About This Episode
In Episode 10 of the PHW Podcast, host Dr. Kristen Marvin sits down with longtime PHW patient Tricia Weimar to discuss her remarkable health transformation. From battling chronic illness and navigating the complexities of autoimmune disease to discovering the life-changing benefits of personalized resistance training with an N1 Trainer, Tricia's story is one of resilience and empowerment. She opens up about breaking free from restrictive eating habits, challenging fitness myths, and embracing a strength training approach tailored to her unique needs, which revolutionized her physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Listen On
Episode Transcript
Auto-generated from the episode audio — may contain minor transcription errors.
That's been a huge trans another huge positive transformation for me because it was almost like you're in a little jail cell with what you can and can't do, what you can and can't eat. And, you know, resistance training, you know, provides you with, you know, just you just have a lot more flexibility. I don't know. It's I've learned a lot through it all and I feel like I'm much more free with what even though I I make healthy choices, I'm much more free with my my thoughts around food.
It isn't a prison in my mind. It's like you're doing it from this place of knowledge and empowerment versus fear. Welcome everybody to the PHW podcast. I'm your host today, Dr. Kristen Marvin and this is episode 10.
It feels like a special number kind of and it is special because this is a really exciting um podcast that we have today with our dear friend Trisha Wymer. She is a dear friend of Prairie Health and Wellness. And today we're going to um listen to your story. you have a really incredible story um and tie this into um a sister company of sorts of Prairie Health called Transformed Training and so I think our listeners would just love to hear um yourself like introduce yourself to us and um we'll just let it transition into hearing more of your story. story. Sure. So, welcome.
Thank you. It's great to be here. I'm glad to be here. I I do feel like I've I've spent a lot of time here and I'm I'm a great lover of Prairie Health and just so grateful for the impact that you guys have had in my life. So, um yeah. So, I'm Trisha Wymer and I have been a patient at Prairie Health for about 12 years, something like that. you were like on ground zero with us at the beginning and um you know it's just it has been you guys have I cannot you know stress that enough the importance that you guys have played in my life through as someone who's gone through a chronic illness during that time has just been so it's just been a gift a true gift that's so good to hear I'm so thankful for that yeah very very pleased to be a patient and now a part a part of it.
So awesome. Well, take us back to the beginning like where did this journey kind of start for you and you know where were you at? What was going on? Of course, whatever you're comfortable sharing with us.
Yes. So, um about let's see about I'd say 10 years ago I um you know just I'm a mom of we're a mom of four boys. So at the time they were, you know, young and kind of kind of pre-teen age busy. I'm a busy mom. I mean that is that has slowed down but at the time very very busy mom just um you know keeping that of our house afloat and um noticing uh that I was walking through sort of just some fatigue and um started having some brain fog and you know just didn't really pay a lot of attention to it.
But at that time, you know, I can I know a lot of moms can understand just burning the candle at both ends in life. And you're kind of, you know, putting everybody else in front of you, which is just the way it goes a lot. Yeah. But I um at the time had been, you know, doing a lot of cardio and just that was I love exercise.
I've always loved fitness. I love nutrition. But I know now that I was undereing and over exercising. And I did start to notice that the cardio I was doing just wasn't really doing what it used to do. I mean, growing older, I was just what I know now is that I was at the edge of permenopause.
Yeah. And I'm sure that my hormones were just starting to fluctuate and decline. Mhm. And I knew that my husband Jay had um as he's mentioned on a previous podcast here. here. Yeah.
Um that he had started strength training as well. And he had just sort of been putting in some, you know, I guess just hints. He's never one to push me in any way, but some hints about, you know, that might be this might be something good for you to try. And so I did. I took the leap and found a trainer and um like I said I was I know now that I was in adrenal fatigue and I was you know dealing with you know some hormonal issues but I just I didn't I wasn't educated enough to know I hadn't done research about permenopause. I didn't know what that meant either.
So, um, and I unfortunately it was an issue, you know, had an issue with the trainer just maybe not being educated enough in taking the person as a whole as a whole, you know, looking at me individually, any um, you know, health issues that I might have had at the time weren't really taken into account with my training. And you know, that person was doing the best that they could. They knew how. Yeah.
Um with the education that they had, and I appreciate that, but it it wasn't really what I needed at the time. I was going to this trainer for um you know to to point me in the right direction you know give me the right what I needed nutrition and exercise and I wanted to get involved in strength training but it was too much for my system and um over time I did uh lose my period I wasn't having a cycle I was my hormones were in the tank because I had I had started to come to you guys for that. So started to see, you know, major issues. Um lots more brain fog. I was moody.
I was starting to lose my hair. Um so so not moving in the right direction. Not moving the right direction. And that was a good a good while.
And also maybe just developed some unhealthy eating habits. Not eating enough. And that is when about the time this was a good year into the training I realized that I had developed an autoimmune disease um through um Jeff's diagnosis and it's called Graves disease thyroid autoimmune disease the affects your thyroid and um I did start losing a lot of weight due to that that's one of the side effects and then I also developed Graves eye disease which is a small percentage of people that you know have Graves disease develop that right um so it was a major you know life change yeah your body was like talking to you huh body what we are doing right now is not you know and that's just it is the body is that's exactly the body's meant to share with you you know hey we we we need some help here we need to stop what we're doing redirect and through you guys I I had amazing care and um really was able to get things under control. It's it's not an overnight fix, you know, for sure, right? But I also, one of the big things is that I learned to become a self- advocate.
I learned to dig in deep and find out, you know, what do I need to do to change this? What do I need to do to turn this around? and felt I was in such great hands at PHW. So, also this is about the time I ended up leaving that trainer and I was able to hop on board with um the guys that eventually started in one. Oh, okay. Um who Jay had just recently uh started training with.
They were at a different gym at the time under different name. Uh-huh. Um, this is before uh Casm Hansen started N1, but he is somebody that I started training under and another one of the N1 staff, Adam Miller, who is my current trainer now. And it was such a an amazing thing. I thought I was going to have to stop resistance training altogether. Um, I didn't feel good.
I really felt horrible actually. But the cool thing was is that Cassm, who is brilliant and Adam are both brilliant, brilliant people and amazing trainers, you know, knew that the best thing for me to do was to continue my resistance training. I just needed a super individualized plan and approach. Yeah.
To meet me where I was, you know, right? because they don't there's always a place for resistance training with so many amazing you know side effects and benefits to to that even when you are really sick it's something that you can utilize at that individual with that individual approach so well that's really encouraging to hear because I bet a lot of our listeners especially women I bet they are just relating with you and probably feel very thankful that you're sharing these things and you know So, how maybe go into a little bit of how this was different and how this felt different. And then how you even navigated that of like being in a really um you know, seemingly bad place of like, okay, I'm not feeling well. My body's giving me all these clues that like something's not right. But then, like you just said, still managing to like navigate resistance training through that. Yeah.
I you know I did do a lot of research knowing that I needed to move my body. Yeah. I needed to while I there were days that I didn't want to I absolutely didn't want to. And you know, there's a fine line between listening to your body and um moving.
But I think that's one thing about resistance training that I love is that the mental health aspect of it is, you know, when you're feeling down and you're not understanding why your body is doing what it's doing and you're just angry about it. Uh the mental health aspect of it was hugely impactful for me at that time. Awesome. And you know, even if it was a day that I just got out and walked, it was everything to me to to gain that um rapport and trust and confidence back in the in this body that is so good. And it's just it's just sending me messages of help.
You know, I just we need to make some changes. Yes. And so one thing that I love about it is the resistance training exercise in general is the confidence that you gain back with the body that is just trying to help you. And the body knows how to heal. But sometimes it's here where we are just we're stuck in that um dislike of where we are.
I know you see it all the time, but just frustration in your in your in the place that you're in. Yeah. But I do feel like that was something that um that really changed for me. And having trainers that saw me as an individual. Yeah. And wanted to do everything they could to help me to see, no, this is just this is just temporary, you know, and getting you in a program that will turn your body around. all the benefits of gaining muscle mass in, you know, anybody, but especially a woman who's dealing with autoimmunity, um, have were amazing.
So helpful. Well, you're not alone in that. There's actually good research that shows that exercise, regular exercise is more effective than antid-depressants. I believe it.
So, I'm I think it's great you brought up kind of that emotional, you know, mental health aspect of it because we we certainly here in America have a culture of exercise, we do it to look a certain way instead of all these other amazing health benefits that we get from it. And you know, I'm sure when people think about the health benefits, which we'll definitely get into more, they probably think more so of things like strength and maybe I reduce my injury risk or my fall risk or maybe they even know it can help support your bone health, but I don't think a lot of people think about the emotional benefits that come from it. Glad you brought it up. It's great. Yeah.
Yeah. And the more the farther along you get in it, resistance training and gaining and gaining muscle mass and strength, I mean, it just grows because you're thinking, "My body is amazing. I can't believe I I've gained this much ability to pick up heavy things. I can lift a lot, you know, and so that transformation from where I've been to now is it's just a gift.
It's a real gift." Let's go back to that part a little bit because I think that's what our listeners really want to hear more about if you want to share this of course but just where you were that place that you were coming from and where I'm sure you did have moments like you said of like like how am I going to do this? What's this going to look like? So, give us, if you will, like some of those examples of working with your N1 coaches and how you guys even navigated that because I know a lot of our listeners, especially women, that there is they're they're like this is me. I have an autoimmune disease and I am feeling like how do I do this? So, what did that really look like for you?
Yeah. So, in addition to the autoimmune disease, I did end up also having a thyroidctomy. So, I had surgeries on my neck and on my eyes. um following the Graves disease and Graves eye disease. Um so there's a there was a lot there you know I was um post thyroidctomy so I was also u working with Dr. Davis and these trainers to help optimize my new hormone, my thyroid hormone that I was trying to figure out and and optimize and yeah, cuz when you have your thyroid removed, you have to be on medication and it's not as easy.
It isn't to figure it out, right? Especially right off the bat. So, it's a challenge. These trainers, you know, along with obviously Dr. Davis, they knew everything about where I was coming from. They they are so well trained in and that's part of what N1 does because we're all individuals.
Everyone's coming from different backgrounds, but they were so just so knowledgeable in what I was walking through because of the coursework and the studying that they they're they were perfect to help me, you know, coming from where I was. So, um, you know, we just took it day by day and, um, I would do weekly check-ins with them and, um, and at this point it was Cassum that was helping me, but I was doing weekly check-ins with him. He wants to know and and still now that Adam is Adam Miller is my trainer. I I do this to this day.
Weekly check-ins. What is my sleep like? What um are what is my stress like? this week. Um, what are labs? Do you have current labs?
So, um, what amount of thyroid hormone was I taking? What other hormones am I taking? I mean, they want to know everything. It all it's all important in how you build this training program for that perfect individual and exactly what they're going through to meet your needs.
Um, you know, again, what sort of stress I'm under? What is my energy like? Mhm. What is my energy like when I um when I'm exercising and then post exercising? And how is my digestion?
What is that the food that I'm on right now? Am I eating those macros? Am I meeting that? Am I um just not able to eat what they would like for me to? I mean, just a myriad of things that help them tailor make what my, you know, program needs to look like.
So there were days and weeks that I was lifting weight. It wasn't what I lift now, but it was so helpful for me to get in there and do something. Yeah. Um because of course when you are hypothyroid um you just feel blah just feel you're dealing usually with weight gain. um I was dealing with a lot of lymphatic you know I didn't have a lot of lymphatic flow um and or it was very um just just very tough because I was very water logged and a lot of that is again hypothyroid. Yeah. Um, so all of those things were any workout or anything they would do, they tailor made that for me and it was so helpful.
Otherwise, you know, the desire is to just be at home and not and not get out, but I had the plan and it most definitely got me on the road to recovery. Yeah. Yeah. So, that's amazing.
And I, you know, I can just hear our listeners thinking like they've probably never heard of a trainer that would like ask those types of questions or even think about that kind of stuff. And that's what and that that's just the difference of what I didn't have before. And um again, not to say that that that uh training that I did before was the sole reason that I ended up in autoimmunity. It was it was maybe the straw that broke the camel's back. part of the process, you know, maybe years of just some things um that had built up in me, but it um it definitely there's a big difference, a huge night and day difference to how that was helpful for me and then, you know, transformative for me. That's amazing.
That's amazing. Yeah. Can think of um Yeah, I think it's a good point to make, right? where it's like when I talk with our patients about autoimmune conditions, it's like there's so many pieces to the puzzle and it really is a journey. It's a it's a whole picture.
Yeah. It's not just one. So, it never explicitly blame that person, but but it certainly is what, you know, brought me to that that point. I would say that breaking point. Well, and I think it's helpful for people to hear just like when we talk about how an in-1 coach and what that training, you know, really looks like because again, I think the stigma kind of is just with exercise, it's more so just like, okay, what do you want to look like?
How do we try to get you there whether you feel good or not? And and you know, sometimes too that mentality of like no pain, no gain, right? And it doesn't I'm not really like hearing that when I talk to N1 coaches and even experiencing it a little bit myself. It's like okay well no with with exercise and moving our bodies. Yes, we do need some stress, but oh this it's like when I'm hearing you talk about the in trainers or coaches, what they're saying is like let's give you like a balanced approach to that.
Yeah. And so what did what did some of your workouts look like in those early stages just to help women understand because I think there's a lot of stigma there too. They think of weight training, resistance training of like, oh, I'm going to have to go to this gym with these big bulky guys and I'm not doing that. No, no, no. And I I get that. And I get that's why I didn't want to do it myself before, you know, I held off for so many years doing that.
Yeah. I I you know when I was in that stage I I really just I did a lot of walking. I I they had me walking walking walking. I still walk a lot.
Um moving any kind of movement outside is so great as well. But we do have a gym at our home. So I was able to we're blessed to do that but to have that but I was able to you know do a lot of um you know some lighter weight things but they also had me lifting some heavy things and and and you know building that resistance in my muscles and gaining some muscle. I mean, because there's so many benefits to lifting heavy things. And actually, I would say, you know, I was surprised.
I remember saying, "I just don't think I should lift heavy things." And they said, "I promise you this is what you need to be doing right now." So, it wasn't intimidating because they were beside, they were walking, encouraging me, building me up, and I trust them. I trust them explicitly. So, um, it was just a mix of different and that's just it. It's a it was it's always a variety.
Um but there there's always balance and I would say even um you know just the cardio even just is not there's not a lot of cardio. I would say I don't it's not that we don't do cardio but I would say it's so much less than what I you know had had always done because the weightlifting is cardio you know you're getting in there you're picking up heavy things your heart is you know starts pounding it starts working doesn't it so you know that that surprised me too because I remember thinking well I'm just I'm not ever going to get back to the weight that I was because I'm not doing cardio and that's that's It's a myth. You are doing cardio by weight by lifting weights. Lifting weights. And so, yeah.
Well, I'm glad you brought that up. And for our listeners that they may not be watching this video, they might just be listening. I'll just say if you could see Trisha, she is beautiful and amazing. And you know, I think you look strong. I am strong.
It's such a that's another I think stigma to like that we can really encourage women through is like hearing you say all these wonderful benefits and building muscle and we don't look like a professional bodybuilder right no that was always that was always something I had in my mind because I that I would tell Jay you know I am not going to do that because I don't want to look like muscle a muscle man walking down the street but I just pictured Arnold Schwarzenegger and Like when you say bodybuilding, you're like, I can't I've had women be like, I can't wear I I'm afraid I won't be able to wear jeans. I know. No, if anything, they they actually fit better. Things look better. U because you're building the muscle up and, you know, creating more. It is it is toning.
You know, you hear I want to be toned and that actually is what you're doing. what happens. It is what happens if you know it's that's what you know makes you know your arms look toned and but I would say it is a great side benefit you know but I think to get to the Arnold Schwarzenegger look you're going to have to somehow get massive amounts of testosterone say we're using some exogenous substances at that point it's never going to happen unless I don't know I something is you know injected into you that you don't But that is not even possibly going to happen. Not going to happen. Well, I think one of the benefits you've mentioned and I think it would be I think our listeners would like to hear a little bit more is just I think you know well I know that one of the unique um relationships between transform training and Prairie Health is that the you know you're talking about these N1 coaches that you have and people are probably like well do they have like a doctorate or like what how would they know all these things which is great like you mentioned they have the they get this training so they really have a nice understanding of the whole body.
And to tie that in to I think the benefit of Prairie Health and Transform is this relationship where the N1 coaches they do they come talk to us. They come talk to the providers and I don't I mean I was a college athlete. Before that I was an athlete most of my life. I've never seen that before. Mhm.
I've never, you know, usually if you're working with a trainer of sorts, it's like, well, maybe ask your doctor this or maybe they're like, you should have your doctor run blood work, but that's not common. So, what has that experience been like for you? And just, you know, how would you share that with our listeners of how it sounds like obviously it's been really beneficial for you. I know.
So, I think that's something that, you know, because we are friends with Dr. Davis, you know, being able to walk through this journey, we just always thought, why why isn't this done more often? You know, where why aren't we seeing this marriage of, you know, a movement center and a transformed training alongside, you know, providers. They need to be there needs to be cross talk, right? And for someone like me who it was so beneficial in my transformation and my healing journey.
No, it was not overnight. Sure. And um there were other components that I used in in healing as well like with through mind body as well mind body spirit. But to have to be able to offer this to people is something that we just thought would be a dream and just so grateful to be able to see it happening between all of these entities. So yeah, it's very exciting.
It's so cool. I love it. And I bet for you as a trainer, I mean, I'm sorry, for you as a provider Yeah. to be able to have that new um cross talk between for your patients to see them, you know, in a gym and to um to be able to hear from the trainers, you know, how they're progressing. And it's just another way to see them on the road to healing. And it feels so good because we, as you know, you know, we use this pillar system where we're talking to people about sleep and exercise or movement and, you know, nutrition and stress and all these things. And so it feels like we have just so much more impact.
Yeah. on our patients where I can I can just like pop in over lunch or you know sometimes we message each other back and forth through a messaging system but that we can I can have a conversation if I'm concerned about you know one of our patients or and and again it just helps the inone coach better understand like where somebody's coming from what we're trying to maybe adjust and work on. It's it's a game changer for people and so I think it's great. I don't know. I I don't know of another entity like this in the state of Kansas.
For sure not in Witchah, but it's something to me that it just makes sense. sense. Yeah. And the the patient is to benefit. I mean, I am living proof of that. I am.
And it's I just am so grateful that we get to offer that to That's awesome. Anybody that wants to, you know, that needs it. That's great. Well, and I'm sure that probably helped you feel more confident in like what you were doing, like you said, where you were like, should I I don't know if I should be doing this.
And then you've got this team around you to like encourage you and really monitor you, really care for you, right? And keep an eye on these things, right? And I think too like some of what you're saying makes me think of maybe you can even if you want to excuse me share if you've had any of these um experiences along your journey where things were probably on an upward trajectory and sometimes healing doesn't always just look like a straight line. Sometimes it can go like this. Yeah.
Um, so yeah, if you want to share if have you experienced that along the way and could you share because I'm sure that would really encourage people too. For sure. You know, there it isn't. I it is certainly healing is a roller coaster ride, you know, and I think going into it knowing that, you know, there will be ups and downs. I mean, in life there are ups and downs.
It's life, right? It is. And but I I know just knowing that I was I had I had you guys in my corner and my trainers in my corner and you know I think it's it's certainly something to understand. I know it's disappointing and it can be frustrating at times. Um but it is it's just awesome to see those ups and then when there are days of you know symptoms popping up again or you know um you know there's a lab that comes that might not be just super favorable or whatever. I think I it is truly just an understanding that you know those days will be there and it's okay and we just get back on the saddle and you know we just keep going putting one foot in front of the other right and I can 100% look back on my journey and and see a lot of those days but knowing that really the trajectory in in the long haul is up especially if you are incorporating some sort resistance training, training, um, following the advice of your N1 trainer, and following the advice of your your provider, your PHW provider, and that trajectory is upwards.
It is. But realistically, sure. Yeah, there are going to be days, but I always had a plan. plan. Yeah.
Always had a plan in place, and I knew that I was going upward in the long haul. Mhm. One concern I hear from some of my um female patients is that yeah, kind of along that mindset of just this upward trajectory, which of course that's ultimately the goal, but if there are some setbacks or if there are times where they even appropriately needed to like adjust and maybe even pause for a second. Um what how what would you share maybe from your experience just to encourage people that especially women that are just like they almost let that keep them because they view it almost as like a failure to keep going. Yeah.
Exactly. You know, and we had days with with my training and they just say, you know what, let's just take a break. Let's take a week off. Let's take some time off to just why don't you get outside and walk and just, you know, stay moving.
Um, but we're we're we're going to get back on track and let's just take a little a little breather, you know, and save her life, you know. I would say 100% this this journey has taught me that life there is so much more important than my illness, you know, and I think there were many days when I was just living my my identity with someone with this said autoimmune disease. That was my identity. And I think if I could go back in time and, you know, we I I don't want to live in regret. But the lessons that I learned were, you know, save her life, look around you, look at your family, um look at your pet, your dog, your friends, you know, get out and look at the trees around you and um savor just save her life. savor that food that you think you can't eat because it has whatever in it.
You know, you know, I would just say um you know, see it as a gift because I certainly do. I see that experience as a gift. There has been my my life has changed exponentially since prior to, you know, being diagnosed with that. I am a different person. I mean, in a good way.
You know, I see um I I just see it as a gift. My relationships are deeper. My faith has grown. Um, I am a self- advocate in my health. I have learned a lot and I've self-taught a lot and I've gained a new hobby, you know, in in that interim and I've gained family and friends with my trainers and providers. providers. So, hard to have regrets when you learn things like that.
I mean, that's great, you know. So, and I think and for sure, I mean, it's it's been a huge, like I touched on before, the mind, body, spirit aspect. They're all connected obviously, obviously, right? And and just um looking at it from that perspective, it might feel like you're in a loss.
It might feel like tomorrow is something I just want to dread, but seeing it and I I don't want to sound sappy, but having been there, seeing it as something that you can learn from. Yeah, definitely. And just to look at life in a savoring way. That's great. Living it.
I love it. You know, I love it. Mhm. Well, since you did mention food for a second in that, um maybe share what your experience um has been like with your in coaches of just like because I think early on you mentioned this which is so common a lot of times women as women we're conditioned to think well if our body's going to change or shift we have to basically starve ourselves.
Oh yeah. So share a little bit more of that and how that looks different with an in coach. For sure. I, you know, I I just I thought I knew a lot about food and I was somebody that I tried prior to all of this, prior to autoimmunity and all of this, I tried a million different, you know, whatever was healthy and the next thing to try, I've done it. I've tried it.
Um, on that quest to being the most, you know, healthy. Yeah. And then dipping into that prior training experience, I I experienced some orthorexic eating habits and Let's define that real quickly for our listeners. So, orthorexia really is kind of thought of as this obsession with healthy eating. Right.
Right. Right. Where it's like you are rigid. There are no rules you're breaking. You are just like so rigid. So rigid.
And even to the point where I I feel like I almost develop food sensitivities simply from the mental aspect of you know of knowing of thinking in my mind that is a bad food you know and especially leaning into that autoimmune time where I was trying all these things and trying to you know heal and right and um it became an obsession you know again I wasn't just choosing to live And so that was was ruling me. Uh so and then with the the prior trainer, I wasn't eating enough. I was not eating enough at all. And so thus, you know, the body just does what it can do with the fuel that you give it.
And so moving into the N1 training experience and then alongside Prairie Health, I they very slowly were able was a they were able to add food. That's great. Um and over time, you know, getting me back to, you know, the proper amount of calories that I'm supposed to eat and then just learning how to lose the fear of food. We've we've talked a lot about that. I've talked a lot about that that about that with Dr.
Davis and with um Jolene and with you and my N1 trainers, you know. Yes. Um eating real whole food, you know, is just the key. And sure, you know, there are going to be occasions when you want to eat pie.
We get pizza and we have Yeah, we have pie at Thanksgiving and you know, living life with, you know, abundance. Um but you know choosing to um just make healthy choices, just make you know healthy life choices. So that's been a huge trans another huge positive transformation for me because it was almost like you're in a little jail cell with what you can and can't do, what you can and can't eat. And you know, resistance training, you know, provides you with, you know, just you just have a lot more flexibility with what you can eat because you're you're not insulin sensitive. You know, you're um it improves that and improves your level of, you know, glucose, all the glucose that you can put in your body because your muscles are just so covered with glucose receptors that they're willing to take it up.
So, I don't know. It's I've learned a lot through it all and I feel like I'm much more free with what even though I I make healthy choices, I'm much more free with my my thoughts around food. It isn't a prison in my mind. It's like you're doing it from this place of knowledge and empowerment versus fear. Totally.
And that, believe it or not, I mean, you will have a completely different physiologic response in your body when you look at those two differences. Again, it's the mind body connection and what you believe is um it completely impacts your the way the food is metabolized in your body, the way you digest it. Um so yeah, have but also having that resistance training on board. Yeah. Yeah. Um it it loves for me to eat healthy food.
It my body welcomes it. So you feel good doing it. I feel good. I feel healthy and confident and strong.
Mhm. Are there any other areas of health that you feel like, you know, this has made a positive impact for yourself? Yeah, I for sure would say um I'm excited as I age, you know, and here I am. I'm 50 years old. So, I'm stepping into permenopause and I'm or menopause and I'm feeling empowered.
You know, I'm excited that I'm not looking at this next stage of life where, you know, I am aging. We're all aging, you know, and I feel super empowered stepping into that phase of life knowing that I'm doing everything that I can to to stay healthy. my bone health is um you know the impact of resistance training on our bones because we're lifting heavy things and we're pulling and pushing on our muscles and tendons and ligaments and it just creates that um you know incredible bone health. I actually have a story of where I was in osteopenia through the autoimmunity and that previous time of training not being healthy in my training. My bone health is through my DEXA scans.
It has just improved dramatically. That's amazing. Through resistance training. So, the proof is in the pudding. Yes.
Um and I'm I'm excited about about aging. You know, I want to be in my 80s, you know, strength training. I want to be able to have balance and um not being hunched over and I want my spine to, you know, have that structure of the muscles around it. I I want to have strong core and strong glutes to be able to balance myself and to be able to get up off the floor, you know, when I'm in my 80s and Lord willing my 90s. Um, I want to be there for my grandkids and I'm so I'm excited about aging.
I didn't think I would say that poor. I mean, I'm exciting about wrinkles and and all that because I have a plan in place, you know, and it's exciting to say that though because that sometimes, you know, when I'm working with patients in the office and we get to that movement pillar, it is definitely at the top of the pillars where people are like, I'm not really doing that right now or I'm not I just like don't want to or I don't like it or whatever the reason is. And you know that is definitely sometimes one of my just encouragement lines is like well let's even just think about as you age. Yeah. Because of course like you said it's not like we really enjoy necessarily right like thinking about the aging process but again as you said we are all aging. We are.
And I don't think people fully grasp some of the very serious consequences that come from not prioritizing that part of your health. And you know, I mean, not to be dramatic, but I mean, there is research that shows some pretty startling statistics that if you if you're over the age of 65 and you fall and you fracture your hip, your mortality rate. Oh. So, the chance that you will die in that next year is scary.
It is. Some of the stats have fluctuated, but it can it's fluctuated anywhere between 15 and 30%. Wow. which that's I mean I mean I don't like to motivate by fear necessarily but it's the reality that we face and so I think that is amazing how you said that it's so great it's a great mindset to have I I just think it's something that it it's not something that we need to fear that we're aging because we have we have you know actual things we can do about it and this is something so simple you can start it's never too late it's never too late to start. I mean, I I've seen incredible success stories online and and um stories of N1 clients and it's it's it's incredible what how people can turn their lives around in their 70s, in their late 70s, in their early 80s to just pick it up and do it. But we've all we all know it's best to it's if you it's ideal if you could start earlier and have that background. also brain health.
You know, the studies that show that, you know, when you're when you're doing resistance training and you're you're choosing healthy food choices and just and again, the mental part of it, too, just choosing to live and and um safer life, all of those things create better brain health. I mean there's so many scientific studies about just the resistance training alone and cognitive functioning with along with better metabolic health and they're just hand in hand. Mhm. So, I mean, and we've all had family members that we've sadly watched that, you know, didn't, you know, didn't have that education or or didn't know any different and, you know, just, you know, hunching and and right um shuffling and, you know, falling, breaking hips, risk, right?
It's really something we have the knowledge. We know what we can do about it. So that's just super empowering and that it isn't ever too late to start. So yeah, that's great. And we see people and transform training sees all ages.
Mhm. You know, really all ages from teens to, you know, 90s, however old you are, however old you can be. You're welcome. That's right. I've I mean I have sent a couple of my patients who are well into their 70s and one of the main reasons we started was because um osteoporosis.
Right. Right. And so again it was like yeah I just gave that encouragement where it's like like you're saying it's never too late and because you know the N1 coaches know how to tailor tailor it to the individual. individual. Exactly. It's the feedback I get is so fun. Yeah.
And it's a it is a fun activity. You know, it's I always also think you're making new friends. You're getting you're getting to the gym. The social aspect of it, the social aspect.
I mean, not that the gym is a crowded place cuz it's not, you know, we have we keep our numbers fairly low for everybody to have appropriate amount of but even the one-on-one. The oneonone is great is so great, you know, for um from a social aspect, a social aspect. And I think it just gives you something else to look forward to doing. That's right. So, I'm I'm just Yeah, I'm super excited about this phase of life and we're we will be empty nesters somewhat soon.
So, we're But yeah, it just it gives you it gives you I'm I'm very confident about moving forward with where I am in my age and and that. So, yeah, it's exciting. That's great. I love it.
Yeah. Okay. So, um let's talk one more benefit I don't think we've mentioned yet um that comes with training and movement, right? is sleep, how that can impact sleep, right? Because so many people struggle with sleep. So, what's that experience been like for you?
And I mean, hopefully it's been a positive one. Most for most people it is. It has. Absolutely. Yeah.
I would say I did struggle a lot with sleep prior to meeting my N1 trainers and um that was something I remember speaking with Dr. Davis about adnauseium when I was um you know first you know walking through the autoimmunity I just my hormones were again body speaking to you and that's a way that the body you know shouts out it is usually hormonal and I was waking up all hours of the night and then with Graves disease your heart races um and it was it was rough and that was huge huge for me to get in a training program that someone would, you know, guide me into better hormones, better, you know, just body regulation in general. And then, of course, when you're when you're doing when you're exercising, you're working those muscles, you're creating, you know, good kind of exhaustion, you know, really good where the body's like, let's go take a break now. And so I eventually started seeing over time, you know, peaks and valleys, but over time started seeing I just I fell asleep with no issues whatsoever and I stayed asleep. But I do still, you know, that's part of my weekly check-in with my train my trainer is that he asks me every week, what is going on with your sleep? Are you waking up at night?
Are you having trouble falling asleep? How many times are you waking up at night? You know, why are you up for long periods? So, he's wanting to get to the bottom and dig and um so that cross talk with my PHW provider, you know, my in trainer doesn't um run labs or anything like that, but you know, we're able to share and talk and so it gets to the bottom of what's happening with me and I'm not waiting around for months wondering.
So, it's just, you know, the experience as a patient patient is so much nicer because I I have two I have all these people in my corner and they're talking and they're figuring it out. We're all figuring it out together. Working to figure it out together. M um would you guys ever adjust your workouts um based on like how you were sleeping or even with some of the permenopause and menopause symptoms of like what you were experiencing with some of those fluctuations that sometimes just happen as part of that process. So what would that look like?
Absolutely. We would, you know, sometimes I would, you know, I mentioned walking a lot. Um, if I'm having, you know, the par menopause symptoms of maybe estrogen dominance or, you know, whatever that is because in parmenopause it's it's a variant. Every at the end are kind of like, what are we going to do right now?
Are we going to spit out a whole lot of estrogen? And then you get nothing. Yes. So, you never know week to week. That's right.
And so again, this phase of life that I've been walking in, especially these last five years, you know, even past healing, the chronic illness, I I've immediately hit, you know, the per menopause roller coaster. So, you know, my N1 trainer has been there with my provider and, you know, I would say a lot of my training is it's based um week to week or block to block. And sometimes he'll say, "All right, if you're feeling a lot of estrogen dominance right now, let's just get out and walk more. Let's have um we're not going to go to failure this week with your all of your sets. We're just going to go to filler with maybe one set and then the rest I want you to have your um maybe go um that exertion level hit let's just hit a six, you know, so we're not pushing.
We're we're just going to be kinder on the body this week. You know, I that's just a major difference than what I experienced with another tra my other trainer. So, I really appreciate that. I think a lot of women experience that, right? And I think a lot of women now more so than ever are probably learning more about their hormones and even before pmenopause and menopause. So just for a premenopausal women woman, our hormones naturally fluctuate throughout the cycle too.
And so I think that's another nice thing about the N1 coaches is they're even aware of that. Like how like you're saying, how are you feeling? They know it's cycle day. I'm checking in, which, you know, feels a little TMI, but honestly, I am grateful because I know that I'm not doing anything that's going to harm my body.
I'm not going to put myself in that position again where I'm my adrenals are, you know, shot. And that's not what we want. We want somebody that is going to be watching, right, you know, everything. And that's why I know that might seem a little odd to share all of that information with somebody, but how how would you know what how would your trainer know what to put you in? It's it's actually you're helping your trainer.
Yes. To be a better trainer and to be more educated on how to fit, you know, you know, your training stimulus for you. So, and it is week to week, but I I just I I wouldn't want it any other way. I wouldn't want to be going in there clueless.
And that's what I love about it is there is I don't there's no there are no clueless days. I have my path. I have my workout. I know what I'm supposed to do and I don't even have to think about it. It's really nice.
Yeah. So yeah, that's great. Well, and hopefully um our patients while our I guess I should call him our original transform training in one coach Kirk Yes. is great. I mean, he's a great listener. He's incredible.
Um, uh, you know, several of my women patients who have worked with Kirk just come back and say he's, like I said, he's a good listener. He's, um, you know, I'm making me feel comfortable with certain things I'm doing. And I think, but that also too can highlight the excitement of our new in-1 coaches, Kristen and Karissa. You're so excited about that. You know, understandably so. I think as women sometimes we do, we just feel more comfortable.
Um, and especially maybe I can hear some of our women listeners being like, "I have to talk to my trainer about my period or my hormones." But you did such a great job of, you know, explaining why that's so important and um why then obviously, you know, with the education that the that the coaches have can help us to like feel good about it and feel like intentional, right? Yes. They're so professional. They're the utmost profession professional trainers and I mean part of their training I mean they're in they're they take three courses they're watching almost 300 hours of classes they are um you know they have over 60 modules they're going through I mean it is exhaustive and so there's not anything that they're missing you know so um and oftentimes the trainers have health backgrounds already you So it's it's it's only you know benefiting you know the client truly.
So I know it might feel a little odd but it is truly a benefit to you and it's you you know they're they become great friends. It's great. It's really really sweet. So, well, is there anything else that you can think of that maybe you want to share or just any words of encouragement, especially for our listeners who, you know, maybe this is, you know, I'm sure for a lot of them actually, this has been so helpful for them to hear and probably just pushing them that much farther to doing, you know, some kind of movement even just at that or maybe even that where they're like, I want to come checking out. Yes.
I mean, I would just say, you know, again, I want to harp on it. It's never too late. That's right. you know, no regrets. We are um you know, just moving forward.
I think you know, choosing to move and intimidating gyms. That's not our bag, bag, right? We are kicking intimidation to the curb. And I love it. We're putting that on a shirt, right?
Yes. We need to We need to have it in an transformed training shirt. That's right. No intimidation. And just, you know, we want this is we want to educate people. you know, I think there's just um, you know, our bodies are, you know, incredible creations and we want to, you know, use it to the best of its ability and um, just enjoy what we have, this time on earth that we have.
So, I'm I'm just super excited about the cross talk between PHW and Transform and what that means for Witchita and that we have that here. And um yeah, I I would just encourage anybody, please just check it out. And you know, come meet the trainers and look at the gym. And I I want people to feel at ease in there. And I want people to feel like again it's you're you're learning something new. It might feel new and you might be in a position where you're in a chronic illness, but please come try just come try give your give that gift to your body to um you know start something new and gain that confidence that your body is working for you and not against you.
I love it. On that note, thank you so much for being here. Yeah. And thank you so much for sharing your story because such a pleasure.
That's the kind of stuff that is transformational, right? Changes lives and it helps people feel like they're not alone and it helps people feel like, hey, maybe I can do this, too. They can. And that's awesome. So, thank you so much.
It's my pleasure. And thank you to everybody for listening to our podcast. Don't forget to check out um our other podcasts that we recorded here, too, on your favorite, you know, podcast streaming device. And um speaking of meeting the trainers, don't forget that we will be having a transform training open house that happens to be taking place on January 16th.
It's a Thursday evening um from 5 to 7 pm and it is over here at Movement by Prairie Hill. So thanks everybody. Thank you so much.