Check In With Yourself: Balance, Movement, Mindset, and Getting Back on Track

In this episode of Sassy & Strong with Dr. Micol, Dr. Micol Neely is joined again by Christy O'Gara for a real and honest conversation about listening to your body and being truthful about where you are in your health journey.

Dr. Neely opens up about not fueling her body the way she knows she needs to and the impact it has had on her energy, mindset, and overall balance. Together, they talk about the importance of getting back to the basics—nutrition, movement, mindset, and rest—and making sure those core pillars are strong.

This episode is a reminder that wellness is not about perfection. It is about awareness. It is about asking yourself the hard but necessary questions: How am I doing? How am I eating? How is my mindset?

Christy and Dr. Neely emphasize the importance of tuning in to your needs and taking action, even when it feels simple. Sometimes it is as straightforward as going for a walk or a run to clear your mind and reset. For Dr. Neely, movement is a powerful tool to regain focus and create momentum again.

They also highlight the power of connection. Reaching out to a friend, asking for help, and allowing yourself to be vulnerable can make a significant difference. Shining a light on what is really going on is often the first step toward real change.

This conversation encourages listeners to reflect on both a professional and personal goal, check in with their daily habits, and make small adjustments that support long-term balance.

If you have been feeling off track, overwhelmed, or out of sync, this episode will help you reset, refocus, and remind you that getting back on track starts with simply paying attention.

Follow, subscribe, and stay connected for more powerful conversations on strength, healing, and becoming the strongest version of yourself.

Stay Sassy and Strong with Dr. Micol

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hi, this is Dr. McCole Neely, and thanks for listening to our show. We are here to talk a little bit about mindset, movement, and muscle, and maybe a few other little fun things along the way. So I am two days away from Antelope Canyon. This one's a 50-mile race, and I'm really excited. As my coach, um, what's your best advice two days out?

SPEAKER_02 0:44

Hmm, how do you feel? I think so much of it is how you feel. Yeah. Like if you're feeling pretty energized and you're getting good sleep, you're eating good fuel, and you're feeling really good, I might guide you this way. But if you're like, I'm just not, I'm feeling tired and I feel like I'm just a little fogged in my brain, I might guide you a little differently. So how are you feeling?

SPEAKER_00 1:05

I'm gonna get real with you. I feel really unprepared.

SPEAKER_02 1:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:09

I've pushed hard this year. 26 has been a lot. Um my nutrition's not on. You know, I struggle with that. Not because I don't love food, but because I just get so busy and sometimes just forget to get it in. Or I just grab a quick smoothie and at least I'm getting something. Yes. But I'm not getting whole food. Yes. Um I'm not sleeping well because there's a lot with the business that's happening. Sure. And I'm having trouble shutting off my brain. And I'm getting lots of exercise in, but I'm not getting my recovery, which I can preach to my patients. I can tell them how important that is, but how do I get that for me? Um, so I'm going in, I'm really excited. It's gonna be beautiful in Antelope Canyon, and I'm gonna do it. But how do I get this better balance? I feel like I'm you always give that balanced beam of life. And I feel like I'm like, whoa, what's the side of that side?

SPEAKER_02 2:02

And yeah, I am a little struggling. Yeah, I think it's it's you're not in an easy place, but you're at such an amazing place. Yeah. And you have so many skills because you're super smart. And I always like to say that to my clients. When they're really when they're really smart, I have to really be on my toes. I have to really be on my toes with you because you're super smart. But I love to challenge you with that. Because sometimes I think when we're so busy and you have such a good intellect, you sometimes don't take other little things seriously. And so I like to use the analogy of the balance beam when I'm coaching people. So if you think about a gymnast that's going to do like a flip on the balance beam or a cartwheel and they fall off in the middle of the Olympic performance, what's the first thing that they need to do in order to get a better score? Get back on. Get back on. Yeah. So using that little tiny analogy of life, if you're if you decide to go out and you partake in some sugar for a dinner at dessert, then well, then the next day, it's probably gonna be really important that you get back on the balance beam and maybe not have that cheesecake again the next night, right? So those little things matter. Another thing that would be like the balance beam is like the sleep.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:10

Would be like if you're really not sleeping very well, then we got to figure out how to get to that. Like that's the pillar of life. And when those pillars of life are down or they're crumbling, or there's a Richter scale and they're kind of shaking a little bit, we wanna make sure that they're at least stay standing, even if there's a little shake to them, so that back to the analogy of the balance beam, that you don't fall off. So I it's an exciting time for you because you're in such great physical shape. But your cortisol is going to make a big difference with that and your stress hormone, but also your dopamine. Like, what are you doing throughout the day to keep that dopamine balanced so that you're still having a nice steady pace to it all the way till dinner into bedtime? So I might ask you that like, how are those two doing? You know enough to be dangerous to answer the question back. And especially with this race coming up, like, where are you at with that?

SPEAKER_00 3:59

Oh, for instance, yesterday um I had a like two-hour break in the day where I just went and did two miles because I was dragging, um, feeling a little frustrated with some of the business things. Yeah. I'm a big picture person, but there was a lot of little details that need to be taken care of. Yeah. And instead of sitting at my desk behind the computer and continuing to get nothing done because I was bouncing from one thing to the other, I just went out and ran. Yeah. I got an extra couple miles in and immediately I was like, oh, I'm I'm firing better. So I think that's part of the reason I run.

SPEAKER_02 4:34

Yeah. I think that's a really good strategy, especially with mindset. I think a lot of times just getting movement in. So I work with people that have anxiety, that are dealing with depression, eating disorders, you know, autoimmune dys disease, and anything relative to your health can affect you when it comes to energy. So I think sometimes just getting out. I work with people, my oldest client is 95, and my youngest one is five. That's actually not one of my family members. Right. And I and I say that to them a lot because like a lot of times, like my mom turns 83 this weekend, and so I'm so proud of her. She takes a lot of my fitness training sessions, and my dad's 85. He's still pumping weights and doing stuff, you know, and gets active. And I think, especially as you get older, like in the long game, it matters when you're five, but it also matters when you're 95. So a lot of times I call my them my mature crowd. If they're sitting behind the TV all day long and not getting movement in, life is kind of falling in on them. The four walls are falling in. But the more that we can get some movement in, just like what you stated, you went out for a little run and things kind of freshened up, you know, and you kind of felt that balance again, that's such a big deal. But by the same token, a lot of times people will extend themselves so far and get so many workouts in that there's nothing left to give.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:51

And so there is that balance. And I, you know, it's so different. That's why I started with asking you like, how are you doing? How are you eating? How are you sleeping? Because I think everybody's so different. The stress of different people and how they carry that can play such a role in their energy level. Like, do you feel like you have good energy right now, or do you feel like it's a little depleted today?

SPEAKER_00 6:10

A little depleted today. Um, but your mindset has taught me a few things. Okay, tell me what you're thinking. I reached out, like, I used to think, oh, I can't let anybody know that. Like, I need to like fake it till you make it, which okay, there's maybe sometimes you do that, but not all the time. And it's okay to ask for help. So reach out and just talk to a friend real quick and just said, you know what? I want to sit down and cry for a minute. And it's okay to do that here or there. Or I feel overwhelmed. Yes. Um, I talked to my accountant and I literally said, like, you sent me this email of something to do, and it should be simple. But I just I can't. I'm overwhelmed right now. Yeah. And it was really cool. Like, once I asked for help, they're like, Oh, oh, don't worry. Like, here's what you do. And it would like, it seemed it was so simple after that. And I'm like, why did I sit there for a couple hours afraid to ask for help or just to express my feelings? Yeah. And that helps.

SPEAKER_02 7:06

Yeah, I think that's a really good point because I think so much is when we can shine the flashlight on ourselves and be a little vulnerable, you know, not to the point where you're like, you know, like every day weeping and crying, you know, unless there's something really serious going on with that. But like just that little bit of vulnerability gives you that authenticity, authenticity that helps you then figure out what you need to get through it. I'm gonna ask for help. I got to go to bed. I haven't had anything to eat. I need to um get this these taxes done for the tax season or whatever the case might be, it gives you this opportunity to then get to what it is that you want to get to. When I wake up in the morning, when I teach my clients, is one personal goal and one professional goal. Because I have clients that literally will show me their goal sheet, and there's like literally 50 goals on their sheet. And I'm like, okay, let's start with what's the most important, what's the middle most important, and what's the least important? And at least it gives them a map to where they're going with it. But I would say for you, like coming up with this race and you're kind of being honest with me that your just energy is not quite right, I would really pay attention to what you're eating today. Because you're two days away from race day. Yeah. Yeah. So your meals are really gonna be important because along with your digestive system, 80% of your immune system is in your gut, as you know.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:27

So if we're moving the digestive system, it's giving the nutrients that we need and the minerals into the gut, which is then gonna permeate out to the mitochondria, out to the cells, out to the energy level. It's gonna help us be better performers. So that food and what you're eating is really, really gonna be important. I would also say that you really need to make sure that you're drinking enough water. Okay, she gives me that look. Oh my goodness. She gives me the look. But I think it's really important that you hydrate well. Yeah. And I do like electrolytes. I'm one of those people, coaches, um, instructors that likes to have electrolytes. You'll find me with my water with electrolytes in it.

SPEAKER_01 9:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:06

Um, because it's gonna make me drink water.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:08

Because I mean, I we all need to drink more water than we probably are. But a lot of times we can just flush it out very quickly by peeing it out. So we Especially if you're exercising. Especially if you're exercising.

SPEAKER_00 9:19

I just tell people avoid the really sugary.

SPEAKER_02 9:21

Yeah, I'm the same way. And there's so many good ones out there, yeah, you know, that people can explore and research or ask us, right? Yeah. But I think it's really important to make sure that you're staying hydrated. And then I'm gonna go to your sleep. Like, how is your sleep? I mean, are you getting good, adequate sleep? What's your oxygen level? What's your latency? Is it taking you an hour to get to sleep? Or is it taking you a good seven to 15 minutes and you're getting a really good night's rest? Are you getting good REM? Are you having good deep sleep? Like, what's your HRV? So all those factors play a role because they're gonna set you up for success of your readiness and what you're ready to do. Yeah. Right. I woke up this morning myself and I was just a little bit tired. I taught a few classes and I've been coaching, but I decided to sleep in versus go for my normal run this morning. And I'm feel very refreshed now. So I just listening to your body. So I would say these next couple of days, maybe take it a little easy, not do that two miles, even though you think that though, even though it might re help your mindset a little bit, but just maybe spend some time figuring out what you're gonna, how you're gonna see the race go.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:29

Or preparing your meals.

SPEAKER_01 10:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:31

Or using some time to just sit and map out the race and what you're going to, maybe the people that you're gonna bring along on the race with you. I always have in my pocket, I ran my half a half marathon um in December. And it was amazing. It was amazing. Sean, my son, came back and his girlfriend. In fact, she texted me today and she's like, When are we gonna run the next race? I'm like, Oh, I love when people inspire us like that. Yeah. And you're so good at that because you're always ready to do like the next thing. And I think that's something else that's really good for the mindset, by the way. But I would say mapping out or putting like a list of people that you're gonna carry with you in your pocket. So when times get hard, you can carry them with you. You know, I mentioned the gal that I was coaching earlier today with breast cancer. So I would have her name in my pocket. I would, I have a daughter uh and a daughter-in-law that are pregnant right now. I put their name in my pocket so I can carry them along. So it's not just always on me as I do some of these activities, but rather I'm using my mind and my thoughts to also share that with somebody else.

SPEAKER_00 11:32

I love that picture of bringing someone with you because I'm actually running this one for the first time completely alone. Like my mom or her family, my son or friends have always been with me at my races. This one I'm driving up completely alone to run. Um, I'm a little nervous, but I love that picture of putting someone in my pocket. Um, it actually helped me in Havelena when I ran the hundred miler. Um, I was hitting a wall and had 20 miles still to go. And over and over in my head, I thought about some women that are very dear to me and inspiring them and me being a mom and honestly thought, I went through 48 hours of labor. I can do this.

SPEAKER_02 12:17

Right, right. Yeah, yes, yet it's so different.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

Yeah. So overcoming that wall by thinking of others really was very helpful.

SPEAKER_02 12:25

Well, and that's another great piece to the mindset.

SPEAKER_01 12:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:27

It's like once you practice it over and over again, it becomes a part of you. I mean, have you ever hung hung by somebody that's pretty negative?

SPEAKER_00 12:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:36

Yeah. I mean, we all wears on to it. Right. Yeah. And so they kind of, they kind of get into our skin and they and they can sometimes affect us. Like we might even turn around and gossip and talk about the negativity that they just brought in. But if you can sever that, that negativity and create space that continues to bring positivity into your mind, it really makes a difference in how you see your daily walk. I like to use it like my uncle Larry back to him on the hog farm. He was always with in his combine on the farm in Iowa. They have lots of acres of land. And I remember him, I would get up in the combine with him. And I remember him taking the big, big, big combine. Now, do you know what a combine is? Yeah. Okay, okay, cool.

SPEAKER_00 13:18

That's Nebraska girl. Okay, okay, that's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 13:20

And so basically it helps come through the cornfield, it drops the seeds, and it also picks up and helps the corn draw up into it to be harvested. So he would get in this great big huge combine, and the wheels were like this big. And I always like to use an analogy, like on a really, really rainy day in Iowa, that those combine wheel tracks make a big divot in the ground, right? And that dirt road. I mean a big divot. And so then the sun comes up the next day, and you and I get on that back dirt road in Iowa, and we get in the car, and the tire of our car then wants to do what? It wants to go into the track of the combine, right? Our thoughts are the same way. We go back to what the lead path of least resistance is. We go back to what we know. We go back to how we've always thought about it, right? Until we practice maybe coming out of that big rut.

SPEAKER_01 14:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:13

So when we pull that tire up and we practice it and then it works. And then we pull that tire up and we practice it and it works, it really helps the mindset in that space to play in. So I think you doing that run, the hundred-mile run, and having all that go on in your space of your brain was creating now really good habits that you have. And so they're sticking, but you've also put a lot of work in.

SPEAKER_01 14:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:37

You know, you're one of my favorite clients because you work so hard at that. Um, and you take it. Well, we I well, you know what? You but but you really have. I think you've taken it really seriously. Yeah. And because of that, you're pulling up out of that tire rut of that big combine wheel and you're and really practicing it. And so because of that, you're starting to see the reaps and the benefits. Would you say that's true?

SPEAKER_00 14:59

Yeah. Well, the brain is so fascinating to me in how it works. Um, hence why I'm bringing in some more mental health with our practice, bringing in ketamine, because it does that, it's a tool to help reset those ruts. Yes. So now we're raising BDNF, which is like fertilizer in the brain, and you can make new neural pathways. So it's a tool to help. That's what running is for me, is those long runs, they're not for everybody, but for me, it does a brain reset. Um, and I literally like flatten out those big combine ruts. Yeah, the combine rats and can get on a new track.

SPEAKER_02 15:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:41

Um, just by pushing through my limits.

SPEAKER_02 15:44

Yeah. And I think for everybody has their own like venue or or sweet success. I like to come wins with the W, like stacking your wins. Yeah. You know, it's like taking blocks, like you play with a kid, and you stack the blocks in the wins. I think sometimes people need to see that there's wins going on in their life. Yeah. Like when I start coaching people, some people are they they're really struggling. Like they're seeking out my assistance because they're really, really like at a breaking point, you know? And so I think just seeing a win in their life, a sweet success in their life. Yeah. And for me to say that to them, you know, think about the times in your life when you have not been affirmed.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:23

When people have been hard on you. You know, have you ever had those? Well, yeah. Of course. I have too, right? We all have. I mean, we're human.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

Sometimes worse is me on myself. Yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_02 16:32

Well, exactly. But I think we ourselves can be self-sabotaging. Because we there's those 80,000 thoughts, you know. But I think if we can affirm someone and just say, you know what, you're doing the best you can and you're doing a really good job. And I think a lot of it is so many of our, so many women, you know, I mean, we're women, so let's let's face it, we're talking about that right now. But, you know, as a mom, a daughter, a sister, a brother, an aunt, a grandma, a neighbor, you know, an employee, a boss, an entrepreneur, an owner, I mean, we have all these roles and hats that we're wearing.

SPEAKER_01 17:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:02

We have a lot that we have to do. And so just being able to talk to somebody and share some of that vulnerably and then and then say to the person, you know what, you're just doing, you're doing a really good job.

unknown 17:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:13

It it literally the the psychology of the brain, back to the neurotransmitters. If you study that, if you research that, if you watch that underneath a microscope, it lights up.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:24

It's amazing how affirmations. When I finished my coaching session before coming in here, you know, I was like, You're just really doing a good job. Yeah. And she's like, Sometimes I don't know if I am. And I said, Well, I'm affirming that you are. You know, just getting up and getting your clothes on for some people is hard.

SPEAKER_01 17:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:41

You know, sometimes we're we're we're hard, intense driving fitness people, right?

SPEAKER_01 17:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:48

But I think sometimes just keeping the simple things simple that you can see the win is a really good place for people to start, which is what you've done. I'm really proud of you.

SPEAKER_00 17:56

Thank you. I think it means so much too. And we should do that more as a society. I had um actually recently I was traveling with my son, and a lady came by and she goes, You're a really good mom. And I beamed the rest of the day because honestly, that morning I felt like I'd kind of snapped, I'd been pushy. Uh, I didn't have his lunch all put together right. And I'm like dragging him along, like, let's go. Um and just to hear that from a complete stranger made my weak, honestly. And we should do that more for yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:29

My mom taught me long ago that what you think is what you become.

SPEAKER_00 18:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:34

And that then resonates to how you treat other people. So I think we've got some work to do in our world and society with about that. Yeah. But I think if we all kind of lean into just having that growth mindset and doing the best that we can with the little wins and stacking them, we're just gonna be better off in the world and in each day for ourselves. Yeah. You know?

SPEAKER_00 18:52

Well, I'm gonna take your advice. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 18:53

I'm gonna eat.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Okay. We're gonna take it easy. And instead of run and push hard the next two days, maybe some yoga and stretching and deep breathing. Yes. Um I like that. We're gonna sleep and I wake up at one because my cortisol is spiking. I'm gonna have some tea and not get on my phone. I like it.

SPEAKER_02 19:11

Yeah. And let the dopamine do this its work and the cortisol do its job. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:16

And I'm gonna take take a few people with me on my run. A few in my pocket.

SPEAKER_02 19:20

You're there with me for sure. You're gonna do great. I'm really proud of you for all that you've done. And it's just a ple pre privilege and pleasure to be here today with you as well.

SPEAKER_00 19:28

You're an inspiration. Thanks for sharing so much with us.

SPEAKER_02 19:31

You're welcome, my friend. I love you to pieces.

SPEAKER_00 19:33

Thank you. Love you.