Episode 81Mar 6, 2026· 1:21:51

Break Free from Sedentary Living: Rhonda Goode’s Inspiring Fitness Transformation & Practical Tips for Bloggers

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About this episode

In this powerful episode of the Bloggy Friends Show, host Ashley Grant sits down with fitness instructor Rhonda Goode to explore her life-changing health journey. Rhonda shares how witnessing her family's struggle with diabetes and immobility motivated her to lose 120 pounds and rewrite her own health story—without quick fixes, pills, or fad diets. Learn actionable advice for bloggers, desk workers, and anyone…

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Full transcript

00:11

What's up, my bloggy friends? Famous Ashley Grant

00:13

here, and today I have a little bit of a different

00:14

episode for you. We're talking about fitness.

00:17

Now, I know what you're thinking. Ashley, this

00:19

is a blogging podcast. What are we doing? But

00:21

hear me out. Fitness has become a passion project

00:24

of mine. And for the last four months, I've been

00:26

busting my ash, trying to work out as much as

00:28

possible and move my body as much as possible.

00:30

And here's why this matters to you. Whether you're

00:33

a blogger who's working from home or you're stuck

00:35

at a desk job all day, we are sitting way too

00:38

much. And as my fitness instructor Rhonda Good

00:40

says in this episode, sitting equals dying. And

00:44

that hit me hard. Several of the things that

00:46

she said has hit me hard. But today I am sharing

00:48

a full interview with Rhonda. She's the incredible

00:51

woman who at 35 looked at our family's health

00:54

struggles and she decided to completely write

00:55

her own health story. She lost 120 pounds and

00:59

five dress sizes. And now she coaches others

01:01

through their own transformations. This conversation

01:04

is raw, it's real, and it's exactly what every

01:06

single person who works at a computer needs to

01:08

hear. If you're sitting at a desk job all the

01:10

time, or if you're sitting at home all the time,

01:13

I want you to grab your water bottle, maybe go

01:16

for a walk while you listen to this, do something

01:17

to get moving while you listen, because I think

01:20

by the end of this, you're going to be asking

01:22

yourself, can I have more movement, please? Let's

01:24

dive in. I'm just excited that you're here, and

01:28

welcome to the show. So we're just going to kind

01:31

of dive right in. You posted March 30th, 2018

01:35

about your gym anniversary. You had joined on

01:37

March 31st, 2011. And I'm curious as to what

01:41

was happening in your life at that time at 35

01:43

years old that made you join the gym. I was still

01:47

at a desk job and I felt horrible. I had come

01:52

out of working probably 70 hours a week and was

01:56

slowing down. And so I had more time. available

02:00

and thought, I really need to do something about

02:03

this before it gets out of control. Because I

02:05

watched my family and my mother and I thought,

02:09

and of course a coworker is who talked me into

02:12

joining the gym. And she lasted about four weeks

02:17

before she left me. And I looked around and thought,

02:21

you know, I don't notice anything physically

02:24

different yet, but mentally I feel better. I

02:28

feel better if I'm here. And so I just kept going.

02:33

And then when I wasn't sleeping in the middle

02:35

of the night, I was at a 24 -hour gym at that

02:37

point. So at 2 a .m., I'd still go back and I'd

02:40

walk on the treadmill. And I just kept going.

02:44

And I thought, I'm going to do this. I'm going

02:47

to change the trajectory of my life. I'm going

02:49

to do this for nobody but me. Whether there's

02:52

anyone next to me or not, I'm going to do this.

02:55

So a co -worker talked you into it, but then...

02:57

you kind of just fell in love with it? Well,

03:00

I was really determined not to be my mother.

03:02

Okay. And I tell everyone that there has to be

03:05

a driving force and it's usually not going to

03:08

be necessarily your partner or your best friend.

03:13

It's usually within you. And there has to be

03:15

something that says that whether you feel like

03:19

self -esteem and worth is worth it or not, that

03:21

I'm going to probably be here. And if I'm going

03:25

to be here, What condition am I going to be in?

03:31

Yeah. And another thing that you said led you

03:33

to it was the genetics factor. In multiple posts,

03:36

you talked about having really bad genes on both

03:38

sides, being headed in the same direction as

03:40

your family. Can you paint a picture for the

03:42

listeners as to what you were seeing in your

03:44

family's health that scared you? And how did

03:46

you break that generational curse? All of my

03:49

mom's generation, not her parents. But her generation

03:55

and all of her cousins were diabetic and high

03:58

blood pressure. They were diagnosed in probably

04:04

their 30s, 40s with high blood pressure first.

04:07

Then came diabetes. And diabetes, of course,

04:11

is very common. And when people are diagnosed

04:13

with it, it's often looked as if it's not a big

04:16

deal because you're given plenty of medication

04:19

to manage it. It's rare that people have doctors

04:23

that talk to them about how to address it without

04:26

medication because everything is handed to you

04:28

in pill form first. And as long as it's managed

04:31

that way and you're supposed to kind of watch

04:34

your diet a little, it's good. And then starts

04:38

the insulin slide where all of the oral meds

04:41

aren't going to control it because you also aren't

04:44

addressing your diet or your weight or anything

04:46

else. So now you're moving to needles. And then

04:50

you're moving to needles multiple times per day

04:52

and then you're increasing your dosage. And I

04:55

mean, this was early on, you know, for her in

04:58

her 50s, but watching all of them. And then I,

05:02

too, was guilty because I would go to family

05:05

reunions and there were no family reunions on

05:09

my mother's side until after my grandmother died,

05:10

which I thought was kind of interesting. It was

05:12

almost like they looked and thought, oh, people

05:15

just die because it was sudden. And I thought,

05:18

we should probably get together. And so you would

05:21

watch them, all of them, just pile a plate as

05:26

high as they could pile it. And it was almost

05:29

like a competition between the men, especially

05:32

sons and their fathers. And I would watch them

05:37

just go back and go back. And you would be guilty

05:41

of it too. Not that you were competing, but it

05:43

was just the environment you were in. And so

05:47

the photo that I post kind of here and there

05:51

on social media of me is not just a picture of

05:55

me like when I was bigger, but is a picture at

05:57

the reunion with my mother. And we both look

06:01

like we are just in a food coma because we are.

06:04

I mean, our eyes are like we look like we're

06:07

on drugs. And, you know, and when I look back

06:11

at that picture, I mean, it was like, wow. I

06:15

mean, that's, that's something. I mean, I looked

06:18

like I was drugged out and I'm sure that I had

06:21

just consumed all that food and it was an after

06:25

photo and I was huge, you know, and I was not

06:29

that old, probably, let's see, probably 23 at

06:35

that point. And so, um, I mean, I started gaining

06:41

weight as soon as I got married, which is very

06:42

typical because of lifestyle changes and lots

06:46

of females go on birth control and that doesn't

06:48

help. And I did all of that too. So it wasn't

06:51

just that I also had a desk job, but just looking

06:54

at that. And then my father's side, same thing,

06:57

all high blood pressure, all diabetic. His mom

07:01

lost half of a leg to diabetes before her ultimate

07:04

death from cancer. My father died from cancer,

07:09

but had diabetes the entire time. And so dying

07:14

doesn't scare me, as I tell everyone. Living

07:17

like that does, where you just are not in control

07:22

of your life because everything is built around

07:26

all of the medicines you take. You feel like

07:30

garbage all the time. You're not physically active

07:33

and you have no energy. And it just. compounds

07:37

because i don't feel well so i don't feel like

07:40

moving well i'm not going to move because i don't

07:42

feel well and i haven't moved in oh 10 years

07:44

and it's just you know and you just get used

07:48

to it you get comfortable in it but watching

07:50

all of them was i'm an only child with no children

07:55

by choice and so for me i was like there's no

07:59

one to take care of me yeah and so i really need

08:02

to do something about this before it's too late

08:05

because it can get too late yeah Yeah. It is

08:07

interesting that you said that you look like

08:09

you were drugged out because, you know, they've

08:11

done studies and they've shown that sugar is

08:13

has the same things, some of the same effects

08:16

as cocaine. And yeah, that's it is a drug. It

08:21

is a drug. Yeah. Well, back in 2020, you said

08:24

that you were down 120 pounds and five dress

08:27

sizes. And you shared a photo from when you were

08:30

25, gaining weight every year with that best

08:33

job, working 10 hours a day. Walk us through

08:35

the transformation of what it was like to start

08:38

making those physical changes, not just physical

08:40

ones, but who you became as a person through

08:42

the process. You know, at first when you start,

08:45

well, I think for most people, I mean, and everyone

08:47

will tell you that physical activity is the easy

08:52

thing to start and do. And it is. I mean. You

08:55

have to start, though. But once you make it a

08:57

habit, that's easy. Addressing your diet and

09:01

other things, it's not easy. I mean, most of

09:04

us want things that are quick and simple. And

09:07

I always cooked, but I cooked simple meals and

09:11

still do. So it wasn't that I was necessarily

09:14

eating out a lot, but I ate out more. I mean,

09:18

when I would go to McDonald's at my biggest.

09:22

And I was with my mother who would encourage

09:24

me to get more food because, honey, you're going

09:26

to be hungry if you don't. So I would get two

09:30

double cheeseburgers and a large fry and a soda

09:34

and consume all of it. And my mother would sit

09:39

there and look at me after she'd also eaten an

09:41

enormous amount of food and say, do we need to

09:44

go back through the drive -thru and get more?

09:47

I mean, it was just constant encouragement of.

09:50

You know, and I don't know if because my my parents

09:54

didn't live through the depression. So it wasn't

09:56

that it was just this mindset that they had.

10:00

So you kind of have to unlearn that, that, OK,

10:06

I may still eat some bad things, but I also know

10:09

that I should probably stop at a certain point

10:11

instead of just not stopping as I'm eating, you

10:15

know, because people don't really understand

10:17

for the most part when they're actually hungry.

10:20

Because it's, well, I eat at this time of day

10:22

every day or I eat this much every time I eat

10:25

or I always I don't like leftovers or I don't

10:29

want to throw food out or whatever it is. And

10:31

so they just keep going back. So you kind of

10:34

have to unlearn that, too. And I think that's

10:38

the first step from normal people that aren't

10:41

going to get on these fad trains of doing all

10:44

kinds of crazy things is that when am I actually

10:47

hungry? So am I going to slow down and eating?

10:50

Because that's the other thing, too. People eating

10:53

while they're driving, people eating while they're

10:54

working at the desk, people eating all the time

10:57

because they don't realize it. Or while they're

10:58

watching TV. Or watching TV or whatever. Everything's

11:01

mindless, you know. So it's stopping and saying,

11:05

oh, I'm full. Yeah. I don't need any more, whether

11:09

that's potato chips or whatever. I mean, I'm

11:10

full. And then as you change your diet, I mean,

11:14

I stopped eating fast food completely. I didn't

11:17

give up soda for. probably the first year, just

11:20

because it was like, well, I'm definitely not

11:22

seeing the results I would like to see. And I

11:25

was a Mountain Dew drinker, which is common in

11:28

this state anyway. And, you know, I mean, as

11:32

far as like how many I consume today, I don't

11:35

know, but probably three, four. I've never been

11:38

someone who has to have liquid with me all the

11:40

time. So it's not as if I just drink, drink,

11:42

drink, because I didn't do that. I've never done

11:44

that. I don't do it with water. I just, I don't.

11:46

And there's a lot of times I don't drink with

11:47

a meal. Because I don't necessarily feel compelled

11:51

to drink. I drink when I'm thirsty. I drink when

11:53

I'm working out. But it was the small steps like

11:56

that. Because I've never taken any gigantic,

11:59

crazy steps with food. I mean, I still eat, you

12:03

know, carbs and chocolate, as I tell you, every

12:06

day. Now, yesterday, at the end of the day, I

12:09

was like, did I eat chocolate today? And sometimes

12:12

I have to think about it. And it's like, oh yes,

12:15

I did. Okay. Well, you've consumed your amount

12:17

that you should have today. So you've had to

12:20

think about it. You must feel like you need some

12:22

more, but you're not going to do that. But now

12:24

we all have bad days, whether that's emotional

12:27

or whatever. And there are some days when I go,

12:30

oh, I'm going to eat it again. Yeah. I don't

12:33

care. I'm going to eat it again. Yeah. You know,

12:35

or I'm going to go to Cold Stone and get the

12:37

biggest thing of ice cream in the chocolate dip

12:39

cone with chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. Because

12:41

I know I work out every day and I'm going to

12:43

eat it, you know, but I don't do that weekly

12:46

even. Yeah. So it's just a it's just a change

12:50

of I'm still going to have treats. I'm still

12:53

going to eat what I want, but I'm probably going

12:55

to manage it better and eat less of it and maybe

12:57

less often. Yeah. But, you know, so it's all

13:01

that that you have to. And then as your mindset

13:04

changes and you physically start seeing changes,

13:07

of course, you became more confident. I mean,

13:09

of course you do. Yeah. That's part of it. And

13:11

then as you become more confident, many times

13:14

the people around you get really threatened.

13:18

And it's very common. And I tell people a lot

13:21

that, you know, do not be surprised when your

13:24

family who isn't willing to do the work. Because

13:26

my mother, up until she died, you're doing too

13:30

much. You're going to burn your body out. You're

13:32

working too hard. You're doing too much. You

13:35

know, and I always used to tell her, well. It's

13:37

going to wear out. So I can either wear it out,

13:39

working it out, or I can wear it out sitting

13:41

like you're sitting 25 hours a day. Like I'll

13:46

take this. It is better. It feels better. So,

13:49

you know, so, but it's just, and it's very interesting

13:53

because most people deal with body dysmorphia

13:55

when you start and you are always going to see

13:59

yourself as the big person. And even now in the

14:02

mirror, when I look at myself, when I see my

14:05

shadow, Like in the sun. I mean, I'll never forget

14:08

the first time I really noticed my shadow in

14:10

the sun. I was like, who is that? Because you

14:14

just don't believe that you're that size. So

14:17

when you go clothes shopping, you go a size or

14:20

two too big. And some people are just more comfortable

14:22

in bigger clothes. I mean, you know, I don't

14:26

necessarily want a tight shirt for a lot of things,

14:28

but there's also just going in a dressing room

14:32

and going, oh, I can wear a medium. Or, oh, a

14:38

small fit. Wow. You know, wow. Because, you know,

14:42

you never really think that you'll get back to

14:44

that. But that's also part of the realization,

14:48

too, is that if you're starting in your 30s or

14:51

your 40s or your 50s, that you're not going to

14:53

have the body you had when you were 18 and 19.

14:56

It's not going to happen. And that's OK, because

14:59

you really don't want to have anything back from

15:02

18 or 19 because you were usually really young

15:04

and stupid. You know, so it's just what can how

15:09

can I be the best version of this age? And what

15:12

does this age look like for me when you look

15:15

around you and see other people that are your

15:19

age and younger and how horribly they live? Yeah,

15:24

they're all like in pain. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So

15:28

you've been adamantly consistent about one thing

15:31

across everything that you've ever posted. No

15:33

pills, no patches, no shakes, no surgery. Yeah.

15:35

And you even mentioned that watching your mother,

15:38

your outlook became eat less, move more, stay

15:40

away from pharma. So since you're so opposed

15:43

to quick fixes, what do you say to people that

15:45

want the easy way? There's always a side effect.

15:51

Always. May not be soon. You may not notice it

15:56

immediately. But ultimately, there are always

15:59

going to be downfalls from taking the quick route.

16:03

It's going to affect you physically in some way.

16:06

I mean, I have not known one person before Ozempic

16:09

and all the shots. I've not known one person

16:11

that had any kind of weight loss surgery that

16:13

didn't have lifelong side effects from it. Not

16:17

one. And some are severe where they've got to

16:20

go back and have more surgeries. Some is just

16:23

constant stomach problems, constant. You know,

16:26

but I've never known one. And so, you know, all

16:29

the quick fixes and all the, I mean, you remember

16:31

back in the day when it was legal speed, like,

16:35

I forget, it started with a D, but there was

16:38

a diet pill that was on the market for years.

16:40

And then there was FinFin. But all these things

16:42

were pulled after they realized that, oh, this

16:45

is really causing heart attacks in people, you

16:47

know, because it's legal speed. And so, again,

16:51

I mean, if we're trying to get healthy. And then,

16:56

I mean, if you're if you're going to just let

16:58

your heart explode, then just let it explode

17:00

from being fat and eating whatever you want.

17:03

I mean, so, you know, I just I don't believe

17:06

in farm at all. So, you know, so I would I'm

17:09

like, stay far, far away from it. And there are

17:13

always going to be people who say, well, I've

17:14

had no side of it. They're always and I'm sure

17:16

there probably are. Yeah, there's always a small.

17:19

percentage of you know and lucky them yeah lucky

17:23

them yeah i mean i don't know if you know this

17:25

or not i think i did tell you but i'm not sure

17:27

12 years ago i did try the shots and pills i

17:31

was uh you know doing those phenamine pills and

17:34

and all the crap and i lost 80 pounds And then

17:37

I gained it right back the second I stopped.

17:38

Oh, yeah. And I remember getting an EKG and the

17:41

doctor literally saying to me, your heart seems

17:44

like it's going to stop. Like, what is happening?

17:45

What are you doing? And they were like, you should

17:48

not be doing what you're doing. Yeah. But yeah,

17:50

I gained it all back. And it sucked. Yeah. I

17:53

mean, that's the thing with almost all quick

17:55

fixes and all fad dieting, which is why I don't

17:58

prescribe any of it, including keto. I know sugar

18:01

is bad for you. I mean, I know that. I'm not

18:03

stupid. But I also think it's. unrealistic for

18:07

the majority of the population to say, I'm not

18:09

going to eat sugar. And I understand too, that

18:12

it's a withdrawal thing. Yeah. I mean, if you

18:14

really stuck to it and took it out of your diet

18:17

for at least a month, I'm sure you'd feel much

18:20

better. I'm sure I'd feel much better, but it's

18:23

just not a bridge I'm willing to cross. Not right

18:25

now. Maybe I will someday, but you know, right

18:29

now it's not going to happen. You gotta have

18:32

a chocolate, gotta have happy foods. Yeah. Well,

18:34

let's talk about consistency over motivation.

18:36

You posted motivation subsides over time. Discipline

18:39

is required to keep going, keep showing up and

18:42

working out even when you don't feel like it.

18:43

Those who quit lack discipline. That was pretty

18:45

direct of you. So talk to me about the difference

18:48

between motivation and discipline. Well, everyone

18:50

is motivated when you start because you're motivated

18:53

when anything is new, whether that's a new job,

18:56

exercise, a new relationship. Everything's fun

18:59

when it's new. And then everything loses its

19:02

luster. Over time. So then you have to make a

19:06

choice. And all of my folks will tell you what

19:11

they drag themselves into the gym. They don't

19:13

feel well. They always feel better when they

19:15

leave. They may not feel great. I mean, they

19:18

may be getting sick. They may have had a bad

19:20

day. They may be exhausted, but they still feel

19:23

better when they walk out the door than when

19:24

they walked in the door. Period. And that's just

19:27

the way it works. Yes. Yeah. But I mean, that's

19:30

the way it works. Well, how do you show up on

19:32

the days you don't feel like it? Well, that just

19:36

probably comes from work ethic more than anything

19:38

else. I mean, I never called into work on my

19:41

desk job until the very end in the last few years

19:46

when I really, really, really hated it. And then

19:49

I started using up some time because I was like,

19:52

oh boy, because I never took vacations or anything

19:55

else. And so I started taking some time off then.

20:00

I'm a hard worker and I always have been since

20:03

I was 17. I mean, I started working full time

20:06

at 17. So it's just what's in me. And I know

20:11

that regardless of how I feel, I show up because

20:15

they show up and they always show up. Period.

20:19

At least a few do. Yeah. Yeah. Get a get a rotating

20:22

revolving door of people. Yeah. Yeah. So, you

20:25

know, and if you don't show consistency, I mean,

20:28

most people. are looking for consistency period

20:31

in all aspects of their life and so they know

20:36

they're going to get it with me they know that

20:39

I'm never going to cancel a class or call a sub

20:42

and so I'm there they don't want to come see

20:45

me that's fine but they always know I'm going

20:48

to be there and so I wouldn't I don't even consider

20:51

no matter how bad I feel no matter how tired

20:53

I am I still drive myself in Yeah, I remember

20:55

even the day after your mom passed you, you were

20:57

there, and I was shocked that you showed up.

21:00

Yeah, yeah. Well, switching gears, you say the

21:05

scale is a liar. You said you always tell people

21:08

to measure when you start, and the scale moves

21:10

very slowly and will disappoint you every time.

21:12

So if not the scale, what should people be tracking?

21:16

Definitely measurements and then how their clothes

21:19

fit, obviously. Everyone has their favorite pants

21:23

or... their favorite shirts or whatever the case

21:26

may be. So as you start working out and your

21:30

body changes, you'll notice that not only do

21:32

you lose inches, but your body just shifts. Things

21:36

just shift. That's just how it goes. And then

21:38

for a very long time, like every six months,

21:41

I would notice shifting because it was like,

21:44

hmm, I can't point it out, but. This shirt fits

21:49

different than it did, you know, and so it's

21:52

definitely not. And people talk about non -scale

21:54

victories all the time. And those are definitely

21:57

something to take note of. I mean, if you can't

22:00

climb a flight of stairs without losing your

22:02

breath and then you can, clearly that's a victory.

22:05

But when it comes to you and looking at your

22:09

body every day, because none of us are happy

22:11

with what we see. I mean, that's just human nature.

22:14

um, you know, you have to, you have to really

22:16

track like measurements and how things fit that

22:21

you have been wearing for the last two years.

22:24

You know, every time you grab that pair of pants

22:25

and then they start getting too loose or the

22:27

butt sagging or they're falling off. And then

22:29

it's like, Oh, so something really is happening.

22:32

Yeah. Well, it's like, even today I'm wearing

22:34

a shirt that I haven't been able to wear in 10

22:35

years. Yeah. There you go. Um, and I remember

22:39

one of the posts that you did, there was a picture

22:41

that you had posted and you said that, uh, When

22:44

you were filling out your retirement paperwork,

22:45

you were wearing an extra large and the shirt

22:47

you were wearing that day was like a small, I

22:49

think it was. And I was just like, yeah, that's

22:51

what I want. Yeah. Yeah. So you've repeatedly

22:54

said that eat chocolate and carbs every day that

22:56

you do that. But you also said I do not endorse

23:00

no carbs and no happy foods. But how do you balance

23:02

what you're eating and enjoy it while you're

23:05

still seeing results? Like what's your approach

23:07

to food that doesn't feel like deprivation? Um,

23:10

I try to manage things. So, um, I mean, I still

23:14

am. Pasta is my favorite thing in the world.

23:16

I could live on pasta. Uh, and so I used to,

23:19

what I used to do is, um, and I would always

23:22

justify it is I would get those nor, uh, little

23:25

bags of pasta. Yeah. 600 calories. Okay. So I

23:31

would eat that for lunch and be like, this is

23:34

600 calories. Everybody eats 600 calories at

23:37

lunch. I mean, 600 calories. So, you know, I

23:40

would have that for lunch and then I would fix

23:43

dinner and fix meat and vegetable and then more

23:45

rice -a -roni or whatever, you know. And it was

23:49

like, yeah, well, you know, whatever. So now

23:53

if I'm going to have pasta for dinner, which

23:55

I do, not daily, but I mean, I do, you know,

24:01

as my main course kind of thing. I mean, I'll

24:03

throw in some meat and veggies on it with it,

24:05

whatever. But at lunch, I'll have a salad, which

24:09

I have every single day. And yes, I'd never get

24:11

tired of my salads. And I know people think,

24:14

how can you eat the same thing every day? And

24:16

I think that a lot of people say that it's like,

24:18

well, when you're going to fast food restaurants,

24:21

you don't think about the fact that you're eating

24:23

the same crap like a burger from here or a burger

24:26

from there or, you know, or fried chicken. I

24:28

mean, it's really like all the it's all the same.

24:30

Like, you know, so I mean, people don't really

24:32

think about that. So. I stick with my salad every

24:35

single day. It's the same. I may vary what I

24:38

put on it slightly. And no protein. I do not.

24:43

And I don't eat heavy during the day because

24:45

I work out again at night. So my heaviest is

24:48

at night. And I usually don't eat until 8 o 'clock.

24:53

And no, I don't go to bed at 9 or 10. So, I mean,

24:57

I have that conversation with people all the

24:58

time, too. You shouldn't eat that late. And I'm

25:00

like, well, what time do you eat dinner and what

25:01

time do you go to bed? Yeah. So to me, it's just

25:04

like I don't get home until after seven. So I

25:06

eat at eight, but I also don't go to bed until

25:08

twelve or one. Yeah. So it's about the same,

25:11

you know. So I don't really think it's detrimental

25:13

because to me, it's apples and apples. Like you're

25:17

up four hours, you're up four hours after you

25:19

eat dinner, whatever the case is. So I just try

25:22

to manage like if I'm going to eat pasta, you

25:25

know, at night, then maybe I'm definitely not

25:28

going to have a baked potato with the salad.

25:30

that day maybe i'll have soup a lot of times

25:33

these days i'm just eating the salad that's all

25:36

i'm eating in the middle of the day and having

25:39

a protein drink like a muscle milk in the morning

25:41

if i'm really really hungry i'll throw a bagel

25:44

or something into the mornings but i'm back on

25:46

the muscle milk train right now so yeah so i've

25:50

been doing that most mornings and salad and then

25:52

i eat dinner at night and then usually i have

25:55

the chocolate after the salad Usually. I always

25:58

have a salad first and it's like, oh, it's time

26:00

for chocolate. Yeah. So what's your go -to fixings

26:02

for the salad? What do you put on it? Has to

26:05

be a spring mix. I prefer a 50 -50 blend. I don't

26:09

mind spinach, but I have to have some colorful

26:12

lettuce. So here I am at the grocery store every

26:15

week and I vary between two stores that I shop

26:18

at all the time, but I get the big plastic bin

26:21

of salad. So here I am looking at it. To see

26:23

if it's colorful enough for me and if it's also

26:26

not wet. Because in the plastic bins, they last

26:30

all week if it's not wet. So this week I couldn't

26:34

find any that was sufficient that I liked. So

26:37

I went with my spring mix, but it was too much

26:40

greens. So then I went and bought some artisan

26:43

lettuce and some purples to add to it. So that's

26:47

first. It's got to be colorful. I do not want

26:49

any iceberg lettuce in my salad. I think that's

26:51

just a cardinal sin. There's no nutrients in

26:54

that anyway. So it was, it just tastes like water,

26:57

you know, and it's usually wet and I, I like

27:00

a dry salad. So, um, uh, cherry tomatoes, they

27:05

gotta be cherub or sweet tomatoes. I don't like

27:09

just any tomato. The Ruby Reds private selection

27:13

are the best. Cherub tomatoes, um, cucumbers,

27:18

sugar snap peas, feta, always feta. throw on

27:23

some croutons they got to be the fat ones though

27:26

like puffy fat they can't be those cheap looking

27:32

square ones that are hard they got to be like

27:34

the Texas Roadhouse crunchy spongy ones so I

27:38

get those and garlic butter throw a few of those

27:40

on and some ranch but I don't drown my salad

27:43

in dressing like some people like I put a good

27:46

amount but not you know how some people are just

27:48

so anyway So, yeah, that's it. That's the go

27:53

-to every time. Now, this one's kind of a vulnerable

27:58

one, and if you don't want to answer it, if it's

27:59

too personal, just tell me again. I don't want

28:02

to answer it. But in February 2025, this year,

28:06

just weeks after your mother had passed, you

28:09

wrote, her retirement years were plagued with

28:11

nothing but sickness and disease. It didn't have

28:14

to be this way. My biggest fear is her last year,

28:16

and I'll do everything I can to avoid it the

28:18

right way. How did watching your mother's health

28:21

journey shape not just your fitness goals, but

28:23

your entire philosophy about aging and what you

28:26

want your future to look like? Watching my mother,

28:30

because my father passed, he was 69 when he passed.

28:34

So it's been seven years. And then my mom's brother

28:40

passed at 65. Wow. And so she lived longer than

28:46

her family. including almost all of her cousins,

28:50

which was astonishing to me because although

28:56

they were all in equally bad health, she was,

28:58

I would have considered her the weakest of all

29:02

of them. And she lived the longest. So I didn't

29:07

really realize how just how stubborn she was

29:09

until probably the last year. And I mean, I guess

29:14

that's what kept her here. I mean, she was Really,

29:18

really stubborn. And I know people, when they

29:20

age, there's a lot of personality changes and

29:22

things like that. But she was extremely stubborn

29:27

and could not leave the house at all the last

29:30

almost two years of her life. I mean, it was

29:34

definitely a solid 18 months. It was really close

29:36

to two years. So could no longer get up from

29:40

a chair and walk to the car. And the car was

29:45

parked, not in the garage, but right at the bottom

29:47

of the steps. So she was in a small house, had

29:51

to walk through one small room and get down three

29:55

or four steps, no matter which door she chose

29:57

to get to the car and could not do that. And

30:00

could not go down the steps to get in my car

30:03

and couldn't do it. So housebound, literally

30:06

housebound. And then also got to the point where

30:10

she could barely. make it to the bathroom. So

30:15

I had to start using a porta potty inside the

30:18

house and, you know, and someone having to constantly

30:22

clean that and clean her. And it was just in,

30:27

and at the end, I mean, bed sores, all the things

30:30

that come with it from setting all the time.

30:34

And so she had a lift chair that she ordered

30:37

in the last year of her life because she could

30:39

no longer physically get up. and she dislocated

30:43

her shoulder trying to clean herself after going

30:45

to the bathroom. Oh, my God. And it was really

30:49

downhill from there, really downhill. But, man,

30:54

was it a long hill slide. It was long. I mean,

30:57

and I kept thinking, how much physically worse

30:59

can someone get? So when my mother would sit

31:02

in her recliner, her stomach was so big that

31:05

it would literally almost touch the floor. And

31:08

because she'd been big for years and then had

31:10

no stomach muscles at all. I mean, that's what

31:12

happens because when you have no muscle tone,

31:15

that's what happens. And so just sitting her

31:18

slumped over again, drugs out of her mind between

31:24

all of the meds she was on for all of the ailments

31:26

she had. And then sometimes I would come in and

31:30

bring her food. And of course, I gave her whatever

31:33

she wanted, whatever she asked for. That's what

31:35

I got. Because at this point. There was, who

31:37

cares? I mean, and so whatever she wanted. And

31:42

there was more than once that she was, her sugar

31:45

was so low. I couldn't even get her awake enough

31:47

to eat. I mean, she was completely, but yet not

31:52

in any, I did, I did call one time. I did call

31:54

EMS one time because I couldn't even get her

31:57

to come to herself enough to even acknowledge

32:00

me there. Wow. And her sugar when they got there

32:03

was like 54. But other times it was just a typical

32:07

like she was just out of it. We just sitting

32:11

prison in your own body. Wow. And you can't do

32:16

anything. I mean, her mind was I mean, her her

32:20

mind was definitely affected at the end. Don't

32:22

get me wrong. But, you know, prior to the last

32:26

little bit, I'd say the last six months, you

32:28

really declined mentally, too. But prior to that,

32:31

I mean, it's just, you know, mentally, you're

32:34

OK. to be in that age range. I mean, you're okay,

32:37

but yeah, just a prisoner in your body and a

32:40

prisoner in your home where you can't do anything.

32:42

You can't leave. You can't do anything. I mean,

32:44

we all have days where we don't want to leave

32:47

our house or we don't want to do whatever, but

32:49

to not have the choice. Oh no, I'm out. And so

32:55

it kind of made you double down on fitness. Yeah.

32:57

Yeah. Yeah. I can't even imagine. Yeah. I can't

33:04

even. Like, cause I'm, I'm watching things with

33:05

my own mom right now and it's just, it's hard.

33:08

It's really hard. Yeah. It's really hard. Yeah.

33:12

Cause there's nothing that you can do. And like

33:15

with her, I mean the time, I mean, I remember

33:18

when she was in the hospital for some ailment,

33:21

probably three years before she died, maybe four,

33:24

you know, she comes home and it's like, I want

33:28

to try to do better, you know? So I'm showing

33:30

her some exercises she can do in the chair. You

33:33

know, if you'll just start trying to do this,

33:36

lift your knee off the ground, lift your leg

33:39

off the ground, lift your arms above your head.

33:44

Try to walk from here to there. Get the walker

33:48

and try to just walk from here to there. We're

33:50

talking five steps and back. You know, OK, OK,

33:54

I'll try. I'll try. You know, and it would last

33:56

for not even a week, you know, and then at a

34:01

certain point, there's nothing you can do. Except

34:04

watch it. There's nothing you can do. And so,

34:07

yeah, I mean, whatever she wanted. I mean, her

34:10

order of food of Christmas last year. Because

34:17

I told her when I left Christmas Eve, I said,

34:20

OK, so Sonic opens at five on Christmas Day.

34:25

So because, you know, most places are closed.

34:28

So send me what you want. It was. five or six

34:34

menu items and at the end of the text it said

34:37

I know this is a lot but it's what I want and

34:43

she didn't want more than a bite or two of all

34:47

of it you know each thing but it was you know

34:51

queso and chips and tater tots and a burger and

34:56

a milkshake and I mean whatever I mean it was

35:01

just I mean, the order was like $37. And when

35:05

I went through the drive -thru, I thought, you

35:07

know, you just get whatever she wants. Because

35:10

there was no arguing with her either. I mean,

35:12

you just could not, you couldn't reason with

35:14

her. And so, you know, and there was nothing,

35:17

there's nothing you can do. You just have to

35:19

go along. And, you know, I used to think, I have

35:23

no idea what will ever take her. Because I could

35:26

not believe the condition that her physical body

35:28

was in and that she was still breathing. Just

35:30

could not believe it. And it's always some random,

35:34

weird, most of the time thing, you know. And

35:38

what finally got her was a final UTI and an antibiotic

35:43

that absolutely sent her out of her mind. Wow.

35:47

That had to be so hard to watch. It was a rough

35:49

week. Yeah. It was a rough week. Do you feel

35:53

like it's changed you? Or that it's just made

35:55

you, like I said, just double down on fitness?

35:58

No, it's changed me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Do you

36:04

want to talk any more on that or do you want

36:05

to move on? Move on. Okay, let's move on. Well,

36:08

it sounds like a good time to talk about mental

36:10

health. So mental health and movement. You had

36:13

mentioned in 2020, in January 2020, that the

36:17

endorphins from exercise have a larger effect

36:19

on your mind than your body at first. You said

36:22

feel better mentally, watch depression, anxiety,

36:24

and lethargy. I can't even say that word. Minimize

36:27

and then watch your body transform slowly. Let's

36:30

talk about the mental health benefits you've

36:31

experienced. How has moving been medicine for

36:35

your mind? I think for a lot of people, you know,

36:39

I mean, especially now in today's world, I mean,

36:42

everybody's diagnosed with something, which,

36:44

and I'm not trying to minimize it, but it's literally

36:47

everywhere. And I think most people know, especially

36:51

if you're older than, say, 20, that smartphones

36:56

and social media are where we're at mentally,

36:58

period. Because no one interacts anymore with

37:04

people. People don't know how to interact with

37:07

people. They're not comfortable with it. They're

37:10

kind of lost. And so most people are just lost.

37:16

And they're in these mental jails because they

37:21

don't know how to do anything outside of the

37:23

box that's in their hand. And they don't know

37:27

how to communicate with people. They don't know

37:29

how to relate to people. And they don't get out

37:33

and do things for the most part. And if they

37:37

do, they're still on their phone the whole time.

37:40

And so at the gym, you don't, for the most part,

37:45

see people on their phones. They're there to

37:48

work out. It's a forced phone break. Now, I've

37:53

met a couple that do, especially in spin class.

37:56

I still think it's weird because to me, it's

38:00

like it's 30 minutes. Can you not give your mind

38:03

a break for 30 minutes and just work out? I mean,

38:08

whether you're thinking about nothing or bubbles

38:10

in the air or whatever. I mean, even if your

38:12

mind is blank, but just let it be blank. Yeah.

38:17

So we're afraid of that. You know, but I think

38:20

that just working out in an environment with

38:23

people that you can choose to interact with as

38:26

much as you want or not. And then moving has

38:29

such a huge effect. And it's the whole groupthink

38:32

mentality that is both a positive and a negative

38:35

can be a very negative thing. But at the gym,

38:39

groupthink is the best thing you can have because

38:41

it'll be those people that. encourage you or

38:45

ask you where you've been or all the things.

38:48

And, you know, and there's some that are annoying

38:50

about it. The attendance monitors. Yeah. I mean,

38:52

there are, but, and, but those are the people

38:56

that, you know, will make you accountable. And

38:58

so there's just something about being somewhere,

39:02

working out everything that is happening in your

39:06

life. And a lot of people, I mean, I tell people

39:09

like, that's why med ball slams are so fun, but.

39:12

It's like for most people, it's working out whatever

39:15

you're feeling, whether that's anger, sadness,

39:19

whatever it is. You typically can let go of it

39:24

for that amount of time during a class, usually.

39:27

I mean, and I have I mean, I've had days, especially

39:30

during sicknesses of my mother. I mean, I've

39:33

had days where I break down in class. It happens.

39:36

But, you know, I just keep going. But. I've had

39:40

people break down in class. I mean, it happens.

39:42

But most of the time, people can just focus on

39:45

the current present where they're at. And that's

39:49

a huge mental release for everyone. And then

39:52

when people choose to not go to the gym and something,

39:57

I mean, things happen. Life happens. Work happens.

40:00

All that. It tends to be that when people stop

40:05

going because of X, Y, Z, and then they don't

40:08

go back or they take an extended break, you can

40:11

watch their mental health and they will tell

40:14

you that their mental health will suffer significantly.

40:17

Because at first it was, well, no, I couldn't

40:19

go. And then I, oh, well, I'm not going. And

40:22

then, oh. And so they'll find themselves back

40:26

in the serious black hole that they started in.

40:30

So, yeah, I can definitely relate to that. And

40:33

part of the reason I chose group fitness is because

40:35

I knew that I needed other people around me and

40:38

I knew I needed other people to kick my ass if

40:40

I didn't show up. Yeah. So, yeah, it's good stuff.

40:44

It's good for the mental health. It's good therapy.

40:45

Yeah. Especially whenever you're really angry.

40:48

No, it is. It is. Yeah. Yeah. And because murder

40:51

is wrong. That's right. And those are the days

40:53

you pick up heavier weights and stuff. So, yeah.

40:55

And try not to get hurt. Yeah. Well, one thing

40:58

that appears in a lot of the posts that were

41:00

like earlier on, I haven't seen you post this

41:02

much recently, but you said in 2018, God gives

41:06

me the passion and energy to do what I do. He

41:08

protects my body every day. Does faith still

41:11

interact in your fitness journey? It does. I

41:15

mean, I think that, you know, most people call

41:18

me things like the legend and all this sort of

41:20

thing because I've been working out at the pace

41:21

I have for so many years. But, you know, everyone

41:25

has. times in their life when it's just a job.

41:30

And that's for everyone, no matter what your

41:32

job is. And this for me is definitely my passion

41:38

because of my background. And I do believe that

41:42

it's amazing that I haven't been injured, like

41:46

seriously injured because of the pace that I

41:50

go all the time. And it's as I tell people and

41:52

you, you know, that it's not as if I'm just working

41:55

out at the gym. I mean, I also walk the dog tour

41:58

three times a day and then do all the other things.

42:02

So, you know, in that regard, I mean, I did hurt

42:05

my knee one time and it was in 2018. And it,

42:11

you know, I don't know exactly what I did. I

42:12

mean, both of my knees hurt now, but that's beside

42:15

the point. But I was in a break. I had to wear

42:18

a knee brace and I probably wore it for maybe

42:20

like a week at the gym. I still, of course, did

42:22

all my classes and was like, yeah, you know,

42:24

suffer through. And I went to church Sunday and

42:29

I never asked for anyone to pray for me ever.

42:34

And I was like, I need y 'all to pray for this

42:37

knee because it really hurts. And I don't know

42:40

what's happened. And it's my job. And I was also

42:44

like, it's my job. And if I don't go to work,

42:46

I don't get paid. It's my job. So I was like,

42:49

and so, and then at the same time, because this

42:53

is just how life works. My father ended up in

42:56

hospice that week. And so I was lying on the

43:00

floor in his room with a heating pad wrapped

43:04

around my knee with a brace on it and lying on

43:09

the floor spending the night there, you know,

43:11

and then getting up and going to teach class

43:13

the next morning. You know, I was like, well,

43:15

you just got to get through it. But I do believe

43:19

that there is definitely. some protection and

43:22

that like, he knows this is my purpose and he,

43:25

he keeps me as safe as possible. And he also

43:28

tells me when I'm doing stupid things and to

43:31

back off a little bit. And I mean, I do, and

43:33

you know, and I have to, I have to nurse things

43:35

now. And, um, you know, things that used to hurt,

43:38

not very often hurt way more now, way more often.

43:42

I mean, they do. And part of it is age and part

43:44

of it is, well, teaching 25 hours of class for

43:48

the last 15 years. um, and doing them, you know,

43:51

as we say, I do the classes, I don't just stand

43:54

there. So, um, but yeah, I think there's definitely

43:56

a little bit of a divine protection. I mean,

43:58

I'm not stupid. I mean, I don't think that I

44:00

have some magical power or anything like that,

44:03

but, and, and I'm very cognizant of the fact

44:05

that I just turned 50 and, um, that, you know,

44:09

I don't know how much longer I can keep up the

44:11

pace I go. Yeah. I mean, physically, I don't

44:14

know. Cause some days I'm like, yeah, cause there

44:18

are some things that, I mean, I expect my shoulders

44:20

to hurt and I expect my arms to hurt and I expect

44:23

my hips to hurt. And I mean, you know, and I

44:25

expect my knees to hurt. But then there are some

44:28

days where that knee is like, oh, and then there

44:30

are some days my lower back is like, oof, and

44:32

back scares me. I tell everybody, backs scare

44:35

me. So it's the one thing that, you know, and

44:39

it's why I try to preach to people about how

44:41

they're doing squats and how they're doing things.

44:44

Because most of my folks are not young. So that's

44:46

why you'll do the modifications. Yeah. But yeah,

44:50

so. Well, do you think, do you see taking care

44:53

of your body as a spiritual practice? Well, the

44:56

Bible does tell you that the body is your temple,

44:58

is the temple of God. So, you know, and there's

45:03

a whole thing in the Bible about gluttony too.

45:05

People get real mad about that. But, you know,

45:09

if it is God's temple and it's, you've been given

45:12

it to take care of. I mean, we're supposed to

45:16

take care of ourselves spiritually, mentally,

45:19

and physically is definitely a part of that.

45:22

So I think that that's what we're supposed to

45:25

do. I mean, we're supposed to labor to eat. We're

45:27

supposed to work and to do the things that we

45:32

need to do to survive and thrive in this life.

45:35

You're going to have to be physically fit to

45:36

do it. This is true. And I have read that I pray

45:39

more in your classes than anywhere else. God,

45:42

don't let me die. God, don't let me cast out.

45:44

God, don't let me throw up. Well, one thing that

45:48

you've said a lot is I'm not for everyone. You've

45:50

acknowledged this a lot. Finger style isn't for

45:52

everyone. So you've even mentioned that some

45:56

people are scared of you and that you chase people

45:59

down after class. If you were to put it all in

46:02

a bow, what would you say is your teaching style?

46:06

Like who thrives with you? Oh, definitely people

46:09

that want to work hard and push their own limits.

46:13

You know, because I tell people all the time,

46:15

you can always do more than you think you can.

46:17

And that's just for everyone. And, but when people

46:21

are brand new, I also, you know, if I see them

46:24

pick up 10 pound weights as they're, even they're

46:27

bigs, I'm like, probably shouldn't do that. You

46:30

know, I mean, if you want to argue and you want,

46:32

okay, okay. But I'm going to tell you, you probably

46:34

shouldn't do that when you're just starting out.

46:38

So, you know, but I mean, I had two brand new

46:40

people in class last night. They seemed real

46:42

happy. I mean, they're young, you know, and I'm

46:44

like, that's why they're happy. You can't kill

46:45

them. They're young. But I think people that

46:49

want to work hard and, again, people that want

46:52

consistency are the ones that stay with me because

46:55

they know I'm always going to be there and I'm

46:57

going to do my best to make them work hard. So,

47:00

yeah, those are definitely my people. Lazy people

47:04

are not my people. And people that just want

47:10

to check a box are not my people. Well, that's

47:13

why you said the first year and a half I was

47:14

working out with you, I wasn't actually working.

47:16

It didn't count. At least I got serious. Yeah.

47:20

Yeah. So and who knew that when I finally started

47:24

listening to you, the changes actually started?

47:26

Who knew that was going to happen? Well, let's

47:29

talk about success metrics. You said it's not

47:32

class numbers anymore, but rather it's people

47:34

getting stronger, getting off their meds, improving

47:35

mental health and being able to do everything

47:37

they need to do. Tell me about some of the success

47:40

stories that have meant the most to you. Well,

47:43

I mean, some of my folks like other people weren't

47:47

there when they started, so they didn't see them.

47:50

So, you know, I've watched people take off 30,

47:53

40 pounds. And if you look at them right now,

47:55

you would think. Well, gosh, they look kind of

47:59

skinny or whatever in today's society. But for

48:03

them, 30 or 40 pounds was big for their frame,

48:06

for their body and for their knees. As you know,

48:10

every pound of weight is three pounds pressure

48:12

on your knees. So in watching them get stronger

48:16

and start with small weights and grow into big

48:20

weights for them, you know, go from fives to

48:24

15 pounds. And maybe we'll push that over their

48:26

head. I mean. That's what is great because it's

48:30

not about the fact that you can do that, but

48:33

it's about the fact that when your body can do

48:35

that and you're building muscle and you're stronger,

48:37

you're just going to have a better future because

48:41

you've got muscle tone. And watching my people

48:45

that are definitely in their senior years and

48:48

they're still doing yard work and all their grocery

48:52

shopping, they're not grocery delivering. Most

48:54

of them. I mean, they're still doing the things

48:57

that you have to do to live, you know. And when

49:00

you're 80 years old or 70 years old and you can

49:06

still do everything that needs to be done around

49:08

your house, whether that's cleaning or the yard

49:11

work or going to get your own groceries. I mean,

49:13

getting up out of the chair. No problem. Those

49:16

are the things that are important. And so. And

49:19

then I've got several people that have, you know,

49:21

gotten off blood pressure meds and off diabetic

49:23

meds. And I mean, you can't ask for any better

49:26

than that. That's, you know, I mean, yeah. Being

49:30

able to tell a farmer to suck it. I mean, that's

49:33

the best thing ever. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you've

49:38

said also that your tribe or fitness army shows

49:41

up consistently. You've mentioned that you've

49:43

got people that are doing two to three hours

49:45

with you in a row, even after a 12 -hour shift,

49:47

and that they choose you over the new pretty

49:50

gym. What creates that level of loyalty and community?

49:54

And what role does accountability play in sustainable

49:57

fitness? Well, again, definitely because they

50:01

know I'm going to be there. And for some of the

50:05

folks that are working split shifts and switching

50:09

shifts and all that sort of thing. They just

50:11

know that I'm going to be there and they're going

50:12

to feel better if they show up. And so they do

50:16

show up no matter how tired they are, because

50:18

again, they'll still usually feel better. And

50:20

even if they're going home to sleep for the next

50:22

shift, they'll come work out because they know

50:26

that I'm going to be there. And, you know, I'll

50:29

take requests. Sometimes I'll say, what do you

50:31

want to work on or what do you want to do? And,

50:33

you know, and somebody will say something. A

50:35

lot of times nobody says anything, but I try

50:38

to build things. and workouts really to hit everything.

50:43

So I try to always incorporate things that are

50:45

going to hit the entire body. So if you're there,

50:48

you're going to get everything you can possibly

50:52

get in that time frame without having to be there

50:55

for six hours or whatever the case may be, or

50:58

use 20 different machines. Because a lot of people

51:00

are just intimidated by equipment and machines

51:03

and things like that. So I try to keep things

51:05

simple. And also when my folks can't come, I

51:09

mean, I have a few that can't come and they'll

51:11

ask me to send them workouts. And so, you know,

51:15

I'll send them workouts, but for them to do at

51:19

home or a different kind of workout with like,

51:22

based on the fact that they have bad knees or

51:25

whatever the case is. So I think it's just that,

51:28

and then the community there is no different

51:31

than the community anywhere. I mean, so when

51:34

they. spend time together of course they become

51:37

interested in each other's lives and and it starts

51:40

an accountability thing because it's like well

51:42

if you're always here and then you're not here

51:44

for three days where are you something's wrong

51:46

where are you you know that sort of thing and

51:49

it's just a check -in i mean there's and we've

51:52

had a lot of people through the years go through

51:54

some really bad stuff i mean it's life i mean

51:57

it you know and and so we try to be supportive

52:01

and do what we can when bad things happen to

52:04

people because bad things do happen to people.

52:06

And so, you know, we try to build people up and

52:09

do what we can to try to help support them and

52:11

as best we can. And that's what people want.

52:14

I mean, people want, people just want, it's not

52:16

about belonging, but people just want a sense

52:18

of commonality. We're all here for the same reason.

52:21

We're all here for the same purpose because we're

52:24

all going to get old. And if we're going to get

52:28

old and as you know, my mantra for everyone is

52:31

no matter what age you walk in the room, there's

52:33

somebody in that room that's 15 years older than

52:36

you or older than that. And you look at them

52:39

and the shape they're in and you think about

52:42

where you're at at 25 and you see that person

52:44

at 40 or you're 40 and you see that person at

52:48

70. How do you want to live? Yeah. Yeah. I mean.

52:55

Marilyn knows I've shouted her out many times.

52:57

I'm chasing the 20 -pound weight she uses. Well,

53:00

I mean, you know, and she's almost 72. Yeah.

53:04

And old girl could catch her ass. I mean, and

53:06

genetics play a role. Don't get me wrong. Yeah.

53:09

But, I mean, they do. But a lot of it is you

53:14

choosing your own future. A lot of it. Well,

53:19

speaking of the future, we're coming into the

53:22

holiday weight gain season. So what do you tell

53:24

people during the holidays when they're surrounded

53:26

by all this yummy food, breaking routines and

53:28

the old, I'll start in January excuse? Well,

53:33

a lot of people, a lot of my folks, once you

53:37

stop being addicted to food, once you stop looking

53:40

at food as a crutch for everything you're feeling,

53:43

whether it's happy or sad or whatever, because,

53:46

you know, people will tell you that they eat

53:47

if they're happy, they eat if they're sad and

53:49

whatever. They eat mindlessly. But once you kind

53:52

of break that. The holidays aren't as big of

53:54

a deal because you no longer go into, if you're

53:58

going to parties or all the work functions and

54:00

yes, people are dragging all this food in and

54:02

whatever, but you just look at it differently

54:05

because you no longer look at it like the cow

54:08

at the trough. You look at it like I can have

54:13

a bite of this or, and what is your favorite

54:16

thing? I mean, just because people bring in things,

54:19

you know, don't eat it if you don't like it.

54:22

And then if you take a bite of it and it's not

54:24

fantastic, then you go sled behind the wall and

54:26

throw it in the trash if you need to. But don't

54:28

eat things that aren't delicious to you. I mean,

54:32

if I take a bite of something chocolate. It happened

54:35

recently. I won't. But it did. And I was like,

54:38

oh, this was not nearly as good as it looked.

54:41

Oh, no. And I thought, oh, no, I'm not eating

54:44

this. Yeah. Like, I'm not going to eat this.

54:46

So, you know, most of the time at all of these

54:49

parties and functions and things. But there's

54:52

very little things that you just love. I mean,

54:54

because everybody kind of has their thing. So

54:56

focus on what you really like. Have some of that,

55:01

but don't take a bite of everything just because

55:03

it's there. Yeah. I mean, you know, you don't

55:07

have to eat it just because it's in front of

55:08

you and you don't have to eat it because Aunt

55:10

Sue made it. Like if you don't like Aunt Sue's

55:13

dressing, then don't eat it. Just, you know,

55:16

and if you need to come up with an excuse and

55:18

say, well, I got to watch my weight, you know,

55:20

whatever. But just don't feel a lot of people

55:23

just do that stuff because they feel obligated

55:25

to. Yeah. It's like you don't have to, you know,

55:29

partake in things that you don't like. Well,

55:31

the funny thing with me is whenever I started

55:33

all this, like it was my birthday and everybody

55:36

was like, are you even allowed to eat cake? Would

55:38

your instructor get mad at you? I'm like, what?

55:43

It's like, so, you know, you still have to be

55:45

reasonable. But if you have big families. I mean,

55:47

gosh, when I first got married and all my grandparents

55:50

were alive and things, I mean, you had to go

55:52

to everybody's house because everybody cooked

55:55

and, oh, they were all going to be offended.

55:57

You had to. Yeah. So for Thanksgiving and Christmas

56:00

over Thanksgiving, you really just, no, that's

56:04

not true. Sometimes you did split it in between

56:05

Thursday and Friday. But Christmas, you always

56:07

split it between Christmas Eve and Christmas.

56:09

But, I mean, you're talking six meals. between

56:12

parents and grandparents. And so, you know, you,

56:15

you had to go to everyone's house. So when you

56:17

run into those situations where people are newly

56:19

married and big families or lots of whatever,

56:22

you know, it's harder sometimes. Although I think

56:25

now people are very different and they still

56:26

kind of take to one big gathering and it can

56:29

be harder, but it's okay to gain three, four

56:32

pounds. It's okay. Cause you know, if you're

56:35

consistent and you were at the gym the Wednesday

56:38

before Thanksgiving, you're going to be there

56:39

the Friday after and it'll come back off. Good.

56:43

We'll make it okay. Well, speaking of gaining,

56:48

you had posted that your body gets used to everything

56:51

you do when you work out. And at some point you're

56:53

going to need to change it up. So when people

56:55

hit a plateau, what should they do about it?

56:58

Well, unfortunately, sometimes like the best

57:01

thing that they could do is work out at a different

57:04

time. And when you're retired and you only come

57:07

in the morning, you're not going to come at night.

57:09

No. So so it's hard for some people because you

57:13

really should switch your work. I mean, I try

57:16

to switch up workouts as much as possible. Yeah.

57:18

I mean, try. But at the same time, there's only

57:21

so many things you can do. So, you know, I try

57:25

to keep things varied as much as we can. But

57:28

a lot of it is that working out at a different

57:30

time of day or. Choosing not to go to the gym

57:34

and taking the hike instead or. You know, doing

57:38

something difficult outside that you would never

57:41

do otherwise, but you're going to have the energy

57:42

to do it. So like for here, people hiking the

57:45

pinnacles, there's an easy pinnacle hike and

57:47

there's a hard pinnacle hike, you know, but doing

57:49

things like that instead of going to the gym

57:51

every once in a while. I know, but it's really

57:56

about varying your eating schedule and when you're

58:01

working out sometimes. it's hard for people because

58:05

people get in routines so it's really it's really

58:07

hard for people to switch up especially people

58:10

that work and have many people retired I think

58:12

retired people are more stuck in their routines

58:14

than the people that work honestly because it's

58:17

like no every morning at 7 45 I have coffee you

58:21

know and it's like okay so and I'm like that

58:25

I don't like my routine messed with at all. I

58:27

mean, I don't, and you know, I do not, I have

58:29

my specific morning routine. I have a specific

58:32

afternoon and evening routine. I don't like my

58:34

routine messed with. And when I wasn't as old

58:38

as I am now, you know, occasionally I would take

58:40

the extra walk just so around the park and, you

58:44

know, but just breaking it up a little bit sometimes.

58:47

And even You know, you don't always have to carry

58:50

big weights. I mean, I used to tell people all

58:53

the time when they were trying to just start

58:55

in fitness and, well, I don't have time to go

58:57

to the gym, whatever. It's like, well, do you

58:58

walk? Well, I just started walking. Okay, well,

59:01

start walking and then add some wrist weights

59:04

to your walk. You know, I don't tell people to

59:07

add ankle weights very often because ankles and

59:10

knees, like, I mean, it's one thing if you're

59:13

19, but as you get older, they don't really like

59:15

that weight thing to me added to them. But it

59:19

is hard for people to change up routines. It

59:22

is. And sometimes it's just a matter of changing

59:25

what you're eating. And like if you're carb heavy,

59:29

always at lunch and switching it to dinner, which

59:32

sounds crazy. But your body doesn't know if you

59:36

do things like that. Like sometimes I eat a salad

59:39

at night. It's like, oh, you know. But that's

59:43

it. And you will hear people, too. And I did

59:46

find it to be true. I don't do it anymore because

59:48

I just don't enjoy it. But you will hear people

59:51

say that I've been working out forever. And like

59:53

there are some people that really go into that,

59:55

you know, 80 percent clean diet thing and 20

59:58

percent. It's not me. But they would have like

1:00:02

their cheat meal on the weekend and they would

1:00:03

go eat garbage and notice that they would take

1:00:08

weight off from doing it. which sounds crazy,

1:00:12

but it is true. I mean, any kind of thing you

1:00:15

do that switches up what your body is used to,

1:00:18

whether that's food or working out, a lot of

1:00:21

times, not always, you'll notice that you'll

1:00:23

drop weight. It's weird. But you also have to

1:00:27

know that you're going to fluctuate. Everybody

1:00:30

does. Got to make your body confused. Yeah. So

1:00:34

you kind of already touched on this, but if someone

1:00:36

was starting from zero and they're overweight,

1:00:38

they have health issues, they're intimidated,

1:00:40

whatever, what would you say step one is? I think

1:00:45

step one for most people is still to go to the

1:00:48

gym, which sounds really intimidating. But unless

1:00:50

you're going in like, I mean, they exist. We

1:00:53

have one here in town. Unless you're going to

1:00:55

like the muscle gyms. Most gyms are filled with

1:00:58

pretty average looking folks. There's not, you

1:01:01

know, I mean, it doesn't mean you're not going

1:01:03

to be intimidated, but for the most part, when

1:01:07

you walk in a gym, people around you are going

1:01:09

to introduce themselves. Hi, nice to meet you.

1:01:12

What's your name? And they're going to tell you

1:01:16

the equipment you need for the class if I'm not

1:01:19

there yet. And they're going to suggest to you

1:01:23

that, you know, just do what you can. That's

1:01:25

what they'll always say to you. That's what I'll

1:01:27

say to you. Just do what you can. But whatever

1:01:29

you do when you start is better than sitting

1:01:32

on the couch at home. Or they'll tell you you

1:01:34

need a different class. Yeah. Like what happened

1:01:37

to me? Yeah. Yeah. But it's hard to start. But

1:01:41

you have to be determined that you're going to

1:01:44

do it for you. Because it's never for anyone

1:01:47

but you. And when it is, you don't, it doesn't

1:01:50

work. That's right. I know we've been taking

1:01:54

a little bit of time and I'm trying to respect

1:01:55

your time. So I might have to bring you back

1:01:57

on for more. But in 2018, you said 21 days is

1:02:01

a habit. Try working out for 21 days in a row

1:02:03

and see if you stop. Is that still your recommendation

1:02:05

for people? Oh, yeah. Because that's just science.

1:02:08

I mean, there's books all about that, right?

1:02:10

That if you do anything for 21 days. Books? You

1:02:12

don't read books. Yeah, I know. I don't. But

1:02:14

yeah, if you do anything for 21 days, that makes

1:02:16

it a habit. So, yeah. Okay. Yeah. In January

1:02:21

2020, you shared your comprehensive do's and

1:02:23

don'ts list. You shared you do have to show up

1:02:26

even when you don't feel like it. You don't have

1:02:28

to buy specific clothes for the gym. If you could

1:02:30

give listeners just three non -negotiable do's

1:02:33

and three don'ts, what would they be? Oh. Do

1:02:37

go to the gym and close your comfortable in.

1:02:40

Comfortable to sweat in. Comfortable to move

1:02:43

in. Don't worry about what you look like. Nobody's

1:02:46

there to look cute. People are there to work.

1:02:52

And don't worry about what you look like in the

1:02:55

mirror if you're in a class. No one's looking

1:02:59

at you but you. Everyone else is looking at me.

1:03:03

So you're not the focus. You may think you're

1:03:05

the focus, especially if you're new, but you're

1:03:08

really not. Really not. So do take water to the

1:03:14

gym. And be prepared to sweat. I mean, if you

1:03:17

have not... been moving and some people naturally

1:03:21

just don't sweat. I think those are the weirdest

1:03:23

people ever. And I kind of am envious of them

1:03:26

actually, but they, I know I have like two of

1:03:29

them. I'm like, y 'all, I mean, I'm just drenched,

1:03:32

but be prepared to sweat and have water because

1:03:35

you don't want to get dehydrated and get lightheaded

1:03:39

while you're working out. And it does happen,

1:03:41

especially people starting, you've never done

1:03:42

it. So, and do focus on The small things that

1:03:47

you can change first, like especially with diet,

1:03:50

the little things. So everyone has their really

1:03:53

bad habits or a bad habit. So whether that's

1:03:57

eating. I had someone once that told me that

1:04:00

they had nachos every night in their toaster

1:04:02

oven. And because we were having a discussion

1:04:05

about the fact that they were pre -diabetic and

1:04:07

in their 30s. And they were coming to the gym,

1:04:11

but they weren't seeing a lot of results. And

1:04:15

I said, well, what's your thing? Everybody has

1:04:17

their thing, whether it's a bowl of ice cream

1:04:19

at night. Like, everybody has their thing. And

1:04:21

they said, oh, well, I have nachos every night.

1:04:24

And I said, well, perhaps you could consider

1:04:26

maybe nachos three times a week. Drop it back.

1:04:31

Pick days, you know. I'm willing to do that.

1:04:33

Well, then you're probably not going to see any

1:04:36

changes. I mean, you've got to make some small

1:04:39

steps. That's probably why I'm so anti -going.

1:04:42

No sugar, no carbs. It has to be things that

1:04:44

are livable. And for most people, that's not

1:04:47

livable. It's just not. So just focus on the

1:04:51

small things that you can do. And then I guess

1:04:55

the other do would be always measure when you

1:04:57

start. Always measure. Yeah. And stay away from

1:05:00

the scale. Because. The scale will really upset

1:05:04

you. It'll make you cry. Yeah, it will. And as

1:05:07

you gain muscle, you do indeed gain pounds when

1:05:11

you gain muscle. And your body just fluctuates

1:05:13

and changes. So, you know. So, yeah. Wear comfortable

1:05:18

things. Show up and focus on the small things

1:05:22

you can do. Don't compare yourself to other people.

1:05:27

Don't compare yourself to you 20 years ago. Because

1:05:33

for most people, that's not going to happen.

1:05:36

And don't listen to all the people in your life

1:05:40

who tell you that you're not worth it or that

1:05:44

the time you're spending is not worth it. Or

1:05:47

if they're suddenly jealous of the time you're

1:05:51

away from them, that it's not worth it because

1:05:55

you are the only one that you know you can depend

1:05:59

on. And if everyone else around you is gone,

1:06:03

what does your future look like? Well, that was

1:06:10

intense. Yeah. I think we're going to stop it

1:06:15

there because I do have a lot more questions,

1:06:17

but I hope you will consider coming back and

1:06:19

chatting with me some more. I guess it depends

1:06:21

on how I edit it. Because, yeah, I had some other

1:06:25

stuff, but... You can add a couple more. I can?

1:06:29

Yeah. Alrighty. Let's talk about the people who

1:06:31

disappear and people who have fallen off the

1:06:34

wagon hard. And you'll ask them, you know, when

1:06:36

will I see you again? And what do you say to

1:06:39

someone who keeps starting and stopping? How

1:06:41

can you get them to break the cycle or how should

1:06:43

they go about breaking the cycle? It is hard

1:06:48

for people to, but that's why I'm so adamant

1:06:51

about don't stop because any excuse you can find

1:06:55

to stop. I mean, a day or a week's vacation is

1:06:58

different. But you know my people check in. If

1:07:00

they're going to be gone for a week, they tell

1:07:01

me. Because they know I'm going to message and

1:07:04

be like, hello. But people that just start and

1:07:10

stop, they tend to always be the ones that stop

1:07:14

permanently. And there's just nothing you can

1:07:17

do. And again, if you don't want to do it for

1:07:21

yourself, then no one else can make you. Well,

1:07:26

you're pretty scary. I mean, so, you know, and

1:07:29

there are some that I just, I mean, I've lost

1:07:32

people over there clearly. I mean, a lot of people

1:07:34

just come and go. I mean, that's just part of

1:07:35

it. But I've definitely lost people that have

1:07:39

gotten mad at me. I mean, I can name them on

1:07:42

one hand. I mean, I know who they are and they

1:07:44

know who they are. Yeah. But, but that it's always,

1:07:47

you know, those people that. Well, they come

1:07:51

to me. It's not like I go to them and say, hey,

1:07:53

you look just like you did three months ago.

1:07:55

I mean, it's not like I do that. They're like,

1:07:57

gosh, can you, I'm just not seeing, you know.

1:08:00

And then when we start having the discussions

1:08:02

about the nachos or that you're going home and

1:08:04

drinking a bottle of wine every night. Yeah.

1:08:06

I mean, you can't. And then that whole thing

1:08:09

about you can't outwork a bad diet. I mean, that's

1:08:12

the, you know, that's the phrase. I'm like, I

1:08:15

mean. Depends on how bad your diet is. I mean,

1:08:19

that's why I believe in living the way I do and,

1:08:23

you know, eating some of what I like. It just

1:08:25

depends on how bad your diet is. But it's really

1:08:28

hard for people that start and stop. I mean,

1:08:31

I will occasionally try, but there are times

1:08:33

when I just am like, there's nothing I can do.

1:08:37

I mean, you know, you give up. I can only imagine.

1:08:40

And it's got to be rough because, you know, you'd

1:08:42

see what could be done. And then if they're not

1:08:44

making the change. Well, it's always rough for

1:08:48

me when I see people's potential. But then again,

1:08:50

I'm like, do you not have anyone in your life?

1:08:52

I mean, my mother was such a driving force for

1:08:54

me to not be that. And I think when people either

1:08:59

don't have that because they haven't experienced

1:09:02

it yet, because if you're younger and you're

1:09:03

in your 20s, your 30s and your mom's 50s, then

1:09:08

no, it's not bad yet. Yeah. I mean, but it's

1:09:11

coming, but it's coming, you know, so. I think

1:09:14

that when people don't have something like that

1:09:17

to drive them and, and they're just not naturally

1:09:21

want to be physical, that it's hard for people,

1:09:25

a lot of people to just stick with it. But the

1:09:28

other thing is, and I used to preach this all

1:09:30

the time too, and I've made Facebook posts about

1:09:32

this years ago, but you know, it was like, well,

1:09:34

I have kids and they all play sports and you

1:09:36

know, like, okay, well your kids are probably

1:09:40

not going to be the next Michael Jordan. And

1:09:42

any little trophies they get for all these sports

1:09:44

they're playing aren't going to mean diddly to

1:09:47

them when you're 70 and can't move. And so if

1:09:51

your kids' activities are taking up all of your

1:09:55

time when you have work and house and everything

1:09:58

else to do, then you really should think about

1:10:01

what you're handing your kids' future. Because

1:10:03

your kids are the ones that have to deal with

1:10:05

your future if you have kids. And would they

1:10:08

rather have a healthy parent? Or a parent that

1:10:12

dragged them to the ball field six nights a week

1:10:15

and gave them trophies that meant nothing. That's

1:10:17

all I'm saying. I know that I used to take my

1:10:21

husband to he was in soccer. And because I didn't

1:10:24

want to just stand there on the sidelines, I

1:10:26

walked the field because at least I was still

1:10:28

moving. Yeah. So maybe they should at least do

1:10:31

that. Yeah. Yeah. Well, one of the things that

1:10:34

you. posted that kind of broke my heart is you

1:10:37

shared a heartbreaking story about someone who

1:10:39

approached you outside the gym. They wanted to

1:10:41

talk to you about their health. They came to

1:10:42

one class, but they never returned. Four years

1:10:44

later, they received a terminal diagnosis. And

1:10:47

you said the fact that they didn't do what they

1:10:50

needed to do gnaws at you. That's heavy. How

1:10:53

do you process stuff like that whenever you hear

1:10:55

these stories from others? Yeah. And I still

1:10:59

know who that person is. And they are dead. And,

1:11:03

you know, and I tell people to like none of us

1:11:06

know what our future holds as far as I mean,

1:11:09

any of us can get a diagnosis today, tomorrow.

1:11:11

And that's why I preach what I preach. Control

1:11:13

what you can because none of us ever know. But

1:11:16

when you know that. Obesity and bad choices makes

1:11:24

you more prone to get diagnoses like cancer and

1:11:28

that we've known this for years. Uh, it's always

1:11:32

difficult when you see people that don't choose

1:11:37

to make lifestyle choices and then get those

1:11:40

diagnoses. And it's, I mean, to me, I would always

1:11:44

be, what if, what if I have no idea if it would

1:11:48

have mattered? I have no idea, but it, it's difficult.

1:11:52

It's difficult for me too, to see people that

1:11:55

come in. Cause I had somebody on probably four

1:11:58

months ago now, probably. And she came in. definitely

1:12:02

overweight and brought a child that was overweight

1:12:06

with her to class. And the child didn't want

1:12:11

to do anything. And so she is trying to get the

1:12:17

child to move. And again, this is learned behavior.

1:12:24

So clearly this child sits when they're not,

1:12:27

well, they sit at school and then. whether it's

1:12:30

video games or whatever it is, this child is

1:12:33

forcibly lazy and now looking at you and saying,

1:12:36

I'm not going to do that. I mean, she fought

1:12:40

with her the entire class and they never came

1:12:42

back. They didn't come back because regardless

1:12:45

of how the parent wanted to do, who was also

1:12:47

really out of shape, because she couldn't get

1:12:50

her child to do it with her, she's not going

1:12:53

to come back because A, it's not worth the fight.

1:12:56

B, maybe she thinks that, you know, It's not

1:12:59

worth my time being here either. And I can't

1:13:03

not come without her. Yeah. Probably wasn't a

1:13:07

child that was the age for childcare. I mean,

1:13:09

it was older than that. Yeah. But those are the

1:13:12

ones that really just get to me because it makes

1:13:17

me angry. Okay. Because it's like, you know,

1:13:21

you have chosen your life. And then you have

1:13:26

now passed it on to this child that you're responsible

1:13:29

for their rearing, their activity and their food.

1:13:33

Yeah. And of course, we see that everywhere.

1:13:35

But and I knew they would never come back. And

1:13:38

so they came to one class and that was it. Yeah.

1:13:42

Well, I mean, that kind of leads into something

1:13:45

else that you had posted. You said sitting equals

1:13:47

dying. Don't roll the dice on your future. That's

1:13:51

stark. So paint the picture of what rolling the

1:13:54

dice looks like in 10, 20, 30 years to the people

1:13:57

that just continue sitting on their butt. Well,

1:14:01

I mean, I've witnessed it. I've watched it. And

1:14:04

even when we're hurting, which for me now is

1:14:08

daily, pretty much daily, something hurts. But

1:14:11

the more I sit on it, whatever it is, the more

1:14:15

it hurts. And that's what all of my seniors and

1:14:18

people with back problems and replaced knees

1:14:21

and all that they know. And that's why they're

1:14:23

at the gym, because sitting on it isn't going

1:14:27

to help and not using it isn't going to help.

1:14:30

So regardless of what ailments you have or don't

1:14:34

have, your body was meant to move. Yeah. I mean,

1:14:38

that's why society is where it's at now versus

1:14:41

years ago when everybody had physical jobs. like

1:14:44

getting up and changing the TV without a remote.

1:14:47

I mean, everything has become automated and we

1:14:51

look like it. And we ain't seen in Wally. Yeah.

1:14:55

We are. Yeah. I mean, we, we are definitely a

1:14:58

product of an automated society where anything

1:15:03

that you ask someone to do, they're like put

1:15:06

out. Yeah. Like I have to get up. What? What?

1:15:12

So. Again, any of us could receive a terminal

1:15:16

diagnosis at any time. I mean, we cannot ever

1:15:20

predict what we're going to see or face. But

1:15:25

that's why I'm adamant about control while you

1:15:28

can, because we know that obesity and diabetes

1:15:32

and all of those things lead to other ailments

1:15:35

or immobility, period. Once you're immobile and

1:15:42

you lose muscle mass and muscle tone, same thing

1:15:46

for people that like break a hip in their 70s

1:15:51

and end up in a hospital bed. And then they end

1:15:54

up usually a lot of times in a nursing home because

1:15:57

muscles atrophy. So I don't care what age you

1:16:02

are, if you're sitting all the time and you're

1:16:04

not using your body, then eventually you're not

1:16:08

going to be able to use it. So you need to start

1:16:11

using it. Yeah. Or you'll lose it. Yeah. And

1:16:14

that's kind of what started this podcast and

1:16:18

why I named it More Movement, Please. It's like,

1:16:20

you know, the fact that I was sitting all the

1:16:23

time and recognizing that I needed to be moving

1:16:25

more. Yeah. And, you know, I guess we'll finish

1:16:29

with this, that you've said repeatedly that fitness

1:16:31

isn't temporary. This isn't just a temporary

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