Michelle Spadafora [00:00:04]:
You have work to do. If you want to change the way you’re feeling, the way you’re you know, the health of your body, the weight of your body, you have work to do. It’s gonna take you to make some hard choices, but you also have to depend on Christ’s mighty power that lives within you.
Introduction
Kim Moeller [00:00:27]:
Well, happy New Year again. Last time during the generous girl podcast, we heard from Mindy Caligar regarding soul care and the emotional spiritual side of fitness. And today’s guest, you’re gonna love also because this is all about physical fitness. And I couldn’t think of a better guest than Michelle Spadafora. We kick this all off in the new year as we focus on how do we stay healthy? How do we take good care of these bodies we’ve been given and live a generous life? So you’ll find with all of her free resources, she’s so generous, and I can’t wait for you to meet her. So stay tuned for this episode of the Generous Girl. Welcome to the Generous Girl podcast. I’m Kim Moeller, your host.
Meet Michelle Spadafora
Kim Moeller [00:01:19]:
And today, I am joined by an amazing guest, Michelle Spadafore, and you are going to be just so blessed to hear her story. We’ve specifically chosen Michelle because of her emphasis on physical fitness and spiritual fitness, actually. But she and her husband, have been married and a long time live in Colorado, 2 sons and a daughter. And in 2009, she founded faithful workouts.com. And you’ll see if you go to that site, there are so many free resources there that are designed to help you live your best life. And today, we’re because it’s a new year and, you know, January is always that month of let’s set the resolutions and let’s try this and let’s try that. I just couldn’t think of a better time to start our year off with Michelle. And last episode, we had another gal from Colorado, Mindy Caliguire, and we talked more about spiritual formation and your soul and the spiritual fitness side of things.
Kim Moeller [00:02:22]:
So I felt like both Michelle and Mindy are the perfect guests for the month of January to focus on ourselves as we take care of our soul and we take care of our physical body. So Michelle’s going to have so many nuggets to share, and I can’t wait for you to hear her. So welcome, Michelle.
Michelle Spadafora [00:02:38]:
Thank you so much. I I love that I’m following up from Mindy’s conversation about spiritual health because I, from my 40 years in fitness, have found that they’re so connected. Our spiritual health and our physical health and our mental health, they’re all connected.
Spiritual, Mental, and Physical Health
Kim Moeller [00:02:52]:
Right. I really agree. Why don’t you say more about that? Because I think that is the key to understanding those those connections of how they are so interrelated.
Michelle Spadafora [00:03:01]:
Yeah. I think, you know, like I said, I’ve been in fitness for 40 years. And honestly, for the first Maybe 20 years. I had no faith. I didn’t know jesus. So I was only going there with you know information on exercise Nutrition and so many people were failing in that journey to better health and then when I came to know jesus and I started to understand like How He can help me on this journey when I started to have different reasons for wanting to take care of my body It made such a big difference. And as we know stress is so bad for our physical health And if we don’t address kind of our thoughts and our stress levels If we don’t live with more peace, we’re never going to really experience optimal health. And so exercise, super important.
Michelle Spadafora [00:03:49]:
What do you eat? Super important. But it doesn’t stop there. There’s so much more involved in getting healthy and feeling your best.
Kim Moeller [00:03:57]:
Well, I can’t believe when we were doing our pre conversation that you filmed 10 workouts yesterday, and you did each one of those workouts. So you’re amazing.
Michelle Spadafora [00:04:10]:
I’m one of those kids who just you just put your head down. You’re like, we’re doing this, man. We’re going for it. And I just should you know, definitely get show up super prepared, big sheets of paper, know everything we’re gonna do, let’s say, and then pray a lot
Kim Moeller [00:04:25]:
Right right pray hard. Well, okay. Talk a little bit about how you Became so passionate about starting your own nonprofit in 2009 faithful workouts.com and the why behind it.
Faithful Workouts.com
Michelle Spadafora [00:04:39]:
Yeah. So as I mentioned, it was back in 2004 when I got baptized. I was 41, 42 years old when I got baptized. And I am one of those people that, like, the truth that I heard was truth in my heart pretty quickly. Like I knew this was real, Jesus was real. And I knew that my life, the way I was living was out of line with what he had for me, the life to the fullest. And thankfully, my husband was the same way. So, he started working for a ministry called Halftime.
Michelle Spadafora [00:05:11]:
And in there, it’s a lot about discovering your unique purpose. And when he started working there, I saw such a change in him. I saw him living with just this more consistent joy It used to be kind of a little roller coaster which version of Jeff’s going to come in the door after you know, his day out in working And so I went on a journey in 2,007 and 2008 to really just be like God I just want to know what you want me to do. What is what are what’s the good works you planned in advance for me to do? And, part of my personality trait when I’ve done, you know, like those Strengthfinders is I’m an includer I love to include people. I hate making anyone feeling like they’re excluded sure so when I Felt so much joy from Jesus, I wanted to let others know about it and just literally talking with God, praying. You know, it’s so hard to get people to go to church. Where I live in Colorado, about 8% of the people go to church on a Sunday. And I said, God, how can I help people to come to know you? And His whisper was, take me to your fitness platform So I had already been teaching fitness classes So in the club I was teaching at I started to like play some Christian music and I started to ask questions of them – a little timid at first.
Michelle Spadafora [00:06:32]:
I was kind of new with it all myself And then in a just a crazy turn of events I ended up at this conference and the NRB national religious broadcasting network was doing this big broadcasting christian broadcasting conference and they saw this really cheesy dvd I made last minute and said hey, we’d like to air your show on tv on direct tv. I’m like and, I think so often when we step out wanting to do the work that God has called us to satan comes in pretty quick. He comes at us and he wants us to believe lies and he said to me, ‘They don’t know you’re a nobody. They don’t know you’re already, you know, too old to start a fitness ministry.” But then our sweet father in heaven said don’t you dare I created you for this. You’re my daughter. We’re going to do this together and we did.
Michelle Spadafora [00:07:26]:
And so that kicked off the TV show and the, website and all of that.
Kim Moeller [00:07:34]:
Okay. So now you have the fitness platform. And how I think a question anybody would ask when they go there and they see everything’s for free is how do you do that? How do you keep the lights on in your home if everything’s for free? How do you is there anything you charge for on the site? And what is that?
Give it Away for Free
Michelle Spadafora [00:07:53]:
Currently, we don’t. We did charge for membership initially. And then as we were recreating a website, several years ago, I just felt it in my soul. Like, this is I I was supposed to not charge people. I felt like I was saying take down any barrier that would stop someone from interacting with your material. Because a lot of people come to our site who don’t have faith, which I love. I love, love, love that. So they come to the site and if they saw Jesus and other things and they had to pay for it, I don’t think they would.
Michelle Spadafora [00:08:23]:
But I feel like, you know, we’ve taken away that barrier. So maybe they’re like, well, I’ll just click on that one video and see. And it’s a workout, you know? But in our workouts, I get to talk about Jesus there as well. So and, You know, I’m just a kind of an emotional feeling type of person and when I went out to my husband and said I know this is crazy But I just feel like God’s asking me to not charge and as I said those words the song it is well with my soul literally came into me and I just knew that this was what we were to do and Thankfully, you know, we are a non profit and so, people donate and I have we keep it. We do a really good job of keeping costs down We also do retreats and we can make a little bit of money off of that We can make a little bit money off some equipment. But mainly, good chunk of our money comes just from generous people. Wow. We believe in our mission.
Kim Moeller [00:09:16]:
Yes. It’s I I think that’s fabulous. And so let’s talk to the the listener who is listening today. New Year, January. So glad you found this podcast. So glad you found your website. I went on and created my own free account, but tell all of us the best way to use your site. Because I see how you have like a customized dashboard.
Navigating Faithful Workouts.com
Kim Moeller [00:09:39]:
And how would you see someone using your site in the best way possible?
Michelle Spadafora [00:09:44]:
Yeah. I think, you know, one of the issues that people face when trying to start a new fitness routine is they’re overwhelmed There’s so much information out there as to do it this way eat this don’t eat this and one of my, really strong beliefs is that you have to look at this as like a lifestyle thing that you’re in here for the long haul This isn’t we’re not about. Honestly, you want to lose £20 in 2 weeks for your daughter’s wedding? I’m not the place to come because that’s just not how we’re I’m designed for I want you to increase your health. And often, weight loss happens there. Your fitness increases for sure. So this is about you and I doing this together for a while. And so when you come to the site, the first thing you do is you create a free account. And that the reason we have you create an account is so that you have your own private space to go to to see which workouts you’ve done, what programs you’ve done, all of that.
Michelle Spadafora [00:10:42]:
So it’s in your dashboard. You can go there. But really the when you go to the site, probably the best thing to do is to go to our programs because I have something there called Kickstart. It’s a 14 day program, and it really goes after some of the thought changes that we have to make in order to have long term success? Because we if our thoughts don’t change, we’re not gonna change long term. So for instance, one of the things you’ll learn in the kickstart program is what I call ABCs of fitness. A is we need to ask god for help. Like, I’m I’m curious. When’s the last time you ask god for help when it comes to your exercise and your eating?
Kim Moeller [00:11:24]:
Versus just like saying, okay. I’m going to I’m. do this now. This is my new goal. I’m doing it all on my own. Right?
Michelle Spadafora [00:11:30]:
Exactly. And God says and I think it’s first Peter 57. Give all of your worries and cares to God because He cares about you. So if you worry or care about your health, which I think everyone does, you know, is concerned about their health, then God does too. And he cares about our physical health. I know that. And so ask God for help.
Michelle Spadafora [00:11:54]:
But often we ask God for things, but do we really believe He hears us and He can help us? And so when you ask, it has to go with this heart of, I believe that with you, God, I can really change this time. And then the c is check your motives. You know, God cares about our motives. You know, man looks at outward appearances, but God looks at our heart. He cares about why do you wanna do this? Is it for your own glory? Is it so that people will, you know, think highly of you? Or is it because you want to have the strength and energy to be His hands and feet until the day he takes you home? So motives matter. So that’s the kind of things you’ll hear and are like that.
Equipment
Kim Moeller [00:12:37]:
So what type of equipment does somebody need to follow your sight?
Michelle Spadafora [00:12:41]:
Yes. So we have options often without any equipment, but I highly recommend we have an exercise band. We have fitness loops. Our fitness loop’s super cool. Printed on it says, I can do all things in Christ Which is a good thing we need to be reminded of and then we have a fitness ball. We often use weights as well But that’s really the main the main items that we use on the website and in the kickstart I walk you through of course some thought changes, but I also talk to you about nutrition and about exercise and really get you to understand How your body works how often to work out all of that? So it’s a good starting point.
Kim Moeller [00:13:21]:
That’s perfect. Thank you for sharing that. So when you go through your training program, you talked about your mindset, and we talked about just how it’s all interrelated. And, why don’t you talk a little bit, because you and I had, had this conversation before, the importance of not believing the lies and just kind of how we can become our own worst enemy and self sabotage our own ability to accomplish the goals that we want to accomplish.
Michelle Spadafora [00:13:54]:
Yes. I have a special place near my house that I sit when I really want to talk to God about some big things and part of what we do at faithful workouts is we do retreats. And so I was sitting with him several years ago and saying, God, what is the theme? What is the main thing you want people to get? And what I heard was too many of my children are walking around believing lies and they’re stepping into their day believing that lie is their truth. And so we have to go after any thought changes that are holding us back. Henry Ford said, If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. And it’s so true. And scripture backs that up. Romans 12:2, Oh, let God change the way you think, then you’ll know what to do.
Never Too Old to Start
Michelle Spadafora [00:14:41]:
So there might be a lot you’re believing that I’m too old to start. I’ll never change. In fact, I had one lady call me and we were out talking and she said, You know, I’m just a 5 week person. I can do anything for 5 weeks, but after that, I always give up. And I said, let’s can you never say that again? That that’s limiting what God can do.
Kim Moeller [00:15:04]:
And I
Michelle Spadafora [00:15:04]:
think our lies are often limiting what God can do in our hearts and our lives, and we can’t do that. You know? Right. I don’t need to be anything more than God created me to be, but I don’t wanna be anything less. And I’m not gonna let my lies and the, you know, the world’s things that they’re trying to get in my head Keep me from changing. And so yeah, that’s a huge part of our our long term success with our fitness. It’s believing What you know what our fitness loop says I can do all things through christ And I might not do it perfectly which is completely okay I’m big like love quotes different things and there’s this one that says failure is not the falling down. It’s the staying down because I mess up I make mistakes all the time But But you know what? When I ask myself, okay, I did the best I could in that moment. All right, let’s pick it up and let’s start again.
Michelle Spadafora [00:15:58]:
And so eating a second dessert one day doesn’t mean you’re a failure. It just means, you know, tomorrow I can do better. And so I really believe, and it sounds like, I don’t know, I think people want more tangible stuff sometimes. But if you can’t change your thoughts, no matter how many great exercises I show you and how many great recipes I share with you on our site, it won’t be a long term thing. And so really doing those abcs asking and you know god for help is huge and then Knowing your why because for instance if I say to someone well, why do you want to exercise? Well, I’m going to lose weight Okay. Why do you want to lose weight? Well, I have so many clothes. I can’t fit into you know, so they start going to this but if you keep asking yourself, why why why why why? You’ll get to the real root reason of wanting to change And is that a big enough reason to keep you motivated? So like again for me is I won’t I honestly this is true. I’m not just trying to say it because I’m a Christian.
Michelle Spadafora [00:16:59]:
Like I want to do the work that God has planned for me to do. Right. I do. Right. And, that takes strength and energy. I don’t want him to say, hey, Michelle. I want you to go plan a retreat where there’s a, you know, a 100 mile pilgrimage, and I’m physically can’t do it. If he’s calling me to do it, I wanna be ready to do it.
Michelle Spadafora [00:17:19]:
And I know I have a role to play in this. And that’s another, like, you know, scripture verse that I love. It’s just, you know what? I work really hard at this as I depend on Christ’s mighty power that lives within me. You have work to do. If you wanna change the way you’re feeling, the way you’re you know, the health of your body, the weight of your body, you have work to do. It’s gonna take you to make some hard choices, but you also have to depend on Christ’s mighty power that lives within
Kim Moeller [00:17:49]:
So good, so good. I feel like You know, sometimes people have obviously illnesses. They’ve got injuries that are they’re not able to do maybe what they really would love to do. And so we all have limitations in some way that that we all obviously have to consider. Or maybe it’s a season, and then your body’s still resting, recovering, and it’ll get better, because the body is an amazing agent of healing. When things are hard, when things are not hard, either way, it’s so important to speak truth to ourselves. And I have talked about on the other, a couple of other podcasts about the pilgrimage that I was going to do and did in Spain, the 100 kilometers in 6 days. And, you know, some of those gals did the entire 450 miles in the like, a month, probably, like, 5 weeks’ time. And amazing.
Kim Moeller [00:18:46]:
I mean, those women were a range of 40 years old to early seventies and carrying their backpacks, but the suitcases, you know, were transported at night. You know, it was pouring like, of our 6 days, it was pouring down rain for 3 of those days. And you would start, and, you know, you knew you had, like, 14 to 18 miles that day, and you had your rain poncho over your backpack. And then you would just keep going. You just keep putting 1 foot in front of the other. And, yes, we didn’t have to do that. Why were we doing it? We were doing it because of the anti trafficking awareness we were trying to raise and the funds that were going toward, you know, the trafficking victims around the world. So it was obviously for a good cause, and you felt like, look at how hard their lives are.
Kim Moeller [00:19:32]:
We can certainly do hard things, for those women. But many of those women have done 10, 12 of these hikes to Kilimanjaro and Machu Picchu. And many of those women would have said, I could have never done that, and then they were able to do it. So Yeah. I think it’s we have one life to live. You know? And it’s, it’s amazing. Maybe you were raised in a family with a ton of, you know, fitness that you did as a family. You hiked, you served, you ran, or whatever.
Kim Moeller [00:20:02]:
Maybe you had the polar opposite. Maybe you married somebody who came from 1 and you came from the other. But either way, it’s like we’ve been given this body an incredible machine to do incredible things, and we’re the ones that God has picked to do his work here. And it’s not all in our control. You know, crazy things happen. And, I just got back from a trip, and I was so excited. I was going to use the Peloton. And then I walked by this table, and my foot I was barefoot, and it caught the leg on it.
Kim Moeller [00:20:32]:
And I thought, like, for 3 days, my foot was killing me, and and now it’s better. But, you know, it’s things like that where you just have to be, okay. I can take it. I’ll I’ll recover. I can I’m not gonna get off track with my goals and and kind of, keep going. But the other thing I like on your website, and in terms of the question about mon monetizing is people can pay you and your husband, and you can guide them to Spain or Italy, and have a time that is going to focus on their marriage, but also focus on their health and their fitness. And what a great, you know, vacation with a purpose idea. Can you talk a little bit about some of those experiences and what you enjoy doing with that side of things?
No Excuses
Michelle Spadafora [00:21:16]:
Yeah. So, I have so many thoughts in my mind right now. Can I go back one step for a second? Because I want to talk about that injury thing you said, because this is a really big thing. My next door neighbor, this guy, he was in my car driving, and he had a toe to hip cast on. He said, Well, looks like I can’t come to class for a while. And I said, Why? He’s like, my guest. I go, That’s like 8% of your body. What are you talking about? So he would come in, and I said, You’ve got arms.
Michelle Spadafora [00:21:44]:
You’ve got another leg. You’ve got your core. We’ve been, you know so one, we as we get older, I mean, we sometimes get injured while we’re sleeping, right? Like you wake up, you’re like, My wrist hurts, what happened? Don’t let that be reason. Like on our website, we have a ton of workout videos if you need to sit down. So if you get a bad toe, I know how toes can wreak havoc on your but you can sit down and work out. So just so that’s one of the things that I want to do
Kim Moeller [00:22:09]:
For sure.
Kim Moeller [00:22:09]:
That’s true. I could have worked out, but I had a nice excuse, didn’t I?
Michelle Spadafora [00:22:17]:
But no, it’s, like I had shoulder surgery from a ski accident, and I my my goal was when my shoulder is healed, I want my legs and core to be stronger than they’ve ever been. You know, I can’t do this, but I can do this. And so it is important that we focus, and I say it almost in every workout video, focus on what you can do and don’t worry about what you can’t do. You know, maybe tomorrow you’ll be able to do an extra one or whatever. So, don’t let an injury pull you off course, on that one. And then back to the question about the pilgrimages what I love what you were talking about with the pilgrimages There’s something so powerful that happens when we do something hard I am Recently did the mount Blanc tour, which is the hardest physical thing I’ve ever done and on the biggest climb day I got to the top and I have a picture of me standing with these like walking poles up in the air And it was like I can do hard things And once you’ve done that You feel like next time you’re presented with a challenge. You’re like, wait a second. I can do hard things.
I Can Do Hard Things
Michelle Spadafora [00:23:18]:
I can take one more step here. So that’s the beauty of these, pilgrimages. We challenge you challenge your body as you you saw. But we’re there for more than just a physical challenge when my husband and I do it what we have found and and he’s he’s been in ministry even longer than I have and he thinks these are the most powerful Transformations he’s ever seen because we do a pretty intense like 2 maybe 3 day retreat and then we go walk. And we really encourage people to have time where they’re not engaged in conversation with somebody, just with someone up there. They’re just connecting with God. Quiet. There’s this wonderful lady who had been going to church her whole life, but all of a sudden I looked back and she was doing the jig, and she said, It dropped.
Michelle Spadafora [00:24:06]:
So all the stuff that we’ve been talking about, as I’m walking step by step, it’s dropping into my heart. And then from my heart, the next steps, it’s pushing it out into every cell in my body as I believe these these new truths to not just be head knowledge anymore, but to be in me. And that’s what I love about a pilgrimage. You have this processing time that typically when we go to these weekend retreats or shorter retreats, and you’re just constantly being fed information, you get back on that plane or in your car to leave and you don’t process it. You don’t give it that space for god to say you heard this Now here’s what I have specifically for you And it’s it’s it’s just an amazing the amount of growth that I’ve experienced on retreats the things that I’ve Gotten clarity on and then plus we help them rough it too much, you know people like oh you guys camping. I’m like, well, not really We’re doing 4 star major nice like hotels. We’re going to like 4 course dinners with wine. So We have someone carrying our bags, but it is something that if you feel You really want to just go to a new level with your faith and you want to hear from god if you’re dealing with any specific issue and you need space it’s There’s the message version of you know, we’ve probably all heard the verse that says come to me all who are weary and burdened.
Michelle Spadafora [00:25:32]:
I will give you rest I love the message. It says, message version. Are you are you tired? Worn out burned out on religion then come away with me Let’s walk and I’ll show you the unforced rhythms of grace And it’s that’s the it’s a beautiful version of that verse, but it’s just what happens on our retreats like you are walking, doing something so good for your physical health, eating wonderful, healthy food with really, you know, other people on a similar journey, but you’re walking with God. I read one time, you know, God walks at 3.4 miles an hour, which was the rate at which this man walked. He walks with me.
Kim Moeller [00:26:15]:
Oh, that’s good. Well, I enjoyed that also on the Camino that I did because you had all these incredible women that were on the the trail, but we started every day in silence. But then you could also walk up to someone you didn’t know very well and have a nice hour conversation, and then that just the time flew by, or you’d have another person. And those those conversations felt like they were just so planned ahead of time by God, but they you know, obviously, you had no idea that this person was gonna stop and get coffee when you did, and then you just walk together. So, you know, there’s the movie The Way by Martin Sheen, which is when he loses his son and he does the Camino. And I think that gives a really good picture of of the journey and what and he knew nothing about it. You know? His son was doing it, so he sun dies. He carries his son’s ashes and learns all about what the Camino is all about.
Kim Moeller [00:27:14]:
Yeah. And the guy who helps to produce this podcast lives in Spain, and and you and I were just talking with him, and, you know, he’s done it multiple times. And and there is something really beautiful, and, obviously, millions of people over the years have walked those paths and prayed the prayers over the years. And it’s I don’t know if it’s becoming more popular or or I just keep hearing about it. Like, there’s an organization called Mac’s Adventure. We use them for a 3 day hike that we did in Scotland, but you’re completely on your own when you’re doing that.
And they did a great job with the logistics, but I really like what you offer. And is yours just for couples?
Michelle Spadafora [00:27:56]:
So we do, several different types of retreats. We do just, women where we, just have like maybe a 6 day retreat without the pilgrimage So we’ll do a 3 to 6 day retreat just for women. We have one in the Dominican Republic next month, which will be February We have one in the colorado and one in South Carolina. And then we have our Camino, which is anyone can come. Right. Okay. Women, couples. And then our Italy one, there’s a pilgrimage in, Italy called the Via Francigena, which is amazing.
Michelle Spadafora [00:28:28]:
And we do the whole Tuscan section, so we’re just walking through Tuscany every day, which is spectacular. And that one is, right now for couples. And so a little bit of everything.
Kim Moeller [00:28:39]:
Oh, that’s wonderful. Okay. So, again, check out Michelle’s website, faithful workouts.com, and then you’ll see the the tab retreats. Okay. One other question I have. Just in your life, you’ve done fitness as a career for many decades. And to the average person or even not just to the average person, your life and as you do your workouts, are you the kind of person who says, I have to work out 7 days a week, or do you say I do a minimum of x amount, but I always take a day off? Like, what are your thoughts on just the scheduling of fitness? And we’d love to hear that as well.
How Often to Workout?
Michelle Spadafora [00:29:21]:
Yeah. For for me, I am active every day, I would say. Now, a lot of times I’m in the workout room because I really enjoy strength training and I know how much good it does to my body. I also still teach classes. So I go in and it’s my time to be with my friends, you know, who we work out together. I have, dogs and I live in colorado. So I go for walks and If I don’t work out, I have no guilt like no shame like if I’m if I’m sick like I feel like, you know, I’ve got a really bad cold coming on I’ll take a days off. No problem But, like, people are like, you’re on vacation.
Michelle Spadafora [00:29:56]:
Why are you working out? I’m like, because I want to feel good. And I know for me personally, when I when I move each day, I feel better. If I don’t move, if I don’t exercise for, like, 3 days, my back starts to tighten up. I just feel more achy. And so I do. And I work out most of the time about 45 minutes a day. And I mix it up. So I’m never doing the same thing.
Brain Workouts
Michelle Spadafora [00:30:22]:
We do a lot of brain workouts, which sounds weird. Like what’s a brain workout? But it’s, if maybe you don’t know this because I only learned it recently, like Alzheimer’s and dementia. I mean, big concern for all of us, right? The number one thing you can do is what we call pizzazz, kind of cardio dance. And you do not have to be a dancer. Believe me, I am not a dancer. But it’s cross body motion. So if I’m using my left arm across my body, maybe bringing up my right knee, and I’m doing it at a certain rhythm and timing to music. It’s the number one thing to help prevent Alzheimer’s.
Michelle Spadafora [00:30:57]:
So who cares if you play the same game? Okay. I’m not good enough teaching this. So there you go. But I do a lot of that.
Kim Moeller [00:31:04]:
You do not know that.
Michelle Spadafora [00:31:05]:
Yeah. It’s it’s, it’s look up the studies. That’s the number one thing. I’ve actually just, become friendly with a guy who’s in his PhD to studying nothing but Alzheimer’s. And he’s like, number 1 right there. You gotta do that. Having and also having the elevated heart rate. So while you’re having an elevated heart rate, you’re having to think, you’re doing cross body motion, and it’s fun.
Michelle Spadafora [00:31:26]:
So, balance. We do a lot of balance work, a lot of core work. So I think mixing it up is what’s really important. Mhmm. But if you can do 30 minutes, 5 times a week, as a goal, like not saying as a starting point, a starting point might be 10 minutes, 3 times a week. But if you can work up to that, that’s the amount where you really do start to get the more benefit from it. Having that kind of elevated heart rate and doing it up to 5 times a week. It sounds like a lap, but once you just get you start doing it, you wanna feel good.
Michelle Spadafora [00:32:05]:
You want to do it. Mhmm. You know, like somebody this other like when I talk about thought changes, this one woman said to me, You know, for so many years, I exercise because I hated my body. And she said, Now I exercise because I love my body. Her body hadn’t changed a ton when she was forcing these workouts. But once she started to love her body, it made a difference. We do a whole series called Love Yourself Healthy. You don’t take care of something you don’t value.
Michelle Spadafora [00:32:32]:
You don’t take care of something you don’t find as worthy of your care. And so the more that you can start to, you know, love the flawed mess you are, you know, the better it is for your fitness.
Walking v. Strength Training
Kim Moeller [00:32:45]:
And then I know you mentioned you have your dogs in Colorado, so you need to walk your dogs and you take your dogs out. How do you look at walking as compared to strength training, cardio? Is it equal? Is it it’s great to do, but you still need to do other things? Or is it, like, in a given week, if you did 3 days of walking 3 miles, that would be great and enough.
Michelle Spadafora [00:33:11]:
Yeah. I’m really glad you brought this up because I do get this question often. You know, people will say, I’ve been walking, you know, 5 miles, you know, 4 times a week, and I’m not noticing a difference. And here’s the thing. Walking has a lot of benefits. Like, 1, mentally. I think that’s some of my the biggest reason that I love to hike and love to walk is just my mental clarity. Sometimes I listen to podcasts or Christian music.
Michelle Spadafora [00:33:35]:
So it’s really good for my mind. It’s good for your body. It’s good for your bone density to kind of have that impact of walking. Your bones that helps strengthen your bones. But what happens is it’s not enough. And so people are putting I say to people like, If you’re doing a 3 miles, could you cut back to 2 miles and take that extra 20 minutes and do strength training? Okay. Because we are at especially for maybe it’s everyone, but really women and especially after 40, we start to lose muscle. And what happens is when we lose muscle, our metabolism lowers.
Michelle Spadafora [00:34:12]:
So we’re burning through calories at a slower rate. So even if we’re not eating more, we’ll notice we’re starting to gain weight. So what we have to do is fight against that by doing strength training and I’m not talking at all big muscles here. Okay lean muscle You strength train you have more muscle which uses up more calories or energy So you don’t put on weight as much plus it’s injury prevention. The more studies that are coming out, our muscle mass kind of predicts our longevity and how we’ll finish life. So eating lean proteins, Still doing a very, you know, variety of a variety of foods, but lean proteins are important to kind of think about Doing strength training, but then do the walking if you love walking walk But don’t do it at the cost of not doing strength training core work critical range of motion critical those things you don’t get in walking
Kim Moeller [00:35:13]:
Right, that’s
Kim Moeller [00:35:14]:
that’s excellent. Michelle. Thank you for explaining that. What about water? I hear you should drink a gallon a day, and then I hear, no. That’s way too much. You’ll lose, you know, like, too many electrolytes. What do you think about water?
Michelle Spadafora [00:35:29]:
Well, Well, you know, it’s interesting so many people like on my website when we have nutritional information They’ll say what’s a serving size? Well, it depends on you. And so we’re looking sometimes for this one size fits all when it comes to water food exercise in reality We are all uniquely created. So what makes a difference in how much water you need is the size of your body? You know someone who’s, a 300 pound man compared to 115 pound woman is going to need different amounts of water How much you’re exercising and how much you’re sweating? Where do you live? Are you in a climate where you’re sweating more often? So I would say if you want a rough average Take your body weight cut it in half, and that’s how many ounces, not pounds, ounces of water you need. So if you weigh a 160 pounds, 80 ounces of water, that’s a good place to be, in that range. And I know people struggle with drinking enough water. So I have a couple quick little tips that I would say When you drink water don’t take one sip think how many times you have to go to a glass and take a sip to get to 80 ounces Mhmm. When it when I drink, I not every time, but I often I just kind of count, and I’ll do, like, 8 sips. Okay.
Michelle Spadafora [00:36:46]:
Then I that’s a little bit more. So try to drink a little bit more when you drink it. Each time. Carry it with you.
If you don’t have it with you, I’m it makes a huge difference for me. Put it in my car with me. And then I love to flavor my water, but not with those little packages of stuff like Crystal Light or any of that, or even electrolytes. It’s just a squeeze of lemon. I take frozen strawberries, put them in my water in place of ice. So I put different flavors in there, cucumber, ginger, mint, and it it just kind of jazzes up that water.
Proper Hydration
Kim Moeller [00:37:16]:
That’s great. And then do you have the size container that is the amount you should drink in a day and you’re just using that, bringing that wherever you go so you know when it’s gone, you you have
Michelle Spadafora [00:37:27]:
You know, I don’t do that only because it wouldn’t like, in a cup holder, it’d be really awkward to carry for me to carry that much water. So I have a 24 ounce one, and I know that I’m gonna go through that 3 to 4 times as my goal. And, you know, just constantly and sometimes when I go to bed at night, I’ll literally ask myself like, how’d you do with water? Oh, chug some now, which is not ideal, because I’m already going to the bathroom at night. So now, you know, but I do or I’ll try to make it that, okay, that coffee you’ve got so badly right there, drink 8 ounces of water before your coffee. Or if you’re gonna have a glass of wine, have a glass of water first. You know, so it’s just kind of, you know, forcing myself to continually make it make it brighter because it’s a huge thing. Huge. It also lowers our metabolism.
Michelle Spadafora [00:38:10]:
Partial dehydration lowers your metabolism, which slows down your ability to process through the food you’re eating. So
Kim Moeller [00:38:17]:
Excellent. Okay. Last question about just the practical steps with the workouts. What about amino acid? You should make sure you’re drinking those during the workout or right afterwards
Michelle Spadafora [00:38:29]:
You know, I’m not one that focus honestly focuses on that. I think, you know, I I choose to drink, you know, like, coconut water that’s unsweetened is one of the best natural electrolytes, so for water retention. And, I just, I don’t focus on that. So I would say no, I don’t. Okay. Okay. I mean, I do look, I look at my I have a plan for my day, but you know, some people will say, what do I eat before workout compared to after workout? What do I do this? And I’m like, if you the harder you make it on yourself the more kind of rules and regulations you put in place the more you set yourself up for feeling like you failed. And so for me, I my rule is 80% of the time.
Michelle Spadafora [00:39:08]:
I eat really healthy. 20% of the time, kind of healthy. I’m not gonna go ever go to sleep with Oreos or anything like that. But, you know, if I have a a burger and a beer or a piece of pizza, I’m not beating myself up. It’s just not how I do it all day. So I very I’m just one who just is like Don’t put too many rules in place, right?
Kim Moeller [00:39:31]:
You give grace to yourself
Michelle Spadafora [00:39:33]:
Yeah, you’d I I think it’s important and then to just believe like you giving myself grace doesn’t it’s different from an excuse It’s not that I’m saying, you know, I’m looking for a reason to get out of something. I’m saying, okay, I didn’t do that, but what good does it do right now for me to beat myself up? Instead, just be like, all right, that happened. Like, what can you learn from it? Now let’s move on and let’s do it better tomorrow. I just find it’s a better way to live.
Kim Moeller [00:39:57]:
To encourage our own selves. Okay. So before we wrap up with your favorite book, bible verse, and bargain, any last tip you would like to share with our wonderful audience?
Michelle Spadafora [00:40:11]:
I would just say, don’t get discouraged because sometimes we feel like when we’re trying to do something that we feel God’s calling us to do, when we feel like we’re trying to care for our body, we can expect it to go in this perfect upward journey, like without any hiccups or mistakes or things like that. And we might even feel like, God, how come you’re not helping me with this? Or where are you? Why is this so hard? You know, I just committed to doing a fitness program because I wanted to be your hands and feet and now I broke my foot. Like, what’s up with that? And I’ve had that kind of those experiences happen often in my life when I’m trying to do what I believe God is calling me to do and Perseverance is important When you’re looking at fitness try to get your eye off the scale and off the pants size Try to think more on the actions like I’m doing what I know is good for me because often the results we get aren’t what we want initially. And I just see it so often that, I’m doing the right thing. I didn’t lose the weight. I’m going back to my old ways. No, we’re just trying to do the right thing consistently. And when the results aren’t exactly what we want, to just persevere and hang in there.
Kim Moeller [00:41:37]:
And it’s the long game. It’s just like Christianity. Like, if we’re patient and we know it’s the long game, it’s so much better because we can look back and see how, wow. I’m really glad you didn’t answer that prayer the way I thought you would or I wanted you to. And the same thing with fitness, I think just what you said, like, don’t focus on the scale. Don’t focus on the clothes size. Obviously, we all feel better when our clothes fit or we weigh what we wanna weigh. But the aging process, the loss of muscle, the building of muscle, all of that goes into it.
Kim Moeller [00:42:10]:
And I think it’s more the importance of what you said of taking care of our body. And when we go to bed at night, did we drink the water we should have had for our body to be refueled?
Kim Moeller [00:42:22]:
And did we take the time, even if we, you know, hurt our foot, to still do something for our core, for our arms? And if we just, quote, just walked today, then, oh, I didn’t have time to do strength training. I’m going to for sure incorporate it tomorrow. So so great.
Michelle Spadafora [00:42:40]:
Offer grace to yourself.
Michelle Spadafora [00:42:43]:
You know, without making up excuses. Those those aren’t like mutually exclusive. You could offer yourself grace and not make up excuses and never change.
Kim Moeller [00:42:51]:
Right.
Michelle Spadafora [00:42:51]:
And so I think that’s just a really important thing to focus on. And just know, it doesn’t we like when I ask people to set goals, I said, Please don’t set results oriented goals. Set action goals What are the things that at the end of the day you can say? Yes, I did or no I didn’t And it’s not that and it’s in your control. Exactly
Kim Moeller [00:43:15]:
Yeah, Yes. Thank you so much for sharing all of that wisdom. Well, I can’t wait to use your platform, and I’m really gonna incorporate it with my own fitness routine. So I thank you for first of all, that it’s free. And second of all, all your wisdom, all the prayers you’ve prayed to get to where you are and and just so generously, sharing it with others. So loved having you as a guest. And, okay, I know we’re at time, but your current book you’re reading, Bible Verse and Bargain.
Bible Verse, Book, and Bargain
Michelle Spadafora [00:43:46]:
So current book soul obsession by nikki cruz. I’ve not my first time reading it It’s one that I’ve read over and over again and it just is such a I love that it challenges me to go to another level with my faith as that book does it’s just so powerful of his story and if you read the book, there’s a story about him and his mom that oh my goodness just Wow, forgiveness and all sorts of things. So that’s one
Kim Moeller [00:44:12]:
Okay and a verse That’s your favorite?
Michelle Spadafora [00:44:16]:
I started earlier that earlier today, and it’s just one that I cling to and it’s just I work really hard at this because I depend on, God’s mighty power that lives within me. I just did a big day of filming as you mentioned yesterday, and I worked really hard. But I knew that it wouldn’t work, or it would just fail if God didn’t show up in a big powerful way. And so it’s just, I I cling to that one probably to remind myself of that one almost every day.
Kim Moeller [00:44:43]:
It’s good. So true. So true. Okay. And then any bargain in Colorado that
Kim Moeller [00:44:49]:
you found around the Internet?
Michelle Spadafora [00:44:51]:
So funny. I did the bargain on Monday. My I I have a lot of family in town. My kids are all in town. And we there’s this restaurant called Bridgewater Cafe, and it’s at the Golden Hotel. And they have these beautiful burgers and fries, and they’re $10 each in a really nice restaurant. So I got that bargain already. And then to take it to the another level, I had my 2 my parents with me who are almost 90, 95 next month.
Michelle Spadafora [00:45:16]:
And they had happy hour, but not in the restaurant. But I said to my one of my parents, hey, look even older so they feel sorry for us and let us have happy hour in the restaurant. And they did. So, yeah, we had happy hour and $10 burgers on Monday night.
Kim Moeller [00:45:32]:
So good. Oh, you’re the best. I’m so glad. I should do a shout out before we close to Brian man, his wife, Suzanne, who I know are your really good friends. And and in talking to Brian, he said, you have to talk to our friend, Suzanne and my friend, Michelle, because she’s amazing. And, yes, this is great, Michelle, because I love kicking off the new year with fitness, and I haven’t had a ton of episodes over the 2 seasons on fitness. So we’d love to have you back as a repeat guest later this year, and we can we can share, you know, how this year has gone for you and me, how, you know, changes I’ve made, and so appreciate it. And God bless you and your your platform, your journey.
Michelle Spadafora [00:46:19]:
And if you do go to the website and you send an email, we do I personally really try to respond to every email. So, you know, Kim, if you have anything that you’re like, need some extra help on or have questions on or anybody, just send us an email and, you know, we’ll we’ll walk you through it. We really do wanna help people to, have that confidence that they can get stronger and feel better.
Kim Moeller [00:46:41]:
Excellent. Well, there are not a lot of people like you out there, which is why I’m so glad I found you. So thanks again for your generosity. God bless.
Michelle Spadafora [00:46:48]:
Absolutely. Thank you, guys.
Conclusion
Kim Moeller [00:46:54]:
Thanks so much for joining us today on the Generous Grill podcast. We’re so glad that you’re here. And if you know of someone that you think needs to be a guest on this podcast, please reach out to us. New episodes are released every other week, and you can follow us on YouTube and on all platforms. Thanks for being here, and we’ll see you next time.
