Latest / Empowered + Well / Women's Health Hot Takes, Round Two: No Notes, No Filter

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Women's Health Hot Takes, Round Two: No Notes, No Filter · Empowered + Well

• 0:00
  LAUREN: Welcome back to Empowered & Well.
• 0:03
  We are here with another round of "just us" — Amanda and I responding to some AI-generated
• 0:11
  prompts on the fly.
• 0:13
  AMANDA: When we did this last time, Lauren and I had so much fun we couldn't help ourselves.
• 0:19
  And based on our stats, we know you guys had fun too.
• 0:22
  So here we go again — new trends, new questions, new hot takes, and definitely a few more
• 0:29
  tangents.
• 0:30
  LAUREN: I love it.
• 0:31
  Same deal as last time — if you didn't catch that episode, go back, it was one of our last
• 0:39
  few.
• 0:40
  No scripts, just the two of us, two besties with a lot of opinions about women's health
• 0:49
  and whatever else gets rolled into the mix.
• 0:53
  We're going to kick it off in EWP fashion with a little "this or that."
• 1:00
  LAUREN: Amanda — sauna blanket or infrared sauna?
• 1:04
  AMANDA: Infrared sauna.
• 1:05
  LAUREN: Same, a thousand percent. Protein shake or protein bar?
• 1:10
  AMANDA: (laughs) Protein shake, a thousand percent.
• 1:13
  LAUREN: Protein shake, a thousand percent.
• 1:14
  AMANDA: I knew you were going to say that, and it makes me sad — for all of you listening, I have
• 1:20
  a bit of a protein bar addiction, and I know they're not the best option.
• 1:25
  In a pinch, though, I love a protein bar.
• 1:28
  LAUREN: Knew we'd be opposites on that one too. Morning workout or evening workout?
• 1:36
  AMANDA: Morning, definitely.
• 1:38
  LAUREN: Standing desk or walking pad?
• 1:44
  AMANDA: (laughing) I'm just staring at Lauren instead of answering — for those watching the video,
• 1:53
  you can see it. I didn't even realize I hadn't answered.
• 2:00
  AMANDA: For me — I don't have a standing desk, so I'm really dying for a walking pad.
• 2:06
  LAUREN: Skincare fridge or regular fridge?
• 2:11
  AMANDA: Wait, is that where you put your skincare in the fridge to keep it cold? I have no idea.
• 2:14
  I'd say regular, since my skincare isn't in my fridge.
• 2:16
  LAUREN: Same, honestly. I don't think Claude knows us that well on this one.
• 2:24
  Let's do two more and then move on.
• 2:29
  AMANDA: Bone broth or electrolytes?
• 2:32
  LAUREN: Tough one.
• 2:33
  Honestly, I do electrolytes every day and not bone broth — though my sister did a lot of
• 2:40
  bone broth, especially early on with her Crohn's diagnosis, and there are real benefits to
• 2:47
  it. But I'll say electrolytes, since that's what's true for me.
• 2:52
  AMANDA: That gives me pause, because I do electrolytes too — hot yoga, the beach this summer.
• 3:00
  But I know bone broth can level up the protein in your day.
• 3:05
  I think I need to start doing it.
• 3:09
  LAUREN: Based on our conversation earlier, you may need some bone broth.
• 3:19
  AMANDA: You'll all find out soon if Lauren asks me the right question.
• 3:23
  Group class or solo training?
• 3:25
  LAUREN: Solo training for me.
• 3:27
  I do enjoy lifting with other people, but — I'll admit it, I'm a bit of a control freak —
• 3:36
  I like to be the one planning exactly what's going on with the workout.
• 3:44
  AMANDA: For me, group class, at least for yoga — doing it alone is never as much fun.
• 3:51
  AMANDA: But when it comes to strength, Lauren's my trainer and sends me all my programming, so I
• 3:58
  love that setup.
• 4:00
  LAUREN: And I'll agree with you on the yoga — hot yoga all the way.
• 4:08
  LAUREN: Alright, let's dive in.
• 4:10
  Quick heads-up on how this episode unfolds: right before we went live, I asked Claude to
• 4:21
  throw a bunch of random questions at us, so we'll scroll through and skip any that don't
• 4:31
  quite land. Amanda, want me to go first?
• 4:36
  AMANDA: Go for it, you look locked and loaded.
• 4:41
  LAUREN: Alright — **what's something about your body you've made peace with in the last year that
• 4:47
  you hadn't before?**
• 4:49
  AMANDA: Two things come to mind.
• 4:51
  One — I've started getting these tiny red spots on my skin, almost like little red
• 4:58
  freckles.
• 4:59
  I went to the dermatologist about it, and I remembered my dad had them too, and I thought,
• 5:07
  "oh my gosh, this is just aging." I've had to make peace with the fact that they're there.
• 5:15
  I saw one on my face the other day and actually colored it in with an eyebrow pencil.
• 5:22
  It's only been the last few days that I've really made peace with it.
• 5:28
  LAUREN: I don't think I have them, but I know exactly what you mean — actually, wait, I think I
• 5:57
  might have one too. *(Both compare spots on camera.)*
• 6:16
  AMANDA: My dermatologist offered to laser it off, but then it just comes back — so what's the
• 6:27
  point.
• 6:28
  LAUREN: You have to make peace with the things that happen as you get older.
• 6:32
  AMANDA: Apparently it can also be linked to high cholesterol, but I don't think that's the case
• 6:37
  for me — I think it's just an age thing.
• 6:40
  Lauren, what about you — anything you've made peace with recently?
• 6:45
  LAUREN: I'm always making peace with certain things — like the fact that I'm five feet tall and
• 6:55
  that's not changing.
• 6:57
  Or that my upper body puts on muscle a lot more easily than my lower body.
• 7:06
  That's part of why I never want to do biceps — ever.
• 7:13
  AMANDA: And whenever I see biceps programmed into my workout — like this past Saturday — I get
• 7:24
  excited, because I never get bicep work from Lauren otherwise.
• 7:32
  LAUREN: You hit your biceps plenty through your back moves — they're looking good.
• 7:41
  Clearly it's working. We'll do another programming overhaul soon to really make them pop.
• 7:52
  LAUREN: I guess I'm always evolving with what I'm making peace with.
• 7:58
  I joke about my height a lot — in triathlon, there are weight-based categories (Athena for
• 8:07
  women, Clydesdale for men) that never quite made sense to me, since someone 5'2" and
• 8:16
  someone 5'11" could both land in the same category.
• 8:21
  If you're short, no matter what, your wingspan is your wingspan — you just have to cover
• 8:30
  more ground with shorter legs.
• 8:34
  AMANDA: Okay, I have two I really want to ask, but this one's calling to me first: **what's a fear
• 8:39
  you had about your health in your twenties that turned out to be completely wrong?**
• 8:45
  LAUREN: Tough one. I was honestly a little more "crazy" about food in my twenties than I am now.
• 9:02
  I remember in college, when friends would talk about a wild night out, mine was more like,
• 9:20
  "oh my God, I ate at the grease trucks last night, this is going to ruin everything." I
• 9:38
  feared food a lot more back then, and felt like one "bad" night had so much permanence.
• 9:56
  LAUREN: As I've gotten older — through Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, all our big family holidays —
• 10:09
  I've realized one bad night of eating or drinking isn't going to wreck how I perform or
• 10:22
  feel. I think when you're younger, your perception of time is just different.
• 10:34
  Now I understand that one bad decision doesn't undo a long-term habit.
• 10:44
  That's something I've made peace with too.
• 10:51
  AMANDA: For me — maybe not exactly in my twenties, but when I was younger — I was really afraid of
• 11:03
  carbs.
• 11:04
  Lauren and I actually talked about this today, since I know I'm not eating enough of them.
• 11:16
  I remember the Atkins-diet era, being terrified of carbs, not realizing they're our body's
• 11:29
  quickest and preferred energy source, especially during a workout.
• 11:38
  AMANDA: I've spent a long time pushing down cravings and pushing down hunger.
• 11:45
  It's time to flip that.
• 11:48
  Lauren and I talked today about the fact that I'm probably not eating enough to fuel my
• 11:58
  workouts, which might be why I'm not able to level up the weight I'm lifting.
• 12:07
  LAUREN: Amen.
• 12:08
  AMANDA: So we know I'm under-fueling, since I'm not leveling up every three weeks like I should
• 12:19
  be.
• 12:20
  We talked about adding potatoes or rice to my salads at night, and about how sometimes I
• 12:32
  only eat one slice of toast at breakfast.
• 12:38
  This morning I caught myself trying to convince myself I'd only eaten half a slice — that
• 12:51
  mind game never fully goes away. It's deeply conditioned.
• 12:59
  My mom is the same way — she still calls me for "permission" to eat carbs, and I give it
• 13:11
  to her, which makes me wonder why I don't give that same permission to myself.
• 13:22
  LAUREN: We may have actually done a whole episode on carbs before.
• 13:23
  AMANDA: We did — season one or two, all about calculating your carb needs and accepting that you
• 13:31
  do need carbs.
• 13:33
  LAUREN: Right, and the conversation really depends on the person's goals.
• 13:42
  Amanda has a small frame, and it's not just her — a lot of people carry that same fear
• 13:55
  from keto or no-carb trends. But carbs are essential.
• 14:03
  That doesn't mean everyone needs to eat like an endurance athlete taking in 90+ grams of
• 14:16
  carbs per hour during an Ironman — that's very goal-specific.
• 14:25
  But if you see yourself in Amanda's fear of carbs, it's worth asking where that fear
• 14:38
  actually came from.
• 14:41
  LAUREN: Educate yourself on the types of carbs you're eating — whole food choices, ingredient
• 14:51
  labels, whether it's something like potatoes and rice versus something more processed.
• 15:03
  It comes down to understanding your body, your goals, and the timing of your carbs.
• 15:13
  Carbs are probably the most "nutrient timing" dependent of the three macros.
• 15:23
  Understanding that can take away a lot of the fear — which, at this point, might honestly
• 15:35
  be a little irrational.
• 15:38
  AMANDA: We need to talk about nutrient timing for me specifically sometime.
• 15:43
  LAUREN: We will, don't worry, I've got you.
• 15:44
  AMANDA: Tangent, tangent!
• 15:47
  LAUREN: I love our tangents. Let me scroll — skipping one I don't have a great answer for.
• 15:57
  Here's one: **if your body sent you a text message right now, what would it say?**
• 16:08
  AMANDA: "Good job." I've taken your feedback and put it into play — I'm consistently strength
• 16:17
  training now, up to three days a week and holding myself accountable.
• 16:24
  My back hurt the other day, so I went to yoga, and it helped.
• 16:31
  My body's thanking me — though I don't know if it's the strength training itself, since
• 16:40
  I've been leveling up my lower body weight.
• 16:45
  AMANDA: After that yoga class, my whole attitude changed.
• 16:51
  I'm finding that the more I strength train, the less yoga I'm fitting in.
• 17:01
  LAUREN: There are only so many hours in the week — sometimes you have to pick and choose.
• 17:16
  AMANDA: That's a good reminder that I need to bring yoga back in more.
• 17:22
  On non-strength days I've been walking a lot too, getting steps in and enjoying the nice
• 17:32
  weather.
• 17:33
  But getting back on my yoga mat yesterday was a game changer — it's not just the body
• 17:42
  work, it's the mindset work.
• 17:45
  My body's definitely saying, "thank you, Amanda." What about you?
• 17:52
  LAUREN: Mine would probably say, "girl, do yoga." I've made it out to beach yoga a couple of times
• 18:00
  this summer — shoutout to our friend Cheryl at Twisted Sister Yoga, who teaches at the
• 18:07
  South End Pavilion in Spring Lake seven days a week, right on the ocean.
• 18:14
  It's been awesome.
• 18:16
  LAUREN: But really, my body would say: I completed my first full-distance Ironman on July 19th —
• 18:34
  AMANDA: Woo! Woo!
• 18:35
  LAUREN: — and I have a very convincing coach who's talked me into Ironman Maryland on September
• 18:47
  19th. That's ten days before Amanda's birthday and nine before mine.
• 18:56
  My body's basically telling me: hang tight, girl, just a few more weeks.
• 19:07
  AMANDA: Keep going, girl!
• 19:09
  Okay, this one's making me laugh, I have to ask it now: **if wellness culture was a
• 19:18
  person, what would they be like at a dinner party?**
• 19:25
  LAUREN: They'd be the one saying "there's too much microplastic on that — why did you put a
• 19:36
  plastic spoon in that bowl?" And there'd be cottage cheese everywhere.
• 19:46
  AMANDA: Oh my gosh, yes, accurate.
• 19:48
  LAUREN: Every food, beverage, and condiment would somehow have protein added to it.
• 20:06
  LAUREN: That's my top three.
• 20:17
  LAUREN: What else would be showing up, diet-culture-wise? There's a lot going on right now.
• 20:27
  AMANDA: There'd definitely be mini meals, girl-dinner plates, and — not judging anyone, you do
• 20:36
  what works for you — a GLP-1-sized dinner plate, since eating big meals gets harder on
• 20:46
  those.
• 20:47
  AMANDA: There'd also be the "almond mom" energy, plus — with the recent foodborne illness
• 21:00
  outbreaks — absolutely no raw lettuce, cilantro, parsley, or berries. Everything cooked.
• 21:16
  LAUREN: And no more banana-blueberry smoothies, apparently, because you're not supposed to pair
• 21:24
  them anymore.
• 21:26
  AMANDA: Why not?
• 21:27
  LAUREN: There's a clip — I think it was Dr.
• 21:30
  Rhonda Patrick talking with Mel Robbins — about oxalates in bananas that can diminish some
• 21:42
  of blueberries' antioxidant properties when eaten together.
• 21:50
  People ran with it and started saying bananas are bad, which isn't really what she meant —
• 22:01
  it was specifically about pairing them with blueberries, not bananas on their own.
• 22:12
  A little silly, honestly.
• 22:16
  AMANDA: I put bananas and blueberries in my smoothie all the time — guess I need to switch it up.
• 22:21
  LAUREN: Don't even Google it.
• 22:30
  LAUREN: Alright, one more good one: **what's the weirdest thing you've ever done in the name of
• 22:44
  health?**
• 22:46
  AMANDA: I have to think about that one — nothing's coming to mind yet.
• 22:49
  LAUREN: Stumped!
• 22:50
  LAUREN: Mine's more in the name of bodybuilding than health, honestly, and it was totally my own
• 22:58
  doing — not something my coach or anyone else suggested.
• 23:03
  When I was cutting for a competition, my calories were down around 850, with about an hour
• 23:12
  and a half of cardio and strength training a day, at around 95 pounds.
• 23:19
  Not exactly a healthy approach, and pretty old-school even for competing back then.
• 23:27
  LAUREN: There were these little gelatinous balls — I think they were kelp — from the Asian aisle
• 23:39
  at the grocery store. When you opened the packet they smelled like fish water.
• 23:51
  I'd rinse them in lemon and vinegar and mix them into my vegetables to bulk them up and
• 24:04
  trick myself into feeling like I was eating more.
• 24:11
  So — trying to convince myself I was eating "real food" using zero-calorie, doctored-up
• 24:24
  kelp. That's probably my most unhinged health moment.
• 24:32
  AMANDA: Wow. Gross.
• 24:35
  AMANDA: I don't think I've ever done anything that weird — maybe I'm boring.
• 24:39
  LAUREN: Did you ever wear those sauna belts around your stomach to make it sweat?
• 24:51
  That was a very "high school in the '90s" thing for me — I was probably 17 or 18, and
• 25:06
  again, under 100 pounds at the time.
• 25:13
  LAUREN: Anyone else use those belly bands?
• 25:16
  I feel like they were around the same time as the full sauna suits.
• 25:24
  AMANDA: You'll have to let us know.
• 25:26
  Okay — good one: **what's something you tell your clients that you don't always follow
• 25:35
  yourself?**
• 25:37
  LAUREN: Where do I start? "Listen to your body" would be mine.
• 25:42
  I try to practice it, but when someone asks, "do you need a rest day?" — I always tell
• 25:52
  clients yes, take the rest day. Do I take a rest day myself? No, I don't.
• 26:00
  LAUREN: The thing I'd really like to change is that I skip mobility work or foam rolling when I'm
• 26:13
  short on time.
• 26:15
  I tell my clients I'd rather they take five minutes out of a run, bike, or swim to make
• 26:29
  time for it — and I'm usually pretty diligent, but weeks like this one, when things are
• 26:42
  slammed, it tends to be the first thing to go. Shame on me.
• 26:52
  AMANDA: I relate to both of those.
• 26:54
  I do give myself rest days, but I feel guilty the whole time, which is so annoying.
• 27:01
  The other one is intuitive eating — I don't let myself do it, which we actually talked
• 27:09
  about today.
• 27:10
  I tell my clients not to do all the things every day, to actually live their lives — and
• 27:18
  to always be prepared through meal prepping. This summer I've fallen off that train a bit.
• 27:26
  In fall, winter, and spring I'm diligent about fully prepping meals into containers;
• 27:33
  lately I'm only prepping components and assembling later, which takes longer, so I'm not
• 27:41
  sure I'm actually saving time.
• 27:44
  LAUREN: There are one or two more good ones I want to touch on — though the last one on the list I
• 27:57
  don't fully understand, so I might skip it.
• 28:04
  Here's one: **is there a health guideline you secretly break all the time?**
• 28:16
  AMANDA: It's funny — you and I were literally talking about this today.
• 28:20
  Everything about today's episode is stuff we already discussed.
• 28:24
  LAUREN: Maybe Claude was listening in on us.
• 28:28
  AMANDA: Probably.
• 28:29
  One rule is keeping your blood sugar balanced by eating throughout the day — and I'm the
• 28:38
  worst about lunch.
• 28:39
  I'll skip it constantly, which is exactly what I tell my clients not to do.
• 28:47
  Lately it's been more like two meals a day, and then I'm overeating because I'm starving.
• 28:56
  Not the best pattern.
• 28:58
  AMANDA: Another one — get your sleep! We love sleep, but don't always prioritize it.
• 29:06
  LAUREN: For me it's similar — the same blood-sugar idea.
• 29:12
  I always tell people not to load up on carbs, especially sugary ones, right before bed.
• 29:24
  But when I get home late from teaching and haven't had a real dinner, I'll default to a
• 29:36
  bowl of cereal.
• 29:39
  Not something I'd ever tell a client to eat at 8pm — though I do add protein powder to
• 29:51
  balance it out a bit.
• 29:54
  AMANDA: There you go — balancing the carb with some protein.
• 30:01
  LAUREN: Alright, did we cover all the good ones?
• 30:05
  AMANDA: One more I really want to ask you: **what's a health habit your mom or grandma passed down
• 30:12
  that you still believe in?**
• 30:15
  LAUREN: Not exactly a "good" habit, but from my Nana — eating to make other people happy.
• 30:28
  We're Italian, and she'd make homemade calzones and pizza, and she'd always push another
• 30:43
  slice on me: "eat another slice for me." And I would, just to make her happy.
• 30:57
  LAUREN: I've talked to my twin sister about this too — growing up, we had to hug and kiss everyone
• 31:10
  hello, whether we wanted to or not.
• 31:16
  My sister doesn't force that on her own kids if they're uncomfortable, but it left its
• 31:29
  mark on us — this instinct to make ourselves uncomfortable so someone else is comfortable.
• 31:43
  It's taken me a long time to care less about that.
• 31:51
  But I loved my Nana, and I couldn't say no to eating a slice of pizza for her.
• 32:03
  AMANDA: So you did it for her, really.
• 32:09
  AMANDA: Mine's a funny one from my grandma — I put lotion on after every single shower, because
• 32:15
  she told me that as she aged, she never used to, and her skin got really dry and scaly.
• 32:21
  She told me that when I was about 12 or 13, and now every time I put lotion on, I think of
• 32:28
  my Grandma Bernice. Thank you, Grandma Bernice, up in heaven.
• 32:33
  LAUREN: That's a great self-care habit to carry forward.
• 32:52
  AMANDA: Round two did not disappoint — this format might be dangerous, Lauren, I'm having too much
• 33:00
  fun. We might have to do it again.
• 33:04
  LAUREN: I know I love it.
• 33:05
  When I was talking with Claude about putting this together, I said not to build a round
• 33:13
  three just yet — I don't want to see the questions ahead of time — but we'll probably be
• 33:21
  back.
• 33:22
  For our listeners: if you're loving these episodes, tell a friend and make sure you're
• 33:30
  subscribed so you don't miss any — new episodes drop on Thursdays.
• 33:36
  AMANDA: And a review always means the world — it helps more women find this community.
• 33:44
  As always, we know you have a choice as to how you spend your time, and we're so grateful
• 33:53
  you chose to spend it with us. Until we meet again — happy listening.