Strength Renewed

00:18
Hi, Miks. How are doing? How are you? PR? You've got a PR. Oh my god. Yes. I'm coming into this podcast like, you know, all fired up because I competed in a virtual kettlebell competition, which I know people are like, what the hell is a kettlebell competition in general? And then what is a virtual one? And a virtual one is just that we get the opportunity to compete. You know, I can't make it to

00:47
East Coast for this competition. But Kettle Guard, which is the product that I created, is a sponsor. And also, I'm just trying to get back in the saddle and keep competing and get closer to that goal of 100 and cuckoo snatches with the 24 kg. So I did... competed in Mike's kettlebell competition. And I competed virtually from home here.

01:10
And I put up a reel on my Instagram just to kind of show people like exactly the silliness of things you do prior. And actually it's funny that I should say what we started with, because it's perfect to what we're going to be talking about tonight. But in kettlebell competitions, it's based upon how many reps you can get with the kettlebell in a certain amount of time. But it's also based on your body weight, which kind of puts you in a certain like kettlebell class.

01:39
and then the actual weight of the kettlebell. So when you compete virtually because you're here and you want to be honest, you actually have to take a video of you on the scale. Oh, I was wondering about that. So Jeff, my video producer, takes a video of me. So we're just being super honest. he tells me that he shows the camera,

02:09
what my weight is, then I get off the scale and then I hold my kettlebell and I put the kettlebell on the scale, which wasn't like totally on the video. And then we weigh the kettlebell. I'm weighed. I put a little chalk on my hands. He's still the kettle. The video still has to keep going because it can't look like it stopped and started right now. It'll be all one video. And then I, um, and then I put a little more chalk on my hands cause I'm usually a little nervous today. I just set the clock.

02:37
and I set it for particular amount of time. I had the song that I needed on on repeat. I looped the same song, so it just keeps playing usually two song is it? Tonight it was Drake, Money in the Grave. I saw I mean, it is like straight up, right? Yeah. It's not a sweet song. Yeah. I need something that's not sweet. And how long does it take, Jess?

03:06
Yeah, so you have up to 10 minutes to do the competition or to do the event. And I kind of knew in my head that I didn't want to be ruled by the number because this is a psychological game. From the moment you step on the scale actually to finishing the competition. So I decided that I would just set the clock for eight minutes, which I typically can't get to eight minutes. I usually get to about like seven and a half, but eight minutes was like a nice buffer. So I figured if I can get close to eight minutes,

03:34
I'll get close to the number just because I can, it's like in a race that I can just make it that amount of time. So I set it on the clock for eight minutes and I think I got maybe like 7 45 or something like that. Who's counting the reps? So this particular time I didn't want anybody to count. I just wanted the video to count the rams. didn't, I didn't want to, I just wanted to like let the clock go. And so I did. And then,

04:02
then what you do is you load it up into YouTube and then Mike, who is running this kettlebell competition, you load up on YouTube, then he'll judge it. So you have like a professional judge who judges your, and I mean, it's a PR for me because I also am a kettlebell athlete. So I know what a good rep looks like and what one doesn't. And those were all like solid reps. anyways, the judge will still professionally judge it.

04:31
And then I'll get kind of thrown into when the actual competition non-virtual version and then they'll come back and they'll let me know how I placed and what I did and the whole thing. So I'm happy that I showed up and yeah, it's ironic that it all started. You throw yourself onto a scale to start. Yeah. And, and funny, you almost broke the first rule of weighing yourself on, on scales. Cause what time of the day did you weigh yourself?

04:58
Also so interesting because people are going to have lots of like opinions about this and I kind of love it. I'm here for it you guys. But I do not like to weigh myself at the end of the day. That is not ideal. I typically if I'm going to get on a scale, I typically do it honestly like in the morning after I've had coffee, after I've gone to the bathroom and I want to be completely naked with nothing on my body and then I want to get on a scale and that will be like

05:27
the number that I'll do. This was not that. The one disadvantage because literally in kettlebell competitions, I have gotten naked in a room somewhere and somebody like looks down, get your number and then you put your clothes on. I don't care. want to like, but when you're virtual, you, you obviously aren't going to be doing that naked to on YouTube. So, so I usually wear like shorts and a sports bra. I take off my weightlifting shoes. So I'm barefoot and

05:53
Today I took my, I had to do it. I had to have it in by five o'clock in the evening. So I weighed myself up 430, which is not my most enjoyable time to weigh, but that's okay. That's what it was. that's, and absolutely that is what it is. and, it's interesting because, you know, I go back and forth with people all of the time on scales and I, even have conversations with people who are distraught because they weighed themselves in the morning and then jumped back on the scales.

06:22
in the evening and they were like, but I've gained X amount of weight. And I'm like, you haven't gained anything. Your gravitational pull is a little bit more because of the food you've got in your stomach, because of the fluid that you've had to drink. You know, there are so many reasons and we're going to go over them as to why the scales fluctuate. people, it's a war zone for so many people that jumping on the scales.

06:46
I mean, this is by the way you guys, is not who we're talking about. It's just ironic that my evening started with like weighing myself. Yeah, I know. And weighing a kettlebell. And so it was kind of a perfect entry into what that elicits for people. I guess today where I think the one thing that hopefully people can take away is maybe like what actually happens to the body at the end. I love how you just said, like, I didn't even know that. I always assumed that I weigh more at the end of the day.

07:15
You know what I mean? Because the number on the scale often is more. And I've done that. I'm one of those people. I don't do it regularly, but I have gotten on the scale in the morning after I've done all those things I just told you. And then I got on the scale in the evening and the numbers are different. So let's start there. Why is the number different in the morning than it is at end of the day? Almost always, the two big reasons for those scale fluctuations are

07:45
the food that you've eaten, so bulk, and water retention. But actually, these are reasons why your scale weight will fluctuate even in the morning as well. So if you follow your protocol of going to the bathroom, probably getting rid of everything. You mentioned post-coffee, which is what people like to do as well.

08:14
a to sort of, yeah, yeah, a good way to get it all out, right? But that still doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to jump on at your lightest weight because of the factors that influence your scale weight. And what I will say straight up is that I do think that looking at the trend over time for your scale weight is actually a really good measure of your,

08:41
we're talking about fat loss or fat loss progress, but you cannot buy into the daily changes in your scale weight. You've actually got to become quite removed from that number because what you're really looking for is what's happening with me month on month, rather than even week on week for some people is too sort of like looking at each week is actually too much of a, it's still governed a lot by these

09:11
these sort of fluctuating numbers because you may weigh yourself on a heavy day every single week. And I'll explain what makes a heavy day in a minute, but which means you're never getting a true reflection of what's going on. Like I think scales are great and I absolutely recommend them for people, but you've either got to weigh yourself five times a week or you've got to weigh yourself once a month, you know, like it's like that in between even once a week is just can be a bit devastating for some people. And I know like,

09:39
Like when I used to go to Weight Watchers when I was like 16 and 17 and you'd go to these weekly weigh-ins on Saturday morning. Weight Watchers when you were 16 or 17? Yeah, yeah. was a better at Did you take yourself there? Did your parents make you go there? Oh, my parents would never make me go there. No, this is a way I bonded with my mom was we dieted. It was awesome, actually. Clearly, I'd never recommend any mother, daughter do that now. But that's what we did. But I just would be devastated after a

10:07
quote unquote, good week, that that one time I weighed in, I weighed heavy. So actually I learned that if I had cereal the night before for dinner, it would be less food and then I would weigh less on the scales. Like even then I'm like, there are ways that I can manipulate those scales in my favor. So I'm going to get a bit of a drop. But there are obviously smarter things to do. And the smart thing to do is just look at that number and then take it down and then look at the trend

10:37
across a month because that's going to give you far more intel, but also always weigh up. We take it that, repeat that line one more time. So, so you said earlier, cause most people get on a scale most, not every day. They maybe get on it once or twice a week. And you're saying you either, you either do it every day if you want to have an accurate number or what was the other thing you said or? Once a month. Okay. And then, and then in, in, in the reason for the,

11:06
fluctuations typically aren't like I always thought it had to do with what you had the night before or whether or not you went to the bathroom. But you're saying like the main kind of things that affect scale fluctuations are exactly what you've said, but we break them down a bit further. So it is, and we're a bit more specific. So if it's

11:35
So it's anything that affects water regulation in the body is going to affect the scales. it's- the main things that affect water or water regulation or fluid regulation or whatever you said? So when it comes to food, it's carb intake the day before. So for every gram of carbohydrate you eat, your body will store an additional three grams of water. So therefore, if you eat say 500 grams of carbohydrate, let's just say, then-

12:03
you're going to be next to two kilos on the scale the next day because that's the gram of carbohydrate your body's because we store carbohydrate. And then it's the additional three grams to four grams of water that it's pulling in with it. it's, so carbohydrate will impact your water storage, also- people are going to ask, like they're going to say the obvious, cause I still think it's funny. Cause when I, when I hear carbohydrate, I immediately think like,

12:32
bread, pasta, grains of some sort. Is that the kind of carbohydrates you're talking about? Yeah, all starchy carbohydrates. So sweet potato as well, rice as well, pasta, you said grains. So fruit as well. It's hard though with fruit. mean, fruits, know, that's I was wondering too. Okay. Yeah. But all of it impacts. Anything that will result in you storing carbohydrate? Cause those things to me, I see it as like a sponge. Like I get them.

13:02
right? So they kind of like hold the water in those types of food. Is that why you would make way a little bit more the next day? Like, cause carbs kind of just like they're sponges. The glycogen. So when we eat carbohydrate, we break it down and, and we break it down to glucose and that glucose is stored in the body. It's glycogen. So it's the muscle storage form of carbohydrate. And that is like a sponge that'll pour water into the cells.

13:30
The other thing that will, from what you eat is of course salt, because if you have a meal that is high in salt, then you will weigh more because the salt pulls water into the cells. The sodium pulls water into the cells as well. So even in the absence of carbohydrate, your body will be holding more water. for example, like a katsushi meal out, even if you have the sashimi with the soy sauce, that's a high salt meal that'll result in increased

13:59
weight gain, cured meats, salted popcorn, or even just a restaurant meal in general that might not even taste salty. There's always more sodium in those meals that'll always result, even if it's like a chicken salad with dressing, you know, that'll result in or could result in a higher body weight next day. feel like people definitely need to be reminded that I know that like it's like my middle name, you know what mean?

14:25
If I go and eat all of this sodium, I love it. It tastes good, but I know what I'm in for the next day. If people are needing help, we can talk about that too, reducing some of that sodium intake because it just shows up everywhere. It's amazing how but I disagree, crazy. I disagree. So think people should have sodium? Yeah, of course. We have sodium in our drink bottles, right? True.

14:52
But what would people have to do is just know that- This is true. I am drinking element right now. It does have a crap ton of It's the reason we're drinking it. It tastes good to hide the fact that it's salty, right? Yes. But we just have to release the power that the change in scales has that sodium brings with it. when we exercise and we want carbohydrate to help recover, like

15:21
That's important. There's a lot of reasons why we want that. And although of course that could bring with it a whole line of disagreement, but we're not going to go there now. And then salt, we need salt for, it helps with almost every single physiological pathway in the body. But if you have more salt than normal, you will weigh more the next day. So just be mindful of that. Fiber. That's tricky thing. Yeah. So carbohydrates is spongy. So just know that

15:50
We also need the carbohydrates, but just also be mindful of your, cause I think, cause if you know you're, this is crazy, but if you know you're going to get on the scale, like, and you have this, I mean, if you have a different meal every night for dinner, then your weight may be different. know, people are eating the same exact thing every day and then waking up in the morning and their, their weight is a little bit different. Maybe that would seem. I think what research does show is,

16:18
is that generally speaking, our sodium levels, unless we do eat out, we generally, they're probably quite stable. that's something. if we always have like three elements in a day, and we put salt in our food, then it's likely to be not too different. But of course, if we eat low carb versus high carb, okay, one day we were really low carb, one day we really high carb, and that will absolutely impact what we see the next day.

16:48
Yes, for sure. So, carbohydrates, sodium could impact it and fiber. Again, we're just sharing, we're not saying don't have any of things. We're just saying these are the kind of things that could make the number on the scale fluctuate. Okay. So, fiber. Yeah. So, even though a diet high in fiber is like for long-term effect on fat loss and weight control, really helpful because it keeps you satisfied and

17:18
helps you, you know, assist adherence to, let's say, a calorie deficit or whatever. But the acute effects is that it will add bulk. And if it hasn't had time to move through your system, then you're going to notice that on the scale because you've just got more bulk in your gut. literally, it's like having a late meal is another one. Like that'll affect what you see on the scales as well. So from a diet perspective, all of these things are just explanations for why you weigh more on the scale.

17:48
And it's no big deal. it really isn't. But people will panic. Like I had one lady in my program, she was like, okay, I had a meal out with my friend. We had like one and a half glasses of wine and I felt really good about my choices. You know, they weren't perfect choices, but didn't need to be, but she felt really good about them. And she was one and a half kilos heavier the next day. And she said, so I put an extra fasting day in and I did hill sprints. Is that a good strategy? And I'm like,

18:17
that is not a good strategy. like, no way. And in my head, I'm like, have you heard nothing of what I've been talking about the last five weeks about, you know, action and reaction? And I'm like, no, this isn't a good strategy. Let's not do that again. We just get back to normal. And then I outlined all the reasons why the scales change as we are doing here. She's like, oh, thanks for the reminder. And because I feel like even really intelligent, logical people,

18:45
get caught up in the emotion of the scale. Well, I think that I was thinking as you were talking, I was like, at first I just kind of rolled my eyes and then like, the problem with it is that we don't, you know, you can lever hate, it doesn't matter if you're listening to this podcast and you're like have big strong sense. And I totally get that. But we're just, really trying to kind of break down stuff when we're, when we're here together. But I think one of the things that, that is so people get so tied up to when it comes to the scale is like,

19:14
You don't have a lot of, actually, how we're feeling is like, doesn't even matter. It's like if the scale number is, you know, up or down, that's kind of like the only real barometer that people still kind of like go to in this like clinical nature, right? Like who cares how I feel.

19:36
But clinically, even if I hate the freaking scale, it tells me I'm up. So therefore, whatever I'm doing is wrong. Or if it's down, whatever I'm doing is right. unless you need the number to be, you know what I mean? That's another thing. I always say, what is that even telling you about your health? What is that even doing? it's still the, perhaps you could shed some other

20:05
suggestions besides actually how we're feeling in our body, which is a huge one. But what other clinical things do people have? You know what I mean? That says I'm in the right, I'm moving on the right track because this number is, you know, up or down. So many. And, and we will absolutely get there. Like, and, and, and I do want to cover that off, but I first want to, there are other things that I want to talk about because, we'll absolutely get to other things that in addition to the scales, so they're not your only barometer.

20:36
And there'll be things that when you hear them, you'll be like, of of course, they are the things, the other things that I need to have a think about as I do this. Like there'll be really obvious, but the other things which people forget, like when you do a super hard workout the day before, particularly if you're an athlete and you're like, you might have a bit of a goal with your sport. In addition to a body composition goal, people are often devastated that they spend hours out on the trails and the bike.

21:04
And then they weigh more the next day because in their head, they're like, I've expended all of these calories. Why am I weighing more? For getting that inflammation is a huge reason for water retention in the body too. So that's the other thing. So if you train hard, like if your PR today was, if you weren't, you know, if this was a harder effort than you normally do, you could expect that the scales are going to be higher than what they would otherwise be the next morning.

21:33
because of that inflammation that's been created. Okay. Yeah. Good to know. Not what I would have thought. Yeah. I always think if you expend a lot of energy and you've worked really hard, the scales would be down. Yeah. And they will be. if that energy expenditure has not been offset by what you've eaten in about two or three days, you'll see it, but you don't see it immediately. And that's what with all of these things. A poor sleep. So

22:01
If you get a disrupted sleep, will elevate cortisol and this impacts on sodium and potassium levels and affects water retention. And you get the subsequent increase in scales because cortisol affects how your body regulates water and you'll hold on to water. And so you'll feel puffy. You feel a little bit heavier. What changes the...

22:29
Wait, the puffiness, what was this thing you said before that? It's the cortisol because cortisol affects water regulation. So it changes. That's crazy. It changes how your body can upholds or stores water or lets go of it. And then you've got more sodium in relation to water. And so you're going to retain more fluid and you weigh more. And stress, therefore, I've mentioned cortisol in relation to a poor sleep, but

22:59
being stressed also impacts on water regulation, clearly, because that's the mechanism with which poor sleep affects that acute body weight. And if it's humid or if you're in a hot environment, then you can't sweat. Sweating isn't as effective. That will reduce the ability to lose heat through sweating and also the cortisol response to heat stress as well.

23:28
All of these things. if you think it's not your imagination, if you wake up feeling a bit puffy on a night where you've had like a disrupted sleep or it's been really hot because you don't have air con. So these environmental factors also increase. So all of these things are reasons why, well, scale weight is important, I think, to look at trends over a long time, like month, like a month timeline, month by month. If you're using that number,

23:56
daily to govern your mood and how you feel, then you're on a, you just really, you're setting yourself up to be just hugely disappointed. It's basically like a war zone for your own head. I definitely, I hope people can hear that voice, everything that you just said and kind of just make it a little bit less. It's still emotional for people, but I hope they can see that there's so many different

24:26
as to why your weight fluctuates and it's not so perfect. It's not like just I had this bad meal, I had a cheat meal. You know what I mean? This is the reason for it. mean, just please understand that how you're feeling and how you're operating, there's really a lot of variables to this. But if you are consistent, kind of like in your strength work or you're consistent in your...

24:52
nutritional habits, if we will, you know what I mean? Then then that number will stay relatively steady. You know what I mean? Like, and I think that's the ultimate goal, right? To get on the scale and have it be steady, not necessarily always going down, down, down, down, down. Well, it depends on your goal, right? It depends. what the consistency will lead to the progress. so you will consistently see progress there.

25:19
Yeah. Consistently see progress, whatever your goals. Maybe it's to go up to, by the way. it could well be. Consistently meeting your goals. And you asked before, like, what else will people rely on? Well, I think one, so it's, instead of your outcome goal being tied to the number on the scale, think, how your clothes fit, measurements, using hip and waist and

25:48
in arms, a lot of people use like body measurements as a measure of progress, how you look in the mirror. you know, sometimes I have clients who think they look great in the mirror. They love the way their clothes fit and they're totally disappointed by what they see on the scales. And I'm like, nobody knows what you weigh. Like literally nobody, nobody, you do not have a neon sign like over your head that we're all seeing. Oh my God, Rachel, you're weighing.

26:16
280 pounds, know, like, like there's nothing like that. So, and ultimately if your goals, outcome goals are attached to the behaviors and habits, then the scale will, will, will do what you want it to do. It'll trend in the direction you want it to trend in. But the problem is that people just rely on that number as the outcome goal. And then, you know, when it doesn't go the way they think on any given day, they throw their toys or to your point, like a,

26:45
know, if you get sometimes when you get into poor habits, the scale will go down and then people that I can get away with this. then which then there's a whole other conversation, but that's not necessarily the case. I think it's I think it's a good I think it's a really good reminder because I can't I mean, you know that this comes up in conversation all the time, especially when people start strength workouts, or they start a new workout, sometimes they'll go like,

27:11
Oh my God, like I feel better, my energy is better and I look a lot better. It's so quick. They're so quick to discount those two things. They're so quick to discount how they're feeling and they're so quick to discount how they're feeling in their clothes that they immediately just continue to go back to. But my weight's gone up since we started, you know, working together. And I was like, well, I mean, like maybe check it again in two days and maybe it's down. But also why is that the only

27:40
But like still, you know what I mean? Like I'm asking the question. They're not even sure why it's why it's there. They're like, why? I don't know. I think I think I thought it just should be. Yeah. And in part, isn't it? think because when we were younger and we have this sort of weight tied into our mind is where we should be. Like we weren't doing the strength training that we're now doing. And muscle is muscle takes up less space and fat like

28:07
Muscle weight's the same as fat, but it takes up less space. So our body will look different, even though the weight will be the same. And so we forget that we might have say, you know, 123 pounds in our head, but when we were 123 pounds, we were doing step aerobics and running, whereas now we're doing hip based work and we're strength training. Like your you've got to adjust your weight goal to where you are in life, not.

28:34
because you're older, but because your habits have changed to be better, you know, I don't know. I love it. I think it makes a ton of sense, like literally, but I don't, I would still have to continue to help people through this, this journey of being completely tied to it because they, really see it as like, you know, well, I'm doing all the right things. You know what I mean? And everything you told me to do and the skill isn't, isn't different, but

29:03
Honestly, unless you're competing in kettlebell sport where it actually matters, you know what I mean? Like what the number is, you don't really, mean, again, I use it just kind of as another tool in my toolbox, just to sort of see and calibrate where things are for me. I do kind of do what you're saying if I've had a particular, know, just how I'm feeling. It's just, again, I guess it's just another tool in my toolbox, but I try not to hold all of the weight in it. But I do, wonder that with people like,

29:33
what do you need the number to be? You know what I mean? But it is amazing that they have numbers in their head and their mood is associated to the number in their head and the number on the scale. So I'm hopeful that we can continue to help people get more clinical. I love what you just said though, that muscle takes up less space than fat. That's why we care about your muscle, you guys, because

30:00
muscle is literally like when you say you're like, you know, you just burn more when you have more muscle, but it's true. Like, it's like, we love it because it, cleans the house more efficiently. You know what I mean? It take up, it doesn't need as many things to do a really great job and nothing's, you know, but I like that. So I think hopefully people can kind of see that when they're thinking about it in their head and also how their clothes fit and also how they're feeling. Yeah. And also that it's okay to have carbs.

30:31
It's okay to have sodium. It's okay to have these things. None of this stuff is bad. I'm sure you put together 9,000 nutrition plans for people in the course of a week. I imagine, know for you, you've even told me when you look at my... Because I work with you too. You will tell me, you might want to have a little steamed rice with that chicken and broccoli because

31:00
you'll probably feel more satiated and I forget what you told me, but like, it'll give you a little more energy. You know what I mean? And you might, the funny thing is you may end up like, it's like when I, when I've done that, I end up not overeating the sweets and the other things for energy. Like because I already had the energy built in from that. So it's, it's, I know I overuse the word clinical, but it's very helpful to when you're feeling really emotional about something, just a good reminder to go back to the signs of it.

31:30
I agree. Nice one, Jess. So we'll leave it there. Did you want to say one more thing about VMI skills? No, no, because it's not something that I can talk about in about 30 seconds. So we'll leave that for another, another day. That's right. We really tried to do our best to keep these little gems of a podcast just in bite sizeable information for you so you don't feel overwhelmed. But hopefully you feel excited and empowered. Yeah, exactly. are you grateful for today?

32:00
I'm grateful for the Lululemon tops that arrived that have a, they're like a shelf tank top. So I don't have to wear a bra with them. Amazing. That's amazing. Yeah. They have a belt in bra or I don't understand the shelf thing. A belt in bra, that's what I mean by a shelf. Yeah. But see, you know, I love us. We talked about this last week. It was the schedule and the diary. Yeah. This week it's the Yeah, the shelf. Yeah.

32:25
Well, I know what a diary is. It's just not the way you use a diary. Same thing with the shelf. We call it built-in. You call it a shelf. I like it. I think it's good. don't really... The built-in bras are nice because then they're all kind of built. It's already there for you. I find myself moving around mine a lot, but I love that it's an option for people. Yeah. And what about you Jess? What are you grateful for? I'm always grateful for you, truly. I feel really fortunate. I'm also...

32:55
I'm grateful for a PR. I'm grateful to continue to like, I know this sounds really cliche, but I've been competing in kettlebell sport, I mean, for a long time, right? And it's nice to know that like, as I've, you know, like, this far in the game, that I can still be the strongest version, you know what I mean? Like, I'm like, that's awesome. number...

33:23
number on the scale number of the kettlebell whatever like this was still a PR for me, right? This was still a competition PR and I feel I feel empowered by that and and I do think that working together I really believe you guys in The people that are around you like yeah, I'm really critical. I have an amazing coach strength new coach I work with and training partner and

33:50
few people in my life and you and Mickey and just having the right voices. Guess what they do? They empower you, but guess what else they do? They lower your cortisol levels. You know what I mean? They really, really do. They make you feel like you, those are the voices that I need to hear more of. So I'm grateful for those voices in my life and I'm grateful for hitting the pier. So unexpectedly. There we are. Excited for next week. Strength renewed you guys. Strength empowered.

34:20
Straighten the power. See you Jess. Bye.