S Q U A T B E T T E R 🔉Sound on to hear my cues! Squatting deeper can feel complex, but there are a few simple ways to make it easier for your body. Bottom line: get those hips and ankles used to moving more and through many angles! 1: Elevate (heels and hips!) 2: Reduce Gravity 3: More Floor Time 4: Super Wide Have you tried any of these in your movement practice? Let me know what’s worked/not worked for you!

a short and sweet email with quality content is way better than scrolling endlessly and mindlessly 💌 sign up at the link in my bio @trainernatalieh next one goes out on Thursday! 😘

Hi friends! Last week, I underwent a laparoscopic excision surgery for endometriosis. The Lord has provided in so many ways for us as we traveled to Portland and navigated surgery during the pandemic. I am so grateful, and I finally feel validated in my pain. My main reason for sharing is to provide awareness. It took me 12 years of painful periods + other symptoms to get an official diagnosis, and unfortunately this is not uncommon. 1 in 10 people have endo. If you have painful periods, you might have endometriosis. It’s 100% worth looking into; you don’t have to just push through. I am incredibly thankful and feel so privileged to have the knowledge and resources that I do as a pelvic floor exercise specialist, a supportive provider (Aubrey Spangler is the best!) who listened to me and encouraged me to pursue a diagnosis, and a husband who’s been patient and encouraging for so many years. Nancy’s Nook and Endometriosis.org were two resources that proved the most valuable in directing my research efforts. You essentially have to have surgery to get a diagnosis, and the type of surgery is crucial. I chose to go out of state because I needed to find an excision specialist. Dr. Fogelson at Northwest Endometriosis and Pelvic surgery was wonderful! He was clear with information, considerate of my pain, thoughtful, and confident that surgery would help my pain levels in the coming months. I would recommend him 100 times over. Micah has been the best husband throughout this whole process, from doing all the chores to cooking to waking up with me every 3 hours for meds in the middle of the night, he loves me so well and I could not have done this without him. Friends and family have been so supportive, checking in on me and praying for me, providing meals. I feel so loved. You know who you are. Thank you. I’m not sure when or what further updates I will share, but I knew that I needed to share this because endo awareness is so important. If you have questions about the process or want to know more details, feel free to reach out to me. I’ll be on the couch drinking my tea and healing for quite some time. 🙂Here’s to better healthcare and less pain for women! 💪🏻

Just a little Seldovian #movnat vault for your Monday. Remember to let nature move you. And to enjoy the view. 😍

Yay for in-person classes!! Over the weekend my husband and I got the privilege to visit beautiful Seldovia for the first time, and we fell in love. I partnered with the Seldovia Village Tribe and taught a workshop on mindful movement and it was a blast! Everyone got a copy of Katy Bowman’s book Dynamic Aging, too! This little fishing village is one of the most unique Alaskan places we’ve been. Liane and Chris (last photo) were the most incredible hosts and gave us a taste of the close-knit community there. Check out their company - From The C @fromthecalaska for beautiful jewelry and salmon skin creations!! We will definitely be back. 🐚

When less is actually more. 🦶🏻 What can minimal footwear can teach us about life? Simple, realistic changes can bring out the best in us. As you may know, I’m a huge advocate for natural foot movement. Gradually taking away the stiff, squishy, supportive, and cast-like things we put on our feet, and allowing for more movement of those 33 joints in each foot. You wouldn’t put supportive mittens on your hands and try to go about your normal daily tasks, would you? Look at your feet the same way; they’re designed to move, stabilize, support, spring, grasp, climb, push, and propel you through life, and it’s pretty challenging for them to accomplish those functions well when they’re always bound up in a non-natural position. It can take tools, techniques, and a learning curve. But start with the most simple and cost-free thing: take your shoes off for just a couple minutes. The more freedom you allow those toes, the better your whole body will feel. I’m talking ankles, knees, hips, low back, neck, mind. Most of the time, the more artificial constraints (that promised better performance) we strip away, the more natural connection we will experience. We’ll be more grounded, and more aware of how our bodies are actually feeling - without the barrier of foam, air, and structure getting in the way. Less stiffness and pain. More flexibility and connection. Less reliance on technology, more trust in your body’s abilities. Less program compliance, more organic exploration of what you can do. Less mindless scrolling, more active engagement. Less going through the motions, more mindful and intentional movement. Less self-limiting beliefs, more confidence. Less stuff, more smiles. I’m talking about shoes, yes. But I’m also not talking about shoes. 😉 Willing to try it out? Start with 5 minutes of bare footedness today. Try out walking on grass, stones, a dirt road, up and over an obstacle. Then if you feel good, add 5 more minutes tomorrow. It’s that simple.

To all moms, we celebrate you today! Whether this day is lovely and joyful or whether is difficult and teary, know that you are loved. 🌷💞

Welcome back to the Kitchen Counter Studio ✨ . These are some movements that you can do while working / reading / waiting for your instant pot to hard boil eggs / whatever you want! Don’t just sit there. 🤗 . Part of my mission is to inspire people to move their bodies more and “exercise” less. Say what?! We need to be moving throughout the day, and not just thinking that our designated workout time is enough movement nutrients for our whole day. ☺️ . Keep moving, friends. Happy Tuesday!

Need some ideas for improving mobility? 🤸🏽‍♀️ Here are some movements to try. 🙂 . Motion is lotion, folks. 🧴Also do yourself a favor and only wear stretchy clothes so you can move more often. 😉 . Happy Sunday 😘

Check out this before and after of my client! These photos are about 1 minute apart. 😉 She was demonstrating her typical posture in the left photo on both slides, and then adjusted her alignment for the photos on the right by bringing her hips back, unclenching her glutes, and bringing her rib cage on top of her pelvis. When she stacked her ribs on top of her pelvis, she was able to breathe better, and feel stronger and more stable in her body. You can just see it, right?? Think about if you added a load on her shoulders. How would it feel in the left photo? Maybe some low back discomfort or pressure, and it might pull her backwards. If you added load to the right photo, she would be able to hold it much longer and more efficiently, probably without a lot of low back pressure. How we hold our bodies throughout the day matters a great deal for our core and pelvic floor function. She had her baby 7 weeks ago, and has been a rockstar, doing all the things I recommend for a better experience in the motherhood transition and for returning slowly and safely to exercise: - See a pelvic floor PT in pregnancy - Take the Prepare to Push workshop (which is really more of a Prepare for Postpartum class) - Push your baby out in a more upright position if you’re going for a vaginal birth (or use a closed-knee position if you can’t be upright) - Use the @belliesinc Ab System - Work through my Postnatal Core & Floor Reset Online Course (link in bio! @trainernatalieh ) and/or work with a Core Confidence Specialist who can guide you well through movement during this time - See a pelvic floor PT postpartum for an internal exam to find out how things are healing, if there are any signs of prolapse, and re-check motor control after pregnancy (this is CRUCIAL and my top tip if you do nothing else off this list! If you need to find a great pelvic PT in your area, check out @pelvicguru_official and use the directory, or you can message me and I can help you out.) Let’s work to change the narrative for postpartum healing, giving our bodies grace and the time to move mindfully through this beautiful motherhood transition. 🤍 Have you seen a PT? Comment your experience below!