Courtney - Core Fitness

✨ C H E E R S ✨
It was the most beautiful fall day for celebrating Mr. & Mrs. Christofferson! Added bonus of running into a college friend I was the dance team with (swipe to see throwbacks LOL). I've always adored the relationship between Sam and Sammy & was honored to take a trip to MN to be part of their special day! Sammy was the most beautiful bride (with the most killer arms of course) & it was truly a magical day 🥂
I am so blessed that coaching brought us back together & created a special friendship (& thank you Instagram for reconnecting us😜) @ Mayowood Stone Barn

✨{OT Tuesday}✨
𝐓𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝...
I know you’re afraid. You feel like you're not capable. But I also realize you catch yourself recognizing how far you've come & what you've accomplished.

The Bible mentions fear nearly 365 times. God knew this would be something that would try & override His voice. He knew fear would try to hold us back.

Fear of failing. Fear of what others would think. Fear of letting others down. Fear of missing deadlines. Fear of not being the therapist you thought you'd be right out of school.

I get it. These thoughts are big & loud. They are holding you back from making strides. They tell you that your thoughts are crazy & there is NO way that you could or should do that thing.

But I think we often forget just how big our God is. He does the impossible. He equips the unqualified. He creates things from nothing. And He saved us so that we can let Him live through us.

Fear says you better not.
Christ says GO.
Fear says you don’t know enough.
God says you were prepared in advance.

Back off fear. It's this clinicians time to freaking 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞.

Social media: It’s National Boyfriend Day!

Us: I’m sorry, what did you say? We couldn’t hear you over the popping champagne bottles 🥂😜👯‍♀️ @ River & Post

I think I'm supposed to say something about how today is the first day of the month, clean slate, open chapter, fresh start, etc.??

Honestly, I don't know the month or day most of the time so really every day is what I mentioned above. And maybe that mentality is how I'm staying somewhat sane through this year? I think working in healthcare gives me a valuable perspective on honoring each day & focusing on 24 hours at a time. It's actually the culture in my coaching team/business & a concept I teach my patients who are struggling with their recovery process.

The acronym is IMPACT: 𝐈 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲

We live in a world where we legitimately have NO IDEA what tomorrow will bring. So, why stress about it? Worry about whats promptly ahead of you & give that moment your all. And tomorrow, you'll face what that day brings you.

I get it, we like control. We want to plan. Anticipation probably eats you alive so you try to plan for 'x' weeks ahead in an attempt to control a future outcome. However, it's likely in the process that you absorb a lot of unnecessary stress.

My main take away is: you're going to have good and bad days. Ups, downs, everything in between. Focus on one day at a time & control the controllable.
Commit to making an 'IMPACT' every day & before you know it, you'll look back and realize, "that wasn't so bad".

Happy October 1st, or whatever month it is🤪 @ Alpine Groves Park

✨OT Tuesday✨
𝔻𝕠𝕔𝕦𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝟙𝟘𝟙 𝕘𝕦𝕚𝕕𝕖

𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨:
Fx: Fracture
Dx: Diagnosis
Px: Precautions
Fxnl: Functional
Txfer: Transfer
AD: Assistance Device
AE: Adaptive Equipment
BID: Twice A Day
LRAD: Least restrictive assistive device
LOB: Loss of balance
2WW: 2-wheeled walker
SPC: Single Point Cane

𝙁𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡𝙨:
(My documentation system adds due dates for goals, so that is why none of these have timelines on them)
-Pt will perform simulated shower transfer, clearing 2" threshold using grab bars as needed with SUP in order to reduce risk of falls with functional transfers.
-Pt will perform LB dressing using LRAD mod I, demonstrating 100% carryover of posterior hip precautions for 2 consecutive sessions to reduce caregiver burden with ADL.
-Pt will demonstrate Good- dynamic standing balance with no LOB in order to facilitate ability to safely manage clothing during toileting tasks.
-Pt will don/doff __ brace with set up assistance to assist in improving safety awareness with all daily activity.
-Pt will complete tub transfer training w/ CGA necessary to safely perform showering routine for safe discharge to private residence independently.
-Pt will complete an IADL of choice with SUP using 2WW, demonstrating good safety awareness & no LOB to assist in return to daily activity.
-Pt will complete simulated medication management with IND functional fine motor skills & at least 100% accuracy in preparation for safe discharge to private residence.
-Pt will tolerate unsupported sitting at EOB for 5 minutes with SUP & no LOB in order to promote engagement in ADL.
-Pt will participate in simple meal preparation with SUP & good safety awareness using AD as needed in order to safely return to PLOF.

Tag your OT pals & be sure to bookmark/save for reference!

From a professional gal, I cannot stress enough the importance of prioritizing your relationship with yourself before a relationship with someone else.
I get it, it's easier said than done. But, girl... love ya damn self. It's cliche that 'you must love yourself before someone else can love you' but ITS TRUE.
Working on your relationship with yourself is going to take trial and error. It's not always pedicures & getting a coffee. It might be going to therapy & speaking positively to yourself in the mirror.

Trust me when I say that life is miserable when you don't feel confident in who you are, don't love yourself for who you are/want to be & feel like the world is out to get you. Those around you probably don't enjoy your energy either to be honest.

You may not feel like you have it figured out but starting messy is better than not starting at all.
I challenge you to this...
Be alone. Eat alone. Take yourself on dates. Sleep alone.

In the midst of this you will learn about yourself. You will grow, you will figure out what inspires you, you will curate your own dreams, and when you do meet the person who makes your cells dance, you will be sure of it because you are sure of yourself.

Some day someone will accompany you on the dance floor of life. But, I know for a fact that person will never find you if you can't confidently embrace YOU.

Love yourself, babe 🌈
xoxo

✨{OT Tuesday}✨
HOW I STUDIED FOR THE NBCOT!

MATERIALS:
-I primarily used the TherapyEd study book & watched OT Miri videos (I am a visual learner).
-I did 1 AOTA practice test
-Highlighters helped me visually organize my notes!

GETTING THROUGH MATERIAL:
-When I first started studying, I tried reading the entire TherapyEd book... waste of time & overwhelmed me! I instead reviewed the major topics instead of reading every detail of the book.
-I took notes on OT Miri videos, drew pictures to help me remember & did the silly dances!
-I took all of the practice tests. The best thing you can do is to just kinda throw yourself into what it is going to be like because the way questions are asked require clinical reasoning to answer!
-I read through & reviewed the answers/rationales to every question after a practice exam. It helped me understand how to answer questions so much better!

TIME BLOCKING: I would set a timer for 30 mins - 1 hour & time block out my day of studying. I would then determine what topic I would review during that time & put my phone AWAY until that alarm went off. I would then give myself 15-30 mins to do something NON-OT RELATED (workout, work my coaching biz, eat, walk, etc).

STUDY BUDDIES: I am the type of studier that likes to talk things out to make sense of them. I had a few friends who we would hop on a Zoom call & study together and talk things out. This helped a ton because we could see other peoples rationales behind their answers to questions & I always learned something new from someone else!

STUDY/LIFE BALANCE: Do. Not. Burn. Yourself. Out. Seriously. I get it, this test is a big deal & very stressful but do NOT let it consume your life. Don’t drag out your exam - I studied for 2 months & I was really started to burn out (this is a personal experience, everyone is different).

BONUS:
I made a study guide that helps structure your study plan in prep for your exam! I worked with an amazing tutor who helped narrow down specific topics to focus on when studying & ive gotten amazing feedback from people who use it! (See story highlight) Link to get access is in my bio!

ℍ𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕪 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕗𝕒𝕝𝕝!
Fall is my FAVORITE season, especially 'Florida Fall'. Not too hot, not too cold.
The outfits/colors give me LIFE.
The food/drinks are perfection.
I just love everything about it!

Plus, I can't wait to be back in MN in a few weeks visiting my family (most importantly my adorable nephew) and truly see the colors of fall (& likely experience true fall temperatures).

Swipe to see my FAVORITE fall soup recipe that I always make as a side for lunches ( ) or dinners! It's even got a breakdown of how it fits into the meal plans that come with our virtual bootcamp👌🏼

Be sure to 'save' it so it can become one of your fall favorites too😋

I want to know, where are my other fall-time lovers at?!🍂🎃🍎🦃🍁 @ Whistling Well Farm

If there is one thing I have learned in my years of singleness, it is that there is 𝙉𝙊 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨.
Truly, I've never dated a man who has gone and done the fun things me and my girlfriends do & I truthfully don't expect a man to ever fulfill that role.
Us women NEED that special relationship in our lives.

There was a period of time where I lacked self confidence & felt as if I needed a male role in my life in order to be complete. Over the last year, I've worked on my confidence and prioritized my time with my girls. Because quite frankly, they have been there for me more than any man ever has.

I am beyond grateful for the amazing women in my life that empower me to level up, support me when I push for more in life, celebrate each others accomplishments, bring wine/pizza/ice cream when s**t hits the fan, pop bottles just for fun & are just overall there for me when I need them most.

Cheers to badass women. Because, no man can handle the power of good looking women kicking ass together 🥂
(P.s. me and my friends really like champagne 💃🏼) @ Riverside - Downtown Jacksonville

✨{𝕆𝕋 𝕋𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕕𝕒𝕪}✨
𝔸𝔻𝔸 𝔸𝕔𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 & 𝔾𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕗 𝕊𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕖

When I was in OT school, I had testing accommodations. When I say I have testing anxiety, I don't say it lightly. I would perseverate on every question & become over stimulated to the point where I could hear every. single. sound. around me, I would lose focus, get stressed about losing focus, be stressed about being stressed... ya know.. not conducive to taking an exam.
I took my exam in a separate room that was quiet, removed & got additional time. I have ZERO shame in this & want you to know that getting accommodations does NOT make you any less of a therapist. I know times are different now so testing accommodations may look different but don't let that defer you from getting the support you need!

Even today as a therapist, there are times when work gets overwhelming & my anxiety kicks in. I have a really hard time hiding that & my coworkers always know when im 'in a mood' LOL. Those days happen & it's okay!!

Give yourself some grace.
Just think.. what if you treated your patients the same way you treated yourself ( , right?!)⠀
We accept our patients with their 'imperfections and flaws', meet them where they are at & work with them to help them improve... but sometimes don't allow the same for ourselves.

I ask you to take a step back & give yourself some grace from school & work expectations. Don't put so much pressure on yourself, just BE the therapist/student you are and accept yourself with where you are at.

You are doing amazing.
𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓀𝑒𝑒𝓅 𝑔𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 ❤︎

Hey sister, STOP scrolling for a second.

You're beautiful.
Jaw dropping gorgeous.
Unconditionally loved.
You're STRONG.
You're full of light.
...AS YOU ARE.

I know it can be easy to say, "I'll love myself when"...
..I lose those 10 pounds
..I find a partner
..my life looks like hers
..my body looks like hers

Marketing is designed to hit our deepest insecurities & make us feel like we need to change; become smaller, bigger, more, less... BUT you don't have to fall prey to believing that. I am NOT saying to neglect your health in the process, but hating yourself as you are is not healthy either. Maybe loving yourself means taking back control of your health or challenging yourself to see what you’re capable of.

Each day, you get to define what true beauty means to YOU. To believe that you are worthy & loved unconditionally.

If you're reading this, I think you're magnificent & brave for loving yourself as you are. Tag a sister that needs this little reminder (hint: we all do)