Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Join The Circle and use code "PODCAST": https://holplus.co/circle/ What if the fasting, workouts, and eating patterns that are supposed to improve your metabolism are actually working against your hormones? In this episode of hol+ with Dr. Taz MD, women’s hormone expert Alisa Vitti explains why women in their reproductive years have a second biological clock that most health and fitness advice completely ignores. Known as the infradian rhythm, this approximately month-long cycle affects metabolism, cortisol, immune function, brain activity, energy, appetite, and exercise performance.
Alisa breaks down the follicular, ovulatory, luteal, and menstrual phases and explains how nutritional needs, metabolism, and stress tolerance change throughout the cycle. She shares how the Cycle Syncing Method can help women adjust their food, exercise, recovery, and daily routines to better support these biological changes.
Dr. Taz and Alisa also challenge some of the most popular advice given to women about intermittent fasting and fasted exercise. Alisa explains why she believes women should fuel before working out, why glucose is needed to build lean muscle, and how combining carbohydrates with protein and fat may support blood sugar stability and workout performance.
Alisa shares her personal experience with PCOS, maintaining a significant weight loss, losing additional body fat by eating more, and intentionally building muscle as she approaches 48. She explains why blood sugar regulation is the first step she recommends for women experiencing PMS, PCOS, infertility, fibroids, perimenopause, or other hormonal concerns.
The conversation also explores progesterone, estrogen dominance, cortisol, HRT, ovarian aging, hot flashes, strength training, environmental exposures, and the habits that may help women protect their hormonal health throughout every stage of life.
In this episode:
- Why women have both circadian and infradian biological rhythms
- How the menstrual cycle affects metabolism, cortisol, immunity, and the brain
- What happens during the follicular, ovulatory, luteal, and menstrual phases
- Why women may need more calories during the luteal phase
- How blood sugar instability may affect cortisol and progesterone
- Why Alisa says women should never work out in a fasted state
- What to eat before strength training to support lean muscle
- How Alisa structures protein, carbohydrates, and meal timing throughout her day
- Why strength training is important during every phase of the cycle
- How to modify cardio and recovery throughout the menstrual cycle
- Why eating more helped Alisa lose additional body fat and build muscle
- The relationship between blood sugar, PCOS, PMS, and perimenopause
- How fasting recommendations may change after menopause
- Where HRT fits into a broader hormone-support strategy
- Simple habits that may support healthier hormonal aging
- Whether ovarian aging can be slowed or partially reversed
About Alisa Vitti:
Alisa Vitti is a women’s hormone and functional nutrition expert, bestselling author, and creator of the Cycle Syncing Method. She is the founder of FLO Living and creator of the MyFLO app, which helps women adjust their nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle practices to the different phases of their menstrual cycle. After experiencing PCOS, weight challenges, acne, and an absent menstrual cycle in her teens and early twenties, Alisa began studying nutrition, functional endocrinology, and women’s hormonal health. Her experience became the foundation for FLO Living and her bestselling books, WomanCode and In the FLO.
Connect with Alisa Vitti:
Connect with Alisa Vitti:
About Dr. Taz:
Dr. Tasneem Bhatia (Dr. Taz) is a triple board-certified integrative medicine physician, bestselling author, and founder of hol+, a multi-location integrative medicine practice.
Learn more: https://doctortaz.com/about
Stay Connected:
Connect further with hol+ at https://holplus.co/ and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.
Connect further with hol+ at https://holplus.co/ and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.
Book a Hol+ Consultation:
https://holplus.co/locations/virtual/
https://holplus.co/locations/virtual/
Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/
https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/
Subscribe to the audio podcast:
https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe
https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe
Produced by https://ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)
Creators and Guests
Host
What is hol+ with Dr. Taz MD | The Future of Medicine is Holistic?
hol+ with Dr. Taz MD is redefining modern medicine through a comprehensive, evidence-based holistic approach; integrating functional medicine, integrative medicine, and time-tested healing systems to treat the whole human, not just symptoms.
Hosted by Dr. Tasneem Bhatia (Dr. Taz), triple board-certified physician in integrative, functional, and holistic medicine, bestselling Penguin Random House author, and founder of hol+; a comprehensive evidence-based holistic medicine platform with clinics in Atlanta, New York City, and Los Angeles, and virtual care available nationwide.
At the heart of hol+ is a revolutionary framework: the Five Body Map- physical, mental, emotional, energetic, and social/community bodies that create whole health. This whole-human approach connects hormone imbalances, gut dysfunction, microinflammation, cortisol dysregulation, metabolic disease, autoimmune conditions, perimenopause, and stress-driven illness to the full spectrum of who we are; body, mind, and spirit.
Each episode explores Dr. Taz’s original clinical frameworks ;The Cortisol Loop, Microinflammation, and The Invisible Load alongside conversations with leading experts, celebrities, and thought leaders including Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, Katherine Schwarzenegger, Cameron Mathison, Carol Alt, Jane Seymour, Tamsen Fadal, and Kris Carr.
Topics include hormone health, gut health, GLP-1 and metabolic therapy, thyroid dysfunction, weight loss, inflammation, autoimmune disease, mental and emotional wellness, energetic health, and the future of holistic medicine.
This is the show where science and spirit converge- driving health, happiness, relationships, and family ecosystems.
Want to go deeper? Join Dr. Taz’s private community, the hol+ Circle ; medicine beyond the exam room. (holplus.co/circle)
A 2025 Webby Award honoree, recognized alongside the Mel Robbins Podcast in the 29th Annual Webby Awards, hol+ is built on the foundation of Super Woman Wellness, which surpassed 1 million downloads over 8 years.
This is medicine beyond the exam room. Welcome to hol+
[00:00:00] Alisa Vitti: You cannot ever work out in a fasted state as a female, ever. Never.
[00:00:04] Dr. Taz: Okay, you have to [00:00:05] stop right there. And that's because working out fasted-
[00:00:08] Alisa Vitti: Because if you want to [00:00:10] build lean muscle, we want to do that at every age, because building lean muscle- Right ... [00:00:15] improves our metabolic flexibility, improves our glucose response, improves our hormones.
[00:00:19] Alisa Vitti: It's an [00:00:20] excellent thing to do for young girls, for every decade. It does not matter. You should be [00:00:25] building lean muscle very intentionally. In order to do that, you actually have to front load the [00:00:30] muscle with glucose. So I'm gonna say something a little controversial.
[00:00:33] Dr. Taz: Welcome to HolPlus, [00:00:35] the podcast that embraces and tackles the holistic way, bringing it all together, science, [00:00:40] research, innovations in technology, and our collective human experience.
[00:00:44] Dr. Taz: This is where [00:00:45] science and spirit come together. I'm Dr. Taz, your host and a double board certified medical [00:00:50] doctor and integrative health expert, a nutritionist, and an acupuncturist. I'm also the founder and [00:00:55] CEO of HolPlus, a digital and clinical platform where my team and I [00:01:00] practice evidence-based holistic medicine every single day.
[00:01:02] Dr. Taz: I know and I hear all the [00:01:05] health and wellness noise that's out there. I want this show to be the one to empower you with the [00:01:10] knowledge you need to heal not just your body, but your relationships, your communities, and [00:01:15] our world. Welcome to HolPlus. There's been a lot of talk [00:01:20] around circadian rhythms and what it means for your health.
[00:01:23] Dr. Taz: Now, a lot of us know that circadian [00:01:25] rhythms have something to do with sleep, but we don't realize that it's impacting our hormone [00:01:30] health, our mental health, even inflammation and gut health. That's why [00:01:35] I'm so excited to bring on my next guest. Please meet Alisa Vitti. She's [00:01:40] a femtech trailblazer, a female biohacking pioneer, a visionary, [00:01:45] functional nutrition expert, an author and an advocate for women's hormonal health and [00:01:50] gender equality in research.
[00:01:51] Dr. Taz: Having overcome her own hormone struggles, she's a [00:01:55] trusted and loved icon in the women's health space. She has written two best-selling and [00:02:00] beloved books, WomanCode and In the Flo. She's the creator of the [00:02:05] game-changing Cycle Syncing Method, and she founded Flo Living to provide natural hormone [00:02:10] support for women from their first period to their last via its digital [00:02:15] dietary therapeutic support and its top ranked and patented hormone care app, MyFlo, [00:02:20] along with supplements.
[00:02:22] Dr. Taz: Please welcome Alisa Vitti. All right. I [00:02:25] am so excited to have you here. We have talked before, and we both- We were talking just now. We were just talking just now. [00:02:30] And we both have a little bit of a history, not to date the two of us, but you've been on my [00:02:35] previous show. We've been talking about hormones.
[00:02:36] Dr. Taz: I've followed your stuff for so long, so impressed with [00:02:40] everything you've done and accomplished. And this world of hormone health is a deep dive. We were just debating [00:02:45] PCOS just a second ago, and we'll go back there. But before we start, one of the things [00:02:50] I want more clarity on, because I feel like I left you mid-conversation however long ago our [00:02:55] last conversation was, around this idea of rhythms-
[00:02:59] Alisa Vitti: Mm[00:03:00]
[00:03:00] Dr. Taz: and frequency and what it means for our health and our hormone [00:03:05] health. Now, we know that everyone talks about the circadian rhythm and how important it is for sleep. [00:03:10] I've talked a lot about it, too. Everyone's probably rolling their eyes about how important it is to have a consistent [00:03:15] sleep pattern, and in Chinese medicine, how we tell people they have to sleep between at least 11:00 [00:03:20] PM and 5:00 AM, otherwise they disrupt the hormone cycle.
[00:03:23] Dr. Taz: But many people don't realize [00:03:25] it's not just about your circadian rhythm. So you are the expert on [00:03:30] this. I want you to jump in and talk about our rhythms and what's happening and how that's [00:03:35] connected to frequency and flow and hormones and all the amazing things that you've been talking [00:03:40] about over the last 15 years.
[00:03:42] Alisa Vitti: Well, it's a big conversation, but, you know, I'll start [00:03:45] with the fact that I was sort of flummoxed by the reality that I kept [00:03:50] facing in my practice, which is so many women show up with hormone imbalances. [00:03:55] And, you know, it's, yes, one could argue, you know, there's endocrine disruption on the [00:04:00] rise with different chemicals, and we live a more stressful lifestyle, but that should apply to both genders- [00:04:05] Mm-hmm
[00:04:05] Alisa Vitti: equally if that's the case, if that's really the root cause. So I kept looking for, [00:04:10] what are we missing? What's the blind spot? What might we be disrupting and not even be [00:04:15] aware of it? And that's when I stumbled upon this second biological clock that [00:04:20] women have called the infradian rhythm. And of course, nobody's heard of it, but it [00:04:25] simply refers to the cycle that is longer than a day.
[00:04:27] Alisa Vitti: Circadian is cycle that is- Of a day ... [00:04:30] of a day. An infradian is a cycle longer than a day. And we, as women, experience [00:04:35] that in our menstrual cycle. Mm. But it doesn't just affect our menstrual cycle. [00:04:40] It affects our metabolic rate, our immune system, our stress response system, our [00:04:45] brain. I mean, it ex- affects major systems of the body, and that was the big [00:04:50] aha moment saying to myself, "Well, that's what we're missing.
[00:04:52] Alisa Vitti: That's our big blind spot." We're walking [00:04:55] around f- taking care of ourselves as if we only have one rhythm, [00:05:00] and that just by virtue of doing that is dysregulating this other rhythm and the other [00:05:05] systems of the body, which explains why more women suffer from hormonal problems than men. Mm. Which [00:05:10] explains why more women have autoimmune issues compared to men, which explains why women struggle with weight [00:05:15] loss more chall- in a more challenging way than all the things.
[00:05:19] Alisa Vitti: And it [00:05:20] was really revelatory to come across this information and say, "Well, [00:05:25] if we have a system that supports our circadian pattern," right? A sleep-wake-
[00:05:29] Dr. Taz: Right ...
[00:05:29] Alisa Vitti: [00:05:30] hygiene- Right ... cycle that you take care of, we also need one for the infradian clock. [00:05:35] And that's when I created the cycle syncing method, to align our self-care with the metabolic [00:05:40] changes that are taking place across the menstrual cycle, with the immune system changes, with the [00:05:45] brain changes, with the cortisol changes, so that we could really dial in more precisely [00:05:50] how we're eating, what we're eating- Mm-hmm
[00:05:52] Alisa Vitti: the amount of calories we're taking in, the [00:05:55] types of workouts we're doing across the cycle, sleep amounts throughout the cycle. [00:06:00] All of which need to be modulated based on which cycle phase you're in because your [00:06:05] biochemistry is also changing based on this infradian effect.
[00:06:08] Dr. Taz: Okay, so in my head, [00:06:10] I have a visual of the circadian rhythm, and I'm seeing, like, a 24-hour day in a clock.
[00:06:14] Alisa Vitti: Yes. [00:06:15]
[00:06:15] Dr. Taz: What visual would you give me?
[00:06:16] Alisa Vitti: The menstrual cycle.
[00:06:17] Dr. Taz: The men- so do men don't have an infradian [00:06:20] rhythm?
[00:06:20] Alisa Vitti: No.
[00:06:20] Dr. Taz: Children don't have an
[00:06:21] Alisa Vitti: infradian
[00:06:21] Dr. Taz: rhythm.
[00:06:21] Alisa Vitti: No, and post-menopausal women do not either. It's [00:06:25] only active in your reproductive years.
[00:06:27] Dr. Taz: So this is a [00:06:30] 28-day, 30-day- Cycle ... cycle.
[00:06:32] Alisa Vitti: And you ex- and there are four [00:06:35] distinct patterns within that cycle, four phases, the follicular, [00:06:40] the ovulatory- Luteal
[00:06:40] Alisa Vitti: the luteal, and the menstrual. And each of those unique [00:06:45] hormone ratios that occur in those cy- in those phases affect us in distinct [00:06:50] ways, metabolically, cognitively, from a stress response system, et cetera.
[00:06:54] Dr. Taz: [00:06:55] Okay, are you ready to break all those down? Sure. I wanna break them down, and I also wanna tie them back to these other [00:07:00] areas that you've talked about when it comes to brain health, and immune health, and metabolic health, and what the [00:07:05] ramifications are there.
[00:07:06] Dr. Taz: So maybe just let's jump right in. Okay, we've got this [00:07:10] infradian rhythm. It's a 28-day to 30-day cycle, roughly.
[00:07:13] Alisa Vitti: Mm-hmm.
[00:07:14] Dr. Taz: What are the [00:07:15] phases each, what is significant, I should say, for each phase? So if you talked about the follicular phase, [00:07:20] let's start there. What is the follicular phase? So many patients still are confused by their [00:07:25] cycle, and they're still not sure what the follicular phase is versus the luteal.
[00:07:28] Dr. Taz: So talk about the [00:07:30] follicular phase. What should we be aware of?
[00:07:32] Alisa Vitti: So I'll start just by let's break the [00:07:35] cycle down into the first half and the second half. Okay, perfect. And I, I define the first half as follicular and [00:07:40] ovulatory, which is controversial, but, uh, so be it. Um, and the second half with the [00:07:45] luteal.
[00:07:45] Alisa Vitti: Wait,
[00:07:45] Dr. Taz: why is that
[00:07:45] Alisa Vitti: controversial? Well, because the The, the rubric is that [00:07:50] the, um, the day one is day one of your bleed. But if you are a menstruating [00:07:55] female, there is nothing about the first day of your bleed that feels like a beginning,
[00:07:58] Dr. Taz: right?
[00:07:59] Alisa Vitti: Facts. [00:08:00] Like, it feels like the culmination- Right ... of that cycle.
[00:08:02] Alisa Vitti: It feels like the end. It's the end. Yeah. It's [00:08:05] the completion, and then we begin again in the follicular phase. So you can still count day one as y- as your bleed day [00:08:10] because that's the convention for counting. But the first phase of your cycle, that's [00:08:15] of the new cycle- Right ... really does feel like your follicular phase, and so that's why it's a little [00:08:20] controversial.
[00:08:20] Alisa Vitti: Yeah. 'Cause we're going on the energetics of it. But you can, you can count however you like.
[00:08:24] Dr. Taz: Right. [00:08:25] So technically what you're saying, just for everyone listening, you're saying that really day [00:08:30] seven is more of- The beginning ... the beginning.
[00:08:33] Alisa Vitti: Well, and, and when we look at it- Yeah ... [00:08:35] from, let's say, the ovarian perspective, that is the beginning.
[00:08:37] Alisa Vitti: Right. That is when we have follicles [00:08:40] beginning to become excited and stimulated by some estrogen rising, and one of [00:08:45] them is gonna- Yeah ... make it to the finish line at ovulation during the ovulatory phase, and that's sort of our [00:08:50] mid-cycle moment. And then we have the luteal phase, which is when the endometrial lining is [00:08:55] being developed and held onto in case of a pregnancy, and then it sheds at the [00:09:00] nadir of all of our hormonal- Mm-hmm
[00:09:02] Alisa Vitti: patterns, right? Then the, the lining leaves the body [00:09:05] through menstruation. So those are the... That's what's happening.
[00:09:07] Dr. Taz: That's what's actually... And you know what? Psychologically, [00:09:10] I feel better talking about day seven as the beginning. I don't know why. It just feels like, okay, [00:09:15] fresh start.
[00:09:15] Alisa Vitti: Fresh start.
[00:09:15] Dr. Taz: We're ready, we're ready for something new.
[00:09:17] Dr. Taz: Well-
[00:09:17] Alisa Vitti: You know? ... and cognitively in the brain, we have these [00:09:20] rising levels of estrogen that's very stimulating. We're interested in new things for the first time [00:09:25] from that cyclical perspective, right? So end of menstruation is a very [00:09:30] inward phase. In fact, from a brain chemistry... I'm s- jumping ahead here, but from a brain chemistry [00:09:35] perspective, the two halves of the brain communicate the most across the corpus callosum [00:09:40] during menstruation- Mm
[00:09:41] Alisa Vitti: which makes you very oriented [00:09:45] around, um- I- i- i- interpreting your [00:09:50] feelings and facts about a situation and making decisions that will lead [00:09:55] you into new things for the next cycle. So, you know, if you're having a tough time [00:10:00] at work- Yeah ... you're gonna evaluate, "Well, what are, what is going on? And how do I feel about that?
[00:10:04] Alisa Vitti: And [00:10:05] what would I like to do new in the next cycle to shift [00:10:10] this situation?" Right? Mm. Every menstruation is like New Year's Eve. You make resolutions, [00:10:15] and you move that into the new phase, in the follicular phase, and take some, plan some things. That's a [00:10:20] planning phase, the follicular phase. So it's similar.
[00:10:22] Alisa Vitti: Your, your ovary is planning to [00:10:25] produce an egg, and let's say cognitively, you're planning all sorts of new things to get [00:10:30] started on in your life in that cycle. So it, you know, there's, there's a whole macro and [00:10:35] microcosmic situation happening, um, there. So
[00:10:37] Dr. Taz: fascinating.
[00:10:38] Alisa Vitti: It's really interesting- Yeah ... to think about it that [00:10:40] way.
[00:10:40] Alisa Vitti: You know, our, our biology really dictates so much of our behavior, except when we [00:10:45] don't align with it, we feel this tension, and we don't make the progress that we could make if we [00:10:50] simply embraced it.
[00:10:51] Dr. Taz: Wow. So back to the follicular phase, [00:10:55] what... So you've talked about, you know, new month, new goals, new- Fresh start
[00:10:59] Dr. Taz: fresh [00:11:00] start, new strategy. What's happening maybe at an immune level, at a gut [00:11:05] level, hormonally?
[00:11:07] Alisa Vitti: Hormonally, s- just some gentle rise [00:11:10] in estrogen, energy starting to pick up. Metabolically, we have [00:11:15] slowed things down. Mm. So our metabolism slows down at this time. We're more efficient. [00:11:20] Um, and we just aren't doing something, let's say, that's so, uh, metabolically [00:11:25] intense, like producing a, an organ, an, a little organelle called the endometrial lining.
[00:11:29] Alisa Vitti: [00:11:30] So we aren't nec- needing to consume as many calories. So you can [00:11:35] have lighter meals. You can have fewer calories. Uh, from a cortisol [00:11:40] perspective, resting cortisol levels are lower.
[00:11:42] Dr. Taz: Mm.
[00:11:42] Alisa Vitti: So you can do more [00:11:45] intensive cardio. You can strength train every single day of the cycle, but from a cardiovascular [00:11:50] perspective, you can do your, like, cardio dance classes and your HIIT workouts in that [00:11:55] first half of the cycle, follicular and ovulatory.
[00:11:58] Alisa Vitti: Um, [00:12:00] once we cross over ovulation into the luteal phase, looking at, let's say, [00:12:05] metabolic rates and cortisol patterns, the metabolism speeds up because we need to 3D [00:12:10] print this, this endometrial lining. Mm-hmm. It's very nutrient heavy in terms of requirements, so [00:12:15] we have to be much more rapidly extracting nutrients from our food, and we [00:12:20] burn through that more quickly so that we can extract the most.
[00:12:23] Alisa Vitti: So you, [00:12:25] studies show you need more, like 280 more calories per day just to, to keep your [00:12:30] blood sugar stable while your body is building this little organelle, [00:12:35] if you will, right? And that's important because so many of us [00:12:40] continue to try to restrict- Yes ... continue to try to fast- [00:12:45] We should talk about fasting.
[00:12:46] Alisa Vitti: Yes,
[00:12:46] Dr. Taz: we have to.
[00:12:47] Alisa Vitti: And, uh, continue to try to eat [00:12:50] salads and smoothies, and we find that, um, you know, we're [00:12:55] sort of like in a trance at the bottom of a bag of chips at some point during the day in the luteal [00:13:00] phase thinking, "What have I... W- you know, what happened?" Right. "Why, why can't I control my hunger the way that I was [00:13:05] controlling it last week?"
[00:13:05] Dr. Taz: Right.
[00:13:06] Alisa Vitti: And what's happened is that infradian effect has taken hold of your metabolic [00:13:10] rate. It's sped up, but you haven't ch- modified your diet- Accommodated
[00:13:13] Dr. Taz: that ...
[00:13:14] Alisa Vitti: to c- [00:13:15] to accommodate that. Ah. And then you end up binge eating things that are not helpful to [00:13:20] you and can exacerbate your PMS, right?
[00:13:22] Dr. Taz: Right.
[00:13:23] Alisa Vitti: Any disruption in [00:13:25] your blood sugar levels will then recruit extra [00:13:30] cortisol, which then down regulates the production of progesterone, which exacerbates your symptoms of PMS.[00:13:35]
[00:13:35] Alisa Vitti: Simply by dialing in your caloric intake properly [00:13:40] in the luteal pha- I mean, all phases of the cycle- Right, right ... but especially in the luteal phase-
[00:13:43] Dr. Taz: Right ...
[00:13:44] Alisa Vitti: you can stay [00:13:45] away from that insulin cortisol thing, situation, and keep [00:13:50] progesterone buoyed where it should be so that you have enough to counteract [00:13:55] sort of the estrogen that's t- that's rising in this phase of the cycle.
[00:13:58] Alisa Vitti: PMS is simply [00:14:00] a situation in the luteal phase where there's more estrogen than [00:14:05] progesterone, and so many women have this scenario in their [00:14:10] 20s, in their 30s. Yes. And by the time you hit perimenopause, it starts at 35, [00:14:15] but let's say you're hitting it really harder in your early 40s, that [00:14:20] two decade plus scenario in which you have been under producing [00:14:25] progesterone really starts to come back in a negative way in [00:14:30] terms of exacerbating the journey of perimenopause and aging you [00:14:35] hormonally much more rapidly than you should be.
[00:14:37] Alisa Vitti: And, and that's, uh, uh, unfortunately a common [00:14:40] thing. In fact, a study just came out about a month ago talking about how women are going through perimenopause- Much
[00:14:44] Dr. Taz: earlier ...
[00:14:44] Alisa Vitti: [00:14:45] much earlier- Right ... at a historic- Right ... global rate. And, I mean, uh, that's simply o- one [00:14:50] of the main reasons is simply by, you know, just dysregulating this [00:14:55] infradian metabolic situation- So I'm-
[00:14:56] Alisa Vitti: for decades.
[00:14:57] Dr. Taz: Well, yeah, and I'm concerned that it's actually starting [00:15:00] in puberty, like in, in our young girls. W- yeah. Because I feel like, you know, if we think about a span [00:15:05] of, you know, 15, 16 years of practicing, I feel like there's a downward [00:15:10] shift in the symptomology around hormones. Like, our younger girls are [00:15:15] having incredible, I'm talking about, like, 13 to 21, incredible PMS, right?
[00:15:19] Dr. Taz: Yeah. [00:15:20] They're having early diagnoses of endometriosis. Yes. You know?
[00:15:23] Alisa Vitti: Precocious puberty
[00:15:24] Dr. Taz: is on the rise- Precocious puberty ... in both genders. [00:15:25] PMDD, like all- Yeah ... these different things. And so, you know, selfishly, as the [00:15:30] mom of a now 17-year-old, it's like there's a lot of concern about what's going on [00:15:35] there. And then the other thing I'm seeing, too, you know, uh, a- as we look at [00:15:40] labs, is that downward shift of progesterone earlier and earlier.
[00:15:44] Dr. Taz: So in The [00:15:45] Hormone Shift, I had talked about how it's a big thing for the current generation from 20 to [00:15:50] about 30. Now, I mean, that book was two years ago. I would actually even say that I'm seeing [00:15:55] it in our teenagers, where progesterone levels are plummeting. They're having a [00:16:00] lot of estrogen dominance, and in turn, both the cognitive component, the [00:16:05] autoimmune or inflammatory component, and then definitely the overall, you know, classic [00:16:10] hormonal symptoms are all presenting.
[00:16:11] Dr. Taz: Right. You know? Is that something that you would explain [00:16:15] with this infradian rhythm?
[00:16:17] Alisa Vitti: I think that s- one of [00:16:20] the root causes of so much of the disruption [00:16:25] that women are experiencing ha- comes down to this mismanagement of our infradian [00:16:30] rhythm. Mm-hmm. Absolutely. In my first book, Woman Code, you know, I talked about how do we triage the endocrine system- Right
[00:16:34] Alisa Vitti: [00:16:35] when things are problematic, you know, how do we interact with our hormones with [00:16:40] food and supplements? And you can, of course, recalibrate your body dietarily [00:16:45] to address these hormonal issues, to address excess estrogen, et cetera. [00:16:50] But, and this is why I wrote the second book- Right ... because In The Flow, talking about, [00:16:55] um, this infradian effect, even y- you can't just stay in a state of triage forever.
[00:16:59] Alisa Vitti: We [00:17:00] need a lifestyle that aligns with our hormonal biology [00:17:05] so that we're not every single day disrupting it. In fact, when I was being interviewed by a [00:17:10] male biohacker, he said, "Oh my goodness, I am wrecked if I have [00:17:15] one thing off with my morning routine."
[00:17:17] Dr. Taz: Mm-hmm.
[00:17:18] Alisa Vitti: And he said, "I'm just [00:17:20] really taking it in at how profoundly challenged women [00:17:25] are, like, experiencing their day-to-day because they're fundamentally- Changing
[00:17:29] Alisa Vitti: [00:17:30] disrupted on the most core level." He's like, "I organize my entire life [00:17:35] based on the circadian clock," because that's what matches his hormonal pattern. Mm-hmm. Testosterone [00:17:40] per- you know, is cyclical on that circadian rhythm, but estrogen and progesterone are [00:17:45] not. Hmm. And we have to function with both of these clocks.
[00:17:47] Alisa Vitti: We have to be honoring our circadian clock, [00:17:50] obviously. But we do need to take care of this infradian rhythm and it's, and the [00:17:55] more you do that, the better off you'll be long-term. And I mean, I've been cycle syncing [00:18:00] now for I don't know how long, 20 years, and you know, here I am about to turn [00:18:05] 48. I'm still ovulating.
[00:18:06] Alisa Vitti: I'm still menstruating. I'm not on any HRT. [00:18:10] Nice. I have no symptoms of perimenopause whatsoever. My hormone [00:18:15] levels are definitely much, o- of a much younger woman. Mm-hmm. And it's simply because I [00:18:20] know how to take care of them, and that's available to every woman. Remember, birth control, [00:18:25] synthetic birth control- Yeah
[00:18:25] Alisa Vitti: was introduced into the population 100 years, 75, 100 years ago at this [00:18:30] point because women were on their eighth or ninth child at [00:18:35] 48, 49, right? When there was no birth control.
[00:18:38] Dr. Taz: Right.
[00:18:38] Alisa Vitti: We're designed to be [00:18:40] maximally fertile for the maximum amount of time. That's just nature in general. Right. So this idea [00:18:45] that you would see tanking progesterone levels in teens, [00:18:50] it's a con- it's a, it's a whole conversation and spectrum of [00:18:55] what are we getting so fundamentally wrong here?
[00:18:57] Alisa Vitti: And, and-
[00:18:58] Dr. Taz: Well, what are we getting wrong? This
[00:18:59] Alisa Vitti: in- we're [00:19:00] missing this infradian support.
[00:19:01] Dr. Taz: So what, what should we be doing? But [00:19:05] before I ask that question, I, I don't wanna get away from the luteal phase-
[00:19:08] Alisa Vitti: Mm ...
[00:19:08] Dr. Taz: and [00:19:10] the cognitive component of that. Mm-hmm. What should we be thinking about? What's the, same question, [00:19:15] immune and gut-
[00:19:16] Alisa Vitti: Mm-hmm
[00:19:16] Dr. Taz: sort of ramification of the luteal phase? And then let's dive into [00:19:20] what we need to be doing.
[00:19:21] Alisa Vitti: Yeah. Okay, so in the luteal phase, it's my favorite [00:19:25] phase because it's the phase where progesterone enters the party- Right ... and she is for sure my favorite hormone. Yes, [00:19:30] mine too. I know, I know everybody thinks it's ovulation is, like, the fun time, and it is a [00:19:35] two-day peak period.
[00:19:36] Alisa Vitti: Right. You know, you have this super surge of estrogen in the brain, so [00:19:40] cognitively you're, um- Your verbal and social centers are [00:19:45] hyper-stimulated, and it's easy for you to be extroverted and do forward-facing social things for [00:19:50] that short period of time, you know? But the luteal phase is a, is a gem of a phase.
[00:19:54] Alisa Vitti: It's [00:19:55] 10 to 12 days. You have all this progesterone. Anybody who's ever been pregnant, you know that second [00:20:00] trimester when progesterone is like- You're happy. ... you're just... Well, no, it's like you're doing the nursery. Yes. You're [00:20:05] planning parties. Yeah. You're getting so much done. Yeah. For me, I wrote, like, book proposals, you know?
[00:20:09] Alisa Vitti: Yeah. Like, [00:20:10] whatever your f- Yeah ... pick your pleasure.
[00:20:11] Dr. Taz: Yeah.
[00:20:12] Alisa Vitti: And so, um, it's just, uh, [00:20:15] progesterone has a calming, focusing effect in terms of cognitive [00:20:20] performance. Mm. Um, in fact, a study just recently came out about showing [00:20:25] now... We, we've understood that it affects, let's say, cognitive performance, but now there have [00:20:30] been scans that has show it actually affects, this infradian rhythm affects gray and white matter [00:20:35] in the brain.
[00:20:35] Alisa Vitti: Wow. So the structure of the brain is changing throughout these different cycle phases. [00:20:40] They don't even know what it means yet that the gray and white matter are shifting in volume and [00:20:45] density, but that's incredible- Fascinating ... that we have that. I love that. [00:20:50] Right? Yeah. Yeah. So they're just beginning to do the research
[00:20:52] Dr. Taz: on that.
[00:20:52] Dr. Taz: Right. Right. Who knows
[00:20:52] Alisa Vitti: what it's gonna unfold? Yeah. But obviously, we have [00:20:55] some intuitive sense that, of course, it's changing us. These hormonal ratios [00:21:00] affect us, and we feel differently and distinctly. And I think that's what women love about the Cycle Syncing method, [00:21:05] um, is that it gives them permission to, uh, [00:21:10] you know, feel what they're feeling instead of- Yeah
[00:21:11] Alisa Vitti: ignoring it. Yeah. So in this, in this phase, [00:21:15] uh, metabolism speeds up, as I mentioned. Cor- resting cortisol is higher.
[00:21:19] Dr. Taz: Mm.
[00:21:19] Alisa Vitti: [00:21:20] So you should not do any HIIT workouts, uh, or extr- like, lengthy [00:21:25] cardio sessions- Maybe a dream ... because it's gonna kick up your cortisol, and that's gonna have a downregulating [00:21:30] effect on progesterone and exacerbate your PMS symptoms.
[00:21:32] Alisa Vitti: Strength training is your [00:21:35] gold standard, let's say, workout for the, for that phase. Then when you get to the [00:21:40] bleeding phase, right, just to sort of tie these two together, um- You know, I would [00:21:45] say this is a phase that's really dependent on your symptoms. As you're [00:21:50] healing, you may still be experiencing excessive cramping, excessive bleeding.
[00:21:54] Alisa Vitti: But as [00:21:55] you get better, as you start practicing this sort of infradian support [00:22:00] consistently, you're gonna feel great every phase. There isn't gonna be a phase where you fall off, [00:22:05] let's say, the hormonal cliff and feel low energy or moody or tired. [00:22:10] And you can continue to strength train and do your workouts and feel great during- Mm-hmm
[00:22:13] Alisa Vitti: the menstrual phase as [00:22:15] well. But in the beginning, as you're recovering from so much infradian disruption, you may [00:22:20] find that that first day or two of your bleed, you may need to take it easy and just sort of rest. And [00:22:25] rest is extremely underrated because we're talking about-
[00:22:28] Dr. Taz: I don't think women rest [00:22:30] today
[00:22:30] Alisa Vitti: well, and, and that, uh- Or girls, honestly ... continuous, uh, [00:22:35] demand on the adrenals has a de- massively depleting effect- Mm ... [00:22:40] on ovarian function, short and long term. And we do need to be really [00:22:45] factoring that into our overall long-term hormonal biohacking game plan. Because if your [00:22:50] goal, and I think your goal should be, to ovulate for as long as [00:22:55] humanly possible and to produce your own endogenous hormones for as long as possible.[00:23:00]
[00:23:00] Alisa Vitti: That is the goal.
[00:23:01] Dr. Taz: Mm-hmm.
[00:23:01] Alisa Vitti: If you, if that is your goal, then you need to be thinking about, how do I [00:23:05] reverse engineer that? And so much of it is not what you add in, it's how [00:23:10] you align and support what the bo- what the body wants to do for you, right?
[00:23:14] Dr. Taz: [00:23:15] Such a different way of thinking than many of us practice, honestly, where a l- a lot of times [00:23:20] we're triaging-
[00:23:21] Alisa Vitti: Topping
[00:23:21] Dr. Taz: up
[00:23:22] Dr. Taz: treating, you know, balancing. [00:23:25] The idea of alignment, I think, is more challenging, and many [00:23:30] people kind of get lost in that. For some women, honestly, they're so stressed, like, they're not even [00:23:35] tracking what's happening, you know? What would you tell those women, and kind of what is a good [00:23:40] way for them to live in this rhythm, to live in this infradian rhythm?[00:23:45]
[00:23:45] Dr. Taz: And again, I have more questions, but we'll get there in a minute. So what's a good way for them to live kind of [00:23:50] in this rhythm, you know, in a way that's realistic and healthy?
[00:23:54] Alisa Vitti: Yeah. You [00:23:55] know, it's all about habit stacking. You know, at this point, I've been doing this for so long, I have so [00:24:00] many habit stacking- Yeah
[00:24:01] Alisa Vitti: practices that for the, for the beginner, it [00:24:05] would seem out of reach- Right ... to do the practices that I'm doing. And I wouldn't suggest that you start [00:24:10] with all of the practices that I do. Right. But I wouldn't miss one of my- I saw the bag. I wouldn't, I wouldn't miss one of my practices. I wonder [00:24:15] what else is in
[00:24:16] Dr. Taz: that bag, by the way.
[00:24:17] Dr. Taz: So anyhow.
[00:24:17] Alisa Vitti: Oh please, whenever I travel, half the things I [00:24:20] pack are food and supplements- Yeah. Yep ... and all of that. But, um, you know, when, [00:24:25] when I recommend women get started, just start with what you're comfortable. Pick a lane. Is it gonna be the [00:24:30] food or is it gonna be the fitness? What feels more doable for you?
[00:24:33] Alisa Vitti: In a lot of cases, the fitness [00:24:35] is the first step for a lot of women, so you start to shift your workouts. [00:24:40] You start to really re- reap the benefits of not pushing yourself to do the [00:24:45] same types of workouts day in and day out as you go through a cycle or two, and you start to [00:24:50] see, oh, my PMS is a little bit less intense- Mm
[00:24:52] Alisa Vitti: the second month because you're not draining your [00:24:55] adrenals continuously. And then the second layer, if that's the first [00:25:00] pass that you take, the fitness pass- The second layer would be managing your blood [00:25:05] sugar through modulating caloric intake- Mm ... across the cycle, right? Because when you dial [00:25:10] in, because it- from the endocrine system's perspective, that's, like, the best gift you could give it.
[00:25:14] Alisa Vitti: Right. You know, [00:25:15] giving it s- keeping that blood sugar's level stable, and not forcing this [00:25:20] insulin, cortisol kind of overcompensation, right? Where your insulin, too much [00:25:25] insulin to overcompensate for too much carbohydrate intake. Right. Then we have a [00:25:30] hypoglycemic crash. Right. Then the adrenals are r- you know, have to secrete some cortisol to [00:25:35] s- sort of compensate for that, to have the body pull some of stored s- glucose out of your fat [00:25:40] tissue.
[00:25:40] Alisa Vitti: Right. And then we have to, let's say, not be producing as much progesterone [00:25:45] because we have to produ- overproduce cortisol, and that's just because you've mismanaged blood sugar. [00:25:50] We haven't even talked about your stress levels, which also do the same thing.
[00:25:53] Dr. Taz: So you make a really important [00:25:55] point, though, because this conversation around blood sugar currently is really dialed into the [00:26:00] menopause community and maybe the post-menopause community.
[00:26:03] Dr. Taz: It's not so much [00:26:05] dialed into women that are actively- Menstruating ... menstruating, and/or girls. [00:26:10] So maybe go into that a little bit. How should we balance blood sugar at each [00:26:15] phase? Again, if you're 21, if you're 35, if you're 42, [00:26:20] you know, before you even hit menopause, 'cause I know the menopause folks have heard it, you [00:26:25] know, about the protein and the fiber and all those different things.
[00:26:28] Dr. Taz: What would you tell younger women? [00:26:30]
[00:26:30] Alisa Vitti: Well, it's a circadian and infradian conversation because we, uh, you know, [00:26:35] are active within a day period- Right ... right? But then we have to modulate, let's say, overall caloric [00:26:40] intake based on the infradian clock. So first things first, you have to bal- you have to understand how to [00:26:45] eat in a single day.
[00:26:46] Dr. Taz: Mm-hmm.
[00:26:47] Alisa Vitti: And I'd like to start [00:26:50] off by saying that women in their reproductive years should not be fasting.
[00:26:53] Dr. Taz: Yes.
[00:26:54] Alisa Vitti: Thank [00:26:55] you. You're welcome. Thank you. I said it in, I said it in my book, in The Fro- I'm so against
[00:26:58] Dr. Taz: fasting.
[00:26:59] Alisa Vitti: Thank you. [00:27:00] Um, well, the science is also, you know, pretty, um... [00:27:05] In fact, there's a new study that just I'm so excited about that talks about how f- [00:27:10] um, from a, from the perspective of metabolic, uh, speed-
[00:27:13] Dr. Taz: Mm-hmm
[00:27:14] Alisa Vitti: that actually [00:27:15] people do better when we invert the fasting window, not skipping breakfast and- Right ... and [00:27:20] eating until 1:00, uh, waiting to eat until 1:00. Yes. But actually inverting it and eating [00:27:25] when, upon waking- All the way through
[00:27:26] Dr. Taz: the day ...
[00:27:26] Alisa Vitti: all the way through the day, but stopping early, like at 5:00.
[00:27:28] Dr. Taz: Right.
[00:27:29] Alisa Vitti: Right? Mm-hmm. [00:27:30] That is the best way to fast. So anyway, [00:27:35] balancing your macros throughout the day is really important. You need to be eating a p- within an hour [00:27:40] of waking up. Mm-hmm. Just period, right? And what about my morning workouts? You have to... You cannot [00:27:45] ever work out in a fasted state as a female, ever,
[00:27:48] Dr. Taz: never.
[00:27:48] Dr. Taz: Okay, you have to stop right there [00:27:50] 'cause everybody sitting at home right now or in your car, wherever you're listening, [00:27:55] mental note, how many of you are fasting and going into a workout? I've been [00:28:00] guilty of that. You,
[00:28:01] Alisa Vitti: you,
[00:28:01] Dr. Taz: it's- I, I mean, I've tried to be better recently, but I have [00:28:05] historically-
[00:28:05] Alisa Vitti: Yep ...
[00:28:05] Dr. Taz: never wanted to eat before working out, and all my workouts are in the morning.
[00:28:09] Alisa Vitti: All my workouts are [00:28:10] in the morning, and I have a full 30 grams of protein, 35 grams of [00:28:15] carbohydrates, and about 12 grams of fat before I work out.
[00:28:19] Dr. Taz: And that's [00:28:20] because working out
[00:28:20] Alisa Vitti: fasted- Because, because you, your muscles... I mean, when we're talking [00:28:25] about working out, now this is a slightly different conversation than how do we balance blood sugar.
[00:28:28] Alisa Vitti: Right. But I'll take the digression 'cause it's [00:28:30] important. Right.
[00:28:30] Dr. Taz: And like I said, we have so many things to talk about. Right. Hopefully we'll get through
[00:28:34] Alisa Vitti: all our points.
[00:28:34] Dr. Taz: [00:28:35] Well, yeah. But anyhow, back to
[00:28:36] Alisa Vitti: this. If, if you want to build lean muscle, because we want to do [00:28:40] that at every age because building lean muscle- Right
[00:28:43] Alisa Vitti: improves our metabolic [00:28:45] flexibility, improves our glucose response, improves our hormones. It's an excellent thing to do [00:28:50] for young girls, for in your tw- every decade, it does not matter, you should be building [00:28:55] lean muscle, like, uh, in- very intentionally. And if you wanna do that, in order to [00:29:00] do that, you actually have to front load the muscle with [00:29:05] glucose.
[00:29:05] Dr. Taz: Mm.
[00:29:05] Alisa Vitti: Not fructose, not sucrose, but glucose. So I'm [00:29:10] gonna say something a little controversial, but bodybuilders know this.
[00:29:13] Dr. Taz: Do it. Mm.
[00:29:13] Alisa Vitti: Oatmeal is [00:29:15] an optimal pre-workout food because it's all [00:29:20] glucose. Mm. It's all extremely usable by the body. You say, "Well, I think that's gonna give me [00:29:25] a high spike in my blood sugar levels."
[00:29:27] Alisa Vitti: Not if you pair it with protein- Right ... and [00:29:30] fat, and if you eat the right amount of that carbohydrate for your [00:29:35] body.
[00:29:35] Dr. Taz: Mm.
[00:29:35] Alisa Vitti: So that's where you might have to start weighing and measuring and figuring out. Get a rough
[00:29:39] Dr. Taz: [00:29:40] idea.
[00:29:40] Alisa Vitti: And-
[00:29:40] Dr. Taz: Yeah ...
[00:29:41] Alisa Vitti: everyone, if you're uncertain about your glucose response to [00:29:45] carbohydrates and your ability to tolerate amounts of carbohydrate Whether you have [00:29:50] PCOS or not, it's irrelevant.
[00:29:51] Alisa Vitti: Everyone needs to learn their body's response to carbohydrates as, [00:29:55] uh, to balance your hormones. Wearing a continuous glucose monitor- Yeah. Love those. Yeah ... for 30 days [00:30:00] as just a citizen scientist who wants to understand her own, you know, [00:30:05] response to different carbohydrates, even combining carbohydrates. I cannot combine [00:30:10] carbohydrates, right?
[00:30:10] Alisa Vitti: If I'm gonna have rice, it's just rice. Mm-hmm. I can't have rice and beans and corn and sweet potat- Mm-hmm. [00:30:15] One at a time is the max that I can do, but I can have a pretty significant dose of those now that [00:30:20] I've built my lean muscle- Mm ... up to the point that I have. So you'll, this will [00:30:25] change over time, but you definitely want to pre-game before you work out with glucose.
[00:30:29] Alisa Vitti: And [00:30:30] then as you get stronger and your metabolism speeds up, you're also gonna need to bring some more [00:30:35] food to the workout-
[00:30:36] Dr. Taz: Hmm ...
[00:30:37] Alisa Vitti: to keep your blood sugar stable. Because the other thing that [00:30:40] happens to a lot of women is they have a massive hypoglycemic experience [00:30:45] post-pr- post-workout, and then you overeat, and then you're not doing yourself any [00:30:50] favors in that post-workout meal because you're super loading your body with sugars.
[00:30:53] Alisa Vitti: Right. And that creates [00:30:55] more stored fat, which you don't want. So in fact, eating more moderately [00:31:00] but more frequent amounts of carbohydrates in and around your workouts and earlier in the [00:31:05] day and spreading that out more evenly throughout the day does you huge benefits [00:31:10] from a metabolic flexibility perspective, a muscle building perspective, and a blood sugar stabili- [00:31:15] stability perspective.
[00:31:16] Alisa Vitti: So how I do it is I eat probably by, uh, [00:31:20] 7:30, 8:00 in the morning. I'm at the gym 8:30, 9:00, [00:31:25] and have a, I have an intrawork out small meal, about 15 grams of protein. What
[00:31:29] Dr. Taz: does that look [00:31:30] like? What is that?
[00:31:30] Alisa Vitti: It's a shake that I make with- Okay ... a little protein- Okay ... a little leafy greens, um, [00:31:35] some almond butter, nothing f- Okay
[00:31:37] Alisa Vitti: water, blueberries, banana. Gotcha. It's very small. [00:31:40] And, um, and then when I get back from the gym, I have another large dose of protein, [00:31:45] 30 grams. Mm-hmm. 30, 35 grams of carbs, um, fats as [00:31:50] well, right? And then at thr- so that's around noon, so I've already had a bunch of stuff [00:31:55] already. We're talking now s- uh, 30, 30, 15.
[00:31:57] Alisa Vitti: That's at 65 grams of protein. And
[00:31:59] Dr. Taz: we're at [00:32:00] 12:00.
[00:32:00] Alisa Vitti: And we're about 12:30.
[00:32:01] Dr. Taz: Mm.
[00:32:01] Alisa Vitti: Right?
[00:32:02] Dr. Taz: Mm-hmm.
[00:32:02] Alisa Vitti: And we've had about the same in [00:32:05] terms of carb- no, more. 60, 30, 35, 70. [00:32:10] 90 grams of carbs already and then at 3:00, 3:30, I'm having [00:32:15] another mini meal, 30 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbs, [00:32:20] 10 grams of fat. That looks like avocado, turkey, chicken, sweet [00:32:25] potatoes- Mm-hmm
[00:32:25] Alisa Vitti: apple. That's sort of my afternoon thing. And then around 6:00, [00:32:30] again, every three hours is when we need sugar, right? Yeah. Because we've [00:32:35] digested- Right ... the carbohydrates and we need that glucose. And when you're eating the right amount of [00:32:40] carbohydrates throughout the day, you feel when you're low on blood [00:32:45] sugar really, you're, you become much more sensitized to it, and you need to eat every three hours.
[00:32:49] Alisa Vitti: So around [00:32:50] 6:00, that's when I'm having my last meal of the day, and that is a very [00:32:55] plant-oriented meal in terms of any carbohydrates I'm having are s- exclusively [00:33:00] plant-based. So it could be cauliflower. It could be zucchini. It's a lot of [00:33:05] vegetables on the plate. It's, it's a large plate of, of veggies and protein, 30 grams of protein and fats.
[00:33:09] Alisa Vitti: [00:33:10] Mm. And that's my dinner meal And then I'm fasting
[00:33:14] Dr. Taz: until [00:33:15]
[00:33:15] Alisa Vitti: about 13 hours, 14- 13
[00:33:16] Dr. Taz: hours or so ...
[00:33:16] Alisa Vitti: golden, that's the golden fast, 13, 14 hours. [00:33:20] And that's what I'm doing right now, and it's amazing how, um, you know, you can shift your [00:33:25] body composition. So I wasn't tr- I was just playing around with this- Right ... and dialing this in.
[00:33:29] Alisa Vitti: Right. [00:33:30] And in the past seven months, I've lost 25 pounds [00:33:35] of fat.
[00:33:35] Dr. Taz: Wow.
[00:33:36] Alisa Vitti: My fat percentage right now is 18%. [00:33:40] My BMI is 20.4. Wow. Um, I have put on [00:33:45] about 10 pounds of lean muscle. I'm lifting super heavy. My hip [00:33:50] thrust is up to 220 pounds. Um, it's a, it's so much fun-
[00:33:54] Dr. Taz: [00:33:55] Yeah ...
[00:33:55] Alisa Vitti: to, and I'm doing that very intentionally because I'm about to turn 48.
[00:33:58] Alisa Vitti: Right. And I'm really interested [00:34:00] in protecting my ovulation, protecting my bone density, protecting my [00:34:05] metabolic flexibility, and all of that is something that you have to work on. This is something that [00:34:10] younger girls need to be doing too because they, y- it turns out, [00:34:15] if you build that lean muscle in your 20s, you have this muscle memory for life.
[00:34:18] Dr. Taz: Right.
[00:34:18] Alisa Vitti: Teens and 20s, in [00:34:20] fact.
[00:34:20] Dr. Taz: Well, it's also one of the big points I think you're making as I'm listening to you is, you know, [00:34:25] protecting your hormones through- Diet ... these different cycles is a lot about protecting your [00:34:30] blood sugar.
[00:34:30] Alisa Vitti: Well, that's what I wrote
[00:34:31] Dr. Taz: about in the first book. And owning- Yep, absolutely
[00:34:32] Dr. Taz: and owning your blood sugar because, you [00:34:35] know, we have an epidemic of, of w- of infertility. We have an epidemic of [00:34:40] endometriosis. That's right. We have an epidemic of PCOS. I mean, I could go on, right? Fibroids, we have all [00:34:45] these different things- That's right ... that women are experiencing with the age skewing down.
[00:34:49] Dr. Taz: And I [00:34:50] think the skewing down of that age, you know, is the excess of cortisol [00:34:55] production, and then not having a plan. Like, so many girls and women, [00:35:00] you know, can understand intellectually, even me, I can throw myself into that, intellectually we can [00:35:05] understand that this is happening, you know? That we're having these shifts, that cortisol's an issue, that blood [00:35:10] sugar's an issue.
[00:35:10] Alisa Vitti: But the practical-
[00:35:12] Dr. Taz: But the practical putting it into action, we [00:35:15] all start to get flummoxed a little bit.
[00:35:16] Alisa Vitti: And we still, w- you know, I think the conversation with hormones is still so [00:35:20] much, it's outside of me, I need to take- Right ... something to fix. Right. And you know, [00:35:25] I, with my PCOS journey, remember I was obese- Right
[00:35:27] Alisa Vitti: and acneic, cystic acne, and not [00:35:30] ovulating or menstruating from 12 to
[00:35:32] Dr. Taz: 22. Wait, I didn't know you had PCOS too. Oh, yes. I forgot that part.
[00:35:33] Alisa Vitti: Yes.
[00:35:34] Dr. Taz: Hello, [00:35:35] PCOS sisters.
[00:35:35] Alisa Vitti: Hi. Yeah, and I mean, and that's the thing too. Yeah. I mean, at 48 to have an, I mean- Right ... I've [00:35:40] already maintained a 60-pound weight loss for most of my life.
[00:35:42] Alisa Vitti: Right. But to then lose another 20 was [00:35:45] really interesting, 'cause all I did different was start to eat more.
[00:35:48] Dr. Taz: Yeah. Which [00:35:50] every woman has an issue with. They're like, wait,
[00:35:51] Alisa Vitti: but- And, and with PCOS, it's supposed to get harder [00:35:55] and harder. And one of the things I've really enjoyed about my own biohacking journey is just debunking all of this [00:36:00] mythology- Right
[00:36:00] Alisa Vitti: around, like, well, this isn't supposed to happen, or that's not supposed to be possible. Right. And [00:36:05] it turns out it, it's all a bunch of garbage- Yeah ... for the most part. If you understand h- the sort [00:36:10] of functionality of your endocrine system, it's really easy to biohack that. And blood sugar, as I [00:36:15] wrote about in 2013, is the first step in the Flow Protocol- Hmm
[00:36:19] Alisa Vitti: because it's so [00:36:20] germane to the functioning and the proper functioning of the endocrine system. If you don't [00:36:25] get that right, the rest of your hormonal cascade will be dysregulated simply because your [00:36:30] body's trying to overcompensate for your mismanaged diet.
[00:36:32] Dr. Taz: Wow.
[00:36:33] Alisa Vitti: So diet is a [00:36:35] key, key- lever for you to individually use to [00:36:40] start to address your hormonal problems, whatever they may be.
[00:36:43] Alisa Vitti: Yeah. Because it doesn't [00:36:45] matter-
[00:36:45] Dr. Taz: And is
[00:36:46] Alisa Vitti: that really the first step? That is really the first step. That's the first step. That's the first
[00:36:48] Dr. Taz: step. Yeah. So food is really a [00:36:50] fundamental part of this, right?
[00:36:51] Alisa Vitti: Yes.
[00:36:51] Dr. Taz: Or the first step. The first step. Would you agree that food is the first step?
[00:36:53] Alisa Vitti: Uh, absolutely. And whether [00:36:55] you are dealing with PCOS or fibroids or infertility or perimenopause, or you're a [00:37:00] teenage girl and you're just feeling really crummy every month and you have PMS, getting your blood sugar [00:37:05] stable is the first step, period.
[00:37:07] Alisa Vitti: Pun intended. You must do it. You can't skip over it. [00:37:10] There's nothing else as powerful as that lever.
[00:37:14] Dr. Taz: And [00:37:15] after food, if you said, "Okay, people are managing their blood sugar, but they're [00:37:20] still coming back and we're seeing a lot of cortisol dysfunction, or we're seeing some other things," where do they go [00:37:25] next?
[00:37:25] Alisa Vitti: Then we start to talk about looking at that infradian support, right? So [00:37:30] making sure you're modifying your caloric intake-
[00:37:32] Dr. Taz: Mm-hmm ...
[00:37:33] Alisa Vitti: throughout the cycle. First half, have [00:37:35] less calories, second half, have more, 280 calories more per day. Choose [00:37:40] more blood sugar stabilizing types of carbohydrates. And then change your workout [00:37:45] routine.
[00:37:45] Alisa Vitti: Make sure you are being active in the first place. Sitting d- being sedentary is not good for [00:37:50] your adrenals or your hormones- Right ... right? Mm-hmm. So make sure you are being active, but do it in the [00:37:55] correct ways that sort of support that cortisol pattern throughout the cycle. So more cardio in the first [00:38:00] half, less cardio in the second half, but strength train the entire cycle.
[00:38:03] Alisa Vitti: The entire
[00:38:04] Dr. Taz: [00:38:05] time. And how long is, are those strength training sessions? Does it matter?
[00:38:08] Alisa Vitti: Studies show that three times a [00:38:10] week, a full body, like, strength training circuit is equally [00:38:15] beneficial to an everyday practice. So I'm extremely lazy. Yeah. You know? Just do the three days a week.
[00:38:19] Dr. Taz: [00:38:20] Okay.
[00:38:20] Alisa Vitti: Okay. I'm, uh, right now I'm a little bit ambitious, so I am doing five days a week- Right
[00:38:24] Alisa Vitti: because I'm trying to [00:38:25] target, let's say, some physique changes. I have such a slim upper body, I'd like to put on some more muscle, so I have two days where [00:38:30] I'm just doing upper body workouts. But if you just wanna get started, start with a three [00:38:35] day a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, whatever you can fit into your schedule, [00:38:40] 30, 45 minutes of strength training.
[00:38:42] Alisa Vitti: Progressive overload, meaning [00:38:45] every time you do the same workout, you're putting on heavier weights so that- Mm ... you build those muscles. Do not go [00:38:50] in there and do the same five pound dumbbells and try to do 50 reps. I'd re- And [00:38:55] think
[00:38:55] Dr. Taz: something's gonna change.
[00:38:56] Alisa Vitti: Nothing's gonna change. Yeah. You need to do five pounds today, and then 10 [00:39:00] pounds next week, and 12 and a half pounds the week after, and you keep building up your muscle strength and [00:39:05] stressing those muscles to, to develop.
[00:39:06] Dr. Taz: So then w- for women that have passed sort of [00:39:10] perimenopause- Mm ... right? Have gone past it, they don't have an infradian rhythm anymore.
[00:39:14] Alisa Vitti: Correct. [00:39:15] So you're-
[00:39:15] Dr. Taz: Do the rules- ... circadian
[00:39:16] Alisa Vitti: only.
[00:39:16] Dr. Taz: Okay. So then this, does the circadian rhythm dominate at that [00:39:20] point?
[00:39:20] Alisa Vitti: Yes, yes. Okay. So when you're post-menopausal, you can go back to your childhood state of being circadian rhythm, [00:39:25] g- you know, oriented only, and you focus in on the basics of balancing [00:39:30] your blood sugar throughout the day, eating earlier in the day and every three hours.
[00:39:34] Alisa Vitti: Now, [00:39:35] there is some- research that shows that intermittent fasting postmenopausally [00:39:40] can be beneficial But I would argue, and with the women that I've worked [00:39:45] with who are post-menopausal who have made strength training their longevity focus- [00:39:50] Mm-hmm ... that that intermittent fasting is not, doesn't give them the same [00:39:55] benefit as- Hmm
[00:39:55] Alisa Vitti: eating and fueling their workouts and doing that earlier in the day. So th- so [00:40:00] if you are gonna be consistent with a strength training routine post-menopausally, I [00:40:05] would invert the fasting and do it earlier, like stop eating at 4:30, 5:00.
[00:40:08] Dr. Taz: Gotcha. And then-
[00:40:09] Alisa Vitti: [00:40:10] Be- and, and here's the other thing too, if you're in perimenopause and you're having any vasovagal response at [00:40:15] night, hot flashes, night sweats, that's simply your body's way of trying to save you from [00:40:20] glucose overload, right?
[00:40:22] Alisa Vitti: And you're literally sweating this off- Hmm ... because [00:40:25] you have no place to put it. So another reason to front-load the day with [00:40:30] carbohydrates and then restrict them after 3:00 PM is to [00:40:35] simply prevent hot flashes and night sweats, of which I've never had any.
[00:40:38] Dr. Taz: Wow.
[00:40:38] Alisa Vitti: Right? You don't need to [00:40:40] have them. It's just about managing this sugar intake.
[00:40:44] Alisa Vitti: Very, very [00:40:45] interesting.
[00:40:45] Dr. Taz: So interesting. So then where does HRT fit in?
[00:40:49] Alisa Vitti: You [00:40:50] know, I think it's a personal journey. I've s- I've worked with women in their 50s who've transitioned [00:40:55] beautifully because they were dialing in the right endocrine support for decades leading up to [00:41:00] it, and they are not on any HRT, right?
[00:41:02] Dr. Taz: Hmm.
[00:41:03] Alisa Vitti: And they feel great. [00:41:05] And then there are women who need some, and there is research that shows that there are [00:41:10] beneficial windows of time to take some estradiol, to take some progesterone, but it really just depends on your [00:41:15] individual labs, your goals, you, you know, if you're ready to sort of take [00:41:20] on that journey.
[00:41:21] Alisa Vitti: And you can't stay on them forever.
[00:41:23] Dr. Taz: Right.
[00:41:23] Alisa Vitti: So at some point you do have to [00:41:25] transition, and I think that's a conversation around, you know, really looking [00:41:30] at our mitochondrial health- Mm-hmm ... as a sort of secondary source of energy and, [00:41:35] uh, vitality beyond just what hormones provide. And then [00:41:40] additionally, a lot of women, if you are not taking care of yourself in your 20s and 30s, you go into your perimenopause [00:41:45] journey thinking, "No problem, I'll just get on HRT."
[00:41:47] Alisa Vitti: You, there's a rude awakening when we're s- [00:41:50] many decades of depletion, micronutrient depletion, excessive dieting, extreme [00:41:55] workouts, um, dis- Cortisol
[00:41:56] Dr. Taz: and stress, right ...
[00:41:57] Alisa Vitti: cortisol and stress- Right ... dysregulating the infradian rhythm- [00:42:00] Right ... not honoring the circadian rhythm. You get to that HRT take, starting to take your HRT [00:42:05] in your 40s and you don't respond to it.
[00:42:06] Alisa Vitti: Yeah. I've had clients who are like, "My libido's tanked." [00:42:10] I've taken s- they've taken so much testosterone that they're starting to have androgenic effects- Mm-hmm ... but no [00:42:15] improvement in their libido, and it's their ovaries are so suboptimally [00:42:20] performing, they just can't respond to all this hormone stimulation.
[00:42:21] Alisa Vitti: So where would
[00:42:22] Dr. Taz: you direct somebody like that who's not, who's [00:42:25] so depleted, not responding? Where do they wind their way? Same
[00:42:28] Alisa Vitti: thing.
[00:42:29] Dr. Taz: Same place.
[00:42:29] Alisa Vitti: Same thing. [00:42:30] Okay. You have to- Got it ... the, you can't get around the basics.
[00:42:32] Dr. Taz: Right. You
[00:42:33] Alisa Vitti: know? Can't cheat, guys. Sorry. You know, I [00:42:35] wish I could tell you that- No ... listen, if there was a magic bullet, I would have been taking it- 25 years [00:42:40] ago when- Right
[00:42:40] Alisa Vitti: I was struggling with being 210 pounds, not ovulating, not menstruating, depressed, [00:42:45] anxious, insomniacal, cystic acne. It was a mess. Yeah. I was sort of trapped as a 20-year-old [00:42:50] with a post-menopausal sort of situation. Right. It was a m- Right, me too ... it was really challenging. Yeah. If there had been a [00:42:55] quick fix, I would be the first one to tell people about it, because n- you know, y- you h- when [00:43:00] you have hormonal problems, you really do have to commit yourself [00:43:05] to supporting your body in a way that is not conventional, right?
[00:43:08] Alisa Vitti: 'Cause our modern lifestyle [00:43:10] says-
[00:43:10] Dr. Taz: I
[00:43:10] Alisa Vitti: think, but- ... eat whatever you want, drink wine at night. Right. I stopped drinking alcohol [00:43:15] at 35 because that's when perimenopause began. Right. And I said, "I don't want any excess glucose- Right ... cooking me from [00:43:20] the inside, aging me metabolically- Mm ... um, increasing my risk of cancer, [00:43:25] or, uh, slowing down, you know, or i- speeding up my, my ovarian [00:43:30] aging process."
[00:43:30] Alisa Vitti: I didn't wanna do that, so I made that choice. That's an unconventional choice, but it's one that's paid [00:43:35] huge dividends for me. Yeah,
[00:43:36] Dr. Taz: definitely.
[00:43:37] Alisa Vitti: Um, and I think that we have to make these unconventional [00:43:40] choices to protect our hormones in an environment that is really not aligned [00:43:45] with supporting our biology, with our infradian rhythm.
[00:43:47] Alisa Vitti: Keep in mind that men, why are only, like, [00:43:50] 20% of men having hormonal problems? Well, because the whole [00:43:55] environment is set up to support their testosterone cycle.
[00:43:57] Dr. Taz: Yeah. Although they're struggling a lot too now with
[00:43:59] Alisa Vitti: d- [00:44:00] Less-
[00:44:00] Dr. Taz: Yeah ...
[00:44:00] Alisa Vitti: men.
[00:44:00] Dr. Taz: Less than us.
[00:44:01] Alisa Vitti: Less than us.
[00:44:01] Dr. Taz: Definitely less than us.
[00:44:02] Alisa Vitti: You know? But yeah. And yes, it should get worse for men [00:44:05] because the environment's getting worse for everybody.
[00:44:06] Alisa Vitti: Right, right. So I wouldn't be surprised to see those numbers balance out at some point. But [00:44:10] still fundamentally, having that circadian clock be the dominant clock of [00:44:15] society is a big advantage for their hormones.
[00:44:17] Dr. Taz: Are you worried... Last question, I promise. But are you [00:44:20] worried about, uh, EMFs, light cycles?[00:44:25]
[00:44:25] Dr. Taz: hormones, how it matches to the infradian rhythm. Are you worried about [00:44:30] that? Yeah. Because we have light everywhere now, so.
[00:44:32] Alisa Vitti: Worry, worry is a strong word. I would say I'm [00:44:35] intentional about it when I can be. So for example, in my home, I don't use LED [00:44:40] lighting. Um, w- there's blue light blocking happening when, you know, needed- Right
[00:44:44] Alisa Vitti: after 6:00 [00:44:45] PM.
[00:44:45] Dr. Taz: Right.
[00:44:45] Alisa Vitti: Um, and then yes, you know, sunlight in the morning. So absolutely, you, you know... It, [00:44:50] it... You want to u- our bodies are wired to use natural lighting like [00:44:55] sunshine-
[00:44:55] Dr. Taz: Right ...
[00:44:55] Alisa Vitti: to activate that super ischemic clock that sort of se- helps set up the [00:45:00] circadian rhythm for success on a daily basis. So yes, that's an important thing.[00:45:05]
[00:45:05] Alisa Vitti: I think you can go down the rabbit hole with that.
[00:45:08] Dr. Taz: Mm-hmm.
[00:45:09] Alisa Vitti: And I [00:45:10] find that that's an, uh, that's a form of stress that I try to mitigate by just saying, "Okay, well, [00:45:15] what are the things that I can control?"
[00:45:16] Dr. Taz: That's a good point.
[00:45:17] Alisa Vitti: Right? Yeah. And I don't wanna make myself feel [00:45:20] anxious about all the disruptions that are out there, and there are countless.
[00:45:24] Alisa Vitti: So
[00:45:24] Dr. Taz: many.
[00:45:24] Alisa Vitti: [00:45:25] Right. But you can, y- and I say this to everyone who comes through Flow Living, you know, just control the [00:45:30] things that you can in your environment. So get rid of the c- toxic chemicals in your beauty products- Mm-hmm ... in your [00:45:35] cleaning products. Make sure they're out of your children's environment, right?
[00:45:38] Alisa Vitti: Simple things [00:45:40] like making little unconventional choices like I don't have any rugs in my home.
[00:45:43] Dr. Taz: Yeah.
[00:45:44] Alisa Vitti: Right? Yeah. [00:45:45] Because rugs cr- just collect dust. Dust is a major endocrine disruptor. Mm. [00:45:50] And so, you know, dust once a week kind of a thing. You know, thing, little simple s- [00:45:55] habits that you stack over time is really the name of the game.
[00:45:58] Alisa Vitti: Think about it this way. [00:46:00] What creates wealth? Money over time.
[00:46:03] Dr. Taz: Right.
[00:46:03] Alisa Vitti: What creates health? [00:46:05] Habits over time. Over time.
[00:46:06] Dr. Taz: I love that.
[00:46:07] Alisa Vitti: So don't just think about, well, what do I need to do right [00:46:10] now just to fix this? Think about the long game for yourself, for your children. I have a 10-year-old daughter, [00:46:15] 10 and a half.
[00:46:15] Alisa Vitti: You know, I'm, I have been reverse engineering her optimal pubescent [00:46:20] transition since she was in my uterus. Wow. Mm. With the choices that I made, what I was [00:46:25] eating when I was pregnant, how I fed her in the first six months of solid food, how long I [00:46:30] breastfed her, what she eats, her school lunches that I pack.
[00:46:33] Alisa Vitti: Everything that I do is so- [00:46:35] Mm ... that she cannot have the experience that I had with a hormonal [00:46:40] chaotic journey. It's totally avoidable, whether you're a teenager, [00:46:45] in your 20s, in your 30s, in your 40s. We didn't even get to talk about [00:46:50] birth control- No ... which is
[00:46:50] Dr. Taz: another form of HRT. That's a whole, uh, really important topic that we have to get into at some [00:46:55] point.
[00:46:55] Dr. Taz: We do. And even for women in their 50s, I think so much of this is still relevant. But [00:47:00] blood sugar's the big, the big one. That's what I've taken away, like, really managing blood [00:47:05] sugar and understanding where we've been maybe misguided with some- Yeah ... of the information out there. There's a
[00:47:08] Alisa Vitti: daily practice, and [00:47:10] there's a cyclical practice, right?
[00:47:11] Alisa Vitti: So you gotta balance your carbohydrate load during the day, but [00:47:15] then you also have to balance overall caloric intake first half and second half of the
[00:47:19] Dr. Taz: cycle. Can we [00:47:20] reverse ovarian aging? Can we, if it, if the train's out of the station, can we turn it [00:47:25] around?
[00:47:25] Alisa Vitti: Absolutely. Absolutely. Any f- s- and because aging of the ovary is really [00:47:30] about inflammation.
[00:47:31] Alisa Vitti: Hmm. And you can absolutely reverse inflammation. In fact, you know, [00:47:35] having worked with so many women at Flow Living over the years w- who have been, let's say, dealing with [00:47:40] idiopathic infertility, watching them come in with levels of FSH at level 16, and then- Right ... [00:47:45] just within three months, getting those levels down to seven or eight, absolutely, that's reversing [00:47:50] the age of the ovary- Right
[00:47:51] Alisa Vitti: because r- and, and then we haven't even talked about melatonin and its role- [00:47:55] Right ... in ovarian aging. So there's so much that you can do to slow down the train, even if you feel like it's [00:48:00] gone a little too fast, or you're identifying that you feel like you're aging faster than you want to from a hormonal [00:48:05] perspective.
[00:48:05] Alisa Vitti: What does that mean? You're 42, you have night sweats. You're 43, your [00:48:10] cycle's irregular, right? That's, you're aging too quickly.
[00:48:13] Dr. Taz: A little bit too fast, yeah. [00:48:15] I think it's so important at the end of the day for all women, all girls to be aware of this rhythm, and I [00:48:20] love, you know, how you've coined and developed this idea of the infradian rhythm, to own [00:48:25] it, to understand it, because, you know, it is the long game, and that's important.
[00:48:29] Dr. Taz: I think it saves so much [00:48:30] heartache. So I, I love that you have, you know, really guided us into this in [00:48:35] matching circadian and infradian rhythms. The idea of rhythms, it's not [00:48:40] something in our current modern Western culture that we really embrace or we really [00:48:45] jump on. So thank you so much. And we're gonna have to do a part two, for sure- Well, I would love-
[00:48:48] Dr. Taz: 'cause there's so much.
[00:48:49] Alisa Vitti: I have, like,
[00:48:49] Dr. Taz: [00:48:50] questions after questions.
[00:48:50] Alisa Vitti: And for people who- Yeah ... are interested in, you know, learning how to start the cycle [00:48:55] syncing practice, I built an app called MyFlow that really just h- puts this all [00:49:00] into the palm of your hand so you don't have to become a subject matter expert.
[00:49:03] Alisa Vitti: And you're all welcome [00:49:05] as guests of Dr. Taz to- Amazing ... a free month of the cycle syncing membership inside [00:49:10] the MyFlow app. Just put the code in HOLFLO, and you'll have your first- HOL [00:49:15] is- Your-
[00:49:15] Dr. Taz: H-O-L ...
[00:49:16] Alisa Vitti: H-O-L. Yes, okay. And then F-L-O.
[00:49:18] Dr. Taz: F-L-O,
[00:49:19] Alisa Vitti: all right. And, [00:49:20] and you'll, you'll get access to recipes, meal plans, workout [00:49:25] videos, all based on your unique cycle phases so that you know exactly what to eat and what to [00:49:30] do to support this infradian rhythm all month long.
[00:49:33] Dr. Taz: So brilliant. All [00:49:35] right, I'm gonna leave you with my final question.
[00:49:36] Alisa Vitti: Okay.
[00:49:37] Dr. Taz: What makes you hol? [00:49:40]
[00:49:40] Alisa Vitti: Oh, what makes me hol? Probably just sort of the [00:49:45] oxytocin I get from spending time with my family outside.
[00:49:47] Dr. Taz: Family. That is the theme.
[00:49:48] Alisa Vitti: You know?
[00:49:49] Dr. Taz: We ask
[00:49:49] Alisa Vitti: all our guests [00:49:50] this. Mo- Mother's Day, I was outside planting the garden with the kids and my husband, and I was like, "This is the [00:49:55] best."
[00:49:55] Dr. Taz: I love that. This is the
[00:49:56] Alisa Vitti: best.
[00:49:57] Dr. Taz: Amazing. Family, we all come back to family at the end of the day, I think. [00:50:00] Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for taking some time out to be with me today. It's been [00:50:05] enlightening. As much as we all think we know about hormones or women's health, you know, there's [00:50:10] always a new angle.
[00:50:10] Dr. Taz: There's always something to think about, and I think this idea is something I want all [00:50:15] women thinking about as well, so thank you so much.
[00:50:17] Alisa Vitti: Thanks for having
[00:50:17] Dr. Taz: me.
[00:50:17] Alisa Vitti: Thank you so much for listening to this [00:50:20] episode of HolPlus. Be sure to share this episode with your friends and family.
[00:50:23] Dr. Taz: And if you haven't already, [00:50:25] please take a moment to subscribe to this podcast on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
[00:50:29] Dr. Taz: To [00:50:30] engage with the community, follow @liveholplus and check out our website, holplus.co. [00:50:35] That's H-O-L-E-P-L-U-S.C-O for more resources and information on [00:50:40] holistic health. See you next time.