Motivation and Consistency: How to reach your goals in menopause

In this episode, you'll hear:

1. The Importance of Self-Awareness and Intuition: We delve into the concept of biofeedback and highlight the significance of listening to our bodies during recovery and training. Understanding our own needs and prioritizing health and fitness goals is crucial for holistic wellbeing.

2. Embracing Flexibility and Self-Compassion: We talk about the dangers of the "all or nothing" mentality in fitness and the importance of celebrating small wins. Flexibility and self-compassion play vital roles in maintaining long-term goals and finding motivation during challenging times.

3. Finding Joy and Emotion-Based Goal Setting: We share the impact of embodying the spirit of joy and gratitude, and encourage creating goals based on emotions rather than just tasks. Finding fulfillment from within, rather than solely relying on external expectations, is a game-changer in finding long-lasting motivation.

00:00 Appreciative of life, acknowledging challenges and recovery.
04:47 Questioning motivation and fulfillment in volunteering activities.
06:41 Chasing material goals leads to short fulfillment.
12:45 Consistency and effort matter, not perfection.
15:54 Triathlon setbacks made me angry and resentful.
18:37 Confident in mothering, less sure about self.
21:08 Avoid all or nothing mentality for success.
24:18 Seek objective advice to help make decisions.
27:56 Celebrate small wins to show it's safe.
30:44 Stay hopeful and flexible to reach goals.

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/

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Transcript

0:00

Perfection is the roadblock to your progress. 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. Amen, Cam. I'm so excited to be talking about this today. We're gonna be focusing, folks, on a couple of concepts that came to us, I think, if I'm not wrong from a listener, Cam. Is that right? That's true. Yeah. So here we are sharing our lives on the Internet with strangers and who also have become friends and, and clients and such. But sometimes it looks like it's all shiny on the outside, but we're here to show you what it really looks on the inside. We don't have all the things figured out for for sure. Yeah. Absolutely. And I and I am appreciative that someone thinks that we have we keep all the balls in the air all the time. And sometimes it does feel that way, Cam. I feel pretty good about my life in general, but, as we were speaking before we hit record, you know, we both have challenges. Right? And we both, you know, eat food certain days that make our tummies hurt or we lack motivation, or we skip a workout, or, I don't know about you, Cam, but I'm troubled by something I said or didn't say to another human, which is always makes me feel bad. But, you know, we're we're not perfect and nobody is. But we do wanna share with you some ideas about how to pick yourself up off the ground when you maybe don't feel great because there is a way, there is a recovery, there is a rebound to to all of those challenges. Absolutely. And then we have physical challenges too. Like, I was in a car accident in April, and I know you're recovering from a little thing. And so, you know, when we have physical challenges in our body, how do we get past that, And, really, what we're gonna talk about today is motivation and consistency and how they both play a role in your life. Yeah. Absolutely. And, you know, if if you're gonna say we have all the balls in the air, I think these are just 2 of the elements that if we haven't mastered, we certainly keep in the forefronts of our our minds. So if we have a leg up on anybody, it's just a mindset that we have, instilled in ourselves, And more importantly, we've instilled in each other because I know that my ability to cope and gain ground, and take that that positive step forward even when I've taken 2 steps back is is a large part due to my friendship with Cam. So we we want to bring that kind of motivation to you and encouragement. Absolutely. I agree a 100% with what you said. Yeah. It's like the thing that keeps you going, when you don't have the courage inside of yourself. You look outside of yourself for a mommas, and that's actually where we're gonna start. So when I think about motivation, I often think of it as something outside of yourself, whether it's a certain weight on the scale that you're working towards, or getting good a plus lab results in the air quotes or what you see in the mirror or how your clothes fit or whatever the external thing is. I really view motivation, like, I'm gonna fit in that bathing suit as an external thing. How how do you feel about that? I I agree a 100%, Cam. And it you know, I might be fooling myself, but some of the in fact, I was reading something recently. It may have been, Instagram. It may have been something around a guest Mel Robbins had, but it seems like our generation, our age group of people, may it feels like we're uniquely tied to that. I don't know what it was about the 80s that kind of put that external focus on what the girls in the magazines or what the movie stars look like. I realize now that a lot of our children's generation, the Millennials and Gen Z kids, you know, they have that too. They have social media. But, you know, we're talking about middle aged women, so I don't think that external expectation. We feel like sometimes it's internal, but I do agree that a lot of times it's sparked by something external. Yeah. And so what the goal is to figure out that external motivation, and be make it come within, like, go inside. And that's really I think that's the midlife awakening, which we mentioned all the time, like, menopause is this metamorphosis into your second half of life, and it's permission to go inward and, like, learn who you are and what motivates you. Yeah. What's your why in life? I always say that. Like, what do you what do you really want in life? Yeah. And I agree with you. And mine gets you know, speaking of not being perfect, some some weeks or some days, I feel very in tune to that. A couple of weeks ago, my therapist said because we were talking about volunteering, and I was like, you know, I've gotten so wrapped up in work recently in the last, like, 6 months. I haven't done as much with my church group or, even at work, they did a Habitat bill day, and I didn't participate. And I was like, I'm feeling somewhat guilty about not pursuing these volunteering. And she says, does it fulfill you? And that was really an awakening for me, Cam, because it's my motivation to do these things because I think I'm expected to or does it fulfill me? And that was kind of a wake up call for me. Yeah. Did you get any answers? Like what does fulfill you? Well, and I told her that. I told her, I was like, you know what? That's a great question and I need to pour through that because I'm so motivated by performance which is a lot of time based on an external expectation or an accolade from someone else. I'm not always sure. So over the last 2 weeks, as I've engaged in activity, I have tried to ask myself, It's a variation of the awful awesome test. Right? It's like, am I fulfilled by this activity, or is this an obligation? I was totally thinking that. Does it light you up? Does it light you up the fire within? Does it make your heart pitter patter and your stomach go, yeah. I want that. Right. Exactly. And and depending on what your personality is, and what does motivate you, your answer might be slightly different. Yeah. And I there's nothing wrong with having external goals. Let's just say that out there. But what makes them stick is when there's something inside of you, like deep diving inside. Because if it's only external and it's only like a moving target, We've talked about this before. Like, when you reach the external goal, does it equal happiness? Are you satisfied? No. You keep moving the goalpost Yeah. To something different. And, I will say I'm embarrassed to say just how recently this occurred, but I have had external goals of acquisition. Like I want this particular cam, or I want this pair of shoes or pocketbook, and it's for some people, it's remodeling their home. It's a particular type of couch, or it's living in a certain neighborhood. But, Cam, that stuff, you think it's going to fulfill you. You think, oh my god. I'm so excited to get this thing. And it's it lasts like such a short period of time. And I finally come to the conclusion that I will have these desires, right? I'll see something on television or on social. I need that. Do I really and if I if I spend that money to get the thing, usually, it's all shiny and pretty and fun for a couple of weeks, and I'm like, dang it. Like, why did I spend that money? Yeah. That that wasn't it. That's not what I was really looking for. Yeah. So I've been working with an intuition coach, Lindsay. She's been on podcast since October now. And, like, the answer's always within you. It's always in the quiet spot. And as an overthinker and a former perfectionist, that's really flipping hard, let me tell you, to get quiet. And I've, in the last year, started some practices like sitting outside of my deck or listening to a meditation. Starting my day that way has helped me quiet some of the noise, but I still have a long way to go. Well, yes. Of course. And I'll just say, like, throughout the day. Sometimes I just have to check-in because, you know, that monkey brain and that, pension for multitasking and making those list of work things and, like, in the middle of thinking about what I gotta do for work, I'm, like, oh crap, I need to go by the dry cleaners on the way home. So, there's lots of intrusion of thoughts in our world, and learning how to process without breaking down our ability to cope, or letting someone, something fall off the list. But also accepting it's gonna happen. We're gonna miss stuff and it's gonna be okay. Yeah. And you have to be okay with it. Right? Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. But I do think that that we do, one of the things that keeps us young is dreaming big, is having goals, and is setting objectives. 100%. So we're gonna talk about how to get motivated from within, like to figure out what your why is. Like, now that we're in this midlife menopause stage, to dream up your higher bigger why is like, I think the key to tie your your goals to. I agree a 100%. And one of the questions weekend. I took my mother to her sister's 90th birthday party. Weekend. I took my mother to her sister's 90th birthday party. And my aunt is vibrant. She's not without health concerns. She's 90 years old. She just had a hip replaced 3 months ago. But just to sit in her kitchen and talk to her, she's so mentally with it and told stories, and, you know, we just talked, and I thought, that's one of my role models. She is, you know, kind of, that person I wanna be when I'm 90. Yeah. So I was talking with a client the last 2 weeks, and she has a vision board. And one of her, like, homework assignments, if you will, is to find someone to a vision of that person. And I think you found your person. I do. I I mean, you know, whenever you find that person, that role model, it's not that you want to be exactly them. You know what I mean? Like, you have to put your own spin on it. But just my aunt and my mother, my mom's whole family, they're just happy people, Cam. They just love life. They're so grateful. They recognize challenges can be blessings, too. They can be wake up calls or they cam, have prevented us from going down some other path that might have been more detrimental. But that attitude of hap not not happiness, because I feel like happiness can be situational, but joy, finding true joy and gratitude is just so critical. What I hear you saying is like embodying their spirit of joy. Yes. Yeah. It's not trying to be them. That's right. That's a great one. Than that. It's their it's their spirit. Yeah. So when you have this vision of 80, 90, or whatever your goal age, I heard 120 recently from somebody. Yeah. Yeah. What are you doing? How are you moving through life? Are you still carrying all your groceries in one in one trip? Because that's my goal, ladies. You know? Are you active with your grandkids? What are you doing? Yeah. Exactly. I saw a news report last night about, because, we're recording a few days after d Day, and so there was a lot. It was, I think, the 80th anniversary of d Day, and so there's a lot of news coverage. Well, this man who was part of the Normandy invasion was a 100 years old. And he went over there and married in Normandy his 96 year old sweetheart. Like, how cool is that? Like, they'll you've you now decide the love of your life and you're a 100 and she's 96. I'm like, they were happy, and, you know, they acted like teenagers. It was so cute. And I thought, wow, especially after all that man went through with the war and all of that, but he's found joy at a 100 years old, and I just love that. Yeah. So age is not the barrier Exactly. But how do we get over the barriers? Like, what is the you know, we've talked about finding the why within yourself, but there's other tactical practical ways we can go about this. Yeah. So after you've got your big vision, and like, okay, this is where I wanna go. This is how I wanna feel. This is what I'm doing, which I really think I want you to notice, those are all emotions, You know? Like, what are the emotions around the thing? Because that's very powerful. And it, like, tells your brain it's safe to change to change because our brain doesn't want us to change, which is why creating new habits is very difficult. So so you've got that vision, and then it's, like, consistently showing up. Like, what do you do most days is what really matters. It's not what you do every day. It's not about being perfect. It's about being consistent most days. But and I love what you said there. I think the key for me, Cam, is that you show up. It doesn't mean that you perform the thing perfectly, whether it's weight training or eating healthy or, doing your church volunteering or seeing your friends, we'll talk about relationship goals. It's about showing up. And that showing up day to day may look different day to day. So I told you before we hit record with my little health concern, just a little infection, I tried to lift weights last week because that's what I do, you know, at least once a week. And I felt I couldn't lift very, very much. You know, £10 felt like £25. I was sweating like crazy. I showed up. I didn't wasn't able to do the work that I normally do but it did show up. And that's the part that I absolutely love and I think we can all, within ourself, have some understanding of what does showing up look like today. And then I just wanna take it a step further. So maybe the old you would have beat yourself up because the workout didn't go as well. Yes. But the new you, the Amelia today is like, nope. You know, I'm recovering still and no good. So I did what I could. Okay. Next week, we'll try again. Yeah. And, you know, just like with because food and exercise are 2 of our favorite subjects. You know, I went to this birthday party on Friday night with my mom. I ate the birthday cake. The icing tends to not make it tends to make my stomach hurt because I just don't eat cake. But I enjoyed it. I mean, I'm celebrating my aunt turning 90 years old. I didn't even consider being like, oh, no. I'll have the fruit. No. I ate the cake. Like, it was so good. It reminds me of our taste everything, binge on nothing. Yes. Enjoy the heck out of it, you know? Yeah. I you know, I've been re struggling. I don't know if struggle is the right word. So I was in a car accident in April, and so I haven't been strength training because I'm under care to get my spine and neck and everything right. So I had two choices. I could have been, like, mad, angry, disappointed that I couldn't lift weights like I want to, or I could plan walks with my girlfriends, do what I can do. I've been doing the big six even more, which is a lymph drainage thing. Anyway, like, I had a choice to make. Which way am I gonna go about this thing? So I feel like I'm okay, but I'm getting antsy to get back to the weight room. So, you know, we have struggles like this, but consistently showing up and doing what I could do versus focusing on what I can't do right now. So was would would there have been a time, Cam, where you would have chosen even without thinking the angry route and just been, you know, angry and bitchy for weeks? You know, I've never had a physical well, that's not true. I mean, I've had knee surgeries for various reasons. You know, in my forties, I was angry because I was just going through a divorce, and it was like this huge turmoil of life. You know? And my result, what I did is I moved my body to get out of my brain, get out of my intrusive thoughts. I just moved my body excessively into CrossFit world. Yeah. So I'm not really sure the answer to that. Oh, because I can tell you unequivocally, because I would've I there would've been a time where I when I was doing triathlons, derailing that in that way, for me, I would have been angry for weeks. I mean, any sort of setback, whether it was respiratory illness, and when I was training, I had a lot of colds, because I was constantly run down. I mean, I was sleeping okay, but, I would just be angry. And for me, it's really easy to spiral into the microcosm of pain and suffering, whether it would have been so much work that I couldn't work out or family emergency, I would have been resentful for any intrusion. And now, I feel sorry for that girl, sorry for that person that I was, that I viewed all of these life experience that I've got to experience as in intrusions into my plan. So I'm glad to not be that angry anymore. Yeah. Right? Yeah. It's it's, the grip. What's your gripping quote? It's like Oh, embrace, don't brace. Yeah. Right. When we're bracing so hard, we're gripping on to every little thing. And there's so much anger. I also realized that part of my healing would have been a positive mindset that an angry, resentful body is not going to heal as fast as a joyful body that is moving in a way that's pain free. You know? I don't know. I've been getting outside a lot. Yeah. I don't know. Intentionally doing what I can do. I did test the waters yesterday with just an empty barbell, and it felt amazing. Oh, good. Yeah. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon, so we'll we'll see. He can always tell Good one. If I've gone too far. And, you know, Cam, I love that because last week, when I was not quite myself and trying to lift, you know, I knew that it was not the right thing. And I had this kind of thought, oh, well, tomorrow and the next day, I'll kinda know if that was the right thing to do by whether or not I feel good Mhmm. Or whether I'm actually going backwards in my recovery. So I think sometimes we have to listen to our bodies, use that awful awesome awesome test because we get in these patterns. We think we have to do this stuff. But yet, if we listen, if we stop and listen to our intuition, listen to our physical body, we'll know whether or not we're we're doing what we ought to do. 100%. There's a whole biofeedback episode, a few episodes. Go check it out. Yeah. And I it's funny about the biofeedback because I think growing up, I'm, like, reflecting now, it was what the doctor said. It was what the test results said and that your opinion of what's going on with your body wasn't, quote, unquote good enough. Do you have any does that make sense to you at all? Oh, it totally makes sense. And it kind of what popped into my head was when my kids were little. I was so much better at knowing that as a mother, I knew these small people and what was best for them better than a teacher, better than a doc not I mean, if the kids were sick, we went to the doctor. Right? Right. But knowing them and protecting them and being very confident in what I knew about my own children, But yet about my own self, I was less sure. You know, I didn't listen to those signs. I pushed forward through whatever pain and suffering there was. Yeah. Because the goal we're gripping onto the goal so far. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. You know, you have to leave room for magic and miracles. And, like, if we're only with our eyeballs only on the one thing, then you might have taken missed a left turn that was amazing. Exactly. And it's just so weird to me that I see so many women our age who are very giving people, but their own selves is where they're falling short. They're giving so much to other people that they don't recognize their own needs. 100%. You just nailed it. That's the midlife awakening, and I think that's why we have this podcast to help other women understand their value and see that health and fitness and their goals are possibilities that you can actually reach your goals, whatever they are. Yeah. Let's talk about how to be consistent to get to these goals. Absolutely. What's your number one, kind of practice? I would say keeping it reasonable. Like, you know, I'll use the CrossFit example. Women would come into the gym. This was in my forties, and they'd wanna do a pull up or a handstand push up or something like very technical and very strength based, but they hadn't put the reps in to get there. They hadn't built the strength or the skill. And so keep it reasonable. Like, if you want to, I would not recommend running a marathon, but if you wanted to well, think of a goal. Let's see. Well, I mean, there I mean, we could take it down a notch and say, like, a 5 k or you wanted to be able to walk 5 miles or something like that. Absolutely. So reasonable. So you need to give yourself time to get there. Rather than saying I want it right now. And then get mad and angry. You can't do it right now. There has to be it has to be reasonable. And so, like, taking little tiny steps towards that goal. If you did wanna run or walk a 5 k, yet you weren't walking on a daily basis or a few times a week, then that's not making it reasonable. You have to do that. You have to actually do the action to get to the result that you're working towards, but it has to be reasonable. Oh, I love that. And and when you were talking about, you know, not putting it in the reps, the other kind of pitfall is the all or nothing mentality. So you you are so far in, and then you get an injury or an illness that sets you back, and then you throw the whole plan in the garbage. And you're like, well, that was dumb and I can't do it. Instead of that, you're you've gone from all to nothing, except that there are grades, varying grades or shades of gray or whatever you wanna call it, and that life does get in the way. And maybe if you had had the goal to walk this 5 k in 5 weeks, maybe you need to give yourself 10 weeks. Mhmm. So the all or nothing is very dangerous, Cam, and it's debilitating. It can make you depressed or anxious or angry. It can bring on a lot of negative emotions if you're operating in an all or nothing mentality. Yeah. And I see that with, like, food choices. Let's say it's on the weekend and you mess up a little bit. Like, let's speak let's go back to your cake. Did the cake set you off? Excuse me. Did you just throw it in the towel because you ate cake the other night? Not at all. I enjoyed every bite of that cake, but the next day when there was also cake, I did get the fruit salad. So, yeah, I I love that you said that about food because, you know, the whole diet mentality, especially calorie restriction, you could find us, you know, 10,000 stories on the Internet about people who calorie restricted, and then they ate a whole box of Oreos or a whole gallon of ice cream. I mean, that's, you know, everywhere. Yeah. So I actually just saw an Instagram reel yesterday. I don't know where it was, but it was from a doctor. And I love this analogy. We grew up in the eat less, exercise more mentality. And the story goes, if you were coming over to my house and I was having this amazing meal with all your favorite foods, how would you prepare for that meal? You would probably eat less during the day. Maybe you would make sure you exercise. You would be ready to go. And what does that do? Eat less and exercise more. It makes you more hungry. So it's the exact opposite of what what we were taught. Like, that doesn't work. Right. Exactly. Yeah. That's a really dangerous pitfall. And because I tend to be gung ho, it's very it's a very easy for trap for me to fall into. Yeah. And that and that leads to the next thing. Like, show up when you don't really want to. Like, you know, we'll go back to your strength training. You're like, I should strength training, so you showed up, but then you realize, no. This isn't the right thing for me today. And so you tried it. You put your toe in the water, but you didn't throw it in. You didn't throw the towel in on everything. You just said not today. Yeah. Absolutely. And, you know, I will say when we're talking about the show up for yourself even when you don't don't want to, Sometimes, I I hate the term accountability partner, but there might be someone in your life that you can run something by. And for me, that's my husband. And usually, and this we've been doing this for, you know, 30 years. If I say, I had a really long day at work. I'm really tired. I should exercise, but I don't want to. What should I do? And he knows me well enough, and he will give an honest answer to say, well, you know, you were sick last week, maybe not. Or he may say, let's just go for a walk, even if it's 10 or 15, 20 minutes. And I usually follow what he said because an objective person, but one that lives with me and knows me well, he usually helps me show up when I don't want to. So you may have someone in your life to give you a little bit of that objective advice, and then you choose whether or not you want to follow it. It's not like you have to do what that person says, but I think it's helpful. Yeah. And I I actually like accountability buddies. And I I don't think that that can be the only thing, but I think they carry you over the bridge when you're not feeling it yourself. And so I do believe the answers within us. Like, I do believe if we ask ourselves and, like, be still and let the answer bubble up, we know what's right for us in any given situation. But accountability buddies lets you borrow external motivation for a moment when you need it. Here's a great example. So we're talking about, food diversity in my group right now, and this woman, she's amazing, made this entire spreadsheet of all the fruits and vegetables she could think of. And so we're talking about diversity. So it's a checklist, and she loves checklist. Right? Knowing and she shared it with me when I'm gonna share it with my group. So knowing that I had blueberries the day before, and I'm like, well, I'm gonna choose cherries today. I was ready to get the blueberries back out, but I'm like, no. Because of her, I borrowed her insight, if you will. Like, I can make my own decisions what food I'm gonna eat. But it was just like, oh, we're doing this thing. We're learning about this thing, and I'm gonna do this instead. So I made a different decision and it was it was great. So Oh, I love that. And it's it gives you it almost relieves you over the decision. Right? If someone else is helping you make the decision, sometimes the I don't want to is just an energy expenditure because you're you're you're agonizing over this decision. And if somebody was just like, yeah, let's go for a walk, or why don't you have cherries today? It just kinda you're like, oh, okay. I can do that. Yeah. It just leaning on somebody gets you over the hump. You know, and another thing right now we're doing a movement snack challenge and movement snacks, by the way, are a way to increase your metabolism without your stress or your hunger hormones. So it's literally moving throughout the day. And like instead of sitting for hours and hours and hours, and there was a recent study, even though it was done on men, they did 10 air squats every 45 minutes was more effective than

1: 26:45

30 minute walk as far as regulating blood sugar. No. Right? So a couple a couple things. It was on men, but the point is we are designed to move. We're not designed to sit all day. And so the point is to move throughout the day. So we've got this challenge going. And let me tell you, Amelia, there are times when I'm working on my computer or whatever, I don't wanna get up like, I'm in the middle of something. Like, my brain's working on this. But because of the group and because of the accountability, I'll get up and do 10 air squats and 10 push ups on the coffee table and then go back to work. So that's how I use it. And I love the term movement snacks because we're all you know, someone says snacking, you're like, where? Where's that? And so this gives it a whole new spin, and I absolutely love that term. I'm gonna totally use that. Yeah. And I've got women doing push ups in the kitchen. So when they're in the kitchen, they're doing push ups on the counter, or doing grapevines during the TV commercials. Yeah. And it's really fun. So that's the positive spin on accountability. Like, I'm doing this for myself. And also, maybe I'm gonna motivate somebody else's having a crappy day, and they need that little boost to carry themselves over that hump. Anyway, that's how you do it. So cool. And, you know, when we're talking about snacks and small things, you have to celebrate your wins, the big ones and the small ones, to show you mentioned this earlier, to show your brain that it's safe to change. Now, I don't really have a huge issue with movement and food, but what I do have is trusting, the universe or whatever that it's gonna be okay because I'm a worrier, and I'm a planner, and planning to the point of obsessing over details. And so for me, those small wins are, I didn't worry about, you know, let's just go back to the food. If I don't have anything to carry for my lunch, I might usually stress about that. But instead of saying, you know what? I'll find something and it'll be fine. And every time I have a win, like, I travel this weekend, I threw some clothes in a suitcase. I kind of planned it, but not really, and it was fine. Like, I didn't spend, you know, 2 or 3 days ahead planning. So whatever that looks like for you, depending on your goals based on your motivation, you can take those small wins and then your brain for me, it's this whole planning excessively. It's turned into, wow. The the sky did not fall because I didn't overplan and it's okay to do this. I love that. And if we're running on our sky didn't fall, I don't really have to overanalyze everything I put in my suitcase or whatever, then it's telling you, first of all brought it to the awareness. So it's no longer in the 99% autopilot in the background. You brought it to your awareness, and they're like, oh, I got this. It is very cool. Yeah. So that's really important to celebrate your wins, and that doesn't mean going to Dairy Queen. Right? I mean, it could, but if your goal is, you know, a health and fitness goal, that's probably not gonna serve you. So the whole thing about using food as a reward is a sticky thing. It goes back to my teaching days, like the teachers that gave out candy for good grades. I'm just not into that, like, because it's, again, external, and it's not helping you reach your health and fitness goals. No. Exactly. And, yet, some days, doing things is just gonna be harder than others. Right? Like some days it's just gonna be tougher and being able to accept that flexibility and waxing and waning of motivation and even consistency sometimes cam. But like you said, it's overall. It's not that it has to be every single day. And the quality doesn't have to be the same every day single day. Oh, yeah. That's giving yourself permission that, like, you try something and it wasn't awesome. Hey. I showed up. I gave it a shot. I'll try it again another day. And just, like, letting it go instead of ruminating over it, which serves no purpose. Exactly. So there is a way forward, you know, even if your summer has not started out stellar or you're feeling like you've got some lagging motivation. I really hope this has been helpful because I want to say, you know, I've been through I've been traveling a lot as you well know, Cam. My health took a little bit of a hit, and it was it's been a tough couple of weeks for me, and this has really helped me to kind of recenter, with some flexibility, on goals. I really think that's it. Being flexible, like knowing your long term goals, but being flexible in the moment. That the slippery slope is when a day turns into a week and a week turns into a month, and we've all been there. So that's where the consistency piece falls in. And then borrow some motivation externally from somebody else or something else to get you over that hump, to get you back in the groove. Yeah. And know that we're struggling right there with you. I mean, you know, we talk about all this stuff and it it but it helps us too. Like, when I know for both of us, we go back and listen to ourselves of, like, dang, hackers are. But but no. But on a daily basis, we struggle with the same thing our listeners do. So we just wanted you to know we're not perfect, But but the information we give you is actually lessons for us too. 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.