April Superstar- Pattie Mastroianni

The first month of Spring we wanted to have a super star that is always working on ‘cleaning up’ her wellness, she lives our program daily and embraces our 6 lifestyle essentials. Learn about how Pattie has been cleaning up her nutrition, exercise, mindset, stress, how she understands her body and her connection to her community! It doesn’t have to be perfect, you just have to do it and live it.

Hear it right from Pattie

I joined Sphericality not long after I moved into the area. It must have been around 2013. It’s been a minute, as the kids say! My first class was Barre with Christine, and she mightily kicked my booty! I was winded when I got up the three flights of stairs. I couldn’t do a seated chair at all, and I could not get my leg up on the barre to stretch. But despite all the stuff I struggled with, I had a blast. I took some classes, and that was about it. A few months later, I threw out my back badly. Dorian had an Open House, and I stopped by. We talked for a while, and she came up with a good plan for me, including Pilates and Yoga and getting back to Barre to strengthen me up.

I know I must have looked awful and in pain; she reached out later that day to say how nice it was to see me again, and I picked up she had a genuine concern for me in her voice. It kind of threw me because this very busy lady had all these people in and out of the studio that day, many classes, all kinds of stuff going on, but she called me.

That was a new experience for me and, honestly, life-changing.

I love Springtime. When I was a kid, my mom and I would always be on the lookout for robin birds and be sure to report as soon as we saw one. It was our silly little way to be reminded (and relieved) that winter finally may be over! As soon as we turn the clocks ahead, I feel better. After the initial adjustment, my energy level is up, my mood is improved, and I start to get antsy. I start looking and assessing all of the “stuff” around and hunt out dust bunnies that I might have missed. I have been working from home for over a year now and have done quite a bit of purging. Every closet and drawer has been gone through, and the basement is about 3/4 done. I tackled it systematically, and it’s a fantastic feeling!

When Robyn asked me about writing something on spring cleaning pertaining to wellness, I thought- what a great idea!

We always think about the New Year as a restart, but what about now? This time of year makes more sense to me. Spring is about awakening, rebirth, having a new sense of vigor and purpose.

So how can I apply that to the 6 Lifestyle Essentials? Here are a few things I’m working on and am working toward.

Nutrition

This one is aligning well so far. I’m picking fresh and “in season” foods. I have also stopped buying salad dressing and am making my own. It’s important for me to buy less and less mass production type foods. I’m going to try making yogurt- I have made cheese, can’t be much different! I have done most of the challenges Sphericality has had over the past few years, and I always learn something new each time; something sticks a little bit better. I have to food prep. It’s not a chore anymore but a necessity. I put on a favorite podcast, set up my containers, start chopping up veggies, and it’s the Saturday thing I do.

Exercise

It's sometimes a bit tricky for me. I love to walk. Sometimes it’s just to get out of the house for some head-clearing. I love to walk the town of Flemington, Round Valley, Sourlands Park, the Duke Estate, or wherever I can. For 2020 I got a year-end wrap-up from my Fitbit. I logged 1,592,700 steps and 670 miles. That’s from my home in Flemington, NJ, to Louisville, KY! I love to see the buds breaking on the trees, the crocuses popping up, and listen to the birds sing. There are some classes I can’t do at home, but I am going to commit to going into the studio once a week. I am taking more yoga as I have a neck/shoulder thing I’m still working on correcting. I still love my Barre classes but need to focus on getting more vigorous cardio! I recently did the recorded Bootcamp with Coach Rachael I keep hearing y’all rave about! Holy moly!

Sleep & Stress

Oh boy! We are all there. Working from home, or is it living at work? We have that family member that rustles the cold cut wrappers while you are on a Zoom meeting, or he turns on the news while you are trying to talk to a customer! It’s not a big house, my husband uses the office upstairs, and I am in the house’s front room.

This past year has been intense for sure, but I took the spare bedroom and made meditation, yoga, reading, escape room for myself. Here’s a picture! I love it. It’s a little space for me, and I need it. It’s not selfish; I need to be in my own area.

I’m in there a minimum of 20 min a day. Sometimes it’s at night before bed; I’ll do some stretching. Sometimes it’s in the morning when I take the 7 am Monday morning meditation with Cindy- we’ve been doing it almost a year. I’m so grateful for it. I’ve learned a ton, and it’s a perfect way to head into Monday.  

 Mindset, Purpose & Vision

This one is always a little out of reach for me. I have worked very hard to live in the present and get out of the past, so trying to envision what I want six months or a year from now never comes easily to me. So I’m taking my “live in the moment” and asking how I can spring clean this. The past few months of worrying about elderly relatives, job security, this crazy virus, and the vaccine have taken a toll. So my spring cleaning is letting go of worrying. I didn’t cause it; I can’t fix it. I can protect myself as best as I can, and that’s all I can do. I’m not responsible for anyone other than myself. I say a little prayer that may all beings be safe and at ease, and that includes me. My purpose is to take care of myself to be more at peace and hopefully a calming influence to those around me.

Understanding my body & education

I am part of the Food Camp group and the Meditation group. They both meet on Mondays on Zoom. Meditation is at 7 am, and Food Camp is 6:45 pm. I’ve been in food camp for about a year and three months, and while it took a little getting used to thinking of food differently, I have learned so much. There is no “perfect day or diet” but more of what my body needs and how I can nourish it optimally. We have a topic we cover, and we discuss challenges and victories for the week. We’ll come up with suggestions and share what’s working. Sometimes, we think a healthy choice can be but in the correct quantity and setting. I highly recommend it!

The Meditation group has opened my eyes to how much I need to sit and be still! Cindy is just a wealth of information and has such passion. We learned about Ayurveda seasons, Chakras, crystals (super cool!), and we also do Yin Yoga once a month. It’s perfect to start a Monday; it helps get me in the right frame of mind to tackle the day and week ahead.

I am adding some crystals to my workout/meditation area and my desk where I work to help balance things out.

The community

I’m so grateful to have Sphericality as an anchor. I know I can reach out and have a wonderful group of supportive women, and I’m proud to be a part of it. Each of us brings something different, and I hope more women will join us and feel that sense of unity. I tend to hide in my shell, so I’m putting myself out there more in hopes that good mojo attracts more good mojo!

The Program

I think my favorite part of the program is how flexible it is. Life is truly a journey, and sometimes it changes month to month.

What worked last year might need to adjust to this year for various reasons, time marching on being one. We aren’t the same as we were a few years ago, so tweaking is so essential.

That’s one of the most significant aspects, and believe me; I’m a master at modifying when I need to! Remembering to be kind to myself, lose the guilt (I think my ego has a tough one there), put my big girl pants on, and keep it moving is the name of my game.

And enjoying the cherry blossoms along the way. 

Learn more about our Spring Cleaning for your Wellness Retreat here!