Family, friends and the Warm Fuzzies

I begin this post with a quote from my 7-year-old son, spoken to me with great sincerity on Christmas Eve, 2010.

"Mom, I don't mind if I don't get any presents. It's all about being together!"

Cameron, 7

Even though he had recently snooped under the tree, where several parcels with his name attached had already been placed, I don't doubt his sincerity! Those big brown eyes understood something: The holidays are a time for connecting.

There have been lots of great posts on Facebook this week that also speak to the importance of connecting with family and friends. Here is a great one:

"Happy New Year Friends and Family! I wish you health, happiness and peace. Hug your family tight, tell them how much you love them every day. Let your friends know how thankful you are to have them in your life ... as I am, that you are in mine! Thank you :-)"

- Faye Del Grande, Access Fitness

Holiday letters and cards still arrive in the mail with regularity (although not in the quantities they did in years past) and I always enjoy catching up with a family "brag rag" or getting a quick scribbled note on a simple card. It means someone included our family in their thoughts and wishes. That is "a good thing," as Martha Stewart would say.

So how do the "warm fuzzies" related here help your health? Well, there is a body of research that suggests that those who have a good network of friendships, enjoy a wide range of health benefits including:

• 22% greater life expectancy
• lower levels of a protein known to be associated with aggressive cancers
• tools to combat stress (friends to assist, provide information, materials and emotional support)
• less risk of cardiovascular problems, immune disorders, and the common cold!

So reach out, accept warm regards at face value, and enjoy connecting with friends and family. We are all victims of chronic busy lives, and wish we could 'be in touch' more often so if the holidays are the excuse (or the reason) to get in touch, then great! Embrace it, and celebrate every "warm fuzzy" sentiment that comes your way!

One final quote, from an old friend I hadn't heard from in years...

Holly days, icicle nights

Down-blanket snowfields beckoning for boots and giggles.

Steaming mugs, warming hearthfires, comfort and joy.

Wishing you a sparkling holiday season and a New Year overflowing with all you love best---

J. M., Ohio

Thank you! And Happy New Year!

We'll talk soon!

Holiday Indulgence: Raspberry "Truffles"

Holiday time is upon us and the treats and temptations are flying in faster than we can deflect them. We're out of our regular routine and already feeling guilty and stressed for spending too much, eating too much, falling off the fitness wagon... you name it. STOP!

Here is a treat you can enjoy with relatively little guilt. You'd never know that it is dense with nutrients, good fats and fibre, and contains very little refined sugar or dairy (just a dot of butter)... but I can't resist telling people once they have tasted them! Enjoy them in moderation, as you would any treat -- but do enjoy them, because the nutrient content and the excellent craving-busting taste is well worth the calories! The recipe is adapted from the Dao of Harmony Dawn Cooking by Nicola Lawrence. I've made it with quite a few of the substitutions listed below.

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY TRUFFLES

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, stir until creamy:

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/4 cup water

Add, and stir until combined:

1/4 cup Almond Butter

2 tbsp Honey (or substitute maple syrup, agave nectar or rice syrup)

1 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Remove from heat and add until well-combined and smooth:

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp pure raspberry jam

1/2 cup dutch cocoa powder, sifted

1 tbsp raspberry vodka (or substitute framboise fruit wine, or an orange flavoured liquour)

Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Place on a small plate or shallow bowl:

2 tbsp sifted cocoa

Roll mixture by hand into small balls, and roll in the cocoa. Refrigerate until serving.

This "Mock Truffle" has become a regular request at gatherings at our fitness club, and I am happy to fulfil the repeat requests! I usually double the recipe and pop some in the freezer to indulge in with family and friends.

Wishing you a healthy, happy, holiday!

We'll talk soon!

On the Wagon again with Cinnamon Chicken

Hi everyone!

It's good to be back to blogging! I won't make excuses for the gap in posts, and I won't bore you with the details of the "busy" that has been part of the reason for neglecting the blog. "Busy" seems to be a chronic syndrome that affects most of us these days! So let's nod our heads in agreement and understanding and move on!

We were chatting in Pilates class the other day about leg and foot cramps, and how to help alleviate this, especially during exercise. Here are a few tips:

1) Drink enough water before, during, and after your workout to avoid electrolyte loss, which can cause cramping.

2) Be sure to get the body warm before more vigorous activity. Try 10-15 minutes of walking, or light cardio to get the whole body warm. Doing this before gentler workouts is important too! Try it before hitting the mat for Yoga or Pilates and see how much your workout improves!

3) Consider, with guidance from your health care professional or nutritionist, whether you would benefit from magnesium, potassium and calcium supplements daily, especially before exercising.

Here is a recipe I found (adapted from Chatelaine Magazine) that my whole family loves (yes, even the kids, aged 7 and 12) and it includes sweet potatoes, which are a great source of potassium to help prevent cramping - among other fabulous benefits!

Cinnamon Chicken

Chicken cutlets (we do 3 boneless, skinless breasts, and cut each into 4 strips)

Shaker of cinnamon

Shaker of garlic salt

Vegetable oil (just a touch, for the pan)

1/2 Cup chicken or vegetable broth - homemade, from a box or can, even a cube will do!

3 Cups peeled cubed sweet potatoes (if you are crushed for time, use the prepared frozen cubes!)

A green onion for garnish, or some diced red onion is nice!

Sprinkle each chicken piece liberally with cinnamon and garlic salt. Heat up your non-stick pan and add a touch of oil. Cook chicken strips 3-4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and cover loosely with foil.

Add the broth to the pan. Dump in the sweet potatoes. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Add the onion during the last minute. When just done, "rough-mash" the potatoes with your potato masher right in the pan, adding a bit more broth to obtain the texture you like.

Divide to plates, top with chicken! Serve with some steamed green beans or a salad to round out the meal and add some more colour.

Here is a great informational link to give you the total lowdown on the lowly sweet potato! What a powerful food! http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64

Enjoy and we'll talk soon... really!

Temptation: Earn it, then burn it!

Here is a topic I've been mulling over for a while. It seems a good time to roll it out, now that the temptations of summer are upon us. Summer is a time for more social gatherings around the barbecue, lounging by dock or poolside with snacks and cold beverages, vacation time and a change of routine... you get the idea!

"Well, I've been so good... a little more [insert favourite tempting snack here] won't hurt"
"I can get back on track on Monday."
"I'll do an extra set in my workout and burn it off."

These phrases can become a mantra during the summer months if there is no plan to stay on track. Most of us will react to temptation by rationalizing, fasting, procrastinating or going crazy with a killer workout to make up for the calories taken in or activity missed.

Try taking both a proactive and a reactive approach. This will allow you to quell temptation, and better yet, to give into it on occasion and still keep your goals in reach.

Let's deal with the proactive approach first... this is the "Earn it" phase!
Plan ahead if you are likely to indulge at an event
- Offer to bring veggies, fruit, low fat snack items, and then be sure to partake of them!
- Enjoy regular healthy meals and snacks through the day
- Avoid starving yourself, you're likely to overindulge if you are ravenous when you see food!
- Drink lots of water before and during the event
- Pre-exercise before your outing (a quick walk, jog, fitness class or weight workout)
- Create a positive mindset. Decide how much temptation you've earned and stick to your guns!
- Keep active: play frisbee, swim or dance.
- Make active choices: a "walking tour" instead of a bus tour; nix the golf cart; take the stairs!

The "Burn it" phase comes when you are typically "reacting" to the guilt and negative feelings of derailing your healthy habits (even if only temporarily). When the party or holiday is over, it is time to burn what you earned! Keep your reactions positive and reasonable:
- Eat healthy nutritious meals and snacks; avoid fasting or crash diets!
- Drink even more water
- Get back into your exercise routine right away. Kick it up a bit, but don't overdo it!
- Keep track of your measurements, weight or nutrition log... what ever you are doing to keep yourself accountable. DO IT!

If you plan ahead a little bit, and use a combination of the proactive "earn it" approach along with a positively framed "burn it" phase after temptation strikes you will sail through the Summer with your goals and health intact.

Enjoy, and we'll talk soon!

Fitness in the Workplace, Part 2: The Challenges

Okay, we are going to continue with our interactive article here, so be prepared to participate. First, let’s define the physical demands of different work situations, and some of the challenges that are connected to the level of activity required.

Ready? Okay, stand up if your work environment requires to you sit at a desk for most of the work day. See the irony here? I knew you’d appreciate it! Join the standing gang if your career involves a lot of driving. In either case, you tend to be Sedentary at work. In a recent lecture on this topic, about 85% our sample group of about 130 business women responded by standing!

The main challenge associated with having a sedentary type of work is that there is too little activity during the day to keep the body strong, alert and healthy. Symptoms like poor circulation and muscle stiffness are common, and lack of caloric burn can make you feel dragged out and tired during the day!

If you are still seated, relax for a moment, and consider whether either of these statements ring true for you: “I am on feet all day at work,” or “my career involves repetitive activity like lifting, or working with my hands.” Examples of the latter would be a massage therapist, construction worker or chef. In our sample audience, there were far fewer people for whom these Active jobs were the standard situation.

Those with active jobs can suffer from muscle strain, imbalances of strength, and a feeling of exhaustion due to repetitive activity and overexertion. It is certainly possible to experience a combination of Active and Sedentary activity demands within one workplace, too, and the challenges associated with this can be a combination of the ones described.

Now that we have discovered whether your work requires you to be Active or Sedentary, or possibly a combination of both - and what challenges each of these can present, let’s move forward with some solutions!

Tips for the sedentary category:

1. Sit on a fitness ball instead of a chair. You’ll add caloric burn and work your core muscles! If a fitness ball is not practical in your workplace, try one of the flatter, air filled seat cushions designed for active sitting for a similar result.

2. Stand up while conversing on the telephone. Not only will you burn more calories, but with a hands-free device you’ll be more expressive when talking, and avoid the pain associated with “phone neck”.

3. Try working at a raised work surface like a kitchen island or a high drafting table. This will reduce the stiffness and pain associated with shortening of sitting muscles and increase circulation as well as upping that caloric burn! This is something I do in my home office for filing and sorting tasks.

4. Plan an active meeting for staff or with a client at the indoor track, around the block, or a treadmill meeting at your favourite fitness facility. A food and beverage manager I know conducts the pre-shift staff updates during a walk around the hotel grounds.

Tips for the active category:

1. Take breaks at regular intervals by setting an alarm for stretch/movement breaks. Or associate your break with a regularly occurring event at work. For example, do a 3 minute stretch break when the mail comes at 10:30 every morning; go for a walk for the first 15 minutes of lunch and at afternoon break.

2. Define your specific overuse challenges with the help of a health or fitness professional, and perform adequate stretching and strengthening activities to support those requirements.

Finally, planned activity (exercise for the purpose of exercise) is very important for both workplace categories. To stay healthy and productive we must make up for the down time of sedentary jobs - our bodies are simply not designed to be inactive. Planned workouts are essential to those with active jobs too, in order to support the body systems that are required to remain fit and injury free with the demands of your job!

Next time we will chat about the final challenge (that 4-letter word - TIME) and check out some workplace workouts that can work for you!

We’ll talk soon!

Coming Soon: Fitness in the Workplace, Part 3: Making Workouts work at work!

Zippy-Smooth Spinach Salad

I made this one for lunch two days in a row (with a slight variation), it was sooooo good! I love the tasty tango your tongue takes between the zippy grapefruit and the smooth silky avocado; it is a real sensation pleaser! This is a "single serving" but you can easily expand it for a crowd!

Fresh Baby Spinach (big handful, washed, spin or pat dry)

1/2 Grapefruit

1/2 Avocado

Olive Oil

Fresh Pepper (optional)

Drop a generous handful of spinach on a plate or in your 'to go' container for lunch. Scoop out the sections from the 1/2 grapefruit with a serrated spoon or knife and plop them on the greens, reserving as much grapefruit juice as you can, and put the scooped out half aside for a moment, juice and all! Slice up the avocado and disperse among the grapefruit. Now, drizzle some olive oil right into the grapefruit half and squeeze the whole business on top of the salad as a great, tangy dressing! Add a bit of fresh ground pepper if you like.

Tip: If you are brown-bagging it, squeeze the dressing into a small, separate container and add it when you are ready to eat your salad.

Variation:

For more protein, add some chunks of low fat Havarti cheese, and/or a few slivered almonds!

Enjoy! We'll talk soon.

Fitness in the Workplace: Part 1

Part 1: The Definition of Fitness

Hi everyone. This is an interactive article, so be prepared to play along. Okay, raise your hand if you are fit. Now, raise your hand if you are unfit. I noticed that only a few of you responded confidently. Never mind how I noticed, I just did!

Why was it so difficult? Well, being fit means different things to different people. In fact, fitness is not a quantitative value at all, but more of a sliding scale, with superb athleticism on one side, and ill health (or, in the extreme, death) on the other. Individual factors like body fat, heart rate and body mass index can be measured, but until we establish where our personal fitness goals sit along that continuum, the definition of fitness is elusive.

Let’s review three general categories that pertain to fitness goals and Consider where you “fit”!

Those with athleticism as a goal train long and hard most days of the week to support activities like marathons, mountain climbing or being a professional dancer. Any activity that places high demand on the body’s resources for skills and performance is athletic and training methods might include running, functional training, and sport specific drills.

To increase physical fitness you’ll spend an hour 3-4 times weekly performing activities that fatigue the muscles and make you sweat. The goal is to maintain a healthy body composition and achieve optimal functioning and increased health benefits. Activities often include weight training, fitness classes, leisure sports and swimming laps.

Never underestimate the impact of health and wellbeing as a fitness goal. This defines the non-negotiable minimum activity level required to maintain basic health and participate comfortably in daily activities. Yes, non-negotiable; like bathing, and brushing your teeth! Engage in activity for 30 minutes, 3x weekly that is active enough to elevate the heart rate and respiration so that you must breathe though your mouth, and your body feels warm. Active living pursuits include vigorous housework, walking, climbing stairs and leisure activities like pleasure skating or swimming.

So, now that we have defined fitness in terms of goal categories, shall we try again? Where do you see yourself now in terms of immediate and long-term fitness goals? Well, unfortunately, we are out of time; next time we will pinpoint some challenges and obstacles that faced when trying to work fitness goals into busy lives, and some solutions to get us on the right track!

We'll talk soon!

Pleasure and Pain!

It is known that human beings are motivated by the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. It is easy to see why (at least at the outset) it can be so difficult to begin habits that are "good for you". Often there is a result that can initially be uncomfortable (perceived by the body as the precursor to "painful") and that has the effect of dissuading us from continuing the behaviour.

Take dieting, for example. Many diets cause the participant to feel hunger early in the process. Hunger is uncomfortable, and human beings avoid discomfort. So, we end up giving up on the whole dieting thing and go back to our regular habits.

What about exercise? Same deal: there is some discomfort at first, when beginning to wake up muscles and body processes that may not be used to functioning fully or regularly! There is delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) which can, in fact, be quite uncomfortable. (Some ads for painkillers are even suggesting they be taken to relieve DOMS!) The fear of that discomfort can be enough to reduce a person's effort, or even stop someone from exercising altogether!

So, what to do?

1) Avoid the discomfort of "hunger" by eating regular, small amounts of quality foods! Check with your nutritional advisor, or do some research on your own. Access Fitness has a great Nutrition Department that can assist with this. Call 519-940-0300.

2) Learn to avoid or minimize DOMS with a few simple tips: stretch after your workout; drink plenty of water, before, during and after your workout; stretch; if you trained hard, take time for an epsom salts bath within 24 hours of the workout; and did I mention.... you need to stretch!?

3) Also, try to re-program your "pleasure/pain" meter! Many agree there is a fine line between the two, and you can shift your attitude and perception. Enjoy that little hunger pang; it just means your body needs fuel, so honour that and grab a healthy snack! Many people really enjoy the feeling of pushing a workout to the next level; all sorts of "feel good" hormones kick in and it feels fantastic! Celebrate that achy muscle feeling because it means you are doing the body good!

We'll talk soon!

Baby Steps!

There is so much information "out there" about what is healthy; both the TO DO list and the what NOT TO DO list can quickly become overwhelming for those of us trying to follow, introduce or change lifestyle habits.

One of the ways to minimize the confusion and pressure of making changes is to introduce them gradually. Building a good habit (or breaking a negative one) happens over time. Create a list of items that you wish to address for your health, and tackle them one by one over time. Introduce a new idea/habit/task only after you have achieved a level of success with another one. At least a week on a new focus is a good start before introducing something new.

Here is an example of what has worked for me over the past 6 weeks:
Week 1. Drink more water - I researched how much I need, set that goal, and have a system in place to track it. Worked on this one for about a month to build the sipping habit!
Week 2. Healthy snacking - I implemented a few portable healthy snack options to add to my nutrition routine. This was to combat my "I'm so hungry I could eat the fridge" issue when I finally stopped for a meal.
Week 3. New activity - I took a Zumba® training course and started practicing the moves regularly. A fun, new activity can kick start or revive your fitness routine!
Week 4. More proteins - I started throwing legumes in my salads, making lentil soup again, and using protein powder.
Week 5. New Breakfast habit - The first meal of the day seemed to be all about the carbs! Reducing breads and starches in the morning has helped me crave them less through the day!
Week 6. "Does it help my goals?" question - this is the "a-ha" moment that caused me to write the last blog entry. I pause before each action (meal choice, activity choice) and take a moment to decide how the choice will affect my goals and my overall health.

Wake-up Weekend Smoothie:
1 cup Soy milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup frozen fruit (Mangoes or Strawberries...)
1 small or 1/2 large banana (I keep them frozen to add texture to the drink)
1 scoop protein powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder (optional)
a few drops Vanilla Extract (optional)

Pop ingredients in blender (in the order in which they appear) and pulse then blend, about 40 seconds.

Enjoy! We'll talk soon!

Answer me this!

So, I think I have actually figured out how to live the healthiest life possible. No, really! Ask yourself this:

"Does ________ assist me in reaching my health and lifestyle goals?"

The "blank" could be almost any action choice that is in front of you at the moment. Here are a few examples to park in the blank above:

-eating this slice of pie
-having oatmeal for breakfast
-pouring another beer
-skipping my walk
-going to the gym today
-smoking this cigarette
-playing some great music and chilling out

The answer is cearly a "yes" or "no" in all of these examples, with the possible exception of the last one, which could be neutral, but in my opinion, is a "yes"!

Now, asking the question doesn't mean the positive decision will be the outcome 100% of the time. That is a bit unrealistic! If the answer is "yes" 90% of the time, then it's a good bet there will be major progress towards your goals. On the other hand, if yes/no is at about 50/50, then you could be stalled, rationalizing or simply hitting a roadblock.

This simple question can be a powerful tool to help make quick decisions about the little things that can assist (or sabotage) the whole health goals thing.

Of course, I've skipped ahead and assumed that there are goals involved. Perhaps a great topic for another blog post!

We'll talk soon!

This is it!

Okay, this is it! I'm starting this blog. There, I did it!

Now, what do I do? Well, I guess I can start by mentioning why I decided to start this blog!

A few months ago a friend of mine, also a fitness professional, decided to begin a public journey back to personal health and fitness through her own blog. This, she surmised, would keep her accountable for her nutrition, activity and wellness choices, and offer her the greatest chance of success. Following her progress, being in on all her ups and downs, and being able to support her is really empowering! In fact, it has even inspired me to watch my own habits more closely of late. (And by the way, she's doing really well dropping weight and inches, and feeling stronger!)

So I thought to myself, if that blog inspired me, then maybe some "healthy ramblings" will inspire others! The plan is to post tidbits of information, observations, events, tips and random thoughts that are proactive, productive and helpful towards fitness, weight loss or healthy lifestyle goals.

At Access Fitness, that is what we are all about, right?

Thanks for joining me. We'll talk soon!