Episode Transcript
Frank Hereda (00:03.387)
All right, we're live and welcome everybody to another episode of Focused Free Fit. Rachel, how are you today?
Rachel Lavin (00:11.586)
I'm doing so great Frank, thanks for having me.
Frank Hereda (00:14.651)
Absolutely excited, excited to have the conversation. So listen, why don't we, um, why don't we get started and you tell everybody a little bit about yourself, some background so we know who you are. And, uh, and then I've got lots of questions. So let's just, let's start with that though.
Rachel Lavin (00:30.098)
Okay, of course. Well, as you mentioned, my name is Rachel Lavin. I have been in the wellness fitness exercise industry for 25 years. I am a personal trainer, health coach, and in the past five years, I have really focused on combining my skills with also...
re-educating people with diet culture. And we can get into that a little bit later, but basically we all have heard body positivity running around rampant. And I don't think people quite understand what it really means. And I'm here to kind of bridge that gap between the confusion and what people think it means. So I'd love to talk to you about that today.
Frank Hereda (01:17.039)
Awesome. Yeah. That brings up a lot of questions for me. So, um, I am, I am not a certified nutritionist or trainer, so you got me there, uh, although I'm passionate about it, so excited to learn, uh, what you have to, uh, to say, so why don't we, well, first, before we go there, um, tell me about you. I always like to ask my guests about their childhood. How'd you grow up? What was family like?
Rachel Lavin (01:43.096)
Yes.
Frank Hereda (01:45.587)
because I like to see the connection between that and where you end up. So if you wouldn't mind, just kind of tell us a little bit about your upbringing and good, bad, you know, whatever.
Rachel Lavin (01:54.29)
Of course, I mean I had a great upbringing, but I also had a very tumultuous relationship with my mother and it was an interesting...
experience and one that I didn't know that I had to deal with until I was like 40 years old. I was like, wait a minute, these behaviors are like, there's just too much. And, but you know, I went to school, I lived in Northern California, and I was very fortunate enough to have parents that allowed me to try anything and everything when it came to sports and movement. So I was a swimmer,
Rachel Lavin (02:35.428)
I'm grateful for all those things, but at the same time, my parents both worked. I was what we called in the 80s and 90s a latchkey kid. So everything that came into my mouth was either microwaved or in a package or a bag. And I just didn't learn the correlation of healthy eating slash learning how to make healthy meals again into my 40s. We go don't want to jump ahead of you. But you know.
when women bring their trauma about their own bodies and their own upbringing into their relationships with their daughters, it's almost inevitable that their daughters, me, are going to take that on. And so I struggled with my own weight, my own body, my own self esteem, an image for most of my life. And that's where I really decided that I wanted to write that in my book because, you know, women are almost born into this world with thinking
there's something wrong with their bodies and I want to really try to change that before I leave this earth.
Frank Hereda (03:42.003)
Man, I have so many questions. So, why do you feel that that's the case? Why do you feel like women come into this world thinking there's something wrong with their body? Why is that?
Rachel Lavin (03:52.33)
because all of the women in our lives have that belief. And it's just passed on to us almost like a last name or a health condition. It just is. It sounds so simple, but it's really true. And I think that if you ask any woman, they would agree. So, and then also too, yes, of course, society and diets and advertising and all those things play a part.
But if we didn't already have those thoughts that we weren't enough or that our body parts weren't enough, I'm not sure that stuff would seep in so easily and so quickly.
Frank Hereda (04:35.263)
Gotcha. And do you think it's innate? Do you think it's something or do you think it has to be talked about? So I grew up with a sister and mother and you know, I was not privy to any of those conversations, right? So you're saying my sister and my mom both when they were born just had this innate feeling that they weren't enough. Is that what you mean? Or is it talked about and I just wasn't aware of it.
Rachel Lavin (05:00.502)
both honestly because your mother probably said things like I'm on a diet or I can't eat that and your sister heard that and grew up believing that. I don't know if your sister and your mother have issues with food or their bodies I'm sure you could shed a light on that.
Frank Hereda (05:19.019)
They, yeah, they don't. Um, but you know, it's interesting because nowadays I would say what you just said is probably a thousand percent true, but I don't remember. I'm not saying she didn't, but it was not a, like, I was very unaware of nutrition most of my life. I just ate whatever and didn't consider, you know, and then when people mentioned organic year, like 20 years ago, I was like, they're crazy. You know, this is nuts until I started to get deep down a rabbit hole due to some other things that.
Rachel Lavin (05:43.391)
Thank you.
Frank Hereda (05:48.723)
happened in my life with family and that kind of stuff. But yeah, I don't remember that ever happening. I'm not saying it didn't, but, um, my mom was never, I don't remember her ever talking about diets and that kind of thing. Of course it probably happened. I was just too young to think about it. You know, her working out or whatever, probably, but yeah, I didn't, I don't really remember, but that, but I, but I get it.
Rachel Lavin (06:07.166)
Yeah. And I think also too with boys, I just, that's not where your head is at. You're thinking about all kinds of. Yeah. Well, I don't. Superman or sports or like football. And unless you were inundated with it as a child severely, that's unfortunately the disconnect between young girls and young boys. I'm not saying it's always the case, but most of the time.
Frank Hereda (06:14.792)
Well, we're also clueless. We're off in another world. We're like, we're not paying attention for that language at that age.
Yeah.
Frank Hereda (06:35.483)
Yeah, gotcha. Okay, so, so understand the growing up. What did you what was your, what did you do prior to this prior to what you're doing now? What were you doing?
Rachel Lavin (06:48.318)
I was personal training solely. Living in New York City, had a thriving personal training business.
Frank Hereda (06:50.159)
Okay, so that was pretty much your first thing, okay.
Frank Hereda (06:55.091)
Gotcha. Okay. Talk to me about diet culture. I think I have an idea of what you mean, but talk to me about body positivity and diet culture. Let's talk about that.
Rachel Lavin (07:07.358)
Of course, the interesting thing about diet culture is that we're all involved in it even if you don't think you are. You hear about diets, you hear people talking about diets, you hear about the foods that are bad and good and you know all those things that you hear on a daily basis. That's diet culture. Anything that's telling you that you can have one thing and not the other or you need this and not this, it's total diet culture.
Frank Hereda (07:25.92)
Gotcha.
Rachel Lavin (07:34.846)
Whether you choose to be on a diet, a fad diet or not, that is a whole different story. Body positivity had its movement, its moment in the late 90s where we had plus size models. And again, there's always a coin label for these things, but then it went away.
And now, since the pandemic, I feel like people are much more aware of their bodies, the changes that it went through during the pandemic. And how do I love my body at all these changing stages of our lives, especially for women? We go through puberty, we go through this, then we go to childbirth, and then we go through menopause, and our bodies are changing in every stage.
And it's really hard for women to embrace that. It's really hard for women to say, you know what? I wanna be my healthiest version. I wanna eat well. I wanna feel good. I wanna take care of my body. Instead it manifests as I'm fat. I'm.
I'm losing elasticity in my skin, my looks are going, I'm not pretty, I'm not desirable. Like all those things are happening for us as opposed to my body is changing and I gotta take care of it in every stage. And that's why I feel like body positivity, even though it's a beautiful thing, that most people are saying, okay, I love my body at any size, I'm not gonna do anything different, I'm gonna eat like crap, I'm not gonna move my body, but...
Here I am, just accept me as I am. So the messages in my opinion and my own experience are just getting really muddled.
Frank Hereda (09:13.627)
I think you could confirm this. I feel like social media is obviously playing a large role with that. You can't go anywhere without seeing somebody talking about what's good, what's bad. I don't know if you've ever seen, they have this, somebody did a reel. It was really funny. And he was
pretending like he got up in the morning and started to drink a bottle of water. And somebody said, don't drink water, drink this cause water has this. And so he was, but it was like, he went through this whole thing and everything he put in his mouth, there was a new person on his phone saying, don't eat this and whatever. It was hilarious. Cause at the end of the day, he couldn't eat anything. He just laid down on the floor and gave up, but it was really funny. Uh, the real, but that's how people, I feel, I think they feel that way. That's, I see it all the time. And you know, uh, yeah, there's a lot of fad diets. And so
Rachel Lavin (09:45.097)
Hahaha!
Rachel Lavin (09:51.403)
Hmm.
Frank Hereda (09:59.835)
I guess my question is, where do people go? What do you do? Let's say, okay, so if they're feeling that way, what's the first step?
Rachel Lavin (10:11.086)
Mm-hmm.
The first step is to recognize that you have a problem. You know, you have this belief system that's so solid that you refuse to see it any other way. And, yeah.
Frank Hereda (10:25.371)
Meaning, just so I can make sure we're clear, the problem being, I think negatively about myself. Like, I think I'm fat, or I think I'm out of shape, or, you know, you're just not happy with the transitions your body's going through in normal life. You know, men getting older, women getting older, and going through different stages. Is that what we're saying?
Rachel Lavin (10:43.938)
No, well, yes, but I was approaching it from what you had just said about...
the fat diets and that's the guy, the real about not knowing what to eat or drink because I was going more from that perspective. But yes, all those things play into what we're talking about. But to step aside from where do we go for healthy information, up to date information because again, we are believing the Kool-Aid from back in the day that just doesn't apply anymore. It just doesn't fit, but we still believe it to the point where we are still hurting our bodies.
Frank Hereda (10:50.459)
Oh, okay, gotcha. Okay, gotcha.
Rachel Lavin (11:18.416)
because restrictive diets are only taking away energy and nutrients that your body needs. So that's where sickness comes in, that's where feeling lethargic comes in, that's where your energy low, depression, all those things are because you are not feeding yourself enough. I need to say that again. A lot of those symptoms come from us not giving our bodies the nutrients we need.
Frank Hereda (11:46.703)
Uh, I would agree with that. I hear a lot. Um, Oh, I, you know, they, people automatically assume they relate. Food in fat, too much food in fat. And it's so much more complicated. And we learned so much more about health every day. I'm sure you would agree. Um, so let's talk a little bit about health. Let's go a little deeper and let's talk about, you know,
Rachel Lavin (12:09.314)
Okay.
Frank Hereda (12:12.443)
Obviously, people need to do things to make sure that they're healthy. There's all—I just had this conversation. I feel like I have it all the time, you know, because it changes all the time. But this has stayed pretty constant, which is how much protein someone needs to have as they get older. So where do you focus if you're like, okay, I'm in a—I'm in a state where I have to eat healthy. What are the things that people want to focus on, like the top five or the—the Cliff's Notes version of, okay, anybody should be following this rough draft?
Rachel Lavin (12:18.275)
haha
Frank Hereda (12:40.499)
and then specific to your body, you need to make sure like whether it's blood work to make sure what minerals you're short of and that kind of thing. But when you say they have to eat enough food, I'm assuming part of that is protein because it's like 1 gram or 1 gram per pound of body weight, everybody needs to eat something like that. You can correct me but along those lines, so where do we start? What do we do?
Rachel Lavin (13:02.718)
That is a beautiful question. And I think that people are not gonna like the answer because it falls onto you. You have to do some research about your body type, your body needs, the things that, because we all have foods that our bodies just don't process very well. It can be a healthy food. For me, it's peppers. My body just says, no, thank you. But there's so many other vegetables that my body embraces and really digest beautifully. So that's what I mean. You have to do some research. You have to do some trial and error
Frank Hereda (13:17.931)
Mm-hmm.
Rachel Lavin (13:32.692)
that out because like you said we are all different. I am not of the school of thought where I need certain grams and certain amounts of protein or veggie or every day. I have stopped putting those regulations on myself and I eat as holy as I can. I make sure that I have greens, vegetables, meat. I am a meat eater.
everybody is. So there are other sources of protein. But if you're going to worry so much about that, about the macros and the micros and this and that, you're going to drive yourself crazy in a different way. So here's my most simple, simple invitation. Do a little research on foods that you like that you don't like. Let's try them. Let's combine them. Let's see how we feel. We as human beings have utterly forgotten how to trust our bodies.
Rachel Lavin (14:28.196)
signals when a food is absolutely not okay. You get tummy aches. What do people do instead of going, hmm, what did I eat? They're like, ooh, Tums.
you get gas, you get bloated, you get sleepy, you get headaches. Instead of people researching, what did I just eat? They're like, well, what can I ingest to make me feel better? So let's stop that. Let's start looking into our diets and thinking about what makes us feel energetic, what makes us feel like we can take on the day in a good mood, wants to go play with your kids or your dog or your husband or your wife. Those are the foods that what I talk about
diet because they respond positively to you.
Frank Hereda (15:12.287)
So, okay, gotcha. So what I hear you saying is, hey, instead of getting too crazy right off the bat, if you feel bad, think about your last meal or the last two meals and look up, hey, could this cause this? You know, what did I eat? How do I feel? And just get more in tune with our bodies is what I hear and just be aware of the foods that make us feel good and the foods that don't. My question to you would be, which totally makes sense, my worry in my brain,
says a lot of people, if they don't have, I don't want to say rigid, but I guess maybe one more structured. But when someone tells me one gram of protein per pound of body weight, that makes me the, okay, I have a plan. And it's like, okay, boom, boom. Now, if I started to feel bad, I'd make an adjustment. But is it true? I've read multiple studies where like every decade you lose a 10% muscle on your body.
Rachel Lavin (16:11.074)
Mm-hmm.
Frank Hereda (16:11.731)
So what is your recommendation if somebody says, well, I feel great when I eat lettuce, or I feel great when I eat junk food. So I'm just gonna do that. And thanks, Rachel. And then how do you get around that? Because I feel like there's a lot of people that would say, I don't wanna work out, so I'm not gonna. I feel great when I don't work out. And I'm not gonna, you know, I'm gonna eat chips. And like, what do you do?
Rachel Lavin (16:19.71)
Yeah.
Rachel Lavin (16:32.094)
Yeah, I agree with you. You're completely right. I think that
Those people, they're making a choice. And I have literally spent my entire career trying to change people's minds and I'm exhausted from it. If you're ready and you want the information, you'll be open to it. If that's your response to what I just said, then you go enjoy the, you know, you're not thinking of the future. You're not thinking of your 60s, 70s and 80s. Living on a diet of McDonald's is not gonna get you
a happy, functional, vibrant life in those, you know, years. You're going to be stuck in a hospital bed and you're going to be sick and taking 10 medications. And I'm really, I don't use scare tactics in my practice. I'm just being honest. And longevity is another word that's being thrown around a lot lately. But...
it has a lot of value because somebody said on a podcast I was listening to once, do you wanna spend those years in a hospital bed and in doctor's offices, or do you wanna spend them hiking with your family? And I was like, yes. And so I'm jumping on that bandwagon too when it comes to educating my people and using these platforms for that, because your actions that you are taking today affects those in the future. Just like investing your money, right?
the returns tomorrow, you're going to see them in 30 years. You have to think about your body in the same way.
Frank Hereda (18:05.339)
So long-term outlook is essentially long-term outlook. Like it's not about today, it's about in the future. It's both really probably.
Rachel Lavin (18:14.546)
It is, because how you feel today also gives you the information and how you treat your body moving forward, which will then affect your future. So yes, and it's never too late to start. I want people to understand that. If you've had a diet of McDonald's up until now and you're ready to make small changes, then yes, I'm all for that.
Frank Hereda (18:41.215)
Um, okay. So talk to me, let's, let's go back a second and talk a little more about exercise. So we clearly both agree that diet is important and somebody should start paying attention to their body more. That's what we've got so far. Um, and, and you said research and I, and I think at the time you meant research on foods are eating, making them, how do they feel that kind of stuff, where do they go? And how do they come up with first a workout?
Rachel Lavin (18:54.627)
Hmm.
Frank Hereda (19:08.627)
like how often that should be working out and treating your body right from that standpoint? And is it different for men and women? And then also, okay, I wanna get more serious about my diet. I know what I like and what I don't. How do I figure out what to do from there? So where do I go to find that info or what should I do? And then the working out piece.
Rachel Lavin (19:27.358)
Okay, that's a lot of questions. So here's what I'm going to say about exercise. There is a type of movement for everybody, and I get it. Some people do not.
Frank Hereda (19:29.747)
Yes it is, it is, it is.
Rachel Lavin (19:39.494)
ever want to enter a gym. I gotcha. The only thing I will say as an individual who has been in the fitness industry for over 20 years, that there has been time after time it has been proven that strength training not only like we talked about in the beginning, it helps continue to build muscle even when our bodies lose it. Bone density, balance, functionality, strength training is really the king of all types of exercise.
If you don't want to go into gym, there's ways that you can buy some dumbbells at home and you can do some things at home, right? Secondly, I do believe that cardio for your heart is super, super important and that there's lots of different types of movement out there. I know this sounds like I'm putting everything onto your listeners, but you've got to kind of do a few things and figure out what feels good.
52 years old, don't ask me to go take a dance class anymore because my body just, it's not the same. You know, but to go walk in an incline on a treadmill or go on a walk with my girlfriends or go into the weight room, that makes me feel good. It makes me feel like I'm still strong at 52.
Frank Hereda (20:57.067)
Gotcha. So again, more like individualized. What do you feel like? What works for you? What do you enjoy doing?
Rachel Lavin (21:00.526)
Thanks for watching!
Rachel Lavin (21:05.726)
Yeah, I know, see, the thing about humans is that we over, over complicate things. And it's really quite simple. Because if, in my experience, if someone has ever said to me, I hate working out.
I've learned now to ask a follow-up question. Well, did something happen to you that made you feel shamed? Or did somebody get, did you have a bad experience with a trainer? Like you have to start, in my field, you have to start asking these questions because you don't just hate something because you had a traumatic experience or you had a bad experience and you're still hanging on to that. So we gotta go a little deeper.
Frank Hereda (21:43.903)
Gotcha. Okay. I agree. The, the, the better the questions, the more results. So it's important. Um, okay. Talk to me about, let's talk a little bit about stress and anxiety. What do you find that, um, helps? I come across a lot of, I'm a business coach and I do a lot of real estate. And, um, and when I run into people, I find that a lot of people suffer from anxiety in different ways.
So do you find that a lot? And what is your solution for them? How do you walk them to a solution?
Rachel Lavin (22:20.31)
Well, it's also a personal experience for me. I started experiencing that post pandemic and I just did not know what was happening. But my whole life had changed. I moved from New York City and we were staying in a rural, I can never say that part, a really small part of Florida. And I didn't have any outlets and I was starting to feel anxious when I would go in public.
And luckily, I found some tools that really helped me and I had to learn how to self soothe myself in another way. I was feeling overstimulated, the noises were getting to me, my body was literally responding to that and I wasn't exercising enough. I really realized that. I don't know if you've ever been to Florida, but it's hot there and I hated going outside. I hated it. And I had this space in the house we were living in to work out.
Frank Hereda (23:04.683)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Rachel Lavin (23:13.94)
lifestyle that I had before in New York. I walked everywhere. I worked out four or five days a week. And I just kind of because I was a little traumatized after everything, that went away. And so I had to come back to myself and find my happy place and learn how to exercise again. And I do believe that exercise we hear this all the time, but it does help anxiety. But you also have to be aware of what's happening to you and learn
that can help you calm yourself down. I think when we're having panic attacks or having anxiety, it's because we're overstimulated. And the things that we're surrounding ourselves with, it's just too much. And to learn how to say, you know what? I'm not gonna do that today. I'm gonna take care of myself or I'm gonna take a few minutes and breathe. I think that breathing, I don't know if you've, I'm sure you have, I'm sorry. You've heard of box breathing, right?
Frank Hereda (24:13.147)
of what of what box breathing
Rachel Lavin (24:14.434)
Fox breathing, that was a game changer when I was having a panic attack. It really does kind of help bring you back into your center. So yeah, unfortunately. Oh, sure.
Frank Hereda (24:24.947)
Why don't you explain it just for those who don't know what box breathing is?
Rachel Lavin (24:28.478)
So box breathing is a count of four. You inhale your breath, you count to four, you hold your breath. It's literally breathing in a box. So every step is four counts. And then you breathe, exhale out for four, and then you don't do it again for four seconds, and you repeat it four times.
Frank Hereda (24:47.743)
I find that breathing is a very underrated topic slash exercise that people don't do. It's very powerful. You know, whether it's Wim Hof breathing, which has become popular, or box breathing, or you know, Gary Brekka talks about getting breath work in. It's very important and it also helps you get more oxygen in your body, which is really healthy. That's interesting. So okay. So basically breathing and understanding that you're overstimulated.
And that's a big point. What about triggers? Is trigger something you should start looking at? Is there a point where you're like, okay, I have to be aware of a trigger that might be setting me off and causing my anxiety maybe?
Rachel Lavin (25:28.142)
Absolutely, I think the more you get to know yourself and you educate yourself, then you can self soothe yourself and take care of yourself. I think unfortunately in our society we are so dependent on outside things, you know, prescription and I'm not a doctor, I know some people need that, but we're not teaching people how to self soothe and that is a very underrated skill. And so yes, for me...
it was going into a crowded place that made me feel unsure of where I was and who was around me and what was going on. And that I had to recognize as one of my triggers. Like going into a busy grocery store with all the noise around me was something that would set me off. So I kind of do this little thing before I go into a crowded place now and I just breathe and I say, there's gonna be people there. It's okay, you're okay, you're safe. I mean, I do what I gotta do.
Frank Hereda (26:27.015)
What I like about a lot of what you're saying, I'm catching a theme, which is, Hey, self-awareness, uh, understand your own body every time we, you know, the solution, which I like it. Um, but it's also putting accountability back on everybody on their personal responsibility, right? And that's something I'm big on when I talk to my clients or anybody, it's, we're responsible for everything. We're responsible for ourselves, all of our own actions, our choices. Right. So.
Rachel Lavin (26:44.238)
Mm-hmm.
Frank Hereda (26:55.743)
But I'm also catching another theme, which I agree with, and I'm not bashing anybody, but how much of this do you think comes down to the fact that when someone has a problem, they go to a doctor, and the doctor never really says or gets to the actual root of the problem. It's more of here, take this, or, you know, it's a, it's a, it's a,
it's a put a bandaid on the problem or fix what the outer laying issue is, but it's not a let's dig deep and figure out the underlying issue. How much of what you do is because it never actually gets dealt with. On the medical side.
Rachel Lavin (27:35.202)
100%.
Frank Hereda (27:38.235)
Yeah, I find that that's a big problem. Yeah.
Rachel Lavin (27:41.358)
It's huge.
Frank Hereda (27:45.039)
I mean, that goes, you know, we can get into all kinds of things, whether it's, uh, Ozempic or, you know, whatever other medication people take. I mean, and it's not, Hey, the personal responsibility. And I'm not by no means sugar coating or making, uh, trying to discount anybody who has, you know, an issue that they, they really can't just self, so they might need to go to a doctor. But I'm just saying in a lot of cases, I find that there's really, no one's getting the help they need or the direction or, um, consultation.
Rachel Lavin (27:48.243)
Thank you.
Frank Hereda (28:14.931)
the coaching if you will, to say, hey, this could be solved if you went, let's go back 10 steps and figure out what might be actually causing this to get to where it is now.
Rachel Lavin (28:26.642)
Absolutely. There's nothing more beautiful than telling someone you have to start at the beginning. And like you're saying, I'm in agreement with you. There's nothing wrong with asking for help. I believe that that's when you come and you hire me, you're asking for help, right? You need someone's guidance. But when it comes to we are conditioned, oh, it's the pain, you don't want to
And if you just, and I don't, again, I know I simplify things, but having gone through this experience myself, and I still have to take inventory and deal with some things that are stuck in here, it's not fun, it doesn't feel good. But when you do get through that pain, which is momentary, you deal with it, you have a good cry, you're like, that was really effed up, and then it's gone. And then you can talk about it.
And there's no emotional attachment anymore because I'm not in trauma. I'm just telling you a story. I'm telling you what happened to me when I was a little girl. 10 years ago, you asked me about my mother. I would break down because it was still so traumatic. But dealing with that and healing from that, it's just a story now. Yeah, I grew up, me and my mom fought every day. She was crazy, I was crazy. But you know, it's not like that anymore. I have a very lovely relationship with my mom because we healed.
But if you don't do the work, you're always going to be in that trauma. Even 60, 70 years later, something's going to say, somebody will say something about your mom and you're going to be like, you know, so we don't heal. And a lot of times it does fall on us. We aren't going to be able to move forward. And so many of us, so many of us waste our present and our future being stuck in the past.
Frank Hereda (30:05.244)
Yeah.
Frank Hereda (30:21.707)
How many of your, of the people you work with, um, is there a percentage or roughly, uh, have issues from the past that are affecting them today? Is it a hundred percent? Is it 50% like roughly? I mean, how often is that an issue?
Rachel Lavin (30:37.522)
In the beginning stages of working with someone, it's 100% an issue. But as we move forward together, it becomes less and less an issue, and it becomes more and more of an experience.
Frank Hereda (30:49.835)
Gotcha.
So what do you have against donuts?
Rachel Lavin (30:55.622)
Nothing, I love donuts.
Frank Hereda (30:59.873)
Tell us about your book that you wrote and what made you want to write that book.
Rachel Lavin (31:04.386)
Well, The Donut Diaries, I mean, it's just a super catchy title, but personally, donuts when I was a little girl were just such a lovely, fun thing that I did with my uncle, or it was a fun kid thing to get a rainbow-sprinkled donut, and you don't think about it. You don't think about...
it's bad or it's gonna make you fat. But of course, someone told me that once, well you can't eat donuts, they're gonna make you fat. So I believed that and for so many years, I would not eat a donut or if I wanted to eat a donut, especially as a trainer, I felt like I would have to sneak it. I felt like I had to eat it in private.
When I did decide that I was going to write this book about my own experience, sharing it, hoping to inspire other people that they can also be free, I thought what better title than to something that really did mean something to me.
Frank Hereda (31:59.295)
Gotcha. So let's talk about this for a second because I don't want to say the wrong thing, but I probably will. So I, but I probably will. Good disclaimer. Uh, look.
Donuts aren't great for you. I I'm my, my personality is, um, once I know something is bad, it's very difficult for me to continue to do it. So, uh, it's just my personality. So for example, a donut is a great example. I love them. I love sweets. I love carbs. It's a, you know, but I work out heavy and, and I've gotten to the point now where I'm like, look, it's not a big deal if I have a donut once in a while. Right. I'll do it. It's not like. But
thank goodness my mindset is one of like, I won't eat a lot because they aren't great for me and they will make me fat if I don't do anything about it. And I just eat donuts, obviously, like one donut's not going to like make you obese, but you know, it will affect. So, so what do you tell people? How do they get past that? Like, I, and I want to know what you say because, you know, I know your method is, Hey, you know, do what makes you feel good. We had that conversation, but how do you help people say, okay, I do like donuts, I want to eat some.
Rachel Lavin (32:48.618)
Hmm.
Frank Hereda (33:11.244)
I can't have them all the time. How do I keep it to a limit? How do I limit that? How do you help them with that?
Rachel Lavin (33:17.258)
The first thing I do is help them recognize that because they are in such severe restriction, that the want for those things is greater because you're denying yourself. If you completely stop restricting your diet in any way, shape or form, and this worked for me, I stopped binging. I stopped flipping out over, I can't eat this, but I really want to eat it. I can't eat it because I don't care anymore because the cravings don't get like that.
Frank Hereda (33:27.615)
Gotcha.
Rachel Lavin (33:47.006)
So you stop one behavior, the other one just goes side by side. So when honestly, I can't even remember the last time I ate a donut, to be perfectly honest with you. But if this were 15 years ago, when I was so heavily in restriction, I would have been like, it was 15 minutes, eight weeks, and three years ago that I had it. I mean, I would know that, but I don't even know anymore because it's been.
Frank Hereda (33:47.103)
Gotcha.
Rachel Lavin (34:12.754)
whatever, and I just don't have to feel like I'm being deprived. And I think that we don't associate restrictive diets with those severe cravings. It's just another disconnect in this diet culture world. So I would love to tell people that if you really, really free yourself from restrictive diets and you eat a diet that is, and we have to differentiate a diet,
is your daily intake of food. A fad diet is something that tells you can't eat or you can only eat that. Okay, so let's clarify. So my diet consists of what we talked about, foods that make my body feel good. And a lot of times that is chicken, steak, fish, veggies.
Frank Hereda (34:48.171)
Gotcha.
Rachel Lavin (35:02.406)
sometimes would have potatoes, sometimes I have pasta, but that is kind of my normal diet. I just, that's what makes me feel good and I've learned over the years, that's what makes me function the best. So when I do want something that's heavy in calories or heavy in fat or whatever, I eat it and I'm done with it. And then I don't remember the next time I want it.
Frank Hereda (35:26.812)
Okay, so.
My brain now goes to, and you notice how I'm still trying to get to a solid because my brain works, I was trying to get to a solid list. If somebody comes and I agree with you, what works for you? What feels good? What doesn't? Um, how do you get them from? Okay. I'm willing to do what I need to do. Obviously there's the simple things, but let's say there's a, what's the top five things someone has?
should do or incorporate if they want to be healthy. So let's say they're eating and they're like, okay, eat the things that are good for you. Do you give them a list of, hey, anything on this list, it's all great for you. Eat the things that make you feel good or no, you're just still like, eat whatever, or is there anything you go to like sleep or making sure they're hydrated, don't drinking sodas, like any of that or no, there really is no conversation around food at all and it's just free flow, go do what you do.
Rachel Lavin (36:28.799)
Okay, I get what you're trying to say. Okay, so yeah, it makes perfect sense. No, no, no.
Frank Hereda (36:31.059)
Does that make sense? Sorry, I keep edging and I'm not discounting what you're saying, because it's right. I agree with it, but.
Rachel Lavin (36:36.286)
Yeah. Right, okay, so let's take it back to someone who is just starting, okay? And they're completely confused on what to eat and they've only been told I can never, never eat this, and this again. A couple of things. A, I'm not a nutritionist and I do not give my clients meal plans. What I do invite them to do is try foods and see how it makes them feel, number one. Number two.
Frank Hereda (36:41.449)
Okay.
Rachel Lavin (37:03.794)
have to you have to understand what your eating schedule is right you hear people say I eat six small meals a day I only eat three meals a day that doesn't work for everyone again you have to figure this out for yourself and then once you know what how many times a day you need to eat and what foods make you feel good then you can start to build a core menu that you get to pick and choose from and when I say I had to do all that research
Frank Hereda (37:16.359)
Yes. Agreed.
Rachel Lavin (37:33.708)
I had to do all that research. So I love to use this example because it's easy, right? Everybody in the whole world thinks kale is a super food, right? It's healthy, it's good for you, all those things. I hate it more than life itself. You can't pay me to eat it. It's disgusting. But there is 10 other lettuces out there that I love and that you don't have to threaten me to eat, right? Because I love them.
Frank Hereda (37:58.243)
Exactly. That's right.
Rachel Lavin (37:59.734)
That's what I mean by you've got to figure this out for yourself because there's people tell you can these are the five superfoods, right? No, they may not be superfoods for you. I don't like the way kale makes me feel so I don't eat it. I love blueberries. Some people can't eat blue. I mean you that's what I mean. There are a rainbow of beautiful foods out there that are healthy nutrient rich all the things but
you have to figure out which of those colors work best for you. Did that help?
Frank Hereda (38:33.887)
Gotcha. No, it does. Again, my thought process comes because I'm a product of there being so much out there. I read a lot and I've read so many different doctors and people who are, all the ones you could probably think of on social and out there that have written a book. And so a lot of it's the same, some is different.
but my knowledge is much deeper than the average, not quite as deep as yours maybe. But so I know how I used to be, and so I can easily bring myself back to that and say, how do you wake that person up? Because you weren't waking me up. And then I'm talking, I just used to eat whatever. I just didn't, you know, I just didn't get it. And that's why I have this podcast, because I'm so passionate about people, because I feel like...
Everybody does this on multiple facets, multiple topics, right? It's not just it's building wealth, it's being in shape or being healthy. Let's just say healthy, right? It's being healthy. And I think a lot of what you're talking about is in line with that. And the free part is just being financially free, free to live the life that you want and these two kind of go with that. So I just feel like I want people to be empowered to understand. I think you're saying a lot of great things and a lot of it is in health is very individualized.
Rachel Lavin (39:36.619)
Okay.
Frank Hereda (39:56.479)
You're right. What works for you may not work for me and they need to find what it is. Um, but I just feel like there's so much out there and they just need to have, um, some direction. And so that's why, that's why I kept asking you, but, um, sure.
Rachel Lavin (40:09.678)
Well, let me, if you don't mind, let me touch on something again. The more, sometimes I need to be told something three different ways to understand where you're coming from. So ultra processed foods is what you're talking about. Okay. That is what you're talking about. And that is where, that is where people are still really uninformed. So
Frank Hereda (40:18.483)
Hehehehe
Frank Hereda (40:23.755)
Well, for sure one of them, yeah.
Frank Hereda (40:30.696)
Yes.
Rachel Lavin (40:32.226)
Ultra-processed foods, it could mean anything from your McDonald's to actually like your granola package from Whole Foods. You have to learn how to read these labels and you have to understand what these ingredients are because the ingredients in your healthy granola ain't so healthy.
Frank Hereda (40:46.845)
Yeah. Oh, huge.
Rachel Lavin (40:56.338)
So you're still, even though you think you're putting something healthy in your body, you're not. And that is why I'm a huge advocate for learning how to cook and learning how to read labels and learning how to understand what you're putting in your body. So that for me is like a whole another hour long topic that we could talk about, but
Frank Hereda (40:57.618)
Ahem.
Rachel Lavin (41:17.39)
That's what you're talking about right now. You are talking and you want to educate people on ultra processed foods, which is beautiful. And I think your listeners need to understand, yes, obviously obvious ones are fast food, fried foods, blah, but unfortunately, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's and all those, healthy stores are guilty of it too. Learn how to read labels.
Frank Hereda (41:39.099)
Absolutely. I think that's a great point. I think reading labels might actually be a place that I would send people first and help them understand labels because, um, you know, it's, it's hilarious. We have this conversation in our house and I'm a big, I'm almost not obsessive, but you know, extreme, I guess is what my wife would call me. And so I'm like, Hey, you know, let's read the labels. Let's make sure it has very few ingredients, right? The less, the better.
Rachel Lavin (42:08.27)
Mm-hmm.
Frank Hereda (42:08.923)
Um, and so I think what we're both agreeing on is vegetables, fruits, it comes straight from the ground. There's no middle guy. You can't mess that up. It's just the fruit or the vegetable meats. Uh, and then obviously what works for you and it makes you feel good, but those are all anything that's whole and straight from, you can see the source. Right. So, but, but then when you read the labels, um, they really try and trick you. And I think this all comes from, and this is what got me. I think I was.
Rachel Lavin (42:25.846)
Yeah.
Frank Hereda (42:35.579)
I'm not sure if I was just slow to the point, like everybody in life gets something at different times, but I went through my life thinking, why would the government poison me? And I'm not trying to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but like, you know, you have the FDA and you get deep into, okay, well, how are they allowed to put stuff in our food that they're not allowed to put in Europe or in Europe, they ban X products that we have here, but they don't care about it here. And it's like, well, do you really understand what's taking place?
Rachel Lavin (42:37.454)
Thank you.
Rachel Lavin (42:42.051)
Thank you.
Frank Hereda (43:04.295)
And then those ingredients that are in there, do you know what those ingredients are? And if you read them and how they're made, it would scare you to death. And it's really, really unfortunate. And so I look at my grandmother, my Nana, who lived to be 91, and she didn't do a lot of the green drinks, like I'm doing a green drink every day and all this stuff, right? But she didn't have a green drink every day. She just, home cooked meal, the Italian grandma, she made every meal.
Rachel Lavin (43:25.263)
Yeah.
Frank Hereda (43:31.067)
And that was because so she didn't have a lot of junk food or preservatives and but it was whole food. So she was relatively healthy up until 91. So I'm not against you know, it's just like how can you eat as clean as possible. And that's the message I want people to you know, obviously someone comes to you. It's like cut out the Mountain Dew in the sodas, cut out the candy, cut the sugar in half at least, you know, those types of easy things. But then the deeper you get down a rabbit hole, then it gets more specific. But yeah.
That's really where I was going is the ultra processed foods and people just don't pay attention But it'll say fat-free or sugar-free or no sugar added and I'm like well that doesn't mean there's no sugar It just means no added sugar and then you look on the back and you're like wow look at the sugar So it's that kind of stuff. It's scary
Rachel Lavin (44:11.006)
Right.
Rachel Lavin (44:15.062)
Absolutely. And the women's group I work with now, we're actually talking about labels and nutrition, and these ladies have spent most of their lives
being trafficked. And when I learned that their food source came from gas stations, they have no idea, no idea what a label looks like. And when they graduate from this program and they're back out on their own, they have no idea how to grocery shop. And so that's where I'm coming in to educate and to hopefully help them have a really lovely next chapter. And so...
when I showed them the back of something that we were cooking with, it was shredded cheese. We were making pizzas, homemade pizzas. And they bought shredded cheese and I read, I said, so whole milk, great. Water, great. And then we started getting into the blah, blah oils and somethings, and I was like.
Frank Hereda (45:13.777)
Yeah.
Rachel Lavin (45:22.994)
I said if the first three ingredients you can't even start pronouncing after that No, and I said there are plenty of foods that are Convenient at the grocery store chop this shredded that don't have this crap in there, you know, so just be aware of the foods that you're buying and what it consists of and I think that
That's hard for people who have literally no education when it comes to foods. And it just goes to show me how far behind we are. And just to jump on what you said, the food, the FDA and the government and this and that, it's just like, well, let's do this so they get sick. And then, I mean, it's just, it is unfortunately a well-oiled machine. You eat crap, you get sick, you go to the doctor and blah, blah.
So for us to take our power back and to start learning how to eat foods in their most natural state as possible or how to prepare them so they are healthy and work well for our bodies. And what I mean by that is some raw vegetables in their raw form do a number on some people, but in their cooked form, it's like beautiful. I promise, well, I don't promise. This may not be the last time I say it, but.
You have to figure these things out for yourself.
Frank Hereda (46:52.615)
Uh, something else I want to add to what you keep saying. We're in agreement. I think personal responsibility is the key. The problem is we have a culture of laziness and a culture of, I don't want to take the time to learn, to cook, to understand, I want someone else to do it for me, and I think that's a large part of it, not everybody, but a large majority of people want the fast food. And, and some of them, it's like.
They're in a tough position, right? So the fast food is work. It works. But there's, there are ways to do food fast at home if you really want to put the time into it. And so I really believe that people. I say this all the time to my clients, which is, you know, when you're done at the end of the day, are you getting better at your craft, your job? Or are you watching Netflix all the time? And it's nothing wrong with watching movies. I love good movie, but you have to get better. You have to put some time back into the things that are important to you.
Rachel Lavin (47:37.238)
Thank you.
Frank Hereda (47:51.687)
Nutrition should be one for everybody, for everybody and understanding just the basics. And, um, and so I think if, if you and I and whoever else is out there talking that eventually it will reach enough people. But I think that's the personal responsibility as a biggie. I really believe that.
Rachel Lavin (48:10.062)
You're right. You're right. It is, I think the interesting part of what I do in teaching women that they never have to diet again. And I get this look from them. It's like, huh? What? Or if I tell people you're not ingesting enough calories and just the immediate like I defending, yes, but I'm only this big or I'm only it's like, okay. And so the fight is real.
the fight to educate people and to debunk all these stupid myths that we've, I know, I've lived with my whole life.
It's hard and there are days where I'm like, okay, you know what, I am going to go get a job at some clothing boutique and just let all this go because I'm not making a dent. And then there's days where these women tell me that I changed their life and thank you. And then I know I gotta keep going. So the topic we're talking about is hard, you're right. Many people don't wanna do it and they want, and I don't know how many times I've had a client hire me
I don't want to think about it. I'm just going to do what you tell me to do. I'm just going to do it and that's it. I don't want to. And so it's not just with food. It's with exercise. It's with lifestyle. It's with evolving. It's people, we are lazy. We are. And unless something happens and it's usually something that shakes your core, some people go their whole life and never wake up.
Frank Hereda (49:38.487)
Yeah, that's true. And there's nothing you can do except try and make them aware. And then they it's on them, right? The personal choices. You know, the other thing we, we didn't really talk about, we talked about a little bit, but these, these bad ingredients also are what gets up here. And so it's not just the ham gaining weight, it's affecting their mood. Um, and that's the other bad part that no one really realizes. Do you.
Rachel Lavin (49:54.251)
Mm-hmm.
Rachel Lavin (49:59.18)
Yeah.
Rachel Lavin (50:04.07)
Yeah, when someone tells me I'm exhausted all the time, I'm just like, I wanna shake them. It's either because you're not eating enough or because of what you're eating. These ingredients, they affect your mood, they affect your energy levels, they affect your relationships. Like, people don't understand and I don't know why. I mean, have you ever eaten something and it just put you in a foul mood?
Frank Hereda (50:29.935)
I'm sure, you know, usually I just get over full cause I eat so much. Does that count? So, yeah.
Rachel Lavin (50:36.709)
Yeah, well listen, at that moment, that's the last thing you want to do, right, is go hang out with your wife or your kids because you just want to go to sleep because you don't feel good anymore.
Frank Hereda (50:44.495)
Yeah. But you, it's an, it's a journey. And that's what I believe. That's what I found for myself. It's a journey. So I used to laugh. My mom, uh, used to eat dinner at like five. I used to be like, Oh my gosh, five o'clock. Are you kidding me? Like what's, what restaurant opens at five? You know, I used to make fun of her joking. And now I'm like, I, I've heard it over and over again. You know, you should have three hours from when you eat to when you go to sleep. And you know, I was like, eh,
Rachel Lavin (51:01.794)
I'm sorry.
Frank Hereda (51:11.903)
But I feel so much, me, not everybody, I feel so much better when I eat and have that three hours before I go to sleep. I don't sleep good when I have a full stomach and that's because of my aura ring and all the things I track and whatever. And so I think that's a journey though. I didn't realize that. Now I don't make fun of her. Now I say, oh my gosh, you know, you've been doing it right for all these years and I've been making fun of you. I'm the one that was wrong. So now I'm like, hey, where can we go to eat at 430? And so it's like this big joke, but.
It makes me feel that much better. So to your point, what works for you, right? Um, and so it's taking someone doing the research testing it. I work for a guy that says always be testing. And I agree with that. And so it's like, okay, let me try this. Let me see how I feel. And then that's what you're talking about. And then you kind of put together the plan for yourself, you know? Um, so I think it's just the, the cards are stacked against everybody.
Rachel Lavin (51:50.023)
Mm-hmm.
Frank Hereda (52:08.083)
And, uh, or the deck is stacked against everybody. And so that's my, my concern. And that's why I'm passionate about this. Like you are for people to, to have all the information they have and, and know where to go and try and figure it out for themselves because it is on them. No one's coming to save them.
Rachel Lavin (52:12.754)
Mm-hmm.
Rachel Lavin (52:17.81)
Thank you.
Rachel Lavin (52:25.552)
Oof. Hard truth. Yeah.
Frank Hereda (52:28.243)
the truth, unfortunately. So we'll keep trying. Hey, that's all we can do. So but the nice thing is with technology, there's more research than there ever has been. I think in the past, you didn't have this. I look back at our my parents, our parents generate like, you know, generation and they didn't have as much info. They had people saying the health stuff, but they didn't have as much as we have now. And with technology and how fast it's advancing, I feel very fortunate we're living in the
Rachel Lavin (52:37.111)
That's.
Frank Hereda (52:58.023)
best times you could ever live to help yourself and, and understand and get the knowledge. It's so it's at your fingertips. So there's really never been, you really don't have an excuse right now to, to get up and make a difference and try and, and try and fix your situation.
Rachel Lavin (52:59.47)
Mm-hmm.
Rachel Lavin (53:08.943)
Right.
Rachel Lavin (53:13.162)
Yes, agreed.
Frank Hereda (53:15.387)
Yeah. So tell me where everybody can find you. This has been a great conversation. Um, I hope it helps everybody. Is there anything we missed? Anything that you think that we need to add to this conversation?
Rachel Lavin (53:27.91)
I had a thought while you were talking and it kind of slipped, it went away. It was still on the topic of food and educating yourself. If I think of it, I'll let you know. But
I am on social media, Rachel Labvin Lifestyle and Wellness. My website is the same name. My book is called The Donut Diaries and it is available on Amazon. Now I always invite people that if you wanna have a conversation, just any conversation, reach out. I will never not wanna talk about this and I don't necessarily...
mean that you're going to hire me for anything, if you have questions, if you want to learn some things, just always reach out. I'm happy to do. I'm happy to have a conversation.
Frank Hereda (54:11.807)
That's awesome. And I'll put your information and the link to your book, uh, in the podcast notes and everybody knows they can get ahold of me at frankhereda.com. Uh, my information is everywhere at Frank Hereda on social, but I really appreciate your time today and, uh, having the conversation, I love it. And who knows, maybe we'll have another conversation in the future, but, um, I appreciate it and I know everybody else does too and, uh, we'll catch everybody on the next episode. Take care of everybody.
