Effectively changing behaviour

Posted on January 4, 2010 by violetquartz

Behaviour modification is extensively researched in psychology, out of which theoretical frameworks arise to guide us along to process. One of the more widely used theories of change is the Transtheoretical Model also known as the Stage of Change Model.

Before you begin to make changes in your life, here is a useful theory — call the Stages of Change Model, or SCM about the mind/body stages we go through when we do change. The Stages of Change Model was originally developed in the late 1970ís and early 1980ís by James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente at the University of Rhode Island when they were studying how smokers were able to give up their habits. The SCM model has been applied to a broad range of behaviors including weight loss, injury prevention, overcoming alcohol, and drug problems among others.

In each of the stages, a person has to grapple with a different set of issues and tasks that relate to changing behavior.

The Stages of Change Model has been applied to a broad range of behaviors including weight loss, injury prevention, overcoming alcohol, and drug problems among others.

The idea behind the SCM is that behavior change does not happen in one step. Rather, people tend to progress through different stages on their way to successful change. Also, each of us progresses through the stages at our own rate. So expecting behavior change by simply telling someone, for example, who is still in the “pre-contemplation” stage that he or she must go to a certain number of AA meetings in a certain time period is rather naive (and perhaps counterproductive) because they are not ready to change. Each person must decide for himself or herself when a stage is completed and when it is time to move on to the next stage. Moreover, this decision must come from the inside you (see developing an internal locus of control) — stable, long term change cannot be externally imposed.

The Stages

Over the next week we will review each stage, its challenges, and tools and resources to overcome overcome them.

Information sourced from: Addiction Alternatives

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?

Motivation

Posted on October 3, 2009 by violetquartz

Now that fall is upon us it is time to get back to our routines and schedules. Sometimes it is difficult to get back into the swing of things, especially if we are trying to incorporate new healthy habits into our lives. Motivation plays a big part in whether or not we will be successful in accomplishing and maintaining our goals.

Here are a few strategies to keep yourself motivation and accountable:

Write out a motivation list; why do you want to change what you are changing or why are you maintaining. Place the list in a place you look everyday, like you bathroom mirror, every time you look at it you will be reminded of why you are doing what you are doing.
Enroll others in your new habit or routine; tell you friend and family your goals, they will help keep you accountable.
Seek the help of a professional: they will definitely keep you on task and working towards your goals.
Get involved in a challenge; working towards the same goal as another person provides support and adds a competitive edge for those who enjoy healthy competition. For those of you interested the 100 day challenge is starting later this month. For more information please click here.

My Inspiration

Posted on August 27, 2009 by violetquartz

It is in people I admire I find inspiration on how I choose to live my life. This is my grandmother, she will be 96 years old this month. She lives independantly in her own condo, and hasa zest for life that is unparalled. She is almost seventy years older than me and her comitment ot life and to health is truly an inspiration. She walks 2 kilomerts a day, rain or shine, even in the snow. She lives in Ottawa, so when I say snow I mean SNOW, yet that does not prevent her from getting out there and doing what she loves. She has been walking for as long as I can remeber.

It is amazing to see the impact healthy life choices have throughout life can result in a reawrding long and functional life. Granted there is a genetic component, most of my relatives live to be a 100. Regardless her tenacity in maintaing her physical, intellectual nad spirltal self is an ispiration. If she can find it within herself after all that she has seen and been through in her life. Then who I am not to give it all i’ve got.

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.

Welcome to my new blog!

Posted on March 27, 2009 by violetquartz

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.