How do you look at photos of yourself from your 20s and not think, "if I could just be that thin, fit, attractive again?"

How do you look at photos from vacations or events 5 years ago and not wish your body still looked like that - even though you thought you were too heavy then? 

Most importantly, how do you look at photos of yourself today and not spiral into body shame thoughts that trigger the urge to "get back on track tomorrow, next week, next month," (aka start another diet or rigid exercise plan)? 

Brianna (Bri) Campos, LPC, is a licensed mental health counselor based in New Jersey. As a body image educator and the founder of Body Image With Bri, she’s passionate about all things body image and practices through the lenses of Health at Every Size® and Intuitive Eating. 

Utilizing a weight-inclusive approach, she combines her clinical skills and lived experience to teach others how to maneuver through their own unique body image journeys. 

Here's what you'll hear in our conversation:

• How Bri describes picture grief

• What thoughts go through Bri's mind when she sees pictures of her body in the past and of her body currently?

• Bri walks you through how to help yourself process picture grief.

• How to move from feeling disgusted with how your body looks in photos to no longer feeling shame about yourself as a person. 

• Weight gain and weight redistribution are common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Bri shares her top strategies to help women in their 40s and 50s accept and respect their perimenopause and post-menopause bodies.

Advice from Bri, "body image is trauma, and healing is possible." The first step toward healing is getting in photos, and being a part of the memories of your life. 

 

Resources mentioned in the show:

Download the free picture grief journal prompts

*Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings

*Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls by Jes Baker 

 

Get show notes and resources at www.alpinenutrition.org/blog

Do you have an unhealthy relationship with food? Take the quiz to find out!

Like what you hear?

Get additional blog posts and resources for intuitive eating during menopause on my website www.alpinenutrition.org

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If you want to have great sex in midlife but feel like your relationship is lacking the lust and passion it used to have in your 20s, maybe it's because you're compromising.   The first time I heard Dr. Alexandra Stockwell, MD say, "if you want to have a bland, passion-less, companionship with your partner, compromise," I thought, wait, what? That's what I've heard all my life...a successful marriage is based on compromise.   And while that may be true, it says nothing about having a successful AND passionate marriage or partnership that includes great sex.    We're rounding out season 2 of the Savor Food and Body Podcast with the first (of hopefully many) conversations about sex, intimacy, body image, and intimate relationships.    My guest, known as “The Intimacy Doctor,” Alexandra Stockwell, MD is an Intimate Marriage Expert who specializes in coaching couples to build beautiful, long-lasting, passionate relationships. She is the bestselling author of “Uncompromising Intimacy” and host of The Intimate Marriage Podcast.

For over 20 years she has shown men and women how to bring pleasure and purpose into all aspects of life-- from the daily grind of running a household to intimate communication and ecstatic experiences in the bedroom. 

A wife of 26 years and a mother of 4, Dr. Alexandra believes the key to passion, fulfillment, intimacy, and success, isn’t compromise--it’s being unwilling to compromise. Because when both people feel free to be themselves, the relationship becomes juicy, nourishing, and deeply satisfying. 

Dr. Alexandra has been featured in the Huffington Post, Rolling Stone, USAToday, Cosmopolitan, Business Insider, thrive global, mind body green, FOX NEWS NYC, and Disruptors Magazine recently named her one of “30 Inspiring Women to Watch in 2022."

Our juicy conversation includes...

• How Dr. Alexandra went from a thriving medical practice to becoming the "intimacy doctor" and relationship coach. 
• What are the biggest challenges her clients face when it comes to emotional intimacy in midlife?
• How the relationships we have with our bodies impact our intimate relationships? And what suggestions Dr. Alexandra has for women in midlife who struggle with negative body image in the bedroom?
• Finally, Dr. Alexandra shares what long-term couples can do to cultivate more curiosity in their intimate relationship during midlife and beyond.

Whether you've been in your marriage for decades, a few years, or haven't found the right person to spend the rest of your life with yet, this episode will put savoring your body into a whole new perspective. 

Get show notes and resources at www.alpinenutrition.org/blog

Do you have an unhealthy relationship with food? Take the quiz to find out!

Like what you hear? Subscribe to the show so you don't miss an episode. Don't forget to rate, review, and share! This kindness helps other women in midlife find the show too.

 

Get additional blog posts and resources for intuitive eating during menopause on my website www.alpinenutrition.org

Before you go, subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend!

Wouldn't it be great if you lived a stress-free life, ate all the nourishing food your body needs, and never had to worry about the effects of aging?   The wellness industry loves to prey on women in midlife (you and me) who are experiencing symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings, and weight gain.   In this episode, Val Schonberg RDN is back giving you the evidence-based nitty gritty on what supplements can support women in midlife and which ones are more hype than they're worth.   In our conversation, you'll hear what supplements can be the most effective for women in perimenopause based on current research, and how to tell if a supplement is from a reputable company or of high quality.   Val uncovers which supplements promoted by the media for women in midlife don't have research to support their claims and worse, show harmful effects - like adaptogens.   There's been a lot of hype recently about adaptogens being used to support stress response and reduce burnout. Val describes what adaptogens are and if there's research to back their reduce-burnout claims.   Finally, Val shares her top 3 recommendations of supplements for perimenopause - especially if you only want to take the bare minimum to get the most vitality out of this season in your life.    Val Schonberg is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian with a master’s degree in Nutrition Science from the University of Minnesota.   She is Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics, a Certified
Menopause Practitioner with the North American Menopause Society and a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.   Val owns EnlightenU Nutrition Consulting, LLC, a private practice in Atlanta, Georgia where she specializes in nutrition for recreational and professional athletes, dancers and performing artists, women in midlife and menopause, and individuals with disordered eating concerns.

Get show notes and resources at www.alpinenutrition.org/blog

Do you have an unhealthy relationship with food? Take the quiz to find out!

Like what you hear?

Subscribe to the show so you don't miss an episode. Don't forget to rate, review, and share! This kindness helps other women in midlife find the show too!

 

Get additional blog posts and resources for intuitive eating during menopause on my website www.alpinenutrition.org

Before you go, subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend!

When's the last time you had a girl's night out and alcohol wasn't part of the scene?   When's the last time you got together with family or friends for a BBQ or reunion and didn't feel like you needed a few glasses of wine to get through it or to relax?   Alcohol is a prominent part of being social (kind of like diet talk is). It can take the social anxiety edginess off. And it's normalized especially in mom culture and midlife.    But what do you do when you start noticing that alcohol isn't serving you as well anymore? When you notice that its effects trigger more perimenopause symptoms like hot flashes and meno-moods?   How are you going to get through your next social event without your class of wine?   Wendy McCallum, LLB, is a burnout and alcohol coach and wellness expert. A fellow podcaster and host of the Bite-Sized Balance Podcast,
Wendy teaches busy professionals (who are nearing burnout and often using alcohol to cope) how to reclaim time for themselves, reduce stress, build healthier habits, and increase their daily joy.   In our conversation, Wendy talks about her journey from being a partner in a large law firm to becoming a burnout and alcohol coach.   We dive into how burnout in midlife can feel like a collision of stress, overwhelm, hormonal imbalance, and uncertainty. And what you can do to help calm the chaos without using alcohol to cope.   Finally, Wendy shares her advice for women in midlife who have relied on alcohol as a part of social connections for years, and how they can still be the life of the party (and remember it tomorrow) without relying on alcohol.   

Get show notes and resources at www.alpinenutrition.org/blog

Do you have an unhealthy relationship with food? Take the quiz to find out!

Like what you hear? Subscribe to the show so you don't miss an episode. Don't forget to rate, review, and share! This kindness helps other women in midlife find the show too!

Get additional blog posts and resources for intuitive eating during menopause on my website www.alpinenutrition.org

Before you go, subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend!

What feeling are you trying not to feel (by eating the chips or sweets)?

"We don't eat for emotional reasons, we eat because we don't want to feel our emotions." - Dr. Anita Johnston

Anita Johnston, Ph.D., is a depth psychologist, storyteller, and author of Eating in the Light of the Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationships with Food Through Myth, Metaphor,
and Storytelling.

A pioneer in the field, Anita has been working with women and eating difficulties for over thirty-five years.

In our conversation, you'll hear...

• What makes the relationships with food and body so difficult for women in midlife
• How feminine energy is connected to intuition and instinct
• How focusing on weight can distract women from honoring their true hungers (physical and soul or emotional)
• How food habits and sexual desire are related
• Examples of how metaphors can help you decode your relationship with food and body.
• Finally, we wrap up with 3 ways to start understanding your relationship with food and your body on a deeper level in midlife. 

Get show notes and resources at www.alpinenutrition.org/blog

Do you have an unhealthy relationship with food? Take the quiz to find out!

Like what you hear? Subscribe to the show so you don't miss an episode. Don't forget to rate, review, and share! This helps other women in midlife find the show too!

 

Get additional blog posts and resources for intuitive eating during menopause on my website www.alpinenutrition.org

Before you go, subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend!

You've finally made the appointment for your annual exam with your primary care doc!

It's not like you were putting it off on purpose...but you know...taking time out of your day, worried about your weight (and being weighed), getting your blood drawn, maybe a pelvic exam...can't imagine why you were putting it off. 

If you're like many women in midlife who feel fine (not great, but fine), going to the doctor's office can feel overwhelming.

You think, "what should I ask about? What if my blood sugar is too high? What if my cholesterol has gone through the roof (COVID cookies and ice cream)? Maybe I need my hormones tested, the hot flashes are driving me crazy!"

Maryann Jacobsen, MS, RD, is a family nutrition expert and author who has studied developmental nutrition for over 20 years.

She loves digging into the research on perimenopause and wants women in midlife to feel empowered when they walk into their annual physicals. 

Maryann is the author of the forthcoming book Midlife Strong. She’s written for WebMD, Huffington Post, Parents.com, Today’s Dietitian, The New York Times, and has been featured on Good Morning America.

This episode will give you all the tools you need to confidently make and walk into your next annual exam with your primary care provider. 

Topics include...

• Describe what biomarkers (aka lab tests) are and why they're necessary for health in midlife
• Which biomarkers are essential for women in midlife and what tests to ask for at your annual physical
• How hormone fluctuations in midlife affect biomarkers
• Finally, Maryann shares her top 3 nutrition suggestions for healthy biomarkers in perimenopause and menopause.

Like what you hear? Subscribe to the show so you don't miss an episode. Don't forget to rate, review, and share! This kindness helps other women in midlife find the show too!

Get show notes at www.alpinenutrition.org/blog

Subscribe to the Savor Food and Body Community to get weekly emails with insights, strategies, and the occasional recipe. You can also download 6 Strategies to undiet your life after 40

Get additional blog posts and resources for intuitive eating during menopause on my website www.alpinenutrition.org

Before you go, subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend!

You know the days when getting dressed in the morning feels like going into battle?   When your inner critic is shouting, "REALLY?? You're going to wear THAT? You can't pull that off...maybe if you were thinner or when you were younger, definitely not now. What will people think?"

Nina Manolson is a Body-Peace® coach who helps women end the war with food and body and finally feel at home in their body—as it is. She is known for her deeply feminist, anti-diet, body-peace approach.

Nina brings her 30 years of experience as a therapist, Nationally Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Body-Trust® Guide, and Psychology of Eating Teacher to her work helping women create a respectful and trusting relationship with their food and body.

Nina kicks off this conversation by sharing how she got started working with women and body image. We move on to talk about...

• What kinds of relationships most women have with their bodies, and what are the root causes that create these relationships?
• What are the biggest barriers women in midlife face when it comes to wanting to change their relationship with their bodies?
• How exploring body image and Body Peace is different for a woman who's in perimenopause and menopause vs a woman who's in their 20s and 30s. 
• What Body-Peace is, why you need it, and how it helps heal your relationship with food and body? 
• Finally, Nina shares a powerful first step for women in midlife to take to start healing their relationship with food and body.

Like what you hear?   Subscribe to the show so you don't miss an episode. Don't forget to rate, review, and share! This kindness helps other women in midlife find the show too!   Get show notes at www.alpinenutrition.org/blog

Download the 6 Strategies to undiet your life and Thrive in midlife and subscribe to the Savor Food and Body Community to get weekly emails with insights, strategies, and the occasional recipe. 

Get additional blog posts and resources for intuitive eating during menopause on my website www.alpinenutrition.org

Before you go, subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend!

You've probably heard how important exercise is as you enter midlife...to maintain flexibility, decrease muscle loss, support healthy blood sugar, reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, and support strong bones for years to come.

But how do you get started when you struggle to find the time, motivation, and joy in moving your body as you did in your 20s?

Ivy Baron is a certified personal trainer with a Master's in social work. As the owner of Requisite Pilates, Ivy invites her students to practice pilates (or any form of movement) without judgment and feel like they want to move rather than feel like they have to move. 

If you've tried following the no pain, no gain philosophy of exercise in the past, only to get sore, burned out, and discouraged, then Ivy is here to help you redefine your relationship with exercise and movement. 

In this episode, you'll hear...

• Ivy share how she got started promoting movement for joy rather than body size control.
• What common themes she's seen with women in midlife when it comes to movement.  
• Why there can be a dissonance between feeling 20 in your mind, but your body sometimes feels like it's 80.
• Why there's so much shame and judgment based on what you’ve internalized about your aging body and how those messages can immobilize you. 
• How Ivy approaches movement, specifically Pilates differently and how she defines "enoughness" when it comes to movement and exercise.
• Finally, Ivy offers 3 tips to help women in midlife who want to get back into moving their bodies but don't know where to start in a non-judgmental, curious way. 

*Please excuse the mild feedback in this recording, the worst only last for a couple of minutes in the first 1/3 of the show. Our apologies!

Like what you hear? Subscribe to the show so you don't miss an episode. Don't forget to rate, review, and share! This kindness helps other women in midlife find the show too!

Get show notes at www.alpinenutrition.org/blog

Subscribe to the Savor Food and Body Community to get weekly emails with insights, strategies, and the occasional recipe. You can also download 6 Strategies to undiet your life after 40

 

Get additional blog posts and resources for intuitive eating during menopause on my website www.alpinenutrition.org

Before you go, subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend!

Why carbs matter in perimenopause, the common-sense strategy to better moods, more energy, and regular BMs.   Do you have an unhealthy relationship with carbs? Afraid that just looking at them will make you gain weight?   And yet you find your hand at the bottom of the box of cookies when you've had an emotionally rough day.   Certified Nutritionist and culinary educator Ami Karnosh talks about why carbohydrates can be your lifeline when it comes to sailing through perimenopause with fewer symptoms like mood dysregulation and difficulty sleeping.    Ami gives us a basic nutrition science run down on the different types of carbs and why we need them. She explains why carbs are important for women in midlife who are concerned about blood sugar control, lowering cholesterol, and having regular bowel movements.   Ami also shares other food-related tips to support what she calls hormone intelligence.   Finally, we end the conversation with Ami's top 3 tips to help you boost your mood, reduce your perimenopause symptoms, and find more grace to support yourself through this season of life. 

Like what you hear? Subscribe to the show so you don't miss an episode. Don't forget to rate, review, and share! This kindness helps other women in midlife find the show too!

Get show notes at www.alpinenutrition.org/blog

Subscribe to the Savor Food and Body Community to get weekly emails with insights, strategies, and the occasional recipe. You can also download 6 Strategies to undiet your life after 40

 

Get additional blog posts and resources for intuitive eating during menopause on my website www.alpinenutrition.org

Before you go, subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend!

What do you actually want or truly need for Mother's Day? A bouquet of flowers. Some chocolate. Artwork from your kid. A romantic thank you card from your spouse. Flowers or vegetable starts for your garden. Breakfast in bed. Brunch. Ten minutes of peace and quiet.

Or...the gift that keeps on giving, learning how to prioritize yourself ahead of everything else on your to-do list. 

This episode's guest Dr. Lisa Folden says it best, "if you're not taking care of yourself, you won't be able to take care of all the things (and people) that matter most to you."

Dr. Lisa N. Folden is a North Carolina licensed physical therapist, NASM certified behavior change specialist (health coach), and the owner of Healthy Phit Physical Therapy & Wellness Consultants in Charlotte, NC.    As a body-positive women’s health expert and health at every size (HAES®️) ambassador, Dr. Folden helps women seeking healthier lifestyles. Her weight-neutral approach encourages intuitive eating, body acceptance, and breaking up with toxic diet culture.    Dr. Lisa is a mom of three, published author, and speaker who understands the complex needs of the modern busy woman. Therefore, she considers helping busy moms find their ‘healthy’ one of her top priorities.   Listen to hear...

• Dr. Lisa's story about why she did a 180-degree switch to embrace HAES® both personally and professionally. 
• How she defines wellness and helps busy Moms in midlife redefine wellness from a weight-neutral perspective?
• When it comes to creating more time to care for yourself, meal prepping, and planning are essential. But diet culture has made it so complicated! Dr. Lisa shares the biggest challenges busy women face when trying to meal plan and prep without falling into the diet culture hole. She shares her personal strategies for meal planning that help her family and her client's families eat well every week. 

• We talk about "enoughness" with exercise and what that means to Dr. Lisa as a physical therapist and how she helps clients find their "enoughness" with exercise.
• We end our conversation with 3 tips for busy moms in midlife who want to be more active, get stronger, and have more endurance.

Like what you hear? Subscribe to the show so you don't miss an episode. Don't forget to rate, review, and share! This kindness helps other women in midlife find the show too!

Get show notes at www.alpinenutrition.org/blog

Subscribe to the Savor Food and Body Community to get weekly emails with insights, strategies, and the occasional recipe. You can also download 6 Strategies to undiet your life after 40

Get additional blog posts and resources for intuitive eating during menopause on my website www.alpinenutrition.org

Before you go, subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend!