Episode 8Nov 19, 2025· 32:08
Watching Her Mom Become a Prisoner in Her Own Body | Why Rhonda Will Never Stop Moving (Part 2)
About this episode
Rhonda's mother spent her final years unable to walk from her chair to the car parked just steps away, a prisoner in her own home and body. This raw conversation reveals the devastating reality of untreated obesity and diabetes, and why Rhonda doubled down on her fitness commitment after watching her mother's painful decline.
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Full transcript
00:10
What's up, you guys? Famous Ashley Grant here,
00:12
and welcome to More Movement, Please. Welcome
00:14
back to part two of my three -part series interviewing
00:17
my amazing fitness instructor, Rhonda Goode. In
00:21
the previous episode, we talked about how Rhonda
00:23
broke the generational curse of diabetes and
00:25
obesity in her family, losing 120 pounds and
00:29
completely transforming her life. But there's
00:31
a reason she was so driven to make those changes,
00:33
and today we're going to hear about it. I'm going
00:36
to be honest with you. This episode, it gets
00:38
vulnerable. like really vulnerable. We're talking
00:41
about what it was like for Rhonda to watch her
00:43
mother spend those last two years of her life
00:45
housebound. She was unable to walk from her chair
00:48
to the car and what those final moments look
00:51
like. It's heavy stuff. And I want you to listen
00:54
to it anyway, because it's the why behind everything
00:57
that Rhonda does. We're also going to hear about
01:00
how she went from working out for herself to
01:03
becoming a fitness instructor, how she built
01:05
her fitness tribe that shows up no matter what.
01:07
and her surprisingly practical advice about holiday
01:10
eating. And spoiler alert, it's okay to gain
01:13
a few pounds at Thanksgiving, but you got to
01:16
get them off. So this is part two of our series,
01:20
and I got to warn you, it might make you emotional.
01:22
It definitely made me emotional, and it made
01:24
me think about my own family dynamics. So I want
01:27
you to grab some water, maybe a tissue or two,
01:29
and let's jump right back in to my interview
01:31
with Rhonda Good. Now, this one's kind of a vulnerable
01:34
one, and if you don't want to answer it, if it's
01:35
too personal, just tell me again. I don't want
01:37
to answer it. But in February 2025, this year,
01:42
just weeks after your mother had passed, you
01:45
wrote, her retirement years were plagued with
01:47
nothing but sickness and disease. It didn't have
01:49
to be this way. My biggest fear is her last year,
01:52
and I'll do everything I can to avoid it the
01:54
right way. How did watching your mother's health
01:56
journey shape not just your fitness goals, but
01:59
your entire philosophy about aging and what you
02:01
want your future to look like? Watching my mother,
02:06
because my father passed, he was 69 when he passed.
02:10
So it's been seven years. And then my mom's brother
02:15
passed at 65. Wow. And so she lived longer than
02:22
her family, including almost all of her cousins,
02:26
which was astonishing to me because although
02:31
they were all in equally bad health, She was,
02:34
I would have considered her the weakest of all
02:37
of them. And she lived the longest. So I didn't
02:42
really realize how just how stubborn she was
02:45
until probably the last year. And I mean, I guess
02:50
that's what kept her here. I mean, she was really,
02:53
really stubborn. And I know people, when they
02:56
age, there's a lot of personality changes and
02:58
things like that. But she was extremely stubborn.
03:03
And could not leave the house at all the last
03:06
almost two years of her life. I mean, it was
03:10
definitely a solid 18 months. It was really close
03:12
to two years. So could no longer get up from
03:15
a chair and walk to the car. So and the car was
03:20
parked not in the garage, but right at the bottom
03:23
of the steps. So she was in a small house, had
03:26
to walk through. one small room and get down
03:30
three or four steps, no matter which door she
03:32
chose to get to the car and could not do that.
03:35
And could not go down the steps to get in my
03:38
car and couldn't do it. So housebound, literally
03:42
housebound. And then also got to the point where
03:46
she could barely make it to the bathroom. So
03:51
I had to start using a porta potty inside the
03:54
house and And someone having to constantly clean
03:58
that and clean her. And it was just... And at
04:04
the end, I mean, bed sores, all the things that
04:06
come with it from setting all the time. And so
04:10
she had a lift chair that she ordered in the
04:13
last year of her life because she could no longer
04:15
physically get up. And she dislocated her shoulder
04:19
trying to clean herself after going to the bathroom.
04:21
Oh, my God. And... It was really downhill from
04:25
there, really downhill. But man, was it a long
04:30
hill slide. It was long. I mean, and I kept thinking,
04:33
how much physically worse can someone get? So
04:36
when my mother would sit in her recliner, her
04:39
stomach was so big that it would literally almost
04:42
touch the floor. And because she'd been big for
04:44
years and then had no stomach muscles at all,
04:47
I mean, that's what happens. Because when you
04:49
have no muscle tone, that's what happens. And
04:52
so... Just sitting her slumped over again, drugs
04:58
out of her mind between all of the meds she was
05:01
on for all of the ailments she had. And then
05:04
sometimes I would come in and bring her food.
05:08
And of course, I gave her whatever she wanted,
05:09
whatever she asked for. That's what I got. Because
05:11
at this point, there was who cares? I mean, and
05:15
so whatever she wanted. And there was more than
05:18
once that she was. Her sugar was so low, I couldn't
05:22
even get her awake enough to eat. Oh, wow. I
05:25
mean, she was completely, but yet not in any,
05:28
I did call one time. I did call EMS one time
05:31
because I couldn't even get her to come to herself
05:34
enough to even acknowledge me there. Wow. And
05:37
her sugar when they got there was like 54. But
05:41
other times it was just a typical, like, she
05:44
was just out of it. I mean, just sitting, prison
05:48
in your own body. Wow. And you can't do anything.
05:53
I mean, her mind was I mean, her her mind was
05:56
definitely affected at the end. Don't get me
05:58
wrong. But, you know, prior to the last little
06:01
bit, I'd say the last six months, you really
06:04
declined mentally, too. But prior to that, I
06:07
mean, it's just, you know, mentally, you're OK
06:10
to be in that age range. I mean, you're OK. But
06:13
yeah, just a prisoner in your body and a prisoner
06:15
in your home where you can't do anything. You
06:18
can't leave. You can't do anything. I mean, we
06:21
all have days where we don't want to leave our
06:23
house or we don't want to do whatever. But to
06:25
not have the choice. Oh, no, I'm out. And so
06:30
it kind of made you double down on fitness. Yeah.
06:33
Yeah. Yeah. I can't even imagine. Yeah. I can't
06:39
even like because I'm watching things with my
06:41
own mom right now. And it's just it's hard. It's
06:45
really hard. Yeah. It's really hard. Yeah. Because
06:48
there's. Nothing that you can do. And like with
06:51
her, I mean, the time, I mean, I remember when
06:54
she was in the hospital for some ailment, probably
06:57
three years before she died, maybe four, you
07:00
know, she comes home and it's like, I want to
07:03
try to do better, you know? So I'm showing her
07:06
some exercises she can do in the chair. And,
07:08
you know, if you'll just start trying to do this,
07:11
lift your knee off the ground, lift your leg
07:15
off the ground. Lift your arms above your head.
07:20
Try to walk from here to there. Get the walker
07:24
and try to just walk from here to there. We're
07:25
talking five steps and back. Okay, okay, I'll
07:30
try, I'll try. And it would last for not even
07:33
a week. And then at a certain point, there's
07:38
nothing you can do except watch it. There's nothing
07:40
you can do. And so, yeah, I mean, whatever she
07:44
wanted. Her order of food of Christmas last year,
07:51
because I told her when I left Christmas Eve,
07:55
I said, OK, so Sonic opens at five on Christmas
08:00
Day. So because, you know, most places are closed.
08:03
So send me what you want. It was five or six
08:10
menu items. And at the end of the text, it said,
08:13
I know this is a lot. But it's what I want. And
08:18
she didn't want more than a bite or two of all
08:22
of it, you know, each thing. But it was, you
08:26
know, queso and chips and tater tots and a burger
08:31
and a milkshake and whatever. I mean, it was
08:36
just I mean, the order was like thirty seven
08:39
dollars. And when I went to the drive through,
08:42
I thought, you know, you just get whatever she
08:44
wants. Because there was no arguing with her
08:47
either. I mean, you just could not, you couldn't
08:49
reason with her. And so, and there was nothing,
08:53
there's nothing you can do. You just have to
08:55
go along. And, you know, I used to think, I have
08:58
no idea what will ever take her. Because I could
09:01
not believe the condition that her physical body
09:04
was in and that she was still breathing. Just
09:06
could not believe it. And it's always some random,
09:10
weird. most of the time thing, you know, and
09:14
what finally got her was a final UTI and an antibiotic
09:18
that absolutely sent her out of her mind. Wow.
09:22
That had to be so hard to watch. It was a rough
09:25
week. Yeah. It was a rough week. Do you feel
09:28
like it's changed you? Or that it's just made
09:31
you, like I said, just double down on fitness?
09:33
Um, no, it's changed me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Do
09:40
you want to talk any more on that or do you want
09:41
to move on? Move on. Okay, let's move on. Well,
09:44
it sounds like a good time to talk about mental
09:46
health. So mental health and movement. You had
09:49
mentioned in 2020, in January 2020, that the
09:53
endorphins from exercise have a larger effect
09:55
on your mind than your body at first. You said
09:57
feel better mentally, watch depression, anxiety,
10:00
and lethargy. I can't even say that word. Minimize
10:03
and then watch your body transform slowly. Let's
10:06
talk about the mental health benefits you've
10:07
experienced. How has moving been medicine for
10:10
your mind? I think for a lot of people, you know,
10:15
I mean, especially now in today's world, I mean,
10:17
everybody's diagnosed with something, which,
10:19
and I'm not trying to minimize it, but it's literally
10:22
everywhere. And I think most people know, especially
10:27
if you're older than, say, 20, that smartphones
10:31
and social media are where we're at mentally,
10:34
period. Because no one interacts anymore with
10:40
people. People don't know how to interact with
10:43
people. They're not comfortable with it. They're
10:46
kind of lost. And so most people are just lost.
10:51
And they're in these mental jails because they
10:57
don't know how to do anything outside of the
10:59
box that's in their hand. And they don't know
11:03
how to communicate with people. They don't know
11:04
how to relate to people. And they don't get out
11:09
and do things for the most part. And if they
11:12
do, they're still on their phone the whole time.
11:15
And so at the gym, you don't, for the most part,
11:21
see people on their phones. They're there to
11:24
work out. It's a forced phone break. Now, I've
11:28
got a couple that do, especially in spin class.
11:32
I still think it's weird because to me, it's
11:36
like it's 30 minutes. Can you not give your mind
11:39
a break for 30 minutes and just work out? I mean,
11:43
whether you're thinking about nothing or bubbles
11:46
in the air or whatever. I mean, even if your
11:48
mind is blank, but just let it be blank. Yeah.
11:52
So we're afraid of that. But I think that just
11:56
working out in an environment with people that
11:59
you can choose to interact with as much as you
12:02
want or not, and then moving has such a huge
12:06
effect. And it's the whole groupthink mentality
12:08
that is both a positive and a negative, can be
12:12
a very negative thing. But at the gym, groupthink
12:15
is the best thing you can have because it'll
12:18
be those people that... encourage you or ask
12:21
you where you've been or all the things. And,
12:24
you know, and there's some that are annoying
12:25
about it. The attendance monitors. Yeah. I mean,
12:28
there are, but, and, but those are the people
12:31
that, you know, will make you accountable. And
12:34
so there's just something about being somewhere,
12:38
working out everything that is happening in your
12:42
life. And a lot of people, I mean, I tell people
12:44
like, that's why med ball slams are so fun, but.
12:47
It's like for most people, it's working out whatever
12:51
you're feeling, whether that's anger, sadness,
12:55
whatever it is. You typically can let go of it
12:59
for that amount of time during a class, usually.
13:02
I mean, and I have I mean, I've had days, especially
13:06
during sicknesses of my mother. I mean, I've
13:08
had days where I break down in class. It happens.
13:12
But, you know, I just keep going. I've had people
13:16
break down in class. I mean, it happens. But
13:18
most of the time, people can just focus on the
13:21
current present where they're at. And that's
13:24
a huge mental release for everyone. And then
13:28
when people choose to not go to the gym, I mean,
13:33
things happen. Life happens. Work happens. All
13:36
that. It tends to be that when people stop going
13:40
because of X, Y, Z, and then they don't go back
13:44
or they take an extended break, you can watch
13:47
their mental health and they will tell you that
13:50
their mental health will suffer significantly.
13:53
Because at first it was, well, no, I couldn't
13:55
go. And then I, oh, well, I'm not going. And
13:58
then, oh. And so they'll find themselves back
14:02
in the serious black hole that they started in.
14:06
So, yeah, I can definitely relate to that. And
14:09
part of the reason I chose group fitness is because
14:11
I knew that I needed other people around me and
14:14
I knew I needed other people to kick my ass if
14:16
I didn't show up. Yeah. So, yeah, it's good stuff.
14:19
It's good for the mental health. It's good therapy.
14:21
Yeah. Especially whenever you're really angry.
14:23
No, it is. It is. Yeah. Yeah. And because murder
14:27
is wrong. That's right. And those are the days
14:28
you pick up heavier weights and stuff. So, yeah.
14:31
And try not to get hurt. Yeah. Well, one thing
14:33
that appears in a lot of the posts that were
14:35
like earlier on, I haven't seen you post this
14:38
much recently, but you said in 2018, God gives
14:42
me the passion and energy to do what I do. He
14:44
protects my body every day. Does faith still
14:47
interact in your fitness journey? It does. I
14:51
mean, I think that, you know, most people call
14:53
me things like the legend and all this sort of
14:55
thing because I've been working out at the pace
14:57
I have for so many years. But, you know, everyone
15:00
has. times in their life when it's just a job.
15:06
And that's for everyone, no matter what your
15:08
job is. And this for me is definitely my passion
15:13
because of my background. And I do believe that
15:18
it's amazing that I haven't been injured, like
15:22
seriously injured because of the pace that I
15:25
go all the time. And it's as I tell people and
15:28
you, you know, that it's not as if I'm just working
15:31
out at the gym. I mean, I also walk the dog tour
15:33
three times a day and then do all the other things.
15:37
So, you know, in that regard, I mean, I did hurt
15:40
my knee one time and it was in 2018. And it,
15:46
you know, I don't know exactly what I did. I
15:48
mean, both of my knees hurt now, but that's beside
15:50
the point. But I was in a break. I had to wear
15:53
a knee brace and I probably wore it for maybe
15:56
like a week at the gym. I still, of course, did
15:58
all my classes and was like, yeah, you know,
15:59
suffer through. And I went to church Sunday and
16:04
I never asked for anyone to pray for me ever.
16:10
And I was like, I need y 'all to pray for this
16:13
knee because it really hurts. And I don't know
16:15
what's happened. And it's my job. And I was also
16:20
like, it's my job. And if I don't go to work,
16:22
I don't get paid. It's my job. So I was like,
16:25
and so, and then at the same time, because this
16:29
is just how life works. My father ended up in
16:31
hospice that week. And so I was lying on the
16:35
floor in his room with a heating pad wrapped
16:40
around my knee with a brace on it and lying on
16:44
the floor spending the night there, you know,
16:46
and then getting up and going to teach class
16:49
the next morning. You know, I was like, well,
16:51
you just got to get through it. But I do believe
16:54
that there is definitely. some protection and
16:58
that like, he knows this is my purpose and he,
17:01
he keeps me as safe as possible. And he also
17:04
tells me when I'm doing stupid things and to
17:07
back off a little bit. And I mean, I do, and
17:09
you know, and I have to, I have to nurse things
17:11
now. And, um, you know, things that used to hurt,
17:14
not very often hurt way more now, way more often.
17:18
I mean, they do. And part of it is age and part
17:20
of it is, well, teaching 25 hours of class for
17:24
the last 15 years. Um, and doing them, you know,
17:27
as we say, I do the classes, I don't just stand
17:29
there. So, um, but yeah, I think there's definitely
17:32
a little bit of a divine protection. I mean,
17:34
I'm not stupid. I mean, I don't think that I
17:36
have some magical power or anything like that,
17:38
but, and I'm very cognizant of the fact that
17:41
I just turned 50 and, um, that, you know, I don't
17:45
know how much longer I can keep up the pace I
17:47
go. Yeah. I mean, physically, I don't know. Cause
17:50
some days I'm like, yeah, cause there are some
17:54
things that, I mean, I expect my shoulders to
17:56
hurt and I expect my arms to hurt and I expect
17:58
my hips to hurt. And I mean, you know, and I
18:01
expect my knees to hurt. But then there are some
18:03
days where that knee is like, oh, and then there
18:06
are some days my lower back is like, oof, and
18:08
back scares me. I tell everybody backs scare
18:11
me. So it's the one thing that, you know, and
18:15
it's why I try to preach to people about how
18:17
they're doing squats and how they're doing things
18:19
because most of my folks are not young. So that's
18:22
why you'll do the modifications. Yeah. So. But
18:25
yeah, so. Well, do you think, do you see taking
18:28
care of your body as a spiritual practice? Well,
18:31
the Bible does tell you that the body is your
18:33
temple, is the temple of God. So, you know, and
18:39
there's a whole thing in the Bible about gluttony
18:40
too. People get real mad about that. But, you
18:44
know, if it is God's temple and it's, you've
18:47
been given it to take care of. I mean, we're
18:51
supposed to take care of ourselves spiritually,
18:54
mentally, and physically is definitely a part
18:57
of that. So I think that that's what we're supposed
19:00
to do. I mean, we're supposed to labor to eat.
19:03
We're supposed to work and to do the things that
19:07
we need to do to survive and thrive in this life.
19:10
You're going to have to be physically fit to
19:12
do it. This is true. And I have read that I pray
19:15
more in your classes than anywhere else. God,
19:18
don't let me die. God, don't let me cast out.
19:20
God, don't let me throw up. Well, one thing that
19:24
you've said a lot is I'm not for everyone. You've
19:26
acknowledged this a lot. Finger style isn't for
19:28
everyone. So you've even mentioned that some
19:32
people are scared of you and that you chase people
19:35
down after class. If you were to put it all in
19:38
a bow, what would you say is your teaching style?
19:42
Like who thrives with you? Oh, definitely people
19:45
that want to work hard and push their own limits.
19:48
You know, because I tell people all the time,
19:51
you can always do more than you think you can.
19:53
And that's just for everyone. And, but when people
19:57
are brand new, I also, you know, if I see them
20:00
pick up 10 pound weights as they're, even they're
20:03
bigs, I'm like, probably shouldn't do that. You
20:06
know, I mean, if you want to argue and you want,
20:08
okay, okay. But I'm going to tell you, you probably
20:10
shouldn't do that when you're just starting out.
20:13
So, you know, but I mean, I had two brand new
20:16
people in class last night. They seemed real
20:18
happy. I mean, they're young, you know, and I'm
20:19
like, that's why they're happy. You can't kill
20:21
them. They're young. But I think people that
20:24
want to work hard and again, people that want
20:28
consistency are the ones that stay with me because
20:31
they know I'm always going to be there and I'm
20:33
going to do my best to make them work hard. So,
20:36
yeah, those are definitely my people. Lazy people
20:39
are not my people. And people that just want
20:45
to check a box are not my people. Well, that's
20:49
why you said the first year and a half I was
20:50
working out with you, I wasn't actually working.
20:52
It didn't count. At least I got serious. Yeah.
20:56
Yeah. So and who knew that when I finally started
20:59
listening to you, the changes actually started?
21:01
Who knew that was going to happen? Well, let's
21:05
talk about success metrics. You said it's not
21:07
class numbers anymore, but rather it's people
21:09
getting stronger, getting off their meds, improving
21:11
mental health and being able to do everything
21:13
they need to do. Tell me about some of the success
21:15
stories that have meant the most to you. Well,
21:19
I mean, some of my folks like other people weren't
21:23
there when they started, so they didn't see them.
21:26
So, you know, I've watched people take off 30,
21:29
40 pounds. And if you look at them right now,
21:31
you would think. Well, gosh, they look kind of
21:34
skinny or whatever in today's society. But for
21:38
them, 30 or 40 pounds was big for their frame,
21:41
for their body and for their knees. As you know,
21:45
every pound of weight is three pounds pressure
21:47
on your knees. So in watching them get stronger
21:52
and start with small weights and grow into big
21:56
weights for them, you know, go from fives to
21:59
15 pounds. I mean, we'll push that over their
22:01
head. I mean. That's what is great because it's
22:06
not about the fact that you can do that, but
22:09
it's about the fact that when your body can do
22:11
that and you're building muscle and you're stronger,
22:13
you're just going to have a better future because
22:17
you've got muscle tone. And watching my people
22:21
that are definitely in their senior years and
22:24
they're still doing yard work and all their grocery
22:28
shopping, they're not grocery delivering. Most
22:30
of them. I mean, they're still doing the things
22:32
that you have to do to live, you know. And when
22:36
you're 80 years old or 70 years old and you can
22:41
still do everything that needs to be done around
22:43
your house, whether that's cleaning or the yard
22:46
work or going to get your own groceries. I mean,
22:49
getting up out of the chair. No problem. Those
22:52
are the things that are important. And so. And
22:55
then I've got several people that have, you know,
22:57
gotten off blood pressure meds and off diabetic
22:59
meds. And I mean, you can't ask for any better
23:01
than that. That's, you know, I mean, yeah. Being
23:06
able to tell a farmer to suck it. I mean, that's
23:08
the best thing ever. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you've
23:13
said also that your tribe or fitness army shows
23:17
up consistently. You've mentioned that you've
23:19
got people that are doing two to three hours
23:20
with you in a row, even after a 12 hour shift,
23:23
and that they choose you over the new pretty
23:26
gym. What creates that level of loyalty and community?
23:30
And what role does accountability play in sustainable
23:33
fitness? Well, again, definitely because they
23:37
know I'm going to be there. And for some of the
23:41
folks that are working split shifts and switching
23:44
shifts and all that sort of thing. They just
23:47
know that I'm going to be there and they're going
23:48
to feel better if they show up. And so they do
23:51
show up no matter how tired they are, because
23:54
again, they'll still usually feel better. And
23:56
even if they're going home to sleep for the next
23:58
shift, they'll come work out because they know
24:02
that I'm going to be there. And, you know, I'll
24:05
take requests. Sometimes I'll say, what do you
24:07
want to work on or what do you want to do? And,
24:09
you know, and somebody will say something. A
24:10
lot of times nobody says anything, but I try
24:14
to build things. and workouts really to hit everything.
24:19
So I try to always incorporate things that are
24:21
going to hit the entire body. So if you're there,
24:24
you're going to get everything you can possibly
24:27
get in that time frame without having to be there
24:31
for six hours or whatever the case may be, or
24:33
use 20 different machines. Because a lot of people
24:36
are just intimidated by equipment and machines
24:38
and things like that. So I try to keep things
24:40
simple. And also when my folks can't come, I
24:44
mean, I have a few that can't come and they'll
24:47
ask me to send them workouts. And so, you know,
24:51
I'll send them workouts, but for them to do at
24:54
home or a different kind of workout with like,
24:58
based on the fact that they have bad knees or
25:00
whatever the case is. So I think it's just that,
25:04
and then the community there is no different
25:06
than the community anywhere. I mean, so when
25:09
they. spend time together of course they become
25:13
interested in each other's lives and and it starts
25:15
an accountability thing because it's like well
25:18
if you're always here and then you're not here
25:20
for three days where are you something's wrong
25:22
where are you you know that sort of thing and
25:25
it's just a check -in i mean there's and we've
25:27
had a lot of people through the years go through
25:30
some really bad stuff i mean it's life i mean
25:33
it you know and and so we try to be supportive
25:37
and do what we can when bad things happen to
25:39
people. Cause bad things do happen to people.
25:41
And so, you know, we try to build people up and
25:45
do what we can to try to help support them and
25:47
as best we can. And that's what people want.
25:49
I mean, people want, people just want, it's not
25:52
about belonging, but people just want a sense
25:54
of commonality. We're all here for the same reason.
25:57
We're all here for the same purpose because we're
26:00
all going to get old. Yeah. And if we're going
26:03
to get old and as you know, my mantra, for everyone
26:07
is no matter what age you walk in the room, there's
26:09
somebody in that room that's 15 years older than
26:11
you or older than that. And you look at them
26:14
and the shape they're in and you think about
26:17
where you're at at 25 and you see that person
26:20
at 40 or you're 40 and you see that person at
26:24
70. How do you want to live? Yeah. Yeah. I mean,
26:29
Marilyn knows I've shouted her out many times.
26:33
I'm chasing the 20 pound weight she is. Well,
26:35
I mean, you know, and she's almost 72. Yeah.
26:40
And old girl could catch her ass. I mean, and
26:42
genetics play a role. Don't get me wrong. Yeah.
26:45
But, I mean, they do. But a lot of it is you
26:50
choosing your own future. A lot of it. Well,
26:55
speaking of the future, we're coming into the
26:57
holiday weight gain season. So what do you tell
27:00
people during the holidays when they're surrounded
27:02
by all this yummy food, breaking routines and
27:04
the old, I'll start in January excuse? Well,
27:08
a lot of people, a lot of my folks, once you
27:12
stop being addicted to food, once you stop looking
27:16
at food as a crutch for everything you're feeling,
27:18
whether it's happy or sad or whatever, because,
27:21
you know, people will tell you that they eat
27:23
if they're happy, they eat if they're sad and
27:25
whatever. They eat mindlessly. But once you kind
27:27
of break that. The holidays aren't as big of
27:30
a deal. Yeah. Because you no longer go into if
27:34
you're going to parties or all the work functions.
27:36
And yes, people are dragging all this food in
27:38
and whatever. But you just look at it differently
27:40
because you no longer look at it like the cow
27:44
at the trough. You look at it like I can have
27:49
a bite of this. And what is your favorite thing?
27:52
I mean, just because people bring in things,
27:55
you know, don't eat it if you don't like it.
27:57
And then if you take a bite of it and it's not
27:59
fantastic, then you go sled behind the wall and
28:02
throw it in the trash if you need to. But don't
28:04
eat things that aren't delicious to you. I mean,
28:07
if I take a bite of something chocolate. It happened
28:10
recently. I won't. But it did. And I was like,
28:14
oh, this was not nearly as good as it looked.
28:17
Oh, no. And I thought, oh, no, I'm not eating
28:20
this. Yeah. Like, I'm not going to eat this.
28:22
So, you know, most of the time at all of these
28:24
parties and functions and things. There's very
28:27
little things that you just love. I mean, because
28:30
everybody kind of has their thing. So focus on
28:33
what you really like. Have some of that, but
28:37
don't take a bite of everything just because
28:39
it's there. Yeah. I mean, you know, you don't
28:42
have to eat it just because it's in front of
28:44
you. And you don't have to eat it because Aunt
28:46
Sue made it. Like, if you don't like Aunt Sue's
28:48
dressing, then don't eat it. Just, you know,
28:52
and if you need to come up with an excuse and
28:53
say, well, I got to watch my weight, you know,
28:55
whatever. Just don't feel a lot of people just
28:59
do that stuff because they feel obligated to.
29:01
Yeah. It's like you don't have to, you know,
29:04
partake in things that you don't like. Well,
29:07
the funny thing with me is whenever I started
29:09
all this, like it was my birthday and everybody
29:11
was like, are you even allowed to eat cake? Would
29:14
your instructor get mad at you? I'm like, what?
29:19
It's like, so, you know, you still have to be
29:20
reasonable. But if you have big families. I mean,
29:23
gosh, when I first got married and all my grandparents
29:25
were alive and things, I mean, you had to go
29:28
to everybody's house because everybody cooked
29:31
and, oh, they were all going to be offended.
29:33
You had to. So for Thanksgiving and Christmas
29:36
over Thanksgiving, you really just, no, that's
29:39
not true. Sometimes you did split it in between
29:41
Thursday and Friday. But Christmas, you always
29:43
split it between Christmas Eve and Christmas.
29:44
But, I mean, you're talking six meals. between
29:48
parents and grandparents. And so, you know, you,
29:51
you had to go to everyone's house. So when you
29:53
run into those situations where people are newly
29:55
married and big families or lots of whatever,
29:58
you know, it's harder sometimes. Although I think
30:00
now people are very different and they still
30:02
kind of take to one big gathering and it can
30:05
be harder, but it's okay to gain three, four
30:08
pounds. It's okay. Cause you know, if you're
30:11
consistent and you were at the gym the Wednesday
30:13
before Thanksgiving, you're going to be there
30:15
the Friday after and it'll come back off. Good.
30:18
Well, I think it's okay. If you made it through
30:21
that section about Rhonda's mom without getting
30:24
emotional, I got to tell you guys, you're stronger
30:26
than I am. That image of someone being a prisoner
30:29
in your own body. I don't know about you, but
30:32
I can't shake it. Even now, as I'm recording
30:34
this, I'm getting choked up just thinking about
30:36
it. And I don't think I'm supposed to shake it.
30:41
I'm supposed to let it fuel my workouts, right?
30:45
Because you know what strikes me most about Rhonda?
30:47
She doesn't talk about fitness like it's about
30:50
looking good or fitting into a certain size.
30:53
She talks about it like it's about freedom. Fitness
30:56
is about the freedom to leave your house. Freedom
30:59
to have choices. Freedom to live the last decades
31:03
of your life on earth on your terms. In the next
31:08
episode, which is our final one in this series,
31:10
we're going to get super practical. Rhonda is
31:13
going to share her non -negotiable do's and don'ts
31:15
for the gym, her advice for people hitting plateaus,
31:17
and why she thinks fitness should feel like church,
31:20
not punishment. Plus, we'll tackle that I'll
31:23
start in January excuse that you know we've all
31:26
used. But for now, I want you to sit with what
31:29
you heard today. Think about your own future.
31:31
What do you want it to look like? Onwards and
31:34
upwards, my friends. Have you worked out today?
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