Partners Beyond Parenthood

10 | Being a Role Model and fostering healthy habits at home: Drew Griesel’s Holistic Wellness Approach to Parenting and Partnership

August 13, 2024 • Saba Bosuener

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Have you ever wondered how you can show up as the best version of yourself in your busy day-to-day life, knowing that you are your children’s most influential role model?
 
In this episode of Partners Beyond Parenthood, Saba Bosuener welcomes Drew Griesel, a fitness, health, and wellness coach with a background in Krav Maga. Drew shares his journey from self-defense to a holistic approach to wellness, emphasizing the importance of addressing fitness, nutrition, sleep and relationships in his daily habits. 
 
As a father of two young boys, Drew discusses how his wellness practices influence his parenting and offers insights into balancing self-care, partnership, and parenting.
 
Tune in for practical tips on integrating wellness into daily routines and creating a harmonious family life. 

Topics Discussed:

  • Transition from self-defence to holistic wellness
  • Impact of the pandemic on mental and physical health
  • Importance of hydration, exercise, and sleep
  • Balancing priorities: self-care in parenting and partnership
  • Fostering healthy habits in children
  • Drew's 10-week transformation program

Connect with Drew:
https://www.primalwellnesscoaching.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@primalwellnesscoaching
https://www.instagram.com/primal.wellness.coaching/

Head to the Partners Beyond Parenthood YouTube channel for the video version!

Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sababosuener/
 
Join the Partners Beyond Parenthood Facebook group to connect with me and other parents. Share your stories, get tips, and support each other on this parenting adventure!

I'd love to hear what you thought and if you're curious about any topics that you'd like me to explore, you can email me at hello@partnesbeyondparenthood.com.

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Podcast tile and logo design by Jeff Ras:
jeffsras@gmail.com | www.jeffrasdesign.com 


Speaker:

Welcome to Partners Beyond Parenthood, the podcast that helps new parents thrive without losing themselves. I am so excited to have you here with me today and who better to introduce themselves than the one and only,

Speaker 2:

Go ahead, Drew. Yes. Hello Saba and hello everybody. It is nice to be here today. So yes, my name is Drew Grissel and I am a fitness, health and wellness coach. Uh, I have been in the physical activity space for a while, but I actually started in self defense. So I am a Krav Maga instructor and have been for quite a while. Um, but during the pandemic, as happened with many people, I kind of had a shift in focus. I observed people around me with a declining, we'll just say wellness. And so like mental wellness, physical wellness, a lot of people were very negatively impacted by the lockdowns, by not being able to be with, uh, with loved ones and engage in activities that made them happy and gave them fulfillment. So I had a shift from self defense. Initially to fitness. And then from fitness, I realized that people weren't going to achieve their goals without addressing all of these other aspects of their life. So I, I really embrace a whole body wellness. So I look at things like not only physical activity and nutrition, but quality of sleep, look at things like relationships, look at things just like normal everyday life habits that maybe we used to have that we've moved away from as a society that contribute to general health and wellness. So that's kind of on the more professional side of what I do. Um, on the other side, I am a husband and I am a father. I have a five year old boy and I have another boy that will be two in just a couple of weeks. And so I, I kind of got into the health and wellness space. coinciding with my first son turning one year old. So I was able to take all of the things that I was learning and all the things that I was starting to coach my clients on and kind of look at my own life and look at myself as a father, look at myself as a husband, look at my role as a parent and realize that there is so much connectivity between all of the sort of general life optimization things that I'm learning and that I'm now coaching my clients through. Apply very specifically to my own life. And so I've been kind of my own experiment along this journey as well in trying to be the best husband and father that I can be along the way, which is indeed a great experiment for everyone, but using my specific knowledge base that I've been pursuing to, to work towards that.

Speaker:

That's awesome. Thank you so much. Sounds like you do indeed have a very holistic approach. Um, of course, COVID I think kickstarted a lot of different thoughts, a lot of different lifestyle changes for many people seeing it not just impact yourself, but other people as well. You said it coincided with your son turning one. So at that point, obviously, You know, changing things for yourself can also speak volumes and how you're going to be as a father, like you said, and not just a father, but also a partner. I do want to ask, obviously, you said that COVID kind of impacted your choice to kind of go down this route, but was that something that you were interested in before? Or how did you actually make that shift and be like, this is what I'm going to, you know, pursue at this point?

Speaker 2:

So teaching self defense, there's a physical activity component to it, right? We, you know, you get a bit of a workout if you go take a martial arts class. Um, and I had private clients that were taking self defense training from me. And then I had people ask me to help them with fitness because I, I knew something about fitness. And then, As I started to, to do private coaching for people in fitness, I realized that one, there's a lot. I didn't know, like my, my knowledge was very basic when it came to, to fitness, um, to body mechanics, to the inner workings of the human body in regards to how it responds to physical activity. And most people are pursuing fitness because they want some kind of body composition goals, right? They want to build muscle or lose fat. Usually it's one of those two things. And There's a lot more to that than just working out. And so as I started to pursue the knowledge and got my credentials in fitness and nutrition, I realized that there is so much more. And then I started to do research on my own. And I just kind of went down this rabbit hole and realized that if people want to optimize their physique, they, they have to start. Way outside of just exercise. Exercise is really important for so many things, but there's so much more to it than that. And then with the, uh, the self defense studio, it's, it's owned by my best friend and we were, we were fighting tooth and nail to keep it from closing. And

Speaker 3:

yeah.

Speaker 2:

At, at some point that meant we were just leading zoom classes and it's really hard to teach a zoom self defense class.

Speaker 3:

Right.

Speaker 2:

So that kind of, that kind of got me to cross the threshold of teaching workout classes instead of just a self defense class.

Speaker 3:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

And then, you know, you throw in the mix of being a parent and I can see, you know. I'm a new father. My wife is a new mother. Um, I think women have, have a pretty tough gig in, uh, in the entry into, uh, into parenthood. And

Speaker 3:

yeah,

Speaker 2:

I wanted to be the best support person that I could for my wife. And I really didn't know how to do that. And so I just kind of used the, the knowledge that I was gaining on in the wellness space to kind of figure out, okay, well, there are all these things that we do that are good for us physically, but also good for us, you know, mentally and emotionally. And we're both sleep deprived. She's got all the hormonal fluctuations going on. So, you know, what else can I learn that will help her and that will help us. And that will help us to show up better for our son.

Speaker:

How would you say that what you practice now are like essentially what you're coaching on. Translates with your clients and how is it either similar or different to your wife or do you actually use that a lot to You know, kind of design what you make for your clients.

Speaker 2:

So I also learned very quickly that I cannot coach my wife.

Speaker:

Good one.

Speaker 2:

That was a, that was a lesson learned very quickly. Uh, however, however, she is very open to conversation and she is very open to observation. So I love to share my knowledge with her and I love to Demonstrate some of the actions and, uh, and habits that contribute to wellness and kind of just bring it to the household. Um, so that's, that's kind of how I, uh, how I, I bring what I do to my wife. And then of course she, she makes her own decisions about what she wants to, uh, to incorporate or to bring for herself.

Speaker:

And what are the things you think she's observed or, you know, adopted from the conversations you've had that she thinks have been valuable?

Speaker 2:

Well, some of the simple things are just. Staying hydrated, right? It's amazing how much Most people are dehydrated and how being dehydrated can contribute to a lot of things like low energy and brain fog And low immunity and just all of these things that we don't really think would be impacted by just drinking some more fluid

Speaker:

Yeah. Yeah. No, that's true. Even the flow of milk. I know that impacts it a lot as well. So yeah Particularly in the first few months or however long people or women want to breastfeed that definitely impacted as well I know I think I was drinking about four and a half liters. Sorry. I don't do gallons Of water a day, but it's a lot. It's like double of what I would normally drink. Yeah in a day So yeah, I mean that's definitely very important. What is another thing that you say? She's implemented from your general coaching or just from her understanding or seeing what you do That she's found helpful.

Speaker 2:

Well, one thing is and of course we did plenty of research on this to make sure that it was okay But she never stopped exercising. So before she went before she became pregnant she did CrossFit And she was also taking my self defense classes and we, we were very determined to make sure that she was able, that she could continue doing the things that she could continue doing. And she had a very, both times she had a very good pregnancy. Great. And so there were no complications and she was able to continue to take her classes. Like she was, she was taking my self defense classes up until she was eight months pregnant. It was, it was, it was almost funny. Seeing her, her big old belly and hit and kick some people. But, uh,

Speaker:

Right. I'm very impressed with that. Um, I actually did CrossFit as well throughout my entire pregnancy. Um, so that's awesome. Uh, it was tough. I think by month seven, I definitely started slowing down a lot.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. Oh yeah. There were, there were, I mean, particularly as the pregnancy increased, right. Yeah. Yeah. Some things that She couldn't do or that it wasn't safe for her.

Speaker:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. But she kept showing up and she kept moving. And part of how I could contribute to that was one, encouraging her into just making sure that I created an environment where she was able to continue doing that. Right.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And then it's, it's kind of laughable to say this, but prioritizing sleep. So

Speaker:

it's not laughable. It's so well,

Speaker 2:

it's, it's, it is important, but as a new parent, it's laughable because you really don't have much control over that. Um,

Speaker:

how did you guys navigate that? Like in the first few months? Cause those are, I mean, it really depends on the baby, but often the first two months can be quite, you know, tricky because they just need to feed so often.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. And my wife did breastfeed for a year or so with both kids and. for me as much as I couldn't support that, you know, I tried to support everything around that. So if the kid wakes up, I, I'm the one that goes and gets the baby and brings her the baby. She feeds the baby when she's done. I put the baby back. Um, sometimes putting the baby back is a long process because they

Speaker:

Yeah. Yeah. Not wanting

Speaker 2:

to go

Speaker:

back. Yeah. Being very comfortable on the boob essentially. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. And so, and then I take the morning. So, you know, once the, the household wakes up in the morning, I, you know, now both boys and kind of get them what they need in the morning and get them situated until she wakes up.

Speaker 3:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

And so for me, it was, it was taking as much as I could from what she had to do. Yeah. Cool.

Speaker 3:

To

Speaker 2:

give her those extra moments of sleep because, as you said, sleep is, is vastly important. It's a huge wellness thing that is free and that, uh, that a lot of people overlook. It's just, it's kind of the, the quintessential hack to, uh, to have better health.

Speaker:

Right. And like you said, so many people either miss it or don't incorporate it well enough into their lives. But yes, I see what you mean. It's laughable as new parents, but it definitely, it gets better. Also, depending on, you know, how you want to do it. I know we sleep trained our baby and for us, that was. The best thing we did. Now we have a very, you know, regular routine and while sleep is, it's never consistent, I'm not going to say my baby goes to bed at a certain time and wakes up like clockwork. No, that's not the case. They're babies. They have needs. You always check, but it's given us a little bit more predictability to understand and actually like take back, you know, sleep and like kind of the core of where everything else can build on top of, um, did you also do sleep training?

Speaker 2:

We did. Yeah, we did sleep training. So we did, uh, we signed up for a program for our first son and we did that and it worked well. Um, I discovered that he is very. adaptable in about a three day period. So usually it takes three days of trying to do something different for him. And then he adapts very quickly. Uh, so we, we did sleep training for him and it went very well and you know, he's five now and it has its ups and downs and sometimes he comes out of it and needs attention in the middle of the night, every night for weeks. And then, you know, he starts sleeping through the night again. And so it's a, it's a bit of a rollercoaster, but for the most part it was successful. And then same thing for the little one. Um, he sleeps pretty well.

Speaker:

I mean, I think it's important for people to hear that, you know, sleep training, obviously like it solves many problems, but it's not like 100 percent every single night. If you have that baby, amazing. I haven't heard of that baby yet. Um, but yeah, no, I, I know for in our case, it was really helpful. Um, how do you think your perspective changed on the father that you thought you would be and the father that you are or have become?

Speaker 2:

Well, you had to ask me that question. So I Always thought I was the most calm and patient person in the world like before I became a father I mean, I I couldn't remember the last time I got really upset.

Speaker 3:

I

Speaker 2:

never yelled at anybody. That's just not who I am Um, my, my kids test me every single day and it's, it's silly things. And it's, I have to, I have to rein myself in all the time. And it's not that I have a temper. It's just, you know, sometimes you're like, Hey, it's time for your bath. And then you're like, Hey, it's time for your bath. And then you're like, Hey, it's time for your bath. And 30 minutes later, you're still trying to get them into the bathtub. I'm just like, what am I doing wrong?

Speaker:

So nothing, but

Speaker 2:

yeah, so it's, uh, it's, it's a lot different in that it's a constant test of my ability to, uh, observe my own behavior and make sure that I'm showing up in the way that I want to show up. And I always, I always think back to this one moment. Um, so it was my first trip to Japan. I was staying with this, um, family that owns a traditional hotel over there and have, uh, a daughter. She was three at the time. And she was very grouchy in the mornings. She didn't want to eat her breakfast and he would just smile and he would talk to her very gently and soothingly and get her to eat every single morning. I didn't know what they were saying, um, but I just, for, for whatever. And I was, I was a long way from being a father at that time. I hadn't even met my wife yet. Um, but for, for whatever reason that just stuck with me. And I think back to that moment when I'm in moments of, of extreme frustration and the father's name was Masa and I'm just like, just be Masa,

Speaker:

the mantra, just,

Speaker 2:

yeah, just find your peace and, and, you know, be calm through the frustration.

Speaker:

To confirm from what I've understood, it's essentially the level of patience. You thought you would perhaps have a little bit more patience than you do, which again, I'm, I know a lot of people struggle with that, right? It's super difficult when you're literally thinking like, are we speaking the same language?

Speaker 2:

I, exactly. And I, I, Just thought, you know, in my life, people do things that frustrate me, adults, and it's very easy for me to just be like, that's fine. It's either it's out of my control, so I'm just going to get over it very quickly, or I'm going to come up with a logical solution to this, and we're going to do that, and it's going to be fine. Like, that's kind of my approach to things as an adult, but with children, children that I have a responsibility for. It's, uh, I don't get to do that. I don't get to just be like, okay, I'm just going to walk away from this in many cases because my kid needs to take his bath because he's dirty. I don't want him to go to bed super dirty. Um, or eat food because my kid, my older kid just doesn't like to eat. So if we convince him to eat food for every single meal, he would probably just eat it. Naughty. So the the patience that I thought was just there inherently for every interaction that I have Gets sapped much more quickly as a parent and that was surprising for me

Speaker:

And do you think that that has changed from when they were essentially like newborn kind of infant? Towards the toddler stage

Speaker 2:

it evolves. So just as they are evolving the ways in which I'm trying to figure out how to deal with certain aspects of their personality also has to evolve, so.

Speaker:

Yeah, no, that's fair. I mean, thank God everything evolves, right? Imagine staying stuck in some of those, but.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, and. You know, I, I will say I am pretty good at pulling myself back thinking of Masa with his daughter Kokoro, who is now 17 and actually spent the summer with us last year. Oh,

Speaker:

awesome.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. Um, but, uh, also being able to just take moments to appreciate all of the things that I do appreciate about them. So even when my older son is frustrating me about something, to just take a moment. Take a moment and think about all of the things that I absolutely adore about him. And there are so many, and it's very easy for me to, to do that.

Speaker:

Right. Sounds like you're integrating a lot of your wellness or holistic, you know, well being, um, into this parenting role. Um, obviously you yourself as a coach will also have evolved, have developed, um, within the years, cause it's been a few now. What are things that you've additionally integrated into your life that you've learned from your coaching that you've implemented for yourself, um, that you've seen that have helped you as a parent?

Speaker 2:

The biggest one is finding things that keep my energy up throughout the day. When my first son was born, I went from not drinking any caffeine to drinking a lot of caffeine. Um,

Speaker 3:

okay.

Speaker 2:

Kind of carry myself through the day because I had never in my life navigated the waters of that kind of sleep disruption. Um, and so I relied on caffeine. And so some of the wellness practices that I implement with my clients that I've also brought to myself have, Are specific to creating kind of a continuous energy throughout the day. So like we already talked about, one of them is hydration.

Speaker 3:

Another

Speaker 2:

one is exercise, right? I mean, exercise for me is a no brainer, but for a lot of people, it's just like, you know, I don't have time. Well, make time 10 minutes. You can find 10 minutes somewhere because even 10 minutes of movement is going to get those hormones going and get your mind going. And it's going to create it. Energy that's going to last you for a certain amount of time. Um, so having regular exercise actually by, uh, I didn't even come up with this, but a friend of mine three years ago came up with, we're going to do a hundred burpees every day. Um, so for three years, I've been doing a hundred burpees every day.

Speaker:

Wow. Power to you. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So that, that keeps me moving. Sometimes I do them all at once and sometimes I spread them out throughout the day, but it's just a great way for me to have accountability to move my body.

Speaker 3:

Um,

Speaker 2:

and then also walking. So. Just taking walks, even if it's a five minute walk, just getting up and moving, right? So

Speaker 3:

yeah

Speaker 2:

doing these things that contribute to having a kind of a constant flow of energy. Also diet's huge in it. And I could spend an entire podcast talking about how to eat for energy, but just know that it's possible to eat for energy and eat in a way that supports your body, not kind of crashing after you eat, but instead having a nice steady flow of energy when you want it. So just trying to do all of these little things and stack them on top of each other that create a more constant state of energy, because when I'm, when I'm tired, I don't show up well for anyone.

Speaker:

Yeah. Again, back to sleep, right? The importance of sleep. Um, and I'd like to go a little bit, uh, into the relationship you have with your wife. Obviously it seems like you're doing a lot of things to be a great role model for your kids. Um, just by the whole wellbeing aspect of it. How do you, how much time are you able to spend with your wife?

Speaker 2:

Not enough as it turns out. Okay. But I, I'm very. Particular about how I structure my day to ensure that we at least do have some time So my wife does not wake up early. So my mornings are for me This is the only time I get for me, which is also very important for me and my mental health. I need my me time um Once the kids wake up, which is usually somewhere between 630 and seven in the morning. Um, I take care of the kids until my wife gets up, then she takes over, we go to work, kids go to preschool, and we kind of tag team getting them home and dinner and all that. So we're together as a family in the late afternoon, early evening, but we're not spending time together in the, uh, in the married couple sense. Right. We're not, we're not talking to each other about our day very much, or if we do, it's, it's greatly interrupted.

Speaker 3:

Ahem.

Speaker 2:

Once the kids go to bed, that's our us time. So that time I reserved for her and I used to be that I would try to use that time to get a last workout in or go on the sauna or get some work done. And now none of all of that moved to the morning or somewhere else. So the time from when we finally get the kids to bed and when we go to bed is, is for us.

Speaker:

How many hours is that roughly?

Speaker 2:

It depends on the day and whether or not we've, uh, we've been good about following the timeline for bedtime and whether the older one actually stayed in bed. Um, Ideally it's a couple hours, more like an hour is probably our average. So, you know, an hour a day is not very much. It's better than zero.

Speaker:

It is, I guess. It sounds like you guys are, are making it very intentional to spend at least, you know, even if it's just an hour together as partners and, um, you've moved it now to the mornings. I imagine that came perhaps from a point where you had to discuss that that needed to change just to make sure that you had more time for one another or how did that come about?

Speaker 2:

Um, honestly, it just kind of came about organically. Um, I'm, I'm very structured in my time. And I just, I came to a realization at one point that we weren't taking time just to be able to talk to each other, even if it's just to catch up on our day or strategize on some things. And now my wife is, is delving into entrepreneurship. And so, you know, we talk a lot about, um, her efforts there. Um, but it, it was just a realization that came to me at one point that there didn't have dedicated time. It wasn't scheduled in and I'm all about scheduling things in or else they just don't work. They don't happen. And do you feel that

Speaker:

that has helped your connection with her? Even if it is so short in the evenings,

Speaker 2:

it

Speaker:

has,

Speaker 2:

it absolutely has. In fact, sometimes we even get a date night. Um, so my, uh, my, my mother is very good about, um, offering to help out when she can. And so every couple of weeks she'll take the kids for an afternoon and evening and we will get to actually go have dinner somewhere and really talk to each other.

Speaker:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah,

Speaker:

I mean, that's so necessary. Like just getting out of that zone and, you know, being you too, again, you have to be so intentional about what you speak about. Otherwise, it's so easy to just fall back and talk about your kids or, you know, kind of what needs to be done. Um, so no, that, that's great. And also great that you have family nearby to help out with that. Right. Um, so one thing you mentioned earlier is also that you kind of organically shifted, um, you know, the time that you used to take yourself from the evening to the morning. Um, and here's a question I do generally like to ask. I've heard. Okay. Different things from people. But, um, in terms of priorities, how would you say you prioritize three things, yourself, your partner and your kids on a scale from one to three?

Speaker 2:

Oh, I got a stack rank, huh?

Speaker:

Oh

Speaker 2:

boy. That's a hard one. So here's and here's where my, where I find the challenge in answering that. My, um, My love and, and my desire to, to, uh, care for anyone is extended to my children and my wife above all others. But I also am a strong believer that if I don't care for myself first, that I cannot effectively show up for them. And so I guess at the risk of sounding extremely selfish, I'm going to put myself on top and then my kids, because they need that guidance and then my wife.

Speaker:

In all honesty, I hear very different things from, and here I have to say, I think it's also very much how people, um, define what a priority is. Right. I do think it's extremely important to prioritize yourself because if you yourself are not going to Well, if you're not physically able, mentally sane, which, you know, with hormones and everything that happens after, if you're not taking care of yourself, how are you going to successfully care for someone else? So in terms of actually prioritizing yourself, I think a lot of people default to saying, I don't prioritize myself because they're scared of what other people will say or think.

Speaker 2:

Right. Yeah, I mean, I just said that, right? At the risk of, of judgment and sounding selfish, I prioritize myself. But, I do that in the spirit of being able to effectively, uh, show up for others. So, hopefully that No, I Raises the scales there.

Speaker:

No, I mean, and I think it's important that when you do that or you do prioritize that, right. Or you say that that's what it is that, you know, the intention there is to show up as a better person. And from the get go, that's what you've said is important to you. Right. So I think it's also a good reflection of understanding that that priority of choosing, choosing yourself, um, is, is really important. It's, and really helpful to be that father, the partner, et cetera. Cause again, if you hadn't chosen the things that are important to you, you May likely not have shifted the evening hours that you were putting in for work to the morning because you were like, you know what? I'm putting myself first because I can change around that time for my own self. But then I have the evenings to actually connect with my wife. That's super important to me. I'm trying to put myself, but also my relationship first, et cetera, and like make time to go out on date nights, et cetera. So again, you guys can be strong as a unit. Which in turn is a cycle for your kids, right? So, um, in a way, I'm actually kind of grateful you answered this way. Just because I think a lot more people can, um, learn from it. I know as mothers, when I've asked this question, everyone just like, you know, mothers usually put themselves last. I know I've done this. And when I reflect on my day to day, I. I see that that kind of happens and it's not necessarily always healthy, right? Like, and I think there's that danger that you start losing yourself, right? And this is kind of what my podcast is also about to kind of help parents thrive and realize that they don't have to lose their self or sense of self. And a lot of that starts by prioritizing themselves.

Speaker 2:

And honestly, one of, one of my biggest struggles as a partner in this endeavor of Parenthood with my wife is to encourage her to prioritize herself. You know, she she Is an amazing person. Um, and she Her mother is her role model and her mother Would put herself behind 50 people to make sure that they're taken care of before she takes care of herself She's getting better now that she's a grandma, but, uh, throughout life as, as the, the mother role model, um, that was, that was how it was. And that was normal, right? Like you said, that's, that's still normal. People do that. And, and so that's kind of the default and I'll, I'll just share like in, in the early days of parenthood for my wife and I, there was a couple of times that I was just like, okay, you need a break. And so I would book her a hotel room somewhere nearby. And be like, you're, you're just going to go away for a couple of days. You know, you're going to be down the road. You're not going to be far, but you know, I'm sending you and your sister to this hotel to just go relax for a weekend and, you know, sleep when you can. And, and even that with permission, right? For her to leave.

Speaker:

Right. I was going to ask how, how was that? Yeah.

Speaker 2:

The first time I tried it, I got in trouble. Um, but she went

Speaker:

and

Speaker 2:

she was like, okay, this was good.

Speaker:

Right, yeah,

Speaker 2:

but it really took that push.

Speaker:

Mm hmm.

Speaker 2:

Honestly, sometimes it still takes that push but

Speaker:

As a mother, I can say it definitely does. First time away from my baby was super tough. Um, and I think really having that kind of encouraged encouragement or, you know, that push from your partner, the people who love you dearly, who just want the best for you, kind of hearing that from them and seeing it come from them is usually almost a lot more. Accepted because if not, you kind of feel this guilt. Like how can I choose to be away? Right. Whereas if the push is it's, it's external, it almost becomes a little bit easier to digest and perhaps take up on that opportunity to actually just take that moment for yourself, which is super helpful.

Speaker 2:

It is. And it's important. And that was where, you know, I, I kind of had to find this, this delicate approach, right. It was saying, I need you to prioritize yourself so that you can show it better for us.

Speaker:

Right.

Speaker 2:

Um, Because when, when you are constantly sleep deprived and low energy and don't have time to care for yourself, then that impacts, like I said, for myself, how we show up every day.

Speaker:

Yeah, no, that's awesome. I love that you did that again. Testament showing just how much you care for your partner, your family, being a great role model and making sure that everybody is healthy. Reflects back on the work that you're doing or, you know, trying to do for people to just be a wellness coach, uh, in every aspect. That's amazing that you essentially practice what you preach.

Speaker 2:

I try, I try. And I mean, a new 10 week transformation program that I'm kind of beta testing right now.

Speaker:

Tell me a little bit more about it. Is this virtual, is it in person? How, if someone's interested in it, how could they find out more about it?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's virtual. It's just a, it's a self paced program. It's an online program. So you just go sign up and there's a whole curriculum and it takes you through it. It's 10 week transformation program broken down into three phases. Um, essentially within each phase we introduce several wellness types of habits or activities. Um, so when you get started, it's simple things like taking a very, very short cold shower, um, because cold, cold water therapy has amazing health benefits physically and mentally. Um, it's things like acknowledging the rising of the sun on the start of the day, because that has impacted. Yeah. Uh, hormonal impact on the body. Um, things like achieving as you're drinking your water, uh, a moderate level of hydration, um, some moderate amount of steps per day and just simple things like that. So it starts out kind of easy, although everyone hates the cold showers and then it builds on it. So week by week, the quantity 40 seconds and then a minute. Um, it's, it's building in more activities to your morning. So instead of just going outside and acknowledging the sun is up, it's building in some gratitude, building in some breath work. Um, and then in the second phase, we add in some things like, um, specific focus around dietary intake. It's not, it's not a diet, but just some specific focus. We build in a eating window. So kind of an intermittent fasting type of protocol, um, little bits of exercise. It's not an exercise program either, but we do build in little bits of exercise

Speaker 3:

and

Speaker 2:

various other things that we. We stack in throughout the day. So it's not like it's okay. So you need two hours a day to do this. No, you just need a couple of minutes here and a couple of minutes there and a couple of minutes there, sprinkled throughout the day. Um, and we start out manageable and we increase them week by week until they become, you know, that they're most beneficial, um, whatever it is. So I think the cold shower, I can't remember. I think it ends at like three or four minutes.

Speaker 3:

It's actually

Speaker 2:

kind of pleasant, but in the winter time, or if I go off somewhere where it's cold, then it's not nice at all. Um,

Speaker:

yeah, I bet.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. Try it. Try it.

Speaker:

Well, we actually just installed a cold plunge. Um, we did. I have a cold plunge

Speaker 2:

right over here in the corner.

Speaker:

Yeah. I mean, my husband has been talking, well, not talking about it. We've done it quite regularly. Um, and we've seen the benefits. We've, we've, You know, read about the benefits so much so that we're like, okay, we're ready to take that step and actually get one. a personal one. Uh, so we're very happy we did that. So, um, that said, I can also absolutely say I completely agree. Uh, cold showers in general, that's what we started with. We've been doing that for many years and now that's the next step. But, um, in general, your program sounds very accessible, which I think is super important, right? There's a lot of boot camps and there's a lot of different programs out there, but it really sounds like this is something that people can ease into. I say ease lightly, but, um, no, that's, I think accessibility is so important for many people, right? Like, The amount of time that they can put in and then just build on it gradually. Like you said, that sounds, um, really great. I'll make sure to add that in the show notes, just to link that for the people that are interested. Um, no, I just want to

Speaker 2:

throw a, throw a quick comment in since, because of the demographic of your listeners, if there are any lactating mothers out there, don't go all the way into the cold plunge. Because there is a, a condition where if you are lactating and you get your nipples into the water, it can be absolutely agonizing for hours and hours and hours.

Speaker:

This is very interesting that you mentioned that. I have been looking for someone who could tell me more about cold plunging while breastfeeding. Um, cause I did it while breastfeeding.

Speaker 2:

Did you? Did did.

Speaker:

I went all the way into the tragus nerve. Okay. Bye bye. Bye bye. Bye bye. I did, but I wasn't breastfeeding that frequently. Um, I think we were down to Maybe twice a day. So like kind of in the morning and evening and I perhaps do it in the afternoon somewhere Um, I guess also time like whatever feels right for you is what i've heard I don't think unfortunately, there's enough science backed evidence to kind of say what's right. What's wrong I personally didn't have any issues in terms of the flow or the pain Yeah, um, but that said it is good that you say that because i'm sure you know a lot more than I do So I would definitely take that into consideration Um, Um, because that might not be the case for everyone, right? Like it's an

Speaker 2:

actual condition and I, it, the name of it escapes me off the top of my head, but it is an actual condition. And, um, it actually happened to my wife and it was, it was agonizing for her overnight. So an entire night, you know, okay. Well, I think sleep for an entire night. She, uh, she was, she was in agony. And, uh, yeah,

Speaker:

wow. I mean, I can't imagine what that's like, but for those listening, don't go all the way in,

Speaker 2:

see what

Speaker:

feels right though. But it worked for you.

Speaker 2:

So not necessarily, maybe not everyone gets impacted, but just be mindful, just know that that's a risk.

Speaker:

I think, yeah, cold plunging is, I think, just at the beginning, kind of, of its popularity, right? Like, more and more people are speaking about it. I'm guessing you've also followed Wim Hof, um, with all the information that he has. It's also something that was instigated by my husband. Uh, which I'm really grateful for because he's, um, you know, always looking for, I guess, a lot of little biohacks. Um, that was one of them. Um, and just different kinds of meditation. But, um, I love the fact that. That's also something that you, I guess, incorporate in certain ways to your program, because there are just so many different hacks that people don't know about, and won't necessarily try unless they join programs such as the

Speaker 2:

likes of yours. And the main, the main idea with my program is one, like, these are, simple hacks, but they're incredible, especially when you stack them. So by the end of the program, you're doing kind of 12 different things. Right.

Speaker:

So they essentially become habits, right?

Speaker 2:

Become habits. So that's the idea is that, okay, it's a 10 week transformation, but you're not supposed to stop doing it on the 10th week, right? You're supposed to say, okay, this is my life now. You know, maybe, maybe because these are habits, I can take some days off here and there. And that's, that will be fine because I'll go back to it because it's now a habit, right? That's the idea. Um,

Speaker:

and I think that's exactly what you speak a lot about, right? That, you know, this kind of like wellbeing, it's not just like, uh, you put it in here and there, but like, it's a lifestyle, it's, it's a change that needs to happen to continuously feel that way. It's not just going to be like, okay, for two weeks or for 10 weeks, I'm going to do this. And then my life has changed. No, it's a habit that you need to integrate and really incorporate to your life. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And the thing that is, if I'm tooting my own horn, the thing I like about my program is that everything in it, other than I have sauna as an optional activity, because not everyone has access to a sauna, but other than that. Everything in it is free. Nothing, nothing in it costs money. It doesn't cost money. You don't have to buy a cold plunge because you can take a cold shower. It doesn't cost money to walk outside and observe the sun. It doesn't cost money to walk. Yes. There's a step requirement. So you need a pedometer to track your steps, but you can, most people already have one in their phone or in their watch. Um, you could buy a cheap one on Amazon for 10 bucks. So for the most part. It's just, it's, it's things that you can just do.

Speaker:

Yeah. And I mean, if someone's serious about, you know, wanting that change, like I think there, these mini investments are so worthwhile because that's just, I mean, it's very likely a small investment from the get go is going to help you in the long run in terms of your health care, right? Which, In general, you're trying to prevent stuff as much as you can and not just get there and like have more of a reactive thing, but be very proactive. So that's, that's awesome. Um, so now that we've spoken about that, there's one thing I'd like to circle back to, which is family, kids in particular, and being a role model. How do you think your kids, like you're obviously you do a lot of activities that are very healthy, right? Um, how do you think you're seeing that within your kids? Thanks.

Speaker 2:

Well, even though my oldest son doesn't like to eat food, Um, he could live his life on, um, potato chips. He probably would. But, he still asks me when we're, when we're getting ready for meals, he asks me about protein. Because one of our biggest struggles with him is to getting, getting him to eat enough protein. And, but he actually asked, he's like, okay, Dada, does this have protein in it? So I'm like, all right, that's cool. He cares about protein.

Speaker:

Right.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. I mean,

Speaker:

the knowledge is so important.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. And that's

Speaker:

awesome.

Speaker 2:

As much as It is, um, distracting and disruptive. I do exercise and do some of my, um, stretching and mobility routines with my kids around or my kids in the room with me, because I want them to see it. I want them to see it as just a normal thing that someone does.

Speaker:

How would you say, does your wife also participate in some of the stretching or some of these things? Cause I guess having a father as a role model for one thing is, you know, a son is like, you look up to your dad, but how, or what does your wife do in those instances?

Speaker 2:

So she takes classes. So she doesn't do much of it at home. So she, she goes out to like these, uh, yoga classes where they do like weightlifting with yoga. Um, she does CrossFit as well. So they know that mama's going to the gym. Um, Okay. And they know what that means. So they see that as well. Um, but also my, my kid will watch me get in the cold plant. She won't go in. I can only get him to stick his hand in. Right. Yeah. That's fine. He's fine. But he sees it, right? He sees that it's uncomfortable and he sees me doing it. Um, we go for walks now and I, so I have tried to, uh, I try to get a morning walk in before the kids wake up. Um, and I do, I stack in a lot of my morning stuff. So as I'm walking, I acknowledge the rising of the sun, the start of a new day. I, I express some gratitude into the world and, um, I might throw on a weight vest. So I get some, you know, a little bit better exercise while I'm doing it. But a couple of times he woke up early. And I was like, okay, well, you want to go on a walk with me? And so I pull him in the wagon

Speaker 3:

and

Speaker 2:

now, now when he wakes up, he wants to go on the walk with me. He's not walking, but he's still out there with me and, and we'll do gratitude together. I'll ask him what he's grateful for.

Speaker:

Aw, that's so nice. I can only imagine that will have a long lasting impact on your son. Well, both sons. Eventually. And well, I'm sure he'll be waiting for that walk and gratitude session. So let me not hold you back. Thank you so much for being here and sharing your journey as a father, partner, and wellness coach today. I wish you all the best with your new 10 week program and incorporating these great habits to model them for your family.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. I appreciate that Saba. And, and, you know, I talk health and wellness all the time, but I don't always get to talk parenting and parenting for me is, has become a My life's passion because, you know, all I can hope for is that my, my boys grow up to be amazing people. And so that's, that's my work now. Thank you so much.

Speaker:

Thank you so much for tuning in and sticking around to the end. I hope you enjoyed this conversation. If you've just watched and enjoyed this video, I'd be so grateful for a like. And if you'd hit the subscribe button with your support, I'll be able to invite bigger guests and provide more value. If you're listening to the audio only, make sure to follow this podcast to get tips on parenting and partnership and hear inspiring stories from other parents as well. See you next week.