Want to bang your own drum ... join this TRIBE!!!

Yesterday I was outraged following 2 encounters with the medical profession that totally eroded any faith I had that there was a part of the system that cared.

Firstly, having recently suffered a severe chest infection and resorting to antibiotics at the 3rd week, I took my 4 year old son to the doctor fearing he was in for the same.  He was complaining of sore head, sore throat and I was looking at green slime oozing from every facial orifice and listening to a bark that would make any smoker proud. 

So here's the conversation that caused my consternation .... following the introduction about my son's current condition and my concern ...

Doctor: "So, what is your preferred antibiotic?"

Me: "One that works"

Doctor: "Oh, it won't work"

Me: "So why give him a medication that won't work"

Doctor: "I see at least 30 people a day who want an antibiotic to make them better, even thought it may be a viral infection and an antibiotic is useless.  So I give them a prescription and it's up to them if they use it.  Otherwise they get sicker and blame it on us"

Me: (Silently to myself as I pick my jaw up off the floor) ... so 30 people a day who's immunity is already down and as a result are suffering a viral infection, are given useless drugs to put pressure on their internal organs to deliver no result just so the doctors don't get a bad wrap for telling it the way it is ... OMFG!!!!  And all this at taxpayers expense, as because it was Sunday I happened to be in the bulk billing clinic in the middle of town.

Doctor: "So, here is your prescription, and some information about viruses.  You can use it or not, it's up to you"

Me: (Silently to myself ... my jaw is again on the floor) OMFG!!!

... and I don't really use the "F" at all ....

Now, I'm a fitness trainer and every week watch people reduce their medication as they improve their health through dietary changes and moderate exercise.  I have massive success in helping people reduce their need for blood pressure medication and pain killers as they learn to appreciate the amazing body they live in and treat it a little better as a result.

The second encounter was through a client of mine, who after 5 weeks of a training program with me and a group of other amazing positive people, went to her doctor who promptly put her on the scales to remind her and reaffirm the fact that she was overweight, tell her that exercise was useless, that she had to have more tests and that he would then give her a pill to help her lose weight.  I'm going to say it again "OMFG"!!!!  She promptly rang me to cancel her training and tell me what a waste of time it all was.

The previous week this client had broken new ground mentally, physically and emotionally taking on challenges she would never have thought possible 6 months, and probably even 6 weeks ago.  How dare another individual, let alone someone from the medical profession, use their position to flatten her spirit with this kind of treatment.

Fortunately I belong to a tribe of amazing individuals who are each on their own journey to improve the QUALITY OF THEIR LIFE, not just the bank balance of the medical and pharmaceutical professions.  Within that tribe are people that will pick you up when you are down, laugh at you when you take yourself too seriously, and challenge you when you need to lift your game.  Within that group also are several medical professionals, who acknowledge the power and benefit of positive energy and healthy food and movement to improve the quality of both life and health.  They are doing it themselves.

The venting is complete and now I can move forward.  Health is a personal choice ... and you  don't have to give the power of that choice over to anyone, even if they are bulk billing!!

Say it loud and say it often - "I am a healthy person"

This week the final 12 Week Challenge of the year has begun.  16 focused and energised people ready to commit to making small changes every day to deliver big changes in the long term.  The most often asked question so far this week - "what do I eat".

We will be having a full seminar on this next Saturday (24/9) at 1pm, so until then follow this simple advice.

Say it loud and say it often - tell your friends, but most of all just say it "I am a healthy person".

The choices about what to eat can be this simple.

When you identify yourself as a healthy person a few things will happen ...
1. You feel better about yourself and start to make better choices
2. You start to say no to unhealthy food choices - salty, fried, processed unhealthy foods
3. By saying it out loud you affirm it to yourself and by telling your friends they will help keep you accountable.

Find your role model for healthy - Mish Bridges is popular right now, Mike Le Roux is a local favourite, Matt O'Neill is a nutritionist who lives and breaths the message that he shares - all healthy people making healthy choices.

As a healthy person think like your healthy person role model and the rest of it becomes easy.

Say it loud and say it often - tell your friends, but most of all just say it

"I AM A HEALTHY PERSON".

How to break the 4 minute mile!

Anything is possible, but first you must believe.

On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister became the first person in the history of the world to break the 4 minute mile. This was a barrier that sports and medical professionals believed was impossible and had universally decided that the human body was incapable of achieving.

One man disagreed and visualised himself running a quarter mile in under a minute and repeating the experience 4 times to achieve the ultimate 4 minute mile.

This is an excerpt from the newspaper of the day:

"The race was carefully planned and Bannister was aided by two pacemakers, Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway.  Brasher took the lead as the first pacemaker, Bannister slotted in behind, with Chataway in third place.  When Brasher began to feel the strain, Bannister signalled for Chataway to take over.

Just over 200 yards from the finish, Bannister took the lead with a final burst of energy. He sprinted to the line in record time and fell exhausted into the arms of a friend."

Bannisterʼs words upon completion of this immense task:

“ No longer conscious of my movement, I discovered a new unity with nature. I had found a new source of power and beauty, a source I never dreamt existed."

With the impossibility of the task removed, within the year of Bannisters first ever 4 minute mile, 35 more people broke the barrier, the first of them within a month of Bannisterʼs amazing feat.

What does this mean for us? Believe in what you do and start running ....

So, how do you break the 4 minute mile - to be honest I haven't done it myself yet - I haven't trained, however I do believe it can be done.

Step 1 - Believe

Step 2 - Visualise

Step 3 - Train

Step 4 - Do

As with anything that you want to achieve in life, see the goal, make a plan, and get moving.

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle--when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."  (Abe Gubegan, an Ethiopian author and journalist)

P is for ....

I was having a good read of a little article from Success Magazine this week and just wanted to share some of the positivity of it with you.

We are all striving to succeed in whatever we do and Success Mag did some research and managed to distill the following as the essential character traits of the most successful business people, athletes, politicians and celebrities of our time.

I've taken licence to paraphrase a little for brevity.

P is for People Centredness - that enables you to discover what people need and help them get it.
P is for Paradigm Breaking - the ability to present change as an improvement, not a burden.
P is for Prioritisation - the ability to carefully select what you say and what you do.
P is for Perfection - something we strive for in order to achieve our individual best.
P is for Partnership - enabling clear communication that can turn bad into good.
P is for Passion - not something you have, but something you are able to share.
P is for Persuasion - the ability to explain why an idea is great, not simply owning a great idea.
P is for Principled Action - which makes winning a whole life success in all areas, not just one.
And P is for the Power you have to create your life.

All pretty good stuff really!!

Good vibrations!

Anything is possible ... but first you must believe!

What is vibration training, and more importantly does it work?

Today I began my quest to find the answer to this question.

A client posed a question to me recently - was there anything that I could do to help her paraplegic relative.  A daunting question to say the least, but what's life without a challenge? So I decided to look around ...

Well, seek and ye shall find ... your eyes might even pop, as mine did today!

Today I have had the most incredible feedback from people in the know that vibration training may in fact be able to deliver health and fitness benefits where other modes of training have failed.  I am like a kid with a new toy - I want to know everything about how this stuff works.  And here's why ...

In the research I have read so far a 74 year old wheelchair bound man was able to jump, walk on a treadmill and walk with a walker after 9 months of vibration treatment, with improvements continuing well beyond 16 months of treatment.

In another study 2 of 3 participants, all of whom had spinal paralysis of varying degrees, were able to walk independently using various walking aids following vibration training.

Scott Hopson has done some wonderful studies to find out just what can be achieved and to get a feel for what I'm talking about take a look at this.

When I first tried the Power Plate myself during a visit to Sydney earlier this year it felt like the missing link in my training.  Now I'm excited about finding out how it may be able to provide the missing link for those to whom training is barely even an option.  Here we may have a tool that improves muscle tone, metabolism, mobility, range of motion and movement, mental focus and attitude and sense of wellbeing.

In a world with so many challenges it's nice to imagine the possible positives of the Power Plate.

Stay tuned, this should be a fun ride.

Great new treatment for weight loss ... Anger Management!

I'm Simone and I have anger management issues.

I know this because whenever I get angry, I tend to go for chocolate.  Kind of like a valium only tastier, and with a completely contrary outcome to that which I desire.  Increased fat and caffeine in the system, which only serves to make me more cross, and less healthy.

Yesterday I met with an interesting little group of 4, with no particular agenda other than to get to know each other better, and discovered that I was not alone.  The stresses of the world right now seem to making us all a little bit angrier - be it that the financial downturn is having a direct affect on our lives, or that tourism is in fact a racist business, or that it just makes us cross when people aren't nice to each other, there's lots of little things out there making us angry.

As I speak to my clients I am learning a wide range of strategies for dealing with this ... most of which unfortunately involve food.

Get angry - eat.  BAD CHOICE.

Generally because we choose bad food at a time like this.

It's not rocket science to know that healthy food makes us feel better, delivers more energy and promotes a longer healthier life, but somehow it is beyond most of us to stop in a moment of anger and MABC (make a better choice).

Consider the outcome
1) eat chocolate, takeaway, cake, etc  = guilt and need for punishment;
2) eat salad = feel good and proud of decision, have more energy, relax mood, gain health

In a moment of anger your choice can equal either pleasure or pain.  This is your choice.

Today I challenge you to find a strategy that helps you MABC.

Mine is a mantra - I am privileged to be fit, healthy and strong, my body and my mind deserve the best.  Simply saying it removes the chocolate option.

Your choices give you power and make you the outstanding individual you are today.  In your moments of decision today, stay clear about what is best for you and make the best choice.

Lorna fires the Red Arrow!

Inspired by the superhuman efforts of the participants in Challenge Cairns I have recently returned to the beautiful Red Arrow bushwalk as part of my training regime.

This afternoon as I entered the Arrow I was hit by a message from another runner ... a singlet that simply said AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING.  The perfect summary of her experience, I thought to myself.

As I made my way around the Arrow (only twice today as I was on a time limit) I noticed something quite AMAZING.  I run the reverse to most starting my lap to the left rather than to the right, as my body seems to enjoy the gradient a little better, and a consequence of this is that I pass people's faces as they come towards me rather than the back of their heads as I pass them ... or as I trail behind them.

The faces of those coming towards me were often smiling today and what I noticed was that most were in a uniform.  Brightly coloured singlets with slogans.  It may have simply been the time of day, but a veritable army of energised women were walking, jogging, running and dragging themselves around the arrow, with the vast majority, I would guess around 80% sporting a slogan of support for themselves and for anyone, like myself, who happened to be coming the other way.

When struggling to get up the last flight of stairs I was met with a smile and the slogan "Make it happen" ... so I did.

On the down side when I felt like a run, I was hit with "Life is a game, PLAY IT", and another "I run like a girl" and "Running makes me happy".

How AMAZING.  It was like the thoughts in my head were being printed in front me as I ran. And in full stereo colour, which is something quite amazing in the mostly brown Australian bush.

So, today I pay tribute to Lorna Jane and the amazing message that she is delivering to women around the country as they take on their own individual fitness challenges.  Lorna Jane Activewear has found a way to let individuals express themselves and at the same time inspire others to achieve their best.

My message today, which I think won me a lot of smiles on my Red Arrow journey, also by Lorna Jane, is "LOVE is all we need".  It may not make me run faster, but it certainly makes me feel good and the feedback from oncoming traffic is fantastic.

Thankyou Lorna Jane for the inspiration ...