208. Bryony Deery: How To Stay Healthy During Pregnancy - Diet, Training & Lifestyle Tips That Work!

Summary

The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka

Episode 208: Bryony Deery — How To Stay Healthy During Pregnancy: Diet, Training & Lifestyle Tips That Work!
Date: October 9, 2025
Host: Gary Brecka
Guest: Bryony Deery

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Overview

This episode features Pilates expert and wellness advocate Bryony Deery, who opens up about her life-changing recovery from a traumatic car accident, her journey overcoming rheumatoid arthritis, and her experience navigating health, movement, and mindset during pregnancy. Bryony shares science-backed, practical advice for women on preparing for and thriving during pregnancy—including training, nutrition, and keeping a strong mind-body connection. The episode serves as an empowering, myth-busting resource for women interested in anti-aging, longevity, and unlocking their ultimate human potential before, during, and after pregnancy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Bryony’s Health Journey & Purpose (00:00–15:33)

• Car Accident & Introduction to Pilates

  • At 17, Bryony was in a serious car accident leading to severe pain, spinal and pelvic injuries, and emotional trauma.
  • Introduced to Pilates through a hospital physiotherapist:

    "He understood the power of the core...He said, you have back pain…You need to make sure you have the strongest powerhouse, which is your core." — Bryony (05:01)

  • Pilates was not fashionable at the time; she was often the youngest participant.
  • Gradually, Pilates led Bryony from dependency on painkillers to being pain-free.

• Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis & Recurrence

  • After initial healing, inconsistent movement and high-intensity workouts caused new issues.
  • Developed classic rheumatoid arthritis symptoms:

    "I got to the point where I couldn't bend my fingers, I couldn't tie my hair up, I couldn't pull a light switch." — Bryony (11:59)

  • Initial treatments included steroids:

    "Initially they would be anti-inflammatory…But long term, they eat your joint like a termite." — Gary (14:05)

• Lifestyle, Mindset, & the Role of Stress

  • Bryony reflects on psychosomatic impacts: low confidence, disconnection, chronic fight-or-flight.
  • Noted high rates of autoimmune disease in women, often tied to caregiver stress and lack of self-care.
  • The value of self-advocacy and listening to the body:

    "At the end of the day, your body tells you, right?" — Bryony (20:31)

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How Bryony Healed: Movement, Mindset, & Natural Interventions (15:33–22:47)

• Return to Classical Pilates

  • Reinstated regular Pilates as the foundation, also incorporated journaling and meditation.
  • Breathwork and movement crucial for regulation and reducing nervous system stress:

    "The results I've seen where people apply breath work to movement physically is insane. You will unlock a different side of your results if you connect your breath with your movement." — Bryony (29:19)

• Diet & Inflammation

  • Cut out dairy, became largely plant-based with some fish ("vegan-ish").
  • Emphasized whole-body alignment, natural stress management, and progressive hot/cold therapy (sauna and cold plunge).
  • Never resumed injections—remained symptom-free by sustaining these practices.

• Empowerment Through Consistent Movement

  • The importance of movement as medicine and the dangers of over-reliance on medications and immobilization:

    "Years ago, we discovered…the old adage used to be…immobilize it as long as you can…And then they started realizing that wasn't the right thing. Maybe early mobilization…is the right thing to do." — Gary (06:41)

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Training and Nutrition During Pregnancy (22:47–39:14)

• Preparation: Train FOR Pregnancy, Not Just During

  • Advocates getting into optimal shape before conception:

    "You need to train for pregnancy...if you can get very, very strong before pregnancy, going into it strong, mentally, physically...you will also feel yourself for moments in the day just because you need that." — Bryony (24:08)

  • Regular movement, especially Pilates and strength training, helps manage pregnancy symptoms, supports easier birth and recovery.

• Movement Protocols by Trimester

  • First trimester: Exercise regimen can remain unchanged if already active.

    "For the first three months, you don't actually need to make any changes." — Bryony (26:03)

  • Second trimester onward: Modify especially for core work—avoid crunches but continue core training through breath and safe movement.
  • De-bunks myth: Training core during pregnancy is not just safe, but recommended (pending medical advice).

• Breathwork for Core Connection (Demonstration)

  • Describes how to use diaphragmatic breath to engage core safely, applicable in any setting.
  • Begins all classes with this breath, applies it to movement for injury prevention and optimal results.

• Accessible At-Home Pilates

  • No equipment required; consistency over intensity.

    "You really don’t need anything…you can start with 10 minutes. Build yourself up..." — Bryony (30:54)

  • Consistent practice (even for 10-15 minutes) creates lasting neurological and physiological benefits.
  • Four Pilates sessions plus two strength sessions per week; sustainability valued over intensity.

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Diet, Supplementation, and Infant Nutrition (34:49–41:51)

• Bryony’s Nutritional Approach While Pregnant

  • Eats a varied, nutrient-dense diet: meats, fish, Greek yogurt, berries, greens, healthy fats, nuts, seeds.
  • "I eat a lot. You know, I really love food, and I think that's great." — Bryony (35:18)
  • Recently reintroduced eggs, inspired by Gary’s advocacy for them.

• Protein Supplementation

  • Supports using quality protein powders as needed to reach protein goals, especially given pregnancy demands and travel:

    "Very often, it's hard for women to hit their macros on protein...Protein powders can be amazing." — Gary (37:08)

• Methylated Vitamins & Folate

  • Switched to methylfolate supplements after hearing Gary discuss its importance; soon after, became pregnant.

    "You switched up your supplementation to methylfolate...And maybe it was coincidence, but you got pregnant very shortly thereafter." — Gary (23:17)

• Infant Formula: What to Watch For

  • Bryony is researching formulas and values non-judgmental information.
  • Gary recommends Germany and UK-based formulas that use whole milk solids, avoiding seed oils:

    "The UK and Germany have some of the cleanest formulas available...seed oils are pro-inflammatory for these little babies." — Gary (41:14)

  • Stresses that the method of processing plant oils matters; seeks out expeller-pressed, minimally processed options.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I healed my body through this method...you can change your life in the same way that I’ve changed my life.” — Bryony (05:58, 00:54)
• “When you have an autoimmune disease, it’s not a life sentence.” — Gary (22:46)
• “At the end of the day, your body tells you, right?” — Bryony (20:31)
• “Consistent movement in your daily life...is the most sustainable form of movement, so you technically don’t need a rest day.” — Bryony (33:48)
• “You need to train for pregnancy...That will carry you through more than you realize right now.” — Bryony (24:08)
• “Protein powders can be amazing...if you have a hard time hitting your macros with whole foods.” — Gary (38:12)
• “I just want to feel—and do feel—very calm inside. So for me, the calmness signals that [I’m an ultimate human].” — Bryony (43:45)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Bryony’s Accident & Starting Pilates: 00:00–06:26
• Autoimmune Diagnosis & Healing Journey: 06:27–22:46
• Breathwork Demo & Pregnancy Training: 27:24–29:52
• At-Home Pilates for Pregnant Women: 30:54–32:23
• Diet & Eating During Pregnancy: 35:06–37:41
• Discussion on Infant Formula: 38:59–41:51
• Bryony's Ultimate Human Definition: 43:08–43:45

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How To Connect with Bryony

• App: Pilates by Bryony (App Store, pilatesbybryony.com)
• Instagram: @bryonydeery
• Content: Classes, meditations, breathwork, prenatal/postnatal, recipes (seven-day free trial offered)

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Tone of the Episode

Warm, conversational, empowering for women. Bryony’s testimony is genuine, full of both scientific insight and lived experience. Gary provides expert commentary linking individual experience to broader science, always with encouragement and humor.

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For Listeners New to the Episode

This conversation is a goldmine for women on health transformation journeys—especially those preparing for or experiencing pregnancy, managing autoimmune challenges, or rethinking their diet and lifestyle for longevity. Bryony’s real-life results, together with Gary’s expertise, offer not only hope but concrete strategies for becoming the “ultimate human.”

Transcript

[Bryony Deary]

I had a car accident when I was 17. It really just completely changed my whole world. I later was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I got to the point where I couldn't bend my fingers.

[Gary Brecker]

You walked your way out of this autoimmune disease. And I think the vast majority of people, they think that's a life sentence.

[Bryony Deary]

It was a really hard time. The pain was terrible. So I really want to kind of stress that you can really transform your body through movement and through. For me, it's classical Pilates at the foundation.

[Gary Brecker]

You, like so many others that were in that situation, prescribed the same thing. Lack of movement and pain medication, which I think is just destroying all of the body's natural defense mechanisms.

[Bryony Deary]

Slowly but surely, I began to build my strength back. My pain went from just being terrible every day to just having no pain whatsoever. I healed my body. Through this method, you were able to.

[Gary Brecker]

Overcome an autoimmune disease.

[Bryony Deary]

My mission is to really show people that you can and change your life in the same way that I've changed my life.

[Gary Brecker]

Now that you've conquered rheumatoid arthritis, what does a typical day or week look like for you? What types of movement are you doing, and what's your diet look like now?

[Bryony Deary]

One thing I really want to kind of express and get out there is like.

[Gary Brecker]

Intimate human. Hey, guys, welcome back to the Ultimate Human podcast. I'm your host, human biologist Gary Brecker, where we go down the road of everything. Anti aging, biohacking, longevity, and everything in between. And today's guest is a super, super special guest because we have a two for one. We actually have two guests on the podcast today, but only one of them is going to talk during the podcast. Hopefully only one of them is going to talk during the podcast. It is the first time that that we have had a beautifully pregnant female on the podcast. And there are going to be lots and lots of questions we're going to get answered. Ladies, this one is for you. Welcome to the podcast. Brioni. Brioni, dearie, it's such a pleasure to have you on.

[Bryony Deary]

Thank you so much. I feel like we've already done a mini podcast before this, so I'm so, so excited.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah, all of my guests, we do the same thing. We start talking before the cameras roll, and my staff will always come over to me and be like, save it for the podcast. You know, get on the podcast and start talking. Um, you know, there's a theme that kind of runs through a lot of my podcast guests. In fact, the vast Majority of them. And it's that I find that the most impactful people, the people that are the most purpose driven and passionate and the most impactful have solved the problem in their life. Usually they have gone through some kind of journey, and it was coming out of that journey where they found their purpose, they found their passion, and now they're making a massive impact. It's not necessarily because they're a PhD or an MD or a researcher or a biohacker. It's because they were faced with an overwhelming problem and they had to solve it on their own.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah.

[Gary Brecker]

And I think that is very germane to your journey. And I'd love if you would, for my audience sake, if you would just share your journey into what brought you here today. And what was that turning point that really.

[Bryony Deary]

Of course. Well, thank you so much for saying that. And I. I really agree. And I think that my mission is to really show people that you can change your life in the same way that I've changed my life. So I guess to give you a bit of context, I. I think the most relevant thing that has happened to me in my health and wellness journey is I had a car accident when I was 17. So I was on my own, had this car accident, and it really just completely changed my whole world. I was taken out of the car on a spinal board, had to wear a neck brace for a really long time, was taking Tramadol, which was just crazy. And that's a whole other.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah, you had head, neck and spine injuries. Hip.

[Bryony Deary]

My pelvis was twisted. Exactly. So it was. It was a really hard time. And being 18, you're just. You're just trying to figure out life anyway. And I. To cut a long story short, I was going in and out of the hospital. I was in terrible pain every single day, in tears every single day. And I would go to the hospital, see these different physiotherapists, and eventually I found one that was amazing. And he introduced me to this form of physio and healing my body that now I know, was classical Pilates.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow. And you met it through the hospital. I'd say. I'm really shocked by that, man. That's. First of all, that's amazing because, you know, most people's journey, when they're going through that kind of critical care, doesn't end up talking to somebody who's a Pilates instructor.

[Bryony Deary]

Exactly. And I'm so grateful for that because that, of course, changed my com. My life in terms of the pain, but also has kind of brought me where I am today. Because he really understood that, okay, you have this pain now. You have. You've just had a car accident. He understood the power of the core and creating a strong core. So he said, you have back pain. You have all these different things going on in your body. You need to make sure you have the strongest powerhouse, which is your core. And again, this was such. I'm 33 now, so this was a long time ago. There was no trendy Pilates studios at the time. It wasn't the fashion. Like, the only way I could do Pilates was to either go and see him or join ladies that were kind of over 60, 70 years old.

[Gary Brecker]

Right.

[Bryony Deary]

And it was definitely not what it is today.

[Gary Brecker]

How long ago was this?

[Bryony Deary]

When I was 18.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah. So slowly but surely, I began to build my strength bag. My. My strength, my pain went from, as I said, just being terrible every day, relying on the tremolo, to just having no pain whatsoever. Like, I healed my body through this method. And, yeah, it was just so incredible to see that shift from the movement. But at the time, being 18, I didn't think consistency matters.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah, you know, I think. I think, too, that. You know what's fascinating because I'm familiar with your story, and you. You, like so many others that were in that situation, prescribed the same thing. Don't. Lack of movement.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah.

[Gary Brecker]

And pain medication.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah, exactly.

[Gary Brecker]

You know, just a neck brace, bed rest, and pain medication, which I think and would argue is just destroying all of the body's natural defense mechanisms and all of its ability to heal, to just lay still. We know that sitting is the new smoking y. And sedentary lifestyle is actually the leading cause of all cause mortality. And years ago, we discovered in orthopedic surgery, the. The old adage used to be, you know, after surgery, immobilize it as long as you can to let it heal. And then they started realizing that wasn't the right thing. Maybe early mobilization and orthopedic injuries is. Is the right thing to do. So you healed by doing the opposite. You healed through motion rather than just being sedentary.

[Bryony Deary]

And the other thing it did was completely take me out of my social circles and socializing in general, which is another thing that is just so counterintuitive to your healing. So it was just kind of making me stay at home, not see my friends, not be out there. My confidence was down. I couldn't sleep when I came off tramadol. So then they put me on antidepressants.

[Gary Brecker]

Oh, my God.

[Bryony Deary]

To help me so Typical. Yes.

[Gary Brecker]

Antidepressants to help you sleep.

[Bryony Deary]

I know.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow.

[Bryony Deary]

And it was just such a crazy journey. And at the time you just. Again, there was. I feel the world now is so different when it comes to wellness and so advanced and we're more empowered to ask the questions and to kind of push back a little bit more, which is amazing. And we're our own advocates, whereas then that didn't exist.

[Gary Brecker]

Oh, no.

[Bryony Deary]

Especially not for an 18 year old. And my parents are just doing the best that they could, thinking, you know, trust the doctor. We're not doctors.

[Gary Brecker]

So sure.

[Bryony Deary]

So anyway, then I didn't. Didn't see the power of consistency and I thought, perfect, I'm healed. I'll just go and do these crazy different workouts. Hiit training, Barry's. All of those things which I'm definitely not saying are a problem or bad, but I was doing it to a level which was really kind of.

[Gary Brecker]

It became your new addiction.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah. And it was breaking down my body. And also I later was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow. So you have the accident. Yeah, you heal through movement and Pilates and luckily had a physio that knew what they were doing. So I'm sure he started you low and slow and then slowly rehabilitated your core. And was it as your core got stronger, the pain got less completely connected? Starting while you're in pain has got to be so hard. I mean, there's a lot of people watching this podcast right now and going, oh, that's all well and good for her, but I mean, you don't know what real pain is, but you were experiencing excruciating pain.

[Bryony Deary]

I mean, I was. I was working. Later down the line, I was working in London, so I had a huge commute. And I remember holding myself for like an hour and a half like this, just tears streaming down my face. The pain was terrible. So I really want to kind of stress that in the sense that you can change, that you can really transform your body through movement.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow.

[Bryony Deary]

And for me it's Classical Pilates at the foundation. Whether you add on strength training, which I think is amazing, which I do, Classical Pilates is so relevant in that type of movement.

[Gary Brecker]

Can you explain what classical Pilates is?

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah, sure. So Classical Pilates was created by Joseph Pilates. He realized during the First World War that when he was working in the hospitals, if he attached certain springs to the beds and helped his patients move whilst being on the beds, kind of like on a Cadillac or Reformer, what you would see today that they Healed much, much quicker.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow.

[Bryony Deary]

So that was kind of when classical Pilates was born through that. So he was a gymnast, a boxer, and he really saw the body as a system, so he created this repertoire of movement that really kind of served the body. And he was very focused on breath work, which I know you love as well.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah, I love it, too.

[Bryony Deary]

It's. It's so powerful, so healing. Yeah, it's so transformative. And when you connect breath work to movement as he. He does and as I do, it's just amazing. And he really believed in the powerhouse, which is your. Essentially your core, so. And the spine. He always said, you're only as young as your spine is healthy.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah. So he's very. I mean, think of how long ago that was so advanced.

[Gary Brecker]

Incredible. First World War.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow.

[Bryony Deary]

And we're now going back to that. That is longevity that we're all discussing now. So. Yeah, it was. It was amazing to. To go through that journey and be kind of like a product of now what I believe in.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah. So you. So now you come out of this journey using movement to heal your pain. And as your pain is actually reducing, maybe you got completely out of pain, and then you get this rheumatoid diagnosis. So how did you. What started to happen? Did your joints just start to ache? And then pretty soon you.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah, so I actually started getting very bad swelling in my hands. So I was calling it, like, sausage fingers.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah. My wife calls it. Howie, you can't get your rings off.

[Bryony Deary]

No. And it was. And then all my joints would go red, so I would have these kind of, like, red kind of spots around my. Around my joints. And then I got to the point where I couldn't bend my fingers, I couldn't tie my hair up, I couldn't pull a light switch. Holding my toothbrush, holding a hairbrush was really hard. And at the time I worked in makeup, I was working on a makeup counter, so I could not pick up things like in a. It was crazy how quickly it happened as well.

[Gary Brecker]

Oh, my gosh.

[Bryony Deary]

I also had terrible acne at the time. I don't know. The two were going to.

[Gary Brecker]

We're going to have a makeup counter with terrible acne. I mean, I wasn't like, the ultimate oxymoron. Like, I'm not buying from this chick.

[Bryony Deary]

Exactly. So. So. Yeah, but that's. That those were the first signs. And I noticed as well, when I was cold, it would. It would take my hands so long to almost, like, kind of just open up.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah.

[Bryony Deary]

So I noticed it first in my hands and then my elbows and feet and wrists.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow.

[Bryony Deary]

And. Yeah, and then I went to a doctor. They, they told me, you're way too young for anything like that. It's not arthritis. So then they gave me a cortisone injection then. And then they said, this will, this will clear it. And it did. As we, as we discussed it did. And then of course, it came back. And it came back and it came back. And, and then later on in Switzerland, actually, I was eventually diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah. And that's when I was suggested to go on these regular, twice a month injections.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah, those are corticosteroids that we know now that we knew this in the mortality space years ago. That because we had all of this data on mortality and we had, you know, years and years of medical records on, on hundreds of millions of, of people that had taken out life insurance, that when you started taking corticosteroids, initially they would be anti inflammatory. Like you experience it goes away and you're like, oh, this is the panacea, thank God. And, but long term, they eat your joint.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah.

[Gary Brecker]

Like a termite. And what's fascinating about your story, and I want you to get into it, is that, you know, you walked your way out of this autoimmune disease. And I think the vast majority of people, when they're told they have an autoimmune disease like rheumatoid, you know, they think that's a life sentence.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah.

[Gary Brecker]

And now I have to subscribe to a lifetime of medication.

[Bryony Deary]

Exactly.

[Gary Brecker]

And you know what's fascinating too is they rarely tell you, well, what caused this? How did I get rheumatoid? I mean, especially you, you, you're, you. First of all, you were young, you would, you had this car accident, but you'd gotten yourself back to a place where you were pain free. You probably were very physically fit at that time, your core from Pilates. And now all of a sudden you have rheumatoid. And I, I'd love to take a dive into that. You know, what was going on, diet wise, stress wise, you know, sleep wise, emotionally. What was going on, you think around that time that could have triggered the rheumatoid?

[Bryony Deary]

So I actually, after the car accident, after I realized I was healed, I then kind of didn't keep up the Pilates. So then when I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, Pilates was not a regular thing in my world. So then once, once I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I then went back to doing the Pilates. That's when I kind of refer. Any time I was going through something mentally, physically, I always found myself going back to that practice.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah. But lifestyle wise, I think I was just in. I was very disconnected to myself at the time. I had very low self worth. Like, I would never have done anything like this.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah.

[Bryony Deary]

Five years ago, I was a completely different person.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow.

[Bryony Deary]

Super shy, you know, really not confident public speaking. And even to 5, 10 people in a room.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow.

[Bryony Deary]

And I think I had such a disconnect from my mind to my body. You know, it showed up in my skin. It showed up in arthritis. So I think I was in this, like, constant fight or flight zone.

[Gary Brecker]

Makes a lot of sense.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah. So I, I felt that. And you could also see it in my. In my face.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah.

[Bryony Deary]

I was eating. I was living in Switzerland, so I was eating a lot of dairy. I don't know if that had any impact. I do eat dairy now, but I went through a period of time of cutting it out, and it was obviously quite cold in the winters.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah.

[Bryony Deary]

So I think just. Just high stress and just trying to kind of get by and figure myself out. That was kind of my.

[Gary Brecker]

You know what's astounding, about 82% of all autoimmune is in females. It's in women.

[Bryony Deary]

Yes. I read that.

[Gary Brecker]

You know, so the vast majority of autoimmune disease affects women. And there's no sexual predisposition. Like from a. From a biological standpoint. There's nothing about being a female that predisposes you genetically to rheumatoid arthritis or to any autoimmune disease. But the prevailing wisdom now is that, you know, women are very often they, they get caregiver syndrome, which is putting the needs of everybody else before the needs of themselves, especially women that have children, they have a spouse, and they have a career, and they're trying to juggle all of those things and they just put themselves in the backseat. They have a tendency to ruminate on. On things more than men do. And so stress, that stress bucket just keeps filling until it just overflows. And all of a sudden your immune system just lights up.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah.

[Gary Brecker]

And you wake up one day on, you're an otherwise healthy female and you've got Hashimoto's because it's. Your immune system is now attacking your thyroid if you have rheumatoid and it's attacking the synovium of the joints. What's more fascinating to me is that you were able to put that in the rearview mirror. And I want to talk about that journey of walking yourself out of rheumatoid. And then I want to go down the pregnancy route, because while I've got the only pregnant woman on my podcast, we definitely. You're hiding it well. You got your legs crossed and your arms folded, but wearing black. We have got one in the oven. Because, you know, I have a large female audience. There's such a paucity of information on nutrition and. And especially exercise during pregnancy, which I want to touch on as well.

[Bryony Deary]

I can't wait to.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah, so we're going to get into that. But take. Continue with me journey of walking yourself out of the rheumatoid. You cleaned up your diet, you got rid of dairy, so you started getting militant about your diet. At that time, it must have been hard to go back to Pilates, too. I mean, your first round was in excruciating pain. Your second round, you have an autoimmune rheumatoid.

[Bryony Deary]

So there were small things that I did at the time. I went back to Pilates. That was a big. A big thing for me at home. I was just reconnecting to myself. And what was amazing is that I felt not only I was getting stronger in my body, but the thing with classical is it's so precise. The form and the breath work and the precision. There is so much going on that you are completely free in your mind.

[Gary Brecker]

Right.

[Bryony Deary]

You're all in your body. You're that deeply connected. So I think that helped calm my nervous system down. I did things like meditation. I didn't do breath work just yet, but now that's a big part of.

[Gary Brecker]

My huge part of my day job.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah. But at the time, it wasn't so popular. I didn't really know about it, but I meditated and I always had a journal. I always loved to write ever since I was at school. So I did these kind of, like, small wellness practices. I reduced, cut out dairy. I actually became vegan almost with the exception of fish every now and then.

[Gary Brecker]

Okay.

[Bryony Deary]

So again, that was kind of the time when plant based was at its highest.

[Gary Brecker]

Yes.

[Bryony Deary]

And that was the most healthy thing to do. Everyone was saying, and I can't believe you would eat meat and do these things. So I was just trying.

[Gary Brecker]

Nonsense, by the way.

[Bryony Deary]

But, yeah, exactly. And I was trying so many different things. Just. Just wanting to go the natural way. So I did start to feel the difference, feel the shift.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow.

[Bryony Deary]

And I think what really made the difference was the full Body alignment and also relieving my body of that tension. I think we hold so much stress and, you know, we can look into so much data, and we're so lucky now that we have so much science and data available to us.

[Gary Brecker]

Right.

[Bryony Deary]

But at the end of the day, your body tells you, right?

[Gary Brecker]

If you listen to it.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah. And my body was telling me, calm down, like, do what you can to be strong, but also mind and body. So I could feel that, you know, like, even my spine was healthier, my body was more aligned, my posture was better, I was standing better. Everything was kind of, you know, all.

[Gary Brecker]

Sort of being the core of Pilates. Right. Posture alignment, core strength.

[Bryony Deary]

Exactly. And that mind to muscle connection as well, which we can. We can go into with the likes of strength training. But it wasn't until much later down the line that I went all in on, on wellness and everything and started hot and cold therapy. And I would say that doing saunas and cold plunge have made a huge difference.

[Gary Brecker]

I would totally agree with that.

[Bryony Deary]

So I have never done an injection since that first injection I had at then and there. I didn't really have much of a choice. I never did any injections, and I have no symptoms whatsoever of my rheumatoid arthritis that I was really struggling with.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah.

[Bryony Deary]

So, yeah.

[Gary Brecker]

So I think, you know, when you, when you talk about sauna, cold, plunging, you know, a lot of this has to do with how the body eliminates waste. You know, we eliminate waste through stool and urine, but also through sweat. And there's a lot of data to support that. Things like mold, mycotoxins, viruses, parasites, heavy metals, Those in particular, those four in particular can light the immune system up and actually be the genesis for a lot of these autoimmune diseases. You know, heavy metals embedding in the thyroid, causing the immune system to light up. The thyroid. Mold and mycotoxins, viruses, parasites and heavy metals locating themselves in places like the joints and calling the immune system that location, having it light up. So by cleaning up your diet, by focusing on movement and exercise, which is great for moving your lymphatic system and eliminating waste and then adding sweat, you know, you were able to overcome a. An autoimmune disease, and I just can't emphasize that enough. I think it's so exciting because I talk about this all the time. When you have an autoimmune disease, it's not a life sentence.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah.

[Gary Brecker]

But I want to shift gears to what we were talking about before the podcast, because you came in and said that you had seen a podcast of mine where I talked about methylfolate.

[Bryony Deary]

Lauren and Michaels.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah, Lauren and Michaels. Hey, shout out to Lauren and Michael Bossick. I love those guys. They're, they're amazing. I've been on there twice and they're just amazing, amazing humans. And I think they're doing great things in this world. But you look a lot like her, by the way. You guys are sort of twins.

[Bryony Deary]

I'll take it.

[Gary Brecker]

You're both beautiful. You both were pregnant. Not at the same time, but, but you know, and you switched up your supplementation to methylfolate. And maybe it was coincidence, but you got pregnant very shortly thereafter. Yeah, I'll take 15 credit for that.

[Bryony Deary]

I think you should take a lot.

[Gary Brecker]

And you got pregnant shortly thereafter. And so far, how far along are you?

[Bryony Deary]

So I'm just over seven months pregnant.

[Gary Brecker]

Okay. We're way down the choo choo track.

[Bryony Deary]

I know.

[Gary Brecker]

You do not look seven months.

[Bryony Deary]

So any minute now, this is the life.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah. Okay. Don't start having contractions on the podcast.

[Bryony Deary]

I would feel in good hands.

[Gary Brecker]

And so I really want to get into what you've been doing to stay healthy and move during pregnancy because, I mean, everybody's like afraid to touch the pregnant women. I don't want to give them any advice, definitely.

[Bryony Deary]

And that's something that I, I definitely noticed before getting pregnant. But when you are pregnant and in the thick of it, you feel everything so, so heavily. So I think there's a lot of fear mongering. And one thing I really want to kind of express and get out there is that you need to train for pregnancy. So if you are, obviously if you're pregnant, congratulations is amazing. But if you're thinking about getting pregnant, you need to get into the best shape of your life. That's such good advice that will carry you through more than you realize right now. And during the pregnancy, you will see and feel the effects of that beyond words. And I can't tell you how much it's saved me because the hormones during pregnancies, the ups and the downs are wild and there's so much you can't control, but that is something that you can control. And I really encourage movement during pregnancy. Of course, if you have never moved and you have lived more of a sedentary life, then starting an exercise during pregnancy is not recommended, they say. But you know, if you can get very, very strong before pregnancy, going into it strong, mentally, physically, you will also not only have, as research has shown, an easier birth and easier postpartum, but you will also feel yourself like for moments in the day just because you. You need that.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah, yeah. And I think there's so many women are afraid to do anything during pregnancy and there's such a paucity of information. So what is a typical day or week look like for you? You know, in terms of movement? Like, what types of movement are you doing? And because obviously exercise has to change somewhat when you're pregnant.

[Bryony Deary]

It does, but actually it doesn't in the first trimester.

[Gary Brecker]

Okay.

[Bryony Deary]

So for the first three months, you don't actually need to make any changes. I was doing our hardest challenge on the app. We had a six week transform, six week challenge. And it was. I was waking up at 6am doing 45 minute live classes, and I was in the thick of the sickness and I was.

[Gary Brecker]

You were in the thick of like the nausea, the everything.

[Bryony Deary]

Oh, it was really tough. But I will say, like, I would hype myself up in the bathroom beforehand with a song and then go down, do my life. But for that 45 minutes or half an hour, whatever it was, I felt like me and I felt, okay, this is only gonna help me do this one thing for yourself, because the rest of the day is just gonna be how it is. You know, anything goes when you're in that sickness. So for the first trimester, do exactly what you can and exactly what you were always doing. That would be my advice. Of course, you have to say, check with your doctor.

[Gary Brecker]

Right.

[Bryony Deary]

But then in the second trimester, that's when you'll slightly modify your workouts, especially with core work. But there's so much that you can do that doesn't involve crunches. And you. It's also a myth that you can't change train your core during pregnancy.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow.

[Bryony Deary]

You absolutely can train your core. And you can also do it using your breath.

[Gary Brecker]

Wow.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah.

[Gary Brecker]

So what is a breath work routine or breath work technique look like for you, you know, during pregnancy? Is it something you do in the morning? Is something you do consistently?

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah. So I can actually talk you through it if. Yeah, let's really quick.

[Gary Brecker]

Okay.

[Bryony Deary]

So you can do this any time of the day, but I also really encourage you to do it before you work out, even if you're lifting in the gym. So if you come into either a standing or seated position and you bring your hands onto your rib cage. My rib cage is there somewhere?

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah, mine's higher.

[Bryony Deary]

Okay. So you're going to take an inhale, breathe into your hands, breathe into your ribcage, fill yourself up, exhale, draw that ribcage in and pull the belly button into the spine. Can you almost feel you're doing a crunch?

[Gary Brecker]

Good.

[Bryony Deary]

I can't feel the baby, but I can. Don't worry. Okay, two more here. So inhale, open up. Really expand into your rib cage. Exhale, Draw that rib cage.

[Gary Brecker]

Inhale. Good.

[Bryony Deary]

Let's do one more. Inhale, open up. Exhale, pulling in. Belly button pulls back to the spine.

[Gary Brecker]

Good.

[Bryony Deary]

So I start every class with that because what we can do using that breath is apply that to movement. So if we inhale on an extension, for example, if you're in a crunch. So if you inhale as you reach back and your elbows stay wide, that's also key. Exhale. As you curl into yourself and you're pulling the rib cage in, you're getting that extra connection to your lower abdominals. The results I've seen where people apply breath work to movement physically is insane. Wow. Yeah. You will unlock a different side of your results if you connect your breath with your movement.

[Gary Brecker]

So you use this to go into your Pilates movements. You're telling the body we're getting ready for movement.

[Bryony Deary]

Yes.

[Gary Brecker]

Like warming up before a run.

[Bryony Deary]

Exactly. So we'll start every class with that, but we'll also add that in throughout. But you can do it. You know, if you're on the squat rack, you inhale as you go down.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah.

[Bryony Deary]

As you exhale, as you lift up, your rib cage is pulling in.

[Gary Brecker]

Right.

[Bryony Deary]

So not only are you preventing injury, you're lifting from a strong center. So why would you not have it stack? Why would you not make your workout more effective?

[Gary Brecker]

I love that.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah.

[Gary Brecker]

And what is a typical Pilates? I mean, we don't have the equipment in front of us, but let's say, you know, there's. There's going to be a number of pregnant women watching this or females that are about to get pregnant. What can they do from home? I know you have an app. Right. Okay, so that's great. So we're going to talk about that at the end of the show because, you know, a lot of pregnant women are a little self conscious. Maybe going to the gym.

[Bryony Deary]

Oh, completely get that. And so, yeah, I feel you guys.

[Gary Brecker]

And so we actually have another pregnant woman in the audience with us today. Brianna's my. Yeah, my chief of staff is pregnant. This is the second ultimate human baby we've had, by the way. Yeah, first. Oh, it is the first ultimate human girl. Yeah, we got a boy and a girl and they're all named after me. The first one is Gary. This One's Gary yet.

[Bryony Deary]

And we'll take so.

[Gary Brecker]

Nice. They're definitely all taking Methop fully, so walk me through a typical, like, at home Pilates routine for.

[Bryony Deary]

So you really don't need anything.

[Gary Brecker]

Okay.

[Bryony Deary]

So actually yesterday when I was teaching here in the class, people were joining on the wood on the floor because there wasn't enough mats.

[Gary Brecker]

Oh, wow.

[Bryony Deary]

You do not need anything. You can be in your hotel room. I know you met Barbara Stem.

[Gary Brecker]

Yes. Yeah, we shot a podcast yesterday.

[Bryony Deary]

She often does my classes on the bed.

[Gary Brecker]

She does, yeah.

[Bryony Deary]

So I love Barbara. She's.

[Gary Brecker]

She's amazing.

[Bryony Deary]

But you do not need a single thing. You can do it on a towel, on a mat.

[Gary Brecker]

Okay.

[Bryony Deary]

So, I mean, you can start with 10 minutes. Build yourself up with equipment, without equipment. But I teach Matt. I really believe in accessibility and simplifying movement and making it so that it's very effective and efficient, but it's something that you can stay consistent with. We all lead incredibly busy lives. A lot of us, you know, maybe have a busy job or have kids at home. We can't get to the gym. And as you say, if you're building your confidence up, sometimes you want to do that in the comfort of your own home.

[Gary Brecker]

Sure.

[Bryony Deary]

In your pajamas.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah.

[Bryony Deary]

With your kids running around. So, yeah, you don't need anything.

[Gary Brecker]

Okay. And what is it at cruising altitude? What is a typical length of a good Pilates workout at home? Like one of your classes.

[Bryony Deary]

So we. In our weekly schedule, we kind of mix it up. We'll do anything from 15 minutes to 45 minutes. Nothing longer than 45 minutes. Because I promise you, Gary, if I trained you for 45 minutes, you would feel it.

[Gary Brecker]

No, I'm scared of you. Even though you're pregnant. Trust me, I. I'm. I'm. You know, every time I go to a yoga class, and I've done yoga from time to time. I do a lot of stretching now, but I'll go to a yoga class or Pilates. Yeah, it is. You find muscles you just never knew you had.

[Bryony Deary]

It's crazy. And you know what's so fun is candlestick pose.

[Gary Brecker]

And it's like they have all these fancy names, you know, Happy baby. I'm like, there's nothing happy about this baby. You know, it's like. Yeah.

[Bryony Deary]

Miserable.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah.

[Bryony Deary]

No, my. Well, my husband, he's. He's very into health and wellness and physically fit, and he trains incredibly hard. And because I've been pregnant, I. I've still wanted to record advanced classes on the app, so I've Used him as my body, and he's just like, please, not again. Like, and he's shaking, dripping and sweat, and like, 30 minute, you know, so you really can get the effect. What I think is important is to know that the accumulative. Yes, that is a real thing, having that compound effect. You know, you think, oh, I only have 10 minutes. But if you thought that every single day, you know, it's having that movement in your daily life and being naturally active as well. But if you can, of course, the more you can do. The good thing about Pilates is, is that it's the most sustainable form of movement for your body, so you technically don't need a rest day.

[Gary Brecker]

Oh, that's so good. Yeah. And I. And I think that, you know, Pilates is probably, of all the classes of exercise, probably the one that focuses most on the core. And I think there's some misnomers about Pilates because people think I just don't want to spend that much time focused on my core, because that's not what people see. Yeah, they see my shoulders and my biceps and my quads, of course, you know, and I want the shape. But some of the most beautiful body shapes I've ever seen are people that are intentionally doing. Doing Pilates.

[Bryony Deary]

Totally. And I mean, for me, I do two strength training sessions a week, and I do four Pilates classes a week. No walk. When I obviously strength train.

[Gary Brecker]

Oh, strength train. Yeah.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah. And with. And when. With the Pilates, I'll use the ring, the band, ankle weights, and sometimes I'll use nothing. Like this morning was a standing workout in the kitchen in my hotel room. So it completely varies. But I love that. I love that you can. You. You don't have barriers to it. You're not kind of convincing yourself, I can skip this.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah.

[Bryony Deary]

So what is.

[Gary Brecker]

Now that you've conquered rheumatoid arthritis, what is your diet look like? I mean, I. I think movement is probably an enormous part of what got you out of both of those challenges that you faced. What's. What's your diet look like now that you're pregnant? And what does your supplementation look like?

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah. So my diet. I've been on such a journey, and I really feel the best I've ever felt in terms of. Of what I'm eating and fueling my body. And I really believe we need to fuel ourselves.

[Gary Brecker]

I do, too.

[Bryony Deary]

And I eat a lot. You know, I really love. I love food, and I think that's great.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah, I think so, too. It's just Funny to hear a pregnant woman sitting here.

[Bryony Deary]

Go.

[Gary Brecker]

I eat a lot. Yeah.

[Bryony Deary]

Pregnant or not pregnant, I eat a lot, but so I eat meat, I eat fish. I try and have a lot of healthy fats, Greek yogurt. I love berries. Trying to get a lot more spinach in being pregnant. I eat red meat. That's been. I know. God forbid, guys. So I'm really, I'm very varied with my diet. There's not many things that I wouldn't eat. I don't eat cheese or actually I don't. Do you know what? I don't eat eggs. Okay. I haven't had eggs for years and this morning I had my first egg. Guys, did you really?

[Gary Brecker]

All right, awesome.

[Bryony Deary]

And you know what? But yesterday I was looking at your profile and I don't know whether it's the pregnancy, but you share a lot of eggs.

[Gary Brecker]

Yes, I do. I eat a lot of eggs. Yeah. I think it's nature's perfect protein.

[Bryony Deary]

Yes. Okay. So I was like, okay, now I've got a taste for eggs. Maybe I can eat eggs now.

[Gary Brecker]

Dude, got you pregnant. Now I got you on the eggs.

[Bryony Deary]

Seriously, we're making moves. So, yeah, maybe that's my new thing as well. But I love, love to eat as much, kind of. I'm also conscious of what I'm feeding my baby now.

[Gary Brecker]

Yes.

[Bryony Deary]

So I'm trying to have like nutrient dense food and really being mindful of that and having, you know, having fruits, but not too many fruits and making sure I'm having a lot of veg and, and a variety nuts, seeds, things like that.

[Gary Brecker]

So that's amazing.

[Bryony Deary]

One thing I do have, which I don't think. I'm not sure if you, you are a fan of, but I have protein powder.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah.

[Bryony Deary]

Okay. That makes me feel good.

[Gary Brecker]

Especially for, you know, very often it's, it's hard for women to hit their macros on protein. You know, I mean, it's just such a volume of food and women are not usually sitting down eating a ribeye and, you know, a couple chicken breasts and, and so protein powders can be amazing. I don't think that you should solely do protein powders, but. But yeah, I mean, this whole time at this event, you know, we've been doing smoothies and things because there were so much is going on and I feel amazing and.

[Bryony Deary]

Okay.

[Gary Brecker]

And if you do well with whey protein. Whey protein. You know, some people do very well with hydrolyzed whey and they digest it fine.

[Bryony Deary]

Would you recommend way over plant based and.

[Gary Brecker]

But I, I Think the vast majority of people can tolerate plant based proteins. You know, a smaller segment can tolerate the whey based proteins. The sad thing is that a lot of whey protein powders are junk just because of they, they're, they're not grass fed, grass finished, they're not hydrolyzed. But good whey protein powders are, are amazing. And I am also a big believer in, in, in plant proteins.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah.

[Gary Brecker]

You know, at the end of the day it's going to become the same thing. It's all going to become amino acids.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah.

[Gary Brecker]

And the amino acids are really the building blocks for your beautiful baby and for so many things in our body. Collagen, elastin, fibrin, you know, muscles, natural killer cells. So if, if you have a hard time hitting your macros with whole foods, then absolutely. Protein powders can be amazing.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah. And also for traveling is sometimes good to just take some protein powder with you, add it into whether it's oats or you know, having a shake or something. It's just getting it in where you can. And also being realistic, you know, it is just, you have to just do what you can that day at the end of the day. So.

[Gary Brecker]

So I assume this is your first baby. Right. Okay. So congratulations. So this is so awesome. Another issue I'll just touch on before we wind things down is infant formula.

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah.

[Gary Brecker]

You haven't started, you know, breastfeeding or infant formula. Obviously breastfeeding. Hands down, there's nothing that compares to, to mother's natural milk. But have you been down the road of investigating infant formulas yet?

[Bryony Deary]

Yes.

[Gary Brecker]

Because you will be if you're not.

[Bryony Deary]

I know. And actually I'm so interested to hear your opinion on it. And I think also just to touch on, there's so much judgment in pregnancy and so much it's really crazy. And I also want to say just, you know, at the end of the day, if someone has a very strong opinion on you and your baby, you know, that's on them.

[Gary Brecker]

Right.

[Bryony Deary]

And you know, best and you can do, you can only do your best. You know, I agree with you. So I'm going to really try and commit to breastfeeding for as long as I possibly can. But at the same time I don't this narrative that, you know, we're failures if we can't.

[Gary Brecker]

Absolutely.

[Bryony Deary]

So just to kind of put that out there. But I, I have looked into formulas and I'm so interested what is the best formula and also what's the best in the UK that we can get and versus America and What are things to look out for? I know that you're interviewing me.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, you're. First of all, you're on the right side of the world for me to be searching for infant formulas because the UK and Germany have some of the. The cleanest formulas available. They actually use whole milk solids, not a lot of seed oils. You know, seed oils are pro inflammatory for these little babies. They're required to be put in infant formula in the United States. So most women that have gone down that rabbit hole are sourcing them from either the UK or from Germany. I'm actually in the process with my team because I've got two very talented, intelligent and purpose driven females on my team that are. One just recently had a baby, one's pregnant now. And, you know, we've decided to formulate our own infant formula. But that is a 18 month journey through the FDA. And so getting seed oil free, getting, you know, using things like milk solids and coconut oils and real olive oils and expeller pressed oils. That's a good term to look for is cold expeller pressed. That will mean that it's not highly processed. Yeah. You know, sad thing is a lot of the, these plants are not dangerous. It's what we do to the plant.

[Bryony Deary]

Totally. And how we process those.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah, it's how we process it. It's not the plant itself. It's the distance from the plant to the table. You know, hexane to de gum things, you know, sodium hydroxide to deodorize them, heating them to the point where they're rancid and then drying them and putting them in a baby formula. No different than eating it as an adult. And their little systems are so sensitive. But you're doing all the right things. You're taking a methylated multivitamin vitamin. You're, you're moving, you're exercising intensely during pregnancy. I mean, I think my audience is going to get so much out of this.

[Bryony Deary]

Oh, I'm so pleased.

[Gary Brecker]

How, you know, for my audience that is interested. How, how do they find you?

[Bryony Deary]

Yeah. So the app is on the App Store. Pilates by Bryony.

[Gary Brecker]

Parties by Bryony. And that's B R Y O N Y.

[Bryony Deary]

Yes. And It's Pilates by Bryony.com.

[Gary Brecker]

Okay.

[Bryony Deary]

On Instagram, I'm Bryony Deary. I'm officially Bryony Bass now. But I'm so.

[Gary Brecker]

You are. I'm so in the ass. You got to upgrade all your stuff.

[Bryony Deary]

Oh, gosh. And it's just one of Those paperwork things.

[Gary Brecker]

Yeah, my wife and I been together 10 years, she still hasn't changed her passport. We argue about it every time we check into a hotel, cuz they're like, oh, do you need a second key for your guest? I'm like, you see, they wouldn't actually ask that if we had the same last name.

[Bryony Deary]

We have this.

[Gary Brecker]

You know my gu.

[Bryony Deary]

How you do that's hilarious.

[Gary Brecker]

Hey, I'm on your hubby side on this hubby. I'm on your team, man.

[Bryony Deary]

I will get rounds from. But no, we have a seven day free trial, so you can sign up and just check it out. And we have meditations, breath work, sound baths, prenatal, postnatal, advanced recipes. So much stuff on there. So, yeah, thank you for this conversation.

[Gary Brecker]

You are so amazing. I do wind all my podcasts down by asking my guests the same question. So there's no right or wrong answer to this question, but what does it mean to you to be an ultimate human?

[Bryony Deary]

Oh, okay. Wasn't ready for this one. But for me, to be an ultimate human would be to pass on the life change that I've had to as many people as possible. And also in this world of kind of analyzing everything and really kind of scrutinizing ourselves, I just want to feel and do feel very calm inside. So for me, the calmness signals that.

[Gary Brecker]

That's amazing, Briona, you're amazing. Thank you for coming on the Ultimate Human podcast. And guys, until next time, that's just science.