February 18, 2025 • 38 mins
In today’s episode of Tea with Tanya, I get real about my personal wake-up call when I faced severe migraines and alarming cholesterol levels. These health scares forced me to take a long, hard look at my wellness practices and make some serious changes. I’m here to share my journey and how prioritizing holistic health, especially for women in Black and brown communities, has helped me regain control over my health and well-being.
Main Takeaways:
In this episode, I unravel the essential steps of whole-woman wellness, focusing on addressing the root causes of chronic illness through stress management, better nutrition, and consistent physical activity. From my own experience, I’ll explain the transformative power of understanding the mind-body connection and how you can start taking charge of your health today.
Key Points You’ll Learn:
- The Importance of Self-Care: Discover how neglecting your health today can lead to chronic illness tomorrow.
- Holistic Wellness for Women: Learn the key pillars of whole woman wellness, including nutrition, movement, and sleep.
- Practical Strategies for Health: I’ll share practical tools you can use, like symptom tracking and aligning exercise with your menstrual cycle, to support your journey toward a healthier, more balanced life.
Ready to dive deeper into whole woman wellness? Download your FREE guide today and start your health journey!
Thank you so much for tuning in to Tea with Tanya! If this episode resonated with you, please take a moment to rate and leave a review — it helps the show grow and reach more listeners. Join the conversation on Instagram using #teawithtanya #Teawithtanyapodcast, and don’t forget to tag us!
Visit my website at tanyakambrose.com for more resources. Be sure to follow us on Instagram @teawithtanyapodcast and @tanyakambrose, and sign up for my Tea Talk newsletter to stay updated with all things wellness and self-care!
Ready to dive deeper into whole woman wellness? Download your FREE guide today and start your health journey!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Tea with Tanya.
I'm your host, tanya Ambrose,an average millennial navigating
life as a maternal healthprofessional, non-profit founder
and grad student.
Join me in the tea tasting roomwhere we spill the tea on
finding balance and promotingpositive living.
While doing it all, hey friend,welcome back to another episode
(00:26):
of Tea with Tanya, transformingevery aspect, your go-to space
for real, honest andtransformative conversations
about health, wellness andpromoting positive living.
I'm your host, tanya, aka yourwellness bestie, and today's
episode is a special one becauseI'm sharing something that are
personal to me.
And today's episode is aspecial one because I'm sharing
(00:46):
something that are personal tome, something that has
completely shifted how Iapproach my health and wellness
this year.
Now, my friend, I had a wake upcall.
Now, granted, I've had severalwake up calls in my lifetime,
but I really had to double downand really do what was best for
me as a woman, essentiallytrying to conceive and just
being in the best health that Ican possibly be in.
(01:08):
And for years, I've beenhelping others through my work,
nonprofit and even the podcast,but I wasn't always paying
enough attention to my ownhealth.
Now, I'm sure you've alwaysheard that doctors or nurses,
they make the worst patientbecause, again, they know so
much or they always help otherpeople that when it's time for
them to get the help themselves,we don't always the best
(01:29):
patient, myself included.
And then reality, essentially,would have hit.
I started experiencing evenmore severe migraines, like I've
had migraines for over a decadenow, or even longer than that.
I've been experiencingmigraines since I was in high
school, honestly speaking, butthey've become more and more
severe and I just was not payingattention to that.
I'm like you know, okay, I'mtired, I'm stressed.
(01:50):
I'm in school Also, because mydoctors would often tell me you
know, you're a young lady inschool managing all these
different things, you have anonprofit, you have X, you have
Y, so your stress level is high.
That's why you're having thesesevere migraines.
And then, after doing somecheckup and whatnot, I was
experiencing extremely highcholesterol and then fatigue.
And when I say extremely high,like I'm talking about extremely
(02:12):
high, like any number that is,over 240 when it comes to your
total cholesterol, that is, youknow, you're in the danger zone.
That's very, very dangerous andfor me my number was like 272.
So I'm not even on the scaleanymore when it comes to the
cholesterol, like I'm off theRichter scale at this point in
time.
It's just I had to just stopand really take stock of what
(02:34):
was happening in my body,because this is ridiculous.
You know I don't.
I'm not a person who eat badlyand you know I try to eat fairly
healthy when I do eat that thatis, but to have cholesterol
being 272, basically way off thescale at this point in time, I
actually just step back andreally take stock of what was
happening in my body, and I knowI'm not alone in this, because
(02:54):
how many of us in our lives wepush through exhaustion, we
ignore symptoms or we delay anysort of doctor visits because,
again, we're just too busy?
And I'm going to tell you this,my friend that has to stop today
.
That is going to have to stop,because we cannot continue
living like this, especially in2025, the way in which this
world is going.
No, we're going to stop andwe're going to talk about taking
(03:15):
care of our bodies.
So in this episode, we're goingto be talking about whole woman
wellness, what it really meansand why I'm making it my focus
this year, and how you, myfriend, can start taking control
of your health right now.
And, of course, I have a freegift for you, because I want you
to start taking action today.
(03:36):
So please stick around untilthe end and I'll tell you how to
grab my whole woman wellnessguide and checklist to help you
start this journey.
You don't want to miss this, soplease stick around with me
here in the tea tasting roomjust for a little bit longer,
okay?
So what do I mean when I saywhole woman wellness?
It's not just about eatingsalads and hitting the gym.
(03:56):
No, ma'am, no, no, no, no, no.
It's about taking care of yourentire self.
That means taking care ofyourself physically, mentally,
emotionally and spiritually atevery stage of life.
And I want to emphasize everystage of life, because sometimes
we tend to focus on one stageof life and then forget the
other, and then, when we get tothat stage of life, we're not
(04:17):
figuring out.
Oh wow, nobody told me aboutthis.
So we definitely want to ensurethat we're taking care of
ourselves at every stage of life, because, let's be real, as
women, we wear so many hats, somany many hats.
We take care of families, wehave our careers, you know, our
communities, our partners somany different things, but how
often do we truly take care ofourselves, and I know I have
(04:37):
some close friends who are allabout their self-care, their
self-love.
It's like a non-negotiable forthem.
They don't care who you are,what you are, what you're doing.
They're going to make time forthemselves.
But some people, some of us,like myself included we don't
often make that time, so wedefinitely got to do better when
it comes to that Like.
Here's the truth If you don'tmake time for your wellness now,
you'll be forced to make timefor your illness later.
(04:59):
I'm going to say it again, myfriend, in case you didn't
really understand what I'msaying If you don't make time
for your wellness now, you'll beforced to make time for your
illness later, and we're nottrying to have any of that in
2025.
You know what I mean.
So, whole woman, wellness meansknowing your body and listening
to it, not ignoring the signsit's giving you.
It's about understanding yourunique health needs, from
(05:22):
puberty up until to menopause.
It's about prioritizingpreventative care because, again
, waiting until something iswrong is just not the move that
we're trying to go for at allanytime right now.
And, of course, it also meansbalancing physical health with
mental and emotional well-being,because stress and anxiety and
even burnout, affect our healthmore than we realize.
(05:44):
And we know that stress is asilent killer.
And I've seen too many youngpeople around me essentially are
dying as a result of twodistress levels that they have
not been able to cope.
Because, again, let's be real,we live in a society where so
many people's lives are beingthreatened just for how they
show up in society.
And again, the stress of it all, the anxiety, the burnout, it
(06:06):
definitely will affect someone'shealth if it's not getting
under control.
So you definitely want to beable to live your life in the
sense where you're taking careof your body from a holistic
standpoint.
So that's what I'm talkingabout when I'm talking about
what whole woman wellness means.
So today I want to take youthrough a roadmap for getting
started when it comes to yourwhole woman wellness.
(06:27):
So let's break it all the waydown.
Okay, we're going to break itall the way down here in the tea
tasting room.
Now I'm going to be honest withyou, my friend.
Like I mentioned earlier, I'vehad several wake up calls in my
life, but 2024 was one of thebiggest wake up call for me,
across our boards.
For months I was feeling offlow energy, constant severe
migraines.
(06:48):
I'm just not myself, especiallyin the first half of 2024, for
so many different reasons.
But one thing I would do, evenfeeling like this, I would push
through because, again, I had somuch going on.
Does that sound familiar?
I do a lot, but I would alwayspush through because, again, I
had just too much going on.
So then I had a routine checkupwith my doctor and I was told
(07:12):
that my cholesterol levels weretoo high.
Like I mentioned earlier, itwas off the Richter scale at
this point in time.
It was too high.
Now, listen, I know, and I'msure you probably can relate,
when we hear about highcholesterol, we often think that
that's for older people.
Now, raise your hand if thatwas one to you.
Maybe you've gained theknowledge now, so you know.
But raise your hand if at somepoint in time, when you hear
(07:34):
high cholesterol, you alwaysthought about that it was for
older people.
No, let me tell you, this is areal.
This is very, very real, andit's happening to younger women
as well, especially in Black andbrown communities.
Because we know again,everything has to do with today.
There are statistics Blackwomen are often more prone to so
many different things thantheir white counterparts as well
(07:55):
.
So high cholesterol islegitimately running in our
Black and brown communities,especially amongst our young men
, and even women as well, youknow.
So it made me realize that Ipersonally was neglecting my
health.
I was skipping meals, notmanaging my stress properly and
not getting enough movement in.
Now, mind you, I started thegym in the first half of 2024
(08:17):
because, again, that was my way,or my out, for me to gain
mental clarity, also for me tojust stay fit, build endurance,
but also it was a way for me totake care of my body.
But did I do that?
After what I stopped?
It took me a very long time forme to even go back to working
out.
It took me at least eightmonths, I think six to eight
months and I'm now back in thegym working out because, again,
a girl got so many things shegot to do.
(08:37):
But that was one of the stepsthat I decided to take as it
relates to moving forward andtaking care of my body, because
I wasn't taking care of my body,because I wasn't managing my
stress properly and not gettingenough movement in.
So that's when I basically saidenough is enough.
I started taking stock of mylife, honestly, like my habits
and what needed to change, andthat is what led me essentially
(08:59):
to focus on whole woman wellness.
And I will give a shout out tomy web designer, narsha, because
we were talking about this froma holistic standpoint woman and
what we go through.
You know she's a mom, a singlemom.
I'm here trying to educate andempower people in my community,
and so the idea of just wholewoman wellness because, again,
sometimes we tend to focus onmaybe just pregnancy and we
leave out menstrual cycles orwhatever you know, breast cancer
(09:22):
, whatever the case may be.
But my goal is for us to reallyand truly think about wellness
from the whole woman perspective.
So, my friend, I have a questionfor you, so make sure you
answer this question, ok, whenwas the last time you really
checked in with your body?
Have you been ignoringsomething that's been trying to
get your attention for thelongest?
Now we're going to have toreally and truly think about
(09:44):
taking stock of your health andwhere to start.
So I want to get into somepractical steps.
If you're listening, knowingyou're thinking okay, tanya,
here she go, but where do I evenstart?
Here's what I want to do andI'm going to encourage you to
get a book, pen and a paper youcan put in your notes that.
But this is what I want you foryou to do Get real about where
you are, and I had thisconversation recently with my
(10:04):
sister.
I had to tell her, you know,you need to be honest about
where you are in your health andwellness journey.
So think about what areas ofyour health you have been
neglecting.
That could be nutrition, itcould be movement, stress, sleep
, mental health, reproductivehealth.
Whatever it is.
What areas of your life haveyou been neglecting?
Think about journaling or evenvoice notes voice noting your
(10:26):
thoughts.
Because let me tell you this, Ijust discovered the iPhone, the
notes app.
You can actually record thingsand leave it there.
Because one thing about me I'malways talking to myself.
I'm always recording a podcastepisode in my car without even
actually recording.
So to have that feature nowwith the notes app where you can
just record your voice into theapp, I do encourage you to do
that.
You can ask questions or evenanswer questions like how do I
(10:50):
actually feel in my body?
We call that voice note.
Keep it right there.
Try to understand the mind-bodyconnection.
Mental health affects physicalhealth and vice versa.
Sometimes we don't often thinkthat, but this, when we talk
about the whole woman body, thiswhole body, this is so
interconnected that everythingis connected to one other thing.
So, yeah, to ensure youunderstand that mind-body
(11:10):
connection so that's step oneGet real about where you are
when it comes to your life.
So get a notebook, and I willencourage this Get a notebook
and do what is called a bodycheck-in.
Again, how do you feel?
What symptoms have you beenignoring?
For me, I have a migrainejournal.
I don't often write in it thesedays because at this point
(11:31):
neither me or my doctor knowwhat essentially triggers my
migraine, sadly.
But I have a migraine journalthat I will usually write in
there and say okay, at 6 am thismorning I woke up and by 6.10,
I started feeling symptoms ofwhat was going to be a migraine,
or at 3 pm this day.
So in that way, when I'mtalking to my care provider, I'm
able to tell them they can seethe patterns of, let's say,
(11:51):
maybe you're likely to have amigraine in the morning versus
the evening or vice versa, andyou know what day of the week.
These are different things.
So you definitely want to keepa notebook specifically so you
can do a body check-in.
We have all these journals thatwe write in and you can call it
your body journal.
But you want to take notebecause, again, when you go see
your primary care provider,whenever that checkup may be,
(12:13):
and you have these questions toask, you have the full
information as to what it isthat's going on in your body,
because, again, nobody knowsyour body better than yourself.
The second thing is to know yournumbers.
When was the last time you gotblood work done?
Have you checked yourcholesterol, your blood pressure
, blood sugar and hormonallevels?
These are things that you wantto look into.
Have you scheduled your annualpap smear, your mammogram or any
(12:36):
other reproductive healthcheckup?
Think about that.
So know your numbers.
For me, like I said, mycholesterol numbers right now,
my total cholesterol number is272.
So I'm living in the dangerzone as it relates to that.
Definitely do not recommendhaving such high cholesterol.
My blood pressure a normalblood pressure is usually 120
over 80.
Mine is 110 over 70, stillfairly in the normal range, and
(13:01):
I did an episode previouslyabout you know checkups you
should be having and how to knowabout your body.
I will link that in the shownotes as well.
But I definitely want toschedule these things, to know
what your body is, what is yourblood sugar, what are your
hormonal levels, so that you canalways tell okay, it's dropping
, it's low, it's high, it'sstable, whatever the case may be
.
It's very important for you todo that, and I do know sometimes
(13:22):
, when we go to the doctor,doctor and they're taking
temperature, your pulse rate,your heart rate and your blood
pressure they have a tendency ofnot necessarily reading your
numbers to you.
We're not going to have that,my friend.
Whenever you go to a checkup,you're going to ask them what
was my blood pressure lookinglike?
Or was my whatever they weretaking?
You ask that question Eventhough it's for their record.
It's your body.
(13:42):
You also need to know what's inyour record as well.
One thing I know we haveMyChart and everything.
That's how we create theconversation between the patient
and the provider.
Well, let me get off of thatsoapbox real quick, because
we're not here to talk aboutthat.
The third thing is to build awellness routine that works for
you.
So I will say start with onesmall sustainable habit, that is
(14:03):
, to drink more water.
For me, that's my goal is todrink at least a liter of water
a day.
That may not be enough for somepeople, but for me, right now,
it's what I can manage Because,again, we're supposed to be
essentially drinking our bodyweight.
But you definitely want to justthink about one small,
sustainable habit that could bedrinking water.
For me, that's what it is.
That could be to move your body.
That could be walking 30minutes in your apartment
(14:25):
complex, in your yard, whateverthe case may be, and that could
just be to add a leafy green toyour meal, if that means, you
know, adding some lettuce, somespinach, whatever it is.
Think about something that youcan just keep incorporating one
day, one step at a time.
Granted, you don't have to beperfect.
All I'm asking is just to beconsistent.
(14:47):
Find what brings you joy in yourhealth.
Like taking care of our health,of our body, should be fun as
well.
So find what brings joy, what'sgoing to bring you joy in your
health and wellness journey.
You know that could be dancing.
You know you're burningcalories there.
That could be weightlifting,that could be yoga, pilates, or
that can just be having a longwalk after a long day, or even
in the morning, just to get yourbody and all everything flowing
(15:09):
, but the end of it all.
Just, honestly, find what worksbest for you.
I think it comes on to thatbecause sometimes too many times
for me, I remember years agowhen I was heavily in social
media and looking at theinfluencers and I'm thinking,
okay, here you are, out, here,you're working, you're losing
weight, you just had a baby andthe snapback body and these
different things, but you're notnecessarily showing me the
(15:32):
process and what I realized,what would work for the person
that is watching on YouTube, isnot going to work for me in my
own life as well.
So just remember to find whatworks for you Because, again,
wellness is not a one size fitsall.
You hear me, my friend, it'snot a one size fits all.
So these are some practicalsteps for us to understand.
(15:52):
So we're going to get realabout where you are, know your
numbers, build a wellnessroutine that works for you.
Now let's break this down intofive key pillars of whole woman
wellness.
Pillar number one is going tobe nutrition and eating for
longevity.
We know by now what you eatfuels every system in your body,
(16:14):
your hormones, your energylevels, mental clarity and even
your skin and hair.
All will reflect what'shappening inside, because that's
what we see on the outside is areflection of what's happening
on the inside.
But here's where a lot of ustend to go wrong.
We focus on calories overnutrients, and I think we need
(16:34):
to shift nutrient.
We need to shift tonutrient-dense foods, foods
that's going to give our bodiesthe vitamins, the minerals,
fiber and the healthy fats.
Now, for me, I'm going to sharea list of inflammatory foods to
avoid and the reason why I'msharing this because, for me,
right now, I deal with a lot ofbloating.
I don't know why.
Like I said, I've been to thegastroenterologist.
I'm just going everywheretrying to get answers, but I
(16:57):
think, you know, I do need tothink about what I'm putting
into my body, which is why I'mprobably more inflamed or
whatever the case may be.
So I'm trying to work on aanti-inflammatory diet and, as I
continue working towards this,I will definitely share more of
that in the tea tasting room.
But until then, the thing thatI'm going to be avoiding, going
forward, as it relates toinflammatory foods to avoid,
(17:18):
that's going to be refinedsugars, such as your soda candy
and pastries.
I'm not really a soda person,so that was an easy one for me
to give up the candy.
I got to be in the mood, andthat's usually never Pastries.
Now I'm having to work on that.
But again, these are what wecall refined sugars and they
tend to cause blood sugar spikesand hormonal imbalances as well
(17:40):
.
And there's the processed foodfast food, chips, frozen dinners
.
These are very high inpreservatives and they tend to
disrupt the gut health as well.
So you definitely want to avoida lot of these processed food.
You know, avoid having excessdairy, especially highly
processed cheese, because thesecan increase mucus production
and inflammation, and we'retrying to avoid that, my friend.
(18:02):
And then you also want to avoidvegetable oils and trans fats,
such as canola oil, margarine,fried foods, because, again,
these increase inflammation andthey can also have an impact on
your heart health.
So these are some of theinflammatory foods that we're
going to be avoiding, and you'llbe able to find this in the
guide as well.
So, again, stick around so youcan know where you can go to get
(18:24):
this guide from the Whole WomanWellness Guide and Checklist.
The things that we want toessentially focus on are the
nutrient dense foods, such asyour leafy greens.
That could be kale, spinach,swiss chard, because these are
rich in iron and magnesium forenergy, and we know, as women,
we're going to need our energybecause we have one good week,
if that much, out of a month, toactually be living the way we
(18:47):
want to live.
But you definitely want toconsume a lot of food rich in
iron because, again, it's goingto help to boost our energy
levels.
Think about fatty fish likeyour salmon, your mackerel, your
sardines.
These are packed with omega-3for brain and heart health, so
you definitely want to ensurethat you're having something
like this on your platethroughout the week.
Think about our whole grains.
(19:07):
You know, the quinoa, the brownrice and the oats.
I'm going to be honest, I amnot a brown rice girly.
I'm not there yet.
I feel like I've had quinoa forso much, for such a long time
back to back, that I'm just sickand tired of even saying quinoa
.
What is it quinoa?
Now?
I am still a basmati rice girlyand one day I will get to the
brown rice.
But you know, again, try andincorporate more whole grains so
(19:28):
that we can have steady energyand fiber for digestion, and we
all know here, tanya needs a lotof fiber in her body.
Okay, you also want to includeour colorful vegetables.
We often talk about making your, you know, eating the rainbow,
so you think about your carrots,your bell peppers, your beets.
These are antioxidants and theyhelp to fight inflammation as
well.
Then there's healthy fats, likeyour avocado, your nuts and
(19:51):
your olive oil.
These also aid in hormonalbalance and brain function as
well.
So think about that as itrelates to pillar number one,
that is, nutrition and eatingfor longevity, and one of the
actions that I want you to takeaway from this particular pillar
is, the next time you go toyour shop, add at least two to
three whole, nutrient-densefoods to your cart and see how
(20:12):
that makes you feel as you goabout your daily living and the
foods that you're eating as well.
Pillar number two is movementand listening to your body.
A lot of us sometimes have ahard time listening to our body,
Like I often tend to teach,like to teach my classes.
Who's going to know your bodybetter than yourself?
Because it's not going to be adoctor, because you're going to
them for help.
You know what I mean.
(20:32):
So pillar number two is goingto be movement and listening to
your body.
I want for us going forward.
Let's shift the conversationabout exercise from losing
weight to, more so, gaining life, because movement isn't about
punishment.
It's about longevity,flexibility and energy.
And some of the common mistakesthat we make when it comes to
(20:54):
exercise is we're doing workoutsthat we hate because someone is
telling you, oh, it's going toburn the most calories.
So you're going to jump todoing exercise that you can't
even stand because someone toldyou, oh, this is going to burn
the most calories.
Or you're ignoring body signalsthat is working out despite
pain or exhaustion.
Like I said, one thing we'regoing to do we're going to
listen to that body.
If we're too tired, we're goingto rest.
(21:15):
If we're in pain, we're notgoing to push that body to do
what the body can't even do atthat point in time.
And then we're over-exercisingwithout recovery because, in
that sense now we're causingmore harm than good.
So you definitely want to movesmarter, and I will say this how
can you move smarter?
Let's think about cycle syncingworkouts.
So this is where it comes in.
(21:36):
It's very important for us tounderstand our menstrual cycle
or even our reproductive health,so I will touch briefly on this
, but there will be an upcomingepisode when we're talking all
about cycle syncing, how totrack our cycle, what we should
be doing as it relates to ourmenstruation, our menstrual
cycle, but also there wasanother previous episode that
essentially touching that andI'm going to link that as well
(21:56):
in the show notes, one of ourTea with Tanya podcast episode.
But anyway, cycle syncing ourworkouts.
Now let's be real, ourmenstrual cycle is more than
just our period.
It's honestly, it'slegitimately the blueprint for
how we feel, how we eat and evenhow we exercise, and I found
this fascinating when I firstcame across.
You know what it means to cyclesync a couple of years ago and
(22:18):
it really does.
It's important.
So when you think about duringthe follicular phase that
usually starts on the first dayof your period and lasts for
about 13 to 14 days, during thisphase, your energy is extremely
high, so this is going to bethe best time for intense
workouts like running orweightlifting, so you can.
You know your energy is high.
You get to do more during thefollicular phase and then
(22:40):
there's the ovulation phase,which is usually days 14 to 17.
So it lasts about one to twodays, but that's when your body
is going to be cravingantioxidants.
You want to think about theberries, the citrus and the
green leafy vegetables as well.
And then in the luteal phase,that's the phase that is the
last phase of the menstrualcycle, and that is from day 15
(23:02):
to about day 28, 29.
And during this time, pleasehonor your body because you're
going to feel sluggish, so youcan opt for something like,
maybe, yoga, walking, you know,and load up on a lot of
magnesium rich foods like darkchocolate and nuts.
So when you have something,when you have that little sweet
tasting oh, I have a craving,yeah, that's your body telling
you, you know what it's time forme to slow it down and just
(23:23):
give the body what it needs.
So you, you know, of course,when you're in your menstrual
phase now, you want to thinkabout restorative yoga,
stretching, walking.
So do you see how your cycle isyour superpower?
It's so.
Your, you know our menstrualcycle is more than our period.
It's the blueprint for how wefeel, eat and how we exercise.
So one action step I want youto take away from this phase,
(23:45):
from this pillar, is to chooseone to two types of movement
that feel good for your body andjust start small.
I'm not telling you to go do aSimone Bias type of exercise or
workout.
Just definitely start small andjust add one to two types of
different movement to yourroutine.
Then there's pillar numberthree.
That's going to be stress,mental health and our hormones.
(24:07):
Now, my friend, did you knowthat chronic stress throws your
entire body out of balance?
I'll share a story that Ishared with Gianna on the
episode before this.
One day I was under someserious stress.
It's been a while since I'vebeen that stressed out and my
period was delayed.
And I'm here thinking girl,what is going on?
(24:28):
You know, the first thing youdo as a woman, regardless, is
you think you're pregnant andI'm thinking OK, you know what,
maybe God is going to make me,maybe 2.0.
But that's when I realized thatI was just so, so, so stressed,
that my body, for the firsttime in a long time, was just
out of whack.
It didn't even know how torespond, and that delayed my
(24:53):
period for a little bit over aweek or so.
So some of the effects ofchronic stress you know.
You think about hormonalimbalance that's going to
trigger.
It triggers excess cortisol inyour brain, leading to you
feeling fatigue.
You know that could result inweight gain and also even having
irregular cycles as well.
When you think about anothereffect it has, it has on the
heart health issues it's goingto raise your blood pressure and
that's going to also increasethe risk of heart disease as
well.
(25:13):
You know, the other effect thatit has on our body is digestive
problems.
That's going to slow downmetabolism.
It's going to end up causingbloating, acid reflux or even
constipation Hello me, you know.
So that's when I also realizedthat I had to really take a step
of my life, because all of someof these things that I'm
calling to you here is becauseof my experience and the
conversations that I've had withmy care provider.
(25:35):
And then, of course, anothereffect of chronic stress is the
weight fluctuation.
So high cortisol levels isgoing to equal to a very
stubborn belly fat storage.
So when you're wondering, likemyself, why am I looking like
I'm six months pregnant?
Why is my belly so big?
It's also again because yourweight is fluctuating because of
that stress in your body,because the stress is honestly
(25:56):
throws off your entire body outof balance.
So when we talk about, you knowyou want to minimize stress I
know you're probably thinking,girl, the society that we're
living in right now, how am Igoing to eliminate stress?
And I know it's hard, but youdefinitely want to make it a
priority and you can just do soby practicing.
You know, having somemindfulness practice to help
reduce the stress.
It may not remove all thestress of life because, again,
(26:18):
life is just life, but Iencourage you to try some
mindfulness practices to reduceyour stress, such as deep
breathing, gratitude journaling.
Write three things you'regrateful for.
That could be in the morning orin the evening, whenever you
find the time during that day.
You know, think about naturetherapy, take a walk outside no
phone but I take that back whenI say no phone because you know
(26:39):
safety is important as well.
But take a walk outside, justgo be in nature.
You'll be surprised how muchjust being outside for a few
minutes can do for your body andfor your mental health.
And I think you know the 10-10rule for me is, you know you do
10 minutes of stretching, 10minutes of being quiet and 10
minutes of journaling.
So think about that, the10-10-10 rule 10 minutes of
(27:00):
stretching, 10 minutes of quietand 10 minutes of journaling.
That is something that you'regoing to practice as it relates
to your mindfulness.
So the action step for this isto pick one mindfulness habit
and practice it every morning.
Granted, if the mornings arenot for you you're not a morning
person like me then you canalso do that in the evening.
But just pick one mindfulnesshabit and practice it every
(27:22):
morning or evening, whatevertime works for you in that given
day.
Then, pillar number four, ofcourse, I wouldn't be me if I
didn't talk about reproductiveand hormonal health.
Now, understanding yourmenstrual cycle is like having a
natural health report everymonth, and I'm pretty sure that
you know we've talked about whyis our menstrual cycle important
(27:42):
.
When you have that menstrual,when you're understanding your
cycle, having that naturalmenstrual cycle important, when
you have that menstrual, whenyou're understanding your cycle,
having that natural keyword,natural health report every
month is key.
So you think about how do youtrack your cycle?
You want to do your basal bodytemperature, take your
temperature every morning beforegetting out of bed, because,
again, that's going to helpessentially as it relates to you
, for you knowing where you arein your menstrual cycle.
(28:05):
And I will have an episodethat's going to be diving deep,
very deep into that as well,because I know many of us, some
people are trying to conceive.
Some people just want to knowabout their body.
So when you hear the term BBT,that is essentially your basal
body temperature and it is itwill be your lowest body
temperature at rest, andtracking this scale you can
(28:25):
pinpoint your ovulation period.
You know that means, obviously,which is your most fertile time
for your cycle.
So if you're someone who you'retrying to conceive and you're
practicing to take your basalbody temperature, you know when
it's really high that you knowwhat ovulation is happening.
Let's do what we got to dobecause obviously we're trying
to conceive a baby as well.
So that's one thing youdefinitely want to do.
(28:47):
If your temperature doesn'trise, you may not be ovulating,
which can signal a hormonalimbalance that also needs
attention as well.
So that's a whole differentthing that I'll talk about on
another episode.
You know you think about onemore thing.
You think about your cervicalmucus, and I know this is
probably TMI, but I mean, if notus, if not me, then who?
If not us checking our bodies,how are we going to know?
(29:07):
So now, when you think aboutyour discharge and your cervical
mucus, you check thatessentially throughout your
cycle.
That can also let you know whenyou're most fertile.
So every day, when you go tothe bathroom and you're wiping,
notice your cervical mucusconsistency.
Before ovulation, that's goingto be thick, sticky or creamy
mucus.
That means not fertile.
(29:28):
During ovulation, that's goingto be like a clear, stretchy egg
white-like mucus.
That means you're fertile.
And then after ovulation,usually it'll be like a dry or
thick white mucus.
That's also resulting in youtelling you being not fertile as
well.
So those are some ways that youcan check as it relates to your
hormone or health.
(29:48):
It's very important.
It may sound some people tellme oh, that's a ghost.
No, it's your body.
It's your body's way of tellingyou what's happening in your
body at some given point.
And then cycle journaling.
I'm going to bring this in.
You want to be able to trackyour mood, your cravings, your
energy levels.
Now, if this is going to be toomuch for you, there are
(30:15):
resources online where you canfind a cycle tracker.
Again, sit, you can see how youcan download the wellness guide
, but we can just tick off.
Okay, I've been angry today.
My mood has been good.
I crave this today, definitely,again.
Keep these things because whenyou, when you see your doctor
for something that may behappening that's unusual or just
in general, they'll be able tohave a better understanding of
your body, to see what yourhealth status is as well.
So it may sound like a lot ofwork, but it's not, I promise
(30:37):
you.
So you definitely want to ensurethat you're tracking these
things because you have someindividuals like myself.
We're pre-menopause.
We're in our early 30s to 40s.
Fertility is still high, butour cycles may end up shifting.
Then there are perimenopause awoman mid-40s and up Then you
may start having irregularperiods.
Night sweats, mood swings,hormone fluctuations are going
(31:00):
to begin, and then you knowmenopause 15 up, but there's no,
and the menopause is no periodfor a full year.
Your estrogen levels are goingto drop.
That's going to be also underthe risk for, like bone loss,
heart disease and thesedifferent things.
So you definitely just want tobe more in tune with your body
as you go through different andevery stage of your life.
So the action tip for this isto start tracking your cycle
this month using a notebook oryou can use the app there's
(31:23):
several apps that I myself useas well that you can track your
cycle during that as well.
If you don't want, if you'reworried about data being
compromised and you get yourbook at your calendar and you
start tracking that cycle everymonth, so that way you know what
is happening in your body atany given point in time.
And then pillar number five, thelast pillar in this, and that
(31:46):
is sleep and recovery.
Why is sleep your secret weapon?
Because it detoxifies the brainand body, it helps to regulate
weight and metabolism and itsupports heart and immune health
.
Okay, sleep is important.
I should be the last persontalking about sleep, but I
promise you, my friend, it isvery, very important.
(32:08):
I should be the last persontalking about sleep, but I
promise you, my friend, it isvery, very important.
I have seen the effect of me, of, you know, a poor sleep pattern
For me.
Again, I'm in grad school, fulltime.
I am a chronic migraine personat this point and the medication
that I take.
I have to take a medicationevery night to prevent myself
from having a migraine thefollowing day.
However, this migraine medmakes me extremely drowsy.
(32:30):
And if you're someone like meyou're a grad student, you work
full-time, you have a nonprofitorganization, you have a podcast
, there's so many hats that youwear, you know your mop,
whatever it is.
Sometimes sleep may, you may notget the full eight hours sleep
that is recommended for us forour health and wellness, but at
least try to ensure that you'regetting adequate sleep, because
(32:53):
sleep, my friend, is your secretweapon.
So some some sleep rituals thatyou can, you can think to try
and incorporate, again one stepat a time, is to set a sleep
alarm one hour before bed.
For what I do is I try to makemy bedtime be between 10 and 11.
It depends on what day of theweek it is.
So my sleep enriching is notnecessarily as consistent as
(33:15):
some may be.
You may go to sleep at 8 or 9pm every night.
I was once that girl, but Iwear many hats.
So my days, my evenings, aren'talways the same.
But one thing that remainsconsistent is I'm going to sip
on some chamomile tea beforewinding down.
You can guarantee that I willbe drinking some tea before bed,
but definitely you want to seta sleep alarm one hour before
(33:38):
bed, sip on some tea.
My favorite tea of choice isgoing to always be chamomile tea
before winding down.
And then you know you caneither use blackout curtains or
you can just have thetemperature in your house be
cool.
Me I'm always.
It's always hard finding thebalance between what is hot,
what is cold in my apartment,but for sure, have a cool
temperature.
(33:58):
That's going to essentiallyhelp you to sleep better as well
, because sleep is veryimportant, my friend as well.
Because sleep is very important, my friend.
I know we have a lot going on,but we must rest because it's
your secret weapon for overallhealth and wellness.
Okay, my friend, now for theaction step for this is just set
(34:20):
a consistent bedtime and wakeup time For me.
I get up at no.
I'm getting up at 5.45 everymorning, and that is because
usually it was five.
But because my sleeping, thetime that I sleep every night,
it varies based on what I havegoing on.
I had to.
I go to bed a little bit later,so I have to extend my wake-up
time.
So now I wake up at 5.45 everymorning.
(34:42):
Granted, sometimes my body doeswake me up before that, but my
alarm is set for 5.45 everymorning.
Now, again based on what time Igo to bed.
So just think about setting aconsistent bedtime and a wake-up
time that's going to work foryou.
Me, waking up at 5.45 may notwork for you.
Maybe four am might work foryou, or even 6.30 and 7.00.
(35:02):
But just set a consistentbedtime and wake up.
That way you'll get into thehabit of you know it being a
routine and it becomes part ofyour daily ritual.
So then you know that you knowwhat I'm taking care of myself,
because I'm getting X amount ofsleep every night.
Now it's time for the post-itnote takeaways.
You know that's something thatwe're working on in 2025.
(35:25):
We're going to have while we'reon our whole woman wellness
journey.
I want to encourage us to startusing some post-it notes that
you can put little affirmationson where you are in your house,
at work, in your car, whereverso you can have that reminder as
well.
So if you're listening in thecar or you're on a walk and
you're even laying in bed, youknow, just let these words that
I'm about to share, let themsink in and, like I say, I
encourage you to write them downand place them somewhere
(35:47):
visible, because the more yousee them, the more they become
part of your reality.
So the three things that I havethat I want us to write on our
post-it notes today is wellnessis not about being perfect.
It's about being consistent.
Small steps lead to lifelongchanges.
Your health is your foundation.
(36:10):
Prioritize it.
So I'm going to list thosethree post-it note takeaways for
this episode.
Wellness is not about beingperfect.
It's about being consistent.
Small steps lead to lifelongchanges.
Your health is your foundation.
Prioritize it.
All right, my friend, we havemade it to the end of the
(36:30):
episode and it was a bitjam-packed, but I hope you're
walking away with something,with a plan to prioritize you,
you, you, you.
And because your wellnessbestie wants to see you doing
well here in the tea tastingroom, I want to help you to take
action.
So that's why I created theWhole Woman Wellness Guide and
Checklist.
Now you can go to my website,that's tanyakamrosecom, and grab
(36:54):
your free copy and be sure tosign up to the newsletter so you
can get a lot of Whole WomanWellness information straight to
your inbox.
I promise you I won't spam, butI will leave that link to the
website in the show notes anddefinitely, like I say,
subscribe to the newsletter,check out the whole woman
wellness guide.
It's much more thorough thanwhat I shared here today and I
took my time my friend workingon this guide.
(37:15):
So it's free.
The amount, the information inthis guide is free.
Anybody would tell you, girl.
Well, you have.
Why are you giving this awayfor free?
But the point is just ensuringthat we are taking the necessary
step towards our whole womanwellness in this year and beyond
.
So go to the websiteTanyaKAnbrosecom, grab your free
copy and don't forget to tag meon social media and tell me one
(37:39):
small change you're making foryour wellness this year.
I love you for listening.
Remember again your health isyour foundation.
Take care of yourself, becausewhat happened, my friend?
You deserve it.
I will see you back here in thetea tasting room next week.
Thank you for joining me foranother episode of Tea with
(38:01):
Tanya.
If you liked this episode, besure to share it with a friend.
Don't forget to follow oninstagram at tea with tanya
podcast.
Be sure to subscribe to theweekly tea talk newsletter and,
of course, rate on apple orspotify and subscribe wherever
you listen.
See you next time.
I love you for listening.
Welcome to Tea with Tanya.
I'm your host, tanya Ambrose,an average millennial navigating
life as a maternal healthprofessional, non-profit founder
and grad student.
Join me in the tea tasting roomwhere we spill the tea on
finding balance and promotingpositive living.
While doing it all, hey friend,welcome back to another episode
(00:26):
of Tea with Tanya, transformingevery aspect, your go-to space
for real, honest andtransformative conversations
about health, wellness andpromoting positive living.
I'm your host, tanya, aka yourwellness bestie, and today's
episode is a special one becauseI'm sharing something that are
personal to me.
And today's episode is aspecial one because I'm sharing
(00:46):
something that are personal tome, something that has
completely shifted how Iapproach my health and wellness
this year.
Now, my friend, I had a wake upcall.
Now, granted, I've had severalwake up calls in my lifetime,
but I really had to double downand really do what was best for
me as a woman, essentiallytrying to conceive and just
being in the best health that Ican possibly be in.
(01:08):
And for years, I've beenhelping others through my work,
nonprofit and even the podcast,but I wasn't always paying
enough attention to my ownhealth.
Now, I'm sure you've alwaysheard that doctors or nurses,
they make the worst patientbecause, again, they know so
much or they always help otherpeople that when it's time for
them to get the help themselves,we don't always the best
(01:29):
patient, myself included.
And then reality, essentially,would have hit.
I started experiencing evenmore severe migraines, like I've
had migraines for over a decadenow, or even longer than that.
I've been experiencingmigraines since I was in high
school, honestly speaking, butthey've become more and more
severe and I just was not payingattention to that.
I'm like you know, okay, I'mtired, I'm stressed.
(01:50):
I'm in school Also, because mydoctors would often tell me you
know, you're a young lady inschool managing all these
different things, you have anonprofit, you have X, you have
Y, so your stress level is high.
That's why you're having thesesevere migraines.
And then, after doing somecheckup and whatnot, I was
experiencing extremely highcholesterol and then fatigue.
And when I say extremely high,like I'm talking about extremely
(02:12):
high, like any number that is,over 240 when it comes to your
total cholesterol, that is, youknow, you're in the danger zone.
That's very, very dangerous andfor me my number was like 272.
So I'm not even on the scaleanymore when it comes to the
cholesterol, like I'm off theRichter scale at this point in
time.
It's just I had to just stopand really take stock of what
(02:34):
was happening in my body,because this is ridiculous.
You know I don't.
I'm not a person who eat badlyand you know I try to eat fairly
healthy when I do eat that thatis, but to have cholesterol
being 272, basically way off thescale at this point in time, I
actually just step back andreally take stock of what was
happening in my body, and I knowI'm not alone in this, because
(02:54):
how many of us in our lives wepush through exhaustion, we
ignore symptoms or we delay anysort of doctor visits because,
again, we're just too busy?
And I'm going to tell you this,my friend that has to stop today
.
That is going to have to stop,because we cannot continue
living like this, especially in2025, the way in which this
world is going.
No, we're going to stop andwe're going to talk about taking
(03:15):
care of our bodies.
So in this episode, we're goingto be talking about whole woman
wellness, what it really meansand why I'm making it my focus
this year, and how you, myfriend, can start taking control
of your health right now.
And, of course, I have a freegift for you, because I want you
to start taking action today.
(03:36):
So please stick around untilthe end and I'll tell you how to
grab my whole woman wellnessguide and checklist to help you
start this journey.
You don't want to miss this, soplease stick around with me
here in the tea tasting roomjust for a little bit longer,
okay?
So what do I mean when I saywhole woman wellness?
It's not just about eatingsalads and hitting the gym.
(03:56):
No, ma'am, no, no, no, no, no.
It's about taking care of yourentire self.
That means taking care ofyourself physically, mentally,
emotionally and spiritually atevery stage of life.
And I want to emphasize everystage of life, because sometimes
we tend to focus on one stageof life and then forget the
other, and then, when we get tothat stage of life, we're not
(04:17):
figuring out.
Oh wow, nobody told me aboutthis.
So we definitely want to ensurethat we're taking care of
ourselves at every stage of life, because, let's be real, as
women, we wear so many hats, somany many hats.
We take care of families, wehave our careers, you know, our
communities, our partners somany different things, but how
often do we truly take care ofourselves, and I know I have
(04:37):
some close friends who are allabout their self-care, their
self-love.
It's like a non-negotiable forthem.
They don't care who you are,what you are, what you're doing.
They're going to make time forthemselves.
But some people, some of us,like myself included we don't
often make that time, so wedefinitely got to do better when
it comes to that Like.
Here's the truth If you don'tmake time for your wellness now,
you'll be forced to make timefor your illness later.
(04:59):
I'm going to say it again, myfriend, in case you didn't
really understand what I'msaying If you don't make time
for your wellness now, you'll beforced to make time for your
illness later, and we're nottrying to have any of that in
2025.
You know what I mean.
So, whole woman, wellness meansknowing your body and listening
to it, not ignoring the signsit's giving you.
It's about understanding yourunique health needs, from
(05:22):
puberty up until to menopause.
It's about prioritizingpreventative care because, again
, waiting until something iswrong is just not the move that
we're trying to go for at allanytime right now.
And, of course, it also meansbalancing physical health with
mental and emotional well-being,because stress and anxiety and
even burnout, affect our healthmore than we realize.
(05:44):
And we know that stress is asilent killer.
And I've seen too many youngpeople around me essentially are
dying as a result of twodistress levels that they have
not been able to cope.
Because, again, let's be real,we live in a society where so
many people's lives are beingthreatened just for how they
show up in society.
And again, the stress of it all, the anxiety, the burnout, it
(06:06):
definitely will affect someone'shealth if it's not getting
under control.
So you definitely want to beable to live your life in the
sense where you're taking careof your body from a holistic
standpoint.
So that's what I'm talkingabout when I'm talking about
what whole woman wellness means.
So today I want to take youthrough a roadmap for getting
started when it comes to yourwhole woman wellness.
(06:27):
So let's break it all the waydown.
Okay, we're going to break itall the way down here in the tea
tasting room.
Now I'm going to be honest withyou, my friend.
Like I mentioned earlier, I'vehad several wake up calls in my
life, but 2024 was one of thebiggest wake up call for me,
across our boards.
For months I was feeling offlow energy, constant severe
migraines.
(06:48):
I'm just not myself, especiallyin the first half of 2024, for
so many different reasons.
But one thing I would do, evenfeeling like this, I would push
through because, again, I had somuch going on.
Does that sound familiar?
I do a lot, but I would alwayspush through because, again, I
had just too much going on.
So then I had a routine checkupwith my doctor and I was told
(07:12):
that my cholesterol levels weretoo high.
Like I mentioned earlier, itwas off the Richter scale at
this point in time.
It was too high.
Now, listen, I know, and I'msure you probably can relate,
when we hear about highcholesterol, we often think that
that's for older people.
Now, raise your hand if thatwas one to you.
Maybe you've gained theknowledge now, so you know.
But raise your hand if at somepoint in time, when you hear
(07:34):
high cholesterol, you alwaysthought about that it was for
older people.
No, let me tell you, this is areal.
This is very, very real, andit's happening to younger women
as well, especially in Black andbrown communities.
Because we know again,everything has to do with today.
There are statistics Blackwomen are often more prone to so
many different things thantheir white counterparts as well
(07:55):
.
So high cholesterol islegitimately running in our
Black and brown communities,especially amongst our young men
, and even women as well, youknow.
So it made me realize that Ipersonally was neglecting my
health.
I was skipping meals, notmanaging my stress properly and
not getting enough movement in.
Now, mind you, I started thegym in the first half of 2024
(08:17):
because, again, that was my way,or my out, for me to gain
mental clarity, also for me tojust stay fit, build endurance,
but also it was a way for me totake care of my body.
But did I do that?
After what I stopped?
It took me a very long time forme to even go back to working
out.
It took me at least eightmonths, I think six to eight
months and I'm now back in thegym working out because, again,
a girl got so many things shegot to do.
(08:37):
But that was one of the stepsthat I decided to take as it
relates to moving forward andtaking care of my body, because
I wasn't taking care of my body,because I wasn't managing my
stress properly and not gettingenough movement in.
So that's when I basically saidenough is enough.
I started taking stock of mylife, honestly, like my habits
and what needed to change, andthat is what led me essentially
(08:59):
to focus on whole woman wellness.
And I will give a shout out tomy web designer, narsha, because
we were talking about this froma holistic standpoint woman and
what we go through.
You know she's a mom, a singlemom.
I'm here trying to educate andempower people in my community,
and so the idea of just wholewoman wellness because, again,
sometimes we tend to focus onmaybe just pregnancy and we
leave out menstrual cycles orwhatever you know, breast cancer
(09:22):
, whatever the case may be.
But my goal is for us to reallyand truly think about wellness
from the whole woman perspective.
So, my friend, I have a questionfor you, so make sure you
answer this question, ok, whenwas the last time you really
checked in with your body?
Have you been ignoringsomething that's been trying to
get your attention for thelongest?
Now we're going to have toreally and truly think about
(09:44):
taking stock of your health andwhere to start.
So I want to get into somepractical steps.
If you're listening, knowingyou're thinking okay, tanya,
here she go, but where do I evenstart?
Here's what I want to do andI'm going to encourage you to
get a book, pen and a paper youcan put in your notes that.
But this is what I want you foryou to do Get real about where
you are, and I had thisconversation recently with my
(10:04):
sister.
I had to tell her, you know,you need to be honest about
where you are in your health andwellness journey.
So think about what areas ofyour health you have been
neglecting.
That could be nutrition, itcould be movement, stress, sleep
, mental health, reproductivehealth.
Whatever it is.
What areas of your life haveyou been neglecting?
Think about journaling or evenvoice notes voice noting your
(10:26):
thoughts.
Because let me tell you this, Ijust discovered the iPhone, the
notes app.
You can actually record thingsand leave it there.
Because one thing about me I'malways talking to myself.
I'm always recording a podcastepisode in my car without even
actually recording.
So to have that feature nowwith the notes app where you can
just record your voice into theapp, I do encourage you to do
that.
You can ask questions or evenanswer questions like how do I
(10:50):
actually feel in my body?
We call that voice note.
Keep it right there.
Try to understand the mind-bodyconnection.
Mental health affects physicalhealth and vice versa.
Sometimes we don't often thinkthat, but this, when we talk
about the whole woman body, thiswhole body, this is so
interconnected that everythingis connected to one other thing.
So, yeah, to ensure youunderstand that mind-body
(11:10):
connection so that's step oneGet real about where you are
when it comes to your life.
So get a notebook, and I willencourage this Get a notebook
and do what is called a bodycheck-in.
Again, how do you feel?
What symptoms have you beenignoring?
For me, I have a migrainejournal.
I don't often write in it thesedays because at this point
(11:31):
neither me or my doctor knowwhat essentially triggers my
migraine, sadly.
But I have a migraine journalthat I will usually write in
there and say okay, at 6 am thismorning I woke up and by 6.10,
I started feeling symptoms ofwhat was going to be a migraine,
or at 3 pm this day.
So in that way, when I'mtalking to my care provider, I'm
able to tell them they can seethe patterns of, let's say,
(11:51):
maybe you're likely to have amigraine in the morning versus
the evening or vice versa, andyou know what day of the week.
These are different things.
So you definitely want to keepa notebook specifically so you
can do a body check-in.
We have all these journals thatwe write in and you can call it
your body journal.
But you want to take notebecause, again, when you go see
your primary care provider,whenever that checkup may be,
(12:13):
and you have these questions toask, you have the full
information as to what it isthat's going on in your body,
because, again, nobody knowsyour body better than yourself.
The second thing is to know yournumbers.
When was the last time you gotblood work done?
Have you checked yourcholesterol, your blood pressure
, blood sugar and hormonallevels?
These are things that you wantto look into.
Have you scheduled your annualpap smear, your mammogram or any
(12:36):
other reproductive healthcheckup?
Think about that.
So know your numbers.
For me, like I said, mycholesterol numbers right now,
my total cholesterol number is272.
So I'm living in the dangerzone as it relates to that.
Definitely do not recommendhaving such high cholesterol.
My blood pressure a normalblood pressure is usually 120
over 80.
Mine is 110 over 70, stillfairly in the normal range, and
(13:01):
I did an episode previouslyabout you know checkups you
should be having and how to knowabout your body.
I will link that in the shownotes as well.
But I definitely want toschedule these things, to know
what your body is, what is yourblood sugar, what are your
hormonal levels, so that you canalways tell okay, it's dropping
, it's low, it's high, it'sstable, whatever the case may be
.
It's very important for you todo that, and I do know sometimes
(13:22):
, when we go to the doctor,doctor and they're taking
temperature, your pulse rate,your heart rate and your blood
pressure they have a tendency ofnot necessarily reading your
numbers to you.
We're not going to have that,my friend.
Whenever you go to a checkup,you're going to ask them what
was my blood pressure lookinglike?
Or was my whatever they weretaking?
You ask that question Eventhough it's for their record.
It's your body.
(13:42):
You also need to know what's inyour record as well.
One thing I know we haveMyChart and everything.
That's how we create theconversation between the patient
and the provider.
Well, let me get off of thatsoapbox real quick, because
we're not here to talk aboutthat.
The third thing is to build awellness routine that works for
you.
So I will say start with onesmall sustainable habit, that is
(14:03):
, to drink more water.
For me, that's my goal is todrink at least a liter of water
a day.
That may not be enough for somepeople, but for me, right now,
it's what I can manage Because,again, we're supposed to be
essentially drinking our bodyweight.
But you definitely want to justthink about one small,
sustainable habit that could bedrinking water.
For me, that's what it is.
That could be to move your body.
That could be walking 30minutes in your apartment
(14:25):
complex, in your yard, whateverthe case may be, and that could
just be to add a leafy green toyour meal, if that means, you
know, adding some lettuce, somespinach, whatever it is.
Think about something that youcan just keep incorporating one
day, one step at a time.
Granted, you don't have to beperfect.
All I'm asking is just to beconsistent.
(14:47):
Find what brings you joy in yourhealth.
Like taking care of our health,of our body, should be fun as
well.
So find what brings joy, what'sgoing to bring you joy in your
health and wellness journey.
You know that could be dancing.
You know you're burningcalories there.
That could be weightlifting,that could be yoga, pilates, or
that can just be having a longwalk after a long day, or even
in the morning, just to get yourbody and all everything flowing
(15:09):
, but the end of it all.
Just, honestly, find what worksbest for you.
I think it comes on to thatbecause sometimes too many times
for me, I remember years agowhen I was heavily in social
media and looking at theinfluencers and I'm thinking,
okay, here you are, out, here,you're working, you're losing
weight, you just had a baby andthe snapback body and these
different things, but you're notnecessarily showing me the
(15:32):
process and what I realized,what would work for the person
that is watching on YouTube, isnot going to work for me in my
own life as well.
So just remember to find whatworks for you Because, again,
wellness is not a one size fitsall.
You hear me, my friend, it'snot a one size fits all.
So these are some practicalsteps for us to understand.
(15:52):
So we're going to get realabout where you are, know your
numbers, build a wellnessroutine that works for you.
Now let's break this down intofive key pillars of whole woman
wellness.
Pillar number one is going tobe nutrition and eating for
longevity.
We know by now what you eatfuels every system in your body,
(16:14):
your hormones, your energylevels, mental clarity and even
your skin and hair.
All will reflect what'shappening inside, because that's
what we see on the outside is areflection of what's happening
on the inside.
But here's where a lot of ustend to go wrong.
We focus on calories overnutrients, and I think we need
(16:34):
to shift nutrient.
We need to shift tonutrient-dense foods, foods
that's going to give our bodiesthe vitamins, the minerals,
fiber and the healthy fats.
Now, for me, I'm going to sharea list of inflammatory foods to
avoid and the reason why I'msharing this because, for me,
right now, I deal with a lot ofbloating.
I don't know why.
Like I said, I've been to thegastroenterologist.
I'm just going everywheretrying to get answers, but I
(16:57):
think, you know, I do need tothink about what I'm putting
into my body, which is why I'mprobably more inflamed or
whatever the case may be.
So I'm trying to work on aanti-inflammatory diet and, as I
continue working towards this,I will definitely share more of
that in the tea tasting room.
But until then, the thing thatI'm going to be avoiding, going
forward, as it relates toinflammatory foods to avoid,
(17:18):
that's going to be refinedsugars, such as your soda candy
and pastries.
I'm not really a soda person,so that was an easy one for me
to give up the candy.
I got to be in the mood, andthat's usually never Pastries.
Now I'm having to work on that.
But again, these are what wecall refined sugars and they
tend to cause blood sugar spikesand hormonal imbalances as well
(17:40):
.
And there's the processed foodfast food, chips, frozen dinners
.
These are very high inpreservatives and they tend to
disrupt the gut health as well.
So you definitely want to avoida lot of these processed food.
You know, avoid having excessdairy, especially highly
processed cheese, because thesecan increase mucus production
and inflammation, and we'retrying to avoid that, my friend.
(18:02):
And then you also want to avoidvegetable oils and trans fats,
such as canola oil, margarine,fried foods, because, again,
these increase inflammation andthey can also have an impact on
your heart health.
So these are some of theinflammatory foods that we're
going to be avoiding, and you'llbe able to find this in the
guide as well.
So, again, stick around so youcan know where you can go to get
(18:24):
this guide from the Whole WomanWellness Guide and Checklist.
The things that we want toessentially focus on are the
nutrient dense foods, such asyour leafy greens.
That could be kale, spinach,swiss chard, because these are
rich in iron and magnesium forenergy, and we know, as women,
we're going to need our energybecause we have one good week,
if that much, out of a month, toactually be living the way we
(18:47):
want to live.
But you definitely want toconsume a lot of food rich in
iron because, again, it's goingto help to boost our energy
levels.
Think about fatty fish likeyour salmon, your mackerel, your
sardines.
These are packed with omega-3for brain and heart health, so
you definitely want to ensurethat you're having something
like this on your platethroughout the week.
Think about our whole grains.
(19:07):
You know, the quinoa, the brownrice and the oats.
I'm going to be honest, I amnot a brown rice girly.
I'm not there yet.
I feel like I've had quinoa forso much, for such a long time
back to back, that I'm just sickand tired of even saying quinoa
.
What is it quinoa?
Now?
I am still a basmati rice girlyand one day I will get to the
brown rice.
But you know, again, try andincorporate more whole grains so
(19:28):
that we can have steady energyand fiber for digestion, and we
all know here, tanya needs a lotof fiber in her body.
Okay, you also want to includeour colorful vegetables.
We often talk about making your, you know, eating the rainbow,
so you think about your carrots,your bell peppers, your beets.
These are antioxidants and theyhelp to fight inflammation as
well.
Then there's healthy fats, likeyour avocado, your nuts and
(19:51):
your olive oil.
These also aid in hormonalbalance and brain function as
well.
So think about that as itrelates to pillar number one,
that is, nutrition and eatingfor longevity, and one of the
actions that I want you to takeaway from this particular pillar
is, the next time you go toyour shop, add at least two to
three whole, nutrient-densefoods to your cart and see how
(20:12):
that makes you feel as you goabout your daily living and the
foods that you're eating as well.
Pillar number two is movementand listening to your body.
A lot of us sometimes have ahard time listening to our body,
Like I often tend to teach,like to teach my classes.
Who's going to know your bodybetter than yourself?
Because it's not going to be adoctor, because you're going to
them for help.
You know what I mean.
(20:32):
So pillar number two is goingto be movement and listening to
your body.
I want for us going forward.
Let's shift the conversationabout exercise from losing
weight to, more so, gaining life, because movement isn't about
punishment.
It's about longevity,flexibility and energy.
And some of the common mistakesthat we make when it comes to
(20:54):
exercise is we're doing workoutsthat we hate because someone is
telling you, oh, it's going toburn the most calories.
So you're going to jump todoing exercise that you can't
even stand because someone toldyou, oh, this is going to burn
the most calories.
Or you're ignoring body signalsthat is working out despite
pain or exhaustion.
Like I said, one thing we'regoing to do we're going to
listen to that body.
If we're too tired, we're goingto rest.
(21:15):
If we're in pain, we're notgoing to push that body to do
what the body can't even do atthat point in time.
And then we're over-exercisingwithout recovery because, in
that sense now we're causingmore harm than good.
So you definitely want to movesmarter, and I will say this how
can you move smarter?
Let's think about cycle syncingworkouts.
So this is where it comes in.
(21:36):
It's very important for us tounderstand our menstrual cycle
or even our reproductive health,so I will touch briefly on this
, but there will be an upcomingepisode when we're talking all
about cycle syncing, how totrack our cycle, what we should
be doing as it relates to ourmenstruation, our menstrual
cycle, but also there wasanother previous episode that
essentially touching that andI'm going to link that as well
(21:56):
in the show notes, one of ourTea with Tanya podcast episode.
But anyway, cycle syncing ourworkouts.
Now let's be real, ourmenstrual cycle is more than
just our period.
It's honestly, it'slegitimately the blueprint for
how we feel, how we eat and evenhow we exercise, and I found
this fascinating when I firstcame across.
You know what it means to cyclesync a couple of years ago and
(22:18):
it really does.
It's important.
So when you think about duringthe follicular phase that
usually starts on the first dayof your period and lasts for
about 13 to 14 days, during thisphase, your energy is extremely
high, so this is going to bethe best time for intense
workouts like running orweightlifting, so you can.
You know your energy is high.
You get to do more during thefollicular phase and then
(22:40):
there's the ovulation phase,which is usually days 14 to 17.
So it lasts about one to twodays, but that's when your body
is going to be cravingantioxidants.
You want to think about theberries, the citrus and the
green leafy vegetables as well.
And then in the luteal phase,that's the phase that is the
last phase of the menstrualcycle, and that is from day 15
(23:02):
to about day 28, 29.
And during this time, pleasehonor your body because you're
going to feel sluggish, so youcan opt for something like,
maybe, yoga, walking, you know,and load up on a lot of
magnesium rich foods like darkchocolate and nuts.
So when you have something,when you have that little sweet
tasting oh, I have a craving,yeah, that's your body telling
you, you know what it's time forme to slow it down and just
(23:23):
give the body what it needs.
So you, you know, of course,when you're in your menstrual
phase now, you want to thinkabout restorative yoga,
stretching, walking.
So do you see how your cycle isyour superpower?
It's so.
Your, you know our menstrualcycle is more than our period.
It's the blueprint for how wefeel, eat and how we exercise.
So one action step I want youto take away from this phase,
(23:45):
from this pillar, is to chooseone to two types of movement
that feel good for your body andjust start small.
I'm not telling you to go do aSimone Bias type of exercise or
workout.
Just definitely start small andjust add one to two types of
different movement to yourroutine.
Then there's pillar numberthree.
That's going to be stress,mental health and our hormones.
(24:07):
Now, my friend, did you knowthat chronic stress throws your
entire body out of balance?
I'll share a story that Ishared with Gianna on the
episode before this.
One day I was under someserious stress.
It's been a while since I'vebeen that stressed out and my
period was delayed.
And I'm here thinking girl,what is going on?
(24:28):
You know, the first thing youdo as a woman, regardless, is
you think you're pregnant andI'm thinking OK, you know what,
maybe God is going to make me,maybe 2.0.
But that's when I realized thatI was just so, so, so stressed,
that my body, for the firsttime in a long time, was just
out of whack.
It didn't even know how torespond, and that delayed my
(24:53):
period for a little bit over aweek or so.
So some of the effects ofchronic stress you know.
You think about hormonalimbalance that's going to
trigger.
It triggers excess cortisol inyour brain, leading to you
feeling fatigue.
You know that could result inweight gain and also even having
irregular cycles as well.
When you think about anothereffect it has, it has on the
heart health issues it's goingto raise your blood pressure and
that's going to also increasethe risk of heart disease as
well.
(25:13):
You know, the other effect thatit has on our body is digestive
problems.
That's going to slow downmetabolism.
It's going to end up causingbloating, acid reflux or even
constipation Hello me, you know.
So that's when I also realizedthat I had to really take a step
of my life, because all of someof these things that I'm
calling to you here is becauseof my experience and the
conversations that I've had withmy care provider.
(25:35):
And then, of course, anothereffect of chronic stress is the
weight fluctuation.
So high cortisol levels isgoing to equal to a very
stubborn belly fat storage.
So when you're wondering, likemyself, why am I looking like
I'm six months pregnant?
Why is my belly so big?
It's also again because yourweight is fluctuating because of
that stress in your body,because the stress is honestly
(25:56):
throws off your entire body outof balance.
So when we talk about, you knowyou want to minimize stress I
know you're probably thinking,girl, the society that we're
living in right now, how am Igoing to eliminate stress?
And I know it's hard, but youdefinitely want to make it a
priority and you can just do soby practicing.
You know, having somemindfulness practice to help
reduce the stress.
It may not remove all thestress of life because, again,
(26:18):
life is just life, but Iencourage you to try some
mindfulness practices to reduceyour stress, such as deep
breathing, gratitude journaling.
Write three things you'regrateful for.
That could be in the morning orin the evening, whenever you
find the time during that day.
You know, think about naturetherapy, take a walk outside no
phone but I take that back whenI say no phone because you know
(26:39):
safety is important as well.
But take a walk outside, justgo be in nature.
You'll be surprised how muchjust being outside for a few
minutes can do for your body andfor your mental health.
And I think you know the 10-10rule for me is, you know you do
10 minutes of stretching, 10minutes of being quiet and 10
minutes of journaling.
So think about that, the10-10-10 rule 10 minutes of
(27:00):
stretching, 10 minutes of quietand 10 minutes of journaling.
That is something that you'regoing to practice as it relates
to your mindfulness.
So the action step for this isto pick one mindfulness habit
and practice it every morning.
Granted, if the mornings arenot for you you're not a morning
person like me then you canalso do that in the evening.
But just pick one mindfulnesshabit and practice it every
(27:22):
morning or evening, whatevertime works for you in that given
day.
Then, pillar number four, ofcourse, I wouldn't be me if I
didn't talk about reproductiveand hormonal health.
Now, understanding yourmenstrual cycle is like having a
natural health report everymonth, and I'm pretty sure that
you know we've talked about whyis our menstrual cycle important
(27:42):
.
When you have that menstrual,when you're understanding your
cycle, having that naturalmenstrual cycle important, when
you have that menstrual, whenyou're understanding your cycle,
having that natural keyword,natural health report every
month is key.
So you think about how do youtrack your cycle?
You want to do your basal bodytemperature, take your
temperature every morning beforegetting out of bed, because,
again, that's going to helpessentially as it relates to you
, for you knowing where you arein your menstrual cycle.
(28:05):
And I will have an episodethat's going to be diving deep,
very deep into that as well,because I know many of us, some
people are trying to conceive.
Some people just want to knowabout their body.
So when you hear the term BBT,that is essentially your basal
body temperature and it is itwill be your lowest body
temperature at rest, andtracking this scale you can
(28:25):
pinpoint your ovulation period.
You know that means, obviously,which is your most fertile time
for your cycle.
So if you're someone who you'retrying to conceive and you're
practicing to take your basalbody temperature, you know when
it's really high that you knowwhat ovulation is happening.
Let's do what we got to dobecause obviously we're trying
to conceive a baby as well.
So that's one thing youdefinitely want to do.
(28:47):
If your temperature doesn'trise, you may not be ovulating,
which can signal a hormonalimbalance that also needs
attention as well.
So that's a whole differentthing that I'll talk about on
another episode.
You know you think about onemore thing.
You think about your cervicalmucus, and I know this is
probably TMI, but I mean, if notus, if not me, then who?
If not us checking our bodies,how are we going to know?
(29:07):
So now, when you think aboutyour discharge and your cervical
mucus, you check thatessentially throughout your
cycle.
That can also let you know whenyou're most fertile.
So every day, when you go tothe bathroom and you're wiping,
notice your cervical mucusconsistency.
Before ovulation, that's goingto be thick, sticky or creamy
mucus.
That means not fertile.
(29:28):
During ovulation, that's goingto be like a clear, stretchy egg
white-like mucus.
That means you're fertile.
And then after ovulation,usually it'll be like a dry or
thick white mucus.
That's also resulting in youtelling you being not fertile as
well.
So those are some ways that youcan check as it relates to your
hormone or health.
(29:48):
It's very important.
It may sound some people tellme oh, that's a ghost.
No, it's your body.
It's your body's way of tellingyou what's happening in your
body at some given point.
And then cycle journaling.
I'm going to bring this in.
You want to be able to trackyour mood, your cravings, your
energy levels.
Now, if this is going to be toomuch for you, there are
(30:15):
resources online where you canfind a cycle tracker.
Again, sit, you can see how youcan download the wellness guide
, but we can just tick off.
Okay, I've been angry today.
My mood has been good.
I crave this today, definitely,again.
Keep these things because whenyou, when you see your doctor
for something that may behappening that's unusual or just
in general, they'll be able tohave a better understanding of
your body, to see what yourhealth status is as well.
So it may sound like a lot ofwork, but it's not, I promise
(30:37):
you.
So you definitely want to ensurethat you're tracking these
things because you have someindividuals like myself.
We're pre-menopause.
We're in our early 30s to 40s.
Fertility is still high, butour cycles may end up shifting.
Then there are perimenopause awoman mid-40s and up Then you
may start having irregularperiods.
Night sweats, mood swings,hormone fluctuations are going
(31:00):
to begin, and then you knowmenopause 15 up, but there's no,
and the menopause is no periodfor a full year.
Your estrogen levels are goingto drop.
That's going to be also underthe risk for, like bone loss,
heart disease and thesedifferent things.
So you definitely just want tobe more in tune with your body
as you go through different andevery stage of your life.
So the action tip for this isto start tracking your cycle
this month using a notebook oryou can use the app there's
(31:23):
several apps that I myself useas well that you can track your
cycle during that as well.
If you don't want, if you'reworried about data being
compromised and you get yourbook at your calendar and you
start tracking that cycle everymonth, so that way you know what
is happening in your body atany given point in time.
And then pillar number five, thelast pillar in this, and that
(31:46):
is sleep and recovery.
Why is sleep your secret weapon?
Because it detoxifies the brainand body, it helps to regulate
weight and metabolism and itsupports heart and immune health
.
Okay, sleep is important.
I should be the last persontalking about sleep, but I
promise you, my friend, it isvery, very important.
(32:08):
I should be the last persontalking about sleep, but I
promise you, my friend, it isvery, very important.
I have seen the effect of me, of, you know, a poor sleep pattern
For me.
Again, I'm in grad school, fulltime.
I am a chronic migraine personat this point and the medication
that I take.
I have to take a medicationevery night to prevent myself
from having a migraine thefollowing day.
However, this migraine medmakes me extremely drowsy.
(32:30):
And if you're someone like meyou're a grad student, you work
full-time, you have a nonprofitorganization, you have a podcast
, there's so many hats that youwear, you know your mop,
whatever it is.
Sometimes sleep may, you may notget the full eight hours sleep
that is recommended for us forour health and wellness, but at
least try to ensure that you'regetting adequate sleep, because
(32:53):
sleep, my friend, is your secretweapon.
So some some sleep rituals thatyou can, you can think to try
and incorporate, again one stepat a time, is to set a sleep
alarm one hour before bed.
For what I do is I try to makemy bedtime be between 10 and 11.
It depends on what day of theweek it is.
So my sleep enriching is notnecessarily as consistent as
(33:15):
some may be.
You may go to sleep at 8 or 9pm every night.
I was once that girl, but Iwear many hats.
So my days, my evenings, aren'talways the same.
But one thing that remainsconsistent is I'm going to sip
on some chamomile tea beforewinding down.
You can guarantee that I willbe drinking some tea before bed,
but definitely you want to seta sleep alarm one hour before
(33:38):
bed, sip on some tea.
My favorite tea of choice isgoing to always be chamomile tea
before winding down.
And then you know you caneither use blackout curtains or
you can just have thetemperature in your house be
cool.
Me I'm always.
It's always hard finding thebalance between what is hot,
what is cold in my apartment,but for sure, have a cool
temperature.
(33:58):
That's going to essentiallyhelp you to sleep better as well
, because sleep is veryimportant, my friend as well.
Because sleep is very important, my friend.
I know we have a lot going on,but we must rest because it's
your secret weapon for overallhealth and wellness.
Okay, my friend, now for theaction step for this is just set
(34:20):
a consistent bedtime and wakeup time For me.
I get up at no.
I'm getting up at 5.45 everymorning, and that is because
usually it was five.
But because my sleeping, thetime that I sleep every night,
it varies based on what I havegoing on.
I had to.
I go to bed a little bit later,so I have to extend my wake-up
time.
So now I wake up at 5.45 everymorning.
(34:42):
Granted, sometimes my body doeswake me up before that, but my
alarm is set for 5.45 everymorning.
Now, again based on what time Igo to bed.
So just think about setting aconsistent bedtime and a wake-up
time that's going to work foryou.
Me, waking up at 5.45 may notwork for you.
Maybe four am might work foryou, or even 6.30 and 7.00.
(35:02):
But just set a consistentbedtime and wake up.
That way you'll get into thehabit of you know it being a
routine and it becomes part ofyour daily ritual.
So then you know that you knowwhat I'm taking care of myself,
because I'm getting X amount ofsleep every night.
Now it's time for the post-itnote takeaways.
You know that's something thatwe're working on in 2025.
(35:25):
We're going to have while we'reon our whole woman wellness
journey.
I want to encourage us to startusing some post-it notes that
you can put little affirmationson where you are in your house,
at work, in your car, whereverso you can have that reminder as
well.
So if you're listening in thecar or you're on a walk and
you're even laying in bed, youknow, just let these words that
I'm about to share, let themsink in and, like I say, I
encourage you to write them downand place them somewhere
(35:47):
visible, because the more yousee them, the more they become
part of your reality.
So the three things that I havethat I want us to write on our
post-it notes today is wellnessis not about being perfect.
It's about being consistent.
Small steps lead to lifelongchanges.
Your health is your foundation.
(36:10):
Prioritize it.
So I'm going to list thosethree post-it note takeaways for
this episode.
Wellness is not about beingperfect.
It's about being consistent.
Small steps lead to lifelongchanges.
Your health is your foundation.
Prioritize it.
All right, my friend, we havemade it to the end of the
(36:30):
episode and it was a bitjam-packed, but I hope you're
walking away with something,with a plan to prioritize you,
you, you, you.
And because your wellnessbestie wants to see you doing
well here in the tea tastingroom, I want to help you to take
action.
So that's why I created theWhole Woman Wellness Guide and
Checklist.
Now you can go to my website,that's tanyakamrosecom, and grab
(36:54):
your free copy and be sure tosign up to the newsletter so you
can get a lot of Whole WomanWellness information straight to
your inbox.
I promise you I won't spam, butI will leave that link to the
website in the show notes anddefinitely, like I say,
subscribe to the newsletter,check out the whole woman
wellness guide.
It's much more thorough thanwhat I shared here today and I
took my time my friend workingon this guide.
(37:15):
So it's free.
The amount, the information inthis guide is free.
Anybody would tell you, girl.
Well, you have.
Why are you giving this awayfor free?
But the point is just ensuringthat we are taking the necessary
step towards our whole womanwellness in this year and beyond
.
So go to the websiteTanyaKAnbrosecom, grab your free
copy and don't forget to tag meon social media and tell me one
(37:39):
small change you're making foryour wellness this year.
I love you for listening.
Remember again your health isyour foundation.
Take care of yourself, becausewhat happened, my friend?
You deserve it.
I will see you back here in thetea tasting room next week.
Thank you for joining me foranother episode of Tea with
(38:01):
Tanya.
If you liked this episode, besure to share it with a friend.
Don't forget to follow oninstagram at tea with tanya
podcast.
Be sure to subscribe to theweekly tea talk newsletter and,
of course, rate on apple orspotify and subscribe wherever
you listen.
See you next time.
I love you for listening.
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