493: She Beat Leukemia By Building Muscle: The Truth About Building Muscle After 50 with Helen Fritsch

Age can be irrelevant, even though many times it does not feel like that. How do we navigate the world as we age? And how can you keep yourself motivated and to keep going and creating and building and changing when we've got a whole society that tends to frown down many times on the aging woman? Welcome to Midlife Conversations. I'm your host, Natalie Jill, and I'm passionate about having amazing conversations that matter to us midlife women. On this podcast podcast, I do what I do best, taking complicated health topics and breaking them down simply so that we can optimize aging together. I share actionable steps to help you thrive in what I believe are our best years to come. Join me as I interview the most inspiring people living their best midlife years and dive into essential topics like hormone changes, health optimization, weight management, blood sugar, emotional well being, relationships, beauty, and so much more. Age can be irrelevant, even though many times it does not feel like that. How do we navigate the world as we age, as ageism becomes a very real topic? And how can you keep yourself motivated and to keep going and creating and building and changing when we've got a whole society that tends to frown down many times on the aging woman? Today I've got a very special guest. I've got Helen joining us. I wanted to interview her because she is 68 years old. She is a total example of making aging irrelevant. She is thriving. She's a new author. She works as a flight attendant. She also did bodybuilding competitions starting in her later 50s. All of this while navigating a leukemia diagnosis. I mean, just wow, so much gold that she shares about her wisdom, aging, what it takes, her thoughts on how things have changed over the years, what's needed, what healthy eating really means, genes for longevity, and her thoughts on hormone replacement craze and peptides and how those can or may not play a role. Enjoy the episode. Thanks so much, Helen, for being here today.

Oh, thank you so much. I. I'm thrilled to be here. I've had you on my podcast twice and I've loved it and everybody else has loved it, and so I'm honored to be on your show. Thank you.

So, Helen, you gotta take us back. Now. You had mentioned to me you were active your whole life, but never to the point of competing. And I think I said 60s, but I think it was 50 that you first started competing. Right?

Yeah. Yes.

Tell us about that. Like, you hadn't really even picked up a weight. Like, what changed? I mean, you were older than I am now, recording this, and you had not yet picked up a weight. So your life was about to change drastically and you didn't even correlate this younger. So what happened and why did you avoid weights before that?

Well, I think, you know, way back in the day, back in the 70s when I was in high school and college, I was a competitive athlete, but lifting weights, I mean you would never go into the weight room. That was for the boys only, the football team, the basketball team. And I've always walked by there and thought to myself, I'd love to go in there, I'd love to pick up a weight, but that just wasn't an option. And luckily for me I was genetically gifted as an athlete. And so that with my training took me through that and took me through college, running, track. And then after that I still worked out but it was all about jazzercise and step aerobics, lots of cardio, but nothing really weight wise. I mean they had weights in those classes but they're little 5 pound weights and 10 pound weights. So I am just rolling along and finally mid-50s, 55, I thought, oh my gosh, I'm going to be 60 years old in five years. I need to. And I want to get into the best shape of my life. What do I have to do? So I start asking around and everybody started saying you should look into bodybuilding. And I said, I want to look like those girls on magazine covers. So I had a good friend who was a professional bodybuilder and she was competing and I asked her about it and she starts telling me about this 12 to 16 week training schedule and really strict diet and no alcohol. And you know, I still am, but at the time I'm a certified wine specialist, wine is my hobby. And at the time I was working at a wine shop part time. I'm also a flight attendant, that's my full time job. And I thought I'm drinking wine at the store, I drink wine at home. And honestly, honestly like a lot of people I'm like, I just don't think I can give up wine so I just put it on the shelf. But I'm a firm believer in the universe and I always have my blinders off and my peripheral vision is always wide and I'm always looking and to little, you know, messages from the universe. And one day I walk into the gym to train with my girlfriend who's a competitor and she was training with a friend who was also competing and they both were like, you need to compete, you need to compete. And then my friend Linda says there's a show in a month, you should do it. Well, of course, I'm naive and I don't know how long it takes to prep for a show, but I'm like, you know what? I can do anything for a month. And so I thought, I'm doing it. And so, strict diet, no alcohol. And in just a matter of a couple of weeks, at 55, I couldn't believe the change in my body. I was overwhelmed. I was like, this is amazing. Just in a couple of weeks. So I got up on stage. Bikini was fairly new back then, and I was in the 35 plus category. And here I was now at 56, and I came in third and thought, oh, my gosh, I like this. And so I just continued to compete and I did a national show and I came in third in that. And so I just started doing two or three shows a year. And then finally on my 60th birthday, I did a big national show and I won and I won my pro card. And I thought, this is amazing. Age truly is irrelevant. And that's what kind of got me on my this age is irrelevant, you know, path that I'm on now.

I have a lot of questions. So to start with muscle building, in our 50s and 60s, we have been told it's just a lot harder. And I've honestly worried myself, like, with setbacks and injuries, being almost 54 at the time of recording this, being worried, like, okay, now I've lost muscle, how will I rebuild? And I work with a lot of women, 50s, 60s, 70s, that say, did I miss the window here? So did you have that noise in your mind? Was that a thought? Did people tell you that? And did it take. What kind of work did it take to actually build muscle? Because, yeah, I understand the diet and the exercise and the routines and learning all that, but how did you actually build the muscle? Or did you have it underneath that things?

Well, I am five, nine, and I am like long and lanky and lean, and I've been that way my entire life. I have a super high metabolism. And I think a lot of women don't realize that you have to eat to put on muscle. So that's one thing a lot of women under eat. And I was under eating. And so. So I was immediately, when I started this whole journey, started eating a lot more. But more importantly, it was all about menopause. And when we all go through menopause, our hormones go crazy. And I went in for a hormone panel and my testosterone was like, zilch. Actually, everything across the board was pretty much zilch. And so I started hormone replacement therapy and that really helped me a lot as far as putting on muscle. That and then my diet.

So when you thought about lifting weights and putting on muscle, did it scare you at all? Because I feel like some women are scared. And did you do like any kind of bone density test? Did you know if your body could handle it? Because if you hadn't done it all those years, that would be my first thing that would come up. If I was working with a client, I would say, well, if you haven't done it all these years, maybe you were active but you weren't actively really building. I'd want them to test their bone density first. I'd be worried about those things. Did that even that part of the.

Equation a little bit? I did do. I have done DEXA scans and luckily for me I have strong bones and I. A part of that is genetic because I had some DNA testing done, so I'm healthy in that matter. But that is a really important aspect as far as training clients or women in their 50s and 60s that checking your bones is extremely important. So I'm a firm believer in doing a DEXA scan and just seeing where you're at before you get started into this to see if you're structure can handle it.

Now, did you have any type of.

Were you scared? I mean, like, talk to us about that because that's like, seems pretty scary. Like if I were to tell a woman 50s, hey, you're going to be on stage, you're going to go like not. It's not just fitness. Competitions aren't just for you. Like you go on stage, you're being judged by random people. It's subjective. You're standing in a bikini. Like, what was coming up for you around that?

I was scared to death. I was like a deer in the headlights. I didn't tell any of my friends I was doing this. I didn't tell anybody. I was scared to death. I didn't want anybody coming to the show and so I did the show all on my own. The posing is the worst part. You could have an amazing body, but if you get out there and you can't pose, then forget it. And so I was clunky. I'm in 5 inch stiletto heels and a thong bikini in front of 300, 400 people, you know, and these bright lights are at me, you know, staring at me. And then there's a judge of judges, like five people, seven people, you know, looking at you. It was Terrifying. It was absolutely, absolutely terrifying. But you're on stage for a quick minute and then you're off. And the more shows I did, the more comfortable I get. Now I don't really get nervous at all doing a show. I mean, a little. A little antsy. I just want to get it over with. But, you know, you just have to really prepare, and if you get your posing down, then you're okay. But you're right, it is. It's terrifying.

Now, you said yourself you were athletic your whole life, so it's not like you were fully out of shape or. And you're tall. So you were. You have a metabolism, so you're not. It's not. You're not the average woman. You're not the average woman listening. That's like, okay, well, that's great for you, but what do you want them to know? Like, what have you learned through that process? What do you want? Because there's a lot of women that were like, well, I would love to do that, but I don't have your metabolism. I don't have that athletic background. I don't have that. What do you need them to know? What do you want them to know? And talk to us about, like, the actual type of training that went into it. Cause I also think there's a big misunderstanding about the type of training it takes to do something like that. This is not just showing up and, you know, doing three sets of 12. This is a different, different type of training.

Well, it's all about mindset. Because when I am in competition mode, I pretty much flip a switch. And I think that you. In order for you to go into, you know, bodybuilding, competing or losing weight or to put on muscle or whatever, you have to have the right mindset. If you don't have the right mindset, if you don't want to go to the gym, if you're not excited about, you know, what's to come, then you need to just wait until you feel better about yourself or your situation. So I think mindset's number one. Number two, you're right. You have to be committed. And the dedication and the perseverance of training five to six days a week and eating, you know, healthy. But for those people who are just starting out, it's. It's all about baby steps. I think in today's world, we want to go from A to Z, and we want to get there as soon as possible. And with something like bodybuilding, losing weight, putting on muscle, it's a process. It's like the Cliche, It's a marathon, it's not a sprint. And there's so much information out there. There's so many great trainers online. You can find stuff on your own on the Internet. And I just think that as long as you have the right mindset and then you find.

A trainer or someone that you can work with and the community is really important too. If you are in a situation where your spous or your friends don't support what you're doing, then that's hard, that's tough. I was very lucky. I had a great support group of friends, family and competitors. And so I was always, regardless of what I was going through, injuries or personal situations, I always had people to help me. So.

It'S all those things.

How did you stop the noise about? Well, we talked about your body, the body judgment, like being subjective up there. But I would have the big conversation too. Around. They consider like the older group over 35 in the bodybuilding world, right? It's like over 30. There's not an over 50 typically or over 60. It's like, it's like over 35. So how did you get away from that noise? Because it's definitely not common to see people in their late 50s or 60s doing that type of thing. Like, did that get in your head? Were you in comparison mode yourself? And do you think it's harder at your age or like, help us understand that part.

That's very, very true. When I first started, there was only. The categories were only 35 and 45, you know, 35, 40, 45. And it was extremely difficult. You couldn't help but judge thinking that I'm not good enough to be up here with these girls. I've worked so hard. But luckily there was a group of us who have been very proactive and writing promoters and people of these big shows saying, you need to add 50 plus, you need to add 55 plus, you need to add 60 plus. I was actually the first 60 plus professional masters bikini.

Contest they had in Tampa a couple years ago. And we were like the founding people. We wrote the promoter and he goes, well, if you can get X amount of people to do the show, we'll do it. So now I feel very honored that I was able to help get that going because now there's a lot of 60 plus shows. Wow. Because it's all. I mean, you're right as far as you. I want to compete against women my own age. I don't want to compete against women who are 40 years old because their metabolism, their body Structure. You know, I am tall, so. And I have very long arms, very long legs. You know, some of these other gals who are a little bit shorter and stockier, and, you know, they are. They can put muscle on easier. So it's a. It's a fine line right there. As far as, you know, how. How we were able to compete and put on muscle.

Did you find it difficult.

To follow that way of eating, to follow that type of training? Like, and it. Was it all new to you or was it like, well, I was kind of doing this before, but this is just another level.

Again, very difficult. I ate. I ate pretty well. I'd probably say, you know, maybe 75%, 70% clean or maybe, yeah, maybe like that. But at the time also, too, you know, I. I loved my wine. So I literally was having wine every day. I'd come home from work, I have a glass wine, maybe two. I'd be out with my friends and do the same thing. And, you know, now I'll have a glass of wine or two a week. Sometimes I go weeks without drinking. It's not on my priority list anymore.

And as far as the eating goes.

Again, it's all about mindset. You know, you have to. Like, for example, when Covid hit and everybody was talking about the COVID 15, I'm thinking, well, you're bringing all that food into the house, so, yeah, you're going to eat it. If you don't bring it into the house, then you're not going to eat it. So I'm very mindful about what I bring into the house because I'm a dark chocoholic, and there's certain things that I know that I just can't have here. I love ice cream. So you just have to make smart choices as far as your diet's concerned.

I want to ask you about the leukemia on in just a minute because that's a big pivotal part. But before I ask about that, you've got to earn a lot of wisdom at 68 years old. I mean that. I think one of the biggest things that comes with age is wisdom and changing perspective. And I notice that a lot in my 50s. Like, each year that goes by, I'm like, wow, I have so much more wisdom this year than last year. And I think back to, like, how I thought I knew everything at 30 or how I knew. Thought I knew so much at 40, I can't even imagine yet what I would be feeling like at 68. So when you look at health or fitness or muscle, like, all of that. Where has your wisdom around that changed now, like today versus you 20 years ago?

Well, my philosophy is, and this is in the book that I wrote is.

The first 40 years you acquire all this knowledge through situations, through heartbreak, through tragedy, through great times, through bad times. And then finally when you hit that midlife and you're looking at the second chapter of life, and it's all about when your pet, when your passion, your purpose and your mindset are your fuel. And you take all that knowledge from the first part of your life and then you apply it to the second part of your life. So you're rewriting the rules and you're living bigger and better than ever. And that's my philosophy, and it's working beautifully. I look back at myself in my 20s and 30s and I was a train wreck, and people would be like, oh, I wish I, you know, 60 is the new 40. And I'm like, no, stop. 60 is not the new 40 is 60.

I don't want to go back to my 40s or my 30s. I love where I am right now. And that's just because of my mindset. And everything that I've acquired up to this point has led me to where I am going. I always had this eyes always forward approach. And so, you know, I always, like, also talking about a car where you've got your windshield and it's wide open. It's kind of like your peripheral vision. So many people will have blinders and they just let things pass, pass them by. And then there's the rear view mirror and it's small for a reason. I mean, I look back. That's the past. I, I don't want to continuously look back in that thing. I'm, you know, my eyes are focused on the road and, you know, in front of me.

I don't think you're. I love what you're saying, but I don't think it's normal. Like, and, and I don't mean this in a bad way. Like, I. Most women in their. You're almost 70. I think of most women in their 70s and they are not thinking this way. They are thinking that they're in a different chapter in a. Like, they're not still working, they're not still planning forward. They're not doing fitness. Like, they're not doing that. When you say it was your mindset. I am all about mindset. But, like, how, like, what did, how did you do that? Like, what, what advice do you want to give somebody? Listening? Because I don't. I just don't see most women thinking that way. I would. I would love them to. I just don't see that.

Well, I think, you know, when I was diagnosed with leukemia 11 years ago, and I know that you want to talk about that in just a little bit, you know, I was healthy up to that point, but then I realized that I really had to focus on my health. And I think that women need to make health their priority. And what can I do to make this next chapter my best chapter? You know, so many people are worried about, you know, dementia and, you know, other things and cancer and heart disease. And, you know, I think it's like classic textbook that if you, you know, eat a clean diet and, you know, try to get some movement in and some exercise, you know, hydrate, stay out of the sun. I mean, all the classics, I just think that's helpful. But again, you're right. I think a lot of people are stuck and they're like, in this fixed mindset, and it is tough. And if you don't have support, if you're living in an environment that is conducive to bad eating or.

Not moving or not going out for walks or doing whatever at 70, then it is tough. It's really tough.

Talk to me about the leukemia. Where did that come from? Did you have any symptoms and. And how did you even navigate that diagnosis? And what was the prognosis at the time when you were told that?

Well, it was funny 11 years ago. I mean, I get an annual physical every year. I went in for a physical and they called me and said my blood work was bad and I had to go back, and I was mad.

So you were 57 when this happened, correct?

I was 56.

Okay, 56. So you get your regular physical and you. Were you feeling good when you had the physical or did you know something?

Yeah, no symptoms, no nothing. So I go back in for another blood test, and it comes back bad again. And then this time they said me to a hematologist who just happens to be an oncologist.

Okay.

And so at the time, I was prepping for a show, and I had a show in Seattle for a week, and this was a huge show. Like 1200 people. Big, big show. And it was a show that I was doing as a warm up before the big nationals. And I walk in there and he. We started talking and then I just said, you know what? What? I need to stop this conversation. I said, I don't want to know what my prognosis is because I have a big show coming up. And if it's bad news, then that's, you know, that's going to affect my performance. I said, so I'm going to leave and I'll come back next week. And thank God I did that, because when I went back, he said, well, that was probably a smart move, but you do have leukemia. Now. There's different forms of leukemia and I have chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which is a very slow growing cancer. So if I have to have cancer, that's a good one to have.

And it's a blood cancer, Correct?

It's a blood and bone marrow cancer. So I immediately go into overdrive thinking, okay, I really need to pay attention to my liver and my G and my gallbladder because they are detoxifiers. And I really have to be mindful now of what I'm putting in my body. Not that I'm eating bad, but now I really have to be mindful. And, you know, so I immediately started cutting back on my alcohol. Back then, and with me competing, I was, I was actually, you know, cutting back quite a bit too. But to this day, I still haven't had any treatment and I still have no symptoms. I would still never know that I'm sick.

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So that's wild. So do you, do you think, hey, saying that is pretty powerful, do you think. Because I have this theory that, oh, with the on of all these tests, like we have so much data and testing now and specialties that we almost can feel fine and now start not feeling fine because of all the tests. So sometimes I think you get the diagnosis or you find the trigger. And now you would go down this whole rabbit hole of something is. Is bad or something's wrong. Right. And when that, when you were told that I know you sort of explained the actual things that happened. But in your brain, did you go to scared or did you go to. That's not me. I'm not owning it. Like, where did your brain go go?

No, it was one of those. I was shocked. I couldn't believe it's happening to me. No one else in my family has had this. Where did this come from? I, you know, I just, I was in like disbelief because I, I felt great and I didn't feel bad and I did a lot of research on it and then I, that's when I just decided, okay, this is how it's going to be. I do not want to go through chemo. I do not want.

Do they want you to?

Well, not at that point. I have a great oncologist and he's really big on watch and wait. And so, yeah, so no drugs yet. And that's, that's been my goal. And so I started going to a homeopath and I started doing acupuncture and you know, with, I'm a really, I'm really big on to keeping up with biohacking and, you know, all the trends and stuff like that. So I'm, you know, taking peptides now and it's just, you know, it's just a combination of things. But, you know, my goal is I don't want to go through chemo. Leukemia does not have a cure cure. But there are people out there who have had what I have, you know, and lived for 20 years, 28 years, 30 years. The average age of a person with this condition is 10 to 12. So I feel very fortunate, you know, knock on wood, that, you know, I still feel good and I still haven't had any treatment.

So do you. Is it something you just go back and test every six months? Like, what do you do to make sure it's not progressing or.

Yeah, so I do blood work every six months and luckily I started taking a specific bioregulator peptide that works on the bone marrow, and my last two or three visits to my oncologist, my numbers have gone down slightly.

Wow, that's promising.

Yeah, so that's very promising. And he's very happy about that. And luckily for me, I have an oncologist who is very proactive, as far as, you know, me seeing a. I have a homeopathic oncologist out here where I live in Scottsdale, and he's big on letting me, you know, pursue that route, too. So that's.

That's amazing.

So what would.

What advice based on your wisdom around that? Because so many midlife women will get if they haven't already gotten a cancer diagnosis of some sort. And I just. I really believe cancer does not discriminate. Like, you could be doing all the right things and they're still a thing. You know, I. I just think it doesn't discriminate. What advice do you want women that get that scary diagnosis to know from you, your wisdom, looking out from the.

Outside now, I want them to be proactive. I don't want them to say or think, okay, I have cancer and then be a victim and just sit back and let it consume them. Do all the research, do all the things. Look at treatments, look at supplements. Start listening to podcasts. I learned so much. I mean, I'm a podcast junkie. I listen to podcasts all the time, but I listen to all these podcasts asking questions with my homeopathic oncologist, my gun with my oncologist. And so I really think. And then also too, you know, eating, you know, eating a clean diet and. And working out is, you know, two big factors if you're going to be, you know, you don't want your body. Your body's already inflamed now and has all this inflammation from the cancer diagnosis. So I don't want to be eating all this junk food and all this inflammatory food just to, you know, cancer thrives on sugar. So I don't want to be eating all this junk food to help the, you know, the. The cancer grow.

So you're like a total example of you have cancer but doesn't have you. Like, that's what I'm hearing. Like, you literally have the diagnosis. It's in you, but you haven't lived the life of the person with that.

You're.

You're almost living. Like, how do I make my body inhospitable to it? Like, it's, okay, fine, I have it, but that doesn't have to mean a death sentence or it doesn't have to mean decline. Like that's what I'm hearing from you.

That is correct. And I rarely think about it. I mean, it's a part of me now, and it's. It's. But I just look at it as another layer. It doesn't define me. It doesn't. It doesn't, you know, show who I am. I don't talk about it. I don't go to work and, you know, and I don't, you know, I don't play the victim when, you know, things come up when I'm like, oh, I could. I could pull out. I could pull out the cancer card here. I wonder.

It makes me wonder how many people have a diagnosis but don't talk about it like they don't own it? Like you're saying, like, you just don't own the diagnosis or the label. Because I feel like we only hear the ones owning it and talking about it. Right. So it's. I wonder if there's, like, a whole segment of people that just don't own it. And I'll share. Like, when I just had my. My disc replacement surgery recently. After the surgery, I joined some random Facebook on disc replacement, and I quickly unjoined it because it was so depressing. Everyone complaining about how it didn't work and they hated it and the pain and. And I was like, I don't want to be part of that. And I mentioned to my surgeon, and he's like, well, yeah, because nobody happy joins those groups. So it just had me think, like, when we have a diagnosis, what do we. That information? Are we accepting it as a new identity or are we redefining it? Like, that's what I'm hearing from you is like, you have it. It's part of you, but you're not changing your. You're not going in a. A downward spiral because of it.

I'm not. And I also belong to a Facebook group with. It's a. It's a CLL Facebook group. And it's. It's also depressing. I haven't unjoined it, but everybody. It's a. Whoa, whoa is me. It's. It's a. It's a venue where people can just vent, I think. Yeah. Just basically, I've learned a couple of things. You know, I have asked if and when I do have to start, you know, something, you know, what are the drugs? I want to do research on that. But my goal is, you know, so far, so good. I'm still in. There's four stages, there's zero. And then Stage one, two, three, four. I'm still on stage zero.

Oh, so that's like you, they really caught early. Like it's a really like this. But the fact that you've kept it at Bay for 11 years tells us something about your lifestyle. Big time.

Big time. Big time. I think. Yeah.

Okay. I want to ask you about you. You mentioned eating clean many times and I feel like that's a, it's an interesting statement, eating clean. And I, I could go on a whole rant about what that means because I think it means so many different things to different people. But I would love your definition of eating clean. And is it your all the time eating and does it change during your competitions?

It definitely changes during my competitions. I eat, you know, as far as, you know, eating clean.

Very strict are my competitions. I usually get a cheat meal once a week. It might be a cheeseburger or pizza or something like that. But as far as like, I'm not in competition prep right now, so eating clean for me is like 80, 85% clean. So for example, this morning I actually, you know, I got up and I went to the gym super early, but I came home and I had chicken, roasted brussels sprouts. Sprouts. And roasted butternut squash for breakfast.

So vegetables and lean protein.

Yes. Before I started competing, the thought of having chicken for breakfast was like, excuse me, what? But now, I mean that's kind of normal. I'll either do that or I'll do eggs. Mid morning snack, I had some egg whites with some capers and like a, like a teaspoon of avocado mayo. I'll have a salad with salmon and spinach and then a bunch like artichokes and a bunch of vegetables. I might do a protein shake this aftern. And then tonight for dinner I actually think I have a steak that I'm going to grill and.

Okay, so you eat, you eat very. That's a very fitness competitor type of eating. So if I'm hearing you correctly, you're. So I would imagine just based on what you said, you focus on lean proteins, you focus on eating frequent small meals, you focus on eating probably pretty close to your ideal body weight and protein. You're having vegetables as your primary carb and you're probably lower on the fat. Is that what I'm gathering from what you said?

I am. And it's interesting because you and I both discussed this earlier, that we both had our DNA analyzed. And prior to having my DNA DNA analyzed, I was eating a lot of complex carbs, mainly Just to help me with, you know, building muscle. And that apparently, according to my raw DNA, is not good for me.

Yes, me either. Like, you're talking about quinoa, brown rice, things like that. Oatmeal.

Yes. And so I was told that if I'm going to do a complex carb. Sweet potatoes or rice. Yep. And do it occasionally. So, you know, like, for a couple of two or three days, I'll just mainly focus on, you know, greens and vegetables, and then I'll throw in a sweet potato at one meal or something like that. Not very conducive to building muscle. I mean, but, you know, for me, my glucose, just making that small little change, dropped 10 points.

And for anyone listening, I just want to share what she just shared for how she's eating. That's specific for fitness competing. So, like, I would advise, I think, first of all, I want to say everyone's super unique. Like, we're all unique, and there's modifications. But I do advise with women to. To have a little bit more fat. They don't necessarily have to eat every few hours, and they don't also have to eat their body weight and protein. So I just want to just set that tone. It's different goals, different things for different people. I can tell you I do not eat as much protein as you eat, Helen. But no right or wrong, which is different. Different builds, different. Different things. But I also heard in what you shared you're very limiting on alcohol. You really watch the sugar. You're not having the sugar unless it's a very sporadic thing. And it sounded like mere fats. You're probably more like avocado or avocado oil or olive oil. Is that accurate?

Very accurate, yes.

So you're staying away from, like, the. The trendy stuff, like the tallow right now. And I don't. I'm not buying into right now.

Right. Like, I mean, I love salads, but I just make my own salad dressing. Olive oil and then some, you know, mustard, like a Dijon mustard or a. Like little balsamic vinegar or something like that. Yeah.

And I'm also hearing something that doesn't get talked about enough, that I think the fitness world. So what we took from the fitness world was the protein. Right. Protein. And we at one point took the small, frequent meals. But what we didn't take from that, and we need to. Is the fiber, because you're eating a lot of fiber with those vegetables. And I think women are not getting nearly enough fiber.

And that's a problem. Yes. And I Was recently, I was. This past year, I've had some health stuff going on. I was diagnosed with multiple mold. I was living in a house that had mold. I ended up moving out, and I just got another test done, and the mold is gone, which is great. But I've also been having some unexplained bloating and some stomach issues. Come to find out I have dysbiosis, which is a imbalance of good and bad bacteria in your. In your gut. And a lot of that has to do with not enough fiber. Yep.

I can see that the low carb trend is really crushing the fiber needs. And I'm. It does concern me with people not getting enough fiber. Fiber.

So I started taking. I think it's called Optylene. It's like a little fiber, you know, in water. First thing in the morning, I'm eating, like, more apples. You know, I'm trying to eat an apple a day. So I really need my fiber to come up. Yep. And. But that, to me, is, you know, a lot of us don't. Don't think about, you know, eating fiber when we're just on our, you know, whatever. Like, oh, I need to eat this because I need more fiber. Yes. Now this is. Now that I know this diagnosis, now I'm like, I need to focus in on getting, you know, more fiber in for sure.

You mentioned hrt. I want to talk about that for a minute, because my viewpoint is forever changing on air to hrt. You know, it used to be I was scared of it. I watched, you know, 20 the Women's Health Initiative initially scared everybody. Then I became, like, a full fan, and I'm like, oh, gosh. I think everyone's wrong that says we don't need it.

I'm.

I'm somewhere in the middle now. I think we're all very unique. I think we all eliminate things differently. Our bodies are different. It's all very unique. Very unique. Like, there's not a one size fits all. Everyone needs this or doesn't need that. But you mentioned HRT. You are 68 years old, so you. You are postmenopausal. A lot of women ask and they're scared or they're told they cannot do HRT Post menopausal. When did you start it? Are you on all three Sex? Like, what? Tell us more about your journey with that and your belief set around that.

I started HRT maybe around 55, when I started getting hot flashes. I'm like, I'm done with this. I'm not going through this. And then as I approached 60, my OB GYN was like, let's. I really feel like I need to wean you off of this. And I'm like, okay, fine. But then I won this big bodybuilding show, and then I'm with the gym, and I'm. I'm working my, you know, tail off, trying to put on muscle, and I'm like, okay, this is not working. And so, like, a year later, a couple years later, later, I went in for another hormone panel, got it back, and just as I suspected, everything was zero across the board. Yeah. And I went into my OBGYN, who I had been going to for, let's say, 15 years, and she looked at it and she goes, I don't see what's wrong. And I said, well, I'm a bodybuilding competitor. And I said, you know, I don't have any sex drive anymore. I'm having a hard time putting on muscle. My libido is horrible. And I have. I'm a competitor, but my stomach is bloated. And I said, I think that can be a lack of. Of estrogen. She refused to put me on HRT because, you know, at my age, I didn't need it. And then she suggested that I go get cool sculpting for my bloating.

Oh, wow. Wow.

So I. I was furious. I stood up and I just walked out, and then I never walked back. So. But yeah, so I went, and I am on hrt, and. And it's life changing for me. It's. It's wonderful. My. It's. It's helped me, you know, in the gym. It's helped me help my libido.

Are you on estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone?

Yes.

Okay. And you don't worry about not having a. So the thing that comes up for me, and I'm gonna ask this, and I know you're not a doctor, but I'm curious when we. My only concern, and I, believe me, I'm post menopause, and I'm also on hrt. But my concern is when we don't have a period, we don't have a way to clear excess estrogen, for example. And I think that there's somewhere in the middle. It's not talked about enough because we. We hear. I think that part of the reason. Reason doctors sometimes don't want people on it post menopause is depending on your detox pathways and your DNA and whatever. If you don't clear it, where does that estrogen go? Like, does it go into your fat Cells. Does it go into your breast tissue? Like, does it go like, did. Was that something you ever looked into? Do you have any concern. Do you do do regular ultrasound testing? Like, I'm just curious how you've navigated that as a real life woman going through this.

Yeah, no, you're right. And I have looked into it somewhat, but just through testing and through my doctor. So far all is good. I know there was a lot of studies years ago about, you know, HRT over the age of 60. You know, it's going to, it's going to cause cancer. And for me they're like, you already have cancer. But I've talked to many a doctor, both my oncologist and my wellness doctor and they're both like, and my OB GYN here and they're all like, you're good.

Yeah, that's great, that's great. And you started it. So you were on it, you stopped it and then you started again. So for those asking, can you start at postmenopausal? The answer it to answer is yes, if you're educated on it and yes, if you find a provider that's going to help you with it and that is knowledgeable around it. So I don't think we should take either answer. You shouldn't take a no, absolutely not. And you shouldn't take, oh yeah, we give it to everyone. It's. I think there's a detective thing in the middle of learning yourself and understanding.

Absolutely.

And being responsible and testing. You mentioned peptides and I want to. Peptides is the big, long, big, large category and it's gotten more popular lately because of GLPs and things like that. That. But you mentioned peptides which to me, I personally, me just Natalie with a mic here would be scared of peptides with a cancer diagnosis because it is pro growth. If you think of peptides, how do you navigate or learn about that? How did you. And you mentioned that one of your oncologists is on board with it. So if you could speak into that a little bit.

Well, you're right. And there are, but there are peptides that are specifically, you know, growth as far as human, you know, as far as a human growth factor. Those I stay away from. You know, I've done a lot of research and I'm on BPC157, but that's also growth.

BBC137 is growth. It helps grow vascular and growth. So that's why I'm asking that.

Yeah, yeah, well, I am on that. But I've been doing you Know, as far as blood work and monitoring, everything. And you know, so far everything is good. I tore my rotator cuff a year and a half ago throwing my great nephews up in the air.

Wow.

And so I am taking some, you know, sporadically TB 500. Okay.

And then the GHKCU, you know, copper for, you know, skin. Yeah, yeah. But that. And then these bioregulator peptides. And the bioregulators are a little bit different. They specifically target a specific organ. And so I'm specifically focusing on my bone marrow right now. And.

Amazing.

I'm taking one for.

Cartilage also.

That's amazing. And you do that through a doctor, I'm assuming, like you see you get. So yes. You work with a doctor that. So somebody that's educated on peptides specifically.

Yes, yes.

What are your thoughts on all of these? There's a lot of like coaches and groups now becoming peptide experts. What's your, is your thought process like everyone should learn themselves and do it themselves or do you like going through a doctor? What's your personal take on that?

I like going through a doctor because I like also going through, you know, I want to make sure that what I'm getting is pure and clean and third party tested. There's so many peptide companies out there now and you don't really know what you're getting. You're right. There's a lot of peptide experts out there or who are, I think, you know, are pretty knowledgeable. I do listen to them, but I do all my own research too. And so I don't take what they say. I mean, I don't want to say that I they. That what they say is God's word. Yeah. But I do listen and I'm like, okay, that, that sounds interest, you know, interesting. I'll do some research on it. I'm like that, that p. That peptide is not for me. I, you know, because my leukemia is my, you know, main source of concern right now. So I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize that. But I'm all about. I actually in Your DO interviewed Dr. Foray, Suzanne Foray, I don't know if you're familiar with her, she's a peptide specialist in Georgia. But there's a lot of great women out there like her. There's a gal here in Scottsdale that I work with and I feel very safe going in and speaking with them. So if you want to go into peptides, I would highly suggest finding someone who's reputable because, you know, reconstituting your own peptides and all that stuff that can be a little scary.

Tell us about. I want to hear about your book and your podcast for a minute. I want listeners to hear where they can find you with that. But I also want to know, know if you could talk to your younger self right now. Like if you were to talk to your 40 year old self, and I'm specifically saying 40 because I think most of my listeners are in their 40s, like a lot of them are in their 40s. What would you tell your 40 year old self? What would you want that person to know?

I would just tell my younger self that, you know, life just keeps getting better. And I was in my 20s, I was married and divorced, 30s, still trying to find my way. 40s, I finally started getting some grammar.

But I still, looking back now, I didn't have the knowledge that, that I have now. I'm much more secure with who I am as a person and I believe in myself. A lot of women don't believe in themselves. I don't think so. They have a hard time trying to fulfill their dreams, wishes, goals, desires, because they don't have enough confidence in themselves to take that first step. But it's all about taking that first step. And in my 40s, 30s, I didn't realize that back then that, you know.

Life does go on and life will get better and just follow your gut, follow your path, eyes always forward and never look back. So good.

So good. Tell us about your where everyone can find your podcast and book and what made you write that book.

Well, my podcast I started right after I won my pro card and because I had women on social media reaching out to me and saying, how did you do this? And I just kept saying, age is irrelevant. And then I thought, you know, I need to start a podcast called Age is Irrelevant. And I can interview women who have very inspiring motivational, inspirational stories. And some of the women are just incredible. Their, their stories, I mean, started fitness in their 60s and 70s and now they're world champions. That's really great. And as far as my book, Life Lessons from the Overhead Big Bin, it basically says that we as women go through life with all this baggage and we just keep putting this baggage in the overhead bin. And we never unpack and we never rearrange. We're always just putting more stuff into our suitcases and lugging more and more around where you have permission to unpack and you have permission to let go. And you know how important community is with, you know, women. Our age and that the best is yet to to come. So good. So good.

Thank you so much Helen for being here today. Thank you, thank you.

Thanks for tuning in to Midlife Conversations today. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it and tag me, Natalie, Jill Fitz and our guests on social media. The best way to support the show is by leaving a review. Send a screenshot of your review to support NatalieJill fitness.com for a free digital DSR journal down download and just a friendly reminder, I'm here with a microphone, not a medical degree. Half the time I'm sharing things that I read on the Internet or learned just as you were learning it while I'm interviewing the guest. I'm not an MD or your therapist or your mom, though I do give excellent mom style pep talks. This podcast is purely for entertainment, curiosity and educational purposes. When in doubt, please ask your own doctor. For advertising inquiries, contact sales admintegory3ca and this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek advice from your physician. Some episodes of midlife conversation may be sponsored by products or services and I may receive compensation for advertisement of your purchases through affiliate links.

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