Girls, Gains and Growing Pains
Get ready to start working smarter and harder to achieve your fitness goals. In every episode, we break down common health and fitness questions in a fun and relatable way. Whether you’re a beginner or far along on your fitness journey, this podcast is for you.
Girls, Gains and Growing Pains
It’s a Healthy (?) Obsession: Our Current Fitness Favs
Ever wonder how tiny tweaks to your gym routine can unleash massive gains? In this episode, we share our favorite invaluable gym gadgets like fabric booty bands and ankle straps, our top nutrition tips from supplements to protein-rich snacks, the best gym clothes brands, and our current recovery routines.
Follow us on Instagram @gggp_podcast and contact us by sending a direct message or emailing girlsgainsandgrowingpains@gmail.com!
This is Girls Gains and Growing Pains, a podcast about working smarter and harder to achieve your fitness goals. In every episode, we break down common health and fitness questions in a fun and relatable way.
Speaker 2:Whether you're a beginner or far along on your fitness journey, this podcast is for you. I'm Rachel Johns, a bikini bodybuilder, nutrition certified through Precision Nutrition and a NASM certified personal trainer.
Speaker 1:And I'm Julia Ross, just a regular gal trying to get healthier and lose weight.
Speaker 2:It is important to note that neither of us are medical professionals, and the views expressed on this podcast are those of the host.
Speaker 1:And today we are beyond excited to be sharing our healthy obsessions some fitness faves, perhaps Exactly. Just really, we talk a lot about the practicals and in this episode we really just wanted to get really fun and really drill down into what has been just enhancing our fitness journeys lately yeah, I go through phases of obsession with things, actually like things that I'm really really into.
Speaker 2:I think it comes from my dad like really he'll like, like he at one point in his life became obsessed with bowling so he bought himself a bowling ball like his own like, and he still has it to this day at our house. I'm like the man has not bowled in years and like golf clubs and like a motorcycle. My dad likes to buy like big obsessions, yeah, and some are smaller and more affordable for the general public.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Yep, but I have the same mentality. I know my dad is so funny. I have the same mentality of like I go through these phases where I'm like, oh, I love this thing yeah.
Speaker 1:Especially with food.
Speaker 2:I do that with food a lot Like I can eat the same food, repetitive. The clothing stuff like products, stuff like that.
Speaker 1:That I'm like short-term obsessions with exactly well, and I have ADHD, so I hyper fixate and once it's my new hyper fixation, it's over, it's done it's done that that brand now has business well, I think I don't know about you, but I think a great place to start would be the most base, practical level. What gym equipment have we been supplementing?
Speaker 2:just last like six months. What have we really been grinding into? Yeah Well, I like to give people practical things to invest in with their gym experiences, because sometimes I think we think like, oh, that's probably really expensive, I'm already spending money on a gym membership and a trainer.
Speaker 1:It adds up really fast, so it's hard to justify those new additions. But we're here to convince you why?
Speaker 2:Well, because a lot of them are like $7.
Speaker 1:Yes, I mean they're really not over the top expensive, and they make such a difference, huge difference, yeah.
Speaker 2:One of mine that I encourage every single person to get are the um booty bands that are fabric, because the ones at the gym are usually like, uh, the rubber.
Speaker 1:And can you describe for our listeners what a booty band looks like? Just, they're the smaller bands. They're probably like a foot long, and when you say a band, that's like a circle of like rubber or fabric, well, yeah, yeah, like put around.
Speaker 2:Yeah they're. They can be made of all different materials, that's actually and they usually come in like different, varying resistances. Yeah, but yeah, they're like the circle ones, so you'll see a lot of people put them around their knees, around their ankles, to create resistance. Um, when they step to the sides or when they do hip thrust, and the ones that gyms usually provide are, first of all, really worn, really worn out usually, so they're about to snap Well, and you don't know what sweats on there is. I know it's really gross.
Speaker 1:And people never wipe those down.
Speaker 2:I don't know why they think that doesn't count.
Speaker 1:Just the thing, that's the most in contact with your body. Yeah, it's just gross.
Speaker 2:It's truly gross, and so I always tell people to get their own in.
Speaker 2:I have bands from multiple brands like I have gymshark bands, because I have everything in gymshark, naturally but sweet sweat has some the brand sports research. That's like the brand that owns sweet sweat. And then, um, there's another brand I'm like. It's called tribe. It's called tribe and they have ones that actually now have a buckle so that if you don't want to try to fit it over your legs to get it all the way to your knees, you can actually buckle yourself so those are pretty cool.
Speaker 2:One of the other trainers just got some of those actually. So, uh, and those are all fairly cheap and you can buy just a light, a medium and heavy resistance and you're pretty much set to go. And they are so it's small, you can fit it in your gym bag totally well, and I find myself like I mean with Rachel's, my trainer.
Speaker 2:I find myself typically using my heavy band, so I have my full library of bands, but when I go to the gym and my little go bag, I just keep my heavy band exactly exactly so definitely something that can enhance your workouts, especially if you are, um, if you need a lot of work on rotating your knees outward, those bands are great in assistance for that. If you're working on your glutes, they're great in assistance for that. So they are uh, they're good for multiple different things. So so there's that, um, but along with that is something that I always have clients try to get, if they can, are ankle straps, and you might have seen people using them at the gym where they hook themselves to a cable around their ankles and they kick backwards, like we call it, like a donkey kick or cable kick.
Speaker 1:Those are also like six dollars max amazon, wherever literally so much and I think.
Speaker 2:I just looked it up the brand. It's like seek top or something. That's the one I have. But there's countless seven dollar ankle straps. You can get them in cute colors and they're again, they're small, you can just carry it around. I have a bag that I just carry those few things in and I just carry them around the gym with me every time I work out. Yeah, just takes the thought out of it. So, um, and then we both have something that we both own.
Speaker 1:That I like are the lifting straps yes, okay, so I just, if you're listening, I had no clue what a lifting strap was. I seen lifting gloves before and I'd heard some of the discourse around. You know, oh, my hands have blisters and such and such, but lifting straps are different. So do you want to explain a little bit of the benefit of a lifting strap, for just a pure beginner?
Speaker 2:Yeah, cause there's a few different ones. So there's some that like CrossFitters use, that are more like a gymnastics grip, where it actually goes over your fingers and it covers your whole palm. So some crossfitters use those. I've used those before. I didn't like them. I thought they actually made my hands tear. Yeah, because they're made out of leather. Yeah, but I like lifting straps, which those can be made out of just regular fabric or they can be made out of leather. Ones we have are made out of leather by grizzly yep and I was recommended those a few years ago by one of the trainers I was working with at gold's gym and I I mean, I don't know if it's kind of gross I stole the same pair that I got a few years ago.
Speaker 1:I don't sweat that much, that's your junk, that's not even else's junk, that's fine yeah, I really love those lifting straps because you just wrap them.
Speaker 2:It's good to have someone to come tell you how to use a lifting strap. Maybe we'll have to make a little reel on that or something, yes, of how to use a lifting strap. But I mean you can basically like, secure yourself to a dumbbell, to a barbell, to a kettlebell so that you can lift heavier without the strain on your grip strength. Now I know there are powerlifters who are like oh my gosh, it's a sin to wear a lifting strap, because when they compete they can't wear lifting straps. I'm not a body.
Speaker 1:I'm not.
Speaker 2:I'm not a power lifter. I'm a bodybuilder. Yeah, they simply care about how I look.
Speaker 1:I'm here to be sexy. That's my qualification.
Speaker 2:They don't care if I can lift a barbell with lifting straps, with or without.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, the glutes don't show. If I can lift, you know, and I've always had tiny, skinny hands, yeah, and so, yeah, I just don't have as good a grip strength, but like one of the trainers at the gym, he can deadlift 600 pounds with no straps at all and be perfectly fine. So I love the lifting straps. I think they're so beneficial and for some people like for them to progress up in weight, they're always like oh, my hands hurt, I can't do my hands hurt. And then the second I put lifting straps on, all of a sudden we're lifting 5 to 10 more pounds. So like it's kind of your give and take Okay, you're not going to strengthen your grip strength as much, but you're lifting like 10 more pounds than you could have before on a muscle group that you're targeting, like if you're targeting your hamstrings in my you know, from my viewpoint, I'm like, does it matter if you need lifting straps to do that? Because you're able to target a different muscle more. Now, if you're competing, I hear you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, I'm kind of in that weird liminal space because I for the entire 90% first part of my journey, did not use lifting straps and you introduced them to me. I tried them, got them at the fitness expo. I can lift on average 25 to 30 more pounds per deadlift If I have lifting straps on. Yeah, and what I've been doing is I'll up my weight with the straps and then start doing hypertrophy and fatigue training at that heavier weight until I'm used to it, and then I just let the straps go and just cycle through that way, cause I I'm toying with power lifting, so I'm trying to get used to it, but if I'm going to lift heavy, I need to be able to fatigue it that way.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, that's my perspective. You're also making a good point with that is power lifters are doing like three to four reps, where our workouts are like 15, which is a lot longer time to hold. Point that you know, if you're someone doing weight loss and hypertrophy training and you're not training to do a one rep max, then different things. But I think they're great for everyone because eventually you're gonna have to do some sort of hypertrophy training.
Speaker 1:Yeah, plus, they look badass in the gym. You're like, don't mind me whipping out my lifting straps.
Speaker 2:It's very fun. Yes, and that's actually my whole bag that I carry around is those booty bands, the cable ankle straps and then the lifting straps. That's my whole bag that I carry around is those booty bands, the cable ankle straps and then the lifting straps. That's my whole bag that I carry around. That's all my essentials for the whole day in the gym.
Speaker 1:In regards to like extra equipment, Well, it's funny you say that because that's actually a great segue into my current favorite gym equipment obsession, which is a lifting belt. Am I saying that correctly? Yes, okay. So for those who don't know, a lifting belt usually like leather okay. So for those who don't know, a lifting belt, um, usually like leather, really firm plastic, not plastic.
Speaker 1:Oh my god, fabric goes around your waist. You belt it pretty tight, like you need to be able to breathe, like don't go passing out holding heavy weight, but you need. It braces you, so you breathe into your belt as you lift heavy weights, like a deadlift or a squat. And it is a game changer. Like I have pretty bad back issues but I also really like lifting heavy.
Speaker 1:So I had to figure out, you know, what could be some kind of supplement or some way I could ease the just load on my back. Yeah, and so with the belt, I just slap on the belt, you breathe into it, you go down, you brace. It also helps with cueing, which I don't know if we've talked a ton about cueing, but like cueing from my understanding, you know, as the novice here is um, paying attention to what body parts need to be activated, tucked in, flexing at what time, and so I find that when I use supplemental gym equipment, like the bands we were talking, about around the knees to cue the knees out, and when I use my lifting belt it cues me to breathe in to embrace my back and focus more on my legs.
Speaker 1:So I think that's a huge benefit when people are like, oh, I don't want to bring any extra equipment to the gym, I'm like, but it helps with so many different things, it's so worth it.
Speaker 2:I think it's funny because I've seen reels about that, where it's like month one of the gym you have like your little backpack and you're walking in and then it's like six months and you've got like your big duffel bag, you've got your water, you've got your like extra pair of lifting shoes, you've got your belt, you've got your bands, you've got like everything.
Speaker 1:Your over your headphones, yeah, the over your headphones, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so so it's true, you start to get more comfortable bringing in all this equipment, because then you start to realize the benefit of all the extra equipment. So, yeah, and the lifting belts, too, aren't that expensive either.
Speaker 1:I mean, they're a little bit more my lifting belt was 22 dollars, yeah, and it's lasted forever, like yeah they, they don't wear out too quickly from I.
Speaker 2:I don't use a lifting belt because I don't do heavy, heavy strength training. I am like solely hypertrophy training and my heavy sets are like sets of 12 still, so they're not like three yeah, so yeah, no, that's a great thing to invest in. If you feel like, oh, maybe I'm interested in lifting more, or like you need those cues to um get sent into your lifts, yeah, so and I think, like on the subject of gym enhancing materials, I think it's a good way to bring us into supplements, because I know we are supplement fiends in this training household.
Speaker 2:So I.
Speaker 1:I came in completely blind. Rachel's taught me everything I know, so I know you've been on to some great stuff that you're trying to put me on to, so do you want to share kind of what your favorite supplements are that you're into right now?
Speaker 2:yes, okay, the first one is okay. So I actually got onto the supplement because of my Ghana trip and I came back so so, so bloated and my coach was like you need to like chug electrolytes and I didn't have liquid IVs. But I don't like liquid IVs. I don't either. I don't. I think I don't know the taste of them doesn't do it for me. It's wrong. But at the fitness expo, multiple years in a row now, I have gotten these electrolytes from this brand and never used them.
Speaker 2:Like I find them randomly and I'm like, oh, those are expired, like fitness Easter eggs. I've never used them. But then I found some in our cupboard when I got home from Ghana. Uh, from the brand Ultima Replenisher. Okay, and I just tried. I just took them to work with me because I was like I need to hydrate, like I am dehydrated. I was out and out. It was out of desperation.
Speaker 1:We weren't just like yeah, I was, I was. I was literally just like I. You can see it in your face. Like you were dehydrated. I was like I need.
Speaker 2:I need electrolytes. So I started drinking those that day and I drank two of the powders that day and I just put in my water as I went throughout the day and now I'm like hooked. I drink like at least one to two a day at least. I bought like the big bag of them. I bought like the little sampler of like the tropical flavors and they're so good. There's no sugar, there's no carbs, like they are just electrolytes. They taste good, they're easy to drink, they dissolve well, because that's one thing is the granular yeah no, yeah, something like has a gritty place.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can't do that. So I really, really love those, and if you're someone that's like struggles to drink their water, I think the lemonade one makes it so easy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what are your flavor wrecks, if anyone wants to order.
Speaker 2:I like the lemonade one. Like I like their basic ones, the lemonade and then the raspberry ones. Okay, those are my two favorites. Okay, like those are the ones I reach for. It's like decent, yeah, but like when I have a lemonade or raspberry, just that doesn't funny like the other ones.
Speaker 2:I totally will drink the other ones, but if I can choose the lemonade for sure at all times of the day, okay, I love that one, yeah, and it doesn't make your teeth feel gross. That's also another thing I don't like when I have drinks like that, where it like coats my teeth, I don't enjoy that. So I do like that. And then another supplement and I get asked a lot about pre-workouts, because that's a pretty common thing in fitness is having a pre-workout, and so Ephraim and I use Bucked Up a lot, the brand Bucked Up, and I still always love Bucked Up. Yeah, it's great, but I am like also the person that likes to try other ones. Yeah, but what's nice is Ephraim doesn't. So we have always have Bucked Up stocked. Oh, ideal, we have it stocked here. Yeah, all the time we have the pre-workout, we have the pump, which the pump is helps, you know, get the blood flow and whatever. We have the creatine. Here we have the ghost supplements. I have three ghost supplements and I have learned my lesson with the ghost supplements.
Speaker 2:Because, they're great. First of all, the pre-workout Welch's grape juice flavor is phenomenal.
Speaker 1:Okay, it is phenomenal.
Speaker 2:And it works, like it really does fire you up for your workout, yeah. However, I bought the pump, which I like having pump, and it is a flavorless pump, because when you mix everything together, stuff doesn't always taste great. They make pump flavorless. I didn't know that either. What?
Speaker 1:Oh, you heard it here first. You heard it here first people Flavorless pump, all right, so All right.
Speaker 2:So I mix that and then I have creatine. Yeah, Now the only thing wait real quick.
Speaker 1:Have we talked about creatine on the pod before? I don't know if we have.
Speaker 2:Um, I don't know, but if you don't know much about creatine, just like in a sentence. Yeah, it basically drives water to your muscles to help you gain muscle mass. Yeah, a lot of people take creatine. There's a whole thing. We'll do an episode on creatine.
Speaker 1:That's kind of sweet, just so it's not a random.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, do some research on it. It's a good supplement, so, but the only thing is is all three, all three of these supplements have beta alanine in it, and for our viewers who might have missed a previous episode.
Speaker 1:What's beta?
Speaker 2:alanine. Beta alanine is what's in the supplements that makes you itch from pre-workouts Like itch itch Like your face. Everything starts itching. Now the thing with Ghost to be mindful of is all three of those things that I got have the clinical dosage of beta-alanine, not like the lower beta-alanine that you would find in another pre-workout. You did not tell me that they have clinical dosage, so they're like 3200 milligrams. So now I've had to start doing a third of a scoop of all. Yes, because I I can't like I the first day I got them, I just I just tried all three and I was she texted me and I was like, did you do coke?
Speaker 1:like what?
Speaker 2:like literally what happened, like and this is the message to always read. How much beta alanine is? Yes? Well, because creatine doesn't normally come with beta alanine in it. No, and pump doesn't either. No, it's usually only pre-workouts I've never associated that's why I was like, I was like why? And then I read it again and I was like, oh my gosh, all three of these you read as your hands are like shaking.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was like, why is this?
Speaker 2:going crazy. What is happening to me. So I like the supplements to be honest, she does.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she likes the new stuff.
Speaker 2:The Ghost is great, it's just a lot of beta alanine. So like I need to go back and find, like the pump that doesn't have beta alanine, the creatine with no beta alanine, because the pre-workout flavor is probably the best flavored pre-workout I've ever had, wow, and I have to mix salt in mine per my coach to help with you know pump and everything like that, and so just having a little bit of salt with that and not having all these other flavors makes it great. So, anyway, that's the end of my supplement talk.
Speaker 1:That's a genius. I'm still stuck on the flavorless pump.
Speaker 2:That's brilliant, I've never seen it either.
Speaker 1:Well, normally I'm like a mixologist, I'm like, okay, so we have some.
Speaker 2:what Freaking, sour gummy worm here with some blueberry there, I know it's always gross, it's always gross.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Do you have any supplements that you're?
Speaker 1:taking. I will live and die by the blade. That is Allmax's amino acids cuts fat burning supplement. My God, this stuff. It's super affordable. I got it at a convention for super cheap.
Speaker 2:Really cheap.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it was like ten dollars, the cheapest supplement I have ever purchased and by far the most helpful as far as like things that don't affect my like specific gym performance like.
Speaker 1:This is more just like more in the creatine realm of like it's like all the all day you so this fat burning supplement, I will warn you you will sweat a lot. It's super effective. It's, when I tell you, I lost like 15 pounds very healthily, on my same diet, with my same routine, over the course of like a month on this fat burner, like at game changing games absolutely a game changer. But you, like, I texted Rachel one time. I literally I snuck into the bathroom on a date because I was dripping sweat, like not just dripping, like wow, that girl looks a little sweaty, like there was literal droplets, like it was raining below me at the well, and this is like obviously an extreme situation, because I was very nervous, yeah, but also I was on the fat burner, and so what we've started doing now is Rachel will have me cycle the fat burner, so I'll do the fat burner for like a week or two and then give my body a break.
Speaker 2:Like for a longer break, usually like one week on, like two weeks off, if that and I've been on fat burners before I have not taken that one. You got that one when Ephraim recommended it to you, because Ephraim um, he took it and he was like I lost so much weight on this you can see some fear in his eyes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that stuff works. That stuff works well. Because I was just walking around the convention, the fitness convention. We went to the three of us. I was like I need a fat burner. And Ephraim goes oh, there's one that you're gonna. I was like look, dude, I'll trust you and we, we go up sure it absolutely changed my life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because I've taken the Evagen one, because I took it when I was prepping last year and I've always responded pretty well to fat burners and that one. Some people get really nauseated because it's a thermogenic, so it's like heating you up. Yeah, you already sweat pretty well.
Speaker 1:Well, I already sweat a lot. I'm already very nauseous, so that's part of why we can't take it for as long as we can.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you have to be mindful of your supplements, and that's why it's good to have a trainer to kind of guide you.
Speaker 1:Well, and also on the like trainer supplement guiding train as well. Like I was taking my morning Adderall for my ADHD, I was having a rain energy drink in the morning which is 200 milligrams of caffeine. Then I was taking my fat burner at like 10 am, which I calculated is like, I think, 320 milligrams of caffeine in the fat burner alone.
Speaker 2:Oh, and you were drinking that and I was drinking it.
Speaker 1:So right now, my tally is 550 grams of caffeine with an Adderall, and it's noon, and so then the day would continue, and then I would take my 200 milligrams of caffeine pump before, like my pump, plus pre-workout mix before going to the gym.
Speaker 1:And then I'd come home and I'd be like golly, I really can't sleep. I'm just not sleepy. That's so weird. Like wow, I feel really nauseous. So definitely I would advise you, when you are managing your own supplements, please read the labels and, if it is with all within your means, have a trainer advise you on your supplements. It.
Speaker 2:And also tell your trainer when you're drinking energy drinks. I didn't know you were drinking the rain in the morning. I have one in the fridge sitting there because I can't get myself to drink that much caffeine at one point in time.
Speaker 1:Okay, see, I think that's. My problem is like I do not have a great sleep quality, I have like a sleep disorder, and so I just have grown up pounding caffeine Like before I started trying to lose weight. I was a Trenti no, or Trenta, I don't know how. Starbucks food Trenta, a Trenta pink drink, no ice was my caffeine intake every single day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and plus the sugar from that too, Plus the sugar and the green tea or the green coffee extract. Pink drink Like by itself. Pound for pound, the pink drink is the most caffeinated beverage on, so I'm just a caffeine fiend. But on the topic of something like it, as you integrate new stuff like yes, be transparent.
Speaker 1:Yeah, be transparent Be transparent and just be aware. And I was actually in a dance class yesterday and she and I were talking my coach and I were talking about um body awareness and I think that body awareness is not talked about enough when you start taking supplements because we talk about it all the time, like how's this, like weight feeling or how, but like if you're taking a supplement and you're feeling off, like yeah, don't, don't freak out, but like take a second to tune in and see what you're feeling, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I actually don't have a lot of clients who are on a ton of supplements Mostly just vitamins recommended from their doctors, and probiotics like that. But like when you want to power lift and stuff like that, and you lift with me.
Speaker 1:so you see, me training myself, I see the potential, I mean yes, don't feel like you need supplements. Yeah, you Don't feel like you need supplements. But just as someone who's like newer and who has made a lot of progress really fast, I will attribute some of that to supplements, Undoubtedly.
Speaker 2:I think too. Sometimes for me it's like a, a mental thing Like Ephraim's, that way too, Like if we do not have our pre-workout and pump, we're like we're going to have a terrible workout.
Speaker 1:We're such drama queens. We're like the way, like literally the fact that you said that because I've been out of pump for like a week now and I just my life is crumbling.
Speaker 1:We'll get to that later. I just like I've not been able to get to a GNC and when I go to the gym, like I feel like a little mouse. It's mental, but a hundred percent. Well, yeah, everything we've talked about so far. Quite honestly, I think there's a mental component to all of it. Like there's something mentally about putting on a belt and lifting straps and approaching the weight as opposed to just walking up like in your tennis shoes.
Speaker 2:You know, like well, I think, because, like when I it's like the spotting thing, yeah there is a mental component of like well, I have the straps, so like obviously I'm going to be able to lift more, yeah, so there, there is a mental component, yeah just to add to the innumerable benefits we have already described also.
Speaker 1:None of this is sponsored.
Speaker 2:I want to say that right, because I realize we've been naming a lot of stuff.
Speaker 1:None of this is sponsored but if any of these brands would like to, I would like to afford more of what we're about to talk about next, which is gym clothes. Everyone's favorite boys, girls, anyone in between we love our gym clothes.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Especially. I mean we're what was that real that we love. It's like the gym is not a fashion show and it's just the girl like showing up in the most fire fits every day just to prove it is a fashion show. I will die on that hill I I totally.
Speaker 2:I believe that when you dress for the gym in an outfit that you feel confident in, that it mentally affects your lift and that's why, literally my closet's open actually right now your beautiful closet, oh my. So it's mostly gymshark. Yes, I am a Gymshark girly to my inner core. Yes, I love going to the events. I love, you know, shopping all the drops, whitney Simmons, as we've said she's like a real fan, like she has pictures with Gymshark athletes. Like yes, I follow them all yes, and it makes all the difference for me.
Speaker 1:Like I pick out my clothes based on what muscle group I'm working out, it's like you always say that, but can you explain, like for people, because I just caught on how to do that, like maybe two weeks ago, so give us like a pro tip like let's, let's say, I'm hitting back. What kind of, what kind of style are you dressing for that day? It's like a.
Speaker 2:I was talking about. That's another real stay tuned so for back day, I always wear something that does have more of an open back, like a strappier back or like a halter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, some halter. Oh, the halter sports bras, hottest thing to ever grace the earth. Thank you to whoever invented the halter sports bra.
Speaker 2:You are loved, yeah, so that's like my back day, but the the one that I always tell people to not forget is for shoulder day is these sports bras that are higher neckline, which are always the ones people pass on for some reason, that since they have a higher neckline, they usually cut in more around the shoulders, which accent and make the shoulders look a little bit bigger. Whoa, and it shows more of like your front delts because it cuts in a little bit. Instead of having a strap here, it really just like flows with the shape of the shoulders. Oh, that's fun. And like every time I wear this one specific green outfit, that's like.
Speaker 2:I call it my lizard outfit because it's literally like lizard print. I get so many compliments from managers, from people on the floor like my clients. Everyone is just like that looks so good and I'm like that's the secret. Exactly so, yeah, and then bottoms. You know, if I'm doing like quads, then I'm like, okay, I'm gonna wear shorts. Yeah, but sometimes if I'm doing glutes and hamstrings like that, sometimes I will wear leggings because I feel like the exercises I do, like the seated leg curls, I don't like to be in shorts, I don't like to do abductions in shorts because I feel like I'm sticking to the machines.
Speaker 1:Interesting, you say that because this isn't necessarily like on the topic of the episode of being like the brand that we like, but I think like I also choose my outfit based on what I'm going to be doing that day. But I choose it a lot and this could just be like internalized purity culture, but like if I'm doing, um, like back day, my back day has a lot of or it always has, has a lot of like bent over rows and stuff, and like I've got some girlies and so.
Speaker 1:I will wear on days where I know I'm going to be like bending over and like especially the cameras are crazy, but like when you have to do workouts where you put your wrists really close together on the bar and it squishes the girls together.
Speaker 1:It pushes the girls together. And when you're a girl on the weights floor and you're wearing a sports bra and you're doing these like bicep curls, like pushing your tits together, it becomes distracting. Honestly, sorry If other people I will go by my purity. Culture If you're looking at me inappropriately, cut your own eye out, that's not my problem. Culture if you're looking at me inappropriately, cut your own eye out. That's not my problem. But like, if I'm feeling uncomfortable in the outfit I'm wearing, it does distract me from my lifting and so I will think I had like exactly what you said. If I'm doing like the hamstring curls where you're literally folks your stomach down, ass up, lifting your legs for everyone to walk by, like those are the same thing. No shorts those days, just just optimize it. And then when you expand your gym clothes library, you have even more options to so many options, so many options.
Speaker 2:That's like my favorite thing to do in the morning is go pick out my clothes. Yeah and um and then so gym shark. Julie and I both own Gymshark. The photo from this podcast is all Gymshark outfits, but we went to the fitness expo together when was it January? And there was this brand there that I had never actually heard of literally never in my life.
Speaker 1:And so we walk over and we are like I need to pause. We are deeply entrenched in the fitness attire. I know I don't know how I missed this. Truly so, carry entrenched in the fitness attire.
Speaker 2:I don't know how I miss this Truly, so carry on, carry on. Yeah, so we walk over and it's called Define D-F-Y-N-E.
Speaker 1:Spelled stupidly, but besides the point.
Speaker 2:And we were like, oh my gosh, the girls selling the stuff were like the outfits were so cute on them and I was like, oh, we got to get this. So we bought some clothes and we go like the clothes are so nice. First of all, they are booty scrunchie Okay. They are going to ride up your butt Okay, but I need to, I need to step in here.
Speaker 1:As someone with ADHD, I have sensory issues pun intended up the wazoo and so I could never wear booty scrunch shorts because, sensory wise, I couldn't. I was just pulling it out of. I rarely sorry, this is TMI I rarely wear thongs because I don't like stuff on my crack, but when I found these Define booty shorts it's seamless, they're so good you don't feel it up your butt. No, and it's so good they have mastered the booty scrunch and out of nowhere they just showed up onto the scene and said here's patented.
Speaker 2:Well, I don't know if they should patent it honestly, and the material is really nice, buttery, but we do need to disclose.
Speaker 1:Some of the colors are a little more see-through, but honestly, that's with every brand, yeah, and we like, if you want to order too, you could ask us like. I've now tried, like almost all the colors, like white, avoid white, but blue solid. I could do cardio in white, to be honest. Well, you could, I sweat, so the white goes even worse.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it just depends, well, and two, with the sizing too.
Speaker 1:When you're ordering gym clothes, especially the booty scrunch stuff, you can size up too if you want the booty scrunch to be less up your crack. And if you're worried about the see-throughness because it is more of a factor with booty scrunch, like the see-throughness, because it is more of a factor with booty stretch, for sure, for sure Is the see-through. So I would say because I just learned that. So, like I got really cute black leggings from Define. They're great, so sexy, I just too sexy. So we're going to send them back in and I'm going to get a size bigger than I have in all of my lighter color ones just for posterity And't listened to gym lingo, but this should have been added.
Speaker 2:is squat proof? Do you know the term squat proof?
Speaker 1:oh, it's basically I had to learn the hard way, but golly, yeah, if you squat and you can see through your leggings. That means it's not squat proof and that means maybe that day you do shoulders yeah well, and that was like lululemon's whole stick when they rebranded was like now our leggings are squat proof and now I feel like it's much more, because I mean, you remember in 2012, like leggings were, they were merely gauze.
Speaker 2:There was nothing there in 2012.
Speaker 1:But now I feel like the leggings are a lot thicker. They have evolved, yes.
Speaker 2:They have evolved so, but we like Gymshark and Define I think those are our two and it was so funny too that we came home and I was like looking up the brand and the girls that were selling all the stuff to us were like they're big influencers, like they're huge fitness influencers, like famous we had.
Speaker 1:No, we were literally just like, does my butt look good in this?
Speaker 2:and they were like, yeah, girlfriend and we were like okay, and they're all from other countries. I don't even know what country they're from, probably like Denmark and Sweden.
Speaker 1:They're so beautiful. Yeah, they really modeled. Well, I was like you could tell me to buy a pile of poop and I would just buy it all and give the extras, like, but yeah, no they, they us right and.
Speaker 1:I will say, every time I wear Define whether it's the tops, the bottoms, the combos to dance class, to the gym, whatever workout setting everyone stops me and is like where did you get those? Yeah, when did you get those? Every time Because they have that open back sports bra. That looks super nice, super good. They have the halter Super nice. That looks super nice, super good. They have the halter super nice, the booty scrunch shorts, literally everything. Like I love Gymshark. I love, love, love Gymshark. But I have never been asked more where I got my clothes than when I wear Define yeah, I think I get asked more when I wear my Gymshark.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I think I usually choose, like the, the more unique Gymshark fits well you have cute matching Gymshark?
Speaker 1:I have like the black camo Gyms fits what you have cute matching gym shark? I have like the black camo gym shark leggings that literally four other girls are wearing at the gym like we eat gym shark very differently.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I purchase every gym shark drop. Yeah, um, anyway, we will, you know, move past my healthy obsession with the gym shark clothing.
Speaker 1:That's the one thing.
Speaker 2:Efrin's like you need to stop Never. No, we have a whole closet just for me to have my Gymshark, so we will get you sponsored. Yes, please.
Speaker 1:So we've covered clothes, we've covered equipment, we've covered supplements. I think something really practical that we haven't discussed yet and it's kind of the biggest game changer of it all is our diet what foods are?
Speaker 2:we on right now oh well, let me tell you, my foods are never the ones that everyone's running to eat, and I'm fully aware of that. I am fully aware of that, but I was just listening to someone else saying about. This is, sometimes people are like, well, don't you want to eat normal food, and they're like, shouldn't you know eating healthy foods be? Normal Be normal, yeah, but we're going to work towards that, yeah, so.
Speaker 1:I'll tell you what I've been eating. Be the change you want to see in the world, okay.
Speaker 2:So the first thing that I absolutely have to have now Hit it is the cottage cheese duos and it's the Nudsen's brand's brand, like it's k-n-u-d-s-e-n. Okay, secret, okay, okay, and they have like cottage cheese on one side and like a little fruit puree on the other side. You dump you can't really dump it, you have to use a spoon, yeah, mix it together. The pineapple one, just every morning. Really I'm obsessed. I have the peach one in the fridge right now because they were out of the pineapple one, but I am obsessed with it and it's cheaper than the daisy's one.
Speaker 2:The days, yeah, but in the morning. First of all, I'm always on a low-fat diet, so this is like one gram of fat for this and it has like 13 grams of protein and a little bit of carbs, so like it kind of gets my day going really well. I don't feel bloated, I feel good and honestly, it just it tastes great for me. And if you haven't tried cottage cheese as an adult, try it again as an adult, because I hear that from everyone that they didn't like it as a kid and then I forced them to try it as an adult.
Speaker 2:They like it. So that's my first one. Um, I'm gonna do a second one real quick, because this other one is something that I'm also obsessed with. That's not in my freezer right now, because the it was. It was heartbreaking. Ephraim and I drove to the grocery store for these, and the freezers had broken at Ralph's the other day, and so the aisles were flooded in the freezer section, so I couldn't get it.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:Ephraim's. Like trying to get someone to go get that, because that was the only reason we went. But it's the Yasso, yasso, y-a-s-s-o, the chocolate crunch, like vanilla Greek yogurt bars Phenomenal. I mean that. Good huh, phenomenal snack for nighttime. Okay, that brand in general has really good low fat and, like the their, coloring's like purple right Like their boxes are kind of purpley.
Speaker 1:I honestly don't know.
Speaker 2:Okay, I don't know, I just pull it out of the box, that's good, and I don't even think twice Because they're so good and they're such good calorie counts. So those are two that I really like. Now, something that you and I have talked about for you is having drinks that you like to drink Because you're at home a lot working from home. So what are some of those that you've been diving into?
Speaker 1:So drink-wise been diving into. So drink wise. Um, this isn't necessarily like the beverage, but I highly highly recommend I have tried every water bottle under the sun. I highly recommend getting a 40 ounce straw cup with a handle. I I know that's so specific, but trust me when I tell you I have a 60 ounce hydro. I have a hydro with the flip straw. I have the swell like I have been around the block, my friends.
Speaker 2:I.
Speaker 1:I love me a reusable water bottle, but I have noticed the biggest difference it's, I think it's simply modern or slim or something from target. Yeah, simply modern. Yeah, it's like 40 ounces, has a handle has a straw easiest way to just chug water, so that's I need to drink three of those. That's like 40 ounces. Has a handle, has a straw easiest way to just chug water. So that's first rec and if you drink three of those, that's 120 ounces.
Speaker 1:That's almost a gallon, and then you don't need to count, which is what I do every day, and then, like we talked, about in that other episode.
Speaker 1:I set my little timer Like is it noon? Do I still have a water bottle full of water? Let's fix Um other hydration sources. I love sparkling ice. They're so good, very good. They fill me up, so they make me feel less hungry, which is a huge hack, huge hack. It feels like I'm drinking a fun little soda. Wait, which flavor? Oh, yes, okay, flavor. What's the top flavor for you? Top flavor is classic lemonade.
Speaker 2:I don't even like it the best. Wait, are we just lemonade girls?
Speaker 1:No, I don't know Well and I'm trying to really critically evaluate this. I'm like why? Lemonade it's so good. I just it's a classic. And then Blackberry is my other go-to. Yeah, those are good, so I drink those. They're like $1.19. You, you can get them. They almost always have 10 for 10. Yeah, 10 for 10, yeah, you can get. I love getting the lemonade 12 pack. It's even a little cheaper than a 10 for 10 and you don't have to like hand pick them yeah, and that one comes with strawberry raspberry, strawberry raspberry and normal, love it.
Speaker 1:Um, so lots of ice. Uh, also started drinking. Um, I'll mix half an ice, like so I'll get the ice lemonade and I'll put the sparkling ice in a cup and then I'll put the other, like eight ounces or however big the cup is, and I'll fill it simply lemonade. If you know that brand for the super good kind of pulpy lemonade that has the green lid, they recently came out with a lower sugar content one and it's good. It's newer and near like. We'll talk about your favorite lemonade in a second. Like your lemonade is much better. Mine still tastes like simply lemonade. The other one tastes a little funk to me, not going to lie.
Speaker 1:This still has the whole like pulpy, so good, and then you cut the carbs in half because you're putting it in with sparkling water and then it feels like you're having a mocktail any time of the day. It's very fun so. I'll do that and then I think the last beverage I'm addicted to is just the rain energy drink. But again, warning 200 milligrams it's a lot. I know, when we have one, we split it, yeah, yeah so.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I haven't been drinking full energy drinks in a long time now You've been doing really good about that and if I do, I only have like a half of a can. Yeah, I am finishing up my last semester of school right now, in the next like two weeks, so it's actually. I've gotten eight hours of sleep past two nights, so I actually feel pretty good.
Speaker 1:She has been, I kid you, not the most responsible human being Like, so disciplined, so responsible. Just plug it, just shout out so but that's my enneagram.
Speaker 2:I know I learned my enneagram. Oh my god we should do a fitness, yeah let me tell you I am a competitive, disciplined girl.
Speaker 1:Hit him hit us with your number, let him know. Wait, which one am I. You're an eight, an eight, I'm an eight as julia says, I'm a very mentally stable.
Speaker 2:You're a healthy eight.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a healthy eight. And then, if anyone listening didn't already know, I'm obviously a three wing four. Google it or don't, you'll find out horrible things about my personality.
Speaker 2:We should do like a little fitness in your green. How does that?
Speaker 1:affect us Like a personality and fitness. Yeah, That'd be cute. Okay, Okay, Okay, okay. Next next. So tell us about your lemonade. Now I've given my spiel for my lemonade. Tell us about your lemonade.
Speaker 2:Well, okay, mine's not really a lemonade. It's by a lemonade brand, fair, it's by the Minute Maid people, and it's a zero sugar. I just found this, by the way. I found it because I was ordering DoorDash and I wanted to get the lemonade but they were out, and so and I wanted to get the lemonade but they were out, and so the substitution that I marked was the mango passion like punch thing. Yeah, okay, this thing is so good. So it's zero sugar. It's like maybe five grams of carbs total. Okay, like it's low.
Speaker 1:And when you say total, we're talking like per eight ounces. Per eight ounces, yeah, like classic juice yeah.
Speaker 2:So I think the reason I love this stuff so much is it tastes almost exactly like the. Uh, we had like juice in Ghana that they always gave us and it tastes almost exactly like that and so it's really good and I'm just like like I keep drinking it, even if I try it. He's like, oh, this is so good. Wait, that actually sounds delightful. Yeah, it's, it's really refreshing and it tastes like mango mostly mango, but it's like a little mix of a few other fruits, but mostly make it's so good fun it's so, so good.
Speaker 1:I know what I was. I was thinking of the zero lemonade sugar that we got together yes, that's what I was thinking.
Speaker 2:I've noticed I won't drink a full thing of that out of the fridge, but this thing is has like this much left in it. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Which I will now drink after this episode, because it smells delicious.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's phenomenal. So, oh, and then let's go into the thing that we both like Pretty tough Guys the Flourish protein pancakes. I don't know how to say it. I'm assuming it's Flourish but it's spelled like flour. Yeah, and we got these at the fitness expo and we both bought like four or five bags of it easily, which, for perspective, for me is like like what?
Speaker 1:25, it was great, it was a lot, it's a lot of service, because I don't know that I've actually finished a full bag yet.
Speaker 2:I just finished my fourth for reference carry on. Well, but I, I, but I got all the different flavors, so I'm balancing between the different oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I'm like some days I'll do the birthday cake sometimes.
Speaker 2:I'll do the vanilla, sometimes I'll do the chocolate. They have different flavors. The vanilla hands down is their best flavor. God dear that's all four of mine were vanilla. Yeah, so good. And they're low, low fat. They make well, they're so easy to make If you have a mini waffle maker.
Speaker 1:Okay, I will give you a pro tip Mix the batter in a paper bowl instead of a normal bowl. Just save yourself. I love the environment, you're the best, love you babe. But I cannot mix this pancake mix in a bowl.
Speaker 2:Oh really.
Speaker 1:Well, and this is important to note. So what I do for my macros is I've been having a hard time, like I said earlier, life falling apart TM. I've been having a hard time getting my meals in, and so this is an iconic, perfect meal for me. It's like 70 carbs. No, it's 60 carbs, 45 protein. Oh yeah, cause there's protein in the pancakes. There's tons of protein, so it's 45 grams of protein for one meal and it takes five, five minutes. Make you literally pour water into mix and then put it in a pan, flip it and then put sugar-free syrup on top and it's half my macros for the day, easy to make and super healthy. And what I'll do is I'll. The reason I say the paper plate is so I don't have time to sit and flip eight pancakes, which is how much two servings technically makes. So what I'll do is I'll cut the amount of water I add to the mix in half, so it makes four thick pancakes yeah cuts my eating time in half and you could do waffles too.
Speaker 1:I have a little mini waffle maker.
Speaker 2:They're like ten dollars at Target to get the mini waffle makers. I know ours is the frozen one, like it was. It has it's like makes a snowflake on it. But you're right, they're so good. And what you can do too is I saw some people do this where you can mix in the sugar-free maple syrup and add like cinnamon to make it almost like um the McDonald's, the McGriddles, mcgriddle, yeah. To something like that where there's like cinnamon. I am a chocolate chip pancake kind of girl.
Speaker 1:And so I do that and it's so good, I mean I mean so good I, I literally am going to order eight packs so flourish yeah, flourish, send us pancakes, oh my god, I will walk. You know the Red Bull girls at college who like walk around and put flourish pancakes on my back at the gym. You, sir, take some flourish you need to flourish, you need to flourish.
Speaker 1:I am sold Well, and I'm someone who I'm not vegan vegetarian. I would like to be. I just I'm very picky and have a lot of dietary trauma. So I have a hard time getting my protein in a lot of the times because the easiest way to get protein is just pound a ton of chicken and I will get physically ill if I eat too much like meat in a row. And so the flourished pancakes the reason mine are almost all gone is because when I have a day and I really need to hit that protein macro, eating pancakes is the most painless way to get my protein in possibly imaginable.
Speaker 2:So yeah, if you're someone that doesn't like to eat, you know, egg whites with deli slices. The pain or even the thing that I think you should bring up next, which is what do you call your chomps? Yeah, chomps, okay. I feel like everyone has someone in their life that's obsessed with Trader Joe's. Oh, the token Trader.
Speaker 1:Joe's-er.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes, yeah, absolutely they have, and I think they sell these at costco now too. They're called chomps, um, and they're like they have beef turkey and like a spicy one, that are just like beef, like they're just like meat sticks like no, they're literally sticks of meat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like a meat stick, and they're room temperature right. Yeah, it's so. It's kind of like jerky adjacent. No, it's like um, I know nothing. It's like a slim jim. Yeah, I don't know, but kind of like jerky adjacent. No, it's like um, I know nothing. It's like a slim gym yeah, I don't know, but they're like healthier versions.
Speaker 2:The turkey one has really low fat, so it's like an amazing snack to keep my gym back. How are they on sodium? That's a good question. I'll have to look. They're probably a little bit higher in sodium oh, how the turntables have turned me asking you about the sodium?
Speaker 1:in your snacks.
Speaker 2:I know I'm pretty good, though, because I don't eat a ton of processed foods, no, so the foods that I eat in like that are processed take up all my sodium for the day, because all my other food is like boiled chicken Probably.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can't believe it's not that good.
Speaker 2:We just got a new steamer, so I'm so excited.
Speaker 1:Yeah no, if I could do just like a straight up meat stick, that would be a absolute game changer. Like if you can handle a slim gym, pop this in, add it to the routine. Slim gyms are good too.
Speaker 2:Girl, I love that stuff.
Speaker 1:Respectfully disagree From Indiana, you know Midwesterner. All right, I think we have time for one last topic. Okay, tell me which one I think we need to hit. What are our favorite? Fitness like activity like things to do at the gym right now. So, like I'm thinking off the top of my head, I am really into pole dancing right now.
Speaker 1:Yes, you are Like, so oh, my God you're like so, oh, my god, I it is if Zumba and pull-ups had a baby. That's what pull dancing is. It's literally like if yoga, zumba and pull-ups just went into one, matt. It takes massive athleticism, it takes dance, it takes timing, it takes working through fatigue. It's team related. I mean I've talked about it on here before I don't like group classes, but I get so lost just sweating it out in the middle of a pole class. Like people are like cheering for each other and you're rooting.
Speaker 1:You know, it's like it's that team environment that I don't really get at like a gym class per se. So that's that's my bit right now. Honestly, it's helped with my flexibility because I've lost some flexibility.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I did pole dancing for a long time back in Rancho and it is astonishingly hard.
Speaker 1:I mean people like I, I feel more of like.
Speaker 2:it's actually kind of like um acrobatics mixed with like some gymnastics mixed with like dance, like mixed with the group fitness app Like it is a lot. There's a lot happening.
Speaker 1:I always forget the acro element, cause I just start. So in pole dancing there's like the difference between floor work, which is where you're doing like splits and twists and that kind of stuff, or like climbing and inverts and stuff like that, and that's more the acrobatics that. I liked the acrobatics because I was a gymnast.
Speaker 2:I like to be upside down.
Speaker 1:Yeah, see I, I just went upside down for the first time last night. Yeah, like I'm still like whoa, so I'm catching up, but it's it's very fun, and the reason I wanted to talk about it too is like I have been wanting to make a video for a long time of like this. This is what cardio can look like.
Speaker 1:Because we I know me personally. When I first started trying to lose weight, I was like cardio is treadmill, cardio is Stairmaster, which I've grown to love. But I had a really rigid view of what cardio looked like. And now that I've started incorporating more like hiking and pole dancing and all of that good stuff, I have found cardio to be much more painless in that way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, cardio can be so many things. I know some people do like orange theory as their style of cardio. Some people do swimming as their style of cardio. Um, what was the other one I thought of there's, I'll think there's so many. I mean, like I just there's, I'll think of it, there's so many.
Speaker 1:I mean, like I just I think it's really easy to demonize cardio and be like cardio in any way shape or form sucks but like if you're out at 1 am on a Saturday dripping sweat drunk at the club, you're doing cardio Like sorry, yeah, we can just do it in a healthy way. Yes, yeah, yeah, but like you can I. Honestly I have as much fun totally sober with my pump and pre-workout doing my pole dancing class at 7 pm on a Thursday as I do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's good to have that variety and stuff To change it up and to like find another modality that you still get your same thing and it's just a little bit different. Shaking it up, yeah, and it's also it's kind of some strength training in there too, kind of some strength training, ma'am.
Speaker 1:Ma'am. Well, it depends what class you're doing. That's true. That's true.
Speaker 2:Because I did some classes where I was like we didn't do any because, like, if you go to beginner classes or if you go to just invert classes, you know they do change with the strength levels, but it is definitely good to always have something that you can go do, that's fun and has like community and yeah. So I haven't done stuff like that in a long time.
Speaker 1:Well, because I feel like right now you're. I've not to speak for you, but if I had to guess, as your best friend slash client, what your current obsessions are as far as activities would be, I feel like they're mostly recovery focused. Is that a fair assessment? If I have time?
Speaker 2:yeah, okay, okay, this is if you have time. But in regards to like my actual workouts inside, like I only work out pretty much inside the gym, like that's my thing, but yeah, I'm doing saunas a lot more now I'm having some water retention that I don't like from all the traveling that I've been doing, yeah, which is which is just miserable for me personally.
Speaker 1:I hate feeling like watery Well and that's going to happen to a ton of people because we're heading into travel season.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we'll have to talk about water retention, oh, absolutely At some point. And then, um, I so I have a cyst that's in the back of my knee that still drains occasionally, and the Normatex sleeves. Those things are so expensive. First of all, I want to buy some of their stuff. They're like $800.
Speaker 1:What are?
Speaker 2:they. They're compression sleeves, Like they're these massive compression sleeves that like blow up and they basically help push and circulate blood through your legs, can help with the drainage of, like lactic acid and make your legs feel better, and that actually helps me with the swelling that goes on behind my knees the normal tech sleeves. So we're in different, different spots with the extracurriculars right now because mine's like, if I have extra time, I'm like, okay, I'm going to go to choose, I'm going to do all the recovery they have like a body shop or something that they call it where it's all the recovery stuff, and I'll prioritize that and still do my cardio on the treadmill or whatever, because I actually enjoy just walking on the treadmill, I mean that I've finished.
Speaker 1:Like you got that stuff down, I'm still getting the basics down, yeah.
Speaker 2:I enjoy audiobooks on the treadmill or regular books.
Speaker 2:I will hold them oh my gosh, you non-sweaty person but it is good to find things that make you feel fulfilled in your fitness, whatever that looks like. Because when I do my recovery and I just sit there and chill and like relax for me, I'm like okay, that was good and that like makes me feel ready for the next time I go. And I think maybe those extracurriculars that you do are making you feel ready for the next time Because also in the gym that's helping you for your like pole dancing stuff too.
Speaker 1:So it's kind of like they both work simultaneously together, which is cool, and I think that's actually a perfect way to wrap up the episode, because my therapist said something. God bless, suzanne. She said um cause? I told her. I said look, suzanne, I'm doing all the air quotes right Things. I'm eating healthier not according to Rachel, but healthier than the average person and I'm doing my best.
Speaker 1:I'm going to the gym, I go for walks, I journal, I am response blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm still not feeling better. And my therapist God bless her. I've had her for eight years. She looks at me and she's like you know you're a really smart person to not be curious or about how to make yourself feel better. She's like you're way too smart to not be curious about how to solve this problem. And I was like whoa and so that takeaway. I've been thinking about this whole episode just in the back of my head. I'm like all of these little obsessions, little fun things, are things that you get to be excited about and be curious about and explore, because these are just, this is just our flavor.
Speaker 1:Who knows what your flavor is going to be? And so I think that would just be my ending note of encouragement is we say all of this not to overwhelm you or to feel like you need to run and spend a ton of money on all of these different things. Like we say this because a fitness journey should be fun and it should be fulfilling and it should inspire some curiosity and finding out about yourself and how you work.
Speaker 2:Do you have?
Speaker 1:any last thoughts on obsessions.
Speaker 2:No, sometimes they can be healthy. Yeah, sometimes they can.
Speaker 1:Sometimes they can. Well, I don't know about you, but I want to know what our listeners are obsessed with. So, we will be. I mean, we've talked about like five different video ideas on this, so we'll listen back, We'll get those pumped out. But we would love if you'd reach out to us on Instagram at gggp underscore podcast. Dm us your current gym obsessions. We'll feature them on a story.
Speaker 2:Share them out, maybe we'll get some by ourselves. Truly Try them out.
Speaker 1:Influence us. Yes, please.
Speaker 2:We're easily influenced. We really are.
Speaker 1:But yeah, hit us up there and then, if you're more of an email person, we are available at girls gains and growing pains at gmailcom. Awesome, this has been another great episode of girls gains and growing pains.