Lifestyle Focus October 2006

A JOURNAL OF HOLISTIC FITNESS & HEALTH SWISS MUESLI YOGURT WORKOUT OF THE MONTH

WHY?

ASKING TOUGH QUESTIONS TO

SPARK GROWTH

LINKING PLEASURE TO FITNESS FINDING

A

REASON

TO SWEAT

THE

ISSUE 9 OCTOBER 2006

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Publishers

Introduction 3

An overview of this month’s issue.

Features 5

Why? Linda Crawford

6

Linking Pleasure to Fitness Karl MacPhee

Recipe of the Month

Linda Crawford Karl MacPhee Jennifer MacPhee Donna Woodhouse Design Karl MacPhee KMP Training Solutions Cover Karl MacPhee Photo by Karl MacPhee Archives

8 Swiss Muesli Yogurt

Workout of the Month

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9 Fall Boot camp Workout

Archives can be sent upon Request at : [email protected]

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

Welcome Welcome readers, We are well into October, Thanksgiving is passed us and we are now looking forward to celebrating Remembrance Day to honor those men and women who made the amazing sacrifice to leave the comfort of a peaceful country to protect what we believe in. Not only did they sacrifice themselves for their fellow countrymen and women, they did it for the safety and freedom of the entire world! That is something we can be thankful for!

that you will be excited to do. Please enjoy the October 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

This month, although a bit late, has plenty of new features, such as links within the newsletter itself, which makes it easier to navigate, more ways to contact Linda and Karl through email, and the internet. In this month’s issue, you will experience the power of asking Why?

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You will also learn to link pleasure to fitness, and you will find a cool new recipe and an amazing social workout

Events

Saturday Morning Workout Saturday Mornings at the Edmonton River Valley Parks Contact Karl or Linda for more information Karl—469-5502 e-mail here Linda—484-9587 e-mail here

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Holistic Health and Fitness Community On October 1st Linda and I hosted another Holistic Health and Fitness 1 Day Retreat at Body By Bennett. Although the numbers were low, we had a wonderful time and shared in a number of different activities to build the Holistic Health Tool Box ...

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Early in the day we tapped into our creative side as Linda lead us in a discussion called Attitude for Gratitude. Here we are creating projects which reflect the things we are grateful for...

What’s a retreat without a little bit of fun? Fun with fitness is the name of the game, and here we are demonstrating that we can enjoy fitness at all levels; from the 20’s to the 70’s in this group!.

We moved on to a nice discussion over lunch and into an in depth discussion about Whole Foods....

The 6 Essentials of Fitness were discussed with amazing feedback, questions and comments from the group. It is amazing how simple fitness can be, yet we seem to find ways around it’s simplicity day after day...

And to wrap up the day, we worked through a short flowing Yoga session and into a relaxing guided meditation. Following a bit of serenity, we finished the day with a sharing circle and said our goodbye’s. Thank you to all who attended the day, you make our work more exciting each time!

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Why?... Linda Crawford

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This article is all about my current reality! My three year old daughter continually asks the proverbial question about everything and anything and it simply goes like this…”WHY?”! Depending on where I’m at, it is either very cute or very annoying. However, I practice patience by recognizing that she is at a stage in her life where curiosity is at its peak. In fact, let truth be told she taught me yet another life lesson. When was the last time you asked this question to yourself when it comes to how you look after YOU! Thanks to my daughter I began asking myself why questions related to my health and lifestyle…Why do I choose do to the things I do? Why do I choose to exercise daily whether it is in the form of resistance training, cardiovascular or flexibility? Why do I choose a diet full of whole foods, limiting dairy and meat options? Why do I choose going to bed at a decent hour every night? Why do I avoid going to any fast food outlet that serves greasy fries and burgers? Why do I read the articles and books on health? Why do I love to do Yoga? Why…well you get the point! What are your own questions when it comes to why you do what you do or don’t do relating to YOUR health and wellbeing? What answers come to mind and do they feel in alignment with what it is you truly want to achieve? I believe we can become so comfortable doing the same things time and again and never stop to assess whether or not they are still working or whether we are creating the results we desire.

body is telling you and only YOU what is truly going on. Let your body guide you – it is your best physician, more brilliant than our intellectual capacity therefore listen to your body versus what everybody else has to say. Please note that I am NOT saying medical authorities or any other expert in the field of health and wellness do not have something of value to share and offer BUT always listen from within and let that be your guide. Why?...Why Not? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain as you develop a closer bond with you and your body in your wondrous quest for optimal health and vitality. Enjoy the journey into greater why-being (I mean well-being ha-ha)! Linda Crawford FIT 4 YOU

When I look at the questions I posed for myself the answer was so clear…BECAUSE I AM WORTH IT, WITHOUT MY BODY TEMPLE WORKING AT ITS FULLEST CAPACITY I WOULD NOT BE, DO AND HAVE ALL THAT EXISTS FOR ME NOW. Something else to consider: are you doing what you are doing because you want to or because some “expert” says so. I also believe that we can become powerless in the arena of our health. It may feel easier to give our power away because someone has more credentials, more experience, and more letters beside their name. Your

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Visit Linda at: www.fitfouryou.com www.linds-crawford.blogspot.com [email protected]

Linking Pleasure to Fitness... Karl MacPhee How many ways can you link pleasure to

fitness? I can think of many, such as increased energy, weight loss, ability to

sleep well each night, sport performance, willingness to participate in things you may not have done in the past......

For the millions of people who exercise

each day, there are millions of reasons of

linking that pleasurable feeling—and

ple exercise because they want to look a

it— we are able to “justify” why we are

why they choose to exercise. Many peo-

feeling it is just as important as doing

certain way, run a marathon, compete in

doing what it is we are doing.

their 80’s and beyond, lift their grand

Rather than continuously thinking that

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a weigh lifting competition, dance into children...

“this run really hurts” or “I hate this

For each reason to exercise, there are

we need to attach a positive outcome

need to take place. Not everyone needs

are doing your last set of push ups and

have to lift 200kg over our heads. There

find a reason of why the short term

Yoga pose because it burns my legs”,

many different forms of training that

to the benefits of the action. When you

to run to become “fit”, and we all don’t

your chest is crying for a break, try to

is a happy medium and most of us just

pain will benefit you in the long run.

want to “be fit” and “feel healthy”.

What do you think the pioneers of our

Being fit and feeling healthy don’t hap-

country were thinking when they were

always the most pleasurable experience.

thing they had on their backs? Surely

pen overnight, and getting there is not

marching across the land with every-

However, is exercise really that uncom-

they were thinking of survival...

does? Are we socially trained to believe

Continued on page 8...

fortable? Does it hurt like we think it

that fitness training hurts, or that it is “too hard for me”? I have been given

every excuse in the world, and I have

used many of the same excuses to get out of a training session, or to cut a workout short.

Linking pleasure to fitness is a key component to our routine because by

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Linking Pleasure to Fitness... Karl MacPhee And by linking pleasure to living over dying,

Reflect on these results and ask yourself

they were able to continue on with their

why you continue to do so, and then take

journey. Now, I am not comparing a set of

the same amount of time to write down

lunges with the prospect of dying, however,

the pros which go with healthier lifestyle

by passing on our fitness routine—which

habits such as a daily walk, eating fresh

should include the 6 Essentials of Fitness—

whole foods, taking the time to relax and

we can certainly argue that you are taking

a regular exercise routine.

away from how vibrant your life can be. After some reflection on the pros and I heard a quote one time that I will always

cons, write a paragraph which explains in

remember...”It is not about adding years to

detail the pleasures you will receive from

your life, but adding life to your years.”

changing your “negative habits” to “positive practices”. Take this paragraph, post it on your fridge, office desk and at your bedside so that you are able to remind yourself why you are making changes in your life. It is not important for all of us to run a sub 4 minute mile, climb Mt. Everest, or to win a gold medal in the Olympics. It is important for us to set goals, work hard at reaching them and to set new goals

This quote allows us to take a step back

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and reflect on what it is that we really want...and that is LIFE to be added to our years. In order to add this life to our years, we can begin by writing down all of the cons that match our habits which take away from our health, such as drinking, smoking, fast food, and not exercising.

once obtained. Life is constantly changing, and we must change with it, but this does not mean that because we are getting older we should feel older. Do not allow yourself to accept that adding years to your life is good enough. It is the life in your years that is most beneficial...link pleasure to your life and the years will take care of themselves! Yours in fitness,

“If people only knew how hard I work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.” Michelangelo

Karl

Visit Karl at: www.kmptrainingsolutions.blogspot.com [email protected]

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Quote of the Month “I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” Pablo Picasso

Swiss Yogurt This month’s recipe comes from our recent trip to Switzerland, I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did!

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Each morning it is tradition for the people of many countries throughout Europe to wake and prepare a wholesome breakfast. This breakfast usually consists of eggs, bagels or croissants, various meats and a blend of yogurt, fruit and grains.

Necessary, add more yogurt, or muesli to make the mixture easy to stir. Serve and enjoy! This combination may not look pleasing to the eye, but trust me it tastes great while providing carbohydrates (fruit & muesli), protein (yogurt & muesli) and fat (yogurt & muesli).

This recipe is a bit of a “put together” that doesn’t require any measuring cups, or specific ingredients other than fruit of choice, yogurt of choice and some muesli. In a bowl that would serve about 4 people, chop, in very small pieces, 2-3 pieces of fruit such as apple, peach and strawberries. Pour about 3/4 to 1 cup of yogurt into the bowl and mix. If necessary, add more yogurt to make the mix so that the combination is more yogurt than fruit. Add about 1/2 cup of muesli to the mixture until it is completely covered in yogurt. If Issue 9 October 2006 8

Workout of the Month River Valley No Weight Workout This workout requires no equipment, a little bit of creativity and a group of people to share it with you. Organize a group of friends, coworkers, and family members who are at similar fitness levels, and meet in the River Valley at your chosen location. You can walk, jog, run or a combination of each throughout the workout. The “rules” for this workout are as follows: Rule 1: Have fun Rule 2: Be Creative Rule 3: Be Spontaneous Rule 4: Try Something New Before you begin, hand 1-3 exercises to everyone so that they are responsible for specific points throughout the workout. As you are moving along the trails, each person has the freedom to call out their exercise when they feel necessary.

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This is similar to “fartlek” training (speed play) which means that you choose to run fast to a certain object, run slow to another, and sprint to another. This type of training allows everyone to stay involved and it breaks up the flow of the workout, forcing the body to work harder, and so it will not adapt as quickly as it would when running or walking continuously. The following photos will provide a few examples of exercises which can be used. Combinations in this workout are endless, as long as you follow the rules.

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