It's Not Just Hormones — What's Really Going On In Your Body Over 40, with Cindi Stickle

You're eating well. You're exercising. You're doing everything right. And nothing is working.

Functional Nutrition Practitioner and Certified Menopause Specialist Cindi Stickle joins SuperKate to talk about why your body stops responding the way it used to — and what's actually going on with your hormones, your nervous system, and your metabolism after 40.

Real talk about perimenopause, GLP-1s, being dismissed by doctors, and why none of this is your fault.

Here are the links Cindi talks about in this episode.

Perimenopause Morning Reset

https://cindistickle.myflodesk.com/nervoussystemorningreset

GLP-1 Nutrition Foundation

https://cindistickle.com/glp-1-nutrition-foundation

Cindi’s website: cindistickel.com

Cindi’s podcast: It's Not Just Menopause

New episodes drop every Tuesday.

Join My Inbox Community → https://superkate.myflodesk.com/linkspage

Website → https://thesuperkate.com/

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/the_superkate

00:00 Welcome and Intro

01:01 Meet Cindi Stickel

02:51 Her Perimenopause Clues

05:21 Hormones and Stress Buffer

07:30 Fight or Flight Weight Loss

13:03 Exercise Tweaks Over 40

15:15 NEAT Daily Movement

18:41 When Nothing Works

22:22 Nervous System Benefits

24:20 Medical Dismissal and Advocacy

29:41 Functional Medicine and Labs

31:41 Who Its Not Just Hormones Helps

32:09 Brain Fog and Stress Tools

33:51 Nutrition and Doctor Advocacy

35:02 Breath Snack Basics

40:09 Ribcage Expansion Drill

44:17 GLP-1 Program and Menopause

48:20 Using GLP-1s Safely

55:04 Morning Reset Coffee Timing

57:23 Where to Find Cindi

58:50 Final Thanks and Wrap

Hosted by SuperKate with guest Cindi Stickle

AI support on show notes, captions, and sound tweaks

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Hey, I am SuperKate, your somatic life coach. Welcome to Connecting with Superkate for women who have too many job titles, too many commitments, and are still determined to enjoy their lives anyway. Today I am welcoming my first guest, and I am so excited, everyone. Welcome Cindy Stickle. Yay, thanks for having me. Oh, I'm so excited. How are you?

SPEAKER_01 0:32

I am good. And I'm excited to be here as well because I love um I love the topic of your podcast. And you know, it fits right in with what I do. So I can't wait.

SPEAKER_00 0:44

Yeah. And and I feel like a lot of the people that I am speaking to absolutely need to hear what you have to say and are gonna learn from you and hopefully like connect with you afterwards uh because you have so much amazing information. So let me let me just give everybody a sense of who you are with your intro here. Cindy Stickle is a functional nutrition practitioner and certified menopause specialist for nearly 30 years in holistic health. And she helps women over 40 understand why eating well, exercising, and doing everything right still isn't working and what to actually do about it. She has a signature system called It's Not Just Hormones, where she helps women calm an overwhelmed body. Sound familiar? Support metabolism, and finally work with the hormones instead of constantly fighting against them. And her approach is different because she has lived this herself. She's navigated gestational diabetes, Hashimoto's, and missed a lot of the paramenopause signs and spent months doing everything, you know, by the book, like because that's what we're taught to do, right? And just not seeing results. But now she's helping women skip those years of confusion. Thank you so much, and all the trial and error uh she went through. So you all, we all can feel energized, clear-headed, and back in control of our bodies again. Oh so I feeling that, feeling that a lot. Uh I've definitely been in that paramenopause phase of life. And man, I'm I feel lucky that I'm doing it at this time in history and that there's more information out there now for sure. But I I would have really appreciated this about 20 years ago, too. So me too. Yeah. So, like how when did you start noticing that you were experiencing perimenopause, or was it somebody said something and you were like, oh ha ha, that's I I see. Hmm.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

Um, well, I really didn't have a lot of strong symptoms and didn't know I was actually in perimenopause until a couple of years ago. I've been postmenopausal already, probably at that point five years, and realized oh, that was a hot flash I was having because I live in Texas and all of a sudden I would just kind of like start sweating. It wasn't one of those hot, like red faces, and it would, I'd have to fan myself where some women get. And I figured it's Texas, it's summer, I'm just sweating for no reason, right? And it was just recently that I realized no, those were hot flashes. So I guess I was fortunate enough in a way to not have a lot of symptoms, but not fortunate where I didn't know what was happening or that it was happening, and I didn't start preparing for postmenopause, like start strength training or things like that that I could have been doing. I was already eating healthy. I was um had gone down that GMO rabbit hole, and so I was making things from scratch, making ketchup for my kids because you know they put ketchup on everything at that eight, you know, and they're like five. And so there was one brand in the store at that time, and it had like so much sugar. So I would make a lot of stuff myself. And so I had the nutrition already, that foundation years ago, but I think that helped with my symptoms, but I wish I had known I was going through it at the time instead of 15 years later, because I feel like I'm kind of behind the eight ball, like playing ketchup, you know, with my body.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

So yeah, yeah. So you have really connected the actual um physical reactions that your body goes through during these stages of our lives and how it relates to the nervous system. So can you can you share some of that information with us and yeah, we'll jam about that.

SPEAKER_01 5:19

Okay. Sounds like a plan. Okay, so in starting in perimenopause, our hormones start fluctuating. So estrogen, which we don't realize is a really protective barrier until it's gone. And then that's when your body starts falling apart, and you're like, oh, I guess I needed it after all, you know, because it's just it's doing its job behind the scenes and you don't realize how protective it is. Um, yeah, I can say that now because mine's been gone forever. So um, but yeah, so estrogen is a buffer basically, and it buffers a stress response. So it protects our body from not just our everyday stresses like spouse, job, kids, commute, things like that. But hidden stressors that women don't really know are stressing their body. Um, like over-exercising, under-eating, and um taking on everything like women usually do. You take care of other people first, right? So estrogen's all over the place, progesterone is also all over the place, and progesterone helps with like keep letting you sleep at night. So a lot of people have trouble sleeping. Women have trouble sleeping at night because of progesterone's up and down. So a lot of times, I mean, you can't control what's happening with your hormones. Every woman goes through this, unfortunately. So you can get on hormone therapy, I'm on bioidentic hormone to help, you know. But I got on it after a lot of women start it. If I had known in peri menopause, I probably would have started it sooner. Um, but even my client who's in peri and on it too, and she's still like the real hormones in her are still controlling the show. And so sometimes like disgusting. Yeah, it's she'll wake up with totally soaked at night because that's when that's when you know the cortisol spikes and estrogen is like dropping, and so then you have a you know a hot flash at night. And so yeah, she's taking her hormones every day, but the real ones are still until they're completely like leaving your body, controlling the show, unfortunately. But she has improved a lot, like her symptoms are a lot less. She's like her head is her fogginess has gone away. Um, but so once you realize that it's all physiology and biology, and it's not like your willpower and you're not doing anything wrong. I like like you mentioned, I was working out. I started strength training a few years ago. I started counting macros, and there are some menopause ones you can do because you need a little more healthy fats if you're in perimenopause and menopause, because it helps with the hormone fluctuation. And I still was not losing, it took me 10 months to lose seven pounds. And I was like tracking every bite, working strength training three to four days a week, walking on my treadmill. And that's when I finally realized that there was something more going on. And as I was doing the research, I realized that the nervous system, my body was in fight or flight because I was um just probably working out too much. Some days I'm strength training five days a week. No, I wasn't strength training like for a bodybuilding show. You know, it wasn't like that. I wasn't doing it for hours, but your body does need rest in perimenopause and menopause, and the rest is way more important than we realize because like that stress that I talked about before, we react harder to that stress. So little things that never used to bother you, and not just like openly bother you, like your spouse or something, but like undereating, that you could bounce back in your 20s and 30s, and it was okay. But in over 40, your body reacts to it because your stress response is lower, you're more sensitive to stress, your insulin resistance goes up, so cortisol takes over. So once I looked into it, I realized that your body's in fight or flight. It means it's holding on to the the fat that you're trying to lose, and it doesn't feel safe to let go of everything, right? It doesn't know when you're gonna get food again if you've been eating like 1200 calories for decades. Um, if you're over-exercising, that any exercise you do is stress on your body. Um and different levels of exercise are different levels of stress, but it's still like you walk on a treadmill, like I have a little stress app on my watch, and it's like, oh, you're you're stressing out, even though I'm walking like one and a half miles an hour. Because any exercise is stress, your body sees it as stress. Over 40, it sees it as a bad stress, and then it goes into fight or flight. So that's why slower, more rest, not no hit, no long cardio sessions, those are the kinds of things that trigger your nervous system to like take over. And it's like, you know what? We're not safe, we're not letting go of the weight, we're not digesting the nutrients that you need. We're not, we don't care of your immune system if you get sick or not. You know, like it's just focused on think about thousands of years ago, the limbs to help you run away from that animal chasing you way back when, which we don't have anymore, but your body doesn't know that. And your body sees all kinds of stress as stress, even if it, you know, doesn't seem like stress to you. So it took me a little bit, but I was like my own guinea pig when it came to making sure my morning started off right, to not take lower my cortisol and things like that. So um, so yeah, that's how I ended up finding out that it was the nervous system. I hope I didn't go all around the like.

SPEAKER_00 11:04

No, there were there's so much good information there. I mean, so many of our listeners are at that point in life where not only are they experiencing or have just recently experienced a lot of these symptoms, but we're also at that age where the kids are kind of probably nearing out of school or they're just out of school, and we've got parents who we're possibly taking care of. We may even be in that sort of place where we're taking care of both, on top of all of the other things that both society puts on us and that we have then built up for ourselves. And it's a lot of it's because we want to change things and we want to do amazing things in the world. So we take on a lot, and then we've got all this other stuff. And it's it's I mean, it's amazing that we are so capable. It is I'm I'm constantly impressed by all of these incredible women uh in my life and the in in the world, and you know, how can we support each other and and our bodies, and how can it others support this whole transition? Because it's not I feel like the media has often or or society has has demonized this moment, but it's such a powerful moment while also being kind of just absolutely wrecking in ways. Um I I wanted to sort of mark that you were talking about all of these like elements of exercise being stress, while also there is good stress, like it is good to move your body, it is good to do certain things, yes, and identifying like what is better for you, perhaps what is better for the period of your life. Um uh you mentioned that I believe hit isn't one of like the best things to do at this period of time. And I'm I don't know if there's been any research, feel free to correct me, but I feel like if you truly enjoy hit, then do that some of the time because there is an element of joy that you receive from it that can counterbalance the bad stress that your body may be experiencing, but maybe add in other things that are a little more beneficial to this moment, this point.

SPEAKER_01 13:50

Yes, and also depending on your age, like if you're still in your like late 30s and 40s and the more cardio helps you, or it's still not backfiring, so to speak, on your stress and you're seeing results along with strength training for sure, but like the hit can just be like once a week or you know, um, and then walking throughout there, but like once you hit like post-menopausal and you really need to like scale that back. So it depends on like how far on your journey you are. But yes, if you enjoy it and do it, but if you're starting to see that results aren't happening, or you know, like you're not saying you're if you're trying to lose weight and all of a sudden you're not losing weight, that maybe there is too much of that, you know, that's causing your body to like fight back on you and say, no, this is a stress, just you know, monitor that. So data is always helpful. Um, so just keep track of that. But yeah, I mean, if you love something and you want to do it, that's great. Um, I know a lot of people, um, a lot of women, you know, it's they want to start things later in life that they never did, and it's like, okay, well, that's probably not the best time because um now it looks like a stress for you, you know. So I used to walk faster on the treadmill, but now I just take my time and walk 30 minutes and I walk slower, and it's just I'm moving my body, and you want to move your body, and not all act not all workouts, because if you in my training for um macros and things, there's neat activity, non-exercise activity thermogenesis, and that is think about our workouts. What do we work out 30 minutes out of a 24-hour period, right?

SPEAKER_02 15:35

Right.

SPEAKER_01 15:36

Our workouts are a small, small part of our entire day, or even if you're up for 16 hours, that's still a small part of your day. It's the non-exercise activity that counts. It's the walking, getting your 8,000 steps in or whatever works for you. I always at least hit five. Sometimes I'll go more. Um, but walking to the mailbox, parking away from the stores when you go shopping or whatever, it's all that extra movement, gardening. So you still need to move throughout the day because if you do 30 minutes of working out and sitting for the next 15 hours, that's not really helping you, you know. But yeah, you find something you like and do it, but just keep moving your body and slow. It may not seem like it's doing something, but it is, and it actually compounds and helps you in more ways than we think.

SPEAKER_00 16:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:28

But yeah, if you love something, do it and keep doing it. But you might have to do it a little less if it's starting to be like a stressor or get your heart rate a little like zone two instead of zone three or something like that, where you're not as hard on your body, but you're still getting your heart rate elevated.

SPEAKER_00 16:46

Yeah. Now, I might be calling some of you in the audience out right now, but you might be that person who has a set exercise thing that you've kind of always done, and you go there and you do it to like the thousandth thousandth degree because this is how you think you're getting all of your stress out of you, and you're you're competitive, and maybe it's orange theory or maybe it's soul cycle or something like that, where you are just you know going as far and as fast as you possibly can. And that is where you might not be supporting your cortisol levels. But we, you know, we are in such a speedy society and we have to get things done. Learning how to be perhaps present in your movement.

SPEAKER_01 17:46

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 17:47

Um, but I think even just being present with your body instead of focusing on the end goal can really pull that stress response back, also. Yes, definitely. Um so you have so you were doing like you were eating all the right things, you were measuring everything out. Like, how did you see both that aspect rippling out to those around you, but then the the end result of everybody saying, actually, this isn't really what's the problem, and that that shift. Uh does that make sense? Like, how was that affecting everything?

SPEAKER_01 18:41

Um, yes, because I mean you go into it with all these, you know, good intentions, and that's how I always faced every time I tried to lose weight or you know, anything like that. And of course, I've tried pretty much everything, and 99% of it never worked. Um, but yeah, so I went in and I was like, I know I'm getting the right macros that I need, I know I'm getting the extra the fats that we need, like the healthy fats like avocado oil, the seeds, nuts, legumes, avocados, olive oil, you know, things like that, which I can eat an avocado a day. So that was covered. Um, so and I was doing that and just making sure, and I was eating like I was full, like I wasn't, it wasn't like a lot, it was more food than I thought it would be, you know, once I measured it. And I was like, wow, this is like I can't, you know, like look how much that I'm not depriving myself, you know. Um, and working out, but just I mean, I saw the scale going slow, very slow, like one, two tenths sometimes a week. But I'm like, it was going in the right direction. My kids were already out of the house, so um, but I mean, they knew I was trying and I was working out, and I knew that I was getting stronger with my workouts. I wasn't like going for bodybuilding or anything, so I was just trying to just make myself stronger and build up the muscle that you naturally start losing when you lose estrogen. So you start losing muscle in perimenopause and then postmenopause, it kind of accelerates more. And so I was trying to play ketchup from not realizing I was in perimenopause so many years ago and just strength training. Um, but at I mean, it totally made me feel like nothing's working, why bother?

SPEAKER_00 20:24

Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

Because I couldn't lose weight, but then when I the I hit that wall, but then that's when I discovered the nervous system part, and then I was like, okay, I gotta do, you know, that. And then that's when I started incorporating and and researching it and adding it to my daily life, and then um created my program to help other women add it to theirs. Um, and so it it was frustrating, but I think it spawned, I mean, it opened up a no whole other area for me in nervous system, and it was an area that truly is not talked a lot about it be being the cause of like in perimenopause and menopause of why things don't work like they used to work in our 20s and 30s. You know, eat less, move more. Yeah, that works, but like you said, the moving more hit once a week instead of three times a week, right? Like you just have to adjust it. You can still fit it in, but you have to do the right things for your body at the right stage so that it's not screaming at you saying, No, guess what? We're gonna stay fat, we're gonna hold on to that, we're not gonna do anything you want to do, um, which it can do easily. So, because the nervous system just like I'm done, right? So um, so yeah, it it was very frustrating, but it I think it led me to um it led me to find out that it really was the nervous system that was holding me back. Um and then that just kind of opened up a another avenue and I just, you know, just focused on that because once I did more research and I realized, yeah, this is it's not talked a lot about, but it's definitely, you know, nervous system can help in different areas of your life because it it's like the core of us, like it controls. Yeah. Controls our baby. So it definitely, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:21

Yeah. I mean, when you start calming your nervous system, you sleep better. I mean, you know, hormones aside, you sleep better. Uh and you have more creativity because your brain is actually using the functions it's meant to use instead of being completely consumed with our fight or flight response. And I I mean, I've personally felt more creative and more way more focused the more I focus on what do I need to maintain a nervous system that is not specifically calm, but just like is regulated and not thrown off by an email or you know, whatever, a text message.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

Right. And have the tools to be able to handle it if that happens instead of spiraling like you know, you may have years, you know, in the past because it's so easy to fall back into old habits. Um but yeah, and um, but yeah, it definitely and I don't think women realize that that is the as to why things aren't working. You know, it's like, well, I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do. You know, society says this, but yet it's not working, so it's me, I'm failing, I'm broken. And it's like, no, it's it's not, it's just that all the advice is for before you your hormones start, you know, closing up shop and you know, leaving your body. It's all for the younger people because it works, you can bounce back, you know. When you're in your 20s, you could like skip a night of sleep, and yeah, you were tired, but that's okay. A couple days later you were fine.

SPEAKER_00 24:17

Right. You know, and that's you know, yeah, and that doesn't even like touch on the systemic aspect of young people are a priority to certain systems um because they have the most output historically, especially for women that like age of just past motherhood, you are at least I grew up with like you're not relevant anymore. Um, you know, you don't have anything to give to society because you don't have the ability to have babies. Um which is just so fascinating. And and then on top of that, you've got the fact that women's health wasn't really like researched, especially this aspect of it, until then I mean women's health wasn't factored until like the 90s, honestly.

SPEAKER_01 25:23

Like yes, yeah, and that's well, yeah, and that kind of ties to what you were saying before, where you know, you know, very patriarchal society, you know, 50s and 60s and 70s, and you know, women couldn't have a credit card in their own name until the 70s, and you know, and things like that. So women were not a priority. And um, yeah, and then just the doctors just being dismissive for one, you know, telling you that, oh, it's just aging, it's just menopause. One thing I did learn on my summit last year was I had a nurse practitioner on there who handle who deals with hormones a lot, and she's she was saying how because you're talking about like OBGYNs, and she's like, they are surgeons because of uh C-sections. That's their because they deliver babies and they need to have that ex expertise for when they have to operate. That's why they know nothing about menopause, they don't get training on that, they only worry about the childbearing ears. Yeah. So when you go to your unless you find one that has been had training, you know, you're not gonna find one that is like well versed in menopause and things like that.

SPEAKER_02 26:40

Unfortunately.

SPEAKER_01 26:42

Um, and that's why yeah, more women I have to become advocates for themselves. And um, I did years ago for my thyroid, and you know, it's just like it's sad that we have to do that, you know, as women. But yeah, even like 15 years ago when I was in perimenopause and didn't know it, no one talked about it. And I wish more people had. So just in the last 15 years or so, um I mean, I have a menopause certification, like that didn't exist then, you know. So um, yeah, just being able to talk about it more and also almost like that trauma that people have had to live with that like as women they're not good enough, or you know, you didn't have kids, so what good are you kind of thing? It's like, yeah, like that whole thinking. Um and that doesn't help with what we're going through.

SPEAKER_00 27:37

Yeah, you know, and I and I think I think women have probably experienced it a bit more. Um, but just in general, people don't like being told that they're making something up when they're clearly like experiencing something, when they need to be heard. And so to go to somebody who you need help from and they don't believe you, that's it's really I mean, I felt very lucky that I haven't had many of those circumstances, but at least with my OBGYN, I have said, these I'm I've got these symptoms. And he's like, Yeah, you wouldn't be experiencing that right now.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

I'm like screwing up.

SPEAKER_00 28:24

Exactly. So I'm in the process of changing my OBGYN. Um, and and also even just generally considered getting a menopause certification just because I wanted to know what was going on with my body. Yes, yeah, yeah, because we we just don't we don't know, we don't know.

SPEAKER_01 28:44

No, and I think that's why I started because I had already had don't get me started, for three health and a life coach certification for nutrition plus my functional nutrition certification. So I got the menopause one only because I wanted to know what was going on in my body and didn't even think I would be going down that path of like coaching on menopause. It's like, but I'm living it, you know. Um, I was my own guinea pig. So, but yeah, just being dismissed and um yeah, women are they're still I think women are disproportionately they suffer more of that being dismissed, especially if they have male doctors, and um even more so women of color, like oh my gosh, yes, and it's even worse with that, especially. Yeah um, so yeah, so it's really um the fact that we're talking about it um and the functional medicine side of things. My sister-in-law is a functional medicine doctor, and just getting that side of it more popular and more um out there and getting, you know, more doctors like that where it's they're not the Western medicine, they're they're the root cause doctors, you know, to look at stuff. And so, and that is what mine, that's why I got the functional nutrition training, because then I could look at the root cause more, and I can actually order labs through I think like Ruba Health or something, like for some people through a doctor if you because like my thyroid doctor, well, my general doctor would run my thyroid labs. There's nine tests you can run, she'd run two or three.

SPEAKER_00 30:31

Because why why not nine?

SPEAKER_01 30:33

Because that's what the insurance would like dictate. So I would go run my own. I'd be like, no, I need to see all of them, you know. And so and then I just run my own all and then just send it to the doctor. I'm like, here, here's my labs. Like, seriously. So, um, but yeah, so I mean it's like just advocating for ourselves, standing up and telling, and when someone says no, that's not what you're feeling. I the gaslighting, I know I did a podcast episode on this with menopause. The gaslighting is um that needs to stop and apply what I'm saying. You know, um, but yeah, and it's just it I'm glad the more people are talking about it. And I know there's a lot of information out there, misinformation. Um, like if you see a 20-something talking about menopause run, like seriously, I'm sorry. Um, they probably haven't, you know, like they probably just barely graduated high school or something, you know. So it's like, uh no. Yeah. Yeah. Um, you know, and it's just like there's a lot of misinformation too, but you know, it's um, I'm just glad it's out there more now.

SPEAKER_00 31:40

Absolutely. So some if for your for your program, it's not just hormones, what would somebody be experiencing or like I mean, yeah, what would somebody be experiencing that makes them say, you know what, I I think I need to look into this program and I want to work with Cindy.

SPEAKER_01 32:09

Um, basically, like if you've tried everything and nothing's working, um, like you have brain fog or you are struggling with um am I eating am I eating everything healthy that I should be? Because, you know, most of us think we are, but technically we're not, you know. Um and I mean, like one of my my latest client, like at work, because menopause affects, you know, people in their office, and she was take making mistakes because she was a lot of brain fog. And she was like, I can't do this. Like this isn't like I can't keep making these mistakes. And um, and so that was one of the main reasons that she came to me was to help with that with the nervous system regulation and getting her getting her um, you know, with uh tools in place so that way if something stress hit her or something like that, she had, you know, a breathing technique or something that could just take her off that ledge, you know, in the moment. Yes. Because technically, like you can start do a breathing activity and it will within less than a minute, really, can start calming that nervous system right then and there just for that moment to help you not be as stressed in that moment. Um, yes, not longer. Obviously, you want longer practices to really get your nervous system like you know more regulated, but it's that quick. Like you can do some breathing and it tech and it will start working quickly. Um, so anybody that has tried that, like if they are having if you have really severe menopause symptoms, especially nutrition is usually the root of those. Um and a lot of people are unaware of that. They don't know that you know they're eating wrong for menopause or something like that. But um, but yeah, anything that is you feel off, you know, you know that you've tried something, your doctor's dismissing you because I can I help them if they're going to their doctor and be like, ask these questions, or if they're not running sex, they'll be like, let's you go run these labs and take them to your doctor, or you know, things like that where I'm like the go-between between their doctor and them, because we can spend more time with them than their doctors can. Yeah. Um, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_00 34:42

Yeah. So obviously, everyone, if you're if you're feeling any sort of like connection to what Cindy's saying, you should go to her site and reach out to her and like learn all the things, work with her. I'm curious, in right now, just for a small uh what uh somebody I heard once call like a snack, like a I think he called it a movement snack, but I'm gonna just call it a breath snack in those moments when we are like really hitting that just uh overwhelm and we need to ground ourselves. What is a how do you enjoy breathing in that moment? Do you have a specific uh timing or way that you breathe to calm yourself down?

SPEAKER_01 35:37

Um, first just deep breathe, because so many times, how do we how often do we catch ourselves and we're shallow breathing and we don't realize it? And then like our shoulders are like up and our jaw is like clean, you know, and it's like just start breathing deep. I mean, there's the box breath, or you know, you can do like an in for hold for like six, and then your exhale longer than the inhale to help your nervous system really start to calm down. So like exhale for seven, you know, if you can. Um, and even just for a couple minutes. And I tell this to people, like even my clients, I'm like, if you're driving, and you know, driving can get very stressful in traffic, and if you're at a stoplight, you can do a breath work right there at the stoplight while you're stopped, obviously. And then, you know, you've just done something to help with your nervous system while you're in the middle of a nerve-wracking situation. Um, but yeah, you can do it simple like that. Um, or just stop with whatever you're doing and just you know, take a few simple deep breaths, really. Um, just to start, you want to focus. Once you start focusing on that, your mind, you're not focusing on something else, and you're focusing on the calm. And like you were saying before, be intentional about it. And that is a great way to start. Um, like people at work, it's just just get away from your desk, walk away, go to the restroom, you know, just something to break that focus or get your mind off of what you were thinking about just for a couple minutes.

SPEAKER_00 37:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:18

Just to help, you know, um ground yourself. Because I'm like, I'm not the woo nervous nervous system person because there's there's so many variations of you know, like nervous system. Yeah. And so I tell that to my clients, I'm like, no, it's like two seconds. Just breathe in, yeah. You know, you can take it longer, a couple minutes. It's like you don't have to sit for an hour in style and try and like, you know, cross-leg it and like, you know, breathe, you know, be a yogi or anything like that. It doesn't require that. If that's what you want to do, great. But to get started, it's just little baby steps. You don't have to, you know, and then just be consistent and like keep them in your back pocket. And then that way you know that you can, you know, reach for it when you need it. So yeah, simple, small, doable, on the go.

SPEAKER_00 38:10

You know. Yeah, awesome. Yeah, I one of the one of the things I unconsciously started doing back when I was getting more piercings than I have right now. I miss them. But that's besides the point. Uh I to ground myself to take away the stress that my body was about to experience in those moments. Yes, I focused all of my breath on my fingertips and on my toe tips. Like every inhale would go out to, you know, one set of them, and the exhale would also go out to them. And I've found that also has helped me in traffic because it's not, I'm, I'm not uh creating any kind of extensive longer exhale that might then distract me from what's happening, but more just that the the breath has a a focus. It's going to my fingertips, it's going to my toe tips, and that alone can really like set you back down. So yeah, it doesn't have to be a big crazy thing. It can be if you really want it to. Oh gosh, yes, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 39:34

Um, but it's it's breaking up that focus of what you're focusing on, or your nervous system is causing your mind to you know stress about, and it just breaks that up and you know, and yeah, and you know, people think breathing, it's like, yeah, we breathe every day, but they're short breaths, they're not the long breaths that we really need that like relax us, and um, even if it's just for a moment.

SPEAKER_00 40:03

Yeah. Oh, one of these days. It's one of my favorites, yeah. And the other favorite of mine that I don't do as much, um, but our we're actually supposed to have a certain amount of expansion in our rib cage when we take an inhale. And the bigger the expansion of our rib cage, the healthier our spine can be. So this was a little tactic that I learned actually originally from a Qigong master, but then it was reiterated in part of my Pilates training, I think. But so everybody, I'm putting my hands on my ribs. If you're watching the video, you can see my thumbs are tucked towards the back and the other four fingers are around the front. So it's almost like I'm creating my, I hope you could hear that on the microphone. I'm almost creating like my own set of ribs with my fingers. So I exhale and I feel those ribs contracting. And then on the inhale, I push into my hands and I feel that rib expanding out to the sides, and that expansion out to the sides is what really gives us more power in those lungs and in those muscles all around the rib cage. So if you you can take this in like the short moments, or you can do this as a larger practice, but again, as you exhale, feeling the rib cage contracting, getting smaller underneath your hands. And then as you inhale, you feel it getting bigger and pushing out into your hands.

SPEAKER_01 41:52

Yeah, I can feel it because I'm doing it. Yeah, yeah, definitely. Oh wow. I'm gonna add that too.

SPEAKER_00 42:01

And I think there's a statistic somewhere about how like ideally how much you want to be able to make that difference be. So if you measured yourself in the completely like exhale position where the ribs are completely contracted at the smallest point to the biggest point when you fully inhaled and how big they can get. I I can't remember the statistic there the research that was done, but there was some like if you ideally you should have X amount of inches or centimeters or something difference. Um wow, that's cool. Yeah. Oh, I mean, just even that little bit felt better.

SPEAKER_01 42:47

Well, because it's you're focusing and it's it's forcing you to take those deep breaths and to concentrate on that. And you are breathing like you normally don't breathe.

SPEAKER_00 42:57

Right. Right.

SPEAKER_01 42:59

Those deeper, deeper breaths in. And yeah. Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_00 43:05

Yeah, and and some of the like the physiological psi, there's other a lot of the breath work practices that focus on pushing you just beyond where your exhale feels comfortable. Yeah. Like, so that you're really kind of exhaling as much of the air out of your lungs as possible. That's where this whole rib thing, you can actually feel where that endpoint is in your body, as opposed to it just being this concept in your head. You're feeling those ribs completely deflating under your, you know, in your fingers. So that's my little bet. So, okay, so I also wanted to touch on I wow, look at us talking so long. We're amazing. You all are getting so much awesome information. Um, I wanted to also sh have Cindy share. This new project that she has birthed out of again her own experience, and because it it's fascinating and is not being talked about enough. So, Cindy, the floor is yours again.

SPEAKER_01 44:15

Um, goodness. Okay, so this was also a result of helping my nervous system try and help me lose weight, and I still wasn't getting anywhere, even though I was doing everything, because I have like all my morning nervous system tricks that I do. And after realizing that my Hashimoto's, my gestational diabetes, my metabolic health has been suffering for 30 years. My oldest daughter just turned 30, and that's when I had my first gestational diabetes. And so then that's when the light bulb like went off, and I realized that that is what was really holding me back from losing the weight, especially in menopause. So I created a program. Um, but I also started a GLP one myself because I was pretty much technically pre-diabetic, even though I wasn't officially diagnosed. I ran my own A1C and I saw the number and I was like, that's not good. Um and I was eating right, right? I'm a nutritionist. I was eating everything like my husband's a diabetic. So I was eating everything like that he eats, right? So it wasn't helping. Like my number was not going down. So I started the GLP1 because years ago it started as a diabetic drug to help with the blood sugars, and it um it helps normalize your blood glucose and which and helps your cortisol because cortisol spikes to help the blood sugar drop. And so we don't need that cortisol spike in menopause and perimenopause because it's a stress hormone. And you know, we could talk another hour on that. Um, so I I started that just because I knew that um I had the metabolic dysfunction for 30 years, and then I also in the meantime created a group program in a one-on-one that has to do with how to the proper nutrition if you're on a GLP1, because your doctor writes a prescription, you pick it up at the pharmacy, and none of them tell you what to eat, especially when your appetite is suppressed and you're not hungry. I have those lunch days where I'm like, I'm not hungry, but I make sure I prioritize I eat like some grilled chicken. As long as I get like 30 grams of protein, then I know that I'm helping my muscle because we're already losing muscle and perimenopause and menopause. And then if you're on a super high dose of GLP1, which you technically don't really need to be, you're losing muscle too. Like if you're losing weight fast, it's muscle you're losing because muscle weighs more than fat. So I created a six-week group program plus my one-on-one that is starting with the foundation of nutrition, and then we incorporate nervous system on top, like especially with perimenopause and menopause symptoms, and how to eat for GLP1 and menopause.

SPEAKER_00 47:14

Awesome.

SPEAKER_01 47:16

Yes, I have um, yes, so that is my latest um endeavor. Um, but it's still nervous system is still the root for women over 40 because it gets affected by so many things that we do that we don't realize that we're doing. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:36

Yeah. Yeah. I I didn't know GOP ones existed until they became a weight loss drug. I'm I'm lucky enough to have not known about them. I'm grateful they exist for the original purposes that they exist for and that they are helping people. And it seems as though so many people, because our society has demonized any form of like weight beyond the weight of our bones. Um even then our bones may be too heavy for some people, but like whatever. So it's true. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 48:15

Some people are bigger bone than you know, have yes, they're heavier. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:18

So yeah. Yeah. And so everybody starts jumping on these GLP1s. And there has been so much amazing research, obviously, because it's been they've been helping a lot of people for a while now. But the amount of people that have been jumping on them without support nutritionally, without support uh movement-wise, and the repercussions of that, I don't think enough people, I'm not trying to fear monger here. There's not the the point is we're trying to advocate for ourselves so that we maintain our health and we have incredible, sustainable lives instead of becoming reliant on something else, right? Yes. Um, yeah, I appreciate that you're like one that you're reminding people GLP ones are not just for weight loss.

SPEAKER_01 49:16

Right. But yeah, they started as a diabetic drug years ago. And nobody even knew that until everyone wanted them for weight loss, and then the shortage happened, and it was like all the poor diabetics couldn't get their medication. Um, because it does help lower A1C and control the glucose that way. Um, but it does um it helps like with the inflammation and um, you know, other parts of, you know, because so many people eat, like you said, the nutrition, people eat foods that cause inflammation, and so then your body can't heal. And so, yeah, so getting that right nutritional support um is so important. And yeah, like I used to be able to lose weight quickly, like in my 30s and 40s, quicker. Um, but now, and then when my A1C kept creeping up, and I was like, oh my god, I'm gonna, I don't want to get on diabetes medicine when I don't have to. And we our bodies create GLP1s in our own bodies. We have short proteins in us. It's just that as we age or we have the metabolic dysfunction, it's not working properly. So, like, I'm on a thyroid medicine for my thyroid. So I'm now taking this to help with my production of GLP1 that was you know hampered by pre-diabetes basically. Um and and yeah, and then I did have a lot of weight to lose too, because with menopause, it just kept creeping on. So um, like I'm down 21 pounds. I still have about 15 or 20 to go, but um, and it's slow 20 in like 19 weeks, so it's you want to go slow. But yeah, that muscle, like you don't want to lose muscle. Um, and if you're on a high dose, it's so easy to lose the muscle, and you have to keep eating even when you're not hungry. And I know it's hard, but people like you work all day and all of a sudden you're like, oh, I never ate, but it's like you are you're causing the medicine that some people are paying a lot of money for to not work. It stalls, and you think it's a medicine, so you go higher dose and it's not. It all goes back to the food and not eating your the protein you need, and also the side effects of the medication are food related, so like the nausea and all that stuff is because of not eating enough, you're underfueling, um, and things like that. So that's what the these programs help with. So because I'm loving it too, like, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:51

I've I've learned more about GLP1s already. Gonna have to do another episode about those too.

SPEAKER_01 51:58

I just there it I I wanna years ago, I was very anti-GLP1. I'm just saying. Yeah, I was very and I once I started doing research and learning, and the research was coming out about other benefits of what it does, and then I saw my A1C and I was like, let's because I hate needles. I honestly do. But it's a diabetic needle, so it's very thin. I have bent more needles than I have, you know, they're so thin, so it really it doesn't um sometimes it doesn't even like hurt, and sometimes it's just like a little tiny like poke, and that's it, because it's not the pin I use a regular diabetic needle, but it's like yeah, it's uh I have definitely come a long way in the last couple years with my views on it for sure.

SPEAKER_00 52:53

Yeah, yeah. And I I I want every person to be strong and healthy, and whatever level strong is for you and and healthy, that is awesome because what is healthy on my body is gonna look completely different than what is healthy on Cindy's body. I mean, it's just that's the the way it is. We're all unique in that way. Um, and how we determine what is healthy because of science and not because some system wants us to think that healthy is actually way underweight and you know, high stress levels and everything. Because that's not that's just not healthy. Yeah. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 53:41

Yeah, yes. And it's it's a tool, it's not a one size, you know, it's not the end all be all for weight loss because a lot of people have, like I said, they stall because they're not eating right. So it is just a tool, and it's for some people. It may, it's probably if you can lose weight easily, it's not for you. Um, unless you have other areas, like if you're a diabetic and need it, that's different. But you know, um, yes, it's not like there is no magic pill or you know, one size fits all. Everyone is different, everybody's body is different, and I know because nothing would work for me. Like, no matter what I tried, it just was not working. So this was like it, and I am documenting my journey and I am created my programs out of this journey.

SPEAKER_00 54:37

So yeah. Amazing. I was so grateful you came uh along and shared all of this information with us. Uh yeah, we could talk so much longer, but we're not gonna do one of those four-hour podcasts. That's I know, right? You all don't have time to listen to that. That's just not, yeah. We'll just do a couple other parts in the future. Um one question for you What is something that either you are celebrating right now or a new uh element that you have added or discovered in your nervous system regulation tips and tricks that you are just really enjoying right now?

SPEAKER_01 55:27

Um, okay. I am one thing that a lot of people, women do, or people in general, but women especially will drink coffee on an empty stomach. And that keeps your cortisol is already high in the morning, which it's supposed to be, but then it's a stimulant on top of that. So I eat within 60 to 90 minutes of waking up. This is part of my whole morning reset that I do. And then I wait and have my caffeine after I have my protein because it needs to go onto a stomach that has food in it. And I drink a protein shake every morning. So it's not even like it's solid food, it's just protein, you know. And then that gives your body that break of letting your cortisol come down like it's supposed to before you, you know, put the caffeine on it. Um, so that is one thing that I've been sticking to for quite a while since I discovered the whole nervous system um things. So um, but that is one, and that's one I talk about a lot.

SPEAKER_00 56:35

Awesome. Awesome. I love that. Well, I might have to slightly adjust how I hand I do a smoothie in the morning that has protein in it, but it also has matcha. So it's technically oh, that's okay. That's an okay caffeine.

SPEAKER_01 56:52

Yes, I put matcha powder in mine because the way matcha is made is so different from like coffee caffeine. So yes, and it has less caffeine. So matcha powder, it just it the way it hits your system is very different. So yes, it doesn't spike your cortisol like caffeine and coffee does. So yes, matcha is fine. Yes, that's another thing to do from in a pot too is matcha. So yes, so you're good.

SPEAKER_00 57:15

All right, well, awesome. Morning, smoothie. You're here to stay.

unknown 57:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:22

Fantastic. Well, where can I I'm gonna put links in the show notes for people to find you, but is there a specific place that you want to direct them to?

SPEAKER_01 57:32

Um, well, my website is um cindystickle.com. And I know you're gonna put the link for my Perimenopause morning reset um uh gift that I have for everyone. So um that is not on my website, I don't think. I'll have to add it. I just had somebody looking at my website, by the way. She finished. Um so um, so yeah, I'll have to look at that, but you'll have the link, so it'll be um it'll be there in the show notes. So um, but yeah, and then um I think you'll have the link to my GLP1 Nutrition Foundation. That's my group program that's starting on June 2nd. So you can just look at the information. It's not like you know, it's you don't have to click to buy it just yet, but you can read all about what I cover in those six weeks. So um, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 58:23

Fantastic. Oh, I'm so excited. I'm also going to go check these out. Um, because you can learn more. Just through I mean, her site is amazing, but like, yeah, learn all the things you can so you can advocate for yourself and take a few moments to breathe too.

SPEAKER_02 58:43

Yes, like, yes, yeah, long deep breaths.

SPEAKER_00 58:47

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for joining me and sharing all of your awesome knowledge with this incredible audience we have here. And thank you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 59:04

I really appreciate it. Um, and I knew it would, with your whole nervous system expertise, that yeah, it's it would fit right in. So um, I'm so happy I was here.

SPEAKER_00 59:17

Yay! Well, we will see you next time. Also, Cindy does have a podcast, so you can get more information from her through there too, and listen to her speak out all of this incredible. I just I yeah, if you can't figure out yet, I am a fan of Cindy's. So yes.

SPEAKER_01 59:41

Yeah, well it's not just menopause. Yes, it's all more menopause. Yep. Yeah. So thank you again for having me.

SPEAKER_00 59:51

This was you're welcome. You're welcome. And we will see you all later.