Welcome to Fit to Be Real and a little extra.
And we have a very special guest today.
Yes.
A few actually.
So many.
Yeah.
It's you.
What?
We asked and you delivered.
Yes.
You definitely did.
Or no.
We received.
Yes.
And you delivered.
And we also told you about it so it shouldn't be a surprise.
Surprise.
We like surprises.
We're surprise people.
We are.
We're big surprise people.
Some people aren't and we can surprise you on a Tuesday.
Oh yeah.
It doesn't matter.
No.
We don't discriminate.
And we're hard.
I'm a hard.
I don't know if hard's the right word.
Gift giver.
Like I it's really hard.
The anticipation to give a gift.
I'm like can I just give it to you now?
You're a hard core gift giver.
Heart.
No you're not.
Hard core.
Unless you live hardcore.
And the legend of the rent.
And my hardcore.
Direct back.
School of Rock.
Love Jack Black.
Okay.
Stop it.
Okay.
You said don't talk a lot in the beginning.
I know.
I'm talking to myself when I say stop it.
Okay.
We have a lot to do.
So we're getting right into it.
We are reading the letters or the notes or the pieces of advice that you all wrote into
our brand new email address.
And she's so proud.
I'm so proud of it.
You know it was really hard to do Gmail.
And we're just going to share and we're going to see what you all have to say about your
health wellness fitness journeys.
And maybe it will resonate for some of you and make you feel like you are not alone in
this whole thing.
And maybe it's some good advice where it'll help you in the long run.
I like that.
Let's read them off.
I'm Victoria.
Hey guys.
I'm Carly.
I feel like you all know that by now.
I know, but we're just going to keep saying it because there might be a day where somebody
turns this on and has no idea where we are, who we are.
And if that, we don't know where we are, we don't know where we are either.
But if that happens, turn it off, go back to episode one.
Don't start at 74.
Yeah.
You understand Carly.
74.
This episode would be a really good one.
74, this episode would be a really great one to start with if you're starting out in your
fitness journey.
If you want to get to know us, go back to one.
All right.
We're starting everything off with our girl Gail.
What up Gail?
We love you.
You've known Gail for a very long time.
Yes.
She was at an OG C-fitter at Old Old C-fit.
She's going to tell us that.
Oh, sorry.
So let's listen to the words of Gail.
Yeah, not me.
Okay.
Flashback to 2021, specifically Vanessa's kindergarten graduation.
This is Gail's daughter.
I remember looking at pictures that were taken that day and asking myself, what happened?
I was so heavy and uncomfortable in my clothes.
I knew that I needed to make some changes and I knew that I had let COVID affect me,
not only physically but mentally.
I comforted myself with food, snacks, alcohol, parentheses, lops, and special trips to Chick-fil-A,
whatever made us happy.
I feel like we all get that.
Oh my God, we all get that.
We all did that in our own ways.
During that time, I had just joined Instagram and C-fit started popping up.
What's up?
Thanks, Gail.
I followed the account and flashback to 2010, I had taken Zumba classes at the studio.
That's when we did Zumba, like strict Zumba.
After I had Nikki, which is her son, and had loved it, I was going three or four nights
a week and I remember that I loved the feeling of working out through dance and breaking a
good sweat.
Unfortunately, back then, I started smoking cigarettes again after I had Nikki and that
ended my Zumba trips.
Gail, insert multiple rounds of Weight Watchers, Herbal Life, Keto, Fasting, and we're back
in 2021 and nothing has changed.
We all did that.
I mean, we had a whole episode on all of the diets and feds that we have done as well.
We are in the same boat.
I took a chance and I sent you both a message.
I told Nick that I was going to invest in myself, Nick is her husband.
The money would be worth it in the long run and I was in the mindset that I was ready
to commit to whatever program, whatever the program looked like.
I really did not know what I was doing, but I signed up.
I will never forget the day the program came through and I looked it over at work and I
cried.
Gail, you didn't tell us that.
I had never eaten eggplant.
I had a thousand questions about how to make my own oatmeal and I was not crazy about mushrooms.
Wait, just to preface this, she's talking about our Fit Coaching program, which is our
Weight Loss and Accountability program that she signed up for and crushed.
But I did it and I followed your advice that you had given me each day to a T.
I started to realize that by fueling my body with good foods, getting in a workout and
sleeping better also drastically improved my mental health.
I'm someone who suffered with mental health my entire life.
Trigger warning for people out there with mental health moments here.
I attempted suicide at 15 and have found myself in and out of therapy throughout the years.
I suffered terrible postpartum with both of my children, but more so Vanessa.
And it took me a long time to recognize that for myself.
To feel my best self mentally, I needed to feel my best self physically.
Gail, that is some serious stuff.
And I know that by you sharing that, it is helping some other people that have gone through it or are going through it right now.
And it is very helpful.
So we really appreciate you for sharing that part of your story.
Yeah, thank you.
That is vulnerable.
And I'm sure a lot of people can kind of find comfort that there are people out there that go through the same things and have mental health struggles.
Mental health is so, so important.
So if you are someone that is triggered by this and seek help, talk to a therapist, get professional guidance.
And my God, thank you, Gail.
We love you.
Love you.
So I joined back to basics, which is our accountability program and the VOD, the video on demand, which is what we offer at Seafit.
So you can work out at home and love looking forward to new workouts.
It did not feel like a chore to me.
I thoroughly enjoyed getting up each day and seeing what new video there was going to be.
And I pushed myself to step outside my comfort zone and bought a set of weights.
Fives to start.
And now I have 15s and 20s.
What?
Good for you.
I bought bands, a Pilates ball, a five pound ball and two and three pound hand weights.
You were amazing.
Yeah, I remember her saying like, I want to do band buster at home.
And so she bought herself a five pound medicine ball so she could do it at home.
This is amazing progress.
I love challenging myself and trying new workouts in my basement.
I love the daily check ins and it helped me stay motivated and on track.
My favorite videos are hip hop ads.
Same.
Get a girl.
Garlies being serious too.
I am.
Then the studio opened.
Oh my gosh, we're still in COVID time.
Yeah.
So we weren't even open.
I started to make it a point to make it there once a week.
Life is crazy and after school commitments take up most of my time.
However, I learned that it was okay to make time for myself and commit to come to class
to have not only a break, but to feel a part of a community.
So important.
Starting my health journey also helped me start a journey of setting boundaries.
What?
Learning to say no, listen to my body and not engage with people or places that no longer
serve a purpose to my soul.
Holy moly gal.
I mean, how much do we owe you?
Do we, you're going to get a check in the mail gal.
It's amazing.
50 cents.
Throughout these three years, I have grown to love walking into class and meeting new
people, sharing stories about our families, talking about a good book that we just read
or just being able to listen to someone else who needs to talk.
This is so true and this is all what Seafit is about.
I mean, that's what we hope it's about.
So I'm glad that it's coming through to somebody.
Right.
I've been in mark my three years since I joined Seafit.
Gail.
Wow.
Party.
I have successfully maintained 30 of the 40 pound weight loss that I initially dropped.
That is so incredible.
I mean, that's incredible and incredibly hard.
So that is go you, Gail.
As I approached 41, I realized that I needed to up my protein and start walking and lifting
weights more.
My current struggles are that I'm in pre-menopause and I'm realizing that what worked three years
ago, food wise, is not necessarily working now.
I'm learning to adjust and to not focus on the number on the scale, but more how my clothes
are feeling and how I'm feeling about myself.
Oh my gosh, Gail, you are a rock star.
Life is hard.
Yeah.
And life brings challenges.
Oh my God.
Trying to navigate teenage years, volunteer work, work environments, marriage and time
is generally is hard.
But like you say, you must pick your hard and you must work at it.
One thing that I do know is that Seafit is there when I need it.
It's a place for me to go to make for myself.
Time to work out, time to try new things.
Whether I make one class a week or surprise you both and show up three days in a row.
I mean, that happened recently and I was like, Gail, it's the best.
What a gift.
It's the best.
I'm always greeted the same and I make time to tell my family that I'm going to work
out and they have come to realize that this is mom's time and do not bother me.
Yeah.
Exclamation point.
Biggest piece of advice I would say is that you need to invest in yourself because you
cannot pour from an empty cup.
It's never too late to start and it's never too late to get back on track.
Believe in yourself and others will believe in you.
Gail, you, that was absolutely amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing.
No prize.
But if there were, you'd get a price.
And guess what?
The prize is your life back.
You're getting your life back and we are there to help, but you really, and we tell you this
all the time, we tell everybody this all the time, you are the one doing the hard work.
And first is realizing, the second is investing.
The third is following through and now it's just living.
Now it's part of your life.
It's not no longer as hard anymore because it's life.
I love reading the actual progression.
Like yes, quite literally from like five pound weights to 15s and 20s and all that stuff.
But the progression of where your mindset was, especially in the heart of COVID, which
I think was such a collective mindset and everybody felt that down in the dumps at some
point where you were like, Oh my God, what have I done this past year?
Like how did I get here?
I also want to recognize that she said she started in 2010 and it's 2024.
And she lost a lot of weight and it was hills and valleys, peaks and you know, no, no, no,
what is it?
Hills and valleys, peaks and peaks and ebbs and flows.
No, what's the bottom of peaks and ebbs and flows?
What's the peak?
What's the bottom of a peak?
Peaks and valleys, hills and valleys.
One thing.
Anyway, Gail, you know, you know what I'm talking about, but it did not happen overnight.
Garly's talking the valley.
Everyone thinks you snap your fingers and it just happens and that's a 14 year journey.
And it's hard, but you stick to it and now you're now, you know, and your family knows
that you need to take care of you first.
You put on your air mask on the airplane first so you can help somebody else.
And that is really, really important and awesome.
Air mask or oxygen mask?
God damn it, Victoria.
I mean, I love an air mask.
I really love air masks.
Gail, tell her to stop.
No, I'm serious.
When we look on the list, which we always do, Victoria does it a lot less than I do.
Sure do.
I am, you know, glued to that sign in list and see who signs in.
I always love it when I see Gail on the list because I know your personal struggles.
I know you're more about your life, you know, than some other people.
She's a creep.
Yeah.
So I know it was hard.
It's hard for you to get there.
And I know it's hard for you to sign in and make the time.
So when I see your name on the list, I'm like, yes, Gail's coming.
That's awesome.
And that's a good genuine reaction.
And I don't feel that this episode is to like pat ourselves on the back.
Oh, my God.
At all.
So I just want you all to know that reading these is not like, look how great our community
is.
But I'm going to say, look how great our community is because it really, really is.
Yeah.
Community is such a strong thing.
Last thing I want to say about Gail's amazing story is that if you are also in the premenopausal
stage of your life, there, we're not there yet, but we know and hear how confusing it
can be because what you used to be able to eat and do and for your routine starts to
change or it just feels like it's not working anymore.
So Gail, the fact that you have kind of noticed that and have gone with the flow of changing
things or just shifting, if that's a better word for it, your food or the way you work
out and the frequency and stuff like that, that's such a hard part of the game is to
realize is to be like, this doesn't work anymore.
Something I got to change it.
So it does work for me.
Right.
Yeah.
It's those peaks and valleys and hills and elbs and highs and lows and then hires.
I will say that I have been looking this up a little more because people have been asking
questions about that specifically.
And it is, you are absolutely right, Gail, in saying that you need to switch to not switch
completely cardio.
Everybody needs a healthy heart, but to add, add addition.
Yeah.
Weights into your workout for premenopause and menopause is the best thing you can do
for your body and your hormone levels.
So you're doing the right thing.
Add those weights in, in addition to the cardio and then, you know, and nutrition is a big
part of it.
But yeah.
Well, thank you, Gail.
That was amazing.
I'm going to switch to some of you listening.
I, there is something in there for everybody.
It resonates with me.
All right.
Up next is our good friend, Liz Preston.
She is also one of our OGC fitters.
And let's hear what she has to say.
Hello, friends.
Love that.
I love starting with friends.
I know you weren't surprised to hear from me.
I started Cfit when it was still Cfit at Carmela's at the start when we were putting checks
in the boxes.
My God.
Oh my gosh.
Just remembering those days when I would collect checks or cash and there was a line down the
steps at mom's studio.
And we never knew if one person was coming or 30.
So we just had to be prepared.
And we thought it was so stressful.
It was so stressful because I'd be like, oh my gosh, I just taught two tonight and then
30 the next night.
Because you just never knew.
We didn't have a sign in like system.
So that's funny that you said that.
I struggled for years to find a good, healthy physical activity.
All growing up, I was told I shouldn't be active because of my heart condition.
But modern medicine and science progress.
That was a very dumb thing to tell patients and quite the opposite.
Even though I have some limitations in how I jump, Cfit is the perfect place to modify
but also challenge myself.
Right around the time Cfit was established, I had some wacky heart rates and scary trips
where they had to shock me in the ER.
Oh my God.
I didn't know that.
I knew that.
I knew about her heart condition but I didn't know.
I didn't know the scary.
I knew it was time to figure out how to be healthy and see if it came in.
Since I started, my annual cardio appointment has been really healthy and it has awesome
test results.
That is awesome.
That's like huge.
I mean, it's beyond huge.
So Liz was born and she had to have heart surgery when she was a little girl.
Think it's CHD, right?
Yes.
So when we did our heart episode, she was the one that had suggested that.
She was like, hey guys, it's February.
So every year she posts about it because it's really important and it's really important
to know that you can overcome things like that.
Now of course you always have to listen to your doctor but she was told she couldn't
do it and if you saw Liz, she works out with us almost six to seven days a week and when
she's not with us in person, she's at home doing the workouts.
I was just going to say, she did it at home with her little cat all over her on the floor.
She would send pictures and be like doing this with a partner today.
And she even did a bucket list, which was she worked out with Victoria.
She did a V fit.
Oh my God.
She did personal training and she crushed it.
Absolutely crushed it.
I'm currently watching her lift a barbell above her head and just like crushed squat
thrusters, which I'm sure her doctors never thought she could ever do in a million years.
Now I will say, I hope things have changed in the medical industry when it comes, industry
is a medical industry.
Yeah, it's an industry.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, love that.
I hope like that has changed in terms of heart conditions and heart patients even as you
know, as babies and stuff and they have a little bit more positive like here's all the
things that you can do.
You just have to do it this way.
So maybe back then it was just like a little bit different.
But Liz would be the one to be able to tell us if that's true.
You know, and also just know that Liz is doing it.
There are no excuses for you.
You get up, you do it.
Liz is not always easy.
But just like she said, she modifies the jumping because maybe she can't jump as much as we
can or as somebody else can.
We still yell at her the same.
Oh, sorry, Liz.
A million percent.
She doesn't get out of anything.
Like, let's go.
She just looks at us.
She's like, yes, she does.
She goes, no, she'll go, I'm taking a break.
I'll be like, no breaks for you.
No breaks for you.
But thank you, Liz.
You are one of our OGC fitters.
And back in the day when written checks and cash were all that we accepted.
And I remember she took a bar and tone class.
That was her very first class.
And now she's up to seven days a week doing everything under the sun.
And you know, life gets in the way and life is who knows.
But you still come in when you can get to class.
She also commutes to work on 95.
And if you know what that means, that means she has no control.
Yeah.
Liz, we pray for you for that 95 commute.
And sometimes when you can't get him in, she'll do it at home.
And she's like, I'm so going to work out.
I'm going to do it.
And I am so proud of you for being so resilient and pushing forward.
And it's such a true testament for everybody to kind of perk their ears up to be like,
I can do it.
There's nothing in my way.
I say it in class sometimes.
I'm like, you can do this.
You have the ability to do this.
So do it.
Do it.
Keep going.
Get to the end of class.
You got this.
Because there are a lot of people that cannot.
Right.
And we forget that.
Yeah.
We forget that.
So, Liz, you're not one of them.
You can do it.
You're doing it.
Ed Sheeran would be proud of you.
We love you.
Next up is our girl Bridget.
Bee Claus.
Wow.
You're really good with the nicknames.
I mean, it's also her Instagram handle.
And now you guys can all look her up.
Look her up.
She's great.
She's amazing.
And we have known Bridget since she was a baby dancing at Carmel's Dance Studio.
It's a wee little one.
And then she taught for us.
She taught yoga for us for a while.
And now she comes as a sea fitter and she always gives us the best new music.
Oh my gosh, she does.
After a class, she'll DM us with like the best.
She's like, listen, you want a good song?
Here's a good song.
Chapel Roan.
I'm on the Chapel train.
Okay.
So Bridget's story is amazing and she's wonderful and she's incredible.
But she has a piece of advice for sea fitters and I'm going to extend that to anybody in
any type of fitness community or just the journey in general.
She said, if I had any advice, it would be that it doesn't matter how many times you
leave or you miss or anything, you can always come back.
And this is short and sweet and so strong because it's so true.
It's so important because I know, I know the Victorian knows too, how many times we've
stopped and started things in our life.
Oh my God, especially fitness.
Had we not restarted again, we wouldn't be doing it.
I say to people all the time, if we didn't do this as our career or to make a living
and like what we will passion project, I'd be so one of the people that it's hard to
get off the couch at the end of the work day to go work out.
I need something to push me.
And that's why we give you all so much credit, especially in those February, March months
when it is cold and dark and it's 5.30 PM, 6.00 PM, 7.00 PM.
The last thing you want to do is get out and go to a workout class.
So we give you a lot of credit for that.
And even long term, say you stopped because life got in the way and it's been years and
you want to get back in, but it's just like, I don't know.
I shouldn't.
Like it's embarrassing because it's been so long.
I gained weight.
I don't want them to see me.
No.
Absolutely.
And we're not just talking about us.
We're not talking about Seafit as the community that we know and love so much.
Any journey, anywhere in the world, any type of gym, doing it on your own, doing it in
your own basement and you feel like you can't start up again, you can and you should.
You're going to try again.
Yeah.
And then guess what?
The moment you get over that little hump of trying, it's back there.
It's like getting bit by the bug, I think is the phrase, right?
So you get bit by the bug and then you're like, I don't want to miss.
Yeah, exactly.
And guess what?
If you fall off again, you can get back into it.
That's the cool thing about the peaks and valleys and ebbs and flows is that you just
keep on trucking.
Keep on keeping.
But I do want to say specifically about Seafit and I think what Bridget is talking about is
sometimes when people stop coming to class and this could be for anywhere and then you
see your teachers in life and then you try and avoid them because you're embarrassed.
Don't be.
Oh my God.
We have other lives other than Seafit that we can talk about.
Don't run from us at the store.
We can do.
You have another life.
I mean, this is my life.
I come to your house once a week.
But what I'm saying is it's okay to stop going to a specific place and try something else
or there's no judgment.
There's no judgment.
That's what I mean.
Because some people have DMed or a message saying, I'm afraid it's been so long.
I haven't come to see you.
Like I know I'm so sorry.
You don't have to apologize.
Oh my God.
No, not at all.
I've run into people at the grocery store and they're like, don't look at my cart.
Don't look at my cart.
I know.
Don't look at mine.
I've got like ice cream pines and Oreos.
Like what are we doing here?
I think the good, it's exactly right.
And I think the good thing and the bad thing is when you come in, we know you.
And that's the best thing.
And we know, just like Gail said, we know your life and Liz said, we know what goes
on with her.
So Carly's a creep.
Somebody says, oh, that person's not here.
I'm like, oh no, no, no, they're down the shore for the weekend.
They have their sister's cousin's graduation party.
They'll be here on Tuesday.
They'll be on time for so.
But I mean, so when you stop coming, you're like, oh, I feel really bad starting again
because they know so much about me.
They're going to ask me questions.
We will not ask you questions.
And most likely, whatever gym you go to, they're not.
They're just happy to see that you're back and that you're trying again.
And we know how hard it is for that first classman.
You're looking around going, oh God, what did I get myself into?
People are talking to me.
People are looking at me.
People are asking, oh my gosh, how are you?
Where have you been?
And that can be overwhelming.
Yes, sure.
It can be absolutely overwhelming.
But know that if you're going to group fitness classes and you know the instructor enough
because you used to go all the time and now you're back, that instructor isn't judging
you.
They are holding you so high because you made it through the door.
You made it through the door and you held, you're already holding yourself accountable.
You signed up, you showed up.
Hardest part.
Anything after that is breeze.
I just told two new people and they were very nervous and they stood in the back and I
was like, just know, maybe I'm not the best person to say this.
I was like, just know I can see you back here.
I know I'm horrible.
You really are.
But I wanted to make sure that they knew that I was aware that they were there.
I cared.
I was watching them.
They're good.
You guys are fine.
And I said, you already did the hardest part.
You walked in the door and you didn't know me and you didn't know Victoria and you've never
been here before and you don't know one person in class because you found us on Google, which
is awesome by the way.
And I said, that's the hardest part.
And now after today, you know the drill.
You can try any class, go in anywhere and it will be already easier because you made
it through.
And I think that's awesome, Bridget, that you gave that piece of advice because it's
something that I think people forget.
It's always about diet or nutrition or the actual fitness class.
It's not about, hey, I stopped and I'm starting again and I'm going to stop and I'm going
to start again.
And that is okay.
It's totally okay.
And totally a mind game.
It's all in your mind.
That fear of, oh no, I can't and I shouldn't.
And it's embarrassing and it's all in our minds.
And that thought process is so annoying.
That's the loudest thing ever.
Sarah, it's the Bruno.
If you watch the movie, Luca.
Oh my God.
Yeah, we were just talking about this today.
She told me to get my Bruno.
I have like a Bruno and it's when your mind is telling you like, you can't do this.
It's too scary.
You're not good enough for this and all that stuff.
I haven't watched the movie yet.
It's a cute little cartoon it looks like.
And he calls it like the Bruno.
That's Bruno.
Tell Bruno to shush.
And we all have that, especially when you haven't worked out in a while and you haven't
been to the place that you used to go and maybe things are different in your body and
your mind.
You gotta get past that Bruno.
We don't talk about Bruno.
Different movie, but whatever.
Either way, Bruno's bad.
Yeah.
Bruno's bad.
But it's a great piece of advice.
And if that's where you are right now in your journey, where you're the in-between and you
are very apprehensive to get started again, this is the sign that it's okay.
Maybe you listen to us, but you just haven't come to a class because it's been so long.
Just know we are not judging.
You walk right through those doors and at any given moment, Bridget will be singing and
rapping to Nicki Minaj word for freaking word.
So there's that.
She said freaking.
You know it's real.
Explicit.
We love her, Bridget.
Our next guest.
Her name is Donna.
Donna McNellan.
She actually does not come to see fit.
So this is great.
I love that she wrote in.
She does not.
I love you, Donna.
Donna is a Kundalini queen.
I'm sorry.
Is that appropriate?
Yes.
Oh.
What was the word?
This is awkward.
Kundalini is breath work and she is like channeling so many things.
She was in my yoga teacher training group and Donna is like one of my spirit soul sisters.
I absolutely love you, Donna.
And I can't wait to hear what you have to say.
Me too.
And your husband's pretty cool too.
You are never too old to charter a new path to find yourself and your people to fall in
love with life and yourself to follow a new passion and jump into scary situations with
both feet and learn from the experience.
I was 55, but I still think I'm 37.
Yeah.
Honestly, she's like, she's 21 at best.
She's rocking it.
I think you're my spirit animal because that's where I am right now.
She's a party.
I'm sorry.
I was 55, but I still think I'm 37 when I decided to go through YTT.
Yoga teacher training.
And a whole new world opened up for me.
I'm just beginning to grow and flourish.
At 55.
Which is just an age, but I feel like people think it's too late, which is exactly what
Donna is saying.
I mean, I know people think that.
I think I've thought that even in my 30s, I'm like, I can't.
It's too late for that.
Why do we do that?
I feel that way too, and then I put on some cropped booty jean shorts and I'm like, yeah,
I'm going to wear these just like the kids.
No, it's awkward again.
I'm just kidding.
But it's, but truly it's like, it's never too late.
If you ever see on, on Instagram, it's, I can't think of who, but like Oprah started
at this age and.
Oh, yes.
Harrison Ford was a carpenter or something until he was 40.
Yes, and then became who they became and it's not just like celebrity actors and stuff.
It's people that have invented things.
They did it later in life and look where they are now.
But we all think and we're all taught like the moment you get out of the age of college,
not that you have to go to college, but out of that age, you should know what the rest
of your life looks like.
And you should be on the pursuit for the end game of that specific pursuit and it can't
change.
And I don't, I don't know why that, that's a thing.
It just, it's a society thing.
I mean, I don't know who started it, but I listened to this, these podcasts and, you
know, they'll have celebrities on and they'll say, Oh, I didn't get my big break till I
was 23.
That's pretty late.
And I'm like, it's not wild.
Yeah.
It's horrible.
I'm like 23.
I'm like, turn it off just cause it's so disappointing.
Like you thought 23, 25, getting your big break as an actor was late.
You didn't even know how to like eat well or dress yourself yet.
Yeah.
You know, like maybe not dress yourself.
That's really kind of upsetting.
But, but you know what?
It could be true for some people.
But just shut up.
But Donna, you know what I'm saying.
All right.
You know, Donna, but I just appreciate this because we all feel this.
And while Donna doesn't feel her numerical age number of 55 and she shouldn't because
Donna is a star.
Yeah, she is.
She's a rock star.
And we all feel like even sometimes I'm 35.
Sometimes I feel 90.
I mean, yesterday.
You probably did.
Yesterday.
I felt 90 this morning.
I felt 90.
I'm back to 35.
Yeah.
Sometimes you just need to go to class to make you feel alive again.
I mean, that's the truth.
But we go through that thought process and we go through that feeling of it.
I've passed my prime.
I've passed my part of trying new things and discovering new things.
Or if I change now, I won't make the same money.
And sometimes it is about financial things where I won't make the same money because
I need it to keep this house or I need it to feed my kids or whatever it is.
Or I can't, you know, I can't get divorced because.
Right.
I never find anybody else.
I'm in my 40s or 50s.
It's like, that's not true.
It's just not true.
There is an opportunity out there at every single stage of our lives if we open the door
to it.
If we allow it and if we allow ourselves to be open to trying something different and
seeing if that different door is the avenue that we will thrive in a little bit more.
I'm going to go with the impression that Donna, because you know her very well, does not
have the Bruno in her mind and she just goes for things.
I'm sure.
Well, Donna, I could talk to you, but I'm totally going to talk for you.
I'm sure she has.
Everybody has Bruno at some point and like random little moments, you know, yeah.
Bruno is basically insecurity and I have not watched this movie.
So I don't know if I should be talking about that, but she is a go getter and she just
to walk into a yoga teacher training knowing that probably the age range is probably going
to be 20 to 30 ish and she's 55.
Just to be able to do that and be like, I want to do this.
Go do it.
Like and she did it to not have that sort of maybe she did have hesitation.
She didn't say that she did, but I think everybody has hesitation and like all decisions to
some degree.
But I mean, we do even when we jump in, we still like, oh, sure.
Like I have a hard time.
I mean, I say this all the time.
I have a hard time doing anything without Victoria.
So if I try something new, it's most likely with Victoria and if Victoria is not around,
I make Andrew do it.
Well, like Carly and Andrew have a date to Ben Platt this weekend and I'm going.
So because I'm making Victoria go.
I love third wheeling, but you love Ben Platt, but when it comes to right, Andrew's the third
wheel.
Yeah.
So when it comes back to Donna, though, one of the things that our mentor Tyler would
tell everyone and he still celebrates this.
He says, fire it up.
We, Donna was the original fire it up because whenever fresh wasn't even open yet, she was
the first pre-sale.
Really?
She bought a package before the doors were open.
Wow.
She's a go getter.
Yeah.
She's a go getter.
And I look up to you for that so much because it's something in her and it's, it's this like,
I don't even if she's scared, she's going to, she's going to do it.
And I think that's only gotten stronger since YTT and I can't really talk about.
Who Donna was before I met Donna.
But who I know as Donna and I hope you're listening and I hope you're smiling really
big and I hope she is someone that I strive to be in an outlook of life because she's,
it's bright.
It's bright and it's vibrant and it's, it's, she's a party and I don't just mean like she's
party girl, like whatever.
She has a very good energy.
If it, her energy is a party in the calm moments and in the exciting hip hop party.
Well, that's where I really met her.
I mean, I met her in yoga class, but I really met her and you can just tell from her talking
to her that she's a very warm and like bubbly energetic person.
And that's awesome.
Yeah.
Harry Krishna, Donna, Harry Krishna, Priyanka Chopra, all the things.
I'm a sleigh to you.
Oh my God, I don't.
I'm dying.
Donna, I didn't do it because I don't think I'd last a day, but that's probably why you
need to do it.
Pradi ahi.
Listen, Donna, I really appreciate you writing in and, and telling us this lovely piece of
advice that we all need the reminder for because it is never too late to start anything.
This goes beyond fitness and health and wellness, even though that's probably the first seed
that you should always be trying something new with and going for it because it's never
too late because that will catapult you into lots of other opportunities in life.
But this goes for anything.
If you are thinking that it is too late for you, we are here to tell you and Donna is
here to tell you that it absolutely is not.
So thank you, Donna.
We love you.
Drop Mike Donna.
Not Mike drop.
Oh yeah, Mike drop.
Drop Mike that.
That was more like a command.
It was more like, hey Donna, you dropped Mike.
No, Mike drop.
See that was me 38 thinking in my head that I'm still 25.
It's too late for you.
Okay.
Moving on.
All right, Barbara.
I think everyone's last name is whoop whoop.
We've done we've done a last name whoop whoop of her.
I think everyone's so far.
I'm a Neil crushing it.
We love you Barbara.
So Barbara says thank you for another fun and informative podcast today.
She's so cute.
Gee, I wonder which one that was.
I agree.
Massages can hurt, but there are so many benefits, especially for you two with how hard you work.
You're so sweet.
Thank you.
Barbara no massages.
I'm just kidding.
If you feel like my MS story would be a good fit for an episode, I'm happy to share my
story from the surprising diagnosis at age 35 until now.
Barbara, you're amazing.
I knew about the MS.
I did not know it was a at that age.
She was diagnosed.
I'm not sure how many details you're looking for in the email, but I basically spent the
first year feeling lost and scared to death, totally in a funk, depressed mentally.
It's not super uncommon, but uncommon enough that I felt alone because nobody can really
understand what you're going through unless they are too.
And that is that's very true.
Yeah.
Today I still have bad scary days when something flares or feels off, but I'm so much stronger.
Diet and exercise play a big part and a positive mindset helps too.
I mean, Barbara is one of the most positive people that walk through our doors.
I don't think I've ever seen her not smile.
No, I think maybe just maybe in one of your classes like tone up or something.
Nope.
She's still smiling.
And I'm like, oh my God, if Barbara is not smiling.
No, because she's still smiling because I look out and I'm like, dammit, Barbara smile.
I got to keep it up.
I have to smile too.
I'm okay.
Barbara's okay.
I have a distant cousin who also has it and was diagnosed 10 years before me.
And she told me that although I had to deal with this new normal, quote unquote new normal,
to not limit myself because of the disease, not to let it stop me.
So that's what I do.
I've learned to manage it while living the best life I can.
And now I know it's not a death sentence.
Oh, autoimmune disorders in general tie into our gut episode and our eating healthy one
from a while ago.
So tune into those.
If you haven't listened to those yet.
She didn't say that.
I said that.
If this is too specific or something you're not interested in at the moment, no worries
at all.
I'm sure you're getting many great ideas sent to you.
I just thought if I can help in someone who may be struggling, I'd be happy to share.
See you soon, Amigas.
Oh my God.
She's a Spanish teacher.
Barbara, this is amazing.
Thank you for sharing that because that is sensitive to the individual person.
Some people I'm sure wouldn't want to share such vulnerable things about themselves.
But MS and getting diagnosed so young, it must have been nice to have that distant cousin
as like a, what am I looking for?
A confidant or like somebody that, you know, understands what you're going through.
And Barbara comes in and absolutely crushes whatever class she's taking.
I remember when she told us, because she also did our fit coaching program and she said,
I just want to, I don't tell people this.
So I don't want it out there.
But she's like, I have MS and our program, you have to work out every single day.
And she was like, I'm just letting you know.
And don't you know Barbara did not skip a day, not once.
And she didn't push through like injury or, you know, she wasn't feeling well.
She did like a lighter day, but she did it because she could because she doesn't want
to not be able to.
And Barbara is here to tell you that you have to know your limits and you have to know when
you got to be strong and tell yourself and get through the classes and get through to
feeling better mentally, which will help you physically.
Yeah.
I'm sure when she got that diagnosis and you said you went into that like little dark negative
space, that's never a fun.
But I, that's not going to help the MS.
No.
Right.
And I will tell you that Barbara walks in with a smile, whether it's 536 AM or 530 PM.
And she's always comes in with a smile.
And the first thing she says is, how are you?
Yeah.
She's always asking, how are you?
Yeah.
You know, and you know, I'm always like, so good, so good, Barbara.
I said, you know, I'm always lying.
I'm just kidding.
But she's, you know, that she's there.
She's working out.
She's got her own, you know, baggage going on and she's there and she's doing it for
her.
And I think that's really important.
She also plays tennis like all the time.
Yeah.
She's a very active person.
She's not letting this stop her.
And I think that is great advice.
Just don't, it's not a depth sentence.
Nothing is and keep moving, keep going.
Your outlook, no matter what you're going through, because we all have baggage, right?
Everyone is holding baggage.
It just depends on whether it's something you got at TJ Maxx or you decided it's a
Louboutin bag.
Nicole, our friend Nicole used to say that.
She'd be like, it's make it a Louis.
Make it a Louboutin.
Everybody's got baggage.
It just matters if your baggage, your Louboutin matches their Gucci, right?
So make your baggage Gucci.
Oh my God.
Why not?
Yeah.
Right?
So you just basically means work with what you got.
And if you change your mindset to have more of the positive outlook, Barbara, I'm sure
you have days where you do not want to smile.
Oh, sure.
I am sure you have moments where you're like, I just don't, I'm not going.
I'm not going.
I'm not doing this.
I just want to stay home.
We all do that.
And I hope you have those days.
Yeah.
Everybody needs those days.
But if you can walk into what you're doing with a smile that will change everything.
She's doing absolutely everything because she can.
So thank you so much, Barbara.
You're so strong.
I love it.
I'm going to say adios.
Oh, man.
Oh, sorry.
Adios, Barbara.
Oh my gosh.
Adios, Barbara.
She's like, her ears are bleeding now.
Como esta?
Como va?
Puedo ir la baño.
Fiesta?
Margarita.
Suavamente.
Zumba?
Mi gente.
We're just saying any Zumba.
No, we know.
We'll be listening to a song.
We're like, Barbara, I hope they're not cursing or saying anything bad.
It's pit bull.
You never know.
We love you, Barbara.
All right.
Our last guest of the day and she started her email in the way that everybody should
have.
Hey, guys, it's Maggie.
Do you think she says it like that?
I think she does.
I, I, yes.
It's Maggie.
She said, here goes.
I had struggled with my weight my entire life.
I had success with Weight Watchers until I didn't.
And I couldn't figure out why I was having trouble losing and keeping the weight off
despite tracking my food.
We've all been there, Maggie, multiple times.
I've learned that I've been diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome, which makes it
really hard to lose weight.
Wow.
Did not know that, Maggie.
That's news to us.
Wow.
Fast forward to IVF in order to have my two children and very stressful times in my life.
I wasn't taking care of myself.
I became morbidly obese.
In turn, I learned to have my gallbladder out.
Wow.
Did not know that either.
So I decided to have a bariatric surgeon do a gastric sleep procedure and take my gall
bladder out with it.
Oh my goodness.
Wow.
The doctor told me if I don't exercise, I would gain all the weight back plus extra.
So I knew I had to find a lifetime workout.
Wow.
I had lost 60 pounds and discovered Seafit thanks to a friend tagging herself on social
media.
Sometimes social media is good.
Yep.
I said that, not Maggie.
I went to one class and knew this was the workout I had been waiting for my whole life.
Seafit was helping me keep the weight off for two years until the pandemic.
From 2020 to 2022, I had gained 30 pounds back.
Maggie, everybody did.
Same girl.
No problem.
I'm still eating better than I ever have pre-surgery and making appointments with my assigned
dietitian and therapist.
I'm also working out more and added weight classes at Seafit.
I'm not 100% happy with my reflection or eating habits, but it's still a success from where
I started.
Unbelievable essence.
I mean, if that's not the most relatable sentence that I think everybody needs to hear, I don't
know what is.
Say it again.
Okay.
I'm not 100% happy with my reflection or eating habits, but it's still a success from where
I started.
Unbelievable.
Gold star.
And one of the hardest things we tend to remember, right?
It's so hard to have that perspective when you're in it and you look in the mirror and
you're not happy about it.
It's so hard to look at the body type that you have in that moment and be like, but I
wasn't like this 10 years ago.
Right?
Like we don't do that.
We look and we're like, oh my God.
Right.
I didn't lose 20 pounds overnight.
I'm a failure.
Yeah.
Like insane, insane Bruno's all over the place.
And Maggie, really, you've gone through it.
She has.
You've gone through it and you have come out on the other side, a way stronger person,
no matter what the scale says.
And we always forget that too.
We put so much weight on the scale.
Like we, that is life, that is law, that is, that tells us everything we need to know
about ourselves.
And it's so not true.
The scale tells us a number that doesn't even know how much of that number is your head.
And our heads weigh like eight to 10 pounds.
Yeah.
You know that?
So you should just minus that every time you weigh yourself.
Yeah, that is brilliant.
Why have we never thought of that?
But that's what I mean.
Like we put so much into that number on a piece of metal on the bathroom floor and we
lose that perspective of how great you're actually doing.
I mean, Maggie, I'm going to be honest with you and everybody, Maggie and everybody.
If the number wasn't what I wanted, it completely ruined my day.
And I would get up at 4.45 a.m. and if the number is not what I expected from 4.45 a.m.
until I went to bed, I was in a bad mood.
And I'm not like that anymore, but there was a time where that number dictated my whole
life and we need to stop doing that.
Yeah.
It's a very scary place to be.
But if you can have the perspective that Maggie has and look at yourself today and see where
you are and then check out where you were before in this journey, that would just be
so much healthier as a whole for mind and body.
There's many people have said this online.
I just watched one recently and it has to do with that reflection thing.
And it was, you know what it was?
It was a cosmetic surgeon talking on the gram.
And she says she sees a lot of people come in and they want to change things, right?
They want to cosmetically change the shape of their face or their nose or whatever else
you do in those offices.
I'm sure they actually span to places that we don't even know about.
This doctor was like, I don't see what they see.
Like I don't see the problem and this is my living.
Like I do this for a living.
I should just like want to do whatever they want me to do, but I don't see the problem.
And so sometimes she has this conversation with them where she says, the picture, when
we take pictures, which we are such a picture society.
Yes.
Nowadays.
We don't ever like it.
We don't ever like what we see.
It's very rare that you take the picture and go, oh, great.
Like you're happy about it right off the bat.
I'm getting better at that, but that's a problem I have.
I'm getting better though.
No, I'm not getting better at that.
But no, you're not.
But I have to remember what I'm about to say because we see a reflection.
We don't see what other people see in us.
We see a mirrored reflection in a photo and we go off of that.
But if you've ever tried, we've said this before, if you've ever tried to take a picture
of a sunset or take a picture of the moon when it's full and it just looks not real,
right?
Look at those scenic moments where you're like, I got it.
I got to capture this.
And you take that picture and you're like, oh, God, that's not even doing half of justice
of what I'm looking at right now.
Put that into yourself.
Look at yourself in that picture.
It's the same thing.
It's the exact same thing.
That picture and that reflection that you see in the mirror is not doing you justice
to the beauty that we have.
I mean, it's just like every romantic comedy, every rom-com, the guy or girl is like, you're
not seeing what I'm seeing.
You don't see you the way I see you.
And that's the truth.
You don't see yourself the way other people see you.
So while Maggie might be saying she's not 100% happy, she's a work in progress, sure,
we all are a work in progress, but there are people out there not seeing any of the things
that you're unhappy with.
I do want to say something really important that Maggie said is I need to find a fitness
routine or journey that I knew I could stick to for life.
And that's for everybody.
If you don't like your workouts, if you don't like doing what you're doing to lose weight
or get healthy, then it's not for you.
If you can't stick to it for more than six weeks, it's not for you.
And don't think, but everybody loves this.
I should love this.
That means nothing.
Unless you're at Seafit.
And then yeah, you should.
God damn it.
Love it.
What's wrong with you?
Drop Mike.
But Maggie loves to dance, she's my fellow in-syncer.
Any in-sync song that comes on, we are jamming out.
That's her jam.
She loves that, but she's adding weights in because she knows how important it is.
Now luckily, in-syncs also playing in the background of those weight classes as well.
So that's why Maggie likes it too.
So it makes it more bearable.
But that's what you have to do.
You have to find the good in whatever fitness journey you're on.
If you're going into a class and you're like, I know this is going to be brutal.
It's going to be brutal just because it's hard and doing squats are hard and doing pushups
are hard and lifting weights are hard.
But if it's the vibe that keeps you coming back.
Just going to say that it's the atmosphere.
Yes.
That is what, because no workout, if it's easy, you're not working out.
If it's easy, then it's not the, you're not going to find progress in that.
There's got to be a challenge.
In everything, there's always going to be a challenge, especially with fitness.
So if you're walking in and you know it's going to be a workout, but you are excited
to be there, that's where you need to stay.
That's the atmosphere and the vibe that you need.
I'm not sure anybody in this lifetime is saying, I can't wait to go to Victoria's tone up
class.
So, but guess what?
Lots of people come and they do it and they're happy with themselves afterwards.
How dare you?
I mean, if you've been to her class, we all know, we all share the pain.
I'm with you, but I'm looking at Barbara and she's smiling.
So I have to smile.
I told you.
But that's what, yeah, that's what we mean.
Like even if you're not like, oh man, I can't wait.
Yeah, you don't, because if the community, it's the atmosphere.
That's not fair.
It's not fair to think that way because I don't think, I mean, we don't even do that
some days.
No, I meant more of the community like, oh, this person will be there.
The music is good.
I love the atmosphere.
You know, and that's more what I mean when I say you need to, it needs to be sustainable.
You need to want to go.
When you walk out, as long as you feel happier and better in that moment than you did when
you walked in, then that's the place for you.
You just had to find it.
Maggie, you are amazing and we are so happy that we get to see you so often and you just,
you're such an inspiration.
Thank you for sharing that.
I think a lot of people can relate.
I think more than a lot.
I think every single person can relate to what you said.
And my God, more power to you.
You are, you are, you're doing great.
Yes.
More than great, Maggie.
I'm going to one up her as usual.
Drop Mike.
Thanks, Maggie.
We want to thank every single one of you for writing in and sharing your story.
That's a vulnerable thing to do.
Well, you have to be in a good headspace now to be able to reflect to when you were struggling
like Gail.
I learned some new things about Gail today that, you know, she struggled and it, you
have to be able to reflect and be okay talking about that kind of stuff.
And so we really, really appreciate you.
And I think anyone listening, hearing this and finding pieces that really speak to them,
they thank you as well.
I'm going to speak for them.
And if you didn't write in, write in now.
We're going to do these a lot.
I think this is cathartic.
I think I wrote in the Instagram today, I found a quote from a woman and she said, tell your
story because your story will heal you and it will heal somebody else.
And so I'm sure writing in felt really strong, really good to do.
And that that's how we get past things.
So thank you for sharing.
We hope that you found some really good and inspiring pieces in this.
And we just love all of you in our community at Seafit, in our community here at Fit2BeReal.
This is what our story sharing is.
This is our writing in every single solitary week and Carly's getting so much better.
So thank you.
I was going to say, we've shared our story and it's so nice to hear other people's stories
and to see that they're similar to ours.
That's what this whole thing is about.
We are all in the same boat paddling without an ore.
And the more people that we can find like that, the easier it is to get through some
days knowing that everybody is in the same boat.
You know, one is like just, I mean, we're all trying to crush life in the best way possible,
but some days you just aren't.
Some years you aren't.
And it's all about how you come out on the other side.
So continue to write into us if you didn't tell us your story.
And you can always be anonymous.
You do not have to even let us know.
Don't, don't.
We don't want to know.
We don't want to know, but we don't have to know.
I'm doing great.
I'm doing great at this.
I'm so good at this.
But you can be anonymous and you don't have to have your name out there.
Pradhyaha.
All right.
On that note, literally.
Nope.
The note before.
Well done.
Just like all of these amazing women who shared today, you are always fit to be real
and always allowed to be a lot extra.
Ha.
For legal reasons, we have to tell you that this podcast is meant for entertainment and
educational purposes only.
We are not healthcare professionals.
For all of your health, wellness, fitness and self-care needs, please refer to the medical
professional in your life.
Your primary care physician, your therapist, a certified coach, whoever it may be.
And then let us know what they say because I guarantee we need to know what to do.
Okay?
Okay.
Thank you.