From the inside, looking out. Looking out a window at Breckenridge, Peak 8, where my family is skiing while I sit at the base. Choosing discomfort to allow my body to heal.
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Discomfort & Growth Discomfort - the word itself offers a lot to unpack. It is a condition of human existence.
Life circumstances or chosen. Short term or chronic. Obstacle or opportunity.
It can also signal an alarm. Will it fuel anxiety? Or action?
For this message, I’m focusing on the discomfort specific to personal health and fitness. While I do believe this mental process may be applied to spark positive action in many areas of discomfort, the scale of world events and our collective awareness of global discomfort (and much worse) is much more complex.
Discomfort can be a precursor for personal change. Where I’ve seen clients struggle is in the desire to eradicate discomfort with a complete life overhaul - an anxiety driven reaction. This can be rooted in belief that doing all. the. things. will create comfort. In most cases it's unsustainable, and possibly harmful.
Our brains are designed for the familiar to be comfortable - whether that serves the healthy version of you or not. So change signals discomfort.
And such is the cycle - either staying stuck in the familiar, ignoring the nagging discomfort, OR working through the discomfort of creating small shifts on a trajectory of long term sustainable change.
If you choose to work through discomfort, it’s important to consider your capacity for change.
Your time and energy are limiting factors. Physical, mental, emotional, social - primary capacity expenses. When you look at the time and energy devoted to these four, how much time and energy is left for you to use for change?
As I embrace the new discomfort of post-surgical healing, my capacity is a daily internal conversation. Daily journaling helps inform capacity shifts and discomfort tolerance. It’s honestly this notebook where I rate 1-10:
Mood. Energy. Sleep. Mental. Physical.
My nightly rating of these five states gives me insight on my personal capacity. It allows me the space for intuitive choices that serve my whole self, body and mind. Discomfort highlights opportunities for growth. No mental “shoulds” can shame you into healthy change. You determine your capacity - physical, mental, emotional, social. Align your requirements with your capacity in this unique phase and stage.
This is where I love facilitating aligned growth with others. Identifying the root of discomfort, documenting capacity, and aligning requirements to meet goals. It’s inspiring to lean into discomfort in a shared space and develop capacity through growth.
Just as bravery requires fear, growth requires discomfort.
What is one micro step you can take, leaning into the discomfort of aligned change for your long term health and fitness?
Nourishment The holidays and my surgery brought family to our home for nearly 6 weeks. Nourishment in the form of presence, meals, laundry, and cleaning allowed me to feel relaxed and truly rested in mind, body, and spirit. Allowing others to care for you is one of the greatest forms of nourishment.
On the recipe side of things, I’ve been loving a warm citrus and spice “tea” on these colder mornings. It’s full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that support your immune system and digestion. I keep my turmeric and ginger frozen for easier grating! This grater is my favorite kitchen tool!
Turmeric - about ½ in grated Ginger - about ½ in grated Lemon - ½ juiced Orange - ½ juiced ~6-8oz hot water
Optional additions: black pepper, cinnamon, honey
Movement As I’m healing, my movement is limited to stretching and core work in small amounts. Movement of any intensity and duration is a wonderful opportunity to maintain bodymind connection.
For this month, I’m sharing my monthly workout from February 2024. It’s 25 minutes of movement to support balance and develop strength in core, triceps, and legs.
We're 1 month in to 2026. How will discomfort serve you today? Tomorrow is a new day to choose growth. What curiosities and connections will you explore? Cheers to choosing the discomfort of growth,
I'm planning out 2026 newsletters! What do you want to learn about? Let me know in this 1 minute survey:
Energizing Boost Let's move! The joy of movement is contagious! I want to share space with you next Thursday! May 7th @ 10:30 Eastern / 8:30 Mountain Add it to your calendar! In 30 minutes, we'll stretch, activate, and strengthen our muscles with bodyweight movements intended to boost our energy. Share this with your mom and/or mothers in your life - a pre Mothers' Day gift of time together. I'm inviting mine! This will be an all ages and all fitness levels activity. I look forward to seeing...
Artemis II Launch Photo credit NASA HQ PHOTO Join me LIVE for this month's body weight workout!May 7 8:30 AM MT / 10:30 AM ET Add it to your Calendar Here! A Story of SeparationAs my kids and I watched the launch of Artemis II, we marveled at the giant rocket moving at unimaginable speeds carrying 4 human souls to the moon. The combustion, the steam, the silent onlookers erupting into cheers, the trail across the blue sky - it was all mesmerizing. About two minutes into the launch, the kids...
A round mandala puzzle our family worked on for weeks. The pieces were wild shapes and sometimes seemed fit together - until we realized they didn't. Last chance to let me know how to support your Mindset, Nourishment, and Movement goals! Take the 1 minute survey! Curiously Connected Newsletter Survey On UnlearningI’ve been a physical therapy junkie for most of my adult life. With ankle, knee, hip, and now neck injuries, I enjoy nerding out with the PTs on how the body develops functions to...
