Not Your Typical Fitness Coach

✨ Wellness in the Wavelength Episode 13 ✨

This week, we’re joined by Taylor Danielle, a fitness coach and fellow raver, to talk about what it looks like to take care of your body while still living the rave life.

We talk about why fitness is especially important for people in the EDM community, how building strength, endurance, and healthy habits can help you power through long festival days and late nights, and why taking care of yourself allows you to get even more out of the experiences you love. Taylor shares how she helps ravers train with intention so they can dance longer, recover better, and show up as their best selves both on and off the dance floor.

Whether you're preparing for your next festival or simply looking for a healthier balance, this episode is a reminder that investing in your body is one of the best ways to keep doing what you love, for many festival seasons to come. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

What's up, hockeys? Welcome to another episode of Wellness in the Wavelength.

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Today we have Taylor Danielle on with us today. Do you want to tell us about you and what you do, Taylor?

SPEAKER_02 0:16

So thank you for having me, first of all. And I basically am a foot fitness coach catered towards flavors. Um, it is very niche. However, there's so many people in the space that are looking to kind of level up not only their fitness routine, but they want to do it in a way that's sustainable. So basically I focus on sustain building sustainable habits with them, whether it's meal planning, um training for a festival, like getting their steps in. It's a lot of planning. So if they know that they're going out, we basically just want to go into it, um, you know, knowing that we are knowing our body is ready and we want to mitigate any, you know, feelings of ickiness when we get back, because obviously we've all been there. So basically, I just kind of want to teach everybody sustainable habits, and this way you can like also have a life, but also reach your goals at the same time.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

All right. I love that. I know meal planning has changed my life dramatically. So just having support because it can be so overwhelming just to like plan that for yourself.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

Yeah, for sure. And especially at festivals, because it can be so limited, I want to say. And honestly, not a lot of people know that you can actually bring your own food in. Um, so you don't have to spend like $25 on one meal of chicken fingers. You can actually prep everything before, bring it in. This way, you know you're eating enough, you know you're hitting your protein goal, and you're not gonna come back on Monday super bingey or like super extreme hungry because um a lot of people tend to undereat that going into the week of the festival to, you know, look a certain way and then come Monday, they're like so, so hungry. So kind of just knowing and planning our meals even throughout the weekend is like such a great skill to you know learn and have.

SPEAKER_00 2:06

I feel like also just having that support is helpful because like to your point, like we cut people like come back and they binge, but they also have to like go to work and they have other stuff going on in their personal life, and like then they on the end up on this like cycle where they're like haven't really like nourish themselves, their like muscles are deteriorating, it feels like. And then it's like this whole thing, and definitely during festival see that it's like back to back to back to back, and that's where it can like also impact their mental health as well, because they're just like not taking care of their bat bodies. And I think it in some ways, like it's become kind of normalized where everyone's like, I am just gonna survive off two chicken fingers. And it's like, but you actually don't need to do that, you can actually feel good in like having someone like you that can kind of coach them and show them like how this is actually like, yes, focus on like festival season and just if you're a raver in general, but like also just how it like can make your life better, like overall, like like being healthy is good.

SPEAKER_02 3:03

Yeah, yeah. Not only ravers, but even just going out. So there was a period of time where I um I come from a bodybuilding background. I competed in 2023 in bikini, and the industry, the fitness industry then was just so like you cannot go out if you want to have physique goals. Like it, like if you want physique goals, you can go out. And I was saying no to everything. I was saying no to raving, which is literally my favorite thing ever. I didn't go to any shows because I just didn't have the energy, quite frankly. And did I look absolutely ripped? Yes, but I was miserable because I couldn't like go out and have fun with my friends, and that's what I like to do. And obviously, that's what a lot of people like to do. I live in St. Pete's, so there's something going on every single weekend, and while sometimes I do want to go out, you know, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, at the same time, it's important to kind of reel it in. So that's also what I like to teach my clients to not aren't necessarily like going to festivals every weekend, but simply just going out. So I have like a newer female client who was doing back-to-back-to-back festival shows, going out, and she just couldn't got back on the bandwagon. So you really have to sit down and like ask her, you know, like, what do you want more? And it's not in terms of more as like you have to say no to every single thing, but maybe like saying no to an afters, implementing bedtimes. I actually implement bedtimes for a few of my clients. Like, as funny as that sounds, you have to just go in with a plan or else you will be up until 6, 7, 8 a.m. with no sleep, and that's just not healthy, it's not sustainable. And then to piggyback off the no sleep, um, having no sleep increases ghrelin and decreases leptin, so it actually increases your hunger hormones. So not only are you going to feel crappy from not sleeping, your body is going to kind of tell you that it wants shitty food. And then that's where the snowball comes in. So it's kind of just mitigating that before we even get to that point. So making sure we're sleeping, even if it's three hours, three hours is better than 30 minutes, zero minutes, which very much happens for a lot of people. And then they go into that day or that festival show, whatever, like relying on substances and alcohol to kind of get them back up. And then it just snowballs and snowballs. So it's really just mitigating that. And then also going into it fueled and hydrated. So we use the calendar very heavily for my clients. So implementing a water goal, one gallon every day, even if you aren't going to a wraith one gallon per day. Um, implementing your lifts and your cardio just to make sure that you are going into it, you know, fueled and you're not going um already like tired and hungry. That's just not, it's just not gonna be fun for anyone if you do that.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

But I feel you on the sleep comment. I take my sleep so seriously and have like this year, especially. I've you know, obviously I do my own things and like workouts and stuff like that and in the wellness space, but like, and like I cannot emphasize enough how like being on a sleep schedule and like prioritizing your sleep to your point, like that is so tremendously helpful to also be able to like achieve whatever your goals are, whether it's to be ripped or just to like feel good when you go to festivals and come back from festivals. And I think it's one of those things where a lot of people are like, yeah, duh, sleep is good. But like the way people say that, but like don't actually like prioritize it. And I was one of those people for like a while. Um, I'm like, oh my God, all I need to do was like go to bed at 9 p.m. consistent consistently.

SPEAKER_02 6:50

It's almost like so silly how like simple it can be, right? So like people tend to overlook the simple things like sleep, water, walking. Like a lot of people also come to me kind of like thinking, well, oh, what supplements can I take? Like what exact macros do I have to hit when we really we have to go back to the basics and just make sure like the foundation is laid first before we get into like the nitty, the nitty gritty, because if you don't have a like a good foundation, then that that other stuff is just extra, right? So again, just like sustainable habits. So going back to the sleep, yes, the silly things do work in the end, but even if you just have to make sure that you're hitting everything.

SPEAKER_01 7:35

Yeah, I actually just started implementing a whole new like life routine like system for myself, and just like it includes like counting calories to make sure that I'm actually like hitting my food goals so that I'm eating enough, and like that has dramatically just changed like my whole living in my mind state too, like just taking care of the body just really helps just the overall functionality of like how we think and what our thoughts are like, and with like living with a system because I am very much made of whimsy, I love to be spontaneous and run around and do whatever, and just like once I finally have like realized, like, oh, I would actually routine would benefit me, and now I'm like mind blown that like just the most basic things of like eating food and sleeping consistently and doing all that, like it's just I'm like, wow, what is this? Literally.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

What's fun about that? After we do like make sure we have a good foundation for at least a week or so, then we can get into the nitty-gritty, and then we can do macros, and then we can really tone in on training, like progressive overload. So it's kind of just like an all-overlapping like lifestyle change, I want to say. Um, whereas other fitness coaches will just kind of like throw you some macros and like throw you training program. They don't really follow up, they don't really ask questions, and they don't really ask how you're doing on the weekends, which is like what makes it so different. Because I have always been, I love going out. I'm very social, so I will never give that up again. I'll never do another bodybuilding prep. Well, I'm not gonna say never, never say never, but as of in the near future, like I need to have my social life, and I think that just resonates with a lot of people who tend to shy away from these fit with these other like online coaches because they just don't understand the lifestyle that we live because it is so different. You can't really explain staying to the afters all night, like it you just can't, like people just don't understand. So that's why I just think like what I do is so fun because I really like want to connect with everyone and I want to know where you're going, like what festivals are you seeing with who you're seeing at the afters. Like, I want to know like all of the details that way we can make a plan, like I said, just to you know make sure everything's running smoothly, and then in the end, you if you do have a very specific physique goal, once everything else is dialed, then like we will get you there. So I also focus on like body recomp, which is losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. And I would say, like, most of the like nine out of ten girls that start with me actually are under eating without even knowing it, simply because I never tracked before. So I never I I always start by reversing them up, which is essentially increasing food each week, um, just making sure we are eating at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight, making sure as a female, you never really want to go below 60, 55 grams of carbs, um, depending on high, just for hormone health reasons. And then carbs. A lot of girls are scared of carbs, but you need carbs to have energy not only in the gym, but to dance. And you they'd be surprised how like just fueling their body properly with carbs, you can go, you can last so much longer when you're out, too. So that's it.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

Like the funny thing too. Sorry, like with like the one of those silly things are like, wait, carbs, like you know what I mean? We're like, oh carbs, carbs, water. Those things will actually dance longer.

SPEAKER_02 11:11

Yeah. And then what like much to their surprise, they end up losing weight and eating more. So that's really fun. And it's just a side note, it's like a double win because you're losing weight, looking better, you're feeling better, and you are eating more. So it's three three ones.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

I know. I swear by my morning cash brown, like it actually helps me like jumpstart into then making my next breakfast.

SPEAKER_00 11:38

Yeah, I need to get on my breakfast game, Taylor. So I'll probably be hitting you up. That's like the hardest one for me. And I think that's the one where like if you miss, and like I I'm just like super busy, but like that's the one I've noticed where if I don't eat breakfast and then I wait really long, that's where I end up just like eating things that don't necessarily feel my body. And and for me, it's like I'm probably technically, I mean, I'm definitely under-eating, which isn't helpful. And then I'm also not giving my body like, you know, the prop the like the proper things to help, you know, go teach in 110 degrees, like power flow. So like, and then how that translates into into like festivals that I work too, it's the same thing. And like I actually, this last one I worked, like last year when I worked it, I was like not on my game of making sure like that I was eating properly, which some of that was out of my control. However, this year I was like making sure that I just like got something each time there was a meal offered. And that helps like again, it's silly. I'm like, oh my God, who would have thought having three meals while I'm working all day long would have made me feel tremendously better. But something that you um kind of commented on um a little bit ago was around like what happens when you don't do that, like using other things to cope, right? And and then that turns into the sort of like, well, I'm just doing this to stay awake, or I'm just doing this to have energy to dance. And it's like obviously, and we always say on this podcast, like we're never ever shaming anybody for like what they choose to do in these environments. However, like a lot of people are in these environments doing it because they are trying to cope with lack of it, like genuinely trying to, when like we can actually take and they and they don't want to be doing those things, like they don't, they they feel shame about it, you know what I mean? And they're like, God, and then they wake up and they spiral because they didn't want to, but they were like so desperate to want to like stay awake and party and be with their friends when um, you know, a lot of it led to that just because of like not the proper care ahead of time, you know, which could have then probably allowed them to like not have to like overindulge, you know. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 13:42

Yeah, and that's exactly what we try what we try to mitigate. Um, like I said, just a lot of people just don't know. Like they're they just don't have like the knowledge or nobody, you know, taught them about nutrition um and how important it is. And it's just it's not even like like you said, it's not even like they want to do it, it's they feel like they have to do it. So just knowing that they don't have to do that, and you can, you know, act, you can treat like any festival day like a normal day. Like if I'm going out on a Friday, I don't change anything about my routine. I tell my clients, if they're if you're going out on Friday, don't do anything different. If you're going to dinner, simply replace that meal that you would have normally with your meal out and then like continue on with your day. You don't have to like do all these crazy things and like starve yourself or like save calories for alcohol, literally just go about your day and then when you're out, do what you need to do and then come home, sleep, and just get back on track the next day. So yeah, pretty much just a lot of routine and it's a lot of planning. And then going back to what you said, Kat, so something also that's really fun that I do with some of my clients is implementing meal times. So you're probably one of those people who are like, I swear I'm not hungry when I wake up. And I'm like, Yeah, literally. See, that's a sign that if you start eating breakfast consistently at the same time every single day, you will wake up hungry. You will wake up hungry. So even implementing like meal time, so I tend to space out, I tend to space out my meals and my clients' meals like three to four hours, depending on my schedule. And I will go in and put on their calendar like lunch at nine, break or breakfast at nine, lunch at one, like dinner, blah blah blah. So there's really no room for error with coaching too, which is kind of why also like going back to them not just like not being like not knowledgeable, but just not knowing exactly what to do. Coaching kind of takes the thinking, well, it does take the thinking out of it. So I give you all of your habits on the calendar every single day. All you need to do at the end of the day is literally check your boxes. And as long as you're checking your boxes, then there's no like reason why you shouldn't get to where you want to be, like mentally, physically, physique-wise. So it really just takes the thinking out of it. And I think decision fatigue is like a big thing for some people because they don't know what to eat, they don't know what to do in the gym, they don't know how to balance. So, really just my job is just taking all of those choices away. This way, you're just following the plan. All you gotta do is execute. So that is pretty much coaching in a nutshell.

SPEAKER_01 16:28

Yeah, I would love to hear how you would recommend for people to get back on track. Like, let's say that you like just got off, got off the train for a few weeks. Like, how would you recommend just like coming back? Because I feel like there can be this sense of like guilt or shame that can like cause like an emotional distance between like getting back on the routine. Do you have any suggestions on that?

SPEAKER_02 16:51

Yeah, and especially when alcohol or substances are involved and the no sleep, it just goes woo like way downhill. So, like I I've been there like years ago, and the only way to get back on track is again just getting back on plan. Like, you don't need to do anything extreme. So I was also an avid undereater to go into the festivals and Monday out binge, vent, binge, vent, binge, and it would just make me feel so awful. So the only way to get back on track is to get back into your normal routine. That's it. Nothing's crazy, no extra cardio, no, it's really just about not letting it snowball, but also like the accountability is there. Um, so we do check-ins constantly. I do like one full check-in, and there's all a check-in form for accountability, but also like constantly just kind of checking in with them if that well, that's also why they put if they're going out or festival shows on their calendars, so I can make sure to check them in on them on their way home or like on Monday morning, whenever. Just making sure that as soon as they're back, they're doing their fastid cardio, they're hitting, like they have their meals prepped. And if there's anything that I could do to help them, um, like extra, like I'm like more than happy to do that, of course. Just give them a little extra support if I know that they are coming back from a festival. But also, even before it gets to that point, that's the whole thing with like planning. So making sure they are eating that whole weekend, going, setting them with a meal plan, making sure they're drinking water and just all those little things, and um, just making sure it really doesn't get to that like snowbully point, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 18:31

But it sounds like too, like, even if it were to get to that point that you have this way about you that also feels like a friend, right? Like, even though you're setting things up for them, like you're making it easy, like you being like in the rave scene and like truly being able to see them and understand them. Um, I feel like that's where like at your like more stereotypical trainer can't really empathize. Where for you, I feel like in your instance, if you have someone that comes that's just like, oh my God, Taylor, like I fucking shit the can and I fucking like I'm terrible, like, and comes to you feeling all this shame, I feel like you wouldn't know what to say to them in a way that someone that has never experienced those things wouldn't be able to, which is why I think you're such an amazing resource for like our audience um and and just the scene and culture, but like our audience truly has a resource of someone that like even though you're in St. Pete, you you know, work remotely and like can help people because that's where that snowball happens too, because they don't have someone right to be like, it's okay, like you don't need to now go like sign up for a triathlon.

SPEAKER_02 19:41

Like we can going back to my like bodybuilding days, I would feel so guilty going out and like enjoying a few drinks on the weekend because I had to check in with her and I just like if my weight went up like one pound, I'd be like, that's what it's from, but I didn't want to like say anything. And then, like, if I was to do a meal off plan, like I would Google like some crazy things. Like, this is going going back into college, but like some crazy things like eating only vegetables. Like, I just didn't have the plan in place or someone to guide me through like what happens if I like did go off plan. And in reality, you're not going off plan, you're enjoying your life, right? So we're all humans and we all like to enjoy things, so we can't, it's not like fitness isn't a black or white thing, which is why I wanted to change the narrative so much. Coming from that like bodybuilding only background, like I want people to have balance because it's not failure, like it's it's being real, like it's it's realistic. You're not failing if you go off plan and go out on the weekends, which is what I thought of I was doing every time I went out a few years ago because I was like, um got off plan, and and it's and it was like pretty much like once a weekend, because realistically, I like going out once once a week, as do all as do a lot of us. So again, I just wanted to reiterate reiterate like going off plan isn't failing on the weekends, it's realistic. And again, we just need to like reel it in a little bit if it's like too much off plan. So kind of just finding that happy medium between going out and having it be like a full-on bender.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Yeah, and yeah, and balance is like one of the things we've talked about on like pop like past podcasts a lot is just like trying to do that because it's it doesn't need to always be like all or nothing. And everyone's social battery is different. So like going a lot out like out a lot for one person could feel like not a lot to another. And then, you know, you kind of having this sort of like pendulum that is like you can curate and it swings to like based on your client and them also having the comfort to like keep it real with you and tell you, and I'm sure you've you they do share with you like kind of decisions that they've made and why they think this, and some of their goals aren't necessarily always physique driven or or just like to sustain anything, it's because they're trying to get out of a certain being a certain way, indulging in certain things. And I just think it's really special what you're doing and giving people space to trust you and to like allow you to lead them because at the end, if they're coming to you, it's because they already are at step one awareness to that, like I can't like this isn't working. Yeah, correct.

SPEAKER_02 22:37

Um, but yeah, I have I work with a lot of people, obviously. Doesn't even have to be just ravers. Um just you know, even if you just have if you know even if you just struggle finding balance between, you know, going out and then with fitness, or if you just need a little extra accountability. Some people just some people do know what to do and they just need someone to kind of look it over, you know what I mean? So that too. Um, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:07

No, that's awesome. And it sounds like you have a lot of like options, and I'm sure you're like discovery calls with people. And so those that are listening this episode, definitely hit Taylor up and show like I I think it is you are a blessing to this scene. And I think that, you know, where people feel like I don't necessarily want to go to the to like gold's gym and find someone or find someone they random on like that's nothing to do, it doesn't understand the rave culture. Like you are a gift to to like you know, our scene. And so I hope our listeners know that they have an ally in this and they can reach out to you and talk to you and figure out a plan that works for them. And then it just makes everybody more healthy, and then it's like this ripple that turns into a wave because then every I think everybody's health gets better at this point when everyone's like, okay, we can tap, we have someone that can hold us accountable, and I don't have to do all these other things just to stay awake, and then and then those things just like lead into more and more bad habits. So we are so happy to have had you on this podcast, and I know our listeners are too, because I you're the only one that I know that specifically like is in this like type of lane. Um, honestly, and I think maybe for you paige that's like specifically like this kind of niche, um, obviously in the wellness spaces that Paige and I work within. There's crossover with Ravers, but like the fact that you've kind of honed in on that um is really awesome and just glad someone someone's doing it. And if anyone listening that does also do this, cheers to you too. Taylor's just the only one that I know.

SPEAKER_02 24:36

So but to anyone listening, my DMs are always open, even if you're not interested in coaching. Like I mean, I love to talk, I love to yap, and I do live in St. Pete, Tampa area. So if anyone does go to shows and wants to just say hi, feel free. But don't be shy.

SPEAKER_00 24:54

All right, everyone. Thank you for joining us on another episode of Wellness in the Wavelength. We will see you next time. Ciao, ciao.