What’s Good Sept 2026
Theme: Coming Back to Center
GFT Body - Resistance Bands: Small but Mighty
GFT Mind - Putting Pen to Paper
GFT Spirit - Retreat
Nutrition Corner:
Life Update - Coming Back to Center
If I'm being honest, September has felt anything but centered.
Work has been busy. I've been subbing more at school, taking on new clients, preparing for the retreat, teaching classes, coaching soccer, and keeping up with all the little things that make up everyday life.
And the funny thing is, I'm a Capricorn — I actually like being busy. I like having something to work toward, a project to build, a goal to accomplish. Give me a full calendar and I'm usually pretty happy.
But I've also been reminding myself that being productive isn't the same thing as being present.
So lately, I'm trying to find my center in the middle of the busy-ness rather than waiting for life to slow down.
I'm practicing being present during my drives instead of mentally running through my to-do list. I'm trying to notice the little spaces between things — the few quiet minutes before the next appointment, the walk from one place to another, the moments when I could easily reach for my phone or start planning what's next.
I'm also making an effort to meet a friend once a week and protect that time. And I'm keeping the retreat on my calendar as something to look forward to — even though I'm hosting it, I know it will still be three days away from my normal responsibilities. Three days to breathe, reconnect, be in nature, and practice what I spend so much time encouraging other people to do.
Maybe coming back to center isn't about finding some perfect balance where everything fits neatly into place.
Maybe it's simply noticing when you've wandered too far away from yourself — and making the choice to come back.
Back to your body.
Back to your breath.
Back to your people.
Back to nature.
Back to yourself.
That's what I'm practicing this season.
enough about me, lets dive into what’s good for you!
Good For the Body - A Little Tool that Packs a Punch
The more I progress in my fitness education, the more I appreciate simple, effective tools. I’m a sucker for tried-and-true techniques that get the job done without requiring a room full of equipment.
One tool I’ve been coming back to lately? Resistance bands.
And if you've used them recently, you probably know what I mean when I say you can love to hate them! 😂 They may look harmless, but give them a good workout and you might feel those muscles talking to you the next day.
So why are bands so effective?
When we strength train, our muscles work through different types of contractions. We shorten under tension (concentric), lengthen under tension (eccentric), and sometimes hold tension without moving (isometric).
Think about a bicep curl: you contract the muscle to curl the band upward, then you have to control the resistance as you lower it back down. That's the eccentric—or what I like to call—“control the negative.”
Resistance bands make you work through that entire range of motion while the tension changes as the band stretches. Your body has to produce force, control force, and stabilize the movement along the way.
And then there's the practical side: they're small, lightweight, inexpensive, and incredibly portable. Toss one in your suitcase, keep one in your car, or stash one in your desk drawer. Suddenly, almost anywhere can become your mini gym.
You don't need a room full of equipment to build strength. You need resistance, consistency, and a body willing to work.
🎥 Want to give bands a try? I've recorded a couple of resistance-band workouts over on my YouTube channel. Grab a band, press play, and prepare to wonder why something that weighs practically nothing can make your muscles work so hard!
#Thetakeaways - You don't need a room full of equipment to build strength. You need resistance, consistency, and a body willing to work.
Good For the Mind: The Practice of Putting Pen to Paper
A conversation with a friend about feeling stuck in her career reminded me of something I hadn't realized I was missing: Morning Pages.
Years ago, I had a ritual of waking up, working out, and then sitting down to write. Three pages of whatever was swirling around in my head. Sometimes it was profound. Sometimes it was complete nonsense. But what I loved most wasn't even the writing—it was the ritual.
It was a consistent reminder that no matter what happened yesterday, I was still here today. I was still with me.
Over time, that simple practice created a deeper connection with myself and, ultimately, a deeper sense of self-love.
Maybe that's what some of us need when we're feeling stuck—not another person telling us what to do, but a little quiet space to hear ourselves again.
I've written more about Morning Pages, creating the ritual, and what it means to come home to yourself on the blog.
Good For the Sprit: Retreat
The word retreat is one of those words that brings conflicting conentations. Its can mean you are facing an enemy and realize you’re army is not as equiped or your numbers are dwindeling and defeat is emenant so you “retreat” and fall back and return to your counties safety zone. You intentionally move away from an enemy.
you move away from an enemy…
In life, we are in, a sense constantly at war. At war with our kids, with our bills, our bosses, our neighbor that allows their dog to roam freeely on your grass to do its business. we face an oppostion to our ideas, our intentions our best efforts of doing the right thing. but in life, are we moving to a safety zone? A zone or place where we can regoup and restore before the next on-slaughter of battle?
Sorry to be so graphic but life and stress is a daily irritation that we are combatting. and unless we are taking direct action to move away from the enemy we are subjecting ourselfs constantly to war.
Now sure, there are ways you can find saftey zones, hopefully your bed at night is a great one. but how restorative that sleep is is variable depending on several things, if you drank alcohol before going to bed, how solid is your nutrition, how stressed you are and where you are in your perimenopaual journey.
I need to share, the act of retreating…. moving away from your life stress to restore yourself in a safe, welcoming, supportive environment… that is my new purpose. to create the opportunity to retreat back to you.
I've been going on yoga retreats since 2017, and every time I return home with something I didn't know I needed.
Sometimes it's clarity.
Sometimes it's rest.
Sometimes it's a new perspective.
Sometimes it's simply the reminder that I am more than the roles I play every day.
Mom. Teacher. Coach. Business owner. Caretaker. Organizer. The person who remembers everyone's schedule.
Retreat gives me the opportunity to step outside of all of that for a little while and simply be me.
That's really the heart behind the retreat I'm creating this fall.
Then transition into your retreat.
Retreat to You
October 16–18 • New Spring Farm • Peru, Vermont
Three days of yoga, breathwork, meditation, hiking, nourishing food, fire, nature, conversation and — perhaps most importantly — space.
Space to slow down.
Space to listen.
Space to reconnect.
Space to remember what feels good and true.
That connects beautifully with your journaling section: listening to yourself.
EARLY BIRD PRICING ENDS September 30th so if you’re on the fence jump over to save!
Nutrition Corner — What the Trees Can Teach Us About Nourishment
Have you ever really watched a tree prepare for winter?
It doesn't happen overnight. As the days grow shorter and temperatures drop, the tree slowly shifts into an energy-saving phase. It stops producing chlorophyll, reclaims valuable nutrients from its leaves, and stores those resources in its branches and roots. Eventually, a special layer forms where the leaf meets the branch, allowing the tree to let go.
It conserves. It reclaims. It releases. It rests.
And I can't help but wonder—what could we learn from that?
Fall naturally invites us toward warmer, more grounding foods: roasted vegetables, winter squash, cooked greens, soups, stews, nourishing proteins, and hearty whole foods. Perhaps instead of thinking about what we should cut out this season, we can ask what we can add in to nourish ourselves more deeply.
This feels especially relevant for women moving through hormonal changes. Our bodies don't always feel predictable, and the signals for energy, appetite, sleep, recovery, and temperature can shift.
Maybe we don't need to fight those changes. Maybe we can learn to listen.
What if this fall we asked ourselves:
What can I nourish?
What can I reclaim?
What can I let go of?
Nature doesn't cling to summer. The tree understands that every season has a purpose.
Maybe we can give ourselves permission to do the same.
Read the full blog: What the Trees Can Teach Us About Nourishment 🍂
Recipes
This month's recipes are all about eating with the season — warm, grounding, colorful and packed with the foods that begin showing up in abundance as summer gives way to fall.
🍎 Apple + Cinnamon Protein Overnight Oats a fun bridge from summer to fall
🎃 Roasted Root Vegetable + Protein Bowl - My go to Lunch for the last 7 years
🥜 Homemade Nut & Seed Granola - awesome on top of that overnight oats or yogurt breakfasts
🍲 Butternut Squash Turkey Chili - a chili that warms you up from the inside out
🍐 Warm Cinnamon Pears with Greek Yogurt & Walnuts - oh mama is this good!
🥩 Seasoned Steak Tips with Roasted Root Veggies and Jimaca Salad - a delish root veggie dinner
As we move into a new season, I'm reminding myself that coming back to center doesn't have to mean stepping away from everything.
Sometimes it's simply slowing down enough to notice where I am.
A few deep breaths. A walk outside. Putting pen to paper. Strengthening my body. Sharing a meal with someone I love. Making space for quiet. Letting nature remind me that everything has its own rhythm.
Maybe that's the invitation this fall: to listen a little more closely — to our bodies, our minds, our spirits, and the season around us.
And when life pulls us in a hundred different directions, to remember that we can always come back.
Back to center.
Back to ourselves. ❤️
With love,
Marion ✌️🫶😘
