Charis & Anna EDITED Audio
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Anna: [00:00:00] all of a sudden, I thought there was an alien inside of me about to rip open it was gonna come jumping out and I was gonna die right there on the floor.
Charis: Welcome back to the Harness Your Health podcast. I am here today with my friend and client, Anna Kluger Fenzler today.
Anna, welcome, and thank you so much for being here!
Anna: Thank you, Charis. I'm excited to [00:00:30] be here and chat a little bit. Just, I guess you and I talk all the time, so I feel like this is just- ... a really nice. an opportunity to have a conversation with you.
Charis: Exactly. It's super fun to have friends on here. I love doing that.
So I will explain a little bit about our history for our audience, and then we can dive in. Sure. So I have known Anna for a very long time. She used to be a teacher, actually, at the elementary school where my boys went to school, and we didn't ever have her as a teacher, but I knew of her there and, [00:01:00] k- we had a lot of mutual friends and people that knew each other.
And then we connected, I think, about health and all of that kind of right before- Yeah ... 2020, right?
Anna: Oh, yes, it was. Yeah. A few months- Yeah ... I think before... That fall of 2019 or something, yeah.
Charis: I think it was, yeah. Yeah. So we just met and talked about some of our, w- what we had going on, and I'll explain that in a little bit.
And then at some point during [00:01:30] 2020 we started working together. You were really one of my original clients. I launched my business in 2020. Of course a lovely time. Yeah. And in a lot of ways it was great too. Today we're gonna talk a little bit about your client journey- Sure.
Yep ... with me, and how we have worked together. I think it's just, you are one of the paramount people in my mind to talk this through, because I think there's so many great points about some of the work that you've done [00:02:00] and and the improvements in your health which is pretty awesome.
So-
Anna: Yeah ...
Charis: I will just start by saying, I think you were a really healthy person to begin with. And you had already had your own little health journey and things you've done. So do you wanna talk about that a little bit?
Anna: Yeah, sure. You're right. I considered myself fairly healthy.
I think growing up I had a plate that was... My dinner plate had things that were divided on it, right? That were, we had a protein and a vegetable and a little starch and all these [00:02:30] things. And then I went off to, college and I had my whole whatever, college- 20-pound gain, wei- weight gain, and beca- I fell off the health wagon kind of thing, on back and forth.
I considered myself fairly healthy when it came to food. I'd always had some sort of digestive issues, though, I think even from a young age. I can remember having issues as a kid, but just thinking that was normal, just like everybody was having major giant cramps and bloating laying in their bed at night, and that was just a normal [00:03:00] thing.
And then as I got older and, kinda went through puberty and changes and things like that, it k- it kinda got worse. But again, just never related it to food until I had my daughter, my, my first child. She was about a year and a half years old, and I one night had, Friday night I'd gone out after work with my family and had a pizza and I had beer.
And, like, all of a sudden, I thought there [00:03:30] was an alien inside of me about to rip open and just that I was gonna, it was gonna come jumping out and I was gonna die right there on the floor. And I'd never experienced anything like that in my entire life. And I quickly got home and I remember, I even remember calling my sister from the car 'cause she had some digestive problems and things, and I had said, "Is this...
What is going on? Do I have to go to the hospital? Is this normal?" And she goes, "Oh." It was almost like, "Oh." She knew what was happening. And I, it kinda came [00:04:00] down to this idea of I, I was like, "I don't know what's happening," but I kinda put it all together, and I think gluten was a major piece for me at the time of something that was really irritating my system.
And at that time I was seeing a chiropractor, a naturopath, and I worked with her, and I completely went off gluten. I really avoid gluten as much as possible just because it doesn't seem to do well with me. And we can talk a little bit about that later with testing and other things that I've discovered about myself.
And then from there, I think it just continued to grow [00:04:30] and I started to learn a lot more and I became more interested in just- how to eat for my body basically, and how to understand how my body works most efficiently. And so I would try different things, and i'd read books and try something, and I- it was interesting how my, I think the stress too of having a one-and-a-half-year-old probably brought a lot of that on as well, so that when I went into my second pregnancy with my son, it was a totally different experience afterwards, and I think I knew how to manage it a [00:05:00] lot differently as far as the food goes and my nutrition.
And so yeah, then I think as time went on, I don't know I was led to you. We connected, and then I- I've had some ups and downs the last few years, and you've really helped me to just come back to my center and, again, figure out what is best for me in this moment.
Charis: Yeah. It's something that I just believe so strongly, about.
At this point in time in my business, I mostly do [00:05:30] one-on-one work with people, and I really love that so much because I feel like we are all so individual, and The same, nutrition guidelines, I don't really like to call it diet, but way of eating, whatever you wanna call it, that's good for me may not be good for you, may not be good for your husband may not be good for your friend, it's just the way that it is. And so that's one of my favorite things to do, is really look at, like, where are you at not putting you in a [00:06:00] box and kind of trying to have you move through the steps as I feel you should. But really assessing where you are and where do you want to be, and how can you feel...
How do you want to feel better? Because most people that come to me have some sort of symptoms. So do you wanna talk a little bit about some of your symptoms when we first- Sure ... started working together?
Anna: Yeah. I had given up gluten a long time ago. And then
I tried being dairy-free for a while brought that back [00:06:30] in. I consider myself someone that likes to eat fairly paleo, with protein, and animal protein, and vegetables. I do enjoy my fruit, and I do, of course, like a good gluten-free pasta or rice and those kinds of things.
But I would say that overall I, I felt like I was following a fairly decent diet, and that I was really aware of what I was eating. And then I think it was a combination of things. I think I just started to not feel great. I was having a lot of [00:07:00] bloating. I was having a lot of just having to go to the bathroom at inopportune times.
Um, for me, I was diagnosed with IBS many years ago. And so I... That's another part of this, is that When I went to the doctor, they wanted to put me on medication to work on the IBS, and I said, I'm not interested in that. I wanna see what I can do to change my diet or what I can do to change my lifestyle so that I can get it under control."
And so that was a motivator for me to try to stay [00:07:30] off of, medications if at all possible. And so I'd really, again, been very aware of what was going on, but all of a sudden things were kinda, I don't know, turned upside down again. And I wasn't sure where to go or what to do, and I remember going on a trip with my husband.
We went on a little getaway and and it was just him and I to Breckenridge. And it was so not enjoyable because I was so uncomfortable. I felt bloated. I felt like I literally felt like I was a balloon that was ready to pop [00:08:00] any minute. I was using the bathroom way too much, more than I wanted to be going to the bathroom.
And it felt like no matter what I put in my mouth, I was having a symptom. Like, I was having something happen, right? And it, when you get away with your husband sometimes or, whoever, you wanna have some drinks. And so we went to a really good Mexican restaurant, and I wanted to have a margarita, and within 20 minutes of drinking the margarita I felt horrible.
And lots of even like, um- Brain fog and like headaches. I was having some stuff like that. So I think I came off [00:08:30] that trip and I contacted you and was like, " Charis, like I know we know each other professionally, right? But it's time for me to start working with you personally 'cause I need to figure out how to get back on track or just figure out what's going on in my system."
Charis: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah a couple things I just wanna mention. You mentioned about how from y- long as you can remember, like being a kid even, and having some symptoms, and I think I see some common things come up with [00:09:00] many people, and a lot of times people feel like they're slapped across the face with symptoms.
It's like, "How come all of a sudden I have these extreme symptoms?" But when you think back, you really have had some symptoms. Most people have. We just like shove it under the carpet, and I was definitely in that camp too. I have a similar story to you with the IBS and bloating.
And I was never diagnosed with IBS, but that was my situation. I was like all... [00:09:30] Anywhere I went, I had to know where the bathroom was. Yeah. Like it was that bad that it didn't always relate to that I had just eaten or not eaten. And it's just a miserable way to live, and I think the message that we often get through medicine is they don't know how to manage it.
And so, you know, it's just like, "Sorry," "You can take this drug to try and-" Right ...... "mask your symptoms." I was buying all the over-the-counter stuff, the Gas-X, the whatever, and it did nothing for me.
So I think what We really [00:10:00] did is like really sat down and looked at the history of how everything had happened, not that we need to know every single detail, but I think it really does help people see that these symptoms don't usually develop like overnight.
It's usually a breakdown in your digestion for whatever reason. It can be multifactorial. And you mentioned stress, and stress is always indicated in any sort of digestive issue, and it can be the thing that just tips things [00:10:30] over the edge, and you could be doing okay and managing minor symptoms or having, very intermittent symptoms, and then you have a big stressful event.
Having a baby- is amazing, but it's also really hard on the body in many ways. Oh, yeah. She- Yeah ... took your nutrients for nine months, yes, indeed. It's hard on the body we have to remember that digestion... really every process in the body runs on nutrients. Our body needs nutrients to run every single, process that happens.
And so [00:11:00] when we don't have the digestive capacity that we need, we're not extracting those nutrients. And so that's really the premise of what I do, is trying to dig deep into getting that digestive dysfunction working again, and you probably know and can attest that this does not happen overnight.
Oh, no.
None of this happened overnight either, so I feel like that's probably- One of the things that I mention like a broken record to [00:11:30] people all the time is just be patient. We need to, decide what we're gonna do and stay the course. Yeah. We always listen to the body and are aware, and I want to talk about awareness in a minute.
Anna: Sure.
Charis: But, we have to make a plan and move forward, and then we see how the body rebalances. 'Cause the body is smart. It doesn't want to have all these symptoms. The symptoms are like your body telling you that something is going on. So we have to listen to that, but we [00:12:00] also have to give it a little time to reset.
Anna: Yeah ...
Charis: the awareness piece, I feel like you are a wellness coach, so that's one of the kind of life trajectories that you went on. And you're a former teacher. Sure. So I'll let you talk about that a little bit. But one of the things that I feel like has just made you so successful in the work that you've done with me and on your digestion, and the reason that it's so much better today, is because of your awareness [00:12:30] of your own body.
And also your patience, I think, and also just your ability to make a commitment to do something. And we talk about that, right? I'm like, "Okay, Anna, how are you feeling?" 'Cause we've done these different kind of strategies over the years, and you'll call me and say, I've been feeling actually really good, but all of a sudden now I'm having a little bit more bloating."
So we talk it through what's been going on, what have you been eating, what [00:13:00] stressful events could have happened, and really tease it out to figure out what to do, and I don't have just standard protocols. I will tell you or recommend what I really feel that you need. And then we commit to doing something.
You commit, and I'm gonna support you obviously, and then we follow that through. Yep. And then we see, like, how did it do? How did your body do? ' Cause the body is very individual. You can have 10 ... women the same age with bloating. It's gonna be different causes probably. [00:13:30] There's gonna be different exacerbations.
Everybody's situation looks a little bit different, and so that's why just removing dairy or just taking Gas-X or whatever the case may be- ... that you're trying to do to manage your bloating doesn't always work for everyone.
Anna: Yeah. No, you bring up a lot of really good points and I, and that's exactly it.
This isn't a one-size-fits-all, and I think that's where many of us get this idea, this, It's almost like a lie that's told to us, that if you just [00:14:00] do this thing. I remember a long time ago, it wasn't that long ago, but I remember for a while there was a whole discussion about probiotics, and everybody was like, "If you just take probiotics, you're gonna feel great," right?
And then there, and then everybody started selling probiotics. Like every vitamin company and everything, and then everything had probiotics in it. Or they said it was in it, even though a lot of those things are, might have already had probiotics in them. But I just, I think it's fascinating to me.
And so then we all jump on this, "I, oh, I need probiotics," right? [00:14:30] And so it's so true that the work that you do is so individualized because we are individual humans with individual needs, and we all have our own constitutions. And so if I've learned anything so many things I've learned from working with you, but like that is one that I can have a friend going through the exact same thing with you, I did for a long time, and sh- she would tell me all the things about her and I'd be like, "But you have the same symptoms as me."
But she would be so different. Hers was so different than what I was working on. [00:15:00] And so that's why this work, it's so important. And I think what you said earlier too about just how long it... It was almost like the mantra I had up in my bathroom or in my kitchen or whatever of and I remind this of people all the time, think how long it took.
Your whole life you've been living this way. So it's not gonna be an instantaneous thing that overnight it's all gonna change and get better. Yeah. And you're always so good about reminding me of that and others because we're, again, we want the instantaneous. We're used to [00:15:30] that in our society. We want the answer, we want it done.
And so I think that's really important to remember, is that this is a process. And we always, you and I always refer to it, and I say this a lot of times too even with my own clients, but like it is a science experiment. Like you try, you have a hypothesis, you try it based on the data that you have, you work on it, and then if you need to make changes along the way, you do based on the information that you're gathering.
Yeah. And that gathering information in a science experiment takes a while. Yeah. This is a big deal. So [00:16:00] I think that kind of tying that back into that awareness though is that- Because of all that, you have to be really aware of what your body's telling you. And so I'm just one of those people, I think I've just really learned how to try to really listen to my body and understand what's going on.
And I, maybe I'm a wimp or a wuss or whatever you'd want to call me. I don't think so. I think I'm very strong. But I think when my body is telling me, like I'm uncomfortable-
Charis: Yeah ...
Anna: I want to solve the problem. I want to figure out why. And I don't want to [00:16:30] mask it. I don't, that's not of interest to me.
I want to figure out why, so I have less uncomfortable days instead of more uncomfortable days. And so the more I can learn about that, and so if my body's telling me something with bloating or gas or diarrhea or, constipation, whatever it is then I want to learn from that and go why?
Why is this happening?" And I think, there's so many factors with awareness. There's obviously those physical awareness factors Sometimes you have these episodes that are just so monumental, like [00:17:00] my alien in the belly episode-
and then my time going up to the mountains with my husband episode. You have these things that hit you, and you wanna try to solve them, but then it's so true, you have to think about all the things that led up to that and the awareness behind it.
And then the awareness around when things are getting better, right? So we have worked together long enough and we've done enough protocols and enough things that I've tried. And again, it's not overnight, but after a week, [00:17:30] how am I feeling? After a- another week, oh, how am I feeling after that week?
And so forth. And so with the goal that by the end of 12 weeks or whatever, I'm feeling if I had five out of seven bloated days, maybe I've got, three or something or two or... it's, and it's not even a full day. But I guess what I'm trying to say is just being totally aware of how it's changing- Yeah
and how it's changing for the better.
Charis: Yeah. Yeah. And I think [00:18:00] that, so many people come to me, and they just don't even have the awareness. I think that a lot of times it's because they're just used to in, being in denial about their symptoms, either because they're told that there's nothing that you can really do about it, or they don't know what to do, and they just are like it's just normal."
And then we're, I give them the opportunity to tell me how they're feeling, and I'm like, "You can feel better than that." And they're like, "Really?" Yeah. And so then that kind of turns everything on, [00:18:30] and then it takes a little time. And a lot of it is me being like how are you feeling?"
"How are you doing? What's going on?"
Anna: Yes. Yes ...
Charis: so I think it's just a life skill that's important for everything. And, in our health, it's like one of the most important things that we can do is to take care of ourselves, and that's really one of my passions. Many people know that I was a nurse for a long time, and I took care of cancer patients.
And, my, one of the missions that I really like to spread [00:19:00] is that we don't have to be like Western medicine versus holistic health. We can be on this one continuum of people just trying to improve their health and feel the best that they can be and feel and the healthiest that they can be.
And use your Western medicine tools and your doctors for all the wonderful things that they do, and then learn how to take care of yourself really is what it's about. And-
Anna: So true
Charis: Yeah, I love to teach people about that, and don't do [00:19:30] any doctor bashing or anything like that.
Anna: Oh, no. No, and you and I have talked about this for years too.
It is, that's exactly it. I think it is this blend, right? And that the... When you're talking about the holistic health and holistic medicine and everything like that, it's learning how to do that on your own. How do we eat to give nutrients to our body that is what they need?
How do we take care of ourselves through movement? That has nothing to do... I don't go to my Western doctor to ask those questions. And but I know that if I have a [00:20:00] horrible pain or if I've got something really going on- ... I will definitely go to them and ask, "What's going on?
Help me," right? So it is this lovely... That's kinda how I, you and I both agree on this blend of how does it all fit and work together? And if I'm doing my part and I'm taking care of my body- ... maybe I won't have to visit my doctor as often too, hopefully.
Charis: Yeah.
Anna: Yeah.
Charis: Remember I don't remember exactly when it was, y- at least a year ago when you had the fatigue, the really bad fatigue, and you [00:20:30] went in- Oh, yes
to see your doctor. Yes. And your iron was low, remember? That's
Anna: right.
Charis: So you took some, a supplement that helps, the, it's not iron necessarily, but helps to build your iron stores. But we also know that is related to digestion, and so we worked on it from both angles, right? We did. Yep. And the doctor was supportive and did the blood work, and you saw a lot of improvement in that.
But that's just such a perfect example, right? Of thinking of the, how you can support your body to [00:21:00] be making your own, you know- Yeah ... or us- utilizing iron and absorbing it so that you can use it for the purposes in your body that you need it for, and not just being like, "Oh, I need iron infusions or iron pills for the rest of my life," and sometimes people do need that, but you were fortunate. You could spend a few months working on
Anna: that- Oh, yeah ...
Charis: and then it got better.
Anna: Oh my gosh, tremend- it's so much better. And I, again, I appreciate the fact I, you and I could talk about those things, and then I could get on something that was food-based [00:21:30] too.
Which I really appreciated,
Charis: yeah.
Anna: Yeah. I forgot about that.
Charis: Yeah. Yeah. For iron, I really don't like recommending iron supplements. I took iron when, I think after I had my second baby. The supplement forms of iron are not the best, and it can be incredibly I don't know if toxic is the right word, but just inflammatory to the body.
So you gotta be really careful. It is the really a lot better to get it from food, but then you also have to be digesting the food and absorbing it, so [00:22:00] there's that.
Anna: Yep.
Charis: So just like everything.
Anna: Sure.
Charis: I'm just a broken record.
Anna: No, you are not. You're just like this magical voice-
that comes out and helps remind us all. Okay, that's right. That's right. 'Cause we have to be told I don't know how many times- Yeah ... a lot to be, to- Yeah ... to finally internalize it. No.
Charis: It is what it is. I'm no different really, like with this- ... this has become my thing, obviously.
Digestion is the focus of my practice. But, it's, it really wasn't like that in the [00:22:30] beginning, and it's not until you see it all the time and then you're like, "Oh, everyone needs this." My own children. I feel like I've probably talked to you about your kids at some point.
Oh, yeah. A lot of my clients ask me questions about their kids and keeping their kids well, and like different things like that. It's just the, again, like the viewpoint of health is looking at it from this big bird's-eye view. The body is intimately connected in every way.
And yes, we have [00:23:00] to focus on different things, but we also, need to know that everything is connected, and that's-
Anna: That's true ...
Charis: that stress component, digestion in particular is just something that can't be ignored,
Anna: yeah.
Charis: Yeah, so that's awesome. So one thing that we often talk about a lot is the wagon and how you're not- Oh
on the wagon or off the wagon. Yeah. So maybe you could just talk about that
Anna: a little bit. Yeah, sure. I'm not either on or off. I feel like I'm on. Sometimes my feet might be [00:23:30] dragging off the wagon a little bit. Or I might be hanging out of the wagon a little bit, but I'm still on, because I...
This is work that is important, and it's... it helps me to feel the best that I can feel. And that, at the same time, when my... I'm... when my feet are dragging or when I'm off the wagon a lit- like, I'm not totally fully on with everything, and I guess what I mean by that is maybe... A, a good example, I think, is last summer I came to you after the summer, and I had a [00:24:00] amazingly wonderful summer, and I enjoyed lots of drinking all summer long.
And so to the point of, it was like those sugary cocktails in a can, and I was... We had gone on this really great camping trip, after that, I'd done Yellowstone and Tetons, and we had drank every night by the campfire, and it just kept going. I'd come home, and I would, oh, on a Tuesday night in the middle of the summer, sit in the backyard with that.
By the time August, middle of August or whatever, August came, I definitely was... And I had been feeling it along the [00:24:30] way but ignoring some of the symptoms, and I was still doing the other things, eating paleo. I had... Again, my lifestyle is this is a lifestyle for me. I... This is the way I live my life.
I don't think of it as a diet or something I'm only gonna do for a short period of time. It's what I do to keep my body healthy, but I had really enjoyed the drinking for a long time, and all of that sugar and all of the alcohol, right? It's not only that, because when I drink, if other people can relate to this, is I would go grab a bag [00:25:00] of chips.
And even if it's gluten-free, I'm still eating corn chips, or I'm finding the gluten-free cookies or, 'cause drinking just makes us enjoy everything else so much more. I have no rules, or I have... It's not even rules. I just- I just wanna go have some chips, so I eat 'em. So I think all of that accumulation happened, and I called you, I think, at the middle of August, and I said, "I need some support.
Let's get me h- the rest of my body back on the wagon again," or back into [00:25:30] alignment. And you held me accountable, but in positive ways. You helped me figure out, okay let's... I think it's this stuff you're drinking plus the other stuff you're adding to your diet.
Okay. So for a very short period of time, I gave up those cocktails, and actually since then I haven't had 'em at all because- The way that I work is that I didn't like the way my body felt, so I didn't wanna feel that way anymore. I didn't wanna, I don't wanna go crack open one of those and then just feel [00:26:00] icky.
So I found an alternative. So I didn't give up alcohol, but I found something that was less sugary, and then I just didn't drink it every night. When the weekend comes now, or if it's a special occasion, of course I have drinks, but I try to avoid the stuff that really affects my body in negative ways.
You helped me get all the way back on track, and I gave up some certain foods for a little while just to see if that would help the process, and it did. And then, but now I'm eating them again, but I'm back in [00:26:30] moderation. I'm not eating the whole bag of corn chips and the can of sugary cocktail, and then whatever else I would add to it.
But that's just a good life thing, right? For anything. You can apply that to anything in life. And in this case, it's just that, for me, my digestive system immediately will let me know. It's like my, the awareness piece of "Hey you're doing something here that we're not too happy about.
Let's figure out how to get back on track fully." And then, again it's not the [00:27:00] on or off, it's the trying to just remain in the middle as much as possible I still enjoyed my Christmas. I had drinks at Christmas and food and all that.
So I feel like it's just a much more balanced and easier way to live for me.
Charis: Absolutely. Yeah. And I think we're all human, and food and drinks are such a big part of our culture, and it's just really back to awareness too, right? Being aware of how you feel, and also having the confidence that if you you [00:27:30] have done some digestive work before, you felt really good after a couple months, you can do that again.
It doesn't feel so scary or so- ... like you're back where you were, square zero again, you are not. It's really more of an upward trajectory with maybe some bumps, it's just gonna be the way it is. It's vacation. It's holidays. It's, like you said, it's all the things.
And having these really hard and fast rules for yourself doesn't always need to be how it is.
Anna: And [00:28:00] I think we've talked about too, but then I, and I feel like for me especially it just sets me up for failure. It's the, if I, if you have to be in this box or do all these rules all the time, then why do I wanna do that?
I don't... That just sounds really unappealing And then I just, I can say to myself Anna, you can do that for, whatever, three weeks," and then what happens when I wanna go out with my friends- ... and enjoy an evening out with the girls and have a glass of wine? Yeah. So I think it's, it shouldn't be yes.
It's not so black and [00:28:30] white. It's not yes or no. It's not on or off. It's just figuring out how to make it work, so it is these little ebbs and flows. And the second time, you bring up a really good point, though, of that first time I went through stuff with you, we did a lot of work. We got cleaned up.
We did all this stuff for me. And then the second time it wasn't as daunting, and it wasn't as, I wouldn't even say the word intense, but it wasn't as much. And it was much quicker. It was like my body remembered, "Okay, I know where you're supposed to be now," and then it reset in a really [00:29:00] nice easy way.
Charis: Yeah. Exactly. And so, you know, in the beginning we did some testing. . And s- we don't always do testing.
I think you just did that, the RCCP, which is a protocol I use sometimes to help you reset.
Anna: Yep.
Charis: But you had done that before- Yeah ... and had a different- Like, scenario with it. So then when you did it first, the first time, you felt a lot better at the beginning, and when you did it that time after the summer, it was a lot harder.
Your body [00:29:30] was like, "Hello." Yeah,
Anna: detox, girl. Yeah.
Charis: And just so people know, we always think about the liver when it comes to alcohol, 'cause it's, technically alcohol is a toxin, and the liver's our master filter. But also alcohol is extremely disruptive to blood sugar, and that's part of the reason that we want the treats that are around.
It makes us crave things, and then you add the sugar in there too, and that's just like a double whammy. And so that's just so typical , And [00:30:00] when we meet and we get together, we talk about it. What are you willing to do? I usually don't go into recommendations about caffeine or alcohol with the hard fist of like, "You will give this up for this period of time."
I really talk to people and be like, "This is what I see that would impact your health greatly, your digestion, whatever it is that you're going through and this is what I see. Giving this up for 30 days or sometimes 60 [00:30:30] days, or 45 days, and this is why, and what do you think about that?
And I had a client message me the other day. She's I'm like 15 or 20 days in, and I know we said 45 days, but my best friend is coming into town this weekend." And I was like, "Have fun." Yeah. "Have fun, and then get back on track," like what we had planned on doing. And she's like, "Really?"
I'm like yeah. If that's what that means to you that you wanna be able to have a margarita or a whatever with your friend, then have it, because [00:31:00] the stress that you put on yourself, like worrying about that, that you really want it and then you're not... can't have it and blah, blah, blah, it's just too much.
It... and it's not worth it in my opinion. Yeah. I recently had not drank for almost two months in the summer. And I don't even know why I just decided to stop, but I did, and I thought, I have all these different things come up. I went to travel out of town for a baby shower with some friends that I normally drink alcohol [00:31:30] with when we're together.
Sure. And I just thought, there's gonna be all these situations where I'm gonna feel like I'm missing it if I don't do it. And so I gave myself the opportunity, but I didn't end up drinking. Wow. And I thought it was interesting, and I think that experience that I had, too, was so important for me to reflect on because I think, there's definitely been lots of times where I haven't drank, nine months times two.
I now know... it's like, oh, I can go if I don't really feel like it, and I didn't. I didn't [00:32:00] crave it. I didn't want it. And so that's really just so much of that awareness piece,
Anna: and I think that's, you're right about sometimes we get into these it's like a, not a rut, but it's just like what we do.
Oh, we get together with our girlfriends and we drink. It's just part of what we do. Or guys get together with their friends and they drink. And so it becomes a pattern, right? But you're, when you're aware of it and you think to yourself I've already given this up for a while," or, "And I don't really need it," or does it, is it gonna make the experience better?
And maybe sometimes it does, [00:32:30] depending on the activity. I don't know. But sometimes it really, it doesn't matter, and so it's that's so powerful to listen to your body and that awareness and say, "Okay. Wow. Do I need it?" Or will it get by with a mocktail or whatever or nothing. Glass of water, iced tea, whatever it was, but.
Yeah.
Charis: Exactly. Yeah. It's really, and I think, I was talking to somebody about getting older the other day and, you know, I was like, "I think one of the best things about getting older is just knowing [00:33:00] yourself," and this is just such a perfect example. And also of I, it's not worth it to me to feel crappy from drinking anymore.
And so I really don't do that anymore, but I did for many years and that's fine. I don't even miss that, yeah. Just I enjoy it a lot more when I really do have something that I want, not just because I'm like, "I need to have something."
Anna: Exactly. So true. And-
Charis: Yeah ... and it's the same with food really, like- Whatever your vice [00:33:30] is, treats or chips or whatever the things are, and it's like having that awareness about you know what those things are for you, and is it really worth it to have the gluten-stuffed whatever that you know you don't tolerate. Or for me, it's always dairy. It's like I can get by with a certain amount of cheese, and then after that, it's not worth it,
Anna: yeah. Save it for the really nice, expensive, yummy burrata or something. Yeah. Something really good, and you're right. And I think, I had a friend ask me that one time. She was [00:34:00] like, how do you just not... How do you say no? How do you give up gl-..." Like, There was, you know, it was a birthday cake or something, and it was amazing, and it looked delicious.
But she was like, "How do you just say no to that?" And I said, "'Cause I know how I'm gonna feel the next day." I, that is so much more powerful, and I don't want to feel like that tomorrow. I don't wanna get up feeling icky or whatever the, that kinda thing. And I said, "So it's amazing how your body tells you."
It lets you know.
Charis: Yeah. "
Anna: Hey, there's this thing,"
Charis: and I will say- So true ... and I know [00:34:30] that you've experienced this too, and you may have some things that are, will always be your thing. For you, it probably will be gluten. Mine is probably dairy, although I didn't have any dairy for so long. I will never forget about a year or so ago, my husband was like, we were out to dinner, and he was like, "Do you want some ice cream?"
He knows how much I love ice cream. It's like on my dad's- Oh, yeah ... side of the family. And so I'm like, "Yes, I do." And in my mind, I'm thinking, "I'm gonna go [00:35:00] and see if they have-" Like cashew based or coconut based or- Sure ... I don't do very well with soy either, so you know, like some non-dairy ice cream.
And I got in there, and I'm like, " Screw it. I'm eating the regular ice cream." I didn't have any enzymes with me. We were on the light rail. Like- Oh, gosh. ... years ago, this would've, like that would have, I- again, there's no bathroom on the light rail. That's
Anna: right.
Charis: And I eat it, and it was totally fine, and [00:35:30] zero complications from that whatsoever.
And so it gives you the confidence too, and also- Yeah ... then for me, that was like, okay, I get it now. I have, basically eliminated this from my diet. I don't even really miss it anymore, and I- Yeah ... had this one time in this state. Like milk or ice cream for me is always- Yeah ... like always a problem.
Anna: Okay.
Charis: And I had it, and it was just like, this is amazing. So I couldn't do that every night or every week.
Anna: And
Charis: I [00:36:00] don't really want to,
Anna: and that's, I think that's the key, right? And I said this to you the other night when we were talking about something, 'cause I'm working on some new things for me, and I said something about how I wasn't craving like, for a while at night I would just have a little piece of dark chocolate just to tide me over or whatever.
And the other day, I think I even said to you, I was like, "I don't even, I just don't, I don't want any of that anymore." I don't even think about it. It's not a big deal. I, it's when you start that process, and then you just forget about it. It's not- ... like all these other things.
So it's pretty cool. It's not
Charis: like a willpower thing or-
Anna: [00:36:30] No. Yeah. So
Charis: true. And it takes some trial and error, and it takes some time. Again, it's back to the time and the patience and all of that. Yes. So yeah, no, I think that's awesome. Is there anything else that you wanted to mention about, Any of your, the work that we've done or anything?
Anna: Gosh, I don't know. it's so powerful, Charis. I love working with you. I love continuing to work with you. I love being able to just try things. You're so willing to listen and try. I think we've done so much [00:37:00] for for me. I feel like I'm in a completely different place than I was three, four, five years ago.
I, like I said, I thought I was doing a lot of the right stuff because I was reading the books and I was consuming the material and I was trying the things, and but really what's helped me the most is working with you and really figuring out what my particular body needs and doesn't need.
And realizing too that it's a process and that it will change. As I continue to get older and I [00:37:30] start to go through menopause and I start to do some of these other things, I realize there could be more changes coming, that I have you as part of my team in my back pocket to go to and say, "Ah, help me.
What do you think? Let's work on this next thing." And I think you and I did some testing recently for me and I was surprised at what came out from the testing. And at the same time empowered and I felt challenged in a new way of okay, maybe if I do give that thing up, which, we talked about [00:38:00] meat for me, which I was like, "What?"
But, and I try this whole new way of living, just imagine how could I even feel better than how I'm feeling right now. And so you've opened my eyes to just trying all these new things. I didn't eat salmon forever simply 'cause I looked at it and was like, "It just looks funny." I don't know, the color and the smell.
It wasn't smelly, but it was just like, I don't know. So I'm now eating more fish, and I'm loving it. And it's, I've learned it's all [00:38:30] about how you prepare it, right? But and, and knowing that fish and vegetables are, like, my new mainstay for everything to me it's, it, I look at it now okay, it's this new challenge.
What's it gonna do for me? How much better can I feel? H- can my skin look better? Can my digestive health be better? Can, whatever it might be, i'm just totally looking at all of it and saying, "Okay, it's only gonna be it's gonna be uphill, continue to be uphill from here."
So I just appreciate working with you, and I appreciate you just being [00:39:00] available to to help me out and work through all this stuff. It's been great.
Charis: It's fun.
Anna: I think what's what's so great too about our conversation, Charis, and I think this, doing this with clients and stuff, is that it... Again, it's not the all or nothing, right? You didn't, you and I didn't have the conversation and then the next day I went pescatarian. I actually...
We had this conversation. I had time to really think about it, and then I slowly started to add... what I did, and what, this is what I do with my clients a lot of times [00:39:30] is we find a positive thing and we just add it in- To what I'm doing because sometimes it's harder to get rid of something that's, whether that be a habit or a food or whatever, it's hard to just say, "No, we're not gonna do, eat that anymore."
So I just decided to start adding more fish into our dinners is what I did. And and then it got me used to eating fish, which I had never really grown up with 'cause my mom hated fish, so we just didn't eat fish. And, and then looking at it like, [00:40:00] okay, you, Anna, you'll still get to eat your turkey burger and your chicken on these nights, but you'll also have fish on these nights.
And then I'd make enough to have the leftovers so I could have that for my lunch the next day. And so it w- it, it was a much smoother and easier transition because now when I say I'm gonna do it fully," and really try not to have any chicken or any poultry or meat or whatever, that to me feels so much less daunting.
And it's like, okay well, I've already been [00:40:30] adding it in. Now I'm said, that night we're just not gonna have chicken stir-fry. I'm gonna have, salmon stir-fry. I don't know. Making something up. I think that's another great thing of working with you, too, is that you're a realist and that you see that...
And you've given examples, and I've given examples, but again, it's just okay, we're gonna slowly ease into this, and we're gonna do these things, these protocols and whatever. We're gonna get you to the point where you're ready if to give up something completely. But I felt very ready mentally.
[00:41:00] And, too, I had these tools in my toolbox. I had some recipes. I had some thoughts about how to go pescatarian. I'd had time to do a little research, get on Pinterest, get a book. All those other things. And get information from you. So I think that's just another, a good way of looking at it if people are feeling a little timid about this kind of work.
Charis: Absolutely. Thank you for saying that, 'cause it's something I really pride myself, with, of being that way with people. 'Cause I am very much a human, too. I tell a lot of [00:41:30] people one of my first experiences with changing my diet was I decided I was gonna do a Whole30 with a friend, and it literally took me three months to wrap my head around
Anna: the basics.
I believe it.
Charis: And then but- That's the
Anna: Whole30 thing.
Charis: Initially it was d- like, denial. And it was like, okay, I can do anything for 30 days. That's what she says in the book, right? And then, also in the book, it's like if you screw up, you start over. And I get the point of that, but at the same time this is not about 30 days.
This is about the rest of your [00:42:00] life. And so how are you gonna have the mindset to figure out how to be, how to eat to feel good for the rest of your life? And it's not- That's exactly it ... easy to have to start over every time. I have to start over on day two 'cause I ate something that I shouldn't have eaten, 'cause I was hungry.
Anna: Of
Charis: course. To each their own, but that, I just feel very strongly about that, that it's like, this is what I would recommend you do. What do you think? Why don't you think about it [00:42:30] you know?
Anna: Yeah.
Charis: And wrap your head around it, and then you're approaching it from that positive mindset, and I 100% agree with the adding things in easing into it and, getting, again, that confidence back.
So you're like, "I can do this. I can handle it," and it's so much more enjoyable. 'Cause also the first time I did a Whole30, on the 31st day, I was like, "Woo-hoo, I'm done." Like-
Anna: Yeah ...
Charis: that's not a thing either.
Anna: As we've said over and over again, it's like it's a lifestyle. It's [00:43:00] how... This is my body.
This is what I have to live however many years I have on this planet. So why not try to keep it as healthy as I can? 'Cause I would like to live as long as I can. Yeah. And but that doesn't mean that I can't have days where if I wanna eat the cheeseburger- ... okay, I'll eat the cheeseburger. Yeah. I hear you completely, and I just think that's what's really important about the work you do with people and just in that understanding, so thank you.
Charis: Yes, of course. [00:43:30] Thank you for being here. I feel like that's a perfect note. We don't have to beat a dead horse anymore.
Anna: Excellent. Yes.
Charis: So and I really appreciate you taking the time and sharing your story with my audience. I think people can definitely relate to so much of it. Yeah. And I think it's inspirational for all of us, to see the progress that we made, 'cause sometimes we have to think back a little bit and
Anna: look back on- Oh, definitely
yeah.
Charis: Thank you. I appreciate it. Thanks, Sierra. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Anna: All right.
You too.
Charis: Okay, bye.
[00:44:00] If this conversation Resonated with you, I highly recommend checking out my Health Foundations assessment. It helps you to identify your body's priority for healing so you can stop guessing and start moving forward with a clear direction.
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The information shared on this [00:44:30] podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. I am not a medical doctor, and this content is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any decisions related to your health, especially if you have a medical condition or are taking medications
