Episode 157

Circa Your Circadian Rhythm

Published on: 3rd August, 2022

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.

Today we are discussing the circadian rhythm, our body's internal clock. Our circadian rhythm controls our sleep and wake cycles throughout a 24 hour period. What controls our circadian rhythm? What happens when our sleep cycle gets disrupted? Is it possible to reset our circadian rhythm to get better sleep? What research has been done on circadian rhythm? Tune in to learn about the science behind our circadian rhythm, what affects our natural sleeping habits, lifestyle choices that push our peripheral clocks out of whack, and how to get our circadian rhythm back on track.

IN THIS EPISODE:

●   [06:00] What is the circadian rhythm? 

●   [11:00] How our genetics can play a role in our circadian rhythms. 

●   [12:00] The big disruptors that disrupt our circadian rhythms. 

●   [15:00] Shift workers / You may be a “shift worker” and not even know it. 

●   [18:00] How just one late night per week can affect your internal clock. 

●   [20:00] New research around how disruptions in our circadian rhythms can affect our health and lives. 

●   [35:00] Four essentials to consider when resetting your clock are: sleep, nutrition, exercise and stress.

●   [42:00] Melatonin supplementation: how it works and pros and cons. 

●   [45:00] Socializing late at night may be turning us into shift workers.

●   [49:00] How mealtimes impact our metabolic clock and metabolic functions.

●   [54:00] Exercising in the afternoon or evening can benefit your circadian rhythm.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

●   Many things affect our circadian rhythm and sleep patterns such as nutrition, exercise, stress, and age.

●   If you stay awake for two to three hours between 10pm and 5am for fifty days in a year (about one day a week), you are considered a shift worker. 

●   Eating your largest meal in the middle of the day rather than for dinner may help your body's digestive system be more efficient. 

●   Our fasting time includes sleep.

QUOTES:

“We aren't the only living things that have a circadian rhythm. Bacteria, plants, algae, and all animals have a circadian rhythm.” Jenn Trepeck

“What happens for most of us is the circadian rhythm of many of our organs become asynchronized with the SCN and the brain, and our clocks aren't working together.” Jenn Trepeck

“What has become known as intermittent fasting is a butchered version of time restricted feeding. True time restricted feeding has nothing to do with calorie consumption. In fact, the time restricted feeding studies show that exactly the same amount of food is eaten, it’s just done, theoretically, during daylight hours from an hour after waking up to two to three hours before bed. Our fasting time includes sleep.” Jenn Trepeck

RESOURCES:

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

Text the word MIRACLES to 844-947-4846

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About the Podcast

Salad With a Side of Fries Nutrition, Wellness & Weight Loss
Nutrition tips that actually work. Real-life healthy eating, balanced diet tools, and weight loss tips you can use today with coach Jenn Trepeck.*

If you have searched for nutrition tips, tried to keep a healthy lifestyle, or felt stuck following popular weight loss tips, this podcast is for you. Get straightforward wellness advice that works in real life, plus strategies for a balanced diet, sustainable healthy eating, and a smarter approach to fitness and nutrition. Is your diet making you hungrier, crankier, or less healthy? Tune in and find out.*

Free gift: Schedule a 15-minute curiosity call with Jenn to explore what is possible for you. https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/contact/

Welcome to Salad with a Side of Fries, where wellness meets real life. Award-winning host Jenn Trepeck, health and lifestyle coach and author of Uncomplicating Wellness, cuts through the noise with clear answers you can trust. Ranked in the top 1.5% of podcasts worldwide, the show won Ear Worthy’s Best Health Podcast in 2024 and 2025 and was nominated for Best Independent Podcast both years. Jenn also won Women Who Podcast’s Stellar Interview award in 2025 after being named one of Podcast Magazine’s 40 under 40 in 2022.

Jenn’s motto is “wellness without the weirdness.” With more than 17 years coaching after solving her own food struggles, she knows how confusing the industry can be. Each week you get the foundations of a balanced diet, sustainable healthy eating, metabolism basics, and long-term holistic health, plus straight talk on fad diets and supplements.

What you will get by listening:
✅How to eat and how to cheat, guilt-free
✅Nutrition tips that work in the real world
✅Weight loss tips that are effective, never restrictive
✅How to build a balanced plate at home, on the road, and eating out
✅Smart strategies for sustainable habits that include your favorite foods
✅Evidence-based insights on fitness and nutrition
✅Conversations about holistic health that go beyond food
✅Wellness advice you can use right away


About Jenn Trepeck:
Jenn is a health coach, speaker, and consultant who blends humor with practical science. She has helped thousands improve energy, metabolism, and confidence in their choices through one-on-one coaching, group programs, her book, and this podcast.

Connect with Jenn and the show:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenntrepeck/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saladwithasideoffriespod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jenntrepeck
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferTrepeck/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/425796548337541/
Website: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/

If you are ready to trade guilt for freedom, confusion for clarity, and boring salads for fries on the side, press play. Health gets doable here.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This podcast and its guests are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

About your host

Profile picture for Jennifer Trepeck

Jennifer Trepeck

“My passion for nutrition and helping others stems from “kicking my food issues” with my own weight management saga.” ~ Jenn

I believe that the greatest accountability is paying it forward! That’s why I teach the nutrition education we are all supposed to know but no one ever taught us, along with the science behind food, fitness, and health.

After I graduated from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, I founded Better Life Now LLC while working full-time in hedge funds. In 2019, I took my practice from side-hustle to full-time self-employment and launched my podcast, Salad With a Side of Fries. On the show, we offer science-based tips and tricks for how to achieve wellness and weight loss for real life – because who wants a life without fries or dessert?!

Topics we tackle on the podcast include debunking fad diets, food myths, misinformation in marketing, bad science, and general nutrition. I encourage guests whose expertise is different from my own focus on weight management to bring their unique, fact-based perspectives to talk about subjects they are educated in and passionate about.

Due to my decade-long experience of working with clients, I have gained insight into the health and food industry and the how-tos of building a business.

Some specific health and wellness topics I can speak to include debunking fad diets, exposing the BS we are fed by the food and diet industry, how the people around us can positively and negatively impact our health journey, and shifting mindsets in order to overcome inappropriate barometers of success to instead achieve happy, healthy, and meaningful change.

On the subject of business, I can help you by teaching my critical pieces every entrepreneur should know, how to make your side-hustle into your full-time job, ways to sustainably achieve success without burning out, contemporary networking, and how to prioritize wellness while pursuing your projects.

When I find some free time, I’m typically working out at Physique57, discovering hidden gem restaurants in NYC, or traveling to spend time with friends and family.

I’d love to have an in-depth conversation with you, whether it’s leveling up in business or debunking food myths!