In this Palm Harbor Local Podcast episode, we explore the multifaceted concept of wellness and discuss how to build meaningful connections. We dive into what wellness truly means and how finding an accountability partner/network helps you in maintaining your grit and perseverance.

We also discuss how we focus on the benefits of exercise for both the body and mind. Regular physical activity offers a myriad of advantages. We explore how exercise improves cardiovascular health, strengthens muscles and bones, and enhances physical fitness.

Listen to the podcast episode here!

I’m excited to kind of pick your brain and just chat with you more about your experience and what you do for people in the community. So your business Body and Bliss. How long have you had this business now?

So it’s going on a year and a half, officially? So I went on my own officially in January 2022.

Cool, and how’s it been going?

Awesome.

It’s been great. The business has been wonderful. This community is awesome. Palm Harbor has just totally embraced me. The women that I’ve had the opportunity to work with have been amazing. And I’ve worked with many of their friends and colleagues and family members. So organically, it’s just grown so great. This is an awesome, awesome community. Lots of ups and downs. Right? Like naturally so. But no, it’s been good.

And so what do you do at Body and Bliss? Like, talk a little bit about that?

So Body and Bliss is a life and wellness coaching company. So I am a certified nutrition coach, also a life and wellness coach, a personal trainer, registered yoga teacher. And I also have a concentration in applied neuroscience. So I focus on really healthy living, right?

Most people come to me for nutrition guidance. I host nutrition challenges health challenges regularly throughout the year. But It’s way bigger than that. Because we also focus on the habits and behaviors that are conducive to healthy living like movement, stress reduction, positive self-talk mindset, and really kind of bringing all of the disciplines that I have been focusing on for the past decade and putting them all in kind of one program.

Okay, cool. So how did you get into this business? Prior to starting your own?

So prior to going out on my own, I was working for one of the top dieticians in the country, Dr. Ashley Lucas, I received an apprenticeship beneath her. So I was there with her for four years I was her lead nutritionist for her nationwide programs.

So is it something you’ve always wanted to do? 

Yeah, in a weird way. Yes. So in my early 20s, when I was graduating, I was really interested in nutrition, I was reading all the books, and I had this moment where I was gonna go back to school for dietetics and get my rd. But I was about to graduate, right? And I was just like, so eager to get out and to make the money to do all that. And I just went with journalism and PR instead, which has helped me a lot  of course, but it’s always been there. I’ve always just self-researched and read and all that. And then when I got sober back in 2011 Health really became a major focal point in my life naturally, because I was just feeling really good. And I wanted to learn all the things. So that’s when I started to go back to school and get all these certifications. And then I stumbled upon Dr. Lucas, and it was just the best education I could have ever asked for.

So 2011 Like that’s when you got into nutrition right and working under Dr. Lucas, right?

Well, not with Dr. Lucas. No, so I didn’t start working with Dr. Lucas until 2018. But prior to that, it just was a series of events right like unfolding as I got sober and I started to feel better, physically, mentally, spiritually, that I started to just study more and learn more about health and so I was reading all the books and going back to school and getting my personal trainer certification becoming a yoga teacher and then I joined across the fit gym and went through a certification to be a nutrition coach for them.

And so it was like a series of things that led me to kind of, I would say, the big education moment, which was learning and being trained by Dr. Ashley Lucas back in 2018

Cool. Yeah, isn’t it? 

I think it’s kind of funny.  I think, in my mind we all like growing up in our childhood, like, we always have like this one thing that we want to do or calling or whatever it is. And if we, sometimes we, we find it sometimes, you stick with it like exactly that is and you just stay that path, like your entire career. And sometimes like you circle back to it and that sort of stuff.

For me, it was business, like I always wanted to be a business owner. I just remember that thought I never knew like, what type of business or anything like that, but just being a business owner.

And for you, it was nutrition. And then you circle back to it, like in your recovery and that sort of stuff. Super cool. I did go and I chuckled. And he said that because I actually, what I always wanted to do was be the American Gladiator. Nice. And I just wished my brother could hear this right now. Because he would be like, Yes, she did. She would dress in spandex and do cartwheels on the front lawn thinking that I was Storm, or whatever her name was. So nutrition, health, fitness, just embodying that was always a huge interest of mine. And just something that I was drawn to very, very early on.

That’s very cool. So So with your, as you said, you focus a lot of your clients are with nutrition? How does what does that process look like? Like, if someone comes to you and says  I need help with my diet? 

So there are a couple of different routes to go. I do private coaching as well. But I do these online nutrition programs, and they vary in length, I’ve got a four-week one, I’ve got a six-week one, and I always have a consultation with the person just to see what would be the best fit for them. Some people need more accountability, like that one-on-one setting, which I can offer. I got limited time though where I have limited time. So  I can only take so many. So that’s why the group challenges are wonderful. And then we just get them all set up. And we run those like every six weeks throughout the year.

Oh, cool. So let’s go back to wellness. Yes. Like, how do you define wellness? And like, like, what does it mean to you?

That’s a really good question. So I would say wellness, for me, is kind of synonymous with alignment. And I know that that’s a word that’s like, like a buzzword now, but it’s really been my very best in all areas like spiritually, physically, mentally, socially, financially, I mean, there are so many spokes to the wellness wheel, I obviously don’t like to dabble in those certain areas. But what I have found is that when you begin to straighten out one, the other start to align as well.

So a lot of people come to me with let’s focus on nutrition, let’s focus on the physical. And when we do that, naturally, what happens are other areas of wellness kind of start to pop up, right, like something mentally or spiritually like a block or something that needs to be healed. And, and that’s only discovered once they start to work on the other stuff. So, for me, it all goes together. It really has so many different spokes, and it’s all about balance, and it’s just about finding that balance in all areas of your life, and it’s so different for everyone. For me right now, I would say balance is kind of like the word that comes to my mind, as well as alignment when I think of wellness in my own particular life, because I’m so extreme, as a recovering addict I just can go all in with everything. And then other areas of my life, those other spokes get off balance, right? So relationships from focusing too hard on business, or if I’m focusing too much on my health and wellness, and maybe I’m neglecting another area. So it’s really about kind of balancing all of those areas at one time finding what works for you.

 

How do you go about doing that?

A lot of accountability. I have an awesome circle. So I’ve got numerous coaches that I work with that I connect with Dr. Ashley Lucas, my mentor, I still connect with regularly. I still do work with her too, and with her business, and it’s just having those people in your life that can just like call you out and say what, this is a little bit off balance. I see you I commend you for all the great work but what about this area and it’s I don’t know if it’s all ever perfectly balanced.

I would agree with that.  Like you’re always working toward right

So I think as you’re working toward that to just finding some peace and grace and just humaneness right, and like just being okay with that, like being a little bit wobbly as we go through all that, and that’s really what I try to teach my clients, the people inside the challenge is that you’re never gonna do this perfect 1% progress adds up at the end of the year, that’s 365% better but how we get there, and the manner in which we get there, like whether we were doing that in self-love or self-hatred or whatever, like, that’s what matters so even as we try to navigate the balance, like how can you be okay, with not being balanced?

Which is, which might be the hardest part of that all?

It is? It is. I know, it’s hard. It’s so hard. I know, Why is life so hard, but it is, but it’s also so beautiful. And what I’ve learned so much is not to focus on the outcome so much, but more just like, the process and the habits and the behaviors because the outcome will come. And then guess what, you’ll lose it again.

I think like when you say process, I think like Gary Vee, a lot of his content.  And like he talked about the process for right, like, enjoy the process, enjoy the process. Just beat that into your head until it’s like, that’s all you focus on. Right? Don’t even worry about the outcome, goal, or whatever. You can set goals and track them and stuff. But, but day to day, like you’re just like, what does it take to get me one step closer, 1% better, as you said,

100%, because it is about the process. If you have the formula put in place, that formula will produce a certain result, it will come right. But what happens is what I’ve seen, especially in health and wellness, so we had different seasons. And the outcome, the result looks different postpartum it looks different pre-menopause, it looks different. As we age things just change metabolically and hormonally. And so the outcome is different, even though you’re doing the same formula. So if you attach to the formula, you’re gonna have a great life, you’re gonna be healthy, and it may not look the same as when you were 20. But nor should it be right. No. So making peace with that, too, is a really big component.

So you mentioned your circle.  Like you have a great circle around you. I think that’s a big part of that wellness too. Right? Right, like having those people around you that are lifting you up, and sending you positive energy, whatever it is. How do you like what are your tips or thoughts on finding those people? And then like, how do you know when you found the right person?

That’s a really good question because I just moved here. So I’m kind of in this process right now. One of the best tips is to do what you love, right? So whether that’s go to the gym, go to yoga, go walk the causeway go to the beach, do you, like just participate in your life? And what really fills you up and energizes you? And then you’ll start to meet people around you that are doing the same.Get involved in networking groups, when people reach out a hand or ask you to do something, say yes.

Like, that’s a really big one for me. Because as we were talking before the show, I’m an introvert by nature, and nobody would ever know that. But it takes a lot for me to accept an invitation to go up to coffee to go on these friend dates, but it’s so important. That’s how you meet people, and you never know where that connection is gonna lead. So it’s like when the universe extends a hand to you. Take it,  say yes. Like I’m a big believer and saying yes, and just being mindful of little nudges along the way. And then also, lastly, I would say, notice how you feel when you’re around people. Right? So does that person leave you feeling drained or lifted? I think that’s really important to check in.

And even as an introvert, like, even though like, that’s, like, draining you like that person could still like give you energy,

Or it could just feel good, right? Is my heart like, open and wide, or do I feel cringy? Like, I’m gonna run away. Never call this person again.  I think that’s important and I’ve actually had to ask for connections, like whatever your modality for asking or petitioning is, whether it’s calling in or praying or whatever, but I’ve had to do that kind of work because I want community.

I think it’s a big part of it, especially as a business owner. Like we all need that community and stuff around us. So let’s so like, exercise, yes. How does that? How does that benefit? Like, the body, the mind, like, like all of it, by the end in exercise, like whatever it is for that particular person? Right. It could be walking running.

Exercise is interesting. Because wasn’t necessary?

That’s a great question. Yes. Now, let me say this. So exercise is an amazing wellness tool. It’s not necessarily a weight loss tool. So the weight loss tool is nutrition. 100%. Right. So they say like, 8020, right, I would say it’s more like 80%, wellness, 10% training or exercise, and then 10%, like sleep, stress management, and all that other stuff, right? That way your hormones can be balanced because it is way more complicated and calorie and calorie out. It just, it just really is. I’ve worked with 1000s of people. And I’ve seen it firsthand. Exercise is again, a wonderful wellness tool for the body for the mind. As far as just increasing endorphins, the feel-good neurochemicals that make us happy relieve stress. However, it can also precipitate stress, if you’re doing the wrong kind of exercise. So

It doesn’t align with your body.

Yes, so I am a good example. So I’ll just use me as an example. I love high-intensity training. I have been doing CrossFit since basically it was a thing. However, I’m a very nervous Nellie, my nervous system, I tend to get pretty elevated pretty easily with my trauma response and all that. And so I have to be very careful with exercises or training modalities that triggered that stress response. So high-intensity training or chronic cardio, like I’m also a runner. It’s not necessarily good for me to long distances, getting my heart rate way up. Because it keeps me in that kind of chronically stressed out state when I’m already kind of chronically stressed out because of the way my nervous system is.

So for me, it’s more advantageous to do things like low-impact cardio, walking, and strength training two to three days a week. And also just like yoga. I can do high-intensity training. I’m not saying don’t do that, but it’s not my go-to.

How do you know whether something like exercise style is right for you or not?  I do figure that out.

I had major symptoms of adrenal fatigue. So some symptoms include insomnia, also agitation. I wasn’t recovering either. So I was just chronically sore. I wasn’t sleeping, right, because I had insomnia. So my body wasn’t able to recover. Also poor performance. So I was not performing well, in my workouts. I lost interest in my workout. So it was almost like depression, and writing and being aware of what was going on. It just wasn’t feeling good.

And the numbers on the scale were going in the opposite direction. So body fat was starting to accumulate. And that’s a big sign to stress. Okay, just overtraining, and not recovering and just doing the wrong type of exercise.

So in order to find the exercise that works for your body, is it just sampling trial and error?

So I also went on to receive a certification through Mark Sisson. I don’t know if you know of Mark Sisson, but he’s the founder of the primal kitchen, which is an amazing Harold’s food product line. But also, wrote the Primal Blueprint and primal endurance. And his methodology is what I teach to my clients. And he recommends just two to five hours of low-impact cardio per week, two to three days of strength training, maybe a high-intensity interval training session once a week, or sprint training or something like that. And then just a lot of play yoga, stuff like that. And so that’s what I basically give people as kind of here as a general training guideline. And let’s go from here. And let’s see how you do. And we can kind of play with maybe getting more high-intensity training or not doing no high-intensity training. So that’s what I do.

And now is that just kind of like maintaining like, overall good health? Or is that like, if you have a goal of like, I want to put on muscle or whatever, right, like that changes?

Exactly. And then if you’re wanting to put on muscle then your course incorporating like good nutrition, right, like with protein and maximizing protein synthesis in the morning, and there are other kinds of tips that you can do to do that, but I would say like across the board, that’s an amazing training guideline. And More information can be found at the Primal Blueprint like that. is an awesome book for anybody just wanting to get started, there is a plug for Mark Sisson, I feel like, like having the bang for that. Sponsorship. But I’m not really.

 So you’re kind of new into this year and a half in? What is it like, what led you to like starting it? I don’t think we’ve talked about that yet, like starting and saying like, I’m gonna do this. And then what’s been what’s been like one of your biggest challenges to date?

So what led me to start this, so I always had this desire to work for myself, I have a lot of people who were asking for my help, like, unofficially, so I was working for my prior boss, and in my private role, but I would have people that would kind of email me send me messages on social media, like, I really just want to work with you. I don’t want to go back here. But Bob and I couldn’t take them on because it was a conflict of interest. And so I was getting all of these like, kind of signs, like, wait a second, like, maybe I’ve got something here. Maybe I am a really good coach. And I knew I was, but it was just affirmation, right? And then I landed here, in this area. In late 2021, I got involved with a gym community. And I started training as a fitness coach there. And I just got really connected with the community. And I launched a nutrition challenge there for them. And it was so awesome and so successful. And the results were amazing. And everybody was like, What’s the next one? When’s the next one? And then it just fell into my lap? And I was like, okay, I can do this. And if I don’t do this, I’ll always wonder why or wonder what if? And so I went for it.

I think it’s, it’s funny how talking to all the business owners, it’s funny how we all get started in business, right? Sometimes it’s like that you just kind of fall in. There’s an opportunity to serve the community. For some people it’s like, I’ve always wanted to be a business owner. And I’ve dabbled in different entrepreneurial journeys, right? And then some people, it’s like, I got laid off from my job. AndI got to do something, right?

I never wanted to do this. I never wanted to work for myself, I wanted the time and freedom. I wanted all of that. I want it all. But I never was like, I’m going to work for myself, because I’m really like the number two man, I’m a really good number two person, very awesome support but I’m actually finding now that no, like, I really have that kind of entrepreneurial spirit. Like, very creative and just very, like all that.

So what is what’s been a challenge for you, then?

Oh, just the roller coaster ride, the ups, and the downs, and imposter syndrome? And not really knowing what you’re doing. Like, from a business perspective, I’ve had to really like learn all aspects of the business, like marketing, accounting, and coaching, just all of it, and I’m wearing all the hats. I just, today, I’m so excited. I just hired my first assistant, which is awesome. And I just got a business partner last week who is awesome. She’s a really popular trainer in the area. And we’re joining together to create an online fitness and nutrition program through my company. And that is so cool. So hopefully, it’s gonna get much better, but just the ups and downs. Now,

I think that that’s, that’s one thing I realized is like talking to a lot of business owners, like before I kind of got my feet wet. And in real estate, I always looked at business owners just like they had everything figured out. We don’t. It’s just like that. And it’s constantly like that, no matter how successful you are, you’re still just trying to figure out the next phase of the business or learn whatever it is. So it’s just enjoying the process.

And that is so comforting, right? That is so comforting to hear that you don’t have to figure it out.  And I know, I was listening to this man, and he’s owned his own business for 30 years, he’s been wildly successful. He says, I still worry about making money every month. I just have a lot of trusts, a lot of trusts recently, there’s been more trust, and as a result, I think it’s just been much more smooth, and it’s been great.

So that’s pretty cool. So when you’re not training people or working out or whatever, what do you like to do? Because like one business you like to go visit? One Park, whatever it is, what are you doing in the area? Okay, so you’re new to this area?

Yes. So I absolutely love the Dunedin Causeway and I just love walking and being out there. I love downtown Dunedin.  I just absolutely love that. As far as Palm Harbor goes, I’m at savage yoga a lot. I love that yoga studio. If you haven’t been there, that community is amazing. And downtown Palm Harbor is just so adorable. Yeah. If you haven’t been to Earth scapes green room, I highly suggest going there. I just took my daughter there the other day gorgeous. So cool. I’m like, Why does not everybody know about this? This is such an oasis.

Like a little coffee shop in the back, right, and just a coffee on the grounds or something.

They’re doing an awesome Mother’s Day event tomorrow that I’m so excited to get my mom to she has no idea that we’re going but we get to plan our own plan. It’s just so all that kind of stuff. The farmers market. Love Live music. My boyfriend’s a musician in the area. So we’re always around listening live music. We live in the best place. Yeah, we do.

CONNECT WITH JAMIE:

• Website: www.bodyandbliss.com
• Instagram: @bodyandblisscoaching
• LinkedIn: linkedIn/Jamie Langlois

CONNECT WITH DONNIE: 

• Follow Donnie: @donnie.hathaway
• Follow Palm Harbor Local: @PalmHarborLocal
• For more real estate information – www.thehathaway.group

Stroll through the laid-back streets of the Palm Harbor community with this informative podcast, proudly brought to you by Donnie Hathaway with The Hathaway Group, your trusted guide and local expert in navigating the diverse and ever-changing property landscape of Palm Harbor.

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