Q&A With Koloff- #164

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When only the best is needed, see Dr. Johnny Gayton at eyesightassociates.com. This is the Truth Network. Introducing first, from Lithuania, he weighs 123 kilos, the Russian nightmare, Nikita Kolov. Welcome to another episode, Q&A with Kolov, the devil's nightmare. Welcome back to another episode, Q&A with Kolov, questions and answers.

That's right, you ask the questions, hopefully I give an answer. And with me today, this is an extra special treat. You probably hear me say that every week, right? But like for real this time, because I have with me on Q&A with Kolov today, Tamsie Smith. Tamsie, welcome to Q&A. Thank you for having me, Nikita. Well, it's great to have you here.

And of course, I have had your husband, Nathan, on Q&A with Kolov in the past as well, and has asked some pretty intense questions, as I recall. But I'm not sure what you're going to ask me today. Maybe they'll be a little on the lighter side.

I'm hoping, but then again, maybe not. It's okay. So Tamsie, our friendship relationship with you and your husband goes back to, essentially, I guess 2004, when you guys left the great state of Alabama and came to the Carolinas. That is right.

That is right, yes. We moved here from South Alabama with Pastors Jay and Melanie Stewart to help start the Refuge Church. And we were blessed to be able to meet in a building that you used to own, and that's how our paths intersected. Yeah, what was formerly Nikita's, technically, Fortress of Fitness, but then we just kind of abbreviated that Nikita's Gym, and you came up to be a part of that brand new church plant. Of course, Nathan was a worship leader, and you had just a five-week-old at the time, right?

That's right. I was a stay-at-home mom. I was the tag along and the support and the prayer partner. And yeah, he was the main worship leader for the first 10 years of the Refuge Church, and I was right there by his side. And now he's in the executive role, executive pastor role at the Refuge.

And I'm still right there by his side, supporting him every step of the way. Twenty-four years later? Nearly 24 years later, that's right. Twenty-four years later, and more than, so there's not just the five, what was originally a five-week-old, there's more that have been added to the equation, right? More have been added to our numbers, yes.

We have three kids now, and our oldest daughter is 19, our son is 17, he's a senior in high school this year, and our youngest daughter is 14, and she's a freshman in high school. Now, I do have a question. You said you came up from Southern Alabama, and I've heard a joke in the past, some about, yeah, we come from L.A., so that by Southern Alabama, you're already laughing. Because some will say, well, not Los Angeles, but lower Alabama, is that? Lower Alabama.

They try to make it sound better than it is. It's not. But that is, so you guys technically are from L.A., then, is that right? Technically, we are from L.A., yes.

From lower Alabama. I just get a kick out of that when I hear that. So, here's some irony as well, then, as the Refuge Church was launched in Nikita's Fortress of Fitness, Tamsie Smith is, of course, you're still, you're not raising babies anymore, but you're still a mama bear to those three beautiful children of yours, and, of course, a wife to that amazing husband of yours as well. But somehow, you got into the fitness world, so how's that work, Tamsie?

Tell our listeners how that works. Oh, your anointing rubbed off on me, that's how it happened. That's what I'm thinking, like, yeah, hey, she's at the old gym, former gym, and a seed was planted there somehow. That's it.

No, seriously, that irony has not escaped me. It is pretty amazing how I moved up here to help start a church, and in that process, the Lord started something in me, a love of fitness, and then a desire to help people to be able to live out His destiny for their lives with a strong body, because we need to be strong for the journey that He's called us to. And so, yeah, after being here for about 10 years, I felt that pull towards the physical fitness. I've always been an exerciser, always been an athlete, but I felt Him calling me to help other people be strong for their journey. So now I'm a personal trainer and group fitness instructor and online trainer. And you've grown quite a business.

I want to talk about that in just a moment, too. Former athlete, so what sports had you competed in in the past? I grew up playing softball, basketball, and volleyball, and I played all the way through high school, those sports, and then once I graduated from high school, I didn't have the opportunity to play in college, but I did stay physically fit and active by becoming a long distance runner. I've run marathons and half marathons over the years as well. Wow. So, Tamsie, I've run marathons and half marathons as well. Oh, cool. Yeah, all in my mind.

Oh. I just dream about running marathons and half marathons, Tamsie. I've never really made the commitment and actually got out, so I commend you on those marathons. That's half the battle, doing it in your mind, right?

Yeah, there you go, right? Well, and people don't realize, it is, you know, lifting weights, et cetera, is, there's a lot of mental, because here's what comes to mind. Like, you know, we do these camps called Man Camp Wrestling Buddy, by Lex Luger and I, and we focus on the spiritual, of course, being spiritually healthy, but mentally, emotionally healthy, but we also talk about being physically healthy. Because, you know, in fact, you'll appreciate this, I got this line from your husband, somewhere along the way, over the course of our friendship since 2004. And that is, and here's the quote, a whole man living a holy life, wholly available unto the Lord. Your husband said that somewhere along the way, I was in attendance, I wrote it down, I embraced it, and I cannot, you encourage him with this, I can't tell you how many times I have quoted him and said that, either at a man camp or a man up conference or on a platform on Sunday morning.

A whole man, being a whole man, you know, healthy in every area of our life, right, physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, living a holy life and making ourselves wholly available unto the Lord. And of course, you know, so your husband was instrumental in me embracing that. I love that, beautiful.

Yeah, well, you know, thank you, Nathan Smith. And so, Tamsie, I know, you know, I follow you on social media, you've created quite a following from around the world. Before we transition to the questions you have for me, give our listeners just a little more insight into, you know, like, what all you offer and you have a broad audience, tell us about that.

Yeah, sure. Yeah, so I am a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, I do those things in person with people here locally, but I also have a website and social media channels where I have online training options and a lot of free training options. And so, yeah, TamsieSmithFitness.com is my website and I have so many training plans on there that people can join and just work out at home.

If you don't have a gym membership, that's totally fine. You can do a lot of the things I offer at your own home. I also have merchandise on my website, shirts and stickers and hats. But then also on social media, this is really where my business has been headed in the last year is just kind of that social media influencer world on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. My, my names on there are Tamsie Smith Fitness.

So if you just search for those, you'll find them. But yeah, I have, I have so many different types of workouts that I've posted on those channels that it's just drawn this broad audience anywhere from 18 years old, all the way up to people in their 70s and 80s who are either just getting started in fitness and want to learn how to be more mobile or people who have been doing it for a long time and need a new challenge. So there's a broad audience out there. There's a broad spectrum of things that I have posted and that are available.

So yeah, I would say go check it out. There's probably something for you on there. And they could sign up like even for like we go on your website and that's Tamsie, T-A-M-S-E-Y, Tamsie Smith Fitness, you said dot com? Dot com, that's right. Dot com and they can go on there too and sign up for, for an email, get it, sign up for your, on your email list too, right?

Yes, exactly. That's probably the best way to find out everything that I have to offer. And I give out free fitness advice on that email as well. I'll send an email out every couple of weeks with updates and fitness tips.

So yeah, that is probably the best way to, to get me. So wherever you're at out there in listening land, maybe you're not doing any workouts or you're a beginner, intermediate, advanced, I want to encourage you to check out Tamsie Smith Fitness and I'll say for the record, like again, I follow her on social media. She is a beast. I'm just going to throw that out there. I'm taking that as a compliment. Thank you so much. That is a compliment.

That is nothing, nothing short of a compliment, but don't let that you out there listening and don't let that scare you away from, from checking her out. She's got a lot of amazing content that can be a blessing to you as well. So, well, on that note, Tamsie, let's go ahead and we'll, we'll segue into whatever first question you might have for me.

Okay, perfect. I have been thinking about the topic of motivation. I think about that topic a lot, obviously with what I do, but especially intrinsic motivation, like that internal driver, you know, like what moves you towards the things that you feel called to do. And so I want to know Nikita, what are some of the things that are your intrinsic motivation that keep you pursuing God, that keep you physically fit and on the path that you're on?

That is a great question. And, uh, I have, you know, I've been, I've been working out longer than you've been alive Tamsie, just so you know. I love it. I love it. So, so I'm, I'm headed into my 53rd year of working out.

Amazing. Consistently. And by consistent, I mean, you know, I don't take a year off here and there. I mean, I'll take a week off, you know, like, you know, I might go to man camp and, you know, I'll take that week off for example, or something, you know, I just don't, you know, just don't work out. Um, get a break, you know, so kind of physically I get a break mentally. I get a break. Right.

Um, and I will say that, you know, 50 plus years later, you know, there's plenty of days that I don't feel motivated to go to the gym. Um, but I still go just for the record, I, I still go and every single time I can say without fail, I walk out saying or thinking, man, I'm glad I went right. That I didn't blow it off and it just, ah, do it tomorrow or whatever. Cause it's, that's the easy thing to do. Right. It is to pull it off and say, I'll do it tomorrow.

And then before you know it, a week's gone by and a month's gone by and you hadn't been back to the gym or you had been working out. Nikita Kolov here and I am excited. Did you hear the huge announcement, the big announcement?

Well, maybe it's a minor announcement. Anyway, Facebook, go look up my new fan page, Nikita Kolov Fans, and like it and follow today. Would your company, business, or you personally like to partner with me in supporting Kolov for Christ Ministries, the Man Up Show and Man Up Minutes? Go to kolov.net and click the donate button.

You can give monthly, annually, or one time. God bless you for making a difference around the world. If you would like to support Kolov for Christ Ministries for a gift of $25, Nikita will send you his two CDs, Adoration and Declaration. For a gift of $50, Nikita will include his book, Wrestling with Success. And for a gift of $100 or more, Nikita will include a signed copy of his newly updated life story, A Tale of the Ring and Redemption. Go to www.kolov.net and donate today.

You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. So, what keeps me, a couple things come to mind when you ask that question. Of course, my motivations have changed, which helps motivate me as to why I take care of this body, or as the Bible calls it, a temple or a tent, depending on what you read. And so, when I gave my life to Christ back in 1993, you know, I go to the gym or I work out and exercise and eat healthy, hopefully, for the reason now, because I want to honor the Lord. I want to honor what God has given me. So, I clearly see, He gave me this body, He formed and fastened me in my mother's womb, right? So, He gave it to me, gave me the opportunity at life, and by having good health, then I have the optimal chance at living a full life, right?

So, that's part of the motivation is to honor Him. And then, on a more practical basis, you know, how I do that is focus on my relationship with Him through prayer, through spending time. I got my time on the way to the radio station today. I put about a 45-minute worship set playing through my Bluetooth through the car, just to kind of saturate my heart and mind and get me ready for these interviews. And so, I spend daily time just soaking, I'll just say, in worship sets. That helps keep me motivated. The Word, of course, in other words, spending time in God's Word helps to keep me motivated. And then, relationships as well, you know, just surrounding myself with like-minded people, you know? Tamsie, if I just surrounded myself with guys who want to eat Krispy Kreme donuts all day, I may not be as motivated to go into the gym, right?

And so, I've got to be conscious of who's, one, who's in my inner circle, and then secondly, who's part of the larger circle of influence around me. That's so good. There you go. That's so good. So, I love all of those answers because they're so similar in a lot of ways to what motivates me. And I'll tell you, the older I get, the less about looks it becomes, you know?

Like, when we first start working out or eating right, maybe it is about the way we look, but so much more now about how I'm going to feel later and how mentally it's going to affect me to stay consistent with my workouts. So, I love those responses. Thank you for that. Yeah, and let me just tag on something real quick, a comment about what you just said. And there was a day when, yeah, I can totally relate to what you're saying. There was a day when, you know, I wanted, you know, there was for sure BC, before Christ, right? When I wanted to walk in a room and have every head turn and be impressed with my looks, right? Now, I say that to say, I still want to look good. I mean, you know, I still want to be in shape and look good, but I'm not motivated by what I see in the mirror. And then the other part of that you said about how you feel, right, is, yeah, I want to feel good, and so that's important as well. So, great points you brought up. I love it.

Love that. Okay, on a more practical level, I would like to hear what's a weekly regimen look like for you? Like a weekly workout regimen, weekly, what are you doing on a weekly basis?

What do I do on a weekly basis? So, when it comes to, and I do go to the gym, and I've done that for years and years and years. And so, for me, and again, obviously 50 something years of working out, I have done a variety of different workouts. I mean, everything, believe it or not, from seven days a week to an hour plus per body part to multiple staged workouts, you know, splitting them during the days.

So, I've scaled things back now where I'm presently at, so we'll talk about that. Where I'm presently at is I typically eat in the gym five days a week, Monday through Friday normally. And for me, presently cardio five days, and 20 minutes is my target personally. And that can be a variety of things, everything from a stationary bite, a seminary comment, to a treadmill, to a elliptical machine. You know, I try to mix it up to kind of keep it less boring, you might say.

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, keep it more exciting. Sometimes I might just go out for a half hour walk around the lake or something, you know, and get a little cardio. So, cardio is important because as you know, hopefully our listeners know, the heart is the most important muscle in your body.

Yes, I'm so happy to hear you say that. Yes, so you need to do cardio, but I want to also make a note, some people overtrain cardio thinking that's all they need to do, but I'm going to say it's a combination of cardio and lifting. So, my resistance training now, I do upper body two days a week, lower body two days a week, and I do higher reps, and I do circuits. And so, my friend Lex Luger calls me a cyborg, meaning like, I'm going to get in the gym, don't talk to me or interrupt me during my workout. I'll talk to you all day after, before or after, just don't interrupt my workout, I'm on a mission here, right?

I love it. I say all that to say, so I keep a pace going, and you know, so I'll do chest, back, shoulders, thighs, tris, two days a week, I'll do lower body, you know, maybe leg extensions, leg flexions, you know, maybe some leg press or air squats or something for lower body, and target higher reps. So, I'm just doing what I call maintenance training, I'm not trying to grow, get big or anything, I'm just trying to maintain. So, two days a week, upper body, two days a week, lower body, and then five days a week, cardio, and weekends off, because I'm usually doing men's camps or conferences or preaching or whatever, so there you go. That is, I love it, that is a great regimen, that's amazing, and it's working for you, it's working for you. And that's what I found too, and I think you would probably agree, you know, people say all the time, and I know this from owning gyms and being a personal trainer myself, is that when it comes to eating, exercising, there's no cookie cutter, like in other words, I'm looking at Robbie right now, I'm not going to think the same thing might work for Robbie, that might work for Robbie and it works for me, while at the same time, he may need to tweak a few things, because something's, his metabolism's different, his body type and structure's different, so he may want to tweak a few things and do things slightly different for me, but still have similar results.

Right, exactly, there's no one size fits all. Exactly, so, alright, well, we have time for one more if you have one more. Okay, good, because I have one more question for you. So I am blessed to have several men in my life that I have influence with, you know, my husband, my son, several close friends, and then I have a few male clients that train alongside their wives, and then I have several, obviously, men that follow me on social media, and so I would just love a little insight on what I can do to help men stay motivated and help them pursue the destiny that God has for them, especially as it relates to what I do with personal training in the physical fitness realm. Well, you know, like I said, of course, I'm motivated personally, I guess maybe partly because I've just, I guess if you want to call it, been a self-motivator for many, many years, right? And a mutual friend of ours by the name of Jay Stewart once said to me, Nikita, you have by far got to be the most disciplined guy I've ever met in my entire life.

I'm like, well, to God be the glory, because, you know, I can only attribute it to the, really honestly, like to the Lord, like to give the Lord the credit, giving me the, because not everybody is, as I get it, not everybody says discipline is you or discipline is me, right? And so, yeah, I hear what you're saying, you know, and I ask you the question because what I have found, let me just first say what I have found is it's hard to get men, so right now we're talking about fitness, right? You're a personal fitness trainer, you know, I'm training men, but, you know, of course I make a reference to fitness, but I'm just trying to reach the overall man, right?

Spirit, soul and body, spirit, soul and body. Wow, Tamsie, it's a challenge, right? You're a man out there listening, or you're a woman out there listening to the show today and encouraged by Tamsie's story. It's a challenge to get men not only to work out, but like, gosh, even to come to a man camp, for example, or come to a conference, right? And so I don't know that there's a simple answer to what it will take to getting men motivated, but I will say, based on what I've seen, you know, on your social media posts, if anyone wanted to be motivated, I think by following you for any length of time, if they're not presently motivated, they're going to become motivated to want to take better care of themselves physically and, of course, you know, for me, mentally, emotionally and spiritually as well. And so I guess that's probably the best answer I can give you if you're a man out there listening to this interview today with Tamsie.

One, I'm going to challenge you to follow her on social media, go onto her website, sign up for her email. Maybe you lack motivation and maybe you're not even sure why. Start somewhere. I posted something the other day. If you can't write two pages, write one. If you can't work out for 60 minutes, work out for 20.

Yeah, I saw that. Yeah, if you can't meditate for 20 minutes, meditate for five. Start somewhere. And so I just want to tell you that connecting with Tamsie Smith is going to be a good place to start.

Now, you may do it for physical reasons, but I want to encourage you, eventually, because I know this woman's heart and her husband, Nathan, they are such a godly couple that even if you are not on a spiritual journey right now, just go ahead and start with the physical and eventually that may lead to you becoming spiritually healthy as well. There you go, Tamsie. Thank you for those. Yes.

No, go ahead. I'm sorry. I was going to say thank you so much for those insights, all of the answers to all three of the questions that I asked.

So helpful for me and I know it's so helpful for so many people. Well, good. And let me just encourage you, Tams, you don't get too discouraged when these guys out there are not as much, because you and I fall into the same category, like I scratch my head sometimes too going, how can I get these guys more motivated?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. One more time, give them your website one more time, so how do they connect with you? Okay. Yes, my website is Tamsiesmithfitness.com and that's T-A-M-S-E-Y, smithfitness.com, and then my social media channels are all that same phrase, Tamsiesmithfitness.

You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and on YouTube, and then don't forget to sign up for my email list. There you go. And so thank you for being on the show today, Tamsie. Thank you so much, Nikita.

It's been joy. Awesome. And give my love to your husband as well. He's an awesome man. I absolutely will. Thank you. And thank you to you for being so faithful to tune in each and every week, and just I love your feedback when I hear back from you. So go out today and live a God-filled, God-blessed life. This podcast is made possible by the grace of God and your faithful prayers, support, and generous gifts. May God bless you for your continual contributions. Go to Koloff.net and donate today. Don't miss out on any of your favorite sports, and don't forget to subscribe to our channel. Nikita Koloff here.

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