Wellness Is Wealth

In this episode, we explore Wellness Is Wealth with Pilates instructor Eugene, diving into the importance of prioritizing your physical health as a form of long-term investment in yourself. As we age—especially as Black women—our approach to wellness becomes even more vital, not just for how we feel today, but for the quality of life we create for the future.

This conversation highlights the connection between movement, strength, and longevity, and how taking care of your body is just as essential as taking care of your finances. Eugene shares insight on building sustainable wellness habits, staying consistent, and embracing a lifestyle that supports both your body and your goals.

Because true wealth isn’t just financial—it’s the ability to move, live, and thrive in a body you care for.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to the Fab Podcast, where we have faith-filled, authentic, and bold conversations that go beyond the surface and meet us where we are. I'm your host, Hidea Adrienne, and today's episode is one I'm truly excited about. Today we're diving into the topic wellness as wealth. Wellness isn't just about how we look, it's about how we live, how we move, and how we show up for ourselves long term. I'm joined by someone who has personally helped me reconnect with my body and movement. My Pilates instructor, Mr. Eugene. Welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Thank you, thank you, thank you. It is such a pleasure to be here.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

Absolutely. So, Mr. Eugene, how long have you been teaching Pilates?

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Um Pilates I've been teaching since so this will probably be my 25th year. Oh yeah I've been teaching Pilates. I've been in the fitness industry for 30 years. This will be 31 years. No, I'm sorry, 32. I started 1994, sorry. Okay. And so I uh found my way into Pilates in about the year 2000. Um I ran a department in a health club, and they wanted to bring Pilates to that club. And they said, This is because this is in your department, we want you to spearhead, you know, everything that that goes along with this.

SPEAKER_02 1:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:30

So I went through the training, and it was the first training that I had ever gone through that was six months long. So we met once a month for six months, and in between we had to fulfill these hours of teaching. Each weekend when we would meet, we would meet 16 hours. So essentially, think of having maybe a year or two years of anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, uh all of that kind of boiled down into two eight-hour periods. Now we're gonna put that on this thing called reformer. And so that was my introduction, and it completely changed the way that I saw movement, the way that I saw exercise, and the way that I saw the fitness industry because I saw possibility. And then to know that Pilates was created in 1906. Okay, and now it's the you know the end of the century, and I'm now teaching it. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

Wow. So how does it vary from you um learning how to teach it with people using a reformer versus how you teach it now?

SPEAKER_00 2:40

When you look at Pilates, the reformer can either enhance or help or enhance a workout or help a person. When you look at Pilates in terms of the actual reformer, it was created for people who had uh movement inefficiency. So when you see some of the earlier footages of it, there would be people who couldn't use their legs or use their arms. So the implements on a reformer actually helped them to sit up or help them to move. And then Joseph Pilates and his wife actually adapted that for the masses. He was actually, the story goes, he was contacted to help uh people coming out of World War I to assimilate back into some into some you know some forms of of life. And so that's how it was created. And he actually did not create something, start out to create something called after himself, right? He didn't want to create, you know what they we just adapted it to Pilates. He wanted it to be called Contrology, which is the study of muscle control. Oh and so from that, the principles of Pilates, how you organize your shoulders, how you organize your hips, how you move through space, how you use your core as the as the literally the linchpin of all movement, all muscles originate, or not, excuse me, not originate, but they have some dealings with your core. If we move forward, backwards, side to side, those movements are initiated from your core.

unknown 4:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

When I say core, just just for just for uh uh exercise purposes, I'm talking about everything from your sternum. If you drew me a circle all the way around, including your lower back, and then went down to about your pelvis, that's essentially your core.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

Okay. Well, that jumps us right into our next question. So when you hear the phrase wellness is wealth, what does that mean to you, especially as someone who works with bodies every day?

SPEAKER_00 4:46

Yeah, that is uh is a twofold question in terms of if we look at it in terms of your physical wealth, you being able to live longer, your investment in your movement or your movement practice is an investment in your future and how long you live. There are so many studies out there that that say the stronger you are, and I always say it's not you know, if it's when you fall. How are you gonna get up? Most people fall now, they break their hip. What happens is the minute you break your hip, for most people, the going from that hip replacement to you know, decline is very, very fast. So the stronger we can make you via something like Pilates, the better you are, the better investment we are in wellness. Now, we can look at this from an actual monetary side. Okay. The stronger you are, the more or the better your heart is, the less time you spend in the doctor's office, the less time you spend in the doctor's office, that's more money. I don't know about you, but co-pays now and the way insurances line up. That is more money that you have to put out. The less of that, the more I can put into my family or vacation. And if I'm stronger when I'm on vacation, I can do more with my family.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

So that initial investment in your wellness pays out so much dividends.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

Yes, that was an amazing answer, sure. Um, I think for me, I've just been on a wellness is wealth journey, not just in regards to movement, but just in regards to mental health as well. Um, and then kind of how those two coincide together. So uh yeah, Pilates was not what I thought it was gonna be. Yeah, it memories, yeah. But I am learning to have a appreciation for it.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

I'll give you an interesting statistic when we talk about wealth. The global health and wellness sector this year, the year 2026, I said I think is what the stat was. 6.3 trillion dollars is what they will make. That's trillion with a T. That's vitamins, that's health clubs, that's GLP1s, that is unfortunately, that's things like steroids or whatever, but the global sector is based on you making an investment in your wellness.

SPEAKER_03 7:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:38

So don't think that it's just like this mom and pop business. It really isn't.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

I mean, it's good to know that people are um being more involved in their own health. Um, because a lot of times when you go to the doctor, it's just preventative, it's just to suppress you know, your condition. But I think we're in this time where people are like, that's not good enough. You know what I mean? They want to live longer, they want to do more, uh, and they really want to live and enjoy their life. So I I love um the space that we're in where people are really like taking control of their health, they're learning things, you know, they're not just going with that first opinion, you know, they're going to research things and doing other things to heal their bodies in more healthy ways.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

So I'm here for it. If you look, and any person can challenge me on this, if you can find me one chronic disease, that exercise does not help. I would be, I would love to see it. I work in the and other than Pilates, I work in the Parkinson sector. Okay. So people that have got this diagnosis of Parkinson's the number one thing they tell them to do, go exercise. So rock steady boxing is something that I work with, and I tell people every punch that people throw is one, maybe five more seconds they've added to their life because of the of the outworkings of exercise on their body.

unknown 9:10

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 9:10

Think it if you think about that from cancer to diabetes, all of that exercise has a place to help you not cure, but maybe mitigate symptoms or help you to live longer.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

Okay. Well, look at you. We just coasting through you. You you just you you setting us up right for the next one.

SPEAKER_00 9:34

That's what that's that's my thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

Um, so why is movement and wellness so important as we age and what happens to the body when we neglect it?

SPEAKER_00 9:45

First, it's like I think we need to shift a little bit of our language. Um, we we tend to think of as we age, things are far gone. Okay, and they're not really far gone. Your body, as long as you're alive and on this planet, you can always build strength, you can always strengthen your heart. Longevity is the newest quote unquote thing. Go figure, people want to be here longer, right? Yeah, it's never too late to start. You can start at any time and build lean muscle, you can start at any time, protect your joints, build bone density. You can always do that. Um, movement should always be a part of your life, and that may look different for some people. It may be walking, it may be joining a gym, it may be going to a, if you're older, going to a senior center. Community and movement works with accountability. That accountability is what will net people who are younger, who are are are in their 20s and 30s, building muscle, losing fat, if that's your goal. First, I think people should just define out what their goals are, and you'll find something that will be able to get you there. It's just getting in front of the right person that can help lead you.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

So true. And then sometimes I feel like you may not even know what your goals are, you know, like 100%. You may have have an idea. Um, but I think for me, my wellness and wealth, how that lined up was just, I think it started with my mental and my emotional health first. And once that was like in a depth space, I feel like the wellness and the movement part kind of just aligned naturally. And then you look up and people are like, You look like you lost weight. Like, what did you do? And I didn't really have an answer because I'm like, I gotta think about like what did I do? And I'm like, actually, I went to therapy.

SPEAKER_00 11:53

Yeah. Well, and so you bring off like 47. And then you know everything else.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

So then it's like, I think once you are aligned with your emotional and your mental health, you're just gonna automatically align with your your your movement and your wellness overall. So I started there, and I think once that was in a good space, then I was just like, okay, my mindset about everything was changing. So I'm like, what am I putting in my body? Why am I eating this? How much of this am I eating? Um, you know, how often am I moving throughout my week where I'm actually having some type of physical exercise, other than, you know, going up and down your steps or, you know, walking out the house to get in your car to go sit somewhere else. You know what I mean? And so I think that's when it kind of clicked for me. Um, and then I just feel like from there it just the the journey just continues. You know, you just get more um conscious about what it is that you're putting in your body, you know, and how that is either fueling you or making you tired, you know. And my thing was sugar because I'm always on the go. So I'm like, you know, I need to go to Starbucks, I need to go to Dr. Donut, I need to go to Tropical Smoothie. And a lot of times when we're ordering things, we we're not looking at the sugar intake or the ingredients, you know, that they're adding. We're just like, well, we're just ordering it.

SPEAKER_00 13:20

Yeah, it's our journey, a couple things. You talked about defining out what a goal is. And I that used to be something I was very adamant about. Figure out a goal so we can do it. You've heard the term smart goal, right? Everyone, everyone has heard that. But what I found is we pass up, you know, that old adage, pass up the the forest for the trees. We forget that along this journey, there are certain things that we're missing. You said my mental wellness or my mental health. You started there. So you took care of this little eight to ten inch space that's on top of your shoulders. Because if I can take care of that, then the rest of it is very, very easy. Most people think that you have to be motivated to do something. You don't have to be motivated. People who sit on their couch are motivated. You have to take action. Yes. Once you take the action, the motivation will come along. So you you worked with your your mental your mental health. Why would you miss just go, okay? I'm in a better space mentally for I want to lose weight. Losing weight is good, but think of where you are mentally, how that informs your decisions to get to weight loss. And emotionally. Exactly. It informs your decision with your family, with your work. Wellness, just so that everyone knows, there are eight dimensions to wellness. Emotional wellness is one, physical wellness is another, financial wellness is another, environmental wellness is another. Okay, so if you just looked at those four and what you talk about on each and every show, think of how all of those four roll up into what you just talked about. If I'm worried about my environment and what goes into my body, then I'm gonna know where that food is coming from, how that's gonna react to my body. Absolutely. Right? If I think about my physical wellness, it's the also the absence of disease. And I don't want to treat mental health as a disease. It it's it's there, there are conditions and their diagnoses, right? But those roll up into my emotional, my my physical wellness, it rolls up into my environmental, it rolls up into my communal wellness, right? And financial. So, and you're fine, let's not even go there. So, yeah, wellness is a very broad term, but it's never too late to start. Absolutely. We can always improve, always, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

And I feel like a lot of what people are carrying around when they think of weight is not always just what you're eating or what you're not eating. A lot of times it is mental and emotional, and once you kind of clear those out, you'll notice you probably start to drop weight. Yes, because your subconscious is now clear. Now you can make healthier choices and decisions, and you're not just making them based on, well, how do I feel today? And I realized for me, a lot of the times when I was eating, it wasn't because that's what I wanted to eat. I was eating based off of how I feel today, at this moment.

SPEAKER_00 16:41

You know what I mean? Do you know what that's called? It's a big scientific word we use in fit. I was gonna say emotional eating, but behavioral change. Okay. If you create the conditions to make better choices, it's behavioral change. What I ask people routinely when I do wellness consultations or even I do um nutrition consultations is I need to know three things: the time you eat, what you eat, and the mood at which you are when you ate, because that will tell me more so than what calories are, more so than what your intake is, right? If I have those things, then we have something to work with. I just met with someone and you know they said they had no control over portions when they ate dinner. I'm like, well, maybe intrinsically, you're going, that's the only time I'm gonna be spending with my husband. So I'm not gonna eat so that I spend more time with him in that space. Maybe there's an instance where if your goal is weight loss, we create the conditions where you eat more throughout the day so that when you sit down with him, you're not worried about overeating. You can now converse with your loved one and still have more control over your food. It's about balance.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

So absolutely. There you go. Very true. And a lot of times I feel like we may not even be hungry.

SPEAKER_00 18:08

Nope.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Probably 99.9% of the time we're dehydrated and we need to drink something.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

Yep. But you won't know unless you do something like track your food, track your intake, just so you can see. Just it's data, it's not a pronouncement of who you are as an individual, it's data. We live in a data-driven age, and that's what tracking food will do.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

Absolutely. Oh, I'm loving this. This is good. So, as a black man teaching Pilates, what does representation and wellness spaces mean to you? And why do you think it matters for black women and men to see instructors who look like them? Oh, I couldn't wait to get to the card. All right.

SPEAKER_00 18:52

Uh if I could tell a real quick story, when I started teaching, there were not, where I started teaching, there weren't, if any, people of color who taught. It wasn't until I went toward the inner city um and I saw nothing but people of color moving, and it was the most awe-inspiring thing ever. But then when I came out of that space into different areas where 99.5% of the people were not people of color, and I didn't see representation, you start to develop attitudes or thoughts about yourself and what others will do to write your narrative. I sat in on a speech once with the actor Winston Duke. Do you know who that is? Winston Duke played Lord Umbaku in um Black Panther. Yes. And he talked about his journey. And he said, very important to this day, he said, never let anyone else write your narrative. So when I got certified in Pilates, I knew going in, I was already to be a black man teaching group exercise was like a white unicorn. No, I mean, no, you don't really find that. So to be a man of color teaching Pilates is even more rare.

SPEAKER_01 20:27

Very, very rare. Because when I walked up in that class, I was I just knew it was gonna be a middle-aged person that was not of color.

SPEAKER_00 20:39

Well, can I tell you how I'll flip it for you in that what filled my heart more was seeing you there because we don't normally see black women in Pilates. Absolutely. It's there are a lot of black women who think like that is not the space for me because of this industry is driven by the lack of representation. A particular uh gender, a particular ethnicity of person, correct, of of of color. Um so it's very hard in this in this industry, it's very hard in this industry to be at the level that I want to be, which is in instructor education. Because the perception is I'm only good to dance around or do these other types of things. The education that's needed to deliver the product of Pilates, people would think is beyond what my education level is.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

It hurts by looking at you.

SPEAKER_00 21:50

Yes, it hurts, wow, but it gives me the fuel to prove them wrong. Yeah, you're out here proving them. So wrong. Well, what I will say is. Being in that space, I am more confident now because I'm starting to see more people of color there.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

Because maybe that class was packed today.

SPEAKER_00 22:10

It was.

SPEAKER_01 22:10

There, there were a lot more color in there today.

SPEAKER_00 22:14

Exactly. And I think if people, specifically women of color, realize that, and I'm one for the science and the the data behind it. This year, women of color will spend 2.3 billion dollars on themselves in wellness. So for what I hear a lot of is there are people who can't afford, it's not true. If they see themselves in your space, they'll spend the money. Absolutely. Why do you think they will go and buy things from black-owned businesses? Because they see themselves represented. So if I can give twofold, if I can give people of color, hope is not the word, if I can give them that representation, then they know we are just more than this thing. But if I can let people who are not of color know, oh, I've misjudged. Do you know how many times I've had people take my class and go, I misjudged you? Of course you did, because you judged a book by its cover.

SPEAKER_01 23:31

Yeah. They saw the the first page making. Exactly. Yeah, no.

SPEAKER_00 23:34

Yeah, that that's been my favorite part. That has been, if I had a dollar for every time a person told me, it might be to a million. Yeah, I that I wasn't going to be able to do something or I wasn't going to be successful, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you right now.

unknown 23:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:51

I'm not proven people. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:53

But I I was definitely glad to walk up in that Pilates class and see some representation.

SPEAKER_00 23:59

It is amazing to see.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Honestly, I feel like that's the reason I come back.

unknown 24:04

Good.

SPEAKER_01 24:04

Good. And I'd be telling the people, I'd be like, y'all gotta go to Eugene's class.

SPEAKER_00 24:08

You and it's just I I think it's good because we now pull people into our space and we see that there is no difference. And everyone knows that. I'm gonna take this here and then I'm gonna pull it off the table. Everyone knows that the concept of race, the way that we define it, is a social construct. It does not exist. We are all one race. What we have done is put people in boxes and assume that that's where they belong. That that that's gone. We need to have that gone. And my job is to hopefully show that we all fit in uh differently.

SPEAKER_01 24:59

So absolutely. I love that. Um yeah, you you make Pilates really fun. I mean, it's not easy, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:07

And you know, what's funny is I I I I said this last week is y'all, really? We're we're doing some of the oddest moves ever. Oh my gosh, you can't odd. You can't, how can you not laugh at yourself? Like we're literally sitting up like we're raising up out of a coffin. Now that that move has a purpose, right? Absolutely. But yes, I'm not you can't be serious, like you can't be stress running to Pilates, like literally, really, like and the reminder to breathe is also important. Yeah, absolutely. That's I don't hear y'all breathing, breathing and core control. But what you will hear in class is that grunt from someone. And I said it this morning grunting is not breathing, y'all. Grunting is not breathing, breathe out. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:50

Okay, but definitely a fun class, definitely enjoy it. Um, definitely not easy. No, but I feel like the more I do it, um, the more familiar it's starting to feel.

SPEAKER_00 26:03

And that goes back to the very first question you asked me about what about uh it being never too late. Yes, always learn a skill because it's the computer that controls the skill. If we get the computer involved with the muscles, which is the you know, essentially the hardware, we're good to go.

SPEAKER_01 26:25

We do, we just move it right into the next one. I try. So, what would you say to someone who feels like it's too late to start their wellness journey?

SPEAKER_00 26:33

It's never too late. It is absolutely never too late. It's what stops you from starting that journey is you putting that barrier in front yourself. I can't do it because there's no time. I can't do it because I don't know the people. I can't do it, even I can't do it because I don't see myself represented. Shirley Chisholm, if if I'm not invited to the table, I'm either gonna bring my own chair or make my own table. Exactly. Right? In terms of starting, or I don't have the time, you are either gonna make the time for yourself or you're gonna have to make the time at the doctor's office. Either one. It's it's up to you what you choose. Um, most people go, I don't have the money. Do you have to belong to the same health club where you belong? No, it costs nothing to move. If you get up and move, and we now carry a computer around, as long as you listen to the right voice on that computer, you can find the information that you need. Now, do I want you to come to my class? Absolutely. Right? But it's never too late to start, and there's always the things out there for you to do.

SPEAKER_01 27:55

Absolutely. I definitely agree with that. There are so many um workouts um on YouTube that you can do from home. Um, some of them are free.

SPEAKER_00 28:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:07

You know, the instructors are offering certain videos for free that you can do from home. So there is no excuse. I think for me, um, again, it it goes back to the mental and emotional health because your your brain would trick you into not doing a lot of things. Um and it's very important for you to have a clear conscience and to be in a good mental and emotional state so that you can, you know, push through those challenging things, um, that self-sabotaging or feeling like you have to have everything in place to just start. Um and I can agree, like when I first started working out, it was not exciting, like it was very overwhelming. But not just like one, just starting because it was something new and unfamiliar, but also I think sometimes the gym can be intimidating if it's not a place that you frequent often. Um, but also if you're in there with no plan, then you just kind of looking around, you know what I mean? And following other people. And just following other people. So my advice would be to like research, you know, maybe you know, figure out what it is that you want to work on in regards to your physical appearance and maybe find things that you actually enjoy doing and research what machines you can use in the gym, you know, to work on those particular areas and have a game plan when you go in there. Now, a lot of times I handle game plan, but I was just like, let me get in there.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

Let me go, which is fine.

SPEAKER_01 29:39

Let me get in there, and you know, you know, some days you're not gonna have the best workout. Um, I find the classes are more fun, it's also a good way to like connect with other people. People just start randomly talking to you and like, girl, you gonna be in the class next week? And now now you're like, now I have to come back because now this person is looking for me. Or you just had such a good time and now you want to go back.

SPEAKER_00 30:06

And you, I will specifically highlight you. You are creating the community for people who look like us because the minute you go, you gotta go to this class, and then it becomes you took class, the the young lady I looked at today, yeah, she was like, Oh, I hate this class. I said, but I'll see you next week.

SPEAKER_01 30:26

She's like, Yeah, I'll see you next week. Crazy thing is, I saw her Tuesday. I was walking at the gym completely oblivious, just locked in. And she's walking toward me, mind you, I you would have thought I'd never met her a day in my life. And I'm just like, she's like, hey girl. And I'm like, oh, hey. And I'm trying to think about where I'm like, oh, she was at Pilates last week. She's like, see you tomorrow. I'm like, yeah, see you in the morning.

SPEAKER_00 30:50

That is the number one thing that keeps people motivated is community. When you when you see a person out at the grocery store and you look at them, you go, I got you. I see you Wednesday, I'll see you Wednesday. Because now you're holding them accountable. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 31:08

And also holding yourself accountable.

SPEAKER_00 31:10

And so think about now what type of behavior that builds. You end up going, I gotta be there because my crew is gonna be there. That is exactly how I started going. The first time I walked into a group exercise class, I actually just talked to my best friend because he was my first workout partner. It was a step aerobics class. Did, oh my gosh, I think I did everything but fall on the floor. But what happened was the instructor said, Are you coming back next week? Her name was Allison. And Allison was the typical, right? She's probably about this big. She said, Are you coming back next week? I was like, I'll be back. And that was the birth of who I was because I kept going back, kept going back so much so that I ended up becoming a steparobics champion, but I had to go every week. And then everyone became like, you didn't name like five different jobs. So my so 30 years. You're not gonna breathe over there. So in 30 years, my my weight loss journey was I started, I was by probably about 340 pounds. And so I lost weight. And what I did was the thing that most people don't want to do now. I had joined a gym, so I had the action. I joined the gym, but I kind of wandered around the gym, didn't know what I was doing. Um, and I went up to the young, there was a young lady named Sheila, one of the only other black girls who she worked there. I was like, Sheila, I need to talk to someone about what I need to do to lose weight. She was like, You need to talk to Nick. And they used to call him, I swear, his name was Nick Nautilus. His real name, his first name was Nick. But I went and talked to him, and he was as real as he could be. He was like, Listen, I bike, so I can eat this way. You want to lose weight, you can't, you you, this is how you need to eat. And he told me. And if I looked at that, it's counterintuitive to what people eat now, right? So, first year I lost about 120 pounds, and then I would work out, and then someone was like, You should go ahead and take a uh a group exercise class because I was doing cardio, I would leave work, talk about balance. I would leave work at three o'clock, go to the gym, I'd do an all-hour of cardio, go home and eat, and go back to the gym and work out from eight to ten. I was like, I gotta combine some stuff. So then I started to I go to work at like five o'clock in the morning. I started going, and this is when I started working out with with my best friend, or Lucius worked out with me the whole time, but we started taking classes. You're not in real life, Lucius. Oh, yeah. No, no. I'm telling you, he just made matter of fact, he's one of the I'm that age now where I can go, I've known that man for 35 years, right? Um started taking classes, and then the same instructor, I had a male instructor, his name was Chris. Chris said, You should look at being an instructor. So I went to another instructor's class, and her name is Angela. And to this day, I have Angela on speed dial. Started taking her class, she mentored me. I took the test, and I took this test, and this is how exercise saved my life. My father had a uh end-of-life diagnosis, he had cancer. Oh, and my father passed away before I got the results from my test, and I had passed. Oh, wow. So I started teaching and I started teaching, and from there, everything I could think about was exercise. I I wanted it, I wanted more knowledge. So I kept teaching and teaching. I taught step aerobics and I competed in this uh step competition. The first year I competed, I lost. And then I was like, I'm done with this. And then two years later, I competed in one, and then next year I competed in one. So yeah, it's been a long journey. So yeah. I love that. We'll have to have the talk about martial arts and how martial arts fits into this because I also I've taught I still teach martial arts and I teach hip-hop. So I teach hip hop, dance, and that's it.

SPEAKER_01 35:11

Is there anything you don't do? Because you said nutrition, you do something with Parkinson's, hip-hop, step, Pilates. You wore me out in total body workout yesterday.

SPEAKER_00 35:22

True story. I'll tell you what it is. It is water fitness. That's the only class. It's not that I can't teach it. I just had this thing. I'm gonna throw one more thing. This is true. I before I got into fitness, my whole life I wanted to be an actor. So I was a stage actor for a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 35:39

That's another thing. Just I I'm trying to look ahead.

SPEAKER_00 35:42

It was all it was all in there. When I teach water fitness, I have been on stage, Adrian. I was in a play that ran for two and a half years here in in the city. The name of the show was I Believe in God. I was I was the doctor and I was the voice of God. And it's something about when I'm standing on a pool deck and I look out and all I see are the heads of people above the water. It freaks me out. I I lose it. I'm like, I can't, I can't do it. I can't do it. So that's the only thing I don't teach.

SPEAKER_01 36:13

Okay. So yeah. It kind of makes sense, I think. It can be very creepy. I I'm glad that you didn't say like you were afraid of water and swim.

SPEAKER_00 36:22

No, no. That's never mind.

SPEAKER_01 36:24

We can talk about that in terms of terms of us. That's what I feel.

unknown 36:29

No.

SPEAKER_01 36:29

But then when you said that, I was like, no, it wasn't the terrible.

unknown 36:33

No.

SPEAKER_01 36:35

Well, thank you for answering that question. Yeah, yeah. Um, but yes, you you are very uh well-rounded.

SPEAKER_00 36:41

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:42

Um but I love that. Yeah. I love that you you've done a little bit of everything. You're very knowledgeable, very educated. Um, and that's not something that people can grasp. That's not looking at you.

SPEAKER_00 36:55

Yeah, it is, it is, it's been a long journey. And what's interesting is one of the things that has eluded me, that other bucket list thing, is to finish my degree. Because I started my degree and just haven't finished it. Because as you know, one of the other big industries is uh education, and so there are a lot of outlets out there. Um, so I'll be done pretty soon.

SPEAKER_01 37:19

Okay, well, all the best on that journey. You're off to a a great start, so it's only gonna get greater from here.

SPEAKER_00 37:26

A lot of the knowledge that I already have, it's just going through the steps to get the degree. Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 37:34

Okay. So, how does consistent movement like Pilates support longevity and overall quality of life beyond aesthetics? I think we sort of kind of touched on that, but not quite.

SPEAKER_00 37:48

Well, think of it like this: if you're building a house, you need a foundation, right? Building the foundation in things like Pilates, where the movement is the focus, how you move. Take what you now do in Pilates, because this is what I do with all of my personal training clients shoulder girdles, hips, core, how you move, and now adapt that to an actual exercise like a shoulder press or a push-up or a squat. That changes how you do those moves so that you get the most out of that move. And if you get the most out of the move, you will be closer or faster at getting your results. That is how we use Pilates in terms of strength. If I can build strength, then I can build longevity. If I can build strength in your lower body, then I can build endurance for you to do cardiovascular. Now I can build heart health. And those two things are key points or or key uh uh tenets of longevity. Nice.

unknown 38:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 39:02

Uh so that investment in your in your uh in your wellness is really based in the concept of longevity, which is one of the biggest things now. People want to live longer, they want to be stronger for longer. So being able to put more time and more effort into your movement practice gives you the bone health, the muscular strength. It gives you the cardiovascular health so that you're here for your family, your loved ones, whatever you deem as fit, no pun intended. So that really is that that investment is really where wellness and health kind of meet in terms of longevity. And you'll see that now. What people are doing in terms of their wellness journey, even as far as 20, it's about being here for longer. So you're gonna hear that word longevity for at least the next three to five years.

SPEAKER_01 40:05

Okay, thank you for that. So I do have a question. This is kind of off script, but for someone who is just kind of getting into their wellness and movement journey, what is a realistic amount of days out of a week that you would suggest for them to be moving, to be working out?

SPEAKER_00 40:28

Rule of thumb, I would say aim for three. There are many times when people, when I ask people how many days can you work out? They're like, I'm working out seven days a week. I'm like, listen, I work in fitness and I don't work out seven days a week. Yes, realistically, say three, and if you do four, it's extra credit. But most people can do two. What you said if you could do four. If you do zero now, right, two days is 200%, and that's perfect. And when you think about it, if you are eating the exact same, let's say you ate the same meal, and that meal was, or you ate the same meals throughout the day, and that equaled 2,000 calories, and now you move two days a week, and at the end of the week, the amount of calories you were in a deficit was let's say a thousand calories. Okay. You were literally, in theory, losing a third of a pound, and all you did was added activity. You didn't change your eating, you didn't start taking this pill, all you did was added movement, which requires energy. So we reduced the amount of not really reduced, we we added to the amount of activity, which increased the amount of calories you burned. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_03 41:58

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 41:59

So all we did was take a bank and withdraw from the bank. So there you go.

SPEAKER_01 42:04

Okay. And lastly, this is also off script. Is the 80-20 rule really true? That losing weight is 80% of what you consume and 20% of you actually moving your body, meaning working out, going to the gym?

SPEAKER_00 42:23

Uh, I mean, I think they just put those percentages in there. I looked at the case. I'm just asking for the family fam. You know, think of it like this. If I have 24 hours in a day, okay, and I work out for one hour. What is that, like 4% of your day? What do you do in the other 96? The other 96% is generally what's powering that 4%. We put all of our thought into the workout. There is no workout that's going to cure a bad diet. Likewise, working out is not penance for bad diet. You should be celebrating what you can do when you work out, not you know, kneeling at the throne of like, I was bad, I drank too much, or I ate too much.

unknown 43:22

No. No. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 43:24

Well, y'all heard it from a professional. I'm just telling you right now. Keep clearing up the rumors. Um theories, or whatever y'all thought. What was another one I heard the other day that was interesting to me? It oh, can I just say this? Wellness or eating healthy does not mean your food is bland. There's no calories in spices. Unless you're mixing your spices with sugar, there's no calories in spices. So you can put seasoning on your food. I think what we got was. When we put seasoning on food, we all probably have 10 bottles of Lowry seasoned salt in your cabinet. And that's what we use to put on everything. The salt may drive you to eat other things. So I think people think no seasoning, because then I won't eat. That's not true.

SPEAKER_01 44:22

Well, don't don't overseas them.

SPEAKER_00 44:23

No, don't no, don't overseason, but you but definitely season your food. But season your food. Healthy food can be tasty too now. It absolutely 100% can. Yes. And that that's one of the old uh things I go through.

SPEAKER_01 44:35

Well, thank you for clarifying that for the people. We appreciate you. So before we wrap up, we have a segment on the Fat Podcast called Grounded in Gratitude. This is a moment where we pause, reflect, and acknowledge things that keep us centered, especially in seasons of growth, work, and movement. So my question is what is something you're currently grateful for in your life or within your wellness journey and why?

SPEAKER_00 45:00

Hands down, 100% my children. I have I have three children. My oldest daughter, her birthday is today. She's 34.

SPEAKER_01 45:11

Happy birthday.

SPEAKER_00 45:12

And she was one of the reasons why I started working out because when I was heavier, she would just go, let's run, Daddy. And we would just run around the table in the living room, and I would get winded. So that I was like, okay, I gotta do something. I have a 17-year-old son. Yes, I understand there's a huge gap there.

SPEAKER_01 45:30

Mind your business.

SPEAKER_00 45:31

Yeah, right. My my 17-year-old son loves football. He loves to train to play football. Okay. So now the knowledge that I've acquired over the past 30 years, I can use to help him get to his next level. Okay. So I am extremely grateful for uh for my children. So you only name. So my middle daughter is she's like the one who just she's like, what do I need to do? Like, this is what you need to be. All right, I'm going to do it. So you know, so yeah. Got it.

SPEAKER_01 46:08

Okay, I love that. Your children. I got three, too.

SPEAKER_00 46:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:12

And I have huge gaps as well.

SPEAKER_00 46:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:15

A six-year gap between my older son who was 16 and my middle daughter who is 10. Yep. And then my middle daughter and my youngest son who is five. There's a five-year gap. I thought I was doing something. Yeah, you're and realized, like, girl, it's still ghetto raising kids.

SPEAKER_00 46:35

Listen, that is one of people understand that for those who are.

SPEAKER_01 46:40

And it's a forever thing. I think when I thought about having kids, I was like, oh, you know, you know, after not just having realistic expectations of how long the mothering and parenting journey is.

SPEAKER_00 46:54

We forget we had parents too.

SPEAKER_01 46:56

And how long did that journey go? And now I'm like, ooh, I was really on my mama nerves. And now look at me. Children that's on my last.

SPEAKER_00 47:06

Like this. See this, this is the last one, and you own it.

SPEAKER_01 47:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:10

Love them deep.

SPEAKER_00 47:12

But I'm like, this is a long cue the whoopee Goldberg. Long. Cue the Whoopi Goldberg from Color Purple. Yes. That's all right.

SPEAKER_01 47:23

But uh grateful, you know, just here. Balancing motherhood, wifehood, entrepreneurship, all the things.

SPEAKER_00 47:32

I will say this though. When I I was able to teach uh and do instructor training, I got flown out to Las Vegas to do this instructor training at a convention. And that had always been one of the pinnacle things I wanted to do, one of the biggest things I wanted to do in my career. What I noticed when I started teaching this class was I looked out, and my oldest daughter and my son were there watching me and they had never seen me teach before.

SPEAKER_01 48:00

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 48:00

And so to see the look on their face and be like, that's my dad up there was one of was a big thing for me. More so than the people who were out in there who were taking the class.

SPEAKER_01 48:09

Absolutely. I think you know, having the support of the people that you wake up to every day is very important. Um and I had a moment like that during my first season of my podcast. My kids were like, Oh, you're doing podcasts. That's cool. And I want to be on the podcast. And um, and then when I wrapped up my last episode, which was um episode eight, I can't think of the name of it right now. Actually was grounded in gratitude. Um and I had to really like just reflect on all that I had accomplished um in three months, you know, just deciding like, okay, I'm doing this thing, and I had to do the editing and the promoting and all the things. And you know, you get to the end of things and you're just like, all right, what's next? And I really just didn't want to do that. I wanted to really relish in that moment and really like sit in that and be like, girl, in three months.

SPEAKER_00 49:11

It's the same way in fitness. Think about the first day you walked in the door and then look at yourself three months later. If you're there consistently, you're gonna you're gonna look back and go, that quote unquote, not scared, but that person who didn't know what was going on in the gym is now a community leader. Girl, I'll see you at class next week. You see, Adrian, you need something to do with it. But we'll listen to her because she knows what she's doing.

SPEAKER_01 49:38

So and I still I'm still figuring it out, but the the most important thing for me is that I'm enjoying what I'm doing. So and I'm staying committed to what I said I was gonna do for me.

SPEAKER_03 49:50

You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 49:51

So then that's when you see that discipline and that consistency sticking in, and you now making um healthier choices without even thinking twice. You know, I really wanted a jalapeno uh pretzel yesterday. So, so delicious. And I was like, and I it was time for me to eat because I'm doing intermittent fasting. So my window is from 12 to 6. And I was like, dang, I really want that freaking pretzel. And I was like, is that a healthy choice? And I was like, it's not. So I didn't get the pretzel. Okay, I went to Kava instead and got me a nice salad, and it was quite delicious. The salad was good, um, but it still doesn't negate the fact that I wanted that freaking pretzel.

SPEAKER_00 50:36

You know, here, I let me ask you this. Okay, so let's say you were at your window and you were out with your children, and you're like, We're going to go and have this pretzel. Because you eat the pretzel, it doesn't negate all of the work you did prior to the pretzel. But like you said, the journey, I would rather go if I went out with my daughter tonight for dinner. Am I gonna sit down at her favorite restaurant and go, I'll just have a salad, please? No, I'm going to enjoy that moment because she's only gonna get one 34th birthday, right? And I'm only gonna experience one 34th birthday with her. I'd rather enjoy that time and realize tomorrow my day starts over. Sometimes we need to pause and soak in the moment day to day. If you go, I want that pretzel. Now I'm gonna go to Kaaba. What I ask is, and I ask anyone, write down why you felt you needed the pretzel and look at that.

SPEAKER_01 51:52

So I knew why I wanted the pretzel. I didn't need the pretzel, I knew why I wanted the pretzel. Why'd you want the pretzel? I wanted the pretzel because it was comfort. I had gone to work out. Can you say it one more time? Comfort. Oh, oh, blame me. I'm not blaming you, but the the class we worked, it don't say total body for nothing. It was definitely a total body workout.

SPEAKER_00 52:15

It's in the description.

SPEAKER_01 52:16

Correct. So it was feeling like I needed to be rewarded for that, but also like I haven't eaten. I stopped eating at 6 p.m. last night when I got up. I did not eat. I had water. So now I have left this class that I have been working out in for an hour, and I'm hungry.

SPEAKER_00 52:42

That's the mechanism right there. It's it's the it's the emotional response to hunger. Fasting is fine, but the conditions are, and I think one thing that the listeners may not know is that when you're done a workout, you typically will go to the sauna.

SPEAKER_01 53:04

Yes, I do.

SPEAKER_00 53:05

Okay, so there's more time that you that that you're in the facility. Creating those conditions, you did the most amazing thing by making that choice. There's some people who are who may go a different direction. But what we want to you you use the word were. I was her. I was her, but you're not her because of the journey. Yes. So looking at that behavior change along the journey helps you to rationalize hey, I'm out with my family, I'm gonna have the pretzel. I know I'm hungry because I just worked out, I did a new class, I'm past my window. Let me think about making this choice. Yes, just because you make one choice doesn't mean all other choices and I didn't want to regret that choice later.

SPEAKER_01 53:50

Bingo, because I feel like it would have taken away from the fact that I had already committed to going to a class and working out. Now I'm gonna, and not that I couldn't have had the pretzel, but I was just like, the mental warfare that I'm about to experience because I'm like, girl, you know you didn't need and I was talking to my husband, he was like, What pretzel place are you talking about? And I'm like, one, I handle business in the shopping center anyway. Let's start there. Um but I was browsing, I didn't buy anything. Um, but I saw the pretzel right there. Right, a whole setup. I saw the pretzel place, and I was like, and I I've been telling my husband he should try the jalapeno cheese pretzel. Um so I'm now I'm telling him about it. And he's like, Well, why don't you go get a pretzel? And I was just like, nah. I think I'm gonna make a healthier choice. I'm gonna go get a salad.

SPEAKER_00 54:36

I'm gonna make a different choice.

SPEAKER_01 54:37

Um, but I didn't want one to have that guilt later about it. And then two, it made me think about all the other times that I did give in to that craving when I I got that chocolate chip warm cookie from Starbucks, when I got that donut, when I ate that bag of chip, you know what I mean? So it's it made me think about like how many times are you gonna do that?

SPEAKER_00 55:00

That adds up. So that when when I sit with people and they go, I love this, I don't know how the weight got on me. You know, you just haven't reconciled with the mechanism that got you there. It's the choices, but you're at a place to where you're making different choices now, just where, like everyone else is at a place to where your choices have consequences, even with eating. And all I'm saying is I'm not saying always choose the salad. I'm just saying, I'm a big person for journaling. Journal your thoughts so you know, in some respect, what's informing your decisions.

SPEAKER_01 55:48

Absolutely. And I think again, it goes back to that mental and emotional um health. Oh, absolutely. Um when I look at look back at old pictures of myself, it wasn't that I didn't fully love myself, but that emotional um burden from not just yourself, but from other people. Um, and that the mental load of things that all affects the choices that you make that will affect your weight. You know what I mean? So although I was much heavier, um I still had a confidence about myself. It it was still a love there for myself. But I think for me, it was more about what it looks like to other people. Now I'm in this space of like, what does that look like to me, but from the inside of me? Because I you can look great on the outside. That don't mean that you're not dying on the inside.

SPEAKER_00 56:38

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 56:39

You know what I'm saying? And so I had to start thinking about it like that. Like, on the outside, I look, I look like I take care of myself, I look like I care. But like, do I really care about the mental, the emotional, and the physical of me? And so that that became a thing. I'm like, so now it's you know, with therapy, it just helps you to understand all the emotional and mental baggage that you have not addressed. You know what I mean? Trauma. I'll say there was yeah, and then you know, all the things that you held on to from other people that weren't yours.

SPEAKER_00 57:14

Yeah, you're gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_01 57:16

You know what I mean? That's a lot of weight, even though it's mental and emotional, but it's also physical. Because once you tap into that, now you're like, also these habits are no longer serving me. You know what I mean? Now these things I need to change, but it becomes more of a conscious thing. Now it's like you're not even because now I'm doing things without even really thinking about it too much. I'm not overthinking, I'm just like, girl, you know you only have Dan Pressful. Go get a salad.

SPEAKER_00 57:44

People will make decisions, for instance, and you see this a lot in the entertainment industry, and we've seen this a lot, and it really only happens, it's happened a number of times with with um celebrities who are who are not of color, but you see it mostly with with women who are of color, where they may be more full-figured, if I could use that word, yeah, than others. And they will wear their shape proudly until someone else taps into their ability to make money. And they weigh they may wear that moniker proudly and say, I'm a big, beautiful, you know, black woman and I don't care who knows it. But then somehow your pocketbook, and I'm not saying that they're yielding to the money, but it goes back to what people do to your mind, yes, where they say, You will get passed up for this if you don't do this. And we've seen a lot of celebrities who were who wore that proudly, and then all of a sudden you see the you see the the news story, so-and-so has lost so much weight, da-da-da-da-da-da-da. That goes into another show where we can talk about our concept of beauty and where we fit in terms of beauty, right?

SPEAKER_02 59:02

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 59:03

And it goes back to someone else writing your narrative. Don't let anyone else write your narrative, stand by it proudly. I asked Winston Duke in that speech, I said, Of course, I'm the only goofball in there who says, How did you get in shape for Black Panther? He said, Listen, if you notice in that movie, the very first scene, I worked out for six months. That scene was probably about six minutes, and the rest of the movie, I had clothes on. It was like, because it's not, it is not sustainable. And that speech made me think a lot about that.

SPEAKER_01 59:37

So thank you so much for sharing your grounded in gratitude moment. Um, it definitely reminded us that wellness isn't just physical, uh, it's emotional, mental, and spiritual too. Um, so if there are any listeners, uh, I think that listeners could take away um one thing from today's conversation about wellness and movement, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00 1:00:01

Never too late to start.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:03

Yes, love that.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:04

Enjoy the journey, enjoy that pause in the middle. Your start and you you dictate your ending. And really a big thing for me is create the community for you for success. No matter what that looks like, and that's all aspects of wellness. You surround yourself with like life. Exactly. Exactly. If you surround yourself with those people that will help lift you up, pick you up, help keep you on the right track, keep you accountable, your longevity, your health, your wellness, all aspects of wellness will will spin perfectly.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:48

Absolutely. And I want to add to the um accountability thing because a lot of times we can't rely on others to hold us accountable. Because if they don't, does that mean you don't still do what you said you were gonna do?

SPEAKER_00 1:01:01

No, yeah, that's what people, that's what some people do.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:05

And that's not the messaging I want to send. Like, yes, it's good to have accountability partners because there are times that you're gonna need that to get you in the gym because I've had accountability partners. Like I've had people who, you know, I was like, hey girl, you want to go to the gym? You know, and sometimes they could go and sometimes they couldn't go. But I'm like, am I not gonna go because they can't go? Because I didn't make this commitment based on if they're going or not. I made it based on what I want to do for me. So, yes, have accountability partners, but also still hold yourself accountable when those accountability partners cannot be accountable. Michael Jackson be accountable.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:41

Michael Jackson, you know what I mean? I'm starting with the man in the mirror. That's it. Start with the person in the mirror, and that's that's how you go.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:50

Never too late.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:51

Um enjoy the journey.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:53

Enjoy the journey. That's also important too. Yeah, because fitness and movement and wellness should be fun.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:58

If it's not fun, who and I know there are a lot of people that you go into the gym and they're grunting, and it's yeah, you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:05

It's I can see how people can maybe see it as torture, but the end result and how you feel, you know what I mean, and the longevity of your life is based on that.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:16

And I want to be clear that when you enjoy the journey, just like the journey of life, we have this thing called growing pains. No one's saying it's not going to be uncomfortable. No one's saying that there's not gonna be some challenges, that there's not going to be some pain. I always tell people when it comes to personal training, I said, whether you decide to hire me or not, there's going to be some sacrifice, whether it's monetary, whether it's tears, whether it's surgery or whatever. There's going to be some sacrifice, some strain, and some pain. You are just in charge of where that comes in.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:56

Absolutely. Yes. Well Mr. Eugene, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and reminding us that wellness is wealth. Movement is a gift, and how we care for our bodies today impacts how we live tomorrow. To our Fab listeners, thank you for tuning in to the Fab Podcast. If this episode resonated with you, be sure to share it with someone who needs the reminder to prioritize their wellness. Until next time, stay faithful, authentic, and bold. We out.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:23

All right.