Seven Common Health Questions With Clear-ish Answers

You can do everything “right” for a week and still feel stuck for months. That’s usually not because you’re broken, it’s because the basics got buried under perfectionism, noise, and plans you can’t sustain. We sit down for a rapid-fire Q&A and tackle the real questions people ask when they’re trying to feel better in their body: what to eat, whether tracking food matters, what workouts actually work, and why results sometimes refuse to show up. 

We talk practical nutrition for real life: whole foods, enough protein, fiber, and water, plus the one thing that matters more than any meal idea, consistency. We also dig into food tracking and macro counting as a tool for awareness, not punishment. A short tracking phase can teach you portion “math” you carry forever, helping you build meals confidently without chasing a perfect plan. 

On the fitness side, we get honest about what moves the needle: repeatable strength training that challenges you, cardio that supports your life rather than runs it, and movement that helps your mind as much as your body. We also cover common reasons results stall, under-eating, stress, nervous system regulation, and lifting too light, and we answer the question many listeners think but rarely say out loud: do you have to give up wine? 

If you want a simple starting point, we share exactly how to begin without a full overhaul, and how to get support along the way. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs the basics, and leave a review with the #1 question you want us to answer next.

Transcript

Welcome And Why This Q&A

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Hey everyone, welcome back to the Spandex and Wine Podcast. Actually, if you are new here, thank you for checking it out. Those of you that are returning, thank you as well. And you guys might remember a few weeks ago when I said I was going to do an episode with questions that I get asked all the time. And then if you also remember when I was going to do that, I forgot all my notes at work. And so I skipped that episode and published a different one. It said I would do it at a later date. And today's the day. We are going to explore that today. I have some questions that I'm going to go through, and hopefully this will be helpful for you. So, question one: what should I be eating? This is a loaded question. I know people want a perfect plan, but honestly, it comes down to making sure that you are eating enough protein, whole foods, consistency. Like consistency is the biggest thing. And fiber, I have to throw that in there too. I guess that goes with Whole Foods too. It's not about perfection. I am here to help, but I will not write out a plan for you. I used to do that and help people that way and give meal suggestions, but I don't do that anymore. I will help build one with you and give you suggestions. If you recall the episode with Dr. Sabrina Joe with American Council on Exercise, she and I talked about how we can write plans all day, whether it's an exercise plan or meal suggestions, whatever. But clients tend to not stick with that because you don't have the input and you're not writing it with us. And we need to have key information from you to help you with that. So I am helping happy to help. And I have a few clients coming up doing a six-week program, um, summer strong is what we're calling it. Um so that's exactly what we're going to do. We're going to build it together so it's sustainable. So reach out to me if you are interested. But in a nutshell, just eating as many whole foods as you can, getting adequate protein, drinking enough water, having fiber in your diet. I know there's some people that fiber, you have to kind of be, you know, careful with, but I mean, that's something that we can explore together as well. But being consistent with it is going to be the biggest thing. Okay, question two. Do I need to track my food? Tracking can be extremely helpful and very eye-opening. So probably six or seven years ago, a group of clients and myself did a bikini boot camp with a fellow trainer, and her um niche was fitness competitions. That's what she did, and she helped others with that. So she introduced all of us to counting macros. And if you don't know what macros are, it's macronutrients. So those are protein, carbs, and fat. And we all couldn't believe how eye-opening it was to truly see and know exactly what you are consuming. Awareness is so much more important than perfection. And sometimes just writing it down, what you're eating, um, is enough to just create that change. And I know it was for us. So, no, you don't need to track your food, but it will help you become aware for sure. And I would highly recommend at least once in your life, take a few weeks to count your macros. It's going to help you be able to look at your plate and kind of know what you're eating. Um, once you have tracked that, you can kind of have an idea of how much protein is in a chicken breast or how many carbs am I eating right now. I mean, you're not going to know exactly, but you're going to get a ballpark. You're going to get a feel for it. And you may not realize how much little fat you're eating, or maybe overeating on protein. I don't know. It's just, it's just so, like I said, eye-opening to do that and to track your macros. So I do highly recommend you do that at some point in your life, and I am happy to help with that as well. Okay, question three: what is the best workout? Well, the one that you will actually do consistently. That has to be my answer right there. You don't need anything fancy. You don't need a bunch of equipment. You just need uh to be able to repeat it. So the short answer is, and I'm not even going to give a long answer, but I'm happy to explore that more with you. Um, because, for example, a hit workout is great, but if you're over 50 and you're doing more than one a week of that high intensity, I would highly recommend you make some changes. That is like this is could be a whole new other episode. Um, at a certain age, we get to the point where we need to really uh make sure that we are not increasing our cortisol levels. Um, every now and then it's fine. Short burst, that's great. But being able to find a program and a system that works with your body, it will keep you coming back and doing it again and again. And then just making sure it works with your joints too. That is huge as well. Um, so let me know if I can help you there. I think every question is going to end with, hey, I can help you with that. Question four, why am I not seeing results? Okay, so this one typically comes down to inconsistency or undereating. That is a huge win. Women have no idea. And I know that's a hard concept to wrap your head around because you think depriving yourself less calories, you're going to lose weight. And when you look at it mathematically, yes, I get that. But if you're not giving your body enough protein or enough nutrients, it is not going to like that. And you are, yes. So that is huge. Um, stress is another one. Stress and regulating your nervous system, especially as we go through that change in life, is huge. It will make a big difference if you can, like I said before, um, control the spike in cortisol. And we have to have that at sometimes. Like we have to, that fight or flight, we have that for a reason. But learning how to manage your stress and regulate your nervous system, I feel like right now, that is the biggest change that you can make and see an impact in your overall wellness. Um, okay, so why also you're not seeing results? Um, maybe you're not lifting heavy enough and you're focusing too much on cardio. And cardio does have its place, but making sure that you are lifting weights. And when I say weights, I don't mean like the one, two, three, five pounders. Um, and for some exercises, yes, maybe you'd have to use that. But uh making sure that you are challenging yourself and you're getting to the last couple reps, and you're like, yeah, no, I don't think I can do anymore. Um, so it's rarely one big thing, it's the small things that add up when you are looking at the big picture of why or why not you're seeing results. So, question five, how often should I be working out? Well, you're going to see changes as little as two strength training sessions a week. Um, I would say get at least four, like three to four, maybe even five. And you don't need to do something every day. Well, I would say you don't need a hard workout daily. Movement will do wonders for your body and your mind. Not every workout needs to be in the gym. We just need to move in a variety of ways. We need to make sure that we are strength training. That's going to help with your bone density. It's going to help um with your joints, it's going to help with your metabolism, just so many things. So I would say two to four strength training workouts a week and then one to two cardios. But if you like just taking a walk for your mental state, 100% do that. Like I think that's what most of my walks are. When I go on a walk, it's not necessarily for exercise. I mean, yes, I like to get my steps, but for me, it's just a time of moving meditation. It's time that I get to myself. Um, unless I'm walking with a friend, that's fun too. Okay, question six. Do I have to give up wine? Well, not necessarily, but you do have to be honest about it. How often, how much, and how it makes you feel. Because you might be hiding that from yourself. And I hate to admit it, but alcohol is not metabolized in our bodies like other nutrients. And as we get older, that's even more true. I wish I could say that you could eat and drink whatever you want as long as you work out, but that isn't the case. So, you guys, a while back I mentioned doing a kitchen made core program. And I should probably get back to that idea because like 80% of our effort is what we put in our mouth. Um, that and regulating your nervous system. But um, yeah, I I feel like that might be something I'd have to get back to. Um, all right, so question seven. Where do I even start? I would say just start. Just say that you're going to do five minutes, do a mini workout, drink more water, add protein, move your body. You don't need a complete overhaul. Take that first step. Reach out to a friend to do it with you. Everything's better with a friend, right? You can hire a trainer. You can reach out to me. You guys, that is what I do. This is how I make my living. Um, I am here to help. And I'll take you how you are. Like no judgment. Um, I just want everyone to be as healthy and happy as they can. And, you know, making that shift towards joy-based wellness has been huge for me this year. So I don't want you to overthink your health or your workouts or your nutrition. And it doesn't have to be that complicated. I just want to remind you of that. Just be simple and consistent and supportive and have that group around you that will uplift you. And um, yeah. So that's what works, and that's what I that's what I know, and that's what I'm sharing today. So if you have any other questions, please reach out to me. My email is info at spandexnwine.com. You can also text me on my text line, 913-392-2877. So let me know if I can answer anything for you. And I know I didn't reach get to everyone's questions, so I can add those in later episodes. So watch for that. But then also coming up, I have a rainbow challenge. So eating from the rainbow, making sure that your plate is very colorful. If you are interested in that, please reach out to me. That's going to be a fun one. I always like to see how creative people get with all of that. There are some really interesting fruits and vegetables and things out there that I didn't even know about. I think I learned something every time I do a challenge like this. Okay, you guys, until next time, take care, and I will see you soon.