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We’ve all been there…in a rush…stuck in traffic, what should be a smooth sailing road trip has turned into a parking lot. We get irritated, impatient and wonder who is holding everyone up. Then we see it…a 6 car pile up with multiple injuries, paramedics, ambulance, stretchers; we feel humbled, hoping everyone will be ok and thankful we are healthy and alive.

This is called a paradigm shift. When in our heads for instance we make up a reason to be upset…then realize there is an entirely different reason for what is upsetting us. Usually…it’s never about us…but when we get frustrated we make it about us and we usually at some unnecessary angst and drama in the mix.

The other day I was at a very popular salon and there was one restroom with a line of 4 women…all of us getting impatient. I mean…we had very important hair treatments to attend to! The first gal does what we all wanted to and taps on the door letting the person inside know there’s people waiting. Then she taps a little louder, showing her (and our) impatience. Out comes a young women in a wheelchair, paraplegic. Yes, we were instantly quieted and humbled.

Later in the week I had a similar “wait” at a popular restaurant and out comes another woman with both hands in casts! Yes, humbled once again.

There are many stories in folklore and in reality about these paradigm shifts to help us recognize our kind, patient selves (once we make the shift) along side our frustrated impatient selves. (the one who might never see the “real” story).

I’ve found when I can consciously take a step back and realize that there might be something bigger than what I can see or imagine then I calm down and wait for it to reveal itself. It is usually something different than what I made up and the journey of waiting for the outcome is much more pleasant!

That’s part of the big “ah ha”…is how we respond to any disturbance while we are waiting for the answer. That’s wellness…how we can react before we react!

Here is a cute story written by Steven Covey …
In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey tells the story of a woman who is rushing to catch her airplane. She woke up late, threw herself together, and dashed for the airport. Once she is checked in and headed for the correct gate, she realizes how hungry she is and stops quickly at an airport store and buys a package of cookies. She then gets to her plane “she is the last to board,” and takes the only available seat.

Her mind is racing. She reviews the morning and hopes that she packed everything she needs. She thinks about her destination and all that she will need to do once she gets there. She thinks about her work, her deadlines, her busy life. She then looks down and sees the cookies. She opens the package, takes a cookie out, and sets the package on the seat next to her. No sooner has she put the cookie in her mouth than the man next to her, whom she has barely noticed up until now, reaches down, takes a cookie, smiles at the woman, and pops it in his mouth!

She can’t believe her eyes! Of all the people on the plane, she had to sit next to this guy! But hasn’t that always been her luck? Doesn’t she seem to attract the weird people, like moths to a flame? She moves the package of cookies, being as subtle as she can, as close to her as she can given the tight airline seating. She then takes another cookie out and begins to eat it. Sure enough, the man next to her takes a cookie, pauses again to smile at her, and pops it in his mouth! The woman is livid! She cannot believe the arrogance, disrespect, and rudeness of some people.

The pattern of cookie eating continues. Each time she takes a cookie, the man soon follows. He pauses each time to smile at her before popping it in his mouth. As the plane nears its destination, she looks down at the package and sees there is one cookie left. Obviously the man has noticed this as well, because he reaches down, takes it, breaks it in two, and offers the woman half of the final cookie. He smiles at her as he holds her half out. “Oh, thank you!” She manages to say before taking the half and eating it. She hopes he heard the sarcasm in her voice, and she vows to write a letter to the airline about the type of people they are allowing on their flights.

After the plane lands, she rushes off to find the baggage claim. On the way, she begins to rummage around in her purse to locate her baggage claim slip. She suddenly stops walking. Her eyes widen. She pulls out her package of cookies from the purse – unopened. The woman’s face reddens as she realizes that she had been eating the man’s cookies the whole time, and that he had generously and with a kind heart given them to her, even splitting the last one in half!
Consider taking a pause…and wondering if there might be a different perspective. This in essence is wellness.

Sometimes we view sugar as only being in candy and cakes…but here are surprising sources of added sugar you might not even be aware of! I read this article this morning from “Health Watch”.

These are good to know…especially if you are dealing with the dangerous side effects of too much sugar.
Tomato Sauces

Tomato sauce and tomato-based pasta sauces may contain more sugar than any other ingredient besides tomatoes. The more “ready-to-serve” a product is, the more likely it is to be laden with sugar, with popular brands containing 10-15 grams per half-cup.

Salad Dressings

You often get sugar instead of healthy vegetable oils in “reduced-fat” dressings. Such bottled products contain up to 3 grams of sugar per tablespoon – about the same concentration, by weight, as a regular soft drink. It’s better to make your own using heart-healthy ingredients.
Ketchup and Barbecue Sauces

A tablespoon of ketchup contains about 3.6 grams of sugar, something to be aware of as you squeeze that bottle. You probably don’t want to make your own ketchup just to save a few grams of sugar, but cooking up your own barbecue sauce might be worth it. Brands vary widely, but many list sugar in some form (such as high-fructose corn syrup) as the second ingredient after tomato puree, totaling up to 8 grams per tablespoon. (And who uses only a tablespoon of barbecue sauce?)

Baked Beans

As nutritious as beans are, you’re better off buying them without the 20 grams of sugar per cup found in sweeter canned varieties of baked beans.

Cereals

.We’re not talking about the sugar-coated kids’ cereals you’re already steering clear of, but rather the healthy-sounding choices that nonetheless pack a surprising sugar kick. Oat brans, oat and wheat squares, granolas and other fiber-rich cereals typically contain 10-15 grams of sugar per serving. Check the label and make sure the nutrition benefit is worth the sugar.

Granola Bars

Similarly, granola and “trail mix” bars seem healthy but can really be just crunchy delivery mechanisms for sugar. Chocolate and other coatings can easily bring the total to 20 grams per bar.

Frozen Entrees

That chicken pot pie has 4 grams per serving, a typical serving of lasagna has 6 grams and honey-roasted turkey breast might contain 9 grams of sugar.
Keeping your sugar to natural sources, such as whole fruit will also allow you to take in valuable nutrients and fiber. Choose wisely and enjoy.
To yours in health and wellness~
Tammy Parkinson CNC CPT CLC
Body Firm Personal Training and Nutritional Consulting
www.mybodyfirm.com

Several years ago I read and purchased a card reading” We are desperately searching for those pockets of silence where we can root and grow”. Today, I still have that card; the message ringing to me loud and clear; even in silence.

With our busy live’s how many of us sit in silence, in meditation, in complete and utter stillness so we can really hear ourselves? I know I rarely do; yet when I can (or rather “choose to”) create those pockets of silence and stillness, I become grounded, rooted and centered. From there, I bud new ideas, grow and create.

Studies show that we ( as a society ) get our best ideas to create in the following areas:

Meditation
In nature
In the shower
Yoga
Working out
Resting in Bed
Day dreaming

Notice in yourself…do you ever get get grounded and grow while going at mach speed? Or do you feel that to embrace change, to find out what it is you need, you must step away from the business of life (even fun) and get a little quiet?

I write these weekly “thoughts” at times because of my own challenges throughout the years… and one is to regularly find that quiet space. When I do, though, I realize how refreshing, healing, and vital it is to every piece of my life. I notice in clients when they are busy and pack their schedules with activity after appointment after obligation, hour after hour, they are frazzled, frustrated, exhausted and fall off their focus. It often feels less than obvious that the solution when we are overwhelmed is to slow down…even stop, and regroup. It feels as though we must work harder in order to get more accomplished. This causes us to get deeper in to our renewal deficit and before we know it, we are off in every aspect of our life. We don’t eat well, we don’t sleep deeply, we lack creative ideas and we feel too fatigued to stay active.

Does this ring a little bell to you?

Consider trying a little detox from busy and get quite. Find time…make time…to hear your own ideas. Get rooted so you can rejuvenate and move through life again with a sense of renewal and inspiration.

To Yours in health and wellness

Tammy Parkinson CNC CLC CPT
Body Firm Personal Training and Nutritional Consulting
www.mybodyfirm.com
408 896 2639

I like to believe with the right foods and supplements we can keep our bodies as ageless as possible. One way to keep our joints healthy and mobile is to add alternative elixirs into our regiment so we “feel” ageless. As with any supplements, always check with your Doctor to make sure they are safe, especially if you are on any medications.

Here are some of my favorites and why:

Curcumin: This is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory derivative drawn from the Indian spice turmeric. There have been a number of studies showing that curcumin reduces inflammation in many ways; one specifically in relieving the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis as well as rheumatoid arthritis.

Cayenne: There is an active ingredient in the pepper called capsaicin. This has been shown to help reduce the pain of osteoarthritis. You can also find creams that can be applied directly to to the skin for reduced inflammation.

Boswellia: This is a very ancient herb. To get a little nerdy, the Boswellia inhibits 5-lipoxygenase, an enzyme that produces a type of inflammatory mediator known as leukotrienes. For non nerdy explanation…boswellia may help preserve joint cartilage and with combined with curcumin there are studies which show an improved range of motion and reduced “cracking or grating” feeling from those with osteoarthritis.

Ginger: Among ginger’s MANY benefits, there are studies which show ginger helps reduce and relieve pain of arthritis. Ginger has many anti-inflammatory effects, joint pain and treatment of osteoarthritis being two of so many. +Note, I LOVE Ginger!!

Vitamin D: We now have heard, read, talked that Vitamin D3 is important for bone health as well as mood regulators. What is also coming out is low levels of Vitamin D can be linked to rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Get your D3 in for obvious reasons!

Enjoy your health and your joints!

Tammy Parkinson CNC CLC CPT
Body Firm Personal Training and Nutritional Consulting
www.mybodyfirm.com

Studies:

*Annals of Rheumatic Disease
*Journal of Traditional and Complimentary Medicine
*Progress in Drug Research

Every year I set two personal fitness goals; something “fun” and something “difficult”..both of which I’ve never tried before. I find it keeps me learning, inspired and engaged in my fitness. These activities vary in different sports year to year. My difficult goal for 2015 was cycling an event called “The Shasta Summit”. It’s held in August and involves over 10,000 feet of vertical climbing (on your bike) in the course of 100 miles.

All was set back in April. My husband Brad, and our two friends decided to rent a house near the route start and make it a “fun” weekend away with the highlight being the ride. We signed up for the event, cleared our calendars and were on a mission to train for it. Our friends are much faster riders than me, but I was ok with that since my husband and I ride together nicely. You see, I’m a very social rider and I can ride twice the speed and twice the distance if I have someone with me. I was good to go!

Then Brad got sick about 2 weeks ago…that would be 2 weeks before the event. He had the worse cold I’ve ever seen. He was coughing so badly he couldn’t sleep more than 10 minutes before he’d wake himself up. He was weak and sleep deprived. We knew he wouldn’t be riding…in fact he wasn’t even going to go in fear he might get someone else sick. At that point, our friends reminded me that although they love having me around, they would be riding faster than me shortly after we started and I’d need to be prepared to ride alone. ALONE! No one to chat with on the long stretches…no one to help inspire me (and visa versa) for 100 miles! Ghads! How was I going to get through it?

This is when the drama began. I spent about 48 hours bouncing around whether or not I should go. I wondered if I would be safe, I wondered if I was strong enough to finish it, I wondered if Brad needed me at home, maybe my clients would miss me and I should stay in town…but the root of it all was I simply knew it would be extremely hard mentally to do the ride without a buddy. I proceeded to contact about 8 cycling friends who I thought might (at the last minute) want to do this with me…no luck (no surprise there!). Finally, 3 days before the ride, I had an honest talk with myself. I knew I was strong enough. I knew I would be safe. I knew I would finish. I just knew it would be 10-12 hours of hard work mentally and physically and I wasn’t looking forward to that and truly wondered if I had it in me. Once I decided to be truly honest with myself, I realized even more importantly, I made a commitment to myself to do this ride. I needed to have integrity with my word to myself. I had been talking about it since 2013. I knew if I bailed, I would be disappointed in myself and I knew if I tried, I would feel very proud.

So, I made a decision on Thursday 100% in…I would drive 5 1/2 hours on Saturday to do a ride on Sunday and whatever happened was ok, but I would give it my all.

The gift happened then. Once I decided and didn’t look back, I felt liberated. I was strong, focused and determined. I was excited to see what I was made of. I asked advise from my trainers at Body Firm how to get through a long event solo and received exceptional advise and tips. I drove up knowing it would be the only time I’d try this ride and I was happy.

On Sunday our friends were supportive, inspiring and wonderful. In the pitch black of 5 am, they stayed with me until it was light enough to see well. I saw them periodically on the ride (passing one way or the other) and they were yelling out to me and encouraging. At mile 50 or so, I met a gal who was the same speed and we finished the last 50 miles together. It was GREAT! The scenery was beautiful. The accomplishment of achieving a goal set nearly 2 years ago happened. What was most powerful to me though was realizing that the hardest part of the entire journey wasn’t the long 20 mile climbs, the slight uphill at the very end, the 11 hours on a bike seat or the parts where I rode by myself…it was the indecision a few days prior of not following my intention. The pain of wondering if I “should” or “could”. THAT was the difficult part. That was torture.

My lesson is one to be used daily. When we waver back and forth, deciding then changing our minds, then wondering if we made a mistake, over and over, that takes up space in our minds and our hearts that are completely unnecessary and will cause more fatigue than any race event.

My tip…be safe and go for what you set out to do. Don’t look back once you decide something you want to accomplish. Trust yourself and your coaches and go out and climb your own mountain. Then let go and be happy about it!
Tammy Parkinson CNC CPT CLC
Body Firm Personal Training and Nutritional Consulting
www.mybodyfirm.com

I’m cautious to recommend vitamins, minerals or supplements until I get to know a person’s dietary history and in some cases working with clients and their Doctors based on their health history. Keeping that in mind as you read this, I wanted to share some new information I recently was introduced to.

It’s about the vitamin K. K2…to be exact.

You might know that vitamin K encourages blood clotting…which is essential in our bodies; however if a person is on blood thinners, then one is usually advised by their physician to limit their vitamin K intake (either in supplement form or in green leafy vegetables). What many don’t realize is Vitamin K2 is a different form of the vitamin and is known as menaquinone. It’s responsible for appropriate calcification for our bones and works synergistically to help strengthen our bones with vitamin D3. Vitamin K2 is found in animal fats such as egg yolks, certain cheeses, grass fed animals and from fermented soybean paste called Nattokinase (an enzyme extracted from natto which is sold as a supplement).

Now, of course, if one were watching their cholesterol, you wouldn’t want to run out and intake a bunch of egg yolks, cheese and beef without your Dr.’s approval.

What’s important to realize is adequate levels of vitamin K2 help prevent a variety of health issues such as diabetes, arthritis, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, kidney disease as well as osteoporosis and even infertility! That’s quite a list.

Another myriad of studies indicate that vitamin D3 (known to help bone health) without the intake of Vitamin K2 also places calcium into soft tissue—something we do not want. This could ultimately cause a calcium plaque build up in the arterial wall.

This is heady information; and information I thought could be beneficial to pass along. Please though, before you run out and grab some K2, talk to your health care provider and ask him or her questions about this important, little known vitamin and if it’s appropriate for your body!

To yours in Health and Wellness~

Tammy Parkinson, CNC CPT CLC
Body Firm Personal Training and Nutritional Consulting
www.mybodyfirm.com
408 896 2639

Have you ever trained for a big event, or waited all year for that “once in a lifetime” vacation? It’s so exciting, motivating and helps us get through some of the other “big” problems and stressors of life. It is truly invigorating to get prepared for the event! We complete the event, we take the trip, relish in the fun, enjoy the accomplishment, have laughs about it…then…silence…then the big carrot stick is gone…then life comes up on us again. We’re SAD, maybe even a little depressed! Maybe you’re depressed just reading this (smile).

I am writing this because for half the year we (myself, husband, trainers and team) have been training for a 206 mile bike ride which took us a day and a half to complete. It was hard and challenging both physically and mentally…yet it was rewarding and exciting at the same time. To finish it was quite an accomplishment on many levels; mentally, physically and emotionally for all of us in very personal ways.

Now…we are “done”…now we have a big gap in our weeks from all the time spent training. Now we (some of us) are a little sad (others are elated it’s over!) . So how do we pick up our inertia again, feel inspired and find our mojo?

I think taking a step back and really “feeling” how much one loves the prep for events is important to acknowledge. It’s important for us understand why we love some of the same things which are so difficult at the same time to complete. Ideally, it’s vital to reinvent ourselves all the time, refresh, renew, challenge and inspire ourselves…daily.

So, what can you do? Personally, I have one more event that I am doing this summer…which will keep me challenged to say the least; but beyond that, it’s time now to open my world up to all I’ve put on the back burner which training had hijacked. It’s time to reconnect with friends, to “day dream” about goals, to visit places and family I haven’t had time to. It’s not only time to take care of “life”…it’s time to find gratitude in the life and health we have; regardless of events, goals and vacations. It’s time to get regrounded, regroup and renew.

Learning to love the journey and always move in ways which constantly inspire us with or without huge occasions can be the spice of life in itself.

Then it’s time to reach a new goal…and that just might be to be in the moment and relax, or go hike half dome!
To yours in heath and wellness~

Tammy Parkinson CNC CPT CLC
Body Firm Personal Training and Nutritional consulting
www.mybodyfirm.com