Below is our interview with KGUN’s Morning Blend host, Alex Steiniger. In the interview, we talk about how diet and fitness needs change when a woman starts to go through menopause.
Host:
Our next guest is here to shatter the myth that menopause is a crisis. Instead, it should be seen as a quest. Welcome to the show, founder of b-untethered. Anissa Buckley, it’s so wonderful to have you here.
Anissa:
Thanks for having me.
Host:
So I mentioned it’s not a crisis, right? You have to think of it in a different way. And you have your company b-untethered, that helps do this. What does b-untethered actually do?
Anissa:
So we’re the first menopause-focused company to have personalized tools, knowledge, and a support team to help women overcome some of the symptoms that they deal with in menopause. And this just basically stems from the fact that science has really come a long way since our mother’s and our grandmother’s days, and we have more available to work with to know what happens and how to address it.
Host:
Well, this is a conversation that’s maybe not had enough, right. And this is a completely different approach to dealing with menopause. How is it unique from other programs?
Anissa:
Yeah, well, thanks for asking that. There is a lot out there as far as hormone replacement therapy is concerned, and some other programs have been around for 40/50 years. But what we’ve done is we’ve taken the science and we’ve built really an algorithm that personalizes our program to a woman. So we will take her height, her weight, her age, her activity level, and some other factors, and then tell her exactly what to eat and when to eat it. I know that sounds a little, you know, sci-fi or whatnot, but it’s really just meant to give her a tool to work with. There’s no, you know, no need for perfection here but the science tells us that we cannot utilize carbohydrates in our bodies like we used to. And so that’s one example of how we can help her then understand how many carbs she should be consuming. And actually, when during the day is best for her to do that.
Host:
Okay, so nutrition is obviously one of the key components of programs, a core, if you will, what are the other parts that help round this out?
Anissa:
Within the nutrition realm, we have taken science, specifically around menopausal women, and created a supplementation program for women who are interested. There is a lot of supplementation that can help with sleeplessness, body composition changes, and even brain fog, as they call it.
Then there’s the fitness side to this program as well and there’s a lot to learn there. Women, historically have thought, the longer I’m out there, the more calories I’m burning. Now what we’ve learned is, that those long, slow trudges actually aren’t benefiting us in older age. We’re better off doing higher intense short-term exercise as well as strength training.
And then lastly, mindfulness. Understanding how your values and vision of your life change as you age. So all three food, fitness, and frame of mind is kind of how we roll that up.
Host:
Well, it sounds like you’re taking an inside-out approach, right? If you help yourself on the inside, first, be it nutrition, mindfulness, fitness, etc. What benefits have women seen? And can they see if they participate?
Anissa:
Well, body composition is a big one. Because without estrogen, we lose muscle faster, we build it slower. So just some of the shifts that we can help with are not feeling as saggy and losing muscle mass. Sleep quality is another big one. Changing your diet and changing your fitness level can help with sleep quality and brain clarity. Believe it or not increasing protein, which is a part of our plan, can actually help with your brain function as well. So that is three of the big ones that we see.
Host:
And when women have participated, what have you seen as their biggest ‘aha!’ moment? Or one of the ones you see?
Anissa:
Yeah, one of the big ones is protein. We all think we eat a lot of protein, we have a ton of chicken or fish or whatever. And the reality is, that the average American woman consumes about 16% of her diet from protein, and we need to be getting more like 30%, especially as we age. So that’s a big “aha!”, for sure.
Host:
Excellent. And I’m sure there are more to come too. I mean, you start to reframe how you think, and absolutely right, I think that’s the biggest key. If someone wants to get started in the program, pretty easy to get going. How do they do it?
Anissa:
Yeah, I mean, our website is a good starting point. So b-untethered.com. We actually have one-hour free webinars once a month. So if a woman is interested, she can start there and learn a little bit. And then if she decides that’s for her, then she can join our transform program. It’s six weeks long and about kickstarting those lifestyle changes to help her get on that path to really understanding what happens to your body and how to manage it better as you age.
Host:
It’s extremely helpful to so many people. Last Word to our audience about the program.
Anissa:
Please, take it seriously because so much happens with the loss of hormones. And like I said, now we know what we can do, and just taking those baby steps can go a really long way.
Host:
Anissa Buckley, a pleasure to speak with you. Thanks for being here as well.
Anissa:
Thanks for having me!
