Sisters-in-Service
Are you a women veteran who feels unseen and unheard? Do you struggle with finding your purpose after service? Sisters-in-Service is a podcast that gives women veterans the platform to talk about those exact issues and more. Hear from other veterans, military spouses and Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) just like you that have overcome their transition from the military. Every Tuesday this podcast encourages women veterans to stand up and be counted because as a group we have a voice. From your host - Cat Corchado - The Voice Connecting Women Veterans
Sisters-in-Service
Fit Together, Stronger Forever: The Power of Community in Fitness
Does your fitness journey feel lonely sometimes? You're not alone in feeling alone. The path to wellness is rarely a solo expedition, though many of us try to tackle it that way.
"Fit Together, Stronger Forever" might sound like a catchy tagline, but as I explore in this intimate conversation, it's the philosophy that has guided my 40-year fitness journey. When we start anything new—whether a workout routine, changing eating habits, or launching a business—the unknown can be paralyzing. Having supportive people around us creates safety in that vulnerability, providing both cheerleading on good days and gentle encouragement when we falter.
The strength we build through fitness isn't just physical. It's the mental resilience that helps us continue despite obstacles. It's showing up for a 20-minute workout when we planned for an hour, rather than skipping it entirely. It's forgiving ourselves for taking breaks—like the two months I couldn't exercise while caring for my mother—and knowing how to restart gradually. At almost 68 years young, I understand that sustainable fitness isn't about perfection but consistent progression.
True wellness extends beyond physical movement to encompass mental and emotional health. Fitness happens from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet—and everything in between. Sometimes, listening to your body means choosing rest or gentler movement. This holistic approach becomes increasingly important as we age, supporting not just our physical capability but our overall quality of life.
Ready to feel supported in your wellness journey? Reach out to me at kat@smallspacepilates.com with your fitness questions, or try a free week of Small Space Pilates to experience our judgment-free community. Remember: if you're not already moving, get moving. If you are moving, keep it moving!
Want a free week of live fitness classes ?https://www.smallspacepilates.com/sspilates
Welcome to Sisters in Service podcast. Most of you know me as a strong advocate for women veterans in being recognized not only as veterans but also as women who are changing the world through our passion of serving even after service. This podcast is my passion by telling all the stories of military brats, military spouses, active duty and veterans, not to forget the veteran service organizations that help us along our transition journey. I want to thank you in advance for listening. I hope that you will join me. Every week, a new podcast and episode comes out every Tuesday, so I hope that you will join and I hope that you enjoy. This podcast is brought to you by Small Space Pilates. Are you ready to get fit and fabulous from the comfort of your own home? Look no further than Small Space Pilates. With live online Pilates and strength training classes, a video library and a-allowed policy, you can achieve your fitness goals without ever leaving your house. Click on the link for your complimentary week and start your journey to feeling fabulous today. Welcome everyone to the latest episode of why Not Wellness. You know me. I am your host, kat Corchado, your movement specialist.
Speaker 1:Today, I wanted to speak a little bit about a phrase I use all the time called fit together, stronger forever, and even people think it's catchy. It's more than a catchphrase, it's something that means a lot to me personally. So when we talk about doing anything by ourselves, you might go ziplining, you might bungee jump, you might go on a roller coaster, go on a trip by yourself. All of those are perfectly doable. Doing fitness by yourself is also doable, but sometimes you need support. Anytime you're making a lifestyle change whether it's changing your eating habits, changing your fitness, what you're trying to get a common, maybe you're starting out new you need the support of your family, your friends and others. So I want to delve into this phrase because it resonates deeply with me Fit together, stronger forever. This phrase isn't just about physical fitness, but also about strength of community and the power of perseverance Perseverance, sorry in our health and wellness journey. So the first part fit together.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about the importance of community and support. So the first part fit together. Let's talk about the importance of community and support when you're starting anything huge a business, fitness, what else? Starting a new job, buying a new car, those types of lifestyle changes because they are, should be, and I don't wanna say should. I should say there I go with should. Again. What I want to say is you want the support of your friends, your family and also someone who knows a little bit about buying a car, knows a little something about fitness or knows something about being an entrepreneur. All of those are scary because you don't know what you don't know. But when you have the support whether it's a workout buddy, a supportive family member or even an online community having others by your side can make all the difference. They're the people that support you and lift you up when you've had a bad day.
Speaker 1:Think about having a bad day at work, a bad day as an entrepreneur, a bad day because you didn't get your fitness in that day. But there's always that person that says you know what, it's okay, you'll, you'll get it tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day and that's important. Important because you kind of shake your head, you shake off it, whatever that is, and you say I'll do better tomorrow. So what about the strength in stronger forever? Stronger forever isn't just about physical strength, but also mental and emotional resilience. It's about the determination to keep going, even when the going gets tough. And it will get tough, especially if you're an entrepreneur in your fitness business or not even fitness business. But in your fitness journey you're going to have those days when you light it up, like you blew up your fitness routine, you just did all the things and you feel great. And there'll be other days when just thinking about it makes you feel exhausted. I'm just putting it out there, I'm just keeping it real for you. So Stronger Forever is about the strength we build within ourselves and within our communities as we strive for health and wellness.
Speaker 1:No one is perfect, not even me, and that's why, when I started Small Space Pilates, the first thing I wanted to make sure is that I say to people there's no perfection policy. There's no perfection, not even for me. So when you think about I've got, if I miss a day, you're like, oh, I might as well forget it, I missed a day. Now you get right back up on that horse or that stair climber or you put those shoes on and you get out there. Maybe you were supposed to work out for an hour, but you only have 20 minutes. Make it the best 20 workout ever. You can always do an 11-minute workout. I'm just putting it out there, but we're so, oh, I didn't do this, so I suck and I might as well. Just forget about it. No, find a workaround. Find another way to get it done. It might not be at the time you want, but you can get it done. It might not be 45 minutes or an hour, but you've got 20 minutes. Make it 20 minutes.
Speaker 1:So let's explore how health, wellness and fitness intersect. Physical fitness contributes to overall health we all know this and how mental and emotional wellness plays a crucial role in our fitness journeys. Okay, so we think about anything we do. Where does it start? It starts up here Because, trust me, your body's like oh, I'm not sure you want to do that. You want to be an entrepreneur? Oh, I don't know, maybe you shouldn't, but you can also have family and friends that will tell you the same thing. It's happened to me. No one thought in my family that I could be an entrepreneur, because I'm the only entrepreneur in the family. So, of course, it got poo-pooed. It got oh, I'm not sure. Are you sure that's what you want? How are you going to make money if it doesn't? You know, you know the drill, but I was determined because I wanted to. I had such a passion for this podcast, for the sisters in service podcast, I knew that's what would carry me through. My passion for fitness is 40 years strong, you guys, and I'm not slowing down.
Speaker 1:So when you find that you want to go with it, but in the beginning it doesn't feel very passionate, does it? It feels like, oh, what am I doing? And you start questioning. Don't question it, just keep moving forward. It might be slow on some days, and some days you get it done and you're just like, yes, you feel like you're on top of the world, but mentally and emotionally sometimes it's not there. You want to work out, but you're extremely tired because you didn't sleep the next, the day before or the night before. So here's what you do you reschedule, you look at your schedule and you say I could put this over here and put that over there. My business coach calls it Tetrising. I love that phrase, but don't count out the mental and emotional wellness and how it plays a role in our fitness journey. I have it to you guys a role in our fitness journey. I have it too, you guys Days when I think, oh, I didn't get my workout in, it's not going to happen today, but it could possibly happen tomorrow or the next day. I immediately put it on my schedule to reflect that.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about the importance of balance and holistic wellness. What do you do to just bring your mind and your body together? Is it meditation? Is it just laying on the floor and just closing your eyes? Is it movement? Whether it's a walk, whether it's dancing, whatever that is, how do you take care of your mind? Because we think of fitness from here down. Fitness is from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet and everything in between. So don't forget about that. Balance and holistic wellness, especially as an entrepreneur. Balance is crucial. Fitness balance is crucial.
Speaker 1:And I'll say this one thing If you have not worked out before, please don't go zero to 60. What I mean by that is you start off not working out at all and now you want to do all the things. You want to do the nutrition, and you want to work out four times a week and you want to know. Please don't do that. Please reach out to me. First. Let's just talk about your fitness journey, how you want to approach it. Let me help you if at all possible.
Speaker 1:So, as we come towards the end of this podcast, I want to talk a little bit about my personal connection to fit together stronger forever. It's something that I have kept with me, and not so much in those words, by the way, but I knew that if I started to work out, even though I really wasn't sure I was able to that, I would feel better afterwards, and it works every time. Now the times it didn't work, and I'll be straight up and honest with you it was because I was super tired and I just could not finish the workout. And that's when I knew I put my weights down, I got off the treadmill, whatever it was I was doing, and I realized that my body was just tired and I needed to rest. So, sharing from my own health and fitness journey, you know I've had the challenges I've had. You know things happen. I went my mother was here at one point for two months. I did not work out. For two months, you guys, two months I did not work out. But you, you know what I did. I start as soon as my mother left, and that's a whole nother story. I was able to get back onto that fitness wellness train, but I did it gradually. I didn't just go back to what I was doing. I started off a little walking, a little stretching a little bit of weights and then I started rebuilding from there.
Speaker 1:So it happens to all of us, even fitness professionals, where you think we do everything right. No, we don't. We have lives too, you guys. We want to be able to work out so that we can feel better, so we can do all the things we want to do. I am going to be 68 years old and I say that proudly next month, but you know what In my head, I'm not 68. I'm still something, but not 68. But what I want for you what I mean by fit together stronger for together, fit together stronger forever is that if you work out, rather by yourself or with a group, that's going to enable you to do all the things you want to do as you get older and I'm just going to land my plane right there. So, as we wrap up, let's remember that fit together stronger forever is more than just a catchy phrase. It's my mantra and I want it to be your mantra for your health and wellness journey. It's a reminder that we're not alone and that we're stronger than we think, and that together we can achieve our health and wellness goals.
Speaker 1:So, with that, I want to invite you to reach out to me, kat, at smallspacepilatescom. Let's talk about your fitness journey. I will give you some tips. If you have questions, let's chat about it. My goal is to make the world healthier. I know that's a big goal, right One person at a time, and I'm just going to leave it there. I also want to invite you to try a free week of Small Space Pilates. Come in, see what we do, see how we are. If you're looking for perfection, perfect lighting, perfect, all that yeah, then I'm not your person. However, if you want to come in, laugh a little bit, feel like you're in this community that feels good to you, then let's try it out. So, until then, this is Kat Corchado, your movement specialist, and all I'm going to say is if you're not already moving, get moving. If you are already moving, keep it moving. Bye, thank you.