episode 189: my top 7 takeaways after one year of consistent strength training

Aug 5

Hi friends! I lost track of how many episodes I’ve done, but we’re closing in on 200, and that’s what really counts!

Today, I'm sharing my thoughts on my year-long journey of consistent strength training. What worked, what didn’t how I got here.

What I’m talking about in today’s episode:

How to make working out feel as routine as brushing your teeth
Why I skip workouts
The game-changing tip that finally made everything click for me.
What kept me motivated, and what surprising benefits have I seen

If you’ve been on the fence about starting strength training or have a hard time with consistency, this one’s for you.

I’m opening up 5 1:1 nutrition, behavior and body image coaching spots this fall. Join the waitlist to get first dibs to one of those spots at $50 off the monthly rate. Registration for consults will open mid September!

189
[00:00:00] Hi, thanks for listening to the Diet Diaries. Um, I don't know. Is this episode 190? I'm not sure. I just came up with a bunch of episode ideas, and I list them out in my notes, and every episode gets a different note. And I don't know what number I put on this, but whatever. It doesn't really matter, although we're getting close to 200.
Um, before I dive into today's episode, which I actually kind of came up with this idea as I went for a walk this morning, I really do the best creative ideas when I am walking. It's fascinating. Um, it really helps me think through things, things come into my brain that don't come in at other times.
Sometimes right as I'm falling asleep, I get a bunch of stuff. Whenever I'm sitting there trying to force it, it just doesn't happen. Um, really quick, quick announcement that, um, I have a waitlist open for folks who are interested in one to one coaching. I'm opening up five spots this fall. [00:01:00] Um, and so I want to have a waitlist going for people who are really interested to kind of get first dibs on those spots.
And I'm also offering a discount to those people because I really appreciate your time and your attention and your interest. So it's going to be 50 off the monthly rate, which is like pretty significant. Um, and that will stay with you, you know, for like the duration of your coaching time with me. Um, unless you're with me for like five years.
Um, but yeah, that's it. But, and it doesn't commit you to anything. It basically just gives you options, right? So come mid September, that is when you'll have the chance, the time to book a consult, to like meet and talk and what you're looking for and how coaching works and then decide, right? It doesn't commit you to everything.
It just gives you options. So if you've been thinking about coaching, if you're interested in coaching, this is like the time. Um, add your name to the waitlist and then we'll do consults in like mid late September and get started with coaching like mid October, which I feel like is like a great time of year after obviously [00:02:00] summer's over.
If you have kids and you're back to school chaos, that's like well underway, but before the holidays. So like a chance to get support and some skills in place going into the holidays this year and not even start to deal with like New Year's resolutions and 2025 is going to be my year, like none of that stuff.
So anyway, that's that. There'll be a link in the show notes and all the places if you want to add your name. So as I was on my walk this morning, I realized that I am coming up. When this episode airs on Monday, I don't know, what is it, August 5th or something like that? The one year anniversary of the strength training program that I am doing with my friend and trainer Gina.
And I have strength trained on and off for many years. Um, since like 2016, 2017. And I mean like heavy strength training. Prior to that, I would do like orange theory or bootcamp classes, um, which weren't really heavy, but I've worked with a [00:03:00] couple of different online programs over the years, and this is the most consistent I have ever been.
And it's been a year, which is a long time. And so I thought I would share kind of like what I've learned from one year of strength training and How I've done that and why I've done it and what I've learned from it in hopes that it's helpful for you. Um, so, First, I thought I would just share like, and I've talked about this before in recent episodes, so I won't belabor it too much, like, what do I mean by consistent strength training, right?
I'm following a program, right? So I have done a couple of different versions of that, which I won't get into, but it's very structured. Gina, the program is an app. It's specific. This is what you do. This is how many reps. The app is awesome. So you can kind of track your reps and your weight so you can see your progress and you can look back and see like, You know, how much stronger you've gotten, whether it's more weight or more reps, whatever it is.
Um, and I decide though what days I'm gonna do the workouts [00:04:00] and I, there's no accountability with this, right? So like you can check in and get feedback, but Gina, this isn't like a Zoom thing. Gina's not like, you know, checking in to make sure that I've done my workouts. There's not, it's like self sufficient, right?
That's the type of program that it is. And what I love about her is one of her goals for women is that strength training becomes as part of your routine as like brushing your teeth or eating or going to sleep or taking a shower, right? Part of it, she wants it to become so ingrained that it doesn't any longer become as much of like this extra thing to do so much as it is like ingrained and embedded into your life.
So Um, and that is very much what it has become for me. That's not to say that it doesn't take effort or that some days like today are really hard. Like today I actually didn't do my workout. Um, I woke up, I really, really, really, really just did not feel like doing it. And I couldn't even tell you the last time I skipped a workout because I didn't feel like it.
I've skipped because I was sick, because I was tired, because my body wasn't [00:05:00] physically capable. But not being in the mood, I never skip. So I let myself do that today, and I kind of mentioned this on social media, that it's really important to get radically honest with yourself about why you're not doing something.
Because there's a big difference between having grace for yourself and being kind to yourself and letting yourself off the hook. It's kind of the definition of self compassion is holding space for yourself and speaking to yourself kindly and with love. around things that you can't control and taking fierce action, sometimes uncomfortable action on the things that you can, and knowing the difference between the two.
Um, and so today, you know, was, I let myself off the hook today. I was not really giving myself grace. I kind of like could have done the workout, but really didn't want to and didn't. But this never happens and I don't do this, so it's not a big deal if [00:06:00] I were doing this all the time. That's a different story.
So that kind of leads me back into what I was going to talk about, which is like, what does consistency mean? And that means doing the thing you're supposed to be doing most of the time. When it comes to strength training, that is somewhere in the range of two to four times a week, right? Obviously, it's relative to whatever that the action is that you're working on.
And so that's what I do. I strength train generally lately, it's been four times a week. This week is probably going to end up being three times depending on your program and especially if you're new and just getting started two times a week and keeping going with that. Right. So a month ago we were in Costa Rica.
So I did like one really short workout. We were there and then I came home sick and I really did not feel well and just working out strength training was just not going to happen. So I basically didn't work out for about close to two weeks. And then as soon as I felt better, I kept going. That's consistency.
It is keeping going. No matter how much time has passed, because you're not starting over, [00:07:00] what you did didn't get undone because you stopped doing it. It still happened. You need to keep going. And you need to show up. You need to get clear on what consistency means for you, because Yes, there's kind of the structure of what strength training is and how often you need to be doing that to get the, um, results or the outcomes, which is two to four times a week.
And then there's also what's going to be realistic for you, which is a little bit of yes, meeting you where you're at and a little bit of like challenging yourself to get uncomfortable. And also acknowledging that like, you're not going to love it, right? This is what I talked about in last week's episode.
This is actually an unintentional kind of perfect segue, which I, again, unintentional, didn't plan it, like you're not always going to love doing it. You're not always going to want to do it. That's OK. That's normal. What you will start to realize is how good it feels. And while you're doing it, after you're doing it, and then you start to also, with some accumulation and consistency, you get the [00:08:00] bigger outcomes of doing that workout and building strength and helping improve your body image and realizing what your body is capable of and improving your mental health and giving, you know, yourself kind of dedicated space to focus on like what your body can do versus what it looks like and paying attention to like picking up a heavy weight where really your brain kind of like clears out and there's not a lot of space to be thinking about other shit.
So there's so many. Kind of those emotional benefits as well, right? So I've been consistent. I've gone away. I've been sick. There's been a day couple days here and there where I haven't wanted to do it and I have kept going now Why haven't I been able to do that? Why is this different than the other strength training programs?
I have done two big reasons Why one is I have finally realized I need to be at home The last time I did, I strength trained, I was going to a gym about 15 minutes away. And prior to that, I had gone to a gym that was five minutes away, right? So I've done both. [00:09:00] And we were going to this other gym because it was nicer and it had kind of better equipment.
And after a period of time, it just, it was a half an hour just to get there and back, right? Round trip. That's a lot of time. That's like 75 percent of like the workout time, right? If the workout's 45 minutes, half an hour, right? And ultimately, it just kind of started to like, I didn't want to go. I have stuff to do.
Like, it just stopped happening. And when I knew that I needed and wanted to start strength training again, when I reached out to Gina, I'm like, I'm going to do this at home. And We made it work with the equipment that I have. I have slowly added over time. I have another episode, which I will try to remember to link it in the show notes for like the equipment that I do have.
Is it an investment? Yeah, it's an investment, but you're paying for a gym membership you're not using, like that money's getting spent either way. So invest into something that you're actually going to use. And this is very personal. Right? This doesn't mean that like working out at home is for everyone.
For me, it works because we have a finished basement. It's small. We have like, [00:10:00] there's like a couch and a TV and like a play area and then there's like a bench and like weights. Like it's not like it's own, I don't have like a fancy dedicated gym space. Like it's, you know, but it works. It's enough. It's good enough.
You really do not need a lot of space. I don't have a barbell. Um, I don't have a squat rack. I have a bench and I have dumbbells. That's what I have. And I have a TRX rope band, whatever. Um, so acknowledging that I knew I needed to be at home. And when I first started at the GYN, I'm like half an hour max, max.
That's the most that I know that I am willing to And able to spend on this and that's what she programmed for me. I was very clear. I was like, I know I'm not going to do 45 minutes. So that was what helped me keep going. I was very honest with myself. If for you, you know, it can only be 15 minutes to get started.
Great. If you can do 15 minutes three times a week, that's great. night and day from doing zero minutes, zero times a week, because you're trying to do 45 minutes, four times a week, and you just can't do it, right? It [00:11:00] is all or nothing shows up in almost every conversation. You've got to find that space of where good enough is good enough.
And then what happened, which was really cool, is after doing those, you know, shorter workouts, I'm calling them shorter because I'm doing longer now. I actually wanted to expand. And here's the thing. My body adapted. That's another thing I want, I have a list, kind of the things I want, what I wanted to talk about.
My body adapted. That's kind of the whole point. As your body adapts, you do need to change things up. And your body adapts, if you're being consistent, quicker than you might think, right? I've talked to some folks, some clients, who've been doing like the same workout for years, same weights, same reps. And You're not getting anything out of that.
You know, all movement is good movement, so you're not doing anything bad and you're moving your body, which is great, but in terms of continuing to build strength, increase muscle mass, improve bone density, challenge yourself, increase your self efficacy, build your self confidence, you're not really getting a lot there.
Because we are [00:12:00] human beings, we are not machines, and we adapt and we respond, which is amazing. So I have increased my challenge over time, and now I'm at a point where Gina's programming specifically for me. The workouts are longer. They're 45 minutes. I'm doing an extra HIIT workout. It is more time consuming.
Yes, I am prioritizing it and making the time for it. And it feels really good, right? So when I talk about like, what are some of the changes that I've experienced, right? Physically, I am the strongest I have ever been upper body and lower body. I can lift weights that like I'm surprised that I'm able to do and do movements and do reps and that I'm surprised and it feels really cool.
I will tell you that the feeling of picking up a heavy weight or pushing a heavy weight over your head is a feeling of vitality that is hard to replicate and I highly recommend it. Um, This [00:13:00] is, I think there's something innate and primal about this, um, as humans, that we are evolutionarily designed and built for that type of movement, and so when we do it, it's like connecting back to like, um, Almost like the essence of what it is to be human.
We are designed to, we are able to pick up and move heavy things, but our day to day life does not require that we do so. So we have to create time for that. So there's that mental piece, that confidence of, holy shit, look what my body can do, which translates over into a big body image piece, right?
Learning how to think about your body as something other than an object to be looked at, right? is transformational, and strength training is a huge part of that, and now doing that consistently for a year, my body has not physically changed much. I've had a few body composition changes, and they have, to be honest, fluctuated.
And I'm going to go back. I'm making a point with this. [00:14:00] They have fluctuated over the year, right? The first few months I did, I lost a little bit of weight. I was also increasing, um, my walking, the pace at which I was walking. So getting my heart rate elevated. And then my body adapted. And my body is very, Very sensitive my body gains weight like at the drop of a hat and loses weight doesn't want to lose weight does not like it Right has always been my body type whether it's linked to the PCOS or not I don't really know because my symptoms of PCOS are pretty much like not they're dormant right now aside from like my belly But the acne the insulin resistance all that stuff is not there so all this to say that like There were some body comp changes in the beginning and then like I gained a little bit of weight And I'm not quite sure why and I'm not talking enough to like change clothing sizes I'm talking like enough to like my pants feel a little different not like too tight to wear just like a little different All right.
This is [00:15:00] this is these are minimal changes But here's so to go to go back to the point about body image is that I'm really not Caught up in it. Are there days where it takes up space in my brain? Of course there are days I'm human and I'm consistently having to do that work, but now the strength training becomes a skill with which to do that work.
Right? So my ability and the feeling I have of being strong and picking up the weights now makes those days when I feel different in my clothes or I think I've gained weight, whether or not I have or I haven't. Right? That's sometimes like never the issue. It's, it's in our brains, these stories that we have much easier to cope with.
and move past than before I was strength training consistently. And so it's this interesting, um, just way that these things weave together. Um, I know many folks strengthen and exercise to lose weight. We can't control that, right? Which kind of leads me into another point, which this is the first time that I have [00:16:00] worked on strength training.
Without focusing on weight loss, right? So, uh, when was that? 2016? It's like eight, eight years ago when I was lifting really heavy at the gym, I was like, I'm doing this to lose weight. So I was like tracking my macros and like all that stuff and really like did not, like, did not. I don't remember, like, the outcome, like, lost, like, a little bit of weight.
I was tracking, like, body measurements and all that stuff. And so it's, it's hard to get strong when you're limiting calories, right? This is the science. Like, if you want to build muscle, you have to be eating enough food, specifically protein, to fuel that. Um, especially, um, if you are in a body that has chronically dieted for 20 years.
Um, if you're someone who's never dieted, never strength trained, there's a little bit more flexibility with like what we call body recomp, which is sometimes gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. I don't want to go down that road right now. But all this to say that prioritizing [00:17:00] protein and my nutrition and portions and being really thoughtful about why I'm using foods and portions of desserts and like working the skills that I talk about all the time.
Like I, Do I use those skills all the time? Do I use them perfectly? No, because I'm human. Do I use them most of the time? Yes. But doing that and strength training without a focus on how much weight am I losing or how many calories did I have or did I hit my macros is fucking awesome, right? And it's the first time I've done that.
So the fact that I've been so consistent with the strength training and the fact that I have not been trying to actively lose weight, that is not a coincidence. I read this really interesting, or I saw like a really quick post on social media, and I don't remember the exact words, and it was, I think it was like Danny Matrenga, something like that.
I don't know where I, I just like saw it like quickly. And it was so, it was basically that, and he articulated it so well, which is like, when you're only, when you're exercising only to lose weight, you're gonna burn [00:18:00] out. Because you're doing it in this restrictive, punitive way, and you're focusing on an outcome you can't control.
When you're focusing on your health and how you feel in your body, it becomes something more that you want to do, that you become more intrinsically motivated to do. Now, yes, it's like a bit of an oversimplification, but it's true. When you are, when you are exercising and working out just for the purpose of weight loss, it's going to get old really fast.
Because we can't control that outcome. We can't control when or how or where our bodies lose fat. And so then inherently, we're doing something with a goal that we can't control. And to be, have a goal or you can't control the outcome, like, I mean, I'm gonna do a whole separate episode about that very soon.
That's like literally setting yourself up to fail. And to be miserable. And that's basically why diets don't work. And that's why working out to lose weight doesn't work. Work out to build strength, to feel [00:19:00] stronger in your body, to feel more confident, to improve your body image, to help manage mental health.
And then you may lose weight as a byproduct of that, depending on many different factors and circumstances. But you can't control that outcome. And so removing that from the equation has absolutely played a role in my ability to be consistent with it. It's not a coincidence. And so I really wanted to talk about that.
Um, you know, and in terms of like physical changes, right, you know, I've definitely built muscle, I'm stronger. Sometimes I can physically see that, right? When the light hits my arms in a certain way, I'm like, wow, I can really see my muscles. And when it doesn't, I see nothing, right? So, I'm not doing it again for my body to look a certain way.
I'm not saying that you can't have aesthetic goals, what I'm saying is that you can't control that. Like, no, you can't control that anymore than you can [00:20:00] control how tall you are, what color your skin is, what color your hair is naturally, what color your eyes are. You cannot control, like, if you will, the way that your arms will gain muscle and the shape of that muscle.
You can't control, like, where your body is predisposed to carry fat, and if it's predisposed to carry fat in your belly like mine is, you're not going to have a six pack, like, ever. Um, and that's what, like, that's okay. There are, there's an infinite number of body shapes and sizes that humans are meant to exist in, not just one.
Again, that's kind of like a bit of a separate topic. You start to realize and accept that more as you invest this time and energy and attention into taking care of your body in this way and realizing what it can do, what it is physically capable of. And I haven't even mentioned, like, all the systemic health benefits of strengthening because I'm really trying to talk about, like, What's my year been?
Now, I will say, [00:21:00] I talked about in an, if you're on my email list, you got this email last week, um, I, two big markers, my insulin resistance and my fasting insulin have both gone way down this year, which are great. Like you want those numbers to go down. Basically it's like an insulin sensitivity score or the, I don't remember if it's insulin sensitive or insulin resistance, but basically like the lower it is, the better.
the more insulin sensitive you are and you want to be insulin sensitive. Um, when you're not insulin sensitive, you're insulin resistant, which means your body has to pump out more insulin in order for it to do its job. And there's a lot of, honestly, like negative, um, outcomes and issues with that. Like there's a lot of, like, it has a lot of, like, I'm like losing my words, but you get my point.
So I had blood work done like a month, a month ago, six weeks ago at this point, and both of those markers had drastically improved. And the only change that I made this year was the strength training. [00:22:00] So it's pretty clear that those two things are pretty tightly linked and that's amazing, right? I haven't lost weight, I haven't reduced my waist circumference, and yet I have drastically improved my health.
Um, so, And not to mention, obviously, that I'm stronger and I've built more muscle mass, which is going to be, help me mitigate, um, osteoporosis, right? And as I enter perimenopause, it's going to help me offset some of the, um, the physical symptoms of the hormonal changes that happen as your estrogen drops.
Um, so I just really wanted to share, like, what does one year of strength training look like? Right? I kind of started off by talking about, like, what does consistency look like? What does it look like when you don't want to do it? How can you set yourself up for success by kind of like quote maybe easing into it, being really clear about what you're willing to do, and being willing to do like, you know, in order to get the benefits of strength training, it's got to be more than like five minutes.
Does it have to be [00:23:00] 45 minutes? No. Does it have to be more than five minutes? Yes. So it's striking that balance of again, meeting yourself where you're at with like your lifestyle and also putting an effort and being a little uncomfortable and knowing that it's going to be inconvenient sometimes. It's not just going to like fall in your lap.
Um, and then I think actually listening to this alongside last week's episode will be really helpful. So if you haven't listened to that, definitely go back and listen to, I think it's episode, is it 188? Hang on a sec. I'm checking right now so that I can tell you what episode it is. Um, Yes, 188. So I think that's kind of everything.
I'm looking at my list and I wrote down what does consistency mean, physical changes, mental changes, body image, body comp, adaptation, what's different, no weight loss focus, right? I think I covered all that. So if you're not sure where to get started, right? If you are totally new to strength training or you are lapsed for a long period of time, [00:24:00] again, like don't jump into four 45 minute workouts a week.
Start with two 30 minute workouts a week. Start to feel the change of that. Feel what you're capable of physically. Feel that in your body. And then that will help you keep going because it's gonna feel good and you're gonna want more and you're gonna want to see what you're capable of. Great quick example of this.
One of my clients has recently started strength training and she started with I think she had like five pound weights at home, right? So, light, but in some cases heavy for her, right? It's all relative. And she was doing this for like a month, been very consistent with like a 15 minute routine that we came up with.
And she was like, it's starting to feel like easy. I'm like, okay, well we've got to keep going, which I knew was going to happen. And I'm like, what's the next dumbbell size up the up? She's like 10, right? So doubling five to 10, it's like. a giant increase, right? 100 percent increase. She's doubling it. And I'm like, well, what do you think about trying to use those?
And she's like, I want to do it. She's like, I'm [00:25:00] actually excited to see what that feels like. And this is coming from a client who has told herself and believed her entire life that she is not someone who exercises, right? That is the belief that she has. That's the story that she has told herself. And now suddenly she's like, With a month of consistent strength training and feeling that capability and that vitality, she's like, oh my god, I want to go get off this call right now and go lift up those 10 pound weights and see if I can do it.
That is the power of strength training and what it can do for you physically and mentally, right? It is literally deconstructing a story that she has had and a belief that she's had about herself. For like 40, 50 years. So I just, that just popped into my head. I wanted to share that. Um, it's incredibly powerful.
It's incredibly life changing and just start two 15 to 20 minute workouts, two 30 minute workouts a week. [00:26:00] Do that consistently. You can do something twice a week for 15, 20, 30 minutes. It is overall a very small amount of time. Is it going to feel inconvenient? Yep, it probably is. But this work is not always going to be convenient.
It's going to be hard. It's going to take effort. You are going to have to be uncomfortable. So, That's really it. I think that's what I wanted to share. This got to be a bit of a longer episode today. Thank you for listening. Um, add yourself to the waitlist if you're interested in the possibility of one to one coaching starting in the fall.
And I'll be back next week.