The Wellness Trap: Are You Optimizing or Obsessing?

Is the wellness world actually making us healthier — or just more anxious and broke? Taryn and Michela get real about the pressure to optimize every single thing: your sleep, your skin, your diet, your body. From peptide injections ordered off TikTok to the death of HIIT culture — nothing is off the table.
They're not doctors, nutritionists, or trainers. They're just two women who've tried it all, made some expensive mistakes, and want to cut through the noise.
Chapters:
0:00 – Intro: When did health become a full-time job?
1:54 – The vitamin spiral: making your husband take 20 supplements a day
4:04 – Do you actually need all those supplements?
4:49 – Food quality in America: organic isn't bougie, it's just less glyphosate
6:14 – Balance: why Diet Coke and a cigarette in France can coexist with healthy living
7:38 – Diet culture: intermittent fasting, nutritionists, and "zip your lip"
10:10 – American hunger culture: why being a tiny bit hungry is actually okay
13:18 – Raising kids with a healthy relationship to food (and no food rewards)
15:23 – Peptides 101: GLP-1s, Ozempic, semaglutide — what they actually do
17:41 – The scary side of weight loss drugs no one talks about
18:41 – Aging, aesthetics & where we draw the line
20:22 – Compound pharmacies, unregulated peptides & injecting things you order online
24:56 – Moving your body: Pilates, strength training & why they ditched running
30:36 – Skincare deep dive: lasers, melasma, and why heat ruined one host's skin
33:43 – Microneedling, Tretinoin, sunscreen & what actually works for everyone
35:08 – The wellness wrap-up: what actually matters (sleep, movement, real food)
36:49 – Would You Rather: bad Botox for 3 months vs. getting lice 😂
39:22 – Would You Rather: look like a film star but eat junk forever vs. real life
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💬 Drop a comment: Are you an optimizer or a "do what feels good" person?
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Join sisters-in-law Taryn & Michela (South African girls married into a huge Sephardic family with zero boundaries) for raw, funny, heartfelt conversations that actually help you protect your peace.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to Boundaries and Banter. We are your host, Tarna Michaela. Today we are going to be talking about health and wellness.

SPEAKER_02 0:07

Okay. Well, I feel as though let's just first talk about how health and wellness in 2026 feels so much about optimization rather than health and wellness. Everything is like, how can I optimize aging? How can I optimize my weight? Everything is like, how can I do something the best, the most efficient? And it's like a full-time job. It's a full-time job now in 2026.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

Yeah, when you see those influencers on Instagram or TikTok, and they wake up with their, you know, from their morning routine and they have like a collagen mask on and something on their their mouth for like the mouth breathing and then their nose. And then they have an eye mask on and something on their chest, and they like guasha and they do like all these treatments and they stand on the vibrating plate and then they do the red light therapy. And it's just like whoa.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

Right. And so they're immediately how can I optimize my sleep? Okay, I'm gonna mouth tape. How can I optimize my skin? I'm gonna sleep with this mask and that mask, and I'm gonna, you know, do this and that, and then how can I optimize? And I'm gonna have the hair, heatless hair things in and whatever. And then I'm gonna do lymphatic drainage, which is the vibration plate, and I'm gonna do red light. And then, you know, I'm also gonna take this supplement and that supplement. And then peptide and that peptide. And and whatever. And I'm going to, you know, um have chlorophyll and drink uh lemon and hot water, and then I'm gonna have a handful of blueberries before I spike my cordos on.

SPEAKER_00 1:49

For my thyroid, it is crazy. So much to keep up with.

SPEAKER_02 1:54

And for a while, by the way, before we dive into it, there was a time, okay, when I was so gung ho. Like I really fell in, and I'm not saying the trap because I think it's a trap. I don't necessarily think it's a trap, but I did fall fall into the trap, so to speak, for lack of a better word, of taking all of the vitamins in the world when I first dated my husband, okay, who was pretty unhealthy because I don't think that he necessarily. I grew up in a really healthy family. I don't think that he was, I don't think he knew about these things. I also don't think everybody knows about these things.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

My husband, um wait, let me just they both lost 20 pounds since they've been with us. Yeah, they both more than that.

SPEAKER_02 2:48

Yeah. But what but okay, so I so I would make him take like 10 to 20 vitamins a day. Yeah. And I would put them out on a plate for him and I would tell him when to take them and whatever. And I I got over it myself, so I stopped doing it. I still do take like a few vitamins and tell him to or whatever, you know, like your basic vitamin C and other things like cod liver or you know, beef organ stuff. Um, but I mean, I think he was shell-shocked because I was so into it. And trace water minerals, which I do think are good. But again, it's so much upkeep, and it is so expensive. It's very expensive. If you're getting vitamins that are third-party tested and to make sure that nothing shitty is in them and you want the most effective vitamins, they're expensive. You want thorn vitamins, they're expensive.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

Sponsor us. But you know what? I think that sure, the vitamins and the supplements, and like especially for like for men and like their sperm health and like their heart, CoQ10 is like is is a good supplement. And then for women, like the doctors, your your OB will probably tell you, even if you're not trying to get pregnant, like take a take a prenatal. Yeah, I take prenatals. I also though think a lot of being healthy should just come from like eating the right foods. Like, do you really need all these supplements?

SPEAKER_02 4:14

Well, that's what that's the thing is like if you are getting the nutrients you need from your food sources, you really do not, and I see so many podcasts and so many doctors talk about how this is a it's an industry, it's a money-making industry. So, unless you actually have a deficiency, you know, or you're you're unable to get a certain thing from food sources, or you're pregnant, or you're pregnant. Yeah, or you, you know, the doctor told you, hey, you know, you're deficient in this, you need to supplement it, you need to supplement your iron, whatever it is. You could be getting everything you need from food sources. Now, then you got into the argument of, okay, but we live in America, most things are processed, most things have pesticides, most things aren't, you know, even our eggs, right? Free-range eggs aren't the same as pasturized eggs. So, you know, grass-fed beef isn't the same as just organic beef. And so, you know, if you want the grass-fed beef or the pasteurized eggs or whatever it is, you're paying a little bit more money.

SPEAKER_00 5:12

I and then that's really hard. I think that's really important though. And like, you don't have to go and get your organic stuff from Erwon. You can buy it. Even Trader Joe's has like the organic. If you're on a budget, it has the organic. And people think, like, oh, organic, you're so bougie. But, you know, this has been on so many podcasts, and so many people have said it that organic isn't like a bougie thing, it's just removing the glyphosate from the food, you know. And look, there's a balance. Like you and I eat really healthy. We exercise, like everything, you know, I buy, especially for my kids. Like, I do not give them non-organic stuff, but I drink Diet Coke. So there is a balance. And by the way, when I'm pregnant, it's really weird because I'm breastfeeding and I drink Diet Coke. But when I'm pregnant, I won't drink Diet Coke. Really? I don't know why. It's like a weird thing, but I love Diet Coke.

SPEAKER_02 6:06

It's horrible for your gut. Diet sodas are horrible for your gut. Yeah, but there's a lot of freaking love Diet Coke.

SPEAKER_00 6:13

I love Diet Dr. Pepper. Okay, well, any back to like the balance of things. I think it's really important to have just a balanced, well-maintained diet. And if you do, you will find your cravings will go down significantly. Like the more you eat sugar, the more you crave it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:29

My best friend Renee is a holistic practitioner and she's so brilliant. And um, I forgot her her Instagram is like holistic healer LA, I think. Anyway, Renee Masazade, she's really, really amazing. Um, and she was like, if you don't have any refined sugar, you know, so that's not sugar and fruits or anything like that, right? So if you don't have any refined sugar for two weeks, your craving will be gone. And she's right. She's a hundred percent right. If I don't have refined sugar for two weeks, my craving for it is gone.

SPEAKER_00 7:03

But that being said, I think sometimes it's okay. Like you want a little bit of dessert, like have a little bit of dessert.

SPEAKER_02 7:09

But having that craving for like, I need a sweet treat after every meal, after every dinner, or whatever. You don't need that. Yeah, and that goes away. And so if you're just like, oh, you know, I'm craving an ice cream or whatever it is, you know, once in a while, go get the ice cream. Yeah. Yeah. Like I'm a big believer in that too. And by the way, you know, a lot of it is just about a portion too. America's portions aren't normal. If you go to Europe or any other country, like they're not stuffing themselves.

SPEAKER_00 7:38

Yeah. Well, I think that there's like so many different diets that, you know, there's like the intermittent fasting, there's the low-carb, high fat or high fat, whatever it is. I like for a very long time have worked with a nutritionist and she lives in South Africa and she's like incredible. There, I do not believe there is anyone better than her. She is like everything. She is so good. And her whole thing is like, you don't need to starve to lose weight. And I like really agree with that. And you just need to be eating, you need to be burning more than you're eating, you know? So, like, you do need to limit what you're eating, but you don't need to starve.

SPEAKER_02 8:21

No.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

And I'm very big on, like, for me, what works for me is eating often. Other people aren't like that. Like, I prefer small things every few hours. My parents, for example, like if they eat a big lunch, they're not eating dinner. Yeah. Like you just basically at the end of the day to lose weight, if that's what you want to do, you need to zip your lip. But what you just said isn't zip your lip. Yeah, it is. You need to, that's you, you eating every few hours and zipping your lip. Right. But eating every few hours with a it's not like I'm having, you know, burger and fries every few hours. Like for me, if I'm eating every few hours, lunch might be two hard-boiled eggs and a cracker.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:09

Which for other people, that might be a snack.

SPEAKER_02 9:13

I see what you're saying. But that's just one of your like five things that you'll have that day. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like I'm not gonna. Here's the thing is I think that you're right, you don't need to starve, but I think being a little bit hungry, like not having a full, full stomach at all times. It's not good to have a full, full stomach at all times.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

Do you think that there's really people that are like, I'm hungry, I need something right now? Yes. Like I think that is American culture. It's like never to be hungry. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 9:42

Interesting. It's never to be hungry. That is exactly what I'm saying. So, you know, that's why people say, okay, you know, eat at before eat your last meal before 7 p.m. Because then your body can digest and you're not going to bed on a full stomach. If you're not having a full stomach, that means you might be a little bit hungry, right? Like maybe there's a little bit of hunger. It's not actually like, oh, I'm hungry. I need food now, but it's like, hey, my stomach's not full. I feel okay. I think people don't realize like that's an o that that's an okay feeling. Yeah. Okay. So like they feel that and then they're like, I need to satiate this right now, but you don't.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

Interesting. So I never thought that people could just like for me, I think you're right. Like, I like to eat dinner early. So like I go to bed several hours after having dinner. And I guess, yeah, maybe I'm like a little hungry when I go to bed.

SPEAKER_02 10:37

Right, but you're you don't associate with that with I need to eat right now, and you're not starving right now.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Yeah, I mean, like there's no way I'm eating something at 10:30 at night. Right.

SPEAKER_02 10:46

You're not starving by any means, but maybe you're just a tiny bit hungry and that's okay, right? That's zipping your lip. Tiny bit hungry that I'll wait till breakfast. Right. And that's zipping your lip. And that is, and again, if your goal is to lose weight, then that's the way. Also, eating things high in protein or high in fiber, that's good for your digestive system, it's good for your bowels, that's gonna keep you satiated for longer, you know, like real foods, not just, you know, empty carbs or empty calories or whatever it is that holds you over until, you know, the next two hours.

SPEAKER_00 11:21

I mean, like, you know, there's a lot of nutritionists that there's like the volume eaters that just eat like loads and loads and loads and loads of food. Have you seen that? But like it's like cabbage. Yeah. But like maybe it's better to just be having, you know, a half a cup of brown rice or half a half a cup of what of quinoa or whatever with a protein and a vegetable. So you're a little more balanced. Yeah. Everyone has a different, every nutritionist has a different approach. Every person has a different approach. But I think at the end of the day, look, there's people have different goals. Some people want to lose weight, some people want to maintain, some people just want to be healthy.

SPEAKER_02 11:58

And some people want to gain muscle.

SPEAKER_00 12:00

Correct. And I don't know exactly what the right diets are for that. Like everyone has to do their own research. But I think even if you don't need to lose weight, you don't need to gain muscle. You're not on any specific sort of diet. I think that a lot of people don't realize how much better they'll feel if they just eat healthy.

SPEAKER_02 12:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:22

You don't need to get dessert at a restaurant. You don't need to eat every meal out.

SPEAKER_02 12:25

And maybe eat like a little less than you think you need to.

SPEAKER_00 12:30

Instead of having two slices of toast for breakfast with scrambled eggs, have one.

SPEAKER_02 12:34

See how you feel. See how you feel. If you're still hungry, okay, sure. But like, see how you feel. A lot of people also don't eat like very slowly or take their time or check in with their body to see, you know, like, am I full? Do I feel full right now? That's a big thing. I feel like even I was like that, you know, like if you're watching TV or you're not paying attention, you just keep eating, you just keep eating, but you're not really checking in to see, am I even full?

SPEAKER_00 12:59

I don't really like TV when you're eating. And look, sometimes I've been desperate with my three-year-old and I let her eat in front of the TV, but I notice, and she's three, that you're not connecting. You have no idea. Like I see she'll just like it's yeah. It's and now, especially with her, I do something that here's your meal. You want to eat it, eat it. You don't. There's no snacks. You're not they're not gonna starve themselves, but there has to be health, and I think it starts from this age. There have to be healthy options. And I also don't think using like if you're a good girl or if you're a good boy, like you're gonna get a chocolate or a lollipop, like I don't believe in using like food for rewards.

SPEAKER_02 13:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

I don't like that. Why? Because I just think that and I've actually I actually heard this the other day that if every time someone's sad, or if like your this is mainly for children, if your child is sad or they, you know, expect a treat as a reward, then that could be like an immediate way of of like gratification, like be instant instant gratification. And then when they're older, that can translate into okay, I can't sit in this feeling of not being satisfied, or you know, if I'm sad, I need a treat. Or and then and I don't remember where I saw this, but I know it was like a a doctor or something talking on Instagram. I wish I knew which one it was. That can actually influence like drug addiction and stuff because like they can't sit in that feeling of being of discomfort.

SPEAKER_02 14:43

Yeah, that's very interesting.

SPEAKER_00 14:44

So I don't know. I've just never been and look, like obviously, but then again, I don't know of how I would feel if my daughter did like sweets. She's never been a sweets girl. She's never like sweets. I've I didn't really give her sweets when she was she likes dates and things like that. She likes dates, she likes fruit, she likes, she loves chips, but she will not. I actually gave her an ice cream once that had chocolate on it, and I've never seen a child's face so disgusted. She was literally gagging, she hates chocolate. But then there's other kids out, like maybe she'll grow into it. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 15:19

So let's talk about other things other than food. Yeah. So like um, there's also just this huge thing in wellness right now with peptides. Yeah. And it's a whole other topic. And obviously, so peptides are a chain of amino acids. It's an injection, right? Like well, they're basically protein that signal to your body you need more of this or you need more of that. Okay. So uh GLP1s, people call it the weight loss, people call them uh peptides. I don't necessarily know that they are peptides. I think that they are, but they're in the peptide for like osempic is? Yeah, like they're in the influencer talk as like being peptides. So like osempic, monjuro, semiglutide, whatever, all the all the ones and thermore, I just don't know the names. They signal to your body, I'm not hungry, right? You're not hungry. So they're supposed to slow your hunger and your digestion so that your body doesn't think you're as hung hungry. And I think that doctors have said this is really problematic for a lot of reasons because and by the way, I'm not talking about people who are prescribed it because they're diabetic or something. Um, and I'm also not talking about inflammation because I do think that it helps with inflammation to a certain extent, but just it signals to your body, hey, I'm not, you're not, you're not hungry. So it's by slowing your digestion. And that's problematic because then it slows your bowels and you're not releasing all the toxins from your body in the way that you need to. So you need to be like, if you're doing a GLP one, it you need to be like on a lot of fiber, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 16:46

Well, aren't people who have those like dramatic weight loss situations, don't they lose hair and their nails and all that? I mean, I think that has something to do with it.

SPEAKER_02 16:56

I think that there have been studies and like we don't know all the evidence of you know, the consequences, just like how we don't know what the consequences for vapes are, you know, like what what is this gonna how is this gonna affect people in like 20, 30 years, whatever, or how's it gonna affect their children, whatever. That whole thing. But that there have been a lot of reports of things like loss of hair, hair loss, um what what else would you say? Nails, nails, yes, and just like other shitty things. Um I don't know. I don't know how much people had to do. I don't know what a the dosage is for whatever, but I think obviously these are really serious drugs that are really overused by people that really probably don't need them.

SPEAKER_00 17:40

I think people think that there's a quick fix. And I also think that a lot of what's happening today is look when we were growing up and there were these models that were aging, it was all about okay, like I'm gonna color my hair so it's not gray or like my makeup, or I, you know, it's the whole thing was, and I I mean, obviously, this is like a big thing for dermatologists is sunscreen. Sunscreen every day, that's what prevents wrinkles. And there was like a little bit of Botox here, a little bit of filler there. There's plastic surgery. Yeah, of course there was plastic surgery. I'm not, I'm talking about like the the well, the wellness things that isn't that aren't surgical. Right. And, you know, today there's still obviously plastic surgery is huge, but I think um that today there's so many more options. Yeah. Apart from just filler, Botox, hair coloring, makeup, you know, the sunscreen, there's so many options. And people, I think, are afraid of aging. I don't know what it is. They don't want to. I think if you obviously you don't want to show up somewhere looking like a slob, but if you, you know, are not looking good, you're overweight, you're not healthy, you're not looking healthy, your color's not good. It doesn't look good. And like I think obviously a big thing now more than ever is image. You want to look good, you want to feel young, you want to look young, and everyone wants to look younger than they are.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

Yeah, but it's become frightening. It's not just it's not just aging gracefully, naturally, like, but in a way that you know you still feel good about yourself or whatever. It's you know, you look at Chris Jenner. Scary, it is terrifying. Like when I first saw her new face, I'm like, but it's not gonna match her body, you know? It's not gonna match her body. It's not just the normal facelift that women are getting now, and it's really scary. I also think a lot of these peptides, right? So they're all all of these other peptides, like there are copper peptides, is that's what is it called? Let me just look. B the BPC157, which is the healing peptide, it's supposed to heal your muscles. There's the glow stack, which helps your hair, skin, and nails. All of these things, which by the way, I'm totally I'm totally interested in those kinds of peptides, right? The the glow stack, whatever that is supposed to just signal to your body, hey, you need more of this or you need more of that. And you know, it's supposed to naturally help them, but help you, you know, restore hair growth or you know, nail growth, skin glowing, and it's all from the inside, and you don't have to do plastic surgery, and it feels more natural, I guess. But there is little research, right, to the extent that you know how it's what it's actually doing to you. Kind of, and also it's also like it's become so accessible, but not by normal channels, right? So there are all of these like compound pharmacies that you can just pay once a month and they'll just ship you all of these materials for you to mix yourself and then or whatever, and then inject yourself. A lot of them, you know, it they're not, and not that I necessarily believe in the FDA, but it's not like they're monitored in any way by any agency.

SPEAKER_00 20:52

They freak me out a little bit. I'm gonna be honest. It freaks me out a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 20:55

It's really scary. That's what, but that's the thing. It's like, okay, I think that these peptides are probably great if you're getting them from the right resource and you're putting them into your body in the right way, and you have all of the blood panels or whatever, and you're seeing that everything is probably okay. But a lot of these people are going rogue. I have so many ads on TikTok, like I'm so targeted. I also sign up, use my code for this compound pharmacy. And it is so terrifying. You don't know what you're putting in your body, injecting it into your body.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

It's actually really terrifying. And by the way, don't get me wrong, as far as like, you know, Chris Jenner, I'm all about a facelift.

SPEAKER_02 21:28

I think that he talks about it on the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 21:30

Yeah, I'm all about a facelift, but there also has to be like a line, like you're 60, you're seven, however old you are, like you can't look 40 again. You you can't look 30. It's so creepy.

SPEAKER_02 21:46

I think it is so creepy.

SPEAKER_00 21:49

I think you just want to, with like the lasers, the botox, the filler, and we've said this before you want to look like an elevated verse. You want to look good for you.

SPEAKER_02 21:57

And also, what are you signaling to the younger? Generations, the people that are looking up to you, the people on social media, your own kids, or whatever that, you know, I'm not comfortable aging in my own skin. I'm not comfortable with like, you know, the body and the face and whatever that I was, you know, my God-given body face, whatever it was, you know. And it's not just a matter of like a little tweak here and there to make me more confident. I'm gonna completely restructure myself. Like the beauty. Did you watch the beauty on on um it's the Ryan Murphy show? Now is it new? Yeah, I came out this this year, and it's kind of an homage to what we're like a very hyperbolic version of what we're going through, where you take this one injection and you completely transform into like the most beautiful person in the world, but like all these people's bodies are combusting, and like you have to keep doing these injections to make more and more and more and more. Yeah, but like all of these people become like actually monsters and then like combust from the inside and explode. It's crazy. You should watch it. It's so topical, and it's so true of like what is going on and the price people will pay to for instant uh to conform to you know what the beauty standard of today is instantaneously.

SPEAKER_00 23:15

Well, I think that people see celebrities and magazines and pictures, and they uh forget that this is all photoshopped, that isn't what people look like.

SPEAKER_02 23:28

And the most beautiful people are the people that really just like shine from within. And I know that that's really cheesy, but it's almost like the more artificial you become on the outside, the more artificial you are on the inside. And there's just this lost of like earnest beauty.

SPEAKER_00 23:46

I really, and I keep thinking this, I really think that what you just said is so true and that it comes from within. And a big part of that is what you put into your body. Yes. Like you can't go and eat cheeseburgers and fries every day and think that it's gonna do wonders for your skin.

SPEAKER_02 24:06

Because you're on Ozathic.

SPEAKER_00 24:08

Right. Like you can't be on a GLP one or whatever, and then eat whatever you want and think that that's what's gonna make you look good. Like it's not going to, and you need to move your body every day.

SPEAKER_02 24:20

Every day. Every day. And I will say, again, balance because obviously you and I love Botox. Yeah, I love Botox. I love Botox. And I've always loved Botox, and that's fine, and I have no problem saying it. Um but at the same time, and I love Diet Coke, and I love a cigarette in the south of France, but at the same time, every day, like for the you know, course of my life, I'm thinking about what I'm putting into my body. Yeah, and and moving, and moving, and yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:55

Um they say that what's best for you is walking, and you have to lift weights too.

SPEAKER_02 25:02

Yeah, so working out, I really like and I really saw changes in my body when I started doing Pilates regularly, like three times a week. I would still go to the gym a couple times a week and do like long walks or incline walks. And then on my off days, I wasn't off. I on my off days, I'll still do like a walk, right? Or I'll go on a hike or whatever. That's an off day I consider. Um, but I really saw change in my body when I was doing when I started doing Pilates three times a week, strength training Pilates because my Pilates studio is um really unique in that my instructor puts a lot of strength training that you could do in the gym, incorporates it into my Pilates. I got shredded, like absolutely shredded because I was consistent. So consistency is the most important thing first and foremost.

SPEAKER_00 25:53

Well, it's that, and like I think, I mean, I you know how I feel about Pilates. It's I love it so much. I do it a lot, and where I go is also not just classic Pilates, it's very spicy, I guess you could say, and um I think it really does make your body look better. And after having two kids, I think it definitely has helped me get on the track of you know, my body getting better. I don't, I I think it's difficult to look how you did pre-pregnancy. But the one thing about Pilates, I will say, and you and I have actually spoken to a doctor about this, it really makes your labor better, quicker, easier. Because your pelvic floor is stronger. Right. I think it helps with tearing. It's just there's so many benefits of Pilates and so many benefits of moving. But at the same time, also if you think that you're going to eat pancakes for breakfast, a burger for lunch, and pasta for dinner, but you went for a walk, or you had your trainer, or you went to Pilates, so like you're good, you're not good.

SPEAKER_02 27:01

Yeah. No, yeah. That's not how it works. That's not how it works. You can't put shit into your body and then work out and think that it cancels it out. It's mainly what you eat. Yeah, it is mainly. Well, they say like 80% of abs are made in the kitchen. Made in the kitchen. It's true.

SPEAKER_00 27:18

Yeah. Um, but strength training also helps with labor. Yeah. I mean, I throughout both pregnancies, I worked out, you know, six times a week at least. And I did Pilates and I had my trainer.

SPEAKER_02 27:31

Well, in my 20s, I never thought that I necessarily had to do a lot of strength training. But in my 30s, I'm like, oh wow, I've really seen a change in my body incorporating weights and doing more strength-focused workouts and exercises and less cardio. And I was like a crazy runner before. And now my body is way less inflamed and pretty shredded. And I never, that wasn't how I was in my 20s. I also am like a really big believer in you know, alcohol is poison and it's not good for you.

SPEAKER_00 28:06

But I think beyond that, with you know, you doing strength training because you look better or whatever from it, for when you're older, it really makes a difference with your bones, your heart, everything.

SPEAKER_02 28:18

Yes. Yes, 100%. Um and cutting out liquor.

SPEAKER_00 28:24

Yeah. And then, you know, obviously there's things that people go through, like cholesterol problems or whatever it is. And those may be genetic. And, you know, you might just need to be on certain medication for that. But cardiologists say whether or not it's genetic or whether or not whatever, you have to do strength training. Yeah. You have to. That's the only, that's that's you have to move. Yeah. I think when you get out of a habit of working out and you're just so used to going to work, coming home, sitting on the couch watching TV, it's really hard to get into the rhythm of working out. But once you do, there's no going to be.

SPEAKER_02 29:02

I look forward to it.

SPEAKER_00 29:03

But you like feel disgusted after work out.

SPEAKER_02 29:06

Yeah, but after I I am working all day, you know, I'm at a desk all day for nine hours a day. All I want to do is move my body. Right. I like literally crave it. I can't wait for weekends because I can dedicate so much time to moving my body. And that doesn't necessarily mean intense workouts. It just means moving my body, being outside, getting vitamin D, getting sun on my face, moving my limbs, breathing, you know. Yeah. Um, but I will also say the decline in like HIIT training, you know, we're seeing it. This is another huge trend we're seeing throughout podcasts and online. We are seeing an increase in um dialogue about how important strength training is and Pilates and walking, um, and the decline in HIT training because of how it raises your cortisol and how a lot of the times that traps your lymphatics, it traps, you know, your lymph system, it it stops you know, you know, lactic acid is built up. You have a harder time losing weight. Um, you know, you're more stressed. And I definitely agree with that. I think that when I was doing more HIIT training or like, you know, very intense running or whatever it was, my body was way more inflamed.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

Yeah, I could see that. I mean, you've heard, right? And also I think that some people just bulk up a lot if they're doing intense training.

SPEAKER_02 30:22

Yeah, but a lot of it is because of your cortisol.

SPEAKER_00 30:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:25

Yeah. A lot of it is because of your cortisol. You don't realize that you are releasing lactic acid, and that lactic acid builds up and it is so hard to get rid of. Right. Another thing with wellness is like we're seeing a lot of beauty skin trends, lots of lasers, things that I like. I'm a big believer in just straight regular skin pen micro needling. I don't think there's anything more universal. I think lasers are good.

SPEAKER_00 30:55

I've tried I like lasers. I know you don't like putting heat on your face.

SPEAKER_02 30:58

Well, so here's the thing: I have probably been the guinea pig for every beauty treatment you could ever think of because I really do want to age well and I don't want to. If I can avoid putting stuff in my face, injecting anything in my face, whatever it is other than Botox or surgery for as long as possible, then I want to. Right? So I so I've tried every beauty treatment. I've tried every laser you could ever think of. I've tried it all. Like you name something, and I have tried it. Now, if you are prone to melasma, like I am, which only really happened in my mid-20s or later 20s, or if it's it's hereditary, it's hormonal, like whatever it is, you should not be putting heat on your face. And so many aestheticians or nurses or PAs or whatever screwed me over and didn't tell me this, and looked at my skin and said, like, oh, that's not melasma, that's just hyperpigmentation. We'll get rid of that with a laser. And I trusted them and it made my melasma so much worse, so much worse. IPLs, um, CO2 lasers, cool peel laser, whatever it was. I like CO2. It's great. It is a fabulous, one 100% fantastic laser if you do not have melasma. Straight up, you cannot put heat on your face if you have melasma. Radio frequency microneedling, okay, you cannot do on your face if you have melasma. And I can't tell you how irresponsible so many of these med spas or nurses or whatever are who to perform these treatments because I like I they should be telling people that they can't do it.

SPEAKER_00 32:30

You really have to know who you're going to.

SPEAKER_02 32:31

You really have to know who you're going to, but you really have to like you could be going to a really amazing person, but they're not diagnosing your skin well.

SPEAKER_00 32:39

I think this comes down to with skincare, diets, all of it. Just because it works, just because CO2 works for me doesn't mean it works for you. Just because keto works for me doesn't mean it's gonna work for you. Everyone, you have to, at the end of the day, know your body, your skin, yeah, and what works for you doesn't necessarily work for someone else. But I will say I think microneedling works for everybody. I think microneedling's different. It's just, I don't know. I feel like microneedling was great for me. I need to go and get some more. But I think a laser is more is the heat on your face. I could see why that doesn't sit well for everyone or why it doesn't work for everyone.

SPEAKER_02 33:21

But microneedling's less micro, well, microneedling is less, you know, there are less risks. So, like it's it for people with melasma, it's very good. There's no heat. Yeah, it's been very good for me. For people with skin texture, for people with acne, whatever it is, it's kind of for people with fine lines, right? Aging. It is very good. I really recommend it, honestly. Um retinols, retinase, I know that like some people love them, some people hate them. I use tretinone. Tretinone. I know.

SPEAKER_00 33:50

I haven't used it in three years because I went from pregnant to breastfeeding to pregnant to breastfeeding, and you can't use it.

SPEAKER_02 33:58

Yeah, you can't use it.

SPEAKER_00 34:00

But it's great if you can.

SPEAKER_02 34:01

Azalic acid is really great. Putting sunscreen on, mineral sunscreen on, zinc oxide, things things are really good for you.

SPEAKER_00 34:08

Sunscreen is a big one. You have to put on sunscreen. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:13

Um, but yeah, I think that there are a lot of beauty trends. I think it's really hard to keep up with. There are things you and I like to do, and like I like to share it with people because I feel like I have totally been a guinea pig for my friends and family over the years because I will try things. Um sometimes to my detriment, which isn't the greatest. I think I've learned a lot of what not to do through trial and error. And so I like like to be the cautionary tale. But um I think it's just comes down to like do what's good for you, really prioritize, you know, kind of cancel out the noise of all of you know what's on TikTok and Instagram and being pressured into buying things because it's not, it shouldn't be this consumerism, what it is. And a lot of the things that we've said, I know it's like, oh, get micro needle and get Botox. You don't need to do any of that. These are just things that you and I like to do.

SPEAKER_00 35:08

You need to think about what you're putting in your body, you need to wear sunscreen, moisturizer, and don't go to sleep with makeup on ever. And move your body.

SPEAKER_02 35:16

And move your body, and also like have peace of mind. Get sleep. I think that if you know, those are things I need to do better. And I think if you have peace of mind and you're calm and you're centered, and you get good night's sleep and you move your body and you eat the right things, everything else is just so secondary.

SPEAKER_00 35:35

Right. Sleep is a big one. Sleep is a huge because if you, I mean, obviously it's very different, but when I was postpartum, like most recently, and I wasn't sleeping at all, there's like you do actually get black bags under your eyes. Like you just look, you don't look good. No, but when you sleep, it's everything and you're refreshed. And you're refreshed. Wake up and go for a walk. Your nervous is better. Stress is also really bad for all of this. Well, stress is the worst. The worst. But if you're feeling stressed, I promise you, like to our viewers out there, you're feeling stressed, stop everything and go for a 20-minute walk. And you will see you'll feel better.

SPEAKER_02 36:20

Without your phone, without any screen, nothing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:22

Just go for a walk. But, anyways, that's our take on health and wellness. Obviously, we are not experts, we're not nutritionists, we're not trainers, we're not doctors. Yeah. But we just it we think it's it's very important what you put in your body.

SPEAKER_02 36:39

There's a lot of pressure to look and be a certain way and to do certain things and to buy certain things. Try and cancel out the noise and do what's right for you.

SPEAKER_00 36:48

Yeah. Do you want to do some Would You Rathers?

SPEAKER_02 36:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:51

Okay. I have one that I actually posted this week that I thought was kind of funny.

SPEAKER_02 36:55

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 36:55

But speaking of, like, it really makes a difference of who you go to for Botox or filler, whatever. Have you heard of those horror stories where people get Botox and like the person injects like too much and their eye is like wide open or close, they can't shut their eye or it goes wrong. So would you rather that happen to you, but you know it's going to get fixed? Like you know it's gonna be fine. Or would you rather the one that I use? Would you would you rather have like bad Botox and you'll be fine in three months? Or would you rather get lice? But I feel like that's too easy because obviously you'd rather get lice. No. Really? I've had bad Botox. And what happened to you?

SPEAKER_02 37:40

It wasn't in my eyes, so I don't know about that, but I had it right here. Uh-huh. Okay. And I couldn't smile normally. So like I like, like this side would go up and this side would and it went away. I I'm really scared of lice. I've never had it before, and I don't like the idea of bugs in my hair. I'd rather have the bad Botox. Really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:03

Um, 100% of the people, so you must have not answered the would you rather, but voted that they'd rather have lice. I had lice when I was a child. Okay. And I have extremely thick hair. For our viewers that don't know, I'm very I'm very lucky. I'm very lucky. I have very, very thick hair. And it took my mom, I was like eight years old at the time. No, seven, because we were still in South Africa. It took my mom four days to get all the lice out of my hair.

SPEAKER_02 38:28

Okay, that is my worst nightmare.

SPEAKER_00 38:30

I'd rather have the bad Botox for three months. It's actually a nightmare of mine, too, because my daughter has the same hair as me. She's very thick hair. And I now won't wash her hair. I used to wash her hair all the time. I wash it only once a week because lice like clean hair.

SPEAKER_02 38:45

So which one would you rather do then?

SPEAKER_00 38:47

I'd rather, I still would rather have the lice than the b than the bad Botox on my eye.

SPEAKER_02 38:51

On your eye. Well, you didn't put it on your eye in the thing. On the eye it's different.

SPEAKER_00 38:56

On the eye, it's different. But, anyways, I still I'm I am afraid of lice. I braid my daughter's hair every day for school because I heard like lice don't like to first off, they don't like dirty hair. And they it you want your kids' hair as tight as possible for the lice not to get in there. So I'm a little bit of a freak. I would rather none, but I would rather the lice than my eye not being able to close for three months.

SPEAKER_02 39:22

I have a would you rather would you rather snap your fingers and be like the hottest person in the world? Like the most beautiful person in the world. You age beautifully, you're just a thelm star, okay? Ugh like to die for. Okay. But you could never eat healthy again. Like you are forced to only eat burgers and fries and milkshakes and like really shitty food, and you won't gain weight, but like you'll feel awful, right? You know, like pancakes, just no fruits, no vegetables, nothing healthy ever again.

SPEAKER_00 39:50

Or would you rather just live life as is? I would rather live life as is. I know for myself, like if I have like not that I ever go like off the rails, but if I have like eat more of whatever I want and I'm not as focused, I don't feel good.

SPEAKER_02 40:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:10

I don't feel good. Like I I like, I'm like, I crave vegetables, you know? Yeah. So I couldn't. There's no way. What about you? The same. All right.

SPEAKER_02 40:20

Same as you. Yeah, I wouldn't, I wouldn't want to.

SPEAKER_00 40:22

Well, I want our viewers to know that we post really good Woody Rathers every week. So tune in, look at our stories. They're fun, they're free. Send them to your friends. Yeah, they're interactive.

SPEAKER_02 40:34

We'll make you think. Yeah. Um, but we'll see you next week. Thanks so much for tuning in. Bye. Stay well.