Defining Balance Wellness Solutions

When talking about stress management, I have learned (or at least I believe) that the majority of our stress stems from relationships.

(photo source)

This past year has been a roller coaster for me. I have lived and learned, fallen and grown every single day and I am so grateful. This past week I have had a bit of a revelation about why some of the issues that I have struggled with have been so confusing for me. This revelation comes on the heels of a few weeks of anxiety. 

I still have a number of friends who are preparing to compete in a few short weeks. And everytime I see a post that small part of me is jealous. ...

My high sensitivity always drove me to seek out peace and calm in my environment. 

I learned early on how stress can manifest physically as a result of my mother's health condition; and I grew up very passionate in the belief in the power of healthy living and nutrition.

When my hopes of attending music school in universi...

When I become a mother for the first time I was filled with an extreme sense of fulfilment but also terror. I think I realized, on some subconscious level, that emotionally I wasn't going to be able to keep up my charade. But I tried, and tried and tried. Some days succeeding and some not so much.

I had two beautiful, healthy children 22 months apart. And I knew from the moment I gave birth to Rhiana that I was meant to be a...

I can not contain my excitement over writing this post. I often write as an outlet because I can type fast enough to keep up with my brain – that doesn't always happen when journaling on paper or even when talking. While this is a very personal post, I hope that someone might be able to relate and learn from my experience as I have learned from others. This is part one of my three part post.

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I am so super excited to have this guest post from Marianne from Myomytv. Marianne is one of the co-founders of the https://www.facebook.com/GirlsGoneStrong" target="_blank">Girls Gone Strong Movement , mistress of the kettlebells :), a cardiac nurse and a kindred spirit. Although we have never met in person she has graciously agreed to write a guest post for me. The bulk of my own training has come from

For anyone who has grown up with self esteem issues (ok, who hasn't right?), looking at pictures of themself is usually a painful ordeal.

We automatically criticize the first and every subsequent flaw we can find. It is a reflex right? I am learning the past few months that it is one that we can change; and it gets better with age!

When I spoke about this recently a friend and client said it was because I was getting closer to forty. She has witnessed so ma...

I am who I am. I am learning and growing just like so many of you; and I make lots of mistakes.

I am blessed to have acquired some very useful information that I believe it is important to share, with those who need it and more importantly, those who want it. The truth is that not everyone who needs it, wants it, so that is something that I struggle with - keeping my mouth shut and my enthusiasm at bay.

I am a smart woman. I have always been qui...

Conflicting goals. That is me. This is something that I struggle with when it comes to my training. Not so much my nutrition as I have learned what makes me feel good and bad and what gives me lots of energy and what leaves me flat. But when it comes to my training it is a different story.

My contest prep this past fall was fabulous. I loved it! So much fun. And the first time in a long time that I was enjoying my training. But in the back of my head there was always that pa...

As I posted in my last entry, I grew up in a Catholic family; both my Mother and Father are Catholic. So I came by my guilt honestly. They didn't do it on purpose, it is just a natural consuquence of growing up in the church- atleast it was for me.

I learned about sins and lots of them. How to repent. How to confess. How to ask for forgiveness. And to pray.

I will never forget the feeling of making my first reconciliation. At that ti...

So you are completely clear about exactly WHAT it is that you want to achieve and WHY you want to do just that. One key thing to ensuring your sucess is actually doing one very simple thing......wait for it.....

WRITE IT DOWN!!!!

Yes, writing down your goals is essential for success. But I will go a step further and say don't just write them down but review them at every opportuni...

If you read the first part of of this series here and answered the corresponding questions then you are now ready to move into clarifying your goals in the various areas of your life.

Clarifying your goals is absolutely essential for success! You can not work towards a goal if you are not sure exactly sure what it is that you...

Figuring out what is the most important thing in your life sometimes seems trickier than one might think, but with a little thought and direction it isn't difficult at all.

We all know what the "right" and socially acceptable answers are, but the truth is that our priorities are not always reflected in how we spend our time and focus our attention. So it is time to get real and figure out exactly where your priorities are, and decide i...

This will be the first in a series of posts on goalsetting.

I firmly believe and have learned from experience (and continue to learn) that setting and reviewing your goals on a regular basis is the key to achieving them. A well formed goal can propel you to move forward in other areas of your life as well and once on the path to success that positive energy is transcendent and inspires us to take action elsewhere.

But before sett...

I am currently watching one of my dearest friends struggle as she witnesses her daughter being bullied in one of the most sinister ways, I feel so much pain for both of them. I also think back and wonder if this is how my mother felt when we watched me go through the same thing so many years ago.

Bullying has evolved over the years and I think is more heinous than ever, but anyone who has been on the receiving end will tell you that the effects last for years and...

Strange as that sounds, it's true! This past weekend....well all last week. I felt terrible and on the weekend I had a bit of a revelation...

I had enough!

I was done. Sick of feeling lethargic, cranky and unorganized. The way that I used to feel all the time, without even fully really realizing it!

The body is an incredible machine and ...

There is so much more to write about the process leading up to a physique competition. I did the summary and the pics but this one is the more personal stuff....the why's and the how's of it all. Because it isn't all about walking across the stage and "strutting your stuff". Although we joke around and say things like that, in some ways it sort of cheapens it a little....but I guess until you really know the stories and motivation behind something like this then people will make judgements ba...

"Here's the truth about time management.

We don't 'find' time, we must 'make' time for what is important to us."

Craig Ballantyne

This was the opening of one of the daily e-newsletters that I subscribe to. Over the course of my time studying self esteem, fitness, nutrition, an...

I know that a lot of my blog entries and facebook updates lately have been about fitness and my competition preparation. But please always remember that that is not all that I am or all that I am about. Defining Balance is about using a variety of tools to help you manage your stress and your life and find balance in your work, home, relationships and within yourself.

I am so passionate about this because I live it each and every day...