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Happy Spring! It finally got here, I am over the moon.
To celebrate spring, we are going to have the first annual Life Energy Spring Soiree on Saturday, May 30th, 4:00pm at my house. Interested in coming? Please contact me directly to RSVP and for directions. [email protected]
Notice anything different? I changed my picture. It needed updating. I am so resistant to the actors/models etc. that feel the need to airbrush their photos or use their earlier pictures to present something that is not real. So when I realized the photo I was using was over 4 years old, and I didn't have red hair anymore...time to change. What you see is what you get. The next couple of newsletters are going to focus on one Wellness Wheel in depth. Giving lots a great tips on how to incorporate the change into your daily life. Don't miss the section on new offerings and pricing. In Health and Happiness,
Sharon |
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Wellness Wheels - Fitness and Exercise
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Let's define the terms first, which is difficult because both depend on perception of an individual.
Fitness:
- the condition of being physically fit and healthy
- the quality of being suitable to fulfill a particular role or task
Exercise:
- activity requiring physical effort, carried out esp. to sustain or improve health and fitness
- a task or activity done to practice or test a skill
- a process or activity carried out for a specific purpose, esp. one concerned with a specified area or skill
As you can see, basically a lot of life's daily activities could be construed as both. Walking up stairs can be an exercise to increase fitness. Or if you want, since I can walk up a flight of stairs without losing my breath I am fit. Yet, if you looked at it from let's say an athletes point of view, running a marathon is fit and exercises are the clean and jerk (no I am not kidding, that is an actual exercise).
With this wide spectrum of choices out there, how do you tackle the exercise to get fit wellness wheel? So glad you asked!
Step one: Set a goal!!!!! Do you ever leave your house just to drive around? Do you get up in the morning to aimlessly walk around your house (occasionally I do...so don't fee bad, be honest). Did you get anywhere, accomplish anything? Some smart person right now is saying well isn't that what meditation and mindfulness are about, doing nothing. No, not quite, there is still the purpose of quieting the mind and focusing on being in the moment...so this is still a goal. We are not talking here about accomplishing nothing, we are talking about getting healthier through exercise and fitness.
Make the goal specific and measurable:
- I will walk an extra 50 steps today
- I will add a salad or glass of water to my daily caloric intake (I hate using the word diet)
- I will take 15 minutes of time I spend on digital media or TV and incorporate exercise daily/weekly
- I will wake 10 minutes early and use the extra time for exercise
- I will park at the back of the parking lot when I run errands for two weeks
- I wil increase my steps goal from 2000 to 3000 and be consistent for one month
- I will add one strength training session into my week for six weeks
Get the idea, to start with it does not have to be this big huge whopping ambition. I am going to loose 30lbs in less than one month. I am going to go walking for one hour a day. Unless you have time to devote 100% to it, it will not happen.
Which comes to making attainable. Start small and build, if you find it easy, wonderful you can always add. Forcing huge changes quickly, will lead to success... but not long lasting success. Can anyone say, Tai Bo,Spinning, UFC Gyms, Bootcamp? They work because they are high caloric intense workouts, yet I have yet to meet anyone who has been able to keep them up year in and year out. Studies are showing injuries plague this type of activities. These are great workouts if you are physically able to do them, throw them in occasionally. What I am talking about is long term workouts that are not going to injure you, increase your cardio threshold, and maintain and improve your everyday functional demands. Hitting a heavy bag and lift large amounts weight, may make you feel powerful, but can you stand over the sink and wash pans, dishes, make the bed, and not feel it in your back?
Step Two:
Get support! We know that having either someone to bounce things off of or participate with increases adherence. Telling someone your goal or writing it down (say on Facebook) will strengthen your commitment. Knowing there are others that are interested in how things are going, helps when you are deciding between choosing to watch that DVR episode with your free time or go exercise. They can also celebrate your achievements when you have met your goals, so it is a good idea to check in, or post when you have met your goals. If you are going through a rough time in meeting your goals, they can offer suggestions in changing the goal, so you can meet it. However you choose to get support, make sure it is helpful and not Judge Judy or Debbie Downer.
What do we need to work up to get this wellness wheel up to speed? Ideal according to health and wellness studies.
- 150-200 minutes of cardio activities (aerobic mixed with anaerobic) per week
- Stretching daily 5-15 minutes (maybe more if a chronic condition is present)
- 2-3 times a week, total body strength training training, consisting of weight bearing, machines, and balance exercises.
Big Changes = small changes over time + patience
If you are feeling stuck, remember we offer free 1/2 hour consultations. Call 301-275-3579. Or use our online
scheduling system
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New Offerings - Pricing Update and Special Promotion
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 Good News! We have been growing by leaps and bounds. We are going to start offering two new items, one an online program that you can access your exercises, and we can adjust things accordingly, we are calling it "Life Energy Motivation". The other combines both the online motivation and focus on one particular issue you want fixed, hence it is called "
Life Energy Fix It". Both are offered at a monthly pricing. If you attend the Life Energy Spring Soiree on the 30th there will be special offers on both of the above. For more information, call 301-275-3579.
After three years, I am sorry to say I need to increase my rates by about 3%, this works out to be about $2+ per session. No worries, I am offering specials that fit everyone's current pricing before the rates go up in June. Read closely, they are as follows:
10 sessions special, it offers a 20% discount on your current pricing (shorter sessions of 35 and 40 minutes are not eligible), the catch. It must be used in 3 months....no exceptions.
10 Session Special shorter sessions: 15% discount, again must be used in 2 months...no exceptions.
8 Session pre-pay: pay for 8 sessions at your current pricing, more for those of you on a week to week payment plan.
Double Up Current Plan: For those who take advantage of our monthly commitment, you can commit to an extra month at current pricing and parameters.
Not sure which one is the best for you, feel free to call me at 301-275-3579
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Is Willpower a Myth?
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 It is certainly looking like willpower is a myth. New research is showing that willpower is linked more to our emotions than our brain. How does that work? Remember a time when you just could not convince yourself to work out, instead you met up with some friends and went to happy hour instead. Or headed home to curl up with Ben and Jerry + your favorite show. The decision to do something else overshadowed your willpower. It most likely came from an emotion, either the happiness of wanting to see your friends over working out. The desire to chill out and appease something needy by watching a show over working out, even though in the long run this would have made you feel better overall.
In the book, How to Change Anything recognizes these as critical moments. Moments we need to identify and play detective with, because when X+Y happen, it = loss of willpower. The next step is to incorporate tools to change the equation, then X+Y+ new tool = success. Yes and no, it is not that simple, it takes a real desire to change. Maybe that is the key, not willpower but a real desire (an emotion) to change.
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In Health and Fitness,
Sharon
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