5 Signs Your Nervous System Is Healing, Even If You Feel Worse First

5 Signs Your Nervous System Is Healing, Even If You Feel Worse First

Healing your nervous system does not always feel peaceful at first. In this solo episode of Live Like a Girl, Dr. Mindy explains why fatigue, crying, irritability, digestive changes, and even discomfort with stillness can sometimes show up as your nervous system begins moving out of a chronically activated state. She breaks down the relationship between heart rate variability, vagal tone, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and why learning to move more easily between stress and recovery may be one of the most important skills you can build for your health. Resources Mentioned * FREE Nervous System Questionnaire [https://resetacademy.drmindypelz.com/nervous-system-reset?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=nervous_system_reset] * Qualia Magnesium [https://www.qualialife.com/shop?rfsn=5237174.cd3714] * Reset Academy [https://resetacademy.drmindypelz.com/reset-academy?utm_source=libsyn&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=loc-description&utm_campaign=reset-academy] * Find a Fast Like a Girl Coach [https://www.drmindypelz.com/find-a-coach] In this episode you'll learn: * Why increased fatigue may appear when your body finally begins resting * Why crying and irritability can surface during nervous system healing * How your digestion reflects your nervous system state * Why stillness can feel unsafe when your body is accustomed to constant activation * How 4-7-8 breathing can support the parasympathetic nervous system * Why nature can be one of the simplest nervous system tools * How magnesium and sleep routines may help * Why humming, gargling, and chanting can support vagal tone * When getting support from a practitioner or community may be helpful For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep360 [https://www.drmindypelz.com/ep360] Connect with Dr. Mindy: * Join Reset Academy [https://resetacademy.drmindypelz.com/reset-academy?utm_source=libsyn&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=loc-description&utm_campaign=reset-academy] * Watch the episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@DrMindyPelz?sub_confirmation=1] * Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.mindypelz/] * Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter [https://www.drmindypelz.com/] Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

How My Opinion of Fasting Changed After Talking to Dr. Jason Fung

I’ve been teaching fasting for years, but this conversation with Dr. Jason Fung made me rethink a few things. Dr. Fung joins me to share how his thinking has evolved since publishing The Obesity Code, including what newer research suggests about longer fasts and why modified fasting may be more useful than many people realize. We talk about whether a strict water-only fast is always necessary, how fasting aids such as bone broth, avocado, or olives may help someone continue longer, and why using a little support during a fast is not automatically “cheating.” Dr. Fung also breaks down the three types of hunger and explains why food noise is not always a sign that your body needs fuel. Sometimes hunger is physical. Sometimes it is emotional. And sometimes it is simply a pattern your brain has learned from your environment. This conversation reminded me that fasting does not have to be rigid to be effective. The goal is not to win at fasting. The goal is to use it in a way that supports your metabolic health and still works in your real life. In this episode you'll learn: * How Dr. Fung’s thinking has evolved since writing The Obesity Code * Why the calorie-focused model of weight loss leaves out hormones * What the body decides to do with the calories you eat * The difference between water-only fasting and modified fasting * Why modified fasting may be easier to sustain * Whether eating during a fasting window automatically eliminates the benefits * Dr. Fung’s perspective on GLP-1 medications * How to approach the first meal after a fast * Dr. Fung’s three foundational rules for metabolic health _ Resources Mentioned: * Bone Broth - Use code MINDY10 for 10% off [https://drinkaeira.com/] * Organic Olive Oil [https://www.freshpressedoliveoiltrk.com/98BZMH/293Z4R/?uid=573] _ More on Dr. Jason Fung Dr. Jason Fung is a physician, researcher, and bestselling author known for his work on fasting, insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic health. He is the author of The Obesity Code, The Complete Guide to Fasting, The Diabetes Code, The Cancer Code, and The Hunger Code. He is also a co-founder of The Fasting Method, an online community that provides education, coaching, and support on fasting and metabolic health. * The Hunger Code [https://www.doctorjasonfung.com/the-hunger-code] * Website: doctorjasonfung.com [https://www.doctorjasonfung.com/] * YouTube: @drjasonfung [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoyL4iGArWn5Hu0V_sAhK2w] * Instagram: @drjasonfung [https://www.instagram.com/drjasonfung/] For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep359 [https://www.drmindypelz.com/ep359] _ Connect with Dr. Mindy: * Join Reset Academy [https://resetacademy.drmindypelz.com/reset-academy?utm_source=libsyn&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=loc-description&utm_campaign=reset-academy] * Watch the episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@DrMindyPelz?sub_confirmation=1] * Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.mindypelz/] * Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter [https://www.drmindypelz.com/] Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

The 5 Weight-Loss Lies Keeping Women Stuck

For decades, women have been taught to lose weight by eating less, doing more cardio, and watching the number on the scale. But losing weight is not always the same as becoming healthier. In this solo episode, Dr. Mindy breaks down a recent meta-analysis showing that adults between 60 and 75 years old were able to lose body fat, gain lean muscle, improve blood pressure, and build functional strength through resistance training. She also challenges five of the most persistent weight-loss myths women have been taught, including the idea that cardio is the best way to burn fat, hunger is a willpower problem, and the scale is the most important measure of progress. You’ll learn how protein, resistance training, sleep, blood-sugar tracking, and progressive challenge can help you improve body composition without sacrificing your muscle or metabolic health. Weight loss is not a character test. It is a strategy, and most women were simply given the wrong one. Resources Mentioned * Continuous Glucose Monitor [http://levels.link/mindy?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=portal] * Ketone Monitor [https://keto-mojo.com/affiliate-link/?rfsn=988704.673275&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=988704.673275] * Fast Like a Girl [https://www.drmindypelz.com/books] For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep358 [https://drmindypelz.com/ep358] Connect with Dr. Mindy: * Join Reset Academy [https://resetacademy.drmindypelz.com/reset-academy?utm_source=libsyn&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=loc-description&utm_campaign=reset-academy] * Watch the episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@DrMindyPelz?sub_confirmation=1] * Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.mindypelz/] * Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter [https://www.drmindypelz.com/] Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

Why Creativity Belongs in Your Health Routine with Dr. Daisy Fancourt

Most women know they should move their bodies, eat well, and protect their sleep. But creativity rarely makes the list. In this conversation, Dr. Mindy sits down with Dr. Daisy Fancourt to explore the growing body of research showing that art is far more than entertainment or decoration. Music, reading, dancing, crafting, storytelling, and even spending time with a painting can affect stress, mood, cognition, connection, and the nervous system. Daisy explains why creative activities can help the brain enter a state of flow, how music can slow the heart rate, and why reading fiction may strengthen empathy by allowing us to experience the world through another person’s perspective. She also shares why knitting, singing, dancing, and other so-called “grandmother hobbies” are finding their way back into modern life. In this episode you'll learn: * Why creativity became separated from everyday life * How to choose music that meets your nervous system where it is  * How regular creative activity may support healthier cortisol patterns  * Why book clubs provide more than a reason to read  * What the research suggests about art, brain fog, and cognitive reserve  * Whether online creative classes offer the same benefits as meeting in person  * Simple ways to bring more creativity into everyday life Resources Mentioned * Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt [https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250364531/artcure/] * Instagram: @daisy.fancourt [https://www.instagram.com/daisy.fancourt/] More on Daisy Fancourt Dr. Daisy Fancourt is a researcher and author whose work examines the effects of arts and cultural engagement on health and well-being. Her research explores how activities such as music, reading, crafting, dancing, and visiting cultural spaces may influence mental health, stress, cognition, social connection, and physical health. She has published extensively in the field and works on projects examining the biological, psychological, and social effects of creative participation. For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep357 [https://www.drmindypelz.com/ep357] Connect with Dr. Mindy: * Join Reset Academy [https://resetacademy.drmindypelz.com/reset-academy?utm_source=libsyn&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=loc-description&utm_campaign=reset-academy] * Watch the episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@DrMindyPelz?sub_confirmation=1] * Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.mindypelz/] * Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter [https://www.drmindypelz.com/] Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

40% of Us are Constantly Hungry & Exhausted – What Your Body is Trying to Tell You

If you are hungry all the time, exhausted after meals, craving sugar, or suddenly gaining weight around your middle, your body may be signaling something deeper than a need to eat less. In this solo episode, Dr. Mindy explains why nearly four in ten American adults now meet the criteria for metabolic syndrome—a collection of warning signs that can include elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, increased waist circumference, and changes in liver health. She breaks down four common drivers that can quietly push the body toward metabolic dysfunction: unstable blood sugar, chronic stress, poor sleep, and inflammation associated with excess body fat. You will also learn why crash dieting, excessive cardio, and relying on appetite-suppressing supplements rarely address the real problem. Instead, Dr. Mindy shares five practical ways to support your metabolism through food order, walking after meals, resistance training, better sleep, and a more flexible approach to fasting. Your body is not working against you. It may simply need a different strategy. In This Episode *  What metabolic syndrome is and why it is better understood as a group of warning signs  *  The role insulin plays in deciding whether glucose is used for energy or stored  *  Why crash dieting and aggressive calorie restriction may make matters worse  *  Why cardio alone is not the best strategy for improving metabolic health  *  How to build a blood-sugar-stabilizing plate  *  Why resistance training is especially important for women  *  How muscle acts as a storage site for glucose  *  Practical ways to build strength without spending hours in the gym  *  What “flex fasting” means  Resources Mentioned * FREE Nervous System Questionnaire  [https://resetacademy.drmindypelz.com/nervous-system-reset?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=nervous_system_reset] * Fast Like a Girl [https://www.drmindypelz.com/books] * Min-Chex by Standard Process [https://drmindypelz.standardprocess.com/products/min-chex] * Qualia Magnesium+  [https://www.qualialife.com/shop?rfsn=5237174.cd3714] * Berberine Breakthrough [https://bioptimizers.com/shop/products/berberine-breakthrough?rfsn=6550294.35fd813&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=6550294.35fd813] For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep356 [https://www.drmindypelz.com/ep356] Connect with Dr. Mindy: * Join Reset Academy [https://resetacademy.drmindypelz.com/reset-academy?utm_source=libsyn&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=loc-description&utm_campaign=reset-academy] * Watch the episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@DrMindyPelz?sub_confirmation=1] * Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.mindypelz/] * Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter [https://www.drmindypelz.com/] Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.