the blog
Here you’ll find simple tips, tricks, advice, and encouragement that help you live an intentional life. I also believe that intentionality in one area spills over into others, and I hope these posts will help you with not only your health and fitness, but also intentional living in other areas as well.
Seek Truth and Declare War
As I was helping my youngest get a dress on she stated with a smile on her face, “Now I’m beautiful!” I said, “Yes! But you were beautiful BEFORE you put the dress on. You are beautiful in whatever you wear, all the time!” And she simply smiled at me and we moved on. But […]
Fall Footwear Favorites
Earlier this year I shared a round-up of comfy and cute sandals for summer, and I thought it would be fun to share some shoes that I think meet this category for fall as well! As a PT, I’ve always been passionate about quality footwear b/c having well-supported feet not only makes our feet feel […]
Festive Fall Oatmeal Cream Pies🍁
I’ve had this recipe pinned for years, and I FINALLY made it a couple of weeks ago. It’s quintessential fall if you are into that sorta thing, 😉 it’s actually pretty simple, and it doesn’t make a huge batch, so you won’t be left with tons of leftovers, especially if you have 5 kids like […]
4 things to talk to your OB about before delivery
Have you ever wished in hindsight that you would have talked to your provider about something before it happened, or found out you had options but you weren’t aware of them? Over the years, I’ve seen hundreds of postpartum women and heard their birth stories. I’m also trained in intrapartum care, so I have the […]
The Single Habit that Changed My Life
I’m sure most people can think of times in their lives that felt like a low, hard spot. If you haven’t, you may just need to live a little longer. 🙂 We aren’t ever promised a life without hardship. Though I can point to a few times in my life that certainly felt like low […]
A Reflection on Year 2!
TWO YEARS! My last “baby” is already two years old, and just like a child turning two, it’s hard to believe where the time went! A business baby is similar to a real baby in that it can cause some sleepless nights, lots of wondering “what do I do now?” and also many awesome, sweet, […]
Back to School: Rhythms and Systems
Who else looks forward to back-to-school to get back into a more normal rhythm and schedule? 🙋🏼♀️I know I’m not the only one – I’ve heard it from several moms as well. There is something wonderful about the relaxed nature of summer, but I also believe that schedules help everyone function better. My E1 personality […]
Do You Believe Margin Matters?
Do you rest well? Are you intentional about leaving margin in your day or week? I will admit…I’m not, and I’m guessing you are similar b/c we live in a world of B.U.S.Y. I’m not great at leaving space or even minutes unfilled in my day or in my planner. Whenever I drop one thing […]
The Truth about Pregnancy Weight Gain
Did you love or hate being pregnant? Did you struggle with the weight gain associated with pregnancy? I’ve shared it in the past, but I definitely did not love pregnancy. In my earlier pregnancies, I’d work out hard and starve myself the day of my appts to be lighter on the scale. I know..ridiculous, but […]
Back To School: Pre-Teen Clothing
Starting last year, it’s been a challenge to find clothes that are appropriate for a not yet teen but not young girl. Clothing sizes tend to span sizes 6-14 in the exact same style, which can look inappropriate if you fall at either end of the spectrum. In general, shorts are short and shirts are […]
Navigating Goal Setting with Pre-Teens
I feel like more than ever, Todd and I are constantly aware of the changing seasons in our family. With our oldest being 12 and entered 7th grade, and our youngest just turning 3, we feel the changing tides. For what felt like FOREVER…we were having and raising babies and toddlers. For 11.5 years I […]
A Friday Favorite: Fiesta Bean Dip
Sharing one of my favorite summer recipes today that serves a crowd! This has been a favorite Rowenhorst family recipe that I received from Todd’s aunt, and I make it multiple times per summer, especially if we’re getting together with friends. It honestly lasts for several days in the fridge and works great with your […]
Five Rhythms of Rest We’ve Implemented
Sharing today the Five ways Todd and I have implemented rhythms of rest into our lives this past year, and HOW they have helped our family, health, and marriage! Todd and I both own our own businesses and can have tendencies of workaholism, meaning it’s hard for us to turn off our work brains and […]
Switching It Up: Birthing Positions
What position did you give birth in? If you’re like 60-70% of women, you gave birth on your back. Why is this the most common birthing position? It’s the one most preferred by providers. It’s the position they’re most familiar with and have a great visual of what’s going on. 🤰🏼 Why isn’t it the […]
Summer Sandal Round Up
Who can identify with this: summer shoe shopping meant dropping by Old Navy to pick up a pair or two of colored flip flops and living in them all summer long! 🩴 Maybe you still do? Does Old Navy still make those cheap flip-flops in every color under the sun? I obviously haven’t checked recently!😀 […]
The (not so pretty) Story Behind our VRBO Lake Cottage
I’ve shared bits and pieces about our Lake Cottage on SM as we spend time there, but I thought it would be fun to share our story from the beginning as it certainly was not what we expected! Back in May of 2019, I started getting a wild hair. Todd and I have both ALWAYS […]
My Journey to Freedom During Postpartum Weight Loss
Having 5 kids in 9 years is not easy on a body. My body has carried, nourished, and grown 5 full-term babies. It has stretched and been worn thin. It has given birth vaginally 5 times, been torn, been cut, and also…it has recovered. I’ve recovered from chronic back pain. I’ve recovered full pelvic floor […]
My Go-To Summer Treat!
Aren’t s’mores the iconic treat of the summer season? 😋 Sharing today my go-to summer treat to bring to a gathering that will have everyone asking for the recipe, but will also be the easiest thing you make. If you are new around here, I’m all about fueling my body with nutrition that helps me […]
Have you Been Wondering if You’re Enough?
Have you lived under the lie of feeling like you’re “not enough” as a mom? As a young mom who was a striving perfectionist and wanted to be excellent at everything I did, I always fell short of what I thought I should be. It didn’t matter how much or how little I worked, what […]
What you really should know about returning to running postpartum
I was the anxious mom counting down the days until my 6-week postpartum visit so that I could start running again. I was the mom pushing her baby down the road in the new jogging stroller trying to prove to myself that my body WOULD “go back to normal” like I hadn’t just pushed a […]
Let’s Talk about the Postpartum Body
How did you feel about your body when you looked in the mirror after giving birth? Did you feel strong and empowered? Did you rejoice in the goodness of what your body had done (regardless of how you gave birth)? Did you feel disappointed? Did you feel shocked by what you saw? I think we […]
How I’m teaching my kids to take their thoughts captive.
As a 37-year-old woman, I’m in the thick of training my mind. For most of my life, my thoughts ruled my mind. True or not, I allowed them to take up space and become my beliefs. Now as an adult, I’m learning how to actually control my mind and it’s not always an easy process! […]
Changing Your Thoughts on Nutrition
How’s your relationship with food? This is something I used to feel so much shame over. For years I didn’t want to share that I had food issues. And then once I started sharing, I realized that I’m not alone. Our relationship with food is complicated. Food is necessary. We need it to survive. There’s […]
Why You Can’t Balance it All
How many of you often feel like you’re walking a tightrope with 10 clumsy hats on? There is SO much advice on balance – balancing all the roles we have as moms, wives, business owners, leaders, and all the things you’ve been called to do. Goodness, you could read 100 different books on it, and […]
How I Implement Family Systems
At the beginning of the New Year, I knew I needed to give my home life an overhaul. 2020 was quite the year for all of us, and though there was also GOOD in 2020 and so many ways I saw God work, I knew that God was calling me to less so that I […]
The Honest Truth about the Body
In physical therapy school, I spent a lot of time in a sports bra. Sometime during the first week, the professor had us all line up in two rows facing each other, shoulder to shoulder, and analyze the person across from us. It felt awkward, and yet it was a good training tool. The body […]
My Top Favorites: Modest, Cute, & Quality Swimwear
I might be a women’s health PT who speaks some truth, but I’m also a girl who enjoys girly things. I used to think ALL care for outward things – fashion, make-up, decor, etc. was just plain worldly and selfish and was vain to talk or think about. I felt guilty that I actually inwardly […]
You’re Not Meant To Belong💕
Have you heard the phrase…Little Kids, Little Problems, Big Kids, Bigger Problems? As a mom of five who currently has kids age 2 -12, I get this on a deeper level. I stand smack dab in the middle of raising my 5th toddler (hello fits over EVERY. SINGLE. THING) and trying REALLY hard not to […]
Dutch Delights: Almond Cake Recipe
There are several things the Dutch do well – they are the royalty of cleanliness, they have a strong work ethic…and they know their sugary treats. 😉 Most dutch women know a thing or two about making a big pan of bars to feed a crowd, and it makes me sad that some of you […]
3 Exercises for Getting Back into Running!
When I was 5 wks postpartum with my first baby, I started running again. It did not feel great, but my mind was obsessed with losing the baby weight & the only way I knew was to run. I hadn’t done any core work, I just started. For so much of my life an easy […]
Three Ways to Incorporate FUNCTION, CORE, and BALANCE into your workouts!
I love an exercise that’s a good multi-tasker and these lunges certainly fit the bill! They incorporate three things I’m passionate about: 1. Function – lunges are about as functional as you can get. How many times do you lunge during the day without even thinking about it? It might not look like a perfect […]
Secrets to Maintaining A Healthy Lifestyle
Things I (and those I know & respect) DON’T do to maintain a healthy lifestyle: Count calories, macros, carb cycling, or fast for most of the day. Try out the latest diet that “so & so” lost 20# in 3 weeks Pay for expensive supplements, shakes, or meal replacements that are advertised as “necessary” for […]
Why Growth and Pride Can’t Walk Together
Growth and Pride don’t walk together – If you want to grow in any area of your life, you need to lay down your pride. In my own life, my biggest times of growth have occurred when I laid down my pride: Taking a class that is FAR outside of my comfort zone OR taking […]
That Time I Healed my Relationship with Oatmeal
In college, I ate oatmeal 1-2x/day. I had a cafeteria plan, so it’s not like there was a lack of food, but let me tell you why: Because I thought it filled me up for the least amount of calories. And it’s actually really sad. I’d go to the cafeteria, pour myself a HALF serving […]
7 things I’ve Learned about a Healthy Marriage
7 things I’ve learned about a healthy marriage in 17 years: Communication can’t be more highly prioritized. TALK. ABOUT. IT. Talk about your concerns, your finances, your needs, your schedules, your disagreements, your hurts, your frustrations. Stuffing and ignoring help ZERO percent of the time. ZERO. It might feel like a decent band-aid but that […]
My top 3 tips to Raising Kids who have a Healthy Relationship with Food
Let’s talk about raising kids who have a healthy relationship with food… First of all, can I say that I am not an expert in this area? But whether you are like me and you have a history of a poor relationship with food, or you have never had issues, I think this is a […]
Creating Order from Chaos!
Does your home feel like chaos? Mine did. It still often does. And I believe occasional chaos/busyness is a part of life. I have 5 kids. Our house is loud and busy, our minutes filled to the brim with very few outside pleasures. But I was convicted for the past 6 months that we […]
A Message that will Change the World✨
The other day I sat in a course on sexual dysfunction. The instructor was teaching about the harmful effects of birth control on our hormones, and it was super informative. But then she said something that made me pause. She said that she was SO glad she didn’t have any daughters. She’d hate to have […]
What is a Pelvic Health Physical Therapy Appointment?
Does the idea of seeing a pelvic health specialist make you squirm a bit? Kind of like going in for a pap smear or a mammogram? Or maybe worse? I’d love to put a kibosh on the scary vibes b/c my goal is to be the HIGHLIGHT of your day! 🙂 So let’s reveal all […]
My Guide to Break Up the Marriage of Food & Exercise
Do you often think of your workout as payment for what you ate that day? Do you eat the piece of cake and think, well now I better get that run in. OR…do you go for the run and think…well now I CAN eat the piece of cake later? This used to be me. I […]
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