Active for Life

I was at a wedding a couple weeks ago when a stranger asked what I did to look the way I do (appearently I gave off a "I'm fit and healthy" kinda look). It was a major compliment for me, but what was strange was that I didn't know how to answer the question. In my past I have been committed to training for my black belt, second degree black belt, ringette nationals, and high school sports, but for the last near decade I haven't really trained for anything specifically. Eventually I was able to say that I didn't really do any routine but I just enjoyed doing active things. The more I thought about it the more I realized that I do actually exercise at least an hour every day without even trying to. I simply need to exercise to be happy. And it's not in a crazy, health nut, addictive way. Instead it's more because my favourite things to do involve moving, interacting, and being outside.

It's interesting to think that if everyone felt the same way they did when we were kids, when we were playing tag in the backyard, riding our bikes, and playing road hockey all day long, we could eliminate a huge amount of health problems. What happened between being kids and growing up? I've heard a lot of excuses from a lot of people: "I don't have time anymore", "I have less energy as I get older", "I've lost my imagination".... Excuses or results people!

I don't know if there is anything I could write right now to help people get off the couch and out for a walk. I just hope that in an ever-changing world people will be able to hold on to a sense of appreciation of their bodies and choose the relaxing walk, past a garden, under a clear sky, over the zombie-eyed couch marathon.

Back and Better than Ever!

I apologize for my long absence from posting but I was highly enjoying some travelling. I spent a month rock climbing in Thailand, and a week enjoying my BC coastline on a sailboat. There is something very enlightening about travelling; expanding your awareness and experiencing new stimuli. Both of my trips were very different yet both offered me one common feeling: appreciation. Appreciation for what I have, appreciation for where I live, appreciation for good friends... it would seem that the feeling of appreciation overpowered any negative emotion and still continues to.

People travel for different reasons, whether it's for business, for vacation, or for the pure joy of exploring the world. The one problem people tend to face is usually they either have the money to travel, but no time, or they have the time, but no money. My advice... say screw it and just do it! I met someone recently who has lived in the city of Vancouver their whole life, only to leave the concrete jungle to go snowboarding on the local mountains. This person, although highly successful in life, has never travelled further than the lower mainland, never to see the beautiful holiday destinations in the Okanagan, or the world renowned BC sunshine coast, or even visited our neighbours only 45 minutes to the south. Yes, he is smart and is going to earn a high paying, satisfying career, but has he really lived? By never exploring outside the bubble that is a city, are you ever truly going to understand communications, economics and trade, history, or feel harmonious with our natural world? BC is a province built off of harvesting resources, filled with booming or busting communities, all sending their efforts to the big cities of Vancouver and Victoria. If you live in the heartland you will never understand the hinterlands. It reminds me disturbingly of The Hunger Games trilogy where the Capitol controls the poor surrounding districts that supply the food and fuel for the its greedy needs.

So what am I trying to say here? Get out there and travel! See the world. Meet the people. It would be a pity to live an entire life blinded by sky scrapers and local media. Travel for a reason and expand yourself in ways you never thought possible. You don't need to go far though. You can take a walk near your home and notice all the beautiful things that tourists see but you typically overlook. You can jump in your car and drive an hour to a lake, a mountain, a park, a museum, or a statue. And when you do have the time and the money to do something spectacular, plan a trip worthy of your bucket list and cross it off.

I went to Thailand with my brother purely with the intention of spending time with him in a strange environment. We experienced complete culture shock, found ourselves in unusual places, and met incredible people who I hope to be friends with for the rest of my life. Our trip definitely did not happen the way we expected it to, but it was perfect none the less. I'm happy to report that we didn't just go to famous monuments and towns just to take a picture and say we were there, but we stumbled upon a personal paradise and stayed there. We took a 12 hour overnight bus south out of Bangkok, a 3 hour bus from there, and a longboat ride over to Ton Sai Beach. This nearly empty, low rated beach, became our home for a few weeks, and I couldn't have asked for anything better. We met like-minded travellers, enjoyed local food and culture, and rock climbed nearly every day! This may not be your idea of paradise, so all I have to say to you is... go out and find Your paradise.

My brother rappeling down a route overlooking Ton Sai Beach

Dealing with Injuries

Injuries are my worst nightmare. The only thing worse than not being able to do fun stuff because you are trapped at work/school is that you can't physically do the fun stuff! Sadly, chances are you are going to get injured at some point in your life regardless of what activities you choose to do, so it's good to be able to have a game plan to deal with the horrors that follow the initial pain. I find it rather hilarious that most of my worst injuries happened when I was doing something normal rather than adventurous, like stepping off a sidewalk, stretching, or playing street hockey for fun.

I'm currently suffering from a recurrent SI joint strain that happened while doing a warm up route rock climbing. Mentally it's been challenging not being able to partake in my normal stress release activities, as well as, the added stress of missing work. This is what I call the Injury Snowball Effect - an injury leads to more of a sedentary life and prevents you from following your regular routine, which increases stress and causes more muscle pains, which leads to more injury in other areas and mental distress, and so forth. I have had to deal with my fair share of injuries in the past so I've put together some of what I've learnt for you here so that the Injury Snowball Effect doesn't happen to you.

Arm/Shoulder Injuries:
You can pretty much continue your regular life with the help of a sling and pain killers. As long as it's not your dominant arm you won't have any problems writing or eating. Typing on a keyboard might take a bit longer and working a labor intensive job is a no go, but you otherwise got the best injury you could have asked for. Keep yourself active by doing low impact cardio activities like walking (outside or on a treadmill) or using a recumbent bike (the ones at the gym where you can lean on a back rest so you don't have to use your arms at all). You can also do squats, lunges, and core exercises (on your back) without much difficulty to keep your body moving and strong.

Foot/Ankle/Knee/Leg Injuries:
With crutches and a way to immobilize your injured area (brace, tensor bandage, or cast) you can pretty much keep moving around and being independent. Your pro is that you have full use of your hands, but your con is that you will probably be spending more time sitting down. To this I say that it is important to move you body when you can to keep your back and neck from tensing up. Roll your shoulders, twist side to side, and stretch your neck often. Most gyms will have weight machines that will allow you to sit down (some are even wheel chair accessible) to complete core and upper body exercises safely.

Pelvis/Hip/Back:
These are the worst possible injuries as they will prevent you from most work. Depending on the severity of the injury you could be confined to bed, or if you're lucky, you could be able to get up and move around with some discomfort. Contrary to the last generations' treatment for back pain (staying in bed) it's important to try to move as much as you can without causing further injury. When you're able to try to move your body and get to know it - which movements hurt, which movements don't, and which movements actually feel good. Typically back pain is increased when you lean over as it puts a lot of stress on your back muscles. This makes getting out of bed or up from a sitting position difficult. If possible you can try moving your knees out in more of a plie or sumo squat position when standing up from sitting as it will allow you to keep your back erect and place less strain on the back muscles.

You will be more sedentary so you must think about your eating habits too. Make sure you don't overeat and that you have nutrient dense meals. You will feel better by eating more fruits and vegetables and less foods with sugar and starches. Your body will also require less calories and more vitamins and minerals to heal itself.

Busy yourself by taking advantage of your forced "vacation". Try those things that you kept pushing further down your list, such as, learning a new language, playing your old instrument or learning a new one, cooking/baking, making crafts, writing stories, calling old friends, or reading that book that's been sitting on your shelf for a year. If you are going to watch a movie make it a big deal - make the popcorn and a fancy beverage, invite friends over, and get cozy with a blanket.

Summary:
1) Take care of initial injury by listening to your health care professionals (REST!)
2) Take care of the rest of your body by moving as much as possible by stretching and exercising the other parts of your body in a balanced way (with the OK from your doctor).
3) Take care of your mind by keeping busy and stimulated. Try new things, stay social with friends, and find alternatives for stress release.
4) Take care of your soul by remembering that YOU WILL HEAL and life is just offering you an opportunity to focus on other things (most importantly, your Self).

Ice Climbing for Everyone



The Ice Tower at Big White

When you go for a winter vacation at a ski resort you'll expect to find alpine and cross country skiing, snow shoeing and tubing, and maybe even pond skating and dog sledding. Last month I visited Big White Ski Resort, BC (just outside of Kelowna) and I discovered a new adventure available to anyone willing to try it - Ice Climbing! Typically climbing frozen waterfalls with nothing but crampons and ice axes to keep you from falling to certain doom was left to highly trained adventure seekers, but now it's found a way to accommodate even the most beginner of climbers. Big White (and some other winter resorts) has created a 60 foot tall ice tower with routes of varying difficulty to challenge all levels of ability. They provide harnesses, boots, crampons, helmets, ice axes, and a belayer (someone to manage the rope) so you can safely push yourself to new heights.



I went with my boyfriend, Tommy, who already had some ice climbing training. Because we both are experienced rock climbers with the necessary training in rope management, we were allowed to belay each other on the top ropes set up on the tower. For quite a reasonable price we were able to climb for a few hours trying out all the different routes and practicing our technique. For those who are new to climbing anything, it is an exhilarating experience to use your body and your strategic mind to maneuver your way up. From my experience bringing others climbing I find that the scariest part is actually the coming down. In order to truly trust that the rope and the gear is going to keep you safe you really need to let go of all your animal instincts telling you that letting go of the wall is a very bad thing. Ice climbing requires a different skill set than rock climbing and it took a little while to get used to using ice axes instead of my hands, and crampons instead of tight, rubber climbing shoes. I definitely needed to rest my hands because they were cramping up from hanging onto the axes for dear life. I also recommend wearing goggles to protect your eyes from ice chips falling into your face while you search for decent holds with the axes. While we were climbing, kids as young as 8 years old were giving it a shot and having a lot of fun, so age is no deterrent. The picture to the left is of me as I am getting closer to the overhung section of the hardest graded route. The picture below is of me celebrating at the top. That could be you!

Conquered it!

Find out more information at www. BigWhite.com and start planning for next year. Whether you have a family or are just going with friends, life is all about taking risks and pushing yourself to new altitudes. The only limits preventing you from living fully are the ones you place on yourself.

Diet Deceptions

I’ve tried to stay away from diet talk because there are so many different views on food choices depending on what individuals consider are important to them. Deciding what to eat used to be so much easier, and for many people in the world it still is – whatever you can find to survive. Now we have grocery stores on every corner, foods from all over the world at our fingertips, and media bombarding us with diet ideas. Your food choices are now dependent on whether you value cost, ethics, sustainability, convenience, weight loss, improved health, or whatever the commercials tell you is tasty. It's also not surprising that it's quite difficult to eat according to these values as they often don't align. For example, eating cheaply doesn't always mean eating ethically or conveniently (Malhi et al, 2009 - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19320240903346448). You are not longer a simple omnivore like out ancestors, but you have a choice to be labelled as vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, raw-food eater, or "carniovre", with the list increasing almost daily. It's no wonder so many of us are confused about food.

I’m pretty bored talking about weight-loss diets, but what is interesting are the number of diets claiming to improve health and performance. I took a number of Applied and Sports Nutrition courses while I was completing my Kinesiology Degree and the information I learnt was pretty simple for athletes. The spark notes version is that depending on what your energy demands are you will tweak a certain Carb-Protein-Fat ratio, and maintain proper hydration and electrolytes.  My brother is an Infanteer in the Canadian Forces and has an intense workout schedule as part of his job. He is surrounded by some incredible athletes who are capable of amazing physical feats and is obviously influenced by their successes. Over his time in the Forces he has tried a number of diets that his peers use and attribute to their almost in-human physical abilities. One of the diets he tried was the Palaeolithic Diet. This diet basically says that we should be eating the same foods as cavemen did - no processed foods, and lots of meat, fruits and vegetables. It is based on an assumption that cavemen had to be in excellent shape to survive, and were able to hunt for days without food. At first glance this does seem like a great idea and I agree that processed foods are a major cause of our obesity epidemic in North America. But, if you actually try the diet out without proper preparation you will soon realize that without processed foods it is extremely difficult to get any grains (breads, cereals, rice, etc) and therefore you enter into a very low carbohydrate situation and potentially become deficient in some B Vitamins. Your body and brain have been programmed to use carbohydrates as its first source of energy. The Paleo Diet states that over time your body with adapt to use protein and fat as its primary sources, which is true, but typically not ideal for the average person. My brother experienced this first hand as he went through carb withdrawals within the first three days, and began dreaming about loafs of bread, and feeling extremely low-energy and unwell. All it took was some fresh homemade granola bars to bring him back to a balanced diet.

I believe that the Palaeolithic Diet, like any other elimination diets, such as, vegetarianism, if done correctly and with proper education and preparation can be beneficial to health. There are a lot of scientific articles out there showing the health benefits to eating less meat, dairy, processed foods, etc, but you must learn how to get all the nutrients you need from other sources rather than just cut certain foods out of your current diet. A person could go crazy trying to stay on top of the current dietary trends, so it’s important to be critical of the information out there and to make up your mind based on personal experiences. FYI, coffee is back in the “healthy” column, soy was demoted to the “unhealthy” column, and my personal fave, drinking a glass of any kind of alcohol daily has now been shown to increase longevity. You be the judge.

The new fascination for my brother is the Blood Type Diet. I can believe that the Paleo Diet had some validity to it (never mind that most cavemen didn’t live past 30 and were probably in a state of perpetual starvation and disease), but I laughed when I heard about this Blood Type Diet. I had to investigate and what I found was naturopathic Dr. D’Adamo proposing that the different blood types (A, B, AB, O) somehow came about at different times in history as our ancestors developed new ways to hunt and gather foods, and by extension your blood type influences your personality and your stress levels (huh?). He recommends that different blood types should have different diets, different types of exercise, and different ways to deal with stress. Now, seeing as how blood type is really just determined by whether you have certain protein markers on your red blood cells (and this hasn’t changed much through our time as homo-sapiens), I have a hard time believing anything this guy says, although I have heard that there is a correlation between blood types and certain illnesses. The only real evidence he had on his website supporting this diet was that about 75% of participants “improved in a variety of health conditions”. If you read through the different diets you will quickly see that they are all very similar and are basically just promoting good eating practices, such as, eating smaller meals throughout the day, limiting sugar intake, increasing vegetable intake, and choose exercise instead of emotional eating. Of course this will improve the “health” (whatever that means) of participants coming from who-knows-what eating practices they had originally.

I went one step further trying to find any scientific, peer-reviewed journal articles that support this Blood Type Diet. To my complete non-surprise, I could only find 1 article on a study comparing blood type to health and this is what it says:

“The ABO blood group phenotype has been related to risk of myocardial infarction and type 2 diabetes mellitus, but there is no evidence that ABO blood group influences diet prescription for effective weight loss.”

“These data do not support the contention of a popular diet book that individuals with the A blood group phenotype should adhere to low-protein, vegetarian diets for health and weight management.”

I’m sold. Take the time to educate yourself on nutrition from a recognized organization like Health Canada or a Registered Dietician before you blindly jump into special diet being promoted to the public. If you want to read the article, the abstract can be found at:

http://www.citeulike.org/user/naturecure/article/924975

The FASEB Journal. 2006.

ABO blood group and diet prescription for weight loss

Johnston, et al. Nutrition, Arizona State University, 85212

The Truth About Supplements

Vitamins, protein shakes, diet pills, energy boosters, sports drinks, meal replacements... the list goes on. Our world is filled with supplements claiming to make you bigger, smaller, faster, stronger, or healthier. But do you really need them? I just finished talking to a friend today who has been very overweight and is currently making incredible changes in their life to reach a healthy body weight. To help boost his weight loss success, a personal trainer recommended some pills to cut fat and decrease appetite. First off, most personal trainers don't have any education in nutrition, so they shouldn't be giving nutrition advice. Secondly, anyone who does suggest diet pills are thinking about your results and not your health. Most diet pills are really just glorified stimulants and diuretics. You could get the same results by drinking a cup of coffee and save a lot of money. If your ability to control your weight, and by extension, your health, are a problem then there are issues that need your attention more so than the "quick fix" of diet pills. Choose to explore those instead of exploring the isles at the closest "health" store (the irony is too much).

I taught a Grade 10 Physical Education class last year and facilitated a conversation on contemporary health issues. Supplements were among the issues I brought up. It blew my mind that 0 out of 32 students (that spoke up) didn't know what the word "supplement" even meant, yet most of them were guilty of drinking Gatorade, Powerade, Vitamin Water or Red Bull. All of these drinks are marketed to youth to improve athletic and academic performance, or just be a yummy beverage. I think by now most people know that Gatorade and Powerade type drinks are mostly coloured sugar water that don't actually contain the proper amount of electrolytes to replenish the body during exercise. The new con artist in town is Vitamin Water which claims to be a healthy beverage alternative because it has added vitamins. But, if you look at the nutrition label you will quickly see that sugar is at the top of the list, again. I think at this point in my post it is important to note that my friend who has lost over 50 lbs since January has essentially just cut down his sugar (a.k.a. "White Death") intake by eliminating pop, candy, etc, and increased his physical activity.

By working at a number of Fitness Centers and Gyms, I am around a lot of people that seem to think that Protein Shakes are synonymous with working out. It really is pretty sad how brainwashed people are about it. Without getting into too much of the science behind it I'll just lay it out for you. The average person only needs to 1 gram of protein per kilogram of your body weight. This translates to approximately 60 grams of protein per day for the average person. This is equivalent to 2 servings of protein (for example: 2 chicken breasts). Even an Olympic weight lifter only needs 1.8 grams per kilogram, and they are doing an extreme amount of weight training. By buying into all the marketing scams of increasing protein in order to bulk up or build lean muscle, you are not only wasting your money, but you are potentially damaging your body.

By choosing supplements over real food you are endangering your health. You can get all the vitamins, minerals, energy and protein you need from a balanced diet, not to mention fiber. The lack of fiber in so many peoples diets these days is evident from all the advertising with cereal and yogurt. There are even fiber supplements available. Guess what I'm going to say about that. Just make sure you eat less processed foods and more vegetables and fruits, and that's all the daily fiber you need. Did I mention already that real food tastes a lot better too? Well, it does.

Check out Canada's Food Guide for a good framework on how to eat a balanced diet.

Combat Back Pain

When I was younger I would look at extreme adventurers climbing rock faces, repelling down waterfalls, and paddling through class 5 rivers, and I would dream about being able to do what they do. I used to think that only "rich" people get to do those things because all the gear and training costs so much. But then my brother decided to start indoor climbing at the local climbing gym and (easily) convinced me to tag along. It was then that I realized two things: that I loved to climb and that it really was quite affordable. That was over 5 years ago and I never looked back. Climbing has been so much for me, including a stress relief, an inspiration for self improvement, and a positive social environment. If you've never climbed, I challenge you to try it before the end of the month! For me and my fellow climbing buddies, climbing combines strategy, physicality, and the thrill of heights (most of the people I know started climbing because they were afraid of heights so that's no excuse).

Just over a month ago I was climbing a route indoors that wasn't particularly hard but included an overhung section. Now, good technique when climbing dictates that you want to keep your hips close to the wall in order to keep most of your body weight on your feet so that you don't tire out as quickly. While I was doing this, I squeezed my glutes to keep my hips in and I felt a sharp pain in my sacroiliac joint (SI joint). The sacrum is the bone at the base of you lumbar spine (extreme low back). The SI joint is a joint that connects the sacrum to the pelvis and isn't supposed to move much at all. When I tensed the muscles surrounding the area I caused the sacrum to shift and strain the SI joint. This caused muscle pain and joint stiffness for a few weeks.

Sadly, most people will eventually experience a form of back pain. Whether this is caused by a direct injury like mine, a chronic injury, or an unknown situation, there are things you can do that may help relieve the pain and stiffness. I'm talking about non-serious back pain here just to be clear. Here are some of my own secrets to combating my back pain and stiffness that I hope you can use too!

1) Strains to joints, ligaments, and muscles tend to cause inflammation. By taking anti-inflammatory drug, such as, IBU Profen and icing the area will help to decrease inflammation and promote healing. When icing, never put ice directly on the skin, and only keep the ice on for about 15 minutes. You can even alternate warmth and ice every 10-15 minutes.

2) Contrary to western beliefs in the last century, bed rest is the worst thing you can do for back pain. If you can't move at all then you should probably see a doctor. If you can move, try to keep moving in safe ways as often as you can. This helps to keep the vertebrae lubricated and to prevent muscles from seizing up.


A great movement to do is to alternate arching your back like an angry cat, and reversing the posture by lifting your head and tail bone up to the sky. It is best if you couple this movement with breathing. Breath out through your nose as you pull your naval in towards your spine, tuck your head and tailbone in, and arch your spine. As you breath in through your nose and expand your lungs, lift your head and tailbone up to the sky and let your spine hyper-extend to a comfortable position. You can continue to do this for as long as you want.

3) Stretches that target spinal movement will also help to prevent back pain on a daily bases as well as combat it. Depending on the type of back pain you have, some or all of these stretches might be too intense at the beginning, but I guarantee they will feel amazing to those of you who are in the "stiff" phase and no longer in the"pain" phase.

Spinal Twist - Lie on your back with bent knees. Let your knees drop to one side while you keep both your shoulder blades on the floor and look towards your extended arm. With every breath try to relax deeper into the twist. Body twists not only provide your spine with a soothing rotation, but they also promote relaxation by calming your nervous system.

Side Flexion - Sit comfortably and reach one arm overhead. Have the intention of trying to grad at the opposite side wall as you root your sit bones into the floor to really open up your side body.

Forward Bend - A more advanced stretch that can be modified by starting in a sitting position with legs stretching out in front of you. Keep your knees soft (not locked) and let your upper body and head relax and hang down. This stretch requires a decent amount of hamstring flexibility, so if your hands don't reach the floor, you can bend your knees as much as you need to until they do, or take the modified stretch - Sit and Reach.