Vitality Challenge day 2

Instructions:

Bring shallow pot of water up to boil, wash and chop asparagus.
Rummage through the pantry to find some canned wild sockeye salmon. Open can.
Steam asparagus until a bright crisp green (not a sad wilted brown).
Empty salmon into a bowl with pepper, salt, free seasoning, dill (if you like it). Mix well. Slice avocado and place on top of salmon.

Enjoy the wide eyed looks you get from people sitting across from you having their low/no nutrient cereal and grain breakfast. Consume and know that you just did something amazing for your brain, joints, skin, and heart.

Enjoy your day!

~Think Vitality!~

HIIT Me

Day 3

After waking up feeling muscle soreness from a good kendo session last night, doing exercise this morning was a real “character builder!” But, I still completed my good health promoting activity today by doing 20 minutes of HIIT.

I didn't misspell HIIT, it is actually an abbreviation for the most effective method of burning calories, shedding body fat, revitalizing the immune system, revving up the metabolism for hours, and toning and strengthening the body.

HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. In summary, you choose an activity and go hard for a period of time, then go easy, then repeat. You repeat the process for approximately 20 minutes. The intense intervals should be no longer then 60 seconds but if you are new to this start with 30 seconds. Your resting intervals should be no longer then 60 seconds as well. If you are used to doing much longer cardio workouts and that doesn't seem long enough- just try it! If you make your intense intervals strenuous enough 20 minutes will seem like a very very long time!

Choose exercises that are gentle on the joints such as biking, elliptical, recumbent bike, swimming, power walking, hill walking, skipping, squats, rebounding, even jumping jacks. I would recommend not using running because it is easy to injure yourself during speed work. In fact, I see a lot of patients who are good runners but simply run too hard for their body to support it.

If you need some research to support this type of training check out: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8897392?dopt=Abstract

This study is based on Tabata training (developed for speed skaters) and is an effective HIIT.
Experiment with different ‘intervals' to see what works for you!

~Think Vitality!~

Rules of the 30 Day Vitality Challenge

Well, this has been unexpected- there have been several people who have said that they want to join in the 30 Day Vitality Challenge. So, here are the rules that if followed will help you feel better, look better, have more energy, feel more relaxed, and even shed unnecessary body fat.

1. Eliminate all forms of sugar.
Yes, I went there! White sugar, brown sugar, honey, cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, rice sugar, ‘natural fruit source' sugars, molasses, and aspartame. If you can do just this one thing it will greatly impact your body AND mind!

2. Eliminate empty grains.
Eliminate white bread, pasta, multigrain bread, flour, baked goods, cookies, muffins, and cakes. Ultimately, we should eliminate all grains, end of story. But, if you don't want to be too aggressive on yourself you can use a small amount of whole grain, sprouted wheat, or high fibre grains.

3. Exercise everyday.
What, every day! Yes, our bodies are designed to move. At the minimum you should walk briskly for 30 minutes. That could be 15 minutes twice a day as well. To do really well on the challenge you should aim to do moderate to high intensity activities everyday for a minimum of 20 minutes. This can be any activity as long as it gets your heart rate up and you work up a real honest sweat.

4. Mindfulness activity.
You need to do a mindful activity everyday. This could be meditation, yoga, qigong, deep breathing, writing a journal, listening to music, looking out a window, visualization, or simply being. Time required: 10 minutes.

5. Sleep well.
You should know your body well enough to be aware of how much sleep you need to feel fully recharged. This can be anywhere from 7-9 hours.

6. Infuse your diet with Nutrient Rich foods
While you should be avoiding junk and processed foods you should aim to consume lots of dark leafy greens, veggies, low glycemic fruits, lean protein, and healthy fats.

So to do the 30 Day Vitality Challenge you have to do one or more of the six elements for 30 days. For some that may take a lot of work and effort but if you can do all 6 elements you will notice a significant difference before and after. Try it and you will see!

~Think Vitality!~



Photo reference: http://www.merchanttaylors.com/assets/_files/images/feb_09/mer__1234533529_Healthy_Food.jpg

Qi Gong in the Morning

According to the ancient Chinese (and probably the modern ones too) Qi gong is best practiced first thing in the morning, ideally between 4-7am. With that in mind I thought today would be a great day to practice “8 Brocade” which is one of the oldest forms of qi gong.

For those of you who have studied qi gong in the past you might have found it to be complicated. Part of the reason is that the very traditional and proud qi gong practitioners were secretive and didn't want anyone to know about their techniques. After studying many types of internal martial arts I believe that there is only one secret- practice. It doesn't really matter what you do as long as you do it regularly. Sometimes the payoff is immediate. This morning while I was doing ‘horse stance' I was entertained by a family of sparrows having a dust bath!


~Think Vitality!~

Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture

Glancing at the calender this morning I noticed that summertime wedding season is quickly approaching. Those involved in the wedding party often want to look and feel their best for this special day. If you want to brighten and tone your complexion, reduce wrinkles, or just add some life and color...now is the time to start!

Facial rejuvenation acupuncture is effective and natural. It uses the body's own healing ability to look and also feel fantastic. By placing needles in areas that are wrinkled or tired looking, blood rushes to the area. While the blood is there it heals and rejuvenates the skin. The stimulation from the needle causes an increase in collagen production. It's very simple and effective. The best part is it provides a healthy natural-looking lift without using botox, chemicals or invasive surgical procedures. Most people find it very relaxing and even fall asleep during treatment.

It's best to start facial rejuvenation treatment at least a few weeks prior to the big day.

Also don't forget about facial exercises to tone and strengthen the muscles. People often ask, "Which ones are the best?" My response is the same as with physical exercises, "The most effective exercise is the one that you do!"



Until next time...

~Think Vitality!~

Day 6 Vitality Challenge:

Breakfast: sauteed greens on eggs with melted camembert.

Knowing that I was going to have to spend the majority of the day in a classroom trying to learn a thing or two, I knew I needed to exercise first thing in the morning. I had limited time so I did the 20 minute Morning Routine. There are basically 3 resistance routines that one can use throughout the week and you will stimulate all the muscles in your body, increase your strength, balance, and bone density.

After years of clinical practice I have seen first hand many times the importance of keeping things simple. Remember that the best exercise is the one that you do!

We will discuss the 3 resistance routines in the near future. In the meantime, try to incorporate at least 1 of the 6 rules of the Vitality Challenge and…

~Think Vitality!~

Vitality Challenge Day 7

I did my part today! After a kendo session I enjoyed an evening ocean walk at a brisk pace. Ahh Victoria! I also avoided sugar throughout the day making sure to check labels.

We all know, or are beginning to know, that we should avoid sugar in our diet. Whether it is white, brown, demerra, yellow, purple or green - sugar is sugar! It affects the body in the same way - causing inflammation and oxidation.

As part of the 30 Day Vitality Challenge you'll notice that eliminating sugar is number one on the list. Avoiding sugar can make such a huge impact on your body and your mind.

But... you don't have to take my word for it! Below is a lecture that has had thousands of views on youtube called "The Bitter Truth About Sugar." It is a little long but the main point is that modern day illnesses are largely caused by the massive increase in sugar consumption over the last few decades.




or watch here:
Sugar: The Bitter Truth



~Think Vitality!~

30 Day Vitality Challenge Day 8

This evening I had the opportunity to watch the documentary Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould up at the University of Victoria. I found it quite fascinating.

Glen Gould was a pianist with considerable talent who reached the height of his performing career at age 31. He was as eccentric as he was talented and resorted to prescription drugs to manage his anxiety. The film minimized the fact that he over used prescription medication which altered both his personality and his health.

While pharmaceuticals do have their place in health and healing we should be very careful not to overuse them especially in situations where equally effective holistic solutions are available. This is particularly true in the area of stress and anxiety. Often changes in diet and lifestyle can help just as much as medication. It's always a good idea to discuss options with your doctor and come up with a plan together.

Meditation and exercise are two activities that can greatly reduce anxiety and calm the mind.

With that being said, on day 8 before starting my day in clinic I did 25 minutes of natural breathing meditation. You would be surprised at how both calming and energizing simple breathing can be. This will be one of the topics discussed in the upcoming Qi gong workshop. Until then, do at least one thing from the list and ...

~Think Vitality!~

Exercise is an important part of the 30 Day Vitality Challenge. If we eat well, sleep well, manage our stress, but DON'T exercise, we won't truly have Vitality. With all the different systems and ideas about how to exercise it's easy to get overwhelmed.

I would suggest thinking about "why" you are exercising before beginning any routine. Are you exercising to get healthy or to become fit?

If you want to run a sub 3 hour marathon you will have to train in a particular way. If you want to boost your immune system and reduce stress you will have to exercise in a completely different manner.

Athlete or not, we should exercise for health first, then fitness. A person can be extremely fit but not healthy. It is the intensity and duration of exercise that determines if it will make you healthy or fit. To build your health you do not need to exceed 85% of your maximum effort for any cardiovascular activity. You would benefit your health most if you kept you effort level between 65-85%.

How long?

The ideal time to exercise for health is anywhere between 20-40 minutes. Remember if you are working harder, it should be shorter.

Keep this in mind during your next workout and...


~Think Vitality!~

30 Day Vitality Challenge Day 9

There are many types of meditation, qi gong and breathing practices that have been passed down through the ages for thousands of years. It's very easy to get overwhelmed with all the different methods from different 'masters' or 'gurus.' In my experience, simple is best.

There is no 'right' way and no 'wrong' way. Well...there might be a wrong way depending on how you look at it!

Regardless of the technique, the first and possibly most important skill to develop is the power of focus. Focus is being able to hold a single thought or intention for a desired amount of time. Studies show that we have approximately 60,000 thoughts per day. Unfortunately, a lot of those thoughts are the same and repeat over and over in our mind. When we develop our ability to focus and hold a thought we reduce those 60,000 to maybe 40,000. As our mental muscles get stronger we can reduce it even more.

A simple practice is to breathe naturally and count your breaths. That's it. Decide on a number, maybe 30, and everytime you breathe in, you count "one." Most people will lose track of the number at around 7 or 8 at first, but stick with it. Soon, you'll be able to hold your focus and be ready to move on to more advanced techniques.

As part of the 30 Day Vitality Challenge I will do 20 minutes of breath counting today.

P.S. - I have finally set a date for the Qi Gong workshop here in Victoria!
August 21, so mark your calenders!

~Think Vitality!~