Friday: the law of detachment

Allow yourself and others the freedom to be who they are. Do not force solutions- allow solutions to spontaneously emerge. Uncertainty is essential, and you path to freedom.

Brought to you by the Seven Laws of Spiritual Success by Deepak Chopra.

 

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.

 

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.

National geographic: Bionics

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.

 

Maintenance: Maintaining the behavior change

Maintenance involves being able to successfully avoid any temptations to return to the bad habit. The goal of the maintenance stage is to maintain the new status quo. People in this stage tend to remind themselves of how much progress they have made. People in maintenance constantly reformulate the rules of their lives and are acquiring new skills to deal with life and avoid relapse. They are able to anticipate the situations in which a relapse could occur and prepare coping strategies in advance.

They remain aware that what they are striving for is personally worthwhile and meaningful. They are patient with themselves and recognize that it often takes a while to let go of old behavior patterns and practice new ones until they are second nature to them. Even though they may have thoughts of returning to their old bad habits, they resist the temptation and stay on track.

Tomorrow, relapse, which I am sure is the stage which everyone wants to read about.

 

Happy New Year!

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.

 

 

Energy Balance and its importance in training

When training it is imporatnt to make sure you are eating nough calories and geting enough nutrient to supoort physiological adapation, even if you are trying to loose weight. Here is an exerpt from a postistion statement compiled by: American College of Sports Medicine: Nancy R. Rodriguez (University of Connecticut); American Dietetic Association: Nancy M. DiMarco (Texas Woman’s University); Dietitians of Canada: Susie Langley

Energy balance occurs when energy intake (the sum of energy from foods, fluids, and supplement products) equals energy expenditure (sum of energy expended as basal metabolic rate, the thermic effect of food, the thermic effect of activity, which is the energy expended in planned physical activity, and non-exercise activity thermogenesis).

Energy expenditure for different types of exercise is dependent on the duration, frequency, and intensity of the exercise, the sex of the athlete, and prior nutritional status in addition to heredity, age, body size, and fat free mass. The more energy used in activity, the more calories needed to achieve energy balance.

Inadequate energy intake compromises performance and negates the benefits of training. With limited energy intake, fat and lean tissue will be used for fuel by the body resulting in a loss of lean tissue. The concern here is that loss of strength and endurance, as well as compromised immune, endocrine, and musculoskeletal function can result.

 

Welcome to my new blog!

Hello and welcome. I am stating this blog to share my thoughts, experience and expertise on health and wellness. Check in weekly for updates. If you have specific topics you would like me to cover feel free to e-mail me questions and comments.

There is 30 day exercises challenge starting April 1st. It is organized by reach physio. I will leading a chat room discussion Tuesday nights for those taking part. To sign up go here.

Enjoy the sunshine.