My Girl Crush: Grace Terrell

‘Tis the season of feasting to our hearts content and traveling near and far to be with loved ones…which, don’t get us wrong, can be a blast. But it’s no surprise that the holiday season can be hard on our bodies, and with that, we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate holistic nutritionist, Grace Terrell as our My Girl Crush of the Month. Without further adieu, our Q & A with Grace:

My Girl: Grace, you’ve dedicated your time to helping women overcome everything from chronic stomach pains to relentless bloating–and it all boils down to helping them support their gut & hormone health. What are some tell-tale signs (maybe even some not-so-obvious ones) that women of the My Girl Community can look out for to signal that they have a gut or hormone imbalance they need to address?

Grace: Some of the common signs of gut imbalances are bloating, distention, stomach pains, and irregular bowel movements. Hormonal imbalances can present as painful periods, missing periods, hormonal acne, and hair loss. The more subtle signs that I see people often overlooking are things like fatigue, brain fog, and mood swings. Symptoms like these are a signal from your body that something is off, and because the body works synergistically it's typically a combination of both gut and hormonal health issues, rather than one or the other.

My Girl: What are three simple practices every woman should add to their daily lives to support their overall gut & hormone health? Why these three?

Grace: I think meditation should be a key practice because ultimately everything stems from the nervous system. Your body needs to be able to handle stress properly and if it can't, that will throw off your whole system. 

Exercise is another really important one. It doesn’t have to be a crazy intense workout but our bodies are designed to move in some capacity everyday. This could be as simple as a walk or stretching. 

My third one would be cooking. You know exactly what you’re putting in your body this way. Nourishing yourself with high quality ingredients and taking the time to prepare a meal is so good for your gut and your hormones. 

My Girl: Okay, let’s put this holiday time off to good use and assign some homework! Can you recommend a few must-reads for those looking to level up their health & wellness?

Grace: Ooh yes. Womancode by Alisa Vitti is great for understanding your cycle as a woman, and Boundless by Ben Greenfield. I'd say that one is more of a textbook haha but it has such great information on all areas of health. 

My Girl: In your opinion, what is the most underrated health hack? How about an overrated one?

Grace: The most underrated health hack in my opinion is spending time outside in nature. I don't think we spend enough time outside, and nature is so naturally healing. I think if more people dedicated time to go do that we’d all end up feeling so much more grounded. 

Overrated I'd say is all these greens powders. Not that they can’t be helpful but they're not a magic bullet. You can’t replace a healthy diet with drinking a powder in the morning. It just doesn't work like that. Supplements are meant to be a supplement to a healthy diet not the end all be all. 

My Girl: If you could only pick one My Girl product to take with you on your next getaway (I know, tragic!), which would it be and why? 

Grace: That is tragic lol. I think I’d have to choose Eat Your Heart Out. I like to enjoy my food on vacation and taking a digestive enzyme really helps alleviate any discomfort. 

My Girl: You’re going to a holiday potluck and are asked to bring a dish. What’s your go-to holiday recipe this season? 

Grace: Rosemary & Sage Sweet potatoes. Super easy and so so good. You just chop up sweet potatoes, coat in butter or coconut oil, add some garlic salt, sage and rosemary and roast in the oven until they are crispy. 

My Girl: Name a few women in the wellness space that add value to your life (a.k.a. who should we be following)?

@healthillie and @jessicaashwellness are some of my favorites right now! They both bring so much value and a no-bullshit approach to wellness which I really admire. 

My Girl: What’s a quote you live by each and every day?

Grace: “I am devoted to this moment” Sounds corny haha but it really helps me to be present and remember that all we really have is right now. 

My Girl: How can the My Girl Community get more of your expert tips & tricks!? 

Grace: You can find me here!

• Instagram: @_gracefulwellness
• TikTok: @graceful.wellness
• Website: www.gracefulwellness.net
• And my new podcast! “Let’s Go Deeper with Grace Terrell”