1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,400 Speaker 1: Hi, folks, how are you? Thank you for tuning into 2 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:04,800 Speaker 1: this body and soul podcast called Healthy Ish. I am 3 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:09,200 Speaker 1: Felicity Harley. Joining me today is a woman who is strong, 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 1: very strong in both body and mind. But we are 5 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 1: focusing on what it takes to get a strong body. 6 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: In this episode, my guest is high performance coach and 7 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:22,959 Speaker 1: motivational speaker Alexa Twers. She is also known as Action 8 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: Alexa on Instagram. Anyway, she will tell us exactly how 9 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: to build that full body strength. If you do like 10 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:32,199 Speaker 1: what you hear from Alexa, I know you will make 11 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: sure you're listening to extra Healthy Ish, where she talks 12 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: more about how to cultivate a strong mind. You can 13 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:39,840 Speaker 1: search for that wherever you get your podcasts. 14 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 2: Alexa, welcome, thanks for having me. 15 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 1: I can't believe we have a met in person. I 16 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 1: mean I think we have. Well, I've been following you 17 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: for a long time social media because I feel like 18 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: I do know you. 19 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:05,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's every person I've ever met in person of 20 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:08,120 Speaker 2: social has never ever called me by my real name. 21 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 2: What is it like, well, my full name, Like everyone's 22 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 2: always like, oh, Action Alexa, I've set. 23 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 1: Down the bus your handle. 24 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:17,320 Speaker 2: Yes, the guys at a table next to me, being 25 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 2: like actional Lexa, do you want an arm wrestler? I'm 26 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:21,919 Speaker 2: like no, Can someone ask me for my number? 27 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: Are you good at arm wrestles? 28 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:26,960 Speaker 2: I used to be Yeah, used to get me free 29 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:28,000 Speaker 2: breakfast in Hong Kong. 30 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: Well there we go. I should call you action Alexa. 31 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 1: Sorry something like that. Okay, strong, I mean you are 32 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: incredibly strong. We'll talk about your strong minded, extra healthy ish, 33 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 1: but your your strength of body. What does what does 34 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: it feel like to be strong? 35 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 2: God? Such a great question, you know. My love of 36 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 2: weight training and being strong stems back to when I 37 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 2: was fifteen and my mom was diagnosed with a mental illness. 38 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 2: I was being bullied at school for being too skinny, 39 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 2: so my nickname at school was actually a Lexa and Arexa. O. 40 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: Gosh, that's c aren't they? 41 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 2: Yes, they are. And I went to the weights room 42 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 2: on a mission for muscles and it was kind of 43 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 2: that was my first ever experience with lifting weights, and 44 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,839 Speaker 2: that place just became my sanctuary, and I think from 45 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 2: then on in it sort of it became the place 46 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 2: where I learned to develop physical strength. But then I 47 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 2: also learned about the connection between physical strength and the 48 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 2: mental fortitude that came alongside that, and it's just I 49 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 2: can't describe it. But for me, the gym isn't so 50 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,359 Speaker 2: much about Peb's in the gym. It's kind of about 51 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 2: the bad assory that you get from lifting the heavy 52 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 2: weights and then how that translates into the rest of 53 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 2: your life, because I just feel like it's a catalyst 54 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 2: for so many other areas. 55 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: I mean, you're so right. I mean when I go heavy, 56 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: which I like doing, not as heavy as you mind, 57 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 1: you you just you feel unstoppable, you do, and I 58 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 1: think that's what has given me the confidence to do 59 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:01,640 Speaker 1: everything else that I've kind of tried to give a crack. 60 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 2: And I think that feeling of empowerment, you know, not 61 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 2: everybody has a really positive first experience with fitness, and 62 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 2: I think I was just incredibly lucky to find myself 63 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 2: in a place where people really had my back, people 64 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 2: really inspired me, they really took me under their wing, 65 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:23,360 Speaker 2: and that sense of empowerment was such a gift that 66 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 2: it's probably why I do what I do now, because 67 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:29,520 Speaker 2: I think, for you know, me, as both a coach 68 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 2: and a female, there's nothing more rewarding than seeing a 69 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 2: woman become empowered in her training and then watching how 70 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:40,280 Speaker 2: that translates into her attitude towards the rest of her life, like, 71 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 2: that's the coolest thing about what I get to do. 72 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 1: And also linking that, I mean often we go to 73 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 1: the gym and we lift weights and we think, oh, 74 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 1: we have to do this to keep fit and strengthen 75 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: our muscles, especially as we're getting older. But to translate 76 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: those same learnings from the gym into other areas of 77 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: your life, perhaps that connection isn't made enough. 78 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 2: No, And I think, and when it comes to work ethic, 79 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 2: like I find that if you can cultivate like a 80 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 2: stellar work ethic and your training, it often permeates everything 81 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 2: else that you do. So there are so many connections 82 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 2: that are really undervalued and not spoken about enough. 83 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:17,280 Speaker 1: For sure. Now on Instagram, you know you write you 84 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:19,599 Speaker 1: wrote that you're forty four, but your mind says you're 85 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:24,160 Speaker 1: twenty five. When it comes to lifting weights. Now this 86 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: is probably I think, something that a lot of a 87 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 1: scrapper with. Oh, I used to be able to lift 88 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: this in the gym. Oh, I used to be able 89 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: to run this. I used to be able to do this, 90 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:35,599 Speaker 1: and now I can't. How do you like, how do 91 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:38,560 Speaker 1: you manage this and navigate this look? 92 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:40,160 Speaker 2: I'm not going to say it's easy, because I think 93 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:46,360 Speaker 2: it's a really it's a really easy path to fall into, 94 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:50,039 Speaker 2: especially if you're on social media and there's a lot 95 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:54,920 Speaker 2: of really fit, fine looking females out there where that 96 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:58,799 Speaker 2: genetically blessed twenty year old bodies who were doing incredible things. 97 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:02,279 Speaker 2: And I think when you get older with filters Monday, yeah, 98 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:04,680 Speaker 2: you know, it's not Everything that you see on social 99 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:07,840 Speaker 2: media is obviously not real life. And you know, if 100 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 2: you put two people in front of me, who one 101 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:13,360 Speaker 2: was twenty years old lifting incredible weights in the gym 102 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:16,280 Speaker 2: and looking phenomenal, and then you have a forty year 103 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 2: old lady lifting the same amount of weights and looking phenomenal, 104 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 2: I'm going to be more inspired by the forty year 105 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 2: old female and the gym lifting weights, because man, the 106 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:30,120 Speaker 2: dedication and the discipline and the commitment to cultivating that 107 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:32,239 Speaker 2: for so many years of your life and still looking 108 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 2: like that and still being able to do like that 109 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 2: is so much more impressive to me. And those are 110 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:39,360 Speaker 2: the people that I go to for education and empowerment 111 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:43,600 Speaker 2: and inspiration, and I wish more women would look at 112 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 2: that and be more inspired by that, because I think 113 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 2: the worst thing we can do as we get older 114 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,279 Speaker 2: is try to fight our bodies to get back to 115 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:53,280 Speaker 2: what we could do when we're twenty. And I think 116 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 2: it's natural, Like, you know, when I was in my twenties, 117 00:05:56,920 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 2: I had I started out in the gym purely for 118 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 2: esthetic reason. I wanted to look a certain way, and 119 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:03,480 Speaker 2: you buy into that. But I think inevitably along the 120 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 2: journey you kind of then find how weights makes you 121 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 2: feel or how training makes you feel, and you buy 122 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:14,600 Speaker 2: into that. You know, I shifted from aesthetics and then 123 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:17,480 Speaker 2: I went to performance, and now I train because I 124 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 2: want to feel good. I want to be able to 125 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:21,160 Speaker 2: do all the things I love to do outside of 126 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:23,200 Speaker 2: the gym, and I also don't want to be in pain. 127 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:27,239 Speaker 2: You know, as you get older, your body doesn't respond 128 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 2: the same way to either training or nutrition, and you 129 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 2: can spend all of your time fighting that and have 130 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 2: your body be like have an absolute tantrument about it 131 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 2: and you not get anywhere, or you can lean into 132 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:40,040 Speaker 2: what your body actually wants, start listening to it, and 133 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 2: start preparing for like, you know, less summer bodies more 134 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:45,200 Speaker 2: old Lady bodies, you know. 135 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:46,599 Speaker 1: Like, bring on the old lady bodies. 136 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,720 Speaker 2: We want strong muscles and dense bones to kind of 137 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:54,279 Speaker 2: carry us into a really strong future. Like the statistics 138 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:57,799 Speaker 2: surrounding osteoporosis and women quite terrifying, you know, like forty 139 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 2: percent of women after menopause will develop, you know, will 140 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:04,279 Speaker 2: have an osteoproduct fracture. And by the time you're eighty, 141 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:08,080 Speaker 2: forty percent of women will have osteoporosis. I don't want fractures. 142 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 2: I don't want to be falling over and getting injured 143 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 2: and not having functional independence when I'm old, and we 144 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 2: need to start preparing for that. 145 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: What does your weekly strength through team of client? 146 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 2: I since I had my head replacement, I had a 147 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 2: have replacement six seven years ago now, and it changed 148 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 2: the way that I train. It forced me to reassess 149 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 2: the way that I trained, and now I probably train 150 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 2: two to three times a week structured strength training in 151 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 2: the gym. My warm ups and my activation and mobility 152 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 2: and stabilization stuff are probably longer than my actual workouts themselves. 153 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: Oh interesting, Yeah. 154 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 2: I take a long time to warm up and then 155 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:54,520 Speaker 2: I have probably two days where I do some pilates 156 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 2: and more restorative type stuff where I focus more on 157 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:57,640 Speaker 2: stress management. 158 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 1: Now talking about stress, you are coming up in a 159 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: show called Naked and Afraid. Actually's out in the US. 160 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: It's coming to Australia in December. There must have been 161 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: a lot of stress being in the Colombian junk call Naked. 162 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 1: Were you afraid God? 163 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 2: More afraid of failure? To be honest, like, not afraid 164 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 2: of the jungle her self, more afraid of failure. I 165 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 2: think I spent my whole life trying to hit specific 166 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:25,640 Speaker 2: goals and being out there. The goal was to survive 167 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 2: and that was the only thing I was really worried about, 168 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 2: like not pulling my own weight for lack of a 169 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:34,360 Speaker 2: better term, out there. So I really leaned into all 170 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:35,839 Speaker 2: the physical hard work. I was like, the way I'm 171 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 2: going to get through this is by being a workhorse 172 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 2: and using the work ethic that I've developed, And that's 173 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 2: exactly what happened. 174 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: We look forward to talking about about it extra Healthy. 175 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: Thank you for coming on the podcast. 176 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:50,480 Speaker 2: Oh, thank you so much for having me. 177 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:55,800 Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed this chat with Alexa. Hearing from 178 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:58,120 Speaker 1: her now we have to get her back on when 179 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:02,400 Speaker 1: her series of don Alive drops. It is towards the 180 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:05,520 Speaker 1: end of the year, so yeah, if you do want 181 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: a little snapshot of it, make sure you listen to 182 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 1: Extra Healthyish because we talk a lot about it on there. 183 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:12,040 Speaker 1: If you did enjoy this chat, jump on rate and 184 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:15,040 Speaker 1: review it. You can subscribe to this podcast, share it 185 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:16,960 Speaker 1: with a friend someone who needs a bit of motivation 186 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 1: when it comes to building strength anything else. Head to 187 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 1: body andsoul dot com dot you follow us on socials. 188 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:23,440 Speaker 1: Grab our print edition which is out in your local 189 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:33,920 Speaker 1: Sunday paper and until tomorrow it Stay healthy Ish