EP013: Medicare Meets Midlife Fitness

We bring in Medicare broker Tracy Brown to cut through the noise on Medicare choices and what really changes when you turn 65, then we shift into live coaching to build simple daily habits that support energy and long-term health. We leave with a clear, doable plan and a real accountability system so motivation doesn’t have to carry the whole load.
• what Medicare Advantage plans are and why they frustrate people over time
• why Medicare Supplement plans offer wider doctor access and simpler costs
• how Medicare enrollment actually works and when to start the process
• quick ways to spot whether a parent is on Advantage or Supplement
• why entering Medicare healthier reduces medications and complications
• long-term care planning basics and why earlier is usually cheaper
• Tracy’s coaching goals around energy, sleep apnea and losing belly fat
• the “minimums” plan: daily walking, hydration, squats, push-ups and planks
• how accountability and a group text thread keep commitments consistent
If you like what you heard, be sure to subscribe, follow, share an episode. If you want to leave a comment, go to the show notes. There's a text link there. We will receive an anonymous text from you with any comments or suggestions. Thanks again for tuning in, and most importantly, keep on coming back.

Transcript

Wake-Up And Fourth Quarter Mission

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Wake up, wake up, and listen up. Welcome to the fourth quarter podcast with your hosts Doug Talmich and Tedania. Tune in as we dive into living your best life in the fourth quarter of your life. Hear from health and lifestyle experts, inspirational stories, learn simple steps to keep you motivated or to help get you started. Finally, join us as we coach others live on air who want to begin a healthy lifestyle or just might be stuck and need a breakthrough. Remember, it's never too late to decide to be great. Momentum keeps you motivated, so take a deep breath, lean in, and let's go. Hey, welcome back to the fourth quarter podcast. We have an outstanding episode lined up for you guys today. Today we're gonna do a little bit on Medicare and coaching. This is gonna be a very interesting episode. I am excited, I'm curious, and I can't wait to get started. But Ted, you know, I'm gonna do like we always do and just reflect a little bit. I had fun recapping and reflecting and just learning what we've learned since we started this podcast. Number one, Ted, let me just say congratulations to you. And I'm gonna say congratulations to me, because starting something new is always scary. It's always intimidating. And from my own personal experience, man, sometimes the what do you call that, the hesitation or the delayed gratification or the procrastination, that's what it is, creeps up. And many times in my own personal life, I don't start. I don't start at all because I'm scared. But the fact that we started, linked arms, got going, and just didn't worry about it was perfect or not has been a true blessing. And the things that we've got to learn along the way, the people that we get to meet along the way have been outstanding and exceptional. And I just want to encourage everyone, if you listen to last week's episode, you can get a snapshot of every episode we've had and the people we're coaching. It's just it's a really cool episode, and I had a lot of fun doing that. But with that said, Ted, why don't you tell us about what we're looking to ahead and then then you can introduce our guest.

SPEAKER_04 2:24

Sounds good. Yeah, and I agree with you. That was kind of fun last week going back, and I'd forgotten little things that were said during the episodes. You remembered some, I remembered some, and it was it was kind of fun to go back and listen to that. Coming up in the in the future, next week, I believe, we have on Dr. D's and Dr. Locks from Kenya Chiropractic. They are going to speak to us about keeping everything in alignment as we get older. I like that. Yeah. Guys, guys that worked on my back a couple of years ago and brought brought some good health to me. And uh we'll we'll be talking to them. And then I just spoke with someone who's going to come on probably in a couple of weeks. A friend of ours, I just hadn't hadn't thought about, and it just struck me. Her name's Liz Doliber. I've known her for probably 30 years, maybe more. She's had some had some health issues years ago, has gotten past that, and has done a number of triathlons from Olympic distance up to I think she's done two or three full Iron Man, wow and some half iron men as well. She's also she had a brother who passed away from blood disease, I think leukemia. And she through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society over the years has raised a substantial amount of money. Oh she can go into that. It's really uh an inspiring story. So she'll probably be on in two weeks. Awesome. Good to hear. Good to hear.

SPEAKER_01 4:10

I don't think you've shared that with me yet.

Upcoming Guests And Inspiring Stories

SPEAKER_04 4:12

I I hadn't. I hadn't. I just I just reached out to her yesterday and she said, typical of her, said, Well, yeah, I'd I'd love to come on if you think my story would help anyone. And I just thought, man, I mean, it's just she's done so much, and it will definitely help a lot of people. So looking forward to that in a couple of weeks. Yeah. This week we have on a former classmate of mine, I guess, San Diego State, a number of years ago. 10 or 20 years ago, I think. She runs a company called MedWise Insurance Agency. I think she's a co-owner. They specialize in helping people set up Medicare, their Medicare plans when they turn 65 and then navigate through the Medicare system as they get older and what they need to do on an annual basis to make sure they're getting the most out of Medicare. So, with that said, I'd like to introduce Tracy Brown to the episode this week. Welcome.

SPEAKER_01 5:19

Welcome, Tracy. Welcome.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

Thank you. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 5:23

Yeah. Tell us a little bit about yourself, Tracy.

SPEAKER_00 5:26

Well, first, how about I double Ted's number of 20 years ago, Ted?

SPEAKER_04 5:34

Well, I was being nice.

SPEAKER_00 5:37

I was a third grade teacher for about a minute. And so I'll tell you, I know third grade math very well. So I subtracted 2026 from 1979 while you were talking. And the numbers seven years, let's see, two score plus seven. Let's make it hard for people.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

Okay, I got that. Two score plus seven. I got it.

Meet Medicare Broker Tracy Brown

SPEAKER_00 5:59

So it's been a while. Thank you. I am a Medicare broker, and I am an expert in Medicare who just loves it. I think if anyone's met with me, but those of you who are meeting me on this meeting, this podcast, you will find out that I'm really more about relationships and getting into to know you and digging into what you need and making that work instead of trying to sell you something, especially something that doesn't fit. So in the end, yes, something gets old. I make money. It's about$25 per person per month for the rest of their life. So I like to say I'm carrier agnostic. Everybody pays about the same. So it makes no difference to me which company you're with, other than what I know and I can bring to the conversation. So what I try and do is bring 69 years and three weeks of life experience mixed with 12 years of Medicare experience to a relationship that finds you the best plan. And Medicare is probably the best insurance, if you're not on it yet out there, that you have not ever had yet. And if you've got it and you don't love it, talk to me because that's how we will make you happy. It is amazing. Is it perfect? No, but nothing is. It's pretty darn amazing.

SPEAKER_01 7:27

Wow. I love that introduction, Tracy. Wow, that was awesome.

SPEAKER_04 7:31

Very awesome. Doug Doug saws a few years before he gets to Medicare, as he likes to let you know whenever he can. Um but just for those in Doug's age group, what what would be the difference between like original Medicare and Medicare Advantage?

SPEAKER_00 7:50

Well, first of all, the best insurance that Doug and friends can have before you turn 67 is usually a state plan, which we lovingly call Obamacare, but it's marketplace insurance or group insurance and they're PPO plans. And PPO plans are the epitome of the best of the best. And they're kind of average in Medicare. So let me start out by telling telling you that when you know you're turning 65 and it's coming up, you have two choices. To sign up for Medicare, you can get option one and option two. If you go online, Medicare.gov, that's what they're called. They didn't make it hard. One is a Medicare Advantage plan, and the other is a Medicare supplement plan. So, with respect to the years that I've been doing this and to the fact that it is a decent fit for some people, a Medicare Advantage plan is a lot like your PPO.

SPEAKER_03 8:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:51

It's either HMO or PPO. And it keeps you in a box. Think Madonna doing her thing about Vogue. You're in the box. You live happily in that box until the day you don't. It works until it doesn't. And I've said that twice because it sounds like I failed logic 101. Like the last place I looked, I found it.

SPEAKER_03 9:12

Right.

Medicare Advantage Vs Supplement Basics

SPEAKER_00 9:12

Um, they are great until they're not. They are you pay nothing until you need them. And then if and when the day comes that you desperately need it, it won't serve your needs. So don't think of the extreme of shooting the UHC president on the streets of New York as the radical worst case scenario. But people do hate them eventually. And no one, nothing justifies what that example that I gave. No one should kill anyone, let alone hurt them. But Medicare Advantage will tick you off. And if you want to know what's bad about it, just go look on the internet and say, why do I not want a Medicare Advantage plan? Now, with that said, I sell them. 24% of my clients are on them. They are good enough Medicare. And as third grade teacher, Tracy would say they're B plus plans, and that's the highest grade I'd give them. And if you guys know attended my San Diego State education, B plus was a grade we didn't mind getting. But did we love it? So I'm gonna tell you what you're gonna love. The other choice a Medicare supplement plan. Think of these three things: any doctor, anywhere, zero dollar copay, and then add a fourth, all 50 states. What? Anywhere, anyplace, and you're paying less than$200 a month your first year if you buy the bells and whistles, big one.

SPEAKER_02 10:37

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

Yeah, and the annual deductible, if you're listening to this podcast, you're either driving or sitting down. So you're in a great position right now because you would fall over if you were standing up. The annual deductible is$283. It is a bit of a moving target. It's called the Part B deductible. And since I started working on Medicare, it was started at$98 a month and now it's up to$283. I'm sorry,$98 a year,$283 for the year. So even if it's gone up that much in 12 years, we're still not talking about a break-the bank amount to get any doctor anywhere, zero dollar copay in all 50 states. So it rocks. A plus plan Medicare supplement. You're gonna hear me shouting from the rooftops always about that being the best. And then when people come to me and say they're happy and they want to stay on a Medicare Advantage plan, that member is B plus. I'll navigate you through that, but I will give you my Tracy Stern talk as you age because it's time to move over while you're healthy.

SPEAKER_01 11:42

Yes. I wrote that down in big bold letters because that's going to be my target when I get there. But that man, that's that's inexpensive as as heck. Oh my gosh, I can't believe that. I'm excited.

SPEAKER_00 11:54

The expense comes in when you when we talk later and what you do to your health between now and turning 65, because the more you need the system and the more medicines, conflicting meds that no doctor talks to each other anymore that you end up taking and the medical conditions you have, that's the stuff you bring to the party. And if you can avoid that, you're gonna do Medicare like I am. I take no meds and I don't have any pre-existing conditions. That's not bragging because I know it can change in a New York minute.

SPEAKER_01 12:25

Right.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

But probably not. You know, there's things you can do to make it better.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

So being proactive, which is Ted, is which is uh foundational to what we're doing here on this podcast, is helping people get into that stage of life or that state of life where they're living day in and day out a healthy lifestyle. So that how how awesome and how complimentary this this episode is going to be with the the Medicare and the coaching. Go on, Ted. You got a question.

SPEAKER_04 12:50

Well, no, I I just want to make a point is that we you know we're focused on the fourth quarter. We've talked about that. That people that are younger, that are 45, 50, how important it is to can keep your health so you're not going into Medicare, like you said, with medications and different things because you let yourself go. It just all all works better if you come into it healthier.

SPEAKER_00 13:14

Yeah. Do you know there's this amazing statistic that our population is living longer? And in the next 10 years, at the most, we're gonna have the most heavily top-weighted age band in our society that are alive today.

SPEAKER_03 13:29

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

And there are not enough young people working to fill the jobs to work at the care facilities, the assisted livings, the long-term care, and the hospitals. So if you just want to stay ahead of the game, be healthy. And number two, if we're going to be doing well in our fourth quarter, you got to realize that we're gonna live longer. The average man now lives to be 80 years old. When Medicare was started 60 years ago, 61 years ago, the average retiree lived five years beyond 65. This was a harder working generation that were working in plants and steel mills and coal mines. And that generation were exhausted when they retired. They got the gold watch and they quit, and they died an average of five years later. Now, certain categories of employment still have short lifespans, career law enforcement, career firefighters. They work their bodies, and it's unfortunately shown a little on the lower end. And men, you guys don't live as long as women. That's why our girlfriends are so important to us right now, by the way. But the average woman's now making it to 88. So the young people take away some two things. Eat healthy, make good choices, don't smoke, don't fake. Yeah, I could do that forever and tell them not to do that. And if you only take it from my perspective, it makes your skin look better and you feel younger. Buy long-term care insurance because you're gonna need it. 70% of the 40-year-olds today will live long enough to need 24 months to four years of long-term care. And the cheapest price point is in your 40s and 50s.

SPEAKER_02 15:11

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 15:12

So if you wait, like I did simply because I just ignored it. If I wanted a long-term care policy, it would be about$1,500 a month on the lowest end.

SPEAKER_01 15:22

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_00 15:23

Every month until I started using it, which insurance lingo means you don't have to pay a premium if you need it, but you don't want to use it. However, 70% of us will need it. And the cost of long-term care right now is in California, is$6,500 on the low end and$14,000 a month on the high end.

SPEAKER_01 15:43

So that$6,500 was a monthly cost and$14,000 is a monthly cost. Wow. Whoo, yes.

SPEAKER_04 15:50

And that's, I'm assuming that's probably without any kind of memory care type added on to that. I think when you get into memory care, it's probably substantially more than that.

SPEAKER_00 15:59

Yeah, it depends on where you are and what city you're in and where you want to retire. So you can imagine Rancho Santa Fe is more expensive, and Napa are more expensive than Riverside and San Bernardino and maybe some parts of Sacramento. So that doesn't make those bad. It just makes your care facility cost is less because the real estate costs less.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Tracy, I have a question. I'm I'll be 60 in May, and so I'll be five years away from being 65. And I always thought that, okay, when you know, when I turn 65, I'm gonna have this card show up in the mail and you know, I'm gonna be on Medicare. Is how how off base am I there?

SPEAKER_00 16:35

You need to make an absolute choice to start your Medicare. You trigger it by either going on Social Security at age 62 through 65, because that automatically sends you a Medicare card three months before your 65th birthday, which means you've started collecting a social security benefit. And to your audience, 50% of 62-year-olds trigger their benefit at 62. I'm not Coudini, and I can't guess why with any factual behind facts behind it. So my minister likes to call them preacher facts, preacher percentages and preacher facts don't hold me to it.

SPEAKER_03 17:13

Right.

SPEAKER_00 17:13

About 50% because they need the money. And we all know it's gotten to be$8 to buy a bottle of Worcestershire sauce or A1 sauce at the grocery store. Right. And none of us ever thought that. Things are expensive, so they take it early. And if you got it and you're getting it, you will get a Medicare card and you will be signed up for part B. That means you just need to call me and pick a plan. But if you have not, it's a little more complicated. And it's an application, it's either online at SSA.gov or calling Social Security, they stopped allowing walk-ins. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 17:47

And that's that's what, like three months before you turn 65, you can do that?

Healthy Aging And Long-Term Care Reality

SPEAKER_00 17:52

Yes, 90 days. And the computer system opens up, the lock falls off. 90 days before your birth month. And so if you're born May 1st, right, and I like that because I'm born May 6th, then you can sign up as a 65-year-old February 1st.

SPEAKER_03 18:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

Because everybody's May 6th, May 17th, May 20th birthday is a May 1st Medicare start date. So almost everybody starts Medicare on the first of the month. Oh, there's one exception, and it's rare. Someone born on the first gets an extra month, so they start earlier.

SPEAKER_01 18:29

Ah, okay. So I'm on the my birthday is actually on the 16th of May. And so I would start February 16th. I would just submit my information.

SPEAKER_00 18:38

Nope, February 1st, because remember, Medicare starts the first of your birth month for the first of the birth month.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

Okay, I got it. I got it.

SPEAKER_00 18:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

Nice.

SPEAKER_00 18:47

So that's when you sign up. And there are some little nuances to the application. I always like to have a conversation before you go into it. So I suggest people call me six months before their birthday.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

Right. Okay. Good to know. Good to know.

SPEAKER_00 19:02

It's fun. It's fun because they get to find out all the good stuff that's coming up and how to get off that expensive Obamacare or leave their PPO at the group insurance, thinking it was so great when they find out they're upset because they can never. If you're in Northern California and you wanted to go to Stanford or Sutter Hospital and you couldn't because your plan didn't cover it, now you can.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

Wow. So that so Medicare, you can go to those kinds of hospitals. You can go anywhere if you have the supplement plan.

SPEAKER_00 19:29

Yeah, so get ready for Brooklyn, Tracy. We used to call this drill and kill in school. Any doctor, anywhere, all 50 states. There are a couple in a tiny, tiny, narrow group that don't accept Medicare. You're not going to be surprised. Doctors to the rich and famous, doctors to stars, doctors to athletes. You know, the guy that fixes the LA Lakers, sorry, Northern Cal people. I'm a Lakers fan. And works on their joints and fix makes them back and up and running, isn't going to take a Medicare reimbursement. They're going to want their$85,000 cash payment to fix the knee. So there that's a small group. And pediatricians, they only work with kiddos.

SPEAKER_03 20:13

Right.

SPEAKER_00 20:13

So it's 97.3% of doctors accept Medicare. All hospitals accept Medicare. All of them. So you could walk in, haven't told you this, you guys, like I did to the ER last Thursday night without anything that showed who I was other than my driver's license. And it was easy. They just go on the computer and they find me. And in Medicare.gov it shows what supplement plan I have and with who.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

Bam. So they either put you in the waiting chair or or bring you right in, depending on whether you guys when they find out you've got Medicare and a supplement.

SPEAKER_00 20:48

Remember the choices? Advanced J Chubbers. The supplement pays 100% of their bill. So they like you, they like you better.

SPEAKER_01 20:57

Oh yeah. So they like you.

SPEAKER_00 20:59

You become their favorite client.

SPEAKER_01 21:01

Top of the list, you're going to be seen right away. Let's get this. This person's paying full price. Let's go.

SPEAKER_00 21:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

I love that.

SPEAKER_00 21:08

So it's fun. And the things what most people that looking forward to 65 don't understand is Medicare doesn't make you old. Honestly, you're as young as you feel and as young as you want to be.

SPEAKER_01 21:21

Right.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

But it's the best insurance you've never yet had.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

Well, I hope it stays that way by the time I get to 65. Let me ask you a question. I I am I'm helping my dad out. He's 84. He'll be 85 in October. So he's on, I don't even know which one he's on. He's on something. What are common mistakes? What's what are something I can go through his insurance? Because now I'm excited. I'm curious. I'm like, maybe I want to make sure he's getting all the benefits. He's, you know, he's getting everything he can and he's on the right plan. What are some common mistakes or things that I could look for to that he might be missing?

SPEAKER_00 21:55

Mistakes usually are following the shiny object of the zero dollar. Advantage plan because they throw things at you intended to distract you from the fact that you're stuck in an hour. And they are a free pair of glasses every two years, a gym membership. Honestly, gym memberships aren't that expensive unless you're boutique y like me and you got to go to the spa in the club. But you know, that's a choice, right? I could choose being fit, LA Fitness, 24 hour fitness, and pay 30 bucks a month-ish, usually less. I don't need that in my Medicare plan just to because they'll they're your stuck. They give you so-called free hearing aids. They're on an adjusted scale. They also give you some free money, which is monopoly money, not real money. And you buy over-the-counter items like Q tips, band-aid, sunscreen, lotion, aspirin. So people like the the hundred dollars of Totchkies they give you. If you use them, most people don't. 16% of the people don't even only use them. The rest don't. They forget. And they think they're getting a good deal because it's zero dollars. So your dad's plan is when you look at the card, if it says Medicare supplement on it, could say Aetna Humana, United Healthcare, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, uh Cygna, Medicare supplement. You know what he's got, a supplement. And a great giveaway to a Medicare Advantage member ID card for your parent, it'll have a copay written on it.

SPEAKER_03 23:28

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:29

Supplements don't have a copay written on their member ID card. Even if plan N is your plan N like nice instead of G like great, and you have a$20 copay, it's never on the supplement card because they can't tell you what your copay is going to be, because it could be less than$20 when you're at the end of the doctor's. So a copay on the card is a giveaway that they're on an advantage plan.

SPEAKER_01 23:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

Zero dollar copay is a copay. That's a that would I mine doesn't say zero dollar copay, even though I know it is.

SPEAKER_01 23:59

So I want to make sure he's on it on a supplement plan.

When And How To Enroll

SPEAKER_00 24:02

You will hope he is, because given his current health conditions, he can be declined to move over to a supplement. We're in a very weird world. Medicare advantage plans right now are becoming expensive for insurance carriers to keep. But they make a lot of money on it with they offset it with the Ted's and Doug's and Tracy's who are healthier. We don't cost them as much. They're still expensive. And the deal they make with Medicare is that they'll pick up the bill for you beyond the first, the very first thousand dollars. So that means that they better get a lot of people to have the percentages of healthy beat the percentages of sick, and they're terminating a lot of plans. At the end of the year, they send out what I call love notes that say your plan will not be active next year, and you're not being crosswalked, hold your hand across the street into a new plan, but you do have a guaranteed acceptance because of your plan termination in any Medicare supplement. That's if your dad's stuck and he is not well, that's what you hope for.

SPEAKER_03 25:07

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:07

You hope their plan's gonna get terminated. And don't miss the letter. Start opening dad's mail.

SPEAKER_01 25:12

Will do. Will do. That's good to know. Good to know. Yeah, I'm learning a ton right now. This is great. Ted, you got any questions?

SPEAKER_04 25:20

Well, I've got one uh just for transparency purposes. How are you compensated?

SPEAKER_00 25:26

Every insurance company pays us a small commission. By small, I mean$25. Sometimes it's eight dollars on a high deductible supplement plan HPG, high deductible G, and sometimes it's$28. But it's monthly. Clients never pass.

SPEAKER_04 25:45

That's because that's what I wanted to get to was after. I wanted to make sure people knew that.

SPEAKER_00 25:51

You don't text me thinking I'm gonna charge you for 15 minutes of an hour, like my favorite. My dad was a lawyer, my grandfather was a lawyer. I'm not picking on lawyers, but we all know how they charge by the minute. If it's a fast call, it's always 15 minutes minimum. Um, we can't do that, and I won't do it. I wouldn't work in a business that I couldn't serve. And my goal is to serve their needs before I sell. And sell comes way back. I'd rather find out what you need. So cost factor for me doesn't play. And I don't have a favorite company that pays me more than I push you into because of that. So I think that's comforting.

SPEAKER_03 26:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 26:34

And you can always text me a question. So it's easy to get to us.

SPEAKER_04 26:38

All right. Right. And I can attest to that. I I bugger all the time.

SPEAKER_01 26:44

So this has been really this has been Ted, unless you have other questions, I you know, I think we could start moving over into the the coaching aspect of this episode. And if I didn't mention it earlier, I did, I think I did mention it earlier that this episode is going to be a little bit of Medicare learning, and then also going into what was really cool about this episode is Tracy and Ted were talking when they first connected about getting on here and sharing Medicare stuff. And Tracy came out and said, Hey, I might want to be coached. So we said, Okay, well, how can we shift this episode so that we can encompass both things? You we want to make sure our listeners get some Medicare information, but then let's do the second half and and coach Tracy and see where she's at, where she wants to go, why, and all the wonderful questions to help her move forward in her health and stay healthy and stay healthy because as we all just heard, it is vitally important to get healthy if you're not healthy. And then once you're there, you got to stay healthy. It's not a there is no finish line in this game. There's just absolutely no finish line, it's just a way of life. And until you can get that in your head and your brain, it you're gonna need some support and some encouragement along the way. And so hopefully we can help Tracy with that. I mean, I'm looking at her, we get to see her on a Zoom call here. She looks pretty fit to me. So I'm very curious to see what it is she wants or what she thinks she's lacking. But what do you think, Ted? Should we move into the coaching part?

SPEAKER_04 28:05

Or yeah, absolutely. This is fun. This is what we call the hybrid episode. Yeah, because when I talked to Tracy a couple of weeks ago and we were talking about the whole Medicare thing and her coming on and discussing that, the first 75% of our conversation had nothing to do with Medicare or insurance. It was, hey, I've got I've got some events coming up this year, and I want to be ready for them. I want to feel better, I want to be more fit. So that's when I kind of you know, I asked her the question you want to want to come on and be coached. She was all for it. You know how excited we get about that part of it. So we're ready to roll.

SPEAKER_01 28:44

Yes, absolutely. But before we move into that, Tracy, thank you so much for sharing. I think we should definitely have Tracy back on down the road in case new information pops up or things shift about Medicare. But we're also going to have her back on to do check-ins. And when we do this live coaching, we we like to do check-ins as well and see how the people we're guiding and and and linking arms with are doing, sharing the struggles, sharing the setbacks as well as the comebacks. We want to keep it real. We want to keep it authentic because Ted, as you and I both know, there's there's no straight line in long-term health, man. We it is like uh it's literally like the stock market, man. It goes up and down, but we want to make sure that that general line is constantly moving in an upward trajectory, you know, or forward trajectory. So thank you, Tracy, for agreeing to be coached and coming on air. Let's start off with what's going on in your head when in your head, when you agree to do this, where are you? Where's your physical health, your mental health right now?

SPEAKER_00 29:39

What well I got my first big surprise on Thursday night, and I got walked myself into the ER for the first time ever. And I it's sort of weird. I don't know if you guys have had a moment yet, but you always wonder when you're gonna start feeling old or something's gonna go wrong. I don't think I can remember. So I'm gonna say I was a toddler the last time I had a nosebleed. And they said if it's been more than an hour and a half, so immediately I knew I had exceeded that, you need to go to the ER. And eight hours later I was back home.

SPEAKER_03 30:20

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 30:21

It was scary because when you think of a little kid nosebleed, they're not that bad, but it didn't stop.

SPEAKER_03 30:29

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 30:29

And so now I've got a few things that need to be checked out because why did that happen? What's going on? I wanted to say it was because I over-exercised and it was your fault.

SPEAKER_03 30:43

That's good.

Fixing A Parent’s Medicare Mistakes

SPEAKER_04 30:43

You know, we we told you we had to rein you in. You got all excited and started doing more than I said. We start small, and yeah, you weren't buying that, you just jumped right into it.

SPEAKER_01 30:55

Didn't you say she was doing goblet squats and stuff already? Like what's going on?

SPEAKER_00 31:00

Yes, and I love it. Well, at one stage in my life, I skied down moguls and I was a downhill ski racer. So I have two brand new titanium hips. So I've always been competitive in any sport or in any field of work. So I thought I'd hit this one hard. And I don't even think that has anything to do with exercise because I do get my steps in and I do little things. So adding these stuff really, I don't think had anything to do with it. It's just a vascular thing in my nose. And it ends up being that I have some veins close to the skin. If you have your AC on or your heat on and your humidity dries up, yeah, and some it could just be a perfect storm. Yeah, so we're taking it from from ground zero of let's be smart, and I'm dialing it back. So I'm not doing 10 push-ups three times a day. I don't do girl push-ups either.

SPEAKER_01 31:54

Okay, you're on your toes, huh? Good for you. Good for you.

SPEAKER_00 31:58

My goal is to get rid of a little tummy that I've picked up and to fit well into the mother of the groom dresses that I've already purchased. I bought them in a size six. So for those of you who think that that makes me skinny already, I'm really happy you're in a size four. I know my body, I feel better, and that's what I'd like to get back to. So I'm not tubby tracy here, but I don't feel like myself. And my energy level is low, and I have sleep apnea now.

SPEAKER_01 32:26

Okay, good. This these are this is great because well, I want I always want to know what your current reality is. Where are you at right now? And you've just said you're in a size six, and then I always ask, okay, well, where do you want to be? And you said size four. You're all you're clearly already have some movement in your life. Did you say you were walking already?

SPEAKER_00 32:43

I'll say four days a week for an hour and 15 minutes.

SPEAKER_01 32:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 32:50

I start out uphill fence.

SPEAKER_01 32:54

We're gonna have to rein this one in, Ta. We're gonna put we're gonna pull it back. But but again, good job. That's awesome. And you're doing push-ups and goblet squats. This is really good. So now we see where you are, and you've given us a small peek into where you want to be, but can you expand on that a little bit? Physically, emotionally, mentally. Where do you want to be?

SPEAKER_00 33:14

Well, I'm already pretty perky and I get a lot of sleep. I think I'd like to just feel more energetic and not tired. And I don't use caffeine as a crutch. I just have one cup a day. I feel the difference between what I could do at age 60 and what I do at 69.

SPEAKER_03 33:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 33:33

I definitely want to travel more. This year, my travel by just getting eaten up by a wedding budget from the two kids. Yeah. I block I block a substantial amount of funds and points with my credit card. So I usually get to get out of the country for a month every year. Not always in a solid month, but I get out and I do a lot of walking. Last summer I walked all over Amsterdam and got lost and was seven miles in that when I got back three and a half miles out of the wrong the wrong direction and three and a half back. You know, there's no wrong turns. You see so many different things when you walk the wrong way.

SPEAKER_04 34:10

The fact that you were able to do that. Yeah. Yeah. You can walk seven miles. I mean, that that says a lot right there that you're healthy enough to do that. So you said that you've got a wedding in November, I think you told us.

SPEAKER_00 34:25

Thanksgiving weekend.

SPEAKER_04 34:26

Is that the end game?

SPEAKER_00 34:28

I don't believe in goals like that. I never do. I just had my 50th high school reunion last year, so I thought I wanted to look good for that. More fun than I've ever had. Of all the reunions, the 50th is the best. I just want to do it for myself. I'm not even telling my girlfriends about it because I would like to see if anyone notices.

SPEAKER_03 34:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:46

I don't want to do it with somebody because if I do, that somebody's going to be somebody close who's going to tell somebody else. And I want to I want to see if it shows up in their awareness.

SPEAKER_04 34:56

Yeah. We'd hope that some of those people would be listening to the podcast and would hear about it, but they're gonna know and you know, you that was the right answer. I mean, kind of the test question is you know, you're not doing it just so you look better at the wedding. Obviously, that's part of it, but it's beyond that. It's it's maintaining health and keeping that going well beyond the wedding.

SPEAKER_00 35:19

I really love that. Help with that. When I listened to Patty a few weeks ago, yeah, she's got me thinking every meal, how do I have 27, 24 to 27 grams of protein in this meal? And I feel like a failure to her, who I haven't even met when I I only have 12 grams of protein and something. But I'm thinking about it now. And I think if you open up my fridge, you would go, Tracy, you eat really well. Nothing's really frozen, nothing's really it's fresh and it's good. So I don't know where I'm blowing it on the food. I think it's actually some movement.

Broker Pay And Why It Matters

SPEAKER_01 35:53

It could be the movement and it could be, and I'm glad to hear you're doing some weight-bearing activity because that is what increases your metabolism. That's what's going to start working on more fat. As we get older, we start automatically and we can't stop it. We start losing muscle, and muscle is what eats fat. And so we we are wise to do whatever we can to resist that loss as best we can. And that does come with uh weight-resistant training or weight-bearing exercises, as well as eating enough protein that slows that down. And that's why if you've ever been on a program before and you've lost, I've helped a lot of people lose a lot of weight. And some of that weight, unfortunately, at some point is muscle loss. Then later on, they'll come back, you know, six months or a year down the road, they're gonna they they gain the weight back because they didn't pick up the habits, they just took the easy fix. That's the that's the downside to the GLP one. It makes it too easy. You don't want to learn, you don't want to start new habits. You don't want you're just like, hey, I'm losing weight. I feel good. Unfortunately, some of the weight you're losing is muscle mass. But when you are, when you lose weight, quote unquote, just weight, a lot of times people are uninformed and don't realize that a lot of that weight is muscle mass. And so when they gain weight back again and they're gaining more fat, and now they have less muscle than they did when they first started a program. And so they try to get back on the same program, like, man, why is it so hard to lose weight this time? Because you lost muscle the last time. And you have to put, you have to insert things that are gonna keep you from losing muscle the best you can. We're gonna lose it no matter what. I mean, if you look at somebody like Arnold Schwarzenegger, who's I don't know how old he is now, but probably getting close to 80 or something. Yeah, yeah. But if you look at him, sure, he looks fit for the age he is, but he looks nothing like he did when he was in his prime. That's all the muscle he lost. Even he, someone like him, who that's his whole life, you can't keep it. It's going to go away. You can't, but you can stop, or well, you can't stop it, but you can slow it down and you can do things to help maintain what you have so that you can keep burning fat, keep burning fat. I'm not a big proponent of weight loss. I like to focus on fat loss, and that comes through nutrition and movement and and also through weight resistant training. So you're you're in the wheelhouse, and I think that 10 pounds is going to come off. What I want to make sure Ted and I help you with is when it after it's off, I don't want you to get to a point to say, okay, now what? It sounds like you have all the healthy habits in place already. And so I'm curious about what's what's missing, what's lacking. And so, with that said, you've kind of shared a little bit about why you want this to happen. This is just who you are, your way of life. You have a healthy lifestyle already. What do you think some of the obstacles have been in the past and might be in the future with getting rid of that 10 pounds of body fat, not weight, but body fat.

Pivot To Live Coaching

SPEAKER_00 38:39

Not taking my shoes, putting my shoes on. Remember that episode you said you told some guy to put his shoes by the door?

SPEAKER_01 38:46

Wow, she's been listening. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:49

I don't, I need to take the shoes out the door. I've got all kinds of great court shoes and walking shoes and things. And it's a little lonely to be single. I'm rarely lonely, but when you're exercising by yourself, it's a little lonely. So I don't want to walk into a gym where there's all these people, unless it's a class. I'd rather get out on the street or go take a hike. I I'll see a lot of single people walking. I live in a 55 and up community. I would say sometimes it's getting over that first get the shoes out the door, walk my body out, because it's I'm not alone. It's just a little lonely.

SPEAKER_01 39:25

Yeah. Understand. Completely under thank you for your transparency and honesty. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_04 39:31

And that's one of my favorite things is going out and walking by myself. I do like to call people. They they say, does Ted always call you when he's walking? So I guess I'm not not by myself. It it makes it easier when you're uh you're talking to somebody, you have someone there. So I like it both ways. Sometimes it's nice just to put on music and go out and walk. And that's gonna be one of the things we're gonna get you doing on a regular basis. Maybe not as long as you are, but or as you you are currently on a regular basis, seven days a week. We want to get you out there. So that's gonna be one of your challenges.

Tracy’s Health Goals And Wake-Up Call

SPEAKER_01 40:07

It's gonna be daily. So the the process here is is the the daily commitment, and it the activity really is irrelevant, although it is part of the bigger picture, but getting you to commit daily to something is gonna give Ted and I some information on who you are, what you're willing to do. And so that way we can start customizing things down the road, like, okay, she's showing up every day because you'll be surprised at how many times we will coach people, you know, off-air or whatever, and they'll say, I want to do this, I want to do this, and then they get seven days in, eight days in, oh, I had to miss because of this, or I had to miss. It's like, oh, wait a minute. This is a non-negotiable daily commitment to yourself. This is keeping a promise to yourself because something, something happens to your brain, the neuropathways, the patterns, they start shifting when your old excuses and your old habits start coming back in. It's like, oh, it's cold out, oh, it's raining out, oh, it's I'm too hot, or I I feel tired. These are the times that we want to see what you choose to do, and that's gonna reveal a lot to us as well as yourself. And again, we're we'll never shame you. We'll never say you should have done it anyways. We are just simply here to learn about you so that we can explore new ways and better ways to help keep you committed to the promises you make to yourself. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_00 41:21

Yeah, honestly, you guys, if all I do is what the three times a day of five, five and walking, five goblets, five push-ups and walking, three times a day, I can't keep weight on. I just have to do it. So I've got the the thing, the carrot is out there.

SPEAKER_04 41:38

One of the big things is the accountability, and what we will do is you'll be accountable to us, but we'd also like to get you into our text group with others that have been on the show, and they text in every night and they or morning, whichever it is. Hey, this is what I did. I hit my commitment. Sometimes they just say, I got it done. Other times it's I walked this many steps, I drank this much water. However, they want to report in, and sometimes we'll respond, or we'll just give them a thumbs up. I mean, it's doesn't take any time, but it's that part of being accountable to someone else, whether it's to Doug or I, to others in the group. But most importantly, like Doug said, being accountable to yourself. That's you're right, that's the mind shift. And you know, I think we mentioned on a previous episode Karen, who was on driving down to Southern California, and Doug wanted me to text her the night before and say, This is our expectation for you. And instead, we just waited to see if her mindset had shifted, which it did. Right. She got down there, she got her steps in. So, you know, that's what that's what we're looking for is just shift the way you think about it and get that commitment to yourself more so than anyone else. Right.

SPEAKER_01 43:02

And we don't need to start with a huge workout program to begin. We can literally start with drinking a certain amount of water every day, as well as or or walking a short amount of steps every day. It's just this daily habit thing that helps the brain start shifting, and we just need to take a peek inside. What I'd love to do is just kind of talk about what do you just mentioned, five things, five here, five here. What is it? What exactly are you doing right now?

SPEAKER_00 43:27

Five goblet squats. Actually, I'm gonna lie, it's seven, but that's because I feel like I gotta have a little burn in there.

SPEAKER_01 43:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 43:36

Five doesn't burn. My goal is three times a day. So far, I've only hit two twice a day.

SPEAKER_01 43:41

Three times a day for what? Of the goblet squats?

SPEAKER_00 43:44

Yeah.

unknown 43:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 43:45

I was thinking breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Same thing with the push ups. Because to me, I I do I also hold a plank for like 30 seconds or longer in the end of the push ups because I figure that's gonna help the stuff I need I want.

SPEAKER_01 43:58

And are you doing the push ups three times a day? As well? Five five of them?

SPEAKER_00 44:01

My goal is three. I'm only doing them two right now. I keep saying I'll do three, and the beginning of every day starts out great.

SPEAKER_01 44:07

And then what else are you doing besides? So I got goblet squats and push-ups, and what else?

SPEAKER_00 44:12

And then four times a week is when I walk. Just to be fair, I I could do it every day, but I let something get in the way, like someone calling me for Taco Tuesday or and then what about I saw I see on the video here, I can see that you have a very large container, and I'm assuming there's water in it. I do a tubi thing of powder from melaleuca, and it's a zero calorie iced tea, raspberry iced tea, and it's so packed with stuff that I take I break it into thirds. And this is a fine, I fill it once and eat the second time it's just water, and then I put the third packet in and the second time just water. So I I like a little something in my water.

SPEAKER_04 44:55

All right. So I've got I've got her goals for her for uh moving forward. All right. Basically, what we do is we we do minimums, we want to make them simple enough that you can't fail. Going based on what what you're doing currently, you know, we we think you're on a great plan yourself. So it'd be 64 ounces of water, which doesn't seem to be an issue for you. Minimum, 64 ounces, it would be seven days of 30 minutes of walking, minimum. So it doesn't have to be the hour and a half that you're doing now. Just get out for 30 minutes, but every day, that's that's the key. Taco Tuesday can wait for 30 minutes.

SPEAKER_01 45:35

And and if you decide again, these are the minimums, but if you like Ted's saying, if you if you end up doing 90 minutes for every day, that's fine. But your commitment to yourself is to 30. So come hell or high water, 30 that 30 minutes of walking's gotta get done.

Loneliness And The Real Barrier

SPEAKER_04 45:50

Every day. That's every day, every day, rain or shine. And then the two sets of seven goblet squats. If you work up to three, that's great. But for right now, let's just let's stay with the two for the first next couple weeks. You know, just get those, make sure your your form is right, and then the two sets of five push-ups, two sets of 30-second planks.

SPEAKER_00 46:14

Oh, okay. You added that. Okay, because I do it. I added it.

unknown 46:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 46:18

Yeah, let's get that on your your program. And that's that's a lot. That's a good program. That's big. The kicker is we we usually don't do anything. We haven't so far coaching, we haven't really talked about the nutrition part of it because we've been more focused on getting into the habits of doing something on a daily basis, and that seemed to work. It sounds like your your nutrition is pretty dialed in as it is. And the people that we've been coaching as they've started moving on a regular basis and seeing how they're feeling, they're kind of taking on the nutrition aspect on their own. We we haven't really focused on that. We can down the road. We're always open, open to that, having those conversations. That really isn't the focus right now. It's getting that movement, that can consistent movement, being accountable to us, the group, and to yourself.

SPEAKER_01 47:15

And then Ted, what are we doing for uh accountability? I mean, obviously reporting to us accountability. Is this uh are we expecting a day a nightly text or every morning, or what are we expecting from the day? What's better for you?

SPEAKER_04 47:26

Night, nighttime or morning? We have other we have people doing it either way.

SPEAKER_00 47:31

Well, how about the end of the day? Because it feels like I'm finished instead of it's up to you.

SPEAKER_01 47:36

It's whatever you decide is what we want you to commit to to yourself and to us, because that's where the accountability is going to come in.

SPEAKER_00 47:42

What time do I set my alarm to message you?

SPEAKER_01 47:45

You can message us, you can message us 24-7. It doesn't matter. We turn off, we turn our phone off. So when we go to bed, we're good.

SPEAKER_00 47:51

And oh good. I do too. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:53

So we, you know, if we wake up and saw that you texted us in the evening, that's fine.

SPEAKER_04 47:57

And we'll introduce you into the text group when we get off of this. We'll we'll add you in and send that out to everyone. And so you're you're a part of it.

SPEAKER_01 48:06

Down the road, we'll also have a a circle back with all you guys on a zoom together. I don't know if you heard that episode, but that was kind of fun to hear back, you know, how you're doing, how the journey's going. And again, if you ever do miss a day or miss an exercise or miss a set or whatever, you know, don't ever feel shame or terrible or not good enough. But absolutely be honest and just keep it real in the thread because those are all just learning experiences. None, no one, none of us, not myself, not Ted, and not anyone in the group, does a perfect does it perfect forever. I mean, we have certainly really good days that look perfect, but you know, every once in a while life does show up and beyond our circumstances. We we just can't do what we can't do, and it's all good. But we just move on.

SPEAKER_00 48:52

How do you guys get paid? How do I pay you?

The Simple Daily Plan And Minimums

SPEAKER_01 48:56

That's a great question, Ted. No, I'm just kidding. No, we're no Ted and I are just passionate about this. We just want to get this out there, and we we hope that this podcast grows by helping more people and getting more people involved and and getting more listeners. And you know what? Down the road, maybe we can get some sponsorships from you know from companies and and people that want to you know put a little ad in on here once in a while. But right now, it this is just a passion project for us. We love that.

SPEAKER_04 49:24

That definitely was never the intention when we we got started. It was just worry. I don't worry about listeners, but I I always want more listeners. Not for the financial part of it, because that's just nothing that's really been front of mind, but it's more that I feel we're putting out some good content. We're we're helping people. I know the people that have been on the show have been helped by it, that have been coached, but also people that have have listened, have reached out to me and said, Hey, I'm doing this, I'm starting to get healthy. So we just wanted to expand so that more people, like we say, create the healthiest version of themselves at this point in our lives. Why don't you lead us into?

SPEAKER_01 50:07

I know you picked a song for this episode, and it was I'm curious because we we have off-air earlier before we pressed record, Tracy was sharing some with us some of her music she likes and enjoys. And so it's we'll see where Ted comes and how close this hits to the heart. And then after he plays it, Tracy, you and I will get to comment because neither one of us will have heard the song until he plays it. I mean, we might have heard it in our past, but we'll see.

SPEAKER_04 50:30

Yeah, well, it's it's funny that people are coming on and I'm getting suggestions for songs, so I like that. And this one came from a friend of mine. I just saw one of her posts on Facebook last week and and really liked the song. So I am going to play that one. Really, more more than anything, just Tracy and I, San Diego State. You can see by her personality, it's just all good vibes.

SPEAKER_02 51:13

Bad news that we can just study me with me.

SPEAKER_01 52:43

You man, he just you come on, you hit it out. I'm gonna tell you what, Tracy, let me 13 for 14 on this thing.

SPEAKER_04 52:50

Hey, you're your about is the one I missed on.

SPEAKER_01 52:54

You did, I'm telling you, man, this one was good. This one was really good, and I'm gonna tell you why, because this is for the for the listeners to know this was the absolute first time I ever met Tracy. And I had the privilege of getting to know her a few minutes off air before we pressed record on this. And I'll tell you, the moment we started recording, I felt like I've known Tracy for years, my almost my whole life, probably, because she is so open and she is so full of good vibes, just the way she presents herself, the way she speaks about life, the things she's passionate about, why she's passionate about it, and that she also has the good Lord in her heart being her North Star. And I was just like, That that's that's my girl right there, man. We we're good, she's my people for sure. Tracy, you you bring out some good vibes, and you brought you shared some great vibes here on the show. And I want to say thank you. And I can't wait to see what happens through the the coaching aspect of this. And I guarantee I'll be calling you when I turn 65 as well. So thank you for sharing your good vibes. What did you get from hearing that song? What what did it bring to you?

Song Pick And Closing Call To Action

SPEAKER_00 54:01

I was thinking I'm a music person too, so every morning I've got music on, and I dance around the house. And I think you even said that qualifies as exercise. It does be one of your people. Gosh, your list is gone from my mind now. But there were a couple other songs that I knew that he's I'm gonna buy a boat and take a drunk girl home. That was a good those are great songs about being a good man and dropping off a woman who isn't is intoxicated and just open the door and make sure she's safe. And I thought that song matches all the others. I mean, I don't think I've ever heard it before, but I know I kind of want to dance around the house. But yeah, it's good. It's the country version of good vibrations from the Beach Boys.

SPEAKER_01 54:54

It is very good, very good.

SPEAKER_00 54:56

Yeah, all right.

SPEAKER_01 54:57

Well, it's been an amazing episode, an amazing episode. Learned a lot, look forward to a lot more. Ted, anything you want to say before we close out? No, all right. Like you always do, and I will end it like I always do and say God bless and peace out. If you like what you heard, be sure to subscribe, follow, share an episode. If you want to leave a comment, go to the show notes. There's a text link there. We will receive an anonymous text from you with any comments or suggestions. Thanks again for tuning in, and most importantly, keep on coming back.