I’m a working mom who naturally loves to put others first, and I know I’m not the only one! Getting active has been a way to give some of my energy back to myself. For this month of June, I want to shine a light on my approach to fitness and how I’ve incorporated technology as a tool to help me reach my goals.

Before I dive in, I want to note my reason for writing this blog post: it helps to feel seen, and to see others similar to you who are making progress toward milestones that resonate—so I hope reading about my journey can be a help to you, and make you feel less alone on your path toward getting active.

Health Journey | Where It All Began

Like so many people, I was more physically fit in my younger years; as a teenager and throughout my 20s and even early 30s I kept my physical self in better shape. But as I got further into business and entrepreneurship, life became more stressful, and the desire to serve and appease everyone else in my schedule took hold. Something had to give! My fitness became the sacrificial lamb.

Now, well into my 40’s, I’m back-tracking, even scrambling, to try to get back to my fit self. I’ve tried a number of different approaches: less food and more water, small meals, intermittent fasting, bars only, blah blah blah... needless to say, none of those stuck with me.

Here’s what did: Figuring out what I need to sustainably exercise, and cultivating an approach to eating that makes it understandable and still fun.

How My Mind Set Started To Change

Let’s talk it out even further, starting with getting yourself moving. Two concepts come into play here for me: consistency and self-value. Prioritizing myself regularly, while meeting all of my other obligations, continues to be difficult. I have to remind myself that there's honestly no one who can replace me as a mom. I’m the only one that can run my businesses. (Not to take credit away from an amazing team, their skills and willingness, this is simply the reality of where it's all at right now.)

Consistency and valuing my unique positions in my life are what I’m aiming for each day. I strive to remind myself why I need to cultivate a healthier version of myself—not just for my own well-being, but so I can show up and serve the people in my life who matter most. The reality is that I cannot consistently perform my best, at either work or home, if I’m neglecting my own health.

Sustainability

When getting ready to get active, I try to set myself up for success by making sure my workouts are sustainable. Presently, I have to exercise with a trainer to get the accountability, the support, and the privacy that I need. I hope to one day get back to using my home gym, but right now; honesty with myself and consistency is the rule. In order to be consistent, I can’t rely on the romantic ideal that I’ll find time to work out at home, and I’m not being honest with myself or maintaining a realistic perspective, if I put that expectation on myself. Paige at Pure Barre in Holland, Michigan burns my buns (literally), and Lara at Living Strong is a heavy hitter of experience, they are my go-to supporters.

If I’m super quiet from the overwhelm of my businesses, or if I’m chatty after an event, or even if I’m dressed crazy with a silk blouse and pearl adorned socks because some of my workout clothes were left at home or in the office, they don’t care! My work is very social and public, so having that level of understanding in my private time matters to me. My goal each week is 4-5 days of showing up to exercise, no matter how stressed or plate-heavy I feel.

Ultimately, I show up because I’m aiming to consistently value myself, and because I’ve made my workouts sustainable.

Health | Fueling My Body

When it comes to how I fuel my body, I’ve spent some of my focus on trying to make sure all of the ingredients in the foods I’m eating are words I can pronounce. Seems simple enough, right? But once you start looking at your food shopping from this perspective, you’ll quickly realize it can be challenging to get away from the more processed foods that are easy to find in our grocery stores.

My Go To Breakfast:

My go-to breakfast involves putting leaves and twigs (as I call them) in a blender with collagen and aminos. To be more exact: kale, broccoli, celery, mint, blueberries, fresh lime or lemon, perhaps a frozen banana if I’m fancy that day. I make a total of about 24 ounces and I chug it down. It’s not always pretty, but it fills me to a point where a donut can’t even squeeze in!

Meal Prepping:

Another step I’ve taken is meal prepping with my two youngest children for lunch, typically on Sunday afternoons, for the week ahead. Some examples include: colored peppers, cheeses, berries, greens, and savory meats. Quality time spent making sure we’re eating healthy, what better way to bond than over fresh foods that fill us up right?

Food Choices:

Dinners at our house are typically Mediterranean, with many varieties of meats, vegetables, avocado oil, cheeses, and garlic. I typically hold off on the bread and potatoes, unless it’s a splurge day!

When it comes time for dessert, I have to confess that we love our Hudsonville ice cream and Cranes Orchard pies (which are local to us in Michigan.) Those are my weaknesses!

Alcohol truly is kept at a minimum, I become too lethargic and sluggish the next day even with small quantities. Celebrations matter and specialty cocktails have my heart, so when I do partake it’s pretty and purposeful.

Stop Restricting Yourself

Referring back to sustainability and self-value, it’s important to note that I don’t restrict myself at the expense of functionality, nor do I connect a failure of achieving my own diet goals with a failure of self.

Keeping in mind these approaches to fitness and fuel for our bodies, I’ve looked into how technology can assist me on my unique journey.

Concierge Medical. If you haven’t heard about it I recommend that you search your area for participating doctors. Laurie Birkholz MD has given me a voice in the sterile white room, along with a sense of comfort and confidence when listening closely to my own body. With the assurance that she’s there for me, and ego checked at the door. Dr. Birkholz and her team are filling a niche for women in West Michigan who need something different. A bit more money, yes, and well worth it to know she reads my emails and texts and is available to be seen in the office without waiting. (These are the secrets in my back pocket that have made a big impact in my life. I’m very humbled to have these resources available.)

Technology That Has Helped My Journey

The Oura Ring

I’ve got a few products that have worked for me, that could be tools that help you chase your next fitness step. The Oura ring. This ring is something I sleep with, I have it on 24/7. It tracks my heart rate, my sleep patterns by REM sleep, quality of sleep, my monthly cycle, my steps each day, and my workouts. The feedback loop is huge for me, and you better believe I check what my number of steps is each day. (If for any reason I am under 10,000 steps I will take myself outside. Do a bit of yard work, or walk around the property and find things to do until I can be sure I’ve put in those steps.) The coordinating app is a must to see all my “things” throughout the day.

My Fitness Pal

I use the MyFitnessPal app to track my food. Yuck! I wish I didn’t have to. But being in recovery from burnout and prone to soothing my soul with food, this tool gives me the awareness of where my caloric intake is each day. It’s a pretty effective way to garner a deeper understanding of my own dietary tendencies, and subsequently, dietary needs.

While there’s a lot of stigma with calorie tracking, I’m not using it as a means for restricting myself, nor am I viewing it with any correlation to my own self-worth.

Dexcom

Dexcom is a funky little button that sits in your skin under the arm to monitor glucose levels and spikes. It has a coordinating app. Diabetes runs in my family, so it’s a must for me to keep an eye on, and I’ve learned so much from having it. I’m not always with it religiously but I’ll do it as needed.

** If you live in Michigan, here are the direct Instagram @'s for all my go-to health and wellness journey people that I highly recommend!! **

@lauriebirkholzmd

@train_livingstrong @livinglara

@purebarreholland

Health Tip | You Have To Relieve Stress

Entrepreneurship, business ownership, even those who are executives, managers, or anyone in a leadership role... we all have to come to terms eventually with the fact that to some extent having a physical outlet is a must. The release of stress in big movements, or in the sweat of hot yoga, or Vitamin D from outdoor walks (don’t forget your mineral sunscreen), all contribute to helping us be optimal leaders. Plus, fueling your body with food that you understand and still leaves room for a bit of fun is a beautiful privilege.

Ultimately, getting your energy flowing in the right direction can be a super power to level up in our careers and at home. I hope this summer if (when) you feel the overwhelm creep in or just disappointment from daily triggers, you can look at these suggestions and stories as extra tools from a mom who's been there and continues to live there. Know what must be done, and hey, why not try a leaves and twigs smoothie!

Health Journey | Exercise & Tech Essentials

Collagen Peptides | Bloom Greens & Superfood | Creatine Monohydrate | Thorne Iron Supplement | B-6 Supplement | Caramel & Cashew Bar | Leggings | Blending Set | New Balance Sneakers | Tennis Balls | Tennis Racket

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