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Join Ashley and I in a relatable and upbeat chat about all things women's health, mindset around food and nutrition, and what holistic health really looks and feels like.
Ashley's Podcast - Holistic Health Is Hot
Connect with Ashley on IG - @ashleyrobutz
To try a free week of my signature Fit for Hiking program to get you fit from the trails (gym AND at-home options) start HERE.
Ashley's Podcast - Holistic Health Is Hot
Connect with Ashley on IG - @ashleyrobutz
To try a free week of my signature Fit for Hiking program to get you fit from the trails (gym AND at-home options) start HERE.
For next level fat loss strategies, hormone/gut health help, serious performance goals and unparalleled support, apply for Mountain Metabolic coaching. Learn more HERE.
For more free wellness resources, hiking/travel guides, and other blog posts, check out my website HERE.
What is Fit for Hiking?
Where fitness and outdoors meet. In this space we chat all things hiking, exercise, wellness, adventure, motherhood, and metabolic health from a female perspective! Get ready to learn + be inspired to live your fullest, most adventurous life!
Hi, my name is Brady and I'm a long time fitness professional and midwest girl turned mountain living hiking addict. And combining my knowledge of fitness and passion for hiking, I've helped hundreds of women get lean and strong for the trails. Think of this as your one stop shop for both education and inspiration on all things female wellness, trail talk and adventure. Hiking, female metabolism, motherhood, nutrition, travel and fitness are all topics you'll hear discussed here. If you are outdoorsy and active, looking to level up your health, unlock your potential, and become inspired to live your most vibrant life, you're in the right place. You're listening to the fit for hiking podcast. 1s Hello and welcome back to another episode of the fit for hiking podcast. Today we have a special guest on. This is my friend Ashley, and we met through kind of networking in the in the fitness world. And Ashley is a mindset, fitness and holistic health coach who helps women gain a healthier relationship with their bodies, food and step into confidence. She's especially passionate about how our nutrition correlates with female health and hormones, and Ashley is also a badass snowboarder who combines outdoor activities with her active lifestyle. So thanks so much for being here, Ashley. Yes, thank you so much for having me. And thank you so much for that sweet intro. I was just telling you that I feel like you just summed it up so much better than I even could have, so I appreciate you. Yeah, absolutely. I'm here to hype you up. 2s So tell us a little bit about your backstory. What made you so passionate about the women's health and hormone field? Yeah. So I will just take it kind of way back to around college. So growing up I was always a dancer. And so, you know, when you're in high school, you do all the activities and you can kind of eat whatever you want, and it doesn't really matter because you're doing so much activity that, um, your body doesn't really change and your body is super great back then. And so I never really noticed my body until I got into college. Um, you know, there's a free dining hall where you can have. I remember I used to have a very intense Pepsi addiction, and so I and they had that on tap there. So I would have it like every single day. And I had gained some weight. Um, as you know, kind of a lot of people do you go and I had the freedom. I had a bit of a strict mom growing up. So going to college and having all that freedom was, was very intense for me because I was like, whoa, like, I can go party, I can eat whatever I want, I can do whatever I want, especially to coming from dance, where I had such a strict schedule all throughout the week, I pretty much had, you know, practice from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. So and then I would have like soccer on the weekend. So it was like very interesting to be able to have all this freedom. I didn't know what to do with myself. Had no idea how to work out because, you know, it was soccer practice or dance. So I didn't know how to use machines or anything like that. But while I was in college, gained a little bit of weight. I was just in this constant negative headspace. I was so mean to myself, I, I had never been. 1s A little bit overweight and I think I just I didn't feel like myself. I felt like a stranger in my own body. And I definitely started to struggle with binge eating. I did have an eating disorder, so I really struggled in college, and I really noticed how much my mental health impacted not only how I felt on a day to day basis, but how it impacted my body, how I viewed the world, how, you know, I was so anxious all of the time. And so all of this really. 1s Came to a bit of an end or a breaking point when I studied abroad and I remember, uh, flying home. I read this book, and I don't recommend this book because it convinced me to be vegan. And vegan is not good for your hormones. And just to say that, but I read this book and it was called Skinny Bitch. And of course it's like, oh, I was like, oh, that's what I want to be. I want to be skinny, I want this. So, um, I read that book and convinced me to be vegan and I, I lost like £30, I was. 1s I was very intense and again, kind of like still in that disordered eating phase of. 1s Being very strict with being vegan and not eating a lot of food, and I was starting to get compliments on my body. And I think that that fueled kind of this disordered eating pattern. Oh, yeah. And so. Yeah, because people were like, oh my gosh, you look amazing. I'm like, perfect. I'm gonna eat less now so I can get more compliments. It's kind of this like cycle that fuels itself. So yeah, so that's kind of when I kind of started to get into health and fitness, when I started to learn about nutrition and kind of mindset, too. Um, uh, there's a chapter in that book that kind of said, suck it up. You need to be positive because your perspective is your reality. And that was really. Really life changing for me to actually hear that, because although that book convinced me to be vegan and I do not recommend that to anyone, um, it did kind of spark this whole mindset focus, and it made me realize how negative I had been with myself, um, for so many years, like four and a half years. I just was in that constant negative headspace. And so. 3s That was kind of again, the disordered eating. But then I finally started to learn even more about nutrition and I became pro dancer. So I was a 49 year cheerleader, and it was the most crazy thing because I started once I made it on the team, I was practicing with everyone and I thought that they would be eating nothing. I thought they'd be eating like me. I thought they would be just really, really strict on what they ate. And I remember one girl was eating like granola and yogurt and I was like, shocked. I was like, do you eat that on a regular basis? Like, that would have been like a special treat for me because I was just so intense with my eating. And so, 1s so that kind of like sparked this, oh, I can be balanced and still have a good body. And so that's when I learned more about nutrition. Um, started getting like my holistic health and nutrition certificate. Got my personal trainer certificate. So that's when I actually started to learn actual facts instead of just, you know, reading one single book and then basing my life off of that. Yeah. Um, so yeah, I started to find balance. And then as soon as I did find balance, I was like, wow, I need to share with the world. You don't have to starve yourself. You don't have to work out a million times a week to actually have your dream body, and you can do it in a healthy and balanced way. And. The hormone piece of it. Um, as to why I'm so passionate about it is because I have really struggled with my hormones. I really think being vegan and really just messing up my metabolism by eating so little and being so stressed out that that impacted my gut health, my hormones, and I'm still kind of in this recovery process from that. Yeah, five, six years later. Um, so that long winded answer to why I am so passionate about this and why I decided to make a whole career out of this. Yeah, I feel like there's so much in there that's so super relatable. I could definitely relate to the like similar to you. I was so active in high school. I was always just doing something active. So I literally like like you mentioned body awareness. I like was never even aware of feeling that feeling of like I'm uncomfortable in my skin, like it's crazy to look back at, like when you first started to experience that. And for some, it's younger based on like kind of, you know, the people that you're around, what voices are in your head, your body image based on, like, you know, what you're seeing and what you're being told. But like, man, I really didn't get that awareness until I went to college as well and started to gain some weight. And I was kind of like, whoa, what's happening here? What is this feeling of being so uncomfortable in my skin and like, and I, similarly to you, took some really unhealthy, like, extreme measures because I just didn't know any better. I was like, I remember literally like, eating raw broccoli in my freaking dorm room because I was like, well, I guess I have to just eat raw veggies and cut out all carbs, which I did for like years. Um, I cut out like gluten, even though I didn't even need to be gluten free. Like, I just would take the craziest extremes because I was like, so freaked out by the fact that I was gaining weight. And man, it was. It just was like, so crazy when I look back. But I imagine that that's the story of so many women when they first start to experience those feelings of being uncomfortable in their bodies and and feeling like taking extreme measures, cutting out food groups, becoming vegan, going carb free, or, yeah, doing something super drastic must be the answer. And then it just kind of perpetuates this constant obsession around like food and body and like, you're just living in this state of, like, talking purely to yourself, like you mentioned. Yeah, 100%. And I think, too, the media can play a huge role in this because. I remember I would google how to be skinny like every single week. I'm like, okay, this is the time I'm finally going to do it. And I would Google it and it'd be like, do the banana diet or like do this juice cleanse or like, yeah. And so we all just kind of like we go to the internet or we go to social media and we're like, okay, what are we supposed to do to get there, to get to feeling comfortable in our own skin? And when you Google stuff like that, it's not like be balanced, eat protein. It's like you have to do the secret formula. You have to buy the skinny tea, you know. And so I think that also fuels the fire of people don't know what to do. And they go to the internet or social media and they see, you know, what this model is eating, where she's eating leaves for breakfast and it's like, oh my gosh, I have to eat raw broccoli now if I want to look like her, you know? Totally. Yeah, it's overwhelming. And none of it is actually helpful in any sort of sustainable manner. And like you mentioned, there are ramifications of going through periods where you've completely suppressed your metabolic function because you're eating what a toddler should be eating for years. Um, and having a toddler now myself, I actually think about that all the time because my toddler eats so much food and I always think about like, man, I bet I truly bet that she eats more than a lot of, like, women in their 20s and 30s who are, like, so freaked out by just eating a normal amount of food. Um, and that makes me so sad. And I used to definitely fall into that, that camp. And it definitely can have its ramifications. So I'm curious now that you've been working with so many clients of your own in this field, what are the top hormone and health related struggles that you see amongst women? I think the biggest thing is just women trying to do too much. I think about how I used to be this, where I was like in my mind, I thought I had to do a million things and be stressed out. So I would like wake up with I slept like absolute crap. And I would go to a 5 a.m. Orange theory class, chug some coffee, like be rushing home, maybe. Maybe drink a protein shake, have another cup of coffee, rush to the office. And so this constant stress and having these constant high cortisol levels are so intense for busy women, you know, and especially like even moms, you know, like there's so much going on. But I think so often women think, okay, I got to go to Orange Theory every single day and burn a thousand calories to have the body that I want when that's actually hurting your metabolism. It's messing up your hormones, it's messing up your sleep, it's messing up your metabolism. That high of stress really does so much damage. And I think that that is the biggest thing that I see in women is just just doing too much. And I totally understand when you're in that stressed out state of feeling so uncomfortable in your skin that you just don't know what to do, you think you just need to work out more and more and more and then eat less, less, less. And so it's just that constant, that constant struggle. And I know it's really hard to slow down. And I think it's always it's almost confusing to people because they're like, you're telling me I need to eat more food and work out a little bit less? Yeah. Um, especially with the clientele that I work with, which are very high achieving, very busy women. They think they just need to go, go, go. And I'm like, actually, you need to slow down and meditate for five minutes in the morning and just like lower your cortisol levels. Be at peace with yourself and then get on with your day. Yeah, absolutely. So what are some of the symptoms that you've experienced yourself or seen in clients who maybe are falling into this category of like being in a place where their hormones are not ideal because of all the stress? Yeah. So I will just talk on a personal kind of symptom that I have been going through for years, kind of like I mentioned. And it's so interesting too, because we think acne is is the number one symptom that I'm talking about. Just because I have such personal experience, I had no idea that this was a hormonal imbalance and gut health imbalance. Um, symptom. I think, you know, there's nothing wrong with dermatologists. I think they're great. They saved my skin growing up. But now that I'm in this place and I'm ready to heal it naturally, I had no idea that acne was a symptom of gut health hormones and kind of like I mentioned before, where I went vegan and I. 1s I guess. I don't even know. It's like 6 or 7 years ago and I am still trying to get over this imbalance, especially with gut health. I actually did a gut health test to kind of see what was going on within my gut. I won't go into too many details, but essentially I had gut dysbiosis, which is just the good and good. The good and bad gut bacteria was imbalanced. And so that was causing me to have acne. And again, I for years one was under eating and then just go, go, go trying to work out. I would work out twice a week, I'm sorry, twice a day, and especially even on top of having dance practice. Yeah. Um, I would, uh, there was a period of time when I was running six miles a day, and so I just wrecked my metabolism, gut health, hormones. It's all connected. Mhm. And so acne is a huge one that I think a lot of people don't know about. I think people think that it's just a skin thing. I'm like it's not. Yeah. Everything's so connected. And I think that we tend to just look at symptoms and we're like, well this is just by itself. It's not connected to anything else. And that's just not how the body works at all. Yeah, totally. Some other symptoms are, you know, fatigue. And what's so interesting that this was a very huge surprise to me was I was I used to sleep horribly. And I didn't know that under eating that not sleeping well is a symptom of under eating. Yeah. Um, and so when I started to eat more food, I started sleeping better, like, I had built this narrative in my head that I'm just not a good sleeper, and that's just how I am. But it was really because I was under eating. And so fatigue, like lack of sleep, is really, really a big one. Insomnia, of course, like, you know, especially talking about hormone specifically having an irregular cycle, having painful cycles. Um. I think again, so many women don't understand that if you have a really painful menstrual phase or you get really bad cramps, or you bleed a lot, or you barely bleed, these are all symptoms of a hormonal imbalance. And that's not normal. And so often we don't have to go too in-depth on this. But when doctors hear that, they just prescribe birth control and that is not helping the symptoms in any way, it is just covering it up and essentially pushing it off until you want to get off birth control. All those symptoms are going to come back. So instead of just taking this magical pill that is supposed to fix everything, it's so important to get down to that root cause so you can actually manage your symptoms. Um, for us as women, we are not supposed to have painful periods. That is not it's not normal and it's very, very common, but it's not normal. So that is a huge one in terms of hormones. And if you don't get a period two that is a huge, huge red flag as well. Um, one for me for years I didn't have a period when I was from like age 22 to 25. I did not have a period, which is wow. As a reproductive female, we should be having cycles every time. Yes, I just didn't. And I was like, cool. And now I don't have to deal with my period. And yes, I started having all these other things. I was just like constantly puffy and inflamed. I like, could not lose weight no matter what. I was like not having a cycle I had like thinning. Like I even look back and this is really interesting, but I look back in like my eyebrows are thinner, my lips are thinner. There's so many different ways that, um, like, the hormone imbalances show up. But I basically had that estrogen of like, uh, a postmenopausal woman when I got tests done. And it was all because of stress. Like they couldn't quite pinpoint any other reason other than my brain was signaling to my body that it was under too much stress, and I had lost my cycle. Uh, so, yeah, it's it's really important to kind of look at those symptoms instead of just being like, no, that's just how I am. Yeah, exactly. But it's like. Doctors don't educate us on that because they I don't know, maybe they don't really necessarily know. They're just like, this is the magic pill that's going to fix everything. Here you go. And it's no hate to them, I, I think doctors are amazing. I just think we don't have the education around it. Like, I didn't even know we had four phases of our cycle until a couple years ago. Yeah, until I started learning about health and fitness and nutrition and hormones. And I'm like, the fact that I didn't know until I'm like, 23 years old is insane. Oh yeah. And a lot of women don't know that as we get older, like, it's super common to just think all there is is when you menstruate and that's it. Yeah, yeah, I know, it's insane. So. So yeah, if you are having period symptoms, please, please know that that is not how your life has to be. And there's a way that you can balance that out in a, in a very healthy way. Um, a couple of other just symptoms are hair loss even like you mentioned. Like you said, your your eyebrows were thinner, um, mood swings, especially to on your period. I know everyone obviously we we have shifts and energies and, you know, you're not going to be happy and peppy all the time. I'm not saying that, but if you're having drastic mood changes, that is a very, very, um, that's a symptom. And what's interesting is I had the copper IUD, um, I don't know if you're familiar with it. It's like an, it's an IUD that has no hormones in it. And even though it didn't have any hormones in it, it's still affected me so much in my luteal phase, which is right before. Your period. For those of you who don't know. Um. I was a monster. I was so crazy. I was so mean. And even though the IUD had no hormones in it, it still was affecting me. I got to take it out, and I swear it was a different human, like my luteal phase. Now I am, you know, a little bit more tired, but I'm. I'm not a monster anymore. Yeah, there's a noticeable difference. Yeah, yeah, 1s yeah. Okay. So how have you used nutrition and, like, holistic health approaches to help heal these symptoms for yourself and for clients. What does that look like? Yeah. So I believe that ingredients are the biggest thing I think so often in the health and fitness space where you can get so caught up with macros and protein and carbs and not that those are not important, they 100% are. But I always like to start with quality of food first because yeah, you can lose weight by eating a certain amount of calories, but you're going to feel like crap if you're not actually paying attention to the food that you're putting in your body. I know there's so many people that are like 80 over 20, 1s um, is the way to go, and I honestly have a little bit of a different opinion on that. I think, you know, obviously it's good to have balance, but there's so many ways that you can make the less nutrient dense food into healthy versions of food and eating it in a way that feels good to you. Um, I think it's just about, again, that education of, okay, there's and again, I'm not saying that you can't have a cookie that has refined sugar in it every once in a while, but notice how you feel after you have a cookie with refined sugar. Then one when you have one with unrefined sugar or like sweetened with dates are up, or maple syrup or something like that, because I think it's very easy to just take what's convenient instead of actually turning it over and looking at the ingredients. And even there's some things these days that are quote unquote healthy, and they label it as like organic, healthy. And then you look, you turn over the package and it's like, I can't even read half of these words. So I think the biggest thing. That has drastically changed myself as well as for my clients is ingredients and really, really making sure that you are turning the package over because again, there are so many amazing healthy versions of the more processed types of food. Um, and so I think that's the biggest thing in managing stress. And so like having routines, having that downtime for yourself, having a morning routine really like focusing on, you know, your mindset. I know this is getting a little bit away from nutrition, but I think like being able to manage your stress has such a big impact on how you show up for yourself at the same time too. And you know your mindset, your mind decides if you choose a healthy option or not. Your mind controls everything in your life. And so I just wanted to kind of touch on that too, where it's like, yes, ingredients of food, but also like being in a mental headspace where you have the capacity to actually make those decisions. Yeah, it's usually not just one thing. It's usually a lot of different areas of our life together. And I, I do appreciate what you said about like actually looking at food quality, because I feel like oftentimes it is like one pitted against the other, like there's the two different camps. It's like either you are all about like if it fits your calories or macros, like only looking at the quantity or only looking at the quality. And then there's people who, like, demonize all processed foods, quote unquote. And I think it's so nice when you can find a balanced approach with that, where you are looking at the quantity, but you also are mindful of the quality and how you feel when you're eating, eating certain things. And, um, not just only swinging to one end or the other, like, sure you can. Absolutely, like you said, lose weight just looking at calories, but are you getting your vitamin and mineral needs met? Like are you eating vegetables or fruits ever? Or is it just all focused on like fitting as as you know, many different like junk foods in as you can while still fitting your calories. And I definitely take kind of a more balanced approach of that, where I do try to make sure I'm getting a certain amount of fruits and veggies, but I still like to have a glass of wine several nights a week and fitting that into like the calories that I have, or still liking creamer and things like that. So I think, yeah, to find a balance of something that feels sustainable for you every single day for the rest of your life, and not just go from one extreme to the other 100%. And I think, too, you know, if you're eating in a way that isn't fun for you or you think it's miserable, you're never going to stick with it. And so even for me, like, because I, you know, struggled with my relationship with food for a really, really long time, if I ever get in a headspace of, oh my gosh, I shouldn't eat this dessert because it's going to impact my body. I tell myself to eat dessert every single night until it gets boring because I'm like, oh, I can have this whenever. Like, what am I doing? See, my body has not changed. And so there's so much psychological, yeah, stuff around food. But like I'm always in this headspace of, you know, obviously quality of food, but making sure I'm enjoying my life and not feeling restrictive and making sure that I'm eating it in a way that feels good to me too, because, you know, you gotta live a little. You can't just be eating chicken, rice and broccoli for every meal. That would get boring, and I would want to not stick to that either, you know? And I think so many women think that they have to stick to boring foods like that. Like even, you know, you in college where you were eating raw broccoli, you know, like it doesn't have to be like that, but there's a way that you can eat nutrient dense foods while still enjoying your your life and the food you're putting in your body. Yeah, 100%. And that's why even, like working with clients, I don't like to make it black and white, because there might be some clients who need more structure with food because they kind of err on the side of just eating whatever. And they do need a little bit more like reminders to eat good quality food. But then on the other end, I'll have some clients that come in and they are really restrictive and they really want to improve their relationship with food. And I actually will say, okay, well, what are typically the foods where you feel like you're out of control around them? Because maybe we should practice having little amounts of them every single day. So it really can't be one extreme or the other, and it's not one size fits all because everybody's relationship with food is different. I definitely went through when I was in that really restrictive phase coming out of college. It was like such an unhealthy cycle because I would be like only eating organic, eating gluten free, only having these certain things I like. Didn't eat bread for years. Like literally, I didn't have a sandwich or eat bread for years. Like, I don't know why, but I had like built up bread in my head. Is this like, yes, horrible. But same same. No bagels, no cereal, no granola. Um, but then on the weekends I would like, go out and, like, drink heavily and I'd have, like, ice cream in bed at night and, like, binge because I was so restrictive. So it was like it didn't make any sense. Like I was holding fast all these intense food rolls five days a week and then two days a week. I was completely going off the deep end because I was so restricted. And so that's where like finding an approach that feels good seven days a week, 365 that you can actually keep up with for the rest of your life. It's so much better than these, like, short lived extremes that we tend to kind of gravitate towards as humans. Yeah, no, 100%. And I think that's a big thing too, is like having that all or nothing mindset. That's what so many of my clients struggle with is. They, you know, are very restrictive during the week and then on the weekends they just binge. And I know from personal experience I used to do the same thing, except my weekends in Chico were like Thursday to Sunday. So it was like half the week. But I think I felt like I have to be restrictive during the week to prep for me over eating on the weekend, and I thought that like, if I brought the week up, then I still would be bingeing on the weekend when once I started eating more food overall, everything balanced out and I was like, oh, I don't have these crazy cravings anymore because I'm actually eating balanced in enough food to fuel me. Yeah, absolutely. Okay, so what are five practical tips that listeners can apply if they're just, like, so overwhelmed and don't know where to start with just eating better in general. Yeah, I think a big thing, you know, we've kind of touched on a little bit. So like I said, quality of food, just like looking at ingredients but finding meals that you actually enjoy. 1s I think so often we have these. 1s These perspectives on certain types of food that it's quote unquote bad. But if you're eating real whole foods, like even I feel like people demonize burgers and I'm like, burgers are not bad. If you maybe you're having, you know, a burger, you got protein right there. You know, having a bun that's, you know, some healthy carbs, maybe, depending on what kind of bun. Again, look at the ingredients. And then maybe you have sweet potato fries. You know, I, I don't know if you've ever had smash burger tacos, but they are so, so good. And I eat them literally multiple times a week. And I feel great after, you know, it's really about finding foods that you actually enjoy and then making making them in a healthy way. I think about this too, in terms of like eating pizza. The old Ashley would not have been able to eat pizza unless it was like a special occasion on the weekend or something like that, where now I just eat it in a way that feels good to me. So I'll have like 1 to 2 slices and then a big salad on the side. So I'm not restricting myself and telling myself I can't have the pizza. It's more just like I'm going to eat it in a way that's going to feel good to me, because if I have 4 or 5 pieces of pizza and then no vegetables, I know I'm going to feel like crap and my stomach's going to hurt. And so just like, again, even kind of what we were talking about, like finding a way of eating that works for you is the biggest thing. But if you have no idea where to start. But figure out some staple meals that you actually enjoy making sure they have, you know, a protein, a carb, fat, a veggie. Just really like making it a balanced meal to actually have you feeling full and fueled. And so I'm trying to be perfect, I think is another big one that all or nothing mindset will destroy you. Because a lot of times, times two, let's just say you eat a really healthy, nutrient dense breakfast and you have pizza for lunch and you're like, the whole day is ruined. And so you're like, might as well binge and start over tomorrow. So if you can really try to step away from that all or nothing mindset and just know it's okay to be balanced, but find a way of eating that works for you, I think you are going to enjoy the process and just be able to have so much less anxiety and guilt around food. Mhm. Yeah, absolutely. 1s Are there any, like, little micro tips for anyone who's listening that wants to prioritize supporting their hormones? Yes. I think a big thing. This is always the first thing that comes to my mind because it's very a small shift, but I think it's made a huge impact on me. Is having coffee after breakfast when we just have coffee on an empty stomach, we're like half awake, and then all of a sudden you spike your cortisol. That affects your hormones, that affects your gut health. And so if you can just make that small shift of having some protein rich breakfast and you don't even have to if you're like one of those people that doesn't feel starving in the morning, have like a small smoothie that has 20g of protein in it or, um, some sort of, you know. Some sort of protein rich, small type of snack that you can just have before coffee. I think nutrition wise, having a diversity of plants, um, is really, really important. Having, um, this is kind of a gut health, but again, it's all tied together, having probiotic rich foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, um, stuff like that. Um, I think the biggest thing is stress. Like, I know that's not nutrition related, but just stress is the biggest thing that really impacts. And that's the hardest thing to kind of, you know. Kind of fix for a lot of people. So. Yeah. Um, I think those are hormones is affected by stress and metabolism and just I think it's it's one of the like you said, it's one of the hardest things to address because it's not a quick fix. It's not like, oh, let me just eat this one food. And now I'm magically like, hmm, the underlying stress in my life, like it really does require some internal work. And looking at what are the big underlying stressors and how do I actually work on dealing with those things and slowing my life down and getting my nervous system regulated, instead of just living in a constant state of fight or flight? Yes, exactly. But just be patient with yourself. It's not going to happen overnight. But if you can just slowly implement small habits over time, they really, really will make a big impact. Yeah, absolutely. Well thank you so much. This has been such a yes. So where can listeners find you and connect with you. Yes. So you can find me on Instagram and TikTok at Ashley Roberts, Ashley Roberts, my first and last name. And then also my podcast, um, is on Spotify and Apple podcast, it's called Holistic Health is Hot. So you can just search that. Perfect. Yeah. We'll link your Instagram in the show notes to so that listeners perfect and connect with you. Thank you again for coming on. This was such a fun conversation. Yes. Thank you for having me. Yeah. All right. Thanks for listening, everyone. We'll see you next week. 1s Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the fit for hiking podcast. As always, I hope it leaves you feeling inspired and informed on how to take your health and adventure into your own hands. For more content like this, be sure to follow along with my daily posts at Ponytail Underscore. On a trail that's ponytail underscore on a trail. You can also stay up to date on my new episodes being released at Fit Underscore for hiking, and find more free resources at Pony Tail on a trail.com. Happy and healthy trails.