I recently learned how to make leis and took a hula lesson - both were firsts for me. It made me think: When was the last time I took a new class or did something new? It's been awhile.

As I watched the teacher weave ti leaves so quickly and admired the smoothness of a 5 yr old hula dancer, I could not help but compare myself to them. I was in awe. It brought me back to my early days of lifting weights, when I was researching everything and looking for people to support me on my fitness journey. I remember the feeling of starting something new. I enjoyed being a beginner in so many ways, but it was also frustrating at times. I had to remind myself that this wasn't something I grew up with; I needed to practice to get better. You don't get buff by walking into a gym, you have to stick with it day after day.

It's taken me years of practice to find hacks and learn how to eat a properly balanced diet. I have learned how to meal prep with delicious food and how to eat well. You can’t starve yourself and expect to get fit. I have been teaching people at all fitness levels for 20 years, helping them through their injuries and life stages like pregnancy and menopause. I have also met people at their most vulnerable, such as after a divorce or heart attack. I can relate because I was once in their shoes, looking for a way back to passion and self connection after life threw a curveball. I had to learn to be uncomfortable. It wasn’t easy but I loved the process, and individual moments collected until they changed my life and charted my career path. 

I have a unique perspective on fitness because I myself was a client before I became a trainer. I broke the patterns modeled by my family when I decided to take control of my body and my health. And I didn’t know how to do it, so I needed support. I know what it's like to hire a professional and trust the process. I am proof that it works. 

So, what is one new thing you can do? Are you asking for the support you need? Have you found a community to keep you engaged and accountable? My goal is to keep hula dancing! Gracias mi gente! 
​
Adriana

This topic is so important and close to my heart that I revisit it in my latest podcast episode.
Tune in here.

During the pandemic, we did a podcast on finding your tribe with my friend Nancy Treder, fellow working mom and girlfriend of over 13 yrs. We talked about having good people around us that we can rely on for emotional support as well as help with raising our kids I'll link episode that podcast in the show notes. I’ve had other moms, entrepreneurs, clients, girlfriends and trainers that have walked beside me as I went through rough patches and celebrated great milestones. During my fitness competition I gravitated towards competitors that were working parents that had a healthy balance in fitness life and making healthy foods for my family . My community provided the has given me the best advice and  held space for my mistakes, and nurtured me when I needed some love. I grew up with tough love, so I tended to be a more demanding of my self and got good at compartmentalizing. I don’t have family in Seattle, so I’ve built relationships here with people who have become my family. I’m very grateful for them- and for you! I most recently traveled to the Bahamas and was reminded of how blessed I am. My village and community came through once more! 

My husband's mother came to town so stay with Sofia while we were gone. We chose to have kids later in life, so as some of you know, we have aging parents that can’t really drive or take on all the responsibilities of caring for our high school senior who’s hardly home, an independent, strong-willed first grader, and a not to mention sick pup at home with a list of medications to take on a schedule. That in itself can deter me from traveling! But our marriage and time together is important, so I have learned to ask for what I need: help. I’m not shy about it either. I have been through enough to teach me that I don't have to do it all. 

While we were gone, our next door neighbors walked our dog, Earl, in the morning. Another neighbor took Sofia to and from school. Other friends were on site working on the studio construction and checked up on and walked Earl in the afternoon. They would even send us photos to ease our worries. My girlfriend, Veronica, picked up Sofia and took her to the bouldering project for weekly class. And another neighbor, Annie, checked on grandma's mental health during the week. Grandma does not drive or text, so we got Sofia set up on the iPad to be able to communicate, under supervision. Thank God for technology when it works like this!

So you see friends, it works if you are willing to give and receive. Your tribe is the community you make. It is the village that helps raise your kids. When our neighbors moved away, it was devastating; our kids have known each other since birth to 7yrs. But how we make plans to see each other and keep our connection strong. They are just a call, text, or post card away and now zoom meeting.

When our new neighbors moved in, I took them a bottle of wine and some food to welcome them to the neighborhood. I also gave them my number and said, “If you see my daughter or my dog out walking themselves, please call me!” We watch each other’s houses, celebrate milestones, and take care of each other's kids. 

I thank you for the bottom of mi corazon. If you do not know how reach out or ask for help, it ok hear my story and how I learned how and I'm always integrating new people.

I grew up in a large Mexican family of 11- that was my first community. Coming from a different generation, and having parents who didn't finish high school, My mother's teaching for us was that finishing high school and getting married, those were the goals to aspire to. "Marry a man that will take care of you,"  I detoured from that advice as watched my mother in her third marriage, still struggling to survive. Most of my siblings are on their 2 and 3rd marriages. I was the youngest, and I had a different take on life and always challenged the status quo. Sometimes what were are taught does not fit us anymore. We as people evolve and grow. I moved out at 14 yrs old. I had a great community of social workers and friends that found me a place to live and gave me emotional support. I saw in them the lives and love I wanted. They had a purpose is seeing me successed! 

I realized I had to leave the small town I was from to have better choices. It took courage to make new decisions. My mother didn't her talk for me for 3 years. So I spent a lot of time aIone. We was great, I finally had my own room and space physically and literally. I no longer had someone telling how to live. I could create it and make my own mistakes along the way. That was my first rite of passage I learned that education provided better options for a career. I saw my friends' parents, who did go to college, living a different sort of life than my parents did. When I got to college, I realized that I loved to learn, and I was surrounded by people who felt the same. I found my tribe. My psychology class opened my eyes-it was my favorite because it explained that people's belief systems are different. I had a great sociology professor who was white but spoke better Spanish then I did at the time because of his travels. At that point, I had only been to one other state. So I decided to study abroad in Jalisco, Mexico, and learned about my history and hung out with people from all parts of the world. I thrived in this environment, and I realized that I had to have a career that involved working with people.

I grew up really fast and had big responsibilities at a young age, like a lot of immigrant families do. I knew could accomplish a lot. I actually had to learn to relax and take a break. Let's just say I became more childlike in my 20s after I worked out all of my trauma with some therapy. I got to do the activities I missed out on as a child like sports and travel. I competed in fitness competition and travel a lot of the world. A lot of my older clients have become my mamas, and professional clients have become my project managers for business, house renovations, and community. So you see, where ever I went, I built a community around me of like-minded people who are continuing to grow and challenge themself on every level physically spiritually and mentally. Some of the situations that required me to ask for help were starting a new career, a new business, marriage and becoming an instant mom and wife at the same time,  parenting a new born, starting a podcast! I took advice where I could get it- and when I didn't listen, I suffered- so I like to ask for help now! I also realized people like to help as well.
I most recently took a Chakra, Energy and Healing classes with some wonderful ladies that are now my tribe in personal growth arena. We remind each other to use the tools we learned these last 2 years. We can process life and keep each other from revert back to old patterns. We help each other integrate this stuff into our daily lives. The world doesn't always model accountability or responsibility. We created a community to hold space for each other without judgment so we stay committed ourselves. That way we can be free to be and create. Not blame and  react. We can also spread that into other parts of the our other communities. In the process I learned a lot about financial freedom, and express our authenticity, voicing my feelings, concerns and needs. I learned why I love to create and service my communities. I also learned that unconditional love doesn't mean you are a door mat. Setting and having boundaries are important. I created what I didn't have as a child. I understand more about compassion and mercy. As one of my friends quoted, "The miracle of mercy is giving what you never got." It's also receiving and letting people show you love we all deserve. 
​So get rid of the extra pounds of our expectations or limiting beliefs and give what you want in return.

Gracias mi gente! 
Adriana

I recently went to the Bahamas to visit some friends my husband has known since college. They have been there for the past 2 years, living on their 45-foot, 4-bedroom catamaran. Before that, they were living out of a van in Latin America for over a year. After this trip, my second time visiting them, I came back a better human. Their life seems simple and complex at the same time. Simple because they have few possessions and live away from most of the commercialism, work schedules, and the "do! do! do!" American culture. Complex because they have to know how to sail and protect themselves from the storms, winds, and hurricanes that determine the flow of their lives.
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I was surrounded by the beauty of nature from sunrise to sunset. I was shocked at how clear the full moon and canopy of stars were. I also have a healthy respect for the huge 5ft sting rays I saw from our hike and the sharks - a bit too close for comfort - cruising by in the beautiful clear blue water. It definitely inspired me to simplify my life here at home. Our friends compost as much as possible, hold on to their recycling until they get to port, and make their own water from the sea with their desalinator. Their electricity comes from the solar panels on their boat and they sail whenever possible to use less gas. They make many of their meals from scratch since provisions can be limited. We made homemade tortillas 2 nights in a row and didn't even go to any restaurants.

On this years' trip, I started paying attention to what materials come with the food and products I buy. Even the little tea bags I thought were 100% compostable were really only 90% compostable (meaning the other 10% was made from nylon and plastic). I was heart broken to see the beauty disrupted by all the garbage, plastic, and other abandoned items washed up on the shores of the smaller islands we visited along the way. It takes strength to acknowledge how we contribute to all of it. It gave me hope every time I picked up a piece of plastic, knowing that it would have otherwise disrupted the wildlife. Even small gestures like these add up, and I took what I learned home, knowing it will ripple forward to make a greater impact.  

Burnout is a constant feeling of exhaustion caused by overwhelm. Sound familiar?

If you are anything like me, you like staying busy. You work hard, play hard, exercise, take care of your kids, cook, do chores, and maybe even squeeze in some social time or volunteer work. No wonder you feel overwhelmed. On top of all that, your phone is probably pinging all the time, commanding your attention, and you may find yourself scrolling through social media, comparing your hectic life to the scenes of sunset drinks, walks on the beach, and other leisure activities you just don't have time for.

It's a recipe for FOMO, followed by disaster. Constant burnout can harm your mental, emotional, and physical health. You may feel irritable, depressed, or hopeless.  You may lose interest in things that you normally enjoy. You may feel cynical, frustrated, or even numb. Your performance at work may start to suffer. You don't feel like doing routine things such as laundry or cleaning, and as those things pile up, your feeling of overwhelm grows. You may feel incapable of keeping up with life's demands. 

This continues to build until you finally get sick or get hurt. If you don't take care of yourself and give yourself the time to rest and fill yourself up, you will eventually be forced to slow down by illness or injury.

Let that sink in- one way or another, you will eventually stop and regroup. You cannot go on and on in a state of burnout. You can choose to stop, or life will stop you.

Now, the question is- do you want to go do something fun, something that makes your heart happy, something that you enjoy? Or do you want to push yourself to the limit and then recover in bed, miserable?

Love and Light Healing is partnering with Fuerte Fitness to bring you the Rejuvenation Retreat. Take a few days to relax, reset, focus on your health and well-being, connect with wonderful people, and treat yourself to a time out.

Give yourself the gift of time and self-care. Join us at the Rejuvenation Retreat in Poulsbo in April.

At Fuerte Fitness, we want to build strength endurance through exercise. But we also want to enjoy a healthy lifestyle that promotes overall wellness and longevity. That is why you often see me sharing recipes and talking about food prep and diet. Exercise is only one aspect of health.

This article by Harvard Health Publishing discusses three randomised clinical trials that found positive impacts on cardiovascular health in overweight individuals who followed variations of the DASH  (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet, including reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels. These individuals did not consume fewer calories; they simply obtained their calories from different sources.

The DASH Diet is defined as "low in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol; rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium, and fiber; emphasizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products; including fish, poultry, nuts, and seeds; and limiting red meat, sweets, and sugary beverages." Participants who lowered their sodium further saw additional health benefits. You can use the guidelines below to start yourself on the DASH Diet. You also want to generally avoid canned and processed foods, fast food or convenience food, and excess added sugars. To take it another step, you can replace some carbohydrates with healthy protein. This is called the OMNI Heart eating plan, and the guileless are below as well.

We know it can be hard to find the time to workout every day or even multiple times a week. The good news is you can take steps toward better health just by making changes your diet.

Don't know where to start, or how to cook whole food that actually tastes great?! Browse through the blog archives for lots of great recipes. Or you can join the Mamacita Challenge starting February 6 to get a full month of recipes and menus, along with weekly workouts and live support. You can ask me all your questions and connect with other people looking to shift toward a healthier lifestyle.

Katherine D. McManus, M.S. (2018) Benefits of a healthy diet - with or without weight loss, Harvard Health. Harvard Health Publishing. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/benefits-of-a-healthy-diet-with-or-without-weight-loss-2018121915572 (Accessed: February 3, 2023).