The Fourth Quarter Podcast
Living the last quarter of your life with intention around health, fitness, nutrition and joy! Learning from others and tuning in to hear live one on one coaching that educates, inspires and motivates you to move!
The Fourth Quarter Podcast
EP024: Lisa Gets Her Buzz From Climbing Mountains, Not Drinking Coffee!
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A lot of people say they want to “age well.” Lisa Enea Giuliano actually lives it and she does it with muddy shoes, ski edges, a pickleball paddle, and a mindset that refuses to quit when things hurt. She’s 68, relentlessly active, and proof that the fourth quarter of life can be strong, adventurous, and deeply joyful when you commit to movement and keep adapting.
We get into how her athletic identity started early, including competing alongside boys in track, and how a single moment during COVID turned into a full-on hiking mission. Lisa breaks down what it’s like to chase big mountain goals like the Catskill 3500 challenge and the Adirondack high peaks, plus how she trains at home, why she plays pickleball like it’s the championship, and what “bagging a peak” feels like when you earn the view.
We also go beyond fitness. Lisa talks honestly about knee pain, injections, and the real work of staying mobile, then shares something many people miss: type 2 diabetes can be genetic even if you look “fit.” We discuss medication support, protein, strength, and why regular health checkups matter. And one of our favorite parts is “Dinner at Nana’s,” her weekly no-TV family tradition that keeps her connected to her kids and 11 grandkids.
If you want practical motivation for healthy aging, active lifestyle habits after 60, and the belief that movement is medicine, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a push, and leave us a review so more people find the show.
Wake Up And Set The Tone
SPEAKER_04Wake up, wake up, and listen up. Welcome to the fourth quarter podcast with your hosts Doug Talmich and Ted Ania. Tune in as we dive into living your best life in the fourth quarter of your life. Hear from health and lifestyle experts, inspirational stories, learn simple steps to keep you motivated or to help get you started. Finally, join us as we coach others live on air who want to begin a healthy lifestyle or just might be stuck and need a breakthrough. Remember, it's never too late to decide to be great. Momentum keeps you motivated, so take a deep breath. Lean in and let's go. Hey, welcome back to the fourth quarter with Doug and Ted. We have a guest all the way from the East Coast today. And I'm excited to get her on and just uh pick her brain and find out some more nuggets of wisdom as she's living in the fourth quarter. Because I understand from my buddy Ted that she is extremely active. But what I really want to get to, Ted, in a little while, as soon as I talk about last week's episode, because that was off the hook. I want to find out if she's really your cousin or not. We got to get to that on this episode, okay? We're gonna do some DNA testing or something. I don't know.
Last Week’s Wisdom And What’s Next
SPEAKER_04But last week, Nick Luzon, the direct the athletic director of the Olympic Club in San Francisco. Wow, wow, wow. Nick, if you're listening, thank you so much, brother. You dropped so much wisdom, so much information that is relevant and pertinent to the people who listen to us in the fourth quarter podcast. So thank you for that, Nick. I've been getting a lot of great feedback and just appreciate your love, your kindness, and the wisdom and knowledge you shared with us and our audience. With that said, Ted, what do we got? Who do we got coming up down the road? I know you mentioned a few things last week, but have those things followed through, followed up, and are we good to go? Uh we're we're working on it.
SPEAKER_02All right, good, good, see what happens. Yeah, uh Hans Carlson still trying to track him down, but uh he'll be a good guess when we get him, it'll be worth the wait. Yeah, and uh David Linnell is going to come on, director of Meals on Wheels in the Bay Area. Yes, share his story, second part of his story that we we didn't even touch on when he was with us the first
Mitch’s Turnaround And Quieting Food Noise
SPEAKER_02time. And you know, I do I do want to talk to you really quickly. I spoke with Mitch, who has been on the podcast three times, I think, but I spoke with him this morning, and I'll tell you, you know, he he started the GLP ones about two weeks ago, and you know, that's working for him. But his spirit right now, he is so positive, and it's just unbelievable listening to him and just how he's turned his life around. And you know, he shared some information with me that I had never heard before, but you know, he's he shared with us how he struggled with alcoholism, he's in recovery now and has been sober for well over a year and doing well. But he said he had a Father's Day with his family and said it was just a fantastic day. Spent it with both his kids, their significant others, his ex-wife, they were all together as a family. But he actually said that there were three years when he was in the throes of some pretty bad stuff. Of the addiction, yeah. Yeah, he didn't even get a text, a call, nothing on Father's Day. And he was just saying how I he just doesn't take what's going on now for granted. He's just he's put in the work, and one of the things I mentioned to him was that whether it's alcoholism, substance abuse of any sort, or getting your health, no one can do it for you. There can be people there that can encourage you, can support you, but until you make that decision to change what you're currently doing to do something different, you know, it's it's never going to change. And it was just so uplifting to hear him today and just hear how positive and upbeat he is. So just kind of wanted to throw that out. Uh and it was uh it was really great to hear.
SPEAKER_04You know, I I love hearing that. I love hearing that, Ted, because you know, as I mentioned before, I work with several people who are on GLP once helping them maintain their protein and exercise and all that stuff. And one of the the biggest testaments or testimonies I hear from these people is that the food noise or the addiction noise has stopped. And what happens as a result of that, that you have this, it creates this presence that you didn't have before. So you're able to be present without worrying about what am I gonna eat or what am I gonna drink or what am I gonna smoke or whatever. You know, you you've got this presence to be there, and that that presence brings such profound peace. And I'm so glad, again, uh, you know, Mitch is doing a lot of the work and he's been struggling and doing it hard and and kicking and scratching the whole way, and we're we're all so proud of him, and we really got to make sure he's dialed in on the protein and the he's doing the exercise, he's doing the movement. I know he had some glitches there for various reasons, but because of the ankle and all that stuff. But let's make sure we stay on top of him and support this on a new level, making sure he's getting all that nutrition. But yes, that presence being brings such such profound peace. Mitch, if you're listening, man, we love you and we're so proud of you, brother. Keep on going.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and you know, and he said that he could not appreciate where he is today if it hadn't been for uh what he had been through. Yeah, not that he wishes that on anyone, but uh, you know, at least he's not uh he's not missing the lesson of where he was and where he is now. Amen. You know, he just appreciates all that he's got and all the blessings he has. So it's it's pretty cool, pretty cool story, and you know, we'll continue keeping people informed here on the podcast of how he's doing and his progress, and you know, we'll see him out in a couple weeks in person. So that's fun to at the birthday challenge. Yeah, yeah, very good, very good.
Meet Lisa And Her Athletic Roots
SPEAKER_02So today we have all the way from Westchester, New York, Westchester County, Westchester County County, okay. All right, I love it. Uh she doesn't have an accent, no, she doesn't, but we have determined that we are definitely related somewhere down the line. Absolutely. Our grandparents both came from Sicily, the same last name.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we're pretty convinced that we we've got to be cousins of some sort, and uh I mean it's probably removed, you know, down the generations, but you kind of remind me of an Ia, so you do, to be honest. I don't know what that means, but well, I mean, you you kind of look like you could have been on my father's side of the family.
SPEAKER_02Okay, okay, we'll go with that. Yeah, um, so I don't think I introduced you. Lisa Ania Giuliano is with us today.
SPEAKER_00Hi, everyone, nice to meet you.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and we uh got acquainted over social media, Facebook, through others, cousins down the road, and connected. And I followed her for probably five years or so, and I'm just amazed. She says she isn't quite in her fourth quarter yet. She's still a few years off from that. She's what, 68 now? So seven years before you enter your fourth quarter.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, do you know how much time is left in the third quarter with timeouts and so much time? I still have an extension.
SPEAKER_03Okay, I'll get to the case.
SPEAKER_00I plan to get in the fourth one just the way I'm in the third one. So it's all good. There you go. It's all good.
SPEAKER_02So I see you on Facebook, and you are always climbing a mountain or playing pickleball or skiing, depending on the time of year. Right. Have you always been this active as an adult?
SPEAKER_00Or so I guess I can go back to when I was in the eighth grade. I was always like athletic as a kid, but you know, growing up in the 60s was different than it is now. So I think what happened was when I finished sixth grade, we started uh what now they call middle school, it was junior high. And I entered seventh grade to like, you know, we were in seventh, eighth, and ninth grade, and then the high school at 10, 11, and 12. And there were sports and there were teams. And that was my first introduction to ever being on a team. So I started running track with this girl, Sharice, who actually this year is our 50-year class reunion. And there were no, there was no girls' track team. So they had to make the exception and put us on the team. So we ran with the boys, just her and I. I was a sprinter, she was a hurdler, and I think she did distance. And I was fast, very fast. And I continued my track, like my track career into high school. And then I'll give you a fun fact. So I ran track in high school. I was a cheerleader, I played field hockey, I was a gymnast, but track was really my my sport. My best time I ever did in the hundred-yard dash, hundred yard dash, not meters, was 11-1.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_00And that's pretty fast. And then I think I just I I think I did a two at 220, I think in 24-5 or something.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_00So it was it was it's always been me fighting against the male, the male, you know, counterpart of a sport. It's just always been that way, but it's okay for me because I'm a very competitive person. So I ran track and you know, did all that through high school and and then I continued to stay competitive. And then after I got married, I had my kids and I was doing some 5K races and dabbling a little bit in that. And then I sort of became, you know, I became a full-time mom and stay at home. So I played softball on a couple of leagues, you know, did that through my 30s and 40s. And then there was maybe like a five-period lull where I didn't, I did things, but not anything that I could, you know, account
The Day She Chose Mountains
SPEAKER_00for. And then when COVID hit, which changed everybody's life. I know you mentioned yesterday that it affected you as well. I took a walk over the, well, is now was called the Tap and Z Bridge, but now it's called the Mario Cuomo. And I can remember the day I did it and looking down the Hudson River, going, why don't I just start climbing mountains? That would be so fun. Like I really, I think I did like one hike in my life on an island, I think, in St. Lucia. And I can remember it was with an ex-boyfriend, and we climbed one of the pytons. They have like, they're called pitons and they're twin volcanoes. And we got a quarter of the way up the mountain, and I was like, I'm done. I quit, I'm not going anymore. I had like a complete hissy fit, but I did go to the top, and that was like my first hike ever. And then, you know, years passed, and then, like I said, I was on the bridge looking down the Hudson, and I said, This is what I want to do. So I just started researching hiking and places to go. I downloaded an app on my phone called All Trails, and that's what I did. But skiing, I've always skied. I skied since I was 18. I took a break from it for a little while, just got back to it three years ago after a 12-year break. And everyone's like, You're crazy to do that. I'm like, no, I'm not. I'm gonna try it. I'm not gonna do things that are, yeah, I'm not gonna do crazy things. I'm not skiing moguls. And I like again, when I get hooked on a sport, that's where my obsession is. Like, I'm not O C D, like, like for real, but I am when it comes to my my sporting, my what I do in my sports, and how I keep my house and my car. Those three things. That could be the Italian in me too. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02I love that. That's that's real normal that somebody who hasn't hike would just say, I want to start climbing the mountains.
SPEAKER_00Well, I think what happened, I think during COVID, a lot of people had nothing to do. And the only thing you could do for free, you know, without bothering anybody with was hike. And a lot of people took hiking in during 20s, uh, as I did too. And then I started doing the hikes around the Hudson Valley, and I did the hardest ones. There's one called Breakneck, that's right in Cold Spring, right across from the Hudson River, very steep, very like a very quick elevation. I mean, if you look down and if you fell, you would obviously you would die. But I I did those and kept doing them and loved them, and they just weren't enough for me. So then I headed up to the Catskills, which is upstate New York from where I live, is two hours from where I live in Westchester
Catskill 3500 And Adirondack High Peaks
SPEAKER_00County. And I uh researched this challenge called the Catskill 3500 challenge. So, what it is is you there's 33 high peaks in the Catskills, and you are required to hike 30, 33 high peaks, and you're required to repeat four of those peaks during the winter, during December 21st to March 21st. So you yes, so you actually climb it, so you actually climb 37 times. I did that challenge in 14 months.
SPEAKER_03Wow. Congratulations, that's awesome.
SPEAKER_00Thank you. Thank you. I actually I have a number, I'm 4,137th person to do it. They send you a really they send you a letter. So what you do is when you hike to a mountain, you register in a book at the at the at the trailhead, and then some of them are called bushwhacking, and then you go up to you find this orange canister that's like bolted to a tree, and you open this up and you take out this little pad, which was so antiquated in this little like bowling pencil. Most of them never had a tip, and you write your name in this little pad, and you write like, you know, Lisa Giuliano, what date, and you might write hi, or the weather was crappy or whatever. So it was so fun. I did it sometimes with friends. I did it sometimes with an ex-boyfriend who actually ruined it for me, some of the hikes. And I said, when we broke up, I said, something I found that I love to do so much, you're not gonna ruin my zen because when I hike, I'm completely zen. So it was fun. I did that challenge and I'm kind of doing it again. I'm not, I I won't get a number again, but I'm I'm repeating the Catskill hikes just because the hikes here are just they're not challenging enough. So I like to challenge myself.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, and I see some of those pictures that you're doing. I mean, you're not doing little trails, you're climbing rocks and well now we're moving two hours more north.
SPEAKER_00So now we're up in the Adirondacks. Oh, and that's over by Lake Placid and Whiteface. So I've done, so I'm in the middle of doing the 4600 challenge, where every hike is above 4,000 feet, but you have to do 46 high peaks. I've completed 24. But they are no-joke hikes. That's like straight up wilderness. You you climb up these bulbs. They're called, they're called bulbs because there's no no vegetation on them. It's all rock. And then some of them have ladders already attached. Some of them you're just monkey climbing, like you're you're you're taking your body and putting up up against a six, 10-foot slab, and you're trying to find crevices with your feet and your hands. And I I did a lot of those hikes with groups. I've never done an Adirondack hike by myself. My cat skull hikes I've done alone. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not sure I wanted to do. I I there's a couple I might do this summer by myself if I give myself the proper amount of time to make sure that I don't run out of daylight or whatever. And that's happened many times. We've hiked in the Adirondacks with a group I used to hike with 23 miles in 22 hours. And it took us almost a full day, and we did four peaks. And we they call it bagging a peak. So, and that was crazy. Some of them, I don't know how we got to where from one rock to the other, but we did, and uh, it was fun. And you know, every time I do it, you're saying, What am I doing? Like, why do I love hiking? Why? What you say this in your head the whole way up the hill on your way up. What is it? What? And then you get up there and you look at this incredible view of every peak, and you go, Oh my god, this is like thank you, God. This is Mother Nature at her best.
SPEAKER_04Amen. Hey, Lisa, real quick, yeah, a lot of hiking. Man, congratulations on all those accolades. That's amazing. That is really awesome. Thank you. And I love that term. You bagged a peak, right? That's that's you bag a peak, yes. Bag a peak. All right. I might transition that in I'm a cyclist and a runner, so but I bag lots of peaks on my bike. But I might use that uh in the cycle community and see if it catches on, see if it catches on.
Pickleball Drive And Training Habits
SPEAKER_04Yeah, what are some do you cross-train at all? Like, do you prepare? Because you're getting ready to do some big, some more bigger challenges. So do you do you work out or what do you do?
SPEAKER_00I I work out in my house. You know, I do some weightlifting in my house. I ride my bike.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_00I just had my bike tuned up, and a friend of mine just fixed it up and changed some tires. And so I'm back on that again.
SPEAKER_03Good.
SPEAKER_00And liking that. I play pickleball probably four times a week.
SPEAKER_03Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_00You know, now it's the summer, probably more. And I'm the player who never wants to sit out. Never, I never want to sit out. I want to play, especially when I'm paying to play, because people are just everyone says pickleball is social, and it is kind of social, but I don't go there to socialize. I go there to play. Well, I I mean it. And and when I play, I play to win. Like with my grandchildren, everything that we do, like we have I have 11 grandchildren. I don't know if Tony will do that. No, I have four kids, two girls and two boys, and they've given me 11 beautiful, healthy grandchildren. And there I've taken four of them hiking already, took three of two of them hiking this year on Memorial Day. I took them to uh a trail of the it's called the Trail of the Fallen Heroes. And it was it's a trail that whoever died in the Iran War and that in that mid, you know, when all the people died in the Mideast, the people carried up to this trail these marble benches, and they made this big rock cairn, and there's a big flag, and it's just everything was carried up by hand, and it's a very somber place. So they loved it, and they got to they got to repel because there were ropes at the top. I can't believe I took them both. I I must have been out of my mind, but I did it, carried, carried a pack with their stuff in it. And they're like me, they're all very competitive, they're all into sports. So even like when we go to the playground and we're here, like where I live, we'll we'll set up a challenge on on the in the playground on the monkey bars. Who can get from this point to that point without their feet touching the ground? And they're like, Nana, my son said to me last week, Mom, you're it was like this this metal apparatus where you it spun around in a circle and you could. I said, Watch, I put my leg through it. He goes, How old are you? I said, 68. And when I can't do it, I can't do it. But you know, I go get shots in my knees every six months.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_00I get a I have a very good orthopedist. Um, I get gel shots and they work for me beautiful.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_00And and crazy, I'm a type two diabetic. And I do take a I take a I take try I think mine is Manjaro. I don't know what it's Manjaro, yeah. Yeah. So with taking that, my my A1C was extremely high, but I was really never. Or overweight. So those medicines are crazy. They trick your brain into not being hungry, like I heard you say about the hungry noise. But I'm eating. Like I make sure that what I eat is the right food.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_00And and I like sugar. Being a diabetic, it's like weird that I'm a diabetic because my dad was. It was in our family. And I have such a bad sweet tooth. But I make sure that I get my protein. And I yeah, I take my creatine and I take some supplements. So good for you.
SPEAKER_04So let me ask you something.
Adapting Through Pain With Movement
SPEAKER_04It's not, I mean, you started off from eighth grade, and then you took us on this tour all the way to today. You know, you're swinging, you're putting your legs through circling monkey bars things at 68, and your kids are like, Well, who they who the heck are you, man? And it's that's awesome. I love that. But was there ever a time or a season in your life where you were getting because I'm looking at you right now, and unfortunately, this is an audio podcast, so not everyone's gonna be able to see you like I do, but you're pretty fit. And yeah, and so was there a time in your life where you weren't fit and you struggled to get back to being fit or I I don't think that I was I I wouldn't say I would say that I there was a time when I wasn't there was a time when I wasn't fit, but I wasn't overweight.
SPEAKER_00I just was busy being a mom. Right. And you know, that's when I was running the 5K's. So that's kind of what kept me in the game. But I've just always done something. If it wasn't running, it was always walking. It would be like, you know, a five-mile walk. Or, but you know, me, I always have to like add on to the walk to make it more miles, just because that's just in my personality. But when I do something, I do it to the max. And I I just that's just that's just me. And if somebody doesn't do it to the max, that's okay too. As long as you're doing something and you're moving and keeping your joints moving, yes, you'll be okay. And Ted and I talked yesterday, said we said, like, when when you don't have something and you it's gone, then you realize what you had. And you know, I struggle with a lot of like things in my toes. I have these crazy, I think call Morton's Neuroma, I get a shot in my toe. My two toes get feel like they're rubber banded together. I have uh trigger finger in my hands, I have carpal tunnel, I have this this knee thing, and I just deal with it. You know, when I do a, you know, when I ski, I come home, I ice my knees, and then I just plop my behind in my bathtub with you know, lavender espin salt. And but I need to keep moving all the time.
SPEAKER_04Right. And I think that's what that's the that's one of the main messages that Ted and I try to promote on this that movement is medicine. That you can have all you can have all these uh ailments and whatnot, but and a lot of people will stop moving because of them. But it that's really the worst thing you can do. It it's certainly, certainly you need to adjust some things. If you're running a full marathon, you might need to cut it back to a 5K, but don't stop moving. Or maybe you need to cut it back to walking, but don't stop moving. And and some people listening to this episode might say, Well, gosh, man, this girl was b born with energy. I can't be like her. And the point is not to be like Lisa, but to listen to the wisdom that this lady is, you know, swinging from monkey bars at 68 because she hasn't stopped moving, even through unhealthy seasons in her life, even through times that even now when she's got bad knees, toes, and and other and trigger finger, don't put a gun in her hand. Let me just say that. Um, with all these things going on, that you know, she is still finding ways to move. And and what how does she do that? It sounds to me like she's adapting and adjusting. And those are two key words you want to you want to embrace and take on as you move into your fourth quarter because that's what's going to keep you moving. You don't have to do Ted and I were talking earlier about uh from our last episode, talking to to Nick Luzon, who gets to work around, you know, really high-end athletes who are 90 years old, 80 years old, and some who are pros in in their field right now. And sometimes they get to, you know, they get to this retirement age or that they can't produce like they used to when they were in pain. And they stop producing at all. They stop just because you can't play basketball anymore, they stop moving. And man, that's that's a death sentence. And so Nick also talked about how to transition and move that energy into something else. Okay, maybe you can't play football anymore, but so maybe you take up, you know, 5K's or something like that, or or pickleball. Just keep moving, keep moving.
SPEAKER_00And that's just to keep just to do something, just to keep yourself fluid. My fun fact I was gonna share with you was when I was in high school, I don't, I'm sure you guys probably know who Art Monk is. He played for the Washington Redskins, right? He was the fastest boy in high school, and I was the fastest girl. So he got into the Hall of Fame. So, you know, when people say when you graduate from high school, I say 1976, and I'm I always my claim to fame is I ran track with Art Monk, and like you did. I'm like, yeah, he was the fastest guy, I was fastest girl, and yeah, that was fun. Those were fun times.
SPEAKER_04But hey, quick question on the on the guy-girl thing, because it just popped up and I wrote it down real quick. Do you think, in your opinion, this is just kind of for fun, do you think looking back now, getting you know, having to be on the boys' team, eighth grade, ninth grade, all that stuff, you do you think looking back now, was that an advantage or or was it unfair?
SPEAKER_00Well, I thought it was unfair until I proved to them that I could do what they could do.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_00So I remember I can remember running a race once. My coach, we went to a different school to run a race, and we were running the first time on an all-weather track, and I we only ran on a cinder track, and he says you're gonna run a 220. I'm like, and I didn't even know what a staggered start was. I was like, what is that? He's like, You're gonna put these shoes on, they had spikes in them, and I'm like, and all the guys that were on the line, two were one was our team, our team, and the other three were from the other school, and the other three were football players, they were running backs. And and they laughed at me. And I can remember going, oh God, you're good, you're gonna be the last one laughing. I remember being, and I I never did like a start where I had to crouch down and go off blocks. And it was, I never did it. We never practiced it, and I blew them out of, I couldn't understand being in the last position because I could be a little dyslexic sometimes. How was I gonna get to where they were? And I blew them away.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_00And like they they put me on their shoulders, my team, and it was so I'll never forget that. But I I just think that I I I definitely know that men are stronger than women, you know, most the you know, men are. And I think that if it was now and I was in school now, I probably would excel in a girl on a girls' team, but I'd still be up there. I think I would be like I'm already looking to play flag football in an adult league in September.
SPEAKER_04This girl, Mary. Hey, hey, after you sign up, you got to come back on and tell us how that's going, man. Or we might just we might just see on ESPN or something, huh?
SPEAKER_00I saw my grandsons play. They all play, and I like this looks like so much fun. And so my boys are both head football coaches of their teams. They're both phys ed teachers. They both played in high school and college together. They went to the same college. My son broke eight records at Cortland State, and they were completely humble kids, knowing that they weren't the diamond in the rough. They were good football players, but they went to D3 schools. And they were humble and they were amazing captains, and they had the best camaraderie with their team. And then my son this year, my younger son, Anthony, took Sleepy Hollow High School in Terrytown to the state championships for the first time ever. And they won the Section One championship. First time won the Section One in 41 years, and then they went to the States. Sadly, they lost to a very scrappy team who were like men, men, men in boys' bodies. But um, it was crazy. And, you know, they we've just been a very competitive family. We so sports like my girls played volleyball and my girls ran track. So it's just been in our family, but like, you know, I think in my family, I'm probably the only one that's really, you know, active. Like, and I think of, I'm trying to think of all the people in my family, and really nobody was into sports. And I just have a different kind of personality. Like, you know, if I ask, if I ask my sons to do something for me and I give them a day, and if they don't do it, like my air conditioner, for example, you don't come. I I need you this day. I'm not saying come right away. And they're like, Mom, we're on our way. I'm like, it's in the window already, like it's done. Done. I don't have time, I don't have time. That's like when I said about pickleball, when people are like chit-chatting at the line. I'm like, are we here to play? And you know, last night, I it's so funny. Last night for the some I played with all men last night. There were no women playing at the courts where I was where I played. And one of the guys said, Wow, she's a real banger. And I've never been called a banger. And that's like another slang term for people who play pickleball and only smash and bang the ball. They don't dig. So if you know anything about pickleball, there's a light game, you know, where you dink. And I have a pretty I have a really good serve. So it was fun playing with them. And the kid I was playing with, he he he's a junior at MIU, and he goes, you know, that dude's gonna serve to you and you're not gonna hit it. I said, Oh, yes, I'm gonna hit it. And it came to me, you know, in a swivel, and I hit it, and I hit it in, and he goes, and he could he couldn't hit it. And it's just fun. It's just, you know, like I just I just my endorphins, you know, like if I'm going to a mountain to hike and I know I'm gonna climb, as soon as I'm getting closer to where I'm going, my adrenaline kicks in, and usually that's what gets me to where where what I'm doing. Yeah, you know, to the top, to the bottom. Going down is always worse, but it's um it's just a good lifestyle. And I want to do it till I'm 100. Yeah, you know, and the perks that I'm gonna do.
SPEAKER_04I love that mindset. Love that mindset. Yep. Yep.
Life Mindset From Loss To Joy
SPEAKER_00The perks, the perks that you get as you get older actually get better. You know, I think some ski places, I think when you reach like my friend Andrew, he's my ski partner, we ski together. He gets one ski pass for free. I think after you're 75, you don't pay. Some of them after 80, you don't pay. And I'm I'm on ski the northeast, I'm on skiers over 60. There's so many people who are skiing into their 80s and 90s. I'm like, dang, that's amazing.
SPEAKER_02That's awesome. So I just definitely have the energy, that's for sure. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I think, I think, like you said, it's it's the choices you make. And it's you really have to value your life and you really have to like yourself and to get to a place where you're comfortable. And when you get to that place, and listen, I've been in low places in my life, and I've been down and out, and I've been, I had a depressive, you know, time when my my when my mom died, and we had some family drama, but we got through it, and I kind of that's kind of when I I say six years ago, I sort of turned my life around and I just said, you know, like I hardly ever drink once in a blue moon. Like back in the day, we all used to drink and go out and you know, do all that stuff, but now it's like so unimportant to me. More important to me is where we're going, what we're doing. I got into kayaking last summer. That was amazing. So I'm going on a kayak trip this July. I skied this year in Quebec at Montreblant. That was absolutely magical. And the mountains I've climbed in the Adirondacks have been just like the views are just breathtaking. They take your breath away. So I I'll just keep doing it.
SPEAKER_02And you know, something like a younger, younger version of Betty. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Do you want to break? I'm like, no. There's no time for breaks. What do they what was the movie with Rosie O'Donnell where Tom Hanks said, Oh, yeah, there's was there's no crying in baseball.
SPEAKER_02No crying in baseball.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, there's no crying. You don't get to complain, just do what you have to do, and then when you get home, you want to complain. Complain when you get home. But yeah, that's that's how I live my life.
SPEAKER_02It's amazing. You're going back because you mentioned you have issues with your knees, your your feet, whatever it is, your toes. I mean, those are just perfect excuses for somebody to say, I'm not going to do it. Absolutely. You can choose that. Everybody's got something they can they can look at and say, This is hurting, that's hurting. I can't do this. I can't. You everybody's got an excuse. Like, you know, it's what you choose to do, and you look past it.
SPEAKER_00And I agree. And as I was telling you, I was telling you last night that you know, dating in my 60s is very hard. I I'm starting to understand and realize that I believe that men are intimidated by me. And I don't expect somebody to do everything I do. I don't care if they don't do anything that I do. I would like them to do something, but I'm not telling, I'm not, I'm not telling somebody, you know, climb up, you know. I I did, I think, I think on one of my hikes, I did 8,000 feet of elevation in three peaks. That was a lot. And I was, or maybe four peaks, but I don't expect people to do that. But I, you know, so now when I'm doing when I date, if and when, which is almost never, I don't even really talk about that anymore because I think it scares guys away. They think, oh, she's gonna want me to do this and that. I I just want to meet somebody and be happy. That's a whole different portion of my life. But this is what keeps me grounded and keeps my mind off of that. So when when God puts that that that human being in my path, the whole world is gonna know it.
SPEAKER_04Unless He's calling you to be, unless He's calling you to be a nun. No, I'm just like no way.
SPEAKER_00I'll be like the flying nun. I'll be uh fly.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I'll be like the flying nun.
SPEAKER_04I'm just playing with you. Hey Lisa, you have dropped so much energy. Oh my gosh. Like, we don't even need to plug the the computer into the outlet where we got so much energy right now. Thank you. This is amazing. So I love your energy. I can't wait to finish this episode because I want to go run or something right now. Like, what am I gonna do with all this energy? You've passed it on. Whoever gets to hang around you, man, they are so blessed to receive this energy. And and it's man, if you have a moment, if you live over there in wherever she said she lives in New York or Westchester, Westchester, New York, go hang around this lady before you have coffee, and you won't need coffee. I promise you that.
SPEAKER_00And you want to I don't even drink, I don't even drink coffee.
SPEAKER_04I believe, thank god. I can believe that. I used to, yeah, but I don't anymore. Hey, you don't need to, you don't need to. You're you're like the coffee dispenser over here, man. And I love I love it.
SPEAKER_00I'm like I'm like the Kira Ag or the Nespresso, exactly. Like push the button.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, hey, but we're gonna we're gonna move to uh a part of our podcast, Ted, if that's okay with you. The the music, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Well, real real quick though, I I just want to say that I can remember, you know, when I was a kid and my nonna Nia, uh she didn't look like you look. It's amazing the difference in a couple of generations, and yes, you know how staying active and and doing things. I mean, you're setting a great example for your 11 grandkids. And wait, you do something, don't you do something called dinner at Nana's or something like that?
Dinner At Nana’s And Family Connection
SPEAKER_02Oh my gosh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yes, we uh so I started a tradition two years ago where I said to my kids, I know you're all very busy, and I understand my kids are all teachers, two of their spouses are teachers, I'm a TA and work in special life for 25 years. So we all were busy, so I said, Why don't we do this? You I gave them a calendar for Christmas, it was a metaphor, and I said, you know, pick a date once a week. I get one family comes to my house once a week, and you get to have whatever I you want, like that I cooked when you were a kid, and then they come with their kids and they usually bring a game. There's no TV on. We do our highs and lows. We always, you know, sit at the table, even when my kids were little, we did our highs and lows all the time. And that's what my kids have taken that tradition. So they come here and we eat together, and you know, my kids will always pick something they love that I make from when they were little. And they make it very easy for me. So, but they're amazing. And I love that I started a tradition, and I want them like so. Now I hide two Hot Wheels under each pillow for the boys because you can get those for cheap. And then for the girls, I usually get them like lip glosses or something, but they'll remember Nana and say, Oh, remember when we did dinner at Nana's? You know, she always put the Hot Wheels under the, you know, whatever. And I love it. It's just it's the best. And I have alone time with them. It's rare that I get them. I get twice a year. I get them Christmas Eve, all of them, and Fourth of July, because one of my grandson's birthdays on 4th of July, and she she'll be 91 this, she'll be 91 this July, just July 4th. And my family, there's good genes. Yeah, like it's
Fitness Plus Diabetes And Real Checkups
SPEAKER_00crazy. Everyone in my family, like the people, my parents, there's so much cancer and so much like disease. So every once in a while I check myself and go, let me go get my carotid arteries like sonogrammed, let me check my EKG, let me I just do it because I I don't think sneak up on you. Like I never thought I would be a diabetic because everybody thinks diabetics are heavy, and they're not, they're not. Uh, it's it's it's genetic. So, you know, my A1C was like off the charts, and she's like, You gotta do something about that. So I tried to change my diet and I was exercising, but it just wasn't enough. It was, you know, the need for medicine. Yep.
SPEAKER_04Wow. So wow, yeah. And if for those of you who can't see, Lisa, she's very fit, uh, she doesn't have an ounce of fat on her. So the whole diabetes things, like she said, if you look at her, you would just think there's nothing unhealthy about this woman at all. So the fact that you know she's diabetic, it just blows your mind. It's like, wow, okay, so you really got to check these things out. Lisa, I do want to make a comment. I'm really man, I'm really excited about and and moved and inspired by you to that you started this tradition with your kids and your grandkids because we talked a lot about physical health on this episode and many of our episodes, right? But I think I think a lot of times we forget the uh the importance and the necessity of family and community and that and and you took it upon yourself to create this time and space, and that probably does more for you than any exercise ever could do. 100%.
SPEAKER_00100%. Yeah, it's it was and and it started because I was so pissed off at my son or for for because you know now even when you text, I have four of them, they don't even return a text message. So I'm like, so they always made fun of me and said, you know, I said, How would you know if I slipped in my shower and I fell? How would you know if I fell in a mountain? So that I got an Apple Watch that has fall detection. So if I fall on a mountain and it's happened, yeah, it it hits all my emergency contacts. But that's why I started it because I said, there's no excuse, and I'm not gonna be mad at my kids because I understand they have busy lives. Right. So I said, I'll make it, I'll make it easy for them. You come to me, you don't have to do anything, just show up. I'll do it all. And I love doing it. And that's like, you know, growing up, I'm I'm like was the person would have the party at my house, and we just were like that. But I love my family so much, and I'm blessed, and I never forget that. Every morning I wake up and put my feet on the floor. This is the God gospel truth. I say thank you to God every day. Because you know what? I look at people all the time on social media who have no limbs, and people who are blown away at what the human body can do when you have perseverance and determination. When I what I've seen, I follow like all these crazy pages on Instagram and TikTok of these little boys who has no arms and legs, and I watch him eat with his little sub arms, and it's just amazing to me. And it it humbles you and it makes you go it humbles you to right down to the ground, and you're like, wow. And it also inspires me because I I think I I have really listen, we all have bad days, and we all have our days when we don't feel good and we have no motivation. But for me, my motivation is being alive and healthy and able to enjoy my life while I have my time on this earth. And I'm gonna enjoy every minute of it.
SPEAKER_03Amen.
SPEAKER_04With with or without a partner, with or without Jesus is with you all the time. So you're all good.
SPEAKER_00Always. But my my thing is like people always say to me, Lisa, you do things alone. Are you crazy? You go in the woods by yourself, you you hike by yourself. I'm like, I can't wait for the world to do what Lisa wants to do with me. If you want to go with me, I actually right now, lately I've been preferring to be alone because it the only thing I have to concentrate on are my feet and where I'm walking. But I can't wait for the world to do what I want. So I do it. And that's that's kind of how I roll. I did a mud run race last year with my friends at the Poconot Raceway in Pennsylvania, and it was for breast cancer. That race was so much, it was 60 degrees or 58 degrees. It was in June, freezing. It was freezing. And me the way, I did every obstacle. I went in every pit. I even helped women climb up this mud wall that was collapsing. And I was at the top, and someone was on the bottom. She's like, Can you help me? I'm like, oh God. All right, yeah, yeah. I'm coming back down. And I felt like I was like in Vietnam, like helping like a soldier. And I pulled her over the wall and she's like, Thank you so much. And when we ended the race, we were, I mean, I don't know if you ever saw those pictures that on Facebook. We were, it was last year. It was so much fun, and it was so empowering to be with all those women. And they were all shapes and sizes. They were big, small, little, tall, and it was amazing.
SPEAKER_03It's beautiful.
SPEAKER_00And it's yeah, it's it's really sad that this country and uh society put so much onus on thinness. It should be more on health, not about how you look physically, but you could be heavier and still be healthy, right? You can be. They're just bigger people. So, you know, I I I see it in my high school that I teach, and it's crazy, but it's it's the world we live in. So we do the best we can to, you know, like when I'm with my grandkids, they know there's Nana doesn't. I don't I don't override my kids, you know, what what they their rules are and parameters, but there's some things I do, you know, like there's some things like Nana gets like some special, you know, override privileges, but they are the best kids ever, and they're from age two, Cody is two, and Natalie's 11, and then there's you know, nine in between.
SPEAKER_04Wow, that's awesome.
SPEAKER_00So there might be yep.
The Song That Matches Her Energy
SPEAKER_04All right, well, we're gonna move to a part of the show where Ted he kind of guesses of what the episode might feel like and be like, and he chooses a song before we have the interview, and he has chosen a song. I I don't know what the song is, and you don't know what the song is, but we're about to find out, and then we ask our guests and myself to comment on the song after we hear it. So Ted's gonna go ahead and get that queued up for us, as he always does.
SPEAKER_02I think this one just hit the mark. Okay, let's see. I mean there's so much, so much positivity, and this is kind of how I envisioned you would be.
SPEAKER_00Oh, thank you.
SPEAKER_01I wake up grateful for this day. I took my thoughts, I took my way. Before I move, before I speak, I put my energy for the way. I listen to my mind. I put my mind with a wall. I don't go back to now.
SPEAKER_04Wow, that was man. That is Ted, you did good on that one. That one was good.
SPEAKER_00Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding. You win the prize. That was amazing. Yeah, I like that song.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I mean, I don't even have nothing to say. It was like she said it all, and if you hear the song, it's like bam, there it is. That's yep, that's Lisa.
SPEAKER_00I said it before you played the song.
SPEAKER_04Exactly.
SPEAKER_00It's amazing. Oh, it's amazing. Thank you. I appreciate that.
Final Thanks And How To Respond
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. Hey Lisa, thank you so much for saying yes and getting on here. You know, before we got on and pressed record, I just want to share with the audience that, you know, Lisa was like, uh, you know, okay, I'm almost I feel important. Like she wasn't important. And she I think you know, she's trying to be humble. But Lisa, you are important. Your story does matter. And I hope you share this on your social media page. I hope you share it with all your friends and family because there's a beautiful message here, and there's so much amazing energy. After people listen to you, they're gonna probably want to go like I like me. I'm gonna go do run or something or bike or workout or something. So please share this episode and and thank you for coming on and sharing your it was really nice to meet you both and see you in person.
SPEAKER_00And I appreciate you too. And God bless you guys, and let's keep on going till we can't go anymore.
SPEAKER_04You know, and then that's what I'm talking about.
SPEAKER_02There you go.
SPEAKER_00Yes, all right, Ted.
SPEAKER_02Any closing words, Ted? No, thanks for coming on, Lisa.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for having me, and uh, we'll be in touch again. I appreciate it. So you'll send me this, and then I can I I'll repost it.
SPEAKER_04Yes, we're gonna get everything up there for you. But right now we're gonna just sign off officially and I'm gonna do like I always do and say, God bless and peace out.
SPEAKER_00Peace out. Take care, guys.
SPEAKER_04If you like what you heard, be sure to subscribe, follow, share an episode. If you want to leave a comment, go to the show notes. There's a text link there. We will receive an anonymous text from you with any comments or suggestions. Thanks again for tuning in, and most importantly, keep on coming back.