A Shift in Perspective
If absence makes the heart grow fonder; I can only imagine the fondness we will feel, when we can finally all come back together hand-in-hand.
Give Yourself Permission
The weight of the patience we must carry right now, could break us, if we don’t remember to step away for just a moment.
In Uncertain Times
In times of fear, it feels easier to jump right to anger. It feels louder and more deliberate and thus more productive. Yelling, and taking, being snide, rude, inconsiderate—in the moment bring about a surge of accomplishment.
Look at me, I did something in this time of crisis!
Except, the lasting implications of our actions matter.
Our kids are watching. And they are listening.
What I Know About Women
I want to share what I know about women. I know a little something, being one and raising three.
Women are strong.
Women are kind.
Women can get shit done.
Partnership
The times in life when I’ve struggled the most are when I have forgotten to ask for help from my teammates. When you look at problems not as yours alone but as ours, they suddenly seem more manageable. Life is just easier and more fun when it’s done together.
Acknowledge the Win
Close your eyes and think about a time you succeeded.
I mean truly succeeded.
You put in the work, saw it through, and felt accomplished for your efforts. Was it a project at work, home, potty training? Maybe you couldn’t do a push-up and now you can. Maybe you still can’t do a push-up, but someone told you yesterday your arms looked toned and strong. We all can’t be Jennifer Lopez on a pole, but darn it, do we look strong when we are holding our children!
The Importance of Showing Up
Every morning we get out of bed, we make a conscious effort to show up for our family. We are the hunters of lost socks and the gatherers of kids into minivans.
Post-Assessment Meditation
I read something recently where a woman wrote she didn’t get her body back after pregnancy because it was never lost; it was never missing. Amen. I am not seeking my 20-something-year-old-body because it had yet to experience anything miraculous. If my body is a temple, with each miracle, I have built, and built, and built. Ultimately, I have learned that my postpartum journey has little to do with my size and more about shaping my soul.
Ingredients for Life
I want you to envision the components of your life as ingredients that are prepared daily, as your very own recipe for happiness.
Gratitude
Gratitude is the answer to most things.
Be Present
Like with all things, if we put forth effort, and make a conscious decision to be in the here and now—you’d be amazed by the simplicity of this exercise.
Love
I want you to examine your love tank. Our children fill it up daily; between kisses after school, smiles upon wake up, and their warm skin on yours, sitting in a chair doing absolutely nothing, but embracing the stillness together.
Now think about your partner, or someone you share all parts of your heart with. The one that has explored the honest corners of your life. You’ve felt the hurt together, exploded with bursts of joy, you can trust them with the secrets even you can’t say out loud--they already know them because they know you.
Your job this week, if you choose to accept it, is to accept love into your life.
Lucky you, we are already so loved. Every woman here cares for you in a way others cannot know unless they too have been part of a mental and physical transformation.
You are easily lovable.
Don't believe me?
Ask your kids. If they had the words they would tell you that you are their sun, their moon, and all their stars.
Listen to Your Body
Our body is capable of incredible things. We have gotten pretty used to waking up and feeling a different muscle group calling out each of our instructors’ names.
This is a friendly reminder of yesterday’s burpees, push-ups, or beloved mountain climbers. Our body is telling us, “Thank you for working me hard and making me stronger.”
Some mornings we wake up and we hear something different. It sounds a lot like, “Today, I need a break!” And it is our job to listen.
The worst of the messages, “Something hurts” and boy does that one make us feel old! Listen. Take the time to find the necessary solution. We wouldn’t hesitate to call our pediatrician out of concern for our children, but often won’t make the call for ourselves because we can’t find the time. Correction: we won’t find the time.
We are the only ones that can keep our bodies running properly so they can run our households properly. Let’s be real: our families don’t work without us. Listen to your body and don’t forget to say, “Thank you!”
Adventure
And as for us, we are not sitting idly by and letting life happen to us, we are here on this journey together, and we are out there experiencing the world again, only this time through the eyes of our kiddos.
Focus
I wonder if you’ve felt like this: your home life is going well, kids happy, partner happy—but then your eating isn’t great. We are killing it in the exercise department and clean eating, but our work life is suffering. Maybe we become hyper-focused in one area, only to lose focus in another.
Roadblocks
I heard another Mom share in here about not seeing any movement on the scale. But she wasn’t sad, or frustrated. In fact, she was glowing—because she shared that movement has come from where it matters most--from within. She feels lighter because all her energy has re-shifted and given her something that was missing--her joy.
Accept Help
How often do we say, “No thanks. I’m OK,” when we are offered help?
Too often.
We could all use an extra set of hands, so why do we feel the need to pretend we don’t?
Water
One of the main solutions to many of life’s aches and pains is to drink more water. But we are often too busy, or focused on putting nutrients and water into our little one’s bodies that we forget to hydrate our own. What about if this week we put some focus on our water consumption.
Unplug
Think about the concept of detaching away from technology and being without the knowledge of what everyone else is doing.
We’ve reached a bizarre world of oversharing.
Imagine explaining to an outsider that there is a place where we go to look at pictures of what other people are eating for dinner and then watch a clip of their 3-year-old singing in the bath and this is how we mindlessly spend hidden moments in the day and night.
When we think of sharing it’s taught to be positive early on:
Encourage children to share. Let’s share feelings. Share a bite with mommy.
Now as adults we are presented with opportunities to show-and-tell pieces of ourselves.
But sometimes it feels like enough.
What would happen if you allowed one time a day to happen just with you? Alone. It’s tempting to reach for our phones when we have a second. But we should practice being alone inside our head sometimes. Disconnecting for a second in order to reconnect with ourselves.
Someone once said once, “a quiet mind isn’t boredom, it’s serenity”—and we should be grateful for the stillness.
Slow Down
Fill your lungs with the outside air. Appreciate that this is just a quiet minute in your day and come back to this quiet in your mind whenever you want. Come back to your breath when you need that too. It is available to us if we choose to take it. Time will continue at its own speed, at its own pace and while you can’t tell it to stop, you can pause and take what you need from the moment.