Say hello to your heart.

Posted on February 3, 2010 by violetquartz

Before we delve into specifics about heart health; physical, emotional, energetic, and so on; it is important to understand its structure. Structure defines function.

From an anatomical stand point the heart is comprise of muscle, about the size of your closed fist on the left hand side of your body. For a fantastic diagram of the heart, its chambers, arteries and veins click here.

From an emotional perspective the heart is the seat of emotion; it is where we feel our feelings. Click here for more information.

Energetically the heart chakra is the bridge between the lower physical chakras and the higher spiritual ones. For more information click here.

We will look at all of these and more in greater detail the days to come.

Happy healthy heart!

February is heart month!

Posted on February 2, 2010 by violetquartz

Many causes have designated months to raise awareness about their plights. For example February is black history month, as well as heart month (as per the heart and stroke foundation). This is the one with more relevance to our purposes and a cause close to my heart since heart disease is prevalent in my family.

Check out the Heart and Strokes website, be ready for lots of fun and interesting heart facts this month.

Happy heart month!

What inspired me….

Posted on January 31, 2010 by violetquartz

Keeping up with a lifestyle change can be very challenging, often we feel like the payoff is not worth the effort, especially when the results can be slow coming. I have my own personal experience to share; after a long period of being ill, not working out, eating poorly in my late adolescence I decided to get my life in check, I was not happy with my body and I felt crummy. At the time I had not idea how much work it took to get the results I wanted. I had a dance background so for most of my life up until then, it was not something I though mush about. When I first started going to the gym I thought going twice a week was a lot of time, especially because it felt wasted. I was intimidated by other more fit women in the gym. I found a cartoon in a magazine that captured what I felt, it was accompanied by this editorial story; this woman had gone through the same thing I was going through. I was INSPIRED! I loved the cartoon, so I kept it. I taped it to my bathroom mirror, to remind me every day why I was doing what I was doing and to not give up. As I became stronger I enjoyed going to the gym more, I went more often, saw more results. It took me a full five years to really see all the changes I wanted, it had to build over time. That cartoon, stayed on my mirror all of that time. When I moved I kept it and took it with me. Now I can generate my own motivation, but I sometimes remember what it felt like to not have any, and that cartoon’s role in keeping me one track. Do not underestimate the power of the small things.

Do not give up, keep at it, it will come.

Notes from the universe

Posted on January 29, 2010 by violetquartz

Recently a friend introduced me to notes from the universe from tut.com; they are daily e-mails which remind you of the big picture. I highly recommend it, check it out. Always an inspiring message.

Moderation, rest and it place in creating sustainable change.

Posted on January 26, 2010 by violetquartz

mod⋅er⋅a⋅tion /ˌmɒdəˈreɪʃən/

–noun

1.	the quality of being moderate; restraint; avoidance of extremes or excesses; temperance.

2.	the act of moderating.

3.	moderations, British. the first public examinations at Oxford University for the B.A. degree in mathematics or in classics.

—Idiom

4.	in moderation, without excess; moderately; temperately: to drink in moderation.

There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, even the healthiest foods, exercises can become dangerous and harmful when we abuse them, not only can it become an obsession, but it can also have detrimental effects in the body, thus in the energetic system and so on. Often when trying to maintain healthy habits we begrudge ourselves small slip ups, we feel we must be on the ball one hundred percent of the time, when in fact our changes would be more sustainable if we accept that we will falter, thus we should take it easy, be kind to ourselves and start with small steps. Taking breaks and taking stock are an important part of the process. It is comparable to what happens in the body when exercise training. There is a prescribed rest interval for different types to training which yield different adaptations. When training for increased strength and size, you would not use a rest time appropriate for endurance training. Furthermore you would not for go the rest period all together since it would limit the change in the muscle over time.

If we apply this principle to life and making changes in our lifestyle or perception then it stands to reason that depending on our goals and aspirations, different paths will be appropriate for different types of people. Do not compare your journey to that of another, we are all unique. take your time, as a wise person once said it is not the destination that matters but the journey there.

Olympic spirit

Posted on January 24, 2010 by violetquartz

The olympics are fast approaching, and the flame will be in Squamish in nine days. It is very exciting to be on the world’s stage; show off our beautiful town and get wrapped up in the energy of the Olympics.

I am very proud to say that Rob will be the RCMP representative greeting the torch when it lands in Lion’s Bay on the 4th.

I encourage you to step out and participate, not only for this event, but also throughout February; it is a once in a life time opportunity to be shared with people from all over the world.

For more information on the torch relay click here.

Stairway to health

Posted on January 21, 2010 by violetquartz

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

Posted on January 20, 2010 by violetquartz

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. 🙂

Benefits of napping

Posted on January 17, 2010 by violetquartz

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!

Action/Willpower: Changing behavior

Posted on January 8, 2010 by violetquartz

This is the stage where people believe they have the ability to change their behavior and are actively involved in taking steps to change their bad behavior by using a variety of different techniques. This is the shortest of all the stages. The amount of time people spend in action varies. It generally lasts about 6 months, but it can literally be as short as one hour! This is a stage when people most depend on their own willpower. They are making overt efforts to quit or change the behavior and are at greatest risk for relapse.

Mentally, they review their commitment to themselves and develop plans to deal with both personal and external pressures that may lead to slips. They may use short-term rewards to sustain their motivation, and analyze their behavior change efforts in a way that enhances their self-confidence. People in this stage also tend to be open to receiving help and are also likely to seek support from others which is a a very important element. Hopefully, if the are successful in this stage they move to maintenance. More on that tomorrow!