Are your home fires burning?

On this first day of Autumn, I am sitting by our fireplace to write this blog post to you today. I live out in the country so the mornings are a bit chillier than they are in the city.

Fall has always been my favorite time of year. The temperatures are comfortable and the colours are beautiful.  My husband and I regard this season as special because we met at John Abbott College in October of 1985.  Years later we decided to get engaged after hiking up in St. Agathe on a beautiful afternoon in the Fall. 

It is a busy time of year as most of us have new and exciting projects on the go to carry us into the start of Winter. We have joined the gym and are active in the classes and also in our communities. Perhaps we are taking courses to improve ourselves.

My message today is to ignite the passion inside of you for a new adventure. Winter is a long season in Quebec. Set yourself up for activities that get you out of the house. Make connections in your community now, while the weather is good, for when it gets cold, too many of us huddle in our homes and wait for Spring.  This inactivity can lead to many adverse side affects so start thinking about what you can do to keep active and fit.

The clients that I train, who do the best over the Winter season, are the ones who grab a friend and committ to walking everyday or meeting at the gym. Make a plan for yourself now so that you can continue to be active and hopefully happy and healthy over the cold months ahead.

Get those home fires burning!

Have a great day.

Beth

"Fake it until you make it."

As many of you know, I have started a new job teaching English to Adult students, who need this course to obtain their high school diploma.  The students I am working with are for the most part wonderful kids who just need a second chance to move on with their lives.

Last week, they all did oral presentations in front of the class and yesterday I gave them their grades. The class average was 80% but there were a few who barely passed.  In speaking with these kids in particular, I told them that their body language during the presentation was giving off a vibe that they were shy or afraid and that the reading of their cue cards with heads down, made them impossible to hear.

I know that some of the kids were terrified to be at the front of the class. As I spend 20+ hours a week speaking to crowds, I know how stressful this can be but part of being successful is believing in yourself!  I told them to "fake it until they make it." 

I had to explain this statement to mean that at times in life our coach or our boss may ask us if we can do something for the team. We may be worried about the outcome but our leader does not want to hear that we cannot do it. If we act worried, he/she may question why we were selected for the job and regret this decision! We have to try and try our best. We have to believe that we can do something and walk with an air of confidence. This is half the battle.  In time, the rest will come with hard work!

When my fitness students are learning a new aerobic routine or dance, we have to stumble through the steps and practice to get the movements just right. During the weekly classes, we must believe that we can achieve our goals before we even try. If you tell yourself you "cannot" do something, you will not do it for sure. The choice is up to you..

See you soon where we will be faking the moves together until we get them just right!

Have a great day,
Beth

Start getting ready now.

The weather is definitely changing. My oldest son, who loves the winter, showed up at our house yesterday wearing his tuque and he will wear it until next Spring. He has taken off the baseball cap and is now getting ready for Winter.  I know that this seems a bit early but in reality, if you are a winter sports enthusiast, now is the time to start training for your favorite winter sport.

I know of a few men who gather once a week during the cold winter months, to play an hour or two of hockey.  There are also Old Timer leagues in some towns, for players who are passed 30 years old.

My concern with both of these groups is that very few of the players spend any real time at the gym training for their sport. They then jump onto the ice and push themselves too fast, too hard and some end up getting badly injured.

My advice for you today is to join your local gym and start using the treadmill or join an aerobics class to improve your cardio before you lace up your skates. Follow that up with some muscular conditioning and stretching. By the time the outdoor rink is ready, you will be in fine form and ready to be the best at your favorite game.

When you start training under safe conditions, you can then see how your body responds and address any issues that might arise. Don't assume that because you were the best player when you were 18 years old, that your body today, will be ready to respond the same way. Regularly test your limits in a safe way. Get to know what a good workout feels like so that if you start having a health crisis of any kind, you will know your body well enough to seek attention and help quickly, instead of ignoring your symptoms for the sake of the game and your friends.

Have a great day everyone,


Beth

How would you spend your last day?

Recently I learned of the passing of one of my students, whom I had not seen regularly in my classes for quite some time.  She was only 69 years old and apparently she died from a stroke. I do know that her husband had passed away in February and that these past few months had been very difficult for her.

When we learn of a tragedy such as this, it forces us to stop and evaluate our lives.

We cannot know what the future holds regarding our health or the health of our loved ones. I believe that when we are capable of designing our days, we should put as much fun and love and joy in each moment as we possibly can.

If today was your last day on earth, how would you spend it? 

I am only asking the question to get you to think about how you are spending your time versus how you would LOVE to spend your time. Many of us have to work and we have lots of responsibilities that we have to honor throughout the day, however I am sure that if you discovered you had only so long to live, that you would make adjustments to your schedule to fit in visits with friends etc.

So why do we wait to live fully, when waiting to do the things that we love, could result in us never getting the chance to live the way we want to?

In learning of this lady's passing, I woke up this morning thinking that I have to make a few changes to my routine so that I can do some of the things that I would do if today was my last day. For instance, when I leave work I rush into a wall of cars and inch along at 20 km an hour for over an hour to make my way home.  Starting today, I am going to pick up a lovely snack and head down by the lake. I will get some beach time in while the traffic clears and I will be doing something that I love.  This is just a small change but it will result in me feeling happier and more joyful.

I also got off the highway yesterday morning and took the lake shore road all the way to work.  It takes me the same amount of time as it would if I sat in traffic inching along, as it does to drive 40km by the lake.

I encourage you to make a small, lasting change to your routine today that brings you joy. We have to live fully while we are here. Call an old friend. Find time to laugh so hard that you cry. Breathe deeply and love completely!

Have a great weekend everyone,

Beth

Are you perfect?

 I am asking this question with my tongue in my cheek because I know that no one is perfect, yet I do meet people who love to point out my imperfections.  Perhaps this is because I am the one at the front of the class who they believe must be "perfect" because why would I have been hired otherwise? I have had clients come up and tap my belly and tell me that they are happy that they are not the only one who ate well over the summer!  That is just the tip of the iceberg.

I believe that we have created a world in which women and men in general are striving for the perfect body, the perfect job, the perfect mate, the perfect home. People are waiting until the perfect moment to live.

"Things will be great, once I get that perfect job or the perfect house or that six pack!"

Perhaps because I work in the business of helping people work toward achieving the goal of getting in better shape, I see that clients are always focused on the future. They are living for that day when they can get back into those awesome jeans or feel like they are beautiful again.

I am happy to say that I stopped trying to be perfect many years ago. I am not the perfect teacher. I make mistakes but I set up a safe environment in my classes where it is alright to be imperfect. My hope is that students can actually be themselves and relax in my classes and let learning take place.

This constant striving for perfection is exhausting and unrealistic. We are never going to look like the people on the covers of magazines because they have teams of people following them around to keep them looking perfect! The photos are usually airbrushed to take out the supposed imperfections.

I see that many young people have dreams of making lots of money playing professional sports. I fear that if they do not make it, they will feel like failures and not realize that the living that they have been doing while striving for their dreams, is where happiness lies. When you are coming to the gym to get in shape you are meeting people and laughing and experiencing life, this is what is important. When we feel good and when we feel loved and accepted it makes achieving our dreams that much easier. 

What happens if we cannot achieve our goals? Does this mean we are imperfect?

Remember that is great to have dreams of making ourselves better but we have to live each day as if it is our last and laugh and love along the way. Be fully present in each moment, not solely focused on the future. Be realistic in your goals and set yourself up for success.

Most of all remember that it is important to love yourself just as you are. You are already perfect because you alone can decide what the perfect version of yourself looks like.

In my world, I have the perfect life but if I compare myself to what society labels as perfect, I would be considered a failure. I do not have money. I drive an old car. I live far into the woods in a humble home that we built with our own hands.  I have ailments and sore joints.  I am old (er)...ha,ha...

I know that I have the most amazing life because I ask myself in every moment, "do I have everything I need right now?"  And the answer is always "yes!"

I have food. I have shelter. I have employment. I have the ability to get to work each day. I can walk and I can breathe.  Most of all, I am happy just being me.

Do you have all you really need to live today fully?


Beth

Beth the Gatekeeper!

One of the greatest joys of my life is teaching fitness. It is so rewarding to watch clients walk into class for the first time in September and see them improve over the year. I try very hard to create a comfortable environment for everyone so that learning is both easy and fun. 

It can come as quite a surprise to some of my students when they arrive at some of my classes and find that class is too full for them to be able to stay. There are limits to how much equipment I have to use and how many people can safely and effectively exercise in one space.

I am therefore not only a teacher but the gatekeeper for everyone's experience. I ask my students to give themselves enough time to get into class and set up their equipment before I begin the activity.

I know that occasionally we are late. If the door has not been locked, that usually means that there is enough room for you to safely enter and join us, however if the door is locked, it means that the room has reached its capacity. In this case, it means that even if you did enter, you would not have all of the equipment that you need, or that there is physically not enough space for you to be safe during your workout.

It is my job to make sure that the class is enjoyable for everyone attending. It is also my job to keep you safe. Please do not take it personally if I cannot let you in due to you running late. You can always use that time for yourself, in some other way. Go to the gym and use the treadmill or go for a walk,  The world thinks that you are busy for that hour, so treat yourself to something special and turn the frown upside down!

My wish is that every student who wants to be in my class, arrives safely and that we can improve together over the next few months.

Have a great day!
See you soon,
Beth