Hard Times No More Relationship Podcast
Allesanda Tolomei- Hard A.K.A. Mrs. Hard of www.mrs-hard.com is your grounded, empathetic, compassionate wellness coach. She shares her experience to help you heal challenging personal and family relationship problems with tried-and-true methods to set healthy boundaries and detach with love.
If you are ready to experience fulfilling, meaningful connections you are in the right place. You can transform difficult relationships and find happiness without putting aside your needs or waiting for others to change. Let people-pleasing and codependence fall away and say goodbye to hard times for good.
Hard Times No More Relationship Podcast
From Struggle To Strength: Step-Mom Life, Perfectionism, & Personal Empowerment with Laishafit -Ep. 31
Let’s talk about the raw challenges of stepmom life, the REAL secret to having a perfect body, and the battle with perfectionism.
This week on the Hard Times No More Relationship Podcast, I have my good friend and personal trainer Laisha Ames on the show.
Laisha's not just a personal trainer—she's also a stepmom extraordinaire and a pro at helping women tackle body image issues, perfectionism, and the juggling act of self-care.
Join us as we take a deep dive into the raw challenges of stepmom life, what it really means to have a perfect body, the balance between active stress relief and reflective stillness, and the internal battle with perfectionism.
This is a BIG topic for myself and all women trying to find the balance between caring for others and caring for ourselves, and Laisha is the best personal trainer because of her approach.
She’s real.
She understands that no one has the perfect life or the perfect family. We all have our struggles, and we are all doing the best we can with what we’ve got.
She knows the importance of community—reminding us that we are all on this fitness journey together.
And she has the experience and knowledge to help you reach your fitness goals, even from the comfort of your home!
Her mission is to help people truly feel good about themselves so that they can look in the mirror and love what they see.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- Practical tips for handling challenging relationships with bio parents in blended families.
- Actionable steps to kick perfectionism to the curb and embrace your unique journey.
- The secret to loving the skin you are in and the tools that will get you there.
- Why caring for your mental health is far more important than any number on the scale.
- Laisha's game-changing virtual fitness program, designed to fit seamlessly into your busy life.
And so much more!
Don't miss out on this empowering conversation.
Connect with Laisha on Instagram: @Laishafit
Say "Hi!" on Facebook: Laisha Ames
Her website: https://www.laishafit.com
Connect with Mrs. Hard on Instagram: Mrs.Hard_TimesNoMore
Or Facebook: Mrs.Hard
Find free tools and resources at Mrs-Hard.com
Discover how to step off the chaos roller coaster and finally have peace of mind.
Sign up for my free 3-day coaching series—Stepping Off The Chaos Roller Coaster: 3 Simple Steps For Anxiety Relief
Hi, I'm Alessandra Tolome hard, aka Mrs Hard, and this is Hard Times no More, a podcast for people who are tired of struggling with boundaries, people pleasing and relationship problems. I have overcome some hard times. Within three years, I stopped drinking, my mom died of cancer and my house burnt down in a California wildfire, and those are just the highlights. I have a lot of reasons to be miserable, but I'm not. The truth is, life was more challenging before these events happened. If you are tired of waiting for your circumstances to change to find happiness and peace of mind, you are in the right place. Join me as I share the tools I use and love to transform challenges into assets and interview others about their relationship journeys. Together, let's learn how to have a happy life full of healthy, meaningful relationships and say goodbye to hard times for good. Hey everyone, welcome to the hard times no more relationship podcast. I'm Alessandra Tolome hard, aka Mrs Hard, your host Today.
Speaker 1:I'm absolutely thrilled to have my good friend and incredible personal trainer, leisha Ames, joining us on the podcast. Leisha is the woman behind Leisha Fit. Her virtual personal training business is all about helping you not just look good but feel amazing inside and out. With over 20 years of experience working with all fitness levels. She's revolutionizing the way you approach fitness from the comfort of your very own home. But there's so much more to Leisha than just fitness. In today's episode, we're going beyond the workouts. Leisha opens up about the challenges of navigating life as a stepmom, finding her place in a blended family and dealing with control and perfectionism along the way. We're diving deep into her heartfelt journey, her struggles and the valuable life lessons she's learned along the way. So get ready to be inspired as we jump right into this raw and powerful conversation. Thanks for being on the podcast today. I'm really excited for us to chat. What do you want people to know about you?
Speaker 2:What I would love people to know about me is that my passion is health and fitness. As a personal trainer, I've always felt a client can come to me and say, okay, leisha, I want to get stronger, I want to lose weight, and I can create a workout for them to do when they're with me and then where a session ends, they leave. But what's most important to me is that I teach them how, because I want them to know okay, if Leisha's not around, then walk into a gym or have their own turn on the mirror, and that they know what to do on their own. It doesn't like I always have to be around, or I want to teach them the tools that they need to be active, to be healthy and to live that type of lifestyle.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. That's so empowering. Yeah, thank you. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I've always been active and I knew from an early age like sitting at a desk all day or being inside a building was something I wasn't going to do. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do after high school and I took a class in junior college and it was a guidance class. That class we took tons of assessments and tests and questionnaires just to kind of gear us in a direction, or me as what things that we're interested in, what we're good at, what we like, what we enjoy and mine was always into the fitness field. I was really interested in the science part behind it. Just from playing athletics in high school and being very active as a child as I got older, I would see the physiological changes that my body would happen Getting stronger, being able to run faster. The science part behind it actually became really fascinating to me.
Speaker 2:After that guidance class I learned that I could do exercise physiology. There was an exercise science degree, kinesiology, all along those lines. That is my passion. That's the education choice that I chose. Then I went to Sacramento State and got a degree in exercise physiology and I was working as a personal trainer when I was in college part time. So graduated, had a degree and I already had a job, so I went from being a part time trainer right into being a full time trainer. That's what I've been doing for the last 20 plus years.
Speaker 1:That's so amazing. Yeah, what are some of your favorite scientific things that you know about exercise in the body that you think most people don't know?
Speaker 2:Well, I think people know this, but maybe we forget or we don't want to always believe. But the most simplest tool in saying is if you don't use it, you lose it. That can be everything stamina, cardiovascular endurance, heart health, lung health, muscular strength. If you decide to just sit in a chair all day and not move, then muscles are going to add to your body's geography, your body's going to become stiff, and so, basically, to keep our bodies healthy and mobile, you got to get up and move around, and to keep our bodies strong, you got to incorporate some strength training, and I know we do this.
Speaker 2:More people are more disciplined, understand and believe in the benefits than others, and I think in our health and fitness journey, everyone kind of goes through cycles. So in the wintertime I experience this too. I prefer the summer, warmer days, and so cold weather, rainy days. I find that I want to kind of just stay inside, not be as active. I'm a little bit more tired, so reminding myself that, hey, leisha, even though it's cold and stuff, you got to get up and move around, and I'm sure other people experience the same thing. It's okay to take a break and to listen to your body, but then what's most important is to be able to rest, recover and then just to get right back to it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so I love how you're talking about that balance between being kind to yourself and not overdoing. If your life is really busy and we've talked about this in the past Some of us can use exercise as an escape when our life is super busy, and I love what you said about that. What have you experienced and what have you seen with your clients in regards to those who use exercise as an escape?
Speaker 2:Well, as an escape. I mean, aside from keeping our bodies physically moving when we're under stressful situations, there's a mental component that needs to be addressed to. So stop and think about, okay, what's really going on? What are other, healthier ways that I can deal with this besides running myself ragged into the ground? So maybe incorporating some meditation, journaling, listening to podcasts and understanding that so many other people in this world are facing the same issues and stresses that you're having, so that way you don't feel like you're alone, and then learning at different ways on how to cope with these issues and approach it in a more healthier way, yeah, and what do you think is a cue for you?
Speaker 1:that you're going and doing too much, and can you speak to why, as we age, it's important to not push ourselves as much as we did when we were younger?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So learning the candle at both ends will not only affect us physically, but we can start to see some problems arise in our overall health. By overdoing it or working out, maybe running all the time it's actually, we're getting their reverse results. So maybe you're not losing as much weight as you thought you were going to. Eating habits might not be as good. If you're tend to run yourself low on getting enough hours of sleep, your body will start to crave different foods and a lot of it's sugar, yeah, and we're thinking like oh, maybe if I eat this or that, getting sleep and proper rest is so important to for any type of fitness goal, whether it's weight loss, weight muscle gain and even weight management.
Speaker 2:I think a lot of us tend to put sleep. We know we're getting enough sleep. Well, oh, maybe you know getting to bed late or I could function off of five hours and not doing that consistently, over time you'll tend to go towards foods that are not as nourishing and then also not staying hydrated. So even when you're dehydrated, you might get a headache or even have cravings or feel hungry all the time, and actually your body is thirsty. And so just knowing those two things and kind of sitting back and thinking okay, wait, I just ate, like an hour ago. What type of foods did I eat? The more complex carbohydrates, like sweet potatoes and even potatoes, maybe some beans. Foods that are more nourishing, vegetables, some healthy fruits. And not going for the process prepackaged, frozen, easy, you know TV, frozen TV dinners. Or driving through that drive through for the fast food because it's easy, convenient, you're tired and you've ran out of time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and our body's like looking for that dopamine hit. And it's ironic because meditation can create a dopamine hit in your body and so can exercise, and so, like, if a person is like feeling overwhelmed, tired and stuck, maybe they might actually need to move their body to get dopamine and get those good endorphins going. But then if they're in fight or flight and maybe better to do meditation or something more calming or like watch a cute cat video on YouTube or something like that to replace the fast food, because our brain is telling us, oh, I you know. Or our brain is telling you, oh, I really want a quick hit right now from like sugar or fast food or something like that. But there's alternatives that you can do. But it's knowing yourself and like what your pattern is in life, like are you an overdoer or are you kind of stuck in the mud in this season of life right now? Yeah, and then I want to segue into what we talked about the other day, if you want to share, about being a stepmom.
Speaker 2:Okay. So kind of going back to the question, you know what I want people to know about me and who I am more than just a fitness instructor. I'm a wife, I'm a stepmom, I'm a dogmom. You know I have faced the challenges of walking into a family guy who had two kids trying to find my place, and you know they had their own routine. But being a positive as I've been, like a positive influence with my clients and teaching them to be healthy and active and, you know, eat healthy just being that influence and role model for my husband and even for my stepdaughters I mean they were young, they were five and eight when I came into their life and just always being active. They know, you know my stepmom is a personal trainer and she exercises and got their dad going to the gym too and they're both involved in sports.
Speaker 2:And I know a lot of the food in our house has changed through the years. They know, don't even ask, leisha will not buy that. And just having, you know, more fruits, healthier foods in the pantry, snacks I don't eat gluten and I don't eat dairy and so just being creative and offering my two stepdaughters like, hey, why don't you try this? And they know it's cauliflower crust, you know for like a pizza or something. And just being open to trying new things or getting them to drink almond milk Cheddar Joe's makes these delicious. It's like a bonbon. So it's like a vanilla ice cream covered in chocolate. And they're vegan.
Speaker 2:And I bought some and I was eating one, and Kennedy are youngest. I'm like, hey, do you want one of these? And she's like yeah, so I didn't say anything. I gave it to her and I'm just eating it and she takes the bite and I didn't say anything. I let her take another bite and I'm like what? Do you think it's pretty good? Huh? And she's like, oh my gosh, yeah, I'm all it's vegan. And she's like what you tricked me? I'm all. No, you liked it, you like it. And she's like, yeah, it's not, it's actually pretty good.
Speaker 2:But that's my home life. And then also with my clients it's the same thing Teaching them tools that they need to be healthy, active, working out, staying consistent. In my business I, you know, it's like I show up to my clients or I create the workouts or make the decisions and stuff of what I feel is most appropriate on a professional standpoint of what my clients need to be doing on a weekly basis and at home, you know, because that tends to be my personality is like kind of control the situation. That's been a challenge too, and so it's just learning different ways to, instead of trying to control the situation, maybe talk about it and to get you know some other other people's opinions and you know, hey, this is the issue, how are we going to work on this together, rather than you know me saying, well, you're not gonna do this and we're gonna do this instead, and just being, you know, a little bit more open-minded.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how do you manage your own well-being and like, stay true to yourself in situations where, like, your stepdaughter's mom doesn't wanna do something that like you and your husband wanna do, or when there's that friction? What do you do when you've come up against that friction?
Speaker 2:Well so, we have zero relationship, like she she's, my number's blocked from her phone, it's not on, she doesn't wanna do something. It's we kind of just, we keep everything separate or I let him deal with it. I think it's easier. There's zero interaction between her and I and I tried to have that at the beginning. But even her being their parent, their mom, alessandra she's I've talked with you more than I've ever spoke with her and it's like I've, you know, kind of raised her two girls from when they were younger.
Speaker 2:I'm I mean, I don't take it personal anymore, if anything. You know they talk about someone having anger, like they're drinking poison and expecting the other person to die or something like you heard that saying before yeah, I have heard that. Yeah, well, the luck, the good thing is we have the girls week on, week off, and so when it's our week, you know that's when we're able to plan and do things together as a family, and Then when she has them, it's just. You know, whatever goes on over there Happens, but there's no. There's no Communication or interaction going back and forth. So, for example, last weekend, when Lola had the dance and they all got ready at her house and they had pictures taken. I wasn't invited to go.
Speaker 2:Yeah so that's, that's just kind of how it is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how? What is something that you feel like other stepmoms would benefit from, like knowing about how you deal with a Stepparent that doesn't want to engage with you? Like, has there been anything that you've learned along that process that has helped strengthen you rather than bring you down?
Speaker 2:Yeah, um is to To know that it's not me, it's them. And now I'm, you know, I'm true to myself, I'm still the kind fun, talkative, you know, easygoing would give someone the benefit of the doubt person. And being a stepmom and dealing with a snutter step mother, the parent, telling myself and letting the children know like I'm not trying to be their mom so they, they have a parent and Associates because the parents still in the picture exercise has helped, if there. If there's a situation that is Upsetting and it's out of my control to not take it personal and then also to not like Take it out on my husband, because he's always done a really good job and always being supportive and of how I feel about everything and, I Think, sometimes just kind of taking a step back, letting him and her With their children figure out the situation.
Speaker 2:Reading and journaling has been really helpful and my mom has actually bought me a couple books on being a stepparent and Just different. In in that book it talks, you know, there's three stories about other step moms and ways that they've dealt with, I think, just being a step parent or even being a parent in general. There's gonna be good times, there's gonna be bad times, sad times and and, and you just keeping communication open with your spouse is important, having a support group, so, like girlfriends, you Alice on so good, easy to talk with, and I think that's that's actually very important is To have your own you know group, that someone you can talk to, even if you just need to get it out. But so important is to not keep everything bottled up inside. Yeah, you do that for so long and You're probably gonna reach the point where you can't keep anything in anymore, and so it's either gonna all come out in a way you probably wouldn't have wanted it to, verbally, or even physically, and so With myself, I've, I'm tend to, I'm the type of person that tends to hold a lot of things in and when my body's reached the limit, as I usually get sick and my body will shut down.
Speaker 2:And so it's not just for me being physically active and going, going, going, it's also internal emotional stress that can cause, like I've had, like stress, rashes and and, like you know, colds, and I think that's just my body Reminding me like, hey, lacey, you got to, you know, talk, you got to get this out. You need to do some things that are more calming and so journaling, meditating, getting outside in nature, like shifting my mindset of always replaying what's going on in my head and Learning ways to you know, to stop and, to you know, focus on something else. I would say that's kind of been my journey here, like the last year, especially not all the stepdaughters 15. She's in high school and so it's. You know, high schools, high school and teenagers are not the easiest, and I know I, even though they're my stepdaughters, my mom tells me she's like, oh my gosh, I wish that you and your sister were so bad.
Speaker 1:So what goes around comes around so bad. This is not good, but it sounds like what gives you strength is like seeking your validation from within instead of needing the situation to go in whatever a person might think is like a perfect family kind of way, and and to like drop that. And then it sounds like you have really good boundaries in terms of like knowing what's yours and what you can control and what you can't, and then finding the balance between like moving and Resting, and so that in listening to your body because you said that you're very in tune with your body and your body it sounds like gives you signals as to whether it's time to Move in a healthy way, to like release some stress, or if it's time to go within and To inquire about what's bothering you internally, and so that you're not carrying it around. Because I love writing and journaling, just like you're talking about, and I feel like it can be a great release if you ask the right questions. It can help you unload whatever burdens you're carrying or whatever is not going right in your life, instead of Just being like a space to like rant right or like just be like dear diary my life sucks, you know and then rant on about that. It's like a great space to Like, inquire about, like why do I feel this way, like why is my mind telling me this? And then to let it go.
Speaker 1:And then I loved how you talked about Having support, which is so important, and that's what I love about you and what you're doing is that you don't just work with people One-on-one, you really build community and you draw community to you and you're Excited about community. You're like let's show up and do the thing you know and like let's all like work out together, because it's so much more fun to work out when, like, I'm not the only one Working out, like it's I can feel the energy of other people, like at the athletic event that we do Once a month on Sunday mornings. Like it's the time just flies by and, yeah, some of the workout poses are challenging and you just want to get through them, but you bring that energy that's like welcoming, excited, professional.
Speaker 2:You blend it all so well, thank you but I, just as time's gone on and I've worked with all ages, all fitness levels, healthy, terminally ill, and it's just like you know what. We're all on this health and fitness journey together. Doesn't matter your age, your fitness level. Everyone is going through shit. Everyone has family issues spouse, children, stepchildren, children, stepchildren, you know, have one or two jobs, and so it's just we're doing the best that we can and no one's perfect. I mean, I'm far from perfect but when it's, you know, you find you build that community.
Speaker 2:And I think, as women especially, as you know, we're getting a little bit older. So I really noticed this shift in like my late 30s and then, of course, you know, early 40s is that perfection is gone. So when I was in my 20s, of course I, you know, wanted that perfect bikini body, actually did a couple of bikini competitions one summer and you know it was really into bodybuilding and more of the aesthetic, the outer appearance part, which was great, I think, for every personal trainer, like making it on stage and doing a figure show or bikini competition is kind of like a bucket list. But even when I looked amazing, I still saw things that I wasn't happy with. And then, you know, getting a little bit older. It's like our what's important. It shifts, so it's not, you know, maintaining as that bikini body the whole time because realistically it's not sustainable.
Speaker 2:And then you have other priorities, you have families, you have careers, you have a bulldog that has every health issue and needs to be there with him all the time, and so it's just, it's being healthy and working with clients that are terminally ill. It's like they don't. They don't have, you know, every day they do their best what they can on that day, in that moment, because their days are numbered, and so it's just being able to wake up in the morning and open your eyes and get about a bed and, you know, being grateful for the day and the stuff that we have in that day, because all of that can change. And so being strong, being healthy, being active, engaging with others that you know have a like mindset or we're all you know, aiming to strive for the same thing. And if we can show up on a Sunday morning at Athleta and let the kids stay home or the husbands do everything and make some time for ourselves, that's it's important, and I love providing that opportunity for everyone. It's like we all need it. I need it too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, inside note for when people listen we have a monthly movement and meditation workshop at Athleta, which Laysha and I have been having so much fun doing. And I love how you talk about like appreciating the little things where, if we're really focused on our physical appearance, our aesthetics, like that doesn't lead to true fulfillment or true happiness and it's not realistic for most people to focus that much energy to create the quote, unquote perfect body and then if you get there and you don't do any of the mindset work behind it, you'll be upset, you'll have body dysmorphia. You won't be able to see that you're beautiful at that time with all the work you put in, where you could just do the mindset work and the internal work and then accept yourself as beautiful now, and then you'll have way more time to take care of the kids, to you know, cook the meals or be present for the emergencies that happen when life shows up, cause life is going to keep on happening and if we're focused on the wrong things, in my experience those are like more outlets, like our mind. We'll trick our minds into believing that that's really the thing. You know, if only I lost 10 pounds, then I'd be happy, or like if only I could lift this much weight, then I'll be happy, or if only I can run this marathon, then I'll be happy. But it's like our mind tries to put it on external things, cause it believes that if we have that control, if this is something we can actually do something about. You know, this is something where we can assert control, and it's a trick. It's a giant trick and we all experience it in one way or another.
Speaker 1:And what I've found to be the most healing is when we do the internal work, which feels backwards and feels like there's resistance there. And I don't know. Actually I do know why it is because it's like it's hard to change and our ego, or inner critic, or whatever you want to call it, doesn't like change. Because when things are the same, it feels safer to us on a subconscious level, even if it's uncomfortable, and so that internal change really stirs things up. It stirs the pot and it's so funny Like our mind doesn't want to believe that that's gonna be the solution, but it is, and it's a more gentle approach in some ways.
Speaker 1:In some ways it's harder. It's depending on your experience with internal change and your willingness to change. And yeah, cause, like if you get the thing that you're trying to create, the perfect whatever. Sometimes it can be so disappointing, cause you can look around and can have everything but you could still feel like crap on the inside versus working on that inside stuff. And then you know like loosening your standards or having less perfectionism, and then finding joy in the little things, like getting to wake up in the morning. No matter how old we are, we're not guaranteed tomorrow, and knowing people who are older at the end of life can really help us put that in perspective.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, kind of touching on the clients that are older, terminally ill. It's like you start to look at life differently and like value, what things that are more important. And one thing I talked with some of my clients, or even just myself, and is just learning to love the skin you're in and it's not, of course, I want, you know, keep clients to be healthy. So if we need to address, you know, like weight loss or starting to incorporate healthier eating habits and more activity, I'm going to address that just, you know, for their own health benefit. But it's loving. You know what's going on on the inside and that, if anything, that's gonna even project more on the outside and the way that you show up. People are always going to remember how you make them feel for how you are.
Speaker 2:It's true, I was talking to a client about this yesterday. She went to a handful of funerals in the last like three months. You know, it kind of goes in waves. I don't know if you've experienced this, if you know people that pass and but we were talking about like a funeral service or when people are going up and talking about the person and you know telling stories and it's a lot about who that person was, maybe the presence they had when they walked into a room, things you remember about them, what they did in the community. It's not so much while you know shoot of what she look like physically, you know having the perfect body, or, oh my God, you know her weight always went up and down and it's just not. We remember how people made this feel.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I love that and I love how you carry that philosophy into your business, into the mirror, because, working with the mirror and you've teamed up with a startup company, you wanna help people, like what they see. And I love what you said because, yeah, like I don't ever criticize and I'm not critical of people when I see them, I just accept them as who they are. Or like I'm like, oh hey, this is this person, you know, I meet them for the first time or something, and it's like, oh okay, hi, you know, like, tell me about yourself. It's not like, oh yeah, they'd really look great if they lost that extra 10 pounds.
Speaker 2:You know, or if they, you know, maybe pluck their eyebrows, or you know, just those are the little. You remember, yeah, their personality, the conversation you had. Or you know, oh, maybe I wanna be friends with this person. Or you know, maybe I feel like we have different viewpoints and yeah, yeah, so. But you know, having a mirror, of course, when you're working out, you're seeing me doing the exercise in it, but of course there's the mirror too, so it's there to help you watch your form as you're doing an exercise. But then you know you are seeing a reflection of yourself. So it's teaching clients to, you know, be proud of themselves for actually getting up, showing up for themselves that they're doing something to help and benefit their body.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so that they can feel good and have good energy and be able to move the way they wanna move or less pain.
Speaker 1:There's so many clients that I see that have pain from sitting too much or pain from not moving their body, and the mirror makes it so easy because you can just pop on for like a 15 minute workout or a 20 minute workout.
Speaker 1:And I have heard of I have clients that feel better from like bursts of movement, like sometimes when we think we need to commit to a workout routine or get in shape. We have to do this huge overhaul and I love how, like some of my clients who work with you talk about how they can just incorporate it into the rest of their day. Like they have 15 minutes. They're like, oh, I can pop on the mirror for like 15 minutes and then I got my little workout in. And it's more about helping them be who they wanna be from the inside out and create community and create connection with you and take time to take care of themselves and ultimately develop a connection with themselves too, and then to like what they see on the mirror because they're working from the inside out and like incorporating the work that you offer them into their busy lives.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I've always told every client and I'll tell you this too, and everyone else it's like health and fitness is not easy. It's not, it's change, it's habits, it's new patterns, because if it was, I wouldn't have a job, I would be out of a job. And it doesn't have to be time consuming so you don't think of, oh well, I don't have enough time. That's an excuse. 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there Usually by the time you're sitting there on the couch or in a chair thinking about it you could be done.
Speaker 2:Or the time you spend on social media scrolling through your phone or on Amazon shopping. It's like you could have already done like a 10, 15 minute workout and then go about your day. Exercise gets those happy endorphins going through our body. Yeah, I don't know about you, but I mean for myself and clients have all said the same like there's. It's a great feeling to know your workouts done, you've moved, you're awake, you're alive, your body feels amazing and you've accomplished something and you're ready to either go about your day and or finish your day and that you've spent some time for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And doing that leads to so many better choices in life, like better food choices, because you feel better and you're taking care of yourself, like more patience for others. Like after I work out, it's like my stress and anxiety level comes down and I am able to look at challenging situations with a fresh perspective because I've had those good, good endorphins going through. If I even like go for a walk for a little bit, it takes my focus off of the thing. Or sometimes I process something while I'm working out or while I'm walking and I think the endorphins come in and then help me see the situation in a more positive way. Or something about. Like moving the body while trying to process is like really helpful because it's putting like action to those fight or flight feelings if I feel trapped. And, yeah, it just helps us interact with life from a more positive place, a more calm place. Yep.
Speaker 2:Amal, I'm gonna agree with you 100% that any stress or conflict like I talked about not keeping things bottled up inside once we start moving, you'll start your shift, your focus, and sometimes you know, you might even forget about why you were all upset. You know, when you walk, when you first started your workout or walk through the door, and then it kind of gives you a better understanding of, okay, well, this is how I'm gonna approach this issue or problem, or you know, I feel a little bit better about something and, instead of reacting, being able to go and to move and to get our bodies up and moving around, yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1:What do you want people to know about the mirror?
Speaker 2:Well, I partnered with a startup company about a year and a half ago and I have my own fitness app. But I also am on a fitness mirror and so with the mirror there's most people are familiar with the Lulu lemon mirror that came out during, I think, during COVID I have pre-recorded workouts and can customize any workouts for any age, any fitness level. I've created two contents I have Leisha fit and I have Leisha senior fit and the exercise content range ranges from mobility workouts, balance course, daily stretching, cardio workouts, hiit workouts, upper body, lower body, arms, first strength training. A lot of the workouts will range anywhere from, you know, five minutes to 30 minutes. It's you're working out in the comfort of your own home. You don't need that much space and the cool part about that is that it takes away. You know you save time. So instead of getting in your car, driving across town to wherever you're you know going to go work out, you just throw on your clothes, whether it's in your home and your garage or if you have a home gym, you're right there, go do your workout and then you're able to you know jump in the shower and go about your day.
Speaker 2:Like I mentioned, not having enough time can be an issue for a lot of people.
Speaker 2:And so having that available in the comfort of your own home kind of takes that excuse out and, aside from the workouts that I've created, I can customize and send you your own personal workouts.
Speaker 2:You can reach me anytime. We usually check in like once a month to see like, hey, how are you doing, how are your workouts going, what's been going on, what's working, what needs to be changed? And so it's a membership you don't have to purchase, it's rented, so you rent the mirror. If you decide like, hey, this isn't working out for me, give me a call and we'll make arrangements for you to have that mirror, shift that. But in addition to the mirror membership, you also have an app, and so the app that has all the exercise content that the mirror provides, in addition to the nutrition recipes. Those are all accessible on the app and fitness articles are accessible on the app. That app can go on any phone, any laptop, desktop, and so if you travel, if you are going to maybe go watch your grandkids or, you know, be somewhere for a month, you can still continue with your workout routine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've used it when traveling and it's been like super convenient, because I'll stay at a hotel that like doesn't have a very good gym, and then I can just put on one of your workouts. And it's so nice because, like then I also don't have to think about like, oh, what do I need to do? And it's just easy. It's really easy, which I love.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm going to be leaving for Mexico here in a couple of weeks and guess what I'm going to be doing, when I know they have? The resort has a gym and I'm going to be doing my workouts.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome, that's so awesome. And then, for people who are curious, like when we teamed up and partnered up, you asked me to do meditations on the mirror and so, just like Lulu lemons mirror, you have guided meditations by yours truly, mrs Hard.
Speaker 2:And I didn't mention the meditation. So that and Mrs Hard provides one meditation every month and those meditations are on the mirror, they're on the app and our class that we do together at athletic called movement and meditation. We finished that workout up with a post workout meditation which I mean I was on to everyone, including myself, loves, and that is that component I feel is just as important as the movement we do on the mat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that Thank you for saying that and I love partnering with you. It's been so much fun because I like I'm getting to know you more and more and like I just love you the more I get to know you, and I love working out, I love moving my body and I love the energy you bring. Like I talked about earlier, I'm just so grateful to be part of your community because your community loves you, and that doesn't just happen to people. It's a reflection of like what you give to others, like I love talking to you and getting to know you and like your heart is so full of wanting to be of service, like wanting to help people in whatever way you can. You're like one of those yes, I can be there for you people you know, one of those people you could trust.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Thank you, I love that. So I'm all like I said, you know back in what, when I was in junior college and I took that guidance class and you know I as, once I started taking the different tests and realized, okay, it's exercise related, fitness related, exercise, physiology and I knew back then, out what, like 19 years old, I knew I found my, my, that's my passion, and I knew I found my purpose.
Speaker 1:And it shows, and it shows because anybody I know who's worked with you has like glowing reviews and I've never heard of anyone being injured. That's worked with you. You're just like very good at what you do and you meet people where they're at too. You gently motivate them in a way that I think comes across like clear, kind and just of service. Really, that's like what sticks out in my mind.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Like I said, it just, it comes naturally. So I don't I think what it just, it just like pours out, it flows.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love that, and so how can people find you if they want to learn more about the mirror or connect with you?
Speaker 2:You can find me and on my website. So my website is wwwlayshafitcom. I'm also on Instagram as Laysha Fit and on Facebook Laysha Fit, virtual training and Laysha Ames. I have two Facebook pages and email address, which is on my website, but you can reach me at Layshafit at Gmailcom.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Thanks so much for coming on the show today. Thank you.