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Defining Success on Your Own Terms – Part 2

Posted on April 3, 2019April 9, 2019 by kristinheck

In last week’s post, (Defining Success on Your Own Terms – Part 1) I left you with a question – what is success? What does it look like?

And the answer is: whatever works for you.

No really, that really is my answer.

In years of doing psychotherapy and then listening to people as I worked with them in the dance/ fitness business I have learned many things, but one of the most consistent things I have seen is that everyone is truly unique. There is no one-size fits all version of successful living. That means, that whatever journey you’ve taken and wherever you happen to be heading is fantastic as long as that journey, generally speaking, brings contentment, joy, satisfaction, and peace.

I think it’s ignorant (yup, I said it) to assume that our journey is somehow better than anyone else’s – because what is better exactly?

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Defining Success on Your Own Terms – Part 1

Posted on March 27, 2019April 9, 2019 by kristinheck

Going from a successful career-oriented woman, to a stay-at-home Mom, to now building a part-time career has been an enormously difficult transition for me. It has provided many lovely moments and is a time that I will cherish forever, but it has also required me to really shed a layer of my identify and deal with what I’ve found underneath it. This has prompted a mix of emotions and sometimes I find myself simultaneously feeling grateful, disappointed, and frustrated.

The interesting part is that I know I’m not alone in this, I’ve heard many Moms talking about it in one place or another. I’m going to put aside the topic of what it means to identify with the ‘Mom’ identify for a later post, but today I want to talk a little about defining success in our lives. This is a topic I’ve really had to think long and hard about recently and if you are struggling to feel like you measure up, I think this post will speak to you too.

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Tips to Exclusive Pumping Success-Part 1

Posted on March 18, 2019April 9, 2019 by kristinheck

Mom Tip Monday: Tips for Exclusive Pumping Success - Part 1

If you are a Momma that decided to exclusively pump like I did, then you know all to well how challenging this decision can make your life. It’s made harder by the fact that it’s a relatively uncommon decision. Most Moms breastfeed or give formula, but it is rare (although getting more and more common) to find other Moms who have also braved the journey of exclusive pumping.

Finding people who can share tips and and understand your struggles is so important when you are a new Mom and/or new to this journey. Over the next two posts, I’m going to share some information that helped me get through this process with my sanity intact!

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Social Media and Your Health: 4 tips to Help You Know if your Health or Wellness Coach is the Real Deal

Posted on March 13, 2019April 9, 2019 by kristinheck

I have a real love/hate relationship with social media. I was in graduate school when Facebook first came on the scene, and I don’t think anyone (including me) could have imagined what it would lead to, for better or worse. On one hand, I think social media has created amazing opportunities for our generation that we could have never imagined. Take communication for example – the ease and speed with which we can disseminate information and the reach people and businesses can now have is pretty incredible. On the other hand, I think we all know that social media has a darker side.

As you scroll social media, how often do you see accounts for influencers and coaches that are providing health, wellness, or fitness information? How often do you stop to consider whether the person behind that account really knows what they are talking about?

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Mom Tip Monday: C-Section Recovery

Posted on March 4, 2019April 9, 2019 by kristinheck

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This week’s Mom-Tip is a special one for me because it brings me back to the day my little sweetheart was brought into this world. And while my memories of that day are full of love because she arrived, the reality is that it was a long freakin’ day! I wanted to share a little about my experience with the C-section recovery process, as well as give you a few tips on the things I found helpful as I made my way into the 4th trimester.

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Do I have an Eating Disorder? Common Warning Signs and Resources for Help

Posted on February 28, 2019April 9, 2019 by kristinheck

This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week and it’s something that’s so near and dear to my heart that I wanted to make sure to get a post out to you all on this topic. I’ve been blessed to have had a very full professional life and pursue multiple passions over the years. In the world of psychology, I was an eating disorder recovery therapist for about 10 years and in the health, fitness, and dance world, I have worked with a surprising amount of women and men who have struggled with disordered eating and negative body image.

Even beyond the people I interact with professionally, it’s increasingly common for me to run across women and men having difficulty finding the right balance in regards to eating, exercise, and their mindset. It doesn’t take much for things to shift from healthy to disordered. If I’m candid, that line can even be a hard one for me…

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Tips for Adopting an Attitude of Gratitude

Posted on February 20, 2019February 27, 2020 by kristinheck

4 Ways to Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude

I had a completely different post typed up and ready to go for today but then I had a moment that struck me yesterday so I decided I wanted to circle back to gratefulness this week (if you missed my first post, Everyday Gratitude, click over and read that now!) The moment that refocused me was a reminder that gratitude can be hard, fleeting, and difficult to maintain. When I hear people talk about gratefulness, I rarely hear them discuss this part of the equation. Unfortunately, I think these tough realities are why people often give up when trying to develop a grateful mindset. It’s not being grateful that’s challenging, it’s maintaining it.

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Mom Tip Mondays – Eat Your Veggies Edition

Posted on February 11, 2019April 9, 2019 by kristinheck

Today’s mom tips are all about helping your toddler to eat some vegetables… which has been an ongoing battle in my house.

My baby girl started out her solid food journey as a little rockstar. After an initial few hurdles, she would try and then eat most things. And then somewhere around the 12-15 month mark, that lovely eating came to a screeching halt. And I became the Mom I was trying so hard not be… I totally caved to her. Which meant a diet that consisted mostly of carbs, cheese, peanut butter, and fruit because that is the only thing I could get my little toddler to eat without a fight.

After a few weeks, we gradually went back to eating some eggs, a little bit of chicken, and every now and then she would tolerate turkey in her sandwich bread. But those veggies? No way, Jose!

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Beyond the Physical: The Non-scale Benefits of Exercise

Posted on February 7, 2019April 9, 2019 by kristinheck

Stay motivated for your workout by focusing on 5 non-scale benefits of exercise

In the barre class I taught this past week, I closed with a quote on calmness to remind my class of the psychological benefits of exercise. Of course, I now can’t find that exact quote for the life of me, but I did find this one that is as close as I can get:

“You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do, is calm yourself. The storm will pass.”
Timber Hawkeye

After I shared it, I talked a little about how each person in that class had taken a step towards achieving mastery of mental calmness by getting through class that day. I decided to share that both with them and here, because it’s something that people don’t often think about when they think of exercising. People get wrapped up in the number on the scale, the size of their pants, and the number of calories burned on their fitness tracker, and they forget that some of the greatest benefits of exercise happen in the mind.

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Mom Tip Mondays – Stomach Bug Edition

Posted on January 30, 2019March 5, 2019 by kristinheck

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It clearly isn’t Monday, I know, but I wanted to start this today while it was fresh in my mind. Every other Monday from here on out, I will be posting a “Mom Tip.” These may be from me or they may be advice from fellow Mom’s I know, love, and respect immensely… but either way, they will be short little tips to make life less stressful for all the new mommies (or seasoned mommy’s too!) out there. The inspiration for this came when the stomach bug hit our house this week. As a stepmom, I’ve seen the stomach bug before… BUT I’ve 1. only seen the stomach bug in a kid that already knew how to throw-up in a toilet and/or a garbage can and 2. often been the co-pilot as my amazing hubby takes the lead with my stepson. So, this was the first time I walked into my toddler’s room to find her covered in puke and screaming bloody murder and had to quickly assess the situation and respond.

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