I am asking you to please join my team, The Rain City Runners, on April 25th for a 5k run around Stanley Park to raise money and awareness for the MS Society of Canada

“Run? I can’t run!” you say?

Yes you can!!
For my part, and as an incentive, I am offering a free graduated running clinic starting January 26th.

Who
Everybody and anybody.
Both my 9 year old couch-potato son and my track & field superstar husband are getting involved!

What
The program is based on gradual interval training designed to get you running 5k without injury.
Whether your starting from scratch, terribly unmotivated or nursing a shin splint or two you CAN do this run and I will be there to teach you how.

Where
We’ll be meeting at the Starbucks on the corner of Cornwall & Yew then head over to the beach for some good times.

When
Every Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30pm and Saturday mornings at 10am. We’ll be approximately 45 minutes  to 1 hour including  stretching.

Why
You’ll be contributing to a great cause, you will be inspired, you will be motivated and you will be spending time with some really cool people and don’t forget about the joy of moving your muscles!

Also, you just can’t beat the feeling of accomplishment and camaraderie!
Proceeds from MS Society fundraising events fund research with three primary goals: to find a cause and cure for MS, repair nervous system damage caused by MS and stop MS attacks. I believe we can end multiple sclerosis. Please give generously.

This is the link that will take you to the team home page where people can donate and track the amount of money raised.
http://msofs.mssociety.ca/2010WALK/SponsorTeam.aspx?&PID=1166380&L=2

Copy and paste it into your facebook, twitter account and email it to friends and family!

“Specifically treating extra body fat, as many diets do, is treating only the symptoms. Excess body fat is a clear indication that optimal health has not been achieved, and to treat it without creating a healthier lifestyle on a holistic level is merely spot-treating. Food cravings, usually for sugary or starchy foods, are often a telltale sign that the diet lacks nutrients or is tired. Cravings and chronic hunger, if not addressed, will lead to weight gain and fatigue in the short term and, in the long term, any number of health problems.”

- Brendan Brazier

Usually around this time of year my inbox and magazine subscriptions start screaming out headlines such as “Are Your Clients Ready for the Holidays?“, “The Lower Calorie Christmas” and “How to Survive the Season“.

I dutiful read the articles that tell me pretty much the same ol’ same ol’ information, something between common sense and latest trend and I, like most of you, am also looking for the loophole.

The loophole is what we want to believe will be easier for us and will work. My particular frailty is sugar so I like to read anything that says I can eat it if I only cut out, say, “carbs” and this is what has us all tied in knots because really, no matter what we read, if we’re searching for a loophole were in a position that the only way to achieve our goal (weight loss or stability) is through hard work.

That’s the bottom line.

Sure, I can tell you that weight loss should be as easy as obtaining a caloric deficit either through modified meal plans, expenditure (exercise) or a happy combination of both. If you are like me, i.e. average, then you’re struggling with losing weight not because you don’t know how many calories you’re consuming but because we are struggling with deeper issues that aren’t as simple as “just say no” to salad dressing. So no matter what path we choose, whichever works best with our lifestyles and personalities, it’s going to be hard going.

My suggestion?
Be honest, if you aren’t dedicated to giving up sugar *ahem* then find out what you are willing to go without or to what degree and then do some deep soul searching and find out what your personal block is.
What is it that keeps you were you are and not where you want to be?
People only change when the pain is great enough and most often what we are holding on to is more valuable to us (like comfort or satiety) than the idea of fitting into a size 6.

You have two choices; accept your physical state at this moment or COMMIT to introspection and cognitive modification.

Aha! A good friend just directed me to this woman, Dr. Judith Beck and it sounds like she and I have similar ideas, hers are probably communicated more eloquently

I love learning about the scapula’s because rounded shoulders are overwhelminly common and easy to repair and when they are they make an astounding visual difference in a person’s carriage.

This weekend I’m going to the Can-Fit Pro conference in Richmond and I’ll definitely be attending any workshop that Dean Smith puts on. One of which is “Understanding the Scapula”. Yeah!

‘A common imbalance in the scapular force couple is tight, dominant downward rotators and stretched, weak upward rotators. Think about which category of muscles we work in the gym.
Changes in this force couple balance can be caused by postural changes especially when the shoulders drop forward.’

See, I think that’s really cool to know.

I started running outside and immediately got shin-splints because even though I do a 9min/mile (3 miles) on the treadmill I’m not using nearly the amount of muscles that are required to provide my own momentum, so my cardio is good but my mechanics are not.

Changing from treadmill to outdoor running is basically starting a new sport from scratch.

Running outdoors is what gives you that nice, pert bum and strong calves.
That being said I’m also a fan of the freedom it provides, from knowing you have the ability to move yourself fast from one place to the next to the fact that you can do it without anything, you don’t even need shoes!

This article from Discover Magazine titled Born to Run is an excellent read if you are interested in human’s anthropogenesis adaptation to running.

“From our abundant sweat glands to our Achilles tendons, from our big knee joints to our muscular glutei maximi, human bodies are beautifully tuned running machines. “We’re loaded top to bottom with all these features, many of which don’t have any role in walking,” Lieberman says”

Enjoy!

So what’s happened in the meantime?

I took some time off to make breakfasts every morning for my family and walk my kid to school. I cleaned. I wallowed around until I just *had* to go back to the gym. And, yes, I ate and gained weight. I think it’s called a “vacation” but I didn’t wear a bathing suit or have drinks delivered poolside.
Now I’m biking up to the Kitsilano Community Centre for my strength training fix.

I also took the time to create all my paperwork; my Client Contracts, Liability Waivers, Fitness Assessment sheets and the whatnot. Yeah!

And I’m studying, in fact I’m holding regular Friday night study sessions in my house for myself and other Personal Trainers to bone up on our knowledge and network, sometimes Chinese food is involved

So look to this site being revamped before Christmas with twitter notifications, price lists and updated pictures; all the bells and whistles that a working website should have.

Cheers,
Danielle

As I branch out on my own I’m trying to decide what the best business choice to make is;
Do I hire on at a club as a private contractor, I’d be running my own business and renting the use of the facility but have access to the clientele. Do I hire on at a gym on payroll, I’d be making way less money but wouldn’t have to worry about sales, or do I go my own and find my own clientele then train out of their homes, outsides etc?

Understandably going fully my own is scarier as I’ll be taking a risk that my bets will pay off but they may not.

I guess the question comes down to what I value more, safety or money….

I am an average women who reads a lot, raises a family, watches CSI and has always been lazy, vain and proud.

I also suffer from chronic lower back pain, fatigue and a childhood devoid of any athleticism.

Last year I decided to change all that and what I found was a conduit to change my life.
I started lifting weights.
Every time I pushed past my comfort level, every time I approached the weight stacks, every time I ran and didn’t like it, (because I don’t, it’s not “fun”), I discovered what I was capable of. I discovered how powerful I can be. I discovered I was able to do so much more, that my limits where so much higher, than I ever thought.

More importantly I found that the weights were honest. They would always be 20lbs no matter what I said or did. If I found them difficult or rewarding, or frustrating, that was *my* perspective which meant that I had the power to change the way I approached the exercise and therefore my whole experience.

Imagine how amazing that awareness is when you transfer those skills to every day life!

Thus I have embarked on a quest to be as strong, as healthy and as ABLE as I can be.

I truly believe that we cannot lead full lives without embracing our capabilities and overcoming our obstacles and that is my very intention.
This site is to record my progress, to identify my obstacles and outline solutions to overcome them.
It’s about accountability and community.

Words of wisdom and/or encouragement are gratefully and gladly received

Cheers,
Danielle

*to Strength, Beauty, Endurance and Flexibility!*

Day 1 (Push)

Day 2 (Pull)

Day 3 (Intervals)

Day 4 (Push)

Day 5 (Pull)

Day 6 (Intervals)