EP12: Right-Sizing Your Wellness in Midlife with Linda Stephens

It's easy to feel like midlife arrived and your body suddenly started playing by a completely different set of rules. The habits that used to work no longer seem to make a difference, there's endless advice telling you what to do, and it can leave you wondering where to even begin. I sat down with women's health specialist and clinical nutritionist Linda Stephens to cut through the noise and have an honest conversation about what really changes in midlife and how to support your body without chasing perfection. You'll walk away with practical, encouraging reminders that feeling better doesn't have to mean doing everything. Sometimes it starts with understanding what's happening and taking one simple step at a time.

You'll Learn:

• Why discipline matters more than motivation when you're building healthy habits that last
• How to support your changing body with three simple daily habits: food, strength training, and hydration
• How hormonal changes in midlife can affect your energy, sleep, mood, muscle, and overall well-being
• How to advocate for yourself when you're looking for answers about menopause and hormone health
• Why midlife can be an opportunity to prioritize yourself without guilt and embrace this next season with intention
• Practical strategies for building muscle and supporting long-term bone health without spending hours in the gym

Links:

Connect with Linda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindastephensfit 

Visit Linda’s website to learn more about her services and Midlife Mastery program: https://www.lindamstephens.com/ 

Get a copy of Amy’s Best selling book: CANNONBALL! FEARLESSLY Facing Midlife and Beyond here

Make sure to share with friends and family and I would love if you could leave a review. There are so many shows out there floating around and if you are finding value in the The Right Sized Life Podcast share it with the world – a review means so much.

Sign up for the Radiant Woman Reset here

And don’t forget to follow along on all the socials:

http://instagram.com/theamy.schmidt

https://www.facebook.com/fearlesslyfacingfifty/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-schmidt-a5684412/

Get a copy of Amy’s Best selling book: CANNONBALL! FEARLESSLY Facing Midlife and Beyond here

Make sure to share with friends and family and would love if you could leave a review. There are so many shows out there floating around and if you are finding value in the The Right Sized Life Podcast share it with the world – a review means so much.

And sign up for the Radiant Woman Reset here

And don’t forget to follow along on all the socials:

http://instagram.com/theamy.schmidt

https://www.facebook.com/fearlesslyfacingfifty/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-schmidt-a5684412/

Transcript

Midlife As A New Life Bridge

SPEAKER_01 0:00

I always say this is the bridge to your new life because for the most part, most people's kids, if you have them, they're either in college or they've graduated and they're kind of doing their own thing, but they're somewhat independent. And you know what you want to do in this next chapter of your life. It's like that bridge to we did everything for our kids, we took care of our parents. You know, you said yes to things you probably didn't want to do when you're in your 30s and 40s. And now it's like, okay, you know what? This is my time now. This is my life. I don't have those responsibilities anymore, and I want to do the things that I want to do that make me feel fulfilled.

Welcome And The Right-Size Life

SPEAKER_00 0:40

Hey Fearless Friends, it's Amy. Welcome to the Right Size Life. I'm so glad you're here. If we've never met before, I'm Amy Schmidt, founder of Fearlessly Fighting Fifty best-selling author, cadet speaker, national media contributor, and this fall, the author of my newest book, The Right Size Fight. For years, I've had the privilege of encouraging women through television speaking on stages across the country, writing books, and building a community that's all about embracing life with courageous. Somewhere along the way, I realized something. The second half of life isn't asking us to do more. It's inviting us to make space for what matters most. That's what the right size life is all about. It's not having less, it's about having more food. For joke, for peace, for health, for meaningful relationships, for purpose, and for becoming the woman you're meant to be in this season of life. Each week I'll sit down with best-selling authors, experts, thought leaders, and inspiring guests for conversations that will encourage you to right-size every area of your life, from your home and your health to your calendar, your relationships, your mindset, and your dreams. Because I believe sometimes the next chapter begins with letting go. So grab your coffee, lace up your walking shoes, or settle into your favorite chair. I'm so grateful you're here. Welcome to the right size life. Let's make space for what matters most. Welcome to the Right Size Life. I'm Amy Schmidt, founder of Fearlessly Facing 50, best-selling author, TEDx speaker, and the woman who sold her family home in two days, cleared three storage units across three states, and arrived at two chairs facing the water that proved every hard decision. That's exactly right. This show is for anyone who has looked around at a full life and thought, this all looks right, so why doesn't it feel right? That feeling has a name, it's misalignment, and it's fixable. Everything is figure outable. Every week we talk about right sizing, not just your home or your stuff, but your time, your energy, your relationships, and your identity. Real stories, real frameworks, the honest conversation most people are having in their heads, but nobody's saying out loud. Because a right-sized life isn't about having less, it's about having what fits. And today's guest, she's gonna help you feel at home in your body again, which is one of the most important parts of right sizing that we haven't talked about yet on this

Where To Follow And Leave Reviews

SPEAKER_00 3:03

show. Before we introduce our guest today, I want to remind you where you can find everything about the right-size life. You can go to Instagram at theamie.schmidt. You can go to Fearlessly Facing50 on Facebook, and you can find me there, The Right Size Life with Amy Schmidt. And also you can go to Fearlessly Facing50. 50 is spelled out, S-I-F-T-Y.com, and go to the website and see 200 or more episodes of this podcast. You know, recently it transitioned from Fearlessly Facing 50 and beyond to the right size life. And so excited about this new branding and about what this has evolved into over the last six years. It's pretty crazy. Also, a big request, and you know I don't like to do this because I always feel like, oh, I'm asking them to do something, but you know what? It takes a lot of time, a lot of energy to put podcasts out there into the world every week. And I would love a review. If you are feeling this content is really, really valuable in your life, maybe share it with a friend or family member or colleague, and you know what? Leave a review. It's so helpful. And the algorithm, we all know those algorithms basically rule the world when it comes to social media and everything on the internet. So a review for the right size life with Amy Schmidt would be so appreciated. Well, let's get started with our guest.

Meet Linda Stevens And Her Work

SPEAKER_00 4:27

My guest today is someone whose work sits right at the intersection of everything we talk about on this show. Because here's what I've learned about right sizing. You can clear every shelf, protect every evening, and set every boundary. But if you don't feel good inside your own body, none of it holds the way it should. That's where Linda Stevens comes in. Linda's a women's health specialist, clinical nutritionist, motivational speaker, and a former professional bodybuilding athlete with the International Federation of Bodybuilding. She holds a master's in clinical nutrition and a personal training certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. But here's what I love most about Linda. She's not a specialist who has it all figured out and talks down to you from a place of perfect discipline. She's a mother of two young adults who's navigating her own journey alongside every woman she works with. She has days when she doesn't want to think about nutrition or movement or lab work. She carries the responsibilities. She knows what it feels like to be the person everyone depends on. And she built something called age stronger because she believes, and I could not agree more, that midlife is not the beginning of the end. It's the bridge to your new life. Well, as you heard in the intro, I'm excited to have this guest here. You know, we talk a lot about right sizing all sorts of things. I talk about our physical space, our mental space, our emotional space. And one of the things we're going to talk about today is really right sizing our wellness. That's where this really intersects. So, Linda Stevens, welcome to the show. I'm excited to have you here.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

Thanks, Amy. I'm really looking forward to doing this.

SPEAKER_00 6:01

Thank you. And, you know, we met years ago when I was living in Connecticut. And you just have taken the world by storm. I'm really proud of you. I've watched your journey over the years and how you've transitioned and how you lead women and how you really are transparent about just your own wellness journey and also about the fact that you don't have it all figured out either. And we don't need to, right?

SPEAKER_01 6:23

That's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 6:24

And I think that's a big part of it. I think, especially at the age that we are, it's so difficult sometimes for women to see on social media all these different things. It's just information overload that we just sometimes step back and we get stalled. And we think, well, why is it worth starting? Because when I look tomorrow, there's going to be something else and I don't know where to start. So we're going to really dig into that today.

Reinvention Story And HRT Decision

SPEAKER_00 6:46

But I want to start with a story. Your credentials in the intro are off the charts. It's just amazing. A former professional bodybuilder, maybe still doing that. We'll talk about it. You've got a master's in clinical nutrition, and you lead women in a mastery program for midlife that's amazing. But I want you to be really honest. Like, where did this really happen in your life where you said, All right, my passion and my purpose are intersecting. And this is why I want to spend my time encouraging and inspiring midlife women. Where was that for you?

SPEAKER_01 7:17

So that it's a two-part journey because when I worked previously in my professional career, I worked on Wall Street for years. And then I had my family in my 30s. And I've always worked out, I always exercised, took care of myself, strength trained. I wasn't competing then. That came later on. But I always took care of myself. And when I was my kids were a little bit older, a good friend of mine had said, Hey, I have a corporate gym in downtown Stanford, Connecticut. You like to work out. Why don't you get a personal training certification and teach some lunchtime exercise classes for me? So I'm like, Yeah, that's actually great. Because I could do it, you know, the kids get a little sitter, do some stuff in between. And it worked out great. And then I ended up joining a gym in Darian, Connecticut, Infinity Fitness, and I worked there for almost eight years, personal training and working with people with their health and wellness. And I went back to school and graduated in 2013 with my master's degree in clinical nutrition. And then took it to a level where I didn't want to just be a personal trainer. I wanted to have more knowledge because people were asking me, hey, I want to lose weight. I need to exercise too, but I also want to lose weight. And just having a personal training certification, like you can't really talk to people about nutrition and supplements because it's out of the scope of that training. So I went back to get more education and I just built my business as a side hustle. I was still married then. I divorced in 2017. Okay. And that's when I was like, okay, we gotta ramp this up. This needs to become a a sustainable business for me. Then I reinvented again in my early 50s. I'm 58 now. So about six years ago, when I was 52 in 2020, my body was changing in ways I did not like Amy. And being someone who like checks the boxes of the nutrition and the sleep and always doing all the things that I talk about forever, I said, why do I feel like I am falling apart? Like if this is my trajectory now for the duration, however long I'm gonna be here, this is not cool because I feel terrible and I don't accept this. But no doctors were saying, like, oh, this is menopause. This is normal. I had no clue. And then when I started to really dive into it and read and understand, and I talked to some hormone doctors because I was on the fence about HRT. Does it cause cancer? Why would I want to do that? Right. You know, and and I really dug deep into HRT and talked to some good hormone doctors, and then I made the decision to take the plunge. And I've been on HRT for about four years now, and it really, swear to God, it was like a magic wand. It just took the aches and the pains away. It took the anxiety away. I started to sleep better again. I wasn't like kind of cuckoo in the head. Like I just felt like myself again. And that's really what happened. And I said, women need to know this stuff. I developed midlife mastery a long time ago, doing it before COVID virtually, and it just kind of took on a life of its own. And then now so many people are talking about it. There's so many great doctors, you know, Sims and Dr. Von der Wright and Sarah Gottfrey. I mean, the list goes on. Exactly. But it's great, and women are more informed now, which is awesome. But you know, it's like drinking from a fire hose. Women still come to me now and go, okay, I really have no idea now what I should be doing because my doctor is telling me one thing, but other people are saying this. Can you help me figure out what's happened?

SPEAKER_00 10:30

It's challenging. It's challenging. It really is. And we do have so much information coming at us now, which is wonderful. And it's giving us the power to advocate for ourselves. I mean, I certainly go in now armed with questions, which I used to do when my mom was alive and when my dad was alive. You know, I'd go armed with the questions for them and be like, okay, talk me through this. And now I'm doing it for myself. And it does feel good. On your website, which I will put in the show notes so everybody can find you. And you work with people everywhere.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

Yes, I have clients all over the United States. I've had some international clients, which I love. Definitely within the US. I have women in almost every state.

SPEAKER_00 11:06

Yep. That's the beauty of virtual. You know, I think it was in 2020 when I met you. Let's get real about part of your website says, you know, there are days I don't want to move my body. I don't want to do lab work. I don't want to do any of that. And a lot of people can relate to that, myself included. You know, not that specific of what your profession is, but those days when you just don't want to. Walk us through your day. When you wake up and you're like, oh, I can't do it today. I know. What does that look like

Motivation Versus Discipline In Real Life

SPEAKER_00 11:31

for you?

SPEAKER_01 11:31

So that does happen. It happens probably more often than not because you know, just love that transparency. Yeah. Even being on hormones, there are still days and I'm like, uh, the body is just like kind of cranky. I always like to use the tin man analogy. That's good. And within a bars, you know how they had to like give him the oil can in his joints. Yeah. Estrogen is that oil, right? I would say estrogen is the fountain of youth for us. Yeah. And yeah, but we can talk about that after. So when I get up in the mornings and I I don't feel like it, this is when people ask me, what's the difference between motivation and discipline? Like I get that question a lot, right? Good question. You might read something, you're like, I'm gonna do that thing, you know, and then after a couple days it kind of peters out and you're like, eh. So the difference is motivation in the moment gets you excited and amped up for something. The discipline is what carries you through every day when maybe you don't want to go to work today. I just don't want to go to the office. I don't want to deal with my boss today. I don't feel like going to the gym. I'm tired, I didn't sleep great last night, whatever it is. But you get out of bed and go to work. Why? Because you're motivated to pay your bills and take care of, you know, it's the only way you're gonna be able to sustain yourself. Yep. And exercise and nutrition and lifestyle, it's the same thing for me. It's that discipline. Because I lie in bed and I'll push snooze maybe once or twice on those mornings. Love it. You're real. Yeah. In my brain, this is what the conversation is. Okay, if you don't get up and get moving and get your cardio done and take a shower and get on with it, you're gonna feel like crap all day long and you're not gonna do your cardio later. It's just not gonna happen. I know me. I'm not gonna do it later in the day because I don't want to. So it's this whole little dialogue, probably within like one or two minutes. And and then I get up and I just get going. And I get on my machine, I go slow. And sometimes I'm like, I'm only gonna do 20 minutes and I'm off. And I get to 20 minutes and I'm like, ah, I got 10 more. You know, and I end up finishing it. So it's kind of like just talking yourself through it, but it's it's that discipline because I know that I will feel a lot better. It turns my brain on. I'm getting blood flow to my brain at 5:36 a.m. So it's knowing that you're gonna feel like garbage if you don't do the thing.

SPEAKER_00 13:40

And it's discipline. I love that. Motivation versus discipline. That's a really good analogy there. I mean, those are two very different things.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

It is. It really is. Discipline is what's gonna get you to do whatever it is that you don't want. It could be anything in your life.

SPEAKER_00 13:52

Yeah. When you talk about, you know, discipline, we think back to when we were raising our kids. You know, we we both have older children. I mean, we were disciplined. We got up, and that was our routine, and that was really discipline, and we were doing it for them, and now we need to do that for ourselves.

SPEAKER_01 14:06

I really like you wouldn't leave the house without brushing your hair or brushing your teeth or doing any of the things you need to do to present yourself to the world every day. So, why would you not do the things that are going to keep you feeling good about yourself and strong?

SPEAKER_00 14:20

Exactly. Exactly.

Permission To Put Yourself Back

SPEAKER_00 14:22

You call midlife the bridge to your new life. What does that mean? I love that. I've never heard that before.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

You'll be able to relate to this, and the other women that are in our demographic relate to this also. And I was having this conversation with one of my clients this morning when she came into the gym to see me. But it's we get to the stage of the game, and I would probably say like early 50s something, when you know what you're willing to do and what you don't want to do. Saying no becomes easier the older you get, I believe, because your time is so valuable, right? Yes. And I always say this is the bridge to your new life because for the most part, most people's kids, if you have them, they're either in college or they've graduated and they're kind of doing their own thing, but they're somewhat independent, even if they're still living with you. And you know the things that you want to do. If you want to pursue a language, start a business, I don't know, read a book, write a book, take mahjong, whatever it is. Like you know what you want to do in this next chapter of your life. Or I like to say the back nine if you're a golf player. This stage, it's like that bridge to we did everything for our kids, we took care of our parents, you know, you said yes to things you probably didn't want to do when you're in your 30s and 40s. And now it's like this bridge of, okay, you know what? This is my time now. This is my life. I don't have those responsibilities anymore. And I want to do the things that I want to do that make me feel fulfilled.

SPEAKER_00 15:43

Yeah. Yeah. I like the bridge analogy. It's very true. But I do find, and walk me through this with some of your clients. Sometimes women think, well, that's just being selfish. Like, I can't make it all about me. I always say we need to make the priority list. We don't need to be the priority every day, but every day we should at least make the list. But some women, they're still not giving themselves permission. And then they're putting themselves on the back burner. They might not even be filling that time for themselves, but they're feeling like, uh, I shouldn't be doing it all about me.

SPEAKER_01 16:11

I know. And the fact is, I think we've earned it, especially if you've raised a family. I mean, we've put our time in. Most of us had careers before kids, and then we had kids, and that was our career. You know, I know some of them work while they have kids, and that's like a double whammy, right? You're working and you're raising your family, but you know, we've made so much sacrifice up to like 50 something, right? Yeah, we've earned it. But I want to do some stuff that I want to do. Like, yeah, I don't want to be overscheduled. I don't want to, you know, do the things I don't want to do anymore. I want to do things I want to do. Still, of course, you're with family and you make sacrifices for your kids. And I love that. I love the relationship that I have with my kids now at 24 and 22. That I like we spend time together, it's conversations, it's moments, it's connection. Like I love that. So it's not like change your diapers, get them to bed, give them a bath, feed them, and then do it all over again every day.

SPEAKER_00 17:02

So walk me through this because I find this with my kids now. I have three, my oldest being 28, 26, 22, which is just so funny to think it's gone that quickly, to be honest. But they see me through a different lens. And, you know, it's really funny because I was a stay-at-home mom for many, many years, and we've moved, gosh, well, now we've moved 14 times. But with the kids, we moved a lot as well because of my husband's job. But my kids really view me differently now. And it's fun to get those texts that are like, Mom, what are you doing today? And then it's like, oh, I'm I'm interviewing Linda Stevens. Oh, what's she doing? And it's so interesting. These conversations are very different, and they're rooting you on differently. And have you found that too with your kids?

SPEAKER_01 17:42

Yes. My daughter will tell me all the time, Mom, you look great. You're awesome. You're doing so many great things. And even my son will say stuff like, Mom, he's like, I don't worry about you. He's like, I know you're gonna live to like a hundred something, and you're gonna be gonna be the granny on Instagram at 85 deadlifting in the gym or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 17:58

So I know I will be cheering you on, you know? I think that's

Hormones And Why The Body Changes

SPEAKER_00 18:01

wonderful. So let's talk about what's actually happening physiologically in our bodies because before it seemed to work, and now it doesn't seem to work anymore. I mean, I'm 56. I feel like there are certainly things. I just was on the phone last week with one of my dear friends that we've raised our kids together, and she's like, Amy, I am working out every day. I'm hitting the gym, I'm doing this, and I'm not losing anything, and it's getting frustrating. What's happening physiologically that's slowing everything down?

SPEAKER_01 18:29

So most of it is hormonal base, right? When we're 20s, 30s, even early 40s, you know, we have full optimal hormones and we feel great. I mean, even when you look at, I don't know if you do this, when I'm in the gym and I see like younger kids, like teenagers, and like their skin is perfect and they're just so agile and they're doing all this stuff.

SPEAKER_00 18:47

Light on their feet, I always say. I'm like, where are my light feet? I don't have those anymore.

SPEAKER_01 18:51

I know. I'm like, God, you don't appreciate it when we were there, right? You know, as the years pass, and this is what doctors kind of don't inform us, and they really should tell us sooner in life. Like maybe in our 30s, like after we have our last kid, you know, like here are some of the things that are gonna be coming down the road for you hormonally. And progesterone drops first. That's the hormone that drops first, which is why people may feel anxious or mood issues, you don't sleep great. Those are the symptoms you feel when progesterone starts to drop. Then when the estrogen starts to drop, that's when you get like a lot of aches and pains. Like a lot of women you'll hear them say, I have frozen shoulder. I had it. Yeah, so did I for two years and lower back pain, and you know, joint pain, knee pain, hip pain, all that stuff. Maybe you're a little brain fog, like, where's my keys? Or you walk into a room and you're like, Why am I here? Yeah. Or I sit down to send an email, I'm like, wait, what was I just gonna email? And then it comes back to you. So it's those things. And then also we lose testosterone, which is important for us. And a lot of people think testosterone is more of a man's hormone. Right. But we have testosterone also, and that really is responsible for bone health, for preserving our muscle tissue, for cognitive health and fat loss. So there's a big thing right there. And then also our libido. A lot of women I talk to that are, you know, in our demographic are like, I don't even think about having sex, I don't want to, it's painful, I'm not interested. You know, and I think that's sad because it is sad. Relationships have problems as we get older because you're not connecting anymore on a lot of different levels, and that's one of them. So you start to get tired, you're not sleeping great, you can't lose the body fat because now your hormones, estrogen plays a role in that also. You start to get that little fluffy spare tire. There's a lot of names for it. What do they call it? The menopause and spare tire, or they call it the apron. Yeah. I don't know. So, you know, we definitely change physiologically, which is why I am an advocate, big advocate of hormone replacement therapy. However, most women are under eating. That's the first problem at this stage of the game. And you know, back in the day when you could starve yourself and drop that five to ten pounds you wanted to lose and everything worked, doesn't work anymore. It makes it worse. Yeah. So that's one thing. Women are definitely under-eating all their macronutrients, proteins, carbs, and fats. You can't cut out food groups. So that's the big thing. And then they're not getting in the gym and strength training. Pilates is great, yoga is great. I I'm not gonna throw shade on those because it's good for mobility and agility and all those things, but you gotta build muscle tissue. I know, I know.

SPEAKER_00 21:32

That scares me, but we're gonna get there.

SPEAKER_01 21:34

Yeah. You don't have to be a bodybuilder, it's not like that. It's simple. My clients, three times a week, give them the workouts so that they know what they're doing. Pick three days a week out of seven, 45 minutes. You know, these are the movements, this is how many repetitions, this is the weight I want you to use.

SPEAKER_00 21:51

So, Linda, can people do this at home then? I mean, I have these little, I gotta be honest. Up here where I'm in the summertime, I've got a couple of okay, this is a little light, probably. Five pound weights. I'm trying to stretch every day. I'm really working on, I have a wedding that is about a year, 15 months away. My daughter's getting married, and I'm really making this the year about really getting fit and strong and healthy, not just for that, but for myself as well. So I am lifting some weights. I have a sister-in-law who lifts 20 pounds. Now, I don't know if she lifts 20 pounds in each hand, but she's lifting 20 pounds. And she's like, Amy, I think that should be something you should aspire to do, doing some push-ups, that kind of thing. But before we go to weights, let's just circle back to the hormones for a second because I do think we're overloaded with hormones. I've been tested. I had a lot of struggles with HRT. I was having some breakthrough bleeding issues, all sorts of different things. I have a history of breast cancer in my family. I was very nervous about it. And I finally now am on knock on wood. I'm on a great trajectory right now. I am on hormone replacement therapy. They put me on some testosterone. When they did certain lab work on me, which I didn't get from my primary care doctor, I had to go to a specialty doctor. Zero estrogen, like not even showing up. Even though I've been taking estradiol, you know, they had me on a few things, it still was non-existent, which probably was explaining my frozen shoulder and my neck that wouldn't move and my finger joints. We just don't realize that. Where do we start with this hormone journey?

How To Start HRT And Get Help

SPEAKER_00 23:18

Do we go to our doctor and say, I want to be on this? Or where do we start? Because it's overwhelming.

SPEAKER_01 23:23

It is overwhelming. And so many doctors still don't have the knowledge about it. So they'll kind of poo-poo it and use the old, it's gonna cause cancer, or we talk to women in their early 60s and they get a message from the doctor of it's too late for you to start, or you don't want to do it now. And that's not necessarily true either. So if you have like an OBGYN or a primary care that's you know more with it and they're willing to have a discussion, I always tell my clients, let's start there because like you were smart, you did the blood panel. You know, I've had clients come back to me and say, My doctor said they won't test my hormones. There's no point at this stage. And I'm like, that makes no sense. One doctor was like, I'm not comfortable doing these labs and testing your hormones. And I'm like, what does that even mean? Like, find a new doctor. I get labs from, I draw labs from my clients if we get that kind of nonsense. I'm like, just come back to me and we'll do it.

SPEAKER_00 24:09

But for you.

SPEAKER_01 24:10

The best place to start is if you have a doctor, the ladies that are listening, if you have a doctor that you have a good rapport with, start there and see what you get. And if you're not getting what you want back, there's a great online site. It's called MIDI Health. I've read a lot of articles. There's a few good online sites, but they're one. They get a great rating. I read an article that listed three of them. Winona is this one, W-I-N-O-N-A Winona.com. But they're nurse practitioners and doctors. They take insurance and you can get on and do a consult. They can give you HRT. That's one way to go if someone really needs insurance. But I always tell women, come to me, because I know a fair amount of doctors in the space now that provide HRT and that know what they're talking about. Right. That are educated. Yep. Some of them are concierge. So that sometimes isn't always an option for some people, which I get. But the MIDI Health Place is a place I've worked with clients who have used them concurrently while they're working with me on their nutrition and their supplements. Fabulous. And it's been a great synergy. So they're out there. You just have to find them. And I just say don't let doctors gaslight you and give you all the old talking points of it's gonna cause cancer, you really don't want to do this, it's gonna bar, blah, blah. Because the thing that's the most important for us as we get older is we need to preserve our bones, we need to preserve our brains and our cardiovascular, because cardiovascular is the number one killer of post-menopausal women. Yes, exactly. And when estrogen goes away, your heart is gonna be unhealthy. And then you see high blood pressure and they want to put you on a medication. Then you see high cholesterol and they want to put you on a statin when all you really need is some estrogen and all that stuff will go away.

SPEAKER_00 25:46

So

Protein Strength Training And Weighted Vests

SPEAKER_00 25:47

interesting. Well, let's go back to now building muscle because I think a lot of us are thinking, man, we're just gonna get bigger. We're just gonna be gaining weight. Here we're trying to kind of get a little, maybe not smaller, but we're trying to get stronger. And these weighted vests, is this a fallacy? Is this true? I mean, they're all over the place. And every influencer out there is selling them. You know, now they've got water bottle holders and everything else. And it's join me with the weighted vest. Where do we start with this?

SPEAKER_01 26:14

I would say that I mean, a weighted vest is certainly something easily you can do. What you can also do is just get a backpack and like put a couple books in it and put it on and just go walking. I mean that's true. Cheaper way.

SPEAKER_00 26:26

Yeah. If you don't want to be a good thing. Isn't it true that that's gonna help with osteoporosis?

SPEAKER_01 26:30

It's gonna add load to your body, meaning as you're walking and your feet are hitting the ground, you're providing impact. And that impact forces your muscles and your bones to stay solid and strong. So, yes, it's not a bad idea. But like I said, you can easily throw on a backpack and put a couple books in it and it'll give you the same impact. But yeah, it's not junk science. It works, and it could probably burn a few more calories because you're a little heavier.

SPEAKER_00 26:54

And do you know what weight to put in there? I mean, you see them on Amazon and you can buy 12 pounds.

SPEAKER_01 26:59

About 10 pounds is probably a a good place to start. Wow. And then it's also interesting too, because if you put a 10-pound weight of vests on and you think, my God, if you figure if people that might have to lose double, triple, quadruple that amount of weight, like what they carry all day long. So it is interesting. Sometimes I, you know, I'll hold like two 20-pound dumbbells. That's 40 pounds. I'm like, man, if I had to carry this with me all day long, like if I needed to lose 40 pounds, this is what it would feel like. But it's not a bad idea. Walking in and of itself will work also because you are hitting the pavement and you are providing is so good.

SPEAKER_00 27:32

It's low impact. You know, they talk now about this interval walking, which I think is important. Walk us through what we can start today. Like, what's three things that listeners can do today? Should they go to Target and walk down that fitness aisle and grab some weights? Obviously, we want them to call you, Linda, and get started on their whole journey, the whole package. But if there's somebody listening that's like, all right, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna start building some muscle. Where do we start?

SPEAKER_01 27:55

So I would say this too. Anyone that's listening to this that wants to have a conversation, I always do a complimentary 30-minute conversation. So anyone that's listening, say, I heard you on Amy's podcast, and we'll set it up. But I would say the three actionable things you could do today is for women, make sure you're eating. I have my clients eat four times a day. Breakfast, lunch, mid-afternoon, three, four o'clock, because everybody gets hungry there, and that's when they get into trouble with snacks. Three or four times a day. All right, ladies. And and dinner. So breakfast, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner. And you want to make sure that you're getting a minimum of 25 grams of protein at those four meals, right? So, what does that look like quickly? It's a cup of yogurt, a cup of cottage cheese, four-ounce chicken breasts, four-ounce grass-fed burger, four ounces of fish, you know, protein shake, eggs. You could do a couple of eggs and half a cup of egg whites for breakfast. Okay. Those are ways to get enough protein at each meal. And then throw in your vegetables and some fruit, and you could do some sweet potato or whole grain toast or white of brown rice, things like that.

SPEAKER_00 28:58

Good carbs. Did you just say bread? Okay. I love that you just said whole wheat toast, because you know how women are. Yeah. Oh, I'm not eating bread.

SPEAKER_01 29:05

Toast and butter is like one of my favorite things, one of my staples every time.

SPEAKER_00 29:08

I know when I lived in Europe, people were like, You're foolish. Those people look like total Americans when they say, No, I don't want the bread.

SPEAKER_01 29:14

You know it's like butter. Don't tell anybody.

SPEAKER_00 29:16

But good to know. Good to know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:19

It's your food. You gotta feel your body. You don't have to be a bodybuilder, but you can walk outside for 30 minutes. I always tell my clients 15 minutes out and then 15 minutes home. Done, right? That's easy. And get some dumbbells, get some eight-pounders, maybe 15 pounds, and a mat and hold them and do some simple movements. I'm always happy to provide stuff. But you can goblet squat, lunge, you can do all kinds of hip thrust movements. You can do super easy things, 30 minutes at home at home. You know, put on your favorite TV show or your favorite music and do a little bit of strength training and then food, movement, and I would say drink enough water every day. At least get two liters of water minimum. Two liters.

SPEAKER_00 30:01

Okay. Two liters. I know. You see people walking around with those huge cups. Walk us through the question that your clients don't

Alcohol Reality Check And Simple Steps

SPEAKER_00 30:08

want to hear. That one question everybody wants to resist.

SPEAKER_01 30:11

Um, it usually comes down to like alcohol. You know, women like their cocktails. Yes. And I don't drink. Occasionally, very rare, I'll have a glass of champagne if I'm somewhere, like either like a wedding and you want a toast, or if we're in a good restaurant, I'll have one glass of champagne. Right. But legally I don't drink because it just doesn't make me feel good. I get hot, I get flashes, I can't sleep, I feel dry. So I just stop. But you know, people are still drinking many days during the week. And it's just it's not helpful for us as we get older, at least for women. It really does promote different cancers, breast cancer, ovarians, because it does shrink our brains. So I always try to get them to cut back to maybe one or two drinks a week. And eventually, if I can get them to zero, that's good. And no one has ever said to me, Boy, I I really miss drinking. Usually they'll say, you know what? I sleep better, I feel better.

SPEAKER_00 30:59

So you know how much pressure we put on ourselves. You know, everything in moderation, right? Yeah. So not that I'm a big drinker by any means, but you know, I do like a nice cocktail every so often with my kids and everything in moderation. But I do think when you're more aware of how alcohol makes you feel and if you're not sleeping as well, there there are some real key indicators there. So I agree with you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:21

So I try to get them at least. I had one woman who was drinking once two margaritas every night, and finally we got her to cut back, and she doesn't drink it all anymore. She's like, Oh my God, you were right.

SPEAKER_00 31:29

Yeah. And a lot of times, you know, we think we are gonna lose weight immediately if we cut out all the alcohol, and that always doesn't happen. And but I love that. Walk us through this midlife mastery program because I think this is something that will resonate with everybody that's watching and listening.

Midlife Masterclass And Where To Find Linda

SPEAKER_01 31:43

Awesome. Yeah. Great program. I used to do it over like weeks. When I first started doing it, it was six weeks, once a week that I did, and then I condensed it to four. Now, what I'm doing, two-hour midlife masterclass, and we're gonna talk all about you know, nutrition and exercise and supplements and HRT and lab work, how to talk to your doctor, what to expect, like why you feel certain ways, vitamin deficiencies. So I've condensed it into like two hours. Fabulous. Because I I want women to get all the education and then understand here are the pointed questions you need to ask your OBGYN or your primary. And if you can't get the answers you want, then this is the next step. Oh, that sounds wonderful. I just want to get the facts out there versus.

SPEAKER_00 32:27

Yeah, I think that's so beneficial for women. So where can people find you?

SPEAKER_01 32:31

The best place you can go right to my website. It's Linda M Stevens, and Stevens is S-T-E-P-H-E-N-S, linda mstevens.com or hit my Instagram, and it's Linda Stevens Fit F I T.

SPEAKER_00 32:43

So for that woman listening right now that's saying, okay, well, first of all, I'm gonna reach out to Linda, but what can she do today? What is the one thing she can do today feel better?

SPEAKER_01 32:52

Today I would say get moving. Get moving, be mindful of what you're eating during the day and walk. Just get moving. And I don't walk with earbuds in or headphones on. I leave my phone at home. I want to hear the birds and I want to feel the sun and just be in nature so that you can decompress a little bit too, like just to disconnect.

SPEAKER_00 33:11

Thanks, Linda, for this time. I'd like to do something together. So stay tuned because maybe we can do something together because our demographic fits and aligns perfectly. And this is all about right sizing your wellness. So I really appreciate your time.

Closing Requests And Book Waiting List

SPEAKER_00 33:26

Thanks so much for joining me today on The Right Size Life. If this episode resonated with you, I hope you'll share it with someone who may need a little encouragement, clarity, or inspiration in this season of life. And don't forget to subscribe. You know the right size life was originally Fearlessly Facing50, and now we've rebranded to the right size life. So make sure you're following it on anywhere you listen to podcasts. It's on all the platforms. And you can find me at Fearlessly Facing50.com, F-I-F-T-Y, remember 50 is always spelled out. On Instagram, I'm the Amy.schmidt, and on Facebook at Fearlessly Facing50. And I would love for you to get on the waiting list for my book, which will be launching soon. So if you'd like to be on the list and the first to know when it launches, you can go ahead and simply email me, Amy at fearlesslyfacing50.com, F-I-F-T-Y dot com, and put the word list L I S T in the subject line, and I will add you to the waiting list. And remember, sometimes the next chapter begins with letting go. I'll see you next time on the right side slide. Have a great and blessed week.