The Formula for a Fun Yet Functional Summer
On Saturday, June 17 at Equinox Yorkville, I was honored to have the opportunity to curate and host an integrated workshop to encourage leading a balanced lifestyle amidst the busy & social Summer season, both fun & functional in nature.
With my fellow wellness baddies in mind, I aimed to promote a coaching philosophy that takes a whole-person approach to wellness; accounting for realistic lifestyle factors and mental components to healthy habit-adoption and routine building.
Saturday's workshop included discussion-based activities as well as strength training applications related to the topic of prioritizing fitness and health amidst a busy & social time of year. Because who said you can’t do both?
In the first half of the workshop, the ladies that attended crushed it by learning five compound exercises to work into their routine. These exercises targeted multiple muscle groups to make their workout both efficient and effective so even when life gets busy — there’s no excuse to skip what you know makes you feel good. Remember, it’s an investment in your long-term health & abundance.
In the discussion portion of the workshop, we chatted about building positive relationships with your routines and habits, setting your priority pillars, defining your reasons why, and recognizing what depletes vs. fulfills your energy. To the incredible women that attended the workshop: I was so amazed at the vulnerability shown, the willingness to share & collaborate, and the dedication to balancing all the variables that life presents us while also prioritizing wellbeing. It truly felt like a community; thank you for making this event what it was. So without further ado, the following is a summary of all the topics discussed throughout the workshop, including the thoughtful contributions from the attendees.
What Does Balance Mean, and How Can We Achieve It?
What we do inside of the gym is one thing, but what we practice outside of it matters just as much. My personal coaching philosophy equally values science-based evidence as well as the realistic & practical application of these theories. We know that we should exercise, but how can we build it into our lifestyle so that it becomes habitual? How does fitness actually fit into your day-to-day, especially with so much going on? Drinks at Kasa Moto patio, Jay's games, birthdays, pool days, Aperol spritzes in the sun, park days at Trinity Bellwoods…the list goes on (as it should, live your balanced baddie Summer). It all comes down to setting priorities and defining your intention behind your routines.
Priority Pillars
Introducing the Priority Pillar: A key component of focus in life that is of the highest importance and relates to long-term success and goal achievement.
It’s no secret that we thrive at what we put our energy towards. When it comes down to it, you have the autonomy over what areas take focus in your life, and what takes a back burner. Instead of he wanted to he would; if we wanted to, we would.
In order to simplify and prioritize what deserves precedence, recognize your top 3-5 priority pillars that encompass such values. The following are some of the incredible responses I heard from the women that shared their priority pillars in the workshop:
Career; constant growth, learning, self-development, financial independence, fulfillment
Relationships; friends, family, significant others, both self-compassion and compassion for others
Personal Health both mental and physical (which feeds into all other pillars)
Recreation; time for exploration, trying new things, meeting new people, hobbies, and fun
How do you practice prioritizing when it comes down to it? Creating a list of “reasons why” helps to recognize the intention behind our actions and provides a sense of internal motivation within yourself to fall back on when you may lack a needed push. Most importantly, internalizing such intentions allows you to associate or identify with the lifestyle you want to live. In other words, intention behind action allows behaviors to become a part of who you are, not just what you do. The following are some of the thoughtful intentions & “why’s” shared during Saturday's workshop:
Career success and fulfillment of goals foster confidence that carries into other areas of life
Self-care allows us to show up for the people we care about.
Financial security allows us to live the life we want to lead.
Showing compassion for self and allowing for balance in routines gives us the ability to show compassion for others. This leads to less frustration and a better sense of understanding toward others or outside situations that arise.
Prioritizing physical health allows me to show up in my day-to-day and feel good while at it.
Physical health is closely related to mental health, and vice versa. They are a reflection of one another so both must be considered in equal importance.
When a fun weekend is enjoyed (i.e. recreation is prioritized) I show up with an improved focus for career endeavors.
Mental health is improved when recreation is balanced with career obligations.
Energy Wells
Now let's introduce the idea of our energy well.
Let’s think of our energy level as a well of water. The abundance of the well is always changing based on expending and replenishment of our energy;
When we allow for fun, social time, and energy restoration of any form, think of this as a filling up of the willpower well.
When we invest time in our wellness, nutrition, fitness, and mental well-being, think of this as filling up our energy well with long-term abundance.
That being said, If we are too rigid with our routines, and neglect a balance of both sources, we end up fostering a negative relationship with the routines in themselves. Instead of an energy giver, the routine becomes more of an energy drainer. So to keep our well full, we must strike an equilibrium.
How can we restore our energy well and have more abundance in general? In the workshop, we brainstormed our list of energy takers vs energy givers; here is what the group has to share:
Energy Givers: Nourishing, cleaning your space, sleep & winding down, traveling, alone time for a recharge, commitment fulfillment, routines, planning, power naps, healthy competition, and achieving goals.
Energy Takers: Poor nutrition (whether it be hyper-focus on “good” nutrition or lack of variety of nutritious foods), stress and anxiety, negative people, drama, failure to fulfill commitments, lack of sleep, and social battery burnout.
Following this brainstorm, we recognized that a behavior's labels was dependent on the relationship we have with it. Just because something is considered an energy giver, doesn’t mean it can’t become an energy taker if we don’t maintain a positive relationship with it. For example, we may become so hard on ourselves to stick to our wellness routine to a tee. The second we deviate, that leads to negative feelings. A similar example of an energy giver becoming an energy taker is our relationship with food and exercise. If our regimen for both of these is too strict and rigid, we can develop a negative and resentful relationship with them. =At these points, is our routine really positively serving us or is it doing more harm than good?
This is where balance comes in. Continuing on the example of our daily routine, If we can allow for flux and develop an understanding that balance and change in routine are sometimes necessary, we foster a much more productive relationship and positive association with said routine. Rather than slowly draining our energy without realizing it, we maintain a flexible routine that instead replenishes energy.
Tying the Two Together
Let’s bridge both the ideas of the energy well & priority pillar in cooperation. When we set priority pillars and define our intention (aka "reasons why") behind them, we foster positive associations with our routines and behaviors. If we can grow to understand that flux and change based on life's seasons is in fact, a productive thing, we can fill abundant energy wells that will carry us through whatever variables that life may present.
Last but certainly not least, I wish to thank the people that made this event possible. To Jamie Yakabow, our amazing and passionate group fitness instructor, thank you for bringing the most amazing energy and helping demo and correct form throughout the event as well as your insightful discussion contributions. To Kyleea Jodouin, our lovely membership advisor at Equinox Yorkville, thank you for kicking this idea off the ground and helping to arrange the behind-the-scenes deets. Thank you to Kassandra Borne for arranging caffeine for the event. Thank you to the brands that contributed to the cutest goodie bags ever: Formula Fig for treating our attendees to a Red Light Therapy Treatment, Beauties Blossoming for gifting lip glosses on the go, PATH Alkaline Water for providing hydration, and Equinox for hosting.
We would love for you to visit us at the club! To blog subscribers; I would love to offer you a guided session to get you started with your summer fitness routine and discuss your goals one-on-one. To schedule your assessment, please send me a brief email by clicking below. Here's to the next event (coming this Fall!).
Catch you soon, balance baddies. Xo.
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