Ep 159 – Setting Boundaries With Fitness And Family

Athena:

Welcome back to another episode of vegan proteins. Muscles by Brussels Radio. I’m Athena.

Giacomo:

And I’m Giacomo.

Athena:

And this is episode 159.

Giacomo:

Woo.

Athena:

Woo hoo.

Giacomo:

Thanks for tuning into another episode, everybody. This is a special, and this is the first time you and I are recording together, actually, this is.

Athena:

Which is insane. I don’t know why we haven’t done this before.

Giacomo:

Long overdue, for sure. Oh, gosh. It was Danny’s birthday on Friday. We got a chance to do a whole bunch of cool stuff. We took the day off. So it’s like, if you’re going to take the day off on a Friday and you normally work, you better make a count. So we started off. Yeah, she asked for one thing, Athena. I was like, what do you want for your birthday? She goes, I want a tea party.

Who asked for a tea party? Yeah, I know. So my mother had bought a tea set that we saw in London, and she shipped it out and I put it out on a table, put some of her mom’s doilies that she had for

various reasons, out on the table, and we had, like, a little. She was like, you know, I wanted to go out for tea. I’m like, but this is the next best thing.

Athena:

That’s sweet.

Giacomo:

Yeah.

Athena:

Wasn’t it you and the family?

Giacomo:

No, just us two.

Athena:

Wow, that’s fun. Did you make little, like, tea party pastries and sandwiches and stuff?

Giacomo:

I woke her up at 07:08, which means I had a death wish. I said, what time are you born? And she said, I was born at 07:08 so that’s what time I woke.

Athena:

Up for the tea party.

Giacomo:

She’s like, you don’t remember me saying that if you value your life, you won’t wake me up at seven, eight. I was like, I forgot. Sorry.

Athena:

Nice.

Giacomo:

Oh, and then we had a day. Yeah. What about you? Have you been?

Athena:

I’ve been good. I have a new, which I’m super excited about. His name is Rumbles, and he’s absolutely sweet as can be. I literally got him yesterday. So he’s still very shy and not really open to coming out of his shell yet. But he did do one swat at one of his toys, so slowly but surely. He’s very sweet, though. And I’m excited to introduce him to Bruno and my other cat so they could be best friends.

Giacomo:

Oh, they haven’t been introduced yet.

Athena:

Yeah, because I just got them yesterday, so I don’t want to rush things.

Giacomo:

Same shelter?

Athena:

Yes. Tech. Yes, yes. From the same shelter. Hamilton animal shelter. You guys are doing great.

Giacomo:

Nice. Cool.

Athena:

Yeah. Adopt and shop.

Giacomo:

Yeah. Are they around the same age or.

Athena:

Yeah. So Runa is about nine months now. She is almost one years old. And rumbles is about six months. So they hopefully will get along okay since they’re both very young. So I’m really excited about that. And I’ve been wanting a second one for a very long time since pretty much I got Rina. I wanted them to. I wanted her to have a companion, so I’m really excited that she’ll have a little cat friend.

Giacomo:

Wait, and correct me if I’m wrong, but you have a doggie too, right?

Athena:

I do, Ozzy. I do have a dog. But he will not play with Runa. She will, like, she tries to play with him. She’ll, like, swat at his tail and, like, nudge into him trying to cuddle, and he’ll just walk away or growl. So I wanted her to have someone that will actually play with her because he’s old. He’s almost. Well, he’s. Yeah, he’s almost 16. So I want him to want to have a friend. I want her to have a friend. He is fun with us. He’s a grouche.

Giacomo:

So, Ozzy.

Athena:

Yes.

Giacomo:

Runa.

Athena:

Yep.

Giacomo:

Rumbles.

Athena:

Yep.

Giacomo:

Gotcha. And you are to them your cat mom and dog mom, basically.

Athena:

Yeah. I am their guardian.

Giacomo:

You’re their guardian. So it’s. That’s kind of like a somewhat cool segue into what we’re talking about today. I think I’m gonna try here. Maybe it’s a reach, but here you are thinking about what kind of boundaries are gonna be set and probably having the best of intentions, like, trying to separate them. But it’s like you can only do so much as one amongst the whole pack of the kitties, the puppy and you.

But obviously, we’re not talking about that specifically. We’re talking about boundaries as it pertains to family and fitness today. And Danny was like, athena’s perfect for this episode, and I think so too. So I’m kind of curious. Well, first of all, what are boundaries? Let’s start there.

Athena:

Well, if we want to use cats, cats are great at setting boundaries. Let’s see. I. Oh, the definition of boundaries. That’s a good question. Honestly, there’s some words that I just feel like I just know them, and describing them is a whole different factor. I would say boundaries, in my opinion, or, like, in my wording, I should say, is using boundaries without using the word boundary or describing boundaries without using the word.

I would say boundaries are having a specific wish or want and having that want or wish respected by others. And, yeah, I would say that’s my definition. How would you describe boundaries? Maybe that’s about right.

Giacomo:

No, I think so. It’s you have to coexist with others. And I feel like the word boundaries is used a lot when it comes to relationships, not necessarily thinking about whose territory is who and you’re living

together. It’s about how are you gelling with one another. Right. Because at the end of the day, that’s what matters the most, how you feel about the people that you live with and how they respect your feelings.

So when I think of boundaries, I think of someone understanding someone else’s basic, more than their basic needs, who they are as a person. Right. Their personal space, their emotions, also, obviously, their needs as far as how they live, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But if we stick to how they live and what goes wherever, as far as, like, I don’t know where you put things away.

I think you miss a forest through the trees. It’s more about, well, are you interacting with this person the way that you would want them to interact with you? And like you said, your specific wishes, are you being heard, felt and seen by the other person when you ask for these things?

Athena:

Yeah, I like that more or less. Yeah, I agree. So, yeah, that is how I would describe boundaries. I think boundaries can definitely become an issue when it pertains to anyone working on themselves, whether it be physically, mentally, emotionally, even at work or whatever. Anytime it seems that someone is trying to progress themselves in a way, or maybe they want to stop drinking or start doing other activities, it tends to make other people feel very, I think, internally it

makes them feel bad, although you’re not doing anything wrong, it can make other people feel bad that you are wanting to do these things, you are wanting to work on yourself. And maybe they don’t, or maybe they also just aren’t interested. And so we need to set boundaries so that they can actually respect what we want to do and respect that we want to work on these goals.

We want to make progress in whatever area that is. And we’re going to tell you how. We’re going to tell you some tips. So I guess I can start since I’m already talking. I think one of the most important things, not one of the most, the most important thing, which I will say over and over and over and over again, is communication. It is so important to just communicate your goals, why they are important to you, why you want to reach these goals, communicate exactly what it’s going to take

to reach these goals. So, you know, if you say, all right, tomorrow, I’m never eating junk food again, and you live with a full family and you say, and none of us are, we’re going to throw away all the chips, all the ice cream, all the cake, like, no more junk food for anyone. That is not, that is not a great way to start a new goal. It’s not a great way for you to reach your goal.

It is so important to be able to communicate exactly how you’re going to take the steps so that you guys can have a back and forth about it because I’m pretty sure people would have something to say if you said, okay, we’re throwing everything away tomorrow, so have that conversation with them and be completely honest of what your goal is, why it’s your goal, and what it’s going to take to get there.

So we’re going to fitness what your goal is. Maybe you want to lose ten pounds of fat. Why is it your goal? Because you want to feel more confident and what it’s going to take to get there. You’re going to go to the gym three days a week and you’re going to start eating more fruits and vegetables or whatever it is and during these time periods, so they know you’re not going to be home during that time and they’re going to have to deal with it.

I think that is my overall biggest recommendation or, yeah, recommendation for setting boundaries is just starting there. I think that’s the best place to start. We just need to be more open with each other and honest and understanding because it is a big lifestyle change for you, but it’s also a big lifestyle change for them if they’re doing all these things with you. And maybe you guys usually watch the Bachelor every Tuesday night.

I don’t know when it comes out, but maybe you guys only do that and now you’re going to go to the gym. It’s a lifestyle change for them and we need to be able to talk to them about it and help them understand why it’s so important to you so that they can feel comfortable with the goals that you’re setting. So that’s my biggest recommendation and back to you.

Giacomo:

I’m still with you. I’m taking it all in. I’m trying to think about the scene that you’ve set with a whole family and the idea of you’re the one initiating, this is your wish, this is what you want. You potentially want it for everyone else. Or maybe they’re coming in and saying, yes, we want this as well. But if you just start getting into it without thinking about everyone else’s needs there, or worse, you’re putting it on them, it’s going to go bad.

That’s not going to help. And then on top of it all, since it was your wish in the first place, if everyone else is bowing out, you still have to find a way. Or if all of your needs can’t be met, at least you were able to communicate what it is exactly that you were doing. And now this is where there’s got to be some compromises because you can’t expect everyone in the house to bend to your will because you have a specific goal.

You also have to keep going. If your family bows out and if they weren’t involved in the first place and you tried to do something healthy for them and they didn’t want it, I feel like you can’t be angry with them and you can’t. How do I say? I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t really have a response for that. But basically you can’t expect them to do it because you want it for them.

Put it that way. I feel like as coaches we deal with a lot of these particular experiences with clients and I think it’s easy to be upset, but it’s hard to look about, look at what you’re doing, how you approach it and then still keep going. I feel like that’s the biggest challenge is after the fact. What happens if it’s not working?

Athena:

I absolutely agree. So one way I would say is a recommendation is to specifically with families. I think we’ll have to, I guess we’ll just go into both here and there families or maybe a partner, whatever it is. With families. I think there are some ways too that you can make it enjoyable because like you said, you can’t make someone want what you want.

So if they don’t all want what you want, that is something that you have to come to terms with. That’s something you have to accept. It’s not fair to place your expectations on other people, like you said. So maybe make it a little more interesting for them. Plan some family activities that are revolved around fitness. You know, if you’re goal is to strength train three times a week and you really want

them to, but they don’t want to find something else for you all to do, it’s not fair,

again, to make them want to do exactly what you want to do. So how about going on hikes maybe planning a hike every single week or going on really long walks together or going on a run together, trying to find ways that are enjoyable or just any kind of activity that honestly keeps your body moving. Laser tag or a reward for what they do with you.

Let’s say you guys go on a really long walk. The reward is laser tag, and it’s still something that’s active. Or what are some other activities? I’m gonna think, I don’t know. That’s the first one I could think of. They’re actually moving around and doing stuff, I guess. Yeah, that’s just, that’s one idea. Just plenty of things that you guys can do together that are actually enjoyable for them and showing them that fitness doesn’t have to be grueling and boring.

Like, it can be fun and it doesn’t only have to be one way. There’s so many different styles of fitness, like dancing and like I said, walking, strength training, I don’t know, yoga. So many ways that you can make make being active a fun part of the lifestyle for everyone without making them do exactly what you’re doing.

Giacomo:

What about shopping together? Even if only one person gets groceries, you both are invested in the kinds of foods that you’re picking out for the house. For example, what about looking for recipes together and maybe even making recipes together or getting involved where one person’s cooking, one person’s cleaning, being in to the same process that it takes to eat healthier, as opposed to just saying, this is the way I want it, I’m going to do it this

way. These are things that are coming in, I’ll just take care of it because this is what I wanted. Something like that where you’re both invested in eating healthier. Yeah.

Athena:

Yeah. I think that’s a great idea. Yeah. Cause food can be a big challenge when you’re trying to change your nutritional habits, and then everyone’s just taken aback, like, oh, look for recipes that they’re like, oh, yeah, I would try that. Like, I would try that. Like, let’s make it together. Or even, like you said, going to the grocery store and maybe looking at just new things, because it is, it can be fun if you, if you stop looking at it from the lens of, I have to give up all these

things, I can never eat any of these things again. And looking at it of like, look at all these new things that I can try and we can try as a family, all these new recipes that we can try together and again, doesn’t have to be boring. You don’t have to just eat salads. Like people tell you you can eat really fun food that is good for you and tastes delicious.

There’s so many amazing recipes out there. So I think that is a really great idea because cooking together is so fun. I mean, if you enjoy cooking, if you guys live a busier lifestyle, maybe getting, like, one of those delivery meal systems that you can get. And there’s more. There’s, like, healthier ones

than others. Like purple carrot, I know is all vegan. I think hungry Groot or something like that is maybe all vegan or mostly, or has vegan options, but just things like that,

that make it so that you’re at least getting some good meals in. But, yeah, I mean, trying to cook together would be the best option if you can. But of course, everyone has a different lifestyle. So that would be my other. My other accommodation would be trying one of those things and just cooking those together because they’re fast, easy, and you get all the ingredients at your door.

Giacomo:

So there you go. Yeah. And you mentioned communication. I feel like even if it feels like you’re repeating yourself something like weekly or every couple days or maybe at the end of the night for a couple of minutes, something. Something where you’re going back and forth and talking about it instead of just assuming everyone’s on the same page, because people’s thoughts change based on what they’re doing as they get more into their process and they’re.

And you’re gelling with each other or at least trying to. So you don’t really know where someone’s at until you ask them. And your needs might change or your wishes might change as you accomplish or are, or it’s getting harder for you for whatever reason, or maybe you’re moving backwards as far as, like, whatever it is that you want to do for getting fitter, eating healthier, et cetera,

et cetera. Or maybe your goals change completely. So it’s not recommunicating. It’s literally the conversation is ongoing as far as, like, what it is that you’re after.

Athena:

Yeah, I love that one, too. Yeah. Reinforcing your boundaries is super, super important. And I think that’s something that, honestly, especially with a partner, if you can just do a weekly check in with them on every level of just, where are you guys at? Where are they at? Where are you, Athenae? And maybe even asking them for support in ways that you might need if you’re on this journey and you’re really excited about it and you have a couple weeks where you just kind of low talk to

them about it. Like, you guys can be each other’s support system, and I don’t like to use the word should, but you should be support system in certain areas at some points. Like, it. I believe it is something that is important for a healthy relationship to be able to go to your partner and support each other in a time of need, especially when they understand how important that goal is for you.

So just talking to them and, like, saying, hey, I’m having a hard week. Like, I am having a hard time going to the gym. Can you remind me why it’s important to me? Or can you help me wake up in the morning a little bit earlier and make sure I get up and don’t reinforce my habits that I’m trying to lay back on or whatever it is? There’s just so many things that all comes back to communication.

I think just most things are going to continuously come back to talk, talk, communicate, communicate. Get it out. I think it’s so, so important. You could also do, like, with your family or your partner’s little fitness challenges, too, of, like, maybe if you want to make it again, like, a little more fun,

like, okay, like, we’re gonna go to the gym once a week, or we’re gonna run a mile once a week, and maybe you guys reward yourselves for it, or maybe that’s a reward enough of, like,

look at me like, I did more than you this week. Not in a negative way, but in, like, yeah, like, I got one more mile than you. Like, I’m doing. We’re like, we’re doing great. And it’s like, a way to make it just fun and enjoyable. Yeah, that’s my thoughts.

Giacomo:

No, I love it. You can gamify things, too, whether you have a reward chart for the family or, for example, we have this house cleaning app that we haven’t gotten into yet, Danny and I. It’s called sweepy, and you assign different chores, and it also keeps track of how clean or dirty the house is. The cool part about it is. Well, picture you’re a kid, and. And you’re playing with your dollhouse, right? And you’re just building, and you’re putting your chair or your bed in the dollhouse,

and you’re making it all nice and complete. It has something like that inside of the actual house. Like, every time you do a chore, since you’ve gamified it, now you can add to your little room, and now you’ve put whatever in there, which is kind of cool when you think about it, right. It costs you nothing. And it turns into a little bit of a game, which, again, we haven’t gotten into it, but we’re working on it. Like, we gotta, like, put all the rooms in together and stuff.

Athena:

So that’s really cool. I do like that. I think.

Giacomo:

Yeah.

Athena:

Making anything into a game or like a reward system, a competition, whatever floats your boat. Like, those things help. It feels really good when you can, like, text your family member or see your family member and just say, look what I did this week. Like, I accomplished this. Like, I did this. You get a gold star. You get a gold star. Set that system up for you. And if they aren’t willing to participate, do it for yourself. Give yourself a gold start at the end of the week or something

that you really, really have been wanting. A new gym outfit, new shoes, new headphones, a new gym membership that maybe you didn’t want to pay for before because it was a little more pricey, but now you’re. Now you’re going, so now you want to try a different gym. And there’s just so many ways that you can set yourself up for the better and just hope that your family is willing to at least respect your wishes. Hopefully.

Giacomo:

Hopefully. That’s, to me, that’s where we can get a little dicey with this topic. And I do think it’s important to get into that because that’s where we’re going to be able to really get people thinking, like, how can this still work? And what happens when it goes wrong? The first thing I think about, though, the easy solution is obviously to journal or to brain dump or to seek external support, like one of us, like a coach, for example, or a therapist or an outside source, like a

friend or a family member. That has nothing to do with your boundaries, with your family, for example, or your roommate, for example. But what if that’s not enough? What if, despite all that, you’re still experiencing some issues with the boundaries that you’re setting, with those that you’re setting them with, and you’ve already looked from

within and you’re trying to communicate and the other person is just not, they’re not meeting, they’re not able to meet you where you’re at, or they don’t want to, then what?

Athena:

That’s a good question.

Giacomo:

Yeah, it is.

Athena:

I would say one just being assertive, like not going, oh, well, you know, I just really want to do this thing and it’s just really important to me. And they’re like, well, doesn’t matter to me. And you’re just kind of like being, I can’t think of the word that I’m looking for, but whatever the opposite of assertive is, that’s the word I’m looking for.

Passive. Instead of being passive, being absolutely assertive with what your goal is, what exactly it’s going to take, and not saying, yeah, I’m going to work on a Friday, but, you know, sometimes maybe I won’t go and I, we can just do this. No, absolutely be assertive. Like, I’m going to the gym on Fridays at this time and Mondays and Wednesdays at this time, and that is happening every single week.

And, you know, it’s of course, important to be polite, but you also want to be firm and you need to set that expectation for them and have them understand, like, this is your uninterrupted time. And if they’re at the point where they’re not respecting your wishes anyways, then you kind of just, you just have to be assertive. You have to let them know exactly what they have coming for them in your lifestyle and, you know, just continue to work on that together, trying to work on maybe

the ways that they, I mean, of course asking them like, what would make them feel more comfortable or why they aren’t for what you’re working on or what you’re going for. But if that doesn’t work, then I

think seeking professional help is probably going to be the best bet. And just having, like you said, a coach can be helpful, a therapist, of course, or even just your friends.

You know, if your partner isn’t supporting you, I think it’s or family. If you’re family or partner going to your friends or vice versa, you know, if your friends aren’t supporting you, go to your partner, your family. You know, I think a lot of the time we are really reliant on maybe just one person in our life. And it’s so important to have different people for different needs.

I have a lot of, well, I have a few very good friends. I have a lot of friends. I have a very few very good friends. And I do not go to every single one of them about my hardships. I go to specific friends for specific hardships because I know that they’re going to be there for me. I know they’re going to support me. I know they’re going to say what I need to hear for those things because they’re my good friends.

I know exactly what I need from them. And if you have a partner, maybe you know exactly that they, maybe you know exactly what they’re going to say already, so you want to go to the person that is going to support you, that’s going to be there for you, that’s going to say, you know what? Like, maybe I’ll do this with you or I’ll text you, I’ll call you, I’ll.

I’ll be your accountability buddy. You know, we, we need to really, we need to be more open to help. And I. Whether that’s your coach, friends, therapy, it’s not weak to ask for help. Setting up new goals, setting up boundaries, setting up these new habits. It’s hard. It’s not easy. Like the saying goes, if it was easy, every single person would be doing it.

And it’s not easy. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes a lot of. What’s the word that I’m looking for? Compromise takes a lot of compromise because you are having to give up maybe some of your relaxing time or tv time to now work out. You’re giving up some of your family time to meal prep or whatever it is. It does take compromise. So we need to be able to rely on other people and depend on other people.

So that can be a tough one, too, because I know maybe not everyone has a supportive person in their life. So then we’re going to go to online, online blogs or groups, Facebook groups or whatever it is. Do whatever you can to find a support system or at least one person that will support you. Because we don’t necessarily need everyone in the world to support us.

We don’t necessarily need our partners to support our goals, which hopefully they do. But if they don’t, like, we can find someone that will. There are people that are going to support you and whatever your goal is, as long as it’s a good goal.

Giacomo:

Yeah, I love it. You can check yourself, too, to see if the boundaries that you’re setting are not working for that other person. It’s not only about you and your wishes, it’s about making sure that you’re going about it responsibly and also taking the other people into account that you’re asking for and asking of when it comes to your personal needs.

Right. So it helps to check yourself. And I feel like early in the conversation when you’re talking about when you said, hey, give this time, because it gets uncomfortable and confusing and complicated when things shift and things change with the way that you’re doing things, when the environment changes, when other people are taking you in differently because you have changed.

Right? So giving time, accepting that sometimes that other person cannot meet you where you’re at as well. And like you said, that external support, that one, two, three punch is just perfect. And the whole assertiveness, like, you don’t want to be a passive passenger. You want to be an active passenger in the car that you’re driving when you’re not in control and other factors are at work that are, that could hold you back.

Right. And sometimes it’s even helpful to just reassess the whole thing but not give up, just reassess everything that you’re doing and how you’re doing it, because it’s not, nothing is perfect. And it’s helpful to be, to have some humility and to think about what you’re doing and how you’re doing and how you could do it better as opposed to just scratching the whole thing or, oh, gosh, the worst, the self sabotage, forget it.

Especially when you realize in hindsight that you’ve been your own worst enemy. Not fun. So, but like you said, athena, it takes a lot of work, it takes a lot of effort, and you could easily get from point a to point b and get to your goal. But do you want to do it in a way that’s healthy for you, everyone else, or do you just want to do it at all costs?

Obviously the former, and that’s why this particular conversation, this episode, is so important. And I feel like you’re hitting the nail on the head in so many different ways. So I hope that this lands well for those who are listening because it’s more than just following and sticking to a plan. It’s doing it in a way that is healthy for you, healthy for others, and a way that’s going to.

To last long term. And, hey, hopefully, hopefully you may even be able to more than inspire and more than lead by example, affect other people’s lives for the better when they make changes as well, because they see that you’re doing it and things are improving.

Athena:

Yeah, I love everything that you just said, especially, yeah. Being realistic with the goals that you have and how they can be affecting people. I think. I don’t remember the exact words you use, but I totally agree. You need, oh, check yourself. Yeah, you need to check yourself because that’s also true. Like, kind of like what I was saying earlier, if you just like, okay, guys, we’re completely changing all of our lifestyles.

Like, no, check yourself. Seriously, that is not cool. It’s not fair, it’s not going to help them and it’s also not going to help you if you think that changing your entire lifestyle overnight is helpful. I promise you that. It’s not. It is a slow burner, and we just got to take one step at a time. Nobody goes from zero to 100, except for maybe nine, like one, 1.0%.

I don’t know. There’s just very few people who are going to go overnight to change their entire lifestyle. It’s tough, it’s hard. And that’s okay. We can take it step by step. Don’t start going to no gym to, let’s go to the gym seven days a week, especially when it could affect your family. Or I’m going to go to the

gym three days, an hour, like, or 3 hours a week.

But you have a family at home and a wife or a husband vice versa who are taking care of three kids. Like, that’s not fair. To go to the gym for 3 hours out of the week. You have to be considerate and figure out something that works for the both of you. And I also really like what you said about boundaries with yourself because that is another conversation to have. It’s just also, it is important to set boundaries with yourself, not just with other people.

Setting boundaries of what you’re willing to do and what you want from this. And also, like you said earlier, it’s okay to change your mind or change, change goals, switch goals up a little bit. Maybe you take things back. If you started off at 100, maybe go back to like ten. Just start off a little slower. So, yeah, I really like everything you just said. I think that’s really important.

Giacomo:

Yeah, totally. I’m trying to think if there’s anything else we want to share about boundary setting. We talked about what boundaries are, how to begin setting them, how to follow through with them, what happens if things go wrong, and how to continuously check yourself. I feel like we pretty much touched most of what we could say about. Is there anything else that you think is important to note?

Athena:

I would say, I guess just maybe. Well, yeah. Kind of elaborating on what you said before of just also being that I can never think of the words that I want to say, just being the. I can’t think of it.

Giacomo:

What’s.

Athena:

You know when you’re doing the thing and people are noticing the thing and they’re like, wow, you’re actually doing pretty great. Like, you. You are. You are achieving this goal. And maybe they’re noticing and they’re noticing the habits that you’re changing and they’re noticing the feelings that you’re feeling. They’re noticing that you’re feeling better about yourself.

They’re noticing that you’re making progress. People are watching, and that’s going to make them be more interested. You know, prove to them that your new goals in fitness and health are something to take seriously by taking yourself seriously and showing up for them in that way. And just, yeah, I think being that light for people to see of, like, okay, they said they’re going to change their goals and they set boundaries with me and I see the progress happening, like, they are

making progress. So I think that can be really, really helpful, just being that, being that light for people.

And also, you know, don’t, if it’s absolutely grueling, make it more enjoyable. It doesn’t have to be grueling. It can be a good time to make progress. So I think sharing progress with family, friends, any, any kind of support system, I think is really, really is really helpful for setting those boundaries because they’re going to see, like, oh, she’s serious, he’s

serious. Like, he, he told me about the boundaries, but now I know, like, they, they weren’t kidding. They are making these goals happen. I think that’s a, I think, like, that can be helpful to setting those boundaries. People should respect your boundaries no matter what, but they’re definitely going to respect them when they see that the progress is happening. So that’s, that’s how I would, that’s how I would just add on to that. Finish it up there.

Giacomo:

Got it. For sure. As opposed to just talking about what you’re doing, you feel validation because you others are looking at what you’re doing and they’re realizing that you can do it a healthy way, not just get the end result, what you want to do. On paper, they’re seeing that your life is changing for the better and that’s how you inspire others. Perfect.

Athena:

Yes.

Giacomo:

All right, cool.

Athena:

Absolutely.

Giacomo:

Thanks so much for tuning in to another episode of vegan proteins muscles by Brussels radio. Please stay in touch with us at vegan proteins ussells by Brussels and you can also hit the contact button on vegan proteins and you will get a response from one of us super duper fast. Once again, my name is Giacomo, I’m Athena, and we’ll talk to you soon.