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Andrea Wool is the founder and coach behind Autoimmune Strong, an online platform for people who live with autoimmune disease, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain to find an exercise that works WITH your body, rather than against it.

In this episode, we are discussing:

• what it means to be autoimmune strong
• both of our fitness journeys
• what exactly is exercise intolerance
• body love + grief
• hope for healing + finding movement again

Additional Resources:

COURSE: Tapping to Support Chronic Illness

Discover the immense power of emotional freedom technique! This is an effective tool for your toolbox that will help you to overcome negative beliefs, clear your energy, and even identify information from your subconscious mind so you can get to the root of the challenges you are experiencing.

PRODUCT: Autoimmune Strong

Try a 7-day free trial of Autoimmune Strong! This fitness program was specifically created for people who live with autoimmune disease, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain.

Episode Transcript:

Andrea: Your body has built up toxins and tissues that are stuck. And then you’ve got all this chronic pain and illness that has been living in us. That release feels so good and you just feel lighter and then it links back to feeling less angry with your body because we’re not holding these subconscious emotions.

Welcome to the Healing Uncensored podcast. My name is Sarah Small, and I’m a health and mindset coach for women with autoimmune disease, just like you. I absolutely love helping you tap into your self-healing power, uncover the energetic side of healing, and release limiting beliefs around your body and your life. Think of this podcast is everything you wouldn’t hear at your doctor’s office. It’s a place for empowered souls to move beyond food and heal themselves on a soul level. I hope you enjoy today’s episode. Now, let’s begin.

Sarah: Hello tribe, welcome to today’s episode. I’m interviewing Andrea Wall, founder and coach of the program, Autoimmune Strong as someone who has struggled with exercise intolerance myself. This was an especially interesting and fun conversation to have with Andrea today. But this episode goes deeper than just how to work out with autoimmune disease. We also dive into the emotional side of exercise and tolerance, what that even means and how to find love for your body after it changes, because, that’s my favorite part of healing. Are you guys ready? Let’s dive in.

Hi, Andrea. Welcome to the show.

Andrea: Hi, Sarah. So excited to be here.

What it means to be autoimmune strong

Sarah: So excited to have you. And you are the founder and coach behind Autoimmune Strong. Can you explain a little bit more to our listeners what your business is all about, and how you got started in it?

Andrea: Oh yes, that’s a big question. So my business Autoimmune Strong is an online platform that allows you to watch exclusive video content of fitness programs. They’re basically workout programs, but they’re not like Jillian Michaels’s fitness programs. Who’s awesome and I love her, but, those programs are really intense. And for people with autoimmune disorders, chronic illness, fibromyalgia, all of which I have, those workout programs don’t always work for us. We all suffer from things like exercise intolerance and exercise and do symptom flare-ups, which I can talk about in a little bit, but it makes it really difficult for us to work out in a traditional sense, traditional programs. So, Autoimmune Strong is a fitness program that is designed specifically for us. For people who want to get strong, and want to stay healthy, and want to do it without having exercise make them sick. So, that’s what my business is.

Sarah:      Awesome. So, I’m a visual person and I’ve seen some of these videos. Can you explain to us a little bit more, what a workout on your program would look like?

Andrea:   Yes. A workout on my program looks very different. And a lot of people who come to me, as former athletes or as former gym rats and they’ll say, this is a workout? And I’m yes, this is the workout. And they usually say that is because of a couple of things. One is that the videos are pretty short. They’re about 15 minutes long at the most. And, in them, they have a lot of talking, I do a lot of teaching. I have a whole set of instructional videos because I really want people to understand how to do the exercise properly. Why the exercise is important and how it’s going to keep them safe and strong to be able to do their activities. My side note here is that my goal in getting you ‘fit’, I do that in air quotes, ‘fit’, because this concept of being fit is often thought of as having a six-pack. But I don’t really care about having a six-pack myself. I don’t necessarily think that my audience cares about having a six-pack. What I care about is being able to walk up and down my stairs, carry my groceries, be able to do daily things. Lift my kids, throw them in the pool.

Those are the things I care about being able to do. And I want people like me, to be able to do so. So, it’s not about getting buff. It’s about being able to be strong and healthy in your everyday life. So that’s why the videos are short. And then, the exercises are tailored to be very specific, in terms of strengthening and flexibility. Because in 15 minutes you don’t have a lot of time to do a lot of extra stuff. You need to just be targeted and focused. These exercises don’t make you sweat or not a lot. They’re not going to feel like you’ve hit the gym, but your body’s going to feel sore in a good way when you build those muscles. And it should feel stronger.

People have told me that in just a couple of weeks, they already feel stronger. We start with the core and then I move through different body parts. So, we do a lot of work with feet and ankles. Your videos actually are a range of some of the feet and ankle work, which you can see on Instagram. So, they’re still fun to watch. Cause those and other movements that feel really tiny, they have a huge impact. So, I started with the core, move to foot and ankle, and then move through the full body. So, you get a full-body strengthening experience that doesn’t make you feel like crap.

Sarah: Yes. So interesting. Because I feel you really build a strong foundation. And like you said, you give the why behind the movement. Because I’ve tried your videos and done some of my own videos, then post them on Instagram. So people can be aware of your programs and it’s funny because I’m also a yoga teacher. So I’m very in tune with the human body and anatomy. I was also a biology major in college, p.s. I was going to be a doctor. Did not take that route. But as someone who looks at bodies almost every day, when I’m teaching. And I had this yoga practice until I experienced an exercise intolerance. It was really cool and eye-opening, to do some of these videos that were your level one, more foundational because even I felt a new sensation in my body. And there’s one where you’re laying on your back and you’re kind of tucking your pelvic bone under and pulling your navel in, and I almost had forgotten what that felt like to have that. In yoga, we call them the bundas or these locks.

And so, I think that even if you, in my case, my example, are a seasoned yoga practitioner, or workout, it’s good to come back to and feel different muscle groups in your body. And I felt empowered because I was, you know what, I remembered how strong I was, even though I wasn’t at the time when I was starting your videos. I wasn’t going to the gym because my body honestly could not handle it. And so, I missed this feeling of being strong and healthy and what it felt like to have that inner strength. And to just start to then, isolate some of those muscles to remember how strong I was, it was really fun. So, I know you have your own healing story. I’d love for you to share that with the audience in as much detail as you’d like. As far as what inspired you to create this program, these workouts. And you mentioned already, that you’ve struggled with some chronic illness. So can you expand upon that a little bit?

Andrea: Yes. So I’ve always been, I won’t bore you with the details of my childhood, but I have always been someone who, I was never someone who would come home from college, I was always sick. I was always struggling with something, flu, anything that anybody had I would catch. So my immune system, I always knew it was a little off, but it didn’t really come to fruition until after the birth of my second son. I was an athlete. I’ve been an athlete my whole life. I was marathon runner, I was a skier, all of those things. Movement is really important to me. And after the birth of my second son, I knew something wasn’t right.

And I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, but everybody around me knew something wasn’t right. I couldn’t lift him that well. And he was a newborn, he was little. Holding him for periods of time would exhaust me. Climbing up and down the stairs while carrying him, was too much. And, at the time, my oldest son was three. And he would say things like Mommy come with me to the playground and come play with me. And I call my friend who lived next door and be, can you come with me to the playground, because he’s gonna want to go in the bucket swing and I can’t lift him. I was weak. I was sad. I was having crazy anxiety. I was gaining weight, rather than losing weight, which is not typical, after you’ve given birth, and you’re nursing. I felt like my body was on fire.

It’s this weird experience of having the feeling like ants are crawling on you all the time. And I just would drop and take a nap, wherever I was, wherever I could. But it was a bad situation because I was not only responsible for my own house, but I was responsible now for two small children. And I had a full-time job, so I was under. And I started going to doctors and I think they had the best intentions. They just didn’t know. I don’t know exactly. I can’t exactly explain what happened in these doctor’s offices. Except that they were, sorry your blood work looks wonky, but there’s no definition to it. I had a really super high ANA test, which, they would say, well, 80% of women have wonky ANA, so you’re probably fine.

And I’m like, How am I probably fine? I literally can’t function. I can’t even go out for coffee with a girlfriend. So anyway, fast forward after seeing eight or nine doctors. And one of them said, well, I don’t really know, you could try going gluten-free, we could look at what you eat but, I don’t really have a system for that. Try going gluten-free and see what happens. So, I started Googling gluten-free food, and I started learning about real food, the definition of real food. At the time, this was many years ago, so paleo, and autoimmune protocol, and these diets that have gained a lot of popularity nowadays, they weren’t things that people knew about then. And so, I didn’t find them. What I did was I cobbled together my own version of essentially the AIP. Which, I eliminated gluten, I eliminated dairy, I eliminated alcohol, I eliminated coffee. I made sure that I ate healthy fruits, vegetables, organic, local, and farm-raised meat. So for me, that was a big switch, because I was the girl who used to spray, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter on my whole-wheat toast, and call that breakfast.

So, I started playing with food, and I started months after feeling better, then I started playing with movement because I’m not someone who can sit still well. And I knew that movement needed to be part of my healing. And after about two years of that, I got healthy. I felt really, really good. And I decided that I wanted to put what I was able to do for myself, out there for others. Because I’ve worked hard to create a program for myself. And as I started walking around town, people would say, I lived in a small city where everybody knows everybody. People would be, Oh my god, you look amazing, which is code for, wow, you don’t look like crap anymore. And when people started saying, Oh wow, can I get what you’re getting? How can I do what you’re doing? So that was how Autoimmune Strong was born. I started putting it on video and seeing if people were interested. And it turned out there were lots of people who felt like me or feel like me.

Sarah: Awesome. Can you speak to a little bit about why some people with chronic illness, autoimmune disease, in fact, I’m also a woman with fibromyalgia. We’re all on the same page there. I know you said we’re not going to dive into your childhood, but I do believe there are the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) that can absolutely contribute to fibromyalgia and chronic illness. But why is it that some people listening, who do struggle with these things may experience exercise intolerance or whatever verbiage you use for that?

Both of our fitness journeys

Andrea: Yes. Basically what happens when you’re fighting a chronic illness like fibromyalgia, or I have multiple autoimmune diseases. I didn’t actually tell you that I was officially diagnosed, much later down the line, but I’ve been officially diagnosed with celiac and fibromyalgia. And then, there’s a couple of things that I might also have, but at this point, but, it is what it is. So, when you struggle with an autoimmune disorder or chronic illness, your body has to fight this chronic illness all the time. Our bodies are actively working all the time, in a way that quote-unquote, normal bodies might not be. So, that’s exhausting and it puts a lot of strain and stress on our adrenal glands. Which are really, really, really tiny. And they sit on top of our kidneys, and they’re a quarter of the size. And they have to do all this work to keep our energy up. To try and make sure that we are able to be capable of doing the normal daily things that we have to do in our lives.

So, that’s our point of starting. It’s that point of start, which is that our bodies are just at rest, doing so much more work. Then, add to the fact that a lot of medical studies have shown links of autoimmune disease, or fibromyalgia, or chronic illness to leaky gut. So, if you have leaky gut, and you’ve had chronic leaky gut, then, your body hasn’t been receiving proper nutrients. Even if you’re eating a super healthy diet. If you’re not able to digest that super healthy diet, then you’re not getting the proper nutrients you need to build up your muscles, your connective tissue, all of the things that you need for the building blocks to make you strong. So, my diet, I can’t believe it’s not butter spray on top of wholewheat toast, was not providing me any amino acids, or anything that I need to create healthy muscles. There were no healthy fats. There are no healthy proteins. So, those are just two examples of ways that we start at a much weaker state. So, our ability to handle excess pressure, exercise is a stressor. That’s the point of the exercise. It’s a stress on your body. And then, that’s how you get stronger because your body is learning how to handle that stress. But if our body has a lower capacity for handling stress, then we have a lower capacity for handling exercise.

Sarah: That’s a great description. I think sometimes there’s frustration, that then becomes involved when men or women experience this exercise intolerance. Where, they used to be able to, even if it’s as little as throwing a ball in the backyard with their son. Or, maybe they used to do cross-fit or orange theory, or these high-intensity interval training or something. And all of a sudden, they can’t anymore. So I think that there can oftentimes be frustration that then starts to rustle up with that. I experienced a little bit of that. You would not find me inside the house in the summertime. I was always outside as a little kid. With no shoes on, just running around playing games, like playing soccer, tag, everything, goes into the graveyard and all of that. And as an adult, I continued to be active through yoga and I will admit I’ve never been much of a runner, but I was a soccer player. And I love doing some HIT workouts. And all of a sudden, I lost this part of me, that used to be there. And, I almost feel I struggled with some grief, as far as not being able to do some of the things I love.

And I had a little bit of a breaking point, not too long ago. Where I went snowboarding one day, and I did hot yoga, and then I went rock climbing. Because my partner and I loved to go rock climbing. So, it was three days in a row of these big outdoor activities that I love. And then, by the end of day three, I don’t think I moved in any sort of exercise type way for two weeks, because I had completely burnt out. So, thinking about your story and some of the people you maybe even work with, do you feel there’s for you, ever this breaking point where you’re, I’m not doing the things I love to do anymore, and I don’t want to live this way. I want to do something about it. Did you have any moments like that, where you were enough is enough?

Andrea: So yes, yes, yes. Your point about feeling grief of the way that we used to be, is I think you speak for not only for my experience, but you speak for so many people’s experience. Autoimmune Strong members talk about this all the time. In fact, I teach a small group, Autoimmune Strong class, we had an entire class devoted to this one topic. And I think we might end up having another because it runs really deep. My body used to be able to carry me through XYZ and now it no longer does that. That’s a big thing to handle. And it’s sad for those of us who experience it. I’ve definitely experienced it. I used to, as I said, I used to go out for long runs for four hours at a time.

They were my favorite. They were alone in time. I was out in nature. I listened to great music. I loved it. I can’t do that anymore. So there is a coming to terms of, my body is now different and I have to treat it differently. And I need to find an outlet that’s different, then the outlet I used to. So there’s that component. But then, there’s also the component of, well, okay, we maybe won’t be able to get back to a place where you can do those three things three days in a row. But maybe there’s a way to think through that, where you take a rest day in between. Or maybe there are ways to modify it. And that’s one of the things that I try to teach Autoimmune Strong is the idea of modification and learning when to push your body, and when stop and listen to your body, and when a rest day is needed. These are really, really hard things to, figure out, and there’s no right or wrong way.

It’s just a matter of trying some things and seeing how they work. And then, if that doesn’t work, acknowledging that it doesn’t work, and then trying something else. Instead of having this voice in the back of your head that says, well, I used to be able to do this, so I should be able to do this now. For example, I have another woman in one of my small group classes, said she was behind for a week. And so, she said, I did three videos to catch up, and now I feel awful. And I’m, Oh, but there’s no catching up because your body is your body. And the other people’s bodies are their bodies. They’re maybe at a place where they can handle doing two videos in a day, but you can’t. And so, I had her set her goal for the next week. And she said, my goal is, and she was super depressed about my goal is only to do one video. But then, she did that one video for that week and she felt amazing. And so, that’s ultimately, changing the perspective from what I should be able to do, to what my reality is, and what actually makes me feel glorious. That’s what we’re looking for. And then, once you hit that I feel glorious, then, you can add just a tiny bit more. Perhaps progress the exercise a little bit, or perhaps do an extra five minutes. But progress it in these small increments. So, maybe a year from now, you can do all three things back to back. It just takes time.

Sarah: Time and patience. Some patience with yourself, with your body, and not being too hard on ourselves. I talk a lot in my community about intuition as well. And I found that as I was re-introducing movement and exercise and workouts back into my life. Especially after that burnout period where I was, Oh my god, am I ever going to be able to work out ever again? I had to listen to my intuition as far as body awareness, and listening to almost creating a threshold. So, letting my body get to a certain heightened state, and honestly stress state, as you said. Because working out is stress and playing with that threshold a little bit, but using my intuition to just feel into my body, and be, okay I think that’s enough for today. Even if I didn’t finish whatever I was planning on doing, I need to turn this off, because I can feel my body. It’s about to cross that threshold into a place that is not going to make me feel good. So, it’s been powerful to tap into intuition, and then people become more aware of themselves and their bodies. It’s so powerful.

I want to also put this in the lens of body love. So, I think that it can be really hard when you experience, you aren’t able to do things you used to be able to do and love, or you are just are having a hard time working out in general. And so, then potentially women are putting on some weight or they’re just not moving their body, and connecting to their body in the same way. So can you talk a little bit about body love? I feel like it can be hard to truly love our body when you feel like it’s working against you.

Body love + grief

Andrea: Yes. Again, you just hit the nail right on the head. It’s hard to love this body that feels broken in a lot of ways. And I know I struggle with that still. And I’m supposed to be the expert. So, I don’t know that it ever really goes away, but I personally made up my mind once I figured out this exercise protocol, I made up my mind that I was going to be patient, and go slow, because I was no longer going to be the mom who said I can’t. I was going to be the mom who said I can.

Now, there is something glorious about being able to say I can’t, because my kids need to know that I have a chronic illness, I can only do so many things. They need to be aware that not everybody’s body works the same as theirs do, or that other moms do. Because in the same light that we’re trying to teach them diversity, there’s diversity in health as well. But, not being the mom who has to go to bed at seven o’clock and miss everything all the time, is really, really great. But in terms of body love, we are always fighting this uphill battle against body image and, what we’re told as women, by media and whatnot that we need to be thin, we need to not have muscles. We need to have bodies like 12-year -old girls, who walk the runways. I think things are getting a lot better. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen an athletic catalog, their models are real women. They’re actually real athletes. There is the world’s oldest powerlifters in their catalog and she’s just amazing. So there are a lot of brands that are now starting to celebrate body 11, body diversity. But I come back to this idea that we are our weight. We are not the number on our scale. We are not the size of our parents. We are how strong we feel. We are how confident we feel, and we are how healthy we are. And so, if we focus on those things as the goal, the rest of it falls away.

And I understand the idea that, if I were a certain number of pounds, weight, then that indicates a level of health. There is that conversation. But if we start taking away the stress of focusing so many people, that first thing they do in the morning is a step on the scale. And that becomes the focus for their every day. I want to take that stress away and say, well, let’s focus on just what are you doing today, to move your body in a forward direction? Have you done your five minutes of Autoimmune Strong exercise today? Have you said something nice to yourself today? And the things we say to ourselves can be awful, and we need to talk to ourselves in a positive way. Those are the things I focus on. Once we get to those places where we feel really comfortable and powerful, then the weight no longer matters. It just doesn’t.

Sarah: Yes, I love that. So what kind of transformations have you seen in some of the people in your program? And also, I’d love for you to talk, I was joking with you before we pressed record, about how I saw a picture of you, so badass lifting these heavyweights. I know that you have advanced your workouts, but, for you to talk about that and also potentially some of your clients, people in the programs who, maybe like me, we’re struggling with movement, and have now advanced to just a level two, level three or what that looks like.

Hope for healing + finding movement again

Andrea: I’ll start by telling you a little bit about me because I’ve been on this exercise journey now, for six years and I started with level one of Autoimmune Strong. It truly is exactly how I started to get myself better. The concepts of foam rolling, the concepts of abdominal bracing, and the concepts that I teach in terms of ankle flexibility. Those three first videos where I did that for six months when I was really sick. So, I’ve really practiced what I preach. What you see here is what I personally used. Six years later, almost seven now, actually almost seven years later, I’ve now moved into powerlifting. I call myself a baby powerlifter because I’m still new at it. But I love it. And I think that it helps me tackle this concept of body love that we were just talking about. Of, I walk into that gym now and when I lift something heavy, it makes me feel like superwoman. And I’m no longer mad at my body for being broken. I’m now proud of it for doing something it couldn’t have before.

Sarah: I love that. I love that.

Andrea: So, I don’t care if I’m squatting 200 pounds or whatever, I’m just psyched that I can put some weight on my back. I can bend my knees, and then I can use my legs, and my butt, and my core, to lift back up. And there are real-world applications for that. The other day, my almost seven-year-old was, mommy, can you carry me up the stairs? And I was, you know what, I totally can, hop on my back, let’s go. And so, I felt like my body’s capable, and that means I still have to be very careful. And I have to be very smart. But, I can do it now.

So, that’s my goal is to get people in Autoimmune Strong through the program, to be able to find what makes them feel powerful and feel good enough that they can go forward with that. So, the kinds of transformations that I’ve seen have been so different and varied. So I’ll give you a couple of examples. One woman was just telling me about how she used to lie in bed in the mornings and just feel everything. Everything hurts. And she’s been doing Autoimmune Strong now for six weeks. And she didn’t even realize that it had changed until her husband reminded her. He was, you hop out of bed now. And she was, Oh my god, you’re absolutely right, I hop out of bed now. And she realized that she doesn’t feel uncomfortable when she wakes up in the morning. That’s a huge transformation.

So another woman was saying how she has a meditation practice. And she’s now able to sit on the floor cross-legged for 10 minutes. And she used to have to pull herself back up, using a chair or something, and she doesn’t have to anymore. She can just stand up. So there are these little moments. Another woman told me that she hasn’t been able to get on the floor and clean her bathrooms for three years. She was, I just scrubbed my bathroom floor and I feel amazing.

As I said earlier, these are not six-pack goals. These are life goals. They’re pain reduction goals, and they make you feel like cleaning the bathroom floor can actually be a powerful moment, if that’s not something you could do before. But even for myself, I was holding my sister’s baby on my chest, and I was sitting with her on the floor. And I was able to stand up, without having to use my hands for anything. My legs were strong enough just to rise while I’m carrying this baby. So those transformations are there. I’ve heard from a lot of other people saying I have been able to get back to an exercise program that I used to do, that I love. And they’ve also learned how to modify, and how to better listen to their bodies so that they can maintain the things that they love.

Sarah: That’s me, with a little bit of practice. It was clear that I had lost it, and then, now I’m back in the studio and it feels so good. And I’m back in some of my workouts.

Andrea: I’m happy for you.

Sarah: But I also take my breaks and I give myself permission to take more breaks. Cause I’d rather be there and take a bunch of breaks, than not be there at all.

Andrea: Right. Like you were saying, when you were out for the count for two weeks, that’s just no fun for anybody. So you’re right, learning how to take a break at the moment, is so much better than having a flare-up afterward.

Sarah: Right. My boyfriend jokes, since we’ve been together, he’s joked with me. But he’s, do you need to go to yoga? Because, I’m also a happier, healthier person when I move my body. And it did take patience, but I got back to something I loved. Which is really powerful, and he’s happy for me too.

Andrea: My husband says the same thing. When I’m really grumpy he’s, I’ll take the kids, you go do something, go exercise. But, I think one of the benefits that we also see is that with chronic illness, with autoimmune disease, with fibromyalgia, there are links to heightened anxiety and heightened depression. And, because our systems aren’t firing properly, we have higher rates of those mental conditions. And exercise has been proven to regulate anxiety and depression, and be a mood stabilizer and produce happy hormones. One of my members emailed me yesterday. Actually, she was, I’m shocked I can get these happy gremlins from five minutes a day. But you can. It doesn’t have to be you’ve got to go and run on the treadmill for an hour, in order to get those benefits. It doesn’t have to be like that.

Sarah:  Yes. It’s so much more holistic, now that we’re talking about this, than those six-pack abs. There are emotional benefits, mental benefits, physical benefits. I would even argue that movement, regardless of what movement you’re doing is also an energetic release. So you’re releasing shit that no longer serves you, and letting that go be recycled into the universe. So there’s so much more to it than I want to be a certain number on the scale, or I want my body, my arms, or my abs to look like that supermodel in a magazine. There’s so much more. So, it sounds like you are completely on board with that, and understand that.

Andrea: In fact, I want to make a point to that. Something I talk about a lot in the program is that, in the first couple of weeks, especially, with foam rolling or with abdominal bracing, there’s so much emotion that lives in our muscles. Our muscles have subconscious pain receptors.

Sarah: The issues are in the tissues. Have you heard that?

Andrea:  Yes. And so, when you start moving your body, and especially when you start from rolling, some people cry a lot. And I found that happened to me, and I get emails saying, I started crying and I can’t stop.

Sarah: It’s normal.

Andrea: It’s normal, and it passes. Trust me, it passes. But it’s healthy because your body has built up toxins and tissues that are stuck. And then, you’ve got all this chronic pain and illness that has been living in us. That release feels so good and you just feel lighter. And then, it links back to feeling less angry with your body, because we’re not holding these subconscious emotions, and sadness, and anger, and hurt, within us. So there’s a lot of healing that comes with this.

Sarah: I love that. I’m so glad we got to this point too.

Andrea: Thank you.

Sarah: Because I think it’s really important for people to understand that it is not just a physical practice. Even though it’s portrayed as one, and is seen as one, but there are actually many additional benefits to moving your body on a cellular level and a subtle energy level. I’d love to ask you too, Andrea. What other kinds of tools do you have in your toolbox? Or, I know that you’re specifically coaching women in this program, Autoimmune Strong on physical movement, but in your practice, and even when you preach to your community. What other things come into play for you, as far as your healing toolbox?

Andrea: We’ve covered some of the biggies, exercise, daily movement is really important. Basic self-care and self-love, which means, to me, putting yourself first. And for so many, especially women, well, maybe men too. Feel we have this system, we have to take care of everybody. We have to go to work, go to work, do our jobs. You have to do the dishes, we have to, do what we have to do. And, making sure that you take time within your day, somehow, somewhere to say, this is about me.

That’s one of the things I coach on, probably the most often. Is learning how to prioritize yourself. Even if it’s for just five minutes a day. It goes really, really far in healing. And taking the time to really identify what you need, and then communicating that to the people around you, is really important too. So, I’ve gotten good at that, because it’s my only way to live. And the people around me have realized that my husband knows I’m a much better partner when I am cared for. And then, I try and give him the same space. So, anyway, there’s that.

Healthy food. So, I try to live a chemical-free life. So, that means staying away from foods that are processed as much as possible eating things that are local. I know a lot of people believe in being the champions for vegans. I was that, for a really long time, it didn’t serve me. So, I believe in healthy meat, and that’s a really big part of what I think keeps me healthy. I sleep. Sleep is really, really important. These are not anything that, nothing in my toolbox is new or different. They’re just basics, but they’re really important. Sleep and rest. Finding things that make you happy, and doing them, as often as you can.

Sarah: I love that. I found that when I started healing on a deeper level, I also found that I was holding, harnessing this limiting belief that I was responsible for everyone, literally, every stranger on the street, but especially my friends and my family. And I had to rewire my thoughts, and my habits, my brain to then shift that belief into, I’m only responsible for myself. And taking care of myself, and putting myself first, like you were mentioning. Because then, we can show up and take care of our kids, and our partner, and our friends, and our family, in a bigger, more soulful way. So, I love that you touched on that.

We’re at the top of our time here, but I’d love for you to share with the audience, how they can find you? If they’re interested in your program, how they sign up, and just how they can get to know you better?

Andrea:  There’s a couple of different things they can do. First, is you can go to my website, which is www.getautoimmunestrong.com. That website will tell you everything you need to know about the different types of programs that I offer. But I’ll give you a quick breakdown. You can sign up for my newsletter, and you can follow me there. Or you can join the actual program, which means you get access to all of the videos. It’s 15 hours worth of videos, that are broken up into 15-minute little segments.

They’re designed to take anywhere from three months’ commitment to some people who are still in 12 weeks. Or in almost a year, and they’re still working through it. So it’s self-paced. You can go at your own speed, you can return to it. So, you have two options. One is that you can join using a monthly program. Where you can decide when you’re done with it, and then you can cancel. Or you can sign up for the annual program. It’s the same content. It’s just a difference in whether or not you want to pay month to month, or whether you want to pay all upfront. If you join the annual program, you get a savings of $60, which is helpful.

And then, I have small group coaching that cycles. So, I have another one starting early June, and then another class starting in September. So the great thing about the small group coaching is it is exactly that, it’s small. So it’s a group of five to eight people, with me and another coach. And we have weekly meetings that help you talk through these issues, with other people who are going through the same stuff. And so, the pacing is great, but it’s also can be overwhelming for people who don’t know how to self-pace or don’t want to be in this alone. So, the small group coaching helps with helping you have the motivation, and accountability, and support as you go through this journey. So that is the Autoimmune Strong program in a nutshell. You can also find me on Facebook at autoimmunestrong, or you can follow me on Instagram @getautoimmunestrong. And I give lots of little tidbits and I talk about my own personal journey there.

Sarah:  So powerful. I highly encourage everyone listening to go follow Andrea, and try out the program. And just see if it can potentially make a massive shift in your life. So, Andrea, thank you so much for sharing that with us, and for taking the time to share with the audience today. Appreciate you so much. You were such a light in this autoimmune community. So, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Andrea:  Oh, thank you, Sarah. I’m just so honored to be here and I love everything that you do, truly.

Thank you for tuning into today’s episode. As Andrea mentioned, you can try her program, Autoimmune Strong for free. I personally experienced her videos, and even have a few videos of me, doing these workouts on my Instagram feed. If you want to go check them out @autoimmunetribe. And the workouts are divided into levels that make it really easy for you to ease your way in, and slowly create a habit of movement again. So, go sign up for your free week by clicking the link in the show notes. And then, come back, tag Andrea and I let us know what you think. That’s all for now tribe. I’ll see you guys next time.

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