Heart and Sole Fitness with Stephanie Lueras

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.

A common misconception that gets in people's way is that exercise needs to happen in big chunks; that if you don't do 20 or 30 minutes at a time, it doesn't count. The opposite is true. Just doing 5 minutes every day has a cumulative effect that does make a difference.

If you find yourself rebelling against yourself when it comes to making healthier choices, take the "shoulds" out of it. Make each choice consciously, accepting the consequence, and pay attention to what makes your body feel better.

Connect with Stephanie:
heartandsolefit.com

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On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholisticnaturalhealth/

Online: https://wholisticnaturalhealth.com.au

A Subito Media production

Transcript

Magic Barclay: 0:59

Welcome back to a magical life. I'm your host magic Barclay, and I'm again, joined by Stephanie Louris. Stephanie came on in 1 0 9 to our previous episode and told us all things about training and making small changes every day so that you can have great success. And today, Stephanie, I would love to ask you some more questions. So I'm going to fire my first one straight away. You're an international best-selling author. Please tell us about.

Stephanie Leuras: 1:33

Yes. So last October, I released a chapter in the anthology break, free to help and vitality, and we have 18 co authors in this anthology. My chapter in the book tells my story in losing 200 pounds. How. I went about doing it and my goal setting model on how you break down what seems like a crazy, huge thing into making it very manageable because people take that idea of, oh my gosh, 200 pounds. How do you do something like that? And turn it into an everyday activity that really just sits in the back of your mind. That it's just part of every day.

Magic Barclay: 2:35

I think that's really important to make it part of everyday. That's just such a great piece of information to put out there. That's probably overlooked so easily.

Stephanie Leuras: 2:46

It is because the one thing about losing weight is it's possible to lose weight, gain weight, build strengths, build our endurance, whatever those particular goals we put into place. No matter how big or small those are, it's possible to build them. Into our lifestyle. We don't have to completely change everything to. Fit what we imagine things to be. And that's where this idea of new year's resolutions and all start on Monday or this magical date on the calendar that everything's going to change. That's where we trip ourselves up is because we bring in this grand overhaul of cheating. And it might last a couple days or a couple of weeks or a couple months, but it's not sustainable. But if we bring in these little things that we do each and every day, that fit life as it is, especially if we're busy people and we're balancing spouses or children or whatever, it might be. Those little things. They don't throw off what we already have on our plates. So it's very manageable to just take one little thing. And one little thing and then continue to build it and continue to change it and modify it and grow it because it's so small that it's not really anything that. Interrupting my day. It's not throwing off the course of my day, my week and making any type of wave that's not sustainable.

Magic Barclay: 4:58

Totally. And what I found was certainly when I started going to the gym, cause I'd never done it before in my life. And it was like, okay, I stuffed up this morning. So I won't go to the gym because, you know, I ate toast with jam this morning, so that's too much carbs and sugar, so you know what, I'll start tomorrow. And then it would be like, I had a bad start to the week, so let's wait for next week. Then it became no next month or next year I've written off this year. I've been, you know, drinking or whatever, going out. And I think so many people do that. They wait for the right moment, the right day, and that may never come.

Stephanie Leuras: 5:41

Exactly. And while there is great and wonderful things and. We we see an impact from the cardiovascular benefit of a 20 minute workout of a 30 minute workout. Things like that. We forget the cumulative effect of very small. You know, somebody that is just starting out, maybe that has never exercised consistently before, or there for whatever reason, just starting back from being sedentary for a long period, coming back from an illness or injury or whatever, five minutes. Over four days a week, five days a week, six days a week, 20 to 30 minutes of compounded time. There's a cumulative effect to that exercise just because you didn't do it all in one moment. Doesn't mean that exercise didn't count. So we, you know, we have to get out of our heads that if I didn't do this grand huge thing, that it didn't count that if I just did five minutes or 10 minutes, That I did something and it made a difference. And maybe the next time I'm going to do a little bit more or I'm going to build up and next week it'll be a little bit longer. We start to increase that we build up that endurance, but we made a start. We did something really great in that five minutes. In that 10 minutes, something happens. And we don't discount that we celebrate that something happened.

Magic Barclay: 7:42

Stephanie, I'm going to say something I've never said to anyone else before, because I really want your take on this. I'm one of these people that really dislikes you could almost call it hate being told what to do now. That's not necessarily from other people. It can be. MI. So certainly along my weight loss journey, it was, you know, you're only going to eat fruit and veggies today because you just need to clean your body out and rehydrate at the electrolytes. It's only one day you can do it. And then, you know, two hours into the day, I'd be like, nobody tells me what to do. Not even me. That's a rule I have to. I'm sure I'm not the only one in the world that does that. Lisa. Hope not. so how do you suggest people get over that rebellious Snus straight?

Stephanie Leuras: 8:34

Well, at least when it comes to nutrition, I take that rebelliousness out of it. When I'm working with somebody. On nutrition. I come from that intuitive eating place. I come from that mindful eating place. So there isn't a place, a restriction there isn't the food police, anything is on the table, but there's always a, but we make choices and our choices have consequences. And I talked about in the last episode, everything comes back to how we want to feel. Now we all have our inherent hunger cues. We know when we're hungry, we know when we're satisfied. We know when we're full. Now, some of us that battle with our weight for whatever reason may have. Lost a little bit of communication with those hunger cues through the years. So we need to work a little bit on our mindfulness to get back in touch with those hunger cues, but they're still there. You know, when we look at a toddler, they, they eat what they want when they're done, they leave the rest of the food on the plate and go on their Merry way. They're happy and content with that. We. Have that ability to know what's enough. We also have that ability to know what our body needs and the idea of full permission around food. Can be very scary for some people because we've lived in that diet mentality for so long that I can only eat fruits and vegetables and lean meats. And I can only live within this structure of this very restrictive list of foods. So if you could, if you tell somebody you can eat anything under the sun, it can be a scary thing because they think that. Well, then if I can eat anything, I'm only going to want to eat chocolate bars, but in that might be the case. You might actually only want to eat chocolate for a little while because you've restricted yourself from that for so long that when you have the freedom to give yourself permission to eat it, you might go a little over. But then when you come to the other side of, okay, I've had enough in realize now my body probably wants something else. What does my body want? Let's introduce some other foods. Uh, salad is acceptable. Some vegetables are acceptable. We start coming into that balanced place of what is it that my body wants now, and really make those empowered choices of feeding ourselves what our body needs. What is it craving and what maximize it. Our bodies performance. And if we get in, it sounds a little woo sometimes, but if we get very still and very mindful with it, our cravings, our body will tell us, you know? Yeah. I want these things. I don't want these things, or maybe some of these foods serve me better at different points in the day. Like I always give the example for myself of pasta. I love pasta, but I can't eat pasta at night. It gives me a migraine. I feel horrible the next day. It's just as bad news all around. But if I eat pasta earlier in the day, if I eat it at lunchtime midday, it gives me energy. I don't hit that. Mid-afternoon slump. I've got that rush of energy and great to go on. So it's starting to be able to see how food in our body works together and really helps. To feel better. So there's a lot of things that play into it instead of these are just those foods that you can eat and be the rebel in. I'm never going to eat all, you know, the good foods in the bag.

Magic Barclay: 13:50

I think that's a really great message to really know. What works for you and what doesn't and you know, so many people just aren't in touch with themselves. So for me, I know it's just a rule breaking thing, so I don't set hard and fast rule. I say, I will try to do this. So my goal is to do 70% of this. So that's how I actually got around the don't. Tell me what to do, even if it's myself kind of issue, but you know, a lot of people aren't in touch with themselves like that. And you really do need to be you, you know, we've said it before you are the master of your body, you know, what works, what doesn't. So if pasture just is not an option for you, then it's not an option for you. If grapes aren't an option, if they make you guess you then guess what? Just because of all the health benefits of grapes doesn't mean you have to eat them. So really knowing what works for you as an individual, and this goes into your fitness regime as well. There is no way on God's green earth that treadmills and I ever going to be friends just doesn't work. So for me, you know, why would I keep walking without going anywhere without seeing anything? And I know cardio is not my friend, you know, very top heavy in build and my center of gravity. Isn't great. So for me, fitness has to be. Body weight training. It has to be strength, training going and jogging is, you know, like trying to watch Mr. Bean organize something. It's just ridiculous. So no, what works for, you know, what doesn't work for you and don't be persuaded

Stephanie Leuras: 15:44

by someone else who it

Magic Barclay: 15:45

works for. That that's what you have to do to succeed.

Stephanie Leuras: 15:52

Absolutely. And I'm a hundred percent with you on the treadmills. You will not catch me on a treadmill unless I am forced. I want to be outside. I want to be experiencing nature because that is where I find my peace in motion.

Magic Barclay: 16:09

So Stephanie, tell us about heart and soul fitness. What is it? And soul is spelled S O L E so.

Stephanie Leuras: 16:20

Okay, well, heart and soul fitness and wellness is my, uh, fitness and nutrition coaching practice. And it, it birthed out of my own journey of losing 200 pounds and coming into this goal setting model of. Feeling how you want to feel and reaching those wellness goals. Because as I went through my journey, I had so many people coming to me and saying, you need to show me what you're doing. You need to show me what you're doing. And it was a really natural progression for me to come into this place because as I was going through. Uh, endurance training and my marathon training, working with my own coach. I became a personal trainer in, got my nutrition certifications because I wanted to understand what my coach was teaching me about my body. I'm I'm the super nerd and I love to learn. And so that was why I did that. And got that knowledge, that base knowledge I've kept going and getting, you know, I just, I get more and more certifications in, in different areas that serve my clients better because I, I want to continue to learn and serve those people better. But heart and soul. the name comes from the scripture verse in the Bible. Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and soul Sol. He is that play on words, the soul of your shoe, because of that love of endurance sports that I found through my own journey. I was the kid that faked sick. In gym class in school. I, it, I look back and it with, with that sense of mourning, but also with that sense of joy, that yes, I've found that movement that I love, but I didn't find it until my mid thirties. And I can't imagine life without it now because it brings me so much peace. It brings me so much joy. And now I realize running and triathlon is not everybody. Joy and movement. And I would never expect that from anyone, but in my coaching, in serving my clients, I am of the belief that anything is possible. And it's working with people to find that same joy. To find that movement to help you to feel how you want to feel so that you experience. What, what it is in life that you want to do? I have clients that, you know, for them, that joy is I just want to be able to go in and enjoy walking around Disney land and not feeling fatigued, being able, just to go and walk and do and be with my family and how. Fun and not think about being fatigued and being out of breath and being sore. So it's really looking at what is it that we need to do to help you get to that same experience.

Magic Barclay: 20:10

That's great. What is some other information that you feel our listeners today really, really need to hear no matter where they're on, on their fitness journey, where they're on, on their journey of self-improvement. What are some things that I guess you've learnt that you wish someone else had told you

Stephanie Leuras: 20:32

something that I wish someone had told me or. Prepared me for is to let go of expectations and to live in the present moment and something I had never thought about. Uh, early, earlier in my life, when I was still stuck on that yo-yo dieting and pursuing all the different diets was what is the end result? I think when we get stuck on that intentional weight loss train and. We think about that, that magical end when we reach that goal weight. And this, this is this, I have arrived that we have this picture in our mind. Of what I'm going to look like and what life is going to be like, and never have I ever seen that happen for anyone. We, that picture doesn't appear the same way as we have it in our head. Life doesn't change because the number on the scale hits a certain point. And even for me in having such a dramatic change in my body size while I am in the smallest body I have ever been. And I, I adore. The person that I am today, I am stronger. I am fitter. I, I am more confident. I am all of these things that I have never been before. And I am blessed to be the person that I am today. This would not be the picture that I had in my mind of. That number on the scale and that's been a, an emotional. Turmoil to settle with myself because it has been such a dramatic change in my body size. I ha I have sagging skin. I have a statically things that are not pleasing to me. Does it bother anybody else? No, but it bothers me. And it's things that I've had to reconcile inside because it doesn't match that mental picture. And so it comes back to that idea of letting go of the expectations that we put on ourselves and living in the moment as we are. Yes, our goals are important. Yes. It's important to have an idea of where we're going, how we want to feel, but that expectation of what that looks like is a very different place. And we shouldn't be wrapped up in that.

Magic Barclay: 24:09

That's fantastic advice. Now, Stephanie, people can find you@heartandsoulfit.com. You're also on Facebook, heart, and soul fit on Instagram at heart and soul fitness and wellness. Thank you so much for sharing your journey and your knowledge with the listeners today. I am absolutely sure. They've gotten so much out of it. So again, thank you for your time.

Stephanie Leuras: 24:37

Thank you so much. It's been wonderful chatting today.

Magic Barclay: 24:41

Great listeners. This was your episode 110. Have a magical life. Don't forget to leave us some great reviews. We really do hope you're enjoying the podcast coming up in one 11. I have a surprise guest for you, and we have so many guests lined up from all walks of life. So I really hope we can help you go forth and create your magical.