A lil' story about checkpoints...

We are all running some kind of endurance race right now. It’s not even a race, because there is no end in sight. At least with a race you know there is a finish line. Here we are just running non-stop. It’s exhausting.  

When I gave birth to my 2nd child, it was at home and my first non-medicated birth. It was very uncomfortable at times. The most intense part was right before he was born, when I felt I couldn’t do it anymore. I exasperatedly asked my midwife, “how many more pushes?” She said 6 more. I did it in 3. When I saw the end, it empowered me to channel that energy and finish strong. 

When there is no end in sight it feels like it will go on forever and it takes so much more of our energy to keep on. 

Covid/Lockdown/Online school WILL eventually end, and life will return to some state of normalcy again, however this is not in our power right now, it's not something anyone can really control.

To take our power back and do things that ARE in our control, we can give ourselves some checkpoints. 

Checkpoints aka; things to look forward to and get excited about.

I do this when doing hard things like running up a big hill - I say when I get to that post, I’ll walk for 10 seconds. Getting there takes all the work, but having that little bit of rest helps me to keep going immensely. 

Maybe a checkpoint for you is ordering takeout, or having an evening where you can do whatever you want all by yourself no distractions. Or maybe your checkpoint is a guilt-free movie marathon on the weekend. Whatever it is, give yourself some checkpoints and honour what you need. Otherwise you may end up burning out along the way. 

So tell me, what are some of your checkpoints? 

All the love to you, 
Jen xo

ps. My final note is to all the high achievers out there….
Honour yourself for where you’re at. Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you are used to accomplishing a lot and right now and you’re not, then please give yourself some grace. This is tough stuff and we need to be ok with doing less right now. 

The Start of a New Year!

For many of you, myself included this is the week for getting back into routine post holidays. This time it's a little different because we’re in lockdown which can make it feel a bit more complicated. Don’t let that be overwhelming or cause you to give up on moving forward. 
 

 Here are 2 ways to help you feel on top of your week!

1. Set an intention - a word or theme you want to feel during the week. Every so often check in and see where you’re at. Some examples are ease, strong, grateful, etc.

2. Do something that helps you feel grounded or centred. (Workout, meditate, spend time outside, etc). Actually schedule in this time for yourself, make this a priority.

3. Try to avoid doing 10,000 things at once. Keep it simple, and work on one thing at a time. You’ll feel better about what you are doing, and you’ll also be more efficient and get more done.

4. Make use of your time to do empowering things versus things that suck your energy is a way to a better week + feeling more empowered!!

And if you read this and thought I’m just barely holding on right now... then this message is for you:

Even in the darkest moments there is something to be thankful for. Turn your perspective around to appreciate even just the smallest of things. Continue on your path and try to make even the simplest of steps forward whatever that means for you. And know that you are not alone. 

Much love and cheers to an empowering week wherever you are on your path!

Jen xo

Striving for Greatness

Striving for greatness doesn’t have to mean hustling day and night. Living our best life doesn’t have to feel like a constant uphill battle.

Designing and living our best life can be in the little moments – putting away the phone to be extra present, sipping coffee slowly on a Saturday morning, set a walk + talk date with a friend, or even, get this…taking a nap. These are all things that can help us to live our best life – that are not hard work.

Having a good balance of the being and the doing is so important. Our society praises the doers but takes no notice of the “being” side of things. I was so used to (for many years) only the doing part. I would hustle a lot. I would run myself so hard. Every few weeks (like literally every month or so) I would get totally overwhelmed. I realize now it was because I was not factoring in the being part into my life.

Before I get too ahead of myself, here is what I mean by this:

Being - literally just not doing anything, just taking in the moment and allowing stillness. It is defined as the fact of existing.

Doing is defined as action, performance, execution…aka the hustle.

Ok so back to my days of overwhelm, I would go, go, go – be SUPER focussed and motivated and then I would get exhausted, frazzled, burned out. I wouldn’t recognize it and I tried to keep going and force instead of listening to what my body/mind/soul needed.

When this happened, I usually would get so overwhelmed and depressed and want to just stay in bed. I would feel paralyzed, and I wouldn’t be able to make any more decisions or do any sort of action. Sometimes I would start to feel better after a few days, other times it was just a few hours.

Now I look back on it and I’m like right. That happened. It sometimes happens now too, but its different. I know what to do, I know how to handle it better now. And I really pay attention to my intuition that gives me little hints along the way instead of getting full blown out of control.

My message to you is this… Make sure to factor in the being and the rest part of your life, the being. It is so important for your forward momentum and balance while you are creating your best life!

Jen xo

32 Ways to Feel Good

If you're like me, adjusting to this new-life has been interesting to say the least. One moment I can feel like I'm doing so well and on top of everything, and the next moment I feel like things are falling apart.

Even if I wake up feeling great, things can easily pivot and I can feel like pulling my hair out before the day has really begun. The only way I've been able to survive and somedays thrive (in the best way I know how) has been to ground myself each day with something for myself....whatever my soul / mind / body is craving.

A lot of times it takes effort, other times I feel inspired.  No matter what, it really works for me, and has often saved me from doing a downward spiral when things get too bumpy. Today I want to share this with YOU!! 

Here are 32 ways to feel good! Think of it as a toolbox of some tools to use when you might need a little pick me up.

1. Pump the music

2. Take a hot bath 

3. Yoga or Dance and really connect to your body

4. Drink a hot tea

5. Just be (as in literally do nothing for 10 mins) 

6. Read a few pages of a book

7. Colour a colouring page

8. Do your nails, hair, or makeup

9. Move your body

10. Call a friend

11. Eat a treat and take in the joy of the moment fully

12. Sit for a moment and literally do nothing 

13. Take a hot shower

14. Have a glass of wine

15. Give yourself an epic orgasm

16. Take a walk

17. Learn something new

18. Journal

19. Put on a skincare mask

20. Watch a movie

21. Write a letter to someone

22. Buy yourself flowers

23. Order something online

24. Forgive someone that wronged you

25. Appreciate nature

26. Sit in the sun

27. Crank the tunes

28. Take some vitamins

29. Send someone a kind message 

30. Declutter an area of the home

31. Choose positivity

32. Smile just because 😊

Create your own list using some of these as examples. Make it yours. Having a toolbox with different "tools" can stop you from heading down a not so good path, and can help you FEEL GOOD!  

All the love to you, 
Jen xoxo

Exercise in Early Postpartum

Once you have a baby life looks and feels completely different. Those early days can feel like a losing battle with trying to do anything for yourself (shower, eat, get dressed, etc). Your baby is literally an extension of you, and we haven't even mentioned the hormone roller coaster yet.

You have a big important role to play for that newborn!

First things first, when talking about early postpartum exercise we are not talking about "losing the baby weight". Mama please! You have enough to worry about right now. If you feel pressure about this then please understand it’s from society and it is NOT something you need to put your attention on right now. Things like keeping your baby alive, keeping yourself hydrated and fed and finding time to sleep when you can is your main priority! This time is so precious try not to waste it by worrying about the crazy idea's society has tried so hard to market to us about “bouncing back”.

So how do you know you are ready to begin thinking about exercise?

• you're starting to get some sleep again

• you are feeling less pain and discomfort when standing for longer periods and/or walking

• bleeding has stopped

Ok so you are ready to begin exercise again - this is NOT the time to jump into a bootcamp class and go all in. You're body has been through A LOT over the past several months and it is very important to ease into exercise again. Slow and steady wins the race!

Here are some exercises to begin strengthening the body again, preparing you for more of a challenge in a Mom + baby focused class like the MamaFit or StrollerFit class I teach.

Video: Exercises for Early Postpartum

The goals here are to 1) Start feeling less pain/discomfort, 2) Re-gain strength and function of the core, and 3) Start feeling good in your body again!! If you start with 1-2 of the exercises shown and do 10 reps that is a great start! This should feel easy to moderate at the beginning, we are aiming for a 4 or 5 out of 10 in difficulty. Depending on where you are you might want to do all 10 exercises 10 reps each and run through it twice.

For cardio Light + Non-impact, ex) Walking

Start with 10 min bouts 1-2 days a week.

Work up to 30-45mins 5-7 days/wk, always make sure to be able to hold a conversation, about 4-5 out of 10 in difficulty.

As you get stronger and better this can improve with time!

Link to full video: Early Postpartum Exercises

Check it out and let me know if you have any questions!!

Jen xo