Meet Elaine
The road I traveled to get to MEL:
There are blessings in even the worst of situations. At the beginning of the Pandemic Lauren was living in NYC, Mia was to start her freshman year at Boston University, and I was working in my role as a Nurse Practitioner. As the Pandemic became real everyone’s plans changed. Lauren moved back to our family home in Upstate NY, Mia stayed home studying remotely and I found myself working on the frontline as an essential worker. In the beginning it was an adjustment for all. We all had to adapt to our new schedules of staying home with each other, we mourned our losses, learned to slow down and turn inward to each other. We had many discussions about where we were in our lives, what we liked and what we wanted to change. Going through the drive thru in the village for morning coffee became the highlight of our day. As we sipped our warm coffee, we would go for a drive finding comfort in this routine. During these rides, we discussed our hopes, dreams, difficulties with sleep and not being able to find comfortable sleepwear that we enjoyed wearing. Through our conversations we came up with an idea to create luxurious comfortable sleepwear for women to promote a better night sleep. Through this MEL was born.
My relationship to sleep has been a bumpy one, especially since going through Menopause. For those who have gone through this lovely stage of life, hot flashes and insomnia are no stranger. As our hormones decline our sleep is disrupted leading to non-restorative rest and early morning waking. Finding an effective evening routine has been helpful. For me, some of my night-time rituals include not eating after 6pm, writing a to-do list for the next day, writing my thoughts in a journal, a walk around the block, avoiding screen time in the evening and drinking something warm including chamomile tea sprinkled with turmeric before bed.
When I am feeling overwhelmed I have learned staying true to my basic morning routine helps me to create a better mindset when getting ready for my day. My routine includes, waking up at a consistent time, making sure I am drinking enough water, carving 30 minutes to complete an exercise video, 5 minutes of meditation and then a brisk walk around the block. After my walk I look forward to sipping a warm cup of coffee or tea and eating a healthy breakfast. This is my recipe for restoring balance in myself. It is a simple, practical plan I can depend on to reset calm and handle whatever comes my way throughout the day.
The resources I lean into when I need to reconnect with myself are:
For inspiration I love Melissa Wood for meditation. I was so excited to learn about Melissa Wood Health as she is from Upstate New York. It’s always so exciting to hear of someone local achieving success in doing something they love. Through her teaching I have committed to daily meditation, which has strengthened my relationship with myself.
Tanya Becker, co-founder and creator of Physique 57 keeps me in shape. Lauren introduced me to Physique 57 a few years ago and bought me all their original videos. I am a creature of habit and have been following the original videos forever. Tanya’s enthusiasm is infectious and her classes provide me with so much more than just a good workout. I feel a sense of accomplishment each time I complete her workouts and her workouts truly do get me in shape
What I have learned most about myself:
I have learned that at age 62, it is not too late to reinvent myself. Aside from being a co-founder of MEL I have started taking piano lessons again, just for fun this time around. I have learned I cannot make time stop, but I can make the most of the time I have and that’s what I am trying to do. It's never too late to transform yourself or your life.
Photo Credit: @Jtrphoto