Secrets of Successful Behaviour Change

If you recall, I didn't post anything on our Blog about New Year's Resolutions ...not even a mention.  That was a deliberate decision because I think we all do very well making resolutions ....and admit it, we all do it!  As the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve and motivated by that New Year optimism, you probably raised a glass and vowed that this year, things will change.  The challenge is keeping them beyond the first month.  Resolutions often reflect a lifestyle change we want to change or improve upon and for the first while, it can be relatively easy ....but then February rolls around and that's often when we slide back into our old habits.

So how do you make change that lasts?  Here's some tips to raise your odds of success.  Whether it's exercising more, improving your diet or reducing alcohol, here's how to make that resolution stick:

• KEEP IT REAL.  Setting your goal too high is a sure way to fail.  If you're inactive now, suddenly committing to exercise six days a week will likely not work.  Better to err on the easy side; after all, success generates momentum.

• MAKE IT YOURS.  Pursue change that is meaningful to you.  If you're changing for someone else, it likely won't last.  Focus on a goal that will make you feel good.

• ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE.  Think about how this change will enhance your life - not just about the negative pattern you're trying to break.  In other words, focus on how good you'll look and feel when you reach a healthy weight - rather than dwelling on how much you hate those extra pounds you're carrying now.

• BE SPECIFIC.  Sure you want to eat better, but what does that look like?  Create a plan that spells it out.  You might try to eat salad for lunch twice a week, or reduce your alcohol intake to a glass of wine a week.  But...

• BE FLEXIBLE.  Make sure your plan leaves room for options.  Nothing in the fridge for a salad today?  Last night's leftover broccoli and rice sounds like a healthy lunch.  After all, there are many ways to eat better or get active.

• REWARD YOURSELF.  Changing habits isn't easy, so reward yourself when you make progress in the right direftion.  After a dozen visits to the gym, you might treat yourself to a new piece of workout gear.

• CONNECT WITH OTHERS.  Most pursuits are better with friends.  Connection and interaction are motivating, so if you want to exercise more, grab a buddy.  If you want to eat healthier, cook with family for added encouragement.

• EXPECT SLIPS.  To make a change that`s lasting, be patient and forgive yourself if you stumble - make that when you stumble.  The best way to undermine your progress is to berate yourself if something goes wrong.  The trick is not to get discouraged.  Acknowledge your mistakes with compassion and try again.

Southern travels....

We have just returned from a wonderful 5-week vacation to South America where we had lots of time to reflect on the differences and similarities in culture, food, music, clothing, people and customs.  We quickly noticed that really no one was overweight ….and obesity was non-existent, except for the North American tourists!  We realize that a few short weeks (as tourists) in another culture is not a scientific sampling that will lead to any type of conclusions as to their whether or not their lifestyle choices make a difference or not.  However, we made the following observations:

·       Everyone walks everywhere.  Even if you have a vehicle, parking is a premium so public transportation is available everywhere …and then you walk to where you need to go.  Grocery stores sell their products in small quantities because when you’re walking, you can’t carry 16 rolls of toilet paper!  Daily trips for groceries are common – along with side-trips to get your meat/poultry and fresh produce.

·       Where are the Doritos!  Although hard candies were sold and ice cream (gelato) shops were abundant, “junk food” was not.  You could find plain potato chips in stores but they were sold is small bags at not located right at the check-outs.  Dorito-style flavoured chips were nowhere to be found, nor was super-sized soda drinks.  Coca cola is everywhere, but in “normal” sized bottles and glasses.  We did see a few McDonald restaurants but they weren’t busy …we were told that they are the place to go for breakfast when the nightclubs close down at 5 am.

·       No take-out?  Yes, Starbucks were scattered throughout the cities and you can get take-out there.  Colombia has Juan Valdez coffee shops that differ from Starbucks only in name.  However, take-out wasn’t available anywhere else.  People enjoy sitting down to eat or drink or enjoy their morning cappuccino.

·       Meat and more meat.  Being a vegetarian might be a challenge in South America.  Red meat (pork and beef) is abundant and serving sizes of meat portions was generous.  We found splitting an entrée was sufficient when meat was involved.  Fish is available also – but Argentina’s free-range carne is famous for a reason – wonderful flavour!

·       Red wine flows constantly.  Chile and Argentina are famous for their wines – mostly reds but many good whites as well.  And wine is cheap – cheaper than soda pop in most areas.  Rarely do you see a meal eaten without vino, yet we didn’t see any drunks either.  Seems the combination of wine, meat and good conversation with friends is magical!

Really no conclusions can be made from our brief observations other than walk lots (get your exercise), avoid junk food (make healthy eating choices) and a bit of wine won’t hurt you (ah…that’s what I wanted to hear!). 

South America was an awesome experience – I hope many of you choose to visit there in the future, in particular Buenos Aires.  Brush up on your Spanish before you go – English is not spoken or understood in many areas but hand-gestures and poor translations leads to laughter and that’s healthy too!

hmmmm.....Coffee!

Coffee is a very popular drink among athletes. Some of the reason for this is cultural -- the get-together after training, for example. Apart from the fact that coffee is obviously a popular drink, tastes good, and seems to contribute to a feeling of well-being and energy for many people, the health and performance benefits of coffee drinking may be due to the stimulant caffeine and other naturally-occurring plant constituents.

Caffeine as an Performance Supplement

Caffeine is one of the sports performance supplements recognized as safe and effective at the recommended doses. Caffeine is not banned or listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency for sport. The reasons caffeine helps is not altogether clear, but it may be to do with delaying neural/brain fatigue -- that is, you don't feel fatigue or pain as early as you would without the caffeine dose. Also, caffeine may provide direct muscle performance effects. The early theory that caffeine enhances fat burning seems to have been discounted as a performance mechanism in athletes. Caffeine does seem to boost performance in the longer endurance events like marathons and triathlons, but has limited benefit in competition in power sports like sprints, or even bodybuilding and weight lifting. However, caffeine may still provide benefit for athletes in these power sports by allowing them to train harder. Caffeine's ability to reduce the "rate of perceived exertion" (RPE) associated with pain and discomfort is likely to enhance high-volume training ability.

In addition, coffee/caffeine may give some trainers and competitors a feeling of well-being and power -- after all, it is an effective brain and adrenal stimulant -- although an effect may be more psychological than physiological and the line between the two can be blurred.

Health Effects of Coffee

In a range of human health studies, coffee and caffeine have been associated with possible prevention of various diseases, with few adverse effects in healthy people up to 3-4 cups a day, averaging around 400 milligrams of caffeine. (In pregnancy, perhaps half this to reflect some uncertainty about caffeine and miscarriage.)

Possible Health Benefits of Coffee

·         Lowers risk of type 2 diabetes

·         Protects against liver disease

·         Protects against Parkinson's disease

·         Reduces risk of endometrial cancer

·         Protects against Alzheimer's disease

Most of these benefits have surfaced in prospective human studies and cannot be regarded as certain because of factors that may not have been accounted for in this type of study.

The role of caffeine and coffee in heart disease remains somewhat controversial, but less so than in earlier decades, with moderate to high consumption showing no increased risk of heart disease in prospective studies of large populations.

As we approach the holiday season we wanted to leave you with this short YouTube video by Dr. Mike Evans.  It has been circulating alot since it was initially posted and we hope you share it with others as well.  We often get caught up searching for the best exercise on how to target specific muscles or what activity provides the best cardio workout.  Dr. Evans explains his "prescription for health" in this short, concise and simple video (just 10 minutes long) which left us with a feeling of "just do it"!  The simplicity is refreshing.

At this time we would also like to wish you all a wonderful holiday season.  We hope you are surrounded by love and warmth and have a holiday that's a truly wonderful treasure to cherish all through the year.

Debbie & John

http://youtu.be/aUaInS6HIGo

Gifts for the Fitness Enthusiast

Fitness gifts aren't for everyone, of course, but if there's an exerciser in your life, chances are there's something he or she wants to make workouts more efficient and more fun. I did some research to find out some of the top-selling items this holiday season. If you need gift ideas for the fitness enthusiast in your life, below are some thoughts on what exercisers really want this year.

1. Heart Rate Monitor

A heart rate monitor is an excellent tool for any exerciser who wants to get the most out of his or her workout. There are a variety of options out there, but you'll definitely want one that has a heart rate strap so your exerciser can see a continuous heart rate at a glance. If he's a techy, he might want a fancy GPS model which can track pace, location, speed etc. If she's into fitness and counting calories, she might enjoy a lighter version which can do all the counting for you while you exercise.

2. Armband Heart Rate Monitors

Heart rate monitors are great, but there are plenty of people completely opposed to wearing a chest strap, especially if you are a runner. It certainly can be a pain to wear and use, which is where this armband comes in. It offers all the bells and whistles of a regular HRM - heart rate, time in target heart rate zone, calories burned, etc., but without the annoying chest strap. Just strap it to your arm and you're ready to go.

3. TRX Suspension System

If you have friends or family who love to try new and challenging workouts, the TRX Suspension System offers just that. This network of straps connects to a door or ceiling (with an anchor) and allows the exerciser to leverage his own body weight for a variety of strength, endurance and power exercises. What's great about the TRX is that it's different, it allows you to work your body with very little equipment and you can take it anywhere. It's a bit pricey (the basic package is $189.95), but the package comes with everything you need - the strap system, a wall/ceiling anchor and a variety of videos. There's also a package with the door anchor included ($199.95), which is more travel friendly.

4. Hydryx Workout Towel

OK, so giving someone a workout towel seems a little lame. But this towel is actually pretty cool...literally. Once you take it out of the included tube, it instantly cools to help keep your workouts more comfortable. It's great for the gym, which can get steamy with all that body heat, or for summertime workouts as well. What a great idea and a perfect choice for the exerciser who has everything.

5.  Workout Socks

We probably all have that one person (hello, grandma) who gives us socks every year for birthdays or other holidays. In fact, many of us let our socks fall apart, waiting for the holidays when we know we'll get to stock up. If you're the sock recipient, ask for a pair of these workout socks. I normally don't spend much time raving about socks, but these are excellent for any activity. They have padding at all the right places - the heel and the ball of the foot, while the rest of the sock is thinner, yet supportive. They breathe well, stay in place and offer padding without the bulk.

6. Kettlebells

Kettlebells are the latest trend in fitness and a good choice if your exerciser loves a challenge. There are a variety of kettlebell options out there, from medicine-ball like bells to basic iron models. Kettlebell training isn’t easy, so he or she should have some instruction before diving into a workout. You might consider getting them an instructional video if you're not sure of their fitness level.

7. Personal Training Sessions

Keep in mind that not everyone would be thrilled to get personal training sessions. So you shouldn't get someone sessions just because you want them to exercise or be healthy. However, this can be a great gift if your loved one has expressed interest in training but is reluctant to spend the money or intimidated to try it.  You might want to give one or two sessions and let them decide if they want more, or offer to train with them in group sessions.

 

8. Gym Memberships

Like other fitness gifts, a gym membership isn't for everyone. Giving someone a gym membership because you want them to workout may cause some instant relationship problems.  However, if they've been talking about joining a gym, you're in the clear.  Another option is to get them a coupon for free tours of gyms and let them browse before you buy. 

HAPPY SHOPPING!