How do you want to show up for your future self?
This has been an unprecedented and overwhelming year. Even as we move into winter, Covid is not letting up. Our lives have been compromised by the significant consequences of this pandemic and we all feel the cumulative and collective stress and worry. We’ve figured out various ways to cope this year, and with good reason to do so; if a pandemic doesn’t give us license to do whatever we have to do to keep our chin above water to get through this, then nothing does! Consider what habits you have leaned into this year as a survival mechanism. Are you overeating? Drinking too much or too often? Not exercising enough…
When Indoor Cycling Becomes A Community
Years ago, I heard a reverend say to her parishioners, “If you can’t find the faith you need then you can borrow it from me.” Similarly, in my role as a strength coach and trainer, I provided energy and motivation to my clients that they may not have been able to find within themselves 100% of the time. But last year, as I struggled to make sense of my new life after relocating to Texas, I wondered who—or what—would provide me with the motivation that I was unable to find anywhere within myself. Isolated in a new location, limited by an ongoing painful foot treatment that prevented me from walking,…
Finding Your Perfect Personal Trainer
These days there are endless opportunities to work with a personal trainer! Small independent studios, large commercial gyms, specialty studios, trainers that come to your home, trainers that train out of their homes, to name just some of your options. But with so many options, how do you find the trainer that is right for YOU? We each come with our own set of physical limitations, injuries, fitness goals, etc. So it’s going to be on you to find the right trainer, but what do you look for when you decide you want to start training with someone? Here are a few ideas to help narrow it down. Referrals: Talk…
A Simple Thank You
Has this ever happened to you? You: Oh I love your dress, it looks so good on you! Them: It’s just this old thing I haven’t worn in years Or this: You: Your hair looks great today! Them: Well I really need to get a haircut Or in my case: Me: That workout outfit is so flattering! Client: Ugh I hate my belly I’ve been noticing this type of thing a lot lately. And I don’t like it! It seems to be widespread, the way that we can so easily deflect a compliment, or downgrade a positive comment directed toward us by responding with a negative. Why do we have…
Wisdom From Weeds
Spring has sprung, although even as I write this it’s 47 degrees and drizzly outside on May 1. Our flora and fauna is coming to life again! But . . . along with the blooming of flowers, growing of grass and reappearance of leaves . . . the weeds are growing in full force. I abhor weeds. I loathe, detest and cannot stand weeds. I hate weeds! Yet every year they reappear to torment me. Despite my very best efforts (endless amounts of time and money spent year after year with no end in sight) weeds just grow back again and again. The process makes me feel very powerless, and…
The Ripple Effect
It was the summer of 2010 and my sister had left me a voicemail. In her typical stoic way she informed me that she was on her way to the ER as she had woken up that morning with one leg twice the size of the other! She lived in Albuquerque and I was here in Edmonds. She’s my only sister, younger than I, just mid-30s at the time. She could have died from that blood clot in her leg, and she needed surgery pretty quickly. They placed a couple of stents in her arteries and kept her in the hospital for three days to recover. She was on blood…
Just Breathe
I don’t meditate, unless you count my daily walks, which I believe to be a form of active meditation. But sitting down and getting still and observing your breath as you inhale and exhale and try to clear your mind by dispassionately observing the myriad of thoughts that suddenly all want to come in to your brain—nah, not my thing. I actually do believe deep breathing is so very good for us, and collectively we probably don’t do nearly enough of it. But I grew up in a religious organization that practiced meditation (and yoga, actually) long before it became a “thing” in the US. Perhaps it was the timing…
Holiday Event Survival Guide
Has anyone else noticed that the holiday season starts earlier and earlier each year? I’m not even talking about the Christmas stuff already on sale at Costco! Although Christmas and Thanksgiving are still firmly ensconced in December and November respectively, it seems there are plenty of reasons to gather with friends and family to eat and drink excessively as soon as fall arrives. Events such as attending a Husky or Seahawks game, watching sports at home or at someone else’s house, birthday parties, and more are just some of the gatherings I’ve recently found myself at. And we’ve not even purchased our Halloween candy yet and the invites have yet…
Outdoor Walking vs. Treadmill Walking
I stepped outside to walk at 7am this morning and realized that it’s not just darker now, there is also an undeniable chill of fall in the Edmonds air. For someone like me, an avid outdoor walker, it’s time to prepare for inclement dark weather and the possibility that I will need to hit the treadmill on some days this winter. I don’t mind reverting to a treadmill in bad weather as long as I have music and reading material. But most days I look forward to getting outside for my walk, especially when it’s a sunny day, no matter what the temperature. However, there are many people I know…
‘Your parents are cool’
My parents recently visited for three weeks. And they stayed at my house the entire time! In their defense, it was only supposed to be two weeks. This is still a stretch for me, considering how small my house is and how important my downtime in my own space is for me. But my parents were coming all the way from New Zealand—not just to visit me but to also spend some time with Eric, my boyfriend who they had only met once before—so I was very happy to make it work. I just don’t see them that often anymore. I’m in the age range where parents start dying. Recently,…
