Train From Anywhere: Telehealth Fitness Made Simple

What if your strongest self is one tap away? We sit down with trainer Kate Bustos to unpack how telehealth turned strength training into something simple, portable, and surprisingly personal. Kate shares the story of moving online during 2020, juggling a newborn, and discovering that short, focused sessions with dumbbells and kettlebells can outpace hour-long gym trips—because consistency wins.

Across the conversation, we get into why strength isn’t optional, especially for women 40 and up. Kate explains how lifting supports bone density, posture, and metabolic health while still pushing your heart rate. Think full-body circuits that fit into 30 minutes and travel well—hotel rooms, living rooms, and everything in between. We also talk about gym intimidation and how a virtual coach builds confidence: real-time form checks, clear programming, and zero wandering from machine to machine wondering what to do next.

Nutrition gets the practical treatment too. Kate breaks down daily protein goals, realistic calorie ranges, and the power of meal prep without food rules. From her “eat what I eat” approach to simple grocery lists and portion visuals, you’ll hear how small, repeatable habits fuel better workouts and steadier energy. Whether you want a live session, a group option, or a four- or twelve-week plan you can follow on your schedule, Bustos Training makes it easy to start and easier to stick with it.

Ready to train from anywhere? Hit play, then try five to fifteen minutes today and build from there. If this conversation sparks your next step, subscribe, share the show with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review to help others find us.

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Chapters

• 0:47 Welcome And Medical Disclaimer
• 1:25 Meet Kate And Bustos Training
• 3:14 Pivot To Virtual Fitness In 2020
• 4:46 What Online Training Looks Like
• 5:16 Strength Focus With Smart Cardio
• 7:16 How To Find Programs And Coaching
• 8:28 Nutrition Coaching And Movement As Medicine
• 10:41 Confidence, Gym Intimidation, And Planning
• 12:34 Who Kate And Andrew Train And Where
• 13:59 Beginner Advice: Start Small And Be Consistent
• 16:50 Closing Thanks And Calls To Action

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:32

Hi, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Tattoos in TeleHealth. My name is Nicole Baldwin. I'm a board certified nurse practitioner. This is my good friend and colleague, Kelly White. She's also a board certified nurse practitioner. And today we have Kate with us, and we will get into that shortly. Uh first of all, our attorneys make a say this uh podcast does not constitute medical advice. It is not intended for medical advice. We're just some gals getting together um just to chat it up. Um, also, this podcast does not constitute a patient provider relationship. All right, Kelly. So you I know you've known Kate for a hundred years. And so uh tell us about Kate and um we would love to know more.

SPEAKER_01: 1:10

So, guys, I am super excited to introduce you both or introduce you all to Kate Bustos. So she and her husband collectively have Bustos training. And um she has been in the overall health and wellness space for a really long time, her husband for a really long time. I've known her in the medicine space because she worked in the medical office with me for a long time in neurosurgery. Actually, she was like a neurosurgery rock star with me. And so we kind of got to know each other really well there, even though we had a past um working together before that. And then, you know, as we all know, COVID happened, and so each of us kind of switched gears and changed how we did things. Well, then she started thriving doing her health and wellness um training sessions with her patients or her clients. Um, I say patients, she says clients. Um, telehealth, and so that's kind of when she kicked it off. And and I even became a client of hers for a really long time because I wasn't able to go do the things and I needed someone to keep me accountable. And who better than my dear friend who would kick me in the rear and be like, get off your butt? And so she did, and she's just amazing. And so I have her here today, and I want you guys to have an opportunity to understand that you know, telehealth is so much more than just seeing your provider. We've talked about having nutrition uh on the on the speed dial for telehealth, we've talked about having counseling and and um being able to see a mental health provider on speed dial via telehealth. Well, guys, you can also see your trainer on speed dial via telehealth, and here she is, and she is fantastic. So, Kate, why don't you let us know kind of how that got started, what it looks like for your clients, how do they do it, how do they find you? What's the gig?

SPEAKER_00: 2:59

Yeah, so um you're right. In 2020, everything shifted, everything for everyone. It all changed dramatically. So my husband actually uh kicked off starting seeing um a lot of his clients um virtually, and and I was like, well, gosh, you know, if he can do it, why can't I? And about a year later, um I had a baby, a surprise-free uh 40 baby, my IUD baby. So I started looking too at other avenues. And since Andrew had had such great success with it, I thought, well, gosh, let's let's try this out. And um I love online training. It's easy for the trainer myself, it's easy for the client. I I've literally gone on vacations with clients because you can go everywhere. It's so awesome. Just his telehealth is so nice when I can be on a trip and I need you guys. Same thing. Um, clients can be on a trip and and it literally doesn't stop the process. Because how many people are like, well, God, I went on vacation, and then you come back and you're like, oh, I feel like I'm at ground zero. On with the virtual, you just you just keep going. So it's wonderful. But yeah, so the 2020 is really what started it. And then me having a surprise baby being at home is what really led to really start diving into it and and and doing it more.

SPEAKER_01: 4:31

And you have you have a full setup at home too. She and I have our office at home. You have a gym at home, like you have a setup where you can show your clients how to do it, what you you're asking them to do.

SPEAKER_00: 4:41

Yes, absolutely. Um, because I also have in-home clients that come and are at the house um in our little studio. But yeah, the whole the whole setup. So I can example everything to everyone. I have everything I need that they're using, and so it's easy. Um, you know, it's just really simple.

SPEAKER_02: 5:01

So, what type of training do you do? What type of training? I think um for myself, I want a little more detail of what is it strengthening? Is it weights? Is it training on, I mean, it could be training on like, do you use a butt like stationary bikes? Do you it is it yoga? Like what what type of training do you do? Yeah, girlfriend has a rower.

SPEAKER_01: 5:22

She would make a couple of rower.

SPEAKER_00: 5:24

I'm like, no, I hate that thing. I've I've got the assault bike, the rower. Um, really, as far as virtual, it all depends on what they have. So say they're like, hey, Kate, I want you to do a cycling workout with me. Cool, we can do that. Um, but typically it's gonna be a dumbbell, kettlebell type situation, because most people have a set of dumbbells at their house. So, so it is mostly strength training, um, for sure with cardio. I'm very much you're gonna get full body, you're gonna get cardio strength. Because I mean, time is another huge issue, which I think why the virtual space is so important. People don't want to waste their time. Yeah. So if I'm gonna give you a workout, I want to hit your full body. Definitely want to hit strength because, especially for us women, this time in our life, it is imperative. Um, everyone should be strength training, but um, so such an important time.

SPEAKER_01: 6:22

For the people in the back, say it again for the people in the back.

SPEAKER_00: 6:25

Everyone should be able to do it. You might strength train. Strength train. Yeah. So um, so definitely we hit everything. And I like to hit everything because a lot of people, it's like, well, I don't have the time to do Monday on, Monday up or Tuesday. If you have that time, that's awesome. But um, I really cater for people to hit everything. I typically keep it at about 30 minutes. Um, but yeah, it's it's definitely strength, but strength that will also drive the heart rate up. If you don't think that strength training can be cardio, I can prove you wrong. No, I can absolutely can. I can.

SPEAKER_02: 7:01

So do you how so how do patients find you? Do they do you have an app? Do you have um do you FaceTime? Do you zoom? How do patients find you? And that's great.

SPEAKER_00: 7:11

The best way to find us, we are at Bustos Training. It's B-U-S-T-O-S training. Uh, you can find us at boostotraining.com. We also are on every um Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, all the things. We're on all of those. So yeah, just at Bustos Training. Uh you can find my husband and I. We also do a lot of program sales. So you can come in if you're if you don't even have time to do virtual, you just want a program. We have four-week programming, 12-week programming, you can just um buy off of off of the site um that you can just purchase. It's a one-time purchase. Here's your 12-week plan, go get it. It just really helps people stay consistent. I I think consistency is what really hinders people a lot, is they just they don't stay consistent. So if you can find something that will keep you consistent, um you're ahead of the game for sure.

SPEAKER_01: 8:10

I love that you also can focus on. I've sent Kate patients, not to speak about any patients in particular, but I've sent patients to Kate that needed help. They're not looking to lose weight, they're not looking to do anything other than be healthy, learn good movement, because Nicole and I preach movement as medicine all the time. Um, and I've sent people to Kate just so they can learn good form, how to incorporate movement as medicine into their daily life. She even does nutrition. When she and I worked together, Kate, I don't know if you still do this or not, but I did it with her. She did a time when it was like for a whole month, we paid her to eat like she did for a whole month. And it was fantastic. Like I learned a lot about nutrition that month. Um, I learned a lot about what a meal plan looked like, how to meal prep, how to buy from the grocery store. She gave us a whole month worth of you eat like her. And we literally ate everything Kate ate that month. Um, and it was great because it taught me a lot about nutrition. And so that's a big bonus for patients, I think.

SPEAKER_00: 9:07

Oh, absolutely. Some people, it's it's it's not crazy. I uh for people like us, it seems crazy, but so many people, they don't even know where to start. Yeah, they're like, Well, is this healthy? Is this not healthy? Is this and then you have the people that are really trying to eat healthy, but you can also eat too much healthy? It's both ways. I I love the nutrition space. I think um sometimes it goes overlooked. We we kind of jump into the fitness, which is 100% important, but that nutrition aspect, just to understand like what does 1500 calories even look like? What does 130 grams of protein a day even look like? Having some kind of visual and guidance, um, and when that clicks for clients, I I love that because it's a it's such a game changer. But I I still do a lot of nutrition coaching. Yeah, very important. And it is true. It's it's now it's about yes, I have a lot of people wanting to lose weight, but it is just important. Some people just want to know when I when I go to the gym, am I am I deadlifting right? Is this how you do uh those those questions? They just they just want to be sure they're doing it right.

SPEAKER_01: 10:21

So there's like this whole stigma around women going to the gym. And even I think that that spans across all of generations, even younger women, older women, but you're you're constantly wondering who's watching me, who's recording me, who's making fun of me, am I doing it right? Are they are they snickering at me? And you know, so some of us are just not comfortable in that space. And so you bring that to them, being able to work out in their home, or at least give them the confidence, even if it's just like I'm gonna do this with Kate at home for three, four, five, six months, get my confidence up to know that I'm doing it right. So when I do step into a gym, I don't feel like I'm, you know, the outlier that doesn't know what they're doing.

SPEAKER_00: 11:01

Oh, absolutely. Intimidation is such a big part of why people just they just don't step in the gym. They're just intimidating. And they don't do anything at all. This kind of takes that away. Exactly. And the worst thing is if if you don't have a plan when you walk in the gym and you're just kind of, hmm, I'll pop on this machine or maybe I'll do this. It it just, you know, it's a waste of your time. I I just think when you walk in the gym without a plan and you don't have experience, well, of course you're gonna be intimidated because you have you're like looking at this room of intimidating equipment, like, what the yeah. So it's so helpful, so helpful to have some kind of knowledge um and confidence. You know, I think walking into a gym with confidence is is a really big deal. So if I can help someone gain that confidence, feel good about how they move and be ready to take it on, that's yeah, huge deal.

SPEAKER_02: 11:59

That's good. So, like the two major things I think that people shy away from is in the gym is number one, time, the time it takes. And number two, not really sure or being judged or whatever. So your practice literally takes that completely out of out of the question. So that's that's amazing. And um, so that's a reason right there for patients. So especially women in their as we get into our 40s and and older, you know, if strength training is super important for us as our bones get more fragile, just inherently women, osteoporosis and things like that, and strength training is definitely a way to keep those bones and and the musculature that supports our skeleton strong. And so that is just that's really good. Um I do have a question. You said it's you and your husband. So does your husband teach the men? Does do you teach the women? Do you do them together? Do the patients have a choice? How does that work?

SPEAKER_00: 12:49

So my husband is heavier in the actual gym setting. So in 2020, um, when he was doing it from home, uh, it was mostly clients that were were from the gym, but then now at home. Um, so he is more in the gym setting, uh, whereas then I'm more um I'm a double, I do both. So uh then I kind of took over once he was back full time in the gym, once COVID had passed and all that was done, and he was in the gym, then I took over all of the all of the virtual clients.

SPEAKER_02: 13:24

So um where are you? So patients that are maybe in your area and hear this want to, you know, to check you guys out in person.

SPEAKER_00: 13:32

Oh, absolutely. In Abilene, so we're in Abilene, Texas, uh good old West Texas. Um, he is at Hendrick Health Club, he manages the training programs there. And then I am just strictly through Bustos training. Um, I I do train some groups at at Hendrick Health Club as well. But if you're wanting to do virtual, then you would contact me through the the Bustos training avenue.

SPEAKER_01: 13:57

Awesome. Yeah. So she and I used to work with one of the neurosurgeons that trains with her husband. And let me tell you, the days that he trained with her husband with Andrew, he would come back up to the office like whining about how his arms hurt and his legs hurt, and then we would have to go operate. And I'm like, self-inflicted pain, dude, to get getting on.

SPEAKER_00: 14:20

And and you just keep going back for more. That's the crazy part. I love it. It's the best. There's no one ever said they regretted a workout. You know, you might be like, Oh, I gotta complain about it, and you're like, man, I'm really glad I got that done. So true.

SPEAKER_01: 14:36

So, Kate, if you could leave our listeners with just one good piece of advice when it comes to a beginner that's never trained, they're scared of it, they're like, nah, I just can't do that. What what would you try to do to say to them to encourage them to just give it a shot?

SPEAKER_00: 14:53

Just one step at a time. Don't look at the picture so broad. Just give yourself, okay, I'm gonna do even if it's five minutes, I I'm going, even if you don't have contact with me or anyone else, get on YouTube, find a beginner, a beginner dumbbell workout, get you a couple of dumbbells, and just start, just move. On YouTube, right? Do what you guys are on YouTube. Oh yeah, yeah, we are on YouTube. And if you're if if you find us, you're gonna find I know all of all of our platforms that we have like right there, 15-minute workouts all over the place. So yeah, find us on Buso Training, grab you a kettlebell, some dumbbells, and just do it. But just I I just think people try to chew off uh too much, they put too much pressure on themselves. They're supposed to be way over here. No, no, no, no, no. Five minutes, ten minutes. Even when I tell people if you start walking, just walk around your block. Like, hey, I did that next week. Let's walk around, you know, just just take it in baby steps. Don't don't drink from the what is it? Don't drink from the the fire, the firehouse. Just take a little, put it in a cup, drink it from the sink, but just start. And that that would probably be my my biggest advice. And and if you do have a way to be accountable for it, I I do think that is tremendously um helpful. But yeah, get you some dumbbells and just just start.

SPEAKER_02: 16:33

So it's it sounds like it doesn't matter how fast you go, it doesn't matter how far you go, just go because you're lapping everybody on the couch, right? No matter whether you do five minutes, slow, you're lapping everybody on the couch. So just go.

SPEAKER_00: 16:49

Yes. Amen. You just gotta put one foot in front of the other or one bicep in front of the other.

SPEAKER_01: 16:54

I love it. Look at her flexing.

SPEAKER_00: 16:57

Let's go, let's go. All right.

SPEAKER_01: 17:00

Kate, thank you so much for joining us today. I truly, truly appreciate you and everything that you do and bringing this um wonderful concept to the telehealth space. I think that it is amazing that that its clients have this opportunity to do this. I telehealth, Nicole and I talk about this all the time, has just opened up a horizon of opportunities for patients, clients. Um, but you know, being able to visit with your trainer, your your health coach online, wow, what a blessing. So we thank you for that. Thank you for joining us, for talking to our listeners. Um, I hope you get to join us again sometime. So, guys, if you like what you heard, please like, subscribe, follow. Check out Bustos Training at Bustos Training. Um, chat with Kate, um, her husband, Andrew, check out their website, see what they have to offer. Like she said, baby steps. Just do something. But thanks for joining us. Yes, I'm I'm so glad to be with you guys.

SPEAKER_02: 17:53

Yes, thank you so much, Kate. It was very nice to meet you, and we will talk soon. Same. Thanks, everybody. Bye.