Lifestyle Focus June 2006

A JOURNAL OF HOLISTIC FITNESS & HEALTH COOKIES BY CRAWFORD WORKOUT OF THE MONTH WATERING THE GARDEN II

5 PHASES OF YOUR WORKOUT BREAKING DOWN THE WORKOUT SESSION

GRATITUDE

AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT GRATITUDE

THE

ISSUE 5 JUNE 2006

LIFESTYLE FOCUS

Introduction 3

An overview of this month’s issue.

Features 8 Gratitude Linda Crawford 10 5 Phases of your workout Karl MacPhee

Watering the Garden

Publishers Linda Crawford Karl MacPhee Donna Woodhouse Design Karl MacPhee KMP Training Solutions Cover Karl MacPhee Photo by Karl MacPhee Archives Archives can be sent upon Request at : [email protected]

13 Cookies by Crawford

Workout of the Month

THE LIFESTYLE FOCUS

A JOURNAL

OF

HOLISTIC FITNESS & HEALTH

9

In depth look at the 5 phased workout

The Lifestyle Focus Is published monthly and is distributed exclusively to our clients and colleagues with the intention of holistic fitness education.

Welcome Welcome readers, May has come and gone, now we are into the summer weather, more and more people are active in the river valley and Edmonton has plenty of events planned for the next 2 months! As I was riding my bike through the River Valley this month, I was often thinking about how nice it is to ride without having to get all bundled up in the cold and snow. It is so beautiful down there in the mornings as the city comes to life, and in the evenings all the fitness warriors are out to sweat in the sun. We have many things to be grateful for in this country of ours. In this edition of The Lifestyle Focus, Linda teaches us a short and powerful lesson about how we can use Gratitude in our daily routine.

Wonderful, we can sometimes be left with our hands tied wondering what to do. For that reason, I provide you with a short and practical essay on the 5 Phased Workout followed by an example of how that workout style can be put together. What’s a magazine without a great cookie recipe and a pew tidbits on how to improve your life! Please enjoy the June edition of The Lifestyle Focus and pass it on to your friends and family. Linda and I want to thank all of you who have given us your feedback, we appreciate your honesty and enjoy the learning process. Yours in Fitness, Karl MacPhee PFT, CFC, AFLCA

THE LIFESTYLE FOCUS

A JOURNAL

OF

HOLISTIC FITNESS & HEALTH

Each day in the media, we seem to have a new workout system, and a new diet plan. Although this new information is

Events Spring Tune Up April 23rd, 2006 Body by Bennett

Holistic Health Retreat June 25, 2006 Body By Bennett

Holistic Fitness Triathlon May 13, 2006 Edmonton River Valley

Family Fitness Event August 2006 Edmonton River Valley

www.kmptrainingsolutions.blogspot.com

Issue 5 June 2006 3

Holistic Health and Fitness Community The month of May had plenty of fitness events within the Holistic Health and Fitness community. My nephew Karl was home from Denmark so we decided to try out our new “baby” trailer and he loved it.

THE LIFESTYLE FOCUS

A JOURNAL

OF

HOLISTIC FITNESS & HEALTH

At Ross Sheppard, we had a one week Cardio Commute Challenge which had people sweating their way to work for a total of 50+ hours of self propelled travel!

The Corporate Challenge brought out the competition in the last two weeks of May. Jen is finishing her team orienteering race and after 32 minutes of “not knowing where the next flag was” she appeared with a sigh of relief to her teammates. Moral of the story...never give up!

“Thank you for organizing this great event.” Lou B.

“I really enjoyed my week and wanted to thank you for showing me how it can be done.” Deb L.

Early in May, Karl took a group of students to Spokane to participate in the Bloomsday 12km run. For more information on future seminars and events, please call Karl at 469-5502 or Linda at 484-9587. We would love to see you and your friends at our next Retreat! Yours in Fitness...

Issue 5 June 2006 4

Gratitude...

THE LIFESTYLE FOCUS

A JOURNAL

OF

HOLISTIC FITNESS & HEALTH

Linda Crawford

Ah….the beautiful experience of gratitude! Remember the one that makes you feel like your heart is wide open and you are fully present to receiving all the beauty that surrounds you in each and every moment. Is this your approach to your health and the gift of life or is it from a space of lack? This month’s article will focus on the benefits of approaching life from the perspective of abundance in what we have available to us. I believe there is no mistake why each of us is on this planet and why in this very moment you are reading this article…in other words there are no coincidences. Everything is happening for a reason because some place in you has willed it so. Now you may be saying, no way did I intend ill health, disease, suffering and chronic pain in my health. Here’s the deal, I am not saying you did it deliberately but someplace inside of you unconsciously chose the experience of unfit, unwell and unhealthy. One small shift can change all of this in an instant if you are willing to begin practicing the art of being thankful. Simply waking every morning and going to bed every night with 1,2, 3 or as many things in which you feel gratitude for. Here are some examples to get the ball rolling: I AM GRATEFUL THAT I HAVE STRONG LEGS THAT ALLOW ME TO WALK

I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE ABUNDANCE OF HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE GIFT OF MOVEMENT AND HOW IT MAKES ME FEEL I AM GRAETFUL FOR MY BODY AND HOW IT ALLOWS ME TO BE, DO AND HAVE I AM GRATEFUL FOR WAKING UP TODAY I AM GRATEFUL FOR REST AND RECOVERY TIME So there you have it, simple thoughts and ideas that focus on what you have, on what you want versus the lack of. Just this small simple change will begin to create and manifest miracles in your own life when it comes to your health as you will have eyes wider open to new and wonderful possibilities that you may have never noticed before. I challenge you to sign up for our next summer retreat on June 25th from 9-4pm where we will be going into this in greater detail and where you will have the opportunity to create your own gratitude journal. Check out the section in the newsletter with greater details and YOU WILL BE THANKFUL FOR ATTENDING! Cheers for a wonderful summer experience and to challenging yourself to focusing on the incredible health and wellness that is yours!

I AM GRATEFUL THAT I CAN BREATH NATURALLY AND WITH EASE Linda Issue 5 June 2006 5

5 Phased Workout Karl MacPhee Regardless of how you exercise, your workouts should have specific phases that contribute to the end goal. Whether you are doing a cardio, strength, movement, or a meditation based workout, you will go through what I call the 5 phases of a workout. Each phase, as stated earlier, has it’s specific purpose and builds into the following phase with a specific goal in mind as well. Each phase has been given a number and a name identifying it’s order and purpose. As you read through the article, think about your workouts and create a strategy to incorporate the 5 phases into your routines.

THE LIFESTYLE FOCUS

A JOURNAL

OF

HOLISTIC FITNESS & HEALTH

Phase 1 (warm-up or transition) As we transfer into our workout our body and our mind both require a few minutes to move from the activity we were doing to the activity we plan to do. This is evident in professional sports when the teams come out for a 20 minute warm up prior to the game so that they can transfer their focus from being with family and friends to the specific movement patterns required to perform at a high level. Another example would be the 10-15 minutes at the start of your yoga practice. In this time, you sit quietly, preparing yourself for the next 60 minutes by focusing on your breathing, and eventually moving into the sun salutations. Generally, most people warm up by spending 10 minutes spinning on a bike, or walking on a treadmill with limited focus on what will be ahead for them in the next 45 minutes. This warm-up may seem like it works, however, it does not stimulate the nervous Issue 5 June 2006 11

system enough to effectively prepare the mind/body connection for the movement requirements of the workout. A simple suggestion would be to grab a ball such as a soccer ball and spend 10 minutes dribbling, kicking to a partner or a wall so that you “wake up” the nervous system. Completing such a warm-up will get the juices flowing, and you will have some fun while working on your dexterity. Phase 2 (Dynamic Warm-up) Now that you have an elevated heart rate and have been moving for 10 minutes, it is time to move a bit closer to the movements you will be doing in the workout. By taking a broomstick or wooden dowel and using it in similar motions as you would in squats, lunges, presses and other lifts, you are telling the mind/body to prepare for the workout. It is like calling a friend to tell them you will be over in a few minutes for dinner. Immediately your friend will begin preparations for the dinner so that things will flow smoothly when you arrive.

5 Phased Workout Karl MacPhee Phase 3 (Strength Component)

Phase 4 (Cardio Intervals)

By now you are well warmed up and are ready to toss around some iron! The strength component is usually recognized as “the workout” and most people will get out of the car and head to the weights. This is the recipe for injuries. Taking the 15-20 minutes to move and elevate the heart rate will increase your range of motion and your cardiovascular fitness. Keeping the strength component short and intense over the next 20-30 minutes will suffice whereas most recreational athletes will spend upwards of 2 hours in the gym sitting around

Depending on what you are training for, cardio intervals or cardio can be placed into phase 4 of the workout. Rather than using all of your energy in the beginning of the workout, it is beneficial to spend 10 minutes in a high intense interval based cardio component after you have fatigued the body. Having said that, Phases 3 & 4 can be interchanged depending on what you are training for. If you are training for a specific event, then the main focus will be in Phase 3 and if you are training for general fitness, Phase 4 works best with intervals. Again, developing fitness programs follows science, experience and a bit of creativity so consulting a professional is time well invested.

THE LIFESTYLE FOCUS

A JOURNAL

OF

HOLISTIC FITNESS & HEALTH

Phase 5 (Cool Down)

talking to their workout partners. If you are in an interval workout, the Strength Component is the main set comprising of the most difficult interval sets. For more information on building your workouts into 5 phases, contact: Karl at [email protected] “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going” Beverly Sills Issue 5 June 2006 7

Phase 5 is often neglected for many reasons, however it is just as important as phases 1 through 4. Static stretching—holding a stretch for a period of 15-30 seconds– is the most common form of cooling down. My belief is that 5 minutes of light dynamic stretches—slowly moving and holding for 5-10 seconds each— is key to the cool down. After 5 minutes complete a few static stretches, move into breathing exercises while in child's pose, reflect on your workout and transfer into your duties that follow the training session. The workout of the month on page 9 will be an example of the 5 phased workout you can follow. For more information please contact Karl at [email protected]

Watering the Garden Just as a garden requires a large amount of care to grow into a beautiful source of energy and nutrition in the future, we require just as much care and attention to succeed as a healthy human being. This month we would like to look at what love does for our bodies. Without love, our gardens will become overgrown with weeds and will dry out, leaving us with no healthy food to feed our body. Without love, we no longer feel wanted and lose our sense of belonging. Incorporating more love into our daily routine will fill your “love tank” This love will then be returned leading to a healthier and happier you. Just be sure to love unconditionally!

If you have a story or a favorite recipe, please let us know so we can feature it in a future journal.

Cookies by Crawford THE LIFESTYLE FOCUS

A JOURNAL

OF

HOLISTIC FITNESS & HEALTH

DRY INGREDIENTS 1 Cup whole wheat flour 2 cups oatmeal Handful each of sunflower seeds, unsweetened coconut, raisins and pumpkin seeds 1 tsp. each of baking powder and baking soda Pinch of sea salt

WET INGREDIENTS 1 Cup of brown rice syrup 2 cups of applesauce 1 tsp. of vanilla ½ cup of Almond Milk Mix the wet ingredients with beater and add in all the dry ingredients. Consistency should be moist and lumpy, spoon onto greased baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 Degrees. A yummy treat perfect with a cup of tea! Enjoy

Issue 5 June 2006 8

Workout of the Month

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Option 1: Toss a football, baseball, Frisbee or boomerang.

Dynamic Warm-up:

3 Circuits of 12-15 each of

Exercises such as jumping jacks, lunges, arm swings, squats, twist hops, leg swings, push-ups, downward dog, and a few core drills on a ball. Complete each exercise for 30 seconds

Pull Ups or Chin Ups

Dumbbell Curl to Shoulder Press

10 minutes

10 minutes

20-30 minutes

Phase 4

Phase 5

Phase 6

Intervals:

Dynamic Triangle Stretch Dynamic Hip Flexor Stretch Downward Dog and Warrior Series Move into a few static stretches for the hips, chest, shoulders, lats, and the hamstrings. Enjoy a 10-20 minute post workout meditation

Take the time to make the most nutritious, organic meal you can make. Treat yourself for your effort throughout the workout.

THE LIFESTYLE FOCUS

A JOURNAL

OF

HOLISTIC FITNESS & HEALTH

Option 2: Kick a soccer ball, hacky sac, dribble a basketball, or play with your child.

5 x 30 seconds hard (bike) with 1:30 recovery

10 minutes

Issue 5 June 2006 9

Dumbbell Walking Lunges Dumbbell Chest Press

This meal will refuel and prepare the body for the next workout.