hanna.r.foster

no grit. no pearl.

Self Care is More Than Just Bubble Baths and Yoga

Now, don't take offense to the subject line if you like bubble baths and yoga - believe me, I enjoy those things too. I take a bath/shower almost every night before bed as part of my sleep routine. Yoga is a staple in my list of exercise go-tos.

But I feel like it is all too easy to brush off self care and stress management because of the way they are portrayed in the media. It seems glamorous and extravagant, like you have to set aside an hour or more of your day in order to get it done. Self care seems like something that needs to be a big to do and like you have to provide the proof to others that you're taking care of yourself. And that just isn't realistic. 

I'm including an image in this post that shows you 6 different types of self care/stress management categories there are. While it definitely can be a bubble bath with candles, a book, or wine (or all three) - self care and also look like tidying up your work space because the clutter is driving you nuts. Sometimes just washing your hair is self care - I'm looking at all you mamas/teachers out there on day 6 who keep putting it off because they don't want to take that long of a shower. Stress management can look like taking a break from work and working in your yard. Any nice day last week, this weekend, and this week - my dad has been out in the yard washing the lava rock that is the bed to my mom's garden and picking out the weeds. WASHING LAVA ROCK you guys. This is not a normal thing he does either - we put in that lava rock when we moved in and it has never been washed since then. That's been almost 19 years.

So maybe your car being dirty is bothering you, or that creaky door hinge is really getting on your nerves since you're home all day to hear it now. Consider it self care and some stress management to take care of those little things that you find making you anxious, driving you nuts, just bugging you. Self care doesn't have to look glamorous to benefit you. 

With self care - and grit - you take on the world.

Hanna

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6 types of self care info graphic

Sleep & Your Health

Getting the proper amount of sleep helps lower stress on the body. Individuals who get at least 7hrs of sleep a night have been shown to have lower cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone that can hinder your body's ability to lose fatty tissue - if that's not a good reason to get enough sleep, I don't know what is!

If that isn't enough, maybe this will tip the scale. Studies have shown that getting at least 7hrs of sleep has a positive affect on your immune system. Those individuals in the studies who were limited in the amount of sleep they were allowed to get were more likely to get sick and had a lower antibody response to vaccines.

Below are some general tips for improving your sleep :

Keep the room dark : light triggers hormonal responses in your brain to be awake

Wind down 1 hr before bed : avoid stimulating activities like intense exercise, tv/phone etc. instead try reading, yoga, a hot bath, or cuddling with your pets/kids/significant other

Drink tea before bed : avoid caffeine, try chamomile tea or sleepytime tea (my personal favorite is to mix the vanilla and peach sleepytime teas)

Keep the room a comfortable temperature : most studies say that 65-68 degrees F is ideal for deep sleep (I also find that having a fan on helps me from getting too hot - I even have it going during the winter!)

Pink noise : white noise is jarring and unnatural, pink noise is every day sounds that are soothing, think the sound of the ocean, a fan, a thunderstorm, vinyl crackle, or a campfire crackle

Sleep Apps

I also wanted to include some apps that I have found very helpful in tracking and improving my sleep. Just click on the name of the app to be taken to their website to learn more!

Sleep Cycle : this runs strictly through your smart phone (apple or android), you can track how restful your sleep is, how long you're sleeping, set a smart alarm to wake you up during the lightest cycle of your sleep, and more

Sleep Watch : this connects with an apple watch and is the most comprehensive free tracking I've found for sleep. It looks at the time you're asleep, how restful it is, asks how you felt waking up and how fatigued throughout the day, tracks your heart rate and heart rate dip, will ask you questions about your day/night if your sleep was significantly better or worse than usual

Calm : this app has guided meditations that you can do to wind down before bed, but my favorite feature is the sleep stories. Someone with a soothing voice reads you a story as you fall asleep. I personally listen to the story that Stephen Fry reads

Relax Melodies : this app lets you piece together your own pink noise collection. You can choose from all sorts of sounds - the ones I listed above are the ones that are in my personal bedtime mix

Sleep well!

And remember, no grit - no pearl

Hanna

Improve your sleep to lead to better athletic performance and body compostion
how to get better sleep
Better sleep leads to increases in athletic performance, better mental health, and better body composition.

Half Marathon Training Must Haves

The first half marathon I trained for wasn’t really my
choice – I mean no one was holding a gun to my head or bribing me with paying
off my student loans to do it, but it was either have the gym I work for pay
for my entrance fee or volunteer to work the event. I knew that even as slow as
I was gonna be – I’d be spending less time if I did the half marathon than if I
volunteered, plus I wouldn’t have to work that Saturday. When you work everyday
of the week, even running 13.1 miles sounds better than working.

When I started training, I wasn’t much of a runner. I had
done a couple of 5k races and couldn’t run for a straight mile. Over the 7
months I trained, I did a lot of research on running long distance. Because if
you had told 14-year-old me that I’d be running 13.1 miles in 9 years, I’d have
laughed in your face as I was currently running the 800 for my middle school
track team (and I was only running exhibition). Below are the things that I
found were most helpful to me during training. And they’re the only way I was
able to train for a second (and third) half marathon while working more than
ever and while at my heaviest scale weight.

Please know that all of these are things that I now use regularly. Some of the below links are affiliate links which means I make a small amount of money when you purchase, at no extra cost to you.

  1. GOOD RUNNING SHOES - Brooks Adrenaline GTS 17 & 18  – I cannot begin to stress the importance of good running shoes. Your feet do so much for you throughout a normal day and they take a real beating during running. I personally have an issue with over pronation, meaning my arches collapse when I stand naturally. This can lead to overuse of certain muscles while running resulting in injuries. I have always had a problem with shin splints. I took this quiz on Brooks’ website (this brand was suggested by a friend of mine) and they suggested the GTS. One run and I never looked for another running shoe. Outside of the time I skipped 3 training runs and then started back up at the predicted mileage (4 miles to 7) I didn’t experience shin splints during training. I attribute this to the proper footwear for my feet and the recovery items I discuss below.
  2. FOAM ROLLER/ROLLING STICK – Your muscles will thank you. I promise. I used this foam roller and this stick after long runs and on rest days after I would stretch or do some yoga. They’re also great for after lifting sessions. Basically – if your muscles are sore then they’ll help!
  3. SPORTS BRA/LEGGINGS WITH POCKETS – Okay so unfortunately, I didn’t discover Senita Athletics until just before my first half. But I literally live in this brand now. I mean seriously – I have 5 bras, 7 pair of leggings, and 6 tops. But they’ve changed my workouts. I can turn on my music and start my run tracker and then stick my phone in the pocket in my bra between my shoulders. I don’t have to worry about dropping it, or it falling out of the front of my bra (where I used to stash it). I don’t have to worry about my arm sweating or itching from an arm band. The leggings are perfect for speed training when I’m having to pull out my phone over and over. They’re also a great place for me to store my workout fuel – easy access, no having to un-zip or flip a belt and then dig around to try to find what I need.
  4. NIKE RUN CLUB APP – I’m the kind of person that needs a plan. I also get bored/restless easily. I also was starting from square run in terms of running. I searched a lot on Pinterest for half marathon training plans and found some that seemed okay, but then I stumbled upon an add for the Nike training run app and thought I’d give it a shot. I used it for 3 runs and fell in love with it and haven’t used another training plan since. I love it because it is fully customizable – you choose how long of a training plan you’d like, and how many days a week you’re up for training. Then it bases your training runs on your progress, speed, and perceived rate of exertion.
  5. DURING RUN FUEL – everyone talks about pre and post workout fueling but for long distance running – it is so important to fuel during your runs. Especially if you’re new to it. Easy to digest carbohydrates are the best during run fuel. Some people prefer whole foods – fruits usually. I prefer these glucose packets for a couple of reasons. They take up less space than fruit, they’re easy to eat while running, they come with options that include caffeine and/or electrolytes. I get dehydrated easily while running and sweat a lot so I always choose one with electrolytes.
  6. EPSOM SALT BATHS – Epsom salt baths will help take the soreness out of your muscles, relax you and a bath in general is great for stress relief. The less stressed you are - the lower the cortisol levels you have – the better recovery you have. I grab regular Epsom salt, or the sore muscle specific one, and add in 6-8 drops of an essential oil, usually lavender or eucalyptus.
  7. COMPRESSION SLEEVES/SOCKS- These are the last on the list but not because they’re least important! I credit these and my running shoes with the lessening of my shin splints. I put these on while I sleep on the nights I run or am feeling particularly sore. I also run in them on my long runs (over 8-9 miles for me). They help with swelling and keep blood flow to the area which helps incredibly with muscle repair and recovery.

I hope this helped you find some things to try that will help you along your half marathon journey! Drop a comment below with your must have items or if you found anything in here useful!

What the Scale isn’t Telling You

I am a firm believer that when it comes to out health and fitness goals, we need to have a way to hold ourselves accountable. When it comes to losing or gaining weight, most of us turn to the scale to give us a way to track our progress. A scale, especially an accurate one, is an awesome tool to use. But, I have seen and heard about too many people getting discouraged when the numbers aren’t moving or are moving in the wrong direction. Here’s my secret; the scale isn’t telling you everything. 

A scale that only gives your weight is only telling you part of the story. Not every scale can tell you all of the important measurements that you should be aware of when trying to change your weight. Plus, there are some everyday things that can effect your weight from day to day, or even hour by hour.

What the Scale Isn’t Telling You

Body Composition

One thing that a general scale doesn’t tell you is your body composition. Body composition refers to how much of your body is fatty tissue and how much of it is lean tissue. In this general two component model, lean tissue is not just muscle mass. Instead, it includes everything that is not fatty tissue. This means that it is looking at muscles, organs, bones, skin, and water.

It is important to remember this when you are only using scale measurements to track your weight goals. If you’re trying to lose weight and you see that they numbers on the scale haven’t moved, you shouldn’t get frustrated right away. Without looking at your % body fat and % lean mass, you really won’t know if you’ve been making the progress you want to. Especially if you've made healthy changes to your diet and exercise habits. If you’re losing fatty tissue, but gaining muscle mass, the numbers on your scale may move up, stay the same, or move down. Every body is different and needs different stimuli and a different number of calories to reach its goals.

Appearance

A scale also can’t tell you if you are noticing changes on your body. Or if others have noticed that your hard work is paying off. If you notice that the waist band on your pants is loser or that you’ve reached the last notch on your belt, that is a success no matter what the scale says. Maybe you’ve moved beyond what your original goal weight was for your leg press, or you can now say “welcome to the gun show” with some muscle to show off.

These are accomplishments. Great accomplishments. And you don’t need the numbers on the scale to be in any certain place to be able to notice these things. Check yourself out in the mirror, take that gym selfie, and smile because you are beautiful and working hard.

Feeling

Standing on scale also can’t tell you how much healthier, stronger, more energized, more confident, etc. you feel. In fact, it may even be able to convince you otherwise. Maybe you don’t hit that afternoon slump anymore. Or maybe you feel like you could conquer the world after your workout. Noticing emotional and energy related changes from healthy choices is just as important as you physical changes.

What to Focus on Instead

Body composition

Look into getting a scale that does tell you your body composition and track that instead of weight alone. This is a good idea because it can expose changes in your body that scale weight alone can’t. By tracking body comp you can also figure out if you are giving your body enough energy. If you see %BF going up and %LM going down, but you’re watching what you eat, you may not be eating enough. Learn more by checking out my post about cutting calories to see how this can happen.

Appearance

Find other numbers to track and focus on than your scale weight. Try using a tape measure to measure your biceps, hips, waist and thighs to get a better picture of your progress. Pay attention to how your clothes fit and when you’re shopping, don’t be afraid to pick up a size down ad see how close you are. You never know, you just might surprise yourself.

Feeling

Take some time each day to stop and notice how you and you body feel. Lay in bed for a few extra minutes and wiggle your toes, roll your wrists and ankles, flex those hard earned muscles. See how well rested you feel after a good nights sleep on a day with a killer workout. See how much energy you have in the afternoons when you take your walk. Pay attention to how you're feeling mentally, physically, and emotionally and use those positive changes to keep you motivated. Any negative changes? Use those to alter your training schedule, food intake, food choices.

No Grit, No Pearl

Remember what I've shared with you in this post as you continue on your health and fitness journey. When the scale isn't moving the way you want - examine the what to focus on parts of your life and practice your grit. Stand tall and keep working hard. Make changes if you need to, but remember lovely - no grit, no pearl.

Hanna

what the scale isn't telling you girls
what the scale isn't telling you workout

Empowering Young Women

empowering women through acceptance

I never attended a summer camp when I was younger. My little brother went to a summer camp that was specifically for young kids with diabetes, but my sisters and I never went to one. We always spent our summers with our grandparents, up in Michigan. I wouldn’t trade those summers biking for hours on end, fishing on the lake, swimming and eating ice cream on the beach, and going to antique shows for anything. But after working at a summer camp after graduating from college, I understand the attractiveness of sending your child to a camp. It helps them build skills, and exposes them to new things. And I feel like it is becoming more and more important for young children to have these experiences at earlier ages. Young girls and boys need a way to get out of the social media and the world of technology that they are growing up in, and learn the other important life skills like teamwork, accepting diversity, independence, leadership, bravery, and confidence. I especially feel like this is important for young girls, as we women continue to fight for our (and their) equal rights.  

The camp I worked at was for 7 to 15-year-old girls and was located in the middle of a beautiful forest and on a gorgeous, pretty private, lake. What intrigued me the most about this camp was that they allowed no technology for campers, and staff weren’t even allowed to have their phones or anything out in front of the campers. Parents had limited communication with their children, relying on good, old fashioned snail mail to be the job done. Campers were expected to clean up after themselves, and make decisions about which activities they wanted to partake in, with little intervention by us counselors. I loved that the camp was a safe environment, a bubble almost, for these girls to learn some of life’s most important skills. These skills were numerous, but I’ve picked out a few that I believe are the most important for girls of that age.  

Teamwork 

During their first summer at camp, no matter their age, the girls are required to partake in an activity called camp craft. This is where they learn skills like building a fire, setting up a tent, canoeing, and campfire cooking. These are important skills for them to learn because as a cabin all of the ages go on a camping trip at some point during the summer. When these trips come along, someone is always naturally better at something than one of the other girls. They notice it and use it to their advantage by learning that teamwork sometimes means everyone working together through their strengths to reach a common goal.  

At the beginning of each session, new counselors and campers are sorted into a tribe. Each tribe is represented by a different color of the rainbow, and is comprised of girls of all ages throughout the camp. This is to give the younger girls some mentors in the older girls, and to give the older girls a chance to learn how to show leadership through their actions. Every night the camp as a whole would partake in activities and sometimes these were sorted by tribe giving the girls a chance to play activities like capture the flag, and zombie tag with girls of all ages. This helped them build skills like sharing and including others.  

Acceptance 

This camp was diverse in so many ways and because of current events, I am really just now realizing how important this truly is. Being accepted and learning to accept all of the different individuals we had at camp is going to make these young girls even better citizens of the world. We had campers and counselors from all of the world. From the US to the UK, Germany to Australia and New Zealand. We had campers and counselors of all races, and ages. Many different religions and belief systems were present at camp. And we had campers and counselors from all socioeconomic areas. Learning to love one another despite our differences is going to help heal the current condition of our nation and that of the world.  

Independence 

While there were counselors like me at this camp, the girls were expected to grow more independent of us as the sessions went on when it came to daily activities like table jobs and cabin clean up. The first session I was this the oldest girls at camp, 15 and 16-year-olds. All of these girls had just completed their freshmen year of high school and most of them had been at camp for at least three years if not eight. These young ladies came in knowing what was expected of them and we were there to just check off that things were getting done and give them some assistance when they needed it. The second session I was working on the younger side of camp with 11-year-olds. Half of our cabin had been at camp for at least one year and the other half was there for the first time. That session I spent more time helping the girls learn how to be independent. My co-counselors and I helped them learn how to sort laundry, know what to bring in from the line, sweep, take care of things at the table during meals and etc. We also helped them learn to make their own decision about what activities they would like to take that week. Being able to clean up after themselves, do laundry, and make their own decisions are important life skills that these young ladies are learning to master as early as possible.  

Leadership 

At the beginning of each session, the girls are given the opportunity to run for tribe leader. Tribe leaders are responsible for teaching the new campers tribe songs, organizing O’Naug (a weekly ceremony that has a message like loving yourself or friendship), and planning tribe day. This is a lot of responsibility for young girls to take on and I think that it is so important that we give them an accepting and safe environment for them to take on this responsibility. Because then, even if they fail, they learn that failure is natural and it is not something to shy away from. As I mentioned before, the tribes consist of campers of all ages. The same goes for the activities that the girls partake in throughout the summer. Each week they choose new activities and the group of girls that they are with changes as well. I see the importance of this for both the older and the younger campers. The younger girls are given mentors to look up to and learn from and the older girls are given the chance to learn about how their actions affect others.  

Confidence 

Camp is not a very serious place. And that is something that I loved most about camp. Whether it was playing silly games during meals like “odds are,” or singing silly songs, or dressing up in ridiculous outfits, there was always something fun going on. Teaching the girls that you’re never too old to make a fool of yourself helps build their confidence. Seeing the camp director and the other adults at camp partake in these silly activities, I believe, helps the girls build confidence that they can be themselves and never feel ashamed of who they are.  

But this confidence also holds to being held responsible for yourself. If something was found at camp with no name on it the camp director would stand in front of the dining hall and hold it up and describe it and the owner was expected to go up and grab it. Once the owner stood up, the whole hall would sing this silly song and everything was fine. No one was ever truly embarrassed by having to go up there and I believe that is because these girls had confidence in themselves.  

Bravery 

I believe that confidence can be a byproduct of well supported and guided bravery. I’m not talking about blind bravery where you jump off a tall cliff into unknown waters. But I mean the bravery where you push yourself outside of your comfort zone a little. For the oldest girls in camp this happens the very first week of camp when they begin training for their camping trip, the Canadian. And yes they travel to Canada for the trip.  

This is a 6 day canoe trip through the Canadian wilderness with one tripper, one counselor, and 6-8 girls. The campers are responsible for portaging their canoes and their bags when necessary, getting fires going, setting up their tents, and cooking. It doesn’t matter what the weather is like, the trip goes on because you have to get to the pick up point at the right time on the last day. The girls I took on the Canadian during the first session, showed their bravery when we were stuck in tough weather and couldn’t fight the waves. Our group even got separated at one point and the girls kept it together until we could all be reunited. This instance even pushed myself and the tripper outside of our comfort zone, proving that you are never too old to learn.  

My favorite experience with bravery was watching girls run for tribe leader. Because there is no age limit for tribe leader, even the youngest girls at camp could run. In order to run for tribe leader, the girls had to be nominated or volunteer. Then they had the opportunity to talk about what they wanted to accomplish and how they would go about being a tribe leader. Later that week they were given the opportunity to speak again, after being allowed to plan what they wanted to touch on. And then the tribe would vote. Watching the younger girls be brave enough to stand in front of their whole tribe, that included girls who were 16, was amazing. I really don’t think I ever would have been able to do that when I was little. But having this bravery sets these girls up for so many more opportunities that others will shy away from.  

After spending my summer being amazed by these wonderful girls, I look back and think that maybe I learned even more than they did.  
empowering young women