The Sunday Scaries!

The Sunday Scaries is a term I heard this past year.

You know, the slow-moving anxiety that falls over you as Monday comes closer...

Did you fully milk that weekend? Are you ready for the week? Did you remember to seek joy, connect and relax but also get to those lingering projects started?

Do you ever get that feeling? 

I have two ideas to target the Sunday Scaries. I like to think of embracing these ideas with a teeter totter.

Gentle self accountability on one end and you-are-enoughery on the other. 

1.Gentle Self-Accountability

• Start with appreciation and sparkles towards yourself for doing the thing.

• Yeah! You are doing it!

• A doable shop and cook helps the week nourishment. 

Then reverse engineer a bit…to shop and cook you need to:

• Set aside time to shop and cook. 

• Scale the size of the project. 1 meal versus food for 3-4 days. Start with something totally doable.

• Or order groceries. Some grocery stores gather goods for free or a small fee and all you have to do swoop in and grab.

• If this is all brand new, maybe pick 1-2 ideas, one dinner and a lunch. Or just one dinner, the more simple, the better.

• Chose simple recipes.

• To control cost, you can chose bulk spices if you are not ready to buy a whole thing of smoky paprika. You buy a tablespoon at a time and not rack up 20 bucks in new spices for a dish you haven’t even tried yet.

This second part is so crucial, in our world that values the “so busy” response to how are you...dismantle that value and use a self-talk follow-up like, “What you did was enough for today.”

2).When you are done shopping and make the things, say “That is enough. What I did was plenty. I am really proud of myself for everything I did today.”

• Going from no food prep to all the food shop and prep takes practice and time.

• Get support.

• Use lists.

• Keep that list if it was a really enjoyable meal.

• Keep the goal small as you hone your skills! 

A little time management and self-compassion and that-is-enoughery allows for sustainable change over time.

This teeter totter between prep and enough will tip and tilt. It is crucial to allow yourself to value small changes, and recognize YOUR willingness to follow your desires!

Dig deep on your 5 why's!

Hello there, you fabulous healthicorn!

Let’s explore the 5 why process for exploring your drives and deep desires for pursing shifts in health, knowing and owning your why ALSO brings some excitement into the picture!

How do you do this?

Life moves so fast, take a moment to explore your why’s!

Start with…

• Why are you pursuing deep health?

• Go 5 layers deep, and use the verbage of the prior why and inject into it into the next one to keep goin deeper into YOUR why!

• Watch how you get to the core nugget of your root driver for deep health

Here is my 5 why’s, I am sure they will shift and change throughout my lifetime.

Check this out.

1) Why do I want to pursue deep health?

I want to wake up energized, with happy joints and a flexible body, and a sharp brain.

2) Why is waking up energized, with happy joints and a flexible body and a sharp brain important?

I want to be able to do a great job for my clients, to take care of my house, to be in a good mood for myself and my partner, and I super duper do not want some of the diseases of my family of origin.

Oh, see how each question gets a little deeper. 

3) Why is it important for me to be able to do a great job for my clients, to take care of my house, to be in a good mood for myself and my partner, not get some of the diseases of my family or origin?

Because memory problems and heart disease, and a wee bit of cancer run in my family.  

Witnessing those things has been painful, and I don’t want that pain for myself or my family if I can help it, and I know that movement, nutrition density, and stress reduction can help all these things.

Also , having a high say/do ratio feels really good to me, I want to know that I show up for myself.  Building trust with myself reminds me I am worthy of care and that I am responsible for the care of myself.  

And I want to model that for my clients…

Now its getting juicy! YES!

4) Why is it important to keep up the say/do ratio, model these things for clients, and not get those diseases?

I want to be trustworthy, to myself and my people (partner, family, friends, clients).  Meaning I show up, I can count on me and they can count on me. Accountability. I also want to experience all life has to offer, and I want my clients to as well.  I want to be able to care of our aging parents. I want to say yes to life adventures that call out to me, and not have my body or brain holding me back. And I do want that for my clients as well.

Oh yeah, I like this!

5) Why do I want to be trustworthy, show up, be accountable and say yes to life adventures, and also have your clients feel that?

To experience joy in life! On my own and with others!  I want my clients to also revel in joy and feel confident trying new things.

DANG.  See how I got to the heart of it. My first answer was good and true but the deep motivation got more clear as I cruised a bit deeper.

Sidebar benefits of 5 why’ing…you can see your values pop up!

See my values start to appear? Accountability, trust, being adventurous, joy, deep heath!

Running your why’s helps you harness the emotion to fuel change…helps you archaeologist yourself into YOUR values!

DOMINO WHAT I MEAN!

I really love dominos, I like those videos that show really complex domino things happening!

I smile at the playfulness and design and that humans spend all that time setting up a domino chain reaction just to let it rip for a few seconds of joy!

Here is one that was set up and done in my home state, Michigan!

I would like to connect habits to those dominos.   Or invite you to think of them as a links in the chain reaction of your day. This thing leads to another thing leads to another thing…

I have a powerful example to share!

A domino pattern I had to unlink was eating too late in the day.  

I get up EARLS!

Usually 5:30 a.m., and my partner is more of a blossoms-in-the-afternoon person, as well as works some funky shifts.  I would often wait to they got home from work to start dinner, or just completely forget to start dinner when I was own my own.

I would wait too long to START DINNER.

This was the key domino.

So, what’s the big deal about a later dinner.

A lot for me, it was having big effects that bled into the next day even.

Starting dinner too late meant:

• I had less planning, chopping, cooking food energy, so I was more frustrated as I made said dinner.

• Frequently, I was so tired by the time food was on the table, and so grumpy that I didn’t do dishes.

• I would overeat just because all of the above made me a bit anxious, a trigger for not being able to pay as good attention to my fullness.  

• all this felt globally uncomfortable and food makes me feel comfortable so I had fatigue+anxiety playing a DUAL role in my overeating during later dinners.

• I would wake up to a tornado-kitchen.  

• Tornado-kitchen would bite a second time, when I would be grumps yet AGAIN, because now to eat a healthy breakfast I had to hose down the kitchen before I started, or I would just double down and make a bigger mess.

That is a real yucky domino topple.

Can you see the chain of events?  

Can you see how overeating, or having difficulty getting to sleep, or making a healthy breakfast is not about you not being motivated, or your will power.

It is more likely:

• getting to know your flow

• observing the cause and effect of earlier choices in the day

• growing awareness

• relationships

So, after noticing and naming what was going on realized I had to domino different. 

I had to do it all earlier. So simple but I had to make some significant changes.

Getting food in my body was like this center domino, sending ripples into my sleep, kitchen hygiene and morning routine.

Did I have the emotion and excitement to fuel this change?

You bet I did.

I had a huge emotional stake in this change because it would improve my quality of sleep and life big time! 

My partner was on board with earlier dinner and totally okay with me not waiting up or delaying dinner on funky shift days. And so I got to problem solving.

• I stopped work earlier. I really love my business…and ideas…and yet, that is not my whole life!

• Got started making dinner on time, between 5:00 and 5:30 so food in body by 6:00-ish.

• I had to make sure my scheduled lunch time work out happened, the 4pm-6pm zone had become a back-up catch-all for workouts that didn’t go off on time or got prioritized by another habit, pushing meal prep back to 7pm and later.

• I had to make sure food was in the house

• I had places to order food if I knew that I did need to be somewhere during normal food making time

• I shared with my family and friends that earlier dinner is better when it works (knowing that I would have to be flexible for other peoples schedules too!)

This shift led to a CASCADE of improvements!

Now that this domino starts earlier:

•  I go to bed less stressed with a cleaner kitchen

• I can have some down time before bed

• The next day I am not mentally cussing out last night Beth for the messy kitchen

• I can recognize fullness because I don’t feel anxious

• My partner can eat with or later, no qualms and they are just happy I am happy

To discover this, I had to notice what was going on, communicate to my human partner what I needed, and change things.  I shared it with my family and friends too.

There was a lot of burps and fits as I grew this new habit.

And even in light of this realization, every night doesn’t go down perfectly, but perfect is not the goal.  

Progress is.  

I am aiming real hard for “most of the time” with all my goals and habits.

And breaking the chain and growing a new habit CREATES BRAIN BALM, ultimately reducing the anxiety of what I do when, leading to better kitchen habits, better sleep, and less grumpiness.

What do you think of habits being a chain reaction?

Can you see a positive domino in your day?  Or one you would want to shine up?

Do you like the idea offing part of a group and having some one on one attention to play with movement, menu and mindset, problem solving domino stuff, I am doing a ten week program called Strong and Supported!

It slowly stirs these components together. Also, it’s great time to build the habits you would like to take into 2020!

Call me, I want to work with exactly you!

When Motivation is not the Problem...Part 3

This is the last in my 3-fer centering around when Motivation is not the Problem. 

Often I find with clients, life has shifted just enough that the old way can not fit the new paradigm.

How do you sketch up a new paradigm that fits your life flow?

My first article focused on honestly looking at your schedule, the totally reasonable “when” of things. Of all our precious resources, time is usually the ultimate frame for what is humanly possible.

This is one of 3 components to making it happen, Schedule!

Once you define and claim a space in your schedule, you know realistically how much of that resource can be directed at body moving.

The other to components are:

• Systems, (every step in the process); I do this then I do this and then this.

• Structure (the physical environment, the equipment you use). Structure is your physical environment and my last article was all about gym versus home. There are pluses and minuses to each!

Let’s explore structure and systems a bit more.

Let’s say…You are going to work out at home and you are going to stream a video from a program.

What do you need?

• maybe a mat

• maybe some equipment

• your laptop

• the mindset to get started, move with awareness

Now, problem solve every possible barrier/challenge.

• getting started = ask for help from family, or tell yourself to just focus on the first 5 minutes, or explain exactly how you need support from your people

• other human interruptions = can you play through? Meaning can you invite people into your space and see what happens, are you mentally prepared to pause and come back and know it’s okay.

• phone calls and texts = they can most likely wait?

• use a space with an outlet for plugging in your device…

• wardrobe change = do you need to change clothes? Have the outfit ready.

This is an example of working out the procedure and physical environment to ensure follow through and efficiency, essentially, help zap anxiety.

Systems plus structure.

Same thing with the gym.

What do you need?

• Car keys

• a good plan for when you are there

• a plan that fits the time frame

• gym going outfit? Gym clothes, swimsuit, cap, goggle, bike shoes, water bottle…

• possible showering gear

• if bringing your humans, know the childcare policy and hours

• lock

• gym bag

Problem solving barriers?

• The pack up confusion: if gym going, prepack your bag the night before, and reset it before the next go.

• Have a place for things, like keys, your gym plan, your gym bag

• Kid wrangling: have whatever they need ready

• Traffic flow: pick a gym that makes sense with your daily driving

• Make sure you like being there

• Create a plan or co-create a plan so there’s no confusion there

I am sure when people launch space shuttles they are triple checking the to-do list.

And although you are not prepping for a space launch, you ARE trying to launch yourself towards a new thing.

Last little brian nugget, test and retest!

You may find that you did not anticipate a barrier or problem or that in real life your plan doesn’t fit your flow of life.

It is just data.

• Try again.

• Tweak it.

• Laugh a little.

• And do a little differently if you need to!

Lastly, the thing should be fun, interesting, and feel 10/10 like you can do it. Meaning if you are going form relatively less body moving, maybe not the 90 minute aerial kickboxing class…

Just to recap these 3 motivation posts:

• Write out your schedule, find spots for your new habit. Let this determine the where of your new habit

• Pick and define the something you like and is doable that fits in an available time frame

• Now gather every item you may need by mentally rehearsing the thing

• Problem solve potential barriers to making it happen.

• Collect data as your practice

• Make sure you are excited, and feel good about your plan, 10/10 doable!

Do you love the idea of exploring you micro and macro worlds of life flow?

I would love to work with you! I am starting a 10 week program October 6th with the just right amount of group and 1 on 1 support! Click below to see if it’s a good match for yas!

When motivation is NOT the problem...Part 2

YOU GOT MOTO!

YOU JUST KEEP

FORGETTING TO DO THE THING...

PART 2

Yesterday, we talked a bit about finding space in your schedule.

I do want to have a sidebar adventure here and say what if you looked and there is no room…that’s okay too!

This is a situation where maybe you tweak something you have to do already…like sleep! Or meals you already have…maybe you simply eat a bit slower at one meal.

And in the meantime, look for a space or start to let go of things taking up space that don’t give a thing back.

In my last Stuff and Things installment we got into three big things that help you navigate your day.

Your systems, the how you do stuff. The sequence, the procedure, the steps.

Your structures, the physical environment, the materials you will use, and also what you do.  A little backfill here, the "why" you are doing it is going to be a strong influence here.

Your schedule, when and for how long.

AND finding space in schedule.

Next is the where, where will you do your thing?

Let’s start moving onto locale...kinda like planning any event, once you pick “where” the rest becomes a bit clearer.

A big first question when it comes to body moving is, at home, or at a gym?

Gym will sometimes mean:

• Travel

• Outfit change/showering if before work

• Access to childcare possibly

• A reserved away from home space to do the thing

• Access to equipment that might not work or fit at home

• Social conection

• Group workouts

If at a gym feels like the right fit, your action today is to look at gyms, find one that fits youl budget, travel time, child care, and chosen-form-of-move-your-body (class, free weights, and/or equipment) needs.  

That is your workout! Keep at it, schedule time to do this thing.  It's your very next action item.

If at home, where do you have space?

You don't need a ton of space, a yoga or exercise mat's worth is usually sufficient. This space can be “convertible”.

 Are you gonna listen to music?  

Do you have a spot to plug in your phone or laptop?

Are you going to stream workouts or watch a DVD, make sure you have a spot for your phone-laptop-TV.

And once again, it can be a convertible space (the living room, your bedroom).

You can just gather your gear in a basket, or box.  

Downside for home is your people respecting your movement time.

Once again, don’t secret away this life change or idea get your team on board!

Your action item is to scope it out! Where is a space that can be your mini-gym for a few hours a week?

Don't worry about the what or how long or whether or not you will succeed.  

You totally will succeed.

Just first pick a spot in the schedule and then a physical location where said success will take place.

Love all this advice but just need a strong accountability partner and awesome crew to celebrate with? Let’s collaborate with mindset, movement, and menu stuff! I am starting a 10 week program October 6th with the just right amount of group and 1 on 1 support! Click below to see if it’s a good match for yas! 

When motivation is NOT the problem...Part 1

YOU GOT MOTO!

YOU JUST KEEP FORGETTING TO DO THE THING...

You really like to move your body!

You enjoy it!

When you think about your most fit self you recall lots of good-type feelings?

Why can't you get-yourself-to-the-gym-stream-that-thing-get-on-that-treadmill-go-for-a-walk?

Maybe you just need to develop the skill of planning FOR YOU. Or in general.

Maybe…

• your new job is in a different location

• or you have kiddos

• you are in a different climate

• new partner

• post-surgery...

Things shift, we fall in love, we make mammals, we move cities, we have our ACL repaired. And sometimes we need to recalculate the flow of life.

Maybe your schedule, systems, and structure has not shifted to meet it?

Good news! Tweaking these three big parameters can help you navigate your changing landscapes and perspectives.

Put these in place and you will have the background and foundation to ensure some schedule “vacancy” for your new habit.

Your systems, the how you do stuff. The sequence, the procedure, the steps.

Your structures, the physical environment, the materials you will use, and also what you do.  

Your schedule, when and for how long.

These three things can help create success, even more so than motivation.

Over the next few days, I will break these down a bit...To get started you need to identify the very firstest step.  

The next concrete thing to do!

I am going to start with schedule and this is also what I do with my clients too.

One of the first steps I do with a new client is to write out their current schedule and start to problem solve the where and how long. Cause it’s has to fit in your current lifeflow. They already have commitments and stuff they do so let’s see where the space is.

Then we identify possible barriers and problem solve them too.

Your do-the-thing is to identify reliable spots for your movement party. Write out your whole weekly schedule. Where is there time for your new activity?

If you have an hour most Tuesdays, great! Or do you have two 20 or 30 minute spaces, claim them (cue echo-reverb sound and pounding some type of staff or stick into the ground).

CLAIM THAT SPACE AND TELL YOUR PEOPLE TOO!

If you are fiercely DIY and tend to keep your efforts to yourself, don’t secret your thing this time.

If you tend to keep the new doings away from your family, friends, or roommates sharing your zone, they can not be your allies. Invite your people into your goal, and they can help you preserve that time.

Next we will play with locale...kinda like planning a cat show, a wedding, or a how-to-pickle anything event, once you pick” where” in addition to the when the rest becomes a bit clearer.

YES, you can have a pirate-themed wedding with goldfish treasure chest fish bowl centerpieces, but you got to have a place so everyone can know where to go!

Don't worry about the what or whether or not you will succeed.  

You totally will succeed.

Just first pick a spot in your schedule where said success will take place.

Need help just doing the thing? Let’s collaborate with mindset, movement, and menu stuff! I am starting a 10 week program October 6th with the just right amount of group and 1 on 1 support! Click below to see if it’s a good match for yas!

Self-Compassion and Self-Accountability

A loving two-fer!

What is Self-Compassion?

It’s a heart and soul muffler.  It is seeing yourself and your situations with true warmth.  

The compassion you would bestow on a family member in need, bird with a broken wing, or dear friend who is hurting, you take that and pour it on yourself.  Maybe even maniac-on-the-floor style!

It entails being kind to yourself in any general suffering sitch, failure, shortcomings, etc.

It means when something goes awry, you start cultivating a loving 3-pronged approach to figuring out how to course correct.

• FIRST,  hug-it-up. Employ self-compassion by using self talk that recognizes the ouch and soothes it.

• Next remember you = human.  You and we and us, we WILL fudge it up sometimes. That is normal.

• And then a shot of self-accountability.  Self accountability would be the how would you like to change things, versus a one-way ticket to shame town.

I got an example from the last 24 hours!

We are out of town on the tail end of a family emergency, and have been away from home for 7 weeks.

And I am feeling that see-everyone-help-everyone-hug-everyone feeling.  

The other huge component of maintaining a nomadic life is keeping up body moving and the deep nourishment train whilst without your normal kitchen and home workout tools.

WELP.  Yesterday,  overplanned and had to cancel with my mom and a dear buddy.  THAT felt bad.

• Say/do ratio is really important to me. If I say I am going to do it, I want to fulfill that commitment

• And yet, I made a mistake, actually two. I recognize that the overplanning is a symptom of wanting to hug everybody one more time, and people overplan and misjudge. It is truly human.

• Course correct! Okay, with that loving reflection, my partner and I agreed one major visit/activity a day as we wind down this visit. I owned and apologized to my people. I with move forward with extra knowing and remember to not overpack a day.

NICE!

SO…self-compassion applies real hard when a human is seeking deep health.

You might be frustrated and feeling a bit shamey even before you even start! 

Why haven’t I taken action? How did I get out of touch?

WELP. No worries! Let’s run our scenario above.

• First, compassion. Like real snuggly, true, hot tea for your soul…I haven’t taken action because (fill in a plethora of good reasons). And those things totally needed my attention. DO this part as if you are sitting couch-side with a good buddy. Don’t rush off, really make eye contact with yourself.

• Common Humanity. I am not the first person to get distracted by (fill in a plethora of good reasons). It is true overwhelm and life changes certainly can take a human off track.

• Self-accountability. Knowing this, in the future, I want to start planning to (fill in what you feel you can do within the bounds of your commitments) because (your why…).

Have you ever miscalculated or overplanned a day? 

If you like the idea of looking through these persepectacles, I am doing an online 10 week habit building group program starting October 6th.  This is about eating slow and working on being aware of fullness, learning 3 workouts, and building a menu from our groups favorite meals. And having a good time learning self-compassion.

Mindset. Movement. Menu.

Sundays at 3 pm PST!

Starts October 6th!

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INJURIES ARE SUPER HELPFUL

This is not even meant to be sarcastic.

I think all kinds of magic happens at either end of the bell curve.

We emerge more resilient and empowered after victory and injury.

I think weight gain is insightful.  I think weight loss is too.

What works?  What is sustainable?  When did you last feel like you were enough?

If we reflect back on our physical and health successes and set backs, it can be really clear when   we were so happy and  aligned or kinda miserable and misaligned with our exercise, nutrition and flow of life. 

I define flow of life as what happens on the Monday through Sunday.  Everybody's week is unique.  Some folks have already created space for work outs, planned meals, and have goals.  Some are just trying to find there car keys, and keep there socks clean.  

I think most of us are somewhere on the spectrum!

An example might be you are by nature more chill but you overdid with exercise and ended  up with a back injury that took forever to heal.  

And you were a warrior but now you are a bit scared to move.  You flash back to what was and feel like you don't know the first step on your next path.

OR you fell into a low place because vigorous exercise is what keeps you happy and you moved away from your favorite gym and never found a new great fit.  

You have tried but something isn't clicking.

Trying out what works and what doesn't it really the jist. Sometimes you can journey independently and sometimes you need a buddy.

My skill set as a physical therapist + personal trainer + nutrition coach is helping you find YOUR health and flow balance.  

Do you thrive more when you get the Sweatsies or does slower weight lifting fill your soul?  Does yoga make everything right?  Does it feel better to walk or run?

Health is your life.  Health is not a part-time or seasonal job. It is not separate or something you do before your cousin Rita's daughter’s wedding.

But that doesn't have to be heavy, or demanding.  

Making magic spots in your life for nutrient density and movement can fully align with the life you have now and the life you want to step into. 

 Health is the intersection of your relationship with nutrition, your beautiful body and your life.

It's a super fancy web+net+wellspring of goodness that is as unique as your fingerprint.  Mine doesn't need to look like yours...or cousin Rita's.  We all come with unique history, capacity, and life flow. 

If you are having a hard time finding that flow, let's find your alignment together and unearth your inner athlete!

PRE-PAIN Signals Making You Movement Nervous?

Ring. Ring. Hello!

It's your body. 

Have you gotten any wake up calls lately?  Or maybe a really brief text?

Maybe it’s that pre-pain sig on your pager from the 90’s.

Before the big ouch, we might have things like…

• Stiffness

• Decreased ease of movement

• Feeling not recovered between workouts

• Pain that is present before or after a workout but not during

That is a casserole of injury baking.

Sometimes body changes can be loud and really get your attention.  Sometimes the trigger may be subtle.

I challenge you to scan your body and see if anything is whispering.  Have you begun to accept discomfort and pain and modify your life around this sensation? 

Respect those remarks from your body, and explore the world of thoughtful self-care!

• Going for a walk: (did you just roll your eyes? I felt someone roll their eyes…). Walking is the job of the body and with the winter season you might simply not be walking continuously in comfy footwear enough.

• Try a BEGINNER yoga class…that’s right…simple, easy stretching. Or maybe just do safe, simple stretching…

  • An excellent all-the-things resource is Yoga Green Book launched by _____ for people of color, classes for every level of ability, affordable, and has nutrition and meditation information galore!

• Check out the MELT method…online and DVD videos, classes, and maybe local workshops.

• Pick up Jill Miller's ROLL Model book…so many way to treat thineself. Jill is so generous in her online communities!

• Call me! I am a nice lady.

Sometimes growing a bit more time for mobility work, self-care, and stretch and exposing your active range of movement is all you need to reclaim your full flexitude.

If you got hot and loud ouches though, find your doc!

I know that is a priviledge not available to everyone, so leveraging some of the free online resources above may be helpful.

One last thought on signals.  

IF you have had an injury doing (fill in the blank) then simply stop moving for a while...the offended area may no longer be actively painful, but it has changed.  If you hurt yourself, there IS a strength, range of motion, and neurological change.  And it will most likely come up if you go back to activity without loving on that zone.

One of the biggest indicators of low back is PREVIOUS back pain.  One of the biggest indicators of ankle sprain is having experienced one already!!!  

Pain may subside, but decreased range of motion, strength, power, or stability are indicators of change in function.  And I want you to function happy and strong in your world.  

READY FOR CHANGE?

That's a good question, right?

Usually a nubbly ball of issues or a big event will trigger a life change for the average mammal.

How you look in a photo. A fall. Job change. Injury. Desire to be a crazy strong mofo.

My clients come to me because they are fed up with an ouch, or feel tired and fatigued. Or all of the above. They want to be able to negotiate the stairs without pain, hike and feel stable, run faster, and carry in the groceries.  I would say physical limitations are the #1 driver of change that bring my people to me.  

We as a heath community know some things about successful change.  You gotta feel a bit excited about it, and will have more success with long term change if you change one thing at a time, versus mega overhaul everything at once.  It is equally important to get glacially clear about why you want it, and how you will feel when this goal is your reality.  Then look at what your limiting factor is, and implement a good ole behavior change.  

Here is an example form my own life.  Desired goal. Excitement. Limiting factor. Behavior change.

This year my goal is meditate daily.

Why? The sweet, sweet brain balm meditation provides oozes into all my other goals.  When I have a calm, clear mind, I make MUCH better decisions and am a better focuser (yes, this is a word..?).   I have two autoimmune disorders.  Evidence for this being a helper on multiple fronts in reversing or helping autoimmune disorders (reducing sympathetic tone, aiding against depression, and so forth) make meditation sort of like free medicine.  

My limiting factor? Just making time, life is a moving target. What worked in the summer, getting up early started to super duper not work in the winter,I used to do it first thing, bit Winter Beth does not like to a.m. meditate.

My behavior change? Do it at the end of my workout, that way it is “tied” to another for sure habit.  I also have a back-up plan! If I miss post-workout, I use it at bedtime as a sleep aid. Win-to-the-win-to-the-winny-win-win!

I am excited about how clean and calm I feel when I meditate, it helps everything.

Are you ready for nutrition and lifestyle change? Are you ready to rumble!

ROAD TRIP!

This post can be helpful for those wondering what is it I do that is different from other physical therapist + personal trainer hybrids.

I believe each person's health story is like a really great road trip.  Before GPS.

Words like scary, delightful, mystical, complicated, strong, unsure, breathtaking, certain, lost, found, calming, and victorious all come to mind.  I could probably fill a page simply listing great adjectives about health stories!

I think injuries can be helpful and weight gain insightful.

I see a brand new human emerge more resilient and connected to themselves when they achieve recovery from a body misadventure and return to the activity that was previously beyond their reach.

My skill is helping you find where meal making and body moving fit in the current rapids and swirls of your life. I meet you where you are at and we play with all the possibilities. 

As we move along, you learn:

• self care
• the right parameters of strength and cardiovascular exercise for your body
• practical meal preparation and planning
• how to make the kitchen a safe place for nutrition density

In the process of repatterning your fitness and nutrition we lay down new thoughtful habits and get results in performance and physicality.  

My clients:

• lower blood pressure
• enjoy walking and/or running
• get out and snowshoe
• travel
• run marathons and 5K's (3.1 miles)
• gain muscle mass
• lose weight
• discover there inner athlete

And they do it at their unique Goldilocks pace.  

Together, we define and discover what challenging feels like to you.  

Health is your life.  It is not separate or a condiment or a sidebar.  It is not a very intense 8 weeks before your cousin's Rita's kid's wedding so you look smoking hot as you win the dance floor dropping hot moves to Stevie Wonder's Superstition (the greatest song EVER!).  I am not saying that ain't important!  Read on!

I want your plan to be sustainable. 

It also doesn't need to feel heavy or daunting or lonely.  

You can start to pick and chose new things to invite into your life. It can be a book, a class, a recipe, or reaching out to me!  There is a spectrum of help out there that will feel just right.

If you have found your balance, bravo! Take a moment to let self love wash over you and see all the effort and planning it took to get here.  Keep it up!  It takes planning and boundary setting to find time and ways to care for yourself.

If you have not, bravo!  Take a moment to let self love wash over you and see all the effort and planning it took to get here, to a place where you can see maybe you want to change.  You are pretty awesome and you see a new avenue of awesome you may want to pursue.

I invite you to feel smoking hot right now, ('cause you are!), and for you to get strong, get balanced, and have it be sustainable and enough.  It is key for you to be prepped and ready to reign supreme at every dance off! 

How you enjoy movement and deliver nutrient density is as unique as your fingerprint. Your menu, your workout week, your favorite movement modality is going to be different from mine, and cousin Rita's, and her kid's.

Something to reflect upon...when was a time you felt aligned and fulfilled on your own health road trip?