15 posts tagged “health tips”

Today would not be a good day to operate heavy equipment! Luckily, it isn’t required of me either considering how I’m still feeling. I would be an absolute hazard.

Did you block off some time for self-care on this week’s calendar?

Pardon? You don’t have time for self-care?

Do you have time to be wiped out for a few days flat on your back? Often when we shirk on our self care, this is exactly what happens. We push ourselves until we drop – literally.

As I’ve apparently developed a sinus congestion/head cold, today’s schedule is: work 2 hours, sleep 1; repeat. It’s the same schedule I had yesterday and it’s allowing me to plod through my commitments.

Thursday I have booked a chiropractic adjustment and a one hour massage therapy session.  Massage gets blocked in a minimum of once a month and usually every three weeks. It keeps me sane and mobile.

Take a moment, right now, and make an appointment with yourself this week (preferably today) for something you enjoy – it could be an extra-long lunch, a walk in the park, a manicure, time out to read a favourite book or magazine, whatever works for you. Then, and this is the biggie, keep the appointment. It’s part of learning to create boundaries and knowing where they are. More on that later…

To you!

Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Expert

Do you have any idea how many steps you walk in a day?  We’ll have to not count the last few weeks as we were all tied to our computers, but, in a normal day, do you have any idea?

The average is 10,000.  I was pretty sure I did at least that and perhaps more but I had no idea … other than my greenhouse is 624 strides from my front door up a 100’ hill so it’s quite a jaunt and I do that at least once each way daily.

So … I finally broke down and bought a pedometer.  Not a fancy, schmanzy, expensive one – just a simple one that has number of steps, total distance and a clock.  It only has 3 buttons to press so it is easy to use (ok, I admit, I couldn’t find the one button … my husband had to hunt it down.  Turns out it was under the label … who would have looked there?)

Last Wednesday, I tested it for the day – I was doing laundry at the retreat, my house and my office (21 loads) and touring on the golf cart between all the places so the count was down from normal.  In just four hours, I had clocked 9,623 strides and it wasn’t even lunch.  I took it off at lunch and forgot to put it back on for the rest of the day -- we usually have supper at 7-7:30 and relax the rest of the evening (catch up on blogs and the like) so I didn’t get an actual count.  Obviously, I’m past the average which is excellent.  I felt good about that.

I highly recommend you invest in one of these little devices – you’ll get a real measurement for tracking purposes and they are quite inspirational.

Let us all know how far you walk in a day…

To your health…

Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Mentor

Everyone appears to have enjoyed and incorporated the neck and shoulder stretches from last week.  This week we will focus on a series of simple hand, wrist and finger stretches that will be very helpful due to all the time we spend on our computers.

These stretches may be done as often as you think of them – preferably at least once an hour while at the computer.  More frequently is better. Doing them once a day is still better than not doing any at all so do not get frustrated if you don’t always remember.  In time, with practice, they will simply become part of your typing routine.

Stretch one hand at a time or, to save time, stretch both simultaneously:

• Ball your hand into a fist
• Squeeze tightly
• Open wide, splaying fingers as far open and apart as you can
• Ball back into a fist
• Repeat 3 times

That’s it for today.  It’s a tough one.  Tomorrow we add another one and start on the routine that will be finished by Friday.

To your self-care….

Sue Crutcher, Personal Trainer

Life Empowerment Mentor, Success Coach

What do I mean by that?  And, how dare I say it?

The fact is most people, quite literally, are full of crap (feces, waste matter, poop, cawcaw … whatever you call it).  Your intestinal tract is sluggish, full of gas pockets, it may be twisted, not lubricated properly, not functioning efficiently and is likely reintroducing toxins to your system.

If this is not you – you deserve a medal. It would be rare indeed for your system to be functioning at peak efficiency.  And, since you’re doing so fabulously, you are most welcome to skip this blog entirely.

But, before you decide to skip it, may I respectfully request that you at least skim through?

You may find one nugget of information that is useful to you. Then, you will have already attained one goal for today on the road to success in life – learn something new every day.

Figuratively – I personally don’t know you well enough to answer this one.  You, however, do know the answer at some level and you choose what you want to do, or not do, about it.  I am not here to judge. I am here to gently remind, poke, prod, and initiate conversation / thought as well as to offer suggestions.

To understand why you may have problems with eliminating waste regularly and easily, we need to understand the basics of human anatomy and physiology (what are the parts and how do they work).  Do not panic – we are not going to take a college course here.  This is simply an introduction.  I do not know how much you know.  Therefore, I need to start at the beginning.

The digestive system is composed of organs that break down food into protein, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fats which the body absorbs and uses for energy, growth and repair.  Any leftover undigested waste is eliminated.  After food is chewed and swallowed it travels down the pharynx and esophagus through a process called peristalsis and enters the stomach.  Here it is further broken down by powerful stomach acids.  From the stomach, the processed food enters the small intestine a little at a time through a valve.  In the small intestine, food is broken into various nutrients which can then enter the bloodstream through very tiny hair-like projections.  Gradually, it gets to the large intestine where any last bits of moisture and nutrients are absorbed and the final waste is eliminated.

Hopefully you are at a point of ‘preventative maintenance’ and have not graduated to digestive problems. How do we achieve preventative maintenance in ‘baby steps’?  Simple.  We start with what is going in your mouth. Then we add in some other factors that will contribute to overall health. Following are five healthy lifestyle tips that you can easily incorporate into your daily lifestyle.

1)         Increase your water intake by ¼ to ½ cup a day for a week; then increase the same amount again the next week; continue until you reach the suggested daily intake for your body type and weight.  Click here for more information on suggested water intake.

2)         Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet – they contain a higher percentage of water and are more easily absorbed.  Try adding one different fruit or vegetable each week.

3)         Make an effort to each one fruit or vegetable of each colour each day.  This will increase your chances of receiving a wider variety of vitamins, minerals and nutrients that your body can utilize.

4)         Rub your abdomen in a clockwise motion (if you are looking down at your hand); apply more and less pressure on a random basis.  Do this whenever you think of it, but especially before you go to bed at night.

5)         Walk more.  Start with 5 minutes a day for a week.  The next week, raise it another 5 to 10 minutes a day. After a month, you’ll be up to 20 minutes a day … a reasonable achievement.

Coming up … looking at digestive issues from other ways of thinking.

This blog is an excerpt from a healthy lifestyle e-book that I am working on – let me know what you think.

To less crap in your life….

Sue Crutcher, Complementary Care Practitioner

Life Empowerment Mentor, Success Coach

Already?  Yes.  A whole week has gone by...

This week we worked on:

• Add another ¼ to ½ cup of water to daily intake
• Walking a little more than normal each day
• Walking backward
• Walking sideways
• Calf stretch
• The evil plank
• Do your remember the meaning of proprioception?
• Line drying clothes

Last week review:

• Add ¼ to ½ cup of water to daily intake
• Try one new fruit or vegetable
• Attempt to eat a fruit or vegetable of each colour daily
• Not look at your scale
• Use a smaller plate at lunch/dinner
• Sleep a little better
• Clean up for one or two 15 minute segments

I trust you are adding in what you can each day.  Most of these 'baby steps' require little or no extra time in your daily schedule and are very easy to incorporate.  If you are able to keep them up for 6 weeks, they will become part of your 'routine'; if you keep them up for 12 weeks, you are on your way to a new 'lifestyle'.

Looking forward…

This upcoming week will feature baby steps to home and office organization.

To your ongoing success…

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor, Success Coach, Personal Trainer

Thanks to Aaron, who made a comment on yesterday’s blog regarding balance, I am now sidetracked into a different angle of ‘variation on a theme’ relative to walking.

If you have been implementing the last couple of suggestions (walking backwards and sideways) this week, you will most likely have some sore muscles.  If not, don’t worry, they’ll show up eventually.  It takes from 24 to 48 hours to feel the reaction as an ‘ache’ and everyone is different on their timing.  If you feel pain, as opposed to ache, at any time STOP immediately.  The theory of ‘no pain; no gain’ is assinine for the average human working on a healthier lifestyle.  If you’re a professional tri-athlete, it’s a different story for you.

Today:

• Continue incorporating little blocks of walking backwards and sideways into your day when you think of it and it’s safe (thinking of Yann in central London here) to do so.
• If you have sore calf muscles, here is a stretch that will help them.  Also ideal for women who habitually wear high heels (yes, April, I know they are a great conversation starter for meeting new people and yes, Jenn, I know they are part of a fabulous wardrobe), your calves are likely very tight from standing on your tip toes for extended timeframes.
• Requirement: set of stairs with a railing
• Stand on the bottom step; grasp railing with one hand as if you were going to climb the stairs (do not panic, we are not going to run or even walk the stairs today).  Place both feet side by side a little closer than shoulder width apart.
• Nudge your feet backward off the step until you are on the balls of your feet only with the rest of you suspended in space.  Keep hanging on the to railing for balance and support.
• Now, GENTLY, lower your heels as far as you can.  Do not bounce.  Just lower and hold.
• Raise back to your starting position.
• Now, GENTLY, lift up on the balls of your feet as high as you can. Again, do not bounce.  Just up and hold.
• Repeat 10 times (if you can)
• Remember to breathe.  At this point it doesn’t matter when you breathe in or out, just remember to breathe.  Some people have a tendency to hold their breath when they concentrate that’s why I mention it.  Just be aware.

That’s it.

Repeat throughout the day when you have an opportunity to do so. Do not get overly excited and do 100 of them … you’ll be sore and sorry. Although the bright side is you’ll be forced to remain sitting.  In which case, you will be able to put in many more hours than planned on Kevin Hogan’s IMWW course!

Sue Crutcher, life empowerment mentor / personal trainer / success coach

Baby Steps to Success

Since we’re focused on walking from yesterday, I would like you to try something a little different.  I call it ‘variations on a theme’ and when working with a client during a life empowerment session, we approach many issues with this concept.

In a safe location on a level surface, walk BACKWARDS.

• Check the area first to familiarize yourself.
• Do not look behind you (this will twist your neck and hurt your back if you keep it up) simply walk in reverse until you get a little nervous.
• Stop.
• Now, walk forward briskly to where you started.
• Repeat three times.
• Do this over the day a few times when you think of it.

Walking backwards will work your muscle groups in a different way even though you are using the same muscles. A slightly different stabilization process will be required by your body and this will make the muscles work harder.  Walking backwards will also stimulate the balance centers of your brain referred to as proprioception. Balance is very important especially as we age.  A senior with good balance will be far less susceptible to falls, broken bones and mobility issues.  So … start now and you will reduce potential future problems.

What the heck is proprioception?  Visit this blog tomorrow to find out!

Sue Crutcher, Certified Personal Trainer, Life Empowerment Mentor

Today I wanted to remind everyone of what we learned over the past week, to review how much we applied and how much we simply theorized would be helpful.

Did you:

• Add ¼ to ½ cup of water to your daily intake?
• Try one new fruit or vegetable?
• Attempt to eat a fruit or vegetable of each colour each day?
• Not look at the scale as often?
• Use a smaller plate for lunch and/or dinner?
• Sleep a little better?
• Clean up one or two 15 minute segments of organizational disaster?

Yes, to 4 or more:

Congratulations, you’re on your way!

Less than 4:

You either are a totally awesome person because you’re already doing everything and are past the baby steps to success

Or…

you need to do a lot of work and perhaps require itsy bitsy baby steps.  Don't panic.  Simply start adding in what you can from the list ... one thing at a time.

This week:

• Work on incorporating everything we learned in the past week into this week.
• ADD ANOTHER ¼ to ½ cup of water to your daily intake (so now you will be up to ½ to 1 cup more than the week before last).  See some of my other tips regarding water at my website. 

Much more in store … get ready.

HELPFUL HINT: I suggest that you keep a point-form list (or simply print out this blog and put a check mark by each item completed each day this week) of your successes.  In 6 weeks, you will be able to look back and realize that you are indeed on your way to a healthier lifestyle. And, all this, while working extremely hard keeping up to Kevin Hogan’s hectic paced course. Another opportunity for a ‘celebration’ to look forward to!

To your success

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor and Success Coach

Many people have issues with not getting enough quality sleep.  There are many theories and a lot of testing for sleep apnea and such (it would appear the majority of the population has apnea … almost everyone I know that gets tested is magically ‘positive’ for this).  Strange.  But I won’t go there, as it is ‘beyond my scope of practice’ and could send me off on a bit of tangent.

Sleep is a very important commodity in our lives.  Without proper, restful sleep, the body is unable to repair itself properly.  An amazing amount of important, necessary internal functions are occurring while you are sleeping that most people are totally oblivious to.

Here are a few simple suggestions that may be helpful (incorporate them one at a time, not all at once, and see if you find one that works for you).

• If possible, have your head facing north when in bed
• Do not have your feet toward an open door
• Have all electronic gadgets a minimum of 3 feet away from your head when sleeping
• Do not use an electric blanket
• Keep your room dark and quiet
• Do not go to sleep vegged out in front of a television
• Do not eat closer than 3 hours before bed
• Eat /drink something with dairy in it (just a little something, not a giant snack!) about 30 minutes before bed (dairy has a tendency to make you sleepy … take advantage of that)
• Create a regular routine for bedtime (ie: same amount of sleep, same time to bed and getting up; same sequence of events leading up to bedtime) as much as possible
• If you already have a routine time, go to bed 15 minutes earlier each night until you get a full night’s sleep. Get up at your usual time each morning.  At some point, you will hit upon the ‘magic amount of sleep’ you require.  Young children and teens tend to require more sleep (due to growth and hormones); seniors tend to require a lot less; the rest of us fall somewhere in the middle … usually between 6 and 8 hours.

If none of the above suggestions make a difference, you may want to research further into such things as: possible chemical imbalances within your system; sleep disorders; drug interactions; diet related conditions; shift work and others.

Remember the old adage: ‘Early to bed, early to rise; makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.’ There is truth in it.

Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Healthy Living

Some of the most difficult things to cope with when you are trying to lose weight is how not to feel persecuted, like you’re being punished or that you are missing out on something.  Here is an SIMPLE HEALTH TIP that will start you on the right track to reducing your caloric intake.  It’s a baby step to success – an important one.

When filling up your dinner plate, is it usually overflowing (especially at a buffet)?  So it would be extremely depressing and dissatisfying to see your plate with too much ‘creative white space’ surrounding your food, wouldn’t it?  The answer is simple:

Next meal: put your food on a plate that is one size smaller than the one you usually use.  Most people use a 11-12” dinner plate – reduce it to a 10” plate.  FILL IT UP (just like always).  Make it look like it always looks (don’t overdo it here).  You want your mind to think it’s getting the same amount of food.  In reality, you are automatically eating approximately 10% fewer calories.  Do you see how that could add up over the next week and next month?  Simple. Easy. Try it.

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment and Success Coaching