The best way to dissolve stress

I'm guessing you can relate to my day today.  It was one of those "Can anything else go wrong today?" kind of days.  These traditionally completely take me out and send me catapulting into a downward spiral of negative self-talk and defeating thoughts.  Generally, these sort of days have taken me out from being effective in any way in my life. But not anymore.

I'm not saying they don't shake me up or get me frazzled.  They do.  But they don't turn me into a self-sabotaging crazy person who believes she would be best off hiding in the closet for a few days.  Can you relate?

If you can, you can also relate to the fact that days like today result in a few tears and a quick call to mom for some lovin'.  Mom's, and those other magical women (and even men) who mother us well, are like nothing else on this planet when we need a shoulder to lean on.

I did that, and then I did something that I have learned to do when the world feels like it is caving in.  It helps me connect with my body, feel more centered on what is REAL truth, and it takes the edge off my emotions.

Are you ready?

I breathe.  Not just in and out, but I intentionally and purposefully connect with my breath in long deep inhales and exhales.  With each breath I remind myself, "I am loved", "I am enough", "Everything will unfold as it should", and "Trust".  Here is one of my absolute favorite tutorials on deep breathing from Sean Corn.

And the next time you want to go crying to momma, take a few deep breaths, find your inner calm...and then call your mom to tell her you love her.

Complex Workouts that are Simple!

There are limitless ways to workout, and I am sure I will never experience every possible rendition of moving my body.  However, there are a few things I have been exposed to that I really, really enjoy.  One of the specific things we incorporate in our workouts at Restoration Fitness that I personally love to do, are complexes.  A complex is essentially a string of exercises that flow from one to the next, and they most often involve some type of olympic lift (but they don't have to).  There are a few ways you can complete complexes:

1. The most traditional way is the string 3-5 exercises together, complete them as fast as you can, take at least equal rest to how long it took you to complete the complex, and repeat it again 3-6 times, depending on the amount of reps you do with each exercise.
2. Another fun method is to string the exercises together and just keep going until you either reach a specific time (and you record the number of reps you get) or you commit to doing a certain number of reps (and record how long it takes you for 4 sets for example).  You can also get more information on the effectiveness of this type of workout on the Metabolic Effect website.

Here are a couple of sample complexes you can do at home with little to no equipment:

Complex Workout 1: Choose 1 set of dumbells that you can bicep curl 5 times but not 8 times.  Start a timer for 10 minutes and see how many total reps of each exercise you can complete going straight from one exercise to the next.  Take rest if you have to, but do not lower the resistance, even if you have to lower the reps.

8 Alternating Reverse Lunges

8 Bentover Rows

8 Squat to over Press

8 Push-Ups

Complex Workout 2:  This is a nice body weight circuit you can do anywhere.  Set a timer and see how fast you can complete the following 4 exercises.  Rest for the same time it takes you to complete the complex, and repeat 3-6 times seeing if you can match or better your time with each repetition!

15 Squats

10 Burpees

15 Push-Ups

30total  Mountain Climbers

Enjoy!

Energizing Exercises for Your Body, Heart, and Mind

In Paul Chek's book, "How to Eat, Move, and be Healthy", he states, "Building energy and vitality in your body is a lot like investing.  Just as it takes money to make money, it takes energy to make energy. You might often find yourself thinking, "I am too tired to workout", when in reality, the systems of your body that produce energy also use energy. Usually, we just think of expending energy as something that results in fatigue or loss of energy, but in fact, our muscles are often working to generate more energy.

Muscles help energize the body by producing electromagnetic energy and by behaving like pumps to assist the heart.  When tension is created by a muscle contraction an electric current, called a "piezoelectric current", is generated in the connective tissue, tendons, and even over the skin.  The body uses this energy to help run its systems.  Another name for this current is "Chi".

There are specific zones of the body that when activated, create a targeted effect on the Chi or energy that is elevated in that area.  This is beneficial energy that is activating and awakening which is reffered to as "anabolic", not the kind of energy we typically think of with exercise that is depleting and "catabolic".   These type of exercises can often be found in practices like yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and the Zone exercises we use at Restoration Fitness, founded by Paul Chek.

Which zone are you depleted in?

The table below outlines the Zones numbered 1-6, the correlating muscles that tend to have issues, and the related functions and issues people will have if they are stuck in one of these specific zones.  This is a very broad overview, but you can easily see that if you are a person who has digestive issues, you may also have a correlating recurring problem with your upper abdominals or lower back (or may at least have weakness there).  In our programs, we go through a detailed questionnaire and then offer specific exercises that help you build energy back into these zones.

One specific exercise we love is the "breathing squat".  Paul Chek demonstrates it here so well and gives you more insight into how Zone exercises are performed!

Timed Workouts

To help you focus your time for your workouts so you have abundant energy, time, and flow to be present for your life's passions, here is a quick workout that you can complete in less than 30 minutes.  I have recently been turned on to this type of escalating density training, which essentially means getting your body to do more work in less time.  It is formatted after what is called an "EMOM" approach, which is to do an exercise every minute on the minute for a certain number of reps, but I like this one for the additional endurance piece.  Christine Neff gave me a similar workout like this at her noon Elevate Metabolic Boost and Mobility Class at Inspired Athletic Movement (which is on Mondays and Thursdays...I LOVE it). DIRECTIONS: Start a timer that will repeat every three and a half minutes (3 min 30s).

Complete each exercise for the reps listed in order with as little rest as possible until you are finished.  Then repeat the same exercises every 3 minutes and 30 seconds. In essence you are working as fast as you can to "earn" more rest by getting done faster before the next 3min 30s starts.  Complete 4-5 total rounds of three and a half minutes.  As a warm-up you could do a lighter round of each exercise, then to finish, be sure you stretch and use your roller!

1) 10 Perfect push-ups (you can do these off a counter or couch to make them a little easier so your form stays pure).

2) 10 Bentover rows with Dumbells.

3) 10 Squat to Overhead presses with Dumbells or Medicine ball slams.

4) 60 jump ropes.

Be sure to pick weights that are challenging by the end of workout and that still allow you to use good form.

And reach out to us tell us how you are using gratitude to honor the time you have and to bless your body!

Your Body and Your Significance

Have you ever stopped to think about how significant your body really is?  Without it we can't do much of anything we love.  We wouldn't taste the amazing melt of divine chocolate, we wouldn't hear the sound of laughter, we wouldn't see the beauty of a sunset, or feel the loving touch of our closest friends.  Whatever you believe about the spirit or your soul, it is clear that the body is our home here on this earth and that so much of how we are able to engage with the world depends on our relationship with our body.  Even if some of our senses are stripped away, we still inhabit this body- for better or worse until we die. I am writing today to grovel and plead that you begin to take your body seriously.  I know you have heard the quotes like, "Your health is your greatest wealth", and some of you live to up hold that.  However many of you may be in the midst of the craziness of life and have fallen off the wagon a bit when it comes to listening and respecting your body's needs.  The miracle is that the body will do whatever it can to keep going, regardless of how much you neglect it.  That;s what makes the body such an amazing gift.  We can ignore it and abuse it for years and it will say, "Whatever you wish".  However, there will come a day that you will reap the consequences of what you sow.

I'll be the first to concede that sometimes things just happen.  People who are incredibly "healthy" by our standards get cancer, sometimes trauma happens to the most ardent of the health conscious.  But I am talking about those things you know you should be doing but you aren't.  Let me lay it out for you.  If you aren't getting the following items into your life on a consistent basis, then you need help and support regardless of your weight, blood pressure, or waist circumference:

1. Sleeping greater than 6 hours a night of uninterrupted sleep.
2. Drinking at least 1/3 your body weight in ounces of water daily *ideally more like 1/2*
3. Eating minimal amounts of processed sugar and white flour.
4. Avoiding all hydrogenated fats and oils.
5. Getting the following recommended movement according to the American College of Sports Medicine
   1. Complete flexibility exercises at least two or three days each week to improve range of motion.
   2. Complete resistance training targeting each major muscle group two or three days each week using a variety of exercises and equipment.
   3. Complete at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week which can be met through 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (five days per week) or 20-60 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise (three days per week).
6. Engage in stress reduction techniques daily through belly breathing, talking with a friend, meditating, or other methods.

Frankly, wouldn't life in general just be better if we committed to these 6 steps?

Emily Conrad says, “What we call a body, is Life, expressing itself” 

So whether you choose to express negative or positive, the body will respond.  Ultimately the question is, How Will You Live?  Because what you do now has a direct impact on what you will feel later and what you will be capable of in the expression of your life right now.

"As embodied souls we are never less than our bodies. Our bodies are part of the gift of being a creature of God. We are born with limitations and needs because of our physicality." - Joel Shuman author of Heal Thyself. In his book Joel talks about the duality of believing we have a soul that lives eternally and a body that dies.  In this sense we can begin to dismiss the body as less important, but the point he makes in the quote above is that our bodies are, if anything, a temporary gift.  And we are to be the best stewards we can possibly be to this miraculous and beautiful gift.

To say it another way, "Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos—the trees, the clouds, everything." -Thích Nhất Hạnh

And the cosmos, God, and even I am begging you to see your body and your life as significant.

Rise up, take the 6 point challenge, and put your body back on the priority list!

Are you doing it right?

The fitness world has exploded with thousands of new and upcoming techniques and gurus who have created their own "best practices" method of getting fit, strong, and sculpted.  Here's a list just to name a few: Insanity; P90X; CrossFit; Jazzercise; Yogalates; Brazilian Butt Lift Workout; Kettlebell training, TRX training; Zumba; Metabolic Resistance Training; Paul Chek; Mike Boyd; Functional Movement Screens and Gray Cook/Lee Burton; and the list could go on forever.

For as many methods as there are, there are just as many reasons why each and everyone of these techniques could be the best thing ever for you.  Obviously there is something to the fact that you actually need to like what you do for movement, but wouldn't it be nice to also know that whatever you are doing, you are doing it right so that you aren't spinning your wheels?

I've been caught up in this thought for the last week or so.  We just launched our first 90 Day Reclaim Your Body Program and as we neared the start I was overcome with the fear that I wasn't going to do it right.  Even as one of the contributing partners in creating the program, I was still overwhelmed with the sense that what I was doing wasn't good enough, it wasn't going to work, and that it wasn't going to be exactly what my clients needed.  This program has required hours upon hours of Erica and I's time, we have poured over various texts and articles and methodologies, we have interviewed multiple women to make certain that what we are delivering a product that will fully support and teach them exactly what they need.  But my need to do it RIGHT was getting in my way of seeing everything I was doing that was awesome.  Erica likes to say something like this when attitudes like this come up:

"Don't let perfect get in the way of great" 

We don't know who first said it, but even thinking "don't let great get in the way of good"...is still pretty darn awesome.  The idea that we have to do it RIGHT often translates to "we have to do it perfectly".  Too many times we are stagnated with fear rather than courageously being vulnerable enough to do it wrong..and end up doing something even more amazing in the end!

Ken Robinson, a leader in the development of  innovation and human resources said,  “If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.” 

Now I am not saying you go out and do something crazy with your body or do a bunch of "latest fad" techniques and go get yourself injured here.  What I am saying is that your body needs to move, and if you aren't moving because you are being held back from doing it wrong then hear this...Do It Ugly.  At least until you can get the momentum to pretty it up and get more fancy.  What we are looking for here is momentum otherwise defined as: mass in motion.   Trust that when you commit to the process of consistent movement, your body will crave more and you will find the curiosity to seek out how to keep doing it better and better...and maybe even get it "right"!

Using the Chocolate Box Effect to Diminish Overeating

How many times have you finished a fitness class only to start talking with your buddies about the awesome indulgent meal you had last night, or the few extra drinks you had over the weekend that led to a super-sized-hangover-you-hadn't-had-in-years kind of day?  I'm not sure if it is the high from the sense of accomplishment after a workout or just the extra need to confess now that one has done a little something to "make-up" for going a little out of bounds, but either way, it is testament to the fact that we all have those times were certain foods just win us over and we over-indulge. I won't go in to all of the reasons we over do it with food and drink- addictions, emotional comfort, nervousness, depression to a name a few, but what I will tell you about today is the Chocolate Box Effect.

This is one method that has helped some people actually savor their food rather than mindlessly gobbling it all up in a single sitting.  For me, chocolate is my most coveted dessert (besides cookies and doughnuts...but let's stick to the point here).  Not many of us purchase whole boxes of candies, but since Valentines day is only a month away, this may be more pertinent soon.

When the box of chocolate enters the house, put it in the freezer.  Let yourself know that if you really want the chocolate, you can have it, but in order to really savor it, you have to bring out 2 pieces at a time and wait until they are thawed to have your special treat.  And if you really really want more after that, the same process has to occur.  You would be surprised what giving yourself these 10 minutes or so of waiting can do to help your rational brain start to kick in and talk you into something else or not eating them at all.

One of the main reasons we love our favorite foods so much, is that they are special to us.  So why not upstage the whole thing and really give yourself the sense of something special.  It isn't that the chocolate is bad or forbidden, it is just something so awesome that it deserves to be savored slowly and with intention.  This works with more foods than you might think, but it isn't possible to put everything you love in the freezer.  This is reserved for those extra tempting treats.  And if it is something like ice cream, purchase a very special small bowl that is reserved for the ice cream.  The goal isn't to idolize the food, it is to give yourself permission to have it on a schedule and amount that actually serves your body as well as your heart.  And you can do this with chocolate bars too...just make sure you break up the bar into bite size peices before you freeze it so you don't have to thaw the whole thing out!

There's always the choice to just keep it out of your house. And I like this idea for going out for ice cream or a special piece of dessert, but for my chocolate...no way.  What's your Chocolate Box Effect Method that you use to keep tempting foods at bay?

The 4 Rules of Will-Power to Strengthen your Resolve

In a 2011 study by the Stress in America Survey, 27% of respondents stated that they believed will-power was their primary barrier to making changes in their lives.  However, they also overwhelmingly agreed that they had the ability to change their will-power.

Willpower is the ability to resist short-term temptations in order to meet long-term goals.  It's being able to say no to a candy bar or glass of wine now, because you know you will feel better in the long run without it.

Researcher Roy Baumeister at the University of Florida has found the four primary "rules of willpower" that will help you strengthen your self- discipline muscle.

1) Using Will-Power involves a Mind-Body Response.  Not unlike the "flight or flight response" to stress, the will-power response is called the "Pause and Plan" response.  Essentially this response pairs our autonomic and sympathetic systems so that we have the ability to focus attention (as in the fight-or-flight response) but also to stay calm (as in the relaxation response).  We have the power to alter our responses by being more aware of how we react to the situation, but some of us are more attuned to being able to mitigate our "Pause and Plan" response than others.

2) Using Will-Power creates "Central Fatigue".  When we have to exert our energy to fight our instincts, it depletes our our overall muscular endurance and reduces our blood sugar levels.  Our efforts to mentally will ourselves not to do something can fatigue our system overall, making every effort a little harder.  Just one more reason to never skip meals and eat foods that help you maintain more stable blood sugar levels.  Eating foods that have more protein , fat or fiber will all help stabilize blood sugar.

3) Will power is limited.  At some point your will power will run out.  It is not only limited because of our physical capacity, but additionally, the more we use will power, the weaker it becomes.  If you resist a beer one time, the second time you try to resist will be slightly harder.  And the resistance is cumulative, meaning, if your are trying to resist lots of things at once, each occurrence will make every other one that much harder.  On top of that, isolating yourself and dealing with high stress situations in your life will also deplete your ability to commit to change.  The good news is that it isn't all in your head, but the bad news is that you may not be able to make huge sweeping changes in multiple areas of your life all at once.  Select one thing at a time and stay focused.  It's easier to keep your focus when you share your journey with a support group or friend too.   It’s important to set reasonable goals and priorities so you can conserve your willpower for what really matters.

4) Will Power is Trainable.  Stanford researcher, Kelly McGonigal calls it "Becoming the Will Power Athlete" because strengthening will power is comparable to strengthening any other muscle in your body.  With consistent training over time, the body adapts and can improve the ability to discipline itself.  In fact, research shows that committing to small, consistent acts of willpower in any area—from drinking  more water to watching our finances—can increase overall willpower.

Assuming you have done all you can to follow the four rules above and you are still in need of a little more resolve then there are a few options of amping up your ability to stick to your guns:

- Understand that will power is not all in your head, and do your best to support your best ability by decreasing stress where you can, sticking with foods that regulate your blood sugar, and surround yourself with as many positive experiences and reinforcements as you can to remain motivated.

- Be overly prepared.  The more you can pre-plan for obstacles the less opportunity you have to be faced with tough choices in the moment.  Visualize the way out of all the scenarios you can imagine and make sure to have your primary plans in writing.

- Give yourself a break.  Rome wasn't built in a day, and setbacks can truly be just a bump in the road if you don't let yourself fall into the trap of letting one mistake completely take you out of the game.  A single mistake doesn’t mean you are weak. It may just mean you’ve already succeeded to the limits of your current ability, and now you deserve a rest or reward to restore your strength.

The Science of Will Power, Kelly McGonigal

What You Need To Know About Will Power: The Psychological Science of Self Control.  American Psychological Association

What is your gut telling you about your missing mojo?

Finding your mojo can be like trying to find a missing sock.  You know the sock has to be somewhere, and it's a mystery how it ever got lost in the first place. It has to be somewhere in reach but the more we strive to find it the harder it seems to pin it down.  So we end up going through the motions just to get things done, or doing the things we think we should do to make up for feeling so lost.

There's no greater way to slash your mojo or charisma than to ignore your gut!  And I am not going on a rant about your actual intestines (this time), I am talking about your instincts...your second brain in your gut.

When was the last time you stopped and asked yourself what you need?  I'm guessing you don't because you're afraid of the answer.  Maybe the answer is that what you really need is a nap, dessert,  or a lengthy chat with your best friend, or a quiet walk outside.  And to do that you would have to give up your responsibilities, maybe ask for help, or go a little astray from your "duty to be working hard and in control". It might be true that what you really need is a little time to "go astray".  But what is always true is that when you take the time to listen to your gut, you will end up more on track in the long run.

What if your gut says- "Go for a jog, reconnect with a friend who really needs you?"  What's the sacrifice?  All of life is a balance between what we need to get done and what really love to do.  The trick is to to make more of what we need to do more of what we love to do!

"Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance." -Brian Tracy

So, take a moment now.  What do you need?

How can you start making small decisions to align your "have to's" with your "want to's"?  For instance, you may not want to cook a homemade dinner every night so you can enjoy family time, but perhaps as you align your value of quality family time, you can find a way to make breakfast your bigger bonding time because the prep is way less work.  Having that special time in the morning may take a little pressure off the evening meal, and help you have more "want" around whats really important, eating food together so you can bond as a family.

Carve out a little time this weekend to explore the things that are out of balance in your life.  Maybe a little yoga is in order, quiet time in the morning, a daily jog, more quality time with your favorite people, or something as simple as drinking less alcohol and more water.Your body and heart with thank you!  Oh, and here is a great method to try to open your heart to inner wisdom...

Acting Like a Baby?

While laying on my floor I mentioned to one of my toddlers, "Hey, why don't you be the mommy today, and I will be the baby?"  As soon as the words came out of my mouth, it felt so great to admit it.  I am pretty tough on myself.  You know what I am talking about.  The "step-it-up, you-are-not-good-enough, keep-pushing, don't-slow-down" stuff that we put ourselves through on a daily basis to keep up with life.  The junk that we think we ought to say to ourselves to keep moving forward instead of letting our guard down and actually admitting...it would be nice to be a baby about it for once. In Eve Ensler's newest book, "In The Body Of The World", she starts it off by saying "A mother's body against a child's body makes a place.  It says you are here. Without this body against your body, there is no place."  This, to me, is such a beautiful saying.  One of the reasons I love it so much is that it reminds us that there is so much beauty and purpose in our bodies beyond just "rockin' our jeans".  But it also has me thinking that our bodies really do long to be loved, and when we fall prey to thinking we have to strive to be loved by being thin, successful, talented, prosperous, or beautiful in others eyes, we miss the chance completely.

What strikes me is that being held against our mom's assures us that we are ok...just because we are alive.  Not because of our size, not because of our milestones, not because of our behavior.  We are loved because we exist.

This has always been a hard concept for me.  Obviously as we become adults we have a responsibility to show up in the world and love others with our time, our bodies, and our gifts.  And the friction begins as soon as we start to wonder what it means to matter.  So we reach, and strive, and we push, and we pull to find our way to matter.  Some of it is grand and authentic, other times it is ugly and pushy.  Acting like a baby may be an outward expression of your need to be still and listen to your heart again.  It's OK to have some needs!

Imagine being pulled into a mother's warm embrace.  Imagine knowing that when you cry people care, and when you giggle people want to giggle with you.  Being an adult can sometimes be really really hard.  No matter what your age.  But the body can be your greatest avenue for relief and for inspiration to help you keep on with your journey.  Consider using to this 5 minute recorded meditation by Kelly McGonigal to begin using your body to find your true needs and begin to connect with what will help you thrive as an adult again.

Using the "Brain Dump" to Improve your Workouts

When everything feels important, and everything seems like it needs to be done NOW, it gets tough to prioritize it all- and even more tough to keep yourself as a priority at all.  I recently learned a pretty awesome trick I want to share with you about "Brain Dumping" and organizing your tasks into Projects, Milestones, and Tasks. Start by setting a timer for 5 minutes.  Write as many things as you can think of that are on your mental To-Do list.  It doesn't matter how big or small the items are, just get the stuff out of your brain and dump it on a page.  Just this exercise alone can free you up to get it out of your head and onto something tangible so you know exactly what you are up against.

Here comes the good part:

You are going to separate your items in to Projects, Milestones, and Tasks.

Projects have lots of steps behind them and are a big outcome item, like "Plan my Wedding"

Milestones are action items that have to get done to make the project happen, but are done in smaller chunks.  For instance, "Sending out the invitation" requires that you have your contact list put together, a date selected, a location, and a theme for the invite itself before it can be sent.

Tasks are action items that typically take 30 minutes or less to do that are single item actions.  For instance, selecting the invitation.

So, go back to your Brain Dump and start organizing all of your items into the above categories, and then put about 3 tasks items on eavh day of your calendar.  You will be surprised how much doing this will organize your thoughts and time, and how much easier it will be to commit to your workouts when you don't feel so crazy about all the stuff you need to to!  Organizing it into these chunks helps you to know that you will get the jobs done, and that you don't have to sacrifice yourself in the process!

Who has your back? Because it REALLY matters.

I started a conversation about Super Heroes a couple months ago.  It's something I am incredibly passionate about that could give us all a boost of inspiration after the disaster in our state.  If you missed it, the first post asks "Are you a Super Hero?"  and the second is on Harnessing your Power for Good. The third thing that makes super heroes so great is that they HAVE A TEAM OR ALLY THAT HAS THEIR BACK.

Like Batman and Robin, Braveheart, Frodo, or even Mother Teresa- every super hero has a band of brothers or sisters that helps them carry their message to create change in the world.

As evidenced in the aftermath of the flood, knowing you are not alone means everything.  Even in our darkest hour, when we know we are loved and that our life has had meaning because of the people we have loved- we can glimpse hope in the darkness.  Knowing someone has our back matters because it makes us more effective and exponentially increases our ability to conquer Super Hero pursuits.

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come."   ~Anne Lamott

Even when we may think we are alone, there are ways to surround yourself with a Super Hero ally.

Have you ever thought about being a Super Hero for you?

When the Super Hero within you needs an ally- will you stand up for your power and greatness, or will you shrink in defeat?

When life beats you down, you are the only one that can make the choice to get back up swinging.  And the best way I know to do that is to not only dig deep, but to reach out.  It is in the moments where we face life's greatest challenges that we rise up to the opportunity to show "How Great I AM".  Check out the video to help you recognize your own power to Be Great!  It's about 6 minutes long, but worth every minute!

We are here for anyone who needs a restoration or reboot of body and mind.  Reach out and we will be glad to be an alliance of hope and inspiration for you!

Taming life's roller coasters: Two crucial hormones that need harmony

My niece turned 17 yesterday.  I remember holding her as a newborn and praying that she would grow to know from the depth of her soul that she is beautiful inside and out.  That prayer came from a deep place of pain from within me as I was dealing with a roller coaster of emotions from unbelief in my own value in my late teen years.  Even now I battle constantly to fight against feeling like a fraud and to hold my head up high with confidence in my worth and wisdom. What I have found, is that I am not alone.  Many of you also struggle to know that you have tremendous gifts and talents and that you kick ass at being uniquely you.  I have dedicated my life to helping people- specifically women and girls- rise up and stretch beyond their fears to embrace their body and their beauty.  My hope is that we can all get off our personal roller coasters and live lives of passion and purpose to place our stamp of goodness and love on the world- not shrink in our daily episodes of self-doubt.

To do this, it takes a conscious effort.  There are a few tricks that can help you remain in belief to keep your kick-ass self in sight.  These tricks also primarily effect two crucial hormones that need to remain in harmony for us to have effective energy and mental clarity.

The first is cortisol: the fight or flight hormone we've all heard of as being the enemy.

The second is insulin: The bodies storing and locking signal for effecting blood sugar and fat storage.

Picture this.  You are stressed or feeling a little down, so you grab a donut (my favorite stress food) and just a little bit of chocolate.  Nothing wrong with that.  However, your body has to do something with the large influx of sugar that was just released into your blood stream.  So, insulin is released to push the circulating blood sugar into your cells as either stored sugar or fat. Insulin works really well, and once the insulin has surged your blood sugar levels will drop undesirably very quickly.  To keep blood sugar stable, cortisol will be released to raise blood sugar back up.  And on the see-saw goes throughout our day causing mood swings, energy lows, and metabolic resistance that can lead to greater fat storage around the tummy.

Balancing these 2 hormones and improving your metabolism is a complex process, so we have attempted to narrow down the top 5 ways to tame the hormonal rollercoaster here:

1) Get sleep.  There is no better way to help you body out that to let it restore itself during sleep.  Whenever possible, go to bed at 10:30 and get up around 6:30 or 7 to match a typical circadian rhythm.

2) Eat protein and veggies as often as possible.  High glycemic foods only make the energy swings worse.  They may help you feel better for the moment, but they will only leave you hanging in the end.  Eating greater protein helps increase glucagon, Insulin's hormonal alter-ego which helps stabilize blood sugar.  Eating fiber helps you feel full and slows down absorption of the carbohydrates in your meals.

3) Time your food.  Eat your higher carbohydrate foods like bread, pastas, or sweet fruit at breakfast or the first meal after your workout.  Eat every 2-3 hours throughout the day.

4) Strength train.  There are lots of ways to do strength training, but you might consider taking a rest based approach.  Set up your workout so you have 3-5 complex exercises you will complete in a row.  Select weights that are challenging for you and complete each exercise until you feel you need to stop.  It's up to you whether you take multiple short breaks or fewer breaks that are a little longer.  Either way, remember to push yourself as hard as you can.

5) Complete Anaerobic training.  Studies show that the oxygen debt that is created after a tough anaerobic workout can positively impact hormones.  Specifically, the lactic acid that is built up after the workout elicits a biofeedback signal to tell the body to release testosterone and HGH (human growth hormone).  These two hormones are the major players that will pull energy from your fat.

In the end, the best answer is to just be gentle with yourself.  Listen to the deep voice inside of you trying to remind you that you are amazing regardless of your size, pocketbook, or your accomplishments.  My greatest treasure is that I have surrounded myself with people who will lift me up and remind me when I forget...and my niece is one of those warriors I am blessed to call friend.

Final Days of Summer Racing in Colorado

Your last few weekends to sneak in a race before summer ends are here!  Summer always goes way too fast, and before you know it, you may be wishing you had made better plans to fit in a road race to get out and meet up with people in your community for a little outdoor fit-time.  There are still some great races left that are fairly local, here are few of our suggestions:

Saturday, August 17, 2013:

• Give it a FAIR TRI, BlackHawk, CO Triathlon and 5k (including kids!)
• Color Me Rad;  Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield, Littleton, CO
• Tiara's and Tutu's Fun Run: Frisco, CO

Tuesday August 20th:

• Run to Do Good Five for Fire 5k: Boulder, CO

Saturday, August 24th

• Redline 13.1 and 10k, Lehigh Park,  Erie, CO
• Monarch Coyote Chase, 8am, Monarch High School (to benefit a great High School program!)
• Runapalooza 5K & 10K, Apex Center, Arvada, CO
• Bibfree 5k and 1-mile Kids Run, Thornton Multi-purpose fields

Sunday, August 25th

• RMRR Fall marathon Training- 10 mile Race at Twin Lakes Park, Denver
• 9K Sprint Challenge presented by DaVita, Civic Center Park, Denver CO
• La Sportiva Vail 10k & 5k @10,000', Vail, CO
• Heart and Sole Half Marathon, 5k and 10, Boulder Reservoir

Saturday, August 31st:

• Boulder Sunset Triathlon, Boulder Reservoir: Spring, Olympic, Duathlon, 5k

I'd also like to suggest that planning ahead is the best choice!  In which case, as the kids are getting ready to go back to school, it's a perfect time to start planning your fall fitness routine.  You know your schedule best, but unless your workouts are on the calendar, they likely won't get done!  That said, take a look at your local rec center options, call a friend to have them commit to a class with you once a week, or check out Inspired Athletic Movement's class calendar online (you still have a couple weeks to get plugged in to our 10 days for $19 deal!) to see where you could start to plug in.

What should you do?  In a perfect world, we love the idea of having 2 days of strength training, 2 days of higher intensity cardio, 1-2 days of yoga or restorative movement, and 1 day of long endurance biking or hiking.  This keeps your program balanced, your body in harmony, all while helping you remain lean and energized!

The Greatest Lesson Ever

There are steps we take in life that seem like a natural progression, and there are some steps we take that seem to be beyond the reach of our natural ability.  I was at a women's meet-up this week and heard the speaker say, "As we step out to face the areas in which we most need to grow,  rather than meeting our growth with acceptance- we can allow our discomfort to become a new area for fueling self-doubt and criticism". Whoa.  Can I ever relate to that!!  On the outside, people see a strong entrepreneur who is pursuing her dreams and helping to influence and change lives.  But on the inside I am typically fighting a big stinky voice that is reminding me of all the reasons I will fail or that I am not good enough to even be trying.  Thank God I have an equally strong voice of passion in my head that can squelch the crazy freak out voice inside (and another little secret I will tell you later).

The thing that makes me more mad than anything- is this is the exact thing that keeps all of us from realizing our greatest version of ourselves.  Two weeks ago, an article was written by the talented Aimee Heckel entitled, "Mom Teaches Daughter Best Lesson Ever".  If you, like me, struggle with self-doubt or negative self talk that keeps you from success in any area of life- including working out, eating better, or even just being a better friend, then you need to know this:

"When you undervalue who you are, the world undervalues what you do."

My mom gave me that quote.  She wrote it on a piece of paper that I keep beside my desk to this day.  In the Daily Camera article, it says that my mother is a "fearless risk-taker (who is) deathly afraid of regret".  While in my opinion this is true, my mother would tell you that she has plenty of regrets and she wishes she could go back and take a lot more risks.  There's' nothing wrong with that- but on some level, her constant push to live her life on her terms is what I believe keeps me pushing forward past my inner fears and doubts and thoughts about how I don't measure up.  You see, my mother believes in me more than I could ever even imagine.  Which is my little secret.  I have an entourage of people surrounding me that I can turn to who lift me up and remind me of why I am worth it, that I am smart, and that I have what it takes to reach my goals- so that others can reach theirs.  Suffice it to say, I would never be where I am today if I didn't have THEIR voices in my head too.

Your pursuit of living an abundant and healthy life can easily be sabotaged by the voices in your head that may be telling you that you aren't worth it, that you don't know the right formula, that there is something wrong with you, or that you don't have what it takes.  Let me be the voice to tell you that YOU are amazing.  You are capable.  You are more than worth whatever it takes.  You are going to make it.  There is nothing wrong with you because you are amazing.  My greatest lesson ever that I want to share with you is that if you can lean in to your value and believe, eventually you will begin to recognize yourself from my mothers eyes.

Part 2: Harnessing your power for good

Last week we started our discussion about superheroes (and heroines!).  I mentioned the fact that I wanted to be a police officer when I was a little girl so I could catch the bad guys and save families from pain and suffering.  Reality hit not long after I made this decision, and needless to say, my ambition now lies elsewhere. However, my question to this day remains, “What keeps me from being a super hero in my own life?”  Aren’t we given an incredible gift of life, skills, desires, and even education to pursue our own superhuman acts during our days on this earth?

Perhaps it is because we have tried and felt we have failed so many times to “get it right”.  Or maybe it is because our life doesn’t meet our expectations.  Or maybe it’s because we simply don’t believe we are anything all that special in the first place.

When we are disappointed in ourselves or our circumstances, our desires to be fully alive and authentically expressing our essence can diminish to a resigned hopelessness.  Failed attempts at change or the reality of our current needs can leave us feeling powerless to the overwhelm of what we believe it will actually take to really make a difference.

But that’s where super hero’s have it all figured out.

Forgive me for the reference to a movie I actually don’t love, but I really have to hand it to Katniss from the Hunger Games as a perfect example of this.   If you haven’t seen the movie, I would only recommend seeing it to catch a glimpse of this super-heroine in action- but brace yourself for a pretty alarming and disturbing story line.  As an extremely short synopsis: Katniss basically takes the place of her sister in a gladiator type game that is set up by the government, and then at every turn during the “games” she does what she can to save peoples lives rather than kill them.  She harnesses her power for good.

She doesn’t have any extra-special training.

She isn’t necessarily in better shape than her opponents.

She doesn’t wear a fancy suit or cape.

She isn’t famous, nor is there any evidence she has a perfect body.

She doesn’t seem to be smarter than the others…

She just has an incredible sense of justice and is willing to risk her life to uphold it.

The coolest thing about her is she doesn’t ask the question, “am I good enough?”  She just goes for it.

She doesn’t ask for her circumstances to change.

She has faith in herself.

When was the last time you had enough faith in YOU to go for it?

What would you do if you could use your power for good in your own way?

Having a strong body can help you confidently choose to embrace your power on a regular basis.  When you feel the power of your physical strength, you get a feeling you can kick butt in just about anything.  Wouldn't it be great if we could believe in ourselves once and for all?

Believe it.  If we could , we would give you a swift kick in the pants to powerfully do good with the amazing gifts, body, and talents you already have.  All you have to do is go for it.

Part I: Are you a Superhero?

Super heroes have been on my mind a lot lately.  Maybe it’s because being a mom and a business owner makes me think I must need super powers to keep it all together.  Or maybe it’s because I desperately want to help other people feel like a hero in their own lives.  Not sure, but either way, it would be nice to be a super hero, or at least wake up every day feeling a little super-human. Imagine starting out your day with the first thought, “I am going to save the world again today”…and be truly excited about it.

Imagine being able to simply show up, without any significant training, to offer help to people who really need it.  More importantly, how amazing would it be to be able to walk away knowing that your contribution only made you stronger.

Growing up I never fantasized about being a superhero.  She-Ra was big when I was a kid, but I just couldn’t get past Skeletor to really appreciate her.  (however, I just recently found out that she’s He-Man’s twin sister…how cool that they are twins!)

What I did want to be was a police officer.  I want to be the hero in a blue outfit who came in and saved the day for families who were in crisis or suffering. I wanted to go get the bad guys.  That dream only lasted a year or two- but it goes to show that every little boy and girl wants to grow up to save the world.  I wanted my super power to be to eliminate suffering and pain from the world.

Am I the only one, or did any of you have a secret super power wish?

I think there are four things that make super heroes so great (besides the outfits):

1)   They know who they are and what strengths make them unique

2)   They harness their power for good

3)   They have a team or ally that has their back

4)   They recognize their Kryptonite

In Part One of this series, let’s explore the first superhero feat.  Knowing who you are.

Identity is a big topic.  We glean our identity from our parents, our circumstances, and the stories we are told that help us make sense of our experiences.  Deepak Chopra says “Every encounter shapes our identity”.  What makes the difference is how we respond to our daily encounters.

You might ask, what does “knowing who I am” have to do with being healthy or getting fit? 

Great question!  Because until you can really know what you want, you have to know what you believe and why things are important to you!  Start with Why is a great book, captured in the TEDx talk of the same name.  Simon Sinek uses this talk and book to teach others about how great leaders inspire action.  It’s not because they have a great plan, or a great way of doing things- it is because they have a dream that they contagiously share with others in a meaningful way.

When was the last time you thought about the big WHY around what is motivating you to take action in your life?  Is it really losing weight or fitting into your jeans, or could it be that you want more spark in your life so you can pursue your  life passions with zest?

In the movie “The Incredibles”, there is a scene where Helen (AKA Elastigirl) is parenting her son Dash, who has a super-fast super power, to keep his talents under the radar.  The need to fit in is actually keeping this “super-power” family from being able to express their true identities.  What I love, is that Elastigirl is doing everything she should do to keep her family safe, but ultimately, she has to own up to her unique powers and use them.

What unique powers are you silently letting slip under the radar because of the should’s in your life?

I challenge you to this Super Hero Mission:  When you feel yourself shrinking or dimming your light, stop, close your eyes and breathe in a deep long breath.  As you exhale- think the word “open” and let your body do whatever it needs to follow its next impulse.  Instead of closing up or shutting down, use this long deep breath to appreciate something and start opening your mind to possibility.

Sometimes we get so caught up in reacting to everything around us, that we forget to stop and trust our body and mind to what we need to express- the truth of our greatness.

Taming Summer Health Saboteurs

While most of us thrive in the longer days and warmer weather, for some, it just means more kids at home, more packing for vacations or travel, and less time for health and fitness. However, health comes in many shapes and sizes, and may include some things that can normally be overlooked.  Here are some suggestions and tips to overcome the summertime blues:

1) Workout in the morning:  It is cooler.  It is much more likiely you will finish the whole thing before your day starts to explode.  You will have more energy.  For something different, consider doing an interval where you run around a park and in between rounds you complete 10 push-ups, 10 squat jumps, 10

2) Avoid excess alcohol:  With summer come the margaritas and patio conversations over a glass of wine.  Alcohol can disrupt sleep and metabolism.  Choose decaf coffee, or sparkling water with lemon to stay hydrated while you remain in the social scene.  You'll need more water in the summer to keep up with the hotter temps too, so fill your water bottle in the morning and keep it with you at all times.

3) Schedule your activities around your friends or kids:  Choose to meet your friend or spend quality time with kids while hiking, biking, swimming, or going on an adventurous picnic (get take out food from your local deli for easier planning).  Stay intentional about moving a much as you can throughout the day.  It is shocking how much simply moving a little more throughout your activities of daily living can add up for calorie burn!

4) Put your workouts on your calendar even when you go on vacation.  Leaving your workouts up to fate is not a good idea.  Have a plan for every day to make a little time for you, or get the family in on the action with you.  It is also a good idea to put your meals, or perhaps some food choices on a planner too.  If you know you are going to go to a restaurant where you will go off your normal eating style, then plan around that with increased fiber, veggies, probiotics, or even increased digestive enzymes to help you metabolize the meal.

One of my favorite new quotes that I just came across sums it all up pretty well:

"A life of reaction is a life of slavery, intellectually and spiritually.  One must fight for a life of action, not reaction." -Rita Mae Brown

Set your intentions and then commit to action.

Breakfast Breakthrough to Big Health Benefits

As I write this, I am thinking about how hard it is to stay healthy when life is always changing.  Between keeping up with twin toddlers, running a full business, mentoring other women and girls, and simply trying to keep my house running, it is becoming more and more clear to me how important it is to live by a schedule and a set of standards that help be keep my health in focus. Our family loves breakfast.  We go big for the first meal of the day.  In fact, my kids can eat nearly as much as a full grown adult between the two of them.  It’s awesome.

According to the Huffington Post, 31 million Americans don’t eat breakfast.  That’s roughly 10 percent, which actually seems like a pretty low estimate compared to the majority of people when they first come to Restoration Fitness.  Eating breakfast is a gold standard recommendation for all of our clients because of the multiple benefits it has beyond simply starting your day off on the right foot.

What you put in your mouth at the beginning of the day can make or break your energy, focus, hormones, and cravings for the entire day.  There’s a few simple ways to make sure you are getting the best type and timing of food for this pillar meal.

• Your first meal of the day is literally breaking a mini-fast from the hours you didn’t eat while sleeping.  This first meal is the best time (other than after your workout) to make the most of carbohydrate consumption.  Consuming a large portion of your calories and carbohydrates, even if they are mostly in the form of vegetables or fruit, is ideal during this time because your metabolism and glucose tolerance are at their highest during at this first meal.
• Eating a full breakfast will help you stay satisfied throughout the day.  The more full you feel and the more stable you can make your blood sugar as you start the day the less you will be reaching for caffeine and sugary foods to boost your energy.
• Consuming the majority of your calories at the beginning of the day allows you to spend the remaining part of the day burning off your biggest meal during your waking and active hours.  Getting your biggest meal out of the way also means less dishes for later!
• Eating breakfast optimizes hormone balance by keeping your insulin levels lower at the next meal of the day. Recent studies have actually showed that eating 35 grams of protein or more can alter hunger hormones by reducing Ghrelin (a hunger stimulating hormone) and elevating PYY (a satiety-stimulating hormone) so that cravings and increased munching is reduced through the evening meal.
• Ideally breakfast should be eaten within 90 minutes of waking.  Great options include eggs, fruit, legumes, veggies like spinach, pumpkin, artichoke, or yams, and oats.  If you have a hard time fitting in a full breakfast, a great choice is a yummy protein smoothie.

Healing Hormone Issues with Exercise

"Hormones are chemical substances that act like messenger molecules in the body. After being made in one part of the body, they travel to other parts of the body where they help control how cells and organs do their work. For example, insulin is a hormone that's made by the beta cells in the pancreas. When it's released into the blood, insulin helps regulate how the cells of the body use glucose (a type of sugar) for energy." - KidsHealth.org We tend to think of hormonal issues as an adult problem, but as many parents of tweens and teens will tell you...they start their influence at a fairly young age.  Hormonal control and regulation talk has become common place in our society as we search to maintain our energy, mood, libido, and vibrancy into later stages of life.  What is fascinating is that there is a growing trend, even amidst our current scientific "progress", for people to begin seeking hormonal help at a younger age.  Blame it on stress, fast paced lifestyle, phthalates in our plastics and shampoos, the added soy in our food supply, and putting off child bearing into later years, and there's a perfect cocktail for our need to help our hormones.   Tim Ferris in The Four Hour Body states that "The sperm counts of men in the US and 20 other industrialized countries have been falling since 1942 at a rate of roughly 1% per year in healthy males."  Walk into any infertility clinic in the US and you will shocked by the volume of people who need hormonal assistance to have children naturally.   There are so many reasons why they can be thrown off, it can be infuriating to chase down the cause.

While hormone replacement therapy may be the ultimate solution for some, the more subtle solution is to get back to what nature intended to help us feel great.  More sleep, whole foods in moderation, and stress-reducing exercise.  In a comparison of exercisers and non-exercisers, showed that exercisers' moods were significantly more positive than sedentary women's moods, regardless of menopausal state. Exercising women also scored lower on somatic symptoms and memory-concentration difficulties. (Health Psychology, Vol 16(3), May 1997, 203-208).  Physical activity also seems to minimize weight gain and changes in body composition and fat distribution experienced at midlife and might attenuate the rapid bone density loss that occurs when perimenopausal women engage in moderate physical activity an average of 30 minutes a day.

In general, our hormones decline as we age.  They can become more off balance when we don't take care of our health.  There is still research needed to define what specific types of exercise is best for treating hormonal fluctuation, but we know that Testosterone can be boosted with strength training and that over-exercising can actually reduce Estrogen levels.  We suggest strength training 2 days a week, doing yoga or Tai Chi 2 days a week, 1 day of high intensity intervals and 1 day of hiking or biking at a moderate level to maintain a healthy balance of effort and consistency for your hormonal health.  Of course, your effort level will depend on what you are currently used to doing for training, so see your physician and fitness coach for more info!