I'm Judith, and this is the Starline Equine Bodywork podcast. This is a podcast about all of the things that I've learned and continue to learn in my career with horses. For the better part of a decade, I've been a full time equine bodywork practitioner, educator, and author. My obsession how horses really work and how to get the most from our relationship with them in training and in sport. My passion helping horse owners and body workers and aspiring body workers get going.
Unpack the latest science, research and experiences behind what we do with horses to support their potential and optimize their performance. One of the things that equestrians are famous for is providing so much for their horses. Horses are known to travel with their farrier, their massage therapist and their trainers, their glam squad, you name it, the horses have it.
The riders and the caretakers for the horses, on the other hand, are famous for traveling with duct tape and prayer, essentially. And it's about time we shake that up and change the way we perceive ourselves and our own health as mobile body workers, as people who are on the road and away from home and as athletes. So joining me today on the podcast is Trina Lampa, and Trina is.
And except holistic nutritionist, and she is here to teach us strategies for a life overhaul that doesn't feel much like an overhaul at all. Hi, Trina. How are you? Hi. I'm doing absolutely great. How are you? I'm well, thank you. Your story is one that inspired me. How you, became who you are and, began to do what you do. Do you mind telling us a little bit about how you got interested in what you do? Absolutely. First off, I'd like to say thank you so much for having me.
And my passion for health started because of my own struggles. I wasn't always the picture of wellness. And growing up, I was active. Involved in sports. Which gave me a great foundation for understanding the importance of movement. But during my years as a model, I faced such serious health challenges. The demands of being a certain size and weight was just very hard. I mean, not just physically, but mentally as well. And I struggle with extreme fatigue, hormonal imbalances, always cold.
And my weight was like up and down all the time. So I was extremely malnourished and had no idea how much my body actually needed proper nutrition and care and all these experience were so eye opening to me. They pushed me to explore what it truly means to be healthy. Beyond the diets, I used to do the quick fixes, and that's why I pursued a career in holistic health, to help others really uncover root causes of their issues and feel empowered to take control of their well-being.
And now I help clients, from all walks of life, including busy moms and dads, teens, people that travel often, athletes, body workers, and to find honestly substantial and ways to just thrive in life and be there, healthy yourself. So I think, for most of us, we have an awareness that we're maybe not treating ourselves, the very best that we could.
But the idea of making change itself feels extremely overwhelming, the kind of overwhelming where you just decide to press snooze on that thought and, sort of go on surviving the way you have and not thriving. How difficult is it to make these lifestyle changes? I wouldn't say it all depends. I never wanted to make it difficult. I always started very small. So just small changes actually made the biggest difference. And I was easy to maintain everything.
But it it does have to come from, like, inner strength. So people can't just tell you what to do. It does not work that way. So that's how I overcame my struggles. I just I knew how I felt growing up and the way I felt in the modeling industry. I just, I knew that wasn't how I wanted to feel for going forward in life. So yeah, I just it it developed slowly, but I ended up being where I am today.
And I think what I really like about the idea of little small steps, when you feel the difference, it sort of puts momentum right. It it's like a snowball, it's balance, and you start to feel good. And that encourages you to continue on that path and those little, small, everyday changes are sort of a catalyst for the bigger life overhaul. And it doesn't sort of it's a more realistic approach. It doesn't have to be I need you to eat this. I need you to work out at this time.
I need you to, you know, boop boop boop boop. And you're going off in your phone giving you more things to do. Which for most of us who are already busy, it's too stressful. Yeah, it becomes very overwhelming for people thinking they have to do all those things to be healthy. And it's far from the truth. Now, you and I have spoken obviously before this, and one of the things that I love about your approach to health and well-being, is a root cause approach. Tell me about root cause approach.
I know my body workers are going to seriously relate to this, perspective, to this way of thinking. Absolutely. So holistic nutrition, I know majority of people are so used to conventional medicine, but with holistic nutrition, we are we want to identify the root cause of why you're experiencing certain symptoms, such as like bloating, fatigue, inflammation, weather. And most people too,
they live already a healthy lifestyle. So, normally you would just go to the doctor and they would, like, give an analysis and prescribe you a med, as a bandaid effect for that of why it's happening. But for a holistic nutritionist root cause approach, we always like to see the body as a whole. So we look at stress, we look at diet, we look at lifestyle hydration levels. I look at that whole person. And it's not about just masking the symptoms.
It's about finding out where the imbalances are in the body and really addressing and putting them on a, structured plan to combat those symptoms and issues they're having. Because over time, if if you just leave it, it becomes a bigger problem later. And that's when, you know, disease starts happening. And it just it's a downfall from there. So, so what are some of the symptoms that, if we're experiencing, you know, we most of us, live mobile lives, right?
So whether we're traveling from client to client to client, we don't have access to the kitchen during the day. We have all the compounded sort of, you know, stressors of being on the road all day or if we're away at a horse show for three weeks at a time, you know, what are some of these symptoms that we need to look at in our own lives? That could be these little micro warning signs that we need to address our health from a nutrition perspective.
So I always tell my clients that your body is constantly talking to you, and it's just a matter of whether you're listening. So symptoms like mood swings, brain fog, bloating, skin breakouts, for women, irregular periods are usually often the first signs that your diet and lifestyle just aren't working for you.
So, for example, if someone feels constantly exhausted, I always look at whether they're eating enough nutrient dense foods, balancing their blood sugar, or if stress and inflammation, are at play. It's all interconnected and the small changes like adding just whole foods, managing stress through techniques, and staying hydrated, can create huge shifts in how 1st May feel. And I think because of the nature of what we do, we work long hours. We are in a high stress, high consequence at all times.
Expensive moment. And we are operating on very little sleep. What are the sort of short term, mid-term long term effects of that lifestyle? So yeah, I mean, busy lifestyles definitely come with the cost, long hours, high stress. Yeah. And poor sleep affect, honestly, everything, especially digestion, energy levels and hormones.
So in the short term, you might feel tired or bloated, but over time, these things can lead to more serious issues like, again, chronic inflammation, burnout and hormonal imbalances. And some of the warning signs to watch out for, like include feeling tired but wired. Yes, that's a yes. We all get that one. Yes. Yeah. No, you're speaking our language. Oh yeah. Very common.
And also frequent digestive discomfort like bloating and constipation, especially when traveling, and struggling to lose weight. Despite eating well. So, the key is to make small, realistic changes. Prioritizing sleep is also huge. And just calming activities like deep breathing, and fueling your body with foods that can, energize you rather than deplete you. So, there's one there's science between how the gut actually affects the brain and the body is.
That's something that you look at and address. Oh, yeah, I definitely the gut brain connection. I call it, and as a holistic nutritionist, I always emphasize the gut because it's the foundation of our health. It affects everything our mood, immunity, skin, even how well our bodies detoxify hormones, especially hormones like estrogen.
So if your gut is imbalanced, you'll experience low energy, brain fog and our digestive systems contain 100 million neurons and produce as many neurotransmitter neurotransmitters as the brain. So every time you eat something, it sends signals to your brain. Because the gut and bringing our impermanent communication, they're, like, wired together. Yeah, absolutely.
So it's so important that the right foods can either make you feel happy or the wrong foods can make you feel more anxious and depressed. And and we all. So we all know we're grabbing for the wrong foods
00 in the afternoon when we're a little dehydrated, a little tired, and a cookie is just as fast as I'm running from one ring to another with a horse, a cookie is an easier thing to put in my mouth then, you know, at a coffee than anything. Yeah. Sort of, a more intelligent choice. And I think for a lot of athletes who because we test our bodies, or a lot of caretakers for animals because you're constantly moving and testing your body.
We we do exist in an inflammatory state now and again, I think that's an athletic thing. But this chronic inflammation and how we're essentially feeding chronic inflammation, how do we break that loop, right. Of being tired, exhausted on the run, feeling low blood sugar, grabbing a cookie and a coffee and then basically feeding chronic inflammation? How how does nutrition how can we get around and get out of that cycle? Yeah. Like like chronic. And so it's a hidden issue for so many people.
And it's linked to fatigue, joint pain, weight gain and even, can lead to mental health challenges later on. And to tackle inflammation I always focus on, three areas. So number one, food swapping processed foods for anti-inflammatory options. Like leafy greens, berries for fatty fish are amazing too. I focus on gut health, so supporting the gut with probiotics or fermented foods can help reduce inflammation from the inside and out.
And three, I look at stress management. So even just five minutes of deep breathing or a walk outside can calm your body and reduce, the inflammatory responses. I love that. I love that full look at the entire I mean, it's sort of how we look at horses, from our bodywork perspective. Right? That's it's a very similar approach. So one of the issues is if we're on the road and in our car, living out of our car, from going from farm to farm to work, or if we're at the horse show for long hours.
The idea of meal prep sounds really intriguing, but also really unrealistic. How do we stay consistent with a healthy lifestyle when it feels like there's so many things stacked against us? Yeah, definitely. So meal prep on the road, it's always great to plan ahead of time. If you do know when you're traveling or working long hours, so that doesn't mean your nutrition has to suffer at all. And I usually recommend just simple portable solutions.
So such as like packing snacks like raw nuts, seeds or clean protein bars, or using a small cooler for meals like overnight oats, you could make or a quinoa salad. They usually those usually keep pretty well and just really staying consistent with hydration. So carrying a water bottle and adding electrolytes if needed. I'm a huge fan of Celtic salt and water because it does contain the minerals into our bodies. Need. Yes, and it does not. It doesn't add so.
So if someone has high blood pressure, it actually does not raise, it actually helps it. So the goal isn't really perfection, but consistency. So I just find a little bit of planning can make all the difference. And you know what? I think I would feel not only really good about myself, but kind of fancy if I busted out some overnight oats first thing in the morning. If you like what I'm doing, you feel good about it and you can eat. And over time, you just you get good, you plan ahead.
You know how you're going to be feeling. You know you're nourishing your body the way it needs. So a little. Yeah, a little goes a long way. Now, what are some of the misconceptions that people have about working with a holistic nutritionist? You must you must have people who say, oh, I'd love to, but. So what are some of the things that. Yeah, that you'd love people to know about the reality of what you really do?
Absolutely. So I find some people think working with, a holistic nutritionist means being put on a restrictive diet, but I honestly do not believe in that at all, especially with my modeling history. My approach is about adding to your life, not taking away. And it's all about creating balance that fits one's routine. So, that's one. And also, I find another misconception is that the results take forever.
But in reality, once I address the root causes, most people start feeling better within a few weeks. But all it all takes time and consistency, and most people don't even actually realize how good they could feel. I think that that's really interesting. Is that because, that's how long it takes your metabolism to start to switch over, like, and the inflammation to start to reduce is that you're what is that the amount of time. Oh that's interesting.
So so people can report it to you and say, this are the changes I'm feeling. And this is why I would want to feel more changes and you'd be able to sort of adjust their plan and their, and what you're doing with them based on what they're feeling. Oh, I just love that because I'm, that's for sure. Yeah. Like, there's, I think basic rules, like with horses when we, you know, hire a nutritionist, there's basic, you know, there are forage based animal.
They need this this, this a certain number of calories, blah, blah, blah. And I'm sure there's generalized rules, but just like our horses, everybody is an individual. It has its own individual reactions to its environment, its stressors and the way it processes things. So when people work with you is, is their first of all, is there a checklist of things that they should be going through and reporting to you, things you would want to know?
And is there a way of making things a little bit individualized so that it's, it's appropriate for each person's individual needs and body? Yeah, I always look at diet, and through lifestyle. So I always start people. I always ask them questions like, what do you eat in a day? I like I love a food journal just to see where they're at, because some people actually think they're eating healthy and some people think they're not eating enough food, but in reality they are.
And the foods that they consider healthy. I mean, I always try to teach my clients how to read an ingredient list because there's so many. I always try to stick to whole foods as much as possible, but I know with our food industry, it's sometimes nearly impossible, especially being on the road and busy. And, so I always like to address diet first and then their lifestyle. So what do they do for work? Do they have sedentary lifestyles sitting or are they walking on their feet all day?
So stress and sleep also play a part. But I really like to dig deep on just what they do daily and why they're coming to see me, because my ultimate goal is for them to feel their absolute best. So I do put a checklist, just trying to identify where they're at with their health now, what their goals are. And I always frame out a timeline because I do like to take things slow. So they're maintainable. I notice on your website you have, a few goodies that people can look up,
including banishing sugar cravings. Yes. I don't know a horse person who doesn't have sugar cravings. Overcoming weight loss resistance and, healthy pantry swaps. So, these are all really great ways to get started working with you and looking at some of those things. I know we're all guilty of these things. All of us. So these are all great resources. And to work with you, you do in person stuff.
But if someone lives far away from you and is still interested in, in working with you, is that possible? Absolutely. I work both in person and virtually. So anybody you could be living in the States, you could be living in Europe. I can do video calls. So I'm always available to speak with and chat with anybody. I do one on one nutrition consultations and meal planning. And I also do live blood analysis, which is a new modality I've added into my practice. This fascinates me.
Well, for I this is so cool. You have to tell us about live blood analysis. I mean, I can go on about it and mind like go on about it. It's mind blowing. It's just very I, I first got it done a so I'll tell you how it happened. I first got it done last year. I was in a health food store and I saw a sign that was, near the cash register, and I was just curious about it because I, I'm a health fanatic, and, you know, I just want to try anything.
Anything that can maybe identify issues that I may not know about. So I got it done. And what it is is, there's a practitioner there, so I, I do this now, but, she has a dark field microscope, and what she does is prick my finger with a lancet. She takes a sample of my blood. Just one drop on a slide, puts a cover slip over it and puts it under the microscope. And I was just. Honestly, it was so eye opening for me to see my red blood cells. It's up on a screen, up on a monitor.
And what she was identifying was like certain imbalances in my body deficiencies. And, trust me, I had many of them just because I was taking supplements that weren't being absorbed properly because I did have some digestive issues. I have haven't really had a chance to, uncover her. So she really gave me an insight on what I needed and what I didn't need. And I had, like, which is money saving fungal. Yeah. For bacteria. My gut, which was explaining why I was bloated. Even I'm a healthy eater.
I'm like, why am I bloated all the time? She's like, there's bacteria in there. We need to, you know, cleanse your system. You need to take this. And after I knew exactly what to take, I felt like a million bucks. I was like, I need to somehow implement this into my practice because I thought I felt okay, just okay. I didn't feel great until I had that done, and it really uncovered what I needed. And what my specific body needed. Yeah.
And it also showed off my immunity level hydration, like my cells were absorbing water. Like I just I was constantly like drinking water, but it was just being flushed out. It was flushing out electrolytes. It was flushing out minerals. So just knowing like what to add into my water for proper hydration was a game changer for me and I. So I looked up, I was like, there's a there's not many, like live cell microscope in this area.
I was like, this is perfect because I would love to bring this to expertise. Yes. And to everyone that's in, it's an in person. Session. So you have to you have to be there. Which, honestly, it's worth the drink. That is, it's worth the drive. And as a holistic nutritionist to its lifeblood, it just uncovers so much. And most people will not follow the advice you give them. They need visual proof that there are the unnatural habits are having a negative impact on their health.
So it's why blood analysis, you're able to see exactly where your body's at and track your. Yes. Yeah. And it can identify those specific imbalances that we need to identify to affect for me to effectively work with our client like my clients. And enabling us to see exactly where the client's imbalances are stemming from. So, it's honestly such a powerful tool to use. And I use it, and I know exactly where the clients are and what to put them on. I love that it cuts out so much guesswork.
And I think white inspirational for people to see things right. Very eye opening. And when you make changes and you can see them in front of you, it's not just how you feel, but there's the proof, like we are getting somewhere. We're going somewhere. This is, you know, we're solving things I love. I'm going to come get that done with you. That's we're I soon as we do this work and I come in and we're going to we're going to do this to me and our producer, Jay,
he's going to come and get that done. He's nodding. Yeah, he's getting amazing too. So yes, I think every it's for everybody. Everyone's so different. And it just tells you a story about yourself. Just. And some people get emotional seeing their, their red blood cells up there. You also see white blood cells. But it's incredible what our bodies do to fight infections. Like, oh, I see a white blood cell and it's moving. It's it's mobile. It's cleaning up all bacteria in the blood.
Just fascinating. Well and it's and some people get emotional because they're like, why wouldn't you want to take care of your body? Like seeing this in its life state is and what we're putting our bodies through, we overwork our bodies, I think. I think we do. We are asking too much of ourselves, right? Yeah. I mean, we're amazing. Bodies are. Yeah, yeah. So if we can alleviate some of that and just become a better, a well-oiled machine, you know, right from, like, you say, that root source.
I mean, it's what we try and provide for our animals. And I think it's time we start taking a really hard look at, our own lives. And because it affects the lives of the horses we care for. Right. And so if people want to work with you, you mentioned your practice is in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. So if you want in-person services, that's, where you would go. But if people want to work with you, how is the best way to reach you?
If they're interested in virtual, stuff or if they want to follow you on socials, see your website, see all of those amazing resources you have available on your website. How do people get in touch? Yeah, so I am located in Burlington, but as you say, I do offer virtual services. Both nutrition consultations. The live blood analysis is in person, but virtually. I also offer, personalized wellness plans. And if you ever want to reach out to me, my business name is Holistic Health.
Trina, you can find me both on Facebook and Instagram. And if you would ever like to set up an appointment, I do have a booking system. Or you can just, send me a direct message, or an email. I'm always very responsive. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. And we're going to put all of your contact information in the shownotes. And before we go, I'm going to encourage every single horseback rider I know with a sweet tooth that is grabbing for cookies in the middle of the day to go to holistic health.
Trina.com and purchase the Banish Sugar cravings in seven days. Let's get this done people. And thank you so much for joining us today, Trina. Oh, thank you. It was such a pleasure talking with you. And I'm really happy we had this conversation and I hope it some people took it, took notes and really absorbed what we, I hope it inspires a lot of body workers and horseback riders. Fantastic me to.