My Friend Taught me the Gratitude Game

This week someone very special invited me to join in on a gratitude game with just 2 other people. I was very honored since to the other two people, I'm almost a stranger.
But they accepted me into their daily exercise. I haven't been doing enough gratitude workouts, to build a muscle that will atrophy just like any other muscle in our beings will.

I knew I needed to make sure my attitude didn't slip too far down the tube. And just at the right time, I was fortunate enough to be offered help from a friend.

So here is how you can start your own gratitude game according to the way the small group I've been invited in is doing it:

Find even just one friend or up to 5 friends.

Every morning, email your group a list of 10 things you're grateful for. Everyone else in the group does the same thing. And voila, you've implemented a daily exercise into your life that might make a big difference in how you experience the world around you. Plus I've found what other people are grateful for makes me reflect on more I am grateful for as well.

This week I got my car towed and then I got a traffic violation ticket as well. It's been a bit of an expensive week. But when I wrote my list out every morning, these annoying things just faded away next to the backdrop of the things that really matter.

Call me cheesy. I call you a cynic.

Try!

Which fitness trends are out of fashion?

If we take a look back into fitness history, we will see that trends run cyclically. What might have been considered the best fitness activity today could have very well spent its time in the limelight 50 years ago. But what about a shorter cycle of time like 10 years? How far have we come in last decade in terms of what’s hot and what’s not?

Here's a link to my most recent iVillage Canada article.

And remember, there are no new ideas around fitness, merely recycled and slightly modernized fads or trends. Ultimately, fitness should be used to improve health and accelerate healing. Any fitness activities that take us away from this core value are ones that don't get my approval. Plus, my many years in the fitness industry have made me savvy to all the fancy expensive 'new' toys people are trying to hawk. Yes, some are very useful like the awesome sand bag I bought last year but most are just plain gimmicky. We actually don't need anything other than our own bodies as a tool for training.

How to Start Exercising After Illness

My most recent iVillage Column is about a subject I'm soooooo passionate about.

I've been bleesed with so many clients who come to me during or post illness or with medical conditions that will never totally go away. What an amazing opportunity for me to learn. Working with these wonderful clients requires emotional availability, creativity, and a desire to constantly dig deeper into what I don't know.

So I wrote about how to start up exercising after illness.


The sooner the better is all I can say. Take it easy if you need to. Above all else listen to your body. Listen to your spirit and know that you can feel great again, even better than you did before you got sick!!!!

And a big thanks to iVillage Canada for welcoming this kind of content.

How I gained 5 pounds in a month

A few weeks ago I had my annual physical. I've been feeling a little burnt out. Six years into running a business, working in a very physical occupation and working insane hours, being a mama, trying to have interests and hobbies leaves a nearly 40 year old feeling a little worn around the edges and depleted!

My lovely doctor told me to gain 5 lbs of body fat. I've been used to being pretty lean since having my daughter. Gaining weight, especially non-muscular weight has been fun and little scary. Being thin has made me feel in control (not a super balanced way of managing stress), has helped me sublimate the lack of control I have in other parts of my life. I always feel like I have a little wiggle room for decadent meals when I'm thin. I also lose my appetite when I'm stressed unlike many of my dear clients.

I've taken my ability to moderate my food and my commitment to exercise and turned it into a living. Many people think it's all about genetics. But it's really about not sitting on my butt all day for a living and being conscious of portion sizes and staying somewhat vigilant on an ongoing basis.

In trying to gain weight, I've had to break many of my eating 'rules' and have reflected on the fact that the things I've done to gain a few pounds are the inverse choices that help people lose a few pounds. So I thought I'd share what I've done to gain weight, in a healthy way without eating tonnes of junk. Most people who come to me for weight loss say "But I eat pretty healthy?" and resist the fact that they might be over eating. Even healthy food has calories people. ;) In the last month, I've eaten well and I've gained weight so the same would apply to anyone else.

If you're trying to lose 5 pounds, logically do the opposite of what I've been doing. There is no big secret to weight gain or weight loss. It's really just about moment to moment choices either towards moderation or indulgence.

Here goes:

1) I've been eating more than fills me up to try to stretch my stomach out. I eat a little past satiation and have been going into minor food comas especially at dinner.

2) I've been eating snacks when I'm not hungry. I've been trying not to let hunger set in.

3) I've been eating more than one serving of starch at a meal.

4) I've been drinking more juice, milk and wine.

5) I eat snacks later at night even if I'm not hungry.

6) I've been eating more pasta and potatoes.

7) I go back for seconds at dinner.

8) I pick food of my daughter's plate when she won't finish it.

Pretty simple. Most of these things I'll be stopping soon. I don't want to have to buy new jeans etc!!!

But with the extra nutrients in my body, I'm definitely feeling a bit more energetic. And letting myself gain a bit of weight is a big step for me, believe it or not. One of the reasons I coach my clients towards balanced thinking around food is because of my past history as a young adult with what could have manifested as a serious eating and exercise disorder. I know what it's like to have way too much psychic space taken up by obsession with food.

I've found a balance for me that I constantly have to tinker with. I'm not thin by accident and most people who are can attest to the same thing. Now I'm off to go eat again. Feel free to drop off any yummy food to help me on my quest! LOL.

If you have any advice for me to help me gain a bit more healthy weight, let me know below!

Celebrating a Remarkable Woman, Jennifer Orange, for Interational Women's Day

My most recent iVillage Column celebrates the truly inspiring woman in my Urbanfitt community, Jennifer Orange.

Please read the full article. It will put your life struggles in perspective. Trust me.

Jennifer shares her experience in the Canadian health care system, advocating for her daughter as she struggles with a rare disease.

If you are lucky enough to have Jennifer in your community like I am, she is a constant reminder of grace under pressure and living life with a generous heart.

Visit her online health care management tool

AND

Donate to Julia's Fund.

Jennifer and her family are asking for help to raise money for Julia’s Fund, a Canada-US Registry to fund research and find the best treatments for Autoimmune Polyendocrinopathy Syndrome. To date they have raised over $45,000. Their goal is $175,000.