This year’s annual UCHealth evrē event was held on Saturday, February 29 and it was epic. This year Jacki Carr, a local goal coach, speaker extraordinaire and all around women’s wellness guru was back talking “Busy, Balance and Boundaries” and moderating/MC’ing the whole day!
This year they had two options for fitness first thing in the morning: Compass Fitness with Jillian Keaveny or a CorePower Yoga flow with Emma Hurlbert and Kawehi Johnson. Then there was an afternoon session which also had two options: a beautiful yoga class with Danielle Barbeau from The River Yoga or a class with Julie Gordon from barre3.
To finish off the day there was a panel featuring the gold medal Olympian gymnast, Nastia Liukin; the founder of GOFITJO, Jo Encarnacion; and a University of Colorado faculty member with a focus in women’s health, Dr. Laura Borgelt.
I was able to sit down with Dr. Borgelt and get some of her top tips for women to stay well this season:
- Drink lots of water, hydrate! Pro Tip: Carry a bottle with you.
- Wash your hands with soap, thoroughly. Pro Tip: Sing Happy Birthday or the ABC’s to yourself.
- Get adequate sleep! Seven to eight hours a night preferably. Dr. Borgelt prioritizes this over all things. When we make sleep a priority then it will be easier for the rest to follow … more energy for exercise, more determined to eat better, etc.
- Exercise! Dr. Borgelt’s motto is “some time is better than no time.” Take a brisk walk, keep in mind that carrying on a conversation should be a bit of a struggle.
- 150 minutes of movement a week is the goal. Use gadgets to help you: fitbit, apps, etc.
- Remain open and curious to opportunities that come — be that a class or a flight of stairs!
- Slow down. Pay more attention to mindfulness, active recovery, lower your stress. Pro Tip: You can incorporate moving meditations into walks, swims, etc.
- Think about physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual health!
- Ask: What does YOUR self need? This might not be the same for everyone.
- Have knowledge, create choices for yourself. Choices create empowerment. Advocate for yourself.
- Pay attention and flow with circadian rhythms — days and nights, seasons.
- Incorporate Eastern & Western medicine.
- To kick start your integration consider a wellness sabbatical to get you on the path to self-care!
In addition to being an event full of incredible health and wellness sources, there were a LOT of really cool vendors there, everything from our local candle maker: Old Pine Candle Co, our local supplier of cozy meditation cushions: Olive & Olde’s, to The Conscious Merchant (coming to Nurture soon)!
This event is wildly successful year after year and is a great opportunity to connect with community. Be sure to check it out next year!
Photos courtesy of UCHealth evrē and Ogilvy.
