During your youth, did you ever experience the invincible energy that faded into a sedentary shuffle as you became an adult? After witnessing this poignant transformation, Louisa Valentin's mission was to reignite the spark of wellness in women's lives. Throughout this episode, Louisa shares inspiring anecdotes and sage advice. She also shares her experiences as a nurse witnessing the stark health realities of a stationary lifestyle. Through her empowering message, she guides us through the maze of lifestyle choices that impact our well-being, emphasizing the importance of movement.
We then focus on Louisa Valentin, who discusses the art of caring for oneself and the power of personal empowerment. Women championing one another to prioritize health, guilt-free, in a community where humor and inspiration blend.That's what Louisa's Fit and Fab Tribe is all about. It's Louisa's tale that provides a clarion call for women to set a good example, not just for their families, but for themselves as well. If you're ready to embrace a legacy of health, humor, and empowerment, this episode is the one for you.
Confidence & Weight Loss Coach
https://www.facebook.com/CoachingWithLouisa/
With 4Freedom, all your communications, internet activity, and app usage are encrypted using multiple layers of robust, military-grade encryption algorithms that surpass the standards used by the NSA.
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During your youth, did you ever experience the invincible energy that faded into a sedentary shuffle as you became an adult? After witnessing this poignant transformation, Louisa Valentin's mission was to reignite the spark of wellness in women's lives. Throughout this episode, Louisa shares inspiring anecdotes and sage advice. She also shares her experiences as a nurse witnessing the stark health realities of a stationary lifestyle. Through her empowering message, she guides us through the maze of lifestyle choices that impact our well-being, emphasizing the importance of movement.
We then focus on Louisa Valentin, who discusses the art of caring for oneself and the power of personal empowerment. Women championing one another to prioritize health, guilt-free, in a community where humor and inspiration blend.That's what Louisa's Fit and Fab Tribe is all about. It's Louisa's tale that provides a clarion call for women to set a good example, not just for their families, but for themselves as well. If you're ready to embrace a legacy of health, humor, and empowerment, this episode is the one for you.
Confidence & Weight Loss Coach
https://www.facebook.com/CoachingWithLouisa/
With 4Freedom, all your communications, internet activity, and app usage are encrypted using multiple layers of robust, military-grade encryption algorithms that surpass the standards used by the NSA.
You can start your secure account today:
https://www.4freedommobile.com?ref=bridgebuilders
My guest today is Suisa Valentin. As a nurse of almost 20 years, her love to help others is not surprising. She is not here to coddle you or make you think positive. She is here to empower you. The goal is to shift those thoughts that you have that can shift your outcomes. Stop putting yourself last, she would say. Show yourself and the world what you're capable of. You can achieve your goals with self-love, confidence and the right support system. Welcome, Luisa to the podcast. Well, it's so good to have you on the show today. How are you doing today from New York City?
Speaker 2:Hey, keith, thank you for having me. It's definitely a pleasure and I'm actually feeling really good. Even though it's February, the weather is pretty nice, as you can see, I have on a tank top here and I'm doing okay.
Speaker 1:Well, that's good For February in New York, it's 50 here in Iowa, so we're also doing fabulous. Our pigs are very happy.
Speaker 2:The outnumbering pigs. Outnumbering pigs right.
Speaker 1:I love to ask my guests this question, kind of get a chance to know you a little bit better. So what's the best piece of advice you ever received?
Speaker 2:There is so much and I knew this question was coming and I narrowed it down to two. If that's okay with you, that's good, all right. The first one, probably from my mom, the first time I heard it was if you don't move it, you lose it. So take that as just make sure you're using whatever it is, whether it's your brain, your muscles, knowledge that you have Just always keep on moving so that you don't lose whatever that acquired skill is, or even your natural ability.
Speaker 1:That reminds me of the song from Madagascar Well, you have to move it, move it, but that's a different topic.
Speaker 2:Yes, I love that song. Okay, I dance to that in high school, high school Age, age showing.
Speaker 1:Oh no, that makes me feel really old. I shouldn't have asked that, I shouldn't have gotten it. Your other best piece of advice was oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:So if you really want to learn something, teach it. Teach it to somebody else, because then excuse me, teach it, because then you're really going to learn it, versus just remembering it for a time being. So as you give your knowledge to others, it really becomes ingrained in your own mind and even creates further clarity for you as you're teaching.
Speaker 1:That makes a lot of sense because it is. You have to know it at a different level to share it with somebody else. And you realize, as you're teaching somebody else the parts of that, you missed yourself because you got to go back and kind of fine tune the parts that still like, okay, I didn't quite explain that right, so let me go back and learn that skill a little bit better. I like that. It's really good. You have to borrow those and say, as Keith always said, I always like to ask my guest. This question kind of give you a chance to think back to people in your life who have a different phases or maybe even just throughout your journey, have been a blessing to you. So who does people want to kind of give a shout out to who have been so important in your life?
Speaker 2:Well, other than my amazing parents, who, even though they drive me crazy sometimes, they've always been a huge support in any crazy idea or anything that I've wanted to do. They've never put it on me that I can't do it. So, first and foremost, them, and also the people that I work with, because them being able to share and trust me to be a part of their journey, of their growth, of their learning, is really inspiring to me and it honestly truly makes me want to continue to be a better person for myself and, inevitably, for them.
Speaker 1:I love that you work a lot in the health industry healthcare department and you work a lot with women. Kind of walk me through your personal journey of how you went from being a nurse still to investing in women the way that you do, especially when it comes to areas of health.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, definitely so for me. I was an active kid. I was always moving, I was outside. I was not a computer kid, that was before my time. Okay, I always played outside and did different things. And then as you get older, as school becomes more strict, more responsibilities, it's like all right, I don't have as much time to be active, I don't have as much time for myself. I have to put my time into my studies. In high school I did nursing assistant, so that was a pretty intense program. And also when I graduated from there, I went straight into the registered nurse program and there, if I thought the nursing assistant program excuse me was intense, it got way more intense.
Speaker 2:And then you know the college freshman 15, you gain weight. You're not doing as much as you were when you were a kid. When you were younger you had all this free time. And then you get a social life. Social life is what Eating, drinking, hanging out Again, you're not outside riding a bike or riding your rollerblades like you were before, playing sports, because that's what I did all the time, and now I was doing it none of the time. So now here I am, I'm a nurse. I've been working for a few years.
Speaker 2:Now you see the freshman 15 kind of starts going up a little bit and I was in denial. It was like, okay, well, I grew up, life happens, et cetera, et cetera. And then I'm here watching my patients become like a prisoner in their own body. They can't move, they don't have energy, nothing is sustained, their health concerns are becoming health diseases where it's no longer a risk. And then I'm also seeing this from my family members.
Speaker 2:I see people you know, obesity is big in America and with growing waist sizes there's less and less activity and I was becoming a part of that population and just kind of ignoring it, ignoring myself, ignoring all of that. And it's weird because something very superficial is what made me realize I needed to turn myself around. I saw this picture of myself and I was kind of hiding, and it wasn't so much that I didn't like the way my body looked. I saw it in my face. I saw that I was becoming trapped from my body. I was a prisoner from it, even if it was only at that point in my mind, but I could see the sadness in my eyes, I could see how I was hiding who I was. I could see that I just I wasn't happy, and that was when I made the decision that something needed to change, so I wouldn't continue down this road that I was definitely headed towards.
Speaker 1:You're not alone in that journey you talk about, and a lot of people feel that way too. It's like I really gotta turn this thing around For people who are maybe in the same spot you were. What are some advice? You have to kind of get off the couch and maybe put down that extra piece of pizza, maybe put the pizza away altogether and begin to say I do wanna make a shift in how I do things.
Speaker 2:Yeah, one piece of advice that I would start with is start small. So often we try to go from doing nothing to doing everything, and at first, yeah, we're motivated, it feels so good, we're inspired, and then life happens. And then, oh, I can't quite do this today, I can't go to the gym. Or oh, this salad is really boring and I'm tired of baked chicken and brown rice and broccoli. And you start creeping back into the old habits and when you do that, usually it ends up being that you completely dismiss the positive habits that you were incorporating into your life.
Speaker 2:So now if you were to take smaller steps, for me, I love to encourage people. Instead of trying to cut everything out right away, bring something healthy in. So, instead of saying, okay, you can't have any pizza anymore, that's it, it's over. You can still have your pizza, but let's have that salad first. Let's start there. Fill up some of the belly, right. Instead of saying, okay, you can never have soda, ever again. Okay, I'm gonna make sure I get X amount of water in before I allow myself to have a soda or a pop, depending on what part of the world you're in, and you can still enjoy things. Enjoy life, and it doesn't become a punishment. Instead of saying I'm going to the gym six days a week, just get off your couch and walk, walk around the block 10 minutes, 10 minutes. If you're doing nothing and you start at 10 minutes, it is going to do something for your mental health as well as your physical health.
Speaker 1:I went to your website because I like to check out my guests before I have them on, and you have a lot of content on there and I saw that your focus is on women. How is what you work with women maybe different than how you'd work with men, or do you work with men at all?
Speaker 2:So I have worked with a few men, but we all have to have a demographic and also, being a woman myself, it's just easier for women to identify with me because I would have many of the same issues that they've had. Because when you think of working out in personal trainers, oftentimes people think of men and going to the weight section. A lot of women feel intimidated by that because that's where you see all the big muscle guys or all the men working out. And not to say that men do not have these concerns, because I know for a fact that they do. It's just not my same journey, my same perspective, which is why I've decided to concentrate on the female population. But I'm not gonna say to a man no, I cannot and will not work with you. If you identify with me in any way, if my message speaks to you, let's have a conversation and see if we can work together. Otherwise, I'd rather point you in the direction to somebody who can better fit your needs than I can.
Speaker 1:So what message do you have for women? So if I'm a client who's coming to you, I wanna get my life healthier. What message do you have for me?
Speaker 2:You deserve it so often and again. Sorry, but women in general are usually prioritizing everybody else's needs above their own. They're taking care of the family, the households, their partners and their families. Especially in this age group where I am, where a lot of women are sandwiched between that taking care of their parent population and also still having fairly young children that when is their time to prioritize themselves. And when we don't give ourselves the care that we need, we honestly have a lot less to give to those that we love because we're so tired and frustrated and we don't have the energy to pour into anyone.
Speaker 1:I love that Cause I had a woman on my podcast who talked about mommy guilt and you just kind of identified some of that. It was like there was just no room in my schedule for myself take care of myself, and so she felt really guilty even asking for time for herself. So how do you overcome that mindset to say it is okay for you to stop and put some time aside for yourself, to do things for yourself, to take care of your health, even though we know it's important to be there for our family if we do that? But how do you get women permission to kind of like get over that guilt and say it's okay for you to focus on yourself?
Speaker 2:We work on mindset first, first and foremost, before anything else, because the guilt is there and just telling somebody, okay, you don't have to feel guilty, you deserve this. It doesn't quite work out that easily. So we work on the why of why they deserve it, what they are going to get from prioritizing themselves, the benefits to themselves as well as the benefits to their family, their children, because you're showing them good habits, you're showing them that it's okay to love yourself, it's okay to take care of yourself. In that you deserve your time too. Because if a child just sees, okay, mommy just puts everything on me and everything on everybody else and she's a great mommy, so that's what I should do, so that I can be great, so I can be a good person, and then your children can fall into that people pleasing agenda that many people women have also fallen into. So just working on the why and what you gain and how we can just be better for ourselves and for our children, our families, and inspire them.
Speaker 2:I have one woman that I worked with who never did anything for herself. She has young children, three young children and the oldest is six and when she started working out and eating better, her six year old, was like mommy, I don't wanna eat McDonald's, I wanna eat what you cook at home. And her I believe she has twins, the younger ones are three and the girl twin said I just wanna work out with you. Probably not in those words, but from her example her daughter now wants it to be in the room and doing the same things that mommy is doing versus them, always asking for the McDonald's, the Chick-fil-A, the whatever food item that they wanted. So, leading by example, be that example for them.
Speaker 1:I love that. So once you get the mindset right, what's the next step? Because that mindset part's a big piece. But now what am I? My mind's right, I'm inspired. What's next?
Speaker 2:Now we create accountability. So I personally like to have an accountability contract between myself and the client and Obviously you can't make anybody do something that they don't want to do. But when they feel like they have a partner that they kind of want to show up for as well, you're more likely to be there. You're more likely to do that and just being there, freaking cheerleader always, and celebrating those wins and discussing the challenges that they've had, and Never making them feel alone and then gonna meet them where they are. Not. Everybody is on the same journey. I don't say, okay, I did this. Here you go, you do it, make it fit in your life and you'll have success. Because that's just not true. Again, life happens. We're all different, so let's customize. Let's figure out your why, why you want to be on this journey, what you want to gain from it, and then let's Customize how we are going to get there for you.
Speaker 1:I love it. So now you've got the mindset, you've got accountability. What's next?
Speaker 2:So then we, we get to work. Now that we've got these goals, we break it up again small, small Challenges for them to make it through, and it's more of an invitation than a challenge, because some people don't like to be challenged. But if you're invited, okay, I Invite you to take this step. I invite you to Try these types of meal plans. I invite you to Whatever it is, and I know that is a bit too general, but it's so individualized that it's like, okay, what can, what can we do to start seeing results.
Speaker 2:And really, once the mindset truly shifts, you're not just looking for those physical results. You're looking for those feel-good feelings that that starting your workout plan is going to feel good, even if you don't see results today. Just being able to talk love and life into yourself is going to feel good, even if it takes time for you to fully believe it. Versus when you're talking all this oh, I can't do what I've failed before. Nothing ever works for me. And then you have excuse after excuse after excuse and Down, talk and down, talk and down, talk. No matter what you're trying to do, you're not going to be successful because the the body does what the mind believes, and so it really is. I, I, I don't want to say that easy or simple, but it kind of is, because it falls into place. You become that person that you're aiming for. You're taking the actions of the person you want to become. Therefore, you are that person now and everything else is just catching up.
Speaker 1:Because you're in this field and you're also in the medical field, I'm sure there are Always innovations, always new things. As you look at the horizon coming up, what's the? The next phase or next new research that we're not aware of yet, but you're on the cutting edge of.
Speaker 2:So a lot of people think, okay, I just got a, burn calories, burn calories, burn calories. So they're like move more, eat less. It's as simple as that and while a calorie deficit is important as well as moving your body, being in more of a set, steady state, cardio is is actually more helpful for People to lose weight because when we're in that high energy cardio, all of the time we create cortisol which creates a lot of that belly fat that nobody wants not women, not men, nobody wants it. But because cortisol is caused by stress. Exercise is a stress, and in small limits. That's awesome. It's doing what it's supposed to do and the reason that we gain cortisol is because it wants to put our body into that action mode and it gives us the, the means to be able to perform whatever actions. That it is for, whatever exercise and something else again.
Speaker 2:With the whole cardio thing, a lot of people think cardio, cardio, cardio. We need to do restrictive training, we need weights, we need to be able to use our muscles, because that is actually going to help us burn more fat over the long run than just doing cardio. Cardio will burn more calories in the immediate than, let's say, weight training, but weight training will burn calories for a longer period of time, and it's also just the fact that the more muscle we have, the faster our metabolisms. So therefore you're going to lose weight at a more rapid rate than if you were just doing cardio alone, because cardio is not going to impact your muscles.
Speaker 1:So I heard that as you get older, it's really really important that you keep building up muscle because as you get older, the muscles one of the first things that that goes. So what you're saying kind of feeds into what I've heard and read about. So I like the fact that do more bodybuilding or more more weight training as you get older. So tell us about as your body is changing. How important is muscle for older people?
Speaker 2:Okay, osteoporosis, injuries, that weight gain, that will happen. Quote unquote. Naturally, it doesn't have to be your normal, it doesn't have to be anybody's normal. We think of those things as okay. If you're getting older, it's just gonna happen, there's nothing you can do about it. But as you continue to build and just even maintain the muscle mass that you do have, you don't have to have aches and pains, you don't have to suffer, you don't have to worry about.
Speaker 2:Okay, my waist size is continuing to grow. Now I got to go buy new clothes. No, you can be fit and healthy at any age. I mean, just look out there. You can see the 70 year olds, men and women that look amazing. Look at Jada Pinkett Smith's mom and I know she's a celebrity, but she's who I have in my head. Okay, you wouldn't know anybody else. But yeah, like she looks amazing because she takes care of herself, she puts work into herself, and not that everybody has to try to have a six pack or the smallest ways, but it's. It's for health and it continues to affect our mental health as well. And how many people, when they see they're not feeling their best physically, they don't feel their best emotionally, they don't feel their best at all. So let's counteract these things. Let's continue to build muscle, let's continue to take care of ourselves so that again, we can have a better quality of life as we continue to age.
Speaker 1:I love that. What are you excited about in this season of your life?
Speaker 2:So I have some new things happening. I am going to start participating in hosting retreats I already have two that I'm co-hosting, one in May, one in September and let's see if something else comes in between there and I'll also be joining you in the podcast space. So, starting in March, you'll be able to find Fit and Fab with Louisa on all streaming services.
Speaker 1:You go there. That's a space to be in. I like that. I love what you do because I think what you do is so important, especially after you come out of the this last season, where so many people were just not prepared for what happened and so much of what I heard was because people just were not fit, that it was worse on people because they were not in good shape and they were bodies. When I able to fight off the disease. Thinking about what you're doing and the impact you're having on the world right now, what do you want your legacy to be?
Speaker 2:Just knowing that you get to create whatever it is that you want to achieve. Don't give anybody else that power. I wanna be able to inspire and empower others to know that if they want change, they can create it, and they can do that out of love for themselves versus out of I don't like who I am, I don't like the way I look. It's like no, I love myself. So I want to be the best version of me and continue to pour into myself.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. So where can listeners find you and connect with you? On social media and, like you said, your podcast is coming out soon. But where can they connect with you until your podcast comes out?
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, you can definitely find me on most social media sites. Just type in coaching with Louisa or Louisa Valentin Pretty easy to find. I've been told I'm very Google-able, so if you Google me, I pop up all over the place, but I love connecting with others. I have a brand new Facebook group that I just started in January Fit and Fab Tribe, so feel free to hop on, get some inspo, get some tips, get some laughs, because if you can't tell I'm a little bit of a goofball, okay, that's just my thing. So, yeah, you can find me.
Speaker 1:It must be the New Yorker in you.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:Well, louisa, thanks so much for being on the show and blessings on what you do and how you pour into women, especially Just to remind them that, yeah, you do need to take the time for yourself so you can be better, not just for yourself, but also for your family as well. So they need you to be healthy as possible. So don't feel guilty to give yourself that space. You need to continue to be healthy.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much, keith, it's been a pleasure Thanks.