Train For Your 95-Year-Old Self: Build The Life She’ll Thank You For

Ready to feel strong in the gym and steadier in life? Claire sits down with Lisa, a physical therapist and women’s health coach, to unpack how lifting changes everything—from your confidence and bone density to the way you recover from stress and handle the “heavy” stuff off the platform. We get real about early alarms, community energy, and why a good coach makes feedback feel like fuel instead of criticism.

Lisa shares her path from athletic training to PT to therapeutic coaching, and why she built Evolving with Motion to help women move with intention, not just intensity. We talk through injuries as information, not identity: what a back spasm can teach about core strength and form, how dry needling and PT fit into a smart return, and the role of technique and progressive load. You’ll hear how functional movements—carries, deadlifts, strict presses—map directly to daily life, whether you’re hoisting luggage, corralling kids, or navigating stairs with confidence.

We also dive into hormones, sarcopenia after 35, and Wolff’s law to explain how muscle tension signals bones to get stronger. Expect practical takeaways: WHO’s two full-body strength sessions per week, building protein-forward meals, the value of rest days, and when tools like GLP-1 medications can support health goals like reducing visceral fat. Most of all, we champion the mindset shift from chasing “less” to fueling “more”—more strength, more resilience, more life.

If you’re ready to train for your 95-year-old self while enjoying every win along the way, this conversation will meet you where you are and help you move forward. 

Want to start lifting with intention? 🏋️‍♀️

Visit 🌿 ewmotion.com to explore Lisa’s coaching.
Join the Evolving With Motion community on:
Instagram 📲 @evolvingwithmotion
Facebook 🫶 Evolving With Motion
YouTube ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@EvolvingWithMotion 

For daily encouragement, education, and strength inspiration. 💪

Chapters

• 0:00 Meet Lisa And The 6 A.M. Crew
• 2:24 From Burnout To Evolving With Motion
• 5:10 Athletic Training Roots And Women’s Health
• 9:20 Virtual Care, Coaching, And Access
• 11:35 Finding Community And Early-Morning Training
• 14:12 Friendship, Motivation, And Non-Toxic Drive
• 16:55 Why Women Should Fall For Strength
• 20:36 Failure, Feedback, And Resilience
• 24:00 Training For Life: Falls And Function
• 27:15 Language, Fear, And Asking For Help
• 30:22 Bone Density, Hormones, And Aging Strong
• 34:08 Injury, Rehab, And Form Over Ego
• 38:12 WHO Guidelines And Smart Programming
• 41:12 Stress, Setbacks, And Sustainable Tools
• 45:05 Confidence, Community, And Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hey friends, and welcome to Mom Talk Maryland. I'm your host, Claire Duarte, founder of the Columbia Mom. And this is your spot for real conversations, local love, and a whole lot of community. Whether you're folding laundry, running errands, or hiding in your car for some peace and quiet, let's dive in. I'm so excited to have you on the podcast, Lisa. Thank you so much, Claire, for inviting me. I love, God, I'm trying to think. Did I first meet you? Was it this year or last year? Oh, actually, I lied. I met you at BWN a few years ago.

SPEAKER_01: 0:31

Yeah, a few years ago. I think we have a similar friend. So that was nice. Yeah. I think we met real quick.

SPEAKER_00: 0:40

Okay. But was it earlier this year or was it in the fall when we started working out together?

SPEAKER_01: 0:45

I think or uh yeah, like I think just in the spring. In the spring. Yeah. That's crazy. I know. I know, because I started working out where we were working out right now, but I did a lot of the 8 a.m. classes because it's just what I needed for my own like lifestyle, my nervous system to uh relax. And as I got back into lifting, yeah, um, which I've been doing, I was very consistent with one day of strong lifting a week for you know at least a year. And then I was at really consistent with two days a week for at least two years. Yeah. Um and then I was really trying to build up to my three days a week of heavy lifting. And then once I just got really comfortable with the two days a week, um, I then started pushing it to the 6 a.m. Because it just I actually prefer to get up early. Um because it works for my life. I have, you know, just where I am with a teenager and almost another teenager. I can I sleep and we can't. I can do a 6 a.m. class and then I can really be more consistent with three days a week. So that's been like that. Was my goal, my really intentional goal with weightlifting for this year was to get to three days a week. But I wanted to first do it at like that 8 a.m. time where I could just build that consistency before then I push myself to go earlier. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00: 2:06

Yeah. Um, so tell us um a little bit about your business and what you do, and then we'll don't worry, I'm gonna we'll nerd out hard about working out in a second, but let's start with that first.

SPEAKER_01: 2:17

Well, that's that's great. Yeah. Um yeah, so I own Evolving with Motion is physical therapy and wellness coaching. Um, and I started back in August of 21 after my own uh burnout journey uh from the healthcare field. And uh yeah, I just decided to start doing something different and being able to pr provide women um and partner with women with hip and back pain um a way to move with intention and not intensity through uh their journey. So I really provide physical therapy for people who are looking for it differently and provide them with strategies that work for their seasonal life, you know, and I really want to ask them what matters to them. Yeah. And like give them the information that they can take with them and actually implement in their life. Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 3:11

Um well and tell us what your actual education and and background is that before so fun fact, I've only ever worked in physical therapy since I was 17.

SPEAKER_01: 3:20

I worked for one week at a shoe store, and that's about the extent of my wait.

SPEAKER_00: 3:25

I just have to okay. Now knowing this about you, I just have to quickly tell this story. Um, because my husband's a dentist, and when he, I mean, when he was a little kid, he like said, I want to be a dentist. Um and um he's only like he's never I call I say like you're not a real person because you've never had a real job. Um because he like in high school and college, like the summers he would like work for the dental office and then he went to dental school and then became a dentist. And I was like, you're just not a real person. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 3:56

So yeah, I'm just that not real person. So it's been great. Um, I was really lucky. I started, I knew by the time I was probably eight or nine that I wanted to do physical therapy. That's so cool. Um, I was just like a really awkward person. I just like really like to like find people. We're from a kinesthetic feeling, so like we're very open to touch and hugs and stuff like that. And I would hug and I was just like, this feels like a spot that could be sore, and I would like touch it, and they're just like, oh, that feels so good. Um, so I would just give massages to like my family members, like when you know, just like to their shoulders and stuff. Um, and then I just got really comfortable with that, and so I decided, um, and then I was an athlete, so I played three sports in high school. I played travel sports, and with that, I became friends with the athlet trainer at our high school, and she uh told me that there was a physical therapy technician job right in Clarksville. So I took that job and I got to work there all my summers and winter breaks, but I went to school for athletic training first. So I was first an athletic trainer. Um and I did that for a few years, and I got my master's in athletic training and I worked like with the baseball team and cross-country team. Um, and then the nights and weekends just got to me. So I was like, well, let me just go ahead and uh do more school physical things. Because at that point I was uh I like after I graduated from my master's, I wasn't working for the colleges anymore. I was working for like um a hospital-based system. So I was still working as like return to sport. Um, so I would be the liaison for the kids like they were done with physical therapy, but they were getting back to sport and they weren't quite confident with that like return to sport. Yeah. So I started working there, but again, I was still athletic training, so I would still go out to the fields on you know nights and weekends, and eventually I wanted to have a family. So I went back to PT school and during PT school I became pregnant with my child. Um, and it led me down this road of women's health. So then I really became passionate about um women's health, but not just like hips, like I would say probably hips and low back drew me there. Right, right, right. But it was really the whole emotional journey of like having a child, being in physical therapy school, um, and looking for that kind of support and being a high achieving woman. And like when I was going to be, I'm error quoting right now, off from having a child, um, you know, I was gonna get, I was gonna actually excel and like get ahead on my studies for like next semester, and I was gonna like get my house cleaned and in order. And then um I was given a child who just screamed all the time. And I was very highly frustrated with myself. Yeah. And wondering why like breastfeeding was so challenging, and anyway, all the things. Um, and I was after I would could like really reflect on that, oh my god, right, right. I was just like, oh my gosh, how much support that women need in this area. And so this was before virtual was like even a thing. But I was always thinking we had we were like getting this FaceTime thing, and I was like, there needs to be a way that women can get support without you coming into their home because I know I was like, I don't want you to come in my house. My house is like a hot mess. Right. But I can't, I don't want to leave with this colicky screaming child. Right. Right, right, like, but I need help and I don't know how to get this help. Yeah, and um, it was like just always on my mind. So during, unfortunately, it took a long time, but during the pandemic, I was finally able to start doing some virgin stuff. Yeah, um, which was really supportive, but I know that it helped a lot of women being able to like receive the support, and not just women who were postpartum, like women of all ages, like especially at that time, women who were really scared to leave the house. But it's like we still need help. So, and they could still receive it. So, anyway, um, that was a little bit of my journey, but anyway, so I do orthopedic, women's health, physical therapy. Um, and uh yeah, so that's where it's led me. And then recently I got my certification, my certificate in uh therapeutic coaching.

SPEAKER_00: 8:05

Oh, yeah, that's right. Yeah, and so now are all of your clients virtual or do you still do some in-person? I do mostly in person. That's what it means.

SPEAKER_01: 8:12

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I do mostly in person, um, but I do have a virtual component, which I do a lot my coaching with as well. Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_00: 8:19

Yeah, um, that's awesome. Um, well, and so, but and then like on the personal note, like I love when you shifted into 6 a.m. I've been at 6 a.m. for probably the last year and a half, I would say. Nice. Um, and uh we both train at Odyssey, strength, and truth and conditioning. Yeah. And um, it's funny because I'm actually celeb like it'll be two years in October. Yeah, yeah. I know. I just it's crazy. Um, but that'll be like my one year there.

SPEAKER_01: 8:49

Isn't that so so exciting?

SPEAKER_00: 8:50

So for both of us. A couple of the other girls in the group.

SPEAKER_01: 8:53

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 8:54

Um, but I when I started, I was also like the eight or nine o'clocker. Um, but also like my kids were younger, my business was in a different season, um, I didn't have as many demands, so I could, you know, I was trying to honor my sleep. And then um, but then I was like, oh, I have too much things during the day. And I've always you know, even though during the winter might not like love getting up at five, I was like, it's it's it's done when I'm on with my day.

SPEAKER_01: 9:20

Yeah, because we're in just a different season where we can we are trying to honor our sleep and like we now understand where we can push our bodies. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 9:31

Well, and I've kind of like I love our friendship because we've had like such like a little girl crush on you. We've had like so much fun in the gym together. So much fun. So much fun. Um to the point that like when I first met you and I was like, oh, look at this, like you know, really tall, like strong girl. And to be honest, um like I I got I was like your energy was really fun. I mean, I I I love that energy, but I got excited because not that I was in no way like plateauing at the gym. I've always been steadily growing, but uh up to up to that point there was no other women that were stronger than me. Yeah. Um, so I was like it among the group, I which again this has its own accolades, like the strongest one in the group. But um, to a degree, I personally felt like when you were there, I even if like now we like really hardcore cheer each other on, but it when you first started, it didn't necessarily start directly or very outwardly like that. Um, but it really pushed it. I just it really pushed me. And so mentally I was I started to like, oh god, I really hope she's coming because I I really did feel that sense of drive. And not in the competitive way of like, oh, I gotta not competing, yeah, but I I really I'm like okay, she's she's definitely lifting heavier than me. Let's fucking go. Like do this, and I was like, and not that I wasn't challenging it, because obviously our coaches definitely challenge us. Um but it just I don't know, I it kind of like it energized me. I was like, oh yeah, I got really excited, and then obviously we just said now we have we're we're two silly little goose and I kind of love it. Um but I think that's you know, we've talked about this, and that's kind of why I wanted you here today to talk about not just PT, but women's health and strength. And frankly, like this is sort of my question to you, but what are what I wanted to talk about is like why women should kind of be obsessed with strength and why they should fall in love with it.

SPEAKER_01: 11:33

Oh yes, why should they fall in love? Yes. How has your confidence increased, Claire? In from like lifting heavier. I mean, you have good confidence.

SPEAKER_00: 11:44

Let's be honest. It's gotten better though. It's probably more annoying.

unknown: 11:50

Great.

SPEAKER_00: 11:52

I love that video, right? Um, I mean, you know too, with like my own health journey, right? I've been taking some more supplements and things to support like my thyroid, which are coincidentally also helping my strength journey, but absolutely just the reasons why. But no, I mean, like I I mean I feel like I've learned so much what about strength and strength and conditioning, really, yeah. Um, especially as it means for a woman in my health, but my as for my confidence, no, I've like I mean that's the other reason why I work out first thing in the morning. So like you know, I know that that's not the hardest thing of my day, but I feel like if I can lift heavy shit first thing in the morning, like I can handle all the other heavy shit you're gonna handle for the day, right?

SPEAKER_01: 12:35

Like once I've handled, I've proven to myself that I can handle this heavy shit. Yes, every everything else is it's fine, it's heavy shit. Who cares? I I lift it up, I pick, I put it down, we move on. Like that's we say the say the quote that you said uh it was like a week or two ago, and I just I love the one with like pick a weight that's gonna push you down and challenge you to get back up, right? That's how we grow. That's how we grow. Literally, and we also grow when we start to practice in our body what we're looking for in our life. That's just my philosophy. Like, yeah, if you're looking for more balance, practice balance. If you're looking to like get a stronger back and like stand up for yourself, go practice some strength. Like you gotta practice strength because you gotta practice being strong.

SPEAKER_00: 13:21

It's not just in one area of your life.

SPEAKER_01: 13:24

You know, I mean you gotta practice in everywhere, right? Like you've done, you've you are a coach, you've been a coach. Like, you know, like if you're looking to like gain more trust wherever, you've got to focus on that trust. It's and you can focus on it physically, emotionally, um mentally, all the ways.

SPEAKER_00: 13:42

Yeah. Well, and I think there are so I mean, yes, there's so many metaphors, but you're right, it's like actually, even when you said trust, it's kind of like I'm thinking, you know, in a moment where well we were doing um these presses the other day and it's without our legs. Without okay, we have to, it's a strict press. Um strict. I have gotten better. But um when we would start, I would like I swear to god, I hope he turns around so I can just give the micro knee bend that I'm gonna give this. Um but it's just mentally thinking, like, okay, like you know, I'll I remember thinking to myself, like, can't I don't know if I can get this all the way up. And sometimes you can't, but okay.

SPEAKER_01: 14:24

It's a challenge. It's a challenge, and you fail and you move on. Right. That's I have a huge fear of failure. Like the first time I actually dropped weights, I was so scared to make noise. I was so scared to be loud and that like I can't lift, you know, I can't do it. I'm failing.

SPEAKER_00: 14:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 14:44

Like that was scary to me. And then I could recognize, oh my gosh, I have a freaking fear of failure. Like, this is just dropping weights in the gym. This is what people do. But I was so scared of that, right? And being a business owner, guess what you do all the time? Oh, we drop shit. We fail. And you fail all the time. And it's like okay, we fail, we move on. And it's okay. Like, we can we don't have to celebrate it, but we can give it time to be sound and then we simply then have a different choice. Yeah. Like, what are we gonna move on to next?

SPEAKER_00: 15:10

Well, and the other thing that I kind of like about that too is like, guess what? Like, you know, if whether we decreased or or stayed the same, whatever, guess what? I get excited because I'm like, I have another opportunity to lift it again. Yes. I you know, and whether it's in that same day or just next time, yeah, you know, and that's amazing. That's okay. We you get another opportunity, and you know, and actually I kind of think like um watching even you, like when you've momentarily had a harder day, or whether it was mentally or not feeling well, or like I'm just choosing to go a little bit lower and honoring yourself, like that you didn't even know that you were modeling that for me, so that when like because I there was even a day last week. I didn't necessarily come in, not in a bad attitude or anything like that, but you even just like it's okay, just go a notch lower or whatever. And I it was one of those things, like I needed to be told that, otherwise, I might have just kind of gone and pushed myself, but I had a better lift because of that.

SPEAKER_01: 16:10

Great, do you know what I mean? I do, and then guess what?

SPEAKER_00: 16:13

You could show up then the next day, and that's okay, stronger because I because I was able to have a good lift, not only did I obviously feel really confident in what I did, um, but it was like I'm gonna get the benefits of a good lift as opposed to just trying to always go right hard and fast.

SPEAKER_01: 16:29

You know, because lifting is not a destination, it is a constant journey that you're gonna go on, and you circling back to like why do I think women should lift and talking about confidence, huge. Um, I also just want to say like I'm a five foot seven woman, like right at 205. I say I'm always I'm like the what you would think if a football player and cheerleader got together, I am the prodigy of that. Okay, I have big shoulders, I have a big chest.

SPEAKER_02: 16:55

Celebrate that.

SPEAKER_01: 16:56

I celebrate it. And so, like, weight's an issue, but it's not for me. I think I think lifting just gives you something else to focus on. Like it's not about and I have I did start taking a GLP about a year ago. Um, and so and that's helped me lose like 45 pounds, which is great because that's why I look phenomenal. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, that helped my lifting gain like strengthen. Um, but I was lifting before that, right? And so I just think lifting and just feeling strong inside your body, owning who you are, yeah, it just gives you a different thing to focus on. Like it's not always about the calories and like I am totally happy if women want to do it for um for aesthetic reasons. That's absolutely awesome, and that's fine. I do think that strengthen just gives you something else to go for that you're like, oh, I really want to lift this weight. Like, my goal right now is to do a 300-pound deadlift. And it's like, what do I need to get there? I need to make sure I'm really prioritizing my protein in the right way, that I'm recovering, I'm also resting, and I'm focusing on my movement technique. Those are the things I focus on. Not not, and this is again personally for me, because I'm not concerned about the aesthetics. I took a GLP because I had too much visceral, which means stomach fat. Yeah. And I know that's not gonna be supportive for my 95-year-old body. Like that's not gonna get me to be the age of 95. So I want to support my organs in order to do that. I need to lose visceral fat. I couldn't do it. I was doing a lot of um stress management techniques, and I just felt like I had this open pipe of cortisol just like flowing into my own. Women's health and hormones is a as a whole thing, right? And so this medication has helped me do that and then get down to a weight that feels a lot more sustainable to me and helped me move inside my body with more ease. But I already had the lifestyle stuff right before I started taking it.

SPEAKER_00: 18:50

And you had a lot of knowledge and know-how of that that factor into the nutrition piece and and all those things. So it boils down to it being a tool.

SPEAKER_01: 18:58

Yeah, it's a tool that we have as modern women in 2025 dealing with a lot more stuff than we've had to deal with differently uh in the past. But so, yes, why do I think strength training is important? I think it gives you something just different to focus on um if you intend for it to be that way, right? That you have like, I want to do a pull-up, like I want to do 10 pull-ups, I want to do this, you know, and you start thinking of for me, because I've had issues with uh food and like you know, all of that. Yeah, for sure. That's all of that, whatever that means. Yeah, yeah. That's the drama that we sleep under the roof. Yeah, so we all have our own food things. Oh, yeah. Um, and that's for a different day. But it it has helped me, right? You had I first looked at it as fuel, but also just as this beautiful thing that's in my life that I have the privilege to be able to consume in order to get me to a destination that I would like to get to. Yeah. And then I will change that destination, but it will be strengthening will be a forever journey for me. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00: 19:58

Well, and I feel like the I mean, I have also maybe outside of like high school, but I I I wasn't like a high-level high school athlete, but I did play soccer um all through high school. Um, college, um uh I was no longer an athlete, but I got into like running a little bit and then in my 20s. I've always enjoyed working out. Um, but it was obviously all vanity driven, which is again fine. It was just helping me show up, but I was, you know, I definitely had a long, as we all do, a long history of unhealthy um eating uh patterns, behaviors, and all the mental psyche that kind of comes along with that. So there was a lot of education, healing, and time that had to come with that too. So it's I think it's been a big evolution for me, and it wasn't until um a couple of years ago I started working with a macro coach because I wanted to learn that and how much that helped shape, you know, uh that side of things for me. But she was the one that really pushed me into strength. Um at the time, yeah. So that was like 2022. I'm gonna say January 2022 is when um because I I prior to then I was like I'm a recovering cardio junkie. Yes, yeah. Yeah, cardio um addict, if you may, because you know who doesn't love that rush? Who doesn't love that?

SPEAKER_01: 21:14

I will I love that for you. I do I played volleyball in college. That was great. Like I wasn't here to run.

SPEAKER_00: 21:21

Well, soccer is like, you know, and again, like it kind of like short, I was not midfield, so you know I was goalie, so or or um Dino defense, so you get the short sprints.

SPEAKER_01: 21:29

Yes, yeah, yeah. Short bursts.

SPEAKER_00: 21:31

Yeah um but uh but no, I mean like you know, because it's easy to get into is you know, a lot of those different gyms that have those kind of classes that's very hit style. Yes, and and that's still a very effective form of training, you know. Absolutely. That's actually per like some of my metabolic testing. Like I should be integrating that shouldn't be my primary, but I should integrate that to kind of have some optimal. Do I want to? Not necessarily, but right now right now, right? Like with a choice for right now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um but anyway, so I feel like as I myself have um I mean learned just obviously I've done a lot of different things. Um we had a Peloton bike for a while and I loved that because like you know what I mean. Um but then when I started working with the my my macro coach, I switched um into doing more of the Peloton strength workouts, and that's where I kind of started getting more consistent with that. Nice. So then when I met Nico, um I had been maybe doing like the strength training um at home for um yeah, maybe like a year and a half-ish, but I'd also been, you know, doing other different things from like boot camp and um uh you know, all kinds of different like classes that were really, you know, just you know, fun. I liked working out. Um but then what yeah, when I started at Odyssey, strength and conditioning, I was like, oh, like for me, I was like, oh, this is how you should train. This is how you do it. Do it! This is how you train. And I just I mean I love I mean obviously what they're doing is amazing. Um and their style of everything. Um, but for me, I I had worked out at home for years, obviously having like little kids. Yeah, but that was no longer working for me because I felt like um and how like when I'm at home, I feel kind of like too pulled into my environment. Like I'm not as good, at least at this time in my life. I'm not good at separating. That's right. Like I I think it worked for a while until it didn't. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 23:31

You know what I mean? And it got and it got you where you are today. Yeah. And so we respect that woman because that's what got me to where I am today. Because when I was a healthcare worker and working crazy hours with crappy boundaries and taking work home with me, I'm so grateful I foam rolled. I'm so grateful I did my rehab exercises every night. Right, you know, and I'm so grateful that I kept moving and I took between 10 and 30 minutes for me, a few nights a week, to literally practice doing different things. So that when my sister-in-law invited me to join her CrossFit gym, I was scared AF, man. Like I was so scared. I was like, oh gosh, what am I gonna do? Yeah, and then I stayed with it for seven months and then I started implementing like on the other days, like some boot camp, and just really where the gym was, it was just too far for like, you know, it just didn't work with my schedule at that time because I needed only I couldn't do the 6 a.m. class. I just wasn't there in my life. Um, and so I'm really grateful for that gym to get me back into it and just show me that I really liked lifting heavy things. Um, and then from there, I actually stayed with a personal trainer who did it virtually for two years. And I worked on my like, I worked, I worked, I worked on my form. Yeah, and then I started getting to this strength that I was like, I don't want to be lifting this heavy by myself because I did injure myself.

SPEAKER_00: 24:49

That's also partly how I also didn't have um I think my weights go up to like 50. I didn't have and I was at this point, it's either a crossroads of either like I'm buckled down for and but I was like, I'm clearly not working well by myself, and I needed higher equipment.

SPEAKER_01: 25:04

So yeah, and so I really loved working with my personal trainer for two years and like really focusing on my form, but I was getting to that weight that I was like, I need somebody here with me because I don't feel safe because I did injure myself crazily, and um I it was a different story, but anyway, yeah, yeah. I did rehab from it, I got better. That's um it's an injury that I've had since I was like 22. So I've had like I've gone through chronic pain for like you know, for hip and back, which is what kind of led me here. Right. Um and but yeah, when I started really strength training heavy, like a lot of that stuff ended up going away for my pain. And I also, when I was doing personal training virtually by myself, I was like, I just miss the social aspect. So it was the safety, the social aspect, um, being around awesome women like you and the other Gals and the couple guys and the board, we allow them to allow them exactly. But women's weightlifting Wednesday. That's right. We kind of, you know, we kind of gym. As we do, we really do.

SPEAKER_00: 26:01

And I I kind of love that it we have um taken over a little bit, and that kind of like makes like the my woman heart sort of happy to see. Yeah. And I as like obviously you know, um, I've been able to see that gym specifically grow, but I love seeing um the demographic of the women in the age group they're bringing to, because I'm like, that means that like you know, I love seeing that they value it to come because it kind of that's the other I think point that I'm sort of like pushing that I know that you value is just like literally training for life. And I think being once um for me, like in the two years that I've been there, it finally it I finally clicked for me. I was like, I because I feel like year one, I was like, oh, I really like this style of training. And I was like, this makes sense, this is how I'm really gonna progress in my strength, and blah blah blah. And then kind of like now I'm like, oh, not only is this how I'm gonna get strong, but I was like, this is how I'm training, and not I'm not exactly saying for like for the rest of my life, but I was like, right I am going to be strength training for the rest of my life. That's right, in one way or another, yeah, somehow. Because now, like, I mean, I think I even told you there was an example of like I was literally in the basement like playing with the kids, doing something, and like I don't know, I like lost my balance and um uh and and I tripped and fell. And I'm and I will say it did hurt like a mother. And I was like, oh crap, I might have like actually sprained this, like is it the shooting pain was really bad. Um, and then and I did the thing where like and I looked the kids were like, okay, mommy, and I'm close, and like literally had to close my eyes there for a while, and I was like, and I was just breathing through it. And then I'm like, you know, and then eventually it felt okay, and I like rolling my ankle out, and then I stood up and I was like and you know, again, I think I was very lucky that I fell the way I did and fell on carpet and things like that. But I I did say to myself the next day, I was like, I'm so glad that I've been training the way I have been. Yeah, because I was I was strong enough to catch myself, like that could have been a way worse injury, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 28:05

Right, because we're going to fall in life. We're glad to fall. And again, as a PT, I should be like, oh, prevent falls. No, by telling people to prevent so many things, we're limiting people from living life. Like we're we're fear-mongering, not on purpose, not with intention. I don't think any PTs out there doing any like harm. But it's like every time we say don't do this, or a healthcare professional says like, stop, don't, don't lift heavy things, or they don't say for now. They just say that period. And it's like just for now. Yeah. And then start to hire somebody who can help you get back to that because we just keep limiting people's life by telling them, like, let's not be too scared to fall. Okay, how about we prepare our body to fall? Right. Like, because we're gonna travel the world and there's cobblestones, like, we're going to get on and off of buses and we're gonna trip and we're gonna fall. So, like, let's train our body for like when shit happens and that we know how to actually get back up. And if we are physically broken, that's okay. Like, okay, we're gonna have recovery tools that we know, and we're gonna have a team that you know, a team that could be your medical provider, a physical therapist, whatever, coach, um, personal trainer, massage therapist, whatever you decide, acupuncture, like you go, you know, all of it. Um, that's gonna help you get back that you can ask for that kind of help because if you want to have an awesome, adventurous life, like and you want, I I'm just guessing a lot of people live like listening to them are connectors, like they want to connect with people in our community, um, in our county, in our state, and and in the world. Like, we want to do really cool things, we want to experience stuff. Um, I'm not saying you need to go jump off and like do crazy dives. I'm just saying, like, you want to get on and off like passenger buses, and you're not used to the gr like the concrete that's under your feet, or like stuff's gonna happen. So

SPEAKER_00: 30:00

Accidents, weird things are gonna happen. You can have the best supported shoes in the world, but the ground's gonna be uneven, or it's gonna be slippery, or it's gonna be wet, or you're gonna miss a step, or you know, accidentally not hold the guardrail.

SPEAKER_01: 30:11

Like, yeah, that's just that's a part of what life is, and let's uh train, let's let's like when we're not doing cool adventuring things, let's let's train for the life, and like so we can do a strict press and lift our luggage overhead, right? You know, um, because you can't bend your knees there because there's not enough, you know, room in the aisle. That's right.

SPEAKER_00: 30:32

That's well after a while. And well, I when I talk to people too, like what you know, about working out, I was like, I I use the word, I'm sure you do too. It's like the functional training of like, you know, we do the farmers' carries, and I was like, that's so I can carry my big ass luggage or my groceries or my kid when I throw them on my hip, you know what I mean? And I was like, that's such like a real thing, you know what I mean? And be able to carry things overhead and you know, um, and not be scared.

SPEAKER_01: 31:00

That's the biggest thing is that I think we there's so many women that I work with who are scared of the future problems that are gonna happen because they choose to do this hike, they choose to do this carrying something today that they worry about what tomorrow brings. Like, oh, is my stupid back or my stupid hips? Because I'm not sure. And it's like, don't call like let's I just yeah, okay, just listen. I don't want you to call anything of your body stupid. It is not stupid. It has been around this earth how many times? I mean, around the sun, it's been on this earth for so long, around the sun. It has done incredible things, it is never stupid, it is never bad. It is absolutely perfect the way it is, and it hurts and it wants you to listen to it. Right. So, and it's okay to be scared to do a certain thing. If you are scared to do a certain thing, then I encourage you to go get help and help that person. And I understand how scary it is because unlike Claire, and um, I would not say I'm as good as Claire about receiving feedback, right? Because going to these people, like when you go to a nutritionist, yeah, it might be it might be a lot for you to receive feedback, right? You know, of like may it may be perceived that what you're doing, quote unquote, wrong, but that's not what it is. So go get support for what you're looking for, get real specific about like what are you scared to do or not doing? Not maybe you're not scared, but you're like, I'm just avoiding that. Yeah, or it can feel just overwhelming to even put into action, yeah. Right. How much does it really feel like how terrible does it feel to say no to something when your heart is jumping for joy? And it's like, I want to go on that hike, but I'm so scared. Like, but my stupid back's gonna hurt tomorrow. Well, that breaks, it does break my heart. Or when your kid says, like, Mom, do you want to go throw the ball? And you're like, Oh, I can't because my stupid shoulder still hurts, and it's like, right, it's not stupid, but like you can go get help for that because I know you want to go play with your kid. Right. Like I know you do, because you know that your kids aren't gonna ask for that forever. No, exactly. And I know it hurts your heart a little bit. So go get help. It doesn't have to be as time consuming and overwhelming, right? It it just doesn't, no, it doesn't have to be that way at all.

SPEAKER_00: 33:09

Well, and I think the other for other women too, like sometimes it might be easy for me to like think like, oh, I'm training because I want to be able to keep up with my kids, it's which is true because they are younger, right? Um they're five and six, but you know, and even um you would definitely still want to keep up with your kids, even if you're not like chasing them per se, you are you know toting them around and want to mentally and emotionally keep up with their sports and kind of be their cheerleader cheerleader and model. Um, but then I also think down the road too, it's like, well, you know, I I want want to be an active grandparent, God willing. That is what I would need.

SPEAKER_01: 33:44

Yeah, I've always said that. So, like, what motivates me is my 95-year-old self who is doing Ring Around the Rosie with all the children of my life, whoever those children are, they could be neighbors, they could be grandchildren. I don't know, but I want to be able to fall down in the grass, laugh, and probably ask for help up, but whatever. I want to be able to like do that. And she's the woman who motivates me to like do the thing. But I know her so intimately, so I'm always training for my my old lady body. Um, because like who I mean, just like being in the grass. I just think being 95, like you kids even know what grass is.

unknown: 34:20

Right.

SPEAKER_01: 34:21

Are they out? Um, but I hope they are, and I hope to be that type of woman who's still taking kids, playing with them outside when their parents are probably overwhelmed.

unknown: 34:31

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 34:32

That I can be like, well, I'm gonna be with a crazy woman. Oh, like if I want to give you know my kids a break and I can, you know, here yeah, I'll take them for the weekend and I can I'll have the energy. You know what I mean? Exactly. I want that.

SPEAKER_01: 34:44

I want that energy too. Yeah. Um, and it is why I do, because family is really important to me, and I don't also want to put pressure my kids that that will happen. Um, but it's that's yeah, it's just like the kids. I am a kid at heart.

SPEAKER_00: 34:56

I think you are we're over children. I know.

SPEAKER_01: 35:01

We we try to be big adults, but I try I try to pretend like I'm an adult. I know. Oh. Efforts are made. Efforts are they're not always successful. Yeah, like these conversations we have to have with our children. I'm like, I'm gonna be an adult. I gotta be your mom right now. We've got to talk about this, right? I love moments. I'm like, okay, I can do it. And it's not the conversation you probably think about, but it's just like exactly it's just like, I'm like, all right, well, we just have to do this. Do this, we have to have these conversations.

SPEAKER_00: 35:27

So, okay, wait, you because you know this field a little better, you probably know whether it's a stat or whatever, but also talking about why strength is even, I think, more important for women than for men, because we're talking about our bodies and the percentage of like say muscle mass and bone mass that we have, because that doesn't that decreases after the age of 35. Yeah. And I'm 37.

SPEAKER_01: 35:51

Yeah, and so our muscle mass and our bone mass starts to decrease. We call uh muscle mass, muscle wasting, that's a terrible word, but it's called sarcopenia. Um, and that is a real thing. So our muscles just starts to um uh does it happen for men too? It's they have testosterone, so it's just they have a 24-hour cycle, we have a 28 to 35 day cycle. Um, so our hormones are simply different. And as I told you, I was like, women are not small men, we are we are different. Um, and so our muscles start wasting, and our in order for our bones to grow and to be stronger, we have to test our muscles. Our muscles have yeah, our tendons and stuff have to pull on the muscle for the muscle to grow. It's called wolf's law, W-O-L-F-E. Uh for all of you nerds who are out there, wolf law. Um, but it's just giving that bone some feedback. So when our muscles get big, it starts pulling on the bone, which makes the bone get uh more dense and stronger. Right. So strength training is really important for our bones, and that's what keeps our bones healthy. So when we fall, hopefully we will not break our bone. Now we might tear ligaments or tendons, other things absolutely happen. And um, no matter whether you're strengthening or nothing, nothing is your fault. Like if this happens to you, it is okay. Like it is not your fault, like this is what life happened. Um, you're not gonna change it. It's okay. That's okay to support team.

SPEAKER_00: 37:23

It's also okay if you are someone that's listening and if you've never picked up a weight in your life, it's okay. I would love to, and this is in no shame, I would love to encourage you to to start. It's not too late. It whether whether you're 30, 60, or 70, it's not too late, you know. Um, yes, I mean you will will someone's muscle mass look different if you've been training from their whole life up until 95 for a starting leader? Yeah, of course that'll look different, but it's not comparing. It's you think about I and I I do like I feel like this last year I've I can now be like, okay, I'm training for life. I want to be strong for life. I want to, you know, for when the falls, when the falls happen, yeah, I can I I can brace myself. I can um, you know, that the that the recovery won't be as long that's right, you know, and um that you learn even how to understand your own pain.

SPEAKER_01: 38:18

That you understand what the difference of like muscle soreness is versus actual pain, like this isn't healthy for me to do today. That's okay. And then you start to get this better relationship with your body and how you respond. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00: 38:33

Well, and you know this too from your own injuries, but I mean, last year I had a back spasm that some you know uh I I could have felt that at home. I mean, in a weird way, luckily the first one that I had happened at the gym, and it there's no way to know for certain did it happen because I was in poor form, I think that's part of it. Did it happen because my core wasn't as strong? I think that's part there's no singular thing, right? Right, right. Um, but having that happen, and I've already been working out at this specific gym for at least a year and a half. Um, I'm actually so glad it did. Yeah. And because when I came, I mean, I obviously went to PT and did treatment and dry needling. Um but when I return when I was able to safely return back to the gym, we created, you know, a very um uh customized plan to help me kind of like keep rehabbing safely alongside all of that. Yeah. And I eventually did need to get dry needling again another like five or six months later. Yeah. Um and another like a little batch of that. But um, I'm actually so glad for this journey of um of strength training because it's it's kind of like your metaphor of like, you know, pick up heavy stuff to um that pulls you down to put to bring it back up. So because I felt, you know, yes, I was getting stronger and I got to the point where something didn't break. That's right. It didn't break. That's right. We don't want pretty god amazing, right? I mean a spasm um is is not fun. Right. Um, it's kind of like you know, your lightning bolt. And it was kind of in a way, it was like a little bit of a wake-up call because hey, it forced us to realize a weak area, which for me is um my lower, even though ironically I'm very lower strong. Yeah. Oh, let the cameras just show down here. Don't look up here. Um I yeah, so that's it was good because it woke me up a little bit. I was like, no, I'm very strong down here. That's kind of odd, but it like is my form always intact? Um, I mean, yes, it tuned my my trainers were not neglecting me whatsoever, but it just their attention to that helped remind me. So they were always correcting my form, but I needed that extra reminder because my default setting was probably not in good form, which is also a good reason to potentially, if you are lifting heavy, to be training in the presence of others.

SPEAKER_01: 40:56

Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00: 40:57

Because it is safer, um, not just people think safety and think spotters, and it's not always just oh no, no.

SPEAKER_01: 41:04

It's actually and making sure you're okay to receive feedback because and that's that's the hardest thing for so many of us, right? Meaning me, yeah, like is to receive that feedback, not in lifting. I've I'm okay, I love receiving it and lifting, um, but just in other aspects of our life that we have to get comfortable receiving um this feedback so we can grow. But yes, exactly. Like you want that weight to push you down that challenges you to get up because you can feel kind of your weak spots. Yes, and that's not a bad thing. Because guess what? What are you doing? The other so the World Health Organization recommends two days a week of full body strengthening. That's it, two days full body, okay? Yeah, so that's what they recommend, and that means you have five other days that you can be working on those weak spots that you can be doing specific things to help the range of motion, the coordination, the strength of those specific muscles, maybe two other days a week. Right. Now, again, you can also break down strength training into multiple days. So you're doing 20 minutes, so you're focused on shoulders and then on your back and then your legs and your core. So you can do it however you want. This is just what the World Health Organization recommends. So I'm just letting you know there's the reason you can work on these other things is because actually we do have more time, you know, um to work on this. Um, so you can when you have those little weak spots, you're like, oh, okay, right. I can have space. I don't, this isn't an everyday thing that I have to do.

SPEAKER_00: 42:32

Well, and I and another accolade to that too is like going through that injury, like I'm sure you can relate to this too. If like anybody that's gone through an injury. Um, I mean, again, I didn't I didn't break anything, I didn't have to have surgery. So this was not what I would call any kind of it was major enough for me in the in the rehab that I needed to do. But um, you know, I remember I was definitely bummed. I was like, oh, I can't um yes go to the the the bigger stuff right away. And you know, so it took me like probably like four to six weeks to kind of get absolutely to work back up. And then once we were at six weeks, it wasn't like I was exactly back at zero. I was just kind of like at like okay, I can kind of be at a higher functioning state, which was sort of below where I was, but at least okay, now I can really go for it. That's right. But I could do it safely, I could do it with correct form and a stronger core. Yes. And so sometimes things have to break, even if, even if like, because there's a couple like again, we don't know that the that the my my back was broken before. It yeah, it you know, did I is it possible that it was sort of weak, or was it possible that I just had it doesn't really matter, but sometimes things have to to break or fall apart so you can build it stronger because now I have better awareness around that. And so we dropped the mic. Yeah, right. And and when it started and I felt it coming back, and I remember feeling annoyed. I'm like, well, I just rehabbed all of this, and I've been focusing on my core, and I've been focusing on my strength, and I've been doing the right things, and I remember feeling frustrated. Yes, but it's okay because you know, I just I went back to my toolkit, went back to PT, went back to did some dry needling, and I haven't done dry needling in a year and a half.

SPEAKER_01: 44:10

Yay! You know, and it's there if you need to, but stress is going to build up in our life, right? Whether it's emotional stress, physical stress, it's going to build up and our body will feel it. Right. And it's gonna feel it before we might acknowledge it. Right. Right, yeah, so we will then break metaphorically, physically again. Some and that's why this is a journey, it's a constant journey to go on because you're going to have these times that you don't want to be aware that stress is building up so much in your life. And you're gonna go too heavy and you're gonna go, and it doesn't even mean at the weight room, it means you're gonna go too heavy getting off of a plane and then going home and cleaning your closet, like one of my clients. You're moving and she's a piece of furniture, it's like you're just sometimes you're just like actually moving, like you're moving across country and you're just like, I'm just gonna keep pushing through this. I'm gonna keep pushing through it, and you're gonna push through because you're a human and you're a go-getting woman. Like that's that's gonna happen, and you're gonna break. Um, so it is an opportunity to slow down and actually work on that thing in a holistic way from all the things.

SPEAKER_00: 45:17

Like, well, and oh god, I feel like we could sit here and talk forever and ever and ever. Um but it's just yeah, I mean, I think our biggest takeaway is you know, for our women and moms, like um whether whether you're at home, whether you're at a gym, like, you know, if I don't care if you like I yeah, I think we can both agree, like we like picking up weights to to look good, to feel good. And I always think ego. Yeah, I need it for my ego.

SPEAKER_01: 45:43

Okay, you know, being an entrepreneur is not ego boosting. No, no, it's ego erasing.

SPEAKER_02: 45:51

It is. Oh gosh, ego. So like we have to live in the world. That's why we start the day. Yes.

SPEAKER_00: 45:57

Well, and that's the other thing, and I do notice the days that I uh I mean obviously like I may not get to see you again to we get we're very extroverted, a little bit. A lot um, but again, that for me why um working out like in person in this environment is because um because I'm not on my phone. And I and I mean yeah, we pick it up here and there if we need it or something like that.

SPEAKER_01: 46:20

But mostly it's a video argument.

SPEAKER_00: 46:21

Mostly, yeah, but it's like to document like look at the what I just did. Um I can be be we can be present and focus on that, and it kind of forces me, like I don't have to worry. I mean, we might talk about you know, but I don't I don't have to focus on work, I don't have to wor focus on the stressors, I can just focus on me, what I'm capable of, and it's just me versus me right now.

SPEAKER_01: 46:48

Yeah, and and or me with me, me with me, yeah. That's it, you know, because we won't have this version of myself again. So I'm just gonna be with me.

SPEAKER_00: 46:58

Like, you know, like I, you know, I think that's a cool and that's a cool and that's where we can wrap. It's like, you know how they say, like, I'll never be as young as I am today. You could almost say that about strength, but I think that's a cool thing because I'm like, no, I'm like actually gonna get stronger.

SPEAKER_01: 47:10

Yeah, but actually, you know what I mean? And you just have to, however, you want to look at strength, it can be the number on there, but it can be also in the flexibility and the range of motion you have. It can be in the amount that you can balance, it can be in the amount that you can pull your own stuff up, right? You might see it just in different aspects of your life. It doesn't always have to be what's on the metaphorical bar or the dumbbell. It's just how you find yourself feeling stronger inside of your own self, knowing that you're enough right as you are. Like I hope every woman listening to this um understands that they are enough right as they are. We want to encourage you to build strength, keep your bones healthy because I need, I'm saying this, I like I need women, strong women like you in the world who have beautiful voices, who have opinions and perspectives, who want to connect with other people in the world so that we can keep connecting and actually solving like world, you know, community issues because we need everybody's perspective. We need and we need um it coming from a place of kindness and compassion and love. Um, but to build the confidence to have to speak up to stand up. Yes, so beautiful, like so perfectly for things. I know I don't know. Yeah, well, thank you. But I was like, I want your I want your confidence. I need your confidence in the glory.

SPEAKER_00: 48:32

I have a lot of that, maybe too much there. Thank you so much for having me. Um thank you, Lisa, for your time today. And um uh to learn more, uh, can you share your website for people that want to maybe um if they're interested in getting a discovery call and learning more about your services and things like that?

SPEAKER_01: 48:50

So um uh my website is ew motion, so like evolvingwithmotion.com. So ewmotion.com, and then you can find me on Instagram at evolvingwithmotion and on Facebook at evolvingwithmotion as well. So thanks for having me, Claire.

SPEAKER_00: 49:06

Thank you. Yes, thank you. See you at the gym. Yeah, see you there. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Mom Talk Maryland. If you loved it, leave a review, share it with a friend, or tag me at the.columbia mom on Instagram. I'd love to hear what you think. And don't forget to follow the show so you never miss an episode. Until next time, keep showing up, keep supporting local, and keep being the incredible mom, woman, and human that you are.