The Thick Thighs Save Lives Podcast

Latest Episodes:

S7 EP8: We're Training For Life. The Finish Line Is Death. Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

Katy Ferguson is a gym owner, a personal trainer, a certified nutrition coach, and, as her Instagram handle suggests, a woman who is as strong as a mother. She joins the podcast today to discuss her experiences in the fitness industry, her thoughts on nutrition and fitness, and how people should think about them.

Listen to the episode to hear what Katy has to say about what to do when you’re feeling guilty about letting your fitness or nutrition slide, why constant tracking and very complicated food rules may not be great for you, and how to get back to moving after a lapse.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

What to remember when you’re feeling guilt or shame for letting nutrition or fitness slide
Finding an accountability partner
The dangers of constant tracking and super complicated food rules
Building easy meals that aren’t overwhelming
Fresh vs. frozen foods
All-or-nothing thinking
Getting back to moving after a lapse

RELATED LINKS

Katy on Instagram
The CVG Nation app, for iPhone
The CVG Nation app, for Android
Our Fitness FB Group.
Thick Thighs Save Lives Workout Programs
Constantly Varied Gear's Workout Leggings

S7 EP7: How To Fitness Anywhere Jul 19, 2022

Show notes

Do you ever feel as if fitness and nutrition require so much knowledge and so many things that there are just too many barriers to entry for you to get into it? There always seems to be something more that you “should” have before it will be enough.
But do you really need to do that to yourself? Today, Rachael and Kelsea discuss the friction points between you and fitness and nutrition, and how you can remove those obstacles in your way. Listen in to hear what they have to say about identifying friction points, the value of habits, and why choosing something over nothing can be enough.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

Decision fatigue
Standards that are too high
Identifying limitations or friction points to remove them
Moving your body with a purpose
Why habits matter more than motivation
Choosing something over nothing
Why bodyweight and dumbbells are all you need
Nutrition friction points

RELATED LINKS

The CVG Nation app, for iPhone
The CVG Nation app, for Android
Our Fitness FB Group.
Thick Thighs Save Lives Workout Programs
Constantly Varied Gear's Workout Leggings

S7 EP6: How Deep Should I Squat? Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

Are you getting the squat depth that you want? If not, do you know how you can? It might be different for you than for somebody else. In today’s episode, Rachael and Kelsea discuss squat mechanics. They talk about protecting your spine, squatting below parallel, and committing to proper squat mechanics. Listen in to learn more about what you’ve been wanting to know about squat depth.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

CVG’s birthday
Getting the squat depth that you need
Hip crease crossing below the plane of your knee
Protecting your spine
Squatting below parallel and glute engagement
Why flexibility is underrated
Conditioning or mobility
Checking your ego
Committing to proper squat mechanics
Why your squat positioning might look different
Limitations on range of motion

RELATED LINKS

The CVG Nation app, for iPhone
The CVG Nation app, for Android
Our Fitness FB Group.
Thick Thighs Save Lives Workout Programs
Constantly Varied Gear's Workout Leggings

S7 EP5: Trauma Informed Weightlifting Jul 05, 2022

Show notes

Trauma affects anything we do in life, including our fitness activities. And we’ve all experienced some sort of trauma, even if we don’t necessarily recognize or acknowledge it. What does that have to do with weightlifting, though?

In today’s episode, TTSL coach Isley joins the podcast to talk about a recent course she took in trauma-informed weightlifting. She explains how she’s using this information as a trauma-informed coach and why that’s important. Listen to the episode to hear what Isley has to say about trauma responses, interceptive awareness, and trauma-informed cueing.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

Trauma-informed care
A lack of trust in your body
Failing and facing your fears
Trauma responses, including lesser-known responses
Interceptive awareness
How Isley is better as a trauma-informed coach
Trauma-informed cueing
Window of tolerance
Building trust in your plan
Why someone with trauma might want to include weightlifting in their fitness routine

RELATED LINKS

The CVG Nation app, for iPhone
The CVG Nation app, for Android
Our Fitness FB Group.
Thick Thighs Save Lives Workout Programs
Constantly Varied Gear's Workout Leggings

S7 EP4: Is It Safe? Fitness & Pregnancy Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

Pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period all mark big changes in a woman’s life. And many women don’t know what to expect or what they should be doing with their bodies during these changes. Today’s guest is a coach who focuses on pregnancy and postpartum athleticism, and she has a lot to say about what women can do during pregnancy and postpartum.

Brianna Battles is the creator of the online course for coaches: Pregnancy and Postpartum Athletics. Her goal is to help athletes and coaches understand what women need during the pregnancy and postpartum period so that they can successfully train through pregnancy and return to training after childbirth. Listen to the episode to hear what Brianna has to say about her own experiences with pregnancy and childbirth, what women don’t learn about their own bodies, and what women should be doing for exercise during and after their pregnancies.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

Pregnancy and post-partum experiences that women don’t expect
What women don’t learn about their bodies
The level of exercise that it’s safe to maintain during pregnancy
Your motivations for working out
Whether pregnant women need to monitor their heart rate while working out
Whether there’s a set amount of time to wait after birth for exercise
The different factors behind why moms handle fitness the way they do after childbirth
How identity is attached to fitness routines
Things that should be considered normal after having a baby and things that shouldn’t
Where to find Brianna

RELATED LINKS

S7 EP3: Talking To Kids About Body Image Jun 21, 2022

Show notes

If you’re a parent, you’ve either had concerns about your children’s relationship with their body image, or you will eventually have those concerns. Today’s guest, Dr. Charlotte Markey, understands these concerns because she’s had them herself for a very long time. She’s a professor of psychology at Rutgers and the author of four books, including The Body Image Book for Girls and The Body Image Book for Boys. She’s currently working on a fifth book.

In today’s episode, Charlotte talks about body image issues, how they affect everyone, and how her work addresses that. Listen in to hear what she has to say about what body image means to her, providing a counter-message to harmful marketing, and how to talk to kids about things like body image and nutrition.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

How body image issues affect everyone
Providing a counter-message to marketing
The best way to talk to kids who are experiencing negative thoughts about their bodies
Working on body image problems pre-emptively
Girls’ body issues vs boys’ body issues
How parental body image issues affect kids and whether parents can help their kids when they’re struggling
Talking about food and nutrition without creating disordered behavior
Admitting you don’t always know an answer or backtracking when necessary
Talking about physical activity with kids without overdoing it
How important it is to monitor social media
How to prevent social media from having a negative effect on kids
Where fatphobia fits into building a positive body image

RELATED LINKS

The Body Image Book For Girls
The Body Image Book For Boys
The CVG Nation app, for iPhone
The CVG Nation app, for Android
Our Fitness FB Group.
Thick Thighs Save Lives Workout Programs
Constantly Varied Gear's Workout Leggings

S7 EP2: Rapid Fire Questions & Answers Jun 14, 2022

Show notes

Do you have difficult questions that you’ve been searching for the answers to? Today’s hot takes may be just what you’ve been looking for. In this episode, Rachael and Kelsea answer some of the questions that they’ve been asked in the CVG communities. Listen to the episode to hear what they have to say about their recent Murph calendar and challenge, incorporating weight-lifting into hiking and outdoor activities, and your first day back at the gym.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

Fifth year of Murph calendar
Incorporating Murph calendar habits into your training
Self-tanner
Questions from the group
Incorporating weight-lifting into hiking
First day back at the gym vibes
TTSL’s gymnastics cycle
Developing confidence in your own body
Overcoming fear of controlling your own body
The variety of drills to kick up into a handstand position

RELATED LINKS

The CVG Nation app, for iPhone
The CVG Nation app, for Android
Our Fitness FB Group.
Thick Thighs Save Lives Workout Programs
Constantly Varied Gear's Workout Leggings

S7 EP1: Are You Addicted To Stress? Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

What is stress doing to your brain? We usually think of stress as a bad thing, but there is such a thing as good stress, and even in the case of bad stress, it can have some effects on your brain that your brain actually likes. So are you addicted to stress? Are you seeking it out without realizing it? And what is that doing to you?

Listen to today’s episode as Rachael and Kelsea talk about stress, what it does to your brain, how trauma exposure correlates to stress, and how you might be seeking out stress instead of minimizing it.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

What stress does to your brain
The baseline for stress
The exposure to trauma that correlates with stress
The effects of stress that the brain actually likes
Why we might seek out stress
How people put themselves in stressful situations
How people can associate physical trauma with love when they’ve experienced physical abuse
Panic attacks and physical markers
Maintaining healthy stress levels
Being stressed personally and having empathy for what’s going on around you
Cutting yourself some slack
Inserting stressors in your life because it gives you control

RELATED LINKS

The CVG Nation app, for iPhone
The CVG Nation app, for Android
Our Fitness FB Group.
Thick Thighs Save Lives Workout Programs
Constantly Varied Gear's Workout Leggings

S6 EP30: Are You Overtraining? May 31, 2022

Show notes

Are you overtraining? Do you know what the signs of overtraining are? It’s become common to think of overdoing it in terms of productivity as an aspiration, not a problem. People aim to work the most hours, sleep the least hours, and hustle the hardest. And that sort of attitude bleeds over into training.

Unfortunately, overtraining doesn’t mean that you’re improving. In today’s episode, Rachael and Kelsea talk about overtraining. Listen in to hear what they have to say about listening to your body, the signs of overtraining, and why you may not be feeling energized.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

Pride in overdoing it
Moving away from your goals by not taking care of yourself
Overtraining, or overdoing it, as pie
Listening to your body
Signs of overtraining
Why doing more doesn’t mean that you’ll get better
Why you’re not feeling energized
Why you’re not sleeping well when you overtrain
Your cortisol levels
The importance of recovery
Runner training
Doing different types of movement
How long you can sustain performing at 100%
Why you should be aiming to vary intensities
Nutrition, hydration, and sleep in alignment

RELATED LINKS

The CVG Nation app, for iPhone
The CVG Nation app, for Android
Our Fitness FB Group.
Thick Thighs Save Lives Workout Programs
Constantly Varied Gear's Workout Leggings

S6 EP29: Why Don't You Trust Yourself? May 24, 2022

Show notes

Why don’t you trust yourself? Why would you give your power to someone else? In today’s episode, Rachael and Kelsea talk about the promises that we make and break to ourselves, and why we need to show up for ourselves and trust ourselves.

Listen to the episode to hear what Rachael and Kelsea have to say about setting sustainable goals, whether you should be affected by things the people around you say rather than your own knowledge of yourself, and setting an intention with yourself and following through with it.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

Traveling for vacation
Hiking and edibles
Why you don’t trust yourself
Giving away your power
Deeming yourself unreliable
Setting sustainable or unsustainable goals
Thinking that you’re going to get much further much faster than is realistic
The feeling of knowing that you show up for things
Being unaffected by the comments of the people around you
Setting an intention with yourself and following through
When it’s not your fault, but it is your responsibility
Nutrition and cutting out food groups
Mistrusting yourself when it comes to nutrition
Setting goals you can keep and not demanding perfection
Doing something that builds trust with yourself

RELATED LINKS

The CVG Nation app, for iPhone
The CVG Nation app, for Android
Our Fitness FB Group.
Thick Thighs Save Lives Workout Programs
Constantly Varied Gear's Workout Leggings

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