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 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. Hello, welcome back to another episode of the Decades of strength podcast. I am your host today sanitary and with me I have my wonderful other three women the other decades Kim schlag Marcin Evan and Sarah delft and we are here to rock your world. Whoa. Oh, hey everybody. It's gonna be a crazy episode. We have some serious energy in the house today. 6 I'm sitting on my bouncy ball jumping up and down. We're all doing a little dance in the reason being because we are going to talk about the shifts that happen in the fall kind of seasonal depression things that shift as we move into September October and like the holiday months and how lack of daylight and just a shift in motivation can start to shift for you and we want to talk about what happens to us. What happens to some of our clients? And how we can stay motivated stay on track heading into the new year feeling good and not just using this the next two or three months as a way to just say screw it in fast forward to starting in January when you could have used the next ten weeks to work towards your goal. So ladies, I think that we should start by just talking about like our general experiences. I know from my point of view. I definitely noticed a shift. Shift in my energy with a lack of daylight and just to getting colder and me not wanting to go outside and do anything with my life. And do you guys have similar experiences or similar feelings? Do you notice that shift Sarah want you go first? I definitely do. I have this theory that as soon as the pumpkins at the pumpkins hit the shop and the Pumpkin like syrup stuff hit Starbucks things just start to go downhill. L they just go one care like it's just a really kind of weird psychological thing that happens every year that I just suddenly everything seems like such an effort and it is always at this point that I am like praising to the universe grateful for the fact that my life runs on habits because without them bad boys, I literally would sit on my butt from pump. Second time till the first of January and probably do nothing but kind of eat and watch TV shows the struggle is real and I I don't struggle from sad seasonal. What is it seasonal affective affective this I don't think I suffer from that but it is just a real shift in like daylight and the temperature and just everything being harder work. So if you do struggle with it, I Yeah, but can't let it use a cart use it as an excuse to just let it all go to pot. Shall we say? I feel that is super valuable like running on habits. Uh-huh. God says so huge because ultimately we spend the majority of our day just doing things automatically. We don't even think about it. So if you can get to a place where that is, just so you know routine for you then yeah, it's going to be harder to overcome the cold or the stress or the you know lack of light but you'll do it because it's just like you're like, yep, there's going to be shitty days and we're going to do it. It's okay. And you always feel better afterwards. If you've been sounding the surf are watching a movie or whatever and you can't really don't want to go out like guaranteed if you just take the time go out do a spin around the block come about you like yes. Oh great. So glad I did that. Yeah. What about you guys mercies Kim? Yeah, so I'll be honest. I live in California where hi, all right. On the snow. I think I would be miserable in the snow and it will be way more difficult for me to get off my ass and get outside but even in California where I live up in the Bay Area, you know, it'll get into the 20s some day during the winter which for me is very cold, hashtag thyroid problems. Like I'm freezing when it's like 80 degrees outside sometimes. Yeah, it could be like really Be difficult. It's not so much the darkness. I actually really like this time of year. I am more of a fall person. I don't like the winter, but I don't mind when it's overcast or a little bit dreary outside. I did go to school in Oregon. Sorry which college in Oregon. So I was used to that so don't mind the darkness. It's the cold that really gets to me and the past gosh 10 years. Now I have, you know worked and worked. Out with my own workouts in a gym that technically has a heater but it's cinderblock. It's really high ceiling. So all of the heat rises to the top and it is her reason in that like so it's really hard to like motivate myself to start my training session when it's that cold same thing. You know, like I'm a huge Walker I tried non-negotiable for me is at least one walk a day if not more. So when you step outside and it's freezing and can't feel your hands. You can't build your feet and like Snot is running out your nose because it's so cold. What am I doing? And it's so easy to talk yourself out of it. But like we said earlier it's all about the habits. And here's the thing. It's going to be cold. But if you're moving your body eventually you are going to warm up. I am not kidding you. I have put on like two heating pads. I'll like microwave a heating pad one for around my neck one that I'll put inside my jacket off two pairs of pants. I'll have like two jackets gloves everything whatever I need to do to keep myself somewhat warm. I prepare myself for the elements in that way. And then yeah once you get going you kind of warm up, so that's what I it just it's a non-negotiable. No excuse. And then I feel so much better. Yeah Marty. I think you made a really good point before we hop over to Kim and just want to touch upon it. What you focus on is what you are ultimately going to think about right? So if you feel like you're freezing all the time, if you feel like winter socks, well winter is going to suck and you're going to be freezing all the time. It's just like like for example, if you if you do any winter sport or and like say you do snowboarding or you are a skier when you're doing that activity. It's fucking freezing out its so cold literally freezing, you know, maybe even in the negatives but you're not focused on that because your focus on the fun you're having and you're like, oh I'm going on the mountain. It's so great. But if you were to think about how cold it was, you wouldn't want to get out on the mountain ever, you know, so finding things I think like you said finding ways I perspective shifts to be like, hey, you know, at least I can walk outside or at least there's like there's some beauty in this like, oh, it's beautiful out like might be cold, but maybe there's like a great tree. I can look at her there's something good. Out what you're doing even if the cold is kind of, you know, all the Dharma or whatever. The thing is, that's well. I will always say one thing. I kind of got into this habit. Like I got into walking habit probably. Yeah like ten years ago or so and at the time I was like really into getting as lean as I possibly could like that was my main focus and read an article on this website called T Nation. I don't know if you've heard of it. It's basically like a bodybuilding. Type of website and I read an article that was called 100 workouts to Ripped City and I was like, that's an annoying title. Like what's this about and basically the premise of the article was all about doing not just like not necessarily fasted cardio, but just fasted morning walks and I was like, well, that sounds easy I'm going to do it. And so that is what kind of started my walking habit and and I came across. Us the article during the winter, so it was just like my motivation to start, you know, yeah, that's great because it's approachable right? Like, you know, you can go for a walk. There's not that much that much mental gymnastics you have to do to get out for a walk. Yeah, but it was also just like, okay. Well, I'm going to start this even though it's freezing outside, you know, and I know like Sam when we were in London we talked about that programs. 35 hard, which is like I still do want to do it. I'm probably going to start like sometime in November but two workouts a day. One of the workouts has to be outside for 45 minutes and it's just that thing like you just like throw yourself into the fire, you know. Yeah, so maybe we give yourself that that carrot right as motivation. So anyway, yeah. No, I think that's awesome. That's awesome. What about you can what's your experience with the fall? So I do not personally experience seasonal affective disorder. I do have one of my kids who does and I do have seasonal disorder disorder, which basically means this time of the year through the end of the year I have too much to do on top of my usual too much to do because I'm a big over celebrator. I have three birthdays in my family at this time of year including my own. I host a massive Thanksgiving dinner. I host a massive Christmas Eve dinner and I told host to Christmas. All of these I've already started, you know doing some planning on it's just I really like to celebrate there's so many reasons for fun. And there was a time in my life a long stretch of my life that this was you know, this was cause for I don't have time to exercise. I certainly don't have time to eat healthy food. I'm eating all the stuff. I'm making for all of these meals. So I will say I think for a lot of people just the fun and busyness of this time of year can be a big issue and that is something I have a lot of experience with asthma how do I handle that? Yeah. I That I think what I'm kind of hearing you say to is remembering to keep yourself a priority amidst the chaos in Wichita yellow like fun chaos, right subscribe. Like I'm doing that because I love it but it's still like it worked and it takes some time. Yeah, so I think generally heading into the last, you know, two and a half months of 2019, right? Like there's a new decade around the corner and I think that we can all agree that there's ten weeks of like opportunity whether you improve or if you don't do anything right your kind of slipping backwards because you have that room to improve and so we want to encourage you that it's not too late to use those ten weeks and you can certainly accomplished a lot in ten weeks. You're not going to get your dream body in 10 weeks. Of course, like you're not it's not going to be this life-changing thing, but you can make a lot of progress in 10 weeks and I think My experience I would have seen the last 10 weeks of the year is like I'm just going to wait till January 1st to start like it. There's there's no point like kind of just tossing in the towel. And you know, I think throughout our own Journeys we've kind of realized like hey, you know, what something is better than nothing especially amidst all the parties in the planning and the fun and the family events and the food. It's like you can still do a little something. It doesn't give you this like, you know, This excuse to be like well screw it. There's all these things might as well just wait another few months to start. So it feels like it would be a really feels like a really great reason to say like now's not the time, right? It feels like this isn't the best time but the reality of the situation is you could say that about every time of the year, depending on what your personal life situation is my very first online client. It took her a whole year to realize this I we kept trying to talk through it. It wasn't too literally A year had passed. She's like, I'm right back where I started telling you why this is not the right time of year for me because it went through like, oh, it's summer vacation once we get back on a schedule and now she's back on the schedule though the kids football and bandits really busy and now it's the holidays and now she did have seasonal affective Source again now it's winter and so we took all the way back for a whole year for her to realize there is no great time. It's literally the time in front of you and right now we have the next ten weeks so is now yeah one thing to consider and hopefully this gives people some proposed perspective. I don't know what the statistic is. I'm sure you could figure it out. They looked up online but there is an average amount of weight that people typically gain between a during the holiday season. So if that's going to be you and if you decide now is not the right time. I'm just going to start in January and you do put on that weight. Now you like you've basically dug yourself into that hole or an even deeper. Hole to try to dig yourself out of come January 1st. So why not start now, even if it's not perfect even if you just take that messy action and do something rather than nothing that way like maybe you're just maintaining your weight and I always tell clients in a really busy season that maintaining their weight is a form of progress a hundred percent. Oh my gosh. Yeah when you were taking care of yourself when you're moving. A body when you are getting in a workout when you're trying to eat, you know somewhat healthy that is almost encouragement. I think to keep making good choices for yourself at those parties at the you know, the family dinners and whatnot. So it can just make it a little bit easier for sure. I think there's 33 if I'm not mistaken. Three days between Thanksgiving and New Year's. All right, so we can add another twenty something taste that so there's about like 55 days of the year between that holiday season and I think that that's a that is a great reason to prevent your own, you know failure. I guess you could call it throughout those weeks rather than reacting to it on the backend what you're saying Marcy is like you can start putting some habits in place. Even if it's one habit like Marcia, Talk about walking. Even if you just start making your walks be something that you just do what you do every day. If it's five minutes, whether it's an hour or whatever it is, but something just start a new habit right now to start building that so that once you get to January 1st, it's like, okay cool. I'm here and I've kind of approach this and I have a new habit built instead of reacting to the ten pounds you gained over the course of the holidays are you know as the shift happens? So and also remembering that like not every minute of every day needs to be festive time between now and then right? So like just because you have a party one night doesn't mean breakfast and lunch have to go to pot. Right? We really fall prey To That All or Nothing mentality. So just really keeping in mind like there's plenty of plenty of opportunity to like make these good habits, you know, whether it's in the morning or in the afternoon, there's plenty of time. So don't be coming from a place of fear of like I can You this and this is this is not for me right now and I can't be perfect because you just don't need to be you don't even need to be yeah. Yeah, I think that that brings up a really good point on just general mindset heading into this season, right? So if you do struggle with sad if you're sad, but if you if you do struggle with that then knowing that about yourself and setting up your thoughts and like your life in a way that helps you make that easier. So if you know that you're struggling like have accountability start building in some tools that you can use to help yourself get through this time because it's not easy. It's harder for some people depending on where you live how much daylight you have like what your life looks like. If you're in a season of transition, maybe you just started school or you're in a new job or something is happening then making an action plan to help you stay on track. So why don't we dive into some of those? Energy is maybe that you guys use or you found that your clients find success with in order to manage this shift in Seasons as we head into the holidays and just kind of feeling like you're on top of your stuff. Let's see Marcy you want to go sure I like the bright lines strategy and this refers more to I guess eating at not eating out but eating when it comes to social situations, right? So especially this time of year. It's like you're surrounded by all the things alcohol food deserts and it just like, oh my gosh, I want to eat it all because it's the holidays and I'm not gonna be able to get this until next year. So you kind of have that fomo the fear of missing out mentality. So what I like to tell people is okay set some Lines, which are basically rules that you set for yourself. So that might be if I choose to drink I am going to limit myself to two drinks and I'm not going to have dessert something like that. So it would have to be a rule that you came up for yourself. But that is one that has always seemed to work really well. And then that's just your non-negotiable like that is what you stick to yeah. I love that. I think the route like creating rules for yourself. Where is he awesome? What about you Kim? So I think one thing and actually we talked about this little bit on our episode about vacationing thinking about the things you can have versus the things that you're trying to not have can really help and having a daily ritual that you get protein and vegetables every day can really help so you're not just thinking about like, hey, I need to avoid XY and z or only have so much of XY. D but like hey, I mean to get in a couple of portions of vegetables and you know a certain amount of protein and that can really help. Yeah. Do you have any tips for people that maybe don't have that that current set of like habits or thoughts in place like how to start to transition them into yeah. I always think it's a good idea to start where you are. So like if you like eat like no vegetables. Let's make it a goal to get one serving of vegetables in per day. If you decide you're going to try, you know, it's always going to you can see where you are. You could track your food for a week and see like I eat 40 grams of protein. Okay, maybe we don't need to jump you up to a hundred and thirty what if you moved to 60 grams of protein what if you are like I eat protein once a day, let's have you start trying to get it in at two meals a day. So figure out where you are maybe spend a week either tracking on paper or using an app see where you're at with protein and vegetables and Ratchet it up a notch. Yeah. Yeah. I think that makes it way more approachable for everyone accessible approachable in manageable doesn't seem like this daunting unrealistic task because if you can see yourself doing it you're going to actually do it and it doesn't need to feel so burdensome that you're like I can't do it right I can't do it and so just being like, okay like I could literally add one serving of vegetables like who can't do that? I mean I hated vegetables and I could do that. Yeah, I think making it like it's like if it doesn't pass the laugh test like if it's almost laughable that it's that easy then that means that's a that's a goal that you should stick to and don't make it. It should not be bigger than laughable like because they're so I like like a challenge at this time of year just Be like and so I've got a client who I've just set one nutrition and one physical like 30 day challenge and so she will do that for next 30 days and Market off on the little like calendar thing. So making the making the chain and I've got like you could do that with anything if you just wanted to make sure that you still kept moving you could set yourself and maybe Be two or three of your friends like why not all get together and go yo, let's do this. Like let's all say that we're going to you know, do the 10K steps a day like non-negotiable whether we've been out or not, so that would be one thing and also just to make sure that you're not over looking really simple things like prioritizing sleep as much as you can because during this time when things are getting a bit Haywire with people's schedules and parties and all this kind of stuff sleep can be neglected and that just makes getting motivated. Sitting getting out of bed to do anything even harder so you could even set a put a sleep thing on the challenge as well. So yeah challenges because obviously we've started the fit and free challenge and that's like that's really helped me just to kind of stay away from my pumpkin in depression away from all the candy corn. You know that sleep sleep is such a game changer and people about it more than anything like everything hinges on sleep and especially this time of year when it literally is what two and a half almost three months of what feels just like continuous events and opportunities to fall off track to eat too much to drink too much to stay out too late. It's like ask yourself in every situation. How do I want to feel? And that is what I ask myself whenever I am going whenever I'm struggling to make a decision or I am trying to talk myself out of something. How do I want to feel when this is done? Do I want to feel shit like shit. Do I want to be bloated and tired and hungover. Do I want to be disappointed in myself? Because I didn't get that workout in and that always helps me to take the right action. But like I said if there are so many opportunities to not feel good. At this time of year than you really have to get serious with yourself and ask like is that how I want to go through life everyday, you know just not feeling good and then it becomes even more difficult to make the next best choice because you're coming at it from a state of you know, not being mentally clear not feeling good and I feel like when people do feel that way it's easier to talk themselves into a wall just start again. And you know January 1st. Yeah. Yeah, I like that question a lot more see I think one of the other things besides sleep that can go along with really just making us feel good is being outside like getting outside and getting fresh air is so it's so underrated and even when it's cold just being out there for a little bit and enjoying like air and sun is a real game changer. Yeah much rather be outside when it's kind of cold and brisk outside than when it's hot as fuck and I'm sweating my butt off and like Smith as well like being in that brisk air. It's like it's almost like taking a cold shower. It sucks the moment but it's like very energized the yeah, like rejuvenating like yeah, you know when you chew gum in your mouth is like it's like your body feels like oh he getting difficult. Yeah. I'm just like a piece of orbit. I am sure I step outside with the brisket. He's a five gum my dear. I've come honey bun. I can't agree. He was enjoying the cold but I do think it has there's many teachers like you can learn a lot from the cold and that's that it's temporary. You know, you're not going to be cold forever. It's not going to be dark forever. Whatever you're going through is not going to be forever. I think that that is something that I've been constantly reminding myself of lately when I am in kind of those moments of like feeling not motivated or feeling me or like I don't want to go outside like I just want Sit in my bed, you know, it's like Sam, you know, what you need to do and I have this like mental talk with myself. Like I'm talking to my inner my inner like little kid like come on Sam just get out of bed. And sometimes you just have to have that little pep talk with yourself in order to like amp yourself up. I think Mel Robbins we've talked about this before but does the five four three two one? I love that. So for listening, it doesn't know what it is. You basically do a countdown. In your head or you can say it out loud, five four, three, two one and on one you take action you do whatever you're going to do. So for me if I'm in bed not want to get out of bed, which is usually the case every morning my okay, five four three, two one and I just got out of bed. I don't even think about it. I just do it and that's how I get into my cold shower. I'm like, I like put my hand in and I touch it and then I'm like God, I just got to go do it. Yeah. I just gotta do it. So for me, that's kind of how I will sometimes break through that barrier. I guess you would say But another thing I wanted to jump off of a point that camera Marcy, I'm not sure who it was that made it was tackling what you can do, right? And so I think like a really good exercise and maybe this is something for the Facebook group. I don't know but focusing on what you can control. So maybe you have like a party every weekend. You have a family event you have you're going apple picking with your friends. You're checking out a Brewery with someone I don't know whatever you're doing, right there's a lot of things out of your control there. But if you make a list of the things you can control you're going to be able to see the things that you can do in that moment or in that day or in that week. So if that means that you have to get up maybe a spec earlier and go for the walk or like do some meal prep for the week so that you stay on track or have more protein and veggies earlier in the day like you can control all those things because the day is yours, but as soon as you leave the house or as soon as you leave Your routine it can kind of feel like you're lost and you're grasping for anything that feels familiar and that can be scary. So focusing on the things that you can do in that moment like okay. I'm out to eat with friends. What can I do here? Okay, I'm going to eat in this in a similar way as I would at home. I'm going to make sure I get a protein and veggie. Maybe I have a little something to try cool but it's it's still in my control. I feel grounded in my decision and I think that you'll go to bed feeling so much better about If you stay in Integrity of the things you can change, you know, you can control I love that Sam. I think that's super important and I think going on with that looking for this looking for Solutions instead of excuses. You know, somebody asked me recently and I made a post about they're like, well, what do you do to get all these steps and when it's cold and I was like just I go anyway, right like sure some of my stuff is super cold. I'll go walk around Target. But you know, I have a really nice pair of warm boots. They happen to be gold and sparkly. And that makes me happy. I have a really nice warm coat and gloves and a fluffy hat. So, you know look for Solutions. What do I do when it's cold and I want to take a walk I bundle up right instead of being like Oh, it's too cold. I can't yeah, I do think sometimes people just they think they think that everything is going to be easy and just because something's a little bit harder that they just shouldn't shouldn't do it and unfortunately like in order to move forward in life. You have to challenge yourself and do things that get you out of your comfort zone. And if that means like actually going out and facing the cold then you just need to wrap up warm and suck it up. And even when it's raining like the these great thing called things called umbrellas like, you know, it's not like it's not like there isn't stuff that's been made to deal with this situation and bearing in mind that I live in like probably one of the rainiest places in the world. Maybe not quite in the world, but we do get a fair amount of REM. I'm if I didn't go out every time it ran up his sight in my apartment. 24/7 and you know, I mean the point game I think really you guys like you can do hard shit, you know, like I think remind yourself like you're resilient when you have to do hard shit you do it right? Like when you're in a situation that sucks. Guess what you make it through like you're not dead because you're listening to this podcast so longer than you. Like yeah, I can do it. You know like yeah, I'm able to do this. I'm capable to do this. Like it's sure it's going to be a little hard but literally anything worth having is going to be difficult in some way. And the thing is to have your why like why you actually want to do the things right? If you're trying to lose weight and you want to be more active you want to eat vegetables then your wife the reason why actually want to be healthy. Or fit or lose weight has to be so fucking strong that your excuses. Do not override that Y which is what Kim was saying look for reasons instead of excuses because that's going to basically dictate like the resistance at a certain point is going to either push you to do the thing that's hard and get over the freakin hump or to let the excuse get in the way and have you feel like you just can't do it. But you can well in also confidence is built by doing the hard shit. You don't build confidence by state. In your comfort zone and doing the same thing that you've always done over and over again, like eventually you need to push yourself and that's why I always talk about you keeping the promises that you made yourself like that is really important that helps create confidence. But even more so is doing the hard stuff that you don't want to do and forcing yourself to do it and then realizing. Oh, okay. I am capable I can do this. And that in my mind is where the true confidence is really built. Yes, Marcy fucking onto that. I think that that is sucking under valued skill is trusting in yourself, right? Because like every time you keep a promise to yourself you you build that trust muscle just a little bit right and it's like, oh I can do that cool. So if you're listening right now, which I hope you are all so you wouldn't know that I just said that to you every time I say that I'm like, yeah, you're obviously listening. So for the person out there, that's here's me. Think about what's one thing you can do and keep that promise to yourself every day. So I know that all of us have experimented with like journaling or walking or meditating or like something that's been hard for us to start in stick with but we've kept the promise and I think all of us hit 10 K steps a day, you know, pretty matter-of-factly at this point. It may not have always been that way. I know for me it wasn't but now it's something I have to do even if it means like getting out of bed and going for a walk like I'll do it because it's a promise that I cannot break. It's just I don't even think about the option to break it and so find something for you that you can realistically stick to so maybe it's the veggies thing. Maybe it's the protein thing. Maybe it's getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Maybe it's I don't know going for a walk every day, but find a little thing that you can do every day that you like. Check that box off like Sarah was talking about which I want Sarah. You should explain what that means for everyone listening. But create that chain that mental chain for yourself of I keep getting these winds in this is really cool and I can do this and I can do hard shit. Oh my God. It's like I'm empowered and then you build another thing and it's like this, you know this domino effect of realizing your own potential. Yeah. Yeah, Sarah talked about the chain effect Yen the sign so it's cold Seinfeld technique if we want to get really like so it's something I think we've probably all read about in the gyms clear Atomic habits book and it's basically this idea that you take a calendar and something that you are trying to develop a consistent habit with you have that written on the calendar and each day that you do the thing you might In the box and over a period of time you just see this beautiful magical change that to build and actually you go into this mindset. I found myself and my clients you go into this mindset of really not wanting to break the chain because it gives like a deep level of like satisfaction, which is the whole point of it. So over time it helps you to build the consistent Habit in and then once that's in you can then lay it in another another habit. I tend to start climbing. Giants off with just like maybe one thing and then we just layer them on and take stuff out as it just becomes more natural. So it is really sounds like so ridiculously simple but quite often they are the things that work the best. Yeah, that's how I started working out. Yeah with the calendar and a purple pen. Oh my God. You were just too cool kind of did it have sparkles on the end of it? No, it was like a really lame counter that I printed off the internet like you can barely read it, but I was like, I'm gonna make an X and my roommate and I made an ex every time we worked out and when I saw that she had more X's than me, I would get really mad. So then I would like It's not like a competitive way, but it just makes you want to be better. So to your point Sarah, maybe the accountability is with yourself, but it's also with a friend like we do have a hundred percent. We're coach like sure yeah or a family member or like someone to just kind of keep you in check on the days where you're like fuck this. I don't want to do anything. I want to sit down with my bag of chips and binge watch Netflix. Your friends going to be like hey meet you at the gym or like hey, did you get your workout in and you're like, hey my work out his bicep curls of popcorn to my mouth besides that you know, like sometimes you just need that extra boost. I know I do. Yeah, okay on that note about the calendar and the pain so I think that this is something that is a little silly but can be really helpful and it also goes back to what Kim was saying about the sparkly boots like Give yourself an incentive make it fun. And I think that will allow you to more easily do it. So for example, I was never really a journal or like I had some resistance around it was like I don't know what to write. I don't have time for this like, you know, I had so many stories in my head about the journaling even though it was a practice that I really wanted to get into the habit of but I freaking love stationary I could spend hours in papaya. Yes, we're at a stationery store. It's just like heaven for me. So by incentive to get myself journaling was to find a really cute Journal. So I have this lovely little journal and every time I see it it almost like draws me to it in a way like I like looking at it. I like the feel of it and I have a really nice pen that I enjoy writing looks like that makes the process easier whether or whereas if I had a shitty pennant. Don't write very well and just an ugly black Journal. I would have more resistance to doing it Marty and that's not stupid. That's so powerful. I think his I've got clients that have sticker sticker packs and they use like glittery stickers and stuff. Like even doesn't matter what age you are like we've all got this inner child that just loves the whole like glitter. He's ugly sticks to who doesn't love glittery stickers exactly Kim. Yeah, you just you just made me realize I do that for Walking the only reason why I mean I like to walk but I like to walk because I take photos of shit. Like I take photos of flowers or like scenes and that's just my my old like because I used to take photos for a living and like did that and so that's still a way that I get to kind of Dive Dive and dive back into that creative space for me in the same way that I make big ass salads every day. Yeah, they taste good, but it's also fun for me to assemble this like pretty creation of a salad. It's almost like A piece of art and I'm realizing like I take the photo because it's like it's fun and then also helps me get veggies and it like it tastes good. But it's this little like, how can you make these very mundane things like a walk or a salad be like important to you? Like, how can you get them to feel good? What is it about it that makes it special for you. And that's we're not going to be able to tell you that because it's only you know the answer to that so like for Kim she walks in her sparkly Ugg boots right in the wintertime that makes her happy like Know that about her and it's like in the same way that Sarah is frolicking through the Streets of London taking photos of weird objects, making them look like penises, you know, if you talkin about Marcy's journaling and pretty beautiful stationary like we all have a little there's something you know, there's just like a little twist on it. It makes it feel like it's ours and so infusing fun and play into the things that may seem Seemed like such a drag can help that the serious. Yeah, and really looking for those things. Like if you don't like to exercise like start thinking like what could that thing be? Like if you don't like to walk think like what could like for me? Like this was nothing to a fitness, but for this is like an idea of what I did I hate washing dishes. Like I literally hate it. So when I wash dishes I put on a podcaster YouTube video. I want to watch like up on my windowsill and pop my ear pods in and it's bearable and I'm not constantly trying to get distracted by something else I call. Down there and do the dishes. So is that your thing that you don't like is exercise or walking like find a thing that makes it enjoyable that you're like, okay this part I like I had to client who literally he hated walking like he just like refused and then we found out I found out he had a love of dogs. So basically we got into hire a dog so he became like a dog he became like a dog, but you can go to like, yeah, it's you can do like an adoption like this. As a you know, go to a rescue center and take dogs out for a walk. So we got him. We got him doing that. So yeah a hundred percent just find something that makes it bearable for you. Yeah, and that can be all it takes it just like a little thing. Like how can you make the things you're doing right now just a little bit more enjoyable. Maybe there's like a slight inconvenience at the start like for for Marcy. She may have had to spend $10 on her stationary. Right? Like that's a mild inconvenience like going to get it pay for it, but then every Day, she uses it. She gets a little a little high from it. You know, it's like getting high on stationery. What would you like? I used to be really big on like, oh my gosh, if you're having salad, you should try and keep that suckers low-calorie as possible. It's a salad and I've really switched my thinking on that and recent years. Look if you think that the wonton strips just make that friggin amazing add some longtime strips, right, you know. Yeah still keep your calories. Under control, but your food should be exciting to you. And if it's like a little bit of extra fat it's a little bit of extra fat you're going to keep eating the salad if you like it right love a wild hog, some people do. Yeah. I think that that that concept can be applied to every part of life. Like there's always a way to make the things you're doing a little bit more enjoyable for a very very small price. And it's worth it. It's going to be worth it. It might be there might be a little barrier to entry with all of it, right you might have to go buy something or do something or shift something. But ultimately if you can see yourself doing that and you're like, you know, let's use the salad with wontons. For example, you go into your day knowing you have a salad at home you have to eat and it's in the fridge and you're like, I don't want to eat that like you're not going to want to eat it or you'll eat it and then you'll end up eating something else after because you weren't really sad. Satisfied. Yeah, but if that salad you look forward to it because you like to look at some wontons, you know, and some greens underneath but like the wontons then it kind of satisfies you for the most part, you know, like yeah sure you could always have more but have it later and then you go on with your day and you don't feel that like deprived feeling or like coming from a place of lack really is like you've given yourself the permission to add the wontons and then you get to move on with your day so find ways to give yourself permission to More fun or to infuse more joy into things or to just make your life more enjoyable. Like you can do that. You know, it's we highly recommend that you make your life something you enjoy you have a long tongue. What is your wanton visual on Kelly wanna want on I don't have to so good. Well, I think that we're kind of nearing the end of seasonal depression and how to tackle it. I feel really good going into the season and I think that you guys listening should feel pretty adequately prepared. But I think some other strategies like some other things that we didn't mention just like briefly we can touch on touch upon is like making sure that you if you're in a place of not that much daylight like make sure you get vitamin D take a vitamin D supplement. That's really really Full and it's a really cheap way to just get the vitamin D that you won't be getting through natural sunlight. I know Tim you had mentioned using like Sun lamps or like UV lamps. That's a great alternative to like natural light and you know getting your veggies and just infusing fun into your life like combating that depressed feeling right of like oh God it's dark and cold with including more fun. Like maybe make more plans with friends or reach out to people that you love or start to build in maybe like a new sport or a new hobby in the wintertime. When you are more apt to like want to stay in and not talk to anyone or like not leave the house. I know for me. That's why I joined axe-throwing last year was because I know myself and I'm like, I'm not going to do anything with my weeknights. I'm just going to stay home in bed, and I joined an axe throwing League super random, but like I did that thing and it was really fun and it got me out of the house and got you. We got you your man. It got me a man to score. So it's wonderful. What happens when you do that for yourself, you know, you kind of just like what yourself have some fun. But I think let's let's wrap up and we can give some closing words. So biggest piece of advice and favorite piece of Halloween candy. Tell us the truth Kim. You have a big smile on your face right now. So I'm very picky about candy. I knew I hit you. All right. My closing advice is don't look for another better time. There isn't one. The time you have is right now and my favorite piece of Halloween candy is Reese's Cups Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, the mini or the big I love the ones. I don't know why they always taste better. But whatever their seasonal one is like the Easter egg one at Easter and the Pumpkin one actress mystery of those always taste the best but I'll take whatever kind of really kept you have. All right. We got Reese's Pieces. No, I don't love them mop no reputation. Tas all right Marcy Think about how you want to feel and then take action from that place favorite piece of Halloween candy. So I'm going to go to one if I could eat gluten and dairy a Twix. Oh, yeah to and I know people are probably gonna be like, oh gross because I can't have gluten and dairy the flavored Tootsie Rolls. Oh, I love that open that one. One's got Manila won. I love those guys. I like the lemon ones in the lime ones. Yeah, why do I not harder to pseudo? But why have I not had a Tutsi were like, I hold all of you Americans responsible because I've been with you all and if you've not fed me at 0-0 next time we see you. I got some of my override the other day. I was so happy. We got them out override Sarah. They just weren't literally Tootsie Rolls. They were like a knockoff version does feel like the fruity ones. She needs like It's not clear how I was giving out Tootsie Rolls. Yeah, man, and I didn't die pretty cool. Awesome said what's good for my Uber driver? But Sarah, what's your message in your candy? So my message is remember that this is a temporary season and you can go into it telling yourself you hit it and you are always unmotivated or you can go into it embracing it saying this is an amazing time of year for me to still succeed and just get on with what you need to do and my favorite piece of My favorite piece of candy, this is very hard for me. I had a Milky Way recently and it was really rather delicious. So I'm going to go Milky Way. Was that your first time it was not my first time tell us about your eyes. I did not break my Milky Way Terry. That's what I was wondering. I just hadn't had them for edges. And then I had one when I was in Palm Desert, and it was just it was amazing. Oh that caramel caramel's anything with caramel to be real. Yeah, I'll compare Vin so hard right now. It's making a chocolate. Okay. My message would be that you can do hard things you can do are chick. Like if you tell yourself you can't you won't but if you tell yourself you can you will and that's really all comes down to is like you can do the hardship because you have yeah fave candy. So I'm in Marcy's bow. Where I actually can't even eat my favorite candy, but I'll pretend like I can I would have to give a three way tie to take fives because that's pretzel chocolate caramel good. Oh gosh. Yes because Twix is life and Almond Joy. Oh, yeah that good. I have to us for the first time last week. I don't know your coconut. Yeah, we have bounces over here. It's the same thing. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I recently made coconut I mean Almond Joy version of ice cream was oh God. It was so good. So, you know you can get creative but I would say those ones definitely it's like the salty sweet and I prepared. Yeah. All right, you guys well, it's been real. We hope that we have helped you get through your seasonal depression and tackle the next 10 weeks of the year as we head into a new Cade we're excited to actually we're all going to be in a new decade of our lives so many yes, and amen. Yeah the Decades of strength brings you a new decade done done, Don. All right, I won't I won't pursue a career in movie and trees. All right. Well, we love you guys. Hope you have an amazing rest of your day and check in with you in a few weeks. Peace out. Peace out that 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 our next episode.
There are exactly 8 weeks 5 days till Christmas and right now you have 2 choices!👇🏻 ⁣⠀ 1️⃣You can see these weeks as an opportunity to still make a positive impact on your health and fitness so when Jan 1st hits, you aren’t starting from scratch again! you’ll just be continuing on the journey 🤗 ⁣⠀ 2️⃣Or you can opt to let the chaos & coldness of this crazy season derail any progress you’ve made so far or use this as another excuse to not even start trying to make positive changes. ⁣⠀ “It’s just not the right time for me to start eating vegetables and moving more, too many parties to go to, and I don’t want to catch a chill!” ⁣⠀ Harsh Truth: The time will never be right, there will always be an excuse! (it’s never the right time to have a baby either 🤪) ⁣⠀ It’s time to stop letting your excuses be bigger than your goals!!! Girllll you got this!! ⁣⠀ ​In this weeks episode, we talk about the common struggles & excuses we hear from clients around this time of year (and some we’ve used ourselves!). ⁣⠀ We outline some of our go-to strategies for helping to keep your health and fitness mojo up in the cold winter months, when there are delicious temptations and excuses not to start or just keep up normal day to day habits everywhere! ⁣⠀ 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 ever so much! ⁣⠀ 🌟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 