Courtney Townley is a health and fitness expert with a strong background in dance. Through her business, Grace & Grit, she helps women be healthier, happier and more fit in three specific areas: food, movement & stress management. She has incredible energy and enjoys sharing her love of movement with her clients. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in dance. She iscertified as a coach and trainer in various aspects of health and fitness. Courtney is a strong advocate of mindfulness and uses mindfulness strategies on a daily basis. Courtney began working in the fitness industry nearly two decades ago. She is fully certified as a STOTT PILATES® instructor, NSCA personal trainer, ACE Health Coach, Genesis Transformation Health Coach and Precision Nutrition Health Coach. She is also a certified Booty Barre® instructor, TRX™ trainer, and is a very proud student of the Ido Portal Method. Contact InfoWebsite: www.GraceandGrit.comPodcast: Grace and Grit PodcastMost Influential PersonMy health coach, Sherri-Lynn. She talked a lot about the importance of meditation and mindfulness and fired me up more than I already was to dive deeper into it.Effect on EmotionsCalmed me down, I'm a very excitable creature. It really just helped me to have more choice over my emotions rather than my emotions running me.Thoughts on BreathingIt's the linchpin in the sense that there is no quicker way to get into a state of mindfulness than just by pausing and taking several deep breaths.Suggested ResourcesBook: The Power of Now by Eckhart TolleApp: A gratitude App (An alarm went off three times a day when I would stop and jot down what I was grateful for in that moment).Advice for Newbie
The best way to start walking is by putting one foot in front of the other, so break down mindfulness into a digestible bite and even before you sit in a chair and build some sort of meditation practice, I would say just try practicing being fully present with one activity in your day for a set period of time. And be realistic on that time frame, like maybe five minutes. And be consistent, consistency is everything when it comes to building any kind of practice.