Back with us is Dr. Jolene Brighten!

Dr. Jolene Brighten is a prominent expert in women’s medicine and leads the world in the emerging science of Post-Birth Control Syndrome — studying the effects of hormonal birth control on female health. 

Dr. Brighten and I are both strong advocates for empowering women to feel their best. The reality is this, within the US, only 17 states require sex education to be accurate! Isn’t that crazy? You deserve to understand your own body! 

If you’re someone like me who has been on birth control for 5, 10, 15 years, this one is for you! We break down the steps and best practices when it comes to making decisions for your body. Dr. Brighten answers these questions below, and so many more! 

• What are the steps to get off birth control?
• What other options are out there for natural birth control?
• What are synthetic hormones + how do they affect your body and your cycle?
• Are there dietary or lifestyle changes that I can make to help my body recover from birth control. 
• How can you address your hormonal imbalance?
• What does the gut have to do with everything?

Listen Now

Find more from me:

Instagram: @morgan.a.kline

Facebook: @morgankline

If Coffee & Kettlebells has made a positive impact in any way on your life, I would be beyond appreciative if you took a few seconds of your time to leave a rating and review.

Thank you so much for joining me for a cup of Coffee & Kettlebells!

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By Morgan Kline

Hi, it’s Morgan! I’m here to fill up your cup with my weekly recap of Coffee & Kettlebells. For our very first episode, I had the amazing opportunity to sit down with Julie Fagan, the author and founder of the PBFingers blog.

What I love most about Julie is that she keeps things real and relatable. Her lifestyle is focused on health and fitness but she doesn’t claim to be perfect: “I try to live a healthy, balanced life but also enjoy my favorite indulgences (like a peanut butter finger or two… or five),” she says.

Her message truly touches me because I once lived with absolutely zero balance when it came to healthy eating. I counted every single calorie I consumed, permitted only perfectly clean foods in my house and never spoiled myself with my favorite treats. I found myself losing my mind and constantly craving unhealthy foods.

Since then, I’ve realized that being less restrictive has brought me greater success in achieving my health and fitness goals—and also in keeping my sanity. I no longer obsess over every little thing I put into my mouth. I’m not afraid of treating myself to a big breakfast out with my husband on a Saturday morning. I allow myself to enjoy my favorite indulgences from time to time because I know I will get back to clean eating with my next meal.

If you struggle with food obsession, like I did, you’ll be inspired by Julie’s approach to finding balance between clean eating and indulging: “Have a day that is just for you! Have a day where you allow yourself to eat what you want, let it be fine and don’t feel bad about it. If you love ice cream, stop secretly eating a spoonful here and there, and instead have moments of indulgences and splurges that just feel fun. Go out and simply enjoy a big ice cream cone! Why not? If your priority is healthy living, and it is your lifestyle, then you have room for those fun moments and celebratory things without guilt.”

Julie’s top three health tips for developing balanced eating habits:

1. Stop cooking boring meals. Try exciting new recipes and experiment with fun spices and ingredients. (Aren’t you sick of salmon with broccoli and a sweet potato?) You’re more likely to continue eating healthy if you thoroughly enjoy the foods you eat and actually have fun while cooking them.

2. Meal prep without actually meal prepping. Meal prep saves time during the week, but sometimes it’s hard to find time during the weekend to actually do it. Thankfully, there are ways to make your weekday dinners easy to whip up—without having to fully prep them beforehand.

Julie suggests making a list on Saturday of the healthy meals you plan to cook throughout the upcoming week, along with the exact ingredients needed for each recipe. On Sunday, cook all your lean proteins in a crockpot and chop all your raw vegetables. This helps minimize cooking steps during the week. You’re then able to quickly assemble a salad, throw some veggies in the oven to roast or toss everything into a pan for a killer stir-fry.

2. Keep dinner simple. Avoid overthinking your meals. You don’t need a thousand ingredients and different spices to create something delicious. Cooking dinner and meal prepping are less likely to become habits when the recipes are time-consuming and difficult to follow. You’ll be surprised by how just a few herbs and spices can amplify your meals with amazing flavor. Julie loves finding inspiration for great-tasting simple recipes in Clean Eating magazine.

Julie’s favorite healthy recipes:

One Pot Chicken Cabbage Bowl with Sesame Ginger Broth

This is Julie’s go-to dinner. It’s super easy and can be made paleo-friendly and gluten-free (replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos). It’s the perfect recipe for a busy weeknight!

Paleo Blender Muffins

Your kids will love these muffins! And you will too because if you store a batch in the freezer, you’ll always have a healthy snack on hand. (They’re ready with just 20 seconds in the microwave!)

No Bake Breakfast Bars

Need a protein-rich breakfast but short on time? Julie has the solution, and it’s chocolaty! This recipe is a great option for a go, go, go kind of morning.

Tune into the entire Coffee & Kettlebells podcast to hear how Julie creates balance for healthy living in other aspects of her life, from fitness and work to being a full-time mom and wife! Check out the live stream of Episode 1: Creating Balance with Eating, Fitness, Motherhood and Life, and don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes to get notifications for future episodes!

It is common to hear that exercising during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, but for a normal pregnancy that is not the case! The reality is that exercise DURING pregnancy can have awesome benefits for both YOU and BABY!

However, you should always consult with your physician before starting exercise, to ensure that is is safe for yourself and your child. 

Once you are a ‘GO’ for exercise, your Burn Trainer is prepared to help keep you safe while giving you a great workout! Exercise during pregnancy is NOT about weight loss, but it will likely help you lose weight after delivery. What can ‘Burnin’ with a Baby Bump’ do for you?

Exercise during Pregnancy Prevents Swollen Ankles, Varicose Veins, Hemorrhoids and Digestive Complications

It will be no surprise to know that exercise will increase your heartrate which improves blood circulation throughout the body! This helps the body get necessary blood flow to areas of the body further from the heart (i.e. legs, ankles, and colon) that become neglected because, like the fact that you will do ANYTHING for your child, so will your body! The fetus gets the important blood and nutrients first while, without optimal circulation, other body parts receive less.

Prevents Back Pain

As the beautiful baby bump grows, your back muscles sometimes can’t keep up, causing annoying back pain. With exercise, you help to strengthen those important back muscles that support your posture, which leads to significantly less back pain! How great is that!?

Increase Energy

It is very common for pregnancy to lead you to feeling less energetic! With an improved cardiovascular system, better blood circulation, and increased strength, exercise requires less effort. This means MORE energy for other things you want to do in your day!

Better Sleep

Exercise can help burn off excess energy that may keep you up later, usually causing tossing and turning throughout the night. If it is not 3 hours before you go to bed, exercise aids in efficient hormone regulation, leading to a more restful, deeper sleep!

Improved Labor

While exercise typically doesn’t make labor less painful, it does help prepare you for labor! Your increased endurance and strength from exercise has been shown to aid women in managing pain and decreasing exhaustion. Women who exercise during pregnancy also tend to have fewer medical interventions along with a quicker labor duration!

Healthier Fetus

According to study published in PM&R Journal, women who exercise regularly during pregnancy carried a healthier fetus! The found lower resting heart rate, increased amniotic fluid, and even an indication of protection against preeclampsia. Remember that there are still limitations with exercising while pregnant, especially with exercise intensity!

To learn more about exercising while pregnant, get some advice from Burn Co-Founder Morgan Kline on BurnTV with the DO and DON’T pregnancy exercises!

The #1 goal is to protect both YOU and BABY while enhancing the health of both! With a proper exercise regimen and Burn Boot Camp’s expert training, we will help make BEASTS out the both you, TOGETHER!

If you’re interested in learning more information regarding exercise during pregnancy, sign up for our weekly Burn Boot Camp newsletter TODAY!