Lost and found

When was the last time you touched your spirit? 

I touched mine last week on a short holiday to Palm Springs and it had been so long I almost didn't recognize what I was feeling.   For those of you new to BUC or to this blog let me give you a short update on who I am and my nutty life.

I am the very proud mother to 3 boys age 12, 10 and on June 17th my baby will turn 1.  That's right, I said one.  Quite the spread in age and I could devote an entire post to what it has been like to parent a new baby after such a long break.  I will keep this part of my story short and just say that it has been an amazing ride that I wouldn't trade for all the sleep in the world (new parents will understand the enormity of this statement).

My second family is BUC and all the moving pieces that keep the business running.  I work with a steady stream of clients on both fitness and nutrition along with all the behind the scene activities that aren't always so glamorous.  To say the last 2 to 3 years have been a whirlwind is an understatement.  Organized chaos (I say organized but really this is just my way of saying I was trying to keep control over uncontrollable events) is a better description.

Opening a larger studio and becoming pregnant with Jake was the start of the journey of losing myself.

I continued working until June 6 and June 17th and I was holding my beautiful new baby boy in my arms surrounded by my family and feeling pretty much on top of the world.  Fast forward to July 13th and I was back at work teaching lunch and learn sessions out in Burnaby and taking on clients again (much to Tia's dismay...).  I am sitting here looking at last years day timer just shaking my head in awe.  Even though I was working a modified week I was still working... and breast feeding AND not sleeping.  In fact I remember driving home from seeing my Burnaby client hooked up the the electric breast pump while operating a stick shift.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize the absurdity of this.  I am pretty sure if talking and texting are illegal while driving that my effort to multitask corporate Lisa and mommy Lisa was a sure ticket to a suspended licence had I been pulled over.  I have often wondered how that would have been written up in the local papers if I had indeed crashed.  If this doesn't speak to my level of insanity during this time nothing will. 

The truth of the matter is I didn't skip a beat and what I perceived as strength of character is really one of my largest personality flaws.  I have been gripping onto my personal life and my professional life by my finger nails terrified that if I let go that all the pieces of my life would come crashing to the ground.  I had gone from a confident, self assured, independent woman to a frazzled, over mommied, over worked crazy woman.  Needless to say much has changed in my life in the past 3 months including reaching the end of breast feeding, a new outlook on business and personal relationships and a journey into personal self growth and discovery.

Then the opportunity to sneak away to Palm Springs for 3 nights to celebrate closing out my 30's came up and I took it.  I managed to get Jake weaned, all his meals prepped and ready in the freezer, groceries bought and put away and a list of instructions of who gets what, when posted on the fridge (I will dive into my control issues at a later date) and off I went.  I was excited to get away and have a chance to detox from life and business along with reconnecting with friends that hold years of history.  It was a great trip with extreme heat (and to answer your question there is NO SUCH THING AS TOO HOT when it comes to me), a convertible, a spa day and even a few glasses of wine and chocolate had by the pool.  Honestly it was bliss.

Then I came home and it hit me.

This week has been an emotional downer for me.  First I thought it was just the gray skies (seriously, it is June!), then I chalked some of it up to lack of exercise (yes, I do take time away from the gym) and low Omega 3 consumption (make sure you check out my post on happy fats).  Well I couldn't do much about the weather but I did get off my butt and got moving again in the gym and healthy, balanced nutrition is a no brainer for me so why have I still been so glum??

Then I had my light bulb moment. 

I had touched my spirit again.

In Palm Springs racing down the highway with the top down, the sun setting and the warm air dancing around me like a warm cosmic hug, I had felt ME again.  That warm fuzzy feeling that tells us we are not just alive but that we are LIVING.  The feeling that your heart is going to tear open your chest because it feels so large, the lump in your throat because of the emotion that is rising up from the depth of your gut, the smile on your face that you couldn't wipe off if you tried.  My spirit.  It is alive and well and I had found it. 

The sadness is in realizing that I had found that which I didn't even realize I had lost and this story is not unique to me.  When we choose the role of "mom" we give our bodies over first, then we continue to give our heart and spirit.  I had gone from an independent woman to having Jake dependant on me for life... to help his little body form and grow and then for nourishment.   I wouldn't have changed a thing but after almost 22 months its time to reclaim ME and find how to nurture my own spirit as much as I nurture and care for my family. 

I touched something magical in Palm Springs and I want it back.  Stay tuned for my upcoming adventures....

So I put this question out to all of my fellow mom's.  When was the last time you touched your spirit?  Do you even remember what it feels like to be you??
What can you do and what do you NEED to do to find your way back to you??

I can proudly say that I was a part of the puzzle for some of the friends I travelled with.  You can't ROCK a bikini if you aren't feeling good in your skin and it was amazing to see the ones I had the honor of teaching the E.A.T! programs, looking and feeling great.   40 is looking great on this group of women.

Good nutrition and feeling good in my skin is part of my daily self care but for most women (and I will say specifically mom's for this post) loving the body you are in is a distant memory.  You can think back to how you looked and felt in your late teens to mid 20's and wonder why you ever complained about the body you would kill for now.

The E.A.T! program is kicking off registration for September classes.  You can find your way back to YOU, love your body and celebrate your spirit again.

Don't miss the journey that will change your life and ignite your spirit!


STARTS: September 5, 2012

TIME: 6:00 PM to 7:30PM

Please note ALL class dates (this is a 10 session series)

September 5, 12, 19 & 26 October 3, 10, 17 & 24 November 7 & 14

CLASS INCLUDES WEEKLY WEIGHT AND MEASUREMENTS. DAILY FOOD LOG REVIEW AND UNLIMITED QUESTIONS VIA EMAIL. ACCOUNTABILTIY IS BUILT INTO THIS CLASS.

COST: 2 payments of $299.50 plus HST
1st payment is due at time of registration, final payment is due Sept 5th

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION SAVE $100 IF CLASS IS FULLY PAID BY JULY 15TH!!

Includes course binder, handouts and a free bottle of Barlean’s Fish Oil ($40 value)

All E.A.T! programs come with a 100% money back guarantee

WHERE: #2135-12191 Hammersmith Way, Richmond BC V7A 5H2


Contact me for more details or join my mailing list  for all studio and E.A.T! updates!

-L