Navigating Unexpected Health Challenges in Midlife

If you are struggling to make peace, make friends with your own body right now, and you're a woman over 40, I don't care how high you want to climb on that ladder. This is your episode. And I truly mean that. And I would say to those of us, maybe you're not struggling, you think you're at peace, at least most of the time. This is still for you. It will be an inspiring reminder. And I think no matter where we are right now, you will be glad that you listened to this one. If you are navigating unexpected health challenges in midlife, so was today's guest. She did it and learned how to pivot her training, her goals, and her identity without giving up strength, confidence, or her purpose. This is a real conversation about listening to your body, redefining success, and continuing to thrive when the old rules no longer apply. My guest is Tamis Smith. That name may ring a bell because she has been a guest with a larger group and cohort not once, but I believe twice. We've had a group of IFFB bikini pros and other fitness competitors come on the show and they were all over 60 and they are redefining what strength looks like. And Tame is back because of a post I stumbled across on Instagram. They're redefining what strength looks like in midlife. And after she faced an unexpected health challenge, Tamara was forced to step back, listen to her body, and rebuild her approach to training and recovery. Today, she helps women over 50 navigate changing hormones, shifting goals, and the emotional side of fitness, proving that thriving doesn't mean pushing harder, but pivoting with wisdom. And we unpack it all, her personal story, as well as diving into some of the nitty-gritty of what did a training workout week look like for her as an IFFB pro. That means stand on stage in a teeny tiny bikini, sparkly, spray-painted potentially to your body, and parade around in heels. As she says, they were a very unique kind of heels. I think stripper heels might have been the word she used, but She's going to describe what it looked like then and what it looks like now. And we talk a little bit about diet and how diet is different now. And if you have the opportunity to see a clip or to see the full video on YouTube— hint, hint, we may share it there if you ask us very nicely— you will see that she literally is lit up. There is no faking health. There's no faking good health. I know you can put something, drops in your eyes to make the eyes a little bit whiter, but there's really no faking when it comes to what's going on with your eyes and your face. It speaks volumes about what is your true health. I think you're going to love this episode. I cannot wait to dive in and unpack it, and I can't wait to hear from you afterwards. So be sure that you're finding us. I'm in the Instagram DMs all by myself. So if you let me know you heard it, I'll hear from you. Teyma, thank you so much for joining me.

Thank you for having me. I'm very excited to be here with you.

And you really have a great story. And so I will share with everybody why you're here. Number one, this and you as a part of a group females doing something very similar and yet not normal necessarily, very atypical for women entering their 60s and 70s, I think as well. You've been favorites. So in terms of podcast listens and downloads, and also this was one that we put on YouTube and they were like, this has been so motivating and so inspiring. I still have those coming in every day. So you are one of those. So of course, wanting you to come back for that reason. But you also recently shared something on Instagram that really caught my eye, and I feel like it, it is something that so many women need to hear about. And you've pivoted recently. So share a little bit about, you know, having spent years training at a pretty high level and, you know, what was the hardest part and what actually happened to you? What, transpired?

Okay, so I think I'll start with what happened. So like we said, I've trained for years, like 7 years, 5 to 6 days a week, super hard, like lifting heavy weights, doing lots of reps, doing all the things, 2 to 3 hours a day, eating healthy, just really working on this aesthetic, this perfect body and, and health and fitness. And I have, have always had great health. And last year we were on a trip to Disneyland, and I have a very bad allergic reaction, anaphylactic reaction to shellfish. And we had sat down to eat. I was eating a salad at a restaurant in Disneyland, and I took a bite, and right away I knew that I was in trouble, that there had been some type of cross-contamination. It was just a salad, but you never know, um, how it happened. But anyhow, I knew right away that I was in trouble. So I put down the fork and I said, I'm, I'm in trouble. And the craziest thing is I carry an EpiPen with me, but the EpiPen that I had was the tester. I know, can you believe that I did something so stupid? So anyhow, I, I, we, my husband took me to the Disneyland facility. Uh, the, um, they have like a nurse's station there. They're very, very nice. And I said, I, you know, I need some Benadryl or something. And they said, well, come on back here and, and we got to take your blood pressure. So the guy took my blood pressure and, um, he looked at me and he took my blood pressure again and he looked at me and he took my blood pressure again and he looked at me and he said, do you have blood pressure issues? I said, no, I'm completely healthy. I don't have any issues. And he said, well, your blood pressure is 220 over 120. And he said that, that is, that's very, very, it's very dangerous, very high. And so my husband who was with me said, she's, she's healthy. There's a mistake. Your machine is broken. And so they went and got another doctor that was there and he came in and the doctor looked at me and he said, You don't look sick. You— there's— you don't look— I said, I know, I'm totally happy. I don't know what's wrong except for I've got this, this allergic reaction going on. And so he hooked me up to his machine, and sure enough, it was 220 over 120. And, uh, they called it— I know, they called an ambulance and they, uh, took me to the hospital and they got my blood pressure down and They said normally in anaphylactic reactions, the blood pressure bottoms out. And the danger, besides, you know, all the swelling and stuff in your throat, the danger is things just stop working. But for some reason, mine went the other way. But they got my blood pressure down. The next day I went to Disneyland, finished out the day. 7 days later, I am on a work trip. I'm a flight attendant. My daughter's a flight attendant with me, and we were working the trip together and woke up and I was feeling strange again. So I called my doctor and I said, I don't feel right. Something's wrong. And so she had asked me to travel with a blood pressure cuff. And so I did. And guess what? My blood pressure was again, it was crazy. So they, they wanted me to take an ambulance and I'm like, I'm not going by ambulance again. So anyhow, my daughter got me to the hospital and they got my blood pressure to go down and they got me back home that night. And then I had to start going through all the tests to determine what had happened. 7 days later, my blood pressure spiked again. And in the meantime, I can't fly. 5 days later, my blood pressure spiked again. So we don't know what it is, but I can't work out. I'm super dizzy. I can't walk without getting out of breath. So they said, well, we need to do lots of tests for you. We need to determine if you've got a tumor here or there, whatever. But anyhow, so they started doing these tests and making appointments for to go see specialists and Long story short, I have this uncontrollable blood pressure that I've never had a problem with before, and we don't know why. All the tests came back, nothing's wrong. My heart is healthy. Um, I have AFib for some reason now too that I never had before. But the nearest they can figure out is that with this anaphylactic reaction, it caused a sending, uh, problem between my brain and my heart and— or my body. And I'm getting these adrenaline dumps that they don't know why. And it just keeps happening. So I couldn't work. I couldn't work out. I couldn't do anything for months. Well, we went through all these testings to make sure that I wasn't going to have a heart attack or a stroke or something like that. And then finally they're like, you have to go on medication. Well, I've never been on medication, and I did not want to go on medication, but it was that or die. So, so I went on medication, and, um, eventually, as things stabilized, they let me start working out. Baby steps, baby steps. Um, I couldn't even walk around the block. Um, I couldn't go down the stairs, but they let me start working out just a little bit as things stabilized. So Now I'm at a point that I'm feeling really good. I do have to take medication. We still don't know why my blood pressure went crazy and now I have blood pressure issues. It's just something, you know, that I get to deal with. But I'm getting my life back and I'm working out now. Not as hard as I was, but I am getting there. And I started this new kind of training that's pretty exciting to me. And so that's what happened. Wow.

Wow. I mean, that is something blindsided, right? It comes to mind. It's like, where did that come from? Can we just reel that back in, please? Like, rewind. Interesting. So speak into— so are you lifting again at all, or you've totally pivoted?

No, I do lift. I think that lifting is really very important for us, especially as we age. Absolutely. Absolutely. I don't ever see myself giving that up. But before, I used to go 5 or 6 days hard, heavy, and I've changed how I do it now. 3 days a week I lift weights. So one day is a lower body day, one day is a back day, and the third day I do total body. So I'll do a little bit of everything. And then 3 days a week I climb. And that's— it all is varied to how I'm feeling. You know, if, if I'm not feeling like super good that day, if I feel like my blood pressure is a little bit off, then maybe I'm lifting a little bit lighter. Um, maybe I'm climbing easier routes, but every day it gets better.

Okay, so tell me about climbing. So you just kind of dropped that one out there. So where did this come from? Was this something that you already were interested in, had a passion for, or experience, or you just somehow stumbled across, well, I could do this instead?

Well, you know, it's something that's been in the back of my mind. I've not— I climbed a couple of times before, but I think when we have, I don't know, like these life-or-death things that happen, you know, it kind of makes you reevaluate things. And I love competing. I, I love competing so much, but I wasn't so, so sure that, that at least for me right now, that, that lifestyle of that extreme eating and that heavy-duty lifting was the best thing for my health at that point. But I still wanted to compete, and I still wanted to be physical. And I thought, what else could I do? What, what could I do that would still be fun and still give me motivation and give me something to work for? And I thought, I know, I think I'll try rock climbing. And, um, not that I did it a lot before, but Well, you know, when I started bodybuilding, I didn't know anything about bodybuilding either. And I just went in and did— when I started running, running was the— I know you were a runner too. And when I started—

I call myself a recovering runner. Yeah.

Well, I think I'm a recovering runner too, because, you know, you get so used to those runner highs. But when I first started running, I didn't know it was going to be hard. It was same thing with bodybuilding. And I think with climbing too, I didn't know it was going to be hard. But I knew I always wanted to try it. And I thought for this season of my life, with really needing to focus more on my nutrition and my health, that this was the perfect time to try it. And so I thought, let's go for it. So, um, I registered for the Huntsman World Senior Games. Oh yes, yeah, it's like the Senior Olympics, you know what I mean?

I have been there. There's nothing like it. Yeah.

Did you, did you compete?

I didn't want— I did an interview with the directors and they actually had interviewed me as well, kind of to stimulate interest among my audience. And then I said, hey, could I just come and like be media and just walk around and interview people? Because that would be like so much fun. So they're like, yeah, just come on in. We'll give you a media pass. So So that's what I did. And I just walked around and pretended to, you know, interview people. And it was so much fun.

Isn't it amazing? All the athletes and some of the things they've done and, you know, have went through. Well, you know, they do all the sports that the Olympics do.

Yeah.

And so Olympics just recently added climbing into it. So, ooh, yeah, it was perfect. And I am loving climbing. It is so much fun.

And like another test of power and strength.

It totally is in a completely different way. Like, I already had a good base of strength, so I thought to myself, this is a perfect fit, right? I'm not going to have to wait years to develop that. And it had only really been like 6 months of not really lifting weights very much. So I didn't lose that much in that time. And I was able to— I feel like I've been able to recover pretty quickly what I lost. So It's been, it's been so much fun.

Okay. So I have so many questions, so I'm going to hold my fingers up so I don't forget them. So number one, I want to ask you this. So this is really easy and yet really hard. So inquiring minds want to know. So when you, when you start rock climbing, do you have to give up your nails?

Okay. That was hard for me.

I know, right?

That was so— and you know who it was even harder on? My husband.

Really?

He loves having me, you know, me having nails. Yeah. And so I'm like, I got to give up. I mean, I can paint them, but they have to be short. Yeah.

Okay. So I needed to ask that one. All right. Now go back a little bit for some listener who has not been with us for a long time and they didn't hear you at first. Tell your origin story about getting started in fitness and in lifting. And competing. And when that happened for you, like, what decade, what age were you? Because I think every listener needs to hear starting things can happen anytime.

Okay. So I am— I think it's important to note that I'm a mother. I have 5 children, which is a lot, and now 7 grandchildren. So when I was a younger woman, my time was totally taken up with raising 5 children. It's a lot of work.

Yeah.

So I I didn't really have time to work out or do anything like that. And I wasn't really an athlete or anything in school, not that I didn't want to be, but I had— I started work at 14 and we just didn't have any money. So there, there was no time or money to, to be an athlete. So I've always been interested in it. And then, and then of course, I devoted myself to my family and my job. And when I stayed home when my kids were little, then when my youngest was 12, I went to work. So anyhow, at At 47, I thought, I want to get in shape because, you know, your body starts to change after a certain age. And I didn't like the changes that were going on. So I thought, I'm going to get in the best shape of my life. And so I thought, the only thing I could think of, because, you know, in our generation, I know I'm a little bit older than you, but in our generation, it was like running or cardio. Like, that's what you did. I didn't know anything about weightlifting. So I thought I was going to sign up for a race. Because I was so naive or I don't know what, I signed up for an extreme race.

I first, first thing out of the first thing.

Yeah. Well, another woman talked me into it. It was— she was a young woman. I don't know what she was.

She's still, still a friend or not so much.

She is still a friend, but she's like, hey, we're going to do this race and it's a, it's a 12-person race. And it's a 260-mile race and we break it up and you run through the night. You've probably heard of it. Yeah. And, um, your portion, you know, would only be 12.5 miles. Well, I didn't realize that it's, you know, up over mountains and, you know, you're on the freeway running or whatever, and, and that I should have been training at elevation, but I didn't. So anyhow, so I just jumped right into running and I'm like, oh well, let's see, how many months do I have to train? It's just like, oh, you've got 3 months. I'm 3 months, sure, should be able to do it because I didn't know any better. So, um, anyhow, so I started training and I did do that race and it was so much fun. And I can still remember the last mile, I was negotiating with God and I said, um, because I hurt about that time, and I'm like, God, if you just help me get through this race, then I promise you I'll never do anything again without proper preparation. I'm, I'm gonna definitely train. Just help me get through this because You and I both know that I'm just going to drop dead. I mean, I'm going to keep going until I— because I'm stubborn. So anyhow, he helped me get through the race, and he knew that I wasn't going to keep good on my progress or my promise to not ever do anything again. Because anyhow, so I fell in love with running and started running. And one day I was out for a run with my daughter's dog and it was raining and the asphalt was slippery and I had my headphones in, was jamming out, feeling pretty good. And the dog heard a cat and I didn't hear it, and the dog went one way. And so anyhow, I hurt my knee. And like every other runner does, instead of calling for help, you run home, right? That's what you do. So I ran 3 miles home on an injured leg, and by the time I got home, it was, it was so damaged and so hurt. So I had knee surgery, and the doctor said he could fix it. But when we were through, he said, you know, the damage was worse than I thought, and you're never going to run again. And I said, watch me, I'm going to run again because that's what we do, right? We're runners. And so I started researching on how to rehab knees. And one of the things that they suggested was lifting weights because it strengthens all the, you know, muscles and stuff around it. So I started lifting weights and I really fell in love with it. And I liked it so much. And my my body started changing, but I still wasn't like losing the weight like I thought I should. Because, you know, when— by then, I— let's see, how old was I? Like, uh, well, how old was I? 50, 53, I think, right around, right around there. And, um, you— I had gone through menopause, I had to have a hysterectomy, and I had gained like 30 pounds in one year after the hysterectomy. And it's just what happens, right? And so I wasn't real happy with, with that, but I was still working out and feeling really good. And I had started running again. My son said to me, he said, Mom, why are you still training like a girl? And I said, I don't know what you're talking about because I don't know any other way to train. And he said, he said, well, you're not, you know, you're not lifting heavy enough and blah, blah, blah. So anyhow, I said, well, tell me what to do and I'll do it. And so he wrote me out a training split. And it was the start of my training journals. And I went to the gym and I did it. And my body started to just drop the weight and change in ways that I never thought I could look at that age. I thought that was amazing. Yeah, it was over. So I fell in love with bodybuilding and everybody at the gym kept saying, you should compete. And I'm like, you are crazy because I'm too old for that and there's no way. But they kept saying it and I thought, you know what? I always tell everybody, do things that make you afraid. And this totally terrified me to get on stage in an itty-bitty sparkly bikini and this thong, thong, and 6-inch stripper heels, right? And walk across the stage. And I thought, that to me is like a nightmare. That's like the most terrifying thing I can think of. So of course I did it. And anyhow, I won my first competition. And, and then, then I thought, well, I better get serious. And I got a coach. I joined a team and started doing a couple of national competitions. And then I won at 60. I won my pro card. I started competing at 59 and at 60 I won my pro card. And then I've been competing competitively ever since then, except for last year, which my health thing happened. And so I'm going to take this year off too and focused on on this type of training. And I'm not saying I won't ever compete on a bikini stage again. I may, I don't know. But right now I'm focusing on my health and just really enjoying my training.

Amazing. I love it. There's a couple of things you said in there that I want to go back and pick up on.

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So you said you started lifting and, and you really enjoyed it, and then your son challenged you with The Lifting Like a Girl or Exercise Like a Girl, which I love. And so say to someone who's listening, what were— what would you say were the key differences in the kind of training plan that you began doing after that point versus what you were doing before that point?

Okay. So, and I see so much of this when you go to the gym too, because we we just don't know, right? Yeah. So I would go online and I'd see someone and they'd show a workout and that's the workout I do. But I was doing like, like baby weights and like circuit training. And there's nothing wrong with circuit training, but I wasn't really left with intensity and with a program to help me grow. It was like the same weights over and over, you know, 5-pound weights or, or, you know, 10-pound weights and not really going anywhere. I mean, I was gaining some muscle. Yeah, I was doing something right, but I wasn't really reaching a goal that I wanted to go. And that's the difference. So he gave me a program that— and really taught me how to lift. And if you really want to build your body, like, you don't just hit one muscle, you got to hit all the muscle heads of your shoulder, or— and taught me about doing it right. Um, so that you don't injure yourself, because that's super important, especially— well, at any age, but as we age, it's important. And taught me about progressive overload and, and all those things. And then when I joined a team, they helped me train like a girl athlete, and that was different too, because he trained me like a boy athlete, and I had different goals. I didn't want to look like a boy. I wanted to look like, like a, like a girl. Yeah.

So good. I think there are a lot of women listening who potentially, for them, it wasn't, you know, an anaphylactic response that then caused high blood pressure, but there's a something that happens in their health history or their aging. And I think we, we all would like to think, well, that's never going to happen to me. And then it just sneaks up and there's nothing you did to cause it. But so many worry that stopping training in the way they're used to— so of course we're speaking here to already active women like you or me— it's like somebody pulls the rug out from under your feet for a moment because there's a lot of, I would say, identity tied up into this is something I do, like, but it's who I am, like, you know. And, and I think women worry they'll lose the muscle, they'll lose the bone, they'll lose the confidence, What actually happens, you know, when you start training smarter, not necessarily harder, which I think is kind of the way you've pivoted, although you might disagree and say back to me, no, no, no, climbing is actually really hard. But what happens when you approach it differently? Because you've had to find out, you had to do the research the hard way.

Yeah. So, That's a really good question, and I'm going to be real honest with you here. It was really hard for me to, to come to that place because my identity was so wrapped up in being an athlete that could push through anything and go hard. And I was so afraid that I would lose that muscle and strength and fitness that I had worked all those years for. I was really afraid to it. But here's the deal. I had done those things before. I had, I had, I had lost myself and my family and forgot to take care of myself and then looked at myself one day and said, okay, it's time for me. And I picked up running and I learned to do that. And then when I, when I hurt my knee, then I learned to bodybuild. And that was an awesome improvement. And I did that too. So even though I was really afraid and I knew that I had to change, I mean, I knew for my health that that was my only choice. I had to approach it differently. And I put a lot of research into it, but it took me a long time to come to the smarter, you know, work smarter, not harder. But here's what I learned. I learned that when I did that, when I learned to train with my body instead of against my body, things changed. My recovery got better. It was amazing. And with my recovery getting better, then I wasn't getting setbacks as much, you know, I wasn't getting hurt. And then I had more consistency. And we all know that when you have consistency, that equals progress, right? Yeah. And when I measured, when I compared, like, well, am I losing the muscle? Am I losing the strength? Am I losing the fitness? It's all coming back. And in fact, in some areas I'm even stronger than I was before. But girlfriend, it took me a hot second to come to that, to let go of that identity and come around to that way of thinking. I'm not— I mean, I don't want to candycoat it. It was hard. Yeah, it was hard to pivot. Yeah.

And I think there's so many women here who are probably listening and they're in the same boat, or they, they have had that past where they were really active and maybe now they're coming back to it, but finding I'm not capable for some reason of what I was. And we do that comparison thing and it's not even you to Demi Moore, it's you to you, but still not fair because you are not 30. Right now and don't have those hormones or, or that situation. So it all changes so very drastically. Can you share with us what is— what is a workout week look like for you now?

Yes, absolutely. So Monday, Wednesday, Friday are climbing days for me, and I try to break the climbing days up into days that I work on one day I'll work on endurance because it's a very total body physical thing. Yeah. So one day I'll pick like a lighter route and I'll climb it as many times as I can. Okay. And then so that would be like a Monday. And then Wednesday I do a more technique where I try to— I say try to because I'm still so new at it. I try to develop the techniques that are going to help me reach those harder routes, you know, make those bigger leaps and without hurting myself. Um, so that's technique. So maybe I'll pick a route that's challenged me and I'll just practice different moves on it. And then Friday is my fun day, and that's where I really try to challenge myself. And I'll start with the warm-up on a really easy route, you know, where it's— I can do it in my sleep. And then I progress. And then like last week, I, I don't know what I sinking. But I'm like, I'm feeling great. I'm feeling really good. I'm going to really go for it. So I tried a route that was 4 times harder than any of the other routes or 4 levels higher than any of the other routes that I ever did. I don't know why. I just thought I could do it and I did really good, but I didn't make it all the way to the top. But, but that's okay because I tried and I learned. Yeah. So, so, so that's my climbing. And then Tuesday Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are my days that I would do my lifting. And like I said, I do lower body first. I really like lower body, so we'll do that Tuesday. And then Thursday's back day. I love— I don't know why I said I love all the body parts. So Thursday's back day. And then because there's so much shoulder and back and I tend to have shoulder issues, I only do shoulders once a week, and that's on my total body day. And I'm lifting lighter on that right now just because I ego-left it a month ago and kind of tweaked it. So now, now I've got to go back and let that rehab. So, and, and if for some reason I'm not feeling it, if I'm super tired and I feel like, like, you know, I've had the grandkids all weekend or something like that, if I'm too tired, I skip it and I walk walk, or I do yoga, or I do stretching. And I always, in my workouts, try to do core workout and mobility as well. Always, always. Because that's so important for us too. So that's my training split now. And I love it.

I love it. And I love something you said there. So I want to call everybody's attention to— I hope you did not step over when she said, I ego lifted a little while ago, and then I paid for it. That comes at a high price. So you do have to be thinking. And, you know, for that reason, I love when people are working out at a gym because they'll say, you know, work a little bit harder when I do this. But I also notice, you know, from working out at home sometimes and working out at a gym, that I sometimes will get carried away, you know. And it's like you're an ostrich strutting around, and it's like, oh, Oh, somebody's watching me, so I'm gonna lift a little heavier. It's just so ridiculous. I catch myself doing it, but I do it anyway. Right? We have to watch out. Definitely. So, okay. So tell me a little bit more about— and I know, because I'm trying to ask you a question that I know my listener is going to ask me. So on those days when you're climbing, is that— are you there What is that like? Because a lot of our listeners probably haven't climbed. Are you there at the gym climbing for an hour or 2 hours? And is that constant, or do you climb and then come down and rest?

Okay, so, um, I am at the gym for at least 2 hours, and it's a climbing gym. I go to a really great gym in Gilbert that's called Alta. A-L-T-A. They're wonderful, and they have some walls that are shorter and some walls that are taller. They're anywhere from 30 feet to 55 feet walls. And, um, yeah, I know they get really tall. Yeah, they get really high up there. Um, and, uh, and, and I just, I allow myself to rest in between.

Okay.

About 3 minutes in, in between each climb on days that I'm working for endurance and I'm doing that easier climb. Maybe I'm only resting a minute, minute and a half, and then I'm back up on the walls. But on the other walls, I allow myself 3 minutes. And if I really do a hard climb and I really get down and I can feel it and my arms are spent and pumped, I'll go 5 to 10 minutes in between a climb. Yeah, I'm really trying to listen more to my body now. I think it's what helps us stay in the game longer.

I think this is such a good point. We could probably unpack a little bit. I think there is that continuum, that swing of, you know, your body is always going to tell you it's tired, like the running. You know, I would imagine, you know, you're doing those 12 miles, and if you're doing it overnight, I would be like, well, no, I should be in my pajamas at this point. It's going to be uncomfortable no matter what. I don't want to be here at this point. But you tell yourself that your mind is going to tell you that you're tired and you constantly have to override that. Like, be quiet, you're not right. I'm going to override you. I'm going to overwill you, overpower you, overdiscipline you. So we've kind of learned to not listen to that. And I think women notoriously are better than anybody With 5 kids, I'm guessing more than once or twice you're like, no, I don't have to go to the bathroom right now. I will wait because somebody else needs something from me.

100%.

And so now when we're saying, okay, no, no, no, I was just kidding. Now listen, right? Listen to what it's saying. And you're not weak because you're giving into that. Actually, you're just being wiser. How did you get to that point?

Okay, so that— I mean, it took some time and it took some research, um, and I really did a lot of reading. And, and I have to be honest with you too, there are so many friends that I have that have gone through difficulties and health challenges and have found ways around it that it was an example to me. And, um, encouraging. It was an encouragement to me that I, I could do that too. And like I said before, I've done hard things before, and I, I knew that I could find a way, and I knew that there was a way to keep going. And I never doubted that I'd get back to my full health. I'm not there yet completely. I will be. I'm almost there. And I knew that I would. Sometimes we just have to go through it. We just— and that's what I did. I just had to go through it. And, and I grieved a little bit too. I mean, I hate to say it, but I did. I, yeah, I grieved because I thought, what if I can't? And, you know, what if I never achieve that same level of fitness? And then I thought, I will. I— it'll just be— it'll look different, it'll be different, but I'll still be strong. Strong and healthy and fit. But maybe it was, I don't know, divine intervention. I don't know what you want to say.

I knew what you were going to say. I knew you were going to use those words.

Yeah. He's helping me live a better life, a stronger, healthier, more rounded life.

Yeah. What a great example. What was— was there a shock, a surprise, like an aha in regard to climbing that maybe humbled you or just pleasantly surprised you about, you know, having come from lifting, competing, and being extraordinarily strong and then to climbing? What was it that stands out as, oh gosh, I didn't expect that?

Well, it was super hard. Honestly, I didn't expect that. I didn't expect it to be super hard because I thought, I'm strong, I can do this. But the thing is, is that when you use— especially have a tendency to— I can— what's— how do I put this? Like, I'm very driven. And so when I get tired, instead of doing it the right way or how I should, I have a tendency to let my muscles take over. but then you fatigue out super quick. So it was all super— I mean, in the beginning you just do the little easy routes and it's just so much fun. But then as you progress and you realize it's hard, it's really hard, but it's so exciting as you learn how to do it. And so I've had lots of moments where I get down off the wall and I've made this climb that that like last month I couldn't do and I just made it and I do a little dance for myself and clap because, you know, because I did it, I did it. And so, yeah, so I have, I would say in climbing pretty much every week I have an aha moment where I'm like, I want to share it. Did you see what I did? I don't, but I want to share it with everybody. Yeah.

Talk a little bit about, dietary changes. I think you hinted at, you know, to compete, I'm sure you had to— you have to get to a point, at least at the end, where you're very disciplined. I'd hate to use the word rigid, so maybe I'll throw it out there. You tell me if that's a word you would use or not. But how does your diet now compare to where, where were you when you were looking at competing?

So that's one of the reasons why I wanted to do something different and rock climbing, because that is a very strict and, and rigid, at least for me, in order to get as lean as I needed to get. And I often felt like I wasn't getting enough of the whole nutrition that I needed. And I didn't wonder— I mean, I wondered if could have that have been one of the reasons why this hit me so hard, is that I wasn't getting all the nutrients in my body that I needed to get. Um, I mean, I was eating all the protein, um, but limited carbs and limited fats. And I ate a lot of vegetables. I hardly ever ate any fruits because, you know, that has carbs in it too. And I did eat some carbs, but my body is like carb sensitive somehow. And so when I'm trying to lean out, we eliminate those carbs and fats. And, um, I didn't want to do that. I wanted to see what would happen if I ate a more balanced type, so I increased my calories. I'm eating right now— I do some carb cycling, so on my climbing days I, I eat more carbs than I would because it takes— it's total body, it takes a lot of energy. Yeah. So, um, I'll have about 2,100 calories on those days and about 1,800 to 1,900 calories on my other lifting days because I'm not lifting quite as heavy or as hard yet. It's still kind of— I'm about— on some of my lifts, about halfway to where I was before. Um, heavy compared to some people, but not heavy compared to what I was lifting. Sure. Um, so, but now I don't worry as much, and I make sure that I get all the colors of the rainbow in my diet. I make sure that I'm having plenty of fresh fruits vegetables, and I'm still eating very clean. I think that's super important. Also, though, if I want a piece of cake or a cookie, I'm having it, and I'm not worrying about it, and it feels good. Great.

So good. Okay, so there's a listener inevitably discouraged, maybe not liking the changes that are occurring with her body thanks to estrogen's decline, and maybe just the way midlife can hit us all with things coming from so many directions that distract us from doing the things we, we would be motivated or disciplined to do. We can't comply because caregiving comes up or something else disrupts us. What, what advice would you give for that person?

Yeah.

First of all, I know you. I see you. I am you. I've been there. It's really important for you to take care of yourself too. And mostly it's just about making it a habit for you and doing something that you enjoy and that you can keep with. But you can't help help anyone if your health is bad. You, you can't be there for anyone. So whatever the holdup is, whether you're caring for an ailing parent or family members, or you've got a very stressful job, you can't keep doing those if you're not taking care of yourself. So carve some time out for yourself. And the other thing to think about especially if you've got some issues going on with your hormones. I always say get those hormones checked. I am on HRT. I've been on HRT since I was 53 years old, and I swear it makes all the difference. So that's the first thing I would suggest. I'm not a doctor though, but I would say check with your doctor, get your hormones checked, and start there. Get with someone who can help you if you don't know what to do. Find a good coach. Nutrition is super important. And then just remember this, that this season of our life doesn't have to be about losing strength or losing life. This season can actually be the most powerful, the most beautiful, the strongest season of our life. But what we need to do is we need to meet our bodies where they're and then move on from there. And that's— that'll take you there.

Beautifully said. I'm going to ask one more question I've been wanting to ask the entire time, and I think I know the answer to this one. And somebody said, if you're a good interviewer, you never ask a question you don't know the answer to. But how important through, through all of this, maybe through all of your life, life has been your faith?

My faith to me is number one. Um, you know, family, friends, and I— yeah, faith is number one. Uh, it's— I am always grateful and always thanking my Heavenly Father for all that I have, regardless of what it is. I mean, even in not having the best of I was grateful for the opportunity to, to learn from it, and that I was still here. And I have all these loving people around me to help me go through it. And that's, that's pretty amazing. So faith is super important.

Amazing. Thank you for that answer. And for anybody here who is listening while you're walking or hiking, or you're lifting weights, or climbing, maybe And can you do that while you're climbing? Listen to earbuds?

But anyway, you can. Okay.

We've heard it from the authority here. There is no— you're missing out if you can't see the video. And here's why. There is no denying health. And I think you can always see it in the eyes and your eyes just sparkle and they're so bright and so clear. And that just speaks volumes about, I think What's Inside and Beyond. So thank you so much. Where can listeners find and follow you?

Well, I would love to connect with the Flipping 50 community. So I'm on Instagram. I'm on— it's honey_b_fit_ifbbpro, and that's where you'll find me. And shoot me a DM and let's connect.

Thank you so much for being here, Tama.

Thank you. I appreciate your time.