Hey ! I HIGHLY recommend yoga. I started doing it regularly a few weeks ago and good Lord, it helps so much. First of all, it's my "me" time at the end of the day (on weekdays) or in the morning (on the weekend). I'm a lot more flexible and a lot stronger, especially in my shoulders which are my weak point. If you feel pain in the back, it's also wonderful ! I have a lot of tension there (in my lower back most of the time) from sitting all day long and because I am very anxious. If you want to start with youtube videos, I love "Yoga with Kassandra". She has a very soothing voice and explains how to do the motion correctly in the clearest way possible ! Good luck on your journey

In regards to meditation, one thing I really like is a body scan meditation, they really give you a focus and brings awareness to your whole body. It feels really good. I would start very very small. I think even if you can do a one minute body scan whilst laid in bed in the morning can be a great start. I hope you are able to find the time to fit something in! Thank you again for all this content, im finding it very motivating and like I am on this journey with you!

I highly recommend Move with Nicole KZfaq channel. She’s a pilates/ yoga/ barre instructor, and I really enjoy her workouts. I’ve been doing them for a couple of years now, and her yoga workouts are just as good as what you’ll get in a yoga studio. She also has short workouts for 10-20 minutes, and those are great when I’m feeling lazy and don’t feel like doing anything. Great way to get into an exercise routine! And all her workouts are free.

Hi Alexa! I would recommend Pilates over yoga actually. As someone with a chronic injury, it’s been very helpful. I use the Lindywell App but you can also find her videos on KZfaq many of which are perfect for squeezing in (5, 10, 15 min) The instructor, Robin Long, also has scoliosis and specifically points out the exercises that have helped her with that. The other instructor I really love can also be found on KZfaq and that is Jessica Valant. She is a physical therapist as well so I love that many of her workouts are also aimed at certain issues or conditions. She has more content on KZfaq than Lindywell and again lots of shorter form routines. She also has tons of beginner content and her instruction is very clear. I’m not super coordinated so I find that really helpful 😅

It might also be tricky to find time for in your work and parenting schedule, but there’s one activity that provides meditation, exercise and spine health: it’s swimming! Puts your brain in a whole different state effortlessly, exercises the whole body while supporting it (hence the psychological benefit), and strengthens and lengthens the muscles, including the back muscles.

I started my yoga practice a couple of years ago and I think it's genuinely one of the best things I've ever done for myself, although at this stage of pregnancy I'm struggling to keep it up 😂 total lack of energy... Also, just a note, having watched your videos over the last few weeks (I'm still catching up, watching one each morning to keep me motivated on my no-buy), you seem so much happier and more confident than at the beginning. Might just be because you're getting more comfortable on camera rather than because of your habit changes, or maybe a little of both? But it's lovely to see!

Starting with small habits does work! I never made my bed up until a few years ago and now I do it everyday lol Learning that I can do something imperfectly or just start something for five minutes and then stop if I want to does help motivate me to do more. The problem is when I get out of my routine then I can lose the habit but I bring it back slowly and it usually will come back. I like to stretch every (weekday) morning for just five minutes and I do my best to focus on my breathing during that time so that it counts as meditation time. I do notice how frazzled I feel whenever I miss it like I did today because work started with an emergency (not really an emergency, I work in software so nothing is ever an emergency but people were emailing all morning so I had to log on). It completely ruined my day and I felt overwhelmed all day and could never get my bearings. But it’s a holiday weekend so no need to worry about it now! I’m starting to do a simple meditation every night before bed and I usually imagine myself on vacation (Greece) or somewhere safe (a castle). That has been helping and also I have been practicing progressive muscle relaxation to help me get my anxiety out of my body. It sounds like a lot but over time it will become part of my routine ❤

Hi! Oh my gosh, I'm 56 this year, and I'm getting ready to do my first 5k this fall!🎉 I've never exercised in my life, but I've got really good habits going on. I'm so excited for myself. Great video on habits, I'm working toward that goal. So it was much needed for me to hear. My therapist says "Don't try, do."

If you are finding hard to stick to jogging, you can try different forms of exercises on KZfaq. There are HIIT classes, dance classes, bodyweight exercises, only standing exercises, no jump, etc, etc. They really helped me during the lockdowns. There are even active meditations that you move your body as you wish during the mantras. 😊

Hihi. I’ve been binging your channel. We have a lot in common, and I relate to your reflections. My habit tracker looks very similar to yours. I wanted to recommend Ashtanga yoga, specifically with instructor David Swenson. He has a channel on KZfaq. Its a type of yoga where you do pretty much the same sequence every day. It sounds boring, but i found it helpful because you can feel improvement over time in an obvious way. It’s efficient as it contains elements of cardio, strength's, stretching, and meditation. I think his 30 min routine is a good start. This dude is delightful, and he’s an OG-these videos are from the mid 90s. It’s a different experience from modern social media fitness girlie. But the goal would be to eventually be familiar enough and to do it without the video, at the pace of your own breath.

I’m not into meditation these days, but from my previous experience - 5 min is a hella ambitious goal! I’d cap it at 2 min, but really just one. Baby steps, as you say, but in fact 1-1,5 min is quite enough to try out this really curious head-emptying thing without stealing too much from your precious time-to-decompress. 5 min sounds pro-level to me, just sayin

This channel has become a "check in" for me. I do not shop. But I find your persona very interesting.

I'm also trying to meditate and have found it helpful to have a group sangha online to show up to live instead of playing pre-recorded stuff or doing it solo (for example - East Bay Meditation Center has multiple remote-accessible sessions).

Stretching and yoga is a form of meditation for me. I also have scoliosis and find doing these exercises very beneficial, in addition to some walking😊

These are really good habits! Im trying to get into yoga and guided meditation as well. Everytime I do them, I really do see a lot of benefits! I feel a lot more relaxed, positive and I feel really proud of myself. I really think that if I did them everyday or most days, my life would be a lot better. BUT... for some reason its still super difficult for me to force myself to do it. Which is weird, because its not that hard or time consuming and its obviously beneficial. Im also trying to reduce my coffee intake and drink more matcha instead. I actually like the taste a lot more as well, but it takes a bit more effort to make, so often I just go for coffee. Some other things that Im kind of interested in are morning pages and reading at least a bit everyday. Good luck with the meditation! 😊

❤🌈