You Light up My Life!

Just recently our land-lady asked me if we wanted to put up the Christmas lights that are stored in the basement. I told her that I thought that it was not necessary, since our very large house consumes so much energy already. I left it at that. This weekend, Jim and I went out and found a Christmas tree. We dug out boxes of ornaments that have traveled with us twice around the globe. After we decorated the tree and plugged in the lights I had an instant feeling of joy and merriment. What was it about those twinkling white lights that brought a smile to my face? I am sure it was also the sentimental value of so many items we placed on the tree, like the handmade ornaments from pre-school, the beautiful angel that I inherited from my mother, who received it from Great Aunt Deb and the interesting ornaments that we carefully labeled with the year and country of purchase. There are so many traditions and customs that are associated with the holiday season. Take Christmas cards as an example. Yesterday I sat in the car "watching" Jamieson at futbol practice. During this time, I sometimes take a run, listen to Bulgarian, read or make my to-do list. On Monday, I decided to use the one and half hours to start writing my Christmas cards. As I was scribbling away, two things came to mind. First, that writing cards would be so much easier and less labour intenstive if I did it digitally. Second, that I was going to have to learn to use the local mailing system here in Bulgaria, which was a bit daunting for me. I also wondered; does the joyful and loving feeling of receiving a personal holiday note from someone out way the massive impact that Christmas cards have on our environment? I guess the various generations would answer this question differently. I decided to be selective in my Christmas card writing this year and only use snail mail to my aunties and uncles that, for them, is a part of Christmas. So, anyone who has a gmail, hotmail, yahoo account will be receiving the digital version of my holiday greeting. This is not to say that I love anyone less, I am just deciding to have one foot in the boat, and one out with regards to Christmas "change". Some of these holiday traditions can and should be passed along from generation to generation, while others can be adapted to suit the 21st Century. So, since I made the conscious effort by selectively sending the cards, I immediately wrote our our landlady and reneged on my choice not to have lights. I figured, it really is only one month of the year... I can handle an elevated electricity bill, if it puts a smile on someones face as they pass by our place.

Change

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: