WELLTHY Generation Podcast!

70. Two Years after Health Coaching: From Diet Culture to Sustainable Wellness [Client]

• Naihomy Jerez • Episode 70

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Carla's inspiring journey toward sustainable wellness illustrates the significance of lifestyle changes post-dieting. Through practical tips and emotional insights, she showcases how to nourish the body and appreciate what it does for us.

• Importance of understanding weight management versus true health 
• Carla’s experience adapting wellness tools while traveling 
• Overcoming the emotional weight of diet culture 
• Planning meals as an essential part of a healthy routine 
• Strength training as a crucial part of self-care and health 
• Realizing personal progress is not solely defined by the scale 
• Value of coaching in discovering personal blind spots 
• The relationship between food choices and overall well-being 

Thank you so much for listening!


Speaker 1:

Hey friends, welcome back to wealthy generation podcast. Today I'm recording one of my absolute favorite episodes because one of my former clients is here and I'll introduce her in a second. But the reason why this is one of my favorite episodes is because, as part of my coaching, one thing that I really pride myself on and that I tried to communicate is what happens after the journey, like your lifestyle. I always say that lifestyle changes are super important. I always say live your best life rooted in wellness, and it's not just about the immediate results that we see in microwave culture. Everybody's like, oh, look at these results, look at this results. And it's not just about the immediate results that we see in microwave culture. Everybody's like, oh, look at these results, look at these results. I am always so curious where these people are.

Speaker 1:

One year down the line, two years down the line, three years down the line, I'm like, yeah, anybody can get results, but I love to know what happens afterwards. How sustainable is it? Because we're not just talking about like physical changes. We're also talking about about like physical changes. We're also talking about improving our health here. So the client I have on we've been. It's almost two years on the dot that we started working together. So welcome back Carla Santa Maria to Wealthy Generation.

Speaker 2:

Hi Naomi, thank you so much for having me back.

Speaker 1:

Yes, thank you. So the reason there's. I'm going to share two reasons why I wanted to record this episode and that we're going to get all like into all of Carla's lifestyle and how she's living her life now uh, nearly two years after doing food and hormone health coaching with me. So number one Carla texted me a voice note one day about her travels and I'll let her share more about that, but she was sharing with me how excited she was on how she got to adapt and use the tools that she learned while being away from home, which is one of the hardest things to do when you're out of your routine is like how do you use your knowledge and the tools that are available for you at that moment to make a best decision to feel well in your body, especially given the context that you were in, which was work. You can't just like lounge around or not have energy and things like that. So that was number one work. You can't just like lounge around or not have energy and things like that. So that was number one. And then number two I was sharing with God, right before we hopped on the call, that I've been listening to a lot of episodes where doctors are being interviewed and they're metabolic health doctors. They are women's nutrition and physiology doctors, and the interviewer asked them about Ozempic, asked them about liposuctions and things like that, and that's not necessarily what we're going to talk about here today.

Speaker 1:

But why I bring this up is because every single doctor. What they end up saying is, yes, these are tools that people can use to achieve whatever results they want. However, they always mention what people fail to do is not change their lifestyle. What people fail to do is not learn how to eat to maintain these results Exactly what we're talking about here. So it's a tool, but still the baseline and the foundation still reigns true, which is how are you eating, how are you exercising, how are you managing your stress? How are you supporting yourself throughout this tool that you have used to achieve whatever goal it is? So, Godna, would you mind sharing with us, starting off with I don't know if you want to share the experience that you had about this voice note or how you're living your life now with the tools that you've learned?

Speaker 2:

Sure thing. So first of all, I probably should have listened to the voice note because I sent it a couple of months ago. So I'm just going to tell listeners a little bit of of from memory and why I initially, you know, like just reached out to send you this. So this was about six months ago. I was in Las Vegas for work. I had only ever been it's so funny I had only ever been to Las Vegas at that point once, and that was where I saw Naomi in person. Um, but anyways, I was in Las Vegas for work. First time that I went I was like, wow, las Vegas sucks. I didn't. I didn't go outside or breathe fresh air for like three or four days. I came back and like my throat was itchy. I was just like I am not doing this. I was not loving Vegas.

Speaker 2:

I'm a person who loves to be outdoors and who truly prioritizes being in as much nature as possible, even if it's as simple as just walking in a shaded path or you know, when I travel, like go on hikes. And the reason that I'm bringing this up is that Las Vegas, I mean, we stayed at the strip. It was rough, it was really rough for me. So when I had to go to, when I had to go to a work event in Las Vegas again about six months ago so October, I want to say, of last year I knew that I was going to prioritize my wellness and while I was there, I ended up booking a tour, a guided tour. It was actually Valley of Fire State Park. It was incredibly beautiful, one of the most breathtaking places.

Speaker 2:

I am from Florida. I was born in Honduras. Like I am a tropical girl. I had never been in the desert, like I don't understand. I'm like what do you mean? I was so confused, right, but I wanted to spend time outdoors.

Speaker 2:

So I booked this guided hiking tour and, even though I hadn't like packed hiking boots or anything, I had packed running shoes, because I always pack my running shoes and, you know, workout clothes. And I remember I was like okay, I am going to go on this early morning hike. I have never really been in this desert environment, but I'm going to make sure that I hydrate. So I had my lemon water in the morning. I am going to make sure that I have enough protein. I'm going to pack myself some snacks. I'm going to prepare as best as I can for this unexpected environment, you know, because even though I was part of a group, it was I was like alone. You know, I was like solo hiking part of a group. I was like alone. I was like solo, hiking part of a group.

Speaker 2:

And I really had this moment where I thought I really know how to take care of my body, because it was again an unfamiliar environment. But I knew how to prepare, I knew how to eat, I knew how to hydrate, how to prepare, I knew how to eat, I knew how to hydrate, I knew how to take care of my body. That was just a thought that came to me so fiercely and it ended up why I wanted, why I sent you that voice note, you know. And I think there was something else.

Speaker 2:

Like a few months later, you know, me and my sisters, we were having, for some reason, like a sleepover at my mom's house. I'm like we are grown women in our thirties, you know. So it was kind of random that we were there and I woke up in the morning and I was like you know, I've been having like lemon water in the morning, you know. So like let's all hydrate and do this. And I also sent you that picture. So it's it just really this profound knowledge of like, knowing how, I know how to nourish myself, I know how to take care of my body that was so impactful and why I reached out to you.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I'm so happy when you guys share those things with me, because it's really just like affirming of these things are sustainable. It actually allows you to feel good. And, talking about that, how would you say you were feeling before, if you remember at all, and how is it that you enjoy feeling in your body where you understand that these actions of, oh, I need to hydrate, I need to get my protein in, I'll have my lemon water. How is it that it makes you feel in your body that you enjoy?

Speaker 2:

It makes me feel grateful. That's one of the things I've been feeling like, so so grateful and aware of everything that my body does for me, and I think it's maybe for the first time in my life I'm seeing like my relationship with nutrition as this symbiotic relationship, like I take care of my body and my body takes care of me, and I don't know if I've ever really ever felt that before or really have articulated it before. You asked me that question, but that is, you know, I've been, I've been feeling a lot of gratitude, but I've also been just feeling very cognizant of how I nourish my body and, I think, how I felt before I, you know and I shared this the last time that we spoke on the podcast but I had grown up, or I grew up with a lot of cultural noise around food, you know, and around like what my body looks like, or what I should be eating or shouldn't be eating, or you know like sucking your belly for the pictures, or you know like are you going to eat that? Or that kind of like food noise. And I remember when I initially reached out to you is because the reason was that I had gone to an event and I had eaten like all of the event refreshments, and I was like so like shaming myself.

Speaker 2:

And then we met and you were like, well, what did you eat that day? And I was like, uh, nothing. And it was like, well, obviously you were hungry, so like, why wouldn't you eat? And it was just like something so simple, like, oh, obviously I need to like nourish my body. Like my body was asking me for food and just having grown up with like so much noise around diet culture, it was, you know, like be good, or you know, like do this, don't do that. And and I think that when I, when I initially reached out to you, I I still had a lot of that noise and chatter and diet culture in my mind and I didn't really understand this. Like I said, like the symbiotic relationship, like I was only working out to lose weight, like I was only eating to lose weight, like that was my the primary focus. And now I, you know, my primary focus is nourishing my body and being grateful for what it can do for me.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, wow, that was so beautiful, because I don't think anybody has ever responded with grateful for my body and what it does. I feel like a lot of what our body does for us really does go unseen and undervalued as to how much work it needs to do to keep us alive and well and how much it has to kind of force correct for when we're not meeting its needs. So to say that I think it's so beautiful for people to hear, and also how you've just kind of shifted your mindset, because I feel like a lot of us are there where it's like I just want my body to be smaller, I just want to do things to make my body look a certain way, and I even started my own health journey like that, like my only goal was to lose weight. I didn't realize that my body did all these things or that I can't. I had more autonomy to feel a certain way, or not, in it. So I think that was so beautiful Thank you Okay.

Speaker 1:

So one thing that you told me towards the end of our journey together and I just want to see how it's still fitting into your life now, which you gave us an example in Las Vegas is you would plan out your outfits for your work travels.

Speaker 2:

Girl. Okay, where's the question?

Speaker 1:

here. Yes, you and you're like I'm. You know you do a lot of public speaking. Carla's also a coach, like she's out here letting people know how it is with these corporate companies and whatnot. So one time you were like oh, I know, I just need to plan my meals, like I plan my outfits. And it was regarding your work travel too. You're like I always plan my work outfits, so I can also plan how I'm going to nourish myself to a certain extent when I'm traveling. What does that bring up?

Speaker 2:

Okay, so first of all I forgot I said that, but I do see that I have been doing that. So I traveled a lot for work last year. It was kind of wild. I thought you were going to ask me like outfit questions. So I still have a lot of fashion drama.

Speaker 1:

No, not an outfit question.

Speaker 2:

Okay, okay. So they're not outfit questions, because that is like a whole other, a whole other thing. So, yeah, nourish, plan my meals like I plan my outfits. That's so funny because, even though I didn't necessarily remember that, I still very much do things like that. I still very much do things like that. So, for example, I was in Las Vegas like a month ago, again for work, and this time I actually took a friend with me to a hike. It was a different tour company, but it was the same state park. It was so gorgeous, and I remember we were trying to meet up and I was like, listen, I need to eat beforehand so that I'm not starving on this desert hike. All right, I don't want to be like medical evac'd from the desert, like Florida woman. You know like I'm like no, no, and so I did very much plan that.

Speaker 2:

And even when I and and, and you know, just thinking, just as this example of like traveling for work, because I just got back from work a couple of weeks ago, from a work trip a couple of weeks ago, I think I still do that, you know, like even when it's not for work, like at my, you know, over the weekend I drove up five hours to visit my sister because it was my niece's birthday, and I was there like, okay, it's a five hour drive, so if I have a full dinner, I should be able to to like be there. Okay, and you know, like, let me. Just, you know, like pack a couple of snacks. And even as I was like snack shopping, I I went to Target, you know, and I was, like you know, heading out and I I picked up something that I used to like a lot in the past and I was like you know, it's a road trip, it's fine, like, let me. So I picked it up again and I looked it up in the back and I just like, I'm like I can't, I can't eat this, like not from a place of like shame, but I'm like I think the first ingredient was refined confectionery product or something like that. Like the ingredients list took up like half of the back and I'm like this is not real food, you know, like it's so. So I, I think I very much still do plan my work outfits. I'm also, um, I mean my work meals like I plan my work outfit.

Speaker 2:

But even when I travel for fun, you know, like my and I, the first thing that we do is go to the grocery store and you know like, we buy some water, we buy some things, so that we're not necessarily like you know, so that we have some control over our food.

Speaker 2:

And he's not a breakfast eater, but I'm like nope, I am a breakfast eater, all right. And so, even though I'm not necessarily going to be like cooking breakfast while I'm in on vacation, I'm going to buy some hard boiled eggs, I'm going to buy some fruit, I'm going to buy some some cheese sticks, I'm going to buy some jerky. And one of the times I remember he saw me like eat beforehand, and then we went on a different hike and guess who was struggling and guess who was not struggling. I'm just there like I feel great because I nourish my body. So I mean, you know I had packed some snacks for him too, so he was okay. But I do think I still, sometimes I think about it with a little bit more intention, but I think it's it's been a habit for so long that it's not always at the forefront of my mind, because I tend to just do it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I love that example, because what I want to ask you and I feel like what we all feel in the beginning and it's something I felt too is like oh my God, this is a lot.

Speaker 1:

I'm already busy, I already have a lot of things to think about, and now I have to think about my protein and reading food labels and remembering to eat breakfast, because it's something that a lot of us don't do, like we're just kind of running out the door or we have to get to work, and it's like this whole time thing and it takes quite a bit of energy at first while we're learning these new skills and building our toolbox when it comes to wellness.

Speaker 1:

So would you mind sharing with us a little bit of and I think you gave us a glimpse of that where now it's kind of second nature You're able to flip over a product and know exactly what to look for and make a decision really fast, or know exactly what you need, like oh, I'll get hard boiled eggs and jerky, and all you understand which products are higher in protein and how they're going to sustain you for your activity. So would you share with us a little bit about how it looked in the beginning, when you had to use up a lot more mental energy to make these decisions, and how it feels now, almost two years later. Well, I mean, I think you hit the nail on the head, even with the phrasing of the question, like it just had so much energy.

Speaker 2:

I don't know, I think you hit the nail on the head even with the phrasing of the question, like it just had so much energy. I don't know if I ever sent you that meme. That was like who would have known that being an adult is like 90% figuring out what to make for dinner? And I'm like, yes, and it's so much because when I started working with you it was 2023, right, so about two years ago, and I had done over a year of intermittent fasting. So I had started it during COVID. But even before that I just didn't know how to feed myself and there was a lot of resistance and first you were like eat breakfast and I was like why? So I know I fought like a lot of resistance, and first you were like eat breakfast and I was like why? So I know I fought you a lot during our coachings. I appreciate it but it definitely.

Speaker 2:

It took a lot of. It did take a lot of mental energy, it took a lot of um figuring out new recipes and also like new meal times. I'm like you mean, I have to cook for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you know. And so, like, even now at one point, I have to make the decision of like, okay, if I'm going to make something for lunch, then I know and like what I mean by make. I mean like actively cook something that requires like 30 plus minutes in the kitchen, and I'm really super grateful that I work from home so I have that flexibility to cook a hot lunch, but like not necessarily every day. So I know that if I'm going to eat a lunch that requires cooking, I'm not going to want to cook. For dinner I'm not going to want to.

Speaker 2:

Or if I cook breakfast, that's it. I can cook once a day. That has been my rule. And so, knowing that about myself, I'm like, okay, if I'm actually making myself like an omelet for breakfast, where I'm like chopping veggies, I better have something ready to go for lunch and dinner, you know. And so I think that getting to know myself and like my not just understanding of the what I'm eating because I will say I think I told you this from the very beginning. It's like, oh my God, I can't believe it took me 31 years to learn how to feed myself. And then I thought, no, no, it was like 30 years of diet culture and like two months of working together and actually learning how to feed myself.

Speaker 1:

Oh my God, that gave me goosebumps. That gave me goosebumps. Sorry to interrupt you, keep going, cause I don't know if you saw the physical reaction my body, where my shoulder, I was like oh my God, that was keep going.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, no, I mean, I honestly like I think about everything that we've learned. Like that I learned from you and like working together and finally understanding how to feed myself, and like I'm getting like teary eyed, like that was the single biggest breakthrough that like changed my life, because food is so complex what we eat, the messages we're told about food, what we're told to like put in our bodies and not put in our bodies, and why you know like eat this to lose weight or like eat this protein, but you know like so much food noise and like truly learning how to feed myself has allowed me to make faster decisions. Like one of the things when I turned that thing over, when I turned the those like weird trail mix thing that I was talking about earlier, I read the ingredients. You know, when I turn a package over, I know what I'm looking for. In the past, the only thing I would look at was calories. You know, like the only thing I would look at was calories. The only thing I would know about what I ate in the day was like the number of calories, and that's not even like something that even registers in my brain.

Speaker 2:

Most of the time I am really focusing. I'm like what is this? Why am I eating this? So I'm able to make those decisions faster. Because you know, like I've been practicing making those better habits and I've also been paying attention to how do I feel, how do I want to feel. Do you remember that one time that I was like having like avocado toast or something for breakfast and I had only had like half of an avocado and then a different day I had like a whole avocado and I was like, huh, if I eat the whole avocado, I'm not hungry until lunchtime versus you know? So, even something minor like that, like I, last week I was like making some eggs and I'm looking around and I'm like, all right, let's add some cheese, because I need, I need fat for this meal If I'm going to keep, if I'm going to stay full, you know. And so it took a lot of practice, definitely in the beginning, but understanding food as nourishment and how it makes me feel has been life-changing.

Speaker 1:

Oh, thank you so much for sharing that, because this is what I try and find ways to share with people and help them understand, because a lot of times we're not feeling well, like we have the headaches, we're not getting the results we want, our periods are messed up, like there's so much happening or we're very tired and we don't understand why. Or we don't correlate the food to how we're feeling. Or what I also see is people are like oh, I eat super healthy already, but eating healthy doesn't necessarily equal you feeling good in your body because of these nuances of do you have the fat? Do you have the protein? Are you fueling appropriately for what you're doing? So, thank you so much for sharing that and to say that it's the foundation of everything Like you can go on and do what you enjoy doing, you can go on and travel, you can go on and cook, and not to say that everybody has to cook.

Speaker 1:

One thing I wanted to ask you about was what happens when you're not at home, because you're an avid traveler. And another misconception is oh, you have to cook all your meals, but that's not true. And one thing that you told me in the voice note when you were in Las Vegas, was you know? I know I needed protein, so I walked into Starbucks and I got two orders of the egg whatever like sous vide or little egg cups, because I knew that was going to equal about 20 grams of protein. Like you told me all of this in the voice, though, so it's using the. It's not like oh no, don't buy at Starbucks. Oh, no, don't go to 7-Eleven or eat out. It's like no, you have tools to use to still eat at these places and have meet your needs.

Speaker 2:

Yes, absolutely, I actually remembered that I the day of the hike I was like and I again just want to reiterate, like I'm from Florida, I was like super scared of hiking in the desert.

Speaker 2:

I really was like do not want to be medically evac'd. You know, I don't want to end up in the news, you know. So I was like I knew that that day it was very intentional of like, how, how do I prepare myself? How do I know what to do was best for me? Versus some days I'm like, ah, fuck it, I'll just wing it. Oh, sorry, I don't know. You know you're good, you're good. You know, some days I'm like, oh, I'll just wing it.

Speaker 2:

But that day I was very intentional and I do remember that, because the little egg bite things was like 16 grams of protein and I remember thinking that's not enough.

Speaker 2:

So I ordered two, and in the past I would have never done that.

Speaker 2:

I would have filled my head with shame of like, you know, I can't believe you're like having two servings, you know, or just like all of this nonsense.

Speaker 2:

But something else that I learned from you and that it has helped me in restaurants or even making decisions was, I think you said restaurants are designed to sell, you like they're a marketing tool, they're not like a nutrition tool, you know, and I'm like, yeah, and that has been. That stayed with me so much too, because even in the voice note and I guess even at other times I think, I told you oh my God, I was like last week I was ordering some Italian food but this pasta didn't have any protein, so I had to like order extra meatballs in the. You know, and there's a lot of like mindset work that I did in the. You know, that I did both with you and and and outside of that of like it's okay to spend money on myself, you know but, even like ordering at a restaurant, like, oh, just because it's in the dinner menu doesn't mean that's what I have to order.

Speaker 2:

It's like what am I, what am I cobbling together from these choices in order to fit my needs? And that's something that I do not just at the restaurant, you know, but also at the, you know, at the airport. And I'm like, okay, if I have to eat airport food, what is going to be, you know, like what is going to be the best for me? And if I remember, I will pack some food with me. But if I don't, then I'm like all right, what is the best decision that I can make right now? And even when I'm out like eating, you know, or eating with like family members, or, you know, like at like potlucks I still remember that my food decisions are personal.

Speaker 2:

I remember I was at a wedding around this time last year and the ceremony was at five, and so I was like I'm going to eat beforehand. No way, I'm going to be starving until like nine when they feed us dinner. And then I remember, so it started a little bit late. There was the ceremony, there was the cocktail hour, and the people that I was standing around with. They were like oh my God, I'm so hungry. And I'm just there thinking like, have you never been to a wedding before? Like did you not know that dinner wasn't going to be served until nine, and you know? And so, again, just making the best decision that I can with you know, like what my day is going to look like, and remembering that my again, just like my food decisions and the way that I nourish myself, are about me, not about anybody else.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, oh, my God, that's so good. Like you just talk so effortlessly about everything. It's like, yeah, there's a wedding, I'm going to eat, I'm going to order this, I'm going to order that Like this is this, is it people Like? It can be that simple of a decision when you understand how food works, when you understand what your body needs, when you just take a few steps forward and understand, like, what's going to happen in the day.

Speaker 1:

Usually, even if you get caught off guard, like you said, oh, sometimes I don't have time to pack food for the airport, but guess what's always with you? The set of tools you have in your brain. That is always with you and that is what allows you to come to a resolution or to solve your own problems, because there's two things that you know. Number one, you need, you know what your body needs and how you like it to feel. And, number two, you have the tools to use the resources around you, and that is invaluable. That is something that nobody can take away. That is something that goes beyond. You have to cook and you have to buy groceries and be so strict, and this is what allows you to live your best life, rooted in wellness, because then you can go anywhere and understand how you want to feel and how to use the tools that you have with the resources that are around you.

Speaker 1:

So now I want to go into how you've continued on in your health and wellness journey, because it's not it doesn't just stop here Like you can keep evolving and growing, and I know that something we spoke a lot about, especially when it came to exercising, was the importance of strength training, and it was not something that you were very fond of at the beginning and I know you mentioned that.

Speaker 1:

You challenged me a lot in our coaching and you really did. You were like I need to know exactly why I need to do these things, because I don't like it, and I feel you because I I challenged my trainer in the same way. I'm like why are we doing this awful feeling exercise? But I really appreciated that because it gave me the opportunity to grow as a coach, to learn how to explain things better and clearer, because I'm also a person who likes when people explain to me the reason why and why is it effective, versus everything else I've heard before. So can you please share with us how have you evolved in the last two years and grown in your journey.

Speaker 2:

Yes, of course. So it is a journey. You know I have continued to to work on this. You know I have continued to focus and be making more intentional choices. Um one win I haven't shared with you yet, but I do want to want to share this one time, my. So you know it's the reason I'm sharing. It said, it permeates so my fiance. He bought like a lot of these bars, uh, you know, like the, the, the bars they sell on TikTok and you know, and I was looking at at the, the ingredients again.

Speaker 2:

I'm like I'm not eating this. And then, um, he had bought like those Nutri-Grain bars and I, I looked at the ingredients and it was like modified glucose paste and I was like I'm not eating this. But I did find these Nature's Bakery bars. They're like big bars that they're still like, you know, a granola bar, but the ingredients are like sugar. I mean, that's not the main ingredient, but it's like rolled oats, flour, sugar, not like modified glucose situation, you know, or like alcohol, ethereal or whatever the nonsense. That is like it's actual ingredients that I can recognize. And I was like these are the ones that I, that I eat, and now these are the only ones that we buy. And even he he's like switched over to over too, you know, and so it's like that influence. Um, so, to answer your original question, how have I continued? It's slowly, little by little, making those better choices. Um, and I've also, oh my gosh, with strength training.

Speaker 2:

I finally understand one of the things that you told me on our coaching that got me to actually do it was strength training will make you a better runner. So I love to run. I do love to run, and I started running originally to lose weight, but at some point down the line I realized I'm not running to lose weight, I run it because I enjoy it. And then you were like, carly, you have to strength train. And I was like, no, I'm going to go run. You know, I love running. And then it was like week after week, and I was like, oh, I swear I'll do it, you know. And then you were. You told me, okay, just do 20 minutes, like it's. It wasn't about addressing the roadblocks, so I one of the roadblocks for me, it's like that the only running I'm sorry strength training video was like 40 minutes and what was gonna take forever. And you were like, just do 20 minutes, or maybe 10 minutes. I don't remember what you told me. And I started there, so, starting little by little, uh, got me to do it. And then when you told me, uh, strength training will make you a better runner, and I was like, oh, yeah, I can do that. Um, and you continue just to share knowledge with me. You shared some, you shared a. I kept on asking why and you kept on providing me more information, and one of the things that I think really changed how I view strength training was you sharing about the longevity I think you showed me.

Speaker 2:

I think it's a fitness trainer in her fifties and she talks about longevity and then so, of course, like all of my feet started becoming you know like longevity things. And I remember this woman she shared the post one time that said you know like my fitness changed when I stopped focusing on having my smallest body and focused on having my strongest body, and that's kind of just been you know like bouncing around in my head for a while, about nine months ago, I actually rolled my ankle playing pickleball and even saying this out loud, I'm just realizing, no wonder I'm still super slow running. I've been trying to figure out why I'm not as fast as I used to be and I'm like, girl, you rolled your ankle, you're still recovering Anyway. So I rolled my ankle playing pickleball. I started, um, I went to go see a physical therapist and I did like a running assessment and I felt like I was getting roasted.

Speaker 2:

There was this one part where she was like this runner would benefit from strength training and I'm like, freaking damn it. That's what Naomi said. And as soon as I saw that, I remembered you saying strength training will make you a better runner, and I'm like, well, I mean, I really can't ignore it when it's multiple people telling me the same thing and, and it's been, you know, like finding my why, like this longevity component of it, and then, actually for now, like I want to enjoy the activities that I enjoy now. So I'm going to strength train so that I can enjoy my now, enjoy my hikes, you know. And another thing that I've been doing in the past few months which is, I feel, as resistant to it as I did once for strength training, is freaking stretching.

Speaker 2:

When I stretch, I'm just like oh, oh, my gosh, I can't believe all those Instagram bitches were right. And stretching actually is good for you. Yeah, mobility is just as important. We keep piling on. Yeah, mobility is just as important, we keep piling on. It wasn't there, but I've been really working on, you know, like the strength training and the you know now, like this mobility and the mobility and stretching and flexibility and really understanding how all of these pieces fit together.

Speaker 1:

So, yeah, that was really long way of answering your question yeah, I love that because it does you can add on, and I really you add on little by little. I think that is so much more effective because it also reduces the stress, the stress a little bit. I find that a lot of people sometimes want to incorporate all of the wellness things right away, or they what was another thing? Or or they want to go like zero to a hundred on certain things. But it makes it really hard because it's very overwhelming at first to do all of those things at once. But now you have like your nutrition down, you understand how to eat and you love running, and so you already had an exercise habit. But now it's like how do we make that more well-rounded so that you are protecting your joints and you're not rolling your ankle all the time and you have the strength to do what you actually love?

Speaker 1:

And I was thinking about this the other day and I'm like what is it like an equivalent to outside of wellness? And I think about it as prerequisites in college. And you're like I hate these classes, I don't want to take these classes, I don't care about these classes, but yet they're still required for you to graduate. So sometimes, when we love doing something or we're resistant to doing something.

Speaker 1:

I think that providing the information as to why is important and then you start to see the signs of it keeps coming up again can be really useful, um, to make those decisions or to go for it, because I too, like there's a lot of things where I'm like, oh, I really don't want to do this, but as a puzzle piece in the bigger picture where sometimes, if you skip it, I like to think about it also as a Jenga tower, where there's like too many holes and then it falls apart. Like we need to start plugging those holes, and sometimes not necessarily things that are enjoyable right away or ever, but we try and build other things around it that does bring us joy, but we try and build other things around it that does bring us joy. So how did you decide? How did you go about strength training? Because I also feel like that's a big hangup for people. Strength training sometimes is not fun. So how are other ways that you have supported yourself in this wellness journey?

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So I started working with a trainer. So you and I worked together for six months and then I was meandering, like my mind was filled with like weight loss stuff, you know, and like weight loss things again. So I started working with a trainer who actually focuses on weight loss. But I was also fighting her and you know, and like, and she was like well, what do you, how do you think your life is going to change after you lose weight? And I was like, well, it's not. I mean, I already love my body, I already, you know, like if my clothes don't fit me, I just buy clothes that fit me. It's not a problem with my with me, it's a problem with the clothes. Like, I already run, I already do the things that I want.

Speaker 2:

Eventually, after you know, several times of her getting tired of my BS, she was like Carla, what if you just set a goal weight of maintaining? And like, what if you just set that and just like, forget about, forget about weight loss? And I was like fine, you know. And for context, naomi, I don't know if I mean you probably remember, but when you told me to stop weighing myself, I had like a mini panic attack. I had a lump in my throat that we had to stop and do like a meditation in order to get my breathing back to normal, like it was. The way that my body reacted was very intense.

Speaker 2:

Again, 30 years of diet culture, right?

Speaker 2:

So when I started working with a health coach who specializes in training, so she made a strength training program and she would work out with me via Zoom, and I actually ended up having a lot of resistance with her program too, because I had this thought and it's so interesting because I said it earlier it's like it's going to take forever. So it's so, so funny that the same resistance I had with you was the same resistance I had for her. She ended up changing it. Like I have a 15 minute training and like a 40 minute training, and so my baseline I'm like I just do the 15 minute one and even with, like my mobility exercises, just yesterday I discovered that there's seven minutes and I'm like, huh, I literally spent 30 minutes talking myself into this, but it only takes seven minutes to do. So I don't know why I have this in my head that I'm like, oh, this is going to take forever. So like really understanding that, first of all, it's not going to take forever. That a little bit is enough.

Speaker 2:

I think that's really been critical and crucial for me to understand in order to get started. And with her, she would be like just strength training once a week and again, being someone who had done all like the workout programs and you work out like every single day for 21 days, you know, and she was like just once a week and I was like that's not enough and I'm like, okay, well, why don't you just do it? Then I was like fine, so so I definitely had the support of a trainer and I'm so, so, so grateful for that, because she's both a trainer and a coach. So you know, like all of my mind drama, you know like I was able to share with her and um, and kind of learn, to rephrase but what I noticed is that I was always coming back One of the I mean, yeah, we didn't spend a lot of time with like nutrition with her, because I already knew how to feed myself.

Speaker 2:

You know, whether or not I did it was a different story. You know, eventually I did and and it's now become a habit and a part of just how I operate. But, um, that wasn't again, that wasn't the focus, cause I already had those tools and learning to strength train, um, that also, uh added, and like having support, and actually, um, I ended up running a half marathon last year and it was, you know, I was just thinking March 2024, I had never run a single race March 2025. I'm signed up for three races this year.

Speaker 1:

Nice.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, thank you. So I'm so excited, so, and it's been, it's also been like so much fun to see myself get stronger, so to get the support that I needed in terms of training, and like seeing myself get stronger has been, has been so much fun, you know. So I, while I say you know, like sometimes it still takes me a minute to like talk myself into doing this, it's still incredible. I was doing inchworms. It's this exercise where I'm like standing up and then I crawl to the floor and then I tap my shoulders and then I crawl back up, so resistant to those Whatever. I recorded myself doing that and I was like, oh my God, look at those shoulders. I'm like I see those lines coming in, you know, and so, but again, I don't strength train to like lose weight, which is what had, again, 30 years of diet culture. Anytime I had ever picked up a dumbbell, it was with that. And now I just always remember I'm not after my slimmest body, I'm after my strongest body.

Speaker 1:

So freaking good. And, by the way, her strength coach and current coach is Sam. She's been on this podcast a few times. So shout out to Sam for training you for sure.

Speaker 1:

And I want to touch on the scale for one second and then we'll wrap this up because I think it's what a lot of people put all their coins in, like all their progress, all how they feel, everything goes on the scale.

Speaker 1:

And I remember I told you to put your scale away and that's when you we had to stop and do breathing exercises because you weighed yourself every single day. But the thing was that and what happens to a lot of us is that we make decisions on how we treat ourselves, how we feed ourselves and how we think about ourselves based on that number, and that's so unfair. So what we learned how to do was to do that based on yourself, like regardless of the number, how do you feel, how do you treat yourself and it's so invaluable because the scale can be such I'm trying to find the right word for this Like it can, even at its accuracy. It can be so inaccurate to tell you about your process. It is like ghetto sometimes, and it can misinform your journey if you don't actually know how to read it. I know it says a number, but you need to know how to read that number.

Speaker 2:

Oh my gosh. Yes, and I wasn't just weighing myself every single day, I was weighing myself like three times a day.

Speaker 1:

Oh yes.

Speaker 2:

Oh my gosh. I've been saying that out loud, like I like. Whatever you know, I clearly had a hyper fixation. I was going to call it a problem, but I think what I had was a natural consequence of being so focused on that. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:

And it's what we're taught. Back to diet.

Speaker 2:

You know 30 years of diet culture, yeah exactly, and even one of the reasons that I started working with Sam is that I wanted to lose weight. Like I told you, some of that noise kept on creeping back in. And she asked me one time she was like what are you, you know? Like, let's say, in 10 years, like are you going to be weighing yourself every day? And I was like, of course I was like Sam, you're going to pry this scale from my cold dead hands, you know. So you're trying to bring it back. I definitely did so. To think I haven't weighed myself in, like nine months is like oh, wow.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yes, and you're going based on how you feel. Yes, I'm going based on how I feel and even with you know, strength training, I have these adjustable weights. You know the kind that you, the dumbbells that change, and I remember I was like moving them because I was cleaning my room and I just picked it up and moved it and I had this moment, and it's 45 pounds, 45 pounds each. And I remember thinking, when I originally placed them here, I had to do like two or three trips because I couldn't pick it up all at once. And I'm just here like picking up a 45 pound dumbbell, like it's not a big deal, and I was like again, who is she?

Speaker 1:

That is where confidence comes from. That is where sexy comes from. Don't think it's going to come from no number on the scale. Such an example of like how to transform your life from diet culture to just like honoring yourself and your health and getting like still what you want, Like you still got what you want. It was a brilliant question that Sam asked you like how, how much are you going to like? How much are you going to continue weighing yourself, or how many years is this going to go on? Because what it doesn't allow us to see is that sometimes that we are where we want to be and we can't appreciate it because we have this crazy idea that it should look like a different number on the scale.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1:

Thank you so much, Carla, for being here. If you were to give, if somebody was like I don't understand the value of coaching, of health and wellness coaching I've tried all of these things before. Nothing seems to work. I'm just going to keep giving it a shot. What is one or two things that you can share with somebody of why this might be of value for them?

Speaker 2:

Because coaching shows you your blind spots. I have tried everything. I have tried. I mean, let me rephrase that I also had the thought that I had tried everything you know, oh, that's so good.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and in reality I hadn't. I mean, I didn't even know how to feed myself, and again, not through any fault of my own, but through not just 30 years of diet culture but through like 30 years of like food subsidies, making half of the supermarket ultra processed foods, you know. So I would say that the the most value in coaching is learning to uncover what you can't see. It's learning to to uncover your blind spots and really helping you understand. You help me understand how, how, what, how and why I should nourish myself in certain ways. You know, like, for me, I know that I need to eat the full avocado if I want to stay full, but for some people that might be too much. For some people, they know that they could anchor in other things. And having just like your, the expertise along the journey, you know, because we will inevitably stumble and you know, like, let all this noise join our minds, I think that that is so, so, so valuable. Like just coaching shows you where, shows you the areas that you can't see for yourself.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I 100% agree with that. It's really hard to see what you don't know and understand what other tools are out there that might be able to support you. So thank you so much. Do you want to share where people can find you? How can we support you?

Speaker 2:

Sure thing. So I am a career and leadership coach. I'm the host of the First Gen Coach Podcast and you can find me wherever you're listening to this podcast. You can find the first gen coach podcast. You can find me on Instagram at Carla the first gen coach, and I work with folks for three months for one-on-one career coaching and I am accepting new clients.

Speaker 1:

Yes, go work with Carla. She's an amazing, amazing career coach who knows the ins and out of this corporate world nonsense. Okay, so if you are looking for support in that area, please reach out to Carla and thank you again so much for being here. I appreciate you sharing your story and vulnerabilities with us. I think that a lot of people are going to feel seen and we appreciate you. Thank you so much, see y'all next week. See ya, bye-bye, bye.