Episode 1 – Full Transcript
We want to start with introducing what we call the five pillars of health
Michelle: Hey, everyone, my name is Michelle.
Lindsay: And I’m Lindsay. And you’re listening to nurse verse.
Michelle: So, for our first real episode, we want to start with introducing what we like to call the five pillars of health. So, there is so much fantastic information out there right now about health and wellness, but I think a lot of people can just become extremely overwhelmed with all of the information and not know where to start. And a lot of individuals might be neglecting these five basic pillars. These are what I would consider the infrastructure to wellness, to health and wellness in general. And those five pillars being sleep or rest, consumption, movement, nature and connection. And we apologize in advance. You are going to hear our cats meowing in the background and monster, potentially snoring. Monster, our dog, potentially snoring.
Lindsay: Or farting.
Michelle: Or farting. Yeah, we swear she’s probably going to.
Lindsay: Do all of the above.
Michelle: Yeah, we had to lock the cats out of the room because they won’t stop pressing buttons.
Lindsay: So it’ll become a cat show and they’ll just be meowing the whole time.
Michelle: Yeah, we’ll eventually get them on the podcast, too.
Lindsay: Yeah. And once we do video, maybe you’ll see them and it’ll become a cat cast.
Michelle: Yes, cat cast.
If your doctor is not asking how is your sleep, what is your diet
Lindsay: Okay, so shall we talk about the, five pillars?
Michelle: Yes.
Lindsay: So these pillars are just like foundations of wellness. These are the things that you should prioritize.
Michelle: Every single physician, or especially your main primary care physician, should be talking to you about. If your doctor is not asking how is your sleep, what is your diet or your exercise or your life look like outside of the office, then they are missing the most important part of wellness, in my personal opinion.
Lindsay: And I know in those 15 minutes that you have with your provider, they are not talking to you about how you’re spending time with your family and friends and what you do outside of work and stuff like that. So they’re not asking because they can’t ask. They don’t have enough time.
Michelle: Yeah, quite literally. Quite literally. But these things are as simple or as small as they might seem to people. They are the most impactful on your health. And so I feel like I get so many clients that are like, I’ve tried everything. I don’t know why I still don’t feel well or why this isn’t working. And then the second I start asking them about their life, I’m, like, well, this makes a lot of sense. You have terrible sleep. You are, in a fight with your significant other, or you’re having problems with your, friendships or some other relationships or connection or your toxic work environment, or you never get to spend any time outside or in nature. And these things have such, a massive impact on us, but we don’t really prioritize them because in our western world or in modern medicine, we’ve never prioritized them. That’s not considered important enough or, what the focus should be on.
Lindsay: Yeah.
Having an appropriate circadian rhythm is probably the most important
So we’ll talk about sleep and rest first. So, sleep routine, what comes into mind when you hear those words? I think of, like, new moms and babies. Like, babies have sleep routines, but so should adults.
Michelle: Quite literally, yes. having an appropriate circadian rhythm is probably the most important thing to being able to function normally and healthy as a human being, because your circadian rhythm is essentially your internal, your biological clock that tells you, when you’re gonna be awake and when you’re gonna be sleeping and resting. And the more consistent and, accurate this rhythm can be, the better you are gonna feel. Because this time, this clock in your body sets off a domino effect or a cascade effect of hormones that are being released. And the hormones that are being released, ideally, at the most appropriate times of the day, is also going to dictate how you feel and how you function throughout the day. So the more messed up our sleep routine is, the more ineffective or inefficient or all over the place. Our hormones are going to be, our emotions are going to be, our energy is going to be. Yeah.
Lindsay: like, when we were on night shift, we barely got to. We, like, never saw the light of day. We slept during the day. Our diet was out of whack. We were not setting our bodies up for success. and now we’ve been in day shift for a number of years, and we have a pretty consistent sleep schedule. And we feel pretty good.
Michelle: Yeah, absolutely. I’ve never felt so messed up in my life than when we were working night shift. Like, torture. Torture for a human being. but being on a set schedule now it’s night and day.
Lindsay: Literally night and day.
Michelle: Literally night and day. and also a big part of that is, or a big part of it for me that I’ll go into in a later episode, is morning sunlight viewing. Basically, just exposing your naked eye to morning sunlight, because that is what will engage that first domino to tell your body, hey, it’s morning time. We are going to be awake now, and in about 16 hours, you’re gonna start to get sleepy. And something as simple as that, just literally going outside and drinking my coffee in the morning without any glasses on, without any contacts in like, was the most impactful thing of setting my circadian rhythm.
Lindsay: And it’s not staring at the sun for like five minutes. It’s indirectly just being in front of the sun and feeling it on your face and that.
Michelle: Looking in the direction. Yeah, looking in the direction of the sun rising, basically. But we will go into that in more detail later. And also, there are so many other podcasts that you can dive into about morning sunlight viewing as well. I know plenty of people been talking about this already. and one last thing that we’ll also touch base on for sleep is blue light. Blue light exposure, especially at night. when you are getting ready for sleep, the worst thing you can do is expose your eyes to blue light, and especially an excessive amount, because that is now going to communicate to your brain that it’s still daytime. And so that’s why you don’t feel sleepy, and that’s why you feel restless and you can’t actually go to sleep. So using things like blue light blockers or turning off screens after a certain time, doing something more relaxing, whether it’s yoga, nidra meditation, reading a book before bedtime to really prepare your.
Lindsay: Body for sleep, or having sleepy time tea or sleepy. You can do that?
Michelle: Yes.
Lindsay: Or listening to, like a sleep meditation.
Michelle: Yes.
The next pillar we go over is consumption. So it can include not just diet, but things
And then the next pillar we, are going to go over is consumption. So, consumption, I wanted to use that word. So it can include not just diet, but things that you are consuming, such as television, social media, your stress work, anything that is in your environment.
Lindsay: or that your body is being exposed to or like, is constantly dealing with.
Michelle: Correct? Yes. Because diet. Diet and hydration are, for obvious reasons, absolutely crucial for the functioning of your body. But we don’t realize that, what we are viewing, whether it be on tv or social media, or the experiences we’re having throughout our day, have a, major impact, not only consciously, but also subconsciously on our thoughts, our thought patterns, which then our thoughts become our emotions, our emotions become our personalities.
Lindsay: Monster farted smells so bad. But, yeah, things that we’re viewing on social media have an impact in our life, and it changes the way that we think subconsciously. And a lot of us have no idea that it’s doing that. And once you realize that, it’s like, what?
Michelle: Yeah. The more you become aware, the more you become aware of your own thoughts and your own behaviors and your own patterns, the more mind blown you become.
Lindsay: Yeah. Like myself.
Michelle: Yes.
Lindsay: But stress, is also something that we consume, whether we, I can’t admit that more like stress. Something that I could consume. I don’t eat that, but no, like, if you’ve got a wild workplace that’s kind of, that’s really toxic. That is something that has a negative impact. Like your cortisol levels are going through the roof. You’re probably, like, really hungry all the time and not knowing why. Or you feel like, you feel like running through a wall or something like that.
Michelle: Fight or flight response.
Lindsay: Yeah, that’s what’s going on.
Michelle: Chronically engaged. Yes.
Lindsay: And you put up with it because, hey, it pays and it’s really hard to look for another job. But that does factor into your health and well being, because obviously, high cortisol levels can lead to, chronic health conditions that you may or may not be aware of. But looking at that and realizing or even just having the awareness can help decrease that over time.
Michelle: Yes. And also stress in a good way as well, too. Stress isn’t always a bad thing. Chronic stress is when it becomes more problematic. But, the ability for your body to engage in stress, specifically, like EU stress, it’s a good stress on your body. That is a challenge that you have to meet throughout the day. But knowing that you can rise to that challenge that you can accomplish, you can overcome, you can complete the task. Those are good things, actually, and will create some resilience, for you mentally, emotionally, and physically as well.
Third pillar we’ll go into is movement. To move and do something good for your body
so third pillar we’ll go into is movement. I like to also keep that word as general as possible, because I think everybody thinks, feels like you have to exercise, you have to go to the gym, you have to lift weights, you have to do this and that. In my personal opinion, I think that is garbage. Everybody should be more specific to their personal needs, their goals, and what’s right for your body. So movement can look so different from person to person.
Lindsay: Like, for me, it’s using four pound weights.
Michelle: Yeah.
Lindsay: But it doesn’t have to be, you don’t have to be a crossfit person.
Michelle: Yeah.
Lindsay: To move and do something good for your body.
Michelle: But, for me, it’s lifting heavy weights and doing compound motions. But for somebody else, it could just be going for a walk or jogs or yoga or going to the gym or pilots. Yeah.
Lindsay: Pilates.
Michelle: It could look so different in so many ways. And, just doing something, moving your.
Lindsay: Body is just the ultimate.
Michelle: Yeah.
Lindsay: Because it, it also, unlocks or releases trapped stress in our bodies that we may or may not know that’s there. But just having that movement of the body, can, can help you in so many ways.
Michelle: Absolutely. Yeah. we are energy, and if that energy doesn’t move, it can become stagnant or trapped, trapped within our bodies. And the most efficient way, which we will go into this a little bit further in a different episode, is, the most efficient way to process and to move that energy and release it from your body is through movement.
Being outside can have a positive impact on your mood and wellbeing
Lindsay: And then our next pillar is nature. So if you live in sunny and beautiful Florida, you can spend a lot of time in nature.
Michelle: You can spend, all the time in nature.
Lindsay: But if you’re in, like, colds, Connecticut, you could still spend time in nature. It’s just different. You might just need to wear more layers or you need plan that trip. Yeah. You need way more equipment. Really. It’s just being outside. Even if you’re surrounded by buildings, you could find a little bit of greenery. Yeah.
Michelle: Even in the concrete jungle of New York, you could still find a park. You can still find nature.
Lindsay: You could find a patch of grass.
Michelle: Yeah.
Lindsay: Although it might be, you know, like the potomac. What is it? Radioactive chemicals all over. But it’s okay.
Michelle: You’re still in nature and exposure to sunlight. We, as human beings, are not meant to be inside all day, every day. And lack of exposure to sunlight and fresh air in general is a massive, massive impact. So just being able to, like, whether you go for a walk in the morning before work or at night or go for a bike ride or sit on your porch, after breakfast, whatever it might be, anytime outside is going to have a positive impact on you.
Lindsay: Yeah. Because at the end of the day, we are. We are kind of like animals. We are. We are humans. And being outside, you have, like, a connection to the world, you know? And being outside and feeling the breeze can bring you to that realization. I don’t know if it can for you, but it does for me.
Connection is probably the most important pillar in healthcare, right
And it brings us to our next pillar, which is connection.
Michelle: And the last one and probably the most important one, connection. absolutely. Connection is probably the most important pillar, because as human beings, we are not intended to function alone independently. We are all so interconnected, and the quality of our lives are so dependent on the quality of our relationships.
Lindsay: And just having a connection to, others and ourself is so huge.
Michelle: Absolutely. We view, I feel like in our society, that connection is about having a family or big family or lots of friends or whatever it might be. And we get so stuck on, this is what it’s supposed to look like. I hope that we continue to emphasize that it’s going to look different for everyone. You might not have a big family, but your family is your friends, or you might not have a lot of friends, but you have a big family and that’s what’s important to you and.
Lindsay: You’Re really close to them. It’s just feeling like you have support also.
Michelle: Connection is also support your community, your community, whether it’s your co workers, your friends, your family, your pets, your church.
Lindsay: or religious, or spiritual views.
Michelle: Yes.
Lindsay: Whatever you connect to something greater than yourself, or if you trust in yourself, that is monumental. If you trust in yourself, that is.
Michelle: Also the bright line in the background which is also going to make it into the podcast.
Lindsay: Oh my gosh.
Michelle: We live literally across the street from the tracks, so that will be unavoidable.
Lindsay: That’s great.
Michelle: What?
Lindsay: But connection is huge. You just want to feel a part of something and you know.
Michelle: Yeah, that’s life.
Lindsay: Absolutely.
Michelle: We, I feel like with western society and the emphasis of education and knowledge and information, we sometimes may get pushed away from the things that we can’t actually see, but we can feel the things that we can, might not be able to measure or study per se, and we feel, oh, well, because I can’t see it, or because I can’t measure it, or because I can’t study it, it’s not real and it’s not important. And I feel that that is detrimental to us as human beings because that is so important. And I hope we as a society get back on track with our.
Lindsay: Prioritizing,
Michelle: And still, encouraging people to explore the things that they can’t see and that they don’t necessarily understand and that they they can feel. It’s like you know it, you know it because it’s, it’s in your soul, it’s not in your brain. And we have that innate divine intelligence within us that, that it gets dampened, it gets dampened by all these things on the outside and in the physical world.
Lindsay: Trusting your intuition, listening to what’s inside and what you hold as true. And just because social media or others don’t understand it, doesn’t mean that it’s true. Doesn’t mean that it’s not true. If it’s true to you and you feel it within your core, then great, yeah, absolutely.
Michelle: Then follow that and to circle back around kind of like, I feel like how we all, how we got here to where we are now, both having been nurses in the hospital and in obstetrics, and seeing kind of how we are, like exposure of how we view health and how we view modern medicine. I feel like we both got to the point where we’re like, this is crazy. We don’t really feel like we’re helping people as much as we can.
Lindsay: Yeah. Yeah. Unfortunately, when I worked in the hospital, I worked on postpartum, and patients, I would have, like, amazing patients, but they would. They would come in to have a baby, and I would take care of them, but then they would also want. Just because that they were in the hospital, they wanted. They wanted other issues to be fixed within their, like, two to three day stay. And unfortunately, that’s not how it works. You come in because you had a baby, you can’t. It’s not a one stop shop. Like, your. Your back is also going to be fixed, and your. This is going to be fixed, and your liver is going to be looked at. It’s like, it’s unfortunate that, it’s not. We can’t look at you at, like, a. As, like, we can’t look at you in the big picture. We’re looking at you up close, like, the immediate, you know?
Michelle: Yeah. And that’s how, like, our whole healthcare system is set up is. Everything is siloed. Like, you see your primary care for, just, like, your annual visits, and then you have your ob or your gynecologist, and then you have your dentist, and then you have your orthopedic doctor. You have. Everything is separated. Yet we are our bodies, us as human being. Everything works together. Everything impacts everything else. And so we’re trying to isolate all of these issues and ignoring the fact that we can’t isolate. We can’t just like, oh, this is the problem. Okay, I’m gonna write you a prescription for this, but it doesn’t work like that. Our bodies work together. Our mind, body, and spirit all work together as one. And, if we can’t get them all on the same page, then we’re gonna just continuously be playing a game of redirection.
Lindsay: Really?
Michelle: No. Where’s this? Like, you’re smacking the gophers on the head.
Lindsay: Whack a mole.
Michelle: Whack a mole. It’s all it is, is whack a mole. Really?
Lindsay: And then spreading yourself to different doctors, spending all the different, like, giving money to different people to hopefully tell you something, but then they’ll redirect you to somebody else and. Yeah, it’s just a game of, like, cat and mouse almost.
Michelle: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Exactly. We,
Lindsay: We realized that.
Michelle: Yeah.
Lindsay: While working in the hospital.
Michelle: Mm Yeah. We’ve gotten so far away from the original intention of medicine, do no harm. And now it kind of feels like all we’re doing is, here’s your problem, here’s the pill, here’s your problem, here’s the pill. And then with each pill you take, here’s more problems, and here’s more pills, and it’s just a never ending cycle.
Lindsay: Or here’s your problem, here’s some pills.
Michelle: Which cause exactly a million more problems. Yes, yes.
We hope through our podcast that people can take control of their wellness
So we’re hopeful that just through our discussions, we can help people take their wellness back into their own hands and maybe just start thinking about little things that you can do on a regular basis that as you start to see the slightest thing making the biggest difference, you will, first of all just be mind blown. Like, oh, my gosh, I can’t believe it was that simple. Like, all I needed to do was that, and I’d feel so much better. But, once that, like, first mind blowing event happens or once that first.
Lindsay: Like, once you see it, you can’t unsee, it.
Michelle: Yeah, yeah.
Lindsay: That’ll be what it’s like for you, hopefully.
Michelle: And then that intrinsic motivation is there for you to continue to keep moving forward. So you took, you made one little change. You decided to start doing morning sublime viewing, or put your phone down before you went to sleep at night, just like one thing at a time.
Lindsay: Or you stopped drinking soda. yeah, or smoking cigarettes.
Michelle: One little step, and as soon as that becomes a behavior change, your self confidence is going to increase, your motivation is going to increase. So now you feel better. Now you’re like, okay, what can I do next? Now I’m going to add on the next thing and the next thing, and then it gets easier and easier and easier until you get to the point where you’re like, I feel so great. I don’t even have the desire to partake in the, things that I was once addicted to before, but now is like, I’m almost completely turned off to it because I know I felt like crap and I didn’t even realize it. I just thought that that was normal. But no, we’re not meant to function at such a low level.
Lindsay: Yeah. So that is what we’re going to be talking about and exploring in later podcasts to come.
Michelle: And we hope to also hear from listeners. any constructive feedback would be amazing. Just so we are putting information and podcasts out there that are actually helpful or useful for people because we enjoy talking about this stuff, of course. But at the end of the day, this is, for our audience or for our listeners, and we’ll include personal.
Lindsay: Stories as well as they come up.
Michelle: Yeah, we’ll try to be as entertaining as possible. I know I can be a little.
Lindsay: Dull or dry with the just information rich.
Michelle: Oh. Much prefer it to be dense in inflammation. But I do agree, Lindsay is much more conversational and enjoying the process along the way, which I think is important.
Lindsay: Yeah, it should be a kickback chat. Kickback chat with info sprinkled in, because then you won’t realize that, oh, that was, that was a big knowledge nugget. Knowledge nugget that I just consumed, so I did not know.
Michelle: Yeah. And we’re also both human beings, so we want you guys to feel like you’re listening to two human beings and.
Lindsay: Like you’re hanging out with us.
Michelle: Yeah.
Lindsay: In our office with our, with our dog that farts and the bright line.
Michelle: Right outside, and the cat’s screaming outside of the door.
Lindsay: Yeah. Oh, maybe one day you’ll see them.
Michelle: Yeah.
Lindsay: Figure out video, but yeah, if we.
Michelle: Can figure out video. I’m telling you, I have so much respect for anybody that does a podcast and anybody that does a video podcast. This is no joke. Like, technology is wild and, yeah, this is an adventure, and I’m really excited to be on it right now. And anybody that joins us.
Lindsay: Thank you.
Michelle: Yeah, thank you.
Lindsay: We’re super excited. And there’s. Hm. Melanie, thank you for listening. And I don’t.