right down to our connections, right down to what we choose to even implement as our habits. Because there are a million different ways to get the same result and there's a million different ways to look at things and choose the result that you want." (8:36)

"Quite honestly there's only a few things that humans need to be happy. And you have to figure out what those are for you and just focus on those one at a time." (15:28)

"I literally believe that in order for us to feel happy or even just exist in a way that we feel is worthwhile, is gratitude. It's an actual need." (20:11)

"Food only fills a part of you. But you are still going to feel that insatiable hunger and you won't know what it's for and you will think its food or you will think it's something else if you don't look at everything that fills a human up." (43:47)

"We desire connection. And connection means to actually be heard, and to hear someone else." (46:15)

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A Tribe Called Bliss Book

Find Lori online

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Earn your Happy Podcast

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Build a stronger body <--> build a stronger mind. Getting stronger and focusing on what my body could do rather than solely how it looked was absolutely instrumental in changing my life for the better. But when it comes to getting stronger, many women are still intimidated, confused, and even scared even though they're curious inside. And truthfully, strength isn't just about slanging barbells, though that can be lots of fun and really damn empowering.

In this episode, I'm introducing you to my 2nd Core Four pillar of health: Strengthen Your Body. What are the different facets of strength to consider? Is it just about lifting heavy? (Hint: no.) What about getting bulky? What about function vs aesthetics? And how should we take care of our meatsuits? Hear the answers and more on this episode.

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My Made Strong Program

Strengthen Your Body Pillar #2 Blog Post

Strength Training for Beginners

Ep 111 with Katy Bowman

Ep 107 with Darryl Edwards

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No matter who you are, I'm guessing you run into challenges of varying degrees on a weekly, if not daily basis. Often, what separates the true successes from the rest of the pack, however, is their ability to find motivation and purpose in those challenging situations, and come out stronger on the other side.

The first word that comes to mind when I think about Sonya Looney is "badass". Sonya is one of the worlds best endurance mountain bikers, a motivational speaker, fellow podcast host and so much more. Sonya helps inspire people to tap into your own best self while conquering some of the most challenging terrain and longest distances in mountain bike racing.

Spurred by her curiosity and love of adventure, Sonya travels the globe tackling some of the world's top endurance mountain bike races, some of which she is the first woman to ever compete in. She believes that your driving factor needs to be more than winning, its a chance to better yourself and inspire others. By encouraging people to have the courage to show up in your life and go on an adventure, Sonya hopes to inspire you to be the best you you can be.

When was the last time you truly challenged yourself? Let me know your thoughts in the comments on the episode page!

• Learning how to celebrate your own success
• How to continue to replicate the feeling of being challenged
• The story of Sonya's most difficult race and overcoming your fears
• Cultivating resilience and embracing grit
• Sonya's favorite aspect of podcasts and sharing her story

"I think we get stuck in the 'I'll be happy when' mentality, and its like we always want to do more and more, and then the more you do the more you realize you can do and then the more you want to do. So it's hard to ever just feel good about what you've just accomplished because you are already moved onto whatever that next thing is." (5:49)

"I had never gone mountain biking before, but because I was going to spin class at the gym I thought, 'well, I might as well give this a try'. And I think that decision and that mindset is so important for being willing to explore things that you have never done before, even if you are not sure how they are going to turn out, because it could completely change the trajectory of your life." (11:34)

"We get to choose what we want to do, we get to choose to try something or not, we get to choose how we show up in our lives. That has been the most powerful thing I can get out of my races. And if I can get that out of a weekend warrior race an hour away or if I have to travel across the world, I can get that from both places because it comes back down to how are you going to tell the story of what you experienced, and how are you going to translate that into a message that's going to resonate with everybody." (18:50)

"I always ask myself, 'how am I going to feel tomorrow if I quit this today?' And if I can say tomorrow I know I'm going to have made the right decision, then that's the right decision. But it's really hard to make that decision." (30:40)

"Don't let your gender be in your way, I never think to myself 'I'm a woman I can't do that.'" (40:57)

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Sonya's Website

The Sonya Looney Podcast

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Sonya's TED Talk

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Which diet is the best diet? Countless books, blogs, and experts devote their lives to trying to solve this riddle. But truly, there isn't a simple answer. And the hyper-focus put on WHAT we eat often leaves other low-hanging lifestyle change "fruit" on the branch...while we wring our hands about a the perfect number of carb grams and the like.

In this episode, I'm introducing you to the first of my Core Four pillars of health: Eat Nourishing Foods. I share the three things that you've got to consider when it comes to diet if you want to build a nourishing, sustainable way of eating that helps you feel better and comfortable in your body.

www.stupideasypaleo.com/category/podcast

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Histamine intolerance article

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