Health Extremism (Round Two): Why It's Overwhelming + What To Do About It (Episode #54)

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You don't have to be chasing the latest extreme protocol to feel exhausted by the health space right now — sometimes just scrolling past it is enough to wear you down. 

In this episode, Jess revisits health extremism from a different angle: 

From a real story about a viral "copper pipes vs. PEX" health scare (and what her husband had to say about it) to the exact four foundational habits worth protecting when everything else feels like noise, this episode is here to remind you that you're not alone in the overwhelm.

• Why "enough" keeps getting redefined when it comes to health, and how that's different from a willpower problem
• Real-life examples of how informational overload and contradictory health content rarely tells the whole story
• Why alarming, urgent content performs better online — and why that's not a reflection of what's actually true
• The 4 foundational habits worth focusing on before adding anything else
• Why consistency beats perfection, especially for high-achieving women prone to all-or-nothing thinking

You don't have to win the health extremism fight. You just have to opt out of it.

 Connect with Jess:

• Instagram: @vitalbalancewithjess 
• Website: jessicatrone.com
• Email: vitalbalancewithjess@gmail.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome to Vital Balance with Jess, the podcast for women who want real life strategy, no BS conversations about women's health. I'm your host, Jess. While building my career as an attorney, I struggled with hormone imbalances, anxiety, metabolic dysfunction, and a healthcare system that left me with more questions than answers. So I took matters into my own hands. And here's what I discovered. The real magic happens when you get curious, start asking questions, and listening to your body like it actually knows what it's doing. This podcast isn't about weight loss, physical appearance, or rigid wellness routines. It's about agency. I want you to know just how much control you have over your everyday well-being. And I want you to experience stable energy, predictable moods, a sharp yet calm mind, and a body you can trust. Because when women are well, our homes and communities thrive too. Let's get started. Welcome to Vital Balance. I'm Jess. A while back I did an episode on health extremism where I talked about spotting the red flags and extreme protocols and finding your own path instead of getting swept up in whatever is trending in the health space. And I think that episode landed the way it did because so many of you are exhausted by the extremism of the health world or whatever the health gurus are currently spouting. And I think that episode landed the way it did because so many of you are exhausted by the extremism of the health world. We get on social media and one account is telling us to adopt a carnivore diet, while another is telling us that this one supplement will change everything. But I think there are two different reasons most women are exhausted by this. And it depends which camp you fall into. The first is the woman who actually gets pulled into the extremism. She tries and experiments with all the different fads and protocols, and eventually she burns out. Because maintaining an extreme diet or way of living isn't sustainable. And on top of that, she's probably also frustrated that it didn't provide the results she was promised. And then there's the woman who isn't falling for the extreme protocols, but she still sees them on her social media feed and she's constantly questioning whether she should be doing them. And even though she's trying her best to live a healthy life, she always feels like she's falling short. This woman might be consciously tracking her water intake, maybe counting her daily steps, trying to eat more protein and get some vegetables on her plate. And honestly, some of those things feel challenging at times. So when she sees someone tell her that she needs to be doing a cold plunge every morning or that her protein intake is actually half of what it should be, understandably she becomes overwhelmed. And I think one of the biggest problems that comes from that overwhelm and the health extremism is the tendency to give up or maybe not make certain health decisions that aren't extreme and that would be good changes to make because we just don't know what to prioritize. There is so much information out there, we don't know how to filter it, we don't know what will work best for us personally, and it just feels like too much. So, in that vein, I want to start by saying this isn't a willpower problem, and it isn't you being lazy or inconsistent necessarily. What's actually happening is that what's considered doing enough when it comes to our health keeps getting redefined. So let's look at exercise as an example. Within the past five to ten years, a lot more attention has been given to weightlifting, especially for women, because you know, men have been doing it consistently for decades. And the importance of muscle has really been touted for our metabolic health. And that's true good science-backed information. Resistance or weight training can work wonders for your health. I've experienced it personally. I've been lifting weights for years and doing body weight resistance training even longer than that, over 10 years. But I still get overwhelmed quite frequently by the information coming from the exercise community, whether it's personal trainers or other health experts. For a while, the information being espoused was forget the cardio. Switch to lifting weights three to four times per week instead if you want to experience optimal health. In fact, cardio even can have some negative impacts on your health. Now that has seemingly changed. We need to do both. But not only do we need to add cardio back in, we need to do two different types: zone two cardio and a form of cardio where we get our heart rate up to nearly its maximum rate, whether that's through a traditional hit or Tabata type workout or an assault bike, sprinting, whatever you choose that gets your heart rate really high. And the zone two cardio needs to be done for at least 40 minutes several times per week. Oh, and don't forget mobility exercises and stretching. So you really should be adding yoga or something similar twice per week. So we've got lifting weights three to four times per week, which typically takes about 45 minutes, then we have zone two for 40 minutes three times per week, then the intense cardio at least once per week, yoga a few times per week. And obviously, if we only did one of those per day, we would need a 10-day week, which doesn't exist. So we're gonna have to double up, which means we're looking at two hours of exercise some days. And honestly, how many people have time for that? Obviously, the people telling us we need to do it have the time because they exercise for a living. Oh, and I totally forgot about walking. You've gotta get those 10,000 steps in every day. So honestly, if everything I said wasn't enough to overwhelm you, or maybe you weren't overwhelmed by exercise and now you are, so sorry about that. But I get I get overwhelmed with all this information for a couple of reasons. Number one, the obvious, where am I gonna find the time to do all of this? When will I have time for the other forms of exercise I actually enjoy, like tennis? Or does tennis fall into that exercise protocol? And if so, which form? Is it the steady state zone two cardio or is it the more intense cardio? Or maybe it's a combination of both. Number two, since I don't have time to do all of that, what do I prioritize? What am I not going to do? And then I'm gonna question whether I'm making the right decision about which form of exercise not to include. How do I truly know which one is best for me? Should I rotate weeks? Maybe I'll do yoga some weeks and not others. And then it gets to the point where you're like, oh, that that feels like a lot to keep track of. Another example of this health extremism and the overwhelm that typically results from it when it comes to food is protein. It used to be that eating well-balanced meals was sufficient, right? Make a meal that includes all the macronutrients. But then somebody came along and told us that our protein needs to be at least 100 grams per day. No weight, 120. Actually, a gram per pound of body weight. And if you're not hitting that number, you're losing muscle as you age. So you'd better start like actually weighing your food so that you're getting this right. Every few months it seems like there's a new non-negotiable, a new thing that we're apparently failing at, even though six months ago that same thing didn't even exist as a category that we were supposed to worry about, or maybe it did and we just didn't know about it. I want to be fair here because I'm not saying every new piece of health advice out there is extreme or inaccurate. Some of it is genuinely useful. The problem isn't any single piece of advice. The problem is the accumulation. It's the sense that health has turned into an ever-expanding checklist that you can never actually finish because the second you check one box, three more items get added to the list. And why is that? I think there are a couple of reasons. Number one, it's not always about accuracy and telling people something that is truly beneficial for them, unfortunately. A lot of times it's about trying to get your attention because attention is what pays the bills for whoever's making it. And alarming, urgent content performs better online than calm, boring content does. And that's just the way these platforms are built. I talked about this in the episode on social media and the outrage algorithm. And it's the same mechanism at work here. Outrage gets rewarded, so does alarm. And health is one of the easiest ways to manufacture alarm because your body, your brain, and even your kids and family are impacted by it. So it doesn't take much to make us anxious about whether what we're doing is right when it comes to our health. Number two, people in the health space want to be innovative. They want to come up with the next best thing because again, and this really leads back to the first reason, they want attention andor more money. It's also that different health experts have different interests or different paths of health they get hung up on. And I think part of that might actually be anxiety fueling them. Because if they are fully consumed all the time with health and the implications of nearly every choice they make, I think it's likely that they probably get fixated on certain things they think make the biggest impact, but you know, in reality, they don't really know that. We might know some things about health with certainty, but we don't often know just how important those things are for our long-term health or our longevity. And a lot of these health experts claim that they do know that. I also want to point out that many of these health experts, and when I say experts, I really want to put quotes around that because many of them are not really experts, many of them discuss topics that will scare people when they don't really know the true implications or the full picture of what they're discussing. And I'll give you an example. The other day I saw a video on Instagram of a functional medicine doctor saying that if you can choose between PEX piping and copper piping for the plumbing in your house, you should always go with copper because the PEX piping is made of plastic and has harmful chemicals that will leach into your water, especially when you run hot water through the pipes. I then made the mistake of reading many of the comments on that reel. And many people agreed with the doctor, but many people did not. And there were some interesting comments from actual plumbers. Of course, the comments made me more confused and unsure of whether this doctor's position was merely instilling fear in people, which knowing this particular doctor, I don't think that was his intention, but I wanted to know whether it was about fear or whether he had made a legitimate point. So knowing that our house was built in the last five years and has PEX piping, I immediately go to my husband and I tell him about this reel and question whether we are consuming microplastics and chemicals and spent, you know, a few minutes lamenting that perhaps we didn't select the right piping for our house and that we need copper piping. My husband, being the calm voice of reason that he normally is, asked whether the doctor had mentioned any downsides of copper piping. And when I said no, he then proceeded to raise several good points. Number one, copper piping is much more expensive than PEX piping, and for some people it's cost prohibitive. Two, it depends on the type of water running through the pipes as to which one will perform better. For example, well water typically has a lot of minerals that will over time erode the copper piping. So you could actually be consuming high levels of copper, which is not not good for us. And that erosion can lead to leaks, which could be you know smaller leaks that we're unaware of, which could ultimately lead to the formation of molds in your house, which is going to potentially raise another health issue. Three, you can't just consider your house's piping. What about the piping that goes underground and leads directly to the well? Apparently, you can't put copper underground because it will also prematurely erode, not to mention, depending on where the well is located, you're talking about a very long copper pipe, which again could be cost prohibitive. And fourth, PEX is a hard stable plastic that isn't likely to break down easily. It is meant to withstand pretty high heat. And my husband said, and you know, but for that reason, because it is known that high heat can degrade plastic, he keeps our hot water heater set to a maximum that is pretty low. So our water is never gonna get scalding hot, essentially. And so I know that only addressed issues with people who have well water, which is me, but I know a lot of people have city water, but there's also issues with city water too, and the chemicals that they put in city water in order to actually make it drinkable, like chlorine, um, those things can have an effect on the piping too. My my whole point in saying all this is that that doctor just sort of gave a snapshot of a much, much bigger picture of many more things to consider when it comes to choosing the piping for your plumbing. Oh, and the doctor mentioned that if you must have PEX piping, you should have an RO filter before you drink the water that comes out of your pipes. But you know what? It turns out RO filters are typically made, if you guessed it, plastic. So would you really be filtering out microplastics anyway? After talking to my husband, I not only felt better, but I realized that most of these things being told to us on social media by people in the health space, they don't even consider the entire picture associated with what they're saying. And honestly, they probably don't even know. This guy is a doctor. And maybe he knows that microplastics aren't really beneficial for our health, but he's also not a plumber. He doesn't work in construction. Had he even considered all of those other factors when he decided to post about this on social media? Probably not. And to make matters worse, a lot of health information online is contradictory. So one account might tell you that seed oils are the root of your inflammation, while another account tells you that seed oil fear is overblown and you're just wasting your energy on the wrong villain. One person might swear by fasting for 14 to 16 hours a day, while another says that fasting tanks your hormones, especially as a woman, and you shouldn't do it. And then you feel like you're not equipped to referee those fights. And honestly, neither am I most of the time. And the reasons why this matters beyond just being annoying is that, like I already said, the overwhelm will often lead to stagnancy and complacency. The mindset of since I can't do everything right, I'm not gonna do any of it. But also the constant noise and information overload is a stressor. So picture a pretty ordinary morning, maybe it's a summer morning, and you don't have to rush out the door because your kids don't have any camps on the schedule for this week, and maybe you're fortunate enough to be able to work from home. You sit down with your coffee for two minutes of quiet time, but instead of just drinking your coffee, you open your phone, and the first thing you see is a video telling you that your morning coffee on an empty stomach is spiking your cortisol. And not only that, but if your coffee isn't organic, you're ingesting a lot of pesticides. Not to mention mold, because most coffee contains mold. So now you're stressed out about the coffee you were drinking, and this is the first informational input of your day, and it's about the very thing you're currently doing that is supposed to bring calm and joy to your morning, your cup of coffee. So here's the irony in all of this. You are consuming this content because you want to be healthier. You are trying genuinely to take care of yourself, but the sheer volume of it, the confusion, the guilt, all of it could be raising your cortisol, increasing your stress, which means the way you're pursuing health is in itself becoming a source of stress. You are working against the very thing you were trying to build, and you didn't even do anything wrong. It's just the reality of the internet and social media. Okay, so what do we actually do with all of this? Well, for starters, I encourage you to unfollow any health accounts, or actually this applies to any accounts, health or not, that cause you stress, anxiety, make you question yourself, make you feel overwhelmed. Two, I think it's also important to acknowledge and identify the extremism. Yes, it exists, and you're not the only one overwhelmed by it. The solution is to not let it consume you and to take action and do something about it. Whether that's unfollowing those people or giving yourself boundaries, maybe there are three aspects of health you're gonna focus on and you're not going to address anything else until you've mastered those, or until you've entered a different season of life where you're less busy or your kids are older, whatever it might be. Three is to focus on consistency, not perfection. No one is perfect, obviously. Even the health gurus aren't doing all the things they espouse perfectly. We're human. It's easy, especially for type A personalities, for the high-achieving women, to have that mindset of if I can't do it perfectly, I won't do it at all. No, no, no. Consistency is what gets results. They may not be as fast of results as you want, but consistency is what will get you there. Not doing it gets you nothing. Essentially, you need to commit to consistency, but don't beat yourself up when you're not perfect and life has other plans some days because it will. And then as far as actual health goals that are foundational, that really move the needle and are worth your time, but that can be accomplished without a lot of stress and or money, I'm gonna give you four. And these are nothing new. I've discussed all of these in past episodes multiple times, and so I'm not gonna go into great detail, but it's always worth re-mentioning them because despite their importance, there are plenty of people that don't even get these right, that don't focus on these foundational things before they move on to some of the much more nuanced or even fringe related issues when it comes to health. So the first is sleep. Everything else in life, and I mean everything, will be harder if you aren't getting the amount and the quality of sleep you need. And this is different for everyone, but you know what you need. And if you don't, if you've been getting five or six hours every night for years and you don't know what your body truly needs to feel good, to feel to have energy, to not have those afternoon dips in energy, to function optimally, to not have any brain fog, this is where you need to start. If you don't know how much sleep you need, figure that out. Make that your priority. Number two, eat well-balanced meals. Don't focus on a specific diet, don't count calories, don't count macros. Just eat meals that contain some protein, healthy fats, vegetables, and perhaps a complex carb. Don't weigh the food, don't stress about it. Just aim for a good variety of whole foods. Ditch the processed foods and high amounts of sugar. Number three, move your body. Sitting all day isn't just bad for your body, although it is, it's also not good for your brain. I have had a noticeable increase in anxiety since my ACL surgery, and it didn't show up until a few months after surgery, but I am convinced that it is due in large part, it's always more than one reason, but I believe that a lot of it has to do with the changes in my physical activity, both the type of activity and the level of activity. I'm walking a decent amount, I'm doing physical therapy, Pilates, upper body weights, but I am used to much more strenuous exercise several times a week. I'm used to playing tennis. Basically, my standard movement changed, and so did my health, right along with it, honestly. But if you're at a different place, if you work a desk job and your current movement is walking to and from your house into your car, then make it a priority to change that. Increase your movement and see how you feel. Our bodies are made to move. Number four, and the last one, is be aware of your stress. I know managing stress is difficult, and everybody says manage your stress. And a lot of people are like, I don't know how, what does that mean? Where do I start? But a lot of us don't even recognize it or acknowledge it. Like, oh, it's just considered par for the course. It's just that's what my life is like. Well, I encourage you to take inventory of your life and how stress might be impacting you and your health, and then consider what changes you can make to minimize it. Eliminating stress entirely isn't possible. But again, this is not about perfection. Change starts with awareness. Okay, so clearly that was just skimming the surface of all four of those health topics, but start with those. Only when you have those dialed in and you have the capacity or the bandwidth to move on to something else should you. And if you feel like you're stuck when it comes to your health, you want to initiate new habits but need support, or you just don't feel like yourself, that's exactly what a hormone clarity call is for. It's free, it's a real conversation with me about what's going on with you specifically, not a generic protocol pulled off the internet. The link to sign up for this call is in the show notes if you would like to book one. So here's what I want you to walk away with today. The health noise is loud because loud gets attention, not because loud is correct. Somebody somewhere is always gonna have a new protocol, a bigger claim, a scarier warning about something we're supposedly doing wrong. But you get to opt out of measuring yourself against that. You're allowed to stop scrolling, to unfollow that person, to stop comparing yourself to whatever's trending this week. You are allowed to trust that sleeping well, eating whole foods, moving your body and addressing your stress and then trying to stay consistent with those things. That is a real legitimate way to take care of yourself. Thank you so much for being here. Until next time.

SPEAKER_00 24:27

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave my mommy a five-star review. And don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

SPEAKER_01 24:35

Thanks so much for tuning in to Vital Balance with Jess. If you loved this episode, it would mean the world if you would leave a review, share it with a friend, or hit subscribe so you never miss a dose of real talk on women's health. Remember, you have more control over your health than you've been told, and sustainable change is possible. Keep listening to your body and showing up for yourself. I'll see you next time.