How to Shift Your Fitness Mindset and Thrive in Midlife with Camela Allen

Dr. Christine Li [00:00:00]:
Welcome back to the Make Time for Success podcast. This is episode number 249. If you are ready for a midlife mindset and strength reboot, I have the perfect teacher to introduce you to. Her name is Kamala Allen. We call her Cam and she is a fitness and functional nutrition coach, host of the Menopause Method podcast, creator of Menopause Minis and the Move the Dial Method community. She became an expert in the areas of fitness and strength training for midlife women after going through surgical menopause herself and being forced to figure out how to relearn, how to care for her body and her strength again. We get to hear the details of how she rebuilt her strength and her resilience. But we also learn from her that it's not just the physical body that we have to pay attention to.

Dr. Christine Li [00:01:02]:
We also have to pay attention to ourselves, mentally, emotionally and spiritually as well. She has a very unique approach with her clients that blends strength training, functional nutrition, neuro linguistic programming and identity work. And you're going to hear her style, her warmth, her her wisdom and how she helps women to reclaim their vibrant, capable selves in midlife. Let's go listen to this episode together now. Hi, I'm Dr. Christine Li and I'm a psychologist and a procrastination coach. I've helped thousands of people move past procrastination and overwhelm so so they could begin working to their potential. In this podcast, you're going to learn powerful strategies for getting your mind, body and energy to work together so that you can focus on what's really important and accomplish the goals you want to achieve.

Dr. Christine Li [00:02:07]:
When you start living within your full power, you're going to see how being productive can be easy and how you can create success on demand. Welcome to the Make Time for Success podcast. Hi everyone. You're going to hear a lot of laughter today because Cam and I just really love each other. If you're wondering who Cam is, her name is Cam Allen and she's a dear friend of mine. We've known each other for many years now and I'm having her back on the show because she is a health and, well, wellness and fitness coach. She is trained in functional nutrition as well and she has a wonderful new program that she's developed. I've loved watching her develop it and get excited about it and teach others through it and I just wanted to bring her on the show today so that we could get a sense of what's going on on her side and how she can help you to be really strong and really steady in midlife, which, you know, I'm all about.

Dr. Christine Li [00:03:17]:
So welcome back to the show, Cam.

Cam Allen [00:03:19]:
I am so happy to be here. Thank you for having me.

Dr. Christine Li [00:03:21]:
It's a pleasure to have you back. And I'm so grateful for everything that you've taught me over the years. We were just together at a conference, and we were sharing a meal, and she pointed out, because I had been asking that I could eat the vegetables off my plate first before anything else. And I knew that in my head as something that, yeah, I'm supposed to be paying mine to. But having her, my friend, just telling me gently, remember to do the vegetables first, I think that locked it in for me. That's wonderful.

Cam Allen [00:03:59]:
And the reason why is veggies contain the fiber, and fiber forms this mesh in our digestion. And so therefore, our blood sugar is slower to turn to sugar. It just changes our digestion. It's not changing what you're eating. It's changing the order that you're eating. Really makes an impact on your blood sugar.

Dr. Christine Li [00:04:17]:
Yes. And I will say having your friend coach you is also really of great impact. So, Kim, let us know a little bit about the backstory so our listeners get a refresher of who you are, how you came to be a health and wellness coach, and anything you want to throw in there to start us off.

Cam Allen [00:04:37]:
Yeah. So I was a former classroom teacher for 18 years, taught elementary school, and in my 40s, actually, the year I turned 40, the world, my world, personal world, turned upside down. And it was like, was I going to stay married or not? And my solution to be in my body and not in my crazy thoughts is to over exercise. So throughout my 40s, deciding if I was going to stay married or not, I pretty much crossfitted my way through a separation and a divorce and an empty nest. Like all the midlife things were happening in my 40s, but what happened at the end of my 40s? I ended up having a complete hysterectomy, which sent me into surgical menopause overnight. So my old ways of exercising crossfit, be on the ground in a puddle of sweat, can't breathe. Like that kind of exercise did not work on the other side of menopause. So I was like back to the drawing board.

Cam Allen [00:05:30]:
And honestly, Christina, took me years to give up that identity because that was part that got me through a really rough 10 years of life. And it was hard to put down. And I believe in midlife. And you'll probably agree that there's A lot of identity shifts and who you say you are and who you think you are. As that changes, there's like a recalibration going on. And I definitely had to do that with exercise. I had to recalibrate.

Dr. Christine Li [00:05:54]:
I remember you mentioned you were in the top 100 in the world in CrossFit, in your age group. Is that correct?

Cam Allen [00:06:03]:
Yeah, that, that happened for a minute. It was like one or two years before my over exercising ways took over my health in a negative way. Yes, that did happen.

Dr. Christine Li [00:06:13]:
Yeah. So as a listener of your story, I'm thinking being on the ground in a puddle of sweat, maybe it might have been a blessing. But I know it was such a mix of, like you said, identity shifts and really difficult times for you as your body was also thrown into a different state altogether. Can you tell us a little bit about what you were having to kind of keep yourself calm through?

Cam Allen [00:06:44]:
Yeah. So after the hysterectomy and surgical menopause, when I tried to go back to my old exercise ways, I would be exhausted for days on the couch. Like it was. It was a very sad time. So the way I always coped with stress did not work any longer. And so I had to like rework the whole system. And at the same time that I had the hysterectomy, I'd gone back to school to be a health coach. So it was kind of like at the same time I made this life decision both in my career and with my body, and I had to like merge them together.

Cam Allen [00:07:15]:
And what I realized was my old intense ways of exercising wasn't serving my hormonal profile of menopause. So strength, I knew strength was important. Keeping my bones strong was important. And I had this like, vision for my life. I wanted to be active, hike mountains, play with grandkids, carry my groceries in, in one trip forever. Like, that's my goal in life and not I want to use my body to experience life. So I knew if I continued my exercise ways of my 40s, in my 50s, it was not going to work.

Dr. Christine Li [00:07:48]:
Okay, and then what did you do then? Because was there a period where you just moved away from exercise or. It was always exercise for you as a positive channel for healing and well being.

Cam Allen [00:08:02]:
So my relationship with exercise definitely changed. So I really went back to the drawing board and like, how can I be strong and not be wiped out for days? That was really the key. So how could I keep my muscles and my bones strong and have energy? Because being on the couch for days wasn't a solution at all and even, you know, fast forward seven years later, I've actually changed how I think about exercise into 10 minute workouts, which is what I think we're gonna talk about. But strength training is key. You don't need a clock, you don't need a timer. You don't need to go as fast as you can, as many reps as you can, as heavy as you can. That's what I was doing in my 40s and once menopause happened, that was not sustainable in my 50s at all. It was not okay.

Dr. Christine Li [00:08:47]:
All right, so I see you on Instagram and TikTok and you are doing really powerful moves. You're lifting heavy weights, you're jumping on blocks and things like that. And you have the backpack on you. I didn't realize that you yourself are using the 10 minute framework. So just kind of let me know what has worked for you. And how did you come across the 10 minute idea in the first place?

Cam Allen [00:09:15]:
Yeah, so I saw a picture back of myself back in December of 24, and I was like, who is that person in the picture? I did not recognize her. And I would say about 20 pounds later, I feel like more like myself again. So I started. Actually, it was a on a client call. And she's like, I love the little mini workouts. And they were. She was talking about cardio workouts and it was a light bulb moment. I'm like, I didn't like my picture.

Cam Allen [00:09:39]:
And she just gave me this beautiful. This works for me. I just go and I do 10 minutes and I'm done. And I'm like, why can't we do that for strength training? Can we do enough reps so we actually keep our bones and our muscles strong and also convince our brain, I've got 10 minutes, I've got energy for 10 minutes. So I really think bringing in enough reps to make sure that we're keeping our body strong and steady, but also the mindset, like, I've got 10 minutes, I'm worth 10 minutes. And then the coolest thing happens is you actually have more energy and you want to show up more days. So being consistent, that's the name of the game. So if you are exhausted on the couch, or I don't have an hour or any of the excuses that we make up.

Cam Allen [00:10:22]:
10 minutes, you've got 10 minutes.

Dr. Christine Li [00:10:25]:
Okay. Beautiful. I love the story of how your client was in there as well for you. And can you share with us how your body has changed since you've kind of developed something that worked for your body? At this phase. And also how your mindset has changed as well.

Cam Allen [00:10:46]:
Yeah, my mindset, I think that's really the key. I was not being consistent with my exercises back in the fall of 24. Busy running a business. You know, all the things being. Being married. I got remarried. So there's. So that's the newlywed kind of figuring that stuff out, all of that.

Cam Allen [00:11:04]:
I was making it. I don't have energy for an hour. I. I would just put it off to the back burner. So making it 10 minutes. I usually do them in the morning and then just starts my day off. Right. And then I have more energy for the rest of the day.

Cam Allen [00:11:17]:
And the benefits of that were as I was more consistent and I can see the ripple effect. And also my body composition is back to what it was like back in 2020, which is like, a really nice to feel that way again compared to the last few years where I was just like, on a slutty increase, if you will.

Dr. Christine Li [00:11:36]:
Yes. Yes. I'm so proud of you. I remember when Kim got that data back about her metabolic age and how beautiful and young she is in metabolic health. And I was just thinking, this is amazing. Right. To see you be consistent, to see you thriving, to see you really energized, and to get this data back to. To confirm you're doing really well.

Dr. Christine Li [00:12:01]:
Can you talk about strength training period? Because I know a lot of women, I will probably put myself in this category. We know that it's supposed to be the thing that we're supposed to be doing, but yet it's strength training. So can you just give us maybe a few tips of how to get over that mindset hump about? Well, I love doing dancing, and I love doing aerobics, and I love doing Pilates, but it's that strength training that might have that extra to it.

Cam Allen [00:12:32]:
Yeah. So the dancing and all the fun things that can be like the topping, the, like the, you know, the sprinkle on top. But the base, I believe, should be strength training. So you're keeping your muscles and your bones strong, so your bones carry your skeleton through life, so you get to experience life fully. And you were mentioned the Dex. I had a DEXA fit scan. And so that's the bone health and the muscle health. And I was really happy with those results, knowing that what I'm doing is actually working for my body.

Cam Allen [00:13:00]:
It's beautiful. So you asked about strength training, so it's really the foundation. And again, it goes back to the 10 minutes. So 10 minutes you can do 10 minutes and then you also will have more energy for the fun things. Like I went rollerblading with my girlfriend on Friday and I haven't rollerbladed in 15 years. And that was fun. It was not strength training, it was challenging my body in a way I have not done in a really long time. But I was confident that I could do it because my bones are strong and my muscles are strong and I'll figure out the balance part without crashing.

Dr. Christine Li [00:13:35]:
Yes. Beautiful. Now, what has happened to your identity after this, this journey of several years? There have been ups and downs, certainly. Where have you arrived?

Cam Allen [00:13:46]:
I've arrived that I'm a healthy, vibrant, 56 year old woman that's helping other women in the world. I don't think that midlife is the end. I really think it's like a return to yourself, understanding what is and what isn't for you and feeling good in your body and confident to move your body through time, space and gravity is what I say. It's really empowering. It's like, what else can I do? Oh, should I try that? That's what happened with rollerblading. I was like, why not? Let's go rollerblade. It's been 15 years. Let's.

Cam Allen [00:14:18]:
What happens?

Dr. Christine Li [00:14:18]:
So, yeah, what would you say to people who are thinking about getting a coach and thinking about getting maybe some like a boost for what they're already doing? If they're already in the gym and they're, they're kind of maybe not seeing the results that they want or their mindset isn't really on board with. For the consistency. What advice would you give people?

Cam Allen [00:14:45]:
Yeah, the. Having a coach is like someone to mirror back for you what you can't see in your own self. You and I both have coaches and yet we are coaches. So having coaches in your life, people to mirror back where your weaknesses are, things that you can't see. And as far as like, you know, a lot of women will say, oh, they want to lose weight. I had a call this morning, she's down 10 pounds and she didn't really change anything. She did food order. She's moving her body more.

Cam Allen [00:15:12]:
It's, it's, and it's. She's a holistic vet. So like she has the experience and the knowledge about health for animals but it's hard for you to turn it to yourself. Right. And I think that's the power of a coach. I always have coaches in my back pocket. I know you do too. Yes, yes, yes.

Dr. Christine Li [00:15:29]:
We love our coaches and we love.

Cam Allen [00:15:31]:
Our coaches because they show us things we can't see in ourselves.

Dr. Christine Li [00:15:34]:
Yeah. All right, now tell us how you work with your clients and. And what format and collection of clients.

Cam Allen [00:15:43]:
Yeah.

Dr. Christine Li [00:15:44]:
Do you choose?

Cam Allen [00:15:45]:
So I have one on one clients, so we meet weekly, and some people are tracking their nutrition in, like, Chronometer, which is like a macro nutrient app. Some clients are sending me their pictures of their food, their beautiful food, and we're sharing it in a photo album. So there's some kind of tracking, and it's more of accountability. So I have one on one clients. I love working with them. I feel like I can really make a difference. And it's a blend of the physical stuff, like the food and the nutrition, but also the mindset and how they're seeing themselves or how are they talking to themselves? Because really, Christine, that's what I'm noticing is the game changer. It's not the perfect protocol.

Cam Allen [00:16:24]:
If. If you have the perfect protocol and you're not following through, you don't want to show up for yourself or what's blocking you. That's the game changer. And I know you know this, like, getting over yourself. Like, just do the thing. Like, why aren't you doing the thing that, you know you should? I feel like the women I work with are very smart and they know a lot of stuff about exercise and nutrition and what they quote, unquote, should be doing, but they're not doing it. And I think that's the power of working with a coach, for sure.

Dr. Christine Li [00:16:52]:
Beautiful. Totally agree. Of course.

Cam Allen [00:16:54]:
Yeah.

Dr. Christine Li [00:16:56]:
And there's. There's a real delight in showing yourself that you can be consistent. I don't think it has to be about anything, but that it brings you pride and more belief in yourself, which then, of course adds to the cycle of, I'm doing good things for myself and my life, and we all get stuck sometimes. So there. There's a. A grace and understanding and patience with that part of ourselves, but we need to also, like, activate that other part that is just, like, ready to go, ready to protect the future, ready to be strong again, like our bodies were meant to be. I mean, we're given such gifts of this life and our beautiful bodies to work with. So let's pay attention.

Cam Allen [00:17:39]:
Yeah. And then it changes your identity when you are showing up and you do feel better and you feel more confident. So it's not just about the physical body. It's about your emotional and mental and spiritual body as well. Like, all of it comes from taking care of this meat suit that you're traveling through world.

Dr. Christine Li [00:17:56]:
Yeah, yeah.

Cam Allen [00:17:58]:
And I do have an online group, but I. One on one, I have an online group and then I also have the minis. As far as like online exercise programs, they're just 10 minute workouts and the cool thing about them is you can stack them together. So like today I did the quote unquote core exercise. So it was a 10 minute core workout and if I had more energy and time, I could have stacked the second mini on. So that would be about 20 minutes of exercise and that would have been a lower body, like a lower body focus. So you can stack up to three of these together if you have some more time and energy.

Dr. Christine Li [00:18:29]:
Okay, terrific. And can you describe your thought process when you were putting together the minis program?

Cam Allen [00:18:40]:
Yeah. So I've been in the health and fitness space since 2010. I was, you know, was an athlete myself. So I have lots of experience of what works and what doesn't work. I've worked with beginners for a long time. So this work, this plan actually could be for beginners or it could be people that have been working out for a long time. You just need more load, you just need more weight. So you do feel that challenge at the end.

Cam Allen [00:19:03]:
So I wanted it to be doable and I wanted it to be like, get out of the way of you had to have the right equipment, the right enough time, enough energy. It's just 10 minutes to move your body. And the amazing thing is I just restarted them. So I'm on day three. I just restarted them and you can repeat them. So there's 30 workouts and then you just go back to the beginning and then this next time, depending on how I slept and my nutrition and how I'm feeling, you can add more weight. You know, that's how you, that's how you make it scalable to your ability.

Dr. Christine Li [00:19:37]:
Beautiful. And Cam has created a beautiful offer for these menopause minis, these set of 10 minute workouts that you can adjust and adapt to your needs, but also to help you really do this, really get the exercise in. And I want to thank you for doing that. Do you want to describe what the offer is, what the, what they will get when they sign up if they decide to join up?

Cam Allen [00:20:07]:
Yeah, so we have a special coupon code. So for $27 they'll have 30 workouts. And again, they're repeatable. They're great to have. Like, it could be your program, like, this is what I'm doing for the next 30 days. Or it could be like, I just want to move my body a little bit and I don't have a lot of time and I don't want to have to think about it. And you just click one and then you're ready to go. So it can be used either way.

Cam Allen [00:20:31]:
So, yeah, we have a coupon code for you.

Dr. Christine Li [00:20:33]:
Yes. All you need to do to get the 27 offer. It's, I think, a lovely coupon, lovely offer that she's put together with her heart and her pride in this work. And it's beautiful. So go to maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/minis, which is M I N I S again, it's maketimeforsuccesspodcast.comminis for that special offer.

Cam Allen [00:21:00]:
Yes. And I'll also include a bone guide. So keeping your bones strong and sturdy through the second half of life. I'll include that as well. So you know exactly what you need to do to keep your bones strong.

Dr. Christine Li [00:21:11]:
I am really just reflecting as we're talking how much I've learned from Cam, just from being in her orbit about how to lift weights, you know, how to intensify your weights, how to stay consistent, and just having a positive mindset throughout all these great changes that we can make. And I just made a few TikToks this morning about how it's all about the tiny steps. Right. It's not about climbing mountains at the start. You could certainly have that as your goal or on your vision board, but it is all about getting started, doing that small movement that doesn't overwhelm you but makes you feel like you're getting somewhere. So whatever your state is with exercise, let's just get you started. Let's get you continuing. Let's get you intensifying as you go, because this is a beautiful life that we're creating together.

Cam Allen [00:22:03]:
Yeah. And what the cool thing is, so you're taking care of your physical body, and then you're going to notice more confidence and a better posture and how you move through time, space and gravity also improves. And then how you talk to yourself also changes. It's. It's just beautiful. It's all. It's all of it.

Dr. Christine Li [00:22:19]:
It's beautiful. Beautiful. As are you, Cam. Thank you so much for being on with us again for doing the really high level work that you do. I know it's. It's all through your heart. So thank you, thank you, thank you.

Cam Allen [00:22:32]:
Thank you for having me.

Dr. Christine Li [00:22:33]:
All right, friends, we're going to see you next week on another episode of the Make Time for Success podcast. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Make Time for Success podcast. If you enjoyed what you've heard, you can subscribe to make sure you get notified of upcoming episodes. You can also Visit our website maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com for past episodes, show notes, and all the resources we mention on the show. Feel free to connect with me over on Instagram too. You can find me there under the name Procrastination Coach. Send me a DM and let me know what your thoughts are about the episodes you've been listening to. And let me know any topics that you might like me to talk about on the show.

Dr. Christine Li [00:23:18]:
I'd love to hear all about how you're making time for for Success. Talk to you soon.