182- Why You Need to Exercise Differently If You Have ... · them had suggested, "Maybe you could look at going gluten-free. I don't know if that'll help you or not, but it sort of

Copyright © 2018 Wellness Mama · All Rights Reserved

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Episode182:WhyYouNeedtoExerciseDifferentlyIfYouHaveAutoimmuneDisease(&How)With

AutoimmuneStrong


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Child:WelcometomyMommy’spodcast.

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Katie:Helloandwelcometo"TheWellnessMamaPodcast."I'mKatiefromwellnessmama.com.Andthisepisodeisgoingtobesuperimportant,especiallyifyouhaveanytypeofautoimmunedisease,becauseI'mherewithAndreaWoolwhoisapersonaltrainer,anutritionaltherapypractitioner,andthefounderandCEOofAutoimmuneStrong,whichisanonlinefitnessprogramdesignedspecificallyforthoseofuslivingwithautoimmunedisease,fibromyalgiaorchronicpain.Sheisamomoftwoboyswhostruggledwithherownhealthforyearsandsheknewshehadtomakesomechangesherselftoovercomehermultipleautoimmunedisorders.Andsheusedfitnessaspartofthisprocessforher.Anditworkssowellthatshefeltcompelledtosharewithalloftherestofus.So,throughAutoimmuneStrong,herprogram,she'sbeenhelpingwomenallovertheglobelearnhowtoexerciseproperlywhilelivingwithanautoimmunedisorder,whichisatopicthat'snotoftencoveredandIcan'twaittodivein.So,welcomeandthanksforbeinghere.Andrea:Thankyouforhavingme,Katie.I'msohappytobetalkingtoyoutoday.Katie:Ohmygosh,likewise.Ithinkthatourtimeisgoingtoflybybecauseyou'resoeasytotalkto.AndIknow,Ifeellikethere'ssomuchresonanceinourstories,butI'dlovetohearalittlebitmoreaboutyoursfirst.Alsohavingbeenthroughtheautoimmunesidemyself,I'dlovetohearyourjourneyandhowyouendedupwhereyouare.Andrea:Well,whatIthinkisreallyinterestingisthatwhenItellmystory,usuallylike10womenarelike,"OhmyGod,Ihavethesamestory."There'ssomanysimilaritiesinwhatweallgothrough,andso,mystoryisnotunique,whichmeansthatsinceIwasabletogetbetter,thatotherpeoplecantoo,whichisIthinkveryhelpful.So,I'vealwayshadhealthissuesasIwasgrowingup,butnothingreallythatdifferentorspectacular.Andafterthebirthofmysecondson,IwasgainingweightratherthanlosingitasIwasnursing,andIwas...my


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hairwasfallingoutlikeallovertheplace,likemorethanisusualafteryougivebirth.AndIwassolethargic,likeeverythinghurt.Iwasonfireallovermybody.Andjustwalkingupanddownthestairs,carryingthebaby,playingwithmythree-year-old,allofthatwaslikeoverwhelmingtoomuch.Mybodyjustcouldn't...theyjustcouldn'thandleit.AndtherewouldbetimesIwasluckyatthattimetobelivingrightdownthestreetfrommymom.So,Iwouldliterallyhavetocallherandbelike,"IneedyoutocomeoverrightnowbecauseIliterallyneedtogotakeanapatthismoment.LikeIcannottakecareofmychildren."Anditwasareallydesperateplacetobe.AndbecausewhatIwasdealingwith,whatIknownow,isthatIwasdealingwithinvisibleillness.Andeverybodyaroundmewaskindoflike,"OhmyGod,shejustcan'ttakecareofherkids.Like,what'swrongwithher?"AndIknewthatthiswasn'tjustpostpartum.Itwasn'tjust,"Ihaveanewbaby."Itwassomethingreallydifferent.AndIwenttoabunchdoctorswhoallbasicallywerelike,"Well,youjusthadababy."Ofcourse,like,youdon'tfeelgood,you'retired,you'restressedandallofthat.AndIjustknewinmyheartofheartsthatthings...therewassomethingreallywrong.Andafter...IthinkIwenttolikeeightdifferentdoctors,andoneofthemhadsuggested,"Maybeyoucouldlookatgoinggluten-free.Idon'tknowifthat'llhelpyouornot,butitsortofhelpedotherpeople."AndsoIwaslike,"Well,that'stheonlytangibleinformationI'vebeenabletogetoutoftheseeightdoctors,soyeah,I'lltryit.I'lltryanything.So,Istartedgoogling.Iwaslike,Idon'tevenknowhowtogogluten-free,whatdoesthatevenmean?So,Istartedgooglingfood.AndIstartedplayingwithmydiet.Istartedlearningabouteliminationdiets.Istartedlearningaboutorganicfood,andIstartedlearningabouthowthe,youknow,Iwasthepersonwhowaslikespraying,Ican'tbelieveit'snotbutteronmywhole-wheattoast,youknow,forbreakfastandeatingjellybeansforlunch.Like,I'mnotgoingtopretendIwasatallhealthy.Priortothis,andsoIstartedlearninglike,"Okay,thisisnot...thisisreallybad,Ineedtomakesomechanges."So,IstartedmakingsomechangesinmydietandIstartedtofeelreallydifferent.AndI'vebeenanathletemywholelife.Andduringthattime,Iwascompletelyunable...asIsaid,likeIcouldn'tevenclimbthestairs,nevermind,goforarun.Imean,thatwasjustunheardof.AndIhavebeenarunnersinceIwas13.So,asIstartedfeelingbetterwithfood,Istartedrealizingthereneedstobeafitnesscomponenttothishealingprocessformyself.Andso,Iwasn'tworkingatthetime,Iwasactuallytoosicktogobacktomycorporatejob.So,Ihadquitmycorporatejobatthismoment.Andso,wedidn'thavealotofmoney,butIconvincedmyhusbandthatwhateverwehadneededtobespentonapersonaltrainerbecauseIknewthatfitnesswasgoingtobeamajorthingformetogetbetter.Andthispersonaltrainer,shewaslovely,andshewaswonderful.Butshewantedtomakeeveryhourthatweweretogether,really,inhermindworthwhile.Andso,shewashavingmedoallthiscrazystuff,anditwasmakingitworseratherthanbetter.WhenIsaycrazystuff,Idon'tmeanshewasactuallymakingmedocrazystuff,it'sjustthatIwas...doyouknow,shewaslike,"Youcandoburpees.Let'sgo,let'sgo."AndIwaslike,"Ican'tevenwalkupstairs.HowamIsupposedtodoaburpee?Nevermind,like50?"So,IquicklyrealizedthatfitnesswaswhatIneededtodo,butthatgoingsortofthetraditionalfitnessroutewasharmingmeratherthanhelpingme.Andso,IrealizedthatIcouldn'tfindanybodywhounderstoodwhatIwasdealingwith.So,IdecidedtogobacktoschoolandbecomeapersonaltrainermyselfsothatIcouldactuallydevelopaprogramthatwouldhelpmegetstrongerandgethealthieratthistime.


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Ireallyhadnointentionsofhelpinganybodyelse,butonceIdevelopedthisprogram,anditwasworkingforme,peoplearoundtown...IwaslivinginProvidence,RhodeIsland,whichisasmallcity,especiallywhenIgrewupthere.So,whenyouwalkaroundtown,yougotothesupermarketandpeopleyouknewfromfiveyearsagowouldbumpintomeandthey'dsay,like,"Wow,youlookamazing,"whichwascodeforlike,"OhmyGod,youactuallylooklikeyou'renotdying."Andthenthey'dwhispertomelike,"Well,howcanIfigureoutwhatyou'redoingbecauseI'mnotfeelinggoodeither?"Andso,Istartedspreadingthismessageaboutfitnessinamuchscaledbackkindofway.AndIrealizedthatthiswasamessagethatnobodywastalkingaboutandthatIhadsomethinghere.So,that'showAutoimmuneStrongwasborn.AndnowI'msixyearsintothathealingprocess.Ifeelamazing.AndI'mstrongerthanIwasever,likeevenbeforeIgotsick.Andthisjourneyactuallyledmetothediagnosisof...finally,Iwas...Ittookyearsforthemtofigureoutwhatwaswrongwithme.ButInowhavebeendiagnosedwithHashimoto'sandceliacandfibromyalgia.So,that'swherewearetoday.Katie:Wow,Icanrelatetosomuchofthat,especiallythatstruggleoftryingtofigureoutwhat'swrongwithyouandthatdebilitatingfatiguewhereyou'rejustlike,"Icannotevenmove."IrememberwhenIfirstwasgoingthroughtheinitialstagesofHashimoto's,Iwouldjustputmylittlekids,atthetimeIhadtwotoddlersintheroom,andIknewtherewasnothingthatwasn'tchildsafeinthere.AndIwouldlayinfrontofthedoorandjustsleepbecauseIknewtheycouldn'tgetout.Andrea:Yeah,I'vedonethingslikethat,too.Ohmygosh,I'vetotally...yeah,andTV,Imean,therewerenoscreentimerulesatthatpoint.Iwaslike,"YoucanwatchTVwheneveryouwantbecauseIneedtogorest."Katie:Yeah,it'struly,it'sastruggle.AndIthinktoanyonelisteningwho'sthereandhasn'tbeenabletofindanswers,IjustwanttosayIunderstandandweseeyou,wetotallyunderstandyourstruggleisreal.Don'tletpeopletellyouthatnothing'swrongbecauseitis,andyoujusthavetofindthoseanswers.ButIfeellikeyoutouchedonsomanyimportantthingsthatIwanttogodeeperon.Whydothoseofuswithautoimmunediseaseorfibromyalgiaorchronicpainneedtoexercisedifferently?Kindofexplainwhat'sgoingonwiththebody.Andrea:Yeah.So,well,thefirstthingthat'sreallyimportanttounderstandisthatmyhunch,myhunchbackthenwasthat,"Ineedtomoveinordertofeelbetter."Andthere'sactuallysciencebehindthat,thatIknownow.Andexercisehasbeenproventoactuallyimprove...orIguessnotimprovebutslowdowntheprogressionofdisease.So,exerciseisactually,forpeoplewithautoimmunedisease,beneficialfromahealingperspective.So,aswetalkaboutexercise,likethat'sreallyimportanttoknow,isthatwecan'tjuststaystill,wehavetomoveourbodiesinordertobehealthy.Thatsaid,thetraditionalfitnessmodelisverymucha"nopain,nogain"kindoffitnessmodel,right?AndIgetit,likethey'retryingtogetpeopleoffthecouchandmovingtheirbodies.Andthebestwaytogetfastresultsistopushyourbodyreallyhard.ButI'mnotaboutfastresults,I'maboutlong-termhealth,that'sdifferent.Alotofwhatyouseeoutthereis,"Wantsix-packabsinsixweeks,thisiswhatyou'vegottodo."Idon'tactuallycareaboutsix-packabs,Ijustwanttobeabletonotbelyingonthegroundwhenmykidsneedsomething.So,itfirststartswithhavingtherightgoalinmindofwhatdoyouwant.Andifwhatyouwantislong-termhealthandtofeelgoodinyourbodyeveryday,crushingyourselfatthegymisnotgoingtohelp.Andthereasonitdoesn'thelpisbecauseautoimmunedisordersareinflammatorydiseases.Ourimmunesystemsarefighting,they'refightingwithinourselvesalldaylong.


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So,asthey're…youknow,ourbodiesareworkingtwiceashardasotherpeople'sbodies,evenwhenwe'resleepingbecausethisimmuneattackishappeningatalltimes.So,we'reconstantlyonthehighlevelsofbeingreallyinflamed.Thatinflammationislinkedtocortisolandourbodiesarestressedoutbecausewe'reunderattack,right?So,allofthisishappeningwithoutusevenreallyknowingaboutit.Exercisealsoincreasescortisolandinflammation.That'sactually...thepointofexerciseistobreakdownandtearyourmusclesinorderforthemtobuildbackupandbestrongerandmorecohesive.So,thosetwodon'tseemtomixbecauseifyou'regoingtoexerciseandincreaseyourcortisol,butyoualreadyhavereallyhighlevelsofinflammation,it'sgoingtosendthatadditionalexercisecortisolloopisgoingtosendyourbodyoverthetop.Andyourbody'swayofhandlingwhenyourinflammationgetstoohighistoshutdownandsay,"Iamexhausted.Ican'tdoanything,Ican'tmove."So,ifyouexercisetoohard,you'regoingtoputyourselfintoaplacewhereyouhaveanexercise-inducedsymptomflareup,whichmeansthat'swhenyourbody,somepeoplegetfevers.SomepeoplegetthatincredibleexhaustionthatyouandIaretalkingabout.Somepeoplegetincrediblemuscleaches,likemorethanjustyourregularafterIjustworkedouthard,work...muscleaches,butlikemuscleachesthatkindofgotoyourboneandstaywithyouforever.Forme,Iwouldfindthatafteroneworkoutwiththatpersonaltrainer,I'dbeonthecouchfortwoweeksandcouldn'teventhinkaboutmovingmybody,nevermindgoingback.So,thisiswhywehavetoworryabouthowweexercise.Weneedtomakesurethatweexerciseinawaythatincreasesourbody'shealthwithoutsendingyouoverboardintothatplaceofexercise-inducedsymptomflareup.So,therehastobethatreallyhappymedium.Andthat'swhatIhavesortoffound,isthatreallygreatspaceofyoucandoreallyshort,quickexercisesthatyoubuildupstrengththatarereallytargeted.They'rejustnotgoingtogetyouthatsix-packabinsixweeks,butI'mokaywiththat.Katie:Yeah,absolutely.Ifeellike...IsawthatagreatexampleofthiswhenwewereinEuroperecently,theydon't,oratleasttheareaswherewewere,there'skindofthis...there'snoconceptofthemlikeworkingoutorexercising,theyjustmovethroughouttheirday.Theirbodyisconstantlymoving.Itwouldseembizarretothemtogorunsprintsorrunamarathonorwhateverbecausethey'rejustconstantlymovingandthey'restayingactiveaspartoftheirlife.AndIfeellikewe'veseenthatprogressioneveninthestudiesinthelastcoupleofyears.BecauseIthinkaboutmaybefiveyearsago,itwassittingisthenewsmokingandnoneofusshouldeverbesitting,andsothateverybodywasgettingstandupdesk,andthentheywerelike,"Oh,itturnsoutstandinginonespotalldayisalsonotgoodforyou."Andthemoralofthestoryis,wealljustneedgentlemovementaspartofourlives,notlikeanhourinthegym.AndInoticedthat,ItriedCrossFitforawhile,whichIlove.SomanythingsIlovethattheyhavetheintensity,Ilovethatforsomanypeople,it'sanamazingoption,butforme,especiallytryingtodoitearlyinthemorning,itwasjust,Iwasfatiguedagain,itwasexhaustingtome.Butthroughthat,IrealizedIactuallyfeelgreatliftingweights,butlikeyousaid,insmalleramounts,shorteramountsoftime,notkillingmyselfinthegym.So,fromthere,I'dlove...canwekindofdelveintowhatarethekeyelementsthatyoufoundweresoimportantforthosewithautoimmunedisease?Andhowdoyoukindofputthattogetherinyouractuallifeandtryit?Andrea:Yeah,well,Imean,youjustbasicallydescribeditinanutshell,whichistheideathat,youknow,puttingpressureandputtingsomeextraweightontoyourbodyisactuallywhatweneedtobedoingbecausethat'swhattriggersourmusclestoactivate.So,inCrossFit,theydoitatanextremeexample.Andforpeoplestrugglingwith...whenyou'reinthethickofautoimmunedisease,CrossFitisactuallyoneofthethingsItell


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peopletoavoid,atleastwhilethey'rehealingbecauseit'sreallyintense.Andit,Imean,whenwe'retalkingaboutthisstressimpactonyourbody,it'sverysevere.ButtheideasbehindCrossFitarereallysmartandcanbeappliedtothoseofuswhoaregoingthroughahealingmoment.Imean,reallythetenetsareyouwanttobeputtingpressureonyourbodyinawaythatactivatesmuscles.So,thewaythatlookslikeinmylifeisI'mnotliftingheavyweights,orIwasn'twhenIwasinmyhealingprocess.Iamnow,actually.Andthat'skindofthebeauty,isthatI'vebeenabletoprogressoverthesixyearswhereInowcanputsomeweightonmyback.ButwhenIwasdevelopingthisprogram,thatwaslikejusttogetmyselfoffthefloorandbeabletoclimbthestairs.Thefirstthingthat'sreallyimportantistotargetspecificmuscles.Traditionalfitnesskindofgetsobsessedwithglamourmuscles.Iworrymoreaboutdeep,structuralmuscles.So,forexample,thetransverseabdominis,Ithinkisthemostimportant.Notthatyoucanpickonemuscleovertheothermusclesbecausetheyallworkintandem,butIthinkitisthemostimportantmuscletostartwithbecausethetransverseabdominisisourdeepestcoremuscle,andit'shuge.Itwrapsaroundtheentirefrontofourbellyandentire...wrapsalsoaroundourentireback.Itactslikeacorsetthat's...So,you'vegotyourspineandthenrightinfrontofyourspineisthistransverseabdominis.Anditsjobistosuckyouinsothatyourspineisheldupstraight,sothatyourorgansareinthereniceandtight,theydon'tsink.Andthatiswhatbasicallycreatesyourstabilityasyouwalkthroughlife.So,Ihearsomanypeople,andIstruggledwiththis,too,talkingaboutlower-backpain,upper-backpain,andmostoften,Ibelievethatthatcomesfromthefactthatthetransverseabdominisisn'tstrongenoughtoactuallyholdourspinestraightupanddown.So,that'samuscleyoucantarget.Youdon'thavetogotoaCrossFitclasstobeabletotargetthatmuscle,youcandoit.Imean,wecoulddoittogetherrightnow.Therearethreesteps.Oneisthatyousuckyourbellybuttonintoyourspine.Thesecondisthatyoutipyourpelvisforwardalittlebitsothatyourbackisstraightupanddown.Andthenthethirdstepisthatyoupullyourpelvicfloor,andguyscandothistoo,likeyouhavetopee.Youholdallofthosethreethingstogether.Andthat'sanexercisethattargetsthatmostimportanttransverseabdominis.So,youcandothatwhiledriving.Youcandothatwhilewashingdishes.Youcan,andyoushouldbedoingitwhileyou'redoingthosethingsbecauseitnotonlystrengthensthetransverseabdominis,butittakesthepressureoffourothermusclesthatareover-compensatingforaweaktransverseabdominis,likeourshouldermusclesthatarekindofsmallanddon'tneedtotakealotofpressure.So,Idon'tknowifI'veansweredyourquestion,Katie,butthat's...Iguessthat'showIthinkaboutexercisenow,ishowcanyoutake,youknow,howcanyoutargetthisonethingthatyouwanttostrengthenbutincorporateitintoyourdailylife?So,Ihopethatexamplekindofgotthere.Katie:Yeah,absolutely.AndI'mcuriousbecauselikeIsaid,nothingagainstCrossFit,Ithinktheyhaveanamazingprogram.Itwasn'ttherightthingformeatthatpointinmylife.AndImaybemightdookaywithitnow,butI'mcurious,whydon'tweseemoreinformationaboutthiskindofstuffinthemainstreamfitness?I'mcurioustohearyouranswer.Ihavesometheories,butitjustseemslikethatisacrosstheboard,therecommendation,it'slike,"Oh,ifit'snotworking,youneedtolikedoP90X,youneedtodoitstronger.Youneedtodoitharder."Whydon'tweseemoreaboutthis?Andrea:Yeah,it'sagreatquestion.AndtheanswerisI'mnotreallysure.Ihaveatheoryaswell,sohere'smine,whichisthatfirstoff,there'salotofpeoplewithautoimmunedisorderstalkaboutthatthey'renotbeingheardand/oracknowledgedabouttheirpaininthefirstplace.Andso,Iloveinthebeginningwhenyou


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sharedthatlike,"Ifyou'regoingthroughthisnow,weseeyou,"becauseforsolong,IfeltthatIwasn'tbeingseenandIwasn'tbeingheard,andthatmypainwasbeingbrushedoff.Andthatkindofleadstothisideathatexerciseintoleranceisanactual...likeit'sanactualthing,it'sreal.Exerciseintolerancehasbeentalkedaboutinthemedicalcommunitywhenitcomestoheartconditions,butithasn'treallybeenlinkedtoautoimmunedisordersbeforenow.Buttherealityis,isthatwhen,youknow,withourovertaxedsystemthatwedostrugglewithexerciseintolerance,ourbodiesareliterallyincapableofdoingthesametypeofexercisethatapersonwithoutautoimmuneconditions,buthasthesamephysicalandliketryingthesamebreakdownaswedo.Ifyoulookatthis,thesametwopeople,onehasanautoimmuneconditionandonedoesn't,thatpersonwithanautoimmuneconditionisgoingtobelesscapableofdoingthesameamountofexercise.Andthat'sbecauseofthisexerciseintoleranceidea.Ourbodiesjustcan'thandlethatextrapressure.AndIthinkthatinthefitnessindustry,there'sthisideathatweneedtobeaseffectiveaspossibleasquicklyaspossible.Andso,ifyou'restartingwithexerciseintolerance,theideaofgoingslowisnotmatchingthisideaofworkingashardasyoucantogetquickresults,right?So,there'sthisdisconnect.Andevenalotofmymemberstalkaboutthefactthattheygototheirdoctorsandtheirdoctorsarelike,"Well,you'renotdoingenough,youneedtobedoingmore."So,I'mtryingtochangetheideaofthatyouhavetodomoreandyouhavetodoitmoreintenseandyouhavetodoitasoftenaspossible,andthatyouneedtoreallycrushyourbody.I'mtryingtoputitouttherethatyoucangetthesameresultsbutjustslower.Andyou'llactuallyfeelbetterifyoudoitslower,moreconsistently,overtime,overlongperiodsoftime.Ican'tmake...I'mnotgoingtomakeanypromises,butlikeit'saget-fit-fastprogram.Idon'tactuallythinkthatget-fit-fastworksforanybody,evenifyoudon'thaveanautoimmunedisorder.Katie:Iwouldagreewiththat.AndIthinkevenforthosewithoutautoimmunedisease,I'mthinkingofpeopleIknowpersonally,andthemostfitpeopleIknow,theysay,likebothofuswouldprobablyagree,thatthemajorityofit,90%ofitisinthekitchenasfarasbeingfit,notworkingouttobeginwith.Andtheydon'tworkoutforhoursandhoursaday.Mostofthem,theyliftweights,theydosprints,butit'sallshortamountsoftimeandlotsofrecovery,notjustendlesshoursatthegym.So,I'mcuriousbecausewe'vekindoftouchedonit,butI'dlovetohearmoreindepth.Whataboutcardio?Becausethat'saprettycontroversialtopicrightnow.Ifeellikeeveninthenon-autoimmunespaces,youknow,howmuchdoweneed?Doweneedhighintensity?Doweneedlongdistance?Isittheamountperday?Alotofconventionaldoctorshadtogivethewholeanhourofcardioadayrecommendation?So,I'mcuriouswhatyoufound,specificallyforthoseofuswithautoimmunedisease,butevenjustacrosstheboard.Andrea:Yep.So,I'mnotthebiggestfanofcardio.Andthisiscomingfromsomeonewhois...Iwasamarathonrunner,Iwasalong-distancerunner,likeIpersonallylovetheactionofcardio.So,formetosayit'snotthebestforusisabigleap.Butit'snot.Andthereasonthedoctorspushitisbecauseit'sbeenproven,yes,toimproveourbloodflowandimproveouroxygenintake.Andtherearelotsofhealtheffectsthatgowithit.Butifyouthinkaboutprimalhumans,likewayback,cavemen,right?Like,theywereonlyrunningiftheywererunningawayfromsomething,theyweren'trunningjusttorun.Whattheyweredoingwastheywerebuildingshelters,soliftingthingsupandputtingthemdown.Theyweremovingallday,theyweregathering,theywerehunting.So,whatyouweresayingbefore,thisideathatlikeweneedtomovethroughoutthedayandweneedtokindofpickheavythingsupandputthembackdown,whichalsoisnotjustweightsbutcanbeourbodiesaswell,Ithinkisthemoreeffectivewaytogo.


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Cardioreallyputsyouintoyoursympatheticnervoussystem,whichisyourfightorflightzone.Andwhenyou'reinthatfightorflightzone,yourbodydoesn'tworryaboutproperdigestion,yourbodyisn'tworryingaboutwhatitneedstodotokeepyoualivelong-term,itonlyworriesaboutwhatitneedstodotokeepyoualiveshort-term.Andso,itworriesabouttheimmediacy,thehereandnow.Andthatmeanshighlevelsofadrenalinepumpingoutsothatyou'realertbecausewhenyou'reinthisfightorflightmode,you'relookingfordangerwhereveryouare.Andthat'snotasafeplaceforustobeallthetimeorevenforanhour.So,sayyougoforanhourrun,thatsympatheticplaceisnotreallythathealthyforus.Wewanttostayinaparasympatheticplace,whichisarestanddigestplace.Andyoucanaccessthatplacewhiledoingstrengthtrainingwork.So,youcangetfitwhilenotaggravatingyoursystem.Katie:Thatmakestotalsense.Isthereanykindofgeneralrecommendationthatyouwouldgiveacrosstheboardofthingsthosewithautoimmunediseaseshouldnotdo,orisitmorecase-by-case?Andrea:Well,Ithinkitiscase-by-caseintheideathatitsortofdependsonwhereyouareinyourhealingprocess.Iknowthat,generallyIsaythathigh-intensityintervaltrainingisprobablynotyourfriend.IntenseCrossFitisprobablynotyourfriend.Youcanlift,butlikegoingtoaCrossFitworldwheretheydon'treallytakerestbreaksandtheykeeptheintensitylevelupreallyhigh,thatcanbeverydangerous.Spinningclasses,evenpoweryoga,likeanything...thethemehereisanyhigh-intensityworkisgoingtoaggravatethesymptomsandputyoupotentiallyatriskforaflare.Thatsaid,ifyouhavebuiltuptolerance...becausehere'sthethingisthatyoucanactuallybuildup,youcanincreaseyourexercisetoleranceovertime,itjusttakesareallylongperiodoftime.So,ifyou'veincreasedyourexercisetoleranceovertimeandyourautoimmuneconditionisbeingmanaged,thenitmightbepossiblethatyouwilldookayatthosethings.Butgenerally,Isaythosethingsareprobablynotthebestformsofexercise.AndIknowthat'sdisappointingtoalotofpeoplelikemebecausewithautoimmuneconditions,too,likealotoftimeswehavealotofanxietyoratleastIhadalotofanxiety,andthosetypesofhigh-intensityworkoutswerereallywhatIusetomanagethatanxietypiece.Butultimately,IfoundthatIcouldmanagemyanxietyactuallybetterbytakingthosecomponentsoutandspendingmoretimecontrollingwhatIate,meditating,anddoingmoreintensivedeeptissueworklikefoamrolling,ortheabdominalbracingexercisethatIwastalkingabout.Likeyoucanstillgetthosesameneurotransmittersbeing,youknow,thosehappyhormonesbeingreleasedbydoingthelessintensivekindofwork.Thattookmealongtimetounderstand.Katie:Yeah,Ithinkit'sahardconceptuntilyouexperienceittoreallygraspit.Iknow...likeforme,writingonWellnessMamawasbornoutofaneed,likeIneededtolearnthisstuffanditwasn'toutthere.So,Istartedresearchingandwritingit.AndIknowthatyou'vehadsortofthesameexperiencewithyourAutoimmuneStrongprogram.So,canyouwalkusthroughbasicallykindofwhattheprogramisandhowit'sstructuredandbasicallyhowsomeonecanworkthroughit.Andrea:Itwasbornoutofaneed,justlikeyou'resaying.Iwasdesperatetofindsomeonewhocouldhelpmegetstrongwithoutputtingmeintotheseexercise-inducedsymptomflare-upsandIcouldn't...Ilookedeverywhere,andIcouldn'tfindit.So,that's...finally,whenIwaslike,"Fine,ifitdoesn'texist,I'lldoitmyself."Andbasically,theprogramthatisupthereisbasicallywhatIusedtohealmyself.So,ifyougotothewebsite,whichiswww.getautoimmunestrong.com,youhaveaccesstowhat'sdesignedasathree-monthstrength-buildingprogram.Andit'sdesignedbothforsomeonewhoseautoimmuneconditionissoflaredupthattheycan'tmove.It'salsoperfectforpeoplewhoareover-exercisingandneedtohavesomeguidanceintohowtoscaleback.


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Andbasically,thereareshortinstructionalvideos,likeatthemaximum,they're15minuteslong,andtheyteachyouaboutthesedifferentexercisesthatareverytargeted.Iworkoncorestrength.Iworkonbalance-training.Iworkonflexibility.AndIworkon...reallyfocusingondeepstabilizingmuscles.Andthenasyougetthroughthosesortofinstructionalvideos,they'realsothenworkoutvideos.So,onceyouknowhowtodothemoves,thenyoucanjustgointolikethebasicworkoutvideosandgetyourworkoutin.Theprogramisdesignedtoprogressuponitself.So,youstartwithLevel1andthenwhenyoufeellikeyou'reready,yougoontoLevel2.Andit'sthesameasLevel1,butjustalittlebitharder.Andthenthere'sLevel3,whichisjustalittlebitharderafterthat.Becauseovertime,yourbodydoesadapt.Andso,inorderforyoutocontinuegettingthesereallygreatchangeshappeninginyourbody,youhavetokeepputtingateenytinylittlebitmoreofintensityonoveralongperiodoftime.Yeah,sothat'skindofhowitworks.It'sallonline,andyoucanwatchthevideosanytimeofday,anywhere.Youcangetthemonyourphone.So,someofmymembersdoit...likeifthey'retraveling,theydoitintheirhotelrooms.Somepeopleliketodoitathome.Otherpeopleliketogodoitatthegym.It'skindofdesignedtofityourschedule.There'sno,"Thisisexactlyhowyoumustdoit."It'sself-guided.Katie:Yeah,Ifindmyselflovingthosekindofprogramssomuchmorenow,justbeinghomewithkids,becauseit'ssomucheasierjusttoturnitoninthelivingroomversusgoingtothegymandhavingtofigureoutifyou'retakingthekidswithmeorfindingaplaceforthemtogo.So,Ilovethat.I'mcuriouswhatkindofresultsyou'veseen.Because,likeyousaid,it'snotthetraditional,you'renottryingtogetlikeshreddedinsixweeksoranyofthat.So,I'mcuriouswhattheresultslooklike.Andrea:Theresultsaresofunandamazing,buttheylookverydifferentthananykindoftraditionalfitnessprogramwilladvertise.So,forexample,onewomanjust...wehad,there'saprivateFacebookgroupforallofthepeoplewhoareAutoimmuneStrongmembers,andshejustpostedontherethatshewasfinallyabletositandmeditatewithouthavingpaininherlegs.Shedidn'tneedtouseanythingtoliftherbodyuptogetherselfbackupoffthefloor,thatshewasabletojustcomeoutofhermeditationandstandup.So,thatdoesn'tsoundlikeabigdeal,butitissuchabigdeal.AnotherwomanwassharingastorythatshehasalotofgrandchildrenandshewasabletoplayWiffleballwiththem.Shehasn'tbeenabletodothatever.So,thesearelikereal-lifeachievements.Anotherwomanwrotethatshewaswashingdisheswithoutbackpain.So,theseareliketangiblereal-lifeimprovementsratherthan,"Wow,mybicepisbulging."Although,Idogetthoseresults,too.Onewomaninoneofmysmallgroupcoachingclasseswasjustsayingthatbecauseofalltheabdominalbracing,she'sfeelinglikeherjeansarefittinginalooserwayandshecantellthatalotof,youknow,thatherbellyisslimmer,whichisahappysideeffect.Butmostly,whatIhearis,"Ihavemoreenergy.I'mabletogooutanddowhatIneedtododuringthedaywithoutfeelingexhausted.AndIdon'thaveasmuchpaininmybody."AnothertypicalthingthatIhearis,"IwakeupinthemorningandIdon'tfeelsorebeforeIgetoutofbed."So,peoplearejustgenerallyfeelingbetterintheirbodies.Andthat'smygoal.That's,youknow,that'sthestuffthatbringsmeenormousamountsofpleasure.Katie:Forsure.Ithinkthatwe'dprobablyallhaveahealthieroutlookifthatwasthemindsetweallhad.Andit'shardbecauseIknowit'seasytowanttolikefocusontheexteriorandthatbeingtonedandallthatfirst,butlikeyousaid,whenyoustartontheinsideandfocusonthosecoremuscles,whichthosearealsolinkedtobetterhealthasyouage,likesomanybenefitsthatyouwillseethecascadekindofthroughoutyourlife.And


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also,itteachesthatthingwhichisthemostelusive,Ithink,inhealth,whichistheconsistencyandtheactualimplementing.Andso,likeitbuildsthatslowlyovertimeinawaythat'ssustainablebecauseIthinkallthesesuper-fasttoget-fit-quickprogramsarenotsustainable.Andthentheybasicallycreatethiscyclewhereyou'relearningtojustgiveupwhenitgetshardbecauseit'snot,youcan'tkeepdoingthat.Andrea:Well,andIthinkthat'sactually...that'sreallyimportant.AndIthinkwhatalotofpeoplearefindingisthatthisprogramchallengesthemtolearnhowtopacethemselves,andthenthey'refindingthattricklingdownintotheirregularlife.AndIfindthistoo,wehavethis,youknow,especiallyasamom,aworkingmom,likethisideathatwe'realwaysbusy.Whensomeonesays,"Andrea,howareyou?"I'mlike,"Oh,myGod,I'msobusy."Andthat'sthestorythatwe'retellinginthismodernlife,right?Butdoingeverythingfastandquickisnotalwaysthebestthing.Andso,byhavingthisprogramkindofchallengeyoutopaceyourself,I'velearnedtopacemyselfinotherpartsofmylife,too,andIknowthatmymembersarefeelingthesame.Is,"Okay,maybethatistoomuchformetosayyestotoday.So,maybeI'mgoingtosaynotothattoday.AndmaybeI'llputthatoffuntiltomorrow."Andthat'sreallyhardwork,likeslowingdown.Katie:Yeah,absolutely.AndIthinklike,ifnothingelse,maybethat'soneshiftallofuslisteningcanstarttomakebecauseIthinkI'vesaidthattoyouovertheyearssomuch,like,"Howareyou?""I'msobusy."Andbusyisachoice.AndI'veheardpeopleIreallyrespecttosaylike,"Ifyou'rebusy,it'sallaboutyourpriorities,andyou'rechoosingtoletyourselfbebusy."Certainly,there'smanymoredemandsonusnowthanthereeverhadbeen,butmaybehowmuchcouldweshiftourmentalhealthandadjustourmindsetifwewouldjustrespondtothatwithadifferentanswerorfindawaytorespondtothatwithadifferentanswer,findingwaystobecomelessbusy.Andyou'vementionedyourdailylifeacoupleoftimes,peoplewhoarehigh-achievers,whoaredoingamazingthingsandstayinghealthy.I'malwayssocurioustoask,canyoushare,ifyou'recomfortable,alittlebitofwhatyourdailylifelookslikeinanykindofroutinesortipsthatseemstoreallyhelpyoutothrive?Andrea:Yeah.So,yes,mylifeisverymuchwellbalancednow.It'stakenalotofwork.OneofthethingsthathelpsmeoutalotisdoinganenormousamountoffoodpreponSundaynights.AndIfoundthefoodsthatmakemefeelreallysatisfiedandarealsoquickandeasy.So,Idon'tgetthatcreativeinthekitchenanymorebecauseIknowwhatworks.So,onweekends,IalwaysmakesurewehavetimetogetmyfoodandonSundaynights,IalwayscarveouttimetofoodprepsothatduringtheweekIdon'thavetoworryaboutdinnersandIdon'thavetoworryaboutfeedingmyself.Ijust,youknow,everything'skindofthereandreadytogo.So,it'salittlebitofworkupfront,butIdothatby,youknow,Iput...likerightnow,I'mwatching"SoYouThinkYouCanDance?"AndIwatch"SoYouThinkYouCanDance?"whileI'mdoingmyfoodprep.SoitatleastgetsmyTVtimeinwithmycooking.Andso,itmakesitmorefun.So,that'sonetip.Imean,really,IjusttrytomakesurethatwhenI'mworking,I'mworkingandI'mfocused,andwhenI'mwithmykids,I'mwithmykids.AndthatI'velearnedovertimethatthere'snothingthat'ssourgentthatitcan'twait.So,there'sadifferencebetweenurgentandimportant,right?Solike,IfeellikeI'vealwayslivedinthisplaceofurgent,like,"OhmyGod,ifIdon'tdothisrightnow,it'sgoingtodisappear."Butthat'snotreallytrue.IfIdon'tanswerthisemailandIspendlikehalfanhoursittingonthefloorandplayingLegos,I'mgoingtobeokay,everything'sgoingtobeokay.So,that'sstillaprocessformethatI'mlearning.Youaskedspecificallyaboutmydailylife,though,anditlookslikethis.Igetupinthemorning.Iusuallygetupbeforeeverybodyelseinmyfamilyjustbecausethat'swhenIwakeup.Andso,IlieinbedandIansweremailsandIdomy...andIkindofliketakemysocialmediatimeandIgetkindofmentallyreadyformyday.Andthen


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IgetupandIgetmychildrenreadyforschoolorcamp.Andmyhusbandtravelsalotforwork,sooften,I'monmyown.So,mykids,Iputalotonmykidsofsayinglike,"Okay,"Ihavea10-year-oldanda6-year-old,andlikethe10-year-oldlovesmakinghisownbreakfastandmakinghisownlunch.ItmakeshimfeelreallyempoweredanditallowsmethespacetodowhateveritisthatIneedtodo,likegetdressedinthemorning.So,IgetdressedandIhelpthemoutwherevertheyneeditandthenItakethemwherevertheygo.AndthenIgetmyworkoutin.So,rightnow,IamexperimentingwithCrossFit,butnotinthoseCrossFitwads,I'mjustgoingandliftingkindofheavierweightsthanI'veeverliftedinmywholelife.AndIfeelamazing.Andit'sbeensuchagreatmomenttofeelpowerful,tofeellikeIcanput150poundsonmybackandliftitup.Thatcarriesmethroughouttheday.It'slike,"WhatelsecanIdo?WhatelsedidIthinkIneverwouldbeabletodothatnowIcando?"So,ImakesureItakemytimeforthat.AndthenIcomehomeandIdomywork.ButthekeytomyworkisthatIusuallytryandaccomplish...IsetasidethreeimportantthingsthatIwanttogetdoneintheday.AndifIhappentogetthroughthosethreethings,thenIcanmoveonandcomeupwiththenextthreethings.ButIdon'tusuallyworryaboutthenextthreethingsuntilI'veaccomplishedthefirstthreethings.So,thatjustallowsmetostayfocusedbecauseIusedtobeinaplacewhereIwouldendthedaybeinglike,"Ohmygosh,Ididn'tgetanythingdone."Now,IgotobedatnightfeelingI'veaccomplishedthreethings.So,Ifeelpositiveratherthannegative.Andit'sallhelpingwiththatself-talk,right?Likehowweframeourdaysmatters.So,Itryandkeepitpositive.AndthenItryandincorporatesomeplaytimewithmykidsoratleastlikereadingtothemwhentheygethomealittlebit.Butmostofthetime,I'mshuttlingthemaroundtotheirafter-schoolactivities,gettingdinneronthetable,gettingshowersandbathsdoneandgettingthemintobed.AndthenIdotypicallygobackanddomoreworkatnight.Idon'tknow,Idon'tknowifthatwasilluminating.Butthat'skindof...Andoh,andImakesureI'minbednolaterthan10:30becauseIfindthatthedifferencebetween10:30and11:00isverydifferentinmybrain.IfIgotobedby10:30,I'llhaveagoodnight'ssleep.IfIgotobedby11:00,I'llbeanxiousandworriedaboutallthethingsthatIdidn'tgetdoneandthat'snotagoodplaceforsleep.So,Itryandbeinbedby10:30.It'snotalotlikethere'snotalotoflike,"Woohoo,I'mgoingout."There'snotalotofthat.It'sveryregimented.Katie:I'mthesameway.Andespeciallywithsleepforyears,I'vealwaysbeenanightowlnaturally,andit'stakenmeyearstoreformmybraintoactuallywanttosleepearly.Andlately,we'vebeenactuallygoingtobedatlike9:30or10:00somenights,andit'sthebestsleepever.Ithink,especiallywithautoimmunedisease,wehavetorealizesometimesourbodiesjustneedmorerest.AndI'llsleeplikeninehourssomenightsandstillbeupearlybecauseIwenttobedsoearlyandit'sawesome.Andrea:Yes.Andisn'titnicewhenyouwakeupandnobodyelseisupandlikethekidsarestillsleepingandit'sjustquietandyoucanlikegatheryourthoughts?Ilovethattime.Katie:Exactly.ThatwasthementalshiftformebecauseIusedtostayupatnightbecauseitwasfinallyquiet,thekidswereasleep,andIwouldtrytogeteverythingdone.Andnow,I'veshiftedthatsoItrytogetupinthemorningbeforethekidsandgeteverythingdone.Andsothenbythetimetheywakeup,IfeellikeI'vealreadylikeconqueredthedayandI'vedonemymorningroutineandI'vegottenacouplethingsknockedoffmyto-dolistandbreakfastisready,andespeciallyinsummerrightnow.Likethey'rerunningsomuchthatthey'resotired,theyhittheirpillowat9:00p.m.whenit'sfinallydarkoutsideandtheyareout.Andso,they'renotwakingupat6:00a.m.anymore,soI'mabletogetsomuchmoredone.ButIthinkthatalone,likeifallofus


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wouldjustfocusongettingalittlemoresleeppotentiallyalittleearlier,it'sabsolutelylife-changing,andIresisteditforyears.

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Katie:Okay.So,anotherquestionIlovetoask,andIcan'twaittohearyouransweris,isthereafavoritebookthat'sbeenreallyinstrumentalorlife-changingforyou?

Andrea:Absolutely.Yeah.So,thebookthatIloveiscalled"TheGiftsofImperfection"byBrenéBrown.Forme,itisaself-helpbook.It'saparentingguide,andit'slikeabusinessbookallwrappedinone.ItkindofkickedoffformethisideaofhowIwanttostructuremydayandhowIneedtoputmyselffirstandhowIwanttoframeeverythingintermsofpositivityratherthannegativity.So,Iuseitasareference.Ireaditlikeonceamonth,andItakesomethingnewoutofiteverytime.It'sgenius.Katie:Iloveher.She'ssuchagreatwriter,andsuchimportanttopicsthatshetackles.So,Iagreethat,forsure,I'lllinktothatintheshownotes.It'soneofmyfavoritesaswell.Andlastly,aswestarttowrapup,ifthere'sapieceofadvicethatyoucouldkindofspreadfarandwideandpassontoalotofpeople,whatwoulditbe?Andrea:We'vetalkedaboutitalothere,butI'mgoingtosayitsimplywhichisthinkaboutthelonggame.Short-termfixesdon'tworkandnothinggoodhappensfast.So,that'skindofmythought,mylifephilosophyislike,thinkaboutmakingsurethatyou'rejustdoinglittlethingseverydaythatworktowardshealthimprovement,self-improvement,whateveritis.You'renotgoingtogettherebythinkingabout,"WhatshouldIdointhenexttwoweeks?"


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Katie:Absolutely.Yeah,Ithinkthat'ssuchanimportantmessage.AndIlovethatyouarespreadingthat.Iloveyourwork.I'vegottentotryoutyourprogramandIthinkit'sawesomeandtherewillbealinkintheshownotes.Ifanyonewantstofinditandyou'redriving,youcanfindeverythingwetalkedaboutatwellnessmama.fm.Butthankyousomuchforbeinghere.Thishasbeensuchafunconversation.Andrea:Katie,Ilovetalkingtoyou.Thisisamazing.Thankyousomuch.Katie:Ofcourse.Andthankstoallofyouforlistening,andIhopetoseeyouagainnexttimeon"TheWellnessMamaPodcast."

Ifyou'reenjoyingtheseinterviews,wouldyoupleasetaketwominutestoleavearatingorreviewoniTunesforme?Doingthishelpsmorepeopletofindthepodcast,whichmeansevenmoremomsandfamiliescouldbenefitfromtheinformation.Ireallyappreciateyourtime,andthanksasalwaysforlistening.

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182- Why You Need to Exercise Differently If You Have ... · them had suggested, "Maybe you could look at going gluten-free. I don't know if that'll help you or not, but it sort of