From Shy Teen To Stage: A conversation with Veronica Ho

Today I talk to my best friend, Veronica Ho and as two longtime friends we trace a candid path from quiet teen years to midlife strength, exploring how weightlifting became therapy, why boundaries matter, and how perimenopause reshapes health goals. We share the unglamorous prep, the cost, the mindset shifts, and the power of saying no.

• early body image and being a confidant
• why lifting started and what changed
• training stats, body composition, and safety
• food prep, budgets, and time protection
• stage experiences and doing it in her forties
• attention, projection, and dressing for self
• gym as therapy and routine under stress
• perimenopause, bone health, and recovery
• realistic goals, reasons why, and setbacks
• boundaries that signal commitment to self

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Welcome to Amra’s Armchair Anecdotes! I’m Amra Pajalić—writer, teacher, and storyteller. Pull up a chair, and let’s dive into stories about writing, life, and lessons learned—sharing wisdom from my armchair to yours.

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Episode show notes are transcripts at https://www.amrapajalic.com/podcast.html

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Guest Introduction
• 0:35 From Reserved Teen To Trusted Confidant
• 3:32 Why Lifting Began And Early Resolve
• 5:15 Training Numbers And Body Composition
• 6:45 The Cost, Prep, And Daily Discipline
• 9:40 Identity, Attention, And Self‑Perception
• 13:20 First Time On Stage And Motherhood
• 16:15 Doing It In Her Forties And Saying No
• 19:30 Therapy In The Gym And Boundaries
• 22:30 Health Over Aesthetics In Midlife
• 25:20 Perimenopause, Voice, And Bite
• 27:20 Realistic Goals And Reasons Why
• 29:20 Routine, Resilience, And Final Reflections
• 38:10 Closing And Subscribe CTA

Transcript

Amra Pajalic: 0:00

Welcome to Amora's Armchair Anecdotes. I'm Amber PyLH, writer, teacher, and storyteller. Pull up a chair and let's dive into stories about writing, life, and lessons learned. Sharing wisdom from my armchair to yours. You can find the episode show notes, your free episode handouts, and my how to guide at amrapilot.com slash monica. And now it's time to die. Welcome to Abra's armchair anecdotes. Today I'm here with Veronica Ho, who is my best friend of 30 years. She was a nurse for 20 years and she now works as a case manager in supporting NDIS clients, specialising in disability. Today she's here to talk about her transition into weightlifting as a way of finding well-being and joy. Thank you, Veronica. Thank you, Anna. So um I just wanted to sort of start with the great passion of your life is weightlifting, and this has led you on a journey of transformation. So can you tell the audience about you as a teenager and your body image at the time?

Veronica Ho: 1:11

So, as a teenager, I was always the tubby one. Um not a lot of confidence at all. I was always the person walking with their head down. Um, kind of, well, not kind of the person. I I perceive myself to be as a person that was lost in the crowd. In the back corner. Um, not I so I I wasn't confident in speaking to people. So it's taken to me being almost 50 to build that confidence, to keep my head up high and and and to put myself in situations where I have to take a deep breath in and um be big, be a big girl and go and have conversations with people that I wouldn't normally have. But I was I was always that person in the background, wearing black all the time. Um, so I just fade into the background.

Amra Pajalic: 2:05

Yeah, and you but you also kind of attracted people to you because you were so um silent and so kind of reserved, but you're quite welcoming still, and people would really approach you and tell you things. And one of the things I remember is that you were so self-possessed as a teenager where you were one of the rare people who knew how to keep people's privacy. So you kind of became the confidant for a lot of people and carried a lot of weight there.

Veronica Ho: 2:34

I did, um, and I still find that today. Um I guess that just comes from having my own issues and my own as a and my um own I'm gonna say demons. Um and I know how important it is to keep that that um uh secret, I guess.

Amra Pajalic: 3:03

Yeah, and and to sort of help support people in that way.

Veronica Ho: 3:08

Correct, and to understand how it is, how important it is to other people to have a safe space.

Amra Pajalic: 3:13

Yeah, and that's something that really comes through now in the job that you're doing, um, and also as a nurse. And so you are now a little miss weightlifter, um, and you've even um competed. So can you talk through how how all that happened and how the transitions and changes?

Veronica Ho: 3:32

So the weightlifting and the um decision to go on stage was um I I remember being in a change room when I was this goes back to when I was about 16, and I remember being in a change room and looking at myself, and I was I couldn't fit into a size 18, and I remember looking at myself and thinking, this this can't be, this isn't me, something has to change. Um and I always had a vision of myself of um not being that person anymore. Um, after having my daughter, who's now 16. Um I thought I have to be a person she looks up to, not necessarily to look or not necessarily to look skinny or look a certain way, but to teach her that that, you know, anything's possible if you put your mind to it. Um it's a very scary process for someone that isn't confident, for someone that um took a long time to believe in herself. Um it's it's a really, really scary journey and continues to be a really scary journey.

Amra Pajalic: 4:43

Well, let's just contextualise this for the audience. So you do weight training. Tell us some of your stats in terms of the weights that you can do.

Veronica Ho: 4:51

Okay, so I the heaviest of leg pressed is 200 kilos. That's the heaviest of leg pressed. Um shoulder press, the heaviest is 12 and a half kilos because now I have lots of nickels and whatnot. Um, but I work around that with my trainer. Um I can do a leg extension of 20 kilos on each leg, depending on the weight my knees holding up on the day. Um and the heaviest dog dead lifted, I think, was 110 kilos. And that's over a duration of like four or five years of serious training. I haven't lifted that in the last two weeks or anything. They're just the biggest numbers that I've lifted.

Amra Pajalic: 5:32

And also in terms of like the stats um with your weight trainer, looks at your body fat composition and stuff like that. So what what's that about?

Veronica Ho: 5:41

So body composition, so the lowest, so when I'm when I've been on stage, I think last body fat percentage was I believe it was uh seven or nine percent. And and that's a big difference. Seven and nine percent is a big difference. Uh so let's just say eight, um, which isn't healthy. So when I come off stage, I I'd go into a different training regime to put on the weight, correctly. Um, and uh to put it in terms of size, maybe a size six, and then I'll go up to a comfortable size 10, um uh, which is what I am now. And yeah, and in terms of kilos, so now I'm sitting at the heaviest I've ever been, to be honest, which is 68 kilos. The heaviest I've ever been weight training is 68 kilos. Well, when I hit stage, I'm about 55, 60 kilos. And all of that is muscle. All of that is pure muscle stage.

Amra Pajalic: 6:45

And just can you contextualise like the food and the eating and all of the things that go into this? Because you're now at this point where you have this amazing body that is beautifully sculpted and you know, just stunning and I'm booty that I just love staring at, like always, right? And so you've got this amazing body, and so um, but one of the things that happens is you have people looking at you and going, oh my god, and how do I do that? And they don't really understand the discipline and the work that's going into it. So, can you talk us through like your eating regime, your training regime, all of these things that, you know, to be where you are at and to do what you are doing, what does it take?

Veronica Ho: 7:36

Um it takes being very selfish with your time. Um the easiest part of getting or being fit and healthy and getting on stage and all of it. All of it is is being selfish and making time. The hardest part of it all is not the eating, the hardest part is um sorry, the the hardest part is the preparation, the easy part is training. So, and also the hardest part is is that selfish of selfishness of going or saying to yourself, no, I'm going to stop. So I like I remember, I'll give you an example. I'll remember we were moving house from housing sunshine, and we were packing boxes, and I had boxes all around me, and this is in my very first stages. And I'm like, no, I don't I've got a train, so I had to work on, I'm losing my body fat before working on my muscle. So, and I remember with all these boxes around me, we were moving house. I'm like, I know I said I was gonna leave the house at two o'clock to go and do my training, and I just left everything. My husband was home, and I said to her, I've got to go where you're going myself. I've got to go train. At two o'clock, I told you I'm going to train. And that's that is the hardest part to just drop everything and to stick to your regime and to stay truly self. And and the shopping, like it's expensive. It gets really expensive because I'm shopping for my own um nutrition and then plus for my family as well. And that it can get really, really expensive. Um, so and also um food preparation. But you've got to take over the fridge.

Amra Pajalic: 9:29

Yeah, because you do your food prep, you do all of your meals correct for a few days at a time. Correct. Protein every day, weighing.

Veronica Ho: 9:36

Weighing. So we'll buy like because my husband does it now also. So we'll buy two or three kilos of our protein at a time, and then get it home, put it in freezer bags, weigh it, put it in the freezer bags, and then, you know, and it's all weighing. It's it's just all weighing in. But now I can do, I can do like three days of food prepping and two hours. Because it's something that you'd be doing for the few years. Yeah, and it's just it's second nature, and I can look at an amount of food and go, yeah, that'll be that, right? And I can chuck it all in.

Amra Pajalic: 10:10

So one of the things that I really sort of wanted to discuss um with you, because you know, you are a person who can really get inside this, is that transformation from that big, you know, girl with low self-esteem, putting yourself first now, putting your needs first, and this is what your salvation also, because you've got, as most of us, a lot of pressure, a lot of uh responsibilities. So how does that transition happen? Because, you know, there they like I went through the opposite where I was like the skinny mini. Um, and now I am, you know, a size 16 and I'm fine. I die, I'm not willing to do the work that you do in order to, you know, do the body, but I do do weight training and try and do a little bit with the diet and stuff. Um and for me it's been a big transformation going from an easy size eight where I never had to do anything to suddenly whatever I eat sticks to the hips and my thighs and my stomach, and going, oh. And I still sometimes catch myself in the mirror where I'm like, oh, I'm I'm that round. I still have that image in my head of me from you know 18 years old. Um, and for you it's the opposite.

Veronica Ho: 11:29

Well, I I still have that image of the 100 kilo teenage girl. Um and uh, you know, people go, Oh, you said good body, this, that, and you know, but you look so fit. And and sometimes I do look in the mirror and go, oh wow, I do look quite fit, but as people close to me know, I don't dress. I I I don't I don't dress to show off my body. Um, I'm not used to attention and I don't love myself or anything. I'm very proud of how far I've come. Um I'm not going to deny that is bloody hard work. Um but I don't like to draw attention to myself it either. So I still do sometimes feel like that 100 kilo girl that still has to remind herself to to you know head up. You know, stand with your head up or walk with your head up, because I will still sometimes catch myself walking with my head down and I I correct my 16-year-old daughter on popping your head up. Which is really hard to do.

Amra Pajalic: 12:37

And have there been because uh we've we've had these conversations about reactions where sometimes people are kind of threatened or they sort of have these conversations where they're looking at you and they're somehow judging themselves against you in a negative way. How has that been?

Veronica Ho: 12:57

Um confronting for me because I've I've never been I don't know how to put this right, but I've I've never been a person to, I mean, we all judge them on my own, right, Rodney King. Hey, it's it's my homie. It's my hobby. I mean, you know, I'm not gonna deny that idea. Um again, because we're thinking um but I've never been one to take a compliment world. Um I've so when someone reacts to me, I'm like, Well my thought. Like it's it's my hard work. Um sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't. Um and I think sometimes I'll become oblivious to it. But there there have been a couple of times where um like I I give up a vibe as well. So I I give up a vibe where I I don't want attention, so I tend to make a certain face where where people kind of stay away from me, which I think I do quite well, which which sometimes doesn't um uh do very well for myself. But um yeah, there have been a few times where I've I've been confronted with um um a perception of of what people think of me.

Amra Pajalic: 14:29

Yes, where they're seeing this outer, beautiful, sculpted body, um, and they're reacting to you on that superficial level, and you're like still the 100 kilo big girl.

Veronica Ho: 14:44

Um, and you know, we've had these conversations where you're like perplexed and bewildered, and now you sort of start avoiding some of that where you've been dressing to not draw so much attention to and and and you know, sometimes my husband like keeps saying, You're right to wear that dress because he looks so nice, or you can, you know, this is defining or that's defining, and I'm going, yeah, no, you know, I'm not gonna wear that. Um, you know, remember the first time I wore a bikini, because Anna was a bikini girl. I would wear a bikini with a big t-shirt over it. Yeah. Um the first time I wore a bikini was when I went on stage. Um it was a real bikini and she was amazing. Without even thinking that it was the first time. Like I remember being on the side of the stage almost in tears, thinking, oh my gosh, I I can't do this. Um and I um I I something choked up in my throat and I had to swallow down. And then I saw this of my daughter with a little sign going, Mummy, you can do it. I'm like, oh God, I've got I've got to get up there, I've got to get up there. And I was like a dear in headlights. I I actually didn't enjoy being up on stage, but I went back and did it another two times. Um, and it was just to prove to myself, like I wish I I can do this, I'm gonna do this again.

Amra Pajalic: 16:09

And this is something that you did do in your 40s. This is not something that you did like in your 20s or 30s. I think this was your 40s. Correct. And so, you know what, talk me through why you wouldn't be able to have done it in your 20s or your 30s, why in your 40s you could do it?

Veronica Ho: 16:23

I'm going to walk through, prove in my forties. Again, coming back to my daughter, um, to prove to her, like I now say to her, um, if she feels as though she can't do anything, I I don't say, look at what, look at what mummy did, I got up on stage. It's just that, you know, getting up on stage though is a process. It's it's the diet, it's the training twice a day sometimes. Um, it's following routine, it's saying no to people, it's going out to people's houses, which I think people loved about me, like, I'll bring my own food. No, I'll bring my own food.

Amra Pajalic: 17:01

Yeah. Won't eat anything at anyone's house. Yeah. Don't bother offering. She's got her little containers sorted.

Veronica Ho: 17:08

But you know, coming back to what you said about um uh about being confronted with people, like that that's probably a time when where I had to explain myself to people. So I'd go to people's houses like, just have a little bit, a little bit when just have a little bit. No, no, it's fine. And then I realised that that's that's them projecting. Because I think a lot of people didn't think that I could do it, which was more reason for me to do it.

Amra Pajalic: 17:36

Yeah, well, even I remember when you were talking about um after you lost your weight, uh, because we had this thing that we were like, you're big bone, you're big bone.

Veronica Ho: 17:44

Big bone. I grew up being told, don't you, you're big bone. I remember saying to my uncle once, he said, Oh, you're just big bone, and am I allowed to sweat? Um no, I'm not too. No, and I'm like, I'm not, no, I'm not. I'm just you know, f bomb fat. And then he kind of put his head down.

Amra Pajalic: 18:03

Yeah.

Veronica Ho: 18:03

Um, and I'll never ever forget that day. And and I'm not big boned.

Amra Pajalic: 18:07

You are not big boned, you're actually delicate boned. You take after your mother, you've got that delicate Scottish, you know, bone structure. Yeah. And um, and so I remember you saying, Oh, it was actually I was eating more. I I eat so much. Yeah. I love it.

Veronica Ho: 18:24

And and I think that that's works in my favour through my transitions, my different transitions, um, is that I love to eat. Like I'll I'll eat. So I had, I thought, oh my gosh, I'm not gonna be able to eat much. And of course, when it comes to like the the last week or two, depending on how much fat I have to lose, that my calories are cut back. So go into a calorie deficit. But now non-maintenance, I I eat, I eat like four meals a day.

Amra Pajalic: 18:54

But also you make your own sweets. You used to make your own chocolate.

Veronica Ho: 18:58

I did make my own chocolate.

Amra Pajalic: 18:59

You know, like this is this is all, you know, like work that went into.

Veronica Ho: 19:04

And again, expensive. It it, you know, with the training and so when it even now with training it's expensive. Um, but in the lead up to competitions, it's the food, the training, the tanning, the makeup, the bikini, the shoes, the posing practice, which where I went for posing, she was absolutely beautiful, but it's like it's just not me. So going through this process was going against um everything that I'm not. Um, which was and and I'm going back on stage next year um to celebrate being 50. Yes. Um, so even the thought of going back on stage next year is still petrifying for me. Um, I'll have to start that process. So just say it's in October, November end of season, I'll have to start maybe, I don't know, in July. Because now my body's conditioned to where if I said to my trainer, I want to, I want to cut in three months, no worries. I I can have my abs in three months. I don't have that now. But but yeah, back to uh the process going against everything that I am, like every every ounce of what I'm not, which makes it really hard, challenging and rewarding at the same time.

Amra Pajalic: 20:29

So, what's the transformation like? How do you feel in yourself now going having gone through this and having learned to put yourself first?

Veronica Ho: 20:38

So training has taught me that it's not just about training. So um I'm stronger mentally than I ever have been, I think. Um you know, life is life. We get throwing curveballs. I've been throwing a few very hard curveballs the last um few months, um, as Alma very well knows. Um, and but you know, I continue to train because it's my space, it's where I think. Um, and when I train, I look at myself and it's almost like looking at another person. Yeah. Where training is my therapy. And that's what it's become.

Amra Pajalic: 21:23

I also like all of the things that we've had conversations about in being in the gym with these big bros and they try and steal your weights and stuff. Not gonna happen.

Veronica Ho: 21:33

Not gonna happen, or or I'll just get to a machine or something like that, or my little bench space, and then I'll get a tap on the shoulder after I've wiped down everything. They may think I'm I'm finishing, but I've got my bag there. And um, have you have you finished? Or oh you're just getting stuck.

Amra Pajalic: 21:51

Yeah. So there's like certain strengths that you project. Um, and like when we we were talking earlier, like it's all about um body image and it's not about how we look, it's about being healthy, but it's also about what we tell our daughters. And so, you know, what's the message that you're wanting to give to your daughter and to all women out there?

Veronica Ho: 22:14

Um, just to not be afraid of um becoming the person that you truly want to be. Um just don't be afraid of it. You're gonna get people that don't like it. But if you're surrounded by people that truly love you and accept you, which I'm extremely blessed. My circle is very small for good reason. Um just don't be afraid. Just, you know, take that big step. Don't be scared. If you fail, or there's no such thing as failing. If it didn't work out this time, give it a rest, go back next time. Um when I when I competed, like everything comes back to competing. But when I stepped on stage three times, I didn't place three times. Um and it just it's just about getting up there, going through the process, looking at them like it's a damn expensive process. And I keep saying that, but it it truly is. Um and you know, an example, my my last bikini was $600 just for the bikini.

Amra Pajalic: 23:24

Yeah.

Veronica Ho: 23:24

And then everything else on top of that. So it's a good, say, $3,000. And I felt guilty about spending that money. I pulled out, I I remember pulling out of one the night before. The night before. I remember pulling out and I made the excuse of um, I don't want to stick on stage because I know how much it's gonna cost the next day. But I'd already done the hard work and paid for the bikini and paid for everything. I just, it was just an excuse. Don't make excuses, my kids. Because you look back and go, shoulda, coulda, shoulda, coulda, but did it.

Amra Pajalic: 23:59

Yeah, and like also that that thing of, you know, at this point in our lives taking those risks, and it's more about um just trying, and it doesn't matter what the result is, it's just the actual experience.

Veronica Ho: 24:11

Yeah.

Amra Pajalic: 24:12

And and um, you know, that that freedom of then trying for bigger things and then, you know, and it is such a struggle as a woman, especially um, you know, where we s we spend all our lives sort of thinking about other people. And you more than me, for example. One of the conversations we have is that I'm selfish, she is selfless. If we could give each other a little bit of each, we would make the perfect person. Um so true. And yeah, we're perfect together. We're perfect together. Um, yeah, we're actually soulmates. We complement each other perfectly. Um, our husbands are just fellows we live with. Um, you know, witnesses to our lives. Um, but yeah, it it's there is that strength of of kind of you would rather almost regret trying something even if it didn't work out than regret not even.

Veronica Ho: 25:07

Yeah. You know. But I've I've got the confidence more so now, even in my perimenopause, periperi, I call it. Um in my perimenopause um journey, I'm gonna say, I'm really at that stage where, or at that moment in my life now where, you know, um Amra has yearned for me to be, I'm gonna say, where I just don't, it's not that I don't care, I still do care deeply, but recognising that, you know, it is about me, and I can say no, and I will say no, and I have said no, which is for anyone that knows me again knows how hard that is. Um, and there's nothing wrong with saying no. Say yes to those that love you and care for you. You know, I've got everyone in my life, if if I called them the noise on the other side of the world, I know that they'd be there in a heartbeat, and vice versa. I mean they're the only people I need in my life. Um but in perimeter's I don't know what it is.

Amra Pajalic: 26:14

I know the freedom that it gives you where you just shed things so much easier.

Veronica Ho: 26:21

But still so hard because you know, I I know for me speaking personally, I'm found this whole freedom of saying no. Like saying no is huge, huge. Um, but also there is so much that happens in our lives that we can't change.

Amra Pajalic: 26:40

No.

Veronica Ho: 26:40

So as much as I feel like um my inner person who I'm supposed to be and held back from being for so many years is ready to break free. But you know, there is so much else that's happening that I have to, you know, parents getting older and um, you know, things, things just happen where you've got to still be a big person and carry on.

Amra Pajalic: 27:09

We could talk about how much we hate adulting sometimes. Adulting, it's it's hard. It's really unpleasant. Yeah, it is a can be really unpleasant. We have to have so many unpleasant things. And we just have to kind of keep going. And we're like, no, I just want to stay under the duna and go away. But we can't. And so we have these conversations regularly about adulting.

Veronica Ho: 27:35

Really?

Amra Pajalic: 27:35

Really?

Veronica Ho: 27:36

So unpleasant. But you know, this is why my training is important to me, because I can escape that in my training.

Amra Pajalic: 27:42

I put my headphones on and you know, my certain face and bee face and off I go. And that's the thing, like I I always talk about for me, writing is a necessity, like oxygen. And for me, if I I have to write to be a good human being, to be a good mother, to be um when I had parents, to be a good daughter, to um, you know, be a good spouse. And it it's that timeout, it's that feeling like myself and being and doing what I feel like I'm here for. Correct. And and that's the same with you for training.

Veronica Ho: 28:22

Absolutely. If I don't train for two or three days, my husband will say, You need to go to the gym. Yeah. Or my daughter will even say, Have you trained mommy?

Amra Pajalic: 28:29

Yeah. And one of the things I sort of wanted to pick up was what we were talking about in terms of um body image, the way that your conversations have changed and what you talk about. So you're not doing training for weight. What are you doing training for?

Veronica Ho: 28:46

I'm doing training to purely survive my day-to-day life. Um yeah. So and I'm also doing training because if you know if I do decide to go back on stage, which would be next year, or or I can just take on anything. Like it it training just sets a whole new mindset. For me. A whole new mindset of you know, as we as I've mentioned, like there's been a couple of things that have happened in my life recently where where I had to um um resist. Um yeah, just huge things. Like training, the training keeps me in routine. Um it keeps me focused. Where I am me, I'm working on me, um and where I can lose myself.

Amra Pajalic: 29:49

And shut everything out. And it's about that healthy body, um, a healthy spirit. And it's not about the aesthetics, it's not about it.

Veronica Ho: 30:00

you know I do my little bit of training um and I I was like a superstar at one point with people when I was bragging I was like I can do 36 push-ups not all in one go mind you 12 reps each three times you know but um you know and people are like oh you can do that many percent on the earth I can like I'm not gonna lie I I I do have um fitness goals yes I you know I do have fitness goals I I train for the lines now so I train for the definition in the big area I want to work on is more definition in my glutes um which has not need a bit of booty which has started um and I want more definition in my shoulders which has started um so when I train I I I'm never used to do this but I've just recently started doing it I'll look at myself and I'll go oh wow amazing whereas I never used to do that no you used to avoid looking at this I'm correct you know it was it was a very confronting thing for you and on the other hand I used to I always and still do love looking at myself so not gonna lie it's actually been like to get me away from a mirror or to get me away from reflective surfaces.

Amra Pajalic: 31:14

That has been my gloss um so again if we could just a little touch there would be yeah but at least we influence each other in that way to yeah and like also the thing is it doesn't matter what size you are because I'm now I'm gonna make this joke. This is a joke I could only make with her right I am now the fat friend. She's now the skinny friend that used to be reverse for you know um when we were teenagers. But I don't care and like I don't talk to my daughter about losing weight. I don't talk to her about um you know how I look um I'm completely free with my body because the what I do in terms of my little bit of training in terms of you know every second day going on the treadmill with a 10 kilo vest and weights on my legs and doing um my you know weight training that I do with my 12 kilo weights um it's just about my body. It's about maintaining the physicality of my body of my bones and the strength of my bones. And then there's things that I do that you like using a protein shake that she uses with the creatine in it so that you know for the body and and maintaining the body and so um you know like I've got more body fat on me and I I always will because unless I actually start caring and putting more time into it but I'm not really bothered. And so it's a it's about that healthy that healthy outlook about feeling healthy. Absolutely about feeling good in who you are um and you know it's not about size and I think I think the other thing is a lot of women are now starting to realize like you know we now know that at our age it's really important to do the weight training for our muscles and for our bones. Especially in perimenopause like this is where where the health comes into it. Yeah well it has because I'm on lots of medication for lots of different things.

Veronica Ho: 33:24

You are not yeah so I'm I'm I'm like medicated to the eyeballs in terms of you know blood pressure diabetes it's funny because it's not yeah and uh I'm I'm also a whole man replacement therapy and you are everything is perfect it's always yeah so except for iron except for iron yes um and that's the joys also at periper correct um peri now you've got me saying peri peri period it's gonna be peri period it's that bit of spice yeah that is spice that bit of spice in life and also it's got a bit of a bite it does yeah I love the bite that I've got now I never used to have but I always had the bite but in my head so I'd have the bite in my head having the conversations in my head now those bites are coming out not not in a nasty way as you know because that's not my nature um but I just can't be bothered.

Amra Pajalic: 34:19

I think I'm just a big though and that's the joy that's that's the joy because I I mean my problem is I've been too confrontational. So for me finding that balance of not constantly biting um so but it's also like where it's like okay I'll I'll put a bit of energy there um and take the pressure off and deal with it but knowing that sometimes it's not worth it you know good day good day good day yeah it really it really helps um so I think I just wanted to see you know any last words on the power of weightlifting for wellbeing and joy?

Veronica Ho: 34:56

Um power of weightlifting of wellbeing and joy is that just keep going like you there are days so many days where I just cannot be bothered. It's like really now my daughter says to me Mum like now I've changed from three days to five days of training which I promised myself I would do but I kept the promise to myself and it's really important just to understand and to have your reason why if your reason is to lose 20 kilos in three months that's not going to happen. Make your reason realistic um because if it's not you will probably put the weight back on again. You will feel like a failure and just make it realistic and and and make it about you. It has to be about you and no one else and for no one else's purpose. Aren't you right?

Amra Pajalic: 35:51

Yeah and I think that's sometimes when people get into uh for aesthetics and for other people looking at them um because even though you might look a certain way it's your brain you're still the same person inside.

Veronica Ho: 36:04

Of course and that's you know it just has to be for your own right reasons. I that that I'm still that 16 year old person inside at times and I'm going to be 50 next year. Like and and that's it's just a a constant journey that I'm on. And I thought if I lose you know I think I lost almost 60 kilos at one point um when I was at my extreme lowest weight and then I thought how how come my life hasn't changed.

Amra Pajalic: 36:29

Yes that was like me I had a nose job when I was 17 and I thought oh my life it's gonna be magical and wonderful and got out of the hospital and I'm like it's the same same life same life and you're like but but this was supposed to change everything.

Veronica Ho: 36:46

It doesn't no because but the journey makes you stronger like the the journey is is so empowering. Yeah so empowering.

Amra Pajalic: 36:54

And I think also that that thing about routines where when you have these routines and you commit to making yourself the priority it it just kind of settles everything because when you are struggling to achieve if you're achieving this goal where you've set a goal in terms of like for me, you know, the the the little exercise goals that I've got um achieving those means that then I can go on to the next thing. Correct and achieve that. Correct. And so it it really is about that mental strength and and finding putting boundaries in putting boundaries in that other people go, uh-huh she's serious. She's serious about this she ain't mucking around yeah yeah because um you have got a lot of people who rely on you and are used to you being very available. Correct um and so that's been a big transition to correct yeah putting those boundaries around well thank you so much for um coming in and talking about your amazing transformation and about body and mind and fitness I hope you enjoyed this episode. Thank you. Thank you for tuning into Amra's armchair anecdotes if you enjoyed today's episode don't forget to subscribe and follow for more inside stories and inspiration. From my armchair to yours remember every story begins with a single word