Workout Q&A - Back Pain, Stubborn Belly Fat, Cardio Skipping Workouts and more!
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Can you truly achieve body confidence and acceptance while dealing with injuries and setbacks? Join me in this episode of Embrace Your Real as we uncover how to maintain a resilient workout routine despite life's challenges.
We’ll dive into managing back pain, strategies for missed workouts, and how to stay on track without losing momentum. Plus, get actionable advice on optimal workout durations, reducing stubborn belly fat, the impact of hormones, stress, genetics and so much more!
Are you ready to embrace a balanced fitness journey where effort meets recovery for the best results?
I also discuss:
(00:00) Building Confidence and Body Acceptance
(04:22) Understanding Stress and Abdominal Fat Storage
(10:48) Progression and Patience in Workout Routine
(13:13) 30 vs 60 Minute Workouts Comparison
(16:23) Consistent Workouts and Nutrition for Results
(25:23) Consistency and Core Workouts
and more!
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
Follow me on Instagram: @juliealedbetter | @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie
Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/
Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
Website: www.juliealedbetter.com
Get my eBook: FREE Macro Counting Ebook
Amazon Storefront: Julie Ledbetter's Amazon Page
Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey there, beautiful human you're listening to Embrace Your Real With Me, Julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I dish you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it. Let's go. [00:00:21]
[00:00:32] Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Bracewell Podcast. We are back with another beloved Q&A edition where I answer all things related to health and fitness and building the body that you want. In this episode, I'm going to be diving into kind of navigating an injury or back pain while working out what to do if you skip a workout, and kind of how to get back on track, how long your workout should be, and also how to get rid of that stubborn belly fat and so much more. These questions are always pulled from my private movement, my Facebook group. So if you want to gain access to that Facebook group and you want to be a part of the conversation, we are constantly answering questions on a weekly basis. In that Facebook group, you can be an active subscriber, and once you're an active subscriber in the app, you gain access to that private Facebook group. So if you want to learn more about that, you can go to Sal. That's Sally that moment. Julie.com I will also link that in the show notes below so that you can easily go check that out. But before we dive in, I wanted to share this trivia comes from cleanest Bathroom 87. I love that username, she said. Amazing. I started following Julia a couple of years ago on Instagram and TikTok. Just doing the exercises that she posted. I finally just joined her program. I have been so consistent. Even if I'm only doing two workouts a week, that is something I am still doing for myself. Her podcast is also very helpful. I love how she ties in her relationship with God. The only negative is that I should have been listening sooner. Well, I'm so grateful. First of all, thanks so much for following on social. And also, I'm so grateful that you pulled the trigger and you join the program. Took the leap. That's honestly one of the best investments, in my opinion, that you can make is investing in yourself and having a workout plan that is just done for you so you don't even have to think about it is honestly one of the best things that you can do in terms of your consistency, because you know that every time you pull up that workout plan, you don't have to think about it. And it's effortlessly planned for you, and it's strategically planned to ensure that you are going to see results. And I'm also so grateful that you're tuning into the podcast. So thank you so much for taking time out of your day to send in that review. All of your reviews really do mean the world to me and they help us out so much. So if you could scooch over to Apple Podcasts and leave a rating interview, that would mean the absolute world to me and our team. And it also helps other people who kind of stumble upon the podcast, see how the episodes and podcasts in general are helping other people, and it gives them kind of a reason or an incentive to to listen themselves if it is something that they feel they would benefit from as well. All right. Let's dive into today's Q&A. So question number one is I feel pretty content with how my body has changed except for my lower stomach. I have a thick middle area and my backside and I like my backside, but my front side will not get smaller. I have PCOS, insulin resistance, and I'm beginning to think I may and might not be able to ever shrink that area. Any suggestions? Okay, so this is a great question. And the first thing that you need to know is that you are not alone. So many women face this stubborn issue for lack of a better term. And in fact, there's actually a lot of fascinating biological reasons behind why. First of all, hormones play a significant role in the fat distribution and storage, especially in women. Estrogen, which is kind of your main female sex hormone. This promotes the accumulation of fat in the lower abdomen, hips and thighs. And you might be wondering, okay, why why are we estrogen dominant dominant or what does that even mean. And this is really an evolutionary adaptation designed to support pregnancy and breastfeeding, making sure that there's actual energy reserves available for both you and baby. Even if you are not trying to have kids or want kids, your body is still acting this way. Because as women, we are designed to reproduce, right? That's how God created us to be. And so since our estrogen dominance makes us store fat in the abdomen, hips, and thighs, it can make it more challenging to shed fat in those areas. Second of all, we are chronically stressed out as a society, and this is something that I want to bring up because I don't think we often correlate our stress, our cortisol levels, with what our body is doing, but they're directly linked, and this can directly have an impact on the fat that you carry in your midsection. So let me kind of explain why. Like I just mentioned cortisol which is your stress hormone. This also contributes to abdominal fat storage. So when you're stressed your body actually produces more cortisol which can lead to more fat storage particularly in your belly area. So essentially chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels, this can make it even harder to lose weight even if you're eating well and exercising regularly. And another reason why you might be, you know, excess weight or have excess weight around the midsection is genetics. So genetics do, in fact play a role, a crucial role in how and where your body stores fat. So if your mother or your grandmother carried extra weight in their lower abdomen, chances are you might as well. And while you can't really change up your genetic makeup, you can do things and kind of override by making the right lifestyle choices. So the question still remains how do you deal with this lower abdomen fat? Well, number one, you have to remind yourself that you are a woman and your body is storing fat there to protect you. Which again, is one one thing that you have to look at through a different lens. Because if you're constantly just looking at that as a negative, you're not actually appreciating the way that God intended us again, to reproduce. Whether you want to have kids and you can't, or you just don't want to have kids, we are naturally meant to reproduce. And so as a result, we have higher estrogen levels. But number two, there are other ways that you can, again, like you can change your lifestyle habits. There are things that you can switch up to see if that helps. And that is looking at your stress levels. That's so, so important because honestly, you can have the perfect diet. You can have the perfect workout plan, follow it perfectly. But if you are chronically stressed, you are likely not going to see the results that you're looking for. And it really has nothing to do with your diet or your workout routine, right? But if you add into that mix of stress reducers, really making sure that your anxiety is at bay and you are sleeping enough, you are hydrating your body enough that is so, so important. And that is going to be the most powerful in terms of connecting all of your habits together to ensure that your body is working at its optimum. And so the number one thing that I would suggest is that you, first of all, look at your sleep. If that is something that is lacking, that oftentimes leads to just more stressed chronic stress lifestyle. Now I understand, myself included. You know, we are going to go through seasons where sleep is just it's it's at a minimum, you have a newborn baby, you are going through something really stressful. And so your sleep is lacking. There are things that you can do to help in terms of just, you know, at the very least, like putting away your devices at night, trying to get the extra, you know, half hour, even 20 minutes, half hour, 45 minutes of sleep where you can in terms of napping and then overall at night, just trying your best to create an environment so that your body can get into those deep sleep cycles, those REM cycles, even if it's for a shorter amount of time. But that's going to help tremendously. Again, just kind of put everything together. Our bodies are machines and they work together as machines. So if you're, you know, eating your balanced lifestyle, you're eating according to what your body needs in a balanced way. You're working out consistently, you're pushing your body in terms of weight, and you're doing it in an effective way. You're following a workout program as well as prioritizing that sleep at the very bare minimum, ensuring that the sleep that you are getting is quality, even if it's a lesser sleep than you're used to in this season of life. Again, that's going to all kind of work together in harmony so that you can start to see results. And last but not least, you guys know I'm going to encourage you with this because this is so, so important. But follow a balanced diet like I just mentioned, like when you are properly feeling your body. And when I'm talking about that, I mean, you have the proper amount of protein, you have the proper amount of carbs and fats. So often people say, well, I'm eating healthy. But then when they actually take a look at a layer or two deeper, they're realizing that they're not eating enough protein, they're overeating on carbs and fats and even calories. And that is why they're actually not seeing results. And so this is why I encourage every single person, at bare minimum, to learn how to properly fuel your body through utilizing the tool. Macro counting. This doesn't mean that it has to be for the rest of your life, but I will tell you that macro counting is one of the best tools in order for you to see results, simply because you are learning how to properly fuel your body. And when you are fueling your body, that is that with the proper amount of protein, carbs and fats, that's what your body is actually needing in order to take it to the next level in order to lower your overall body fat, which subsequently will likely, you know, be in that stubborn body fat area where you are holding it in your midsection. Eventually, over time, you can't you can't target that specifically, but you can through, you know, making sure that you are emphasizing a workout plan that is effective and efficient. And through properly fueling your body, you will see results. It's just a matter of time and it's just a matter of staying consistent. So if you want to learn more about that, I do have a program. It's called the Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy. Inside that program we will teach you step by step how to calculate your macros, and then also how to create a sustainable lifestyle with this approach. And like I mentioned, you might not want to count macros for the rest of your life. You might not even want to count macros for a year. That is totally fine, but at the very bare minimum, learning how to properly fuel your body and also seeing for yourself the benefits of the energy that you have and the results that you start to see when you do stay consistent with it is so important. Question number two I have been doing the 30 minute workout. It's five days a week for five weeks now. I still need to do an alternate exercise on occasion. It just depends on the move. Do I need to wait until I can do a 30 minute workout with zero alternate exercises before moving up to a 60 minute? I feel like I'm getting a good workout in, but I also don't see any body changes yet, so I was just wondering if it's because I need to do more, or I just need to be patient and give it more time. Any feedback is welcome. Thank you. Okay. This is a great question. Kind of multiple questions. And one and this is great because this is something that I hear a lot. So first let me kind of address the first part of the question. First of all go you for sticking to five days a week workouts. That's truly amazing. That's an incredible accomplishment. And there are so many women that they struggle to even get, you know, 2 or 3 workouts in which you really don't need. You can still see results with 2 to 3 workouts, but five workouts is obviously going to be very, very effective in terms of being consistent and an overall just training every muscle group effectively. So that's amazing and you should be very proud of yourself if you want to attempt the 60 minute workout, by all means do it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with having to modify exercises as long as you have the proper form and you're consistent. That's truly all that I care about. The only thing with ramping up from a 30 minute workout to a 60 minute workout is asking yourself if you can still commit to the five days a week. If so, if that's feasible for you, amazing. Then stick with the 60 minute workouts and try them and modify as much as you need. I would say the only difference really, there's two main differences between the 30 minute and the 60 minute workouts inside the minute, which you like community and the weekly workouts. The 60 minute is going to give you a wide variety of superset, which is two exercises back to back single exercises, as well as tri sets, which is three exercises or circuits, which is four exercises or more. And and so in there you just kind of have a wider variety. Some people like to have that layout versus the 30 minute, which is the most time efficient. And the reason and why I program a giant circuit is because if you only have, let's say, 15 to 20 minutes to get a workout in and you still want to get a decent, well-balanced workout, I would suggest you do 1 or 2 giant rounds of the giant circuit for the 30 minute, which is again why I program a giant circuit, which is typically six exercises, 6 or 7 exercises back to back. So you're going to perform one round of each exercise back to back rest for two minutes and then repeat that three times is what's programed for the 30 minute. But if you're short on time, you can only do you know, 1 or 2 giant circuits. That's still amazing. You're still getting all of those moves in and so you're getting an effective workout there. But I do hear the feedback that people prefer. You know, the people who do the 60 minute, they prefer it that way. They like having the super sets. They like having the single exercises, they like having their triceps. And it's just that kind of diversity there. And so that's what I would say is the two main differences in terms of the 60 and 30 minute workouts. Now, if you're like, you know, I don't think I could do five days a week at 60 minutes. Oh great. Can you do two days a week at 60 minutes? If that's the case, I would suggest that you do the 60 minute for the lower body and the 60 minute for the upper body that we are getting all of the exercises. And I will say with the 60 minute exercises, the 60 minute workouts, sorry, that is actually going to have a little bit more exercises in there as well. So where the 30 minutes typically have anywhere from five, 6 or 7 exercises in a giant circuit, the 60 minute workouts typically have anywhere from 7 to 10, sometimes 11 exercises. So you are doing a few more exercises in there when it comes to the entirety of the workout. So just keep that in mind. Again, let's say you can only do two 60 minute workouts. The rest of them you want to stick to 30 minutes. Great. Do your two 60 minutes at a lower body, 60 minute, upper body 60 minute, and then cardio and core, shoulders and glutes and full body. You're going to keep that 30 minutes. Amazing right. And again you can flip flop. You can do you can start with implementing one 60 minute workout. See if you like that workout style. There's some people that they just love the 30 minute workout style. So they're forever going to be a 30 minute workout person. And they love it that way. They're seeing results. They're consistent. So again, if it if it matters in terms of your schedule and you're limited on time, then then just think about that and be totally okay doing the 60 minute a couple times a week. With the remainder of the workouts being 30 minutes. Second of all, I want to just remind you that it does take time to see results, right? During the first 2 to 4 weeks, your body is learning how to efficiently recruit muscle fibers and coordinate movement. So you're going to notice improvements in strength and technique rather quickly thanks to your neuromuscular adaptations. But around the fourth week mark, you might start to notice several changes, right? Like an increase in the weight that you can lift. You might see that you can perform more sets or reps without feeling as fit. He does before. And then when it comes to that 2 to 3 mark, this is when people start to actually see visible signs in their body. On average, you have to remember that visible muscle growth takes a bare minimum of 8 to 12 weeks of consistent training. And when I say consistent training, I'm meaning you're showing up at bare minimum three times a week consistently. You're pushing yourself in your weights. You're making sure that those last one, two, three reps are nearly impossible, but you're able to maintain proper form. That's going to ensure that you are actually working those muscle groups effectively. And it's going to take a bare minimum, 8 to 12 weeks of consistent training for you to even start to see that visible muscle growth. And then kind of at the six month mark, transformation can quite be significant for those who have remained consistent both in their training and nutrition. And that's so, so important to recognize. To expedite your results, you have to remain consistent in both your workouts and your nutrition. And so again, if you want to learn how to properly fuel your body, I have a program for you. I will link it. It's called the Macro Symbol Online Academy or just simply go to Macro Academy. It's simple.com. I will link it in the show notes, but you have to be consistent in both your training and your nutrition in order to see the best results. All that to say, don't be afraid of the 60 minute workout. Like if you try it and you're like, man, that's too hard for me right now. Scale back. If you try it and you're like, oh, I'm hooked. I absolutely love this. I feel really good and you're able to stay consistent with it a couple times a week or even five days a week. Amazing. Do it again. This is going to vary from person to person scheduled to schedule. So keep that in mind. All right. Question number three back pain question I alternate movement with Julie workouts and running each day. Ever since I moved my runs to the treadmill because it's a million degrees in Oklahoma right now, I've had lower back pain and some spasms or like my back locks up at times. Aside from seeing a doctor, which I plan to. Any suggestions? Rest completely for a few days or do I just cut back on weight? Stop running. I think the treadmill is the issue with the give that it has versus the hard surface. I have just been walking the last few days but it hasn't improved significantly. The back pain stuff is still new stuff to me. Just wondering what others do if this has ever happened before. Thanks. Okay, so first of all, if you think that running is the culprit, that needs to be the first thing that you stop doing, which it sounds like you started to do that transitioning to treadmill running that can indeed affect your body differently than running on an outdoor surface. Treadmills do, like you had mentioned, have a different give and a surface texture, which can change your running biomechanics and potentially strain your lower back. So unless you're training for a race, I would cut the running rate, at least for right now, and just see if that improves it. If you still want to move your body, do a walk with an incline. Do a hike with an incline. This is just as effective and a lot more gentle on your body in terms of lower impact. Second of all, don't be afraid to give your body a complete rest for a few days off. Either way, you should be taking two full days off a week of, you know, exercise completely for optimal results. Now, this doesn't mean that you can't go for a walk. You can do a hike. So when I say completely, I mean, you know, you want to just have that balance between running and or whatever your movement is and strength training, but giving your body, at the very least one full rest day is so, so important. I typically like to call them one day as a recovery day. So that's going to be something that I'm not typically doing throughout the week. So if I'm typically doing strength training, I'm not going to be doing strength training on my six day that that's my recovery day. So either I'm doing a walk, I'm doing, you know, a jog, I'm doing a cycle, I'm doing a hike, something that is outside of my norm. And then on my rest day, that's my full rest day. So that is like my, you know, call it couch potato day. I'm still going to honor my body with at least 30 minutes of movement that could even be cleaning my house. It could be vacuuming, whatever it is. But for the majority of that day, I am very sedentary. I'm giving my body rest so that I can start off my new week fresh and giving my body the energy that it needs. But kind of going back to your question, after your days off, go back to your dumbbell workouts and make sure that you are using proper form. And this is important because proper form can lead to bigger injuries. So really make sure that you are looking at the video demonstrations inside the app to ensure that your form is correct. If you have specific questions on a movement that might that kind of feels funky, feel free to ask us. We are always happy to help, but just remember that that can definitely put strain on your lower back if you are not doing a specific movement correctly. I actually did a walk through on my podcast. If you haven't tuned in, I will link them in the show notes, but I did a whole kind of walkthrough on deadlifts and a whole walkthrough on squats. Those are the two main exercises that I've seen people strain their lower backs unnecessarily because of, you know, lack of. Proper form. And so I kind of walked through an entire episode on how to set yourself up for success in terms of those two movement patterns, because those can be the hardest to master. And so that's very, very important. So again, I will link those two in the show notes below. But instead of stopping all your workouts together, also try lower impact exercises. Don't you know stress your back as much. So just remember for any high impact. And this goes for a lot of the cardio and core movements, some movements inside the full body or even some movements on lower body. I will always give a low impact option if there is any sort of impact in the movement. So keep that in mind. And don't you know, I always just tell people modifying though, like don't be afraid to modify that does not mean that you're weak. That means that you are smart and you are. You are ensuring that you are not putting yourself in a place where you could potentially get injured. And then a couple other things to consider for, injured back number one. Again, check your running form if it is. If you do think that running is the culprit, running on a treadmill requires really good posture. So ensure that you're not leaning too much forward, which can strain your lower back. Keep your shoulders back, your head up, your core engaged. The second is proper footwear, so ensure that your running shoes provide adequate support. Cushioning sometimes older, worn out shoes that can contribute to lower back pain. Number three tight muscles. This can also contribute to back pain. Make sure that you are adequately stretching your hamstrings, your hip flexors, your lower back regularly. Yoga. Pilates. Just additional stretching. This can be particularly beneficial for improving flexibility and reducing pain. And last but not least, a strong core supports your lower back. Remember when I say train your core? I'm not just talking about the front part of your core. Your core extends to your back. It is literally your lower back as well. So incorporating core strengthening exercises into your routine if you are a subscriber inside the app, I do have flex workouts and inside there I have a whole core section. So just go through. Those are one off workouts that you can log at any time of the day, any day of the week, and those are in there for you. So if you want to do just a core strengthening circuit, utilize that flex workouts again. You can learn more by going to sale sally.julia.com. But form is going to be crucial especially in running or your strength training. So again lots of suggestions there. I don't want to overwhelm you, but those are some things to kind of look in to start. If you do think running is the culprit, start there. Take some days off. If you implement, you know, strength training back and you still feel like it is you've had rest, you then start strength training only and it's still your lower back. Then really look at your overall form and see if you might need to either lower weight or check your form in terms of movements. Question number four if I miss a day, should I keep the workouts in the same order or push them back? Or should I just move the day that I miss to the end of the week? Okay, so this is a great question. This is one that I get all the time inside the minute with Julia app. I get it, life is busy, especially in the summertime, and sometimes you'll miss a workout, you know, other days, other weeks you might miss multiple workouts, whether it's due to a packed schedule, unexpected events, or simply just needing a rest day, it's completely normal to miss a workout. So the answer to your question is I personally don't think it really matters as much as you just staying consistent. Like it really doesn't matter what order in terms of workouts you do throughout the week, as long as you remain consistent. I always talk about the importance of you prioritizing certain workouts versus, you know, if you miss, let's say, for example, you miss Monday and Tuesday. On that Wednesday you see cardio and core. Well ask yourself, okay, how many workouts? Now that I miss Monday and Tuesday? How many workouts am I realistically going to get this week? Are we going camping on, you know, Friday, Saturday, Sunday? So really only have like Wednesday and Thursday this week to work out. If that's the case then I would prioritize lower body and upper body. And so if that's the case you would just disregard cardio and core. And then you do the lower body workout and you move Monday's workout to Wednesday. And then you'd move Tuesdays workout to Thursday. So again trying your best to be optimal in terms of the overall moves that you are and the muscle groups that you want to be working. I always say if you only have three days a week to workout, lower body, upper body and your third workout will either be shoulders and glutes or full body totally dependent on you. The reason I don't have cardio in core in there is because if you are staying active throughout the day, that's going to be your cardio, right? If you're being intentional with your movement throughout the days, especially in the summertime, it's super easy to get outside. A lot of us are going on a lot more hikes. We're just a lot more active outside. And then in terms of core, if you are engaging your core, which you should be in all lower body, all upper body movements, you're subsequently working your core already. Again. If you want to utilize the flex workouts and have just a slight core circuit that you're doing at the end of, let's say, a lower body day, amazing that we are doing lower body and you're doing a core circuit from the flex workout. You're working your core. So that's what I would suggest there. And again this is flexible. This schedule is for you. It's totally up to you. I just want to make sure if you do only have a few days a week to work out that week, then you are prioritizing the right workouts. So that's that's what I would suggest there. And ultimately, again, just remember that consistency is the most important. Consistency is going to be at the end of the day, what matters most. I don't want you to try to be perfect and fail at that. And so you're super inconsistent because you're trying to be perfect every single week. I'd rather you be imperfect, but you're consistent, right? Because overall consistency is what compounds and leads to massive results. So I don't want you to overcomplicate it, but I want you to try your best to just go out there on your body with movement. Do it in a wise way. Do it in a way that is intentional in terms of muscle groups. Workout and call it good. So there you have it. I hope again that these questions were helpful for you. I hope that they gave you some answers. Maybe you had similar questions or similar struggles when it comes to lower back pain or what workouts to prioritize. So if you want again, if you want to gain access to this private Facebook group, you have to be an active subscriber in the app. If you are an active subscriber in the app and you didn't know that, we have this private Facebook group because there are thousands of you who are active subscribers in the app that are not on the Facebook group, which I get. A lot of people are not on Facebook. You can always message me in the app, and I will happily give you the link to join to request to join the group. But if you want to learn more about my Julia community, five dumbbell only workouts released every single Saturday at 12 p.m.. Out and see on her time you can go to sale. That's Sally, that moment of julia.com. I will link it in the show notes below. And if you love this episode, I know you will also love another workout Q&A that I did from the Facebook group. It's episode 421. I talk about, you know, is this workout schedule okay, how to quit the scale? And so many more questions answered in there as well. The other episodes that I will link are the step by step tutorials on the two most important, in my opinion, lower body movement patterns that you need to master, which is the deadlift in the squat. So I will go ahead and link those episodes as well. But that is all that I have for today's episode. I love you so much. I hope that this was helpful and I will talk to you in the next one. [00:28:04]
[00:28:15] All right, sister, that's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie Ledbetter. Yes, it's within a in the middle for that Daily Post workout. Real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace real because you're worth it. [00:28:15]