From Feeling Stuck to Feeling Strong w/ WarriorBabe Melissa

00:00I couldn't even get the benefits of the exercise because I was trying to work through arthritis in my hands and my forearms and it just hurt to even hold the weights. Like, I was like, oh my God, what am I doing? I can't do that. Like, this is... But one workout at a time, it got better, it got better, it got better. And I can remember the first time I felt sore in my pecs after I did a chest workout. For the first time, I was like, praise God, because I couldn't get there. So, again, if it took all that to get me here, then I'm fine with it. But I didn't see that at the time. I didn't see that going from here to there, I had to overcome all this stuff.

00:46What's going on, everybody? Hey, so today I've got another WarriorBabe here with us, WarriorBabe Melissa, who before finding us, spent years doing everything, quote unquote, right. She was walking daily, she was eating clean, she was staying disciplined, yet nothing was changing. How many of you guys have been there, right? She avoided... And many women have done this. She avoided mirrors, she relied on shapewear, and she didn't feel at home in her body. What she didn't realize, though, was that the real transformation had to start from within. And today, she's stronger, she's more aware, and she's finally in control of her mindset and her health.

01:23And today, she's here to share that journey with us on how she quieted the noise, how she built strength, how she finally showed up for herself. Melissa, welcome. Thanks for being here. Thank you for having me. So, let the listeners know where you are located in the U.S., where you're from, what do you do for work, and how old are you? Okay. I live in San Pedro, California. It's near Long Beach, California, in L.A. County. I'm 58 years old, 58 years young. And I'm a corrosion specialist, which technically, I just, I retired from Chevron about 10 years ago as an API 510 inspector.

02:02So, I literally am the person who climbs into the equipment to find the corrosion and the damage and to make sure that they're fit for continued service. And so, now I consult, and I go to refineries, and I help other people be better at managing their equipment. Dude, that's so cool. It's a fantastic job. I'm ridiculously blessed. Wow, that's so cool. I've never, I've never heard of that before. It's really cool. Cool.

02:33All right. Let's get into talking about your fitness, your health and fitness journey. Like, where were you before you found Warrior Bay? What was your situation like? So, I have three kids. I was empty nesting. Two are in college, and one is adulting. He just wants to work. And I was tired of feeling tired. I was tired of being in a mom body. I was tired of talking about it and having people go, oh, you're crazy. You look so good. And it's bullshit.

03:03No, I didn't look good. I didn't look good. I didn't feel good. And stop lying to me. So, I Googled, because back in the day, in my 20s and 30s, I was an avid weightlifter. And I, like, even considered doing a bodybuilding competition. But I don't know why I didn't. And I remember, I remembered how I felt and how my body felt when I used to do that. Because I remember when I stopped doing it, when I got my first job out of college, my body composition changed.

03:36Not, like, overnight. And I'm still working out, but I wasn't weight training. But I went from a size 3 to a size 8. And I just stayed there. And going through this process, I was like, I need to get back to weight training. So, I Googled weight workout for women over 50. And you came up in the feed. And I watched your video. And the minute I heard you drop the F-bomb, I'm like, oh, I'm so bad I go to her website. Oh, that's what it was.

04:07Let's go. You were so passionate. And you weren't bullshitting me. Like, I could tell you were like, look, do it or don't do it. It works. Whatever. Go back to doing shapewear or ozempic or whatever you feel like, you know, you're doing. Yeah. So, that's how I felt. And I don't like to be, like, if I look like shit or if I'm being bad or if I'm not doing things right and I tell this to Kayla, just tell me. I'm not, my feelings won't be hurt. Amen. I need to hear it. Amen. My type of woman. Love that. That's what I liked about you. I was like, okay. If I walked up to her and said, I feel like shit, she would be like, yeah, I can.

04:39Yeah, you look like you feel like shit. Yeah. Yeah, I would tell you on the spot. I love that. So, bring us back though before finding us on the internet. You said you were walking daily and you were doing like Pure Bar or something like that? Yeah. I've been doing Pure Bar for three years and I'm talking walk to Pure Bar, do Pure Bar, walk home. And that was probably there and back five miles. Then our class. And I felt change. But for three years.

05:11Yeah. What was the most frustrating part about that? Like not seeing the results after doing it. Not seeing results and look at pictures and people going, oh, so is Pure Bar working? I've been fucking doing it for three years. You tell me if it's working. Yeah. It wasn't working because they didn't go, oh, wow. You look great. You know? Yeah. So, I was like, okay, I need to find something else. How were you feeling about your body at that time? Oh, mad. I was, I was, I can tell you the moment I was like, I'm done with Pure Bar because I got so mad in class.

05:41Because I was one of the strongest people in class. Like the teacher would go, if you don't know how to do the move, watch Melissa. And like, I could do put, I could do everything. I just wasn't feeling good. I didn't feel good about how I looked. They always take promotional pictures when you do 250 classes, 500 classes. And I hated taking the pictures. I'm like, I don't want to take the picture. No, don't publish the picture. So, no, I was mad and I was, I did not feel good about myself.

06:11Yeah. You mentioned too, like avoiding mirrors and stuff like that. And you were mentioning like, how did that impact your confidence on a daily basis? And what were like the thoughts that were running through your mind when you'd see yourself in photos or mirrors? I would delete them. Like my, my youngest son's graduation, that was like, I looked at myself and I was like, oh, like, cause my arms were soft. My midsection, that's where I feel. Cause my torso is short and my legs are long.

06:42Yeah. So when I gain weight in my midsection, you can see it. Yeah. And in my face. So it's like those two sections. Um, and I was just like, I can't, I can't keep looking like this. I don't, I don't like it. Cause I've never been a person that had to worry about my weight. Never. Yeah. Yeah. I can hear that. That would be frustrating, especially doing three years of something and not getting the results you thought you were going to get and wanted. And that can make you feel super mad. It's like your time is valuable and you want to feel good in your skin.

07:13You mentioned too, like, um, and you're not alone, Melissa either. Like, you know, we were kind of talking beforehand about that. Like you, there was, there's so many women out there that experience these same, the same thoughts and these same, uh, patterns. And, you know, there's gonna be a woman listening to this being like, dang, I'm in Melissa's shoes. I feel the same way right now. Um, how, like, how about the noise you mentioned? Like, there was a lot of noise in your, in your mind that helped that were, was like holding you back. Can you share a little bit about that and how you started to like quiet it down? Oh yeah. So the, the thing that kept going through my head, cause I know how hard weight training

07:49is. And I know that it's something that you have to dedicate a minimum of like three days of weight training, of concentrated muscle part weight training. And in my head, I would talk myself, I'd say, you know what, are you going to be able to sustain this? Are you going to stick with it? Are you going to do it and stop doing it because it got hard or your schedule got messed up and then not go back to it. Um, and it was just the noise in my head was you have to do something that your life has to, something has to change. This is not working.

08:20Whatever's happening right now is not working. It doesn't matter how little you eat or how healthy you eat something. There's something that's not clicking here. Like you got to find the leak. Where's the leak? That's not, you know, helping you get to where you need to be. Yeah. Um, yeah, that's what it was. I just, I knew it was something I just needed to put my finger on. I couldn't figure it out on my own. That's kind of where I was at. Not alone there either. You mentioned really quick eating healthy and eating less.

08:51Is that what it looked like? Like we'll talk to us about what your nutrition looked like while you're doing the pure bar and walking and all that. Oh, I was eating very well. A lot of salads, which I'm finding now aren't the healthiest, you know, thing to eat. Um, but I wasn't eating like bread and, and, um, fries and things like that. I did drink wine, which is now I'm understanding is not the greatest thing in the world. So I don't do that now. Um, but no, my eating was healthy and I was, I'm guessing I was taking in maybe 1200 to 1500

09:24calories, maybe. And even my daughter would go, mom, are you eating today? And I'd go, nope, I'm awful. And I would just, it was a joke, but kind of not a joke. Cause I, I wish, cause she's like, I'm, I'm kind of afraid you're not taking in enough calories because we would eat, but I would, wouldn't eat, eat like they eat. I cook meals, but I would, wouldn't eat as much. Gotcha. What was like your pro do you know what your protein intake was like beforehand? No, not anything close to what, even when I first started with Kayla, cause she's got

09:58me up to 1900, which almost sent me to a therapist. But, um, I can't wait to get to that part. But when I first started with Kayla and she gave me my macros, hold on, don't go into it yet. Cause I want to get there. Don't get into it yet. I want to, I want to hear that when, when we get to the, that part, um, curious. So with the salad, do you just mentioned they're not, you're finding out they're not that healthy. What do you mean by that? Just like the dressing. And if you're not putting enough protein and if you're just having the lettuce and I mean,

10:29I croutons, I mean, what nutritional value does croutons have? Like none. Yeah. None. Yeah. That makes sense. So it was more so like kind of eating like, and to clarify too, help me with my, with the calorie intake that you were consuming. How tall are you? I'm like five, six. Okay. And that, how many years ago is this? This was like September of last year. September of last year. Wow. I started with, that's when I had my first meeting with Shannon Parker.

10:59Okay. Gotcha. Oh, Parker. We call her sparkler. No, she, I'll tell you about her. She's amazing. I loved her. Love that. Um, okay. So yeah, that intake is pretty, was pretty low. Um, knowing like where you were at, what you were doing. Okay. So let's talk about, um, you, you heard me say the F bomb. Where'd you hear me say that? In your, in your, in your, uh, in your story, like you, you dropped, you just were like, and I was just so fucking tired.

11:30And I was like, oh my gosh, I love her. Um, yeah. You remember exactly what I was talking about that resonated with you the most. I think you just said you were just fucking tired of your yo-yo going up and down 30 pounds to lose weight, 30 pounds on, did your competition, did this, you liked your candy. You were just fucking done with it. It was like, okay. And then you went to the website and started looking more. Yeah. And then I started, I started listening to your podcast, like, and then that's when I

12:04clicked on the VIP, signed up for a consult and, uh, yeah, Shannon called me and I literally wanted to cry because I didn't feel like until I talked to her that anybody heard me could hear what I was saying. Yeah. Because it wasn't a vanity thing. It was a, I don't feel good. It's like talking to your doctor and saying, no, that's not where it hurts. Like this is not working. Like I need, you know, it's, I just, and I'm a resilient, like I'm a data driven person.

12:37I know how to go find it. I can solve problems. These aren't, but I couldn't solve, like, I just couldn't solve this one. So what was it specifically that you and Shannon were talking to on the, about on the phone that you were like, okay, I'm in, like, I need to take the leap. Um, so I just, she, when I told her I wasn't comfortable in my skin. I said, I don't know if you know what this feels like. Like I'm tired of wearing shapewear because I don't like the way my midsection looks. And I just, I want to feel comfortable in my skin because intellectually and from a career

13:11standpoint, I am a very confident person. I can walk into a room and, and I can tell the general manager bad news. And if he's, listen, that just can't be right. Well, I'm sorry. It is right. That's exactly, it's right. You know, I don't have any problems doing that, but I just, I couldn't get control over my health. And when Shannon said, and I didn't realize that you guys didn't take every person. Like she said, you're, you are a good candidate for this program. Cause I was like, oh crap. I might not even be a good candidate for this program.

13:42Yeah. She told me how much it was. And I was like, I don't care. I don't care. I can't keep feeling like this. So the spot you were like, all right, I'm in, let's do it. Yeah. Wow. So talk to us about your first start thoughts when you first started and joined the program and you met Kayla and then you moved on to have your programming and bring us on the journey of you getting to the 1900 calories. Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with body changes you're experiencing during menopause?

14:20It's time to take control. If you're between 45 and 65 years old and tired of struggling with body fat and muscle loss, warrior babe is here for you at warrior B we've helped over 18,000 women, just like you lose body fat, build toned muscle and understand their bodies better with personalized plans based on hormone and thyroid testing and more. Imagine knowing exactly what your body needs to see real results and results that last. Look, don't wait anymore.

14:50Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warrior babe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warrior babe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. Okay. So I met Kayla and obviously I'm embarrassed to share things with her because I don't know her. Right. So we don't just go, ah, I'm going to feed you this and I'm going to feed you this.

15:24Um, but no, the first thing she did was we talked about my goals. We talked about where I am. I, I had already just had a blood test. So I was able to send that pre front load her on that. So she kind of had my, my stats for my, where I was in my blood work, which was helpful because then she'd go, okay. Um, but she, I was, I'm not going to lie. I was freaked out about the food, the food freaked me out.

15:54There, it was so much food. Like it was so much food. I was like, how am I going to eat all this food? And I'm just going to keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And I was like, okay, I look, I paid for it. I got to trust this lady. She knows what she's doing. She says, this is going to work. I'm going to make it work, whatever. And I fluctuated. I struggled with getting those macros for whatever reason. I just, I would weigh things and it would just, it was, it was a learning curve.

16:25Like what works for me. And I was trying to prep and I was trying to do everything and I was trying to lift the weights. Um, but no, in the beginning I struggled, I struggled with the macros. The macros is just a science that I just didn't get. It didn't make sense to me. It does now because I've listened to episode 35 of The WarriorBabe Show about 37 times. I listened to it every week because number one, I think it's hilarious the way that you and I think it's Paula.

16:56Oh, Paula. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, you guys, the way you guys go back and forth, I crack up when Paula says, yeah, I say to myself, do it. If I drink this whole bottle of wine, is that going to serve the person that I want to be? I always start laughing on that one. Then you're like, yeah, you got to throw the wine in the back of the counter, throw the fucking keys out. And then we go. So, and it's anyway, so I, for a while there for probably four months, I had to listen to that one twice a week for like four months because I always got something new, like something

17:30that I didn't hear the last time or I did more so I could, I could take in more like. Heck yeah. Right. So. I love that. I love that you did that. That's like, I want everyone to hear that type of strategy that you implemented for yourself because you'll hear things and then you'll go back and you'll hear something different and it'll resonate with you differently. Or maybe those words sunk in. And then the following week was like, oh shit, I didn't hear that part. Now that really resonates with me. Love that strategy. I applaud you for that big time.

18:01Well, and then Paula said, she's like, look, if you're, if you're doing the macros and you're not getting the results, then I know you're not doing the macros because it works. And it was like, fuck, who knows? I really love the straight shooter talk. I love that, Melissa. Yeah. And the, uh, and the brutal honesty that like, there's been several of your podcasts where you talk about, if you're not being honest with your coach, then you're, you're short self, you're, you're not doing yourself justice because your coach can't help you if she doesn't

18:35have all the information. Yep. Totally. Totally. So those kinds of things, because again, it's, I don't open up very easily. So, um, but Kayla, it's getting better. She's amazing and she's smart and she's done such good. I mean, she's a great coach. Yeah. She's good. Yeah. Very passionate about who she's working with. And she is also just really good at laying it out straight and telling you what you need to hear, even if you don't want to hear it.

19:06Yeah, she is. She's very good at that. So how has it been eating 1900 calories? Go ahead and say that one more time. I said, she's also good. Like when you're having emotional, like, you know, she, yeah. So tell me what it's like eating 1900 calories now. Are you still at that point? Eating 1900 calories? Are you more or are you less right now? Um, I think she has to be just under 2000 and I'm not going to lie because whatever, whatever, something clicked like two weeks ago to where now it's just like, okay, now I'm like a machine.

19:41Like I'm, I'm doing this. I'm doing this. I'm adding my cardio. I'm doing my hot stretch at least three to four times a week. Um, and I'm hungry all the time. Like I, and so I'm drinking water to make sure, you know, are you just thirsty? Are you really hungry? And I'm drinking a gallon of water a day and, uh, no, I'm hungry, but I'm afraid to tell her I'm hungry because she's going to make me eat more. I'm going to go, I'm going to go message her right now.

20:11You're like, Melissa needs some more food. Send it her way. Oh, wow. I love that. My favorite stories are where you have those cues again. Not only the favorite stories of me hearing warrior beams eating more food and they're getting, they're feeling better. They're getting the results that they want. Um, but they also have those cues come back of their metabolism being like, Hey, you know, like that's a, a lot of people go not knowing what that feels like, you know? Oh yeah.

20:42That's, that's an 80, 1900 calories at 58 years young is not many 58 year olds can say that, that they're eating 1900 calories. So why? Cause they're eating less. Oh yeah. Yeah. Maybe a thousand, 1200 calories a day is the very much the broad spectrum average of the calories that women eat on a daily basis. That's so gross. Now I know, I mean, now I know what it does to you. So I just go, Oh, I know it's crazy.

21:12Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with body changes you're experiencing during menopause? It's time to take control. If you're between 45 and 65 years old and tired of struggling with body fat and muscle loss, warrior babe is here for you. At warrior B we've helped over 18,000 women, just like you lose body fat, build toned muscle and understand their bodies better with personalized plans based on hormone and thyroid testing and more. Imagine knowing exactly what your body needs to see real results and results that last.

21:47Look, don't wait anymore. Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warrior babe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warrior babe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. So I mean, can I ask you this? Like what felt different about warrior babe compared to some of the other things that you've tried before? Education. Um, I'm getting educated. It's not just, uh, I'm going to do this for a week and I'm going to lose these 20 pounds

22:20and then it's going to be done. I'm just going to live my life and I'm going to stay 20 pounds skinnier. That's, that's not what warrior babe is about. Um, she, Kayla's coaching me on my lifestyle on what I'm going to, you know, so I can grow older, longer. I don't need to worry about falling and breaking my hip. I don't need to worry about, you know, taking arthritis medicine because my arms and hands don't hurt anymore. Um, you know, I, if, if I feel crappy, I know how to go fix it.

22:51I just go to the gym and I feel better. Um, my kids aren't going to have to worry about taking care of me because right now I'm healthier than them. So, so yeah, that's, it's what's different is, and, and regardless of whether I'm the customer that I'm paying for this, Kayla coaches me, like, you know, she tells me, no, no, no, no, no. Don't do that. That's, you know, she doesn't go, oh, I don't want to hurt Melissa's feelings or she, you

23:21know, she won't react. No, she, she gives it to me the way I need it so that I can be successful. Um, can you give me like, like one or two highlight points of maybe, uh, an experience you had with coach Kayla, where you were feeling that like, I don't want to hear the fluff and she just kind of gave it to you very straight or, you know, something that was very like eyeopening in terms of support that you really enjoyed. So I think we were like three weeks in or maybe it would, no, maybe I think it was our

23:54second one-on-one and she was coaching me, but I could tell she was trying to be, um, I don't want to say politically correct. Cause that's not the right thing, but she was trying to be gentle. And I go, Kayla, you don't have to be gentle with me. I'm like, I don't need that. Just tell me, just tell me if I'm doing something wrong, just say, Melissa, don't do that anymore. Or Melissa, if you keep doing this, this is what's going to happen or what? And then I'll just go. Okay. And then I'll just, and she, so now she does that and she cracks, she actually cracks up

24:28because she's like, yeah, I tell you that she's like, you implement it straight away. Or you ask me questions like, okay, well, if I do that, you know, or whatever, or what was, why was doing this? Not good. But like, she'll explain it to me and then I move on and I adjust and I keep moving on. And that's the compliment she gave me in my last session. She's like, you're always asking questions. And she goes, when I give you correction, she goes, you apply it and you just keep pushing on. And I was like, okay, that's a good, I'll take that. I love that.

24:59You know what I call that when I'm working with like the team or with the coaches is I call it the feedback application rate. And it applies the same way with working with like clients or babes. It's called feedback application rate. So like if you, it's the exact scenario, like you're asking Kayla for feedback or you're having her tell you the things that you need to hear straight out or a recommendation to change this and do this differently. And then the ability to take that information and actually go apply it. You know, it's the hardest part for people because they'll meet resistance or they'll come up

25:30against their own excuses or, or, or, or like they're getting in their own way. But the ones that can apply it and turn it around within whatever that period of time is, whether it be 12 hours or be 24 hours or be 48 hours, that is going to take you so far. And that's what the F feedback application rate F a R. And so I always say it's going to, if you can apply it so fast like that, you're going to be able to get to where you want to be even quicker. So I love that you're at that. You're that type of human, that type of brain that just applies it quickly.

26:02Cause that's how you got into where you are now within the program too. Well, and I just, I feel, cause I do look at the website and I do see the women that are getting good success and these women that have these ridiculous bodies and it's like, oh gosh, it's so good. So I get mad at myself cause I feel like I should get there faster. And I tell that to Kayla because like, I look at that 76 year old woman, for instance, holy cow, like I don't know her name, but I see her and I'm like, ah,

26:35there's a ton of women that look amazing. And you see that from where they came from to where they are. And I get mad at myself because, you know, I'm not, I don't feel like I'm seeing that much. I'm not seeing as much difference as I want to see. But then I had Kayla go kind of got on me and she's like, no, Melissa, think about, you know, all the health challenge, like for three, for three or four months, I couldn't even get the benefits of the exercise. Cause I was trying to work through arthritis in my hands and my forearms and it just hurt

27:08to even hold the weights. Like, I was like, oh my God, what am I doing? I can't do that. Like this is, but one workout at a time, it got better, it got better, it got better. And I can remember the first time I felt sore in my pecs after I did a chest workout for the first time, I was like, praise God, because I couldn't get there. So again, if it took all that to get me here, then, then I'm fine with it. But I didn't see that at the time. I didn't see that, that, that going from here to there, I had to overcome all this stuff.

27:40Yeah. I love it. I didn't know it was there. Right. Yeah. I love that you see that now because, and I love that you recognize too, that like, sure, that person, the most recent pot or not the most recent podcast, but I did a one on comparison and have you listened to that one yet? Okay, good. Cause that's cause the thief of stealing your joy of your own journey and of your own timeline that you're on and knowing that like everyone else has, you know, their own lifestyle, their own trials and tribulations, their own things that they're going through.

28:11And as do you, as you just mentioned, like the first four months and just recognizing that like, you'll get there. It's just on your own, on your own timeline. Yeah. I love that you see that now. It's important. Let's talk about some of the accomplishments that you mentioned the arthritis. What are some of your biggest wins that you've had physically, mentally, emotionally? I'm hitting my macros like every day. I'm getting the gold star is coming up on my warrior babe app, which is awesome.

28:41Um, I'm feel so outside of hitting my max, I'm, I'm also feeling it. Like I feel different. My clothes feel looser. It's funny. My weight, I thought it would go down. It's not, it's staying right at one 50, one 51. Um, my measurements, I'm horrible at measuring. I don't know what my problem is there. I have to work on that. But, um, I have my little, like my little notebook that I have with my, you know, goals, my notes from my, and I keep, I visually keep things in my line of sight to keep my goals

29:17on track. So that like, like I have, I want to be at 20% body fat by my birthday, which is December 12th. So I have a picture there with the date and a star around it. So I know what that looks like. So if I get tempted to like, go have whatever, you know, get off my max or don't go work out. I look at that and I'm like, no, I got to go work out. No, I got to drink some more water. I'm going to put some lemon in my water. I'm going to, you know, um, my biggest, um, I'm getting personal best every single time I go to the gym.

29:48Um, I'm actually quite surprised at how strong I am, especially back workouts. Like I'm already up into like the 110 pounds, which I was like, wow, I couldn't barely do 50 when I started. And that was September. So I'm doing, and I'm doing like eight to 10 reps, not just four or five reps, like with 110 pounds. So huge, Melissa, you should be so proud of that. I, oh, I am. I mean, I am, but I didn't think about that until I went back and looked at my numbers

30:22and I was like, oh my God, you kind of came up a lot. Cause I remember the 50 pounds was hard. Like it was not easy. Yeah. Um, I, so I am proud that I look better, that I feel better, but I'm the biggest thing I think is that I've stuck with it every single day, every single day. There hasn't been a day that I haven't done something toward my goal or my program, the warrior babe program. Let's go.

30:52Let's go. I love that for you. Kick an ass. Staying consistent. That's the best way you're going to show it. When you show up for yourself on a daily basis, don't need to be perfect. You just need to be consistent. Yeah. How has your relationship with your body and with food, how has that, you know, changed? Oh my gosh. Tremendously. I, now I look at myself in the mirror, like before I wouldn't like when I was getting in the shower, I wouldn't look. Now I look, now I'm looking at my pictures. Um, I have my comparison pictures here so I can kind of see myself.

31:26Um, so no, now I'm, I'm treating it more like a, like I would treat a project at work. Like I'm, I love that. You know, I'm, I'm charting the milestones, if you will. So I can see my own. Um, I pay a lot of attention to my stats from my smart scale. Um, I've been, I researched how the scale, um, measures each one of these things so I can know which ones to take seriously and which ones to say, okay, this might not be my real body fat percentage, but at least I know it's going down.

31:58Um, just based on how it's measured. Um, yeah, just, just educating myself. That's been my biggest thing. I think it's shocking how, how off the, off the tracks we get on what's really good for us and what's really not good for us. Yeah. Well, that's not really, that's not your guys' fault either though. It's like the marketing and the things that are out there, they're telling you to do X,

32:30Y, and Z, eat less, train more, move often. Those things are, um, they don't, they serve a purpose for a bit, but they don't serve a purpose for a long-term sustainable, you know, being realistic or the reality of what you live on a daily basis. So, um, and I love that you, you know, now when we were talking earlier, how you mentioned that you avoid the mirrors and you avoid the photos, it's like now you have a journal and you're taking your progress pictures and you're putting them in there. That's a huge difference.

33:00That's a, that's really cool. So when you look back, um, what's something that you can do now that you never imagined you would be able to do or that you never imagined you feel good doing again, not, not never be able to do. Um, so my, I hate calling my boyfriend cause I'm 58, but my, the, the gentleman that I've been dating for 15 years, um, he buys me clothes all the time, like really cute workout clothes. And he always buys me shirts that don't have backs on them that kind of open up.

33:34So you just wear, but you're, and, and I would never, wouldn't wear them. I've had them in my closet for five years. I wouldn't touch them. And now I'm wearing them. Like he loves it. He's like, Oh my gosh, that looks so good. Why haven't you worn that before? I said, because you lied to me and said I was sexy and I wasn't sexy. I was fat. So now I'm feeling so. Oh, I love that. So that's, that's been the one thing. Cause he like Nikki, if I showed you my closet, like my closet has got leg, like expensive,

34:08tons of leggings, tons of cute workout tops that, that you wear when you like want to show your body off. And I would not wear them. And now I'm wearing them. And he, he's like, okay, he loves it. He's like, yeah. And we, I mean, we don't live together or anything. We like, we're truly dating. Um, but he, he likes it. Oh, I love that. Let's go. And I can walk in that closet. You can look at those cute, sexy outfits and be like, all right, which one am I going to wear today? Exactly. Uh, what about if you, what, what if you never made the change?

34:42Like, where do you think you'd be today? I'd still be, I'd be in more pain. My body composition would just be getting more off and more off because the worst thing is I was still the same size. I was still the same weight. It was just like, it was just like my body was changing in ways that my clothes didn't fit right. Not the way they fit when they, when I was wearing them before. Yeah. It's just like everything moved. It's like that, that picture of when you're watching, you know, the old Popeye commercials,

35:16when they would take the thing and push the gut up into the chest and then he'd be all muscular. That's kind of how I felt. That's kind of, that's kind of how I feel like my body's transforming because I'm not getting lighter, but things are moving. Like it's getting denser in my waist area. My arms, like I had my son. I hadn't seen my youngest son for like three weeks. And I went to meet him at a Jersey's Jersey Mike's to pick him up. And when I walked in, he goes, Oh my gosh, mom, your legs are so muscular and your waist is so small. Like he was like, and how'd that feel to hear that type of comment?

35:50It was awesome because he just lost like 40 pounds. He's really into the macros and doing his thing. And now he's waiting. So no, it was, it was, I was like, really? You're not just saying that? He's like, no, your legs look so muscular. I was like, okay. Oh my gosh. I love that so much for you. How about, I love the comment that you made about not feeling like that much pain anymore with arthritis. Isn't it pretty cool to like, you're not taking, are you taking, do you take medication for it or no? And I never took, I wouldn't take medication for it.

36:22That's why it's so frustrating. I didn't want to take anything. And, um, and if I, if I like, sometimes I'll push like a, an upper body, a push or a pull workout, I'll push it one day because of a meeting or something, or I just can't get to it that day. Or I'm flying that day to go out of town for business. Yeah. If I push it too many days and I don't do my regular upper body workouts on the days that they're scheduled to do, my arms will start getting sore again. Like, so it is something that like, it is a, you have to stay with it.

36:54Your body needs to. Totally. That's so cool. I love those types of, the wins that I love is that. Cause I watched my grandmother go through arthritis and it's painful. And she was someone that didn't do exercise, didn't really move. Um, and she was a nurse, which is crazy to me, but. I don't think you, they, I don't think you relate the two because I would have never thought that doing pushups would make my forearms and hands stop hurting. Right. Yeah. True. It kind of is a catch 22.

37:24It doesn't, it's kind of intuitive. So you think, Oh, I can't do that. It hurts. No, I have to do it. I have to get through this. So these get stronger. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. So as we wrap up this conversation, which thank you so much for sharing this and everything that you have, it's, it's, uh, I know a lot of women are listening to this and be like, yeah, I've definitely felt in Melissa's shoes now. And, um, you know, they've, they've been inspired by the words that you've shared with us for that person that may be watching this right now. And it feels like stuck or feels frustrated with their body and doesn't know where to turn.

37:57What would you want them to know about warrior babe? Um, that whether you do it, the one thing I say is when I started in September and I'm working every single day, my body might not be where I want it to be right at this moment, but I'm one day closer than I was yesterday. And if I stopped doing it, progress will stop. And now my, my body and my mind are almost to the point where it's not even optional for

38:29me to, to miss a workout because I physically need it. And I mentally need it just to keep saying and to keep, and cause I want to feel healthy. Like, I just don't want to feel yucky anymore. I don't want to feel so. So. I love that. I love that. You're still on this journey with us. You still got more time to go. And I just thank you for showing up here today and, you know, showing other women that it's possible to change, not by doing more, but by just doing things differently.

39:03That's yeah. Yeah. And honestly, the, the, the, everybody are not everybody. I shouldn't generalize. I used to think that meal prepping was so hard, like meal prep, meal prepping actually makes life easier because you kind of already know what you're going to do. You just need to do it. Like you just need to buy your proteins, buy your veggies, buy your starches and just, you know, fix them, put them in the fridge. So, um, it's actually made my life a lot easier.

39:35No, no more decisions. Say that louder for the people in the back. It's made my life easier. No more decisions. Yes. Let's go. You know exactly what to eat on a daily basis. How about that? Yeah. Wild. You don't have to spend or exhaust your thoughts on what am I going to have for breakfast? What am I going to have for lunch? What am I going to have for dinner? It's like, it's already made. Yeah. Cool. Hard boil my eggs for the week and done. Done. Wow. Well, your story is going to resonate on so many levels. I thank you for being here and sharing it with me. And, um, you know, if anybody feels like they're in Melissa's shoes right now,

40:09or they're experiencing some frustration or where Melissa was before she found us, then check out worry, babe. Go, go see how we can help. If you like me cursing, you're going to hear a lot of it. So you'll find your people inside of worry, babe. For sure. It is not for the faint. That's for sure. I have to work hard. Yeah. Not on every, like even like what Shannon said to you, we don't accept everybody in here. Some people can't make it and that's okay. You're just not at the point of the journey where you're accepting that it could be a feat for you to learn and to understand, but you really got to want the change.

40:41Yeah. Really got to want the change. Yeah. I agree. Cool. Melissa. Thanks for being here. Thank you, Nikki. It was so great to talk to you. Bye-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.

41:13Thank you so much for leaving that review. I appreciate you so much.

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