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#PushingForAwareness – Update on Our Campaign to Raise Awareness for Childhood Mental Illness

June 10, 2019 By Lindsay Gee 2 Comments

We’re over halfway through our campaign to raise awareness for childhood mental illness and we’re still pushing away. Today is Day 30 of 50 and we’ve completed 50 pushups every single day so far.

Here’s a little background on #PushingForAwareness:

My son battles severe panic disorder, generalized anxiety, social anxiety and depression. He’s 10 years old and he’s been battling for a good 4 years now. Over the past year (before psychiatric diagnosis), he had to battle harder than I’ve seen anyone battle for anything.

After being on multiple waitlists and months and months of asking “Can I get help today, Mom?”, he was finally seen by a psychiatrist and diagnosed with his mental illnesses. He was prescribed medication to help him battle and he’s been rockin’ his meds for six weeks now.

We have great days and we have terrible days, but at the end of each day, I know he’s getting better. Although the hard days are extremely exhausting and heart-crushing, the good days are more frequent and help to restore our energy and our broken hearts.

While we were trying to get my son help, I found a serious lack of resources. No, that’s untrue. There are loads of resources, but I had no idea where to look. I had no idea how to help my son and I truly didn’t want to simply take advice from Dr. Google. This was my son we were talking about, he deserved real medical help.

I also found that supporting my son through the dark, dark times was extremely lonely. I often felt judged, alone and terrified. I didn’t know where to turn to get support. I was unaware of the resources available to families fighting for a loved one with mental illness.

But, we fought daily and while we fought, I found my son wanted to talk about what was happening to him and learn as much as he could about his brain. I also discovered his desire to educate.

One of the cool things about my son is that he is very, very open about his mental illness. If you want to talk to him about it, all you have to do is ask. He also loves to educate people on it. His teammates, his coaches, our family, his friends, etc. He wants people to understand what mental illness can look like and wants people to not be scared of it. He wants people to talk about childhood mental illness.

So, we created #PushingForAwarness to not only raise funds for organizations dedicated to raising awareness for mental illness but more importantly, to ensure the conversations about childhood mental illness are happening. We committed to 50 pushups for 50 days to help raise funds to support organizations we love that help kids and their families battle mental illness.

The Update:

As of today, we’re on Day 30 of 50 and we’ve crushed 50 pushups for 30 days. The goal is to continue on for 20 more days. We have raised over $3000 so far, but we have a ways to go to meet our goal of $5000.

Day 7 – #PushingForAwareness

We’ve done pushups at baseball practice, in the early morning, late at night, and this weekend, with the Victoria HarbourCats.

We’ve also talked and talked and talked about childhood mental illness and I’ve gone Live on Facebook almost daily with current stats on people battling mental illness around the world and the lack of funding, support and knowledge.

I’ve been criticized for being so open about my son’s illness but I find that one of the most empowering pieces of feedback. I ask for my son’s approval for every piece I write and he approves all of it. If he terrifies others by being so open, then I think we’re doing something right. People are scared that he talks about this so openly.

Let them be terrified. We will continue to talk. And me…I will continue to be the most proud of all the Mama Bears out there.

I’m beyond proud of my son for the effort he puts in every day with this campaign. He’s inspired so many. And, he supports others raising awareness for mental illlness. This past weekend, we met up with an Oak Bay Councilor who rode a stationary bike to promote Ride, Don’t Hide. It was great for my son to see that others are also working hard to raise awareness and funds for mental illness.

He’s the reason elementary school kids started randomly doing pushups on the playground and having a conversation about childhood mental illness. He’s the reason I’m writing the scary truth about mental illness day after day after day. He’s the reason so many people have donated to our campaign, or become fundraisers themselves.

He’s the reason for all of this and is kicking some serious ass.

We have 20 days left. 20 days to raise another $2000. 20 days to do 1000 more pushups. 20 days to talk and talk and talk and talk about childhood mental illness.

But…if you think we’ll be quiet about it after the campaign is done…you’re wrong. We’ll continue to talk. I hope you will, too.

Where does the money raised from #PushingForAwareness go?

As we’ve gone through the campaign, we’ve found four organizations that support mental illness and feel are a good fit.

They are:

Buddy Check for Jesse
Head & Heart SK
Stigma-Free Society
FamilySmart

Once the campaign is finished, Owen will decide how much money will go to each organization and present his donations to each. I can’t wait for that.

There’s the update, my friends.

1500 pushups done. 30 days. $3320 raised.

All to support and initiate conversations about childhood mental illness.

If you’d like to donate, please CLICK HERE. We’d appreciate any and all donations. Any amount helps and we’d be incredibly grateful to you for your support.

And please…share this campaign on your social. Please help us keep the conversations going and the donations coming in.

Thank you for your support, your kinds words and all the love you’ve sent us along the way. My son continues to battle daily and I stand beside him, sword drawn, battling his demons for him on the days he can’t. I’m proud to do it. I’m honoured to do it. But, he’s the real hero. He overcomes daily. He fights harder and has more grit and determination than any adult I know. He’s the coolest 10-year-old out there…and he’s the reason this campaign is going so well.

Thank you. Truly. Thank you for all of your support. xo

Filed Under: A Word About Family, Evolution of Parenting, Uncategorized Tagged With: #pushingforawareness, Childhood anxiety, childhood depression, childhood mental health, childhood mental illness, fueled life, lindsay gee

Cardio Workout: Lindsay Gee’s Super Sweat Sesh!

June 9, 2019 By Lindsay Gee Leave a Comment

I’ve wanted to create a killer cardio workout for you all for awhile now and I figure why not start the week off with a great workout?! So…I created the “Lindsay Gee’s Super Sweat Sesh”.

You’re welcome!

What do you need? Well, first and foremost, you’re going to want to get into the right frame of mind. Meaning, I want you to mentall prepare for a really good, quick, down and dirty sweat sesh!

The workout is 24 minutes long, not including your warm-up and cool-down.

Choose a piece of cardio equipment to conquer this workout, OR, fi you’re able to, take it outside on a road bike or while you run.

When I write “ON”, I mean that I want you working at a “9” on your Rate of Perceived Exertion scale. 1 being at home in bed, sleeping. 10 being maximal effort. So a level of “9” is just below your maximum effort and should be very uncomfortable. You should not be able to hold a conversation at a level 9.

When I write “OFF”, I mean active recovery. Please do not completely stop your feet and flop to the ground. Hop off the treadmill but keep your feet moving. Or, if you’re on a bike, cycle your legs uuuuuuber slowly. Recover. Your next set needs you back at a 9, so give your body a chance to recover and your mind a chance to recover and prepare for the next interval.

Are you ready?

Here’s the workout:

Fun, right? YAY!

Are you going to give it a whirl? I’d recommend writing the timings out for yourself and sticking them in a place that you can see clearly. If you’re out on a run or an outdoor cycle, set your intervals on an app and get to work. I like Interval Timer for these types of workouts.

Let me know if you try this! I’d love to hear how it goes for you! YAY! Sweaty fun

Filed Under: Let's Workout, Uncategorized Tagged With: cardio workout, fueled life, lindsay gee

5 Days Of Health & Fitness Tips: Day FOUR – Self-Care

June 6, 2019 By Lindsay Gee 2 Comments

We all know self-care is important. It’s such a huge buzz word(s??) and I’m sure you’ve seen post after post about how important it is. You’re important, so you need time to do things to fill up your energy and love bucket (haha…that could be dirty…love bucket) and take time for you.

You know that. I know that. We both know that. But, most of us aren’t doing it.

Why?

Time and guilt, I think. At least that’s what it is for me. Time and guilt. Life is scheduled up the wazoo (yes, wazoo) and finding time to take care of me seems daunting. Then, I always think “I could be doing this with the kids, they’d love this”…and then I spend time feeling guilty I’m not sharing the experience.

Some of you may not feel like that and I bow down to you. Truly.

I was trying to think of a good tip for self-care for this post while driving in my car with my son yesterday and he was playing DJ. He turned on Steve Miller Band’s “Take the Money and Run“(linked there for you, click it and listen while you read this post!). My son started smiling immediately and bopping his shoulders (not dancing, he “doesn’t dance”) and said, “This is the song Daddy plays when he makes pancakes”. He was immediately taken to that moment and was happy. I thought, “Holy smokes, music is a powerful tool” and told him that any time he hears that song forever in his life now, he’ll think of his daddy making him pancakes.

And, it’s true.

Aren’t there songs that take you back to a moment in time and make you smile and remember the good?

So, my self-care tip today isn’t a tip at all, it’s an idea.

Put together a playlist (for you super cool 40+-year-olds…it’s mixtape time, baby!) filled with songs that bring on a strong, happy, positive response. Not sad and hard moments, only songs that remind you of your youth and happy times.

Think about the songs you heard as your played Midnight Ghost Hour until the street lights came on. The songs your parent(s) played on road trips. The song your Mom played while baking cookies. Or making pancakes. Go waaaaay back. Then, work your way through the years. Songs from elementary school. Middle school. The song you had your first slow dance to. The song you heard at a beautiful moment in your life…maybe your wedding song.

Who knows…but go back in your life and think of the moments and the songs that trigger joy and happiness. Add them all to your playlist.

Have it at the ready. Call it something fun. I think I’ll call mine Lindsay’s Happy Happy Joy Joy Mix. Play this playlist any time you’re feeling a little blue, stressed or simply need an energy boost. I hope you’ll do this, it really is fun to reminisce and put it together. And that is the self-care practice…the benefit is you’ll have a bombass playlist that brings true joy to you.

Oh, and feel free to edit and switch out songs as you remeber them. Or, if you add a song but when it comes on it, if it doesn’t elicit a happy memory or joy, get rid of it! Add and edit until you have the best mix ever.

I’d love to hear what song is your number one song on your list. Mine is Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks. Oh yeah, I’m a country girl and my Daddy and I scooted around the dance floor to that song at my wedding wearing trucker hats and smiling up a storm.

Ah…I will remember it always. Thank you, music.

Filed Under: A Word About Health & Fitness, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: fueled life, lindsay gee, self-care idea, self-care tip

5 Days Of Health & Fitness Tips: Day THREE – Hydration

June 5, 2019 By Lindsay Gee 3 Comments

Put down the margarita and wine glasses and let’s talk hydration. That means fluid entering your body to help you maintain hydration levels, not dehydrate them. That’s right, we’re talking water, not wine. Sorry, my friends.

Did you know:

Often times when you’re feeling hungry, you’re actually dehydrated? Yup, signals can get a little crossed, so if you’re ravenous but it’s not meal or snack time, have yourself a glass of water and see how you feel in a few minutes.

Did you know:

75% of Americans (I know I’m Canadian, but apparently we don’t do hydration stats up here in Canada) are chronically dehydrated. Although most people are taking in the required amount of water to maintain hydration, caffeine, alcohol and sodium intake offset hydration leaving you parched, thirsty and dehydrated. Bummer.

Did you know:

There’s a simple way to see if you’re dehydrated? It’s called the pinch test. Simply use your pointer finger and thumb and pinch the back of your opposite hand. If the skin bounces back quickly, you’re a-ok! If it takes a while to settle back into place…GO DRINK YOUR WATER, YO.

Do it. Right now. You’re doing it, right? So…how’d you do. Want some water?

*Not a medical test, obviously, but it’s a quick way for you test assess how you’re doing, hydration-wise”.

Hydration is so important and I don’t think a lot of people understand just how important it is. Dehydration causes fatigue, foggy memory, irritability, increased feelings of anxiety and is one of the most common risks for kidney stones.

Being hydrated, on the other hand, clears your mind, may help boost your metabolism and helps with focus, energy and overall physical performance. Yay water!

With all that being said:

Lindsay’s TOP TIP for hydration:

Get a jug that measures 3L. Fill it each morning and ensure it’s empty by the end of your beautiful day. You don’t need to carry 3L of water around (though some do), it’s a little heavy. I keep mine in the fridge and pour it into a smaller water bottle throughout the day.

Add frozen fruit for natural flavor if you find water to be boring. Or add lemon and mint and let it sit overnight. Seriously yummy.

Having a physical reminder of how much water you need to drink it great. It will help keep you on track and if you get a bottle like I have, there are friendly little reminders about how awesome you are for being a hydrating superstar!

THIS is the bottle I like to use:

There ya go! I mean, I can’t make hydration super sexy, but I can reiterate how incredibly important it is and provide you with an idea to help ensure you’re hydrated.

Get yourself a fancy water botter and get drinkin’! Water. Drink water. Not wine. No…not wine. NOT. WINE.

You’re welcome. xo

Filed Under: A Word About Health & Fitness, Health & Fitness, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: at-home fitness, boost your metabolism, fitness tips, fueled life, hydration tips, lindsay gee, water intake, ways to boost your metabolism

5 Days Of Health & Fitness Tips: Day ONE – Working Out

June 3, 2019 By Lindsay Gee 1 Comment

I get asked a lot what my top tips are for health and fitness and it’s really hard to come up with one or two, particularly because there are so many categories of health and fitness. Workouts, nutrition, hydration, self-care, sleep, routine, community, metabolism…and that’s just a few.

Over the next five days I’m going to give you my top tips for the following categories: working out, nutrition, hydration (drink your water, yo), self-care and a Follower’s Q&A.

Lindsay’s TOP TIP for Working Out:

Aside from ensuring you’re meeting the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology’s recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity per day, my top tip for working out is: Exercise all systems.

What the heck does “exercise all systems mean”?

In the body, there are oodles of systems. For example, you not only have a cardio system and a muscular system, within THOSE systems you have little mini-systems. Squeee…I love this shit.

I’m going to keep this as simple as possible, so if you’re an expert in this field, move along – I’m going uber basic.

When you train cardio, there are numerous systems you need to train. Aerobic, anaerobic lactic and anaerobic alactic are some of them. You need to use different types of workouts to train a particular system.

Still with me?

For example, if you’re sweating through a low and slow workout, you’re training your aerobic system – good for everyday life and gives you a good baseline aerobic fitness which helps you get through the day with less fatigue. If you’re sweating through a 45-second interval workout, you’re training your anaerobic lactic system – good for boosting your metabolism and helping with weight loss.

Don’t even get me started on the numerous systems involved in strength training! YOW! Did I mention I LOVE this stuff?!

Mix it up, baby. Mix up your workouts and keep it spicy. Keep your body guessing. You don’t necessarily need to understand what each workout is designed to do (though at a baseline level it’d help, you don’t need to know the cellular physiology), but you do need to know the more you mix it up, the more systems you train.

The more systems you train, the more well-rounded of a fitness-goer you’re going to be. Ultimately, I know you want results and mixing it up and training multiple systems helps you achieve the results you desire.

Think about it. Have you ever gotten into a really good routine, say jogging, where you feel strong and healthy and fit? Then, your friend asks you to come to a spin class and you almost die? Yeah…it’s called cross-training and the entire purpose of cross-training is to mix it up. “Shock” your system, so to speak.

Don’t get complacent in your fitness. Keep changing things, adding things, trying new things. Keep mixing it up and keep your body on its toes…literally and figuratively.

Train run day…I died. #crosstrainingisouchy

Yeah…train all your systems, that’s absolutely my #1 Top Tip for working out.

If you’re unsure where to begin, talk to me! I’d love to book a call and chat with you about your goals. We can also work together and create a program to help you achieve those goals!

Tomorow’s top tip will be all about nutrition. So, stay tuned. If you have a question about health and fitness that you’d like me to answer, drop it in the comments below – maybe yours will be the question answered on Day Five.

Filed Under: A Word About Health & Fitness, Tips & Tricks, Uncategorized Tagged With: at-home fitness, cross training, fitness tips, fueled life, lindsay gee, working out tips

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About Lindsay

Lindsay is a health warrior, passionate about supporting others to find their best life and filling her days with a business she loves, a community of women she cherishes and a family she loves with her entire heart and soul. Read more...

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