You Are Not Alone
Our purpose is to help people of all ages navigate life. As a mother and son team, Debbie and Greg come together to talk about the realities and struggles all of us face in today’s world. They cover a wide array of topics from mental health to current events to teaching on topics that help us do life. As Christians, they know there is one thing that brings peace, hope, and encouragement to anything life throws at us, and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Come along on the ride to learn what this means and how to get it. Your heart and life will be changed forever!
You Are Not Alone
Living a Healthier Lifestyle Series: Balancing Your Fitness Routine
Ever wondered how to balance your fitness routine for maximum results? This week on the You Are Not Alone podcast, we're pulling back the curtain on the key elements of a healthier lifestyle with a focus on fitness. We'll walk you through the profound physical and mental benefits of exercise, from weight management to boosting your metabolism. Sharing personal stories and real-life anecdotes, we'll explore why striking the right balance in your workout regimen is crucial. Plus, we break down the differences between clean and dirty bulking, offering insights into how your dietary choices can either propel you towards or hinder your fitness goals.
Fitness isn't just about working out alone; it's also about the community you build around it. Discover the power of social engagement in fitness activities and how having a gym partner or being part of a team can skyrocket your motivation. We'll also uncover the trending health habits among Gen Z, with striking stats showing their impressive fitness routines. Find out why 72% of Gen Z exercise regularly and what kinds of workouts they prefer, from strength training to yoga. Stay tuned for inspiring personal stories that highlight the importance of staying active at any age, and learn why keeping a consistent exercise routine isn't just beneficial now, but for your long-term health as well.
Hello and welcome to another episode of the you Are Not Alone podcast. My name is Debbie Gold and I'm here with my co-host and son, greg, and we are so glad that you're here with us. Each week on this show, we will talk about informative issues, issues that will make you think and help you grow. It is our wish that you will find hope, encouragement and a little bit of Jesus in every episode. Find hope, encouragement and a little bit of Jesus in every episode. Hello, listeners, today we are going to be talking about our four-week series, or continuing with our four-week series Living a Healthier Lifestyle, and this is week two. Today we're going to be talking about fitness.
Speaker 2:But first we wanted to tell you about a new feature that we're offering. We'd like to know what more you want to hear from us on the show. So here's how you can do that. At the top of the show notes you'll see send us a text message. Click that link and it'll allow you to send us a message. It's super easy and super cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, greg, I'm really excited about this. I know in the past we haven't had a way to communicate with our followers and had a way to communicate with our followers, and now we have this. And then we also have our website, which we promoted last week on the show, and that is you can find that at debbieandgreggoldcom. And so, anyway, let's go ahead and get started. Today, we're looking at fitness and we're going to define exercise and the benefits of it. We're going to be looking at what's trending with Gen Zers and we want to give you an opportunity to assess where you're at in regard to your fitness regimen. So let's start with exercise and how that is defined. Greg, you want to cover that?
Speaker 2:Sure, it's defined as a regular or repeated use of the body for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness, or something performed or practiced in order to develop, improve or display a specific capability or skill.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so the benefits of exercise can be both physical and mental. Of exercise can be both physical and mental. So there are lots of benefits that can you know, that are great for your body and your mind. Let's take a look at some of the physical benefits. So you can either gain weight, lose weight right Obviously, depending on what your goal is you can and you can also enhance your metabolism.
Speaker 2:Or you can like maintain a balance too, or you can maintain a balance too.
Speaker 1:Sure, just maintain a balance, Keep it not overweight, but not underweight.
Speaker 2:Just stay where you're at, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, happy where you're at.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's kind of where I'm at right now.
Speaker 2:Oh good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that always changes, you know.
Speaker 2:But right now. I know you said, like last episode, you lost a bunch of pounds. You're super happy with that. So yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's good, and I don't always like to get on the scale. I like to just see how my clothes fit. I can tell by oh, they're getting a little tight. People always say that. I hear that in commercials, do you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, sometimes your pants don't fit all, like they of clothes or like bulk, you know if you're bulking your shirts.
Speaker 1:Get really tight around your arms. Yeah, that's annoying, oh my gosh, it reminds me of our pastor, pastor Chris, at our church, city Reach Church. Oh my gosh, that guy is huge. His neck is thick and his arms are massive. It's crazy.
Speaker 2:He had a surgery or something and the doctor was like you have the strongest neck.
Speaker 1:Thickest, strongest neck, yeah, the thickest strongest neck. I was trying to use a tool and it kept breaking the surgical tool. Yeah, it's a spine back stuff going on.
Speaker 1:Anyway, it's funny. So and just I want to talk about metabolism just a little bit. But physical activity helps keep your metabolism going strong, mostly because of the increased muscle mass that you gain and so you can be, you know, riding a bike and you're, you're building muscle right, and so that's going to raise your metabolism, because muscles need energy to function and to do that, they burn more calories. So that's the interesting thing about metabolism and why working out is important.
Speaker 2:And that's why eating is good too or eating healthy is good, because calories are important too.
Speaker 1:So if you're working out and you're losing weight, you're going to maybe not eat as much because your body's going to burn calories, but it's going to burn. But then yeah, but if you want to gain, you're going to eat a lot more food. More food because your body's going to need that, because metabolism, metabolism is working, working that's also true, though.
Speaker 2:I mean like, let's say, when you're losing weight or whatever, you eat a lot less. But it's also on the foods you eat. You know, like avocado, rice, chicken, healthy stuff, like that words you're bulking, or whatever you can. Just I mean there's different types of bulks. There's like a clean bulk, where it's like rice, chicken, potatoes, um, some sausage in the morning with a hard boiled egg. That's like a clean bulk. Then there's a dirty bulk, which is like wake up, go to taco bowl, get five different bacon, egg and cheese baconators or whatever.
Speaker 2:Then go home, eat a tub of yogurt, then you eat eight strips of bacon, then you eat two steaks for lunch, like that's a dirty bowl. So that's what I've been doing there. When I was really in the gym. I was just doing a dirty bowl because, I mean, I was a college student, you know, I was like, oh, let me go to McDonald's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't think you ate a lot of steak when you're.
Speaker 2:The only thing I could eat was like steak and taco Steak and your taco.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'll take a steak taco.
Speaker 2:Yeah, pretty much and if I wanted to treat myself, what would I eat healthy? Oh, Moe's, that burrito place they had on campus. Oh yeah, that was good, that was really good they had like beef chicken, I'd get double rice, and that was really that was a healthy meal, so, but I did feel a lot better while eating that than you know eating McDonald's or Taco Bell.
Speaker 1:So yeah, you feel it, don't you? Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:You don't feel bloated the next day and just like big I don't know, just like slow and lethargic, I guess. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, food gives you energy. So if you're putting bad food into you, you're not going to get good energy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it takes energy out of you to digest it.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, I agree with that. That's yeah, like if I eat like a bunch of like. I don't know why, but blooming onion just popped into my head. I mean, I had one in years years. But if I go, to like a festival, like wars fest or something. They always have them right, but that will just weigh me down and I lose my energy.
Speaker 2:What about like trying to eat two big macs? Just imagine the sweats you'd have after that, because like you know when you're eating something super high calories and you start like physically sweating, yeah, like your body's just like telling you stop, right, right.
Speaker 1:So we're just talking about evidenced experiences that food does affect you Food is important yeah. All right, let's move on to mental benefits. So what do we have for mental benefits? Well, we feel good about ourselves right. Just because, man, I went to the gym and ooh and honestly I can tell my face seems brighter when I get out of the gym, like I've done some treadmill or I've done that other machine. I do that movement thing.
Speaker 2:Burn the calories.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then I'm doing my workout, my tummy stuff, and I walk out. I feel like I look healthier. So that just boosts my mood.
Speaker 2:Also, you're getting some sun, maybe too.
Speaker 1:Well, not while I'm in the gym, no, but I mean really, from when I go in to when I come out, I feel like I look different in my face.
Speaker 2:Awesome, yeah, well, good, yeah, it's probably that change of attitude. Yeah, could be, could be.
Speaker 1:What else do we have Better sleep?
Speaker 2:It's just so true.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there was a study recently by the Sleep Foundation and it shows that 150 minutes of exercise per week, which it comes out to about 20 minutes a day, improves the quality of our sleep 20 minutes is nothing too.
Speaker 2:20 minutes a day.
Speaker 1:It's not.
Speaker 2:That's reading two chapters in a book, basically so, or three chapters, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Well, that's not an activity, though I mean yeah, but I mean. But that's the amount of time, yeah.
Speaker 2:Super easy to do the microwave. I'd get into my jammies, brush my teeth and I'd pass out like a baby, yeah, and I'd sleep so well because I'd actually I put my body through like work, you know yeah I didn't just sit around all day and not use anything, but I, you know, I was putting my body through strenuous exercise, so yeah, no wonder I sleep like a baby.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, good, yeah, sorry, all the things I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about Got to do this, got to do that. Oh, I hope Greg does this. Okay, more mental clarity. I do feel like I am fresher after I work out. That's kind of my creative time when I do. You walk out of the gym and yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's my time to do, like you know, creative writing, because that's when I'm fresh. Less fatigue is another mental benefit and that makes sense. I mean you're moving. I mean if you sit all day long at your desk and go home and sit on the couch and watch TV, I mean your fatigue has got to be.
Speaker 2:Going down, down, down, down yeah. Whereas if you're up and down and moving, and also you're in a schedule literally like a rudiment, you know, like you just keep on going like Monday, tuesday, thursday, friday, you know, do that every single week, You're going to have, you know, some strength and know you're going to lose that fatigue.
Speaker 1:So yeah, so keeping with a schedule.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I know, for me that's that's really important, because otherwise I will get lazy and I, I and I've got to be self-motivated because I work at home and there's no one to push me. So I do have to keep a schedule, and that's how I do that.
Speaker 2:There you go, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then we talk. It can be. Another mental boost is the social time, because if you are in a team sport, you've got a commitment with your team and you have to be there. If you're going to the gym, you can have workout with a gym partner or a buddy and they keep you motivated, they keep you accountable, right? I know if you and I go to the gym together.
Speaker 2:That's super fun.
Speaker 1:It's fun and it's well. You always teach me new things and I love that. Yeah, if it's fun, it's fun and it's um well. You always teach me new things and I love that. Yeah, if I want to change up my arm routines and yeah, it's good to learn yeah. Cause you know different things than I know.
Speaker 1:Yeah and um yeah, so anyway, it's good to have that person you're, and then you're having social time, but they're also helping you, uh, stay accountable and stay on track. So, okay, well, let's move on to what's trending with Gen Zers in regard to health and fitness activities. So, according to the to civic science, here are some of the health and fitness trends that lead among Gen Z. So Gen Z is big in exercising 48% exercise several times a week. 24% exercise several times a month, so that I mean, if you combine that, that's 72% of Gen Zers that are exercising, you know on a regular basis, which is huge compared to like the general pop right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, general population were like 41% exercise several times a week, 20% exercise several times a month, so only 61% compared to a 72.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And then the other thing that's, I think, interesting is 28% of Gen Z almost never exercise. And then, compared to the general population, it's 40% of the general almost never exercise. And then, compared to the general population, it's 40% of the general population that does not exercise. And that's concerning to me because I know when you get older you really have to keep moving and you have to keep get in routines and stay in those routines. You know, for me it's going to the gym Because if I don't, if I don't use my body, what's going to happen? It's going to get tired and it's going to not move. It's going to the gym because if I don't use my body, what's going to happen? It's going to get tired and it's going to not move and it's going to get achy and all those things. So it's really important throughout your life, but especially when you're in your older. Well, okay, I'm not old.
Speaker 2:I just want to say do you remember Papa, my grandpa? Yeah, he was one of the oldest. I think he was 72 when he got his black belt at Killing Karate Structure.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I think I might have the newspaper somewhere. Well, we have it somewhere. And then when I'd go over to his house, he'd have a weight set ranging from 2.5 pounds to 5 to 10. We have that.
Speaker 1:We have that now. It's the same rack, yeah.
Speaker 2:But he had like a bunch of different weights and all that and he'd come over and he'd start like lifting a 45 and I'd get my little five pound weight. But I'd always remember his arms were always so big at his age and like he was always so like fit at his age.
Speaker 1:He was, he got around really well.
Speaker 2:He was just insanely good. He was yeah he was a golfer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he did. He would go several times a week, he'd play all 18 holes and just he was so active and fit he was and um that's how I want to be when I'm like 75 or 80 yeah, exactly yeah, so don't stop anyway, um, but yeah, sadly um dad got um. It was dementia his mind, but his body man, that guy could move like no problem.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, he was strong, he had it going on. That's my goal for when I'm like 78.
Speaker 1:There you go. It is an inspiration, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, okay. So we talked about Kind of the trends there. The gym is really big for Gen Zers, more than 40% are breaking a sweat at the gym on a monthly basis. That far outweighs the general population, which is at 25%, so almost half day. Close to half. Yeah, Working at home is nearly as popular as going to the gym 38% own or have access to home gym or exercise equipment.
Speaker 1:And then when asked how often uh Gen Zers run or jog for fitness, you're not going to believe this number. This is I thought this is over the top 60% say they run or jog at least um once a week for fitness Crazy.
Speaker 2:That is true. I mean you go to downtown Austin, you see all those different trails that they have. And they have, you know, 2,700 joggers on it.
Speaker 1:I know they're everywhere.
Speaker 2:Like jogathons or marathons too, like triathlons too. Those are popular too. They have a bunch of events, especially in bigger cities, and stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but yeah, jogging is so big.
Speaker 2:I had no idea it was that big. Yeah, that's pretty cool, let's see.
Speaker 1:And so then they Go ahead. Did you have something else?
Speaker 2:Different types of exercise.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so there's just many forms of fitness Gen Zers say they do regular and they include strength training and weightlifting. That's 35%. They do aerobic cardio activities 31% do that. Pilates and yoga were 24% and cross training was 18%. So those are some of the the um common things, that activities that generation Gen Z's get into. And then, of course, there's the the outdoor activities. They're really popular too and that's things like, um you know, hiking and swimming and skiing, I don't know what else, like I'm thinking boat activities we go to the lake kayaking, yeah, fishing, yeah, um, I guess, shooting sports well, yeah, the team sports are big.
Speaker 1:Um, but, going back to the outdoor activities, there was biking and you mentioned fishing, there's hunting and I think we said golfing earlier when we talked about dad, papa, and then the team sports, like basketball.
Speaker 2:Football, soccer, soccer, and then you like pickleball too. That's really good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so our family likes pickleball.
Speaker 2:We need to get back on that. That's fun, yeah, so our family likes pickleball. We need to get back on that that's fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we, yeah, we. I got into it. And then for Christmas the family got some lessons and yeah.
Speaker 2:It's a super fun game, it is.
Speaker 1:It's super fun. And you guys are out there. I remember a time when you and Chase were out there and you could turn up the music and you're playing all your music on your list. Do you remember that? It was so funny. You two are just comical out there.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:You're just having a blast. I love it. Crack me up. I have some video.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, that's us.
Speaker 1:Okay, anyway, all right. So those are the trends going on with the Gen Zers. Now we would like to give you an opportunity to assess where you are when it comes to your fitness regimen Things like what are your fitness goals, what are you currently doing and what do you want to be doing. And if you go to our website at debbieandgreggoldcom, there's a tab at the top and it's called freebies and you can go there and download a free document entitled my Fitness Plan for 2024. And that will help you to go through that process.
Speaker 2:Okay, added a new freebie, so now we got some recipes, now we got a workout, right, jimmy?
Speaker 1:There you go, yeah, and while you're there, check out the recipes from last week yeah, all right. All right, let's see. Oh yeah, last week we did talk about nutrition and eating, and so we made a mention of National Junk Food Day, which is actually this month and it's this coming Sunday. So it's like three days from now, and this is a perfect day to treat yourself if you've been really good about your diet and what you're putting in your body, and your day to go have some junk food without having any guilt.
Speaker 2:So on the 21st we can splurge yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm thinking fried chicken.
Speaker 2:I'm thinking that yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh, that chicken place.
Speaker 2:I'm going to that food truck. Puss in Buns, puss in Buns, mm-hmm, the name is funny.
Speaker 1:Puss in Buns in Austin, but I know they originate. I believe they originated out of Nashville.
Speaker 2:They have multiple locations? Yeah, I think so.
Speaker 1:So, um, yeah, check it out. Yeah, and if you have some other favorite um fried chicken places that you like, go ahead and um, send us a message.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Send us a message.
Speaker 1:Go to that that little link above the show notes yeah, what's your favorite restaurant, wherever you guys live? Um, yeah and yeah, because we we want to try some new food things. We could, hey, we could do a new gig, we could travel and eat at the places our listeners tell us to go to.
Speaker 2:That'd be really good, wouldn't that be fun? That'd be really good.
Speaker 1:I don't know what it'd look like I'd have to actually I'd have to run to each state.
Speaker 2:That jog we'd have to start flying or something doing. Food reviews that'd be good okay.
Speaker 1:Well, there's our next. Uh, because it's funny.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, please send us a message, because after church sometimes, uh, you like to take us out to like restaurants.
Speaker 1:We've never ate now before, sometimes kind of our new thing for the year try new places, send us some feedback and we'll we'll take your recommendations for it, and yeah yeah, and then we can um. If we're in your area, we can connect too that that would be fun yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, All right. Well, anyway, that's our show for today. Uh, thank you so much for listening. We do appreciate you tuning in. Uh, we hope you found some value in what we've shared today and we'll see you back here next week when we talk about more ways to live a healthier lifestyle. Thank you, Jesus, for this episode and giving us this to present to everybody and remember you are not alone. Make it a great day and we'll see you next week.