18% good vs 61% bad - YIKES!!

Staggering statistic of the day ... 18% of the population use fitness services; 61% of the population are obese!!!  Something needs to change.

Might I suggest once again that it is the building of strong relationships between allied health professionals and fitness professionals.

Today I had the privilege to attend a forum held here in Cairns by Fitness Australia (thankyou for coming!!) and the subject of discussion - how to build successful referral networks with allied health professionals.

Firstly, congratulations to our awesome industry for taking the initiative on this and leading the way.

Fitness Australia have devised a comprehensive pre screening process for potential exercisers and athletes to help identify the need for referral to allied health professionals and to help ensure that the clients are given the very best of care and service.

This wonderful system will only work if our allied health professionals - GPs, chiropractors, physiotherapists, podiatrists, psychologists, nutritionists and dieticians get on board and help to create a system that works for all.

I believe that people will always want the reassurance of the medicine man that they are not going to die any time soon, and so our already very busy doctors will never run short of work, even if we fitness professionals manage to create radical change in the physical lives of the 61% of the population that desperately needs it.  Rather with an effective referral system we can create a way of providing an even better level of service and care for all patients that provides a more efficient route to results, and ideally works towards a common goal of reduction or erradication of medication and overall improvement of movement and enhancement of quality of life.

Let's face it - our population is getting older ... isn't it better that their bodies work better for longer too.  To achieve this we need fitness to be a priority at every level, from day care to aged care.  This is definitely one of those situations where 1 plus 1 = 3, so come on allied health professionals ... what do you say?

In case you missed it, my humble suggestion some time back was that anyone diagnosed with hypertension, type 2 diabetes or depression be given a referral to a suitably qualified fitness professional, along with their prescription.  Perhaps their medicare payment should even be contingent upon activation of that referral, although that's probably getting political and I try not to go there.

The body is a mystery.  The outcome of what can be achieved if we work together is a mystery.  But it's a mystery work exploring.  The health of our nation could very well depend on it!!

First loser ... why does it feel so good?

There is always room to improve, another game to play, another goal to score, another way to grow and discover more of who you are and what you can become.

I was privileged on the weekend to participate in the CBWC Annual Awards and lucky enough to be a finalist in a category.  No, I didn't win, but even still I feel like a winner.

In the company of scores of successful, beautiful, interesting, intelligent, funny and dynamic women in Cairns I got a sense of what it feels like to truly succeed in life.

Success means different things to different people - for me it is the acknowledgement that you are a person of value, that what you do matters, and that you are connected to the world and it's people in a way that makes a positive difference.

On Saturday night I felt a deep sense of my own definition of success, and from this an inspiration to press on and realise the potential within me that so many others believe in.

Why do I tell you this, because as I say in my 7S Workshop - you already have everything inside you that you need for success - you simply need to tap into it.  With the right tools and the right focus every one can achieve their own definition of success and experience that winning feeling.  It is not contingent upon awards and prizes, or upon others approval of who you are and what you do, it is up to you to decide that all by yourself you matter.

We all have different purposes and our life quest seems to be to discover what they are.  Sometimes it is to be to be a mother, a business women, a friend, a wife, a partner, a daughter or any one of a number of other hats that we wear.  Within each purpose we have the ability to feel and acknowledge our own success and in so doing elevate the level of every experience, to enhance and enjoy our own life's experience.

So remember that there is no failure, only feedback and with that feedback you can discover more and more about yourself that will direct you on your own path to success.

Now, go and look in the mirror, smile and tell whoever smiles back that they are AWESOME!

Zoot, zoot zoot!

Take a moment, jump in a helicopter and lift yourself overhead for a moment to see the helicopter view of your own life.  It is from this vantage point that you will be able to see that there is so much more going on in life than you are aware.

I have just returned from FILEX, the annual fitness convention here in Australia, and am full of 'zooties' to share.

One of many highlights for me this year, a remarkable little dynamo of a lady called Amanda Gore.

I have heard Amanda speak at our conference before and as a result of her presentation I swiftly returned home to purchase a pair of gratitude goggles, which now take pride of place at the dinner table of my small family.  It has become our ritual to take turns at wearing the oversized shamrock glasses during the evening meal and sharing with each other the highlights of our day.  I am particularly impressed with the success of this ritual from many points of view - not the least of which being that my 3 & 5 year olds totally love it, and insist on following a protocol, whereby you must wait your turn to wear the goggles and participate fully in the family happy dance to celebrate each persons daily highlight.

Today I'd be quite happy to keep my gratitude goggles on all day show you my joy jig!

Team, we get to choose our attitude.  Wake up and make a better choice.  If your focus has shifted from what you love about your life to what you don't, then try this - join the tip of your thumb on each hand to the tip of your first finger making small circles, bring them up to your eyes and look through your new gratitude goggles to find something ... anything ... to be grateful for.  Happiness is a choice, gratitude is a choice and when you put your gratitude goggles on and take a look you will be amazed at how much there is sitting right in front of you right now that makes you happy.

So now try this.  Take up the challenge. Every day for the next month start your day by identifying and writing down three things that you are grateful for.  Then get into your gratitude - deeply immerse yourself in the feeling of being grateful for these things and notice the very positive change it will bring to your day.  What's the worst that can happen?  At the very least one month from today you will have a list of almost 100 things that are awesome in your life to look at when things go wrong and remind you that YOUR life is actually pretty amazing!!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 .....Repeat!

Yesterday marked the finale of the first 12 Week Challenge for 2012.  An extremely enjoyable experience combining an early morning beach bootcamp workout and a civilised and healthy breakfast to follow, complete with presentations and prizes for all who participated.

Followed by a run of emails, text messages and phone calls, to book in for the next 12 Week Challenge.

I AM EXCITED!!

12 Week Challenge was my 'baby' just over a year ago when, at the prompting and encouragement of my loving partner Stu, I decided to announce, although a little unprepared, the launch of 12 Week Challenge.

4 Challenges later the mix is right.  You can see what fun was had by visiting my facebook page and viewing through some of the pictures.

https://www.facebook.com/fitness.form.function

12 Week Challenge is about changing lives. What's been interesting is that the positive changes experienced by the Challengers has been so much more than I first expected.

12 Week Challenge 2 is filling fast, as is Team Extreme.  Get on board ... it's a helluva ride!!

Three wise women want a pow wow with the doctors!!

Yesterday I had the wonderful privilege of spending an unexpected few hours with two very wise women.

I say unexpected as I had planned to pop in for a quick Enjo demo - curiosity finally getting the better of me - and be gone in time to read my children a couple of bedtime stories.  The universe conspires however to always give us what we need, and I was welcomed with warm hugs, sat down in front of healthy food, and far from a sales pitch the three of us embarked on a conversation about life, love, the universe and everything ... and I mean absolutely everything!!

(Before you give me the bad mummy award, my loving partner was totally in control of the situation and today I have surprisingly happy children running around me drawing dinosaurs, firing off nerf guns and generally being surprisingly happy and cooperative 3 & 5 year olds.  Who knows why, but again the universe is looking after me!!)

So firstly - GRATITUDE.  Thank you universe for delivering so much in such a short space of time.

And secondly - A BETTER QUESTION to move us forward (the outcome of three wise women over a cup of tea) -

What can I do to improve the overall health and attitude of the people of Cairns?

Over the past week I have had reason to discuss health, medication and short and long term treatment for physical and mental illness with lots of people.  (For the record I am not a doctor - people just tell me stuff)

Out of these discussions one thing has become very clear.  Doctors generally have only enough time to write a prescription and hand out an information sheet to help we every day individuals to handle the physical and mental ailments that manifest in our lives.  Doctor, Doctor - I believe that I, and my fitness industry colleagues, have an opportunity to help here.

Here's what I propose:

1. That anyone who is diagnosed with a) Hypertension (high blood pressure); b) Type 2 diabetes; or c) Depression, be automatically given a referral to a suitably qualified, insured and experienced fitness professional.

2. That the community of Personal Trainers and Fitness Professionals in Cairns join together to lobby local government, state government and federal government to make fitness training 'prescription' and support a rebatable service through Medicare and Private Health Funds.

Fitness training, personal training changes lives.  Those changes are far reaching for the individuals and the communities in which they live.  Improved fitness improves health, enables people to make better choices about food and life, reduces the risk and impact of lifestyle diseases and can in some cases can eliminate the need for medications for hypertension, type 2 diabetes and depression.  Fitness is truly an amazing 'product'.

The upshot of it all is that by making fitness affordable and accessible more people would choose it as firstly a treatment, and secondly a way of life.  The long term impact is a massive improvement in the overall physical and mental health of our community.  By taking responsibility for our own health and fitness and creating a 'prevention is best' mindset, we can create a community of success and positivity.

Now, I'm hoping this isn't a new idea and someone has already got the ball rolling on this one nationally.  My proposal is more about bringing together the amazing community of allied health professionals and fitness trainers in the far north to create the positive change that we all know is possible and will enable this area to truly thrive.  We may be remote, but we are quite amazing!!

Damaged ... or Driven ... it's a choice!

A long long time ago on a blog virtually identical to this one I made mention of the Power Plate.  You can check it out here Good Vibrations

So, now a few steps further into the journey I have to say that anything really is possible, especially when you believe.

I am now working with D1 and D2 - my former client's 'paraplegic' mother and her mother's 'incomplete quadraplegic' friend.

Both ladies under their own steam are mobile and able to do pretty much everything that you and I do to get on with life, however the function and sensations of their bodies are vastly different to ours.

D1 has been regularly using Power Plate since the beginning of this year and D2 is this week up to week 3.  D1 hits the gym with me every week for upper body strengthening work and the ocassional boxing sesh to let her inner Rocky roar.  Today D2 told me that she was able to walk for 25 minutes yesterday and had so much energy she felt she could have cleaned the house from top to bottom last night.  (Find me one able bodied, injury free person, who even gives that idea contemplation!!)  That's a lot of energy.

Both D1 and D2 have indicated a reduction in unwanted muscle spasms, more sensation in some muscles and a feeling that things are 'waking up'.  D1 is conscious of strength improvements in getting up and down and the ability to 'do more' in other areas, including aqua training and cardio on an exercise bike.

It's amazing, amazing stuff and so rewarding to see the power of increased physical awareness and strength in bodies that have been unexpectedly damaged by circumstance.

Life is not what happens to us, but how we react and respond to what happens to us.  D1 and D2 respond with energy and drive to a challenge that is completely incomprehensible to all of us that have not experienced it.  I am inspired every time I see or talk to them.  How lucky am I?

Now, I'm just waiting for their permission to post some of the photos and video footage so you can be inspired too.

C . U . S . C . G . C . = Success

80 - 93% of everything we communicate is non verbal.

Non verbal isn't just what your physiology is doing, for example crossing legs and crossing arms - because this could relate to being cold and needing to pee - but non verbal is things like changes in the vocal variety and voice tones, changes in skin colour of your face, your rate of breathing, the direction you focus your eyes - the small things that your subconscious picks up on when you are talking to someone.

Why does it matter?  Well I've been getting some feedback about my communication skills and it turns out that the non-verbal stuff is what people remember, even though it may not be so obvious.  Best to ensure your non verbal matches your verbal for success!

To improve the match motivational speaker Amanda Gore has a few great suggestions.  One is changing the physiology of how your body responds to a given situation.

Whenever you find yourself in a situation which has a bit of an "OH NO" attached, try saying "THAT'S INTERESTING" instead.  This way you stop your body from releasing adrenaline that help you run away and escape the situation and instead gets your body curious about what's happening and so more open to whatever communication occurs.

Every human on the planet has the same 6 basic needs:

Certainty
Uncertainty
Significance
Connection
Growth
Contribution

In all dealings consider whether your communication, verbal and non verbal is meeting those needs.  When the first 4 of these needs are met the communication and the relationship will continue to grow taking it to a place of growth and contribution.  Where these needs to do not get met, the individual will move on and keep looking.

So as you encounter new and old friends and acquaintances, business associates and clients, family and even just the man passing in the street, if you feel an "OH NO" creeping in, take a deep breath and open yourself up to something new.  Uncertain of the outcome, you can be certain that by making a significant connection with this person you create an opportunity for growth and contribution for you both.

:D