17: Expert Advice on Getting Healthy When You’re Already Overwhelmed – with Kelsey Bryant

Are you trying to figure out how to start living a healthy lifestyle without getting overwhelmed and losing motivation, again? Kelsey Bryant is here with us today to give us her wealth of wisdom in making fitness and a healthy lifestyle easy and doable for the busy mama.

Would you rather read this podcast? I got ya covered, here’s the transcript below!

If you’re a busy mama like me who’s desperate to slow down her life – your physical health and fitness can often fall through the cracks. Whether it’s because the whole thing seems to get complicated real quick, or that simply beginning feels like a new stress being added to your already heavy plate, Kelsey is here with us today to help overcome the hurdles of simply starting.

Kelsey has a master’s degree in health and fitness, on top of being a pilates instructor for years – she really does know her stuff! She’s also a mom who knows that working fitness into your life is a priority, not building your life around a fitness routine.

I’ll be honest, I’ve been out of practice in this area. While, in a past life, I was a dance instructor who ate a strict paleo diet at one time – recently I have struggled with a dislike of fitness, I’ve hated my body and intentionally caused harm by making bad food choices and neglecting the cries for help for a while. I’m right here back at the beginning of this health journey with you, my friend.

Tune in to this amazing episode of I Get To with guest, Kelsey Bryant, to learn her expert tips for incorporating fitness and health into your (sometimes already overwhelming) days.

Find Kelsey here:

• website: http://www.kelsey-bryant.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelseyb.bryant/
• email: hello@kelsey-bryant.com
• Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/FITChristianWoman

Would you rather read this podcast? Here’s the transcript:

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Brittni: Hello friends. Welcome to the episode today I have on Kelsey Bryant. She’s going to be helping us learn how to live a more healthy lifestyle without over complicating. Kelsey, why don’t you go ahead and introduce yourself. Tell us about you.

Kelsey: Hi. Thanks Brittni. Thanks so much for having me. I am Kelsey Bryant.

I’m a clinical exercise physiologist and those big words just mean that I have a master’s degree in everything surrounding exercise and fitness.  I host the podcast, the FIT Christian Woman podcast, and I’m super excited to just blend health from body, soul, and spirit. I’ve enjoyed it.

I’ve been in this setting for more than 10 years, I’m a pilates instructor and I’ve been working at a hospital, and currently I just help coach Christian women, how to really become fit all the way through. 

B: Oh my gosh. I love that. I didn’t realize you had a master in it. That is incredible.

K: Yeah. Not a lot of people know, like you can have a master’s in exercise, but yep. That’s the thing.  

B: Well, plus so many people out there teach things in the fitness realm that don’t have any kind of certifications at all. I’m a good example of that. I actually used to be a dance teacher, a dance coach  and I like to coach some of those like dance fitness classes, but like, I didn’t have any certification to do that. 

K: Yeah. It can get a little tricky. And that’s why I like to kind of bring it in and bring that real world experience. Not only do I have knowledge, but just also like the real world, helping clients and whatnot and bridging it together to really make it work for everyone.

B: That is awesome. Okay. So for my mamas, who have not been working on fitness in a while, like I’ve been out of it for a while, like I stretched last night for the first time, a long time and it was almost embarrassing. So for those, who’ve gotten busy with life or have never made it a priority, like why should we be making regular exercise a priority?

K: Yeah. I think that you hit it on the nose when you said like you’ve been out of it for a while or just that, um, we get busy, we get so busy taking care of everyone else. And especially if we have young children that need us so often. It’s like, I don’t have the energy or the time to get this in and it easily falls to the wayside.

But if that’s you and you used to exercise, I want you to take a moment to kind of like think back to how you felt when you regularly exercised. And if you’ve never really regularly exercised, even just thinking back to a time where you maybe were able to take more walks or just had some more movement in your life and thinking about how good it made you feel, because yes, there’s so many benefits.

Not only for weight loss, if that’s one of your goals, but really exercise makes you feel so much better because it aids you in so many ways. So if you are stressed mama, or if you feel you just can’t add anything else to your plate, I really think making exercise a priority is a must because it will – I know it sounds silly, but if you take that time – it’s going to aid you in lowering your stress levels and it’s going to aid you in, in, because it pretty much is like a self-care thing, but it’s like a necessity too, because we have to be so physical and our bodies continue to move for the rest of our lives.

So we really have to kind of step back and think, how important is this and why should I add it in. 

B: I like that perspective there that just like shined a light in this corner of my brain that had forgotten how I felt when I was, you know, like taking silks classes and showing up for myself physically, it’s get how that made you feel versus how you feel when you’re not intentionally moving.

K: Yes besides, you know, it really does. And that’s why I want to kind of remind some mamas of it, because it can be motivation in itself because we are so busy. And, if we’re starting to get aches and pains, as we’re getting out of bed, or as we’re picking up all the toys, you know, on the floor and whatnot, remembering that, ‘Hey, this body has to serve you for the rest of your life.’

And even with young children, if you’re still cuz having children is like a younger age set, right? Like we’re not middle aged and we’re not elderly yet. So it’s so important to kind of start a routine that you enjoy and that you can maintain now because your 80 year old self will thank you when you can still reach up and put the plates in the cupboard.

So I really try to look at it as; If you’re starting something now, it’s meant to serve you for all of your life. So switching your mindset, making it a priority is not only going to make you feel great now, but your future self is also gonna thank you for making it a priority, right? Invest in yourself.

B: Yeah. All right. But how do we find the motivation to actually do the exercising? 

K: Yeah, I think that that’s a really great question. And many people have that and have problem keeping it, so I wanna kind of give a little bit of grace in this too, and I want your listeners and many women to think like exercise and healthy lifestyle is not really like an all or nothing.

So many times we hear about the fad diets and we have to do it exactly this way. We have to kind of, go in and do diet and exercise if we wanna lose this weight and we feel really committed. And almost like if it’s not done A, B and C, then it’s not worth doing, and that’s just not really correct.

Health can be individual and it is individual and it needs to serve you in every stage of life. So. Trying to take the mindset of not being so restricted in that it has to look that a certain way is really freeing and allows you to kind of create health in your own way that meets your lifestyle right now.

B: I missed a little bit of that. Cause my kid was distracting me. 

K: That’s okay. And then, um, if you wanna jump into, you said like how do we motivate ourselves? So kind of giving grace and letting that, um, kind of guide you. So it’s not really all or nothing. And then stepping into, um, motivation too, is finding a way to make it fun or make.

Something that you’re looking forward to. If you don’t like to run, then don’t plan a mile run every morning, because you’re not going to show up for yourself because you don’t like it. So picking something that you do like, for me, it’s strength training. I can go in, get a great workout in 30 to 40 minutes and then be done and on with the rest of my day.

So finding something that you really enjoy will also help with the motivation. So giving yourself grace and knowing that it can kind of shift and grow with you and then finding something you really enjoy. Is how to stay motivated.

B: I love that. Giving yourself grace in it. I’ve been recently applying that in so many new little areas throughout my day, like recently with scrubbing the shower, giving myself grace and realizing like, it doesn’t have to be perfect. I don’t have to do the whole thing right now. I can just do some of it every time I’m in the bathroom and it’s gonna get better and it’s gonna get easier. 

K: Yes, totally applies to exercise.

B: You don’t have to do a full, you know, get sweaty workout to start getting in the habit of intentionally moving yourself. 

K:You’re exactly right. That is spot on taking something that you enjoy and, and getting it into your day or into your week into your calendar and then reflecting on how it’s making you feel showing up for yourself, taking that time, um, is really one of the first steps to making it a habit. 

B: Awesome. Okay. And how do we take this new habit and work it into our regular routines?

K: I think besides finding something that you definitely enjoy. And then when you kind of pull back or if you pull out of your week and look at it that way is finding the time that works really for you. Are you better in the morning or is the morning time? Not good if you’re getting ready for school and right now it’s summertime. So more mamas might have free time.  but, um, I love exercising in the morning, but I can’t do it before I send my daughter off to school because there’s too much going on and I would have to wake up really early and, and I prioritize sleep as well, so it’s after she’s gone. And then I just have my one little one that works. That’s the best timeframe for me. So kind of taking that aerial view of your schedule and looking at ‘Hey, when would work for not only me and what do I enjoy?’ For my family too. And then there’s some days that need to be flexible – and even if you’ve, you know, dedicated a certain time in the morning, but a doctor’s appointment comes up or the kids need some, or they’re homesick either. It becomes a different time during that day. And that’s okay. Like you don’t have to throw in the towel if it just didn’t line up and happen. Just like you mentioned about grace and doing it that way.

That’s a great way to approach it as you put it in your schedule too, but you have. Change your mindset and definitely dedicate a time of like, ‘Hey, this is important to me. This is going to be a priority.’

B: Absolutely. Like I recently heard, what is it like breaking your day into chunks? 

K: Mm-hmm  

B: So that a bad morning doesn’t mean you’ve had a bad day, like just cause you didn’t get the morning workout in doesn’t mean the whole day has to be thrown off and, you know, tossed in the trash. Like you can still do it another time or do it tomorrow and just why stress over.

K: Yeah, I love that. I like that idea because it just kind of gives us permission to like reset our day. Like, you know, like if the morning, you know, the kids, you know, threw up and then are had a blowout in their diaper and you had to change, ’em now you’re late for the appointment, but then like come lunch and everybody said, sound like you can reset for the rest of the day.

And I think that that is just like a perfect mindset to have going into honestly, motherhood. Right? Like it just becomes a lot that we always have to handle and manage all the time. It. It can be chaotic at different times. And depending on how many children you have. So yes, making sure that this is not diet and exercise are not meant to be one more thing on your plate, right? Like God never intended it for it to be so overwhelming or something that controls our thoughts and stifles our spirit. It’s meant to just be an aid to help us along our path. And when we neglect it, that’s where we really fall into trouble. We can gain weight, we can get sick, we can end up in the hospital, and we can mentally just break down too. So when we’ve neglected it, we’re really kind of just shutting it away. And most of the time, it’s not that people want to neglect it. They just need the idea and the permission of how to make it work for their current lifestyle, because they do know the benefits and they do know how it makes them feel.

B: Right. What’s coming to mind with all that is, is like the whole – We tend to put things like on the back burner that are supposed to be our top priority and we get everything backwards. And a lot of cases, like I remember growing up, hearing so many people, they’d be like, well, we’ll find a church when we get to this point or like, I’ll start giving time to devotional once I get this done. And it’s like, you’re supposed to actually seek God first and everything else falls into place.

K: Absolutely. 

B: Adding in working out. Shouldn’t be the last thing on. You know, your self care sort of situation here. Because when you are taking care of yourself, by working out the whole rest of your health tends to fall into place better, right?

K: Absolutely. Yeah. You’ve hit kind of, kind of two, two birds there. When I teach alignment of body, soul, and spirit, it’s really that spirit leads our soul, which is our life. Our mind will have emotions, talents that fall under the spirit. And then our body is last. And it falls under alignment of the spirit too.

Not that it’s not important, but that what drives us is our spiritual connection first. And that should take it and it’s the same with health and that’s why I teach it that way. But securing a good exercise routine and selecting the right foods is so important. It’s kinda like a cornerstone right in our health, because if we are taking our exercise and our nutrition seriously, and by seriously, I mean, just being mindful of.

Putting a little bit of effort in, I’m not coaching women that wanna go up on stage and be bodybuilders. Like that’s not who I’m talking to because there’s a lot of work and specifics for that, but I’m just talking to the mama that wants to be as healthy as she can, manage her day, manage her time and just thrive.

So with that, it’s just taking those things and making those a cornerstone because once you start exercising, if you have high cholesterol, if you have high blood pressure, these things are going to start trending down naturally into your normal realms – that’s what my degree talks about and teaches too.

So it can also help with your blood sugar levels. If those are out of control your cholesterol, your blood pressure, your mood, and it also helps regulate hormones too. So we know as women and especially in this baby-having phase and just all of that, um, they can really fluctuate. So to help regulate those as well to help regulate your stress levels. This is where exercise comes in. As you start to move your body in any way, whether that’s walking or running or a weight training routine, whatever it is that you enjoy dancing, Zumba, however, that looks, um, you will start to reap so many benefits. That’s why I kind of call it a cornerstone habit.

That along with reading your Bible daily are some things that should not be missed. 

B: Yes. I love that. There’s so much good stuff in there. I can’t wait to go back and re-listen to this. 

K: Yes, please. 

B: You’ve given me so much to think about, I feel like a light bulb is on with a lot of it. Um, that’s awesome. Do you have anything more to say to my listeners here?

K: Yeah. You know, it’s, if you are really thinking like, ‘Hey Kelsey, this is resonating with me. Like I want to kind of get started’. I have a great freebie on my website. It’s right there  at http://www.kelsey-bryant.com.

And we’ll keep that in the show notes. And you just click on the big red button that says I’m ready. Help. And it’s a great, um, jumpstart guide to defining your health and really just opening up your mindset of it. Doesn’t have to be an all or nothing mindset and giving you permission on how to make health really your way and in this season to meet your needs.

And that’s just a free resource that I’d love for your listeners to have. If they’re ready to kind of take the next step and say, ‘Hey, this is important. But I need a little guidance on how to get there.’

B: Awesome. I can’t wait to take a look at that. Well, thank you so much for being here. 

K: Yeah. Thank you, Brittni. I appreciate it. I’m always giving out more advice like this and, and free tips on, my podcast, the FIT Christian Woman podcast. So thanks so much for having me and have a great. 

B: Yeah. Thank you.

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