I have a very special episode for you today! Every year on my birthday, I take a moment to reflect on the things I’ve learned over the past 365 days, and since I just turned 47, it’s time for another birthday episode! This is the 5th year I’m doing it, and I am very excited to share.

Today I’m excited to welcome Loretta Claiborne to the Seasoned Athlete Podcast. Loretta was born in 1953 with physical and intellectual disabilities and did not walk or talk until four years old. Doctors told her mother that Loretta belonged in an institution because she would never survive in the "regular" world.

Today I’m excited to welcome Angela White aka The Running Granny to the Seasoned Athlete Podcast. Angela started running at the age of 53 as part of a series of ‘small steps’ she took to improve her health and quality of life. A friend then introduced her to the world of ultra running and she became fascinated with what the human body can achieve when asked.

Today I’m excited to welcome Vanessa Bogenholm to the Seasoned Athlete Podcast. Vanessa is a Bay Area based personal trainer and an avid runner who is a regular age group podium fixture. She is also the author of It’s Your Body which shows you step by step how to slow down and understand how the body works so you, too, can get the results you want.

Over the last four years, I’ve interviewed around a hundred athletes from a wide variety of sports and fitness or athletic backgrounds. Everything from the lifelong athlete who has never known a life outside of elite sports, to women athletes in their 70s, 80s and 90s who wanted to play organized sports when they were younger, but never had the opportunity...to later in life athletes and weekend warriors.

We are starting to head into the holiday season, and this time of year can be a notoriously difficult time of year when it comes to staying on track with your fitness, your training, your nutrition, and other things you generally want to have happening in your life.

Making yourself a priority when life is filled with so much to do can be daunting. More often than not, our health and fitness is what takes the back seat, even though it should be at the top of the list. We feel worse as the time goes by, but it just feels impossible to change.

One thing that rarely gets discussed but is of the utmost importance for any athlete is injuries. Yup. Part of being active means you’re going to occasionally hurt yourself but there’s smart ways to recover and not so smart ways to recover. And knowing the difference really matters.

When starting or getting back into your fitness journey, short term, quick solutions can feel super appealing. Things like 6 week weight loss challenges, mental and physical challenges like 75 Hard, short term strict nutrition plans like Whole 30, detox cleanses, become the go to, but won’t provide the long term solutions most people truly want. Exercise ends up being something that causes stress to your life rather than relieves it.

Diet culture leaves us thinking that the only reason to work out is to shrink our bodies. The messaging is constantly about losing weight, dropping dress sizes, and it is affecting your health more than you may realize. Fueling your body, no matter how much of an athlete you are, is incredibly important.

Simple fitness is possible. I know, shocking, right? The truth is, you don’t need to be doing CRAZY gym routines to get into great shape and be ready to take on something like a 5k, 10k or even an obstacle run!

Simple fitness is possible. I know, shocking, right? The truth is, you don’t need to be doing CRAZY gym routines to get into great shape and be ready to take on something like a 5k, 10k or even an obstacle run!

Find out more about Seasoned Athlete Live: START LINE STRONG here: https://seasonedathletelive.com

We’re taking on a topic that might ruffle some feathers. With anti-aging culture so rampant in our society, too often we are encouraged to deny or even avoid the fact that we are aging. In fact, we are led to believe we should do whatever we can to stop it, and I’m over that messaging.

At Seasoned Athlete, we are passionate about dispelling myths and sharing facts about aging women and our fitness needs. Too often, we are told the wrong information, studies are done with only men in mind, and it leaves us burnt out and unwell.

On today's episode I'm talking to 87 year old record breaking track and field athlete, Flo Filion Meiler. Flo was an athlete for much of her life but took it to new heights at the age of 60 when she began her journey as a track and field star. She breaks down how she stays motivated, what her best habits are, and how she keeps her body limber and strong enough to compete in various (18!!) events that test her body, and more importantly, her mind!

Have you recently restarted your fitness routine and realized you've pushed yourself too far?

Today we're talking about overtraining. What it means. The dangers. And the signs and symptoms to look out for as you train.