Category: Health&Wellness

Lunar Planning: Using The Moon To Help Me Achieve My Goals

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Awhile back I came out of the broom closet about my new found witch title. I’ve had a few friends and family look at me with wide eyes and wonderment, but the thing is – I am still me, just with a slightly different spiritual journey. One where I am connected to nature, Mother Earth, and the Moon.

I love the moon and have been fascinated with her since I was a small child. Now I use the phases of the moon to help me achieve my goals. I use her cycle to help plan my month and my weeks. How? Let’s start at the beginning of the cycle – although, it’s a circle so there’s technically no BEGINNING, but since today is the New Moon I thought it would be a good place to start.  

New Moon

When the sky is dark and the moon isn’t visible.  It’s the perfect time to set new intentions. It’s when I journal, use my tarot cards and sit with what I want to accomplish for that cycle.  I usually set 1-3 intentions using present tense language. For example, I want to create a fun, easy, Instagram strategy where I can connect with others and enjoy my social media time.  

I personally make this a small ritual for myself.  I have a tall white candle that I light while laying out my tarot cards and journaling about what I want to achieve that month.  Then I write my intentions down on an index card and place them into my Universe box – which is just a cute gift box that has some pretty tissue paper and my offering – for me, it’s one of my birth year quarters.     

First Quarter 

About a week later, I look over my intentions and set one action for each one that I want to work on that week.  Again, using our Instagram example – I might write down in my planner: Set aside one hour this week to make fun, colorful images for the upcoming posts.  That’s it, just one action 

Full Moon

Letting go, releasing what no longer serves me and setting another action for the week.  Again, I do a small personal ritual with journaling prompts, my white moon candle, and tarot cards.  I will write down what I’m releasing on tissue paper and flush it away (as burning stuff in our apartment isn’t always safe).  So, again, using my example I might write: I am releasing self-doubt and worry. Down the toilet it goes!

Last Quarter

About a week after the full moon, I one last time look over the intentions and choose a final action for the week.  At the end of this week is usually the dark moon where I will review my month before starting over. Now, this can be debated (is it different or the same as the new moon) but for me, I like to take a small moment for the dark moon, ending one cycle before beginning a new one.  

And that brings us back to the New Moon again.  I usually have some ideas of what I want to work on, but I use the tarot cards and my journal to guide me and I set 1-3 new intentions (or I’ll revamp an old intention for the new cycle – depending on the goal and what I want to work on).

For me, this works – it gives me time to pause, connect back to my goals and my desires and what I want out of life.  It gives me a chance to slow down, take time for myself and connect with others either online or in my New Moon Circle that I go to here in Queens. Going forward I hope to continue this practice, deepening it even more, connecting with the moon’s powers to transform me in ways I can’t even imagine right now.

Do you use the moon as a guide? Do you have any questions about the process? Would you like to see sample questions or even a tarot spread? Let me know by commenting below and then, come over and join me on Instagram to see me in real-time share my process via Stories for the next month (maybe longer if people seem interested).

I hope you have a magical day – now go and set some New Moon intentions of your own!

 

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Up In The Gym, Working On My Fitness

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Exercise. It can seem like a dirty word, right? Like a curse.  I’ve never been that big on exercise. For example, in gym class as a kid, I would purposely get hit with the dodgeball so I could sit down.  I was tall, uncoordinated, and fat. Starting in 2nd grade I was almost always the tallest and biggest girl in class.  

I have tried many things over the years, some of which I enjoyed and some I hated – almost exclusively for the purpose of losing weight.  Now, that’s not 100% true – I loved tap dancing in college and the two years of karate I did, but otherwise, most things were punishment for being fat and eating too much.

Enter working with my nutritionist.  We had been working on mindset, feelings about my body and Intuitive Eating but not much about movement.  During one session I mentioned that I enjoyed going to Curves back in the day and only stopped because the rents in Manhattan are insane and they were sorta forced out.  I followed the owner to another gym but I hated it – because I really don’t like traditional gyms. So, Diana asked me what about Curves I liked the most and I said, “I knew what to do – you go in, you do your circuit, and you get out.  I liked the music and the coaches and the community aspect”  

She then said something that pretty much changed my life.  She said, “Oh, that sounds very similar to this new place I heard about called OrangeTheory, and one just opened down the street.”  Well, I immediately went home and started doing what I do best – research. I looked at the company’s main website, I watched YouTube videos, I read blogs, and I searched on Pinterest.  

I was pumped and wanted to try it, but I was also scared.  I’m still fat and haven’t worked out in any real capacity in years.  I’ve dabbled and done things at home here and there but I didn’t stick to anything longer than two or three weeks (if that).  I thought about walking and losing more weight and getting more fit before I started. BUT I couldn’t stop watching YouTube videos and reading blogs and basically obsess over this gym.  My husband finally said – just go and try it! And my Mom agreed – she said, “What are you waiting for?” 

I hemmed and hawed a few more weeks, walked past the place a few times and looked through the windows, and finally, I walked in and talked to the nice woman at the front desk and she signed me up for my first FREE class during Mayhem.  The 2nd hardest week of classes at OrangeTheory (the first being Hell Week). AND I did it and I didn’t die – in fact, I distinctly remember feeling proud of myself. I had so much fun – it was the hardest thing I’ve done since giving birth to my son and I loved every stupid minute of it!  And I signed up right then and there for a membership.  

That was the middle of May 2019 and I have consistently gone 2-3 times a week since.   Have I lost weight? Probably – I don’t do the scale anymore, but my clothes all fit better – I’ve gone down a size in shirts, pants, and had to buy new bras.  Have I gained muscle mass? YES! I can actually feel my biceps and my legs are super shapely. Have I become a fitness person? You bet…it’s crazy, but I love going to my OrangeTheory classes.  I look forward to them, I miss them when I have to be away, I adore the people I’ve met there from the other students to the staff. The coaches are phenomenal, they play the best music, and there is so much community – exactly what I was looking for.

Is it for everyone? No. If you hate group classes or hate the rower or treadmill or weights – then you are not going to like it.   I love it. Hands down, the most I’ve stuck with anything since those dancing days so many years ago. I have gained confidence, respect for my body in ways I didn’t have, and I’m just super proud of myself.

It’s crazy to call myself a fitness person, but I really am and it’s amazing!

What does your fitness journey look like?  What do you do for exercise and why do you love it? Please share below!

 

Resources

Looking to obsess and research the crap out of OrangeTheory Fitness (OTF)?  Look no further than this list of cool YouTubers and books!

OrangeTheory’s Website – here you can see what makes them different and check to see which studio is closest to your house 

Andrew Coleman Smith – the MAIN man of OTF YouTubers – he also has a Facebook Group

Grace Keller – Very down to earth Mama who keeps it real

The Fat Gay – Hilarious. Downright hilarious – he is fluffy and he is killing it at OTF.  

Hashtag Sab – She is sooooo amazing and her Instagram content keeps me motivated

Splat! – The funniest book I’ve read and totally relatable.  Want to know what Hell Week is really like? Read this book.

PUSH – One of the main founders of OTF’s book – I haven’t actually read this yet but it’s on my TBR list.  

 

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I Like Big Goals And I Can Not Lie

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

As you may (or may not know) I love setting 90-day goals – I started this in the fall of last year and it really did help me be more productive…until I wasn’t. 

That’s when I realized that I like having my goals mapped out for the quarter but only the first 3-4 tasks written down and on my Kanban board for just one month at a time – I don’t like to get overwhelmed.

So today I’d like to give you an overview of my three main goals and the few projects underneath each goal. I probably won’t give you a list of tasks, but if you’d like, you can follow me on Instagram where I’ll be talking about my Kanban board with all the tasks for the month.

Goal #1 – Writing and Publishing

Project A – 3rd Draft Revision of Novel 2 (working title – Etta & Gina)

Project B – Research ARC readers and/or Street Team

Goal #2 – Marketing

Project C – 1-hour week of learning time (the first month is Instagram)

Project D – Create a workable and fun content strategy system

Goal #3 – Jennifer 2.0 (being the Goddess I know I can be)

Project E – Beautifying the apartment

Project F – Lunar Planning

Project G – Health & Wellness*

*Which is further broken down into self-care habits, Orange Theory goals, and some personal development type things

What do your goals for 2020 look like? Do you plan yearly, monthly, quarterly? Or a combo like me?  I’d love to hear so let me know in the comments below! We can even keep each other accountable.

 

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My 2020 Vision – What’s Yours?

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Over the past few years, I have chosen 1-3 words to guide me along the path I want to take.  Last year was Joy – which to be honest, felt a bit flat – like I was playing a part, superficial…never fully integrating into my body and my heart.  The year before it was Courage and the one before that was Nourish – both felt so aligned for those years and allowed me to grow and show up in new and exciting ways.

That’s what I wanted for this year so I thought and journaled and took a workshop and came up with 3 words that feel so perfect for where I am and where I want to be at the end of 2020.

🌟 Shine – Be seen, be heard, give my ideas and my opinions a voice.  Use my light to help others (how? I have no idea yet!) and be the woman that fixes the crowns of others rather than diminish and cause pain.  Have confidence and do the scary things.

🔮 Intuition – I want to really connect with who I am and with the Universe, the source of all power.  I want to be the goddess that I know I can be.  I want to connect to my ancestors – especially my maternal Grandma who I think has been my guardian angel my whole life (she died the year before I was born).  I want to get quiet and listen to the answers that I know are already inside of me.

🖊 Create – Make stuff…for fun! Not worry so much about the business side, not worry about the marketing stuff as much.  Yes, yes…I will still be professional when need be with my writing and I will still be doing my newsletter and promotions BUT I want to do things MY WAY…have more fun connecting with others online, not worry about followers – have conversations.  Make messes in the kitchen, create with my kid more, basically do things that feel good.

Your turn!  What word (or words) are you using this year to guide you and help you win in 2020? Comment below and let me know!!  Let’s make this year amazing – together. 😊

Have a great day,
Jennifer

Success Does NOT Happen Overnight

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

I love autumn..sweater weather, pumpkin spice coffee drinks, new TV shows to start watching, and the changing colors of the trees.

Staring out our bedroom window, I have a great view of this one giant tree as it changes from green to various hues of fall.  I noticed something yesterday though for the first time – it changes from the top down.  And this made my little brain start turning its wheel.

We are like this tree.

To change anything in our lives, we have to start with our minds – you know, that thing at the top – our brains.  All positive change, change that you want to make happen, has to start there first.  It just has to, or it won’t work.

For example, when I was starting out on this author journey and had my first book done and needed to start thinking about editing and decisions about publishing, I had to declare myself a writer.  I had to start thinking about myself as if (remember, from last week) I was a professional author.

I touched on this briefly last week with Acting As If and the questions, but it involved work.  It involved asking myself questions, writing down answers, and changing my mindset.  I had to change from the top down.  I had to think of myself a certain way, act that way, and show myself that I was that way.

Changing your mindset doesn’t happen overnight, in fact, there will be hiccups and setbacks and feeling like a failure and starting all over again (but luckily not at square one).  Like the trees, change is slow at first and then bursts into color almost all at once.  That’s why people think change happens overnight – they don’t see the process.

Like that tree, the only reason I noticed the change is because we live on the 4th floor and therefore I look down on the tree – but when I walk underneath that tree, I don’t see the beautiful colors yet.  If I was just walking by in, say, two weeks and notice how pretty that tree is I would think that happened very quickly, but nope – it takes time.

So…what are you working on right now? Are you changing your mindset about anything? Are you feeling frustrated because it’s taking FOREVER? Give yourself a little grace and a lotta love and some more time.

Seriously, you’ve got this – and let people think it happened overnight!

 

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Act As If

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

I had the immense pleasure of being interviewed yesterday by my friend, Brenda Vander Zaden, for her Postpartum Body Series project.  I had the best time talking about how much stronger I feel within my body after giving birth to my son – you can watch the Facebook Live HERE if you’d like!

The other thing we talked about is the concept of Acting As If and I thought it was perfect for this week’s blog post.  

Acting As If is an old theatre concept that is used when embodying a character in a play or movie and something I studied for years as a young actor, but it has also been insanely useful in my everyday life.

First, ask yourself: Who do you want to be?

For example, I want to be a professional writer.  Great!  How does a professional writer act?  What things do I have to do? What beliefs do I need to have? Once you have the answers, you just have to Act As If you are already that person, doing and believing things they would.

Sound simple? It is, in theory, but it can be difficult at first.  Keep at it though, it gets easier, I promise. 

To follow the example, and one straight out of my own life, a professional writer believes her books will find their ideal audience, she schedules writing days and times and follows through with her plan, and she shows up on social media as a professional giving helpful advice and showcasing her books.

Now, you have a plan! Think these things, do these things, and soon enough – you are that person! It’s a little like fake it until you make it, but I feel like this is more genuine, more active. 

You can use this for anything…I use it in my day job when I need to do something I’m scared about, like having an interview or talking with clients. I use it as a mother and I think – what would a calm and peaceful mother do in this situation?  It’s pretty amazing what things come to mind almost immediately when you think like this.

Have you ever used this concept? Do you think you might going forward in some area of your life? Let me know in the comments below!

 

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Embrace Your Joy!

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

In my last article, I talked about the phrase “life’s purpose” and how I think it can sometime’s hold you back from doing the things that you love and care about.

This week I want to talk about embracing the things you enjoy. In the same vein as last week, I really dislike the way basic is used around things like Pumpkin Spice Lattes or watching Grey’s Anatomy. It feels like when we don’t like something that someone else does, we have to mock or belittle that.

Why? 

I feel like we should embrace the things we love no matter what – as long as they aren’t causing harm to someone else, of course.  I adore PSLs and I will be getting one (or possibly that new drink with the Pumpkin Spice foam) next week for my birthday! I love watching The Good Place and reruns of Friends and Gilmore Girls on Netflix. I am obsessed with all things Disney! 

In fact, my husband and I were on our honeymoon around this time 13 years ago in Walt Disney World and people tended to mock us for that – saying it wasn’t a place for childless adults.  We did not care! Disney has been my happy place since I was a small child and that has not wavered. 

And that’s OK.  

So, what’s one thing that you love or obsess over that people tend to give you grief about or mock you about.  Is it a guilty pleasure TV show or a seasonal drink? Is it reading in bed all hours of the night or the gym you go to?

Comment below and let me know what’s one thing that brings you joy that you’re going to embrace today!

Have a great day,
Jennifer

Like, What? Ugh…As If!

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

We’ve all heard of the inner child, right?  When someone is being cranky or needs a nap, or when we go to therapy and we talk about healing the inner child or giving them what they need or something…well, I think I have an inner teenager.

For real, I’ve been trying to be more adult about things – like decluttering my apartment, meal plan and prep – which involves cooking, and making sure things are done in an orderly fashion.  Which, okay, even my teenage self enjoyed….but lately I can feel her rolling her eyes.  She’s being annoying in my head.

“Oh man, when are we going to do something fun?” she’ll say to me when I get out the cutting board.  “Why do we have to do this on a Sunday?  Sundays are for playing games and watching movies?” Roll eyes, hair flip, huff in annoyance.  Inner teenager.

I can’t really ground her, because who wants that, so I decided to start listening to her.  Fun, she’s screaming for fun.  Yes, I have to meal prep and plan – it’s been helping me so much – but it’s not much fun.  So I’ve been listening to music or watching YouTube while I do some things.  I’ve been asking my husband to help me so we can get it done more quickly and we can talk while we do it.  Decluttering is the same thing.  It has to get done – trust me, it looks like a toy store threw up in our apartment and we have stuff everywhere it seems. So, music and timers and rewards have been helping.

But, she’s clamoring for fun.  Not making the boring stuff more fun.  Actual FUN!  So I got some magazine subscriptions and when they come, I make time with tea or coffee to sit down and read them.  I’ve started dressing in a more fun manner, adding more color to my life again.  I bought new exercise clothes that are cute and functional!  I started watching TV shows during lunch again.  Comedies – things that make me laugh out loud.

I need the fun in my life, my son needs the fun in his life too so the other thing I’ve been doing is planning Family Fun Adventures around the city.  Last week we took the Tram across the East River from Roosevelt Island into Manhattan and had yummy pizza at my favorite brick oven place, Patsy’s,  and then got bags of chocolate at Dylan’s Candy Bar.  We had a great time and it was just pure fun.  No real agenda except the ride over, the food and the exploring.

Do you have an inner teenager? What have they been saying to you lately? Have you stopped to listen?  Do you need more sleep? More fruit? More fun?  Do you need to be super lazy one day and not get up off the couch?  What did you like to do as a teenager?  Let me know in the comments below!

 

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Tick Tock

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

No, the title isn’t in reference to the Ke$ha song (although, I do enjoy dancing to that when putting on my makeup) – today I’m going to talk about timers!

I love timers!  I especially love timers now that I have an Alexa (the Amazon Echo Dot that I talked about a few months ago).  Timers are everything right now and not just for cooking –  although I do use Alexa to help with that too. 

So, you might be wondering how I use timers….read on and let me know what you use timers for.

First, I use timers when I’m writing.  I usually do one or two sprints of 25 minutes each.  That seems to be my sweet spot both for writing new words and editing old words.  In one hour I’ve been able to get down 2,000 words or more!  I’m editing right now so sometimes I don’t set a timer, especially if I have free time and just want to work until I reach the end of a chapter or a section but timers can still be helpful if I don’t have as much time in my day and want to play beat the clock.

Which brings me to the second time I use timers during my day. To clean or do the dishes.  We live in New York City and don’t have a dishwasher – I know, I can hear your collective groans from here – so there are always dishes to do by hand and it’s not one of my favorite tasks of the day so I love to set a 15 minute timer and see how many I can get done in that time.  Music also helps (but that’s true for me with almost every task).

The third way I use timers is for my son.  My seven year old loves to play Roblox, Minecraft, and Portal 2; he also loves YouTube – but we try to limit him throughout the day and also we have to leave the house for school, errands, or other fun things so timers help keep him accountable for his own time.  We also set one during the day after he gets home from school for homework so he knows he has to stop what he’s doing and do math, spelling, or reading.  For the most part, it helps.

And finally, I use timers when I have any task that I’m dreading. I hate calling places to book appointments (except Disney World to book a vacation package – I would do that every day if I could) but making dentist or doctor appointments, dealing with any kind of service people (gas/electric/cable/etc) I just dread it so I set a timer, get out all my fear and anxiety – usually on paper, but sometimes I just talk it out, then the timer goes off in 5 or 10 minutes and I make the call.  Some people won’t need this, but it really does help me.  Calling my Mom or Best Friend – nope, I’ll pick up the phone just fine but calling unknown people – ugh!  Can anyone else relate, or am I just a freak?

Do you use timers during your day?  Do they help you or cause more worry and anxiety? When are they most effective for you and your family?  I would love to know so hit me up in the comments below!

Write On!

Jennifer

 

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New Year…Who Dis?

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Hello to 2019 and to my lovely readers.  How were the holidays for everyone?  How has January been so far?   Christmas was really nice and a little crazy (seven year olds are good for that) and January has been a bit of a whirlwind as I onboard two new Virtual Assistant clients, gear up for another 6 months of helping my son’s Parents’ Association, and finishing up the first draft of my next novel!

While reading through the old blog archives, I  realized that I’ve never really introduced myself (and if I have…it was years ago) so no time like the present to give you a few facts about ME!

1. I was born and raised in St. Louis, MO and went to college in Springfield, MO so I spent the first 24 years of my life in Missouri.  I loved growing up in St. Louis (and I lived in the city – if you’re familiar with the city, I grew up just a few blocks from The Hill across Hampton Avenue) we had an amazing Art Museum, Science Center, The Arch, good food, and Botanical Gardens.

2. I was homeschooled from sixth grade through High School.  The one thing St. Louis didn’t really have was good public schools.  I hated school, like so much I did not want to go back and would get sick (either real or fake) to stay home.  We tried a few other options (that didn’t really work – including a private religious school – which was worse that the public school in terms of how kids treated one another and the teacher’s being weird bullies themselves) but eventually we landed on homeschooling and I thrived.  I was able to do my regular school work along with all the passions that I had – photography, theatre, writing, and music.  It was a multi passionate kid’s dream!

3.  To go along with Number 1 – I moved to New York City right before my 25th birthday having never visited (I also didn’t have a ton of people that I knew there – there was a few friends of friends, or people I went to college with but weren’t exactly close to) but I flew up there with my parents, dropped my stuff at the 92nd Street Y (where I was staying) and immediately fell in love with the city.  By the first night, standing on the Staten Island ferry, watching the lights of the city start to come on I turned to my Mom and said, “I’m home!” and it’s true then and it’s true now.

4. I moved to New York City to pursue my first love of musical theatre.  I took classes, singing lessons, went on auditions, and did a few off-off-off-off broadway shows.  I had fun when I was doing something, but the constant rejection finally took it’s toll and I decided to hang up the towel.  I still love musical theatre and Broadway, but it’s not a huge part of my life anymore and actually I’m okay with that.  For years, after I “quit” auditioning, I couldn’t watch The Tony awards – it was just too hard – now it’s just not that entertaining because I don’t know as many of the shows.  Although – if someone has some Hamilton tickets lying about – I’ll take them off your hands.  HA

5. I love coffee!  While in college I got really into teas and so some of my “old” friends think it’s funny how much I love coffee, but coffee was my first love.  I’m the youngest and my much older brothers both drank coffee as did my parents (my sister did not drink coffee though) so I wanted to be like everyone else, so they would let me have some with milk and sugar and it was heavenly.  I’m not a coffee snub, I know what I like and I enjoy every last drop every day!

6. I’m multi passionate – I mentioned this up in number 2, but although I love writing novels I also love learning about witchcraft and shellwork, pulling tarot cards and researching meanings and history, I love music and still want to learn how to play that guitar properly, I love singing and entertaining still even if I’m not auditioning, and I love planners and planning, I love helping my clients with their VA stuff, and I love so many other things – I never realized there was a term for it – I just assumed I was flighty, but nope – I’m just multi passionate and it’s been a glorious discovery!

7. Random facts: I type 100 words per minute with about a 98% accuracy rate.  I worked at The Disney Store for about 6-8 months after college (if you know St. Louis, it was the Crestwood Mall location – which sadly isn’t there anymore).  I haven’t drive a car since August 2001 (since moving to New York City).  I know about 95% of Friends episodes – meaning I can recite the whole show while it’s going on, and I’ve even been known to know an episode just from a screenshot or line from the show.  (I can also do this with certain movies – Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, and Ferris Bueller)  

Okay, so here’s seven things about me — what else would you like to know?  Ask below – I might do a part 2 if I get enough questions, or I might just answer them in the comments.  Also — I have a few ideas for the next few blogs, but then I’m tapped out, so if you have any ideas of what you’d like to see from me and this blog, let me know!  

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