Exercising Together... September 2022

Greetings Village!

Do you find that exercise is easier if you have a partner? 

I do.

During the school year I am in a dance class that meets Thursday evenings. There are definitely weeks when I am soooooo tired, yet I rally because I know I will see people that make me laugh, I’ll get a good workout doing something I love, and we perform so “showing up” is important for the team.

The health benefits are numerous…

physically, 

mentally, 

emotionally, and 

socially.

Can you relate?

It is proven that working out with a friend, your spouse, or a group greatly enhances one’s commitment to exercise and the ALL THE BENEFITS (see above) that come with it.

So what are you waiting for? 

Grab your spouse and take a walk.

Meet your friends to try that NEW Pilates Circuit Class… Wednesdays at 1pm.

Make a date with your sister who lives in Arizona to join the Virtual Pilates Mat Class.

Enhance your relationships, laugh, have fun, and get some movement in…

See you and your partner soon at Pilates Class!!!

Warmly,

Lesley

Sleep... June 2022

Greetings Village!

How have you been sleeping? 

Lately, I have found that many of my conversations have included this theme of “troubled sleeping.” Either having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or just not feeling rested upon waking. 

Does this sound familiar to you?

Like many health and wellbeing challenges, I believe better sleep can be a puzzle with different components. And that there is NOT a “one size fits all” approach.

I am going to offer up 3 tools that I have found can help you on your journey to better sleep  (noting that you might need different tools at different chapters in your life.) 

As I say… The more tools the better!

3 Tools for Better Sleep

1. Food: What you do eat and what you might not be eating that you should try…

2. Mindfulness: combating worries, stress, and anxiety…

3. Routine: Keeping it regular…

Food. 

An easy google search like, “foods to help me fall asleep,” or “foods to help me stay asleep” will list foods that can help with either or both of these scenarios. Remember, this is NOT a “one size fits all” challenge. Different folks need different foods to help them sleep. My advice is to figure out what you are or are not eating that can bring about positive change to your sleep. Then experiment with the different foods and timing of eating for a couple of days or weeks, possibly keeping a food/sleep journal to see any changes or patterns. 

Things to note: Alcohol and caffeine definitely, negatively, affect everyone's sleep. I know you know this. If you find out that one or both of these are your obstacles to better sleep, partnering with me through health coaching can be the best approach to find ways to shift your lifestyle to improve your sleep.

Mindfulness.

Another HUGE piece of the sleep puzzle. Worries, Stressors, Anxiety, etc ALL affect our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Finding a Mindfulness Practice is proven to help with these  ailments and then in return positively affect your sleep and ability to feel fully rested the next day. These days there are numerous ways to learn about and begin a mindfulness practice. There are apps on your phone to technological headbands that track your brain somehow. Who knew? But the science is there! 

For apps on your phone I highly recommend: Headspace, Healthy Minds, and Insight Timer.

Routine.

Having a sleep and wake routine is fundamental to better sleep. Henry Emmons, M.D., a local Minnesota doctor and author states, “Stress may have caused the sleep problem, but it is often inadequate sleep that tips us into illness. If we aren’t sleeping, the body cannot effectively turn off the stress response.” (The Chemistry of Calm) 

I have heard Dr. Emmons speak a few times, and what I most remember is his recommendation to go to bed and wake-up at roughly the same time through-out the week. Stating that even if you only need 4, 6, 8, hours of sleep a night, just make sure you are going to bed and waking at the same time. Along with regular bed and wake times, you can start a bedtime routine. Having a routine that signals to your body, it’s time to settle in for the night, can help your body know what is coming.

Better sleep can happen, yet there is not going to be one answer. As you reread the options above, find what feels right for you, pick one thing and “try it on” for a few weeks. And after a while if it doesn’t feel like the right option, try on a different approach. Treat it like an experiment.

If you really want to dive in, contact me to set-up your free Health Coaching Consultation Session. This is where we can chat about your challenges and goals to see if Health Coaching might be the right option for you.

Here’s to better sleep for us all!

Warmly,

Lesley

I'm Back!!! May 2022

Greetings Village!

I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me. Well… I’ve been working on a few things that took me a while longer to accomplish. 

But here we are ~ The Village Health Newsletter is back!
And my goal is to send this out monthly! 

There I said it outloud… well, in written form that is.

Goals and timing are funny aren’t they. We desire to do this or that, accomplish this or that, and in our head we think “X” will get done in “X” amount of TIME, but life happens and… “X” just doesn’t get done… … … yet. 

This is where I believe a little faith and grace towards oneself come in, with an emphasis on the latter.

You see in my head I had some rebranding done in October of last year with the goal that I would relaunch my new brand, website, and newsletter in November. 

What month is it again? Oh yeah, it’s May.

So we were in the middle of a BIG home remodel, hockey season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc, and what I thought would be an easy overhaul of my website was anything but. Fast forward to the New Year and I enrolled in a Business Accelerator Course and hired the instructor to be my Business Coach because I just needed a little “kick in the pants” to process, plan, and figure out some things. 

And… It worked! 

In that first week of class and subsequent coaching call, I got my motivation back up & running. It’s funny how once you sign-up, get things on the calendar, and have an accountability partner, how things that once seemed far away start to fall into place. Well… a lot fell into place and now I am writing to you about that success. 

And what helped besides hiring the coach?

What helped me was having faith that I would move forward with my business plans (in time), that the right people would appear to support me, and allowing myself the grace… 

to 

just

wait.

I think that is the hardest part for many of us, to give ourselves the grace to just wait. Trusting that the time will come, and we just need to offer ourselves grace in the waiting. 

What is it that you have been waiting for? 

When might the timing be right for you to get started? 

Next month, in May or June?

Maybe the Fall, September or October?

Knowing today might not be the right time (or maybe it is!), as you think ahead what feels right to you?

Good. Now that you have that in your mind, can you give yourself the grace to wait until the timing makes more sense in your life? I did, and I couldn’t be happier with how things have turned out!

I hope since my last newsletter that life has found you well and surrounded by loved ones.

Please check out my “new” website at www.villagehealthmn.com. Subscribe to the newsletter (you get a freebie if you sign-up through the updated website!) And if you have a friend or family member who is needing some movement and grace please share my name with them. 

As my Village, you are my best marketing above any website, newsletter, or Facebook Post ;)

Warmly,

Lesley

September 2021

Summer has flown by and now we are already into Fall.

(Wow! Can you believe it?)

You haven’t heard from me in a while because I had to prioritize home and family life over business.

Isn’t life like that???

Constant change, always prioritizing where to spend your time and energy? Now that the kids are back in school I am able to invest more time & energy into my business ~ and I am SO EXCITED for what’s to come!!!

Over the next couple of months you will begin to see small changes and I cannot wait to share this part of Village Health’s journey with you!

Stay tuned!!!

~Lesley

June 2021

A Note from Lesley…

Wow - It’s a busy time of year! Between the school year ending, spring sports, recitals, graduations, and a home remodeling project I am finding it so important to carve out time for my own health and wellbeing. When I don’t, I feel ornery and less resilient to life’s curve balls (anyone with me?).

So to invest in my own health and wellbeing I take weekly private Pilates sessions, schedule meet-ups with girlfriends, receive acupuncture monthly, and volunteer at Pathways, A Healing Center in Minneapolis where I  facilitate various groups of caregivers or those who are struggling with chronic disease. The latter really challenges me, sparks my creative side, and fills my cup.

How do you prioritize carving out time for yourself? 

If you’re wanting to start carving out time for yourself, build resilience, or discover what fills your cup, contact me to schedule your free Integrative Health Consultation Session where we can uncover your needs and discuss how partnering with me will benefit you.

April 2021

A Note from Lesley…

As I sit down to write this month’s newsletter, memories from a year ago keep coming up…

A year ago I was helping my kindergartener and 4th grader with distant learning

A year ago on April 6th I was let go from my job

A year ago I was settling into new territory working with clients virtually under my new business, Village Health LLC

A year ago on April 21st my dad died

A year ago I was in survival mode

This Saturday, I turn 42. 

Reflecting back… One year ago on my birthday some new and old friends gathered at a local park to celebrate and comfort me at such a delicate time. They brightened my day and created a sense of normalcy in a time when nothing was. Fast forward to this year, and on my birthday I will be performing at a dance competition (1st time in 20 years!) with some of the same ladies that showed up for me the year prior at the park. As I have reflected back (often) over the past 13 months, I have realized that this weekly dance class was and continues to be a refuge, a place to laugh, let go, move, groove, and connect with women when I, when we, needed it most. 
 

This reflection reminds me of the importance of our communities, our villages… those people that support you, comfort you, listen, and bring laughter and silliness even in our darkest days. 

When I came up with the name Village Health back in graduate school, this was my vision. That Village Health LLC would be a part of your village; a piece that supports you in your health and healing. I feel strongly that my work as a Pilates practitioner and Integrative Health Coach fills this role. And I feel blessed to work alongside each of you as one part of your village. 

Thank you for supporting me this past year and being a part of mine.

Lesley

March 2021

A Note from Lesley…

We’ve now approached the 1-year anniversary of our lives being upended by the Covid-19 pandemic. And even with the quick creation of a vaccine, many of us continue to feel the on-going effects of isolation, stress, and grief. These effects have left us depressed, anxious, even numb in our minds, bodies, and spirits. I, personally, have also discovered that certain thoughts or experiences “dig-up” feelings from this past year, similar to those who experience PTSD. And I have found out I am not alone (see another article here). To help, I have discovered that being honest with myself (and my trusted loved ones) about these feelings has been most beneficial to my mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual health and wellbeing. This means that...

When I am exhausted beyond belief, I say no to my “to do” list and rest. 

When I am feeling stressed, I slow down and breathe. 

When I am sad, I don’t hide it or keep it to myself. 

So how do I, do we, move forward to heal our wellbeing post-Covid? 

Like many things, I believe it’s up to the individual, to you. But we need to start with being honest and addressing our needs. So what is it you need? What will help you moving forward into this spring and summer?

If you’re unsure what you need, contact me to schedule your free Health Coaching Consultation Session where we can uncover your needs and discuss how coaching might benefit you.

Is today’s note resonating with you? If so, here’s a vlog I did back in December on Honoring Emotions.

February 2021

A Note from Lesley…

Did you set a New Year’s Resolution? If so, what was it? 

I am not a goal setter in the traditional sense, at the beginning of a new year I like to set an intention around a theme, mantra, or word. 

For 2021 I am leaning into the word experiment. 

Since this is my first full year as an entrepreneur I decided it’s a year of experimentation. You might notice it with my different Pilates class themes, times, and ways of marketing my offerings. And with Health Coaching, I’m leaning into my instincts and experimenting with different topics for group sessions and workshops. 

What would your word be for 2021?

Having trouble sticking with your New Year’s Resolution? 

Click here for some tips: https://youtu.be/1BRhW4BdMCE