The Flipping 50 Show

Hormones After Breast Cancer? It's Not What You Think  Hormones after breast cancer has always been a rigid no. For most. Not all. My guest today is not only a breast cancer survivor but a doctor and estrogen “think tank” participant. If you or someone you know has or has had breast cancer, this is a must. She's in her 70s and you'd never know it. She's survived cancers and you'd never know it. Listen to her voice and you'll question whether she's really 70.  Dr. Berkson is one of the "mother's" of functional medicine, considered a thought leader in hormones and functional medicine. She has been teaching CMES: continuing medical education courses, for health care professionals like MDs and pharmacists for many decades. Recently in Utah she gave the first CME accredited class, it passed peer review, on how and why to prescribe hormones for breast cancer patients to 150 MDs and pharmacists. She had breast cancer 26 years ago and has been on cBHRT for 20 years. She has an eBook on hormones for breast cancer survivors. She has 21 books out, many on hormones and is a best selling author. She was a scholar at an estrogen think tank working with the top scientists that discovered the estrogen receptors and profiling for breast cancer patients. There is a lot of misinformation in doc's as well as patients. Don't miss out on protection and youth as you age. Let's get the facts straight from a doc and scientist that knows them.  Women have been told and believe that hormones cause cancer. Dr Berkson has a very different opinion and she's living evidence of the opposite.  Let’s blow this myth up and talk about pros and cons of hormone replacement. Questions we answer in this episode: How does something like this – misinformation get so accepted as fact? What other benefits does estrogen provide? What’s the connection between mortality rate and hormones? What is the % reduction in BC from estrogen replacement? What would you say to a woman currently under the care of a physician who’s advised not to do replacement therapy who might want to reconsider for the other reason you mention (bone, mitochondria, aging)? When will you go “off”? What criteria will you use? Connect: Drlindseyberkson.com Get her muffintop-recipe (whole other interpretation) Resources: Sexy Brain (book) Estrogen Matters (book) Please leave a rating in iTunes! It really helps!  Visit Flipping 50 on iTunes Click listen in iTunes Click ratings and reviews Leave your 5 star rating (seriously I’d love it, but your authentic comments are what I need to grow and give you more of what you want and less of what you can leave!) Know how much I appreciate you doing this! Don’t miss the next Café open enrollment!

Examine Aging Perhaps you've watched your grandparents and parents age. It’s your turn. Ready to change the way you age? Most boomers and 50+ women are and this episode has just the sassy attitude to support you.  My guest this episode is someone I am very confident you are familiar with and I’m so excited to have him here.  Marc Middleton, Founder and CEO of Bolder Broadcasting and Growing Bolder, is a media entrepreneur, television journalist, author, filmmaker, speaker, activist, and consultant who focuses on the changing culture of aging.  So of course, you can change the way you age.  A multiple Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, Marc is the host of Growing Bolder TV, seen on public broadcasting stations nationwide, co-host of Growing Bolder Radio, CEO of Growing Bolder Press, publishers of Growing Bolder Magazine, and director of the Emmy-nominated documentary film, Conquering Kilimanjaro.  He Walks the Talk (or swims the stroke) Marc is a 7-time Masters Swimming world record holder and a 10-time U.S. Masters Swimming national champion. His new book, Growing Bolder, Defy the Cult of Youth, Live with Passion and Purpose, is now available on Amazon.  Truly I pummeled Marc with questions throughout this episode and it was purely selfish. This. What Growing Bolder does, is what we’re all so hungry for more of. My suggestion is that you start or keep drinking that Kool-Aid over there. Questions we answer in this episode: What inspired you to begin Growing Bolder? How long have you been doing it? Was it personal? What's the end game - your mission - or movement you hope to create?  People seem to crave your message - it's positive and upbeat. You are "marketing a message" - do you have any "haters" or nay-sayers?  We (Flipping 50 and Growing Bolder) have much in common – I too love the Senior Games for instance and the idea of getting people off the scale and onto a starting line or seeking experience and adventure to inspire their physical fitness instead. Is Growing Bolder invested more in changing mindset? or do you also support followers in physical changes that make the rest the best?  What do you think of marketing to adults over 50? (and the stereotype even I did just there in that question - lumping us all into one big pool)?  Are you asked to consult with marketers about how to message and reach "us" - this market?  What would you say to a listener who is right now feeling "her age"? Where's the best place to start not anti-aging .. but optimal aging ?  Marc's book, "Growing Bolder, Defy the Cult of Youth, Live With Passion and Purpose," was released this year and is resonating with readers around the world. We're in the process of establishing the official Growing Bolder Book Club to support the book. Stay tuned for details on that at GrowingBolder.com. Growing Bolder's New Project Another exciting new project is "Growing Bolder's Launchpad to What's Next," a fast-paced, entertaining and inspirational pledge program that shares the secrets to healthy aging and active longevity. It will debut on public television stations in December. The winner of American Public Television’s PitchFest Live! national competition, Launchpad shares the good news about an entirely new life stage that represents an opportunity for 2, 3  and even 4 decades of active and engaged life beyond what‘s considered normal retirement age. Taped in front of a sellout crowd, Launchpad answers viewers' biggest questions, addresses their biggest fears, and inspires the kind of lifestyle change that empowers healthy aging. The program offers clear, actionable takeaways to help viewers begin their personal journey to what’s next. Hosted by Marc, the program features an all-star team of national experts including: long-distance swimming icon Diana Nyad; longevity expert Dr. Roger Landry; personal finance guru Jean Chatzky; Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner; 3-time Olympic Gold Medalist Rowdy Gaines; 50+ lifestyle expert Barbara Hannah Grufferman; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn; award-winning journalist Bill Shafer; motivational speaker Dr. Jim Smith Jr.; and aging transformation icon Dr. Bill Thomas. Listeners, you’ve got the power to change the way you age. Find other people that believe it, too. Hang out with them all you can. https://www.marcmiddleton.com/speaker https://www.growingbolder.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrowingBolder/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/growingbolder https://twitter.com/marcmiddleton Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growingbolder/ Please leave a rating in iTunes! It really helps!  Visit Flipping 50 on iTunes Click listen in iTunes Click ratings and reviews Leave your 5 star rating (seriously I’d love it, but your authentic comments are what I need to grow and give you more of what you want and less of what you can leave!) Know how much I appreciate you doing this!  

How to Harness the Power of Women’s Hormones The more you learn about women's hormones the more you know there is to know. This is an exciting time. As I like to say there's never be a more exciting time to be flipping 50. This is the first in a few episodes this month addressing women's hormones and perhaps flipping your thoughts on your future.  Explore your choices, re-examine your current options, and combine lifestyle habits for the optimal aging you want, need, and deserve.  I brought on one of the top women's hormone doctors and renowned speakers to share her insights with you.  My Guest: A committed trailblazer, Felice L. Gersh, M.D., works in integrative and holistic medicine, creating new paradigms in women's healthcare.  Dr. Gersh is a renowned international speaker on topics of women's health, exercise, nutrition, fasting, and essential oils. She has a special passion for educating all on the complexities of women’s metabolic and hormonal health throughout their life spans. She has received numerous awards, including being named Physician of Excellence in Orange County 12 years in a row, a Super Doctor of Southern California multiple times, and a TopDoc. She was recognized for her excellence as an attending surgeon at USC Keck School of Medicine by the OB/GYN Department, and was elected into the prestigious medical honor society, Alpha Omega Alpha. She is the Medical Director for the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine, where she leads her team of dedicated holistic practitioners. I took advantage of this opportunity to ask Dr Gersh about women's hormones research, her advice for staying healthy as you age, and her involvement in the Women's Hormone Network.  Questions we answered on this episode: How can hormones help women to stay well after menopause? What other options can women take to stay healthy? As for the upcoming hormone conference and how it can be beneficial for all women and doctors to attend? Can you tell us about your research with the Women’s Hormone Network? You’re speaking at a conference just around the corner. Can you share some details about your sessions? Hormones and Diet PCOS Hormones & Heart Health Physiologic Hormone Restoration Get Connected: Learn about Women's Hormone Network events  Dr. Gersh’s office: Integrative Medical Group of Irvine Dr. Gersh Book: PCOS SOS  Please leave a rating in iTunes! It really helps!  Visit Flipping 50 on iTunes Click listen in iTunes Click ratings and reviews Leave your 5 star rating (seriously I’d love it, but your authentic comments are what I need to grow and give you more of what you want and less of what you can leave!) Know how much I appreciate you doing this! Don't miss the next Flipping 50 episode with my friend Dr Lindsey Berkson when you'll hear how women's hormones post cancer are keeping her not only alive but thriving in her 70's.(and you would NEVER know it by a picture) Is it time for a rethink about cancer and hormone replacement?  Want support? THE first and only membership site dedicated for women in perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause. It's natural hormone balance through exercise, and the research-based lifestyle habits that support your hormone replacement choices no matter what they are. Workouts, courses, coaching, exclusive interviews, recipes, special rates on other Flipping 50 services.

If you doubt your personal power to change your health and your life – whether you HAVE an autoimmune condition or you want to prevent autoimmune conditions - this episode is for you. Multiple Sclerosis is not an unfamiliar topic here and my friend Dr Terry Wahls has been a guest and is scheduled to return too – to talk about her research updates. (link to prior episode show notes below) My guest today has more on the topic. But don’t tune out if you don’t have MS or an autoimmune disease. You can prevent autoimmune for yourself and you know someone who has one. Palmer Kippola is an author, speaker, and Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach (FMCHC) who specializes in helping people reverse and prevent autoimmune conditions. She developed a framework called F.I.G.H.T.S.™ to help others beat autoimmune conditions based on her 26-year battle to overcome MS (multiple sclerosis). Her new Amazon bestselling book -- just released spring of 2019-- is “Beat Autoimmune: The 6 Keys to Reverse Your Condition and Reclaim Your Health” with a foreword by Mark Hyman, MD. In it she shares the science, stories and strategies to help people heal and thrive. Palmer founded Transcend Autoimmune, a growing Facebook community of people proactively seeking to reverse or prevent autoimmune conditions naturally. Questions we cover in this episode:  You were diagnosed with MS at 19 and you dealt with awful on-again-off-again symptoms for more than 2 decades. Take us back to that first day, and tell us about a gift you received while you were lying on the couch that summer. You tried a number of experiments over the years. Walk us through some of your big experiments that led up to becoming MS-free in 2010. You found exciting science that caused you to go from someone who beat MS to someone who wrote a book about beating autoimmune conditions. Give us a snapshot of the empowering science. You offer F.I.G.H.T.S.™ (for food, infections, gut health, hormone balance, toxins and stress) as a comprehensive or holistic framework for healing. Can you walk us through one or more category and maybe offer a simple solution or 2 for them? Do you have final thoughts on how to prevent autoimmune or a broader message you’d like to share?  A gift for Flipping listeners: People often ask how to adjust exercise if they have an autoimmune condition. It’s time to also ask what to eat to prevent autoimmune or beat an autoimmune condition. Palmer created a guide to help you figure it out. Download your free Optimal Food Guide @ PalmerKippola.com/gift Resources: Flipping 50 podcast with Dr Terry Wahls (watch in 2020 for her NEW book) Don’t forget!  The 28-Day Kickstart is open! Enrollment closes October 30thfor November’s program This is offered only a few times a year and THIS is the last of it’s type before we do the 2.0 version. So if nutrition for fitness during hormone change is a big question mark for you, get in now before this goes away! Special holiday program in November! Please leave a rating in iTunes! It really helps!  Visit Flipping 50 on iTunes Click listen in iTunes Click ratings and reviews Leave your 5 star rating (seriously I’d love it, but your authentic comments are what I need to grow and give you more of what you want and less of what you can leave!) Know how much I appreciate you doing this!

Is Your Exercise REALLY Hormone Balancing? This past week some questions have come up in our community and I want to address them here so you understand the difference too. Before I start this episode about hormone balancing exercise vs traditional exercise, a couple announcements! Shout out to aerobicqueen for this comment in iTunes: This is my favorite health related podcast because Debra uses science based information and is extremely easy to like. I’m a health coach and know how much misinformation is out there and how much work it is to weed through it and Debra does a great job at that. You can trust she knows what she speaks of! I do wish the podcasts were a bit longer though. I hate to have to stop my workout to find another. Lol! I’d love to hear your input on that! We’ve purposefully kept episodes all between 25-30 minutes so that we can give you an episode with the best of the information without taking a lot of your time. It does fit right into hormone balancing fitness prescription, yet tell me what you would like!  A quick announcement too that the 28 Day Kickstart is open when this podcast airs, for two more days. When it’s closed it’s closed and we can’t change that date and time. Purchases made after 11:59pm MST will be refunded or you can apply it toward another program. If you want live coaching with me during that month when food is everywhere and exercise may get the squeeze, get registered! This could be your healthiest holiday season! Have I Taken For Granted You Know This? This is a regular question when I’m a guest on podcasts or summits or on a panel. So it’s one I may take for granted you already know the answer to. Let’s make sure that you do! The biggest key difference in the traditional approach to exercise and hormone-balancing exercise is that you choose and adjust your exercise program based on your hormone status.  A trainer asked me yesterday about having her clients do their workouts at 9 or 10pm if that’s the only time they could do them. The answer to that is no, no, and no. Absolutely not! Hormone balancing exercise isn’t about a “quota” of exercise used to burn calories. This isn’t a matter of – if you don’t burn the calories then you can’t lose weight. Unfortunately, that’s so backward it is a perfect example of what NOT TO DO! But unfortunately, even this question from a trainer who said she was focusing on women in midlife and older reflects the default to years of conditioning that just getting exercise is more important than hormone balance. There’s more to this too.  Injuries and Illness When you get sick or injured, what’s your first thought? For women who are in the middle of a perfect storm of hormone chaos and stress with busy lives – the first thoughts are: Oh, no! I can’t exercise I’m going to get behind! I’m not going to be able to exercise therefore I won’t lose weight! It’s like this inconvenience disrupting the path to exercise and weight loss (or stress reduction). In fact, injury and illness are related to your hormone balance, too. Women who get “itis” injuries like plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, or carpal tunnel don’t put together that the breakdown that allowed that to happen is related to hormones. Illness is your immune system depleted – it’s not exposure alone, right? It’s about you, not that aggravating seatmate on the plane with the sniffles. These are clues about what’s going on with your hormone balance too just like belly fat and hot flashes are clues. They too leave clues about how to adjust exercise to get better results. And that’s not just go hard with your upper body while your foot is hurt. Hormone Balancing vs. Traditional Exercise Hormone balancing exercise measures first what’s happening in your body. Every system from your endocrine (hormones), to digestion, elimination, cardiovascular, skeletal, muscular, gives you messages about how it’s working. You can’t train your muscles or cardio system at the expense of the rest. They work in unison.  Traditional exercise on the other hand? Starts with a quota. Get 3-5 sessions of cardio, 2-3 sessions of weight training, and do flexibility enhancing exercise most days of the week. For everyone, every week. There’s a “zone” or level of intensity and duration recommended as well. For everyone, all the time. While sometimes there isn’t a gender or age difference in exercise research, most times there is for women in midlife: specifically in perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause (that’s ‘til you die). That makes more than 61% of exercise research useless for you since it all features males – young fit males. (The percent of research on the exact moment you’re in is very low – however it is the ONLY research used for Flipping 50 programs in addition to data on those who complete our programs). The problem with traditional exercise is that it ignores unique needs. Your trainer or you may still default to traditional exercise logic it if you’re not getting results because THAT is the only thing you’ve been trained to do. You’ve been conditioned hard for decades to “exercise more and eat less.” Exercise at the wrong time (really wrong like the example above or even mostly wrong like late afternoon vs. morning) damages your endocrine system (first)and that slows your metabolic process. It will affect your immune system, your digestive system, elimination, and more.  It ends up being a vicious cycle. All Systems Go? Or Stop? Your nervous system would suffer if you didn’t sleep well … after disrupting your endocrine system by trying to exercise your cardio or muscular system late at night. In the end, that damages your cardio and circulatory systems. Even if you’re more confused than clear by that… you can see the domino effect. It’s like if you robbed a bank to pay off your credit card debt. You’d still be in a heap of trouble. You can’t isolate one thing (aka exercise) and get results. This is exactly the kind of thing that happens when you’ve got belly fat or weight you can’t budge and you’re exhausted but you’re exercising like crazy to get rid of it. (This isn’t a solution). You ignore one problem to solve another, and you will make it ALL worse sooner rather than later. If you realize that hormones need to be in optimum condition to support your metabolism, you focus first on hormones and all systems, not on calories or quotas of exercise.  Check In Stop there. Because immediately most women and trainers think, oh, I have to have my labs tested and get my hormones straight before I exercise. No, No, No. You use your exercise to enhance your Hormone Balance. YOU have power to positively influence your hormones with every act or inaction. You learn to (or get support from Flipping 50 Specialist) read your current status and respond. That’s hormone balancing exercise. Doing yoga (if you love it and it relaxes you) or deep breathing may be more fat-loss-enhancing than a vigorous workout if you’re exhausted or constantly stressed. If you’re finding you’re sick more than a couple times of year, have allergies, or get injured frequently less is more. You’ve got to look at your micronutrient status too. Injures or illness deplete them or you may have been depleted and that’s why they happen. Use clues your body leaves you.  You’re a Detective If you’re always keyed up, full of tension, setting your jaw, in a hurry…. Your sympathetic nervous system is always on. That’s a state of being where your body is not going to burn fat or release weight.  You want to get into parasympathetic … where your body functions better when it’s not “on alarm.” Good things happen in parasympathetic mode. You secrete more stomach acid to digest food better. You extract the goodness from food for the use of your body better. You can exercise and get positive results instead of adding negative stress (exercise is stress but it can be optimized) to an already stressed body. How do you get a sense of what’s happening with your hormones without labs? Short of me sitting down with you… I just created a quick 18-question quiz. Rate your response to easy questions like, how’s your sleep 1-5? You’ll get a score in two minutes. But you’ll get a wake up call on each question about where you need to focus. Keep track of any 3 or lower ratings you make. Take the quiz. Need support?  Do the 28-Day Kickstart! You’ve only got 2 days to register(at the time this podcast went live). Time’s running out. Seeing this late? Check out the notification list so you can see when I launch the 2020 new version! 

Menopause weight seems to creep up even on women who are already doing all the things. They’re health conscious. They’re the ones their friends look to when dessert menus come out to see if you’re going to order or not. You’re the one who has already ran when you get to Easter brunch or open presents on Christmas. If this is you, I created this episode for you.  When it feels like you’re doing it all and nothing works… You skip a workout and it’s like 5 more pounds come on. You do the workouts and you’re slammed with fatigue. Still, no weight comes off. If you’re in this place you’ve heard other women talk about but never really got til now… you’re in the right spot. I’m going to unpack two sides of this equation: First, are you really doing the right thing or just the thing that you’ve always thought is the right thing? Second, are you subconsciously letting sabotaging thoughts get in your way? So I’m only very briefly going to touch on the problem believing that more exercise, less food, being a warrior who doesn’t sleep, and a workaholic … can cause. Because those I address in You Still Got It, Girl!and my follow up book Hot, Not Bothered. I cover those in hundreds of YouTube videos and dive deeply into the real what you need to be doing in my programs. The fastest way to get support around myths you still believe is the 28 Day Kickstart, where I literally take you through the process of change for 4 weeks with live coaching calls, a private Facebook group, and the actual what to do so you can be in the change while you’re learning the science behind the right way not for a quick fix but for lasting results by adjusting to your hormones messages. They’re telling you what to do and you have control if you pay attention. I will link to the Kickstart (it happens to be open while I’m recording – it’s only open a few times a year now so I can really take a group through the process with me live and provide answers to questions in the group. Plus each registrant gets a 20 minute session with me so it’s grown so much I wanted to be sure I can accommodate everyone). The mistakes women in midlife most commonly make end up trashing their hormones. You can’t burn off fat with exercise if you eat less and tell your body to burn less. That’s like having one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake. If stress – from any source – put the fat on – more stress from any source won’t take it off. And exercise is stress, my friend. Yes, even for you who listening right now thinking, “No, I NEED exercise to decrease my stress.”  That is likely a quick fix like cocaine, and then you need another shot either later today or tomorrow. You probably could benefit more than anyone from less exercise. YES, you need it. Don’t think I’m saying don’t. But for a week you cutting way back may get you more fat loss than more exercise will. Other things we address during the Kickstart are things you ignore or don’t think you have control over: your sleep, your digestion, your libido. If you’re thinking, what? I thought this was exercise and nutrition? It is, but you’re an integrated whole and the status of your habits in these areas tell me as a hormone balancing fitness expert what to do with your training program. So let’s leave that one behind and suffice to say that what you used to believe would get you in better shape may be keeping you fat and out of hormone balance. Let’s look at how you think about the things you need to be doing. So you’re exercising, you’re in need of restful sleep, and you need to eat well. No arguments there, right? How Does It Make You Feel? So, be honest. When I say exercise, what do you think or feel? Words associated with exercise are often: hard, work, struggle, pain, sweaty, messy, time, hot, and uncomfortable. It may be time comes up for you. Tap into the emotions around exercise. Here’s a tricky one: even if you love exercise but you are so busy you can’t do it like you want to, exercise can become something with negative emotions tied to it. So, if you’re listening to this and you can pause, do it and then come back to me. Just stop think- or better yet write down- what’s your response to “exercise?”  Do you attach impossible goals attached to exercise? Do you tell yourself you have to do it every day, have to do more than last time, want to be good at a certain exercise (even though you have virtually no experience doing it).  Anything there resonate? Again, pause. Don’t skip really thinking through for yourself what this is like. If this is important, change can’t happen if you don’t tap into the emotion of it.  So if you’re back let’s go on. I hope you really did this. This is different than some episodes, but it’s a little more interactive and a bit like a workshop I would do as part of a retreat. You can’t just “listen” to something and get it. If you’re talking to yourself while you’re listening, or you’re nodding your head… that’s a good thing. I do it all the time. I’ll be on a walk or hike listening to one of the podcasts I follow and I’ll be responding. Entertaining for commuters and my neighbors I’m sure. Does Nutrition Trigger You? What happens when you think about the word “nutrition?” What feelings come to mind and what words describe how that makes you feel? How do you think about the fact that you’ve maybe gone through Whole30 or you are doing Paleo or you’re plant-based? If you say you “have a sweet tooth” how does that feel for you? When you think about the holidays and eating how does that feel? Does the word nutrition, when it’s related to you getting results you want but aren’t getting now, stir up any emotion? Do you associate it with “diet?” But I’m not suggesting that you diet temporarily but that you acquire a lifestyle that might go through periods of changing your diet in different ways. Compare it to chocolate cake, and to salad, and to pasta.  Try on meal planning. Does that make you feel like there’s no spontaneous have what I want when I want it? We get comfortable eating the things we like. Even if it isn’t working we sometimes refuse to give them up.  An elimination phase of testing food sensitivities can be a trigger for you. But realize, it can be from the words we use and the feelings attached to them. It’s not necessarily the activity.  We grew up thinking everything in moderation. We’ve got higher cancer, heart and other diseases because of it not in spite of it. Actually, when you’re struggling with weight or energy or can’t sleep, moderation in alcohol or sugary treats or gluten – even exercise isn’t the answer. The right answer is the answer. Spinach and kale are healthy greens… as long as you don’t have drug interactions with vitamin K, and as long as you’re healthy right? You wouldn’t have them if you were sick with the flu. Well you wouldn’t exercise the same way with hormones out of balance as if they were in balance either. Words associated with nutrition  - eating less, being hungry, limiting, restricting, depriving, go to bed hungry, no fun, no flavor. Or Nutrition can be just neutral and boring for you. Diet may trigger more negative feelings. Pizza or tacos may trigger another kind of feeling.  Changing for Menopause Weight Benefit This word we talk about all the time that very likely has feelings attached to it and we don’t even realize.  The word is Habits.  The word alone may or may not get you. But going to bed early, not staying up late, getting up early, checking your phone constantly, snacking all day… all of these are habits and if any of them is yours and someone made you change from what is currently a habit, it would feel foreign, maybe “bad.” You’d resist. How do all those associated feelings motivate or convince you that you don’t want to do this?  Attaching Baggage to Habits Interferes with Menopause Weight At the airline counter if your bag is too heavy you have two choices: Pay more Take something out  The same is true if what you’re doing isn’t working. Some of my students embrace change and understand the process. The students that keep finding themselves exhausted or carrying more weight are still trying to eat less and exercise more. They tend to push through instead of find ease in doing what they want to become who they are every day. They try adding more supplements and trying more shortcuts before they’ve got the basics. I’m a believer that it’s ridiculous to invest in “super foods” unless you’re already eating a few more vegetables every day and you’ve gotten rid of processed and fast foods.  For a short time – a month – 28 days – concentrated focus on something means that a year from now it will still be important. During that 28 days you’re working on creating new systems and breaking old patterns. Guess what you’re not focused on? Goals. Goals are temporary. Skills are permanent.  So if you want to know how to eat and exercise and be doing it more naturally and normally a year from now you have to take about a month and focus on it. Concentrate on it. Also really important is making an environment where doing what you want to be doing is easy not hard. If you’re a smoker and you want to quit but you live with four smokers, it’s going to be tough. It’s similar with exercise or with eating differently. There’s both a need to stop something and to start something else. With food, get rid of all the stuff you don’t want to eat. I call it a Pantry Raid in the 28-Day Kickstart. Make It Easy for Menopause Weight to Go Bye Bye Create the least resistance possible by getting a plan, clearing the time, getting your thoughts about it right, telling your friends and family, thinking in advance about how you’ll overcome obstacles like approaching holiday dinners or parties, tailgates, time alone when you might ordinarily eat food you don’t want to. Let me come back to “baggage.” If you get negatively triggered by words like “workout” or exercise, or by nutrition, and food planning, for instance, rename the actions you want to take.  You may also have to look at what it is you’re telling yourself you want to do. If you say you want to lose weight, for instance. What if you focused on getting healthy and feeling good? The side affects on the side of the bottle are going to read, warning: may cause optimal weight. The point is though if there’s no negative association telling your brain to avoid avoid, avoid, you’re much more likely to create the system that gets you where you wanted to go. It’s just that your GPS is broken! Your brain avoids negative things. Things associated with pain, disappointment, and it’s not going to bring those things to you. Menopause Weight Loss Voodoo? This is no woo-woo episode. There’s literal science that began in the late 70s about the body’s physical ability to change based on your thoughts (and your emotions are just a result of your thoughts). So what you want to do is tap into the emotion to tell you what you’re thinking. You can logically change the thinking and when your emotions change habit change is easy, effortless, and fun. When someone tells you you’re a “hardworker” or the most hardworking in the gym, are they hurting or helping? Up to you. Respond, no it’s easy. I enjoy it. Because even if you think you value hard work. Your brain still does not want to go there. Think about it. Hard work or vacation? Which one do you want more of? Struggle or ease? Which one do you want more of? Discipline or naturally? Which one do you want more of? When you think of “fat-burning” or “calorie-torching” exercise what comes to mind? How does it make you feel?  For 80% of the population the feelings associated with fat burning and calorie-torching are: hard, effort, intimidating, doubt, failure, exhaustion, punishing. Are those words positive or negative? And what will that do for your desire to exercise or to resist? What will your desire to exercise or resist work do for results you want? What will desire to do something or resist doing it for long-term staying power? (The ability to change your life!) You won’t start potentially. You won’t stick, potentially. You won’t retain it. Two things you want to do to lose menopause weight: Identify thoughts – your feelings tell you what they are – that sabotage you Identify whether you really know what to do now – in 2019 as opposed to what might have been the answer in 1979 Helpful? I hope that was helpful and I would love to hear from you. (leave a comment) First, if the 28 Day Kickstart feels like a fit the last one of the year, but also of it’s kind is happening in November and it’s open for enrollment now. This session will be available in the future for our Café members and nowhere else. If you’d like a live connection with me via a retreat in Scottsdale or Boulder or private coaching (which by the way my private coaching clients come to retreats for significantly less than anyone else), please contact debra@flippingfifty.com and my customer service experience wizard will give you the next steps to learn more. I’ve got one planned to kick off the year and another for summer at altitude. Menopause weight and inches are temporary, girlfriend. As long as you find the permanent skills to adjust to the messages you’re getting from hormones. Don’t let them take up residence too long. Don’t give up and resign. Resources mentioned in this episode: 28 Day Kickstart https://www.flippingfifty.com/28-day-kickstart debra@flippingfifty.com https://www.Flippingfifty.com/retreat Dr. Ellen Langer Podcast interview   Please leave a rating in iTunes! It really helps!  Visit Flipping 50 on iTunes Click listen in iTunes Click ratings and reviews Leave your 5 star rating (seriously I’d love it, but your authentic comments are what I need to grow and give you more of what you want and less of what you can leave!) Know how much I appreciate you doing this!  

We’re diving into results in this episode!  How do you get better results? You've been there: stuck in same old repeating patterns. You started so well. You got to the middle thinking this is it. Then, nope. Same problems, and same obstacles bubble up again. How can you prevent those obstacles that prevent your results?  Before I introduce my guest I want to let you know this episode is sponsored by Fit U. If you have 20 or more pounds to lose and you want a program designed for you, I’ll share the link to the 8-week course in the show notes and a very special rate. Warning: if you’re after a quick fix and misery through deprivation this is not for you. If you love to suffer this is not for you. If you want programs designed based on young fit males this is not for you. You should not do this course. Personal Success Coach and Author Heather Lee Chapman has over a decade of experience coaching individuals to be their best and live their best lives through mindset, movement & nutrition. Heather has a background that combines Movement Science as a Personal Trainer, and nutrition as a Certified Nutritional Practitioner. Heather works with her mentor Danielle Amos from the Proctor Gallagher Institute in leading a Business Mastermind group and educating people on Bob Proctor and Sandy Gallagher’s programs Thinking into Results, Lead the Field, (originally taught by Earl Nightingale) and 6 Minutes to Success. Here are the 5 questions we covered in today’s results episode: What do you think is the number one thing that stops people from reaching their goals? How can listeners change their paradigms?  What is results-based thinking?  How can listeners tell if their actions are based on old or new paradigms?  What are some actionable items the listeners can take away to begin improving their results and have quantum leaps in their results?  Connect with Heather: HLChealth.com  Get social with Heather: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HLCcoaching/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/heather_lee_chapman/ Twitter: twitter.com/hlchealth Pinterest: www.pinterest.ca/HLChealth/ Resources we mentioned on this results episode: You Are the Placebo Mary Morrissey [I am so happy and grateful…]  Louise Hay  Gabby Bernstein  Dr. Ellen Langer  741 Hertz app (could not be found) Wholetones (741 Hertz)  Please leave a rating in iTunes! It really helps!  Visit Flipping 50 on iTunes Click listen in iTunes Click ratings and reviews Leave your 5 star rating (seriously I’d love it, but your authentic comments are what I need to grow and give you more of what you want and less of what you can leave!) Know how much I appreciate you doing this!

Stress is a Bitch: Here’s What to Do About Her During midlife hormonal shifts you are more susceptible to negative effects of stress since you’ve got more sources… sleep disturbances, progesterone tanks, libido drops and intimacy with your best friend could be an issue, caught between anything from kindergarteners to adult children and aging parents.. you’ve got the perfect storm. It’s definitely an obstacle to optimal energy and fitness. I’ve got expert help here today to help offer some new insights. We’re going to dive into how and why you can prevent the fat storage that’s oh so much easier when you’re under stress, and the brain fog and aging acceleration we all want to avoid. Registered Herbalist (AHG) and Holistic Nutritionist, Danielle Ryan Broda has found her calling as an Instructor of Mycology at Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism, and National Educator at Four Sigmatic. Danielle brings her passion and expertise in herbal medicine, clinical practice, teaching, formulation, and her deep love for fungi, to the Everyday Magic™ of Four Sigmatic. Stress has become so common in our modern Western world and no one knows it better than a Flipping 50 listener, let’s talk about some of the natural ways we can support ourselves.  Questions we covered on this stress-busting episode: What are some natural ways to support our bodies in times of stress?  We’ve discussed adaptogens previously here on Flipping 50 but a good review of what they are and how they help is always good. What's the deal with "adaptogens"?  There’s a term tossed around “functional mushrooms” and medicinal mushrooms is another… let’s define those and because this is really your secret power, enlighten us about how we might use these to our advantage. Where do functional mushrooms fit into all of this?   5 favorite Four Sigmatic products that align with stress and self care: Mushroom Coffee with Lion's Mane and Chaga Adaptogen Coffee with Tulsi and Ashwaghanda 10 Mushroom Blend Adaptogen Blend + Mushroom Cacao with Reishi Try Four Sigmatic for yourself (click here) Use code: Flipping50 Connect on Social Media: IG @foursigmatic and @danielleryanbroida Please leave a rating in iTunes! It really helps!  VisitFlipping 50 on iTunes Click listen in iTunes Click ratings and reviews Leave your 5 star rating (seriously I’d love it, but your authentic comments are what I need to grow and give you more of what you want and less of what you can leave!) Know how much I appreciate you doing this!

Are you Mindful About Aging, Fitness, Food? Is the way you think about your habits, your every day habits that create the level of health which you currently have, aging you or slowing the process? Mindful practice of your inner and outer conversations may have more influence on your aging process than anything else that you do.  Of course you’ll have to have the right habits. Yet, if you’re mindful of them, you’ll naturally be inclined to make positive changes. You’ll seek the right information and the right steps. Then you’ll be conscious applying them in your life.  Dr. Ellen Langer, Ph.D., is a social psychologist and the first female professor to gain tenure in the Psychology Department at Harvard University. She is the author of eleven books and more than two hundred research articles written for general and academic readers on mindfulness for over 35 years. Her best selling books include Mindfulness; The Power of Mindful Learning; On Becoming an Artist: Reinventing Yourself Through Mindful Creativity; and Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility. Her most recent book is The Art of Noticing which pairs one-liners culled from her research with her original paintings. Dr. Langer has been described as the “mother of mindfulness” and the mother of positive psychology. Among other honors, she is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and three Distinguished Scientist Awards, the World Congress Award, the NYU Alumni Achievement Award, and the Staats award for Unifying Psychology. Most recently she received the Liberty Science Genius Award.  The citation for the APA distinguished contributions award reads, in part, “…her pioneering work revealed the profound effects of increasing mindful behavior…and offers new hope to millions whose problems were previously seen as unalterable and inevitable. Ellen Langer has demonstrated repeatedly how our limits are of our own making.” This episode was peppered with questions: You started pioneering this mindfulness movement – certainly about aging – before anyone else seemed to be writing much about it. In 1979, the rest of the world wasn’t quite tuned into the shock that was going to happen when baby boomers all started turning 50 and the change it would have on business opportunity, the economy, health care, so what was it that made you do that study so early in your career? Was it personal? Was there some influence of other researchers that pivoted you in that direction? In 1979 how old were you? And now you are?   Tell listeners about the Clockwise study When you removed them from that environment what happened? This is a quote from some of the press reporting on the Clockwise study: “What she found, however, surprised even her own team of researchers. Before and after the experiment, both groups of men took a battery of cognitive and physical tests, and after just one week, there were dramatic positive changes across the board. Both groups were stronger and more flexible. Height, weight, gait, posture, hearing, vision—even their performance on intelligence tests had improved. Their joints were more flexible, their shoulders wider, their fingers not only more agile, but longer and less gnarled by arthritis. But the men who had acted as if they were actually back in 1959 showed significantly more improvement. Those who had impersonated younger men seemed to have bodies that actually were younger.” [as printed in Harvardmagazine.com]   Because your body is listening you can change anything. -Dr. Ellen Langer Why didn’t we… the mainstream rest of the world hear more about this earlier?  The counterclockwise study results have been described in several of your books, but have never appeared in a professional journal.  Why was that? The Impact of Mindful and Mindless Revealed Almost 4 decades after that study… you’ve been quoted and your research cited many times in regard to placebo, the power of thinking. We’re now using and hearing the word mindset so much more often. Do you think we’re getting it? The majority of us? Or is it mindset that still limits us? “It is not our physical state that limits us,” she explains—it is our mindset about our own limits, our perceptions, that draws the lines in the sand.” Why is it so hard – or is it that we’re doing it wrong – to change mindset? How can listeners put mindfulness to work for them? But the biggest obstacle for so many is the language and thoughts that reflect their expectations. The entire premise of Flipping 50 is to first change our mindset so that our expectations send us looking for new knowledge and science that will help us live out our much higher expectations. Exercising less, with the eye on balancing hormones naturally for more longevity and vitality, optimizing weight with more but better food not diets, and moving for joy not punishment.  “Wherever you put the mind, the body will follow” But if the expectation is currently exercise is hard and it’s only purpose to burn off something that shouldn’t be there or change something unacceptable… or that it must take dietary deprivation and restriction … then getting healthy becomes hard. Do you live with any care about your age? Hotel Maids Mindful Change The other study I love to refer to is that you did with Alia Crum with 84 hotel workers. Talk about placebo effect. The mindset we adopt when we take pills – or not – that matters. You divided the maids into two groups and nothing changed about their physical habits at work, only the belief about their physical activity while at work changed. The study was 4 weeks – is that correct? Engagement is powerful, it’s the act of noticing. Much of what you’re saying is about the ability to accept that there is a different way to think about anything. If I gave you some thoughts from our listeners – limiting beliefs – would you be willing to counter with something that might help them see the obstacles those mindless thoughts provide … and offer an action or thought change that would remove self-inflicted limits? Many of the women listening are thinking: I’ve always been overweight. I’ve had insomnia forever. I always get injured just when I get some momentum exercising. How has your work influenced your own aging? How old are you now? The age of or beyond your subjects back in 1981… “All Rules Are Turned.”   Connect: Ellenlanger.com  Resources: Counterclockwise book New book she’s working on: Why Not? The Power of Possibility Does your mind control how you age? Listener: Mindfulness and mindlessness were two big words in this episode. What are you doing mindlessly that if changed and approached mindfully could change everything? Join our Active Aging subscriber list to get notified when new episodes are released. 

Gain Strength After 50? Can I gain muscle and gain strength after 50? Two frequent questions I’m asked. And for good reason! Muscle mass not only contributes to your metabolism but it determines your successful independent living later in life. When I began presenting on stages internationally in the 90’s I often said sexy now is one thing but later it’s going to be who can carry their own tray in the dining room. Truth. Today’s episode is in part about some of the research making waves and about contents of the Flipping 50 Member box too good not to share. In the Flipping 50 Member box recently we’ve added super strength bands- also known as blood flow restriction bands used in a special Kaatsu training method. As always the Flipping 50 Member Box is filled with items vetted and used by me and I also love to introduce you to the creators and people behind the company. That’s what today is all about. In the show notes I’ll be linking to the products –F50MB subscribers have a special market place access to find at a better rate – and I’ll also link to a recent blog all about the technique complete with videos. The method is going to be an extra bonus for STRONGER I participants this last quarter of 2019. My Guest My guest is creator of BFR bands that went into our Flipping 50 Member box this month.  As a personal trainer, Kusha Karvandi has trained over 10,000 hours of one-on-one sessions. With over 20 nationally-recognized certifications, and a unique specialty in neuroscience, Kusha's ability to transform his clients is unlike any other coach in the fitness industry. Although considered the eternal student, Kusha describes his coaching philosophy by the latin word "docere" which implies 'coach as teacher.' Kusha is the creator of the BFR Bands, designed for the research-backed form of training known as blood flow restriction training, which helps you gain muscle tone and strength without lifting heavy weight. Questions We Answer in This Episode: So, if a woman is able to lift heavy and willing to, research seems to prefer results from heavy to results from blood flow restriction bandsalthough there's promise in the gains from BFR (compared to not using them with light loads), do you concur? What if any research is there about bone density benefits? That said, there's a lot of great opportunity for strength after 50 in using BFR including less recovery time, an easy travel alternative, or during bedrest/other injury or life getting in the way of the "gym" an easy way to prevent muscle loss - do you have some customer stories to share?  Let's talk about protocol for listeners that varies from the traditional 2-3 times a week strength training protocol? What's the ideal frequency?   And in terms of sets and repetitions, let's talk about that for listeners seeking strength after 50 because that too is unique...  Let's talk about the elephant in the room... the bands look like some big muscle head in the deep dark of the weight room would use them. In fact, when you go shopping online it's pretty apparent that they are intended for body builders, or figure competitors, there's not a menopausal female in any of the ads I saw for over 2 dozen different products, are you trying to change that? Why and how?  So, truth there is some research on older adults, both resistance training, aerobic exercising, and even at rest or bedrest ... what areas show promise for this tool with regard to age?  Should my listeners be using it? or should they be using it for their parents seeking strength after 50!? Last, we're super excited about the lower body bands our Flipping 50 member box subscribers are getting gifted! Do you also have upper body bands? We don't want to skip that!  Links to the BFR bands: https://checkout.bfrshop.com/double-wrap-bfr-bands https://checkout.bfrshop.com/prox-bands/ (Flipping 50 Member Box subscribers: Use your special Market Place to get yours at the better rate on additional sets) Links to resources mentioned: Osteosarcopenia podcast  Flipping 50 Member Box   STRONGER I  Should You Be Doing Blood Flow Restriction Exercise   I’d love to hear from you on this one. Are you intrigued? Inspired to use BFR bands? Want some guidance? (Check out STRONGERwhile it’s open as we’re incorporating it into STRONGER I and STRONGER IV programming!)