Welcome to the Decades of strength podcast. We are Sam Marcy Sarah and Kim and we are for women on one Mission. We are obsessed with empowering women to gain confidence build strength and ditch feelings of unworthiness releasing the shame around your struggles is hard work, especially if you feel alone and so we wanted to create this podcast as a way to unite women of all ages from allocations.Is all sizes and shapes and really just want to invite you to sit at our table come as you are health and fitness is for everybody and we're here to remind you that you belong you matter. You are brave you are capable you are deserving of success maybe right now, you don't truly believe those things and that's okay when we first got started we didn't either but we promise that each episode. We will show up vulnerably we want you to realize your potential. And the truth of who you really are. We will help you step into success and acknowledge that the power already lies within you. If you love this podcast, Please Subscribe review and read it on iTunes and tigers in your service on Instagram. Send this to your friends, please please please just tell everyone about it. We are determined to have the biggest and the most inclusive community of women sitting at the picnic table together. Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Decades of strength podcast. I am Marcy. I will be hosting today's conversation with me. I have the lovely Sarah Sam and Kim. Hey ladies, how's it going? Hello, mate. Hi sissy. Oh, yes. So let's just like chat a little bit catch people up on what we have been up to lately. We haven't really done too much of that on the podcast. So Queen why don't you take it away? She tell the tub of listeners what's been going on over in the pay of in UK? It's been raining a hell of a lot and I have just been getting overly excited about Christmas. I'm not gonna lie to you all and I tend to get a little bit carried away with himself this time of the year because I just literally love it. It makes me it makes me so happy and but life is like pretty busy obviously summer night. I have been free membership. So that kept us out of trouble for launching kept us out of trouble for a few weeks. And and yeah life is good. I went for my first flirting experience on Friday. Yeah, I don't know what that is. I saw your story idea what you were talking about. Oh my God said I literally I first one of my kind of biggest fears which is getting in an enclosed space with water. Yeah and just kind of floating in this bath full of life. Salts and magnesium and you put earplugs in so you literally it's all about like sensory deprivation and you literally lie naked and you float. It's like the dead is the dark so you should have the door closed and the lights are off. But because it was my first one I was I'm just going to keep the lights on this time, but next time I'm going dark and have the Pod completely cut but it I'd really built the fear or in my head about what it was going to be like and as With everything like I stepped into the fear and once I'd done it, I was like hell, yes. That was good. I didn't die or hyperventilate. So I think we're good because we can do this pod. Not very Fifi flour in it and it's kind of you know, you can go like starfish but it was still really enjoyable and I should be doing it. I should be doing it again. Yeah, so that's me and my life than right now. Samantha well like Sarah said we really stiff it free membership. So that was a huge accomplishment and we have like a hundred women in that group, which is awesome. So that was really exciting. And then I guess something new that I've been doing is doing more things just for fun. Like what a concept like who does like doing this stuff like it and so I started Doing Toastmasters to improve my public speaking which I'm really excited about. I had my first class last we are lost. Yeah last Tuesday. So I'm going to be going once a week to the meetings and getting better at public speaking and morning body language and cubes and how to take the stage on and just prepare myself for the future of speaking and that was scary for me actually getting up in front of a room of random people in Harvard. Yeah, I just there's something about speaking into my phone on stories. That's way easier for me than speaking to like a crowd in person. It's like I mean the camera you don't know actually how you look at least on Instagram stories you it's a selfie so you can see yours. So that was pretty scary for me actually being able to like having to go up there my first day. Talk about I had to talk about snowmen super my love. I would have loved that. I'd have been like they just give you a topic. Yeah, they ask you a question. It's called like table topics. So my question was if you built a Snowman and then it came to life. What would you do? Oh my gosh, that's so that's like so hard to how long have to prepare. No no time. You're on stage like oh my gosh improv. So and so I'm like, oh, I would love this would be a social experiment. I make it my friend and walk all through Cambridge and Somerville and like Boston and walk this thing around with me and just see what people said and I would meet all these really cool people. What was his name? What was his name? You don't think I named him to be honest, but you know it was yeah, I don't have to think about it what his name would be. So yeah, that's that's what Going on for Sam. Yeah. Well, you can so what have I been up to I 2 things I suppose I have been working really hard on my YouTube channel spending a lot of time making videos over there. I did this one where I bought like half the Panera menu and came home and reviewed it. It was super fun and my family appreciate it because they got to I was like literally taking one bite of everything and so my family get to eat all the leftover Panera food, they like that. See, I've been working really hard on YouTube and I have just finished up a three-month peaking phase deadlift peaking program that on the surface. I'm sure people would be like well, that's kind of failure. I was hoping to hit 300. I did not my previous one rep max was 270 and I got 275 I will get to 85 here shortly because I definitely have it. I just wore myself out trying 300. I also hit a bench press PR this month in that program. Um got a three pound bench PR and I've built my squat back up. I had a lot of shoulder pain. So I had to change what I was doing with squats and couldn't spot for a long time. And now I really like squats again and I'm only five pounds lower than my previous like one rep max at a meet. So I'm really excited about that and like let's just be honest for people who may not have much experience with power lifting or really heavy training 3 to 5. Pounds may not sound like a lot but when it comes to the big lifts, like it is a huge accomplishment. Like I briefly disempower lifting a couple of years ago. And even before that when I was doing my own training and trying to get stronger on my own I think with females like our relative strengths of little bit less. So five pounds even two and a half pounds for us is going to be a much bigger jump in weight than maybe a man and five pounds can like Staple you you know, just like that 5 pound jump. I remember like oh 95 pounds sounds easy lighter felt easy. Let's throw another five on the bar and I like can't even get it up. It's crazy. It's crazy with such a small amount of weight can do yes, especially on the bench, press three-pound PR on the bench. Press was huge for me. Yeah. I was so psyched about that. Yeah, that's amazing. Well, congratulations and you know, let's just kind of use that as an opportunity to You lead into today's topic, which is going to be how to get out of a fitness rut. And I know Kim before we started recording you were saying and you've mentioned a couple of times previously that you've been in a little bit of a funk with your own workouts. I know I definitely have been myself. It happens to the best of us no matter how long we've been doing this Fitness game for but why don't we start off with you just saying or telling the listeners why you were feeling? Being in a rut for a while and then what has helped you come out of it sure. So I have been powerlifting for three and a half years. Now. I always have a very set goal and often that's a goal has been a meat, you know, so I either had one planned or there was one on the horizon and I have been so busy this year with building up my business that I made a decision not to compete which in my mind is like that's fine. That's no big deal. But I just I'm So busy with my business, it was always an effort to get down to the gym. I didn't want to do it as much as I had wanted to previously and interestingly when I decided to do this I decided to do a peak in program to just try my maxes out at home and not at a meet and what I found is like that spark was revived again because I had a very specific goal. And what I realized for me is having so I'm going to definitely do a meet next year. So having something very specific that I'm training for really helps. Hmm. Yeah, absolutely, and it could be anything like it could be if somebody likes to run it could be like, you know running a 10K or it could be all kinds of things but having a really specific performance goal can help. Mhm. Yes, I can relate to that. I know a couple like I was saying earlier I went to that powerlifting gym a couple of years ago because I had basically just gotten sick of my own bullshit when it came to I only care about looking like building my Zeke, you know building muscle getting leaner whatever that was and I just kind of felt like I was spinning my wheels and my training didn't have like a real sense of purpose. So I sought out an in-person coach and I remember walking in there the first day and it was just like yeah, like a new fire had been letting her Mass. I felt so excited so invigorated, you know, long story short it ended up not being the best experience for me, but Only like in the short term it was the thing that I needed to reignite my passion for lifting. Pam's nine along. Yeah, I feel that I think for me I went through a phase earlier this year where I was training primarily for Aesthetics, and I think that training to look good is a great stepping off point, but after a while the vanity kind of loses its power and you start to kind of dress. Your training so for me like I think I was so caught up in like, oh, I gotta look better or leaner or whatever that I kind of forgot about like the whole reason why I go to the gym in the first place. And so I think when I was in that space, like I just was not interested in working out like I and even though it's a huge part of my identity and who I am and what I do, I just didn't even want to go into the gym and it felt so Of character for me, but I was just kind of like sitting with it and I'm like, I just like don't want to be there so I'm not going and I think I needed to do that in a sense because it started to help me realize like how important it is to have strength. They store some skill basical in order to kind of keep you going back to the gym to work on it because you actually start to see little baby improvements whereas physique changes. You know they take time but also you can't really control that, you know, if you put the if you put the work in to the gym, you're going to get stronger its kind of physically impossible for you to not get stronger over time. So I think when I started shifting to from aesthetic to more Performance Based goals, which my my performance or my goal really is to be like more well-rounded in the gym when it comes to strength and cardio and really get my hip thrust. Nah. Up. That's the thing. I've been chasing is really working on my hip thrust. So like having Awesome form really like feeling like I'm actually using my glutes and not other muscle groups taking over and like connecting with that and and then once I started shifting through the performance thing, I think I also cared more about like my sleep my hydration my nutrition all that stuff because I wanted to support my workouts rather than like going to the gym to work in calories or like the look better. And then I was like just I was just caught in the cycle of like Aesthetics which for me I've just in the past. I've had experience doing that and it and he gets good to set the fire but the flame will burn out. So I think it's important to have something that you're actually trying to work towards so you get excited about going to work on it. It's like you get just get a little bit better each time you go in there and it just becomes a lot more fun. We take some of the pressure off yourself. So yeah. Yeah for sure and I guess I We'll continue on from there because I am in a little bit different of a place right now. So when I had gone to the powerlifting gym a couple of years ago, and I can't remember if I've talked about this on the podcast already. I probably have but the when I walked in there to have my consultation about why I wanted to train at this gym, which by the way is like known for getting people very very strong. So if you are in power into powerlifting, Like I think this coach is created like 30 people who have you know, Elite totals, which is a feat in itself. Like it's just it's known for getting people very strong and that was incredibly encouraging exciting for me, but the guy said to me, you know, you can train here but you're going to have to gain weight. It was like, okay, I know problem is like none of us like one pound a month bullshit. Like I know you're going to try to do like you're going to gain weight on my timeline. How much and how like how much I want you to gain and how fast I want you to gain it? So for someone who has struggled with you know body image issues eating issues in the past like back in college. That was very very scary for me because I finally felt like I was in a place where I felt good about my relationship with food and the relationship I had with my body. So I started eat more I probably increased my calories like by 500 to 700. Overnight which is a lot for anyone who might be wondering and it's fun to eat that much food. But like the weight started to come on really fast and I would have to weigh in every single day and it was it was a real real struggle for sure. So I think I put on about 7:15 to 17 pounds in about 6 months which is or maybe even less than that like three months because he kicked me out for a month because I was Nine pounds away from hitting my goal weight. So I had to leave the gym for a month and I was like, I'm gonna show him and I'm going to gain the weight and come back and I did he let me back. So yeah, I probably ended up gaining around 17 pounds like throughout that process and and just did not feel like great in my body, but I kind of like hung out there for a while and just like let my body do it it needed to do I was still dealing with some health issues and I felt like going into a deficit wasn't going to support Port me getting better with that but I finally had made some changes improved my health and now I'm well about six months ago was finally at a place where I could start losing a little bit of body fat. So that is where I have been really probably for the past five months. I'm kind of ending a fat loss phase which is gone very very well. Like I'm proud of my results and all that but I will not lie. It is definitely hit like my motivation to train has taken a significant hit and I think Just because when you're not feeling your body with enough calories to really support and recover from your training like you don't have as much energy to put towards your workouts like in the day when you first start, yes, but as you get deeper into the diet, like the energy level start kind of start to decrease and that's what I was feeling just like, oh man, you're just going into the gym to basically get it done. And every time I have a work on my boyfriend's like, oh, how'd your training going? Like, can we just like not talk about it like at this point. I'm just showing up and like mail it it you know, so yeah, it really is true. There can be a benefit to losing body fat, you know, maybe you improve your confidence a little bit too. But at the end of the day like it can deplete your motivation to actually train and improve and like Sam said in that is really the fun of it is to see yourself get better to see yourself get stronger and like to set those goals and constantly having having something to be working towards and like we talked about in last week's mini episode. With recovery and the same is true with dieting like you can't diet your entire life. You can't diet all year round, you know, it has to be this kind of periodized thing. So if you can, you know find a way to motivate yourself when you're not in a fat loss phase like that's where the consistency will be created, I guess. So what about you Sarah? So I would say over the years so I went through a really intense few years of I was reading dysley aesthetic focused. So I literally trained like an absolute Maniac for kind of I'd say about a good two years and then all of that kind of started to unravel so between eyes and I was actually obsessed with training going to the gym burning calories and also that I had a kind of screwed up relationship with food it all started to take its toll and I just slowly began to fall out of love with going to the gym because I was just like I couldn't see how I was going to stop with the exercise and Food Obsession and while still going to the gym, so I kind of just stepped stepped away from it for a while just to take a complete a complete break. And then even when I entered back into it, I found it really hard because I was so conscious about not going back into my old ways of everything being about you know, the looks and the kind of you know the bodybuilding Style. Raining so kind of then I had to switch my focus on two stranded training more for strength and kind of feeling, you know, finding my purpose of going to the gym there are but in all honesty, I kind of go through waves with my training these days. I think it's still important for me in terms of I like how it makes my body feel. I'm not really supposed on the you know, the aesthetic thing anymore, but I I like I just I don't like how I feel when I haven't been training. So that's what was their me on because I like to feel good in my own skin, but definitely my whole relationship with training has kind of changed and it's not such a huge Central Focus point for me anymore. And I've kind of shifted in doing a lot more of the kind of restorative like side of things and moving more into kind of meditation and getting To do in the light floats and breath work and all this kind of stuff. So I will never not trained because you know, its it keeps me healthy. It keeps me strong and I am enjoying the fact that Sam and I were using the fit and free workouts to give us some structure because I think when you don't have any kind of structure and you go to the gym you like you just run the risk of going in and fluffing around for things through Around doing freaking bicep curls or something for two hours or something like crazy. So but yeah, it's it's tough. But I think the big thing is for listeners out. There is that if you feel that you are stuck in a rut and you have to not be somebody that all you do is complain about it and then do absolutely nothing to try and like decipher. What is Actually going on and then ask yourself. Okay. Well, how can I how can I change things for myself? Because obviously what I'm doing now is making me feel unmotivated and like I don't want to do anything. So I need to find somewhere like someone was saying to for training for injecting a bit more fun into it like so, you know, if you're finding in Everything feels a little bit too serious like summer. I know you're starting gymnastics now. Yeah, I just started gymnastics because I want to be able to To do that too. Yeah and like that's part of like working out too. It doesn't have to be like you just deadlift just bench press which I've totally fallen into that like very rigid set of thinking in the past where it's like no I can only do this thing because I'm supposed to I think I so not being fair to like Branch out and try different like modalities of our different styles of trading. The end and just decide in like, you know, what suits you and if you are stuck in a rut don't just keep beating your head against a brick wall. Hoping that it's going to get better because it work like you need to actually be proactive and you know, maybe switch switch things up and you helped me when I was in London. I was going through a rut and I think I told you about it and I was like, I just can't get myself to the gym. Like I'm going randomly and what the issue was was it was a matter of logistics. So maybe like if you're listening maybe if you're in a rut, it could just be like a purely logistical issue where there's some mental resistance that you've built up to training because of something. So for example, my thing was I didn't leave myself enough time to work out in the afternoon. So I would end up going at rush hour, which was fine, but then I would not even leave myself enough time. Rush hour, so like I wouldn't have I didn't make the time to work out and then I would feel like crap and I was like as a coach I got to get into the gym. Like I'm not even practicing when I'm preaching and so it felt really inauthentic and it was just a matter of scheduling my workouts into my Google Calendar as if it was a doctor's appointment, you know, just doing it in the middle of the day because that's where shit hits the fan for me as midday. So if I work out midday and helped me kind of stay on track not just like eat. Or because I'm bored like not procrastinate and so it was fixing all these problems just by stepping back and looking at like what's not working and why is it not working and now it's like I train probably 5 or 6 days a week. I don't like crazy lift five or six days a week, but I'm consistent because I enjoy it and it's like I don't have to go and I'm not there's not all this like, oh, I have to go there. It's more just like yeah, I have to do this for myself and I want to do it because it makes me feel good and I can actually do my When I feel good, so I think that was a huge shift for me is realizing like without the gym or without working out. I feel like trash when I feel like trash I can't show up for myself or my friends or my work or you and well I have things to do so I have to go to the gym. It's you know, like that's the thing. I think people still are so hung up about our on the motivation piece. I'm not motivated. How do I get motivated? And I'll just be perfectly honest like most days. I am not motivated to lift like the thought of actually like getting downstairs and doing the workout was like, oh man. I think I've said this recently. I actually love training upper body. I hate training lower body. I just like it's not it's not my favorite like I could lift upper body four or five times a week and I probably would feel a little bit more motivated to do that most days. But yeah, there are some days when it's the last thing I want and but it has become like a part. Of who I am. It's just like it's what I do. It's a discipline thing and like you said, even though the thought of doing it may not be that appealing or there's like other stuff I have to do I'm tired like whatever the excuse maybe I have never once regretted doing a workout and what I like to tell people is that I even like talk myself into this too is okay. You just have to do something just like start your warm up and usually I'll do the warm-up and I'm like, okay like I'm too. Ellen I'm feeling a little bit better still maybe not super energized. But I'm at least going to do one side of the first exercise and then you do that set and you're like, okay that didn't feel so bad. I'll do another and I kind of like play these games with myself. Well, I do I can only do half the work out and if I really need to like I'll split it up into two and I'll do the rest like, you know, two days later whatever and I literally just like with any goal. I take it one step at a time. One set one exercise at a time and I think really like there has not been one instance where I haven't ended up completing the entire workout. Just going to put it that way. It may not be the best workout. I may not have been the no setting PRS, but at least I showed up for myself. At least I got it done and I think that for people who don't feel motivated if you can just take that step that first step you will realize that the The momentum continues and before you know it it's like workouts over and you feel great, you know, so you're always going to feel better. Once you're done and likely you'll feel better, you know as you're doing it as well. So just take that pressure off for it to look perfect for it to be perfect and just do something but the other thing touch on was what you know, Sam you and I have had this conversation. We had a couple weeks ago. We were talking about yoga. And I am a certified yoga instructor. I was really really into it for a while. I think I started it in college and I kind of gone through phases where I'll do it very consistently and then I'll fall off and I realized a couple of years ago. Like I just wasn't enjoying it anymore. And I think part of the reason could have been because you know, it was kind of far away from my house. I had to like sit in traffic to get there. The parking was a bitch. So it was like more stressful trying to get there. There and sometimes you know, I would have to go late at night or like later in the evening when I was already kind of tired and like that was challenging and then my other option was to go eight o'clock in the morning on Sundays which may sound really lovely. But again, it was like setting alarm and it felt like summer I had to be on my only day off during the week and it just kind of took the enjoyment out of it, but I felt like oh because I'm a yoga instructor because I put all this time into it and Knowing how good it can be for you. I felt like I had to do it even though I wasn't really wanting to do it and Sam you and I have that conversation of like Ophelia we need to do something to get in are more feminine energy and do an activity that is more restorative, but it does not have to look a certain way and I was listening to a podcast yesterday where the person was talking about this exact thing like, you know, we all preach walking and we love to walk and maybe someone fucking I Hate's to walk Okay cool. So go take a dance class go to a yoga class. Like like Sam's doing do gymnastics find something just move your body just because we love to strength train and we love to walk doesn't mean that has to be your thing and finding what you actually enjoy and that you don't really have to force like yes, sometimes I have to force my work out. But at the end of the day, I still love to lift, you know. And I probably would not love swimming. So I'm not going to me either me right there comes a point where like you've got to enjoy it but also realize that even the time even if you do really enjoy something there are still going to be those times when you don't love it, you don't want to do it, but you do have to show up for yourself anyways, and I had a client who reached out to me. She's in college and you know really does not have a consistent workout routine and she's like, I heard me bored with the gym like Like I want to quit this isn't Fun and I'm like, you know what it's not always going to be fun and sometimes have to suck it up and do it. But what you have to ask yourself is what would one like make me proud? How do I want to feel and what would the future me the person who is already reached my goal? What would she do right now? And I can tell you the answer is probably not going to be skipping the gym because it's not fun. Yeah. Amen. I think something you said Marcy about the like somethings better than nothing. I think that that is so huge and not often talked about because we are at least for me. I'm gone through periods where if I go into the gym with like an expectation or I'm like focused on I had to have to have a good workout or like thinking about the whole workout like all seven or eight exercises. I'm like Oh my God you know, but when you break it down and just like hey at Leavin if I show up for 15 minutes, like that's literally better than nothing. And for me, I actually have to have that conversation with myself almost every day at this point and it's it's kind of crazy because I went through a phase and I think that this was part of the rut was I was so worried about like the outcome like am I going to lift more weight today? Like am I going to PR? Am I going to be able to like hit this spot that I want to do, you know, or like what's my strength going to be like Am I going to be tired? I like all these questions in my head. I was like no, you know what it doesn't even matter. I just have to show up literally 5 minutes is better than nothing. Right? Like I'm just going to do something if I don't make it past that cool. It's not like it's gonna totally affect me. Right? It's like very small and I'll just go home and I think taking the pressure off yourself to like complete the whole workout or crush it or like that's that is the biggest like sigh of relief. I think I Tied in my life not even just in training just in and doing anything. It's like okay as soon as I just kind of let go of whatever the thing I think is supposed to be you're supposed to do or I'm supposed to feel like okay. I'm just going to go do a little something because I know I'll feel better and I don't know about you guys, but I think that for me has been such a shift especially when like, we're all busy like everyone's busy and we all own businesses and I could easily just work all day every day. today, you know and like not make time for myself, but I know that I will become a psycho that's motivating it is it's like that's my that's my accountability is because everyone else so yeah, I think that's that's a that's something that just maybe can be talked about just the like ditching the all-or-nothing mentality and just kind of letting go of your need to control the outcome of your workout just like go in there and do it because it makes You feel good and then leave and get on with your life doesn't have to be this like Gloria doesn't be so serious. Like just chill me. You just working out. That's super smart Sam. And another thing you just said there with the accountability piece to other things that have really helped me and others. I know when they're in a rut is this idea of accountability like one is having a workout partner like somebody who like you're going to let them down if you don't show up right because then you get there. And then it just more fun. So if you're going to meet somebody to do your whatever your dance class your your strength training whatever it's way more fun. So if you're in a rut finding somebody to train with can really help this is help me like a few months ago when I was really struggling. I told my best friend and like just start coming over. I'm working with me. She had been a paying client. I'm like, I'm not going to charge you you're just going to do my workouts show up what I want you to that's going to be that's our deal. And so she had me showing up and it's fantastic. Like I enjoy talking to her why we're setting up lifts and you know throughout the book so that can really help us. Somebody to train with and the other thing is the idea of one of you guys was talking about this are I think it was you like just showing up in the gym and not knowing what you were going to do. Like it's a real bummer. Like it does feel really stressful. It doesn't feel like you're getting anywhere and it is really demotivating and you're in a big rat like hiring a coach is incredible for that. Like just not having to think about it having somebody else you tell them your goals and having them say here do this. It's so freeing to just go and do it. Or even if like, I mean, I know a lot of people aren't they can't hire a coach they can't afford a coach but there are mean and of course like I'm gonna vouch that all of us are great coaches, you know, and I would have oh don't hire a coach, but I do know that it's not feasible for everybody. Right? And I know I have done this plenty of times where I don't really need the motivation and the accountability I can provide that for myself, so I may not need that. one-on-one coaching experience, but I've been a member of Jordans science and her Circle Bret Contreras has Booty by Brett program and all sometimes just like go back and forth between those two and it's not necessarily like customized to me, but at least it is structure and I always say structure leads to Freedom it is so true like those times when I don't have a coach when I'm not following a structure training program, like even though I know what to Ooh, do I overanalyze so damn much that I'm like yeah. I'm like a fish out of water just flopping around and yeah, very very unmotivated in so what I have something on paper, even if it's like just a skeleton program or I'm like, okay, I don't really love that exercise. So I'm going to swap it for something else and I was actually texting with Jordan a couple met in a couple weeks ago and I was like Hey, like doing these Inner Circle workouts. Just going to be honest. I'm not really feeling squatting and deadlifting right now. I would much prefer to work on my hip thrust. Like is it? Okay if I swap out squats for hip thrust? He's like absolutely hundred percent, you know, so see I just having that basic template can be can be helpful. So if you can't hire a coach seek out a reputable coach in the industry who is putting out like a membership site like Sam and Sarah have there's I know they're like workouts or Under full and it's a much more affordable way to get in your training or yeah, just like anybody who you feel you resonate with and maybe they have a group program that you can join Marty. I think what you just said is like so powerful, but I feel like we should explain it more because it seems abstract okay of structure leads to Freedom. Oh, yeah, I think that we should explain like an actionable way. That actually happens because the phrase sounds nice but like what the hell does that actually mean and I think you know going into that a little bit more just so people can understand like why is it important to follow a plan or why is it important to lay out your day in Google Calendar? So, you know what you're doing each hour or you know, what, you know what your life is going to be like why is structure the thing that leads ultimately to Freedom or sure now, that's a really A great thing to talk about and I used to not do this quite so much like I would not plan my day like hour by hour in my calendar and I know Sam you really good about this? I don't know about the other ladies, but I've started to do that and it just I can't even really explain it. So maybe Sam you would do a better job of explaining it but it's like seeing it all out on paper getting it out of my head. It's just like this huge sigh of relief. Like I have a plan. I know what I am doing. I What I need to do to execute rather than just like, you know free Ballin throughout the day. So like when I was in my training and my nutrition, you know, my structure is I know that I'm going to lift four days per week. I'm going to do two upper body sessions to lower body sessions like for sure like that is a non-negotiable unless something absolutely like gets in the way. I'm going to go for at least one 30-minute walk right now. I'm doing a little bit of Cardio, so I can I'm going to do you know cardio on these days like and that's just the weekly plan that I'm map up for myself so that I do it's like decision fatigue right? I've talked about this a little bit like it's the reason why you know, Mark Zuckerberg wears the same outfit every day because when you are running like Facebook, like he's making decisions all day long. So any like fewer decisions that he can just put on autopilot and not have to think about It leads to less overwhelm and is easier just to execute that thing. So I think that's exactly it. It's about Automation and having control like that's all it comes down to is humans like control. And so when you're in control when you see it out, right it's like you get so well we can get I do anyways I get so bogged down when I have so many options that it ends up causing me to not do anything because I'm like, well I could work out kick now or later or I could like eat Or I could respond to his client emails or I could go for a walk and when you have all those options, I literally just like sit here and I don't do anything. I just scroll through Instagram or Facebook to distract me from the fact that I have to make a decision. And so when I lay my days out, which I'm not perfect about this, I definitely have days where I'm like, oh my God, they could have gone way better. But like when I do that, it's amazing because it actually get shit done because it's clear and A plan and I just do it. I don't even have to think about it. It's like I think we've talked about can you actually talk about a 200 story but like last week or the week before it? I compared it to like tracking your your finances and I was talking to my client who was struggling with calories and like calories in calories out or like structure and planning and I was like, okay what something in your life that is super easy for you. She's like, um finances. I was like, why is it cuz I just put everything on automate and auto-pay auto bill Auto this as like and so what does that mean? And she's like, well, I don't have to think about it. I'm like exactly so I think the more that you can build in your own rules or your own structure or your own day habits it like it just allows you to do focus on things that matter without those decisions having to be like bobbling in your head. I feel like it reduces the Google Chrome a million tabs, like my brain. Oh, I'm like, I'm Queen of the million tab color try so it's like if you guys are anything like us you're probably crazy too. If you're listening, you know, so like help yourself doubting like just give yourself some rules and some structure so that you don't feel like you're spinning your wheels. Yeah, really good advice. Damn. Anyone want to expand upon that or I think we might have covered it. I think something that was pretty pretty well covered one last thing. I'll say really quick and you know, I hated like sound like a dog who is trying to reward them self of food, but sometimes like when I really don't want to work out and like oh, but I know I get that really delicious protein shake at the end of it, you know, so that's right. I mean Like I love food. So that's something to look forward to after it may not be food. It may be something else for you. I don't know but for me, that's what it is. So yeah, giving yourself a little like incentive. For sure or like you won't allow yourself to do X and less you work out like sometimes that's what I do. I'm like, oh, well, I can't I can't do I don't know. I'm trying to think of like something like oh, I like can't call my friend. I'd like to have a phone call to make like I can't call her unless I work out like I just refused and then I just like make a ridiculous Proposal with myself. I like bargain with myself. I have so many conversations about that stuff, but look for any way to get out of it. So I mean, I hope this conversation really lets you. Listener realize that you are not alone. We struggle with motivation rats to we're all human and we're all doing the best we can you know, none of us are robots. So don't beat yourself up. If you're feeling those like abs and flows when it comes to your training motivation or even your motivation to eat better to move your body in general just like to take good care of yourself do the things that you know are going to make you feel your best. Yeah, there's a thing called the interest curve. Have you guys heard of this basically looks like a sine wave. So it's like a big squiggle and when you do something could be anything. Let's just use lifting weights as an example. When you do something the initial start of it. So the first time you ever lift weights obviously like you're super excited about it. Your interest is really really high and after a while, you know, it starts to get a little bit more mundane. It's normal. It's kind of Boring actually because it's just something you do and you kind of lose interest then something will happen in your life. Whether it be hitting kind of a motivational rock bottom or whether it be you know, you want to try a new skill or like, you know, Kim you're crushing this deadlift thing. That's something like a new goal to chase in your interest curve starts to spark again. So I think acknowledging that there is going to be ups and downs and like being real with yourself like you don't have to be in this. Up high all the time. In fact, you have to have the lows in order to like recognize the highs and really, you know, feel good in them. And I think like what Kim you were saying to it's like you had to hit the rock bottom kind of so like crush it and sometimes your biggest highs come after a rock bottom. Yeah, you know, it's like that shit happens and it's totally true. It's I guess it's just one of those things that just being just riding the waves. Yeah. Absolutely. Well the great talk I yeah, I think that covers it. So Kim glad you're back on track. Everyone glad you guys are feeling very motivated. Hopefully, I'll fill re-motivate it and like a month or so what my back to eating lots of food more see your transformation though. If you guys have not seen Marcy's transformation. Yeah. Well, it was on her Instagram story. So I was stunning Marcy. Thanks. I will you know, I always say my body is like a mohawk. It's like business in the front and then it's like just So yeah, I might my coaches like yeah, your glutes still need to come in a little bit more. I'm like, yeah, I realized that so I don't know hopefully like not too much longer. But and you know, it's so interesting like sometimes I will put a like my final like transformation picture probably up on my actual feed when I'm done just to talk about the process and you know what I've gone through the reason I did this but it's so interesting because I put that stuff out but I'm like, oh, I'm sure I'm going to get negative comments and I did get this. One from a follower who was like, oh, you know, I prefer the one on the left like it looks healthier and I'm like, you know, what lady just gosh good for you. No one asked me what I asked. It's like thanks for your opinion. But, you know, I didn't feel comfortable that at that spot. So yeah, there's always going to be the naysayers, but I appreciate the support. Thank you. Yeah, dude, I think we're all crushing it. We all are we all got goals and are all happening. So whoo, we should probably sign off. The craziest thing has just happened at my house guys. Why teenager just came home and started vacuuming. I help you what possessed him but the sound you now here behind me is a vacuum and I don't get it but it's Kim. No, you should you should be worried. Why don't why you should because like something just fell on the road. Okay, this is like real relationship advice when someone like a partner a friend a child, whatever does something like this you need to reinforce that like oh my gosh. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Go bake them a cake reinforce that make him a cake. Are you sick? Then? He's gonna get me back into this again. But yeah, thank him and I gotta go figure out what's happening. Yeah, let us know I'm intrigued. He's done if he wants to come over let him know. Thanks ladies. All right ladies. This is a good shot, and we will see you next week. Bye. All right. Bye. Alright that wraps up another episode of the Decades of strength podcast. Thank you so much for tuning in and listening. We know that life is crazy and time is precious, and we really do appreciate you spending your time with us. If you love this podcast, Please Subscribe review and rate it on iTunes Targets in your service on Instagram. Send this to your friends, please please please just tell everyone about it. We are determined to have the biggest and the most inclusive. Unity of women sitting at the picnic table together. We love you. We appreciate you and we can't wait to hear what you think of this week's episode for women One mission. We are the Decades of strength Sam Marcy Sarah and Kim catchy right back here for a next episode.
In a bit of a fitness rut? We have all four been there (some of us quite recently.) ⠀ In our latest episode of the Decades of Strength Podcast we share with you strategies that we’ve personally used to get out of our deepest ruts. We’ve listed a few on the graphic here:  1️⃣ Remember why you’re training in the first place. Check in with yourself on your goals & priorities. It’s ok if they change! Be clear in your mind as to what you want to achieve & why. 2️⃣ Rely on habits & dedication instead of motivation. The “m” word gets thrown around a lot, but the harsh reality is you just won’t feel motivated all of the time. Stop waiting for motivation. It may come, it may not. If it does, bonus! If not, rely on good habits (you are building those, right?) 3️⃣ Ensure accountability/tell others your goal: A friend to meet you at the gym, a coach, even an online friend/community to check in with and cheer you on. 4️⃣ Track your progress. Seeing how far you’ve come as well as a path to where you want to go is a great strategy to prevent a rut. It keeps things fresh & interesting. 5️⃣ Make an action plan. “Structure leads to freedom” as Marci so eloquently put it on the podcast. Consistently showing up at the gym without a plan is a one way ticket to Rut city. Hire a coach, buy a plan, join a membership group that includes a plan. Just show up at the gym plan in hand, ok? You won’t be in this rut forever. No one ever is. It’s a stage, like when a toddler will only wear orange or eat things that start with the letter Q. It’ll pass. Remember to tune in to the full episode for more details on how to de-rut yourself and to hear our personal experiences. Head to the Decade's link in my highlights tab to find the episode and if you haven’t already, please go ahead and rate and leave a review. Be sure to subscribe in iTunes so you never miss an episode! ⠀ We love & appreciate you! 🌟Sam, Sarah, Marci, & Kim: 4 Women, 1 Mission🌟 ⠀ Follow Sam: @saltylifts ⠀ Follow Marci: @marcinevin ⠀ Follow Sarah: @sarahdufflifestyleandfitness ⠀ Follow Kim: @kimschlagfitness  ---   Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/decadesofstrength/message 