K-Factor TEN Monthly Series–October 2022

As part of our K-Factor TEN monthly series, we will share ten questions and answers from people in the 50+ community with a fitness lifestyle each month.

Our goal is to help people get started and be encouraged; know that it’s not too late to start, and anyone can do it.

This month we’d like to introduce you to Adrienne Mynatt.

1. Please give us some background on how long you’ve been working out and what started you down the fitness path. In 2006 I decided to start working out consistently and get in better shape. In 2009 life happened, and I gained weight, stopped working out, and found comfort in food and TV. In 2010 I was experiencing a bout of depression and gained more weight. In December of 2010, I received a community magazine in the mail advertising local businesses, and the front cover highlighted a gym called Bionik Fitness that was having a two-week boot camp at the beginning of 2011(the first two weeks in January), and I signed up. I was a 47-year-old AA female overweight, had not worked out consistently, and had not run since junior high school track (short distances). This boot camp focused on running (I thought that was what I had gotten myself into). I was always in the back and didn’t think I’d last the two weeks, but I did. Little did I know that was the beginning of a journey I had no idea would take me around the world three times, cross the finish lines of 5k’s, 10k’s, half marathons, Marathon’s, triathlons, duathlons, bike rides, and mud runs. I have completed a half marathon in all fifty states plus DC and seven continents. I have also completed 5 out of the six World Major Marathons.
2. How did you figure out what to do in the gym – what exercises work? The boot camp I joined was combined with strength training. The coach taught us how to use circuit machines, free weights, body weights, and other obstacle course training techniques (using big tires, axes, running with parachutes, etc.). The goal was to be able to teach us how to work out if we didn’t have access to a gym, and it constantly caused muscle confusion. My takeaway from that when I did go to the gym was to work my big muscle groups. My favorite gym equipment is the leg press, lat pull-down, Smith machine (squats), and planks.
3. Did you start and stop working out before it became a lifestyle? Yes, I did and still do. Life happens, and my motivation wanes sometimes, but it’s back. During the pandemic, I let myself go and have a whole exercise room in my house. I had no excuse for not working out; I just didn’t. Some people took advantage of 2020, and some didn’t; I was part of the 50% that didn’t. I can confidently say today that I’m transitioning to a healthier me. 
4. Why did you stick with it? What are the main benefits for you? To be honest and transparent, I had not run or workout from April 2019 until February 2021. Other than seeing the person I had become in the mirror every day, what motivated me to restart were the physical fitness goals I still have to achieve in my heart. I no longer fear a big challenge; I train for them. I’m still a work in progress, and I know a healthy life will benefit my overall well-being and get me across a few more finish lines. 
5. How do you motivate yourself when you don’t feel like working out? How do you get past that? Sometimes I don’t; I don’t work out. As I become wiser, I invite peace and calm in my life, not stress. Training is very stressful and demanding. I’d rather miss a workout than make myself do it. Forcing myself to work out when I don’t feel like it will only result in poor performance. I ask myself why I didn’t feel like working out (am I tired from work, am I worried about something, was I up late watching TV, etc.). What I must do after the missed workout is to remember my why, visualize the end goal and not hit the snooze button. What I find keeps me accountable is signing up for a program on my Peloton (structured classes on certain days) or committing to work out with someone.
6. Please give us some background on your nutrition. Are there foods or strategies you tried in the past that were mistakes? I have no background. I attempted to eat healthy when doing all my activities but to no avail. I would be on the course struggling and feeling drained. For my regular home and/or gym workouts, I would ensure I consumed some form of protein within 30 minutes of working out. From 2012 to 2019, I had no concrete plan when I did the bulk of my activities. It wasn’t till this year, when I started training for the Berlin Marathon, I reached out to a run coach for nutritional help. I followed it to a tee and was never fatigued on the course. Unfortunately, I hadn’t hydrated enough and experienced major cramps, but I still completed the race and knew what to tweak for my next one.
7. Do you have a “cheat day/meal” on your plan? If so, how do you keep a “cheat day” from becoming a cheat weekend or week? What technique do you use? This is a work in progress.
8. “I don’t have time to spend hours a day working out and preparing meals” is something we often hear – how do you answer that?  I don’t, either. I thank God for my husband, who will meal prep for me when I’m disciplined. I have used a meal service in the past, but that was before I got married. If and when I do meal prep, I have to do it on a Sunday. 
9. Do you have any tips to help beginners get started? Any ideas for those who may be intimidated about going to a gym or don’t believe it will work for them? I wish I had hired a run coach and/or joined a running club, triathlon club, or master’s swim class instead of just getting out there doing it. Being a novice trying to do it all almost cost me my life. , I was hospitalized in October 2011 for one week with Rhabdomyolysis. I was in acute renal failure and hours away from multisystem failure. The doctors said I wouldn’t make it through the night; they were wrong; you’re reading this interview 11 years later. I ran my first three years with the same tennis shoes, unaware I should switch out every 300 miles. I knew nothing BUT was trying to do it all. I remember losing weight before going to the gym regularly because I was ashamed of my appearance. I later learned I lacked self-love. The gym is what transformed my body before I had my home gym. I highly recommend it because it works. The best times for me were at opening or the last hour before closing when the crowds were less. 
10. What is your go-to Pizza or that cheat day treat? Pepperoni pizza and carrot cake.

We can help and encourage you to take action. Contact K Factor Coaching today!

Adrienne Mynatt is a Houstonian (by way of Cleveland, OH) who has lived in Houston for the past 17 years. Adrienne is the owner of Faith Family Health and Weight Management Clinic, which she opened as a solo practitioner in 2008 as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She is married and has three adult children and nine grandchildren. Adrienne is well-traveled, an Entrepreneur, Author, and Realtor. She loves traveling, going to the movies, caring for her community, and spending time with her grandchildren.