Trauma isn’t just stored in memories—it embeds itself in the body. It rewires our nervous system, disrupts our sleep, and heightens our stress response. Over time, it can make us feel unsafe in our own skin.

In the bestselling book The Body Keeps the Score, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk writes:

“Trauma is not just an event that took place in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on the mind, brain and body.”

He emphasizes that while cognitive approaches like therapy are helpful, they often don’t fully address the physical imprint trauma leaves behind.

Insert: movement.

After a long stretch focused mostly on strength training, I’ve decided it’s time to switch things up, and I’m officially back in race training mode! I’ve signed up for a 5K in May and a Half Marathon in October! I’ve completed a 5K, 10K, and Half in the past, but running hasn’t been a regular part of my training for a while.

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s so easy to get caught up in the rush to do, be and achieve more. You’re running errands, attending meetings or squeezing in that workout, ending the day feeling like it was all a blur. But what if the secret to improving your health was really to slow down?

Mindful stretching has entered the chat

One of the biggest obstacles we face on our health and fitness journey is motivation. It’s constantly shifting: some days you’ll feel unstoppable, like you’re on top of the world, and other days you’ll feel completely drained and question why you ever set such ambitious goals in the first place. When those low moments hit, it’s crucial to remember two things: 1) it’s a temporary feeling, and 2) you need to ground yourself in a deeper why – a reason that can anchor you when motivation fails.

One of the greatest downfalls of social media today is the obsession with comparison. We do it consciously and unconsciously, constantly measuring every detail of our lives against what we see on our screens - whether it's home decor, the food we eat, our hobbies, interests, or family traditions. It's as if we’re all striving to be carbon copies of one another. But let’s be real…what kind of boring world would that be?

At my age, I’ve tried it all. And what I’ve learned is that moving your body is a key part of wellness — but it’s not the whole picture. Exercise doesn’t have to be HARD to be effective. The last four years have been a transformation for me. I’ve peeled back the layers of diet, exercise, sleep hygiene, hormone health, and an underlying medical condition to truly figure out what works. Now, my exercise routine is SIMPLE.