Walking along the beach, I saw a photographer taking family portraits. The family was lined up in the water – with their backs to the ocean.  Even though the water was calm that day, each of them winced every single time a wave hit. Because they couldn’t see the waves coming, every wave was a surprise. Their photographer took shot after shot and didn’t seem happy. Even from a distance, the frustration was palpable.  

Being caught off guard is jarring. Surprises are inevitable, but we can often make small adjustments and set ourselves up for success. Had that family decided to scoot closer to the dry beach, they still would have had a beautiful background and probably could have gotten a better picture in a fraction of the time.

Is there something throwing you off kilter?  What adjustments can you make? If it seems like your less-than-desirable situation is inevitable, I invite you to request an outside perspective. A health coach or trainer can help you explore other options, make a plan, provide accountability, and get you set you up for success in a fraction of the time. The surprises will be minimized, and the ease will be maximized.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy month!

A while back I was talking to a newly graduated yoga instructor. At that point, I had been teaching yoga for several years. Knowing this, she asked for some advice on how to modify several yoga poses – with and without props.  She explained that some of the locations she taught at had many props, but others provided her with no props. I was able to help her with some teaching strategies, but she also ended up helping me.

I was impressed that she was able to teach at so many locations so soon after graduation. I had relocated from a town that had a lot of yoga instructors, and thus, was extremely competitive. I had only approached a couple of locations near my new home. I felt very grateful to be allowed to teach at these places, but I wanted to teach more.  While I was putting in a lot of effort to become a better yoga instructor, I wasn’t putting any effort into finding more teaching opportunities. If I wanted to teach more, I wasn’t doing the necessary work.

Necessary work can vary depending on your goals. Sometimes the necessary work is obvious. Sometimes it isn’t. When you are working hard at something, it can be easy to overlook the necessary work. Maybe at this stage in your life you’re not putting in that much effort towards your goals at all, because you’re so busy juggling the day-to-day stuff.

 An outside perspective can often help you. You may just need to have a brief conversation to gain some clarity, or you may need some ongoing support to complete the necessary work.  If you’re not getting closer to your goals, I encourage you to reach out to a professional to get some guidance and support to help you have more good days.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a safe and healthy month!

I recently saw a post on social media that listed the steps to obtain a beach body. This protocol involved two steps: have a body and go to the beach. What I love about this post is that it removes all these obstacles that many of us have created to prevent ourselves from getting started.

By waiting to go to the beach until we already possess the toned body we want, we not only miss out on the opportunity to enjoy the beach–but ironically –an opportunity to get toned. Research shows that walking on the sand activates more muscles than walking on a hard surface. Plus, the softer surface of the sand puts less stress on our joints. This allows many of us to walk longer distances then we might otherwise walk on harder surfaces.

We may not be where we want to be, but we shouldn’t let that limit us from getting started. We don’t need to wait until we are already toned to go to the beach, already fit to join a gym, or already flexible before taking a yoga class. If you need some extra guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out to a health coach, trainer, or other health professional.

Thanks for reading and see you at the beach 🙂

Have you ever watched someone skillfully apply makeup? I’m no stranger to applying makeup, but watching someone who really knows what they’re doing is quite impressive. It truly is an art form. 

The cosmetics industry has all kinds of tricks up their sleeve so that even their less talented customers, like myself, can look healthier. If someone has circles under their eyes because they haven’t been sleeping, it won’t be as noticeable once they apply some yellow-tinted foundation to offset the blue. If someone is looking pale because they are feeling seasick, some blush and bronzer can give them a healthier looking glow in a matter of minutes. 

While these things can help you look healthier, they don’t actually make you healthier. Putting concealer on doesn’t make us alert any more than putting blush or bronzer on reduces our nausea. Of course, I certainly understand wanting to look nice, and I use these products. However, taking steps to improve your health often has a nice side effect: we look better too.

If you’re ready to improve your health, but aren’t sure where to start, I recommend reaching out to me or another health coach. We can help guide you along your journey to more good days. 

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy month!

Okay, I dropped the ball in March. Obviously, this month’s posting is late—we’re already more than halfway through the month of April. Even though it’s late, I’ve decided that it’s better to post now than to skip the month entirely. I often find it’s usually not too late to do the right thing- whether it’s keeping a commitment to write a blog every month, apologizing to someone, or getting started with a fitness program. 

One of the things I often hear is some version of “It’s too late to start a fitness program.” While being active since childhood would be ideal, the reality is, many of us haven’t. You may have taken years or decades off from any kind of physical activity or exercise program. You may never have had an exercise program in your entire life. Regardless of how active you have or haven’t been, it’s not too late. I’ve worked with many individuals who began exercising for the first time in their 70’s and 80’s. Studies even show that 90-year-olds can make muscle!

I realize that sometimes we tell ourselves it’s too late because we feel intimidated. Fear is real, and it’s okay to feel afraid. If you’re hesitant to get started, I advise you to reach out to me or another fitness professional. We can guide you so that you can enjoy more good days.

Thanks for reading! I hope you have a safe and healthy month.  

Have you ever made a purchase that you later regretted? I once splurged for a very fancy purse that was on a closeout sale. It was a gorgeous, spacious bag that had a soft leather exterior, silky interior lining, plenty of pockets for organization, a special chain to keep keys accessible, and shiny leather hardware. The problem was, the bag by itself was probably three to five pounds. By the time I added my extra pair of shoes, water bottle, wallet, phone, snack, lotion, book, and whatever else I was hauling that day, it probably weighed closer to ten. At the time, I wasn’t doing any kind of strength training and I thought that it was much too heavy for me. Hauling that heavy bag around all day was quite the challenge at first, but then it got easier. I got stronger.

I tell you this story not because I recommend purchasing a heavy handbag and filling it to the brim; I tell you this story because we often underestimate our strength. Only by challenging ourselves in a safe manner can we continue to get stronger. If you regularly carry around a 8lb purse, grandkid, pet, or bag of groceries, lifting a 3lb weight at the gym probably isn’t challenging enough for you. If you need some help challenging yourself, I encourage you to reach out to myself or another fitness professional. 

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy month. 

Right now we are in the midst of a winter weather advisory. While our friends in other parts of the world may laugh, a couple of inches of snow, sleet, and ice is a big deal here. Many of us are terrified at the prospect of even stepping outside our homes. Why is it that in some places people are able to handle regular blizzards while people in other places freak out at the mere mention of snow in the forecast?

We tend to be pretty good at preparing for what we regularly encounter like physical activity or weather. If you live in an area where it snows frequently, you and your neighbors have probably developed systems to help keep you safe – just like you have likely maintained your ability to use stairs with relative ease if you live in a house that has them.

Being prepared for every situation probably isn’t realistic. As you know, time, energy, and resources are limited, which is why investing in how to safely navigate a winter storm in a location that infrequently gets snow isn’t a priority for most of those people. However, it is important to prepare for things we encounter often. Even if you don’t have stairs in your home, they are common enough that  being able to use them will make your life easier. 

Whether it is stairs, getting out of a low chair, or something else that you often struggle with, I encourage you to get some help. With a proper strategy and training, you may be able to overcome these obstacles so that you can have more good days.  

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy month.

I once took an introductory art class with an excellent teacher. In addition to instruction and practicing different techniques, we would create larger projects. I remember being in awe of many classmates when I saw their creations for the first time. Even though the class had just started, it was obvious that some of them were extremely talented. However – more impressive still – all our art projects improved throughout the year. We all developed talent.   

I think we can all agree that some people are naturally talented in certain areas. What we tend to forget is — even if we aren’t naturally talented — we can develop skills.  Developing skills takes practice, and often needs quality coaching. Of course, time is limited, so we need to prioritize which skills we want to develop. 

It has been my experience that spending time and energy to become more fit, strong, coordinated, and flexible is a great investment.  Developing these skills helps us to move through life with more ease so we can continue to do the things we enjoy. If you aren’t naturally talented in these areas, I encourage you to reach out to me or another fitness professional for guidance and help. 

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy week. 

Have you ever had one of those days when things did not go the way you hoped? The first thing that went sideways may have been disappointing, but by the 11th you found yourself needing to take some time to recover. Unfortunately, I found myself in such a predicament recently. Ironically, each situation that occurred that day—had they occurred on separate occasions—probably wouldn’t have fazed me. It was the combination of all these relatively minor things that had a larger impact. Little things can add up. 

When it comes to our health we sometimes get caught up in this idea that we need to do something huge in order to have any kind of impact. We forget that little things can add up. You may be surprised by how much a bunch of little things like the following can improve your health: take a ten minute walk in the morning, skip dessert, go to bed ten minutes earlier, and focus on your breathing for five minutes.  

Just because I call them little things, doesn’t mean they’re easy. Old habits can be hard to break and new habits can be hard to make. If you need some support, please feel free to reach out to me or another health coach.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy month.      

Have you ever gone into a dollar store and been amazed by all the things you can purchase for only a dollar? A while back I had some people over for a dinner party, and I visited the local dollar store in hopes of finding some decorations. On my way to find the decorations, I walked past a package of 40 paper plates, a package of 48 plastic utensils, and a package of 48 plastic cups—all a dollar each. By spending less than five dollars, I could use dinnerware that could be thrown away at the end of the night instead of having to clean it.  I didn’t end up using the single-use items, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted. 

Because we live in a land of abundance, taking careful care of our possessions is no longer a priority for most people. It seems like it is more common now to replace or even upgrade something that is broken rather than trying to get it fixed. When was the last time you repaired your shoes, patched a hole in a garment, or glued a broken vase back together?  This makes sense for a lot of people, and I don’t always repair my things either.

With this carefree attitude, it can be easy to forget that we get one body. Our bodies are complex and have a remarkable ability to heal themselves. However, in order to function properly, we must take care of them. We need to feed them nourishing food, give them proper rest, and exercise them. If you’re having trouble making these choices to care for your body, don’t be afraid to reach out to another health coach or me. 

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy month.