Are you ready to redefine your health after 50? In this inspiring episode of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast, I sit down with Carol, a remarkable 65-year-old retired RN from Long Beach, California, who has transformed her life through strength training and tailored nutrition. Carol candidly shares her journey of overcoming autoimmune disorders and the struggle of weight loss, highlighting the transformative impact of strength training on her health after 50. She states, “I never thought I could feel this strong and vibrant again! ”
Are you ready to redefine your health after 50? In this inspiring episode of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast, I sit down with Carol, a remarkable 65-year-old retired RN from Long Beach, California, who has transformed her life through strength training and tailored nutrition. Carol candidly shares her journey of overcoming autoimmune disorders and the struggle of weight loss, highlighting the transformative impact of strength training on her health after 50. She states, “I never thought I could feel this strong and vibrant again! ”
Join us as we delve into Carol's experience with undiagnosed Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which had left her feeling defeated and exhausted. Discover how her participation in my Body Composition Project led her to shift from high-intensity workouts that resulted in injuries to a more sustainable approach focused on strength training tailored for women over 35.
Carol emphasizes the significance of balanced macronutrients and strategic eating, revealing how these changes not only boosted her energy levels but also enhanced her overall well-being. With practical workout tips and insights on nutrition for women, this episode is packed with valuable information for anyone seeking to improve their health after 50.
Learn how to track macros effectively and why protein for women is essential for building lean muscle and toning workouts. Carol's story is a testament to the fact that it’s never too late to reclaim your health and vitality. If you’re a midlife woman looking for motivation, this episode is a must-listen!
We explore the latest women health trends, including menopause workouts and the importance of listening to your body. Carol's journey serves as a powerful reminder that with the right mindset and support, you can achieve your fitness goals and thrive in your health after 50. Tune in for an episode filled with inspiration, motivation, and practical advice that will empower you to embrace your wellness journey!
Are you training to build muscle? For a limited time, you can learn exactly what I teach my most successful clients to strategically add 5 pounds of lean muscle in the next 5 months.
I'll walk you through the precise adjustments to your training, nutrition, and cardio so your body is primed and positioned to build lean, strong muscle - the kind that lasts. And you can get this live-recorded workshop for FREE (a $20 value). It’s called Optimized for Muscle Lab.
To claim your free recording, simply post a review of my podcast, grab a screenshot, and upload it at: https://www.hollyperkins.com/review
This is a limited-time offer, so don't wait — it normally sells for $20, and this is your chance to get it at no cost.
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Speaker #0
Carol, I am so excited to have this conversation with you today. You have been such a joy to work with. with such an inspiration to me and so many of the other participants inside of the body composition project and i just think that your transformation thus far in your journey has been so incredible so thank you for having this conversation with me today i know a lot of women are going to be inspired by you and want to hear your story so welcome why don't we start with you just tell us a little bit about yourself so that listeners kind of have some insights into who you are.
Speaker #1
Okay. Well, Holly, thank you so much for asking me to join you on this podcast. It really means a lot to me. So a little bit about me. I live in Long Beach, California. I'm 65. My husband and I just celebrated our 37th anniversary. Wow. I know.
Speaker #0
Oh, right. We share an anniversary. We're the same exact date, right?
Speaker #1
That's right. We discovered that just last week.
Speaker #0
June 17th.
Speaker #1
Yes. Yep.
Speaker #0
Yes. Same exact anniversary. I love it. Congratulations.
Speaker #1
Thank you. And you too. I have a 33-year-old daughter and a 28-year-old son. They're both single and we're very close. They live close by, which is fantastic for us. Um, I've been retired for a good number of years. Actually, I, I'm an RN. I stopped working at age 41, um, because we moved my mother-in-law into our home and, and, um, I was her caregiver during hospice. And it just, it seemed to flow naturally for me just to stay at home and, kind of be the, the main person at home for the kids growing up while my husband worked really hard and he continues to work. He loves what he does. So. We're, you know, we're happy to be here in Long Beach. We love it right here.
Speaker #0
That's amazing. Tell me a little bit about as an RN, did you have a focus or what was your experience? You and I haven't talked about this much.
Speaker #1
Well, I absolutely loved my job. When I first got out of nursing school, I was living in Indiana. I moved to Indianapolis and I worked at Indiana University Med Center at the time. That was a long time ago in the 80s. And I was a surgical ICU nurse. And for a couple of years, I was also a liver transplant coordinator. So I helped coordinate on the clinical side, the transplant recipients. And I absolutely loved the adrenaline. I loved getting to know the patients and their families. I loved the pace. It was a hard job and it was just something I gave it my all. I loved it.
Speaker #0
I love that.
Speaker #1
Yeah. You know, but it was very difficult to go back when my daughter was born. I hadn't realized it at the time. Nobody did. But I had developed an autoimmune disorder shortly after giving birth to her that didn't get diagnosed till she was at least three and a half years old. And it was a it was a Hashimoto's thyroiditis. And I still take medication for that. And it really did change how I, you know, I just didn't feel good for a long, long time.
Speaker #0
It really, you know, Hashimoto's is such an interesting diagnosis and disorder because like you said, so many people don't get diagnosed. Same for me, Carol. I mean, I probably should have been diagnosed in my 20s. And I didn't get diagnosed until my 40s. No wonder I felt terrible most of my life, adult life, right? So I think a lot of women, it's one of those things where you don't have loud or overt symptoms sometimes other than you just feel terrible. And I think that a lot of doctors tend to dismiss women when they just don't feel well, right? And it's such an interesting thing that... like I said, can just get overlooked for a long time, but it really does impact your experience of life.
Speaker #1
It really did. You know, how can I say it? It actually left me because I kept hearing from the doctors those first three and a half years, well, there's nothing wrong with you. Your throat looks fine because I had incredible throat point pain, like a hot knife cutting into my throat, constant bronchitis. My throat, my voice changed too. And I had to sense that there's something wrong with me, with my throat. thinking that I was missing some important character trait that other people had. Does that make sense?
Speaker #0
Yes. More than you know, that hits home so personally. And I guarantee there's a woman listening right now that says yes as enthusiastically as I did, because for all those 20 years that I wasn't diagnosed, I was in therapy, psychotherapy. more than I was in doctor's offices because everyone just kept making me feel like it was I'm fine I was the picture of health in the doctor's offices and I kept walking away saying well then what's wrong with me it must be psychological mental emotional and so for a lot of those years I went down the path of you know counseling personal counseling because I thought I was the problem but oh by the way Maybe I was. I mean, certainly I got a lot of great things out of therapy, but it wasn't until I really got my thyroid on track that the light bulb or the lights really went on and the light bulb was like, oh my gosh, there really was something wrong with me physically. I think, you know, we knew that underneath it all, but it's getting doctors to be open and willing to dig a little deeper. And so, you know, I know that that has been a through line for you for much of your life. And I know that's something that we have been keeping tabs on while we work together. Tell me how and what way does any autoimmune issues show up for you now in your present day?
Speaker #1
Rarely. Isn't that amazing? Have you heard, or this is going to be, that's funny for me to say, because I was trying to make a joke of it. Have you heard of outside in. changed your outsides to fix your biology? I sure have. Somebody I know,
Speaker #0
Polly, you.
Speaker #1
When you said that, the light bulb went off for me. I could not believe that. Yes, that made complete sense. So I started changing what I ate, how often I ate. I started eating right away when I got up in the morning. Oh, so many changes. Your program really helped me incredibly. I have been trying for years and years to get healthy. You know, about 10 years ago, I sustained a low back and right hip injury in the gym by going all out all the time. I was so committed to getting skinny. I lost like 50 pounds in seven months. I was working with a trainer and I just, how can I say every day I would walk in and work out with a trainer, it would be something different. And it was always hit, right? It was always hit. I was running stairs. I was jumping up on foam blocks. I, you know, a lot of burpees. I would be doing some kind of, um, workout on a machine. I never, never did touch a barbell, did some dumbbells, but every day was different because there was something my trainer would say, we want to keep your muscles confused.
Speaker #0
Oh yes. Muscle confusion. Oh yeah. Thank you. Beach body. They coined that.
Speaker #1
Okay. Well, you know, I, I, and it was all about losing weight. It was all about restricting my calories. With that, I stopped eating a lot of sugar and a lot of fat and a lot of processed foods. And I tell you, that did help with my autoimmune disorder. I know it did. However, I was so under fueled. I was committed to a 1250 calorie diet. I ate chicken and broccoli nearly every day. Yeah, it was.
Speaker #0
Wow.
Speaker #1
Yeah.
Speaker #0
You know, here's the thing. I want to call this out, you know, but it worked for the goal that you had at the time.
Speaker #1
It was not sustainable, but yeah.
Speaker #0
It wasn't sustainable, but it did work. And I want to start there because that... that ideology, that protocol, everything you just described can work, probably often does work for maybe 50% of the women I know. And so it worked because your goal was to lose weight. That was your goal, right? At all costs. Do what you got to do to get there. Yeah. And I'm so glad that your autoimmune symptoms improved along the way because that should be a piece of the puzzle. But let's talk about how, you know, let's give it the respect it It's due. It worked. You lost 50 pounds. You lost the weight. You got into better shape. Your autoimmune symptoms improved. And we both know there was a drawback to it. So tell me about, you know, as a result of that experience, what didn't work or how did it not serve you in the long run and or what are the problems you experienced as a result of going about it that way?
Speaker #1
Okay, well. I think I was going after it like a 20-year-old Marine would go after it. And I was in a 55, 56-year-old body, number one. I was doing things that really were beyond my capability. I didn't understand how my body worked. I didn't understand anything about what's called mind-muscle connection. I got hurt. I got hurt three times, actually, but the worst time I got hurt. hurt was when I was sprinting backwards, fell on my butt, but got up because of course, you know, you get up and you keep going at all costs, right? You just go, go, go. I was working out six days a week. I was proud that I could get my heart rate up into the 180s. Anyway, I fell that day. And the next day I could barely walk. I was that injured. I had strength. my lower back. So I, I had to go, I had to take a break from, from the gym for a little while and get, and I got into physical therapy. I still had, you know, some pain, but I kept trying to go back to the gym. You know, I, I did what three months of physical therapy and got back to the gym and I just couldn't bring it anymore. And I was losing motivation. I still had this pain in my hip and my back. I felt like I'm really tight, really, really tight all the time. So I said, Oh, I must need yoga. So I went and I joined yoga for a couple of years and that felt good, but I was slowly, um, losing any kind of ground I might've gotten, you know, during those years of going all out. And, um, I was gaining the weight back. Um, the yoga started hurting actually even more. Um, And anyway, it got so bad that in 2020, even during the pandemic, I could barely walk. I had to go to physical therapy again. So I did, I, I had eight months of extensive physical therapy. By that time, I couldn't even do a glute bridge. That was one of my exercises. All I could do was a pelvic tilt and get my hips off an inch off the ground. So we started from there. So. I was so deconditioned. She talked about something called muscle amnesia. I had stopped using the muscles that were surrounding the pain, which were the big muscles, the glutes in particular. I was so weak. And actually, my pelvic muscles were doing the job, which caused a whole bunch of other problems. The physical therapy was very helpful. Did I walk out without pain? No. After eight months, I still had pain. And from there, I went to Reformer Pilates and slowly started building up there. After a good six months of steady Reformer Pilates, I stopped having that right hip pain. I was wearing one of those sacroiliac belts. I wore them for two years because I had that instability there in my SI joint. I forgot about that.
Speaker #0
Wow. So this is, I mean, this is taking us back. You were about the age of 59 then at that point, right? 59 or 60. Okay. So I would imagine when this was happening for you, there was a part of you that may have chalked this up to being 59 and approaching 60. Was there a part of you that was like, I'm getting old or I'm feeling old or? You know, this is a piece of the puzzle of just getting old. Was there any part of you that was kind of like resigned to thinking that... you know, the rest of your life was going to have to be reformer Pilates or yoga.
Speaker #1
Absolutely. In fact, I come from, I'm the fourth generation of women who live into their nineties, right? Women who worked hard all their lives, but then when they, when they retired, they rested. And when they rested, they got really weak. Their, their eighties and nineties were not good. They needed lots of care. my great-grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother required total care. And I was worried. Here, my husband, who, you know, he's an athlete. He loves sports. He loves working out. Here, I'm like, I am so old compared to him.
Speaker #0
Well,
Speaker #1
I'm going to be, you know, dependent on my family. And I did not want that at all. So I did former Pilates for four years and it did help. But then I also, I developed something else that was a problem during Pilates. And that was, I overdeveloped my traps. And it had severe neck pain with bad headaches. Right? So when I came to you, remember my posture?
Speaker #0
Yes. I can't wait to share your photos, by the way.
Speaker #1
I had that hump on the back of my neck and my head was thrust forward and my shoulders were like a triangle. Yeah.
Speaker #0
I looked at your photos just before we started this interview and I was actually going to show them to you. And I hope that you'll, you know, we'll be able to share these on the blog post for this associated podcast. As you're listening to this podcast, please make sure you check out. the blog page for it because her before and after photos thus far are wild and specifically to talk about completely restructuring her body top to bottom. But what has happened with your shoulder girdle and the alignment of your neck and your shoulders and your upper back is really so remarkable. Even when I look at it, I was like, good job there. We did a really good job on that because we have completely rebuilt your adults. let those traps, you know, kind of mellow out a little bit. And your overall structure and shape is so wildly different. The photo that jumps out at me the most is your backside photo before and after. You literally look 30 years younger now as compared to that starting photo, which was what, three years ago? How long ago was that starting photo? We got to know each other two years ago, three years ago?
Speaker #1
No, 15 months.
Speaker #0
Okay. 15 months, not even two years.
Speaker #1
I started the end of March, 2025.
Speaker #0
Oh gosh. That makes it even more like wild.
Speaker #1
It's miraculous to me. I can't believe Holly, how great I feel. And I just, when I wake up, I bounce out of bed. I feel great.
Speaker #0
Take me back a little more because I still want to set up how we got here. Right. So. At around the age of 59 or 60 or so, you were dealing with a lot of the pain and some of the weight had come back from that 50 pound weight loss that you achieved and you just weren't feeling great. And here you were coming upon, let's say your 60th birthday, which is a really big, wonderful milestone that I think can also be really scary for a lot of women. I often say 60s is when your body really starts to change. And so that's when so many women have to get very serious about their physical architecture and really reinforcing muscle and bone and just really making sure that you're in good alignment for all the years ahead. So what was going on during those years leading up to 15 months ago? What were you struggling with just before we started working together inside of the Body Composition Project? Like what were the- biggest struggles at that point? Because I imagine they had accelerated from what we just talked about.
Speaker #1
Yeah. So yes, I, I did. I wait, I woke up feeling crummy every day. I had severe, severe headaches to the point where I needed migraine medication, prescription medication, even though they weren't typically migraines, you know, they were really, they were related to my alignment and the muscle stiffness. in my back and my neck. Um, I just had absolutely no energy. I had, um, I, I was mildly depressed. I would say, um, And I was, I was looking around. I was looking, I was looking, I knew about you, Holly. I had gotten your book 10 years ago or so, whenever it came out, right when it came out.
Speaker #0
And
Speaker #1
I would take that book to the gym with me and I would do some of the exercises. Did I follow you cover to cover? No, I picked and chose, you know, you know, but I knew about you and I'm not somebody who's on social media. So. I never really followed you on Facebook or Instagram or anything like that, but somehow something told me to look you up back in March last year. And that was a perfect time because you had a workshop that I attended. And that workshop told me, oh my gosh, I need to get on this body composition project. However, I don't think I'm the kind of person that she would want. because I'm so debilitated, but I'm going to try. And so I signed up for body composition, your, your body composition project. And, um, in fact, just today I listened to your, your, um, voicemail to me, you sent me a voicemail that you would love to have me on. And I was, I was so grateful because this was, it felt like my last hope. I really did. I didn't know if I could. There was nothing else I could do. Pilates wasn't really helping me. As a matter of fact, I was getting worse and I knew I needed a lot of help.
Speaker #0
Tell me, when you say that, I knew I needed a lot of help. So that what? What was your motivation? Why did you want to resolve it? What motivated you to overcome the circumstance that you were in? Does that make sense?
Speaker #1
Absolutely. I was desperate to get out of the pain. I was desperate to lose weight. I would love to get skinny again. Back then, I was really hoping to get that. And I was kind of intrigued about strength training. My son is an avid strength trainer. you my husband also started strength training about a year or so before that. And I was wondering, I wonder if I could, you know, if that could help me. And so I had that in the back of my head when I, when I was sitting there in your workshop, you know, online listening to you and I'm like, maybe I could do that. So, um, yeah, that's, that was my motivation.
Speaker #0
And at that time. When you were thinking, you know, I wonder, you know, is strength training, maybe that would work for me, or maybe that's the path I should take. Were there any worries around that decision? And or what was your larger worry if you didn't find a new path? What were the things that kind of worried you?
Speaker #1
Well, that I would further deteriorate in my health, for sure. and become even more immobile. You know, when you don't feel good, you just can't live well. Your days don't, you know, I just couldn't live up to the beautiful life that we had here. I have a beautiful family. You know, we love each other very much. We built a lovely backyard with a pool, you know, to entertain. And I just wasn't feeling good. So that was the main thing that moved me into this. I must change my life. I got to turn my life around. I got to find the right diet to lose weight. That was a big thing for me too. I remember that. This language that you introduced really helped me change my thinking. I heard strategic eating. Like I'd never heard of that before. That's interesting. You know. eating to fuel your body so that you can actually go after the day and go after your workouts, nourish my body, flood it with lots of vegetables, fresh water, you know, great protein. I was used to a low carb, high protein, 1250 calorie diet. When I heard from you that I could eat 1700 calories a day. and lose weight, that was freaky to me. Also, it just filled me with so much joy. Like I can eat. And I couldn't believe how it just really changed my energy. It makes sense. Right here I am an RN and didn't really get a lot of nutrition education back then, but I couldn't put those things together. That was really something, you know, so.
Speaker #0
And so many women can't, right? I think that what you were doing. is what so many women do. Either we've been taught that by the media or by the rumors and the headlines and the buzzwords. And so you were doing what you thought was the right thing to do. And so that's the really interesting intersection because so many women are like, well, but I'm eating low carb, I'm eating high protein, I'm doing the HIIT workouts, I'm lower calorie to lose weight, I'm in a calorie deficit. but it's not working right and so so many women are are very attached to the belief that they're doing what they're supposed to doing do but it's not working and so therefore you must be the mistake or your body must be a problem or your body must be different or broken right because you're doing what you're supposed to do and i think that's like the common confusion for so so many women because there are so few voices out there today. encouraging moderately high carbohydrate consumption other than me. There's a few, but 50% carbohydrates, which technically is moderate carbohydrates. These days, the vernacular is that that's very high carbohydrate and no one teaches that. No doctors, no functional medicine people or nutritionists or anyone. And so it almost feels like a fringe approach. that it's kind of hard to believe, but I know with you, that was the very thing that was so desperately needed by your body is to, yes, improve your nutrition in general, but really get your balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates optimized for your body. And that really has made such a difference for you. So yeah, my question is like, let's talk about the things that you've done to get you where you are now. And then we're going to reveal through that conversation where you are now. We've already kind of hinted at so many improvements in so many ways that your body and your health has changed. But outside of saying, oh, I joined Holly's program, The Body Composition Project, tell us some of the things that you did, the habits that you changed, the behaviors that you adopted, some of the things that really jump out at you. That if you were having coffee with a friend and she said, wow, you look amazing. What have you done to achieve this? What were the actions that you feel have been the most impactful for you?
Speaker #1
Okay. The nutrition was key for me because after about three days of eating this way in a balanced macro way, I stopped the cravings and I wasn't hungry. And yeah, that was a bit, that was very important for me. I also, because your coaches, you have two coaches that work with you. I would get diet audits and slowly I continued to improve the quality of my food. I do a lot of meal prep today. I know what I'm going to have to eat at least for breakfast the night before. And yeah, I've got, I have. healthy food in my refrigerator. I can make any number of great meals, um, just grab and go. That's, that's easy for me to eat. And then my family, they like to eat it as well, which is great. Um, so nutrition was very important following and go ahead. You were going to ask something.
Speaker #0
Yeah. Um, and so even more specifically than that, I know that, you know, earlier in the interview, you mentioned how You started eating first thing in the morning. You started fueling yourself right away. What were some other details around your nutrition that you changed? Obviously, you balanced your macronutrients differently. It sounds like you started to choose different foods than you had been eating. You started meal prepping. What were some of those other aspects about what you did with your nutrition that really made a difference?I discovered that gluten and dairy just don't do well for me. I don't feel great. So I decided to really limit those. And that really helped me feel a lot better. A lot of sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice, and oats to fill in that gap of wheat and bread. The dairy wasn't so hard to give up, truly. Well, actually, I have to say my favorite go-to lunch before I began this program was cheese and crackers. Love cheese and crackers.
Speaker #1
Who doesn't? I love cheese and crackers. Yeah.
Speaker #0
Right. But I've let that go for now. And I usually have a whole bunch of fresh vegetables, radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers. Some leftover chicken or even leftover beef, you know, that I have in the refrigerator would be something that I would have in the middle of the day. I eat usually five times a day as well. I eat at least every three to four hours. I eat before I'm hungry. And it's so funny. I'm often not hungry. And I tell myself, you better go eat. And then I can still, you know, I can definitely put it away. but I Another thing I try, I want to get better at this. I try to eat most of my cow or no more than half of my calories by midday. I wanted to, I try to do that, but there are still days when I have a big meal at night. But I do feel my energy is better when I eat more food in the morning. You know,
Speaker #1
that's interesting that you say that because I don't talk about that a lot publicly. I know inside of the coaching program we talk about this, but this is a concept of really front loading your energy in the day. And to me, the psychology behind it or even the biology behind it is we need our food and our fuel and our energy during the day when we're up and out and about, right? So it's kind of logical to... give yourself the calories, the energy, the nourishment you need during the hours when we need it. I've always thought it was so interesting for the people who are fasting until one o'clock and then eating a huge meal in the evening. Right. And it's an eating methodology that's promoted out there. I get that. But if you really just stop and think about it, it's like, don't you want your fuel and your food and your energy. when you are most active during the day. And I have always found that when a client is willing to adopt that, they get the best results. And you're a great example of that. I mean, your results are wild and amazing. And we'll make sure that we share them both, you know, here describing your results, but also visually in the photos on the blog. But, you know, that's a really powerful one. And I have a lot of people that push back on that concept because so many women in midlife and beyond aren't hungry in the morning. And so they think, oh, I don't want to eat. So I'm just going to fast until noon. But just because you're hungry doesn't mean your body doesn't need the fuel. And so as you adopted that and the days when you do follow that protocol, getting more of your calories front loaded, how does it impact how you feel or how you sleep or your appetite or your training? Tell us about the benefits you experience from that.
Speaker #0
And that is so true. You know, there's something called rest and digest, right? So when we're sleeping, it's so good to be able to have a good long period of time just to allow the body to do its work in restoring and hopefully building muscle for me, right? So that has helped me a lot. And also definitely going into a workout fueled. I love to work and I love my workouts. Um, but I'm, I must make sure I usually have at least two meals before I go into a workout. And a lot of times my second meal is just a quick little easy, um, to digest protein and a carb. I always have to have a protein and carb together. Never alone, never eat a carb alone for me because then I'll just want more carbs. And never eat protein either. It just doesn't, it's not, it just is not sustainable for me. I don't think it's, it just doesn't feel good. Um, so I, I always make sure I fueled pre-workout and then, um, I make sure I have something like flooded with fresh vegetables, a lot of water, um, and a good lean. I try to vary my protein sources as well, you know, through chicken, beef, fish, um, some, a little bit of pork and, lean pork so that, and I, I like meat actually. So it, and it. my body seems to really like it too. Um,
Speaker #1
remind me you're an O blood type, right?
Speaker #0
I am. Yes.
Speaker #1
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker #0
So I love a, I love a really good lean steak, a filet mignon, my favorite meal that with a sweet potato or a baked potato and then a big serving of vegetables.
Speaker #1
Let's talk about, um, how your physical activity practices changed. in the past 15 months in terms of, you know, we talked about that there was a time where you were doing high intensity, high heart rate workouts with a trainer, and then there was the yoga, and then there was the Pilates. How has your fitness workout life changed as your body has changed.
Speaker #0
Gosh, well, so you're asking me. how often I work out now? Yeah,
Speaker #1
and the nature of the workouts. And really, you know, the leading here is that, to me, it sounds like you really shifted from those other activities to a lot more strength training and a lot more dedicated commitment to strength training workouts. And so I believe that's been a big part of your body transformation, right? Like the nutrition has really help to release the body fat. and support muscle growth. And the strength training, when I look at you, is really quite possibly the even bigger needle mover or lever that we've pushed forward for you. And so how has your strength training changed now as compared to what you've done in the past prior to us working together?
Speaker #0
Well, number one, it's a program. Number one, I've learned that consistency matters. And that progressively increasing my weight loads is the key for me to reshape my body and get stronger and grow muscle. I also have become a real student of learning everything I can about each exercise and the technique that's needed. I completely focus on every single exercise. I do my best to focus on every single rep. Um, there, and I, during my reps, I really try to get to, um, an exertion rate of around somewhere between seven and eight, you know, really working that particular exercise. I'm also using in my imagination, what muscle groups am I, am I working? And I actually, I, I envisioned them. I'm paying attention to my core. Am I, you know, have I gotten my core really stabilized? You know, my foot position. There's so, you know, I've become a real student of this because there's so much to strength training. The world is wide open. You can learn so much. And I love learning. I love being a student. And so, yeah, I just love it. I do go to the gym now. I was, I started out working at home. We have a very rudimentary gym in our garage that served me for the first few months. But then I did, you know, you encouraged me to go to the gym. I do enjoy the gym. I get a lot of help from the patrons there, actually, because, you know, I want to be safe. So sometimes I need a little help or need, you know, like when I'm really pushing my bench press, right? I want to make sure there's somebody standing by me, you know, behind me, making sure that I'm safe. And so it's great that it's a very supportive environment in the gym. All ages, all walks of life. And yeah, I really do enjoy it. Now, one thing we're going to be doing is we're... We're actually building an even better gym here at our home in our garage. And I'm super excited about that.
Speaker #1
That's exciting.
Speaker #0
Yes,
Speaker #1
that's super exciting. Yeah. Um, can we talk about. the elephant in the room that I think is like the biggest thing of all. What's that? Your deadlift.
Speaker #0
Oh, I didn't even know that was a thing that, that, you know, that you could, that a woman could lift her body weight. I didn't know. Oh,
Speaker #1
just wait. Okay. So let's talk about your deadlift story timeline. So when we started working together and you were working out. in your rudimentary gym at home, okay? And you first started practicing a deadlift. What weight load did you start at?
Speaker #0
Oh my gosh. I think I was too scared of the barbell, which was a 45 pound barbell. So I think I probably started out with maybe two 15 pound dumbbells.
Speaker #1
Which is good. I mean, that's even a great place to start, honestly, when you begin a dumbbell. So let's call that, you know, 15 pound dumbbell deadlift, right? Yeah. And I think what's really noteworthy here is your history of injury, the hip, the back, you know, the fact that you were able to even start to introduce deadlifts this way, even with just dumbbells is really pretty amazing. And I don't recall there being any back issues as you were getting better at your deadlifts. Am I correct?
Speaker #0
You are absolutely correct. Okay. No pain.
Speaker #1
And so when you started inside of the Body Composition Project, if you're comfortable to reveal this, because I think it's really important for this storyline. Do you remember where your body weight was when you started?
Speaker #0
Yes. Yeah.
Speaker #1
I was- What was it?
Speaker #0
I was 5'2 and 160. 160. 160.
Speaker #1
Okay. And now what is your current body weight?
Speaker #0
About 140. I think I weigh myself every two weeks, 139, 138 to 140.
Speaker #1
That's amazing. So tell us what your deadlift weight load is.
Speaker #0
Well, just two weeks ago, I knew I needed to increase my weight load because I was at 135. And I was like, wow, that's awfully close to my body weight. So I decided to increase it to 145. And I couldn't believe it. I could. do it. I did three sets of eight. I know it's huge. The first set was hard. The second set, the first half of that second set was hard. Um, but by the third set, my muscles were like singing. They just, they felt like everything was working.
Speaker #1
Yep.
Speaker #0
Yeah. I'm learning how to work in concert, right? All of my, all of my muscles are, you know, and I've And I'm such a new student, really, but I do soak everything up like a sponge as much as I can.
Speaker #1
And isn't that amazing that you would consider yourself a new student? And here we are 15, 16 months in, and you're doing a healthy, happy, safe, conservative 145 pound deadlift on a body weight of less, you know, around 140. You're doing more than your body weight, which is It's absolutely remarkable for anyone of any age, man or woman. I mean, it's just so huge, especially given the whole history that you've shared with us, the injuries, you know, all of that. And the fact that you've been able to accomplish this in such a short period of time. I mean, some people might think, oh, well, 15 months is a long time. It's really not to be able to move your deadlift from a 15-pound dumbbell deadlift to a 145-pound barbell deadlift where it's not killing you. You know, it's a comfortable, manageable weight load. To me, that's just absolutely outstanding.
Speaker #0
Thank you. Thank you, Holly. I am proud of myself. I am. I love working hard. Who doesn't, right? When your body feels good and when you know you're doing something good for you, that's actually then it's good for all those relationships too, you know? Good for my family. It's good for my friends. for my son and daughter, you know, right?
Speaker #1
Yeah, it really is. That's why I often say it's like this outside in that you mentioned, right? When we improve our physical exterior outside of our body, so much of our internal interior life changes, our mood, our attitudes, our optimism, our positivity, the way we engage with our community or our loved ones, our family. And so you You know, I really believe that you can change all aspects of your life simply by changing your physical body. And I see clients like you do it all the time. And I think, you know, so many women don't even know it's possible to number one, do a deadlift safely, but then to number two, to be able to do a body weight deadlift, that's remarkable. And yet that is why your whole life and health and body has changed so much. So tell us more about like... How are you better now? Where you are today, what is better beyond the things that we've talked about? How do you feel? Do you have any aches and pains? How is your life different as a result of now being improved body composition, stronger, leaner, and less body fat?
Speaker #0
Oh my gosh. To me, I feel like my life has completely expanded. I feel so good. Matter of fact, it's very rare for me to have a headache. I do have a little bit of an issue with a shoulder right now that I'm going back to physical therapy, but it's very manageable. It hardly, it really doesn't hurt that much at all, but I know it's something that I need to pay attention to. And so I love physical therapy and they've helped me in the past and I'm going back to at least get exercises to bring to you. you know, help incorporate into my, my programming. You know, my balance, I was always afraid of falling. Matter of fact, there was one Christmas day. And if my family's going to listen to this, they, they, it'll probably surprise him because they probably didn't know this, but one Christmas evening we had, you know, our family was all in the house. We had extended family too. I walked out onto the deck, forgot that there was a step. It was our old deck. I forgot there was a step down and I dropped down on all fours. I'm like, oh my God, I fell. I had also fallen a few times since then. I didn't want people to know, but I had been falling. My balance was way off. I thought it was something to do with maybe my ear or whatever. It wasn't that. It was... all the muscle imbalances in my lower body. And I learned through single leg exercises, how to retrain and get my balance restored. I'm about 90, 95% compared to where I was, you know, with Bulgarian split squats and a single leg deadlifts, and even the level change exercises, the step ups, those would scare me so much because I was afraid of falling. So I always made sure I was safe, that there was some kind of stable surface that I could reach, you know. And now I rarely need to touch on to something in order to get that Bulgarian split squat exercise done. And my step ups feel so good now. I feel sure footed, right? I do a lot of gardening now too, a lot of digging. hauling things. And we also have level changes in our gardens where I have to step up into a garden and step down. And it just feels so easy now, you know?
Speaker #1
Yeah.
Speaker #0
Yeah. But I'm also very aware and I have much more body awareness than I ever had in my life, that mind muscle connection. So I feel like I'm more present in my body and in my days and what I'm doing instead of just being thinking about other things and not paying attention. Right. So, um, yeah, I really saw that.
Speaker #1
I have to imagine that you feel younger and that has really shifted kind of your outlook on life and the years ahead, especially as we talked about how you were feeling around the age of 59 and 60 and feeling older than your age. Would you say that you feel different about the years ahead? because of how you feel in your body now?
Speaker #0
I do. I do. I have a lot more confidence about this. You know, I know our future is up for grabs. You know, who knows what can happen today or tomorrow, right? But I do feel that what I'm investing in for myself today is if I do get to live into my 90s is going to pay off. It's a completely new and different way of life. I'm I'm not going to veer from this. It is, it is definitely something that I am going to be taking care of every single day. My nutrition and my strength training, I do a little cardio, you know, the prescribed cardio and that feels good. I, but you know what, you know what I'd rather be doing is strength training.
Speaker #1
Yeah.
Speaker #0
I really, I love it so much. But I also know I need to take the days off. So I strength train three days a week, three different programs a week. Right. So that gives the body plenty of rest. for, you know, to restore.
Speaker #1
Yeah. It's really, you've, you know, the programming has really flipped from what you were doing years ago. You were doing a lot of cardiovascular focused activity. A burpee technically is cardio heavy, right? And so the workout that you described with your trainer was largely cardio focused. Hit is cardio. And now we've flipped that whole paradigm that the foundation of the majority of your minutes each week are spent in strength training. And then cardio is sort of the, I don't know, I guess, you know, just the capping off of your programming. Instead of the meat and potatoes, it's like the afterthought to your strength training. And I know that has been such a big piece of getting your body composition to where it is. And I'm very excited to share your photos so that people can really put like a visual change to it. because Yes, you've lost weight. Yes, you've lost a lot of body fat. Yes, you've restructured your shoulders. Your shoulders are really remarkable. Every physical therapist should take a masterclass on your shoulders because it's unbelievable how much we've restructured them. All of that has happened. And when we look at your photos, what's so remarkable to me is how much younger and more athletic you look. You look fit and athletic now. and Yeah, it's really, really incredible.
Speaker #0
Holly, I just remembered something about caffeine. Yeah. So, right, being a woman who dealt with fatigue all her life, pretty much, for the last 30 years, the three decades at least, you know, caffeine was extremely important to me. I love coffee. I love everything about it. I love waking up to the smell of it. And it's the first thing I would reach for every morning. And a few months ago, you challenged me, a gentle challenge. You say, you know, first off, why don't you eat breakfast before you have your coffee? That was the first step. I'm like, really? And that did help. And then I conveyed to you at one point how much caffeine I was really drinking, which was like 48 ounces of coffee. That's a lot cop
Speaker #1
Mm hmm.
Speaker #0
Right. So I am down to 12 ounces of coffee a day. I do. I have a very small coffee cup that I use and I can give myself one and a half of those and that's it. And I can't believe how much more energy I have in the afternoons because I'm not having coffee. And I learned something about the parasympathetic system about. How if you really want to build muscle and restore your body, that happens in the parasympathetic state and coffee will block that. And so that was all the motivation I needed. I will love. I do have one or two cups of green tea as well a day, but I'm also judicious with that. And I love the word strategic. I make sure it's at a certain time. But, yeah. the coffee consumption reduction was huge for me.
Speaker #1
It's huge. You know, for people like you and me, you know, we're sisters in that way. Some people don't respond to caffeine like we do. I'm super sensitive to it and know it very well, right? And it's really remarkable for those of us whose nervous system really is sensitive and impacted by it, what difference it makes. in terms of recovery and building muscle and quality of sleep. And also, by the way, appetite and food cravings to get that caffeine down. It is so powerful. And I think a lot of people are surprised to hear me say that because you think, oh, it's not that big of a deal. But for those of us that are sensitive, it can be a powerful shift to really move you into a place that it's so much easier to get results and feel better.
Speaker #0
Yeah. I do feel better.
Speaker #1
Yeah.
Speaker #0
I have so much more energy in the afternoons.
Speaker #1
That's amazing.
Speaker #0
Yes. Yes.
Speaker #1
I think most people want that, right? So many of us need that. And that afternoon slump is when people turn to caffeine for the pick-me-up. And it's really the worst time to do it. Green tea is much better than a coffee. It's a different caffeine compound. But I've noticed with other clients, it really makes such a difference like it did with you. you And that's not an easy habit to break. So high five to you because I still have not really truly broken my caffeine addiction. It comes and it goes. It's kind of my final frontier, but that's not an easy habit to break. But wow, it's powerful.
Speaker #0
And none of this has come like overnight, right? It's a little bit, you know, it's, I know it's only been about 15 months and my body has adjusted miraculously to this new way of life, but still it's all been a little bit at a time. If that makes, I didn't get slammed with all these changes right at once. If that makes sense.
Speaker #1
Yeah. Yeah. It really, I think you would say, if you look back on... Well, let me, let me phrase that as a question for you. When we look back on the past 15 months and consider the degree of transformation you've experienced, how would you describe the discomfort or level of effort or gruelingness, if you will, over the past 15 months? Oh,
Speaker #0
this is funny. Okay. Pardon me. I just interrupted you.
Speaker #1
Yeah.
Speaker #0
Oh, but, oh, you know, when I first started, it was So hard. You know, what was really hard for me was your perfect warmup. It takes what? Six minutes. And I was done. I was like, Oh my God, now I have a workout to do. I remember, but I tell you, I kept at it. And what I did, you, you have a recorded and I dropped the speed of the recording at first to 50%.
Speaker #1
Smart. Yeah.
Speaker #0
And then I got it up to 75% for the longest time and I would follow it. Right. And I was just trying to train my thinking into helping, helping to key into those muscles that I was trying to feel because I didn't really feel much body awareness back then. So getting over the, and I've never skipped your perfect warmup ever. I love it today. Every single work, every single strength training session, I start with that six or seven minute warmup and it feels. really good. I can feel my lats, my glutes, my ankles are moving, you know, everything, right?
Speaker #1
Yeah.
Speaker #0
Yeah. So yeah. Um, things, things were hard at the beginning a bit, but I got a lot of guidance all along. I got a lot of personal guidance, which, which surprised me. And, um, there's a lot of good information. that you and your coaches provided all of us continue to provide us, you know, and that's being a good student. I absolutely love that.
Speaker #1
Yeah. Well, you have been an incredible student. And as I often say to people, if you will do and apply what I encourage you to do and apply, you'll get great results. And you're just such a shining example of that. So, you know, thank you for sharing your story and being willing. to share this because I know there's a woman listening right now. There's probably about 300 women listening right now who are inspired by you. And so many women have a variety of fears and doubts about what's possible for them. And your story is just an incredible way for people to realize it's possible. And it can take some time, sure. And when you look back after 15 months and you see how far you've come, it's worth every. every moment, every effort, every hardship, every sore muscle, it's worth it. And so my last question for you is to that woman who's listening right now, who would love to have the kind of improvements in her health and her life that you've experienced, but she's kind of biting her nails and doubting herself. What advice would you offer to that woman who wants to go after this kind of life improvement like you have.
Speaker #0
Well, to that woman, if you were like me, then that meant you've been seeing doctors a lot, a lot of therapists as well, and maybe getting a little bit of help here and there. But I tell you, this has been the best medicine that I've ever given myself. Learning to train my body safely and to learn to work. My body wants to work. And learning to give it exactly what it needs to get bigger or bigger, better and stronger.that can carry me through the rest of my life is that's the best thing I've ever done for myself. Yeah.
Speaker #1
I love that. Carol, thank you so much for sharing your story. And like I said, we'll share some of your current transformation photos over on the blog. And I just so have enjoyed working with you and watching your journey. And thank you so much for sharing your story.
Speaker #0
Well, thank you so much, Holly.
Speaker #1
Okay, hold on one second. I'm going to stop the recording. Recording stopped.