Health Coach Holly

Faith & Flourish Friday🌾

I saw this field on my walk they had just harvested the hay and it reminded me about the story in Proverbs about the ant.🐜

Proverbs 6:8 says the ant prepares in the summer and gathers its food at harvest. The ant goes about its buiness, it’s steady, consistent and stays on course to accomplish its goal.

It made me think about us -as women in midlife. What are we busy preparing? Are we steadfast and consistent with our goals? How are we storing up for a plentiful harvest later on in life- 5, 10, 15, 20 years down the road?

Staying the course for us, could be the small ways we care for our bodies, minds, relationships, and spiritual lives. It’s not just about feeling better today but also for the harvest in years to come.

And sometimes these everyday investments may seem small, in the grand scheme of things...but they matter! You matter!

Everyday choices ➡High Hopes for Our Future.
There’s a song maybe you’ve heard it called High Hopes🎵
“Just what makes that little old ant think he’ll move that rubber tree plant? Anyone knows a an ant can’t move a rubber tree plant.
But he’s got high hopes, he got high hopes, he’s got apple pie in the sky hopes.

So anytime your gettin’ low
Stead of lettin’ go
Just remember that ant:
Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant
Opps, there goes another rubber tree plant.

Tell me what you have High Hopes 😁for in the future and one good thing you are doing for yourself today. Comment 👇

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about friendship.

It started when I listened to a sermon from Pastor Rick Warren about being a good friend and attracting good friends and the reminder that God didn’t create us to do life alone.

Then I heard a conversation in Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper about loneliness and podcast with Dr. Marisa Franco about being an “igniter” - to be willing to put yourself out there instead of always waiting for someone else to make the first move.

Those ideas really stayed with me.

Because the older I get, the more I realize how much our friendships matter.

I know mine certainly do.

I have faithful friends who have walked beside me for decades and newer friends who have come into my life more recently and bring me such delight. These steadfast relationships have sustained me through so many of life’s ups, downs, and trials.

So I started thinking about what we can actually DO when we want deeper friendships.

That led me to develop a little philosophy I call “GO First” along with “The Cup Check” exercise built around four questions.

And last week, I had the opportunity to take those ideas and teach them in “The Connection Cure”, two different presentations -one for my Faith to Table church affinity group and another for Launch Ladies, a Facebook group for women in business.

I loved getting to talk about something that has become increasingly important to me:

We were never meant to do life alone.

Sometimes building the connections we long for begins with being willing to GO First.😁

"What Would You Do if You Knew You Could Not Fail?"- Eleanor Roosevelt

Starting a business in midlife has taken more guts and courage than I ever expected.

There have been plenty of moments when I've wondered… Can I really do this? What if it doesn't work?

But here's something I'm learning:

Courage doesn't mean you're not afraid. Sometimes courage is simply deciding to take the next step anyway. Every morning I talk to God and ask, What is one thing that you want me to accompish today with my business? I pray for wisdom too.

Starting my own business has stretched me, challenged me and pushed me way outside my comfort zone. I'm still learning. I'm still figuring things out. And I'm definitely still growing. They say when you stop growing you stop living🌱

I think that's one of the gifts of this season of life the ability to toss away that old belief that our best years are behind us.

Midlife is exactly the time to finally do the thing that's been tugging at your heart. That's part of what I do a Women's Wellness/Menopause Coach is come alongside women and help them flourish in this Golden Era- physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.💛

Our Golden Era isn't something we wait for.

We create it one BRAVE step at a time!

What is something you've had the courage to do that once scared you?

It's time to DREAM BIG sisters- let's do this together.

Sunday Breakfast😁 with one of my favorite people in the whole 🌎 It’s such a good start to the day, nourishing my body, enjoying the fresh cut flowers, and having a great conversation with Justin. 🎶 Easy like Sunday morning ☀️

🍯Faith & Flourish Friday🐝

Have you ever said something that you know hurt another? Have you ever been lifted up by kinds words someone has poured over you? I've been both places, and you probably have been too.

I remember years ago when an extended family member told me, I talk too much and she said it in a mean way, it cut me to the core and and it hurt. I will admit I have the gift of gab😃 but it made me start to wonder- do I talk too much? Am I too chatty? For a while after that whenever I was around her I purposely muted myself and clammed up- I didn't want to be perceived as "talking too much".

I carried that sting in my heart for months, and finally I told a good friend what my family member said about me. I remember my friend's response- she said, "Holly, that's one of the things I like best about you, you do have alot to say and you are so bubbly when you say it. There's never a dull moment when I'm with you!"

Our words are powerful friends- they can tear others down or lift others up. I learned a good lesson from that experience- don't worry too much what other people say about you and choose your own words wisely- always look for ways to build others up and share an encouraging word- just like my friend did with me.

I love what Proverbs 16:24 says about our words- Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health the the bones.

I wish everyone a wonderful weekend and remember your words can sting like a bee ...or they can be sweet as the honey it creates- Choose honey🍯



&FlourishFriday

You do not become what you wish for.

You don’t become what you want.

You become what you believe!

✨What do you believe about yourself?

What is one book you read as a child that taught you a valuable life lesson you still remember today?📚

It was 2 years ago today when I took a step and started on my gut health journey. At the time my triglycerides were elevated, my LDL cholesterol was creeping up, and I was puffy and inflamed.

Who knew that working on your gut health could make such a difference. Now I’m doing 👍:
💛 No more puffiness
💛Inflammation is way down
💛 LDL is optimal 😲
💛Triglyceride are optimal 😉

My favorite motto is:

⭐️”The first step is to take a step”
 This actually inspired the name of my business First Step To Wellness.

Heal your gut= heal your body.

How’s YOUR gut health?

✅I’ve got a gut health checklist. If you want it comment - HEAL and I’ll send it to you.

Remember, the first step is to take a step😁

🌿 **Faith & Flourish Friday**

There's something so satisfying about walking into the garden and finding a pepper that's finally ready to pick.

It's a simple reminder that good things take time to grow.

God has a way of teaching us patience through the ordinary moments of life, and I'm thankful for those little reminders.

"Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." -Galatians 6:9

As you head into the weekend, I encourage you to plant the good seeds and wait for a plentiful harvest. We reap what we sow.

💚 Now I'd love to hear from you...

**What's something you've grown that made your ridiculously proud?**

It could be a vegetable, flowers, sourdough bread, your kids, a new habit...anything!

I'll go first...this green pepper from my garden made my day. 😊