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In this episode, we dive into body confidence, changes in mindset, growth, and the journey into adventuring solo!
To try a free week of my signature Fit for Hiking program to get you fit from the trails (gym AND at-home options) start HERE.
To try a free week of my signature Fit for Hiking program to get you fit from the trails (gym AND at-home options) start HERE.
For next level fat loss strategies, hormone/gut health help, serious performance goals and unparalleled support, apply for Mountain Metabolic coaching. Learn more HERE.
For more free wellness resources, hiking/travel guides, and other blog posts, check out my website HERE.
What is Fit for Hiking?
Where fitness and outdoors meet. In this space we chat all things hiking, exercise, wellness, adventure, motherhood, and metabolic health from a female perspective! Get ready to learn + be inspired to live your fullest, most adventurous life!
My body is not the most interesting thing about me, regardless of what society and the media wants to tell me. And so anytime I'm getting those moments where I'm having those thoughts that shouldn't be there, that's what I also just try to remind myself. Hi, my name is Brady, and I'm a longtime fitness professional and Midwest girl turned mountain living hiking addict. In combining my knowledge of fitness and passion for hiking, I've helped hundreds of women get lean and strong for the trails. Think of this as your one stop shop for both education and inspiration on all things female wellness. Trail talk and adventure hiking, female metabolism, motherhood, nutrition, travel, and fitness are all topics you'll hear discussed here. If you are outdoorsy and active, looking to level up your health, unlock your potential, and become inspired to live your most vibrant life, you're in the right place. You're listening to the Fit for Hiking podcast. All right, welcome back to another episode of the Fit for Hiking podcast. Today we have a guest on the show. This is actually my first guest interview, so thank you so much for being here, Katie. If you could just tell listeners a little bit about yourself and why you're here today to chat, that would be awesome. Awesome. Well, thank you for having me. I appreciate it and super exciting. I'm the first guest, hopefully I do address this for everyone. Follow. But my name is Katie and I currently live in Denver, Colorado. My background in outdoors, hiking, all that stuff started at a really young age. I'm from Minnesota originally, so we grew up camping northern Minnesota in Canada, going to Oregon, Montana, all that fun stuff, but I actually went to college out in Kansas, lived in Kansas City, Missouri for close to about ten years total. Lost a lot of that sort of hobby because not much to do out there. And then last year had just kind of some life stuff happen and I found myself in Denver, Colorado, which has always been the dream, and have been able to revisit those hobbies, pick them back up again. So that's kind of my background. And I saw that you posted to your Instagram page asking for folks who had topics that they wanted to talk about, and I think I have just this is something that's been on my mind in general for the last several months about women specifically in our space, in the outdoors, in our fitness body image. And kind of due to the nature of my move here and not knowing as many people as I did in Kansas City, I've been doing a lot of things alone on my own, and that's been a really big learning experience as well. So I just thought if I have the opportunity to help anyone else with anything related to any of those, why not do that? Yeah, absolutely. Cool. Well, just so our listeners know what we are wanting to dig into today is kind of the topic of body image and how women getting into outdoor activities can really be quite transformative from a standpoint of we're no longer so focused on the physical appearance of our bodies and it's more so it really shifts. In a positive direction towards what we can do and building that confidence in our body's abilities. And that is such a big pillar of kind of what we focus on in our Fit for hiking, coaching, and on the podcast, on Instagram, all these things. Because I just feel like it's a message that needs to be out there, that women's bodies aren't always just meant to look a certain way. We don't need to exercise only for the goal of being smaller, all of these things. So it's kind of a loaded topic, but we're going to kind of get into it today. So if you could just tell us a little bit about your body image struggles and when that started, I'm sure a lot of our listeners will be able to relate. Yeah, absolutely. I think like most women in today's society at a really young age is when I really started struggling with body image. I think it's important to note for context, I'm really tall. I'm 6ft tall, and I've been this tall since I was twelve years old. Wow. So growing up, I was way taller than the rest of my friends. I was taller than the boys in middle school, and I just felt different, which I think as a young kid is the biggest thing that we notice is what we're different, what makes us different. Not in a good way or that's how it feels in the time as an adult, I've grown to love and appreciate it. And now what makes us different is wonderful, beautiful things. But that's all really when it started was middle school and just comments that were made to me by people about my height specifically. That was really what it started in with height. But of course, everything that we see in the media also then comes down to weight that comes into play as well. So all that really started at a young age. So. And then we went kind of fast forward, I guess, to college. When I went to college, I went to a big school. That impacted me the way that it can impact a lot of people. And it kind of got to the point where I was really just uncomfortable. I was an athlete my entire life, played volleyball, was running, and then college came and that kind of stopped. And so it kind of got to this point where I was just objectively exercising last. That got into my head. I was in a sorority. I was surrounded by lots of women who are wonderful people, but you were surrounded by people and you always just have those things in your mind and insecurities of, oh my gosh, well, they look like that. Should I be looking like that? All that sort of stuff really does, I guess, kind of play into it. So that's where it all started. And I guess sorry, it was all together, but it's kind of where it started. And then yeah. And so how did exercise factor in? Like, was that something that you were using to try to feel a certain way about your body? Yeah, absolutely. So when I was probably a sophomore in college or so, was really when I started really getting seriously into running. I had a summer home where I went home for the summer and I was like, you know what, I have nothing to do this summer. I'm going to lose a lot of weight. That's what I'm going to do this summer. That was my goal and I picked up running. And on one hand, I love running because it is mental therapy for me. Like, that is what clears my head. It is what just makes me at peace. However, at the time, I had really shallow intentions with it, to be totally honest. In my mind, it was like the faster I run, I would think about how many extra calories I'm burning. 3s All that sort of stuff just really adds up. It's so common, I feel like, with running especially, and not for everyone, but it is such a common thing of like, just running is tied to weight loss in our minds. It's like, well, if I'm doing this, it's for the goal of being smaller because that's the runner's body, right? Yeah. And it's just like, it's a burn, burn, burn mentality as opposed to building and why we have that burn mentality and more miles equals better and all that stuff. And so I definitely got into running and that was honestly one of the intentions. And 1s it's just interesting to think about as women because my dad is a long distance runner, ultramarathon runner, all the things. And we've talked about this actually close relationship, and for him, it's always just been about the goal and the accomplishment and what can I do, and never about his. 1s Appearance. And so I think that's also just an interesting dynamic to think about, too, as men versus women with that. But I think as far as directly how exercise initially impacted the body image thing, I was using running as a tool to get smaller, to feel better about myself as opposed to something that was more goal oriented. And all of the wins that are not weight related, it wasn't focused on those at first. Yeah, definitely. Okay, so what eventually caused a switch to where you were starting to more so focus on what your body could do and appreciation having that confidence instead of everything being about weight loss or appearance based. So we fast. What's a great question. I have a couple of answers to this. If we fast forward a few years after my initial kick in running, I went through a breakup, and I was like, how do I cope with this? My friends are tired of hearing about this. What can I do? And I was like, oh, I used to love running, but I'd lost that kind of passion for a while. So I got back into it this time more for the kind of freedom mindset part of it. And even when I was in my initial running phase, I was really only going about, I want to say, five to six, 7 miles at a time. This time I was like, what if I signed up for a half marathon and I could do that? And I was more of a volleyball player growing up. So at the time, my identity wasn't a runner. I was a volleyball player who just happened to run on the side. Half marathon was a runner's thing. I'm not a runner, so I can't do that long distance. No, but I was like, you know what? How cool would it be? I pictured what I would feel like crossing the finish line and what that would look like and feel like. And that feeling like I have chills kind of thinking about it, because my first half marathon I ran was the most transformative thing I've ever done in my life because it was something that I did not think I could do. But I signed up for it, and I told everyone who would listen I was doing it because I was like, hey, my ego is a little too big. If I tell everyone, I can't back down now. Yes. So I asked my dad for help with a training plan, and it really changed everything for me as far as my mindset behind fitness and its role in my life and what it could do for me. Um, really going through literally putting one step or 1ft in front of another. And every with every training run that I did that was 1 mile fast or 1 mile further or a little bit faster pace, I was like, I can do this. I can do something that I didn't think that I ever could. And that feeling was addicting. I was like, I want to do this again and again. So I ran that first half marathon and it was just the most I cried when I crossed the finish line because it was, again, just something I never thought I could do. And in that moment, I had just gratitude for my body. At the time, I had one of my best friends. She has always been a runner. At the time, she was going through really bad chronic back pain, and so she couldn't run. And so kind of just thinking about that juxtaposition of my body is allowing me to do this. I'm physically capable of doing this. I should appreciate this vessel that's allowing me to do this, as opposed to beating her up, being critical, saying things that I would never say to my friends or anyone around me. And so that's really when it started, was that appreciation. And I wrote this whole Facebook paragraph when I happened to happen, and I said, you can do really hard things if you set your mind to it. And Glenn Doyle has a quote that we can do hard things. And that has really carried me a long way. So that was kind of where it all started. Then I myself had a running injury from one of my races that I did, and that has kind of put me out of commission as far as running right now. And so that's been a whole new battle to learn, because I then for a while, have identified as a runner that gets taken away from you, now what? And so the injury itself odly enough, has also helped me appreciate my body again for what it can do as opposed to what it can't. And so when I moved to Colorado and I was able to start hiking again, that's something that doesn't it. What's the word? Make my knee flare up as much as running does. And so I grew up hiking. That was one of the main reasons I moved out here. And so doing that really helped with, again, just appreciation. You know what? I can't run right now the way I want to. I could sit here, and I could get frustrated, upset, bitter, and just throw in the towel entirely. But instead, I kind of redirected that to a new hobby, new passion, and again, appreciate what my body can do as opposed to what it can't or what it looks like. 1s And then if I want to tie the hiking part back to the whole height insecurity thing that I had for a long time growing up, this was actually a few months ago. My roommate and I were on a hike, and we had to do some scrambling at the end. And my foot, we had to just kind of go down a little cliff situation. And I'm really afraid of heights, which is ironic because I'm so tall and I hike and stuff, but when it's kind of more complicated technical stuff, that's when I get a little bit scared. And she is way shorter than me, and she was, like, really struggling basically how to hop down, and I just lowered myself. My feet find the ground. Oh, we're good. And so that created a whole new appreciation, not just for my body, but my height specifically. I'm like, okay, I can reach things that people can't reach when I go down these cliffs. My at feet and my legs can find the ground faster. And so that, again, just really made me appreciate all of what my body can do, as opposed to just. 1s What it looks like, what everyone else is doing, the comparison game. Yeah. 1s It's such a powerful thing though, when that shift can happen where it's no longer all about how you look, being as skinny as possible, looking just like everyone else and more so, just truly enjoying and even like when you were running that second time around. I can definitely relate to that because I was, I would say a runner. You know, I did a couple of half marathons when I was in my early 20s, but the intentions were so bad and so different, very similar to your story where it was like I was literally signing up for those things as motivation to lose weight and that was my whole goal with it. And now I'm actually running a half marathon in like a week and a half and I never thought I would do another one. But I have a totally different mental approach to it now where I genuinely am enjoying it because I never thought I was going to be in that place again where mentally I could do it and it'd be a healthy thing. And now I'm just like, wow, this is awesome. I gave birth a year ago and now I'm running a half marathon and I never thought I was going to run again because I had so many pelvic floor issues after giving birth. So it's more of just this celebration of like my body's able to do this and I'm actually having fun with it and I'm not trying to restrict myself or punish my body in any way. 1s The same goes for hiking. You can't be out there and be obsessed with how you look and all of these things because you have to be present and focused on what you're doing and it's just truly like a celebration is how I feel. I'm so grateful that I'm able to be outdoors doing this, that I live in close proximity to this activity and that my body is allowing me to do it. And it's really cool to have that other motivation other than I'm just going to go work out so I can be as thin as I possibly can 100%. And I think you bringing up that term celebration is so accurate and I think something a lot of women probably can relate to too. You have events on the horizon and what do we do before those events? Like weddings and graduations is we work out a lot before vacation to feel our smallest and lose weight and that's not sustainable. And that intrinsic motivation of the celebration and the gratitude is what's sustainable for life. And I think for most people in this space, my hopeful goal is as long as I'm physically able, I lead a lifestyle that's healthy and active. 1s The rest of my life. And that's only sustainable if you're celebrating the wins within that intrinsically as opposed to just having a deadline or a timeline to lose weight. That's just not sustainable. That's something I talk about with my clients a lot, is that mental shift. Because if all you're focusing on is the scale, the scale, the scale, how your body is looking, you're missing out on the opportunity truly build this lifestyle that is going to sustain you far beyond reaching your goal weight. And it has to be about the process other than just the product of like, I've achieved this weight that I've always wanted. Because if you achieve it by means that aren't realistic long term, it's like, well, you're not going to maintain that and you're not going to have that lifelong enjoyment of really pursuing health. And that's really what it has to come down to. 100%. Yeah, I couldn't agree more. So when you moved to Colorado and you got into hiking, I know that you kind of started solo hiking because you didn't have a lot of community here yet. How did that factor into some of that body confidence and just confidence in general? Yeah, so that has been also a really cool thing to just reflect on. From my own experience, I traded a great community but no access to the outdoors, to access the outdoors with a smaller community. And at that point in my life, super worth it. But a whole new set of challenges I have never experienced before. And in general, I having really bad anxiety. I'm really fearful a lot of the time, like my safety especially. And the other thing that ironic about that though is I'm also very strong willed and stubborn. And what I was not about to do was move all the way out here and let my fears get in the way of an experience. However, it wasn't easy. And so the first hike I did alone, I remember being super intimidated, not from like a physical standpoint, and I knew I could do it, but just if people look at me hiking alone, are they going to judge me? That was a thought I had. It was a safety fear. It was I'm a female. That's a very real fear about being female. Out on the trails alone, you're in remote environments. And again, I ultimately just again kept in mind the feeling I would have after that first one. I was really scared. My heart was racing. But what feeling will I have when this is all said and done? And I will be really proud of myself, I will feel more confident, I will be accomplished. And so. 1s Slowly but surely have started kind of upping the mileage with the solo hikes. And it's really proven a lot to me and helped, honestly, even a lot with my anxiety and my confidence because one thing that I have learned is people are more good than they are bad. I took a solo trip, actually out to Sedona for my birthday this year and did a lot of hiking out there. And just everyone you come across on the trails were just so kind, so wonderful moments where at first I might be a little anxious about something. I just had proof time and time again that people are just more good than they are bad. And that doesn't mean don't be alert. That doesn't mean don't have your wits about you by any means. But it helped me just kind of get over that fear of the worst thing constantly happening because I forced myself to kind of see that that wasn't going to be the case, if that makes sense. And so as far as confidence goes and just again, appreciation for my actual body, it's like, hey, not only are you able to do these hikes physically, but I'm so proud to be able to do it mentally. And again, I just don't ever want to have my mindset be the thing that gets in the way from experiencing a phenomenal thing like that trip is one of the favorite. I travel a lot, and that was one of my favorite trips I've ever taken. And I was alone the entire time. And so I think that's the other thing too is like, have to make this like. Super deep or not, but we have one life, and I do to my best, to my abilities, never want to let my fears get in the way of experiencing. And I think of all the things I would have missed out on if I didn't just let myself try and do it. And so solo hiking is actually now, like one of my favorite things to do. Now I have a bigger community, but I still like to do it on my own a lot. Just because you can think about what you want to think about, you can kind of get lost in your own world, go at your own pace, not worry about if you're going slower, breathing heavy or anything, 3s and you're not always waiting for people. I feel like just as an adult, people are busy. And I always find that sometimes I'm waiting for other people in my life to be able to go and do some of these hikes and adventures. And I think it's really freeing when you can just say, like, I can do this alone. I don't have to wait for everybody else to be free finally for me to really live my life the way that I want to live it and go out and do the same. And then when you have that body confidence and all of these things on top of it, it's just such a freeing experience. Yeah, I agree. And that was also kind of where it started, is I have two of my very best friends in the world without here, but it's like when I first moved here, I was like, if those two are busy, well, okay, now what do I do about myself? And again, I was like, okay, I made this big move. And I luckily kind of had that motivation of I kind of uprooted my life for this. So you take it. Yes. But it was that exact mindset of I can't just wait around for people to be available if I'm available and I want to do the thing, do the thing. And it created such a vibrant life, I think, because I feel so empowered that I'm getting everything out of this life that I want because I've taken the initiative to kind of do that on my own, if that's what it takes. Absolutely. That's super cool. So kind of to circle back to, you made a comment about how when you got injured, you had kind of started to identify as a runner. And I feel like whether we do this consciously or not, we have these identifiers that we put ourselves in these boxes. I would say of like, someone might think, like, well, I've always been the super in shape person or the super skinny person or the super or on the opposite end, these negative labels of the person who just never works out. You label yourself in these ways. So what would your advice be for someone who wants to kind of get out of this box that they've put themselves in or they feel like other people identify them by so that they can branch out and grow and just change as a person. 2s That's a great question. 2s I do a lot of things like internal work, I guess. And so I would say is my advice to kind of get over that is to ask yourself a couple of questions. The first thing I ask myself is what else could be true? What else could be true? I'm telling myself a story. My story is this is my OG running news. I'm not a runner. I can't do this. I'm not a runner, so I can't run a half marathon. I'm not allowed to do that because that's not who I am. What else could be true? It could be true that it's a possibility that I could become a runner. Right? And then the other thing is what impact could it have on my life if I don't try something new, if I don't have this opportunity? And so kind of thinking about those two things has really helped me. And also realizing nothing's permanent. You can change things at any time of your life if you want. It's never too late. I kind of talked about my dad actually in his ultramarathon running. He was not into fitness whatsoever until he was probably in his early forty s. And now he's running 50 miles races. 2s Again, it's never too late. So don't think that too much time has passed. That's too late to start. And also again, think about the opportunity be what else could be true. All these bad things could happen, or it might not work out, it might be intimidating, but it could open up your life to the most fulfilling thing that you've ever done in your life. And you won't know that unless you try. So I think those are kind of the things that I think about. 1s When pivoting to the identity piece of it. It's so true. And also, how are you holding yourself back potentially by just believing this storyline that you've told yourself or that you're letting other people tell you? And how is that boxing you in from expanding or growing? I feel like I had a huge mental block around personal success. Not even in this category, but it can be in so many different categories. And I had a major mental block because of comments that I had heard about 1s money and success in my field and all these things. And I just told myself the same story of, like, well, I'll never be successful as a trainer. 1s Trainers don't make money, whatever narrative it is. And I told myself that for a decade. And then finally I was like, kind of seems like I'm getting in my own way because I literally don't believe in myself at all. I've just let these comments from other people truly seep in and affect how I view myself. And so I think it can happen with how we view our bodies, like labels that other people put on us, telling ourselves that we don't have the ability to be someone who works out regularly. There's just so many areas that we can be introspective from time to time and say, why am I telling myself this narrative? And is it really serving me anymore? Right? Yeah, that's a great question, too. Is it serving me? And also, I think, too, what can I gain from this new experience or from trying this out? And a lot of the times, what you gain is far more than anything that you would potentially lose or have as a reason to not try to get out of that headspace in that space. Yeah, definitely. So back to kind of like the body image discussion. Do you feel like you ever still struggle with bad body image days? And if so, how do you cope with that? Yeah, I would be lying if I said I didn't still struggle with that from time to time. I think it's so deeply ingrained in our heads as women, I don't know if that will ever go away. But on the days that I do struggle with body image, I just kind of remember, I really do just think about all of the things I have done in my life, all of the overcoming my knee injury to running that first half marathon and just really try to come from a place of appreciation and just, I think, perspective too. I think about all those folks out there who maybe aren't in they have injuries themselves or illness or things that they go on that I really just try to focus on capability of my body more than anything and just kind of try to remind myself of those things. And again, self worth like. I am be. I am more than this vessel that is a physical being. And I try to remember 2s this is beyond a guest body. But think about my friends, think about my family, think about the connections I've made and things like that, and realize that's where my worth comes from. Again, I keep saying vessel, but not this vessel. This is not the most interesting thing about me. The most interesting thing about me is that my relationship ships. I have the conversations I like to hold and things like that. My body is not the most interesting thing about me, regardless of what society and the media wants to tell me. And so anytime I'm getting those moments where I'm having those thoughts that shouldn't be there, that's what I also just try to remind myself is this is not the most interesting thing about me. And if the people in my life think that they're not the right people in my life yeah. And I think it's important to just say out loud that probably everybody struggles with this. Even if we're someone who has made that shift to really prioritize what our body can do, there's still days where I struggle with that too, of feeling like, man, negative self talk. Oh man, I'm really bloated today. I'm not lean enough to be a valid personal trainer or just all of these things when you start to get into that comparison game. And it's really tough with media, social media, all these things. So I think it's normal. But it's so important to come back to that foundation like you were talking about, of what your body's capable of, what your worth is outside of simply your body fat percentage and all of the other awesome parts of life and kind of removing the thing that's causing that trigger. Usually there's something that causes that triggering moment where it's like, I feel like crap about myself. And putting yourself in a different headspace where you're around people you love, laughing, doing things that have nothing to do with how your body looks, I think is so important. Yeah, 100%. Absolutely. So what would your advice be for women who want to shift their mindset around, exercise intentions? Meaning, like right now, someone who's just really in that crappy spot of feeling like they have to go burn as many calories as possible with all of their workouts, punish their bodies and that that's kind of like what we have to do as women is like burn the calories. Right. So what would your advice be for kind of getting out of that the starting that process? I would say first kind of think about why 1s what is my current motivation? What is my current intention and why is that? Is it because. 2s It's been something that I've been telling myself is it because there's people around me that maybe shouldn't be around me? So first I kind of getting to the root of why I'm feeling this way to begin with. Something that I did a lot when I was first getting into running the second time around for the right reasons. I actually listened to Mindset podcasts alongside my workouts that actually made a huge difference because there were so many direct core or I put them together as direct correlations. The podcasts themselves could probably go to various facets of your life. But I directly correlated it to so much of what I was doing with my exercise and what I wanted to get out of it. And it really helped me just sit down and write down my new intention and my new goal. And for me that ultimately turned into proved. My goal was proved to myself that I can do things I didn't once think I could do and that I really liked because it was I don't want to say easy, but it takes it away from a number. It takes it away from something that's measurable, like a scale or a size or something like that. And so when I changed my intention to be something that wasn't anything that had numbers in it or was measurable, I feel like that's really when my mindset started to switch and just find gratitude in the small things. You kind of said something similar to this earlier, but in my job I say this a lot, but the process is the result. And so there were some runs that as I got a little bit more experienced with it still didn't go the way I had planned but were still pretty good runs. And I would think, hey, you just ran 5 miles. However many years ago, you couldn't even run 1 mile. That is a huge accomplishment in and of itself and you should be proud of that. And so celebrating the wins along the way. So if you're in a mindset of more of like how small can I be, how many calories can I burn? Really challenge yourself to celebrate the wins along the way of hey, you know what, this time when I had a thought that wasn't the most positive to myself, I redirected it. That's a win. Celebrate that. If you are at the gym and you end up getting through a few of your sets and you're not checking your watch for how many calories you've burned yet, that's a win. Celebrate that constantly. Celebrating the wins that aren't based off of numbers alone and the smaller behaviors really does go a long way and over time helps develop that as your kind of default as opposed to having it be as active and as intentional as it will feel in the very beginning. That's so true because it doesn't happen overnight. We're both talking about this kind of on the other side for the most part. Like we said, we both have our days, but it is a process. I feel like it took me years of really rerouting those thoughts and not obsessing over. 1s How my body looked and if I looked valid enough as a trainer and if I looked lean enough and all of these things. And it's so tough to reroute that, especially when it's in our faces everywhere. So it definitely takes time and a lot of that internal work. But I love what you said about just setting some intentions and goals that have nothing to do with how your body looks and more of just appreciating the process. Mm. And something, too, that I've learned from these podcasts, too, is your mind sees what you're thinking about. Your reality is kind of where your head is. And so if you're at least really trying to think and focus on the things that aren't related to numbers or specifically weight loss or calories or things like that, that's what you'll, again, eventually, over time, start to see naturally. And that's what you'll eventually focus on. And so the more you can put those things in front of you and be intentional about it, it won't be as challenging mentally eventually, because it will become default. And so think also like patience. And like you said, it's not overnight, but it will happen. You just got to make sure that you're putting the time and being intentional about it early. And it's so worth it to have that mental freedom where you're not obsessing about all the calories you burn and looking a certain way that maybe your body's not truly not intended to look. I think we feel like we have to look like this person. That person. And society has told women that they have to be as small as possible when that just might not be your frame. And so, like, really actively working towards not conforming to that and just feeling like, well, if I'm not small, then I am a failure. I'm not healthy, I'm not fit. And that's so not true. Like, health and fitness are so separate from how small you are. 2s And I think when I was in that mindset for sure of the burn, burn, burn, how small can I be? That person, I love her and I appreciate her, and she's somehow, some way gotten me here. She's a part of my whole story and my journey. That person, I don't think, could do what I do now, if that makes sense. Physically, I understand. No energy. I was tired all the time. I was again just burning and thinking about it constantly. And it wasn't until I finally started opening up to some friends about it that I was like, it's not normal necessarily to think about this all the time. Or healthy, I should say. It's not healthy for your entire thoughts to be consumed around. Calories consumed, calories, burned. Again, being on the other side, it's just exhausting to look back on and think, that took up so much of my mental space. And again, it's like, now I can do things that I wasn't physically able to. And so that appreciation, too, I think, has been something that's been a really cool thing to compare to the journey I guess I've been on. Overall. That's so inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing about that. I really hope that this episode is just a reminder for women everywhere that your Fittest most vibrant, confident self might not necessarily be your smallest self. And that's okay, and we don't need to work out with that pursuit in mind all the time, and there's so much beyond that. So thank you so much for sharing your experiences and for coming on today. Yeah, thank you so much for having me. This was so great. And again, if anyone can take anything away from that, that would just mean the world, because truly, it's a lifelong journey that never ends. But the more you can celebrate those wins and appreciate what your body can do, I think the more fulfilling of a life you'll have, which that's what we're all after anyway. Absolutely, yes. Well, thank you again, Katie. Thanks for tuning into this episode of the Fit for Hiking podcast. As always, I hope it leaves you feeling inspired and informed on how to take your health and adventure into your own hands. For more content like this, be sure to follow along with my daily posts at ponytail Underscore on a Trail that's ponytail Underscore on a Trail. You can also stay up to date on my new episodes being released at fit Underscore for hiking and find more free resources@ponytailontrail.com. Happy and healthy trails.