Happy New Year friends! New Years always seem to come with new hopes, dreams and goals, and typically health goals are high up there for many people but not all of them stick with their health goals as the year progresses. We get busy and life happens to all of us. I know that especially as a mama with littles, it can be hard to try to find time to prioritize working out and getting the movement we need. For me, I find that having long term health goals isn't just about the discipline but is also about tuning into my whole being: body, soul and spirit and tending to what helps me come alive... then I'm not just relying solely on discipline but am nourishing my whole self by setting up my life around what I want to cultivate in the long run... and enjoying it in the process! Maybe you're already discouraged on your progress, but it's not too late...hopefully with some encouragement, a new mindset and toolset, you too can be thriving in your health and whole-self beginning with 2025.
In our last blog, I interviewed my friend Katelyn about caring for your heart, as she was reminding us about the importance of heart care and regularly checking in with ourselves so that we know how show up in life from a place of being filled up so we can thrive... in life and in our relationships! Taking care of our bodies is so important, but as you'll see in this blog as well, good heart care really sets us up for great body care... which is why this month's blog is all about caring for our overall health so that we can sustain a thriving life, something we all desire... And I cannot be more excited to share this with you!
Today I get the privilege of introducing to you Sammi Robbins! Both Sammi and her husband Spencer teach and equip women through their consulting company on how to get connected with themselves and God so they can become the most alive and free versions of themselves and live from a place of overflow. Funny enough, Katelyn and I actually met through one of their programs called Coach Launch where we became certified life coaches (Thanks to Sammi & Spencer)! Spencer has also been a friend of mine for many years where I know him and Sammi have both done the work on keeping not just their body healthy and whole, but also their soul and spirit healthy and thriving. I have always appreciated their holistic-health approach, focusing on a person as a whole individual. They also live on Maui, Hawaii and have the cutest little boy named Wilder! I cannot think of anyone else better than Sammi to talk about the balance of taking care of our body during seasons like motherhood, especially during times of great responsibility while in the midst of life's daily ebbs and flows! She models with so much grace on how to prioritize and balance the lifestyle of working, resting and playing hard... something we all can benefit from a little more! I hope you enjoy this inspiring read!
Introduce yourself! Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Sammi Robbins, lover of Jesus, wife to my incredible husband, Spencer Robbins, mama to my love Wilder, and founder and owner of Alive and Free consulting. Alive & Free is an online refuge where people can find resources to heal past pain and trauma by becoming self aware and encountering the love of Jesus in practical ways to leave them forever transformed. We focus on grieving, healing self-judgement, self-hatred, and shame, and teach you how compassion and comfort can bring healing to the deepest wounds that have impacted your quality of life and relationships. We pretty much eat, sleep, and breath that journey in every free moment we have not chasing our toddler around because it’s lead to so much freedom, intimacy and abundance in our life and relationships.
What does it mean to you to be healthy body, soul, mind and spirit?
Holistic health was introduced to me when I encountered Jesus at 18 years old. I saw all of these people focusing on their spirits and neglecting their body, or being so focused on their body that they neglected another part of their being, and it didn’t feel right to me. One day I heard the Lord say to me “You will prosper as your soul prospers” Which started my journey of learning about the soul, which is your mind, will, and emotions. I noticed how every time I took care of my body it impacted my spirit and soul and helped me feel more connected and regulated, which actually gave me more desire to pursue Jesus. Knowing and becoming more like him was my ultimate goal but I’d felt like such a slave to my own self-hatred for so long that working out was my master at that time because it helped keep my self-hatred at bay. Each workout or restricted meal felt like it silenced the voice that told me I wasn’t enough, until I needed the next fix. I started spending time on a daily basis taking care of every part of my being (Ohhhh the days when I had all the time in the world to workout, sauna, shower uninterrupted, journal, read my bible, listen to a sermon, go for a walk, hang with friends and I thought I was sooo busy hahahaha, good times) as I tended to my emotional pain each day, renewed my mind, cared for my body and treated it with respect with what I consumed, I slowly started to thrive. In hindsight the care created a safety in my nervous system for me to start working through some deeper layers that needed to heal, but I needed to come out of survival mode in order for my heart to feel safe enough to go there. I learned all the ways I’d coped from childhood pain and used every external thing I could find to numb and dissociate. The numbing was the very thing hurting my intimacy with God and the people I loved and it prevented me from being truly vulnerable and forming deep connections. Giving time over to stewarding my whole being has been the thing that’s helped me heal and thrive over the last 12 years and be able to be full enough to give that healing away to those who are hungry for “the more” just like I was.
How does taking care of yourself practically look like on a daily basis? What are some non-negotiable when it comes to taking care of your physical health?
Taking care of myself physically looks different day to day, though I love a good routine and love to be disciplined. Four to five days a week I’m focusing on working different muscle groups with slow and controlled weight training. My days of maximum exertion and Crossfit style workouts are long gone, though I think it can be great for some people, I just found it caused a lot of stress on my body. We also take family walks 5-7 days a week and my husband and I both try to get at least 10,000 steps a day outside in the sunshine or rain. This makes our quality of life and connection go up so much too just getting this time together, but walking is also a great source of cardio that’s really easy on your body and nervous system. I listen to what my body needs on a daily basis and try my best to honor it. Some days that looks like pushing through the tiredness or tightness and training to boost energy and other days that looks like stretching and taking a nap. Today I walked a few miles, skipped my workout, and went and surfed with a girl friend and that felt like everything I needed. It’s all about the capacity and time you have each day but prioritizing movement no matter what to honor your body.
What are some goals you have around your physical health and how do you go about achieving those depending on the season you’re in?
My goals around my physical health are always based around feeling good and doing everything I can to have as much natural energy as possible. We are pregnant with our second baby so working out consistently and listening to my body is my main focus. For the last 6 months before pregnancy I focused a lot on no caffeine or alcohol consumption which felt so good for me to give my body a reset and help it prepare for conception. I'm finding that working out five times a week and walking daily leaves me feeling so much more energized and regulated so I’m making sure to be disciplined with that because it’s helping me be a more present mama to Wilder.
What has your view of health differed in previous years compared to now?
My view of health has radically changed every few years as I’ve studied and gained more knowledge around nutrition and fitness. Health 4 years ago used to be training as hard as I could and eating 1800 calories a day, which breaks my heart looking back on how hard I was on my body and how much I deprived myself of nutrients and joy in balance. Health to me now looks like working out enough to challenge my body but still keeping energy in the tank for the rest of the day. It looks like eating in a way to support my hormonal health, I now follow more of a pro-metabolic diet and eat lots of meat and fresh local produce and focus on eating healthy fats like grass-fed butter, ghee, & coconut oil. Rice, tortillas, sweet potatoes and homemade sourdough goods are also daily staples and I hate to admit it but buttered popcorn flavored jelly beans found their way into my grocery cart and have been a massive pregnancy craving so I’m sneaking a few of those in every few days after having no candy for maybe 12 years, it’s all about balance. If my breastfeeding son wasn’t severely allergic to dairy I’d be drinking raw milk and eating raw cheese every day of my life as well. I've fully healed my metabolism since eating like this and took time to slowly increase my caloric intake and I’ve been able to still stay lean in a way that feels comfortable for me while consuming closer to 2500-3000 calories a day, though I don’t track often. I now feel so much more happier and balanced.
What would you tell someone who is struggling with their body image or prioritizing eating healthy or working out?
For anyone who struggling to honor your body, eat well, and move, I’d encourage you first to examine your inner dialogue with yourself. Often times we’re riddled with self-judgement, self-hated, and shame that discourages us, drains us, and makes us feel like we’re never doing enough. It steals motivation and momentum when we listen to that voice. Far too many people get physical results by using self-hatred as their motivator and the sad thing is that if it gets you to your ideal body then you’ll have to keep using it to keep going. Unconditional love and compassion is a far better motivator and teacher. Spend a day trying to notice and write down every critical thought you have. The next day, go back and read those thoughts you captured, and imagine speaking those to your 4 year old daughter, let the reality of how hard you’ve been on yourself sink in... then write yourself a letter apologizing and taking ownership for how cruel you’ve been to yourself. We are often our harshest critics, and until we take ownership for that and learn to be kind to ourself the way we’d want to be to our own child, that’s when inspiration and discipline can come in from a place of love and not a place of hate. Working out, eating well to feel good, being healthy for your family, living a long time and enjoying a full life is a far better motivator. Kill the voice of self-hatred and adopt the voice of compassion that says,
“I see you really trying. I know this is hard for you.”
“I know coping with food has felt like a safety net for you, I’m sorry you’re hurting right now, I’m here for you.”
“Just because you failed doesn’t mean you’re a failure, I see you as good enough, it’s okay to take baby steps.”
“You are beautiful just the way you are, I’m sorry I told you anything different before.”
“I want to make changes to love you, not because I believe you aren’t good enough. I’m so sorry I’ve been so hard on you.”
Adopting the voice of compassion totally transformed my life and my relationship with health, I felt empowered and learned how to stay connected to myself while doing things that served and honored my body and led to more wholeness.
How do you set realistic expectations that match the reality of the season you’re in? How do you define success?
Setting realistic expectations that match the season I’m in has definitely been difficult. I’ve had to learn to let go of so much and be very flexible in terms of getting my needs met, but I’ve also made self-care a non-negotiable because of how much higher the quality of my life and love is when I get it. Some days I just have to drop everything because my family needs me and that is okay. Other days, I have to be honest about my capacity and pick and choose which thing I’m going to do to fill up that day. Even last night I was talking to God and asked him “Whats blocking me from having more intimacy with you?” And he said to me “Your belief that you don’t have enough time. You make time for what you want and need…” and I realized in that moment that I’ve fought harder to care for my body than I have cared for my spirit, so I’m having to be more powerful at time management so I can be feeding my spirit with more intentionality. If I take an honest look at how much time is wasted doing things that don’t matter I can most definitely shift things to be more powerful with my time management and it will lead to more fullness. I will also always focus on being gracious with myself and not letting it become another thing in my life I shame myself over for not “doing it right” or “doing enough of it”. I can do my best, and let that be enough. Ultimately, success in any area of my life is more about living present, heart connected, and doing the best I can. Some days that’s surviving and other days that looks like thriving. We need the sunshine and the rain to grow, there’s beauty in doing your best and trusting God to fill in the gaps of your frail humanity, He gets to be our strength. Life is such a gift, and my goal is to always come back to that child-like wonder of just testing, trying, learning and growing every day.
Where can people find you?
People can find more of our content at Alive & Free Consulting at: https://aliveandfreeconsulting.com/
My Instagram is: @sammirobbins_
Come say hi! Sending love to all of you reading this also on a growth journey, you’re doing such an incredible job.
xoxo Sammi
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