Preparation/Determination: Getting ready to change

Posted on January 6, 2010 by violetquartz

In the preparation/determination stage, people have made a commitment to make a change. Their motivation for changing is reflected by statements such as: I have to do something about this, this is serious. Something has to change. What can I do?

This is sort of a research phase: people are now taking small steps toward change. They are trying to gather information (sometimes by reading things like this) about what they will need to do to change their behavior. Or they will call a professional, trying to find out what strategies and resources are available to help them in their attempt. Too often, people skip this stage: they try to move directly from contemplation into action and fall flat on their faces because they have not adequately researched or accepted what it is going to take to make this major lifestyle change.

A thought to share

Posted on January 3, 2010 by violetquartz

I went to Granville Island today; I love market and all the fresh fruit. Whilst browsing I discovered a quote used by a local artist that I feel applies to my clients and friends so to all of you:

“Your appreciation warms my energy, and your support sparks my imagination.”

Since I love inspirational quotes I plan to share all my favorites with you, feel free to share those which inspire you, post a comment.

Did you get active today? Here is a little inspiration….

Posted on January 2, 2010 by violetquartz

Today was my first day back at Club Flex teaching classes and there was a moderate turn out, congrats to getting out there. I was also happy to see some of you working on your programs, you deserve a pat on the back too. Are you psyched for the new year, a new opportunity to surprise yourself with how much you can lift? how far you can run? how many burpees you can do?

I have a client who had just injured her leg, the first day of the new year, which will seriously affect her program and the time line for her goals. She is a huge inspiration to me because as opposed to getting upset and giving up (which would be the easy thing to do) she will push through and keep training what she can, and look at it as a great opportunity versus a setback.

If we can tap into ourselves and find that fighting spirit to inspire us to keep going no matter what obstacles big or small that stand in our way, anything is possible. You can and will create your best life, so what motivates and inspires you?

Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2010 by violetquartz

The there are many factors to getting new habits to stick. To start my new habit off on the right foot I decided there was no better day to start writing in my blog regularly than today, but it is not as simple as that, you have to implement strategies that will prime you for success.

Firstly, you must want to change, if you are resolving to do something because others tell you, you should then you will not be successful. I have been told by many business professionals that blogging is a great addition to a website and I should really get into the habit of it. To be honest I really did not feel like it until now, which is one of the reasons why I have not been successful at it.

Secondly, are you confident you are able to make the change. It is the single most important factor in determining whether or not you will achieve your resolutions.

Here is a video of a clinical psychologist Wendy Walsh discussing how to be effective at your resolutions.

Resolutions, goal setting, and transformation

Posted on December 31, 2009 by violetquartz

As you all know I have been trying to get this blog off the ground for several months now, and have been unsuccessful. I do not see this as a failure, but a learning opportunity; what did I do or did not do which led to this end result. After giving it much thought I have come to the conclusion that the problem was that I tried versus just doing it. So I am going to give it all I have and just do it. My career goal this year: I will regularly update my blog a minimum of three times a week.

At this time of year many people are talking about resolutions; whether they do or do not work, how to achieve them, and how to make them stick. To be effective in creating your best life and maintaining new behaviors goal setting is an important tool. Well written S.M.A.R.T. goals solidify your commitment to working towards accomplishing them.

This year I am taking a new approach, one I learned form one of my clients (because I learn as much from you as you do from me); I have written my short and long term goals for the year on some paper and have sealed them in an envelope. In three months I will revisit what I have written and see what I accomplished and what fell to the way side. This will allow me to evaluated my successes and reevaluate my ares for opportunity.

I challenge you to do the same. Remember goals do not have to be life changing it would be something as simple as drinking more water in a day.

As many of you know I worked for lululemon for many years. Their format for goal setting is quite effective to get started. As a wise man said; why reinvent the wheel. For information on S.M.A.R.T. goal setting courtesy of lululemon click here.

My Inspiration

Posted on August 27, 2009 by violetquartz

I find I look to people I admire most for inspiration on how I choose to live my life. This is my Grandmother, she will be 96 years old this month. She has a zest for life that is unparalleled; she lives independently in her own condo and maintains a healthy lifestyle. She walks 2 kilometers a day, rain, shine or snow. When I say snow I mean SNOW since she live in Ottawa. She has always walked, as long as I can remember.

Granted there is a genetic component, most of my relatives have live to be a 100, regardless she is tenacious in maintaing her physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual fortitude. What most inspires me is if she can still do this daily after all that she has seen and been through then who am I not to give life my all.

Return to blogging

Posted on May 24, 2009 by violetquartz

In life we are always presented with opportunities to grow. At first these opportunities may seem like challenges, though in the end we learn and see them for what they are. As a wellness practitioner I have learned that I have to listen to what I tell my clients and take that advice myself. It is every easy to get wrapped up in what we feel we need to get done, when sometimes the opposite is true.

This is partially why I have been absent from my “new” blog, though I have decided that no matter what is thrown my way, I will persevere with this project because not only can I reflect back on what has been happening, but hopeful others may learn form it as well; like a food journal.

All that said, I am happy to be back and explore all the window that have opened when a door was closed. Enjoy the sun, live life to its fullest.

Health and Happiness.

Well-rounded Fitness

Posted on April 21, 2009 by violetquartz

There are five components of fitness which together determine your overall physical well-being and ability; Cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and balance.

Together these components provide general health benefits also known as functional fitness. Functional fitness is comprised of exercises and activities which includes two or more of these components. They are all equally important because they contribute to a longer and more importantly independent life.

Cardiovascular endurance is essential to a healthy circulatory system and heart; your body’s transportation system to nourish itself. Because heart health is so vital for everyday living regular cardiovascular exercise, is a sure fire way to ensure it is optimal for as long as possible

Muscular strength is important in everyday movement, getting out of bed, getting dressed etc. These are things we take for granted until we are no longer able to perform them for ourselves. Because we lose muscle mass as we age it is important to build and maintain as much as possible so that you can live independently for as long as possible.

Muscular endurance is the ability to repeatedly move a muscle without tiring and allows us to participate in sport, gardening, hiking; activities which contribute to our quality of life and are essential to our overall well-being.

Flexibility helps us maintain range of motion around our joints reducing stiffness and tension. The more flexible we are the less likely we are to get injured because we can more easily move our joints properly.

Balance is critical in injury prevention especially as we age. Participating in physical activity which requires us to balance helps us build and maintain our stabilization muscle which helps prevent falls and related injuries.

Warm ups, cool downs and stretching

Posted on April 13, 2009 by violetquartz

When you are participating in physical activity and or exercise it is important to make sure you warm up, cool down and stretch.

Warming up prepares the body for more strenuous work, or exercise. It takes a few minutes for the body to gear up to work optimally during an exercise bout. Firstly blood has to be redistributed from your internal organs to your working muscle, your heart and lungs. The movement of blood to your muscle warms them which reduces your risk of injury as your move your body more strenuously. Therefore a warm up is important to prepare your body for exercise and reduce your risk of injury.

Similarly a cool down in important because as you exercise your heart rate is increased, and your body temperature is higher. A gradual cool down is an effective way of reducing post exercise muscle soreness.

Stretching is an important part of a cool down down for many reasons. Stretching is important in maintaing range of motion around a joint a.k.a. flexibility. It also reduces muscular tension built up in the muscle during exercise, thus improving recovery time. Stretching must be done while your muscle are still warm to prevent injuring yourself, and is a great way to cool down; you are still moving, but you are giving your body a chance to recover gradually.

How to Measure Exercise Intensity

Posted on April 8, 2009 by violetquartz

Exercise intensity can be gauged based on this simple equation:

220- (minus) your age gives you a fairly accurate estimate of your maximum heart rate.

Heart rate is used as a benchmark in determining exercise intensity because as the exercise gets more difficult, the heart has to provide the working muscles with more blood, which means the heart has to pump faster. Working at a maximum intensity is very uncomfortable to exercise at and is most suitable for athletes. For the general population, a healthy exercises range is 60-80% of you maximum heart rate. To find this rate, take your max heart rate and multiply it by .6 and .8 respectively to get your exercise range.

You exercise range can be further broken down into moderate and vigorous zones. If you are looking to improve your cardiovascular fitness over time, then incorporating small bouts of vigorous physical activity into your daily routine can help. Start small; 2 minutes and work up. As you become more fit, it will take more intense exercise to get you in the vigorous zone. Eventually you will be able to enjoy more vigorous physical activity pursuits.

There are several ways to know what intensity you are working at: the heart rate equation, and/or how you feel. Moderate exercise is characterized by an increased heart rate, increased rate of breathing, mild sweating and the ability to carry on a conversation while exercising. If you find you cannot carry on a conversation, then you are working too hard. You can also use a scale from 1 to 10. If the exercise you are doing feels like a 6-7 then you are in the moderate zone.