How She Lost 50lbs w/ WarriorBabe Lona

00:00Nobody is going to take care of me better than I'm going to take care of myself. So why don't I go get like real help in getting on the other side of some of these things that have been challenges for me over the course of my lifetime. So today we've got WarriorBabe Alona here with us. She spent years putting everyone and everything ahead of herself, never fully making time for her own health and her own happiness.

00:30But after a powerful mindset shift, which I'm really excited to get into today with her, she realized that she deserved to feel strong. She deserved to feel confident and proud of the woman that she saw in the mirror. And with WarriorBabe, she found the tools. She found the guidance. She found the coaching. She found the support to step into her best self now. And now she's not just transforming physically, but she's redefining what's possible for her future. Alona, welcome. I'm excited to dive into your story. Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it. Of course. So for the listeners, can you just let everyone know where you're located in the U.S., what you do for work and how old you are?

01:04Sure. I am 55 years old. I live in Bloomington, Minnesota, which is a first tier suburb of the Minneapolis area. And I'm a product manager coach by trade. Nice. What does that mean? What do you do for that? Yeah. So I help people build good software by teaching them how to go out and discover what's really, really important and valuable when they build stuff for other people. Oh, you're a good connect to have. Yeah. Happy to help anytime. And by the way, I share a lot of things that I think, you know, our tools could use, whether it's MyFitnessPal or the things like that.

01:39I'm one of those people that's typing all the things I think they can improve. So here's the help. I love that. You should try to get into MyFitnessPal and be like, hey, guys, improve these things. That's right. Because you definitely need some work. There's some work there. Yeah, for sure. Cool. So let's dive into your health and fitness before you found Warrior Bay. What did that look like? I don't think it looked like anything, candidly. I mean, you know, the problem was that it was... I love this interview already. You're so candid. Like, you're just straight to the point. Yeah. I mean, it didn't look like a routine. It didn't look like a focused, you know, type of set of activities.

02:13It didn't look like anything. I mean, I was very active as a kid and very active through college. But then came out of college, got working, and kind of that old thing fell apart. And so, you know, 33 years later or so, I'm sitting there thinking to myself, I'm the heaviest I've ever been. I don't have the stamina that I should have. I don't understand what's happening to me going through menopause. And I just really needed to understand it better. My undergraduate's in biology. And so I'm a nerd about, like, data and information and how processes work.

02:48And I was really looking for somebody to help me understand what was going on with myself. But, you know, maybe I was hitting the gym. Maybe I was doing my walks and that kind of thing. But I really wasn't focused, certainly, on strength training and all the things that we get to do here at Warrior Babe. Let's unpack that a little bit. What were you doing? Like, what did your movement, your fitness look like? And then what were you eating? Yeah. Well, I was eating pretty much whatever I wanted and I was drinking a lot. I used drinking as a crutch for a lot of things.

03:20And we could talk about that for sure. But I, you know, most of my eating was around social situations or it was around stress situations. And so it wasn't full of nutrition necessarily. Although, you know, I always had a sense for, like, what was good to eat and what was not good to eat. So it wasn't like I was, I was never, like, a big soft drinker or anything like that. I love fruits and vegetables. Like, none of that stuff was hard for me. It just wasn't what I was putting in my body. I would not plan meals.

03:52And so I would grab whatever I could find at a convenience store, for example. And, you know, you do your best with that, but that's, you know, it's full of additives. It's full of other things. And so, yeah, what I was eating was really a function of going out and being social and eating what looked good at the time, but not necessarily focused on how much fat was in it or how much, you know, what the calories were. And so even if I was eating, well, I definitely wasn't eating enough. We could talk about, like, how I learned that despite all of that, I wasn't eating nearly enough food. You know, that I wasn't eating, I wasn't eating the stuff that was good for me and I wasn't eating it in a way that was going to fuel my body and its success.

04:30And then in terms of exercise, I would go on hikes. I loved to be outdoors and I love to take nature photography and that kind of thing. So, you know, walking a lot and everything, but nothing concerted and nothing strength oriented. I did do Pilates for about 15 years, so I felt like I had a good core strength. I've seen some of your videos. Pilates is a lot harder than anybody ever thinks it is for sure. And I love it. I was humbled. I was hardly humbled. Yeah. And I'm glad that I did that first because I feel like, candidly, it has helped me with a lot of the form associated with strength training.

05:05I think you could get into bad habits and lift heavy and then not have the kind of body positioning that you need. So I'm grateful that I did that. But, you know, during the pandemic, I kind of stopped that too. And so 2022 and 2023 were really, really difficult years for me. And I felt that on top of the body changes that I was going through because I was hitting menopause. Do you mind? I appreciate you being vulnerable and opening up some of those aspects of either alcohol or social situations. Sure. Let's dive into that. Like, what were some of the biggest roadblocks that kept you from prioritizing your health before Warrior Beam?

05:42Yeah. I mean, I think one of the biggest ones was just, you know, I grew up in an environment that had a lot of trauma associated with it. Dad was an alcoholic. Parents got divorced when I was 12. I had a very difficult coming out process. I'm gay. And so I had a difficult coming out process through my teenage years and everything. Lots of Catholic high school education and everything. Wow. Yeah. And so, you know, in the process of, like, going through that and then getting on the other side of that and then getting into the workforce where I was, I grew up poor.

06:14I, you know, like money became important to me. Um, fitting in became important to me. And a lot of that stuff just, you know, trying to, trying to find your way in that combination of worldviews, um, makes, makes for a lot of reactive action as opposed to, like, thoughtful, proactive action. So I kind of woke up, you know, after 30 years of a career going, why am I even doing this? Like, it has nothing to do with what I loved when I was a child. It had nothing to do with what my passions really are.

06:45Um, and it doesn't, it, it doesn't, it hasn't resulted in me, like, being able to stop working when I was 40 or anything. And so it's not like I, you know, got a whole lot out of it. I'm still working and I'm still wondering why I've let this relationship I have with myself go in the process. So that was a big revelation for me in January of 24. Wow. Yeah. That's a pretty self-aware moment to have for yourself to realize that, like, and then was that what, when you came home from travel?

07:15Or was that like the whole story? Yeah. Yeah. So I was at, I was at a work, uh, conference event and I had just a terrible interaction with, uh, some of the leadership there. And I went back to my hotel and I just started crying and I just couldn't, I was like, why, what in the world am I doing here? I mean, you know, I'm away from home. I'm away from my family. I'm trying to do my best, but nobody wants to hear me. Nobody wants to listen to what I have to say. Nobody, you know, and I'm thinking to myself, I am too old for this shit.

07:46Like I have done too many things in my life, um, to be treated this way, but also it wasn't good for me. Right. It wasn't, it wasn't, I mean, I think you get to a point in your life where you, you have to realize that you're not for everyone and, and that's okay. But I thought I was for these people and then they were rejecting me. And so it became a very, very big moment of like, wow, like something's got to change.

08:18Maybe I need to like me better. And then that won't matter as much. Wow. Yeah. It was crazy. Can we talk about that? Cause there's so many women that I feel like go through their day to day, trying to please others and trying to make others happy. And that right there is such a profound realization that like, Hey, I need to love myself. And kind of like, I talk about it, putting like a bubble around you so that you can't have any of these negative interjections coming into your space. It aren't necessarily a part of your story or who you are.

08:49They are, they're living their own path and you're on your own path, but you have to feel so confident, secure in yourself. Um, so like with that, like what emotions came up when you felt like you weren't living as like the person that you wanted to be essentially, and you were people pleasing and doing all these things for other people. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, every emotion you could think of, I was angry for, for, you know, wasting time, not doing it earlier. Right. But at the same time, it was super motivational for me to be like, okay, you know, the only time that's worse than like yesterday is not doing it today.

09:23And so like get your act together, you know? And, um, and it was also like the mind shift and I still work on this and Haley and I talk about this a lot, you know, I have had such an adversarial relationship with my body, like as if it was working against me, as opposed to saying, you know, it's like my oldest friend and companion. And it's been there for with me from forever. And maybe it's trying really hard. And I, if I gave it a little bit more, you know, love and consideration and attention and all that kind of stuff, we'd have a better relationship.

09:55And so it was really profound. I was thinking about all these other relationships I have, all these external relationships I have and trying to understand why I might be going through rejection or whatever. And I realized I had been rejecting the most important relationship I have had my whole life was which, which is the one with me. Right. And that made a huge difference, just understanding. And that's what led me to looking for a program that led me to Warrior Babe. Yeah. Holy cow. Okay. Yeah. Um, these are the also going, I want to, I want to keep on that, but I want to shift slightly to the menopause aspect of it.

10:30Yeah. Warrior Babe before, after, uh, menopause. So great question. Um, kind of during, I guess would be the right way to say it. My, you know, one year anniversary of not having a period was, was June of last year. So I had started Warrior Babe right before that. I'm about ready to hit my second year, you know, post menopause, if you will. Okay. Got you. Yeah. So when you found Warrior Babe, how did you find this? Uh, via your socials. Okay. Gotcha. Yeah. What stuck out the most? Like, what was I saying or doing or?

11:01Yeah. Yeah. Two things. One was, I was looking for a program for people over 40 because I feel like a lot of the fitness stuff is just for younger people. And I knew that like my body couldn't necessarily do all of that. And it wasn't, it wasn't going to be realistic for me to think about that as an aspect of, of, as a way for me to get encouragement. And then second, so the first thing was you were targeting folks over 40, which was awesome. And it was a program for women, especially, especially. And then you talked a lot about the, the, the biology of menopause and what it's doing, you know, what hormones have to do with it, what, what also, you know, the physiological effects of things like, um, uh, you know, uh, um, muscle, muscle loss and, uh, bone density loss and all these other things, which really intrigued me.

11:48Uh, one of my favorite, uh, college courses when I was, uh, at Penn State was the, the biology, biology of aging. And, uh, you know, I'm in this mode of aging, right. And I didn't understand it at all. And so the content that I read and the way that you all were focusing on that was really an impactful way for me to, to like say, okay, this program is, is going to give me the information that I need to understand where I'm at. Gotcha. I love that. Yeah. Also the organ of longevity, you build more muscle, you have more muscle to your body. You're going to live longer for sure.

12:18And I love that you're, you have the data and the mindset of the biology and the science. And it makes sense for you. It has to make sense for me. It has to, like, that's a big part of it. If it doesn't make sense, I'm not going to do it. So yeah, facts, facts and data. I can't get enough of them. I love that. So when you found the ad, you were hearing these, or the, the socials, you were hearing these things. What made you finally like decide to take the lead, fill out the 19 question application, get on a call with the team? Like what, what was like full send go?

12:49Um, I think the combination of like the res, how it resonated for me and the comfort that I had with the information I was getting combined with this kind of very big kind of life altering motivational shift that I had in my brain, which was, you know, nobody is going to take care of me better than I'm going to take care of myself. So why don't I go get like real help in getting on the other side of some of these things that have been, uh, challenges for me over the course of my lifetime? What do you feel like was the hardest belief or thought?

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14:25Um, most of it has been mental, you know, um, I, I'm not, I'm not great. Well, I probably am really good at habit forming, but that for the habits I was forming weren't great. Right. So, so, um, there's this great artist here in the twin cities that, uh, a singer that's been around forever. And one day she said, you spend the first 50 years trying to kill yourself and the next 50, try and not to die. And, and I was, I was like, like, that is, I'm going to tattoo that somewhere on my body at some point because I'm like, that's such an important thing.

14:57And so I felt a combination of things. I felt a time bomb of sorts, right. That says like, there's going to be a point of no return because by the time I realized I can't get out of my chair, like I would like to, it's too late. Like, let's not ever get to that point. Number two, I have to focus on me. Nobody else is going to take care of me. And I have tools that I have been neglecting that will make that possible. And three, now I can find a program that's going to, you know, I was able to find a program that was going to give me the information that I needed to be successful.

15:29So that was the, that, that combination of factors just was like, yeah, I'm going to take the plunge. Get it done. Yeah. So what were the first couple of months like with, as being a warrior babe? So I will say like, I'm not sure if, if I, I can't say for sure. Like, it's just, I just got so lucky with Haley. Um, every, I was, I was a sponge, right. Absorbing everything that she was telling me. And one of the things I think that she's so good at, which, you know, I'm sure that you coach when you are working with your coaches is how to really get to a one-on-one relationship

16:03and really factor that into the information that you get, you know, that they give. So she knew to give me like the science behind macros and she knew to give me the science behind the supplements that we were talking about. And she was so willing to answer any questions that I had, even if they kind of sounded like they weren't really topical, but because I could make a, uh, I could help her understand the reason it was on my mind. And then she would be willing to like help me out with it. And so, you know, those first few months were just about like, you don't eat enough.

16:36I'm going to make you eat more and I'm going to make you eat the right things more. And I, I looked at her at one point and I said, I don't know how to eat this much. I have, I, this is so much food. And, you know, so for that, that first mind shift of just like eat more and, and, and, and then spend the energy by going to do your strength training. That was probably the biggest thing that, uh, you know, I needed to understand right away. I love that. And now I understand, like shout out to Haley M. Because I understand now the dynamic you guys have, because I'm learning who you are right now.

17:09And she's so smart and she can throw facts and like give you biological breakdowns and give you the science behind things. And that is like your brain. You're very analytical. You're very like data driven metrics, like all the things break it down. So I understand it and I can understand why y'all the perfect match. Yeah. It's really, it's really great. I, you know, I, I'm super happy that she's my coach and, uh, I get a lot out of every interaction that we have. That's so cool. Yeah. And I love that you said like, it's more mindset for you in this, uh, you know, relationship and the one-on-one that you have with her, because I think that's what we do really good at warrior babe is like, it's not just about your nutrition.

17:46It's not just about your workouts. Yes. Hell yes. They're so important, but it also is like the mindset that you came into this program with. And can we break down like the limiting beliefs or the stories or whatever is being told? I can't eat this much, or I don't know how to work out, or I don't have enough time or whatever it is. And can we break that down and give you more confidence in yourself and how to show up for yourself, how to put yourself first. So I love that you said that it's more so the mindset aspect for you, because that's truly what we, how we want to be perceived in this space, um, is not just workouts and macros.

18:19I think that that's really important for people to hear because I, you know, you're right. I mean, I think you could go out and get a workout program from a lot of people and be somewhat successful physically. Um, in, in this particular case, um, that, that wouldn't have been the thing that worked for me. I mean, it would have been work. It would have worked for me maybe, uh, and partially. Right. But for me, you know, we journal, we, uh, and I, I share my journal entries with her and then she, she goes, okay, let's unpack that another layer. And it's like, oh my God, so many, you know, so many parfait layers.

18:50Like it's crazy. And, and, you know, we've done the hero's journey workshop and we've done the, the, um, she did a great little advent thing this past advent where we did a journaling session for 25 days and everything like that. Um, and then I've sought out other ways to kind of do mindset changes, whether that's books, you know, she runs a book club for some of us and everything. There's just so much about how we've been programmed. Uh, and we don't even know it, right. The intersection of me being like, I'm white, but I, I'm a woman, but I'm also queer.

19:21That's a very specific intersection of things. And you have babes that are, you know, BIPOC, right. Women and are a different ages and all that and are straight. Right. And so we have all these intersections, but there are some really common beliefs that have just been ingrained in us since we were really, really, really small. And we don't even know that they happen. And, uh, and so I'm grateful that you all spend the time with us to unpack what's behind the reasons you say you can't do. Um, progress over perfection has been my number one mantra, uh, in warrior babe.

19:55And, and it's because of that, right. You go anyway. I just say like, go to the gym anyway. Uh, you know, mindset, mindset stuff is the most important piece here. Yeah. Let's go. I love that. I love that. That's huge. And it goes back to your point of like building the one-on-one relationship, because as you just mentioned, everyone is different. And the reason behind the, I can't is different for everyone else because of what they've been carrying for with themselves for so long. It didn't, it didn't even realize it. And then once you get past that story, it's like a whole new narrative and you can just be unstoppable.

20:30I'd like to think so. Love that. Hey, while you're listening, if you're getting value from this episode, take a moment to tap that review button or share this podcast with a friend. It's a small gesture that goes a long way in helping more women find their way to feeling stronger and more confident in their skin. I appreciate you so much for taking the time to support this show. So I want to pull it into the aging factor of what you kind of just talked about, aging and fitness. Like as a menopausal, postmenopausal woman, like how do Worry Babe challenge the myths that you once believed about aging and fitness?

21:08Yeah. Well, I think one was just that I can still do things that I didn't think that I could do. So, you know, it's a, it's a strange thing to walk into a gym at 54 and that's the first time you've ever done a bench press. Like it was just, it was, it was wild. Right. I mean, and I, by the way, they're one of my favorite exercises now. And I like, I really love them and everything. And it feels like such a bro thing to go do. And like, I want to be that, I want to be in the gym being like, no, I can do this too. Like, look at this old lady getting it done, you know?

21:38And so I think, I think that was the, the, just the overcoming of like, you know, yeah, your knees are going to hurt a little bit more than maybe a kid in her twenties that is doing the same thing because they don't have the wear and tear on their knees that they did before. But that doesn't mean that you can't modify the exercise to still be very successful in doing a squat or doing, you know, a lunge or whatever. I had back surgery last May. So I started Warrior Babe and then had two major surgeries and had been dealing with the accommodation of that through modifications and everything as well.

22:11Those have served me. My back is stronger today than it was before I had surgery. And that's a great thing. Right. And I haven't heard it despite the fact that I've been doing this for seven months since I got out of like the don't touch, you know, don't touch anything kind of phase of the surgery recovery. And that's a great story for somebody who's older, who might need to do a knee replacement or might need to do a, you know, some kind of a soldier shoulder surgery or whatever to say like, no, this is going to still work for you. And you can make those modifications to get back up to a, you know, where you want to be.

22:44So I've been very, very happy that I didn't let my age get in the way. My age is a motivator. I will say that like my, my mom died of cancer when I was 32 and she was 63. So I am now like only eight years away from surpassing her in age, which is a very mentally very weird thing to be thinking about. But I know what she was like at that age, cancer aside. And I know what I want to be.

23:15And I want to be different. I want to be stronger. I want to be more active, more mobile, more in, in, in love with myself. I want all of those things. And so that's very motivating in a way. Like it's terrifying that at some point I will have lived longer than my mom has lived. Like that's weird. And that at some point, I guess it was this year, right? I was 30. Well, when I'm, I can't do math. When I'm 65, I will have lived longer without her than I would have lived with her.

23:49And like, these are really interesting numbers. Again, my data mind, right? Yeah, your data brain. Yeah, these are really interesting numbers, but they don't scare me like they used to. That used to make me very sad and like very afraid. Like, am I going to live past 63? Am I, you know, and instead now I'm like, I'm going to be my best self at that age. Yeah. Amazing, right? Yeah. I love that for you so much. Yeah. That's incredible. Very cool. Yeah. It's really a nice, again, another mind, it's more about mind shift than anything else, really. It is. It is. And I love hearing that through your story.

24:19Thanks. Let's talk about where you're at now with Warrior Babe. So you're, you just mentioned beforehand that when we were catching up that you've been a Warrior Babe for how long now? Yeah. So a little over a year, I'm in my second year. So I, my anniversary is the 31st of January. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. So you mentioned when you first came into Warrior Babe, she was, Haley was telling you to eat more, eat more, eat more. Yes. What did that look like in terms of numbers? If you can remember, like how much were you, once she like kind of assessed where you were at with your calories and then asked you to eat.

24:50Yeah. I can absolutely, again, being a data nerd, I can tell you exactly. Right. So I started at like 1570 and then we went up to like 1680 and then we, now I'm at 1965. Let's go. Yeah. And I've still lost, I still lost, I mean, I was in January of last, of 2024, I weighed 233 pounds and I'm sitting at 182 right now. So, I mean, despite the fact that I'm eating like crazy. Holy shit. Yeah. I know. It's crazy, right?

25:22That's 50 pounds. Yeah. If I can do math, you're like, right? No, you did. Yep. Exactly. Just about 50 pounds. Yep. Oh my gosh. Yeah. And you're eating like almost 500 more calories. Yeah. Every day. Like I'm, and as you can imagine, cause I'm a weirdo, uh, I hit my macro six out of seven days a week. Like, like clockwork. That's not being a weirdo. That's being consistent. And again, consistency is everything. Like these are habits that I'm forming that I didn't know I could, but, um, and it's so

25:53that we could talk about food all day long. Cause like I, now I can go into a restaurant on the days that I do go out. I'm like, I know exactly what a portion size looks like. Cause I've been weighing my food and I know what it looks like. Right. And, and that's. Can you see that louder for the. Yeah. Weigh your food, weigh your food and get a sense. Because you want to be able to go out and know exactly what that portion size looks like and eat it and absolutely eat it. And by the way, throw that extra chicken breast on there. Don't be afraid. That's the other thing. Like I go in and I'm like, I'm going to need to add a side of this to this.

26:26And people are like, what? And I'm like, no, no girl, I'm eating. I have to eat. Every time I go out, I'm like, nah, just double the protein intake. Cause absolutely protein in my food. Absolutely. Absolutely. And people are weirded out by that, but I don't care. I'm like, no, I got to eat it. I don't want to, I don't want to step off that track. So you lost 50 pounds by eating more food and you just mentioned that you were going into a cut. Yeah. That's the hope. Anyway, we're, we're seeing how we do here. I'm, I'm, I plateaued in October. So when we went up to the 1965, I stopped losing weight.

26:59I didn't gain anymore, but I stopped losing weight and I was still doing, I was still doing reconfigurations. My, my, my fat, uh, my fat loss is still there. You know, the proportion of, of, of fat free muscle mass versus fat and everything is still changing, which is awesome. Um, I just went and got a, uh, DEXA scan not that long ago. So now we have like real data to look at, to understand a little bit more about it. Um, again, cause I'm a nerd theme here is nerd. Um, and, uh, but yeah, uh, so now I think April, late April, we're going to look at doing

27:31a cut because, um, we want to kind of, and I started some cardio now as a means to kind of test the theory here. Um, and, uh, yeah, we'll see how it plays out. Um, but I'm excited about that. You're in a great space to do that. You spent so much time staying up at like 19, almost 2000 calories. Yeah. It's been, it'll be four months or so by the time we go into that cut. So, yeah. So your body recognizes it's most likely your maintenance. So your body is going to see once you slash the calories down a little bit, not much that you'll probably start dropping a little bit more.

28:01That's super exciting. It will be exciting to see if there's a six pack underneath this well insulated area of my body. What's the goal that you want to get to? Um, so my original goal was, was 165, but depending on how that goes, I'd get down, you know, if I could get down into the 150 space, that'd be great. But I've, I've actually never weighed that much or that little, I should say. Like even when I was a junior in college and I was probably in the best shape, I was playing co-ed football and volleyball and rollerblading all over campus and all kinds of other things.

28:32I still was 165. Like I was, I'm, I just had muscle at that point. So if I could look like I did in my junior year of college, that would be amazing. But you know, maybe we'll do better. I don't know. Yeah. And it may not even be that you get to that number, but you still, but you look physically like you're, you're more toned, you're built, like the muscle's showing more. Absolutely. I, for sure. People don't recognize me. Like I've, I've had people come up to me and they're like, wait, I don't, who are you? Yeah. I mean, the, the, all of the, all of this is gone and you know, the, the arms are like

29:07strong and everything. Yeah. It's been really great. It's such a wonderful, I feel great about where I'm at. And that's the biggest thing is like, it seems like a long time to talk about doing this for over a year, but I signed up for year two back in July before I even was done with my first year, because I knew I was going to need like a long-term program that was going to get me there. And that's the other thing that you guys do such a great job about. I have to say, like, I walked into this and in the first couple of conversations that Haley

29:38and I had, she's like, you're not going to get results in six months. If this is, if you think that this is that program, you need to like check out because this isn't going to work for you. You're going to get frustrated and you're going to, you're going to be like mad at us. Right. You gotta, you gotta realize that this is a journey and that you're going to do different things over the course of a number of years to get where you're at. And that the people that you're looking at now, like yourself, Nikki, who are in top shape and feeling great and everything that took them years too.

30:10And so don't discredit. Yeah. Don't take, you know, don't discredit their hard work by thinking that you could get that in three to six months. That's not fair to them. And it's not fair to you because you're setting yourself up for failure. I love that so much. I love it, Haley. Like, you know, that's what we talk about inside the team. Like all of our marketing is like, dude, if it's not for you, if you want results in three months, cause like it's, you're going to get, you're going to blame the program. Right. Well, that's it. People are going to get down on warrior, babe, as opposed to like realizing that that was never the intention.

30:40Right. Oh, and it's happened. I believe you. I believe you. I'm sure there's all kinds of hate out there, but, but I, you know, when I said to her, I think at one point when, when we had a really stark conversation, she said, I said, well, how long is it going to take for me to really see what I want to see? You know? And she's like five years. It's like, Oh boy. Okay. Like I had, I had, I had to know that upfront. Right. I had to know that upfront honesty though, like out straight like that. Yes. It was huge. And it made a big difference in me deciding any way that I was going to be a part of this

31:14because I felt like I knew, like I had the right answers. Now I had all the information that I needed to make a decision. Let's go, man. I freaking love that so much. So you're training them really well. And Haley's really awesome. That's awesome. She's a gem. She is truly a gem. Yeah. She's incredible human. Yeah. What else are some of your top achievements that you've had with Wariobeam? Aside from the weight loss? Yeah. Cause I, I mean, non-scale victories have been really fun. So, um, a couple of things, like I said, I recovered from the two surgeries, um, that I had and I'm feeling stronger that now than I was beforehand, which is great.

31:47Um, I, I went into year two with a really, uh, a really like, um, one of the other things we talk about is the fact that we've forgotten how to play as adults. We don't play anymore. We don't, you know, yeah. And it's sad. And I remember like when I was a kid, I was literally that tomboy running, clumping, you know, running, jumping, climbing trees, like all that kind of stuff. And I forgot how to do that. And so I joined a parkour gym in January as a, as an augmentation to what I'm doing with Warrior Babe. I joined a gym and I get to like learn how to flip upside down again and like wall run

32:21and all kinds of other stuff. And it's not easy, but it's super fun. And I'm excited to be doing it. And I would not have done that if I didn't have the first year with this program to really gain the confidence, uh, and, and the, the willingness to like take a little bit of a chance on me in new ways and also to, to understand that like your physical body should bring you joy. Like it's a, it's a, it's a worthy companion. And that being on that journey with your body is like literally the one, the one thing that

32:52you carry with you your entire life is your physical self. And if you, if you don't give it time and you don't give it attention and you don't give it chances to like express itself creatively, that's, that's not good for it. And in our culture, we don't, I mean, unless you get to be an artist, which is amazing. I'm so grateful that they exist, but like most of us are in the grind. Most of us are, you know, nine to five Monday through Friday sitting at a desk. And, um, and that's, that's not the right way to live. Um, and so I'm grateful that I'm going to get into my, you know, my crone years, if you

33:25will, uh, with, with a very active and, and, and mobile body and mind and, uh, connection that I've not had since I was a kid. Wow. You should be so proud of all like the work that you've done. And even like getting to hear your story here now is so dope in terms of like hearing where you were before and then hearing where you are now. And you're so much more confident, energetic, you're playing. That is so fun. I love that for you. It is fun. It's really fun. I'm really old compared to most of the people that are there, but I don't care.

33:57I love that for you. Yeah. Uh, what I love too, when I was reading your form was that you mentioned that you actually enjoyed looking in the mirror now. Yes, it's true. How does that make you feel? It's true. It's really interesting. I, I think I said, you know, that I look at myself in the mirror more now than I have in my entire adult life. And it's true. Like I, I don't have a full length mirror in my house because I, I would ask other people if my clothes looked all right or anything, but it really like, it was not something I cared about. Now I have always loved my hair.

34:28So don't, that's not that like, you always fix your hair, right? You always do your hair up, um, and everything. But yeah, for the most part, it was, it was weird. I just, I realized I don't, I don't do that. And the accountability associated with taking the pictures every week, um, and looking at that and feeling good about those achievements, um, and, you know, getting feedback from my coach about, you know, Hey, don't, don't neglect that just because the scale hasn't changed, there's not, you know, I've lost like 10 inches around my waist and it like, and that's, I

35:03can't even fathom that I used to carry that much extra, you know, literally visceral fat because of where it was located. Right. And, and so, yeah, I mean, it's, it's nice to look in the mirror now. I like to smile at myself and say, go on girl. I mean, I know I feel like Stuart Smalley, uh, but that's all right. I don't know who that is, but that's because you're too young to know who that is. But Al Franken had a character on SNL called Stuart Smalley and he would look in the mirror and he would say, you're good enough. You're smart enough. And doggone it, people like you.

35:34And like, you know, I didn't do that for myself, but I do now. And that's really awesome. That's what we, we used to joke around when there was only six coaches on the team and we would get on Zooms and we would have to talk to clients and babes that were having a hard time. One of the coaches would, um, go, go to the team and share what she does, which is she looks in the mirror and she's like, I'm a really good freaking coach, you know? And like, and it's the same thing. It's like, I'm good enough. I'm like, I, I look great at my body. I feel confident in my body. And you look at yourself in the mirror and you say that with so much, like, like so much

36:07oomph and so much confidence. Yeah. But you have to, I mean, to your point about that too, is like, sometimes you have to do it anyway. Like, like we, you know, one of the things I said is I don't want to go to the gym today. I'm going anyway. Like I'm getting off of this call and I'm going to the gym because I have a gym workout to do today. Like I'm going to do it. Even if I didn't want to today, I do. But if like it didn't, I would anyway. Like same thing, talk to yourself, give yourself that pep talk, even when you don't want to, because eventually it becomes something that you look forward to. Correct. A hundred percent.

36:37Yeah. One hundred percent. And it doesn't hurt that people look at you better too. I mean, I gotta be honest with you, but I don't think that it's physical for me necessarily. I mean, maybe some of it is, but like, I think I'm a better person. Like, I just think I'm a better person. And so that's awesome. And people like me better. Yeah. I mean, that's, and that's all the matters from what you were sharing beforehand. In terms of like, give, like you felt rejected by the people around you, but now you're so confident in yourself and you stand your ground and you know who you are. So that exudes, um, differently with the people that look at you and they like you more because

37:11you are who you are. Yeah. And you're accepted that way. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's it. The idea that, you know, I don't have to be for everyone is something I didn't understand. Yeah. But, um, it's also like really, um, freeing to, to know that being more authentic may mean that people figure that out sooner rather than later, but then that means that there's less rejection for you too, because you find your tribe. Exactly. And even with the, with the rejection, it's just redirection.

37:41That's it. Right. Yeah. I don't, they don't have to be for me. Yeah. Yeah. And, and it's interesting. I'm a city council member here in Bloomington. So I'm an elected official, which puts me in a very weird spot in a lot of, in a lot of conversations. Cause you, you interact with people of all spectrums, you know, and, and it's a nonpartisan thing. So it's like, you know, we deal with things like roads and trash collection and weird stuff like that, but I'm also not going to be for all of them, but I can approach every single relationship more authentically, um, and more compassionately and with an ear to like

38:11really hearing them if I'm feeling better about who I am and the way that I'm presenting myself to them. Amen. Yeah. Amen. So it's helping in all kinds of aspects of my life, frankly. Yeah. Let's go. I love to hear that. Now for someone that's listening in on this story that you're sharing, what advice would you give to someone that is struggling to put themselves first? Oh boy. I mean, I know it sounds cliche, but do it anyway. Like it really, like at the, at, I think that, um, I think it's Mary Oliver, right.

38:42Who has a poem that says something like, you know, what, what, what are you going to do with this, you know, one big, beautiful life that you have. And, um, I'm paraphrasing cause I never going to get that right. Cause I'm not a poet, but, um, but I think that ultimately people, um, I don't want people, if I could do anything, I would talk to young people, especially about not waiting until they're 54 to figure this stuff out. Um, and to, and to prioritize that relationship with yourself. Um, and I think I'm seeing some of that with some of the young folks that I get to interact with, which is awesome.

39:12I have mentors who are like 20 and 30 years younger than me. And that's so amazing. Um, so I would say one, do it anyway, even if it doesn't feel right because of all the external pressures, do it anyway. And two, um, keep at it, like, like do it, do it a little, a little every day because it's, it's those atomic moments, if you will, those little things that are going to make the shift. Um, you know, the ripples on the, on the pond kind of thing is, is really what it's about. And, um, I, I don't know.

39:43I just, I wouldn't want anybody to think that they couldn't because if any, if I can do it, anybody can. Amen to that. Yes. A hundred percent. All you need to do, you can achieve anything you put your mind to. Yeah. Yeah. You gotta, you gotta do it for you. You gotta get out of your own way and do it for you. That is it. Exactly. Exactly. And, um, I don't know why it took so long for me. I mean, better now than not ever, uh, for sure. Um, and I'm hopeful that it doesn't take that long for other people, but even if it has, even if you're talking to people 70 years old, it can still be, it can still be the best

40:16decision that they make. Facts. Yeah. How about one more question that I have for you? Sure. What would you, for someone that's watching this right now, that's unsure about taking like the next steps, what would you tell them about worry baby and the impact it could have on their life? Yeah. I think if they're, if they're looking like I was looking for something that was going to give them, you know, information that was going to be useful to actually shifting the mindset that they need to have. Number two, the interaction on the, on the daily with a group of people that are going to be super useful and helpful to them and in sharing stories and sharing, um, tips and tricks and

40:51all kinds of other things that just really make it feel like a community. And, and it, cause if they need that support, regardless of where they're at in the world, if they need that support, they can get it here. And then thirdly, you know, that it's, it's, it's a science and a methodology that is provable, right? It's not, it's not a fad. It's not a gimmick. It's not a, uh, you know, a short term thing with a bunch of stuff you have to buy and all that kind of stuff. None of that has to be there. You literally only need a couple of dumbbells and a good mindset to really make a start

41:26here. And if that's what you're looking for, I think you can get it with this program. I am so grateful. I found it. I really am. If I, like I said, if I can do it, anybody can. Exactly. And I'm grateful that you found us. I'm grateful that you trusted in us enough to sign up and to go onto this journey. Yeah. So that's the most, that's the coolest thing about it. And if any way that's listening right now, like Lona's journey proves that transformation isn't just about physical changes. It's about taking control of your mindset.

41:58It's about taking control of your confidence and taking control. I mean, you've taken control of your entire life, which is super freaking cool to hear. And she's living proof that if you commit to yourself, if you, if you show up for yourself, incredible things can happen. So if you guys are ready to take the next step and you're inspired by Lona's story, then check out warbeave.com. You won't regret it. Lona, thank you so much for being here and sharing that. It was awesome. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. Real quick. If this episode resonated with you or gave you the push that you needed, I'd love for you to pay it forward.

42:28Drop a quick rating and review, share the podcast with someone who might need it and help me keep spreading the word. Your feedback not only helps to show grow, but it might just be the nudge someone else needs to kickstart their transformation. Thank you so, so, so much for your support. Thank you. Thank you.

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