The British government, during World War II, created a poster that read KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON. It was intended to boost the morale of the British citizens and was widely distributed via newspapers back in the day. We still come across this saying today on throw pillows and memes, and often times, the traditional saying is altered a tad to things like, “Keep Calm and Buy the Bag” or “Keep Calm and Call Your Mother.” It’s fun...
“Feel good, look great, shine bright” is a phrase I casually started spewing in classes long ago as a way of pumping people up. It organically arose, and I’ve since repeated it again and again. In fact, “feel good, look great, shine bright” is prominently featured on my website and has become my unofficial, three-step formula for empowered wellness…albeit, a bit vague. Step one, feel good so energy flows and any type of action is a delight. Step two, look great….who doesn’t...
A favorite word of mine, one that I’ve been taking a liberty with and applying to movement, is adaptogenic. It’s a word often associated with herbal medicine, specifically when an herb does whatever is need in order to create harmony in the body. Licorice root for example, can either increase energy levels in the body, providing a bit of pep, or it can lower cortisol levels, helping it calm down. To me, “adaptogenic” means do what’s needed in order to maintain a feel good state....
I’ve been on a nervous system deep dive for a while now, and just when I think I’ve moved on, boom! I see unregulated nervous systems everywhere, and go back to preaching how crucial yet simple it is to regulate with grounding. How do you know when your nervous system is out of whack? You’re stressed. You’re reactive. Your body is tense. Your breath is shallow. You’re in a hurry. You’re too cerebral, and you can’t relax. In the not-so-distance...
Some days are harder than others to get moving in the morning as there are a myriad of variables when it comes to the state of our bodies. Amount of sleep, state of hydration, levels of stress, what we did yesterday, what we didn’t do yesterday…they all factor in. I find the seasons, the weather, even my location on the planet affects how my body feels and functions. Here’s my three-part protocol for when I’m feeling...
You may or may not recall a movie, from the nineties, called The Fifth Element. It starred Milla Jovovich, and it held the premise that there are the usual four elements – fire, water, earth, and air – along with an additional element, the ultimate one. The four elements are the “brick and mortar” of life, but the fifth element powers it. So what actually is the fifth element? Well, in the futuristic movie, it was “Aether, a pure substance that permeated...
“Where the eyes go, the body follows” is an old adage that was drilled into my psyche long ago. “Look up, go up” is another one. I heard them over and over again in yoga classes, and now I say them in my own classes because of their simplistic truth – where you are literally and figuratively placing your attention is the direction you’re heading in. A deeper thought still….have you noticed how, when...
Seasons change and schedules change. There are very obvious things happening like a later/earlier sunrise, a change in weather or perhaps an increase/decrease in work demands, but there are subtler, more individual, shifts too. Some of us feel an end of summer sadness (oh, it’s over so quickly!). Some of us feel freer with kids heading back to school. Some of us feel dread with seemingly so much to do suddenly. For me, when September hits, it feels like the final leg of...
In the US, Labor Day weekend is upon us. Monday (Labor Day) is commonly a day off, and it’s known as the summer’s send off, where people barbecue, lounge by the pool or kick back at the beach. Ironically, it’s about not laboring. It has occurred to me that I’ve never ever had an un-laborous Labor Day weekend. It has always felt unsettled as it is a major cusp, where some things are leaving and new things are coming. There’s a subtle panic of,...
Groceries. Laundry baskets. Potted plants. Toddlers and pets. What do these things all have in common? They are weights and we’ve gotta lift ’em! That’s right…no matter who you are or what your vocation is, everyday somehow somewhere, you and I are lifting weights. Strength is a life skill. Thus, every single time you embark on a strength training class at Let’s Move!it’s helping you: 1. be strong and capable in life, 2. integrate muscles so when you do lift heavy things in...
