Casey Cutkomp Fitness and Wellness Accountability Coach

16/10/2023

16/03/2023

Eat kale, be happy. Recipe Tuesday: Delicious White Bean and Kale Soup! Do we sing the praises of kale enough? While kale has grown significantly in popularity in recent years, the power of this superfood can’t be overstated. It is high in vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and has been found in studies to literally make people happier: a 2013 Harvard study proved a strong association between participants' levels of optimism and their levels of carotenoid antioxidants, found in green vegetables like kale. Celebrate the end of winter with a tribute to this magical vegetable, and feel the joy. https://bit.ly/3FJ3QZh

21/12/2022

Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. Winter is a time of withdrawing from the world, maximising scant resources, carrying out acts of brutal efficiency and vanishing from sight; but that’s where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible.

~ Katherine May: Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times
(With thanks to the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids)

[Art: Anna Speshilova]

21/11/2022

Kripalu Yoga teacher Jess Frey invites you to take a moment to pause and ask yourself, What am I practicing in this moment? What do I want to be practicing? What matters to me most right now?

08/11/2022

She sat at the back and they said she was shy,
She led from the front and they hated her pride,
They asked her advice and then questioned her guidance,
They branded her loud, then were shocked by her silence,
When she shared no ambition they said it was sad,
So she told them her dreams and they said she was mad,
They told her they'd listen, then covered their ears,
And gave her a hug while they laughed at her fears,
And she listened to all of it thinking she should,
Be the girl they told her to be best as she could,
But one day she asked what was best for herself,
Instead of trying to please everyone else,
So she walked to the forest and stood with the trees,
She heard the wind whisper and dance with the leaves,
She spoke to the willow, the elm and the pine,
And she told them what she'd been told time after time,
She told them she felt she was never enough,
She was either too little or far far too much,
Too loud or too quiet, too fierce or too weak,
Too wise or too foolish, too bold or too meek,
Then she found a small clearing surrounded by firs,
And she stopped...and she heard what the trees said to her,
And she sat there for hours not wanting to leave,
For the forest said nothing, it just let her breathe.

[I created the image with an excerpt from the beautiful inspirational poem by Hemsley-Talking to the Wild]
Image created by me ~ Dee DiGioia, a nature loving, tree loving gal who found her most special wise and inspirational spirit guide, "Mama Oak" in a protected nature preserve of ancient oaks. With her I sit and breathe and she helps me to discover the answers within.

06/03/2022

Making home made yogurt

Ingredients:

*One gallon of milk (% of choice)
*Half cup of dry milk (non fat)
*Half cup of unflavored yogurt (% of choice)
*Digital Thermometer
*Makes app. 4 quarts (we used 4 wide mouth quart Masson jars)
* Sous Vide equipment or you can use a large cooler fille with hot water. We use an Anova water bath.

Instructions:

1. Heat gallon of milk and half cup dry milk on stove top to 200 degrees for five minutes.
2. Let Cool to 110 degrees.
3. Add yogurt to cooled milk and stir until mixed.
4. Add yogurt to mason jars that have been cleaned and sanitized (dishwasher recommended).
5. Let jars remain at 110 degree temperature four at least four hours to set/culture. We used a sous vide water bath which made it much easier than using a cooler filled with hot water (which we’ve used in the past).
6. Refrigerate and be prepared to eat a lot of yogurt or share with friends and family. Alternatively you can cut the recipe in half.
7. Enjoy! Making your own yogurt cuts cost significantly and it’s easy to do with the right equipment.

02/01/2022

Grounding into the new year. 🙌✨💫Grounding is a way to relieve stress and anxiety by creating space for feelings through distraction and focusing on present moment awareness. One of the easiest ways for me to feel more grounded is to be in nature. I instantly feel more connected and safe with the earth underfoot, the wind or sun on my skin, the sounds of the animals or babbling brook; or the fresh air or smells of nature. My sensitive soul feels wrapped in warm blanket of oneness. I honor, respect and highly value these places where nature is dominant. It is a place where I can return to for healing from a world that sometime feels overstimulating and ‘too much’. However, since it is not practical to be in the woods or on my surfboard or skiing or running or just lying on the beach in all situations, alas, I have other practices to help ground me. Practices that help me in everyday ways. The one pictured here was from a solo adventure to find fir needles. The practice of making the sachet or bringing it with me places and holding it or taking a deep sniff of the balsam fir reminds me of being in the woods and that memory is my distraction. The smell of the needles bring me back to the woods where I feel safe, held, supported and loved. Another practical tool I have is my early morning daily physical practice to connect to my body, mind and soul. ?

24/11/2021

05/11/2021

There is no better time than now to set your children up with the skills, tools, and techniques needed for becoming conscious, compassionate, and emotionally intelligent individuals. Here’s how.

02/09/2021

P e a c e✌🏼H o p e🕊 L o v e♥️. . .

These 3 things. They can be elusive. But find them WITHIN you… and elevate your life. knows what’s up. That’s why he joins me at the barre & on the beach to connect 🦄. SO much of the work I do with is just as much about how you on the inside, as how you look and feel on the outside. Aesthetics & physical strength are nice… But finding happiness & contentment with what you have and who you ARE?… well that is downright priceless. All the abs in the world won’t eliminate the stress and anxiety that can destroy us from within. Rippling muscles won’t protect us from the damage of not loving & valuing ourselves exactly as we are.. even as we aspire to more. We must care for ourselves in mind, body AND spirit. And that takes more consistency and practice than handstands & arm balances. I’m always here for you… every day. Holding your hand, & helping you .. even as I make you sweat 💦, burn 🔥 & define your body. So together, let’s practice self love, self care & enjoying every precious moment of this life 🙏🏻. Find out how my 4 minute “I am” meditations morning & evening can chance your life in just 8min a day. Xoxo Elise

Photo:

18/05/2021

I recently ran a favorite 7 mile moderately strenuous trail loop. It wasn’t just breathtaking but also pain-free. I usually feel a little hip or knee or ankle pain on long(er) hilly terrain but not this time. This could have been for several reasons but I think my strength, stretch and running program has really made the most significance. I really like how the 30 minute strength and stretch compliments (not depletes) so I can run the same day.

I’m using this program to get ready for a trail 14 miler at the end of July but it’s set up to help someone off the couch to 5k. I’m using the strength and stretch portion to keep me strong and flexible but modifying the running schedule so I can combine my own endurance plan with the more mentally challenging shorter runs (25 min intervals, tempo, hitt) with a world class coach via audio on my phone. I really think the variety helps overall.

It’s also helping my confidence in climbing.



👍

Happy trails


&climb

16/02/2021

I’ve recently experienced one of my lowest moments during the pandemic. In part because I got a chest cold (not covid) that knocked me off my feet (literally in bed most of the day). Those close to me know I’m not a good sick person. I don’t like to be down for long. I don’t like the feelings of being less productive or helpful and allowing expectations to relax. A lot of my mental health relies on my physical health. I get a lot of stress relief through physical activity. In this period of time I allowed myself to feel all my sorrows and the sorrows of the world. I can not stay long in this condition as I feel it will swallow me whole. Thank goodness the mind and body are connected and I can also use my mind to help my physical body. To do that I have to listen to podcasts and lectures and read books and reach out or surround myself with those that make me feel good, supported and inspired.

Last night I listened to the Norwich lecture on Grit by Angela Duckworth. Her lecture inspired me. It wasn’t what I expected. I could see why they brought her to support the students during this difficult time. She talked about four things that people can do to increase their grit. “Grit is important because it is a driver of achievement and success, independent of and beyond what talent and intelligence contribute. Being naturally smart and talented are great, but to truly do well and thrive, we need the ability to persevere. Without grit, talent may be nothing more than unmet potential. It is only with effort that talent becomes a skill that leads to success.”(Duckworth 2016).  

She told us to focus on just one of the following things to increase grit:

🙌Develop your interests
💗Deliberate Practice
🙏Cultivate purpose
✨Growth mindset

The one big takeaway for me from this lecture was to not give up just because of a bad day or a bad couple of days or a week or a month. If something is important to you you should stick with it, find a better way, just don’t give up. Don’t give up on yourself. Your worth it. You deserve to be healthy, happy and whole.

Has anyone else read Angela Duckworth’s book, Grit: the power of passion and perseverance?

11/02/2021

Sometimes morning practice looks like this. It’s not about looking a certain way or following a certain plan but instead finding a way to connect to my body, mind and spirit. I’d like to live a long, healthy life and for me that means having the discipline to practice self care. When I wake up in the morning I don’t want to be stuck in yesterday or in my head. I want to live aligned and operating at full potential. I can’t do that if I’m not being honest with myself and I can be honest with myself if I’m not in tune with my body, mind and heart. Once upon a time I saw myself living this life but I could not imagine what that living would look like at the time. ‘Tuning in’ or ‘turning inwards’ or whatever you want to call it is like drinking coffee in the morning for me. Yoga (to me) is not a luxury or a commodity; it is a fundamental practice for a long healthy life. I feel it’s a duty to take care of my body and mind so I can take care of others. Do you feel the same?

10/02/2021

I’ve always been drawn to outdoor adventure and activities; skiing, surfing, rock climbing and trail running to name the top few. There was a time when my fitness level solely revolved around the seasons and the yoga classes I could afford (no complaints). However, it was very challenging to find the same level of activity or time after becoming a mother. Our rotating schedule with sometimes days at a time alone with a new baby is how my morning practice was born. It all began because I needed to find a new way to heal from diastisis, feel good in my body and get fit enough to fully enjoy and be ready for when I could get back to those activities. One thing I’m grateful for is making that time for myself a priority. I really believe that consistency and focus (paying attention to what I’m doing and why I’m doing it) has made my late 30’s the most aligned and unexpected fittest era of my life. My fitness level is no longer tied to anyone else’s schedule or my ability to adventure, but instead enhances the big picture. I know what it’s like to want to find time or the right fit after becoming a new mom. Feel free to DM me if you or anyone you know are in a similar situation or struggling to also find resources that are aligned with your goals. I might be able to help. Thanks for the love 💕

08/02/2021

100 days of gratitude. I am grateful for my morning practice. There was a time when ALL of my exercise centered around outdoor activities and the once a week yoga class. My fitness was at the whim of my work schedule and activity level. That was BEFORE having a child. After having a child my pre-birth fitness and activities were highly desired but felt challenging to even believe possible as a new stay-at-home mom with new schedule and many days in a row on my own with a new baby. I could no longer rely on outdoor finessing alone to get me where I wanted to be, especially since I had a longer way to go abs less time and opportunity. Many of you don’t know this but I had a 9.3oz baby and I needed to find a way to heal from diastisis, feel comfortable again in my body and get fit for my favorite activities. That’s how I started with my morning movement practice. The activity I do ranges from yoga, to resistance, endurance, weight training to race-ready training, depending on what I’m working on and what season it is. However, one thing never changes and that is why I’m doing it. This practice is for myself, it connects me to myself and thus connects me to my purpose and, to me, that is worth gold. I know the feeling of being stuck and wondering how your going to get your endorphins and all the amazing health benefits of regular exercise or just feeling good in your body or getting back to doing all the activities you love. Establishing a consistent personal practice is something I’ve always aspired to do. That ‘ideal’ always felt so far off and dreamy knowing how much resistance I had inside. Even though I knew from years of bodywork training how important it is to take care of ourselves, knowing that alone was not enough to get me in this rhythm. Five years ago I wouldn’t have imagined that my biggest struggle to get fitness in my life after birth has now become my greatest source of strength. If that is something you are also looking to do and are looking for more resources please feel free to reach out and DM me. 💕