What does self-care mean to me?

“I define self-care as a lifestyle in which you actively choose to engage in meaningful activities, rituals, and relationships that support and fuel your overall wellbeing. For me, a lifestyle that embodies self-care is not a lifestyle that negates or avoids hard work, deadlines, or stressful commitments, but rather one that recognizes that life is a series of sprints that must be followed by recovery. The recovery period needs to be punctuated with the things that ‘fill your cup’, 

My self-care lifestyle is focused on what I call my four F’s: Family/Friends, Finances, Fitness, and Fun. Embedded in these four areas are things that bring me great joy, fuel my recovery, and inspire me. 

How do I embody strength?

When I was a child, my father passed away from a heart attack at the age of 36 years old. Growing up, the closer I got to the age of 36 the more and more I realized just how young he was when his body failed him. It was early on in my 20s that I made a commitment to myself to living a lifestyle that appreciated, supported, and cared for my overall health, so that my life trajectory had a different ending. 

I share this story because it gives context to why physical strength and well-being make me feel powerful. I embody strength by living a lifestyle that nurtures my body. I feel my strongest when I am eating well, staying hydrated, exercising, and taking the recovery my body needs. There is not a day that goes by that I do not realize what a privilege it is to be able to care for and move my body in the ways in which I choose. I do not take that for granted.

Best advice for learning resilience?

Learning to be resilient is no easy task. Getting knocked down and getting back up can be painful and hard. Something that has helped me build my resilience over the years is embracing the idea of ‘no regrets’. 

When I wrote my first book, I was asked to go on tour across Canada by a popular book store, to present and promote the book on personal finance. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times no one showed up for the presentation, not a single person. Talk about a blow to the ego! It would have been very easy to quit and give up. However, I believed in the work I was doing, and more importantly, I believed in myself. I showed up to every presentation prepared and ready to give my best. 

When I am faced with failure or disappointment after I have given the best I have to offer, I no longer feel disappointed or let down – I have no regrets, I simply move forward. Over the years I have learned to control what I can and how I respond and let the rest go.

Life motto?

Your golden years are right now. Some might think they are down the road and might even consider delaying or putting off. Live life to the fullest today. None of us really know how long we have. So, if you are in your 20’s, 50’s, or 80’s your golden moment is right now.

My wellness routine on a typical day:

I tend to fast for 16 hours and the very first thing I do in the morning is have 16 ounces of lemon water followed by a coffee with turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon. I do drink 3 litres of water per day and rarely eat packaged food. Next up is a green smoothie followed by slow-cooked oatmeal, egg whites, etc. Lunch is a carb, protein, and fat. My macros tend to be 35% protein, 45% carbs, and 20% fat.

I work out with a trainer and do weights twice a week for an hour each session virtually, on another day I focus on upper body, followed by lower body and a third day full body. I use the Peloton 5 days a week and I average 13K steps per day. While I walk every day, I do take two recovery days per week.

I believe if I care for myself, I can give back to family and friends.  I’m a much better mom, nana, daughter, wife, friend, and person when I ensure I have balance in my life.