The Wellness Witch Podcast

What does the lunar cycle have to do with your menstrual cycle? Registered holistic nutritionist and medical exercise specialist Jenn Pike educates us on how we can sync our cycle with the moon and helps us understand our bodies and ourselves in a whole new light.

You can find all the info and links about this episode at https://holisticwellness.ca/episode79.

Click here to listen on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify:

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• What it means to sync with your cycle and your hormonal rhythms
• The different phases of your cycle and how to understand them
• How to sync your nutrition, movement, and exercise with the different phases of your cycle
• How to sync with the lunar cycle
• What to pay attention to when you’re tracking your cycle
• The different dietary and nutritional approaches that will support your hormones and your period
• How you can have that “talk” with your daughter about sex and getting her period
• What “simplicity” means and how you can create more simplicity in your life

Key Takeaways:

• As women, in terms of our cycle, we have four very distinct phases that we are moving through on a week-to-week, month-to-month, and day-to-day basis.
• Menstruation
• The follicular phase
• The ovulatory phase
• The luteal phase
• The rhythms of our internal cycle as women predicate a lot of the shifts in how we feel.
• Tapping into the four phases of the moon is a cool way to learn more about yourself and your body.
• Most women typically cycle with the new moon, where they get their menstrual cycle during the new moon.
• During the new moon time, your energy will be lower. It’s typically not the best time to be doing a lot of group-based exercises.
• The waxing phase of the moon is that period when you’re moving more into your follicular phase. It’s a great time to set new intentions and to honor your desire to move more.
• The full moon phase is when we tend to feel bolder, more confident, passionate, and excited. This is the time where a lot of women are ovulating and historically, the time when most babies are conceived and born.
• The waning moon is the longest period in the moon cycle, which is symbolic of the luteal phase. This is when your energy starts to lower down and you start to feel that call to slow things down.
• One of the biggest lies we’ve been told about our cycles is that it’s going to be the same forever until you no longer have it. If your cycle comes early or it comes really late, you need to reflect on the past months and see how well you’ve been taking care of yourself.
• Stabilizing your blood sugar is so critical when it comes to your health overall. Regardless of what your goal is, when you’re working with a great holistic practitioner, the top two priorities they’re going to have for you are to make sure your digestion is working really well and that your blood sugar is stable. 

Action Steps:

• Have awareness of your cycle by connecting the differences in how you feel to your hormonal rhythms.
• During the new moon time, slow down and take a rest. Nourish yourself and pay special attention to self-care. Do things that are more restorative and calming to your nervous system like yoga and walking.
• Listen to your body intuitively, especially during the waxing phase of the moon.
• Track your cycle.
• Don’t skip out on your regular Pap smears.

Jenn said:

“One of my big wishes is that part of a woman’s journey in her body is that she would actually be able to also work with a pelvic floor physiotherapist… to learn the landscape of her body.”

“Simplicity is not about things being simple… Simplicity is that we are moving through life and through these different elements of our body and our health, but our approach is not rigid.”

Thanks for listening!

Important Announcements:

If you’re an essential oil newbie and you’d like to get started ordering either an oil kit or want to try some oils, reach out to me at [email protected].

Connect with me over on Instagram, @holisticwellnessfoodie. It would also mean so much if you would leave us a rating or a review at any podcast platform that you’re listening to us on. 

Links to things I talk about in the show:

• Books by Jenn Pike:
• The Simplicity Project
• The Simplicity Kitchen
• The Simplicity Body
• The Hormone Project by Jenn Pike
• Synced by Jenn Pike

Where you can find Jenn Pike:

Jenn’s Website

Jenn’s Instagram (@jennpike)

Jenn’s YouTube Channel (Simplicity TV)

Where you can find me:

Samantha’s Facebook

Samantha’s Instagram

Samantha’s Website

Samantha’s Twitter

Healthy Hormones for Women Podcast Private Community on Facebook

How you can work with me:

• 6-Week Healthy Hormones for Women Intensive - Use the coupon code PODCAST at checkout to save 60%.
• Healing & Dealing with Hashi’s

What is the one test that could save your life? In this quickie episode, I talk about a really important test that we run in our practice, which is the test for CRP (C-reactive protein) levels. Find out what level you should be at, and what lifestyle changes you can incorporate when your CRP levels are high.

You can find all the info and links about this episode at https://holisticwellness.ca/episode78

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• What is CRP (C-reactive protein) 
• Why it’s important to know your CRP levels
• How your weight impacts your CRP levels
• What CRP level you should be at
• What you can do to lower your CRP levels

Key Takeaways:

• CRP (C-reactive protein) is a marker of inflammation in the body, so high CRP levels are found in every known inflammatory state. It’s manufactured throughout the body and found in immune cells, the liver, and fat cells.
• When your CRP is chronically elevated, this is what can contribute to destructive chronic inflammation.
• Even if you have no symptoms of a disease, elevated CRP levels may signal an increased risk for all degenerative disorders. 
• A study has shown that women with the highest CRP levels had a 16-fold risk for developing diabetes.
• CRP is linked with a lot of cardiovascular-related conditions.
• Most individuals who are overweight tend to produce more inflammatory compounds, which leads to higher levels of CRP and increases your risk of developing a disease.
• Omega-3 fish oils can lower your chances of getting a heart attack by 50%.

Action Steps:

• Test for your CRP levels and know what your level should be at
• What to do to lower your CRP levels:
• Exercise.
• Change your diet.
• Take supplements and probiotics.
• Use essential oils.

Samantha said:

“If you do the CRP test and you notice that it’s high, you can take the right steps to lower it. It’s totally possible.”

“You really want to be proactive with your health and take preventative measures because this is the best way to decrease your chances [of] developing chronic disease and inflammation.”

Thanks for listening!

Important Announcements:

Interested in essential oils? Email me at [email protected].

Check out our Dutch Hormone Program!

Connect with me over on Instagram, @holisticwellnessfoodie.

It would also mean so much if you would leave us a rating or a review over on iTunes or Spotify or Stitcher, or whichever platform you’re listening to us on. Take a screenshot of your review and email it over to us, and get our FREE 3-Day Hormone Balancing Meal Plan.

Links to things I talk about in the show:

• My Pumpkin Peanut Butter Pie

Where you can find me:

Samantha’s Facebook

Samantha’s Instagram

Samantha’s Website

Samantha’s Twitter

Healthy Hormones for Women Podcast Private Community on Facebook

How you can work with me:

• 6-Week Healthy Hormones for Women Intensive
• Healing & Dealing with Hashi’s

Welcome to another Q&A episode! This time, I answer your questions around fertility and share some tips on how you can address it by making some changes in your diet. I also talk about what you can do to heal from SIBO and how to get back on track after falling off the diet wagon.

You can find all the info and links about this episode at https://holisticwellness.ca/episode77

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• Some interesting stats around infertility
• How to change your diet to address infertility
• SIBO: What is it, how to find out if you have it, and how to go about testing it
• Strategies to eliminate SIBO
• How to get back on track after falling off the diet wagon

Key Takeaways:

• Infertility is the inability to get pregnant after at least 12 consecutive months of unprotected sex.
• Some interesting stats regarding infertility: 
• 7.5 million women aged 15 to 44 have impaired ability to get pregnant or carry a baby to term, and 6.9 million women aged 15 to 44 have used infertility services.
• 10% to 15% of couples in the US are infertile, and up to 13% of female infertility is caused by cigarette smoking.
• Irregular or abnormal ovulation accounts for approximately 25% of all female infertility problems.
• Chlamydia causes about 4 million to 5 million infections annually in the US, and if that’s left untreated, it can cause infertility.
• About one-third of couples in which the woman is older than 35 years have fertility problems.
• When you have excess weight, it can increase inflammation in the body, and that can cause issues with implantation, especially if you’re doing IVF.
• If you’re experiencing gas or bloating regularly or you’re dealing with a lot of IBS symptoms, there’s a strong likelihood that you have SIBO.

Action Steps:

• If you’re having issues with infertility, find a support network and a community of women that you can connect with, and know that everybody’s journey is different.
• Choose to eat organic as much as you possibly can.
• Eat foods rich in omega-3s, which can help reduce inflammation and promote fertilization and implantation.
• Eat foods rich in vitamin E and vitamin C, as well as foods rich in folate.
• Eat lots of cruciferous vegetables and foods rich in zinc.
• Avoid high-processed foods and be conscious of your consumption of grains, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine.
• Get a clear picture of your fertility by testing your hormones and your thyroid.

Samantha said:

“Recognize that no one person’s journey is going to be the same. Everybody’s journey is different and what one woman experiences is going to be different from yours or how their treatment went will be different from yours.”

“More than anything, what I want for women is to just eat ridiculously healthy, good food and food that’s going to support their health and their hormones and their vitality and allow them to live a more powerful, happy, joyful life.”

Thanks for listening!

Important Announcements:

My podcast has been nominated for Podcast of the Year!!! If you tune in with me each week and you're loving all the content we share, I would so appreciate your vote :) You can VOTE HERE! 

Connect with me over on Instagram, @holisticwellnessfoodie. It would also mean so much if you would leave us a rating or a review over on iTunes or Spotify or Stitcher, or whichever platform you’re listening to us on. Take a screenshot of your review and email it over to us, and get our FREE 3-Day Hormone Balancing Meal Plan.

Podcast episodes mentioned that you shouldn’t miss:

• Episode 64: 12 Best Foods and Herbs to Boost Fertility and Support Hormonal Health
• Episode 25: Optimizing Your Menstrual Cycle, Understanding Cervical Mucus & The Impact of Toxic Makeup
• Episode 48: What Is SIBO & How to Heal It
• Episode 76: How to Combat Night Time Snacking + Weight Loss Strategies That Go Beyond the Food

Where you can find me:

Samantha’s Facebook

Samantha’s Instagram

Samantha’s Website

Samantha’s Twitter

Healthy Hormones for Women Podcast Private Community on Facebook

How you can work with me:

• 6-Week Healthy Hormones for Women Intensive
• Healing & Dealing with Hashi’s

What’s the one thing you can do that’s going to help you lose weight? Well, that doesn’t exist. Losing weight doesn’t work that way. But if you want to learn some strategies that you can implement and to make better choices, you’ve come to the right podcast.

You can find all the info and links about this episode at https://holisticwellness.ca/episode76

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• How you might be approaching weight loss in the wrong way
• Getting your mindset right when it comes to weight loss and going beyond the food
• Strategies to overcome night-time snacking
• The delayed gratification technique
• 3 key things to losing weight:

Key Takeaways:

• There is no one-size-fits-all approach to losing weight. It’s a combination of multiple things that makes weight loss successful.
• Night-time snacking is one of the reasons why people gain weight.
• Can diet supplements be helpful? Absolutely! But that doesn’t mean they’re a magic fix.
• 3 things that are key to losing weight:

1. You need a plan to follow.
2. You need accountability.
3. You need a support network.

Action Steps:

• Do away with diet pills. They won’t get you anywhere.
• Anticipate the feelings that lead you to night-time snacking and come up with an activity that’ll interrupt that pattern.
• Implement the delayed gratification technique. Instead of getting up and grabbing the food that you’re craving for right away, take out your phone and set the timer for five minutes, and sit with that uncomfortable feeling.
• Create a clear and compelling vision for your future health.
• Declutter your space. You want to be in a space where you feel calm and confident.
• Find outlets that will help you deal with stress.

Samantha said:

“When you can better yourself and show up more powerfully in your life, you will make better choices that are in alignment with the life that you truly want.”

“You have to show up for yourself. You have to take action. You have to make yourself a priority. You have to invest in yourself. Sometimes that can be really scary but nothing changes if nothing changes.”

Thanks for listening!

Important Announcements:

My podcast has been nominated for Podcast of the Year!!! If you tune in with me each week and you're loving all the content we share, I would so appreciate your vote :) You can VOTE HERE! 

Learn more about our 8-Week Dutch Hormone Program. When you sign up, you get full access to our 8-Week Metabolic Reset Weight Loss Program at no additional cost.

Connect with me over on Instagram, @holisticwellnessfoodie. It would also mean so much if you would leave us a rating or a review over on iTunes or Spotify or Stitcher, or whichever platform you’re listening to us on. Take a screenshot of your review and email it over to us, and get our FREE 3-Day Hormone Balancing Meal Plan.

Where you can find me:

Samantha’s Facebook

Samantha’s Instagram

Samantha’s Website

Samantha’s Twitter

Healthy Hormones for Women Podcast Private Community on Facebook

How you can work with me:

• 6-Week Healthy Hormones for Women Intensive - Use the coupon code PODCAST at checkout to save 60%.
• Healing & Dealing with Hashi’s

What are the Hormonal Charlie’s Angels? Listen in to one of my Facebook Live recordings, find out more about your hormones, and learn to connect the dots when it comes to your health.

You can find all the info and links about this episode at https://holisticwellness.ca/episode75.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• My hormonal health story
• The hormonal Charlie’s Angels: cortisol, estrogen, and thyroid
• What happens when these three hormones are out of balance versus when they’re in balance
• Some simple strategies that you can do to support these hormones

Key Takeaways:

• Whether you’re fired up from work with your to-do list or fired up from running from a tiger, they’re the same stress to your body and it’s going to take a toll on your immune system.
• If you had caught some kind of viral infection, bacterial infection, or parasite infection in the past, if you haven’t been able to heal them appropriately, they can start to show up in your later years.
• Cortisol is a very smart, no-nonsense, strategic-thinking hormone. It’s alert in your nervous system to threats. 
• If you are experiencing weight gain, cortisol and insulin are the two hormones you want to look at as both are fat-storing hormones.
• When you are constantly stressed, the communication between your brain and your adrenals is impaired, that’s why you experience adrenal burnout.
• A dysregulated cortisol could lead to diabetes, metabolic syndrome, depression, low sex drive, low thyroid, fatigue and exhaustion, irregular and heavy periods, autoimmune conditions, infertility and PCOS, and accelerated aging.
• Your thyroid is what controls your metabolism.
• When you have dysregulated thyroid, you’re going to feel sluggish, run-down, and tired. You’re going to experience infrequent bowel movement, and you might be constipated. You might also experience unexplained weight gain, depression, feeling inflamed, excessive menstrual bleeding, and excessive hair loss.
• Your estrogen is so important because it helps to produce your serotonin.
• When your estrogen is out of balance, you might experience very low libido, very dry skin, increased hunger, a lack of ovulation, a heavy period, more breast tenderness around your cycle, fibroids and cysts, more PMS symptoms, more brain fog, and PCOS.

Action Steps:

• Connect the dots with your health. 
• Look back to your health history and see all these different areas where things could have gone wrong and started to impact your health.
• Manage your cortisol, estrogen, and thyroid, as well as your insulin and blood sugar.
• Implement these strategies to support your hormones:
• Pay attention to your nutrition and eat an anti-inflammatory whole foods diet.
• Create a healthy routine around sleep.
• Make sure you stay hydrated all the time.
• Move and sweat.
• Try acupuncture.
• Avoid endocrine disruptors.
• Supplement with Vitamin C.

Samantha said:

“Your body can’t differentiate between a to-do list that’s super long or running from a lion in the jungle. It’s all a stressor to your body.”

“Weight loss isn’t a linear process. Your health in general... it’s about taking the baby steps every single day.”

Thanks for listening!

Important Announcements:

We’d love to have you in our 8-Week Metabolic Reset Weight Loss Program! It’s a program that addresses all of the things that cause weight issues. It is your one-stop-shop for losing weight and balancing your hormones. Plus, you only need to pay once to remain a member of the Metabolic Reset for life!

Connect with me over on Instagram, @holisticwellnessfoodie. It would also mean so much if you would leave us a rating or a review over on iTunes or Spotify or Stitcher, or whichever platform you’re listening to us on. Take a screenshot of your review and email it over to us, and get our FREE 3-Day Hormone Balancing Meal Plan.

Where you can find me:

Samantha’s Facebook

Samantha’s Instagram

Samantha’s Website

Samantha’s Twitter

Healthy Hormones for Women Podcast Private Community on Facebook

How you can work with me:

• 6-Week Healthy Hormones for Women Intensive - Use the coupon code PODCAST at checkout to save 60%.
• Healing & Dealing with Hashi’s