Made For Living Well - podcast cover

Made For Living Well

Alexa Schirmthelivingwell.com
Simple Roots Radio is hosted by Alexa Schirm. A nutritionist by trade, Alexa has rebelled against common misconceptions about nutrition, and has, instead, created a realistic health-style that will allow you to live a healthy, satisfied and more simplistic life. Forget dieting for good as Alexa interviews health experts, lifestyle influencers and every day people on what strategies have worked for them and help you implement a plan that can be achieved for life. It’s raw, its funny, its real and unfiltered. It is Simple Roots Radio.
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Episodes

#362: Using The Domino Effect To Get Healthy

Do you feel overwhelmed by health advice? Confused about what to eat? Unsure which information to trust? You’re not alone. Health has become a fight too many people are leaving feeling defeated and ready to surrender. I’ve come to learn that the answer you’re looking for is rarely in the place you’re looking. It’s often the opposite of what you think. Regarding health, we spend too much time chasing the wrong thing and not enough time understanding the right things. What I mean by that is, we of...

May 15, 202534 minEp. 362

#361: Real Rest vs. Artificial Rest

Rest is essential. Although you know that, especially now, as we’ve shifted into what some call the “rest era.” Our internal thermostat works tirelessly to maintain balance, or homeostasis, making rest a natural response to work. But now that we’ve moved beyond hustle culture, the question becomes: Are you resting too much, or are you relying on the wrong kinds of rest? The truth is, excessive rest can lead to problems. Just like overworking, over-resting—especially the wrong type of rest—can le...

May 08, 202533 minEp. 361

#360: Is Your Body Bored?

We’re living in what many are calling a “rest era.” After decades of hustle culture and the relentless push to “be a boss,” it’s no surprise that we’ve swung in the opposite direction. Rest became a necessary cure for burnout. But as with all things, the pendulum can swing too far, leaving me to question: is your b ody bored? The law of balance proves the pendulum will always swing in the opposite direction to the same degree you pulled it out of balance. Naturally, we’re going to see a big pull...

May 01, 202530 minEp. 360

#359: Easy DIY Lymphatic Drainage Massage with Leah Levitan

The lymphatic system is a powerful part of your immune system—think of it as your body’s built-in drainage and defense network. It helps regulate fluid balance, supports your immune response, and even plays a role in absorbing fats and fat-soluble vitamins from your digestive system. Like many systems in the body, the lymphatic system thrives on movement. But unlike the circulatory system, it doesn’t have a central pump like the heart. Instead, it relies on muscle contractions, deep breathing, a...

Apr 24, 202541 minEp. 359

#358: The Power Of Posture On Your Health

Growing up, I often heard my mom say, “Stand up straight!” At the time, it was little more than an annoyance. But now, as an adult working to repattern years of poor posture, I understand the wisdom in her words. So, Mom, you were right. Posture, or more specifically, your postural patterns, influences much more than just how you look. It has profound biological impacts. Like any sense, your posture constantly sends signals to your brain about your environment—or at least your perception of it. ...

Apr 16, 20251 hr 6 minEp. 358

#357: Water Isn’t All Created Equal

Water isn’t all created equal. While water generally looks the same, it’s far more complex than we previously understood. Not all water behaves the same way, and its behavior can change how it acts inside your body. I say it often, but let me repeat it here: Health is not what you do to your body but how your body responds to what you do! Health is ultimately up to your body, which means we must stop assuming that what you do has a positive or negative response based on what it’s believed to do....

Apr 09, 202554 minEp. 357

#356: Micro-Resourcing For A Healthier Mind

A healthier mind doesn’t start with healthier thoughts. It happens through nourishing your body – your body builds your thoughts. Learn how to use micro-resourcing to change your thoughts. The last thing you want to hear when you’re struggling mentally is to “do more” or “try harder.” At least, that’s how I used to feel. When your mind is already gasping for air, being told to add more to your plate can feel like the final blow. Yet at the same time, you want to feel better, creating a frustrati...

Apr 02, 202534 minEp. 356

#355: 10 Transformative Lessons from a Decade of Healing

Ten years ago, my life as I knew it fell apart setting the stage for what has now become my healing journey. What started as an extreme second case of mono spiraled into gaining 30 pounds in less than two months, a stage one kidney failure diagnosis, and days where getting out of bed felt impossible. But this triggered some lessons that I have learned in my health journey. This came after years of following all the “right” health rules—eating well (although never enough) and moving my body multi...

Mar 21, 202540 minEp. 355

#354: The Easy Solution to Gut Health That No One Is Talking About

I was the child who, as my family said, "had a weak stomach." For most of my childhood and part of my adult life, I struggled through numerous gut-health issues. Nothing was severe, but it was always persistent. It ranged from vomiting to excessive bloating and GI-induced headaches. I also seemed to react to a random array of foods consistently. These issues are, at least partially, responsible for why I got into the health space. I've worked in the health space for the last fifteen years, and g...

Mar 12, 202536 minEp. 354

#353: The Key to Sustainable Weight Loss: Building Healthier Structure

One thing most overlook in working towards sustainable weight loss is the process of building healthier structure. Weight loss isn’t always about loss, but rather expansion. Let me teach you how. Growing up, I saw many people attempt weight loss. Some succeeded, at least temporarily, but few paid attention to where the weight came from. Health was reduced to the number glaring back at them from the scale. In those days, health was about weight loss, and weight loss was about all forms of “less.”...

Mar 05, 202536 minEp. 353

#352: One Thing That Will Change Your Metabolism

The topic of metabolism tends to focus on only one small piece of a very broad system, your weight or how metabolism can change your structure . And while metabolism can influence how you look—positively or negatively—it’s much more than that. A true understanding of metabolism starts by looking at the bigger picture. Metabolism is the sum of all life-sustaining biochemical processes in your body. It governs how you create and conserve energy, which directly affects how you heal, rejuvenate, rem...

Feb 20, 202535 minEp. 352

#351: Are You Dramatizing Health?

Have you ever felt like health is an endless puzzle—where every piece you find adds more confusion instead of clarity? Each step forward feels like two steps back, leaving you stuck in a cycle of frustration. I've been there, too, in the endless negative loop created by a faulty health story. When you're in this place, it's easy to feel like a victim—like your body has failed you and no system marketed to "fix" you ever works. This mindset traps us in a cycle of confusion and defeat, where probl...

Feb 13, 202538 minEp. 351

#350: Are You Eating Enough?

The health space often boxes everyone into a single narrative: if you’re overweight, you must be overeating. But that’s not always true. In fact, undereating can lead to many of the same problems as overeating. Surprisingly, most people today are underfed—not just in quantity but in quality—leading me to ask: are you eating enough? One of the most comprehensive studies on the effects of undereating is the Minnesota Starvation Experiment . This yearlong study documented what happened to participa...

Feb 04, 202536 minEp. 350

#349: Do You Have The Capacity To Change?

You can't change if you don't have the capacity. No matter how much you will it, plan for it, or research it, the only way to create change that lasts is through resourcing your cells with the capacity to change. As the first month of the new year comes to a close, it's a perfect time to evaluate how is your 'attempt' at change working? For many, the initial drive and motivation to stick to New Year’s resolutions are starting to wane. But even if it’s not the new year as you read this, understan...

Jan 22, 202540 minEp. 349

#348: Three Non-Negotiables Required For Health

I’ve spent more than a minute in the health space. I’ve tried my fair share of extremes. At one point, I even quit health altogether. While I don’t discount any part of that journey, I can’t help but wish I’d known ten years ago what I know now: the three non-negotiables required for health . A few years ago, after “quitting health,” I realized something important: I still wanted to be healthy. It wasn’t my desire for health I was over. I was over the approach we’re told to take to get there. Th...

Jan 15, 202545 minEp. 348

#347: Health Habits I'm taking Into The New Year

It might be overdone, but I must say I love the newness of a new year. I know, it really doesn't change anything. January 1st is no different than any other day of the year, but I think it causes reflection, and that (hopefully) changes things. I've been reflecting a lot over the past few weeks—what's working well, what isn't, and what I want to take into the new year. And, I must say, I've found some interesting points, including a newfound love for being right where I am. It might sound unexci...

Dec 30, 202454 minEp. 347

#346: How Reducing Screen Time Improves Your Health and Well-Being

Every Sunday brings a moment of alarm. The moment my phone sends a notification of screen time averages for the week. I can't say I'm surprised. I know I spend more time than I would like on my phone. But the amount is still disturbing. Have you ever considered what you could accomplish or genuinely enjoy if you reclaimed that time? Looking back, I can’t say my screen time ever feels worth it. Most of the time, I can’t even remember what I was doing on my phone fifteen minutes ago, let alone jus...

Dec 12, 202448 minEp. 346

#345: Live Class Replay - All About Artificial Sugar

This is a recording of my latest live class as a part of The Weekly Fill for paid subscribers. Do you want to be a part of participating in these live classes and submitting your questions to have Alexa answer them? Subscribe to The Weekly Fill here to get the information on the next live class is ready to be scheduled. Take things to the next level: Get health advice that works delivered straight to your inbox. It is the only place guaranteed to make you healthier and happier. Join The Weekly F...

Dec 09, 202457 minEp. 345

#344: The Surprising Benefits of Sugar

Food has a lot of power in the health space. It might even be the reigning king, but sometimes, it's distracting you from more important issues. Take sugar, for instance. It's not the villain in the story. In fact, there are many benefits of sugar (some may surprise you). Spoiler to tip one: Your body needs sugar. Unfortunately, our use of processed and modified sugars has led many people to overconsume them, creating a cascade of health problems associated with sugar. But to clarify, those prob...

Nov 20, 202432 minEp. 344

#343: Forgiveness: The Best Unspoken Health Advice

Forgiveness is not the sexiest tool in the health space. In fact, most wouldn't consider it a health tool, even though it has a massive health impact - arguably just as much (if not more) than what you eat . Research has found that forgiveness changes your mind and biology. It improves heart health, immune function, hormonal flow, and reproductive health, to name a few. Unfortunately, most people aren't great at forgiveness, especially forgiving themself. Honestly, I wasn't any better. My stubbo...

Nov 13, 202434 minEp. 343

#342: Are Generational Beliefs Wrecking Your Health?

There is a lot of bad diet advice out there, and while it's easy to blame diets, at the root, bad diet advice is not the problem. The problem is our need for diets. A problem stemming from generational beliefs about health that have created the idea that your body is the problem. I'm certainly not attempting to put everyone in the same box. But regardless of where you fall, understanding generational beliefs, challenges, or trauma is worth talking about. We all have them, regardless of our envir...

Nov 05, 202438 minEp. 342

#341: Bad Diet Advice Really Isn't About the Diet

If you're breathing, it's assumed you've been exposed to bad diet advice. Growing up in the '80s and '90s, I lived through what some consider the peak of 'crazy diet advice.' From cabbage soup to grapefruit diets and liquid fasts, the '90s were anything short of one wild idea to the next that might help someone achieve their desired outcomes. Bad diet advice didn't just emerge in the last few decades; history proves it has been circulating throughout different millenniums. It's part of our histo...

Oct 24, 202436 minEp. 341

#340: (Holy) Confidence Changes Your Biology

Self-confidence doesn't exist. Only holy confidence does. I spent most of my life looking for confidence in a place it doesn't exist. I lived chasing an idea, attempting to prop myself up enough to believe I had what it took, and if I believed it, then I would be confident. It's similar to assuming you'll be more confident when you look a certain way or secure a set amount of money in your bank account. While those may bring some confidence, they don't make you confident. Unfortunately, I chased...

Oct 17, 202437 minEp. 340

#339: Five (Uncommon) Self-Disciplines I've Adopted

The idea of discipline used to repulse me. It felt like I was forcing myself into a box I didn't choose. In many ways, discipline equated to hate. I assumed self-disciplines were the same. Instead, I stuck with setting goals. But as my life progressed, I quickly realized that setting goals is one thing, and meeting them is entirely different (learn what has and hasn't been working in my health here) . Ironically, achieving my goals required self-discipline. As I started to study self-discipline,...

Sep 26, 202435 minEp. 339

#338: Health Update: What Is and What Isn't Working

It's easy to assume nutritionists don't struggle with food. But it's often the opposite. At least it has been for me. Recently, I took a very unexpected break that happened for a million and one reasons, including some current health struggles (or what I labeled as health struggles based on what I saw on the surface). Luckily, the space gave me time to reflect. In this podcast, I share my current health struggles and my wins. As much as it's easy to miss the wins, I don't want to discount that r...

Sep 11, 202438 minEp. 338

#336: What Should We Really Eat for Optimal Health?

If it feels like we’ve been here twenty times over, asking what is good and what is bad food. While it might seem elementary, food is still the most debated topic in health. The health space seems to continuously change what food they claim is ‘good.’ It’s like the flavor of the day. Fifty years into the bloom of the health era, we’re still asking the same question: what should we eat? It’s the same question I asked when I set my life path as a nutritionist. I wanted to help break the noise and ...

Jun 28, 202429 minEp. 336

#335: The Metabolic Power of Feminine Energy

Even after getting my nutrition degree, I spent a lot of time thinking that health was a to-do list. I believed health was the product of what you did or didn't do. And in a lot of ways, this is true. But there is something more true. What is more accurate is that your body isn't just responding to what you do. It's responding to your perspective of what you do, your essence, how you show up, and your motivation. It's really about responding to how safe or unsafe you are, which is determined by ...

Jun 12, 202450 minEp. 335

#334: Are You 'Resting' Too Much?

We might be living in our rest era, but are you really resting? Or maybe you're resting too much. Rest is essential, but like hustle culture, too much of anything can become toxic. If you're resting too much, your body will get bored. Just like if you're not resting enough, your body will get sick. Both lead to similar results. In this podcast, learn all about rest, whether you're resting too much, and the difference between real rest and artificial rest. Listen to today's episode to learn more:...

Jun 05, 202427 minEp. 334

#333: How To Lose Weight (The Healthy Way)

Weight loss isn't one of my favorite topics, but it is important. I decided to answer the question of how to lose weight in a way that helps you understand why the traditional way hasn't worked and what will. There are many ways to lose weight, but not all are healthy. If you want to keep it off, you must choose the healthy route from an expansion form of health, not reduction. Body fat, like all biological components, serves a purpose and is necessary for our well-being. However, it's all about...

May 30, 202430 minEp. 333

#332: When To Let Go Of The Plan (The Intro Of Bioenergetics)

When I lost my health, doing everything right, and by everything, I mean eating all of the ‘right’ foods and working out at least once a day, I realized everything right wasn’t right for me. No matter what anyone said, the best health plan didn’t pan out for me. At the time, I had no idea how much of a blessing this was. It felt like a battle I had lost. My body failed, and everything I knew about health was wrong. I was left with nothing. But a few years into my healing journey, I started to re...

May 15, 202426 minEp. 332
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