It's Wednesday!

FITNESS

It’s no secret that I love to move my body! I have found over the past few years that fitness, to me, is more than just looking good and working out. It’s about feeling strong and healthy and looking decent while doing so!

Tennis is a game I grew up watching and in 2009, I decided to get lessons and really try. I have always loved to watch and my father used to play when I was young. It’s been around my entire life and as I’ve played, I’ve improved. It’s still a challenge though, and that’s why it’s fitness to me.

Tennis allows me to run around, get my heart rate up, and all the while, reminding me to breathe, relax and stay calm. Does that make sense that so many controversial things are happening between a serve and your opponents first stroke? Coaches are always telling me to relax and wait for the ball, while making sure I get back and I don’t forget to breathe because the anticipation is enough to knock you down. That’s how I feel anyway.

It seems that tennis has really taken a positive upswing because the pandemic has forced us to think outside the box in every aspect of our lives. Folks are looking for new things to do that follow covid protocols. Many outdoor courts are fully booked nowadays and because you never really get close to your opponent it works during a the era of social distancing. Lucky for me, the girls play. We try and get out as much as we can. I am a member at our local tennis club and I can always access other players when I’m looking for a bit more of a challenge than a 6 year old.

What kind of fitness are you into, if at all? Are you the type that doesn’t enjoy getting sweaty and out of breath? I mean, tennis might be for you because you can play at a pace as slow or as fast as you like! Honestly, I’ve never played a sport where so many people play over the age of 55! You can literally play for life!

It's Saturday!

Remembering Freshair Boutique staff from 20 years ago! 😂😘

olivia (on the left)

20 years ago I was just finishing up hair school and was consumed with becoming a full time hair stylist like my colleagues. It was like being a ‘full time stylist’ was what everyone (that was serious) wanted to become.

As soon as you were out of hair school you would apply at a salon to do your apprenticeship. After 2 years of gruelling and mundane tasks, you get through and are now on the step of becoming a ‘full time stylist’! Making your own schedule and deciding on your pricing, were only some of the perks included with becoming a ‘full time stylist’. 20 years ago.

praise

During the month of November I was challenged with how Remembrance Day gets glazed over. As veterans die, their history and traditions die as well. Remembering and memory, in my opinion, are beautiful luxuries that depend on our own history. I love reminiscing and I do my best to do it often. These photos of each of us at the salon are gentle reminders of where we were 20 years ago.

I really like to take this month to look back and see all the things that have transpired for the good and or the bad. Eventually some of us won’t have the ability to reminisce or recall a memory.

cassy

krista

kiah

kitty

2020 will be the year where we can all share the same memory. We met and were devastated by your friend and mine (drum roll please) brrrrrrrruuuuuup! CORONA VIRUS!! (roaring applause). Please. We all hate her. We will all remember what corona did to us and did for us.

During this second lockdown, and as November comes to an end, I would like to say thank you to all of our clients and friends and family that have supported us so much. Thank you to everyone that shops online, you will not be forgotten. We really appreciate you all!

chelsea

jenna

niasha

When we are back up and running, we can talk about all the things that happened to us and all the things that changed us and all the things that forged memories for us. Just think about what memories we can share when corona is behind us.

suzanne

leah

So in another 20 years from this day, remember to be kind to one another and be positive to humans when you see them. Encounters might not happen for a while.

Lastly, remember when we didn’t know what the word social distancing meant? 😏

-p

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To all of our lovely subscribers, thank you! Enjoy 20% off any one purchase today until December 12th, 2020. Use code REMEMBERWHEN at checkout. One time use. While you’re here, feel free to pop a comment below! :)

It's Saturday!

We are into November now guys! Whoa! So what’s new with us? Well, I’m here to tell you. We have new art on the walls (about time!), our renovations are now complete (woot-woot!), the Eco-Boutique is up and running with our very own branded lotion and body wash! You need to come down and check out all the new changes!

With our city still moving in the area of uncertainty, we have decided to offer all our clients shopping times to utilize during your holiday shopping. As you know, supporting small shops like ours is a really sweet way to help out during the pandemic. Thank you in advance! We offer these times just to assure proper covid-19 protocol so please feel free to book a shopping time (you can do it online as well!). We have something for everyone!

nice art people!

So if you are coming in this month we are offering a rebooking promotion. What is that you may ask? Well, it’s a contest that you can enter to win free shampoo and conditioner for a year! All you need to do is book two appointments in January 2021 and you’re all set!

November also brings Cassy! She’s our new front desk gal and will be the one you chat with when you call. She just finished her hairstylist training in October and is looking forward to developing more of her skills here at our shop. Welcome her the next time you’re in and she’s in!

Cassy!

Before I dip out, let’s not forget to remember the ones before us that made all the things we enjoy today possible. A big thank you to all our Veterans and anyone who has served, we love you!

-p

The Fresh Perspective...

Halloween

I love candy, and I’ve been eating it regularly for the past few weeks. Sugar is my weakness. I love just about anything sweet and halloween is the perfect excuse to feed my vice. I have never really participated in this season and it’s funny how my children view this time of year. They have only trick or treated twice and I think they really liked it! I’m not sure what’s in store this year as covid-19 has upended everything!

I wonder about so many aspects of our lives we don’t question until we are faced with it directly. Door to door, receiving items from strangers doesn’t seem to go hand in hand with our local pandemic rules. I’ve heard of people putting out a large bowl of treats on their front step and letting the kids take as they wish, at any rate they wish. Some say this is lazy, others say, you miss out on the cute costumes when you just place out the candy like a dish or dog food. Here! Take whatever you want!

If no one can go door to door, and no one can really make contact, will tricking or treating still happen?

Well as far as I am concerned, it doesn’t matter what corona decides to do with this North American experience. I’m stocked up on twix and gummies! I’m straight!

That’s the fresh perspective…

The Fresh Perspective...

Change your fitness routine?

While we were off for 7 weeks, I took it upon myself to work on things I could actually control. My fitness became a sweet priority and now, I’m in pretty great shape. As things start to go back to normal, I’m troubled with finding some balance. It’s not really efficient that I work out 7 days a week when I’m working 5-6 days a week without an assistant and without many breaks.

I need to remind myself that I’m still doing pretty good on my fitness track. I decided to change up my programming a little and from now on will attempt to do all my workouts from home or outside. For someone who HATED working out at home, the Pandemic has taught me that it doesn’t matter where I work out, as long as I do so. So far, I’ve been finding ways to get it all in. An easy way, especially if you have kids, is to do something active while your kids are being active as well!

My crew and I are quite active and we do it all together. To be fair, the baby doesn’t do much, but one day he will. While my girls are in a tennis lesson, I go for a run. We all skateboard and play tennis together so that keeps my heart-rate up. We have recently added shooting around at a nearby park to our repertoire. These activities, coupled with a few strong Nike fitness workouts and outdoor runs have really helped to diversify my workouts.

I’m committed to staying at home for now and just need to convince my husband to let me get a heavy bag, or a peloton! ;)

—that’s the fresh perspective…

The Fresh Perspective...

You’re doing what?!

Back to school, back to life, back to reality.  Reality? I don’t even know if I know what that means! What is reality to any of us anymore?

The coronavirus really has done a number on every living being on planet earth. Some things were great (have you seen the photos of Venice?) and some things were terrible (me homeschooling full-time). This pandemic has single handedly decided for all of us that we need to change.  We need to change and we need to accept that sometimes things change.  For some reason, we have been conditioned to think that change is bad.  Change means things won’t be the same and why is that bad? If things were ABSOLUTELY perfect then change would be not-so-good. But let’s be real, things haven’t been good for a very long time and so maybe this is good?

After three weeks of not accepting that I was unemployed and Canada had essentially shut down, I started to let myself accept things just as they were.  Maybe we would be shut down for 3 months?  Maybe I’d be cutting hair out of my home?  Maybe I wouldn’t be able to retire at 55?  So much uncertainty and undoubted change loomed for me as the weeks added up. I started envisioning my life in a whole new way! Bad? In some ways bad, but in other ways good.

Like I said in an earlier post, I love change!  I love to try new hairstyles and I love to try new foods.  I love new experiences and welcome a good shake up.  All this being said, I enjoy change when I can control it.  I enjoy it when I choose it.  Choosing is the funnest as well.  It’s the full on committing to the ‘change’.  It’s a rush! But only when I want it…

So here is the conundrum. I need to change my mindset to look at my change through different lenses and attempt to choose something uniquely different. I often think about my commitment to the environment and how that choice is so easy for me. I have no problem changing my consumption of single use plastics. I made a decision and boom! Done!

Not having control during a pandemic is indeed difficult especially when you’ve been the one controlling and making decisions up until this point. None the less we should accept and attempt to live our lives a little more authentically and with intent intentions. If you haven’t thought about it before, maybe now? Change.

-the fresh perspective…