CORE Fitness Studio

🌟Go Joan! It’s never too late!
💪🏼Don’t be afraid to Lift. Heavy. Weights.
“You can’t turn back the clock but you can wind it up again.” 💜
https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/joan-macdonald-73-year-old-fitness-fanatic

Good evening my friends.
I used to run. I ran consistently 2-3 days a week and signed up for races over the years. I loved it. It was a great outlet for reducing stress and clearing my head. But then I started to not enjoy it like I once had and it's been about three years since I last ran. I've tried to go back on and off since then thinking I could just will myself to like it and enjoy it again. But I just didn't. For many reasons I just didn't. For a while I sulked but I just knew there was so much more out there that I CAN DO!

🏙🚶🏼‍♀️Moving to the city of Chicago nearly 2 years ago meant a lot more walking to get places without a car which was great but I needed more than that.
🚴‍♀️ So, I started on the elliptical and spin bike (indoor cycling). It felt good but man how far I backslid in my fitness! Seriously...WOW! I embraced the suck and had to remind myself every time that it's OK...In many ways I was starting as a newbie again but knew that I just had to keep going to get to the level of fitness I once held. I may not be a runner anymore but I'm still in this thing to be the best I can be doing something I enjoy again. As a PT I never thought I would have ended up where I did...but that's life and I'm human! I'm hitting the gym consistently on the bike as well as strength training....I came back and I feel like I'm kicking ass again!
I guess I wanted to share because we all have set backs but finding something different and new to enjoy and consistently showing up...just watch how far you soar 💜
In strength, in health, in wellness and badassery✌🏼

Patience. We’ve all bern there 💙

Good Morning Friends!
It's the first weekend of 2020. We have a lot of fresh starts we are promising ourselves...changes we want to see in the New Year and it can feel exhilarating as we enter it so enthusiastically jumping right in!
Just keep in mind....
Change takes time!
Anything you want to change or do differently takes time!
We start off strong...then we waver...we get tired and overwhelmed.
🤦🏼‍♀️We make mistakes.
🤞We don't do all the things we promised ourselves we would.
🐢We half ass it somedays.
✨✨BUT...SOME DAYS MY FRIENDS, SOME DAYS✨✨
💪🏼We go strong!
👊We give it our all!
🙌We give ourselves high fives.
💁🏼‍♀️We walk with such confidence that when we look in the mirror🕶the mirror whistles back...✨👅

These are the days. These are all the days on any endeavor you look to take on!
Give yourself some grace. Grace is a precious thing to give ourselves!
Pick up and get back on where you started.
Some day's it's just freaking hard! But some days it's AWESOME!

So whatever it is that you are embarking on this fabulous NEW YEAR...Press on! You won't be the same person in three, six, twelve months that you are today!
Just....Keep....Going!

Be well in body, soul, mind and spirit. ✌🏼

Yes!!!!
Looking forward to ALL the opportunities 2020 will bring! 365 days...Make ‘Em Count 🙌🏼✌🏼
🎉Happy New Year🎉

Hello friends,
I hope you all had a nice Christmas!
This time of year can be great....or it can be terribly difficult!
If you have had a hard year and are reading this Congratulations...YOU MADE IT!!! Whether it's family turmoil, illness, death of a loved one, trauma or financial stress it can take it's toll and doing the self care you need to do will help get you to the next moment, day, week, month, year!
✨Self care, wellness, well being, mental health...it matters!
I have learned for myself that spending time in meditation and getting "grounded" has helped me tremendously. I have sought out the help of experts to gain the tools that I didn't even know I needed...tools that seem strange but man do they work!
✨Explore your options...look for alternatives...ask for help and be HONEST on your journey of where you have been, how you've contributed to that (stop blaming) and where you want to go. We're given one life...Let's make the best of it!

In health and wellness...Kristi ✌🏼

On my journey back to wellness! It's been a long road with many components to it.
I have learned SO MUCH about myself. I've grown and I've learned many new tools I implement daily. It's taken time, energy, resources and mentors to get me to this point and I will continue with all of that.
But here is a simple analogy I can share that has been helping me daily.
🐘"How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time!" 🐘
Strange analogy, right?! Maybe even oversimplified with the point being you're looking at a big task in front of you...or something you really do not want to do. It would be easy to forget it, to say it's too hard, too scary, it's too much and then not do it. OR you procrastinate so much that eventually you can't get to it. Hello?!🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️
Instead...Look at that insurmountable task at hand and take it one bite at a time. One task at a time. One "thing" at a time.
🗻The analogy isn't new at all ⛰Climbing a mountain...Don't look at the whole mountain...take it one step at time...rest, repeat! 🏃‍♀️When I was a runner it was one foot in front of the other...get to that corner...get to the end of the song...repeat!
I guess I needed a fresh analogy, a different way of looking at the same thing.
🌟I use that analogy every day now. So when it comes to my workouts for the day it can all look like a lot...it seems time consuming...overwhelming. But if I look at the first exercise. 3 sets of 15?! OK I can do 15! Rest! OK...I can do another 15....rest...Do another 15 and that exercise is DONE! Onto the next! One exercise at a time, one set at a time. Looking at the WHOLE workout or thinking about how much time it might take me doesn't serve me. When I do that...I put it off and it doesn't get done. Exercise is a very important component for me in my mental health and overall wellness so implementing strategies that work for me is crucial.
One. Bite. At. A. Time. ✅ It's made all the difference...as simple as it seems I hope it may help you too!
In Health and Overall Wellness ✨✌🏼

I’m back and I want it! Bringing my best to be my best...every day.
My physical health
My mental health
My spiritual health
✨Wellness manifesting
Eating to perform.
Eating for health.
Today was leg day
Feel the burn
Getting stronger
Building strength
Building functional movement through exercise

Good Morning my friends.
❄️Thanks for checking in on this cold Chicago Wednesday morning!
💭As I begin to share on this page again I want to share this...
💁🏼‍♀️As you know this is a Health, Fitness and Wellness page which means ALL aspects of health and wellness, right!
✨Mental ✨Emotional ✨Spiritual...not just physical fitness. There are multiple angles we can utilize to achieve the overall wellness we seek...tools that we learn and can implement to lead a more solid, grounded life.
🙏So...I will share some things from time to time that I hope will help you if/when you go through some uncertain or tumultuous times.
✨Listen, I haven't gone down difficult roads to sit back in silence when I can share some things that may assist others on their road to healing and wellness. And so can you! Let's share our struggles, our heartaches, our victories and the times we overcame something we thought would keep us down! WE are survivers! If something resonates with you in this community please comment and share 💜
✨So hey! I want you to know something...
I see you! You matter! You are not alone! You were made to go through tough times, it's what makes us human! There is nothing that you can not overcome and you are so much stronger than you know!
✨
In health and *all* forms of wellness....Kristi ✌️

🌅Good morning my friends!
❄️ Thanks for checking in on this cold Wednesday morning in Chicago.
🗯Thought for the day.
✨Sit. Breathe. Believe. Take action.