Holistic Health Radio

Today I’m joined again by Lucy McConnell – last time she was on the show she was a guest explaining her recovery journey and what she learned and now she’s back but with a whole new role! She’s now part of the coaching team here at sarahlizking.com and heading up the Better Balance Training programs alongside taking 1:1 health coaching clients for HA recovery. Making a safe return to exercise is so important after recovery, but oftentimes people aren't sure where to start, what to do, and how hard they can push. So today, we're going to answer all those questions and more! In today’s episode on how to make a safe return to exercise after HA recovery we’re going to be covering: Our own personal journeys with exercise after HA recovery The most common mistakes people make when returning to exercise after HA recovery Answering the question: is it ever safe to lose weight after Hypothalamic Amenorrhea recovery The best goals to set for yourself when you return to training When and if high intensity training is a

What happens when fitness isn't just something that we do, but starts to define who we are? And how can we start to let go and re-shape that fitness identity when trying to recovery from disordered eating, an eating disorder and hypothalamic amenorrhea? I answer both of those questions and so much more in this week's episode where you'll learn: The role grief plays in re-shaping your fitness identity How to redefine your values around fitness so they lead towards a more sustainable relationship with exercise How to cultivate a radical willingness to sit with change, difficult thoughts and uncomfortable emotions as you work towards healing Why it's important to pull apart the complex story of fitness being who we are versus something that we do What belief systems are no longer serving you when it comes to your fitness identity and how to unsubscribe from them How to truly find exercise freedom and define what that looks like for you  ❤️ Join my newsletter list for weekly motivation and inspiration and you'l

When recovering from disordered eating, food is often not the only aspect of your lifestyle that needs to be adjusted. Many people with eating disorders simultaneously struggle with exercise dependence and addiction.  In one study, compulsive exercise was prevalent in 31-81% of patients with anorexia nervosa and 20-66% of those suffering bulimia nervosa (Dittmer, Jacobi & Voderholzer 2018). These statistics highlight just how difficult recovery can be as many sufferers battle more than one compulsion at a time: the need to restrict combined with the urge to overcompensate.  In today's society exercise is often celebrated and congratulated, adding to the difficulty of those who are battling with these dependencies. Exercise is great for both mental and physical health but should be done in a balanced manner that doesn’t focus on calorie burning, compensation and punishment.  But how do you actually get there? That is the focus on this week’s podcast where we dissect what an unhealthy relationship with exer

In episode 93 last week I spoke a lot about motivation in recovery and the feedback was great! However, I also got lots of messages from you lovely listeners asking how to actually get started in the first place and commit to your recovery journey. Well you asked and I delivered! This week on the podcast I blend my personal experience, with some helpful practice advice to help you get started and commit to your own recovery. In this episode I discuss: My own personal lightbulb moment where I realised that I needed to get started and actually commit to my eating disorder recovery The simple 4-step process for getting started with recovery, getting your period back or improving your relationship with food or exercise or committing to a goal focused on improving your wellbeing What making a commitment to recovery actually means Journal prompts and questions to ask yourself help you discover your "why" for your goals, and get started with taking action towards recovery from your eating disorder or hypothalamic a

Motivation in recovery can be difficult to maintain which is why it’s so important to know how to reignite it when it’s lost. In recovery, we often set unrealistic expectations for both ourselves and the process as a whole. For example, when you start recovery you may convince yourself that it’s going to be an easy, feel-good journey to fixing your relationship with food and exercise. You may expect things to improve quite rapidly with no room for error. Unfortunately, as rewarding as recovery can be, it’s not always going to be quick and easy – there will be hard days when you question everything. In this episode of Holistic Health Radio I’m going to cover: Reasons why we lose motivation in recovery from an eating disorder or hypothalamic amenorrhea The problem with relying solely on motivation Why we get stuck in "not knowing what to do" How to get the ball rolling again when we fall off track If you're currently struggling with motivation then have a listen to this episode and if you need extra help and

Diving into HA Recovery is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make for your future self but that doesn’t make it any less scary to begin with. Changing your current lifestyle and rules around food or exercise can be daunting but in this episode, I cover all your most common fears while giving you tips and tricks to overcome them. Do you fear weight gain? The loss of your fitness identity? Are you scared of being ‘unhealthy’ or being judged by others? These are all very common topics that come up in HA recovery and trust me, I understand! Your feelings are valid but let’s unpack these fears a little more and stop them from holding you back. It's important to understand that recovering from HA is a LOT more than physically changing your routine. In recovery, you have to challenge a lot of your old beliefs because more often than not, they’re quite far from reality! Let’s start facing your fears front on and give you the best possible chance at recovery. Have a listen to this episode and if you need extra h

In today’s podcast I want to talk about how to embrace weight gain and your changing body during recovery from disordered eating, an eating disorder or hypothalamic amenorrhea. You might also experience some body changes if you are giving up extreme dieting and working towards a more intuitive approach to eating that honours your body’s natural weight, in which case, this episode will help you too. In this podcast I share: My lapse 4 years ago which led me to needing to gain weight again to recover physically, mentally and emotionally from a very tough year Is weight gain harder after a lapse or relapse? My own personal experience with this. 10 mindset and behavioural shift to help you embrace weight gain The best mantras to repeat to yourself to help you on bad body image days ❤️ Next round for Healing Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (my hybrid 1:1 and group coaching program to regain your period) opens for enrolment on January 4th 2021! Add your name to the wait list here:  https://sarahlizking.com/healing-ha/ ❤️

Today on the podcast I’m joined by Lindsey Lusson, a Registered Dietitian, wife, and momma to a 2-year-old girl with a baby boy currently on the way. Through her own personal health journey, Lindsey has learned a lot about how under eating can wreak havoc on your health. For 13 years she did not have a natural period and when she and her husband wanted to begin trying for a baby, she felt lost with no direction on how to get pregnant. Thankfully, she was able to get her hands a book about Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA) and decided to follow the recovery protocol to regain her cycles naturally. In less than a month she was able to get her period back and 3 months later got pregnant naturally despite being told that she would need fertility treatment to start a family. This experience led her to wanting to support others who have lost their period due to HA, which of course is my mission too. In this episode Lindsey and I discuss: Her journey with Hypothalamic Amenorrhea What she did to get her own period back T

Do you struggle to enjoy Christmas without feelings of guilt, shame or regret? Maybe you eat more than you want and then feel like you need to burn it off with exercise? Do you worry about comments and judgements from others about your body? In today's episode of Holistic Health Radio I talk about navigating the holidays while in recovery from disordered eating, an eating disorder or hypothalamic amenorrhea. This is also applicable to you if you’re simply trying to have a better relationship with food, exercise and your body that’s free from the grips of diet culture. In this podcast I’m going to discuss: Why the end of year holidays can often feel really hard How to prepare yourself to Christmas lunch, dinner, parties and other events How to figure out if your exercise habits are coming from a healthy place Where guilt comes from when we eat more or exercise less than usual Managing diet culture talk and comments from other Creating safe boundaries for yourself in social situations Stepping outside of your

Today on the podcast I’m joined by Kieran O’Dwyer from Bathurst Strength and Conditioning. Lovingly known around the gym as Coach Kizz, his mission is to optimise the health and performance of everybody who walks through the door. Whether it be to improve their athletic performance, get fit, learn to lift, keep joints strong and pain free, or hit a new PB, he is there to help. With 8 years of coaching experience in the bank, Coach Kizz knows that hard work and building persistent healthy habits are the key to success. Today on the podcast we get a big dose of his expertise as we discuss the science of strength and conditioning. In this episode we cover: What strength & conditioning actually is and how it differs from other popular forms of training The movement basics we should all be mastering The most common mistakes women make when strength training, and how to fix them What components make up a well-rounded S&C program When and how often you should be changing your program to keep progressing Tra

Today’s podcast I want to talk about building confidence and trust in yourself through hypothalamic amenorrhea recovery. This may seem like an odd thing to chat about but let me ask you this: How often do you find yourself overthinking decisions in relation to changing your habits for recovery? Do you ever feel like you’re never doing “enough” or “the right thing” to get your period back? Do you doubt yourself and feel like this process won’t work for you or you’re a unicorn and the only one who won’t get your period back? Are you concerned you won’t be able to handle the body or lifestyle changes that happen which leads you to staying stuck?   If you answered YES to any of those questions, then this podcast will definitely be helpful to you. Like last week’s episode this is relevant to you whether you are working on recovery from disordered eating, an eating disorder or hypothalamic amenorrhea recovery, which are all areas I regularly work on with clients.  In this podcast you'll learn: The 5 key areas to

Today on the podcast I’m joined by Stefanie from AusDancersOverseas. Stefanie is a trained dancer herself, studying at The Urdang Academy in London, but an injury put an end to her career early on and sparked her interest in medicine.   Now a doctor, she felt that still wasn’t enough to sufficiently help dancers, so she also became a sports nutritionist. After more than 10 years in hospitals, she now sees dancers in her clinic, often virtually, and not only optimises their health and nutrition, but also collaborates with colleagues (GPs, gynaecologists, endocrinologists etc.) worldwide in order to ensure dancers receive all the treatment necessary to support them to become the best and healthiest version of themselves.    In this podcast Stefanie and I discuss: The day in a life of a dancer including the pressures they feel to perform and look a certain way Mental health struggles of dancers The impact of under fuelling on dancers including losing your period, the impact on bone health and so much more Incid

How often do you find yourself comparing what you eat, how much and what kind of exercise you do, and what your body looks like to others? This can be an incredibly common experience for those working on recovering from disordered eating, and eating disorder or hypothalamic amenorrhea. Comparison often leads to feelings of jealousy, guilt, and being "not good enough" and can make it difficult to honour what your body needs to heal. In this episode of Holistic Health Radio I discuss: Why comparing food choices or amount to others can be dangerous The scientific reason behind WHY we often compare what we eat to others in recovery How to stop feeling guilty about needing to eat more than others The assumptions we make when we compare our exercise routine to others How comparison invalidates our own unique experience of recovery Subtle ways in which you compare to others you may not even be aware of My number one tip for getting yourself OUT of the comparison game for good   ❤️ Next round for Healing Hypothalam

Today on the podcast I’m joined by Physiotherapist Tom de Jersey. After stumbling across his viral videos online, Tom and I connected over our mutual love of all things movement. As a physiotherapist, Tom is a firm believer that the education system doesn’t really provide us with the tools we need to look after our bodies when it comes to movement and staying injury free. His main goal is to help you improve your movement literacy through easily digestible education and exercise tutorials so you can squat, hinge, lunge and perform your very best every single day. In this podcast Tom and I discuss: His work as a physiotherapist Why injuries happen and how to avoid them Periodising your training for optimal performance Why stress injuries happen and who’s most at risk Why you can (and should) take a week off from training every so often What the heck a deload week actually is and the benefits you get from it How to create a fun and sustainable fitness routine Follow Tom online @tommys.tips on Instagram, Tikto

You're eating more and exercising less, so you should be feeling super energised right? Well this isn't the case for everyone going through recovery from hypothalamic amenorrhea or for those working on weight restoration from an eating disorder. Oftentimes it's the exact opposite - overwhelming fatigue that seems to come out of nowhere! In this episode I explain the fatigue phenomenon and cover off topics including: What repair work needs to be done and how much energy this requires (you'll love the Willy Wonka reference here) How exercise often gives you a false "high" and the reasons behind why you feel more tired now when you're doing less The interplay between what you eat and your energy levels Rewiring your brain, mental fatigue, and how that impacts your physical energy levels Why sleep is super important and the factors that can prevent you from getting a restful night of shuteye Micronutrients you may be missing and how that can lead to fatigue ❤️ Next round for Healing Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (my

Welcome back to Holistic Health Radio! Today we take a break from looking at the science of how Hypothalamic Amenorrhea affects the body, and look more into personal experience of what recovery can feel like for those going through it. As a professional I am always explaining the science, but equally helping women come to terms with the mindset shifts and self-acceptance needed to get through the process of recovering their period. A lot of this episode talks about things I wish I knew (or someone had told me) about Hypothalamic Amenorrhea recovery as I think it would have made life a lot easier. In this episode I discuss: Why 2500 calories isn't a magical number How to deal with body changes and your wardrobe situation Why you might find yourself crying more often and how to be kind to yourself on those harder days How hard weight gain can be - physically, mentally, and emotionally Why your period might not be perfect when it first comes back Ways to eat to meet your energy requirements without feeling over

Today’s podcast is a topic I think needs more coverage, which is the hidden health impacts of hypothalamic amenorrhea. Most people generally know the impacts that hypothalamic amenorrhea has on fertility and bone health, but what’s not often spoken about is how it also impacts your cardiovascular health, training adaptations from exercise, sexual health and mental health. In this episode I chat through how low estrogen and the hormonal changes associated with Hypothalamic Amenorrhea impact your: Heart health Bone mineral density Ability to increase your lean muscle mass from training Sexual health, libido, and ability to enjoy sex from a pain/pleasure perspective Mental health including the bidirectional relationship of HA with mood, neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, the increase incidence of eating disorders, fear of weight gain, and body image concerns ❤️ FREE Live Webinar - Healing Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (How To Get Your Period Back Naturally) sign up here: https://calendly.com/sarahlizking/heal

Extreme hunger can be a confusing and anxiety provoking experience for many recovering from an eating disorder, hypothalamic amenorrhea, or restrictive dieting, but having a better understanding of what it is, and why it happens can often making dealing with it much easier. In this episode you’ll learn: What extreme hunger is and who it affects Why extreme hunger happens How to respond when extreme hunger hits My own personal experience of mental hunger and what I wish I knew before it happened Ways of dealing with a fear of hunger What foods to eat or avoid when extreme hunger strikes ❤️ If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5⭐️ review and share a screenshot on Instagram by tagging myself @sarahlizking and I'll be sure to reshare. ❤️ To join the HA Recovery Group Program add your name to the waitlist by clicking here. You can sign up directly to the course here and it starts on October 26th. ❤️ To work with me 1:1 to regain your period while improving your relationship with food and exercise, head to

Today I’m joined by Kathleen Alleaume, founder of The Right Balance, and internationally acclaimed specialist in nutrition and fitness. With a degree in Exercise Science and a Masters in Nutrition, Kathleen has spent over twenty years ago helping women, men and children to overcome their health or performance issues and maximise their wellness and fitness. Kathleen unique ability to translate complicated health research into clear, practical advice, has put her at the forefront of her industry where she regularly contributes to both print and online publications. As a busy working mum Kathleen knows the importance of moving her body, eating well and taking moment to rest and relax. In today’s podcast episode Kathleen and I discuss: How she got started in her career in health, fitness and nutrition What inspired her to get into media and writing and how that’s changed the trajectory of her career The importance of understanding research, especially when it comes to nutrition How work life changed when she bec

Today’s podcast topic is about mental hunger, which in its simplest form is the concept of constantly thinking about food. This experience is something that regularly comes up for people who are going through recovery from disordered eating, an eating disorder, or hypothalamic amenorrhea as well as those who've done restrictive diets in the past. In this episode I want to explain what mental hunger actually is, and why you can't stop thinking about food on a physiological level, how to respond to these cues, and mindset shifts to reduce the fear around eating if you're experiencing mental hunger. In this episode you’ll learn: What mental hunger is and how it differs from physical hunger Different scenarios you may not realise are actually mental hunger, but really are Why mental hunger happens on a physiological level Does mental hunger disappear during recovery and if so how long does it take? Mindset shifts to help you cope if you’re experiencing these symptoms ❤️ If you enjoyed this episode please leave