Part 3: Perseverance

Congratulations to Tammy Tibbetts and Christen Brandt for a successful launch yesterday!

Impact: A Step-by-Step Plan to Create the World You Want to Live In

Tammy was my guest on episode 5 of My Umble Opinion and I wanted to give you a few highlights here on the wellness page because (repeat after me friends!) you cannot pour from an empty cup!

In part 1 of Impact Tammy and Christen guide readers through the process of finding their “North Star” and creating an Impact plan. Part 2 focuses on a journey inward to help further define the “why” and the “how” to separate intent from impact and then find systems solution vs. band-aid solutions. Part three focuses on PERSEVERANCE. It probably doesn’t surprise you that no matter how inspirational an “Impact plan” is and how much deeper understanding one has of their goals/impact/mission a person’s impact will significantly decrease unless they have perseverance.

Tammy and Christen believe that an impact plan + systems solutions + the health and wellbeing of the person trying to execute that plan = maximum impact. Take a listen to the final part of our interview for strategies from the book as well as personal strategies from Tammy here:

Order your copy at planyourimpact. com

The authors will donate all their future proceeds from book sales to She’s the First indefinitely.

(Sound) Bites from Nutritionist Doug Albert

Gorgeous photo from the Flatbush Farm Share IG account @flatbushfarmshare of our week’s produce on September 30! Yes, even in the heart of Brooklyn you can get connected with people who are passionate about supporting small farmers and eating delicious fresh produce. We love our weekly surprise!

On episode 4 of My Umble Opinion we heard from Doug Albert, nutritionist and musician. We covered a wide variety of topics, including some trips down memory lane from when Doug knew me as a beginner band kid, so I thought I’d put some sound bites from the interview and some other gems from Doug here on the wellness page for those of you interested in some quick nutrition tips. You can get in touch with Doug at turningpointsnutrition.com if you want to continue the conversation or if you have other questions!

Q: What’s your go-to snack?

With snacking, I’d ask the person if they really need a snack or is it some form of emotional need. If we eat to satiety for our meals, I doubt we need in-between food sources. Instead I’d suggest a non-caloric flavored drink to bridge us to the next actual meal.

Q: What kind of “bars” (energy bars, protein bars etc.) do you recommend?

Keep in mind that I continue to evolve with my understanding of “proper human nutrition.” I am currently not a fan of bars. I’d rather see someone eat real whole non-processed food. I haven’t eaten a bar in probably 3 years.

Q: How do you help clients set realistic goals?

I don’t blame people for eating fast food if that’s what your family can afford right now. Even there, I will work with my clients: “If I have my two boys with me and we’re stopping at McDonalds what are my best options?”... I’m not trying to have anyone be perfect at all of this. I teach the 80/20 rule, saying try to be good 80% of the time and you’ll really see benefits.

Q: What’s your advice on how to shop for groceries?

One of the best things you could do for yourself and your family would be to shop the perimeter of the store and then get out of there as soon as you can! … when you go into the middle of the store, everything is in a box and has been changed by human hands… The type of foods that are readily available in the middle make our body almost panicked with “what is this latest kind of Frankenstein food-type substance.” … A lot of times those boxed things in the middle are where the trans fat are added as stabilizers. Take the cracker or cookie isle; for the food to be stabilized and not go bad they have to add all kinds of trans fats to keep it from going bad. You actually want your food to go bad! I think the main thing is to try to focus on … eating real food. If you can look at it and say “I see the origin of this food” [that’s good] but if you get something and you actually have no idea as you look at it what the ingredients are in that food...take eggo waffles for example. … So if anyone wants to just get started I think that’s the starting point for people. 

Q: What’s your line for when a client doesn’t meet their goals or expectations for that week?

First I want them to know that we all have that week or we all have that day, and they are not a bad person because of it. I actually will often just say, that’s the power of the addictive foods. I don’t want you to always say to yourself, “yeah I’m lazy and I’m eating too much food.” That’s the message we were [already] told ... that did not work. So I think instead it’s just accepting the fact that you need to avoid the foods that push your buttons. I just come at it from compassion and say, let’s start again. 

Q: Eating well is one part of good health, what are the other big bullet points on the list?

• Mindfulness, mental health, and I think in that way trying to have your strategy for what you’re going to do during a stressful time. … whether we’re in a pandemic or not, there’s stress that can take body down just as easily as a bad diet can. So, talking to people about whether they are able to meditate or journal some gratitude each day, or ya know, I’ll even just send a link to a podcast that’s called “pray as you go” and that’s just a 10 minute devotional … but I think that’s one of the things is taking care of your stress. 

• Getting optimal sleep. And with that sleep, some of that is putting the electronics away an hour or two before you want to go to sleep so the body can start to prepare for that. 

• Another one that’s coming to mind as I’m looking out our window right now is getting some sunshine every day. I believe that actually helps with sleep, it help with circadian rhythms but it also helps with the vitamin D that we need. You don’t need a lot of it but I think we need to be intentional about getting a little bit of sunshine.  

I’ve seen any one of these take down people occasionally... You can be doing all the right things except you’re stressed out, and if you’re stressed the body is not going to necessarily metabolize food very well. And the body is not going to even help you lose weight because at that moment during a chronic stress situation your body is really not focused on metabolism or losing weight. 

Breath as Medicine: Calming, Energizing, Releasing Tension

I put together three short videos with three different kinds of breath that I learned through my yoga practice. I find these immensely helpful and I hope they will help some of you out too. Think of them as tools in your tool box. You can add them to your list of things you can do for yourself when you need to calm down, energize or release tension. 

For me, the shift into the school year has been jarring. I think it’s the sudden expectation that I get into some kind of routine along with the idea that as a teacher I’m in a leadership role, trying to model for my students calm/collected when I feel totally out of control and frantic. We are no longer in the emergency mode of pandemic lockdown that we experienced in March/April/May but we are still feeling the effects of the pandemic in every aspect of our lives. Trying to go back to school amidst it all and trying to give our children and our students a sense of safety and “normalcy” seems an impossible task… and it is!! 

This all reminds me of my experience as a new mom. There was the “lockdown” of the first few months of parenthood where my husband and I were supported by family and friends but there were zero expectations that I would put on pants let alone return to work or show up somewhere at a certain time. However, month 3 and then month 4 came and with that the expectation that I could start back to teaching, performing and socializing. By month 4 you have it figured out right? Ha! I found that season of new parenting + pants + schedule much more challenging than the initial newborn arrival.

How do we navigate this pressure to have it all together as we shift from our initial pandemic lockdown mode and back into work and school life? My strategy has been to remind myself that any expectation of normal should be laughed out of the room. Under these circumstances, feeling overwhelmed and anxious is much more normal. With that in mind, it’s still imperative that we find the energy to care for those depending on us. My son and my students don’t need me to be perfect with home cooked healthy meals or brand new shiny lesson plans, but I can be warm and loving and I can find joyful moments of music making even when I’m stressed. In fact, finding those moments will help me keep the stress at bay. To access those moments, first I need to keep up my attitude of gratitude (being around kids helps a lot!) and I also need to be attentive to what my body and mind needs. I recommend making a list of things that calm you, things that give you energy, things that help you focus and use those as “medicine” as those needs appear. 

5 Yoga Poses to Release Neck and Shoulder Tension

(Special thanks to BFF/“trumpet wife” Rebecca Steinberg for posing for all these photos!!)

1.    PREVENT strain through awareness of posture and alignment:

The key here is being aware of our posture, especially in tense situations where our mental stress can translate into tight muscles and lead to strain and overall inefficiency. We want to use our body in maximum efficiency mode, letting our skeleton do the work of holding our body upright and therefore allowing our muscles to do their work unhindered.

Here is a quick checklist:

o   Weight Distribution: Where do you feel your weight supported in the chair? You should feel your two “sitz bones” directly under each hip where your thighbone meets your hip joint. If you have trouble finding them see this helpful video

----> Note: If you are standing to play, you won’t be balancing on your sitz bones, you will be balancing on the “four corners” of your feet (the heel and ball of both feet) with your feet hip width apart, keeping awareness of where your thigh bone connects into your hip joint, keeping your knees unlocked and the same awareness of a flat back, floating head, neutral chin. Thank you to Lindsay of “Thousand Petal Lotus Living” for this excellent graphic showing the pitfalls of standing and proper alignment:

Which is your default?

Think about using your skeleton to hold you up instead of relying on your muscles. Bones don’t get tired the way your muscles do!

o   Head: Your skull “floats” on a ball and socket joint. Slowly and gently trace an infinity sign with your chin. Can you feel a length in your neck and free and easy movement through the whole movement? If not, take a pause at the spots where you feel tension and breathe in and out through your nose for a few breaths as you release the tension in those spaces.

o   Chin: Are you bringing the instrument to you or jutting your chin toward the instrument? Is your chin in a neutral position or aimed down at the floor or up toward the ceiling? (It should be neutral)

o   Shoulders: Bring your shoulders up to your ears, roll them back to squeeze your shoulder blades together and then bring them down away from your ears. Do this a few times until you can feel the weight of your arms hanging from your shoulder joints and a length across your body from the top of one shoulder to the other. 

2.    Shoulder stretch and neck release with Chair

This simple stretch can be done any time during practice or a rehearsal break. Simply stand behind a sturdy chair and place your elbows on the back of the chair. You can rest your forehead on the back of the chair between your elbows or, if you are open enough, you can let your head drop between your elbows as you see Rebecca doing in the photo. Feel the weight of your head lengthening your cervical spine (the spine at the back of neck). Be sure to walk your feet out and away from the chair so you ankles are directly under your hips to get a flat back (no sway back or arched back).  Hold for several minutes, breathing deeply and out through your nose, making sure you don’t lock your knees.

3.    Eagle Arms

Many of you have probably come across this one before, but I had to add it into the mix because it works so well! Standing or sitting, bring your arms out to the side so you are in a T shape and then bring your elbows together in front of your body, crossing your right elbow over your left elbow. If it is available to you, bring your left fingertips to meet your right palm so your arms are twisted around each other in a spiral. You should feel a stretch across the back of your shoulders. Be gentle! If you want a deeper stretch you can pull your elbows down and/or out away from your body. ** Do this on the other side by releasing your arms and crossing left elbow over right elbow.

4.    Rag Doll

This is a simple forward fold, folding forward from the hip joint, staying balanced on the four corners of your feet.  Bend your knees as needed to feel the lengthening of your spine. The neck and shoulder release is created by adding downward weight when you clasp your elbows or, (if available to you), placing your palms under your feet. Hold this for at least a minute, longer if possible, concentrate on breathing in and out through the nose, and come up slowly when you are ready to release.

5.    Wall Twist

This twist is less intense than what you might do during a yoga practice because you should be properly warmed up before you jump into a really deep twist. Keep that in mind and be gentle as you do this at the wall! Place your chair about 1-2 feet from the wall and stand beside the chair, between the chair and the wall. Place your right foot on the chair. Keeping your right knee above your ankle, turn your torso to face the wall and reach your left arm straight out along the wall. You can reach your right arm up or straight out in line with your left arm. Repeat twist on the other side, placing your left foot on the chair. **Be mindful of your knee. Rebecca has flexible knees this so didn’t bother her but for less strain on the knee turn your foot parallel to the wall.

Further Recommended Reading: 

Great insight into proper alignment and how to incorporate free and open breathing into your playing: 

The Breathing Book, David Vining (this is the trumpet version but there are also versions for trombone and bass trombone)