Midlife Belly Fat: Part 1:The Exercise Story

In this episode you'll hear:

1. The impact of hormones and stress on weight gain: The hosts discuss how hormones and stress can contribute to midlife belly fat, emphasizing that weight gain is not solely about calories in and out but also about the body's hormonal and stress responses.

2. The importance of calorie intake and metabolism: Cam and Amelia discuss how insufficient calorie intake can affect metabolism, particularly in individuals who have been dieting for a long time. They highlight the need to nourish the body adequately and avoid undereating to support overall health.

3. Customizing movement and exercise based on individual needs and stress levels: The hosts emphasize the importance of listening to one's body, adapting exercise routines to manage stress, and considering factors such as sleep, nutrition, and joy in activities. They also discuss the benefits of different types of exercise, such as high intensity repeat training, weight training, and walking for health in midlife.

What is that spare tire around my middle??

Nobody likes belly fat. But what causes it? In this 3-part series, Cam and Amelia will explore this explosive and difficult topic. We talk about HOW midlife is different when it comes to belly fat. Why is this suddenly a problem and so difficult to get rid of?
There are several elements that affect belly fat in midlife, and we will explore 1 topic each week for the next 3 weeks:

1. Belly fat and exercise
2. Belly fat and hormones
3. Belly fat and gut health

Each of these play a pivotal role in midlife. We hope you stay tuned for all 3 episodes!

00:00 Increase in exercise, but waist grew inexplicably.
06:36 Many women eat too few calories, impacting metabolism.
10:12 Organize core, pull ribs, improve posture, move gracefully.
11:54 Men naturally maintain good posture, hiding gut.
14:44 Woman builds muscle, breaks jeans, blames friend.
18:42 Transitioning to strength training, scheduling, and recovery.
23:33 High intensity repeat training for midlife fitness.
27:03 Mental and physical fatigue impact daily activities.
28:58 Midlife awakening leads to better health mindset.
30:48 Planning bike trip with daughter, learning experience.

Stay Connected!
Amelia

• Website: https://www.thehelpfulplate.com/
• IG: https://www.instagram.com/thehelpfulplate/

Cam

• Website: https://www.camoyler.com/
• IG: https://www.instagram.com/heymomma_cam/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heymomma_cam

Midlife Mommas IG: https://www.instagram.com/midlife.mommas/

Please share, rate, and review the podcast. We appreciate you! ❤️

Transcript

0:00

Ugh, Amelia, my pants are a little tight in my middle. Oh, dear. Hi. I'm Cam, Holistic health coach, mom to 2 humans and 4 pets. Hi. I'm Amelia, Laboratory scientist by day and food scientist by night. Welcome to our show. Join us as we share our holistic approach to life after 50. You can expect real life stories with a dash of humor and a ton of truth. If it happens in midlife, we're going to talk about it. So hit that subscribe button and follow along. We're the midlife mommas. Hi. Welcome to the podcast. So this is part 1 of a 3 part series of that dreaded belly fat. Yeah. Cam wait. You probably get more inquiries about this. I thought it at one time, it used to be hot flashes, but now I think it's belly fat's the number one requested. Like, we need answers to this. So I'm super excited about this series. Absolutely. And it's not just one cause. That's why it's a 3 part series. So there's obviously the gut issues, and we're actually gonna have a special guest. Will you talk more about our special guest, Amelia? Yeah. Actually, we've got a functional medicine provider that if you're one of our North Carolina listeners, she's local to the Sand Hills area named Lindsay Foreman. So if you're a big fan of Lindsay, we'll have her on in a couple of weeks. We're gonna talk first about some of the other things that could be affecting you and causing this belly fat. Yeah. So just a preview. So gut issues are 1. So we're gonna have an expert come in and tell you about gut issues. So bloating, gas, burping, all feeling really full after a really small meal, stuff like that, bathroom issues. So we're gonna dive deep into the midlife issues and the gut. The second cause could be your hormone issue. Okay. So that makes a lot of sense because here we are in midlife working towards postmenopause wherever you are on the journey you're losing your sex hormones and your sex hormones sex hormones are very very protective And we say often that your bandwidth for stress is greatly diminished in midlife. So we're gonna talk about insulin resistance and blood sugar and part number 2 because those are big deals. Very big deals. So what does that leave us with today, Cam? So now we're gonna talk about exercise. So this episode is really gonna focus about exercise stress and what we can do about it because there's a ton of things that you can do about it, and we're excited to share this with you. Yeah. Absolutely. And if it's okay, I'd like to go ahead and start with a personal story. Let's hear it. Yeah. Last year, and if you've been listening to us for a while, you heard this already and you you heard it as it unfolded. So last year, my daughter decided she wanted to do a long distance bike ride, and we, her parents, were going to train with her in North Carolina as she mommas Vermont. And so we started riding, and we started riding probably in June. And then in August, we went up there and did a long training ride with her together. The bottom line is is I realized that even though my exercise quantity was greater than it had been in several years, my waist circumference grew with it and it was an enigma to me. I thought this is nuts. Because at the time, I was also tracking my macros. I thought, I'm doing all the right things. Why is this happening? I literally put on my favorite pair of jeans. Incidentally, they're their most expensive pair, and they have the button fly. And I was like, crap, like, I can't get them buttoned. What's going on? So hence, my good friend and expert podcast partner, Cam, was like, girl, let me just tell you. So that's my story of an increasing middle due to this exercise stress. I mean, that's a crazy story, but thank you for sharing that. You're not alone. I've heard this over and over. When you go into intense cardio or more cardio than you're used to or whatever it is and your body responds by putting on weight, it makes literally no sense. You're like, I'm moving more than ever, and I even remember talking about calories. Do you wanna talk a little bit? You even dialed in your nutrition during this time. Oh, I did. I mean, I did. Absolutely. And so Cam captured calorie burn on the bike, because it, you know, it gradually it it went from maybe riding for 1 hour to up to 3, 3 and a half at the height. And so, I was actually capturing the calorie burn during that exercise and replenishing that. So, I wasn't overeating, but I wasn't massively undereating either. And so, it was really weird. I felt like calorie and calorie burn was equal. And so if you're like us as far as our age, and we grew up in diet culture. And this is we talk about it, Cam, all the time, but even I fell victim to not letting the truth of midlife sink in, and I was absolutely flummoxed by this whole phenomenon. Because in my mind, I still truly believe calories in calories out kind of thing. Yeah. And so if you get on the Internet, especially in my world, you'll have arguments, especially men. It's always it's only calories in calories out. And in order to lose weight, you have to be in a calorie deficit. And I'm like, uh-uh. There's another piece of the puzzle, and it's your barometer, AKA your hormones. And so what you're experiencing, it sounds like was extra cortisol just from the extra burden of exercise. Yeah. And you have to understand that Amelia was ex she's done this kind of cycling for a number of years, But but the other thing, Cam, that I ex kind of expected was sleep disruption during that time, and I was sleeping pretty good. That's right. So it really, you know, I've I've seen some, puffiness and bloating and weight gain when my when my sleep patterns are really off, but they weren't during that time. So it was just such a learning experience for me, and that was probably the first time I had experienced that to that effect to that magnitude, I should say, in midlife. It makes no sense, really. Like, logically, you're exercising, you're eating. Like, why in the world did you gain weight? And it's just literally because of our hormones. So it just underlines that we are part barometer, which is our hormones and the stress on our body. Just like a barometer measures air pressure, our hormones measure the pressure on our bodies. And then we have the calorie in, calorie out because that is part of the formula, but it's not the only formula. So so let's talk for a second, though, but we do have a note here about not eating enough calories. Now I don't think that was my problem, but I wish you would comment on that. Yeah. Because I cannot tell you how many women I start to work with, and they're eating, like, 800, 1200 calories a day. And, really, I just want you to know that 1200 calories is equal to, like, a 5 year old, and we are not a 5 year old. And so if you have been dieting for a long long long time, what happens to your metabolism? It literally is making sure you survive. So it down regulates everything. One of the things that down regulates might be your thyroid, which is part of your metabolism as well. I think that was part of my metabolism. I was over exercising and under nourishing. I was going through divorce, all the things. I'm not exactly sure what my story was, but I think those were parts of my puzzle for sure. And what happens is when you are not eating enough calories, everything just down regulates. It takes a minute to start eating more calories to jump start your system if you will. And I'd also like to comment about the basal metabolic rate. If you have used a calculation or done an InBody scan or a DXA scan or something to indicate what your BMR is, that is absolutely the minimum. In other words, your basal metabolic rate is the number of calories you're required to exist, to breathe. That doesn't even count normal activities of daily living like getting up and making your coffee and going to work and going to the grocery store. So, it's really a minimum and even I've fallen into that in times past where I'm like, oh, well, that's all I'm allowed. And that's not true. So if you do use your BMR, however it was calculated as the base, you could be in that camp of undereating. Yeah. And just an easy calculation. Now this we're all different, but this is a good place to start. Take your body weight times 10. That's how many calories your body needs just to have your heartbeat and your eyes blink and your lungs to breathe, And that does not include, like Amelia said, anything extra. So, I mean, that'll just give you an idea that your calories should be way north of that because you're an active human, so. Well, you know what, Cam, there are some ways that we can combat this belly fat. Right? Like, it's not a total lost cause. No. It's not a total lost cause. We are gonna talk about exercise today, but a word of warning, you cannot spot reduce your belly or any other body part that you don't like, so that does not work. But what you can do is making sure your metabolism is working optimally by strength training and core workouts and, you know, walking. So we're gonna get into the details of that for sure. Absolutely. And so since we're talking about our belly, let's just start with core workouts. What is your core, Cam? Yeah. So, this is interesting knowledge because you would probably think it's just your sick pack 6 pack in the front, but, actually, it's everything from your shoulders down to your hips, front, left side, right side, back. It's all of the parts. So it's your core, literally your trunk, if you will. That is super important because if you do concentrate on your 6 pack, which is the front of your body, this is what I did for years in my younger days, was concentrating on that, trying to get that definition there, and I've neglected my back body, which wreaked havoc on my posture. My back would hurt. I didn't sleep as well. So by identifying and defining your core as a 300 and 60 degree area around your body, you're going to necessarily be more balanced, which OPS does way more than keep your stomach flat. It actually helps you with your posture and all of your activities because you're gonna feel stronger and do better with everything. Absolutely. In fact, that's the first thing I teach women is how to organize your core before you move your arms and your legs. And so let's just talk about it so we can do this together. I want everyone to sit up straight and then I want you to pull your ribs down towards your belly button and your pelvis. And you can breathe and you can move. But it's kind of like you're not crunching, you're not doing a sit up, but you're just pulling your ribs down. Because one, it looks really weird if your ribs are sticking out and you're walking around because that's not good posture. So pull those ribs down towards your belly button or your pelvis, however you want to think about it, and it's like wearing a corset. And now you can move and breathe, and when you do that and you're lifting weights, you'll be able to lift weights, heavier weights, with better form because that's organized. That's just like do that first and then pick up something even if it's your grocery bag. You can practice with your grocery bag, you know, lock those cores down, Lock your ribs down and then move and see what happens. You know, it's interesting when I physically did that, Cam, I could feel just naturally my lower abs picking up too. And those of us who are in middle age and whether no matter what the birthing process you experienced in having your kids, a lot of times our low abs have lost a lot of tone and we may, you know, we've done whole episodes on pelvic floor, but if you can begin to work your core, and I love that term, organize your core, because to say work it or exercise it, but to organize it just means so much more. You can actually work all parts of your core by doing that. Yeah. And when you do that, you're still lined up. Your ears are over your shoulders, your shoulders over your hips, your hips are over your heels if you're standing. So from the side, there is a straight line and but your your your core is turned on, if you will. Just pull those ribs down. Yeah. And, you know, it's funny that we talk about this because I feel like for whatever reason men do this more naturally, or maybe it's just my man. My husband, we had this conversation years ago, gosh, probably 10 or 15 years ago and he's never been a large guy, but he has had at times more of a gut, if you wanna call it that than others. But when he puts on a shirt, almost, I can't think of a town when this wasn't true, it looks, you know, you don't see anything protruding. And I'm like, babe, how do you do that? And he was, it's exactly what you're saying, Cam. He organizes his core. He stands up straight. He's got good posture, and it really is becoming. Like, aside from being a healthy way to exist and and move in time, space, and gravity, it looks great because you feel confident. That's why you're still married to him. Maybe. One one of the reasons. Right? You're looking good, baby. Oh my this is totally a sad note, and our listeners are gonna laugh like crazy. But, one of my favorite songs on my playlist right now is, You Look Good. It's I think it's a Lady a song, and there's this verse about something about in your black jeans and, you don't have to work hard. I don't have to work hard when you're looking at me or something like that. And even after all of this time, I still think that way about him. So he is a sweetie. And he does look so sweet. Side note, I was texting with my son today. He was still overseas, and, he's been doing a lifting program. So he's been shrinking, like, January February. And he's like, I put on my favorite black jeans, mom, and they didn't fit anymore because there's more muscle. So that's a really good thing. So I, like, cheered him on and yeah. So is he did he send you a picture? Have you seen what he looks like? I'm very curious if you're gonna be able to see the difference. I did see a picture of him in his flight suit because he did this thing and they soak you with water. And so I he sent me a picture of that, but it's a flight suit, so I can't tell. Yeah. Anyway, I'm impressed. I'm impressed that he told you that. Like, he's like, mom, check me out. Like, I'm doing all the things. One more brag. So his one rep max is now he's doing 3 sets of 5 of that that same number, that one rep max. So, yeah, I love it. That's really cool. You know, and it's again, we're this is tons of side notes, but we do take pride in our children as well as ourselves and our spouses, which is great because, Cam, we're instilling in the people that we love these principles of just staying healthy. And I guarantee you, when our children are our age, they're gonna be like, dang, I'm so glad I learned this early because you and I had to learn this, like, on our own. Right. I I told him. I'm like, you're so lucky because he's not 30 yet. I'm like, muscle loss starts at 30, and I didn't even start lifting until I was 41. So way to go, bud. You know? Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Now if you told a woman that she started lifting too much and she couldn't fit in her jeans anymore she might like mentally because of the diet culture and I will say there was a, my friend Leanne had me do it was called She Hulk first of all. What the heck is that called? And it was a strength program, and it was crazy. And I broke my jeans. This is a true story. I was pulling on my jeans on the belt buckle because I couldn't get them over my hips or my legs because I had built so much muscle, and I broke my jeans. I'm like, Leanne, we gotta stop doing this strength program menopause I don't know what else I'm gonna do. Anyway, that's a funny note. That is funny. But, you know, I mean, I wish sometimes that we, as women, could embrace that because you're right. The way your son took it and a way a lot of dudes would take it is like a badge of honor, like, how cool is this? But we, as women, are like, oh, it's bigger. It doesn't fit. When in fact, some of the time, if we just are really true and authentic to our goals, even if the clothes don't fit, we can really say, I'm stronger. Like, I'm lifting heavier weights, or or I look better, you know, when in a sleeveless shirt or even when you catch yourself, like, lifting that grocery bag, you're like, oh, look at that one. Look at that. Yeah. That's awesome. During the same time I broke my jean buckle was I had a dream that my bottom was a shelf. Like, my butt excreted that I could put a drink on it. It was like a shelf. It was the same time. I'm like, we gotta stop this. We're anyway, that's just a funny story. I mean, we're kidding. I'm proud of my muscles, and I'm I think we've talked about this. I've reframed my larger lower half as very strong. Like, it carried me through life, so I'm glad that you're Exactly. But that's a great segue, Cam. So besides just core training, let's talk about some strength training. Yeah. Whenever you add muscle to your frame, you're, making metabolism work harder and you're burning more calories. And muscle is really expensive to have around, and oftentimes that's the first thing your body gets rid of. It keeps the fat, darn it, but it gets rid of the muscle because it's like, how am I gonna keep this person alive? How am I gonna keep this person moving if you're not eating enough or if you're doing too much cardio and too much cortisol is going on? And so what literally our body is so efficient it gets rid of the muscle first because it's more expensive to have. Isn't that crazy? It is crazy, and I have a story about that too. My Pilates instructor is super cute and fit and tiny. Well, her son, he's now 5 years old, but when he was little, when he was born or when she was pregnant, whatever, I guess, I don't know if she had hyperemesis or what was going on, but the I don't know that the pregnancy was super easy. Anyway, when he was born, I don't know how long after her husband said, Oh, he really like ate your muscles or took your muscles because so much of the nutrients that she had consumed was going into making this baby, that her muscles were gone. And it's taken her a while to rebuild. She looks amazing now, but but that's just kind of a concrete example from a different time in life of the muscle being expensive and it and you have to work at it and your body will break it down in order to feed itself. A 100% agree. Think about a marathon runner. Now you would say that they're fit, but they are not muscly. They're very thin and literally steady state cardio like that tends to eat eat your muscle as well. Yeah. For sure. There and in fact, there are 3 ingredients to have muscle around. So effort, lifting the heaviest weight you can with the best form you can, and, of course, organize your core before you do that. 2nd, you need protein. You need to nourish your muscles, which we have several episodes about protein and protein snacks and what do you know? And the third ingredient is time. Like, you need rest and recovery within your workout, meaning keeping that cortisol at bay, and then rest and recovery between your workouts so your muscles can actually repair themselves and get stronger and aka bigger because they repair themselves. Yeah. And I love that because the recovery one for me was the hardest when I was transitioning from a life of cardio to a more, I won't say simple, but more effective life of walking and strength training because, you know, if you're busy, like you and I both are, Cam, and I do organize my life largely around workouts and food. That's the sad truth. I mean, but I have to work. So sometimes scheduling is like, oh, you know, I really shouldn't do a workout with only one day of rest in between, and a lot of times, I'm sorry. Like, I really like to have those 2 days in between because I can tell it as soon as I begin to push weight again. It's just like, and luckily for me, you know, usually I can just be like, all right, enough, you know, and that's I think the beauty of being so intentional is you can like listen to those biofeedback cues and adjust your behavior accordingly instead of like what I would have done when I was 35. It's like, this is on the plan. I'm gonna do it today. You know, hell or hot water. I'm just gonna do it, and that's not helpful anymore. 100%. And having more rest and recovery makes your workout count, which is what you're saying. So if you have more rest, then you feel better in your workout. You have more energy. You can lift heavier, whatever it is. Do more reps. Yeah. If you're running on fumes, that's the cortisol is gonna kick in, and maybe the hunger is gonna kick in, and then we have an insulin problem, which we're gonna talk about the hormones next week, but Yeah. I mean, that whole, you know, rest and recovery when you're not there, the hunger kicks in, and not only is it hunger, but but for me, I I crave those cheap carbs, that cheap energy. You know, what's crunchy and salty? And then, oh, now I'm eating salty, and now I need sweet is a vicious, vicious cycle. So if you're that person that has put on that belly fat and you're in still in that diet culture and more is better, please stop. I'm begging you now. I'm imploring you to stop and listen to what we're saying and just give it a try. If it doesn't work, go back to what you were doing, but I promise you, you will be so happy you changed your habits. Yep. Lift lift some weights and eat some protein and watch what happens. It is truly magical. And here's the next one. And so this is the other magical and key ingredient is to actually move more walking, for example. But word of warning, that does not build muscle and muscle is your organ of longevity and organ of health when we move through midlife. So but walking's really an important key. I can't ignore it. Cam, I've gotten to where I walk a little bit every day, and it it's gotten even to the point where it's not just about calorie burn or quote movement, it's about joy. I was inside all morning yesterday. I had to attend a virtual meeting all morning. It was Saturday and I was kinda pissy anyway. I'm like, dang it. You

know, I wanna be outside. And so about 1: 21:27

30, 2 o'clock, when I finally got done and I went outside, it was just like a load was lifted from my shoulders. We went on like a 3 mile walk, and it was like I went from being this sour, miserable woman to, like, life is beautiful. Oh. So yeah. Exactly. Like, the angels are singing. Yeah. The angels are singing. Amelia's outside. And so for me It's funny. Yeah. It's so it's so important. Go ahead. When I was driving home to record this, it's 57 here, which isn't exactly warm, but, I live in a golf course community right now. Every people had short sleeves on. They had shorts on, people are golfing, running, walking their dogs, and it's only 57. So we're all like, get outside. Yeah. Yeah. Get outside is a real I talked to my daughter right before we were recording, and she lives in Vermont, and I was like, so how's the weather? And she said, oh, typical Vermont. And she says, it's very gray. We go in the summer, and Vermont's beautiful. But she we're I'm going with my kids to California in April, and she's like, mom, you know what I'm looking forward to the most in California? And it's sunshine. So I think we're kinda hired hardwired to crave that sunshine. We're certainly hard hardwired for it to moderate our circadian rhythm. But get out there and walk people. It's not like you have to walk to the next town. Just just walk down the block or around the block or whatever. It's just has so much therapeutic benefit. Yeah. It's a great stress relief tool. It helps manage your cortisol, and you feel like a new human, and then you're just happier. And the people around you are happier, for sure. Yeah. And and also you can, like, double dip, if you will, if it's after if you walk after eating, then you're gonna lower your blood sugar, which we're gonna talk more about last week, but it's like your muscles are suitcases for the blood sugar and then using your muscles actually helps them load up the suitcases AKA your muscles. Good stuff. But there's one more thing in your in our exercise repertoire. This one's harder for me. So tell us about this one. Yeah. So this is in high intensity repeat training, which is a version of high intensity interval training, but it has more rest because rest is your superpower in midlife. And, I would only do this 1 or 2 times a week like at max like 45 minutes a week not a day, only only if your life stress is managed because that's really important. If you're already running on cortisol, and I used to run on cortisol and caffeine you do not want to be adding intense cardio, but let me say if everything's like in check and you're doing the strength training and you've got walking under control and you're eating protein, then I would add a dash of cardio in this form. So it's 4 to 10 rounds of intense bodyweight movement. So anything bodyweight, jumping jacks, running the stairs, whatever, high knees, whatever you wanna do. Jump rope would also work. You go for about 10 to 15 to 20 seconds, like a short burst, high effort, like 80% of your effort, and then you rest until you can go again. So back in my CrossFit days, we did tomato workouts where you only had 10 seconds of rest. Did you do those 2? Mhmm. Tomatoes? Oh my gosh. You could barely breathe. Yeah. They're brutal. They're short, but they're real I did them on the bike. We did it, like, you know, so yeah. Ugh. It just, yeah. So you can get the same benefits from belly fat, by doing cardio, by adding more rest. It's not the rest isn't what's gonna help the belly fat. I mean, not resting is not gonna help the belly fat. You need more rest. So, yeah, it's 4 to 10 rounds. The cool thing is and this was hard to grasp, let's say on round 6 you're like cam effort is stinking. I'm like working at 50%. I'm really I'm feeling empty. Then you call it a day and you hang it up and you go for a walk or do something else. Yeah. So, Cam, I do have a question about this because again, this is the hardest for me. Would you advise that if you do engage in this, your life stress is managed so that you cam handle the stress of the workout. Would you advise this being the only thing you do in a day or would you pair it with like a really low key walk, or even a weight training session, or should this be it for the day? Yeah. So a a hurt workout, a high intensity repeat training could pair with a walk for sure. Okay. Or like a core workout that's like Oh, yeah. That's brilliant. Okay. Okay. Got it. So these are your tools, and then you're like, okay, strength training twice a week, maybe 3 times depending on your midlife. 2 or 3 times, let's say. That's first. Figure that out. Walking's like you said, like a daily thing. And it's not because you're getting the miles in and you're not power walking. That's not what we're doing. We're just moving our body and release releasing our stress and getting back in touch with ourselves, And then hurt would just be sprinkling in. Yeah. So, Cam, are there any days where you intentionally don't do any sort of movement or exercise at all, or are you always every day moving yourself in some way? I mean, I have dogs, so there's always a dog walk. But you know sometimes it's a shorter dog walk so it just you know it just depends strength training is a non negotiable I would say that always happens Right now, because the weather's starting to change, the longer walks will come back in, but they haven't been happening where we live right now. Yeah. And I don't really walk my dogs because we kinda let them out in the backyard. So there are 1, sometimes 2 days a week. And I will say that I moderate based on life and work stress. So Mhmm. There are days where I don't have what I would call intentional movement unless you would call and I guess you could honestly call vacuuming the floor and and folding the laundry intentional movement menopause it does move. But, like, I will basically get up. If I'm going to the office, I go to work. I walk around the office, no, you know, extra walking, and then come home, cook dinner, and so forth. But, you know, I do moderate that because there's some days where I think my, mental stress has been great today. Therefore, I'm tired mentally and physically, and so I just don't feel like doing. And, occasionally, my husband will be like, I think it'd be really good. Let's just go for a short walk. Maybe it's only 10 or 15 minutes. So I think listening to your body, might be a good thing, but I love the idea of general movement and not these specific, like, go into a diet. Yeah. Yeah. Where you've gotta move out of your body. Right, exactly. That's just crazy. But, you know, even a year ago, I fought that mindset. I really did. And you've really helped me. Like, just talking about it every week on the air has really helped me embrace it. And it's a beautiful thing. Yeah. Thank you. And it's it's hard to put down. We totally get it. I got this message the other day from a Move With The Dial member, and she said, things are good. I've started to lose weight. I realized I was putting too much stress on my body and took a step back, and now I'm going every other day. So this person is still going to a CrossFit gym, and she realized, like, why am I gaining weight? What is happening? And she realized it was the stress and took a step back. And so I think the whole thing you have, like, all these tools in the tool chest. And like Amelia was saying, you've gotta, like, tune into yourself. Just because it's on the calendar does not mean you have to do it. You have to be mindful. If you slept like poo and you haven't eaten enough protein, then your workout's gonna stink anyhow. Maybe a walk would be better. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. I just I think the whole midlife awakening is real and the whole midlife mindset for me has been imperative to good health and not the least of which it did has helped my inflammation, which in turn has actually made my stomach slightly flatter. I mean, I'm not saying like, I went from huge to not, but there's so much in midlife, I think, Cam, that's centered more around attitude, than ever before and being able to embrace accept where we are and move through life intentionally with joy is critical. And because I know when we don't do those things, it does cause inflammation and belly fat because it's cortisol response. 100%. So let's go back to your story for a second. So, yeah, so you did all this training, you were doing all this cycling, and the weight went up and the pants were tight. What did you do to get out of it? Well, I I hung up my cycling shoes for the season because it was just that time. And now that we're at the time of year again, am I gonna start riding again? I don't know. But now I'm mentally prepared because the cycling activity does bring me joy. But last year, I was doing it with a specific goal. And I gotta be honest, if my daughter came to me with the same challenge, the answer would be the same. But at least I'm somewhat prepared. And so this year, if she doesn't pose that and it's a beautiful day, like maybe today was and my husband and I are free, I might suggest, hey, let's go for a ride, but it won't be that pushing, pushing, pushing, and I will accept, you know, the repercussions, of taking on a challenge like that in the future. And honestly, if it was just every once in a while and it wasn't every weekend trying to get to 80 miles, like, your body would respond differently for sure. Yeah. Yeah. And I spoke to my daughter about it about a month ago. I was like, hey. Do you think you're gonna do it? And she really hammered around about it and hasn't brought it up. So on our trip next month, I'm gonna reintroduce it just so I can be prepared, like, do I need to have a bike service and, you know, make sure my shorts are in good repair? But anyway, yeah, it's a learning experience, and it was great. Like, I don't regret it for a second because Mhmm. Those hours that she and her dad and I spent on a bike together in Vermont last August was it's it will live in my memory forever. It was so meaningful. So, you know, it was worth it for that. So are you saying the scale doesn't define you, Amelia? Because I would be really happy to hear that. Let's not get crazy. Okay. Yeah. I think I'm ready to say that because I do really feel powerful and strong in the body that I have. So, yes. I love that. Yeah, it's just keep learning ladies. Thanks for listening today. You can find us on Instagram@midlife.mommas For all of our other contact info, check out the show description below, and we will talk to you next week.