Episode 339: Muscle & Mindset with Erin's Coach, Kris Lollis
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify
We’re sure you’ve heard of women who are afraid to strength train because they don’t want to get too bulky. Tune in to this week’s episode with Erin’s Intuitive Personal Trainer, Kris Lollis, to debunk that myth and learn what true strength training is, along with its importance for hormones, longevity, bone density, and overall quality of life.
Kris Lollis is an intuitive personal trainer with over a decade of experience in the fitness industry. Currently serving as the Director of The Tide, a strength studio in Dover, New Hampshire, Kris is passionate about coaching and mentoring both clients and fellow fitness professionals to embody holistic and sustainable health and wellness practices.
In this episode:
Importance of awareness with movement [6:50]
Where to start with strength training [9:33]
How your breath impacts movement [15:59]
What is true strength training? [19:57]
Cycle syncing – modifying your workouts for your hormones [28:49]
Mind-muscle connection [33:20]
Resources mentioned:
LMNT Electrolyte Replenishing powder (Use code FUNK get a free sample pack with any purchase!)
Qualia Life (Get up to 50% off and an extra 15% off your first purchase with link + code FUNKS)
Bon Charge (Use code FUNK to save 15%)
Organifi supplement powder (save 20% on your order with code FUNK)
Learn more about Mindset & Diet Culture
Related episodes:
298: Where Science Meets the Sacred
203: Bladder Dysfunction, Gut Problems & Pelvic Floor Health
282: Building Muscle for Overall Health with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
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Erin Holt [00:00:02]:
I'm Erin Holt and this is the Funk'tional Nutrition Podcast where we lean into intuitive functional medicine. We look at how diet, our environment, our emotions and our beliefs all affect our physical health. This podcast is your full bodied, well rounded resource. I've got over a decade of clinical experience and because of that, I've got a major bone to pick with diet culture and the conventional healthcare model. They're both failing so many of us. But functional medicine isn't the panacea that it's made out to be either.
Erin Holt [00:00:32]:
We've got some work to do, and.
Erin Holt [00:00:34]:
That's why creating a new model is my life's work. I believe in the ripple effect, so I founded the Funk'tional Nutrition Academy, a school and mentorship for practitioners who want to do the same. This show is for you if you're looking for new ways of thinking about your health and you're ready to be an active participant in your own healing. Please keep in mind this podcast is created for educational purposes only and should never be used as a replacement for medical diagnosis or treatment. I would love for you to follow the show, rate, review and share because you never know whose life you might change and of course, keep coming back for more.
Erin Holt [00:01:12]:
All right, friends, I'm so pumped to be here with everybody today because I have somebody super special on the show. She is my friend in my trainer, Kris Lollis. Hi, Kris.
Kris Lollis [00:01:23]:
Hey, how are you?
Erin Holt [00:01:24]:
I'm great. I'm even better now that you're here. Although this is not the typical context. Usually I'm wearing stretch pants and like about to lift heavy things when I see you.
Kris Lollis [00:01:34]:
So true.
Erin Holt [00:01:35]:
Okay, so let me just give you a little debrief on Kris and how our relationship came to be. Kris is an intuitive personal trainer, so we'll get into like, what that means in a little bit. She has over a decade of experience in the fitness industry and she currently serves as the director of The Tide, a strength studio in Dover, New Hampshire. Kris is passionate about coaching and mentoring both clients and fellow fitness pros to embody holistic and sustainable health and wellness practices. And that's like a really jazzy bio, but I can co sign on every single thing that is stated there because I've been working with Kris for over a year now. I started training with you back in October of last year, so our relationship has come a long way.
Kris Lollis [00:02:17]:
Most definitely hasn't. Doesn't feel like it's been a year.
Erin Holt [00:02:20]:
It doesn't. Time is a funny thing. So. And so let me give some context to this. I train with Kris twice A week for over a year. So this is a very consistent relationship in my life. Like outside of my husband, it might be the most consistent relationship in my life. But the reason that I wanted, I mean, I am a person who has exercised and moved my body forever.
Erin Holt [00:02:46]:
But the reason that I specifically sought out working with Kris is one, I was turning 40 last year and I just have more of a focus on longevity now than I ever have before. I mean that's the beauty of being in your 20s and 30s. You're not thinking about the future. And then 40 hits and you're like, oh, I should probably start thinking about the rest of my life. And research around muscle mass was very intriguing to me because I don't want to just live a long life. That's not what I mean by longevity. I want to live a long, strong and healthy life. And specifically I'm like such a geek when it comes to the immune system.
Erin Holt [00:03:24]:
As somebody who struggled with autoimmunity, I do everything in my power to keep my immune system functioning appropriately. And so specifically research about myokines I was really interested in. So myokines are proteins that are produced by muscle fibers when you contract your muscles so when you're exercising and they can positively impact the immune system. So all of a sudden I was like, I want to start lifting heavier weights. I've strength trained for a very long time, but I haven't lifted heavy. And I wanted one on one individualized attention for that because I have a tendency to get injured. I've got that hypermobility thing going on and I don't have a lot of body awareness. And so I thought if I'm going to start throwing around way heavier weights, I need some one on one support and guidance because I did start throwing around heavier weights in fitness classes without that.
Erin Holt [00:04:16]:
And I did get injured and that's what brought me to Kris. I was in a depleted state. I was like, was pretty stressed and my body was just not recovering the way that it should have been and I kept getting injured. So let me just, a year out what I've noticed, because I've noticed some things after a year, definitely visible muscle. So I've put put on muscle mass which is really cool to see and I see it, but other people see it too. Like other people will call it out which is like feels good when you've been working hard to like see the results of that. I feel very physically strong. Our dog Murray is about 80 pounds and he's just been going through some things and I can just, like, pick him up and move him around.
Erin Holt [00:04:58]:
So it's like, I can live my life feeling really strong, which is a huge asset, I think. And even though I have experienced some, like, smaller injuries and just, like, weird body stuff throughout the year, it hasn't sidelined me. So working with Kris, she's been able to work around stuff as it comes up, which feels good because it can be demoralizing to get injured and then have to stop moving. Like, that really sucks, and it affects me mentally and emotionally. So I never had to put pause on what I was doing. Kris just kind of, like, worked around it, which felt great. And then I will say, in terms of the immune system function, I just haven't been getting. I mean, knock on wood.
Erin Holt [00:05:39]:
I have not been getting sick the past year. Like, I just don't catch every cold that goes around. And I can't say, oh, it's. It's because I've been strength training with. With Kris. But that's, like, really the biggest variable that has changed over the past year in my life. So I think that's just anecdotally interesting. So that's my.
Erin Holt [00:05:57]:
That's what's been going on. Um, so let's get into it. Kris. Um, one of the reasons that. Well, so I should probably set some more context, too. Cause everybody here, if they've been listening to the podcast for a while, they know I am friends with Cristin Zaimes. Cristin owns Oceanside Physical Therapy, and the Tide is a strength studio that is within Oceanside. So I went to Cristin, who's a physical therapist, and I was like, I've got some things going on.
Erin Holt [00:06:27]:
And she's like, you need to work with Kris. So she intentionally paired me with Kris. And Cristin has been trying to get me to feel my core for, like, six years, and I have not been able to do it. And Kris's, like, main intention of working with me is like, let me just, like, have her feel her core. And we did it on day one, so win. Let's talk about awareness with movement, because that is. That is something that I even. I put intention and attention on it.
Erin Holt [00:06:54]:
I am not always super aware of where my body is in space, and I think that that can set me up for injuries.
Kris Lollis [00:07:03]:
Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head for sure. A lot of times, especially in, like, fitness classes and things like that, people tend to just kind of move, and it's like, I want to go fast. I'm moving faster. But when we actually put that intentionality behind movement and we slow down and we feel what we're supposed to be doing. There's a lot of changes that start to happen. And what was really cool with you was breaking it down and just showing you, like, you do know where your core is. It's just you have to hone in, tune into what your body's doing and kind of shut out the noise.
Kris Lollis [00:07:35]:
What I like to think, too, with strength training, a lot of people are like, I do this to turn off my brain and to get out of my body. But I think before we can allow ourselves the permission to do that, we've got to first feel what the movement is supposed to feel like in our body. It's like earning that permission to allow yourself to move without, you know, without really focusing in on what you're doing. So with that awareness with your core and making sure that we're engaging now, we're setting ourselves up for success, to be able to do all of our movement patterns with the key thing, our core engaged, us being able to breathe. And that allow really just opened the door for you to be able to do all of these strength movements that we had that I had set up for us to be successful. Right. Squat, bench, deadlift, hinging, rows, things like that. So if we don't have that awareness with our core and what's going on in that fundamental part of our body, it's going to be really challenging to move forward and to build strength.
Erin Holt [00:08:30]:
Is that the place you start with everybody or just with me?
Kris Lollis [00:08:33]:
Everyone. Day one, it's like, can you engage your core, breathe, have awareness, know what that movement pattern's supposed to feel like? I think a lot of people, if we do breathe, we breathe shallow and we don't have that full inhalation of our breath. So I think it's really important to make sure that not only can you breathe, but can you engage and breathe at the same time? That's really going to set us up for good pelvic floor health, but also just general movement quality. If we're breathing throughout that movement, we're going to feel our whole entire musculature better.
Erin Holt [00:09:05]:
Well, and it's more than just like sucking your belly in. Core awareness.
Kris Lollis [00:09:10]:
Yeah, for sure. So we're talking about, like, deep core, so not just like, oh, I feel like I'm doing a crunch. Right. So it's like, can we recruit our lower abs, have that upward lift? So now our pelvic floor is lifting as well, and can we engage our upper abs to kind of meet in the middle? So now we're Protecting those internal organs. And we're really making sure that we can breathe and engage in a proper way.
Erin Holt [00:09:33]:
What's the problem? If there was like pelvic floor issues, how would that show up in somebody's like, exercise routine as a problem?
Kris Lollis [00:09:42]:
So a good example is like prolapse, right. When you feel that downward pressure.
Erin Holt [00:09:47]:
Can you explain what prolapse is in case somebody doesn't know? Because these are not pelvic floor experts. I know you talk to pelvic floor experts all day long. The people listening to this show are probably not them.
Kris Lollis [00:09:59]:
Okay, so you have the tissues bulging out of either your rectum or your vaginal canal. Right. So that's a prolapse. Right. So the tissues are bulging out. So you could. That's a pressure management issue. So there's also some other things that are an issue as well.
Kris Lollis [00:10:15]:
There may be, you know, structurally, internally things may not be functioning the way that they should. But if we aren't recruiting our core properly, then, and we're causing that downward pressure into our pelvic floor, now we're causing dysfunction in our pelvic floor. But not just people with prolapse need to pay attention to this. Everyone does. So we need to make sure that we're recruiting, having that upward lift and we're keeping our abdomen and our chest, our upper body in a nice neutral position, and then from there having a good movement quality. Does that make sense?
Erin Holt [00:10:49]:
Yeah, it does make sense. And if you don't. So if you don't, let's say, know how to engage your core, the deep muscles of your core properly, that can lead to pressure issues, and pressure issues can lead to pelvic floor issues. And pelvic floor issues can lead to other issues. And so if all of this is going on and you're trying to lift heavy weights, are you just going to essentially like, exacerbate all of those issues?
Kris Lollis [00:11:16]:
For sure. I mean, it's not a. If you're going to injure something or if there's going to be pelvic floor dysfunction. It's a matter of when. Right. So. So making sure that we're recruiting in a proper way is going to set us up for that longevity. And I would especially say for women right postpartum as we age, we just don't have the same in muscular integrity.
Kris Lollis [00:11:38]:
Right. To our like, not just like our body, but think about your internal organs, your vaginal canal, like being able to like, support yourself. So if you can learn to recruit those muscles and have that upward lift, when we are causing these pressures in our body. We're actually able to combat those pressures by engaging our muscles, but also using our breath as a pressure gauge.
Erin Holt [00:11:59]:
I think you just won the award for saying vaginal canal the most in what, in 10 minutes? So good job.
Kris Lollis [00:12:07]:
You could tell I work at a pelvic floor clinic.
Erin Holt [00:12:11]:
Totally. All right. And so talk. And the reason that we're starting here at the core, at the foundation, is because I do. I would. And Kris can talk about more of the whys. I would. Based on my own experience, based on the research, and based on what I've seen, I would encourage women to start strength training if they're not already.
Erin Holt [00:12:37]:
But we want to make sure that we're setting people up for success. Because I've listened to a million podcasts where they were like, strength training, lift heavy weights. And I'm like, cool. How? I want to do that. How do I start? How do I set myself up for success? So for somebody listening that wants to start but doesn't know where, what I'm hearing is start with the core. Is that accurate?
Kris Lollis [00:13:00]:
A hundred percent. It's going to set us up to be able to have good movement quality all around. If we know how to breathe, engage, recruit properly from our core, we're going to be able to take that into the driver's seat and pretty much run with it.
Erin Holt [00:13:13]:
And I was. I will say, I think maybe, like, the first couple of months that I worked with you, we really did a lot of, like, the basics, foundations. I didn't go in and start, like, deadlifting and, like, doing heavy squats. Like, we started from the ground up and built my strength. Um, and it kind of sometimes felt like I wasn't doing much of anything. I would. You know, I knew I was doing something, but it wasn't like, it wasn't Instagram worthy at that point in the beginning. Okay.
Erin Holt [00:13:40]:
It wasn't. I wasn't getting PRs. Okay.
Erin Holt [00:15:59]:
You did mention talking about breathing and can you talk about the breath pressure connection? Like what is, what does that have to do with anything?
Kris Lollis [00:16:08]:
Yeah, so when we inhale there should be this expansion that happens and when we exhale. I'm sorry, I'm saying that backwards. So like when you exhale there should be this upward lift that ends up happening, right? Your pelvic floor naturally lifts. So I'm inhaling and I exhale. That upward lift happens in my pelvic floor. And so why that's so important is because that's going to allow for us, like I said, to manage that pressure better. But now if we can't fully keep that engagement and pressure management without movement. So let's just say we're laying on the floor or we're standing, we're not hinging or squatting, then when we start to do add weight load, that pressure has to go somewhere.
Kris Lollis [00:16:48]:
And most of the time, the bearer of that pressure becomes our pelvic floor. And then that starts to show up in different ways. So pelvic floor dysfunction can look many, many different ways. It doesn't have to look like prolapse. It could look like constipation. It can look like, you know, erectile dysfunction, things like that. Like, your muscles can be really, really tight from dysfunction, or they could be, you know, really, really loose from dysfunction also.
Kris Lollis [00:17:11]:
So really just trying to set ourselves up to be able to do these movements and allow for not only our pelvic bowl to feel healthy, but think about all the muscles that surround that pelvic bowl. You have all of your hip rotators, you have your glutes, you have your hamstrings, and all that feeds into your low back and then up the chain, Right? So it's all connected. So if we have this dysfunction in the core of our body, our core, our pelvic floor, then there's going to be some dysfunction leading out from that core. So if we start in the center and we make the center strong, we can move around that and strengthen every other part of the body.
Erin Holt [00:17:45]:
Yeah, because pelvic floor, I mean, like, worst case scenario is prolapse. Right? Like, that's, like, kind of like the scary.
Kris Lollis [00:17:52]:
That's the one that is the scary one.
Erin Holt [00:17:54]:
Right. And typically, if you have prolapse, like, you know that there's a problem in the pelvic floor, you're like, there's a thing that don't belong in places, and it's a problem. But, like, constipation, people don't always associate that with pelvic floor issues. Hip pain, low back pain. I see Kris's wife, Lisa, for myofascial work, and I went in with, like, neck pain, and she's like, this is actually, like, from your pelvis. So it's like, it can literally affect everything from tip to tail because it's the, like, the focal point of your entire body. And so if there's issues there, if there's dysfunction in there, if there's issues with core engagement, if you're not breathing appropriately, all of this, like, your pelvis can take the hit when you start to, like, heavy lift, and then the rest of your body can feel like crap. But you wouldn't know it's your pelvic floor necessarily.
Erin Holt [00:18:48]:
You could be like, oh, I have hip problems. And it's like, well, yeah, but where. Where did the problems stem from? And then just back to the breathing, because this took me longer to understand than it really should have. When I was working with Cristin back in the day, she had to teach me how to appropriately breathe. And I was like a yoga teacher, you know, I was like teaching people how to breathe, and I didn't even know how to do it myself, so. Whoops. But the way that I think about it, this is how I wrapped my head around it is when you're breathing in, it's like you're inflating a balloon. So you think about your rib cage that has to open up so your lungs can expand out.
Erin Holt [00:19:24]:
We pretty much understand that point. But then like Kris was saying, your pelvic floor kind of fills up as well. So the pelvic floor kind of drops down. That's how I visual visualize it in my brain. Like everything is expanding out like a balloon. And then when you exhale, everything kind of comes back in towards center, and that's the upper lift of the pelvic floor. So hopefully that visual works for somebody, like it worked for me. But because I think sometimes we think about it in the exact opposite way.
Kris Lollis [00:19:55]:
Yeah.
Erin Holt [00:19:57]:
Okay, so let's talk about strength training. Now that we've set the foundation, um, what is true strength training? How would you describe it?
Kris Lollis [00:20:07]:
So true strength training is lifting really heavy, right? And kind of like what we set up was you have to learn how to move with good quality of movement before we can load anyone really heavy. But one of the fundamental parts is like learning how to truly strength train. Because we all are so accustomed to group classes, we think, okay, I'm going to come in, I'm going to warm up with Kris, and I'm going to do a set. I'm going to wait 20 seconds, I'm going to do another set. I'm going to wait 20 seconds. And so that's more of a robic training. Like we're getting into cardio at that point.
Kris Lollis [00:20:40]:
And so in order to do true strength training, as you can attest to, there's a lot of time to chat in between those reps and sets. So it may look like we're warm up, we get to our weight. Let's just say you're lifting a hundred pounds that day. We do our warmup. We do a couple warmup sets on the back squat. Once we get to that hundred pounds, you're going to do, let's say we're doing five reps that day. You do five reps, and we're going to rest a minute and a half to two minutes in between.
Kris Lollis [00:21:06]:
And then we're going to go back into that next set of squats. And the reason why we're doing this is because we are building resiliency in our autonomic nervous system. And so when we do that actual reps and sets, we're going into that sympathetic stage, right, that fight or flight. Your heart rate increases, your blood pressure increases, and your body is having that, like, simulation of fight or flight. Maybe not on a drastic level, right, but we are having that simulation. And when we rest, we allow for our body to come down into that rest and digest that parasympathetic state. And we're teaching our body that it's okay to go up into this fight or flight, come back down to rest and digest. And over time, as you continue to do this, you start to build this resiliency in your autonomic nervous system that allows for you to be like, okay, when there are stressors in my life, I can come back down to this state.
Kris Lollis [00:21:58]:
And that one and a half to two minute window just allows for, like I said, your blood pressure to come down and for your heart rate to come back down so that you can go back into that next set, ready and prepared. But it also allows for your central nervous system to have time to recover because that's signaling you, to give you power, strength, you know, how much force do I need to put out to do that next set again?
Erin Holt [00:22:21]:
It is so much more rest than I was prepared for. I didn't like, you know, like, you're resting for a while, where I'm like, okay, am I, like, doing something now? And you're like, nope, you're still resting. So you go hard and then you rest and then you go hard and then you rest. And that took a little bit of time to get used to. But what I will say is I've never left the, like, a session with you feeling gassed. Like, I've worked hard, I've done hard things, I've lifted heavy stuff. I've never left feeling depleted or never felt depleted the following day.
Erin Holt [00:22:59]:
And that's just like, crazy to me in a year, in over a year to never feel that way. And if you know anybody who has dealt with adrenal issues or burnout or quite frankly, any hormone issues, especially a hormone depletion picture, really should, like, hit that back button and go back and listen to everything Kris said again, because we are not accustomed to this. We are accustomed to go, go, go, push, push, push harder, faster, more. And if we're not doing it 100%, then why even bother? And I got to tell you that I have seen, I've shared the benefits with you of training in this way. And I'm putting on muscle mass like it's happening. And I just encourage people, if you have any history of like hormone dysfunction, adrenal dysfunction, you might need to change the way that you train. It's not about not moving your body that isn't beneficial to anybody for the most part.
Erin Holt [00:23:54]:
It is really about moderating the way that you are training. Because I know so many women that listen to the show are just so accustomed to pushing themselves so hard and putting so much pressure on themselves to do everything 110%. And it's like, where has that got you? If it hasn't gotten you to where you want to go, it might be time to change the approach.
Kris Lollis [00:24:17]:
Yeah, I think it's just learned behavior. Right. We were taught cardio is for women, muscles are for men. Right. That's, that's been the message for so long. But when we look at the research that's out, it's showing how important it is for women to lift weights starting in like our 20s. So if we would do it in our 20s, then we really would set ourselves up for, for our 40s, our 50s, our 60s. But of course, the research is just catching up.
Kris Lollis [00:24:42]:
But it's not too late to start when you're in your 40s because you can put on muscle mass. And I think that what, that's what really deters women. They're like, well, I don't want to get bulky. It's like it takes a lot of time to build a lot of muscle mass and to get bulky. And in that 45 minute session, we don't have enough time for those reps and those sets to do that. But also knowing that it's not inappropriate or it's not, you know, it's not unflattering for you to have muscle. It actually is beneficial for you, for your hormones, for your longevity, for your bone density. You know what I like to tell people is like, I'm not helping you get strong so you don't get hurt.
Kris Lollis [00:25:21]:
I'm helping you to get strong enough so that when those injuries or those missteps happen, we can get up. If we fall, we're going to get right back up again because no one wants to be, you know, 60, 70, fall break a hip, can't get up and you feel helpless. So really just trying to give people that empowerment to say, like, I can live my life I can do whatever I want to do. And if we feel strong enough to do it, but also know we're strong enough to do it, then we can move and do our life without limitations.
Erin Holt [00:25:50]:
Which is a great place to be, I would say. So I'm just going to share this story that recently, it's not like a big, big story, but it's just. It was, like, interesting for me. So I was in a period of high stress. Like, just, like, just high stress, let's just say that. And I went to a studio class, and it was like a boot camp class. So it was an hour of, like, going hard.
Erin Holt [00:26:15]:
And it was also in the heat. And dude, I'm still recovering. And that was a week and a half ago. Like, it just. I pushed myself to the limit and my body's really struggling to recover, but that when I'm left to my own devices, that is my go to, like, push myself to the limit. Especially when I'm in a studio class, if people can see me, I'm going hard, you know, Like, my ego kicks in.
Erin Holt [00:26:41]:
Like, it takes over. And I think that's one of the benefits of being able to train one on one with somebody is like, Kris, you kind of serve as my checks and my balances. So you're going to encourage me to push myself more than I think I can when it's appropriate, and then also kind of pull me back when I am pushing myself past my capacity.
Kris Lollis [00:27:04]:
Yeah, I think that's also a great segue to just looping back to that awareness. Right. I help you figure out that awareness. And then you being able to be in that driver's seat and being like, okay, I went to that class. I see what's happening in my body now. I know the signs where maybe in the past you would have done that and did it again the next day. You're tired. But I'm doing it again.
Kris Lollis [00:27:28]:
I'm doing it again. And so that awareness carries over because you're like, wait, when I do this type of strength training, I feel like this. But when I went and did this cardio class and I'm still depleted, and now I don't want people to think that I'm like, not for cardio. There definitely is a time and a place for cardio, but depending on where you are in life, like age, hormones, there's just specific protocols for cardio. And so for most women, there should be. I believe it's like, if you're going 20 seconds, we should have 40 seconds off of rest. So you're giving yourself double that time to rest and recover. It's like, go as hard as you can for that 20 seconds, but, you know, give yourself that time to rest and recover in between.
Kris Lollis [00:28:09]:
And a lot of people are like, no, I was taught that you go for an hour, you go for 45 minutes, and you give it all you got. And it's like, yeah, you can give it all you got, and then you won't have nothing left for the next two weeks. So really, just doing it in a way that is conducive for your body and also knowing where you are, where your hormones are at, it's like, we can't train like we did when we were in our twenties for the rest of our life. It's unrealistic. If your hormones are changing, why isn't your programming changing?
Erin Holt [00:28:34]:
Yeah, and speaking of that, like, you do a lot with cycle training, too. So you're always clocking, like, you know, when I'm getting my period before I do, you're always. You're Johnny on the spot with that, like, always clocking it. And so that will change what you program for me based on where I'm at in my cycle. Can you can speak to that a little bit?
Kris Lollis [00:28:54]:
Yeah. So there's a lot of research that shows if we go hard in our follicular and ovulation phase and then have more of a, I'll say, like, deload or lighter, less like, strenuous time in our luteal, in our menstruation phase, that you can get a lot of gains. But what I've really found out with a lot of women is that really is depending on them and their cycle and how they feel. So if you're in your luteal phase and you feel like complete crap and you can't. You don't have the energy or the hormones to do anything, then why am I asking you to give me your one rep max that day? Right. So regardless of if you have the physical strength to do it, your mind and your body are telling you different. And so your programming should look different.
Kris Lollis [00:29:37]:
And so instead of having you go super intense, that may look like, hey, we're going to do 70% for three sets of three. Instead of being like, we're going to do heavy singles today, because even though you may be able to show up and do it that day, you're not going to feel great afterwards. You're going to feel super depleted. You're going to feel like, man, I still can't recover from that workout. And you're not going to be able to do the other things that you need to do in your life. So really just making sure that we are programming towards where you are hormonally as well as for like age.
Erin Holt [00:30:36]:
So we do have to support our skin internally, but it can also be supported externally as well. And that's where the Bon Charge red light face mask has come in for me. I use it about three to four times a week, 10 minutes a pop. It's super easy. I do it first thing in the morning and I have noticed less redness and even a more even skin tone. Other things that the red light mask can help with are fine lines and wrinkles, acne, eczema, sore jaw and migraines. Red light therapy is awesome. It's hugely researched.
Erin Holt [00:31:59]:
You also helped me make a connection that I had never really made before is that there are certain I am more likely to, I don't want to say be injured because that's like a little hyperbolic, that's a little extreme. But like you know, we all have, like, hot spots in our bodies that kind of flare up and they pop off a little bit and they're like, hey, it's one of our own internal checks and balances. And I'm more likely to feel those during certain parts of my cycle. And I had never made that connection before. Also, I. I have this, like, running list of how I know, like, how my body communicates with me that I'm, like, cruising for a bruise and that I'm, like, pushing myself a little bit too much.
Erin Holt [00:32:44]:
And I've been able to add more to that list working with you. Like, there's this hip thing that kind of. That kind of does something a little funky. And I'm like, oh, Kris has been. Has helped me understand that that's like, when I'm under stress or when I'm kind of carrying too much of a metaphysical, emotional, energetic load. And in those times, it doesn't make sense to increase the actual physical load of, like, what I'm actually lifting. So that's been really helpful. And another reason why I would advocate, especially if you're starting out, like, why it's so beneficial to work one on one with somebody.
Erin Holt [00:33:20]:
And, you know, we just kind of talked about ways that you've encouraged people to maybe take a step back from their training. But there's also times where you're encouraging me to take a step forward. And it's mostly when I feel scared. There's sometimes where I, like, see the weight and be like, I can't do that. And then you're there to be like, you actually can and you've actually done this before. And as soon as you say that, as soon as I hear a word of encouragement, because I trust you, I have so much trust in you because you know my body, if you tell me I can do something, I can do that thing. It's become so much easier.
Erin Holt [00:33:55]:
And I would love to talk about that, like, mind muscle connection, because I've seen it happen in real time and it's flabbergasting how much, like, something can feel so much heavier. And then all Kris has to say is like, oh, you've done that before. And then it all of a sudden feels lighter. Like, how is that magic happening?
Kris Lollis [00:34:16]:
I think a big part of it is the trust, right? So, like, the trust that I have in you is because I know you can do it, and the trust you have in me is because you know I won't set you up to fail. That's a big piece of it, right? There's, there's this mutual trust, but there's also, I would say this is my realm of where I feel like that energetic piece comes in as well, is when we are working through these movements, we're using movement as medicine and we're allowing for our body to heal from, you know, past injuries, traumas. Whether you come in and you feel like the weight of the world's on your shoulders and you're able to talk through it, move through that weight, it's really allowing for you to move through that energy as well and to take it and turning it into something productive. And so that really allows us to just start to build this inner trust and conquer those battles that feel like they're super, super hard because the weight feels heavy. Like when we're squatting and we put a hundred plus pounds in the bar, it's not that it's not heavy, it is heavy. But when we start to just switch our mindset into being like, this is something hard and I know I can do it, you start to manifest that just physical action of like, this is hard, and I know that I can complete it.
Kris Lollis [00:35:25]:
I have myself, I believe in myself, my coach is right there, you know, cheering me on, and I can do this thing. It's only going to take me 10 seconds. I can do this thing. And that mindset shift really has allowed for you to put on a lot of muscle mass and get really, really strong. But I've also seen you, seen you on the other side of things, be able to hand in hand, be like, these things that I've been battling for a long time, these patterns that I've been going back to for a long time, I'm breaking them. And so when we allow for that, like that, I think you said it best where the science meets the sacred, right? When we come in and we allow for that to happen, beautiful things start to happen in our training because now our intentions are different. We're actually moving our body in a healthy and productive way. So, yes, we're going to put on muscle, but we're also changing our mindset and we're also allowing for ourselves to shift and move energetic pieces that have been waiting to be moved for a very long time.
Erin Holt [00:36:19]:
Yeah, And I think that there's a real. There's a real magic in that and certainly not what I was expecting. When I'm like, I'm gonna work with a personal trainer, you know, it's like, I didn't know I was gonna be taking on this magical mystery tour of, like, changing my, like, life and emotional patterns through changing my movement patterns. Like, I wouldn't have been able to predict this, but it's been such an awesome thing. I would love to wrap this up. I was thinking of. We won't name names because I didn't ask her permission ahead of time, but we have a mutual client who has worked with the Funk'tional Nutritionist and has also been working with you for a long time. And I just.
Erin Holt [00:36:58]:
I love stories of, like, hope and inspiration. And so you know who I'm talking about, right?
Kris Lollis [00:37:03]:
I know, I know.
Erin Holt [00:37:05]:
Could you tell a little story of how she came to you and where she is now?
Kris Lollis [00:37:11]:
Yeah. I would say the beautiful part about this is, like, no matter where you are on your journey, I think we can use these different modalities to help us move through energy. And so this person had done all the mindset work, all of the nutrition work. I mean, there was nothing that she needed to learn on that front, but really just kind of felt frail in her body and was like, I have all these elements that are coming my way, and I want to feel strong. I want to feel resilient. And over the last two years, I've seen her do things that she never thought her body was going to be able to do. I mean, she climbed a mountain at freaking 3am to watch the sunrise. And this woman is not, like, in her 30s.
Kris Lollis [00:37:52]:
She is, like, well until her 60s. And she's doing things that she never thought she could do. And she's told both Erin and I, she attributes that to both merging that mindset work and being able, giving herself the permission to work through things, through movement, and allowing herself to not only feel strong, but know she's strong. And if I think that's a super important part of really having that mindset, of being, like, I'm not just going into this to, like, just to put on muscles. I want to work through things. Why haven't I been able to do this? Like, what's my stumbling block? And when you really change that mindset of being like, let's get to the core of it. I might cry a little bit in my sessions with Kris.
Kris Lollis [00:38:32]:
That's okay. But, like, I'm gonna feel good afterwards because it's all connected. And when we really start to look at things on an intentional, like, under an intentional lens, we'll see that, like, hey, those things that happened to us when we were a kid, they are coming back up when we're doing those movements. Maybe we don't correlate it right away, but, like, those things are coming back up. So she's a beautiful example of when you really just put your time and your intention into it and you do the work on all fronts, the achievements are limitless. Like, she's thinking about, at 60 something, thinking about doing a powerlifting competition next year.
Kris Lollis [00:39:08]:
So it's pretty incredible just to see how limitless she is.
Erin Holt [00:39:12]:
And this is somebody who has osteoporosis, who has been told a lot of things by medical professionals, basically reinforcing that idea that I am frail, I am fragile, I can break. And I think that's the beautiful thing about strength training, is that you get to reverse some of those narratives. We know how destructive labels can be sometimes, and I have seen firsthand how I've kind of, like, sloughed off some of those labels that I've inadvertently put on myself just through the act of moving my body and lifting heavy things and putting on muscle. So, you know, 10 out of 10 recommendation for me, from this guy. All right, thank you so much for coming on the show. If there's. If there's any message that you would like to leave people with today, you know, like, one takeaway message, what would it be?
Kris Lollis [00:40:09]:
Yeah, I would say you're as strong as you want to be, like, as strong as your mindset allows you to be. And if you feel like there's a stumbling block, then I would go back to the mindset work, because you can't do one without the other. It's a beautiful marriage between the two. And when we open ourselves up to that possibility, then our strength, our power, not just physically, but mentally, is limitless.
Erin Holt [00:40:35]:
I love it. Where can people find more of you, Kris?
Kris Lollis [00:40:38]:
You could follow me on Instagram @CoachMeKris, or you can. If you want to work with me, you can reach out at Oceanside and just give us a call or an email. And, yeah, I would love to work with you or one of our trainers.
Erin Holt [00:40:54]:
We'll make sure to link all that up in the show notes. And now's a really good time to get started. New Year's right around the corner, so get on the calendar quickly because they're going to be booking up in the new year soon. Obviously, if you're. If you are local, you know, I guess that only applies if you're local, but you do some distance training a little bit here and there, don't you?
Kris Lollis [00:41:13]:
Yeah, we could definitely do distance. It's a little bit more of a little bit more nuances to go with it, but I do some online training as well, so.
Erin Holt [00:41:20]:
Okay. So reach out to Kris if you want it. Thank you for coming on the show.
Kris Lollis [00:41:24]:
Thank you.
Erin Holt [00:41:31]:
Thanks for joining me for this episode of the Funk'tional Nutrition Podcast. If you got something from today's show, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, share with a friend, and keep coming back for more.
Erin Holt [00:41:42]:
Take care of you.