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    Royan Bartley

June 1, 2023

Positivity on Low Battery: Boosting Energy and Optimism When Tired

Being positive when you’re tired can be challenging, but it is possible with a few strategies:

Practice Self-Compassion: Acknowledge that it’s okay to feel tired and give yourself permission to rest and recharge. Treat yourself with kindness and understanding, rather than adding self-judgment or negativity to your exhaustion.  You wouldn’t judge your phone for needing to be recharged after a full day’s use, so give yourself some grace too!

Shift Your Focus: Redirect your attention to positive aspects of your life or the tasks at hand. Remind yourself of the progress you’ve made and the goals you’re working towards. Find small moments of joy and gratitude, even in the midst of fatigue.  Anything that makes you smile!

Practice Mindfulness: Engage in mindfulness techniques to bring yourself to the present moment. Pay attention to your breath, sensations, and surroundings. Let go of worries about the past or future, and embrace the present with a positive mindset.  Everything is more difficult when you’re tired and that’s ok.

Seek Inspiration: Surround yourself with uplifting content or engage in activities that inspire you. Listen to motivational podcasts, read inspiring books, or watch videos that energize and uplift your spirits. Expose yourself to positive influences that help counteract fatigue.  Listen to your favorite music.

Take Breaks and Recharge: Incorporate short breaks into your routine to rest and rejuvenate. Use these breaks to engage in activities that replenish your energy and bring you joy, such as going for a walk, practicing a hobby, or simply taking a few moments to relax and unwind.  This is a perfect time to hydrate too!

Practice Self-Care: Prioritize self-care activities that support your well-being, even when tired. This can include getting enough sleep, eating nutritious meals, staying hydrated, and engaging in gentle exercise. Taking care of your physical health can positively impact your mental and emotional state.  So often we put our health aside and, honestly, good health is one of our greatest wealths.

Lean on Support: Reach out to supportive friends, family members, or colleagues when you’re feeling tired. Share your feelings and experiences, and allow them to provide encouragement and understanding. Sometimes, a listening ear or a few kind words can boost your positivity.  Surround yourself with friends that remind you to give yourself grace.

Set Realistic Expectations: Adjust your expectations and be kind to yourself when you’re tired. Recognize that you may not be able to accomplish everything at your usual pace and that it’s okay to prioritize self-care and rest when needed. Set realistic goals and focus on progress rather than perfection.  Break goals into smaller, more manageable bits.

Remember, being positive while tired requires self-awareness and intentional effort. By incorporating these strategies into your routine, you can maintain a positive mindset even when fatigue sets in, ultimately supporting your overall well-being and resilience.

May 5, 2023

20 states, 5800 miles, time with family – priceless!

Life is all about balance.  From time to time, one of our Hybrid team members takes time away to recharge their batteries.  We’ve enjoyed hearing about Brandon in Egypt and Cathy in Nepal!  Last month, I took a three week drive across half the country to celebrate my Mom’s 80th birthday!  Here are a few highlights of our adventure state by state.

  1. Maine – Fielder’s Choice ice cream before it started snowing & before we left the state for awhile!  Mainers love their ice cream!
  2. New Hampshire – isolated wicked snow storm then Polly’s Pancake Parlor for a delicious breakfast! 
  3. Vermont – temps went from 58 degrees to 70 in less than 5 minutes!  Lots of covered bridges & snacking on yummy aged cheddar cheese!
  4. New York – HOT!  80 degrees, thunder, lightning, heavy rain & winds but the hail missed us!
  5. Pennsylvania – some highway, some back roads & popped out in …
  6. Maryland – found the perfect crab shack with crab soup, crab dip on delicious french fries, huge crab cakes, and soft shell crab sandwiches!
  7. Virginia – Saw my cousin that we haven’t seen since he was just a kid.  It was nice to chat & just pick up where we left off!
  8. North Carolina – Had delicious NC BBQ with my Aunt, then a quick hello to a cousin, her son & their famous dog Leo.  Spent a warm summery day walking the NC Zoo.  Had coffee with a friend from grammar school that we haven’t seen since 1987!  Drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway to our next state…
  9. Tennessee – Spent the day in Chattanooga, went up Lookout Mountain on the funicular and toured The Hunter Museum of American Art!
  10. Popped into Georgia for a few minutes, back to Tennessee, then on to…
  11. Alabama – Stayed in Rocket City, Huntsville.  Saw Eggbeater Jesus & a rocket!
  12. Mississippi – found the birthplace of Elvis and drove the Natchez Trace Parkway for a couple of days.  Unfortunately we saw a bit of tornado damage here from 6 days earlier. Toured the civil war cemetery at Vicksburg and was reminded of another time our country was divided.
  13. Louisiana – Drove through & saw the capitol, Baton Rouge.  On to the gulf.  Had a DELICIOUS meal at a food truck.  It was a restaurant until a hurricane took it out in 2015, they rebuilt, then another hurricane took them out again in 2020.  They are temporarily working out of a food truck, making delicious seafood and making the best of their situation.  Took a ferry over to…
  14. Texas!  Drove down to Galveston, then on down to Corpus Christi & Padre Island for a couple of days.  Up to San Marcos to see a niece and her pups, over to Lockhart (the BBQ capitol) for delicious brisket, Bastrop & Round Rock to see two of Neal’s brothers & our sister-in-law.  Had delicious pecan goodies from Bastrop and lots more wonderful BBQ and brisket.
  15. Popped over to drive through the forests of Oklahoma on our way to
  16. Arkansas – Beautiful wildflowers, green rolling hills – baby calves everywhere!  Back to Tennessee for our third time to hit Memphis & Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken.  Unfortunately, more tornado damage from a few days prior was witnessed going through Covington, TN on our way to …
  17. Kentucky – Saw Mom’s sister & another cousin!  Had delicious homemade lasagna & carrot cake with family.  Got Mom a hot brown on our way across the rolling horse and cow farms of Kentucky.
  18. Winded through West Virginia – stopped to finish up our delicious leftovers!  Made our way back to Maryland, then Pennsylvania.
  19. Our 19th state was a stop in Connecticut to see more family and drop in on Neal’s grammar school friend doing a blues gig.  He got the whole bar singing happy birthday to my Mom and she became the night’s celebrity!
  20. Massachusetts was our 20th state to hit.  Neal whipped us off the road at the Johnny Appleseed rest area to see New England’s largest apple!  Back through New Hampshire, then on to Maine.  We finished the trip at my Dad’s favorite restaurant, Billy’s Chowder House in Wells, Maine.  They opened in 1979 and we’ve been going there since the early 80’s.

20 states, about 5,800, lots of laughs, reconnecting with family & friends, delicious local foods, time with Mom – priceless!

March 14, 2023

I once wondered….

I have the unique position of being a long-time member of Hybrid Fitness as well as a team member of Hybrid Fitness.  I am thinking back to things that I once wondered about.  

Is this right for me?  Choosing to focus on being healthier is always a good choice because what we focus on is what we get more of.  Focusing on good health helps us with more good health!  

Do I have time for this?  Time is one thing we cannot get more of but we can take a look at how we are currently spending our time & make our decisions accordingly.  Is how you are spending your time now in alignment with where you want to be in the future? 

What if I can’t do the exercise?  This was me to a tee.  I got winded quickly, had bad knees, and a slipped disk in my back.  I couldn’t do squats & had to be careful with my back.  Hybrid was perfect for me because of the professionally trained coaches that knew how to tell me to do each exercise correctly or which exercises to do instead.  It snuck up on me, but as I got stronger, I could do squats and other exercises I couldn’t do at the beginning!

Can I afford this?  Hindsight is 20/20 and I realize now that battling cancer is way more expensive (mentally & physically) than Hybrid rates plus it’s a lot more fun, you get coached by caring professionals, the workouts are designed for you, and everyone wants you to succeed.  I walk in & do what I’m told – lol!  

I don’t know anybody.  Will I fit in?  Your gym time is what you focus on, what you want it to be.  It can be solitary, quiet time or it can become a group of friends-fun-time or anywhere in between!  We’ve had more than one instance of members meeting, dating, & getting married!  We’ve had many instances of best-friend relationships formed.  It’s a judgement-free zone & you make it what you want to make it – with a smile, you’ll fit in just fine!

No question, I’m biased!  Hybrid is now deeply entwined in my life.  It’s my family, passion, and career & I couldn’t have imagined any of this when I had all of these questions back in 2018!

February 15, 2023

Mr Watson, come here, I want to see you

Perhaps, we should take a different look at changing our behaviors.  What if we look at it like a designer?  What if we think in design iterations? 

Let’s take the telephone as an example.  The first telephone didn’t look at all like the telephones we carry around today.  You sat at it.  It had a huge drum like thing, a needle & wires.  What if, after that first iteration, designers gave up.  What if they said ‘it’s been a month, that’s the best we’ll get’ or ‘I can’t do any better, this is how the telephone will always be’.   

If that’s too much to imagine, imagine still only having the first generation iphone from 2007.  What if Apple said ‘that’s it, we’ve done enough.  That’s the best it’ll be.  Enjoy your iphone.’  

That would be CRAZY! 

We wouldn’t have wireless phones capable of running businesses, taking pictures, playing music, making phone calls, keeping schedules, assisting with tasks, translating, providing directions, reviews, social contact, ….   The list goes on and on and the capabilities are increasing with every iteration. 

I hope there’s an aha moment here for you….  What if you start thinking of your life and your behavior change as something to be designed?  Something to be worked on, tested, improved upon?  If something doesn’t work, it’s back to the drawing board to make a tweak versus throwing up your hands and completely giving up!  

When you start to think in baby step iterations, guess what?  Your thoughts of failing fade away because it is no longer black and white (success or failure).  Now you’re thinking like a designer…  ‘we want this, what steps can we take to do it?…  ‘we’re here & we want this better.  what can we do to get this better?’   ‘Ah, that didn’t work….  What else can we do to get this better?….’   There are no failures unless we stop trying.  There are just iteration improvements; like going from one iphone version to the next!

I encourage you to start thinking of your health journey like a designer!  Our coaches here at Hybrid are ready with many tools to help you design your way to your health goals!