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Welcome to the Table
Welcome to the Table is a podcast where honest conversations about mental health, relationships, personal growth, and life's messy moments all have a seat. Hosted by mental health professionals, each episode blends evidence-based insight with real-life stories, practical tools, humor, and unfiltered conversations. From burnout and boundaries to grief, healing, and everything in between, we explore the topics that shape how we live, connect, and grow. Whether you're looking for practical takeaways, fresh perspectives, or simply a space where you feel understood, pull up a chair... you're always welcome at our table.
Welcome to the Table
Episode 11: Working Out
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In Episode 11, Dr. Stacey and Regular Travis are getting into the psychology of working out and the powerful connection between the brain and the body. They share their personal experiences with exercise over the years, how their relationships with working out have changed, and the role that movement has played in their lives.
Dr. Stacey brings the psychology into the conversation as they explore why physical activity can be so beneficial for our mental health, including its impact on mood, stress, energy, confidence, and overall well-being. They also talk about motivation, consistency, and finding ways to move your body that actually work for you rather than chasing the idea of the “perfect” workout routine.
This conversation is about much more than exercise. It's about recognizing that mental health and physical health aren't separate and that taking care of one can have a meaningful impact on the other.
And honestly, this episode is just scratching the surface. Dr. Stacey and Regular Travis could talk about working out, wellness, and the brain-body connection for hours, so consider this the beginning of a much bigger conversation.
So pull up a chair, get moving, and join us at the table for a conversation about why taking care of your body can be such an important part of taking care of your mind!
Welcome to the table is a wellness podcast intended for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. While the hosts are licensed professionals and guests may have professional experience and expertise in mental health, healthcare, or related fields, the information shared on this podcast is general in nature and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical or mental health condition.
SPEAKER_03Listening to this podcast does not establish a psychologist client, therapist client, physician patient, or any other professional relationship between you and the host, guests, producers, sponsors, or affiliated organizations. The content presented should not be considered medical, psychological, legal, or professional advice, and should not replace consultation with a qualified healthcare or mental health provider who is familiar with your individual circumstances.
SPEAKER_00Some topics discussed may involve mental health challenges, trauma, grief, addiction, suicide, abuse, and other sensitive topics that may be emotionally difficult for some listeners. Listener discretion is advised. We encourage you to engage with this content thoughtfully and seek professional support if you experience distress.
SPEAKER_03Any opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts, podcast producers, sponsors, or affiliated organizations.
SPEAKER_00By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree that neither the hosts, guests, producers, nor affiliated organizations assume responsibility or liability for any decisions, actions, or outcomes resulting from the use or interpretation of information discussed on this podcast.
SPEAKER_03If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, having thoughts of harming yourself or others, or need immediate assistance, call or text 988 to reach the suicide and crisis lifeline. Call 911 or contact your local emergency services.
SPEAKER_00We're so glad you're here. Pull up a chair and welcome to the table.
SPEAKER_03Hi, Dr. Stacy.
SPEAKER_00Hi, Regular Travis.
SPEAKER_03Here we are again, back at the table.
SPEAKER_00Welcome back to the table.
SPEAKER_03Yes. And what a table it is. We have new facts about the table. And what are those new facts?
SPEAKER_00Uh the first new fact is that it is, in fact, fake mahogany wood.
SPEAKER_03It is fake mahogany wood.
SPEAKER_00Fake. So it looks like mahogany isn't actually.
SPEAKER_03So, folks, if you're looking for the classiest table, fake mahogany is the way to go. Wall to wall, attorney-centric. Right fake mahogany.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so that's that's that about the table. Um, what are we drinking?
SPEAKER_03We are drinking some wonderful hydration, instant hydration packs. I brought a whole smattering, and I chose the prime uh blueberry, blue raspberry hydration powder.
SPEAKER_00Is blue raspberry a real thing? Can I eat a blue raspberry somewhere?
SPEAKER_03When you eat a blue raspberry. Uh you know, I would not hold that to a real thing. I think that is a flavor. It's like blue blast, if I ask you what here it is. Because I can tell you right now, when I take a sip of this, I don't get, I get blue.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03It tastes like definitely blue, if blue were a flavor, but not raspberry. What which one did you pick today?
SPEAKER_00I'm doing the noon sport hydration. Oh, I'm realizing now why you said it might be salty because it's the sport one. Because I think there's a noon that is not sport. I think it's just noon hydration. Um, lemon lime, which are the tabs. What is this? What am I thinking of? There's things that come in containers like this.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. What what are you thinking about the tabs that come in? Yeah, what are the little plastic containers like that? Uh you know, I'm not sure what is in the mind of Dr. Stacey right now. I'm so sorry.
SPEAKER_00I thought you would know it. I don't know, like I don't know, mints or candies? Like uh No.
SPEAKER_03Are you referring to have you ever heard of NECO wafers?
SPEAKER_00Oh, those do come in. No, but that's like a wrapper. No, yeah. I do know what those are, and that's not what I'm thinking of. You're not thinking about it. Something that comes in these. I was trying to paint the picture of the noon hydration container, but I've lost it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Think of like a mini Pringle. Mini Pringle can, and you pop the top and it's got a hydration tab in it.
SPEAKER_00That's that's basically it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Mini Pringle can.
SPEAKER_00And uh we're drinking out of something special.
SPEAKER_03Something special.
SPEAKER_00Um a shaker bottle brought by regular Travis. It is. Mine has a wolf on it.
SPEAKER_03It does indeed. That is your spirit animal. Uh Dr. Stacy is constantly howling at the moon.
SPEAKER_00I would actually like a wolf to be my um spirit animal, to be honest. I don't know that I can take I don't think I can take that much credit for it, but yeah, you know, I I would like it to be. What are you drinking out of?
SPEAKER_03I am drinking out of a good old, I'm guessing, a solo cup today. I'm going solo. Uh solo you can't hear me.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Did you stir it with your finger or a straw?
SPEAKER_03I stirred it. I there was the straw in the bottom of the wastebasket. I pulled it right out, had a few coffee grounds. No, I used the stir, got it stirred up in there, and my prime is primed, baby.
SPEAKER_00And is it now settled at the bottom or at the top?
SPEAKER_03You know, at the end we will know because that has happened to me where I've downed my hydration pack and I got a mouthful of powder. The question is, Dr. Stacy, have you ever dry powdered hydration?
SPEAKER_00No, no, and I I won't. I won't dry powder anything, actually.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. It's it's not quite the thing you want to do here. Uh I did just this just in, folks. Uh, white bark raspberries are also known as blue raspberries. So this just in off the press, folks. There, here you you heard it here first. Because this is the kind of cutting-edge information we bring on Welcome to the Table.
SPEAKER_00That's right. Boom. Wow. Now we need to.
SPEAKER_03White bark raspberries.
SPEAKER_00Huh.
SPEAKER_03They say their bark is bigger than their bite.
SPEAKER_00Okay. So today we are talking about exercise, working out, being fit, fitness, whatever comes with that. And to be honest, this is uh a pretty tall topic. Um, so I I think that we will probably have multiple episodes relating to this. But for the sake of today, we're talking about just exercise in general, what it means to us, how we can use it to our advantage, the link between physical health and mental health. And that's pretty much the rundown. So, regular Travis, what is exercise to you?
SPEAKER_03Exercise to me is uh intentional movement using safe forms of movement. So knowing what is the proper form to enact whatever that intentional movement is for an a durate duration, right? So depending on what my goal is, I'm sustaining that particular movement for the duration of the end goal. That's that was really a lot of jargon there. That's exercise to me. Specifically like resistance training, cardio training, flexibility training, um, all that fun stuff.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I think that covers it. That covers what exercises.
SPEAKER_03You know, a duration of time for moving time and time amount of time. And your body.
SPEAKER_00You forgot to say your body.
SPEAKER_03Move your body, folks.
SPEAKER_00Move your body. Okay, so let's talk about what we do for workouts. Um, and I will also caveat right up front, maybe even mentioning like how they've changed over the years.
SPEAKER_01Sure.
SPEAKER_00Um, because I can speak for myself, but I'm gonna guess that you would agree that how you have moved your body has changed as the years have gone on.
SPEAKER_03For sure, for sure. Yeah, so currently I enjoy a pretty balanced regimen of uh cardio in the form of running and walking. And then uh I do a lot of resistance training. So I work mainly with free weights, dumbbells, plates, um in different kinds of forms. I have and continue to work with a personal trainer who's really educated me on how my body moves to reduce the chance of injury and also to meet the goals that I really wanna wanna get down there. So that that's really my exercise, intentional exercise regimen. And we're probably gonna get into this down down further, but I would even attach kind of my managing of my diet is factored into that, you know, how I'm fueling myself primarily so that I can do the things that I need to do. Um I also roll up into that uh pretty hefty like flexibility training. So doing a lot of stretching and intentional movements just to keep the the body uh malleable and and and avoiding injury. So that's kind of does that answer?
SPEAKER_00It does. And I'm admiring what you said at the end there because I suck at stretching and taking time for the flexibility. So and it shows there's the I have proof that I'm not doing that.
SPEAKER_03Isn't it funny because that feels like such a natural thing, like I should stretch, but it there's some weird thing because I have to be super intentional about it because I want to get down to business and then out of it.
SPEAKER_00Me too.
SPEAKER_03Without doing the pre and the postwork and even the work in between, including I would throw into that resistance uh and flex together is that core work. Yeah like intentional core work, suck, hate it, don't like to do it. 100% would have to do it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So your breakdown, how many days a week are you working out? And your prime you said primarily strength-based?
SPEAKER_03Yeah. So I am on average five days a week. And my duration of times, depending on what I'm doing, um, like my average lifting time, I try to keep those to about an hour, um, sometimes shorter than that. I've gotten much more efficient in my lifting regimen to hit what I need to hit. Um, and I work out in a home gym, so I don't have to wait in lines and do that kind of stuff. Running, of course, is different depending on the length of time. And I am training for a long distance run right now. So some of my runs, like my last run, was probably a good three to four hours.
SPEAKER_02Wow.
SPEAKER_03So shorter runs, maybe 30 minutes to 45 minutes to an hour. So it just depends on what the runtime is, or the length of the run, really. And my pace, which is not a fast pace, which is good for a long distance runner, but it's not fast.
SPEAKER_00It means you have to be running for a long enough.
SPEAKER_03Forever, it feels like, yeah. How about you? What do you got cooking over there?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So I made an interesting uh point with my fitness regimen. Um, it's very much dependent upon my schedule. And I'm not sure. You're just like, uh, but the reason I highlighted why things have changed over the years is because I do feel like I've kind of run the gamut of like what you know, social media says you should be doing, right? So like there was a point where I was very intentional on like lifting heavy and lifting heavy regularly and more of like the CrossFit vibe. And um, you know, and when I realized that wasn't really for me, you know, heavy. Well, even before that, I was heavier into cardio and then, you know, shifting to try to be intentional and slow things down, doing some more yoga and blah, blah, blah. Anyways, all that's to say for me, I have to have a mix. One, because I find things boring. So I have to mix it up.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Two, I think realistically, that's probably what's best for my body. So as it stands right now, I'm typically lifting twice a week. Like majority of the workout is a lift, not that I won't like add in additional weight training throughout the week. Um, two days of strictly cardio, uh, throwing in a day of Pilates, and then one or two active rest days where I'm like more so just like walking, jogging. Um, and that's specific to the days that I'm in the office. So usually like every day, non-negotiable is walk my dog at least a mile. And so I kind of treat that as my warm-up. Then I go into um on my more active rest days, then I just come in and go on the treadmill and either use my walking pad, use it as a walking pad and do some notes, or um watch some trash TV and get a couple, you know, get a mile in running and walk the rest. Um, but yeah, so two lifting days. Uh I do a day of Pilates and um then more just casual cardio. Cardio typically being um inclined walk, stair master, and running with a grunt behind it.
SPEAKER_03That's good stuff. And I appreciate that you did bring up intentional rest. I think we sometimes only think of exercise as just the movement itself, but the recovery is just as important. And listening to your body, you brought up too, which I think is very important at every stage, whatever you choose to do. And there are things that I've learned that maybe mentally I thought, oh, I'm gonna really love doing this uh and might even start training for it and then discover I just really don't have the love for it or the motivation. So I'm gonna stop trying to hammer this nail in and switch it up to something that may be more enjoyable to me. But also as you age, your body will change. There are still a lot of things that you can do, but there just may be some specific movements you can't do anymore. And so you have to be able to shift right with what your body is telling you, really being in tune with it. As I've done where I've been chasing like some kind of lift goal only to pull a muscle or injure myself, and then you now you're out for the duration of the healing time. And if you try to go back too early, you re-injure. So what now you've done is you you think now you've set yourself back all of that recovery time. Whereas if you've intentionally built it in and like let my body chill, do what I can do now and build up to it, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah. So what's your why right now? What's your reason for training?
SPEAKER_03That's good. So this was the what started me with my personal trainer, this was the big question he asks everybody. And his philosophy is your why has to be bigger than all of the stuff that I'm gonna throw at you. Because there will be a time when it's just a lot or it is, you know, things that you don't really want to be doing. And so the why has to be, and he also is uh a big believer, and this is just his philosophy, and I don't want to speak for him, uh, but his philosophy is he really looks for the why to be a good motivating why. So if you're just like, I want to be fit so I can meet you know, partners or whatever, that's fine. He just doesn't see that as a long term, like you're gonna get fit enough, find somebody, and then probably start eating ice cream again. Uh so my why, sorry, to say all that is that I want my body to do what my mind wants it to do. So if I want to go climb a tree, I want to be able to climb a tree. If I want to do these things, I want to always be working and having my body be in the condition that it does the things my mind wants it to do. And having watched a lot of um people dear to me in their older age struggle with a lot of mobility and health issues that could potentially be regulated with a good fitness diet, you know, flexibility routine, those are the things really trying to head off at the pass. I was not kind to my body the first half of my life. Was not so my why is is that I want for as long as I can my body to do the things that I really want to be able to do, to enjoy life. Yeah. You know, not so much that I want to bench press 300 pounds or always look muscular or whatever this is, but literally just to be healthy, be fit. Yeah. How about you?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah. So I'm thinking about like my why has definitely changed over the years. Um, so I would say right now, I would fall closely in line with what you said. I think the first thing that comes to my mind is I want to feel good.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, and I think that that stems from a few things. One, obviously getting older, you know, things don't feel as good. That's right. You know, you're not 17 anymore and you flying across a gym floor doesn't feel good. Um, so there's certainly that side of it. Um, I also think just like from, you know, the mental health side of things, the body image, you know, like there was definitely a time where my workout was fully fueled by the aesthetic that I was going for.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, and in recent times, I have been able to um like really focus on fueling my workouts based on what feels good to my body. And I think that that has been a big change for me personally.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. And I appreciate it again. There you go, tying in because our bodies are not disconnected from our mental health, our emotional regulation, and that physical activity when done safely with intention really shapes that together. In fact, I would say that most of the challenges I've run into in in intentional exercise begins with a mental preparedness. My body will, and our bodies will, for the most part, fall in line, right? Lifting heavier weights or whatever it is, but it's the mind. I always like, I had a friend. Uh, anytime we would be out on a long hike, I'm talking like two, three days, he'd always, every morning, all right, boys, get your minds right. Right. Because that's a big part of it is setting that mental intent, uh running, any of it, uh, knowing how to manage those things, but linking it with that physical activity brings a greater sense of just peace, settledness. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah. And you mentioned running, and I just so badly want to be a runner. Like I think I say this at least once a week. I'm like, I want to be a runner.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And I just know that I'm not.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I'm like really like I do some running. Um, I have, you know, an annual running goal of, you know, just to be running because I think it's great, like full body.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, and I feel good after a run. And I've been working really closely with my um like primary care physician. Um, and she like continues to remind me, she's like, based on what's going on, running is really not for you. Um, I don't think that this is in your best interest. And I'm like, and I've been fighting her on it. I'm like, I just like really wanna, you know, you see the stories, right? People who have never ran, never done, they were never active at all. And suddenly like they take to running. And I'm like, I want that to be me. And I just, I just haven't got there. So um, yeah, I want to be a runner.
SPEAKER_03Well, and honestly, I was never a runner. I don't I guess I am now, but and when you mentioned things change for you, even when I started my fitness journey, like last year, I was super into running. That's really what I wanted to be doing. I I was doing resistance training primarily to fuel the runs. And I wanted to do long longer distances, um hit an injury period where I had to lay up. Um, I had a marathon schedule for last year. Injury not gonna happen. And I thought as soon as I'm past this injury, I'm gonna just pick up right where I left off. I will tell you, Stacy, mentally that has changed so much for me. I had no, not near the desire to run the way that I was running. Um, I also packed on a lot more muscle mass, i.e., weight in the body. Uh, so there was some physical regulation to get used to running again. Um fast forward, I have a uh marathon scheduled for September, and mentally I've just have not been able to get my mind wrapped around that distance. So uh, you know, working with a lot of people who care about me and knowing my body just came to terms that this is gonna be a half marathon. That's that's where I'm at. And the jury's out what it will look like post this run. I don't know that I desire to be these long run. Now my spouse, she went the opposite. She was like, I do not want to do this. You're the runner. Now she is like the long, long runner to the point where after this marathon, she's considering her next upgrade will probably be 30 some miles.
SPEAKER_00Holy cow. Right? Wow.
SPEAKER_03To me, I you know, that is that is wow. But I think if I could I say that because it is my trainer even told me he said it's okay, even if you've made this like public declaration, I'm gonna do this, to change your mind.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Or to it's not quitting. It's not a failure to say, Oh, I really wanted to do this, but I just don't think it's in my cards. Because there's a lot of other things that you can do that you might enjoy more that gives you the same result. And if you want to be a runner, you know, you could keep working at it, or you'd be like, maybe I'm just, you know, I'm not telling you to quit, Stacey. That's you're telling me to be a quitter. That's what I'm hearing. Dude, that is that is the mental stuff that messes with you. When you've set a goal, and you know, not that there is this, I think, part of our overarching some of the dysfunction in fitness, whether it's professional or amateur, whatever it is, is that, you know, oh, what are you gonna quit? You gotta work through injury, you gotta rub dirt on it, you gotta get back out there. And we see this where, you know, people will work through injury and it's this badge of honor, or I did it without drinking water for this whole thing. It's like, or care for yourself in a more sustained way and be okay changing your mind. That's okay.
SPEAKER_00For sure.
SPEAKER_03Anyway.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So in thinking about the different types of fitness options out there, um, you mentioned a few that work for you, but let's talk about the difference between um like personal training sessions versus fitness classes versus working out by yourself. Yes. Like what speaks to you.
SPEAKER_03So in the beginning, I really needed the one-on-one training. And there is, folks, I get it. There is I I'm at a point in my life where I can afford to manage that. But it's like anything else. I would highly recommend at least looking into it in a very good trainer and think about budgeting if you can to do that. It was the world of difference for me. I had always been somewhat active, but it was and you know, you can teach yourself a lot of things, but there what I needed most was, yes, obviously learning the proper form. I was a high school athlete. So I thought, I'm gonna go in here. I know what weight, pushing up weight is. I had no idea form. Anybody can push things around or pull things or do whatever, but to know exactly what you're trying to get out of that uh is very important. And having somebody who is an expert, it's like going to the doctor or therapist, you know, it's worth the investment because it, you know, it really does help. So I like the one-on-one. Um, and I still do enjoy meeting with my trainer, but now by far, it's me. I enjoy the alone time for me in the gym. Uh, I've never been much of a fitness class person.
SPEAKER_00So I'd like to see you at a soul cycle spinning. I would give it a shot.
SPEAKER_03I I wouldn't shy away from it. I just that would not be my thing. How about you? What do you think?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, also it's interesting. Um because I like the class setting. If we, if I lived in a different location, I think I'd be like a class guru for sure. Um, there's just not a lot of great class options around us. So um that means not a lot of options. But in the classes I've done in the past, I did do like some spin classes when I was up closer to Cleveland.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, like Orange Theory, that vibe. Are you familiar?
SPEAKER_01Yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, to me, that's like just great because you get a little of everything. You get some running, you get some strength, you get some um like other various cardio options. And it's stuff that I, while I'm capable of doing those workouts on my own, I probably won't do that workout on my own. Yeah. And it kicks your ass every time. It does. And I appreciate that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that that weird level of accountability. Like even on my personal workouts, they're good. But when I'm with my trainer, they're like really good. Meaning you walk away like, geez. Like, and I think there is a lot of the uh honestly, having that group, that class, or that trainer takes a lot of the intellectual work off, workload off of you because they're just kind of giving you directive and you just cycle through it. So you don't have to think about, oh, I got to change the weight or I need to do this. It's just somebody go, go. And sometimes that extra rep or whatever, they're like, oh, you can push up this many more. Whereas at home, I can be like, well, I got 10 in. Maybe I got three more, but I did it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00No, I I agree. The accountability, the also like it's a set time. Like if I have a 5 30 a.m. class, I already paid for it. I'm gonna be there. That's right. Versus if I say I'm going to the gym at 5 30 a.m. by myself, and then probably rolling in at 5 45.
SPEAKER_01It's closed.
SPEAKER_00Rolling in 15 minutes later. Oh, I guess I don't have that as long of a workout as I thought. But anyways, all that to say, um, primarily at this point, it's solo workouts for me. I do enjoy like being on my own, like not engaging with people. Headphones in, like, every now and again, a friend or two will join me, um, which is lovely just because kind of go back to that accountability. Like, all right, we I already said, you know, I'm doing 12 sets out loud to this person, I'm gonna do it type of thing. But for the most part, I enjoy working out kind of in in solo. And I hope that at some point I will have my own like full home gym, in which case I will not be going to a public gym.
SPEAKER_03All right. Dr. Stacy, anytime you want to come over to to the basement gym, is it great? It's uh we'll get you set up. Come on over.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm I'm here for that. Um, okay, so let's talk about another aspect of um working out, and that is the fitness attire.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yes.
SPEAKER_00Workout clothes. So I'll be the first to say, I'm so glad that athleisure is a thing. Um, sure, I love the clothes that I wear to the gym, but more importantly, I love the clothes that look like I'm going to the gym, but I'm actually just going to the grocery store. And that is truly, you know, I could say people like, oh, what's your like fashion? What is your aesthetic? And yes, don't get me wrong, I love dressing up, love wearing heels, love like a good outfit. But truth be told, like I am athleisure wear through and through. Like that is, I think that's what suits my style best. I think that's what I look best in. I think that's what I feel best in.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Uh and you know, it's funny because um before I really got into fitness training, I was super into hiking, long distance hiking. And similarly, the clothes you purchase and wear for hiking are super comfy.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And but they are not fashionable, I will tell you. They're just not. Some say, oh no, it's having this like renaissance where but it for younger people maybe, but for me, I just look like an old guy in like, you know, hiking gear. Uh once I when I started doing more physical fitness, like running, um, lifting, I prefer uh obviously things that breathe, things that are not gonna cause chafing, bum, bum, bum, right? Um, I started out with just like probably everybody else, what I had. You know, I oh, I have these shoes, I have this, and then as you start getting into it more and more, it is worth some of the investment. Like you, you may find, oh man, that's really pricey. But when your feet are protected and they feel good, when your body feels good, when you uh, you know, you're reducing that chafing, I I will confess I used to throw so much shade. I'd see these dudes pop off their shirts. I'm like, what is this, you know, Johnny Rockets running over here. And when I got into long distance running, the chaf is real, folks. And I for the first time like, I cannot, I can't adjust this. So I pop my top off. Because you get into a certain form and you're like, I don't care what people see now. Like, I just don't want to die at this moment. Uh anyway, yeah, so I'm I'm all for it. The right, the right apparel, the right gear for the thing that you're doing is so vitally important. Um, but I also appreciate the fashion of it all because it is super comfy clothes. And why not be comfortable? Uh I'm with you. I love heels and a good dress I can wear many times over. Give me some you don't have to wear pants. No pants. It's just easy breezy cover girl.
SPEAKER_00So well, uh yeah, I mean, I really um usually employ um casual Friday at the office.
SPEAKER_01Nice.
SPEAKER_00Um, which I think most people would say, yeah, you wear jeans that day. Nope, not me. I'm wearing joggers and a stay wellness t-shirt. Like that is that is casual Friday. So for um, if I'm seeing clients that day, like they get really accustomed to the fact that if they saw me on a Tuesday one week and they see me on a Friday a different week, they're getting two very different presentations of me, that's for sure.
SPEAKER_03I've seen both Stacy's.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Like in your classroom, I've seen you, you're you're like professional Stacy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Not that you're not professional when you're athletes. All bets are off. But you're ready for action and athleisure, like you're in a John Wick movie. You know, like here we go. Go slide under a garage door.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so let's talk about a little bit of science behind working out. Um, one thing that I bring into the therapy room quite often is bilateral stimulation. And uh one reason is because I do a lot of EMDR, which operates through bilateral stimulation. But even if I'm not doing EMDR with the client, um it's worth mentioning for a lot of folks. So this is um like rhythmic sensory input that alternates between the left and the right sides of your brain and body. Um, so in order to do this, we have to activate it uh via physical movement. So um we can use sight, we can use sound and touch. Um, but the really big component here is that we're touching both hemispheres of our brain. So it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which ultimately lowers our heart rate and relaxes muscles. When we're talking about the trauma realm, the reason that we want to do this is we're kind of bringing folks up to that activation point, working through that really intense memory or experience, um, and showing, not telling, but showing the body that we can be in a calmer state. So the intention is not to erase the memory, but the intention is to decrease the emotional charge to that experience. Um, so not that we have to be engaging in something really traumatic to benefit from bilateral stimulation. Um, what we know is that bilateral stimulation mimics REM sleep. So the alternating sensory input mirrors the eye movement of deep sleep, which is when the brain naturally uh sorts and files away daily events and memories. Again, things that are going to be beneficial for overall mental health, um, ability to focus. We see that things like this improve. Um, so a great simple way to engage in bilateral stimulation is walking, swimming. Um, but we don't have to do anything super physical. We can do self-tapping. So we say like butterfly hug, um arms across your shoulders, and just tapping your own shoulder, um, or you can tap your legs. Um, but having this rhythmic movement to engage in this bilateral stimulation where in where we are engaging both sides of the brain is really, really helpful for helping calm our nervous system and actually process the way that we're experiencing our day-to-day.
SPEAKER_03That's interesting. And EMDR, that is a trauma-informed or trauma kind of treatment. What does EMDR stand for again?
SPEAKER_00Eye movement, desensitization and reprocessing.
SPEAKER_03Interesting. Yeah. And I, you know, I've heard it a lot. It's, I think, become quite a popular uh kind of uh modality to use. So it's nice to connect some of the specifics to it. I wasn't I've had not ever heard of of some of these things that really doctor stays. I knew of EMDR and had been familiar with I had a couple of my friends and yourself who use it in their practice, but to hear it, that's that's really cool.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And so, like I said, even if we're not diving into true EMDR reprocessing, like I probably bring up bilateral stimulation, I'd have to guess, with nearly every client I see in some capacity. Um I mean, I'm a big I push for like walking, like more, like bigger movements. We say things that will um engage our larger muscles can be more impactful. But you know, if you don't have the ability to get up and walk when you're dysregulated, tapping's a great option.
SPEAKER_03And that's why I wondered why you had on your forearms bilateral emulation, like tattooed on the front. You just thump them down.
SPEAKER_00It's a good reminder for myself and for people who are sitting across the room from you. Yeah, you're just pull my sleeves down.
SPEAKER_03Pull those, pull those pythons out nearly.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So um that is like some of the work that I draw on. Um, but in speaking of research, yeah, um, we have, I mean, there's a myriad of studies on the link between mental and physical well-being. Um, so I'm drawing on um an article from Mickelson and colleagues, um exercise and mental health. Uh so some things that we noticed, um positive effects of exercise on mood, such as anxiety, stress, and depression, reduction, of course, through physiological and biochemical mechanisms involving endorphins, mitochondria, neurotransmitters, and HPA access. So a lot of jargon, just know that this is rooted in neuroscience, and it's not just us, you know, stating people are supposedly feeling better.
SPEAKER_03Good for the brain.
SPEAKER_00Yes, exactly. And we're drawing on a couple different avenues here. So the distraction hypothesis suggesting, as the name suggests, that in exercising, we are distracting, being distracted from the negative mood states that we might otherwise be feeling, um, and the self-efficacy hypothesis, wherein you feel good because you accomplished something.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, so those are two of the main uh pushers. Um, then we have all the neuroscience mechanism actions at play. Um, one thing that I think is really interesting that um a lot of these articles, this one included, discuss is the way the immune system is improved through our physical fitness. Um, the more active we are, we tend to increase or improve our immune system response. Um, and of course, in doing so, then we're less likely to get sick. So go back to both of us mentioning a big reason that we're engaging in this um like physical activity is to feel good um and maintain overall health. So there's something to that. Your immune system is affected. Wow. We have the physiological side as well as the psychological side things being benefited through exercise.
SPEAKER_03Wow, that is really fascinating. Because you always hear about the like the runner's high or the endorphin release, or why do I feel, you know, you might fight, oh, I don't want to get in there and do it. And then you do it and you're like, man, I'm so glad I did. And why do I feel more emotionally regulated? Um, and I can also say that uh some of my best conversations have happened on some of those walks with my spouse, where maybe we're both in that more settled spot. You're getting a little physical activity and you can bring up some of the things that otherwise you might not want to talk about. So I that's that's fantastic. Good all around.
SPEAKER_00That's a good point. So think about the people, and maybe you've done this where you're you have a phone call that feels a little bit difficult to make.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00We have the pacers. Okay. So I'm gonna, I'm just pacing through the house while I'm on the phone. Um, it's that's very rhythmic. One, you're walking, but two, the pacing, like the back and forth. Our brain is going to attach to those patterns and be better suited to process what's coming in. So yeah, it's very true. We tend to do better in those challenging situations when we can engage in bilateral stimulation.
SPEAKER_03That is really good stuff there. Yeah. And it doesn't require, I think sometimes you hear the word exercise or working out and you conjure up like gyms and all this. And you're you're highlighting simple things like pacing, walking, even and we're not talking about long distance here, folks. You can choose a shorter distance up and down your driveway if the weather's permitting, you know, or the tapping and things like that that just kind of get that body and that brain all happy, happy.
SPEAKER_00All connected.
SPEAKER_03All connected.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and we should probably add a disclaimer that we are not uh we are not. We're not trainers, we're not personal trainers, we're not uh uh we don't have that uh certification by any means, but just in our experience and the research that we've done on the topics, this is what is being said out in the community.
SPEAKER_03And that's interesting. I don't know if you've run into this. I mean, because you're a fit person, you might have friends who are like, Oh, do you have any tips? I've even had people when I really you know started, I guess down the road, I had people ask me if I would train them. And I I appreciate you bringing that up because no, not a trainer. I can only speak from my personal experience, and most of this, you know, is just from that experience. Um and under the guidance of certified folks who've guided me pretty heavily. Like so I'm not speaking from any type of authority there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, just noticing what what works for us and that's it. And and yeah, I think it feels good when people, you know, in your community and in your circle are like, hey, can I be a part of this? Like it seems like you know what you're doing here. It's like, well, maybe I come off that way, but I know it's I'm just playing my cards.
SPEAKER_03I just wanna because I'm a child of the 80s, I'll just say it. And all the action stars are these ripped dudes, like all my cartoons were like He-Man, you know, he's like this jacked. And I used to think that's what I want to be. I want to have He-Man arms, and I wanna and then you realize that I mean, obviously, as a drawn character, that's not gonna be a realistic thing. Similar for, you know, like uh the Barbie body when they realize this is not realistic for most humans. Um, you know, uh giving up some of that image of what I think I need to be or the the goal to get there.
SPEAKER_00A hundred percent. Yeah. And I mean, we talked about it a little bit, but you know, our body is not fully built in the gym. In fact, it's primarily built in the kitchen. So we kind of talk about that side of things too. Um, I know for me personally, like I there was definitely a time where I was chasing more of the physique.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And that was like my why for working out. Um, and it just, I mean, one, it's not healthy long term. And two, it's not um, you don't get the feeling. Like for me, it was like very disconnected from body. It was more like, okay, I'm doing these things. Um, one, I realized I'm never gonna get my dream body in the gym for a myriad of reasons. Um, one of which I have a metabolic disorder and I have hypothyroidism and all of these things that would like the gym is not where that body is naturally going to be built, right? Um, so kind of operating at a deficit. And once I kind of came to terms with that, I kind of flipped the narrative and said, okay, what is the purpose of doing this? I feel good. What exercises make me feel good while I'm doing them? Sometimes, not always, but especially after I do them. And what feels good long term, you know? So I think about like I wake up the next day reflecting on what I did yesterday. Do I feel good? Doesn't mean I'm not sore. Sometimes like there's some discomfort, but you know, starting to switch that narrative and like feel what is happening. And like I said, remembering that, you know, there's so many other factors besides what's happening in the weight room.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. And and that's yeah, there can be a vanity to all of it where I want a certain look. Um and you know, whatever things that you would have to try to control sometimes are just outside of your control. As your body ages, there's certain things that just are not gonna look this way. And that image of what it's supposed to look like, or maybe what you want it to look like, you you realize, oh, you know, maybe I need to give that up because I will always chase that. And then you're just grabbing air because you never can get there, no matter how many men's fitness magazines puts the 80 pack on there, you know. And so you you come to terms with loving your body. Our bodies are not bad. We ought not to hate the bodies we have. They're very beautiful in their own right. But we've been given this image of what is beautiful and what we should be chasing, and a lot of that is unrealistic. Um my spouse uh said once in the gym, she's like, I'm not chasing skinny, I'm chasing healthy. And I think for in our own rights, we each will have to face down that vanity dragon, you know, and and maybe we slay it, maybe we slay it some days, maybe other days, but just so you know, I always slay it. No, I'm just kidding. But anyway, I I I I I probably digress. Just but that's important to know. Love your body.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Your body love it in the way that fuels you and you can look at it and you can just be in love with it as it is. If you want to change some things great, certainly be healthy, right? There's ways of existing, as you said, Stacy, where you wake up and you just feel good.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Doesn't mean I'm not, I got some love handles or I got weird skin flaps or what it may be. Guess what? That's bodies, baby. We got them. You know?
SPEAKER_00That's bodies.
SPEAKER_03And they're beautiful.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's so true. And I think social media is, I mean, we've circled back to that many of times, but it's even the the accounts that are like, and here's what to do. Yeah. You know, and so many of them are like, all right, well, not everyone has the ability to spend two hours in the gym.
SPEAKER_01Correct.
SPEAKER_00And not everybody has the confidence to step into a gym.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00Or the finances to hire somebody to teach them how to do all of these things. And so you kind of get into this whole whirlwind of suddenly so much mental well-being is rooted in physical well-being, but then the physical well-being is rooted in like the mental you know what I mean? Like it's the chicken or the egg. And who's, you know, do I need to feel good to be able to work out well or do I need to work out well to be able to feel good?
SPEAKER_03Yeah. And that's, you know, some of my when I think of like fitness influencers or people that I follow talk about there, you know, if say if you're a bodybuilder, there's a selfishness to that, to achieving that level of a bodybuild. And there's a level of unhealth you may look like a million bucks, but any one of them, most of them will tell you they feel miserable. You know, a prep is no fun. You know, the competition it's just it's very difficult to maintain. Others may hold you up on this pedestal like look at you and you can run, but it is a very can be a very miserable process. Um and some of the fitness folks I enjoy really focus in on you know functional fitness. Like I do all of this because this is the lifestyle I want to lead or the things I want to do, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So chasing that functional fitness, whatever that looks like for you, if your goal is I want to walk my daughter down the aisle, but I can't walk 10 steps, that's a great goal to have. And that will not require hours and hours of gym time. You know, that's a goal that is worthwhile because one day you'll do that and you'll walk her down the aisle or whatever that looks like for you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah. And you know, thinking about the other side of the spectrum, whether it's influenced by people around us or internally like fitness, we can overdo it. Yes. Whether that leads to injury, whether that means to mental illness, um, whether that mean leads to like no longer enjoying it, there is a point where it goes too far. And one of the things kind of circling back to the research side when we're talking about the immune system, we can start to harbor um some damage on our immune system if we work out too hard for a sustainable amount of time. So I think that's an interesting bit as well. Then not to mention you know the things like eating disorders. So we see things a lot of folks are thinking like, oh, if somebody is bulimic, they're making themselves puke. Not necessarily they could be exercising for three hours a day as their compensation for the food. And restrictive eating of course in the anorexia realm as well. So we certainly want to like pay mention to the fact that there is there is too much of a good thing. Exercise we're linking to positive mental health outcomes and there's also a state at which it's taken too far.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Balance and flexibility.
SPEAKER_00Balance and flexibility. Yeah. That's right. Okay, so let's move on to healing and hot takes.
SPEAKER_03Yes.
SPEAKER_00To pre-workout or not to pre-workout?
SPEAKER_03So when we're talking about pre-workout here, folks, there are certain supplements that you can purchase over the counter powders and potions as I like to call them that help stimulate and reduce certain things in your workout. So these are um supplemental powders that you typically mix up and they have a higher level of caffeine so to increase energy levels. They have some other things in them to reduce like lactic acid buildup so you can do more reps in a lift or whatever it is. And when I think of pre-workout this is not things at least for me personally that I use to fuel like cardio workouts. These are really for me when I think about my resistance training. So when I first started lifting I didn't even know what these things were. And then my trainer gave me some education and I started the journey of the pre-workout journey. I do, I will confess, I am a pre-workout person. I do it before every workout and then I've wondered as of late should I try just raw dogging some workouts without the pre-workout because they you look at the list of stuff in them and you just wonder am I really doing okay putting all of this in my body but yeah uh so I am I am educate yourself and am a pro pre-workout person and everything in metered balance as you approach it. But know your body trust it if it doesn't agree with you my spouse she tried it no way she's like nope not not doing the pre-workouts and enjoys her workouts. Yeah a lot of people get a tummy ache from a pre-workout it is definitely gets the mojo working folks so you got to be aware if you take a pre-workout certain things happen in the body that may stimulate so i be close to a bathroom sometimes you just need it because you know the doo-doo rep can the blowout oh boy and then nobody's happy in the gym well good thing you have a gym in your basement home gym shower right there we're ready for any blowout you can wear a diaper you could wear a diaper and uh the specially patented uh Schwarzenegger diaper no I'm kidding how about you Dr.
SPEAKER_00Stacey are you a pre-workout it's interesting I I typically do not I typically am not a pre-workouter um I am pro in so many ways I think for me personally there's a lot of things that I think if I leaned into I wouldn't be able to do without and I fear that pre-workout would be one of those things. So I don't want to get to a point where I can't work out unless I have something. I will say I tend to caffeinate. So sometimes I'll have like a mini Alani before a workout or sometimes just a cup of coffee.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00But um in terms of pre-workout not typically I know there's like you know different variations and some folks really want like the pump and some of them have the added you know mechanisms to make sure that that happens. I'm like I said I think that I am a little bit fragile and like I don't want a false sense like I can do enough damage to my own self. Like I don't need something like false convincing me that I can do something or am something that I'm not. So for me personally, I'm mostly a no I will from time to time if I'm with somebody who's using pre-workout my boyfriend will use pre-workout occasionally I will take a scoop and I don't know that it really does a whole lot for me to be honest. I I feel the caffeine yeah but I I guess my point is I can get that somewhere else.
SPEAKER_03So I'm typically a not pre-workout do you get the itchies when you do it only if I take too much.
SPEAKER_00Yeah I'm not looking for the 300 milligram caffeine like I want the one that's like 100 milligrams a scoop. So you do two scoops and you have 200 or you do a scoop or a scoop and a half. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03Yeah I'm full board baby.
SPEAKER_00No way.
SPEAKER_03I got all the shit in there.
SPEAKER_00How many? How many shits?
SPEAKER_03How many shit I'll tell you. Let's see folks I'm looking at my pre-workout right now. I'm not gonna name what it is I'm just gonna look at it. What we're looking for the caffeine content.
SPEAKER_00Caffeine yeah how do you not know this off the top of your head well you know Dr.
SPEAKER_03Stacy there's things you do to your body that you just don't want to face up to sometimes oh yeah there's the beta alanine that's that gives you the real itchies there oh there it is what would you guess is it 300 it's three hondo and you know I'm not scooping a clean scoop.
SPEAKER_00And I also know that you're drinking coffee after that.
SPEAKER_03Oh I'm I'm charged baby my my insides are pickled that I you know I I think this is one of those topics actually what's your flavor oh I don't know you know whatever your boyfriend has to that's how little I use it so no dry powdering I would not dry never there are people who dry powder no way won't do it. Um yeah whatever I think the last one I had was like rainbow sherbet flavor or something oh yeah I enjoy Welch's grape flavor or orange cream uh I have others who are blue raspberry which we now know are white bark raspberry there so yeah there's all kinds of stuff oh there's some uh no we're not gonna read the ingredients on there just know there's a lot that's why anything we say here is just based on our own experience we are not advising nor dissuading we're just simply throwing the information out there and when you start getting into any supplements always important to talk to your doctors know your body know any health conditions and listen to your body if you take it and it does not agree it's not a like let me just double down on this maybe listen and say this just isn't for me. You can still do all the things that you need to do right that's my disclaimer for supplements powders potions all the stuffs that you can get at your local vitamin shop or online or wherever Yeah and I think the thing with caffeine though I try to draw attention to people over caffeinating themselves I do think that it's on a spectrum like actually there's some research coming out about this Dr.
SPEAKER_00Huberman um talks about this a little bit but that we just have different tolerances to caffeine and for some folks 300 milligrams of caffeine is way too much and for others that's half their daily dose you know and I think that again there's more research coming out about the nuances of that and you know how that's interacting with each individual body and 300 still feels like a lot I guess it to me especially if you're also you know drinking my coffee because I know you're drinking coffee.
SPEAKER_03Yeah 100% and it's not just Folgers baby it's the supercharged espresso like the more the merrier.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Okay well let's end um with a couple takeaways um just do what feels good to your body um some movement is better than no movement um and just keeping tabs on where you're at and and identifying what your why is why do you want to be active what is it doing for you? What's your drop of joy?
SPEAKER_03My drop of joy uh I know I've been bringing this up quite a bit about this artist collaboration that I've been a part of uh I know that my the pieces are stateside and I should get them this week. So super excited uh to bring that project maybe to a a close here nice and have a finished product. So that's my drop of joy I'm looking forward to.
SPEAKER_00Super exciting.
SPEAKER_03Supa.
SPEAKER_00My drop of joy is despite procrastinating I finally finish up my class prep for a new class I'm offering this semester of sports and exercise psychology. Yeah so right on right on tone with today's episode um I don't have all my lectures prepped but I do have like my syllabus and my course schedule and activities and right at the last second because classes start in two weeks. So but who's counting anyways less than two weeks a week and a half um so yeah we have some joy joy in the in the pre workout joy in pre workout joy that's right all right well thanks for chatting about working out it was fun we will see worked out yeah good we'll see you next time on welcome to the table bye bye