(PS this photo is of my gorgeous friend who stayed incredibly fit throughout her pregnancy and has allowed me to work with her on a couple of corrective exercises after giving birth to help her return to crushing it at Crossfit!)
Hello women of all sorts!
Did you know kegels and clamshells are *not* the end-all-be-all answer to everything and in fact may be harmful in some instances?
Our bodies are amazing vessels with a great but intense role of bearing and delivering a baby and then recovering! (That’s asking a whole lot but I promise it is capable).
Aaaaand I am so happy to say that I am now a ***Certified Pregnancy and Postnatal Corrective Exercise Specialist***! (On top of my Doctor of Physical Therapy and CYT200)
Meaning, I am educated and trained to help you in all things pregnancy and postnatal (which is anytime in your life after delivery, don’t forget!…not just the initial stages) and nothing is off limits.
Think: functional movements, core, return to exercise, breathing, posture, diastasis recti, pelvic floor, low back SI joint/pelvic pain, incontinence, preparing and strengthening for birth, bathroom and bedroom habits, prolapse, troubleshooting daily activities and movements with your baby while keeping you healthy, etc. etc.
There’s a lot!
But I want to help you.
And thankfully with this day and age, even though I live here and you live there, we can still do this together though video calls and such! I will be taking online (& in person if you are in Colorado Springs) clients starting May 2! It will involve an initial assessment very similar to a physical therapy examination and will evolve from there as every individual is different and has unique needs. We will even progress to keeping in mind what activities you enjoy doing so we can personalize our plan of care. Pricing will be based on what I found to be an average for 1 on 1 cash pay PT sessions. Please click on the “Contact” link on this website to send me a message and we will be in touch soon!
I would love to work with you soon and help you get back to the healthiest and strongest you can be!
I love September! We were lucky enough to have my mom visit us this past weekend so we packed up the car and drove to Telluride. The gang included myself, my husband, my little sister, and my mom. Fall is jusssst in the air there with a cool chilly breeze in the morning and evening but nice sunny days. Plus the Aspen leaves were just starting to turn yellow! I truly hope that every human gets to experience being surrounded by canopies of golden leaves. It’s magic. Hokay! So, here is what we did:
Day 1
Telluride is a good 6 hour haul from Colorado Springs so by the time we got there, we were tired of sitting down and wanted some fresh air but didn’t have too much time to do anything crazy. The place we stayed at was a block walk from the (free!) gondola, so we rode that up the ski mountain to enjoy the views. Afterwards, we walked around downtown, enjoyed a gorgeous red-hued sunset, and went out to dinner at a delicious Thai restaurant called Siam. I highly recommend the Tom Kha Gai soup and the drunken noodles. Noods.
Day 2
This was all about a challenging hike. Keep in mind, my mother lives a sea level, is a certain age I will not disclose, and still crushed it up to 12,400 feet and over 8.5 miles! She was definitely feeling the altitude and oxygen deprivation and had to take many a break, but I’m so so so glad she got to witness the beauty of Ice Lake and Island Lake. To be fair, she’s a little crazy anyways so we weren’t sure if she was encephalopathic, if she had snuck in a “special” brownie, or if she was just her usual self. The weather got cold and windy at the top and there were even a few snowflakes, but there were brief periods of time that the sun shone on the lake, lighting.it.up. I’m not sure everybody enjoys the 4WD drive long along Ophir Pass as much as my husband and I do. Its a very narrow 4WD shelf road over a mountain pass with scree field on one side and cliff aka tumbling to your death on the other side with a hairpin turn added in there for funsies. But we survived! If you look closely at the picture on the right, you can see a tiny speck of a white truck.
The hike up to the lakes is almost as good as the destination. It’s just the most perfect little valley with huge rocks and water features thrown in. There was a lovely golden ochre undertone in the vegetation that made it feel very much like autumn.
So now I’m going to shut up and just let y’all appreciate this.
I mean….what??? God creates some BEAUTIFUL THINGS YALL. I chose not to filter or adjust color on these photos at all because the real deal speaks for itself. But also nothing can do it justice and its 7598475x more stunning in person and can bring you to tears.
Day 3
Some of our members were pretty dang sore so on day 3, we compromised and did half of an active day in the morning, and half of a chill day in the afternoon.
After driving up to Bridalveil Falls, these two adventurous fools and I tackled the Via Ferrata, a traversing route spanning the Box Canyon with views of Bridalveil Falls and Telluride 500′ beneath us while we were suspended on iron rungs by a harness! I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again and I know I’m safe, but this still gets my heart pumping. Especially when a nice gust of wind hits ya.
Then in the afternoon and evening, after watching football on the couch for a hot minute, we ventured around the shops of downtown, including an apothecary (which made my hippie heart swoon), a coffee shop, and a brewery.
The fourth day was just driving home and hating ugly views of the San Juan range on the way. Not tooooo shabby my friend.
There are so many reasons why thrift shopping is the best. It’s super affordable, you can find lots of unique items that you otherwise wouldn’t, there are always tons of go-to basic pieces as well, and it’s more environmentally responsible by re-using perfectly fine items and saving on production and shipping resources.
I’m trying to “Marie Kondo” my wardrobe and have a lot of versatile comfortable pieces that I can mix around with fewer unique statement pieces. It’s been a process and I’m not fully done, but it’s making me appreciate what I have more and reduce my wardrobe to a more manageable size! We happen to have an amazing Goodwill here in Colorado Springs and I check back at the start of each season to search for some goodies. Fall is on the way, so here’s what I’m looking forward to wearing…all found at Goodwill.
Gap cream t-shirt $3, Target leopard skirt $6
Fall in Colorado still means the days can be upwards of 80 degrees, so I still like to have some warmer weather gear. Plus I’ve been loving anything rust/sienna/ochre colored.
Converse All Stars $8, Brown lined shoes $7
I was able to find some perfectly-fitting white Converse which I think look great with these distressed black jeans, a graphic tee, and a taupe moto jacket as a more casual look.
Converse $8, black American Eagle jeans $8, graphic tee $2, moto jacket $6
Then swap that moto jacket out for a cream cardigan and you have such a comfy outfit.
Old Navy open front beige cardigan $5
Can you even wear clothes in the fall if it isn’t flannel?! What about a flannel dress that you can throw black leggings under? Perfect.
Flannel dress $5, black leggings $3, brown shoes $7
Then, we have the perfect pair of jeans. These are J.Crew and in a size much smaller than what I am but they were calling my name so I tried them on and am so happy I did. Perfect color and style to go with anything. Like this brand new (with tags on! originally $50) Loft black sweater shirt or a simple waffle long sleeve
J. Crew jeans $8, Loft black shirt $8Long sleeve cream waffle shirt $5
Aaaand last but not least I found this coooolio tribal patterned wrap that just screamed cozy fall blanket and can be dressed up or down.
Tribal wrap $5
I truly know approximately only 17% percent about fashion, but I do know this: all these clothes are comfortable, fit well, are of good quality, are affordable, and give second life to a piece of clothing. I don’t thrift for absolutely everything, but it’s so nice to be able to re-use items rather than buy new ones all the time.
Why on earth did I wait 27 years of my life before I decided to take care of these beautiful little guys?! What started as a “I’m sorry, I love you” gift of a small succulent from the now husband has morphed into a strong obsession. Now I want them all…every variety…every size…every color. BUT I have to now kind of sort settling with what I have because we’re running out of space in our little home! Here are why plants are the best:
plants reduce stress and boost your mood
plants improve concentration and memory
plants clean your air from toxins and pollutants
plants emit oxygen and can regulate humidity, improving sleep quality
plants make your house look really pretty and happy
Now that we’ve established that, let’s admire the beauty that is my houseplant collection:
Starting with the living room. This is our brightest room and has a east facing window so this is where the majority of our plants live. On our wooden dresser from left to right we have a small monstera, a big ZZ plant, a baby ZZ plant (I propagated mama into baby by the division method), a prayer plant that I water propagated from a bigger one, and a Chinese coin plant. Just to the left of the dresser is this Mass Cane tree my husband picked out.
Directly across the living room I have a huuuuge Marble Queen pothos plant which I love. Give me all the trailing vines.
Now, when you first open the door, you see my big Snake plant, a cool succulent type plant called a string of pearls, and my big mama gorgeous Monstera deliciosa. Have you seen leaves so beautiful? Hand shown for size reference.
And then just right of the front door is a sunny window sill where I keep the various succulents and cacti (including the big guy in the middle terracotta pot which is a Flapjack succulent), the mama prayer plant (Maranta) that I started out with and am hugging above, and a rubber plant. We’re done with the living room!
Next, in the dining room, which doesn’t get a lot of sun at all, I have a smaller snake plant, a cute little satin pothos, and another pothos that is struggle-busing (I just repotted him last week and am hoping for a turn-around!) Oh, and some fresh eucalyptus varieties from Trader Joe’s because that’s fun and I love how it looks when it dries too. My wedding bouquet was made up of mostly eucalyptus!
These next plant dudes in the kitchen are fresh basil that we use for cooking and drink-mixing all the time, and the plants that I’m currently propagating — a wandering Jew and Maranta prayer plant in the science tubes, some pothos from my big trailing one, and some beautiful Monstera leaves that I’m crossing my fingers for.
Lastly is the bathroom! Here we have a peace lily that hates me (seriously, I thought they were supposed to be easy to take care of buttttt…), a prayer plant baby that I propagated, and a really intricate-leafed pin-striped Calathea variety.
As for the bedroom, it gets next to no light so it’s just not the best idea. Sometimes I’ll bring the ZZ plant or the small snake plant in there to spice it up since those plants don’t need a ton of sun but usually this is a plant-free room sadly.
Ok sooooo. I know. I’m sorry I’m so obsessed. But actually I’m not because they give me a lot of joy. Who else has hopped on that houseplant train lately and not looked back?!
Living in Colorado for the past three years has been an absolute dream. It’s a constant feast for the eyes and playground and worship service all at once. The possibilities are actually endless.
Although some people are saying “fall is in the air” (I get it. Kind of. I’m just not ready yet.), I’m saying pop one of these getaways into your schedule over the next few weeks or plan them in advance for next year. We can still have summer on our mind for a little while longer! These three trips/activities have been our go-to’s time and again, so if you’re able to do them, you won’t be disappointed!
Wildflower viewing in Crested Butte
The state flower (purple and white) is the Columbine. The other stalk-like purple one is the lupine. The yellow ones are called Aspen sunflowers. The white bouquet-like one is a cow parsnip. The reddish orange (one of my favorites) is the Indian paintbrush. This is just a fraction of what you will come across. Imagine frolicking up valleys and along ridgelines with every turn bringing a different display of color and the Sound of Music soundtrack playing. The.hills.are.alive.son. I mean have you ever seen anything so pretty? It makes my face excited like this:
Our favorite trails to enjoy the wildflowers are:
–Rustler’s Gulch Trail: We hit this up at the end of the July and due to the crazy moisture this spring, we saw species of flowers we’d never come across!
–Snodgrass Trail: This is very very accessible from town and is also fun to mountain bike on.
–Baxter Gulch Trail: This is a ridge hike so you can see town and Mt. Crested Butte along the way. The best for yellow flowers!
As an aside, Crested Butte is the most adorable mountain town ever and offers some bomb food. Go to Secret Stash pizza and get the Woodward without egg. Our second favorite option is Bonez for their deliciously strong margaritas and make-it-in-front-of-you guac. I’m not much of a drinker so just one of these makes my quads go like jello.
Hiking to high alpine lakes
So there’s this magic thing that happens in some areas of Colorado (and from what I’ve seen, Canada…and Argentina…etc…bucket list…) where the lakes are so freeeeaking blue and gorgeous that no filter is needed. The water in these lakes is actually glacial melt that feeds in during the spring and summer. The fine rock and sediment material floats at the top of the lake rather than sinking down, allowing the sun to reflect off this and make turquoise food coloring. Check it!
The good news is, these hikes are not as hard as 14’ers, so they’re pretty accessible. Expect 8-10 miles and a decent climb of a couple thousand feet, but not too high of an altitude. If you’re lucky, the skies will be clear and the sun will hit that water and light it up to where you have to blink excessively to determine if it’s real. Hop in the water if you have time! Quite refreshing.
–Ice Lake and Island Lake outside of Ouray/Silverton are a 2-for-1
–Blue Lake outside of Ouray/Telluride has 3 lakes but I’d say the first one is the prettiest
Channel the Wild West in Telluride
Man this place just makes you feel like you are at the edge of the world. I know you’re not. But there’s something about the remoteness and remnants of its mining history that makes you feel like you’re in the Wild West. This summer we learned that Butch Cassidy’s first bank robbery occurred here, yippee! There are numerous music festivals that take place here yearly and heading to the Bluegrass Festival sometime is on our list! Regardless, roll the windows down and crank some of that twang on your way to the trailhead. Here are some favorite activities we’ve done there:
–Sneffels Highline Trail: The trailhead starts right from town so it’s easy peasy to get to. This is a pretty long and challenging hike but the views are spectacular.
–Via Ferrata: This is less of a hike and more like the coolest/weirdest thing ever. For part of the 3 mile trail you’re just walking sideways along a thin but sturdy cliffside. For other parts, you’re harnessed in and traversing along on very exposed areas relying on small iron footholds. Wear a helmet and be safe! It’s honestly not as scary or skill-dependent as it looks and is totally worth it.
–Wilson Peak: This stunning 14,023′ mountain is the inspiration for the Coors can. It’s so 3D! So pointy! So picturesque. The climb to the top is a haul but such a fun scrambly adventure. Not for the faint of heart or clumsy of ankle. And you must enjoy one of said beverages at the top with a friend.
–Telluride Gondola: If all that seems a little too intense, a really good option is to take the free gondola from downtown Telluride up to the ski resort and have a walk-about up there. The 360* views are gorgeous, limited mobility is required, and dogs are allowed on the gondola!
That’s about it for now. Get your butt out here. Hope this inspired you.
Molly j tate 