Mobility at work

Recently I had the pleasure of giving a joint mobility seminar at one of the government departments - Environment Canada - where a friend of mine works. A frequent participant at my workshops, this friend is a now strong advocate of mobility training and she did all the planning and administration for this workshop. It was such a great experience to have 20 people sign up (16 people responded on the first day it was advertised) and attend this workshop. Space was limited to 20; also, as an instructor, this was a manageable number. We created a waiting list for those who did not get in to this session.

Because this workshop was being held during the lunch hour, time was limited to 75 minutes, the time usually allotted to yoga classes or aerobics. This shorter format was new for me as I have done 2-3 hour workshops in the past, each on upper body mobility and lower body. Given the time constraints, I focused on providing a brief background and some of the benefits of mobility practice, as well as the underlying principles, most of which in fact apply to all physical skill development, not just mobility practice.

The principles are:

1. Intuition – you know best. Our bodies are hard-wired to communicate problems, if we would only listen to them and act upon those hunches.
2. Universal - Everyone will develop in a universally predictable pattern moving from recovery to coordination to refinement – e.g. locomotion (sit, crawl, stand up, walk)
3. Incremental – you must have baby steps to ensure development is permanent. Progress must be gradual in order to be permanent. Don’t rush.
4. Personal – we each develop in our own unique timing. E.g. various joints will progress differently compared to someone else.
5. Sophistication – simple to the sophisticated. Human nature progresses from the simple to the complex, from the general to the specific. KISS principle only applies to the beginning of any skill. If you continue at a simple level, you become bored, stop adapting, and reach a plateau in your development. Repetitive stress injuries also occur from doing the same thing too often.
6. Holistic – Progress from the head downwards, from the center to the periphery. This is how we progress from infancy. To reclaim and refine your pain-free health and longevity follow this pattern in your practice.
7. Integrative – we need to integrate our breathing, movement and structure, in order to get into flow. Injuries, stress, restricted movement, even fear, all seek to disintegrate our breathing, structure and movement.
8. Compensation – limited mobility, aches, pains, may not be the source of the issue. It may actually be on the opposite side of the body. Aches and pain may be some compensation for a hidden issue on the other side of the body.
9. Symmetry – we must explore our body in symmetry to get into flow. We do this through complementary movements. Forward/ backward, left/right, up/down. Mirror a painful movement: if it hurts to move one way, move the opposite way. Move to the tension not through tension.
10. Fun – do not add or increase the pain. Enthusiastically explore the movement. Enjoy what you’re doing.  Explore this as your personal physical odyssey. If you have pain in your body, adding pain is not going to help.

After this, we went through the Intu-flow system of mobility exercises, working from the head down, and the center to the periphery. We then spent a few minutes on a balance drill which most participants being yoga people executed very well. Then I gave several exercises for practicing breathing with movement. These were unusual and caused some chuckling but it was all fun. We finished with a couple of movements intended to test the mobility of the hips and the shoulders. These gave participants a better idea of what they needed to on.

I was amazed at how much we were able cover in such a short time. If you would like this kind of seminar to be brought to your place of work, please contact me. Even 60 minutes would suffice. This sort of system is recommended for everyone but it's especially useful to office workers and anybody who spends long periods sitting in front of a computer. Participants will absorb what is useful and have exercises they can take away and practice on their own before, during or after work.

Quinoa pasta salad

Quinoa (pronounced keenwa) is a grain crop grown primarily for its edible seeds.  It is a pseudocereal as true cereals are part of the grass family. It is high in protein and fiber and has a unique nutty flavour. 

If you haven't already discovered pasta made from quinoa, you are in for a treat. Although it is best eaten unprocessed, quinoa in pasta form is versatile and makes a great substitute for traditional wheat pasta, since wheat in any form is something to be avoided.

With this in mind, I hope you enjoy this recipe for quinoa noodles with spinach and tomatoes as much as I did.

Quinoa noodles with spinach and tomatoes

Ingredients

Makes 2 servings

·         1 227g package gluten-free quinoa pasta

·         1 red onion, chopped

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         2 10- to 12-ounce containers grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes

·         3 garlic cloves, pressed

·         2 5- to 6-ounce packages baby spinach

·         ¼ up Feta or goat cheese

·         3 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram, divided

·         1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

·         Additional finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

·         Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return cooked pasta to same pot.

·         Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onions until soft. Add tomatoes; sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic; stir 30 seconds.

·         Add 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid to skillet and stir, scraping up browned bits. Add tomato mixture with juices, spinach, 2 teaspoons marjoram, and crushed red pepper to pasta in pot; toss over low heat just until spinach begins to wilt, adding more pasta cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if dry, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl; add cheese and remaining 1 teaspoon marjoram. 

For a quicker meal, cook some organic quinoa macaroni. Add your favourite sauce, some olive oil and seasonings and enjoy.

Celebrate Organic Week!

Did you know that September 19-27th is Organic Week in Canada? The goal is to give Canadians the opportunity to learn about the importance of organic food and to support organic farming in Canada. Did you also know the organic food market, according to industry analysts, is the most dynamic and rapidly growing sector of the global food industry? Once a small-scale niche market, this sector has seen dramatic growth with organic food consumption developing at a faster rate than production. This is good news for the consumer, for the environment and for the future of farming.

What is organic agriculture?

Producers of organic foods work in harmony with nature. Organic agriculture uses a holistic production system which uses sustainable farming methods. These farmers respect ecological balance by adding fertility to soil, biodiversity to farms, and sustainability to the entire operation. Indeed, organic producers agree not to use GMOs, synthetic herbicides, pesticides or fungicides; irradiation, chemical fertilizers, sewage sludge, or antibiotics. Yes, large commercial agricultural businesses use these disgusting methods which are harmful to the environment, are unsustainable, and ultimately, are harmful to our bodies.

How do you know if something is truly organic?

Certification bodies inspect and designate farms as certified organic based on a set of guidelines meeting or exceeding minimum requirements set out by the National Organic Standard. No prohibited materials may be used for 3 years prior to certification. Once a business is certified organic, it labels its food with the name of the certification body or the certification number. Canada has a federally legislated standard for organic agriculture which will limit the use of the word “organic” on products and provide a “Canada Organic” logo to be displayed on organic products.

Yes, organic foods usually (but not always) cost more. But if you think about it, cost is the main reason Big Agriculture uses the methods they do: to save themselves money and sell more products! As the vitamin, mineral and nutritional content of food declines, coupled with a dramatic rise in noxious contaminants ending up in our food, the food industry is literally destroying our food supply.

Still not convinced? There’s more.

Earlier this year a Swedish family decided to switch from eating conventional food to organic to find out what happens in the body. They had their urine analyzed before and after just a two week period of eating exclusively organic food. The result was astonishing. Pesticides, fungicides and plant growth regulators were found in the before samples. After two weeks, almost all the pesticides had disappeared. The concern about ingesting pesticides is especially worrisome when you consider that chemicals are much more harmful when combined than they are on their own.

The study was conducted by the Swedish Environmental Research Institute IVL, and the full report is available at: https//www.coop.se/organiceffect

Try the organic challenge...

Inspired by this family’s experience, I challenge readers to try a similar experiment. Can you go 100 per cent organic for two weeks? Whether you choose to have the urine analysis, or just see try the experiment to see if you can do it, the point is, you will find out if it is something that works for you. Each year organic farms keep thousands of pounds of agri-chemicals out of streams, soil tables, animal habitats, rivers and human beings. When you consider everything we get from growing organically, it’s amazing we don’t have to spend more than we do!

Cardio Kickboxing at Stronger You

These two words seem to grab people's attention like nothing else in the fitness world. Apparently people love to hit and kick things to loud music with a fast beat. In our high stress world, perhaps this should not come as a surprise. People are looking for an outlet and this is not only a healthy one but it is a lot of fun too. You don't have to think, just follow, and do. By the time the class is over, you've had a serious workout and you didn't even realize it. Well, maybe you noticed there was effort required, but the time flies by and you are having so much fun, you don't notice the minutes ticking by.

This month at Stronger You Martial Arts, we've kicked off our new fitness program, calling it Cardio Kickboxing. This new name has gained and is gaining increasing attention. But unlike other programs of the same name, this program is truly a well-rounded fitness regime. It includes the two cardio classes, two strength training classes which emphasize core and grip strength, and one circuit training class that combines strength and conditioning in one workout.

This class includes a series of workout stations using a variety of equipment to challenge every muscle in your body. There is the mighty battle rope for cardio, climbing rope for building grip, arm and back strength, clubbells for shoulder strength and mobility, kettlebells for cardio and muscles in the posterior chain, parallettes for progressing to full pushups, rings for variety of exercises, and the list goes on. You won't get bored with this program. There is so much variety: some of it you will like, but all of it will benefit you beyond your expections.

This is what makes our program unique: variety. And we the strength element, which is crucial, is not overlooked. Cardio is great but strength training is equally important, to build lean muscle mass as we get older.

As well, we warm up with joint mobility, preparing the body for the work ahead. This step should not be overlooked before any workout. It is necessary to staying healthy and injury-free.

If all this sounds like too much for the shape you in at this moment, or if you feel that you don't have the skills required to do these movements, don't worry. All these programs can be adjusted for your particular fitness level. And you will learn the skills as you go. Many of those who sign up have not had any previous experience. We are here to help everyone.

If you read all this and think to yourself, that's great but I do not like to work out with a group of people around. Perhaps you feel self-conscious or have other reasons for preferring one-on-one sessions. No problem, you can contact me for personal training. I can train you privately or with friends or family members of your choosing. Get a custom program suited to your specific needs.

On the other hand, if you are already in pretty good shape and are looking for a program to stay in shape for the winter months, look no further than our Kickboxing Program. You will not be disappointed.

And the best part is the people at Stronger You are the most warm and welcoming people that you will ever meet anywhere. We have a strong social community that is infectious. So beware, once you arrive, you will want to keep coming back.

For the class schedule, please click here: Fit Forever classes.

Plant indoles and hormone balance

If you follow my blog, you know that I am not a heavy promoter of vitamin supplementation and I certainly don’t promote any brand names. Nutrients are best absorbed and utilized by the body when they are ingested in their natural form: that is, in the whole food which contains them. Removing select nutrients and packaging them in a pill is not the best way take in the required micro-nutrients.

Nevertheless I do believe in taking a vitamin/mineral supplement to do just what the name implies: supplement my diet. That is, I take it as insurance that I am getting enough micro-nutrients. So I don’t take supplements instead of good nutrition, but in addition to eating a healthy diet.

Now there is one supplement that I have been taking for a very long time that I would like to tell you about. It’s called diindolylmethane, or DIM for short. Its chief benefit is that it helps to balance hormones.

What is it?

Diindolylmethane is a plant indole – a compound with health promoting properties. DIM and other plant indoles are found in all cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. These plants have been cultivated for centuries and were originally used as medicines.

What does it do?

About 20 years ago, scientists discovered that when broccoli was added to the diets of study animals, it prevented certain forms of cancer. Adding DIM and other plant indoles to their diets had the same effects. Many of the health promoting effects arise from a beneficial shift in the balance of the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone.

Why DIM in a pill?

When you chew raw or lightly cooked vegetables, plant enzymes are activated, which allows DIM to enter your body. But to get the most benefit from the indole, you would need to consume very large quantities of raw vegetables each day. To overcome this problem, absorbable forms of pure DIM have been developed as dietary supplements that use special absorption-enhancing formulas.

How does it work?

Because of its similar structure to estrogen, DIM stimulates more efficient estrogen metabolism. Initially, I took DIM for its cancer-fighting properties. But it has, at least so far, proven to be very helpful in easing the symptoms of menopause. At 53, I have experienced almost no menopausal symptoms. 

A slow metabolism of estrogen, which leaves too much unmetabolized active estrogen (called estradiol) in the body, can be a problem for both women and men. The proper dose has been shown to shift metabolism of estrogen in women to favour the good metabolites. Clinical studies show that reduction of cancer risk is associated with this shift.

There are other benefits to taking DIM including promotion of weight loss through a more active fat metabolism; and improved efficiency of muscle-building and fat-burning conditioning programs.

Lastly, there are no harmful side effects associated with supplemental DIM when taken within standard guidelines. Therefore in my experience it is a supplement worth taking for hormone balance and the associated lowered risk of cancer. And don't forget to continue to eat your broccoli.

Stewed summer vegetables

Okay summer's almost over but there's still time to make this easy stew. This recipe incorporates zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes on the vine. You’ve likely tried a version of it before but this one has no onions. Now I love onions, but if you have an intolerance to onions, you will appreciate this recipe. And even if you like onions, you will be surprised how good it still tastes without them. Of course, there's no saying you can't add them if you wish. 

Although it breaks my one-pot rule, this recipe is simple to make and well worth the extra dishes. Eventually, all the ingredients make it into one pot to simmer on low heat.

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 2 zucchini, also cubed
• 3 large vine tomatoes, chopped roughly and with vines retained
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed, left whole
• A few sprigs of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper

Method

1.    Heat up a large frying pan. Now put the eggplant into a colander and sprinkle with salt, then set over a bowl.

2.    Put a little oil into the pan and fry the zucchini for a couple of minutes, browning each side. Set aside in a bowl. Do the same with the red pepper.

3.    Quickly rinse the eggplant of the excess salt under running water, spread out on a tea towel and pat dry then fry and add to the rest of the veg.

4.    Lastly, cook the tomatoes in the pan for 3 minutes, then add the garlic cloves and all of the vegetables back into the pan with the thyme and bay leaves. Cover, turn down the heat, and cook for 20 minutes.

5.    After 20 minutes turn off the heat, lift the cover, season with salt and pepper, then throw in the reserved tomato vines for a minute before serving.

Enjoy this amazing stew as a side dish or a meal on its own. You won't be disappointed.

Sally's six tips for healhy eating

For some, eating well can be an overwhelming and formidable prospect. But it doesn’t have to be. The following tips for good nutrition are my top six choices to get you started.

1. Eat mindfully
2. Drink more water
3. Eliminate soft drinks
4. Prepare/ cook your own food
5. Buy high quality meat and produce
6. Eat to 80% full

By eating mindfully, I mean be conscious about your food choices. Mindlessly grabbing whatever is within reach is not a good strategy. Hopefully the food choices you make are healthy ones, but at the very least the food that you put in your mouth should be a conscious decision.

Drinking more water is a no-brainer. We hear this all the time but it remains an important element to good health. The body is composed of 80% water and as such we need to keep it well hydrated. The best way to do this is to drink water. There is much debate about tap water vs bottled and distilled water but the main goal is to get water that is free of contaminants. Tap water is safe to drink but you can make it better by filtering out the chlorine and fluoride. Most bottled water is the same as water from your tap and it is an abomination to the environment.

Eliminating soft drinks and other heavily sweetened drinks is a must for the health-minded individual. Soft drinks are responsible for sky-rocketing rates of obesity and diabetes in North America and contribute significantly to rapid tooth decay. These drinks have no redeeming nutritive value. While water is the best alternative, even fruit juice is preferable to soft drinks as they contain vitamin C and they do not contain the added chemicals found in soft drinks. Also, many drinks are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, a refined sweetener that is even worse than ordinary cane sugar. Avoid this cheap alternative to sugar at all costs.

Preparing your own food – as in making up a salad or a sandwich – and cooking your own food is a big step to healthier eating. By doing so, you know what goes into your food preparations and you can control the quality of the ingredients. Eating well is all about making high quality food choices: buy fresh, local produce whenever possible. Organic is ideal when budgets allow. Buy local meat that is free of hormones and antibiotics from animals that are raised and butchered in a humane manner. Preparing your own food also means you will be ingesting fewer chemicals, preservatives and other harmful additives that are hidden in packaged foods.

Not overeating at any one sitting is not only essential for maintaining a healthy weight but will ease the burden on your digestive system. This is especially important as we age. Overwork of the digestive system is one of the most common digestive difficulties in North America. Many people of advanced years have attributed their longevity to purposeful under-eating.

By following these six tips, you can make signifcant improvements to your health. For a more personalized approach to improving your nutrition, please contact me for a private consultation. 

Looking ahead to the fall

Happy September everyone! It has been a quiet summer in terms of blogging but I hope to get back at it. I thought I'd start by sharing my plans on the fitness front for the coming fall season. Last fall Stronger You Martial Arts opened their brand new larger training space on Strandherd at Cedarview. I ran three classes a week, each focusing on different modalities: kettlebells, bodyweight, and clubbells. Those who came enjoyed the classes and feedback was positive, however enrollment was limited to a few committed individuals.

This year Stronger You and Fit Forever are joining forces. We have hatched a new plan aimed at filling a perceived need from the community: cardio-kickboxing and circuit training are coming to Stronger You! Participants will get a good cardio workout and in the process will get a big stress release in the form of punching and kicking heavy bags to the beat of high-energy music. Fun and fitness all in one package.

Circuit training will entail stations set up throughout the training space, ranging from battle ropes, rings, kettlebells, clubbells, bosu and thera-band balls, dumbbells and bodyweight exercises. You will move from station to station in regular intervals. 

Other days you might come in and do a challenging strength and core workout on a suspension trainer.

There will be 5-6 classes per week to choose from. Come to as many classes as you wish. The more time and effort you put in, the more you will notice an improvement in your fitness level – cardio and strength - and you will leave feeling energized and good about yourself for your efforts. As your stress decreases, so too will your weight as these classes will burn calories like nothing else. But you won’t notice how hard you’re working because you’ll be having too much fun.

These three flavours provide a broad base from which to fulfill your fitness goals. Choose the ones which best fit your schedule and which appeal to you the most. We provide the motivation, the equipment and the space, and the instructors. All you have to do is register, show up and do your best.

So bring your friends and have a good time getting in shape this fall at Stronger You Martial Arts in Barrhaven. Classes will be taught by yours truly; by Janet Heffernan, co-owner and head instructor of Stronger You; or by one of our qualified assistant instructors. My classes will include the unique Fit Forever signature joint mobility exercises and strength building tools - kettlebells and clubbells.

Keep your eyes open for the schedule which will be available shortly. Classes begin Monday, September 14th. Contact me directly or Stronger You Martial Arts for more information.