A friend who is training for a marathon and I did a stair work out at Memorial bluff today. I think we went up the stairs a total of 6 times. I was okay each time for a quarter of the way up and then my thighs started to burn like crazy. The rest of my "running" up the stairs was probably slower than walking. Man, I need to start running again! At least I'll have a bum of steel after this. I expect much pain tomorrow.
Before we did the stairs we did a nice warm up running through Prince's Island Park. There is so much wildlife there, it's awesome. I saw a few baby Canada geese, a lot of squirrels and many ducks and geese. There was one point when I found myself greeting the animals, or about to. As not to embarrass myself in front of my friend I resorted to the smile and nod - weird? Maybe. I almost feel guilty if I don't though (this is what many years of customer service does to you). I swear one of the Canada geese looked me in the eye and nodded back. I think he understood. On another note, I was also reading a book about "psychics" and it emphasized the idea that we all connected and the universe is a living organism composed of all other living organisms analogous to a body and its cells - maybe this is why I think it's important to acknowledge the animals...
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Self Esteem
There are several things that have struck me since I began doing PFCs (personal fitness consultations). One is the number of people who eat spaghetti for supper. I swear I have not met a single person who doesn't have spaghetti enough to claim it as an example of a typical supper time meal. Spaghetti is amazing, and now I have anecdotal evidence to support my own spaghetti infatuation. Here's a recipe for some really good, low sodium spaghetti sauce courtesy of Jamie Oliver: Spaghetti sauce, yum! Even just a pinch of sea salt for taste is enough. Whole wheat pasta is definitely recommended!
The next thing that I've noticed is the number of people who say steak is part of a typical dinner for them. I suppose it's not that surprising considering this is the land of Alberta beef, but steak is not necessarily the leanest meat and probably should be limited to a maximum of once a week - at most. It would be even more ideal, if steak was more of a "treat" meat for special occasions (once a month?). No wonder there is an obesity epidemic when people are eating steak every night. Find out some nutrition facts about steak here.
Lastly, I am not surprised, but worried about the number of people who state that their main reason for joining a gym and beggining an exercise program is so that they look good. "well isn't that the whole point of 'getting in shape'?". Looking good will always be A motivator, but it shouldn't be your main reason. When people tell me they want to look good, I hear "I have low self esteem and need to gain self confidence. I think that by looking better to others I will be liked/respected more and therefore will feel better about myself". Obviously not everyone is wondering around worrying about what their friends think if they wear a size 8 instead of a size 6, but there are many people who do. They are not to blame because everyday we are bombarded by media saying we should look this way or that. Unfortunately, people are comparing themselves to media images and starting a work out routine based on these images - not because they want to be healthy and improve their quality of life.
Being motivated by looks can have negaive affects: a person could get caught in a cycle of always trying to maintain or get to a certain standard of beauty, developing a negative relationship with food and unhealthy exercise habits to reach this goal. Ultimately they are so focused on their appearance they forget about themselves - who they are, their great personality qualities, their talents, their relationships - which eventually takes a toll on self esteem. Those that don't reach their goal to look a certain way, get frustrated and turned off exercise jeprodizing their health and feeling like they failed.
While looking more attractive may be a happy consequence of exercise, it should not be the goal. The most successful exercisers are those that have on going fitness goals, or maintance goals that are part of living a healthy balanced lifestyle. Motivations for exercise SHOULD be to maintain the integrity of your cardivascular and respiratory system, functional strength, flexibility, stress management, injury prevention, and weight/disease management. All of these objectives are important for your health realted quality of life. Try and change your perspective. Start exercising for the health of your "inside" and the outside will follow along. Healthy is beautiful.
The next thing that I've noticed is the number of people who say steak is part of a typical dinner for them. I suppose it's not that surprising considering this is the land of Alberta beef, but steak is not necessarily the leanest meat and probably should be limited to a maximum of once a week - at most. It would be even more ideal, if steak was more of a "treat" meat for special occasions (once a month?). No wonder there is an obesity epidemic when people are eating steak every night. Find out some nutrition facts about steak here.
Lastly, I am not surprised, but worried about the number of people who state that their main reason for joining a gym and beggining an exercise program is so that they look good. "well isn't that the whole point of 'getting in shape'?". Looking good will always be A motivator, but it shouldn't be your main reason. When people tell me they want to look good, I hear "I have low self esteem and need to gain self confidence. I think that by looking better to others I will be liked/respected more and therefore will feel better about myself". Obviously not everyone is wondering around worrying about what their friends think if they wear a size 8 instead of a size 6, but there are many people who do. They are not to blame because everyday we are bombarded by media saying we should look this way or that. Unfortunately, people are comparing themselves to media images and starting a work out routine based on these images - not because they want to be healthy and improve their quality of life.
Being motivated by looks can have negaive affects: a person could get caught in a cycle of always trying to maintain or get to a certain standard of beauty, developing a negative relationship with food and unhealthy exercise habits to reach this goal. Ultimately they are so focused on their appearance they forget about themselves - who they are, their great personality qualities, their talents, their relationships - which eventually takes a toll on self esteem. Those that don't reach their goal to look a certain way, get frustrated and turned off exercise jeprodizing their health and feeling like they failed.
While looking more attractive may be a happy consequence of exercise, it should not be the goal. The most successful exercisers are those that have on going fitness goals, or maintance goals that are part of living a healthy balanced lifestyle. Motivations for exercise SHOULD be to maintain the integrity of your cardivascular and respiratory system, functional strength, flexibility, stress management, injury prevention, and weight/disease management. All of these objectives are important for your health realted quality of life. Try and change your perspective. Start exercising for the health of your "inside" and the outside will follow along. Healthy is beautiful.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Drink More Water
The topic of the week seems to be drinking water. Almost all the PFCs I've done, were people who only drank 2 or 3 glasses of water a day, and sometimes less. The benefits of their water were also cancelled out by over consumption of caffeinated drinks. Recently, I noticed a friend's status on facebook was also about drinking water so I decided to write a bit on this hot topic.
I empathize with those of you who don't feel thirsty, or don't like the taste of water (or lack there of) because drinking enough water has been an on going goal of mine as well. In the past few years I've found some tricks that help a bit:
1. Start small (literally) and Carry a water bottle with you.
At first I hated carrying a water bottle around because it was heavy, clunky and I always forgot it everytime I put it down. Then I decided to buy a nifty stainless steel bottle (to avoid BPA of course) that was half the size of most regular water bottles (probably 300mL). Initially I chose small because it was less heavy. I also found another benefit to small water bottles: mastery!! When I carry larger water bottles around, I rarely finish the whole thing. At the end of the day it still has that last little bit in the bottom - the "stale" water. But if I use a small water bottle, I finish it all and can easily refill it, keeping the water fresh, and increasing my motivation to drink it. Having a water with me all the time reminds me to drink it. Graduating to a bigger bottle seems easier once you get in the habit.
2. If you don't like the taste - flavour it!
For some people, like me, drinking plain old water is reserved for times of extreme thirst. I wish this wasn't the case (or do I?) but because it is a barrier to drinking more water for alot of people, I suggest adding a bit of flavour. Some ways this can be accomplished is to put some lemon, lime, or orange slices in the bottom of your water bottle (or in your water jug in the fridge) to get a suttle citrus taste. I've seen mint leaves used as well which is quite refreshing. I've also SEEN, although I am hesitant to try, the use of essential oils (a few drops for flavour).
Another option is to add an electrolyte or vitamin mix to your water that will make it taste good.I really like Rev3 energy packs (they taste like ice tea but do not have sugar). Unfortunately they're a bit expensive so I reserve them for times when my motivation begins to slide. Frequently I add Vega-sport drink mix to my water (just a tad for taste!). It can be found at most health food stores, and it's made of good stuff. They have acai and lime flavour, both which I recommend trying. The lime mix tastes even better when mixed with Emergen-C , a vitamin C supplement that comes in several flavours. Diluted gatorade is yummy when you're going to be doing exercise. Of course, these drink mixes are orginally intended for electrolyte replacement after vigorous exercise so use in moderation.
3. Some like it Cold.
If you like your water to be cold, a trick many athletes use is to fill water bottles ahead of time and put them in the freezer. Grab your water bottle from the freezer before you leave (write yourself a note if necessary to remind yourself). It will melt slowly through out the day, providing you with fresh cold water the entire day. If you're going to be somewhere quite cool the whole day, make sure you take your water bottle out ahead of time so it can melt a bit before hand.
4. Baby steps!
Don't try drinking 3L a day starting now because it will be overwhelming and you'll probably only do it for 2 days before deciding it's too hard and quitting. Once you start drinking at least alittle more water each day you'll start recognizing when your body is thirsty. Most people are walking around in a constant state of dehydration, especially in places like Calgary where it's very dry most of the time. Dehydration reduces your ability to lose weight and/or perform physically and mentally (affects your mental processes such as making decisions and solving problems efficiently). Whatever your goal may be, drinking more water will benefit you!
But what about that person who died from drinking too much? Hyperhydration is what happens when you go nuts and drink so much water you mess up your blood pressure. This will likely never happen to you unless you sit down and chug a few liters of water. People who need to be weary of this are athletes who worry about hydration such as runners, or people who decide that testing how much water they can drink in one sitting would be a good idea. Drinking anough water through out the day will not kill you - at all. See steps 1 through 4 above.
I empathize with those of you who don't feel thirsty, or don't like the taste of water (or lack there of) because drinking enough water has been an on going goal of mine as well. In the past few years I've found some tricks that help a bit:
1. Start small (literally) and Carry a water bottle with you.
At first I hated carrying a water bottle around because it was heavy, clunky and I always forgot it everytime I put it down. Then I decided to buy a nifty stainless steel bottle (to avoid BPA of course) that was half the size of most regular water bottles (probably 300mL). Initially I chose small because it was less heavy. I also found another benefit to small water bottles: mastery!! When I carry larger water bottles around, I rarely finish the whole thing. At the end of the day it still has that last little bit in the bottom - the "stale" water. But if I use a small water bottle, I finish it all and can easily refill it, keeping the water fresh, and increasing my motivation to drink it. Having a water with me all the time reminds me to drink it. Graduating to a bigger bottle seems easier once you get in the habit.
2. If you don't like the taste - flavour it!
For some people, like me, drinking plain old water is reserved for times of extreme thirst. I wish this wasn't the case (or do I?) but because it is a barrier to drinking more water for alot of people, I suggest adding a bit of flavour. Some ways this can be accomplished is to put some lemon, lime, or orange slices in the bottom of your water bottle (or in your water jug in the fridge) to get a suttle citrus taste. I've seen mint leaves used as well which is quite refreshing. I've also SEEN, although I am hesitant to try, the use of essential oils (a few drops for flavour).
Another option is to add an electrolyte or vitamin mix to your water that will make it taste good.I really like Rev3 energy packs (they taste like ice tea but do not have sugar). Unfortunately they're a bit expensive so I reserve them for times when my motivation begins to slide. Frequently I add Vega-sport drink mix to my water (just a tad for taste!). It can be found at most health food stores, and it's made of good stuff. They have acai and lime flavour, both which I recommend trying. The lime mix tastes even better when mixed with Emergen-C , a vitamin C supplement that comes in several flavours. Diluted gatorade is yummy when you're going to be doing exercise. Of course, these drink mixes are orginally intended for electrolyte replacement after vigorous exercise so use in moderation.
3. Some like it Cold.
If you like your water to be cold, a trick many athletes use is to fill water bottles ahead of time and put them in the freezer. Grab your water bottle from the freezer before you leave (write yourself a note if necessary to remind yourself). It will melt slowly through out the day, providing you with fresh cold water the entire day. If you're going to be somewhere quite cool the whole day, make sure you take your water bottle out ahead of time so it can melt a bit before hand.
4. Baby steps!
Don't try drinking 3L a day starting now because it will be overwhelming and you'll probably only do it for 2 days before deciding it's too hard and quitting. Once you start drinking at least alittle more water each day you'll start recognizing when your body is thirsty. Most people are walking around in a constant state of dehydration, especially in places like Calgary where it's very dry most of the time. Dehydration reduces your ability to lose weight and/or perform physically and mentally (affects your mental processes such as making decisions and solving problems efficiently). Whatever your goal may be, drinking more water will benefit you!
But what about that person who died from drinking too much? Hyperhydration is what happens when you go nuts and drink so much water you mess up your blood pressure. This will likely never happen to you unless you sit down and chug a few liters of water. People who need to be weary of this are athletes who worry about hydration such as runners, or people who decide that testing how much water they can drink in one sitting would be a good idea. Drinking anough water through out the day will not kill you - at all. See steps 1 through 4 above.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Body Worlds
I went to body worlds which was pretty sweet. It was a good refresher on anatomy and very interesting. My BF came too and was pleasantly surprised to find that dead bodies are not as gross as one might imagine - in fact they're fascinating. Highly recommend going to that. My favourite body is called "the thinker".
Saturday, May 8, 2010
First Blog Post
Hello out there in cyberspace! Can you here my virtual voice? Anyhow, this is the first post of my PT blog. Here I will put information I find interesting, questions I have, and experiences from my new job as a personal trainer.
I used to work as a receptionist at a health club, but they paid me peanuts and getting up to open at 5am was not worth peanuts! So I quit. Now I've rejoined the fitness industry in my 4th year of kinesiology, as a personal trainer. WOW. I had no idea how much work it was to be a trainer... so much EXTRA work I should say. I can't just show up and train. There's alot of planning and research involved to make the most effective and individualized program for each client. I've only been working for a few weeks now though. Hopefully stress starts coming down soon.
I used to work as a receptionist at a health club, but they paid me peanuts and getting up to open at 5am was not worth peanuts! So I quit. Now I've rejoined the fitness industry in my 4th year of kinesiology, as a personal trainer. WOW. I had no idea how much work it was to be a trainer... so much EXTRA work I should say. I can't just show up and train. There's alot of planning and research involved to make the most effective and individualized program for each client. I've only been working for a few weeks now though. Hopefully stress starts coming down soon.
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