EP. 14 - Gym Foolishness: Things We Just Can't Unsee

Ever notice that the gym is about a lot more than working out these days?

In this episode, we're talking about all the gym foolishness we just can't unsee—from body image pressures and questionable workout routines to distracted personal trainers, endless phone scrolling, flirting, posing, and all the other interesting behavior happening between sets.

Whether you're a regular gym-goer or just enjoy a little people-watching, you'll definitely recognize some of these characters. Join us for a fun, honest conversation about the sights, sounds, and shenanigans that make the gym one of the most entertaining places on earth.

What gym foolishness have you witnessed? Let us know in the comments!

#GymFoolishness #GymLife #FitnessCulture #GymHumor #Podcast #WorkoutLife #FitnessTalk

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:23

Hello, Five Tribe. Hello.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

How are you? Doing well, doing well. Can't complain.

SPEAKER_00 0:33

Well, that's good.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Would you listen if I didn't?

SPEAKER_02 0:36

I absolutely would listen. I absolutely. Um, as you all can tell, I still have not gotten my hair done.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Listen, it's all good. It's all good. It's okay for you to show up in different uh it shows the different facets of sheriff.

SPEAKER_02 0:54

Or it just shows that I uh have not been done. It's all good. But next time y'all see me, my hair will be done. It'll be laid, all that good stuff.

SPEAKER_01 1:04

Do y'all care about that?

SPEAKER_02 1:05

No, I know, but I do. Okay. You know, I do like a nicely fresh, freshly done hair. You do. It is always feels good. My daddy says that women act crazy when they get their hair done. You can't say nothing to them. And that's true.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Yeah, there's a that's a level of cuteness that um just yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:26

And you know, that that that kind of um fits into the whole independent woman vibe. If you're independent and your hair cute, ooh, you can't say nothing to them. Nothing. But anyway, so you're doing well. Excuse me. You're fine. Um, so let me ask you this uh a little vibe check, and this is gonna get real personal real quick.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Oh, Lord.

SPEAKER_02 1:55

And it's one of Sean's favorite things to talk about. What's that? Um, how are you feeling about your uh your overall body image? Are you uh she literally rolled her eyes at me?

SPEAKER_01 2:16

Listen and what are you willing to do about it? Okay, so I first of all, I have always been a very curvaceous, thick girl and now woman, which I am comfortable in that for the most part, right? But I am have always been uh conscious of my health. So, and with that comes, you know, how I like to see myself. Like there's a certain um way that I like to see myself, and uh in terms of my aesthetic. So um, you know, as I've gotten older, my weight has always like fluctuated for, you know, I like to eat. Who doesn't? Um, but I've I have also for a large part of my life been an active person in some shape, form, or fashion. And I used to be a runner, like when I was younger, I used to run like three to four times a week. And it wasn't because I like liked running. Like I'm uh you would never catch me running a marathon, half marathon, none of that. But it was because I have 10Ks? No, okay, not running, walk, yes, uh, because it's just not good on your joints. That's now that's true. But um, I did it because I wanted to look a certain way, and that was my frame of mind when I was younger. So now I am still active. You know, my body has changed. You have hormones, you have uh perimenopause, menopause, all these things that play a part in um how you look. And gaining control of those things can sometimes be a challenge, right? Like you, I am that person that will listen to if I could show you how many doctors I follow on social media that talk about, you know, what you should be doing at this age and this age, this age, or whatever. But um, so but to your question, I um right now I feel comfortable with how I look, although I have um re more recently become more focused on um, you know, like weight training, uh, because at our age, you know, in our at our age, I don't should I include you in at our age, that's what we should be doing. We should be weight training. You know, back in the day I was very focused on cardio, and that actually helped me to maintain my weight. Now it's, you know, uh because there's osteoporosis and all these things, we need to focus more on weight training, which is what I've decided to do. So I'm now working with a trainer, um, which I'm very happy about. He's a nice guy. Um, and I feel like, you know, I'm on the path to because I also want to shed some pounds.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

Do you notice she said shed some pounds? We don't lose weight, we shed pounds, because if you lose it, you can always find it. So and we don't want to find it again. We want to shed some pounds that wherever they go, they can stay gone.

SPEAKER_01 5:42

Yes, and you just keep moving on, and they're easily found on somebody's plate, like whatever plate you have in front of you.

SPEAKER_02 5:50

Or in the ice cream bowl is where I like to find mine.

SPEAKER_01 5:54

Yeah. And so, um, so that's where I am right now. And so, what am I doing about it? That's what I'm doing about it. Like I'm, you know, focused on shedding some pounds, keeping my blood pressure down, and um just feeling healthy, like, you know, uh making sure that I'm doing all the things to uh to be healthy at my age. So I play a lot of tennis as you do, um, and I now have started more walking, and I've never been, you know, in terms of my eating, I'm I'm I've always paid attention to that. But I don't eat crazy every once in a while, you know, you you splurge or whatever, but just honing in on all those um things, which is a lot.

SPEAKER_02 6:45

Yes. And and it's juggling all of those things, especially as we age, it it's just it can be daunting. But so overall, you're pleased with your your body image. You're just tweaking and fine-tuning some things.

SPEAKER_01 7:03

Yeah, I I enjoy being thick, you know, and but I just want to get more toned.

SPEAKER_02 7:11

So, yeah, I think for for me, um, my body image has always been fairly positive, except for right after I when I had the children, because I was um at about 200 pounds when I had the kids. I got, yeah, I was I gained about 60 pounds with each kid and um because I really enjoyed eating. And my doctor was like, When else can you just eat and no one judge you? And so I took that as a license to do whatever I wanted to do. And um, yeah, I really enjoyed being pregnant. So um, but I've always had a pretty good body image. Um, but I've always worked out like you. I used to run, but I would do 5K's, 10K's, I've done a half marathon, that kind of thing. And then I met and fell in love with tennis and put everything else kind of behind me, but I've always have been active. Uh even when I first got out of college um and got married, I joined a gym and had a personal trainer. So I've I've always kind of kept up with that um because I like the way that I looked when I was um training. But overall, body image is is healthy, I think. And um, do you think that's the case for most people, or do you think that um with the whole uh GLP one and stuff like that, do you think people are still pretty much struggling with their I think people are struggling, and I think weight is some well, first of all, let me say this.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

I think that people are looking for the quick way. Yeah, this is nothing against people who are who have decided to take GLP ones or whatever. Do what you do, but I think that people there's so much information out here that people just find it hard to determine what the path is for them. So it's like, do I start with nutrition or do I need a nutritionist? Or do I start with, you know, um just going to the gym? Do I start with the trainer or whatever? So I think there is some not confusion, but just not being able to, with all the information out here, not being able to determine what route is the best route for you. Right. And so listen, for people who, you know, have decided to go the GLP one route, um, you know, more power to you.

SPEAKER_02 9:46

Um it works for a lot of people, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

And if you and if you're struggling with your body image, but what is and so you know, okay, so this the whole body image thing is um an interesting topic within itself because I think do you think that people subscribe to the skinny is healthier? Gosh, I don't know anymore. I really don't know. I think they do, and that I think that that for a lot of people is the impetus for getting on the GLP. Like, I don't think it now, I'm saying in this day and age, I don't think it has anything to do with uh their numbers or you know, diabetes or any of that. I think people are just looking for a certain aesthetic. That's what I feel, yeah. Um, and so I think that's also why you find when you look at a lot of these people, they're sunken in, they, you know, because it's also known to it, it doesn't uh what it does something to your muscles.

SPEAKER_02 10:48

Like it you like the atrophy, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

And it's so I'm saying I feel like a lot of people, you have to do what is best for you. People have to know what their dispositions are, right? Right, right, right. And do what's best for you, not because you see somebody who was on it, they're skinny, and you know you know, for some people that's enough.

SPEAKER_02 11:10

I mean, depending on your body image, they like, well shoot, she doing it and look that good. I'ma I'm gonna go ahead. Yeah. So I mean, another thing I heard about it is that it quiets food noise, which I hadn't I had never heard of it. And this is a very long vibe vibe check. Oh, we're still in the vibe check, we're still in the vibe check, but um, I I just find it fascinating. And I just had to ask the question about the GLP ones, but I had never heard of food noise. Oh, yeah, and how it just really quiets that so you're not just you know, you go somewhere, ooh, that looks good, oh that looks good, and so because it quiets that a little bit, you're not overeating and all of that stuff. So um, yeah, I you know, I had very strong opinions about the GLP ones when they first started, but then now I'm just kind of like, what you do you? Whatever, whatever you need to do to make yourself feel better and give you the look that you want, and that you know, whatever body image that you have for yourself and it gets you there, do that. I mean, and we don't know the consequences yet of the GLP one stuff. We've seen it, so but yes, you're right. So anyway, so I'm I'm I'm okay with it. But okay, so you had mentioned you know, moving out of the vibe check. We'd love to hear um how you all are feeling about your body image. Are you willing to do the GLP one stuff? Um, are you gonna go the gym route? Are you gonna do the nutrition route? Just interested to hear from you all. What do you think? What are you willing to do? Yeah, or even if body image is a thing for you, because it might not be. You might be, you know, rail thin and cool with it, or you know, you might want to have a big old booty, some big old belly, some tickle biddies. Not some tickle biddies, you might want some tickle biddies, you know. Let us know.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

Let us know.

SPEAKER_02 13:16

But in that vein, you mentioned that you are you've always had a a pretty positive body image. Um, but you you there's some tweaks that you want to make now, based on, and so you just engage with a personal trainer. How has your experience been at the gym?

SPEAKER_01 13:35

Uh it has been great. So the type of gym person that I am that I am is I I don't um like I like to go when there's not a lot of people there. Um, you know, and and part of my experience has just been, so he has me, my my um trainer has me on these uh, you know, every day is a different sort of workout. Um you go every day? No, no. Oh every day that I go.

SPEAKER_02 14:04

Ooh, girl.

SPEAKER_01 14:06

Every day that I go. How many days a week do you go? No, it's like two to three. Okay. So, you know, I've run into these situations where um people are just sitting on the exercise machines that I mean, you know, whether it be a content creator or um, you know, somebody who's just like just sitting there like I don't know if they're in between reps or I I don't know. But do your thing and move on.

SPEAKER_02 14:37

Like do your thing, wipe it down and move on. Please and thank you.

SPEAKER_01 14:43

But yeah, I um it's been going um great, and I I will tell you that I um and I this is a literal recent journey that I've started. So I've only been with him probably now for two months. Okay, and so in terms of my energy level, like stark difference, in terms of the amount of rest that I get, very different.

SPEAKER_02 15:13

You sleep much better, don't you?

SPEAKER_01 15:14

Yeah, yeah. And that alone, you know, as it relates to like work and all that stuff, is very beneficial. And um, so he he has me, he's very he's been very aggressive with my workouts, which I um which I enjoy. So it's been working out very well.

SPEAKER_02 15:35

Okay. So have you noticed anything I'll say odd or different in the gym? Like, um, because I consider myself a reluctant gym rat. Um, because I've been going to the gym for years. I don't love it, but it's a necessity. So it's just like you know, bathing every day. You just have to do it, and so that's kind of my attitude about working out. You you just have to do it, period, because the body was built to move. So, you know, that's important. But I, you know, having been in the gym world for a very, very, very, very long time, I've seen all kinds of trainers, and I've seen all kinds of gyms. And so I was actually just last night I was talking to my my parents about being at the gym, and um, a trainer that I know will have you working on different things, and and his his clientele is older, and so I have seen more recently a lot of trainers. I don't have a phone, but they are scrolling now. The person is here working out, and they on Instagram, and you know, whatever their social media of choice is, and they don't even know what you're doing, and they they ain't counting, they don't know what you're doing, they don't know what your form is, all of that. And there was this one gentleman, and a lot of times in these gyms, people are older because we're the ones that know, okay, I gotta get to the gym, I gotta start doing weight training, I gotta, you know, and so this one older gentleman was doing chest press, and he did about seven or eight of them, and then about that ninth one, we all started shaking shaking. And you know, my my partner was like, okay, he is in trouble. The trainer is watching whatever video he watches. Oh, wow. He's a very good trainer, but you know, sometimes he gets caught up. And so when he saw my partner making a beeline to this person, he gets over there and he helps him get the weight up. But what is happening in the gyms where trainers are almost disengaged? Like they give you the routines, but then they're almost disengaged. And you know, what's incentivizing people to trainer to get a trainer and keep people coming back? So that's what I mean. But have you noticed anything in your two-month stint being at the gym? Is it different than from when you were in the gym before, or is it about the same?

SPEAKER_01 18:40

Um, what I will say is that this I have not had that experience because even the previous trainer that I was going to, he was very uh, he was there, he was present. Um, but he also was within my age um, you know, bracket. So he he wasn't like a social media. So I think the generation also plays a part because the guy that I have now is much younger. But he is also very engaged, like he is he's helping me. Like I will do my reps, and once I leave the machine, he will go get the thing to wipe off the machine and stuff. So he's very engaged. We use this app to track, you know, um, all of my exercises and my reps and stuff, and he has my phone checking off the things that so he's very engaged. I will say that.

SPEAKER_00 19:35

Yeah, that's good.

SPEAKER_01 19:36

Yeah, but I also think with every profession, people are just in it just to get some money, right? And so, you know, this is where we need to be our own advocate, right? Like, recognize and be like, okay, this is we're not aligned. Like, what you're trying to do and what I'm trying to do is just not aligned. So I need to find somebody who is more attentive to me.

SPEAKER_02 20:01

But that's a yeah, that's a balancing act, right? Like, sometimes if you if you've been around the gym quite a bit and you know the techniques and you know the form and all that stuff, um, maybe you don't need as much help. Yeah. Or, you know, it or maybe you're not being challenged enough. I I don't know. It's an interesting, it's an interesting balance. But I I have noticed too that sometimes when older people come to the gym, and by older I mean older than us, um, there was a younger guy, trainer, who had some older people that he was working with, and he had this older woman doing agility drills, like football agility drills. And I was just like, she don't even have on the right bra for all that. Like, she is struggling. You can't see that this older woman is struggling. I mean, no disrespect, but breasts were everywhere, bouncing every. Why is she on the ladder doing like footwork drills and stuff like that when her doctor said, you know, you need to shed some pounds because you know you're pre-diabetic or your blood pressure is higher. It was just like a total disconnect. He had this old woman and doing those little hurdles, she jumping over her phones.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

Lord have mercy.

SPEAKER_02 21:32

So it's just you see a little bit of everything in the gym. And I think that the gym culture, whereas like years ago, it was like a meat market where people would just go to meet someone and you know, whatever. But now it's kind of changing and morphing a little bit into I don't I don't know what.

SPEAKER_01 21:53

Yeah, I don't I don't know what either. And in terms of the meat market aspect of things, I think people are now. Have figured it out that let me get these headsets on so I won't hear what you're saying. I can act like I don't even see you if you're even trying to say something. So that's what you do? Yeah. Like don't don't say I come in the gym, I speak to the young ladies, um, whoever's at the desk, and um headsets go on, and I go on about my unless my trainer is there, then you know we're talking or whatever. But if I'm in there by myself, I I don't don't don't talk to me. I mean, don't talk to me. Unless you like I it I there's no reason why we should be like, why what are we talking about? We don't know each other. What are we talking about? Well, how do you get to know each other if you don't? I don't want to. No, that's just being real. I don't want to.

SPEAKER_02 22:48

Like, that's what I might have been what happened to me because that's where I met my friend. Uh my man, my my serious committed relationship. Um, you know, my partner. I actually met him at the gym.

SPEAKER_01 22:59

Oh, that's interesting. Yeah. So how who initiated conversation?

SPEAKER_02 23:03

It wasn't me. But I didn't have more headphones.

SPEAKER_01 23:07

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 23:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:09

Okay. I mean, I I don't have a reason to be meeting anybody in the gym.

SPEAKER_02 23:14

Yeah, I I mean, I didn't either, but I just I don't know. It was I I don't know. Yeah. Yeah, but that'll be very effective. I'm sure you won't.

SPEAKER_01 23:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:24

Your boo will be very glad that you wear those headphones.

SPEAKER_01 23:28

And from what I've learned, ain't nobody gonna approach me anyway, because I look like a police officer, I look like a military. This guy just the other day, this is off topic, but he was like, Are you military? I said, No. I was in the grocery store.

SPEAKER_02 23:43

And um He needs a better opening line. He was like clearly he thought you were cute, but that's not a good opening line.

SPEAKER_01 23:50

He was like, Are you military? I was like, No. He was like, Are you a police? No, okay, because you look so like um he he couldn't even get the word. I was like, No, I'm just living life out here. I I am not. He just said that and just carried on, and then I just walked around. Like, I really didn't give him an opportunity to say anything more. So, yeah, because you sound stupid, and I right, I wasn't even interested in the context around that, but um, so even if you should have had your headphones on, he wouldn't have said nothing to you, but yeah, so I nobody's approaching me anyway.

SPEAKER_02 24:29

I don't believe that.

SPEAKER_01 24:30

So I'm just like, let me go ahead and put on these handsets so to make sure.

SPEAKER_02 24:35

I don't believe that for a second.

SPEAKER_01 24:38

People think that I'm a police officer or in the military.

SPEAKER_02 24:45

Okay. Well, what does your trainer do to help incentivize you to keep coming back, to keep staying, you know, to stay engaged? And you know, I know there's like goal setting and things like that, but since you're kind of new on this journey, um, not to working out, but to to working with this trainer, what what are some of the things that they're doing and how how do they how do you stay motivated? How do you keep it going?

SPEAKER_01 25:12

So I am that person that needs the trainer. No, I realize that I need a trainer. And um I think I'm just motivated, motivated by the first of all, he's a very he he speaks very positively.

SPEAKER_02 25:30

Oh, he's not beating you down and berating you.

SPEAKER_01 25:33

No. Um, and I am the the pain that I feel while I'm working, and this is honest, the pain that I feel when I'm working out is um motivation enough for me because I know that my body is changing. And um, like I've even I've noticed changes already, like with like my stomach and uh you know, just different areas of my body uh and mentally.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

I think that's the biggest thing. Even if you don't see changes in your body right away, you feel stronger, which increases your confidence, which you feel like you've done something for the day. Yeah so even though like you're in pain, you know, if you're sore after you work out or whatever, there's a certain level of accomplishment that you feel that helps boost your self-esteem, all that good stuff. So that I think that that is an important aspect of it. Yeah, but also having a positive, engaged trainer that helps.

SPEAKER_01 26:41

Yeah, and you know, the prior to this, like mid-morning around 11, I would be like on a slump. And that's not the case now. Like I will come, you know, home from my workout or whatever, and I need to what's most beneficial to me is working out in the morning.

SPEAKER_02 27:02

Absolutely, yep.

SPEAKER_01 27:03

And um, you know, it helps me to be more productive throughout the day. Do you find you're more focused? Mm-hmm. More focused.

SPEAKER_02 27:14

I was asking about your your motivation, like what he does to kind of keep you motivated, if anything.

SPEAKER_01 27:21

Yeah, he um I I think it's just um, I don't know if it's necessarily anything that he's doing outside of keeping me accountable and not letting me cheat on, you know, the weight or the reps.

SPEAKER_02 27:36

And um that's the big thing. I think that's why they have to why it's important they stay engaged, because again, I'm a reluctant gym rat. So if my trainer goes somewhere else, I will lessen that uh weight.

SPEAKER_01 27:51

Especially when well, I usually don't lessen the weight, but the number of reps, if he says 21, and mentally, if you if you were used to doing 20 and even the 21, it's like, oh my god.

SPEAKER_02 28:07

And then he'll always that's the thing about trainers though, he'll always catch me. I don't know how he does, but he's like, that wasn't that one 15, that wasn't whatever. And I'm like, how do you know you weren't even anywhere around? And maybe he just knows I'll I I cheat sometimes. I don't know. Or like I'll break it down, so I'll do 10 and then I'll catch my breath and then do another 10. And he's like, Why are you breaking it down? He's like, You're not getting any benefit of it out of it by just by resting during your set. However, if he's standing right there, you're just banging.

SPEAKER_01 28:44

I'll just do one.

SPEAKER_02 28:45

You're just banging. But I, you know, I will look to cheat a little bit. I'm not gonna lie.

SPEAKER_01 28:51

I I can't say that I would don't, because I do. But also, um, so I go to uh Planet Fitness and the machines keep track of your um your reps. Really? Yeah, so you you you can and he I think that is also so it's like you can't really I never knew that.

SPEAKER_02 29:13

Yeah, because I'll be like, well, and this this one is new, so yeah, I'm at eight, and if he disappeared, I'm at 12 all of a sudden. When he comes back, he's like, what number's that that's for me? So yeah, I I definitely, you know, to my own detriment, right? I mean, I don't know, you know, but some of it is like I don't want to win a bodybuilding competition. I just want to be able to stand up from a chair without or pushing yourself up, like you just won't be able to get up. Yeah, I just want to be able to get up. And and so the the goals are different, but I I think that um I just think that it's important for us to be there and for us to do things um to to benefit ourselves, and things are just different now as we age. The goal is different and all of that. But I have heard a rumor, and I think that you you've shared with me a little bit, that people are doing some interesting techniques, using interesting techniques to motivate people to get into the gym. Do share. No, you do share. About so you were sharing with me how some gyms actually incentivize people because if they you know if they um are taking like weekly measurements, weight, for instance, whatever, if they gain weight, then sometimes the they're making the people pay a little extra.

SPEAKER_01 30:54

Yeah, it you know, some of these uh private gyms kind of do whatever they want. And you know, I I just feel like as um say for instance our parents, like we want to keep them healthy or whatever.

SPEAKER_02 31:17

I think with seniors, are we we're we're we're not seniors, we're certainly middle-aged, but not seniors.

SPEAKER_01 31:27

Not seniors, um, you have to be careful. Like I know that I have to be an advocate for my mother, and I have to be listening and looking at everything that's happening, you know, with her in terms of where she's engaged in or whatever, because I feel like um as people get older, they become comfortable with certain things and certain people. Like I remember my grandmother used to swear by this doctor that she um used to go to. And after she passed away, we was like, child, what was happening with that? No, I'm just kidding. But it's just like we have to pay attention to that because there's something about seniors where they like they're so committed. Like even with my mom's doctor now, like she swears by, and I'm I think he's a good doctor, but I also think that they're even with our doctors, there are things you need to challenge and questions you need to ask, you know, ask and all of that um on behalf of yourself, and in the context of trainers, let's be clear not all trainers have been trained, and I mean, uh, not all certifications have been certified or recognized.

SPEAKER_02 32:42

I'm gonna leave that there, but um, I I hear just because a test has been taken don't mean that the test has been taken.

SPEAKER_01 32:50

Yeah, and so I think there is um there is some uh so to your point that there are people out here who have built up this reputation of being a trainer or health and fitness, whatever, and have recognized that there's a certain demographic of people that they can attract who they can um sort of strong arm get them on to their school of thinking, yeah. So I I don't know how you want me to address this, but I I let it it, you know only only share what you're comfortable with sharing. And so with with every gym, you pay a monthly fee. If you go, you still pay. If you don't go, you still pay. Right. But if you are having people like there's certain measures that you know some of these gyms have in place where they they're questionable because you don't want people to, you want people to come. The whole purpose of the gym is to help people lose weight, not to be you know, have them be ashamed of whether they have gained a couple pounds or whatever.

SPEAKER_02 34:05

Well, and uh in the whole journey, you're gonna probably gain some pounds sometimes. Like I even you, the trainer. Listen, I remember I had a trainer one time, this was years ago, years ago, and the trainer, we were training outside, and he was like, Oh, go in my bag and get the such and such. So I was going in the bag to get the such and such. And when I tell you the number of Twicks and Snickers papers that flew and a pack of cigarettes that flew out of your bag, I was just like, What are we doing? Surely you can't be training me when you have Twicks, Snickers, and a pack of cigarettes in your bag, and you're gonna ask me to go in the bag and get your stuff? Like you should have known I would see that stuff. Anyway, that was the last session we ever had. I just I couldn't do it anymore.

SPEAKER_01 35:04

Because how are you advocating for this and you're not even following um any type of healthy opposite?

SPEAKER_02 35:14

You're relying on the fact that you're 20-something and trying to try. And so I was just like, that was the weirdest, that was very odd. Now, most of my trainers have not been like that. You know, I've had trainers, you know, you speaking of the the practices that that the especially these private gyms have had. And I'm talking about the um, this wasn't a private gym, but personal trainers. I worked out with with a personal trainer before. This is when I first started, and he required all of his clients to transition to vegan. And I did it at all for a number of years. How did that work out for you? I'm no longer vegan. It did not work out for me at all. Initially, I felt very um energized. I felt really yeah, I I mean I felt really good, and then after about six months, my energy dipped so low I couldn't get up. I mean, I just and and and I'm it was so bad. I went to a nutritionist, and she was also an acupuncturist and all of that other stuff, and she told me, she was like, Well, this would be an appropriate diet for you if you were uh a little Asian woman from Okinawa. And I was like, So are you telling me because uh my ancestors are from the motherland, I should be eating meat? And she said, I would never say that to you.

SPEAKER_01 36:57

However, comma or semicolon, however, it's a transitional, right? Everyone says however, comma.

SPEAKER_02 37:05

Oh, okay, but yeah, she was like, You should be eating meat. And I promptly started eating meat again, and I felt fine. I felt fine, but you know, so people do have all these different practices and these different ideas of what would work for people, and it almost seems like it's a one-size-fit-all, as opposed to people being really trained and and certified to kind of tailor what they do for the particular person.

SPEAKER_01 37:40

That particular person. So there are a couple of things. One is that the curriculum for trainers should be evolving and changing and you know, all of that.

SPEAKER_02 37:51

Okay, this is a true confession, but I have my certification in personal training.

SPEAKER_01 37:57

Okay. And I think you told me that before.

SPEAKER_02 38:02

I do. And because I've been at this gym, I've I've been working out with this one trainer since before COVID, and you know, his gym has taken off, and he was getting a lot of um older people, and he couldn't service all of them. So he was like, help me out, you know, can you get certified so you can start working with some of these people? And I thought it was and I had always toyed with the idea. So I went and got my certification and I trained a few people for a period of time, but um, it was really difficult, I found. Um, because each person is different, especially I had the older people, because he didn't really have the temperament to deal with the older people, and he just he goes hard and he doesn't really take those things into consideration, but you have to, yeah, because you don't want anybody to to pass out when you're working with them. And and you know, older people they don't want to be in bodybuilding competitions, they just want to be able to carry a gallon of milk and keep it moving. Anyway, I say all of that to say that the training I haven't, unless you go all in and do a lot of training on your own and a lot of study on your own, you're not getting a lot of really good information through these classes. I think it's a base level, but it's not, it's not like impressive.

SPEAKER_01 39:31

Yeah, so I I feel like so that is a good point because most people who come to trainers and be like, you know, I want to lose weight or I want to tone up, like the basic level of um education that a trainer has gotten allows them to help, you know, that client or whatever, and help them transform their body, I believe. I'm I'm just thinking about, you know, just people's health profiles and you know, um, genetics and history and all of that stuff, which to some degree is um the responsibility of the client to convey those things to say, hey, I have this, this, this going on. What I will say about um the trainer I have now, he asked me like a lot of um those questions.

SPEAKER_02 40:19

Like one of my clients had um he had hip problems and back problems and all kinds of stuff. And I was like, I can have this man in traction. So I I found myself spending a lot of time trying to figure out ways to help him work out that wouldn't cause more harm than good. And I was just like, I'm not gonna do it. He needed a physical therapist, yes, he did. Yeah, and then when the well, I won't tell that story, but yeah, we did not work out for long because he was only there because his doctor was like, You gonna die if you don't start working out. Girl, I would see him leaving the gym and he'd be at the daggone liquor store before he trying to numb that hip pain. After his workout, he was like, I need something to help. So I just I don't know, it was weird. It it was it was difficult. A couple of my clients saw dramatic change. Um, and some didn't at all, but it it all a function of how much you work outside of the two or three times you're in the gym.

SPEAKER_01 41:29

Absolutely. So it's that supplemental workout that you need to supplement the workouts that you do with your trainer for sure.

SPEAKER_02 41:38

And I didn't have any incentives like you know, pay me extra if you gain weight. And maybe I should have. If you gain a pound or two extra, I get a dollar a pound.

SPEAKER_01 41:51

Oh that you gain. You would do that. You believe in that side, that type of do you believe that that is motivation?

SPEAKER_02 42:01

No, but I should I try it. I get paid more. I know a lot of people who worked out with trainers and they are bigger now than when they had been with the trainer.

SPEAKER_01 42:13

What do you mean? They're they they oh, when they were working with the trainer, they were one.

SPEAKER_02 42:21

Steadily gaining weight.

SPEAKER_01 42:23

What?

SPEAKER_02 42:25

What in the world? I do know. I mean, that that has that happens. Yeah. You know, if you don't watch your nutrition, you know, it it's a lot of it's a lot of things. And I because I've been around it for so long, I do know some trainers who are reluctant to push. Like most trainers push you and they know, give me one more, give me two more, and all that. But I have trained with someone where you like, oh, this is so hard. And it's like, okay, well, here's a different weight. Oh Lord, and that was not fun, yeah. That that's counterproductive, yeah. And so that's how you can find yourself in a situation where you gain in weight because they don't want to make you sad or they don't want to make you uncomfortable. They're in the wrong line of business, yeah. And maybe they were just looking for people to date, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 43:27

That's why I keep my headphones on, so you can't even talk to me about nothing.

SPEAKER_02 43:33

Don't even look at me because I ain't gonna look at you. Well, that's why they think she informed the military. Yeah, so it's the you know, this was just kind of a little hodgepodge of you know, experiences at the gym, body image, and how all of that kind of works together to help us move forward. And and gyms are just very interesting places, there's a lot of things going on at the gym.

SPEAKER_01 44:02

There is, and I am a the introvert in me is very much a people watcher, so you have seen all kinds of stuff at the gym, yeah. And the conversations that go on inside my head is just like, what is going on here? And it again, it just brings me back to these content creators who are in the gym, and it's just like, what are you doing? I can't get with it, but you know, I'm in there and out of there, and um, you know, I say, have a good day to the ladies at the at the front.

SPEAKER_02 44:35

You speak to the ladies at the front when coming in, you speak to them going out. That's right. But that's that's anything in between, unless it's me and my trainer. So lots of things going on at the gym, but I would be interested in hearing about people's, you know, where are you with your body image? What are you doing to help um get you where you want to go if you're not fully satisfied with your body image? Is the gym the right place to be? Or are you just doing something on your own, working out to avoid all of the foolishness?

SPEAKER_01 45:07

Yeah, and are you a person who needs a train? You realize like you've tried it on your own, but you realize that you need a trainer, like somebody who's gonna hold you accountable and help you um, you know, take it up a couple notches. I think it should be part of the universal health care. Absolutely, like no joke. Yeah, because it's wicked and deep. It's wicked and deep. Trying to pay for this, just trying to be healthy. Yeah, why? But your health is worth it. But I I hear what you're saying, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 45:43

I think it's all part of it, but let us know.

SPEAKER_01 45:46

Let us know what you think in the comments, and to that end, always remember that we are on YouTube, we're on Spotify, we're on all social media platforms, and we want for you all to like, share, comment, engage with us. Please, we want to hear from you.

SPEAKER_02 46:11

Have a wonderful rest of your week, and we will chat with you next time. Ciao.

SPEAKER_01 46:18

Thank you for joining us for this episode of Two Chicks One Vibe. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel and to like, share, and follow on all social media platforms and Spotify. Let us know what you think in the comments and the first time.