"Movement Is a Privilege": A 33-Year Nurse on Getting Strong After 50

"Movement Is a Privilege": A 33-Year Nurse on Getting Strong After 50

Susanne Bloom joined Big Day Fitness in Norwell about five months after losing her husband. One year later, she's down 10+ pounds, up 2 pounds of muscle, sleeping through the night, and rowing every Saturday. Bobby and Maria talk with Susanne — a nurse of 33 years and a founding member of our Duxbury location — about starting over after five years as a caregiver, why she calls movement a privilege, and how small group training rebuilt her strength and her social life on the South Shore. In this episode: strength training as injury insurance for a career of lifting patients, functional fitness that shows up in real life, the menopause workshop that led her to HRT and better sleep, and the food journal that revealed she wasn't eating enough. If you're over 40 and want to move better, get stronger, and live bigger, this one's for you. Learn more at bigdayfit.com or email maria@bigdayfit.com. Chapters: Meet Suzanne Why she joined Starting over after caregiving Movement is a privilege Strength as injury insurance Functional fitness in real life Community and the walk to the gym The menopause workshop and HRT Better sleep, less stiffness The numbers: fat loss, muscle gain The food journal The domino effect How to reach Big Day Fitness

Your Knee Pain Might Not Be Your Knee

Fresh off a trip to Spain — where Bobby and Maria got married a second time so her family could finally be there — they unpack the moments that stuck with them. Front and center: Bobby's 92-year-old grandmother, who flew across the world, danced through Madrid, and walked him down the aisle. It's the clearest proof of a simple idea: your health is an investment, and moments like these are the payout. What we cover: • Health as an investment — why the work you put in now "cashes out" decades later • Staying capable at 92 — how years of balance work and staying active let Bobby's grandmother crush an 8-hour-flight trip • Closing the gap — Bobby's dad, 57, and the hike that reset what he believes he can do • The misogi — the once-a-year "pick one scary thing" challenge, and Maria's 7-hour, 4,000-foot climb she almost talked herself out of • "Bone on bone" at 17 — the diagnosis that told Maria to stop, and how strength training gave her a decade pain-free • When a doctor says "never again" — why a second opinion and a little proactivity matter • The joint-by-joint approach — why knee pain often isn't about the knee, and what to work on instead • Proactive vs. reactive health — where strength training ends and PT, chiros, and doctors begin Chapters: 00:00 — Welcome 00:29 — Back from Spain: the wedding they did twice 03:13 — Bringing family, including a 92-year-old grandmother 05:43 — She walked Bobby down the aisle (again) 07:01 — Health is an investment that cashes out 07:21 — Bobby's dad, 57, and the hike that reset his baseline 11:14 — The misogi: pick one scary thing a year 12:15 — Maria's misogi: a 7-hour climb she almost skipped 16:46 — "Bone on bone" at 17: Maria's knee story 20:16 — When a doctor says "never again" 21:44 — Why your knee pain might not be your knee 25:00 — Proactive vs. reactive health (and PT + strength) About the show: The Big Day Fitness Show is hosted by Bobby Gasdia and Maria Gutierrez — strength training, mobility, nutrition, and real-talk wellness for adults over 40. Big Day Fitness has locations in Norwell and Duxbury, MA, helping the South Shore move better, get stronger, and live bigger. New episodes every week. Catch us on 95.9 WATD-FM, or listen to the podcast at bigdayfit.com. Subscribe for a new episode every week, and follow @bigday_fitness on Instagram. If you're on the South Shore and want to train with us in Norwell or Duxbury, reach out through bigdayfit.com — we'd love to help you get started.

She Took a GLP-1 and Kept Every Bit of Her Muscle — Here's How

Dr. An-Louise Johnson — "Doc," a South Shore oral surgeon and mom in her 50's — spent nearly a decade building muscle. When she started a GLP-1, she had one rule: don't lose it. She gets honest about how she pulled it off. In this episode: * Why "strong" beat "skinny" — and made fitness finally sustainable * The muscle-loss risk of GLP-1s, and the plan she used to keep every pound * Hitting 143g of protein a day, going from 3 to 5 workouts a week, and where people quietly miss protein * "It felt like a miracle — but I still did the work" * Food as fuel, not comfort * Showing up anyway: motion is lotion, and why 40 minutes late still counts * Modifying around a bad back, a sore shoulder, even a cast * Why a room full of 40s–70s who "look like you" changes everything Chapters: 00:00 Meet Dr. An-Louise Johnson 01:33 Getting strong, not skinny 03:36 The weighted vest and Christmas boxes 05:19 Starting a GLP-1, keeping muscle 07:26 More protein, more often 08:26 143g of protein a day 10:29 Why past diets failed 12:03 Food as fuel, not comfort 14:52 Showing up when you don't want to 16:48 Trusting experts, finding your people 20:07 Coaches, mods and a silly icebreaker 23:51 Injuries and "motion is lotion" The Big Day Fitness Show with Bobby Gasdia and Maria Gutierrez — strength, mobility, nutrition, and real-talk wellness for adults over 40. Big Day Fitness has gyms in Norwell and Duxbury, MA, helping the South Shore move better, get stronger, and live bigger. New episodes weekly, also on 95.9 WATD-FM. Follow @bigday_fitness on Instagram. Want to train with us in Norwell or Duxbury? Start at bigdayfit.com.

How Much Protein You Actually Need After 40 (Most People Get It Wrong)

Most people think they ate "pretty good" today — and have no real idea what they actually put in their body. In this episode, Bobby and Maria break down the nutrition basics that actually move the needle for adults over 40: building awareness before chasing perfection, why protein is the easiest first win, and how hidden fats quietly blow up your calories without you noticing. What we cover: * The simple food journal that beats counting macros (and why awareness comes first) * The 3-day journal method we start every member with — 2 weekdays, 1 weekend * Why "diet" should mean lifestyle, not a 2-month sprint you burn out of * How much protein you actually need: 0.7–1g per pound of goal bodyweight * The thermogenic effect — why protein costs you calories just to digest it * How to make protein less boring (sources, sauces, and the protein-shake shortcut) * The domino effect: how one small win pulls the next one along * Picking a clean protein powder by reading the label * Why fat hits 9 calories per gram — and the olive-oil-vs-popcorn eye-opener * Eating out: the hidden butter problem and how to order around it

Welcome to the Adult Playground

What if the gym could actually be fun? In this debut episode of the Big Day Fitness Show on WATD, hosts Bobby Gasdia and Maria Gutierrez introduce themselves and share the story behind Big Day Fitness — a gym built specifically for adults over 40 who are done with cookie-cutter workout programs that leave them burned out, injured, or just plain bored. Bobby and Maria break down why strength training is the single most important thing you can do for your body as you age, what the difference between lifespan and health span means for your future, and why the right fitness program should build you up — not break you down. Plus, hear the inspiring story of member Sue, who went from chronic back pain to jumping on horseback again, and find out why so many self-proclaimed "non-gym people" end up never wanting to leave Big Day Fitness. If you're over 40 and looking for a fitness approach that actually fits your life, this episode is your starting point.