December 4, 2023 • 33 mins
Think about how many times you've asked the pharmacist for advice. What's the best for poison ivy? What should I use for my child's congestion? Help! Where are the COVID tests? You get my drift. Your friendly neighborhood pharmacist, a wealth of knowledge, trusted and always ready with answers to your questions.
Lisa King, RPH, also known as the Fulfilled Pharmacist, has your best interest at heart, as she wants midlife women to look and feel their best at any age, while becoming more aware of their health and creating long-lasting good habits. Lisa is also the best-selling co-author of the book, Tiny Life Changes.
This midlife mom, health influencer, and blogger passionately shares her insights on many of the topics that impact us all. In this episode, we cover:
Interstitial Cystitis, Bladder Health and Pelvic Floor
Understanding Our Sugar Consumption
Fasting, Gut Health, Mediterranean Diet
The Importance of Community in Midlife
You can find Lisa at:
https://www.thefulfilledpharmacist.com/
https://www.instagram.com/thefulfilledpharmacist/
https://www.facebook.com/thefulfilledpharmacist
_________________________________________
Are you ready to reclaim your midlife body and health? I went through my own personal journey through menopause, the struggle with midsection weight gain, and feeling run-down. Faster Way, a transformative six-week group program, set me on the path to sustainable change.
https://www.fasterwaycoach.com/?aid=MicheleFolan
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Sign up for Michele's weekly newsletter for more health and fitness tips and insights. https://michelefolanfasterway.myflodesk.com/i6i44jw4fq
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*Transcripts are done with AI and may not be perfectly accurate.
**This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services, including the giving of medical advice. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
Health, wellness, fitness relationships and
everything in between.
We're removing the taboo fromwhat really matters in midlife.
I'm your host, michelle Fohlen,and this is Asking for a Friend
.
Think about how many timesyou've asked the pharmacist for
(00:31):
advice.
What's the best for poison ivyhelp?
What should I use for mychild's congestion?
Where are the COVID tests?
You get my drift.
Your friendly neighborhoodpharmacist, a wealth of
knowledge, trusted and alwaysready with answers to your
questions.
Lisa King, also known as thefulfilled pharmacist, has your
(00:56):
best interest at heart, as shewants midlife women to look and
feel their best at any age,while becoming more aware of
their health and creatinglong-lasting good habits.
Lisa is also a best-sellingauthor of the book Tiny Life
Changes.
Welcome to Asking for a Friend,lisa King.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Thank you, I'm so thrilled to be here today.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
I've been following you for quite a while on
Instagram.
I love your post.
Thank you.
I thought you know what.
I've not had a pharmacist onthe show.
You've got an amazing presence.
You really do draw yourfollowers in with some great
advice.
Before we get started, lisa,tell us a little bit more about
(01:43):
you so the audience gets to knowyou a bit.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Well, I am married to my high school sweetheart, so I
met him when I was 16 years old.
We have three sons and now I'mlucky to have two granddaughters
.
It's been just so wonderful tobe able to spend time with
little girls after the rough andtumble of having three boys.
The funny thing is a lot ofpeople ask me on social media am
(02:09):
I really a pharmacist?
Yes, I really am.
This is my 35th year as apharmacist.
It's not a glamorous profession, but I absolutely have loved
every minute of it.
I did work retail pharmacy formost of my career, so I was the
person you were going to for thepoison ivy.
It was actually even stuff inthe frozen section when do you
(02:31):
find the ice cream or whateverit may be, but I loved every
minute of it.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
We all have our pharmacist as our first line of
defense.
You all have to really be ajack of all trades, really, in
regard to your knowledge.
Not only that, you have to knowwhere everything is in the
store.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yes, me too.
That was one of the reasons Ibecame a pharmacist.
Just because my grandmotherloved her pharmacist so much.
I always say she wantedeveryone to become a pharmacist
and I was the only one who tookher advice.
Thank you to my Nana forgetting me into this career.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
That's great.
As a pharmacist, you obviouslysee the effects of chronic
disease and unhealthy habits.
When did you branch out as apharmacist and started the
fulfilled pharmacist?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
That was about I would say five years ago, that I
really started taking itseriously.
I started my Instagram page alittle bit before that and I
really just wanted a way toshare about health and wellness.
I'm just very passionate aboutsharing health and wellness
whether I'm inside the pharmacyor out.
One of the reasons I came upwith my name the Fulfilled
Pharmacist was working in aretail pharmacy setting.
(03:49):
I would see patients who, at 50, would be very old.
They would have a mindset of Ican't get past this disease
state or whatever it may be.
Then I would have theseadorable 90-year-old women with
their red lipstick on who werejust still so vibrant and living
life to the fullest.
I thought that's how I want tobe, that's what I want to share
(04:10):
with others living not only along life, but a long, happy and
vibrant, fulfilled life.
That's where the FulfilledPharmacist got started.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
I was kind of giggling as I was preparing for
this, because I can only imaginebeing a pharmacist.
You're at a cocktail party oryou're out to lunch with friends
.
How often do you get pulledinto these conversations of Lisa
.
What do you think about this?
What should I be taking forthis?
My doctor said whatever.
(04:42):
How do you manage that?
How do you create some balanceor boundaries?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Honestly, it's constantly in my personal life,
but I enjoy it.
I don't mind it at all.
It was so funny.
My sister has actually saidnumerous times she didn't really
realize that people went totheir pharmacist for advice
because she always had me, thatshe would just call and say how
much do I take of this?
I wouldn't say daily, but atleast weekly.
(05:08):
Even texts from friends likehow much should I take of this?
Or I have allergies, whatshould I take?
It's very sweet.
Even a lot of my followers whoI'm more close with.
They'll even send me littlemessages in my DMs like what do
you think of this vitamin?
Take a look at theseingredients.
What do you think of this?
I appreciate it.
I love sharing, so it's not aproblem.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
I just wonder.
Sometimes you probably are likeokay enough already, I just
want to enjoy myself.
No, it's fine, it's fine, it'sall good.
You brought up your sister.
You two co-authored the bookTiny Life Changes.
How did all that come about?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Well, we both went through a really difficult time.
Right about the same time.
My sister was diagnosed withbreast cancer at the age of 35,
when her youngest was 11 monthsold.
She had her double mastectomy.
She couldn't even lift her ownbaby.
She almost had to move in withmy mom.
Her husband was at work all day, so she was managing having
three children.
(06:06):
I, at the same time, was goingthrough the downturn of 2008.
It was just a difficult timefor my family.
We both took the experience andchange happens all the time but
it's just really how you reactto that change.
We both felt that we came outbetter people because of the
experience that we had.
We just wanted to put pen topaper to share our experience.
(06:30):
It's a very simple book.
It's a journal-style book we'rejournal girls Just really about
incorporating simple changes tomove forward in life, no matter
what your situation, and alsojust about the thoughts that you
have that may not be servingyou.
How to take those thoughts andturn them around to something
that can serve you better.
I was diagnosed withinterstitial cystitis when I was
(06:54):
, let's see, about 29 years old.
So I'm 58 now.
I've been medication-free forabout 20 years, but it was a
really difficult time in my lifeand I still have a lot of women
that will reach out to me forthis and it's my way of giving
back.
But you can become in a verydark space when you're living
with that chronic pain.
So what I do with these ladiesand they really feel appreciated
(07:17):
is just to help them to keepmoving forward.
So if they aren't having a badday, think of something else.
What are you grateful for today?
Okay, maybe I didn't feel well,but I was able to stay in bed
and read a book to my daughter.
I'm really grateful for that.
Or maybe I can't jog right nowbecause my bladder is too
painful, but maybe I can lookinto doing like gentle yoga and
(07:38):
that might be something that isreally helpful for me and I'm
looking forward to doing that.
So we just keep looking forways to move forward.
Take that mindset of am I goingto be like this forever to one
more of hope where, yes, I'mfeeling my body, I'm taking
control of my life and my health, and just keep moving forward.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
We've not talked about interstitial interstitial
cystitis.
I should be able to say that mydad was a urologist.
Oh, wow, yeah, but how does ittypically present and what is
the usual treatment protocol forinterstitial cystitis?
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Well, you know, when I was diagnosed it was barely
known.
There's so much more knownabout it now, and one of the
reasons why it is difficult totreat is because now it's
thought to be what's called anumbrella diagnosis, so women can
have it for different reasons.
A lot of the women that I talkto it usually starts off as
recurrent urinary tractinfections, and I feel that's
(08:36):
what happened with myself aswell, and then my body was just
under so much stress, beingright out of pharmacy school, a
young pharmacist, a toddler's athome, and it just bloomed from
there.
But it's extremely painful.
Some women may experience itbecause they have a really tight
pelvic floor and that justbrings about the pain.
So there's different treatmentmethods.
(08:57):
Nowadays a lot of women see apelvic floor physical therapist.
There are different medicationsthat you can take.
Diet is certainly key.
There's something called theinterstitial cystitis diet and I
share a lot about that on mywebsite.
But avoiding acidic foods,citrus, coffee, alcohol,
chocolate, all the good stuff,but that really the diet, is
(09:17):
really what's so helpful incontrolling symptoms, especially
for me, and that's how I'vecontrolled my symptoms for years
now as well.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
So there is a tie between pelvic floor health and
UTIs as well then.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Well, I mean it could be caused by so many different
things.
But yes, sometimes thatirritation that's caused by
urinary tract infections, itcauses that autoimmune response
where your bladder just kind ofattacks itself and then it just
blossoms from there and thenother women will just get into a
pattern of holding their pelvisreally tight because they are
in so much pain and then thatjust becomes a chronic cycle as
(09:55):
well, and then seeing a pelvicfloor physical therapist and
learning how to relax thatpelvic floor can be really
helpful in alleviating symptomsas well.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
And you being in the business and having lived
through this.
I've had a couple conversationson the podcast about pelvic
floor health and it really isamazing at all the areas of our
life that it touches when youthink about having children and
our posture and painful sex, andit's amazing and it wasn't even
(10:29):
until maybe the last year ortwo that I even knew that there
were actual specialists thathelped women through these
issues.
So this is very fascinating.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
It really is.
And just speaking about bladderissues overactive bladder I did
a presentation with a studythat shared that 75% of women
will experience even one episodeof incontinence in midlife
every month.
It's something that womenaren't talking about.
Even with interstitial cystitis, with overactive bladder,
sometimes it takes almost sevenyears to get a diagnosis.
(11:03):
A lot of times women just thinkthis is something that I have
to live with.
It's shameful, it'sembarrassing.
They don't want to share itwith their physician.
But there are definitelyoptions.
So that's kind of one of myresonating themes when I do talk
about bladder health is thatyou're not alone.
Many other women areexperiencing this and there is
hope and there are treatmentoptions.
So it's not something that youjust have to live with.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
You know, I'm glad you brought that up.
I was at a women's event oneevening and one of the pelvic
floor therapists was saying ifyou leak urine at any time, that
is not normal.
You need to get that addressed.
(11:45):
And you should have seen thelooks on the faces because the
women were like, uh okay, wetend to live with things beyond
the realm of normal because wedon't always put ourselves first
.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Exactly.
It's just something that'sreally embarrassing to talk
about, and so when I firststarted talking about this, it
was due to being on a podcast,you know, sharing the book Tiny
Life Changes, and one of theinterviewers asked me about my
interstitial cystitis diagnosis.
I was kind of not expectingthat question.
I had shared about it once, Ibelieve, on Instagram.
(12:24):
I was like, oh my gosh, why amI talking about this?
This is so embarrassing.
But I just started sharing moreabout it and it was just so
interesting to me because Iwould have big influencers start
following me.
And then I'm like, oh, wow.
And then I get the message likemy daughter experiences urinary
tract problems, or my sister ormyself, it's something that's
(12:46):
so many women experience andit's just not discussed.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Yeah, we have to talk about these things and I'm
pretty much an open book withall my issues.
I have the attitude of allright, I'm going to put myself
out there.
Sometimes it's a little much,it might be a little
embarrassing at times, but if Ican help one person with an
issue they're like oh, I havethe same thing, then it's all
(13:12):
worth it and I'm okay because Ifeel the same.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
I feel exactly the same.
And that's why I'm on Instagramtalking about my bladder.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Well, and I think it's also the beauty.
I don't.
I don't know how I'll do,arlisa, but I'm 59.
I'm 58.
Okay, I don't really care.
I don't really care what peoplethink I do, but I don't.
You know, it's like it is whatit is right.
All right, I want to talk aboutsugar in our diet.
(13:41):
I don't know what it is thislast few weeks.
Sugar, this sugar that constantglucose monitors.
We know that too much sugar inour diet is bad from the weight
perspective and that there is anincreased risk of diabetes.
But how much sugar is bad?
(14:03):
What should we really beavoiding?
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Okay, great question.
What I recommend is theAmerican Heart Association
recommendation of 25 grams ofadded sugar per day for women
and 37.5 grams for men.
This is a great starting pointif you've never looked at sugar
consumption before.
This number I have been clawedout on because it's actually a
(14:27):
generous number and a lot ofpeople will even go to five to
10 grams of sugar.
But really just start byreading labels.
So I was not always aware ofsugar and aware of my health.
One of the first reasons that Istarted looking at sugar
content and foods was after mymother-in-law's Alzheimer's
diagnosis, because I knew thatsugar was not an efficient fuel
(14:50):
for the brain to run on and it'slinked to so many things
besides diabetes.
But it's just can cause thatlow level inflammation in the
body which can be related tocardiovascular disease cancers.
Alzheimer's sugar can actuallytrigger the overactive bladder
symptoms.
So I just started readinglabels, just for example.
I like to share this a lot.
(15:10):
Sometimes healthy foods that youthink of are healthy can
actually be high in sugar.
So yogurt, for one.
I love yogurt, but if you lookat just your regular average
yogurt, it can have 15 grams ofsugar in it, and so you want to
look for the lower sugar yogurt,sometimes the Greek yogurt that
has the 0% fat.
That's what I'll usually lookfor Granola.
(15:32):
So if you're having yogurt withgranola on it, granola can
typically be high in sugar thosealso about 15 grams Then you
know.
So let's say, for breakfast youhave your yogurt and granola,
you already have 30 grams ofsugar.
That's over the 25 grams forthe day.
Then you have a protein bar asa late morning snack.
That's another 15 grams.
So it's not that you're goingout and having the sugary
(15:55):
Starbucks drink, you're justhaving foods that you've been
told are really healthy for youYogurt, granola, protein bars
and you're still over your sugarcontent for the day.
So that's why it's just soimportant to read labels, and
what I do is I just look at twodifferent granolas, whatever it
may be, and look for the lowersugar option.
That's how I got started, justto always go in with the lower
(16:17):
sugar option with fruit and Ican't eat a lot of fruit just
due to the interstitial cystitisdiet but berries are really low
in sugar, so blueberries,raspberries, things like that,
are really low in sugar.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
So that's a really great way to go too Well and I
think it's good to define thesugar source right.
If it's White refined sugar,that's what you really need to
watch.
So natural sugars that show upin fruit are okay, and we're not
talking carbohydrate because Ithink that's the other thing
(16:50):
it's.
We're not saying carbohydratesare bad because we need
carbohydrate for brain functionand muscle health and all of
that.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Absolutely so.
Even you know, with the granola, oh, it's a healthy
carbohydrate, but it could haveadded sugar in there.
So that's why you want to lookfor a little bit more of a pure
source, I think.
As they always say, shop aroundthe perimeter of the store and
then you're usually doing prettywell with you know, fruits,
vegetables, natural oats.
You can even make your owngranola if you really wanted to.
(17:19):
But yeah, just that added sugaris what to look for, because it
can be really surprising.
You'll be very surprised whenyou start reading labels.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
I was laughing because I was like, yeah, well,
I eat Greek yogurt, but it has alittle fruit cup on the side
which I know has sugar in it.
Then sometimes I do proteinbars.
So you called me out and I will.
I'll be a little bit more awareafter this conversation.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
I do want to make a point though, because a lot of
protein bars will say that theyhave no sugar in them, and those
will have sugar alcohol, and sosugar alcohol that really can
wreak havoc on your stomach.
So it's things that end in OL,Like Arithritol, Maxitol, those
will be sugar alcohol.
(18:05):
So it'll say sugar alcohol andthat counts as half your sugar
serving.
But it can be really upsettingto the stomach.
So you don't want to go nosugar either, because with sugar
alcohol that can present awhole other set of issues.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
It can get you very gassy.
Yes, yes, I discovered that, onmy own, I was eating these
protein bars which I thoughtwere, you know, low glycemic and
low sugar, and oh, it was notpleasant.
Oh, I got rid of them.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
That's what's happened to me with different
protein bars as well.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
OK, it wasn't just me .
I want to talk a little bitabout intermittent fasting,
because this comes up quite abit.
But I come from the standpointthat one size does not fit all
with intermittent fasting.
So if you're 30 years old, yourintermittent fast may look
different than if you're 50 plus.
(19:01):
Yes, where do you stand onintermittent fasting and for
women who are older?
Speaker 2 (19:08):
I'm so glad we were talking about this.
I've shared numerous times thatI even have a blog post on it
about the benefits of a 12 hourfast.
A lot of the studies that weredone on fasting were done with
men and, especially as we age,some women just produce cortisol
when they fast for too long,myself being one of them.
There really just are so manybenefits of fasting.
(19:30):
I just really recommend noteating after dinner.
That's how I started.
I used to be at what I called anighttime nibbler, so I would
just be eating for no reasonafter dinner.
Again, after my mother-in-law'sAlzheimer's diagnosis, I was
looking for ways to preventAlzheimer's.
So not eating at least threehours before going to bed really
just gives your brain a chanceto relax, to not be
(19:52):
concentrating on digestion, tobe able to have that cellular
renewal and regeneration whileyou're sleeping clear the
amyloid protein that can preventcognitive issues.
So that's what I reallyrecommend.
And people will ask me a lot oftimes like if I skip lunch, is
that considered fasting?
No, you want to really be inthat fasted state.
Sleep is really so wonderfulfor cellular renewal.
(20:16):
So you want to be fasting for afew hours before you go to bed
and then when you sleep you'llhave all the benefits of fasting
for that cellular rejuvenationand it really is just so helpful
.
But a lot of women can't reallygo past that 12 to 14 hour mark
and I've seen this with myself.
I use a device called Lumenthat measures whether you're at
(20:40):
fat burn or carb burn, and somany women in their community
will share that.
Why am I going into carb burnthe longer I fast?
Because it really I should beburning more fat but they're not
.
Because your body startsfeeling that it's under attack,
that you need to eat, and youstart producing cortisol and
then it's kind of having theopposite effect.
(21:01):
So really, just listen to yourbody.
I mean, for me, I start feelingnot only shaky but I start
having a lot of heartpalpitations and that's when I
know, ok, I've gone a little toolong with the fasting.
Listen to your body.
It just long fast might not beright for you, and I've done
extremely long fasts in the pastand that's kind of how I
discovered this that it's justnot right for me.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
I've tried the 16 hour and I get brain fog and I
get shaky.
It's just not worth it and Ilike to work out in the morning,
to work out fast.
It's some mornings is difficult.
I don't have the energy that Ireally need and so I've started.
Really, 12 hours is probably mymax on many days.
(21:46):
I'm glad you were.
We got to talk about that,because I think that's an
important topic.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Oh yeah no, because I feel so many people are just
strictly sharing about the 16eight time restrictive eating
and then so many people willpromote the benefits and I love
the benefits of a long fast.
That's why I tried to do longerfast myself, but it's just not
right for everybody.
As you said, you just reallyhave to listen to your body.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
That's great advice.
You do talk about gut healthand you were talking about the
Mediterranean diet, and theninflammation and reducing
inflammation.
If we're experiencinginflammation, possibly from our
diet, how does that typicallypresent itself?
Speaker 2 (22:30):
When people hear inflammation they usually just
think of joint pain, that typeof thing, but it really can be
anything from that brain fog tofeeling tired, to GI issues, to
mood, so it can presentdifferent ways and that low
level inflammation really iswhat can lead to different types
of disease states in the future.
I was actually just listeningto a podcast where it was saying
(22:53):
that it is just so tied tocognitive health.
So it really is just soimportant to have that good gut
health because that really helpsthings keep moving.
I'm really all about that.
So not only taking a probiotic,but having a lot of fiber in
the diet through fruits,vegetables really so important
because you want to be riddingyour body of the toxins and for
(23:16):
detoxing.
A lot of people will share thatyou should be going to the
bathroom twice a day.
When I studied herbalism andherbalism, they actually feel
that you should be going afterevery meal.
That sometimes is very shockingto people too, especially for
those who maybe do not even havea bowel movement daily.
So you really want to have thatgood gut health, not only for
(23:39):
immunity but mood.
It really is just so importanton so many different levels.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
If someone isn't having a bowel movement every
day, first line of defense isdiet correct.
Yes, Diet, make sure you'regetting enough water.
Then when do you say, all right, you're probably not getting
enough fiber and we should begetting that from food, whether
it's chia seeds, flaxseed,whatever, I guess.
(24:06):
But then there's metamucil andthose types of psyllium type
products.
Do you ever recommend that topeople that are having that
issue?
Speaker 2 (24:16):
I think that you really again have to read labels
here, because you want about 20to 25 grams of fiber per day
and you might sometimes have toease up into that because you
can get GI issues if you go tooquickly with the fiber and then
also drink plenty of water,because sometimes that can have
the opposite effect.
If you're having a lot of oatsor something like that and not
drinking, the water can kind ofget backed up.
(24:36):
But it can be extremelyshocking when you go to look
over the counter products andyou're looking at some fiber
tablets.
They only have two to threegrams of fiber in them.
So really take a look.
So you really want to see howmuch fiber is actually there.
Metamucil I don't know exactlyhow much is in the powder form.
(24:57):
You don't want the one that hasthe added sugar, the flavored.
I don't really like that.
I would just try to go withnatural sources.
You know raspberries are highin fiber avocado, the seeds I
love seeds flaxseeds, chia seeds, things like that can really be
helpful.
And drink plenty of water too,ok.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
On top of good gut health.
We were talking about theMediterranean diet.
When you are eating theMediterranean diet, what does a
typical dinner look like forLisa?
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Well, first of all, I'm obsessed with salmon.
I probably have more salmonthan the average person, but I
usually we always just have asalad for dinner and you know,
some grilled vegetables, salmon,chicken, that type of thing.
I just shared this, actually,in an Instagram story.
I love smoked salmon, kind ofwhat you would refer to as locks
(25:47):
for lunch.
I'll just take some locks, puta little bit of avocado in the
middle, roll it up.
It almost is like, I guess,sushi, so it's something like
that.
In the morning I usually haveeggs.
But I really really startedlearning a lot about the
Mediterranean diet after readingDr Balter Longo's book, the
Longevity Diet, and he is reallya big proponent of the
(26:10):
Mediterranean style diet.
When you really think about theblue zone, some of the blue
zones in Italy and Greece, it'sa Mediterranean style diet.
And I was actually talking toanother lady who's an expert on
longevity and she was justsaying use olive oil.
Just you don't wanna be usingthose refined oils anyway, but
just a good quality olive oil ina glass bottle, sate your
(26:30):
vegetables in it, use it to cookyour eggs, whatever it may be.
It's just really just sohelpful for brain health.
I think it's a fabulous way toeat, easy too, I think.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
The blue zones.
We may wanna explain what thoseblue zones are to some of the
listeners.
I know there was a lot ofresearch done on this, but can
you explain a little bit aboutthe significance of the blue
zones?
Speaker 2 (26:53):
They're regions where they have a lot of people
living to an older age.
So they take a look at whatthese people are doing.
A lot of it actually has to dowith connection so there was
just recently a documentary onNetflix about this and so much
of it has to do with movement.
Daily Just not even exercise,but they just garden and walk
(27:14):
and do that type of thing.
There's a lot of connection intheir area.
They're all eating that salmon,fish, fruits, vegetables, olive
oil so it's just a very healthyoverall lifestyle and different
communities have this longerlife.
There's actually, I guess LomaLinda.
California also is a blue zone.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Ah, I heard that that is really interesting.
Yes, and so it is possible.
We can do that if we affectsome good, positive changes.
It's not always easy.
You had an opportunity toattend the influencers of
midlife in Las Vegas and I wouldlove to hear about the
gathering and what yourtakeaways were.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Oh, my goodness, I loved this event.
I was actually one of the firstpeople to sign up for it, but
this has been just such awonderful experience in midlife
being on social media, beingable to share on podcasts like
this.
The connections that I've madeare just really so invaluable
and I know for a lot of women asthey become empty nesters, as
they go into midlife, theirlives are changing.
(28:18):
They're looking for somethingmore.
I was looking for that more,too, when I wrote the book with
my sister, but this has beenjust such a wonderful
opportunity that fills my day.
I've connected with so manywonderful women.
Of course, I picked up somefantastic tips there, too, about
blogging and different ways toshare my business the fulfilled
pharmacist but really it's thatconnection with women.
(28:39):
I feel like I will be connectedto those women for the rest of
my life.
It was just really a wonderfulexperience.
I highly recommend anybodygoing.
There's gonna be probably onein another about year and a half
.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
I was just preparing for my podcast for next week and
the connection piece thewillingness of women to reach
out and help each other, supporteach other, be each other's
cheerleaders I think is sophenomenal.
When we get to this age, wereally do wanna foster and
(29:16):
continue to make new friends.
I love that.
So what an important event andreally cool that you got to rub
elbows with some of your fellowinfluencers.
That's really neat.
One thing that I've starteddoing the last I don't know four
or five podcasts is I'm askingall my guests what one of their
(29:36):
pillars of self-care is.
What would you consider yourone major pillar of self-care?
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Well, I don't know if this is the right answer, but I
love sleep.
I don't know if that's really apillar of self-care, but I
really just feel that in thepast I would feel guilty about
sleeping or taking a nap.
But I really just feel thatsleep is so important for health
and it really just makes youfeel refreshed and willing and
it gives you that new outlook onyour day when you're not so
(30:03):
tired and you're able to giveback to everyone because you
feel rested.
So I'm all about sleep.
That's my one important thingright there.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Yeah, I don't know if we actually appreciate sleep
until we don't have good sleep,yes.
And then we're like, oh,sleep's really, really important
.
I mean, we remember when ourbabies were little and sleep was
a premium then.
And then it kind of gets alittle better, and then we start
(30:32):
going through perimenopause andthen the menopause, and then
the rug gets ripped out fromunder us again.
I've actually shared withpeople that follow me on social
media that I've gone probablyhow many days now?
27 days now with no alcohol.
Oh, good for you.
Oh my God, lisa, my sleep hasimproved.
(30:54):
It's amazing, it's exponential,how much more quality sleep I'm
getting.
Whether I stop drinkingaltogether in the future, I
can't make that call yet, but Iam very encouraged with the
results so far.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
And, just as a side note, I don't drink alcohol just
due to my bladder issues, andso I feel that I honestly don't
miss it.
I guess I never really had it,but I mean, I feel that it
really just I think that you canfind ways to still just enjoy
company and enjoy a dinnerwithout having alcohol too.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
Yeah, and I found some non-alcoholic options, too
that I like pretty well.
So I do want to ask is thereanything that you're working on,
anything new for the fulfilledpharmacist?
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Well, to be honest, I'm just blogging more.
So I really have always have aYouTube channel, which I didn't
really keep working on becausethat just took a lot of time,
and I have my website, which Ihave some blog posts on.
But after going to theinfluencers of midlife, I am
really just committed to moreblogging.
So I'm always on social media.
Instagram takes up a lot of mytime, but, if that's okay, I
(32:09):
need to just carve out more timefor blogging, because that is
where I can really expand onwhat I'm saying on social media,
because my Instagram posts tendto be fairly long anyway, but
just to kind of reach anotheraudience.
As I said before, I'm justsuper passionate about women
looking and feeling their bestat any age, so just anything to
get my message out.
(32:30):
So just more blogging.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Well, and you kind of answered that where people can
find you.
And what I'll do is I'll putall your contact information in
the show notes so people canhave that.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Fabulous, yeah, and I would love to connect on social
media.
So, if you are listening tothis and hear me say hello on
Instagram, I would love to chat.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Wonderful Lisa, thank you so much for being here.
Thank you, it's such a pleasureMUSIC.
Health, wellness, fitness relationships and
everything in between.
We're removing the taboo fromwhat really matters in midlife.
I'm your host, michelle Fohlen,and this is Asking for a Friend
.
Think about how many timesyou've asked the pharmacist for
(00:31):
advice.
What's the best for poison ivyhelp?
What should I use for mychild's congestion?
Where are the COVID tests?
You get my drift.
Your friendly neighborhoodpharmacist, a wealth of
knowledge, trusted and alwaysready with answers to your
questions.
Lisa King, also known as thefulfilled pharmacist, has your
(00:56):
best interest at heart, as shewants midlife women to look and
feel their best at any age,while becoming more aware of
their health and creatinglong-lasting good habits.
Lisa is also a best-sellingauthor of the book Tiny Life
Changes.
Welcome to Asking for a Friend,lisa King.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Thank you, I'm so thrilled to be here today.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
I've been following you for quite a while on
Instagram.
I love your post.
Thank you.
I thought you know what.
I've not had a pharmacist onthe show.
You've got an amazing presence.
You really do draw yourfollowers in with some great
advice.
Before we get started, lisa,tell us a little bit more about
(01:43):
you so the audience gets to knowyou a bit.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Well, I am married to my high school sweetheart, so I
met him when I was 16 years old.
We have three sons and now I'mlucky to have two granddaughters
.
It's been just so wonderful tobe able to spend time with
little girls after the rough andtumble of having three boys.
The funny thing is a lot ofpeople ask me on social media am
(02:09):
I really a pharmacist?
Yes, I really am.
This is my 35th year as apharmacist.
It's not a glamorous profession, but I absolutely have loved
every minute of it.
I did work retail pharmacy formost of my career, so I was the
person you were going to for thepoison ivy.
It was actually even stuff inthe frozen section when do you
(02:31):
find the ice cream or whateverit may be, but I loved every
minute of it.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
We all have our pharmacist as our first line of
defense.
You all have to really be ajack of all trades, really, in
regard to your knowledge.
Not only that, you have to knowwhere everything is in the
store.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yes, me too.
That was one of the reasons Ibecame a pharmacist.
Just because my grandmotherloved her pharmacist so much.
I always say she wantedeveryone to become a pharmacist
and I was the only one who tookher advice.
Thank you to my Nana forgetting me into this career.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
That's great.
As a pharmacist, you obviouslysee the effects of chronic
disease and unhealthy habits.
When did you branch out as apharmacist and started the
fulfilled pharmacist?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
That was about I would say five years ago, that I
really started taking itseriously.
I started my Instagram page alittle bit before that and I
really just wanted a way toshare about health and wellness.
I'm just very passionate aboutsharing health and wellness
whether I'm inside the pharmacyor out.
One of the reasons I came upwith my name the Fulfilled
Pharmacist was working in aretail pharmacy setting.
(03:49):
I would see patients who, at 50, would be very old.
They would have a mindset of Ican't get past this disease
state or whatever it may be.
Then I would have theseadorable 90-year-old women with
their red lipstick on who werejust still so vibrant and living
life to the fullest.
I thought that's how I want tobe, that's what I want to share
(04:10):
with others living not only along life, but a long, happy and
vibrant, fulfilled life.
That's where the FulfilledPharmacist got started.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
I was kind of giggling as I was preparing for
this, because I can only imaginebeing a pharmacist.
You're at a cocktail party oryou're out to lunch with friends
.
How often do you get pulledinto these conversations of Lisa
.
What do you think about this?
What should I be taking forthis?
My doctor said whatever.
(04:42):
How do you manage that?
How do you create some balanceor boundaries?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Honestly, it's constantly in my personal life,
but I enjoy it.
I don't mind it at all.
It was so funny.
My sister has actually saidnumerous times she didn't really
realize that people went totheir pharmacist for advice
because she always had me, thatshe would just call and say how
much do I take of this?
I wouldn't say daily, but atleast weekly.
(05:08):
Even texts from friends likehow much should I take of this?
Or I have allergies, whatshould I take?
It's very sweet.
Even a lot of my followers whoI'm more close with.
They'll even send me littlemessages in my DMs like what do
you think of this vitamin?
Take a look at theseingredients.
What do you think of this?
I appreciate it.
I love sharing, so it's not aproblem.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
I just wonder.
Sometimes you probably are likeokay enough already, I just
want to enjoy myself.
No, it's fine, it's fine, it'sall good.
You brought up your sister.
You two co-authored the bookTiny Life Changes.
How did all that come about?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Well, we both went through a really difficult time.
Right about the same time.
My sister was diagnosed withbreast cancer at the age of 35,
when her youngest was 11 monthsold.
She had her double mastectomy.
She couldn't even lift her ownbaby.
She almost had to move in withmy mom.
Her husband was at work all day, so she was managing having
three children.
(06:06):
I, at the same time, was goingthrough the downturn of 2008.
It was just a difficult timefor my family.
We both took the experience andchange happens all the time but
it's just really how you reactto that change.
We both felt that we came outbetter people because of the
experience that we had.
We just wanted to put pen topaper to share our experience.
(06:30):
It's a very simple book.
It's a journal-style book we'rejournal girls Just really about
incorporating simple changes tomove forward in life, no matter
what your situation, and alsojust about the thoughts that you
have that may not be servingyou.
How to take those thoughts andturn them around to something
that can serve you better.
I was diagnosed withinterstitial cystitis when I was
(06:54):
, let's see, about 29 years old.
So I'm 58 now.
I've been medication-free forabout 20 years, but it was a
really difficult time in my lifeand I still have a lot of women
that will reach out to me forthis and it's my way of giving
back.
But you can become in a verydark space when you're living
with that chronic pain.
So what I do with these ladiesand they really feel appreciated
(07:17):
is just to help them to keepmoving forward.
So if they aren't having a badday, think of something else.
What are you grateful for today?
Okay, maybe I didn't feel well,but I was able to stay in bed
and read a book to my daughter.
I'm really grateful for that.
Or maybe I can't jog right nowbecause my bladder is too
painful, but maybe I can lookinto doing like gentle yoga and
(07:38):
that might be something that isreally helpful for me and I'm
looking forward to doing that.
So we just keep looking forways to move forward.
Take that mindset of am I goingto be like this forever to one
more of hope where, yes, I'mfeeling my body, I'm taking
control of my life and my health, and just keep moving forward.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
We've not talked about interstitial interstitial
cystitis.
I should be able to say that mydad was a urologist.
Oh, wow, yeah, but how does ittypically present and what is
the usual treatment protocol forinterstitial cystitis?
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Well, you know, when I was diagnosed it was barely
known.
There's so much more knownabout it now, and one of the
reasons why it is difficult totreat is because now it's
thought to be what's called anumbrella diagnosis, so women can
have it for different reasons.
A lot of the women that I talkto it usually starts off as
recurrent urinary tractinfections, and I feel that's
(08:36):
what happened with myself aswell, and then my body was just
under so much stress, beingright out of pharmacy school, a
young pharmacist, a toddler's athome, and it just bloomed from
there.
But it's extremely painful.
Some women may experience itbecause they have a really tight
pelvic floor and that justbrings about the pain.
So there's different treatmentmethods.
(08:57):
Nowadays a lot of women see apelvic floor physical therapist.
There are different medicationsthat you can take.
Diet is certainly key.
There's something called theinterstitial cystitis diet and I
share a lot about that on mywebsite.
But avoiding acidic foods,citrus, coffee, alcohol,
chocolate, all the good stuff,but that really the diet, is
(09:17):
really what's so helpful incontrolling symptoms, especially
for me, and that's how I'vecontrolled my symptoms for years
now as well.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
So there is a tie between pelvic floor health and
UTIs as well then.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Well, I mean it could be caused by so many different
things.
But yes, sometimes thatirritation that's caused by
urinary tract infections, itcauses that autoimmune response
where your bladder just kind ofattacks itself and then it just
blossoms from there and thenother women will just get into a
pattern of holding their pelvisreally tight because they are
in so much pain and then thatjust becomes a chronic cycle as
(09:55):
well, and then seeing a pelvicfloor physical therapist and
learning how to relax thatpelvic floor can be really
helpful in alleviating symptomsas well.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
And you being in the business and having lived
through this.
I've had a couple conversationson the podcast about pelvic
floor health and it really isamazing at all the areas of our
life that it touches when youthink about having children and
our posture and painful sex, andit's amazing and it wasn't even
(10:29):
until maybe the last year ortwo that I even knew that there
were actual specialists thathelped women through these
issues.
So this is very fascinating.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
It really is.
And just speaking about bladderissues overactive bladder I did
a presentation with a studythat shared that 75% of women
will experience even one episodeof incontinence in midlife
every month.
It's something that womenaren't talking about.
Even with interstitial cystitis, with overactive bladder,
sometimes it takes almost sevenyears to get a diagnosis.
(11:03):
A lot of times women just thinkthis is something that I have
to live with.
It's shameful, it'sembarrassing.
They don't want to share itwith their physician.
But there are definitelyoptions.
So that's kind of one of myresonating themes when I do talk
about bladder health is thatyou're not alone.
Many other women areexperiencing this and there is
hope and there are treatmentoptions.
So it's not something that youjust have to live with.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
You know, I'm glad you brought that up.
I was at a women's event oneevening and one of the pelvic
floor therapists was saying ifyou leak urine at any time, that
is not normal.
You need to get that addressed.
(11:45):
And you should have seen thelooks on the faces because the
women were like, uh okay, wetend to live with things beyond
the realm of normal because wedon't always put ourselves first
.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Exactly.
It's just something that'sreally embarrassing to talk
about, and so when I firststarted talking about this, it
was due to being on a podcast,you know, sharing the book Tiny
Life Changes, and one of theinterviewers asked me about my
interstitial cystitis diagnosis.
I was kind of not expectingthat question.
I had shared about it once, Ibelieve, on Instagram.
(12:24):
I was like, oh my gosh, why amI talking about this?
This is so embarrassing.
But I just started sharing moreabout it and it was just so
interesting to me because Iwould have big influencers start
following me.
And then I'm like, oh, wow.
And then I get the message likemy daughter experiences urinary
tract problems, or my sister ormyself, it's something that's
(12:46):
so many women experience andit's just not discussed.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Yeah, we have to talk about these things and I'm
pretty much an open book withall my issues.
I have the attitude of allright, I'm going to put myself
out there.
Sometimes it's a little much,it might be a little
embarrassing at times, but if Ican help one person with an
issue they're like oh, I havethe same thing, then it's all
(13:12):
worth it and I'm okay because Ifeel the same.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
I feel exactly the same.
And that's why I'm on Instagramtalking about my bladder.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Well, and I think it's also the beauty.
I don't.
I don't know how I'll do,arlisa, but I'm 59.
I'm 58.
Okay, I don't really care.
I don't really care what peoplethink I do, but I don't.
You know, it's like it is whatit is right.
All right, I want to talk aboutsugar in our diet.
(13:41):
I don't know what it is thislast few weeks.
Sugar, this sugar that constantglucose monitors.
We know that too much sugar inour diet is bad from the weight
perspective and that there is anincreased risk of diabetes.
But how much sugar is bad?
(14:03):
What should we really beavoiding?
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Okay, great question.
What I recommend is theAmerican Heart Association
recommendation of 25 grams ofadded sugar per day for women
and 37.5 grams for men.
This is a great starting pointif you've never looked at sugar
consumption before.
This number I have been clawedout on because it's actually a
(14:27):
generous number and a lot ofpeople will even go to five to
10 grams of sugar.
But really just start byreading labels.
So I was not always aware ofsugar and aware of my health.
One of the first reasons that Istarted looking at sugar
content and foods was after mymother-in-law's Alzheimer's
diagnosis, because I knew thatsugar was not an efficient fuel
(14:50):
for the brain to run on and it'slinked to so many things
besides diabetes.
But it's just can cause thatlow level inflammation in the
body which can be related tocardiovascular disease cancers.
Alzheimer's sugar can actuallytrigger the overactive bladder
symptoms.
So I just started readinglabels, just for example.
I like to share this a lot.
(15:10):
Sometimes healthy foods that youthink of are healthy can
actually be high in sugar.
So yogurt, for one.
I love yogurt, but if you lookat just your regular average
yogurt, it can have 15 grams ofsugar in it, and so you want to
look for the lower sugar yogurt,sometimes the Greek yogurt that
has the 0% fat.
That's what I'll usually lookfor Granola.
(15:32):
So if you're having yogurt withgranola on it, granola can
typically be high in sugar thosealso about 15 grams Then you
know.
So let's say, for breakfast youhave your yogurt and granola,
you already have 30 grams ofsugar.
That's over the 25 grams forthe day.
Then you have a protein bar asa late morning snack.
That's another 15 grams.
So it's not that you're goingout and having the sugary
(15:55):
Starbucks drink, you're justhaving foods that you've been
told are really healthy for youYogurt, granola, protein bars
and you're still over your sugarcontent for the day.
So that's why it's just soimportant to read labels, and
what I do is I just look at twodifferent granolas, whatever it
may be, and look for the lowersugar option.
That's how I got started, justto always go in with the lower
(16:17):
sugar option with fruit and Ican't eat a lot of fruit just
due to the interstitial cystitisdiet but berries are really low
in sugar, so blueberries,raspberries, things like that,
are really low in sugar.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
So that's a really great way to go too Well and I
think it's good to define thesugar source right.
If it's White refined sugar,that's what you really need to
watch.
So natural sugars that show upin fruit are okay, and we're not
talking carbohydrate because Ithink that's the other thing
(16:50):
it's.
We're not saying carbohydratesare bad because we need
carbohydrate for brain functionand muscle health and all of
that.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Absolutely so.
Even you know, with the granola, oh, it's a healthy
carbohydrate, but it could haveadded sugar in there.
So that's why you want to lookfor a little bit more of a pure
source, I think.
As they always say, shop aroundthe perimeter of the store and
then you're usually doing prettywell with you know, fruits,
vegetables, natural oats.
You can even make your owngranola if you really wanted to.
(17:19):
But yeah, just that added sugaris what to look for, because it
can be really surprising.
You'll be very surprised whenyou start reading labels.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
I was laughing because I was like, yeah, well,
I eat Greek yogurt, but it has alittle fruit cup on the side
which I know has sugar in it.
Then sometimes I do proteinbars.
So you called me out and I will.
I'll be a little bit more awareafter this conversation.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
I do want to make a point though, because a lot of
protein bars will say that theyhave no sugar in them, and those
will have sugar alcohol, and sosugar alcohol that really can
wreak havoc on your stomach.
So it's things that end in OL,Like Arithritol, Maxitol, those
will be sugar alcohol.
(18:05):
So it'll say sugar alcohol andthat counts as half your sugar
serving.
But it can be really upsettingto the stomach.
So you don't want to go nosugar either, because with sugar
alcohol that can present awhole other set of issues.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
It can get you very gassy.
Yes, yes, I discovered that, onmy own, I was eating these
protein bars which I thoughtwere, you know, low glycemic and
low sugar, and oh, it was notpleasant.
Oh, I got rid of them.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
That's what's happened to me with different
protein bars as well.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
OK, it wasn't just me .
I want to talk a little bitabout intermittent fasting,
because this comes up quite abit.
But I come from the standpointthat one size does not fit all
with intermittent fasting.
So if you're 30 years old, yourintermittent fast may look
different than if you're 50 plus.
(19:01):
Yes, where do you stand onintermittent fasting and for
women who are older?
Speaker 2 (19:08):
I'm so glad we were talking about this.
I've shared numerous times thatI even have a blog post on it
about the benefits of a 12 hourfast.
A lot of the studies that weredone on fasting were done with
men and, especially as we age,some women just produce cortisol
when they fast for too long,myself being one of them.
There really just are so manybenefits of fasting.
(19:30):
I just really recommend noteating after dinner.
That's how I started.
I used to be at what I called anighttime nibbler, so I would
just be eating for no reasonafter dinner.
Again, after my mother-in-law'sAlzheimer's diagnosis, I was
looking for ways to preventAlzheimer's.
So not eating at least threehours before going to bed really
just gives your brain a chanceto relax, to not be
(19:52):
concentrating on digestion, tobe able to have that cellular
renewal and regeneration whileyou're sleeping clear the
amyloid protein that can preventcognitive issues.
So that's what I reallyrecommend.
And people will ask me a lot oftimes like if I skip lunch, is
that considered fasting?
No, you want to really be inthat fasted state.
Sleep is really so wonderfulfor cellular renewal.
(20:16):
So you want to be fasting for afew hours before you go to bed
and then when you sleep you'llhave all the benefits of fasting
for that cellular rejuvenationand it really is just so helpful
.
But a lot of women can't reallygo past that 12 to 14 hour mark
and I've seen this with myself.
I use a device called Lumenthat measures whether you're at
(20:40):
fat burn or carb burn, and somany women in their community
will share that.
Why am I going into carb burnthe longer I fast?
Because it really I should beburning more fat but they're not
.
Because your body startsfeeling that it's under attack,
that you need to eat, and youstart producing cortisol and
then it's kind of having theopposite effect.
(21:01):
So really, just listen to yourbody.
I mean, for me, I start feelingnot only shaky but I start
having a lot of heartpalpitations and that's when I
know, ok, I've gone a little toolong with the fasting.
Listen to your body.
It just long fast might not beright for you, and I've done
extremely long fasts in the pastand that's kind of how I
discovered this that it's justnot right for me.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
I've tried the 16 hour and I get brain fog and I
get shaky.
It's just not worth it and Ilike to work out in the morning,
to work out fast.
It's some mornings is difficult.
I don't have the energy that Ireally need and so I've started.
Really, 12 hours is probably mymax on many days.
(21:46):
I'm glad you were.
We got to talk about that,because I think that's an
important topic.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Oh yeah no, because I feel so many people are just
strictly sharing about the 16eight time restrictive eating
and then so many people willpromote the benefits and I love
the benefits of a long fast.
That's why I tried to do longerfast myself, but it's just not
right for everybody.
As you said, you just reallyhave to listen to your body.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
That's great advice.
You do talk about gut healthand you were talking about the
Mediterranean diet, and theninflammation and reducing
inflammation.
If we're experiencinginflammation, possibly from our
diet, how does that typicallypresent itself?
Speaker 2 (22:30):
When people hear inflammation they usually just
think of joint pain, that typeof thing, but it really can be
anything from that brain fog tofeeling tired, to GI issues, to
mood, so it can presentdifferent ways and that low
level inflammation really iswhat can lead to different types
of disease states in the future.
I was actually just listeningto a podcast where it was saying
(22:53):
that it is just so tied tocognitive health.
So it really is just soimportant to have that good gut
health because that really helpsthings keep moving.
I'm really all about that.
So not only taking a probiotic,but having a lot of fiber in
the diet through fruits,vegetables really so important
because you want to be riddingyour body of the toxins and for
(23:16):
detoxing.
A lot of people will share thatyou should be going to the
bathroom twice a day.
When I studied herbalism andherbalism, they actually feel
that you should be going afterevery meal.
That sometimes is very shockingto people too, especially for
those who maybe do not even havea bowel movement daily.
So you really want to have thatgood gut health, not only for
(23:39):
immunity but mood.
It really is just so importanton so many different levels.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
If someone isn't having a bowel movement every
day, first line of defense isdiet correct.
Yes, Diet, make sure you'regetting enough water.
Then when do you say, all right, you're probably not getting
enough fiber and we should begetting that from food, whether
it's chia seeds, flaxseed,whatever, I guess.
(24:06):
But then there's metamucil andthose types of psyllium type
products.
Do you ever recommend that topeople that are having that
issue?
Speaker 2 (24:16):
I think that you really again have to read labels
here, because you want about 20to 25 grams of fiber per day
and you might sometimes have toease up into that because you
can get GI issues if you go tooquickly with the fiber and then
also drink plenty of water,because sometimes that can have
the opposite effect.
If you're having a lot of oatsor something like that and not
drinking, the water can kind ofget backed up.
(24:36):
But it can be extremelyshocking when you go to look
over the counter products andyou're looking at some fiber
tablets.
They only have two to threegrams of fiber in them.
So really take a look.
So you really want to see howmuch fiber is actually there.
Metamucil I don't know exactlyhow much is in the powder form.
(24:57):
You don't want the one that hasthe added sugar, the flavored.
I don't really like that.
I would just try to go withnatural sources.
You know raspberries are highin fiber avocado, the seeds I
love seeds flaxseeds, chia seeds, things like that can really be
helpful.
And drink plenty of water too,ok.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
On top of good gut health.
We were talking about theMediterranean diet.
When you are eating theMediterranean diet, what does a
typical dinner look like forLisa?
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Well, first of all, I'm obsessed with salmon.
I probably have more salmonthan the average person, but I
usually we always just have asalad for dinner and you know,
some grilled vegetables, salmon,chicken, that type of thing.
I just shared this, actually,in an Instagram story.
I love smoked salmon, kind ofwhat you would refer to as locks
(25:47):
for lunch.
I'll just take some locks, puta little bit of avocado in the
middle, roll it up.
It almost is like, I guess,sushi, so it's something like
that.
In the morning I usually haveeggs.
But I really really startedlearning a lot about the
Mediterranean diet after readingDr Balter Longo's book, the
Longevity Diet, and he is reallya big proponent of the
(26:10):
Mediterranean style diet.
When you really think about theblue zone, some of the blue
zones in Italy and Greece, it'sa Mediterranean style diet.
And I was actually talking toanother lady who's an expert on
longevity and she was justsaying use olive oil.
Just you don't wanna be usingthose refined oils anyway, but
just a good quality olive oil ina glass bottle, sate your
(26:30):
vegetables in it, use it to cookyour eggs, whatever it may be.
It's just really just sohelpful for brain health.
I think it's a fabulous way toeat, easy too, I think.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
The blue zones.
We may wanna explain what thoseblue zones are to some of the
listeners.
I know there was a lot ofresearch done on this, but can
you explain a little bit aboutthe significance of the blue
zones?
Speaker 2 (26:53):
They're regions where they have a lot of people
living to an older age.
So they take a look at whatthese people are doing.
A lot of it actually has to dowith connection so there was
just recently a documentary onNetflix about this and so much
of it has to do with movement.
Daily Just not even exercise,but they just garden and walk
(27:14):
and do that type of thing.
There's a lot of connection intheir area.
They're all eating that salmon,fish, fruits, vegetables, olive
oil so it's just a very healthyoverall lifestyle and different
communities have this longerlife.
There's actually, I guess LomaLinda.
California also is a blue zone.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Ah, I heard that that is really interesting.
Yes, and so it is possible.
We can do that if we affectsome good, positive changes.
It's not always easy.
You had an opportunity toattend the influencers of
midlife in Las Vegas and I wouldlove to hear about the
gathering and what yourtakeaways were.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Oh, my goodness, I loved this event.
I was actually one of the firstpeople to sign up for it, but
this has been just such awonderful experience in midlife
being on social media, beingable to share on podcasts like
this.
The connections that I've madeare just really so invaluable
and I know for a lot of women asthey become empty nesters, as
they go into midlife, theirlives are changing.
(28:18):
They're looking for somethingmore.
I was looking for that more,too, when I wrote the book with
my sister, but this has beenjust such a wonderful
opportunity that fills my day.
I've connected with so manywonderful women.
Of course, I picked up somefantastic tips there, too, about
blogging and different ways toshare my business the fulfilled
pharmacist but really it's thatconnection with women.
(28:39):
I feel like I will be connectedto those women for the rest of
my life.
It was just really a wonderfulexperience.
I highly recommend anybodygoing.
There's gonna be probably onein another about year and a half
.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
I was just preparing for my podcast for next week and
the connection piece thewillingness of women to reach
out and help each other, supporteach other, be each other's
cheerleaders I think is sophenomenal.
When we get to this age, wereally do wanna foster and
(29:16):
continue to make new friends.
I love that.
So what an important event andreally cool that you got to rub
elbows with some of your fellowinfluencers.
That's really neat.
One thing that I've starteddoing the last I don't know four
or five podcasts is I'm askingall my guests what one of their
(29:36):
pillars of self-care is.
What would you consider yourone major pillar of self-care?
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Well, I don't know if this is the right answer, but I
love sleep.
I don't know if that's really apillar of self-care, but I
really just feel that in thepast I would feel guilty about
sleeping or taking a nap.
But I really just feel thatsleep is so important for health
and it really just makes youfeel refreshed and willing and
it gives you that new outlook onyour day when you're not so
(30:03):
tired and you're able to giveback to everyone because you
feel rested.
So I'm all about sleep.
That's my one important thingright there.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Yeah, I don't know if we actually appreciate sleep
until we don't have good sleep,yes.
And then we're like, oh,sleep's really, really important
.
I mean, we remember when ourbabies were little and sleep was
a premium then.
And then it kind of gets alittle better, and then we start
(30:32):
going through perimenopause andthen the menopause, and then
the rug gets ripped out fromunder us again.
I've actually shared withpeople that follow me on social
media that I've gone probablyhow many days now?
27 days now with no alcohol.
Oh, good for you.
Oh my God, lisa, my sleep hasimproved.
(30:54):
It's amazing, it's exponential,how much more quality sleep I'm
getting.
Whether I stop drinkingaltogether in the future, I
can't make that call yet, but Iam very encouraged with the
results so far.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
And, just as a side note, I don't drink alcohol just
due to my bladder issues, andso I feel that I honestly don't
miss it.
I guess I never really had it,but I mean, I feel that it
really just I think that you canfind ways to still just enjoy
company and enjoy a dinnerwithout having alcohol too.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
Yeah, and I found some non-alcoholic options, too
that I like pretty well.
So I do want to ask is thereanything that you're working on,
anything new for the fulfilledpharmacist?
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Well, to be honest, I'm just blogging more.
So I really have always have aYouTube channel, which I didn't
really keep working on becausethat just took a lot of time,
and I have my website, which Ihave some blog posts on.
But after going to theinfluencers of midlife, I am
really just committed to moreblogging.
So I'm always on social media.
Instagram takes up a lot of mytime, but, if that's okay, I
(32:09):
need to just carve out more timefor blogging, because that is
where I can really expand onwhat I'm saying on social media,
because my Instagram posts tendto be fairly long anyway, but
just to kind of reach anotheraudience.
As I said before, I'm justsuper passionate about women
looking and feeling their bestat any age, so just anything to
get my message out.
(32:30):
So just more blogging.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Well, and you kind of answered that where people can
find you.
And what I'll do is I'll putall your contact information in
the show notes so people canhave that.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Fabulous, yeah, and I would love to connect on social
media.
So, if you are listening tothis and hear me say hello on
Instagram, I would love to chat.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Wonderful Lisa, thank you so much for being here.
Thank you, it's such a pleasureMUSIC.
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