Do you feel like you are juggling too many things between work, socializing, your health, family, etc. and something has to give? This may be the ideal time to take a step back, allow yourself to slow down and do less so you can achieve more. Tune in to learn more about what that looks like when it comes to your health and activity. This week, Jenn is talking about taking your foot off the gas when it comes to your health and wellness goals. She explains how to evaluate if you need to take a step back in your intensity (even if you feel like you’re already balanced in your nutrition) - whether that’s for a week, a month, or a season in order to show your body appreciation and allow it to rest and heal. Jenn explains how physiological stress can impact your hormones and how reverse dieting may be the next step in your wellness journey. She describes what is required during this phase and how you will know when you are done with the phase of less intensity. Tune in to learn more about reverse dieting and taking a step back!  The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. IN THIS EPISODE: [5:04] How do most people tend to approach weight management?[9:00] What are different phases to focus on? [11:41] What's the connection between consistency and intensity? [14:40] When might you want to step back from your current maintenance intensity? [18:24] How do you know if there is physiological stress happening? [21:43] Why do we use food as a way to fill needs that aren’t actually physical stomach hunger?[26:44] What does it mean to be on the same team as our body? [37:35] What is reverse dieting and how can it impact our health?[46:22] What’s required for this phase to serve you? [47:50] How long do you stay in this phase and how do you know when you're done?KEY TAKEAWAYS: [10:08] Our metabolisms don’t like the same thing all the time. Surprises actually kick the body into working a little more. [36:40] The idea of achieving more by doing less is letting go of some of the things that we are holding onto, so that we can experience and hold the next thing that shows up. [39:57] When slowly adding more calories into your diet, it helps the body recover. It helps the body get out of that panic and out of that survival mode without shocking it. QUOTES: [11:07] “I talk all the time about living in the gray area, that in between, where we eat some and exercise some. That is really an area of balance and maintenance, that is in fact a long term strategy. Yet even in the bigger picture, there are times when each of these approaches fit, and a time when there’s another one that fits.” - Jenn Trepeck[32:26] “We want to be on the same team as our body, instead of always fighting our body.” - Jenn Trepeck[34:44] “Be more connected to your inner self. Give enough time to rest, to go to nature, and with that, your body can open up and also absorb more love and nutrition into your body, which makes you less hungry and which also makes you more happy to move around. In that case, the weight will go down automatically.” - Nandar[46:19] “What’s required for this phase to serve you? Recognizing that even here in this phase, consistency is important. We want to also remove the fear from food, remove the fear from eating more, and the way we can do that is focus on the nutrients.” - Jenn Trepeck[50:56] “Not every moment is a time to push. Sometimes even in a world of balance, we might choose to let things go a little more. You will know when you're ready to shift again.” Jenn Trepeck[51:20] “It’s all about our self love. However you are feeling right now, if you are not feeling well, we have to take care of ourselves. It is not about how we look on the outside or how much we weigh on the scale, it’s about how we are feeling right now, so that it’s sustainable for the long run.” - NandarRESOURCES:Become A Member of Salad with a Side of FriesJenn’s Free Menu PlanA Salad With a Side of FriesA Salad With A Side Of Fries MerchA Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram