Another Year More Seasoned - The Annual Birthday Episode
Every year on my birthday, I sit down to record a special birthday episode of the Seasoned Athlete Podcast.
It's an opportunity for me to reflect on what I've learned and how I've grown as an athlete and a human in the past year - especially as I continue to age.
This year, on the day I turned 47, I turned on the mic and recorded my 5th annual Seasoned Athlete Birthday Episode.
This was broadcast live on my Ageless Women Athletes Facebook Group, and today I get to share it with you.
When I did this a year ago, we were living through a year full of isolation and devoid of races and events.
This year I talk about what it's like to dip my toes back into race life - including the mental and physical adjustments I've had to make to do it.
I also share a revelation I had about my deeper why - what REALLY drives me, my health, and my fitness in the long run.
You can listen to this year's "Another Year More Seasoned" birthday episode now - https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
Defying Expectations with Special Olympics Athlete and Marathon Runner Loretta Claiborne
Loretta Claiborne is a Special Olympics athlete and a motivational speaker who shares her life story that carries a heartfelt message of acceptance and hope worldwide for people with disabilities.
Loretta was born with physical and intellectual disabilities and did not walk or talk until she was four years old. Doctors told her mother that Loretta belonged in an institution because she would never survive in the quote unquote, regular world.
Despite her disabilities, which led to years of being bullied teased and hostile retaliation, Loretta credits the Special Olympics as her positive force that turned her life around.
Loretta has found healing and freedom through running and has completed 26 marathons her personal best being a 3:03 in the 1982 Boston Marathon.
She was awarded the SP Arthur Ash award and has shared her message with world leaders like Nelson Mandela, Pope Francis, United Nations leaders, multiple US presidents and Oprah Winfrey, to name a few.
Listen to Loretta's remarkable story on this week's new episode of the @Seasoned Athlete Podcast - https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
Taking Big Leaps Through Small Steps with Angela White aka The Running Granny
Today we welcome former surgeon turned Ultra runner and mountain challenge conquerer Angela White, aka The Running Granny to the podcast.
In the last nine years, Angela has gone from taking up running for the very first time at age 53 to having an impressive set of ultra-running achievements under her belt.
Starting with a 32-mile event in 2013, she progressed through 50, 101, 190-mile challenges, all leading up to her 875-mile John O'Groats to Land's End success in 2019!.
Her message is simple.
Just about anything is achievable if you take small steps, which is exactly how she got started.
Hear her remarkable later-in-life athlete journey on this week's new Seasoned Athlete episode. https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
The Connection Between Mental & Physical Fitness with Vanessa Bogenholm
Today we welcome Vanessa Bogenholm to the Seasoned Athlete Podcast.
Vanessa is a Bay Area based personal trainer and an avid runner who is a regular age group podium fixture.
Vanessa is also the author of the best- selling book called It's Your Body: Move It, Love It, Live, where she shares her step-by-step method on how to slow down and understand how your body works so you can get the astounding results that many of her training clients have achieved over the years.
Vanessa wasn't born a natural athlete. But thanks to an influential coach in her early teens, she found joy and freedom through running, and that has led her to a life of helping others make their own physical, mental and emotional commitment to pursuing what excites them and becoming their best selves.
Listen to Vanessa's story in this week's new Seasoned Athlete episode - https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
Tips for Starting a Later-In-Life Athletic Journey
Over the past four years, we've featured 100 athletes from a wide variety of sports and fitness or athletic backgrounds on the podcast.
Everything from the lifelong athlete who has never known a life outside of elite sports, to women athletes in their 70s 80s and 90s, who wanted to play organized sports when they were younger, but never had the opportunity to later in life athletes and weekend warriors.
We've seen them all here, and we love 'em all here.
But more often than not, we get the best feedback and the most feedback about the later in life athlete stories. People always want more of these stories.
And you know what that says? It says that many of you relate to these stories, you see yourself in these stories, or at least you see your potential in these stories.
Maybe you're just getting started on your own later in life athletic journey. Or maybe you haven't even started yet.
This is the kind of stuff we love to see from Seasoned Athlete listeners!
We want you to listen to the stories of the athletes I interview and think that sounds fun... I'd like to do that.
And then you take action and truly discover what you can do.
So today, get some actionable tips you can use to start your own later in life athlete journey.
Hopefully this is just what you need to hear to start your own later-in-life athletic journey. Listen now - https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
The Biggest Mistakes That Sabotage Your Habits and How To Fix Them
The holiday season can be a notoriously difficult time of year when it comes to staying on track with your fitness, your training, your nutrition, and other things you generally want to have happening in your life.
So why does this happen?
Well, it's a stressful time of year with travel and family events and shopping for gifts and the planning that comes with all of that. It just makes it harder to maintain your daily routine.
These are food holidays, which generally comes with its own stress for some people. As a result, people often set aside practices that make them feel good in the day to day with a promise to start fresh in the new year all to get through this time of year.
But why does it have to be like this?
Why do you have to sacrifice these practices that make you feel strong, feel healthy, happy and supported, just to get through this time? And are you in fact doing yourself a disservice by doing so?
This is what we're going to get into on this week's new episode of the Seasoned Athlete Podcast.
It's all about how you can set, change or solidify habits that make your life better, even during the holiday season.
By the way, it doesn't have to be the holiday season for you to benefit from this information.
When you really understand how habit-forming works. It's something you can use anytime.
Give the episode a listen and re-think how you approach adopting new habits and behaviors. https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
Then grab a spot in the Happy Habits Challenge and get the support you need to strengthen & solidify feel-good habits you want in your life for the long term, and do so in a way that actually REDUCES stress during the holiday season. Go to robinlegat.com/happyhabits for details.
Race Fueling & Recovery Tips
How to train and/or eat before, during, and after the race is always a hot topic.
What you do or don't do in those crucial days before the race - and sometimes during the race itself - can make or break your race day experience.
So we decided to make an episode about it. But it comes with a caveat. There is no one way to do things.
We are all individuals and what works for one person may not work for another. For example, what you like to eat on race day may cause gut issues for someone else.
So, take everything in this episode with a grain of salt, which may or may not help with cramping on the race course. (That's a runner's joke!).
With that said, if you have a race coming up and especially if you are new to racing - give this episode a listen, and save it for future reference!
https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
Stop Making Fitness Just About Your Body
Why do people exercise? Why do people start doing it, keep doing it, and/or stop doing it?
For a lot of people, this is a lifelong struggle, you decide to get into fitness or get back to it after a long break, often at the start of a new year, right?
But for whatever reason, it just doesn't stick and you end up on this roller coaster time and time again.
Why does fitness become a lifestyle for some, where others have such a hard time with it?
Here at Seasoned Athlete, we want to help women over 40 make it as easy as possible to make fitness a non-negotiable part of their lifestyle.
But when you fixate on the body alone, you lose sight of all the other ways fitness can benefit you as a whole person, you can't see the forest for the trees.
And in this case, the trees are your belly, your butt, and your arms or whatever is bothering you about your body at this moment.
And when you don't see the changes you want to see, you get upset, you get frustrated, angry, possibly depressed, and you give up.
Even though there are so many reasons why you may not be seeing the changes you want to see that you may not have any control over.
So, with all this in mind, what needs to happen to move away from making fitness about changing your body, and move toward focusing on fitness as something that helps you as a whole human?
Work through it in this week's new episode of the @seasonedathlete Podcast. https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
Become An Elite Athlete At Any Age with
Today we welcome Timmie Brann to the podcast!
Timmie is a professional athlete, mom of twins and owner of Hybrid House gym in Long Beach, California.
Timmie says her mission is to show others that each of us is an inner athlete that deserves a challenge and when we push ourselves, we come alive.
So, if you're someone who struggles with even finding the time to exercise at all, or you can't wrap your mind around figuring out how you could take on bigger challenges with everything you have going on in your life, this conversation is a must listen.
Timmie has a ton of wisdom to share around why it's important to see what's possible for yourself and what it takes to make it happen.
Hear her story now on this week's new episode of the Seasoned Athlete Podcast - https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
Smart Injury Recovery for the Ageless Athlete
Let's talk injuries.
Because the honest to goodness truth about injuries is that if you're an athlete, injuries are a reality.
Of course, the goal is always to do what you can to prevent them.
And there are plenty of smart practices that you can implement into your training and your overall lifestyle to help prevent or reduce injury.
So what do you do when an injury inevitably happens? The goal, of course, is to be able to heal and bounce back as quickly as possible.
As we age though that bounce back doesn't often come as easily as we'd like.
So today, I want to focus on smart injury recovery for the ageless athlete.
By ageless athlete, we mean anyone over age 40 or around age 40, who lives an active lifestyle, or chooses to move your body intentionally or runs or lift weights or plays a sport of any kind.
Get actionable tips on this topic on this week's new episode of the Seasoned Athlete Podcast. Listen now on your favorite podcast player: https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
The Unsexy Truth About Long Term Fitness Results
In the fitness world, there are a couple big seasons.
You know, those times a year when people traditionally get serious about their fitness again, or for the first time when gyms and group fitness classes get busier, and people on the whole rededicate themselves to exercise and healthy eating.
Of course, we all know about the new year, the time of New Year's resolutions at fresh starts when people sign up for the gym and commit to going every day and eating super strict diets and chasing new and exciting fitness goals. That excitement tends to drop off around March or so.
The other big fitness wave tends to hit around fall after summer vacations when kids are back to school. Gyms get busier again, people recommit to healthy living and healthy eating and that tends to last until around Thanksgiving.
Something about a food holiday somehow means it's just time to throw it all out for a little while.
This leads to a roller coaster effect where you're riding the highs and lows of being all in or all out or somewhere in between.
This also leads to what could end up being an entire life of having a poor or disordered relationship with fitness and nutrition.
From there, it leads to the trend to seek out quick fixes or "sexy solutions" whenever you get off track. Trends like short-term challenges, fad diets, and other things that look enticing, but rarely set you up for a long-term results.
This week's Seasoned Athlete Podcast episode gets into the UNSEXY solutions, but the real-deal stuff that will get you off the rollercoaster and on the path to a real and lasting healthy and active lifestyle.
Dig into it now on your favorite podcast player. https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
Eat to Get Strong with Steph Gaudreau
Today on the podcast, we welcome nutritional therapy, intuitive eating, and strength training expert Steph Gaudreau.
Steph helps women who lift weights fuel themselves better so they can get stronger, increase their energy and perform better in the gym.
She fights the stereotypes that women are bombarded with that dictate that the only reason to exercise is for weight loss. And she rallies against the idea that if you want to perform better at a sport, you must strive to be leaner.
In our discussion, we talked about how strength training changed Steph's entire relationship with fitness, the many reasons why active women typically don't eat enough, and we go through some of those outdated fitness philosophies that just need to go!
Listen now - https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
Fitness is NOT just about weight loss
Instead of only connecting fitness with shrinking, you instead connected it to expansion to growth, to stepping into your untapped potential and seeing what's possible at any age?
This is what we're meant to do!
Muscles that don't grow, atrophy and eventually die. And we're not just talking about your biceps, bro.
We'ret alking about your brain, too. This is why we always feel smarter and more engaged when we're learning something new.
The rest of your body wants to learn too and you feel stronger, more powerful and capable of anything when you treat fitness and exercise and movement as a catalyst for growth and expansion as a human being.
Fitness is NOT just about weight loss. We go deeper on this in the newest Seasoned Athlete episode. Listen here: https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
Yes You Are Aging, and It's Time To Own It!
How do the words "aging" and "midlife" make you feel?
Here's the thing: just because you're in midlife doesn't mean you need to be in crisis.
This is simply a phase of life that we all experience at some point. It doesn't invalidate you. You are not washed up and you are not invisible.
This week on the Seasoned Athlete Podcast, we tackle this topic head-on. Yes you are aging, and it's time to own it!
Listen to the newest episode to find out why and how: https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
Do you embrace the concept of aging or do you avoid it at all costs? Sound off below!
Dr. Stacy Sims on the Seasoned Athlete Podcast
We're thrilled to be kicking off a new season of the @Seasoned Athlete Podcast with Dr. Stacy Sims!
Dr. Stacy T. Sims, Ph.D., is an applied researcher, innovator, and entrepreneur in human performance, specifically sex differences in training, nutrition, and environmental conditions.
Scientific studies in the field of health, fitness and sports performance have traditionally been done primarily with male populations, leading to incomplete, flawed and at times completely incorrect information being disseminated to the female public through popular media.
Dr. Stacy Sims is on a mission to change this!
She is the co-author of the popular book ROAR, which was identified as one of the top fitness books of all time on book authority, and the top fitness book for women in 2020.
Leading with her mantra ‘Women are not Small Men’, Dr. Stacy Sims has become one of the leading voices in women's health and sports performance.
Although Dr. Sims specializes in women's performance throughout all age groups, in our conversation we really hone in on strategies to navigate life during peri-menopause and beyond, and live an active and athletic life throughout this phase of life.
Listen now on your favorite podcast player!
https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
Flying past upper limits with pole vaulter Flo Filion Meiler
Earlier this month, we celebrate the 4th anniversary of the release of the first episodes of the Seasoned Athlete Podcast.
Since that day, we've featured the stories of nearly 100 athletes with varying backgrounds, athletic experience, and of course, ages.
Athletes ranging in age from 40 to 96 years old...so far.
We get the most positive feedback about the stories we share of athletes in their 70s 80s and 90s.
There's a common theme with these athletes that no matter when they started, and some didn't start till their 40s 50s or 60s, they don't let age stop them now.
Like not even a little bit!
There's this openness to new experiences, new opportunities, and new friendships that guide them into these amazing athletic adventures.
It's inspiring for for anyone who listens to simply be open to trying something new and seeing where it takes you.
Today, we share one such story.
Introducing Flo Filion Meiler, a pole vaulter and track and field athlete.
Flo is in her 80s…yup, pole vaulting in her 80s!
Flo’s story has been covered by ESPN, The Today Show, NPR, and in a stunning nine-minute feature on the Olympics website.
Now hear her story on this week's new episode of the Seasoned Athlete Podcast!
https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
The Power of Play with Pat Rumbaugh
Got a question for you, Seasoned Athletes. When did we stop playing?
We spent a lot of time around here talking about sports and athletics, and going after competitive goals and challenges and all that stuff.
That's not what I'm talking about here.
I'm talking about PLAY.
Free, fun, unstructured play. I'm talking about the stuff you did at recess when you were in elementary school. I'm talking about playing games. I'm simply talking about play!
The power of play is what today's new episode is all about. And if I'm going to talk about play, the person to talk to about it is the play lady herself - Pat Rumbaugh aka The Play Lady.
Listen to this playful episode of Seasoned Athlete now!
https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
Ready to race your first obstacle course?
A common myth that people have when they are considering running their first obstacle race is that they feel they have to be able to complete every obstacle before running their first race.
The reality is that certain obstacles races take strength and technique that is generally built over time.
It's a mostly unrealistic expectation to be able to complete every obstacle on your own in the first race. So, with that in mind, don't let that hold you back from getting out there!
Here's what you may not realize: you will be able to do more than you think. Although it's an unrealistic expectation to be able to complete every obstacle on your own in your first race.
Don't let that set a new expectation that you won't be able to do anything, because there will be plenty of obstacles that yes, you will be able to do.
It's just a fact that there are certain number of obstacles in every race that don't require a high level of strength, skill or technique. Some may require you to face a fear.
For example, if you have a fear of heights, climbing over in A-frame will be especially challenging, but you do likely have the physical strength and skill to do it.
You just have to face the fear, if that's a fear you have. Some obstacles will be easier and you may surprise yourself when you find yourself completing others.
The point being, although you may not be able to do every obstacle, you also won't fail every obstacle. There will be plenty that you'll be able to do on your own, and even more that you can complete with help.
So let that bit of knowledge give you some extra confidence to click that race signup button!
See you out on the course!
Still not convinced? Listen to the latest episode of Seasoned Athlete now: https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
And then, get ready to race by joining Age Is No Obstacle, a 12-week coaching program made specifically for women over 40 who want to confidently run obstacle races.
In Age Is No Obstacle, you'll get a custo
Surviving and Thriving the Menopocalypse
Amanda Thebe is a personal trainer, a nutrition coach and a force of nature for women who are experiencing menopause hell and want to start feeling healthy and fit in their 40s and beyond.
She's the author of the book Menopocalypse: How I Learned to Thrive During Menopause and How You Can Too. The book is an outspoken and honest guide to surviving and thriving during menopause.
Amanda has both a hilarious but also no BS approach to busting myths around menopause and taking down those who seek to profit through spreading misinformation around the topic.
If you follow Amanda, you've seen that if you are seeking to rip off women with "snake oil" solutions to health, fitness, and the totally natural stuff that goes on with our hormones during menopuase, she is coming for you!
By doing this she's helping women everywhere understand, demystify, and live healthy, happy and active lifestyles during this time that everyone who menstruates eventually experiences.
If you are experiencing your own menopocalypse, sit back, relax, and enjoy this lively, fun and often times hilarious conversation with Amanda Thebe on this week's new Seasoned Athlete episode!
https://redcircle.com/shows/seasoned-athlete
