How To Build A life Full Of Gratitude and Discipline With Ahna Fulmer

In this episode, Lena chats with Anha Fulmer about the role gratitude and discipline play in building the life we've always dreamed of.  They offer up simple practices to incorporate into your daily routine that will help you appreciate the little things in life and follow through with achieving your goals.

Ahna Fulmer is the author and owner of the leading DIY healthy lifestyle blog, Hammers N Hugs, where busy women are empowered to enjoy healthy hearts and happy homes with fitness and nutrition coaching, healthy recipes, DIY tutorials, home design inspiration, and family fun. Equipping you to fulfill your God-given purpose with more confidence and joy by redeveloping your holistic health – emotionally, mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually – one imperfect day at a time.

Host of the imPERFECTly emPOWERed podcast (rated top 3%), a dual-certified nurse practitioner, fitness/nutrition coach, and DIY pro – Ahna has been published by the American Heart Association and featured on major platforms such as iHeart Radio, ABC News, Wayfair, Apartment Therapy, Authority Magazine, Thrive Global, and American Farmhouse Style Magazine.


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Transcript

00:00:00:01 - 00:00:02:12

Speaker 1
Two one.

00:00:04:05 - 00:00:05:25
Speaker 2
Welcome to the podcast, Ahna

00:00:06:24 - 00:00:08:03
Speaker 1
Thank you. Hello.

00:00:08:21 - 00:00:36:18
Speaker 2
I'm so happy to have you on because if you're listening or watching this, I don't know if this show would be happening right now without our guest today. So I sat in on her podcast class, or course, if you will, at this Creator conference, which was my first time ever going to a conference like that. And it was really incredible because I was just blown away at how transparent people are in this little niche of sharing what has made them successful.

00:00:37:06 - 00:00:55:01
Speaker 2
So I went into your class and you literally showed the whole back end of how you started this podcast, what you use, and you were just so freely giving away everything that has helped you be a success fall for other people like me to be successful. So it had been in my mind that I wanted to do this.

00:00:55:13 - 00:01:18:11
Speaker 2
But your class is really kind of like pushed me over the edge and I was like, okay. So I just want to say thank you for not being a gatekeeper. And I'm really just grateful because I feel like in this little niche of self-improvement, DIY, home, whatever, everyone is so open to sharing what's made them successful.

00:01:18:24 - 00:01:19:03
Speaker 1
Mm hmm.

00:01:20:03 - 00:01:21:04
Speaker 2
Do you feel that way, too?

00:01:21:26 - 00:01:56:07
Speaker 1
100%. And as people will learn very quickly, I'm like, I got a lot of things going on over here in my space. And so I've really crossed multiple niches in this virtual world. Fitness and nutrition, which for good or for bad, often involves a lot of like fashion people as well DIY, home decor, entrepreneurship and without a doubt in the virtual world, the DIY home decor niche is without a doubt the most giving, nurturing niche in all of them.

00:01:56:25 - 00:02:00:09
Speaker 1
Without a doubt. So. Absolutely, I entirely agree with that.

00:02:01:05 - 00:02:19:28
Speaker 2
Yeah. And you mentioned you have a lot of different channels or genres that you cross, which is why I think I enjoy your content so much, because it ties in everything that I also love and I'm passionate about because we're not one dimensional. We all have different and various interests. So I think mine, you know, seeing your nutrition and fitness, I love doing that type of stuff.

00:02:20:03 - 00:02:56:09
Speaker 2
Your DIY renovations and then family as well and recipes. So you have so much just that people can take from consuming your content. And I always when I'm getting like a blog email from you or I'm seeing your podcast or I'm seeing all these things, I'm thinking, Wow, she is doing a lot and you're doing it so consistently that I think I look at you and I think she is so incredibly disciplined because you're juggling all of these different plates, like you're a mom, you are a business owner, you're a coach, you are content creator.

00:02:56:09 - 00:03:24:04
Speaker 2
How do you stay disciplined in doing that or not letting what? I mean, what is kind of your routine or have you always been disciplined like this? Is that something you have to work hard on because you can't do all those things without really holding your own, you know, holding yourself accountable or maybe having systems like what allows you to do all these things and do it consistently and do them all well?

00:03:25:03 - 00:03:30:18
Speaker 1
That's a great question. And first of all, I have to just share that yesterday I laid on the couch and watched Christmas Hallmark movies all day.

00:03:30:18 - 00:03:33:23
Speaker 2
So some days you just need to do that.

00:03:35:17 - 00:04:03:15
Speaker 1
It's coming. The time of the year is here. My husband's like, Oh boy, it's a year cause he's on Amazon Prime and he's seeing all the, like, cheesy Hallmark Christmas. Yeah, I'm here for. I love it. I it's such a great question. And I think the number one thing is clarifying the difference between discipline and motivation, because one of the issues that I see all of the time, especially is busy women.

00:04:03:15 - 00:04:28:24
Speaker 1
So for those of you not familiar with with me and my brand, it is really all about offering DIY solutions for busy women to thrive from the inside out. Healthy Hearts, Happy Homes is kind of the tagline you see all over, and that is really what my brand is passionate about, is helping busy women thrive holistically. Well, and that is a five dimensional approach.

00:04:28:24 - 00:05:01:23
Speaker 1
It's not just eating more vegetables and exercising and thinking positive. That is a five dimensional approach. And as a nurse practitioner, for ten years, I worked in the E.R. They really helped me to realize that we are we're failing in medicine to really help people live well. So just as as you're listening to this conversation, understand that that's my heartbeat is helping you thrive emotionally, mentally, physically, socially and spiritually across the whole person and really live well with health and happiness and what that looks like.

00:05:01:23 - 00:05:27:00
Speaker 1
So when we talk about discipline as a fitness and nutrition coach, one of the things I'm frequently asked is how do I stay motivated? And this is so closely tied to what you're talking about and the question that you're asking and the first thing that you have to understand is that motivation is not tangible. It is not something that I can give you.

00:05:28:07 - 00:05:59:05
Speaker 1
What I can give you, though, are strategies to recreate the baseline of your life to establish habits, which is what translates into discipline. And the question that you asked that I love is, have you always been disciplined? And this is such a great question. And the answer is, I am a very driven person, but by nature and by nurture, I am not a structured person.

00:05:59:16 - 00:06:22:15
Speaker 1
And oftentimes the women who are really disciplined have a natural tendency towards structure. They like to get up at the same time every morning. They like things to look just so and it throws them off. If something changes on a dime. I am the exact opposite. I love like my husband can testify to the amount of the times he's walked into one of our fixer upper homes.

00:06:22:15 - 00:06:42:08
Speaker 1
And I've literally torn a room apart and you might hear that and think, oh, you like move the sofa. Okay. No, no. Like, I knocked out a wall. I repeated some. Like, you know, Lina and I are on the same page. Or when we talk about like we redo a room, we're not just talking about, like, furniture and decor, like hammer and power tools redoing.

00:06:42:28 - 00:07:09:09
Speaker 1
So what's interesting is when I became an entrepreneur two years ago and started my own business, one of the most challenging things for me was the fact that I had to structure my time in a really organized way, because now I'm working from home. I don't clock in and clock out like I did in the year. So I was talking to Lina a little bit about this year where you and I were chatting about this.

00:07:09:16 - 00:07:26:22
Speaker 1
One of the ultimate not one of the ultimate health hack in life to staying disciplined, increasing your productivity, enjoying more energy and ultimately living well is establishing an early morning routine.

00:07:28:06 - 00:07:29:06
Speaker 2
I agree with that.

00:07:29:15 - 00:07:31:11
Speaker 1
Changed 100%.

00:07:31:11 - 00:07:53:13
Speaker 2
Yes. And so what I'm hearing you say is that, no, you haven't always been disciplined, that actually your natural tendency is to be a little more fly by the seat of your pants and and change things or wake up when you feel. So I think that's great for someone to hear who feels like they're struggling to, like you said, motivation.

00:07:53:22 - 00:08:17:15
Speaker 2
If you can replace the motivation with action steps that even if you're not feeling motivated but you have a plan, you've outlined the habits that you're going to do or you're trying to make the habits that people should know. A lot of people are watching. It's not natural to them. They had to work at it. They had to establish it, just as you're saying, like you had to establish those things.

00:08:17:15 - 00:08:29:06
Speaker 2
And part of that came with step number one, if I want to accomplish these things, I need to start my day off. Right. So what does your morning routine look like?

00:08:29:06 - 00:08:52:18
Speaker 1
Yeah. Yeah. So and another piece that I want to add to that is you have to be really, really clear on your why. Again, when we talk about discipline versus motivation, motivation is a very feelings oriented concept. And as we as women well know, feelings fluctuate. I mean, in the course of 48 hours, I can wake up and feel great about myself.

00:08:52:19 - 00:09:11:21
Speaker 1
Yeah. I look in the mirror on my smoking hot mom like, let's go. I feel great today. And the very next day I can wake up and feel rundown, you know, flabby, exhausted. And I feel like more like a chauffeur and housekeeper than like a mom thriving, you know what I mean? And so has my body changed in two days?

00:09:11:24 - 00:09:45:21
Speaker 1
Absolutely. Absolutely not. It's feelings. It's the reality of the emotions that are totally unpredictable and they are not a good master. So what we need to do is start to rely more on purpose to fuel passion as opposed to passion fueling purpose. And this is exactly what we're talking about with motivation and discipline. When you talk about wanting to become disciplined, you have got to get clear on your why.

00:09:45:21 - 00:10:06:25
Speaker 1
What is it that you want for me? Starting an early morning routine, by the way, this is somebody who loves her sleep again. That whole, like, not structured by nature. Yeah, I love my sleep and I like, man, I can't ever imagine getting up super early in the morning. Not to mention to exercise first thing in the morning, like, I'm sorry, who are you?

00:10:06:25 - 00:10:32:26
Speaker 1
Sometimes even up yet? So again, it's shifting. Question number one that you have to ask yourself is why? What is it that you want and be very, very clear and specific, write it down. It should be tangible. It should be something measurable, something that you can actually track progress for me, when I started an early morning routine, my why was that?

00:10:32:26 - 00:10:52:29
Speaker 1
This was four years ago. I first started blogging and it was the creative outlet that I needed. I was blogging about our DIY fixer upper adventures and I was sharing our fun family craziness. We've done it all together as a family. I have three young kids and we're adopting our fourth, and that was my why I enjoyed it.

00:10:52:29 - 00:11:12:11
Speaker 1
It was fun and I needed more fun in my life. I was working in the E.R., so I said, You know what? The only time that I have to get blog posts done is first thing in the morning before the troops descend and need me for all the things. So I set my alarm earlier and I was sealed by the purpose, which was my enjoyment of blogging.

00:11:14:05 - 00:11:37:04
Speaker 1
And then I fell in love with the early morning because the house was quiet. My kids were sleeping. I could think clearly because I didn't have like a million voices asking me for, you know, whatever. That day held. And so I kept setting my alarm clock a little bit earlier and a little bit earlier and a little bit earlier, till suddenly I was realizing, like, it was changing.

00:11:37:04 - 00:11:57:17
Speaker 1
It was changing my life. I was more productive. I had more energy. I eventually started getting my workout done first thing in the morning. It took me several years to hone in on a process that actually kept me out of my bed and still feel great for the rest of the day.

00:11:57:17 - 00:11:59:04
Speaker 2
I was going to just that was a lot.

00:11:59:09 - 00:12:00:05
Speaker 1
I just like through.

00:12:00:10 - 00:12:15:01
Speaker 2
Oh, it was great. No, it was great. And I think the biggest takeaways from what you said are I agree with you that if you can wake up and I know right now there's a momma listening to this who is thinking there's no way I can wake up before my kids. I'm so tired.

00:12:15:08 - 00:12:16:25
Speaker 1
And I have tips for you. I have tips.

00:12:17:06 - 00:12:34:29
Speaker 2
Let's get into those tips for sure. And also know like we might be speaking to the mom of similar to us, we have three kids, but now we're not nursing babies anymore. We're not up in the night. If you are in that phase of life, please, this does not apply to you. But I also have three small kids.

00:12:34:29 - 00:12:54:03
Speaker 2
They're now getting to elementary school, age and preschool. And I find, like you, I started waking up a little bit earlier and just having that time to myself. I tell this to my husband all the time, I think I'm a better mom. I think it makes better mom to not feel like I'm starting behind the eight ball right there waking.

00:12:54:05 - 00:13:07:27
Speaker 2
I mean, my kids like to wake up early, so sometimes trying to wake up before them is a real challenge. Like this morning I heard my seven year old up at 5 a.m. and I'm like, I'm not even up yet. I'm trying to wake up in 30 minutes. So sometimes that can be a challenge to get up before them.

00:13:07:27 - 00:13:12:10
Speaker 1
But even when you like lock them in their room from the outside, you're like, We're not allowed on that room.

00:13:13:01 - 00:13:21:09
Speaker 2
You don't need to be out. Oh, we have this little alarm clock that turns colors. And I say, You know, until that goes off, you have to stay in your room. But these are.

00:13:21:09 - 00:13:24:16
Speaker 1
Two early parents. If you have really young kids, start that process. Yeah.

00:13:24:25 - 00:13:48:12
Speaker 2
Yeah. So yeah, I agree with you that just having that extra time and you're not going to start out right away owning that routine and waking up and feeling energized. So like you said, starting a little smaller, setting that alarm clock 15 minutes earlier than you usually go up, get up, then you've got that down. Now, another 15 minutes earlier, even put your I know you said you have some tactics that helped you do that.

00:13:49:14 - 00:14:03:07
Speaker 2
I like to put my phone almost like where I have to get up to physically get it. What type of things did you do when you first wanted to implement this morning routine that physically made you get ready for the day?

00:14:03:07 - 00:14:25:10
Speaker 1
So many things. And here's the thing, too, when you're listening is there's two types of people. There are people who, by nature, their body clocks actually do wake up early. And then there are people like myself who are not early morning risers. This is a legit physiological reality. There are some people who, by nature physiology will get up earlier.

00:14:25:10 - 00:14:46:20
Speaker 1
My son is of my three kids. My girls are like me. We are not early morning risers. So understand that this is a physiological reality. This is not just something that you're like, Well, I can't get up early. I feel terrible. That is because you're not by nature an early morning riser, but you can become one and there's so much evidence to suggest that you should become one.

00:14:46:20 - 00:15:09:26
Speaker 1
So unfortunately, those of us who are not are going to have to work a little bit harder. So there's so many things that I did and so many recommendations. First of all, if you are not sleeping well, it is going to be very hard to get up early. So like you said, Lena, this strategy, if you are still breastfeeding, if you do not have kids that are sleeping through the night, then you're not ready for this yet.

00:15:09:26 - 00:15:21:27
Speaker 1
That needs to be tempered. Number one is you have to make sure you're in the right phase to be starting this early morning routine because you're going to give yourself a negative feedback cycle if you don't. Oh.

00:15:22:05 - 00:15:33:24
Speaker 2
I'm so glad you said that, because I know that I have been guilty of when I had really small babies and I was breastfeeding and I was looking at people who were in a different phase.

00:15:34:00 - 00:15:34:18
Speaker 1
Of growth.

00:15:34:18 - 00:16:07:00
Speaker 2
Than me. And I was starting to feel bad about myself, like, I need to be doing these things, I need to be up. Like you said, that negative cycle of you set something that's not attainable for reasons outside of your own motivation or your own willingness to do them. So I think that's a great point that you said, and I'm so glad you said that, because I think a lot of people on the Internet like to pretend that they can do it all or they want you to think you should do the same things as them.

00:16:07:00 - 00:16:14:28
Speaker 2
So again, if you're at the moment who's not sleeping or your baby is still breastfeed ing, maybe take these and write them down for six months from now.

00:16:15:14 - 00:16:38:23
Speaker 1
Mm hmm. Yeah, it's seasons. It's seasons. And I definitely cannot do it all. And when it comes to sleep, I have to get my sleep. We all do. Sleep is the body's holistic reset button. So essentially sleep is very, very important. If you're not sleeping well and prioritizing sleep is going to be very difficult to establish an early morning routine, especially if you're not one by nature.

00:16:39:07 - 00:17:03:25
Speaker 1
So I have all kinds of tips on sleep. I have them on my podcast, on my blog, if you want more sleep. Training is actually an essential part of an early morning routine, but in terms of when your alarm clock actually goes off, this is the hard part, even if you get a good night's sleep. For those of us that this does not come naturally to, when that alarm clock still goes off, the key is how do you stay out of bed?

00:17:04:11 - 00:17:31:27
Speaker 1
Because every fiber of your being just wants to get back in bed. So tip number one, like you just said, the alarm clock should be across the room. None of this phone at your bedside. And actually, I have more. There's more information on this, too, but we really should not have our cell phones in our bedroom. There is good evidence to suggest that even having the cell phone in the bedroom is causing a sleeping habit and actually as well as other things.

00:17:31:27 - 00:17:56:21
Speaker 1
So this is also a process that took me quite a few years, but we now no longer keep our phones in our bedrooms. They are charging outside of our bedrooms. Ideally, there should be no technology in the bedroom. This is a tip to sleeping better, so I don't even have my phone in my bedroom. I have a sunrise alarm and this is a hack for getting up early.

00:17:56:28 - 00:18:24:04
Speaker 1
If you're not familiar with sunrise alarms, basically it simulates 30 minutes prior to that obnoxious sound going off, a sun rising. So it's this little round alarm. It's on the dresser across the room, and 30 minutes prior to my alarm clock, it starts getting lighter and lighter and lighter, like a sunrise. And it gets very bright. It's very, very bright by the time the alarm actually goes off.

00:18:24:04 - 00:18:47:21
Speaker 1
But here's the practical reality to it. When it goes off, you touch one time and the noise goes off, but the light stays on. Because here is a here is a challenge for me. Is your spouse doesn't necessarily or your partner or whatever doesn't necessarily get up at the same time. So if you're getting ready in the dark and you can't see the likelihood of you staying out of bed is minimal.

00:18:48:12 - 00:19:07:17
Speaker 1
You need a light. There is all kinds of research to suggest the power of light and our body's ability to sleep and wake up so this is another sleeping tip is where if you want to start winding down at night, you should be having lights on. Dimmers, lights should be turned down, should be turned off. Even bathroom lights are another big one.

00:19:07:17 - 00:19:28:10
Speaker 1
If you have bright, bright LED bulbs in your bathrooms, they should be warm yellow because the bathroom tends to be one of the last places we go before we get into our bed. Your bedrooms also should not be bright white lights. They should be warm yellow. It is not fashionable. But listen, bedrooms are meant to sleep in. I i they're not meant to fellowship in.

00:19:28:10 - 00:19:36:25
Speaker 1
Unless you're doing one recreational activity, it probably doesn't need to be made to be paint.

00:19:36:25 - 00:19:56:04
Speaker 2
I that's so funny you said that because a few years ago when I wanted to try to start waking up early, I discovered the sunrise alarm and I'm going down in the show notes below because it's the best 30, $40 you can spend. And it feels so much more natural waking up because you felt like you're waking up.

00:19:56:04 - 00:20:15:02
Speaker 2
But the sunlight keeping the cell phones out of the bedroom. I'm with you on that. It's so hard. Like, for instance, my husband's job, four years and years and years, he's in the medical field. So you get that call, you have that pager. I mean, it would be off so many times and now he still is on call.

00:20:15:02 - 00:20:38:03
Speaker 2
It rarely goes off, but he feels like he has to have it in the bedroom. And then unfortunately, then you're grabbing it to look at the first thing in the morning. So I can't necessarily tell him you need to stop doing that. But I have tried to like put my phone on airplane mode if I am having it by my bed because I sleep with white noise and I have a white noise app on my phone.

00:20:38:04 - 00:20:39:00
Speaker 1
Right, right.

00:20:39:13 - 00:20:59:12
Speaker 2
So but if you maybe if you put that on airplane mode to where you can't actively check social media like or you set a bedtime for your phone. Right? Like at 8 p.m., my phone's going on airplane mode. I'm not texting, I'm not doing emails, I'm not looking at social media now. It's just turned into literally an alarm clock.

00:20:59:20 - 00:21:31:15
Speaker 2
It won't have access to another alarm clock or for some reason have to have it close by. So once you kind of get into this ability to wake up earlier, what are the types of things that you like to do in the morning, even though you might not feel like doing them? That really set your day up to go into all these different things that you're managing, being a mom, running your podcast, running your training programs, what are those if what are those few things that set you up right for the day?

00:21:32:29 - 00:21:55:21
Speaker 1
Yeah. So again, when we're talking about wanting to live holistically, well, you know, remember we're talking mentally, emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually. So that's that's a little overwhelming. Like, is there one hack that can improve all those things? And the answer is yes. It is an early morning routine. So to answer that question, what am I doing to actually leverage that that early morning hour?

00:21:56:03 - 00:22:21:23
Speaker 1
And one of the things, again, in order to make this time work smarter, not harder, is the very first thing that I put on is workout clothes. So again, one of the tips to actually staying out of bed is consciousness should be optional because for those of us that do not wake up quickly and easily right away, I had to make my first steps so that I did not have to think.

00:22:21:23 - 00:22:43:07
Speaker 1
I did not have to be awake because I cannot just instantly be alert and like ready to rumble. I just can't do it. So the night before I set out workout clothes and again that sunrise alarm, there's enough light that it is bright and makes me feel more awake. But then also I can see my clothes to put on so I'm not fumbling in the dark.

00:22:43:07 - 00:23:06:11
Speaker 1
So the first thing that I'm doing is I'm putting working workout clothes on and then my coffee is on a timer. So step number one is I have my clothes on. I'm still not even conscious. I throw my hair up, not trying to look cute and I get coffee and then I come to my desk. So this can be any place in your house, but somewhere that you are not able to lay back down.

00:23:07:18 - 00:23:30:11
Speaker 1
So it needs to be somewhere relatively vertical. So that you cannot sleep or at least is going to be a little bit more difficult, too. And step number two is basically establishing quiet time first thing in the morning, it could be gratitude practices. I'm a Christian and for me, the most important relationship for my health and happiness on this side of heaven is that with Jesus.

00:23:30:11 - 00:23:51:00
Speaker 1
So for me, I am reading my Bible, I am praying. Now there are so many other things that you can do if you don't want to read religious texts, gratitude, practices are huge. This is the time that that can be done. And there is a lot of research to suggest the power of intentionally incorporating gratitude practices into your life.

00:23:51:28 - 00:24:20:05
Speaker 1
But it's like exercise. If we're not doing it regularly, you will only reap the benefit of it for a short a short time. So it needs to become a habit into our life. And there is mental, emotional and even physical benefits from intentionally practicing gratitude. So one way that you can do that first thing in the morning is simply by radius called gratitude listing, where you literally write five things that you are grateful for.

00:24:20:09 - 00:24:43:24
Speaker 1
Now here's where we mess up. We say family, our health, our blah, blah, blah, no good. It needs to be specific. You need to start seeing the littlest things around you to be grateful for. For me, for example, pivoting toilet paper holders, it's like an age old joke around here. I am very, very thankful for pivoting toilet paper holders.

00:24:43:24 - 00:24:57:12
Speaker 1
They're so much easier to change. You're not like We've all been there, right? You're sitting on the toilet, you're like, crap, there's no more. Especially you have kids, there's no more toilet paper, and you go to change it and it's that stupid little springy thing and then it like springs across the room and you trying to reach out your pants like it's ridiculous.

00:24:57:12 - 00:25:01:29
Speaker 1
So the pivoting toilet paper, you literally just you pivot, you throw it on, you put it back. It's amazing.

00:25:02:11 - 00:25:05:00
Speaker 2
We're going to linger on that. We're going to link it to it.

00:25:05:00 - 00:25:09:11
Speaker 1
Pivoting toilet paper holders literally. I have designed every house. Yes.

00:25:09:13 - 00:25:12:14
Speaker 2
The first DIY project for you to take on change are toilet paper.

00:25:12:27 - 00:25:38:02
Speaker 1
Pivoting toilet paper holders. I'm telling you, I will change your bathroom my life anyway. But seriously, it's small things. It's the little things that you need to start being intentional about thinking through during your day. So during this time you take a wide angle perspective, and what that means is like a camera. You take a wide angle lens and you say, okay, what are the hard things happening right now?

00:25:38:08 - 00:26:00:07
Speaker 1
I'll give a very specific example. We are living in a rental house. We sold our last fixer upper. We're now in a rental house until we find our forever property. I am I am not loving it. I nothing is organized. It is like living in a storage unit. And again, when you like do this because you love it, it's really, really hard for me and that's my wide angle lens.

00:26:00:23 - 00:26:28:23
Speaker 1
Like this makes me anxious. Living with this kind of disorganization in the kitchen, I can't stand. So that's the wide angle reality. But then in order to offset the anxiety and the overwhelm that can come from that, this is where we zoom in and take a zoomed in look at the little things that I am grateful for. So I am grateful for the gas fireplace that is in between the family room and the living room that they converted the garage into.

00:26:29:09 - 00:26:48:06
Speaker 1
I'm legitimately I enjoy that. It's my favorite thing about this rental house. I am grateful. You know, you fill in the blank, it is these little, little things so you don't ignore the challenges that exist. So that's what I write down. First, what is what is a challenge right now? What is that wide angle perspective? What is keeping you up at night?

00:26:48:06 - 00:27:12:09
Speaker 1
Write that down. You can even think to the night before what was the last thing that was on your mind? Because as women especially, that's the time where like our minds go crazy. So you write that down, give it space to exist, don't ignore it. It's a real challenge. Allow it to be there. But then underneath it you are going to write the five things, littlest things that you are grateful for, and then you are going to think about how does that make me feel?

00:27:12:11 - 00:27:36:26
Speaker 1
What do those things make me feel? Warm, happy, cozy thing. And then you allow yourself to dwell on those positive emotions that come about from the things that you're grateful for and you're intentional about when that wide angle lens frustration comes in, like this rental house, I intentionally think. But man, I'm grateful for that fireplace. It makes a difference.

00:27:36:26 - 00:27:55:18
Speaker 1
There's evidence. I have seen it in my own life and there's good research to suggest it will actually improve your self esteem. Believe it or not, your confidence. It can improve the changes that you want to see in your life, even when it comes to weight loss mindset matters and it will also improve your mental health and it's no shock then that will improve your relationship with other people either.

00:27:56:20 - 00:28:25:02
Speaker 2
I think that's so important. What you said about all of us can take something and look at it from a bird's eye view or a wide angle lens, and it might not be the ideal situation for you right now. It's you living in a temporary home because you haven't been able and the next one after so many people are in this position right now, I think with you, where they're trying to get into a new home, but because of the real estate market or rates or whatever, they're kind of stuck and it's not where they want to be.

00:28:25:22 - 00:28:50:03
Speaker 2
But like you said, if you can just find a couple of different things to feel grateful for in that situation, because all situations, even if they are challenging, are going to have some aspect of good, whether it's someone helping you, whether it's something small, like a fireplace. I remember like you said, waking up, trying to frame your mind to think of these things that you're grateful for, even if they're the smallest things.

00:28:50:12 - 00:29:12:12
Speaker 2
I was really having a very hard time with postpartum depression. After my second. No, after my first, I had it all three times, but in different forms. But it was after my first one and it was a little delayed and I mean serious depression, crying for no reason, a really hard time just holding it together in general. Yeah.

00:29:12:12 - 00:29:32:09
Speaker 2
And I started trying to practice gratitude because at the time I felt very hopeless about life. It was hard for me to find anything that I felt good about. You know, I just. I felt very hopeless. So I just started every morning before my feet hit the ground. I would have to say three things that I was thankful for.

00:29:32:09 - 00:29:50:13
Speaker 2
And it could be as simple as I'm thankful for. This bed that I'm in, I'm not sleeping on the ground, you know, I'm thankful that this roof is protecting me from rain. So like you're saying, it can be super small things. Like even if you can't think of something, just look at what's right around you. You're not on the floor.

00:29:50:16 - 00:30:17:11
Speaker 2
You have a roof over your head. You woke up. You woke up today. That's something to be grateful for. You know, and I like you said, it slowly starts reframing your brain. And as you practice more gratitude, you start just experiencing everything in life different. And it carries over into all those aspects. Like you said, your health, your family, your relationships.

00:30:17:21 - 00:30:28:05
Speaker 2
Just I agree with you, the practice of gratitude is so important and you did a great podcast on this that people want to go listen further.

00:30:28:05 - 00:30:28:19
Speaker 1
I think you.

00:30:29:04 - 00:30:59:00
Speaker 2
Did the dove into this, but I think the power of gratitude is so trans transformational and hour long. And I like your example of especially not loving where you're living right now, or even, I'm sure, going through an adoption process. It's super challenging and I think feel very, very hard, you know, but if you stop and look and think, what are some of the small things that you're grateful for that are happening in that particular situation?

00:30:59:00 - 00:31:12:21
Speaker 2
So people listening know you don't have to feel like like on inside. You don't have to feel great about the entire situation, but find a few small to feel good about and and start your day off and that mindset.

00:31:14:06 - 00:31:33:05
Speaker 1
Yeah, yeah. And it's not ignoring the tough like I'm not all about good vibes only you're coming to the wrong person if that's what you're all about. Because the problem with that is that you ignore the realities that exist and just hope that thinking positively is going to make them go away. And that's really dangerous. So we have to be willing to address that.

00:31:33:05 - 00:32:00:11
Speaker 1
No, I feel like crap. I'm depressed. I'm. And there's no shame in that. That is a reality. You know, emotions don't define us. They're just simply an energy. If something is something that we feel, that's not what defines us. I am not depressed. I feel depressed. So, you know, it's important to recognize the hard things that exist. And then covering them with that gratitude will help sort of offset some of those some of those challenges in the moment.

00:32:00:21 - 00:32:21:09
Speaker 1
So this is where I would recommend you start, because like Lena, you said this. It's really hard to go from waking up at seven to waking up at six, but this is the first place that I would start, wake up 15 minutes earlier, get your cup of coffee or tea and practice gratitude. Spend quiet time. No phone, no phone.

00:32:21:12 - 00:32:44:14
Speaker 1
Lock your phone. There's no phone. In this initial 15 minutes, there is an app that I put on my phone. So I get up at 530, 545 and there's a it's called Lock My Phone Zen app and basically it locks out your phone. This was a must for me because, again, I'm a doer. So as soon as I open my email, I'm like responding to people.

00:32:44:14 - 00:33:03:16
Speaker 1
And so I had to totally get rid of my phone for this early morning routine. So it is a locked I cannot open it until for an hour and a half for you. Maybe it's half an hour, maybe it's 15 minutes. But during this gratitude practicing time, no phone. Do not get in the habit of looking at your phone first thing in the morning, because what are you going to see?

00:33:03:25 - 00:33:20:03
Speaker 1
All of the negativity that's in the world and the hard realities that exist, we don't ignore them. But do they need to be the first thing that we think about in the morning? No, they really don't. Because you already have enough hard realities in your life. You don't need to hear everyone else's first thing in the morning. So start there.

00:33:20:25 - 00:33:21:22
Speaker 2
What was the app called?

00:33:22:12 - 00:33:33:18
Speaker 1
It is called Lock My. It's like a weird title. It's called Lock my Phone. And then it has like Zen is in the name of it and actually, like.

00:33:34:15 - 00:33:35:19
Speaker 2
Getting to phone is like.

00:33:35:25 - 00:33:48:22
Speaker 1
Free. Yeah, harness free. It literally it literally looks like this. It is. Where are we here. There you can see it right there. It's like this is really fun and backwards, right there. My phone.

00:33:49:01 - 00:33:50:21
Speaker 2
Okay, we're going to link the app below.

00:33:50:21 - 00:33:53:01
Speaker 1
Yeah, do it. It's amazing. Free app.

00:33:53:16 - 00:34:08:07
Speaker 2
Like I struggle with that. Like I said, I've climbed I now have two phones, so I have one phone I keep like all my social media apps on. And I mean, it's like my content phone, right? That's what I'm filming on. I put my email.

00:34:08:07 - 00:34:09:26
Speaker 1
Business phone, yeah, yeah.

00:34:09:29 - 00:34:31:08
Speaker 2
I have a business phone and putting my social media apps on there was big for me because I found myself just like checking it too much and it doesn't have cellular data, it only has y fi so I can only work on it when it has wi fi. But this lock my phone app is also great because obviously having two phones is not now everybody needs that for any reason.

00:34:31:20 - 00:34:55:06
Speaker 1
So and it's on a timer, it'll do it for you automatically. So this is the nice thing. When you establish a routine and you're waking up at the same time in the morning, you will wake up to your phone being locked and then it will automatically unlock at your designated time. So I mean, this is tip number one is basically you need to determine, okay, I'm going to wake up 15 minutes earlier, I'm going to wake up whatever.

00:34:55:06 - 00:35:18:03
Speaker 1
And then you have that lock your phone set for that time. This is step number one. Eventually, the goal is to incorporate two other practices into your morning. One is exercise. This is the number one difficulty for busy moms. And I have been there. I have exercised most of my life. It was incorporated into my life very young as a child.

00:35:18:03 - 00:35:50:20
Speaker 1
My dad had his first heart attack at 40 despite being a runner and a body fat percentage. So I am at a health risk. I know that just genetics know your genetic risk factors. So it's it's something that I grew up with. However, in the business of life, especially as a mom, exercise became very haphazard. I'd put my workout clothes on first thing in the morning, and then when I went to pick up my kids at 3:00, I still had my workout clothes on because I never worked out and so incorporating it in first thing in the morning, it is possible I if I can do it, anybody can do it.

00:35:50:20 - 00:36:14:23
Speaker 1
This is this is the thing. So again, there's a lot of other strategies, but the goal is to get your workout in. If you're working out more than 30 minutes a day, you're over exercising. Come hang out. We'll chat. So I do a 30 minute workout. And then the fourth step is I have learned the art of getting dressed for the day, getting ready for the day.

00:36:14:23 - 00:36:39:29
Speaker 1
And there's a lot of good science behind that too, and creating that positive feedback cycle. We have to wear clothes. We are not in the naked society. You to put clothes on. So create this habit of consistency and you it's a build self-esteem dress for the body that you have. Stop waiting to look good and feel good. You can look good no matter what body you have today.

00:36:40:27 - 00:36:44:13
Speaker 1
It is still something to be grateful for, no matter where you're at right now.

00:36:44:27 - 00:36:55:09
Speaker 2
Going back to the morning workout routine because I'm your person. Guilty. I told myself I was going to work out this morning before I got my daughter to school, all these things and I have no excuse. I have a gym, I have a home gym.

00:36:56:05 - 00:36:56:14
Speaker 1
I have.

00:36:56:14 - 00:37:16:21
Speaker 2
No excuse. But I let other things happen first and I didn't get dressed. My workout clothes. I stayed in my sweat pants ready for school, and I woke up later than I usually do. So I lost that time. So when it was time for me to get up, it was like time to get the kids ready. So what for the mom?

00:37:16:21 - 00:37:20:20
Speaker 2
Who's listening? Who's like one? I don't have any workout equipment at my house.

00:37:21:00 - 00:37:21:27
Speaker 1
Or I.

00:37:21:27 - 00:37:45:00
Speaker 2
Might only have 20 minutes to do something. What type of workout would you suggest? Is it stretching? Is it cardio? Is it, you know, body weight exercises to that mom who's like, I have very limited time or I have no equipment. What should they be trying to do first thing in the morning? And everyone's going to be different, obviously, based on goals.

00:37:45:09 - 00:37:50:24
Speaker 2
But what would be just I guess if you could give anybody listening something with start with.

00:37:52:09 - 00:38:22:24
Speaker 1
So strength building cardio. Mm hmm. If you can prioritize one general concept for 20 to 30 minutes, it should be strength building cardio. Now, again, I am, you know, passionate about a holistic approach to physical fitness as well. Meaning if you're only running, you are not optimally thriving. You should be doing strength training as well. If you're only lifting and you're like a gym, bro, you also need to be doing some cardio because you're going to be muscle bound and then you go to play basketball and you're going to pull something.

00:38:23:10 - 00:38:57:09
Speaker 1
So to be clear, generally speaking, there needs to be a very balanced approach to physically thriving. Well, however, if you're that mom who you're like, some is better than none 100%. I always helps my clients. Some is better than none. And you just need that quick go to ideally it should be strength building cardio. And the reason for the cardio piece is that we want to be getting our heart rates to a place that is sustained at a moderate to high intensity because there are cardio vascular properties that come with that that help prevent chronic disease.

00:38:57:09 - 00:39:16:13
Speaker 1
So this is not just me throwing a number at a wall. The reason for the cardio piece where I wouldn't just say yoga, for example, unless you're getting your heart rate up, is there are there are cardio protective properties to basically redeveloping the muscle that is your heart. That will not happen if you are not getting some cardio in.

00:39:17:12 - 00:39:41:02
Speaker 1
However, we also want to build and strengthen the muscles. It's good for bones, it's good for posture. There's also a lot of chronic disease prevention with muscle build, and that's also going to help promote sustainable fat loss as well. So strength building cardio and what does that look like if you have zero equipment? I love deck workouts. So those are cards.

00:39:41:02 - 00:40:05:22
Speaker 1
I'll give you a really, really go to and you can, you know, write this down if you're listening or watching. So an example would be so you've got a deck of cards, which almost everybody has. And then the strength piece is going to come by using your body weight as resistance. So you have hearts, diamonds, clubs. That's the fourth one for Hearts Diamond, Ahab's spades.

00:40:05:22 - 00:40:34:00
Speaker 1
Thank you. Yeah. And Mark, I so I'm literally throwing out off the top of my head, one that we often do. So one of those suits you're going to do jump lunges, so pick one. So let's say hearts jump lunges. Number two plank with shoulder tap. If you're still doing crunches again, come sit by me. We'll check. No crunches.

00:40:34:00 - 00:41:03:12
Speaker 1
Nobody should be doing crunches anymore. So hearts are jump lunges say spades. We have planks with shoulder tap. So that's literally where you're planking and then you're tapping your shoulders like this. That is like a full body workout right there. You got arms core back, but keep your butt tight and low. And then the third one, let's do Russian twists with a block between your knees.

00:41:03:12 - 00:41:24:11
Speaker 1
So that could be a yoga block if you have one. It could be a book. It could be anything that gives you some resistance between your knees. So Russian twists are when you're on your butt, you keep your feet elevated, blocks squeezed between your knees, and then going side to side, touching the ground when adding that block, you're now you're toning your inner thighs.

00:41:24:29 - 00:41:53:21
Speaker 1
You are also increasing your pelvic floor strength, which will help your lower back. And you're toning those obliques because you're going side to side. So then the fourth one would be the gaps. So you're going to get that upper body. You can do it on your knees. You can do it on your hands. Really, really simple, but that would be a great example of a full body workout using a deck of cards, anything from your house to squeeze between your knees.

00:41:53:21 - 00:42:20:09
Speaker 1
Those are the only two things that you would really need equipment wise. And a deck workout is going to be approximately a 20 minute to 25 minute workout. So what you do is when you go through the deck and you pull out a jack of hearts, that would be 11 jump lunges, a modification, don't jump. Just if you can't do the jumping and then you go through it, you pound through it.

00:42:20:09 - 00:42:33:16
Speaker 1
That's the cardio piece. Your heart rate is going to be high. It's going to stay high. But it's also strength building, using your own weight resistance or something around your house to squeeze between your knees. The you guys got a workout out of it, so you do.

00:42:33:27 - 00:42:54:21
Speaker 2
There you go. All you need a deck of cards. So I'm hearing to start your morning off, if somebody is wanting to incorporate more discipline in their life, incorporate gratitude, start with that one. Waking up. Just even if it's 15 minutes earlier. Yep. Keep going. Building on that, finding that place to have some quiet time to practice that gratitude.

00:42:54:21 - 00:43:02:25
Speaker 2
Get your body moving in any form that the workout deck, whatever. If you have something else, if you already have some type of.

00:43:02:25 - 00:43:04:23
Speaker 1
Problem, YouTube, just just Google it.

00:43:05:22 - 00:43:18:25
Speaker 2
And then after that, get dressed for the day, dress your body for, you know, you're you're if you're doing a DIY project, it might be getting dressed in my overalls, be dressed in whatever you want accomplish that day right shower.

00:43:18:25 - 00:43:35:07
Speaker 1
This is the bottom line. Just shower. Take care of yourself. Establish some sort of routine. That's the bottom line. You want to create a positive feedback cycle for yourself because you are accomplishing the fact that I'm showered. And so to your point where both the wires, if I have a day full of projects, I'm not looking like this.

00:43:35:14 - 00:43:59:22
Speaker 1
Yeah, I'm not curling my hair and whatever. I'm putting basic makeup on. I'm taking care of my skin. Skin is the biggest organ in our body. I'm not just trying to keep a youthful look. I'm actually protecting one of the biggest organs in my body. And then I just put on workout clothes, but I still and gone through the steps of taking care of the skin that I'm in.

00:44:00:10 - 00:44:02:27
Speaker 1
Yeah. And dressing for the body I have today.

00:44:02:27 - 00:44:26:29
Speaker 2
Yeah. So your podcast, your website I think is a great place for anyone that's trying to just improve their life and so many aspects, whether it's you want to improve your home a bit. She's got great DIY projects, you want to improve your health, you've got that. So tell everybody kind of what's next for you? Where They can find you to deep dove more into some of the stuff we've talked about today.

00:44:28:11 - 00:44:52:01
Speaker 1
Well, I certainly look for any of you to come over to the podcast and hang out called Imperfectly Empowered. Lena has been on there. It was a fabulous conversation. We had so much fun. She's a rest. Our guys are blessed to have her in her life. But yeah, so it's all about the podcast is all about inspiring stories and expert advice.

00:44:52:01 - 00:45:23:08
Speaker 1
So everyone who comes on to the podcast has an expertize in some area that we hone in on. But it's also just amazing stories because we so often get the highlight reels of people's expertize and their success. And what I'm passionate about is sharing the message and how do people get to it. And there's absolutely unbelievable stories. People on the brink of suicide, you know, homeless and, you know, ended up on Oprah or ended up with a, you know, nine figure company like the list goes on and on, health stuff, etc. So imperfectly empowered.

00:45:23:14 - 00:45:43:05
Speaker 1
I am also going through a massive rebrand. Currently my website is called Hammers and Hugs Letter and Hugs and it is going to be rebranded probably to imperfectly empowered. We're working on the so all kinds of logistics of this stuff guys you just like we don't just change a website name that's like legal stuff and I'm bartering to buy the website.

00:45:43:05 - 00:46:14:24
Speaker 1
It's, it's nutso, it's crazy. Yeah. So anyway, that's in the process. And then actually this was not planned, but I am literally launching a course called Early Morning Habit. It is being trademarked as we speak. It is literally been the most transformative habit that I have ever established in my life. And there is so much research evidence based science that suggests that these strategies truly will transform your life.

00:46:14:24 - 00:46:38:02
Speaker 1
And I've seen it personally, and it's something that my clients, everyone I talk to, every busy woman that I talk to, the like. Tell me when it's life saving. Really. Yes. So the really cool piece about it and where like I would love anyone to come visit it, it's going to go live next year is what I'm passionate about is helping moms empower moms.

00:46:38:02 - 00:47:03:05
Speaker 1
So I'll just end with this. The heartbeat of early morning habit is not only teaching you a proven system to establish this early morning routine, which will include sleep training, gratitude, practices, exercise, accountability, and no fail fashion formulas to beautify on the fly for the body that you have today because you've been made in the image of God and your amazing as you are right now.

00:47:04:01 - 00:47:27:24
Speaker 1
And so this curriculum will basically help you learn to establish an early morning routine for yourself, as well as accountability. But the whole heartbeat of the program is one of the accountability factors, is you'll get like this workbook and as you fill it out after the end of the six week program, if you have scored 80 out of 100 points, which is totally within your power, there's no like it's just you checking off that.

00:47:27:24 - 00:47:36:05
Speaker 1
Yes, you have done these things. The company is going to actually give you money back to give forward to a mom who is adopting.

00:47:36:29 - 00:47:37:24
Speaker 2
Oh, that's cool.

00:47:38:06 - 00:48:12:23
Speaker 1
So I love moms, empowering moms to ultimately not only change your own life, but help a woman change the life of a child forever. So it is literally moms empowering moms and trying to materialize. This idea of investing in yourself will not only help you to live happier and healthier, but the world needs you. And this is the most tangible way I could think of helping you not only feel better, but then make a difference in an eternally amazing way by helping another mom bring a child home.

00:48:12:23 - 00:48:16:29
Speaker 1
So that is all coming. So love for you guys to hang out.

00:48:17:09 - 00:48:30:29
Speaker 2
Yeah, that's all. That's super exciting. And I think the first of the year is next year is such a great time to start that. And I just want to thank you for giving our viewers and our listeners some good, tangible steps they can take.

00:48:31:12 - 00:48:32:02
Speaker 1
To.

00:48:34:00 - 00:48:51:21
Speaker 2
Start designing the life they want. And it starts by designing your morning. So I definitely think if you're listening to this or you're watching this and you've struggled with that, please go check out on it and take her course. I think that sounds like a great way. I mean, you're going to be there encouraging people through it. So I'm excited for this next chapter for you.

00:48:51:21 - 00:49:14:13
Speaker 2
I'm excited for the rebrand. And we'll have to check back in with you at the beginning of the next year and see how it's all going again. I will link in the show notes a link to her website and all of the things that we've referenced here. And just thank you again for continuing to inspire women and tell the stories of these really strong, amazing women and paying it forward.

00:49:14:13 - 00:49:23:25
Speaker 1
Thanks, Lena. It's an honor. Your amazing rock star. I've said it before. I just if some random woman shows up in your gorgeous kitchen looking for it's me.

00:49:25:18 - 00:49:33:04
Speaker 2
Any time. Any time I'm down south if it gets too cold. So we will catch up with you next time. And thanks so much for coming on the show.

00:49:33:24 - 00:49:35:02
Speaker 1
Thanks, Lena, but.