This is me. A piece of the puzzle that makes me who I am.

I was so scared! 

I didn’t want to have surgery. Breaking my hip and repositioning it and then wearing a brace for almost a year.   To a 10 year old that sounded awful.  

But what was the alternative? 

Exercises that I had to do two times daily and a 3 mile walk every single day.  😳 Again to an 10 year old, that sounded overwhelming….but it was still a better option to me than the alternative.   

And so it began. 

My parents helped me map out how many times I would have to walk up and down our mountain dirt road to equal 3 miles. And every morning and evening I would lay in bed, completing these tedious and annoying exercises.  

From about 8 on my hip imbalance progressively got worse and manifested itself in being severely pigeon toed. In going to specialists we found there was two options. Surgery or trying physical therapy & an exercise plan to see if we could correct things before they continue to progressively get worse.   

 My parents strongly encouraged me to try the physical therapy route before we consider surgery and I was on board. Surgery and wearing a brace for a year sounded awful.  I wanted nothing to do with it. However, the walks and the exercises every single day that sounded dreadful.

To be honest, I feel like first memorable experience with hardship and adversity is what began to build and teach me resilience, commitment, and dedication. 

Every morning, I would wake up earlier than my brothers. I would complete my boring exercises in my bedroom while it was dark and quite. No one but my dad was awake yet. When I was finished, I would bundle up and head outside to complete my mile and a half walk. All alone while my brothers were fast asleep in bed.   

I’d go to school, walk home from the bus and head out for my 2nd mile and half walk. All the while my brother and neighbor kids were riding bike or canoeing in the irrigation ditch outback. And there I was walking up and down dirt road. Having to intentionally consciously think about every step. Concentrating on how I placed my foot every step, thinking about the position of my hip and hoping that this would work. 

I did this for an entire year. 

Through beautiful spring mornings where the dew glistened on every blade of grass in the hayfield to the gorgeous fall, where frost would slowly melt as the sun would rise.  In the beautiful summer mornings where the wrestling Aspen leaves would fill my ears with song and through the mountain snowstorms that felt like the clouds would never stop dumping the fluffiest white snow all over. As my snow boots took one step in front of the other. I felt proud that I committed to do the work.

I feel like the story is similar to so many of our clients. To get the results we desire without taking the shortcut can be a lonely hard road.  Sometimes while others play, it means dedication when we don’t want to be. It means commitment when we want to let it go.  It means facing adversity head on when we would just like to turn and run.  

A year later revisiting the specialist they couldn’t believe their eyes. My hips and gate had virtually transformed to be close to normal. No surgery was needed, and I was able to stop my rigorous routine of walking and exercises.  However they emphasized the need to continue to focus on every step, ensuring that everything stayed balanced as possible.  

I’m not here to judge you or shame you if you choose to take the easy path.  But if you did, where are you now. Have the results stuck. Are you happy with where you’re at or is there still progress that needs to be made? 

I’m here to remind you that WE ALL need to do the work to get the results. 

I will not say it won’t be hard, because it will be. I’ve been there, it sucks. However, you working for your results and for what you desire will taste so much sweeter than taking any shortcut.  

My team and I are here for you, my friend. 

Every single one of us has experienced adversity, setbacks and challenges, and although we may not handle each of those perfectly, we’ve chosen to be resilient and forward.  

And we can help you do the same.   

Please know we’re here for you to guide you on your journey to elevate your health! 

 

We might need to dive into whats in your head versus whats on your plate.

 

We are talking this week about slowing down and keeping it simple!

But here is the question, after 4 weeks – 6 weeks – 8 weeks are you willing to stay committed.

Why are you wanting to do this?
Why do you want to change your health?
Why do you want to have more energy?
Feel more confident?

If you find that you can’t sustain the habits after 2-3 months then we need to dive into more what is in your mind that what is on your plate.

Stopping to think about what our bodies CAN do along with how FAR we’ve come and taking time to reflect will bring perspective and a better outlook. With a more positive outlook comes a more POSITIVE mindset.  The struggle is real but let’s keep it REAL by working on the INSIDE as much or more than the outside.

It’s not about reaching perfection, but truly about never giving up on growth.
Let’s keep striving together!

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Summit Health has helped over 300 people find a better path to HEALTH, WELLNESS & NUTRITION!  300 people! Wow. And to think we are just getting started! 

We started out with 0 clients and right away 3 people showed trust, faith and confidence in our ability.  And the rest is history.  When we look at clients served it’s not just the 2500+ pounds we have helped people to lose.  Want to know what really matters to us…it’s 

• The confidence our clients have gained.
• The ability to run and play with their kids.
• The clothes that were sitting at the back of their closet that they finally get to wear!
• The photos they aren’t afraid to share of their beach vacation.
• The energy they have to slay the day! Everyday! 
• The quality sound sleep they have always desired but never attained.
• The millions of emails and advertisements that they get to scroll on by because they don’t need the “fat loss secrets” or the “secret supplement” because they have learned what a balanced healthy diet looks like FOR THEM! And they are LIVING IT! 

 

Coach Lauren shared these valuable tips with our Summit Health Tribe in her Live Sundays with Summit Health Tribe this last week.  If you would like to join our closed support group on Facebook let me know! I’ll add you to the group.  Requirements are: Be supportive! Share when possible and engage and encourage! 

May 1 – Every time you say yes you’re saying “no” to something else. What and how can we make this work for us?

• Why is it so hard to say no? It’s hard to feel like you’ve disappointed someone, no one likes being flaky, saying you’ll stay late might be the reason you are in the position you’re in at your job, and honestly, it’s just easier. Saying yes and avoiding an argument is just easier than taking on the task sometimes.
• However, every time you say “yes” to one thing, you’re saying “no” to something else. For example, when you say “yes” to watching the kids because you feel guilty asking your spouse to be home early, you’re saying “no” to that gym membership you pay for but rarely use
  • When you answer that phone call from your boss at 9pm, or answer a client email while on the couch with your spouse, you’re saying “no” to a full, restful night’s sleep
  • When you say “yes” to caring for aging parents or volunteering to chaperone the field trip, you’re saying “no” to your dentist appointment or that massage you have a gift card for
  • The result: you’re pulled in every direction meeting everyone’s needs but your own and you’re left feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed. And you might even start resenting people you love and care about, who don’t know they’re asking too much.
• I want you to imagine what it would be like to say “yes” to yourself a little more often, and tending to your own needs and goals? And what if you said “no” to the things that get in the way of that? It might sound selfish at first, but I want to make the argument that to some extent, it’s selfish not to. If you’re always running at 50%, the people you love and are working so hard to care for are only getting 50% of you, and I’m guessing you feel that they deserve more! They do and so do you. So, today we’re going to talk about some ways to say no, and how to differentiate where those no’s should go. You won’t need to do a full life makeover, we’re just looking for small changes that make the most difference. Inch along at your own pace, and the more you do, your health will improve, recovery will deepen, and energy will increase. You can’t control other people’s requests, but you can control saying “no” – which is one of the most effective things you can do to manage stress, which we all need.
• First, start by tracking your time. We talked about this last month with making time for nutrition and exercise. The reason this is helpful is because you may not actually know where your time, energy, and attention are going. Without having a clear idea, it’s easy to believe that you have time to train that new employee, or to believe that you don’t have five minutes to yourself most days. It’s very easy to over AND under-estimate how much time you have in a day. Once we lay it all out accurately, it’s pretty eye opening. You can use a time-tracking app, or create your own time-tracking system on a notebook or calendar. Once you’ve chosen a method, record your activities accurately (if you’re answering emails while you’re watching your kid’s hockey practice, be real about it), and then analyze your data. Did anything surprise you? Are your time, energy, and attention going where you’d assumed? Are you spending more or less time on certain tasks than you thought? Do you feel good about where your time, energy, and attention are going?
• Be honest, but also be kind to yourself. This exercise will probably reveal some uncomfortable truths. If you’re like most of the folks I work with, your day probably goes something like this:
  • 6:30-8:30 – jump out of bed after hitting snooze, wrangle the kids, make breakfast while checking work texts and emails on your phone, get kids off to school and daycare
  • 8:30-2:30 – meetings and calls, work through lunch that you may or not eat
  • 2:30 – on the phone with your insurance company while answering work emails
  • 3:30 – pick up the kids, snack on their lunch leftovers while you speed home to hop on your work call at 4
  • 4 – sit it on your meeting while making a snack for the kids and starting a load of laundry so your kid’s soccer jersey is clean for practice tonight
  • 5:30 – bring all three kids to different practices and lessons and answer work emails and texts while you watch practice
  • 8:15 – get home, remember that you need to bake cupcakes for your kid to bring to school for his birthday tomorrow, try and bathe the kids, review homework and get the kids to bed, prepare everyone’s lunches for tomorrow
  • 10:30 – sit in bed exhausted, half-watching Survivor with your spouse, still answering a few more emails
  • 12:30 – lie awake worrying about tomorrow
• And thus, NO time for herself. Of course this person feels exhausted, overwhelmed, and anxious. This exercise can provide painful clarity. They don’t think of themselves as “slave to work”, but the time diary revealed differently.
• So, what do we do with that? Another reason we often say “yes” too often is not understanding the tradeoffs. When we say “yes” – what are we saying “no” to? Go through your time diary you made, and ask yourself what you were saying “no” to when you said “yes” to _____. The next step toward saying “yes” and “no” to the right things is to make a chart of how your time is spent. Use that diary and make a pie chart. Divide it up with percentages or time. Next, create another pie chart with your ideal day and time allocations. What would you give less time to or remove altogether? What would you give more time to? When you look at that one, you should feel a sense of relief. Of course, include the things that still need to be done. You still need to drive kids to practice, but could you arrange a carpool so you have time for the gym a couple times a week? You still need to answer emails, but could you answer one less and make time for a gratitude practice? It’s okay to still have responsibilities, and the goal is to balance output (caring for others) and input (caring for you and recovering). However, you balance it, your time is finite.
• The final step is making small changes to start making that “dream pie” a reality! Where can you take 10 minutes away from work to have a meaningful moment with your spouse? Where can you take a moment away from the TV and go get some fresh air?
• Once you see the tradeoff, then comes the tough part. Actually using the word “no” in real life, to an actual person. This might sound silly, but start with practice. Think through a scenario that you would’ve like to say no to. Think about how you responded and how you wish you responded. There are three ways to go about this.
  • First, a short answer – “No, I don’t have the bandwidth for that right now.”
  • Second, a simple “no”
  • Or a third alternative, which is really helpful with easing you in, is offering a compromise of some sort. A “no” with a “yes” – as long as that “yes” fits within your boundaries. It might sound like this:
    • At 9am, your boss puts a meeting over your lunch on your schedule when you’re supposed to have a call with your nutrition coach. “I can’t make that meeting. Can we do it at 2pm instead?” No to the request – the meeting. But a yes to a different time.
    • You’re asked to fly out to Boston to speak at a conference, but it’s your daughter’s dance recital. “I can’t speak at that event if I have to travel [no to request], but if I can be a virtual speaker, I’d be happy to participate [yes, but with conditions].”
  • This is my personal favorite, especially when I want to say yes but I truly don’t have the bandwidth, or it will come at the expense of my own well-being.
• Consider practicing in the mirror, even if it feels weird. Practice saying no firmly.
  • “It’s really thoughtful of you to ask, but I can’t do it.”
  • “Oh wow, that does look delicious. I’m full though.”
  • “Like I said, I’m not available after 6pm.”
• Even though practice can get awkward it’s important and here’s why. As you practice, you might feel guilty, self-indulgent, or hear echoes of a parent who used to tell you it was impolite to turn down dessert, or lazy to turn down work. Keep practicing until that feeling eases, even if it never goes away. Acknowledge that it’s difficult to state your boundaries, and commend yourself for that. Then get out there and start saying YES to you, and you might be surprised how much better you’re able to show up for the thing and people you care about. And honestly whatever you say “no” to, make sure you say YES to cheering for your Minnesota Wild tomorrow night as they start playoffs!

Self care is all the rage these days!  We really do need to recharge so that we can keep the high paced, scheduled to the max lives that we all live. But how do you do that?  

 

If someone tells me to take another bubble bath I am going to scream!

 

Self care does not have to be bubble baths and pedicures.  If you are feeling stressed to the max and not sure how to restore or recharge without feeling more behind.  Check out our Practical Self Care Tips! 

Stress should energize us, motivate us, and push us. When the stress becomes too much is when it drags us down. If we find that we are fatigued, exhausted, or feeling depleted, likely our stress load is too much.

Our perception of our stress has a great deal to do with how much it affects our health. If we can respond how we react to what happens in life no matter how stressful or a nerving the less effective stress will have on her overall health.

Focus on what you can control and that is your response not the whole situation.

We are so excited to be adding a powerhouse to our Summit Health Team.  Coach Lauren is so equipped to help anyone change their lives when it comes to mental performance and now with top notch Nutrition Training she will be unstoppable!! We can not wait to witness the impact she will have on others! Welcome to the team Coach Lauren!

Here is a little more about Lauren.  “I grew up in Owatonna, MN and fell in love with fitness in 2016 when I walked through the doors of CrossFit Holdfast. Not only did I learn about how my body works and what it’s capable of, I also met some of my best friends, who have turned into lifelong friends, including our fearless leader, Amie! I moved to Denver in 2017 to pursue my Master’s in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Denver, and now also am the founder of Aspen Mental Performance, where I work with athletes to maximize their performance potential. What we choose to feed our minds significantly affects what we’re capable of on “game day” – whether that’s in sport or in life. The same is true of what we put into our bodies. It’s empowering to know how much our food can affect our energy, performance, and overall health. I’m looking forward to helping people find a way to eat what’s best for their body, and to build a lifestyle that leads to fulfillment!”