How to Stay Consistent with Your Workouts AND Your Inner Work (Work OUTs vs Work INs)

Time for a mid-year check in! In this episode of Self Love & Sweat THE PODCAST we are bringing it back to our New Year's Goals we set in January. I’m sharing how choosing a Word of the Year can create real change...especially when motivation fades and life gets full.

My word for 2026 is ease.
Not laziness. Not doing nothing.
But alignment.

The kind of ease that helps you notice when you’re forcing life, pushing upstream, or living from the old story that your work equals your worth.

This is about matching your actions to who you say you want to be.

Inside this episode, we discuss:
• choosing a Word of the Year instead of rigid resolutions
• defining “ease” as alignment, not laziness
• spotting the “upstream” feeling that signals resistance
• challenging the belief that work equals worth
• checking your integrity in relationships, leadership, and hard days
• using core values as the rules to your game
• workouts vs work-ins as a framework for real growth
• emotional metabolism and what it means to get “sore on the inside”

If you’ve been feeling off, disconnected, or like you’ve “fallen behind,” this is your reminder that you don’t need to start over...you just need to check in.

Send me a DM on Instagram @lifelikelunden and tell me your Word of the Year and how it’s actually showing up in your life.

If this episode resonated, share it with a friend who needs a reset...and don’t forget to leave a review (up to five stars) wherever you’re listening.

Transcript

Welcome to Self Love & Sweat THE PODCAST (Work OUTs vs Work INs Intro)

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Self-Love and Sweat the podcast. The place where you'll get inspired to live your life unapologetically. Embrace your perfect imperfections and do what sets your soul on fire. Fire. I'm your host, London SUSA. Welcome back to Self-Love and Sweat the Podcast. Happy today. Happy New Year. Happy 2026. Yes, I know it's middle of April, but I haven't recorded an episode yet this year, or I haven't posted one yet. And you guys know sometimes I just need a break. And my word for 2026 is the word ease. And so it's so important for me when I when I think about that word and how it's made manifest in my life. It's really what's going to be done with ease. What's going to be easy and effortless. Now that doesn't mean everything's easy and life's not going to throw you hard things, but think about that path of least resistance, right? That the opposite of what it feels like to swim upstream. You know, when you want something or you're working on something and you just feel like you're going upstream and you're not meeting the right people and you're not making the connections that you need to, not that, right? Ease for me is really being in that present moment and choosing that next best step that isn't gonna reinforce that story, right? When we think about, I talk a lot about our stories, the stories that we tell ourselves, right? The stories that run our subconscious programming. And for me, mine has always been, and and the volume is significantly lower. That CD is scratched a little bit, right? So the story's not playing super strong. It's a little bit scratched, but that story is I always need to be doing something. My work is my worth. The more hours that I work, the more that I'm worth, the more that I matter, the more value that I have, right? And I came from, you know, um, especially my dad's Portuguese and my mom's Italian, but growing up, we were just by proximity, we lived a lot closer to my mom's side of the family. And so my grandparents were Italian immigrants and just all about work and working hard. I remember being so excited one time to tell my grandpa in college, I was like, grandpa, I am going to school full time and I'm working seven days a week. Like, aren't you proud of me? You know? So for me, the word ease doesn't take out effort, doesn't mean that I'm not gonna do anything or I'm not gonna try or I'm just gonna sit there and wait for everything to be delivered to me with a silver platter. But it does mean that I'm taking a moment to check and say, like, is this upstream or is this downstream? Is this something that is going with the flow of my purpose and mission and where I know I need to be? Or is this something that's keeping me stuck and stagnant and going in the opposite direction, right? So that word is ease for me. And I gave up New Year's resolutions a long time ago. I've done an episode on Word of the Year, I think for the last three years, because a word of the year, it transcends into so many other areas of your life, right? What does ease mean for me at home, in my friendships, in my romantic relationship, in uh work, with my family, right? With my neighbors. Like, what does that look like? Right. And here we are in the middle of April. And I would put my money on the fact that most people that set New Year's resolutions forgot they even have one, forgot what it even was. And here we are in April, right? And that's why when I was thinking about, I was like, okay, what's gonna be the episode topic that we discuss here? You know, always love to share from my heart and just kind of like pray and meditate on it. And I was like, let's talk about New Year's, let's talk about word of the year, let's talk about who you said you wanted to be at the beginning of 2026 and let's audit ourselves a little bit. Let's see where we're at, right? So as I am embodying ease in my life, um, taking a little break from the podcast just made sense. I've stepped into some new roles of leadership. I'm on the executive team of a restaurant group. I've been doing that since last July. Um, I'm doing a lot of user-generated content and content creation for Quicksilver Scientific. I'm still running my online coaching. I still um, yeah, have programs and coaching that I do for clients mainly one-on-one. I also have the seed planted in my heart that I want to do retreats again. So, for those of you that have gone to retreats that I've hosted or co-hosted in Costa Rica, in Mykonos, um, Italy is really pulling my heart right now. We might even do something locally here in Utah, I'm not sure. But through that ease is where a lot of those next steps have been revealed to me, right? I don't need to be go, go, go. I don't need to be doing all the things. I also have roles and areas of leadership that I'm in that I want to serve with excellence. I say that a lot, right? I want to serve with excellence. And you can't always do all of the things. And I did have an assistant that was supporting me on the podcast for a while, and things just started to, yeah, to change and shift. And so we parted ways. And I just was like, okay, I'm gonna put the mic down for a little bit, right? I still, I'm still leading teams, I'm still using my voice, I'm still coaching clients one-on-one. I'm still communicating with my teams, I'm still connecting with my friends and family, I'm still speaking on the stages uh virtual and in person. But for whatever reason, you know, when time flies, right? I upload an episode every single week on the podcast, and all of a sudden I'm like, oh dang, it's been hella weeks since I last posted. But that's when I reminded myself, I dropped into that word of the year, right? So did you pick a word of the year for this year? If so, what was it? And how are you showing up as it still, right? In that second week of April, right? January, it's been four months since you set that word of the year or whatever it might be, right? And time can just fly by. And so, what was that word? How are you showing up as it? What does that word look like when you're going out into the world? When you're connecting with people, when you're sharing your gifts. What does that word look like when you're just not feeling great? When you're having a bad day, when, yeah, just things aren't feeling that great, right? That doesn't mean just because you've chosen a word of the year that's supposed to amplify uh you and help you serve even more with excellence doesn't mean there's not gonna be hard days and there's not gonna be moments where you doubt yourself, and there's not gonna be moments where um things are just, yeah, challenging and just feel frustrating. But at the end of the day, who are you gonna be? Right? How are you gonna show up? What does that look like? So every year, word of the year, I also um have core values that I that I check regularly that stay pretty much the same, but the word of the year likes to shift. And we can do a whole other episode on core values. Anybody that's worked with me one-on-one or been to any of my uh Voice of Impact seminars or any of my retreats, you know that um yeah, core values is huge, right? And when you think about workouts versus work-ins, which is what I talk a lot about, um, and we'll talk even more about moving forward on the podcast. But when we talk about those workouts versus those work-ins, right, the work-ins are the opportunities to show up as it, to show up in a way that is in alignment with who you say you want to be and your core values and setting those core values, right? And in fitness, in our workouts, our core, right? That trunk of our body is also called our powerhouse and our core, and even like our hips and our glutes, that whole area is really where, like, it's the driving force of all movement, right? For those of you listening that work out, like, think about how much stronger you feel when you have a strong core. Even if you're not doing a core-focused exercise, if your core is engaged and your core is strong, you're gonna be able to lift heavier and you're gonna be able to execute movement with more integrity, right? You're gonna have good quality movement, you're gonna have good body awareness, right? So when I think of workouts and work-ins, right, we have our core values. We also have that core of our body that's so valuable to stay strong. And I'll do a whole episode on core values. I think it's powerful, and we can treat that episode kind of like a workshop, and we'll do that together. And I'll teach you exactly how to create your rules to your game, right? So many people feel like they're missing the bar, and it's either a bar that they never even set, like they're just reaching for somebody else's bar, or it's a bar that they set for themselves. You know those moments when you're like just feeling like all up in it, like a million bucks, and you set your, you know, your goals all the way up here, and I'm gonna do this, and I'm gonna do this, and I'm gonna do this, right? Um, that can that can feel like a lot, and that can be doing the most and doing too much, right? So that dance between the workouts and the work-ins and and finding that balance, it really is a dance. It really is an art and um core values really help that. So we'll do something cool on future episodes. But I just really want to tap in just as a check-in today and just check in with you on your word of the year, how you're showing up. If you forgot about it and you lost it and now you're coming back to it, or maybe you're listening to this and you're like, oh, well, it's April and I didn't, you know, I didn't think of a word of a year before, but I want to now. Do that, right? And and check in with your goals. Who did you say you wanted to show up as? Who, who were you creating and becoming at the beginning of the year? And are you still in alignment and in and in integrity with that? Huge. Um, and just to check in here, and then also, you know, the workouts versus the work-ins. I've been sharing a lot about this on social media. I think anybody listening can just get it. I'm so grateful that uh this information was brought to me. I don't even remember. I think I might have been listening to a podcast or something, but something clicked a while ago and I was like, whoa, it's not about only the workouts, it's also about the work-ins, right? We have the physical exercise that we do to strengthen our physical body that strengthens our physical vessel, right? We can't go out into this world and execute our mission and shine our light and do our thing if our physical body is not in shape. We're gonna be tired, it's gonna be hard for us to walk, we're gonna have, you know, less resilience, less endurance, less ability to have maybe longer days to execute what you need to get done, right? It's also about longevity, right? Like when we're physically taking care of our body and training our body and training our muscles and taking care of our bones and just all of that, we're gonna have a longer, healthier life, right? We're gonna be able to give more of ourselves, but in a way that's purpose-driven, right? Not all over the place, but we're gonna be able to give more, right? Where when we're exercising, we're generally sleeping better, we're making better food choices. Um, our physical health is just, is just so important. But also the work-ins, right? Because I remember a phase in my life where I was working all out there, right? Working out my physical body, trying to work out what was happening out here. And when this person does this, then I'll feel good. And when this is alignment out here, then I'll be enough. It's like, nah, girl, right? The work-ins, we got to go in internally, right? And it's not just like a spa day. It's not, you know, just taking time for self-care, right? It's work-ins are taking the time to set those core values. It's going out in life and living that dance. Or sometimes it feels like a battle where you're going out and you, you know, it's up to you to show up as the way that you say that you're going to, because life be life in and all the things come in, right? Who are you gonna be? Core values, healing trauma, any patterns, right? I talked about a pattern of mine, which is like your work is your worth. You need to be working hard all of the time. If you're relaxing, you're lazy, right? Like that was a strong knot in my subconscious that I had to untie. And sometimes it gets tighter than others, but now because of the work-ins, I can in real time catch myself, right? Like I can never seen the movie Um Willy Wonka in the chocolate factory when Willy Wonka says, strike that, reverse it, right? Those are like real-time moments where you can strike that and reverse it, right? You can choose the new path instead of the old programming. Even having the tough conversation, right? I heard a video on Instagram the other day that was like, it's not just about all the workouts and your biceps and training your legs and your booty and all the things. It's also about making sure that you like send the email or check your email so you're not thinking about it all the time, or you have the conversation with the person so that it doesn't fester, right? And you, you, you show up when it's hard, right? And you have the tough conversations with your family, you lean into what it means to peel back some of those layers. Working in also leads to like change and evolution, right? Numi who dis. We've heard that before, right? But working in is really getting real. And there's gonna be change and there's gonna be shifts. Just like when we work out, we're gonna see change. Our delts might be stronger, our glutes might be a little perkier, our core might be a little bit more lean, right? And you're also gonna see the difference in the work-ins because the way that you show up is different, right? The way that you walk into a room is different when you've healed your trauma or you're working on it, right? You're on that journey. The way that you show up at work is different. The way that you show up in your relationships is different, right? I often say I coach others how to lead better, love better, communicate better, parent better, and live an even better life, right? Whatever better means for you, just turning that volume, turning that light, turning that mission up a little bit more, right? Because I remember a phase in my life, and I've coached a lot of people where they have a lot of things going on beneath the surface. And instead of going beneath the surface, they're just working out all the time, right? I remember I would be like sad or frustrated, I would go for a run. Now I'm not negating um the aid that exercise provides in our emotional and our mental health um metabolism, let's say, right? It really helps us metabolize those emotions, digest, move through a lot of those things. But we really have to get real, right? And so I love um, I love the work-ins, right? Journaling, getting honest with yourself, even just like taking courses and growing and and having um, you know, a personal development, right? This is like a buzzword that we hear a lot, but even like diving into that of like, how can I be better? How can I show up better? How can I lead better? How can I communicate better? How can I get triggered less? How I find myself in these same situations over and over again, and I don't want to be there anymore, but somehow I keep looping in that same situation over and over again. Well, how do we unloop that, right? That's the work-ins, those are the stories, those are the patterns. That's getting really real with how you've been being, right? Um, so both are so, so, so important, right? And I love, I coached on this and spoke on this on my friend Veronica Kelly's. Um, she does this free five-day event uh virtually every year. And it's called Finally Breaking Free. And we talked a lot about the workouts and the work-ins and and all those different types of, you know, examples of different things. And I love when you guys listen to the podcast or when somebody hears me speak and they can digest it and they can take it and they can bring it with them, right? So that's why work-ins and workouts, I mean, that's catchy. You're not gonna forget that, right? Your workouts don't work if you don't work in. That's what I say, right? So I want you to be able to take that, right? And then also when I think about metabolism, right? We have our physical metabolism that we've heard of, right? Oftentimes people say, like, oh, I have a fast metabolism. That's great, right? That's for a whole different conversation. Fast metabolism isn't always what you want. But when you think about like metabolizing your nutrition, right? You're eating something, your body's breaking down, it's utilizing what is useful, taking in those nutrients, putting them where they need to go, and discarding what is no longer useful, right? It's the same thing when we do our work-ins and we're metabolizing those emotions and we're metabolizing those stories. And things start to kind of unwind a little bit and we take what's useful and we let go what is no longer useful. Hey, really quick, I want to interrupt the podcast for just a minute to tell you about one of my favorite supplements for hair, skin, nails, digestive, and gut health. And that is Snap Supplements Super Greens with Collagen. Now, if you're following me on social media, you've probably seen me post about this a bunch because honestly, this product tastes amazing and it's jam-packed with nutrients, like I said, to support healthy hair, skin, and nails. It helps support detoxification, a healthy immune system, and there's even probiotics in there for a healthy gut. It's non-GMO, no sugar added, soy-free, grass-fed collagen. And every scoop is gonna give you seven grams of protein. And this is why I love it, because it's not like a protein shake. It's just a scoop of powder. It tastes amazing. I put it in water, or if I want more hydration, I'll put it in coconut water and mix it up. And it's like having a nice, refreshing beverage that's packed with a bunch of super greens and protein. So, what I'm super excited about is that for listening to the podcast, you'll get this discount here, nowhere else, but for listening to the podcast. You can save 25% off on all your snap supplement purchases, including the super greens with collagen. And you do that by using code London25 at checkout. That's L-U-N-D-E-N 25. L-U-N-D-E-N 25 to get 25% off at checkout. You can shop on snapsupplements.com or you can shop on my website, lifelike london.com forward slash supplements. And you'll see there there's already an additional 10% taken off. But you, because you're a podcast listener, you're gonna get 25% off when you use the code LONDON25 at checkout. L-U-N-D-E-N 25 at checkout to get your SNAP supplements, supergreens, and collagen, and all your snap supplements for 25% off. Now let's get back to the show. You know, we all know what it's like to do a workout or do something physical, and then your muscles are sore the next day, right? It's the same thing with the work-ins. You might something might come up where you're like, oh, I want to navigate this story or this limiting belief. And that leads to uncovering a lot of old wounds and hidden trauma and things that just start popping up. And you will notice an emotional soreness too. It'll feel tender, right? We can't just untie all the knots and change all the old stories and heal all the old trauma overnight, right? So when you guys listen to the podcast, when you hear me teach and hear me coach, I don't want you just to listen to the information and be like, oh yeah, that's great. That's grand. I want you to be able to take it. I want you to be able to teach it to yourself and to others, right? Workouts, work-ins, emotional metabolism versus our physical metabolism, right? A physical soreness and emotional soreness. Right. These are all things that on your journey of working out and working in, you're definitely going to experience. And um the power of both is so necessary. It's so beautiful. And it's a space that that transformation lives in. You know, when people say like, oh, I'm so sick of this part of my life or this situation. Like this is where you get to then create it. This is where you get to become it. This is where you get to physically show up as it and emotionally metabolize what you need to teach that story and become it even more. Right. And I'm just really grateful for this platform. I'm really grateful for this break. I'm really grateful that I had a little bit of some wiggle room. And I know that there's been a lot of new listeners that have come on because I get this weekly report every single week that tells me how many downloads, where people are coming from. So I know there's still so many of you guys showing up and listening. And we've done so many episodes. So it's so exciting. But we're back, right? We're back. And I think a takeaway here is just gonna be what is what was your word of the year? If not, what's a word that really describes the essence of who you want to be? When you hear that word, it just you feel that congruence. You just feel that brain, heart, gut connection that just says yes, that's it. Right. And check in with it. Where are you at? How are you doing with that? It's not too late, right? It is April. But we still have more years left in 2026 than has passed. So there's plenty of time for you to show up and just kind of shake things off and revise that. And I want to hear about it. You guys can write me on Instagram at Lifelike London, L-I-F-E-L-I-K-E-L-U-N-D-E-N. And let's chat about it on Instagram. Send me a DM. I want to hear about what your word of the year is, where you're at with it, how it's shown up for you in this year so far, how you've shown up as it in a way that feels like change, in a way that feels like difference, in a way that feels like becoming more of your future self and who you know you're meant to be. Let's talk all about it. I want to hear from you. Thank you guys for listening. We'll see you at the next episode. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Self-Love and Sweat the Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode or were inspired by it or something resonated with you, do me a favor and share this episode with a friend, someone that you think might enjoy this episode as well. That's the ultimate compliment and the best way to make this podcast ripple out into the world of others. And also, you can leave us a review up to five stars wherever you're listening to the podcast. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll see you at the next episode. I appreciate you.