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Tag Archives: Challenge
Stairway to health
The stairway to health is a program designed by the Canadian public health agency to provide support and resources to encourage Canadians to get active and increase their daily physical activity. Something as simple as taking the stairs throughout your workday can do a lot in helping you reach minimum physical activity requirements (30-60 min a day, everyday). Here is on of the “stairway to health” fact sheets:
There are a variety of benefits to programs that encourage the use of stairways, as part of physical activity in workplaces, or other settings. These benefits may include improved morale, a sense of well-being, higher energy levels and improved team building. Below are the measurable benefits that are indicated in research on stair use.
- Canada’s Physical Activity Guide recommends that Canadians accumulate 30-60 minutes of moderate physical activity each day.
- Stair climbing is possible in many workplaces and requires no special equipment in order to participate.
- There is evidence to suggest that moderate intensity lifestyle activities like taking the stairs may be more successfully promoted than structured vigorous intensity exercise programs (Kerr, 2001).
- Stair climbing can be accumulated across the course of the day, making a significant contribution to 30 minutes of daily physical activity (Kerr, 2001).
- Stair climbing interventions typically result in a 6-15% increase in use of stairs.
- A significantly lower risk of mortality is indicated in studies where participants climbed more than 55 flights per week. (Paffenbarger et al. 1993).
- Stair climbing requires about 8-11kcal of energy per minute, which is high compared to other physical activities (Edwards, 1983).
- Active Stair climbers are more fit and have a higher aerobic capacity (Ilmarinen et al, 1978).
- Even two flights of stairs climbed per day can lead to 2.7 kg weight loss over one year (Brownell, Stunkard, and ALbaum, 1980).
- There is a strong association between stair climbing and bone density, in post-menopausal women (Coupland et al. 1999).
- Stair climbing programs can improve the amount of ‘good cholesterol’ in the blood – HDL concentrations (Wallace and Neill, 2000).
- Stair climbing increases leg power and may be an important priority in reducing the risk of injury from falls in the elderly (Allied Dunbar Survey, 1992).
- Because stair climbing rates are currently very low, increasing population levels of stair climbing could lead to substantial public health dividends (Kerr, 2001
- Because stair climbing is an activity with which we are all familiar, participants have a high level of confidence in their ability to participate in the activity (Kerr, 2001).
For more information and resources click here.
My word of the year; abundance
Yesterday I was sharing a meal with a friend, and at the same time picking up some flower essence to support my goals. You may ask what a flower essence is, here is a description fromMarrisa’s website who is the one I get such things from:
Flower essences are energetic remedies made from flowers. They are similar to the idea of homeopathy, yet different. Many people are familiar with the Bach Flower Rescue Remedy as it is the most common and oldest commercial flower essence. It is used for stress, upset, fear, trauma, shock and grief. It is also often used for pets when they are stressed with a trip to the vet, fireworks, lightening or other trauma.
The one I am currently using is abundance. As I was explaining why I was using it, I realized as I spoke it had much deeper significance than I originally intendend. My friend asked me if this was my word of the year, since resolutions are still somewhat on our minds. In that moment I decided that yes, this is my word of the year.
Abundance in health.
Abundance in love.
Abundance in time.
Abundance in fun.
Abundance in friends.
Abundance in wealth.
Abundance in success.
What would you choose your word of the year to live by to be?
This gives me hope for the future… just amazing
I was in the grocery store yesterday and I picked up a copy of the new National Geographic because the feature interested me. The article looks at bionics; have a look yourself, truly amazing. Some people really are changing the world.
Do not forget to post a comment, and send me your testimonials. 🙂
Stretching and meditation
Yesterday I wrote about all the components of fitness, but today I wanted to further emphasize the importance of stretching. When we stretch our bodies we invite relaxation, not only in the body but also the mind. Those who come to my stretch class know that by the end of the class the mind is quieter, thoughts are more calm, and your body feels great! In a gym setting you will see people stretch 10-15 seconds, muscle their way into it, but he reality is that a stressed out muscle can not relax therefore can not stretch. Comparatively a stressed out mind can not relax and therefore can not expand and grow.
Stretching the body allows you to be present within it, check in with yourself if you will. Expanding the mind offers the opportunity to explore yourself. The next time you are in a yoga or stretch class, relax. Do not force it, just be, and see where your flexibility of body, and openness of mind takes you.
Happy stretching.
Benefits of napping
I am not a morning person, as my clients know 9 am is the earliest I will train, but I am happy to work well into the evening. We all have different sleeping patterns and getting enough of it is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. One of my favorite sleeping behaviors is napping; often given a bad rap, nothing beats a nap to get you back on your feet when feeling tired mid day. We often relegate napping to young children and the elderly, but napping can provide many benefits. The average recommended napping duration is about 20 minutes. Here is a great link with lots of useful information on napping.
Happy sleep!
YOU are the VIP!
Life is amazing and unexpected. Yesterday I gave a reiki treatment to someone and the shifts were so powerful, and the emotions so deep, that it reminded me what life is really about. We get caught up on the little things of everything day life we forget to look at the bigger picture. One thing I found myself saying also directly applied to me. Trying to do good for others we let our feelings and emotions fall by the way side. Remember; YOU are the most important person in your life. Make yourself happy first, and your joy will have a spiderweb effect, expanding out to those around you. There is a distinction between being selfish and self-full; shelflshness is at the cost of others well-being and happiness. Self-fullness is making yourself a priority, before you reach out to others. What will you do for yourself today?
Appreciation
When I went to write my blog today, I was drawing a blank, I do not have a useful tid-bit of information or something inspirational to post. So I thought, to maintain my momentum in daily blogging what on earth could I share? Thus I share some personal insight. Today I realized that I am deeply grateful, from the bottom of my heart for all the amazing people I work with. So to you I give thanks, you make my work absolutely wonderful, you allow me into your lives which are all rich and interesting, you teach me about the kindness of the human heart, and the drive to succeed and be healthy. You give me your support, and in-turn enrich my life. You rock!
Awareness: the power of words
Someone just sent me this quote and I wanted to share it with you because it rings true to me:
Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
We are a product of what we eat, what we think and what we feel. Revisiting awareness, what it its purpose; to bring attention to the bigger picture in our daily lives to better understand ourselves and thus make choices in life that reflect who we truly are. I had a teacher that once said awareness is enlightenment. Enlightenment only makes you more truly who you are. Imagine regular consciousness to be a flashlight in a dark theater, enlightenment would be turning on all the lights, it does not change the nature of the space, only your perception and understanding of it.
Power of language
As some of you may already know I have been perusing the web to find great personal training quote to share and inspire you all as you sweat away. In the procress I found a variety of ‘common sayings’ which personal trainers use; and to my amusement I have also occasionally thrown some of them out there. Here is a sample:
The proverbial “we”, as in we are going to do……
This is going to be fun!
Get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Can’t means won’t, and won’t means push-ups. (I may start using this one)
The interesting thing was that it brought my attention to the phrases I use the most during my sessions, and I realized my catch phrase if you will would be “oh, this is one of my favorite exercises”, which really struck home the fact that I love to move, and be active. This lead me to examine my catch phrases in other areas of my life, and the language I use to speak to myself. I found that sometimes I was really negative when it came to talking to me and the way I perceived my world. All this to say, your reoccurring thoughts give you insight into how you really are and how you really feel. be careful what you tell yourself because it will become your reality if you say it to yourself enough. If you find your self saying I am tired, all of the time, you will become tired. So the next time you go to say or think to yourself negatively, STOP yourself, and choose your language carefully. Through language we define our perceptions, and our perceptions are how we experience the world.