The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

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Why You Need To Look At Your Health As A Whole & Not Just A Diet Aug 25, 2019

Show notes

Our health is the most important thing we can have and nurture! And there are so many ways to obtain optimum health, but what our guest, Leanne Vogel, and I have in common is our love and support of the ketogenic way of life. Following a keto diet is one of the healthiest ways to lose weight, keep it off, and balance your hormones.

Leanne is a nutrition educator, author, and podcast host. She has spent the last decade reshaping how she approaches food and nutrition so that you can feel happy, healthy, and in control with how you eat.

When it comes to our health, it's important to look at it all. What I mean is, we can't just look at the physical part, but our spiritual and mental health is just as important. And above all, being able to laugh at ourselves is so healthy!

When we're following a diet, we all need to remember that indulging in a sweet or dessert is absolutely okay. We don't want to deprive ourselves, because deprivation can lead to binging, and ruining all the healthy habits we've developed. But that's why we need to listen to what our bodies want.

Men and women have such differing body images. Did you know that you can adjust the way you think about your body? It might take a lot of inner work, but it might also look like leaving relationships with people who put you down.

Leanne talks about shadow and limiting beliefs in-depth and how you can recognize when you have them. These types of beliefs are deeply personal, but you have the power to overcome them. She also explains why you should make self-care a priority every single day.

Do you know the importance of listening to how your body wants to eat? How do you handle negative self-talk? What do you do for self-care every day?

In This Episode:

Why you need to look at your health as a whole, not just rules, and weight loss
How being able to laugh at yourself is healthy
Why indulging is okay when you're eating a healthy, balanced diet
How to give your body what it needs
How you can adjust your body image
How you can establish healthy boundaries for you and your body image
What shadow and limiting beliefs are and how you can recognize and work through them
How you can work in your self-care into your daily routine

Quotes:

"I'm more than Keto. I'm so much more than a diet, I'm so much more than this body." (4:39)

"Nobody cares about our body. So many people are so wrapped up in their own stuff, that nobody actually cares about your body. The only person that cares about your body is you and you have the power to adjust that." (17:46)

"There's so much more to this than weight loss, there's so much more to this than macros. Yes, the ketogenic diet is super powerful and will change your life but if you're not willing to put in 'The Work,' you're only going to go so far. Because those limiting shadow beliefs will constantly be behind you, ready to sabotage your efforts, and you need to work through that in order to gain a life you've always wanted." (26:00)

Links

Find Leanne Vogel Online

Find Leanne Vogel on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest

Find Lindsay McKinnon Online

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How To Process & Heal From Grief Aug 18, 2019

Show notes

Grief affects all of us in so many different ways and can come over you at any point, even when you're not expecting it. For many, grief stems from the loss of a loved one, but that's not always the root cause. Grief comes from loss -- the loss of a job, business, pet, friendship, relationship, death, and so many other aspects of your life. My guest and friend, Lindsay McKinnon, is talking about her relationship with grief after losing her two sons in a house fire.

The grieving process will look totally different for each individual going through it, but one thing remains static: it will be a long, hard haul. Our culture isn't taught how to grieve properly, and so many of us feel guilty for trying to live a happy life again.

Lindsay has found happiness after loss by turning to, and now teaching, Qoya, a type of dancing yoga. Grief sits in our hips, and the movement and flow of dancing is not only emotionally enjoyable, helps release the sadness. She writes about how our soul meets the body and talks about creating space for that connection. Lindsay also holds retreats to help people work through their grief.

In this episode, we talk about how grief can come into your life, even when you think you've healed from it. We look at the healing process and how this is a journey that is individual to the person. You need to honor the time it takes for you and your body to heal. Grieving the loss of love is natural, but it's important to remember that the sadness we feel is a reflection of the joy we felt.

How do you handle your feelings of grief? What do you do to remember those you have lost? Do you incorporate movement into your grieving process?

In This Episode:

How grief can affect you and come across you even years after a loss
How you can heal from tragedy
Why you need to honor your time, body, and your own processes in order to heal
How you can set intentions to help you step through grief
What Qoya therapy is and how it can help with grief
What it means to grieve the loss of love

Quotes:

"Our culture is just not really taught how to grieve. We find ourselves in the midst of it and quite often judging how we're navigating it. Feeling like we should be doing something other than what we are doing or feeling something other than what we are actually feeling." (2:10)

"What I learned is that the heart can expand. It can include our deepest pain points and our greatest joys at the same time." (5:57)

"Being present in your body, being physical, incorporating that. Realizing physically what you're feeling emotionally and where that needs to be worked out physically because our different organs hold energy." (14:24)

Links

Follow Lindsay on Facebook | Instagram

Find Qoya Roanoke

Learn more about Lindsay's Retreats

Get $200 off your Gut Microbiome Testing for Weight Loss & Health

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How To Start Living Your Limitless Life Aug 11, 2019

Show notes

You know the old saying, "if you can dream it, you can do it"? That is pretty much today's guest's motto in life. Naveen Jain is a serial entrepreneur and philanthropist who believes in living life without limits. He's joining me today to tell you how you can start living your limitless life today.

Naveen explores life with curiosity, imagination, and exponential innovation to defy any and all limits. He believes that every single person has the ability to create big things, go anywhere they want (yes, even the moon), and change the world. Naveen is an entrepreneur driven to solve our world's global challenges… and he's succeeding in a big way.

By living with an abundance mindset, Naveen knows that there is no limit to the money available in this world. He wants to create a world where disease is optional, and this has started him on a path to providing affordable health solutions for everyday people. I've often said that I left medical school with a degree in pimping pharmaceutical companies, and Naveen agrees, that often medical doctors can do more harm than good.

The first thing we need to know is where our chronic diseases come from. Many medical doctors don't treat the underlying condition and reasons for our diseases but simply medicate the symptoms. Understanding what we need to know about ourselves, and what questions we need to ask, is a vital part of healing our gut.

What it comes down to, really, is eating the right foods for our bodies. And knowing that what's right for me might not be the right food for you. Each body is different and reacts to foods in unique ways. For example, Naveen can't eat apples, bananas, or spinach - three super healthy foods.

When you take the power of your health back into your own hands, you're gaining the ability to change your life. You're getting rid of any and all limitations put in place by your body and saying "yes" to becoming a healthier, happier version of yourself.

Naveen has kindly given us $200 his company, Viome's, Gut Microbiome Testing Kit. I'd urge you to take advantage of this incredibly generous offer!

Do you feel in love with yourself? Have you ever been tested for food sensitivities? Do you know the difference between an abundance mindset and a scarcity mindset?

In This Episode:

How we, as individuals, can change the world
Why medical doctors can cause more harm than good
What it means to have an abundance mindset
What steps we need to take to become rich
Where our chronic diseases come from
What questions we need to ask ourselves to heal our gut
Why eating the right food for our bodies is the most beneficial thing we can do for our health
How to take back the power to take action over your own health
Why you need to fall in love with yourself

Quotes:

"When you get a chronic disease, people say that it's bad luck. No, it's not bad luck! It is simply the bad choices we made because we didn't know what the good choices were." (7:47)

"Limits exist because our imagination, and what we call reality, shows that these limits exist." (11:31)

"We want to create a world for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren where chronic disease is simply a matter of choice. It's not about luck." (24:40)

"Our goal is to simply not just to tell you what is happening in your gut, but give you the control back so it's actionable. The only way we can solve this problem is to become the CEO of our health. To take the control back from our own body, our own health, and to realize that we have the power." (35:20)

"Your self worth never comes from what you own. Your self worth comes from what you created." (41:58)

Links

Find Naveen Jain Online

Follow Naveen Jain on Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube

You can also email Naveen: naveen.jain@gmail.com

Find John Gray and MarsVenus Online

Follow Dr. Anna on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

How To Nurture Your Relationships Through Communication Aug 04, 2019

Show notes

Nurturing your feminine side when in your household and your relationship will help strengthen your bond with your husband. All too often, women are seeing an increase in their testosterone levels, which is making us feel less comforted and nurtured at home. Today's guest, John Gray, author of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, joins me today to discuss how we can nurture our masculine and feminine hormones to create stronger relationships.

John has been researching and coaching couples for over 40 years, and he's sharing what he's learned about relationships, communication, and having a healthy sex life. To start off, he explains why men are seeing a decrease in their testosterone levels as they grow older, and what you can do to combat this.

By opening lines of communication with your partner, you can help nurture their testosterone or estrogen production. John explains what happens when women feel their emotions building up, with little things adding to their problems. And how expressing your emotions and simply talking to your partner can help release that pent up energy.

Relationships are all about communication. Men are more likely to do the things you want them to do by simply asking them confidently, not complaining or nagging them. And when you can talk openly to your partner and are comfortable being emotionally naked with them, you're in a better place to get physically naked.

Sex is such an important part of our romantic relationships. John talks us through how we, as women, can encourage a healthier sex life, and how men can prevent their own ejaculation to make sex a longer, more pleasurable experience for both partners.

Do you have a healthy sex life with your partner? How do you keep open, honest communication in your relationship? What do you do to nurture your partner's dominant hormones?

In This Episode:

Why men are seeing their testosterone levels lowering
What foods affect our testosterone and estrogen hormone production
How you can treat your partner to nurture their estrogen or testosterone
Why doing the little things in a relationship are so important
What happens when you have a build-up of emotions
How you can encourage men to do more things to make you happy by requesting, not complaining
Why women can be hesitant to share their feelings with a man
Why you should feel comfortable being emotionally naked with your partner before you become physically naked
How you can improve your sex life to ensure you get enough pleasure
Why men need to prioritize women's needs over their own
What impersonal sex is and what it does to your relationship
Why you have to honor your bodies' priorities

Quotes:

"Sex becomes the doorway for men to open their heart. Women don't understand this because women have to open their heart first before they fully enjoy sex. So it's the love that allows women to feel more sexually alive." (10:48)

"Connection is a woman's greatest need. A man's greatest need is to feel successful. Success increases testosterone. Connection increases progesterone and estrogen, and oxytocin. Which we know, hormonally, is essential for women's well-being." (17:49)

"You can't fully feel your positive emotions if you can't fully feel your negative emotions." (35:29)

Links

Follow John Gray and MarsVenus on Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Follow Dr. Anna on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Birthdays, Blue Zones, & Being Better Jul 28, 2019

Show notes

What is it about turning another year older that causes us to reflect and reassess our lives? I've just turned 53; today on Couch Talk, I'm talking about birthdays, reflection, and Blue Zones. Blue Zones are incredible locations across the world where the residents have a longer life expectancy.

Birthdays come with many mixed emotions. Sometimes you approach them with joy and happiness, other times you might look at them with grief and sadness. Not to mention how birthdays can be a totally different experience after losing someone you love. I like to think of birthdays after bereavement as a celebration and remembrance: it's okay to feel happiness after someone leaves your life.

There are an incredible 9 things that contribute to a location being known as a Blue Zone. And while some of these things have to do with the natural location, most are the way we, as individuals and as communities, live, work, breath, and interact with each other.

People living in Blue Zones put more emphasis on physical movement, meaning they rely less on cars and more on their feet to transport them places. The inhabitants also feel fulfilled with their passions, making a point of living their lives fully.

Family is incredibly important in the Blue Zone. Their ancestors are honored annually, and there's often multiple generations living closely together. There's a real sense of love, support, and responsibility to aging relatives - and one I wish we would foster more here in America.

My Keto-Green diet plan is pretty much straight from the Blue Zones. There's a huge emphasis on eating plant-based foods and limiting your meat intake. You can see this in the Mediterranean diet, as well, where vegetables and pulses are consumed regularly.

Lastly, building a sense of community is not only a wonderful thing to do, but it also helps you live longer. I've made a point to be a better neighbor this year, and for the rest of my years, and I can already tell it's going to make a difference to my life.

What does celebrating your birthday mean to you? What is one thing you're so glad about doing yesterday? How are you being a better neighbor?

In This Episode:

How a bereavement can change your attitude towards birthdays and other special events
What blue zones are
Why you should move more naturally, without the use of technology
What role passion has in your life
How you can honor your ancestors to increase your longevity
Where the blue zones of the world are
Why eating more plants helps you live longer
How belonging to a community can impact your life
Why you should always put your family first and try to live closer together
What happens when you become a good neighbor

Quotes:

"If we can let go of "what ifs", "what could have been", or what we thought we should have achieved by now, and we can reflect on the things that we do have, the things that we are grateful for, all the small things in our life. And that reflection can lead to longevity and quality of life overall." (3:14)

"The world's longest-lived people chose or were born into social circles that supported healthy behaviors." (12:05)

"I know that evil happens when good people do not stand up and act. So there's a time to stand up and to fight what is right and to face your enemy head-on. Doing so with grace, authenticity, consideration, and compassion is a challenge, but certainly one I'm up for." (15:06)

Links

Check out Power 9: Reverse Engineering Longevity by Dan Buettner

Buy The Hormone Fix

Find Further Foods Online

Follow Dr. Anna on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Why Collagen Is Crucial To Maintaining Your Health As You Age Jul 21, 2019

Show notes

We've always been told how important calcium is for our bone health, but did you know that collagen is perhaps even more important? Collagen makes up over 90% of our bones, joints, and skin and is responsible for giving your body structure and strength. Today's guest, Lillian Zhao, is the founder of Further Foods, a company designed to make natural health easier and more accessible.

Surrounded by disease, Lillian knew there had to be another option to traditional medicine. Further Foods was developed as a platform for food-based solutions to health problems when nothing else was there. It's a women-founded and women-led business, one of the only supplement businesses run exclusively by and for women.

Collagen is actually incredibly vital for our bodies, especially as we age. Our bodies start to lose collagen as we enter our thirties, so we should be supplementing it from a pretty early age. Not only is collagen important for our bone and skin health, collagen also plays a role in our pelvic and digestive health, as well.

You can get collagen from cows and fish and in this episode, Lillian explains how they use these animals to create their natural supplements. Collagen is also full of anti-aging properties and helps reduce wrinkles, especially on your face. There are other delicious and natural food sources with anti-aging properties, too!

Have you heard of the importance of collagen? Have you noticed your skin health decreasing as you get older? Do you take a collagen supplement?

In This Episode:

Why collagen is so helpful for our bodies
How much collagen our bodies lose every year
What impact collagen has on our bones and pelvic floor as we age
Why you should supplement your diet with collagen
How collagen helps your digestive health
What natural sources you can get collagen from
What other anti-aging food sources there are
How you can vote with your dollar for the best products for you as a woman

Quotes:

"Our bones are made out of a matrix. That matrix is 90% collagen and the calcium fills it in. So calcium keeps our bones strong, but when we run, or even walk, all that shock is being absorbed by the collagen inside our bones." (6:52)

"Collagen is really unique because it's almost a quarter glycine and you can't get that anywhere else. Glycine is so important for so many different metabolic processes in our body. And it also helps with the sleep!" (13:03)

"What I think is really unique about our business is that we've kept it women-owned and women-run. We know that the majority of our customers are women. And if you think about it, there are almost no supplement companies out there that are women run. We think it's so important, because ss women, we understand our needs the best. So we continue to design products for people like us." (17:25)

Links

Get 5% off your order in the Further Foods Shop with discount code: DRANNA

Find Lillian Zhao on Twitter | Medium

Follow Further Foods Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest

Get your free Thyroid Health Guide

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Why We All Need To Be Talking About Hypothyroidism Jul 14, 2019

Show notes

If you've been struggling with your weight, feeling sluggish, and getting no luck with a doctor's diagnosis, you could still have thyroid disease. Unfortunately, most doctors don't have all the answers when it comes to correctly diagnosing hypothyroidism. Today's guest, Elle Russ, has taken her thyroid health into her own hands and now helps other women do the same.

Elle has developed and written The Paleo-Thyroid Solution after years of undiagnosed thyroid issues. She has been through it all with the medical system, including being patronized by doctors who are uneducated about thyroid disease. She is a regular on The Primal Blueprint podcast where she discusses thyroid health and the paleo diet.

An extraordinary amount of people have to figure out their thyroid problems on their own. Becoming your own thyroid advocate might be the only solution to your health problems. Therefore having a solid knowledge of what tests you should and shouldn't take is essential.

Thyroid issues can be caused by a number of different lifestyle influences, some of which you may never have even considered. American diets are designed in a way that makes your body sugar-burning, which usually has a detrimental impact on your health. Optimizing your body to be fat-adapted, which takes at least a month, can already solve a number of health and thyroid issues.

Undiagnosed thyroid disease can have an impact on your mental health, and not just hormonal and chemical reasons. But there are other people out there who have solved their own hormone issues. Finding online communities and reading books, like The Paleo-Thyroid Solution and The Hormone Fix, can help exponentially.

How long can you go without food? Have you repeatedly been to the doctor without receiving any kind of diagnosis? Do you feel like you can't go more than four hours without food?

In This Episode:

How the paleo-primal diet works to treat thyroid disease
What tests you should and shouldn't take to diagnose thyroid disease
What type of influences can cause thyroid problems
How stress can affect your thyroid and hormones
Why there is more to thyroid treatment than taking medication
Why you need to take your health into your own hands and educate yourself
How your mental health can suffer when dealing with undiagnosed thyroid problems
What the difference is between a sugar-burning and fat-adapted body is
Why you need to deal with your hypothyroidism before becoming fat-adapted
How following your intuition when it comes to food can have a positive impact on your body

Quotes:

"I didn't realize I was basically eating and exercising my way into a Type 2 insulin-resistant situation." (13:51)

"People sometimes get all of the tests they should, except the Reverse T3, and it's just not comprehensive enough." (25:06)

"Perseverance pays, no matter what. I wouldn't be here right now if I was unwilling to accept this state of being." (31:15)

"This is a feeling of not being able to live in your own skin. Every minute of the day sucks. And all you can do is wait to go to bed so you don't have to exist." (32:28)

Links

Find Elle Russ Online

Follow Elle Russ on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Pick up your copy of The Paleo-Thyroid Solution

Book your Ulta Lab Tests

Find Dr. Mandy Pelz Online

Follow Dr. Anna on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

How To Heal Your Body With Intermittent Fasting Jul 07, 2019

Show notes

Intermittent fasting is the best way of eating you can follow when you're trying to heal and strengthen your body. By restricting your food intake to a set number of hours a day, your body will look for sustenance from within when you're not eating. Dr. Mindy Pelz joins me today to talk about intermittent fasting.

Mindy is a chiropractor and nutritionist, specializing in keto and intermittent fasting for women. It's a way of eating that is beneficial and supportive for the whole family. She started looking for solutions to her own health when she was 43 and felt she was doing all the right things but still wasn't at optimal health.

On this episode, we're talking about the benefits of practicing intermittent fasting every single day. From regulating your blood sugar to weight loss, if you're following intermittent fasting and eating the right foods, there's very few people out there that this way of eating wouldn't benefit. Some people find that they have to experiment with their fasting window to find what works best for them.

Our understanding of food and nutrition has changed over time, with the discovery of epigenetics and ketones. With this new knowledge, scientists and nutritionists have figured out that intermittent fasting, taking into consideration autophagy, is the way forward.

If you're new to intermittent fasting, the best thing you can do is just to get started and learn what works best for you as you go. It might take some trial and error, but this way of eating is far better for you. It's also more effective than caloric restriction if you're trying to lose weight.

Have you thought about practicing intermittent fasting? Do you have health problems or difficulty losing weight? Are you ready to take back the power over your own body?

In This Episode:

Why intermittent fasting needs to be completed along with a healthy diet
How you can force your body to find the toxins in it
How you can start training yourself to practice intermittent fasting
Why you should find the fasting window that works best for you
Why ketones are the best fuel for your brain
Why you need to consider autophagy when you're fasting
What the difference between a dry fast and wet fast is
How epigenetics changed our understanding of nutrition
What we can learn from a European diet
Why fasting is a better way to lose weight than caloric restriction
What fast mimicking is and how you should follow it

Quotes:

"We live in the most toxic time in human history and we really cannot be ignorant anymore, cannot turn our head the other way. We really need to ask ourselves, 'how do we minimize our toxic load?' because it's destroying people's physical and mental health." (9:02)

"Ketones are neuroprotective. So the longer you can stay in a state of ketosis, the more healing that is happening, especially in the brain." (18:13)

"If you cannot go without for food, if you're struggling to go 10 hours without food, there's a good chance you've got mitochondria that's got a tremendous amount of dysfunction in it." (33:57)

Links

Follow Dr. Mandy Pelz on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

Join the Resetters group on Facebook

Buy The Hormone Fix

Listen to The Sheri & Nancy Show podcast

Follow Dr. Anna on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

The Importance Of The Beautiful No Jun 30, 2019

Show notes

Have you ever had a disappointment that's turned out to be one of the best things that have ever happened to you? That's the concept of a beautiful no. Today's guest, author, and speaker Sheri Salata is here to talk about her new book and share some of the experiences she's had that led her to write it.

Sheri is a writer and producer, co-host of her own podcast The Sheri & Nancy Show, co-founder of The Pillars of Life, and former executive producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show. She is one of the most inspirational women I know, and I'm so happy to introduce her today as my friend.

Sheri was 35 years old when she started working on The Oprah Show in an entry-level position. By the time she turned 50, she was working in her high-level position and living her dream career. But was it the life of her dreams?

It's so important to know that it's never too late to start living the life of your dreams.

But living this life takes regular check-ins with yourself and a healthy group of friends around you to act as a sounding board. You might need to push yourself to get outside your comfort zone. And, most of all, you need to become the expert on who you are, what works for your health, and understand what makes you different from everyone else.

Have you experienced a no that turned out to be beautiful? Do you check in with yourself regularly? How do you incorporate meditation into your daily life?

In This Episode:

Why it's never too late to live the life of your dreams
How a no can actually turn out to be an absolute gift to your life
Why you need to regularly check in with yourself in order to live the life of your dreams
What happens when you push yourself
Why you need to become the expert on you and your health
How meditation helps you center yourself in your own story
Why we need each other to make sense of your life

Quotes:

"Recalibrating the way I moved through a day. It's an ongoing process, it's not one and done. It's not checking goals off a piece of paper. It really is about checking in with myself so consciously every day that even when I'm making mistakes or I'm not doing some of the things that I know make me feel good, I know I can make a different decision by 4 o'clock." (12:51)

"Doing things that are good for me, like medicine, is not inspiring to me. What I've had to change, is that I'm leaning into all the things that really, really feel good. Because I understand how much easier it is to just shower myself with love for myself when I feel good. It's a love practice." (19:51)

"Feel empowered and enlivened that you're the expert on you. You're getting to know yourself. You have your own recipe. What works for you is not the same as what's going to bright for me. Your joy is yours to define." (24:05)

Links

Find Sheri Salata Online

Follow Sheri Salata on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Get the book The Beautiful No and The Beautiful No Experience

Buy The Hormone Fix