90. Fitness over 50 with Tina Tang
Listen & Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
In this episode, Tina Tang and I discuss the importance of staying active through perimenopause or menopause. We get into the world of plyometrics and how exercise and jumping can help you age with grace, prevent osteoporosis and protect your heart health. Even if you’ve never been an athlete or done a lot of jump training, this episode will teach you how exactly to get started safely and with success.
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✨Click here to learn more about How I use Embodia as a Pelvic Physiotherapist!
About Tina Tang:
Tina Tang is a strong believer that it is never too late to start your fitness journey. In 2008, Tina was running a jewelry store in New York City. She started going to the gym just as a way to get out of her apartment. Now, Tina Tang is a fit-at-54 online strength coach who helps women 50+ bring strength training and plyometrics into their life for the rest of their lives.
Connect with Tina:
—Waitlist for Intro to Plyometrics for Women over 50 online course: https://www.ironstrongfitness.net/strength-intro-to-plyo
—Instagram: IronStrongFit
Connect with Surabhi:
Website: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca
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Tina
[00:00:00]
Surabhi: Hi friends. This is Surabhi Veitch, your host of Mom Strength, and I'm so excited to have on today, Tina Tang. Tina is a fit at 54 online strength coach who helps women 50 plus bring strength training and plyometrics into their lives for the rest of their lives. Um, Tina, welcome. I'm so excited to have you on here today.
I'm very excited to be here. I love talking strength and plyometrics. I know. And so Tina and I connected years ago through Shante, the movement maestro. Yeah. And you know, we've kind of been in each other's ecosystem and, um, I admire you and I think it's incredible that you, um. Not just that you're fit, but also what you're, the message that you embody for women who are aging, that they can be strong, they can be fit, they can jump, they're [00:01:00] not fragile, they're not broken.
Um, so tell me a little bit about what got you into this, into this field.
Tina: I, as, uh, oh, let me, yeah, let me go back. So I'm not like some trainers who've been just playing sports or their lives are like X college. Whatever. Pro sports. Ex-athlete Varsity dance. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So I grew up doing a lot of the things that you think of little girls doing, but like I took ballet.
The things that my mom had me doing, I did Chinese dance, I know you do Indian dance. Yeah, yeah. All that kind of stuff. But what got me into fitness was really situation. A lot of times we go into something because something in our life is not working out and. In a transition period, you end up trying something.
And for me, I was going through a divorce and I was, at that time also, I was a jewelry designer. I had my own stores in New York City. Wow. And it was simultaneously the financial [00:02:00] crisis. So during the financial crisis in 2008, uh, especially New York City, any place, people weren't shopping. And I had jewelry stores, so people were starting to.
Not shop. And I was going through a divorce and then I started to go to the gym that was near my apartment. 'cause I had moved out and it was really not, 'cause I'm going for a divorce body, but let me go somewhere else that's not my apartment. To have some social interaction and just do something else.
Switch things up. Yeah, exactly. Switch things up. So I started taking classes, which. Then I was like, I'm taking strength training classes. But as a trainer, it was not strength training classes. They were HIIT classes, but in HIIT classes, always some dumbbells or some kind of strength tool involved. But I really enjoyed it 'cause I enjoyed the way it made my body feel and it was like learning something new.
And I think everyone always enjoys learning some new skill. And I found that I was always asking the [00:03:00] instructors, well, how do I do this right? And why do we do this? And that is what inspired me. You know what? For personal development. Let me take a personal training course. It was a, an intensive course that was in person 'cause I'm Gen X and in person it's just so much better than online.
Yeah. And that course was run by Equinox, which is a, at least around New York, there's several, it's like a high-end gym and they to have a. A training institute, which I now know is probably a feeder into their train, you know, personal trainers, uh, that they hire. But, you know, I took the course, it was, you know, several weekends where you're spending the whole weekend there learning about exercise programming and all that kind of stuff.
And I was like, oh, this is really cool. Maybe I can do this alongside my jewelry. And so I joined. Or applied for a job at in Equinox that, um, that was near there and started working. I'm like, oh, you can't do this part-time. There's no [00:04:00] way you could build, you know, you could do this part-time when you work for a place like that.
Yeah. And that's how I started in there. I think I was 42. 42. Yeah.
Surabhi: So that alone is people often think, you know, you have to start and be fit from the beginning. You've gotta be, yeah. You know, a runner or a lifter, you know, in your twenties now, you started in your forties. Yeah. I honestly started strength training in my forties.
That's I. That makes me really happy because I think many people feel like it's too late for them because they already don't have, uh, you know, a history of athleticism or sport. Like, yes, you did ballet, or yes, you did dance, but you, maybe you hadn't done that in, you know, decades. Oh, exactly. Oh, and now you're getting back to something like fitness.
Um, and the other point that you made is a lot of HIIT class. A lot of classes at the gym are actually HIIT classes. And for people who have never been exposed to any kind of weight training, you know, it may not be an ideal. Start for them, because sometimes I feel like with those, his HIIT classes, you've gotta know how to lift [00:05:00] properly.
Yeah. So you don't hurt yourself. Yeah. Lifting in a class where everything is moving very rapidly and they're not necessarily focusing on technique. So
Tina: I like that you brought that up. So what a lot of classes in a gym will be is more that and. Something that's a little faster where you feel like you're breaking a sweat, and that's wonderful.
In terms of like being around people, it feels very high energy, but when you're still learning to how to use your dumbbells properly, the teachers in those classes, they just don't have the. What's the word? Not bandwidth. You know, if we got 30 time, really time
Surabhi: and Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. It's like teaching right now with, you know, you're putting 30 kids in a classroom and you know, that's exactly, it can have, you know, special needs and you're like, okay, but how, how am I gonna teach to everyone?
And I feel like that's exactly
Tina: it. Yeah.
Surabhi: It's just not the, you know, if you're already. Pretty fit and you're pretty capable of doing that. You're fine. You know, you'll get that. Yep. [00:06:00] Endorphin rush. But for most people who are starting out, it's, you know, it can pose a risk and it can be
Tina: intimidating. You, you feel like you can't keep up.
So I think for someone newer. Whether you have a temporary personal trainer or a small group class where it's maybe three to five people, three to eight people, and the teacher has more, the instructor has more attention and time to work with you because everyone will still be coming at different levels.
But yeah, no, it's never too late. I think that is, um, one of the, the obstacles for people in starting is feeling. One, let me lose weight first before I start. Yeah, that's a, that's a big one. They feel like you have to be at this level before you start. Yeah. Or let, um, I just don't know what to do. I feel very self-conscious going to Jim.
Yeah. So those are, those are definitely real feelings that many people have,
Surabhi: and the reality is [00:07:00] online. Most people who are going to the gym, who post selfies are the ones that already look fit.
Tina: Yes.
Surabhi: And so what people who haven't entered the gym yet may think is everybody at the gym looks like that, or everyone is doing that when in reality it's just a small percentage, but I.
I, I've gone to the gym hundreds of times where I've never taken a photo and if I have, I haven't posted it. So, you know. Mm-hmm. Just understanding that there is a variety of shapes, sizes at the gym and it's for beginners to people who are advanced and not all people who look strong are actually strong.
So, um, yeah. You know, actually I
Tina: like that you brought up that point in case someone hasn't been in the gym. I think the gym I go to is also a big box gym, so it means it's a wide population and when I'm there. Less than 5%. People look like they, they are trainers or someone who really knows what they're doing.
Everyone else is just a normal person. Exactly. Doing their own thing. Yeah. Pulling up an app. Yeah. Earphones on. And I think, I [00:08:00] mean, I know I used to feel intimidated going to the gym and you go to that. The heavy dumbbell section, or you see and it's all these guys there. Yeah. Oh my God. They're gonna see that I'm doing something.
Honestly, they're too busy looking at themselves in the mirror really. They're just looking at their biceps and they're just looking at so, so no one's even looking at us. We just, we just feel like.
Surabhi: That they care. Yeah,
it's true. Everyone's focused on themselves. Yeah. And I also like the other point that you mentioned is as we get older, we st we often stop learning new things.
Mm-hmm. And I think that it's an in innate, like a innate human need to learn and mm-hmm. It almost like peaks our curiosity when we learn things as we get older. Like I know for myself, getting back to dance to Perth Naim in particular, in my late thirties, I'm like, I feel like a child again. I'm like. Ooh.
Like, you know, I get to perform, I get to learn these things. Yeah. And I think that for so many people in their, especially in their twenties and thirties and even in their forties, they stop learning and they just kinda become stagnant. And I think that if they're [00:09:00] trying to embrace health goals, learning something new like strength training and plyometrics is, is a great option.
'cause it helps both their mind and, and their body.
Tina: Mm-hmm.
Surabhi: Tell me about, um, tell me what is strength training and what is plyometrics? Break it down for people who don't understand the difference.
Tina: Yeah. Well, strength training could be different for someone who's a beginner. So not using dumbbells or any kind of tool and just using your body could be strength training.
So I think of it as where you're starting. So whatever is gonna be challenging for you to squat, to do a pushup, that's gonna be strength training. In essence, it's challenging your muscles and your, your body beyond what's easy. I like that. Yeah. So that's strength training 'cause you. Our body's. So, I mean, we've evolved so that it always wants to do what's efficient, right?
It's trying to save energy, uh, save work. It doesn't wanna work, not because [00:10:00] people are like, oh my, I'm just lazy. Like no, it's literally evolution at work. Yeah. We're designed to do, to work as little as as possible. Absolutely. Because the body's like, you know, I don't know, you know, whatever, when the next meal will come, you know, all that kind of stuff.
That's just inherent in our DNA. So. Strength training is going to, uh, I guess we'll just use the example of a squat, squatting with weight, where by the last rep, whatever rep scheme you're working on, let's say it's 10. I always think of the last couple reps feel very challenging, where you're kind of making a face, you're like, I want this to stop then there you go.
Uh, and then, so that's, and then traditionally strength training is usually comprises of six movements. That everything is just a mutation of, and that's squatting, hinging, which could be dead lifts or glute bridges, lunging. We all, you know, step forward, tire, a shoe, something like that. [00:11:00] Some kind of pushing motion.
So a pushup is considered, you know, pushing motion or pushing a weight overhead. Uh. Pulling. So pulling anything you're pulling towards you, you know, which we do in a real life. And then the last one, some people might say a carry or, which is when you're carrying groceries, which you're using your whole body, but especially your core is helping you maintain balance and connect the upper and lower body or.
People either carry or some kind of core exercise. Either way, they're, they're the same category. And some people might even add in getting up and down from the ground, which we take for granted. Yeah. But if everyone thinks about someone elderly, like your, your grandmother and people who are elderly don't prefer to go down to the ground and come up 'cause it's either their knees or they feel weaker.
And that's an important exercise to not lose when we get old, we, I mean, we don't think about it at all. I don't think you think about it in your fifties, but as you [00:12:00] get older, people don't like to get low.
Surabhi: It's true. And I think I, I like how you broke that down into, you know, the six movements. It actually made me really wanna work out, like the way you described that, I was like, I'm gonna get off this and do a workout because it's so, you know, you, it's very functional, everything you described, you know, um, pushing, pulling, you know, carrying groceries.
These are all very functional things. So people often think, well, I don't wanna get beefy, I don't wanna look, you know, bulk bulky, I, but these are not just for. Aesthetics. These are for function and for real life tasks that you're gonna have to keep doing. Um, and I like that you mentioned the getting up off the floor because it's the number one exercise.
I say if you do this as you age, like if you're gonna do anything, practice that. And, and many of our cultures, like my parents sit on the floor when they go to the temple every week. And so they're like, why would I need to do this as an exercise? I, this is easy. They can sit on the floor across. So I get way longer than I can, my legs go numb and they can sit there for two hours and they're fine.
And so because they've been doing it and in our society. In [00:13:00] Western society, we sit in a chair and we don't practice the deep squat. And so I really like that you, you. This is a very achievable way for people who are just at home, not they don't have equipment at least. Yep. They could practice that. Right.
Um, now you just may, can we,
Tina: can I add one thing in? Uh, I think people take real, like, oh, squatting, that's, you know, whatever. How's that exercise? But I, I wanted to share a story of one of the clients I used to work with. She and I worked on lid wear. She, not a Zoom workout, but I would design a workout for her.
So she was in her mid sixties, uh, very active, lived in Vermont and I'm sorry, New Hampshire and would hike every weekend. Like I don't, they have some special. Seven mountains there that are super high, that they have a special name for anyone from, I think it's like the White
Surabhi: Mountains or something. I, yeah, there's some, some mountains there.
So she hikes
Tina: all the time. Definitely active. But she found before we started, she goes, I didn't think about it, but when I sit down on the toilet, I found that I started putting my hand on the toilet seat for [00:14:00] first to lower herself. Right. And even when sitting on a couch. It would be a plopping into the couch.
Yeah. So she's not someone who's not active, but you know, she's not doing, getting into these squatting movements specific positions. Yeah. Yep. So after strength training, you know, doing the basic things I'm talking about, she found that she did not have to put her hand on the toilet seat to lower herself.
And I don't know if anyone, like if you think about your elderly parents, like my dad sits in a. Kind of a La-Z-Boy chair and he plops in and my sister said, we need to get him a higher seat. I'm like, no, we don't because I, he needs to work
Surabhi: on, he needs to
Tina: work. Yes,
Surabhi: exactly. We often think of making things cushier and more supportive.
Yes, and helping, and that's fine if somebody has like a disability or a specific need, but if we pad everything for our aging parents and grandparents, it's just gonna make it harder for them to actually. Have the strength that they need.
Tina: Yep. And to, and to get down if they drop something or uh, [00:15:00] trip if they fall, whatever.
Yeah, if they fall. Exactly. And uh, just an aside for, you know, in terms of the idea of, I think we also never think about the idea of falling and you know, I don't know if you remember, there used to be a commercial back in the, um, eighties and nineties where it was, I dunno if it was life alerts, like, I've fallen and I can't get up.
Yeah. Yep. So I have a. Some, uh, a colleague who's a trainer and a firefighter, um, and then just have known other people who've worked in the emergency call centers. Their number one call for the fire department. Also, the people taking the calls, you know, for 9 1 1 is that is literally elderly people who have fallen and they, they just literally can't move.
They can't get up. Oh my gosh. So it is definitely something for real. That's why that commercial existed. 'cause it is real
Surabhi: so relatable for all the people of that generation, right? Mm-hmm. And even now, and I think for people who are younger listening. The best example I can give is like, you know, when I was young I thought I would be able to do a cartwheel no problem.
Forever [00:16:00] or a somersault or, or the splitz. And then slowly you realize, wait, wait, I can't do that anymore. And it's the same thing with getting up off the floor. We think, oh, that's easy. Of course I'll be able to do that and if, but we, we don't practice it regularly. Yeah. Suddenly you'll turn around and you'll be like, wait, I can't do that.
And I think. It's, it's one of those things that now if you're in your thirties or forties, you know that there's skills that you've had in your teens and twenties that you can no longer do. Uhhuh. I'm thinking Cartwheel specifically because I was like, never did I think I'd ne wouldn't be able to do a cartwheel.
Yeah. But now I need a whole warmup. Like, I cannot just go and do one without pulling my hamstring or something. At least I can do it. But now I've had to like practice it once in a while. Yeah. So I don't lose the skill. Yep. Um, and getting up and down off the floor is, is the same. And the other flip side of that, what you mentioned about strength training is making it challenging.
I know a lot of women specifically who will lift two pounds, three pounds, four pounds, mm-hmm. And they think that's enough. What do you think about that? Is that. Is that [00:17:00] enough as people age?
Tina: Uh, no, it's not because there's so many things that we have in our lives that are heavier than that, and I knew that from my generation or maybe a lot of generations.
The fear is if I pick up anything heavier, the fives, the eights, the tens, and anything that I'm gonna get bulky. Mm-hmm. I'm not sure where that imagery came from. Maybe 'cause back when we were growing up, you know Arnold was big back then, you know, he's an older man now, but he was a big guy. You just see bodybuilders and I think that when we haven't done bodybuilding, we don't know what goes into it and those competitors lift.
Oh, God, I don't know. Five, six days a week. Not for an hour. I'm, they're probably two hours. The rock. What does he do to, he posts his workouts, at least two hour workouts. The rock eats 10,000 calories a day to stay that day. 10,000. Yep. Wow. Yep. Otherwise, if he doesn't maintain that, he's his, he's gonna deflate.
I remember [00:18:00] when I, I, when I was a trainer and one of my colleagues was into bodybuilding, he had an alarm set. Where it would go off every three hours so that he can remember to eat. Not 'cause he wanted to eat, but he said 'cause he had to. Yeah. He's like, I'm gonna deflate if I as in, not be as muscular if I don't keep fueling.
So for a man who has more testosterone, which is key in, in developing muscle, they have more testosterone. Those, I don't even know the, like the exponential times more they have than us, but they have a hard time getting big and bulky. So. We're not gonna get big and bulky, but I somehow, there's a fear about, about that, but I don't even think about that now.
I feel like when you get to your fifties and your impair menopause and post or post menopause, the fear now was like, I just don't, I don't want osteo, I don't wanna break a bone and I don't wanna have a heart issues. Yeah. And because once we have these hormonal changes, now it's not even about a, the anesthetics because [00:19:00] we, we won't deny that aesthetics are always.
Something that are gonna be, is gonna be on our minds. But now it's just like you're literally fighting for your life. There's no do-overs. Now it's just straight up about our, our life, about disease and about preventing disease, uh, and keeping your, uh, longevity as a goal in life. And you need to have strength.
Surabhi: So what are some of those changes that happen? Post menopause. Um, you know, you mentioned bone and so does bone density decrease or how rapidly? Yeah,
Tina: so, uh, post menopause, our levels of estrogen and progesterone have, you know, almost go to like a, I feel like it's almost like a n kind of level. And that's why we experience the different perimenopause symptoms.
'cause the body's fluctuating as it's like, oh, we're adjusting to this whole new, this whole new. System of operating and because of the hormonal changes and it's very natural. Uh, some of the things that used to help our [00:20:00] body in terms of, so estrogen has so many roles, or there's so many estrogen receptors in our body, and one of 'em is it helps bone density, it helps, um, protect our heart.
It helps. Hair grow. That's why I, that was one thing I learned. No wonder I'm thinning on the top of my head. So the, the, yeah, that is a factor. There's just like your nails, your skin, everything. Estrogen has such a role. Um, so the, the risks I guess, to think about post menopause is we're more apt to have heart disease issues, um, more apt to have.
Low bone density. So the statistics for women 50 plus is like half the women. So every other woman has either low bone density. Or osteoporosis. Wow. And I, and here's where, when you're a smaller frame, everyone is always, we have all our lives trying to hit the smaller frame. This is where having a smaller frame works against you in [00:21:00] terms of bone density.
'cause again, our body's so smart when you're. A little heavier, the body's like, oh, let me fortify the bones. 'cause it's now managing a heavier frame. So it's, it's all about survival. So people with lighter frames are more at risk for osteoporosis. So the statistics I remember that stood out in my mind is that Asian women, 20% of them will have osteoporosis.
And that's a pretty high percentage. That's high. Um, yeah. So, you know, in terms of, so that's one thing to think about and. Why, if you are diagnosed with either of those, the doctor will tell you you need to be strength training. Mm-hmm. Because when we lift weights, just the mechanics of the bone, you know, I mean the muscles moving against the bone signals to the bone building cells, like, oh, we need to.
Start making some more bone because it feels like something's going on in the body that we need to rise to the challenge. Hmm. So that's why strength training, and it's not even just that for bone [00:22:00] building, but you know, imagine a woman who's. 75 crossing the street. Now imagine a girl who's 12 crossing the street, who's gonna be, who do you imagine being faster and nimble?
And so we just naturally slow down. We get weaker, we get older. Not because there's something wrong, it's just nature. Yeah. So this is the one thing we have control over to either slow the process or prevent ourselves from getting super weak is by lifting weight. Yeah.
Surabhi: Yeah. And you know, at the end of the day, even if you do have osteoporosis or your mm-hmm.
Your bones are, you know, less dense mm-hmm. If you lift weights, you still are gonna be overall stronger. So, yeah. You know, it's still a win-win. You know, I remember my mom was, is, does have osteoporosis and she was diagnosed a few years ago and I was like, what? And then I, you know, you look at the stats.
Asians and osteoporosis. It's very high, small frame, all the things. And then I had my, uh, vitamin D levels tested just 'cause I was like, I'm curious. And I was very well below normal, even for my [00:23:00] age. And so I'm like. This is something that most people don't even know. What are their vitamin D levels like?
Yeah. And I remember you shared a little while ago about DEXA scans. Um, yes. Let's talk about dexa. Let's talk about that, because that was super helpful how you broke that down. So for most people, they don't even know what a DEXA scan is. So please, please kind of share what that is. I,
Tina: I wish I had known about it, so let me think.
Why. Oh, I just, I know what it, so DEXA scan. We'll tell everyone who's listening is the gold standard x-ray for measuring your bone mineral density, and none of us think about it because we, you know, why would we think about it? Um, and I only thought about it because when I was going through perimenopause and how these symptoms, the most notable one being.
Insomnia for like an entire year. It was horrible. And in trying to figure out what was going on in my health, you know, I was reading all about it and what, that's where I learned about, oh, osteoporosis, 20% of Asian women, uh, are diagnosed with that. And then all the issues with, if you [00:24:00] have osteoporosis, the risks of breaking a bone.
So. The way to measure if what your bone density is is getting a DEXA scan. So when I asked my gynecologist, who is a menopause certified gynecologist about it, and she said, well, you know, the medical guidelines say that you can get one at 65 to see where you're at. But as we all know, 65. By then, I probably will.
It's like already already too late. 'cause you're already got it. Exactly. Yeah. I don't even know why that, but what makes that age notable is that it's when insurance will cover it. Mm. So, um, I remember telling her, 'cause I, my mom did tell me, so my mom has osteoporosis. I said, well, my mom has osteoporosis and it seems like Asian women are at higher risk.
And she's like, oh, you're right. Okay. Well. In that case, we can prescribe it. Uh, so I'm just telling everyone who listens, the health insurance companies don't know if your mom has osteoporosis. They don't have access to your records, so her records. So you might as well say, my mom has [00:25:00] osteoporosis, I'd like to get a DEXA scan.
Yeah. And that was at a, in 2022 where I got the DEXA scan. And honestly, I, I thought it was just gonna be confirming I've been lifting weights. You're all good, Tina. Because I have been lifting, you know, with barbells, cowbells, like lifting heavy for over 10 years. So the, the scan basically looks at two points of your body, the places where your mo, where statistically it's proven where we have risk for, uh, osteoporosis.
And that's in our, our hip. So the, the femur, right? The, the head of the femur. Mm-hmm. Head of the femur.
Surabhi: Yep.
Tina: And then our spine. Yeah. And what my results showed was that. My, they do it all on the left side, just so they have a standard that my left hip femur number was negative 1.3, which is considered low bone density or osteopenia.
So anything under negative one is considered low bone density osteopenia, and anything less than negative [00:26:00] 2.5, you're full on osteoporosis. Hmm. So when I got there, it was, I was like, what I, I was really, uh, upset for, you know, that. I understand 'cause everything we're told to do, which is you were lift weights.
I was already doing, I would say, you know, I'm not, I'm not, I don't do macros. I, I just, I eat balanced meals. Uh, my partner does a lot of cooking, so I, I'm eating at home most of the time and it's, you know, essentially healthy foods. Um, and even prior to that, I admit I'm not good about taking supplements.
Uh, so the vitamin D, the magnesium calcium, maybe once a week. I remember. So, uh. From that period, 2022 till now, I got my DEXA scan again, so it's three years later. And to be, and I did not get better about taking my supplements. The two things that I did do was a year after the DEXA scan, I started adding in plyometric, which some people might call it jump training.
So I've been doing jump training for a couple years now, and then I [00:27:00] started a hormone therapy a year ago. So the. JUMP training was like over two years of it, and then hormone therapy a year. And so when I got my DEXA scan a couple weeks ago because I wanted to see has anything changed, has it gotten worse?
Because in general, if you do nothing, it's just gonna get worse. That's just the natural, natural flow of, of what's gonna happen in the body. The number ended up, so originally it was negative 1.3 in my hip. It is now negative 1.2. Which first of I was like, Ugh, why didn't I have any major changes? But then I asked Chat GPT, I'm like, you know, you know, is that a big deal?
And said, yes, it actually is, because it means you stabilize bone loss. If not, uh. Improved your, your bone density because it's, and you've
Surabhi: aged too, like since then, so yeah. It's not like you're taking a snapshot, but like it's three years later, so that's Yes. Amazing.
Tina: Yeah, and so that's why I wrote about, so just so [00:28:00] people would know, like, oh, the only two really major things I've done is plyometrics.
Hormone therapy. So I can't say that it's all the plyo and I can't say it's just the hormone therapy. It could be both. Yeah. Um, you know, a combination of it, I don't know. Um, and there's no, there's no, uh, research study with women in that same situation. Exactly. So I was just sharing like what happened to me and I was like, oh, this is fantastic.
Surabhi: And it's nice to have the data. 'cause now you can see, obviously we can see visible changes in our body. Bigger muscles, your stronger muscles. Mm-hmm. You know, functional life stuff gets easier, but it's also nice to get a scan and be like, Hey look, look at the changes here. Um, yeah. And I, in Canada, so in Ontario anyways, it's a hundred bucks like you pay.
Oh, that's
Tina: not, oh wow. Yeah.
Surabhi: Yeah. And you don't even need a doctor's referral. I found a spot in Toronto, um, and it's run by a doctor and they just. Do it and Oh, of course. I love that course. It's not covered by insurance. Um, unless you [00:29:00] have specific insurance that covers it. But most people can, you know, pay for that to if they want to, especially if you have a gym membership and you're already paying for other stuff.
Yeah. You know, get a scan. It's, it's just a great snapshot to see where things are at. Listen, my visceral fat was much higher than I, um. Expected. So that was a wake up call for me 'cause I have family history of heart disease and I was like, listen, oh wow, I need to do better at, you know, the cardio stuff because I used to be a huge in on into cardio.
And now in the past few years it's been less so. Mm-hmm. And so it's just like a reminder. Okay. Let's get back to some of that. Yeah. Can you share then. Plyometrics wise, how did you build that into your life and what does that look like for you now because you have a intro to plyometrics course mm-hmm.
That you offer for women. Um, yeah, I'd love to hear more about that.
Tina: So let me define what plyometrics is. 'cause I know I also was, would probably group everything into one. So when you do a box jump or. Essentially like a jump squat, something like that, where you're starting [00:30:00] from a standing position and hopping onto something that's not considered plyometric.
Plyometric is something, is a sequence of jumps where there's. Landing airtime. So it's a cycl, it's cyclical. So there's gotta be a landing airborne landing. So even if you did, this would be considered plyometric. Uh, let's say you did a jump over a little dumbbell and then jump from there up onto a box That would be more, uh, plyometric.
So there's more than one jump. Oh, okay. Where there's the takeoff. The, the, the landing and takeoff is what builds you that the, the second one should be higher than the first one, if that makes sense. Gotcha. So it's like
Surabhi: your, your second jump needs to be like a higher magnitude than the first jump or, oh, actually, lemme take that
Tina: back.
Jump rope is plyometric. So you know how you, okay, so it's like repetitive. It's like
Surabhi: repetitive. You can't just jump once and be like, [00:31:00] yeah, I did pylos. Right. It's, yeah, it's a repetitive, ongoing thing. The, mm-hmm. I used to, um, cross country ski race in university and we did pylos and what that was, um, it was brutal.
It was so hard for me. Uh, I, I'm not one of those, like, I'm a slow twitch person, not fast twitch uhhuh. So it was very hard for me. But Uhhuh, it did help you build strength, stamina, everything. Speed. Uh, yeah. And we used to. Go like ski bounding. Like up a hill. Like up a steep hill. Yep. You would like jump up. Or hop one foot and, and the other foot and then two feet.
Like, it was so hard, but it was so good. Yeah. And so how do you reproduce things like that in a gym setting? And is, is it stuff uhhuh that people can do themselves? Like how, how so?
Tina: Absolutely. In fact, what I love about plyometrics, you know how when you think box jumps, when people are like, is that, I was like, that's not a plyometric that has equipment.
Plyometric is essentially no equipment. Ah, it's just your body weight. Nice. And I think the most accessible plyometric is jump rope. It's what they call light, uh, in [00:32:00] the plyometrics world, the terminology be light tier, light tier leaps. So, and that's also something that whenever I introduce it in a, in a class setting, everyone that jumped rope when they were a kid, they, they've lost the coordination, I'm telling you.
'cause I was like that. So the reason why I got into. Doing plyometric over the past couple years is I was in a boxing class, and then the teachers, you know how boxers are always jump, they're jump rope and it's like not even, it's so natural. Part of They're floating. Yeah, they're floating. And I would be jump, jump.
Then the rope would go through, jump, jump. You know what I mean? It's a timing thing. So I was like, how do you make it so it's like. My feet hit, then the rope hits, the feet hit, then the rope hits. Um, and that's why I was like, okay, let me try to get better. That, that was kind of my gateway into plyometrics.
Uh, it is not easy doing jump rope because there is coordination, but we never thought about it as a kid. 'cause so when I bring it into class, I see the people who were [00:33:00] like me doing two jumps before the rope would come in because you're like, I can't coordinate my hands and my feet at the same time. So that would be the most accessible plyometric.
And, uh, there's two things that stop people from it, and I see it all the time. Because it's natural one, we've talked about it for women, it's you're afraid you're gonna pee. Yeah. After a couple jumps, um, you're like, I'm gonna pee myself. Yeah. And that's gonna hold you back. Um, and, and I would love, you know, we've talked about this, but we, you can go into that from your expert point of view.
And then the second thing is, people think jumping's gonna hurt their knees or their ankles.
Surabhi: Right.
Tina: Um, where is it? Works to strengthen the musculature around your knees and ankles, but it's really a matter of like everything in life, how much you do it. So of course if you don't jump, you're not gonna be doing 10 minute jump rope.
Like honestly for jump rope, getting the coordination, I was setting my timer. Let's start at like. 10. Lemme say, let me do it for 10 seconds and try not to trip. Then you have to take a 10, 22nd [00:34:00] break. Another 10 seconds, maybe only three sets. So like, even when I was working on, I was like, I'm just setting my timer for three minutes.
It's, uh, it would be 20 seconds, jump 40 seconds rest, you know, and then, yeah, very doable. Go from there. Yep.
Surabhi: And the difference I find is like I have two kids and the older one's trying to learn how to skip jump rope. Mm-hmm. Kids don't give up. Like adults get very frustrated and they're like, I can't do it, or I have a symptom.
Yeah. Kids are just so focused on like, let's. Okay, so this, I do this. And they just try and then they eventually just do it. And I feel like I love that I have learned so much, uh, from watching them learn skills. It's like, wow, they really just keep going and going and going until they get it. Like that's why they get better.
I think adults, we, because we stop learning for decades, we stop gonna school, we stop learning new skills. Yeah. We get, we become bad learners where we give up so quickly when it's too difficult or you know, it's, oh my God, that's so true. It feels uncomfortable or awkward. That is so true. Yeah, I, I def definitely see that as a, [00:35:00] as a big thing.
And I don't know if it's our ego or if it's just our sensitivity or what insecurity, but it's just we have to go for it and we have to keep trying. And with jump rope in particular, you're still right. Jumping on the trampoline, jump rope, even running A lot of women avoid as they get older, uh, whether they've had kids or not, because we know that risk of incontinence goes up post menopause because of the decline in estrogen.
Mm-hmm. Um, and also, you know, if. We combine that with, you use it or you lose it. Like if you don't practice those skills, your ability to coordinate those skills kind of goes out the window unless you practice it again. Absolutely. And many people leak not because their pelvic floor muscles are weak, but it's like you talked about, they don't have the coordination and so the pelvic floor is supposed to close when you land from your jump, so that mm-hmm.
The bladder doesn't, you know, the pressure on the bladder doesn't just cause a leak. Yeah. But most people just. They don't know how to time that appropriately. So we work on it in pelvic physiotherapy with smaller jumps working up to bigger jumps. And some people don't have the patience to do that. They just avoid it altogether.[00:36:00]
And the risk of avoiding it is then lower bone density, lower fitness, lower agility, and all the things that happens when we just avoid exercise. Right?
Tina: Yes. That all of that, uh. I'm gonna plug ply one more time about what it helps you do. So you know how you mentioned the word fast twitch muscles. Uh, so for everyone listening, we basically have two types of muscle fibers.
The fast and the slow and slow is stuff that you like. Endurance thinks right?
Surabhi: Yeah. I can do stuff forever, very slowly.
Tina: And the fast twitch is the one that, you know, we lose quicker when we get older. We lose that first. And that's why you think about someone, a 75-year-old woman crossing the street versus a 19-year-old.
Woman crossing the street, the difference in the way they move. Uh, so the way to. Train your body to not be slow is by doing things like plyometrics where it requires more fast twitch muscles. And it, and when you do it more, you're a little bit more reactive. [00:37:00] And whenever people talk about, oh, when old people trip or fall, like, listen, we are all tripping.
I've tr I 'cause I'm usually doing two things. Are three things at one time, which I shouldn't be. So you trip because you're, you know, you're not paying attention. I trip all the time, but we catch ourselves. So it's not about the trip, it's not about balance. 'cause they're always like old people, new balance.
Like no, it's about what happens after you trip. You have to be able to catch yourself.
Surabhi: I remember this study, this was years ago when I was in kinesiology, like when I did my undergraduate degree, there was a study on elderly mm-hmm. Versus younger people and with uh, balanced reaction. So basically like the floor moved underneath them, uhhuh and they videotaped how they reacted.
People who were older, they always reached with their hands. People who are younger, they just move their feet. And so that sounds like what you're describing is with the plyometrics, is you train your feet to respond first. 'cause. You don't always have a handy railing at the exact height or exact space that you need it.
So reaching with your hands is not gonna help you stay [00:38:00] upright versus P, you know, practicing those balanced reactions, adjusting with your feet will, and I remember seeing that and I'm thinking,
Tina: it's so interesting that older people like look to grab with their hands.
Surabhi: They don't necessarily, they're not necessarily weaker.
They have a faulty response. Right to mm-hmm. The balance reaction. Mm-hmm. Um, and so I thought that was really interesting. And that is, I, I teach a senior's fitness class like once a month just at the, the senior's home. And I, I always make them get up and down off the floor for those that are able to Yeah.
And I tell them, I'm like, you have to learn to use those legs. And it's been incredible to see them over the years is they can do it now. Mm-hmm. Even if they couldn't do it. When they were younger and these people are in their eighties, you know. Wow. Some are in their nineties, so, yeah. You know, at any age if something is difficult, like you put the time and effort in and it, it will get easier, so.
Yep. Um, I love that you mentioned that though, but the ply plyometrics is, it will train people to not necessarily avoid tripping, but faster reaction, respond.
Tina: Yeah, quickly. Um, if this helps [00:39:00] people, so when, when you're doing plyometrics or plyometric exercises, there's always two outcomes that someone's shooting for.
So, you know, like for strength training, it's you want to get stronger strength for plyometrics. The two things that people measure is, um, basically your reactivity and your output. So that means reactivity is. Low, uh, quick ground contact time. So if I'm doing plaza and you're like trying to be good at ply metrics, you're like, I want your feet off the ground.
Like, how fa how much time are, are your feet spending on the ground between each jump? Ah, so that's one thing about how about reactivity and then output is how high can you, can you. Use your, your muscles, your, your feet to like pop off the ground and, and get airtime. Ah. So, um, if those are the two outcomes that are always measured for applying metrics or, or that, that, those, [00:40:00] that you're shooting for, that's, that's how it's helping you in terms of reaction time.
Like you're always looking for reactivity and out. And or output sometimes you can't have both be, you can't have both be high at the same time. Like sometimes for a higher jump you might have a little bit more ground contact time. Yeah. Or if
Surabhi: you want to kind of prep before that jump, that higher
Tina: jump.
Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Or, uh, if you wanna have short ground cut contact time, you, you just might just not be getting as airborne as you would like skipping
Surabhi: rope. Right. Where you're not necessarily jumping high, you're just going really fast. Yeah. Um. And I like that. So you're not necessarily looking for both to be cheap simultaneously.
Mm-hmm. You're just overall, it sounds like, you know, you're training both things though. Yes. So that you're getting better at both, you're training both things. Yeah. Yep. Exactly. Um, and I will say that you, you do work with people over 50. Mm-hmm. Um, what can people do in their thirties and forties? Because listen, I'm already getting perimenopausal symptoms.
Yeah. And, um. I don't want to [00:41:00] wait till I'm post menopause to say, oh, okay, now that my estrogen's really dipped, I get started. What can people do when they're, you know, in their thirties and forties to prepare their bodies for more graceful aging?
Tina: I love this question and I think, uh, what, what's not emphasized enough in all this new menopause talk is when they're like, oh, you should be doing this PO post menopause, all the.
Suggestions of the protocols, it sh it, it is exactly the same protocol that everyone should be doing all the time. So there is no change in what you should be doing, how much you should be doing it. It's the same. So it's basically, and then the only thing that might alter in terms of strength training, adding plylo metrics.
Of course we need to, you know. Also includes some mobility. 'cause one thing when you get older, you just, your shoulders are tighter, your hips are tighter. So all of it's relevant and maybe the priority of it changes. So when you are post menopause, you're like, you don't [00:42:00] have time to screw around. Like the strength training is very important for you because you know your body's older.
Yeah. When you're younger, you're, you're, uh, it might be more aesthetic. It's nice to be strong. Uh, it's not so. Relevant in terms of disease prevention, but you're laying the groundwork before it, uh, before it's just always better to do earlier than later.
Surabhi: Earlier than later.
Tina: Yes. Earlier than
Surabhi: later. You know what I think is a cool thing about getting older is I.
Of course, like you said, aesthetics, they, you know, they're always in the back of our mind, especially when we're raised as women to care so much about how we look, you know? Mm-hmm. It's almost pushed on us from the beginning. You should care about, you know, your skincare and your makeup and your hair and your clothing, and so even if we didn't want to prioritize that, it's still subtly in the back of our mind.
Yes. But what I've noticed is as I get older, it's like I care more about my health. I'm like, listen, it's not about, yes. Like, I, I couldn't care less what somebody is thinking or judging, but how do I feel? How am I sleeping? How am [00:43:00] I recovering after a, a, you know, an injury or after a workout? And I think, yep, these are things that are more at our grasp versus
Tina: mm-hmm.
Surabhi: You know, if you really wanna change drastically how you look, you gotta get plastic surgery or all of these, you know. Procedures. Right. But you can change how you feel mm-hmm. Very quickly by just doing, you know, your strength training, your plyometrics, and um, putting in that work. Right? Absolutely. What would you recommend for people who, let's say they're very busy.
They're, they work, they're juggling a lot, and they don't have the time to do the necessary, recommended, recommended strength training or plyometrics. Is it okay for them to do plyometrics like once a week if they can't fit in? Oh, you
Tina: know what? I'm so glad you asked about that. So plyometrics, never think about it.
You're gonna do, do. That it's gotta be a ton or that a whole session. I like to add in plyometrics, uh, let's just say jump rope or some two feet implies the, the word is leaps when you're using two feet. Okay? Light tear leaps, uh, [00:44:00] you throw it into your warmup. So if I'm teaching a class, I'll, let's say.
People are doing some tissue prep and just warming up their joints, you know, in movements that they're gonna be doing strength training before the, uh, I might just do it to wake up the nervous system. Okay, everyone give me 2020 leaps, or might do some deep tear, which is when you work the bottom range of an exercise.
So a deep tear squat would be just kind of sitting at the bottom of squat and pulsing. So stuff like that, those are all plyometric. I throw it in as a warmup. It does not need to be a whole section. That's so smart.
Surabhi: Yeah.
And so
it's,
Tina: it's, I
Surabhi: think that helps One or two exercises. Yeah. You don't feel like, oh, I gotta do these 10 extra.
'cause that's also an injury risk if you're trying to fit all your PIOs in that one session and Yep. You know, just burn yourself out. It should be a little bit frequently versus a lot All at once. All at once. Okay. Mm-hmm. Um. You had mentioned, I [00:45:00] think I saw you post about this, like landing versus taking off in your jump and what helps with bone density?
Is it both? Is it, you know what's, I guess, I mean, social, if you jump, you gotta land. So there's no choice about that. But I guess what's, what should the focus be on?
Tina: So I think in classes and people, and. Even trainers will program in, uh, box jumps. Yeah. And that there's a fear around that. If someone's gonna hit a box, jump is not gonna be impactful.
So you can think of this, if I jump go from the floor and land on the box, I'm landing further away from the ground. So gravity's working less, I have less impact. Oh, but I land on a box. Oh, if you were no box and you just did a single jump up and landed there, you're gonna have more impact on your bones.
Wow. So plyometrics being more than one, you know, just think every time you, you're jumping and you land, that is all impact on the bones. So in terms, I think I wrote a, uh, [00:46:00] a post about landing on your heels versus is that the one that you were talking about? Uh, like landing and taking off. Yes. Yeah, I think so.
So I had done a post and then an orthopedic surgeon had wrote down, she goes, heels down. 'cause I was doing multiple jumps. You're not landing heels down if you're, think about when you're jumping rope, are you going heels down, heels down, heels down. You can't, that would be
Surabhi: horrible for your mechanics. And yes.
Exactly.
Tina: Yep. Yep. Yeah. So you, you kind of are near your forefoot, you're like kind of just always on the forefoot to Yeah. You know, uh, and that is just the body mechanics. You get more spring when you're on your forefoot because it loads the Achilles tendon, and that's where a lot of your ups come from.
You know, it's s during the engine releasing, so. Uh, it's four foot landings, but if you're doing one jump, like a broad jump, of course you're gonna be more whole foot. Or if I'm doing a jump squat, uh, it's gonna be, you know, jumping up and then kind of landing is gonna be landing. You know, it's still not like flatfooted.
It's almost like four foot heels come down. [00:47:00]
Surabhi: Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Tina: So, and if
Surabhi: you look at sprinters, they're on their to like forefoot the whole time. Yes. And they've got those in. Nice big calves
Tina: and
Surabhi: juicy muscles. Yes. Yeah.
Tina: I'm so glad you brought that up. 'cause I was asking my uh, plyometric instructor, uh.
Thinking about when we were going through exercise, I said, are sprinters actually really good jumpers? And he said, yes. Yeah. Sprinters are, they're amazing jumpers. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. You can see they just know how to push off the ground, you know? They're fast off the ground. Yes. Yeah.
Surabhi: Like I, I laughed because I did track in high school and I had friends who were sprinters and jumpers and.
They didn't, some of them didn't train that hard, but they were naturally very good at jumping. Maybe they uhhuh know did a lot as a kid. I don't know. Yep. Um, and I could train, but height is not my forte and distance. Mm-hmm. With jumping is not my forte. But what I will say is this, when I used to do more PIOs, I would feel lighter when I jumped.
Yes. [00:48:00] Now I feel, because I'm not doing it as often, I feel heavy. Like, I feel like even in dance, there's a lot of jumping and mm-hmm. My instructor's always like. Lift both legs higher. And I'm like, Ugh. It just ugh. Like feels like I'm, you know. Yeah. Just having to lift so much and it's easy to blame the weight 'cause I am heavier now, but I think something, you know, I catch myself doing is you, we can't blame the weight when we're just not training those things anymore.
Mm-hmm. And so if we start training the things. That thing will get easier. Yes, definitely. And I like what you said at the very beginning is like you don't have to lose weight to start. Mm-hmm. It might happen by, you know, default when you start lifting. I may not also. Mm-hmm. But things will at least get easier because now you're stronger.
Yes.
Tina: Yeah. That's exactly it.
Surabhi: Um, so tell me what kind of services you offer right now. You have an online course, which,
Tina: oh, yes. I'd love to hear
Surabhi: about.
Tina: Uh, I started last fall, a eight week online introduction to plyometrics for women. I like, [00:49:00] I love working, working with women. I think women feel less intimidated when it's just, and you know them.
And that eight week courses, essentially, you'll have a few exercises to do. Twice a week we meet on Zoom to go over them, uh, to talk about form, what to focus on, and then it's just, uh, added into whatever you do normally. And I, I have a caveat that if you don't lift weights, plyo never replace strength training.
It's, it's an add-on. Um, but the baseline for everything as we get older and as women is strength training.
Surabhi: Yeah. Yeah. So it's almost like. You do need that balanced workout. Mm-hmm. You can't just do one or the other. Right? Yeah. Now, tell do are, do runners then have good bone density? This is really
Tina: because they're running, uh, um, runners.
I know the impact. Yes. They, they have. I think the number is when you run, [00:50:00] it's more than maybe th. Three to four times your body weight that you, when every time you hit the ground. Yeah. Sprinters are something like six to eight times. Wow. Because they're pushing off that hard into the ground to pull, you know, to get each leg in front.
Um, so jumping and running is great for your bones? Yes. They, I don't know if they have higher bone density, I'm assuming they do. But I did look up, uh, numbers as chat GB two about. Sprinters and gymnasts. They have, they naturally have highest, the highest. Mm-hmm.
Surabhi: I put my kids in gymnastics. Good. See, this is a, this is a thing, like I grew up dancing and yes, of course there's jumping, but it's not heavily jump focused.
And I feel like girls, when I grew up in my culture, it wasn't encouraged to play sports or mm-hmm. You know, be very athletic. Yep. And so now with, you know, having kids, I definitely am like more mindful of like, okay. You have this window to build your bone density and really get strong. Yeah. And we have to [00:51:00] encourage girls, boys are naturally encouraged to play sports.
We have to encourage girls too to run, jump. Yes. You know, gymnastics, all the things. Yeah. Um. Then going back to sprinting, what I, this is, I don't know if this is for a fact, but I heard that sprint, the, your ability to run fast comes from your ability to slow down. So your body will only ever let you run as fast as you can control the slowing down.
Oh, that's so interesting. Okay. Which is why when you do plys and you, you know, jump downs and, you know, uh, decelerations the next. Like even strength training will help you run faster because you can't just run faster. If your body's like, okay, my bo, my joints, my ligaments will pop if I can't slow myself down safely.
Tina: This makes total sense because I just remember we were, when I was studying plys, uh, there's something on our body called the GOGI tendons is gogi. Yeah. The GOGI tendon organ.
Surabhi: Yeah.
Tina: Yes. And those are what inhibit things from happening as a protective thing. As a protective, is that right? What g Tension
Surabhi: organs.
Oh my gosh. I like, this is like bringing me back. I think [00:52:00] GOGI tension organs, they sense stretch and they return things back to like they encourage muscle contraction.
Tina: Yes. So they're about inhibitory. 'cause I just learned in plyometrics, the more you do that, the more you're training your golgi tendons to not inhibit you as much.
Ah sense. So that goes with, what're saying makes sense about, um. The ability to like being able to go fast and the whole like that. It's like you gotta trust. Yes, yes.
Surabhi: And even with like. I like, I didn't even think about box jumps that way, how jumping up and landing on a higher surface is actually less overall impact.
Yeah. So I think the reason people become scared is 'cause they're, you know, afraid they're gonna smoke their shins on the box or yes, you know, it's, it's mentally challenging and still beneficial to do. But in terms of bone density, then would it be more helpful for people to stand at the top and jump down?
Tina: Yes. But that probably has a lot more impact than, so that'd be called a death, a depth jump. Yeah. Uh, or, um, but I [00:53:00] think that's probably more, too much impact. Yes. 'cause you are not able to control, so how you land. Yeah. Yeah. Because being able to jump up and jump down and then land, it's almost self-limiting.
But it, but when you do a box, like maybe your body is not able to handle that impact. 'cause you normally wouldn't even dry that, uh, jump that high.
Surabhi: Exactly.
Tina: That
Surabhi: makes sense. So don't try to jump off like tall objects just because you heard, oh, jumping down is more important. You know, I was thinking about
Tina: literally
Surabhi: no equipment is better, no equipment is better.
I was thinking about how also, when I was a kid, I used to like in track, we used to run, we used to do indoor. S training in the winter when it was snowy out and we used to do stairs. We used to run across the hallway, run down the stairs, across the hallway, and then up the stairs. And we used to do like circuits and I would just fly down the stairs, skipping two, three stairs at a time and like, I can't even think about doing that now.
No, no. And it's just so interesting how we take it for granted how when we're [00:54:00] younger, these things are just built into our lives, these ability to do plyometrics and strength training. But as we get older, it does have to be intentional, otherwise it's just not gonna happen. Right? Yeah, absolutely. Um, most of us sit at a desk for work on top of everything else, so Yep.
Like you and I are doing now, I was, I tell people all the time, I'm like, I have an active job when I'm doing my job. Yes. Like, but uh, in between I'm doing a lot of sitting on my butt and Yeah. That's not helpful for anything. So, you know, it, it is. I have to be so intentional about it now too. I think we all do.
Um, okay, so tell me your next intro to plyometrics course is opening up in the fall. Yeah, I, I have the wait list. How else? Mm-hmm. Amazing. So people, I'll share the link. So if people are interested in getting on the wait list now, does it have to be women over 40? What if they're like 48? Oh, that's fine.
Women over 50. I have, yeah. I have people who are younger. Uh, okay. Yeah.
Tina: Definitely
Surabhi: join because I'm, I'm seeing for my patients and, you know, my community, lots of people are hearing about per menopause and they're becoming [00:55:00] afraid. Mm-hmm. And also that's fueling them to be more proactive because they're like, love, hey, my mom went through this and it was horrible for her, so I don't wanna make, you know, I wanna change things for myself.
Yeah. Um, how can people connect with you Instagram, on my website, uh, iron Strong fitness.net. I love it. Um, and you're on Instagram Iron Strong fit. That's right. Um, and do you do online coaching as well on top of your. Course. Oh, yes.
Tina: So I do not Zoom classes, but I do online coaching in that I design workouts for you.
Nice. And we interact a lot Nice in that process.
Surabhi: And we have, I think, a mutual client, um, or we, you, you've recommended a couple of your clients to me, and I am grateful for that. Um, and they love you. They speak very, very highly of you. They love your training programs. You know, I think it's really wonderful.
Um, you know. In our very busy lives, sometimes online fitness, you might think, how's this gonna work? Yeah. But it works really [00:56:00] well because you get your customized program, you know exactly what to do. You have someone to ask questions to so you're not feeling lost. Um mm-hmm. You know, people often think in person is better, but I'm like in that good life class with 30 people there, are you actually gonna ask questions to the teacher?
You know, ironically confusing the people I've
Tina: been working with that I see in person. Uh, we have less communication. 'cause usually we see when we, we see in person and that's when we communicate. Whereas all the people I work with online, IC the white comments on their workouts. There's so much more back and forth.
It's kind of strange. But online we communicate more, more. That's funny.
Surabhi: I guess it makes sense 'cause it is almost like they have no choice. Yes. 'cause that's their way of communicating with you. That's right. Versus in person, you take it for granted. You're like, I can just,
Tina: that's exactly. Tell Tina if
Surabhi: I have somebody to tell her.
Um, that's right.
Tina: That's right. And so I know more about their, for my online, uh, friends, I know more about their lives than the people I see in person. [00:57:00] That's too funny.
Surabhi: And what's, what's your favorite PIO plyometric exercise? Do you have one?
Tina: No, I think just You love all them? Yeah, I love all of them because it's essentially, it's two feet.
Switching feet. Single leg. I know that the hops are the hardest, which is a single leg. And for everyone, when you do anything on one leg, you realize, you're like, oh, this is so humbling. It's just my leg. Oh, so humbling.
Surabhi: So humbling. Um, I will say that some people are naturally better jumpers. I have, uh, two kids.
Yes. And my. Son who, who's a younger one, very bouncy, and you wouldn't be able to tell he's not. He's a small kid. He doesn't have big, bulky muscles, but he's just a natural jumper. Like my husband, my husband grew up playing volleyball, so Uhhuh, very springy. Yep. Daughter is getting better at it through all her, you know, activities.
But I can see she has my, uh, my jumping ability.
Tina: You know what's interesting for people to know is, uh, your weight and size have nothing to do with. How bouncy you are. I've seen [00:58:00] bigger people who are like, I'm like, I can't even get that. They just got hops. Yeah. It's just the way their body is.
Surabhi: And sprinters too, if you think about like sprinters and jumpers, they got big legs.
They're not necessarily like super itty bitty. So, you know, I think we, we have these self limiting beliefs of I'm too big, I'm too old, I'm too, you know, I'm not fit enough. And I love that you just break it all down and make sure that it's accessible to anybody who wants to do it. Um, thank you so much, Tina, for your time, um, for all of your passion and in supporting women as we age.
Um, I'm so excited for my audience to hear your, uh, hear this, and please do share this with all of your perimenopausal and menopausal friends if you're listening to this because it's something that everybody, um, needs to know. Thank you.
