Episode Transcript

The Nourished Mama - Ep 13

 [00:00:00] Welcome to the Nourished Mama podcast. I am your host, Anna Robinson, certified nutritionist and wellness coach, plus fellow mama. This podcast is here to show you that you can live your healthiest, happiest, most vibrant life as a mama. Each week, I will be sharing different nutrition Lifestyle and mindset hacks that are going to support you in your health journey.

You can expect realistic and sustainable advice, plus strategies that can easily fit into your busy life as a mama. Because without a nourished mama, there can't be a nourished home. So if you are committed to creating a life filled with vibrance for you and for the ones you love most, then you are in the right place.

So let's get into today's life changing episoDe.

Only a couple of times a year. I host my free [00:01:00] life changing masterclass called my four step path to health and weight control. As a busy mama, if you are a burnt out mama who is ready to finally find you again, feel healthy, vibrant, and happy in your body, then you don't want to miss this free event. You will walk away with my.

Four step formula that has transformed hundreds of mama's lives free from unrealistic diet rules, calorie counting, or any intense workout plans, just powerful results based strategies that work with your body and not against it. But hurry, this event is only free for the first 1000 registrations. Click the link in the show notes to secure your spot.

Welcome back to another episode of the Nourished Mama show. Today, I want to chat about the importance of looking at your health from a whole 360 perspective. The last few decades, we have seen a significant decline in women's health and [00:02:00] addressing this really requires a complete 360 approach, especially during the demanding seasons of motherhood.

For decades, most health research and advice has been primarily based on male physiology, leaving women, and particularly mamas, with guidance that often doesn't account for our unique biological needs. Today, I want to explore why women's health is declining, how mamas can take simple steps to biohack our health without adding more to our already full plates, and why thriving physically and mentally really requires several interconnected pillars of health working together.

So let's start with the sobering reality. Despite advances in medicine and technology, women's health in many ways is declining and mothers are often generally hit the hardest. [00:03:00] Studies show increases in autoimmune conditions, hormonal disorders, mental health challenges, and chronic fatigue among women.

With many issues really emerging and intensifying after pregnancy and well beyond that as well. So why is this generally happening? There are several factors that come into play. First is modern living, and this Exposes us to unprecedented levels of generally environmental toxins and endocrine disruptors that particularly affect our female hormonal system for moms.

This is concerning, not just for ourselves, but also for our children too. And something that we really should think about as these exposures can affect our kids during pregnancy, during breastfeeding and well beyond their growth ages as well. Secondly, conventional health care, conventional health care often treats symptoms rather than underlying causes.

So how many [00:04:00] mamas have been told, you might have been told this, that your fatigue, your weight changes, your mood fluctuations are just part of motherhood. when most of this time you're actually experiencing hormonal imbalances or nutrient deficiencies really. That postpartum checkup that tends to happen around that six week mark barely scratches the surface of the massive physiological changes happening in a new mama's body.

And unfortunately, no one is told at this checkup what they need to do in order to replenish their own needs. I've said this so many times before, but everybody, family, doctors, Your neighbor has an opinion on how to keep your baby alive, but no one tells us what we need to do in order to replenish our own body and start thriving after all that depletion has occurred.

Thirdly, and perhaps most significantly, much of our [00:05:00] standard health advice ignores the unique demands of motherhood. The stress of balancing, childcare in school, work, household management and self care creates. Biological impacts that standard health protocols don't actually address. When was the last time your doctor asked about your sleep quality while caring for, young kids or how you're managing to nourish yourself while feeding everybody else.

As mamas, our bodies undergo tremendous changes through pregnancy, through childbirth, breastfeeding, perimenopause, menopause. These experiences create specific nutritional demand. hormonal shifts and recovery needs that generic health advice simply doesn't address. Now, when we talk about health for mums, we really need to recognise that it's not a single factor equation.

Our bodies operate as an interconnected system, and this is where the 360 [00:06:00] degree approach becomes so, so essential, especially during the demanding seasons of motherhood and well beyond that. Now, I want to look at four critical pillars that really need to work collectively, for motherhood health and women's health in general.

Now, before I talk about these four pillars, something that I want to say is that this is not meant to make your life easier. It is actually going to make your life so much more simple when you understand that Regular health trends and regular health protocols are just not designed for our body as mamas and are generally failing us.

And when we look at our health from this 360 perspective, and I like to break it down into the four pillars, we can really step back and think about simple strategies that we can use that are going to benefit. All four of these pillars. It's going to make so much sense once I go through this. but when I talk about that 360 [00:07:00] approach, it's not because I want to add more things to your already busy schedule.

It's because I want you to look at it from an outer perspective, which in turn is going to help you with your health and make it so much easier for you. The first pillar being nutrition, mothers have intense nutritional needs that change throughout all the different stages, whether that's pregnancy, postpartum, breastfeeding, even when you've got teenage kids, when you're entering those perimenopausal years.

we require different amounts of nutrients, for example, iron, calcium, and specific vitamins compared to men. We need so much more of, even compared to women who haven't had children yet. After giving birth, our bodies need specific nutrients to rebuild tissue, to replenish blood volume, and even support, breast milk production.

And well beyond this as well, and let's be honest, meeting these needs while preparing meals for [00:08:00] everybody in the family and eating cold leftovers standing up takes a huge toll on our bodies over time. So it is really important to look at these nutritional needs. And I will give you some tips on this soon.

The next pillar is hormone balance. Motherhood triggers the most dramatic hormonal shifts a woman will ever experience. And these changes can have so many lasting effects. Estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, thyroid hormones, and insulin all Interact in a delicate dance. That's easily disrupted by sleep deprivation, stress, and the physical demands of motherhood.

This is why isolated approaches and most diets often fail. Youyou can't fix. Postpartum thyroid issues without addressing stress hormones, for example, or blood sugar imbalances without considering how it affects your reproductive hormones. We are seeing more women than [00:09:00] ever before needing hormone replacement therapy after years of living with hormonal imbalances that were never addressed.

And the saddest part about this is no one ever told them or explained to them that their symptoms all along were really due to this imbalance. Then you add years of diet and exercise trends that actually added more stress and imbalance to their bodies when they really thought that these methods were actually helping them and they were being healthy.

The third pillar is gut health. Our digestive system undergoes significant changes during pregnancy, during postpartum, during perimenopause, menopause, and this matters because our gut is where our nutrients are absorbed. Many hormones are metabolised in our gut, and a significant part of our immune system resides in our gut as well.

Well, poor gut health can contribute to postpartum mood disorders, nutrient deficiencies, autoimmune conditions. And again, most conventional diets [00:10:00] never address these gut issues. The amount of times I've heard a mama say to me that she went to the doctor due to. Severe bloating and digestive issues only to be brushed off or told to take IBS medication, which again does not address the root cause of the bloating.

It is only a band aid approach. And the fourth pillar is lifestyle factors. Now let's talk about the elephant in the room. Motherhood comes with Inbuilt lifestyle challenges that impact our health. And this is a no brainer. we've got the fragmented sleep while caring for young children, elevated stress levels from juggling so many more responsibilities, less time and energy for movement and self care and also increased exposure to household chemicals.

which affect mums more than any other group that we've seen in research. These factors don't just make us feel tired, they create psychological changes that can dramatically impact our hormones, our immune [00:11:00] function, and even our overall resilience. Again, why most diets and health trends just don't work for us because they don't consider these factors. Now for the good news, optimising our health doesn't actually require this elaborate self care routine or complicated protocols that no busy mama has time for. Simple strategic changes can have profound effects when we address these symptoms in an interconnected way. And here are some mama focused bio hacks that honour our unique needs and fit into real mama life that you can start with today.

Now, number one is strategic nutrition timing. Rather than stressing about perfect meals, I want you to focus on your breakfast, including a high protein and healthy fats, stabilising blood sugar breakfast. First, that's going to help with your hormones for the day. It is really going to impact [00:12:00] how the rest of your day plays out.

And if this is the only one meal that you can focus on, that you have time for, please make this the one. This one change can help prevent the energy crashes. That's so many mamas experience mid afternoon, not to mention all the other benefits that this comes with the hormonal balance. It can help with your cravings throughout the day and also help with nutrient absorption.

The second tip that I want to give you here is keep nutrient dense snacks visible and accessible. Things like hard boiled eggs, nuts, seeds, cut up vegetables with hummus that you can grab when you're making the kids meals. This is such a great way to avoid going for a super highly processed snack. The second tip I want to give you.

not the second tip, but the second bio hack I want to give you is supplement smartly. Now, when I say this, I don't want you to go out and buy [00:13:00] all these supplements thinking that they're going to fix and address. All the symptoms that you're experiencing, because this is something I unfortunately see way too many mamas doing now.

I'm not fully against supplements, but if you've followed me for a while, you will know I am a true believer of making whole foods, the foundation of where you get your vitamins and minerals from. If you are eating a beautiful whole foods. Every single day, leafy greens, beautiful colored vegetables, and fruits.

This is where our body should be getting most of its vitamins and minerals from. And the best part about getting your vitamins and minerals from whole foods is the fact that our body recognises these vitamins and minerals. They are not synthetic like most supplements, and our body is able to digest, metabolise them, and absorb them a lot better.

And at the end of the day, they're also addressing the root cause of your deficiency, while a lot of supplements, again, can only be a band aid approach. [00:14:00] In saying that, I do believe that there are supplements that can really support mothers, and that's why I say supplements smartly. Now, for example, magnesium supports hormone production, sleep quality, and our stress response, which are three things that most mamas need help with B vitamins help with energy production and mood regulation.

Omega three can help with cognitive function and brain fog. Now, these are simply deficiencies that research has found can be common in motherhood. I'm not saying that these are supplements that you should. Specifically be taking. I am a huge advocate of having your bloods done regularly and only supplementing with what your body needs during this specific phase.

Now, the next bio tip hack I want to give you is micro movement throughout the day. Instead of feeling guilty about not having time for structured workouts, I want [00:15:00] you to incorporate movement into your existing routine, especially when you're just starting out. For example, might sound silly, but dance with your kids while you're preparing dinner.

This is something I love to do and we all end up getting super sweaty afterwards, which is so great. Do squats while you're brushing your teeth or go for family walks. These movement snacks, which I like to call them throughout the day can be more beneficial for hormone health than isolated workout sessions that actually spike stress hormones.

Again, if you followed me for a while, I'm Such a big believer in slow movements for women's health, so much study and research has found that intense workouts like HIIT can actually be so much more damaging for your hormones than any good. Now, if you were just starting out, try these snack movements, as I like to call them.

And then as you get going, I would definitely start incorporating some more. Walks, light jogs, Pilates, and yoga, which I'm a huge advocate [00:16:00] of as well. Next up is prioritised sleep. Now I know this can be a sensitive topic, especially for mamas with little ones, but. When you're in a season where uninterrupted sleep isn't.

realistic quality becomes even more important. You really need to create some form of a wind down routine that is going to help you fall asleep fast. And it's going to be able to get you in a deep sleep. And these days, this can be really difficult. And there are so many people that struggle with this, especially mamas.

Something that I recommend is maybe including. reducing blue light exposure in the evening, even if it means that you're doing this just for 15 minutes before you go to bed, put your phone away, turn the TV off, go upstairs, do your skincare routine, lay in bed, read a book, really reduce the blue light exposure on your eyes.

keep your bedroom dark as possible during the night. And you could even consider wearing blue light blocking [00:17:00] glasses in the evening while you're doing household tasks or, catching up on work, whatever you're doing as the light starts to reduce, maybe pop those blue light blocking glasses on.

This is going to really help with reducing those hormones that tend to keep you awake. the other thing that I would really consider here is what's important to you is Staying up and watching Netflix important versus how you're going to feel for 8 to 12 hours of your entire day. I know it can be so tempting to stay up and get this alone time, but what you really need to be focusing on is how you feel majority of the day.

And sleep is one of the most important pillars of health. I can't stress that enough. I probably need to do a whole episode just on sleep.connection as medicine is my last bio hack that I want to share with you and motherhood can be so isolating and social connection is really a powerful biological regulator for [00:18:00] women.

Prioritising time with friends who uplift you isn't just a nice to have, it actually creates hormonal shifts that benefit. Everything from immune function to stress resilience, even short connected connections, like a 10 minute phone call with a supportive friend during nap time, or while your kids are at sport can create meaningful biological benefits.

It really. Is an incredible way to support your health, not just mentally, but also physically as well. There is so much amazing research around this. And again, I should probably do a whole episode on this topic as well. There was an amazing study that found that connection was one of the major pillars of longevity and health.

it really is important to keep those connections going at all stages and phases that you are in motherhood. Now, the key takeaways I want every mama listening to this is that your health must be approached from a 360 degree perspective. [00:19:00] When we recognise how nutrition, hormones, gut health, and lifestyle factors all influence each other, we can make targeted changes that create ripple effects.

Through our entire system. And this isn't about adding more to your already full plate or feeling guilty about what you're not doing. It's actually about simplifying, understanding the root causes rather than chasing symptoms and making strategic changes that actually honour your maternal physiology and fit into real mum life, which is just so important.

At the end of the day, most diets are going to fail us because they don't address these four interconnecting pillars. And the standard health advice that treats bodies as, gender neutral and ignores the unique demands of motherhood doesn't serve us. We deserve approaches. Tailored to our unique biology as women and mothers approaches that recognise the massive [00:20:00] physiological undertaking of creating and nurturing life and the impact that this can have on all those four pillars as well.

So by adopting this. 360 degree perspective that I always talk about. We can create a new version of motherhood. One where mothers don't just survive, but truly thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally, because when mamas thrive. Families thrive. Thank you so much for joining me today on the nourish mama show.

If you found this helpful, please share it with a mama in your life who might benefit from it until next time. Remember that your health is multidimensional and taking care of yourself isn't selfish. It's essential for you and for your whole family as well. Bye for now.

Only a couple of times a year. I host my free life changing masterclass called my four step path to health and weight control. As a busy mama, if you are a burnt out mama who is ready to finally [00:21:00] find you again, feel healthy, vibrant, and happy in your body, then you don't want to miss this free event. You will walk away with my.

Four step formula that has transformed hundreds of mama's lives free from unrealistic diet rules, calorie counting, or any intense workout plans, just powerful results based strategies that work with your body and not against it. But hurry, this event is only free for the first 1000 registrations. Click the link in the show notes to secure your spot.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I hope this conversation has inspired you to live your healthiest, happiest life. Don't forget to subscribe and tune in next week. Bye for now.