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Thanksgiving is under our belt (literally and figuratively) and many of us are up before dawn to start shopping Black Friday deals. 

We are right in the middle of holiday craziness and tending to our health and fitness can be hard to do. Today, I interview Julie Watters, a visual and performing artist, personal trainer and coach who uses creativity, movement and health education to engage children and adults in holistic wellness. She will share with you an idea that you can jump on now to reign in the craziness and ride a wave of positive effects right through the end of the year.

There are lots of schedule changes and traditions that put extra burdens on your time, energy and money through the holidays.   You can fall off rails unless you have a strong No game.  To help you get through this time of year more effectively, Julie has declared this month, “No”vember:

Say No to self-doubt, yes to self-encouragement

Say No to self-neglect

Say No to unprotected time

Say No to DOING and Yes to BEING (we are in fact human beings and not human doers)

To help you learn to say no, you need to plug good messages in your ears and constantly read, research and get appropriate feedback.  Lean into your intuition your deep gut feelings, and your spiritual connection. 

Julie was on the brink of a burn out when she had an epiphany.  Many of the painful and preventable experiences or exchanges that brought damage to her relationships or set her back, were opportunities that she missed saying no, even with her own kids, who are a teenager and a toddler.  Both are in major developmental phases of their lives so there are a lot of boundary struggles. 

She is a gatekeeper who decides how much to let them reach towards independence or to nip it in the bud.  You need to know your own boundaries too, so can deal with conversations when they come up.  It is a lot of responsibility to tell kids no and it takes a lot of energy to stick to it especially knowing they aren’t’ happy with us. We have to realize we are doing them a great service for later in life. 

That makes Julie a good role model and hero to her kids.  The goal is for her kids to have a good sense of self and a good moral compass. No is a big part of that and it is critical that you learn to use it. 

Having heroes to model themselves after is beneficial to everyone.  Julie’s health heroes were her grandparents. One of them had a grand-mal seizure and was told he may never walk again but he persevered and proved them wrong.  Her 93-year-old Step-grandmother has a healthy outlook and attitude and stays active.  She was blessed with a positive mindset.  Julie wants to cultivate that in herself and her clients. 

If we aren’t careful, we can figure we are nearing the end and give up.  We need to play and learn something new all the time.  You don’t have to expedite your own demise. Today you do feel good so don’t waste it. 

It is important to know that you are stronger than you think you are.  It is all