Episode 1
Move, Eat, Sleep — Your Simple Roadmap I Use to Stay Strong as We Age
We say sleep, movement, and real food are the foundation of long-term health.
Pam Sherman explains that sleep sets the tone for your day, and that walking plus strength training will protect your body as you age.
We tell you to eat protein at every meal (about 25 to 40 grams), drink about half your body weight in ounces of water, and favor whole foods over processed food. We stress small, steady habits, meal prep, and being part of a group so you stick with it instead of chasing quick fixes.
You can find Pam https://pamsherman.com/and on Instagram @PamSharman1 to find simple workouts to help you start now.
We live in a culture that tells us to fit in a box and then gets harder on us as we age. I want you to hear that you are not stuck to that script. You can change the way you treat yourself. We are often our own worst critic, and the goal here is simple: be kinder and more proactive. Start with the small things—sleep, water, food—and you will feel different inside and out.
Aging is not a downhill road unless you let it be. I say that 80% of how you age is in your control. Use strength work to protect your bones, plan your meals to feed your cells, and choose routines that bring you joy. We’ve seen people in their 90s build muscle when they start. That shows it is never too late. You do not need to chase perfection. We advise slow, steady habits that you can keep for life. Find friends, join a class, or pick up an old hobby. When you feel good, your face and body will reflect it. The change comes from small acts done over time, and we can guide you through each step.
Takeaways:
- You must start with sleep as the foundation of health; I say sleep affects food, movement, and mood.
- We recommend real food like grandparents did: protein, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and limited processed food.
- You should aim for 25 to 40 grams of protein at each meal and boring meals on repeat help consistency.
- I tell clients to walk daily, lift weights twice a week, and build strength as long term insurance.
- You need to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water, front load your day and watch urine color.
Transcript
It doesn't matter how old you are.
Speaker A:45, 65, 75.
Speaker A:Everything.
Speaker A:What we, everything.
Speaker A:And unfortunately we are the worst critic of ourselves because nobody looks at us the way we do.
Speaker A:So what happens to us?
Speaker A:Why are we so bad to ourselves?
Speaker A:It is the programming we were born to fulfill the box, to become that, that person, you have to look good, you have to go to school, get married, have a career.
Speaker A:And that's your, your journey.
Speaker A:And then when you retire, when you are about to retire, that's when you slow down and you don't know what to do with yourself.
Speaker A:And when you don't know what to do, you start picking on yourself.
Speaker A:And unfortunately, that is most of us.
Speaker A:So let's change that.
Speaker A:Today's guest, Pam Sherman is going to lead us to health and well being.
Speaker A:Through her special programming that she offers to her clients.
Speaker A:She helps us to know how to cook for ourselves healthy, how much water we need to drink.
Speaker A:Let's get into it.
Speaker A:Pam, please help us to navigate the after the summer.
Speaker A:You live in California, so summer is always summer for you.
Speaker A:But we are in first week of September and we're feeling it.
Speaker A:The sun is away, we're back to school, back to work.
Speaker A:So we need help.
Speaker B:I am happy to be here and happy to share everything that I know or some of what I know with you today in the next few minutes.
Speaker A:That's good.
Speaker A:So how would we start knowing that we ate such a healthy meal every day, Fruits, vegg and greens that are supporting our vitality.
Speaker A:What would you recommend to your clients?
Speaker A:Where do you start to recharge the cells?
Speaker A:Where do you start the vitality boost?
Speaker B:It starts with sleep.
Speaker B:Everything starts with sleep.
Speaker B:That's a foundation of our health.
Speaker B:And at this stage in life that can be very tricky depending on what your hormones are doing or how your body temperature runs, if you run hot.
Speaker B:So we're, I think sleep has everything to do with how you feed yourself the next day.
Speaker B:If you move your body the next day, your how much caffeine you drink the next day.
Speaker B:And every everybody that I, you know, follow says put your phone down a couple hours before bed.
Speaker B:If you're a mom, you have a ritual just like you had a ritual for your little kids.
Speaker B:You have a wind down time, you're not being bombarded with blue light and you go to bed almost the same time every day.
Speaker B:And that's going to help you get regular sleep throughout the week.
Speaker B:And you might stay up later on the weekends.
Speaker B:But really sleep, it starts with sleep and then it Starts with movement and nutrition after that.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:So tell us a little bit about the nutrition and how do you take us through that journey to health?
Speaker B:I like to say we should be eating the way our grandparents ate, which was only real food.
Speaker B:They didn't have processed food, they didn't have fast food.
Speaker B:They had no convenience foods.
Speaker B:They ate meat, chicken, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds.
Speaker B:Unfortunately, in our society today, convenience food is easy and it's cheap, but it does no good for your body, no nutrition for your body.
Speaker B:And in my experience, women, we love carbs, but we never get enough protein or enough fiber.
Speaker B:And the protein is going to help keep your muscles strong and the fiber is going to help keep you full.
Speaker B:So those two things really are the foundation or should be the foundation of every meal that you eat.
Speaker A:So are you recommending any meal preps or how do you take care of your health?
Speaker B:I for myself and my clients, I say boring meals on repeat are great because you don't have to think about it.
Speaker B:You could have the same breakfast every day, you could have the same lunch every day and then dinners might be varied up.
Speaker B:But for women, getting, I tell my clients, 25 to 40 grams of protein every time you eat.
Speaker B:Don't skip breakfast.
Speaker B:Our brains and our bodies need fuel every day.
Speaker B:Have a good breakfast, a good sized lunch and a good sized dinner.
Speaker B:That is gonna go a long way.
Speaker B:There's been so many fad diets, Yolanda, from the time I started to now that I just, I cringe every time a new one comes out because women are always looking for the quick fix and our health is never gonna be like Amazon.
Speaker B:It is a long term process.
Speaker B:There's Never a lose 10 pounds in two days unless you get the flu.
Speaker B:It really, it's a slow and steady process for everybo.
Speaker B:And taking time to plan out your food really does make a difference in how you feel, how your exercise feels, how you sleep, your mood, pretty much everything.
Speaker A:It's unfortunate, but we have to prioritize our, our ourselves.
Speaker A:So preparation, meal preparation is part of it.
Speaker A:And I know it takes time, but like anything else in life, we need to be consistent and prioritize ourselves.
Speaker A:Especially in that stage of our life where we don't have to attend to small kids anymore, we don't have to produce, we don't have to prove ourselves at the job or somewhere else or to your spouse because we already have life settled.
Speaker A:And now wherever you are on your journey, it's all about you.
Speaker A:And then if you are happy, you can be good friend to your neighbors, you can be good to your family and to yourself and you can be happy.
Speaker A:If you are not you gonna feel achy and stiff and maybe hormonal and you're gonna be unhappy, you're gonna be cranky and this is not a good place to be.
Speaker A:So that's good.
Speaker A:So the meal preps and of course consistency of it is gonna be that are going to support our health sleep habits.
Speaker A:That's non negotiable because our body goes through a circadian rhythm and during the night we self repair, we reduce the oxidative stress, we bring the new healthy cells to life and we get rid of the old cells.
Speaker A:So unfortunately, if you don't sleep, sometimes they linger and that's when you get looking a little older than you really want to look.
Speaker A:So that's what happens.
Speaker A:So tell us about the health path that you're taking yourself.
Speaker A:Maybe not so regimented, but how much water do you drink?
Speaker A:How much water do you recommend people drink daily?
Speaker A:And what is the substitute for water?
Speaker A:Some people don't like water as much.
Speaker A:So what could be a good substitute?
Speaker B:I say half your body weight in ounces is a place to start.
Speaker B:If it's summer, you want more of that.
Speaker B:If you have workouts where you get sweaty, you want more of that.
Speaker B:You can always put lemon in your water.
Speaker B:Orange, lime, strawberries, I mean any kind of fresh fruit.
Speaker B:And then I do, I do have a client doesn't like water.
Speaker B:And I just, I really just said I don't care if you don't like it, you have to drink it.
Speaker B:Our bodies are made up of 65% water.
Speaker B:We are, every part of our body needs water.
Speaker B:So I just said suck it up buttercup.
Speaker B:Like set your alarm chug four times a day and get it in.
Speaker B:It's not terrible.
Speaker B:It's not like having something to eat that you don't like.
Speaker B:I mean it's just, you just have to do it.
Speaker B:So I would say front load your day because sleep is so important.
Speaker B:I don't want anybody having a ton of water at the end of the day because you're going to be up a lot using the bathroom.
Speaker B:And there is such thing as too much water.
Speaker B:And this is my super unscientific way of telling you and your audience if your urine is clear, you have too much water in you.
Speaker B:You want a light lemonade color for most of the day, not when you first get up out of bed, but by late morning the rest of the day.
Speaker B:Light lemonade is what you're Shooting for some people just drink and drink and drink and drink and they over hydrate.
Speaker B:But most people don't get enough.
Speaker B:So I would say whatever you weigh, at least half your body weight analysis is a very easy way to measure.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And for those who are not into exercising or they don't feel they're moving enough or sweating enough to drink so much water, you can just find fruits and veggies that are full of water, like watermelon, cantaloupe or whatever you can find.
Speaker A:Even cucumbers, right?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So just, just get this into your body.
Speaker A:So there are ways of treating the, the frequent urination with nutrients, but that would be a department of your naturopath or someone in wellness.
Speaker A:So we don't have to talk about this now, but you always have to know that water is essential to your health.
Speaker A:So now let's go to the exercising part.
Speaker A:How much exercising is too much?
Speaker A:I guess I'm speaking to a wrong person, because you are.
Speaker A:That's your life.
Speaker A:But if someone doesn't exercise a lot, what would you recommend to start with to break into the habit of being mobile?
Speaker B:I would say definitely walking.
Speaker B:Start walking every day and don't stop for the rest of your life.
Speaker B:If it's bad weather, go to a mall and walk inside.
Speaker B:If you can find a gym membership, you can walk on a treadmill.
Speaker B:But walk.
Speaker B:Our bodies are meant to move.
Speaker B:And you know, I had a whole different perspective, Yolanda, when I first started 29 years ago than I do now.
Speaker B:I'm 59 now and my clients are around my age.
Speaker B:And I say what we do now has a direct impact on how we feel when we're 70, 80, 90, and the people that aren't exercising at all, their body's gonna feel stiff, achy.
Speaker B:It might be hard for them to get up from a chair.
Speaker B:And I don't wanna assume anything, but I would think most people wanna feel great and not struggle as they age.
Speaker B:So I would highly recommend getting a personal trainer, at least for one or two sessions and start strength training.
Speaker B:You want to put some load on your muscles because that's how your muscles grow.
Speaker B:And I'm not talking about nobody's getting big, bulky muscles, but I'm just talking about being able to do things as you age.
Speaker B:Bring in your groceries.
Speaker B:If you have grandkids, pick up your grandkids, not need assistance getting up from a chair, that we're not talking about the vanity anymore.
Speaker B:We're talking about longevity and feeling good as you age.
Speaker B:It's such a important thing to think about.
Speaker B:And I feel like people don't want to think about getting older, but if we're lucky enough, we're going to age.
Speaker B:And how you feel and how your body is is a direct reflection of what we do now and keep on doing it.
Speaker B:So I look at it as really, really an important thing that you can start if you haven't.
Speaker B:And it's not like you're going seven days a week.
Speaker B:You can start off two days a week and then once you do two days a week, add a third day in.
Speaker B:It is very small steps on this process.
Speaker B:And then once it's in your life, you are never going to stop exercising for the rest of your life.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:And that revolves around communities being in groups.
Speaker A:So Pam has a online classes the app.
Speaker A:So you can do this with a group of people or go to the gym or find a Y where you can just join others who are doing the same thing.
Speaker A:And maybe they don't want to do it, but when there is three of you, then you will take that extra step and make the effort to do it to prove to each other that you can actually do that.
Speaker A:It's possible.
Speaker A:So, yes, aging is unfortunately part of our life, but we don't have to look old, we don't have to feel old.
Speaker B:Adults as powerfully as we can.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:So the group or communities are very important.
Speaker A:But notice that everybody is so fixated on the face, how the face looks like, not the body.
Speaker A:But the truth is the face is a reflection of what's happening in your body.
Speaker A:If you are not working out, if you are not moving your body, not the blood is not circulating, you're not getting that nutrient dense flush into your skin and consequently you will get wrinkles.
Speaker A:But the good news is it's not permanent because as soon as you are becoming good to yourself, your skin is gonna show you you're gonna be rewarded.
Speaker A:So is your body, so is your energy.
Speaker A:So that is very empowering.
Speaker A:And it's find people who you can align with or you can trust to guide you.
Speaker A:Because it's important not to be pushed when you are not not physical enough.
Speaker A:Because then you're gonna be turned off by it and you're not gonna do it again.
Speaker A:So yeah.
Speaker A:What else would you add to that, Pam?
Speaker B:I would say everything is a reflection of how you eat, what you drink, how you move your body.
Speaker B:It shows on the outside, your hair.
Speaker B:I mean, everything has to do with what you consume.
Speaker B:It is a direct reflection of your outside, what you put on the inside.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And is there a strict rule of how you divide your portions or is there anything.
Speaker A:Because I know you are training women to do what?
Speaker A:To lose weight or get healthier.
Speaker B:Lose weight, get healthier, be stronger in their bodies.
Speaker B:They, I encourage them to eat more, get a food scale and eat more protein than they want to eat because most women are not big protein eaters by nature.
Speaker B:To get a good 4 to 6 ounces of protein every time, they eat as many vegetables as they want, lots of fruit, some healthy fats and some good carbs.
Speaker B:So all real food all the time.
Speaker B:I really encourage less alcohol.
Speaker B:Alcohol is never going to serve us on our long term health and wellness journey.
Speaker B:And limited, limited processed food because it's not really good nutrition for us.
Speaker B:And it never makes us feel good.
Speaker B:I mean, we've all had crappy food and it makes us feel like crap.
Speaker B:So nobody's ever eaten a healthy meal and gone, I feel terrible.
Speaker B:It's always like, I feel great, I have good energy, I'm not too full.
Speaker B:You just, you reflect what you eat.
Speaker B:So that's really what I encourage.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And the joy of life really comes boils down to how we feel.
Speaker A:If you feel good, you will never become plainer, right?
Speaker B:Yes, yes, exactly.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So what else other than walking you would recommend for someone who is not into exercising?
Speaker B:I would say get into exercising.
Speaker B:If I could say one thing besides walking, lift some weights.
Speaker B:Our muscle is very sacred.
Speaker B:Our muscle protects our bone bones.
Speaker B:And after the age of 40, we lose muscle every decade.
Speaker B:So it's kind of like I just had this conversation with a client and they're like, well, I don't really like to.
Speaker B:And I said, well, how do you want to feel in 10 years?
Speaker B:Because if you don't start doing it now, you're going to feel weak in 10 years.
Speaker B:And it's like brushing your teeth when you're a little kid.
Speaker B:Nobody wants to brush or floss, but we do it anyway.
Speaker B:And that it's just part of who we are, what we do every day.
Speaker B:That's what I try to get my clients like, this is who you are.
Speaker B:Now.
Speaker B:It's not should I go to the gym?
Speaker B:It's I'm gonna go to the gym Tuesday and Thursday and then in a month it's like, I'm gonna go Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
Speaker B:It's just something you do to take.
Speaker B:It's like your long term insurance piggy bank.
Speaker B:What you do now, you're putting little coins in it so you're gonna feel better later on.
Speaker B:So it doesn't matter if you like it or not.
Speaker B:Find a friend, find a class.
Speaker B:But lifting heavy things is gonna serve you more pretty much than anything else because that's gonna get you strong bones.
Speaker B:And we all know falls after the age of 70, they can be fatal to people.
Speaker B:They happen a lot.
Speaker B:And you can prevent that by getting stronger now.
Speaker A:And fortunately, exercise also helps with a mood.
Speaker A:So when you don't feel so happy, just start walking and then start carrying some water bottles or something.
Speaker A:Just add some weight to it as you're walking and you will see your mood will improve and maybe the outlo on life will improve with it.
Speaker A:So this is what we are heading for.
Speaker A:We don't want to go down.
Speaker A:We want to stay leveled and find something else to do in this part of the second part of our life.
Speaker A:Something that would bring you joy, passion, hobbies, and this is why you need that energy.
Speaker B:So, yeah, I like to tell people think about.
Speaker B:For your women listeners, think about.
Speaker B:And men, what did you love to do as a little kid?
Speaker B:We all ran around.
Speaker B:When you were little kids, did you bike?
Speaker B:Did you roller skate?
Speaker B:Did you swim?
Speaker B:I mean, go back to the activities that brought you joy and get back to doing those jump rope, whatever it is.
Speaker B:You can sign up for something fun.
Speaker B:There's.
Speaker B:At my local gym, we have tons of fun classes for.
Speaker B:There's a senior community right across the street.
Speaker B:We have Zumba, we have belly dancing, we have country line dancing.
Speaker B:Like, there's so many things you can.
Speaker B:Fun things you can do.
Speaker B:Grab a friend and then just put a spot on your face and enjoy every minute of it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:The fortunate thing is that we don't have to go to the regular gym.
Speaker A:We can go to the Y or like you said to.
Speaker A:To the senior.
Speaker A:Is that what you said?
Speaker A:Senior center?
Speaker B:Well, there that.
Speaker B:We have classes for seniors at my gym because there's a senior community a couple miles down the road.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:So you can just go and be with people who you want to be with so you don't have to feel like you're comparing or someone compares to you.
Speaker A:So that's good.
Speaker A:So, yes, feeling good is very important.
Speaker A:And being good to yourself is what life is all about because without us, there is no one else.
Speaker A:If you have family that you love and you want to be with them for as long as you can, that is exactly what we need to do.
Speaker A:We need to stay healthy.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:That's good.
Speaker A:So the aging part, unfortunately, we are being bombarded with messaging that after 50, everything goes downhill.
Speaker A:And that is so not true.
Speaker A:Yes, our body will take more effort to produce the muscles, to build the energy, but that means we just have to be more consistent and put more effort in it.
Speaker A:Where we were younger, we didn't think about this.
Speaker A:We went out and we walked a lot without thinking.
Speaker A:We are walking.
Speaker A:We just did it.
Speaker A:So as we age, this is required that we put more effort on it, because 80% or even more of what we look like and what we feel like, it's in our control.
Speaker A:The genetics part is very, very small.
Speaker A:So we are not.
Speaker A:We can't blame the heredity for how we age because it's very small portion of it.
Speaker A:The rest of it is in our hands.
Speaker A:But in the first part of our life, our body was giving us what we needed, and now the body is asking us to give it to the body itself.
Speaker A:So it's an exchange.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Good.
Speaker B:Yeah, I couldn't agree more.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So what else could you do?
Speaker A:Tell us about wellness or good vibes so we can just go and then just spend the rest of our life being happy.
Speaker B:Well, I want to impart to your listeners that it's easy to take our health for granted.
Speaker B:It really is, until you get sick or until you get injured.
Speaker B:I had a traumatic experience 10 years ago where I was out for a run and I got hit by a car.
Speaker B:I was 49 years old and I came away from that.
Speaker B:And I've been a coach for 29 years.
Speaker B:I've done more than half, actually about half my life.
Speaker B:And I came out of that act and I didn't break any bones.
Speaker B:I lost a bunch of teeth.
Speaker B:I didn't break any bones.
Speaker B:And I thought, yes, I want women to feel comfortable with the number on the scale, but I don't want to help anybody be skinny.
Speaker B:My strong muscles protected my bones when I needed it the most.
Speaker B:So I want people not to take their health for granted and to be proactive.
Speaker B:Now, it doesn't matter if you don't want to lift weights.
Speaker B:I need you to lift heavy things.
Speaker B:That's going to protect your bones later on.
Speaker B:My daughter worked as a scribe at our local for three years, and she said every shift.
Speaker B:She worked every shift.
Speaker B:Without a doubt, there was more than one senior citizen that fell every single one.
Speaker B:And that was a different generation.
Speaker B:They didn't really know about exercise or working out.
Speaker B:But we have better knowledge now.
Speaker B:We know that when you lift weights, you strengthen your muscles and you strengthen your bones, which leads to better health later on.
Speaker B:So I don't want anybody to think, oh, you know, I'll wait, I'll start in January, I'll start after the holidays.
Speaker B:I want to impart, to start now.
Speaker B:And it's never too late.
Speaker B:You are never too old.
Speaker B:There was just a study that came out that people in their 90s started strength training and they built muscle.
Speaker B:So it is never too late to think about your long term health and wellness.
Speaker B:And that accident, totally.
Speaker B:It was like my Oprah aha moment.
Speaker B:It changed my life.
Speaker B:Going, this is really important.
Speaker B:It could have been a much different scenario had I not been in such good shape.
Speaker B:So that's what I want to impart to your listeners.
Speaker A:Yes, you're right.
Speaker A:It is never too late because as long as we are alive, our body, our mind supports us.
Speaker A:Our natural cycles are always working.
Speaker A:It's just they slow down.
Speaker A:So in order for us to move this to up to speed, we need to do something.
Speaker A:We need to be a little bit more diligent about it.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yes, so agreed to that.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So thank you for encouraging us to go outside and do some extra miles.
Speaker A:And I wouldn't count those steps.
Speaker A:Don't worry about counting the steps.
Speaker A:Just do what you can, you can do.
Speaker A:It has a cumulative effect.
Speaker A:So you can do some in the morning, some in the afternoon, some at night.
Speaker A:So yeah, so that will all add up.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So Pam, if someone would want to work with you, find you and go and take those classes with you, how would we find you?
Speaker B:They can find me on Instagram @PamSharman1.
Speaker B:I'm on Instagram every day.
Speaker B:They can message me there.
Speaker B:I do have a YouTube channel you can work out with me at home.
Speaker B:I have 10 minute workouts, 20 minute workouts, a whole stretching playlist if you want to.
Speaker B:I love, love, love teaching classes.
Speaker B:One of my favorite things to do so they can work out with me to see what I'm like.
Speaker B:Happy to answer anybody's questions.
Speaker B:And I truly believe slow and steady is the way to long term results for your health.
Speaker B:I am never about quick fixes or anything drastic because that just never works.
Speaker A:Perfect.
Speaker A:So we are going to put a free gift that you have given to our audience and can you tell us a little bit more this?
Speaker B:It's, it is a guide for women over 50, a kind of a reset where you can track your habits.
Speaker B:I give you some healthy treat swaps because I find women have sugar cravings and there are lots of healthy ways to indulge your sweet tooth without it being over the top with sugar.
Speaker B:Some things with beans which sounds crazy, but it's really good.
Speaker B:Some workout ideas and it's.
Speaker B:It's for the person who's like, I don't know where to start.
Speaker B:It's an easy 21 day start.
Speaker A:Beautiful.
Speaker A:And that includes the cooking guide?
Speaker A:Is that what you're saying?
Speaker B:I have a couple.
Speaker B:Couple recipes in there.
Speaker A:Okay, perfect.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So no, thank you.
Speaker A:We'll appreciate that.
Speaker A:And we're gonna put this in the show notes, so if you are listening to this, you please share this with whoever you know might need this.
Speaker A:And of course, subscribe for more.
Speaker A:Thank you, Pam and I hope to see you soon.
