Stronger at Midlife: The Essential Guide to Mental and Physical Strength for Women Over 45

00:00 Surviving midlife challenges and hormonal declines.
05:19 Confront fear and anxiety with action and motion.
07:18 Feelings are important, mindset needs work.
12:50 Reluctant exercise believer sees benefits in muscle balancing.
14:32 Regular daily activities build and maintain muscle tone.
18:27 Mindfulness helps navigate stress during menopause.
21:31 Struggling with others' opinions and self-worth.
22:58 Recall happy memories to replace negativity.
27:25 Value social connections for better mental health.
30:23 Endured pain but found inner strength afterward.

In this episode, you'll hear: 

1. The importance of prioritizing physical movement and muscle tone during menopause and beyond. We share valuable insights on how regular exercise and strength training can contribute to your overall health and wellbeing.

2. Strategies for overcoming mental weakness and building mental strength. From mindfulness practices to breath work and lifestyle adjustments, we discuss effective ways to cultivate mental resilience during midlife.

3. The significance of fostering supportive social connections and embracing inner strength. We explore the impact of real, consistent social connections, along with personal anecdotes and insights to inspire and empower you.

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

0:10

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! Hello, everybody. Welcome to the podcast today. You might have recognized that ever famous intro to Rocky. If you are in midlife like we are, that was definitely a part of your maybe teenage years, maybe maybe tween years. And so we're talking about, being stronger than you realize today. Yes. And we're not just talking about physical strength because we know that that's important, but we're also talking about mental strength and emotional strength and dealing with all the curve balls that are thrown at us during midlife, menopause. Yeah. Absolutely. And there's so many and they're compounding. Right? So a lot of times, you know, we we talked about this a little bit with, Jessica Barrick, Cam, where we talked about, so many women experiencing emotional challenges, such as anxiety during the perimenopause and menopause era. And then when you compound aging parents who may have to move or empty nesting or a little bit more of a midsection than you used to have. It feels like a lot. So we're gonna we're gonna encourage you. This is your cheerleader episode today to help you find your strength. Yeah. Because we all need to dig deeper, and I think having a community is part of it. Like, Amelia and I just spent, I don't know, 45 minutes chatting about our life, talk chatting about our parents and in laws and all the things, you know, that happen in midlife. And I encourage you to reach out to a girlfriend and find that community and realize that you're not alone. Because sometimes it feels like it. It absolutely does. So I love that you brought that up first, the fact that community is so important because we do know I think there are studies, and I can't cite them, Cam, that one of the number one indicators of longevity, meaning living longer, is a sense of community and purpose. 100%. I think that's from the blue zone study, actually. I think you're right. It was more that was more of an indicator than actual the diet. Because if you look at the diets between the blue zones, they're not the same kind of diet. But what is they have an active life and an active community. So they are moving throughout the day, and they have people in their life. So that I think those were the is do you remember that? I think that's right. I think it's been a while since I've read read about that, but I think you're right. But, you know, in midlife, we do have challenges, and we go through tough things. And in the midst of a declining or completely tanked estrogen, our warrior hormone, it does feel like it's harder during midlife or it was for me. I shouldn't say we because definitely felt like there were moments where I thought, why is this so hard? Having been through it, I do feel like, obviously, I survived. I'm still here, but it does feel difficult. Yeah. And that's the that's the thing. Like, going through the muck of it, but on the other side, it gets so much better. So hang with it and, you know, look out look out for your symptoms and find ways to support your body while you're going through it. Because it does get better, doesn't it? Don't you think? I think it does for sure. But, I mean, Cam, it you know, I think we're always stronger. I mean, I look back when I was in my thirties, I guess. Gosh. When I went to grad when I started graduate school in the early nineties, I probably wasn't even 30 yet. I started with no real purpose other than I just felt compelled to get an advanced degree. I started when I had zero children and I was working full time. I kept my full time job, and when I graduated, I had 2 kids. And so that was those were hard I think it was like 3 years. Mhmm. Heck, it may have been more like 4. And I always look back on that and think, how did I do it? And it wasn't like every day I said, this is hard and what do I do next? I just did the things. I did the things that were before me. And I've kind of retained a little bit of that, Cam. It keeps me from getting down in the dumps about it to just do the next thing. I agree I agree with that. It's just simply the next choice, the next decision, which we've spoken to about recently. Yeah. Because if you get, for me, if I have a huge project or something big, like, that's a lot. Graduate school and 2 kids, and you're married. Like, that and a full time job. That's a lot. If you put all of that in one bucket, that's overwhelming. However, if you just show up and make the next decision and do the next day, then it's not as bad. Like, this is a very weak example but we are remodeling my closet right now and so everything is in disarray. And yesterday when the shelves were finally up and I could finally start putting things back, it felt overwhelming. Like, I just wanted to go take a nap. I didn't wanna do anything when the project feels so big, but I started hanging things up. I started folding things again, and it's not done, but it's it feels so much better. How do you get Amelia, how do you get by, like, when you have a huge project on your That's a great question because I can be, paralyzed by either fear and anxiety that I won't do a good job or I don't know the answer. And so a lot of times, it's just like it's either who can I call to answer answer this question or what is the fur what is a small set? And it might not even be necessarily the first step, Cam. It's just a thing. You know, send an email or look something up on the Internet or whatever. So sometimes when you jump in with a step, even if it's not the first one you know, I used to see these movies or read articles because I, at one time, thought I could be a writer. People with writer's block. You know, you just start writing, not necessarily the content that you want to produce, but you just start physically putting words on paper, almost stream of consciousness, and it creates an environment of success. So that's what I do with when I get anxious or paralyzed or whatever is do something. I wish I could be more descriptive about what the something is that's it's different every time. I like that because what you're saying is you're getting yourself out of the way. You're getting your ego out of the way. And I do believe we'll go to Isaac Newton. Body emotion tends to stay in motion. Body at rest tends to stay at rest. So doing something even if that thing isn't going to get you the end result, it's something towards your where you're going. I I like that. Right. And I do think that, for midlife women, sometimes it feels like the static part is the more compelling. Mhmm. You know? We we do tend to be tired. We feel like everything feels like it takes more energy than it used to, So the body at rest tends to stay at rest. It's it's harder to overcome. Yeah. 100%. Yeah. And that reminds me of a study I read recently that we think our metabolism slows, but actually it doesn't slow until after 60. It's we we are just choosing not to move. It's not our metabolism's fault. I know that's crazy, but, yeah, that's shocking. Yeah. It is to me too, but, you know, our feelings are our feelings and we can know all the things we know, but it may not change our feelings. So we have to work on that part, I think, which is a mindset. You know, that's one of the things that has been really tough. We were talking before we hit record about our parents and in laws, and my mother-in-law is elderly. We're moving her into a retirement center very soon. And she just had a super, super bad day on Friday and was just like she's kept saying, you don't understand how I feel. And I reiterated over and over, you're right. I don't. But I encouraged her to take the next step. You know, we can dwell in that for a minute. And what is it you say that emotions should be in motion? Motion. Yeah. Right. We don't wanna get stuck there. So by yesterday, which was Saturday, it was better. But, you know, even at her age, she's still battling this because I don't think, Cam, she ever really embraced the midlife awakening, and she now feels powerless, where we hope that ourselves and our listeners, we are embracing our power and our autonomy. A 100%. I think we're processing it every day. Like, what's gonna happen today? Let's show up and see what happens. Back to the emotions in motion, and then when they get stuck they turn into a mood which is what you're explaining happened on Friday. Yes. Yeah. And then those things I believe get stuck in your actual physical tissues of your body and we don't want that. We want to be supple and be able to move and fluid and all the things. Yeah. Absolutely. And if you're a yogi, we talk about that in the in yoga circles about things where we store our emotions physically. A lot of people think that's a bunch of hooey. I happen to actually believe that energy does collect and it can get stagnant. And so I think that there is something to that. You can't explain every case of illness, including cancer, from a physical trigger. I think that there's other aspects of our lives that actually trigger those things. A 100%. We before we hit record, we spoke about that, and I believe that for true. Like, I I mean, I'll just use myself as an example. I was diagnosed with thyroid at the end of my divorce, like, at the end of all that when I wasn't using my voice. I'm like, oh, okay. Yeah. So I wasn't speaking up for myself. I wasn't being an advocate for my health and my family and my marriage, and I have thyroid. Isn't that interesting? Yeah. And, you know, I think those of us that are steeped in the Western medicine culture, we wanna say it's coincident, but is it really? Like, how can it be coincident? This is too uncanny for this to be coincidental. 100%. So we acknowledge that 80% of Americans or women go through some kind of perimenopause symptoms. We acknowledge that and we understand that some days stink. Like we we that's true. But we want to we wanna share with you that you are stronger than you realize emotionally and physically. So we're gonna start with the physical strength. Time and time again, we know that doing something physically strong has helped helped you mentally. Like, they're Right. Like you were saying maybe it's not a science study, but maybe it is. Or maybe it's just your experiment of 1, but you feel mentally better when you feel physically strong. Absolutely. I mean, I I do think and you've talked about it, Cam, through your, I I forgot forties. I'm not sure what how old you were when you got out of your mind and into your body. And just, you know, it was extreme, and I did the extreme thing too, but it did serve a purpose. I mean, when I was doing triathlon for 15 years, getting into my I didn't view it at the time as getting out of my head, but I felt powerful. You know, every time I completed a race, it didn't matter that I came in 42nd. 2nd. It was just, you know, I completed an event. I actually set a goal and achieved the goal. And if for you that goal is walking a mile, that's still an accomplishment. Or maybe it's cleaning out all the cabinets in your kitchen. It doesn't have to be something huge, it's just a thing. Because PS, if you're cleaning out every cabinet in your kitchen, you are working your body because I've done that recently. Yes. 100%. A 100%. And we know the benefits of strength training, your improved metabolism, bone health, overall fitness. But the big one here is what we want you to hear is your mental health, your mental outlook. Like, I'm strong. I can do hard things. I've caught this. Whatever it is, that happens when you feel physically strong. Hey you. Have your workout stopped working? There are a few things I need to tell you. Hey there. It's Cam, and I'm here to guide you through a few simple actionable steps that will actually transform your health. And believe it or not, you'll actually see results from your efforts. Learn how to get fit and energized with a free on demand masterclass called the 4 keys that unlock menopause fitness. If you're ready to take control of your journey, click on the link in the show notes for this free masterclass now. Okay. I'll see you in class. Right. And we also know that women lose 3 to 8% of muscle mass after per decade after, this is startling, age 30. I know. I wasn't I think I was 41 when I started lifting. What when did you start lifting? Man, I was late. I was probably over 50. I mean, I did it sporadically in my thirties forties. Every time someone would remind me you can run faster or cycle better if you're if you're actually, you know, balancing your muscles, but I didn't actually believe it. But 3 to 8%, that's a lot. That is a lot. And in fact, my husband and I had this talk this morning about, you know, women, and we I was told, probably in my late thirties when I started seeing a little bit of weight gain, Cam, that you can never gain weight, you meaning a woman. I was told you can't put on weight because you're gaining muscle mass. That's just not your physiology. So I don't know how you feel about that or if that's true, but my husband and I talked about the difference between muscle lean muscle mass and your actual weight and the and a little bit of the mechanism of, you know, when you lose muscle mass and it's replaced by fat. And there's a whole lot of science that I don't think I can, like, say in a nutshell and then I probably don't won't get right. But the loss of muscle mass is real. It is 100%. And if you're rapidly losing weight, I'm not a fan of that because you're losing fat and muscle. We do not wanna lose muscle. Muscle is your organ of longevity, if you will. The more muscle you have on your skeleton, the stronger, the straighter you're gonna stand. You know, yeah, you're going to age well and you're going to age well. Like I was speaking to my doctor, it was probably 2 months ago, she's like the way we wanna do life is you do life and then you just die. Like, you don't wanna go through that. You don't wanna you wanna live to the end. You don't wanna, like, go through this illness and feeling decrepit and Right. Not being able to do things for yourself. So muscle is the key to that. Yeah. And I just you know, we talked about this a 1000000000 times bringing in the said item up said item up and standing up again. I mean, even something as simple can. I know people that have claimed injury from getting out of bed in the morning. Yeah. And I know that's true. So, you know, if you if you vacuum your floor or mop your floor or sweep your porch, all of that requires some amount of muscle tone. And if you're doing those things regularly, like, my mom doesn't lift weights since she's 82, but she does all of those things and has for decades, so I don't worry about her so much. But, you know, movement and muscle tone is super important. And I feel like this menopause time period, like perimenopause and menopause is this wonderful window where we can really make sure that we're dialing in our muscle mass and really making sure we're not it's muscle mass accelerates at menopause. Like, we need to do everything we can for it not to lose. We need our muscle. Yeah. Our blood sugar, all the things. So, Cam, if we're not feeling mentally strong and we just our attitude is I can't, what can we do to actually overcome that with with regard to physical strength? Just start. You just have to start. Yeah. That's what I would say. And I have a free on demand class, and we'll have it in the show notes to, like, what are the 4 keys that unlock menopause fitness? We've spoken about it before. This is a new, like, class. It's free. Please check it out because I feel like everyone has the capability to do something to build their strength, mental and physical. Yeah. Absolutely. Just get started. Yeah. Absolutely. Because there are some barriers that you're gonna tell yourself that end up once you actually start, you're gonna see that this was an excuse. You can say, I don't have time. Mhmm. I don't know how, and Cam has basically just offered you a free way to learn how Mhmm. With the on demand workshop. So time is obviously precious for everyone, but this is important. This is your life and your health. So, my argument is, is there anything you're doing that might not be the low hanging fruit of your health that maybe you can can give 10 or 15 minutes to? I mean, come on. You look. This is important. Yeah. Go for a walk if nothing else in that day. I a 100% agree, and the low hanging fruit is really important point to bring up. Like, oftentimes, we get messages on the Instagram or messages in my group and people are like, what about x y z, but they're not doing a b c. Like, what's we talk about it as a big rock. So the big rocks need to come first, and there are so many things you can do to to get the big rocks going. I had a call on Thursday, and she said, Cam, I am actually happy. Wow. That's amazing. You know what it was, Amelia? What? 4 nights 4 nights of sleep. That will do it. And I had a couple of nights last week that weren't great, and I couldn't quite figure it out. Last night, I slept really good, and it is absolutely amazing what a good night of sleep will do for your attitude. Yeah. So sleep's a big rock. That's why I'm bringing that up. Big rock. The whole world feels better. The birds are singing. The sun is out when you sleep. Yeah. So, anyway, what are the big rocks? You know, reach out, ask for help because we can help you. Yeah. Absolutely. Well, that kinda brings us if you're in that stuck mental category. Let's talk about building some mental strength. Yeah. So I used to do crossword puzzles a lot to, like, make sure my brain stays sharp. Have you ever gone through a phase like that? I am terrible at crossword puzzles, but I've tried them. I like word searches. Like, there's seek and find where you circle the words. That's that's that's my thing. Or puzzles. I actually like puzzles. Just regular old, like, jigsaw puzzles. Yeah. Well, when you're going through perimenopause, menopause, midlife, all the things, you're going through all these transitions, taking care of your parents, empty nest. Like, you need mental strength to get through those things and put you on the list to take care of you. So practicing mindfulness, you know, watching yourself breathe, like, watching your breath go in and out, that's one of my things. I in my forties, I didn't breathe. I was holding my breath, and I was breathing through my shoulder. It was not it was not a good situation, when I was under stress under that's what I did. And now I find myself calmer. I spend most mornings out on the deck starting with some kind of guided meditation just to start my day on the right foot. I know you have practices. What do you do? I do. I do have a devotional that I do every day. I have my coffee. I usually spend and it's not just reading and reflect. I shouldn't say it's not just reading, it's reflecting also, which I love. And, you know, mindfulness first thing in the morning is obviously important, but throughout my day, I do try to take a few minutes. And breath work is really cool. I haven't delved into it as much as some of the people. I know maybe you are one of those people can, but actually studying breath work is amazing. And I know a lot of people that really swear by it because you can literally alter your cortisol level and your heart rate with your breath. Yeah. This morning, my father is here currently and went downstairs Sunday morning getting ready for church, and the news was blasting. So I could feel my cortisol pumping through my blood. And so what did I physically do? I physically left the room, but then I did box breathing. I was like, okay. Perfect. Calm yourself down, and I watched my breath go around the box a few times, and I could feel myself calm. The next thing by then, we were already in the car, but I really wanted my adaptogens. Like, I really and I didn't take them this morning. I it was not a fun way to start the day. So Well, that's another thing. I mean, I really believe it. I literally had a really good friend of mine tell me at a July 4th party, oh, well, it's all in your mind. That stuff, you know, if you believe it'll work, it'll work. It's a man for 1, so I was wanting to just, like, smack him all over again. Does it even count? Yeah. Exactly, dudes. No. But I'm like you. I really do believe in that, and I have a whole little cadre of things in the kitchen that I take every day. We've done many episodes on supplements, ladies and gents, if you're listening, so we can definitely reference that. But, you know, this is just another thing. This is another tool in the toolbox. You don't maybe you don't take all the things that we take or you have different things, but they are something to try. If you feel like your mental acuity and stability and your coping skills are low, this is a great thing to try. The box breathing first, I think that's amazing, but there are adaptogens that are amazing as well. Yeah. And I like I said, I was already in the car, and I didn't have it with me, but you do have tools. Have you ever found yourself, like, in a negative thought loop? Have you ever yeah. Me too. Yeah. And I still work on it. Like, even though we talk about it all the time and we coach our listeners on it, I still find myself. And usually, a lot of times, I've kind of overcome it largely with my children, but it does happen very frequently at work. And what I'm currently working on, Cam, is letting go of other people's opinions of my work or my value. And my boss has an opinion. And if he says, you didn't do that right, you need to redo it, that's fine and I respect that. But I used to let it reflect I used to beat myself up. Like, why didn't I know that? Why did I do it like that? I should have known better. And now it's just like, he he said to redo it, and I'm gonna redo it to to his specifications and not letting his opinion affect the way I feel about myself. So 100%. That reminds me of the Four Agreements. I mean Yeah. Oh, absolutely. And we talked about I mean, I could I think the first time we talked about the Four Agreements was over 2 years ago, and I am still learning. Mhmm. You know? So we're always having to learn and relearn and remind ourselves of these lessons. Yeah. It whatever it takes to get out of that negative loop, for me, still moving my body, is one of the ways I do that. It goes back to the physical thing. During the divorce, separation divorce of my forties, that was my go to strategy. If my thoughts were out of control, how do I get out of my head? I move my body. So I still do that. It's not as extreme for sure, but that's one of the ways that I've had. What about too, like, sometimes that this is a more recent development or more recent, strategy. Actually put myself in a previous time of happiness, and that could be when I was 10 years old or when I was 21 or last week. So recall a happy memory. It's almost like box breathing and it kind of like, you know, just I I can feel myself smiling or feeling happy. And if I can replace that negativity with positivity, and then take it one step further to say, I'm still that same person. Just because I've got this bad thought right now, I'm not bad, and this isn't the end of the world. Like, you know, I in general, I have a great existence. A 100%. I like that. I like that a lot. I I was in a class, and I think we had to do that. We had to go back to a time and, like, feel the feelings. What did you smell? What did you what was the you like all the things. Mine was my wedding day on the beach. I mean, I can take myself there. Yeah. That's great. I like that a lot. When you do have negative thoughts, remember they're probably not yours to begin with when we talk about this. We pick them up and drag them through life, and they weigh us down, and they beat us up, and it's really not necessary. And at any given point, you can put that thought down and question it. Like, where is it? Where did this come from? Is this even true? Take it to the court is what we say. Take it to court. Absolutely. And that's so hard because we accept without question other people's truths. And it we don't even realize we're doing it. It takes a lot of inner work to be able to do that because I have had so many conversations, and again, I'm going back to my mother-in-law. She will state things, and I'll even say gently, is that really true? Well, yes. Of course, it's true. Like, she doesn't have any frame of reference for, you know, reality being what not what she creates. I'm not talking about some woo woo, like, you know, the sky is orange. I'm talking about, you know, real the way you frame up your reality. You don't have to be negative about it. You don't. You you don't. You can stop that at any point. So so, Cam, there's some other things we can do though to support these positive thoughts and to support a strong body. What are some of the lifestyle strategies that you'd advise to support these things? Yeah. Let's just start with the diet. If you're eating crappy food that can is processed and makes you feel crummy, you're gonna feel crummy, like, emotionally and physically. And so I would start right there. Like, if serotonin, your happy hormone is made in your gut, what are you putting in your gut to support that happy hormone? Yeah. I agree. And I used to work with old lady. She was heavyset. I saw what she ate. I never was we weren't close enough for me to draw attention to why don't you eat better. So I do worry. That stuff can taste good. And so I think sometimes it is a challenge, but we have to recognize that what we put in and on our bodies affects everything and that there is a better way. I understand that a, you know, a donut, once in a while, or something else that you might think is quote, I use air quotes, bad is okay. You know, once in a while thing. Nothing is ever all or nothing. Right? Like No. A 100%. But if you eat the donut and feel crummy, just remember that the next time. Exactly. Exactly. Then you have an educated decision to make about yourself. Right. Exactly. And the the next thing we already touched on is sleep. I am a huge, huge champion of sleep these days. Cam, you probably taught me that 2 years ago, and I can't stress enough. This whole I can operate on 4 hours of sleep is complete crap, and, you are not living your best life if you're surviving on 4 hours. Like, that's how you guys are. Sleep is important. I told Amelia, I took after church, I took a huge nap today. Like, I felt the weight of the world. I just needed a nap. So, you know, if you need a nap, take a nap. Yeah. And that's another coping thing. Right? Because sometimes my anxiety spikes when I'm tired. It spikes when I'm hungry. Like, I've learned to recognize what those cues are, and you may have your body just may have been saying, I need downtime. Like, I can't process anything else. Yeah. I felt, grumpy. Yeah. That's how I feel when I'm sleepy. Or not sleepy, I'm tired. Yeah. I was, like, edgy. Like, everything was short feet. So anyway, that was my remedy today. Yeah. And I love that. And the last thing on our list as far as lifestyle strategies, we talked a bit about this at the top of the episode, social connections. You know, if you're super busy, you're trying to get a kid off to college and or moving a parent and or you have a job, it feels like that's the first thing that you lop off is your social connections. Please don't do that. You'll end up feeling alone and like nobody understands you because you're not reaching out and connecting with other people. We promise you other people are feeling the same way. 100%. Even with all the things going on in my life right now, I went on a hike with a girlfriend in the woods yesterday, and it was beautiful. So make time for it. And so it was both things. I was moving my body. I was in nature. It was beautiful sunny day, and I was with my friend, and we were catching up. So it was good. Do it. Yeah. Absolutely. And it can take a variety of forms. I mean, we aren't anti social media, but maybe pick another venue if you spend a lot of time on social media. Write write a card, you know, call someone. Obviously, face to face is the best connection because I think that you can get a greater bonding from that. But there's other ways to do it. Like, I'm gonna get together with one of my very good friends that I've not seen much this summer this coming week, and I am ecstatic. I cannot wait to see her. I'm gonna see my college friends in August, so that's exciting too. So, you know, you can you can make these arrangements. If you can't do it today, make an arrangement to do it next week or in a couple of weeks, and then you've got something really awesome to look forward to. Exactly. I love it. And just being, you know, being consistent, having some sort of routine. I know you typically walk after church with your friend is Yep. Yeah. That's one of your routines. I do that. I have date day on Saturday morning with my husband, and that's social. Even though we live together, shoot, you can live with someone and not have real connection. You have to work at that. Like, you literally can. I really believe that. 100% if you're so busy. Yep. We yeah. Yeah. So much. So our our last section here is really just to encourage you to take small steps, take action, and see your see the wins in your life, see the gain versus the gap. What are you gaining? When you're in the gap, what that means is you're not there yet, and that's all you're focusing on is the negative. Like, I'm not there yet. I didn't lose the weight. I can't wear my jeans yet or whatever the thing is versus, like, I'm making strides towards the thing. That's focusing on the game. Yeah. Absolutely. And the whole point is, you know, you know you can do it. And this is a story I meant to tell at the beginning about being stronger than you are. I did a triathlon. I don't know how old I was, 42. Does the age doesn't really matter because that's not the point. But, I wore some socks that probably weren't the right choice, and I swore, Cam, that my little toe, the, you know, the baby toe, the pinky toe was just gone. I was like, it hurts so bad. I've just rubbed it completely away. I honestly believe that it was like shredded inside my shoe. When I took the shoe off and the, the sock, it was blistered, but it wasn't bloody. There was no nub. It was just like, I was like, I am so like, I am so weak, which is not true because I did complete the work the race. But mental and physical strength, you do have to work at, but you will be I guarantee you, ladies and gents, you look back on a time of your life where you got through something that was hard, and it will buoy you into knowing, not just thinking, but knowing that you have this inner strength. Yeah. And it's sometimes you have to, like, look under the rock. You're it's it's so easy to be negative and down on yourself, but you just to focus on the little things and acknowledge that you are doing the thing. You are showing up. It's good. It's all good and you are stronger than you think and we have confidence in you. Thanks for listening today. You can find us on Instagram@midlife.mommas. For all of our other contact info, check out the show below, and we will talk to you next week.