Hi, I'm Amanda! I help active women 40+ create a healthy relationship with food and their body through intuitive eating, mindfulness, and gentle nutrition. Learn to undiet your life with the latest Savor Food and Body Podcast episodes, blog posts, and free downloads at www.alpinenutrition.org
What'd you do for the BIG Birthday?
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What did you do for your 40th or 50th birthday, Reader? Was it memorable? When our friend Jenn said she wanted to do an epic lodge-to-lodge 50th Birthday hike, of course, the Savor Food and Body Crew was all in. We did NOT invite the friends who think... POV 1: hiking is boring… "You just walk along, feet get tired, shoulders ache, to see what? More mountains and lakes?" POV 2: "Walking doesn’t count as REAL exercise unless you wear a weighted vest."
Scrambling up and down a 45-degree slope using every muscle to stabilize yourself and keep from twisting ankles, knees, and hips is… The. Most. Gorgeous. All around workout I've ever done. Crossing thigh-deep, raging streams that threaten to push you over if you lose 1 point of stability. Snow field yoga for balance and flexibility… No weighted vest required, but maybe a 25-pound backpack if you plan to spend the night! 🏕️ If that's boring or not enough exercise for you, cool. We'll be over here planning the epic 50th birthday “long walk,” 90+ miles of the Eagle Cap Wilderness, high lakes, and lots of elevation gain and loss. Moderate-intensity exercise like hiking (especially in nature!) is one of the best ways to improve brain and mental health and reduce common menopause symptoms - even better than HRT for some folks! Sounds too good to be true? According to Dr. Lisa Mosconi, PhD, in her book, The Menopause Brain, "Physical activity can trigger positive hormonal changes that directly reduce the number and severity of hot flashes, improve mood, and enhance sleep. It supports cognitive strength while boosting stamina and enhancing quality of life. " Exercise also helps stabilize your blood sugar levels so you have more energy and less brain fog. A recent study followed about 200 midlife women for as long as forty-four years. The results show those with the highest level of cardiovascular fitness in midlife had a 30% lower risk of developing dementia as they got older compared to those who remained sedentary. So far, no drug has achieved such an effect! (source: The Menopause Brain, Dr. Lisa Mosconi, PhD.) Brain-imaging studies done by Dr. Mosconi's team demonstrate that physically active midlife women exhibit more vigorous brain activity, less brain shrinkage, and fewer Alzheimer's plaques as compared to their sedentary counterparts. If you struggle with motivation to exercise, listen to this conversation with Steph Gaudreau from the Savor Food and Body Podcast archives. Learn how to adjust your mindset from exercise for weight loss to moving your body in ways that promote your physical and brain health. Listen now. Time to pack! Our birthday trip kicks off tomorrow afternoon. Wish us good weather and no blisters 😎 Enjoy the weekend, savoring food and your body, Amanda PS: Moderate-intensity exercise (especially in nature!) is one of the best ways to improve brain health, boost mental health, and decrease perimenopause symptoms like night sweats, hot flashes, and sleep issues. According to Dr. Lisa Mosconi, PhD, in her book, The Menopause Brain, "Physical activity can trigger positive hormonal changes that directly reduce the number and severity of hot flashes, improve mood, and enhance sleep. It supports cognitive strength while boosting stamina and enhancing quality of life. " If you struggle with motivation to exercise, listen to this conversation with Steph Gaudreau on the Savor Food and Body Podcast. |
Alpine Nutrition
Hi, I'm Amanda! I help active women 40+ create a healthy relationship with food and their body through intuitive eating, mindfulness, and gentle nutrition. Learn to undiet your life with the latest Savor Food and Body Podcast episodes, blog posts, and free downloads at www.alpinenutrition.org
We’re only about a mile from where we planned on camping. After a 6-hour drive to the trailhead, we decided to hike in a few miles of our 20-mile adventure to stretch our legs. The rain starts. Slowly at first. Then bigger drops. The drops turn to hail. We frantically dig through our packs for rain gear, trying not to let any rain into our packs at all costs. Thunder rolls. Then CRACK! Lighting. Mary isn't convinced we're still on the dry side of the Pacific Crest. “Did you bring a ground...
Ugh!!! I grunted like a gym-bro as I flung my body and 25+ lb backpack over a fallen log 2.5 feet in diameter on a 40 degress slope. "Why am I doing this - again?!?!" "Why am I putting my body's comfort at risk in the name of friendship?" Don't get me wrong. My friends are my family. I'd do almost anything for them. But at 46, with a degenerative disc in my lower back, I have to choose my outdoor adventures and movement wisely. We climbed up a long, steep trail that burned in a wildfire 4...
Hi Reader! Do you know what the #1 behavior is when you stop dieting and start intuitive eating? Fuckit eating. You've done it. I've done it. Maybe you're still doing it. Why? Because when we spend more years following food rules than trusting our bodies, we see a pan of pizza and think... "Too many carbs" We see a pint of ice cream, and think... "Too much sugar" and "Too much fat." When we desperately want our favorite blue corn tortilla chips from Trader Joe's, we think......