Oxytocin

Anything But Mid is hosted by Amy Edwards and Whitney Stropp. Neither host is a doctor and nothing here is medical advice. Lightly cleaned for readability.

Amy: Would you like to do the honors, Sally?

Whitney: Hi, I'm Whitney.

Amy: And I'm Amy, and it's midlife, but you're anything but mid. Okay.

Whitney: We're like a well-oiled machine around here, up in this bitch. We're getting the hang of it, finally.

Amy: Locked in. Locked in.

Whitney: That's right. Hello.

Amy: Hi, honey.

Whitney: Hello. I like your new PJs.

Amy: Well, thank you. I like yours, too. It's it's in honor of Galentine's this week and Valentine's this week and, yeah. Are you going to do anything

Whitney: Thank you so much. Yes. Love is in the air this week. Woo!

Amy: Are you going to do anything special?

Whitney: I ditched my boyfriend for Valentine's weekend because my widow podcast is going to have an event for the widows and widowers out there that are looking for something to do. Yeah. So we're going to have an event on Thursday or Friday night at a local venue here in Austin, and then Saturday night, we're having a VIP event at my house.

Amy: Aw. That's really smart. Oh! Wow!

Whitney: Yeah. So, yeah.

Amy: That's nice. That's so smart.

Whitney: So we're excited about it. Yeah. It's hard. It's hard when you I mean, I think even divorced or just single, I mean, if you don't have a partner, this time of year is like kind can kind of be sad.

Amy: Well, I mean, widows and widowers, that's especially sad. Because it's not by choice.

Whitney: No, it isn't. You're absolutely right. So, yeah. And so we're going to have some fun things planned for them and hopefully create some new happy memories.

Amy: Oh, good.

Whitney: Yeah. What about you? What are you guys going to do?

Amy: I don't even know. I don't even know. But I was just I was actually

Whitney: Do you normally plan something, or will Justin plan something and then you just have a present for him or something?

Amy: It varies. It varies. Sometimes it's just low-key, and, honestly, nothing stands out. I can't even remember. It was my wedding anniversary once.

Whitney: Yeah. Oh, wow.

Amy: So I know. So I don't know.

Whitney: I kind of feel like if you're doing it right, every day is Valentine's Day.

Amy: There you go.

Whitney: You know?

Amy: There you go. Yeah.

Whitney: So you don't have to go out and have an overpriced meal and, you know. I'd rather do it earlier on in the week anyway because otherwise you're fighting people for a reservation and

Amy: I like to honor the day.

Whitney: Oh, you do?

Amy: I do. I love a holiday.

Whitney: You're like, "I will always celebrate Valentine's Day."

Amy: I like getting gifts. I like being treated, you know, so.

Whitney: People honor me and shower me with love.

Amy: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So I can't even remember what we did last year either. I should've looked it up. But, anyway, I I do have a little Galentine's gift for you.

Whitney: What? You are so sweet. You're always doing this.

Amy: I know, but it's not I didn't buy it. I didn't buy it.

Whitney: But still, it's very sweet.

Amy: I went to an event, and they gave Justin and I went, and they gave us both one of these. So here you go. And

Whitney: Oh! Yay! First of all, I love the packaging.

Amy: I know. It's shiny. It's a little shiny cosmetic bag.

Whitney: Oh, that's so awesome.

Amy: And it's a bunch of Revision products. I know. One of the girls hosting Girls, ladies. hosting this event I went to works for Revision Skincare, and so she gave us like full-sized products DEJ. So I want to shout them out on the podcast. And I thought I'd just give you Justin's because he won't use it, you know?

Whitney: Oh, my gosh. That's so awesome. No, this is so great. Lip Replenisher, Boosting Serum.

Amy: The Lip Replenisher is my least favorite. It's very sticky. But maybe it's good.

Whitney: Oh, see, I wear gloss all the time, so I love sticky lips.

Amy: It's stick Oh, then you're going to love this.

Whitney: I just love a good sticky lip.

Amy: You This is right up your alley. But it's the DEJ Boosting Serum, the DEJ eye cream, which super popular, papaya enzyme cleanser, which I love. Love, love.

Whitney: Ooh, I can't wait.

Amy: And then there's like a gua sha in there and some little travel sizes.

Whitney: What's a gua sha?

Amy: Gua sha?

Whitney: Oh, a thing for your face.

Amy: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It like does your lymphatic drainage.

Whitney: Oh. Do you'll have to teach me how to You do it It's not on the flat side, it's on the

Amy: Yeah. You don't know how? You just do upward strokes up and out. It's on like Yeah, it's on actually the flat side. Here, I'll show you, actually. So, anyway, I just thought, why not? I

Whitney: The rim. Yeah, show everybody how to use it. That's so awesome. Thank you.

Amy: You know what I'm doing? Okay, this is just between us. This is no

Whitney: What? Ooh, just we I won't tell a soul.

Amy: Shh! We won't tell nobody. So I already have face products I like. And so sometimes when I get nice stuff like this, I'm using it all over my neck and chest. Like yeah, and hands, because I'm always wishing I could just like dip my whole body in like my good serums and stuff. So that's what that's what I'm doing.

Whitney: Oh, right. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yes. I love it.

Amy: So this gua sha, if people can see, this one's black, so it's kind of nice you can see it. It like you use this long side here and you just kind of go up.

Whitney: Okay, so not the yeah, yeah.

Amy: And then this little bent inside, I'll use along my

Whitney: Oh, jawline.

Amy: jawline. Yeah, to kind of tighten that up. So I know, it feels good.

Whitney: Feels good.

Amy: Yeah. It feels really nice and relaxing. I'll lay in bed if I'm watching TV or something and do that, so yeah.

Whitney: But you have to be careful because if you do Botox, you will be pushing that

Amy: Only like during the first 24 hours.

Whitney: lymphatic. Oh, really?

Amy: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Whitney: Because I remember I went to a lady once, and she was she was a lymphatic person. She was like She told me a story about another woman that was like, "Don't do my face because I just had everything injected."

Amy: Oh. Oh, she should never have gone to get Yeah, that's just that's too much.

Whitney: Yeah, and I was like, "Uh, don't do my face."

Amy: No, you can you can absolutely do it after everything sets. Like usually Botox like a day, but I'll I may wait a week, I don't know, wait a wait a few days. It's not going to move around after that.

Whitney: Okay. Okay, good to know.

Amy: So scary. So scary.

Whitney: Yeah. Well, also, it's pretty It's pretty hilarious that you'll go see a lymphatic person, but then you're also injecting yourself with all these things that you're not really sure Right, right. what's going to happen.

Amy: That probably make your lymphatic system work overtime or something like that, because it's like toxins.

Whitney: Right, yeah. Exactly.

Amy: Botulism or whatever the hell.

Whitney: I know. It's so crazy.

Amy: We are crazy people.

Whitney: We do what we want, even if we think there may be some toxins in there. Hopefully, all the other great stuff that we're doing balances out this the tiny things that we do.

Amy: I think it does.

Whitney: I think it does, too.

Amy: I think it does, too.

Whitney: Okay. Any mid moments going on with you?

Amy: I'm pretty excited about mine.

Whitney: Oh, well, why don't you start? Because I I can't think of one right now.

Amy: You seemed like you were thinking, though.

Whitney: I was.

Amy: I I'm basically writing them down.

Whitney: You're like, "I" I usually do keep notes, cuz I my memory is so bad.

Amy: Mine's a good one, actually.

Whitney: All right.

Amy: I got a new mattress. Very exciting.

Whitney: Oh, okay.

Amy: In midlife, that's exciting.

Whitney: Yes. Now, how old was your other mattress?

Amy: Very. I don't know. Maybe 13 years? Too old.

Whitney: Yeah, I feel like my mattress is about 12 years old. And it might be time.

Amy: And it was from like my previous marriage, which is even worse.

Whitney: And you're like, "Bad juju."

Amy: That's probably bad energy. And I mean, anyway, Justin had one, too, that was like a Purple that was newer, but I hated his, so we kept mine on the bed. And, anyway, we finally bit the bullet. I don't know what was wrong with me. I thought mattresses cost like $10,000. They don't.

Whitney: Yeah. What? I thought they were like $8,000. I was like, "We just cannot afford that right now."

Amy: No.

Whitney: All right, but how Let let's let's walk through this process because it is overwhelming to me to purchase a mattress. I feel like I have to lay on every single one, and then I'm like, "I don't know if I'm soft or hard," you know? And then you now you have all those designs where it's like it can you it can like change temperature and it can, you know, Yeah.

Amy: Yeah. Justin did all the research, thank God.

Whitney: So you didn't lay on anything?

Amy: Oh, yeah, we did. We went to the store. We had been around a few different stores just to kind of like test things,

Whitney: Oh. Yes. Yes.

Amy: but this was one I hadn't even heard of. So I guess he did some research. It's called Saatva, S-A-A-T-V-A.

Whitney: Yes, I've I've seen that.

Amy: So they're all The one we got is all latex. So solid latex, which is supposed to be better for you, it's supposed to be temperature controlling.

Whitney: Solid latex.

Amy: It's supposed to be more grounding. Yeah, I know. Weird, right?

Whitney: But what's inside it?

Amy: It's supposed to last up to 20 years. Latex.

Whitney: What's inside it? I'm confused. So it's like yours Okay. I'm I'm getting confused on even what late latex is like what they use to make face like masks and stuff or like Like gloves.

Amy: Latex. But I think people can be allergic. I wonder if they can use this kind of mattress.

Whitney: in the act in acting. So is it It's bouncy?

Amy: Not really. No, it's firm. And so this one's cool because one side is like medium, and one side is more firm. And so you can flip it to the side that you want.

Whitney: I'm going to have to go lay on it. Okay, not Justin's side and your side, but the top and the bottom, and then you flip it.

Amy: Yep. Top and bottom. Yep. Yep. So that's what we got. And

Whitney: Okay. How much was it?

Amy: like $3 $1 million. It was like Well, we bought two, one for the bus, so we'd have the same one on the bus. So we bought two. And I want to say this one was like 3,000 or 4,000, something like that.

Whitney: $10,000. Yeah. And do you have to worry about bed bugs and stuff on that one, like or dust mites or anything? So you

Amy: No. I don't think so. I don't know, actually.

Whitney: So you don't need a cover like You know, I'll zip up my whole mattress in something. And then cover it with like the Whoa. Well, I'm scared of bugs.

Amy: Me too.

Whitney: But I don't know, but here's the truth. There we've got bugs on us right now. Like, there's no getting away from the teeny-tiny microscopic That is true. That is true. bug environment that's happening.

Amy: That's true, but I don't know the answer to that. So, anyway, So we're going to move on. you know, it's not one that go that like has a bunch of fancy grounding. You don't have to plug it in. It doesn't have two different sides with fluffing air into it or anything. It's more basic than that, but it's supposed to be one of the best there is. They have a 365-day return policy.

Whitney: Yeah. Whoa. Yeah, that's that is impressive.

Amy: That's how much they believe in it. Yeah. So I was like, "Okay." I felt like it was very risk-free and they super believe in it. And it's supposed to be way better for you, so already my back hurts less. And you're not going to believe this one.

Whitney: What?

Amy: You know how I sweat a lot at night?

Whitney: Yeah.

Amy: I'm sweating less. I'm not sweating at night the way I have been.

Whitney: That's so interesting. Latex.

Amy: So I don't know if it's the mattress or I don't know if it's a phase I'm in. We'll see. It's only been a few days. So, anyway.

Whitney: Huh. All right. Well, congratulations.

Amy: Yay! Yeah. Thank you. It's not an ad, either. It's just like

Whitney: I need a new bed I need a new bed and a new mattress. But it's so overwhelming that I just go, "Meh."

Amy: Well, I'll let you know how this is.

Whitney: Yeah. Well, you just did.

Amy: You can go downstairs and lay on it.

Whitney: I'm going to go lay on it. All right, I will. I will.

Amy: As long as you don't have any bugs on you.

Whitney: I do. I told you, we all have bugs. Anyway, well, that's exciting. I cannot think of a mid moment right now, and I didn't write anything down.

Amy: That's okay. That's all right. It's So, that's all right. That's good. if it pops up while we're talking.

Whitney: If it if it pops up while Yeah.

Amy: Anything you want to talk about before we get into it?

Whitney: No, I want to know what Cuz this is a surprise for me. I don't know what the topic is.

Amy: Oh, you don't even know what our subject is. That's right. I picked it literally today, cuz I was like, "Oh, I want something in the spirit of how of Halloween."

Whitney: Halloween? Well, that's great if you want it to be in the spirit of Halloween. However,

Amy: Of Valentine's. OMG.

Whitney: Okay. All right, let's go.

Amy: Okay, let's go. Okay. We are going to cover oxytocin, aka the love hormone.

Whitney: Happy hormone. Love hormone. Okay.

Amy: Yes. The reason being Justin sent me something the other day and he just wrote like he just texted me, "Oxytocin cream. Let's look into it." And I was like,

Whitney: All right.

Amy: I was like, "Maybe I need to, but then I I thought, maybe that's interesting for this." And I looked it up and sure enough there is a new product on the market that's an oxytocin cream that I'm going to tell you about.

Whitney: All right.

Amy: As of November 2025. So it seems very timely.

Whitney: This is very interesting.

Amy: It is interesting. It's super interesting. So let's look into it.

Whitney: So, yeah, cuz automatically I'm like, can I slap that on somebody that I like and then they're going to like me back?

Amy: Holy shit. Like Love Potion No. 9. Did you ever see that old movie?

Whitney: I didn't, but I knew the song.

Amy: Sandra Bullock?

Whitney: Oh, no.

Amy: Yeah. Sandra Bullock's in it, and she looks all like they get rid of these fake teeth and she looks all like Uh, and like she invents the Love Potion No. 9. Then she looks like awesome, and like

Whitney: Oh, bad. Oh. I'm sure I saw it back in the day, but I can't remember. I love Sandy.

Amy: I do, too. We love you, Sandy. Okay. Oxytocin is often called the love hormone. It's a powerful neurochemical, and I also found something that calls it a peptide hormone and neuropeptide. So I don't know if it qualifies as a neuropeptide. I found that in one spot.

Whitney: Oxytocin. Oh.

Amy: But,

Whitney: Well, I think it would, because it's change your you know, the that that feeling of love, that is a brain thing. So I would think it is a neuro.

Amy: It is. But there's neurochemicals involved, I don't know. Anyway, We are not doctors.

Whitney: I don't know.

Amy: It is a hormone. I do know that much. Okay? And it is part of our body's built-in system for creating connections, reducing stress, and fostering feelings of safety and well-being. Okay?

Whitney: I noticed We we like it.

Amy: Yes. You know what?

Whitney: Well, I just I like they say holding a baby Yes. just creates oxytocin in your body, or even like a little baby puppy or petting your dog. Those are all ways to release it.

Amy: I just read that staring into your dog's eyes

Whitney: I read that, too.

Amy: Oh, my god. Our algorithms.

Whitney: And I did I did stare into his eyes,

Amy: Is that why you made a post?

Whitney: And he looked away. He looked away. He looked away, you know.

Amy: You made a You made a post about your dog being in love with him.

Whitney: Yeah, I did. I am in love with him.

Amy: Okay. Well, funny you should mention babies, right? Because one of the big things about it is it is it helps in childbirth. That's right. It's given sometimes to facilitate the physical process of labor. But our bodies produce oxytocin when we're like, of course, sexually excited and when we fall in love,

Whitney: Oh. Right. Yes.

Amy: which is why we call it love hormone, cuddle hormone. But it also is a big deal in childbirth, right? It can reduce pain and then like it can happens when our milk comes down, like all anything birth related. So, and then there can be a dip afterward, and that can be related to postpartum. Yeah, okay.

Whitney: And that's to do with postpartum. Yeah.

Amy: So, oxytocin is like endorphins or serotonin, so that's a type of hormone in your body that promotes positive feelings. So, oxytocin functions in reproduction, what I mentioned, labor, lactation, and sperm movement. Social bonding, which is trust, attachment, and empathy. And stress regulation, which is reducing anxiety. So, I always heard, too, that women need oxytocin to have sex and to want to have sex, and then men need sex to get to that oxytocin.

Whitney: Oh. I mean, in my experience, that's true.

Amy: I know, right?

Whitney: That's why I told my daughter like you know, and my boys, sex is different for for boys and girls. And my boys, if you decide to have sex with someone, understand that that is an emotional connection that they're going to have with you even if you don't have it. And then I would tell my daughter, too, like, if you have sex with someone, you'll love them more. So if you're not in love with them, that's why it's good to wait. But

Amy: Okay. Anyway.

Whitney: Anyway, and that's the end of the sexual

Amy: Thank you for the

Whitney: discussion today.

Amy: Okay. Oxytocin production can naturally decline as estrogen levels drop during perimenopause and menopause.

Whitney: That's why people don't give a shit when they get older.

Amy: That's what we're going to talk about.

Whitney: But it's also so sad.

Amy: That's exactly what we're going to talk about. It affects every relationship in your life and your overall sense of well-being. So low oxy- God dang it. Low oxytocin levels have been linked to symptoms of depression, including postpartum, which I talked about, and things like, oh, easy laughing, or giving a shit, or spontaneous affection, feeling joy in everyday simple moments. They can feel like they're escaping you as you get older, and that can be declining oxytocin.

Whitney: Oh, man. That really sucks.

Amy: Which is natural, which is unfortunate, but it's It does suck. Let me tell you how it shows up in daily life, because you may not even realize it's low oxytocin. So, some symptoms Some symptoms Some symptoms include

Whitney: Okay. That's hard to say.

Amy: In your relationships, feeling emotionally distant from your partner, or even when you're together. And, you know, we can say that about a lot of things like our phone and all that, but a lot of times we're searching for that dopamine hit because we have low

Whitney: Right. Yeah, you're trying to fill something.

Amy: Right. Right, right. Less interest in physical affection or intimacy, increased irritability with family members. Yeah, Feeling like you're just roommates with your spouse. Difficulty feeling empathy or patience with others. Or in your stress response, you can feel overwhelmed by situations that used to be manageable. I feel that all the fucking time. Taking longer to bounce back from difficult days. Chronic tension that never seems to fully release. I feel like I have that. I feel like my body is tense, and I've been tuning into it more. It's weird.

Whitney: Definitely, I'm I feel that as well. Your body. No, I'm kidding.

Amy: I feel tense to you, like a piece of wood. Feeling emotionally fragile or reactive. And inside, you can feel a loss of joy in activities you once loved, emotionally numb or disconnected from yourself or the world, decreased motivation for social activities, and a general sense that life has lost its sparkle. Yuck. Okay?

Whitney: Mhm. Yeah.

Amy: Those are real-world hormonal changes, and that can include oxytocin. So they call it your internal pharmacy for happiness. When your levels are optimal, you may feel more emotionally connected to others, naturally calmer and less reactive to stress, and a greater capacity for empathy and compassion, enhanced feelings of trust and safety, of course, improved mood, improved emotional resilience, better sleep quality, we all love that, and a stronger immune function. Nice.

Whitney: It's funny. I just got my boyfriend just sent me something over Instagram this morning, and I haven't read it yet, but the title of it is the the more you fall something like the more you fall in love with your partner, the sleepier you get.

Amy: I've seen something about that. And it's so true. I mean, like

Whitney: Something like that, yeah.

Amy: I fall asleep I get so sleepy.

Whitney: I guess it's just the oxytocin, you're feeling safe. I I fell asleep Oh, you know what my mid moment was? I know what it was. I fell asleep at date night. So Ryan came over, we were watching a movie. It was like 9:30 at night. I fall asleep on the couch. But guess what he does.

Amy: I am so sleepy. Yeah. Falls asleep, too?

Whitney: No, he takes a picture, and he sends it to my mom, to my sister, to my sister's husband, to my cousin.

Amy: I want to be in on that. I want to be in on that.

Whitney: And I wake up the next morning horrified because I have on no makeup, and I'm like slouched over. So it was not my best look, and he sent it out to the world. And I was like, that is so mean.

Amy: Aw. It is.

Whitney: But I did fall asleep at 9:27.

Amy: Well, next time you may not fall asleep, because you're not feeling as in love.

Whitney: Well, yeah. And I think that's why he sent it to me like as a joke, like, "See, you really love me, and that so it was easy to fall asleep." But now I don't feel safe falling asleep in front of him, or I'll have to do it in a full, you know, face of makeup. Anyway, so that was my mid moment.

Amy: Ready for photos. Photo shoot. Okay.

Whitney: Like Dolly Parton, she doesn't she's when she's out of town, she sleeps in all of her stuff in case there's a fire or something.

Amy: Are you kidding me?

Whitney: She doesn't want anyone to see her without her face and her wig.

Amy: Oh, Dolly!

Whitney: Oh, Dolly. Anyway. So I'm going to have to just adopt that, adopt Dolly.

Amy: Not me. I don't care if people see me. Did you see my I posted the other day. I posted like no makeup on a drive.

Whitney: No, dude. This is different. This is you don't get to choose the angle. This is mouth open, everything's, you know, No.

Amy: I think you got your lashes done.

Whitney: I did. I got my lashes done.

Amy: That helps. I mean, like that, you wake up with your lashes?

Whitney: This was before that. I had like two lashes left.

Amy: That makes sense. Okay.

Whitney: No makeup, nothing. Anyway.

Amy: Okay. All right. Anyway.

Whitney: Anyway, sorry. Yes.

Amy: Back to oxytocin. So, what happens during menopause, right? We produce a lot when we're younger, and then it starts to decline, of course. How annoying, like everything else. So, as we get into perimenopause, menopause, postmenopause, hormone production shifts significantly. Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone levels decline, we know that. But oxytocin, guess what, does, too. Okay?

Whitney: Oh.

Amy: Lower levels may contribute to some of the symptoms that we commonly experience, like decreased intimacy or sexual satisfaction, mood changes, sleep disturbances, feelings of isolation and disconnection, that's what you were saying, people don't give a shit.

Whitney: Mhm. That's right.

Amy: So, it's it's component of all of our hormones and can be a component of HRT, hormone replacement therapy, which we're going to talk about. And one article I read called it part of the larger hormonal symphony,

Whitney: Ooh.

Amy: which I thought was nice, right?

Whitney: That is nice.

Amy: And if it's out of tune, then we can feel bad in ways that are not always obvious. And it's just this kind of irritates me, too, because It's just another one of those things that it's so hard to pinpoint, like

Whitney: Well, that's the thing. It's like, I mean, the truth is, I guess everything in our body is getting decreased,

Amy: Could be anything.

Whitney: you know? And so, yeah, of course this would be part of it.

Amy: But that's part of the overwhelm. Is like, okay, now I have to think about literally everything, but I'm going to talk about some natural

Whitney: Yeah, I figured you would get to like how we can help ourselves, and I would bet that hormone replacement therapy helps that some.

Amy: Yeah. I mean, they all go together. Yeah, so.

Whitney: You know? Yeah. It's a symphony after all.

Amy: It is a symphony. Tune up your instruments, people. Okay. It's been shown to decrease stress and anxiety levels. So research suggests that oxytocin can have a positive impact on social behaviors related to relaxation, trust. I feel like I'm repeating myself there. Sorry about that.

Whitney: Yes. No, it's good to just reiterate. I mean,

Amy: Yeah. Overall psychological stability.

Whitney: Yes. And and we want love and compassion and empathy for others is all kind of wrapped into that.

Amy: For sure it is. For sure it is.

Whitney: So when you don't have that, you know, that's what I think really sucks about I don't know. You talk about when you age and like, you know, I think women will be like, "I can't wait to get to that point where I don't care anymore." But if you don't care about what people think about you or you don't care about other things, that also means there's going to be parts of your life that you probably should still care about, but now you don't care about. Does that make sense?

Amy: Yeah, like it spills over. It's not an isolated thing, like, "Oh, I just don't care about this one thing." Right? It's like

Whitney: Yeah. Right. Right. It's across the board, I'm just like more Were we about to say the same thing?

Amy: across the board. Yes.

Whitney: We're spending a lot of time together.

Amy: All right. So, speaking of psychological stability, let's talk about cortisol, cuz we know that is an issue for women our age. Or women of any age.

Whitney: of a of a certain age.

Amy: All women. Oxytocin has a deep relationship with cortisol, which is your primary stress hormone, as we know. So, they have an inverse relationship. Cortisol's high, oxytocin is suppressed. And vice versa, right? Oxytocin is high, cortisol is suppressed or managed.

Whitney: Mhm. That makes sense. Mhm.

Amy: So during perimenopause and menopause, we can get into a stress spiral, which means that hormonal changes increase our baseline stress, right? We have irregular periods, we have sleep disruptions, we have physical symptoms and pain or whatever. Then that elevates our cortisol, which suppresses our oxytocin production. And then we are less resilient to stress and less connected to our support system and others and all those things that I just listed. And then we have increased isolation and disconnection, which elevates our stress further, and then the cycle continues.

Whitney: Mhm. Mhm. Right.

Amy: It's just a big symphony spiral.

Amy: It's a bad The symphony sounds like shit, right? It's like fucking John Cage up in here. So, yeah. So that explains why stress that we used to handle can feel overwhelming now,

Whitney: Oh, yeah.

Amy: and you might feel more emotionally isolated when you need connection the most.

Whitney: Well, that's so sad.

Amy: And then you can't even force yourself to get it, right? Right. Ugh.

Whitney: That's when a dog is a good thing to have around.

Amy: Man, true.

Whitney: Just petting on him, you know?

Amy: Mhm.

Whitney: And then if they're, yeah, especially the younger ones, they're just so happy to see you, and then that fills you with so much oxytocin.

Amy: So unconditional. It just feels so good. Yeah. Okay.

Whitney: So get a dog, everyone.

Amy: I did I didn't put anything about dogs in here. You're right. I'm glad you're bringing that up. Okay. So, a little bit about oxytocin.

Whitney: Put yourself on Valentine's Day. Okay.

Amy: It is produced in the hypothalamus and released by the pituitary gland, and they act as and it acts as both a hormone in the bloodstream and a neurotransmitter in the brain.

Whitney: Oh. Wow.

Amy: Okay. It binds to specific receptors, influencing various cells and neurons, creating positive feedback loops, like more touching leads to more oxytocin.

Whitney: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That makes sense. Yes.

Amy: That's And in men, it can help with testosterone production as well. But I didn't find anything about that for women. I looked.

Whitney: That's weird.

Amy: I know. Maybe it does and they just haven't studied it.

Whitney: Well, that's very true. Yeah.

Amy: So, yeah. Yeah. So that's interesting. When you successfully increase your oxytocin levels, the changes can be profound and very quick. We like that.

Whitney: Yes, we like fast.

Amy: I love some fucking instant results.

Whitney: Yes, instant gratification.

Amy: Yes. Women can report feeling more like themselves again within days or weeks of implementing oxytocin-boosting strategies.

Whitney: Oh, wow. Okay.

Amy: Okay?

Whitney: I already can guess. I can't wait till you get to the strategies.

Amy: Yeah? You can?

Whitney: Yeah, I feel like I know it. Some.

Amy: I have a pretty pretty good list. Okay. So some of the benefits that you may experience from tending to your oxytocin level: more emotionally available and present, reduces fear. Oh, I like that one. Reduces fear, right? Anytime your cortisol's coming down,

Whitney: Well, it's you feel safe. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That makes sense. That makes sense.

Amy: I love that one. Cuz we are in a fearful world right now. Faster wound healing and stronger immune function.

Whitney: Yeah, that one's great. Mhm. Cool.

Amy: Really?

Whitney: Yeah. Cool, right?

Amy: That is cool.

Amy: So cool. Emotional balance, I think we kind of talked about that one. Increased desire for physical affection and closeness.

Whitney: Mhm.

Amy: Better sleep quality and easier relaxation.

Whitney: That's why when the more you're in love with someone, the the sleepier you get.

Amy: Yeah. Yeah, it's true. It's true.

Whitney: So I really must love Ryan.

Amy: You must. That's so sweet.

Whitney: I fall asleep at 9:27.

Amy: Yeah. Me too. I fall asleep early like that, too. Yeah, all the time. I mean, we watch anything, I'm like, I'm out.

Whitney: Yeah. Yeah. Oh. And you snore.

Amy: Actually, I don't. I don't. I wear my nose thing, you know.

Whitney: Oh, that's right.

Amy: Mhm. I love it. Greater emotional warmth toward loved ones, more patience with daily stressors, improved stress resilience and recovery, enhanced intimacy and relationship satisfaction, return of playfulness and spontaneous joy, better communication and conflict resolution, increased motivation for social connection, better cardiovascular health, reducing pain and migraine pain. No, they're not sure on that, but they think so. From what I one of the things I read. Improved cognitive function and memory. Thank God.

Whitney: Oh, wow. That's what I need.

Amy: We need that. Greater overall life satisfaction, enhanced longevity and healthy aging, and supporting weight and metabolism. How about that?

Whitney: That one's interesting to me, because as you're reading all of those, I'm like, this makes total sense, because when you're in love, everything just slides off, you're just like It it goes back to that whole thing that we talk about where, you know, your energy brings in more of what you're feeling, and then your thoughts create your reality. So when you're in love and you're just like, "Everything is so great," and you're feeling so happy, then everything in your world is going well because you're feeling like that. And so, of course, when you're in love, you feel safe and you you're not worried and you're willing to take chances and, you know, you you have empathy and compassion for other people, and yeah. I mean, we just need to get that love potion.

Amy: Agreed. Well, let's talk about it. Okay? There are some potions and lotions out there.

Whitney: All right.

Amy: Topical oxytocin has been around for a while. So that involves applying like a gel or or nasal spray. And there are a lot of vaginal gels. Vaginal oxytocin gels, yes.

Whitney: Really? I would probably do I don't like Well, I don't like to put certain things in I don't I don't, like squirting things up my vagina.

Amy: I don't either. I'm very cautious with it.

Whitney: Yeah. But but the nasal spray, to me, makes sense because it's the quickest way to get past the blood-brain barrier or brain-blood barrier.

Amy: Well, this is notoriously hard to get across the blood-brain barrier.

Whitney: barrier.

Amy: Yes. It doesn't last long, so that's been the problem. So the vaginal gels and stuff help with like dryness, discomfort in menopause, things like that, or postpartum care. But um but they don't last long. And I remember some oxytocin in nasal ketamine

Whitney: It's like a bump. Yeah.

Amy: back in 2019 when I was using a lot of ketamine. It was in the spiritual communities and they would put it in the ketamine. Talk about something that was probably a recipe for addiction.

Whitney: Yeah. Well, right. Well, that's what that was the other thing that it was coming into my mind, too, about like isn't this kind of like m- ecstasy or like ketamine or something? Is this is this along those lines? Because people will microdose X, don't they?

Amy: They do. MDMA, you can microdose that.

Whitney: Yeah. In the olden days, we called it ecstasy.

Amy: That's right. We did. Now it's MDMA, Molly, whatever. But, um, yeah.

Whitney: But, yeah, MDMA. Molly, yeah. I mean, I They do. I would I would I mean, just between you and me, since since this is just nobody's listening, I would really be interested in microdosing MDMA. Like that just sounds really awesome.

Amy: I might have a hookup for you. I might have It sounds super awesome, but then you're like, wait. Is it like this, where you're just kind of Because let's be honest, MDMA makes you just be feel like you're in love with everything and everyone. Well, yes, but then like 2 or 3 days later, you have a massive dip in your serotonin, and you can feel very dark. So, you really do have to be careful with anything like this, you know? And I remember wondering about that when I heard people were getting ketamine nasal spray with oxytocin. I thought, "A, that sounds awesome. But also, I thought, that sounds a little sketchy."

Whitney: Oh. Oh. Of course. Of course. Right.

Amy: "A, yes, please. And B, hmm." I mean, I had to stop They stopped offering ketamine nasal spray, too, sidebar. Was that

Whitney: Was that legal, though? Or was this on the down-low, like there was legal ketamine nasal spray?

Amy: No, it was like Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, I got it from I did ketamine therapy, and they gave me that to like use and microdose or whatever, but I would take it out with me when I'd go out. Hear bands and stuff. It was great. I loved it.

Whitney: Yeah, I knew that. Well, sure. Well, that's what I was saying. It's kind of like Molly. Yeah, and so I'm wondering

Amy: It's a It's a bad idea.

Whitney: Yeah, it's a bad idea.

Amy: And I thought I And then they stopped offering it, so they would only give you lozenges that you could put under your tongue, and I didn't like those. So I melted down my lozenges,

Whitney: Oh. No, you did not.

Amy: mixed them with saline and put them back into the nasal spray. Sure did. Sure did. Questionable behavior. Very questionable, so I thought maybe I was getting addicted, so I had to cut it out.

Whitney: Red flags, red flags. Yeah.

Amy: Miss it to this day, though.

Whitney: Oh, I know. Well, now we've got this, but I'm wondering

Amy: Well, I'm just thinking it sounded sketchy that they were mixing oxytocin with ketamine, so just beware, right? Beware with what we're talking about.

Whitney: Right. Probably the creams.

Amy: Because I have a lot of natural ways to do it, so.

Whitney: The lotions and potions that are out there are probably so minimal, like you don't even

Amy: They are. They Well, the ones I just talked about, right? So we're talking about things that it can help with like vaginal atrophy and dryness, discomfort, things like that that people get

Whitney: Yeah. But so can estrogen.

Amy: Exactly. There's a lot of other ways. That's a symptom, not a cause, you know? That you're just treating the symptom, which is fine in moderation,

Whitney: Right. Exactly. Right.

Amy: but I think pay attention. Right.

Whitney: Well, and I think that's kind of one of the points that we've said about this all the things that we try. A lot of them we we should be getting in our food, like in in a perfect world, you're not taking supplements or whatever, you're supposed to just be getting in your natural food sources. But at least with a lot of the supplements that we talk about, it's going straight to well, I guess this is what this is doing, replenishing what our body isn't creating, but why isn't it creating it itself?

Amy: It's okay. I got something for you at the end with regards to that. I know. I know. Well, like I said, those things, even in that nasal spray, it doesn't last long, right? I think even with the ketamine, we're talking 15 minutes or something like that.

Whitney: Okay. Oh, my brain. All right. Right.

Amy: And you bring up a good point. I mean, you get that It's It literally is an upper. You're getting that lift, and then what goes up must come down.

Whitney: I know, right? So, yeah.

Amy: So, be careful, right? Expansion and contraction. So, like I said, it it just has a short shelf life in our bodies. It's hard for this hormone to slip across the blood-brain barrier. So if we can make it ourselves, better, right? Traditional oxytocin delivery methods, and then one thing I read is said whether injectable or intranasal, so I guess you can get an injectable, I don't know, I didn't see much about that,

Whitney: Right. Yeah, I haven't heard about that.

Amy: it requires continuous administration due to the extremely short half-life or just minutes in the bloodstream. So.

Whitney: Oh, yeah. You would have to do loads and loads of it.

Amy: You got to have the whole container.

Whitney: An whole 8-ball of oxytocin.

Amy: So it's often compounded, it required a prescription. I know that that ketamine did, right?

Whitney: Okay.

Amy: And they're starting to research topical oxytocin in shampoos, lotions, and other treatments. Interesting.

Whitney: Oh, Lord. We're all going to get high on our shampoos?

Amy: Sounds fun, actually. Okay. I mean, I already like, well, still Oh, that's true. still have my extensions out right now. It's just like

Whitney: Yeah, and your hair looks great.

Amy: Well, I'm getting them back in, so.

Whitney: Oh, okay.

Amy: Yeah. I am. I am. Thank you. It's good, but I'm getting them back in.

Whitney: It looks good. But you just love it so much.

Amy: I miss them.

Whitney: Well, that's what happened with my lashes. I was like, I'm just going to be done. Yeah, exactly.

Amy: I feel like I'm 60. Mhm. Okay. But, okay, November 199 1995? 1995?

Whitney: God.

Amy: November 2025. Oh, my god. It's Halloween in 20 In 1995.

Whitney: Are you on ketamine right now?

Amy: Oh, my god. Okay, a company called Maximus, last November, has announced the launch of Oxytocin Calming Cream. It is the first topical oxytocin formula to achieve sustained release through innovative transdermal delivery technology. So it solves the long-standing challenge in hormone delivery, which is maintaining therapeutic oxytocin levels without constant reapplication. Interesting.

Whitney: A but it's a cream.

Amy: Well, it's like the little click thing that you use

Whitney: It's not a patch. Oh, testosterone thing, yeah.

Amy: the that for testosterone. That's the way it is.

Whitney: Interesting.

Amy: I know. So it creates a reservoir effect where a single daily application can provide up to 12 to 16 hours of sustained benefits. So very interesting. I know. So I wonder what happens when you use it, you know, are you depleting your own making it, or is it just like maybe to get you through to a certain spot

Whitney: Right. Well, I'm thinking

Amy: or you're building your own?

Whitney: Yeah, and then how how what does that look like for 16 hours? Are you sleepy? Are you happy? Are you horny? Like

Amy: Maybe it's all of the above, I don't know.

Whitney: Sleepy, happy, horny. Yeah, hm.

Amy: I mean, that's how you were that night, yeah.

Whitney: Well, I was two of those.

Amy: I'm just going to leave it at that. All right. So let's talk about natural ways to do it.

Whitney: Yeah, yeah, that's what I want to get to.

Amy: Okay? So, I know. I'm very, very encouraged by the natural ways, because it was any like love stuff, really. So.

Whitney: Touching, ho- holding hands, hugging.

Amy: All of that.

Whitney: Meditating, I would bet.

Amy: Yes. Yes. Okay, let's get let's get to it.

Whitney: Hugging a tree? Okay.

Amy: Yeah, nature.

Whitney: Yeah. Nature.

Amy: So exercise is a big one.

Whitney: Oh, yeah.

Amy: Exercise is a big one. So go out and go for a walk, you're going to feel better. In so many ways, right? Lift some weights, all of that, you're going to feel better. Physical touch and affection, of course. 20-second hugs.

Whitney: It's true. Mhm. I have heard that before, 20-second hugs.

Amy: Yep. More frequent partner hugs and higher oxytocin levels are linked to lower blood pressure, as well, and heart rate in pre- or menopausal women, and that is 20-second hugs, too. So, like, spend time in that hug.

Whitney: Here's I I tried to I actually did a long hug last night,

Amy: With who?

Whitney: with Ryan, and then he was like, "Oh, oh, hey." So then it turned into something that I wasn't I was just trying to give a long, nice hug,

Amy: Boner. Boner city.

Whitney: and then there's a boner, yeah. So that's that's an unfortunate part.

Amy: I'll give you a 20-second hug.

Whitney: I will hug you for 30 seconds. But I also, you know, makes me think about like my mom or or older people that live by themselves that aren't getting a lot of physical touch, like

Amy: You're right.

Whitney: those are the ones that we have to really go in on and hug on and

Amy: Go give them 20-second hugs.

Whitney: Yes. Yeah.

Amy: And doing something nice for other people's on here. Yeah. Okay, so this is a long-ass list, so everybody just buckle up. Here we go.

Whitney: I love it. Okay, hit me.

Amy: Holding hands, massage, cuddling without expectations,

Whitney: Mhm. Just like your hugs. That's all. You've got to start that off, but I'm going to hug you with no expectation.

Amy: If you get a boner, that's on you. Handle it yourself.

Whitney: That's right. Later.

Amy: Self-massage with warm oils. Okay.

Whitney: Okay, and we're still back to the boner. Like, what's happening?

Amy: Self-massage, though. So, like yeah, yeah, so.

Whitney: Oh, self-massage. That doesn't sound very fun.

Amy: No, it doesn't.

Whitney: I guess you do that like when you put lotion on and stuff, you're giving yourself a massage. All right.

Amy: Yeah. Yeah. Good point, good point. Sustained eye contact and emotional sharing, which activates the same neural pathways as physical bonding.

Whitney: Well, I think that's why women have such close friendships because we are constantly like having long, deep conversations and, you know, connecting.

Amy: That's right. That's right. Being vulnerable is on here. Active listening. Gratitude exchanges. How nice is that? I love that one. Acts of kindness and service, random acts of kindness for strangers, even small ones. So I mean, open the door for somebody, do something nice. Oxytocin, I think.

Whitney: Yeah, you know, sometimes I'll be

Amy: All the ICE agents, I think, are deficient in oxytocin.

Whitney: Yeah, they they need the 20-second hug. Oh, god.

Amy: I guess they do. Oh, Lord.

Whitney: Or they can just self-massage with oil.

Amy: Thoughtful gestures for your partner or family members, which, right, could be that hug, that's so nice. Volunteering for causes you care about, expressing appreciation verbally and through notes, writing little notes, helping others without expecting anything in return, music,

Whitney: Definitely.

Amy: Yep, music,

Whitney: Definitely.

Amy: dancing, singing in a choral group or sing but I even singing together. I know, you can join a choir.

Whitney: I I I I would rather join a band.

Amy: You could do that, too. I bet that would work.

Whitney: Yeah. Yeah.

Amy: enjoying nature, especially if it's with someone else, Nature?

Whitney: Especially like the it goes into that whole grounding thing where if you go outside barefoot and you just stand in the grass or I'm not joking, I will go and like touch a tree and just be like, "Thank you."

Amy: Good for you. Oh, I love that.

Whitney: You know. But, I mean, it's true. All of those things in nature can they have such a great vibration and they can really settle you, make you feel grateful, you know, center you.

Amy: Have you seen that person that talks to her tree outside?

Whitney: No. Is it a huge

Amy: She's amazing. Yeah, it's huge, it's huge. She's gone

Whitney: I've started talking to my plants because I have like five potted plants that are still alive, so I'm really proud. And somebody told me, that same lymphatic lady that I went to, she told me, she was like, "Oh, yeah. Your plants are excited when you get home. You know they feel your energy coming into the room and they're very excited."

Amy: Yeah. You can stroke their leaves, too.

Whitney: I just talk to them. I'm just like, "I love you. Please get rid of that brown, you know. Let me know if it"

Amy: Does it work?

Whitney: They're alive. I mean, some of them are like 7 years old, 8 years old, which is I've never kept, except for my children,

Amy: I have a lot of plants like that.

Whitney: I don't keep things alive very well. But, yeah, I'm talking to them. But don't you love that idea of like when you come home, like your plants feel your energy and they're excited to see you?

Amy: I know. It's so sweet.

Whitney: So maybe you don't need a dog, you just need a plant.

Amy: You do. I mean, it really does help, you know? Like, okay. I love that.

Whitney: Yeah. Yeah. I love it.

Amy: Laughing together, meditation and gratitude practices. I think meditation kind of surprised me. You already knew that one, but I didn't realize it.

Whitney: Well, if you think about the cortisol thing, you know, meditation is Yeah. is going to try to decrease that anxiety and stress, so then just naturally, the other is going to come up.

Amy: Great point. Yes. Yeah. Mindful eating.

Whitney: Huh.

Amy: Not just wolfing down a bag of chips like I do sometimes.

Whitney: I really need to work on mindful eating, cuz I eat fast.

Amy: Did you order your tacos today?

Whitney: I didn't. What did I I ordered um It's not sum yum gai. It's tom kha soup or something. I don't know. It's like

Amy: I can't believe you just said that.

Whitney: It's Valentine's. It's not the cream of sum yum gai, but it is something similar. I did like a lemongrass soup.

Amy: Doesn't sound too mindful. All right.

Whitney: It was But it was delicious, and it was hot, so I had to eat it slowly. But like lots of times I'm sitting on the couch watching TV and eating.

Amy: I know, same. Me too. Me too. We do that a lot.

Whitney: Bad, bad, bad.

Amy: Bad. Temperature therapy and comfort rituals, so like a warm bath, a sauna or a hot tub with loved ones,

Whitney: I do that with the fireplace.

Amy: Cozy environment.

Whitney: Yes. I will turn even it wasn't that cold yesterday, but I had my fire on all day long. It just makes me feel good.

Amy: Me too. Me too. Warm beverages, comfort foods together. So that's my list.

Whitney: I love it. And there Oh, we've got one more thing.

Amy: Oh, we've got one more thing. We've got one more thing. But what were you going to say?

Whitney: What is it, heavy sex?

Amy: No, it's a it's it's something that we can eat.

Whitney: Oh, oh, okay. I don't remember what I was going to say.

Amy: Okay, great. Well, this was kind of my favorite part. So there is a gut bacteria that is linked to oxytocin production. Great news.

Whitney: Oh. Great news. I'm still waiting. I'm not sure.

Amy: So, it is Lactobacillus reuteri, L. reuteri, which is a beneficial gut bacteria, boosts the body's own oxytocin production, leading to benefits like all that we've said. And it triggers

Whitney: So you're feeding that bacteria.

Amy: Yeah, you're stimulating your gut cells that are enteroendocrine cells to release secretin, which then triggers the release of oxytocin from intestinal cells.

Whitney: Interesting.

Amy: Gut-brain-immune axis connection. Yes. So that is badass, even when it's not living. So that you can get your probiotics, you can eat yogurt, that is in there, and it doesn't even have to be alive.

Whitney: So, yogurt. So you're saying yogurt or like or anything that helps the gut, or like, with kimchi do it, or like it has to be yogurt? Yogurt is what feeds that particular bacteria. That's what they talked about.

Amy: I think I think any fermented foods also can Just make sure it has this L. reuteri, R-E-U-T-E-R-I.

Whitney: Yeah. Okay.

Amy: So, Lactobacillus reuteri. You can take a supplement of it. And anyway, it's pretty damn cool. I am going to up this and and try it out. I think this sounds really awesome.

Whitney: Oh. You're going to get the yogurt? Start eating yogurt?

Amy: I hate yogurt, so I'm probably just going to buy a probiotic for it or something.

Whitney: Like a little bottle? Okay, yeah.

Amy: Yeah. Yeah, or or there when I looked it up, there was a lot of like supplements just for sale that are this in particular. So, so very cool, right? So I would say incorporate that into your diet and see what happens.

Whitney: Yeah. Yes.

Amy: Interestingly, too, as I was researching this, there were a lot of mentions that it can help autistic ASD, autism.

Whitney: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, really?

Amy: Super interesting, right?

Whitney: Yes.

Amy: So get your probiotics on, and I will put links to some of the articles that I used in the show notes. But I found this one really, really interesting.

Whitney: Yes. Yeah, I love all of the free things that you can do. And that

Amy: Yeah, and it's almost instant. Yes.

Whitney: I think feel it instantly. Like if I'm down, if I if I go outside and get in the sun even for like 10 minutes, or walk down, you know, the block and back, like it really does change your mood.

Amy: You're going to get like a little drip of oxytocin. I mean, for real.

Whitney: And if you see a little hummingbird, makes you so happy,

Amy: It does, right? Little things, little things like that.

Whitney: or beautiful flower. Yes. Yes. Well, I'm going to go out into the world. First, I'm going to keep staring lovingly into my dog's eyes even if he doesn't want it.

Amy: I thought you were about to say into my eyes, cuz you looked I will, I will stare lovingly into your eyes, and I will give you a 20-second hug right after this episode is over.

Whitney: Yeah. Yeah.

Amy: Yeah. Oh, also, I wanted to say before we recorded today what I ate today.

Whitney: Oh, okay.

Amy: So I'm trying something new, you know, I'm trying to be consistent with my creatine. Because it was about consistency. And

Whitney: Mhm. I'm also doing that.

Amy: I met a badass this last weekend at that event I was at.

Whitney: Oh, yeah. What What was the event? Oh, well, never mind.

Amy: It was a friend's book kind of launch thing. And I met this chick Katie Moran, I think is her name. She has a huge YouTube channel, like 1 million followers, something crazy. And anyway, she's really cool. But she told me that she was doing 10 mg of creatine a day.

Whitney: Oh, and you usually get five.

Amy: We were We were saying 3 to 5. And so

Whitney: But is she a bodybuilder type? Like is she super muscular?

Amy: No, she's brain. She's brain. No, no, no. She's a She's a like psychologist or something like that. She does mental health.

Whitney: Oh, okay. So she does 10 mg.

Amy: 10, and she said if you're like not remembering words and things like that, which is me, absolutely me. So, I am experimenting today was my first day. So here's what I drank it with.

Whitney: That's me. Okay. So you did it all at once? You didn't say to split it into two?

Amy: She said you can do it all at once, and you should do it with food. And so and, again, if you recall from our creatine episode, if you haven't listened, check it out, but we could do it anytime of day. And so I am doing it more in the morning cuz I want the brain stuff.

Whitney: Yeah, absolutely.

Amy: And so today I did a wheat grass juice, which is a wheat grass powder, I put in 10 g of creatine, and then a little bit of monk fruit so it tastes okay. So I stirred that all up.

Whitney: Oh, wow. Creatine. With water.

Amy: I I did it with filtered water. Yes, a really good filtered water. No, I just stirred it up.

Whitney: In a blender, or you just I don't know what monk fruit tastes like.

Amy: And use a straw. It just tastes like a sugar, whatever. Sugar.

Whitney: Oh, it's not a fruit? It's like a little liquid that you put in there?

Amy: You can use a liquid. I buy like Truvia maybe makes it or something, a brand makes it, and it looks exactly like sugar, like scoop in your coffee, melts really easily.

Whitney: Okay, I was imagining it was like a pineapple or something. Oh.

Amy: That's what I use.

Whitney: And it's healthy. It's not poison like sugar.

Amy: It doesn't spike your blood sugar the way the other ones do, so it's a better choice, and it's a better choice than a lot of the other synthetic

Whitney: Right, so it's Right. Like Splenda.

Amy: you know? Yes. So I'm using that. And then before that, I ate a banana with some pistachios. I had that and then I drank that. And so

Whitney: Oh, my gosh. You've had a lot. And did you have to go to the bathroom? Because I I think I've read creatine can mess with your tummy a little bit.

Amy: No. No, I didn't. That's what she said. She said eat it with something cuz it can mess with your tummy.

Whitney: Yeah, if you're doubling up.

Amy: But no, I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine. So.

Whitney: And I feel great.

Amy: I do. I I feel I did it around, let's see, we're recording right now, it's 1:30, and I probably did that at 10:00 at 11:00.

Whitney: Well, you just

Amy: I did it at 11:00.

Whitney: So you woke up and had the banana first.

Amy: I took my pill, my thyroid pill.

Whitney: Yes, and then you have to wait 30 minutes.

Amy: For an hour. So no, I didn't eat anything when I woke up. I just had coffee, and then I saunaed and stuff. So, and then Actually, I left my pill laying on the fucking counter and I didn't take it,

Whitney: Mid moment.

Amy: and I was like looked over there at like 9:00 a.m. and I'm like, "Fuck! My pill's still there." So then I take my pill really late and I was like, "Damn it." Cuz so then I had to wait, cuz I have to wait at least 30 minutes. I think I waited, and I was like, "Fuck it. I'll just go ahead and sauna or whatever." So I did, and then I and then I went ahead and did all this stuff.

Whitney: Yeah. Right.

Amy: So.

Whitney: I'm impressed. I really need to work on my food intake, because the two tacos aren't really giving me what I need.

Amy: No. It's not bad.

Whitney: It's not It's not 30 g of protein or anything, though.

Amy: Well, it How much is it then? I think it might be 30 g of protein. It's beef, right?

Whitney: I don't know. Really?

Amy: Yeah. Yeah.

Whitney: But it's not a ton of beef, it's in two tacos.

Amy: That's okay. I think you might be getting more than you think. Yeah.

Whitney: All right, good.

Amy: And I mean, a lot of it, I think yeah, I think protein in the morning, even just at a smaller rate, is a good thing.

Whitney: Well, and I've started buying those protein It's got like 15 g of protein, the yogurts.

Amy: Ooh, and maybe you're getting your L. reuteri.

Whitney: Yeah, maybe I am. I need to go look and see.

Amy: Yes. Yes.

Whitney: But it can be live or dead, the probiotic stuff?

Amy: Yep. In yogurt, it's probably live. And I what was I going to say? I did not have enough protein this morning. If I'm doing a smoothie, then I'm going to get like 55 g,

Whitney: Holy shit.

Amy: so I I know. I protein-pack my smoothies, so.

Whitney: I have tried to eat those smoothies with a bunch of protein and peanut butter and all that, and I can't finish it.

Amy: It's Yeah, right, it's a lot.

Whitney: It's so heavy, and then and then if you if a shake that's been sitting for an hour and a half, no, thank you.

Amy: No, you don't want that. You don't want that.

Whitney: No, thank you.

Amy: Yeah, mine have to be small enough to consume.

Whitney: Well, we have given people today lots of good information and easy things that you can do to ease into this Valentine's weekend

Amy: All right. Yeah. Feel more love in your life.

Whitney: and feel more loving. Yeah. And if you fall asleep with your partner, just make sure his phone is off. But that just means you love him.

Amy: And he loves you.

Whitney: That's right. That's right. Well, happy Galentine's

Amy: Happy Galentine's. Happy Galentine's.

Whitney: Happy Valentine's Day.

Amy: Yay!

Whitney: All right, and don't forget, we do what we want.

Amy: Do what you want. Take it or leave it.