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Setting up for Success during the 30 Day Challenge

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 | 30 Day Challenge | No Comments

Lara Williams, Coach & Motivational Speaker, get on with it Coaching

 Lara talked to the group on Sunday March 29th about intentions for this event, how to stick to it and how to approach “slipping up”. Here, I paraphrase her talk. My apologies, Lara, if I leave out anything critical.

First question to consider:

WHY do you want to create a habit of regular exercise?

Possible answers might be….reduce stress, sleep better, be more energized, clear your head etc etc. This is unique to each person in the group.

Next question:

If you were to have ( the reason why you want to exercise daily ie. stress reduction), what might it give you, or bring to your life? What would that give you that’s even deeper and more meaningful? (ex: a sense of peacefulness, more joy/contentment)

Before you take on any kind of new activity or lifestyle change, it’s always good to check in with yourself. You are about to make space in your life for something, so start opening up that space by devoting a little time (tonight perhaps) and focus on what are your intentions!

Try this: for 2 minutes, list ALL the positive benefits you can think of associated with exercising regularly, include things that mean something to you personally, not just the things you hear in magazines and on TV. For example: “It’s important to me to have more energy to keep up with my children. Being an active parent  and role model is important.”

Now that we’ve delved into our best intentions for the event,  what happens when we wake up, one morning or two, not so jazzed up about our previous commitment. Maybe it’s raining, maybe you’re feeling tired, maybe you’ve got guests over…it may be a time to call on “Mr. or Mrs. Willpower”, but wait. You called on them yesterday and the day before and they just haven’t been giving you what you need?  There are a few ways we can react:

1.  Find comfort- stay in bed, procrastinate, say “oh well” etc etc OR
2. Use any number of strategies which remind you of your intention so you stay ALIGNED with your initial goal. You can post your goals, where you can see them, arrange with a friend that you can call each other if you are “wavering” on your commitment. Make it EASY ( ie. no-brainer) to exercise by keeping your gear ready, in your car or at the door. Make plans you’d hate to break with someone to exercise. Re- read the commitments that your wrote about above! Etc. etc.

Here are a few subtle yet profound ways of creating a positive relationship with daily exercise that involve language….do you catch yourself saying things like- I “should” go out for a walk. I “have to” exercise 30 minutes while you get to sleep in a bit more…TIP: Replace the words “should” and “have to” with the word CHOOSE!

Another great way to “re-align” yourself with your intention when you see yourself slipping or wanting to slip is to recall some time in your life where you “persisted and persevered”. Wasn’t the outcome great? Doesn’t it make you feel good to recall that event. Or visualize yourself  looking back (on May 1st, 2009) and feeling what a great sense of accomplishment you have from completing the 30 days!

What happens if you do fall off the wagon? Dust yourself off and get back on, as soon as possible. There are no punishments for missing a day (or 3 or 5 or 15). Notice what happened by turning inward briefly. I do this practice of a nightly review. I focus on what went well in my day first. Then, in areas that I feel a little shaky or I’m dropping the ball, I question what’s underlying that and how I want to approach it the next day. It only takes about 3 minutes.

Be realistic.  I’m a classic over-committer, I admit! I hate missing out on certain opportunities but sometimes (actually on a weekly basis), I over-schedule myself. What can I say, I WANT a lot of things in life. But I also flirt with burning myself out, as a result. Not so good! So, I encourage you, amidst all this encouragement and hoopla about exercising regularly and how great it is, to please BE REASONABLE. I don’t want anyone getting hurt or leaving the event frustrated and disappointed.  Please email me if you even start to move in that direction so we can fix it fast!

Last but not least, support yourself. Be proud of yourself for signing up and showing up! Yah! Tell people what you’re doing (so that they can acknowledge you and encourage you). Please remember to have fun doing this. Positive past experiences = more daily habit integration!

There’s a sheet below that Lara handed out at the event- it’s a fillable form you can type right on to, then “Save-As” and email it to Lara HERE or just print it out, write on it and post it to your bedroom wall! 

Lara’s Questionnaire (Fillable Form)

Lara Questionnaire (Plain version)

You will need a program that opens pdf files like Adobe Acrobat Reader. Get it here.

Have FUN everyone!

Sincerely yours in wellness,

Sue Shalanski

Email me.

3 Ways to add some bliss your life this Spring

Thursday, March 26th, 2009 | General | No Comments

The 3 Upcoming Spring events

Do cells have “intelligence”?

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 | General | No Comments

Nicklas Ehrlich BA, BSW, MSW, RCC

“HOW WE BECOME PROGRAMMED”

AND HOW YOU CAN PROGRAM FOR SUCCESS

 How your mind stores unconscious information

& beliefs from your past and how this can sabotage your life today!

Scientists have found that conditioning, beliefs, perceptions and stress play a large role in your emotional and physical makeup.  Your body releases chemicals and hormones that cause you stress when you have conscious and subconscious negative thoughts and the cells in your body save the negative information like a computer.  It is saved in the cells of the body like the hard disc on a computer.  It is also stored in a part of your brain called the Amygdala where the nervous system can retrieve past memories and cause you to react in the present as if the past is happening all over again.

The cells within your body have a membrane that functions in a similar fashion as your brain does.  This cellular membrane acts as a kind of nervous system.  The cell’s surface can see, hear, feel and interpret messages that come to it in a chemical form.  Your cell’s membrane has a form of intelligence and the ability to make decisions about how it will function.

Once your cells receive their information from chemical sources within the body through the circulatory system, this information is then deposited into receptors on the surface of the cells.  Once this has been accomplished, there are substances that are created that travel to the nucleus of the cell.  The genes lying inside the nucleus of the cells are given directions to synthesize proteins in the body to perform various functions within the cell.  These proteins then control and regulate the function of the cells with the rest of the body.

The cells of your body are affected and controlled by their interaction with the internal physical environment, which is affected by your mind and emotions, and not solely by the genetic program you carry within the nucleus of the cells.

The cells of your body can only follow one direction at a time, either to be in a negative survival response, or a positive, open and relaxed response.  A negative survival response causes you to react and cope any way you can to a perceived negative situation or a perceived threat.  A positive, open and relaxed response causes you to respond appropriately and be proactive in ways that support a healthy outcome and growth.

You have perceptions of our environment that are stored in your cellular memory.  If you have experienced repeated stressful situations in childhood or any time in your life, the nervous system and the other organs within your body experience hormonal and chemical messages that support a negative internal reality.  From this experience subconscious negative perceptions and beliefs are born, stored in the cells of your body.

These subconscious beliefs at the cellular level affect your behavior and compete with your conscious beliefs and desires.  Some of the subconscious negative beliefs can be:

It isn’t ok to have negative feelings like anger, sadness and fear.  It isn’t ok to feel vulnerable.  If I have feelings that other people aren’t comfortable with, they may judge me and leave me, or not like me.  I have to work to be liked, loved, and accepted.  I am not good enough.  I am not smart enough.  I am not attractive enough.  I am responsible for things when they go wrong.  I am responsible for meeting others people’s needs, while not expecting that my needs will be met.

There are many more negative irrational beliefs that you may carry, and they all are accepted as reality – unless you challenge them in a relaxed way while having a different experience within.

Your subconscious mind runs your body and your responses to your environment on a twenty four hour basis – without you even having to consciously think about it.  This part of your mind does not know the difference between things that are true and things that are false, nor between things that are good for you and things that are not.  The stored information may be triggered by an outside stimulus or one from within.  Sometimes there is simply a mandate by the subconscious to respond according to its program and fulfill the beliefs in your physical reality.

Your conscious mind is the tip of the iceberg, with 90% hidden under water or run by the subconscious mind. Some of your expectations are conscious and positive and some are negative and subconscious.  When you set goals or expectations for yourself, your intention may be from a conscious perspective, but they may be sabotaged by your subconscious program.

It is therefore important to have a healthy subconscious program of expectations, thoughts and beliefs from which to respond to.  It is not necessary to relive or even remember all of the information stored in your subconscious data bank.  You can delete and replace any negative program stored in the body and brain when deeply relaxed, while taking in a new and healthier reality.  When you do this you are releasing new and healthier chemical messages and replacing the old negative ones.  Repeated listening to a transformational recording accomplishes this change, as well as using the various other techniques and tools that are called Energy Psychology and Energy Medicine techniques.  These additional tools can be easily taught in a workshop, seminar or in a private session. 

When your subconscious mind is in balance and agreement with your conscious mind, then you have appropriate expectations and beliefs with no inner conflict and healthy outcomes.

May 2009 Stress Reduction Course

About Nicklas….

Nicklas is a highly educated and trained Psychotherapist, Life Coach, Counsellor, Consultant, Seminar leader for corporations – organizations – community, and Recording Artist. She is President and Founder of Ehrlich and Associates Counselling and Consulting Inc.  Nicklas was born in the US and attended UCLA in the United States, and continued her studies at Simon Fraser University and Antioch University in Canada, where she received her B.A. degree. She received her B.S.W. and M.S.W. from The University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Nicklas is a member of The Hypnotherapy Association of B.C., and has obtained her Registered Clinical Counsellor (R.C.C.) designation.

Nicklas has been working with individuals, couples, families, businesses and organizations for over 28 years.  She has a private practice in North Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. Nicklas has business and private clients all over Canada and the United States, offering telephone consultations as well as in office consultations.  She travels with The Performance Enhancement Seminars offering training and consulting to companies and organizations. She offers a variety of techniques in her coaching and counseling and seminars, including those that help to delete old or even recent negative programming, clearing the way for health and success.

The pre-recorded CD’s and Exercise Booklets she has written and recorded have been created with the knowledge gained of working with people since 1980 and knowing what has worked for people to delete old negative programming and help to establish healthier more success full programs.

These programs are a very effective addition to any counselling or life coaching sessions. They are also very effective on their own.  There are 3 CD’s in the series: “Balancing Your Emotions: Being Present and at Peace” (the first CD to listen to or alternate with the others), “Enhancing Your Couple Relationship”, and “Finding a Balanced Relationship” (for singles and new couples).

For more information and testimonials on Counselling, Life Coaching, Seminars, and the CD’s go to:                                      

www.EhrlichAndAssociates.com

Contact Nicklas at: 604-990-1584

THE SUPER 7

Friday, March 13th, 2009 | General | No Comments

THE SUPER 7 EXERCISES

These days, we’re more focused than usual on stretching our dollar and our time. Maximize! So when it comes to getting FIT, here are the 7 exercises that don’t cost much and cover lots of bases. They cover the main goals of fitness- cardiovascular, strength building and flexibility. 17000 personal trainers were surveyed by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) to compile these 7 key exercises.

First, I’d like to say, there’s nothing NEW here, consider it just a friendly reminder that you needn’t spend tons of cash or jump on the latest product or trend (although that can be pretty FUN). The list is:

WALKING

RUNNING

YOGA

SQUATS

LUNGES

PUSHUPS

CRUNCHES

Yah, no big surprise. So the question is, why aren’t we doing these exercises. Why do we keep searching for something ELSE, like the Holy Grail of exercise- there must be some MAGIC exercise we haven’t discovered yet that will make me fit, overnight, effortlessly…I’m sorry to say, this is the list. So get on with it now!

Let’s break it down a little:

WALKING:  Why it’s so great? FREE and NO technical skills required. Grab a four-legged furry friend and they’ll show you how amazing walking is. Take note of things you’ve never seen. Take a moment to fill your lungs (hopefully you are in a low smog environment when you do that last part). put one foot in front of the other, again and again and again and again.Voila. 30 minutes just went by! Way to go. Got an iPod or other portable music device? Plug in a good beat- information abounds that a high energy piece of music boosts calories burnt. Cautions. Watch for traffic as you’re rocking out to your tunes, wear something with extra traction if you’re on the (still icy) trails right now and vary the terrain- it prevents injury and challenges your joint receptors! Oh yah. Want a firmer tush, walk tall and tighten your glutes (butt muscles) a little, especially as you go up hill. Walk fast enough or you’ll have to walk longer to get a calorie burn worth mentioning.

RUNNING:  Regarding the calorie burn factor, this is the BIG DADDY! 1 km of running is about 60 calories. Cautions: there’s lots….while we were “designed” to run, it’s a natural movement and all, no everyone is IDEALLY built for running. Pick softer terrain. Start slowly. Build gradually. Get assessed by a physiotherapist, body worker or chiropractor if you’ve had lower body sprains in your life time- these joints are vulnerable to the loads imposed by running (running is 4 to 5 times more load on your joints than walking). 

YOGA: Hmmm. How to sum up yoga adequately. It’s absolutely amazing, life changing, complex, multifaceted. There are books in abundance on the benefits and intricacies of yoga. Too much for me to mention in this blog posting. As a physio, what I can advise is start slow, ask lots of question. Take a class, or even better a private session so that exercises can be modified or tailored just for you. Consider doing restorative yoga first, if you’ve been injured or are feeling timid about the whole thing- “Pillow Yoga” as I call it is absolutely wonderful. You will be likely be in such a good mood people will be suspicious what you were up to during that hour….Don’t compare yourself to the others in the class- they may have been practicing for years. P.S. Take advantage of the wonderful mental aspect of yoga, ie. the meditation. From what I understand, the postures were designed so that the yogis could sit in meditation for hours…

SQUATS:  Great for all the lower body muscles. Lots of variations available. Good bang for your exercise minutes! Need coaching  on alignment, talk to a personal trainer, physiotherapist or other  physical rehabilitation specialist!

LUNGES: Another great lower body strength-builder. Offer s bit of a balance component that is absent in the squat. Add a milk jug full of water ( a liter of water is roughly two pounds) in each hand, you’ll add resistance and the sloshing of the water challenges the joint receptors- again, this is good rehab for lower body sprains & strains by improving your proprioception (balance & coordination).

PUSHUPS:  Gets muscles of the chest, shoulders and arms working  while also forcing you to engage your abdominal muscles- when done well. Have someone watch you from the side view- you shouldn’t resemble and canoe shape or have your butt sticking up higher than your shoulder blades. Don’t feel bad about resorting to pushups from your knees. It’s better than giving yourself shoulder tendonitis of a sore lower back!

CRUNCHES: A blog is not a good venue for teaching “all about crunches” except to say that flattening your back into the floor is no longer the blanket instruction for crunches- maintaining a neutral spine is! As your personal trainer or physiotherapist what that means!

Hope you have fun implementing these into your fitness routine. Since this is a blog, and of course, just my humble & sometimes quirky opinion on things, I welcome your thoughts & comments. Never take ANYTHING you read on the internet or anywhere as the complete gospel truth. I hope, if anything, this has been slightly amusing, if nothing else!

Cheers,

Sue Shalanski BScPT

Sue was an avid exerciser starting the day she could beat most of the boys in the school at running. OK, she kept enjoying an active life, even when she could no longer beat the boys. Now, most of the girls are faster than her too because she spends too much time writing about getting FIT…sigh. I digress.

Can Wii Fit get you FIT?

Sunday, March 1st, 2009 | General | 1 Comment

When I was growing up, video games held NO appeal, at least to my girlfriends and I, who were the “sporty girls” in school. For the boys at my junior high school though, Pac Man & Donkey Kong kept them busy through many a lunch hour at the local arcade! Besides the exercise involved in actually WALKING to the nearby “Happy Pop” store to play, not much fitness was ever acquired. That was sometime back in the 80‘s…Can today’s video games offer play time with fitness combined? The short answer is YES. 

The long answer requires some explanation of HOW you could use a fun tool like Wii Fit to help you achieve your fitness goals. We first need to break down fitness into it’s components: cardio, strength, flexibility, balance & body composition. As with other types of exercise- to build fitness, you need enough intensity (or challenge), for enough time on a regular basis (3-5 times a week at least) to get fit.

So, to evaluate this tool for it’s fitness building potential, it needs those three elements:

1. A “Butt-Kicking Element” ie. enough intensity or challenge

2. A Cardio Effect. This means enough time spent on the tool long enough (minimum 30 minutes of cardio exercise where heart rate is elevated to a point where it is a bit difficult to both talk & exercise simultaneously)

3. Play. Rest. Repeat. A willingness to do this form of exercise on a regular basis (ie. a minimum of 3-5 times a week), or at least combine it with some other forms to keep you motivated & keen.

Nintendo’s Wii Fit provides all of these. Here’s how.

Enough intensity? Activities like jogging, boxing, hula hooping & the strength training offer enough intensity to give you the required intensity to build fitness. My roommate, who is a self-professed non-exerciser, was more than willing to RACE me in our own living room (running on the spot with the Wii Remote in your hand or back pocket), which attests to the fact that the FUN component could fool some into actually exercising and enjoying it!

Cardio? It’s quite easy to do 30 minutes of cardio on this equipment by combining a variety of the above listed activities. I’m told, from a client who’s son was far more “savvy” at using this tool, that he could jog while watching his favorite TV show simultaneously! Isn’t that cool? If only I could figure out HOW to make my system do that…You may even find yourself going beyond the 30 minutes because of the variety of games available!

But does it get boring after a while? There are many features of Wii Fit that encourage regular play. First and foremost- it’s entertaining and leads to giggles, every once in a while! The music gets a little repetitive after a while but the scores, occasional commentary and accumulating fitness credits which “open up further activities” keep you going. Once you’ve set up your Mii (your game persona) your values are stored for return visits. It generates a “Body Age” for you based on your agility & BMI among a few other things. A friend’s teenager son spent 3 hours playing Wii in our living room one night, determined to improve his age from 34 to a respective 15.  Word is, he was quite sore the following morning when he got out of bed.  Beware, this exercise form can be addictive as well as promote injuries in particularly in shoulders from bowling, batting and boxing activities. Use common sense & moderation. Oh, and move your furniture out of the way, another casualty I know of broke a toe playing Wii….

From a physiotherapy perspective, the balance games & the coordination sports like boxing may have the added bonus of assisting clients with rehabilitation.  The Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta was one the first facilities to announce they were using Wii to help clients recovering from head injuries. I imagine motivation to play Wii rather than do “traditional physiotherapy” exercises would be off the charts!

The down-side…if you already very fit (ie. an athlete), this may be more difficult- the product is designed more for the “average joe” exerciser.  You will need to spend longer on the Wii Fit or push yourself a bit harder to get a cardio effect.

One final comment on the plus side, it’s cheaper than a gym membership and almost void of excuses unless your power is out!

A Wii Fit Video Review by the Times UK

Tags: fitness, nintendo, Wii Fit