Week 16- Change
Change is difficult. It is hard to get our head around the fact that we are living in an ever changing world and if you don’t keep up, it won’t wait for you! As many of you know, I recently had a career change from teaching to consulting. Many people have asked me how I enjoy “not working”. I try and defend the fact that I am indeed working, just not teaching. Why are we so quick to defend ourselves, would it not be easier to just say “Great, thanks”, and leave it at that? One aspect of our lives where change is difficult to implement is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As a personal trainer, I try to instill the notion that you are on a “lifestyle change” and there is no quick fix to maintaining a healthy body, mind and spirit. In my opinion, there are some key areas one must “change” in order to see improvements in your health goals. The first is the topic I wrote about last week, which is to eat smaller, more frequent meals. I have labeled this way of eating meal cadence, which simply burns calories more effectively. Remember to keep that furnace packed with fuel and when doing so, go for fiber, not carbs. White, refined and over-processed carbohydrates found in white bread and sugar spike our blood sugar before causing our bodies to crash. Opt instead to eat fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, pastas and brown rice. Fiber is one of your best defenses because it removes waste and uses water to do its job, meaning it eliminates bloat and water retention. Sounds like a crucial consideration for my North American friends moving into bathing suit season. The second area to consider is the level of intensity of your workouts. If you want to see change, you need to challenge your body. Aim to push a little harder, go for a little longer and do it more often. The smallest increases will make the biggest differences. This is where personal trainers come in handy, as it is our job to get that last three out of you! Next, I strongly believe that in order to see a change in your fitness level, circuit training is a must. Combine cardio intervals with weight and resistance training to tone your muscles. This is where the boot camp classes, cardio pump and circuit classes come in to play. If you combine quick bouts of cardio with exercises that you use your own body weight and do resistance exercises, the result will be a leaner physique. Not to mention that research has proven that circuit training is psychologically rewarding. Regardless of fitness level, you can really push yourself and set your own goals in the knowledge that you’ve only got 60 seconds worth of any activity before you move on to the next. If you are reading this letter in Sao Paulo, come join my boot camp classes in portal every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:30-9:30am. The last key area is to set achievable goals. This comes back to journaling and or charting what you are doing both with regards to fitness and nutrition. By marking your progress and working toward a measurable goal, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Goals should not necessarily be related to weight loss but perhaps, buying jeans that are a size smaller or lowering your cholesterol points. The motto of CHANGE worked for Obama, why not let it work for you? I loved this blog from one of my favourite sites Tiny Wisdom:
Monday, May 17, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Week 15
Mother knows best
The people in our lives often inspire us to become more loving, more generous and more graceful. I feel fortunate to have so many people in my life that fit this bill, but today, I will write about one specific person who is my inspiration, my confidant and my biggest fan. This is my MOTHER, Connie. After providing you with just a glimpse of the type of person she is, you will understand why I am honouring her, and I hope that you will take some of her wisdom to heart, as I did.
It amazing just how many life lessons I learned from my mother. To be honest, I didn’t give her enough credit until I was a mother myself. I used to think “how hard could it be?” I did not appreciate the unconditional love, perfect intimacy of mother and child, and utter frustration when things don’t go as planned, followed by relief with resolution. I have vivid memories of being at the local ski hill one Saturday night saying to myself, “Geez, why is she over-reacting to the fact that I am drinking Malibu rum out of a plastic pineapple, after all, I am 15 for crying out loud.” Life lesson number one: Think before you act and learn from your mistakes. Why is it that my mother always knows what is best and relentlessly has my best interest in mind? How exhausting. Some of my earliest recollections of my mom giving me advice surround the topic of food. Up until about 15 years ago, Connie was a yo-yo dieter who would be willing to try any new diet trend that came along. These diets were always effective in the short-term, but she found it very difficult to keep the weight off. She enjoys both the preparation and indulgence in great food. Once she told me that she was half bulimic, she said that she had the binge part down, but couldn’t seem to participate in the purge part. Thus, life lesson number two: never diet, don’t skip breakfast, eat only until you are no longer hungry and enjoy the taste of healthy food. Eat in moderation.
I have always been a bit of a sun worshiper and I can recall lying on the dock like a roast of beef, with a 15 minute timer set indicating the time I was meant to flip. Connie would casually come down to visit, donning a large brimmed hat and long sleeved t-shirt, to say “You might feel healthier tanned, but in reality you are going to have alligator skin by the time you are twenty.” Lesson number three, moisturize.
Life lesson number four: do not be afraid to get older, age is only a number. Connie is a beautiful, vibrant, strong, balanced woman who does not hide the fact that she will turn 66 on June 6, 2010. In fact, she is somewhat proud of this fact and is the first to take offense when she is not offered the senior discount at Safeway. She is honest with herself and knows how much work it takes to be healthy at 66. She does daily Thai Chi, wogs (this is the word she uses to describe how she combines walking with running) for 30-40 minutes every day and also enjoys aqua fit classes four or five times a week. Connie will be participating in the 5km Mother’s day race with my brother Rob as her Mother’s day present to herself. I am so proud of her. I am grateful to have such an amazing role model, as I embark on this unexplored frontier of thought and emotion called motherhood. With her guidance and support, I am confident that I too will have such an impact on my children, and only hope to be as influential on my children as Connie has been on me. You go girl!
Happy Mother’s Day!
The people in our lives often inspire us to become more loving, more generous and more graceful. I feel fortunate to have so many people in my life that fit this bill, but today, I will write about one specific person who is my inspiration, my confidant and my biggest fan. This is my MOTHER, Connie. After providing you with just a glimpse of the type of person she is, you will understand why I am honouring her, and I hope that you will take some of her wisdom to heart, as I did.
It amazing just how many life lessons I learned from my mother. To be honest, I didn’t give her enough credit until I was a mother myself. I used to think “how hard could it be?” I did not appreciate the unconditional love, perfect intimacy of mother and child, and utter frustration when things don’t go as planned, followed by relief with resolution. I have vivid memories of being at the local ski hill one Saturday night saying to myself, “Geez, why is she over-reacting to the fact that I am drinking Malibu rum out of a plastic pineapple, after all, I am 15 for crying out loud.” Life lesson number one: Think before you act and learn from your mistakes. Why is it that my mother always knows what is best and relentlessly has my best interest in mind? How exhausting. Some of my earliest recollections of my mom giving me advice surround the topic of food. Up until about 15 years ago, Connie was a yo-yo dieter who would be willing to try any new diet trend that came along. These diets were always effective in the short-term, but she found it very difficult to keep the weight off. She enjoys both the preparation and indulgence in great food. Once she told me that she was half bulimic, she said that she had the binge part down, but couldn’t seem to participate in the purge part. Thus, life lesson number two: never diet, don’t skip breakfast, eat only until you are no longer hungry and enjoy the taste of healthy food. Eat in moderation.
I have always been a bit of a sun worshiper and I can recall lying on the dock like a roast of beef, with a 15 minute timer set indicating the time I was meant to flip. Connie would casually come down to visit, donning a large brimmed hat and long sleeved t-shirt, to say “You might feel healthier tanned, but in reality you are going to have alligator skin by the time you are twenty.” Lesson number three, moisturize.
Life lesson number four: do not be afraid to get older, age is only a number. Connie is a beautiful, vibrant, strong, balanced woman who does not hide the fact that she will turn 66 on June 6, 2010. In fact, she is somewhat proud of this fact and is the first to take offense when she is not offered the senior discount at Safeway. She is honest with herself and knows how much work it takes to be healthy at 66. She does daily Thai Chi, wogs (this is the word she uses to describe how she combines walking with running) for 30-40 minutes every day and also enjoys aqua fit classes four or five times a week. Connie will be participating in the 5km Mother’s day race with my brother Rob as her Mother’s day present to herself. I am so proud of her. I am grateful to have such an amazing role model, as I embark on this unexplored frontier of thought and emotion called motherhood. With her guidance and support, I am confident that I too will have such an impact on my children, and only hope to be as influential on my children as Connie has been on me. You go girl!
Happy Mother’s Day!
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