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Be the best version of you!

Anticipating the Change

  • August 7, 2024August 7, 2024
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

Ah, summer.  It can be a delightful season, full of longer days, more time outside, and more flexibility in your schedule.  And even if your schedule doesn’t change at all, often the rhythms of nature can cause things to feel different – more expansive, more POSSIBLE.

And as you finish out the days of summer and start to look ahead to a new fall season, you might find things start ramping up in your schedule – especially if you or any of your family members run on a school calendar timeline.    

Along with all the beautiful, exciting, or new changes fall can bring, it can also be detrimental to our health goals.

And it’s not fall’s fault – our healthy rhythms can come under attack whenever we experience a major life or season shift…

  • A new job
  • Quitting a job
  • A new baby
  • Becoming an empty nester
  • The holiday season
  • A busy work season
  • Vacation mode
  • Back-to-work/school mode

Often what I see as a wellness coach is that we enter these new seasons without appreciating the force they’ll have on our rhythms.  Whether it’s simply not realizing this is the case or thinking, “I can do it all, no matter how busy my schedule gets!”, our helpful routines get upended, and we find ourselves feeling less than healthy.

So how do we approach a new season without losing our healthy habits?

Anticipating the Change

By using a technique I like to call “Anticipating the Change”.

The definition of “anticipate” is to “regard as probable; expect or predict”1.  When we anticipate the change in seasons coming our way, we expect or predict that our health rhythms will have to change, too.  Now of course, we can’t predict every change we’ll weather, but there are some things we can see coming. 

When you have the benefit of knowing a change is coming, there are 3 things you can do to keep from losing your healthy rhythms:

Step 1:

Say to yourself “Hey – this change in seasons is going to impact my current healthy rhythms.”  It’s just helpful to be honest about this!

Step 2: 

Tell yourself “I can’t do it all, and that’s okay.”  Once again, honesty is your friend!

Step 3: 

Determine what IS possible for you in this next season.

How do you do that?  You take 15-20 minutes to sit down with your calendar (and family members or roommates if helpful!) and take an honest look at what your schedule will be like. 

Next, you think about which 2-3 healthy rhythms are the most life-giving to you, AKA they pack the biggest punch in making you feel your best. 

Finally, you find the smallest version of those and plan where they’ll fit in your new schedule.

An example of this in action…

Let’s say during the summer months, you were able to go for a run first thing in the morning 3 times a week and a family hike on the weekends.  But when school starts back up for your kids, you’re going to be on carpool duty during the week and at their sporting events on the weekends.  You know that doing movement outside makes you feel your best, so you want to keep up that rhythm. 

So, you look at your new schedule and find that you can get a run in 2 times per week after dropping the kids off at school, and you can walk around the soccer field at your kids’ soccer games on the weekends.

Now you have a plan before fall even begins!  But if you don’t take the time (remember – just 15-20 minutes!) to sit down and determine this, you’ll likely end up getting no runs or weekend movement in, and a few weeks into fall you’ll feel lethargic and upset that you’re failing to take care of yourself.

And if you’re already in the middle of a change in seasons and feel like you’ve fallen off the wagon with your health habits – welcome to the club!  Know that at any point during your new season, you can find your footing again by following the steps above.  And now you can be equipped with what to do before ANOTHER change in season comes your way.

Your action step…

So, give yourself some help and take the time today to create a plan for the fall season, so you can keep feeling your best.

Sources:

1Oxford Languages (n.d.). Anticipate. In Google’s English Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages. Retrieved August 7, 2024, from https://www.google.com/search?q=definition+of+anticipate&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS750US750&oq=definition+of+anticipate&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDIICAEQABgWGB4yCAgCEAAYFhgeMggIAxAAGBYYHjIICAQQABgWGB4yCAgFEAAYFhgeMggIBhAAGBYYHjIKCAcQABgPGBYYHjIKCAgQABgPGBYYHjIKCAkQABgPGBYYHqgCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8. 

Photo Sources:
Photo by Sai De Silva on Unsplash
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
Photo by Hannah Olinger on Unsplash
Photo by Bluewater Sweden on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Why Investing in Your Health Is Worth It

  • November 20, 2023November 22, 2023
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

It’s strange we have to have a conversation about this, isn’t it?  Odd that we have to convince womxn it’s important to take care of themselves, so important in fact, that it’s worth spending the money and time.  However, upon further reflection, it’s not really so odd.

Why womxn aren’t investing in their health

Here’s what I know about our wellness coaching clients, as well as the womxn in my life in general…

  • They’re givers.
  • They’re encouragers.
  • They’re builder-uppers.

They’re the ones not giving a second thought to sacrificing their own money, time, energy, or resources so that their loved ones can succeed.

Want proof?

If you’re a womxn reading this, which sounds easier to say “Yes!” to?

  1. Spending $150 on your daughter’s ballet class because she loves it.
  2. Spending $150 on yourself so you can meet with a wellness coach.

See?!  😉

We’re givers, and it’s an AMAZING part of being a womxn.

Just think how absolutely loved the people around us are, and how much better their lives are because of the love they receive from us.

Why investing in your health matters

But just like you can’t pour water from an empty bucket, you can’t show up for your friends and family in the way you want to if your health is suffering.

And because our bodies are amazing and continue to support us, bearing with the way we treat them for months or even years, it’s easy for us to feel like it’s not urgent to take care of our health.

Yet even if you feel like you should make a change, it’s often not motivating enough to take a step toward living a healthier life unless things get really bad.

So, do you just have to wait until they do get really bad?  Or is there something else that could motivate you to invest in your health right now?

Here is something I think can truly motivate a giver, an encourager, a builder-upper to take action for their own health:

Others will follow your lead.

  • If you’re an aunt – your nieces and nephews are watching.
  • If you’re a mom – your kids are watching.
  • If you’re a sister – your siblings are watching.

And it’s likely you want THEM to prioritize their health so they can live their most vibrant lives possible.

And – here’s a surprise lesson I’ve learned over the years…

Your loved ones want YOU to prioritize YOUR health so YOU can live you most vibrant life possible.

So you can be your most alive self.

So you can bring all the light and love and joy to your relationship with them.

So you can be confident, thriving, and using the gifts you’ve been given to make the world a better place.

So you can be proof that they too can do the same.

When you live this way, you pave the way for others to follow behind you.  This powerful quote says it well…

“We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”1

You living fully alive and well gives others in your life permission to do the same.

Take the next step to invest in your health

If you’d like a partner to help you do just that, we’re here for you!  We offer 30-minute free wellness coaching sessions to see if wellness coaching is right for you.

And our clients can attest that partnering with a wellness coach helps them live that vibrant, healthy life. Will you be next?

What our clients say…

  • “Confidence to be me”
  • “Seeing how strong I am”
  • “Loving and respecting myself”
  • “A health and wellness plan tailored to fit me because they asked the right questions to help me come up with that plan”
  • “Someone to remind me of my priorities and vision of health”
  • “An advocate for the change I want to see in myself”
  • They “facilitated discussions, helped me set goals, and push through limitations”
  • “Dedicated time to prioritize my health”
  • “Having the tools to take care of myself”
  • “Having more energy to meet the demands of my job”
  • Coaching “covered every aspect of whole-hearted living – mind, body, and soul”
  • “Help changing my routines and having lasting change”
  • “Losing the negative self-talk and finding your confidence”
  • “Helped me realize what’s important to me”
  • “Coaching brought a whole bunch of elements of my life into one place – whole person health”
  • “I’m working on mental wellness and spending less energy on negative self-talk and putting myself down”

Sources: 
1Gurteen, D. (n.d.) On our deepest fear by Marianne Williamson. Gurteen. Retrieved November 15, 2023, https://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/id/X0003E546/

Photo Sources:
Photo by Joseph Pearson on Unsplash
Photo by Josué AS on Unsplash
Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
Photo by leah hetteberg on Unsplash

Woman looking out over a city Be the best version of you!

How Travel Makes You Healthier

  • July 28, 2023July 28, 2023
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

We love talking about ALL the things that can help you live your best, healthiest, highest quality of life.  This often takes the form of exercise and healthy eating tips, but we know that a truly thriving life encompasses more than that.

So today, we’re going to chat about a fun healthy living topic – traveling!!

Sunset over a road

Why is traveling important to our health and having a great quality of life?

In fact, you might even be thinking, “Whenever I travel, my health DECREASES!  I’m out of my exercise routine, I’m not typically eating healthy foods.  How can it be HELPFUL to my health?!”

We know, we know.  We experience those exact things too!  But remember, that exercise and eating aren’t the only facets that make up a healthy lifestyle.

There are two amazing things we can gain from travel (well, likely more, but let’s keep this blog post on the shorter side, shall we?!).  Thanks to traveling, we get the chance to…

  1. Open ourselves up to other cultures, and
  2. Reflect on how we’re living our own lives
People gathered around a table

I (Brittni here!), just returned from a trip to Uganda and Kenya, so I got to experience these two things firsthand! 

Opening up to other cultures

Between traveling days and time in country, we spent around eight days in Uganda.  My husband had lived there for two years while in the Peace Corps before I met him, and since it had been so transformative to the man he is today, I knew I wanted to see it for myself.

It was a glorious introduction to the continent of Africa, because I was with a semi-local and because our mission was to get together with his old friends who became like family to him during that time.

Getting to finally see the places, experience the transportation (that’s an adventure all its own!), and hug the people I’d heard so many stories about was unreal.  I’m so grateful for these beautiful people who took in this foreigner and made him their brother.

Four adults and one child smiling
Three people smiling

We then took a short flight to Kenya to join forces with some fellow Pepperdine faculty members and several students who were on a two-week trip to serve, teach, and do research with a local ministry1 – one that invites street connected kids from the Nairobi slums to live in their boarding school (boarding schools are common there), get an education, and eventually receive job training.

A large travel group smiling

Not only were the kids incredible, but the folks who teach at and run the ministry were some of the most joyful, hospitable, and fun people I’ve met.  It was so inspiring to see people not only do their jobs but give their entire lives to the mission of helping these kids have a hopeful future!

Three people dressed up

So how did opening up to another culture enhance my quality of life?  Here are just a few ways…

I’m motivated to be a more generous, hospitable person who doesn’t need instant gratification to be happy:

  • Being on “Africa Time” makes me more patient and teaches me that I can endure.  I will not die if I have to wait for things
  • Being on “Africa Time” seems to infuse greater amounts of hospitality into an already generous people.  They’re never in a rush to end hanging out with you – they always hope you’ll stay longer, eat more, and spend more time with them
Woman hosting a feast

I’m more connected to others because I’ve experienced their way of life, and I want to learn how to connect even better in the future:

  • The Ugandan and Kenyan people are so creative and industrious
  • When you can speak at least some of the local language (shout out to my husband!), it opens up doors to more connection, honors the culture you’re in, and makes the trip more fun
  • African Milk Tea is fabulous – and worth the stomach issues whole milk causes me haha!
Tea kettle and cups

Reflecting on our own lives

Whenever you’re out of your normal, day-to-day routine, and especially when you’re in a culture very different from your own, it gives you time to reflect. 

You start asking questions such as:  How am I living my life?  Am I in alignment with what’s truly valuable?  Have I been too worried about trivial things?  Have I been too distracted to give my life to the important things?

Woman looking out over a city

Somehow, travel opens your heart and soul right up so these (sometimes) scary questions don’t feel as hard to tackle. 

It’s like your guard is down and you’re ready.  You’re ready to look your life in the face and say, “Is this a meaningful way to live?” 

And if not?  Then it’s good you asked the question!  Because your heart is open and you’ve been adventuring into and learning from other cultures, you’re able to see more clearly the changes to make to ensure you ARE living a meaningful life.

And if that doesn’t lead to living your healthiest life, I don’t know what does!

So, in the words of Mark Twain, may you…

“…throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sail.  Explore, dream, discover.”1

Cheers to your health!

Couple smiling in front of city lights

Resources:
1Made in the Streets ministry
2Mark Twain quote

Be the best version of you!

Helping Loved Ones Live Their Healthiest Lives

  • February 4, 2023February 4, 2023
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

We’ve all been there.

Watching someone we know and love dearly do things that aren’t good for them.

In fact, we’ve likely been that person, ourselves!

But what do we do if someone we love isn’t making healthy choices, and we long for something better for them?

We know these conversations can go poorly.  It can feel like we’re nagging them or telling them they don’t measure up, even if that’s not how we mean to come across.  So, it can be hard to know if and when to say something or how to offer our help.

A tool that is incredibly helpful in these situations is the Stages of Change model.

It says that each of us are in a different place when it comes to our willingness to change our behaviors.

And we can all be in a different stage for different behaviors – even different health behaviors.

For example, we can be farther along in changing our exercise behaviors than we are in changing our eating habits.

So, when thinking about our loved ones’ health, it’s important to understand what stage of change they’re at so we can meet them there. 

Mastering the skills to listen and determine where your loved one is in their willingness to change, and using the tools for that particular stage, will help them know they’re fully supported and encouraged, and you’re on their team.

And knowing you’ve got someone in your corner is extremely motivating.

Sources:
Moore, M., Jackson, E., & Tschannen-Moran, B.  (2016).  Coaching Psychology Manual.  Philadelphia, PA:  Wolters Kluwer.

Photo credits:
Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

A Day in the Life of a Guilt-Free Health…

  • February 28, 2022February 28, 2022
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

Sabrina wakes up ready to start her day.  She recently finished working with a wellness coach, and she’s excited to test out her newfound freedom.  Sabrina used to struggle with a lot of guilt and harsh self-talk when it came to trying to live a healthy lifestyle.  But after working with her coach, she learned to recognize when these thoughts would come up and how to react differently.

Initially, Sabrina planned to get up early and go for a run.  But her 2-year-old was up sick last night, so Sabrina let herself sleep in.  When this would happen in the past, she would sleep in, feel terrible about missing a workout, then move throughout her day with a low-grade feeling of defeat.  But this time, she was ready.  Because of sleeping in, she only had 45 minutes to exercise, get ready, and feed her son breakfast before jumping on a Zoom call for work.  So, Sabrina got her son’s breakfast ready and while he ate, she pulled up a 15-minute yoga workout and got some movement in before work.  “Normally I would have been so upset that I didn’t get a full hour of exercise in, but now that I know ‘everything counts’1, I feel good about what I could do this morning.  Not to mention, some stretches before sitting down to my desk felt good!”

Between each Zoom meeting that day, Sabrina alternated between playing with her son – who fortunately was feeling better throughout the day – and doing some air squats and walks around the house to move her body more.  A couple of times, her son joined in and tried doing squats with her!  “Just think,” she said to herself, “I used to be so upset about not getting my morning runs in, I wouldn’t do any other exercise because I thought I’d failed that day.  But now, my son gets to watch his mom get creative and move her body, and he’s having fun, too!  Definitely a win-win.”

By the end of the day, Sabrina feels fulfilled, but exhausted.  She knows some fresh air would do her good, so when her husband gets home, she suggests they go for a family walk.  On their walk, the “neighborhood grandma” sees them and rushes over to say hi.  After hearing their son was sick and Sabrina worked and took care of him that day, she brings out a fresh batch of cookies.  “You need this more than me – you had a busy day today!” she laughs.  Sabrina thanks her for the kind gesture and they take the cookies home.  

Once dinner is over and her son is asleep, Sabrina and her husband eat the cookies and chat about their day.  “Wow!”  Sabrina thinks.  “I’m actually enjoying these cookies.  I used to try to not eat ANY cookies, or I would eat ALL the cookies and not even taste them.  Either way, I would feel terrible afterwards.  But now, I can sit here, enjoy time with my husband, and really SAVOR these cookies.  I don’t have to feel bad about eating them.  I’ve made a conscious decision I’d like to eat these, I know eating treats has its place in a balanced diet, and I know how to slow down and truly relish the flavors.  All this means I’ll feel satisfied afterwards.”

At the end of a long, but good day, Sabrina hits the pillow grateful for the time spent with her wellness coach.  “I feel so much freer enjoying my food and moving my body.  And I know this freedom helps me be kinder to myself, which means I’ll keep wanting to take care of my body by moving it and fueling it well.  This is a much better cycle to be in.”

If you long to experience a guilt-free health journey like Sabrina, wellness coaching can help you do so!  Click here to get a free PDF to learn more, or if you’re ready to get started, click here to register for a free 30-minute coaching session!  We can’t wait to help you experience freedom on your health journey.

Cheers to your health!

Sources:
1Segar, M.L. (2015). No sweat: How the simple science of motivation can bring you a lifetime of fitness. New York, NY: AMACOM.

Photo credits:
Photo by OC Gonzalez on Unsplash
Photo by Shashi Chaturvedula on Unsplash
Photo by kabita Darlami on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

A More Life-Giving Way to Eat Healthier

  • October 4, 2021October 4, 2021
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

Lately, we’ve found our clients feeling pulled between two worlds:  either you’re giving into diet culture and overexercising or you’re embracing your body fully as it is, which means not changing it.

But often, there’s a third way, where we take the good from both sides.  

That may look like embracing your body as it is now and also opting to pursue habits that improve your health.  Not as a way to punish your body or make it fit a certain cultural mold, but as a way to care for your body and enable you to have the strength and energy to live life to the fullest.

If you find yourself wanting to pursue this third option, it can be tough to know how to adopt new health habits in a life-giving way.  What we eat can be an especially tough topic to enter into for a variety of reasons, including past experiences of dieting and restricting, which can lead to disordered eating.

But if you find your current eating habits aren’t supporting your health goals, where should you start if you want to make a change?

There are two things you can do for a more life-giving way to eat healthier:


1) Replace, don’t restrict

Different diets will often ask us to give up our favorite foods, leaving us feeling restricted and typically MORE tempted to eat those very foods!  This gets us into a cycle of restricting and later binging because we feel so restricted.

Instead of taking something completely off the table, first think about WHY you like eating or drinking it.  What does it do for you?  Does it help you in some way?

Once you’ve figured that out, start thinking about other food or drinks that may help you get the same thing, and also help you move forward with your health.

For some replacement ideas, check out this article and this infographic from Precision Nutrition.

2) Add, don’t subtract

In keeping with the “no restriction” idea, think about adding more nutrient dense foods to your meals, rather than taking away certain foods.  Often when you start filling up on things like fruits and vegetables, you don’t have as much room for the foods you’re trying to eat less of.

It is possible to eat and drink in a way that supports your health AND feels life-giving.  Instead of restrict and subtract, think replace and add.

Photo Credits:
Photo by Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash
Photo by Pablo Merchán Montes on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Are You Really Ready to Make a Change?

  • September 7, 2021September 7, 2021
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

Have you ever experienced the frustration of setting a goal for your health…perhaps it was to eat differently or exercise more, limit your social media time or go to bed sooner…and though you knew it was a good idea, you just couldn’t bring yourself to do it?

Then you feel frustrated and ashamed because you think you lack the willpower to do what you know is good for you.

Shame doesn’t propel you to make changes, rather it drives you to further unhealthy behaviors to cover up the discomfort it brings.

It can be such a hard cycle to get free from!

But something can help you stay out of this cycle, and it starts even before you try to put a new health goal into motion.

It is simply this:  recognizing the difference between “I’m thinking about making a change” and “I’m ready to make a change”.  

Thinking about making a change isn’t enough to propel you to carry out your new health goals because the desire to change hasn’t fully formed in you yet.  

That doesn’t mean that desire won’t come.  Eventually it does.  But setting goals when your own internal motivation isn’t ready to support you often means your goal will fall by the wayside, especially when there isn’t anyone or anything externally to motivate you.

How can you tell the difference between thinking about making a change and truly desiring to make that change?  Here are a few telltale signs of each:

Thinking About Making a Change:

  • You’re beginning to sense your current status quo isn’t all it was cracked up to be
  • You’re seeing the benefits to your health and life if you were to make this change
  • Though you see the benefits of changing, you still feel the benefits of staying the same.  If asked, you can easily list the pros of changing, but can also list the pros of staying the same
  • Your whole heart isn’t in it yet…rather you feel like you SHOULD make the change, but not that you WANT to make the change

Ready to Make a Change

  • You know this is something YOU want to change, rather than something you feel you MUST do or SHOULD do
  • The pros of changing far outweigh benefits of staying the same…”when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change”1
  • You’re in planning mode.  You’re not only figuring out the specifics of your new goal…what you will do and when and where you’ll do it…but you’re assessing challenges that will inevitably come up and what your backup plan will be

What does this look like in real life?

Let’s take a goal of eating healthier as an example.  If you were in the “thinking about making a change” stage, this would look like the following (in bold)…

Thinking About Making a Change:

  • You’re beginning to sense your current status quo isn’t all it was cracked up to be.  The way you’re currently eating makes you feel lethargic and bloated.
  • You’re seeing the benefits to your health and life if you were to make this change.  If you changed how you were eating, you would feel energetic and lighter, better able to tackle the demands of the day.
  • Though you see the benefits of changing, you still feel the benefits of staying the same.  If asked, you can easily list the pros of changing, but can also list the pros of staying the same.  You would list the pros of eating differently as more energy, feeling lighter, feeling more like yourself, feeling better inside.  You would list the pros of your current eating habits as more convenient, possibly cheaper, fulfilling the cravings you have for certain foods, and meeting the need for comfort after a stressful day.
  • Your whole heart isn’t in it yet…rather you feel like you SHOULD make the change, but not that you WANT to make the change.  You know that it would be “good for you” to eat healthier, but you don’t want to give up the treats you’ve been enjoying.

As you can see, being in this stage means experiencing ambivalence.  Though you’re thinking a change may be worthwhile, you still see the good in your current way of eating.

Now, what would this goal look like if you were in the “I’m ready to make a change” stage?  See below in bold…

Ready to Make a Change

  • You know this is something YOU want to change, rather than something you feel you MUST do or SHOULD do.  You’re not making changes to your eating because someone else is telling you to do so.  Even if you had no one checking in with you (loved ones, doctors, accountability partners), YOU would still want to make this change.  You’re excited and ready to get started.
  • The pros of changing far outweigh benefits of staying the same.  Though you know it will be tough to make changes, you’re so tired of not feeling good in your body that you see the pain of changing as less than the pain of keeping the status quo.
  • You’re in planning mode.  You’re not only figuring out the specifics of your new goal…what you will do and when and where you’ll do it…but you’re assessing challenges that will inevitably come up and what your backup plan will be.  You’ve decided to start by eating one vegetable at every meal. You know this will be challenging when you go out to eat for Tuesday trivia with your friends, so your backup plan will be to eat two vegetables during Tuesday lunches.

It’s a different feeling when you’re ready to make a change.  The excitement is there, as well as the thought process of how to implement these changes.

What happens if you find yourself in the “thinking about making a change” stage?  Should you be ashamed that you’re not further along?  

Though it’s understandable that may be your first thought, it works better in the long-run to have patience with yourself and not rush this process.  It’s natural for all of us to start with simply an idea to make a change, and then eventually it will blossom into full-grown motivation to reject the status quo.

There are things you can do in the meantime to help move yourself along the change continuum.  

First, seek out the help of a wellness coach.  We help people through the entire change process and know the questions to ask and support to give to help you move forward.  

Second, continue thinking through the pros and cons of changing AND staying the same.  Using a chart much like the one below is helpful.  

Finally, assess your personal strengths and how you could apply those to making the health changes you’re thinking about.  

For the example above, if your strength is organization, then you would be good at scheduling weekly meal planning, grocery shopping, and food prepping to ensure you eat one vegetable at each meal.

Discovering you’re only in the “thinking about making a change” stage is actually quite hopeful.  Your struggle to stick with your health goals is less likely due to a lack of willpower and motivation, but rather a need to let that motivation further develop. 

Sources:
1Quote attributed to Tony Robbins:  https://quotefancy.com/quote/922520/Tony-Robbins-Change-happens-when-the-pain-of-staying-the-same-is-greater-than-the-pain-of

Photo Credits:
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash
Photo by Kristopher Roller on Unsplash
Photo by Nikola Jovanovic on Unsplash
Decisional Balance Chart:  https://www.ahrq.gov/ncepcr/tools/obesity-kit/obtoolkit-tool14.html

Be the best version of you!

What Brings You Life?

  • March 24, 2021March 24, 2021
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

Do you know the answer to this question, “What brings you life?”  

Often this feels daunting to answer.  It’s easy for us to get caught up in the day-to-day urgent needs of those around us…what our kids need, what our jobs are asking of us, what our spouses or partners or friends or aging parents need.  

Add in all the daily things we do to simply keep life running, and we find ourselves unable to articulate or even know what would bring us life!

Be assured if you don’t know your answer(s) right away, you’re not alone and you don’t have to feel shame in not knowing.  

Rather, take this as your invitation to pause, peel off the veil of daily life and distractions, and ask yourself…

“If anything was possible, what would bring me life?”

What would fill your tank, get you excited or hopeful, or simply help you feel more (fill in the blank) or less (fill in the blank)?

What were those things you did as a kid or a younger adult that brought a smile to your face?

What would your loved ones say you enjoy?    

Why is figuring this out important?  As we slowly make our way out of a traumatic global experience, our bodies, minds, and hearts will need to heal.  

John Eldredge, a counselor, speaker, and author was recently discussing this season of healing as a guest on a podcast.  He mentioned one aspect of healing would be to “write a prescription for your recovery”1.  

In essence, write down what brings you life!  

Knowing what this is for you is the first step, which hopefully leads to the next step: finding ways to implement these things into your life more often.

It seems we all are in need of healing and doing more of what brings us life is one way we can walk down the road of recovery.

So…what brings you life?  

If you’d like help processing that out loud, wellness coaching might be right for you!  Check out our free PDF to learn if wellness coaching is what you’re looking for, then book a free 30-minute coaching session to try it out!  

Sources:
1Downs, A.F. (Host). (2021, March 22). John Eldredge + A year of the pandemic (No. 281) . In That Sounds Fun. That Sounds Fun Network.

Photo Credits:
Photo by Jimmy Dean on Unsplash
Photo by Colin Maynard on Unsplash
Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Rediscover Your Motivation

  • August 19, 2020August 19, 2020
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

Odds are, due to the pandemic, you’ve found at least some of your normal routines have been thrown off.  Whether it’s no longer commuting to work or the loss of a job, no gym to exercise at or group fitness classes to take, or being more isolated from community if you live alone or surrounded constantly by family members or roommates, it’s likely what you previously thought as “normal life” is not currently the case.

So, what do you do if you thrive from having routines?  How do you set yourself up for success in the midst of the uncertainty of how long shutdowns and social distancing will last?

The first step is the same way we start every initial wellness coaching session with new clients:  

Get really clear on what you want.


You can do this by asking yourself a variety of questions:

  • When I look back on this time, what do I hope I’ve accomplished?
  • Who do I want to be when this is over?1
  • What do I truly value?
  • What is important to me?  What are my top priorities?
  • What good do I hope will come from what I do (or don’t do) during this time?

Knowing what you want helps you know what direction to move forward in.  It parts the clouds of vague goals and feelings and the pressure of “I should do ___” and sheds light on what truly motivates you.  

Take 5-10 minutes today to write out your answers to the questions below (we put them in a journal page format for fun) 😊.  For added support and accountability, post a picture with your responses on our Instagram page or Facebook page with the hashtag #discoveringmymotivation so we can all be cheering you on. If you don’t want to post for the whole world to see, you can also direct message us your responses so only us coaches can see and respond. 

By thinking through these questions, you’ll have a better understanding of where you want to go and how you want to feel. 

And what do you think happens when you get really clear on what you want?  The next right step becomes a whole lot easier to see.  

Written by Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

Sources:
1Ponder, S., Acho, S., & Carter, S. (Executive producers). (2020-present). Home team: A new podcast [Audio podcast]. https://www.hometeampodcast.com

Photo Credits:
Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash
Photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash
Photo by Eye for Ebony on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

3 Tips if You Don’t Currently Have an Exercise…

  • August 12, 2020August 12, 2020
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

I don’t currently have a regular exercise routine, but I’d like to…someday

That’s great!  You’ve started thinking about adopting a regular exercise routine, which means you’re beginning to think of the benefits exercise might bring to your life!  Here are the 3 tips for you:

Get specific on what you’re hoping to gain
There’s a reason (or maybe several reasons!) you’re considering making exercise a habit.  What are those reasons?  Take a moment to answer the following questions to help you get really clear on this.  You can either jot down your answers, or talk them out with a friend or family member:  

What is the driving force behind the desire to change now?  Why now?

Picture yourself living your healthiest life.  In that picture, what types of exercise are you doing?  How are you feeling in your body?

If you’ve exercised in the past, what have been your best experiences to date with exercise, times you felt fully alive and engaged?

Getting clear on the reason you want to start exercising (or start again) helps you begin to get a picture in your head of what you’re aiming for, as well as start tapping into your internal motivation.  You’re much more likely to stick with goals set not from external motivation (I SHOULD do this), but rather, internal motivation (I WANT to do this).  

Consider what you bring to the table
Think for a moment about your strengths.  This can be a tough one, but I don’t want you to be modest here.  We all have strengths that we bring to the table, things that come more naturally to us or skills we’ve honed over time.  If it helps, think through strengths you exhibit in other areas of your life besides your health…what strengths shine in your work?  Your home life?  What strengths would your closest friends and family say you have?  Recognizing 1) that you DO have strengths and 2) what those strengths are can help you start to creatively leverage those when you begin to implement an exercise routine.  

For example, if one of your strengths is organization, it may be hard to spot initially how this would support a new exercise habit.  But actually, it’s an amazing strength to leverage for this!  You can much more easily see how to put exercise into your schedule, and how to organize your days so that you have time to exercise.

Assemble your squad
Yep-that’s right!  Even though creating an exercise routine that becomes a consistent habit is ultimately up to you, having a squad or team of folks in your corner can only help you.  

Think about it as the people along a marathon race course, cheering you on with handmade signs they made especially for you, or standing at fueling stations to hand out water or Gatorade.  Those marathon runners, though they’ve put in the time and effort, have not gotten to the finish line on their own, and the sooner you invite people into your desire to start an exercise routine, the better!  So start thinking about who would support you…family members, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and ask them to come alongside you as you begin to figure this out.  

For your next step, check out our IGTV for an IG Live about the Stages of Change, and assume that with exercise, you’re in the “Contemplation” phase.  This video will give you tips on how to progress through the stages of change and begin setting goals at the right time to ensure you the most success!  As always, feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions!

Be the best version of you!

3 Tips if You Struggle with Consistently Exercising

  • August 1, 2020August 5, 2020
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

I sometimes have a regular exercise routine, but struggle with consistency

First off, please know that you are not alone!  Sometimes this stage can just feel so FRUSTRATING right??  But all of us, whether we’re currently in this stage or not, have been here before and can relate.  So again-you’re not alone!  Now, for the 3 tips!

Consider it might not be a willpower thing
When we know we desire to make a change, or implement a consistent habit, AND we know the benefits of said change or habit, we can be really dumbfounded when we find it tough to follow through with the goals we’ve set for ourselves around these habits.  But consider this:  it might not be a lack of willpower.  It might actually be the stage of change you’re in, and the fact that you’re not yet ready to set and carry out goals around this behavior.  (If you haven’t had a chance to listen to our IG live about the stages of change, you’ll find it on our IGTV page!)  

When we start the process of wanting to change something in our lives, one of the first stages of change we go through is called “Contemplation”.  Contemplation is where you’re starting to see the benefits of changing…all the good that can come of adopting a regular exercise habit, for instance…and YET.  And this is a big YET.  There are still benefits to staying the same.  We may not recognize that right away, but there’s always a reason we continue with the status quo.  For example…you know that exercising will help you have more energy overall, but you also know that adding an exercise routine will mean less time with your kids after work.  See-there’s a benefit to NOT adding in an exercise routine.  So, what do you do if you realize…oh yeah, I’m still getting benefits from NOT changing?  That brings us to our next tip.

Think through the pros & cons
It sounds so simple, and if you’re like me, you’ve done pros and cons lists for big decisions like “where will I attend college?” and “should we move to this place and take this job?”  Shoutout to my Dad for getting me started with this!  But rarely do we stop to think about this for our habits.  

So take a bit of time…even 5 minutes would do!…to jot down all of the pros for adopting a regular exercise routine that you can think of, and all of the cons of adopting that routine.  For example, a pro would be “It can help me reduce stress” and a con would be “I have to wake up earlier to fit it in my schedule”.  Then, and this is the important part, make a pros and cons list for maintaining the status quo, as well.  For example, a pro would be “I don’t have to do the work of figuring out what type of exercise I like” and a con would be “I’d continue feeling a bit lethargic every day.”  

Build up the pros, and overcome the cons
This is the third and final tip.  After you’ve made your pros and cons list, is to continue adding pros to the “adopting an exercise routine” side over the course of the next several days.  Talk to friends or family about what you’re doing and see if they can brainstorm pros with you.  And always feel free to reach out to us as well!  The goal is to tip the scale in favor of the pros, which actually helps tip your internal motivation in favor of adopting an exercise routine.  And when the motivation turns from external (which can feel a lot like “I know I SHOULD do this”) to internal, you’re much more likely to stay consistent once you set goals, because it’s something you truly see the benefit of, want to do, and have chosen to do.  

BUT!  And this is an important BUT.  We cannot forget the cons, because usually these are barriers or challenges to you making exercise a consistent routine.  First off, know that it’s normal to have challenges-that’s true for all of us!-and it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong (in fact many times, it means you’re doing something right!).  But, thinking through ways to overcome these challenges PRIOR to goal setting will help you have a plan b, or c, or d in place BEFORE those challenges arise.  Once again, you can chat through these with a friend or family member to brainstorm ideas and backup plans to help you overcome these barriers.  Talking things out typically helps us see that there’s a way forward. 

Be the best version of you!

3 Tips if You Currently Have an Exercise Routine…

  • July 30, 2020August 1, 2020
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

I currently have a regular exercise routine and want to keep going

Amazing!  This most likely means you’ve done a lot of work to determine what works for you…what you enjoy, what is available to you, and how exercise fits into the rest of your life.  So, don’t forget to celebrate that!  And now, the 3 tips to keep you going and motivated are:

Don’t sweat the little things

If you miss a day here and there that you planned to exercise, don’t let it freak you out.  This is NORMAL and life happens.  Trust that you’ve built this as a habit, and just get back to exercising tomorrow.  Having grace and compassion for yourself in these times helps you continue to see exercise as a joy and privilege, rather than something you HAVE to or MUST do.

Mix it up

When a health behavior becomes a habit, you’ve moved into the Stage of Change called “Maintenance”.  If you haven’t had a chance to listen to our IG live about the stages of change, you’ll find it on our IGTV page!  The thing to watch out for when you hit the Maintenance phase is boredom.  So to prevent against boredom, see how far your creativity can take you.  How can you mix up exercise modalities, or locations, or goals?  And if you need assistance with this-simply reach out to us!  

Get inspired, not…tired

Finally, if you have current exercise routine, find ways to stay inspired, not tired.  What does that mean?  It means following accounts, reading books, listening to podcasts, and chatting with friends/family who are also pursuing exercise and health habits in ways that inspire you to keep going, while feeling good about and celebrating what you’re currently doing.  Additionally, watch out for times when you fall into comparison (which is essentially when you place your hard days/valleys next to someone’s best days/mountaintop experiences).  This can lead to feelings of guilt, like you’re not doing enough, which can then lead to discouragement and, once again, feeling like exercise is something you HAVE to do or MUST do.  A simple question you can ask yourself when you find comparison creeping up is “is this me or the people I’m surrounding myself with?”  If it’s you, find ways to mourn the tough or frustrating things happening in life right now, but then get back to work.  Possibly even find a way to encourage that person…it’s amazing what empowering others can do to raise our own spirits.  And it it’s the people you’re surrounding yourself with, figure out what you can learn from them, but make sure they’re not the loudest voices in your lives.  Remember-you’ll know a tree by the fruit it produces, so if guilt comes up and it’s not from you, it will be good to find some other trees.

Be the best version of you!

Let’s Dream a Bit

  • July 22, 2020July 22, 2020
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

A question to ask ourselves to help us navigate these uncertain times

Be the best version of you!

The Power of Conversations

  • June 29, 2020June 29, 2020
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

Wine nights.  

Bet you didn’t think that’s where this blog post was going, but here’s why I start there.

I love wine nights.  Not because I enjoy the wine or the good food which usually accompanies wine nights (though I do love those things!), but rather it’s what those wine nights typically bring about…

Deep, rich conversation.

There’s something about gathering together, each person not simply bringing food or drink, but their perspectives and personalities to contribute to the whole.  There’s something safe, secure, and warm about being invited to come together, to lay down whatever burdens you’ve been carrying throughout the day and share these with the friends and family you’re communing with.  It’s a time for encouragement, discussion, connection, laughter, tears, longing, and celebration.  

And all of this occurs because we’re conversing with one another.    

Though coming to the same place can be challenging during a global pandemic, we’ve seen how people are finding creative ways to gather together.  We’re recognizing we need each other, especially when we have barriers to seeing one another in person.

With the protests, laments, and calls for racial equality, the need for racial reconciliation weighs heavy on many hearts and minds.  

If you find yourself overwhelmed with everything that’s happened in the last few months, and wondered, “Where do we go from here?”, you’re not alone.  

Perhaps the next step to take isn’t flashy.  It isn’t postable.  It won’t require the use of hashtags or pictures.  Many people might be unaware you’re even doing it.  

But it will be powerful.

What is this next step?

It is simply this:  engage in deep, rich conversation.

With those who are like you and those who are not.  With those who have stories and backgrounds similar to yours and those who do not.  In creative ways when you need to socially distance.  With or without wine 😉 

Because when you think back on the times you’ve changed for the better or grown, it’s most likely not from a social media post.  It’s most likely not from something on your news feed.  Rather, it’s because you befriended and learned the story of someone different than you.  Or you were able to share your story with someone who listened well.  You engaged in deep, rich conversation and you emerged better for it, and so did those around you.  

Why do we believe so much in the power of conversations?  That’s actually what wellness coaching is all about.  Engaging in deep, rich conversations to bring about positive health changes that last.  We’ve seen it happen, not only as coaches but in our personal lives, as well.

Don’t be fooled though – doing this work won’t come with a lot of glory.  It will be hard and challenging and will require a LOT of humility.  And it won’t come with any Instagram or Facebook likes.

But it will be worth it.  

It will be worth it when we start to become the change we wish to see in the world.1

It will be worth it when we know we are loved and loving others in our community.  

And maybe, just maybe, we might all emerge from this pandemic with deeper friendships.  

And that is always a cause for celebration.  And wine.

Written by Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

1Quote by Mahatma Gahndi:  https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/24499-be-the-change-that-you-wish-to-see-in-the

Photo Credits:
Photo by Kelsey Chance on Unsplash
Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash
Photo by AllGo – An App For Plus Size People on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Exercise to Sustain You

  • May 14, 2020May 14, 2020
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

There is a beautiful thing happening right now, even in the midst of the darkness this pandemic has caused.

People are rediscovering a love for moving their bodies.

Many across the country are finding ways to get outside and simply take a walk or stay indoors and do a home workout (using whatever equipment they can find!).  

And why is this such a beautiful thing?  

Because the hope is that more and more people will realize exercise is not meant to be a punishment or something you should do or have to do.  Rather, it can be something that sustains you…bringing many health benefits and a greater quality of life along with it.  

Keep in mind, however, that exercise (and all of your health habits!) are meant to serve you, not the other way around.  

In times like these, it’s important to check in with yourself to understand what health habits would be helpful to you.  Habits like exercise, while something that produces so many benefits, is still a stressor.  

When you exercise, you’re putting a stress on your body, which tells it to produce favorable adaptations so it can be prepared to do those movements in the future, should you ask it to do so.  This is a wonderful thing, unless…

You’re already under a lot of stress.

Though exercise is a “good’ stressor, it is still a stressor.  We all have an allostatic load, or an amount of stress we can handle1.  In times when your stress levels are low, exercise-even intense exercise-can be a wonderful tool to help you feel your best.  But at times when stress is high, adding an additional stressor, even a good stressor like exercise, will cause harm.  This could show up in a variety of ways, from simply feeling overwhelmed to getting sick because your immune system can’t keep up.

Taking a moment to recognize how you’re doing and what your current stress level is can help you see what the next best step for your health would be.  In the case of exercise, perhaps that next step is one of the following…

  1. Simply starting to add more movement into your life
  2. Your usual exercise routine
  3. A gentler form of exercise
  4. A rest day

But quite possibly exercise and other health habits are the farthest thing from your mind.  

Perhaps access to safe places to exercise or healthy food isn’t an option right now.  Perhaps you’ve lost your job and are simply trying to keep food on the table and the lights on.  

As Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs shows us, we must meet our basic needs (food, water, warmth, rest, and safety) before we’re able to move toward thinking about other privileges like being physically active2.  If this is what you are experiencing right now, perhaps the most beneficial thing for you to do is provide yourself grace and surround yourself with the love and support of others. 

As you consider your current stress level and how health habits fit into that, we hope you’ll feel empowered to take the next step that serves your health and sustains you…right now, where you are.  And we’ll be here, cheering you on.

Written by Brittni Paris
Wellness Coach & Blogger

Sources:
Photo by Sue Zeng on Unsplash
1https://www.precisionnutrition.com/good-stress-bad-stress
2 https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Be the best version of you!

Healthy Living: The Great Experiment

  • March 3, 2020March 3, 2020
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

You have high hopes heading into the New Year.  You’re clear on your goals and you’ve determined steps for achieving them.  Your new year of life is looking bright, and no one can stop you!  But then…

Life happens.

You or one of your loved ones catches the latest winter bug going around.  Or you have big projects with fast-approaching deadlines to complete at work.  Or your parents are aging, and you decide to spend more time helping them do things around the house.  Or you begin a new semester and all the things you’ll have to do in a few short months are glaring at you from the syllabus.  Or you’re realizing the toll a new baby AND a toddler are taking on your energy.  Or your best friend is getting married, and you’ve taken on the role of bachelorette party coordinator…for 11 bridesmaids.

Can you relate?

It seems even when we set out with the best intentions to create a healthier life, things inevitably try to get in the way.

So, what do we do?

There is one big mindset shift that can change everything, and help you make progress on those goals:

Viewing healthy living as your great life experiment.

What does this mean?  Rather than looking at our goals as win-lose (it’s a win when you achieve them, and a lose when you don’t), you can look at them as win-learn1.  When you decide to learn from yourself and about yourself while working to achieve your goals, you find meaning even in the times you don’t succeed.  

You gather information, much like any scientist, from what worked, what didn’t work, and from there, you can determine what to do next time.  As you acquire information, you find ways to creatively overcome the obstacles that arise when “life” happens.

Additionally, you eliminate all or nothing thinking.  This mindset is more of a hindrance than a help on the path toward a healthier life.  All or nothing thinking says “I missed that workout, so I guess I’ll quit going to the gym this week, and start again next week,” or “I ate more sweets than I wanted to this morning.  I’ve blown it trying to eat healthier, so I’ll eat whatever today and try again tomorrow.”

All or nothing thinking tells us if we’re not PERFECTLY performing, we might as well not try at all.  But win-learn thinking tells us “Hey, that didn’t work, but what are the takeaways?  How can I be successful later today?”

Eliminating this perfectionism allows us to show kindness to ourselves.  I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather follow a thoughtful, kind leader than a harsh taskmaster. 

If you find yourself struggling to keep up with the goals you set for 2020, don’t despair.  Instead, find ways to adopt win-learn thinking and see those small wins add up to something big.

If you’d like assistance changing your mindset, you’re in the right place!  As wellness coaches, we coach you through setting and reviewing goals, so you can have dedicated time to being the investigative scientist into your own life.  Ready to make a dent in those goals?  Sign up for wellness coaching today!

Another helpful resource:  “Never press ‘pause’ on your health and fitness again.”2

Written by:
Brittni Paris
Wellness Coach & Blogger

Credits:
1Moore, M., Tschannen-Moran, B., & Jackson, E. (2016). Coaching psychology manual (2nd edition). Wolters Kluwer.  
2Precision Nutrition:  precisionnutrition.com
Photo by Charlotte Karlsen on Unsplash
Photo by Science in HD on Unsplash
Photo by Nicklas Bajema on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

What if the problem isn’t your motivation?

  • January 24, 2020January 24, 2020
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

Yep-that’s right.  What if the frustration you feel when trying to live a healthy lifestyle isn’t due to a lack of motivation or even willpower?  What if there was something else going on?

What if you don’t know what you really want?

Woah.  Let that sink in for a moment.  

“How could you even ask me that?” you might be thinking.  “Of course I know what I want!  I want a body that looks good in all my clothes and in pictures.  I want a body I love and I want to feel good in it.”

That’s all well and good.  But you may have simply scratched the surface into your true desires.  

Let’s experiment a bit.

Close your eyes, and picture yourself living your healthiest life.  What would you feel like?  What would be happening in and around you?  What would you be doing?  Where would you be?  Who would be with you?  

Get as detailed as possible with this picture in mind.  Then, ask yourself a very simple question:

Why?

Why do you want to feel that way?  Why did you picture yourself that way?  Why did you picture those particular people around you?  Why did you picture yourself doing certain things?

The reality is, we typically don’t sit still long enough to really dig deep into the motivation behind what we say we desire.  Because of this, we don’t truly know what we want!  

For example, when I picture my healthiest lifestyle, I envision waking up at sunrise, meeting up with friends for a morning surf session.  My body is strong and limber as I swim through the waves and balance on my board. The rush of the cool water and the waves is invigorating and stays with me for the rest of the day.  

Why does this picture come to mind?  Perhaps it reveals a longing to enjoy my favorite part of nature and share that love with those I most care about.  Perhaps it reveals a longing to prove to myself that I can hone the skill it takes to master surfing.  Perhaps what is means is, my real motivation for getting healthy is not only to look and feel good, it’s to experience connection with friends while fully enjoying this grand world-and THAT’S a powerful antidote to the lack of motivation I can at times experience.  

When what we really desire is this tangible to us, it’s tangible enough to make the necessary changes in our lives to make it happen.

This is good news.

It means you’re not worse than someone who seems to be crushing it with their healthy habits.  It means you didn’t miss out on some sort of motivation gene that others must have.  Rather, it means your motivation, your “why”, is in there, deep down.  It’s simply waiting for you to uncover it.    

Wellness coaching is the art of uncovering motivation.  If you don’t want to go through this process alone, sign up for wellness coaching today!  We love helping womxn find their motivation and live the healthy lives they’ve longed for. 

Written by Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

Photo credits:
Photo by Leighann Blackwood on Unsplash
Photo by Erke Rysdauletov on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Navigating the Holiday Season Well

  • December 16, 2019December 16, 2019
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

The holidays have an uncanny ability to bring up all kinds of emotions-ranging from joy, anticipation, and excitement, to dread, sadness, and loneliness.  It can be a wonderful time with friends and family or a tough time with friends and family.  Or perhaps a little bit of both!

A healthy approach to the holidays takes into account the emotions this season carries.  We care for ourselves more fully by recognizing the connectedness between our emotions and our physical wellbeing.  

A great practice is to be mindful this season of how you’re feeling.  If you’re experiencing negative emotions, ask yourself what need is going unmet.  Then, take steps to meet that need.  For example, take a break, get outside, say “no” to something, say “yes” to something, call a loved one, ask for help, or find a way to serve others.  If you’re experiencing positive emotions, ask yourself what need is being met, then pause for a moment of gratitude and recognize what led to that moment.

This mindfulness practice is not only helpful for our emotions and having our needs met (during the holidays and otherwise), but it can also help us with the more common healthy lifestyle practices:  nutrition and exercise.  

When we check in on our emotions and our needs, we may hear things like the following:

“I’m really feeling drained.  Perhaps the food I’ve been putting into my body is contributing to this.”

“I’m feeling a bit lonely and desiring connection.  Perhaps I should join my friend in that workout class.”

“I’m feeling very grateful for my health.  Perhaps I can embody that today by going on a run.”

“I’m feeling joyful and celebratory.  I’d love to make holiday treats for my coworkers and invite them to share in the celebration!”

“I’m feeling stressed out by the amount of holiday activities I said “yes” to.  I think I’ll ask for help where I need it, and respectfully bow out of activities that aren’t a high priority to me.”

“I’m feeling especially exhausted.  I think I’ll bypass my workout today and take a nap instead.”

You can see from these examples that checking in with yourself actually sounds very kind.  It’s like asking a friend, “Hey-how are you doing?  Is there anything I can help you with so you can thrive?”  

It’s also good to note that checking in with yourself doesn’t always mean the outcome will be choosing to work out or forgoing the sweets and treats of the holiday season.  The point, rather, is to trust the messages your body is telling you, honor those messages, and make decisions from there*.  

Why would we do this?  Ultimately, the healthier, more energized, and more fulfilled we are, the more present we can be to the events and activities of the season and to the people around us that we care about.  

When we’re present, we can actually notice how many blessings we have and see that truly, there are always things to be grateful for.  We can be fully alive and fully able to enjoy the moment.  And this is the path to true health-in mind and body.

One final thought: as wellness coaches, we walk you through listening to your feelings and needs, which shed light on your internal motivators and ability to succeed with the goals you set.  If discovering motivation to pursue your health goals is what you’ve been looking for, reach out to work with a wellness coach today!

No matter what you’re facing this holiday season, be it tough things, wonderful things, or a mixture of the two, we wish you an abundance of health and joy, peace and light.  

*If listening to your body is a foreign idea, or a very, very tough one due to years of shame toward your body, and/or experiences with disordered eating or eating disorders, know that there is hope.  One resource we’d like to suggest is Robyn of “The Real Life RD”.  Robyn does an excellent job of providing resources (paid and free) regarding this range of experiences.  Additionally, counseling is a great way to get assistance when we find ourselves hitting a wall in our pursuit of health.  

Written by: Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

Photo Credits:
Photo by Carolyn V on Unsplash
Photo by Alisa Anton on Unsplash
Photo by Craig Whitehead on Unsplash
Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash
Photo by Aaron Wilson on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Do Small Steps Really Matter?

  • October 30, 2019November 1, 2019
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

Dispelling the myth that a healthy lifestyle requires all or nothing commitment

Let’s start with a question.  When you’ve considered making health changes in the past, how many times have you thought you needed to completely overhaul your life to do so?

For instance, if you got your numbers back on a yearly physical and realized you could make some changes to get those numbers into a healthier range, would you start thinking the following…

“I guess I could eat a little better.  And that means I shouldn’t eat my nightly dessert anymore.  And I probably shouldn’t go out for fast food with coworkers each Friday.  And my Starbucks Frappuccino, that’s going to have to go.  And I’m only going to eat clean food!  I don’t actually know what “clean” means, but my friend Kim was telling me she was eating clean, so that seems like something I should do.”

“Oh, and then there’s exercise!  I’m going to have to hire a personal trainer.  Thankfully there’s a gym down the street and they have trainers.  I’m going to need that person to kick my butt.  I’ve been lazy, so I need that.  If I can’t find someone who makes me sweat, then it’s not worth my money!  Gotta sweat for it to count, right??”



Has this ever been the rabbit hole your brain has gone down when you’ve considered making changes for your heath?

If so, don’t worry!  You’re not alone.

We’ve seen for our clients and ourselves that this all or nothing thinking is pervasive when we consider making changes that impact our health.  It makes sense, as the fitness industry has made a lot of money advertising quick, “guaranteed” fixes to us.  These quick fixes aren’t typically sustainable and can be drastic in nature.  This leads us to think we need to make drastic changes to improve our health, otherwise we’re not doing it right.

But the problem with this thinking is we often get overwhelmed attempting to completely change our habits, and we simply quit and do nothing at all.

What if there was another way?

What if the goal instead was to move the needle forward, if ever so slightly?

Think about the following statement:

“I don’t have the capacity right now to hire a personal trainer and get to the gym, but I could take a walk once a week on my lunch break.”

How do you feel when you read that statement?

Does something rise up in you that says “But that’s not enough!  I need to be crushing it at the gym to be healthy!”?

Again, this all or nothing mentality is PERVASIVE.  This means it’s lodged deep down inside us.  The key, then, is to start recognizing when we jump to these grand conclusions about what we need to do to be healthy, and realize this…

The walk you DO take is far healthier than the gym workout you DON’T do.

When we realize the options are “do everything perfectly, but eventually get overwhelmed and quit because it’s not sustainable” or “make small, sustainable health changes that may not feel like a lot right now but will add up over time,” it starts becoming easier to see which is the better choice in the long run.

So the next time you start heading down the rabbit hole of all the habits you need to change to be healthier, we want you to picture a spectrum chart like the one below and think, “What would it take to move the needle forward?”


Remember-doing something small every day (or most days) adds up over time and is ALWAYS better and more beneficial to your health than the grand, “perfect” habits you eventually quit because they aren’t sustainable.

If you’d like assistance in figuring out what small, sustainable habits would move the needle forward in your life, you’re in luck!

That’s exactly what we help our clients figure out when they work with us.  Click here to sign up for wellness coaching and get started on making small changes that add up over time.  Your first appointment is free, so why not get started today?

Written by Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

Photo Credits:
Photo by Devin Edwards on Unsplash
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Why a Lack in Creativity is Keeping You from…

  • September 11, 2019
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

I was out on a morning run (I can usually talk myself into 1-2 of those per week), when I saw them.

A group of women, circled up, all wearing activewear and doing lunges.

“Okay,” you might think.  “That seems pretty normal.  What’s so interesting about this scenario?”

But what I didn’t mention was that these women were clearly moms.  How did I know?  They were all doing lunges…next to their STROLLERS.

“What an amazing idea!” I thought as I stopped listening to my podcast and pondered what I’d just seen.

These women represented a lot to me in that moment.
Women who were busy-but were still exercising.
Women who were consistently sacrificing for a little person (or people) they loved-but were still exercising.

Women who rallied together with others in their same stage of life-and helped one another keep exercising.

The biggest reason people give for not exercising is a lack of time1.  Though I didn’t know any of the women personally, I’m guessing they didn’t have a lot of time either.  If any of you currently have, or have had, kids who were still small enough to ride in strollers, you know that time is not your greatest resource.

But instead of giving up and giving into a perfectly understandable reason not to exercise, these women got CREATIVE.

They found others who would hold them accountable, all while empathizing with the ups and downs of having small children.  They found a space in a little corner of a park and figured out a creative way to exercise.

The point of sharing this story isn’t to say we all should mimic exactly what these women were doing, nor is it to shame us if we haven’t been exercising-whether due to little kids, lack of time, lack of workout partners, etc.  Rather, the point is to learn from these women.  On our journey towards health, sometimes a dose of creativity, like they exemplified, allows us to overcome obstacles to make the changes we desire.


So-how about you? 
Is there something in your health journey you’d like to change, but you can only see the barriers, challenges, or lack of resources standing in your way?
What would a dose of creativity do to help you overcome those obstacles and pursue the changes you want to make?
How can creativity fuel the healthy life you long to live?

Note:  Sometimes we can run out of ideas ourselves, and our creativity can be jogged by inviting someone else in to help with our health journey.  A wellness coach can do just that!  By meeting with a wellness coach, you have a guide, an outside perspective, looking at your health journey with fresh eyes.  Through a coach’s questions and reflections, you can dream up new options you’d never thought of before.  And someone just might be writing a blog post about how inspiring YOUR creativity was to them!

Want to keep that creativity alive and work with a wellness coach?  Simply follow the steps below and get started today!

 


Written by Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

Sources:

1Riebe, D., Ehrman, J.K. Liguori, G., & Magal, M. (Eds.). (2018). ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription(10thed.). Philadelphia, PA:  Wolters Kluwer Health.

Photo Credits:
Photo by Alvaro Reyes on Unsplash
Photo by Alexander Dummer on Unsplash
Photo by Sai De Silva on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Welcome to Smart Fit Womxn!

  • July 4, 2019July 4, 2019
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

Welcome to Smart Fit Womxn!  We’re so glad you clicked on this post.  Here you’ll find the one thing we think will revolutionize your health (spoiler alert:  it’s wellness coaching!), how we seek to serve you with your health goals, and how you can get started working with a wellness coach today!

You know you want to live a healthy life.  You want to look and feel your best, having energy to live out your full potential, be there for your kids and grandkids, or simply enjoy the body you’re in.  But each tip, trick, new exercise, or new diet you’ve tried has only left you feeling worse about yourself when you inevitably give it up because it’s not sustainable.

We get it.

It seems like new habits won’t stick, as if we’re all doomed to living in a perpetual state of unhealth and low energy.  Simultaneously, we’re bombarded with expectations of what we should look like to be beautiful, successful womxn.  The whole system makes us feel like failures.

Enter wellness coaching.

When you work with a wellness coach, you uncover your deepest internal motivation for why you want to get healthy, which will then inform the goals you set.  Why is this a better process?  Instead of listening to the outside voices of what you should be doing, you find what actually drives you and we help you leverage that to make sustainable changes. Turns out the magic happens when we stop “shoulding” on ourselves.

And you know what?  People are seeing success.

The research on wellness coaching is in its beginning stages, but the outcomes are promising.  When used as an adjunct therapy, coaching shows positive psychological outcomes for cancer patients, lowered A1C values for diabetics, and improved risk factors for heart disease patients1. And while more studies are needed, coaching has the potential to be a valuable method of helping with weight reduction in obese patients and effectively increasing exercise and healthy eating behaviors.1,2,3,4,5

Why this success?  Coaching helps you pair your personal motivators with your unique strengths and resources, so you can achieve your health goals in the midst of real life.

And that’s not all.

A wellness coach will help you clarify your own personal vision of health, which will take that ambiguous phrase “I want to be healthier” and turn it into a detailed picture of what success on your health journey looks like to YOU.

So, how do you get started?  It’s easy.  Simply follow the steps below:

  • Sign up here!
  • Watch for an email from us to set up your first online appointment (the first one is free!) and fill out a health form so we can get to know you better
  • Your coach will call you on Skype or Zoom when it’s time to meet!

We’re tired of seeing womxn feel like they’re failing at living healthy lives.  Let go of the old cycle of starting and quitting unsustainable health habits and begin working with us today!

 

Written by Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

 

Sources:
1Sforzo, G.A., Kaye, M.P., Todorova, I., Harenberg, S., Costello, K., Cobus-Kuo, L.,…Moore, M.  (2017).  Compendium of the health and wellness coaching literature. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 12(6):  436-447. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827617708562

2Clark, M.M., Bradley, K.L., Jenkins, S.M., Mettler, E.A., Larson, B.G., Preston, H.R.,…Vickers Douglas, K.S.  (2015).  Improvements in health behaviors, eating self-efficacy, and goal-setting skills following participation in wellness coaching.  American Journal of Health Promotion, 30(6):  458-464.  https://doi.org/10.4278/ajhp.140627-QUAL-304

3Blackwell, J., Collins, M., Scribner, C., Guillen, J., Moses, K., Gregory-Mercado, K.  Health and wellness coaching implemented by trainees: impact in worksite wellness. (2019).  Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 8.  https://doi.org/10.1177/2164956119831226

4Rutten, G.M., Meis, J.J., Hendriks, M.R., Hamers, F.J., Veenhof, C., Kremers, S.P.  (2014). The contribution of lifestyle coaching of overweight patients in primary care to more autonomous motivation for physical activity and healthy dietary behaviour: results of a longitudinal study. Int J Behav Nurt Phys Act., 11(86).  DOI: 10.1186/s12966-014-0086-z.

5Lancha, A.H., Sforzo, G.A., Pereira-Lancha, L.O.  (2018).  Improving nutritional habits with no diet prescription details of a nutritional coaching process.  Am J Lifestyle Med.  12:  160–165. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827616636616

Photo Credits:
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
Photo by Jerry Wang on Unsplash
Photo by Court Prather on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Want to Live Your Healthiest Life? Three (More) Behaviors…

  • April 26, 2019
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

Last month, we discussed three behaviors to reflect on that can move us forward in our health journeys. You can check that out here if you missed it!

This month, we’re talking about three more behaviors you can start today.  Rest assured, these are not meant to upend your life, but rather they are small tweaks that, over time, will actually have a large effect on your health.  Small steps, when taken consistently, add up to big change. (For more on this topic, check out Aimee Suen and her Small Steps podcast!)

As a reminder from last month, you can look at each of these behaviors through the lens of the diagram below, answering “yes” or “no” according to what you’re already doing. Based on your answer, the diagram will give you the next step(s) to take.

Are you ready?  If so, snag your journal or piece of paper so you can jot down your answers as you think about them.

3 more behaviors (broken down into smaller parts) that will help you live a health-filled life:

  1. Planning
    •  Nutrition
      1. I schedule time to make a shopping list and shop for groceries (either online or in person)
      2. I plan ahead for when I will cook or meal prep
    • Movement
      1. I plan out when I will exercise each day (and have a back-up plan in mind for when “life” happens)
    • Money
      1. I plan how I will spend my money so I’m not (unpleasantly!) surprised at the end of each month
    • Rest and rejuvenation
      1. I build in transition time between running from one thing to the next
      2. I keep open space on my calendar for resting and relaxing
      3. I plan specific time to do things (either by myself or with loved ones) that rejuvenate me
  1. Social support
    • Time
      1. I make time for relationships, especially top priority ones
    • Help
      1. I ask for help when I need it and offer to help others when I am able and willing
    • Teammates
      1. I have people in my life who are cheering me on to be the best version of myself

  1. Spiritual
    • I take time to pray, meditate, journal, reflect, be in nature, be with community, or some other practice to promote the health of my soul
    • I have a place or people I can go to, and/or habits established that cultivate peace of mind and rest from the constant busyness of life

Remember, as you go through each of these, it’s important to pause and celebrate the things you’re already doing.  Well done! Recognize the benefits you’re receiving from incorporating these things into your life and keep it up.  If you’re not already practicing some or all of these things, this is not a cause for shame.  Rather, this is a place to start, and we suggest picking one behavior at a time on which to focus your efforts.  As we said before, small steps, when taken consistently over time, will add up to big change.

As we close out this two-part blog series, we wanted to give you a bonus behavior that will help you live your healthiest life:  seeking professional help.  This can come in an array of forms, from counseling, to chiropractors or physical therapists, to personal trainers, to doctors, to dieticians/nutritionists, and, of course, wellness coaches!

It is never a sign of weakness, rather it is a sign of strength, to ask for professional help when you feel stuck in your progress, or you just want someone who has the tools to help guide you on your health journey.  If you think this would be right for you, take the next step today to get connected with one of these providers.

As always, we would be honored to work with you as your wellness coaches!  Feel free to reach out on our website, Facebook, or Instagram, and we’d be happy to provide you with more details.

Until next time, cheers to making progress on your health journey!

Written by:
Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

 

Photo Credits:
Photo by rishikesh yogpeeth on Unsplash
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Photo by Peter Boccia on Unsplash
Photo by Juan Jose on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Want to Live Your Healthiest Life? Three Behaviors You…

  • March 1, 2019May 1, 2019
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

Over the past two months, we’ve been discussing the difference between focusing on weight loss and focusing on healthy behaviors (you can catch up by reading this and this!).  But what exactly are the behaviors that will lead to living our best, healthiest lives?

For starters, it’s not the typical “overhaul everything in my life that’s unhealthy and only do healthy things from here on out” sort of lifestyle.

If you’ve ever tried that approach, you know it’s extremely hard to maintain.  Instead, we advocate for a more gracious approach in light of all the things you’re already doing in your life:  working, parenting, going to school, maintaining relationships, being awesome, etc.

So, to keep us from the all or nothing approach, a helpful way to think about these behaviors is through a simple check-in with yourself.  Ask “Am I pursuing this already?” and if so, take a moment to celebrate the ways you’re currently prioritizing your health and the benefits these behaviors have brought to your life.  If you’re not pursuing a behavior, have compassion on yourself.  We all have to begin somewhere, and we all (including us wellness coaches!) have things we can do to improve our health.  So, consider which behavior you would like to start, then jot down the next small step you can take to begin incorporating this behavior into your life. Here’s a diagram you can use as you peruse the list at the end of this post:

Notice that working on one behavior at a time is plenty, especially if you’re in a particularly busy season of life.

Change takes time and effort, so we’re more likely to stick with something when we allow ourselves to focus on one change at a time, and set small, achievable goals around that behavior.  Then, when we see success, we’ll gain the confidence and momentum to continue.

Are you ready?  If so, grab a pen and paper, or open up a Word doc or “Notes” app, and consider these behaviors using the diagram above:


3 behaviors (broken down into smaller parts) that will help you live a health-filled life:

 

  1. Paying Attention
    1. Nutrition
      1. I take a moment to recognize how my food/drink made me feel after consuming it, and whether I have higher or lower energy afterwards.
      2. I pay attention to whether or not my food/drink choices bring me pleasure when consuming them.
      3. I know whether or not I feel better abstaining from certain things rather than trying to eat/drink/experience them in moderation.
    2.  Movement
      1. I check in to see how I feel after I take time to exercise, and whether I have higher or lower energy afterwards.
    3.  Rest
      1. I check in to see how I feel after taking a nap or getting adequate sleep at night.
    4.  Hobbies
      1. I check in to see how I feel after taking time to do something I love, like a hobby, favorite pastime, spending time alone or with a close friend/family member.
    5.  Energy
      1. I pay attention to what gives me energy and what drains my energy.
      2. I recognize that I am an introvert/extrovert and need alone time/people time to fuel me.
  2. Nutrition
    1. I shop the perimeter of the grocery store when my budget allows, so that I can consume less processed foods.
    2. I cook a majority of my meals at home so I have more control over the ingredients I ingest.
    3. During a majority of my meals, I ensure half of my plate consists of fruits and vegetables.
  3. Movement
    1. I have scheduled time to move/exercise in a way I enjoy.
    2. I creatively find ways to move daily, even outside of scheduled exercise time.

We hope this reflection exercise encourages you as you think about the behaviors you’re already doing, as well as the behaviors you can start today to be on the path to your healthiest life.  Join us on April 1 for the next post about three more health behaviors you can consider for your health journey!

 

Written by Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

Photo Credits:
Photo by Chris Murray on Unsplash
Photo by Emma Dau on Unsplash
Photo by Luis Quintero on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

What Exactly is Wellness Coaching?

  • December 11, 2018December 11, 2018
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

We’re so glad you asked! You may have seen us posting that we’re offering a holiday deal on wellness coaching (if not, check this and this out!), and wondered what it is.  You are not alone!  Wellness coaching is relatively new to the health and fitness scene, so we’d love to share what it is and how it can be beneficial to you on your health journey.

Many of us know the basics about what we should do to live a healthy life.  We generally know that we should exercise, eat healthy, get enough sleep, have healthy relationships, and not stress out too much.   We may even know some of the details about how to do these things.

But, many of us aren’t doing what we know we should do to live healthy lives.  Why is that?

There can be a variety of reasons, ranging from a lack of time or energy in the midst of a busy life, to feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to start.  We may also lack access to safe places to exercise, healthy food
options, or support from loved ones to make healthy choices.1 These are just a few of the barriers we face when considering making healthy changes.

So, we find ourselves in a place of having some knowledge, but little success in implementing that knowledge into our everyday lives.  This can make us feel like living a consistently healthy life is frustrating and discouraging, rather than what it is supposed to be:  freeing and life-giving.

Enter wellness coaching.

Working with a wellness coach can help you bridge the gap between knowing what you should do and actually doing it.  You can think of us like a guide on your wellness journey:  someone who comes alongside you, helps you clarify what a healthy life means to you (we call it your Wellness Vision), and points out the strengths and resources you have to succeed.  We work with you to figure out how you can live the healthy life you want, even in the midst of your current circumstances.

 

How is this different from other “get healthy” schemes, you ask?

This is a great, and necessary, question.  Unfortunately, there are many quick fixes and gimmicks out there (haven’t we all tried at least one?), that usually leave us feeling more discouraged than when we started. There are two main differences between wellness coaching and these schemes:

  1. Wellness coaching isn’t concerned with fast results, but rather sustainable change.  In fact, it’s backed by research to help produce changes that last.
  2. Wellness coaching is designed to have YOU in charge. Though we coaches are trained and educated to give you the best information out there, you are actually the one who determines what changes you want to make, what goals you want to pursue, and how you want to go about doing so. Wellness coaching is tailored to you and your autonomy, which means you’re more likely to stick with healthy habits and goals…because you’re the one who made them!

We hope this gives you a bit of clarity on what wellness coaching is and how it can benefit your health journey.  But don’t simply take our word for it.  You can also hear from our clients about the successes they’ve found thanks to wellness coaching.

Our goal here at Smart Fit Chicks is to help you define your vision of health and feel empowered to become the best version of yourself.  If you’re ready to get started, sign up for wellness coaching today!  If you have any questions about coaching, feel free to reach out to us here.

We can’t wait to join you on your journey to health!

Written by Brittni Paris, SFC coach and blogger

 

Sources:
1Riebe, D. (2018).  ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription(10thed.).  The American College of Sports Medicine.

Photo Credits:
Photo by Florian van Duyn on Unsplash
Photo by Bewakoof.com Official on Unsplash
Photo by Nqobile Vundla on Unsplash

 

Be the best version of you!

Taking the Long View

  • October 26, 2018
  • by Smart Fit Womxn
Growing up in Nebraska, you learn there are two things you learn:
  • Always say “hi” to those you pass, whether you know them or not.
  • Remain a Husker football fan for the rest of your life, no matter where you live.

As you can imagine, this first one can be awkward when you live in larger cities, or places where folks aren’t used to being talked to by strangers.  And yet, I’m grateful for this being instilled in me, as it makes every place feel a bit more communal.  The second item, I embrace with gusto, even though I’ve lived in four different states since I left Nebraska.

Read more “Taking the Long View” →

Be the best version of you!

Fall Fitness Tips

  • October 6, 2018October 6, 2018
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

Is fall your favorite season?  If so, perhaps you’re getting excited to break out the scarves and boots, spend evenings wrapped in a blanket out by the firepit, or simply surround yourself with pumpkin everything.  However you plan to spend fall this year, we’ve got five tips to keep your fitness on point:

Know what you want to achieve and why it matters

Getting a clear picture of what being healthy and fit means to you is the first step toward achieving your health goals.  As Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else.”1  Additionally, getting clear on why being healthy is important to you and the good that can come of it is an excellent motivator to make your picture of health a reality.

Reflect on the strengths you bring to the table

Did you know the strengths you bring to other aspects of your life can bring you success on your health journey?  Sometimes we forget this and compartmentalize our strengths to certain areas of our lives.  But you can leverage your unique skills and talents to overcome challenges and achieve your goals.  Have your organizational skills made your family’s lives and schedules simpler?  Does your aptitude to dive deep into research and come out with understanding make you an amazing professor?  What about your ability to gather friends around you and form a solid community?  Organizing meals for the week, diving into nutrition research, and gathering friends for workout classes are just a few ways these strengths could be translated to your health journey.  When you know the strengths you bring to the table, you are better able to use those in pursuit of any goal, including your health goals.

Consider potential and probable challenges you’ll face

It can be frustrating when you’re motivated and excited to start new health habits, and you find yourself meeting challenges and setbacks.  But, knowing these will come in some form or fashion can help you plan for them beforehand.  As we’ve mentioned before, when you’ve planned to fail, you can have a method in place to help you navigate challenges and stick with the habits you’re building.

Leverage support from your surroundings

If you were to pause for a moment and think about the people in your life and the resources you have access to, you may find things in your surroundings that can help you be successful on your health journey.  Who in your life can support you if you asked them to?  What resources do you have nearby or in your home that you could draw on to help your vision of health become a reality?  Simply asking for help and getting a little creative can make a big difference in accomplishing your goals.

Recruit back-up

As mentioned in the first tip, sometimes we experience failure merely because we do not have a vision of what success on our health journey means to us.  If you’re interested in determining what your vision is, and having a partner join you on this journey, wellness coaching could be right for you!  When you work with our wellness coaches, they’ll help you gain clarity on your vision, and walk you through the tips above (and more!) so that you can look good, feel good, and live the healthy life you long for.

If you’re ready to focus on your fitness this fall, following these five steps is a great start.  And don’t forget to add wellness coaching to the list of all the quintessential fall things you’re enjoying!

 

~Written By Brittni Paris, SFC Wellness Coach and Writer

 

 

Credits

1 https://www.forbes.com/quotes/10405/

 

Photo Credits

Photo by Alex Geerts on Unsplash

Photo by Charis Gegelman on Unsplash

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

 

 

 

Be the best version of you!

Back to School + Thoughts on Healthy Habits

  • August 29, 2018
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

It’s that time of year again-back to school!  Whether you’re a mom, a relative of school-aged kids, an employee at a school or university, a student yourself, or simply noticing all the school supplies showing up at your favorite stores, it’s hard to miss the transition back into the school year.

Regardless of your involvement with school, there are a few ways we can use this change of the season to benefit us on our health journeys:

Take advantage of the “Clean Slate” phenomenon to start new habits.

When we experience a change (a new season, a move, a new rhythm of life), we can use this “Clean Slate” to our advantage, as it is an excellent time to begin new habits.  Why?  Those new habits are more likely to stick!  We associate new habits with a fresh season of life, which helps our brains recognize that this is simply our new normal.  For more information on this topic, check out the post, “So Fresh and So Clean”.

Cultivate grace and patience for yourself.

If you are directly affected by a new school year, you may find your summer routine thrown for a loop!  Recognize that it is normal to be a bit shocked when your day-to-day schedule suddenly changes, and most likely, becomes much busier!  If you find it’s difficult to maintain the healthy habits you developed this summer, take it as an opportunity to show yourself grace and patience.  Give yourself the opportunity to get used to your new schedule, and time to figure out what habits you’d like to keep or change now that you’ve switched into school mode.

Revise your habits or routine to fit your current life situation.

Michael Hyatt and his daughter, Meghan Hyatt Miller, talk about this process on their podcast for high-achieving leaders.  Though many of their recommendations are applicable to running businesses, they can also be useful when we look at our personal routines.

They discuss when we are revising or creating new routines, we should begin with the outcome we want in mind.  For instance, what healthy habits do you want to incorporate during the school year?  Once you know this, you can think about what needs to be true for you to successfully implement those habits now that the school year is underway.  Then, you can “reverse engineer” the process, which is essentially working backward from the outcome you’d like to see, thinking through all of the aspects of your new school schedule, and creating new habits or routines that fit into that schedule and help you reach your desired outcome.   They also encourage listeners to remember that you may have to go through this new routine several times before you find something that actually works.  This is another reason to have grace and patience for ourselves as we set out to create new habits and routines.

As you embark on a new school year (or watch others do so), thinking of it in terms of an aide to reassess and/or begin new healthy habits, rather than something that is detrimental to your summer healthy habits, can enable you to take advantage of this new season of life.

Cheers to your best school year yet!

Written By: Brittni Paris, SFC Blogger and Wellness Coach

 

Sources:

Hyatt, M., & Hyatt Miller, M. (2018, August 14). Engineering Success:  How to create with the end in mind. Lead to Win Podcast. Podcast retrieved from https://michaelhyatt.com/podcast-engineering-success/

 

Photo Credits:

Photo by Renan Kamikoga on Unsplash

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash

 

 

 

Be the best version of you!

For the Love of Exercise

  • August 9, 2018
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

How often do you do the things you should do?  For instance, we should floss each day.  We should get a good amount of sleep each night.  I don’t know about you, but many times I find it difficult to maintain habits I know I should do, but I don’t actually enjoy.

The benefits of exercise for our health have been heralded for a while now.  Not only does exercise help us feel good physically, it helps us feel our best mentally and emotionally as well.  So really, we all should be exercising regularly.  If you’re struggling to maintain a consistent exercise schedule, could it be because you really don’t enjoy exercise?

It’s a perfectly fine thing to admit.

There can be various reasons why we might not enjoy exercise.  Some of us have had bad experiences being forced to exercise when we were young (“that’ll be 3 laps around the gym for showing up late to PE” – sound familiar to anyone?).  Some of us loved being a part of a sports team, but once we left school, we found it hard to enjoy exercising on our own.

Whatever your reason for disliking exercise, let me reassure you that admitting your distaste is the first step toward enjoyment.  You can then ask yourself the following questions:

What specifically do I dislike about exercising?

Perhaps certain types of exercise you’ve tried cause pain in your body (more than light muscle soreness), or perhaps you haven’t found the type of exercise that seems fun to you.  Maybe running hurts your knees, but a Pilates class is more your style.  Or maybe a spin class isn’t fun to you, but you find satisfaction lifting weights.  Once you find out the reason(s) you dislike exercise, you can start to explore different options to find a type of physical activity that suits you.

Do I have a standard of exercise I think I must maintain?

Dr. Michelle Segar mentions in her book, “No Sweat”, that many of us believe we must exercise at a certain intensity and for a certain amount of time for it to “count”.  So, if you think you must exercise hard for a full hour for it to matter, and you’re not able to fit an hour of exercise in each day, you may find yourself discouraged.  If exercise is seen as a source of discouragement to you, it can be pretty difficult to enjoy it!

The reality, though, is that all exercise counts.  As Dr. Segar explains, exercise guidelines can come across as confusing in this manner.  When we as health professionals talk about getting “30 minutes per day of moderate intensity exercise at least five days per week for health benefits”, it can be misunderstood that if someone doesn’t reach that exact amount, then the exercise they did was useless.  This can lead to all or nothing thinking: “If I can’t get 30 minutes in each day, then I won’t exercise at all.”  It seems extreme, but if we’re honest, many of us fall into this line of thinking.  Changing our thinking to remember all exercise counts can help us defeat our discouragement.

Have I stopped to consider the benefits?

If you’re trying to exercise regularly but finding it hard to build this as a habit, you might try considering the immediate benefits you receive from exercise.  How does your mood change from before exercising to after exercising?  Are you less stressed?  Happier?  How does your body feel?  Do you have more consistent energy as you go through the rest of your day?  Do you feel stronger?  Taking a moment to reflect on the immediate benefits you receive from exercising can help your brain to see it as a reward you give to yourself.  When your brain recognizes exercise as a reward, it is easier for you to solidify exercising as a habit.

If you currently dislike exercise, there is no reason to be ashamed.  However, don’t let that stop you from exploring the reasons why.  Once you do, you might find you actually enjoy, and quite possibly, even love exercise.

 

Written By Brittni Paris, SFC Blogger and Wellness Coach

Sources:

Segar, M.L. (2015). No sweat: How the simple science of motivation can bring you a lifetime of fitness. New York, NY: AMACOM.

Photo Credits:

Photo by Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash

Photo by Danielle Cerullo on Unsplash

Photo by Elizeu Dias on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be the best version of you!

A Healthy Life For Good

  • July 1, 2018July 1, 2018
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

Have you ever found yourself in this situation?  You decide you’re going to get healthy.  Now is the time and you’ve made up your mind to do so.  You buy new workout clothes and shoes.  You find a running partner or sign up for a gym membership.  You purchase the latest meal delivery service or buy more leafy greens at the store than you know what to do with.  You KNOW this is the time when you’ll start living a healthy life for good.

 

And then…you stop.

 

Life happens, old habits creep back in, and suddenly you’re back to where you started.  Except this time, you’re a bit more skeptical that you could actually live a consistently healthy lifestyle.  You blame it on a lack of motivation and wonder why you can’t just get it together.

Read more “A Healthy Life For Good” →

Be the best version of you!

The Beauty of Reflection

  • April 22, 2018
  • by Smart Fit Womxn

When you were little did you own a diary?  Maybe it was one with hearts on the front that came complete with a key so that no one could steal it (and read about your crush at the time).  Or was that just me?  😉

The great thing about having a diary, a journal, or taking pictures is that it gives us something to look back on.  We can look back at what we wrote in our journals two or three years ago and see how much we’ve grown-how we were able to work out a problem or gain perspective about who we are and what we value.  Read more “The Beauty of Reflection” →

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