January 13, 2025 • 51 mins
Ready to thrive in your 50s and beyond? Tune into this episode for a fun and inspiring conversation with culinary wellness coach Kristen Coffield. Kristen is here to share her powerful journey and expert tips on building lasting health habits as you embrace midlife. From a family-owned gift shop to becoming a sought-after wellness advocate, Kristen’s transformation is a testament to what’s possible when we take control of our health—and support each other along the way.
In this episode, we dive into the real-talk on alcohol and caffeine, two common culprits that can impact your wellness journey. Kristen explains their links to health issues and offers practical tips on mindful consumption. Plus, discover healthier drink options and learn about her 21-day wellness reset program designed to detox and recharge. Hydration is also a hot topic—because feeling great starts with a foundation of good habits, and we’ve got you covered with easy-to-implement tips.
We also explore the evolving role of Gen X and Boomer women—balancing grandparenthood, caregiving, and staying active. Get ready to hear about the importance of functional movement, setting healthy boundaries, and strengthening those vital family connections. Plus, we talk about the life-saving power of CPR training for grandparents—because staying prepared is key!
Packed with practical wellness strategies, this episode is your go-to guide for living a vibrant, energized life. Don’t miss it—because thriving in midlife starts now!
You can find Kristen and her wonderful offerings at:
The Culinary Cure
Instagram
Newsletter | Free Hydration Training
YouTube
Facebook
Her next 21-day Wellness Reset begins January 20, 2025
_________________________________________
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. I'd love to work with you! Let me help you reach your health and fitness goals.
https://www.fasterwaycoach.com/?aid=MicheleFolan
Have questions about Faster Way? Please email me at:
mfolanfasterway@gmail.com
After trying countless products that overpromised and underdelivered, RIMAN skincare finally gave me real, visible results—restoring my glow, firmness, and confidence in my skin at 61. RIMAN Korea's #1 Skincare Line - https://michelefolan.riman.com
*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.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Michele Folan (00:04):
Health, wellness, fitness and everything in
between.
We're removing the taboo fromwhat really matters in midlife.
I'm your host, Michele Folan,and this is Asking for a Friend.
Some of you may already be inthe throes of grandparenting, or
(00:25):
perhaps you have the covetedrole of favorite great aunt.
I personally don't seegrandkids in my immediate future
, but nonetheless I do thinkabout what that will look like.
Will I be active, mobile andhealthy enough to enjoy all the
great moments when my time comes?
You may be asking yourself thevery same.
Enter.
(00:46):
My next guest, Kristen Coffield, is a staunch advocate and
coach for all of us midlifewomen who not only want to be
our healthiest selves in thischapter of life, but are eager
to be the best we can be when itcomes to nurturing future
generations of family.
Kristen Coffield, welcome toAsking for a Friend.
Kristen Coffield (01:08):
Michele, thank you so much for inviting me to
be on, and I love what you dobecause women, supporting women,
especially in this over 50space, is really important, and
I feel like my messaging shouldreally land well with your
audience.
Because here's the deal.
(01:28):
We all want to be active agers,right?
Yes, we want to live younger,longer and better.
Absolutely so for me.
I'm 66, and what that lookslike for me is I want to keep
doing everything I'm doing rightnow, to the best of my ability,
for the next 20 years.
Michele Folan (01:47):
Oh, I love this great message.
Kristen Coffield (01:50):
How do we so in that?
Having said that, how do we putthat on autopilot so it doesn't
feel like this big,insurmountable task to get
healthier and stay healthier andget stronger, because we can't
lose our muscle and, you know,risk our bones?
(02:11):
You know we don't want to belike my poor little
mother-in-law who had a fall andyou know she's like a china
cabinet.
You know she just.
You know we can see what thefuture could look like if we
don't take proactive steps whenwe're in our 50s and 60s and 70s
(02:31):
so that our 80s and 90s can beenergized and active, just like
those people in the blue zones.
Michele Folan (02:38):
Yes, and we do talk about the blue zones every
once in a while and we have alot to learn, but I think we're
on the cusp of some really goodthings here in terms of health
for this age group.
And I want to back up becauseI'd love for you to just tell
the audience a little bit moreabout you and like where you're
(03:01):
from, your career path, and thenalso some family details.
Kristen Coffield (03:07):
All right.
So I have a background in food.
My background is a chef.
I started in high school.
My mom had a shop.
This is kind of a funny story.
My mom had a gift shop in thesmall town in Westchester, New
York, that I grew up in, and shehad a really well-known gift
(03:29):
shop and I worked for her sinceI was a little kid, because my
mom was a single lady for a longtime, so she was supporting our
family and I would after schoolgo to her shop and hang out in
the back of the shop and makeboxes, organize things, and of
course all that organizationcame with me and it's part of
what I do as a culinary wellnesscoach.
(03:52):
But when I turned about 16, itbecame clear to me and my mom
that we probably shouldn't beworking together and she had a
friend who had just opened agourmet shop.
So this is like 1975.
Oh, wow.
And this woman was.
She had trained with DionyLucas, who was an acolyte of
(04:15):
Julia Childs, and she was doingthings in 1975 that nobody was
doing.
I mean she had real buttercroissant that nobody was doing.
I mean she had real buttercroissant.
She was doing gourmet foodright before Martha Stewart kind
of blew up, right, yeah.
So she was right there at thecusp of everything that changed
food the way we know it.
(04:36):
And I started working for herin high school.
And then I went off to collegeand the next thing I know I'm at
Columbia University and thewoman I worked for went out of
business and people startedcalling me and saying, hey,
Kristen, can you just bring somehors d'oeuvres and a bartender
and come on over to my house?
(04:57):
And so I started my firstcatering company when I was in
college.
Oh my God, yeah, A girlfriendand I started In Good Taste and
the next thing I knew I wascatering my way through college
and then I ended up working inrestaurants and selling wine.
(05:19):
But I always had a passion andinterest in our wellness habits,
so I used to belong because Iwent to school in Manhattan.
I used to belong to the JackLaLanne gym oh God, I'm loving
this story.
That was right by Grand CentralStation and I would go there
(05:42):
and I loved workout classes andI loved sitting in the sauna,
and so this is like late 1970s,early 1980s and the next thing I
know I'm, you know, followingthe love of my life, who's in
the army and I find myself outin Washington State, out in
Seattle, and now I'm sellingwine.
And long story short, we getmarried, we moved to the
(06:06):
Washington DC area and I openeda catering company.
Michele Folan (06:12):
Oh, wow.
Kristen Coffield (06:13):
Yeah, oh, my gosh, yeah.
So I catered for a number ofyears and then I did an
interesting pivot.
I had three kids.
I was really tired ofschlepping stuff all over
Washington and I created beforethere were Blue Apron and all of
those things I had asubscription meal plan.
(06:36):
So for high-performing athletesand executives, I was preparing
three to five meals a week anddelivering them.
Oh dear, I know Really whatwere you thinking.
That's a lot of work and I havethree kids in three different
schools.
But it occurred to me that I wasgiving a man a fish and that
(06:58):
what I really needed to do wasteach a woman to fish and focus
on women, who were the culinarydecision makers, for the most
part for their families.
And that's when I started theCulinary Cure.
So I created a wellness websitefor women who were over 50 at
(07:19):
that time.
So I'm 66 now and I realized noone had created a roadmap for
life over 50.
When your kids leave home, whenyou might be dealing with some
real life struggles with yourparents, with your own health,
with your marriage, with yourfinances Hello, I had all of the
above and I found myselfactually very depressed.
(07:46):
There had been a lot ofchallenges.
My mom's breast cancer cameback.
My dad had Alzheimer's.
I was diagnosed with thyroidcancer.
We got into some financialchallenges that affected our
marriage.
The last kid went off to school.
My dog died.
Michele Folan (08:05):
Yeah, it's like real life stuff.
Kristen Coffield (08:14):
It's real life stuff, and just because
somebody looks like they've gottheir shit together doesn't mean
that they're not just puttingtheir best face forward and that
underneath they're just tryingto figure out how to get through
each frigging day.
Michele Folan (08:24):
Yeah.
Kristen Coffield (08:25):
Yeah, and that's where I was.
I mean, the rope was long.
Everything I just shared withyou took about a decade and, as
a woman, I did that amazingthing that we women do where you
rob Peter to pay Paul, you'replaying like a shell game and
you're still putting forth yourbest face because you don't want
your kids to know you'refalling apart and your big world
(08:49):
gets smaller and smallerbecause people get tired of
hearing about what's not goingright in your life and so you're
very careful who you shareinformation with and you start
to spend more time in your headand literally one day I woke up
and had a thrive or die moment.
I was like this cannot be whatthe universe had planned for me.
(09:11):
I cannot imagine every day issupposed to be me waking up and
figuring out how the heck am Igoing to get through this day
having multiple cups of coffeeand then opening the wine at
five and going to sleep andhaving not good sleep.
So here's where my story takesthis turn that can help every
(09:32):
woman.
I have that thrive or die momentand I think, okay, I can't
control all of this stuff.
I can't control what'shappening to my finances or my
parents or my kids, but I cancontrol what I put in my body,
the thoughts in my head and howI get through each day.
(09:53):
That's a choice.
So what happens when we getdepressed and feel very alone is
we rewire our brains.
So, instead of feeding ourbrains positivity, we start
feeding our brains negativity.
Our brains love negativitybecause that's what keeps us
safe and before you know it,you're just a magnet for nothing
(10:18):
, going right in your world, inyour life, in your day.
So I discovered that I wasn'tsleeping anyway.
So why the heck not go to a 5am workout?
And the caffeine and thealcohol were not serving me.
But I added more water and Idid research on hydration and
(10:38):
what I found blew my mind.
That hydration is this freepractice that none of us are
optimizing that has thepotential to improve every
aspect of our lives, from ourmood to our sleep, to our muscle
pliability, to our detoxifying,to our major organ functioning.
(11:02):
It's everything.
And yet major organ functioningit's everything.
And yet no one teaches us tohydrate.
We are not given programming inschool or anywhere that says,
hey, this is how you do it, thisis this thing you need to do.
Water is an essential nutrientand it can make everything you
do easier can make everythingyou do easier.
Michele Folan (11:28):
And you know I will say this elderly people are
chronically dehydrated.
They'll have a cup of coffeeand a little three ounce glass
of orange juice, and they mayhave some water when they take
their pills, but they don'tdrink water at all.
It's frightening.
Kristen Coffield (11:43):
Yeah, and that was my grandmother.
We'd say oh little Grammy, didyou have your water today?
And she's like oh yes, dear,I've already had three big
glasses of water and it's athree ounce shot glass.
Michele Folan (11:58):
No, exactly, it's like the prune juice glass.
Kristen Coffield (12:02):
Right, and so there's a reason for all of that
.
So hydration, like exercise,like positive thinking, like
meditation, like nutrition, it'sa practice, and the more we do
it, the better we can get.
So it's really crucial that weestablish a hydration practice
in our midlife years and carrythat with us, because as we get
(12:26):
older, we lose our sense ofthirst.
When the weather's colder, welose our sense of thirst.
So sure, it's easy to drinklots of water when it's 95
degrees out and when you'rethirsty, that's your reminder.
Oh yeah, maybe I should havehad another glass of water, but
at that point you're walkingaround partially dehydrated,
(12:47):
which leads to poor food choices, crappy sleep, a hangry mood,
less pliable muscles.
So exercise is harder.
Michele Folan (13:00):
Yeah, and let's not forget about skin.
Kristen Coffield (13:04):
Yeah, people are like, oh my gosh, your skin
is amazing.
And I always say, well, I haveto first say the hydration makes
a huge difference.
Michele Folan (13:13):
Absolutely, and you look fantastic, and I think
this is one of those momentswhere I just have to say I love
that you had this midlifeepiphany about your health, but
even more importantly, about howyou were going to approach life
, because this was pivotal foryou.
(13:33):
You were, you were spiraling,and a lot of women do, because
we're really trying to defineourselves at this point because
we are empty nesters, we may begoing through some difficult
life transitions and no onetells us how to handle that.
So thank you for sharing that.
I also want to ask you aquestion.
(13:55):
So you were talking about thecoffee and the alcohol and all
of that.
What is your approach now interms of caffeine and alcohol
and just managing that in yourlife?
Kristen Coffield (14:09):
Yeah, and this is one of those hot button
topics, because sometimes peopledon't like the answer.
Sometimes people don't like theanswer, and so here's what you
need to know.
Alcohol is a double toxin it'stoxic when you drink it and it's
toxic when your liver processesit.
(14:31):
So when your liver processesalcohol, it creates a secondary
toxin, and alcohol consumptionis linked to like 30 different
types of cancer.
But for women, it's importantto know that alcohol consumption
is linked to breast cancer.
Yep, so my mom died from breastcancer.
Now, having said that, I dodrink alcohol.
(14:53):
I am very careful about what Idrink.
So wine is a real slipperyslope for women, because most of
the wine people are drinking iscommercially produced wine.
So commercially produced wineis made from commercially grown
grapes.
Commercially grown grapes arealways at the top of the dirty
(15:17):
dozen list, meaning they'retreated with more chemicals,
fungicides, herbicides,pesticides than any other
produce out there.
So now you're talking abouttaking produce that's toxic
laden, squeezing it Now youthink of a little grape, and how
much surface area that issqueezing it and making it into
(15:40):
wine, and all of that dirtyjuice turns into dirty wine.
And then, on top of that,commercially produced wine,
makers are allowed to add thingsto commercially produced wine,
like sugar, like artificialingredients to enhance flavor,
color, consistency of product.
(16:02):
So there's a reason that someof these brands, which I won't
name, but it always tastesexactly the same and that's
because it's a wine-like,chemically altered product.
So you're not just getting thealcohol, which is not good for
you, you're getting all theseother sugars and toxins.
(16:23):
So that's why you know, foranybody who's crying listening
to this, they're like I love mywine, I love my wine.
Find a good wine store, lookfor natural and biodynamic wines
and make that your choice.
That's going to be a betterchoice.
I'm a tequila drinker, sotequila has got a different kind
(16:44):
of sugar in it.
It's got something calledagavans.
It doesn't spike your bloodsugar the same way the sugars in
other alcohols do.
That's not to say it's good foryou.
It's just to say if you'retrying to pick something that's
maybe not as bad as somethingelse, maybe tequila is your
(17:04):
friend.
Michele Folan (17:05):
Yeah and so my listeners know this that I've
come to terms with alcohol overthe years, particularly during
COVID and after COVID, Kristen'snodding her head like yeah,
yeah.
So wine and I have pretty muchhad a breakup because of how my
body processes it and the sleepissues, so that was probably an
(17:29):
easier decision.
I like bourbon, so that's theone thing that if I do have a
cocktail, it will most likely bea bourbon, but it is as you
said.
It is a very unpopular topic.
I am always cautious whenever Iput something out there on
social media about alcoholbecause I lose followers
(17:54):
whenever I bring it up.
Kristen Coffield (17:55):
Yeah, don't shoot the messenger if you don't
like the message.
Just take it to heart that youwould never want to find
yourself in a place where youwere saying, wow, I wish I had
created healthier habits aroundthat.
So when we talk about alcohol,a big part of alcohol is the
(18:16):
sugar that's in it, and sugar isthe most highly addictive
substance on the planet.
So here's my to wrap this up,and then we can move on to
caffeine.
I recommend that and I do thismyself personally.
So I have a 21 day wellnessreset that I offer for active
grandparents and active agersand during that 21 days we detox
(18:41):
from alcohol, from caffeine,from added sugars, artificial
ingredients, gmos, conventionaldairy gluten and, of course,
people are like horrified, butthat's like seven things.
And then we focus on the 7million things that you can eat,
that you just aren't eating anddrinking, and most people
(19:05):
actually I would say everysingle person that does the
program has a profoundrevelation about the habitual
behavior around alcohol.
Alcohol is just a bad habit.
You can still have alcohol.
Alcohol, alcohol is just a badhabit.
You can still have alcohol.
Just save it for when you'regoing to really appreciate it,
which isn't every day at fiveo'clock, right, when I'm
(19:26):
coaching private clients andthey're like trying to break up
with alcohol, I say and they getthere, like it's five o'clock,
I want a glass of wine.
I say you may have a glass ofwine at seven, but right now
have a seltzer with lime, or dosomething else, but nobody wants
it at seven, they want it right.
(19:47):
So it's just a manner ofcreating new habits.
43% of what you do every singleday is mindless repetition.
You don't think, you just do.
Those are your habits.
That includes what we eat anddrink.
So when we talk about livingyounger, longer and better, what
we're talking about isoptimizing your habits to
(20:08):
support how you want to look,feel and be as you age.
I love it.
So you know, hey, one more triparound the sun, this time
wearing more sunblock, be aware.
Now the second thing I want tosay about alcohol is never, ever
have a sip of alcohol untilyou've completed your hydration
(20:32):
for the day.
So I give away a free 14-dayhydration training.
I do this because it's soimportant.
You know, my wellness journeystarted with hydration.
Every client I ever coach, if Ican't get you hydrated, there's
nothing else.
No other lasting change willstick for you.
(20:54):
So we always come back tohydration as a foundational
practice for living our mostenergized and happiest lives.
So how much water is that?
You can take my 14-day programto find out, but at a minimum
it's half your body weight inounces of water, and you didn't
(21:15):
drink it all at one time.
You've been sipping that up tothat point.
Michele Folan (21:19):
Okay, and you didn't drink it all at one time.
You've been sipping that up tothat point, okay, yeah, and you
and I agree on this one for sure, because that's and I'm also a
health coach and I try to geteverybody to drink at least half
their body weight in ounces andthat's, that is minimum,
minimum.
Kristen Coffield (21:36):
Minimum, minimum.
You know.
The recommended amount is forwomen, about 111 ounces a day.
Yeah, yeah so, but you work upto that and you never drink it
all at once because that couldbe dangerous.
So, you know, that's why Iteach people, I train them.
You know, take it, learn how tohydrate so you understand the
process and how it benefits youand why it's smart to follow a
(22:01):
protocol instead of just being acowgirl and being like woohoo,
I'm going to drink two gallonsof water today, so you get fully
and properly hydrated, becausethe worst thing you can do with
alcohol is be a thirsty drinker.
Oh, I know right, and we've allbeen there.
Oh, my God, I'm going to have.
I didn't drink my water for theday, I'm so thirsty.
(22:22):
I'm going to have a glass ofrosé with wine.
Michele Folan (22:24):
Yeah, or to drink when you haven't eaten.
Yeah, that sugar is going tokeep you drinking more.
Keep you drinking more.
Kristen Coffield (22:33):
And, ladies, this is what none of us want.
We don't want to create ahormone situation.
So our blood sugar and ourhormones are all tied in
together.
So you want to drink all that?
You know all your minimumamounts of water before you have
a sip of alcohol.
And then here's my othersuggestion, guys Monday through
(22:54):
Thursday or Sunday throughFriday, you know you don't need
alcohol.
Or Sunday through Friday, youknow you don't need alcohol.
Save it for when, if you reallyenjoy that glass of wine or
that margarita or that bourbon,save it for a time when you're
really going to appreciate itand enjoy it, and it's not just
(23:15):
going to be a mindless habit,it's going to be a special
something and you're going toenjoy it.
And maybe you're going to havetwo glasses of wine, and that's
okay.
But be smart about it, becauseif it's a habitual habit and
you're doing it every day, thetruth of the matter is you're
elevating your risk for cancerand many other lifestyle
(23:38):
diseases you don't want to have.
Michele Folan (23:39):
Yeah, and I do tell my clients as well, kristen
, that when you drink alcohol,when you're eating, your body is
always going to metabolize thealcohol first, because your body
sees it as a toxin.
So oftentimes those caloriesthen are getting stored as fat
because our body doesn't knowwhat to do with them, because
(23:59):
it's busy trying to metabolizethe alcohol.
So from that perspective aswell, I think there's a lot of
good reasons for everybodylistening to reassess your
relationship with alcohol.
I think it's just timely andtimely with the Surgeon General
having just come out with thelatest findings on alcohol and
(24:21):
recommendations, and I think therecommendation is zero.
Kristen Coffield (24:25):
Yeah.
So just you know, you and I areagreeing that.
You know we're not saying never, we're just saying be smart,
make smart choices for yourself.
And the same with caffeine.
So I love a good cup of coffee,I really do.
But coffee is tricky, just likealcohol, because many of the
(24:51):
beans are produced withchemicals, chemical flavoring
Sorry if you happen to likehazelnut coffee, but that's not
good for you.
Those are artificial flavorsthat are enhancing your sensory
perception of what you'redrinking.
So again, look for clean beans.
Find a local roaster.
(25:13):
Ask them where they get theirbeans.
You want Arabica beans, whichare a higher grade bean that are
lower in caffeine than Robustabeans.
Robusta beans are the cheaperbeans, you know.
And the coffee is veryinteresting.
There's a lot of differenttypes of coffee and different
(25:33):
types of roasts, so you caneducate yourself a little bit.
Coffee and caffeine.
So let's just talk aboutcaffeine in general.
Caffeine is something called anootropic.
Nootropics can stimulate yourbrain in beneficial ways.
So we love our coffee becauseit can make us feel very alert
(25:55):
and awake and excited for theday.
Okay, so let's go back tohydration and where coffee and
hydration intersect.
When we talked about habits 43%of what we do every day,
mindless repetition that caninclude getting out of bed,
going into your kitchen, puttinga pot of coffee on and drinking
(26:16):
coffee first thing in themorning.
Okay Well, for women, that canstart a whole blood sugar
hormone.
Don't want to go there hangrysituation, so you want to
hydrate first.
And here is a hack aboutcaffeine Don't waste that first
(26:37):
cup of coffee when all you'vegot to do is take a shower and
brush your teeth and get dressedfor the day.
You really don't need thenootropic benefits of brain
focus for that, because that'salready part of your 43% of what
you're doing already, right?
So save your cup of coffee for90 minutes after you wake up.
(27:00):
That's considered the sweet spot, and then you're going to be
consuming your caffeine in a waywhere the nootropic benefits
are going to be able to beapplied to a task you're doing
that might require more focus.
It could be grandparenting.
It could be your job.
It could be driving your carsomewhere.
It could be a project.
It could be driving your carsomewhere.
(27:20):
It could be a project you'reworking on, but so many people
get up, have a cup of coffeemaybe, then do a little water,
have another cup of coffee atthat 90-minute point.
And now they're going into thenegative benefits of caffeine.
Now you're feeling a littlejittery or you're building up a
tolerance to the caffeine thatrequires you to have more
(27:43):
caffeine to get those benefits,those nootropic benefits.
Michele Folan (27:48):
This is great advice.
I love this, actually, becauseI think then there's the blood
sugar response that you get withcaffeine, that you go up and
then you do the crash.
And then what do you do?
Do you make food choices thatare not?
so great Then you grab a bagel,yeah, you make some food choices
(28:08):
that aren't so great, or haveanother cup of coffee, and
that's probably not great.
So I think this is wonderfuladvice.
Hey, kristen, we're going totake a quick break here and when
we come back I want to talkabout a little bit of your
active grandparenting.
Yes, it is 2025.
And I think I'm just aboutrecovered from the crazy holiday
(28:31):
festivities.
I also have a wonderfulcoaching group up and going.
You know, every year seems toput people on the starting line
of a weight loss journey.
We've all been there.
What if, when you begin 2026,you aren't feeling compelled to
start over or recommit to lastyear's resolutions?
(28:52):
Can we adopt a truly healthylifestyle that is not only
effective but sustainable?
If you are open to pushingaside the quick fix mentality
for slow, steady and long-term,would you be interested?
You get to eat all the foodgroups with your own custom
nutrition plan and start to moveyour body to ensure you are
(29:13):
building lean muscle, stabilityand longevity.
Let's get that metabolism firedup, because it is not too late
to feel great and be confidentand strong.
I have another group coachinground starting soon.
Are you ready?
Reach out via my email, in theshow notes or DM me on social
media.
We are back, kristen.
(29:35):
One thing that you reallyadvocate is for healthy
grandparenting, and I'mwondering, just in your own life
, what are some of your otherroutines and habits that set you
up for success when it comes tobeing able to grandparent those
two cuties that I see?
Kristen Coffield (29:55):
Those two cuties and my little grandson is
10 months old, he weighs 25pounds is like carrying around a
bag of dog food.
I mean, he does nothing tocling to you, he's just kind of
there.
And so here's some interestingbackground on grandparenting and
(30:16):
where we find ourselves at thisprecipice of being a whole new
generation of grandparents.
I am really at the forefront oflooking at grandparenting
through a new lens, becausewomen of our generation, our
kids, are getting married laterand having kids later.
(30:39):
So we're finding ourselvesstepping into this grandparent
role later than our parents did.
We're also in a differentmindset than our parents.
So my parents were wonderful,but they didn't live nearby and
when they came they kind of wereguests in my home and they
(31:02):
didn't take an active role withour kids.
They did fun things with them,but it was under the visit
program.
Versus how can I support you?
I'm not just a guest in yourhome, I want it to be easy for
you.
So here we are, this newgeneration of women, who are
(31:25):
finding ourselves asgrandparents in our well.
We're Gen Xers or boomers,right, and we're finding
ourselves as grandparents.
And guess what?
We've been taking care of ourhealth, we've been keeping our
minds busy and engaged with work, with community work, with
(31:46):
projects.
We've doubled down because nowwe have a little longer after
our kids were out of the house,to kind of double down on
passion, projects and thingsthat interest us that maybe we'd
put aside when we were raisingour families.
So we want to bring thisexperience into our
grandparenting.
(32:07):
But more than that, we want tobe dynamic contributors to our
children's families' lives.
Michele Folan (32:14):
Yeah, I think and here's the thing we're
straddling a lot here we'restraddling generations, right?
So you may be still caring foryour aging parents, You've got
adult children and I always say,bigger kids, bigger problems
and then you've got thesegrandchildren, and so we're
still getting pulled a lot ofdifferent ways.
(32:34):
So how do we best manage allthat responsibility and still
keep focus on taking care ofourselves?
Kristen Coffield (32:44):
Yeah, and if we don't take care of ourselves,
we can't do any of that.
And that's just the bottom linehere.
Pivotal time in our lives forcreating future wellness and for
having the energy and themental bandwidth for all of the
things that are important to usright now.
(33:05):
So I too am caring for threedifferent generations of people.
I have three kids, two in LA,one in Massachusetts.
I'm in the DC area.
(33:25):
I have in-laws in New Jerseywho are 91 and 93.
We just said goodbye to my dadin September.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Yeah, it's a lot for us.
It's even a lot of travel toget to see those people.
So when we talked about earlierthe scaffolding for our lives
are our habits and I'll go backto it.
43% of what we do every day ismindless repetition.
(33:47):
So the key is to take thatmindless repetition and make
sure it's serving us, Make sureit's supporting our goals.
Because who doesn't want tolook good, to have energy, to
sleep like a baby at night, towake up excited for the day, to
feel relevant, relevant to ourkids?
(34:10):
Right?
How do we keep that relevance?
We're not relevant if you justshow up and you're like when's
lunch?
You're relevant when you showup with lunch.
It's a shift in mindset.
So what we've got anopportunity to do is step back,
(34:33):
Open our minds.
This is a new job for us asgrandparents and active agers.
So it's a new job.
You're not a parent anymore.
Your kids don't need you as aparent.
They can get every bit ofinformation they need from the
internet in seconds.
If they want to know how youdid it, they'll ask.
(34:55):
So it's an opportunity tocreate this new role, this new
active grandparenting role, andwhen I say active, that's mental
and physical.
So you've got to be open mindedand you got to not take
anything personally right.
So if you're getting offendedby your child or their spouse
(35:20):
suggesting you do something theway they want it done, this is
not going to go well for you.
Michele Folan (35:27):
Just saying it sounds like something with the
daughter-in-law.
Kristen Coffield (35:30):
It's not going to go well for you.
It's their show.
They are the gatekeepers forthe grandkids show.
They are the gatekeepers forthe grandkids and your
opportunity is to come in withan open mind, a willing heart
and physically prepared to helpwhere you can.
Now everybody's going toapproach this from a different
wellness standpoint, but I wantall of your listeners to
(35:53):
understand it's never too lateand you're never too old to
improve your health and wellness.
Michele Folan (36:01):
Amen, and I will say this if you follow Kristen
on Instagram, she is on thefloor.
She can pick up that chunker ofa grandson and pick him up off
the floor without grabbing ontosomething.
It's being able to get up outof a chair with a baby in your
(36:23):
arms without having to push offthe arms of the chair.
It's really.
We've got an opportunity here,but we got to take some action
if we want to be able to getdown on the floor and play Legos
.
Kristen Coffield (36:35):
It's functional movement.
So all of the things we'retalking about, they make sense
and it motivates women whenthey're doing it for someone
else, Look so, doing it for yourkids, doing it so you can have
more access to your grandkids.
But all the things that we'retalking about are the things
that you need to be able to doto live longer, and it's the
(36:59):
disuse, it's the habitualbehavior that took us from being
active into inactive, and weare very inactive as a people.
We are very screen-oriented.
We're very more sedentary thanprevious generations.
We don't live like the peoplein the blue zones.
Who in the blue zones?
(37:27):
You don't retire.
You keep taking care of youranimals, you keep growing your
vegetables.
Nobody's moving into aone-bedroom house.
You know they're still going upand downstairs, they're still
riding bikes and walking intotown.
We just somehow got this badmessaging that, oh my gosh,
you're 65.
It's time to slow down.
Take it easy, retire, play moregolf.
Statistically, it's use it orlose it.
(37:49):
The less you do, the less youcan do.
We don't start getting olderbecause we are older.
We start getting older andaging because we stop doing the
things that support our bodieson a cellular level, starting
with hydration, sleep, hydrationmovement what we eat.
(38:12):
It's hard to eat healthybecause the system isn't set up
for you to eat healthy and wehave all become people who
self-select our nutrientsBecause we can get our favorite
foods year round.
We can eat chicken andasparagus and blueberries, and
now we've stopped eatingfermented foods and seasonal
(38:32):
foods and a bigger variety offoods.
So think of foods not ascalories but as nutrients.
Now we're not getting as manynutrients, so our cells aren't
getting the nutrients to bringto our organs to help our body
function at its best.
So we can control all thesethings.
No one's holding us hostage,making us eat food that's going
(38:56):
to make us fat, sick and stupid,and when I say stupid, it is
true.
When your body mass becomesover a certain percentage, your
brain mass goes down.
So obesity is linked todiminish brain function as well.
Michele Folan (39:13):
Yeah, and again we're starting to hear more and
more of this.
Kristen is just, you know,again, don't shoot the messenger
.
These are really reallyimportant things that we all
kind of need to start managingbetter and getting a handle on
it, because we have anopportunity.
(39:33):
We have a really greatopportunity to live longer and
healthier than our parents did.
But you know, we've got to makesure we're taking action.
I wanted to ask you reallyquickly because I had this down
as a question that I reallywanted to ask you.
I wanted to talk about CPRtraining.
How do we go about getting thatcompleted, because you are
(39:56):
super passionate about beingable to act quickly if you've
got a child choking or whateverthe situation might be.
Kristen Coffield (40:06):
So the last time I took CPR was when I was a
new parent and I took a CPRcourse and I made my husband
take a CPR course.
Fast forward, you know 35 yearsand now we're grandparents.
(40:26):
And my daughter says you knowwhat, mom, I think it would be a
good idea if you and dadbecause we go and we take care
of the kids, so it's kind of afunny thing We'll go move into
our daughter's house.
She and her husband will goaway for a few days and we're
with the 10-month-old and thetwo-and-a-half-year-old.
(40:47):
And I know people are lookingat us and they're wondering are
those really old parents or arethey grandparents?
They're just not sure, right,because we're trying to do it
all.
You know we're like ambitious,we'll put them in the car seats,
we'll go to Tate for a littlebreakfast.
But so my daughter said I thinkit would be a good idea if you
(41:10):
and dad took CPR.
And I literally, you know,smacked my head.
I'm like, why didn't I think ofthat?
So I immediately looked onlineand everybody should do this,
not just grandparents.
Everybody should annually takea CPR course because you never
(41:30):
know when you might be able tosave a life.
So a couple of times with mydad.
He did start to choke and myhusband had to go behind him and
really push up and dislodge theoffending piece of whatever it
was, and so we went literally.
(41:51):
I think she told us on like aWednesday she wanted us to do
that and I said, okay, theAmerican Red Cross, the American
Heart Association, both offercourses.
You want to take the coursethat contains the infant and
child CPR as well.
It took us three hours.
We completed the course on aSaturday morning and I will tell
(42:14):
you it's a bit of an eye-openerif you haven't taken it in a
while.
Michele Folan (42:17):
Okay, I think that's terrific advice, because
keeping an adult alive is hardwork.
Kristen Coffield (42:24):
Doing like you don't realize just how hard
you've got to press and knowingthe right positioning with
infants and children isabsolutely crucial, is
absolutely crucial.
So everybody should take a CPRcourse annually or biannually,
but it is really, reallyimportant.
Michele Folan (42:44):
You know, I saw a commercial the other day for
one of these things that you putover someone's mouth.
It's a suction in case they'rechoking.
Do you have one of those?
Kristen Coffield (42:53):
Yeah, I do, and my daughter has given us one
for both our homes and she hasone on each floor of her home.
Life something I forget whatthey're called, but basically
it's a tool that you can use tohelp dislodge something from
(43:13):
somebody's throat.
So, yeah, we want to always putthe odds in our favor with
everything we do, with ourhabits.
We want to be the activegrandparents because, at the end
of the day, the grandparentswho can be more active are the
grandparents who are morehelpful, and those grandparents
(43:36):
will get more opportunities toparticipate.
Michele Folan (43:40):
It's just the way it is yeah, yeah, I love that,
kristen.
Now you do offer some otherresources and courses to your
followers.
Can you share a little bitabout what you offer?
Kristen Coffield (43:54):
I would love to.
So I love to get people started.
All of my coaching alwaysstarts with hydration.
I have a free 14-day hydrationtraining that anybody can access
at theculinarycurecom.
I also have two programs foractive grandparenting, and this
(44:17):
is a unique program.
Nobody's got anything like it.
What I've done is I've takeneverything I wanted for myself.
So better sleep, looking great,let's face it, vanity is a big
part of it.
We all want to feel reallycomfortable in our skin and
confident Absolutely.
So the hydration helps withthat, the sleep helps with that.
(44:39):
So we work on those things.
The nutrition is a huge part ofit.
To make nutrition somethingthat's easy and quick, not
complicated, that's clean,that's intuitive.
We can get back to basics.
It's inexpensive.
As a former chef, I've got over200 recipes that are healthy
(45:03):
that I share with everybody.
They're also on the website atthe Culinary Cure.
But I have two activegrandparenting programs.
I have one that is a standaloneprogram.
It's under $200.
You buy it, you get everything.
You get the videos of theexercises, you get the recipes,
(45:23):
you get the high value activegrandparenting ideas like
understand what it takes torespect your kids' boundaries,
to have those difficultconversations.
So there's a lot of tools abouthow you can become that
in-demand, active grandparentand not ruffle feathers but open
(45:48):
doors, right, because that'swhat we all want.
So it's got like five differentkey components.
And then I run a live program acouple of times a year where we
go through what the digitalprogram is, but we do it with
weekly coaching calls andaccountability and an active
Facebook group and it's just alot.
(46:09):
It's a lot of fun and you get,you know, the accountability and
I think for so many of us, look, we don't have time to mess
around.
Nobody wants a three-monthprogram.
They want to get three monthsof work done in three weeks.
Yeah, that is so true.
Yeah, it's just the way it is.
So it's a transformativeprogram.
(46:31):
It is a part of it is anelimination diet because we get
rid of all those superinflammation causing things that
are aging us, that areaccelerating the aging process
and literally stealing our joy,because now we have aches and
pains and we feel meh, we don'tfeel like the best version of
(46:51):
ourselves.
So in three weeks you can gofrom meh to the best version of
yourself, with a whole newarsenal of information that you
can use to live your best lifeand live younger, longer and
better.
Michele Folan (47:05):
I love your passion for this.
I really do.
I think it's so awesome and youknow, I know hydration is
probably at the very core, oneof your most important pillars
of self-care.
At the very core, one of yourmost important pillars of
self-care.
What else?
What else do you do every dayfor yourself?
That is part of your success.
Kristen Coffield (47:25):
Well, I exercise every day and here's a
really great tip for anybodylistening there is this early
morning time.
That is found time.
It's time before the day startsthat you're really not using
effectively.
So your most productiverestorative sleep happens
(47:46):
between 10 and 1 am.
You've already had your deepsleep, people.
So at 4, 5, 6 am you're notgetting any of that restorative
rest.
You're getting some of thatdream sleep, some of that really
light sleep that can actuallymake you wake up feeling kind of
like you haven't had sleep atall.
(48:06):
So get up earlier.
Work your way to an hourearlier and make that your found
time and don't do anything inthat time except you.
Maybe that's when you meditateor listen to a podcast like this
or read a chapter in your book.
For me, I get up, I drink mywater, I go to the gym, I do my
(48:30):
workout, I meet my husband.
We have that one cup of coffeea day from our local.
A friend of ours owns thecoffee shop and I know where the
beans come from and we havethat time together and that is
found time, and that is before 7am.
Michele Folan (48:47):
Yeah, and you know I will say this Kristen and
her husband got up early thismorning and at 5.45, they went
on a walk.
Kristen Coffield (48:54):
Yeah, Because we had a snow day here, the gym
was closed.
We both wanted to work outbecause we work out early, so we
got out.
We had this, you know, fabulous, and it was hard.
I mean it was the snow was deep.
We're really working and wewalked right to the coffee shop
and got our cup of coffee and itwas a great way to start our
(49:16):
morning.
So I exercise I try to exercisefive days a week and get out
early and get that sunlight soyou can synthesize the vitamin D
.
That early morning sunlightalso sends powerful messages to
your brain that it's time towake up and start your day and
sleep, sleep.
Don't shortchange yourself onthe sleep.
(49:38):
Sleep is when your body repairsand restores.
It's when you create memories.
It's when all of your majororgans go through a metabolic
detox and all that metabolicwaste ends up in your lymphatic
system, which is why, when youwake up in the morning, you want
that nice big glass of lemonwater to help your body detox
(50:00):
from all of that.
You know that happened duringsleep.
Michele Folan (50:03):
I need to add the lemon.
I always forget to add thelemon.
Kristen Coffield (50:07):
Add the lemon.
The lemon is so good.
The lemon goes in acidic, butit turns alkaline in your body.
Okay, so drink it with a strawto protect your tooth enamel.
But when we raise thealkalinity level in our body we
help lower the acidity level andthat is good for us.
Michele Folan (50:28):
Kristen has spoken.
Do your lemon water in themorning, kristen Cofield.
This was really fun.
You are delightful Again.
I love your passion for thisand I think everyone's going to
love this podcast.
Kristen Coffield (50:42):
Oh, thank you for having me on, Michele.
It's been my pleasure.
Michele Folan (50:47):
Hey, thanks for tuning in.
Please rate and review the showwhere you listen to the podcast
.
And did you know that Askingfor a Friend is available now to
listen on YouTube?
You can subscribe to thepodcast there as well.
Your support is appreciated andit helps others find the show.
Thank you.
Health, wellness, fitness and everything in
between.
We're removing the taboo fromwhat really matters in midlife.
I'm your host, Michele Folan,and this is Asking for a Friend.
Some of you may already be inthe throes of grandparenting, or
(00:25):
perhaps you have the covetedrole of favorite great aunt.
I personally don't seegrandkids in my immediate future
, but nonetheless I do thinkabout what that will look like.
Will I be active, mobile andhealthy enough to enjoy all the
great moments when my time comes?
You may be asking yourself thevery same.
Enter.
(00:46):
My next guest, Kristen Coffield, is a staunch advocate and
coach for all of us midlifewomen who not only want to be
our healthiest selves in thischapter of life, but are eager
to be the best we can be when itcomes to nurturing future
generations of family.
Kristen Coffield, welcome toAsking for a Friend.
Kristen Coffield (01:08):
Michele, thank you so much for inviting me to
be on, and I love what you dobecause women, supporting women,
especially in this over 50space, is really important, and
I feel like my messaging shouldreally land well with your
audience.
Because here's the deal.
(01:28):
We all want to be active agers,right?
Yes, we want to live younger,longer and better.
Absolutely so for me.
I'm 66, and what that lookslike for me is I want to keep
doing everything I'm doing rightnow, to the best of my ability,
for the next 20 years.
Michele Folan (01:47):
Oh, I love this great message.
Kristen Coffield (01:50):
How do we so in that?
Having said that, how do we putthat on autopilot so it doesn't
feel like this big,insurmountable task to get
healthier and stay healthier andget stronger, because we can't
lose our muscle and, you know,risk our bones?
(02:11):
You know we don't want to belike my poor little
mother-in-law who had a fall andyou know she's like a china
cabinet.
You know she just.
You know we can see what thefuture could look like if we
don't take proactive steps whenwe're in our 50s and 60s and 70s
(02:31):
so that our 80s and 90s can beenergized and active, just like
those people in the blue zones.
Michele Folan (02:38):
Yes, and we do talk about the blue zones every
once in a while and we have alot to learn, but I think we're
on the cusp of some really goodthings here in terms of health
for this age group.
And I want to back up becauseI'd love for you to just tell
the audience a little bit moreabout you and like where you're
(03:01):
from, your career path, and thenalso some family details.
Kristen Coffield (03:07):
All right.
So I have a background in food.
My background is a chef.
I started in high school.
My mom had a shop.
This is kind of a funny story.
My mom had a gift shop in thesmall town in Westchester, New
York, that I grew up in, and shehad a really well-known gift
(03:29):
shop and I worked for her sinceI was a little kid, because my
mom was a single lady for a longtime, so she was supporting our
family and I would after schoolgo to her shop and hang out in
the back of the shop and makeboxes, organize things, and of
course all that organizationcame with me and it's part of
what I do as a culinary wellnesscoach.
(03:52):
But when I turned about 16, itbecame clear to me and my mom
that we probably shouldn't beworking together and she had a
friend who had just opened agourmet shop.
So this is like 1975.
Oh, wow.
And this woman was.
She had trained with DionyLucas, who was an acolyte of
(04:15):
Julia Childs, and she was doingthings in 1975 that nobody was
doing.
I mean she had real buttercroissant that nobody was doing.
I mean she had real buttercroissant.
She was doing gourmet foodright before Martha Stewart kind
of blew up, right, yeah.
So she was right there at thecusp of everything that changed
food the way we know it.
(04:36):
And I started working for herin high school.
And then I went off to collegeand the next thing I know I'm at
Columbia University and thewoman I worked for went out of
business and people startedcalling me and saying, hey,
Kristen, can you just bring somehors d'oeuvres and a bartender
and come on over to my house?
(04:57):
And so I started my firstcatering company when I was in
college.
Oh my God, yeah, A girlfriendand I started In Good Taste and
the next thing I knew I wascatering my way through college
and then I ended up working inrestaurants and selling wine.
(05:19):
But I always had a passion andinterest in our wellness habits,
so I used to belong because Iwent to school in Manhattan.
I used to belong to the JackLaLanne gym oh God, I'm loving
this story.
That was right by Grand CentralStation and I would go there
(05:42):
and I loved workout classes andI loved sitting in the sauna,
and so this is like late 1970s,early 1980s and the next thing I
know I'm, you know, followingthe love of my life, who's in
the army and I find myself outin Washington State, out in
Seattle, and now I'm sellingwine.
And long story short, we getmarried, we moved to the
(06:06):
Washington DC area and I openeda catering company.
Michele Folan (06:12):
Oh, wow.
Kristen Coffield (06:13):
Yeah, oh, my gosh, yeah.
So I catered for a number ofyears and then I did an
interesting pivot.
I had three kids.
I was really tired ofschlepping stuff all over
Washington and I created beforethere were Blue Apron and all of
those things I had asubscription meal plan.
(06:36):
So for high-performing athletesand executives, I was preparing
three to five meals a week anddelivering them.
Oh dear, I know Really whatwere you thinking.
That's a lot of work and I havethree kids in three different
schools.
But it occurred to me that I wasgiving a man a fish and that
(06:58):
what I really needed to do wasteach a woman to fish and focus
on women, who were the culinarydecision makers, for the most
part for their families.
And that's when I started theCulinary Cure.
So I created a wellness websitefor women who were over 50 at
(07:19):
that time.
So I'm 66 now and I realized noone had created a roadmap for
life over 50.
When your kids leave home, whenyou might be dealing with some
real life struggles with yourparents, with your own health,
with your marriage, with yourfinances Hello, I had all of the
above and I found myselfactually very depressed.
(07:46):
There had been a lot ofchallenges.
My mom's breast cancer cameback.
My dad had Alzheimer's.
I was diagnosed with thyroidcancer.
We got into some financialchallenges that affected our
marriage.
The last kid went off to school.
My dog died.
Michele Folan (08:05):
Yeah, it's like real life stuff.
Kristen Coffield (08:14):
It's real life stuff, and just because
somebody looks like they've gottheir shit together doesn't mean
that they're not just puttingtheir best face forward and that
underneath they're just tryingto figure out how to get through
each frigging day.
Michele Folan (08:24):
Yeah.
Kristen Coffield (08:25):
Yeah, and that's where I was.
I mean, the rope was long.
Everything I just shared withyou took about a decade and, as
a woman, I did that amazingthing that we women do where you
rob Peter to pay Paul, you'replaying like a shell game and
you're still putting forth yourbest face because you don't want
your kids to know you'refalling apart and your big world
(08:49):
gets smaller and smallerbecause people get tired of
hearing about what's not goingright in your life and so you're
very careful who you shareinformation with and you start
to spend more time in your headand literally one day I woke up
and had a thrive or die moment.
I was like this cannot be whatthe universe had planned for me.
(09:11):
I cannot imagine every day issupposed to be me waking up and
figuring out how the heck am Igoing to get through this day
having multiple cups of coffeeand then opening the wine at
five and going to sleep andhaving not good sleep.
So here's where my story takesthis turn that can help every
(09:32):
woman.
I have that thrive or die momentand I think, okay, I can't
control all of this stuff.
I can't control what'shappening to my finances or my
parents or my kids, but I cancontrol what I put in my body,
the thoughts in my head and howI get through each day.
(09:53):
That's a choice.
So what happens when we getdepressed and feel very alone is
we rewire our brains.
So, instead of feeding ourbrains positivity, we start
feeding our brains negativity.
Our brains love negativitybecause that's what keeps us
safe and before you know it,you're just a magnet for nothing
(10:18):
, going right in your world, inyour life, in your day.
So I discovered that I wasn'tsleeping anyway.
So why the heck not go to a 5am workout?
And the caffeine and thealcohol were not serving me.
But I added more water and Idid research on hydration and
(10:38):
what I found blew my mind.
That hydration is this freepractice that none of us are
optimizing that has thepotential to improve every
aspect of our lives, from ourmood to our sleep, to our muscle
pliability, to our detoxifying,to our major organ functioning.
(11:02):
It's everything.
And yet major organ functioningit's everything.
And yet no one teaches us tohydrate.
We are not given programming inschool or anywhere that says,
hey, this is how you do it, thisis this thing you need to do.
Water is an essential nutrientand it can make everything you
do easier can make everythingyou do easier.
Michele Folan (11:28):
And you know I will say this elderly people are
chronically dehydrated.
They'll have a cup of coffeeand a little three ounce glass
of orange juice, and they mayhave some water when they take
their pills, but they don'tdrink water at all.
It's frightening.
Kristen Coffield (11:43):
Yeah, and that was my grandmother.
We'd say oh little Grammy, didyou have your water today?
And she's like oh yes, dear,I've already had three big
glasses of water and it's athree ounce shot glass.
Michele Folan (11:58):
No, exactly, it's like the prune juice glass.
Kristen Coffield (12:02):
Right, and so there's a reason for all of that
.
So hydration, like exercise,like positive thinking, like
meditation, like nutrition, it'sa practice, and the more we do
it, the better we can get.
So it's really crucial that weestablish a hydration practice
in our midlife years and carrythat with us, because as we get
(12:26):
older, we lose our sense ofthirst.
When the weather's colder, welose our sense of thirst.
So sure, it's easy to drinklots of water when it's 95
degrees out and when you'rethirsty, that's your reminder.
Oh yeah, maybe I should havehad another glass of water, but
at that point you're walkingaround partially dehydrated,
(12:47):
which leads to poor food choices, crappy sleep, a hangry mood,
less pliable muscles.
So exercise is harder.
Michele Folan (13:00):
Yeah, and let's not forget about skin.
Kristen Coffield (13:04):
Yeah, people are like, oh my gosh, your skin
is amazing.
And I always say, well, I haveto first say the hydration makes
a huge difference.
Michele Folan (13:13):
Absolutely, and you look fantastic, and I think
this is one of those momentswhere I just have to say I love
that you had this midlifeepiphany about your health, but
even more importantly, about howyou were going to approach life
, because this was pivotal foryou.
(13:33):
You were, you were spiraling,and a lot of women do, because
we're really trying to defineourselves at this point because
we are empty nesters, we may begoing through some difficult
life transitions and no onetells us how to handle that.
So thank you for sharing that.
I also want to ask you aquestion.
(13:55):
So you were talking about thecoffee and the alcohol and all
of that.
What is your approach now interms of caffeine and alcohol
and just managing that in yourlife?
Kristen Coffield (14:09):
Yeah, and this is one of those hot button
topics, because sometimes peopledon't like the answer.
Sometimes people don't like theanswer, and so here's what you
need to know.
Alcohol is a double toxin it'stoxic when you drink it and it's
toxic when your liver processesit.
(14:31):
So when your liver processesalcohol, it creates a secondary
toxin, and alcohol consumptionis linked to like 30 different
types of cancer.
But for women, it's importantto know that alcohol consumption
is linked to breast cancer.
Yep, so my mom died from breastcancer.
Now, having said that, I dodrink alcohol.
(14:53):
I am very careful about what Idrink.
So wine is a real slipperyslope for women, because most of
the wine people are drinking iscommercially produced wine.
So commercially produced wineis made from commercially grown
grapes.
Commercially grown grapes arealways at the top of the dirty
(15:17):
dozen list, meaning they'retreated with more chemicals,
fungicides, herbicides,pesticides than any other
produce out there.
So now you're talking abouttaking produce that's toxic
laden, squeezing it Now youthink of a little grape, and how
much surface area that issqueezing it and making it into
(15:40):
wine, and all of that dirtyjuice turns into dirty wine.
And then, on top of that,commercially produced wine,
makers are allowed to add thingsto commercially produced wine,
like sugar, like artificialingredients to enhance flavor,
color, consistency of product.
(16:02):
So there's a reason that someof these brands, which I won't
name, but it always tastesexactly the same and that's
because it's a wine-like,chemically altered product.
So you're not just getting thealcohol, which is not good for
you, you're getting all theseother sugars and toxins.
(16:23):
So that's why you know, foranybody who's crying listening
to this, they're like I love mywine, I love my wine.
Find a good wine store, lookfor natural and biodynamic wines
and make that your choice.
That's going to be a betterchoice.
I'm a tequila drinker, sotequila has got a different kind
(16:44):
of sugar in it.
It's got something calledagavans.
It doesn't spike your bloodsugar the same way the sugars in
other alcohols do.
That's not to say it's good foryou.
It's just to say if you'retrying to pick something that's
maybe not as bad as somethingelse, maybe tequila is your
(17:04):
friend.
Michele Folan (17:05):
Yeah and so my listeners know this that I've
come to terms with alcohol overthe years, particularly during
COVID and after COVID, Kristen'snodding her head like yeah,
yeah.
So wine and I have pretty muchhad a breakup because of how my
body processes it and the sleepissues, so that was probably an
(17:29):
easier decision.
I like bourbon, so that's theone thing that if I do have a
cocktail, it will most likely bea bourbon, but it is as you
said.
It is a very unpopular topic.
I am always cautious whenever Iput something out there on
social media about alcoholbecause I lose followers
(17:54):
whenever I bring it up.
Kristen Coffield (17:55):
Yeah, don't shoot the messenger if you don't
like the message.
Just take it to heart that youwould never want to find
yourself in a place where youwere saying, wow, I wish I had
created healthier habits aroundthat.
So when we talk about alcohol,a big part of alcohol is the
(18:16):
sugar that's in it, and sugar isthe most highly addictive
substance on the planet.
So here's my to wrap this up,and then we can move on to
caffeine.
I recommend that and I do thismyself personally.
So I have a 21 day wellnessreset that I offer for active
grandparents and active agersand during that 21 days we detox
(18:41):
from alcohol, from caffeine,from added sugars, artificial
ingredients, gmos, conventionaldairy gluten and, of course,
people are like horrified, butthat's like seven things.
And then we focus on the 7million things that you can eat,
that you just aren't eating anddrinking, and most people
(19:05):
actually I would say everysingle person that does the
program has a profoundrevelation about the habitual
behavior around alcohol.
Alcohol is just a bad habit.
You can still have alcohol.
Alcohol, alcohol is just a badhabit.
You can still have alcohol.
Just save it for when you'regoing to really appreciate it,
which isn't every day at fiveo'clock, right, when I'm
(19:26):
coaching private clients andthey're like trying to break up
with alcohol, I say and they getthere, like it's five o'clock,
I want a glass of wine.
I say you may have a glass ofwine at seven, but right now
have a seltzer with lime, or dosomething else, but nobody wants
it at seven, they want it right.
(19:47):
So it's just a manner ofcreating new habits.
43% of what you do every singleday is mindless repetition.
You don't think, you just do.
Those are your habits.
That includes what we eat anddrink.
So when we talk about livingyounger, longer and better, what
we're talking about isoptimizing your habits to
(20:08):
support how you want to look,feel and be as you age.
I love it.
So you know, hey, one more triparound the sun, this time
wearing more sunblock, be aware.
Now the second thing I want tosay about alcohol is never, ever
have a sip of alcohol untilyou've completed your hydration
(20:32):
for the day.
So I give away a free 14-dayhydration training.
I do this because it's soimportant.
You know, my wellness journeystarted with hydration.
Every client I ever coach, if Ican't get you hydrated, there's
nothing else.
No other lasting change willstick for you.
(20:54):
So we always come back tohydration as a foundational
practice for living our mostenergized and happiest lives.
So how much water is that?
You can take my 14-day programto find out, but at a minimum
it's half your body weight inounces of water, and you didn't
(21:15):
drink it all at one time.
You've been sipping that up tothat point.
Michele Folan (21:19):
Okay, and you didn't drink it all at one time.
You've been sipping that up tothat point, okay, yeah, and you
and I agree on this one for sure, because that's and I'm also a
health coach and I try to geteverybody to drink at least half
their body weight in ounces andthat's, that is minimum,
minimum.
Kristen Coffield (21:36):
Minimum, minimum.
You know.
The recommended amount is forwomen, about 111 ounces a day.
Yeah, yeah so, but you work upto that and you never drink it
all at once because that couldbe dangerous.
So, you know, that's why Iteach people, I train them.
You know, take it, learn how tohydrate so you understand the
process and how it benefits youand why it's smart to follow a
(22:01):
protocol instead of just being acowgirl and being like woohoo,
I'm going to drink two gallonsof water today, so you get fully
and properly hydrated, becausethe worst thing you can do with
alcohol is be a thirsty drinker.
Oh, I know right, and we've allbeen there.
Oh, my God, I'm going to have.
I didn't drink my water for theday, I'm so thirsty.
(22:22):
I'm going to have a glass ofrosé with wine.
Michele Folan (22:24):
Yeah, or to drink when you haven't eaten.
Yeah, that sugar is going tokeep you drinking more.
Keep you drinking more.
Kristen Coffield (22:33):
And, ladies, this is what none of us want.
We don't want to create ahormone situation.
So our blood sugar and ourhormones are all tied in
together.
So you want to drink all that?
You know all your minimumamounts of water before you have
a sip of alcohol.
And then here's my othersuggestion, guys Monday through
(22:54):
Thursday or Sunday throughFriday, you know you don't need
alcohol.
Or Sunday through Friday, youknow you don't need alcohol.
Save it for when, if you reallyenjoy that glass of wine or
that margarita or that bourbon,save it for a time when you're
really going to appreciate itand enjoy it, and it's not just
(23:15):
going to be a mindless habit,it's going to be a special
something and you're going toenjoy it.
And maybe you're going to havetwo glasses of wine, and that's
okay.
But be smart about it, becauseif it's a habitual habit and
you're doing it every day, thetruth of the matter is you're
elevating your risk for cancerand many other lifestyle
(23:38):
diseases you don't want to have.
Michele Folan (23:39):
Yeah, and I do tell my clients as well, kristen
, that when you drink alcohol,when you're eating, your body is
always going to metabolize thealcohol first, because your body
sees it as a toxin.
So oftentimes those caloriesthen are getting stored as fat
because our body doesn't knowwhat to do with them, because
(23:59):
it's busy trying to metabolizethe alcohol.
So from that perspective aswell, I think there's a lot of
good reasons for everybodylistening to reassess your
relationship with alcohol.
I think it's just timely andtimely with the Surgeon General
having just come out with thelatest findings on alcohol and
(24:21):
recommendations, and I think therecommendation is zero.
Kristen Coffield (24:25):
Yeah.
So just you know, you and I areagreeing that.
You know we're not saying never, we're just saying be smart,
make smart choices for yourself.
And the same with caffeine.
So I love a good cup of coffee,I really do.
But coffee is tricky, just likealcohol, because many of the
(24:51):
beans are produced withchemicals, chemical flavoring
Sorry if you happen to likehazelnut coffee, but that's not
good for you.
Those are artificial flavorsthat are enhancing your sensory
perception of what you'redrinking.
So again, look for clean beans.
Find a local roaster.
(25:13):
Ask them where they get theirbeans.
You want Arabica beans, whichare a higher grade bean that are
lower in caffeine than Robustabeans.
Robusta beans are the cheaperbeans, you know.
And the coffee is veryinteresting.
There's a lot of differenttypes of coffee and different
(25:33):
types of roasts, so you caneducate yourself a little bit.
Coffee and caffeine.
So let's just talk aboutcaffeine in general.
Caffeine is something called anootropic.
Nootropics can stimulate yourbrain in beneficial ways.
So we love our coffee becauseit can make us feel very alert
(25:55):
and awake and excited for theday.
Okay, so let's go back tohydration and where coffee and
hydration intersect.
When we talked about habits 43%of what we do every day,
mindless repetition that caninclude getting out of bed,
going into your kitchen, puttinga pot of coffee on and drinking
(26:16):
coffee first thing in themorning.
Okay Well, for women, that canstart a whole blood sugar
hormone.
Don't want to go there hangrysituation, so you want to
hydrate first.
And here is a hack aboutcaffeine Don't waste that first
(26:37):
cup of coffee when all you'vegot to do is take a shower and
brush your teeth and get dressedfor the day.
You really don't need thenootropic benefits of brain
focus for that, because that'salready part of your 43% of what
you're doing already, right?
So save your cup of coffee for90 minutes after you wake up.
(27:00):
That's considered the sweet spot, and then you're going to be
consuming your caffeine in a waywhere the nootropic benefits
are going to be able to beapplied to a task you're doing
that might require more focus.
It could be grandparenting.
It could be your job.
It could be driving your carsomewhere.
It could be a project.
It could be driving your carsomewhere.
(27:20):
It could be a project you'reworking on, but so many people
get up, have a cup of coffeemaybe, then do a little water,
have another cup of coffee atthat 90-minute point.
And now they're going into thenegative benefits of caffeine.
Now you're feeling a littlejittery or you're building up a
tolerance to the caffeine thatrequires you to have more
(27:43):
caffeine to get those benefits,those nootropic benefits.
Michele Folan (27:48):
This is great advice.
I love this, actually, becauseI think then there's the blood
sugar response that you get withcaffeine, that you go up and
then you do the crash.
And then what do you do?
Do you make food choices thatare not?
so great Then you grab a bagel,yeah, you make some food choices
(28:08):
that aren't so great, or haveanother cup of coffee, and
that's probably not great.
So I think this is wonderfuladvice.
Hey, kristen, we're going totake a quick break here and when
we come back I want to talkabout a little bit of your
active grandparenting.
Yes, it is 2025.
And I think I'm just aboutrecovered from the crazy holiday
(28:31):
festivities.
I also have a wonderfulcoaching group up and going.
You know, every year seems toput people on the starting line
of a weight loss journey.
We've all been there.
What if, when you begin 2026,you aren't feeling compelled to
start over or recommit to lastyear's resolutions?
(28:52):
Can we adopt a truly healthylifestyle that is not only
effective but sustainable?
If you are open to pushingaside the quick fix mentality
for slow, steady and long-term,would you be interested?
You get to eat all the foodgroups with your own custom
nutrition plan and start to moveyour body to ensure you are
(29:13):
building lean muscle, stabilityand longevity.
Let's get that metabolism firedup, because it is not too late
to feel great and be confidentand strong.
I have another group coachinground starting soon.
Are you ready?
Reach out via my email, in theshow notes or DM me on social
media.
We are back, kristen.
(29:35):
One thing that you reallyadvocate is for healthy
grandparenting, and I'mwondering, just in your own life
, what are some of your otherroutines and habits that set you
up for success when it comes tobeing able to grandparent those
two cuties that I see?
Kristen Coffield (29:55):
Those two cuties and my little grandson is
10 months old, he weighs 25pounds is like carrying around a
bag of dog food.
I mean, he does nothing tocling to you, he's just kind of
there.
And so here's some interestingbackground on grandparenting and
(30:16):
where we find ourselves at thisprecipice of being a whole new
generation of grandparents.
I am really at the forefront oflooking at grandparenting
through a new lens, becausewomen of our generation, our
kids, are getting married laterand having kids later.
(30:39):
So we're finding ourselvesstepping into this grandparent
role later than our parents did.
We're also in a differentmindset than our parents.
So my parents were wonderful,but they didn't live nearby and
when they came they kind of wereguests in my home and they
(31:02):
didn't take an active role withour kids.
They did fun things with them,but it was under the visit
program.
Versus how can I support you?
I'm not just a guest in yourhome, I want it to be easy for
you.
So here we are, this newgeneration of women, who are
(31:25):
finding ourselves asgrandparents in our well.
We're Gen Xers or boomers,right, and we're finding
ourselves as grandparents.
And guess what?
We've been taking care of ourhealth, we've been keeping our
minds busy and engaged with work, with community work, with
(31:46):
projects.
We've doubled down because nowwe have a little longer after
our kids were out of the house,to kind of double down on
passion, projects and thingsthat interest us that maybe we'd
put aside when we were raisingour families.
So we want to bring thisexperience into our
grandparenting.
(32:07):
But more than that, we want tobe dynamic contributors to our
children's families' lives.
Michele Folan (32:14):
Yeah, I think and here's the thing we're
straddling a lot here we'restraddling generations, right?
So you may be still caring foryour aging parents, You've got
adult children and I always say,bigger kids, bigger problems
and then you've got thesegrandchildren, and so we're
still getting pulled a lot ofdifferent ways.
(32:34):
So how do we best manage allthat responsibility and still
keep focus on taking care ofourselves?
Kristen Coffield (32:44):
Yeah, and if we don't take care of ourselves,
we can't do any of that.
And that's just the bottom linehere.
Pivotal time in our lives forcreating future wellness and for
having the energy and themental bandwidth for all of the
things that are important to usright now.
(33:05):
So I too am caring for threedifferent generations of people.
I have three kids, two in LA,one in Massachusetts.
I'm in the DC area.
(33:25):
I have in-laws in New Jerseywho are 91 and 93.
We just said goodbye to my dadin September.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Yeah, it's a lot for us.
It's even a lot of travel toget to see those people.
So when we talked about earlierthe scaffolding for our lives
are our habits and I'll go backto it.
43% of what we do every day ismindless repetition.
(33:47):
So the key is to take thatmindless repetition and make
sure it's serving us, Make sureit's supporting our goals.
Because who doesn't want tolook good, to have energy, to
sleep like a baby at night, towake up excited for the day, to
feel relevant, relevant to ourkids?
(34:10):
Right?
How do we keep that relevance?
We're not relevant if you justshow up and you're like when's
lunch?
You're relevant when you showup with lunch.
It's a shift in mindset.
So what we've got anopportunity to do is step back,
(34:33):
Open our minds.
This is a new job for us asgrandparents and active agers.
So it's a new job.
You're not a parent anymore.
Your kids don't need you as aparent.
They can get every bit ofinformation they need from the
internet in seconds.
If they want to know how youdid it, they'll ask.
(34:55):
So it's an opportunity tocreate this new role, this new
active grandparenting role, andwhen I say active, that's mental
and physical.
So you've got to be open mindedand you got to not take
anything personally right.
So if you're getting offendedby your child or their spouse
(35:20):
suggesting you do something theway they want it done, this is
not going to go well for you.
Michele Folan (35:27):
Just saying it sounds like something with the
daughter-in-law.
Kristen Coffield (35:30):
It's not going to go well for you.
It's their show.
They are the gatekeepers forthe grandkids show.
They are the gatekeepers forthe grandkids and your
opportunity is to come in withan open mind, a willing heart
and physically prepared to helpwhere you can.
Now everybody's going toapproach this from a different
wellness standpoint, but I wantall of your listeners to
(35:53):
understand it's never too lateand you're never too old to
improve your health and wellness.
Michele Folan (36:01):
Amen, and I will say this if you follow Kristen
on Instagram, she is on thefloor.
She can pick up that chunker ofa grandson and pick him up off
the floor without grabbing ontosomething.
It's being able to get up outof a chair with a baby in your
(36:23):
arms without having to push offthe arms of the chair.
It's really.
We've got an opportunity here,but we got to take some action
if we want to be able to getdown on the floor and play Legos
.
Kristen Coffield (36:35):
It's functional movement.
So all of the things we'retalking about, they make sense
and it motivates women whenthey're doing it for someone
else, Look so, doing it for yourkids, doing it so you can have
more access to your grandkids.
But all the things that we'retalking about are the things
that you need to be able to doto live longer, and it's the
(36:59):
disuse, it's the habitualbehavior that took us from being
active into inactive, and weare very inactive as a people.
We are very screen-oriented.
We're very more sedentary thanprevious generations.
We don't live like the peoplein the blue zones.
Who in the blue zones?
(37:27):
You don't retire.
You keep taking care of youranimals, you keep growing your
vegetables.
Nobody's moving into aone-bedroom house.
You know they're still going upand downstairs, they're still
riding bikes and walking intotown.
We just somehow got this badmessaging that, oh my gosh,
you're 65.
It's time to slow down.
Take it easy, retire, play moregolf.
Statistically, it's use it orlose it.
(37:49):
The less you do, the less youcan do.
We don't start getting olderbecause we are older.
We start getting older andaging because we stop doing the
things that support our bodieson a cellular level, starting
with hydration, sleep, hydrationmovement what we eat.
(38:12):
It's hard to eat healthybecause the system isn't set up
for you to eat healthy and wehave all become people who
self-select our nutrientsBecause we can get our favorite
foods year round.
We can eat chicken andasparagus and blueberries, and
now we've stopped eatingfermented foods and seasonal
(38:32):
foods and a bigger variety offoods.
So think of foods not ascalories but as nutrients.
Now we're not getting as manynutrients, so our cells aren't
getting the nutrients to bringto our organs to help our body
function at its best.
So we can control all thesethings.
No one's holding us hostage,making us eat food that's going
(38:56):
to make us fat, sick and stupid,and when I say stupid, it is
true.
When your body mass becomesover a certain percentage, your
brain mass goes down.
So obesity is linked todiminish brain function as well.
Michele Folan (39:13):
Yeah, and again we're starting to hear more and
more of this.
Kristen is just, you know,again, don't shoot the messenger
.
These are really reallyimportant things that we all
kind of need to start managingbetter and getting a handle on
it, because we have anopportunity.
(39:33):
We have a really greatopportunity to live longer and
healthier than our parents did.
But you know, we've got to makesure we're taking action.
I wanted to ask you reallyquickly because I had this down
as a question that I reallywanted to ask you.
I wanted to talk about CPRtraining.
How do we go about getting thatcompleted, because you are
(39:56):
super passionate about beingable to act quickly if you've
got a child choking or whateverthe situation might be.
Kristen Coffield (40:06):
So the last time I took CPR was when I was a
new parent and I took a CPRcourse and I made my husband
take a CPR course.
Fast forward, you know 35 yearsand now we're grandparents.
(40:26):
And my daughter says you knowwhat, mom, I think it would be a
good idea if you and dadbecause we go and we take care
of the kids, so it's kind of afunny thing We'll go move into
our daughter's house.
She and her husband will goaway for a few days and we're
with the 10-month-old and thetwo-and-a-half-year-old.
(40:47):
And I know people are lookingat us and they're wondering are
those really old parents or arethey grandparents?
They're just not sure, right,because we're trying to do it
all.
You know we're like ambitious,we'll put them in the car seats,
we'll go to Tate for a littlebreakfast.
But so my daughter said I thinkit would be a good idea if you
(41:10):
and dad took CPR.
And I literally, you know,smacked my head.
I'm like, why didn't I think ofthat?
So I immediately looked onlineand everybody should do this,
not just grandparents.
Everybody should annually takea CPR course because you never
(41:30):
know when you might be able tosave a life.
So a couple of times with mydad.
He did start to choke and myhusband had to go behind him and
really push up and dislodge theoffending piece of whatever it
was, and so we went literally.
(41:51):
I think she told us on like aWednesday she wanted us to do
that and I said, okay, theAmerican Red Cross, the American
Heart Association, both offercourses.
You want to take the coursethat contains the infant and
child CPR as well.
It took us three hours.
We completed the course on aSaturday morning and I will tell
(42:14):
you it's a bit of an eye-openerif you haven't taken it in a
while.
Michele Folan (42:17):
Okay, I think that's terrific advice, because
keeping an adult alive is hardwork.
Kristen Coffield (42:24):
Doing like you don't realize just how hard
you've got to press and knowingthe right positioning with
infants and children isabsolutely crucial, is
absolutely crucial.
So everybody should take a CPRcourse annually or biannually,
but it is really, reallyimportant.
Michele Folan (42:44):
You know, I saw a commercial the other day for
one of these things that you putover someone's mouth.
It's a suction in case they'rechoking.
Do you have one of those?
Kristen Coffield (42:53):
Yeah, I do, and my daughter has given us one
for both our homes and she hasone on each floor of her home.
Life something I forget whatthey're called, but basically
it's a tool that you can use tohelp dislodge something from
(43:13):
somebody's throat.
So, yeah, we want to always putthe odds in our favor with
everything we do, with ourhabits.
We want to be the activegrandparents because, at the end
of the day, the grandparentswho can be more active are the
grandparents who are morehelpful, and those grandparents
(43:36):
will get more opportunities toparticipate.
Michele Folan (43:40):
It's just the way it is yeah, yeah, I love that,
kristen.
Now you do offer some otherresources and courses to your
followers.
Can you share a little bitabout what you offer?
Kristen Coffield (43:54):
I would love to.
So I love to get people started.
All of my coaching alwaysstarts with hydration.
I have a free 14-day hydrationtraining that anybody can access
at theculinarycurecom.
I also have two programs foractive grandparenting, and this
(44:17):
is a unique program.
Nobody's got anything like it.
What I've done is I've takeneverything I wanted for myself.
So better sleep, looking great,let's face it, vanity is a big
part of it.
We all want to feel reallycomfortable in our skin and
confident Absolutely.
So the hydration helps withthat, the sleep helps with that.
(44:39):
So we work on those things.
The nutrition is a huge part ofit.
To make nutrition somethingthat's easy and quick, not
complicated, that's clean,that's intuitive.
We can get back to basics.
It's inexpensive.
As a former chef, I've got over200 recipes that are healthy
(45:03):
that I share with everybody.
They're also on the website atthe Culinary Cure.
But I have two activegrandparenting programs.
I have one that is a standaloneprogram.
It's under $200.
You buy it, you get everything.
You get the videos of theexercises, you get the recipes,
(45:23):
you get the high value activegrandparenting ideas like
understand what it takes torespect your kids' boundaries,
to have those difficultconversations.
So there's a lot of tools abouthow you can become that
in-demand, active grandparentand not ruffle feathers but open
(45:48):
doors, right, because that'swhat we all want.
So it's got like five differentkey components.
And then I run a live program acouple of times a year where we
go through what the digitalprogram is, but we do it with
weekly coaching calls andaccountability and an active
Facebook group and it's just alot.
(46:09):
It's a lot of fun and you get,you know, the accountability and
I think for so many of us, look, we don't have time to mess
around.
Nobody wants a three-monthprogram.
They want to get three monthsof work done in three weeks.
Yeah, that is so true.
Yeah, it's just the way it is.
So it's a transformativeprogram.
(46:31):
It is a part of it is anelimination diet because we get
rid of all those superinflammation causing things that
are aging us, that areaccelerating the aging process
and literally stealing our joy,because now we have aches and
pains and we feel meh, we don'tfeel like the best version of
(46:51):
ourselves.
So in three weeks you can gofrom meh to the best version of
yourself, with a whole newarsenal of information that you
can use to live your best lifeand live younger, longer and
better.
Michele Folan (47:05):
I love your passion for this.
I really do.
I think it's so awesome and youknow, I know hydration is
probably at the very core, oneof your most important pillars
of self-care.
At the very core, one of yourmost important pillars of
self-care.
What else?
What else do you do every dayfor yourself?
That is part of your success.
Kristen Coffield (47:25):
Well, I exercise every day and here's a
really great tip for anybodylistening there is this early
morning time.
That is found time.
It's time before the day startsthat you're really not using
effectively.
So your most productiverestorative sleep happens
(47:46):
between 10 and 1 am.
You've already had your deepsleep, people.
So at 4, 5, 6 am you're notgetting any of that restorative
rest.
You're getting some of thatdream sleep, some of that really
light sleep that can actuallymake you wake up feeling kind of
like you haven't had sleep atall.
(48:06):
So get up earlier.
Work your way to an hourearlier and make that your found
time and don't do anything inthat time except you.
Maybe that's when you meditateor listen to a podcast like this
or read a chapter in your book.
For me, I get up, I drink mywater, I go to the gym, I do my
(48:30):
workout, I meet my husband.
We have that one cup of coffeea day from our local.
A friend of ours owns thecoffee shop and I know where the
beans come from and we havethat time together and that is
found time, and that is before 7am.
Michele Folan (48:47):
Yeah, and you know I will say this Kristen and
her husband got up early thismorning and at 5.45, they went
on a walk.
Kristen Coffield (48:54):
Yeah, Because we had a snow day here, the gym
was closed.
We both wanted to work outbecause we work out early, so we
got out.
We had this, you know, fabulous, and it was hard.
I mean it was the snow was deep.
We're really working and wewalked right to the coffee shop
and got our cup of coffee and itwas a great way to start our
(49:16):
morning.
So I exercise I try to exercisefive days a week and get out
early and get that sunlight soyou can synthesize the vitamin D
.
That early morning sunlightalso sends powerful messages to
your brain that it's time towake up and start your day and
sleep, sleep.
Don't shortchange yourself onthe sleep.
(49:38):
Sleep is when your body repairsand restores.
It's when you create memories.
It's when all of your majororgans go through a metabolic
detox and all that metabolicwaste ends up in your lymphatic
system, which is why, when youwake up in the morning, you want
that nice big glass of lemonwater to help your body detox
(50:00):
from all of that.
You know that happened duringsleep.
Michele Folan (50:03):
I need to add the lemon.
I always forget to add thelemon.
Kristen Coffield (50:07):
Add the lemon.
The lemon is so good.
The lemon goes in acidic, butit turns alkaline in your body.
Okay, so drink it with a strawto protect your tooth enamel.
But when we raise thealkalinity level in our body we
help lower the acidity level andthat is good for us.
Michele Folan (50:28):
Kristen has spoken.
Do your lemon water in themorning, kristen Cofield.
This was really fun.
You are delightful Again.
I love your passion for thisand I think everyone's going to
love this podcast.
Kristen Coffield (50:42):
Oh, thank you for having me on, Michele.
It's been my pleasure.
Michele Folan (50:47):
Hey, thanks for tuning in.
Please rate and review the showwhere you listen to the podcast
.
And did you know that Askingfor a Friend is available now to
listen on YouTube?
You can subscribe to thepodcast there as well.
Your support is appreciated andit helps others find the show.
Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!