In this episode, our hosts expound on major erroneous perspectives within the fitness community, including the pressures that come with such beliefs.
Rachel and Mandi highlight the impact that these views have on people's journeys, noting the appropriate mindset to incorporate into our fitness journey.
"The least interesting thing about us is our bodies; they're just housing the spirit"
"Strength training is so important because it manifests and shows up outside of the gym"
"Some of the most unhealthy people I know have the highest appearance of fitness and health"
"If you are feeling trapped, held down, imprisoned by your wellness plan, you have not arrived at the right wellness plan"
Want a podcast like the "Spill Your Guts w/Rachel and Mandi" Podcast? Look no further! I'm Jpaddy from Paddybandwagon.com, your podcasting partner. DM or comment "blessed" on our Instagram @paddybandwagon, and you'll unlock a special offer exclusively for fans of the "Spill Your Guts w/Rachel and Mandi" Podcast. Together, we'll embark on a podcasting journey that will captivate and engage your listeners. Visit Paddybandwagon.com and let's make your podcast dreams a reality.
In this episode, our hosts expound on major erroneous perspectives within the fitness community, including the pressures that come with such beliefs.
Rachel and Mandi highlight the impact that these views have on people's journeys, noting the appropriate mindset to incorporate into our fitness journey.
"The least interesting thing about us is our bodies; they're just housing the spirit"
"Strength training is so important because it manifests and shows up outside of the gym"
"Some of the most unhealthy people I know have the highest appearance of fitness and health"
"If you are feeling trapped, held down, imprisoned by your wellness plan, you have not arrived at the right wellness plan"
Want a podcast like the "Spill Your Guts w/Rachel and Mandi" Podcast? Look no further! I'm Jpaddy from Paddybandwagon.com, your podcasting partner. DM or comment "blessed" on our Instagram @paddybandwagon, and you'll unlock a special offer exclusively for fans of the "Spill Your Guts w/Rachel and Mandi" Podcast. Together, we'll embark on a podcasting journey that will captivate and engage your listeners. Visit Paddybandwagon.com and let's make your podcast dreams a reality.
I hope you guys all appreciated my contribution to our theme song. I like the little Yeah Mandy holding here Rachel Prairie on air with Jay Patty. Hi keeping us on track per huge good to be here this week.
Speaker 1:I just want everyone to know that. We were going to hit the record button and I yelled out oh, it's 444. And that led us down a whole spiritual track of trying to figure out what that meant. And you know, according to the Google, it means that we all have a bright future and we should give up all doubts. So there you go. This being episode four and all, i felt like it felt right to share that. Back with our angel numbers. Back with those angel numbers, even though we are reluctant pilgrims. We didn't own a t shirt. In fact, i'm going to introduce the first Spill your guts podcast contest. I think we need to make reluctant pilgrim a thing.
Speaker 1:You know I just like really envision like some kind of like whimsical, like goddess powerhouse lady with like her eyes rolling. Just like I got a t shirt guy, you got an everything guy. That's why I still, that's why I stick close to you, you know everybody.
Speaker 2:Rachel, the Italian in me, rachel president.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, how are you? Episode four We can you believe it?
Speaker 2:We're doing it like every time. every week we go to record something like a literal all hell has broken Just one week. I just would love this like a normal, like we just go to work and we come home and like that's our life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, just peruse. Not today We get four, four, four, and the angels are here with the birthday boy. Yes, everyone. We just want to publicly announce that tomorrow is well, i don't know when this episode will drop, but officially his birthday is tomorrow, so Jesse, by the time this drop here comes, i'm going to sing to you, but just kidding, i won't His eyes.
Speaker 3:I literally like analytics of this podcast episode going on when you started.
Speaker 1:It's like that, all right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you should keep singing, Let's go.
Speaker 1:Also, if you can't tell, jesse is a male Virgo, so you can pray for us.
Speaker 2:Feel bad for the guy, but a couple of water signs and a male Listen that's what makes the world run right there.
Speaker 1:Well, listen, we're glad you guys are here. If you're just hanging with us, still, we certainly appreciate you. We're not really sure what we talk about. Actually. It's all kind of a whirlwind, but we're here, we're documenting authentically and transparently, in honor and truth, and I just feel really led to do that because the screen saver on Jesse's TV is magical and makes me feel like you know, like we're onto something here. So we're back Next time. We were discussing all of our takeaways that had been happening, kind of like in review of our past few months, and we just listen. You got me at the end of our last episode, lady, when you were saying that this is the best version of yourself that you have ever been, and I wanted to start with that specifically this week because it was so powerful to me Thinking of somebody I love so much saying that and like really believing it and living it, and I feel like gosh, isn't that the goal? So tell me more about that.
Speaker 2:Well, i started kind of like swirling on the idea at the beginning of this year because I turned 40 in March and I hadn't realized, as I was nearing 40, that I felt some sort of way about it because of how the world works around age and midlife and what that means and where you should be or shouldn't be, and what your body should be and where you should be out with your career and financially and all the things right. Yes, and so as I neared it, i was just kind of like fuck that.
Speaker 1:Not you, not us.
Speaker 2:No, my strategy is going to go like balls to the wall all in and celebrate an entire year of being 40. And, as a result, i'm exhausted.
Speaker 1:Send help. Well, i'm only laughing and because I've been on that, this is 40, trained with you, because I also turned 40 this year and we bonded over that earlier this year and then we were both like balls to the wall. Energy. We're like not today, not today. Age, not today, 40. Take this And then also help because we're dehydrated and we're still separate.
Speaker 2:So I've had, i planned all this super fun stuff that honestly, I probably couldn't have even afforded even a few years ago, like as a non 40 year old, I feel like even financially this is in the last couple of years I'm actually feeling good and have the resources that.
Speaker 2:I have the right job, the right resource, time, energy, taking care of myself enough to like go on all these adventures and do all this weird shit. And I was laughing because last week actually was Ariel. She was like I feel like you're always like out on some kind of like shenanigan adventure and then we catch up and like all this weird shit has happened since I talked to you last and I'm like, yeah, it's kind of how it is, because it's not like that, i feel a sense of urgency, but I really want to show people that like this isn't, like 40 isn't shit, like your life is actually just beginning Totally. And I know people say that And even like when I was younger, i was like okay, like that's a thing that old people say to like make themselves feel better, but it's true.
Speaker 2:You know it is true, the people that I have in my life, the experiences that I'm creating for myself, where I'm choosing to spend my time and with who. that's the other thing that you and I just like popped off on in the last couple of days. Of course, we were aligned thinking about this and like didn't even listen.
Speaker 1:I think I wonder honestly if turning 40 has something to do with it, because it's kind of like this threat and it goes with, like the themes, the spiritual themes we've been even talking about the past couple of weeks to like how you do one thing is how you do everything. So like how we're showing up in our bodies, how we're showing up like in our mindfulness, in our lives and our actual lives, and how we're showing up like spiritually it's all the same, they're all connected right. So it makes sense. I was really. I thought it was so powerful, though, like how you have sort of claimed that this is 40 energy this year and kind of like blaze the trail and I'm like just jumped on, i'm like, oh, i'm on Rachel's tail, tail coats again, here we go. But it's been so good because you're right.
Speaker 1:It's like you kind of have a choice to make and I feel like culturally, it's not as big as a like dark, like cloud hanging over you, the age thing anymore, as it used to be. In fact, it kind of reminded me when I was growing up, my maternal grandma. She's like this little Irish lady. She for the longest time would tell everyone she was 39. Like every birthday until I was like 12, i was like listen, i really don't think you're 39 again. I was so confused but she would tell everybody she was 39 forever, like till she passed. That was like the number she clung to. And I remember thinking when I turned 39, like huh, i'm at this age that like my grandma, kind of like ideal, idealized, you know, and now that I'm 40, there's just like something like really empowering about stepping over that threshold and just like it's like very Britney Spears I'm not a girl, not yet a woman, except now I am because I'm 40.
Speaker 2:Well, it's so true, though, I went to a rodeo. That's the whole thing. I went to a rodeo last weekend. It was a fundraiser and the founder, jeremiah, who's in this incredible human, he's 42. And so we were laughing because we were like the old. We were like the old people of the of the after party, right, yeah, like drinking whiskey straight from the bottle, like running around my gosh after a rodeo, yeah, see what.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just like just a whole total bullshit, just like shitting on all the kids. They weren't that much younger, but we were just like you guys don't even know you don't even know an analog.
Speaker 2:And then came to this moment We were like okay, and we were trying to tell the kids they won't, they weren't with it. They're like what are you talking about, old people? But we were like, isn't it? if you look at like, if you Google, if you look at a 50 year old from like 50 years ago, yeah, compared to what a 50 year old like looks like now, you can't even compare them because, like the quality of life we have medical technology, probably like plastic surgery whatever like crazy to think about, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:like we have like Well, just even fashion alone, right like like it's like farmers anymore. No it's just like nobody wears like a suit.
Speaker 2:Yes, So we were just talking about like how weird it is like to have kind of grown up like from the 80s into now and been like this generation, that kind of bridged this weird gap between like a hard cut off, like a hard line between what this like modern, older person looks, feels, acts like, compared to like even my parents or or my grandparents. It's been really fascinating and interesting to watch, and the trainer and we of course wants to like throw some data, like some statistics, that like statistically, even if even if you treat your body like trash, you are going to live into your 80s, like statistically, we're all there as a species really. Yeah, that's the average. It really motivates me to like go out blazing, like give myself every possible chance that I can live a long, happy, healthy, independent life, because, like my nightmare would be like being stuck somewhere. Yeah, you know, for the last 10 years of my life like indoors a lot, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Totally I'm not, i'm not doing that.
Speaker 1:And so, as I'm your 40, that's, that was something that started propelling me forward.
Speaker 1:Well, and as, like you know, like fitness enthusiasts, right, like that's the kind of stuff we mean like when we say like find your why, that's like beyond aesthetic, right? Oh yeah, interestingly enough, that's like the topic of conversation today because the age conversation and like that this is 40 vibe, right, that we've just like been clung to and like stomping around in our boots with. All year Our crocs are croc boots. Don't come for me, i'm buying them, don't croc block, rachel crocs, if you hear me, i'm ready for my endorsement deal.
Speaker 1:But listen, it's kind of interesting because saying last week, like sorry, i keep going back to that, but like being able to say and really mean it, like people say a lot of shit, right, but when you say something and you really mean it, something as powerful as I am, the best version of myself, physically, spiritually, mentally, like this is it like I've arrived at this place where I'm so comfortable, that is like so powerful I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I feel like, in a lot of ways, i could agree myself, even though I still know I have so much work to do, like physically, mentally, spiritually, like I know that I'm not like there, like I haven't arrived and I think you know that too. Like we're like continually evolving, but like there's something so cool in feeling like set free from some of the like I don't know prison thoughts and one of those being like so comfortable in your body. And we have talked about this a lot. And I'm going to go ahead and just kick the door open on this conversation now, because you and I have talked a lot about being in, you know, in this public sort of space. Right, like we're both on social media, we both speak to fitness, obviously in different like realms, but, like we have had so many deep conversations about, like the way people feel like they have to show up in the fitness space and how, you know, people feel like they have to have like a body that's like presented a certain way to like quote unquote look and be fit and how that like drives us crazy, and how there's all these you know different ways that like conversations around body aesthetic pop up and and the way people, women talk to each other and the way we, you know there's all this going on and recently we talked about how there's been all this chatter right not to like bring pop culture into it, but it's relevant right to the conversation.
Speaker 1:But there's been all this conversation lately about like being thin, coming back right, like thin is going to be in, beware young women. Like the age of curves and love and yourself is over, because Kim Kardashian's lost all kinds of weight, etc. Like so I just wanted to bring that up because I'm just ending with like I am in the best place physically, like I'm the best version of myself. Like what does that look? like what does this body positive stuff mean? like what do you think about that? let's talk about it. Spill your guts.
Speaker 2:Well, i was thinking about this, especially like being 40 and you and I coming out, so I went to an all girls middle school, high school and college. I was like I'm going to talk about body issues. I'll say, yeah, uniforms, all girls.
Speaker 1:Yes, it was a breeding ground. Did you feel like there was like all kinds of standards you had to like, kind of like, live up to, like unofficially?
Speaker 2:And I was like I'm going to talk about that. My mother, my mother, is like a true real life 1960s, 70s, hippie burning bra, protesting yeah, shout out mom, i love her and I surprisingly like, surprisingly enough and she would.
Speaker 2:She was so adamant and I didn't understand it at the time, but she was so adamant about me staying focused on being an athlete and what my body can do, like not we never. And to the point where I was not allowed to read like 17 magazine. She would get me like poetry magazines, horse magazine horse girl.
Speaker 1:She's a horse girl.
Speaker 2:I was not allowed to shop at, like Amber, kromby or stores like that. I wasn't and and and I didn't really get in the late 90s.
Speaker 1:That's tough, i know. I wasn't allowed to shop there either, because I didn't fit any of their clothes. Amber Kromby, you sons of bitches Just kidding. Can we get in trouble for saying that?
Speaker 3:Oh, you're asking me.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Wrong guy.
Speaker 1:Okay, cool, good talk, carry on. I don't know probably probably somewhere around. Yes, they're all probably sitting around somewhere, very hungry listening to this podcast. All right.
Speaker 3:Only in our dreams.
Speaker 2:I used to work in the mall like a different Wait, where'd you work? I worked at a coffee shop and then I worked at gap, old Navy, like all the brands they owned Oh nice, i worked there part time in college. One of my drive a million.
Speaker 1:I just got very hopeful that you maybe worked at hot dog on a stick or something cool. Shut up, see our holes wherever you are.
Speaker 2:But I just remember they would out their cologne like through the vents of the store. Oh yeah, do you remember when you would get blue? You would smell that. Yes, so I just think about, like I grew up in this very body, skinny, skinny Kate Moss I don't even think kids know who that is like this generation heroin cheek, as they say yes very much valued the, the Uber, like skinny And I was just, i was a big girl.
Speaker 2:And the other thing is to like I've been, i like went through puberty, i've been this body since like fifth grade. Well, here's my ass got bullied so hard I was a monster. I was a monster lady.
Speaker 1:No way, i don't. I don't want to believe it.
Speaker 2:Fully developed.
Speaker 1:You're just like hi Rachel like all. Smash things. To wear a bra.
Speaker 2:But I could ride horses like a motherfucker and I very much remember as an end up being a volleyball coach to. But as a fifth grader I was serving overhand close out games Whoa. So my coach would put me in.
Speaker 1:I would serve every single point and just go to go home for dinner to see a sign or a. So you kind of lived in like thanks to your mom, geez. But you kind of lived in like a confidence bubble where some of that stuff like I'm sure some of it like penetrated and was kind of difficult. Like I'm not trying to minimize your experience, but like it sounds like for the most part you got to kind of get through that living in this like athletic confidence bubble of just like accepting your body as it was and like going to work.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So it was actually really hard for me, like we had, especially even in my high school we had. We called them like the Diet Coke Girls.
Speaker 1:Oh, They never ate lunch. Yeah, they just said Diet Cokes for lunch. Yeah, yeah, they would just drink Diet Coke.
Speaker 2:So I had a lot of trouble like relating to you and I have talked about this too Like I didn't have a lot of friends. I was weird. I was a weirdo. I was talking to trees. I was. I was hanging out with animals Like I wasn't. I wasn't cool.
Speaker 1:I don't believe it, i refuse. I feel like you've always been cool.
Speaker 2:I'm weirdo And so I never knew how to like have conversations, even with these girls. I'd be like, oh yeah, like I didn't drink Diet Coke, like you know what's crazy is.
Speaker 1:so you got through that time and we were the same age, so we went through high school like the same years, just didn't know each other existed yet No, my little twin flame in Minnesota I know.
Speaker 1:I was out here in Nevada learning how to be self deprecating, to survive In my old Navy sweaters and colored shirts. And I survived my middle school and high school years by telling jokes And I learned that if I was the first person to make fun of myself in a group, nobody really cared And it kind of gave me the. It kind of gave me the like, oh, she's funny, she's cool. And then, like people stopped focusing on me being fat or having like a mole on my face. That's another one, another juicy one that people who see me all the time forget about, because you kind of forget it's there, but like that's a treat when you're growing up, just an extra dash of bullshit, just you know, just don't throw that in, that's cool. But I would say that in my own weird way and we've talked about this like that that kind of gave me my weird confidence bubble that helped me survive that time And like my gift is my curse, right, like I. It kind of led me to that breaking point later on where I realized like okay, this self deprecating is not actually this is like actually harmful, this is hurting me. And then, when I kind of was able to get into my fitness self, that in more of what you were talking about, like the appreciation of what my body could do and what my body had carried me through. It kind of like, took me into another confidence bubble. That was more healthy than the self deprecating joke, girl, which I still, you know, out of habit, get stuck doing sometimes.
Speaker 1:But the reason why I think it's so interesting is because I think that a lot of times people assume that all fitness people are comfortable in their bodies and that if you look a certain way, that that is fit and that that means that you are, you know, confident in your body And, like you said, at home, in your skin.
Speaker 1:And I think that that is not true And I want to talk a little bit about that. So, in all these like messages that we're seeing on social media, like beware, thin is in is coming back. Like everybody, get ready. Like the days of having a big old, you know, a big old booty and curves are out the window, everybody's going to have to get squeezed back into their low-rise jeans And I'm just like, listen, who gives a shit? Like the world is literally burning and we're still worried about what everybody's bodies are about to look like. What the hell It's like so frustrating to me. I'm like why is this still a thing? Why is it that I know so many women who are bad ass and fit and like busting their ass all the time, to like perpetually loathe themselves and never be able to look in a mirror and realize how beautiful they are or how fit they are or how bad ass they are, because they're just like stuck like in this body-shaming spiral, like do you know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and here's, I'm about to drop a fitness secret. Let's go, let's freaking go. Drop it, 20 years of training.
Speaker 1:Drop it like a big old ass right on my lap. Let's go.
Speaker 2:I never really thought about what my body looked like until I entered the fitness community, Hey-o, Until I became a trainer. There it is, And what's crazy is that, even though we have this you know thick, strong body that's trending right now, there's still underlining toxicity to it. There's still. How thick can I be? How much can I lift? How, even as stepping into like that more masculine energy, like how strong can I be? Look at me, I'm independent. Like I'm hyper-sexualized because of a fat ass, Like it's there, It's still there.
Speaker 1:Is that why you say, like we coined the term like body positivity is bullshit. That is why Because it's actually like not true underneath it all. Right, when we say, especially in the fitness space, right, like the body positivity is actually comes with all these caveats And it's like body positivity, but only if dot dot dot. It's like you can't have body positivity for, like actual plus size people who are just working out because they wanna move and feel good and are not trying to lose weight. Like that right, like that's what I always started to come up against in my plus size fitness body experience.
Speaker 1:Like even now, after having technically lost 190 pounds, which is insane, do not hit that button. I just go for that cheer button. Well, you can hit it now. I made it awkward, yeah, but like 190 pounds with that includes like surgeries, like my skin removal, blah, blah, blah, all that. But like statistically, I've lost that much weight and had, like my my skin removal earlier this year, which was like a big deal and like a whole other thing we could talk about later. But you wanna know what? the most common thing I heard from people was when I like reemerged after eight weeks from my recovery.
Speaker 2:Oh, I'm scared to hear it.
Speaker 1:Well, not from everybody, but from a lot of people, and specifically certain age demographics, if you can believe that The comment was oh well.
Speaker 1:So how much more do you wanna lose now Or now you can really finish this thing. Huh, i'm just thinking of myself. And it's because technically, on paper, your girl's still overweight, i still like on, according to my doctor and my BMI, your favorite thing in the world I could probably still stand and lose like 80 pounds. I'm still technically like morbidly obese, but like just statistically right, right Without, but like not realizing, like the, the like amount of things I can do and like activities I can participate in, like none of that matters because I still look fat, right. And so when we say body positivity is bullshit, it's because of the caveats attached to that, and very few people are actually out here really touting body positivity. So when you hear body positivity, rachel, what does that mean to you in a way that's not tainted by the caveat stuff?
Speaker 2:So I use. I actually got this. I don't know if I can say it without laughing. Let me see if I can finish the sentence.
Speaker 1:I'm already laughing.
Speaker 2:Because I got this phrase from you, actually these two words.
Speaker 1:What Like? what is it?
Speaker 2:I don't know We're just. we're just meat sacks. Meat sacks we are. We're just meat sacks. Literally, we are just these balls of energy walking around. We have literal stardust in our fucking veins And we think the shape, size whatever of our bodies matter. Like who do we think we are? The ego of humans is shocking. Like we're so much. the least interesting thing about us is our bodies.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:They're just housing the spirit. That's it. That's all.
Speaker 1:that's the only thing they're meant to do, and I would take that even further and say that meat sacks in all their forms, in all their forms are attractive in one way or another. So I feel like people get hung up on the aesthetic of their body because it becomes like, oh, I won't be good enough for somebody to like me, Or I won't look good enough for somebody to fall in love with me if I don't blah, blah, blah. And this is not just specific to women. This is a gender neutral thing. Actually, this last week, I don't think Mikey will be mad at me for putting him on blast. He doesn't even listen anyways. So I think I'm going to save him and the CEO of what do we say? Abercrombie are not listening to this podcast.
Speaker 1:Damn it. But he was starting to get bummed out because we have not been consistent with our workouts the past couple of weeks. Like we're just still in this transition period And he's kind of gotten off course with his routine that he was in And he's just not feeling good about himself And I just like I think it kind of. Not that it dawned on me for the first time, but I was reminded again how hard men are on themselves as well. It's not just us. Jesse, do you have anything to add to that?
Speaker 3:Oh, so much. I think, wait. the point you're getting at right now is it's about the fact that, as a male, i say I said I was going to do this consistently And just by not sticking to the plan we beat ourselves up just because of that one aspect, you think it's more about like, not keeping your word to yourself that's upsetting.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:That's interesting.
Speaker 1:Do you feel like, from a man's perspective, that men have the same pressure to show up in a certain body type to be accepted?
Speaker 3:You know, I had this conversation last week where I'll give you a little insight on me. I'm bigger and a little bit more, you'd say, masculine, a little more muscular than I've ever been, And inside I felt like I was thick because I was always the skinny kid. Oh yeah, So this whole conversation you guys were talking about, like I was looking inside myself and I'm like, wow, I was the complete opposite.
Speaker 1:You were seeing your muscular definition as like feeling like uncomfortable.
Speaker 3:Yes, Interesting Because my body changed, how my body axis changed. as far as maybe, my cardio is not through the roof. While I'm stronger than I've been in years, my muscle endurance has went down and I really like that part of me and I've had to adjust mentally to this new body.
Speaker 1:Ooh, that's it right there. Birthday boy. That's it right there Adjusting mentally to the body that you're in. What is the mind-body connection, rachel Prairie, and how do we begin to infiltrate so that we because, look, i know I just asked you a question, now I'm interrupting. I'm so sorry You put her on the spot.
Speaker 1:I'm going to give you a moment to think about that and we'll come right back. But I say this as a mom, right? I have a almost 14-year-old daughter, and so when I hear sensational things on social media like hey, get ready, you know Kim Kardashian's 90 pounds and killing it, this is she's setting the stage for where we're headed in fashion and in pop culture, like skinny jeans are coming back, get ready. And I just I feel I don't feel shit for myself because I'm out here. I'm, i'm out here in my crocs and my leggings and I do not care, but I do worry about my daughter.
Speaker 1:Like, are we headed back to a skinny jean heroin chic era, and how do I equip her to not fall into the same self loathing and hatred I was in? Is that even real? Like, are we? Because you and I were talking and it's like we don't even think that. Like, really, celebrities are dictating where the trends are going right now, but they really are wanting us to think they still do. Like, so what does mind body connection have to do with all this stuff? as someone in fitness who isn't touting the body positivity, with all the caveats, i feel like you are one of the only women in the fitness space. Here I go fan girling again. You really are one of the only fitness influencers out there who is showing up just in your body, fully embodied, without strings attached, and saying this is it? Follow me, this is the way. Good luck everybody. Good luck, good luck and good night. Like, is it real? Are we? is this trend on its way? Like? what do you think about that?
Speaker 2:I think, like I said, it's it's never, it's never really gone away, It's just taken different forms. Like there's even been a lot of times in my life as a fit appearing body that I've had to shrink. I think I told you that. like there's been multiple times, especially when I worked in North Carolina, I had a lot of female clients and I found myself like putting on like, like long sleeve shirts, like covering my body, trying to make people feel comfortable, trying to not intimidate anyone, trying to shrink and soften for them, for their comfort.
Speaker 1:See, yeah, you have shared that with me and that blew my frickin mind as somebody in a larger, non typical body in the fitness space trying to make myself appear smaller for different reasons. It kind of blew my mind that you were trying to make yourself look less buff and less less to not intimidate. It's so interesting to me.
Speaker 2:And and in particular too actually again you, because you're basically my spiritual advisor have pointed out at various points in my life that I I like being big and full and fed and strong, like physically, because I feel like it then connect, like my mind and my spirit follow, So like even if, even if my mind and my spirit can just not get it together, i can lean on knowing that I'm strong and then that comes out. So that's why I especially talked to women. A lot about strength. Training is so important because it manifests and shows up outside of the gym. Amen, in your real life when you have to like stand and be grounded and make a hard decision or have a hard conversation or even just feel safe like that was a topic that we've talked about before like this, this issue of safety that I have going on being in a strong, fit body helps me.
Speaker 1:It like because you know what you're capable of enduring. That's fitness magic, right there. When you understand what you're capable of living through and enduring, it really does show up as like a force field, like a like a force field in your life Elsewhere. Yes, and I didn't, regardless of what your body looks like. Right, exactly.
Speaker 2:You know where it showed up. That surprised me, was my last strongman competition. One of the events Strongman is ridiculous One of the events was a hold. So basically you have a handle with a chain attached to kind of like a golf cart that's loaded with weights and you just, and then they roll it off a little bit of a ramp and you just have to hold until you can't hold any more.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:So it's a.
Speaker 1:Wow, sounds like a great time.
Speaker 2:Sounds like a great time, Right. So I can't remember how much it weighed, but I thought it was really interesting that I was the oldest female competitor there, at 40. And I held it the longest, And same was true for the men's. the oldest male competitor held at the longest. And I had this moment where I was like you know, this is a strength thing, but it was also like where I could put my mind because I was like you know what? I've held on to way harder shit longer than I should. People places things, jobs and this fucking thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like I got this.
Speaker 2:And this is going to be a breeze.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 2:So that's where these connections come into me, and some people do start inside out. They can work on their spirit and their mind and then the body follows. There's no right or wrong way, but for me I always have to do a physical thing to get my other shit lined up, or it doesn't work. I love it Like I've tried, because I'm like you know what? I'm just going to meditate, yeah, and I'm like I can't. I got to walk.
Speaker 1:I can't walk and meditate, dude well, that's true, though, like the Western mind needs movement for meditation. That's what I learned, and I would say that later, after you know, in this conversation of body positivity, i would say that I have kind of an off approach, as you know, as I do in all these areas, but I feel like something that I learned in my fitness journey is that my curse was actually my gift And that was something that was really interesting to me and an advantage I didn't realize I had until way later. So let me explain. So, when you are over 400 pounds, that's really not looked at as like an advantage, right, that's really not looked at as obviously an accomplishment or anything like that. But people are like inspired by my weight loss story because it is such like a huge endeavor to like stick with long enough to be able to, you know, prove some sort of like result or life change.
Speaker 1:And I think it's interesting because when I worked in the gym space, i would have so many people come up to me who are like in more typical bodies, even like this, mostly the super fit, or who I would see as like super skinny and like they would be the ones who would resonate the most with my journey because they were absolutely the most imprisoned Yep In their mind And I thought that was so strange to me because I would, if I didn't know them, if they weren't vulnerable and coming to me and sharing their heart, i would just look at them and assume they've got this thing on lock, like how could they possibly understand anything that I'm going through? And in a lot of ways, more than you think, they resonated a lot because it's the prison, is prison, you know, and for people to have seen me show up and like, be confident in a body that they could never just like, is mind boggling to people.
Speaker 2:Well in the most, i would say. Some of the most unhealthy people I know have the highest appearance of fitness and health. There it is. You have a conversation with them, you try to talk about soul and purpose and there's no love happening there. It's not. I talk about this all the time. It's kind of been like my little saying for the years that your, your fitness, your health can be a love story. Right, it should feel like freedom. If you are feeling trapped, held down, imprisoned by your wellness plan, you have not arrived at the right wellness plan.
Speaker 1:Ooh, that's a sound bite right there. That's so good. You know what it makes me, you know. But I appreciate so much you saying that because you are influential and it matters to stay stuff like that. Because we hear things all the time.
Speaker 1:Like you know, the grind never stops. You know, like, like these things that we hear make it seem like if you are not where you want to be, it's because you just lack ambition, you lack discipline, you lack this, you lack that, and so when you find yourself off course you're, you're just like in this guilt and shame spiral of like oh, i just was like not enough, and even even me, like I was being in the fitness space for so long like I know what to do, right, like we know the like technical things to do. Like, if I'm not feeling great about myself like this conversation I had with my husband a couple of days ago it's like, okay, well, we know what to do, we know how to clean up what we're eating. We got to start drinking water. You know, we got to get back on our routine. Like I know all the technical things to do, but that can be like a slippery slope as well, because then it's like well, you know, you don't stop. The grind doesn't stop like blah blah blah.
Speaker 1:And then it's like this whole pendulum sewing way over here, which is quote, unquote, accepted because it's fitness. Yep, and then I'm now being celebrated for my dedication and I'm being celebrated for being an asshole at Thanksgiving because I refuse to eat pie, because I've, like you know, made some kind of weird commitment to myself, like where is?
Speaker 2:the middle. Like and that puts people coming from a place of lacking, right. They're chasing their. It's a place of shame, right. And so when you're approaching it that way, of course it's not going to work or stick, because you haven't, you haven't, you're not coming from this, this place of love, right.
Speaker 1:When that's it. That's the difference, right? Do you think that? do you think that that is something that comes with age? just to bring the conversation full circle, like, is that you and I talking at 40 years old, and we've gone through all this shit and we've just realized, like we've crossed the threshold and we know that, no matter how our bodies, you know, look, however we show up, we're going to make the most of it and blaze trails regardless. Is that an age thing, or is that something that you think I can teach to my daughter?
Speaker 2:I think you can, because my mom taught me Oh yes, joanne, i also think that I and I have a literal tattoo of this, that kind of once I neared 40, my saying is this all ends Like this body is a temporary home. So why, you know, i have to at some point think about like I need to be healthy because this, this body will end and and what I'm going to be on my deathbed wishing I weighed 10 pounds less.
Speaker 1:Yeah, hell, no, hell, no No no way. What do you say to this threat of the thin as in movement on its way around the corner? What do you say to that?
Speaker 2:I think it's an attempt and we talked we just talked about I don't know if some people and I don't actually follow famous people because it's like I don't know them It feels weird to me, but, like, we just talked to a little bit about Kim Kardashian's latest like photo shoot and how she looked, what she weighed her, her blonde hair, the color of her skin And a lot of people actually the majority of people that I've seen or that are talking about it like it's a rebranding tactic, it's trying to stay relevant And in 2022, we don't give a fuck about that. Amen, dude, we have way bigger problems to solve than trying to be uber thin and blonde and and weirdly relevant.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Relevant in that way. Yeah, like dude, i agree with you. I just do not feel like okay, and this could be taken off our conversation in another weird way but I just don't think in 2022, we are actually like as still concerned with mainstream pop culture stuff as they would like have us think they are. Like I think that's. I know we joke about TikTok and stuff, but I think that's one of the appeals of TikTok is that it's like power to the people. Like people, we are deciding what's trending, we are deciding who is funny. We are just like you know what I mean Like there's just certain things that only people who like are on TikTok know is cool or know is funny, and it's not celebrities. In fact, the weird thing about TikTok is actually like celebrities are weirdly like blackballed on there.
Speaker 1:People like don't want to see celebrities on there because we're just like no, this belongs to us, yeah, and it's like people are not. I know that there's people that are like heavily filtered and the content is super curated in some ways, like for people who are specifically using TikTok as like a filmmaking app or creating content about their art, but for the most part, it's a lot of people who are just like as is filming videos like filter, free real life, and I think that's one of the appeals. And so I feel like this whole conversation about thin as in like this threat. I feel like it's just that a threat.
Speaker 2:Well and thin is into. like is coming from so many places that we don't even know about or understand. Like I think about, like consumerism and capitalism, and like especially people like our age and younger, like Brendan's age they are they are fucking shit up, like they don't want to live, like this anymore, nope. They don't want to operate in these systems and structures in place that are dictating what we wear, what we look like, what we buy, like they're over it.
Speaker 1:They're all getting their clothes from thrift stores. They do not want it. I would agree with you. Do you feel also that people and I'm kind of processing this as I'm saying it, because what you just said like goes hand in hand, but like, maybe those who are in charge of like the trajectory of trends that can affect profits and popularity, are they getting sick of the like Lizzo's of the world empowering women to have all sizes and shapes, to just like band together and not give a fuck? And you feel like this is like an attack on that to get us all like freaked out and scared again. And it's interesting, right, how it goes hand in hand. I mean, did you hear about that comment that comedian guy made about Lizzo this week? No, i forget his name. I'm so sorry I didn't know I was going to talk about this or I would have brought it.
Speaker 1:I would have done my research. but there's this comedian guy who was on a podcast and somebody asked him about Lizzo, Like if he thought Lizzo was attractive, and he was just like, like I appreciate her music and blah blah. I'm totally just off the cuff quoting this. So none of this is on the record or like, or a record guys.
Speaker 3:Abercrombie listen, damn it.
Speaker 1:Um well, I don't know the rules, Jesse, that's why I'm counting on you.
Speaker 3:We just stated this claimer Go for it.
Speaker 1:Thank you, legal. What I'm saying is is that he basically was like well, i just can't get over the fact that she looks like the shit emoji. And he was like come on, like and it was like the joke. It was like cuz, you know, he's like known for being, like you know, kind of a harsh Comic, and so his whole thing was like it was a joke. It was a joke, but like when no one laughs.
Speaker 1:It's not a joke, it's, it was and it's kind of set the internet on fire the past couple days because it's like, well, how could you say that? You know, yeah, and it's kind of like snowballed into a whole other thing. But I just thought it was interesting that like years now She has been on the map. Yeah, years and and it's like it doesn't matter that she's like this insane musician, that she is like a total fitness. Goddess, honestly, i've watched her stuff. She's legit.
Speaker 1:Yeah she's like a multi business, like Phenom, right like Yiti. Her athleisure wear with phabletics.
Speaker 1:Yeah she is like a performance artist. She plays the frickin flute for crying out loud and it doesn't matter, because it's only about her body and in like the most smallest, sliverest of ways, i like Resonate and I appreciate her for that, because it's a weird vulnerable place that she's like in and I guarantee you, here's the cut, here's the caveat to that I'll throw out as the plus size gal expert in the room. If she started losing weight, she would get attacked for that too a 100% she'd a hundred percent get blackballed and attacked for that too.
Speaker 1:So she's kind of stuck now on this like Weird platform of like only being about her fucking body. Yeah, no matter what she does, it's always come back to that and that's.
Speaker 2:That's kind of where we are and that's where people Grab on to when they have nothing else either. Right, like what else would he criticize her on? he can't like, you know. I mean absolutely.
Speaker 1:What's that whole saying of like people, you never see anybody who's doing better than you like being critical, right? Yes, yeah, i mean, that's so true. It's hard to really remember that in the moment when somebody's like freaking, tearing you down.
Speaker 2:I just think it's.
Speaker 1:I think it's interesting in lieu of all the stuff with the Kardashians and this like thin is in threat, you know, i just think it's so interesting. Do you feel like the fitness industry is Also evolving with these times and like a sort of coming coming into a place where it's like Not as much about aesthetic Fitness and more about the stuff that we talk about, or do we have some work to do there?
Speaker 2:You know that it's coming, it's, you know, and it's taking longer to get here than I anticipated, because there was such a strong movement during peak pandemic times where people actually had to pause and like take inventory of their life, of their health, what they Valued, how they spent their time, like trying new hobbies, like trying, you know, trying to figure this out. And so it was really, it was hot, like I was like, oh, we know, it only took a Global pandemic to get here, but we're here, like I was kind of in a horrible way, stoked about it, like we're, we're nearing this, like this edge where it's gonna be about Body, mind, spirit and this holistic approach, you know, moving away from aesthetics. But the further we swing away from height of pandemic times, the more I've seen kind of a dip back down.
Speaker 1:It's coming back Yeah traditional, like again capitalistic view a big Industry, big pharma, all the fucking food monopoly, like yeah all Got scared it's kind of like trying to beat us up, like back into that place, so that we all kind of forget about these lessons we've learned and get right back get like right back on the train.
Speaker 2:Well, exactly what it is.
Speaker 1:I feel like we're gonna keep this conversation going for another episode of ladies Ladies as your number one listener.
Speaker 3:Yes, you're becoming a celebrity on Instagram And you have put posts up about questions that have been asked. We do.
Speaker 1:I was actually just gonna say way into that, but I do appreciate your reminder.
Speaker 3:That's what I'm here for, right? you've said it on there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, beautiful well, and actually, and actually, I'm gonna switch gears just a touch, but Just to keep this conversation going and so we can lead up into our. We have a very special guest Who's going to be joining us soon. Guys, you're not gonna want to miss it because we're talking about body positivity is bullshit and all things body and aesthetic and how we feel At home in our skin or not, and how to get there like this is a big topic, so we're just sinking our teeth into it. But I wanted to read to you guys a Comment that one of our listeners posted this week and we'll we're gonna wrap it up with this, and She wrote so I listened to my friends podcast today and one of the topics was about personal trainers and spirituality.
Speaker 1:She's made it clear to me in the past how crucial my mental health is and how I talked to myself on my weight loss journey. I truly wish she was still doing personal training and wish more personal trainers out there Not only focused on exercise and diet, but also on your mental and spiritual health as well How you talk to yourself, how you get past plateaus, not physically, but also mentally as well. I've beaten myself up over this long plateau. I've been on and have become a mess mentally because of it. I can't seem to get out of this mental space. I meant and She went on to share a couple other things, but I thought I would share that as kind of our wrap-up today, because that's it right there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know what's funny is I read that and I immediately just like Got all passionate, like rolled up my sleeves and started like Texting her back, like commenting back to her and you know I laughed at myself because all the things that I passionately like, oh, without hesitation, fired back at her and just like, rallied, like you, like let's go, like all the things. I was like, oh, that's all the stuff I should be telling myself these past couple weeks. This is why, this is why we need each other, because I'm like Why is it so much easier to believe it for someone else You love and not necessarily as easy to believe that and like, bring that same energy inward right, which is why we have to do this, which is why we have to keep having these conversations and why we have to keep going, so I would say, to set us up for next time. The question is What do we do when we get stuck in these mind-body-spirit plateaus?
Speaker 2:so this is such a this is a Hitting plateaus in the fitness world is a common issue and Trainer Rachel from 10 20 years ago would say you got a grind through it, you got a push harder, you got to eat more vegetables.
Speaker 2:Trainer Rachel now coach Rachel would say sit in it, don't move, feel around. Because if we, what I know from energy is that your body-minded spirit is holding you there for a reason, there's something to uncover to learn to feel, to get Everything moving again, our body again. If we're just, you know, balls of energy and we're stuck, we got to figure out why, what it is. So don't try to rush through those plateaus, like, really take a moment and Ask yourself, take inventory and see where you need to get things moving. Maybe it is your body, maybe it is your spirit, maybe it is your mind, but if you don't sit and pause, instead of you try to rush through it and hurry and speed up and then get frustrated when it doesn't work, then you're not learning the lesson that you have an opportunity to sit and Feel for would you say a plateau is a gift.
Speaker 1:It's hard to say, but yes, yeah, well, you heard it here first folks, reluctant pilgrims. I feel like we're just getting started with this stuff. Thank you for letting me pick your brain, rachel Don Prairie, i Love you. I mean Mandy, i don't know your middle name, Well and you shant.
Speaker 3:Put that as a question on the spill your guts.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah hey, anybody knows my middle name. Go ahead and slide into Rachel's DMs. Until next time, i'm so excited to keep attacking people in the celebrity world and And keep doing questionable legal things on our podcast. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for spilling your guts over and out.