Category: Lifestyle Counselling

How I Stick To My Physical Activity Goals…and You Can Too!

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We’ve all said it: I’ll go to the gym tomorrow. 

It’s so hard to get into the habit of movement when you’re tired, and you’ve been away from it for a while. And maybe like myself you’re not naturally athletic and feel like a dork when you try to do something.

It’s okay, I’m with you.

So today I’m sharing the 3 secrets I’ve been having success with in staying motivated to move my body to keep my physical Self-care on point!

https://youtu.be/cCvrf_VYTps

My 3 Secrets to Sticking With Physical Activity

1. Get Clear on Your Why

Ask yourself why you want to be more physically active. Getting clear on your why is in my mind, the best motivator. But the thing is, it has to go beyond the important but easy to push aside reasons:

I want to lose 10 lbs.

I want to gain 10 lbs.

I want to run a marathon.

Those are all great milestones to achieve – but why do you want to do any of those?

How will losing 10 lbs, gaining 10 lbs or running a marathon change your life? Make your life better?

What will achieving those goals help you do?

Not sure what I mean?

Think about these reasons why you could choose to work out:

I wanna have energy to play with my kids.

I wanna be able to walk up the stairs without huffing and puffing.

I wanna have the energy to play with my grandkids for a long time to come.

I wanna feel fabulous and like my Self again, when I look at myself in the mirror.

I think you get the picture now. Because those reasons aren’t so easy to push aside. Those reasons mean something to you.  So make your “why” a real and meaningful reason for you.

What do you want, really want in life that getting more active will help you accomplish?

Journal it or write that down and stick it somewhere you can see it every day.

Set a realistic goal

Set a realistic goal meaning make it something you can achieve, even though it will be a challenge at first. Commit to walking 2 times per week and increase it to 3 times after you’ve done that for a couple of weeks. While it’s tempting to get all excited and think “go big or go home” – start small, check of those goals and keep expanding on it week by week. Celebrate that goal when you reach it and raise it so you keep challenging your body and your Self.

Track your success

Use your fave smartphone app to remind, track and motivate you to stick with your health goals. I’ve gone through a few, and what’s working for me right now are:

GoogleCalendar which will easily allow you to set a goal, just like you’d set a reminder or an event. It will let you customize it to running, walking, yoga – whatever. You can set how many times per week you want to do it and it’ll ask you when you’d like to start. It will ask you “Ready for your workout?” and you have the option to click “done” or “later”. And it feels so good to check off done, and gives you a good reminder when you have to check off later!  You can also link it to the next app I’m using a lot right now which is GoogleFit.

GoogleFit is neat because it also allows you to set the frequency of various types of exercise per week and gives you a graph to see how you’re doing, which is helpful if you’re more visual. For instance, you can set it with a goal to do yoga 2 times per week, HIIT 2 times per week, monitor step count and total minutes of physical activity per week. Super helpful, if you like to see overall progress and improvement.

More of a pen & paper gal?

No problem! Kick it old school and give yourself a gold star for every workout you do – on a real paper calendar!

It feels so rewarding to look back on the month before and try to top what you did the next month! You can simply write in the workout (as much or as little detail as you like), or give yourself a little checkmark or…you can also use stickers!

I’m serious.

And I do this.

The Bottom Line

In reality, it doesn’t matter what method of tracking you use – just use something that will help you see how much you’ve progressed. It’ll feel great and keep you motivated to keep on moving for your why!

One more video to go in our Self-care Reboot Series…see you next week for it.

Take good care of your Self until then!

Self-care Reboot: Blood Tests as Self-care?!

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So you know Self-care is important but you have no idea how to fit it in.

 

Especially when you’re busy – like say, the first week of September, doing your best to get the kids & yourself out of summer mode and into school/work routine mode!

 

You say to yourself: I definitely don’t have time for Self-care right now.

 

And you’d be right.

 

Wait what?

 

At least not the Self-care you think I’m gonna recommend.

 

You know, the Self-care perfection where you need to get up for 5:30 am treadmill before the kids get up, abdominal breathing every night and of course perfectly meal-planned packable lunches and dinners.

 

I can feel you stressing out & feeling overwhelmed just at the thought that the above is what your Self-care should be.

 

We do not need perfect Self-care robots!

 

So what’s the solution?

 

You need a practical step by step approach to Self-care – and that’s what we’re gonna start with today.

 

And you may be surprised to hear I’m not going to just tell you to eat more veggies, breathe and exercise.

 

Of course, that’s all important.

 

But you know that already, don’t you?

 

What you don’t know is how to create a Self-care routine that works for you.

 

That’s why for the whole month of September I’ve chosen to share the tips you probably are not thinking about when it comes to Self-care – tips on how to get started and how to stick with your Self-care even when (and especially when) you’re super stressed.

 

That’s why this the Self-care Reboot. You get a do-over, get to press the restart button: control, alt, delete on your multi-tasking mind that gets so overloaded you become paralyzed thinking of everything on your to-do list.

 

If you’re ready to remix this Self-care business, watch this video to get started.

 

https://youtu.be/87rjNOxJ6m8

 

There’s a common misconception that Self-care is just about positive thinking, relaxation and Self-love. And yes, it can be all of those things, but we also need practical Self-care motivation – something concrete that reminds us why Self-care is so important.

 

Enter the annual check-up and blood work.

 

But why?

 

3 Reasons Getting Your Annual Check-up is Good Self-care

 

  1. Objective results like blood test results and body composition measurements can be an excellent motivator for change.
  2. It gives us a baseline of physical health, a starting point so we know where you’re at now. It also gives us something to compare your progress to. Having a measurable starting point, helps us determine if your nutrition, lifestyle changes, and treatment plan are working for you or if they need to be adjusted.
  3. It helps lead us closer to the cause or factors that play a role in your health concerns.

 

Today’s Self-care Challenge:

Book your annual appointment with your health care team

 

  1. Make an appointment with your family doctor this week and book in your annual physical with blood work, PAP smear (I know, no one likes them, but they are a must for cervical health) and breast examination.
  2. Make an appointment with your naturopathic doctor for your annual naturopathic check-up. Are you still taking the supplements they recommended you take for 3 months, but you were feeling so good that you never followed up and just kept taking them? Make sure you check in with them to see if you still need them & that they’re still effective & safe for you. Do you need additional blood work or someone to explain your blood test results for you? Are you interested in more specialized testing, for example, additional hormone blood tests, salivary hormone testing, DUTCH hormone testing, or food sensitivity testing? Your ND can help with all of these requests and help you determine what tests are worthwhile now and what tests you can order at later date.
  3. Make a follow-up appointment with your specialist. When was the last time you saw your nephrologist if you have kidney disease? Or your endocrinologist, if you have hormone-related conditions like hypothyroidism? Or your gynecologist if you have endometriosis or fibroids? If you were supposed to do follow up testing or imaging with your specialist, now is the time to do it. 

 

What happens after your annual check-up & testing?

 

After you get your annual assessments done with your health care team, I cannot stress how important it is to understand what your test results mean for your health. I talked about this in last month’s video series, so take a look here in case you missed it.

 

Depending on the results – you may want to take a proactive approach to your physical Self-care and get help when you’ve exhausted the help of Dr. Google (or preferably before to make sure that what Dr. Google is saying is right for you J )

 

Bottom line:

Now is the time to check in with your health care team for your health. Summer’s on it’s way out, everyone’s back into their routines – no more delays or reasons to put it off. It’s time to get your Self-care back on track.

 

Take the first step in your Self-care Reboot: make those appointments & do them for your Self!

 

Next week we’ll get more into physical Self – specifically looking at nutrition & movement and how we can get you all doing the things you want to do as part of your Self-care routine, but often feel like you don’t have time to do.

 

Take good care of your Self until then!

 

Wanna make sure you don’t miss any Self-care videos? 

Click the button below to join Dr. Odette’s FREE Self-care Warrior e-mail list and you’ll receive her Self-care videos, articles and inspiration right in your inbox! 

 

YES! I’m ready to take care of my Self!

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Self-care: Take a Breath!

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Do you feel even busier this summer going from work to your kids’ activities to social events that you hardly have time to catch your breath?

 

If you said YES (please help me!) and are surprised you feel like the summer is flying by, then you need to watch this video for a super-quick Summer Self-care video tip.

 

https://youtu.be/2jsVYuhddfA

 

It’ll help you make a little calm in the sometimes-crazy of summer. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a wonderful crazy, and there are worse things than being busy BUT if we don’t take the time to slow down a bit, we run the risk of being overwhelmed by the busy-ness of summer instead of being able to enjoy. Every. Moment. We. Have.

 

If you need more of a refresher for abdominal breathing check out this video here. And remember, this breathing technique is AMAZING for shutting off the stress response and turning on your relaxation response.

 

And YES, you can get stressed out over the summer, just from the sheer packed schedules I know so many of you have! (Trust me – I’ve felt it too!)

 

So don’t be afraid to slow down, roll down your windows and take a breath. You’ll feel totally refreshed and ready to be present for all of the wonderful memories you’ll be making this summer.

 

See you next week for our 3rd Summer Self-care video.

 

Take good care of your Self until then!

 

 

Wanna become a Self-care warrior? 

Click the button below to join Dr. Odette’s FREE Self-care Warrior e-mail list and you’ll receive her Self-care videos, articles, and inspiration right in your inbox! 

 

YES! I’m ready to take care of my Self!

 

Know Your Hormones! #3 Cortisol

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Do you ever get STRESSED OUT?

 

Don’t worry…I do too!

 

When we get stressed out, cortisol is one of the hormones that can help us make it through the day. If you’re thinking: “But that’s every day for me!”,  then you’ll want to watch this short video where I’ll share my TOP 3 tips for balancing your cortisol levels so you can handle stress more effectively.

 

 

 

 

What is cortisol?

 

Cortisol is a hormone made by our adrenal glands (two little triangular shaped organs that sit on top of each kidney – so we have one right and one left adrenal gland). (1)

 

 
What does cortisol do?

 

Our adrenal glands release cortisol to help us deal with long-term stressors like:

  • High-stress jobs
  • Balancing work, home, relationships and all of your other many responsibilities
  • Coping with a loved one’s illness
  • Coping with our own long-standing health concerns like infertility and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

 

 

How does cortisol help us deal with long-term stressors?

 

Cortisol raises our blood sugar by converting fats & proteins into glucose (sugar). (1, 2)

 

Glucose is the preferred fuel of our cells because our cells can convert it to energy very efficiently. And when we’re stressed out, we need lots of energy to fuel our brain to help us make the right decisions and of course to fuel our other vital organs like our hearts, lungs and muscles. (1, 2)

 

 

So what’s the problem?

 

If we are consistently stressed out – day in and day out – our adrenal glands need to make lots of cortisol on a repeated basis. Excess cortisol over time (months & years) can lead to:

(2)

 

On the other end of the spectrum, too little cortisol isn’t good either because it can lead to

  • Difficulty getting out of bed in the morning
  • Inability to handle stress
  • Decreased ability of other hormones to function optimally, including thyroid hormone, estrogen & progesterone

(2)

 

 

So what can we do about this?

 

Saying we need to relieve stress is obvious – but I know the million dollar question is how? The answer will be unique to each person, but my top 3 tips for YOU today are:

 

  1. Eat to balance your blood sugars: If your blood sugar levels drop too low, cortisol is released because the body considers blood sugar levels that are too low (hypoglycemia) to be a stress on the body. Watch last week’s video for some basic nutrition tips to stabilize your blood sugar levels.
  2. Practice relaxation techniques daily: Abdominal breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and positive Self-talk can all be used to help turn off your stress response and turn on your relaxation response.
  3. Physical activity: Find something active you LOVE to do. I know – this may take a while, but keep at it. It doesn’t have to be the typical running or hitting the gym, both of which are great of course, but if these don’t excite you, you won’t be motivated to it. So think outside the box. What about yoga, kickboxing,  dance lessons, rowing, dragon boating or dodgeball (yes, it’s a thing!). The bottom line is to find something you LOVE to do, so it doesn’t feel like you’re being forced to “exercise”. I truly believe there’s something out there for everyone…so start looking!

 

 

Final Thoughts

 

You can’t balance cortisol by getting rid of all of the stress in your life – that would be unrealistic and unnecessary because there’s always going to be stress (and some stress can actually be positive motivators). Instead, by introducing the tips above (start one at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed!), you can help cortisol work smarter not harder – and thus keep it, and your other hormones in better balance.

 

Next week, we’ll be learning about a hormone the women are going to be super interested in – here’s a hint – it’s in charge of our metabolism!

 

References:

  1. Marieb, EN. Essentials of human anatomy & physiology. 11th ed. Boston: Pearson Inc.; 2015.
  2. Bellevue, Shannon Ed. Functional and personalized hormone restoration therapy live event workbook. LP3 Network Inc. 2017.

 

Take good care of your Self until then!

 

 

Wanna become a Self-care warrior? 

Click the button below to join Dr. Odette’s FREE Self-care Warrior e-mail list and you’ll receive her Self-care videos, articles, and inspiration right in your inbox! 

 

YES! I’m ready to take care of my Self!