The Christmas Holidays are a challenging time to avoid temptations, be true to your lifestyle savvy and make time for what should come first all year round…Your Health.

Here are a few strategies to help you be successful right through till the New Year.

1. No day but today to Take Charge. If you have a solid routine of fitness and healthy eating practises ’stick with the plan’. If not, spend an hour looking at the week ahead of you and figure it out before it disfigures you! Follow the golden rules: exercise, eat right and get plenty of rest! Take charge of your thinking, your schedule and your behaviour. Every choice you make has a consequence. Manage your choices well and the consequences will be favourable to your waistline, energy and sanity. Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, I presented a wellness workshop to a receptive group from School District 23 Support Staff. It is always a challenge delivering a message that will be positively recieved by such a large and diverse group. Aside from the odd ‘dear in the headlights look’ no offense, the session was directly after lunch, the group was very resondent.

I packed a great deal of information into a not so great amount of time. That said, the group was prompted earlier to come up with a question of interst and that allowed me to highlight some key areas I knew the group was interested in as I went through my presentation.

The bad news, we ran out of time before all the questions were asked. The good news, I’ve got a few dozen key topics from their questions that are worth blogging. Feel free to interact with us as we continue the educationi of wellness for this great group and our community!

Follow Sage Advice for posts and be patient with me…as you recall, my plate is a little full!

And SD23, I hope you’ve started something rolling…we’re over the 48hr mark!

The Okanagan has a great selection of fitness centres, recreation programs, and training studios along with fitness retailers who can help you with your fitness programs.

There is a program for virtually every price range and personality. The mistake people make in choosing a good fit, is lack of preparation. If you do your homework now, when the cool weather brings you indoors, there will not be a lag in your activity regime. Align your program choice with your personality, values and existing lifestyle and you will be more apt to stick with fitness and ultimately success!

Do you prefer to be on your own, get inspired by variety, need accountability, intimidate easily, have limited scheduling choices or live a tight time or financial budget? Any one or more of these can be a potential obstacle to keep you from continued healthy living and gaining ground with fitness.

Solo exercisers may want to consider home workouts, intimate programs or training studios to avoid the masses. Socialites on the other hand, go big and boisterous. Visit your short list at a time you would be training so you get a feel for the culture, energy and type of patrons to ensure a connection will stick.

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Okay, I’m tired of hearing that expression.

Girl goes into the woods,
Girl rides up a really steep trail for 90 minutes,
Girl gets caught in a good downpour,
Girl makes her way down some pretty cool terrain for an hour
No, nothing she hasn’t handled before.
Girl gets a little cold, yep, hands are freezing,
Girl has only 10 minutes to the bottom, scurfing right along.
Girl…whoops, bouldery loose section tire washes out…SPLATT to rock face!!
Girl goes down.
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Plea To Participate!

It is not often, I ask for your help to commit to a charity event. However, this event, although in existence a long time, has taken on a greater significance to us this year. I hope you can help.

TEAM Fitness is very excited to offer our support to the new directors of this years TERRY FOX Run! Shane and Lisa Worman came on as clients after winning our yearly Relay for Life top fund raiser prize, 3 years ago. They’ve been clients ever since. Both cancer survivors and wonderful community ambassadors, they have now taken on a wonderful yet, daunting cause.
With our help and yours we can help raise the awareness and participaton of this years Terry Fox Event. Help us help Shane and Lisa be a force for the cure.
Gather your family, friends, neighbours and co-workers. Spread the word and our story to bring this event back. Attendance is key to raise the awareness and funds.
If you are in town, we are counting on you, heck we’re expecting you to participate. Please step up and step out with your sneakers and your cheque book. Together we can launch our new directors on their first run with significant support! Thank you all for coming out! But, if you are out of town and can’t be with us please pledge CLICK HERE to make a donation to our team.
OR BETTER STILL
JOIN OUR TEAM HERE

Sat on a cruiser yesterday! Sweet right hand breaking system. Could be a good transition to my mtn. bike…Wadya think chicks? Any takers? Pull out your cruiser, commuter or mountain bike and join me for a ‘get back on the saddle ride’ If you don’t have a cruiser maybe I can hook you up with a loaner for an hour or two…Union how do you feel about that? This is strictly a fun gal pal ride downtown and around, heck we may even stop for ice-cream! Thursday August 27th. 5:45 @ Union Cycle
email me liz@teamfitnessbc.com if you can make it!

If you have ever had something take you out of the game, you have a vague idea of what it is like for an avid rider to sit the sidelines. I have to say that the first week down was easy to surrender. There was not much else to do on pain killers, a wounded wing and a hip that was far more of an issue then the 6 pack of stiches holding a gapping wound particularly after the weeks worth of pain killers were pushed aside. Amazing how much the body can take. The break from reality (no pun intended) was a welcome one however, and I thank my amazing team at the studio for taking care of business while I recovered.

The well wishes from clients friend and chicks along with all the care packages were so great and helped feed me physically and emotionally. I had a good 24 hr solid pity party after my day in surgery but I’m through the other side now and looking for all the things I can do rather than drowning in those things I cannot!

So, although my beloved ‘Mexico’ Marin will hang on the hook for another 5 weeks, my legs are free to do as they please. I look forward to hiking the trails that you will ride Wednesday and enjoying a cold stick at the end of it all and sharing in your stories.

Hands Up …Baby Hands Up!

Is the Okanagan sunshine beckoning you out of doors? Sunny days are one of the best motivators of physical activity. And since The Thompson Okanagan is one of the top 10 Golf Destinations, perhaps golf is your activity choice.

Ask a golfer and they will tell you they gain self discipline, control, solitude, achievement, socializing, mastering precision, athleticism, gratification and for many, golf is therapeutic, not to mention the health benefits of walking 18 holes.

You see, the game of golf can be played by anyone who can walk and hold a club. It brings to each individual a multitude of pleasures and benefits. You don’t have to understand why you play the game. You just play it. When you are in the mode of ‘play’ you can be anyone you want. You are no longer the executive with a deadline, an over scheduled mom, the disgruntled employee, or angry teenager. You can get lost for hours under a blanket of warm sun, engulfed in a serene landscape and the smell of fresh cut grass. You choose your company and your conversation. Your mood is whatever you want it to be. If you are one of those golfers who comes off of the course more frustrated than elated then maybe these tips will help you enjoy the game and improve your golf score.

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I’ve spent months talking to mom’s in our community about their obstacles, barriers and excuses that are preventing them from taking action on healthy living practices; regular exercise, rest and mindful nutrition. These mom’s threw the book at me. But for every excuse they conjured up, I offered up a solution.

I didn’t say the solutions were going to be easy to accomplish or that they would like what I said, I just showed them it was doable. Here lies the real challenge. Most of the solutions required a change in habits, thinking and mental state. Moreover, these moms came up with the solutions. I just asked the right questions.

Change is difficult for all of us. Routine is easy, comfortable and familiar. I get it. But what if routine is not having you live the life that brings out the best in you to give your best to your family? To quote Dr. Phil “how’s it working for you so far?”

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