February is a month that celebrates hearts and love. These themes inspired us to feature a bright and loving client, Kristin Costello, in our Who I am and what I love to do campaign. Kristin is an inspiration for anyone rekindling their wellness vision. We are so thankful that she is part of our community.

“I recently started noticing that the kinds of nutrition and fitness choices my kids make mirror the ones I make (or don’t make) for myself.  As a result, it became very important to me to set a good wellness example for my family,  and to inspire an ongoing conversation in our house around healthy behaviors and choices.  I didn’t know where to start and was feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of leading all that change, so I went on a search to find a holistic wellness center that could help improve my own wellness and teach me how to support my family’s wellness too.  Vera has been the perfect solution for us on all counts!

Together, we designed a family wellness program that is actively inspiring each member of my family to make positive changes in their individual wellness, and is also uplifting our shared family culture around lifestyle choices and behaviors.  Since I started coming to Vera, I personally place a much higher priority on taking care of myself and I really enjoy every step of the way!   I have blocked out time on my calendar every day for self care through classes and wellness coaching, and get bummed OUT when I have to skip.  I’ve never felt that way before so it’s been really fun to watch that change in myself, and to also notice how much more energy, strength, flexibility, balance and endurance I have with each passing week.  The positive changes I’m noticing in my weight are nice, but definitely not my focus anymore.  I’m also practicing the things I’m learning in my personal wellness coaching and the certification classes I’m taking in my daily life.  Exploring skills like mindfulness, breaking through judgement of myself and others, and active listening are opening up my relationships with the important people in my life.

I’d say the most powerful gifts Vera gives me are unconditional support, deep reflection, actual tools to build my own wellness, encouragement to live my best life and the room to figure out what that means for me.   It’s a dynamic experience that has inspired me to focus more on a lifelong process of wellness instead of some arbitrary end goal that may or may not stick.

In my experience, Vera offers support and tools to learn skills that make real and lasting changes in our lives.  Now, I’m inspired to be my real best self and feel like I have the skills to let go of old stories that used to be in my way.  My family’s momentum around wellness is now moving in a great direction, and we’re just getting started.  Vera also inspires me to share this gift with others, and to support everyone else in uncovering their best selves too!”

The Vera team sends a warm congratulations to Donna Triemstra who has passed her online and practical exam tests for certification and her portfolio review with flying colors. Donna, is now a Vera Certified Wellness Coach!

We all know we should do it, but why is it so important?

When it’s chilly outside and you turn on the motor to your car, it takes a while for the heat to turn on and for the windows to defrost, right?  Our bodies are the same way.  We can’t instantly go from sitting down to running at full speed without risking injury.  We know it can be tempting to just jump on the Kinesis wall, it’s so fun, but it can be dangerous.

Vera trainers devise warm ups to prepare your body for each month’s routine, help remind you of the moves, raise your core temperature and increase blood-oxygen flow to your muscles.  Your muscles and tendons are more flexible after mild movement, increasing the range of motion of your joints to help avoid muscle tears and pulls. An added benefit of the warm up is to mentally center and prepare you for a healthy and safe workout.  It is easy to run from one appointment to another going right into auto-pilot.  We’ve worked hard to create a sanctuary for our clients where they can retreat from their daily obligations and focus on themselves and their body. The warm up gives your mind time to arrive.  The more connected we are to our bodies, the more beneficial our workouts can be.

Cool downs are just as important.  After contracting your muscles during a strong workout your muscles need to slowly move towards rest. The cool down slows your pulse and returns blood to your heart to rid the muscles of lactic acid (a chemical result of muscular fatigue). If you stop suddenly, the blood will pool in your legs instead of returning to your heart. Dizziness, nausea and a worn out feeling are common symptoms of an improper cool down.  A good cool-down can protect joints, calm the body and mind and, rejuvenate!