Most women think their mood, energy, cravings, or brain fog are “all in their head.” They’re not. You actually have three brains working behind the scenes. 1. Your Head Brain - your thoughts, memory, mood. 2. Your Gut Brain - your digestion, inflammation, immunity, intuition. 3. Your Heart Brain - your stress response, emotional regulation, and cardiovascular health. When even one of these brains is inflamed, stressed, or out of balance your entire system gets thrown off. That’s why you can “think positively,” do the journaling, do the mindset work, but still feel tired, reactive, overwhelmed, or unlike yourself. This isn’t personal failure. It's physiology. Intrigued? Want to learn more?

The Gut Brain (Your “Mood Thermostat”) What it does - Humans have about 30 trillion human cells - The gut contains about 38 trillion bacteria So it’s roughly a 1:1 ratio with slightly more bacterial cells than human cells. We are more "foreign" bacteria than human cells. Your gut contains 100 million neurons and that huge community of bacteria produce- Serotonin - Your mood stabilizer.Helps you feel calm, steady, emotionally balanced. Dopamine - Your motivation spark.Drives focus, rewards, follow-through. GABA - Your “calm-me-down” brake pedal.Reduces anxiety, quiets the nervous system. Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) - Your brain’s anti-inflammatory fuel that supports memory, mood, and protects against brain aging. When the gut is inflamed, You may feel- - More anxious - More depressed - More reactive - Hungrier with more cravings - Bloated, constipated, or unable to lose weight - “Tired but wired” at night How to support it the FitnHealthy way - - Eat whole, unprocessed foods 80-90% of the time - Add fermented foods (sauerkraut, kefir, "real" yogurt, therapeutic "human sourced" probiotics) - Eat 25-30g + of fiber daily - Eliminate seed oils, processed snacks, and alcohol - Hydrate well before caffeine Want more? Put "Curious" down below.

The Heart Brain (Your “Emotional Regulator”) Your heart communicates with your brain through the vagus nerve. It also reacts instantly to stress, fear, and overwhelm. Low heart-brain coherence = irritability, emotional reactivity, low resilience. High coherence = calm, focused, emotionally stable. When the heart brain is stressed You may feel- - Quick to snap - Easily exhausted emotionally - Unable to calm down - More cortisol surges - Poor sleep - Higher blood pressure - Brain fog FitnHealthy tips to support it- - 10 minutes of brisk walking daily, after meal as a bonus to mop up fat storing insulin. - Slow exhale breathing (4 seconds in, hold for 4 seconds, 8 seconds out or similar combo) - Cut stimulants (coffee, energy drinks) in the afternoon - Daily sunlight exposure (ideally morning) on the eyes/skin - more on this later - Magnesium glycinate at night Who wants Part 4 tomorrow? Hey, that rhymes🤣 How many of these are you prepared to try this week?

Best Deodorants for Women 40+ (and What to Avoid) Hormone-Friendly - Aluminum-Free - Xenoestrogen-Conscious This guide prioritizes- - No aluminum - No endocrine disruptors - No inflammatory fragrances - Options for sensitive skin, HS, menopause, eczema, or dryness INGREDIENTS TO AVOID These are not about fear - they simply don’t match the goals of hormone balance & gentle skin support. 1. Aluminum salts (any form) - Aluminum chlorohydrate - Aluminum zirconium - Aluminum chloride - Potassium alum (if you prefer ZERO aluminum) 2. Benzalkonium chloride - Strong antimicrobial - Shows estrogenic signals in research - Can disrupt skin microbiome 3. Lavender or tea tree in daily products - Laboratory evidence of estrogenic/anti-androgenic activity 4. “Fragrance” or “parfum” Often includes phthalates or synthetic musks with endocrine-disrupting properties. 5. Triclosan Hormone disruptor that also affects thyroid function. BEST DEODORANT OPTIONS FOR WOMEN 40+ These give- - Strong odor control - NO aluminum - Low endocrine-disruption potential - Good for sensitive or menopausal skin 1. Magnesium-Based Deodorants (Top Choice for Sensitive Skin) Why it works- Magnesium changes skin pH to make it unfriendly to odor-causing bacteria. 2. Zinc-Based Deodorants (Very Effective for Strong Odor) Look for zinc oxide or zinc ricinoleate. Ricinoleic Acid is in Castor Oil. Zinc binds odor molecules and reduces bacteria. 3. AHA Deodorant Serums (Great for Odor) Use glycolic or lactic acid. These lower skin pH so that bacteria can’t thrive. 4. Hypoallergenic Dermatologist-Approved Options For eczema, HS, very reactive skin. FitnHealthy Tip - Look for the simplest ingredient lists & lowest reactivity. If You Want to Minimize Sweat (Without Aluminum) - AHA serums - mildly tighten pores - Wear breathable natural fibers - Keep underarm microbiome balanced - Shaving can help reduce bacteria buildup - Other options - NOT FitnHealthy recommended (Botox, Iontophoresis, MiraDry)

Most women think bones are like concrete. You build them in your 20s… and that’s it. But your bones are actually alive.They’re constantly being broken down and rebuilt every single day. And here’s the wild part......That breakdown & repair cycle follows a 24-hour schedule — your circadian rhythm (your body clock). The “Demolition Crew” vs. “Construction Crew Inside your bones you have- - Osteoclasts = your demolition crew (they break down old bone) - Osteoblasts = your construction crew (they build new bone) Your circadian rhythm is like the project manager that tells each crew when to work. When your clock is synced- - Demolition happens when it’s supposed to - Construction shows up on time - Result = bone breakdown and bone repair stay in balance When your clock is not synced (poor sleep, late nights, shift-work patterns, constant screens at night)- - The demolition crew works overtime - The construction crew gets less time on site - Result = you lose more bone than you rebuild over time You don’t feel this happening day to day.But over years, this is one of the quiet reasons women lose bone density and end up with osteopenia/osteoporosis. Why This Hits Harder After 40 For women in this community (40+), there’s extra pressure on the system- - Estrogen is dropping → naturally speeds up bone loss - Melatonin output declines with age → weaker nighttime “repair” signal So if your circadian rhythm is off, it becomes a perfect storm- Less hormonal protection + weaker body clock + more lifestyle chaos= Faster bone thinning than you’d otherwise have. This is why, inside FitnHealthy Forever, we care about more than just food and workouts. We care about timing. Because when your body doesn’t know what time it is, your bones (and metabolism) don’t either. FitnHealthy Forever Reflection for Today- 1. On a scale of 1–10, how regular is your sleep/wake schedule right now? 2. How many nights per week are you: - Up past 11:30pm? - On your phone / laptop in bed?