My Surprising Accident and How My Wholesome Habits Saved Me

Betty Rocker (00:16):
What’s up, Rockstars, coach Betty Rocker right here. Welcome again. It’s nice to spend a while with you at present. And I wished to let you know a narrative as a result of I really feel like final season we talked loads in regards to the deposits that we’re making in our quote unquote well being financial savings account, proper? That our physique type of shops for us. And if we take into consideration the lady who we had been, say 10 years in the past and the way she’s actually the one who set us as much as be how we’re at present, we may assume ahead from the lady we’re proper now and the way she is establishing the lady can be in 10 years from now. And I feel loads about that as a result of I’m at all times hopeful that the issues that I’m doing proper now are actually contributing to my well being and my longevity as I am going by time.

(01:05)
I need to, once I’m in my late fifties, I wanna look again and really feel actually glad of the issues that I did over the past 10 years which have left me with robust bones, with functionality, with power, with the power to cope with an accident or an damage or like no matter life throws my means. And that basically got here to thoughts for me once I had this surprising fall in a parking zone at a fuel station in the course of Illinois on my means house for Christmas this previous yr at, I used to be nearly 48. I used to be 47 when the accident occurred. I, I sustained, you realize, a nasty damage. And but I’ve been in a position to heal from it actually successfully. And I feel fairly shortly. And whereas it has been tough, it’s additionally been one thing that made me really feel actually grateful for the entire work that I’d put into myself and my well being up till that time.

(02:01)
And it made me much more decided to proceed to try this work as I transfer ahead. In order that’s the place I used to be pondering of you on this state of affairs as properly, as a result of we by no means know what’s gonna occur. We by no means know what’s gonna come our means. We will get a nasty chilly that turns into one thing worse, that units us again for months. We will take a success to our hormones, proper? One thing that makes us really feel actually fatigued. We will have difficult well being signs that basically derail us from the practices that we need to be doing for our well being and health. We will have an surprising accident, like what occurred in my case, and need to take a step again from the best way that we’re coaching. And all of these items are so surprising, however what issues is what we’ve performed earlier than that time constantly in order that the reserves that we’ve constructed into our our bodies are there for us to attract upon in these occasions of, of surprising trauma.

(02:59)
So for this reason I wished to share my story with you at present, as a result of I felt prefer it’s been one thing that I’ve been reflecting on an terrible lot. And it’s made me very decided to proceed my practices. And, you realize, so what occurred was, I used to be simply at like, at a, at a relaxation cease, and I used to be strolling the canine and I, I used to be coming house from, from Colorado to New York and for Christmas, and I used to be simply strolling the canine and I used to be strolling behind these RV hookup spots and I stumbled over one thing within the grass that I couldn’t see. And since I had the leash in my proper hand, my arm acquired trapped underneath me as I fell off the curb onto the onerous pavement. And it snapped my elbow again so onerous with all my weight coming down on high of my arm that I actually badly dislocated my elbow.

(03:53)
And so I, as I used to be mendacity there on the bottom, it was like 16 levels out. It was so chilly, and I used to be so apprehensive in regards to the canine. I, like, I felt like I needed to stand up to, to place him again in, within the van as a result of he was gonna freeze. ’trigger it was so chilly out. And within the meantime, you realize, I’m laying there in ache and I can’t breathe. , I’m respiration like this, like I can’t get my breath again. And it was very, very scary. I imply, if you happen to’ve ever gone on a, a, a cross nation journey by your self earlier than, you realize you as ladies, we, we take steps to guard ourselves as finest we will. We’re, we’re very conscious of our environment. We’re, you realize, vigilant. We’re interested by a whole lot of various things that would doubtlessly go improper if we’re touring by ourselves.

(04:36)
However I’ll let you know what, I by no means actually thought of, I by no means actually mentally ready for one thing like this to occur, proper? It was very surprising and really surprising and was very fortunate to have this power, to have the ability to get myself up off the bottom to have the ability to use my reverse arm to heft the canine again into the automobile. And I used to be in a position to drive myself to an area hospital, happily, and, and get care. And that was partly as a result of I used to be, I had the power, proper? I had, I had the reserves, however I used to be, I used to be in a whole lot of ache. I used to be actually, it was a extremely harrowing, it was actually a harrowing expertise. I happily was in a position to name my household and have their assist in that second. That was so scary and, and determine what to do. I used to be, I used to be anxious about leaving Bodhi by himself at a fuel station.

(05:30)
And turns on the market was a pleasant hospital simply 9 miles away from the place I used to be. And the van that I used to be driving has a shifter that you simply shift together with your finger. So I didn’t have, I didn’t even have to make use of my different arm, you realize, the arm that was damage. I didn’t know but earlier than I acquired to the hospital how dangerous it was. I couldn’t take my coat off. I couldn’t actually transfer that aspect of my physique. And it was, the canine was very apprehensive, , as you’ll be able to think about. However I did make it to the hospital, they took such excellent care of me. They needed to minimize my shirt off. The, the bone was protruding. Oh my gosh. It was, it was actually, it was actually aggravating. It was actually painful. However ultimately, they had been in a position to x-ray it they usually noticed that it wasn’t damaged.

(06:10)
And so they knocked me out for a bit, put the arm again in place, put the bones again, and my fantastic Aunt Lee, who lives in Chicago, drove out and took care of me and helped me with all the pieces. And, you realize, I used to be very fortunate to have household shut by. I used to be very fortunate to be so close to a hospital. I used to be very fortunate that I had the power to stand up and, and, and handle myself, proper? It’s, it was a really surprising expertise and it made me actually grateful for the entire issues that I had performed up till that time of taking good care of myself. As a result of a fall, you realize, a fall can change your life at any age. Such as you, you’re taking, I take that as a right as a result of I take into consideration, you realize, we take into consideration the statistics of falls and the way they’re one of many main causes of loss of life in folks over 65.

(06:56)
But it surely may have, you’ll be able to have a fall at any age that may actually mess, mess your, mess your life up, , proper? However we’re, we’re actually, we’re actually prone to accidents we maintain from, from falling or from something as we age. And that is partly as a result of we’re, you realize, we begin to lose muscle. And as we begin to lose our muscle tissue, we, we begin to lose our personal potential to guard and cushion our joints. , your reflexes is likely to be slower if you happen to’re not frequently conditioning or exercising. And, you realize, to not point out our bone tissue turns into much more brittle and, and extra fragile and extra susceptible to breaks. I had a number of folks inform me, wow, I’m so stunned that you simply didn’t break your arm , you realize, on this, on this fall, it’s way more widespread to see an arm be damaged than to see a dislocation.

(07:43)
And I positively attribute that a lot to having, doing stretching and adaptability, doing power coaching, doing all of my explosive cardio, all of the issues. To not point out the wholesome consuming, the consumption of extra protein in the previous couple of years as a result of I’m in perimenopause. The entire issues that I’ve been so diligent about and sharing with you and that we discuss on this podcast and on my weblog and in our applications and our exercise applications, all of them type of come house to you in a really lifelike means whenever you get an damage and also you see how a lot your work is, is gonna repay for you, how shortly you truly can recuperate and you may heal. And, and that’s actually like, you realize what I used to be pondering loads about, you realize, whether or not it’s, it’s whether or not it’s mushy tissue injury otherwise you’ve acquired a bone break, you realize, it does require a ton of vitality and reserves out of your physique to be able to heal.

(08:36)
It calls on our immune system and naturally it creates this huge inflammatory response that marshals so lots of our physique’s assets. And lots of people don’t have these assets they usually don’t have these reserves inbuilt. So it makes it a lot tougher to come back again from an damage like that. And that may occur loads as we age. If we’re not being conscious, if we’re not interested by what are the deposits that we’re placing into our quote unquote well being financial savings account inside our physique in order that we may draw upon them in surprising conditions, you realize, whenever you’ve acquired that sturdy immune system and a robust physique, you’re, you’re, if you happen to get injured, you might have the power and reserves in all probability to stand up and begin strolling hopefully if you realize, if it’s not a, a decrease limb damage. However you, you realize, if you happen to can stand up and begin strolling quickly after your damage, you’re already stimulating your lymphatic system, which is gonna assist your immune system be stronger and assist assist you even faster.

(09:29)
In case you have extra muscle tissue in your physique, it makes it a lot simpler so that you can be extra cell and extra versatile even throughout your restoration course of. So you’ll be able to, you are able to do these issues that we frequently take as a right, like feed your self, go to the toilet with out assist and transfer round. And, and let’s not neglect, I imply, mentally we simply really feel extra hopeful the extra potential that we’ve. And that’s actually such an enormous a part of the restoration course of is feeling like we’re making progress, proper? And, and there there are only a lot of problems that may come up for somebody after an damage in the event that they’re older or they haven’t been taking pretty much as good of care of themselves. In the event that they’re, if they’ve a decrease stage of muscle tissue, if their tissue isn’t very versatile, they won’t have the ability to transfer round as freely, they won’t have the ability to do easy duties with out some assist.

(10:21)
And there may very well be extra problems that come up even throughout the therapeutic course of. If they’ve a weakened immune system, for instance, they is likely to be extra susceptible to getting different viruses or get sick extra simply whereas they’re attempting to heal from a easy damage, for instance. And I imply, you realize, if you happen to’ve ever needed to recuperate from a setback your self and, and also you, you realize, it was irritating. Think about if it was taking twice as lengthy and also you saved having further setbacks inside that timeframe. It’s disheartening, it mentally is taxing and it makes us really feel extra discouraged and extra depressed and it makes it tougher to recuperate. And that’s only a horrible state to be in. And, and like we stated, you realize, there’s this analysis that reveals that adults over 65 usually tend to endure from these debilitating results that come from a fall.

(11:13)
But it surely begins loads earlier in our lives – these causes that create us being susceptible to have these exacerbated circumstances, proper? It’s the issues that we do within the years main as much as that point in our lives which might be both creating the chance of our personal frailty or the chance of our personal power and talent. And it’s not that after we we hit our sixties, we’re abruptly inevitably gonna be weaker. No, it’s in our forties, at the same time as quickly as our thirties that a whole lot of us are steadily beginning to lose our muscle tissue and our bone density is weakening till in the future our reserves have simply actually dwindled. So, and for girls it, the perimenopause years are actually after we will most begin to discover and expertise this. And that’s as a result of our estrogen and progesterone ranges slowly, steadily start to say no. And these two hormones and their interaction over the course of a month-to-month cycle are an enormous assist to our muscle and bone tissue that we don’t even notice.

(12:12)
I imply, progesterone as an illustration, simply drives the osteoblast or bone cell formation after we’re rising and creating. And that contributes to the formation of robust bones after which it contributes to the upkeep of these bones as we come into maturity and and reside our lives. And our estrogen performs an enormous position within the well being and improvement of our muscle tissue. Not solely does it assist muscle protein synthesis, which is the method our muscular tissues undergo to restore and rebuild new tissue after a exercise as an illustration, it additionally helps the power of our connective tissues, like our ligaments and tendons. And people join your muscular tissues and encompass and assist your joints. And that is what offers us a whole lot of that stability, proper? And after we hit perimenopause, and naturally that’s the ten years or in order that lead us as much as menopause, when our interval fully stops the degrees of these two key hormones, as they begin to decline and we steadily begin to lose our muscle, our our bone tissue slowly turns into extra porous as properly.

(13:12)
And it is a big a part of why, for instance, I created the PerimenoFit program to share extra about this kind of data and provide the methods that can particularly allow you to, um, cease and stop that from occurring to you as a result of, you realize, regardless of hormones altering, there are these nice methods and strategies that we will deploy in our coaching and our nutrient consumption that go an extended technique to actually stopping and even reversing a few of the influence that this decelerate in our hormones has. And that is relevant to you whether or not you’re in perimenopause otherwise you’re postmenopausal as a result of constructing a robust physique within the absence of these hormones actually comes right down to benefiting from a few of the health approaches which might be obtainable to everybody. But when we all know to use them particularly to our our bodies within the absence of those hormones and we all know what to do with our nutrient consumption, that is going to profit us immensely and actually begin to offer you that, that reserve which you can name on for years to come back with these easy tweaks and so that you could have that benefit whenever you get to that type of 65-year-old milestone.

(14:27)
And if you happen to’re already over 65, you’ll be able to benefit from these methods too. They’re for everybody. I feel one of the vital necessary issues to do is to essentially concentrate on constructing and sustaining our muscle tissue now and the best way we go about this may even assist stronger bones and an total stronger immune system as properly. As a result of train is massively protecting to our immune system. Not solely does transferring extra stimulate our lymphatic system, however contracting our muscular tissues produces peptides and chemical messengers referred to as cytokines that assist our immune system perform, our insulin response, and our metabolic well being. And I’ve outlined lots of the advantages of strolling extra for us as ladies in a few of our latest podcast episodes. And I convey it up right here additionally to remind us that merely strolling extra is a good way to stimulate our lymph system, preserve our muscle assist bone density.

(15:22)
One among our Rock Your Life members simply instructed me she acquired a weighted vest for Christmas and she or he’s added that to her strolling routine, which I feel is a implausible bonus version if you happen to’re so inclined. However you realize, get out and stroll. That’s an important factor to do. And you realize, the best way to essentially preserve and strengthen your muscle tissue and bones in perimenopause and into the postmenopausal years after we lose that benefit, we acquired from the upper ranges of progesterone and estrogen simply comes down to a couple key components. So primary, resistance coaching, which is so necessary, proper? Working the physique in opposition to a load is what creates the stimulus that the muscle tissue and the bones reply to. And creating this wholesome inflammatory response from a exercise by difficult ourselves creates the restore course of that then builds us again stronger than earlier than.

(16:11)
And to not point out, as we construct muscle, we strengthen our bones, we strengthen the connective tissue round our joints, and we additionally actually enhance our metabolism. In fact, the extra muscle we stock, the extra successfully we’re gonna burn physique fats and shedding our muscle inadvertently both as a result of we’re not conscious we’re shedding our hormone ranges or as a result of we’re turning into extra sedentary is an enormous perpetrator behind why we begin gaining extra weight in center age. That simply turns into tougher and tougher to lose. However merely doing the sort of coaching that helps to extend your muscle tissue so you’ll be able to maintain onto it longer and construct it again if you happen to lose it is going to go a good distance in defending you. And naturally I’d actually prefer to information you in your resistance coaching with a sensible plan to comply with as a result of I feel it’s actually necessary to coach on an aligned physique with good type so that you could stop damage and construct your steadiness and adaptability alongside the best way.

(17:06)
And that’s what I’ve acquired in all of my exercise applications. And I extremely encourage you to do some type of explosive cardio alongside of your resistance coaching as a result of that is going to have interaction completely different muscle fibers that preserve you robust and agile and it’ll load and assist the power of your joints, it is going to enhance your cardiovascular well being. And it’s additionally a really environment friendly technique to get the advantages of cardio. So we’ve extra time for resistance coaching and a extra balanced coaching method generally. And naturally on the subject of balanced coaching, that is so massively necessary. We wanna be interested by restoration in slightly bit completely different of a means than we used to as a result of after we begin to lose these hormones, we don’t bounce again as shortly in our restoration course of after we work out. So we simply have to have a greater, extra considerate coaching plan that not solely challenges us successfully within the exercises we do, it permits the house for restoration.

(18:00)
As a result of if we don’t take the restoration that we’d like when we’ve these decrease ranges of hormones, the physique will keep caught in an inflammatory response that it could’t successfully recuperate from. And if we pile exercise after exercise on the system that may’t fairly recuperate, not solely will we by no means actually get to coach to our peak potential, we additionally by no means absolutely restore from the exercises, which depletes us additional, robs us of seeing muscle tissue positive aspects and doesn’t actually give us the results of a robust physique that we hope for and that we’re placing all this time and effort into with our coaching generally as a result of we’d like the remaining intervals in between the exercises, we’d like the constructing blocks from amino acids, which is of after all gonna come from our protein wealthy meals. And as we age, we don’t take up the amino acids like we used to.

(18:47)
And that is so important. I actually can’t stress sufficient how necessary that is to know in case you are a girl in your forties or older, you want extra protein than you used to, simply to do the identical quantity of labor in your physique as earlier than. And do not forget that the amino acids do extra than simply restore our muscle tissue and assist all of those physique tissues. In addition they function the constructing blocks for our neurotransmitters, that are necessary messengers in our mind. They function the constructing blocks of hormones and enzymes, that are additionally necessary messengers in our physique. They’ve loads to do with our immune well being. They activate these guardian cells in our physique generally known as NK cells, which is brief for pure killer cells. And also you need to activate these guys as a result of they restrict the unfold of microbial infections and assist remove dangerous micro organism.

(19:33)
In addition they regulate our response to oxidative stress, which is the influence that free radicals can have on our our bodies. And you realize, free radicals are a traditional byproduct of our metabolic course of, however they’re additionally a byproduct of environmental pollution, chemical compounds, and toxins. So consuming sufficient protein in your wants and your age goes to assist the well being of so many various issues in your physique. To not point out your immune well being, providing you with higher reserves to attract on in any scenario from merely recovering from a tricky exercise to getting sick or getting injured like I did. We want our protein, we’d like fiber wealthy, nourishing complete meals carbohydrates for the vitality to push by our exercises. We want wholesome fats to assist the absorption of fats soluble nutritional vitamins for our mind well being and for a lot extra we have to eat frequently. And this, you realize, I get could be onerous as a result of we do slowly lose a few of our urge for food as we age.

(20:28)
However common train that’s difficult and stimulating is a good way to maintain your urge for food going stronger. And specializing in easy meals that include the necessities is a good way to maintain this from being over difficult. Get your self a meal plan if that’s useful. One thing like My Dinner Plan, which I’ve created that’s acquired a of nice recipes and it’s properly thought out with customizable grocery lists. So you’ll be able to inform the plan how many individuals you’re cooking for and it’ll calculate the precise grocery listing with what you want. And all of the meals embody the vitamins that you actually need to thrive as a result of I really feel like all of that is very doable. It’s a really accessible and it’s simple to start out small and slowly construct up. And if you have already got a few of these issues in place, however perhaps you’re lacking considered one of them, now could be the time to start out placing them collectively like hyperlinks in a sequence as a result of all of them work collectively.

(21:19)
And generally folks will hear me say resistance coaching and explosive cardio after which they only cease listening to me after I say that they miss the half the place I say, and sufficient restoration. They assume that extra coaching means extra outcomes, however that simply received’t work and it particularly received’t work as our hormone ranges decline. And I do know I’ve stated this a number of other ways, a number of completely different occasions at present, however I simply need you to know that that is such an necessary side that helps make your coaching more practical, particularly as you get into perimenopause and the postmenopausal years. Do you know truly that inside Rock Your Life, each plan has been optimized with ladies in several life levels in thoughts? I’ve choices inbuilt in order that there’s a customized coaching and restoration schedule that can assist you in seeing the very best outcomes with out over coaching.

(22:06)
Whether or not you’re nonetheless in your biking years otherwise you’re in perimenopause otherwise you’re in publish menopause. Our challenges all have completely different paths you’ll be able to comply with relying in your life stage and your wants. And I’ve constructed this characteristic into all of my applications. So if you happen to’ve invested in one thing prior to now, take a look at the brand new options and naturally I used to be telling you I created PerimenoFit, which has this optimum schedule for girls in perimenopause to comply with. And it’ll assist train you about this transition in our lives and what you need to take ahead as you undergo perimenopause and what’s going to set you up for actual success within the publish menopause years as properly. And it provides you with confidence in utilizing my different exercise applications as a result of they’ve that program design inbuilt. And when you perceive how that works and harness its advantages in your physique and also you encompass it with these different features of your well being, you’ll be a lot stronger and properly arrange each bodily and mentally and ready for something that life may throw your means.

(23:05)
I might simply return to the story I instructed you firstly of at present’s episode about my fall and my restoration. And I really feel like I’ve been therapeutic actually quick within the higher scheme of issues. I really feel like having a lot muscle tissue and the flexibleness in my joints has given me a whole lot of reserves once I needed to take a step again and recuperate, I really feel like I recovered means quicker than I might have with out these reserves. And the accident itself would have been a lot, a lot worse. Had my musculature, you realize, not been there to cushion and shield my skeleton once I fall. Not simply cushioned it from hurt, however the jarring influence it had on my head and my neck and the influence that it needed to the bone tissue, all of it. , I can solely think about the influence that that might’ve had if, if these different physique components had had gotten injured as properly.

(23:54)
And right here I’m now at 48, properly earlier than I hit my sixties or that point after they say that we’re gonna get the worst accidents from the autumn, I didn’t assume there that I used to be actually at risk of falling at my age. However anybody can fall at any age. It’s actually how we’re in a position to get again up that issues. And I’m decided that it is possible for you to to stand up, that it is possible for you to to hold on, that it is possible for you to to heal if one thing like this ever occurs to you, knock on wooden . However I might actually reasonably see like our financial savings account full to the brim and this this well being financial savings account full to the brim and by no means want to attract on it than not having a lot of a reserve in any respect to attract on once I really want it. Proper? And that’s, I do know loads to consider and I, I hope that you simply’re impressed to proceed to be constant and considerate in your method to consuming and coaching.

(24:48)
Now greater than ever, I hope that I gave you some good concepts. If you’re within the perimenopause years, like me, or if you happen to’ve surpassed me and gone into the publish menopause years, all of those strategies are relevant. We’re simply beginning them in perimenopause in order that we could be properly arrange and ready for publish menopause. However these, these are an important issues to consider. The power coaching, we would like some explosive cardio within the combine. We wanna be recovering properly and we wanna be actually specializing in our nutrient consumption and upping our protein. And there are after all many different issues round this that we will do. However I might say that these are the type of the first ones I might concentrate on. After which you’ll be able to stack and construct round that with different necessary habits, proper? As a result of we don’t wanna low cost the significance of intestine well being.

(25:32)
We don’t wanna low cost the significance of sleep hygiene, of stress administration. There are lots of different features of our well being that play along with our hormone well being and assist us over time. However these are the large ones to concentrate on on the subject of the stuff you actively do and follow every day, like your health routine, proper? So I wanna be sure to have entry to these information and to that data and know that I’ve plans obtainable to assist assist you so that you simply aren’t type of attempting to determine all this out by yourself or, you realize, simply not getting the, the response in your physique that you simply, that you’re wanting as a result of you realize, you’re the predominant character on this story of your life, proper? Our, our heroine. You’re the heroine of our journey and also you’ve acquired 12 chapters in annually of your life.

(26:18)
And everytime you occur to be listening to this podcast, I imply, you would possibly simply be ending chapter one, it is likely to be the, the, the tip of January. Or if you happen to’re listening to this in June and also you’ve already written the primary six chapters in your story for the yr already, it doesn’t matter. All that issues is what you select to do with the remainder of the time that you’ve got. Profit from it. Maintain your self, set your self up annually so that you simply begin the amount of your life from a good stronger footing in order that whenever you get to quantity 65 in your life chronicles, you’re in an unusual story of a girl who defied the chances, who had monumental functionality and adaptability, who was in a position to do all of the issues that she loved bodily. ’trigger I actually want to learn that story.

(27:01)
I’d prefer to see all of us up on the identical shelf collectively when it got here to, you realize, the Chronicles of our lives at age 65 and past. That’s what I, that’s what I want for you. That’s what I want for me. And that’s an enormous motive behind why I practice and why I I make the time. Generally I really feel like I, I take a whole lot of time to do meals preparation and making the time to train it. It may be time consuming and but it’s a small, actually a small time dedication within the higher scheme of my life that provides as much as have these nice dividends that I can then draw upon once I want them. And, and I hope that you simply by no means want to attract upon yours like I had to attract upon mine, however I certain was glad to have them there in place.

(27:45)
So, hey, thanks for listening to my story. Thanks a lot for being right here and spending a while with me at present. Wanting ahead to listening to your feedback and listening to your tales, and you may at all times depart these over on my present notes web page on the betty rocker.com within the podcast part. Yow will discover this episode, depart me a remark, let me know. It’s also possible to hit me up on social media anytime. I’m on the Betty Rocker on Instagram and Fb, and I at all times love listening to from you. Thanks a lot for spending time with me at present, Rockstar. As at all times, I’m Betty Rocker. You’re so superior, flawsome, and wonderful. Bye for now.