Fuel Your Strength Steph Gaudreau

One of the pieces of equipment in the gym that strikes fear into people is the rowing machine. Many people consider it a piece of warm-up equipment, but it is so much more than that. When you take the time to educate yourself about not only rowing but how you can create a more well-rounded training program, the results can be magic.

Key Takeaways
If You Are Interested in Rowing, You Should:

Look at GPP Fitness from all perspectives and directions Integrate rowing into your workout routine in a way that works for you Lean on your community and coaches to help drive positive change
Changing Lives Through Rowing with Shane Farmer
Shane Farmer changed his life through rowing. He started Dark Horse Rowing to help others gain a community of others who hold them accountable, challenge their limits, and drive them to evolve and become the most robust, most incredible versions of themselves. Shane believes rowing can help make positive change and guide others to their most genuine potential.

Building Community Through Fitness
Shane doesn't want to turn you into a rower. Instead, he wants to help non-rowers use rowing on and off the machine to stay active, move better, and have an excellent quality of life for as long as possible. One of the main pillars of Shane’s program is the hyper-local tribe and community that can be a game changer for many people.

Diversity is Key
Diversity in your movements and workouts is critical to longevity. Shane believes that we all go through seasons of which practices we enjoy. One day it may be rowing, the following strength training, etc. The key is to change and evolve in a way that keeps you passionate about your movement practice so that you can promote your longevity as best as possible. 

By finding a healthy balance of weight training, cardio, machine work, and recovery, you can create positive change and improve all of the different elements of your training. Being proactive is far better than being reactive when it comes to your health, and it's never too late to try something new.

Are you ready to integrate a new practice, such as rowing, into your movement routine? Share your thoughts and experiences with me in the comments section of the episode page.

In This Episode
Exploring the parallel between rowing and CrossFit  (11:52) How the pandemic affected exercise routines and the return to hyper-local community (15:15) Some of the biggest strength issues and challenges you need to face to improve your rowing (26:37) The importance of continual movement in your life as you progress (33:15) Tips for weaving together rowing and strength training for your overall fitness and longevity (41:00)
Quotes
“People are always going to want to gravitate to tribe and community. So as long as it is available, people will gather for fitness purposes.” (18:25)

“I’m not trying to turn you into a rower. I am trying to help you use rowing as an accessory to staying fit for life.” (30:45)

“Submit yourself to the process of learning the movement. Because once it all makes sense, you’re going to find a lot more enjoyment in the workouts.” (33:26)

“There is no magic pill. There’s no ‘rowing is the greatest thing in the world; strength training is the greatest thing in the world’. They are all just a means to facilitate what the body is meant to do.” (37:04)

“We have so much knowledge at this point about what to do that the hardest thing is just choosing what we are going to do on any given day.” (45:52)

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Dark Horse Rowing
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Our Western society is, to put it frankly, obsessed with the idea of anti-aging and the fountain of youth. This multi-billion-dollar-a-year industry that is mainly targeted at women focuses on all of the products and things you can do to maintain the appearance of youth on the outside of your body. But what about what is going on in the inside?
Key Takeaways If You Are Interested in Using Muscle to Improve Your Aging, You Should:

Start strength training now if you haven't already Follow a plan that is progressive and will help you Outsource to a professional in order to take the next step

Preserving Your Muscle and Quality of Life Muscle is the most critical topic that is missing from the majority of conversations around aging. Preserving our muscle mass as we get older is one of the best ways to maintain our quality of life and longevity as we transition through menopause and beyond. Developing and maintaining muscle not only makes you feel good but is a key factor in how you age.
The Unsung Hero of Anti-Aging
While you may not be able to prevent 100% of the muscle mass loss you may experience as you get older, strength training is the best action you can take to take steps in that direction. 

Muscle mass is the unsung hero of the anti-aging discussion, and is about so much more than vanity and appearances. If you want to preserve your quality of life and longevity as you age, maintaining your muscle is the first thing you need to think about.

How has strength training changed your approach to aging? Share your thoughts with me in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Exploring what the term anti-aging really means in modern Western society (4:45) Evidence-based statistics to help you understand the aging landscape (9:02) Why you need to pay attention to strength training, especially during the menopause transition (13:21) What you need to know about the relationship between estrogen and muscle (17:11) Things you can do about your muscle mass as you age (25:02)
Quotes
“If there is one thing that gets missed over time and time and time again in the conversation about aging, it is the unsung hero, muscle.” (3:12)

“I don't want to just live to be very old in terms of my years, but I also would like to have as much quality of life, and quality of health, as possible.” (8:29)

“No matter where on the spectrum you are, it is absolutely important and possible for you to start strength training now and reap some of these benefits.” (15:53)

“Not only does this affect performance in terms of sports and athletics and fitness, but also, life.” (21:48)

“This is all about your longevity, quality of programming, quality of life, and how strength training is going to serve you going forward.” (29:01)
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Dynamic Dumbells Program

Strong With Steph Program
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FYS #411: Why You Need A Strength Training Program

FYS #408: Growth Mindset in Fitness

FYS #407: The Female Athlete Health Report with Kyniska Advocacy

Rucking is having a moment right now, but it is nothing new, per se. Humans have been carrying loads for distance since the beginning of time. While rucking is not a replacement for your strength training, it has a multitude of benefits to your cardiovascular strength, blood sugar, bone health, and so much more.
Key Takeaways If You Are Interested in Including Rucking in Your Fitness Plan, You Should:

Start slow and build up your endurance over time while taking time for recovery Use rucking as a way to improve your cardiovascular and strength training Look into rucking group challenges if you are interested

The Many Benefits of Rucking
Ever since I discovered rucking, I have included it as part of my fitness routine. The unique benefits of rucking, particularly for women over 40, have had a huge supportive impact on my training regime. Rucking is an incredibly effective form of exercise that has a wide range of benefits that can impact not only your fitness capacity but also your social and competitive capacity as well.

Carrying heavy things is a fundamental movement pattern that is especially important for women over 40. The benefits to your bones, blood sugar, insulin sensitivity, stress, and more are some reasons why I love rucking.

Answering All of Your Rucking Questions
While rucking can be simply defined as carrying loads for a distance, there are a lot of questions that come up when starting any new fitness or movement practice. How much weight, what shoes you should wear, what equipment you need, what counts as rucking, and how to get started rucking are only a few of the questions I answer for you on today's podcast. 

If you are curious about rucking, already have a walking practice, or just want to try something new, rucking may be the answer you have been looking for.

What do you love about rucking? What are you the most curious about? Share your rucking thoughts and experiences with me in the comments on the episode page.

In This Episode
Learn the simplest way to define rucking in one sentence (5:01) The difference between rucking and heavy carries during a workout (6:47) Why rucking is an effective form of exercise, especially for women (8:26) All the answers you need to get started with rucking (18:56) How much weight you should be rucking in each stage (25:12)
Quotes
“Once I started rucking myself, I could definitely see where this was a beneficial addition to my fitness routine, and I have been doing it ever since.” (4:34)

“We need to keep our cardiovascular strong, but we also need to strength train. We need the unique benefits of both.” (13:19)

“Proper recovery matters just like any other kind of training. Don't overdo it, pay attention to your body… don't ignore that shit.” (29:27)

“If you are looking for rucking gear that is really going to go the distance, check out GO RUCK.” (33:54)

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Use Promo Code FUELYOURSTRENGTH at Go Ruck
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Related Episodes
FYS 389: The Benefits of Rucking for Women with Michael Easter
 

If you are a woman over 40 trying to build your fitness and muscle, you know how important it is to get into the gym on a regular basis. But if you struggle to find the consistency or motivation to exercise, you are definitely not alone. I find consistency as one of the most common things my clients struggle with, but it doesn't have to be that way.
Key Takeaways If You Are Curious About Essentialism, Try: 
Taking time to decide what is truly important for you
Saying no to the things that you do not want to do
Doing fewer things but doing them better
Adding Instead of Taking Away A lot of things in the health world are focused on removing or distancing yourself from a thing. Exercise is certainly not that way, and it requires you to lean in when it comes to changing your health habits. Although exercise takes time, energy, and space in your daily calendar, adding it to your life consistently is going to help you achieve the results you are looking for.
All 24 Hours Are Not the Same While there are 24 hours in a day, each of us has our own schedule, timeline, and ability to prioritize exercise. Finding the time, space, and motivation to be consistent isn't necessarily easy, but by asking yourself the right questions, you can identify what's important, what you may want to say no to, and, ultimately, how to live more aligned with your values.
The #1 most underrated concept when it comes to helping you find more time, which can, in turn, help you increase your consistency with training, is essentialism. There is a counterintuitive reason why finding consistency with your workouts is so hard, especially as a woman over 40.
Have you ever approached your fitness with an essentialism mindset? Share your thoughts with me in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode Behind-the-scenes update of what to expect in the coming months on my training platform (2:47) Why exercise does not follow the standard ideal of health change (7:43) Understanding essentialism and why it may help you assess your life (9:50) Questions you can ask yourself as a thought exercise to guide your actions (13:04) How to implement the principles of essentialism into your own life (15:25)

Quotes “It has been extremely gratifying to really bring those of you over 40 who are looking to improve your strength, muscle, and fitness, and feel strong. To really bring you a comprehensive program that is going to tick the boxes that we need as women over 40.” (3:47)
“If you are feeling challenged with consistency, I promise you you are not alone in feeling what you are feeling.” (4:52)
“Exercise cannot be accomplished through subtraction, elimination, or avoidance.” (8:33)
“Exercise is a form of self-care. We are taking care of our health.” (15:12)
“Ultimately, we all don't have the same time in our day. But by implementing the principles of essentialism, hopefully, you can carve out just a little bit more for yourself.” (17:47)
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Essentialism by Greg Mckeown
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I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!
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Related Episodes FYS 410: The Power of Intrinsic Motivation in Fitness
FYS 408: Growth Mindset in Fitness
 

I recently decided to return to running after a 12-year-long break from it. While the idea of returning to running was a little bit scary and uncomfortable, I have found three teachable moments through my experience that you can apply to your own life, whether it is running or something entirely different that you want to make a return to but are apprehensive about.
Key Takeaways If You Want to Find Enjoyment in Returning to an Exercise Such as Running, You Should:
Find another way to do your cardio that you can tolerate
Find an intrinsic motivation to train for
Find some sense of joy in doing whatever you are doing
Cardio and Strength Training Go Together Some of you may not know that I used to be an endurance athlete. I focus more on strength training rather than cardio in my public work because when we look at the data, more women meet their cardio minimums than their strength training minimums. 
However, we need a balance of both strength training and cardio to see the results that most of us are looking for. It takes a combination approach for all of us to achieve our goals, no matter what our goals are.
Find Your Intrinsic Motivation  Sometimes, exercise is uncomfortable and hard. It is a way that we build in a way of controlled discomfort. But finding other things that we enjoy about the experience makes it that much richer. This has been my main takeaway when getting back into running. 
Finding intrinsic motivation is key to putting yourself out there. Even if you do not love the exercise itself, finding joy in the other aspects of 'the thing' instead of looking for external validation will keep you going. It is possible to find a way to incorporate what scares you into your daily routine; you just have to take the first step.
Have you been looking for a way to reincorporate something such as running that you may have had on the shelf for a while? Tell me your story in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode Why I decided to make my return to running after a 12-year break (3:18) The steps I took to get back into running to prepare for future events (12:29) How you can find a new or alternative way to return to a specific exercise (14:45) The importance of continued motion and purpose for your longevity (17:27) How to find motivation and joy in whatever activity you are doing (22:52)

Quotes “If you were wondering why I go on and on and on about fueling and why I became a sports nutritionist, it is to help other women, especially women, avoid those pitfalls that I fell into all those years back.” (4:45)
“I knew that I was going to have to find a way of reconciling the fact that when I left the sports world, I was doing a lot of things for the wrong reasons.” (13:55)
“There was definitely an apprehension for me or kind of a burnout in putting running on the shelf for an indefinite amount of time, and as I started to return to things, I wanted to do it very mindfully.” (14:33)
“For so many years, we have swung the pendulum from only doing cardio to only doing strength training, and we need both.” (15:47)
“Sometimes it is the extrinsic stuff that is enough to get us in the door, but it is more the intrinsic side of things that keeps us going, and I very much have felt that with running.” (22:38)
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GORUCK
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Get 20% off Legion Supplements with code STEPH (20% off your first order, double points on follow-up orders
Get 10% off GORUCK with code FUELYOURSTRENGTH
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I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!
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Related Episodes FYS 389: The Benefits of Rucking for Women with Michael Easter
FYS 380: Lessons From Endurance to Lifting: Top Sports & Nutrition

Investing in your own transformation is a difficult thing for a lot of us, but it is so important. Whether you invest your time, money, or effort, showing up for yourself and investing in your own growth is the key to seeing the results you are hoping for.
Key Takeaways If You Are Ready to Invest in the Next Step, You Should:
Remember that you are not the only one who doesn’t have everything figured out
Take the step to invest in yourself through a coach, training program, or just asking for help
Believe that you are worthy of this investment, and watch how you can show up for yourself
Your Body is a Garden I have been putting off fixing up my garden for years. Once I finally decided to do something about it, and reach out to an expert for help, my years of procrastination were fixed in just a few hours. What really surprised me was the amount of joy and satisfaction I got from seeing the fruits of my labor.
Your nutrition and training program might be a lot like my garden. But instead of feeling overwhelmed and putting it off, or being afraid of asking for help, taking the initiative to invest in yourself will feel so much better than procrastinating.
Investing In Yourself Investing in yourself means that you get to borrow the education and expertise from others, and it helps you avoid the constant overwhelm of trying to learn and do everything yourself. Hiring an expert is an investment that you can make that will result in the growth and transformation you are looking for.
You are not alone in the challenging things. By believing that you are worth it and investing in your own growth, you can ditch that feeling of overwhelm and experience the great feeling of seeing your own metaphorical garden bloom.
Are you ready to invest in your next step? Share your story with me in the comments section on the episode page.
In This Episode Discover a recent personal story for my real life that I hope will inspire you (1:32) The main benefits of hiring an expert to help you with your goals (12:23) Understanding the difference between learning, DIY, and borrowing expertise (15:10) Why hiring an expert is an investment in your growth and transformation (17:01) How to take the first steps towards your goal by getting help (20:26)
Quotes “I want you to think, where have I been reluctant to ask for and seek out the help that I really need in order to make the progress I want to see and ultimately get the transformation that I really truly want?” (2:27)
“When you hire an expert, whether it is a gardener or a nutrition coach or someone to paint your house, you are making a very wise choice.” (12:22)
“You are worthy; you have always been worthy; there is no question about your worthiness. And at any point in the process, wherever you are with your nutrition or your strength training, are worthy of hiring someone.” (16:36)
“You start to value yourself and show up for yourself differently when you invest in your own growth, in your own transformation.” (18:40)
“If you are ready to figure all this stuff out, have expert guidance, get the coaching and the community support that are so so important in long-term progress, then we are waiting for you to apply!” (23:44)
Featured on the Show Apply for Strength Nutrition Unlocked Here
Full Show Notes
Get 20% off Legion Supplements with code STEPH (20% off your first order, double points on follow-up orders
Get 10% off GORUCK with code FUELYOURSTRENGTH
Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest
I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!
Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative
Rate and review on Apple Podcasts
Related Episodes FYS 410: The Power of Intrinsic Motivation in Fitness