smilepace!

Weekly Programs for Tweens, Teens & Moms!

2009-08-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

Summer Reset, my program to empower tween & teen girls, by resetting their attitudes toward themselves, others, and life... was such an overwhelming success that I am pleased to announce a follow-up afterschool program: Weekly Reset! Each 1.5 hour session, one for middle school girls, and one for high school girls, will focus on specific topics - e.g. healthy relationships, stress management, anger management, peer pressure, staying motivated, etc. The Girls Circle format will be used, to promote open discussion in a safe, nonjudgmental way, including a creative activity related to the topic.

Furthermore, because so many moms have asked for the same program, I have decided to mirror the girls program with one for moms. For 1.5 hours each week, a group of moms will get together to discuss a specific topic, such as finding your purpose, creating and sticking to goals, getting/staying in shape, reinvigorating your marriage, coping with loss, escaping boredom, nurturing ourselves, etc. As with the girls' sessions, Mom ReBoot Camp will be based on confidentiality, absence of judgment, the ability to vent and voice one's concerns and opinions without being interrupted... and members will leave each session with a positive attitude and goal.

Groups are limited to 8 girls/women, so please let me know if you're interested ASAP. Tentatively, this is the schedule:

5th, 6th, 7th grade girls: Wednesdays afterschool

7th, 8th, 9th+ grade girls: Fridays afterschool

Stay home Moms: Tuesdays, 9:30-11:00am

Working Moms: TBD

Each session will be 6 weeks long.

Summer Camp for Middle School Girls!!!!

2009-03-31T06:51:00.000-07:00

It's tough being a girl these days. One in 3 girls will be in, or know someone in, an abusive relationship; 50% of teen girls are depressed; eating disorders, substance abuse and self-injury are on the rise.

Summer Reset summer camp is a preventive program to show girls that they are amazing! At camp, they will learn tools that will serve them during these challenging years, and throughout life.

Each day will start with 30 minutes of yoga and meditation. There will be plenty of time for discussion, creative and written activities, and kinesthetic movement - to appeal to our different learning styles. Topics covered will include healthy relationships, thinking for yourself, creating a positive outcome, anger management, healthy lifestyle, persistence, responsibility and accountability... and FUN!!

Dates: Session 1.... July 20-24

Session 2... July 27-31

Session 3... Aug. 3-7

Sessions run 9:30am-3:00pm

Location: 316 S. Main St., Southbury CT 06488

It's all about being preventative and proactive!

Please contact me with any questions: snavas@sbcglobal.net/203.217.7745

Life & Career Coach!

2009-02-28T05:16:00.000-08:00

I recently completed an intensive course on life and career coaching and I am ready to help everyone become as happy as I know they are capable of being! Don't know what a life coach is? In a nutshell, it's the best friend you've always needed but didn't know it! If you are in a rut with your career, your workout, your relationships, your spirituality, your life... A life coach can help you figure out what is lacking in your life. Together, you set goals and your coach helps you figure out how to achieve them - and keeps you accountable. Most people can jumpstart their life with just a few sessions. Unlike therapy, coaching deals with the present and your desired future, and works with Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-focused goals! That's why it's SMART to hire a coach! So let me know if you need a nudge (or shove) - first session is absolutely free!

Teen Pregnancy - We can (must) all help

2008-12-14T13:09:00.000-08:00

The Perfect Gift!

2008-12-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

Please check out the smilepacing store for tee shirts, hoodies, tanks, etc for the triathlete, runner, triathlete's BFF or other No. 1 fans! They will definitely elicit a giggle from the recipient and lots of conversation everywhere s/he wears the item! Does your wife "run like a mother"? Does your boyfriend "dig sweaty chicks"? Is your toddler's mother a "trimama"? Come check it out!

SHOP

On Facebook!

2008-12-14T12:39:00.000-08:00

I have two groups on Facebook, open to anyone. "Triathletes Who Smilepace" is actually a bit of a misnomer, as its members include triathletes, runners, hikers, yogis, and anyone who wishes to be any of the above. I send out daily or almost daily messages to inspire members to stay conscious of their attitude in training, racing, working & living. "No Mommy Pills Here" is a group for inspired moms or those seeking inspiration. Our society is obsessed with quick fixes and the purpose of this group is to inspire its members to live an inspired life through a positive, compassionate and passionate approach to life. (If you are on anti-depressants but recognize that medication alone is not the solution, please check us out!)

Are you sufficiently challenged?

2008-12-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

Bless those who challenge us to grow, to stretch, to move beyond the knowable, to come back home to our elemental and essential nature. Bless those who challenge us for they remind us of doors we have closed and doors we have yet to open. They are Big Medicine Teachers for us.

- Navajo saying

Women's Triathlon - Farmington, CT - Sept 14 2008

2008-09-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

Today was the 2nd Women's Triathlon in Farmington, CT. It was muggy. Wet. Muddy. A few minutes before the swim start I remembered I had loaned my goggles to my 8 year old niece over the summer and I never readjusted them. Bill (my husband) helped me out, while joking about Michael Phelps and how he'd had leakage problems in Beijing. Well it turns out that my swim was just like Phelps' - in terms of leakage. But I figured it was only .5 miles in the water so it didn't warrant stopping to fix them. The bike was in pouring rain. I don't bike in the rain. In fact I don't bike outside. My dungeon, a.k.a. my basement, is where I bike. On my trainer, away from the elements, potholes, distracted drivers and critters, with my mp3 player. I have never biked in the rain. But you know what? It wasn't so bad. I took the turns carefully, I sometimes had to blink in order to see in the driving rain, but it wasn't bad, especially as it was warm out. The run. According to the website, it would be a flat run. Well, when I say I have a flat chest I am not engaging in false advertising. The race website was. Not only was it far from an A cup, it was MUDDY. One downhill in particular was a hairy one, as I slid right down to the bottom - somehow upright the whole way. A woman in front of me lost her shoe in a bog. That being said, it was a BLAST. There is nothing like getting wet and filthy by 9:25am on a Sunday, with a bunch of women of all ages, shapes, walks of life, with the men standing on the sidelines cheering us on. I know, let the women do the work, what else is new, but the fact is, this was joyful work. Hell, the men were watching the children right? There is truly nothing like an all-women's race in my book. It's not that we are less competitive, it's that we have so much going on that we are simply happy to be out there, celebrating our strength and motivation and freedom to do something just for US.

After the race I dragged Bill and Jacqueline (my 7 year old daughter) into a Halloween store. I bought myself a Viking costume. Must be the adrenaline...

Your motto on a tee!

2008-07-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

smilepacing LLC is the way I plan to make the world a better place, one smile at a time. But I need your help! Tell me what gets you through the day. Do you have a mantra, a phrase, a recurring thought that gets you through the rough spots? Post it here, and vote for your favorite while you're at it. The most popular one, as voted by smilepacers everywhere, will be my next tee shirt, available to all!

Lighten up!

2008-07-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

I have never taken myself very seriously. In fact, I have often been accused of lacking maturity because I have often chosen to live in the moment and perhaps act a tad unconventionally when given the chance to do something that will illicit smiles or laughter, from me and those around me. Being a mom, and a triathlete, has often tested that side of me that shuns the serious side of life. After all, motherhood comes with a boatload of commitments, responsibilities, and annoyances (yeah, I think all those parenting books I read while trying to get pregnant forgot to mention that part). Triathlon is the same, in that I make commitments by registering for races, announcing my upcoming races, buying equipment, paying a coach... And sometimes it all can become overwhelming, especially with all the other self-imposed demands on my time. Wait, did you catch that? SELF-IMPOSED! And that is what I think people need to remember. My husband, Bill, asked me the other day, if I'm not stressed? I thought about it and truthfully replied, not at all. I had deadlines looming over me, every moment of my day is choreographed, I am lucky to get 7 hours of sleep. But the truth is, I am not stressed, because to me stress is self-created, as is my hectic schedule. Sure, there are plenty of things in the day, in life, that we do not choose to undergo. But the majority of stressors are optional.

When I was at Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island last week, at my smilepacing booth, I spoke to many athletes who were worried about their performance in the upcoming race. In my outspoken manner I reminded them that they had elected to undergo this grueling race; in fact, they'd paid a lot of money to subject their body and mind to this. So basically, I urged them to get a grip, to realize that this is not chemotherapy, this is FUN. I explained what smilepacing is about, it's a way to lighten up, not take yourself so seriously, be grateful! The entire time I raced I was grateful, often to the point of tears, to be strong and healthy enough to participate in this race, along with 1,200 other motivated, health-conscious, energetic people, many of whom had endured and overcome enormous obstacles to be there. That is what it's all about! So quit taking things so seriously, leave the ego home, and slap that smile on your face!

2008-07-16T10:41:00.001-07:00

Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island

2008-07-16T10:09:00.000-07:00