E250: The Role of Exercises and Entrepreneurship [I Created That Podcast]

Well hello there! I am thrilled to introduce you to Sarah Jansel, fellow Canadian and host of the I Created that Podcast.

Sarah recently had me on her show to discuss the relationship between Exercise and Entrepreneurship. Before we dive into this episode, I want to tell you more about Sarah’s show.

The I Created That Podcast is for those looking to be inspired to start an online business, marketing your business, and learn more about Shopify. Host Sarah Jansel is a former 20 year corporate veteran and executive turned creative entrepreneur. Today she’s the CEO of Jansel & Co where they help clients build, brand and grow awesome shoplift stores.

Sarah and her [podcast] guests are excited to share some exclusive tips about how to start a burins, grow and basins, and feature some super cool entrepreneurs and business partners who can help you do it too!

Big shout out to Sarah and her team who were absolutely fantastic during the production of this episode. I loved working with you Sarah and I am very grateful to have been a guest on the I Created That Podcast…

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[01:15] Introducing the I Created That Podcast

Sarah Jansel: Welcome to the, I created that podcast. I'm your host, Sarah Jansel, and today we are talking to Valerie LaVigne. I'm excited to have her here. We were just chatting offline about a couple of things. I'm like, I feel like I need you in my life. We need you in my life. So super excited she's here. Just a little bit about Valerie.

So, Valerie is a health mentor and she helps women who are making an impact to build better habits so that they can increase their energy. Their confidence and just overall get more from life. So welcome to the show, Valerie.

VL: Thank you so much, Sarah. Thanks so much for having me. I am super excited to be here and I love talking about all things health and wellness and wellbeing, so I'm sure we're gonna have an amazing conversation together.

SJ: Yeah. Oh my gosh, I'm so glad that we're having this chat. I feel like we've kind of had like dribs and drabs of like burnout and like a few different topics, but I don't actually think we've really targeted, like specifically this topic. So I was excited to kind of get in and dive in a little bit more on, you know, some of the connection points that I feel like are so prevalent, especially even for me.

So, Yeah. Well maybe we'll kick off and I mean, we met online and I've said a little bit about you, but it's kind of like the Kohl's notes version. So I'll just give you a minute. If you wanna maybe introduce yourself and Yeah, tell us like, how did you actually get into this line of work?

[02:34] How Valerie Became a Healthy Habit Mentor

VL: Yeah, I mean, it's obviously a very long story, so I'm gonna give you the elevator version, which is essentially that I have always really been interested in growth mindset and growth in general, just as a person and in my business and all different areas of my life.

And so I'm always looking for ways to improve and to optimize and to gain more energy and all of these things in my life. I mean, I feel like a lot of. The listeners and entrepreneurs just feel that way in general. So we probably have that in common. But what I was recognizing was I was living this really repetitive life.

Every day was the same, and I kept asking myself like, how do I want to feel? And it's not this feeling of stale and stagnation and the same routine and kind of boring every day. And so I made a very. A crazy decision to buy this one-way ticket to Guatemala, where I had no expectation and I had no idea what I was doing, and I was just gonna live every day as a new day, and I was just going to respond to what was in front of me.

And so I took this journey through Central America and Guatemala, and even went to Mexico. And I started discovering the importance of routine, even though I was trying to move away from what I thought was. Structure and discipline and rules, and I wanted to break away from that. And the more that I moved away from it, the more I realized how important it was for me.

But it was important for me in a very different way. And so what I discovered through this. Journey, the solo travel journey that was like really amazing in Epic. And I tell people all the time, you should definitely travel by yourself, even if it's not for seven months like I did. Even if it's just for one weekend, definitely do it 'cause it's amazing.

But what I recognized was that the thing that I was missing in my life was intention. I didn't have an intention of how I wanted to feel. And so what I was doing was I was living this life by default. And now understanding. Yeah, right. Everyone's just like nodding along. Now, understanding that with intention, I can actually create the life of my dreams and I can live a life by design.

And so what I do is I help empower and I educate women to live a life by design, not by default. And I do this through the tools of healthy habits. So before even buying that one way ticket to Guatemala, I was a yoga and Pilates teacher. I dabbled in a lot of different things, but Pilates really does have my heart and I, I actually have a Pilates studio now.

I co-own the studio, a brick and mortar business, which definitely requires structure and routine and discipline as any business really does. And I live a life of, like I said, A life of design, but it's out of more fulfillment and intention and the routines that I've built for myself today, yes, a lot of them look really similar day to day, but they don't make me feel stuck and stagnant, and I don't look at structure as a bad thing.

I look at it as a gift to really help people and to really encourage people to live a life that they were meant for and not a life that they just fell into. And so hopefully that mm-hmm. Was a long enough elevator ride for us to get through.

[05:50] Creating a Life by Design on YOUR TERMS

SJ: Yeah, no, I mean, I feel like that's so interesting. I mean, first I feel like we could do a whole other episode just on the vacation, on the travel on its own.

So good on you for, for taking that make, making that move. Right. Because I feel like that's huge. I actually know one of our clients is doing that right now. She's been gone for four months, like traveling all over Asia and stuff. And so literally living vicariously through what she's doing right now, very similar.

So, so that's, Yeah. So cra like goals like big time, right? If you're into travel and that kind of thing. But you know what strikes me about what you were saying and I was kind of thinking about this in terms of something I could relate to this, like life by design. I think we're a lot of us who leave some sort of job or something, or something that they were, we're doing or we're going to something like, I'm gonna create this business for myself or whatever.

We're typically doing that because we are trying to almost rewrite. Our future and then hopefully our history in some way. And what I was thinking about when you were sharing what you were sharing is, you know, very similar to me. It was like I kind of wanted to get out of this like corporate routine.

And I had done that for like 20 years before I became an entrepreneur and worked. You know, got up. I was like out the door by like seven 30, like would've be in the office by eight. You know, at one point I think I had a nine to five, which was even better, but it would be like the same thing day in, day out.

But the way I felt about that was almost like my business and my work almost ran my life. Like I had a lot of that structure and play because I, you know, I needed to be places or I needed to go, or I had to show up for something. Whereas now I don't run my business that much differently, but it's like, I know, and what I learned about myself becoming an entrepreneur is that I'm actually not that much of a morning person.

I'm not an evening person, but I'm like a, I wanna get up at seven and like, take my time and go for a walk and like do the things to like, help you know, my mental state. Like get into a place where I can be creative in my job and maybe start at like nine or 10. Whatever feels good that day, and I'll kind of go through the same structure, but it's like structure on my terms.

So that's kind of what I was taking away from. I don't know if you can elaborate on kind of is that, you know, the type of thing that you're saying, but it felt like, you know what I mean? It was more like, well, what actually feels good? Like that didn't feel good, but this does because no one's telling me to do those things.

VL: Yes, exactly. I'm so glad that you said that because one of the things that you did, and maybe. Not really recognizing it this way is that you got curious about what works for you, what makes you feel good, what do you wanna do? And so that's one of the gifts and one of the freedoms of having your own business is that, yeah, you get to choose.

I mean, yes, there are going to be hats that you have to wear that you might not necessarily love or things that you have to do that probably you try to avoid more often than not. But the exciting and amazing part of that is that you can decide. What you do and where you put your energy and how you wanna start the day and really cultivate that morning routine for you.

And it doesn't have to be that 5:00 AM routine that people are like, wake up and do 20 minutes of this, and 20 minutes of that. And you're like, oh God, that sounds horrible. And 5:00 AM That's what you do early. So yeah. And I think a lot of. The, the first few steps of that is just asking yourself like, what do I want?

How do I wanna feel? What would be an incredible way to start the day? And that's sort of what I, I mean, in a nutshell, it's kind of what I do. We talk about what that life design looks like, and then we reverse engineer it from there. And we really decide how can I create this dream life in the day that I'm living today or tomorrow and the next day and the next day.

And really, when you look at it, it's these small, seemingly insignificant habits and behaviors and actions that you can take that, like you said, help rewrite your future. Because what you do today is going to reflect a year from now. Just like what you, the life you're living today is a reflection of what you did a year ago.

And so sometimes that's really eye-opening for people too, to think, okay, what was I doing last year, right? Like, I think you started your podcast a little over a year ago, but if you hadn't started that podcast, you wouldn't be at your 50 plus episodes at this point, right? If you started today, then, okay, a couple years from now, you'll get there.

But because you did this before, this is where you're at now. Now think of what's possible for you in the next. A year and a half, right? And it's like, oh, wait a second, I can do this. This is possible for me. And it doesn't have to be this crazy thing that's overwhelming and terrifying. You can actually do it today.

You can actually start some part of it today.

SJ: Yeah, I think, yeah, I think that makes a lot of sense. And I think a lot of also, what was going through my mind, as you were saying that is a lot of times we're doing things because we're doing them for others. Not ourselves. And I think what you're doing is this intention is like, you know, and we do that on purpose, right?

It's like, well, I've gotta get up and I've gotta go to work and I need to earn a salary. And like I even said the words I've got to, right? And it becomes like just this like cycle of things. And I know that was a pattern that I was falling into before. It was like everybody else in the world until six or seven o'clock at night.

And then it was like, okay, can I like go to the gym just to get my sanity and like, That's not enough. I know there's people out there listening who can relate, but you're hearing all my dirty laundry today. But you know, like it's definitely not like that anymore because I just know that I, if I need to be at a certain level to actually serve people, especially when they're my clients and you know, or we're on a podcast or things like that, like there's things I need to do to feel like I can feel good, right?

Because we want that to be an awesome episode or you wanna have a really great call, or whatever it is that you really do need in some ways, even if it's. Small ways to serve yourself a little bit at some point first so that you feel like you're lit up. I think. But yeah,

VL: I love that. I, I definitely think listening to that language of, oh, I've gotta do this or I have to do that.

Listening to when you say those things and what they're about, and then see if you can flip the script to say something like, I get to do this, or, I'm lucky that I get to do this. And then you're like, wait, am I really happy about that? Am I really? Do I really get to do it or do I have to do it? And even as an entrepreneur, we say that all the time.

Ugh, I have to do my taxes. Ugh, we get to do our own taxes because you created your own business and so you get to do this, you get to like, that is such, such a gift. But yeah, of course there're gonna be times where we feel like we are living this life that other people want us to live. Or maybe we saw something that we're like, oh well, They're doing it, so I should do that too.

That's another one. Should get that, get that outta there. Mm-hmm. Outta your vocabulary. Mm-hmm. But yeah, like I said, it's getting curious. It's noticing your own language, it's noticing your own attitude towards things, and then redesigning it, re recreate it, rewrite that script.

[12:40] Movement for Entrepreneurs

SJ: Yeah, definitely. So I wanna kind of shift gears a little bit because I think you've been kind of tinkering around with something and I've been kind of tinkering around with it a little bit, which is about like movement and kind of like the effect and, and for me personally, like I am someone who, and I know a lot of entrepreneurs who need to actually go and do some form of movement in order to.

Really feel good about their day or it just changes your perspective. So I'd love to know what your perspective is on the role of movement or exercise or whatever that looks like for people and entrepreneurship and like why that's really important.

VL: Oh, so many great questions in here. So I want to mirror what you said just a moment ago about how at six o'clock can I get my gym workout in just to get my own sanity back.

And I think a lot of people who have a regular routine in movement understand that. Going to the gym or going to their CrossFit or going to their Pilates class or whatever type of movement you love. It's not just about the physical benefits. It's not about getting stronger muscles or having a six pack or looking a certain way.

There's so much support in terms of like, Releasing endorphins and changing that chemical balance of serotonin in our bodies and like stress hormones, all those chemicals change when we work out and when we can exercise regularly, we start to feel these benefits in numerous ways, including that mental and emotional wellbeing, which I think is one of my favorite parts about working out.

So, I like to lift weights at the gym and I also like to do Pilates. Those are probably my two favorites. I do have a little bit of a yoga practice that I kind of fall in and out of, and I really like hiking, so if I kind of put all my different types of movement together, I probably go. Into some sort of movement almost every single day.

Intentional movement, almost every single day. Now, some days are different than others. I posted earlier on Instagram today that I hadn't been in the gym in over 10 days. I think I haven't been in 11 days, and that's a big deal For me, missing that was a big deal, and actually part of why I went today, part of it was because I was like, oh, I'm gonna be talking about why exercise is so important.

Well, guess what? I'm feeling really down, and you know what? I'm just gonna go to the gym. I'm just gonna show up and see what happens. I had an exercise routine planned in my notes app, because I always do. So I went in with no expectation and then I just was like, okay, I got here, so now I'm gonna pick up a weight.

Okay. I'm gonna start doing the workout routine that I have, and I'm like, okay, I'll just do one set, or I'll just do one set of this exercise. And if I feel good, I'll keep going. And I finished the entire thing and I was there for at least 45 minutes and it was awesome. And I left and I just thought, I miss this so much.

I'm so glad that I showed up today. I'm so glad that I just got over myself and got over how I haven't been feeling so amazing and my body lately, because I know from someone, from being someone who regularly exercises that there are these incredible benefits beyond. Looking like I said, a certain way or those physical things.

So a lot of studies have shown that people who exercise regularly have better mental health, have a better emotional wellbeing. Other benefits are boosting your mood and your alertness and your concentration. That's a huge one for me. Getting rid of that brain fog. Go move your body. Go move that stale energy out of your body, like you're physically shifting energy in your body.

You can. Obviously improve your overall physical health. A lot of people experience better sleep when they move, so I'm not sure if you know this, but deep sleep is something that helps you in terms of like your physical body healing. So if you haven't really stressed your muscles or moved your body, your, your brain and your body might not think that you need that deep sleep for recovery.

Whereas if you're training regularly, you're getting that really deep sleep and you're. You're waking up more rested and more restored, so I know I can speak for myself with the things that I've noticed. Even just taking that. Break. I mean, people might think 10 days, I haven't worked out in two years, but 10 days does really make a big difference.

When before I was probably lifting weights about three or four times a week. So, but it's okay to, and I wanna mention this 'cause I think it's important, but give yourself grace when you do fall off track for 10 or 11 days or two years or whatever is, and just. Show up the next time you can or the next day.

Give yourself that opportunity. Give yourself that permission and do yourself that favor of just getting back into it. Because if you have experienced the the benefits before, come back to what those were for you and come back to why your yoga practice was so important, why going to the gym is so important and that could really motivate you to get back into it.

And then if you haven't experienced it before, oh my goodness. You are missing out on so much. It is incredible. Like your self-esteem improves and your self-esteem improves. I also feel like for myself, when I'm going to the gym regularly, I'm also making other healthier decisions in other areas of my life, whether that be the food that I'm choosing to eat, the people that I'm choosing to spend my time with, the ideas that are coming to me from my business.

All different kinds of things. So, I could talk about this all day. I don't wanna, I don't wanna ramble on about the benefits, but that I feel like is a great starting point or just a great reminder to get back into that flow.

SJ: Yeah, I mean, I totally agree with that. I feel like, and I think at different stages it looks different for people too.

Like I know in my corporate days it was like, okay, I just need to get to the gym and like run it off and like lift weights. And it was like more aggressive as I had all this. Steam to kind of burn off, but now it's like, you know, a little bit different. And I think actually I'm gonna be canceling that gym membership shortly because for now it's like, you know, out and like a walk in the morning.

Like I just need to be in the trails around where I live and like be in nature and like empty my head and like, Smell the trees and like, you know, that's like therapy for me. And then, you know, I've got this really cool place that I've been going for yoga that's infrared and like how beneficial that's been.

And just like the sweat. And they also do weight workouts and things like that. So it's like, you know, I think it's cool. It's like, you know, you might need different things at different times and and I think that's okay. I think it's finding kind of what works and like also paying attention to that.

It's like I was so happy to get rid of like that other workout because I was like, That was like not a good place for me to really want to be right. Whereas this mm-hmm. Is definitely a little bit different. And you know, I just went a couple of months where I wasn't able to go, 'cause I had a little bike accident in April.

It was really dumb, but I had a bike accident, I hurt myself. And so like, man, was I ever feeling that? But it was like, you know, I was still going for my walks and I was still, you know, doing what I could. But it was nice to kind of get back to it. So I feel like, you know, you are gonna have times in life when you can.

May or may not be doing certain things, but gosh, what a difference it makes when I do for sure. What a difference. Yeah. Yeah. Well, maybe we can talk about, I mean, I know you talked a little bit about like deep sleep and that makes a lot of sense because it's like if you're not sort of exerting yourself to some degree, it's kinda like maybe you don't really need that or, you know what I mean, as deeply as you do.

Like, I know I sleep pretty good if I've had a little bit more of a workout or sweat, but how can we kind of equate sort of that same thing that we're talking about around sleep and things like that, around like maybe just like. Boosting energy and like, you know, I know for me I start to feel a lot more productive if I have a lot of energy and can kind of get things done.

So like what do you see as kind of the linkages there?

[20:28] Momentum Through Habit Stacking

VL: Yeah, it's one of those things where, It helps with your momentum. It helps with really getting into like the, the supportive routine that's going to help you make the right decisions and have that clarity and have the energy that you need. So in terms of when you start exercising your.

A couple, a couple cool things happen right away, so you might even feel really good the first time you do it. And I wanna say, celebrate the first time you do it. Celebrate the second time you do it, and celebrate the third time you do it. And just keep celebrating those little wins throughout. I think a big mistake people make is that they try to go really big and then they burn out right away with.

Literally anything, but especially with movement, they're like, I'm gonna go to the gym six times. A six times a day. I was gonna say six times a week, and it's gonna be amazing and I'm gonna get up early. And then obviously none of those things happen. Or it happens one day and then never again. So start really small and build from there, because if you've never, ever worked out before and you go to the gym and you start lifting weights, your body is going to be exhausted.

I like to say that. Consistency isn't every single day, but it's never giving up. And especially when it comes to physical exercise, you're not actually meant to push yourself every single day. Your recovery is not gonna happen if you're working out, even if you're getting those deep sleeps like. I, I'm not wearing it right now, but it's charging.

But I have an Oura ring that if I'm doing really heavy weight training for three or four days in a row, my aura ring says, Hey, you've worked out a lot. You could take a rest day today and you'd be okay. You're not gonna die just 'cause you took the day off. And so I think that's a really big thing. But to your point, you know, we're in different seasons, we're in different times of our life.

We're feeling different every day. And so incorporating some sort of variety or just like those active recovery days where instead of maybe training with weights, you're going for that walk. But what you're gonna start to see, or what you're gonna start to feel is that that daily movement practice really lights up your body in so many ways.

So, The more you move the thirstier you get and the more water you drink, the more it's gonna help with your digestion. And of course, when we have better digestion, we're just better overall. So your gut health, that has a huge effect on your mood, not just the movement, but also the other benefits and other things that are happening.

And what I like to say is exercise is a habit or a behavior that multiplies. And what I mean by that is that you can have habits that grow and you can have habits that multiply. So a habit that grows could be. My habit is I want to go for a 10 minute walk every single day. And so that's great. You walk for 10 minutes.

After you get in the habit of it, it actually becomes more automatic. You say, okay, I wanna walk for 15 minutes, and then it will grow 20 minutes, 30 minutes. But obviously we only have so many minutes in a day to go for a walk. I mean, we can't walk the whole day. So your habit probably stops growing at, let's say 30 minute walk a day, 60 minute walk a day, whereas.

The actual walk itself, or the actual ener or the actual part of me movement exercise is gonna be a habit that expands and multiplies. So in terms of that multiplication, like I said, it's affecting different areas of your life. It's affecting how much water you drink, how much sleep you get, what better mood you're in.

So that's gonna affect your relationships. And then all of a sudden you've got like this plethora of healthy habits that are happening for you, and it's exciting and it's energizing and it's. Motivating and that progress, it really lights you up to keep going. So those physical benefits of the exercise giving you energy because you're releasing endorphins, because you're changing the chemicals in your body.

Are really great, but then all of a sudden you start to feel more empowered because you're growing and multiplying your habit. There was something really empowering for me today to go to the gym and say, I'm just gonna show up. And then I left 45 minutes later, feeling stronger, feeling better, having drinking more water, having gotten some fresh air, having gotten out of my house.

So it made me excited to even just share that story with you today on the show and just say, Hey, you know what? Even myself who is a finished trainer, who is a health and wellness coach, I still fall off track and then we get back on again. And I'm gonna celebrate that today because whether you are celebrating that first win or coming back after a hiccup, or you're celebrating the consistency that you created, that celebration is gonna help fuel you and your motivation to keep moving forward.

And again, it's just. This ripple effect of energy, not just only in yourself, but in all of the things that you start to do. And so you'll, you'll see it in your business, you'll see how working out will really support your business. And same to your point too of when you had your bike accident, you felt pretty quickly how different your life was and maybe your energy and maybe your mood and how you interacted with people, right?

So I hope that answers your question.

[25:28] Arbitrary Timeline VS Diving Timing

SJ: Yeah, no, I think it does. And there was a couple things I was thinking off the hop there, which is when you were describing somewhat of like the habits, I'm like, first of all, there's never been a time when I've made a decision to go move. And even if it was hard to get my butt out there, actually make the movement happen.

You know, 'cause I was having a day or whatever. I mean, let's be real, we're all human, right? I've never looked back and been like, oh, I regret taking that walk. Or I regret too. Like you'll, you'll never regret it. Like I, I, I don't think there's ever been a time and I'm always like the opposite where I'm like, Ugh, I'm so glad I actually forced myself to go do that.

'cause sometimes you do, sometimes you have to be your own accountability coach in a way. Right? So that's cool. And then the other thing that was striking me about, we were sharing around habits. And like, you know, kind of growing and multiplying and things like that. Is that when you're initially talking about it and it's like, okay, I'm gonna go and I'm gonna like go in hard and I'm gonna go like six days a week or five days a week, or whatever it was.

It's like all I could think about was like, New year's, like January one when people like make all these commitments and these resolutions and things and then like they don't actually follow through on them. And so I'd love to kind of get your take on that because I feel like sort of underlying what I was taking away from that is like, Start somewhere and then you can start to grow and multiply from there.

Versus like this unrealistic plan that it's like, yeah, like how, how am I really, like I, I do nothing now and I'm gonna go to like maximize plan. Like, even though I don't work out that much, you know, every single week. So it's like, you know, there's like this habit building I think that we need to do. So I'd love to just kind of get your take on that, but,

VL: Yeah, it's a really great question and I think a lot of people don't even realize how much they're affected by like the January 1st, we have to do all these things and there that word is, again, I have to do that or I should do this.

Mm-hmm. So ask yourself like, why do you feel like you need to, to go to the gym six times a week? Who made that rule for you? Like, did you make that up? Did you see someone say that you need to do that? And is the person who, or does the person who have that two hour, you know, delicious morning routine that's full of meditation and mindfulness and slowness and nature, like does, is that realistic for your own life?

So, Two things kind of come up here for for this, and one of them is motivation. So everyone is highly motivated on January 1st to get things done, but what they're not realizing or what they're not paying attention to is their ability. So we need our motivation and our ability to kind of match each other a little bit.

So if we have really high motivation, Our ability to get up two hours earlier is not happening, then we're not gonna have that morning routine. Or if our ability to go to a gym six days a week when we look at our schedule and we're like, oh, we have no time for that in our schedule, or We haven't created that time yet.

So, okay, you're excited, you're motivated, that's great. Now look at your physical calendar. How does this fit into your life? Where does this one hour workout fit into your schedule? And when maybe when you look at it, you say, oh, actually, I can fit two hours a week in my schedule, but I can't do six right now.

So maybe I'll just start with two or one. Or maybe it's, I can go three times a week if I do 30 minute intervals instead of a 60 minute workout. So it's really. Like, you know, some people think it's the boring part of habit forming, but really this is what's gonna make or break your success and your behavior and creating that.

It's knowing that, do I have the ability to do this? And sometimes it's time. So we've been talking a lot about time being our ability, but sometimes it's our money and sometimes it's the Like our physical capability of doing it. So maybe we have a very active job where we're outside all day and then you want me to go to the gym for an hour after I've just like, Sh You know, maybe I'm a tour guide and I help all these people hike through the mountains, and then I'm like, yeah, no, I don't have the capacity.

I don't have the mental, or I don't have the, the mental or the physical ability to do that. So it could also be your mental capacity. Maybe you are just so fried from the day that you are not able to keep up with the Zumba class, but you could totally go into a yoga class and just follow along a slower flow.

And so those are really some things to consider because it's so easy to look at everybody else, I think. You know, the day in a life or my morning routine, all those things are really attractive to us online right now, and we wanna copy the people that we love. And it's not because that's a bad thing for us, it's just we admire that and we want what they have, so we're gonna do what they do.

However, make it make sense for you, make it feel good for you. And that's why I like to tell people to start with their intention. So if you have that high motivation, start with your feeling word. How do you want to feel when you find that feeling word? Ask yourself what activities, behaviors, actions, routines, habits.

What are the things that help me feel that way? So my feeling word this year, one of them was strong and I feel strong when I go to the gym. I also feel strong when I get eight hours of sleep, seven to eight hours of sleep. I also feel strong when I have really firm boundaries with my time and my energy, so I can commit to that strength or that feeling of strong every single day without having to go to the gym every single day.

And that, I think, is a really big game changer for people too. When they're thinking, okay, what's my motivation? What's my ability and what's my intention? First and foremost?

[30:58] Your “Feeling Word” is Your Superpower

SJ: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I love that because I, I, I do think it would be interesting, I was trying to think of my own, as you were saying that, and it was kind of like, yeah, like I've got a lot of things going on this year.

So like, it would be healthy, right? Like, so it didn't mean necessarily strong or this or that, but just that I've got, I need to have some sort of a stam stamina, right? Like there's a lot of things, a lot of travel, all that stuff. So it's like maintaining that. But and when you think about reverse engineering, that, that might look different than if it were something else, right?

So yeah. Very specific, I feel like, which is key. Mm-hmm.

VL: And for, for your word, healthy, you wanna think about what that means for you? So you said, oh no. What was the word you just said? I had on the tip of my tongue.

SJ: Oh, stamina.

VL: Stamina. Thank you. For you, if healthy and stamina kind of go hand in hand, working out every single day hardcore.

Probably doesn't give you the statement. Yeah. Not gonna fly that you need fly. No, but But being in nature. Yeah. And honoring your body every day and saying, yeah, I'm gonna go in nature today, but today maybe it's 15 minutes tomorrow, it's like an hour or whatever it is. You are, you are doing what feels good for you.

And then you're, don't feel bad for not getting something done because you made this arbitrary goal. You actually have intention of do I feel healthy? Do I have stamina? And if you're like, yeah, at the end of the day you check that box, great. You're successful. So that's gonna be a big, like you said, specific, but it's also makes a big difference in your progress and your success for sure.

[32:27] Tips to Staying on Track

SJ: Yeah, definitely. Definitely. Okay, so we're probably gonna have some people out there that are like, yep, yep. She's totally speaking to me. I know you see me I'm listening and this all sounds good, but you know, what are some tips you have that will kind of keep me on track if I decide that I'm gonna go and do this?

Like, what would you say to that person?

VL: So many tips. Well, I'm someone who I like to ask questions, so I wanna know. When you think about what stamina and healthy look like for you and feel like for you every day, where do you feel like you're gonna get stuck? And so we can definitely use you, Sarah, as an example.

One of the things you mentioned was your travel. So if you look at your calendar, do you know when your next travel is gonna be? Do you know roughly?

SJ: Yeah, there probably one in July and there's gonna be a big one in September, which is actually like a week and a half that I'll be away. Oh, wow. So like a week and a half for me to be somewhat out of routine will be weird.

Yeah, that's a, that's gonna be a big shift.

VL: Yeah, so this is really good to know. So, you know, in advance, we're now in June, you have your travel in July and September. You can plan in advance to really support and kind of nurture around those travel dates to help you maintain that stamina. And so for the person who's like, yeah, this sounds amazing, but how do I do that?

It's obviously gonna be really specific to that person, which I always like to encourage people to just send me a DM. Ask me what's up. I sometimes use it as content as well, because if you have a question, someone else definitely has that question. But for someone listening right now and they're like, okay, I wanna take some action today.

Start with your feeling word and then ask yourself how you can do that in this moment, or what that would look like in the future. So in terms of your healthy and your stamina, can you think of any obstacles that might come up between now and your July trip?

SJ: Maybe not that trip, but I mean, here's one thing that I anticipate might happen.

So I'm actually attending sort of like an in-person, like intensive for entrepreneurs and things like that. And so, I'm like, I know I'm gonna be spending a lot of time there. And you have a choice to either stay at the hotel or actually a lot of people are staying across the street 'cause it's a lot more reasonable to stay there.

And because I'm gonna be there for a few days, I'm actually thinking, so I don't know if this is quite what you're asking, but I'm actually thinking that I'm gonna stay. A little bit more offsite because there's a hotel that's closer that actually has a pool and like some outdoor chairs and you know, I might be able to get and go and walk there or, you know what I mean?

Just do some things or sit by the pool and like have my laptop and chill. And like actually enjoy some of that downtime that I will have in between flights and things like that. So I have anticipated if I'm gonna actually do this and stay on site, that it's just gonna be like go, go, go, go, go, go, go.

And I know, like I'm an extroverted introvert in some ways where it's like I will be all in for that, but then I also need time to go back and recharge my batteries. And so like, I'm already thinking about that, just, you know, having been in those situations before, just one example.

VL: Yes, that's perfect. So you know that to be healthy and to keep your stamina through these live in-person events with lots of people and you're kind of have to be on a lot, you know that you need that downtime and so you're making intentional decisions around that trip or for that trip.

And you know what you like. You know what feels good, being in nature, being by the pool, being alone for a little bit, having that downtime, going for those walks, like that's going. Those are the types of choices now that you're making because you have this intention in mind because you're living a life by design and not by default.

SJ: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, 'cause I mean, and the truth is like, it's because I've been down this road before, did the opposite, right? So sometimes we have to learn that where it's like, go, go, go, go, go. And then I get home and I get sick or I get a cold or something and I'm like, shoot, I have something else.

Right? And I when I'm traveling, I know that I'll be traveling and I have. Something, you know, for a few days. And then I have to travel again and I have another something. And then when I come back I'm actually training on a pretty big webinar. So it's like, that's what I mean about healthy is that like I'm gonna have to be at all these high energy points and be traveling and be around all kinds of other choices, like foods and things, right?

And so it's like I need to be making the right choices so I know that I can get through all that and do it well. Hundred percent.

VL: You do it well, and, and to your point, like I think a lot of us have learned. You know, they say they've learned the hard way, but if you've learned, you've learned, I don't care what way you learned it.

So that's really important because a lot of times we're like, oh, I always get sick every year. Every time I come home for an event, I get a cold. Stop telling yourself that, first of all, and then do the things that support you to not get sick or to not lose that healthy stamina that you've been working so hard to maintain, and you're doing a great job of it.

So far it sounds like.

SJ: Yeah. And I would say even for like the ideal, remember we were talking about travel at the beginning and like goals and like getting out and like being able to take those alone trips and stuff. Like even it's even those things I find like whether it's entrepreneur, it's just like in your personal life and things.

Like for me, I know we were traveling to Europe quite a bit 'cause my husband's family is over there and we'd been a couple times and it was like we were just, So busy for like two weeks. And so the last time we went I was like, I have one request and it is for at least two days, minimum two, maybe three, we actually go somewhere where there is a beach and I get my two beach days, and then we can do whatever the heck you want.

But it's like in the middle of all of that. We need to do that. And what's funny is the last time we did actually do that, some of his family members actually joined. And everybody was like, oh, we could, they couldn't stop talking about the two days 'cause it was like, yeah, it's like, 'cause when we go and we have all these plans and we get excited and we're doing all this stuff and it's great.

And it might even be like the life by design, but there also needs to be incorporated. I think some like moments for you or just like some really intentional choices about like, this is gonna all be good, but sometimes like, Too much good. There really is so much as a too much is a good thing. You know what I mean?

Yeah. I don't know if I'm saying that right. There's like a saying around that where like too much of a good thing isn't always a good thing, I think is how they say it, but Yeah.

VL: Yeah, yeah. I know what you mean. I don't know the exact thing, but yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's great. Yeah, and like I said, you.

You're doing the right things where you have those boundaries and you have that insight and clarity and you have that connection and relationship with your partner where you can say, Hey, this is what I need. And for them to, to listen and to honor that is really special too. So I think that's huge and a really great a really great example.

Thanks for sharing that.

[39:01] Remove Any Guilt of Filling Your Own Cup First

SJ: Yeah. And like if you're somebody that's out there that's feeling guilty about that, 'cause I know I felt a little bit like, you know, I'm gonna be like, this is what I need. You know what I mean? It's all about me. But it was like, no, literally this is what I need. Like, and so nobody else is gonna be out there and be in your brain and know what you need.

And so don't feel bad about that because you know, that might, those two days might be just what you needed to be like. Amazing for the rest of the trip, right? Rather than like tired or whatever. So, you know, I feel like a lot of times I'm working with people and they're like, oh, I really wanna do this, but you know, I've got, you know, the kids or this or that, and it's like, okay, cool.

But like you're gonna be so much better serving to them, you know what I mean? When you actually take care of yourself. So I think that comes up a lot in things too.

VL: 100% you have to fill your cup first.

SJ: Yeah. Awesome. Okay. So, oh my gosh, Valerie, thank you so much. I feel like so many good things that you've had to share.

I feel like we could just keep going and talking about so many things. Also very curious to hear about your Pilate studio at some point, but I know there's gonna be people that are out there listening and thinking, okay, yeah, I am definitely gonna DM you and go ahead and use me as an example, or, I have questions about that.

So where is the best place for people to find you if they wanna reach out to you?

VL: Yeah. Thank you so much. So I am pretty much on almost every platform I'm on. Instagram is probably the best place to find me and YouTube and TikTok @vallavignelife. And then my website is pretty much where you can find everything else. And that's valerielavignelife.com.

Instagram @vallavignelife https://instagram.com/vallavignelife

YouTube @vallavignelife https://youtube.com/@vallavignelife

TikTok @vallavignelife https://tiktok.com/@vallavignelife

SJ: Awesome. Okay, well you guys heard it here. We'll make sure we include some links in the show notes that you can make sure you get in touch with Val. And, you know, here's to a healthier, better day. Like, get out there and take that walk or ride your bike or whatever's gonna make you feel good today.

So thanks for listening to this episode and we will catch you in the next one

Podcast Host

Valerie LaVigne

Valerie is the creator and founder of Valerie LaVigne Life and the Women's Empowerment Show. She helps busy and empowered women create healthy habits so that they can become the best version of themselves and transform their lives. Learn more about Valerie here!