#171 | The Conversation I Keep Having in the Locker Room

Last week, I had a conversation in the locker room that I've had with so many women over the years.

I wonder... If I ran into you in the locker room, would I have the same conversation with you, too?

She's noticed her body changing. And she knows exactly what she should do about it (start strength training). She just keeps putting it off.

In this episode, I share exactly what I said to her to help lower the barrier to her finally getting started.

Enjoy the show!

Resources mentioned: 

Lift-IT 10-Day Strength Training Kickstart > 

Learn to Lift 10-week beginner program > 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to 40 Plus Fitness for Women. I'm Lynn Zedderloff Airisto, your host, and I'm a certified menopause fitness coach, helping women to build the bodies they want to spend the rest of their lives in. And today I wanted to share a conversation that I had in the locker room last week. And it's a conversation I feel like I've had so many times over the past years. And I have a feeling that a lot of you listening to this podcast are right where this woman is now. And I wanted to share the conversation because I also have women who have moved forward from this stage and wish they had done it a little sooner. So I always pick a locker in the same place in the locker room. And I've gotten to know the women over the years because I've been a member at this gym for, oh my gosh, I'm like a platinum member. So maybe that means over 10 years, 12 years, forever ago. I joined. Anyway, so you know, you start like chit-chatting. At least I do start chit-chatting after I see the same person for a while. And this woman has been always super fit, trim. She goes to the group fitness classes, like so many of us do, and avid exerciser, beautiful woman. So she was like, Oh, are you coming or going? And I said, Oh, I just was in the weight room. And then she said, once again, because we've had this conversation before, that oh, she should really get started. She knows she should really get started. And then she grabbed this role around her midsection, and she was like, Because I've got this now, and my body's changing. And I looked at her, and to be honest, her body has changed. I mean, I've seen this woman dressing, undressing, because in Finland, you are not going behind any curtain to change clothes. You just throw your clothes off, walk around naked in a towel, in underwear, and a bra. So I have seen this woman's body, and and for sure, it had changed. She had suddenly gained weight around her midsection. And when she grabbed that tire, like there was actually a tire to grab, which was actually a little bit shocking because this is a woman who'd always been very trim. But actually not shocking because that's exactly what happens to us as we go through menopause and estrogen leaves the building, our fat stores start to shift. And they shift to around our waist, which causes two things, which is the visceral fat around our organs inside of our bodies, and then the subcutaneous fat. So you're getting not only this kind of, I like to think of it like a balloon effect that your your whole body balloons out a little bit, but then you also get that muffin top there. And then the other thing that I noticed has changed about her body was her muscle tone. I mean, this was exactly what I had gone through, right? I mean, I'm looking at her and I'm thinking, that was me, you know, five years ago. And I explained to her that, yeah, that's menopause and that's what's happening because your hormones are shifting. And, you know, some of this stuff she knew, and she was saying, oh, yeah, she knows she should start strength training. And I explained to her that the strength training would definitely help, that it will, first of all, get her muscle tone back. And then the second thing is the visceral fat will start to finally shift because that's something that doesn't like to shift. It wants to stay there stubbornly and it isn't very good for your health. But then she was like, oh, but it's so boring, and oh, I I I don't like it, you know, which is which is what so so many women say it is boring. I mean, if you well, I don't find it boring, but if you compare to what you are doing in a group fitness class where you've got music, you've got people around you, you're all moving in synchrony, you've got the instructor up there, rah-rah, rah, go, go, go, like that is very motivating and fun. Plus, the group fitness classes they change often. You can go to different ones, all the things, right? So, yes, compared to that, going into the weight room where you're all by yourself, you're like following this program and you're doing the whole thing by yourself. Okay, you can have your music in your headset, but I can understand that it feels really, really boring. But at the same time, like that is how you're going to get the results. I said to her that really you do not have to go very often. And she actually knew the cardio queen that I've talked about on this show before, that the cardio queen I used as an example, that she goes before her group fitness class, which makes it great because then she goes in and she does kind of a quick-ish workout. She does like 20, 30 minutes, and then she goes into her cardio class, which is actually an amazing way to do it because your cardio class is like your reward, right? That's that's the thing you're enjoying doing. So you've done your strength training, and then you reward yourself immediately by going into your cardio class. And even that, where she has absolutely not become like a gym rat, she has seen results. I see it in her body that she has getting her muscle tone back, and then she has had it measured that her visceral fat has declined. So I told her about the cardio queen that really it does not take much to really start to see and feel results to make a difference. So even that kind of 20 to 30 minutes, a couple of times a week, that really will start to move the needle. But, but if you're going to go with small doses like that, then you need to really optimize what that dose is. And I think I mentioned this on another podcast episode. So think of it like you are packing for a week and all you have is your carry-on bag, right? You're trying to get everything in in a smaller amount of space. You need to be more strategic. You can't just walk around your room and be like, oh, I like these, I like these, I'll just throw these in, I'll throw these in. Because all of a sudden you're gonna have all kinds of tops, no bottoms, and none of your makeup's in there. You know what I mean? So when you're doing short sessions, fewer sessions, you need to be particularly strategic about what you're doing. And she said that, yeah, actually, she's gone down to the weight room sometimes, but it's been exactly that, that she just kind of does a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And the thing is that then you've gone there and you've gotten no results. And that is really not going to serve you in the long term. Plus, going every now and again isn't going to bring any results, right? One or two times isn't gonna make a difference. You need to be going there consistently. So if you are somebody that's thinking that I need to do this, but I don't really want to do this, but I need to do it. I don't think I'm gonna find it fun. You know, start with a minimum viable dose, which is to get your hands on a good strategic program, which is really twice a week for 30 minutes. Okay. And then put it before your favorite thing that you like to do. Like do it before your yoga class or your dance class or whatever class that you like to do before you go play tennis, you know, whatever the thing is, and make that then your reward. But get it done, get it into your schedule so that it's twice a week. And it doesn't have to be at the gym, it can absolutely be at home. So with my summer shape up ladies, it's twice a week at home, and they have found that something that is actually possible for them to get into their lives, and that is important. And already, it was just on our weekly group call, and already that is showing a difference, and they're noticing a difference, even it transferring into their everyday life, that they've started strength training and it does something to your body. What it does is it gets your mind, muscle connection, not in the woo-woo way that they talk about online, but basically it allows your mind to better use the muscle that you even have right now, so that everyday stuff becomes easier, like lifting your groceries, getting up off the chair, because your mind is better able to recruit the muscle that you have. And then, of course, as you progress, as you continue to train, then you start to actually get more muscle on you and get stronger that way. So, in summary, if you are that woman that I talked to last week in the locker room, then you can get started without totally changing your lifestyle. You love your group fitness classes, you have a busy life. I know how it is. Like honestly, I work such long days, and then the kids and well, I used to have a relationship, not now, but anyway. And uh, and you know, fitting it in can be really, really challenging. And that's why getting your hands on a good program, like a strategic program, so that you don't have to spend much time, but you get a lot of bang for your buck. So don't just go in there and be like, I'll do a little bit, I'll just spend a half an hour in here, and then and then I'll do something. It is not like other kinds of exercise. You know, if I were talking about your aerobic conditioning, you know, just getting in shape in general, I'd say, absolutely, do anything. Go play tennis, jump rope, jog, walk, hike, go to a dance class. Doesn't matter what you do, just do something. It is not the same with weight training. With weight training, if you want to get the result, there is a science to it, and you need to do a particular process and trust the process. Do the process for 10 weeks, okay? And if you're looking for a way to get started, I have my 10-day strength training kickoff, which is called Lift It. And that gives you four short workouts that you can do, and you can keep repeating those, or you can jump straight into my Learn to Lift program, and you will get 10 weeks and all of the support from me through the app. You know, I chat with you in the app, you can send me your form videos, all the things, and you can start working with me on getting your body stronger. But ladies, don't put it off, honestly, because every week that you put it off is a week that your body is getting weaker. All right. So start now and just get going. And by the end of the summer, you are gonna be so glad you did. All right. Okay. So let me know if you have any thoughts. Hey, by the way, I wanted to mention that it turns out that if you comment in the podcast player, if you have this little button, like leave a message for Lynn, nowadays I can actually answer you. This is new. I just discovered this last week. So if you have a question for me, you can submit it, submit it that way, or if you have a suggestion for a podcast episode, or you can always reach out to me. Probably the easiest way on social media is through my Instagram DMs. All right, and with that, I wish you a wonderful June, and I hope that this week will be filled with some training for you. And I wish you happy training.