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Relax! 60 seconds is all it takes…
Relax!
60 seconds is all it takes…
It is well accepted that in our society, we are immersed in a fast paced way of life. Much is known about the potential negative consequences of unrelieved stress on both our physical and emotional health. While there may be some opportunity to alleviate your own personal stress triggers to some extent, two more realistic and immediate choices are available to you. One is to modify the manner with which you respond to a stress trigger, and the other is to practice the elicitation of a relaxation response on a regular basis.
Both of these choices are appealing, because both are attainable, pleasant, and very beneficial. Read the rest of this entry »
Navigating the Food Highway
Navigating The Food Highway
Or How To Enjoy Eating Well
Food temptation is everywhere! Tantalizing samples in the grocery store, candy and chips at the checkout stand, chocolate covered strawberries in the downtown specialty store window, and who can resist the aroma wafting from Cinnabon at the mall?
The food industry employs brilliant scientists who work on just how to make food attractive, stimulating, and irresistible. When foods are developed for packaged sales at the grocery store or to be sold from a big box drive through window, the recipe includes just the right combination of fat, sugar, and salt to enhance the appeal and addictive qualities of that product. This is done intentionally by the food manufacturing industry, without regard for our health or well-being—their focus is on the company profits.
We have become captive to this line of thinking by the food manufactures to a large extent because we have been propagandized to believe that we are too busy to cook real food for ourselves. This mere fact gives the food industry a foot-in-the-door; once we taste their “convenient” wares a time or two, we literally want more—because the combination of fat, sugar, and salt arouses our brain—specifically the area of our brain that houses emotions, and like it or not, our emotional state has a tremendous impact of what, when, and how much we eat. Read the rest of this entry »
A Hot Afternoon Run
A Hot Afternoon Run
Most morning I walk with Grace, most afternoons I run with her, along the “ditch” that runs for miles in either directions as it meanders through our property. It’s an irrigation ditch, maintained by the local water works entity, and it looks like a natural stream flowing through the forest. The ditch provides a lovely path that is enjoyed by our neighbors whose homes are tucked into the trees. Regardless of the activity choice: walk or run, ride a horse or bicycle, push a stroller (the off road type), we all feel fortunate to have this trail right out of our front door.
Wildlife is abundant in our forest, on and off the trail. Fish, frogs, and many bugs live in the water, attracting birds of the usual variety as well as an occasional Great Blue Heron or Kingfisher as special guests. I have seen deer, black bear, raccoon, skunk, fox, coyote, many times, especially in the early morning.
The ditch is much different in the afternoon—with more neighbors out enjoying, more dogs, more sunlight, and more heat than the cool and very pleasant mornings offer. Grace likes it either way, hot or cool. Loves it, is more accurate, that crazy dog lives to swim! She is a familiar site on the ditch, running along with her soccer ball in her mouth, hoping for a passerby to kick it into the water for her to retrieve.
In preparation for a hot afternoon run, I ate a light fresh fruit salad snack around 3 PM, and drank 24 ounces of water. Off Grace and I went at 4:30, into 93 degrees of dry heat. She immediately jumped into the ditch to cool off and over the 30 minutes that we were out, she stayed wet as she chased the ball. Grace’s tongue decreased its’ flapping in the wind and her panting diminished as she cooled off. I, on the other hand, was very aware of the heat. Sufficient water intake prior to going out had been vital—I was now using my own natural cooling system by perspiring to combat the internal heat. And OK, maybe I was panting a bit as Grace had been earlier, but being well hydrated kept me from losing too much fluid from sweating or panting.
After hosing off the dirt and removing the stickers from Grace’s coat, we retreated to the slightly cooler inside-of-the-house temperature. Over the next hour, I drank a 32-ounce bottle of cool water and felt my internal temperature normalizing. Exercise in the heat may not be a choice for everyone; if that is what your schedule allows, plan wisely—hydrate well prior to and after enjoying a hot afternoon run.
Robin’s continual encouragement to pick a quit smoking date inspired me to finally do it.…
“Robin’s continual encouragement to pick a quit-smoking date inspired me to finally do it. She gave me the tools and strategies I needed to become a successful non-smoker!”
—Kathy D., client
Posted in From our clients... | 
Tags: encouragement, Grass Valley, strategies, tools | 
No Comments »The skills that standout the most about Robin are her dedication to her clients…
“The skills that standout the most about Robin are her dedication to her clients, her passion for motivating others to achieve better health, and her endless energy to teach. Her depth of knowledge in cardiac care, wellness and healthy living contribute to her one of a kind personality.”
—Debbie Wagner, RN, Director Occupational Health and Wellness
Posted in Updates | Tags: dedication, healthy, motivation, passion, unique, wellness | No Comments »Front Porch Morning
Summer mornings are peaceful at my house. All mornings are actually, but the summer at 6 AM is a special time to enjoy. The air is simply delicious—fresh and cool and inviting. With a cup of coffee, I head out to the front porch. First I must check to see that the resident frogs are not hiding under the cushions on the couch. I don’t know why they seek shelter on the couch, but there they are most mornings. Assured that it is a frog-free zone, I can settle in.
How delightful it is! A rooster from a far-off neighbor greets the brightening sky. Some mornings I can hear the coyotes howling as they sign off for the day. As I sit quietly, the sun slowly ascends, illuminating the sky and lighting up the treetops. Over several minutes, I witness the subtle change from dawn to day. In harmony with the morning, I feel my own energy shift internally, as I transform to what will soon become my daytime vigor.
But it is the birds that lure me out at 6 AM, day after day. Ah, the birdsong! Variety is the spice of life, and we have it: Grosbeak, Robin, Chickadee, Nuthatch, Finch, Stellar Jay, Woodpecker—acorn and my personal fav, the pileated—and some mornings if I am really lucky, I can discern the call of a Kingfisher up on the irrigation canal that meanders through the forest. The birds serenade me, they sing to celebrate the new day, their various sounds merging into one fantastic symphony. I breathe, I quiet, and I breathe some more. I express gratitude for this gift of nature—the sunrise, the forest, the fresh air, and the birds. My heart is filled with joy! I am ready to jump into my day.
Posted in Updates | Tags: birdsong, breathe, Grass Valley, morning, Nevada County, peaceful, Relax, sunrise | No Comments »Get Moving!
Your body and mind will thank you for it.
Does the word “moving” conjure images of sweat, grunts, and aching muscles? Have you enjoyed a Zumba class on a Friday after work, only to rise Saturday morning with a stiff back? Or joined a gym with the best intention of managing your weight, gaining energy, and becoming fit, to find that after a valiant initial 6 week effort you have become quite skilled at finding more and more excuses that prevent your maintaining a workout schedule?
Moving does not have to be an Olympic effort. Movement should not be “hard”, unpleasant, or expensive. What moving should be is fun, varied, stimulating, and within your comfort zone.
What’s important is to GET MOVING! You’ve heard this before: park your car on the opposite end of the lot so that you walk a good distance into the store or movie theater; take the stairs instead of the elevator; push the grocery cart out to your car instead of allowing the nice young man to do it; find every and any excuse to move throughout the day. Take three minutes each hour to push your chair away from your desk to stretch your shoulders and neck; stand on your toes then rock onto your heels; do some wall pushups, squats, or bicep curls. Get creative! For every three minutes of activity at your desk, you will enjoy a burst of energy and productivity. Read the rest of this entry »
