Change is Coming Slowly…

by Suzanne Jolly on July 14, 2009

I have been sick for over a week now so I can’t say that I’ve been doing a very good job at jump-starting a new routine of health for my neck and back. In fact, last week’s blog entry from yours truly was written from home- while I lay in bed! While I may be at work right now, I lack all of my usual spunk, enthusiasm and energy.

 

So last night, I wanted to go to yoga. I even convinced my yoga-loving friend to come with me, so that I wouldn’t feel too overwhelmed by the strangers, my discomfort about being not so flexible, etc. (After all, it’s always easier to start a new habit by dragging a friend along). When I got home from work, I talked to my friend on the phone and he said, “Are you kidding me!? You’re still sick?! There’s no way you should be doing yoga!” (or some such diatribe about my lack of energy and how much work yoga is, and how tired I sounded, etc etc).

 

So I didn’t go to yoga. I crawled into bed and watched movies and congratulated my stomach on actually digesting a bowl of soup. (Big accomplishments for my stomach, let me tell you!)

 

So this little entry about how I haven’t done much at all, but how that’s ok by me. (and hopefully all of you won’t hate me and call me lazy).

It’s called self-care, and it’s hard sometimes to prioritize. If you consider what I was trying to do- this week, I wanted to start a new trend that was focused on my health. But suddenly, the foundation from which I was working on (usually a fairly healthy body), fell out from under me. So how could I possibly ask my body to accept a brand new series of changes, if my body wasn’t able to function at its normal capacity (for example, digest food).

 

So I guess this week I’m just listening to my body and prioritizing what it needs, instead of imposing more grief upon it.  Since digestion is challenging for it right now, I’m just going to focus on that.  Then maybe next week we can try yoga.

 

In some ways, though, my body was ready for a small change. When you’re feeling nauseated, coffee isn’t very appealing! I haven’t had a cup of coffee in over a week! (and drinking water is pretty much required because of this bad bug that I’ve caught).

 

So for all you folks out there who may be dealing with a little shame because you didn’t work out, you ate that big mac at lunch or you didn’t go do the stretching you were planning on… then take heart. You’re not alone!

{ 2 comments }

If You’ve Got it, Chop it

by Jolene Cooper on July 14, 2009

Last week, I uncovered the much sought-after secret to healthy living.

Eating healthy and being physically active.

While it’s not exactly rocket science, there are many barriers preventing us from taking this knowledge of “how to become healthy and fit” and actually applying it to become healthy and fit. While it is challenging  to incorporate these behaviours into hectic schedules, I might have given you the impression that I’m just plain lazy.

If you’re not completely convinced, this might do the trick.

I hate grocery shopping. Absolutely despise it. I hate grocery shopping more than I hate cooking. So while I try to eat healthy by selecting more fresh fruits and vegetables, I end up being punished by having to grocery shop more often and then I’m stuck eating the same thing all week so things don’t spoil. Let’s use romaine lettuce as an example. As someone who lives alone, I’ve got to eat salad everyday to finish the romaine before it spoils. While salad can be tasty, please remember how lazy I am. I’m too lazy to spend time at the grocery store buying an array of ingredients to prepare fancy salad creations and I’m much too lazy to spend the time chopping these ingredients to prepare such salads.

So here’s my game plan: If you’ve got it. Chop it.

Let me elaborate. Let’s say you’ve got half a red pepper that’s pretty close to spoiling. Chop it. You’ve got a ton of romaine lettuce because the market doesn’t sell half heads of lettuce (that’s a rant for another day); chop it. What about that cucumber? Chop it. Got a handful of dried cranberries leftover from those cookies you made two months ago? Toss them in. I’m not creative when it comes to  grocery shopping or cooking, so my strategy is to just put what I’ve got together and see what happens.  I’m fairly certain no one’s ever died from a poorly designed salad.salad

I made this salad the other day:

Ingredients: 

-romaine lettuce

-yellow pepper

-cucumber

-peanuts

-Italian parmesan and herb dressing

So I guess the moral of my story is you can be both lazy and healthy.  Until next week…

{ 7 comments }

Journey to Good Health

by Rick Byers on July 13, 2009

  
As with every journey, preparation is key. The objective and the strategies required to reach the same can only be determined through research to define what is my true starting point and where do I want to end up. Remember, my objective is to lose weight and increase overall energy.
 
I started with a visit to my physician who has a special interest in diet and practicing balanced lifestyles. He referred me for a number of tests and assessments to determine my current level of health. I then had a follow up visit with my doctor and he identified steps for me to take to regain good health. Some steps were surprising simple like drinking an extra glass of skin milk and two extra glasses of water a day. The physician also told me that my metabolism at 57 works slower than even 5 years ago. Therefore, I must approach weight loss and increasing energy being aware of that. While not impossible given the right conditions, I am not likely to drop 10 pounds in a few weeks.
 
I then went for a fitness assessment with a certified fitness instructor with additional certification in dietary measures. We discussed how I can be creative about fitness. For example, when I go shopping I should park in the extended parking zone. This creates a longer distance to walk to and from the store. A five minute walk one way became ten to fifteen minutes. Visiting one store, not counting the time you are in there, could be twenty to 30 minutes. Repeating the scenario for two stops and I will have easily walked over 40 minutes for the day, not counting the time in the store. I don’t know about you but Saturday is my shopping day for the week. To obtain groceries and other necessities, I make at least 3 stops or more.
 
Equipped with the above information, I was now ready to focus on another strategy to good health: diet and eating habits.
 
Have a week of good health,
 
Rick

{ 2 comments }

One week down, 25 to go

by Patricia Parker on July 12, 2009

My goals for last week were:
1. Walk for 30 minutes each day @ 6:00am
2. Swim 1000 metres
3. Attend Aquasize three times.

Realistic? Well, my enthusiam thought so. What DID I accommplish: I walked every day for about 40 minutes. That amounted to 4kms each morning. I wasn’t aiming for a particular distance, but was able to map it with this handy web site:  http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ . Check. I swam 1000m, in two 500m parts. Check. I forgot how hard distance swimming can be. Aquasize…not so much success. There are a thousand excuses in the naked city, but I don’t want to be a bore.

So let’s talk about what I did notice in just one week. Sailing today was MUCH easier. I didn’t feel like my rump was glued to the bench in the cockpit. I had enough leg muscle to actually move around. I was able to reef on the jib with authority. I don’t think I’m ready for the America’s Cup, but in a few weeks, I’ll give a respectable show.
Til next time
P

{ 2 comments }

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →