Before & After - Training, lifestyle & mindset from a masters athlete POV

A lot has happened since our last episode!  Rachel competed with great success in the CrossFit Age Group semi finals and Hannah crushed her 50K trail race finishing in 1st place.  In this episode we each reflect on the 10 most significant lessons/takeaways from our respective epic challenges.  From the power of the mind to how you approach failure, we cover the highs and lows of earning these acco...

Congratulations Rachel for qualifying for the Crossfit Age Group Semi Finals!!  In this episode we reflect on the different training paths we have pursued this year and how dialing back intensity could well be the key to Rachel's recent success in the realm of competitive fitness.  We compare notes on how our bodies felt during Quarter finals and there is quite the difference!  But what to do next...

Have you ever questioned where your confidence comes from?  What is it that enables some people to take on crazy wild challenges even though they know it's going to hurt?  In this episode Rachel takes the reins and quizzes Hannah about her mindset and training as she gets closer to her 50K trail race.  We also talk about our approach to coaching and whether we sit in the tough love camp or the par...

When you think about it, coaches have a great responsibility.  A great coach can make a monumental difference in someone's life but a bad coach can cause both physical and mental damage.  What is your experience with different coaches?  How do you rate the coaches that you have in your life?  If you are a coach what do you consider to be your strengths but also the areas that you need to work on?...

Ever found yourself feeling like you are missing out because someone else is doing something you feel like you should be doing to?  Or maybe you have to take some time out due to injury or trying to focus your energy and efforts elsewhere but it kinda sucks to miss out?  Whatever the reason you may be feeling like you are missing out it can be hard to stick to your plan and not get lured in to do...

Finally we get Season 4 underway after multiple technology fails thwarted the release of Episode 1 (see IG post for pitiful explanation).  We are so excited to be back with a new season and in this episode we talk about why it is important to do hard things and what you can take away from pushing yourself into dark places and extreme situations.  With the Crossfit Open coming up we talk about how...

We went out partying and then calculated the caloric cost!!!  It was high but lots of fun was had and this is not something we do every weekend so we are not stressed about it but we started to think about how often "we" lie to ourselves about our lifestyle choices. Wondering why you are not making progress?  Perhaps it is the small snacks that you don't track that add up, or the weekend choices t...

Well hey!  Remember us?? Just kidding, we didn't disappear just got a little off schedule thanks to life and being pulled in many different directions.  The best laid plans and all that... In this episode we go over lessons learned from our online team competition experience and how to manage your best athletic performance between work meetings.  We dare to explore the possibility of being ok with...

Age does not have to be a barrier to entry!  What an epic experience it was to be a part of the Old Dirty Masters Competition.  Believe it or not we were among the youngest athletes on the competition floor and we still walked away insanely inspired by the skills, strength, capacity and tenacity of the other teams.  From 70+ year old women crushing pull ups and olympic lifting (in spite of having...

Phew it's been a minute and we apologize for leaving you in the lurch but it will all be worth it (we promise).  September has been a whirlwind of a month with all sorts of incredible experiences that we can't wait to share with you. This episode kicks off Season 3 where we will be expanding our horizons to talk more about training, mindset, health & wellness and nutrition as well as our previ...

Ever heard of body preoccupation, body checking or even muscle dysmorphia?  In this episode we consider an alarmingly long list of body image issues and discover that we relate to almost all of them.  We try to bring a rational approach to how to deal with the feelings we have towards these issues and highlight the difference between a "normal" response and when it is time to seek a qualified ther...

Oh how we love to train but when is it too much?  In this episode we challenge you to consider if your training is actually moving you towards your goals or unintentionally breaking your body down.  We identify the difference between exercising and training and the importance of being fueled correctly to support your energy output while maintaining optimal health.  If you are a frequent gym goer,...

After thinking long and hard about our last episode we felt it was important to follow up with some ideas about how to break through those times when you don't feel great about being you.  We also discuss the injuries we are currently dealing with and how that feeds into our feelings surrounding body image and self worth. Happy listening!

Oh hey!  It's been a minute. Travel and adventures got in the way of recording but we feel like that's a pretty good excuse to take a break.  In this episode we catch up on what we have been up to.  Rachel admits to falling in a crevasse and liking her Llamas on the chonky side and Hannah confesses to experiencing a phase of feeling a little insecure around body image.  But did she wear the damn s...

How does it makes you feel when someone pays you a compliment?  How do you feel about complimenting others?  Is there a right way or a wrong way to do it?  Should we even compliment others on their body at all?  So many questions to unpack.  In this episode we talk about how to receive a compliment even when you feel awkward about it, how to tackle comments about your body that are unsolicited and...

How much pride do you take in your appearance?  How do you want others to see you?  How much do you care about what others think about your look?  What factors determine how you present yourself to the world?  Is there a certain outfit that makes you feel powerful? So many questions (and not quite enough time to answer them all).  In this episode we contemplate our image and personal styles and ho...

Are your expectations of what your body can do and what you want it to look like in line with what you are putting into it?  Are you expecting your body to perform like a Ferrari while fueling it like a moped? In this episode we talk about management of expectations when in a caloric deficit, the importance and significance of putting quality foods into your system and we attempt to pronounce some...

In our last episode we talked about the adventure we were about to embark on - climbing Mount Whitney in extreme winter conditions.  Well we are please to report that we survived and despite battling altitude sickness, sunburn, trekking across avalanche flows, falling in a tree (you will have to listen to find out about that one) and experiencing altitude induced angioedema of the lips, we had an...

Yes it may come as a shock to some of our younger listeners but it is entirely possible to keep on getting better even when you reach middle age!!  In the first of a 2 part mini series we talk about how we both surprised ourselves by making it to the quarter finals after the Crossfit Open, continuing to PR our lifts and how on the release date of this episode we will be on our way to climb Mount W...

It is estimated that 28 million Americans will experience an eating disorder during the course of their lifetime!  But what is the difference between an eating disorder and disordered eating?  Does one lead to the other?  What do eating disorders and the people who suffer from them look like?  With numbers so high, it is likely that you know people who are going through this but are you aware of w...

If you haven't watched Brittany Runs A Marathon then do so!  We base this episode around the narrative of this movie - taking responsibility for your health, fitness, wellness and lifestyle choices in order to be able to achieve awesome things.  As we run through the movie plot we reference similarities in our own lives and pivotal moments where we have made the choice to "put on the shoes and sta...

Oh calories...we have counted you, tried to burn a lot of you, obsessed over you and then macros came along, so we started counting them instead!  But which is more important?  Are all calories equal?  Do we burn them in the same way as our friends?  What is the best way to burn them?  Heck what even is a calorie?? So many questions and while we don't profess to have all the answers we at least tr...

Try as we might, we are not immune to fears surrounding aging!  Many of those involve the inevitable aesthetic challenges that come with time in the sun, decades of gravity and hormones but we also talk about fears surrounding decline of health or ability to use our bodies in the way that we want to.  We eventually determine that broccoli is the solution (no matter what the question). Happy New Ye...

We couldn't possibly let the last episode of the year go by without talking about those "New Year New You" transformation plans!!  Much to Hannah's delight, Rachel admits to reassessing the "I want to see my abs" goal in favor of a performance related goal and Hannah determines that for once she really isn't unhappy with where she is at and the goal is more fine tuning than complete transformation...

After a brief hiatus due to family emergency travel and the flu we are back!  We had to change track at the last minute so we straight up free-styled this one and ended up having a great conversation about real connection with your partner and the role community plays in physical and mental health and well being.  Will Hannah successfully learn how to skate?  Should Rachel take up birding? We also...