What is a habit? - We are what we repeatedly do

"We are what we repeatedly do"

-Aristotle

Habits play a crucial role in our daily lives, often operating beneath our conscious awareness. While many habits contribute positively to our well-being, there are those that can lead to long-term negative consequences. The challenge lies in recognizing unhealthy habits and understanding that simply stopping one does not equate to progress; it requires replacing it with a healthier alternative.

Identifying triggers is an essential step in this process. These triggers can vary widely—some may stem from physical dependence, while others could relate to stress relief or social situations. For instance, individuals attempting to quit smoking may find themselves drawn to cigarettes in times of stress or social gatherings. Similarly, someone aiming to cut back on sugar might crave sweets during moments of fatigue or emotional distress.

To successfully navigate the transition away from unhealthy habits, it is vital to incorporate new, healthier choices. This could involve strategies like:

• Mindfulness Practices: Engaging in mindfulness can help increase awareness of cravings and the situations that invoke them. This awareness can provide an opportunity to introduce healthier alternatives.

• Finding Substitutes: For those trying to reduce sugar intake, exploring naturally sweet fruits or healthy snacks can satisfy cravings without the downsides of refined sugar.

• Building a Support System: Surrounding oneself with supportive individuals can also facilitate change. Sharing goals with friends or family can create a network for accountability and encouragement.

• Setting Goals: Clear, achievable goals for incorporating new habits—such as drinking more water or committing to regular exercise—can provide a road map for change.

Ultimately, transitioning away from unhealthy habits is not merely about ceasing a behavior but about fostering a lifestyle that supports health and well-being. By understanding the nuances of triggers and implementing lasting, positive changes, individuals can embark on a successful journey toward better habits.

Do I need to be flexible to enjoy yoga?

No, you don’t need to be flexible to enjoy yoga. Many think flexibility is essential for yoga, but that's not true. Yoga is for everyone, no matter how flexible you are ..or are not. With regular practice, you’ll likely notice less restriction in your movement over time.

Yoga can also help with aches and pains from daily activities, especially from sitting too long. Common issues like tight hips, lower back pain, and rounded shoulders can improve with yoga practice.

Additionally, yoga helps improve posture and body alignment. By focusing on breathing, balance, and movement, you’ll become more aware of your body and can make adjustments for better alignment.

In short, yoga benefits physical and mental well-being, and anyone can enjoy it, regardless of flexibility.

Attaining Sustainable Change

Staying healthy and maintaining your weight is remarkably similar to the changing seasons, as both require careful and regular adjustments to adapt to new conditions.

An effective way to create lasting and meaningful change is to focus on the good habits you already possess and gradually build upon them. Changes driven by emotions such as fear, guilt, or a strong desire to fix perceived flaws can often lead to a persistent cycle of negativity. In this cycle, frequent attempts can ultimately result in failure and constant reminders of what isn't working, diminishing motivation and confidence over time.

Focus and build on the positives, leave the negatives behind.

Fountain of Youthfulness - Your Choices

How we age is a choice; with gratitude or misery.

• Have Gratitude! Express empathy, embrace humility and laugh frequently -they’re all contagious and fountains of youth!

• Chose to Move! A body in motion, stays in motion -take a walk, try yoga, simply move - a gym is not needed!

• Nourish Yourself! You are what you eat -eat your veggies, drink your water!

• Stay Connected! Get out there… you’ve got good stuff to share!

Are You Open to Another Perspective - Beyond Your Own?

After years of trying various approaches. Observing all the social influencers swear that theirs is the only approach for you. Where are you? Any further along on your journey to wellness and healthy sustained weight-loss? Or are you exactly where you started… or maybe a little heavier or a bit unhealthier?

There is a reason - quick fixes are simply that a quick fix. Behavioral change is where your behaviors change, and different choices are made.

Health Coaching is becoming increasingly valuable as people begin to realize they haven’t been able to achieve something on their own, and recognize that the perspective of someone who can see beyond the situation they continue to find themselves in.

Poor quick fix lifestyle choices are responsible for continued weight gain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and overall illness.   Health Coaching is a collaborative partnership; with YOU the client being able to tap into YOUR inner strength and external resources to achieve health and wellness you deserve.   

Have you been able to achieve the results you want on your own?

Can't find a "DIEt" that works for you?

HEALth -

• Food as Fuel

• Nourishment & Satisfaction

• Mindful Self-care

• Sustainable

• Wellness from Within

• Being the Best Version of Yourself

Your Choices - Your Habits - Your Wellness

DIEt -

• Food as Enemy

• Deprivation

• Quick Fix

• Short-term

• Numbers and a Scale

• One Size Fits All

Ready to focus on Your Health and HEAL?

The Power of a Pause

Practice the pause and take a breath. So much can be gained in just a few short moments.

• When in doubt, pause and take a breath

• When angry, pause and take a breath

• When tired, pause and take a breath

• When stressed, pause and take a breath

Remember to breathe…

What have you chosen to believe about yourself?

Beliefs are stronger than willpower. Take a moment and consider what you believe about yourself.

Do you believe in a growth or fixed mindset? The implications may explain a lot- especially when looking to change a habit. Learning is necessary to change a habit.

Growth Mindset = Possibility!

-Believes in Development Over Time

-Readily Embraces Challenges

-Has a High Regard for Practice

-Views Obstacles as Only Temporary

-Is Inspired by Others

-Willingly Accepts Feedback

Fixed Mindset = Stuck!

-Believes in Innate Intelligence / Talent

-Resists Challenges

-Disregards the Need For Practice

-Views Obstacles as Permanent

-Views Others Success as a Threat

-Struggles to Accept Feedback

As you age, what will be most important to you?

Bring healthy mobility and less pain into your life. The smallest of adjustments NOT MAJOR CHANGES yield the greatest results. Although it seems so difficult to take the time and have the discipline to do it on our own and sometimes seems so painful to even consider.

Is the ability to move around, free of chronic pain and movement restrictions important to you?

I focus on supporting my clients to move mindfully and create mobility where stiff achiness generally resides. This can be addressed through any or all my offerings. I am happy to discuss which approach may be BEST for YOU.

Mindful Movement is available in person or remotely 5 times a week -offering you an opportunity to be guided through a serious of movements which will enhance your mobility and minimized the impact of most arthritis associated with aging and stiffness associate with minimal activity.

Healthy Habits is a 6 week program allowing you an opportunity to explore how your current choices (food, beverage, movement, self-care) affect your health including weight and inflammation = which is typically experience PAIN and stiffness.

Tailored to You is personal health coaching; schedule your introductory complimentary 20 Minute session today.

Massage Therapy is available by appointment.

Approach to Sustainable Change

Being healthy and managing your weight can be like the seasons we experience each year, requiring us to regularly make changes to adapt.

A productive approach to sustainable change…consider the positive habits you already have concerning a healthy lifestyle and amplify those behaviors.

Change that is motivated by fear, guilt, regret or a desire to fix a perceived weakness often leads to negative a self-defeating cycle in which we try and fail and keep being reminded of what is not working.

Focus and build on the positives, leave the negatives behind.

Healthy Self - Heal Thy Self

When you start taking care of yourself, you feel better, you see yourself better, you become healthier.

Choose to LIVE better, Not to simply EXIST.

As we age, the more personal responsibility we are able to take; the greater the results. Truly making the retirement years GOLDEN.

Do you know why you make the choices you do? How READY are you to change? Could the key to sustainable change start with you spending time observing and learning about yourself and your preferences? Taking time to really gain an understanding of how you got to where you are today, then moving toward a clearer picture of where you’d like to be.

What are you drawn to?

Nothing is Static, the Only Constant is Change

Shifting our balance is necessary constantly. Nothing is static. Not our health. Not our posture. Not our daily routines. Not our relationships. Not us. As we age our bodies require different care. This could be a need to change our food, our activity, our relationships, our beliefs, our views and our expectations. Turning inward and listening maybe the first step... Shifting Balance is normal and healthy.

Everyone needs support at some point

Why have I evolved my practice beyond massage therapy?

JUST LIKE YOU-

I am getting older.

I have been a Massage Therapist supporting my clients in managing healthy aging and chronic stiff achiness and pain for 20 years. In that time, I too have been getting older.

On my journey I have discovered a few changes in my daily choices that currently have me feeling more mobile, energetic, less stressed and over all happier and healthier today -Without Feeling Deprived.

As a Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach I want you to feel your best - Now and at any age. I want to share these approaches with you.

The foundation of this is available through -

Tailored to You 1:1 Health Coaching or Healthy Habits 6week Weight-loss (Last offering before September starts this Monday 4/15)

Both include the opportunity to experience Healthy Choices Educational Grocery Tour and Mindful Movement.

What is Mindfulness to You?

Understanding 3 Aspects of Mindfulness

• Intention – what you want to get from practicing mindfulness.

• Attention – focus on your internal and external world.

• Attitude – curious, reflective and accepting.

Quiet gentle approach to coaching the mind to reset and focus…

It’s natural for the mind to be constantly working; organizing, solving and restructuring information about people, places and things.

Without some “self-parenting” the mind and its thoughts can spin and spin until it hits a wall… and is forced to stop.

Being mindful - is a quiet gentle approach to coach the mind to settle into the here and now moment.  

Why do we continue to OVEREAT?

If you consider the body needs essential nutrients; and you are consuming lots of empty calories… your body is still starving for those nutrients.

There is also the opportunity for leptin resistance. If your finger touches a hot stove, you want your fingertip and brain to recognize that it is hot, immediately causing you to pull your finger away.  With Leptin Resistance, it is like your fingertip is stuck on that stove and burning the skin off; you just keep overeating because your body is resistant to Leptin, the hormone that tells you to stop eating because you are full.

Gherlin is the hormone released to tell our bodies we are hungry and need fuel/nutrients.  When you start to eat, your fat cells release Leptin, which then tells your brain our nutrient levels have been met; and we should stop eating.  

What is leptin resistance?

One Choice at a Time

Change is a Choice; Which You Must be Ready for

When it comes to change; It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t.

It’s some people are ready for change and some are not.

Some are able to make changes alone. Some need a little support and guidance.

A productive approach to sustainable change…consider the positive habits you already have concerning a healthy lifestyle and amplify those behaviors.

Change that is motivated by fear, guilt, regret or a desire to fix a perceived weakness often leads to a negative self-defeating cycle in which we try and fail and keep being reminded of what is not working.

Focus and Build on the Positives, leave the negatives behind.

Pace yourself. Small steps. You’ll get there.

Make Healthy a Habit, One Choice at a Time.

Why does aging seem to be so painful?

Ever wonder why somedays you feel very stiff and achy yet can’t recall having done anything physically to cause it?  Then experience those days that all seems to feel pretty good. You may have more control over managing this than you think.

Let’s talk about inflammation.

When something enters the body, and it is not recognized as something it needs like an essential nutrient- your immune system kicks in and attacks.  Your body will work to protect itself from foreign matter and will push it out or encompass, destroy and or try to eliminate. For example; when you get a sliver in your finger your body will respond and create inflammation (redness and swelling) around the spot.  Inflammation is a healthy immune response, however when repeated over and over it becomes Chronic Inflammation... which then is no longer a healthy response but a full attack on one's body. 

An unfortunate common systemic form of inflammation can arise from what you eat and drink.  Today many items we consume are loaded with ingredients (additives and preservatives) that are not recognized by the body as a nutrient.  Chances are if you look at a label and can’t pronounce or recognize an ingredient – your body won’t either! As a result, the body will attack it as foreign matter.  This may causes a systemic (full body) inflammatory response which can be experienced through stiff achy joints and overall swelling and bloat.

Each of our bodies are like chemistry beakers. Everything we consume has an impact on our unique chemistry balance. The effect of what we consume can be positive or negative.  When negative, your body is smarter than you and will attack the unrecognized matter (like a silver in your finger), causing an inflammatory response.  Everyone’s body is unique in how this takes place.  Most common areas it can be observed in rashes and irritations on skin, bloating and digestion discomfort, acid reflux, stiff achy joints, and respiratory/sinus issues like runny nose and congestion.

Working with Rebecca you’ll discuss your current pain; together you can determine how to approach managing a portion of that through your lifestyle choices.  Rebecca is here to create a supportive environment while together you explore what really works for you.

Aging doesn’t have to be painful -

You may be experiencing inflammation as a response to something you consumed.

Looking for something to believe in?

The sun rises and sets every day. Each day is an opportunity to begin new.

Your ability to influence goodness, starts with your belief in goodness...

Look in the mirror…

Re-Steady Your Balance

Being healthy is about Balance.   Somedays are easier than others. Its about making small adjustments to "re-steady" our Balance. The more practiced you are at re-steadying yourself -the more habitual it will be.  

Small adjustments help us re-steady and find balance.