Ignite the Energy Within!

Every time I sit down to write a blog, my mind wanders as I try to pick a topic to discuss. Then something out of the blue comes my way and voila, a topic hits me!


As I was going through my daily emails, I opened my "Thought for the Week" email sent from Tim Cork, President and Founder of an amazing networking group I was honoured to be a part of called "Straight A's Inc." I instantly knew this was a topic for me to post! In fact, it practically screamed my name! It was all about energy, POSITIVE ENERGY! So I am sharing this "thought for the week" with you. Enjoy, Ignite and Share!


Energy is seen in the way you carry yourself. Do you exude energy and transfer it to those around you? Or do you suck it out of people? Nobody likes to be in a room full of energy vampires. The amount of energy you give, whether positive or negative, determines how you are perceived and how you are treated


Positive body language



Your body language demonstrates energy all day long. This energy is like a chain reaction. Two positive energies build on each other to create more and more positive energy. It’s like being with Oprah when she gets everyone pumped up during the taping of one her shows. The expression on her face, her stance, her posture exude confidence and enthusiasm channeling energy to each audience member. The energy level keeps building and building as people become more excited, positive, and energized. It’s the law of attraction: energy attracts energy and builds on energy.



Words and positive energy



Talking positively reinforces positive energy. The effects are immediate. You can actually see people light up when they listen to someone whose words are fueled by positive energy. People have to believe in that energy and in the person who is leading or speaking. When they do, watch out! Words that inspire create energy. Words accompanied by the right body language can create a genuine and contagious energy.

Are you contagious … is your energy level on full … if not, plug it in …




Thanks Tim Cork!


Stay active and anything is possible!

Work out tips

This video is presented by my colleague Chris Kornacki, Personal Training Manager and Trainer at Totum Life Science. I wanted to share his healthy work out tips for you because not only is it informative, it is short, easy to understand and straight to the point!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsXJJ-bni9k


A few work out tips I'd like to add is the following:

1. Find an activity you love to do!

Why? You're more likely to stick with your exercise program if you love what you are doing!

2. Exercise with a buddy!

Why? Having someone to exercise with enhances your accountability. Who wants to let a friend down when you've committed to exercising with them?

3. Set realistic goals.

For example, if you haven't exercised all summer, rather than jumping right into a 3-5 day exercise routine, start with two or three 20-30 minute work outs for 4 weeks.

Why? Exercising for 60 minutes straight can be daunting to many people. Let alone exercising up to 5 times a week! But if you break it down to a more realistic time frame such as 20-3ominutes training sessions, there is less of a time commitment and therefore, you are more than likely to exercise.

I hope these tips are helpful and will encourage you to get active and stay active!


Stay active and anything is possible!

You might be a runner if..........

People you meet in town know you as "that running girl"

You get incredibly offended when someone says they saw you "jogging"

Most people look at you strange when you use "easy" and "10" in the same sentence

You know the mileage on your sneakers better than on your car

You see someone running and try to guess their pace

You see someone running and are jealous that you are not.....even if you already went that day

You plan what & when you eat around when you will be running that day

You know which side of the streets have shade at certain times of the day

You search through local running results.....even if you didn't run any races that weekend

You wear each race t-shirt as a badge of honor

After you get done your run, you immediately start planning your next one

You giggle at the doctor's advice to "take some time off"

The doctor takes your blood pressure and says "you're a runner, huh?"

It doesn't scare you to drink from a cup that some stranger hands you in the middle of the road

You run through traffic without a care

You get as excited about a new pair of sneakers as others get about a new car

It took your spouse years and a talk with another spouse of a runner to finally understand that this is normal.....for runners

When you are not running......you are thinking about running

Throwing up after a hard run is a badge of honor

You get tired if you don't run

You nodded your head with a smile as you read this list!

Thank you to my good friend Jennifer Treacy for sending this to me!

Stay active and anything is possible!

My Oxfamtrailwalker experience

24 hours and 36 minutes. That is how long my teammates and I walked 100KM, (no sleep!) on the Ganaraska Trail starting from Barrie and ending in Orillia. During that time, we experienced various emotions and physical challenges. The terrain went from flat to hilly, sandy trails to paved roads, farm lands to paths that were overgrown with trees, shrubs, and grass or filled with rocks, tree stumps, and roots.

The weather was hot, humid, and sometimes muggy. On occasions, we were blessed with a breeze and some overcast clouds. But the sweat still poured out of my body while the mosquitos clung to me feasting on "fresh" blood.

As time wore on, my body slowly began to feel the effects of the walk. First, my heels, then my toes and then the pain slowly started to work it's way up to my calves and then my knees. My shoulders ached from carrying my bag pack filled with some of my "comfort foods" and a few extra bottles of VitaminWater. I could have sworn I packed light! But by the 40km, my back pack felt like I filled it with a load of bricks.

Along the trail we had 9 checkpoints where we could refuel, recharge, and regain our mental state of mind. But each checkpoint began to feel further and further apart and it took more mental strength to keep my legs moving. I was afraid to stop for fear my muscles would seize and my legs would not be able to continue. This is when my "mental" strength kicked in. Although my body was saying, no, I mean SCREAMING STOP! My mind kept saying KEEP GOING!

Another amazing experience was watching how the group dynamics changed throughout the walk. In the beginning, everyone was all smiles, full of energy and enthusiasm. We had designated a team leader, a pace leader and motivators. But after long hours of walking, the smiles turned to frowns, the level of energy decreased and our roles changed from person to person.

Our team strategy also changed throughout the walk from aiming to finish in 23 hours, to finishing in 24 hours to just finishing in one piece! This was the most challenging aspect of the walk for me. I am very competitive and push myself hard. My own personal goal was to finish in under 23 hours and I was very excited that our pace in the first half of the walk was on target! But every individual's body is different and how it handles physical stress varies. The longer we walked, the more physical challenges we faced. Blisters, muscles spasms, muscles seizures, body temperature's dropping, and physcial and muscle fatigue setting in.

But no matter what condition our bodies were in, we were a team and our goal was to walk together as a team.

I am very proud to have shared this experience with Chadash Sangur, Dhariya Panda, Thomas Fischer and our support team Stefanie, Bernice and Walid. It was truly a test of physical and mental strength, but more importantly, how to work together as a team when the going gets tough!

Hiking for a cause!

On Friday, July 22, I will hike 100km in under 48 hours on the Ganaraska Trail for Oxfam! http://www.oxfamtrailwalker.ca/

My 3 team mates and I raised $2500 to tackle the root causes of poverty, inequity and help people to create self reliant and sustainable communities in developing countries. We are all very excited to be a part of this event and even more excited to impact the lives of those less fortunate around the world.

What does one bring on such an endeavour? Below is our prep list. You never know when it may come in handy for you!

Clothes:

Extra shirts (1 or 2)

Socks (10 pairs)

Underwear

Raincoat

Shorts or long pants

Accessories:

Hat

Shoes

Towel

Deodarant

Camel Back (bladder)

Sports bag

Head lamp

Batteries

Poles

Blanket (I'm bringing the foil blankets that I've saved from previous marathons! They work amazingly well to keep the body warm)

Medical:

Tylenol (or any aspirin that works for that individual)

Painkillers

Mosquito repellent

Muscle cream (bengay, etc)

Wraps

Band aids

Vaseline, body glide

Vitamins (B12!)

Sunscreen

Nutrition:

Energy drinks (not for me, but they work for some people)

Cheese (string cheese are great for a quick snack and so easy!)

Yogurt or priobotic drinks

Trail mix

Bananas

Apples

Grapes

Dates (Dhairyia has a famous recipe!)

Electrolytes (Powerade works best for me as does Vitamin Water)

Each individual will have their items placed in a "bag" which will be carried to each check point (of which their are 9) by our lovely support team. This will enable us to carry water and light snacks only to stay light on our feet as we walk the Ganaraska Trail!

Stay tuned for the outcome of this physically and mentally challenging event!

Stay active and anything is possible!

Why should we drink more water?

We are always told we should drink more water especially during the summer months. But why?

Here are some reasons that you may not have been aware of.

1. Water helps transport nutrients and oxygen to our body's cells and carries waste and toxins away

2. Water acts as a lubricant for our joints! It's helps reduce stiffness and enables us to move more easily.

3. Water helps regulate our body's temperature and keeps us cool in hot weather through persipration

4. Water stimulates our brains! Our body is 60% water and our brain needs water to function properly. So if you find yourself unable to focus or experiencing headaches, reach for a glass of water instead of caffeine!

Stay active and anything is possible!

Motivation or is it self discipline?

As a personal trainer, one of my goals is to motivate my clients to maintain their exercise program, eat healthy, and get enough sleep! But what I actually do is "inspire" my clients. It's up to each individual to "motivate" themselves and it takes "self discpline" to live a healthy lifestyle. This means making healthier choices when eating and chosing to be active instead of sedentary. This takes self discpline and it's not always easy! But as I've always believed, health is worth working hard for. We have only one life to live and let's enjoy it to the max!