August 2021 - Let’s Refuel
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Week of August 29, 2021!
I am checking in to see how your week went. I hope it was productive and I hope you did something for your health and happiness last week.
It is hard to believe that in a few days it will be September. Two thirds of the year is behind you. How will you finish 2021? I’ll come back to this question after I share some of what I have been thinking about.
It has been 1 full week that my son has been away at school. I have little tinges of missing him being home, but I’m more excited that he is at school, finding his way, settling in, making new friends and actively working to achieve his goals. So far, in his first 3 days, he’s attended events at the Spiritual Life Center and at the Center for Diversity and Inclusion and has joined a club on campus. He is maintaining his work out routine AND one of the biggest things for me as a mom … he found a physical therapy place and made his own appointments to get some needling and physical therapy to take care of his knees before the season starts … he did this all by himself!! I’m seeing him take care of his mind, body and spirit … loving it!
My daughter is in her third week of being a teacher’s assistant, and her classes for the last year of her Master’s program start this week. I am proudly watching her grow as a human being and as a professional woman, as she maneuvers through her day helping and teaching kindergartners and first graders while she juggles her health by working out in the morning before she goes to work, and by meal prepping every Sunday so that she has lunches, and dinners ready to go for her Monday through Friday.
I am sharing this because I am a mom (like many others) who feels like maybe she did too much for her kids as they were growing up. I am a mom (like many others) who in the early years of their lives, did not display what it looked like for mom to take care of herself. What I showed them how to do was eat poorly, not exercise, work really long hours, do nothing for self-care, and what it looked like to be tired.
What has changed? I have.
August 2021 is my 5th year anniversary of saying “yes” to me. … of making a commitment to myself, that I was going to take care of myself and make myself a priority in my life ALSO, just as I did for my kids and husband. I would no longer leave myself out or put myself last, behind everyone else’s needs. I did my first personal trainer led workout at Fit Chicks August 16, 2016. Some of you who know me, know the story of me losing 100lbs … but my story is so much more than just the weight. It’s my kids seeing me change and them in turn, start to live the kind of lives where they are saying “yes” to themselves. They are setting personal goals and acting on them … they are taking care of their health needs, they are seeking out their own community of like-minded people to do life with … to walk this journey with.
I am grateful to those women who supported me and walked along side me on my journey and who continue to walk with me. I am grateful that my children had the opportunity to see me up close at home, as I made this change … I am grateful that they were faced with working through their feelings around me not being at home every night while they worked on homework and had meals with just their dad. I am grateful that pride didn’t get in the way of me saying “yes” … that voice saying, “you can do this on your own”, or that voice of shame saying, “you let yourself go, and there is nothing you can do about it now, your health is too far gone … you might as well give up.” Those voices are powerful and those are the voices that kept me stuck for most of my adult life.
Change is in the air … kids are going back to school, kids are starting junior high, starting high school, college … new first jobs… school activities are picking back up … and we have 1 month left of summer before the season changes. What changes are you seeing? What’s changing for you personally? How are you taking care of yourself better than you did before? Do you have little voice gremlins that keep you stuck? How will you finish 2021? What will change?
Please share your thoughts around these questions in the comments section. Keep doing all the things … keep drinking water, keep adding in more vegetables … and keep going!
Have a great week everyone!
Brave not perfect
Caroline J. Fit Chicks Movement, Community Manager
Week of August 15, 2021
I had such a wonderful weekend. I hope you did as well. I want to share some of my weekend with you …
Here’s what happened …
I was super excited for the weekend, which is nothing new. I’m ALWAYS excited for the weekend so that I can get out from under the daily stresses of work.
I got my usual 2 workouts in with my bestie, one on Friday and one on Sunday, which always results in some laughter and ends with feeling great because the workout got done!
I also met up with my bestie and my other bestie on Saturday to see the movie Respect. Our evening started with a meet up in the parking lot of the movie theater to have our own little impromptu tailgate party before the movie. We drank water and shared these little shortbread cookies that were delicious! We enjoyed the sunny and breezy evening, catching up with each other.
We saw the movie Respect with Jennifer Hudson, and it was wonderful!! Afterward, we went for a bite to eat and talked some more.
It was such a casual and simple gathering of three friends. But it was just what I needed to recharge and feel rejuvenated, to feel seen, and supported.
Sometimes I need to refuel, and I need to soak up every second of the act of “refueling” and to be present in it. I was able to do that this weekend and it was wonderful! Sometimes refueling can look like taking a nap, or spending time listening to music or just spending time in quiet. And sometimes it can look like connecting with good friends. Whatever refueling looks like for you, it’s so important to do it.
My encouragement to you this week is to refuel. Reach out to a friend, spend some quite time with yourself, take a planned nap, take a soothing bath, meet up with friends outdoors while the weather is still nice… whatever that looks like for you … do it. Slowing down, … being heard and seen, … letting all of the stressors fall away for a little while is important. That’s all. That’s my thought this week.
I’d love to hear what refueling looks like for you. Share in the comments how you spent time refueling this week!