383 | Crazy Blessed | Wendie Pett | Visibly Fit

All right, so if you have been around for longer than 10 years, which I'm assuming you have been, there is such a huge fitness craze going on and it is not slowing down anytime soon. This is a huge industry. Diets, workouts, reaching the perfect body. Right. But so much of what I see in the fitness and health industry is lacking because it is one thing to have like a healthy body, but could you be sacrificing having a healthy mind and a healthy spirit too? So I'm super excited about my guest today, Wendy Pett. She's not only a very dear friend of mine, but she's also the host of the Visibly Fit podcast and she has entire program called Visibly Fit. And she's going to be with us today to show us exactly how to get that done. Wendy, I am so happy that you're with me today. Thank you so, so, so much.

It is an honor to be here. We always have a good time together. So thanks for having me on your show.

Oh my goodness, it's so good. Well, you know, this show is crazy blessed and I think there is crazy blessing when we decide to do things God's way. And I like, you and I are like right in the same, like the same file folder when it comes to God's blessing and understanding his character. But I want you to share with me, like, being fit is one thing, but when you're talking about what if we can look at it holistically, like, if we're like, we have the perfect abs and a perfect butt and we are depressed and anxious and frustrated, like, what is it profiting us? Right. So tell us a little bit. First of all, how did you decide to go into this area? Like, why?

All right, we'll start there because that's where it all started. But way back when I was teaching aerobics when, you know, leg warmers and headbands were cool.

Yes.

In the Dallas Fort Worth area to the American Airlines Institute and other corporations. And I was kind of doing all the step aerobics and I was into that. Right. Like I was teaching that kind of style. And long story short, I moved to Minnesota. That was 25 years ago. But 20, a little over 20 years ago, I was in a snowmobile accident and I was going about 55 miles an hour, got off the trail and his snow covered culvert and was flying through basically the windshield of the sled and I hit a tree. So again, long story short, I had to rehab my body because they wanted to do surgery. And I'm a really stubborn person. I'm like, no, the body can heal itself. And so I started doing isometric and moving isometric type of exercises. And my body healed itself. And so that really just started to open the door to so much. And God is so gracious and so beautiful that he just kept opening door after door after door once my body was healed, to help others heal their body. But then it was over and beyond the healing of injury. It was, let's get people healthy and well. Mind, body, spirit, emotions. I became a naturopathic doctor. I'm all about the holistic approach. And because it's. It's all encompassing. You can't just do one and. And be a whole, complete person. It's. It's all. We're all encompassing. So you have to look at all different spokes in the wheel and take care of yourself as a collective whole. So, yeah, it's. It's just been a beautiful journey. I work with my patients online, and I help them release unwanted, unhealthy weight and the unhealthy, unwanted emotions that are attached to that weight. A lot of times people are like, I just want to lose weight. I'm like, well, I'm sure you do, but when we lose something, we tend to find it. Let's talk about releasing it.

And does that mean that is good release?

So losing it, releasing it, like, releasing, letting go. And that so much of the, the trauma, the emotions, all of that, that is attached to that deceptive barrier called weight, right? And so many different people's situations. And there's the standard American diet. You know, there's the addictive part of why people may be overweight, but it's about being healthy in mind, body, spirit, and getting new habitual patterns started and releasing old ways of doing things and. And loving yourself through it.

Okay, let's that loving yourself through it. I find, you know, we're both coaches. I find coaching people around health issues. If we could tap into that, that's like the superpower. If we could tap into loving ourselves through the process where we are now, it's like, oh, I'm going to love my body when it fill in the blank. When I lose that baby weight, when I get rid of those extra pounds, when I shape up my thighs or my abs, when I lose that, like, arm jiggle. We put so many ridiculous stipulations on ourselves, truly. And, like, love becomes almost like a value exchange. Like, no, I can't love you yet. Like, you have to do something for me, and then I will love you and we don't understand that the body is just doing what we expect it to do.

And the body knows what you're thinking. It also knows what you're saying, but it knows what you're thinking. I'm talking at the cellular level. And it responds accordingly. And you know, one of the things that I tell my patients is the key to health and fitness is the F word.

Yeah.

I see your eyeballs. It's forgiveness. Because forgiveness unlocks everything. And forgiveness unlocks that love. Forgiveness unlocks everything. And then you start acting out. You start, you know, taking that walk that you deserve to take. You start fueling your body with the, with the God made foods that were intended to fuel your body. So you start to see yourself differently through the lens of, of God's eyes instead of your own flesh driven eyes.

That's so good. And with. Sometimes we don't even realize that we're holding contempt.

Yeah.

That we're holding bitterness or frustrated. We don't, we don't even realize it because it's been so ingrained in us that our body is like, okay, we live in a culture that's very objectifying, especially for women.

Sure.

And so we become indoctrinated in that culture subconsciously where it's like, all right, I can't love my body. I can't forgive where I feel like I have grieved my body or my body has grieved me. And we don't just allow that love to penetrate the process of health and healing. And so it becomes this constant battle. You know, my, my daughter shared with me something that really impacted me. And she said she was reading this one article about this woman who decided to stop dieting. And she said it hit me when my mom, who was declining from cancer, she was shared. The author was sharing this, who was declining from cancer and quickly approaching death. The week before she died. Was frustrated that she couldn't lose 10 more pounds.

Oh, boy. Wow.

The week before she died.

That's, that's awful.

Was griping and complaining that she couldn't lose that 10 pounds. Wow. And that hit her. It's like her whole life had been a pursuit.

A number on the scale.

A number on a scale. Something she thought, when I get there, I'll be happy. No, you won't. Still have the same emotions and they'll come right back.

Yeah. And he's like, gotta heal the dramas and traumas.

Yes, you do. And this author was sharing that. And my daughter's like, you know what? I'm just, I'm sick of this whole culture. I. I'm sick of diet. I'm sick of, like, this, like, what our bodies have become, this object in exchange for notoriety or platform or a voice. It's like, and we are the ones that have created, and we are the ones that are perpetuating it. I wish with me, I realized how many times I have said, man, when I lose that baby weight or I really. When I want to fit back into those jeans, I was like, oh, my God, am I perpetuating this with my partners?

Sure. I'm a recovering perfectionist. Like, I get it. Like, it's.

It's.

It's in the culture. It's been ingrained in me. And I. You have to unravel the way that maybe you have been operating for so long. And sometimes we're addicted to that operation, right? And we're. We're in this, like, sympathetic, you know, nervous system mode as a. As opposed to our parasympathetic. And that sympathetic is that fight or flight, right? Like, we're addicted to just the adrenals pump and the dopamine dropping, and we're like, give me more, give me more. And we're. But that's. Even with the drama and trauma, right? Like, that's that fight or flight in that problem and stress and all that. I mean, you know, but the parasympathetic nervous system is really where we can really capture and feel the peace of God. Like, and our body starts to regulate, our hormones start to balance out. Like, that's what people aren't used to. But they're like, oh, my gosh, Quiet, stillness. Give me something. You know, I need to have something. Noise and. And something going on around me. No, you don't. That's the problem. Get outside, hear from the Lord, and get your body healed up. You know what I mean? Go out and do a little grounding. It's.

Yeah, I'm laughing. I'm sorry. I'm laughing because when you say, go outside and get sunshine, right? Get your bare feet and the soil.

That's right.

My son. I have so many stories. So I always. My son was talking because he knows I'm fascinated about mental health and psychology. And he said, mom, there's this new therapy that I'm seeing all over Tick Tock and all over Instagram and everything. And he said, it's called Nature Inc.

Oh, yeah, we talked about that.

Yeah. Is it like one of those. Yeah, great strategy is, like, you go out.

It's brilliant.

Brilliant. New discovery shows that. Yeah, get your butt outside get outside where there's no walls and no ceilings and no electronics. No electronics. And let your. Like you said, just let your mind breathe for a minute.

Yeah.

I was so. One time, I was so shook by this, and this affected me as well, as I'm sure you can see, why. I hadn't seen one of my dear friends in over a year. We finally met up and it was so much fun. We were so excited. Just like, picked up right where we left off. Kind of like you and I do, Wendy.

I love that. Yeah.

Right where we left off and we were like, hanging out and she said, I'm a little mad at you. And I was like, what? She's like, I've lost 40 pounds and you didn't even notice. Oh. And I was like, I am so sorry. It's like, but why didn't I notice? And I realized, like, my spirit sees your spirit and connection, and all of a sudden the body doesn't matter.

Yeah. And it wasn't like a shallow how moment.

It wasn't like, let me check you out. Right?

Yeah.

But then I realized, wait a minute. What if I think that people are measuring me and looking at me the way that she thought people were looking at her? Like she thought, I know it's right away because I judged body.

And I think a lot of women believe that.

I think a lot. Right. And I thought, wait, what in me believes that other people notice? Oh, she's like one inch bigger in the waist or, oh, her arms are firmer or she hasn't worked out in two weeks and they're losing. I'm like, I am so, like, hyper focused on the things that no one even notices.

Right, Right.

I need to lighten up.

This is hilarious. But you know what? There's so many women that won't even take photos. I'm serious, Hannah. They won't even take photos because they're. They don't like the way they look. And so it's really about, again, seeing yourself as God sees you. You are a child of the most high. He loves you. Thick, thin, tall, short, it doesn't matter. But it's loving yourself healthy and well, so that you have a desire to. And that you act on it to. To honor the Lord in how you are going about your health and your wellness. So, so often we're. We're just being deceived by, you know, the standard American diet because we're addicted to the. The sugar, fat, salt. They're all the commercials, all the ways that people say, this is how you should Live. This is how you should live, or, I just want to have fun or whatever. No, it's about how am I really treating my body so that I am glorifying the Lord in that? And so if you're stuffing your face with a big cheeseburger and fries, is that really God honoring? Is it mean that you have to be perfect in how you eat? No. But do what you know will fuel your body best at the cellular level. That's God honoring, right? Move your body. A lot of times we're just sitting and living a sedentary lifestyle. We wonder why we're depressed and, you know, have aches and pains and that kind of thing. You got to move. You got to get up.

You really do. And, you know, I thought about it this way. I was at the gym and with my. With my coach, and he was like, I know this hurts you. I know. Like, it was like, but I want you to do, like, 12 more reps. I was like, oh, my gosh. Like, I don't remember what it was like. Like some of the sumo lunges or something like that. I was like, oh, my. Okay, I can do this. And then I thought, you know what? I'd rather have the pain now than the pain later.

Yeah.

Yeah. Either way. Either way, you don't get out of life without pain. So you can have the pain of going to the gym, or you can have the pain of not being able to walk up a flight of stairs.

Or you can just use your body as your gym. Hannah.

Yes.

Like, I teach. But, no, however you do it, do something. Something. And also, something's always better than nothing. A lot of people think, oh, I've only got five minutes or ten minutes. Do something.

Dance your butt all around the gate.

Right? You do that.

Having that apple watch. I'm like, I better get my butt up and start dancing. Right? It's awesome mood. It changed everything. One thing I would love to do, and that's holistic.

Totally.

That's not like. Yeah, it's healing. I will tell you, after my mama went on to be with Jesus about a year ago, if I didn't have hiking, yeah, I would have made it. I don't. I would. And I do every day to this day. Like, every weekday, because the hikes are full on the weekends, but throw my dogs in the back of that car, and we go hike three miles every morning. Yeah, it is. It's therapeutic. And so it's funny because I saw this. You may have seen it, too. I saw this, like, reel going around and Went viral. But she's like, I don't know why I'm so depressed and down in the winter. Like, are you drinking water? No. Are you going outside? No. Are you moving your body? No.

Like, well, how's your vitamin D level? How's.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, we know what to do. But here's the problem. There's people listening and they're like, I, I get it. I know this. I should be going outside. I should be moving my body. Wendy. I don't want to. Yeah.

So that, that's going to be a more of a spiritual and mental adjustment that needs to happen. Just like a chiropractic adjustment. It needs to shift. Something needs to change. And you can't keep doing the same thing and expect the shift to occur. You have to do something different. It's going to feel hard in the beginning. It's not hard, it's just different. And so it appears to be hard because you're something you're not used to. So if you're feeling like I don't want to, then that's exactly when you need to get up and do it. Do you know that I roll out of bed and I do push ups? The very first thing out of, out of bed. My husband's like, where'd you go? I'm like, oh, I'm down here doing push ups. Like I'm not even awake yet. Is that, you know, something enjoyable or quote, unquote, easy? Not necessarily, but I, I do it and, and it starts the day off and it's become a discipline. And now I really am starting to realize that this different has become my norm. And it's not so hard. It is becoming easier. Easy, no, but easier. And so we just have to think of things differently. We have to quit being so soft and, and start to push ourselves a little bit more. Because we get so used to, you know, just sitting out and vegging out in front of the TV or, you know, plopping on the couch. Well, you're going to continue to feel like a plop if you're just plopping on the couch. Right. You got to get some activity, some motion to, to release emotion and to even, again, think creative thoughts, all of it. You've got to have some motion in your life. And so if you're sedentary, get up.

Oh, there is a date. Like not too long ago, my daughter and I were like, you know what, we're just going to veg out today and we're sitting on the sofa. We were watching some Series Next Episode Next Episode and we turned to each other, she's like, I think we're starting to grow mushrooms. Moved. We haven't moved from the sofa. It's like, all right, we got, we gotta take a break. We gotta get outside. We gotta do something. Like, right, yeah, yeah, Life. Your body's made to move.

It's made to move. That's right. That's right. And gets the blood pumping and releases those happy, you know, hormones, the serotonin, the dopamine, all of it. So you gotta get moving. And, you know, I was sharing with you that Visibly Fit is using your body as your gym. So our mind is so powerful that we can actually create the weight in our hand without it being there. I've taught this for over 20 years. And you can, you can eliminate all your excuses like, hey, I don't have a gym membership or, you know, I can't get there because so and so sick. Whatever. Use your body, do what you can within the day. And I'm telling you, you will see some positive, great results. I have people releasing weight all the time and getting stronger and getting off medication. And it's really about, you know, changing the way you eat too. I teach more of a whole food plant based approach. But yeah, you got to take action if you want to see a change.

And I think you just feel so much better. We forget how good we feel. Yeah, really moving our bodies, we're exercising. And you're right, you don't have to go to the gym. Like the other day I was like, I don't. I just didn't want to go out. I was just kind of like, all right, I'm just going to go and do my own workout here. You know, outside did some workout. And the next day I was like, I'm sore. That really worked. Like, I didn't have to. I mean, it's fun to go to the gym. You see your friends there, you know, having the discipline. It's all about the discipline. You're right. Yeah.

So you and I talked about before we got on that. I'm kind of in the space caring for my mother in love right now. And she was in the hospital and then a facility. We got a home anyway, but I walked to the hospital, you know, and I was like, so excited to walk to the hospital. I did exercises while I was at the, at the facility. You just have to make it work into your day. So many times people have excuses like, well, this is what was going on. Yeah, life happens. But you got to insert yourself in and make yourself one of your most important appointments.

Oh, make yourself your most important. I mean, when you think about it, like, people invest in real estate. I heard this person say, no, no, this is the real estate. This is a real estate.

That's good.

Can't invest in yourself. Don't think investing in anything else is going to help you.

That's right. That's good.

Got to care for yourself. And I know, like, here I was born in the 60s. Like, I am all about not just living a long life, but living a long, vibrant, fun, healthy life. I don't want to be, like, where I can't engage or I can't participate or, like, no, you guys go dance. I'm like, I'm going to sit on the side. No, I want to be, like, on the dance floor or, you know, you will be.

Hannah.

I, I believe that, but I think, I mean, God gives us. He tells us in his word that he gives us a long life full of health. That's our choice. So I think a lot of times people will have, like, why do I have this disease? Or why do I have this. These problems that keep coming up, or, why am I stressed? Why do I have anxiety? And they're praying for God to get them out of it. But he's like, I provided everything. Yeah, but we need. We are on the other side of that door. Like, stands at the door, knocks. We are the ones that get to say, you know what? I'm going to open this door. I'm going to open this door and I'm going to go outside. I'm going to start moving my body. I'm going to start eating healthier. Everything is a choice. But I, I do, I am convinced that God always provides a way for health and healing. If we will, number one, take him out his word, and number two, do the thing.

Yeah, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. All things. So when you have the. I can't. I don't know, I'll try. No, forget that. Either you're doing it and I will. I am like, like, stop the. I can't. And, And I'll try. You just do it. And then you're going to feel better and you're going to get past the, the point of where you are today and look back and go, oh, my goodness, of course I am. I'm doing great. And start to appreciate how far you've come, even in a short amount of time. And, and, you know, re. Affirmation. Reward yourself with a pedicure if you need to, if you're out walking, whatever, but give yourself some. Some positive little nuggets along the way to keep you going.

I love that. So giving yourself, you know, that goes along with my research with mom Brain. Like, I am always researching mom brain. And one of those things is we have this dopamine deficiency because we don't reward ourselves for the behaviors that will most move our goals and dreams forward. So when does the mom say, I cleaned up the living room, Let me reward myself. Or let me, I folded the laundry, I put it all away. Let me reward myself. We're like, all right, well, I just did it. It's going to be messy in a few minutes anyway. You know, we don't really reward that behavior. And so we can become really creative and put some rewards in there. Like, I went walking every day this week. I'm gonna go to Starbucks to get a cup of coffee. Or, you know, just things like that are enough for us just for our brain to say, oh, I like that, I'll do it again.

You know, that'll reinforce and that, that'll be that opportunity to create new habits and new neural pathways. And it's. It's kind of that conquer and layer approach that I like to call it. You know, you conquer that one goal that you're after and then you layer it with another goal and you just keep. Keep after it until you've mastered it and becomes part of your everyday life. Like rolling out of the bed and doing push ups, you know, whatever it.

Is for you, Norm.

Just like your norm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's so beautiful that if we can take what is like. I remember when I first decided I don't want to eat sugar anymore. You know, I made that decision, it was several years ago, and I was like, I'm just gonna not eat sugar for 90 days. And I was like, that was easy. I won't eat sugar for six months. All right? I won't eat sugar for the rest of the year. And every now and then it's like, oh, I'll have, you know, this, or I'll have a little bit of, you know, a cookie or something. But honestly, it's like normal for me not to eat sugar. It's very abnormal. Like if I eat a cookie or something, people are like, you're eating a cookie. What? But it's like now it's like, that is more of the abnormal behavior.

Yeah. And as long as you know yourself well enough, I always say that moderation kills momentum because for a lot of people, they start Doing that moderation way too soon. Or they hit that moderation and that moderation is the, the, the thing that's going to send them into the abyss, like, or kick the door wide open for more. So you got to know yourself well enough. Right. Like that cookie wasn't going to do it for you. But you know, some people, it's like you can't be a recovered alcoholic and go into a bar and say, oh, I think I'll have a little sip of this. No, no, it doesn't work that way.

But I had to go a year with no sugar at all. And then it becomes. That's normal.

Exactly.

So what if I just decided it's normal to walk 10,000 steps a day? It's normal to go outside for 30 minutes. That's normal.

Right?

It's like started to like, how did, what is my body intended for? My body's not made to sit all day long. I've got legs, I got muscles, I want to move them.

Your body actually starts to atrophy after just 20 minutes of not working against gravity. Dr. Joan Vertnakos, she used to work with the astronauts and she would work with them in the anti gravity space and realize that, wow, 20 minutes of not working against gravity, their bodies were starting to atrophy. So if you're sitting, you got to stand up. If you're, if you're standing, you need to do some squats or do some calf raises or something. You got to work against gravity for your body to get stronger and to not atrophy.

Yeah. So basically don't grow mushrooms.

Exactly, don't. Unless you're growing them in your garden.

And then we will make sure you're growing the right ones.

Right ones.

Yeah. I want to be trimming out all over the place, so. Well, okay, so tell us, what if people are like, all right, I think I'm ready for a healthy relationship with my body. Yeah, I'm ready to release this weight. I'm ready to get my body moving and feeling better. Where would they go to get your help?

Yeah, so you can go to my website, wendypet.com and I've got some resources there. But if you are really ready and you're like, game on, let's do this. I have a seven week accelerator program that will get you everything you need from meal plans, grocery list, recipes, the workouts. We have community coaching each week. It is powerful. And again, it's whole food plant based. Using your body as your gym. It's all encompassing. And if you're ready to get off medication. You know, this is a place to go to start, to wean yourself and get onto the trajectory of health and healing. Mind, body, spirit, emotions. You can go to getvisiblyfit.com and if you use the promo code crazy blessed, you will get 200 off of your program. That's huge.

Thank you. Yeah. I didn't know you were doing that. That's a sweet surprise.

Yes.

So much.

Yeah, they deserve it. I want them to get healthy and well.

Talk about crazy blessed, guys, what in the world? Take advantage of that. This is just that knock on the door. Are you going to open it? Are you going to do the next thing? Because you know that I only bring you people that I know and trust, that I know their relationship with God, that I am, you know, aligned with them 100%. So, Wendy, thank you so much for hanging out with us today.

I loved it. I love you, girl.

Oh, man. So much fun, guys. Take that next step. Get visibly fit. Promise you're going to be blessed like crazy.

It.