Did you know that October is ADHD awareness month? It is! 

In this story session, I invited community member, Jenny to share her ADHD story with us, from her childhood diagnosis in 1984 to the challenges she’s faced in perimenopause. She opens up about the brain fog, anxiety, and her decision to shift away from traditional stimulant medications towards practices like yoga and hiking for relief. I loved hearing her articulate her insights into the unique relationship between ADHD and intuitive eating.

We explore the hurdles of recognizing hunger and fullness cues, as well as Jenny's practical approach to gentle nutrition—focusing on easy, low-effort meal prep. She also talks about the power of community, self-compassion, and how she manages daily life with ADHD using simple strategies like post-its and physical activity. This episode is a comforting and empowering listen for anyone navigating ADHD in midlife.

TRANSCRIPT

Jenn Salib Huber: 0:00

Hi and welcome to the Midlife Feast, the podcast for women who are hungry for more in this season of life. I'm your host, r Jen Salib-Huber. I'm an intuitive eating dietitian and naturopathic doctor and I help women manage menopause without dieting and food rules. Come to my table, listen and learn from me trusted guest experts in women's health and interviews with women just like you. Each episode brings to the table juicy conversations designed to help you feast on midlife.

And if you're looking for more information about menopause, nutrition and intuitive eating, check out the Midlife Feast Community, my monthly membership that combines my no-nonsense approach that you all love to nutrition with community, so that you can learn from me and others who can relate to the cheers and challenges of midlife.

ADHD and Menopause: A Personal Journey with Jenny

Jenn Salib Huber: 0:50

Fun fact, if you were diagnosed with ADHD in the 80s, which is shortly after it became an official diagnosis, there's a good chance you're in perimenopause or menopause, and so my guest today is Jenny from the community, and this is a story session about her experience journey, going from a kid who was diagnosed with ADHD in 1984 through perimenopause and she's still in the thick of it, and how it has influenced her experience symptoms like brain fog, and also how it has impacted her ability to implement intuitive eating and gentle nutrition and some of the strategies that she has found helpful. So thanks to Jenny for sharing her story and I'd love to hear from you whether that's on YouTube or anywhere that you listen to podcasts if ADHD is something that you're struggling with as you enter this new season of midlife. Hi, Jenny, welcome to the Midlife Feast. Thanks, jen. Thanks for having me.

Jenn Salib Huber: 1:55

So I realized the other day and I told you this just before we hit record that the first generation of kids diagnosed with ADHD so I think the diagnosis officially came about in the early 80s are now well into perimenopause or menopause and, as we're about to talk about, you were one of those kids. You were diagnosed in 1984?.

Jenny: 2:21

Correct.

Early ADHD Diagnosis in Girls: Jenny’s Childhood Story

Jenny: 2:21

I was in sixth grade. It was 1984. I was 11 years old and I went to a private Catholic school, so the class size is really small 20, 25 kids, so a lot of attention on the kids. It's not like I just faded into the background and for the past five years before that, my report cards would say it's a pleasure to teach love. Having it in class is disruptive.

Jenny: 2:49

Can't sit still, and it was a common theme every year. They loved me but I just couldn't sit still and I would get up and I didn't even realize I was getting up. I would be across the room talking to a friend and not even realize that that was happening. And my sixth grade teacher, who still lives in my town, bless her heart, I see her at the farmer's market sometimes she went to my parents and said I think that Jenny has this thing and back then it was called ADD. It wasn't even ADHD back then and I had to go to some place and look at ink blots and do tests and do all the things. And then they were like, yeah, she has it and um, then I was on Ritalin for a few years, probably three years, and then we decided to take me off that because it was still pretty new and we weren't sure of, like, the repercussions or any long-term effects.

Or it's kind of funny because I'm really short, I'm only five two, and we found out later that it could stunt your growth. So I mean, I still will never know, because my parents are fairly short, but I have a brother who's six foot four. So who knows, you know, maybe I could have been five, five, who knows? Um, and you know there was. There was no talk back then about, like you know, taking a week, taking a summer break or taking a weekend break. It was just like you're on Ritalin and you're just on, and so then, um, yeah, then I stopped taking the medication. I still I've always struggled in school, um, and paying attention and things like that, and I am the combined type, so I do have the inattentive and hyperactive type.

Jenny: 4:29

Fast forward a bunch of years to about 2010, I want to say 2012. And I got in a new job and I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't focus. I had a micromanager for a boss and so I went and got retested as an adult because I thought maybe it went away.

Jenny: 4:51

No, I don't know, but I was like there's something not right. So I went to see some professionals and they retested me and the doctor's comment was have you been gainfully employed your whole life? Have you been gainfully employed your whole life? I'm like, yes, I have, and I also went to college for 14 years to get two degrees. So if nothing else, I'm persistent and but it's just, you know it's, it's, you know, working with, working with what I have in you know, trying to find what works and coping mechanisms and AIDS and things like that. Like you know, it's so much in the media now like late diagnosis, adhd, especially in women, stuff like that. And I was like girl, I've been doing that for 30 years, you know like but it's you know, I find so fascinating because I don't know of anybody.

Jenn Salib Huber: 5:45

I don't know of any girls who were diagnosed kind of in my peer group. I think we're about the same age.

Jenny: 5:52

I'm 47 and change I'm 41. I wish I'm 51.

Jenn Salib Huber: 5:56

So yeah we're in the same group, like I knew some boys who were diagnosed in the 80s, but I didn't really know of any girls that were diagnosed, you know, until late high school. So I had a later diagnosis, at 19, which is still early comparatively. But again, like if any of my teachers are listening to this podcast, all of them had written at some point. Jennifer is very smart, but she talks too much, she can't sit still, like you know, and this constant thing, right, and yeah, we learned to cope and the theme or the message, the narrative at the time was that this is something that you outgrow. It was always framed as like a problem for school, but once you get older, you'll outgrow it.

Jenn Salib Huber: 6:42

So what I hear from so many people who are now in perimenopause and menopause is my ADHD came back, or I think I have ADHD and sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. You know, challenges around adult diagnosis are an entirely different conversation, but I think that what a lot of people don't realize is that it never went away. If you were diagnosed with it, if you had it, or even if you weren't diagnosed with it and it was there, it did not go away. You learned to cope. You certainly would have built up tools and skills to allow you to function.

And then perimenopause enters the chat and all of a sudden the wheels fall off for so many people because now we have the brain fog, we're not sleeping, you know. Everything feels like it's, you know, flipped on its head, and perimenopause is not making that, or ADHD is not making that any easier. So I'd love to hear your experience of kind of when perimenopause landed. How did that? How did that happen?

Perimenopause and Brain Fog: The ADHD Link

Jenny: 7:49

I think it was a slow roll and I think until I started learning more about the correlation, I honestly just thought it was like age, like oh, I'm just more forgetful because I'm getting older, you know. And, um, a few months ago at work I left my car running all day like, went out at five o'clock that night and it was, and I was walking up to my car talking to my husband and I was like well, that's weird. It says like it connected to my car.

Jenn Salib Huber: 8:23

Oh my gosh.

Jenny: 8:24

And it was running all day. Wow, um, some other things that have happened as of late. Um, I took a shower, came out dried my hair, walked into the kitchen and I was like my hair feels really weird. I was like, oh, I never put shampoo in it. I was like, oh, I never put shampoo in it Like I wet it. I got out of the shower thinking I had washed it, dried it and I was like it feels weird. Oh, so you know, like that's hilarious.

Jenn Salib Huber: 8:55

Yeah, I've gotten out of the shower without rinsing the conditioner off because my brain is like onto the next step already by the time I get to the conditioner I'm like okay.

Jenny: 9:08

And then, and the number of times I've taken the towel- off and I've been like oh, I forgot to rinse out the conditioner. Yeah, that was the. That was the first time that happened. Um, I um, not too long ago, a couple of weeks ago, took the wrong meds. I have a pill box for my meds and I took my nighttime med, which makes me drowsy. I took that at noon instead of nine o'clock and had a half day of work left. Um, and it seems for me the brain fog is bad. I mean like real bad. Um, I, I got another new job about two years ago and, um, I do the same work, but it's in a totally different industry.

Jenny: 9:46

So there's been a huge learning curve and at 49, with ADHD in perimenopause and trying to learn a new job has been significantly challenging. And I have a great team at work. I'm not a manager, but I have a team of people that I work with and you know we joke around or you know I forget things and they laugh because I forget things. And I said to my husband one day I was like no one at work knows I have ADHD. He's like okay, he's like you mean you haven't told them, you haven't confirmed what is clearly obvious. I was like yes, so it's.

Jenny: 10:24

You know, like we have a meeting in the morning and everybody's on teams and I have to write a note just like who went, because we have nine people, and sometimes I'm like I don't know if I called on that person because I run the meeting and that would have never happened, you know, short of the last year or two, you know, and that, um, so it's.

One thing that has been excellent, though, is because it's been in the media. So much is a lot of the shame has been taken away from me, because it's like that's not just me, I'm not just dumb or forgetful or disorganized, this is just. This is how this is, and so that's been really helpful it is important.

Jenn Salib Huber: 11:15

I mean, just like we're talking about perimenopause more. I think the fact that we're talking about ADHD more really opens up the door for understanding, compassion and you know, and also just to to not feel like there's something wrong with us when we have those moments of a perfect storm and just to kind of back up and talk about the brain fog, because without ADHD, brain fog in and of itself is not nothing and you know, we know from research that it's a learning problem, it's not a brain problem. So your brain is rewiring, remodeling, learning to do things in a new way in this new hormonal soup.

Things like executive functioning, verbal recall, task prioritization all of that takes a hit just because of perimenopause and all of those things are not exactly our strong suits to begin with. And you know I certainly know that when I was in the worst of perimenopause which for me was around late perimenopause I honestly had packs of sticky notes in every pocket car desk, because if I didn't write myself a note, for everything made me think of it when you were talking about your list of names it honestly just wasn't going to be remembered, like I just needed it. It needed to be written down and it needed to be visible because my brain could not compute that.

Managing ADHD and Perimenopause: Finding Balance through Tools and Community

Jenn Salib Huber: 12:40

Now, thankfully for me postmenopausal, it's been a huge recovery. I guess you should call it Like. I feel like I'm just back to like my normal ADHD now, but it definitely is not. It's not a good time.

Jenny: 12:54

It is not good times to have those two things happening invention of the smartphone and then the smart watch. You know I have an Apple watch and all of those. I mean like if my watch broke I would have to immediately go to Apple and get a new one, because that's how much I rely on it with calendar reminders, with just regular reminders, and I have so many reminders on my phone. And the other day at work, when I was leaving, my boss saw my phone and I had a post-it on my phone and he goes Jen, you know, that thing you're holding can remind you of stuff.

And I said you know I get so many reminders when it's really important. I need that on top of it. And he was like, oh, thank you, mr 35 year old boss that doesn't understand anything that I'm going through right now. And he wasn't really picking on me. He was like he was picking on me but like not being mean, you know. And I was like, yeah, yeah, you know.

Jenny: 14:06

And the, the, the executive function, you know, and we've been talking about this in the Midlife Feast membership, a little bit, is like meal planning, like yes, is ridiculous, like I mean I said to myself the other day I'm like I think I'm a very good baker and cook. But it's also amazing, I can produce anything. And that is getting worse as well.

You know I'll be halfway through a recipe and like, oh crap, I needed, you know, I needed this. And I I know the steps in my head. Like step one Jenny, you have brain fog, you have ADHD, you're on perimenopause. You need to read the entire recipe before you start. Nope, like I know, logically, that's what I need to do and I still don't do it. And then I get halfway through and like, oh, I don't have that. Oh with soft butter. Oh with the frozen butter, you know? Nope, I got cold butter. What can I do with that?

Jenn Salib Huber: 15:04

You know and like I have a beef with recipes that don't lead with the state of butter that you need, like I want them to be called like soft butter cookies or hard butter cookies, because I every time, every time a recipe calls for butter and baking, I have not done the right thing either, so I totally relate to that.

But I do want to talk about food because you know, the gentle nutrition principle that we talk about in intuitive eating requires both the ability to listen and the ability to respond and ADHD errors, both love and hate, rules and structure, and there's just a lot of you know overlap, but not intuitive overlap, like I think sometimes, because people who have ADHD tend to be a little bit more spontaneous, I think sometimes it's easier to lean into satisfaction or like what do I want, what do I feel? Like Like that part comes a little bit easier, but sometimes it's too easy and we want to bring in some structure, and so it can be, it can be complicated.

ADHD and Nutrition: Struggling with Hunger and Fullness Cues

Jenny: 16:09

So I'd love if you can just tell us a little bit about how you feel like all of that has intersected with nutrition, that is tough First, before honestly, really before joining your group, and like learning more about attunement, you know, like my interoceptive awareness, because I have ADHD, which is I know that, you know, but I'll just say it you know, like paying attention to our own body signals and things like that. That's a struggle and I didn't realize how bad of a struggle it was until I started intuitive eating, tried to get deeper into it, tried to check in with myself with the fullness and hunger cues, and you know, I'm I'm like I heard I'm reading, actually listening to a book right now and it's about ADHD and they said the there's a chapter on time and it's the one more thing phase.

You know, I got to do one more thing, I got to do one more thing and I do that and then all of a sudden it's 20 minutes and now I'm past. Oh, I'm hungry, I should get something to eat. That like I need to shove in my face Whatever is the first thing I can grab in the kitchen or else I will kill somebody, like and like, you know, zero to 100 in 10 minutes.

Jenny: 17:27

And I think it's because, well, I'm pretty sure it's because the like, I'm sure it's building up and I don't realize it until it's that bad, you know. And so, like the hunger and food scales, it's like, yeah, that's great and that's something to strive for, but that doesn't work for me a lot. I mean, I'm trying to pay attention so I'm, you know, like can realize it, you know, quicker than the ravenous section or whatever the you know 10 is or whatever. Um, but it's, that's a.

That's a very hard thing. That's a very hard thing. The same with fullness, um, and I know there's a lot of talk, you know, in our, in our group, and you know, in social media, and you know there's so much intuitive eating space and on that, everything out there is like just sit at the table with no distractions and eat, and I'm like, lovely, also gun to the head because that's about how close I can do that

Practical Eating vs. Mindful Eating: Navigating Perimenopause and ADHD

Jenn Salib Huber: 18:23

That's like impossible, and I mean that's like next level mindful eating.

Jenny: 18:29

Right.

Jenn Salib Huber: 18:30

Even, I think, any living person, regardless of their ADD, adhd status, has a hard time doing that, and so what I love about intuitive eating is that, under the umbrella of gentle nutrition, we can talk about practical eating, and so practical eating and we can loop that into, you know, doing something that your future self will thank you for.

This behavior activation of cognitive behavior therapy, combined with practical eating allows us to say I know I'm going to eat, need to eat every few hours, how can I lower the bar and have adequate options available to me that I can reach for quickly, that I don't have to think and plan and, you know, spend a lot of resources on? And I think that's a skill that I can apply to anybody. But I think it's an especially useful skill if you're in the throes of perimenopause and ADD for sure.

Jenny: 19:27

And before I found intuitive eating. I'm self diagnoseddiagnosed orthorexic. I was definitely counting, measuring, planning everything and, to be honest, that was easier. That was easier because it was structure. I think I shared in a call not too long ago that it was like, oh my God, I can eat all the things. Now I'm in paralysis because now I can eat all the things.

ADHD and Decision Fatigue: Overcoming Meal Planning Paralysis

Jenny: 19:57

Because that's another really tough thing of ADHD is decision making applies to food a hundred percent. Like, okay, I'd really love to have a chicken, you know, grill some chicken and have a salad and whatever. But now I've structured my day that I have 12 minutes to eat and what can I get? You know, like, because it's the planning. Again, it's, if I don't like I, I just I don't plan. Well, you know, and if I had a personal chef, intuitive eating would be super easy because they would just, I would just go on my phone and say this is what I would like you to serve me every day for lunch and I would eat it and it would be great.

Jenny: 20:34

But it's the planning and the execution. That's the problem, you know. And I mean, and it's just me. I'm home alone, I work, I work from home, I'm by myself, it's just my dog and I and um, so it's not like I'm having to worry about kids or, you know, get them fed or whatever. It's just me and it's it's. A lot of days are tough and I'm trying to, I'm learning more with the gentle nutrition concept of like at least have a loose plan, you know, or a couple loose plans, you know it was.

I put that recipe in the chat, in our chat yesterday, because it's like it was canned white beans and tuna and lemon and arugula and pretty much I always can have that, you know, and that's super easy to make and takes five minutes and I can have it for a couple meals, you know, but that's the stuff that I need, if it's not a leftover, you know.

Jenn Salib Huber: 21:27

So and I think one of the underestimated relationships between food and ADHD is the stimulation that eating provides, right, right, and so one of I don't know, it's not a hack but one of the things that I really leaned into a few years ago was recognizing that when I'm working on something, when I'm concentrating, when I'm reading, when I'm learning, I really enjoy having and find it really helpful to have something to snack on, something crunchy.

Jenn Salib Huber: 22:02

And so now if I have a big project or something that I really need to sit down for, I make myself like a charcuterie board of different sizes, textures, tastes, so I'll have grapes and tomatoes and nuts and chocolate covered almonds and other sweet like, just so that I can really lean into what is satisfying and also what is going to give me that stimulation. And I know a lot of people kind of pathologize that relationship, but I think that's where intuitive eating, at least for me, has kind of opened it up to me and be like, actually this can be really helpful.

It's not a weakness that my brain gets stimulated by eating, but I can also put some planning into it so that I'm not just reaching into the bag of chips all the time while I'm reading and then the bag of chips is gone and I'm reading, and then the bag of chips is gone and I'm not satisfied because it wasn't the only thing that I wanted, right? Have you noticed anything like that that, like when you're trying to focus that you crave things?

Jenny: 23:02

Not when I'm trying to focus, but when I'm stressed out. I can tell Like, because I work from home, the pantry is right behind me in the kitchen. I can tell like, because I work from home, the pantry is right behind me in the kitchen. And I have found myself on more than one occasion before and it was probably a lot of occasions before I realized I was doing it that I would go and get candy, a lot like chocolate chips or something, and like when I was in a meeting that was getting a little heightened, or I was listening and there was like any kind of friction and I was like, and then I would just have to go get food and um, yeah, and then, and I'm.

Craving Protein: Shifting Focus from Quick Carbs to Balanced Meals

Jenny: 23:37

You know, the newest thing that I'm doing right now is I'm trying to focus more on protein because I love carbs and I and I think that that's not not that there's anything wrong with carbs, but I think I was, I was inadvertently focusing on carbs because they're quick and easy and sure I can make a peanut butter sandwich in four minutes, you know and um, but I will say that just even focusing on having more protein has made me feel like I have a little bit of guardrail, and not like a diet, but like it's something.

It's something that like at the heart of something, that I have a little bit of guardrail, and not like a diet, but like it's something. It's something that like at the heart of something, that I have something to kind of like anchor me, like, okay, I want to have protein and what else can I have? Instead of I'm going to have a box of macaroni and cheese and I'm going to be hungry and holler because that's all I you know so and focusing on how you feel is such a great starting point.

Jenn Salib Huber: 24:31

You know, like the food I'm eating is fine, there's nothing wrong with it, but it's not filling me up, it's not satisfying. What can I add to it? And I mean that is gentle nutrition and intuitive eating. In a nutshell is not following food rules and really using how you're feeling in your body to guide what you do on your plate, without any like good, bad thinking and you know, noticing that, hey, adding in this protein is helpful and you're using that framework still of okay, I'm going to start with protein, but I'm not ending there.

Jenn Salib Huber: 25:06

I'm not making it the only thing that I'm eating.

Jenny: 25:08

eating is a great example of building a balanced plate right, I'm not having chicken breast for a snack in my purse when you said that the other day.

Jenn Salib Huber: 25:22

So, just for anyone listening, we had a column and I was talking about how often you know, people are trying to eat more protein because they hear it's good for them. But I've had people and I was talking about how often you know, people are trying to eat more protein because they hear it's good for them. But I have had people and I know there are listeners listening who literally pack cooked chicken breasts for their snacks because that's how they're meeting their protein goal. And it is kind of funny to think about because I don't think I could do that. But it also speaks to the protein mania that's out there that that is where the bar is set that if you're not snacking on a chicken breast in between meals, that you can't possibly meet your protein needs, which is definitely not the case. You totally can.

Jenn Salib Huber: 26:02

Not to shame any chicken lovers out there, because you eat all the chicken you want, yeah, but if you don't love snacking on cooked chicken breast, just know that you do not have to. That's the take home from this. So is there anything else that you would like people to know or feel like? Lessons learned from somebody who's been managing ADHD for longer than anyone that I know and is also navigating perimenopause. As an intuitive eater, any words of wisdom?

Jenny: 26:31

Oh boy, I think one of the biggest things is just well, some of the things knowledge. Like I'm a big researcher, you know, look, you know, try and get more facts, try and get more helpful ideas and tips. And you know, somebody sent me a like three or four page article on tips for coping with ADHD and I pretty much do all of them. I was like I could have written this article.

But especially if you've been newly diagnosed or even if you aren't diagnosed, if you just assume that you have it or you're feeling like you have it, you know you've hit a hot spot in our media cycle right now because there's a lot of information out there. You know, there really is a lot of information out there, too much sometimes.

Jenny: 27:19

Yeah, too much and, you know, when you find those things that work for you, don't feel bad, I mean that's. The other thing is, like you know, I'm putting a posting on literally post-it on literally a physical post-it on my phone and I'm not going to feel bad about it, cause that's what I have to do, that's. You know, some days that's where my brain's at and that's just what I have to do, you know. So that you know that in um, you know, as far as the, as far as like gentle nutrition and intuitive eating and ADHD and perimenopause is like, you know, like Jen says, all the time, lower the bar.

I mean, like, if I had the time, the energy and the executive function, I would eat homemade meals, every meal, something different all the time. But that doesn't always happen, you know. Yeah, and it's okay to eat frozen ravioli and it's okay to. You know, last night I had a burger and a pickle and a few chips and that was my dinner, because that's what I, you know, like what I would love to maybe have some sort of other vegetable besides a pickle, yeah, but that just didn't.

That's how yesterday was, you know. And Culver's is not going to kill you, that's okay, because sometimes you just need to eat a burger because you don't have time or you don't have the executive. You know you don't have the executive function and I've just noticed, as I get further into menopause and it seems like that is more of a struggle for me I am allowing myself to lower the bar, to use tools that I'll have and not just fight through it.

Jenny: 28:55

You know, I think that's the other thing. You know, like, um, I'm married and I talked to my husband and there's some days that I'm just I mean, I've been married, we've been together for 25 years, almost 24 years, and some days I'm like I got nothing. Got nothing I got. I have no idea what to do for dinner, I have no bandwidth to go out and get something, and some days I do, you know, and some days I don't. And that you know more, I think more in in this perimenopause stage, with ADHD, I'm the tight, the tiredness. I'm sure in just regular perimenopause is hard, but combine that with ADHD, it's a new level of exhaustion that I've never felt.

Jenny: 29:34

And you know, still some days are great, like I can, you know, go on my day and get things done, and some days I'm like I can't, I'm, I'm sitting watching murder shows for five hours Cause I can't do anything on a weekend, of course, because I work full time. But so I think you know, I think that those are, you know, typically the things you know. And and you know, yeah, and reach out and and talk to other people. I have a friend who, about two years ago now, went and got her own diagnosis just from listening to me talk, and then another one of her friends went and got a diagnosis for hearing her talk about it, you know. So I think too, you know, use all the resources that are out there for you If you want to get a diagnosis, you know, just go out and get that.

Jenny: 30:25

I mean, I can't take stimulant medication because I also have anxiety, so I don't get any help in that area. I know that a lot of people can and it's super helpful and that's great. I'm just not one of those people. Um, but you know, oh, I can touch on something else. You know what else is really good for this, for the brain fog at this time of life? Movement? Yes, that is another huge thing, yeah, so, um, I start. I've been doing yoga for about 14 years, but I and I, before the pandemic. I was going to about five classes a week and then pandemic hit. I'm like I'm not going to do yoga with a mask on, so I had to find another way and, um, a few friends and I have a um group chat going since December of 2020 and we do yoga every day.

Jenny: 31:21

And and you know we follow um an at-home program and get on our mats and check in with each other and we have accountability and um. It's been really great and every once in a while I'll miss it in the morning, like if I'm not feeling well or something comes up or and I'll do it later in the day, but I can tell that I didn't do it that morning before work. So that has been a game changer for me and I hike with my dog and I recently started a strength program and all of those things. That would be a good takeaway too. All of that and it's not in the vein of I want to lose weight or I want to look a certain way this definitely has transformed in my life, to how I feel. Yeah, and that is joyful movement.

The Power of Movement: Yoga, Walking, and Managing ADHD Brain Fog

Jenn Salib Huber: 32:08

Right, you know, joyful movement, that principle of intuitive eating, isn't just about having fun while you're doing it, it's about adding joy to your life even outside of the movement. And yeah, absolutely, I mean, we all know probably most people know that movement is, is health promoting, but it is also a tool if you have a brain that maybe needs a little bit of support. You know whether it's the endorphins, whether it's the blood flow, whether it's the activity itself, who knows? But it definitely is a great tool to have in your toolbox.

Jenny: 32:45

And I've been working at home full-time mostly, like I started working a little bit from home and probably 95% of the time I'm able to walk my dog at lunch and that totally resets my whole day. I can go for the afternoon. You know like I need to do it before work and if you know best-case scenario, I get to do it halfway through the day and that has been a really big game changer. Not that the brain fog goes away, but it gets pushed back a little bit with some, you know, with some movement. Yeah, yeah, and you know and I know a lot of people have indoor exercise equipment and stuff, but for me, getting outside in nature and things like that is also another.

Jenn Salib Huber: 33:30

So for sure. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. You've been so open in the community that I was glad that I reached out and asked if you would come on the podcast. And, as I always ask my guests, what do you think is the missing ingredient in midlife?

The Missing Ingredint in Midlife According to Jenny

Jenny: 33:50

So I had a little heads up. You told me this yesterday and think about it. So my, what I would say the missing thing in midlife is grace, love it.

Jenny: 34:02

Can't go wrong with that, and we do you know, yeah, grace for myself, but also grace for everybody else. You know, like my yoga teacher has a quote and says everything is as it should be, you know, and it's like allowing me the same grace that I will allow other people, and vice versa, and I think that this midlife has really taught me, you know, with the struggles and the exhaustion and the brain fog and the, you know, trying to intuitively eat and not be on a diet and all of that stuff is just like every day is not going to be perfect and you just have to have grace.

Jenn Salib Huber: 34:40

So well said, jenny. Thank you so much for joining me today. You're welcome. Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of the midlife feast For more non diet health. You're welcome.