LINDSAYGEE.CA

Fitness programs, workouts and so much more to help you keep active, motivated and on track.

The True Gift of Childhood Adoration

By

Her name is Sam. If you ask my daughter she is the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world. She has brown hair, bright red lipstick…and my daughter fell madly in love with her new “sister” from the moment she saw her dance. 

Perhaps I need to tell this story from the very beginning…

Two years ago my kids and a friend of mine and her daughter went on an Alaskan Cruise with Norwegian Cruise Lines. This was our second cruise together and we absolutely love them. The kids’ clubs, the food, the pools, the scenery…it’s really quite amazing. If you haven’t been, you should! And no, I don’t get paid to say that. There are also performances by the dance crew and that was where my daughter first saw the magic that is Sam. She gravitated to Sam on stage and when she had the opportunity to meet her, she was all smiles, hugs and obvious adoration. 

Before we left for the cruise, my daughter had to decide if she wanted to even go this year, because by doing so she would miss her first ever dance recital. I said we could bring her costume and she could do a private recital for us on the ship. She agreed and thought that was a great idea. 

After meeting Sam, she was bound and determined to invite Sam to watch her recital. She drew a picture invitation (she was 4 at the time) and we dropped the invitation off at customer service, just hoping that it would find its way to Sam. I prepped Miss P that the dancers were very busy and that we weren’t even sure if Sam would be able to make it with her busy work schedule. I was fully prepared for tears and disappointment. 

The evening of her recital came and just as we were about to start, Miss P gave a little squeal and I turned around to see the beautiful Sam and her then fiance (now gorgeous husband) Brian coming to watch my daughter perform. It is kind people like Sam & Brian who help me believe that there is goodness and kindness all around. Sam watched Miss P dance, she taught her a few moves and loved and hugged her up. These are moments of pure joy that my daughter got to experience because of someone else and I will never, ever forget them. 

Even better? Miss P received her own drawing invitation from Sam on our cabin door inviting her to the final performance on the Norwegian Pearl. Miss P made it quite well known to Sam that she was there by standing on her chair a few times and waving her big Miss P waves. 

We managed to keep in touch with Sam while she finished her contract with Norwegian and we even got to meet up with Sam & Brian in Victoria on their last port visit before they left the ship to get married. Again, I won’t forget the moments Sam shared with us, as magic simply surrounds my daughter and Sam when they’re together. 

Fast forward two years and here we are. I recently got a message from Sam about filming a short video about customer service and making connections between the staff and the cruise-goers. And, of course, they wanted to do a story on Miss P and Sam. The best part? They decided to fly Sam out to surprise Miss P and spend the day with her. 

The day of the shoot came and Miss P was a bundle of nerves. It’s absolutely nerve-wracking as an adult to sit on a stool in the middle of a room with a mic on, lights glaring and video cameras pointing, nevermind being a 6-year old. But Miss P handled it all A-OK. We had told her that Sam would video call us and that at least she’d get to see her and talk to her on video. She kept saying “I really wish she was here, Mama. Wouldn’t it be so fun if she was here?”. 

Then, the doorbell rang and Miss P went running to the door, as she always does. I followed behind. She opened the door. Then turned to me and whispered, “She’s here.”. And with those two words, my heart exploded and joy filled my soul from the happiness Sam had once again brought to my daughter. Sam and Miss P spent all day together. The picked rocks at the beach, they jumped on the trampoline, they watched the Trolls movie and Sam even got dragged to Miss P’s swimming lessons. All of this in an 8-hour day. 

So, why do I tell you all of this? Because, for me, I wanted to capture these moments for my daughter. I want to teach her that kindness can lead to many wonderful experiences and going above and beyond for someone can change their lives. I’m not sure Sam has any idea of the impact she had not only on my daughter, but on me. There was the opportunity to be “too busy” to come to the recital or meet us in Victoria, but kindness won. And for that, I am beyond grateful. 

Sam, you are magic and wonder and absolute love. Not only through the eyes of my daughter, by through my eyes and with all my heart. The two of you have a special connection and there’s no one I’m more privileged to share my daughter’s adoration with than you. 

I will remember the cruise on the Norwegian Pearl for all my life, because it taught me the power of kindness, of going above and beyond. It made me believe in the magic of childhood adoration and all the possibilities it holds. 

Thank you, Sam. With all I am, thank you. 

A Message to ALL Women Entrepreneurs

By

Being an entrepreneur is difficult. It means your mind doesn’t stop and that you’re constantly thinking “what if I…”, “what if we…”, “I wonder if we could…”. It happens at 3am, it happens in the middle of dinner, it happens in the middle of your kids’ concerts. Your mind just doesn’t stop. A true entrepreneur is always creating, always developing and always thinking, thinking, thinking. 

But, did you know that only about 35% of entrepreneurs today are women? I started wondering why that may be. Is it because we’re only now just starting to stand our ground and speak our minds? Have we just recently found our voice in a sea of men and started to speak loud enough to be heard? Are we finally able to rise about the noise and the words that countless people throw at us and stand tall to forge on?

When I first started Hot Mama I had an advisory board who said I would do “pretty well” because I had “a pretty face an okay idea”. True story.  

Um…excuse me…what? Oh…I see…you men sitting on my advisory board throwing pens at one another when you disagree is a much better way for the business world to grow and change the world, am I getting that straight?

Please tell me you read that previous sentence with extreme sarcasm.  

[Read more…] about A Message to ALL Women Entrepreneurs

For the Love of Valentine’s Day

By

Oh Valentine’s Day. A day so many people choose to despise despite your best efforts to remind people of love. 

Listen, I know Valentine’s day is a “Hallmark” holiday. You don’t need your partner to buy you flowers one day a year. Blah-dee-blah-blah. I get it. I totally get it. And you’re right, your partner should remind you daily that you’re loved. You may not receive flowers or chocolates or little gifties every day, but the words and the actions had best be there more than one day a year. I 100% agree with you.

Even my husband and I husband don’t “celebrate” Valentine’s day (mostly because our birthdays are both less than a week ago and who has that kind of money?!) but you can bet your sweet buns that on this day, when I have crazy schedules and oodles on my brain, the hearts and commercials remind me to take a moment to show him I love him. And yes, I do need reminders. Thank goodness for Valentine’s day.

I’m also reminded to celebrate this day of love with everyone around me. What’s so bad about a day reminding people to tell someone you love them? How can we hate a day like that? I don’t get it.

I see post after post about how ridiculous Valentine’s Day is and I always think “Why?”. Why is this day ridiculous? 

Can’t we all use a reminder to be kind and love one another? During a time of great fear, stress, change and upheavel, isn’t it kind of nice to step back and have love forced down our throats? Even simple reminder of hearts being drawn on cookies or in your coffee, I think it’s nice to see people make an effort to show kindness, love and gratitude. 

Of course it’d be nice if we showed kindness, love and gratitude every day and there are people out there who try to do so. But, there are a lot of people who get bogged down in the stress that is work, Motherhood, deadlines, demands and expectations. So, isn’t it kinda nice to have a day where we can remind people that love is out there and all it takes is a smile, a kind word and, if possible, a super lovey-squeezy, gooey card to remind them of the words we so often forget to say?

You don’t need to buy gifts to make Valentine’s Day special. This day is about love and at the heart of it (get it…heart of it) I choose to accept these messages of love from any and all willing to give them. People tend to go out of their way when they’re reminded to show some love. 

So thank you Valentine’s Day. I don’t need your chocolates or flowers or gifties…I do need your love. And, I appreciate the reminder to step back from my oh-so-busy day and celebrate love and all the people I choose to share my heart with. 

From my heart to yours, I wish you a very Happy Valentine’s Day. I hope you are thoroughly loved all year love (hubba hubba) and feel that love in your heart for the next 365 days. 

With extreme love and gratitude,
Your OHM

It’s Time to Revive Your New Year’s Resolution!

By

It’s February. Dare I ask how those New Year’s Resolutions are going? As you donned your superhero cape on January 1st and stood with your hands on your hips, chest out, face the sky, soul filled with motivation shouting to the world about how you were going to 1) Eat better, 2) Get fit, 3) Drink less, 4) Sleep more…I quietly lifted my wine glass, wished you well…and wrote this post. 

The reality is that by the first week of February between 55 – 68% of people who set a New Year’s Resolution have already kicked it to the curb where it now rocks itself to sleep, sucking its thumb. Poor thing. Did you kick your resolution to the curb? Are you a resolution-kicker?! *Gasp!*

If so, that’s okay. Did you know that by the end of the year only about 8% of people actually follow through with their resolution? Dismal isn’t it?

But hey! Hey, you! It’s not too late. We’re only 4 weeks into the year. Although January felt like it took 6 months and the weird energy of the world affected a lot of us (thanks, Trump), it’s time to rally and get back on track with your goals. 

If you’ve struggled to keep your New Year’s Resolution, or if you didn’t set resolutions and just made goals for yourself for the year, let’s get going and focus on smashing that 92% “failure” rate. Yes? Okay…here’s how:

1) Revisit your resolutions/goals.

I hate to state the obvious, but I will. You need to remember what the heck you decided to achieve this year. A lot of times we get so bogged down with living day to day and just getting through the day, we forget what we decided to accomplish. So, pull out that sheet of paper, that book, that napkin, whatever you wrote your goals on and read them again. Refresh that busy memory of yours. What were your initial resolutiosn/goals?  

2) Reset. 

Reading your initial goals, do they still speak to you? Knowing what you know now, one month later, about how this year is unfolding, do your goals still make sense to you? Do they light you up and motivate you? Inspire you? If they don’t, it’s time to reset your goals and write down new and improved goals that you feel you can and want to accomplish over the next 11 months.

3) Refocus. 

Now that you have some goals written down that inspire you to be successful, you need to refocus. Figure out why you weren’t able to stay the course with your previous resolution/goals and change something. What didn’t work? What was the hurdle? Did you just forget? Did your schedule not work? Figure out what wasn’t working and come up with a plan to ensure that you can be successful. Do you need to plan better, schedule dedicated time, find a friend to drag with you? What will help you focus on your goal and be successful? Focus and plan for your success.

4) Recommit.

New or improved resolution/goal? Check. New plan? Check. New determination? Let’s get there. Commit to your new plan. Reread your goals. Look at your plan of attack and commit to it. Tell someone about it if you need accountability help. Reach out for help and support if you need it. You can find support in a lot of areas, so if support is what you need to commit to your goals…reach out. Set mini-goals for yourself to celebrate and commit to dance parties when you reach them. Recommit to you and your goals. I know, for certain, you’re worth it.

5) Rock it!

Okay party people…writing down new goals, refocusing, recommiting, well that’s the easy part, isn’t it? But, your success will be based on your actions. So, your goals better have some fun aspects that you’re excited about because it’s time for you to rock your resolutions/goals. It’s time to put your cape back on, strike your superhero pose, take a deep breath, believe in yourself…and GET TO WORK! It’s time to rock your resolutions! 

Go on…go and rock it! Follow the five steps above and you can, absolutely, be successful. You got this! Reach out if you need help. I’m here…cheering you on. Always. 

 

 

Words Matter. #SCREWSKINNY

By

Welcome to Screw Skinny. Screw Skinny is not about body shaming, it’s not about putting others down, it’s about embracing our bodies no matter the shape, size, weight, wiggly-ness, jiggly-ness. It’s about choosing to love the areas that used to make us cringe, or even…despise. It’s about acknowledging that our bodies are amazing, strong, capable and that the numbers on the scale DO NOT define us.

Screw Skinny is about banning the word “skinny”. In a world full of unachievable images and messages of bodies to strive for, I don’t want my daughter growing up to be a word. Screw Skinny is about flipping the bird at the word and at the scale and not only accepting our bodies the way they are, but embracing, loving and celebrating them.

You are NOT defined by the numbers on the scale. You get to define you, your strength, your power, your health, your fitness. YOU. Nothing and nobody else.

We’ve definitely started some conversations with people who think we are shaming thin people. Trust me when I tell you we are NOT. It’s the opposite. We want you to love your body no matter what. Thin, curvy, voluptuous, ripped, squishy, stretch-marked, saggy…all of it. It’s time to embrace ourselves. I’ve received message after message from people thanking me for the video and telling me their story of being bullied because of being thin, being overweight, being muscled. It’s saddening and maddening. It’s a battle I’ll fight for anyone and everyone who isn’t yet ready to fight for themselves. 

Now, creating a video is all well and good but we need to do more. So, along with the videos, Hot Mama has created an 8-week Screw Skinny Strength & Empower Program.

What is that? Good question. The Strength & Empower Program is an in-person class offered by Hot Mama’s Franchise Owners. Each week you will learn a new way to workout that will leave you feeling strong and empowered. How? Education, baby. If you know why you’re working out a certain way, it helps you on your health and fitness journey. So yes, each week you’ll get a Hot Mama butt kick like only we do. 

But, that’s just the Strength and fitness part of the program. What about the empower part? Well, it’s time for you to start looking within yourself. It’s time for you to start saying the words “I’m beautiful. I’m strong. I’m capable”. So, every week you’re going to be given homework to do. Some homework will be hard and will make you really look within yourself to find the words of gratitude and self-love. Other weeks you’ll soar through the homework and scream from the rooftop (literally) how amazing you are. 

The body awareness and self-love homework you’ll receive is the integral part of our Strength & Empower Program. We will set goals, we will make you look in the mirror and say positive words, we will break down the barriers of body-loathing and challenge you to accept you for you. We will celebrate others. Our Strength & Empower Program is not just another fitness class. It’s a fitness class that is going to push you physically and mentally. It’s time to figure out how to love your body and celebrate it. It’s not about just saying the words “I love my body”, it’s about believing them, owning them and celebrating them. 

And how else would we end an 8-week journey that will build your strength, endurance, power and love of your body but with a Screw Skinny Scale Bash Celebration! Oh yeah we are. At the end of the 8-weeks we are organizing a Scale Bashing party! We’ll provide the sledgehammer and the safety goggles…you provide the scale to bash. Why? Because it feels DAMN GOOD to smash the scale. It feels amazing when you are no longer tied to defining your self-worth by numbers on that damn scale. And there is no better feeling than taking a sledgehammer to something that used to have some serious power over you. See ya later, scale. BAM! 

REGISTER today at your local franchise. Space is limited, so connect with your local Main Mama and SIGN UP to be a part of this! You’ll receive the strength, support and love of your fellow Hot Mamas in your own FB Group. You’ll be inspired, empowered and loved. Oh…and we’ll make you sweat. Oh yes we will. 

Have no fear, if there’s no franchise near you, we’re working on an online version for you. But…that won’t be released for a few months. So, you’ll need to hang tight on that. 

Alright, Mamas. Join me, won’t you? Let’s take our power back. Let’s love our bodies. Let’s not be defined by numbers on a scale. Let’s get rid of aiming for skinny…join me…help me spread the word that we all need to #SCREWSKINNY.