Sunday, December 19, 2010

Fitness at Any Age!

The women of Thornhill Golf & Country Club put their fitness first! This group of 27 women have made fitness a lifestyle choice. For the last fifteen years, these ladies have been coming three times per week to participate in yoga, low impact aerobics and resist-a-ball classes.
The women in this exercise group, ages 60-80 years old, certainly don't show their age! They are energetic, active and very fit! And it's not just about the exercise. This group is about community and coming together to share ideas for recipes, movie and restaurant reviews, and stories of friends and family. Their stories of health and well-being will inspire and motivate the most entrenched couch potato!
These fitness classes are not for the light-hearted either! They are active cardiovascular and muscular conditioning workouts complete with squats, sit-ups, grapevines and weight work! These ladies are not afraid of challenging themselves, neither in fitness nor in life, and their spirited outlook seems to be working!
There is an infectious energy that people who exercise regularly emanate. They are healthy, energetic and happy. They inspire you to be your best self. Especially, when they are 80 years old and exercising regularly! The good news is that it’s never too late to start.
In fact, as we age exercise becomes even more important because it makes it easier to do common daily tasks, a proven factor in maintaining independence and mobility. Strength training exercises increase bone density, which reduces the likelihood of fractures. Also, according to many studies, socialization through exercise is a deterrent to depression and anxiety. That’s a big part of the reason the Thornhill Fitness ladies keep coming to class-to be with their friends.  Plus, new research in dementia and Alzheimer’s indicates that regular exercise may ward off mental deterioration.
I feel lucky to be their instructor and look forward to leading the ladies through classes every week. But they are the real teachers. They teach me week after week that attitude is everything. They teach me that in order to maintain a healthy body and mind and meaningful friendships, you need to invest the time. The rewards are everlasting! I affectionately call the group my “Moms”; they are my teachers and mentors and they have brought me into their circle with kindness and affection, and I consider myself lucky to know them.
Hopefully, as we approach the new year and along with it, New Year’s resolutions, you will feel inspired by the Thornhill Fitness group to begin a regular exercise routine, too. No matter what your age, it’s never too late to get moving!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Prioritizing Healthy Eating

Prioritizing Healthy Eating
Eating healthy can be a tremendous challenge for families in today’s fast-paced society. Food preparation takes time and energy and often when both parents are working or children have extracurricular activities, there is precious little time left for preparing healthy homemade meals. This leaves many families reaching for a quick, prepared meal, a frozen dinner or fast-food fare.  It also means that the tradition of sharing a homemade meal together as a family at the end of the day is becoming a thing of the past.
Living life in the fast lane comes with a high-priced speeding ticket however. The lack of nutrition in fast-food and processed food is contributing to our country’s ever-increasing rate of obesity.  Currently, 59% of adult Canadians are either overweight or obese.  Childhood obesity rates have also reached shocking numbers with 26% of Canadian children ages 2-17 years old now overweight or obese.
The act of breaking bread together also serves as important cohesive family time, and acts as a forum for families to share thoughts, feelings and ideas.  So, perhaps instead of sending kids off to every conceivable extracurricular activity, a better use of your time is an hour spent around the table as a family.
The “slow food” movement is a reaction to this mealtime mayhem and an effort to return to eating food that is nutritious and also a part of our culture and community. The “slow food” website (www.slowfood.com) attempts to remind us that “food means pleasure, culture and conviviality.” Eating food in our cars misses the point that eating well is not only about nutrition, but also about the cultural and social importance of our food.
Schools are also getting in on the act by offering basic cooking instruction. Educators are attempting to get kids excited about learning cooking skills and about reawakening their senses. Research shows that when kids help prepare a meal, they are much more likely to eat it. Learning cooking skills also goes a long way towards building self-esteem.  A program in York Region north of Toronto, called You’re the Chef, teaches children in grades 6-8 how to prepare healthy meals and snacks with an emphasis on eating more fruits and vegetables.
You’re the Chef is offered as a free after-school program. Its goal is to help students develop the skills and confidence necessary to prepare and enjoy healthy recipes. Students in the You’re the Chef program learn life skills that they can take home to their families. Children are involved in every stage of preparation from the chopping and sautéing to the cleanup. 
Involving kids in the process of mealtime preparation is something you can try at home. It is a great way to build your kids’ confidence in cooking and teach them basic cooking skills. There are many quick and easy recipes like stir-fries, omelettes, simple pasta dishes, salads and soups that take little preparation and offer a nutritious alternative to frozen fare or fast-food for busy families. Developing healthy eating habits early in life can lead to a lifetime of healthy living, so get started today! Involve your children in the menu planning, grocery shopping and food preparation whenever possible. Keep your pantry and refrigerator stocked with affordable choices of fresh, frozen and canned fruit and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole grain cereal, pastas and lean meats and alternative protein options. Then slow down and enjoy it all!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Defining Beauty

“To loose confidence in one’s body is to lose confidence in one’s self.”
Simone De Beauvoir
There’s a quiet movement afoot that is silently eroding the female psyche. Today’s daughters of the confident and self-assured women who pioneered the feminist movement in the 1960’s-80’s are experiencing a setback in the hard-fought war on equality and women’s rights. Today’s adversary is more insidious, however, posing a serious threat to women’s self-esteem. Self-criticism and “lookism,” defined as obsessive concern with one’s outward appearance, are becoming epidemic. The Canadian Women’s Health Network reports that 90% of women are dissatisfied with their appearance in some way. 49% of girls ages 8-10 and 59% of girls ages 11-12 are concerned about being fat or overweight! In 2003, Teen magazine reported that 35 per cent of girls 6 to 12 years old have been on at least one diet, and that 50 to 70 per cent of normal weight girls believe they are overweight.
By the time a girl reaches 17 years old, she will have received over 250,000 commercial messages through the media. We live in a girl/woman-poisoning culture in which our media (our movies, T.V., advertising and music) depict women as idealistically beautiful and unrealistically thin. The pressure to be thin is taking its toll on a culture where the average model weighs 117 pounds and the average American woman weighs 164 pounds! “Girls developed eating disorders when our culture developed a standard of beauty that they couldn’t obtain by being healthy,” says Mary Pipher in her book Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls. “When unnatural thinness became attractive, girls did unnatural things to be thin,” she says.
The American research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders, Inc. says that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control—including fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self-induced vomiting. Research also indicates that exposure to images of thin, young, air-brushed female bodies is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and the development of unhealthy eating habits in women and girls.
Unrealistic standards of beauty call for unhealthy means to achieve them. This discrepancy between the real and ideal is so great that women and girls loose their optimism, their assertiveness and their energy. They trade in their authentic selves for false selves. In pretending to be whom they think others want, women are literally losing themselves to weight loss schemes and surgical procedures. The diet industry alone is worth anywhere between 40 to 100 billion (U.S.) a year selling temporary weight loss plans to a mostly female audience.
Women are also turning more and more to surgical and non-surgical procedures to purchase self-confidence. In 2008, there were over 10.2 million surgical and non-surgical plastic surgery procedures performed in the U.S. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) estimates that more than 330,000 cosmetic procedures were performed on patients 18 years of age or younger in the U.S. in 2005, compared to approximately 14,000 in 1996. Make no mistake; the cosmetic, fashion and diet industries know exactly what they are doing: feeding on women’s insecurities and creating unhealthy needs. Women’s magazines are full of articles and advertisements promising that if you can just lose those last twenty pounds, you will have it all—the perfect marriage, loving children, great sex, and a rewarding career. By presenting an ideal difficult to achieve and maintain these industries are assured growth and profits. And it’s no accident that youth is increasingly promoted, along with thinness, as an essential criterion of beauty.
All this leaves women in a state of crisis about their self-esteem. But, there is hope. One company, Dove with its Campaign for Real Beauty has made a significant impact on beauty stereotypes. Their thought-provoking ad campaigns and confidence building programs, such as the Dove Beauty Workshop for girls ages 8-12, are redefining standards of beauty. Just as knowledge is power, women and girls can greatly benefit from consciousness-raising campaigns like that of Dove’s. Intelligent resistance keeps the true self alive.
Change is also taking place on the fashion runways. In 2006, when 5 fashion models died from eating disorders in quick succession, and the world took notice. The public outcry from the death of these five young models put the fashion industry in the spotlight and on the hot seat.  Immediately after the models' deaths, Madrid Fashion Week stated their refusal to allow anyone with a BMI of less than 18 to participate in runway events. London and Milan Fashion Weeks have imposed similar statues. In Brazil, models now require medical certificates proving their physical health to take part in catwalk events.
However, the greatest change can come from you alone. Think about how you define beauty. Make positive self-talk your mantra. Banish negative thoughts, like “I have no willpower” or I’ve always been fat.” Be a model (not a runway model, but an inspiration!) of positive self-esteem and confidence. Teach your daughters to love their bodies. Accept compliments with grace and gratitude. Feel great about yourself by investing in yourself, like making time for exercise and for making healthy meals. Be bold-confidence comes from trying new things so put yourself out there!  Write down a list of things that you have accomplished and are proud of. Next time, your confidence is waning, pull out the list and remind yourself of how unique and amazing you really are! Finally, raise your level of consciousness every time you encounter a media message. Look for a Dove “realbeauty” workshop for girls in your community. Visit www.dove.ca and “Campaign for Real Beauty.”

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Love Your Life!

My blog is about you feeling great about you! It includes information about healthy living including: exercise, nutrition, life balance, self-esteem, kids' fitness and more about how to be the best you! Being authentic to yourself is the truest path towards finding happiness. Being the healthiest that you can be, will bring you unprecidented joy and energy and help you reduce stress in your life. I want you to feel inspired to live the fullest life that you can imagine powered by healthy living. People are looking to you to see how they should live their lives. Be an inspiration to others to be their best! Know what it feels like to have confidence, energy and a healthy body. It's about making a change for the better. This is a not "Boot Camp" mantra, popular with today's quick-fix, quest for wash-board abs wanna-be's ! I am talking about simple daily steps that you can take towards life-long change. It's achievable! And I am going to help you get there. So, let's embark on this journey together to be The Best You! (and Me!)