Finding Strength and Wellness with Janet Smith

00:00Real quick, the only ask I could ever have of you guys is to help spread the word so we can help more women lose body fat, build muscle, reach their goals, and feel insanely confident. And the only way we can do that is if you rate, review, and share this podcast. So the single thing I ask for you to do is if you could leave a review. It will take you 10 seconds, and it will mean the absolute world to me and may change the world of someone else. I noticed that there were women that had physiques, muscles.

00:30It was appealing to me, and I started researching. I started asking questions. I started trying to figure out what is different about their diet, about their daily habits, about their food intake, about their mindset that was different than mine. What's going on, everybody? Welcome to The WarriorBabe Show. And today, I am super excited as I have a guest on this podcast that I found through social media.

01:07And I'm just super stoked to have her on today and have her be able to share her story with you all and get y'all inspired with some things that she's got to... I feel like I just picked up her accent there for a second. I love it. Welcome to Alabama. Well, anyway, today we have Janet on. She is a nationally certified group fitness instructor, and she's an experienced registered yoga instructor. And she has a background in education and is passionate for inspiring women to stay active and informed as they age.

01:43So I'm super excited for her to share all the things with you guys today. And she combines her expertise of what she had in teaching, and she combines it with fitness to help others thrive in every stage of life. So welcome, Janet. I'm super excited to have you today. Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here, Nikki. Awesome. Yeah, I totally found you. Do you know how I found you? I found you through the hashtags on Instagram. Did you really? So they work? They work, okay. It was hashtag the fit over 40 or something like that.

02:14Oh my gosh, I love it. It worked. That's great. That is one of the hashtags I actually put on every single one of my posts. You know, since that's obviously one of the demographics that I'm, you know, wanting to see my work and what I post. So that's great. I'm glad it works. Yep, it works. Awesome. So to start, let me kick it off with getting, I want to know too. So obviously, I love doing podcasts and getting to meet some awesome people is I just want to get to know you, your story. The audience wants to get to know who you are too as well.

02:44So why don't you take us back to like your early days and in your early days and growing up, what role did health, fitness, what did that play in your life growing up? Okay. Well, in the elementary school years, I was super active. I ran track. I was not really introduced into being fit or athletic or staying active from my parents, but it was just something that I found that felt good.

03:17Always outside, you know, riding bikes, even, you know, just being part of teams, sports, that kind of thing. And having an older brother that I had to, you know, keep up with and defend myself from outside and wrestling and, you know, just always active. And then as just, you know, starting to hit that prepubescent, those, the middle school years. And I became more interested in what people thought about me rather than how I personally felt about things.

03:54So I didn't want to sweat. I didn't want to ruin my makeup. I didn't want to, you know, be seen as being part of the track team if that wasn't the cool thing to do. So I, that was the middle school years were the years that I kind of got out of being physically active and was more into just, I wore a lot of makeup. I put a lot of time into getting dressed, my hair, trying to choose those friends that would make me more well-liked.

04:32And it was really a sad time just because I was so consumed with what everyone else thought rather than doing the things that I personally had an interest in or even, you know, wanted to do for myself. And I know a lot of girls struggle with that, especially through those middle school years. My, my heart really goes out to, to those, you know, preteen girls that are struggling with the same exact thing that, that I was. And so it was, you know, going into high school also at this time, I was still, I was five, 10.

05:10So in middle school, I was five, 10. That did not really, well, I stuck out. I was very self-conscious. And so I just kind of was trying to do everything I could to blend in. And I, two of the things I was interested in were modeling and pageants. Well, both of those things really focus on looks, aesthetics. And to be successful at those two things, I knew that I needed to look a certain way.

05:49And honestly, what that meant was thin. I needed, I needed to be thin. And it really became so important to do whatever it took to have the look that I needed to be successful at those things. And so this was the beginning stages of my struggle with an eating disorder of wanting to limit the food that I put into my body for fear of what it would do,

06:27how it would affect my being successful in those two areas, and also just wanting to be thin for guys to like me. And I felt like that was just, you know, one of those things that was something, it became an obsession. And my mom meant well and was an amazing mother, very involved.

07:01But she too felt like in order for me to be successful at these things and to fit in that I also needed to weigh a certain amount. And so we would, I had a scale and she would weigh me or I would weigh myself every day. And we would write down the weight. I still remember the index card where we had it. And being five foot 10 and then knowing what my five foot friends weighed,

07:35it really, it became even more of a struggle for me to just want to look a certain way and to be accepted. And this led me into running, which I love. I love running. I enjoy running. Right. But I ran specifically to burn calories.

08:07I ran to, honestly, it was an escape from, from myself, from the challenges that I was facing, but yet refusing to truly face. I would stuff it, stuff my feelings down. Um, and so I got into running five K's and 10 K's and half marathons and marathons and very hard to do when you're not fueling your body properly.

08:38Mm-hmm. At this time, I also got into, um, I actually became a vegetarian because I thought this would also help in my endeavor to look a certain way. Wow. So lots of things coming together in a negative way that could be positive things. Running can be a wonderful, positive exercise and, and a fabulous addition to someone's workout or to their fitness regime.

09:17But instead it was run as much as I could eat as little as I could weigh myself every day. Don't eat meat. Um, lots and lots of restrictions. Well, first and foremost, I want to honor you in sharing that story because I know and understand that it can be challenging to, um, first of all, leave, relive any type of those emotions that may have just resurfaced from you sharing that story, but also to share it on a, you know, on a platform that.

09:55A hundred thousands of women are listening to right now, but I think at the same time, so I want to honor you in that. Thank you for sharing that and being vulnerable. And at the same time, you are going to resonate with so many women that have been in your shoes and understand maybe what you have felt growing up where it's like you have this exterior, uh, physical goal that you're striving for. And so the stories and the narratives of which that you grew up, uh, around, you know, they're a part of you.

10:31And so you thought that you had to eat less and you had to do X, Y, and Z run. And you had to, uh, turn to vegan to not eat meat. And you had to do all these things to get to an exterior physical goal. But then I see you on Instagram nowadays. And like, you're like, you look great. You're sharing your workouts. You're inspiring women. So it's like, so that was what the stories and narratives that are a part of you are there. And then to then transition into where you are now with fitness and where you are in the relationship that you have, I would love for you to share like the challenges that you went through with, with creating almost like a new narrative for yourself.

11:12Like you have this ideology around food and the scale. And then now it's like, what does that look like for you? And how did you rewrite those, those things for yourself? Hmm. Um, well, that's a wonderful way to, to set that up because I feel like that's, that was a totally different person than who I am today. I'm incredibly grateful for that. And just for the recovery that I was able to go through as far as turning the page on having a much healthier relationship with food.

11:52I, for me, it was starting to, I was gradually introduced to strength training. I noticed that there were women that had physiques, muscles, that it was appealing to me. And I started researching. I started asking questions. I started trying to figure out what is different about their diet, about their daily habits, about their food intake, about their mindset that was different than mine.

12:31Well, honestly, everything. And truly it was my, my love of learning and my desire to get out of the hole that I dug myself into. And, um, my, my faith, my faith that truly helped me move on from where I was in such a, you know, such a difficult place and finding role models, finding mentors, female role models and mentors that could help me with that.

13:06And I was, I was, I was a school teacher. I taught second grade for seven years. And I, after I have, I have three children. And after I had my three children, I decided that I wanted to continue to use my background in education and my love and passion for teaching, but to use that in the fitness industry, in the fitness world. And how could I use what I had been through and my story and then my passion to then help others that are also struggling with those exact same things that I had struggled through and been able to see the other side of it, thankfully.

13:54So for me, it was getting, finding those mentors and then doing the research and spending the time figuring out what it was that I needed to change in my life. I respect that a lot to have a curious mind is a really important thing to be able to navigate one. If they know that they're not necessarily enjoy, like they know something has to change, right? They know that where they're at right now, maybe they don't know it yet, but something feels off.

14:30Maybe that was where you were. And I'm going to ask the question a little bit for you to bring us to the, some of those challenges specifically that you mentioned, like, but back to the curious mind. So like if people can stay in their own ways, right? People can stay with their beliefs. They can stay with the narratives. They can stay with the limiting stories. They can stay with the concepts of which they think. Like, you know, like there's one straight line and this is the way, but you, which I love what I'm hearing is like you, you learned, you asked questions, you figured it out.

15:00You followed mentors. I had the goal that you were really striving for, which was, and I can resonate with that so much. Cause similarly, my journey started out with looking on Instagram and following people that had my physique and had my body that I wanted, but I didn't have that. And I'm like, how did they get that? So what specifically you mentioned that there was specific things that they were doing that you weren't doing. What specifically was different from where you were that they were doing that, you know, you had to be open and curious about to change.

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16:44So I had bought into the lie of that. And like so many women do and have. And for me, it was realizing that that is not the truth. And also realizing that using the I can use food to fuel my body. That's the other thing. Food is not the enemy. And food is not going to make me fat. It is fuel for our bodies.

17:16And so what how am I going to fuel my body to then be able to lift the weights and to strength train to build these muscles. So it was it was kind of learning all these different things coming from different directions around the same time. I ended up having to have my gallbladder removed because I had lost so much body fat that it ended up causing gallstones. And this was when you were more like on the like eating less.

17:49And when I was struggling with an eating disorder and I ended up losing just I didn't have any muscle mass. I was super thin. I was not having a period or cycle. Wow. So I I knew I could not. And I was also put on birth control at that time just to regulate, which we can talk about that. But it was it was so it was.

18:21Now I'm put on these hormones that are supposed to be regulating my body. But at the same time, I know something has to change. And that was when it was also several years later when I was wanting to have children that I was unable to. And because if your body is not functioning properly, whether that's because you don't have enough body fat or whether it's your hormones are all out of whack because of what you've tried to do to be healthy.

18:55And then for me, my thyroid was underactive, which probably was. It was definitely not helped from everything that I've been trying to do to actually improve my health. And so for me, it was getting my hormones, my thyroid regulated, focusing on trying to be stronger rather than thinner.

19:26And when when I when I began to eat, I then also started to eat meat again. My my my my personally, my body thrives when I eat red meat, chicken, fish. And not to say that if you're vegan, you can't live a healthy lifestyle. But for me, that was it really made a difference with my body when I it reintroduced that into my diet.

19:59Quick break. If you're finding this episode helpful so far, it would mean a lot if you could hit pause for just a second, leave a quick rating or a review or share it with someone who could benefit from it. Your support helps more women discover these tools to build muscle, lose fat and feel confident. Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me. So talk to us about the mindset shift that you had to make from, OK, well, this is like you had this eating disorder and you had all of these complications going on with your period stopping and having to go on birth control.

20:35And then your thyroid was all out of whack. And you were almost like beating down your body, essentially. What was the mindset shift? Because I know that there's a lot of women listening to this that can resonate with your story in terms of having an eating disorder and not eating enough. Yet they have this goal of wanting to build more muscle and to build a strong physique and to be healthy and to live, have longevity and all the benefits that come from strength training. They have to it has to first like change has to happen on one's accord. So what were some of the things that mentally you had to walk yourself through from being afraid of food and having this perspective on food and linking into the goal?

21:17Like what were some things that and like from that from that stage to where you are now and how much you're eating now, which I'm going to share that, too, as well from where you were to now. What are some things that positively you had to reinforce to yourself that that that you were telling yourself that this is this is OK? Well, the first thing I had to do was I had to get rid of the scale. I I still do not have a scale in my home and I have not since.

21:48This change in my mindset and for me. I know that that is something I can become obsessive about. So I don't even. I'm just not going to allow that to happen. So I got rid of the scale and I became more focused on. Using food to fuel my body, doing the research that I needed to do, how much protein do I need to have per day? Figuring that out in order to.

22:20And yes, it did start out with this is how I want to look. So this is what I need to do. But then it became, oh, my goodness, I feel so much better. I have so much more energy. I can actually think and and make a complete sentence and, you know, and not losing track of what I was doing. And so having going and getting my hormones tested and making sure I'm eating the amount of protein, carbohydrates, every, you know, to fuel my body.

23:01And that was the mindset switch going from this. Anything I put in my mouth is going to fuel my body. So how how how do I want to do that? And for me, it was also allowing myself to have snacks. That was another thing. I put so many rules so I could have. I had it was to where I could have three meals a day. I couldn't eat past six o'clock. And it was just trying to relieve myself of these restrictions and truly enjoy my life.

23:38If I go to a birthday party and it or it's my birthday, I'm going to have cake. I love cake. And that was that was very difficult to to to have that mindset switch. And so at the same time. So for me, what it is, instead of saying I can't eat this because I now say I'm going to eat this because I know it's going to make me feel this way. It's going to help me with this.

24:10So I try it really honestly went from a negative mindset to a positive mindset. Amen to that. That's some good insight there. It's really important that you like the listeners that play that back. And because there's a lot of people that are stuck in that negative mindset and they're stuck in thinking that it's not necessarily it's like it is a negative mindset holding them back. But it's also the limiting beliefs and the stories that they keep telling themselves over and over and over again. And it's a definition of insanity because it's getting the same results. I love that. I think that's Einstein's quote doing the same thing over and over and over again, expecting different results is insanity.

24:42And so you had to make it you to figure out how to make a change. And you started saying doing these things, researching and learning and fueling your body and telling yourself that this is OK. And I do this and I choose to do this. I think that's really important. I think that that's that's a beautiful, you know, shift that you've made. And also to be so proud of yourself from where you were there. Then where you are now. So how can I ask how old you are? I just turned 50. No. First of all.

25:12OK. Didn't expect that. OK. I have. OK. I have never posted that and I have never said that. So congratulations. You just got some information. But you know what? I it's I am truly proud of it. I am. You freaking should be doing it. Girl, I was expecting 40s. Like a below 45, maybe like 44 is where I was putting you at. I love it.

25:43That's awesome. And also, thank you. I'm sorry. Thank you for. Thank you for asking. So with that being said, first of all, people that are only listing on audio, I would tell you guys to go to YouTube and to check out what Janet looks like. Or even I'm going to put all your handle, your Instagram handle beneath this because you do not look like you're 50 years old. You are beautiful. Thank you. You're welcome. So now that even makes me spiral a little bit more in a really good way because you're are you're not you're not menopause yet.

26:19You're a perimenopause, right? That's correct. I have. Yes. Yes. God bless. That's amazing. Yeah. A little bit of a later. You're well around this age, but it seems like you may be a late bloom or. Yes. Maybe that way. That's incredible. Yeah. So let's shift our gears to that. OK. There's tons of misconceptions about perimenopause. And I want to bring out the truth. That's what I love to do is bring out the truth about things. So what do you what have you heard in your space and people you talk to or work with?

26:52What do you what are some myths that you would like to address to help women better understand this like transition from from normalcy? I mean, I hate to say that, but like. Right. It's a transition when we go through it. Absolutely. Yeah. So what are some myths you want to debunk with me here? Well, first of all, I am. I'm very thankful that it has come about later for me than it does for many women. I know my mom actually started in her early 30s.

27:25And I'm. Yes. So she. She's like, I'm going to be chills because that's where I am. Yes. Right. Yes. Yes. So, you know, and a lot of times that can be hereditary. And so, you know, it was just something I kind of had my eye on, you know, knowing it could it could come about at any time. But for me, I would say it started. I started noticing like that foggy brain, just kind of forgetting things. I noticed how it wasn't quite as easy for me to put put on muscle that it.

28:00And there's a funny story of when I ordered a salad and I ordered it with avocados. And then when I got home, there were not any on it. No way. And that's really not that big of a deal. But my reaction to the fact that there were no avocados on this salad, it was like, I mean, it was it was like, who is that human that just screamed?

28:35And I'm a very calm person normally, but just went nuts that I just want some avocado. Like, you know, just little things like that that you notice. OK, wait a minute. That that didn't seem like me or, you know, a little more snappy. And so those to me were kind of the signs of something's happening. And I so I went to my OBGYN and had the regular panel run that they would typically run for females at this age, you know, in your maybe mid 40s.

29:15And I was told that everything was perfectly fine, you know, and and to have a great day. And I thought, no, that is not the truth that, you know, I'm having starting to have a harder time going to sleep. I'm having a harder time staying asleep. I feel like I need 10 hours of sleep, but yet I can't possibly get that. And so I decided I again, research, reading books, podcasts, anything I could get my hands on.

29:50And starting to realize, well, wait a minute. I need more in-depth blood work. I need someone that's going to sit down with me and help me read through this and decipher, OK, well, this is where your estrogen or progesterone or testosterone. They had not even tested my testosterone. And so I went back. This was probably about a year later. And I had a full blood panel taken that then showed me my testosterone had pretty much tanked, which is very common for women my age.

30:35And that testosterone is not something that they typically test in women. Hence why I noticed it was harder for me to put on more put on muscle or keep muscle. Right. And that. So what was recommended for me was. I use a hormone cream, the testosterone cream. And that has made a huge difference.

31:06And if people, if women are worried. First of all, the first myth that women have to get over is if you lift weights, that you're going to be bulky and you're going to look like a male bodybuilder. So we all we all we know that that's a lie. But also using testosterone, whether it's the cream or whether it's the pellets or whatever it is that you feel your doctor and you or whoever it is you're saying feel is best for you.

31:38That is that is that is you're they're trying to get your hormone levels to the optimal level. And that the optimal level for you could be a very different level than it is for me. Right. So so for me, it was figuring out what is the optimal level for me for testosterone. And then we know that progesterone helps with the sleep. That was a huge thing for me. So I now take a low dose of progesterone for because mine was was low.

32:12And then as we also know, estrogen is one of those hormones that also tends to drop as well. So knowing what our hormones are as females from the age that you are. To the age that I am and beyond and how no getting your levels checked early where you can have them. You then you can which I did not, but where you then can see, OK, well, this is where my estrogen and progesterone typically are.

32:43Well, three years from now, have they dropped? Are they the same? So I would definitely recommend women that in their even in their 30s that are starting to notice any kind of change or difference or, you know, to have their hormones tested. Yeah, I'm happy that you brought this up because this is actually I just got done recording another podcast about an hour and a half ago. And that guest, she brought up HRT, too, as well. And it's been a very common topic that's out there and on social media and people like we started this discussion off as like myths.

33:19And I think it's a lot of things can navigate on social media as X, Y and Z. And everyone's got their own opinions about it. And specifically, HRT, like I personally agree with it and I'm happy you brought this up because but but for everyone listening, it's like you want to make sure you have the right provider that's going to help you with the right dosage because it can like the guest was just talking about how she tried it. It didn't work for her. And then she is open to trying it again. So.

33:50I think it's becoming aware of what individually is going on with our bodies and that knowing that there are resources and tools that are able to help to benefit. The things that may be affected from internally from our hormones. So with this and with you sharing that and that you notice that there were some signs or some shifts that were happening with your body that prompted you to take a closer look at your hormone health. Now, with your experience with HRT, what what how how has your experience with it affected?

34:24Like, do you know those symptoms that you were experiencing before? Like, are they getting better? How's your how are you feeling? Like, are there any particular changes that you're noticing starting it? You mentioned sleep. Right. Yeah. I can definitely tell that I I can I can now get eight hours of solid uninterrupted sleep. And that's amazing. It is. It really is. And that's a game changer. I mean, when when you're able to do to get the sleep that you need, you have so much more energy to be able to, you know, get accomplish and get done what you need to throughout the day.

34:58And then you have more energy for your workouts in general. So I did want to mention also when when I I first made the switch from teaching school to teaching fitness classes and to becoming a yoga teacher, I was first just teaching cardio classes. But it was when I then made that switch and realized how amazing strength training is for women that now every single one of my classes I teach has strength training in it. So I it's.

35:28Well, yeah. When you follow your Instagram, your entire Instagram was every like everything you're posting. I work out full body workout. Yeah. You're posting all these. Yes. Yes. So so so for so for me, that that was a game changer. So when you know, when we're talking about having your hormones tested and testosterone and or, you know, even like with the estrogen and progesterone, but testosterone in particular. One thing I noticed by using with getting, you know, starting to take the HRT was was I was able to build back the muscle that over maybe the last five or so years, I had kind of started to see a decline.

36:12Even though I was doing the same workouts, not like the exact same exercises, but the same intensity of workout where I should not be losing muscle mass. Yeah. But I noticed that I then was able to regain the muscle mass that I had lost because of the nosedive of testosterone. I do have quite a few friends that are on. And you mentioned that one of your the last guest was talking about how HRT really didn't work for them.

36:48But there are so many there's I know there's like shots, there's creams, there's gels, there's pills, there's pellets. I have several friends that are on the pellets and they swear by those. That was not really something I wanted to do just because when you have pellets inserted, it's you can't really adjust it for about three months. And so and then the other thing is you have to lay off of exercise just because you've had an incision with having pellets inserted.

37:21And and I really don't. I honestly I with my classes that I'm teaching and the workouts that I'm doing, I couldn't have that time off every three months. But but it is all about having your figuring out what's going to work for you. And so for me, the estrogen was just like a mood lifter. I can tell a difference in my my face, like just the dryness of my skin is not quite as bad. I can tell a difference with my hair growth. So for me, it has been a game changer.

37:53That's that's incredible. That's awesome to hear that, that that you've your experience is so positive with it. And, you know, I firmly believe, too, it's like there's I will always try and navigate any deficiencies in the body with nutrition and working out, moving your body. Right. But when there's sex hormones that are plummeted and that kids if they continue to stay plummeted could severely impact your longevity to your life. And it's definitely another form of a tool that you can add to your tool belt that can be able to support your journey moving forward.

38:24And nutrition will be able to entirely fix like components like that. You do need to consider other avenues of which that are out there. And I always say I always tell women, it's like you try this stuff and it just be an advocate for yourself. That's what I'm talking about in this podcast. Just be an advocate. Like if it's not you speak up, you know, you don't necessarily have to do X, Y and Z or whatever the doctors are telling you to do. But you know what I mean? So how do you like how do you approach those conversations with any with with women about HRT and especially giving like with the mixed opinions about it out there?

39:01Well, a lot of a lot of women approach me asking me questions about what. What do you do or what first typically it's you know, they see the workouts that I that I typically do on online or in person where you know where I teach fitness classes or they see me on the weight room floor. I'm on the weight room floor at least three days a week just, you know, trying to get my heavy heaviest lifting in. Yeah. And but then they'll ask me, OK, tell me about your diet.

39:34That's usually the first question. And I love that because just what you said, it's our diet is it's the most important thing as far as what we're going to what's really going to make a difference in our mood, in our emotions, physically. And so anything that you can. Help by your food or your nutrients is that's where I start when I'm when someone asks me questions like that.

40:07Then if they're saying, OK, well, you know, I haven't I haven't been able to get a good night's sleep in the last six months and or, you know, I've noticed that I'm starting to put on a little extra body fat, but I'm eating the exact same things and I'm getting in the protein that I need, the macros. And and I'm I'm you know, I'm doing the strength training that I need. But something's different. That's usually the key. Something's different. So then that's when I start just asking some questions about, well, what have you noticed that that has changed?

40:43And usually it's sleep patterns. Usually it's moods. Moods are a big thing. It's almost like having. Like like you're about to start your period year round every day, like it's like that. It really gives you something to look forward to. I know. But it's like this, like eight times a day. So instead of three days a month, my luteal phase, this last cycle was hell.

41:18So I do not want to experience. So that's a great that. Yes, that's the word. It's your luteal phase year round. So no, thank you. But honestly, it makes sense to me because so many women, it's like they're like, I feel like I'm going crazy. Like I and no, they can't figure out what it is. And I had a friend that went to her OBGYN.

41:49And she was just she was told the same thing that it's it's just you're you know, everything is fine. And you they did the basic blood work. Yeah. And that's kind of the running theme I've noticed. So I would just on that, I would say, really do the research and dig deeper. And ask your ask your doctor or your health care provider to, you know, well, what are some other options?

42:21If if I know things are not what they should be. Amen to that. Thank you for saying that. Because I always tell women like doctors are saying that, oh, this is just the way it is now. Do not accept that. Yes. Continue to advocate for yourself. I'm like for other resources. Absolutely. Or things along those lines. I was about to jump to a topic really quick, but I had to finish my sentence there. Oh, yeah. You're you're you work at Lifetime, right? You're an instructor at Lifetime. I do. I work at Lifetime in Bestavia Hills.

42:54So I go to Lifetime and I just recently got into the classes. You do all Lifetime chains the same. Like they you do a GTX and. Yes, we have GTX. We have Alpha. We we have. Yeah, we have Ultra. And then for group fitness, have you taken extreme or let's see, what are some any of the strike classes? Have you done those? No, so I just will GTX have been doing probably for the last like eight weeks.

43:24OK. Jumped in on them. And that's awesome. So it went for like the I need I want to run and I want to get back into it. Yeah. Just for cardiovascular health. Oh, yeah. Jazz. But I've been enjoying it. It's like I go specifically for zone four days. Yeah. Really crush it. Yeah. Yeah. I love Lifetime and the opportunity or the things that they have there. I do warrior sculpt, too, as well for you. Oh, I love warrior sculpt. And so you do get a little bit of yoga in with your warrior sculpt. Yeah, you do. I love this fast pace. The first day I went, I was like, I'm going to die.

43:58Was it heated? Yeah. I love it. Yes. Oh, anyway. So this has been great, Dana, by the way. I just want to say that like it's been nice getting to know you a little bit more and then also just hear your personal story and thoughts and perspectives on things. I know it's going to be really resonating with the listeners that are that are listening to the episode. The way I want to close this down with you is like sharing some things like what message or advice would you give and leave women who may be starting or rethinking like, you know, we're coming up around the holidays.

44:34I think your podcast is going to air next week or the week after. So it's like these are the holidays, the holiday season. You know what? So a new year's coming up. What message or piece of advice would you leave them with that that are in this phase of like they're starting or they're rethinking it and they want to get back into their fitness journeys? Well, the first thing I would say is it truly is never too late. And the person you need to do it for is yourself. And it just even taking an hour a few days a week, whether it be at home or whether it be going to the gym and being a part of a group fitness or small group class is is a true game changer.

45:23And that will make a bigger impact than you can possibly imagine. Just taking that one hour a day for yourself. When when we as. Whether it's we're wives or. Mothers, grandmothers, it's we we as women, we tend to take care of people and we tend to take care of everyone else around us.

45:53And then we realize we don't have anything left for ourselves. And so I would I would honestly I would just want to say that whether you're in your 20s or whether you're in your 40s or whether you're about to turn 50 or whatever age that you are. It is. It's not too late. And it truly is one of the most amazing gifts that you can give yourself to take that time to spend on you. So then you can in return give to others.

46:26It's going to do mic drop, mic drop. No, that's so good. So it's such a powerful message to leave everybody on. One last thing I want to ask you is where can everybody find you? I mean, definitely check out. Yeah, because they're fun. That's right. Well, my Instagram is Janet Smith Fitness. And if you would like to find me live and in person, that would be Lifetime Vestavia Hills. Nice. And I just I thank you so much for reaching out to me and taking the time to find me through hashtags.

47:00I love it. And and and just asking me, you know, questions and about my story. And I really hope that it's able to resonate with women of all ages. Heck, yeah. I know. I know this. Of course. It was a pleasure to have you on here. And I know that this is going to resonate with a lot of people. So I thank you for sharing. I know a bit of it was a little bit vulnerable, but you did a great job. Thank you. Thank you for letting me on a secret that you've never told anybody yet. You're welcome.

47:31All right, Janet. Well, thank you so much for being here. And we'll see you soon. All right. Thanks, Nikki. Bye. Hey, really quick before you go. I have one small favor to ask. If this episode brought you value or sparked something in you, take just a moment to hit that review button. Your rating and review make all of the difference. Helping more women discover the tools they need to transform the fitness and their confidence. It takes less than a minute, but it can change the path of someone else's journey. Thank you so much for leaving that review.

48:01I appreciate you so much. Bye.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.