Shifting our balance is necessary constantly. Nothing is static. Not our health. Not our posture. Not our daily routines. Not our relationships. Not us. As we age our bodies require different care. This could be a need to change our food, our activity, our relationships, our beliefs, our views and our expectations. Turning inward and listening maybe the first step... Shifting Balance is normal and healthy.
Why have I evolved my practice beyond massage therapy?
JUST LIKE YOU-
I am getting older.
I have been a Massage Therapist supporting my clients in managing healthy aging and chronic stiff achiness and pain for 20 years. In that time, I too have been getting older.
On my journey I have discovered a few changes in my daily choices that currently have me feeling more mobile, energetic, less stressed and over all happier and healthier today -Without Feeling Deprived.
As a Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach I want you to feel your best - Now and at any age. I want to share these approaches with you.
The foundation of this is available through -
Tailored to You 1:1 Health Coaching or Healthy Habits 6week Weight-loss (Last offering before September starts this Monday 4/15)
Both include the opportunity to experience Healthy Choices Educational Grocery Tour and Mindful Movement.
Why do we continue to OVEREAT?
If you consider the body needs essential nutrients; and you are consuming lots of empty calories… your body is still starving for those nutrients.
There is also the opportunity for leptin resistance. If your finger touches a hot stove, you want your fingertip and brain to recognize that it is hot, immediately causing you to pull your finger away. With Leptin Resistance, it is like your fingertip is stuck on that stove and burning the skin off; you just keep overeating because your body is resistant to Leptin, the hormone that tells you to stop eating because you are full.
Gherlin is the hormone released to tell our bodies we are hungry and need fuel/nutrients. When you start to eat, your fat cells release Leptin, which then tells your brain our nutrient levels have been met; and we should stop eating.
What is leptin resistance?
One Choice at a Time
Change is a Choice; Which You Must be Ready for
When it comes to change; It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t.
It’s some people are ready for change and some are not.
Some are able to make changes alone. Some need a little support and guidance.
A productive approach to sustainable change…consider the positive habits you already have concerning a healthy lifestyle and amplify those behaviors.
Change that is motivated by fear, guilt, regret or a desire to fix a perceived weakness often leads to a negative self-defeating cycle in which we try and fail and keep being reminded of what is not working.
Focus and Build on the Positives, leave the negatives behind.
Pace yourself. Small steps. You’ll get there.
Make Healthy a Habit, One Choice at a Time.
Choices for a Happy Healthy New Year
What do you want MORE of in 2024? Or is a better question what do you want less of ?
To make room for more of something you will need to let go of something. Release those choices and things that are not supporting your health and wellness.
How about less fatigue, less pain, less anxiety, less weight, less depression, less inflammation, less sick days, less headaches, less bloating, less putting out fires, less clutter or less waste just to name a few.
What do you want more of in 2024?
ACCEPT what you cannot change -your age, your genetics, all your choices prior to today, what others think, what others say, what happens around you, the attitudes, beliefs, choices and perceptions of others.
CHANGE what you can change - your future choices of how you move, how much you sleep, what you consume, how you treat yourself, your responses to others through your words and actions, where you focus your time, energy and attention, how you let others affect you, your gratitude and how you demonstrate it.
Body Be Well Solutions offers a variety of different approaches for Making Healthy a Habit, One Choice at a Time. Not a diet – that is short term. Not even really big changes; sometimes its the smallest that have the greatest impact. Choices that actually change your lifestyle and get you on the road to health and happiness for good. Creating the resilience to get back on track during those occasions of getting sidetracked.
Actions are more powerful than words - take a look…
Autumn is known as the season of change - What does that mean to you?
One the most beautiful things about this time of year is the magnificent colors of the leaves on the various trees. The resulting falling of those leaves is just as beautiful.
Did you know that leaves falling is not about loss- it is about growth. When a tree sheds its leaves, the nutrients of the tree are withdrawing into the branches, the trunk and the roots. All in preparation for sustaining the Winter months and producing new growth in the Spring.
Does that provide you a different perspective on change?
Don’t fear change; change is growth -fear not changing.
What is your opinon of change?
Can you sense it?
Into the garden / woods / nature we go… To break loose from our minds and find our SOULS.
When was the last time you tapped into the healing power of nature? Its free for the taking. In one form or another it is available everywhere. Trees, clouds, birds, water, rabbits, squirrels, flowers, shrubs… the list is endless. Take a look (sniff) for yourself!
Nature can be the simplest path to peace while recharging one’s energy .
A study showed that when participants were exposed to nature scenes; their brains linked with empathy and love.
Researchers suggested that a nature view helps individuals tolerate pain.
Want more time in the day?
Are you caught up in the endless cycle of simply existing and mindlessly rolling through the urgent events in life?
Longing for an opportunity to experience and enjoy the important things?
You can have that. Its a thought process- that leads to an awareness and an opportunity for change. Taking the time to observe what you are busy with and charting out the cost and benefit.
Health Coaching is an opportunity to work this this with guidance.
Are you ready to take charge and focus on what is Important vs what is URGENT?
Are You Open to Another Perspective - Beyond Your Own?
After years of trying various approaches. Observing all the social influencers swear that theirs is the only approach for you. Where are you? Any further along on your journey to wellness and healthy sustained weight-loss? Or are you exactly where you started… or maybe a little heavier or a bit unhealthier?
There is a reason - quick fixes are simply that a quick fix. Behavioral change is where your behaviors change, and different choices are made.
Health Coaching is becoming increasingly valuable as people begin to realize they haven’t been able to achieve something on their own, and recognize that the perspective of someone who can see beyond the situation they continue to find themselves in.
Poor quick fix lifestyle choices are responsible for continued weight gain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and overall illness. Health Coaching is a collaborative partnership; with YOU the client being able to tap into YOUR inner strength and external resources to achieve health and wellness you deserve.
Have you been able to achieve the results you want on your own?
Life Does Not Have A Remote
Do you KNOW you need to make some changes to be healthier?
Do you WANT to make some healthy changes?
Are you READY to make some changes to be healthier?
Simply KNOWING and WANTING to make change is unfortunately not enough. More importantly -You must be READY!
Do you know why you make the choices you do? How READY are you to change? Could the key to sustainable change start with you spending time observing and learning about yourself and your preferences? Taking time to really gain an understanding of how you got to where you are today, then moving toward a clearer picture of where you’d like to be.
Life does not have a remote.
Are you READY to get up and make a change and choose a healthy path yourself?
What is Mindful Movement Really?
As a licensed massage therapist specializing in chronic pain for almost 20 years I felt there was a need to bring a form of yoga to many of my clients. Massage therapy is beneficial for many, especially those dealing with chronic pain. However, what I’m able to offer as a massage therapist in a session, is short term.
… retain / regain movement function typically lost with aging and chronic pain.
I’ve been suggesting yoga to my clients who are typically between the ages of 40 and 75, equally male and female. Most of them are dealing with some form of chronic pain including frozen shoulder, scoliosis, neuropathy, disc herniations, migraines and joint replacements to name a few.
The response from my clients when I’ve suggested trying yoga has been… “there’s no way I can do yoga, I’m not flexible, my body doesn’t move like that”.
I decided to focus on developing a type of “Mindful Movement” program that was inspired by some basic yoga poses. The intent is to assist my clients on improving the quality of their lives by sharing ways to move daily to manage some of their chronic pain when they’re not in a massage session with me.
Participants are diverse in age, gender and abilities. Use of the chairs has been an important aspect for some, especially as we have been focusing on balance and stability.
Each session begins slowly with mindful breath work.
We then moved into a series of movements to warm up joints and various muscle groups to increase movement and flexibility.
A flow of a standing yoga poses, with chair modifications for those in need is where we pull our movements together.
Sessions end with additional breath work and a short meditation. The overall focus is on being mindful of posture, movements and intention of activity, emphasizing how beneficial even gentle movement can be daily.
What people are saying:
-my shoulder pain is 75% better immediately after class and continuing on.
-thank you for the session this morning, it lifted me physically and my spirits.
-this is exactly the movement I was looking for, not too little, not too intense.
-as you know I have always been resistant to going to yoga classes for many reasons. however, you have made your class such a safe place to practice yoga regardless of ability.
Pace yourself
When we move too quickly or jump from one step to the next, we risk stumbling, falling and becoming stuck. We then have the natural tendency to become frustrated, overwhelmed and may stop moving forward all together.
In the same manner if we move too quickly through making healthy choices, there is little opportunity for those choices to become healthy habits.
A series of small steps will take you where you want to go; each of them provide the balance and support to take the next step.
Healthy Self - Heal Thy Self
When you start taking care of yourself, you start getting healthier, you start feeling better, you start seeing yourself better, you start attracting better.
What are you drawn to?
Our attitudes reflect in our health and well-being
We all need reminders, nudges or words of motivation to focus on what we have, what we have gained and what is truly important.
A serving of empathy and humility will guide each of us through process… and improve the health and wellness of our mind, body and spirt.
Healthy - take sometime to think about it
Healthier -take sometime to write it down
Amazingly Healthy for you and another - take the time to demonstrate to another
Studies have shown that shifting our focus toward gratitude can have long lasting health benefits as we age.
How do YOU demonstrate GRATITUDE ?
Definition: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
How do YOU demonstrate EMPATHY ?
Definition : the ability to understand and share the feelings of another; to be with and understand others' emotions. To hold space for another unconditionally.
How do YOU demonstrate HUMILITY ?
Definition : the ability to be confident in your decisions, and not need or desire others to pay attention to them. To do what needs to be done without explanation or fear of judgement.
Approach to Sustainable Change
A productive approach to sustainable change…consider the positive habits you already have concerning a healthy lifestyle and amplify those behaviors.
Change that is motivated by fear, guilt, regret or a desire to fix a perceived weakness often leads to negative a self-defeating cycle in which we try and fail and keep being reminded of what is not working.
Focus and build on the positives, leave the negatives behind.
Everyone Feels Anxiety at Some Point
Manage anxiety with mindfulness.
Mindfulness is about focusing on the present moment and being fully there. You can practice this while sitting still, or it may be easier to start with guided breathing or a yoga or meditation session. With practice, mindfulness can help you redirect or quiet the anxiety.
Curious on how to begin simply? Start by closing your eyes, now observe your breath by focusing on an inhale and then an exhale, repeat. Become aware of the areas of your body that move by your breath. You have just been mindful and fully in the moment.
It takes practice, there is no perfect, no judgment.
Mindful Movement -Anxiety and Mild Depression
Anxiety and mild depression tend to interrupt the ability to focus…
The delivery of Mindful Movement provides an opportunity to gently realign the thought process and promote awareness of quieting the mind, simply listening, and moving.
Mindful Movement facilitated by Rebecca Albert, LMT INHC RYT200 of Body Be Well Solutions is a yoga-inspired program designed for those interested in a physical experience to maximize movement and increase body awareness. We work through various movements and focus on mindful breath to improve balance, focus, strength, and mobility.
Does aging always equate to having pain? Your Choices & Mindfulness
Why is it that we ignore the small discomforts in our bodies and don't respond until we're in full blown pain or have lost the function or ability to do something?
As we age, many shrug off small messages coming from our bodies as simply aging. However, what if we started paying attention to those subtleties?
A mindful part of aging would be to respond and be in the moment with curiosity about the discomfort that we're experiencing.
Consider an example if we are experiencing chronic shoulder pain and it turns out that pain is our dominant hand that we all hold our cell phone or our mobile device with. That particular position is chronically causing repetitive strain on those muscles.
Potential solution -put the mobile device in another hand when the discomfort or the tiredness in the arm is experienced; take a stretch or even put the device down for awhile to allow for rest.
Respond instead of delaying and waiting for full blown pain and loss of function and the need to react!
Hello! I'm Rebecca.
What support can I offer you?
I am a Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach- I have studied 100s of different dietary theories, practical lifestyle management techniques, and innovative coaching methods. I recognize and appreciate, one size does not fit all when it comes to making healthy choices. I practice a “whole person” approach to healthy habits by embracing your current preferences and guiding you through change for alternatives.
I am a Licensed Massage Therapist - I am familiar with the aging body and the chronic pain associated with it, I understand the limitations this causes in physical activity.
I am a Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher -I don’t teach headstands or other intense yoga poses, I teach moving mindfully and create mobility where stiff achiness generally resides.
I am a Wellness Consultant -I am aware of the impact that too much or not enough of certain things cause imbalance in our bodies and ultimately our health.
I have been a successful participant with losing and managing weight-loss -I have personally experienced the Mind over Matter struggles with changing habits.
I am familiar with depression, anxiety and their associated mood and health effects -I understand that everyone is unique and requires a different type of support.
I am familiar with Diabetes, Dementia, Alzheimer’s and Eldercare -I am intimately aware of the challenges life brings at times, and am able to provide approaches to managing self care.
I am a wife, mom, stepmom, gramme, daughter, caregiver, friend, introvert, excellent listener with the ability to ask thoughtful questions and provide empathy, feedback and make connections between choices, habits and identifying the impacts on one’s health.
I am on this journey as are each of you…life with it twists, turns and …. well all the things.
