Body Design

Heal Thyself

Unfortunately, we all suffer injuries from time to time.  Some injuries are more serious than others.  As a trainer, I often see people who suffer from chronic or long term injuries - the injuries that just seem to be there, that do not totally go away and act up once in awhile. 

I had a gentleman in the other day who has been dealing with an old rotator cuff injury.  He aggravated his shoulder in the fall by raking leaves rather "vigorously" and ignoring his body telling him that things were getting sore.  Since re-injuring himself, he has been seeing a massage therapist and physiotherapist regularly to help heal the injury.  We have stopped doing alot of upper body work to rest the afflicted area and help with the healing process.

He has been doing all the right things to help heal himself - except one - he has been focusing on the pain - almost obsessively so.  Everytime he moves his arm/shoulder where the injury is, he waits to feel the pain or discomfort.  He anticipates the pain and tries to isolate exactly where it is and what is causing it.  This is wonderful from the perspective of being in touch with and listening to your body however what he does not realize is that he is not aiding in the true healing process. 

Instead of focusing on the pain, I asked him to focus on channeling positive energy and love to that part of his body.  Instead of just focusing on negative energy (the pain), focus on positive energy (healing)! 

There has been alot of talk and study about the power of the mind in the healing process.  I challenged my client to turn his thinking around and see if he can heal himself by loving his body, loving the injury and marveling in the power and magnitude of his body.  I challenge all of you to think about your own injuries and how you heal or perhaps "sabotage" your own healing by the negative energy and thoughts you direct to your body.  Are you loving or cursing your own body when it needs you the most?

Sloppy Holidays

I was going to write a new post before Christmas however with all the stress and commitments leading up to the holidays, I just did not get around to writing.  Now that Christmas is over but we are still in the holiday season with New Years just around the corner, I still wanted to write about a topic that I felt was important. 

I was speaking with another trainer just before the Christmas break and we were sharing with each other what generally happens with our businesses during the holiday season.  She commented that she expects most of her clients to keep their appointments as usual and that she requests that they continue to practice good eating and exercise habits despite the holiday temptations. 

I commented that about 1/2 to 3/4 of my clients all want to take a break from their regular training appointments and come back in the New Year.  They want to spend time with their families and just relax. 

I have to admit I want to do that too.  I look forward to the "down time" and I need the break to recharge my batteries.  But most of all, I need the break to reconfirm to myself why I try to lead a healthy lifestyle the rest of the year. 

I find during the Christmas holidays, I can slip into a sloppy routine.  I stay up later at night and then sleep in later in the morning.  I eat holiday treats and I indulge in some occasional holiday cheer.  I end up eating out more during the holidays or entertaining more as I use this holiday time to catch up with friends. 

However, as my lifestyle habits get sloppy, I also notice how my body responds.  I feel more sluggish and have less energy. I will experience stomach upset and bloating.  I feel like I have put on weight.  I will get cranky and bored.  When I go running (I do keep this up despite everything!), my legs start to feel like "tree trunks" that I am dragging around.  I also do not feel as alert and I know I do not get as much accomplished in a day.   

By the end of the week, I am looking forward to getting back into routine.  I do not like the way I feel.  I do not like the way that I look.  I want to get back into my business and moving forward again.  I crave my healthy self back - I want to feel my energy again, my body working efficiently and in harmony.  The week off has reconfirmed to me once again why it is so important to me to lead a healthy lifestyle.  I just work (physically, emotionally and spiritually) better when I do. 

So back to my clients - when they tell me they want to take the holidays off, I do not necessarily see that as a bad thing.  In fact, I see it as a good thing because when they do come back, I know they will be refocused and ready to move forward with their own personal goals.  And I will be moving forward with them, sharing in the journey.

Tis the Season for Gift Giving

I had the pleasure of hosting the Body Design staff Christmas luncheon last Saturday at a local restaurant.  We had 15 people in attendance out of a possible 21 invitees.  I felt so honored to find myself surrounded by such a group of enthusiastic and committed individuals who all shared the same passion - a dedication to fitness and healthy lifestyle habits. 

90% of our staff are over 40 years of age.  They all have their own personal stories of how they got into fitness.  Some have been active all of their lives but most of them including myself, found fitness later in life. 

Regardless of when they started to get active and then make a living out of fitness, they all talked about how they loved working with clients and sharing their passion for activity.  They shared stories about client achievements. They talked about their concern with childhood obesity.  They talked about what they learned at professional development events and how they were sharing that information with their clients.  They laughed at funny stories, they listened to each other and offered suggestions to problems.  They offered new programming ideas.  They enjoyed being with each other.

As I drove home later, I marvelled at how fortunate I was to have the privilege and honor of working with such a wonderful group of individuals who have chosen to share their expertise and passion for fitness and health with Body Design.  In giving my Christmas gift to them, I was receiving many gifts in return.

Listen Up

I just finished a good work out with weights and I feel great - I feel alive!  My muscles are tingling, my heart rate is up and I can feel my own life energy surging through me. 

I had a client in today who told me about her workouts for the week.  She had done really well - cardio and weights just like I recommended however she was doing it all (both cardio and weights) on the same day and on consecutive days - no rest.  We had to talk.

She reminded me of another client I had a couple of years ago who was addicted to training - no, she was addicted to over training.  She had convinced herself that the more she worked out, the more she would lose weight and tone her body.  She had lost touch with her body and was now abusing it.    

I talked to her about the symptoms of over training and set her up on a training schedule that I advised she stick to and do no more than what I advised.  She followed my advice and started to look and feel better.

Working out is about getting in touch with one's own body - feeling it respond to an outside stimulus.  Your body can heal itself, it can get stronger, it can get faster and it is your's - the only one you will have for your entire life.  Take care of your body, listen to it, respect it, love it and challenge it.  Your body will amaze you if you listen.

Wow, You Look Like You've Lost Weight!

Wow, you look like you've lost weight!"  How many of you feel this statement is a compliment? 

In my business, most clients seek our services initially to lose weight and tone up.   Their focus is what the scale tells them - is the number up or down?  During our time with each client, we try to educate them that the benefits of eating well and exercising is about much more than just what the scale says. 

Eating well and regular exercise can create huge changes in a person's life.   I get really excited when clients start telling me how good they're starting to feel, how they have so much more energy and are sleeping better.  They also start telling me stories of how they have found themselves doing some household chore and noticed that the task was now much easier to do.  I hear this alot in the winter regarding shovelling snow. 

To me this is progress - this is improved health.  Improved health is about more than just what the scale says.

So instead of saying to someone, "You look like you've lost weight!"  Take the opportunity to congratulate and acknowledge success by adopting other verbal phrases. "Wow, you look so healthy!"  "Your eyes are beautiful - you are just glowing!" "You look so fit and healthy!"  or "You look amazing - I love the energy you're sharing!" 

I recently received my annual Milk calendar and at the back there is a full page ad from the Dairy Farmers of Canada.   The caption reads, "It's better to have a body in shape than to obsess about the shape of your body".  What a great message - I could not agree more.

To Run or Not to Run?

Once again, running, saved me again! 

Yesterday was the kind of day that I really do not like to experience too often.  I had worked with 4 training clients in the morning (starting at 7:00 a.m.) and then had scheduled a two hour business appointment which left me feeling overwhelmed with information and a little stressed.  I then saw another training client and was looking forward to the end of the day.  However, two voice mails had come in while I was in my training session and when I picked them up, I learned of the death of a friend from cancer (only 52 yrs.) and the next call was informing me of the imminent death of another friend's mother. 

Now, I was not only feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and tired but depressed. 

Tonight was a running night but I really did not feel like going - I wanted to wallow in my low spirits.  I found I was also transferring my low mood to my husband (which he did not deserve!).  I told myself I had to go running - that I would feel so much better when I came back.

I got my running clothes on and went to meet my running buddie.  It was best thing I could have done! Despite the fact it was cold and dark, we had a great run.  I could feel the depression and stress lifting from my body.  I could feel my energy returning.  I returned sweaty and tired but a good tired!  The run had done the trick - better than any cookie or glass of wine could have done!  Once again, my run had saved me!