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17. The Most Important Lessons I Have Learned on my Fitness Journey Over the Past 30 Years · Midlife Glow Up: Simplifying Fitness, Nutrition and Healthy Habits for Women over 40

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: So here we are, 17 episodes in.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: And for some reason, today my palms are sweating more than normal.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm about to share with you just a vulnerable behind-the-scenes story.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: And it feels a little bit like, huh.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: But here we go.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the thing.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I listen to a lot of podcasts, I read a lot of books.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: And whenever I hear an expert talk about their thing, whether it's business or health or personal growth or relationships, it always seems like they have it all figured out.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like maybe life is just easier for them, or they're just naturally gifted at their thing, or they have some secret sauce that the rest of us don't have access to.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: But every single time when you really listen to their whole story, you realize that that is not true, that every single one of them has struggled and failed and doubted themselves.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: And yet they're still showing up.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: And that is how they have become an expert in their field.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: So we tend to just see the polished version and not necessarily the messy middle.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm guessing from the outside that it might look like I have always had it together with fitness.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like maybe it just comes easier for me, or that I'm more motivated, or I somehow magically have more hours in my day.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: But the truth is that what you see now is just the result of decades of learning and adjusting and starting over and asking for help and choosing to come back to fitness, even when it would have been easier to not.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: So today I'm pulling back the curtain on my story, my fitness journey, and all the messy middle parts of it.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Because I want you to know that if fitness feels hard for you right now, you are not broken.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: This is just a human thing.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: And your story is also still unfolding.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to the Midlife Glow Up Podcast, where we simplify fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits for women over 40.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: If you are ready to feel strong, consistent, and confident in this season of life, you are in the right place, my friend.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: So today is where I'm going to share with you the most important lessons that I have learned over the past 30 years inside of my personal fitness journey.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: This is not a highlight reel.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: This is actually the real story of how movement and identity and mindset and self-trust have evolved for me over time.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's not about being the best.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: And that is something that I have learned over and over again, but it is about staying in the game.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so to paint the picture, we're gonna go back to the beginning.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: As a child, I had severe asthma, like hospital multiple times as a kid, kind of asthma.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: I was on daily medications.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: I remember my mom, I hated taking pills, and she would break open my capsules and she would pour the little beads inside the pill into my applesauce and stir it up and hand it to me, and I would choke it down.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: And that was just my reality.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: This is something I lived with.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I realized now that I reflect back, that early on I had internalized this belief that my body just couldn't do what other bodies could do.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: So in school, that meant for me sitting out of PE class and watching from the sidelines, feeling different from everybody else.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, part of me was glad that I didn't have to participate, that I had an excuse.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: I really thought running was like the worst thing ever.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: But I realized now that I didn't actually dislike movement.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: I just had equated it with feeling incapable compared to my peers.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I realized that this probably comes up for a lot of women.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: When fitness doesn't feel safe or comfortable or welcoming, it's easy to assume that maybe it's just not for you.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're not built for it.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe some people are just fitness people and you're not one of them.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: But I had always liked swimming.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: That swimming was something that had come easily to me.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: I was on the summer swim team.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: We moved around a ton in the military, and every new place meant a new pool, a new swim team, and a new community.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: And swimming gave me the consistency when everything in my life felt like it was kind of changing.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: And later on in life, it also gave me a leadership role as like a team captain, um, like in high school.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: But I remember that one of my doctors that I went to regularly for asthma mentioned to me that swimming was actually a great sport for those with asthma because of the rhythmic breathing.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so all of a sudden I kind of felt like, ah, so he was actually giving me permission for swimming to be my thing.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like, oh, this can be my sport.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: It's okay that I'm not good at running or other sports like kids playing soccer and things like that.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: I can just be a swimmer.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Luckily for me, my asthma subsided like around age 19 or 20.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm really not sure why.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: Some people say you just kind of grow out of it.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it was the rhythmic breathing, the swimming that really allowed me to get control of my breathing after all those years.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: But even though my asthma had subsided, I held on to that old story about myself, that I was just not a runner, right?
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: That I just was not capable of doing things that would that felt kind of scary to me.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I felt like I'd always have to have my inhaler with me.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: So even once I got rid of that part of my story, I was still putting things in two different categories when it came to fitness.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: There was swimming, which felt safe and it came easily, but then there was running and everything else where I felt incapable and just worried that my body might not be able to keep up.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I had decided in that moment that I'm not a runner.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: And once you decide something like that for yourself, it's really hard to be open to anything different.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I think this happens a lot for a lot of women as well.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: When we say, like, I'm just not fit or I'm just not strong or I'm just not flexible.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: And you don't realize it, but that mindset is actually keeping you cut off from the possibility that it could be different.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: You're not even exploring what it might look like to be different because you've already decided on who you are.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: But here's what I want you to hear: these stories that you're telling yourself are not permanent.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: They feel true, but they're just beliefs and beliefs can change.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've been telling yourself, I'm not a fit person, my body just can't do this, I want you to know I told myself the exact same thing and I was wrong.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: And it was cool when I realized that I could change and that could be you too.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: So around the same time, now we're in like middle school, high school, my mom would go to the Navy base and take aerobus classes.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: So we moved around again a lot.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I think for her, she always knew no matter where we went, there would be a group fitness class on the Navy base that she could take.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: And she loved stepaerobics.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: So I would go with her.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: And when I was younger, I would just sit in the corner with a coloring book and watch these women moving together, doing their grapevines and their V-steps and their turn steps.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember my mom saying to me one day, hey, why don't you just join us?
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I realized, like, oh, that's accessible to me.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: And like these ladies seem like they're having a lot of fun.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I actually began to see my mom in a different light.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like she actually was creating community with these different women.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: And every time we moved, she knew there would be a place for her to be able to get her exercise, but also be surrounded by other women who would support each other.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: So this is where I learned that important lesson that exercise, fitness can be something that women do together as a form of connection.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's not punishment.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: Like PE class felt like punishment to me, but this was different.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe for you, you have been trying to do fitness alone.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you think that group fitness isn't for you.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm telling you that having a community aspect related to fitness activity, movement exercise can actually change the game.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: Finding your people, people, whether it's a class or you know, just going for walks together, but people who are on a similar journey is what makes fitness feel sustainable and fun.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: And you do not have to go it alone.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: Also in high school, I found another unexpected home within the fitness world, which is the gym.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: So I started just tagging along with my then boyfriend.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: He was lifting weights and I would just go along.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: I had no idea what it was doing.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: I felt like a total imposter.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure people were, you know, thinking, what is this girl doing?
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: But once I realized that everyone else was only really focused on themselves, especially on a Navy base where the guys are just like checking out their biceps in the mirror, nobody was really judging me.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: And once that belief sunk in for me, I started to build my confidence in this new, what felt like a playground for me.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: I loved the creativity of the gym, so many different machines, so many different ways to move.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: And really, once I got down the basic lifts, it became this fun puzzle to fit them all together.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: And it felt kind of powerful and like exploratory in a way that was different from what I had found before.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I loved this new arena outside of the pool and with my mom in the step classes, where I felt like this could be something that could be for me.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: So if you have ever felt like an imposter in the gym or like everybody's watching you and judging you, I get it.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: That is like such a common thing that women are concerned about in the gym.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I have been there.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's been a long time since I've been there, but I do remember that feeling.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: But here's the truth that I want to remind you is that everyone in the gym is focused on their own workout, their own insecurities.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: They're thinking about their form, their next set, their goals.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: And the sooner you can let go of that fear of judgment, the sooner you too could start building real confidence.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: And you belong in that gym just as much as anybody else does.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: So, even with all of this, the swimming, the aerobics with my mom, going to the gym with my boyfriend, I still held on to this identity that I am not a runner.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: And part of the reason for that is because I kind of felt like it was forced upon me.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: So, just growing up in a military household, it was very much like, you will do this, you will do that.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like there wasn't much fun with fitness that was really modeled for me.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: So, college was definitely a big turning point for me as it relates to my fitness journey.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: And even though my asthma by then had subsided, I still showed up with this story that I was believing to be true about myself that I am definitely not a runner.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then I get assigned this roommate, and she was a chain smoker.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: She smoked cigarettes in our dorm room all the time.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: It was horrible for my breathing, obviously, but it also made me desperate to find any excuse to leave that room.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: I just wanted to be anywhere but there.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: And that is ironically how I discovered running in a way that actually fit.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: Not because someone was forcing me to, not because someone had told me to, but because I needed an escape.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I would lace up my shoes and just go.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: And at first it was just about getting out of that room.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: But somewhere along the way, I remember feeling free and independent and just like in control.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I could go this way or that way.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: And nobody was there trying to like force me to do anything.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I realized that this is fun.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: My body is capable of this.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: I might not be fast, but it's not triggering an asthma attack.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm escaping this crazy roommate, and I'm choosing this form of movement for myself.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're in a place right now where you can resonate with this where fitness has sometimes felt like an obligation or something that you're supposed to do, but you don't want to do it, I want to challenge you to find something that you enjoy, a form of movement that is actually fun for you.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: Not what works for someone else or what's trending on Instagram or what you feel like is what you're supposed to do, but something that you choose for yourself.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: And when you do that, everything changes.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: So as I am falling in love with moving my body, running, I also joined the water polo team.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: I decided that this is, I think, what I want to do with my life.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I decided to study exercise science in college.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: And that came with lots of fun elective classes that I probably would never have taken had I not decided this to be my major.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: But I ended up getting to take a triathlon class, and that was super fun.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: I also took a scuba diving class.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and in these classes, I met other people who were also pretty excited about fitness.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: I definitely still had my imposter syndrome.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of these people were true athletes, being part of a collegiate sports team and things like that.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: But I realized that I had a place there too, and I was just figuring it out as I went.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: Inside of this triathlon class, the swim portion came easy to me.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the run was something that I was definitely like working my way up to, you know, being able to run a couple of miles.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: But that bike, man, and even still to this day, definitely not my favorite form of fitness.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: But I did it.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: In the scuba diving class, we had to do all kinds of things that push me out of my comfort zone to include like a night dive where you literally cannot see your hand in front of your face underneath the water, and you have to try to figure out, you know, how to get all the way down to the bottom and all the way back up to the top.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: I ended up getting the bends as part of my scuba diving class.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: So there were definitely things that were real life lessons inside of um this part of my fitness journey.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: I also mentioned the water polo team.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I was definitely not good enough to go out for the Auburn swim team because they were um on a lot of them on their way to like Olympic trials, but I still wanted to be part of the aquatics community.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so I joined the water polo team.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: I had no idea what I was doing.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: Again, I had to wear a funny little bathing suit and a funny little cap with ear poles.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I just showed up and I played and I figured it out as I went.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: And a couple good things came out of that experience, even though I had to cut my nails super short because they require that on the water polo team.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: I was not real excited about that.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: But I did do something that was very scary for me, which is joining like an actual organized team sport.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: I had never done that before in my life.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: Lots and lots of imposter syndrome showed up there.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: But the best thing that came out of water polo for me was my husband.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: So towards the end of my college experience, I did something that my family and friends were pretty shocked at.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I was, again, like becoming a runner.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: I was working my way up to a couple of miles, but I had never done a race before or anything like that.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I just decided, you know what I'm gonna do?
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna sign up for a marathon.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: That's why I remember buying the um Jeff Galloway, I think it is, marathon book about the run-walk uh training plan.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I did it.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: I had no idea what I was doing.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: I did not have a running group or a partner or anything, just me and a whole lot of determination.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: And there were so many days that I wanted to quit.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I was a kid in college, like, you know, trying to figure out when to get my long runs in over the weekend with my course load as well as water polo and also wanting to just party and have fun.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: But I kept showing up and I kept putting one foot in front of the other.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I just remember feeling this insane amount of, I could not believe I just did that when I crossed that finish line.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: I realized that the girl who used to sit on the sidelines with her inhaler was so capable of so much more than she ever believed.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're telling yourself that you're too old to start something new or that you've not ever been athletic, so why start now?
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: Or that big, audacious goals are for other people, I'm here to tell you that it could be a different story for you.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: You could be capable of so much more than you think.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: And it doesn't really matter what you've done in the past, it just matters now what you decide today and how you move forward.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: And even though that I was doing these big things, showing up, studying fitness, doing the training, putting in the work, finishing big goals, there was still this quiet voice in the back of my mind just telling me that I didn't quite belong.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: I loved being in those spaces.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: I loved the community.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: I loved surrounding myself with people who were so inspiring to me.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: But I definitely never felt like the real athlete in the room.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: And that feeling has definitely followed me through most of my fitness journeys.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: I have struggled with imposter syndrome around fitness for most of my life.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: I was definitely never the fastest runner.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: I was never a state champion swimmer.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: When I went on to do bodybuilding, I never won like big competitions.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I even played four years of college water polo without even really understanding the rules of the game.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: But somewhere along the way, something clicked for me that fitness doesn't have to be about being the best, that it can just be about caring for myself and feeling powerful and building resilience and stepping into leadership.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: And once I learned that, I was hooked.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so ever since my early 20s, exercise has been less about like proving myself and more about a home that I get to return to because it grounds me.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: Later on, fitness taught me one of the most important lessons of motherhood for me.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: So after we got married, my early career took place mostly inside of gyms.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I was working out daily, teaching classes, training people, working the crazy trainer schedule where you're up at four and you've got this giant break during the middle of the day, but you're out till 10.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, I had all the time in the world to train.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: We didn't even have a dog at this point.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: So it was just me and my my fiance and husband, early husband at the time, until I got pregnant with my first baby.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: And that rocked my world.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: I gained a lot of weight with all three of my babies.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: But the first one was the heaviest I had ever been in my life.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: And even though I stayed active throughout my pregnancies, I felt uncomfortable.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: I felt awkward.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: I felt like a visitor in my own body.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what's going on here?
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: I taught spin classes all the way through my first two pregnancies.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: So if you can imagine, my knees were like pointing straight out to the side to make room for my big belly.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: So when my first daughter was born, I immediately, as soon as I was cleared for exercise, got back to teaching my early morning classes because I realized that that time of the day was precious.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_00: My husband was at the time getting his master's.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: He was going to night school, he's working all day.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: He was also teaching classes at the local community college.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: So I did not have childcare at all.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: And so if I didn't get my butt to the gym by 5 a.m.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: and home by seven so he could get off to work, that was my only window.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm actually really grateful it worked out that way because it taught me that if I didn't prioritize myself, my movement, which was really important to me to feel connected to who I am outside of a mom, that it simply wouldn't happen during the day.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: And if I took care of myself first, then I would actually be way more present for the rest of the day to be a mom, a provider, a dog mom, a wife, a neighbor, a sister, a daughter, all the things.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: Again, I don't know what I was thinking.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: I had never actually done outside of the triathlon class in college.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: I had never actually competed in a long-distance triathlon.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: But I felt like I needed a goal, I needed something to work towards.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so I signed up for a half Iron Man.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: And again, it gave me this purpose outside of being a wife and a mom, which is what I did all the other hours of the day, but it gave me something to focus on, something that reminded me that I was still me, even in this brand new identity as a mom.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I completed that race on my daughter's six-month birthday.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just so funny because what I remember most about that is I was still breastfeeding at the time, and I could not wait to get to my baby to relieve my aching body.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I just thought it was so funny because her first six months of life, I often was giving her a sweaty, salty breakfast because I was coming right right back after training and sweating, and that was what she got.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: So something that I learned in that season, my first real endurance athlete event, was that fitness doesn't have to look perfect.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like I remember having a whole training plan, and a lot of the times I wasn't able to do all the things I was supposed to do to get prepared for this race.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: But I realized that something is always better than nothing.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: And even if I didn't have all the hours in the day, like some people do to train for a triathlon, that I was gonna do my best and I was gonna show up with that attitude of just making myself proud at the end of the day.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: And that is really when I realized that taking care of my body didn't have to compete with motherhood, that it could actually support it.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: So let's fast forward about five years.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: So now I have three babies.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_00: And after my third baby, I definitely went through a real scary health incident.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_00: I got a blood clot after delivering her.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_00: And even after everything in my body had gone through, I was having to do shots in my belly and take um blood thinner medications, and actually still on blood thinner medications to this day.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_00: But I just remember in that moment three babies in, three pregnancies, like I was just so ready to get back to moving my body.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: I craved running and lifting and being back in community.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_00: And one of the things that happened around this time was I started hanging out with a group of women who were runners.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: At this point, I still don't know if I was identifying really as a runner, but I definitely was, you know, racking up the miles and really enjoyed running at this point.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: But I had never surrounded myself with other people who were fast.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: And these women were freaky fast.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: I had never really learned proper running technique, and I had never really done like sprint work or interval training or track workouts or anything like that.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: But they invited me along and they inspired the heck out of me.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: And again, talk about imposter syndrome.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: It did not belong in that room.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: However, I was happy to be with them and they showed me what was possible.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_00: These ladies were waking up at 3 a.m.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: to get an easy 18 miles in before the sun came up so that they could go back to being moms for the rest of the day.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: But that level of Of commitment and what they showed me was possible definitely changed the game for me.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I signed up for my second marathon when my youngest baby was just 11 months old.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember really wanting to wean her before the race.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: Not because I was done nursing, I loved it, but I just didn't want to have to carry that extra weight up top for 26 miles.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: Interestingly enough, inside of that marathon, after three babies, I ran way faster than I did the first time in college.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: But more interestingly, I actually PR'd my 10K and my half marathon.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: So I got my personal best in both of those races inside a marathon.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: That is crazy.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: I was learning then that I was actually stronger and more resilient in my 30s than I had been when I was younger.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: And it definitely wasn't easier, but I had perspective and experience and a much deeper knowing of my body and what it was capable for.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember thinking then, maybe the best years of strength and fitness are not behind me.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe they're still ahead of me.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_00: Isn't that crazy to think that our bodies are capable of incredible things at every age and in every season?
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are in your 40s or 50s or 60s and you think that your best years are behind you, what if they're not?
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: So remember, age is not a limitation.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's just a number.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: And that mindset behind it is the most important part.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: Then came the biggest turning point in my fitness journey.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: At this point, I was already fit.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: I had had my three babies.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: I was a runner by now.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_00: I was consistent.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: I felt strong.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: And at this point, I feel like I wasn't even really looking for my next big goal.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: I was just kind of doing motherhood.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: I was teaching my fitness classes.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: I was feeling good.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: But somebody came up to me at the gym one day and she said, Joan, have you ever thought about doing a figure competition, like a bodybuilding competition?
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I said, No, are you crazy?
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: I have stretch marks and a saggy front of my body.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I thought, Me?
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: Are you crazy?
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: And she said, Oh no, like I have this friend and she's a coach for figure competitors.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: You should just meet with her and see what you think.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember meeting with my coach the first time.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: And we talked, we connected, we had so much in common.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: And she said, Oh no, you're good.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: You can do this.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember thinking, Are you kidding me?
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: Me?
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: Get up on a stage in a bikini and flex my muscles?
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what are we talking about right here?
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: And she's like, oh no, you got this.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_00: She goes, if you just, if you have the right plan and you can borrow my belief when you don't have it in yourself, we'll get you there, no problem.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so I had nine weeks to train and get ready for this first show, the scariest thing I've ever done.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: And it was crazy to me that with the right coach and a really structured training plan and understanding macros and meal try meal timing and training splits and all the different things that go into getting up on stage, getting the spray tan, getting the right bikini, learning how to pose.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: All of this was crazy to me, but it was also super fun.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, well, here we go.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: I had a clear plan.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_00: I understood what was expected of me.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: I was not guessing anymore.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: I remember when I was trying after each of my pregnancies to figure out, okay, what's the next secret?
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: What's the next diet that I should do to get this weight off?
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember feeling just like this big guessing game of how to do it.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_00: Well, having the coach, having the plan, that took away all of that guessing for me.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: And it allowed me to just really focus in on what I had to do.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: And let me tell you, it was intense.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: There was so much discipline and sacrifice and time and energy and money.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_00: But when I walked on the stage for the first time under those bright lights in front of all those people, I was scared out of my mind.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: And at the same time, like, oh my gosh, I did this.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_00: And again, it really wasn't about the actual competition, but it was about setting this big goal that scared the crap out of me and then having a plan and support to follow through and actually doing the thing that I said I was going to do.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I remember walking down those stairs after being on stage for the first time and just thinking, I did that.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_00: And even today, when I think about it, it gives me chills.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: But I learned so much during that season.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: I learned how powerful nutrition really is.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I learned how much mindset matters, especially when things feel impossible or you feel like an imposter.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: I learned that my body could adapt and change based on the different levers that we could pull in training.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_00: But the biggest lesson really for me in that season was with the right support and the right strategy, you can absolutely unlock your potential, but you just don't know what you don't know.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_00: And so without somebody else looking in and saying, oh, try this or try that, you just don't know.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: So when you combine consistency with the right framework and courage when self-doubt shows up, or borrowing somebody else's belief in you, that's when real transformation happens.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've been trying to figure this out on your own or you've been spinning your wheels about how to make progress, or you feel like you should be further along, it's not a you problem.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need more willpower.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: You just need a good plan and a support system and some guidance and somebody in your corner.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's not weakness to ask for help.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's actually wisdom.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: So after seven years and 10 bodybuilding shows, I decided to be done, not because I didn't like it or not because I couldn't do it anymore, but because I realized my values had shifted.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted my daughters to see that strength and confidence and self-worth are not tied to the shape and size of your body, but rather how you live, how you care for yourself, and how you show up in the world.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I chose to step away from bodybuilding and I was really focusing on that bigger picture because I had learned what I needed to learn in that season.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_00: It helped me clarify what I wanted fitness to represent for me moving forward, not just for myself, but for my daughters and for the women that I get to coach.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: So if there's a form of fitness that you've been doing that doesn't feel good anymore, I give you permission to let it go.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: Changing directions isn't quitting, it's just adjusting and evolving.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_00: And if there's one thing to be true, fitness is going to change and evolve as we grow and move through our life.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you used to love running, but now your knees hurt.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's okay.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_00: You get to change, you get to grow, and you get to choose something different that supports the body that you're in today.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_00: Somewhere along my journey, my definition of success began to change.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_00: Fitness stopped being about being the fastest or the strongest or the leanest or the most impressive.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_00: And it came, and it became more about honoring the one precious body that I get to live in for my whole entire life.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_00: And the more that I work with women and the conversations usually start around the scale and the size of our genes, the more clear it becomes that what we really want isn't necessarily a certain body.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: What we want is energy and confidence and resilience and the ability to fully participate in our lives.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've been chasing a number on the scale or trying to fit back into those genes or looking at old photos and just wishing that you looked that way again, what if I told you that's not actually what you want?
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_00: What if what you really want is to feel good in your body, to have energy to play, to feel confident in your clothes, to be not exhausted by 3 p.m., to feel strong and capable.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_00: I really think that's what fitness is all about.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_00: And when you shift your focus from how you look to how you feel, everything gets easier.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: So for me, back to my story.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_00: For the past decade or so, my own fitness has been about training for life.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's about creating the future that I want to step into.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: I want to feel strong and capable and independent for as long as possible.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: So for me, that looks like lifting weights and really challenging myself to go heavier.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: It means walking and jogging in the fresh air for my mental health.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_00: It means going to yoga to fully unplug and distretch my muscles.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_00: Paddleboarding for just being out on the water, snowshoeing for reveling in this beautiful world that we get to live in.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_00: And wake surfing because I like a little thrill.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_00: And pickleball because I want to keep learning something new, even though it's hard for me and I'm really not good.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe in this next phase of life, I'll get back in the pool and swim again because I do miss it.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_00: Movement that feels joyful and grounding is what it's all about.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_00: I am no longer waking up at 3 a.m.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_00: to run 18 miles before the sun comes up.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm no longer stepping on a stage in a bikini, but I am building a body that supports the life that I want to live today and helps me create the future that I want to live tomorrow.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I think when fitness is rooted in joy and connection and community and purpose, it doesn't burn you out.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_00: It actually feels like coming home.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_00: So this is what gives me hope, not just for myself, but for every woman listening.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_00: Our best years of strength and confidence and capability do not have to be behind us.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_00: When we stop training for how we look and we start training for how we want to feel, the possibilities expand.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: So when I look back over all these seasons over the past 30 years, I have learned that fitness is not about aesthetics, but it's about access to your life.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_00: Community is what keeps us coming back.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_00: So we come for the workout, but we stay for the people.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_00: Fitness has to be something that we choose, not something that is forced upon us if we want it to be sustainable.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_00: Building strength helps our bones and our muscles, but it also builds self-trust.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_00: Showing up even when you don't feel like it, even when you'd rather hit snooze.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: Because by exercising, we're practicing doing hard things and we're building physical and mental resilience.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: And we can adjust, but we don't have to abandon the whole plan.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: So we can move from one season to the next and we can change our fitness modalities, but it's not about quitting, it's about evolving.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, moving your body is an act of self-respect.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_00: It has nothing to do with vanity.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm really grateful for every chapter on this journey.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_00: Each season has shaped who I am today, and I am so hopeful for the future.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are listening to this and reflecting on your own journey, I hope you can see it in a similar light.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_00: That every season, every misstep, every time that you had to start over, every fitness phase that didn't stick, it's all about just shaping who you are and helping you figure out what you like and what you don't like and what's going to stick around for the long haul.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: I promise you, you are not behind.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_00: Your story is still unfolding and you get to decide what training for life looks like for you.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: No matter what your journey has been up until this point, it is possible to change your mindset around fitness.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_00: Your past does not dictate your future.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want to create a vibrant, energetic, full life, when you think about the next 10 or 20 years, you've got to get intentional about how you move your body today.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_00: You're exactly where you're meant to be.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: If today's episode resonated with you, be sure to follow and subscribe so you don't miss a future episode.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_00: And if anything sparked an aha moment for you, or if you just want to share part of your story with me, please reach out on Instagram at Jones FitZone.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to hear from you.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, my friend.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, progress over perfection and consistency over intensity.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, keep growing, keep glowing, and bye for now.