Choose2Be

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Choose2Be

🏋️‍♀️💪Health and Fitness Expert & Coach
🌟 Register Therapeutic Counsellor
🧘‍♀️Yoga🙏
🌿🌱Food Grower & Forager🍅🍄
🤹‍♀️Juggler and Mother of 3 Boys

A serious car accident was a major turning point in my life. My road to recovery created a deeper appreciation for holistic healing as I learned to overcome my injuries through healthy lifestyle choices and fitness. One holistic therapy led to another: herbal medicine, bellydance, therapeutic bodywork, organic farming, weight training, to name just a few. A tragic accident became a blessing in disguise, inspiring me toward this path of fitness and wellness.

07/01/2025

I’m so excited to be leading Aligning with Purpose: Setting Intentions for Creating Change at Pachena Bay Music Festival I can’t wait to share this meaningful workshop with you and be part of this incredible gathering on the stunning beach of Pachena Bay.

01/21/2025

🚨 Trigger Warning: This post might challenge your perspective. Pause, reflect, and ask—where can you create the most impact in your life?

One of the biggest limiting beliefs about self-care is time. Many say, “I don’t have time to exercise.” But small actions throughout the day can have a major impact. These habits don’t take time—they give time by improving your energy, health, and quality of life.

Over time, we naturally lose muscle mass, which slows metabolism and increases fat storage. Without action, this cycle can worsen. But movement—even in small amounts—helps maintain muscle and keeps your metabolism strong.

Also, most diets are high in sugar, even without “sweets.” Many carbs, like bread and pasta, break down into sugar. While fruits and veggies are important, balancing your meals with protein and healthy fats is key.

💡 Where can you make a small change today? Add a quick walk, eat mindfully, or try a new habit. Every step matters!

What’s one small thing you’ve done to prioritize your health? Share below! 💬

12/16/2024

🎉 Join Our Fitness Classes at VIU! 🏋️‍♀️🧘‍♂️💪

Exciting news! Classes at Vancouver Island University (VIU) are open to EVERYONE—not just students and staff! 🌟

📅 Starting January 13th for 8 weeks, Andrew and I, along with a couple of other amazing instructors, will be teaching morning, lunch, and evening classes! 🎶 We’ve put together a variety of fun, effective workouts designed for all levels, so there’s something for everyone.

💰 $80 for 8 weeks = just $10 per class!

Classes I’ll be teaching:
👉 Monday:
Butts & Guts 4–5 PM
Mobility & Flexibility 5-6 PM
Strength Training 6-7PM

👉 Tuesday:
Full Body Toning 5-6 PM

👉 Wednesday:
Boot Camp 4-5 PM
Yin Yoga 5-6 PM
Strength Training 6-7 PM

👉 Thursday:
Butts & Guts 4-5 PM
Mobility & Flexibility 5-6 PM
Full Body Toning 6-7 PM

✨ I’ve been teaching at VIU for over 10 years now, and it’s always such a joy! This time, I’m thrilled to team up with my awesome friend Andrew—he’s such a cool guy, and we had a blast creating this promo video together. 🎥😁

Don’t miss this chance to get fit, have fun, and connect with the community!

📌 Register now to secure your spot:
➡️ https://services.viu.ca/athletics-recreation/fitness-classes

Let’s move, sweat, and thrive together! 💃🕺

letics-recreation/fitness-classesLet’s move, sweat, and thrive together! 💃🕺 me know if there’s anything else you’d like to tweak!

12/10/2024

📢 Group Fitness Classes at VIU: Open to Everyone! 🏋️‍♀️🤸‍♂️🧘‍♀️

💪 New Year, New Goals! Join me for energizing, affordable fitness classes starting January 13 at Vancouver Island University (VIU).

🔥 These classes aren’t just for students or staff—they’re for YOU, the community! Whether you’re a beginner or experienced, there’s something for everyone.

📅 Class Schedule:
Monday:
• 4–5 PM: Butts & Guts 🍑🔥
• 5–6 PM: Mobility & Flexibility 🤸‍♀️🧘‍♂️
• 6–7 PM: Strength Training 💪🏋️

Tuesday:
• 5–6 PM: Full Body Toning 🏋️✨

Wednesday:
• 4–5 PM: Boot Camp 🔥💦
• 5–6 PM: Yoga 🧘‍♀️🕊️
• 6–7 PM: Strength Training 💪🏋️

Thursday:
• 4–5 PM: Butts & Guts 🍑🔥
• 5–6 PM: Mobility & Flexibility 🤸‍♀️🧘‍♂️
• 6–7 PM: Full Body Toning 🏋️✨

📍 Location: Vancouver Island University
🗓️ Start Date: January 13
💲 Affordable Rates

✅ How to Register: Spots fill quickly—don’t wait! Secure your place now.

👥 Let’s move together and have fun while building strength, flexibility, and confidence!

👉 Click Here to Register or Learn More!
See you in class! 🎉 https://services.viu.ca/athletics-recreation/fitness-classes

10/15/2024

For so many people, exercise feels like a punishment or something superficial just for the appearance. But it’s so much more! 🌟 Exercise is one of the greatest tools to improve your quality of life—physically, emotionally, and mentally. 💪 It’s not just about the physique; it’s about how well you can take care of yourself, especially as we age. Here are just a few benefits:

Physique Benefits:

• Improves strength, flexibility, and endurance
• Helps maintain a healthy weight
• Enhances posture and balance
• Slows down physical aging
• Boosts energy levels

Mental & Emotional Benefits:

• Reduces stress, anxiety, and depression
• Increases self-confidence and self-esteem
• Enhances mood through the release of endorphins (the “happy” hormones)
• Sharpens focus and cognitive function
• Promotes better sleep

Overall Well-being:

• Strengthens immune system
• Improves heart health and circulation
• Boosts metabolism and digestion
• Promotes a sense of accomplishment and motivation
• Helps build discipline and resilience

Stop focusing on just how you look and start noticing how you feel! 💫

”

🧡💪

09/27/2024

First Week of Mobility & Flexibility Class Recap!
• 90-90 Sitting (Windshield Wipers): Internally and externally rotate your knees side to side. Hands can support behind you or not.
• Framing the Front Knee: Lift the back foot to work on internal rotation (5 reps each side).
• Knee Lifts: For external rotation, lift just the back knee (5 reps each side).
• Full Back Leg Lifts: Lift the whole back leg (5 reps each side).
• Hamstring Warm-up: Lying on your back, bend one leg, and kick the other leg up and down (10 reps per side).
• Static Hamstring Stretch: Hold for 1 minute with the opposite leg bent, then with both legs extended.
• Spinal Twist: Bring your knee across your body for a gentle twist.
• Figure 4 Glute Stretch: After a few bridges (5 reps), use a tennis ball for myofascial release on the glute.
• Low Lunge Stretch: Hold and breathe, opening up the hips.
• Thread the Needle: For thoracic mobility, 5 reps with straight arms, then 5 with hand to head.
• Sphinx Pose: Stretch the front side of the body, lying on your belly with elbows under shoulders.
• Scorpion Stretch: Lying on your belly with arms extended, bring one foot across your body (alternating sides).
• Hip Myofascial Release: Side-lying on the ball, followed by leg raises and leg circles.
• Lat Myofascial Release: Side-lying on the ball, with straight arm raises and arm circles.
• Wall Quad Stretch: Shin against the wall, lunge position, chest up for a deep quad stretch.
• Arm Circles: 15 seconds in each direction—both arms forward, alternating forward, then both arms backward.

08/03/2024

🌟 Introducing Yoga Therapy 🌟

I’m excited to combine my extensive yoga knowledge with my counselling expertise to offer a unique and transformative experience: Yoga Therapy.

In these sessions, we won’t just engage in traditional therapy. We’ll also harness the profound benefits of yoga, using the breath as an anchor and a powerful healing tool. Breathwork has the ability to regulate the nervous system, helping you experience the calming effects of deep, conscious breathing and diaphragm breathing. By slowing down the mind, becoming more present, and connecting with the body, we can think less (engaging in our stories) and feel more.

Our approach is rooted in the philosophy and ethics of yoga—the Yamas and Niyamas. We’ll use these principles to go toward meditation and create greater awareness in your life and body.

Each session is tailored to your individual needs. Whether we focus more on yoga or counselling depends on your goals, learnings, and desired outcomes. To celebrate this new offering, I’m introducing a special price of $100 for a 50-minute session. This is a limited-time offer, so take advantage while it lasts! My regular counselling rate is $140, but I offer a sliding scale for those without benefits and with different needs.

Explore the benefits of yoga and therapy together:
🧘‍♀️ Yoga benefits: Enhanced physical and mental well-being, improved flexibility, and reduced stress.
💬 Counselling benefits: Emotional healing, improved mental health, and personalized support.

Visit my website at VancouverIslandHolisticCounselling.ca to learn more about who I am and where I come from and choose2be.ca

Let’s embark on this journey of healing and self-discovery together.

🌿✨💆‍♂️

07/12/2024

I see a profound connection between soil health and our gut health. 🌱🧠 As someone passionate about gardening, especially during this abundant summer season, I’m filled with gratitude for the bounty it brings. For me, holistic health is deeply intertwined with the food I grow—organic and local produce is essential for my well-being.

There’s so much to consider, but one significant aspect is the link between soil health and our gut microbiome. Recently, there’s been a lot of talk about the importance of our gut microbiome, probiotics, and prebiotics for digestion and overall function. Just as healthy soil teems with beneficial microbes that support plant growth, our gut relies on a diverse microbiome to thrive. 🌾🥦

Both soil and gut health are foundations of life. Healthy soil, rich in organic matter and teeming with microorganisms, produces nutrient-dense food that supports a robust gut microbiome. This, in turn, aids digestion, boosts immunity, and enhances overall health. By nurturing the soil, we’re not just growing food; we’re cultivating the very essence of our health. 🌻🍅

Let’s cherish the connection between the earth beneath our feet and the wellness within us. 🌿💚

06/25/2024

Welcome to Choose2be! 🌟
Choose2be stands out as a beacon of holistic health and fitness, backed by over 20 years of expertise in the field. What sets us apart from others is our unique blend of diverse experiences and unwavering commitment to your well-being.

My journey to founding Choose2be is rooted in my personal story of overcoming depression, physical injuries, and life’s many challenges through the healing power of exercise and holistic practices. My extensive background includes:

• Holistic Health: I’ve explored various therapies like Herbal Medicine, Bellydance, Therapeutic Bodywork, and Weight Training, ensuring a well-rounded approach to health.
• Organic Farming: My early years studying organic farming instilled a deep appreciation for natural living and sustainable practices.
• Registered Counsellor: My credentials as a registered counsellor allow me to support not just physical health, but mental and emotional well-being too.
• Circus Art Leader Certification: I created a unique certification program for circus art leaders, combining creativity with physical fitness.
• Group Classes and Personal Training: I have led numerous group classes across Nanaimo and provide personalized coaching and training in the comfort of clients’ homes.

At Choose2be, our approach is holistic, integrating physical, mental, and emotional health to help you become the best version of yourself. We believe in the power of a healthy lifestyle to transform lives and are dedicated to empowering you to discover your inner strength and joy.

Many of us feel powerless, but I believe in connecting you with your inner Wonder Woman. Through personalized fitness programs, holistic healing practices, and a supportive community, I aim to inspire and empower you to create a healthy body and mind.

06/14/2024

🎧 Just finished an insightful podcast with a glucose expert, and it transformed my perspective on weight loss and overall health! 🌟

It turns out that weight loss isn’t about counting calories—it’s about balancing our body’s chemistry. The key is to lower dopamine, reduce cortisol, and raise serotonin. Here’s why:

• Lower Dopamine: High dopamine levels from constant stimulation, like sugar intake, can lead to impulsivity and addiction.
• Impact: Sugar consumption triggers the release of dopamine, providing a sense of pleasure and reward. This can create a cycle of craving and addiction.
• Implication: Regular high sugar intake can lead to dopamine dysregulation, making it harder to experience pleasure from everyday activities and potentially leading to addictive behaviors. Balancing dopamine helps maintain healthy motivation and prevents overstimulation.
• Reduce Cortisol: Chronic stress causes high cortisol levels, leading to weakened immunity, disrupted sleep, and weight gain. Sugar spikes can exacerbate cortisol production, creating a stress cycle.
• Impact: High sugar intake causes blood sugar spikes and crashes, which can trigger cortisol release to stabilize glucose levels.
• Implication: Chronic high cortisol levels can impair immune function, increase blood pressure, disrupt sleep, and promote weight gain. Reducing cortisol through stress management promotes overall health.
• Raise Serotonin: Low serotonin levels are linked to depression and anxiety. While sugar can temporarily boost serotonin, it leads to mood swings and a subsequent drop in levels.
• Impact: Sugar can temporarily increase serotonin, improving mood briefly. However, this boost is short-lived and can result in a subsequent drop in serotonin levels.
• Implication: Over-reliance on sugar to boost mood can disrupt normal serotonin production and regulation, leading to mood swings, anxiety, and depression. Raising serotonin through healthier means enhances mood, promotes relaxation, and improves mental health.

Understanding these impacts can help us make healthier dietary choices and manage mood, stress, and overall well-being more effectively. 🌿✨

06/11/2024

This quote is almost 100 years old, yet it couldn’t be more accurate in today’s world. I see it in so many people: when your health is there, your quality of life increases exponentially. There’s nothing more important than having quality of life. Life doesn’t make sense if you don’t have health. If you’re not able to move, feel good mentally, physically, and emotionally, you’re missing out on living fully.

Health is the one thing money cannot buy. You can’t pay someone else to do the work for you or eat the right things for you. Money can help you access good food, advice, and training, but the effort is all yours.

It’s incredibly empowering to do the work to get stronger and healthier. Remember, money isn’t what’s important in life—it’s our health. That’s why so many people wish for good health on New Year’s Eve. Holistic health matters on every level.

This is also why I became a counselor: your physical health is deeply connected to your emotional and mental well-being. They go hand in hand. 🌟💪

Address

2598 Rosstown Road
Nanaimo, BC
V9T3S1

Website

http://www.Choose2be.ca/

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