This week our focus on exercise is, plateaus. Many women panic the moment progress slows and that's normal, because we live in a world of performance. Our output is typically tied to our advancement, so when we feel we are no longer making the progress we want with our body it can feel like we're doing something wrong. Most often though, its not that you're doing it wrong its that your body has adjusted to your training. A plateau can happen for many reasons, such as: ✨️your body adapted ✨️recovery is needed ✨️stress is elevated ✨️routines became inconsistent ✨️intensity became unsustainable ✨️sleep declined ✨️movement variety disappeared The answer is not always, more restriction, more punishment, or harder workouts. Sometimes the answer is, more recovery, more walking, changing movement style, improving sleep, regulating stress, and rebuilding consistency. Progress is not linear. Emotionally mature wellness means learning how to stay steady when results slow down. So let me know! What kind of plateau frustrates you most: motivation, weight loss, energy, consistency, or strength/endurance?

Most people think their metabolism is determined by their workouts. But exercise is only one piece of the puzzle. One of the biggest contributors to daily energy expenditure is something called NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). NEAT includes all the calories you burn through movement that isn't intentional exercise: ✔ Walking around the house ✔ Cleaning ✔ Grocery shopping ✔ Taking the stairs ✔ Standing instead of sitting ✔ Fidgeting ✔ Playing with your kids In fact, for many people, NEAT contributes more to total daily calorie expenditure than a single workout. This is why we don't support our metabolism through one workout alone. We support it through consistent movement throughout the entire day. A 45-minute workout is great. But if you spend the other 15 hours awake sitting, your overall daily energy expenditure will be much lower than someone who moves frequently throughout the day. So here's a question: What is one way you could increase your NEAT today without adding another workout to your schedule?

If you've ever said, "I think my metabolism is broken," or "I wish I had a faster metabolism," you're definitely not alone. Most people think metabolism is simply how quickly you burn calories, but it's actually much bigger than that. Metabolism is the process your body uses to keep you alive. Every breath you take. Every heartbeat. Every thought. Every step. Every time your body digests food, repairs tissue, regulates hormones, or helps you recover from a workout—your metabolism is at work. Think of metabolism as your body's engine. It's constantly running, even when you're sleeping. The food you eat contains energy in the form of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Your body takes those nutrients and converts them into a usable form of energy called ATP. Think of ATP as your body's fuel source. It's what powers everything from blinking your eyes to lifting weights to chasing your kids around the house. Without metabolism, none of those things would happen. So Where Do You Actually Burn Calories? Many women assume most of their calorie burn comes from workouts. Surprisingly, that's not true. Your daily calorie burn is made up of three main parts: 1. Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) This is the energy your body uses just to keep you alive. Even if you stayed in bed all day doing absolutely nothing, your body would still be burning calories to keep your heart beating, lungs breathing, organs functioning, and body temperature regulated. This accounts for roughly 60-75% of all the calories you burn each day. Let that sink in. The biggest calorie-burning activity you do every day is simply being alive. 2. The Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) Your body actually burns calories digesting food. Chewing, breaking food down, absorbing nutrients, and storing them all require energy. This makes up about 10% of your daily calorie burn. In other words, eating food isn't something that "shuts off" your metabolism. Your body has to work to process it. 3. Physical Activity

Last month was about spring cleaning and decluttering areas within our home. This was a hard one for me to start this past month. On May 31 at 7 pm we get a phone alert that we have water in the basement of our home and we are 7 hours away. Yikes 😳 John called one of his colleagues and he went over to our home and got to work bailing the water out of our sump pump as the pump had stopped working. Our friends had a submersible pump which was used until the next morning when Andrew was able to pick up a new sump pump for us. We had an appointment the next day to pick up a horse trailer south of Calgary for a friend. John and his colleague agreed that we would continue with our plans for the next day instead of driving back to Bonnyville arriving at 3 am. The alert notification from the sensor plus the quick action of our friends saved our basement. Andrew found one box in our crawl space under the stairs damp ( which really had nothing to do with the sump pump) Tuesday I decided we needed to take everything out from the crawl space to make sure there was no water in that space, Praise God there was none. What happened Sunday evening caused me to face spring cleaning of the boxes that we brought out from the crawl space. We were facing losing what was in the basement but I came to terms that it is just stuff and things. Going forward I will not stall at decluttering, this was my wake up call!!!! We are so grateful for this couple who helped us out in a time of need. Sometimes we need a little nudge to move forward.

Not every need is your assignment. Not every request deserves access to your energy. Many women were taught that being a “good Christian woman” means: ●always being available ●endlessly accommodating ●emotionally responsible for everyone ●self-sacrificing to unhealthy levels But overextending yourself constantly is not spiritual maturity. It often comes from: ●fear of rejection ●people pleasing ●guilt ●lack of identity ●fear of conflict ●needing approval Jesus loved deeply…but He still said no. He still withdrew. He still rested. He still disappointed people. Boundaries are not selfish when they protect stewardship, peace, health, and obedience. When we never say no, resentment grows, exhaustion builds, spiritual connection weakens, emotional reactivity increases, and self-care disappears. Wise women stop asking: “How do I keep everyone happy?” and start asking: “What is actually healthy, wise, and sustainable?” Before saying yes this week, pause and ask: ✨️Do I actually have capacity for this? ✨️Am I responding from guilt or wisdom? ✨️Will this create peace or resentment? What’s hardest for you: saying no, disappointing people, asking for help, or setting boundaries?