Cori (00:00):
Welcome to the Redefining Strength Podcast, everything you need to succeed on your health and fitness journey, even the stuff you don't want to hear. What if fear isn't a bad thing? What if it can actually fuel and empower you to see better results faster if you really own it? Super excited to dive into this topic a little bit more with the fabulous Michelle. Michelle, thank you for joining me today. Thank you for having me. I'm excited about this topic, so let's just get right to it. Why do we have certain fears and how can they actually be a good thing?

Michelle (00:39):
I think we as humans, we tend not to enjoy failure. We tend to be afraid to actually be in places where we feel like we have failed. And the truth is, when you are at that edge, when you are kind of where you're scared, where you're nervous, where you're a fear, you have that true fear of failing, failing, that is exactly where you need to be because that's exactly what's going to push you to that next phase. We all get uncomfortable with change. We all get uncomfortable about the unknown, and that truly is where growth happens.

Cori (01:15):
Emotions really are signals of something else, and so the more we see fear as the signal of, okay, if I have fear, that means I have a lack of clarity. That means there might be something unknown or something new. That means I'm probably pushing my comfort zone in some way, and if I'm pushing my comfort zone, that's where change can really happen. So it's owning that these things aren't, emotions aren't bad or good, they're really more just signals of something else. And so the more we can dive into what they're telling us, the more we can use them to really move forward.

Michelle (01:49):
Exactly, and I think I always want to challenge people, especially when it comes to their nutrition, when you feel like there's a food that is bad or that you have to avoid because it's going to completely rock from your goals, I really want them to challenge what that thought and really dig in deep as to, well, what's bad about it? Because food really isn't good or bad. Every food has nuance and there's some food that, yeah, maybe you'll feel better if you feel more with it, but that doesn't mean you have to avoid all foods. And it's oftentimes that strict restriction that actually ends up being what is the true downfall on your plan, not being able to have it in ways that you can enjoy it. So oftentimes I even like to ask, what is the food or the food group or food item that you are scared of that you avoid that every time you're like, I'm going to be healthy, all of a sudden like, okay, nope, I can't have that if I'm going to be healthy. I often challenge like, well, let's fit it in. Let's show you how it fits into your macros. How can you, it easier for?

Cori (02:59):
It's sort of that immersion into the fear to overcome it. And I think that's so key because so often what we don't recognize is that part of the fear stems from a desire to control or a desire to meet some ideal, but ideals are truly what sabotage us because there's so much based on a specific goal or a specific, well, I mean ideal, right? Rules that are perfect so to speak. But ultimately life isn't ideal. Situations aren't always ideal. We aren't ideal, we're human. And so the more we own that, the more we can recognize that this focus on ideals doesn't allow us to actually meet us where we're at and constantly keeps us stuck in this loop, which is great for the diet and workout industry if they're selling a quick fix. But when we're trying to actually work with someone on true lifestyle transformation, the more you can say, Hey, I can do this thing that I'm scared of that I think isn't ideal and still survive. The more you recognize, oh my goodness, I can truly have a lifestyle balance. It doesn't have to mean two a day workouts or all these restrictions, there actually can be a plan that allows me to enjoy life because food isn't just fuel anymore. Really?

Michelle (04:12):
Yes, I love that. So often I talk about pedestal plants, you put this plan on a pedestal and oftentimes it's someone else's plan and it's not going to work for you unless it's Corey's plan. It's Michelle's plan. It has to be your specific plan. And so important is truly embracing you and as you said, all your floss and finding something that's working for you and you're not trying to work against it so hard.

Cori (04:41):
And it's recognizing too that these ideals are based on, as you said, a specific person but also a specific lifestyle balance, activity level, previous dieting history, all these factors that we can't fully see. We're only seeing the tip of the iceberg with why this has been created. And so often the things that we demonize, I want to jump into a few of these different things, but carbs come to mind. We think, oh, carbs cut the carbs for weight loss. This worked for other people, but then we don't assess, okay, well what was their actual activity level? What was their previous diet history? What was their calorie intake, their protein intake? All these things have an impact. And so the more we recognize the nuance in the rules or things that we hear, the plans that we see, the more we can understand, okay, well this might work for me or it might not work for me and I can test it out, but then if it's not actually moving forward, I have to not be afraid to let go of it. And I think again, that goes back to making some of the unknown known by really diving into the why behind the fears and the reasoning for even the ideal. So I do want to start with carbs because I think there are a common thing that we fear adding in. Can we talk a little bit about the fear of carbs and how that might be sabotaging us?

Michelle (05:51):
Absolutely. I love this topic because you hear someone's like, oh, I'm trying to get healthy or I want to down, or whatever it is. I mean, I'll even have people like I'm building muscle, so I'm cutting carbs. That can backfire in so many ways because if you are cutting carbs and most people do it pretty drastically, we are really cutting off our body's preferred source of energy. This is what your brain thrives on. This is what actually can have some muscle protection, can actually help you build muscle in the gym. But it's about one, not all carbs are created equal. And the reasons why carbs always get the bad wrap is because if you think of low nutrient dense items that are high in carb, we're looking at things like the chips, things that aren't going to truly give you micronutrients, but if you look at carbs in the sense of rice, fruits, vegetables, all of a sudden we're cutting out tons of micronutrients that are needed for you to be able to hit the gym and have a great workout and have the glycogen that your muscle needs to fuel properly.

(06:56):
But something that people don't always even look at is if you are cutting your carbs way too low, which I see it happen way too often where we are just going so drastic with cutting the carbs you get in this major restriction cycle and then all of a sudden if it's like, oh, I'm off today, and then you are way off and really shooting the moon because we're like, well, I might as well eat the chips, might as well eat that candy, might as well enjoy this day that I kind of shot. And then all of a sudden you get stuck in this high blood sugar level with a drop. So it's really about just fueling smart and even knowing like, hey, even adding the small portions and adding in carbs in moderation that maybe aren't the most nutrient dense, like your favorite treat or the chips that can actually keep you moving forward. So carbs don't just fuel the body, they actually protect it. And mentally, this is the big thing I see is mentally, if you are allowing and kind of approaching your diet more appropriately with protein and eating things kind of combined, so it's not just carbs, then mentally it can have such a bigger impact if you're just choosing slightly different carbs or slightly different proportions of carbs and not just like, well, I got to avoid all bread. I got to avoid all the rice though, that can oftentimes backfire major,

Cori (08:24):
And it can be hard to shift our mindset about certain things, especially if they've worked in the past. And this is where you have to recognize that fear of doing something new because it did work and I keep doing work with air quotes if you're not watching the video later on, but I do that because it didn't actually work and we never stepped back because we think about the moment when we were doing something not all of our previous hustle to get a result, not all of the impact after. And so yeah, sure, you saw a quick drop the scale because your glycogen stores were depleted, you lost water weight, you probably cut your calories and you probably cut out other unhealthy foods, calorically dense foods even when you cut your carbs and so you ended up losing weight. The problem is the reason you're searching for a fixed now is because you didn't create something that lasted. And so you actually have to step back with some of these things and say, did it actually work? And know what you do to reach one goal won't be what you do to maintain it. However, you didn't learn how to evolve your diet and why you could maybe use a low carb phase, but then how to transition out of it.

Michelle (09:35):
I love that you said that because I think this is so important when it comes to macro cycling. It doesn't mean we aren't going to make some changes, but we never live in one macro cycle. We never live there incredibly too long because your season changes, your activity changes. I don't know one person that really has their routine is set day in, day out for the rest of their lives because things happen. We're humans and we all have our seasons that may be a little bit busier, maybe a little bit more lax, and your diet has to adjust. But one thing you touched on that I think is so key is when it feels like it's working short term and we're seeing that drop, you have to actually again challenge and ask the question, what is this actually doing for my body? Because the big thing I see is when women hit menopause perimenopause too.

(10:29):
That's often when we have the shift in hormones and usually when the major cuts in carbs, this is where I'll have women be like, oh, I have thyroid issues. They may not actually have thyroid issues. They may have a diet that has been working against 'em and with their shift in hormones, all of a sudden they're seeing lab results coming back where the T levels are off. But it could just be that they have been so restricted on their carbs because carbs does help the thyroid within. I'm not saying carbs going to fix everything, but within moderation, if we're not going too restrictive, we are going to actually have that help our thyroid. And so oftentimes people cutting and getting that weight loss initially then backfires because now we have T levels off. We have hormones that have shifted even more that make it even a little bit harder. So your body, when that happens, I often hear it like, my body's fighting against me. No, your body's trying to protect you. And it's trying to do that by adjusting things because of what you are fueling it with.

Cori (11:35):
You're fighting your body. But also I think this is a really key perspective because you even argued against your own argument in a weird way because that's the nuance to it. It's thinking about, okay, my destination is weight loss, fat loss, and an ideal to get there. The house looks like at that destination or whatever you want to say with it, the last few turns to it might be low carb or one person might say part of the roadmap to get to their destination was low carb. Okay, well how does that turn fit and where does that turn actually meet in my journey potentially, because I think the more we see it as opportunity when something is suggested over just a rule because it is an ideal for somebody else potentially, the more we can see the nuance in things and see where that turn actually fits our trajectory and if it even does.

(12:25):
And so I like to think, how can I make a pros and list for all these different things? And you can actually do this, but I'll be like, okay, especially changes I fight against the most. If it is increasing carbs or if you have to reverse diet because you've been in a deficit for too long or you're struggling to increase protein, whatever it is, that's hard for you. If you say, okay, here's the change that I'm resisting against the most, why do people say this change is good? Why don't I want to make this change? Or why might this change not meet me where I'm at? And the more you do that, the more you can even outline where something might fit. You might do a lower car ratio when you do specific workouts during your program, but right now while you're logging a ton of miles, maybe because it's summer and versus maybe in the winter where your mileage decreases, it's too cold, that could shift what you really need.

(13:10):
But based on that, you can say, okay, this is my destination. I'm going to set my GPS by putting also in my current location and lifestyle, and then I can map out what might be needed for turns. But then even if you hit a roadblock or a traffic jam or whatever else, you can recognize that other turns might be needed based on what's going on then. So you might do low carbs, see great results, not like it and recognize, okay, this works for me so I can add in at some other point, but I'm not going to do it consistently. Or maybe it didn't work or maybe it works great and you feel great, but you can reassess based on that. But it is really balancing what might be good versus what you actually need versus all the opportunities and options in it to not only bust fear, potentially doing the opposite of what you want to do, but also embracing that something might be right for you at only certain points.

Michelle (13:57):
I love that. And it is exactly what you said. It's just not closing the book on things because it didn't work or serve you at that specific point because like you said, all the nuances, all the different perspectives, you growing yourself having different outlooks on food, your own thoughts, how you kind of challenge your own thoughts, you actually become even more open. And quite frankly, sometimes there's just periods in our life where eating certain ways is just easier and more convenient, and that's okay too.

Cori (14:30):
All stress goes in one bucket. And so that means outside life stressors, family stress, work, stress, stress of making dietary changes in specific ways, all stress goes in one bucket. And the more we own this, the more we can alleviate some of the overflow from that. If there's all these things pouring in, we can control actually how much water comes out versus poking holes or having it overflow because we're not assessing all the other factors. And I bring this up because one of the other things I know you want to touch on is a fear of processed foods. And this is a big one for me and was a big part of I think my journey to find my balance to actually see better results consistently over time, but it's owning that there's so many other reasons to also make dietary changes, and some of them do relate to emotional, not just physical and health factors, but mental health as well and all the other lifestyle things going on. So I want to touch a little bit on processed foods and the demonization of them.

Michelle (15:25):
So there's a long time ago, there was a phrase, and I'm going to butcher it because I don't remember exactly what it was, but it was like basically if you want to lose weight, don't buy anything packaged. Everything needs to be home cooked. Everything needs to be made from scratch. And again, I'm not telling people not to cook because I think cooking is an amazing tool, but also own your time and own what's realistic for you. If you're more likely to get in vegetables that are frozen, canned, pre-chopped, great purchase, those are going to make your life a little bit easier and make it easier for you to hit things. If you are someone that the rotisserie chicken, shredded rotisserie chicken that you can kind of buy to add into mills, if that's going to help, that's a convenient item that is still considered a process, but it's going to save you time and make your journey easier. And then you kind of touched on this a little bit, but even we think about the highly processed foods, the sugary cereals, the fried snacks, yes, they're best limited for the majority of the time, but that doesn't mean it needs to be an all or nothing.

(16:36):
I often do find that people are more consistent and stick to their plan and are able to do it if they accept these foods are going to be their foods that they enjoy on occasion or they enjoy and make sure that they balance it out throughout their day by fitting it in. Sometimes the mindset needs to not be an all or nothing or I am not losing weight because of that food. I'm not losing weight because I'm eating the processed food. We just need to have that adjustment of, well, what are you eating when you're eating the processed food? How much are you eating of this processed food? What does your day look like around it? But you touched on this, what is your mindset? Mindset is so often overlooked when it comes to your diet and your workout journey, but if we are constantly eating and eating in a place of guilt or shame, guess what? That actually increases your cortisol levels, which actually backfires on your actual weight loss. So it could be more that you are eating in a place of guilt or shame. So it's more just accept your choice and don't eat in guilt. If you're choosing to do it, recognize why. Is it because this is something that's going to add a little comfort for you? Is it because this is a little bit more convenient to you? And then also recognize, okay, I did that today. Yeah, it's not in my plan for tomorrow,

Cori (18:05):
But it's not even just the shame or the guilt that we feel because I think that is a huge part and that then puts pressure to be more perfect with things. And then when we can't be perfect with things, we feel like nothing will work. And so then we end up demonizing and hating habits that actually would be really good for our lifestyle because they get connected with the negative. We associate tracking with restriction because we cut out the foods we actually want to eat and we have shame around those foods when tracking has nothing to do with that. It could be truly used to add those things in. And that's what set me free is tracking those things in to see, okay, I won't die and I will actually see amazing results and I don't have to eat just chicken and broccoli, which will end up making me sick later on because of tracking.

(18:46):
Tracking can allow me to add in my Reese's pieces if I want or my dessert. And it really is that balance. And I think too, recognizing that so often we create so much stress trying not to include things that we think other people will judge us for or that we know aren't healthy for us, but we have to own in this day and age. Food is not just fuel and health is so many factors. And again, all stress goes in one bucket. Exercise is a stressor, a good one, but it does have a downside if you overdo it, just like I think if you find the balance with including foods you love that mentally allow you to enjoy the day part of celebrations enhance your life in balance, you're going to see far better results than trying to restrict. And ultimately over the course of your years, and I say years specifically, you're going to notice you're a lot more consistent adding in some of those things without guilt, without shame, you're going to eat a lot more of the healthy foods you love. You're going to find some of the things that felt non-negotiable before and you had to have are negotiable, right? So there's all this trickle down effect if you sort of assess what your true lifestyle is and what balance you want and don't just focus on one aspect of health, but on that balance.

Michelle (19:58):
Yes, and I love that you said it's we assume, well, I want people to know, and I think this is true for most people, I think a lot of people when they're on their health journey, they want people to know they're on a health journey. And so they try to put on that persona almost of look at the choices I'm making, but guess what? At the end of the day that could really be backfiring for you because of everything you just listed. You may actually be finding yourself over consuming calories in general because you're trying to feel satiated with foods that aren't actually satiating you enough.

Cori (20:36):
You'd be sabotaging your own progress. And I do love that you started the processed food discussion by talking about fruits and vegetables and even protein because I do think that's another thing we often overlook is that there's processing to a lot of things and processing doesn't have to be a bad thing. Processing can allow us to have fresh fruits and vegetables that are frozen and easy to reheat and use whenever you need. It can give us more access in a budget friendly way. So there is processing that isn't bad. So we don't want to just lump everything into the same thing and I frankly buy everything. I'm almost frozen because then I know it's not going to go bad. I can really just be quick with it. It's meeting yourself where you're at because that is truly what builds the best lifestyle. It's those small changes that allow you to want to do more even.

Michelle (21:26):
And I love that what you just said, the small changes that will want you to do more. Because guess what? Oftentimes if you just set a goal to do one small tweak and it's like, I'm just going to do that, most of the time when you do that one, it leads you to another small tweak and it's like, oh yeah, I got that then. I mean most people, if I have a client that's like, I can't work out, I'm like, okay, can you do five minutes? We're just going to do five minutes. I've never actually had anyone stop at five minutes. So it's one of those things, once you get started with something, it usually leads to something better and greater.

Cori (22:00):
It's true. You do more. Now talk about workouts. What are some fears that we might have with our workouts that might be sabotaging our results?

Michelle (22:11):
So this pretty broad, but I think a big one is the fear of getting bulky, the fear of failure when it comes to being able to do a move correctly. I think sometimes even the fear of entering a gym space even exists. For me, I'll be honest, I hate lunges. I have a fear of lunges. I've never liked them. I've been a runner. That was always the number one thing and I've always hated them. Well, guess what my weakest spot typically is with lunges that I like to avoid. Which variation of launch? Which muscle do I need to work on the most? The booty cheeks. Yes. So the one that I'm avoiding is what I need to get to actually be able to get stronger. And so it's something that I dread and I try to be better because I'm like, I really hate doing that.

(23:00):
I don't like them, and I know a lot of people like lunges. It's just not my thing. I've never liked them. So oftentimes facing that move, that space going where we're kind of afraid of is actually where we need to be to even get to that next level because it's also addressing our weak areas. Usually we're afraid of it because we're weak at it or we have a higher chance of failing. And when you fail in the gym, when you fail on a lift, when you fail on a move, a lot of people are like, oh, I don't want to be embarrassed. You're supposed to fail. We do reps to failure. That is the whole point, is to be able to get better and to be able to get stronger is oftentimes you'll do a move to failure. And I think that's so huge and a big reminder for people when it comes to a workout is it's not a bad thing to fill in a workout.

Cori (23:55):
If it challenges you, it changes you. And that challenge is truly key. And I mean, I get it with not wanting to look silly doing a move. So if you don't know a move, if you haven't done a move, yes, getting guidance in it is key. You want to make sure that you're doing it correctly for you. So there's always ways to get help to do something new, but don't worry about judgment with things. And I've actually seen a few of these pop up where it'll be people training for sports specific stuff and they'll be doing something that kind of looks like ridiculous if you don't know what sport they're doing and probably outside the sport, no one will ever need to do that because it is sport specific. But if you think about things that way of if you're training for something, you're going to have to do things in line with that and you're going to pursue things that matter to you.

(24:36):
You're going to do what you need to do and with moves you're uncomfortable with, we all have those. I have, I'll say fears of specific moves because of failing with barbells where there were situations where I was like, probably would've been better had Ryan been here when I did this because now I have to figure out how to get this off of me at the bottom of a lunge with the barbell on my back. But that aside, there are all moves that we dislike that we fear doing so to speak, or it's maybe not scared, but the fear of, oh gosh, I really don't want to do this. One is really uncomfortable. That sort of fear discomfort. And with those really assess why. And going back to, okay, this is a move that really hits on this muscle group. How can I build this into things that I also enjoy doing or even finding a variation that you dislike least of it where I'll use an example of I do not like balanced lunges or Bulgarian split squats, do not like them uncomfortable just they always make me feel really out of breath.

(25:35):
They're just heavy. They hurt, hurt in a good way, but as much as I know they're good for me, as much as I feel them really working, I do not like them, but I found variations of them that I dislike less. And so I include those and I feel more progress with them. And that's made me embrace the other forms of progression and variations because I see the benefit from having eased in that way. So recognize too, when you have a fear with lifting heavy, with a new move, come at it from an angle of how can I make myself take action on something that eases into even the fear that I do have?

Michelle (26:09):
I love that because I think mean it's a good outlook for me. One, I'm feeling better that you even use the split lunge as an example because I'm like, yeah, those are terrible, but I think it's so true. You ease into it, you find what you can do. You find that baby step for you to be able to build the same thing that we touched on earlier. Once you take that little step, oftentimes it's just easier to take that next step. It's easier to do that. And when you gain confidence, you're able to kind of be like, all right, I got this. I can do that next thing. And I think this even leads into a little bit of that fear of getting bulky. A lot of women are like, well, I don't want to get too much muscle. I don't want to have too much muscle.

(26:56):
And I think it's one of those things that I'm like, I would love for you to try to bulk because it's not an easy thing. It takes the right nutrition, it takes the heavy load workouts, and yes, we definitely are going to put muscle on, but oftentimes the level of bulk that they're afraid to get is oftentimes someone that has been doing it for years, eating in a surplus, eating the right foods to fuel that way. I mean, some women are very blessed and I'm jealous of them. That can put on muscle easier, but it is not typically an easy journey to do do. And oftentimes the workouts, it's very workout specific too. So again, evaluate what is your goal? If you're working towards a goal, especially if you have a coach that's giving you guidance, you're probably not going to get to that level of bulk that you're going to like, yeah, that looks not necessarily for me or that's not necessarily my goal. Your workouts are going to be designed for what your goal is. And everyone's goals are different.

Cori (28:08):
And I will say that lifting heavy is only a component of it, which you already brought up with the nutritionals part, but even the rep sets, rest, cardio, inclusion, all these different things can have impact. So if you are worried, that's still not an excuse not to lift heavy because if you are someone who does gain muscle easily and lucky you as much as it doesn't seem like a positive take it, but you can design the other components to really work for you. You can include more of that sit after your training. You can do more metabolic workout designs where it's not the heavy single lifts, but more of circuit based type stuff. You can do different things that really help. And then how you adjust your nutrition also to work with that will have a huge impact. And I think it's also note here that heavy is relative to, because I think with getting bulky, we're like, oh, I don't want to lift too heavy.

(29:00):
Well, what is too heavy too? And fearing heavy weights. And there's a couple of different ways you can ease into heavy weights if you are new to them, but heavy just means that you are challenging yourself for the reps and sets designed. You don't have to lift heavy for maximal strength in that five rep range. You can do eight to 12 reps more in hypertrophy. You can do 15 to 20 reps for strength endurance. You should do a combination even based on the different types of moves you're doing. So there's a lot of different lifting heavies based on your goal as well. And even the rep ranges that you use and how you lay those out can really impact the results that you do get, whether you want to see a little more recomp with fat loss or a little bit more of that muscle building as well.

Michelle (29:41):
I love that. And honestly, one of the questions I get often is, I'm in menopause or I'm in that perimenopause stage. What is your number one suggestion to make sure I'm thriving? And it is lift, heavy start. Don't be afraid of the weights because that is going to be what makes honestly going through those phases easier for you. I always say the best thing you can do for your body is build up your muscle cage because that's going to be what protects you. And I mean, we're not just talking about stability, but oftentimes when we look at people that as they age, what their turning points are for them as far as their ability to live independently, and usually it all starts with a fall. Well, if you are building up your muscle cage, you're improving your muscle stability and you have muscle. So if you do fall, you have that muscle cage kind of protecting you, that is going to be what is going to make it so you can live independently for as long as possible, right?

Cori (30:46):
And we have a great indicator of longevity, grip strength. And so my brain goes through all the different things of when I'm trying to understand how someone can, not something that I really support, just kidding, but seriously, I'll be like, okay. So grip strength, key indicator of longevity, grip strength relates back to muscle mass in general. Okay, muscle, muscle is key for brain health. It's key for preventing falls and fractures, bone health, hormonal balance. It really does have an impact on all these different things and what is key for muscle lifting weights and eating enough protein and also carbs to some extent. So I go backwards through all those different things to be like, these are all the lifestyle factors I'm going to focus on because of that. And with that, it does become, and I want to bring this up because you mentioned it a little bit, and I think it's key to highlight that as we get older, we are less able to utilize proteins efficiently, got up the protein.

(31:42):
We also don't have the hormone levels that are as optimal for building muscle. We don't recover as fast. We can see changes in that hormone imbalance, which can impact growth hormone, all those different things. We can see also impact in our recovery, inflammation, all these different things that basically make it harder to build muscle. Therefore we need to create that stimulus in the correct way even more so someone who might've said, oh, it was easy for me to get bulky before, well take it while you got it. Because as we get older, it becomes harder and harder. And if we don't have that muscle again, key indicator of longevity, grip strength, we're going to want it and need it. So it's sort of breaking down where are your priorities, how do you achieve multiple different facets of things? And then even understanding that a lot of times bulk isn't the muscle, it's the fat over the muscle, which then we can adjust through how we include that conditioning and that diet as well.

Michelle (32:33):
Absolutely. I mean, it's really huge. I think when we are looking at these things we're, when we're looking at longevity, when we're looking at living independently, I kind of hear sometimes like, well, it's too late. It's never too late. It's never too late to get started. It's never too late to start your workout program, lifting, heavy eating, changing your diet to work better with what your goal is. It's never too late. The biggest, I kind of heard this quote actually this morning because it was like the people that are losers are the losers that aren't even willing to try because they are afraid to fail. And I think that's something, I think that's from a movie. I don't even know where I heard it from, but I heard that quote that just this morning. So I think it's just important to keep in mind. Don't be afraid to try. Don't be afraid to make the adjustments and recognize and don't be afraid to be like, oh, I'm going to try that again. It didn't work at that point in life, but I'm going to try it again. And I think that's important as you are looking at the life that you want to lead and really addressing your fears, well, you got to try do something.

Cori (33:50):
And I would say fear of failure is probably one of the biggest fears. We can turn into something more empowering. And I know we've talked a little bit about it in the gym, but just in life, how do you help somebody or help yourself even embrace that fear of failure and recognize what failing really is?

Michelle (34:13):
I think it's one of those things too that it's a big reflection on yourself. This is something that you have to kind of have that discussion, and yes, people can kind of help you. You can get inspired by others. But the truth is, I think is as you age, you get a little bit wiser. You are able to look at things and be like, oh, I made it through that, and that wasn't that bad. That was something I was dreading. That was something I was afraid of and I got there. So I think through life experiences and reflection, we get a little bit wiser and we kind of get that understanding. But what's scary is I think it's the people that don't allow time to reflect. Because if you're not reevaluating where you've been, what you've done, and kind of looked at life like life experiences, your trials, whatever's been the barriers that's been thrown your way or your failures, because your failure is really where you're going to learn the most. And if you don't take that time to be like, well, let's evaluate this. What really happened here? What would I adjust? What would I do differently? Then I think that's the biggest component to actually be able to face your fears is that reflection.

Cori (35:28):
Reflection is key. I think it is one of the biggest secret weapons to success. And I also think we talk a lot about learning our failures. What we also need to recognize too is that a lot of times we're fearing failure. We haven't actually failed in that way. And there's a lot of times we've feared failure, delayed action only to then take action and be like, why didn't I do this sooner? Or that wasn't even that bad. And so we have to recognize that sometimes our fear of failure, we're building it up worse and worse in our head, and it doesn't even have to be there. And so remembering that action is the only way to overcome fear and just taking that first small action and then correcting, course reflecting is where we're going to see the magic happen. But recognizing that so much of fear is just the thoughts, the emotions before we've even tried. And the more we do that, the more you're like, oh gosh. I mean think back. When was the last time you had a fear of failing at something and then you did, and you're like, I actually kind of crushed that. What was I so afraid of? There's probably times where you're like, oh gosh, I didn't even need to have that fear. And the second I took action, it was gone.

Michelle (36:42):
And I think, sorry, I'm throwing myself under the bus here, but because for me personally, I think when I get stopped in my fear of failure, it's because I'm worried what other people are going to see me fell and what they're going to think of me in that moment. And what's so funny is, again, I think just as I've gotten older, I've seen people really aren't paying that much attention to you. The person that you're keeping back is just yourself and the person that you're letting down is yourself. So say yes to more things and get out there and don't be afraid to do the things that you've been afraid of before because truly you're going to have more people cheering you on than more people being like, oh, you've sucked at that. That didn't work out how you were hoping.

Cori (37:33):
But also you just need that one win. All you need is that one win. You can have a bazillion failures, and all you need is that one win to really succeed, that one thing that hits that one time you overcome the challenge and then all of a sudden you're locked in. I mean, isn't it the Edison light bulb story? You failed a bazillion times trying to create the light bulb, and all he needed was one, right? If you talk to so many different entrepreneurs, athletes, anybody who's been successful, a lot of times they have a ton of failures in attempts, and all they needed was that one thing, that one thing. But they only got there by failing. So you just need the one. Yes, I love that. Well, then on that note, any other fears we need to address? Any closing thoughts? Michelle

Michelle (38:20):
Closing thought is just the next time something really is scaring you on your health journey or even in your personal life as we all go through this world and we're all doing it for the first time, don't avoid it. Just ask yourself, how can this fuel you?

Cori (38:39):
Well said, love it. Well, guys, hope all that helped. We'd love to hear what fears you are going to be overcoming this week. Share them with us and we'll even try and provide some extra tips and tricks. But have a fabulous rest of your week.

*Note: This transcript is autogenerated there may be some unintended errors.