Be Where You Are Today

You blow my mind. I don't know if you know yet. Hey, everybody, I'm Amy, and welcome to the be where you are today podcast. This is our very first episode, so we wanted to take time today to introduce the podcast, but also to reintroduce our story. Hi, Kurt.

I am. I am Kurt. I'm also Mr. Amy.

Yeah. The man behind the.

Amy behind the scenes. I'm not usually in front of the camera. Unless you're hurt.

Right.

And then. And then I have to pinch hit a little bit.

We are talking today to tell a little bit about our story and kick things off.

Yeah. But before that.

Yeah.

Why don't we just try a couple of light questions?

Okay.

Who we are.

I love light questions.

Okay. So where did you grow up?

I grew up in the mountains of Virginia, a small town called Marion. So the southwestern part of Virginia. Appalachian mountains. Do not say Appalachian or Appalachia because that is incorrect.

I have learned that.

Very small town. Loved it. Beautiful, beautiful area. And I love visiting, but I also very much love living in California, in Los Angeles, and living in cities now.

And I've lived in Los angeles for about 25 years, but before that, I did most of my growing up in West Michigan. That was a great. A great. A great spot to. To grow up.

Yeah.

Did you have a dream job as a kid?

I had several. I always wanted to be an actress, which I did a little bit. And I also went through a stint of wanting to be the first female president of the United States. Obviously, that did not happen. There's still time, but I don't think I want that job anymore. Time's running now, and I went through a sense of wanting to be various professional athletes, too.

Yeah, I can relate to that. I definitely had those athlete dreams. The other one was a pilot. A commercial pilot. Oh, yeah.

I'm glad you don't have that job. Yeah.

I like it better on the ground. Yeah. How about a go to karaoke song?

Oh, I have so many. But I.

Let's try to keep it down to a couple.

As you know, for a long time, it was Britney Spears. Oops. I did it again because I could really get into her voice. I think I did it like that. Right. But it got a little hard on my voice, especially because I'm constantly making fitness videos and using my voice all day, every day and, you know, yelling at children. So now I don't know what I would say it is. I also love. I want to dance with somebody. Whitney Houston.

Well, I only have one because I don't really enjoy karaoke that much, so nothing's going to stop us now. Our duet, and because it's a duet. So we. It's the only one we do together.

Yes.

And it's the only time I do karaoke. What do you enjoy most about your job?

Oh, well, for sure, getting to work from home, getting to work with you, but also just getting to exercise, because I know I'm going to call this out right now, that it is so hard to find time and in our busy lives. So I'm very lucky that it's part of my job, but also it really keeps me in check. And because exercise is so important for my mental health and just my energy levels, all that. So having that be a part of my job is. I feel very lucky.

Yeah, I love all those things. I also love the variety that we have. I mean, no two weeks are exactly the same. There are a lot of similar things that we do. Obviously, making a lot of videos, but that's huge. And also the flexibility on the schedule and being able to really be available for the kids when they need them is. Is a great thing as well, so. And working with you and working with me. Yes. You're fantastic. This one should be easy. If your company had a mascot, what would it be and why?

I think it would have to be Bingo right here. Because he likes to.

He loves naps.

He loves naps. He loves to be a part of everything. He. I think you'll probably see him in a lot of podcasts.

And I should mention, like, Vivian has a dog, Oliver, too. So there's like a bunch of dogs in the greater body fit community.

Yes.

That just have probably just become the mascot.

Yes.

If you will. If you could only eat one thing, what would it be?

Cheese.

Cheese. Good cheese.

Easy, easy.

One word answer for me. It's not exciting. It's just. I have it multiple times every day. I think black beans. I just like black beans.

I mean, you have it, like, multiple times a day, but that's. Is that really your thing? Like, you're stranded on an island, you can only eat one thing? You would pick beans?

I think I would. I. I don't know. It's. I know it's boring, but it's just a go to for me.

It is a go to for you.

Very simple. I don't have to think about it. It's like my. It's like Popeye's spinach, you know, just very simple.

Superfood.

And this. The last question is the one that we get asked a lot do you ever get sick of working with each other?

Never.

Never? Never at all. Awesome. So be where you are today.

Yep.

So this is a term that you've used, I think, as long as. I mean, we've been recording video since 2014 in several different spaces. And that's a phrase that you've used over and over, kind of as far as you can remember. What does it mean to you? How did it originate?

Yeah, I don't really remember a certain time that it originated. I just know I started using it in videos as a way to remind people that everybody is different. We're all on our own journeys. I mean, the things I say often, like, you know, don't compare yourself to anybody else. You have modifications, you have options. This workout is for everybody. I think all of those things are kind of be where you are today is all encompassing of that. And I think it also stems out of, like, my background. I mean, I grew up playing sports and really competitive, intense environments. I love that. But that doesn't work for everybody, and it doesn't work for every day. And I think also my early years in fitness, in my early 20s, even when I was 18, 19, I started teaching fitness classes, just realizing that when we want consistency, which is really what we want, you have to meet people where they're at, and you have to give them that space. And I found with training clients when I first started as a young trainer, that I would have clients have a bad day and try to cancel, and they'd say, oh, I just had a really tough day at work. I'm just really frustrated. And I would say, all right, well, let's. Let's mix it up. Just come on in, come on into the gym. We'll figure it out. And we would. I'd put on the boxing mitts and give them the boxing gloves, and they could just punch it out. Or, you know, we would find, you know, somebody's like, I'm just really stressed and I'm really sad about things. And we would find some gentle movement that would feel good for them, and that encouraged them to know that they could come in to the space, they could still find a way to move that was good for them. And what I found with that is people showed up, and they showed up on their days when they didn't have an appointment because they knew that their workout didn't. They had this expectation that a workout had to look like this every single time. And that's just not true. I mean, we talk about variety in workouts and how we need Those different days. But we also have to know how to adapt. And sometimes that's adapting to something physical, like, you know, an illness or a past injury. And sometimes that's just adapting to your, you know, mental and emotional well being at the time. So I think it kind of stemmed out of all my years of training clients and as a young trainer, learning when you give people permission to not have to be perfect, to just show up and move their bodies. And granted, as I always say, like, if you have very specific goals or certain ways that you're working or reasons that we're working towards something, yeah, we'll have a lot of specifics around that. But you get people to return, whether that was coming back to one of my classes, whether that's coming back to one of my videos, coming back as a training client when they have permission to be who they are and where they are. And you know, as I always say in the videos, where you are in your journey, but also where you are today. So I don't remember an exact time when I coined the phrase. I'm sure I'm not the first to say it, but it just felt like a good way to put all of those things in one phrase.

Is there a time that you can think about how you have incorporated that into your own fitness journey?

Oh, absolutely. I mean, well, I would say certainly pregnancy and postpartum because things were very different. Even between two pregnancies. You know, with, with my first with Kai, I felt, you know, I was sick, but I felt in workouts. I felt generally good with Maya. With my second pregnancy, I had a lot more aches and pains and a lot of other that, you know, my workouts were totally different in those phases and same thing in the postpartum periods. And then I think just like busy times in my life and it's amazing how often, and I love this because I need this. The community has come back and quoted me to me when I'm, you know, struggling with something or I'm like, I'm just having a tough day or it's been a tough parenting day and people just say, be where you are today, Amy. So. So I love that. Thank you for that. For all of you that quote it back to me and tell me how you use it in your own lives.

I mean, it really has taken off in the community. People wear T shirts with that on. I think just a few months ago, somebody sent you a package with stickers in a bag that all had that slogan on there. So how has be where you are today? Evolved in the last 10 years of body fit by EMI.

Well, I think when we started, we started making videos in 2014, we made a lot of very general fitness based videos, strength, cardio, things like that, and provided modifications, said be where you are today. And then we started making things for specific populations, obviously prenatal and postnatal because that's where I was in my life in those years 2015 through 2018 or so. But then, you know, most recently in the Body Fit Athletic Club, we have a menopause focus group. We've been talking about different phases of life and I think realizing that things are gonna change, obviously we know we go through body changes and that's normal, but we also can change our fitness and our approach to things and we should. And that's one of the things I also love about the Bodyfit Athletic Club is especially with Vivian and there, our registered dietitian, to really break down the science. So it's not just about you're at this stage or this age, this is what you should be doing. It's, here's why. These are the recommendations. So I think that, and also I would say what has evolved is be where you are today doesn't always mean the workout. You know, I think I originally would have said it means come to the workout, show up, keep moving. Because that's, you know, the other phrase that you hear me say all the time, just show up, keep moving. That sometimes be where you are today means turning off the alarm and getting the extra sleep in the morning. That is more benef. I just said this to an elite client yesterday that at this phase in your life is more important that sleep quality and sleep is more important than making sure you get your workout first thing. We'll figure it out. Sometimes that means going out with friends. Sometimes it means, you know, other forms of self care that it doesn't always have to mean be where you are today but still get your workout in. That's the preference. Right. Because we feel better when we move, but we also that's not always exactly what we need. So I think that has evolved of it doesn't mean skipping all your workouts, but it doesn't mean you always have to be there. It means it can again look different day to day and you know that you have a place to come back to.

Yeah, I love that about your community and our community. Our community, yes. Just how sometimes be where you are today feels like meeting people where they are like, like there's a lot of really heavy stuff that can come through.

Yeah.

Then there's also sometimes where people need to step it up and they need.

The encouragement to do that.

Maybe it's time to put down the 10 pound weight and pick up the 15.

Yeah.

What are some other ways that you feel like you meet people where they are when they need to actually take the. Take a step maybe that they've been afraid to take?

Yeah, I think. Well, one, trying to, you know, model that myself, I've been trying to lift a little heavier in workouts, but also, you know, taking a look at your daily lives. Like it is classic that I get women, you know, or moms who say, well, I'm just not that strong. And then we look at, you know, you're carrying the toddler and the baby and the diaper bag and the cooler and your huge water bottle and your coffee and all those things at once. You're absolutely strong. So reminding people that a lot of time that strength and that power is already there. It's already in you. And we're going to train for it. And also you have to do all those things on a daily basis, whether it's kids or your job or something else. Life is physical and we want to train for it. So a lot of times it's just kind of pointing out the function, the reality of life and the reality of we've been doing this for a while, maybe let's just try it. What's the worst that could happen? It's too heavy. We put it back down and you know, we've had various things within the athletic club where we've had, you know, little mini challenges or things to get people to, to try new things. And sometimes people really surprise themselves, probably more often than not. And I also think it's just, you know, a lot of times people get scared. Maybe they have a certain goal and they're like, oh, it's just going to take so long and it might, but the time's gonna pass. Right. So I think my approach is much more on the, let's lift people up. Let's, you know, show them that their power is already there and encouragement versus, you know, there are. There is a type of training that is maybe more around, you know, the drill sergeant, the shame factor, things like that, that I'm just. You're not going to get me on board with that. That's not. It might be effective in the short term, not effective in the long term.

And that's really what it feels like. Your Body Fit by Amy philosophy is about finding ways to make fitness fun and Finding ways to make it be sustainable.

Yeah, right. Yeah. And that's. I mean, if I, you know, were to tell somebody, you have to do it exactly this way to see results, or you have to do it exactly this time frame, this amount of weight, but it's not sustainable and you don't want to come back, you know, or you. You can do it for six weeks, but then you're done, you're burnout. I'm not interested in that. I'm interested in keeping you moving for the long term. And this sometimes is a bit of a point of contention. You know, people will say, well, you know, other trainers will do a lot of repetition or all the same workouts, or aren't we supposed to be having that repetition? Well, yes, and we have some programs geared towards that, and we have a monthly calendar where every day is going to be different because you are going to want to show up when you know every day is going to be different and you'll still get the repetition. I mean, most people would say there's a lunge in almost every single workout. Right.

You'll still probably a kettlebell swing and.

Probably a swing and maybe a bonus move, but you'll still get repetition. Your body will still get progressive overload. But at the end of the day, the consistent consistency piece to me is the most important, and often for many people, based on what I know, what I know for myself, what I know as a trainer, and what the feedback I get from all of you is, that one way to get consistency is to have options and have variety and make it fun. It's, again, if you have very specific goals, if you're my private client, I may tell you we have to get specific in this way or this way, but we want you to come back. And if it's not sustainable, it's not enjoyable, if it's adding more stress to your life rather than relieving stress, then we need to rethink your programming.

That's great. So just two more questions before we get to our next segment.

Sure.

The first one is, with that whole background, what's your hope for the Be where youe Are Today podcast?

Ooh. Well, I hope that we can have a lot of fun guests where we can all learn. I love learning. I love learning from other professionals, especially, you know, other fitness professionals, but people in nutrition and in fields, you know, that I know nothing about in the health space or beyond. So I hope we can have lots of good conversations and learn a lot, and also that it's, again, a place where People want to come listen because they know they're going to get some reassurance that we're all different and that they can be where they are today, whether that is talking fitness or nutrition or anything else that could be happening in their life.

What are some of your things that you're excited about for the Body Fit by Amy community at large?

I think there's a lot of people that have yet to discover us. And, you know, so many of you say that my videos have been a game changer for you and that you tell all your friends about it. And I hope that continues. I hope more people, I say this at the end of a lot of videos, let's, you know, share the Body Fit of love so more people can get moving and moving in a way that works for them versus, you know, feeling like, oh, I have to go to this, you know, gym class, that or class at a gym that is really intimidating for me, or I have to do this specific program or I have to do this, that they can find a place with us, that they can find a home with the Bodyfit by Amy community. So I hope to continue to grow both the YouTube channel and the BodyFit Athletic Club. And because the BodyFit Athletic Club is where we get a lot more personal, where I get to know people, which has been so super fun, I think, for both of us and for Vivian, because a lot of them have been doing workouts for years, and now we get to learn more about their lives and connect with them. Many of them have been able to come to our live events. We have office hours where we have zoom calls, things like that. So I'm excited to get to know more of the community on a more personal level in the bac, but also just continue to grow the broader community. I think most people know, but it is super important to both of us that we continue to make fitness accessible to everybody. That is the main goal. And part of that will always be the YouTube channel. So there. There's multiple ways to be part of the community, but that one will always be there, and we want to continue to grow that.

Yeah, I've loved this year. I feel like. I feel like we've gone to a little different level this year with the focus groups in the athletic club for those who haven't been part of that, we had the weight loss for the first two months of the year. We had the core restore, and we've also had the unpause menopause group more recently. And then there's a strength training One. And I think the strength training one is one that I'm excited to see. Kind of where our group goes in that one. Just because that's kind of been a common denominator in all the other groups.

Yeah.

Is like we need to do more strength training.

Yeah. And when we look at newer research and just overall health and you know, risk prevention, you know, lowering your risk for disease and illness and injuries and long term brain health and all the longevity things that are really having a moment, I think out there, especially, especially on social media. One thing is common amongst all of that and that is strength training exercise in general. But strength training by far has so many benefits beyond just being able to lift heavy things and have muscle definition.

So we'll be right back and when we do come back, we're going to talk with each other about where we are today.

Great.

In our fitness journey. So the second part of this podcast often is where we spend some time with the guest and we learn about where they are in their fitness journey. Usually when they're in studio. We filmed a few of the later episodes already. We push the couch back and Amy will do a little session with the guest and we'll talk through something and just to give a practical example of where somebody is and what they're going through so we can learn from where they are today. So we're not going to push the couch back. Although we could link a partner workout in the description below that we've done together or something like that. But we will talk a little bit about some of the things that each of us are dealing with in our own fitness journey. And I'll go first. So I do, I do a lot of editing, I do a lot of desk work in this job. It's not all fitness. And so I do need to get a lot of mobility and I do a fair amount of strength training. But mobility has always been a little bit of the struggle for me. And so trying to build that in to my workouts has been an important thing for me to try to adjust to this year. And I'm still trying to do that. Thankfully you've given me some tips.

I have, yes.

I have a built in trainer here.

Yes.

Try to use the long band sometimes to really stretch out and the foam roller.

And also we, those of you who follow my monthly calendar know that we, we build that into the schedule so you have your strength, you have your cardio based and then we make that day four, always an active recovery. And it'll look a little different. Sometimes it's yoga or Pilates based. Sometimes it's mobility. So building that into the schedule and I think that's like the tip I have for everybody is having that day that you're still active but it looks different. You're not lifting heavy, you're not going hard and then also working it into your daily life. So I've given you things to do that you can do at the desk with the band or just getting little stretch breaks in between. And then on the YouTube channel, we did a great 10 minute mobility series with. We partnered with SimpleAF Sports CBD with our friend Ryan. And there's tons of options. You know, some are 10 minute with just your hip mobility or your shoulder or full body or from a chair. So tons of ways to build short little, you know, mobility breaks. Um, and then the other thing I do is I. We often build them into circuits in a workout. So yeah, I call it sneaky mobility. So you're going to get it in but it's not necessarily going to feel like, oh, now I have to do a yoga workout or things that I know that not everybody is into.

So yeah, two things I'll say that's been hugely helpful to be able to have just like a set of mobility within the strength workout.

Yeah.

You know, because it feels like. And it also feels like it's the right place for it because I just did a heavy bench press and now I'm going to like do something that helps helps that those muscles. The other thing is I've been really happy with how the CBD product has helped my workouts too. Like putting that on. I've had some elbows, muscle strain and then some shoulder stuff and be able to put that on before workouts and after workouts. Actually I haven't really missed a beat in the strength training.

Yeah.

Largely because how helpful that simply CBD products were.

So yeah, they've been really helpful for me too. Pre and post. Where are you, where am I today? Well, I mean the thing is I, you know, for so long we've had a very consistent schedule of filming several workouts a week. We'll have other projects here or there where, you know, I know I'm gonna be getting X amount of workouts every week no matter what. But what I have noticed that I think many women experience and are experiencing is that as I have gotten into my 40s, I'm 43 now, things are different. I think I am experiencing some of the perimenopause symptoms. This is exactly what we've been talking about over in the Body Fit athletic club, in our unpause focus group of how those symptoms can start up to 10 years before menopause. And one of the big things I've noticed is nothing truly significant. I'm still able to work out. Things feel a little different, but it has been harder for me to put on muscle, to maintain lean muscle. Things just look and feel a little bit different. And that's sort of the common thread that I hear from a lot of women of things that I've been doing for years are all of a sudden not working. And for some people that they feel like that, you know, results in weight gain or, you know, fat accumulating around the middle, things like that. But for a lot of us, it's just feeling different in our workouts and feeling like it's harder to put on muscle and maintain muscle. So within that, I'm taking my own advice that we're talking about. Over in the unpause group, I'm trying to go a little heavier. I'm really focusing on quality over quantity. You know, I think for so many years in my 20s and 30s, I was teaching classes and then making videos and doing things. And I had a lot of workouts in the week, but I was tired. So now it's much more. I'm prioritizing recovery, again, like we talked about with mobility, but also, you know, having full days off and which often are on the weekends because we're busy with things. But that has been really helpful having deload weeks or workouts where I intentionally go lighter. And then on those other workouts, having shorter workouts, but really going for it on heavy lifting, hit intervals, high intensity intervals, but also sit sprint interval training, putting that, but not for 45, 60 minutes in those like 20 to 25 minute ranges. So those are some things that I'm focusing on. And it has paired up nicely with our unpause focus group. But. But it's something that I think a lot of women, we start to see those changes or feel those changes, and we automatically go to, oh, I need to do more, I need to eat less. And it's actually the opposite. Less is more when it comes to your workouts. We just want quality and more is less. Usually when it comes to nutrition, we want protein. But again, all things we're talking over in the bodyfit Athletic Club about, yeah.

Your schedule can be so tough and film often up to 12 workouts in a week.

Yeah.

So to be able to find space where you can really go heavy and then have a real recovery day or days is hard to do that. So hopefully we can build that into the schedule going forward, especially in the next couple months as we really dive into strength and strength training. Maybe your own schedule can emulate that a little bit.

Let's hope so.

Yeah.

Well, thank you, Kurt, for coming on the podcast today as my first, first guest, I should say.

I feel like I was the interviewer in this one.

You kind of.

You're the first guest.

Yes, I guess I'm the first guest. Thank you, Kurt, for coming on the podcast today and actually interviewing me. Me in the hot seat. So thank you so much for joining us today. Get excited about our future podcast. And again, I'm Amy, this is Kurt. And we are always encouraging you to continue to show up, keep moving, and be where you are today.

Sam.