Get ready for a lively conversation with personal trainer and health and fitness coach Ronnie Loaiza! 

Ronnie is passionate about helping her clients feel their best, and this show features some really great practical tips for hormone optimization for female listeners, since we’ve already covered the MOFO aspect pretty well so far (click here for The Life Changing MOFO Mission show if you missed it!). 

In this episode, Ronnie explains why the most important thing we can do as we age is to take notice of our hormones, and reveals the methods she uses to successfully help clients identify the specific barriers and obstacles they’ve put in their own way. We also talk about how things like anxiety and PTSD affect your fitness, and she gives us a valuable reminder of the importance of taking chances and why it’s never too late to change careers paths, by sharing the inspiring story of the event that changed the course of her life over a decade ago. 

Ronnie then takes us through the exercises that make up her daily morning ritual and we talk about the power of committing to a morning routine you actually enjoy, and Ronnie breaks down the relationship between your metabolism and your hormones to illustrate how your metabolism actually regulates your hormones.

Ronnie also offers some useful strategies to set yourself up for success: “If you choose a plan, do it with joy.” This allows you to frame everything you do, from cleaning to exercise, with positivity and enjoyment, which in turn, has a domino effect on everything else in your life (hello The Biology of Belief!). And, if you’re the type of person who tends to struggle with motivation when it comes to working out (or anything else for that matter!), Ronnie makes a wonderful point that will surely resonate, as she reminds us that we all have 24 hours in a day, and adds: “Start small, but keep going — because consistency is key.”

Enjoy listening to this fun show with Ronnie, and click here if you’re interested in checking out her website!

TIMESTAMPS:

This podcast is focusing on women’s issues around lifestyle, exercise, dealing with life’s stresses in general. The emphasis is on looking great, not just feeling great. [01:19]

There is a difference between personal trainer and fitness coach. [03:26]

Ronnie helps her clients look deep into their goals and the reasons, there are barriers to achieving them. [06:57]

As you age, it’s not so much about looking good as it is about feeling strong and being healthy. [08:58]

You have to find what’s right for you in preventative workouts and fitness. [15:33]

Even the people you think are in perfect shape, they aren’t. They have their demons, too, that keep them struggling.  [18:49]

Be careful with saying, “everything in moderation” because so much of the food out there is filled with chemicals and other unhealthy things. [21:29]

There is always a reason down deep that is keeping the person from reaching the goals they desire. [23:03]

Start by eating clean. Read labels. Learn what is really in your food. [27:51]

You can make time to work out. It can be in small increments. Prioritize taking care of yourself. It’s not about how you look. It’s about how you feel. [29:04]

Look at the reasons why you eat.  What is the emotion behind it? Is it joyful? Is it healthy? Some people don’t know what is healthy. [31:13]

We’ve all made adjustments with dealing with the pandemic. People in general are resistant to change.  Routine can help anchor you. [34:50]

In adopting a routine, start with small goals, feel the success, and gradually increase it as you wish. [42:18]

Don’t take any crap for following a healthy path. [46:47]

Aging females follow a different path from males. Be your own health advocate. [48:18]

The first thing we have to do is accept that we are aging. If you want to have some treatment, look into why…what’s the emotional feeling behind it? [56:47]

Cardio is very important. You need to work your muscles and your heart is a muscle. Regulate your hormones.  [01:00:36]

Get a trainer if even for just a few times to learn proper technique. Three times is best. [01:04:16]

Intermittent fasting is a topic people are asking about. There are many different types. [01:08:53]

LINKS:

• Brad Kearns.com
• Ronnie Loaiza.
• Firefighter Functional Fitness
• Burn
• Innercise
• Brad’s morning routine
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

LISTEN:

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B.Rad Podcast

Brad (1m 20s): Hey listeners, get ready for it. A lively conversation with Ronnie Loaiza. She is a health and fitness coach and personal trainer based in Los Angeles, California. She has been rocking the training game in the LA area for a while, and lately transitioning to a more holistic approach to helping people live healthy, happy lifestyles, and getting into that coaching aspect. So in this show, we’re going to learn a little bit about going beneath the surface to figure out the why’s that help people stay accountable to exercise and diet goals, rather than just going for the mechanics. Brad (2m 1s): And you’re going to get a word from a person who’s out there on the street, fighting the battle with real people, leading busy lives, having to deal with the massive life disruption caused by COVID. So we’re going to hit that topic pretty hard and then kind of zero in on some tips and tricks for the female audience. Since you hear enough about MOFOs on my show and optimizing testosterone and aging gracefully as a man. So she’s going to hit some of those female tips. Ronnie’s 55. She looks and feels great, and the emphasis is on feeling great rather than just looking great. But of course you’re allowed to strive for both. And she’s working with people in her peer group with some special considerations, starting with acceptance. Brad (2m 43s): That was the first thing she mentioned. And you’ll hear her talk further about getting, going with some great anti-aging strategies, health, fitness goals, but it starts with just accepting the reality, being happy with yourself, happy with your appearance and things that inform those goals and feelings. And you’re going to love it. She’s got a lot of energy. It will go off on a lot of different tangents with a lot of valuable and actionable information and ending with her description of an event she’s putting on that I’m involved with centered on the topic of intermittent fasting. And I think that’s going to provide a lot of helpful insights. So here we go with Ronnie, Ronnie Loaiza. Brad (3m 26s): I am so happy to join you. We are on zoom here, even though we’re not too far apart as I visit Los Angeles, your homebase, where you’re doing some great things as a health and fitness coach slash personal trainer important distinction there. And that is a great combo because we know that trainers can go push you to do another rep in the gym. And that’s great. And you’re all sweaty and you got your towel and then you head off to Jamba Juice. But when you put that coaching element in and try to get more holistic with your relationship with clients, I think that’s why we’re seeing real breakthroughs and people on the cutting edge like yourself. So I thought I would, I thought it would bring you on put you in the hot seat, especially to talk about matters relating to females aging gracefully. Brad (4m 9s): Cause my listeners hear about all the MOFO things and the MOFO mission and keeping your testosterone high. But of course we have both sexes trying to live a wonderful, enjoyable life, enjoy each other as one of the one of the objectives. And so boy, I’ve teed you up. I’d love you to just give me an intro about your, your career, track your business, what you’re doing now, and then we’ll get into some items of particular interests. Ronnie (4m 35s): It’s funny, you said you just, in that whole intro, you hit on three things that I actually was talking to three of my clients this morning. And one of them is breakthroughs that I’ve had such a breakthrough and that’s really why I have been transitioning. I’m going full time from a personal trainer. You said we count reps and you know, a good personal trainer is a good personal trainer. And then there’s a lot of them that are rep counters. God love them. But this past year, and everybody’s got their COVID story. My clients have really turned me into a fitness coach. And what does a coach? As you know, it’s different from your referee and it’s different from a trainer. Your coach really does dig deep into the reasons you’re doing stuff. Ronnie (5m 19s): Or if you want to get better of your performance coach and, and then they set up a strategy for you. They watch you with a long filter and they they’re there because Ave invest. They’re invested in you and they set up the strategy strategies and go through it with you. So they support you. They keep you accountable and they help you achieve what you want. So they already see, okay, what do you want a year from now for the rest of your life? And then we go from there, but you got to start from the bottom. It’s like, okay, what’s your real reason for not working out? What’s your real reason why you’ve tried six diets and they don’t stick, or they don’t work for you? We find out reasons. And it’s usually very emotional and, and their backstories. Ronnie (6m 1s): Now I’m not a therapist as you know, coaches, aren’t therapists, but we help you really admit to yourself and realize, Oh, these are my barriers. These are my obstacles. And then you start finding strategies to get to where you want to be, how you want to feel, how do you want, do you want to have more time to go have fun and play and still get everything done? You wouldn’t have the energy to do that. That’s the way, that’s what we want. Not the strategies. You can Google strategies till the cows come home. But if you don’t have the reason, why don’t you want to feel that way? Why you want to be fit, but ain’t going to work all the guides in the world work if you do them. But most people don’t stick to them because they don’t have the right one or it’s just a lot of strategies. Ronnie (6m 44s): And they just, and the reason why they want to lose weight or getting better health, they don’t really look at that and then go, okay, how do I want to feel it a few months now? How do I wanna feel a year from now? How do I want to be the rest of my life? Brad (6m 57s): Well, you mentioned a couple. I would call them enlightened health and fitness goals. Like I want to have more energy to have more fun, things like that, which seemed to be possibly more powerful than saying I’m invited to the bridesmaid wedding in four months and I have to get this ugly fat off my body, right? They completely superficial goals that that worked for a little bit. It seems, but I think we have to dig deeper and figure out, you know, living a better life. What that really means. Ronnie (7m 32s): Well, I can tell you, I went through the whole, Oh my God, I’ve been a bridesmaid. I got to fit in that dress. I’ve been abroad to look hot in that day because somehow we make that the most important day of our lives. And it’s not. It’s the marriage 60 years afterwards know it goes beyond the honeymoon. So from that, I am 55 now going on 56. And I mean, I don’t have a rocket body, but I’m fit. You know, I am fit. I am not bulky. I am strong. And you know, when you get up in the morning and you’re 55 and you don’t hurt and you don’t need a crane to get you out of bed, that is wonderful. When you have arthritis, cause I’ve been diagnosed with arthritis. Ronnie (8m 13s): When you have herniated disc, when you have tendonitis, when you have something wrong with your, with your knee, I hadn’t been torn meniscus once. I could remember the exact moment it happened. Now it was three years ago. When you have, I hip issue, a back issue, whatever that is more important than looking good in that bikini. I’m not saying you shouldn’t look in the bikini if you want to, but really at our age, we want to be and feel fit, not just look skinny. And I can’t, I personally, this is just me, Ronnie. Other people love the word skinny. When somebody goes, well, you know, talk, it’s easy for you to say skinny girl. And it’s like, something pings me. It’s like, I’m not skinny. I’m strong. You know? And other people love being called skinny. So whatever it is that you want, you got to find out what is it you want to feel? Ronnie (8m 58s): And as you get wiser and older, you realize, I mean, you, you were an athlete. You realize it’s not just about that one race, which it was at the time or looking good in those shorts. It’s about feeling strong and being healthy. Brad (9m 13s): And you didn’t preclude the idea that some of these superficial goals can be really fun. Mark Sisson touts looking good naked is one of the most profound motivators to get there and do the work and make the right dietary choices. But I think if we layer that in with wanting to feel good, wanting to age gracefully, that’s when we can hit all of our goals, really. And you’re, you’re 55. That’s amazing. If the viewers on YouTube she’s, she stood up and showed her muscles and it’s like, wow, okay. So she’s keeping in shape people. This is serious. As you know, I’m 56. And I feel like in this age group, we really do face a crossroads where we’re going to decide to be part of the pack that ages at an accelerated rate and has a pathetic sort of standard normal standard to adhere to. Brad (10m 3s): Go to our high school reunions and see the people that look 62 and 72 and fit 42. If they don’t do anything about it. But on the other fork on the road. And this is what we’re spending our life’s work on, obviously is this incredible potential that is so amazing because it’s so different from what our norms and our expectations are. And our norms and expectations are the average American, I think has 18 prescriptions in the, in the medicine cabinet. Things like that are average. And Ronnie (10m 35s): So, Brad (10m 37s): Yeah, it’s something crazy like that. And you know, the, the capability of let’s say getting the average person to go run a mile for time, the results would be pathetic. They might, a lot of them might not even finish, but the Cooper Institute anti-aging research says that the mile time at age 50 is their favorite and most profound longevity marker for, you know, probability of living to 80 and beyond in good health. And if you have a, a decent, respectable time, your odds are many, many times greater than someone who can’t hit the bare minimum, which for males it’s 12 minutes For females it’s 13 minutes for one mile all out at age 50. And then superior is eight minutes for the male and nine minutes for the female. Ronnie (11m 22s): You know, the push-up one, is it 50? On your toes? Brad (11m 26s): There’s correlations. If you, if you don’t like running, let’s say, but you’re a bad-ass cyclist. You can, you can qualify. There’s push-up. There’s a squat test. There’s a fireman research where firefighters who could do fewer than four pushups had, you know, a six times increased risk of heart attack than someone who could do more than 40, I think it was . Ronnie (11m 48s): You’re speaking my language. I interviewed two gentlemen that were firefighters Jim Moss and Dan Kerrigan, who wrote this book. It’s on Amazon, A Firefighter’s Guide to Fitness. Really. It was just a guide because they found out and this really shocked me. They found out as four years. Well, this is 2020. So now five years ago that the numbers were increasing among firefighters across the United States, having cardiac arrest, type two diabetes, or some kind of cardio problem, Brad (12m 18s): They’re paid to work out what’s their from excuse? Come on! Ronnie (12m 22s): To pass test. Cause I’m thinking, you know, like lifeguards and you know, when I think of firefighters, I think of the calendars. So he’s like, you know, we spend more time in the firehouse when we were not home, they had to spend time in the firehouse and what do we do? We cook, we eat or people bring us food all the time. It’s like no firefighters. We’re having one PTSD. And a lot of the firefighters calls aren’t necessarily fires. Although you have to keep rigorous for that. Most of them, you see a lot of tragedy. You see a lot of accidents. You see a lot of people who need medical help. A lot of those calls aren’t fires per se. Anyway, they go through PTSD. And so they have a lot of anxiety. They have a lot of stress, you know, this cortisol or other hormonal problems because they have a stressful life. Ronnie (13m 8s): So firefighters aren’t angels. Not all of them were working out. So they wanted to turn that around. So they made this guides. You can work out anywhere, whether you’re at home or at the gym or at the firehouse and how much you should get in. That has turned into a best-selling book for us, normal people. We’re not firefighters. And you know, and like I said, I’m not, I’m not an athlete. I never was. I was the last one picked for Dodge ball or softball, but I was the worst at school. And yet if I went to my high school reunion right now, Brad (13m 35s): they’d order a drink from you. Ronnie (13m 37s): I’d be one of the best ones in shape because I went through some health issues in my forties. Like, Oh no, no, no, no, no what’s going on. And I found out I had herniated disc, well, I have degenerative disc disease, which I found out as you grow older, you’re just aging. You’re losing the liquid between the vertebrae. It could be just very fundamental about it. And I’m like, Oh my God, I’ve done cardio all my life. Not really, but I was a dancer. And then I did remember when cardio used to be called aerobics? I did a robotics and step classes and I pounded the hell out of my body. I started running because everybody jogged and I beat up my bones. And so I started losing the liquid between my vertebrae, even faster. So long story short, I got into fitness in my forties and my, in my mid forties being a professional in it because after decompression, five chiropractors, acupuncture, two Western medical doctors, and I’m all for Western Eastern medicine, everything. Ronnie (14m 32s): But my Western medical doctors just wrote prescriptions. You know, here you go. I’m like, but is this going to fix the problem? So one chiropractor put me with a corrective exercise specialist, personal trainer. I’m like a personal trainer really? And my insurance was paying for it. After two weeks of working out correctly, strength, training, it didn’t hurt anymore. Brad (14m 50s): Wow. Ronnie (14m 52s): And so working with her, I would read all this stuff and I would talk to her about it. I was so into it because it didn’t hurt anymore. She’s like, you need to become a personal trainer. You need to become a personal trainer. I’m like 45, like all these 20 year old kids or personal trainers at my gym. Year later, I woke up one morning and I’ll never forget this. I woke up one morning and I was tired of what I was doing. The nine to five driving in traffic, you know, Los Angeles, like, what do I want to do the next 20 years of my life? I think I’ll become a personal trainer and everybody was telling me, Oh, that’s fast. As far as the one, that one test you chose, don’t, don’t worry if you fail the first time, it took me three times, all of a sudden, like I don’t have time for that. I studied audio, you know, while working out, listen to it because I’m more audio than the book. Ronnie (15m 33s): I pass it the first time. And I was among all these 20 year olds because I figured if I’m healthy and in shape, I don’t mean well, but I mean, would vitals women my age and above will say, well, if it’s working for her, I’ll trust her. That’s really why I thought, okay, I’m going to go more for women’s fitness. And I got certified in senior fitness and silver sneakers and all that. Because as I age, I want to be my own walking billboard and be able to relate. So back to what you were saying, you know, you have to find what’s right for you and preventative workouts and fitness. And I know like a lot of the industry doesn’t like that to me is much better than give me a prescription back to the 18 pills. Ronnie (16m 17s): And the pushups I, that I found was funny. Last year, I could barely do 20 pushups on my own, on my toes. Proper. Push-ups not the, not the bad ones where your hands on your shoulders, but the proper ones where they match your pecs. I think they only do 20, but I thought it was a rockstar. So when this whole COVID thing, I’m like, I’m going to get up to the minimum 50 you’re in great shape. Right? So I would add a pushup every morning, no more. I wouldn’t let myself go pass there. I am now too. I can do 150, but I only have time for a hundred every morning. So I start with 90. It’s like, all right, here’s my bonus 10. And if I have time, I’ll finish out with maybe some on my knees, but I do the toe ones a hundred every morning and 150 jumping jacks. And I get on with my day. That’s, that’s my habit. That’s my morning ritual, no matter what, but it’s like, you can do it. Ronnie (16m 58s): I was never an athlete, but you can build up to it. If you get support, you get help. And you do it the right way. So many people don’t know how to work out properly. And so many women, you know, like I said, I’m in my fifties, grew up like me doing the even Jane Fonda says she shouldn’t have done the Jane Fonda. She realized they were bad workouts. But somebody was choreographing them for her. The only things that were safe were the bridges. Everything else was bad for her knees. So, you know, we grew up pounding the pavement and doing the step classes. And we’ve learned, you have to find the proper workout for you, which includes strength training, which includes flexibility, which includes core. Now more people into Pilates, which is not strength training by the way people hate it. Ronnie (17m 40s): When I say that, but it’s not. It’s a different kind of usage of your muscles, which you need, you need at all. And most important. I know I’m rambling on, but the most important thing as we age is to take notice of your hormones. Everybody thinks will online metabolism slowing down. Well, what is metabolism? Metabolism put an equal sign next to it. It is hormones. Your metabolism is hormones. So you weren’t born out of your mother’s womb with a set metabolism for the rest of your life. You can boost it at any age at any fitness level, no matter what your health issues are. No matter what medication you’re on. Yes. So the exceptions, there’s certain bland problem. As you know, if, if you have a certain disease or if you have type one diabetes, or you have a thyroid problem. Ronnie (18m 23s): But as you and I both know, most people don’t have a thyroid problem. Most people you can boost your metabolism. And why is that important? Not just to burn fat. Metabolism regulates your hormones. And that’s what you need to start looking at. As you get older, past 30, past 40, past 50, I have clients who are in their sixties and seventies, who all of a sudden have reversed things and they’re taking fewer medicines and they feel a lot better, Brad (18m 50s): My favorite kind of guests, someone who brings their Agame. So go ahead, ramble on we’ve hit so many great topics there. And I am curious about the patterns that you see with real people fighting the real battle, especially here in LA, where it’s so crowded. There’s a lot of pressure. It’s, it’s a rat race mentality. There’s a lot of celebrity culture here. So people are fixated on, on looking hot and looking and getting, getting called skinny. They’d, they’d be overjoyed while Ronnie’s a little, a little chapped, but what are some of the recurring patterns that make it difficult for people to, to, to do the right thing and to stick with something like you describe your morning routine? Ronnie (19m 30s): Well, I’ll tell you the influence is changing. And I use that word purposely because our culture, not just Los Angeles, our, our country or our world, I’m going to pick up my phone. I’m going to be rude. Brad (19m 46s): Those watching on YouTube, she’s holding a smartphone in her hand. Ronnie (19m 50s): Yeah. Everybody lives on their Instagram. Well, I’ll tell you who are the influencers now? It is not just the models that they used to be the supermodels. Now it’s the Kardashians. Now it’s, it’s, you know, the, the Kylie Jenner’s of the world or Kim Kardashian or other people, a lot of influencers. So women over 40 and 50 need to get on Instagram, take a selfie of themselves, say this is a real woman. Go ahead and get naked again or in that bathing suit. Influencers are now becoming more of the older generation because we’re real women. I, as a personal trainer and you might have to at the gym. I see the stars because we run into, you know, doctors and nurses and singers and not, we run into them at the gyms. Ronnie (20m 33s): They’re in the same locker room. They’ve got cellulite. They’re not perfect. A lot of the pictures are airbrushed. Okay. And they got their, their mindsets as well. They’ve got their gremlins. So I think it’s changing. I don’t think it’s so much, I mean, look at Lizzo. She’s, she’s a rock star now among people, because not to say it’s okay to let yourself go and be overweight. No, Lizzo has got power within her. You know who she is right now within her. It’s happened to your power and your health. Think of your health, whatever that looks like for you, whatever that feels like for you, you don’t have to feel pain. Ronnie (21m 14s): You don’t have to feel fatigue. You don’t have to feel how you don’t want to feel what you can feel, how you want to feel? It’s achievable. So, yeah, there’s been a lot. I think, I think there’s a movement of, of image and influence. Cool are the influencers now? Brad (21m 29s): So it’s not so good stuff. People are coming back to reality. There’s the body positive movement. I’m not sure that’s the correct term, but just being okay with the various shapes and sizes that human beings come in. Even Dr. Herman Ponzer, the author of the new book Burn. He’s talking about energy expenditure in the human and offering some breakthrough insights. And he says, one of the insights is that there’s a tremendous amount of diversity in the homosapien species. So, you know, some people are going to be working out, eating super healthy, feeling great and looking differently than the, the leading Instagram influencer or people in the, that are gracing, the magazine covers. And I think that’s really, it’s nice to embrace that idea, but I’m also trying to walk on this balance line between all the, all the mouthing that modern humans do with rationalizations excuses, justifications, everything in moderation is one of the quotes that really bothers me because when we’re faced with such unhealthy environment of the food choices, the marketing messaging, the, the selections in the, in the grocery store, we can’t have a moderate approach to health. Brad (22m 38s): We have to have an extreme concern for the foods we put in our body, because half the stuff out there is filled with chemicals and poisons and things like that. So, you know, we, we could take a step back and, you know, kind of sort out, not feeling inferior to the supermodel, but being the best that we can be individually. And what that really means with the excuses taken away. Ronnie (23m 3s): You have to be ready, you know, that’s, that’s the other thing, the difference between my training and my coaching. As a trainer I can get on them about, okay, why don’t you work out? How I’ve been turning into coaching is because women were finding it hard, really tough settling into the COVID thing. All of a sudden they were home. There were no barriers from their bosses or they were the bosses, or they had to be on everybody’s case. Everybody would live on a computer and there were no time barriers, you know, no boundaries, I should say boundaries, not barriers. So there were always on the computer, on the butts, or they felt like they could be, people had access to them all the time. Also the kids were home or the husband was home or the partner was home. So they felt kind of, they didn’t want to work out in front of people. Ronnie (23m 45s): They felt self-conscious, or they were selling into having to take care of everything at home. Now things are turning, but people they’re the reasons for either overeating or emotional eating or, or not working out reasons for changing. They were coming to light. I guess they were surfacing. It’s like, they’re not inadequacies. It’s like, you have no more reason not to have time because you have more time because you at home. But now the excuses were like, why can’t go to the gym or whatever. It’s deeper than I don’t have time to go to the gym or I don’t have time because work, there’s always a reason that’s deeper. And there are strategies to get there. There’s always a reason why, why are you still eating? And over this COVID I was like, Oh, crap, the refrigerator right there by my finger. Ronnie (24m 30s): It right around, you know, there’s no excuse on Brad (24m 32s): That’s a legit reason of environment and the more accessibility, what are some other reasons? Ronnie (24m 41s): A lot of anxiety over it. Covid a lot of, okay, wow. What is my life now? And what is my purpose? I know that sounds broad and woo, but let’s get a leader. Whoop people had to really see what you did when I grow up. And they started changing, like, okay, I don’t have to go to the brick and mortar. Okay. I’m not doing this. What are my priorities? And how do I handle being home all the time? How do I handle either being alone? Or how do I handle the whole family’s home? And working off the dining room table, you know, people’s lives really changed. And then there were the whole politics and, and all this, you know, a lot of, a lot of tragedy this past year, you know, people were, you know, you know what happened with Black Lives Matter and people being killed and, and race diversity, and we had an election. Ronnie (25m 27s): So all this, all this was going on, you know, masks /not wear a mask, all this was going on. So it was hard to turn around and go, okay, that’s happening with the world? I’m going to go work out now, you know, and feel like it’s okay. All that’s not happening. People were anxious. So, you know, a lot of stuff came to surface. There was a lot of depression, a lot of anxiety, a lot of, of changing anxiety, hormones would change and that’s normal. So you find a way to deal with it. I guess that’s what turned me more into a coach. Cause I was listening to a lot of people and seeing what is bothering you and you dive deeper than that. And then you start, it’s go. Now people want to really take care of them. Ronnie (26m 8s): The whole thing. Did you get a lot of this take care of your immune system and boost your immune system? I got inundated with these emails last year. This time, last year, this can possibly prevent COVID. We’re not saying well, but it could, because it could boost your immune system. It’s like, okay, wait, we’ve been saying, these foods are clean for ages. Now you want to know, you know, so just a lot of people’s priorities, what they want to do, how they want to be, how they want to feel. They’re turning the tide. It’s like now we have these new norms and people want to eat a little cleaner. And, and I know you, you think, well, all in moderation, but that’s the way to start. You know, that’s a way to get people on board and say, okay, 80% clean, 20%, go ahead and have a beer or go ahead and have whatever have that. Ronnie (26m 51s): I don’t eat candy bars, but go ahead and do whatever it is you want to do. You know, that’s not that great. Or I think of alcohol, although people have more junk. Would I really just advocate like that doesn’t make you fat? Refined sugar does and how to get away from the processed. And I know not everybody can afford or is on board with organic. But as best as you can buy to eat, meaning not packaged, not processed, not partially hydrogenated, no sucralose, no fake sugar substitutes, just the clean. I’d rather you have real sugar because I came from a sugar cane, then sucralose read the ingredients. People have to, even at this day and age, people are still learning. Ronnie (27m 32s): Like, is that really bad for you? Well, yeah. And this is why there’s no, there’s no coincidence that we have the highest rate of diabetes in the world. And yet we have the most people that have sugar substitutes and have low fat foods and foods. The rest of the world eats a little cleaner for the most part. Brad (27m 51s): Yeah. Good point. Starting, starting to I’m starting the process by trying to eat clean is pretty, pretty fantastic. It’s within reach of everyone. I don’t think there’s an affordability issue there either. You can go buy sardines on the food ranking chart, very high and things that are inexpensive and be a rock star all the way. So how does that enter in, when you’re working with a client you’re dealing with a personal meeting to do a workout, and then where does the diet part fit into the picture? Ronnie (28m 23s): Well, in my coaching, this is coming more into people really want to find time. And the two things are always like, I don’t have time. I don’t have time. I don’t have time or I don’t have money. It’s like, well, where does money come in? Because you can work out at home. So it’s more psychological. And the time, you know, when you think about people who have done amazing things in the world. Winston Churchill, I’m just throwing names out there. Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, whoever you want to think of. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scientists, what do they all have in common? We all have 24 hours in the day. They didn’t have 26 or 27. We all have the same clock. Ronnie (29m 5s): So you can fit in fitness in your life. It can’t. And I know people think, yeah, but then I’ve got the kids and I’ve got this and the gut. Okay. Let’s, let’s look at really your schedule. And then we find the mechanics of how it can work. If it’s like 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes, lunchtime, take a break, 10 minutes at night, let’s shave a few things off the schedule. Let’s prioritize. And I find that people that want to be coached because they’re ready. Like, all right, that’s it, I’m tired of the muffin top. Or I’m tired of not feeling energetic. I’m tired of the excuses. And if they’re not ready, you can’t pull them in. You, you can’t. I think you have found that to either somebody really wants to win that marathon or that triathlon where they’re just kind of in and out and they just want to maybe join a group for a while and then they quit mentally. Ronnie (29m 49s): It’s like, you finally decide, all right, how do I want to be for the rest of my life? I’m not going to be on the face of the earth as far as I know, 150 years. How do I want to feel every day. How do I want to feel when I wake up in the morning? I don’t want to feel when I’m naked?` It’s not about how you look. It’s about how you feel. You know? I mean, one of my motivators, I want to look at naked with the lights on, in front of my husband. That may be surface, but what is the emotion behind it? It’s not really that you want to look good naked. It’s like, well, how do you feel when you know you look you’re okay with your body. What is that feeling? It’s like, I’m a worthwhile, worthy, valuable human being from my tissues to my DNA, to my skin and to what I think and how I feel. Ronnie (30m 33s): I’m a valuable person. Look at me, you know, it’s feeling worthy and not hating. That’s the emotional thing behind it. So it’s worth, while it comes back to the forefront of, as you’re aging really feel valuable, you know, it’s, it’s not cave that you have your jowels and, and your, your wrinkles showing your experience in life. It’s okay to have that. How you feel that counts in my, in my perspective. And it kind of looking good makes you feel good. Yeah. That’s part of it. I think that’s wonderful. So back to nutrition, we also have to start looking at that. Okay. What is wrong with you nutrition? Ronnie (31m 13s): Some people just don’t eat healthy because they don’t know what healthy is. They think a Jamba Juice is healthy. No offense. They have. You seen the amount of sugar and Jamba Juice and how many calories? No, I disagree with that. Yeah. So it’s a total sugar bomb. So start looking at what is truly healthy and what our definition will be of that. What is good for your particular body, depending on your, your issues or medical issues or, or your weight or whatever it is. And then there’s also the emotional aspect. I found out one lady just over ate because she lives alone. And because of this COVID time, she couldn’t be with her extended family. Well, her, her adult daughter and her, her grandson, like she used to be, and she doesn’t live with anybody. Ronnie (31m 60s): So dinner time could last three hours being front of that couch, watching TV. So we finally realized like she doesn’t like eating alone. She went off to Arrowhead with her daughter, invited her finally, when they had the vaccine, they’ve been vaccinated, went with them for three weeks. She started to lose weight. Now she’s on a roll with me. Cause we found out I was, I was eating dinner and then dinner was over. We put the dishes in the dishwasher. We played, we watched TV together, whatever they took walks in the morning, she was around people. So that was her emotional things. Like she didn’t realize she just always ate alone. So it would be extended. So now she’s lost 40 pounds and it’s not because I increased her workouts. Ronnie (32m 42s): Like, you know, we tried three diets with her in the past three years, she would always quit. So now we’ve got her on a buddy, cause I’m like, why don’t we find your buddy? Cause she doesn’t want to a roommate. So we found her a buddy system. Her buddy and her check in on each other during the day are you logging your calories? And they don’t make a big deal out of it. That’s another thing is don’t make a big deal. If you choose a plan, do it with joy. You got control now. And so they check in on each other and they started talking right after dinner. It doesn’t have to be that long. It can be 10 minutes. It could be 20 minutes, but they’re chatting. So now my client is looking forward to her chat with her friend. So that kind of ends it’s into her dinner because she knows she’s going to get on the phone or zoom with her friend who lives back East. Ronnie (33m 28s): By the way, after the dishes were put away, she has one little snack. It’s not like that whole dinner extended. And she felt like she had contact with somebody, but everybody has their own issue of why they eat. Maybe it’s my list. Or maybe they think, well, we’re celebrating this. I’ll just have this big piece of cake because they think that’s joyful. Or what everybody else is eating and why not. I’m going to enjoy life. I’m going to have this big piece of cake or I’m going to keep eating these Doritos or whatever. Okay. Let’s look at the emotions behind that. Why do you think that’s joyful? And then you can get onto the reasons why you eat, how you eat. And some people are just plain addicted to certain things, you know, this sugar and fat. Ronnie (34m 8s): So you have to find out the reasons for, if you’re not eating for yourself in a healthy way.. We have to find out what’s unhealthy in your diet and then work into that. Because you also have to have something that’s sustainable. That’s why I don’t like these little yo-yo fad diets. It really are you going to live that way, the rest of your life. But it’s good. If you get on board with a certain nutritional plan, whether it’s primal health, whether it’s keto or there’s paleo, whether it’s Noom, whether it’s points, whatever it is yeah. That can get you on the right track. But you have to look at why you were overeating, putting more calories in your body than it needs and deal with that sustain you for the rest of your life. Ronnie (34m 48s): I don’t know what you think about that. What do you think about that? Brad (34m 50s): Well said, I think going back to the changing lifestyle circumstances with the global pandemic, you know, we get caught up in, Hey, don’t play in that. That’s no excuse. You can do it, but it’s a change. And a change is difficult to adjust to. Now we’ve been in it for a while. We know how wonderful some of the potential adjustments can be such as skipping the commuting time and the nonsense in the office. And having more time to work out more time to prepare healthy meals, all of this great stuff that can come out of it. More awareness of your, the importance of having a strong aerobic and immune system to fight off potential invaders. Okay. So all this is great, but let’s still acknowledge that people were forced to make a huge, massive change. Brad (35m 31s): And now it’s about time that we kick into gear and do these wonderful little tidbits, like calling someone up after dinner. I love that. Especially if you’re feeling isolated and have a tendency to, to drag on for three hours. So it seems like little things can go a long way sometimes. And I’d love for you to talk about your morning routine. Cause you know, that’s one of my favorite subjects. I’ve put this thing into place now for four years running. And it’s been absolutely life-changing for me because I’m not a pattern or a routine type of guy, but now this thing anchors my day, every single day. And it’s just, it’s so amazing to transition from a, let’s say a well-intentioned goal where I go and do something and say, that was great. Brad (36m 14s): I’m going to try to do it again tomorrow. And all of a sudden looking back now where this streak means a lot to me, I can’t miss a day because I got so much going. And also I mentioned it in public so that it helps me too. But now it’s transitioned into pure habit to where if I don’t do this super elaborate and quite difficult morning routine, I feel like my, my day has been thrown off. And I wonder if you had some similar success with your own thing that you mentioned, especially working up to it from a small commitment to doing a hundred pushups as, as super chick. I mean, that’s like A plus category. I don’t know anybody that can do that. So yeah. Tell me about that. And just the little changes that turn into big life changing. Ronnie (36m 56s): It’s anchored you think of if I give her what the text box and you know how a text box, I don’t know. Do you know what I’m talking about when you’re working on a word document and you want to put a text box? It anchors Brad (37m 10s): Yeah. Like a comment box or something. Yeah. Yeah. Ronnie (37m 13s): It’s true. It anchors you, that’s why it’s habit stacking little habits stacking and do it with joy. The thing that people don’t like human beings, and I know I’m broad brushing, but we, as human beings are so resistant to change. It’s fight or flight, but that’s only when we’re pushed to either we fight it, you know, we’ve taken on or we flee. But little things that we become used to, Oh my God, people are so resistant until they, something just hits them. It’s like, okay, fight or flight. What, why am I going to change? And usually it’s a medical condition or their doctor tells them to, you gotta quit smoking. You gotta whatever. But people are so resistant to change. Ronnie (37m 55s): So instead of looking at that, like I said, you’re not born out of your mother’s room, knowing how to knowing something or the metabolism. You’re also not born with habits. Your mom gives you certain habits. Like a baby you’re naturally hungry because you void. Feed me. My body needs, it needs food. Okay. But then we start developing habits according to how we’re raised, you know? No. Would you go for a week without brushing your teeth, Brad? Brad (38m 23s): Not likely, Ronnie (38m 25s): You know, and it’s good for us or flossing on a lot of people, but can you get used to it? You make it a habit. So habits stick, like have, and people talk about their morning rituals, whatever that is for you, wake up and pray or meditate, journal, whatever it is you have to do as long as it’s not a chore And it brings you joy doing what brings you joy. I’m not a morning meditator. Cause I, I keep thinking I have things to do. So I had found that out about myself. Some people are, and they love that my fitness in the morning and they that’s, when they meditate. I had found I meditate better when I do it. When it’s, I know it’s only short, like five minutes. The most I ever have meditate is like 15. Ronnie (39m 7s): I mean two hour long group meditation. But just for myself, I’m like, after I’ve taken care of everyone in my, and I’ve, I’ve worked out right before I go shower in the evening because I work out in the evening. I can meditate for five minutes at night and it’s an awesome way to wind down. So back to habits like you, I think that’s awesome. You took it on more as a positive thing rather than like, Oh really? Because I’m not a habitual kind of person. My thing was just silly. It’s like I can do 50 pushups. I’ll just walk up to it. I look to my goal. It was just 50 because everybody said, that’s a marker of being healthy. I was like, well, I can get up to 50. And then once I reached 50, I’m like, I’m going to keep going. And I didn’t, I didn’t go for a hundred. Ronnie (39m 49s): I went, let me see if I can do 52. And after I could do 52 prolong, let me see if I can go to 56. And then once I got into the sixties, like, I’m good, but what the heck I’ll keep it going. So I just kept it going to prove to myself that I could, and I even have tendinitis in the elbows and I kept doing it. But so I, I asked people, how about this? If you really averse to working out or whatever, how about in the morning? You just said, one minute, one minute before you brush your teeth, before you feed the dog, before you leave, don’t look at your email and for God sake don’t get on Instagram or Facebook because you’ll go down rabbit hole. Ronnie (40m 31s): One minute and don’t allow yourself more. So at the timer, do some calisthenics. I don’t care if it says toe touches, crunches, pushups, sit ups, squats, air squats, whatever. Just do some calesthentics and then stretch. If you do that every day, every single day for 40 days, Oh my God, brag. You’ve got to have it because your mind is rewired. It’s like, well, this is part of what I do in the morning. Of course, some people do have to walk their dog or you’ve got a problem, but say your morning ritual. And by the way, walking the dog, that’s the name of my next book. You know, people say, when I asked them, do you do cardio? How do you work out loud? Walk the dog. I’m like, well, that’s great for the dog, but what about you? Walking the dog is not enough. Ronnie (41m 12s): It’s great that you do it, but that’s not your workout. And I know people hate hearing that, especially when they first start. Yeah, you can incorporate that and being active and being activie. Moving. Get off that chair and move, but it is not a workout. So for stacking, I have trained myself that I work out every single day without fail. Even if it’s just 20 minutes. Even if it’s just 30 minutes, not how long you work out with me. It’s what muscles do I hit? I hit maybe two muscles, three tops. I hit a muscle group, done. Next day. I hit another muscle group, done. I hit every muscle in my body at least twice a week. So I’m not spending an hour or two hours working out, whether it’s at the gym or at home, but that’s me. Ronnie (41m 54s): I help people find what will work for them. And I like the morning ritual. Even if you’re not a morning person. They get on clubhouse. They listen to something and podcasts one minute turns into two minutes to three, but then I tell them, walk away. That’s it. And she’d just be like brushing your teeth. So it, everything else goes to heck the rest of the day and something happened and you just didn’t get to work out. At least you did a little morning calisthenics. You did something physical for your body, Brad (42m 19s): Right. And that low bar, that one minute that laughably short commitment is a super important point. John Assaraf best-selling author, brain training expert, author of Innercise. He says that when you set these really ridiculously easy incremental goals, you tend to continue to escalate your commitment. Like you mentioned, with your pushups, where you’re you went for 52, instead of going from 50 to a hundred and feeling discouraged. And we need buy-in from the emotional brain. That’s another really important point he makes. And also Mark Manson in The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck. Where are we really are ruled by our emotions, even though our critical thinking, rational brain thinks that we’re not the emotional brain is what motivates us to take action. Brad (43m 1s): And so when something really does feel good on the spot because it’s only one minute and you can congratulate yourself for a job well done without feeling stressed and anxious that you’re falling behind on your busy day, whew! Then you’re so much more likely to truly make it an enjoyable and long lasting habit. That also sounds good to your rational brain. The one that wrote it in a notebook on January 1st saying, I want to do morning workouts now, and I’ll go for 30 minutes. And it sounds so good on paper, but the emotional brain has not given sufficient buy-in and that’s why you forgot about it by February 15th. Brad (43m 44s): So I think we can blend those together. Yeah. Ronnie (43m 44s): Why did you buy into that? Because you have evidence, you did it for a minute and you walked away. You haven’t evidence. And we as humans need that evidence. Like I can buy into this. Now I have evidence. I can do it every morning. And you’re more likely once you start feeling a little bit more and it turns into, you’re not going to skip that workout in the middle of the day or the end of the day. You want a little more because you’d see like what I felt good this morning. You know, I have yet to meet anyone, Brad,.and if you have, let me know, I have yet to meet anyone who even if they feel a little sore or something after the workout, who a lot of people say, I just don’t want, I can’t make myself go work out. Even now. I have never met anyone who, as soon as they finish the workout, regret it. Ronnie (44m 28s): I don’t know anyone who regrets at the end of their workout. Like I really shouldn’t have done that, you know, but that didn’t bring me anything or I’m really pissed off at myself. Everybody feels that sense of accomplishment, whether it’s 10 minutes or 30 minutes, or you spent an hour there. And I find that most people spend an hour because they don’t know what they’re doing. They’re wondering out of gym. They don’t know which machine to use and have to wait for people. Or they’re on their phone texting in between sets. You don’t have to spend that much time working out, whatever it is now for you, you mean you have a goal and maybe, maybe you’re training for something. Yes. Those workouts take longer. If you’re training to swim longer, more laps or whatever. Yes. Those kinds of things, of course. But just regular workouts don’t have to take that long. Ronnie (45m 8s): Although I do always say, people say, well, how long should I work out? I’m like, well, how long will it take you to do three sets of this? It doesn’t matter. You time yourself focus. It can take you 10 minutes. Maybe it’ll take somebody else 20. So don’t go by that, go about whatever your trainer, if you get a trainer or however you think is good for your body, if you’re doing minute intervals, like I’m going to do a minute of biceps, whatever. There are different plans. So whatever you’re playing calls for, it’s not how long you work out. When you do strength training. It’s like, how long does it take you to do? And that’s up to you. And then of course, if you’re doing cardio, it is length of time. So that’s, that’s a different story. That’s the personal trainer in me, but really it is habit stacking. And you will only buy in once you prove it to yourself. So start small, but keep going because consistency is me and get support. Ronnie (45m 52s): That’s the other thing, don’t be afraid to tell other people I’m going to work out. And if they, if you have friends who will go, Oh, well you can work out tomorrow. Well, yeah, that’s for tomorrow. I’ll workout. This is for today. Engage in, roll your family, your friends, your support to support you. You know, when you go out to dinner, don’t let them like shame. You like, Oh, well you can’t have a cake . I can have a little bit of cake and I’m going to enjoy this. I’m going to have my glass of wine. I’m going to enjoy it. But if they want to pull you more like I’m good. And I asked you for support, support, support me, and also support other people. Because when you support other people, it really, really, you know how, when you keep somebody, you learn it again. Ronnie (46m 32s): Cause when you’re in the middle of teaching something, you saying it and showing it and, and, and, and like in a lesson, if you’re a teacher, it kind of instilled in your brain even more. So when you’ve supported the people, it really makes you feel that much stronger and that you can do it too. Brad (46m 47s): Yeah. And don’t, don’t take any crap for following a healthy path. Cause I think a lot of times people get shamed for having their extreme diet and Oh, look at you. You’re, you’re no fun. You passed on the, on the slice of cake. And I think we need to embrace both sides of that, where every everybody’s allowed to make their own choices and feel good about it. Ronnie (47m 10s): And you know, I don’t, well, I shouldn’t say don’t do whatever you want. There’s no, it’s neutral. It’s neutral. Somebody sign it, give you a peer pressures because they feel like you’re making them look bad. Like, Oh, well, okay, I’m going to have the piece of cake. And you’re really, it’s a reflection of them, of what they consider fun and joyful and eat this cake dammit and too bad. We’re getting cake a bad name, but awesome. Brad (47m 35s): It was not sponsored by Betty Crocker. And here we go back to the, Ronnie (47m 40s): But also just say, Oh no, I enjoy it. You know, tell the people, go back to them. Like, no, no, no, enjoy it. It’s just, I’m really on this path of not eating too much refined sugar, enjoy yourself on clad. You are. And I ask you as my friend is my brother, whatever, support me in it. And then change the subject. Just totally change the subject because you’re never going to win them over. If they’re showing a reflection on you or trying to peer pressure, you it’s their own thing. But it doesn’t do you any good to fight them or start lecturing them on your diet or whatever. Just go, just go. Yeah. But I’m going to have fun dancing naked in front of my mirror tonight, tell you that something, Oh Brad (48m 18s): Boy, let’s get into some tips and tricks for aging females, whatever the age group is. But your expertise is with your nearby peer group and women that want to kind of transition from their prime or their childbearing years or whatever the, the story is and the in the lifetime line. But you know, going, going down that road, what are some things that you’ve seen that have worked really well across the board, whether it’s diet or, you know, mindset changes, exercise regimens. Ronnie (48m 50s): Well, acceptance, first of all. And second of all, just as pregnant women have taught me because I started training and I am certified for pre natal during pregnancy and postnatal, even though billions of women in the world have had babies. Each pregnancy is so unique. Every woman goes through her own thing. So there’s no cookie cutter way for aging women other than be your own. This is the main thing. This is the big umbrella. Be your own health advocate. You ask, you get a team around you, whatever you need. And don’t just go to the doctors and accept like, Oh, well you’re stressed. Oh, we are overworked. Oh, you’ve got too much. Ronnie (49m 30s): No, no, no, no, no. If something’s aching or alien, get to the bottom of it. And don’t be just told that, Oh, well you’re busy, relaxed, or you just need less on your plate. Or you’re just busy. You’re a busy mom, whatever it don’t expect that if you have something physical, maybe it, maybe it is psychosomatic, maybe it is stress. Well, find out and get a good team around you. I just find so many women, they go to the doctor and it’s like, well, did you ask this? Did you ask that? No, if you go to a professional, because they’re the authority, it’s hard to think of other things to question. Get to the bottom of it, get a second opinion, a third opinion, a fourth opinion. Because you know, I have a friend who, whose shoulder hurt for years and her doctors just kept saying, well, there’s nothing wrong with it. Ronnie (50m 11s): You know, just strengthen your core and keep strength training. I’m like, well, it’s not normal for your shoulder to hurt. You can’t get push it back. It’s just not normal. You’ve got to find out, you’ve got to get to the bottom of it. You know, the main thing is being your own self advocate. And I know that the medical system or healthcare in this country is a mess. You know, we’re not going to go down that road, but it’s like, you’re begging for helping it. You’re paying out out the wazoo for, for insurance and you’d have to beg them to pay. You know, you’ve got your, your copayment and then you’re still, you’re still begging them to cover things. I just, I can’t stand that. But don’t back off from asking your doctor questions from asking your chiropractor questions from seeing more than just a chiropractor see an orthopedic, don’t be like you said, don’t, don’t, don’t be pressured by your, your peer group or your family. Ronnie (50m 57s): And to eating that piece of cake that we made famous. Now don’t be pressured by your doctor to see another doctor. Don’t worry what they’re going to think. It’s not, it’s not their body. It’s your body. It’s your health. Don’t worry about insulting your chiropractor or your podiatrist. If you see another kind of specialist, a holistic specialist, an acupuncturist, whatever. It’s your body, your health ask as many people as you can questions, you have a right and you have a responsibility for your health. I mean, you’ve only got one body. Why, why would you nurture so many people, your children, your grandchildren, your husband, your wife, your spouse, your friend. Why do you nurture everyone? And you wouldn’t nurture yourself. Ronnie (51m 38s): I mean, that, that doesn’t make sense. Take care of yourself. So also as we’re aging, we really have to look at hormones. That’s huge. Get a DEXA, scan, a bone scan to see how your bone density is doing, especially after 40 and 50. How you do not think the vitals, you know, your yearly exam, but look at your DEXA scan, look at your hormone levels. And if your doctor asks you why, like, because I want to know, get a blood workup also don’t accept just that. Oh, well, you know, you’re getting older. Well, okay. But why do I hurt get to the bottom of it? Brad (52m 14s): Yeah. We’re so uncomfortable in that role. Yeah. For, for whatever reason. I think one of it’s that it’s kind of an intimidating environment when you’re going to see a physician in the, in the tall building with all the, the ceremony around it. And they’re dispensing for example, diet advice, which really bothers me when they don’t necessarily have any training or awareness of, of anything relating to healthy eating or healthy living. But they’re in a position of authority, same with someone on television who is a personality, who’s producing a program on health. And so they have a platform and now we’re, you know, we’re really compelled to sift through what makes sense and what doesn’t and, and apply it personally. Brad (52m 55s): But that example of going through the medical system with a little bit of a chip on your shoulder and a little bit of swagger to say, okay, thank you very much. And I’ll give you my answer in one week after I consult with three other people, just like you. People are extremely uncomfortable doing that. And I’ve told the story on my show where I laid at home, ignoring the pain. Cause I want it to be a tough guy instead of a wussy boy. Well, my appendix burst and I turned in, you know, a minor medical procedure turned into a major medical ordeal just because I wanted to tough it out rather than go and go the extra mile and ask for more care and consideration in the emergency room. And it’s just, it’s just a kind of a reflection on my, my background, my belief system. Brad (53m 37s): I’m not a big fan of the medical system. So I don’t need to engage in every single level and take all the pills that they want me to take and, and do all the tests, but when you need it and when something’s wrong. And I think that’s a big one that we could kind of emphasize on the show here, when something’s wrong, don’t walk away until you get to the very bottom of it, because boy, sometimes you can save avert a disaster when things kind of carry on without knowing what’s going on. Ronnie (54m 3s): Yeah. And so I’m not against Western medicine. My dad was a doctor. My mom was an RN. But I do believe in looking at everything and understanding it and not just accepting a prescription. I myself, don’t like to take medicine because I don’t like how it feels on my stomach. one. I’m not against it. If you need medicine, take the damn medicine. But I don’t think that that’s the only answer and I’m not popping Advil and Tylenol all the time. I, I personally don’t like that. And so I try to eat as clean and have as much preventative medicine as possible. That said, I like to merge the two and really look at what is best for me. Ronnie (54m 43s): And that’s as a health and fitness coach, that’s what I do. I try to find out what your lifestyle, what are your medical issues? What have you tried? What has not worked? And we try to find out why. And then you fit the right plan for you for a lifestyle. So when people ask me, should I do keto? Should I do paleo? Should I do Mediterranean? Yes, yes, yes. Which one are you really going to do? Which one are you going to do? And which one do you like? And then we’ll, we’ll go from there. And is it good for your body? Good for your mind? You know, whatever. Do you have brain fog? So like I said, every day in the world works. If you do it, you have to find the right nutritional plan for you. Ronnie (55m 24s): The other thing is, you know, you said people feel intimidated. They really, really do take somebody with you, take somebody with you, to your doctor. It takes somebody with you to your natural path. And don’t just buy into the first plan. That sounds good. People are so desperate to lose weight or to feel better that they just see an infomercial, see a Facebook ad and boom, they buy it. They’re talked into it. Really research it, do your due diligence and ask a lot of questions. You, you have a right. So when people ask me, are you an advocate for this or that? It’s like, well, it depends. Let’s look at it. You know? And I used to be so against detoxes and cleanses because I thought, well, that’s just ridiculous. You know, your own pancreas, your liver is your own detox. And then I started looking into certain detox is per se cleanses. And, and some are very valid, but it depends what you want to do. Ronnie (56m 7s): It depends on your end goal. You know? And like, I totally believe in primal health for the most part. But if you know, reverse engineer it. I, just Ronnie. And I’m not saying it’s good for everybody. I don’t need to give up cheese and I don’t need to give up nuts. So I’m not going to give up cheese. Maybe you should. And this is why you have to find out why, you know, and I’m a dairy girl. It doesn’t bother me at all. So I’m not saying, well, that’s just ridiculous. You don’t have to give up dairy just because I drink half and half in eat cheese. It’s like, let’s find out what’s right for you. People really have to look into what works for them and why. And don’t just take the first word of the doctor. Brad (56m 47s): So when we’re talking about females anti-aging strategies, the first thing that you mentioned was acceptance. And let’s pick it up there and then maybe throw on some other ones. But I like that starting point. Ronnie (56m 59s): Well, except the, I had to really accept like, Oh my God, I’m really aging. You know, when I started looking at pictures, I started where those wrinkles come from because I still see myself as a 20 year old. I don’t really accept yourself. And just thank you. I’m wearing all my experiences in my last, on my face. If you want to do something about aesthetics, that’s up to you. There’s nothing wrong with it. Everybody has their own thing, but really accept it. If you choose to do some kind of aesthetic cosmetic procedure on your face, and your tummy, whatever, look into why what’s the emotional feeling behind that. And then if you still want to do it, let’s go for it. There’s nothing wrong with Botox. Ronnie (57m 40s): I don’t do it because I’m definitely afraid of a needle near my face. That’s my only reason I, I don’t even tweeze my eyebrows because I can’t stand that pain. It’s like a barbell hitting me. No problem. Got tweezers? Get away from me. And so ridiculous. You know, I cry at a PaperCut, but do what’s right for you. Find out why what’s the emotional reason. Find it first before you make any decision. The other thing is, like I said, be your own health advocate. And the third thing is, look at your hormones, look at your hormones, look at your hormones. What are you eating? And, and what medicines are right for you and what, what don’t you need? And help others. I know that sounds a little woo, woo. But if you had helping others with their health, what happens? Brad (58m 24s): You turn into a role model. You have a built in sense of accountability. Ronnie (58m 30s): Yeah. So it’s not just ordering your kids to wash their hair and brush your teeth. It’s like, all right. You know, tell your friend, tell your family, have we tried this as a dish? And people have been doing this during this pandemic there, they’re cooking now. And they’re eating healthier. And if you explain why this is better than this, you’ve got a reason you can’t just say, because I said so, or because that’s what mom’s going to cook. It’s like, well, this is better than this. And this is why. So let’s try it. And do you know, a lot of kids will go along with it. A lot of families will go along with it and it, and, and also if somebody having a problem, maybe they, they need somebody to go with them to the doctor, tell your friend, I’ll go with you because the four years and four eyes are better than two and two, because maybe they’ll think of asking questions. Ronnie (59m 13s): You didn’t ask, you know, that kind of thing. Be there for your buddy who wants to eat well and clean support them. Maybe join a support group. Maybe start walking a group. Maybe start working out with a group. Support them in their decisions. When you start supporting other people, all of a sudden, you, you don’t do that stupid stuff, you know, and you work out yourself and you eat cleaner yourself because you’re walking the talk and you’re helping other people. So it’s reinforcing it, right? Brad (59m 42s): Heightened awareness through repetition. And boy, it seems to be really helpful for me because when you, when you talk about something every day, it just kind of becomes part of your life. It oozes in there as opposed to working on your bookshelf and all these great books that you’ve read. And you were so inspired when you read it and then you closed it and put it back on the shelf. So I think we have to have it be a constant quest. And what about in the gym, Ronnie? When, when, again, let’s, let’s isolate on the, the anti-aging strategy for the female. So we’re not going for the CrossFit games. We’re not going for the college athletic experience, but it seems to me that there’s a lot of people just spending time on the cardio machines, watching TV, reading their book, listening to their thing, maybe intimidated by the strength training aspect of the experience. Brad (1h 0m 36s): Maybe that’s a female generalization, but I also see a lot of people just scratching the surface or having a narrow fitness experience rather than something broader. So maybe we could look at some of those points. Ronnie (1h 0m 49s): Well, yeah, any cardio is important because think about it. Your heart is a muscle, but you can’t take it out of your body and pump weight, right? So you need to work your cardiovascular system to get oxygen in the volume of oxygen. And you need to work at cardiovascular. Absolutely. Your flexibility, your caution, by the way, doing punches is not for, and no amount of crunches is going to go get rid of that belly fat. That’s just strengthening the abs underneath, you know, think of a Sumo wrestler. They have some of the strongest abs in the world, but they need their belly fat for their sport. So burning fat comes from working your muscles, as you know, and there are three different ways of working at endurance. And then there’s the static core strength of that muscle. Ronnie (1h 1m 30s): And then there’s the power. So when you work your muscles, this is important. Yes, the treadmill is great. But when you get off that treadmill, or when you get off, that recumbent bike where it says you burn 250 calories or 600, whatever. That’s awesome. If you burned 600, I mean, you really did a workout. But if you’re just doing a 200, 300 and you’re on there for half an hour, maybe 40 minutes, you get off that machine and you don’t burn anymore. We have a little after burn depends how intense you went back and forth hit. Like you go from upper level, lower level, upper level, lower level as you’re doing your cardio. But for the most part, people don’t. You watch them, like you said, they’re watching TV or listening to something and they’re at the same pace. And they think they did great. Ronnie (1h 2m 11s): And yes, you did something. But you also have to put strength in strength training in there. Not so that you’ll be buff, but will in the end get cut because your muscles say, I need energy. Do you, your body reaches a certain point that, okay, I’ve already taken the glycogen out of your body. Your body needs it. Your brain needs it. So now I’m going to burn the second, second source of energy, which is fat. And you burn that fat for two, one or two days, 24 to 48 hours. You’re burning fat because your muscles say, okay, I need nutrition. I need energy. So your metabolism kicks in and says, okay, let me feed you. So that’s why you need to strength train as you get older. The older you get, you need more strength training because we lose muscle mass. Ronnie (1h 2m 56s): As we age now, again, muscle mass doesn’t mean big and bulky. It just means that you’re replacing the muscle mass that you’re losing. So we need that for our metabolism and our metabolism regulates our hormones. Are they our hormones? And that regulates your entire health. So really the steps at the gym is if you don’t know how to work out and, and get off the machines, machines are great compliment, but use the free weights. Use the dumbbells. Use the cable machines, use the resistance band, learn how to use the TRX, but get a personal trainer. Even if it’s just for a short time and learn how to use strength, training. If it’s at home, do it at home properly. Don’t just follow any YouTube. You find do it properly. Ronnie (1h 3m 37s): I’m not putting down YouTubers. It’s just that I have logged on. I don’t know if you have, and I’ve watched some of these home workouts this year. It’s like, Oh my God, no, don’t do that. You know, it’s like, I want to, I’m like, I hope people are following this person. They just like, turn on the cameras, start working out. They didn’t even warm up for their knees or whatever. And not everybody can do all that. If you can CrossFit at 16 go for it, but you don’t need to CrossFit every day. That’s horrible. If you can CrossFit and bodybuilding, all that, whatever age, go for it, but get proper coaching and training two different things. A trainer is not a coach. A coach is not a trainer, right? So get the right kind of help and support and then follow the right channel. If you’re not going to pay a trainer every time. Ronnie (1h 4m 17s): So be educated, but you need strength training, just doing the same thing day in, day out, isn’t going to cut it and you need to work your, your, your muscles to regulate your hormones. I’m going to repeat that 20,000 times. We all need it. It also distresses you as you know, our body doesn’t know if it’s getting stressed because of mental issues or of anxiety, or because of your body. In the body stress is stress. That’s a distraction. Your body reacts to that. So that’s why you have to take care of yourself in spirit, in mind. And physically the stress is stress inside your body and your body just reacts to stress, Brad (1h 4m 55s): Right? You get better at managing stress through managing the stress of exercise. And you make a great point there about getting expert help. And I I’m aware of an entire category of human that don’t think they’re serious enough or hardcore enough to need a personal trainer. They just get in their car, drive to the gym, get their towel and jump on the bike, or even go over and pull some cables and, and do some weights. But I’ve had some incredible experiences just one-off like hiring a trainer for one workout because I don’t live in that same town. And someone referred me and it’s been life changing because I take all that instruction and I go back and do my next 37 workouts with much more intention and correct technique. Brad (1h 5m 38s): And I have a relationship with my high jump coach, where I sent him videos in addition to meeting in person once in a while. So if it’s like a budget concern or a self-belief that you’re not that serious of an athlete, let’s put a plug-in together to go and get a trainer for one workout and bring a, bring a voice recorder or something, but it can be so wonderful and so affordable. So there are so many people that are going and working out on their own without understanding that they might have muscular imbalances or things that need correction, whereby the work they’re putting in, it can be ineffective. And I come from the triathlon scene and I coach of course, coach for many years. And I would coach some adults, swimmers whose technique was so poor that after a couple of laps, I had to say, look, you, you probably shouldn’t do any more swimming until you completely break down and refine your technique. Brad (1h 6m 29s): Because every time you practice this technique, you refined the bad technique. So it’s more difficult to change. So Ronnie (1h 6m 37s): I will, I will. One of you, I was taken at least three, Brad (1h 6m 42s): Right? Right, good. Yeah. Three sessions with the trainers so they can get to there. Ronnie (1h 6m 46s): First session, you’re getting to know each other’s personality and, and trainers really see like your, your charter. Like if you’re resisting or you’re defensive, or you’re too scared to talk or whatever, we get to know your personality, which has a lot to do with it. But we also assess you were watching out for things. Even if you think we’re just standing there or placing your knee in the right way, we’re really assessing your strengths and weaknesses in posture form. And I notice things like, boom, Oh, what’s up with your shoulder? Why is it lower than the other one? Or, Oh, have you ever hurt here? And people discover things about themselves that they wouldn’t have thought of. So three to me has been the magic number because once we see you in that first session, kind of get to know your personality. If you ask a lot of questions or you do too much talking or whatever, and what you will like and what you will dislike, cause I’m not gonna give somebody something to do that. Ronnie (1h 7m 30s): They’re just not, they hate it. You know what I mean? And, and then the next two sessions like, boom, we fly. I know what to do with you. And then they know, and you know, if it’s a good fit and if you will continue or for budget reasons, but at least you give them something to take away with them. It’s like, this is what I’ve noticed in you. This is what you need to do. This is what you need to focus on. Whatever, whatever it may be, maybe like you’ve got a really bad, lower back or you’ve got, have you ever looked into this? Whatever it is, you diagnose them. You give them something to take away. Usually people continue. But even if they don’t, wow, you gave them a lot in those three sessions, especially the two workouts, but I’ve just found that three is the magic number. And it’s also, it feels kind of good because you’re dating. Ronnie (1h 8m 11s): It’s like, let’s just do three sessions, you know? Cause a lot of trainers at the big box gym. Like you got to buy the 50 pack and all this it’s like, you know what? Let’s just go for three sessions and people will be surprised like, yeah, because the thing you don’t feel like you have a long-term commitment who wants to commit right off of match.com for life or, you know, over 50 date, you just want to commit to maybe the first coffee and then maybe a second meet and greet and then a real date. Know what I mean? It’s like, you got a date for it. You got a romance and see if you’re a good fit. If you want to continue on that fourth date. So I always find that three is the magic number way better than one, because one a trainer does feel rushed and like they got to pack a lot in Brad (1h 8m 54s): Very nice. And maybe it’ll be one of those things that turns into a habit where you feel like you’re in a good groove. And certainly as far as budget priorities go. And if anyone who gives the excuse, they can’t afford it, let’s get out their credit card charges and see how much they’ve spent on frivolous things that we’re all seeming as is normal in life here. Ronnie, this has been fun. You’re real. You’re, you’re, you’re full of energy and all kinds of different topics. So it’s been a nice chat and I’d love to finish by hearing about your interest in fasting and that program that you have going to kind of combine that Ronnie (1h 9m 34s): Show on intermittent fasting. I’m not advocating now watching it and I’m certainly not selling it. And you, Brad Kearns has agreed to be on it. I’m so excited because I want five experts in different areas of intermittent fasting. The reason I’m having it is because I asked a lot of my clients. And then I also surveyed about 50 people. Would you like to learn more about intermittent fasting? Because people ask me about it all the time. It’s like, well, there’s seven different types of like what? They’re always surprised. There’s seven different types and there are three main types and it’s five intervals. People always ask me about that. So I said, do you want to hear about intermittent fasting or do you want to hear about paleo and keto? Ronnie (1h 10m 15s): Cause I get that all the time. Or do you want to hear about mindset? Because a lot of my, my clients talk about, well I have no time. Well, is it really time? Or is it mindset? I’m in mindset, almost one. But the people that want to know about intermittent fasting one out by three votes in the survey and then one more voted the next day. But still I was really surprised. People really want to know what the heck it is. So we’re going to hold a live show April 30th. And if you see this after April 30th, I’m sure I’ll have a replay, but I just want to bring clarity, intermittent fasting, myths and facts, get clarity on different types and how each could work for you. Or if any of them would work for you and we’re going to have the basics and you’re going to be on it. Ronnie (1h 10m 56s): And I’m really excited. I’m going to have somebody else’s just talking about food. What kind of dishes you can make while you’re intermittent fasting. I’m having another guy. Who’s a, do you mind if I talk about, Hey, maybe it’s not for you and kind of deflect it. And this is why it’s like build for it because we need to find out what it is and why it may not be for you and your lifestyle and your diet. And I have somebody else coming on there and really excited. She works with women. This is, as you have seen my thing, hormones. And so she works with a lot of women, especially aging, 40 50, you know, peri-menopausal, menopause, post-menopausal, but hormones also talks into, if you have any issues with type two diabetes with your thyroid, any hormonal issue. Ronnie (1h 11m 37s): And we all do. We’re losing women lose testosterone too. You know, we lose estrogen as well. So, and, and for men as well, you go through, we have menopause, you have andropause. So she’s going to talk about how to use intermittent fasting in line with your hormonal changes. So I’m really excited. We have five different experts talking about different subtopics that April 30th from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM Pacific standard time. So at three hours, if you’re Eastern time and if you want to find out about it, please find me. Ronnie Loa, R O N N I E L O A on Instagram. I’m in clubhouse. Go to, Hey Ronnie fitness coach, Hey, Ronnie fitness coach on Facebook. Ronnie (1h 12m 17s): Give me your email. And I will send you an invitation because it’s going to only be two hours. I’m kind of webinars out where you you’re invited to a six hour webinar. And I start multitasking two hours interactive like Q and A. Hold people like you Brad, hold your feet to the fire, ask you questions about what you just presented. And so you can ask and present your own questions. I’m really excited about that because I’m bringing a subject that people have been asking me about. I want to bring clarity and information, Brad (1h 12m 43s): Ronnie Lo connect with our people. Thank you for listening to the show. That’s a wrap, duh. Thank you for listening to the show. I love sharing the experience with you and greatly appreciate your support please. Email podcast@bradventures.com with feedback, suggestions and questions for the Q and A shows. Subscribe to our email list to Brad kearns.com for a weekly blast about the published episodes and a wonderful b monthly newsletter edition with informative articles and practical tips for all aspects of healthy living. You can also download several awesome free eBooks when you subscribe to the email list. Brad (1h 13m 24s): And if you could go to the trouble to leave a five or five star review with Apple podcasts or wherever else, you listen to the shows that would be super, incredibly awesome. It helps raise the profile of the be read podcast and attract new listeners. And did you know that you can share a show with a friend or loved one by just hitting a few buttons in your player and firing off a text message? My awesome podcast player called overcast allows you to actually record a soundbite excerpt from the episode you’re listening to and fire it off with a quick text message. Thank you so much for spreading the word and remember B.Rad

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