Health is Wealth Mama

00:40 - We’re back! Meek and Nique are still on a high from celebrating their podcast launch, meeting followers and new listeners, having a good time. What an awesome experience!   01:58 - What are we sippin’ on today? We’ve got a berry hibiscus tea and ginger turmeric tea, but it’s still 95 degrees in NC so we’re going to sip slow and spill slow.   02:43 - Meek chooses today’s topic from the tea jar is: What health challenges do you have or have you faced? What keeps you strong? Share a tip for our community.   03:15 - This is so relevant for Meka, who actually just came from an infusion treatment before recording this episode. These infusions help with her rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that attacks the body’s joints, causes inflammation, pain, discomfort, and other medical issues. Meek talks about these experiences on her social media, so make sure to check in and follow her journey.   05:00 - Nique asks Meek to share how she feels on the good days versus the bad days. On her worst day, Meka experienced extreme body pain that has prevented her from walking. She also discusses the crazy side effects of the medication that she uses to help her on those, especially bad days. Thankfully, Meek has worked with a great rheumatologist on her treatment for a few years. On a good day, Meek can move freely and without pain, and she lives those days fully. Her positive attitude is her driving force and she doesn’t let RA define her.   10:17 - Nique asks Meek what she would tell someone in the community who is experiencing this to help them keep positive? Although it’s easier said than done, Meka just says it’s something you have to do to keep going; the stress will make things worse. Find friends and support that you can vent and cry to, and then pick yourself up to figure out how to make it manageable and keep on moving.    11:34  - Meka offers a tip for our listeners: do your research! Find out what works best for you and your body, try changing up your lifestyle, and make sure that you are feeding your body with food that is healing, not inflammatory.    12:30 - For Nique, she also deals with ongoing health issues, anemia and diastasis recti. Diastasis recti occurs in some women after childbirth, where the muscles in the abdomen separate during pregnancy and do not reconnect after giving birth. Sometimes, you still look pregnant and for Nique, traditional ways of working out actually made it worse! Nique’s tip for listeners is if you think something is up with your body, always check with a physician to see what treatment plan is best for you.   16:46 - “One of the things I’ve learned is that we go too hard. We go too hard, way too soon. We have a baby and then we need to jump up to go right back to work.” - Nique   17:53 - What keeps Meek and Nique strong through their health challenges? For Nique, it’s embracing the body that she has. She pursues a healthy body, heart, lungs, is conscious of what she puts in her body so that she can be with her family for a long time. Remember to slow down and love yourself.   19:25 - The ladies talk about how anemia affects them both and how they deal with it daily. Meka shares how a different health scare that landed her in the hospital led to her anemia diagnosis.   23:55 - It’s time for Drive Tracks! Meka is on a ‘90s kick, listening to the Bad Boy 20th Anniversary album. Come to Me with Nicole Streisinger has been her main jam for now. Nique is listening to James Arthur’s Safe Inside, the other end of the spectrum from Bad Boy, and is feeling a little in her feelings about her oldest baby who is off at college.    25:40 -  Shout out to Meek and Nique’s families who were with them for the launch party, thought of the little details that were needed, were taking pictures and documenting the moments. We have supportive kids and husbands, and we are so grateful! ------ Make sure to follow Meek and Nique on social media!  Meka’s blog is Hanging with the Harrells and her instagram is @xomekaharrell. Nique can be found at White Coat Wifey and followed at @whitecoatwifey! Make sure to follow the show at @teawithmeekandnique on Insta to see behind-the-scenes and more content, say hello to your fearless hosts at meekandnique.com,  and tune in for the next episode!