30 Days of MoSelf

Just as I was wrapping up 30 Days of MoSelf last August...I stumbled across a post on Facebook mentioning there was an opening on the sold out 'Nourish Your Soul' Retreat to Costa Rica with Meghan Telpner. The retreat is an annual event for Meghan, but this year it also helped launched her new bestselling book, Undiet.

When I check out the retreat details on Meghan's site, I knew I had to sign up. And boy, I'm glad I did.  It turned out to be a magical experience that helped transform my life in unexpected ways.

Fortunately, this year, Meghan chose the beautiful Hacienda Del Sol in Costa Rica for the retreat - a magical resort in the Costa Rican jungle that offers vegan and raw food, juice cleanses, yoga, and access to some of the world's most stunning beaches and sunsets. We were there from Feb. 23 to March 2.

From www.meghantelpner.com:

"This retreat is a blend of some of the most healthful life giving practices, as we blend together nutritional education, yoga, meditation, organic food, jungle living, seawater and sunbathing, cooking and delightful light and enlightened discussion.

At the time, I didn't know a lot about Meghan. I knew more about her dad, Ron (@ronrants), who is a prostate cancer surviver and active ambassador for Movember. In fact, I had the pleasure of meeting Ron and hearing him speak at the Movember summer party.

It was great to get to know Meghan during the retreat. Every day, the group of 30 would come together at the resort's outdoor dining hall to enjoy our beautiful meals together. Meghan gently encouraged us to sit with different people each time. It was amazing how quickly we all bonded over our shared interests in healthy food and wellness. It was common to hear conversations, such as "Vitamix or Blendtec?" and the sharing of favourite recipes or kitchen tips.

We were a social media savvy bunch, so Meghan also had to remind us to put away our smartphones at the dining room table after we took our obligatory Instagram photos of our meal. Did I mention there was also free Wi-fi? It was also common to receive a Facebook Friend request from your dinner companions during the meal. We also tweeted during the retreat using the hashtag #undietretreat - which was unfortunately mistaken by most of our friends and followers as "Undie Retreat." So many funny questions came out of that when I returned to Toronto.

During the day, we attended workshops hosted by Meghan or her super smart nutritionist husband Josh Gitalis. Josh is great at explaining the science behind how our bodies work, and why it's important to nourish them properly. I was particularly fond of her goal setting workshop at the end of the retreat during which she asked us to envision our perfect day and to reflect on steps we could take in our lives to help achieve that vision. It was a powerful exercise. 

We also went on some amazing excursions - such as sea turtle and dolphin watching, zipling, kayaking and horseback riding (I'd add more photos, but I seem to have reached my Tumblr limit for this post).

The resort's owners, Crystal and Ramero, were incredible hosts. When I fell sick on the second day (from a combination of spider bites and caffeine withdrawal), Crystal came to my cabana to nurse me back to health with fresh juice and popsicles. Ramero was so helpful in arranging all of our excursions and helping us find our way around the area. I highly recommend Hacienda Del Sol...and I'm sure I'll return. It's a great getaway spot for a single gal.

I made some great friends during the retreat, enjoyed some incredible meals, learned lessons that I'll keep with me for the rest of my life, and rediscovered my love for travelling (that I haven't been able to act on since becoming a mom in 2009). I even had an exciting experience on the way there...that lead to my #FindAndrew campaign...which really deserves its own blog post. If you're curious, google it.

I look forward to attending another Meghan Telpner retreat in the future. Thank you, Meghan and Josh!

For day 30, I felt like I really needed to do something special to celebrate all I've accomplished over the last 30 days. So I decided I would try to reach a new personal best with my running. 

I only started running in early August, and as you can see in my earlier posts I didn't get off to a great start. But somehow, with my cross training - including running, yoga, spinning, walking and biking - I quickly built up my endurance.

I ran 5km a couple days before, so I thought I'd try for 7 km. It was another hot August day, so I decided to wait until the evening to attempt the run. I mapped my run using www.mapmyrun.com. I planned a route from my house...to the end of the boardwalk in the Beach...then to the Beach Cinema to catch a Friday night movie. 

When I started '30 Days of MoSelf,' one of my goals was to be a better mom to my almost 3-year-old son, Owen.

His dad (my ex) moved at the beginning of August from our neighbourhood in downtown Toronto to the suburbs. In the weeks before the move, Owen was very confused about the big move. His dad talked about his new house so much, Owen thought he was moving to the new house and away from me.

I missed this week's Tuesday night Restore Health Running Club because my yoga class ran late, so I was determined to head out for a long run on my own. I decided to attempt a new personal best of running 5k. I mapped my route using www.mapmyrun.com and planned it so I'd end at my favourite coffee shop, Tearo Coffee (@tearocoffee). 

I was so excited to head out, I ended up running in the mid-afternoon August heat. The first half of my route was uphill. Between the incline and the heat, I thought I was going to pass out. I persevered and managed to not take a break until the half-way point of my route or the 16-minute mark. I was amazed because I had only previously been able to run for a maximum 5-minute stretch.

This is how I was feeling at the half-way point...

For day 27, I tried out yet another yoga studio in Leslieville - Seven Seeds Studio (www.sevenseedsstudio.com). I'm very fortunate that my neighbourhood is full of so many businesses and resources to support a healthy lifestyle - from yoga studios to farmers' markets to recreational trails.

Practicing yoga has provided me with some of the greatest benefits during the last few weeks. It has helped improved my posture, my flexibility, my strength, my relaxation and my mental clarity.