Feeling Guilty, Menopause & Overthinking Long Runs

05/14/24 • 46 min

In this episode, Lou covers a range of topics, from struggling with hitting protein goals for breakfast to tips on not overthinking before a long run. She also addresses the use of creatine in a fat loss phase, the impact of menopause on fitness and health, and the common feeling of guilt when missing a workout. With practical advice and personal insights, the host encourages listeners to prioritize their health and well-being while navigating challenges in their fitness journey.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Focus on what you can do during busy weeks, prioritize self-care, and avoid feeling guilty for missing workouts.
Monitor symptoms, consider protein intake before bed, engage in short burst workouts, and prioritize self-care with a "golden hour."
Creatine can be beneficial for performance and muscle growth, even during a fat loss phase, but may lead to temporary water weight gain.
Shift focus from guilt to understanding the reasons behind missed workouts and prioritize overall health and well-being.
Emphasize protein intake, consider post-dinner walks, and practice strict fasting between meals for better digestion and glucose management.

BEST MOMENTS

"Struggling with hitting protein goals for breakfast. I have oats and berries but hate the idea of adding protein powder to them. Any tips here?"

"Any tips on not overthinking and getting in your own head before going for a long run? It's making me hate the run."

"Do diet breaks slash cheat meals help avoid the plateau when we diet?"

"How to balance work life and exercise without feeling guilty?"

"I'm in a fat loss phase. Is creatine useless in this sort of area?"

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://linktr.ee/theexerciseengineer
[email protected]

HOST BIO

Lou's personal journey with body confidence and food struggles began at the age of 15, where overeating and guilt around food consumed her. But everything changed during the lockdown in March 2020. Determined to regain control, Lou immersed herself in research, found joy in working out in her garden, and started tracking her nutrition and steps. Surprisingly, she lost a stone in less than three months and discovered a newfound love for fitness.

Fueling her passion, Lou pursued personal training qualifications and launched her Instagram page in September 2020. After months of building a solid foundation, branding, and gaining relevant expertise, she started helping others achieve what once felt impossible—losing fat, feeling empowered, and loving the journey without restrictions. With numerous success stories, digital products, and a thriving membership program called Train with Lou, Lou now coaches, teaches, and learns about food, exercise, and mindset.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Focus on what you can do during busy weeks, prioritize self-care, and avoid feeling guilty for missing workouts.
Monitor symptoms, consider protein intake before bed, engage in short burst workouts, and prioritize self-care with a "golden hour."
Creatine can be beneficial for performance and muscle growth, even during a fat loss phase, but may lead to temporary water weight gain.
Shift focus from guilt to understanding the reasons behind missed workouts and prioritize overall health and well-being.
Emphasize protein intake, consider post-dinner walks, and practice strict fasting between meals for better digestion and glucose management.

BEST MOMENTS

"Struggling with hitting protein goals for breakfast. I have oats and berries but hate the idea of adding protein powder to them. Any tips here?"

"Any tips on not overthinking and getting in your own head before going for a long run? It's making me hate the run."

"Do diet breaks slash cheat meals help avoid the plateau when we diet?"

"How to balance work life and exercise without feeling guilty?"

"I'm in a fat loss phase. Is creatine useless in this sort of area?"

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://linktr.ee/theexerciseengineer
[email protected]

HOST BIO

Previous Episode

The Mindset behind the 100km Ski Erg WR with Sophie Bennett

In today's episode, Lou cats to world record holder and entrepreneur, Sophie Bennett. Sophie shares insights into her journey of achieving world records, including completing a 100-kilometer ski erg challenge. She delves into the concept of building resilience through incremental progress and the importance of setting achievable goals. Sophie also emphasizes the significance of surrounding oneself with individuals pursuing similar challenges to stay motivated and overcome mental barriers.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Embrace discomfort as a means to push your limits and achieve your goals.
Break down challenges into smaller, manageable tasks to build up resilience over time.
Being around people who are working towards similar goals can provide motivation and inspiration.
Plan ahead and set up systems to make it easier to take the first step towards your goals.
Begin with small steps, such as running for 10 minutes or setting achievable daily goals, to build momentum towards larger accomplishments.

BEST MOMENTS

"If I know I can do 5K on the ski erg, then I know I can do 10, because once you've done five, you've only got five to go. And if you know you can do 10, then you know you can do 20, because you've only got 10 to go."

"Doing something hard isn't doing something that is out there and obscene and new and extraordinary and all these things. Doing something hard is doing something you've never done before."

"Just because I do hard things doesn't mean I have to do every hard thing."

"For me, for business, getting started was the fear of having a 9-to-5. The fear of four weeks annual leave gives me the heebie-jeebies. Honestly, I just can't. I have so much to do. I can't fit that into four weeks! There's so much of the world to see."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://linktr.ee/theexerciseengineer
[email protected]

HOST BIO

Next Episode

How I Grew my Social Media & What To Do If You’re Not Getting Fat Loss Results

In this episode, Lou shares her insights on growing social media and creating engaging content. She discusses her journey from being an engineer to a fitness coach, and how she has grown her social media following to over 21,500 followers. Lou emphasizes the importance of consistency, value, and variety in content creation, sharing practical tips for coaches and individuals looking to improve their social media presence. She also looks at the significance of filming everyday activities to create quick and engaging content, utilizing different styles and formats to keep the audience interested.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Consistency is key in content creation, even if the results are not immediate.
Film everything you do to have a variety of content to work with.
Utilize different styles of content creation, such as point of view reels, trending audios, face-to-camera, voiceovers, and client reviews.
Repurpose content by creating different variations of the same idea in various styles.
Use simple editing tools like CapCut to quickly and easily create engaging content from everyday activities.

BEST MOMENTS

"I think a lot of people are in my position where this is their full-time job as well. And social media is a full-time job."

"So do the stuff that you do every day. And then just film it all. Having little short bursts of clips of your whole life makes it so easy to put it into a full day's worth."

"The more different reels, the more different points of view, the different angles of you running that you can get, the better."

"I think that's a really solid bit of advice. Because again, the other day we were flying and I was like, I need a piece of content. I need to make something now."

"It's one of those things where that happens. Now, where it comes to like how do you action that yourself what you said with the pillars perfect."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://linktr.ee/theexerciseengineer
[email protected]

HOST BIO