Author: Elise Russell

After spending many years working within the business world, Elise embraced her dream of becoming a fitness instructor and personal trainer and got to work! Now, over a decade later, she has established herself as a health and wellness consultant to a broad range of clientele – from corporate facilities to one-on-one health coaching and everything in between! She is passionate about helping others to become a happier and healthier version of themselves. Running corporate fitness programming, facilitating mindfulness and meditation, and presenting in virtual health events has all been part of this amazing journey to serve others and share the skills she has developed since 2010. Raising four children with her husband of 24 years while managing her own businesses, as well as volunteering and serving diligently in her faith-community, Elise is no stranger to the demands of a loaded schedule. The unique, passionate and dynamic perspectives Elise brings to her work are the result of a life consistently pointed towards self-improvement and service. She knows what it means to start where you’re at, and fight to get back up again when you fall. A perpetual learner and confident teacher she loves nothing more than sharing the knowledge she has gained from living principles of wellness. The tools she’s acquired in her pursuit of purpose and self-mastery are as effective as they are accessible. You don’t have to qualify to access the power inside you, you just have to trust that it’s there and start moving!
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Why does Mindfulness Take So Much Time?

Recently, I was looking back over some notes from when I was very new to meditation, (check out my YouTube talk on that one), in my inexperience I thought it meant sitting around on a yoga bolster being Zen. I had written down some questions: “Why does it take so much time?”, followed by “Who really does this?”. After starting to dig deeper, I wondered, “When will I be good at this?”

What is mindfulness anyway? It is the practice of moment to moment awareness without judgement. It is it the practice of being present with an open mind, exhibiting kindness to the self and acceptance of what will be. Its about practice.

Why does it take so much time?

You need to retrain your brain to get on-line with what you are doing, this can be slow at first. You need to learn the different ways you might apply mindfulness or the areas of your life where it is needed. Most beginners start by “setting a timer” to breath or focus on a single object, then learn to incorporate different types of practices. These practices begin to fill in some of the cracks in your life, and eventually you no longer need to “set up” to have an experience.

Lets look at mindful eating. At the start it might be helpful to put some structure into this. You might turn off the TV/devices, sit down at a table and eat slowly, putting down your fork between bites or taking a sip of water. Some make note of individual flavors or the texture with the aim to consciously make eating an “experience”. Will this take more time than plowing through a sandwich standing at your kitchen counter? Yes it will. After you have made eating mindfully a practice, you might notice that it has become more of a pleasant ritual instead of a necessary task. You will likely eat less and enjoy more, will digest better and enjoy your surroundings or the company of the people you eat with (some teenagers excluded). And as a side note, your concern over how long this process will take will probably fade away, cool right?

Who really does this?

Lots of people, including me, and the numbers are growing. Stress was starting to show its wear and tear in my life. My brain didn’t work, I was cranky, tired, my weight was up, and my threshold for difficult life situations got alarming small. Remember the cracks in your life I mentioned earlier, well how do you think they get there? Stress anyone? It took some time to learn all the ways Mindfulness could be applied, like a soothing balm on chapped skin. After trying different practices and setting timers, I am finally in a place where mindfulness is happening freestyle! If I only have 8 minutes to meditate, that’s how long I do it for. Most days my evening meal is the only one that really get’s the mindful attention that it needs (even with the teenagers). I don’t set a timer to breathe, I sit and take a few minutes to feel how my inhale/exhale feel and then move on to my next task if that’s all the time allows.

When will I be good at this?

Don’t put a finish line on it, enjoy the process, and take in the experiences. There are practices that will benefit certain areas of your life or health, learning what and how to do them is essential. As I have travelled this path, I have realized there is so much left to learn, with consistent personal practice, I can work on the areas that make sense for me and change the focus when needed. You can too. You will know you are good at it when you start to feel healthier, calm and more focused.

There are what I call some One Sheets on the site that can help you get started. Feel free to download /print them and give them a try. Take as long as you like, the time is yours. And while you are at it, take a breath, enjoy the process, you are worth it.

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Why 3 Good Things?

If you have followed me on social media, for the last two years I have dedicated my posts from the beginning of September until Canadian Thanksgiving to making note of 3 good things in my life each day.

In fall of 2021, I was on a course with Stanford, we had to post our good things daily in a designated forum. At the time there was a lot of disarray in my life, on every level I felt things were stressful or falling apart. This assignment was a significant experiment in my life, I really had to dig deep to come up with my three things. It helped me personally and to my surprise I had others reach out and tell me how much it made their days. It wasn’t about pleasing anyone, it was about setting a goal and seeing it through. How fortunate that it lifted others along the way.

This year I set out to do it again, it was about reframing the perspectives on my life, on my own terms. Because I used Instagram, I needed to have a photo to go with my post and had to be looking for something throughout the day that captured the essence of my good things. People would say, “Am I going to be one of your good things today?”, it didn’t occur to me that anyone would care, but they did. Imagine reframing the way you think about something you have done a thousand times, or showing that you value an experience by making it one of your highlights. You can’t go wrong, if you look for the good you will find it, and likewise for the bad.

On the flipside, I had a few comments last year along the lines of “wouldn’t it be nice”. This surprised me, the things I expressed were nothing out of the average persons’ reach. Sometimes it was as simple as, “We had left overs, Mom win!” Again its the reframe, the new perspective on the old and mundane. It was also so completely out of context for what was actually happening in my life. Looking for the bad will certainly manifest it, you will always bump into someone who doesn’t really know what’s happening in your shoes. Don’t take it personally, I mean that, shake off the discouragement or the need to justify and keep going. At some point, those naysayers will have a similar awakening or they might realize that some of the small and simple things really can perk you up. I hope they share it when it happens.

Try it out. Make a note at the end of the day, even if its just for a week, what three things are you grateful for, cheered you up or saw in a different light? Tell me how it makes you feel.

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“Failure is not falling down, but refusing to get up.” (Chinese Proverb)

I have been struggling with some health issues and I can’t tell you how badly I have missed working out. Weight I worked so hard to lose last year has crept back up and like most women I judge myself quite harshly.

It’s a journey to remind yourself that your body is the most fickle vessel you could place all your value in. Something I have to remember is that I didn’t feel any more confident about all my pursuits 20lbs ago, and the only thing that has changed is my pant size.

Be kind, love yourself where ever you are at, I am working on that too!

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Mental Health Awareness Month (USA)

In 1949 Mental Health America, a non-profit organization devoted to providing support to those affected by mental illness, designated May as Mental Health Month. This may be the reason you notice a surge of mental health content in your social media feeds over the next few weeks.

You need only talk to the generation above you to see how the subject of mental health has developed through the years. What were once seen as character flaws, or signs of weakness, have since been revealed to be far more complex in nature. I would posit that there isn’t a single human on Earth today who isn’t directly affected by mental illness. From a vast range of clinical diagnosis, to the imprint of past trauma that continues to impact our lives to this very day – I believe we all stand to gain greater emotional peace and mental freedom by engaging in mental wellness practices.

Over the next few weeks I will be looking at ways we can all be more proactive in supporting mental health; for ourselves and those around us.

Educate Yourself

Knowing how to help someone with mental illness can be an overwhelming question. It may be difficult to know what to say, what to do, what to think, or what to feel when you are faced with unfamiliar or confusing behavior from someone you love. One of the greatest forms of support you can provide them, is learning about the symptoms and characteristics of their condition. Taking the time to do this research will help sure up the foundation of your relationship by:

1. Helping YOU recognize the behavior associated with the condition.

Many people who suffer from mental illness can find it very challenging to make and maintain meaningful relationships. This can be due, at least in part, to behaviors related to their condition that sabotage connections to others. Being able to see these indicators, and associating them with the condition – not the person – may help you to find the compassion required to be a little more patient, forgiving, and helpful, instead of taking offense or holding on to resentment.

2. Helping THEM feel understood, accepted, and safe.
Being a safe space for someone is, in my opinion, one of the greatest gifts we could ever offer to someone we love. Offering a refuge free from judgement, contention, apathy, or shame can make all the difference when someone is in the midst of a mental health crisis. When we take time to learn about the conditions affecting those we love, we acknowledge and validate their struggle while simultaneously bolstering the trust and safety they feel with us.

In addition to the ways that education can help you support those who struggle with mental illness, it can also help you take inventory of your own mental health. Acknowledging there is a problem is the first, and sometimes the most difficult step. Once we identify where we may need to pay a bit more attention, we can reach out and find help and support from those who may be more familiar with the path.

There are innumerable resources online that can help you learn more about specific illnesses and conditions, so I’ll just leave you with one that I think is a great place to start. The site is hosted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and provides an index of conditions along with information relating to each one.

Take a look at ‘The Depression Recipe’ video on our YouTube channel for more information on this subject as well.

YouTube player
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Welcome to SPRING CLEANING!

The days are longer, the air is warmer, and the grass is… well… brown, but I’m sure it’s green in other places! That’s right, folks – it’s Spring! Or at least it soon will be, and we want to help you make it as fantastic as it can be. The phrase ‘spring-cleaning’ conjures up a lot of different images and feelings for people. Spring Cleaning at Russell Wellness Group means rebirth, renewal, and refocus! It truly is the season to wake up and start moving in the direction you want to go.

Over the next six weeks, we will be focusing on 6 different aspects of Spring Cleaning that will empower you to use the moments you’re in, to improve the moments to come. Cleaning out the clutter – from our closets to our minds – helps us see things will increased clarity. It’s a lot like cleaning a dirty window; not only does it let in the light to see ourselves as we are, it clears up the view of our potential and what we can achieve.

Women cleaning a window with spray and cloth. Close up view