Today's guest is Stephanie Lueras, owner of Heart and Sole Fitness and Wellness, ACE certified personal trainer, and fitness nutrition specialist. Stephanie has lost over 200 pounds, but that wasn't from conscious dieting. She put her energy into her emotional and spiritual health and started moving more, starting with just walking to the end of the street and back, and is now running marathons.
The major takeaways here are to really listen to your body and surround yourself with a support system of people who will really listen to you.
Today's guest is Stephanie Lueras, owner of Heart and Sole Fitness and Wellness, ACE certified personal trainer, and fitness nutrition specialist. Stephanie has lost over 200 pounds, but that wasn't from conscious dieting. She put her energy into her emotional and spiritual health and started moving more, starting with just walking to the end of the street and back, and is now running marathons.
The major takeaways here are to really listen to your body and surround yourself with a support system of people who will really listen to you.
Welcome back to a magical life. I'm your host magic Barclay. And I'm joined today by Stephanie Louris, who is a heart and soul fitness and wellness practitioner. Stephanie is a body positive ACE certified personal trainer, a fitness nutrition specialist, international selling author and speaker. After coming to a point in her life where she felt sick and tired of being sick and tired, she needed some changes through small actions and goal setting. Stephanie has lost over 200 pounds. So metric, I think that's about a hundred kilos, maybe closer to. Through Belmont nutrition and movement without the use of restrictive dieting, commercial weight loss plans, or supplements, she's gained a love of endurance sports, running marathons, and is currently training for the iron woman distance races. She uses this same holistic goal setting model in working with her clients and in groups and empowers people to break down everyday barriers that exist so that they can achieve what they're working towards for their best personal wellness. Stephanie specializes in beginner and adaptive fitness, aiding those of all sizes, ages, conditions, and illnesses, and she consistently works with their personal movement and nutrition goals. She enjoys incorporating body weight, resistance training into workouts, including the TRX suspension system of which she's an instructor, silver sneakers, fitness instructor, and nutrition facilitator. My goodness, Stephanie, welcome. That is such a bad.
Stephanie Leuras:
Well, thank you. It's great to be here with you today.
Magic Barclay:
Thank you now, I was just saying listeners to Stephanie, before we started recording this we've lived similar fitness lives or minds from the past where TRX, isn't that a fantastic thing to you?
Stephanie Leuras:
Oh, my goodness. I love the TRX system. I was first exposed to it in physical therapy, years and years ago. And I love it as a strength training modality, because it's one of those things that regardless of your. Fitness ability, you can feel strong and you can feel like you're doing these amazing things with your body. It's just such, it's a freedom modality almost.
Magic Barclay:
It certainly is. I used to have a special populations, gym, which, you know, dealt with people with chronic illness, super morbid obesity, um, disability. And I used to run kids classes there and I had a bank of 20 TRX is, and just getting the kids playing on it. Like, they'd use it as Tazzy. Great vines swings and you know, but it was all fun. And then, you know, seeing anyone from 10 and up using it, and then seeing a 90 year old coming in, who just wants to keep her range of movement and the beaming smiles on people's faces because you don't realize how hard you're working your body with, just with your body weight.
Stephanie Leuras:
Yes. And even for me, when it comes to my own personal strength training, I am not a person that likes to lift weights or what we think of the traditional strength training. I prefer that body weight resistance. TRX is my preferred method of strength training. So I really liked just that flexibility and all the different things that you're able to do and experiment with and see, oh my gosh, my body is able to move in this way that I never thought I could do before.
Magic Barclay:
Definitely actually just reminded me. We've recently moved and I need to find some way to put my TRX up. Okay. Now come on. Tell us what is silver sneakers. I've never heard of that.
Stephanie Leuras:
So silver sneakers is a program that is unique in the United States. It is a benefit of our Medicare program. So those that are 65 and older on Medicare are eligible for what's called silver sneakers and through silver sneakers it's there are some different gym memberships that a member gym. Can apply and provide gym memberships for those that are enrolled in the program. As well as group fitness classes and through silver sneakers, there are all sorts of different group fitness classes, anywhere from what we call the classic class, which is just a cardio and strength training workout to yoga, to a. Very to it, like a dance workout, there's an aquatic workout. And then there's also some nutrition workshops and things that the program was developed to because you know, just like anybody else. We want to keep our aging population as healthy as possible. And so coupling that with those health benefits that are available for seniors here in the United States, that's a benefit that's available.
Magic Barclay:
That sounds like a really good initiative, specially for the aging
Stephanie Leuras:
population. Absolutely. And it's nice because it's at no extra cost to them. It comes with those insurance benefits.
Magic Barclay:
Now, Stephanie, I always ask about. The same three questions and I'm consistently amazed and delighted with the range of responses that I get. So he comes your first one. What can your expertise do to accelerate health? Now, when we're talking health, it's not just the physical, but also the emotional and the spiritual.
Stephanie Leuras:
So in my area, when we look at accelerating. It is getting away from the traditional understanding of diet culture. It is the yo-yo dieting, the restrictive dieting. The I'm going to take the pills, powders chasing the magic cure and getting back to that place of. Looking at our habits, looking at the life that we're living and really honing in on those areas of what did my physical health needs. Some work, what in my emotional health. Needs a little bit of shoring up where, and my spiritual life needs a little bit of growth. And from there, we break that down into some of the smallest bits possible to start to make forward momentum, to start to make progress forward because ultimately. You come in answering the question. How do you want to feel? That's my favorite question in the world. Not how much weight do you want to lose? What do you want to look like? It's how do you want to feel? And from there, it's breaking out that holistic viewpoint coming up with those specific goals and then. And in turn those little things that can be done each and every day that move us closer, move us closer, move us closer because that's where that snowball effect happens. Those little things each and every day,
Magic Barclay:
I think you're exactly right there. And something I found when I had my gym was. The delight on people's faces, especially people that feel they can't move, or they're not confident in their own body. That emotional fitness really does build up when they achieve things and be it through body weight, or just the support of a great trainer or making small tweaks to their nutrition. So they're not overhauling the whole thing on a diet that really builds resilience and personal stress.
Stephanie Leuras:
Absolutely. And a lot of times it's the accountability and having a supportive environment. And especially for people, I see this a lot with some of my, my clients with chronic illness or chronic conditions because every day can be different. And sometimes it's a matter of what's possible for me today that someday it might be the planned movement that we have. It might be that scheduled exercise, but other days you might be in some type of flare for your condition. You might be experiencing something where. Is the last thing that you need to be doing, but showing. Is important showing up is still keeping that commitment to yourself, to the transformation that you want to see in your life to feeling how you want to feel. And so we might not actually be working out. We might not actually be doing anything physically. We might just be sitting on the therapy table, doing some gentle stretches and. Talking about a new recipe or what, what went on with your kids the night before or anything under the sun? It might just be the fact that you showed up is making progress for you that day.
Magic Barclay:
And that's exactly it, isn't it it's, you know, people come in and they go, I have to smash out a weight session or I have to do this much on the treadmill, but sometimes it could be as simple as you got up the next day, the smile on your face made the kids lunches, got them all off on time. Something that you couldn't do last week. And so you really do have to sell it. Every single step forward, no matter the size.
Stephanie Leuras:
Absolutely.
Magic Barclay:
So we also talk here about wealth. So wealth is not just the financial, but as we were talking just before the personal wealth, the emotional wealth, any growth that you can create creates wealth. So what are your top three tips to creating?
Stephanie Leuras:
Those top three tips for creating wealth come in a lot of different ways. And it's, for me, it comes down to consistency in showing up, keeping that commitment to yourself, to setting those goals and following through. And. Also continuing on. And building on progress that once you've achieved a level of mastery, once you've achieved that level of progress, that we never fully arrived. There's always something that's next. What can we go onto? What can we continue on with? And I think that's important because you, where we're living organisms, we continue to grow and learn and be lifelong learners. As long as we continue to breathe.
Magic Barclay:
Totally. And I really do believe that creating that wealth, that substance, if you want to give it a different word, you know, it propels you. Stephanie just hit the nail on the head there. And I've, I've actually seen people that came into the gym that might've fallen on financial hard times. Once I started investing time into themselves, the whole life changed. It turned around. They would get a job because they felt better about themselves. Or, you know, they'd be able to start saving for a holiday because they believed they were worth it. So. You know, listeners, there's just so much here that you can get from investing time into your body. It's not just a cage that you spend your life locked in. It can be, you know, your ticket to freedom. It can be your ticket to fund. It. Doesn't have to be, even when you're dealing with chronic illness, it doesn't have to be your.
Stephanie Leuras:
I wholeheartedly agree with that, even in my own personal journey in, as, as I continued to grow, as I got healthier, as I lost weight, as I got stronger, as I cleaned up my own emotional and spiritual life, as I became that stronger person. I looked around at life and where I was needed to change. I was in a toxic work environments and I was not willing to be abused anymore that I realized my skills and talents. I realized that I was worth more. And I, at that point have the courage to. Say I'm worth more and opened my business said enough is enough. It's time to leave this environment. This is going to damage me further on the long run and stepped out with the, with the support I needed to get the mentors and the resources I needed. And. And know that I had all of these other building blocks in place. Had I done it any sooner? I wouldn't have had that confidence. I wouldn't have had that willingness and that ability to see in myself that I could do that.
Magic Barclay:
So Stephanie, we also talk about weight loss here. Now, many people battle their weight, whether it to gain or to lose. And it's often quite needless spending all that time on your outer casing. So we know that stress can also play a big part in people's weight gain and weight loss. So I guess my question is a couple of parts. First part, if you've ever battled your weight, what was your trigger to lose it? And the second part, what can you offer listeners to reduce their stress? Because as I said, we do know that's a key issue, even if it's the stress that you put on yourself for being overweight.
Stephanie Leuras:
So I have lost a large amount of weight and I'm a person that's been overweight my entire life. And for me, That catalyst for getting off that cycle of yo-yo dieting and gaining and losing weight, losing weight, gaining weight was coming to that point where just being unhappy with the outside in fixing the outside, wasn't going to cut it anymore. And for me, I knew that dieting wasn't the answer because clearly it wasn't working for almost 40 years at that point. So something else had to change and it was coming back to what we've been talking about. That it's not just the physical. That we look at, we look at that whole person that physical health, that emotional health, that spiritual health and what needs to change as a whole. And for me, I realized that. It was my spiritual health that had become very stagnant. And that was the ripple effect that for me, caused the rest of my changes. It helped me to be willing to make the physical changes that I needed to make that to be open, to look at the emotional areas in my life that needed some work. And. For me. And yes, I did lose a large amount of weight, but it wasn't through intentional dieting. It was through looking at the habits I was engaging in and going back through those small changes. Going through. Okay. How am I hydrating myself? What are the things we're eating, starting exercise at the very smallest level in the size body I was in, I only could walk to the end of the street. And back when I started moving. So to go from walking to the end of the street and back and thinking I was going to die to running marathons is quite a big difference. So it's just coming and breaking those small things down and realizing that there's so much more in the middle that needs work. Having those people in my life that. Provide the support. And that really wanted the best for me. It's not those people that were always telling me and providing those messages through the years that you need to lose what eight hears latest and greatest it's. These are the people that I listened to that provided the accountability. And the encouragements that kept me going when I was doing what was best for me and really listened. And I think that's, what's most important that we have those people that are listening to what we need and not what they think we need.
Magic Barclay:
Exactly right. And along my weight loss journey, the resentment created when really skinny people that had never had a problem. You know, they were trying to tell me what I should do, what I should eat. Well, that's all fun and good. But when you're dealing with chronic illness and chronic self hatred, someone who signs it. In Australia, that's pretty small, uh, telling someone who's size 24, how to move without the compounding pain on the knees and the hips and the back. It just doesn't work. And I think the weight loss industry and the fitness industry, unfortunately, are still stuck in the 1980s where it's, you know, get out, move more, eat less. You'll be fine. And I think that's really only suitable for maybe 5% of the popular.
Stephanie Leuras:
Absolutely. And, you know, you can put two people side by side, have them eat exactly the same things. Have them move in exactly the same way and come up with completely different results. You know, we, we can't assume everyone's going to change in the same manner. That's why it's so important that we treat everyone as an individual and really look at what is serving that individual the best in understand that. Regardless of the conditions someone is in, they are still the experts of their own body because they're the one living in,
Magic Barclay:
oh my gosh, you just summed it up. I love that listeners. You are the expert in your own body. Don't ever forget that your doctors, your. PTs your, nutritionist, whoever you're seeing don't live in your body, you do. So when someone tells you no, that can't be happening, that doesn't sound right. Just go, well, then I'm going to find someone who's going to actually listen to me. Now. This is more directed at doctors, I guess, these days than anyone else. How many times do they feel the gland? Along your Jor and until you, oh, no, you're fine. Well, guess what, they're only checking two lymph nodes out of thousands in your body. How do they know? You know, that they're telling you you've got tennis elbow and it's okay. No, that could be a major health issue. Like something with your limp and same with your fitness or you're not moving enough to say, okay, You strap an extra 60 kilos to your body, go up and down the stairs a few times, run on the treadmill. Tell me how you feel. Like tell you your personal trainer, your skinny, personal trainer will not do that until they're prepared to do that and understand what it feels like to live in your body. You have to keep shopping for the right person because you are the master of your own destiny. You are the master of your own body, and until you can find the right support. It's just not going to go where you need it to go.
Stephanie Leuras:
I wholeheartedly agree with that. And unfortunately, the discrimination with providers is rampant, no matter where you live and. It's getting better and it's by no means perfect for, for anyone, but the discrimination with providers and what people experience is horrible. And it comes from a place of privilege to say, That, you know, when you experience somebody that's, that's not listening to you to just go to another provider. I'm fully aware that is not always the possibility, but no one should ever settle for not being heard and not being listened to because that in the end, that causes more harm than good.
Magic Barclay:
It certainly does. And you know, here in Australia, we see this so much the abundance of providers in fitness, in nutrition, in health care, but really, you know, they're just, they don't match up. There is an abundance of providers, especially in PT here in personal training. It's so easy to go and get your certification. But it doesn't mean you actually know anything about the body and how it moves, how it reacts and, you know, what's linked to what and the systems of the body. It's sometimes, you know, a six week online course, and that's just not good enough. And having an abundance in people to work with doesn't necessarily mean the right person is.
Stephanie Leuras:
Absolutely. Yeah, that that's one of my soap boxes is vetting your providers, knowing who you're seeing, checking their credentials. And even beyond that, you know, yes, they're, they're a professional. They know what they're talking about. They're an expert in their field, but beyond that, is that person the right fit for you.'cause they, they can have all of the letters behind their name. They can have all the experience in the world. They can have the right certifications and being what you're looking for, but is that personality is what they offer, what you need. That's also so important. It's worth spending the time to find that right fit as well.
Magic Barclay:
So much truth bombs there. I love it. Now, Stephanie, people can find you at Stephanie Lewis. Yeah. S T E P H a N I L U E R a s@gmail.com. They can find you@hotandsofit.com and that's soul as in S O L E you're on Facebook at heart and soul fit. Also on LinkedIn, heart and soul fit. My goodness. You've got a lot of socials here. People can really find you easily, which is great. And I love that you're providing so many services to people, but we do love freebies here, Steph. So what's something you can offer the listeners to get them to.
Stephanie Leuras:
So the, the freebie that I've got is I have 30 minutes where I will sit down with you and let's talk about wellness. And that is what, what are your wellness goals? What are you looking for? What do you want to accomplish? And is it services that I provide? Is it a referral to, I have a wealth of referral partners that I work with not only here in the United States, but around the world. And because I realized, like I was saying, you know, we need the right fit and I know I'm not the right fit for everybody. And it's my honor to sit with people and just hold that space to see what, what your needs are and have that honest conversation in a safe space. Um, the easiest way to schedule that time is just go to my website, heart and soul S O L e.com.
Magic Barclay:
Fantastic listeners. This was your episode 1 0 9. Now Stephanie, please. Can you come back for one 10 and tell us more about the amazing things you do?
Stephanie Leuras:
Absolutely.
Magic Barclay:
Excellent listeners. Thank you so much for your time. I really do appreciate it. Go forth and create your magical life.