Fuel Your Strength

Your body needs a certain amount of energy just to function, let alone exert energy. If you are an endurance or strength athlete, a recreational exerciser, or you are a competitive weekend warrior, there is something for everyone to learn about fueling your body and making sure your body has enough energy to perform at its best.

If You Are Ready To Fuel Your Body Properly, You Should:

1. Get real with yourself about how much your body needs to feel good and thrive on days with and without exercise
2. Take the time to prep and plan how to adequately fuel yourself that will work for your life

Fueling Your Body With Jamie Scott

Jamie Scott is a New Zealand Registered Nutritionist, holding post-graduate qualifications in both Nutrition Medicine and Sport & Exercise Medicine, as well as undergraduate degrees in both Nutrition Science and Physical Education, and a Level-1 Mountain Bike Skills coach (PMBIA). Over the past 25 years, Jamie's career has spanned a number of roles in the 'health & fitness industry'. He is passionate about helping others learn how to fuel their bodies in a way that supports performance and total body health.

You Are An Athlete

Jamie has been in the industry for over 25 years, so he knows what he is talking about. He has seen the consequences of low energy availability and is here to explain why successful athletes fuel themselves more, not less, and what you can learn from that.

You may not think you are an 'athlete', but the truth is that most of us who are moving regularly, whether you are an endurance or strength athlete, a recreational exerciser, or you are a competitive weekend warrior, you fit the bill. The products and training regimens available to the masses definitely qualify for an elite status, which is why it's so important to fuel your body right.

What Is Energy Flux?

Your body requires energy just to simply exist. If you do not fuel your body with enough energy to power your system, your body is forced to effectively take things offline. This means that your brain function, energy levels, gut function, immune system, and menstrual cycle can be affected if you are not giving your system the energy it needs to survive, let alone engage in exercise-based activities.

Your energy intake directly impacts your energy expenditure, and there is a good chance you are not intaking enough. Everything requires energy, which is why it is important to figure out this information and implement the knowledge you learn to avoid dysfunction in the future.

Are you excited to hear Part 2? Share what you are looking forward to hearing more about with me in the comments section of the episode page.

• The role of social media culture, coaching, funding, and education when it comes to fueling your body and your sport (17:29)
• Defining what an athlete is and the degree of activity that qualifies you to be concerned with your fueling (23:24)
• How to find the time and space to eat the amount that your body and activity level needs (28:33)
• What low energy availability really means and how it may impact you on a practical level (31:55)
• Why diets that limit your caloric intake are not doing you any favors, regardless of how much you move (42:02)

Quotes

"In a nutshell, people are just not eating enough for what they want to do, and that's becoming more prevalent, and I think the outcomes of that, I get the impression that they are getting worse." (15:22)

"In this information age, there is very little that gets held back. In terms of the big central pillar stuff. Which then means that your average 'weekend warrior' is looking at these elites and going, 'well, I'm going to get myself a nutritionist, and I am going to get myself a coach'." (25:30)

"Our energy availability is the equivalent of the charge that's left on your phone." (32:36)

"You don't just need energy for skeletal muscle contraction. Whether you are walking, lifting, riding a bike, running, jumping, or climbing trees. Your brain requires energy; your gut requires energy, your immune system requires energy, your growth and repair require energy. There is not a system in your body, not a single cell in your body, that does not require energy to go about these processes." (34:15)

"This is becoming such a real problem in terms of the culture and normality around these low energy diets and this misunderstanding of what it actually takes to fuel a body at rest, let alone adding additional exercise on top of that." (41:55)

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ATHLETICA Website

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LTYB 350: Are You Eating Enough? Low Energy Availability in Sport

LTYB 340: Improve Your Fitness Over 40 with Robin Legat

HTK S2E4: Meatsuit with Jamie Scott

So often, women who want to get stronger or start lifting weights are told to 'be careful' and make sure they don't hurt themselves. While there is always an inherent risk when engaging with any activity, the benefits far outweigh the risk when it comes to strength training.

If you are ready to stop letting society tell you what activity is acceptable for women, you should:

1. Educate yourself and others on the amazing benefits of strength training
2. Stop listening to the haters and stand confident in your bodies ability
3. Use strength training as a way to get better at your chosen activity

Stop Listening to the Unsolicited Advice

Thinking that strength training is 'scary' or 'dangerous' is unfairly reinforced by society. The unsolicited opinions and advice that women receive are just one of the multiple barriers women face when starting a strength training practice.

Strength training does not have to be the scary activity that we have been told it is. Instead, it can be a way to improve at your chosen activity, level up your overall health, and give you the confidence you have been searching for.

The Benefits of Strength Training

While the system is set up to perpetuate this idea of women getting hurt when they try and get stronger, it couldn't be further from the truth. Strength training helps you avoid injury, prevent age-related muscle loss, improve bone density, and so much more. If you are an active person, strength training 2-3 times a week can help you excel in your chosen sport. Statistics show that weight training sports have relatively low injury compared to common team sports and can actually help prevent injury.

If you are looking for validation that you don't have to be afraid of strength training, this is the episode for you.

Are you ready to stop letting society tell you what sports are 'safe' or acceptable for women? Share what you love most about strength training with me in the comments section of the episode page.

• Addressing some of the warnings you may hear about lifting weights (4:15)
• Why women are discouraged from picking up weights or doing muscle-strengthening activities (8:41)
• Why you should work closely with someone to learn how to use equipment in the gym correctly (12:30)
• How weight training sports compare to common team sports when it comes to the risk of injury (17:07)
• How strength training helped me improve at my chosen activity (20:24)

Quotes

"Every time I talk about this, women share their stories over and over and over again about people who chime in with their unsolicited advice and warnings." (3:20)

"There will always be an inherent risk. However, the benefits far outweigh the risk of lifting weights." (10:21)

"I think what's particularly challenging for me in this scenario, and other women who have been warned off of lifting weights is that a lot of adults participate in team sports, whether it is intramural or interleague or whatever it is… where people get hurt all the time." (15:38)

"The interesting thing here is when we are talking about strength training as a means to help prevent injury in other sports, rarely does it get the spotlight that it deserves." (18:51)

"When we consider the benefits, the benefits are far, far outweighed by the potential costs." (26:27)

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LTYB 331: Strength Training & Your Relationship To Exercise

LTYB 340: Are You Lifting Heavy Enough (and Other Common Strength Training Questions)

I am sure you have heard or seen the common rhetoric of 'eat less, move more' online. While this perspective may be well-meaning, it is frequently misused and can have some dangerous consequences. When you are training hard, wanting to improve your performance, and ultimately feel better, it takes the right amount of fuel to achieve those results.

If You Want To Make Sure You Are Eating Enough, You Should:

1. Start unlearning the dialogue that eating less and moving more will give you results
2. Eat enough relative to your activity level, even if you are not an 'athlete'
3. Use activities such as strength training to shift your mindset and improve your confidence

Proper Fuelling Is Not Just for the Olympics

Recently the Tokyo Olympics have been in the spotlight as women athletes are reporting better performance due to increased food intake. This is not a coincidence, as these athletes need fuel to perform better. But, this is not just limited to the elite level of athletes that compete in the Olympics.

Anyone active needs to get enough energy through food to help them gain muscle, improve insulin resistance, create confidence, and ultimately feel and perform better.

Feel Like a Badass

Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, or RED-S, can have a huge impact on your endurance, strength, risk of injury, and much more. While the awareness around low energy availability is increasing, we need to keep having the conversation and shift our mindsets away from the 'smaller is better' mentality.

By approaching your strength training, and nutrition intake as a way to make you thrive, instead of just a laundry list of things to avoid, you can gain confidence and feel like the badass you know you are. Properly fueling yourself is the only way to improve your performance and start seeing the results you are looking for.

Are you ready to experience the magic that comes from feeding yourself enough? Share your thoughts with me in the comments section of the episode page.

• How the Tokyo Olympics brought light to the connection between nutrition and performance (4:14)
• Why you should care about how you fuel yourself even if you are not an elite athlete (9:21)
• Issues that can arise if people are not eating enough food or are in RED-S territory (11:53)
• The many benefits of getting stronger and fueling to support your body (21:10)
• How strength training can help you gain confidence and feel like a badass (26:18)

Quotes

"For women, there is such a pressure and prize placed on leanness and smallness and getting rid of that extra couple percentage of body fat and optimizing those things to the detriment of performance and honestly health." (6:45)

"Here we are, it's 2021, and we have some women performing at the highest, highest levels. And even they are susceptible to a lot of the junk they have learned or the fact that they have not had a lot of guidance to what it really takes to fuel for something of that level." (9:19)

"Hey, you know what's going to happen if you eat more food? You are going to feel better, you're going to have more energy, you'll be able to train harder, recover better, and perform better!" (14:35)

"Looking back in hindsight, I have learned so much about what it takes to really fuel to perform well and to be healthy." (19:36)

"I want you to think about fueling to support your body as really allowing you to expand, to be able to do more, to be able to challenge yourself if that is what you love. And to do it in a way that is supporting your health at the same time." (21:23)

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Sports Science Is Changing How Female Athletes Train. It Could Help You, Too Article

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Steph Gaudreau Website

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LTYB 348: Improve Your Fitness Over 40 with Robin Legat

LTYB 331: Strength Training & Your Relationship to Exercise

If you struggle to feel motivated when going to the gym, feel sluggish, uninspired, or lack energy, and you aren't sure why, your nutrition might be to blame. I repeatedly see three major things when it comes to women who have an active lifestyle but aren't feeling as good as they expected. As Professor McGonagall from Harry Potter would say, when something happens, it's always these three.

Three Things To Watch Out For Nutrition Wise When You Are Training Hard Are:

1. Being too low carb
2. Skipping meals
3. Only eating when you feel hungry

Learning and Unlearning

If you are engaging with medium or high-intensity activity, your body needs fuel and energy throughout the day. This means eating regularly, fueling yourself with the right types of foods, and listening to your body's hunger signals.

We have been taught that carbs are the enemy and that skipping meals is okay if you don't feel hungry, which is just not the case. While these 'rules' may be well-intentioned, they are problematic and require a lot of learning and unlearning in this space.

The Three Things Standing in the Way of Your Results

The truth is, if you don't take in enough energy, you will feel like shit. We need to use a combination of listening to our bodies but also logic to nourish ourselves and, in turn, see the results we are hoping for at the gym.

If you are lifting weights and want to get stronger and build muscle, you have to have a strong base of nutrition. Carbs, regular meals, and eating to fuel your body are essential to helping you get the results you want in your muscle gain and also your energy levels.

Are you ready to embrace nutrition in order to improve your overall game? Share what goal you are working towards with me in the comments on the episode page.

• Some common problems that women who lift weights run into in terms of nutrition (4:10)
• Why being too low carb could actually be hurting your results in the gym (6:01)
• How to stop skipping meals for better overall health (13:30)
• The role of the Tokyo Olympics when recognizing pre-menopausal women athletes (17:35)
• Tips for avoiding the trap of only eating when you are hungry (21:20)

Quotes

"Dame Maggie Smith playing Professor McGonagall, and she says to Hermionie and Ron and Harry, 'why is it that when something happens, it is always you three?'. It kind of brought up this sort of comical reel that I made but with a really serious message behind it." (5:37)

"I've been in and around the strength training community for now over a decade. I have, myself, been lifting for over a decade and been coaching for many years now. And I see this happening with monotonous regularity. So, is it happening to everybody? Probably not. Is it happening to a big chunk of folks? From my experience, it is." (8:17)

"I think what we are seeing is a lot of things converging at one time. Obviously, there is the recognition now and the desire to say hey, pre-menopausal women haven't been represented super well in a lot of this research." (18:03)

"You don't have to be an elite athlete to have this challenge, and skipping meals sometimes, oftentimes, makes it more difficult to get in the amount of energy, and other things like protein, that someone who is lifting weights and interested in building muscle tissue really needs to provide in their daily intake in order to make that stuff happen." (20:36)

"Does your body have fail-safes? Of course! Your body is miraculous and wonderful and has all sorts of clever ways to do things like access stored energy and this and that. But when this becomes a pattern over time, especially if you do have access to food, this is something to consider turning your attention toward." (25:29)

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LTYB 282: Anti-Diet versus Functional Nutrition with Michelle Shapiro

LTYB 332: 3 Mistakes Keeping You From Getting Stronger In The Gym

LTYB 334: How Strong Women Can Lift Eachother Up with Molly Galbraith

How many times have you told yourself you're too old or it's too late to get started on something? The idea of starting a new athletic pursuit after 40 seems impossible to many people, but there are so many people out there proving every day that it can be reality.

If You Are Ready to Explore Your Athletic Potential, You Should:

1. Redefine what athlete means to you
2. Stop waiting to become perfect or elite
3. Get out of your comfort zone
4. Focus on activities that light you up inside

Live Agelessly With Robin Legat

One of those people is Robin Legat, a badass obstacle racer who helps women over 40 explore their athletic potential, gain confidence, and overcome life's obstacles. Robin is passionate about helping women live agelessly by sharing her wisdom and preparing women to run their best obstacle race. She believes that exploring your athletic potential at every age can help everyone expand their lives.

What Is an Athlete?

To Robin, being an athlete means having a body that is moved with intention and is tested from time to time. That's it! You do not need to be perfect or elite to get started. Once you can find an activity that you enjoy, the fire you get from that feeling will continue to motivate you.

Being able to accomplish something that you never thought you would be able to do can give you joy that affects more than just your fitness but really impacts your whole life. You just have to be willing to show up at the start line.

You Don't Need to Be Perfect, You Just Need to Show Up

When you gain the confidence to put yourself out there and participate in an experience, you can still feel your 'superhero' moment even if you don't do it perfectly. While your preferences of which activities you engage with may shift throughout the different seasons in your life, the positive benefits you can get from pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can be life-changing.

By redefining the rewards and benefits that come from taking on challenges, you can gain the confidence to overcome life's obstacles and explore your athletic potential at any age.

Are you ready to run your first obstacle course race after listening to this episode? Share what you loved most about Robin's approach to fitness over 40 with me in the comments section of the episode page.

• How Robin went from a 'non-athlete' to a roller derby star and obstacle course racer (11:44)
• Tips for redefining what an 'athlete' is in order to see yourself in a more expansive way (20:15)
• Why it is okay to recognize which training lights you up inside and which training is not for you right now (25:47)
• The top 3 things you need to know about obstacle course racing (30:24)
• The importance of strength training when obstacle racing (34:55)

Quotes

"One of the things I am trying to break down in my little corner is the rewards and the benefits that come from taking on challenges such as obstacle races, that's just one example, but the rewards and challenges that come from stepping beyond your comfort zone, taking on new challenges, and discovering your ability to do things you never thought you could." (11:19)

"Obstacle racing is a lot of being a grown-up kid. You are doing monkey bars, and rope climbs and crawling in mud, kid stuff. And we forget that. We lose track of that and forget how fun that side of ourselves can be, and you can access that at any age if you want to." (19:36)

"That's why I love helping women, particularly women over 40, find that thing that lights them up. Because that can be life-changing in regards to your relationship with exercise and training and how you view yourself as an athlete." (25:44)

"All that other stuff does not matter. You need to have the ability to show up to that start line, just like I needed to have that ability to show up to my first roller derby practice. So know that you can get from the start line to finish line." (30:26)

"When you see you just did something, that you have never done, that you didn't think you could ever do, that's an amazing feeling that permeates into all areas of your life. And that's why I want to reach women over 40." (41:30)

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Robin Legat Website

Seasoned Athlete Podcast

Seasoned Athlete Live: Start Line Strong

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Steph Gaudreau Website

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LTYB 319: Why Fitspo Needs To Die

If you struggle with staying motivated when engaging with exercise, you are not alone. Starting a fitness plan is very exciting initially, but when reality sets in about the amount of time it can take to see results, especially as our bodies change through the different phases of life, it can be a bit disheartening. This is why I have brought the ultimate motivator, Christa Shelton, to the show today.

If You Want To Get Clear On Your Fitness Motivation, You Should:

1. Adapt your training schedule to where your body is at right now in this phase of your life
2. Get clear on why you want to accomplish a goal and if it is coming from yourself or outside conditioning
3. Harness the confidence you get from strength training into all areas of your life

For The Love of Motivation

Christa is a certified personal trainer and behavioral change specialist who is passionate about helping her clients use motivation as a vehicle for long-term success. She loves helping women in mid-life feel confident with their movement practices and get to the 'why' behind their goals. She has combined her enthusiasm for fitness and her love of motivating people into a purpose that serves her clients, herself, and her community.

Feeling Confident in Movement at Every Age

When getting back into fitness, especially if some years have passed since the last time we engaged with that exercise, we all tend to compare what we can do now to what we could do back then. But the truth is, how you are training now should be different than how you were training 5 or 10 years ago because your body needs different things. By being tuned into what your body is saying to you, you can get over the barriers of movement and learn to embrace the changes your body is going through.

Know Your "Why"

The best way to stay motivated is to be confident in the 'why' behind your goal. Christa uses strength training as a gateway to getting into your internal mindset and figuring out what each unique person needs at that moment.

When you can own and feel good about your intentions and feel secure in what your body can do, that confidence translates into all areas of your life. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be strong. While the definition of the word strong may change from person to person, the positivity that comes from feeling assured in your body's abilities is universal.

Are you ready to stop procrastinating and start using your mindset to fuel your motivation? Share what you loved most about Christa's approach with me in the comments on the episode page.

• Common fears and barriers surrounding women holding women back from getting started on a fitness journey (14:06)
• How to address the changes in your body mid-life and adapt your training program accordingly (22:54)
• The role of mindset and listening to your body when doing any type of training (25:21)
• Tips for overcoming your mindset challenges when it comes to strength training (28:51)
• How strength training can help you tap into your motivation and create inner transformation (36:45)

Quotes

"Because I am walking this journey, it really compelled me to really immerse myself in how we are looking at aging and how we are feeling about our bodies as we age. And that's really what made me want to make the shift to really focus here." (8:39)

"Generally speaking, it still takes work and time to build muscle. So to think you could go from where you are to somehow ever get to 'The Rock' or anywhere near that is in itself a huge misconception." (18:40)

"I am very much more the type of trainer that is going to talk to you about how you are feeling, specifically that day when I see you, and then we are going to move according to that." (23:44)

"Getting down deep and relating to people on a human level is not something that I feel is really talked about as much as it should be for people coming into this work. Because when you are dealing with people's bodies, I feel that that is a very personal space, and it needs to be treated with the utmost respect." (27:46)

"What are your motivations behind the things that you do? I think it is important to dig into that so that you can really understand if your motivation for doing something is based on conditioning and messaging that you have been getting... or is it something that you have a clear mindset about this approach and why you feel it is important." (32:23)

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Coaching With Christa Website

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Steph Gaudreau Website

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LTYB 239: Demystifying Menopause Fitness & Nutrition with Amanda Thebe

LTYB 331: Strength Training & Your Relationship with Exercise

LTYB 334: How Strong Women Can Lift Eachother Up with Molly Galbraith

The constant pursuit of shrinking your body can have major costs on your life. Instead of listening to what external validation tells you, you can listen to what your body needs and start validating yourself from the inside out.

If You Are Ready To Take A New Approach To Diet and Exercise, You Should:

1. Shift your goals from aesthetic based to ability based
2. Reject the notion that you have to limit your dietary intake to what external sources tell you
3. Learn to listen to what your body is telling you

The Impact of Searching for External Validation

Deanna Harder has been involved in the fitness industry in some way or another since the age of 16. She used sports such as figure skating and bodybuilding to stay lean and stay compliant because of her previous disordered eating. It wasn't until she got a speeding ticket on the way home because she was so eager to get home and finally eat a handful of almonds that her compliance to the sport had taken over her whole life. Now, she works with women to help them shift their mindset, validate themselves, and quit the all-or-nothing mentality.

How Is Your Mentality Serving You?

Aesthetic-based sports and physique-based competitions played into Deanna's desire to get smaller and perform harder. She didn't realize that she was starving her body of the nutrients it needed and using validation from others to justify her all-or-nothing mentality.

It wasn't until the age of 40 that she sought help for her exercise compulsion and eating disorders, which is why she is so passionate about helping other women make the change that she did and live better for it.

Learn to Trust Yourself Again

When coming from a place of restriction and diet culture, it can be scary to navigate the middle, learn about moderate eating, and eat for satisfaction. While it will take some internal work to remember how to trust yourself when it comes to food and exercise, Deanna knows deep down that those intuitive powers reside in all of us.

The more you learn to trust yourself, listen internally and stay mindful, the easier it gets to listen to what your body is saying to you. It is fascinating what you can discover about yourself when you tap into what you have ignored for so long, but Deanna is confident that if you can make that jump into the unknown, you will forever be happy that you did.

Are you ready to start taking the steps and shift your goals from aesthetic-based to do-based? Share what you resonated most with Deanna's story with me in the comments on the episode page.

• How aesthetic sports culture lead Deanna to the work she is doing today (8:18)
• The moment Deanna realized that her mindset and beliefs were not healthy (17:22)
• Why the attention someone receives 'before' or 'after' plays into diet culture (21:35)
• Challenges that are faced when changing your perspective on physique based goals (25:46)
• What is the #greatdietdisruption and how you can become involved (32:54)
• Tips if you want to shift away from an aesthetic based goal to a do-based goal (36:13)

Quotes

"Those who didn't have such a great experience have a completely different story. So not all of it is bad, but for me in particular, it was not a smart idea to use that sport as a goal because I already had suffered from body image and eating disorders previously before I entered my first competition." (9:41)

"There were so many times that I really should have stopped, but I didn't. The obsessiveness was more powerful than anything I could have controlled at that time." (19:48)

"It was only when I went to eating disorder counseling and stopped competing that I started validating myself. And it was a game-changer." (23:52)

"My poor body was going through hell, and I didn't listen until I had had enough. And I think until you have had enough, you can't help anybody, until they are ready, and I was finally ready." (31:08)

"The ultimate form of control is trust. And the control isn't working anymore. So if it is not working anymore, what are you getting out of it?" (36:24)

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Deanna Harder Website

Deanna Harder Online Coaching Programs

Moderation 365 Certification

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Steph Gaudreau Website

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LTYB 342: Fitness Trackers and Listening to Your Body

LTYB 219: How To Lead With Purpose & Positivity with Jill Coleman

Do you struggle with the concept of giving yourself permission to do or not do the things you really want? Like taking a rest day, sleeping in, eating enough to nourish your body, or setting boundaries and saying no? You are not alone in this struggle. However, when you can give yourself the radical permission you deserve, you can take care of yourself and those you love in a transformative new way.

If You Want To Allow Yourself Radical Permission, You Should:

1. Stop the search for external validation and start listening to your own inner expert
2. Never abandon yourself by consciously choosing to live more expansively
3. Create compassion and self-compassion so that you can connect to the rest of humanity
4. Give yourself permission to set boundaries and say no to others, society, and yourself

Compassion Warrior Hayden Dawes

Hayden Dawes is a social worker, therapist, researcher, speaker, and self-proclaimed 'Compassion Warrior' passionate about helping people give themselves permission, do what they want to do, and reclaim their power. Hayden has harnessed his past to examine our social systems and find a way to help people connect to the larger community of humanity.

Writing Your Own Permission Slip

Many of us are used to seeking permission from an external source, such as a teacher, coach, parent, partner, or boss. Have you ever considered that you have the power to write your own permission slip? A permission slip is an opportunity to come back to yourself and ensure that you are not abandoning yourself whatever you decide to do or not do.

By raising your permission consciousness over time, you can lean into self-compassion and choose to live more expansive and open lives.

Creating Self-Compassion Through Radical Permission

Being compassionate and giving yourself permission can feel scary and vulnerable. While being your authentic self can feel like a risk, it is the only way that you will become connected to the larger community of humanity.

Some people believe that giving themselves compassion will end their accountability or dedication. This is not the case! Hayden wants you to know that there is space for both, and by practicing coming back to the expert within yourself, you can sustain yourself through self-compassion and radical permission.

Are you ready to start listening to your body and giving yourself the permission you have been longing for? Share what you loved most about Hayden's vision with me in the comments on the episode page.

• Learn about 'Petty Tuesday' and how it relates to work being done in the world (6:30)
• Why people who have marginalized identities have a hard time giving themselves permission (15:27)
• Ways that you can begin the process of giving yourself more radical permission (23:30)
• How to give yourself compassion without giving up on your discipline (28:30)
• Discover how self-compassion and radical permission are woven together as a practice (33:35)
• Tips for allowing yourself permission to set boundaries and say no sometimes (38:41)

Quotes

"I really use it as an invitation for everyone to air our their grievance in a way that can be really healthy. Because in a lot of ways, if we don't, it will work its way out in other ways that really aren't as healthy." (8:08)

"I try to use my work first and foremost to help myself so that I can help others help themselves. It's a reciprocal, bidirectional relationship." (14:12)

"A permission slip is an opportunity to come back to yourself and not abandon yourself. Because whether that coach, that teacher, that doctor, your partner is for you on the other side of the thing you decided to do or not do, I would hope that you haven't abandoned yourself." (20:23)

"There is enough space for accountability and self-compassion." (29:20)

"When your parents gave you a permission slip to go on a field trip, most people wanted to go, but I'm sure if you didn't go, it probably wouldn't be the worst thing ever. So let's just take the pressure off of everything." (37:47)

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Hayden Dawes Website

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Steph Gaudreau Website

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LTYB 305: Using Body Language To Understand Yourself and Others Better with Tiff Lee

LTYB 298: How to Show Up More Authentically with Grace Edison

LTYB 290: Start Living Your Life By Design with Rai Henry

Christina Malone has been an athlete in a larger body for her whole life. When she found the sport of powerlifting, she used what she had been told would hold her back for her entire life as a positive attribute. Christina is dedicated to helping others who are hurting, stuck in the cycle of diet culture and body negativity by learning to love themselves and fight for body diversity and acceptance in the fitness industry.

If You Want To Live Your Fullest Life You Should:

1. Accept that your value has nothing to do with what you see in the mirror
2. Stop feeling responsible for other people's reactions to you and your body
3. Find a fitness routine that focuses on what your body feels good doing
4. Advocate for your health and your options at every size

Fitness as a Big-Bodied Person

Christina is a state-record holder and national-level athlete in the sport of powerlifting, a body inclusivity coach and speaker, and happens to be in a larger body. Her passion is finding ways to help other people find peace with their bodies, learning to appreciate everything they are, and how to be in fitness as a big-bodied person. She is powerful and raw and here today to share how picking up a barbell has helped her feel more at home in the gym and her body.

The Power of Powerlifting

At one point in her life, Christina was using exercise to punish her body for being the size that it was. That was before she fell in love with the technique of powerlifting and how it made her body feel. Powerlifting allowed her internal perspective about her body size to shift, which was a life-changing experience for an athlete in a bigger body. Instead of being told that her weight was going to hold her back, powerlifting allowed Christina to harness her energy on learning to come home to her body's purpose.

Other People's Comfort Is Not Your Responsibility

While the conversations and attitudes towards body diversity and body acceptance in the fitness industry are changing, we still have a long way to go. Just as we have accepted height differences and race differences in the fitness industry, Christina believes that we also have to accept body size differences. What you look like in the mirror has nothing to do with your value, worth, or ability.

It is not your responsibility to make others feel comfortable around your body. Everyone's body is different, and when we are able to accept others regardless of what diet culture and body negativity tell us, we can break down the barriers of the fitness industry and explore fitness with freedom.

Are you ready to start living your fullest life? Share what part of Christina's story resonated with you most with me in the comments on the episode page.

• The lifts that are involved in powerlifting and how it is specifically unique (8:50)
• Which practices can help you get into the right mental space to perform (13:42)
• Why body diversity awareness in fitness and sports is important, especially now (21:51)
• How the industry is changing in relation to conversations around body acceptance and bigger bodies (29:47)
• What it is like navigating the medical system as a plus-size athlete and woman (34:20)

Quotes

"[Powerlifting] is really the only sport I have ever done that I am not sitting there saying 'hey I am big, but…', it's 'hey, I am big, and…'." (8:25)

"When I weight lift and when I am powerlifting, it's me, it's the bar, and it's the plates on the bar. And nothing else exists for me outside of that platform, the judge in front of me, and what I need to execute on the platform." (14:12)

"You could take 100 or 200 people and give them the exact same diet and the exact same exercise routine, and they could have a similar background, and they would still come out of it looking different. And that is just inherent, that everyone's body is going to be different." (23:47)

"We are at that point, where how do we go from accepting and valuing bigger bodies that are athletic to accepting bigger bodies without needing that modifier. And how do we become compassionate to all persons, because you exist in the world and you deserve to be treated with a certain amount of humanity, and I think that is a bit lost unfortunately with a lot of bigger-bodied people." (31:25)

"For me, living my fullest life means living up every single part of my life and reaching out to the very edges of everything that I could be, and not saying no to opportunities or to things because I doubt myself or it's something that you 'shouldn't do'." (40:53)

Join the Group Strength Nutrition Program Waitlist Here

Christina Malone Website

Follow Christina on Instagram | Twitter

Steph Gaudreau Website

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LTYB 335: Breaking the Body Stereotype with Amanda LaCount

LTYB 331: Strength Training & Your Relationship to Exercise

LTYB 302: Finding Joy & Acceptance in Fitness for Every Body with Kanoa Greene

Have you felt like there is a misalignment between your strength goals and what society tells you your goals should be? So often the fitness industry is focused on shrinking your body, but it doesn't have to be that way. The Health at Every Size movement is a prime example of your ability to work with what you have to be the best possible version of yourself each and every day.

If You Want to Embrace Health at Every Size, You Should:

1. Create fitness goals that have nothing to do with your size
2. Find a form of fitness that you enjoy and brings you happiness
3. Focus on what you are gaining, not what you are losing

Becoming The Best Version of Yourself

Stacey Sorgen felt that misalignment first hand. When working to become a personal trainer, Stacey felt like she had to shrink herself to be taken seriously in the industry. Finally, Stacey said enough is enough and has found great success helping people of every size and shape work towards their goals that have nothing to do with the number on the scale.

Making Fitness Accessible

Society tells us that being a larger person is the worst thing that can be done to you. Stacey is here to tell you that that is absolutely not true. The Health at Every Size movement is all about making fitness more approachable and accessible for as many people as possible.

Because the truth is, there is nothing wrong with the size of your body, and you can become the healthiest version of yourself without focusing on becoming smaller.

It's Not About Shrinking Your Body

When you use fitness as a tool to expand your strength, confidence, and ability, instead of contracting our bodies to fit a certain mold, you gain the ability to advocate for your needs. Instead of using fitness as a means to an end, Stacey wants you to enjoy what you are doing and focus on what you are gaining, not what you are losing.

Fitness is about so much more than shrinking your body, and with the right perspective, you too can find health at any size.

Are you ready to set some fitness goals that have nothing to do with the number on the scale? Share how you are embracing Health at Every Size with me in the comments on the episode page.

• Learn what Health at Every Size means and the main core values of the philosophy (5:41)
• How to maintain a sense of independence in an all-consuming diet-culture industry (13:32)
• Addressing the concern troll mentality and the misconception of Healthy at Every Size (17:18)
• Tips for reframing the narrative around fitness and movement (23:08)
• What to do if you are ready to do something different but are reluctant to put yourself back out there (32:26)

Quotes

"It's kind of a revolution of discovering that we can learn to respect or accept our bodies where they are at and do the best that we can with what we have in this moment now." (7:16)

"We can be larger people, and still be strong, still be active, still be fit, still be any of the things you want to be at the size that you are in your body today." (10:50)

"If we do not support and love all people, how can all people support and love themselves?" (18:41)

"As soon as you hit a plateau, if you are focused on contraction, there is only so far you can go. But the other direction, it's like the sky is the limit, you can really do anything." (27:52)

"We are always focused on everyone else. But that hour or that hour and a half or that fifteen minutes, focus on yourself and get out of it what you need out of it." (35:22)

Join the Group Strength Nutrition Program Waitlist Here

Register for the Summer Strength Camp Here

Stacey Sorgen Website

The Anxious Entrepreneurs Podcast

Follow Stacey on Instagram

Steph Gaudreau Website

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I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!

LTYB 335: Breaking the Body Stereotype with Amanda LaCount

LTYB 314: How To Set Health Goals Beyond the Scale with Steph Dodier

LTYB 273: Opting Out Of Diet Culture with Naomi Katz