Welcome to 1000 the podcast by train like a gymnast. I'm your host Daniel gray 1000 brings together gymnasts former gymnast coaches judges and gymnastics enthusiasts to tell Vin to deep conversations about Behavior mental state physical training personal growth success and more all learned through the sport of gymnastics. Here's what you can expect on today's episode today. We hear from certified clinical nutritionist bottom baits about the correlation between your nutrition and your anxiety and mental health. I think it's kind of sad because a lot of peopleYou know, we think that that's normal to feel anxious all the time. We think that it's normal to have panic attacks because in social media, we all joke about. Oh, I'm so anxious and panicking and whatever like it's become so normal that it's people think it's normal, but the easiest first place to start is just cutting out any type of processed sugar at least while you're in the healing process. I mean, that's just going to trigger that state of fight or flight. In fact, the reason why it does that is because you know when you You have a rush to Sugar Rush of processed carbohydrates. It causes a really severe spike in your blood glucose level and then also a severe drop so it's a spike in fall. And when you have that fall that falls called hypoglycemia and that has the same exact feelings and symptoms as an anxiety attack. So it can trigger those feelings of anxiety attack. So just eliminating that alone is one of the best first steps, but first a word from our sponsor If you haven't heard about anchor it's the easiest way to make a podcast. Let me explain it's free first of all, so there's that then there's creation tools that allow you to record and edit your podcast right from your phone or computer. Like I'm doing right now anchor will distribute your podcast for you. So it can be heard on Spotify Apple podcast and many other platforms. You can make money from your podcast with no minimum listenership. This was really a game changer for me in the beginning and it's everything you need to make a podcast in one place. So download the free anchor app or go to Anchor dot f m-- to get started. Hi. My name is Autumn and I'm a certified clinical nutritionist. I have my masters in nutrition and Human Performance. My bachelor's nutrition dietetics. I just love food and love how much it can impact lives when used correctly. Yeah. Absolutely. I love that. That's that's kind of where we're going to take this conversation today. So for you and let's get into movement how What's your favorite way to stay active and train and you know stay on top of your health and fitness. It's been quite a journey all over the back the first time I really I mean I was a an athlete growing up when you know, I did volleyball and basketball and soccer and swim team and and all of that and then senior year of high school is when I really started to focus more on training and I trained for my first triathlon and then from there. I really got into the whole trap on long-distance lifestyle. I did that. Throughout College even was part of Earth a brief stint part of the ECF speed Triathlon team and and then now more foot. I mean I went through lifting stage once you're just a bunch of different things. But what I found is really important just to always try new things and whatever it is. It's going to make me happy and just if it's not make me happy anymore than Moving on but definitely an emphasis on walking now after all of that. Yes, so At that point you say you focus more on training Senior High School. What was your kind of I guess experience nutrition-wise, you know as a teenager moving into like, oh now like kind of food is important and then making it one of your top priorities in your life were those phases. Yeah. I've always had sort of an esoteric view on food in general just where I always loved food not necessarily for the health component, you know when I was younger, but but I have memories when I was in like sixth grade and like saving up money that my parents would give me in walking down to the Von's down the street and just spending a long time. I mean bonds not even like a nice but spending a lot of time going through and just figuring out what it is. I want to make and what I could create so I was just love food from the start, but then it wasn't until my senior year of high school when I was getting more into training and when I started to notice a difference How I could feel based off of Just exercise. I was like, okay, well exercise gonna have this impact. What impact can you know the food that I physically put in my body every single day have I always grew up with my you know, my dad's chiropractor. So I always had this more natural approach to health anyway, and then and then during that time in high school when I was experiencing a lot of anxiety for the first time or at least really understanding that it was anxiety. So I wanted to see how I could heal my somebody just threw the foods that I was putting in my body every day, right and when you have anxiety most people think like what are the different ways I can help with this meditation therapy and all of that. So how did you make the connection of well, maybe I should look at my nutrition to try and fix my anxiety in the first is probably what most people will associate with anxiety and that's caffeine. So the first thing you know, I was like, okay. Well maybe caffeine is making me feel really anxious. Because you know, it's that same type of feeling we have you have too much caffeine that you can feel really shaky and a lot of the same feelings that you get when you feel anxious. I mean, I learned later down the line that it wasn't necessarily the talking but that was where I first really made the association between oh okay food can have an impact on my mental state as well. And then I really started just you know research time not this time. I was in college and I was learning biochemistry organic chemistry physiology and I was like, okay, we will Des the stuff will have an impact on how I feel if it gets broken down to his chemical nature that actually has a physical response on the body and that is gorgeous Ponce was a mental responses. Well, I think a lot of people don't realize that the physical is connected to mental because the mental is a physical reaction within the body that is where really all tied in for me and and then I really started to get into the field of nutrition psychology and that's a big huge booming field and it's something that I get to work on with a lot of my clients and myself which is amazing. But yeah, it's been What's cool about I think Health and Wellness in general is that it's never just a light bulb moment and everything falls into place. It's like you start to you know, build upon your knowledge and built upon what you know, yeah and experimentation. That's a bit. Yeah. This doesn't work. Okay, we'll try something else and then you notice like little parts of it that works. So you just tweak it and a lot of people I feel are looking for that quick fix and trying to figure out. Oh, well this work for this person that's going to work for me, but it's not like that at all. Yeah, and not only that it's also Also keeping be kind of you know up a little upsetting for me when I see other people who have tried one thing and maybe that one thing wasn't the best advice, you know, someone who didn't have all of the understanding how the Body Works gave them advisor ago. Well food can heal you just do this, but it's completely the wrong advice and then they have this bad taste in their mouth of okay. Well then I can't hear myself actually doesn't work. And so it's unfortunate because I think a lot of people experience that because they do go to you know, you just look so much stuff. So I talked about this in my workshop. There's so much information but not a lot of knowledge. Yeah. Yeah, and it's you know, they that's why you do what you do because you know normal people who have regular jobs or this is their focus like they are not spending their time doing this research. So that's why it's important to go to people who study this and this is what they know live and breathe. So if you get frustrated that you can't figure it out by yourself, that's not that's not the end of the world. That's not a problem. That's to be expected. So, can you share do you have a personal experience where you did notice your mental state shift? So you started using you know nutrition to help things. Aya tea. Was there a time where you really realized? Like? Okay, this is working. Was there a point in time there? I think that same thing with a lot of my clients people don't realize something's working until they stop doing it and they realize that they aren't feeling good that happened to me definitely because you know, we're We throughout College. I was like the weird kid. I didn't really party. You know, I I mean in the first half. Yeah, but the second half I really didn't I just it didn't make me feel good. That's when I first noticed. Okay alcohol does not make me feel great, especially in excessive amounts. So I would spend my time like making homemade food and really feeling my body, right? And and so I was feeling pretty great. My anxiety was going down and then after that I traveled for you know after I Dated I traveled for about two months in Europe. And I mean when you're traveling at a young age you're on a budget and so you're eating very budgeting Foods, right? It's all just junk and nothing good and just super high sugar super processed. You're always on the goes you're eating whatever's you know, oh my gosh. I used to love the free food. They'd give you an airplane. Sounds like you don't pay for anything and it'd be like a disgusting like ham croissant sandwich and I mean like, I would eat it because I didn't have the money to reject it. But you know with that build upon each other for two months. I was definitely like during that time not feeling good, but it didn't really set in until I got home. It was the day that I got home. And I you know, I was Go-Go the whole time so I don't think my mind had time to catch up as well. So then when I got home and I was able to just relax it's like all of that compounding effect of that high sugar high fighter. Flight response type of foods. Yeah all set in set in and I had the worst panic attack of my life where I was out at that dinner with my family and I physically felt it's really hard to explain in a panic attack unless someone's experience it but you just feel bolts sound goes off, but you don't have control of your body and it's like your heart is racing but at the same time you also feel like it's stopping you feel like you're just dying and you have no logical reason to think that you did it. You have for some reason died on your mind. You're like I'm going to die right now and and that lasted about two hours. And so I completely sort of blacked out after that. I don't have a lot of memories from that just the feeling of being like whoa, like this is going to be the last ones that I've ever see like that intense feeling of this is the end and then once I came to the next day really because it's like, you know, I don't remember anything else from mate. Remember the next day being like that is not living that is not how we're supposed to live and feel like I need to go back to feeling good because that is just that surviving barely that's not even surviving and I think it's kind of sad because a lot of people, you know, we think that that's normal to feel anxious all the time. We think that it's normal to have panic attacks because in social media, we all joke about. Oh, I'm so anxious and panicking and whatever like it's become so normal that it's people think Yeah, it's done. Definitely not so in I mean I've had panic attacks as well and spiraling and all of that but every person feels it different to so when when you say you feel like, you know, your quote-unquote dying in what sense of that did you mean? Like you physically felt like your body was dying or you felt like every like your mind and the experiences that were happening around you. We're going to cause you it's that's the crazy thing and it's really hard to explain unless you've been at that point, but it just it's like, you know deep down that this is the end like that. I'm it's like a sense of overwhelming Panic where it's it's so consuming that you have no logical response to it. But you just know that you're going to die and I mean obviously like you can have someone logically who has never experienced Panic die. Talking to you be like, you're fine. You're not going to die, but it doesn't it doesn't register because it's you responding to your body. You're in that extreme state of fighter flight where you don't have any other option but to think like that at least in them, right, right, you only got out of that by like going to sleep and waking up. Like, how did you how are you able to fall asleep that night? Do you remember that? And well, thankfully, you know, it's my some other family members of mine experience it as well. They've been able to handle it especially lately with a lot of the strategies that I have learned and developed. But at the I mean again the really best people to talk to you when you're experiencing and paint a car those who have already experienced panic attacks because they know what it feels like, but I remember my dad was there and he'd had paying tax in the past as well. And so he just took me on a walk and was just talking to me. Like just like you're not trying to talk to me about that situation because it's a little thing you want but just talking to me and I don't remember what we talked about. I don't even know if we really talked about much but I know that we're gone for about two hours because the rest of my family was done with dinner and we're already back home. So I don't remember going to bed that night. But you know, I I'm sure it was difficult, but it's crazy. So for I guess transitioning now back into the nutrition side of it for people who are anxious or busy or say they don't have the time to eat healthier do this. And that like, how can they start to I guess work on their nutrition. Is there a particular method that you like or that kind of got you going? I mean what's really interesting about nutrition is that it really is not a one-size-fits-all. Everyone has different food preferences different cultures different needs different goals. So everyone is going to have something totally different but the easiest first place to start is just cutting out any type of process sugar at least while you're in the healing process. I mean, that's just going to trigger that state of fight or flight. In fact, the reason why it does that is because you know, You have a rushed of Sugar Rush of processed carbohydrates. It causes a really severe spike in your blood glucose level and then also a severe drop so it's a spike in fall. And when you have that fall that falls called hypoglycemia and that has the same exact feelings and symptoms as an anxiety attack. So it can trigger those feelings of anxiety attack. So just a limiting that alone is one of the best first steps. I mean, there's so many tools like we talked about intermittent fasting improving Sleep Quality with nutrients. Timing but it that's you know, that's why I work with so many people on that because it is such a more hands-on experience, especially if you're looking to heal something I mean, but if you are looking for more General Health, and that's that's a little easier but really can heal something. It really is a layering process. Just like what we were talking about. You know, it's not just changing Everything at Once because tell an anxious person that they change everything at once in the like kay. Bye. Yeah, absolutely, so you Intermittent fasting what are the benefits of intermittent fasting? I feel like since I since I you know do that method when I when I need to like clean up a little bit or I have my client start off with it, you know, what are the benefits that you have discovered from intermittent fasting hail one really great thing. It does especially when you do it the right way because there are a lot of wrong ways to do it. One thing that it does is it's been proven to help with insulin sensitivity. So influence if your insulin resistant, that's where you can also get, you know, more of those severe space and Falls. So the more insulin sensitive you can be the overall Better Health at you'll have also when it comes to anxiety purposes the more stable blood glucose levels you'll have and if you have those stable blood glucose levels, it doesn't trigger as much of those things idea tax or anxious feelings. And so I mean, I probably about 60 hours worth of intermittent fasting videos on my YouTube channel. And I can rather hold down this but there's there's I mean just to bring it back to talking about mental health purposes. Um biggest thing that I've seen is that it does stabilize that blood glucose level and making more insulin sensitive which really helps to prevent those anxiety feelings. Yeah, absolutely. So, what do you say to the people who you know, they have like a crazy schedule or it's very inconsistent or they just say like I can't go that long. Like they have all these limiting beliefs that stop them from trying it or like they can't figure out the schedule of what to do. How can how can they do it the schedule controller take time? I mean it can take time to depending on each person to figure out what will work for them and not everyone should have the same amount of fasting period and so it totally depends but on the note of what you said on people who feel like they can't go that long. That's actually the biggest sign that somebody should use intermittent fasting because if you can't go I mean even for Hours without eating and that's including eight hours hopefully of sleeping and then that shows that your cells are not very metabolically flexible, which if you don't have metabolic flexibilities, and that's one really easy way to really decrease your energy levels to get brain fog to not be able to tap it back earning. So if you're looking for any type of weight loss as well or athletic goals and that is the first thing that you should be doing, right? And is there a particular our split you like to start people off with when they're getting into it? You know, it depends on the person because it you are more metabolically flexible by Nature where you know, you have been following proper nutrient timing in the past and you don't have very high process carbohydrate intake and you're already getting great sleep. Then you can start off with a longer fasting period first, but if you do have you know standard American diet or you're having high processed carbohydrates all the sugar if you drink sugary Starbucks drinks everyday, you know, like all those things. I'll make it so that Are more metabolically inflexible and that's where you'd want to start off slower. So we would like a 12-hour bathroom beginning just to get used to it, you know, most people especially in America. We aren't even going 12 hours. Right? Right. And so people if you if you try a longer fast and you break it don't punish yourself. Don't feel like you're a failure just bring back your window a little bit and then get the success there and then start chipping away as Your body starts to adapt like all the time was like girls like, oh, I can't I can't do the fast when I gets too long or like I broke it and I feel bad that I did that just adjust that and that's something I talk about a lot with you know, the people utilized my intermittent fasting program. I tell them to make sure that they are actually eating until satiated and following the proper nutrient timing because it shouldn't be difficult after even even for the most metabolic. Let's will person even after a week or two. It really shouldn't be difficult to extend your fast because your body is already being able to fuel itself and have the food it needs in order to stay satiated because that's the biggest problems. So so many people are pairing it with caloric restriction and that's that's just, you know, a recipe for feeling starved. Yeah. Yeah and a lot of girls even in that window. I have experience. They tell me that they can't even get to to like they're kind of recommended calorie amount for the day like like if they have their basal metabolic rate, let's say it's like 1,200 like that's just we'll just use that number like a lot of girls even in those the window that they're eating or eating less than a thousand calories, which is absolutely like a big No-No. You should not be you should not be eating less than a thousand calories per day just to you know, sustain life and be able to function so for people who are Trying the window feel like they can't get enough food in that window, you know, maybe they are busy or they're not allowed to eat at work or anything like that. You talked about eating for satiety like so what are those foods that you recommend that help people feel full or how they can kind of bulk up a meal to make sure that they are getting enough in that window. Yeah. That's a good question. I first want to go back to the calorie thing. So if you know again what I talk about with my people use the intermittent fasting program, I do not recommend counting calories whatsoever. It has been proven time and time again that it actually has no correlation with weight loss really at least long-term. And in fact, there's a study that came out showing The Biggest Loser contestants where you know, they were on yeah the weight loss. What were they did I don't even know like 1,200 calories a day and maybe even less for some days. I'm not sure. But they found that even eight years later or however long later their basal metabolic rate significantly went down and that is why calorie counting does not work long term multiple reasons. First of all, because you can't really ever know for sure. How many calories you're burning second of all it doesn't really matter because your hormones will dictate whether or not you're storing or you're burning so it doesn't really matter. If you are having you know, 1200 verses eighteen hundred if you are in storing mode or if you are in fat burning and then lastly I found that it really does have this psychological effect of increasing stress level and increasing stress level when you are counting calories causes that increase in cortisol, which causes that weight gainer on the belly. So ultimately not only does it not work. It's not accurate but it goes against your goals. So I definitely don't recommend, you know to my people that they ever count calories rather eating until satiated and that's something that can take time to figure out because we Are so used to eating based off of a number and not of off of how our bodies feel so it definitely does take time which is why I do really go over a lot of those strategies inside of the program. But yeah eating using the proper nutrient timing that I discussed in program having the proper Foods at the proper times and making sure that you're not just having these small meals just because you want to try and reduce calories because ultimately that's going to work against your goals. You know, I always show on on my YouTube videos in my Instagram stories and such my salads are bigger than like my head. So exactly exactly so starting to just tap into that knowledge of your body and how it actually feels versus relying on a number to tell you when you should be full and we actually much more accurate with a weirdly enough and relying on those numbers. Yeah and your body sometimes won't even absorb all those nutrients that You're getting like it could just be going straight through you. Like if you're not you're not pairing the right foods with the right, you know micronutrients as well. Like your body's not going to absorb it properly. So totally agree with Aunt with you on that point. So going into now how they can you know, feel satiated like obviously healthy fats are going to sit in your stomach longer take longer to digest and make you feel Fuller for longer. What are your go-to like healthy fats or foods that help you feel full? Yeah, and a lot of the smoothies that I create for the program my I use things like chia seeds and hemp seeds and peanut butter almond butter coconut butter. Those are all really great to load up in the smoothie and just getting a variety of foods really, you know, we're so used to having a lot of the same Foods because it's easy and we're used to it, right But if we stick to us and goods there's actually a huge diverse amount of fats as well that we need to be getting. I mean not technically need to be getting mailing need to be getting to of that's but there are a massive amount of fat that we could be utilizing in order to actually help our body turn off their hunger hormones and if we're just having like, you know, like what if we're just having avocado, you know, like just talk about it, but that's just one really type of fat that we're getting so I just really recommend getting a variety. He of them and making sure that you're having with the right time. Yeah, I love that. I love that. Um, so kind of wrapping up and summarizing and putting this in perspective. You know, what is your I guess 1 to 2. Little nuggets of advice for people who want to get back in shape lose weight feel good like themselves again. Maybe they're a former athlete. Maybe they just like know that they they have potential and they're not they're not maximizing or operating at that level that they could be. What is your advice to them? First of all, stop relying on food companies. I tell you what's healthy, you know, they have a vested interest in you believing that their product is healthy. And that is I have a whole video on the time health foods that aren't actually healthy on my YouTube channel and it's pretty eye-opening when you actually look into what's in these foods that are claiming that they're healthy, but they're actually just destroying your health goals and making you have low energy and just mood swings just all these things that aren't actually going to make me feel good aren't going to serve your goals and definitely is not going to help you tap into operating mechanisms. So just don't put your trust in the food system because they have a vested interest in you buying their stuff and believing that their Also, just making sure that if you are going to use intermittent fasting that you do use it the right way. I mean, I've had I had one friend family friend of mine where she had some hormone imbalance issues. So her nacho cop told her. Hey, you should use intermittent fasting be like, okay great and you know most even naturopaths which are amazing. They just don't necessarily have the time to go over the type of Consulting that is involved in putting together a plan. That will actually fit that person and what they're looking for. So she went to use intermittent fasting and ended up putting her hormones even more out of whack because she just didn't know what she was doing. She just thought it was like, okay. I'm just going to just knock eat for a little bit of amount of time and that's not how it works. You need to make sure that you're also looking at the proper nutrient timing. They really eating it all satiated. They're making sure you're working at the right times of day like there's so many factors that go along with it that it's just you you can't you can't just simplify something. You know, your health is a complex. I'm just like what we're talking about adding on the layers to so I'm just making sure you're doing it right either, you know working with a professional and action knows they're talking about using the intermittent fasting program that I mentioned that really goes over the nutrient timing, but just making sure you're using it right because it is a great tool can be really you well to help to heal your body to help get those fitness goals, but you have to actually do it, right? Yeah. Absolutely. I think that is a great. Great it just with anything like quick easy fix exist exactly. I'm just like I'm sure with you is training. You can't just go out and just run all day and expect to have muscles work. You have to have a plan that is actually tailored to your goals. Just like what you're doing. Right? Right. So the last thing would be we asked us to every guest who comes on in terms of you know, the name of Program. So what does it mean to you to train like a gymnast? What does that mean? Well, I mean I knew you in high school, right? So whenever I would think of you in high school, I'd think of like damn she's strong and you know, I was not very strong in high school. I mean, I'm still pretty wiry I'm working on it, but I think of it as just being strong and being able, you know, like like not just being the Meathead at the gym that's lifting weights, but being able to use your body. In a way, that's not just lifting weights, but you know being active too bright, I love that functional fitness. Exactly Perfect. All right, so then just to sign off go ahead and explain how people can get a hold of you or where they can, you know, ask you questions. Yeah. I am on Instagram at automail nutrition. So autumn and then e LL e underscore nutrition. My website is optimal nutrition.com. I have a YouTube. A Channel with like I mentioned hours and hours worth of footage that you guys can check out with a lot of questions that you probably have also an intermittent fasting answered. So that's you can just search Autumn Bates and I'll pop right up and then yep. That's a I also have a private Facebook group. That's for my a and Peeps are using the intermittent fasting program. So those are my main thanks. Awesome. I love it. Well, if anybody has any questions definitely reach out to her find her on social Um and you know contact and take a look at our programs if you do need extra, you know unique help as well. She's also a wonderful resource for you there. And for those of you who are Los Angeles locals Autumn and I are going to be doing a workshop at Lorna Jane Manhattan Beach on June 22nd at the Saturday. It's kind of early it's 8 a.m. But that's right before the store opens. And if you attend the workshop you also get a discount. Hi, I'm Laura Jean items in the store. Yes, so you'll get to do a little hit work out with train like a gymnast and you'll get to learn more about kind of like mental health and nutrition from Autumn and ask us questions. So, how long is the workout the workout? Like like 20 minutes cool. That's about how long I'll be able to last. Yeah. Yeah hit is really really fast really effective and also probably take it you'll get to keep burning calories even while you're sitting there listening to us, so I hope to see you guys there and I want to get a good group coming. So it you can bring a friend. You're just going to have to register on the Eventbrite. But also I'm sure they'll let you in day out. It's just for them to be able to plan so much for having me. Yeah. You're welcome. Thank you for coming on. Thank you so much for listening. I know there are hundreds of thousands of podcasts out there and you've chosen to listen to hours if you enjoyed this episode, there's more coming to you. So be sure to hit subscribe to not miss our next episode. Next week is our season 1 finale with 2008 Olympic silver. Medalist, Alicia Sacramone Quinn supporting our podcast would mean the world to us and ensure that we can have a season 2. So just hit support this podcast on our site on anchor if you're interested in training like a gymnast go ahead to train like a gymnast.com and see how you can get involved. Next time show the world what you've got be outstanding and train with purpose.
In today's episode, we discuss the following:   The benefits of intermittent fasting and why you should  How can busy people commit to Intermittent Fasting when their schedule is inconsistent or they work long hours   If there is anyone who should NOT do IF and better alternatives for them   How nutrition and mood swings/emotions are correlated   Overcoming panic attacks   How Autumn's mental state changed when her nutrition changed   Autumn's advice to people who want to get fit or feel like their best selves again   Autumn's definition of what it means to train like a gymnast  Takeaway:    How have you noticed your moods affected by your diet? When do you feel your best? How can you learn to make that more consistent? RSVP TO OUR FREE "SWEAT & DE-STRESS" CLASS AT LORNA JANE MANHATTAN BEACH SAT. 6/22 at 8AM  Get in Touch with Autumn! Autumn's Website   Autumn's Instagram   Autumn's YouTube  Danielle coaches women to recognize how their beliefs hold them back from doing incredible things. She helps unlock their full potential through gymnastics-based conditioning. See if you have what it takes to Train Like A Gymnast. ---   This episode is sponsored by  · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. 