EP 24 - Nourish Not Punish with Sindi Kachuck

Hey friend! This is another episode I am excited to share with you. Ok, let’s be real, I’m always excited to share episodes with you! Let me tell you why I’m excited for this one,

I know there are listeners all over the world, so I’m trying to bring on guests from across the globe. This episode I am joined by Sindi Kachuck, a Toronto based holistic nutritionist. 

Sindi is a mom of 4 adults, a wife, and a total crossword geek! She has also recently become obsessed with the app happy color. She says “I love to eat but I love quick & easy meals even more.” Sindi is a  Certified Consistency Coach and the founder of the Food Freedom & Body Kindness Method. 

Her  mission in life is to help every woman find HER best way to eat and move, and that she never sees her worth defined by a scale. She wants to see a world where the next generation doesn't know dieting. 

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Sindi specializes in helping women ditch dieting to heal their relationship with food and be kind to their body so they can reclaim energy, time and pleasure to engage confidently in what matters most - family, friends and fun!

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Transcript

Sabrina  0:00  
Sindi is a wife, and a total crossword geek. She has also recently become obsessed with the app happy color. She says I love to eat, but I love quick and easy meals even more. Cindy is a certified consistency coach and the founder of the food freedom and body kindness method. Her mission in life is to help every woman find her best way to eat and move. And she never sees her worth defined by a scale. She wants to see a world where the next generation doesn't know dieting. Cindy specializes in helping women ditch dieting, to heal their relationship with food, and be kind to their body so they can reclaim energy, time and pleasure to engage confidently in what matters most family, friends and fund. Without further ado, let's dive in to my interview with Cindy. Well, welcome back. And today we are joined by Cindy Kay check degree is a holistic nutritionist and certified consistency coach and the founder of the food freedom and body kindness method. So Cindy, thank you so much for being here today.

Sindi  1:08  
Thank you for having me.

Sabrina  1:10  
So typically, when I have guests on, we start out and I just asked, you know, tell me a little bit tell our listeners a little bit about your experience with emotional eating. Okay, so

Sindi  1:20  
um, I think my my experiences emotional eating, really, I think for the most part comes out of diet culture, when I sort of look back on it, the frustration with not my body not being the way I wanted it to be would lead me to then overeat because I would be dieting to try and fix whatever issue I thought was wrong with my body. And then it didn't work, and I would get frustrated. And then I would be disappointed in myself. And I would feel like a failure. And that led me to dig into chocolate and chips. And I don't remember like, yes, there are times when I know that out of stress, I will do some emotional eating. And probably I did then I'm more conscious of it now than I was then. But it was definitely in response to that frustration of not living up to what I thought I should be. Physically, it was

Sabrina  2:15  
this dissatisfaction with your body that then turned you to the exact thing that you were trying to stay away from to get the body you wanted.

Sindi  2:22  
Yeah, totally. And, and I came a little bit from also like growing up, as you know, with a mother who, who was very conscious of her body, and considered herself a fat teenager. So you know, didn't want me to have those issues, and was very controlling of my snacking. So I also came from a household where we were very restricted and limited to the number and types of snacks we ate. And then as I was older, my mother and I would have these little, you know, junk food fests or whatever, like we, you know, we wouldn't keep it in the house, but then we'd run out. And we'd be like partners in crime, and we'd buy like two big bags of chips and pass them between us. And you know, those weren't emotional, those are probably more cyclical eating, like, you know, with our menstrual cycles, but that sort of concept of junk food and cheating was also part of it. Right? So then I would always feel guilty when I did eat anything that wasn't, you know, healthy for me, because we didn't I don't know, when I think back on whatever we ate that was supposedly healthy. I don't know that we were necessarily the healthiest. But we did whatever we could at the time, with whatever knowledge we had, but

Sabrina  3:35  
and as a nutritionist, have you always practiced from this non diet, intuitive eating space, or has that shifted?

Sindi  3:44  
That has definitely shifted. So I definitely continued my dieting up until I was in nutrition school, like I was sort of I had worked with a health coach before I entered nutrition School, which is why I actually went back to school because I want to know more about our bodies and how they worked and hormones and everything, and understand better, like I learned all about insulin, all these things, and I just needed to understand it better. And I was still at that time, calorie counting. I was in a maintenance, you know, probably and I wasn't logging into an app every day. But to get to where I want it to be even with that health coach, we did do calorie counting. But she did change my relationship with food because she did take away a lot of the judgment that I had around eating so she did teach me how to let go of some of my ideas of good and bad and judging myself for it, which was interesting, even though we were still counting calories. It was coming from a more holistic approach, which is what I really appreciated from what she did and what I wanted to share with people. But yes, I was still in the world of dieting and wanting to maintain the body that I had and the healthy weight that I had. And then through nutrition school, it became all about cleaner eating because I was a holistic nutrition Listen, you know, processed foods were bad, and all that kind of stuff. So there was a lot of judgment in school around that kind of thing. And, you know, trying to be organic and all of these things. So that led to a little bit of orthorexia on my part, like where I was, you know, really Uber focused on healthy eating. And I was still wanting to help women lose weight, because I felt I could do it in a way that was healthy, because my philosophy was always that all foods fit. So I did, even when I was counseling people to lose weight, I wasn't restricting them, I wasn't telling them, they weren't allowed to have chocolate, or they weren't allowed to have pizza was after saying, like, there's nothing wrong with having pizza once in a while, like I do, too. Like, once I got over my clean eating phase, you know, and then, like, I relaxed a little around that it took me it took me a couple years to do it, but I was still helping them, just meeting them where they were right. So even though I was like this uber clean eater, supposedly, you know, I was helping them just be where they are, and acknowledge that it's okay. And maybe we just need a little eat a little less of some of those things, but you don't to let go of them completely. So I always came from that perspective. But I was still losing weight, and like still helping them with weight loss. And it never really sat right with me, because there was always that disappointment, like, even if they were eating well, and they were eating healthily for the most part. And they were, you know, they weren't binge eating. And they weren't, they were enjoying pizza once in a while, and they were enjoying their chocolate or cake. And they were doing it in a very mindful manner. Because I also taught them that like, before I understood what intuitive eating was, I was helped teaching people to connect with their hunger, and to actually listen to their body. So that was something that I did take away from a course like an, what do you call it? When we go back, and we do continuing education course I did, you know, on eating psychology and mindset, like that was a really big part. And I was just sort of like woken up to like, all those negative toxic thoughts that we have, and how we treat ourselves. And so you know, it really woke me up to this idea that we, you know, you needed to like to listen to your body and just be in your body, and you know it. So I was always doing that. But I didn't want to perpetuate this, at some point, I realized, like, it was so toxic for us to always think there was something wrong with us. And even myself, like because my weight would fluctuate. And, you know, and I was content, as long as I was my clothes were fitting well, and whatever, I didn't really like stress about it very much. But I wouldn't, you know, monitor myself once in a while, if I felt I was getting out of hand or whatever it might be. So it really was a hard thing to let go up. But at the same time, I realized that it really had contributed to all the negative thoughts I had around food or around myself. And you know, and I could see it in my clients even more so because, you know, I'll be honest, and say I have a fairly normative body, like I, I am not someone who was ever discriminated against because of my size, other than I'm short. So, you know, but so I think that's where it started to come where I was just kind of like, you know what, I can't do this anymore. And I would see the disappointment and to be a part of that. And then knowing the statistics that 95% of people fail. Within the first one to five years, they regained the weight like or went to three even like I just I started to feel like I can't be a part of that anymore. I can't like, it doesn't feel good to set women up for that failure. And, and as my body started to change, I started to think like, is this really serving any of us?

Sabrina  8:41  
So it sounds like there wasn't this like big lightbulb moment of all the sudden you woke up one day and you're like, I'm not doing this anymore. It was this nice gradual shift, you had already incorporated a lot of the intuitive eating and mindful eating principles. Yes, in what you were doing, and then just okay, well, we're just not going to focus on the calorie counting, we're not going to focus on the weight loss piece, we're just going to focus on health, we're going to focus on how your body feels,

Sindi  9:05  
yes. And even when I was doing weight loss, we were not counting calories. So like I never did that with my clients. So I had already eliminated that from my life after nutrition school and after, you know, working with clients for a while I was like we're not doing this we are not counting so I would have them track their food not for to see what was missing to see what they were leaving out of their eating. You know, like what aren't you in so I don't care put down if you have chocolate. Tell me when and where and why you like what was going on. And if you enjoyed it, like just let me know that you took some pleasure from it if you're eating it, right. So that was always my philosophy was never like we I never even the five years I was doing weight loss never counted calories with anybody. It was so yeah, it was it was kind of gradual for me.

Sabrina  9:51  
And I know we talked kind of before we hit the record button and I think you mentioned it while we were recording. Is this like everything fits rule and I can say that from like a mental health standpoint, but coming from the nutritionist side, how can you say that? Everything fits?

Sindi  10:08  
Yeah, yeah, it is. And people look at me like, What are you crazy? Because I, I, I do believe that if we are eating mostly like, Look, I'm not advocating that you go out and you know, it's not a free flight, I don't you know, I don't want you to go out and have a free for all and just eat every, you know, type of junk food, I don't even like to call them junk food, I call them fun foods, every type of fun food there is out there all at once. But I do believe that, that there is there is a healthy balance because we're living in a world where we're going to celebrate birthdays, and we're going to have family holidays together right holiday, like we're gonna celebrate holidays with our family. And there are foods that we love to eat that are traditional, that have nothing to do with health and nothing to do with anything, but they are part of our health and well being. So as a nutritionist, I think like, there is a way to you know, and I know in Intuitive Eating world, we call it gentle nutrition, like there is a way to eat well. And I even I always find I struggle with the language, right? Like, well, it is difficult, it is difficult, but to eat in a way that feels good to us. And that fuels our bodies in a way that energizes us as often as possible, but you have to recognize it for yourself. Right? You have to know what that feeling is. And so I was always telling people like what feels like, understand when you eat something, how it makes you feel? Which foods make you feel more energized? And do you want to eat them? Do you want to eat those more often than other foods? Like if that's for you to decide? Right? So I do think there is a place for everything. And I think that if we, you know, obviously I think the more of the natural foods that we let's put it that way that we can eat as often as possible, I do feel that our bodies will function a little better, you know, in the long run. And at the same time, we live like you want to I want to be a part of the world like I you know, so I think that that is because also as a holistic nutritionist, like I'm not a dietitian, I'm an I'm a holistic nutritionist, and I'm not dissing dietitians, but as a holistic nutritionist, like everything counts, you know, and so your mental well being is a part of that. And pleasure is a part of that. And for always denying ourselves, then that's not helpful either. So I think that's where I kind of reconcile with it. Because it's not that I don't want people eating, you know, avocados and all kinds of things, but only if they like them. And avocado doesn't do you any good and you don't absorb the nutrients better if you don't enjoy it, right. It's not like ultimately you need to eat the foods that you love, whether they're healthy, or they're fun foods or whatever, you know, so that that's how I reconcile it.

Sabrina  12:53  
I sure remember a funny story. And I don't think I've shared this on the podcast yet. I don't like Brock carrots at all. But many years ago when I was still kind of in diet culture, I thought that carrots were so good for me. So I made a point to eat a cup of raw carrots every day. And I would I would try to eat them while I was driving so that I didn't have to like think about it. Oh, I was on the phone with one of my girlfriends. And I'm like, meeting my Rockettes again. She's like rice. I'm really excited. Yeah, yeah. Uh huh. Uh huh. I think back on that, and I'm like, Well, yeah, carrots are good for you. But I don't like them. Why was spending so much time like, and I was miserable?

Sindi  13:40  
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Exactly. Like, that's the thing. Like if you're miserable, eating these foods that are supposedly good for you, and are supposed to make you feel good, but you don't feel good eating them? What is the point like? So? Yeah, I totally tell my clients like yes, here are some good, here are some options of foods that, you know, could fuel your body in a really amazing way. And if you like them, great, if not,

Sabrina  14:03  
okay, here's some other foods. Let's, let's find something that you want.

Sindi  14:07  
Yeah, pick what you like, pick what you want. And I also, you know, I've learned and, and again, like this goes back to like, contrary to what I was or learning when I was going through nutrition that, you know, if there's a day where you don't eat certain things, or if you don't eat certain vegetables, you're not going to automatically be in this nutrient deficiency, like, you're not going to be in a deficit, you know, like, because over a week, you probably eat you one day, you might eat more of something than you do the next day. So I've learned this to myself, like even for myself, it was like, God had that salad every day. Gotta have my half a plate of veggies twice a day. And some days I do and some days I don't. And I had to let go of that too. Right, knowing that I'm not any less healthy. Because one day I didn't have to have plates of veggies and one day I did and one day maybe I didn't have any veggies but only had fruit You know, so yeah, it's a process. Definitely.

Sabrina  15:04  
And it all kind of comes out in the wash. Yes. You know what, when I was little, I would do that same thing of I would eat the same food for like three days in a row. And then I would switch and I would eat something else. And my mom got really nervous. So she took me to the pediatrician. And she's like, I'm really concerned, she's not getting enough nutrients. And the pediatrician said, Well, within a month, does she average all of these things that she needs to get? My mom look, you know, add it all up. And she's like, Yeah, I guess so. Like, she's fine. Yeah. It's like, hold on to that as an adult, like, Oh, I'm fine.

Sindi  15:38  
Yeah, I love that. That's great. But that is so true. And you don't hear that a lot though. Right. Like, that's the thing.

Sabrina  15:46  
Yeah. Especially back in the 80s. Like, that was?

Sindi  15:49  
Yes. And I I grew up in the 70s. So for even then, like, although, I don't know, I think it was different than but I don't think we were as conscious, you know, get your piece of carrots. Right. That was, you know, in my day, that was like, what my mother thought veggies were

Sabrina  16:08  
shifting gears just a little bit. Um, talk to me about this idea of body kindness.

Sindi  16:13  
Hmm. Yeah. So again, like, I, so many of these things that I you know, I hate to use expression woke because like, that's the culture we were in today, right. But so many of these, say, and I'm in my 50s. So I don't even know, like, woke is not who I am. But a lot of these things I was naturally doing without understanding that I was doing it. So even in the five years, again, prior to now, like when I really am focusing on accepting our bodies and feeling good about ourselves the way we are right now. I started with that principle with my clients that, okay, like, I get that you're that you're not happy right now, if you're uncomfortable, yep, you don't love your body, but you can't hate yourself to the destination, and you need to be kinder to yourself, because I did a lot of self judging, like I was really critical of myself, like, my inner critic is strong. And, and so I would start like, I could be so much more compassionate to my clients, obviously, like, and I would encourage them to be compassionate to themselves, like give themselves grace, like, I always use that expression, like, just give yourself grace. And because you're doing always doing the best that you can, with whatever knowledge you have at the time, right. And also, at the same time, it's like, we're just we're inundated. We're inundated with this diet culture, and with the images of celebrities, and with the, you know, all these people putting their best. And so with social media, with the growth of social media, like all these people putting their best photos forward, and all this kind of stuff. And I was guilty of that, too, right. And, you know, so like, I would always say, like, just, you know, just be kind, like, just say nicer things to yourself, like, I am learning to do this, I am open to do this, like, you know, and so I was always doing that. And then I read a book called body kindness, which is where I got part of my idea for my program. And really like the the, it was a real awakening to myself also, not just like, but more so even more so that we really, we just, we just need to, to allow ourselves to be and we really don't like we really don't, it's not our fault. It's what we've been conditioned to, to understand and, and to believe. And so yeah, the body kindness aspect, like I was doing it, my original program was just called the fruit freedom method. And I was already saying to all of my clients, like, you know, just give yourself grace. It's okay, like, be where you are right now, just be in the moment. I know, you want to get to here like because then it was still about weight loss. But I know you want to get there. But like, let's just be in the moment, let's just at least appreciate. And I even did this exercise with my clients where I was like, I know you're going to hate this. But I want you to stand up in the mirror, either in your bra in your underwear, or start naked, whatever you can do. And I just want you to, like acknowledge your body and try and find some kind things to say to yourself, don't just look at the cellulite. I had cellulite when I was when I went through puberty because my body changed. And so I've had cellulite since I was 13. So like, it's just there. It's just part of you know, so that's really where I hope that's answered the question, but that's really where it came from. Like, it just came from this idea of like, I want it I didn't want to beat myself up anymore. And I don't want women beating themselves up. And that's how I've been for the last, you know, five plus years practicing in the field of nutrition and in the field of weight loss too. And it's like, just we need to stop like stop like you're just causing so much stress on your body. You're actually firing up your cortisol and which is your fat storing hormone. So you're working you know, with all this negativity and these negative thoughts you're working against, you know, and I know listening to your podcast and you know Like the mindset piece is so big, right? Like, it's, it's, you know, these are thoughts, they're not true. And I still have to tell myself that sometimes too, right there, these are just thoughts not true. And let's, let's find a new way of thinking about our bodies and how they, they've taken us. And I'd say, like, look at the miracle Your body is like, from infancy to puberty, then from puberty to adulthood. And then if you've had children, and like all of these, like, and the miracle of your menstrual cycle, and like all these things, and even menopause, which I'm learning to deal with now, like, we don't talk about these things, and we don't normalize that bodies change. And so that that's part of also where it grew out of the last year, where it's seeing some of my clients that really struggled with the changes in their body, because most of my clients were over 40. I've had a lot younger clients, too, but most are over 40. And I find that's where we start to struggle again, the most, you know, like it's is those changes?

Sabrina  20:56  
Yeah. And I, you know, I always laugh because everybody comes to me, and they're like, I hate change. I hate change. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Cuz we get comfortable, where we're at whether whether we like where we're at or not, we get comfortable. But that's the one thing that we can count on is, is our bodies are going to change, like, even very surface level. How many times do we have to get haircuts or trim our fingernails? Right? That's because our body is changing. But

Sindi  21:25  
we see that as normal. But we don't see any other changes as normal. Right? Like, there's no one normalizes it for us. Nobody, nobody tells you, my doctor did not ever sit down with me and say, when I was when I turned 40, let's say like, this is what you might encounter over the next 10 years. never she never, and she's a woman. Never took the time to say to me, you know, if I came in and said something, you know, oh, yeah, that's, you know, pretty much par for the course. And I'm like, keep it I wasn't prepared. You know, like, I'm not scared. And so even now, in my 50s, when I know so much more, I still feel sometimes I'm not prepared mentally for some of the physical changes.

Sabrina  22:05  
Yeah. When I think as as professionals who are kind of in this space, but also just as women, just having these conversations with our friends, with our family, with our kids, we can normalize that, like, yes, menstrual cycle is completely normal. That is what is supposed to happen. And then that stops happening because our bodies are not supposed to have babies anymore, because it's not healthy. So then we start to go through this other change. Yeah. And, and yes, it's all completely normal. Those are the things your body is supposed to do.

Sindi  22:34  
Much to my daughter's chagrin, I am talking about this. In my field, my daughter and her fiance are living with us right now to save money to buy a house. And so unfortunately for him, sometimes the conversation comes up. But I'm like, you guys got to understand this like because my mother never talked about stuff like that. I mean, my mother also had a partial hysterectomy. So she didn't, you know, she'd never went through menopause the way you know, I'm going to go through it now. And, and nobody talks about perimenopause. Like they just talk about menopause. So it's like, all of a sudden something stops. Anyways, we're, we're on the part of you where I digress. But I mean, like, it's all about body change. And because that's the stage of life I'm in that's, you know, but yes, I agree with you. And I start talking about these things in front of my daughters. And I said, and they're like, Man, I'm like, No, you need to know this needs to be a normal part of conversation, you need to know what's coming, because it's going to come.

Sabrina  23:27  
When, and I'll say, even from from a boy mom perspective, because I just have one son of have I make sure to educate him. He's only 10. So it's very developmentally age appropriate of like, this is what happens, honey, and you need to be prepared, because you will have women in your life who are going through this. Yes. And no, you won't go through it. And you can be aware of it.

Sindi  23:51  
Yes, exactly. Exactly. Yeah. And I, you know, I have a son too. And he's 26. And so the conversation happens more than him also. I'm like, it is what it is like this is you know, you're you're living in this house, you're experiencing some of what's going on with me. So you have to understand, like, here's what's happening with me, because sometimes I'll be crappy. And you know,

Sabrina  24:12  
sometimes we're just crappy. You know, I think that's the other thing being the emotional eating therapist of Yes, emotions are just emotions, people. They're not good or bad. Some are more comfortable and more pleasant than others. But

Sindi  24:27  
exactly. We can

Sabrina  24:29  
be crabby, we can be happy we can be anything in between.

Sindi  24:33  
Yeah. 100% Yes.

Sabrina  24:36  
So how do you work with this kind of like mindset and acceptance piece within your program?

Sindi  24:41  
i Right now I'm doing a lot of like having people do a lot of sort of introspection and a little bit of journaling, journaling around it, like really looking at their story. And really looking at it from a non judgement, like, you know, just as an observer, like just what happens like we're

Sabrina  24:54  
taking the person out of it and as we're looking at it from like a third party people Yeah,

Sindi  25:00  
exactly. So first kind of like, like, re like looking back on your, on your body image story or your diet story, like where did you first start to see notice and, and really, you know, and offering yourself forgiveness, like I really emphasize that a lot like, as kids we don't understand and we do things and we you know, and you end up where you are because you only had so much that you could process and that you knew about right. And so a lot of times it's forgiving ourselves forgiving our mothers like, they were also products. So really practicing, like other things that are going on in your life like not just like we are so super focused on food and our body and movement. But you know, what the other areas of your life that you can take pleasure in. And you know, one of the first things we do is just in the second week of my program is a pleasure inventory of just fun things to do, right to and that we include that with adding in new food, like foods that you were restricting, but also like What haven't you been doing because you're either too busy, or you're too focused on dieting, so you and you're too focused on how your body feels. So you don't do these things because you're uncomfortable, or your you perceive that people will notice you or that you'll look awkward, so there are things you stop doing. So we talk about reintroducing things like that. So really looking at other areas of our life that we can enhance, and really focus on instead of just food in our body. Because that's only like a small percentage of what we do every day. Like, you know, what are the highlights of your career, what are the highlights of your relationships, so we look at that. And also, I know that sometimes like I don't expect, the women are going to love their bodies right away, but it's just more of like, acknowledging, accepting, you know, where you're at. And, you know, and finding all those other positive aspects of who you are as a human being, and really emphasizing that your body is just a vessel, right? It's just, it's just your way of being on this earth. And everything else that makes up you, your personality and your, your, your strength, and your, you know, your intelligence, like all of these things, you're as women you are capable at so much like, we don't stop and also stopping to recognize how much we have achieved in our lives that we don't realize, like, that takes so much strength and determination and all of those things, because we think we failed everything because we failed the diet. Yeah, and it's not true, you know, and I it's the same process that I've been going through myself. So like, you know, sharing that with women. So it is a lot of introspection, and also a lot of like, making a point to do things for yourself. Putting yourself higher on that, like I'm working with one client right now, who really, like she said, one of the things she needs to do is to do as much for herself as she does for everybody else. Like that's one of the reasons she joined my program. And it's true, like we just we're always doing for others. So making sure that you you are doing things that that are enjoyable for you in this moment. Like things like, you know, the exercise of buying yourself something to fit your body now, right, like so we talk about that, too, is like that one of the biggest exercises that I did recently in a challenge I did in my group, my Facebook group recently was, you know, to go through your closet, and get rid of things that are triggering and things that like, I had a closet full of clothes that I couldn't wear anymore. And so every time I would go to the closet, I would look at these things and kind of be like, and then I made the decision like Okay, no more I'm going out and I'm buying myself because I don't want to sit in uncomfortable pants all day. Right? Like I don't, because what are you doing? You're just punishing yourself. So a lot of it is like, nourish, not punish and that nourishment is not just food, but it's like your emotional nourishment. Like don't punish yourself like your body change. It's okay. Go out and get something that feels good to you.

Sabrina  29:01  
I love that idea of nourish not punish. Yeah, it's a big part of my language. What What a great little nugget.

Sindi  29:09  
Really, and I and I say like, this is really not just about food. I'm talking about like, nourish your body, like your soul. You know, like,

Sabrina  29:17  
your mind. Like all of those four bodies. Yeah,

Sindi  29:21  
exactly. You know, there's, you're perfectly imperfect. There's nothing wrong with you like, you know, and it and you know, none of those other things. Your body doesn't preclude you from doing things like it doesn't you know, maybe there are physical limitations for some people and that's understandable and you know, we work with that. But you know, I also emphasize gentle movement like there's no you don't have to exercise like you do it feels good to you because that's the other aspect right? People are out there over exercising and killing themselves and doing things they I hated exercise for years. hated it. Couldn't do Zumba couldn't do you know aerobics I was I was uncoordinated. I felt out of breath. I felt I hated the outfits, like, everything about it. Like, it took me years to figure out what I actually liked in fitness and fail and you know, gym memberships that I was making donations to and like, you know all those things and hated it. And I hate it also, because I was trying to change my body instead of just enjoying movement for movement sake, right for the mental health benefits. So that's also a big part of what I do also is like, we just take exercise off the table, and we just talk about, like, how can you just move in ways that feel good to you, and recognizing that if you walk up and down the stairs in your house, or you're vacuuming you're moving, you know, like, doesn't have to be training for a marathon? Exactly, exactly. And I, you know, I never did a marathon, but I did went the running route at 1.2, which I did love honestly, I loved I love the runner's high, that was totally something I got, but, but now I just get it from other things. And, and, you know, so I think like, that's the other, the other thing is just to let go of that, like, let go of, you know, that you have to do this beach body or whatever it is to to be fit, you don't.

Sabrina  31:10  
Yeah, coming back to that, again, I'm going to hold on to this nourish, not punish. Because, yes, our bodies were designed to move, they weren't designed to sit at a computer screen all day long. So yeah, nourishing our bodies by figuring out what feels good to move, how it feels good to move in, if that's just walking around your house, great. If that's taking your dog for a walk, great, if that's going to CrossFit. Great, exactly, figuring out what works for you, rather than looking at what's trendy, or what's cool.

Sindi  31:47  
100% 100% and, and, you know, you'll find you'll find it, and what time of day works for you. And it doesn't have to be every day, like you'll find it and that and that's part of it, too. So those are all parts of the body get sleep also is a huge part of my body kindness, like recognizing how important sleep is I never understood that literally until the last year and a half to two years, like how important it is that like to get a good night's sleep to be able to make choices that feel good to you. Because when our brains are deprived of sleep, you know, we don't, that cognitive part of our brain doesn't have the same acuity, right? Like it doesn't, we're not able to make sound decisions. I mean, you know, if anyone's ever had a child, and I recently had a, an aging dog that woke up several times a night in the last month, and I forgot, like it was like having an infant again, like so. And it really impacted how, you know, like I, I was not as good at nourishing myself in that time period. So we you know, it's all a process, obviously, and we can't tackle everything all at once. But we can, you know, work on little bits and pieces to help us, you know, improve as we go. And all of that is is part of that body kindness piece.

Sabrina  33:02  
Wonderful. Well, as we start to wrap up, is there anything else that you want to impart on the listeners or just anything that came up as we were chatting?

Sindi  33:12  
I think really in truly is, is to start to understand normalized change. Like I really feel like that's something we just don't do well. And I'm experiencing that myself right now going through perimenopause. And, you know, 54 years old, I still get a menstrual cycle regularly. I've started using a little bit of replacement hormones just to help me sleep better, and, you know, help me with my moods. But you know, I still struggle. There are days like I before we got on, I was telling you that yesterday, we had made a little celebration for my daughter and her fiance, they've engaged for almost two years, but because of COVID We didn't have any celebrations. And now that things were opening up and we could be outside we we decided to have something and, you know, I hadn't seen people in a long time. And my image started that that those ideas coming from diet culture, and my old thoughts started to pop up about how I looked now and what would people think when I know rationally I know they're not gonna think anything, you know, but you know, and it and it manifested in in, you know, me having a frustrating time deciding what to wear, and you know what, and not feeling great 100% Like still my body is still changing. So even though I did go out and buy some new clothes, this week, they were feeling a little less comfortable. And probably the idea of seeing people made them feel even more uncomfortable when they really weren't that bad because I'm wearing the same jeans today that I might have worn yesterday and chose to wear something else and they feel fine. You know, but yesterday like all that heightened so that like even as a professional who's going through this, I'm right there with you. We are right there as professionals with you. Because there we're always changing and there's never going to be one perfect time in our lives. So really let go of that idea of perfection and that our bodies and I heard something amazing from someone else who is very prominent in this, you know, field of intuitive eating and body kindness or body image and body neutrality, body love, however you want to call it. And she said, like, we were not meant to be static, and that's so hit like, it really hit home with me like that we were not meant to be static, or, and the problem with when we try to diet is they assume that your bodies are all the same, and your bodies are never changing. And that's not true. So. So yeah, really be gentle with yourself and know that, you know, as human beings, like we're professionals, but as human beings, we will still experience some of the things that you do. And what we're going to do, what I'm going to do and help you get to which is, is to the place where it doesn't send you into a three day emotional eating, you know, fast binge, and that you can kind of shake it off a little faster, you may not let go of the feelings completely, like I went to that party I didn't I found something to wear that, you know, it was fine. Everybody said, I look great. Like I knew that was gonna happen. But in that moment, you know, and it doesn't really matter what anyone says either. Like, really, it's, you know, I had to feel great, obviously. But, you know, the important thing was, I had to remind myself of the event, what we were celebrating, and the blessings that we had. And you know, and, and I enjoyed myself there. Whereas in my past, before I did this work, I would have been so unhappy all throughout the entire thing, you know, but once we got there, and I relaxed, and it was we were in the moment, and I was in that space of where I was, and being a little more present in that moment, it was a lot easier. So just know that we're all going to go through and it's okay, like it's okay, and feel it.

Sabrina  36:49  
And just be like he said, he just yeah,

Sindi  36:51  
just be like, it's, it's a tough place to be sometimes. But in the long run, we'll be better for it instead of always trying to be something we're not or something we once were, which like, our metabolism that 40 and 50 and whatever is completely different than 20 and 30. You know, and that's normal. But nobody tells you that everybody says you can get it back. Reset it, reboot it, redo, you know, yeah, like just be be and be accepting. And that doesn't mean you're giving up. That's the other thing I want to say is like, it doesn't mean you're giving up. It just means that you're, you know, you're defining how you want to be right now and the life that you want to live in what's most important to you, you know, and that's something we do in my program, too, is we talk about our values, like what's important to us. How do we want to be, you know, and so I think that's probably long winded and I apologize, but

Sabrina  37:43  
there's wonderful. Yeah, and I think on that, I think that's a good place to, to kind of wrap it up. And if you want to connect with Cindy some more, I will put her information into the show notes, and you'll be able to contact her there. She's on Instagram. You can find her

Sindi  38:00  
via the Facebook group. Yeah, the food and body freedom for women who are done with dieting. That's my Facebook, but yeah, I'll put it in the notes. Alright,

Sabrina  38:08  
thanks so much, Sindi

Sindi  38:09  
Thank you, Sabrina. It was a pleasure. I really I love this. Thanks.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai