Loving what you see in the mirror

STOP the Chaos Inside

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:59:00 +0000

Every now and then, I have an event or circumstance that tries to knock me flat on my back with hopelessness, despair, and, in the end, a fruitless freak-out attempt to scramble to get things back under "control". We truly are are own worst enemy. Rather than saying no; rather than just letting things go and letting life flow out from us, we have an internal tantrum and demand that life behave. After all, it is our life and it must be tamed so that we know what to expect and live in such a way that our days stay organized and pretty, right?

Well, in my humble experience, the most important thing we can do is STOP. Will the world really end if we don't wear the same size jeans we wore in high school? Will all our friends truly desert us if we don't go to that happy hour on Thursday? What will people really think if we start allowing ourselves to be in the moment instead of constantly worrying about the past, hiding our present, or sacrificing what really matters most for the unknown future?

I am a driven person. I inherently push those around me and I get disappointed with myself and others easily. But I have found that when I let go, and I give my life some space to let in love and simply stop to see what can happen...then I allow others and myself to experience more in this life through the chaos than we would have if I would have kept it stuffed my tiny little box of expectations. See what a little chaos might do for you today...I dare you!

Are you a victim?

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:16:00 +0000

Women are fascinating. The highs and lows of hormones often leave us victim to unpredictable days. The problem: We slip easily into victim mentality when we aren't fulfilled by life. To fill our void we allow ourselves to be filled by whatever comes easy...food, alcohol, toxic relationships, etc. When we are in victim mentality, we don’t see the range of choices we have and we wallow in resentment. We feel helpless.

The solution: In order to eliminate our victim mentality, we must:

1. Start by accepting the reality of the situation instead of trying to achieve an unrealistic ideal.
2. Find the best choice available within the reality of the circumstances, and then
3. Accept that choice instead of resenting it.

Victims live in fear. They make excuses for their lives. They hide to make themselves secure. They make up irrational ideas to help them cope with their circumstances. They shut out relationships and turn to addictions to keep themselves numb. Victims don't always consciously choose to live this way, it is simply how they have survived their life experiences. We all have a story with a history and a plot, with tragedy and triumph. Have you been a victim to the story of your life, just letting life happen without any intent or goals, or are you embracing the story with all its highs and lows and forging ahead toward what you need regardless of what standards and ideals the media and social pressures may expect from you?

Let's face it. Life is not easy. We have to make the best of our individual experience. Which means that killing ourselves to try to fit into a size 6 jeans may not be what is best for our lives. It might feel good for a a moment when or if you can reach the goal, but only if it can help you to live a more balanced, healthy, and joyful life.

How will you embrace your story? What do you need to help you make your story more enriching and vibrant?

For more information about how you can connect with community and overcome feeling like a victim in your health and wellness program, read more about the H.E.A.L. program.

Exercise: Friend or Foe?

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:24:00 +0000

Time magazine published a feature article this past week about "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin". Far be it from me (a gal who has spent half her life studying exercise) to argue with the author, John Cloud, for profiling exercise in a predominantly negative light. I agree, losing weight is much more about what we eat and where we stand mentally/emotionally than simply spending hours on the treadmill. Let's take a closer look at a few common fitness beliefs to see how we can apply this information to our highest benefit:

1) Exercise burns calories which in turn helps us lose weight. The fact that exercise burns calories is true, and we can tweak how many calories we burn in a session by the intensity with which we exercise. However, it takes way more energy to burn calories through exercise than it does to simply just not eat as much. As we commit to more and more exercise, we may be left feeling worn-down and even more hungry.
Solution: Don't try to kill yourself with every workout. Make sure you still have enough energy on most days to do your "chores", play with your kids, etc. Surround yourself with healthy food choices so you are combining your exercise with a balanced diet/post-workout snack rather than binging after your exercise session.
2) When I exercise, it will automatically help me make better food choices. Unfortunately, when we rev up our metabolism from increasing our exercise, our body will tend to want to increase its drive for caloric intake as well. In Brian Wansinks studies on mindless eating, he found that out of 1,004 Americans surveyed, 86% sought out comfort foods when they were happy, and 74% when they wanted to celebrate or reward themselves. In other words, when we feel we have accomplished something, like completing a hard workout, we might lean toward rewarding ourselves with food. Not a great combo when trying to shed pounds.
Solution: Take the mindless eating challenge. It's free and could save you hundreds in unnecessary calories, simply by staying aware and making small, painless adjustments in your eating habits.
3) I have to run or lift weights to get an effective weight loss workout. As much as I love both running and weights, every one of us has different needs when it comes to exercise. Our personalities have a huge impact on what type of movement we enjoy, and what our bodies typically need most. However, doing any activity that gets your moving, smiling and generally getting our stress out is the primary goal.
Solution: You don't have to do what your neighbor does or things that simply drive you nuts. Commit to something you genuinely enjoy and do it consistently. I have some suggestions based on personality type here.

Overall, my response is that exercise can make you thin when it is used for the right reasons, with the right expectations, and in combination with many other life-style habits that contribute to wellness. These things might include getting consistently good sleep, eating mindfully and sticking closely to a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water, and surrounding ourselves with good relationships and work environments. Our individual health does not simply follow a single stream, it has multiple tributaries that create our river of life.

Expectation overload

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:34:00 +0000

I love waiting for a good thing. Maybe it is a sick trait of personal trainers, but I really do find amazing satisfaction out of watching the steady progress of physical change in others while patiently waiting for all the hard work to pay off. Perhaps this is what has always made me love running so much. In fact I get down right giddy about waiting to open a gift. Although, I have to admit, these days my ability to wait has waned. The expectation of what is to come is overwhelming at times. It doesn't really matter if we expect it to be a good thing or not, if what we expect doesn't actually happen, we are inevitably disappointed.

What are you expecting out of life that has left your overwhelmed or disappointed? The women I work with have a mile high list of expectations for themselves everyday...and they wonder why they always feel like they never measure up. It is even harder for high achievers or people pleasers to keep our expectations in check. We want it to have it all, give it all, and be it all...all the time. This just isn't realistic.

Here are some ideas to keep your daily, monthly, and life expectations in check:

Make a vision board: Take a half day (trust me, the time is worth it) and gather lots of magazines, clippings, drawings, or whatever reflects your life passions and put together a single page map of what is most important to you. If over the nest 2-5 years you could have all that you think would make you happy and successful, what would it be?
Plan out your days in time blocks. Not only should you put in your regular daily appointments for you, your kids, your mate, and your pets, but you should enter things in like, pay bills, grocery shopping. Anything that regularly takes time.
If possible, check in with your to do list as it reflects on your time blocks above. Do everything you can to delegate or get rid of tasks that either someone else can do (or be paid to do) or just decide to scrap them. This works well for things like book-keeping, cleaning, or dog walking.
Make a conscious decision to let go of your expectations and be gentle with yourself. If life is coming at you way too fast, and you are getting altogether too down and out about what you are doing or being...stop, take a deep breath, and let go. Ask yourself this question: In 5 years from now, will I be stressed out for not having done or accomplished whatever it is I am freaking out about now? If the answer is anywhere near no, then, please, let it go and relax. You are superwoman just as you are. Really.

Beating yourself up won't help

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:09:00 +0000

As a personal trainer, I often times feel like I am managing a jack-of-all-trades health position. Not only am I to be educated and experienced at weight training, flexibility, and cardiovascular health, I also feel I need to be a coach, psychologist, nutritionist, and holistic lifestyle guru. Now, if I can wear all these hats and do them perfectly, everyone will lose weight and love me, right?

WRONG. In the same way that we cannot be everything to everyone, and do everything perfectly all the time...I cannot try to be all-of-the-above-trainer at all times.

I am perfectly flawed. Yep, I have flaws...and they are perfect. I own up to them, I acknowledge them, and I understand that it will take a lifetime to either embrace them or work toward improving them. There are multiple reasons why I might sabotage my abilities by getting down on myself (and I promise I am ALWAYS trying to live above this) but I wanted to point out some ways you can avoid crippling your ability to stay on course with your health and wellness:

Get accountability: via classes, friends, a trainer, a coach, or by joining a training group for a race or charitable event.
Eat no less than 1200 calories/day for weight loss. You can estimate how many calories you need online. Be sure to include at least 25 grams of fiber/day, and lots of lean protein.
Get 5 days of at least 30min high-intensity interval training: this would included circuit resistance training or interval cardio work.
Drink half your body weight in ounces/day and reduce alcohol and caffeine
Sleep 7-9hours every night. Ideally try to be asleep by 10:30 so you are ready for your morning workout.
Plan. Put your workouts on your calendar and keep a log of what you actually do. You will stick to your plan longer, and have a nice reward of being able to look back at what you have accomplished. You can even keep track online!
Have fun, ask for help when you need it, and reward yourself when you meet specific goals.

Getting past your past

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:31:00 +0000

I recently started a new program called "Downer to Dynamite". It is an 8 week series aimed to help educate, motivate, and support women who want to get out of their unhealthy habits, and begin to respect themselves mentally, emotionally, and physically. The incredible thing that has happened, is that I, too, have found myself being challenged by the program. Some questions really get you thinking about a variety of life-issues.

What has occurred to me is that most of us are still getting over insecurities or coping mechanisms we learned from our youth. If any of our basic needs for safety, love, food, movement, and shelter were ever unmet (think Maslow's Hierarchy), we likely created our own way to protect and care for ourselves. It is in these mechanisms that we are still reacting to our life circumstances. For instance, in the fourth grade, my family moved to a new school district where I first felt the stares of the "new girls". I felt totally unsafe and unloved. I thought I couldn't really trust people and that I had to please a lot of people in order to be accepted. Well, I still get anxious about friendships for that reason. And sometimes I cope with this anxiety by dressing differently or reaching for exercise or food to calm myself.

Thankfully, I have a high level of awareness of these defense mechanisms and have realized I have a choice to either react and let them control me, or I can let the real emotion sink in and deal with it healthfully by talking to people, doing some journaling, or remembering the truth that I AM ENOUGH, just the way I am.

CS lewis once wrote, “Pain removes the veil; it plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul".

Understanding our source of pain helps us to unveil the truth of how we have created habits of self-preservation. Some habits could be healthy, others may simply serve to bring us even more pain. Ask yourself these questions when faced with chronic anxiety, stress, negativity, or pain to unveil your truth and start the process of forming new reactions to your circunstances:
1) Where have I felt this before? or, When did I start feeling this way?
2) Why am I reacting this way in response to this feeling?
3) Do have someone I need to forgive or talk to about this to get past my past?
4) What are some other ways that I can act out my response that honors my heart but empowers me rather than bringing me down?
For more info, visit Getting Past your Past

Play that funky music...

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:10:00 +0000

I often hear people say that they just can't motivate themselves to workout. Admittedly, I occasionally have those days too. But what I have found, is that when I really think about it, 9 times out of 10, I will always feel better if I just make myself get out there and move. Once I am moving, the stress and fatigue melts away, and I am can get in the zone. However, if you are finding that shear will-power isn't quite enough, you may benefit from having a trusted play-list of your top workout favorites to keep you going. A research team out of Stanford showed that music engages the areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating the event in memory. All great ways to make your workout more effective. Listed below are some resources for making your own awesome and moving playlist:

Did I tell you I am now a hip-hop extraordinaire? Get your top 10 hip hop workouts songs!

Wanna know what made the overall top 10 list?

Think you could do better? Create your own list with lots of recommendations on iTunes through the Sport iMix site.

Feeling manly?...here are the 52 Best Workout Songs according to "The art of manliness"

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a resource for a womens' top workout mix. Help a girl out! I would LOVE to make a Restoration Fitness top 25 by having you list your favorite workout music for women in the comments below!!

H.I.T. IT!

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:22:00 +0000

H.I.T., or High Intensity Training, is one of the best ways to get a great workout and overcome weight loss or strength gain plateaus. Essentially, it means packing a big punch of effort into little packages throughout your training. HIT stresses intensity over repetition. Additionally, adding higher intensity, more powerful effort bursts into your cardio program can also have huge benefits. Twenty minutes of high intensity interval cardio increases your aerobic capacity (VO2max) dramatically, maintains lean muscle mass, boosts your metabolism during and after exercise, and potentially burns more fat calories than 30-45 minutes of low intensity cardio.

Here are some tips to add high intensity into your program:

1) Choose a weight for an upper body exercise that you can only lift 6-10 times, lower body would be closer to 8-15 times. Use a 3-1-4-1 cadence for the lift. For instance, on a seated row: Pull bar toward your ribs for 3 seconds, pause 1 second at end range, spend 4 seconds allowing bar to return to start, and finish with a 1 second pause prior to repeating.

2) Finish your lift with a hold at mid-range to force the muscle to near complete failure.

3) For an intense cardio interval program try this:

3-5 minute warm up at easy pace
30 seconds at a sprint followed by 30 seconds rest
Add 30 seconds to each sprint and rest interval until you reach 4 minutes total for your "sprint" interval
After your sprint interval, take 4 minutes rest, then reverse the order back down to 30 seconds for each "sprint" and rest interval.
Finish with a 2-3 minute walk or cool down followed by a great stretch!

**you should always either consult with your physician for clearance or have worked up to a high level of fitness so that you are able to work at a high cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscle intensity without risk of injury

How often? 2-3 days for interval cardio training and 2-3 days for your weight training. See expert Yuri Elkaim give you specifics.

Shrinking or Shining?

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:33:00 +0000

I have recently become the proud personal trainer for a wonderful woman named Sara. She is blogging and twittering her ups and down along her journey to lose 100lbs. Now, as much as I want to see Sara free from her extra weight, everything in me wants start out by saying...NO! It isn't about shrinking...it's about shining!

It takes a bold person to lay out her entire process of life-change for the whole world to see. That's not shrinking...that's letting your light shine! What if all of us started getting more real about our struggles, triumphs, failures, and victories? If you want extra support to help you reach your weight loss goals, follow these tips:

1) Follow a twitter dieter to learn great tips, tricks, and to follow along in the weight loss ups and downs. AOL health is currently following 24 dieters.
2) Read other great bloggers who talk about boosting your body image and self-confidence. My top 2 favorites are Dara Chadwick, who writes about the statement "You's be so pretty if...", and, Back in Skinny Jeans.
3) Get involved with a community of women:

Invite women over to share your favorite health recipes, or, better yet, plan a cooking extravaganza one day a month for healthy freezer meals.
Join a local training group. My favorite running group in the Northwest Denver area is The Solepepper F.I.T. club. All levels are welcome and Erin is so positive you can't help but want to laugh even while you run.
Get real. If you aren't ready to tell the world about your process and want a more intimate setting with some direction and small group accountability on exercise, nutrition, and embracing a positive body image, you will find it at the 8 week Downer to Dynamite series. Semi-private classes are starting in June.
Stay real. Tell at least a few friends our family members what you are doing. We all need support, especially when we are trying to change something that is a long-time habit like overeating or lack of exercise.

“Love is all around you, love is there in your laughter, in your hair, love flows everywhere. Love is older than you but the light shining through makes me see your love is all new.”-anonymous

Let your love for yourself and others SHINE!

Take 5 on Mindless Eating

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:02:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered in mid-bite (or maybe later, when your pants are a little snug after a big meal) why we eat what we eat, and why we think we need certain types or amounts of food?

Mindless eating is an American pastime.

Food will not fill any void other than physical, bodily hunger. It won't love you back, it won't fill your heart with love, it ultimately won't change your mood (at least not in the long term). YOU change your mood and YOU decide what is best for you because YOU are smart and are worthy of loving yourself. Even if the kids and family and work all seem to come first, you still get to decide that YOU are on the list.

It helps to start living more in the moment, and choosing to let the moment fill you up with joy and gratitude rather than using food to escape or fill a void you might feel. Celebrate with hugs, music, pictures, jokes, stories, listening, and being present. Put the food/drink down and simply notice. Food is not the occasion!

To overcome mindless eating, it helps to have some guidelines,
My challenge to you is to "take 5":
1) Eat 5 small meals a day (small is relative, but most snacks=100-150cals, meals=400-800cals)
2) Get 5 fruit and veggie servings within your 5meals/day
3) Maintain total calorie intake at 500cals less than what you mindlessly eat for weight loss
4) Take 5min at the start of each day to meditate, read a healthy affirmation, or write about gratitude for the changes occurring in your body
5) Workout at least 5 days per week

These 5 goals are not impossible to meet, it just takes being very intentional.

You should not feel hungry. Eat when you are hungry, and STOP when you are full. Stopping when you are full and waiting until you really are hungry is hard, and it may not serve you at first to eat the 5 small meals if you are really paying attention to hunger and fullness. Still, do your best to keep yourself from getting ravenous...that's why the small meals work.

If you can start thinking and living this way...you have won!!

Sizing up your mind

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:54:00 +0000

"A woman is but the product of her thoughts. What she thinks, she becomes."- Mahatma Gandhi.

Our thoughts, feelings, intentions and expectations are nothing other than waves of energy that vibrate at a certain energy level. We “broadcast” our inner thoughts and feelings continuously and magnetically attract all that is on the same vibrational level. So, when we are stuck in negative thoughts, feelings, intentions, and expectations about ourselves or our circumstances, we often attract the same things back to us.

Knowing that these declarations about ourselves are registered at a unconscious level by the world around us, we can begin to see why it can often be so hard to make changes in our lives. In order to change our habits, thoughts, and feelings we must first begin by committing to think about ourselves differently. Let's look at how to tilt the scales so that more positive than the negative experiences can come our way...try this exercise:

1) Close your eyes and imagine looking at your reflection in the mirror.

2) Rather than seeing what you might normally see, choose to see what you think you would look like if you were perfectly satisfied with your life and your body. Pay attention to the details of what you see.

3) When you open your eyes again, keep the image of what your mind brought up close to you throughout the day. It might help to journal about it so you can read aloud the words and description of yourself that you created.

4) Repeat this exercise weekly, and continue to journal what you see and how your life might be changing as you begin to deepen your connection with a positive and loving relationship with yourself.

Food as Fuel

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:26:00 +0000

If food were something we could live without, we might just try to give it up so we weren't so tempted by it. However, as luck would have it, we obviously must have it. As fad diets come and go and different opinions splash the news, how do we make sense of it all?

I mean, if we must have food, and we desire to treat our bodies with respect, then how can we begin to trust our instincts with food? We must start to see food as fuel. Just as a car must have the right type and quantity of gas for fuel, we too will function best when we fuel ourselves with fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats.
Try this experiment:
The next time you are tempted to eat something that will likely not be a great fuel source (ie. doughnut), ask yourself this question:

"Would I feed this to Lance Armstrong right before he raced?" If not, then why are you eating it?

Stop the mindless eating. You have a tremendous role to play...feed your engine to stay on track!

Positive Thinking= Loving your Body

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 03:26:00 +0000

I was listening to a podcast from Compass, a women's coaching group, when the author/coach (Natalie Tucker Miller) said..."our positive thoughts give off energy, or vibrations, into the universe that not only affect ourselves, but others."

This is not the first time I have heard that our thoughts not only dictate how we live, but can also influence how others react to our energy as well. Recent studies completed in San Diego and Britain have shown that happiness is contagious. This is not to say that we should ignore our feelings, or try to deny our hearts when we are unhappy or discouraged. What researchers are showing here, is that by thinking positive thoughts, we can actually choose to change how we and others feel and act. Pretty awesome, especially for those of us who have chronically chosen to be negative toward ourselves.

The next time you hear that little voice inside reminding you about how fat, stupid, or "not good enough" you are, start thinking positive thoughts. It might seem crazy and a little like a lie to think the positive at first, but after trying this in my own life, I have proven this theory works!

Create your own inner catalyst for positive thinking, and watch for others to join you in your happiness!

Saying NO to the critic

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:53:00 +0000

I am reminded today of a time back in 3rd grade, when a few of the 'popular' girls poked fun at me for what I was wearing. I was brand new to the school, and could only conclude that either 1) they were stupid and didn't know what they were talking about, or 2) what I was wearing really did make me uncool.

I am not sure where the point is in life when we start believing both other people and even the voice of the saboteur in our head more than what is reality about ourselves. Take for instance my example above...what if they had said I were fat, or too skinny, or just plain ugly, or stupid? Would I go on believing that about myself and try to fight against it my whole life, or choose to say, "NO, my clothes are what I love to wear, and I happen to love them, so go find someone else to pick on!"

Often, some things people say or what we hear in our minds might even hold some truth. Our power to overcome these negative thoughts, inner self-pity, tormenting voices, or just plain old bad habits, is to choose to say NO, even if some part of them is true or holds a place of comfort for us. If what we have bought into is keeping us from accessing our strength and real character, it is destructive. So what if we have gained a few pounds? We are not defined by the size of our waist. We get to decide what we will believe, how we will respond to our circumstances, and what choices we can make to live our lives with abundance and joy.

What will you say NO to today?

The Biggest Winner...

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:56:00 +0000

I am constantly amazed at the amount of people who are obsessed with "The Biggest Loser". I suppose the compulsion to watch is driven by the fact that you get to see a person going through a real-life struggle, and whether they succeed or fail in the big and small decisions. Unfortunately, many of the people on this show are doing extreme exercise and food control. There is a benefit to this occasionally. To push beyond our limits and test our will and strength. I give them major kudos for the undertaking, especially when it seems half the world is on the edge of their seat to see the number on the scale every week.

Can you imagine? How would you like a film crew fixed on you the next time you step on a scale? On the flip side, what would be a better motivator? How can we choose to find our inner camera crew that will reflect and remind us of the desires of our hearts and the best-self characteristics that could make us choose moderation and hard work over binging and laziness?

If we can't all be on "The Biggest Loser" and have our entire life focused on health and weight management, what will we do to keep ourselves on the winning side of health for our bodies, hearts and minds?

FOOD LOGS ARE FUN

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:35:00 +0000

I LOVE food logs. Not because I am nosy or want to frown on those who eat too many cookies, (I just ate about 4 home-made chocolate chip ones...) but because I find that the food log gives little snapshots of why we eat and how food effects us. I just spent the last hour and half scouring through a week of food logs for a client. Perhaps it is my manic desire to help people find peace with food, but I love this process. As much as I loathe math, I find meaning in calculating grams and calories and suggested food ratios for clients. Here is a quick calculation you might find useful:
To find your basic caloric needs:

Weight________x bf%________=Fat lbs________

weight_______-Fat lbs_______=LBM (LEAN BODY MASS)______

CALORIC NEEDS:

LBM:________ x 12=CALORIES TO FEED LBM/DAY_________

This is your estimated minimal caloric need to feed your body so you don't start using muscle tissue for food. Ultimately the standard of eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full is key. I would add that getting as much of your calories from fruits, veggies, and lean proteins is the other biggest bang for your buck. Sorry cookies...you lose. Salad for me tomorrow:)

Resolve to restore that which is lost

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:38:00 +0000

Millions of people make new years resolutions, and the majority never even get past day one at making them stick. Unfortunately, I hate to admit, but I am often times one of the these people. My misfortune at sticking to all my goals is likely due to the fact that I lean toward the unrealistic expectation that I can achieve "life nirvana" in ALL areas, in less than a week. Right. And I will soon be Mother Teresa too.

Well, if there is to be any success, we must first and foremost make up our minds what it is we REALLY want to accomplish. Resolution does, after all, mean to be resolute, firm, determined, and have unshakeable faith. Can we really believe in OURSELVES with unshakeable faith? What is it we are resolving to change and WHY. For that matter, what is your ultimate WHY? What drive you in life more than any other thing? You may find it challenging to believe whole heartedly at first that you CAN achieve that which you desire, but we can enlist those who do believe in us or can help us in this way. Two are always better than one.

Ultimately, though, we are human. We must see that we cannot accomplish everything in our own strength. Humility is key here. Albeit we try pretty hard and have fairly good success in life most of the time. So, what is your measuring stick? How will you know if you have succeeded? Make a concrete list of ideas about what you are trying to achieve, how you will know you have achieved it, and by when you will achieve it. This should help you weed out the unimportant stuff. Who has time to do it all?!

Lastly give yourself a little wiggle room. Life is much too short to always beat yourself up for not making the world's best charts. It is in life's little successes and failures that we often reap the greatest reward anyway. We have all lost a little bit of the child in us as we hurry from deadline to duty. What have you lost in the sense of your time, character, or goals that you want to restore?

Take steps forward with unshakeable faith to tell a friend, celebrate life everyday, and then make each stumble a part of your dance. What may end up being restored, is exactly that unshakeable faith in you you were looking for in the first place.

Creative Calorie-Burn Exercises

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:07:00 +0000

Everyone knows that time is short and exercise is hard. So, here are some suggestions to up the daily burn and some suggestions for quick calorie blasting exercises:

Increasing your daily calorie expenditure basically means that you are simply adding in more movement throughout your day that causes your body to require more calories for that day to sustain itself. Some easy ways to accomplish this are pretty obvious, but not always at the forefront of our conscious mind. This is my reminder...

Park at the farthest spot from the store door or at the opposite end of the mall from the store you are trying to reach.
Take the stairs. Even in your own home. Rather than piling things at the bottom and taking big load up at once, choose to take the items up one at a time as you gather them.
Fidget. It has been researched and proven by the Mayo Clinic that those who fidget (picture a knee bouncing like crazy or the gal who can't stop twirling her hair) burn 70 to 100 calories more per hour when they stand compared to laid-back people who stand still.
Eat regularly throughout the day. Your body conserves energy by lowering your metabolism when it has not eaten for quite some time. So skipping breakfast, skipping meals, and going on starvation diets are counter-productive to weight loss. And the ultimate tendency is to eventually give in and binge.
Do a short circuit of 10 push-ups, 10 squats, and 10 lunges on each leg. Repeat as many times as you can in the amount of time you have.
Jump rope. It's not just for kids!

Holiday Challenge!!

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:25:00 +0000

There are 5 weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years. Resolve to THRIVE in your wellness plan during the holiday season this year. All my clients will be asked to accept a Holiday Challenge this year to help them stick to their goals. Check out my NEW WEBSITE and click on "What's New" for more information! (A special thanks to VocoCreative for making the website a reality)

Happy competing!

Bring on the Holiday's...no seconds, please!

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:48:00 +0000

One of the things I hate most about "The Holidays" is that it is the hardest time of year to get and stay motivated to workout and eat healthy. But the worst part about it is that it is just assumed that it will be hard! I am CHALLENGING ALL OF YOU this year between Thanksgiving and January 1st, 2009 to determine with others on this post that rather than just going with the flow and letting ourselves go...we will prevail!

Let's decide how we will live our lives rather than letting our lives decide FOR us! What will it be for you? Perhaps a commitment to drinking half your body weight in ounces every day, or getting a minimum of three 60minute workouts in every week? Maybe you want to give up the processed carbs every day except the BIG holi-DAYs. How about keeping a consistent log of all your workouts and eating for 34days so you can keep track of all that you accomplish? Wanna start a yoga class...its a great way to reduce stress:)!

I challenge you ALL to commit to what you want most out of the holidays...living a life you can feel proud of and that brings you joy. Not for the sake of how you look, but to be able to participate in life so that every year gets better and better...even if buying gifts and stuffing turkeys doesn't!

Why can't I lose weight- Part 3...Food

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:52:00 +0000

I have a poster hanging in my room from a local yoga store, and one of my favorite quotes on it is, "Coke, Pepsi and all other pops will be known as the cigarettes of the future. Colas are NOT a substitute for water. They are just another cheap drug made to look great by advertising." Likewise, (and especially now that I have seen the documentary Super Size Me) I am completely convinced that many of us are very unaware of what we actually put in our mouths on a daily basis.

The United States alone sprays 2 billion pounds of pesticides a year on crops. Many foods we eat are so mass produced that we don't know what is on the ingredient list let alone how to pronounce them! The majority of our food is so pasteurized and sanitized that it destroys many of the vitamins, essential fatty acids, and other nutrients in our foods. What all this means is that we end up eating very low-quality foods that are full of calories, but low in actual nutrient value. This ends up tricking our body into thinking that we still need more calories to get the essential components to repair and build new cells and tissues to maintain optimal function in our bodies.

The ideal diet is in fact a "non-diet". It includes all of the following suggestions to keep you eating whole foods that will keep your energy up and your body revving like a well-oiled machine:

1) Eat breakfast. Be sure to kick start your metabolism with a good fiber, protein, and a little healthy fat. A great breakfast includes a hard-boiled egg and a 1/2 cup oatmeal with raisins with a smidge of honey and cinnamon for flavor.

2) Eat a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack: One of the biggest pit-falls is the fact that people choose snacks that actually make their blood sugar go crazy. Choose low glycemic foods.

3) Keep track of what you eat: Writing down your food for the day is always a good check to see what you are actually eating, what triggers over-eating, and may give you some insight into ways that you could shift your eating habits to make improved choices. I love using www.fitday.com to log in my food so I can see exactly where my diet might be suffering.

4) DRINK WATER: This can not be stated enough. A significant fraction of the human body is water. Lean muscle tissue contains about 75% water. Blood contains 95% water, body fat contains 14% water and bone has 22% water. When we don't drink water, the whole body suffers! You should try to drink a minimum of 100-120 ounces of water/day.

5) Eat organic when possible. You will have higher nutrient density foods, less chemicals and additives, in addition to simultaneously helping the environment!

6) Avoid simple sugars, refined salt, pre-packaged foods, caffeine, and trans-fatty acids.

7) DO EAT foods high in Omega 3's, raw fruits and veggies, whole or sprouted grains, and lean meats.

8) Supplement. See more in the next blog! for snack in 100-200 calorie portion sizes.

Above all, take slow steps to change one habit at a time. It is amazing how you body will begin to crave what it really needs!

Why can't I lose weight?: Part 2

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 23:56:00 +0000

In Part 2 we will discuss stress and its effects on our ability to lose or manage our weight. It is no thing new to hear that Stress is a problem in our society. But WHY? We are the most wealthy country with the some of the best medical care available, the most readily available food sources, and an the most information available than ever before at our fingertips through the internet. Why can't we get a handle on this STRESS, and why does it have such an impact on our ability to manage our waist-lines?

It is my opinion that Stress is the NUMBER ONE killer of our bodies. Stress has many effects throughout the body. I will name a sampling of them here as they relate to metabolism, and offer a few solutions for each.

1) Energy: Let's face it, we are tapped out. Many of us long for a hot bath and a good book just to get an escape. We don't need much, just a little nap every now and then. Stress increases our bodies Cortisol, which basically decreases our ability to come under the influence of Serotonin...that lovely hormone that helps us relax, have a joyful and balanced mood, and sleep well. To increase energy, try going to bed by 10 pm and rising by 6 am. Sticking to a regular pattern of sleep will help you sleep more restfully, and recover better through the night as our brain and bodily cells rebuild and restore.

2) Digestion: When we are stressed, we often times revert to shallow chest breathing and our eating goes "wonky". Our satiety, hormones, and GI tract function will be much more optimal when we stick to foods that are low in saturated fats, high in lean protein, and that include lots of fruits and veggies. Take the time to plan your meals ahead of time so that you don't have to stress at 1:30 when lunch and hunger are all you can think about. If that suggestion stresses you out, at least plan ahead where you can access good-for-you foods at the local cafe. I also recommend good portion control, particularly at lunch and dinner when we are most likely to eat past fullness due to hunger. Eating 5-6 small meals/day helps, but we should also be willing to really pay attention to when we are hungry (growl) and when we are comfortably full (this is way before you have to undo the top button of your pants to feel comfy.)

3) Chronic disease: Chronic Stress when unaddressed can lead to elevated blood sugar and blood pressure, loss of muscle and bone tissue, and a suppressed immune-system. Now I don't know about you, but it there was one thing I could start to regulate that would make all this symptoms improve, I would work on that! I love the idea of my hormones working for me in situations where I might need to "fight or flight" quickly, but we tend to stay in this fight or flight stage all the time. Our bodies get confused and start breaking down muscle for energy while dumping increased loads of blood sugar into our system to be ready for the attack. If this sounds like you, then find a friend with whom you can download your anxieties. Talking and getting things off your chest might be just the ticket. Better yet, find a life coach who can help you get your life in balance. If nothing else, visit your local library for a yoga video or sample some Tai Chi exercises for fun.

In the end, we all have the same 24hours in a day...let's choose to make the most of them by choosing to take moments to reflect and relax!

Why can't I lose weight?: Part 1

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:48:00 +0000

As many of you who have tried know, losing weight is not an easy task. For one, our bodies are hard-wired to keep us from starving. A little trick from mother nature from back in the day when we actually had to hunt and harvest for our next meal. Today, it's as easy as driving through the corner coffee shop and we have a sugar and caffeine jolt that could feed and jump start a small village. I often wonder how I ever got through my teens without my beloved coffee, so don't get me wrong, the advances we have made are wonderful. I am thankful for the ability to spend my time and money doing much more fun and enlightening things than "working" for my food, but why can't we make it "work" for us? The funny thing is, there is more information than ever to help us navigate this mysterious topic of healthy eating and weight loss. In the first of this 5 part series, I will address the topic I have the most experience and love for...exercise.

There are lots of variables that factor into how our bodies will shift into a fat burning mode, but the first and foremost thing you should know, is that the best, fastest, and easiest way to maintain weight loss, is to combine a modification of you diet, and to increase your exercise on a regular basis. It is a well known fact in the diet world that it takes an expenditure of 3500 to lose one pound. This expenditure can come in three forms; decreasing the total amount of calories we eat, increasing the amount of calories we burn during exercise, or increasing the amount of calories we burn at rest. The benefits of exercise are vast, but here is a top 5 list:
1) Increases energy and immunity
2) Increases bone density
3) Improves cardiovascular health
4) Burns calories and increases our basal metabolic rate
5) Relieves stress
To meet the above criteria of a 3500 calorie expenditure, you would have to use an extra 500 calories per day for a 1 pound weight loss in a week. You can use this great website at NutritionData to calculate what that would look like for you. But even better, is to combine a little exercise with a little better moderation with food. That means 4-5 days of moderate exercise and a couple hundred less calories a day (choosing skim milk in that coffee would make the difference).

Ah, but the time...how can you fit in this 4-5 days of moderate activity. Well, if you can, try to start with just 2-3 days of a 30min. walk where you can get in some hills or stick in a light jog for a couple minutes every so often. The idea is to increase the intensity when you are going for a shorter period of time. In the other two days, just try to get in 3-4, 5-10minute bursts of activity like walking from the farthest spot in the parking lot or taking the stairs. To know how hard you should be working, see my previous blog on breathing.

Check in next time for more information on losing weight, Part 2...What should I eat?

Stress and breathing

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:05:00 +0000

The topic of relaxation and dealing with stress has come up frequently with many of my friends and clients as of late. There is a tie to it all that can be be realized just by getting our breathing back to its intended state. I have listed below some interesting info about stress, breathing, and how you can implement a quick and easier way to tap into the healing power of BREATH today.
BREATH:
Few people would argue that breathing is one of the most important aspects of human life! However, it is likely that many of your clients do not breathe properly. The two most common problems are a rapid respiratory rate and overuse of the chest during the inhalation cycle. In the later of these two there is inadequate downward travel of the diaphragm, inadequate expansion of the abdominal wall and inadequate expansion of the rib cage resulting in an alteration of blood-gas mixtures which favors the action of calcium and can result in muscle cramping.

Poor respiratory performance is usually related to several factors, such as:

· Poor posture
· Emotional stress
· Fear
· Bad diet
· Poor examples of how to breathe from parents

Because many people are exposed to at least one of the above factors, the inability to breathe properly is a common clinical finding. I have personally found many people who have breathing dysfunctions in the presence of pain and dysfunction in the head, neck, jaw, shoulder and arm regions. There may be an additional visceral dysfunction related to poor breathing habits as well. The diaphragm is a major player in the circulation of lymph and blood through your internal organs, in addition to its role in keeping the organs mobile. When the respiratory apparatus is dysfunctional, the chance of developing visceral ptosis is elevated as is the chances of becoming constipated. This is just one way incorrect breathing will diminish the body’s ability to eliminate toxins.
-Paul Chek

STRESS:
Chest breathing can be the result of stress. In order to better understand stress, we must first understand stress’s connection to the sympathetic nervous system.

The sympathetic side of the autonomic nervous system has a lot to do with our “fight or flight” response. When you encounter a stressful situation you evoke a sympathetic response. Imagine that you are at a gas station paying at the counter and in comes a man with a ski mask waving around a gun demanding money. You would surely experience a sympathetic response. You would probably have an overwhelming urge to do one of two things. One, sprint out the door, run home and change your shorts. Or two, kick some serious butt!

This is an example of a very stressful situation evoking a sympathetic response. Very few of us encounter stresses of this magnitude on a regular basis, but we do experience more subtle stresses frequently, which still warrant a sympathetic response. Examples include worrying about bills, driving in traffic, feeling pressed for time or encountering a difficult business or personal relationship. These types of stresses can stay with us day in and day out, and even carry over to our sleep.

One of the first things that happens in a stressful situation is our respiration increases, and generally we breathe more from the chest. Returning to our extreme example from above, ask yourself if you would experience a faster respiration rate. You most certainly would. Going back to the smaller everyday stresses, when you are under a constant “fight or flight” response you do not experience any time between stressful situations to recover from them. This is all too common today. People over-stress themselves and do not do enough to relieve the stresses that they experience. So they live in a constant state of increased respiration relative to what is optimal for good health.

There is sufficient evidence out there to conclude that the human body is not meant to be under a constant “fight or flight” response. What really seems to be likely is that our sympathetic nervous system is meant to function for survival reasons and then be less active when the body is not being threatened. Primitive man most likely lived an extremely healthy life compared to what people do today. They most likely ate the best food around, got the right amount and type of exercise through their everyday living, and had little stress in their lives. They would have had the occasional stress back then, but not to the frequency that people experience today. A stressful situation in the primitive days would be the caveman going behind a bush, doing his business and coming out and to see the occasional tiger looking him in the eye. Anyone would get a sympathetic response from this, but once the acute situation was over the primitive man would go back to living a peaceful life. The human body is equipped to effectively handle this because the body has a chance to recover from the stress. What it does not seem to be equipped to handle is the chronic type of stress that so many people in the modern world now experience.

Society has evolved a great deal faster than the human body. The result is that the system – that is the human body – wears down from having to function in an environment that it has not yet evolved to effectively manage. I’m not suggesting that we pack up and move to the Amazon rain forest (or what is left of it), but we do need to realize that we and our clients live in a stressful world. We can combat stresses that do us harm. Addressing breathing is a powerful weapon we can easily use.
-Jonathon Sears

How to breathe more deeply and effectively:

• Lay on the floor with your eyes closed, arms out to your sides, palms facing the ceiling, knees bent, and feet flat.
• Keep your mouth closed and begin taking slow breaths through your nose.
• Try to think about pulling the breath in by allowing your stomach to rise first. As you fill your lungs, during the last 1/3 of the breath, you will see/feel the rib cage expand.
• Hold the breath at full inspiration for 1-2 seconds.
• Exhale slowly either through your nose or through a small opening of the mouth as though you were blowing through a straw. This will help the keep the diaphragm highly engaged.
• You should feel the stomach fall or “sink” in unison with the rib cage.
• Repeat for 10-12 breath’s or as long as you have time for. The longer you breathe like this the more beneficial the effect.

Let me know if you have any questions, I'd be glad to breathe along with you!

May 20th: My first post!

nicole@restorationfitness.net (Restoration Fitness) — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:35:00 +0000

As I sit over lunch on a wonderful and sunny Boulder, CO afternoon, I am reminded of how much in life I take for granted. It is so easy to stress over the "stuff" of life. The question I think I forget to ask is, "will this really matter in a year or 5 years from now?". If I can say no in any way, then it is really not worth the worry. Interestingly enough, this question can really help with the "should" we all have constantly nagging us from within. For instance, as you ponder whether working out is really worth it, you might say something like, "I really should go workout for an hour today because I said I really wanted to commit to my health and attempt that 5k walk at the end of this month". However, life happens, as it always does. So we are tempted to refrain from the workout because the laundry calls, the dishes need done, and you have to get the project completed for work by its deadline. I am sure you could really use the time for that. So, rather than begin to clamp down and feel the tension rising, ask the question. Which boils down to, what will I value more in 1 year from now, that I got the dishes done, my project perfect, or, that I paid attention to my body and did something good for my health? Whatever the answer, if your intentions are true, you will make the right decision. Committing to an exercise routine is hard, but with a better sense of purpose, and a clear way to set your priorities, you can do it!