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Star Reaching, Part Two

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Following up on yesterday’s Procrastination post…

Clearly, it’s not that the Oscar winning screen writer David Seidler or my ER-doctor-at-age-65 friend were negligent earlier in life. They were late bloomers because both had HUGE life circumstances to tackle before spinning the PATH to other dreams.

So often we think of procrastination as being lazy.  Let’s just put an end to that, shall we?

Procrastination is about not having a clear PATH to the top of the mountain. That lack of vision creates a discomfort that forces our focus away from our ultimate goal. Lack of clarity instills fear as well as distraction – fear of failure AND fear of success.  Change is hard, so a dream come true, as special as it might seem, can also seem pretty darn scary.

So, unless we have a clear plan, when we’re overwhelmed we instead turn to a lesser peak that has an obvious, assured and satisfying end. After all, we need to finish the day feeling accomplished.

“Vision without Action is a dream. Action without Vision is simply passing the time. Action with Vision is making a positive difference.” — Joel Barker, futurist and scholar.

Once we have keenly mapped our vision the PATH is clear and off we go.  It’s that simple. We’re BUSY, people!  And our passion will get us where we’re going, eventually.   It is my belief that all those smaller peaks lead to the epic summit. All forward motion preps us for the end in mind.  It’s important to forgive yourself along the way, rather than brow-beat for veering off the main road, for passing time.

One way to clear the PATH is to know your resources. You don’t always have to figure it out on your own. It’s my contention that most people don’t realize all the powerful resources at their fingertips both in the workplace and in the community. Know your benefits; that’s all I’m saying.

By way of example, the ER doc? Her husband worked for Ford Motor Company and she was able to go to school on a Ford tuition grant. Her membership to the fitness center where I worked was paid for by her hospital employee wellness program. And her complete confidence in treating gunshot victims high on crack? Chalk that up to a mentor program in her medical school, and 20 years of being a mom.

If you want to reach your goal, a little procrastination is inevitable. Overcoming it requires a re-focus on passion and vision, and a clear, determined map to the next steps. Ask yourself, when you get stuck, who (and what) can help you map it out?

“For I dipped into the future, far as human eye could see, Saw the vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be.” — Alfred Lord Tennyson

Let us know how you overcome moments of procrastination.

See you on the PATH Ahead!

Star Reaching, Part One

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I promised I’d write about procrastination this week.

Wouldn’t ya know it, by deadline I just hadn’t been able to get to it.

Slumped in a puffy chair, my face pressed into the upholstered arm, I bemoaned, “Ugh, I have to write my post.” What a whiner!

I sat up and stared at the page thinking, “I should get up and stretch.  No, just write.  But the Oscars are on! Oh, look, and there’s laundry to fold. Do I see dirty dishes that need washing?”

ARGH!

Just then the award for best original screenplay came up. The author of the movie The King’s Speech won. As he thanked the Academy, at age 73, he said, “My father always told me I’d be a late bloomer.” Screen writer David Seidler stuttered as a child and overcame the condition, therefore finding deep compassion in crafting a script about a speech impaired king tasked with leading a nation to war.  Seidler ended his address with, “to all the those who stutter, we now have a voice!”

After hearing his story, I was reminded of another late bloomer I knew.  When I began my career as an exercise physiologist 20 years ago, a 65 year old woman came to me and said, “I need more upper body strength because I’m doing my residency at Detroit Receiving Hospital in the emergency department. There are a lot of big fellas who come in all hyped up on drugs and I need to hold them down while I stitch ’em up.”

I gawked at her tiny visage, all of 5 feet tall and weighing in at 90 lbs.  “Residency?” I asked, “Um, when did you start medical school?”

“Well, I started my undergrad at 45 after the last of my ten kids were pretty much self-sufficient. I’ll be a full-fledged ER doc soon.”

And so she was. A mighty good one too — in one of the most difficult and dangerous hospitals in America. And she was strong because being so was her best means to carry out her passion of being a doctor.  When training with me, she wore a t-shirt that said “You can’t scare me, I have teenagers.”  Silly. But who better to serve a desperate ER than a mother of ten?!

These are my procrastination icons.  They truly are inspiration for getting “it” done no matter what the circumstances.  I’m inspired by their perseverance even when life distracted them to other causes.

Come on back tomorrow for more on where this procrastination message goes…

See you on Thursday’s PATH Ahead!

Gotta Be Startin’ Somethin’

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Today our friends in Maine start their challenge to virtually trek up Mt Everest.

Be Inspired! If you’re feeling like crawling back in bed today, think of 5,000 Maine school employees who are jumping off and rocking toward healthy living as you pull the covers overhead. Be like the lobster and skedaddle back out of bed and into an exciting day where all kinds of people are inspired enough to move more, eat a little less, and decompress better from their many stressors.

You are not alone! Thousands of others are working out, walking, eating fiber, meditating, doing yoga, working on their character strengths for happiness, and trying to sleep better in our wonderful PATH Community.

To keep the fire burning, here are a couple of quick tips on making exercise a priority:

  • Choose activities that you truly enjoy, and make sure you have a variety of options.
  • Start with small, 100% doable goals that lead to bigger dreams.
  • Make a commitment to yourself – renew it every single day (several times a day, if necessary).
  • Announce your intentions to key support people who can help you stay accountable.
  • Make essential equipment and clothing easily accessible.
  • Map out where you’ll go and what you’ll do each day so the logistics don’t bog you down.
  • Track your progress and make notes of the ways you feel different – no matter how small
  • Make a plan to do activities with others.
  • Reward yourself and celebrate as you go.

If you can’t think of anything to do to get you out and moving more, then just get up off your chair or couch right now and try this exercise with Olga:

Instructions:

  • Start with your legs a little wider than shoulder width – comfortably wide.
  • Put your hands on your hips.
  • Turn your right foot out to 90 degrees and slightly edge to toe of your left foot the same direction (toward your right heel).
  • Rotate your torso to the right.
  • Tighten up your thighs (lifting the knee caps), your lower back and stomach.
  • Exhale and bend at hips reaching your chest and head toward your right kneecap. The goal is to be able to touch the floor and rest your forehead on your shin – that’s advanced.
  • Stop bending forward when you feel tension, not strain.
  • Hold the pose for 30 seconds, then come back up to start and repeat on the other leg for 30 seconds.

Here’s the progression on how to get there:

This exercise, or “pose” as we call it, is named “Intense Side Stretch” in yoga. Experts say it helps loosen up the chest and shoulders, releases tension in the hips, improves balance, calms the mind, strengthens the legs, stretches the hamstrings, and improves digestion. Whew! A wonder drug? Perhaps.

It’s all better than sitting!

Let us know how you are making MOVING MORE a priority in YOUR life. See you on the PATH Ahead…

Heart Healthy Eating

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Anyone who knows me well, knows I don’t like the words “no,” or “don’t,” or “shouldn’t,” especially when it comes to food… To me, focusing on what you can’t or shouldn’t eat is a set up for failure and takes the pleasure out of eating.

So in honor of Heart Health Awareness Month, rather than focusing on what we shouldn’t eat, I thought I’d share some “heart-healthy” eating tips that work for my family.

“Eat the orange first.” My kids probably hear this mantra in their sleep I say it so often. When they hit the door after school, feeling ravenous and begging for the cookies or chips in the pantry, I say yes. Yes, you can have the cookies but eat the orange first (or apple, fresh veggie sticks, etc.). The healthy snack doesn’t prevent them from eating the junk, but they are more likely to be satisfied with 3 oreos vs. the whole sleeve. Same goes for pizza. My kids love it, it’s convenient and has become somewhat of a tradition at our house on Friday night. Once I caved to the pressure of pizza every Friday, I started serving a large, crunchy green salad alongside it and suggesting they eat some of it before they have their 2nd piece of pizza. I don’t limit how much pizza they can eat, but now they are more likely to stop after 2 pieces vs. the 3-4 they might otherwise have without a salad.

The keys to heart healthy eating are fairly simple and the science is pretty consistent* – eat lots of fruits and vegetables in a wide variety of colors, eat lots of fiber, reduce the amounts of sodium, cholesterol and saturated fats in your diet. In your efforts to eat Heart Healthy, focus on a couple simple things you CAN do:

– Prepare more meals at home. You will save money and it will be easier to make healthy choices when you are not being tempted with super-sized, high fat, high sodium and high calorie choices found on many restaurant menus.
– Eat lots of whole or simply prepared fruits and vegetables. Simply by increasing the amount of fruits and vegetable you consume, you will:

Here’s a recipe for Roasted Winter Vegetables to help you add some veggies to this week’s menu.
1. Gather an assortment of dense vegetables that you like. I use red skin potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli and red or yellow onion. Wash, peel and cut vegetables into consistent sized chunks so that everything cooks evenly. I usually cut the redskins in quarters and use that as my size guide for the other veggies.
2. In a bowl, toss the cut vegetables with a 1 – 2 T. of olive oil, a sprinkle of kosher salt and a grind or two of black pepper.
3. Dump the vegetables onto a shallow baking dish or sheet pan that you have coated with cooking spray or drizzled with oil.
4. Top with a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary and a couple of whole cloves of garlic.
5. Roast vegetables in a 350 degree oven until fork tender, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting. The time will depend on the quantity of vegetables you are cooking the size of the chunks. Typically, a fairly big tray of veggies takes me ~45 minutes to roast.

Let us know if you try the recipe. And remember, at PATH we believe “All Progress is Worthwhile.” What are the small incremental changes you can make to your diet to improve your heart health?

* You can learn more about heart-healthy eating by visiting the American Heart Association, the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health.

Heart Healthy Sleep Goes Red!

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Today begins week 4 of our PATH Adventure, Thirty Winks.  In addition to inviting participants to move more, we’ve sent 12,000 Vermonters on a personal quest for the treasure of good sleep.

In the first week, two people who sleep well wrote and asked why on earth would we bother with this topic.  Responding to the squeaky wheel, I decided to address this in the next Monday message.  I carefully touted stats such as, “74% of Americans experience a sleep issue at any given time” (Nat’l Sleep Foundation).  Chances are these people at least know a loved one who doesn’t sleep well.  And, perhaps one day they themselves might not be Rip Van Winkle; it could all come in handy eventually.

I also reminded people that all PATH programs are flexible.  We provide guidelines — solid public health guidelines mind you, but not mandates.  Knowledge is power, right? Do with it what you will and leave the rest on the table.

I hit publish and bit my nails.  Who else would write with disdain about our sleep story…

By 9 am the following Monday morning I’d heard from hundreds of people who are dealing with sleep issues in vast abundance, deeply grateful for the added focus beyond exercise and eating well alone.  Bring it on, they said! Now that’s what I’m talking about!  People who reach out and are ready to grow, ready to be heart healthy and full of life.

We listen carefully to what our participants say, in addition to watching statistics and research trends, and we have heard loud and clear that, energy and fatigue are the second biggest culprits that spoil great exercise or other heart healthy intentions (time being the first).

When we’re tired, we take short cuts and easily cave to wicked cravings.  That’s not terrible on occasion.  When it happens daily and builds up over months and into years, we’re looking at needing to reverse a hard wired set of undesirable habits.

February is also National Go Red for Heart Health Awareness month.  As it winds down, take heart that healthy sleep plays a huge role.  Giving your heart a chance to relax and recharge is central to the healing powers of 7-8 hours of shut-eye.  Don’t cheat your heart, or your brain for that matter.  Your memory and cognitive processing skills also require that you “sleep on it.”  Oh, and the color red?  It’s great for a bedroom to promote romance and relaxation.

Sleeping well is bolstered by exercise and exercise by sleep.  One plays off the other.  It’s an upward spiral that begins, as Lao Tzu said, “With a single step.”

Your heart is full, we know.  No one goes into education, government, or human service work for the fame and fortune.  Ha!  At PATH we are so grateful for the work you all do.  Therefore we want to help protect your heart so you can continue on this journey of helping others, fully endowed with the tools to endure.

Step toward one heart healthy action today, even if it’s just a simple step toward better sleep.  Here are three tips to nudge you forward:

  • Spend 10 minutes before bedtime quietly meditating on all that is good in your life.
  • Savor your favorite food treat.  Sit down, without distraction and slowly eat, really reveling in it.
  • Take a short, brisk stroll ANYWHERE (a little further than you normally walk now) – if you don’t currently walk, just try 10 minutes to get you started.

Hey, you gotta start somewhere and your heart and your dreams will thrive with every stride you make.

Sweet dreams, Go Red for heart health and we’ll see YOU on the PATH Ahead

Strengthy Lengthy Presidents!

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Happy President’s Day!

Three of our first and most famous presidents, George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson felt exercise was the key to longevity.  These presidents, along with Ben Franklin, and other founding fathers were avid walkers and horseback riders, and all were quick to seek out healthy foods.

Vice President Calvin Coolidge and Speaker of the House Fredrick Gillett exercise in the Congressional gym.

Granted they didn’t have much choice about the healthy foods since partially hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup hadn’t been invented yet.  Riding was a typical part of their day as well.  What is astonishing, however, is that Adams, Jefferson, Franklin and Washington all wrote that they didn’t feel a day was worth mentioning if they hadn’t walked at least five miles.

Now, these were the busiest people on the planet at the time.  Consider the demands on these gentlemen.  Consider the lack of technology to aid and speed their chores.  And yet they walked, on average, FIVE MILES A DAY each!

Imagine if they hadn’t taken these walks?  All four men lived past their 80s in an era where life expectancy for the wealthy at that time was no better than 60.  Not only did we gain from their longevity on earth, but consider the knowledge.  The think tanks created by those walks, that time to reflect, those iPod-less wonderings, built the foundation of a great nation and continue to inspire our character to this day.

Above and beyond walking, these four were also deeply connected to their farms and manual labor.  They chopped and stacked wood.  They plowed.  They worked it, so to speak.  These were physically commanding, strong bodies with strong willed characters (though Adams was a bit on the short side).  Oh, and we should mention that they were all further bolstered by equally fit, sturdy, eloquent, powerful and lovely women as well.  Talk about peer support.

So, in ode to our founders and their other halves today, we give you another of our favorite anywhere, anytime TRIED AND TRUE stretch and strengthen exercises:
If they could, so too ought we…

Because most of us are no longer “working it” on the farm, we have to fabricate the exercises that could take the place of speeding the plow.  One of our clear favorites is the Squat:

Instructions:

Start with feet shoulder width apart, your back flat and your stomach muscles tight.  Slowly bend at the hips and knees, lowering down to where your hips & knees are as close to a straight/parallel line to the floor as possible.  Your knees should be over your ankles and no push past your toes.

The best way to sense how a squat should feel, how you should lower your body, is to imagine sitting back on a chair with no arms.  A little more crass way to put it, and we apologize but it’s a universal understanding, is to sit your hips back as if you’re reaching back for the porcelain potty.

If you can’t reach parallel at first, no problem, work your way up to the that.  Hold the pose for a count of five and then press back up to standing.  Repeat for one minute (or as long as you can, working up to a minute).  Inhale as you lower your body, exhale as you press up to standing.  Move slowly to avoid momentum, and therefore working the muscles harder.

Let us know how you do with squats.  You can also do them against a wall with a yoga/exercise/stability ball.  We’ll give you details on that in another blog down the road!

See you on the PATH Ahead.

Foods We Love that Love Us Back!

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“Super foods.” We’ve all heard about these amazing foods that are not only nutritious but they boost energy, help regulate blood sugar, provide anti-aging benefits and are protective against cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers. The really good news here, folks – most of these foods taste GREAT, are inexpensive and easy to prepare!

While there appears to be widespread excitement around Super Foods, I found no reference to the concept on the CDC, USDA, FDA or the American Journal of Nutrition websites which leads me to suspect that this is more of a media term than a scientific one. Even still, my common sense tells me there is value in paying attention to how much of these foods I am consuming since the list jives so well with all the other nutrition advice we hear (eat whole foods, eat lots of fruits and veggies, eat plenty of fiber, etc.) And the more of these foods that find their way into my daily diet the less room there is for all the other stuff that I ought to be staying away from. (But enough about that because I am not at all into talking about shouldn’ts especially when it comes to food…)

Among the various lists I did find, (from Web MD, American Institute for Cancer Research, American Diabetes Association, and many others) everyone appears to agree on:
•dark leafy greens
•berries
•sweet potatoes
•whole grains
•beans
•nuts
•salmon (or other fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids)

Other foods that came up pretty consistently include:
•lowfat yogurt or skim milk
•garlic
•tomatoes
•bell peppers
•citrus fruit
•olive oil

To help you incorporate some of these super foods into your diet, here’s a short list of easy ideas that are inexpensive and quick to prepare, don’t require a complicated recipe, and call for ingredients that you might typically find in your pantry or fridge.

1) Make a breakfast smoothie made with frozen mixed berries, a couple tablespoons of lowfat, plain or vanilla yogurt and some orange juice (includes 3 Super Foods)
2) Serve instant oatmeal with blueberries, toasted walnuts and lowfat milk (ncludes 4 Super Foods)
3) Pack a sweet potato for lunch and cook 6-8 min. in microwave, about the same time it takes to micro a frozen lunch entrees (includes 1 Super Food)
4) Toss cooked whole grain pasta with a sauce made by sautéing minced garlic in a couple of Tsp. olive oil over medium heat until fragrant (~30 secs.) then adding a can of diced tomatoes and some steamed broccoli florets, fresh basil , a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. (includes 6 Super Foods)
5) Cook 1 cup of brown rice in 2 cups low sodium chicken stock. Let cool to room temperature, then add 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained), diced red onion, diced red and yellow bell pepper, minced garlic, fresh cilantro, fresh lime juice and salt and pepper – all quantities to taste. Mix everything together and enjoy this as a lunch salad, a side to grilled chicken or fish, or as the filling in a tortilla with salsa and cheese. (includes 5 Super Foods)

This week we have been focusing on encouraging you to treat yourself right, adding a superfood to your diet is an easy way to continue the love! Try one of these ideas and you can pat yourself on the back for setting AND meeting such healthy nutrition expectations!!  And while I had to dig a bit, I did find one ‘super food’ list that included both dark chocolate and red wine so my last suggestion is my best – have a couple of squares of a high quality dark chocolate and a nice glass of red wine and enjoy the tail end of Valentine’s week!

Love Yourself, Not Perfection

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Chapter 2

As a continuation from my post on healthy expectations yesterday I wrote a fancy poem to get you all inspired…or at least to smile at my rhyming skills!

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I don’t expect perfection,
and that’s why I love me too!

A PLEA: Be Nice To My Friend (meaning YOU)!

When it comes to health expectations, shame and virtue abound — a swirling cacophony of “shoulds” and “don’ts.” There’s that little voice that repeats and repeats and repeats (slap): “get up and move, you slob; eat this not that, oh glutton; relax more, work less, but pay the bills; stop being judgy; etc.” As caretakers at heart, it’s up to us to set the trend to be kind to ourselves while staying rooted in reality. After all, you wouldn’t should on others the way you should on yourself.

SO… How CAN we set realistic and useful expectations?  Here’s an equation for success:

Strategy One: Dream of multi-layered success shooting for a bevy of goals that build upon each other. The theory here is that you’ll likely reach at least one of those goals if not a few. Moreover, if one goal reinforces the other, your odds for success amplify. For example, once you start moving more, you might be less inclined to drink that sugary soda that could undercut the calories you’ve now lost. The Caveat: Celebrate the marks you do hit and lay off of yourself on those you don’t make. A perfectionist will have a hard time with this strategy.

Strategy Two: focus on one thing and do it well (who said that? Was it Churchill?), creating a solid habit before you move on to another goal. This strategy is good for the perfectionist in us but harder for we who are a tad (or a lot) ADD. In all cases, with all goal strategies, expectations are more likely met with step-by-step benchmarks, sprinkled with an “I think I can” mantra all the way up the hill.


Take some time to write out your benchmarks. Here are some helpful planning questions:

  • What’s most important to you in reaching your goal(s)? Is your goal truly meaningful to you?
  • What are the tasks involved in reaching your benchmarks? How will you move from one task to the next?
  • How will you know you’re making progress?
  • How will you plan for slip ups (and they will happen)? Remember, on occasion it’s necessary to take a step backward in order to make a greater leap forward.
  • How will you be fair and kind with your soul throughout the process? Dump the shame and guilt. You work hard, you are a good person, you deserve good health in all it’s facets.
  • Who will be your support? Everyone needs a shoulder.

Let us know how health expectations have affected you, for better or for worse.

I EXPECT to see you on the PATH Ahead!

A Love Story: You and Your Expectations

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Chapter 1

Love thy neighbor, right?

We spend a lot of time with people in education, healthcare, civil and human service — all those in the helping professions. It’s clear that most of our friends have the “Love Thy Neighbor” thing down; to the point where they sacrifice their own good health in love’s name.

That’s why we take such pleasure in employee wellness. It’s a tremendous opportunity to care for the caretaker, to help them put on their own oxygen mask first. In the interest of helping our friends love themselves this valentine week, we want to focus on clear health “expectations.”

ONE: When it comes to health, we are what we believe.

Robust research says a strong key to longevity is the answer to one question: “How do you view your health?” Above all else, people who say, “Not so good,” don’t stick around long enough to tell us about it. People who say, “Great, thanks,” remain vibrant, happy souls, giving their best to the world (regardless of all other risks such as high cholesterol, diabetes and so on). The message? Even if you have a chronic health condition, if you view it honestly (treat it properly) and you’re optimistic about your ability to manage it, you will indeed be well; sticking around long enough to enjoy the good life.

TWO: Furthermore, we can become what we set our sights on, bit by bit.

Small exaggerations help motivate us to actually be what we claim. If I say I’m 145 pounds but I’m really 155, chances are, now that I’ve broadcast the alleged fact, I’ll work hard to prove I’m not a liar. Once it slips out, by way of virtue, I become determined to live up to my statement.

A postscript on this research shows that over exaggeration bursts the bubble. So setting your sights too high or burying your head about serious concerns will make your enchanted scene crumble. Then you’re faced with both the disappointment of failure and the shame of bruised character.

THREE: Finally, when we’re honest about our frailties, we’re more satisfied with our outcomes.

When we ask cancer patients how they evaluate their quality of life, those who have realistic expectations about prognosis yet, again, are optimistic about meeting their health goals, view their situation as truly tenable. The opposite is true for those caught up in either Pollyanna denial or pessimistic foreboding. There you have it: the happy medium really is happy!

Don't let your expectations lead you astray!

In short, when it comes to expectations… Reasonable exaggeration proves widely inspirational while tipping the edge toward deluded enchantment is downright undermining. Realistic treatment marching hand in hand with optimism is the cornerstone.

At the close of our first chapter we want to know, where are your expectations leading you?

 

Love Your Body

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Because we know you love your body but you don’t always love formal exercise per say, we have a body valentine list for you…  Essential Body Loving Non-exercise Activities:

Tried and True:

Take the stairs whenever possible — Case in point:  I did a little experiment at the Detroit airport last Fall while waiting for a connection.  I walked from security to my gate (long way) using all the amenities (escalators, moving sidewalks, etc).  Using my trusty iPhone pedometer I recorded 100 steps to the tune of 17 calories.  Why that’s barely one grape worth of calories.  Then I repeated the exact same trip using none of the moving parts except my own.  This time I recorded 562 steps for a whopping 100 calories!  And that doesn’t count the extra exertion I earned climbing stairs with my backpack on (pedometers can’t measure intensity).

Park in the farthest parking spot — better yet, park a few blocks away and use those public sidewalks your hard earned tax dollars have funded.

Stand in the place where you are (think R.E.M.’s hit, “Stand”) — standing helps stave off the angst of prolonged sitting.  Anchor yourself to your email send button or something similar.  Vow to stand up every time you click the send button.  Come on, how many minutes does that take.  Add in picking apples (reaching up over head alternating arms), or a simple over the head arm stretch.  If you’re really ambitious, add in a lunge or warrior pose (see our Nov. 15, 2010 Stretch and Strengthen post).

For Meeting Relief:

Pump up your feet — while sitting in meetings, flex your ankles and then extend, so you’re pumping the arteries and veins in your lower legs (moving the blood stave’s off potentially dangerous blood clots).

Knee-Knee, Hip-Hip — also while in meetings, extend your right lower leg (flexing the knee), then your left, repeating 10 times.  Then lift your right thigh with a bent knee, then with a straight leg.  Repeat on the left leg.

These should help keep you busy and loving your body for a while.

Let us know what else you’re doing to love yourself and your body.

See you on the PATH!