Tip:
Do you know what your blood pressure is? Did you know that high blood pressure have very few symptoms?Blood pressure has two numbers: systolic pressure - the pressure when the heart contracts and diastolic - the pressure when the heart fills with blood again. Lowering blood pressure can significantly reduce risks of heart attack and strokes. Some ways to reduce blood pressure include: quitting smoking, decrease alcohol consumption, reduce stress, eating healthy leading an active lifestyle. If you suspect you DO have high blood pressure, get it evaluated by a doctor. There will be certain restrictions on physical activity depending on the severity.

News:
Stats Canada has found that people who live in rural areas tend to be more overweight. http://www.statscan.ca/Daily/English/060822/d060822b.htm

Training:
Well this has been my recovery week. I did not have time for very much of my own training- but I did attend a fitness conference, where I learned new techniques! Gliders! Weight and stress management! I am very excited to learn the new research!!

Tip: We can talk ourselves out of our workouts, or into having a little treat. Over time, we end up skipping workouts entirely and reverting back to old eating habits. So with every decision ask yourself:Does this put me closer to my desired behavior? (Healthy lifestyle) Can I be proud of this, or will I not tell anyone? (Food choice, skip workout) How will I feel after I don’t do/do this? (Think ahead) This is NOT about feeling guilty over choices. This is about deciding what kind of COMMITMENT you are willing to make to reach your goals. Its ok to not do a workout if you are genuinely fatigued, or to have an occasional treat. Commitment is about defining what OCCASIONAL means. Is it every week, every month or rarely? By coming up with a plan, you can define your commitment with your health goals and make it far less stressful. This includes scheduling in your work day, your exercise time, and your meals. Doing this type of planning leads to SUCCESS with your health goals.

News: Exercise and diet combined can shrink abdominal fat better than diet alone. http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v30/n8/abs/0803245a.html

Training:This week is a RECOVERY week for me. I am back from Hot August Nights a 24 Hour mountain bike event. I made my goal of racing solo and completeing 10 laps. I am very happy! and very very tired. It was a tough race course, very unforgiving for someone racing it alone, but a fun event. I ended up sleeping for 2.5 hours after a 1 hour break. My 1 hour break didn't seem to be enough, and everyone thought i should rest. the rest did me a lot of good because it allowed me to finish my last two laps with joy rather than pain. Thanks for all the kind words before i left!So no training for me this week

Tips, News and Training

Tip:

when you feel a craving coming on ask yourself:
Will following this impulse affect my reaching my goals - is there something else I can choose?
How am i feeling right now? (bored, sad, depressed, tired - moods will affect choices)
What have I eaten today? - If you haven't eaten well, then your body is in a state of hunger and you will likely choose more unhealthy options.

The above questions make you more aware of the situations around eating - eating blindly versus eating mindfully. I usually tell my clients to wait ten minutes before giving in to a craving. This allows you to re-assess your hunger, whether it is honest hunger or whether you are bored. Many social events are also associated with food whether its a trip to the mall, the movies or getting together with friends. Remember not everything needs to have eating involved and if that can't be avoided, eat before the event so that you arrive not feeling hungry.

News:

Exercise and diet can shrink fat cells in the abdominal region better than diet alone. A study in the International Journal of Obesity now demonstrates this finding.
http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v30/n8/abs/0803245a.html

Training:
Almost there now...a short 30 minute anerobic pyramid workout on Tuesday. Yesterday I spent the day teaching 12 year olds how to mountain bike - which means i spent several hours riding. Today I will finalize my gear packing and mental check.

Sunday Training

I am still tapering off my training as I head towards the final week before my 24 hour event. Today was the last long ride. Although not a very long one. Roughly 35 km on trail.

Today's Training - Commute

I decided that I would use my commute into work today as my training ride. This is the final week of training and tapering before my 24 hour mountain bike solo event.

Why? Since i always ride the same route in, and not all the time, its a nice little fitness test for me. Its roughly 25 km in, but i have never actually measured it.

So i noticed my ride time in was definitely faster, and more importantly my riding style and feelings during ride have improved. What do I mean? It feels like less work to go faster and I am riding far more agressively.

Sometimes improvements in fitness are not on the weight scale, but can come in different forms such as how the body is doing.

August 7, 2006 - Mindfulness

I was given an article on the subject of multitasking. We all do it - listen to the radio while getting ready for work, using the cell phone while driving, working on different projects at work - at the same time. The article suggests that because are attention is SPREAD over many different areas, nothing really gets done well.
When I teach yoga classes I often speak of scanning our bodies and being in the moment. This is mindfulness - kind of a getting into the zone, but focusing in on one task, one goal rather than many. This allows the mind to calm and slow down and relieving stress.

So next time you are working on a task, as simple as brushing your teeth, be focused on the moment - see what you notice about the task, the sensations, the breath, the feelings...By practicing mindfulness you will be able to learn how to connect the mind and the body so they work together much more efficiently.