Howdy, Y’all! I’m Gretchen House.
I’ve taken a strange path to get to where I am and doing what I love most. My professional career began in the telecommunications industry as a process engineer, information systems project manager, material manager, and management consultant.
Like many invincible young adults, I abused my body in my twenties. I ran too much and stretched too little. I mostly ran for the beer and t-shirt at the end of the race. I ate out more than I ate in, and I ordered my steak rare. At 28, I was diagnosed with severe degenerative disc disease and multiple bulging discs. My doctor said I had the back of a 68-year-old and was destined for surgery. Many painkillers and physical therapy appointments later, I stumbled into my first Iyengar Yoga class in 2006. The alignment, precision, and systematic intelligence of the practice taught me how to manage my chronic pain – and so far, no surgeries.
I have since studied positive psychology and whole foods plant-based nutrition. I believe that wellness is multi-dimensional. While we must take daily care of our physical wellness – sleep, movement, and nutrition – we must also tend to our emotional, spiritual, social, intellectual, environmental, occupational, and financial wellness. We can never be perfect, but we can always strive to be better – live healthier and feel happier.
I live in Dallas, Texas with my darling husband and three amazing teenagers. I became a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher in 2014. I also have a B. S. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Southern Methodist University. Thanks for stopping in at Stretch with Gretch.
My philosophy
Wellness is an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence.
I believe
Wellness is multi-dimensional. While we must take daily care of our physical wellness – sleep, movement, and nutrition – we must also tend to our emotional, spiritual, social, intellectual, environmental, occupational, and financial dimensions of wellness. Neglecting any one dimension for too long can adversely affect the others. We owe it to ourselves and those we care for to make our personal wellness a priority.
We each need a personal wellness plan. Too often, we focus all our wellness efforts in one or two dimensions. This often leads to feeling stuck. A small win in a neglected dimension could open the gates to giant successes overall. With an understanding of where we are and where we want to be in the future, we can set realistic wellness goals and establish habits to achieve them.
Change is more achievable when we pay attention to who we are and what we value most. With self-awareness - understanding our unique habit traits and how we manage expectations - we can cultivate habits that work for us. Tying our wellness goals to our core values instills in us a reason beyond our own personal health and happiness to commit to our wellness plan.
And even then we may never be perfect, but we can always strive to be better – live healthier and feel happier.