Category: Health

Posted on

Choosing to be calm

The way I deal with life’s challenges:  I run away from them

Actually I really do, but maybe not in the way it sounds.

When I’m stressed, when I’m faced with difficult decisions, or when life just feels heavy, I’ve learned that going outside for run or walk lightens my load and uplifts me.

Running from my problems makes them seem smaller.

I don’t know why exactly this is… Maybe it’s the endorphins from the cardio, or focusing on something else, or the perspective of the vastness of the outdoor space that I’m running in. It’s probably all the above.

All I know is that it works.

The reason I bring this up is that someone very close to me suffered a severe panic attack recently.

We had to call an ambulance.

Continue reading “Choosing to be calm”

Posted on

How I fit in Fitness at the office

Spring is finally here!

Just feeling the sun, hearing the birds, and seeing all that lush green makes me want to get out there and move.

Spring makes being active so much easier.

But moving when the weather isn’t great, or when you’re super busy, can make being active more challenging.

But challenges can be fun, right?

Six months ago when I went back to a desk-job, I was faced with that kind of a challenge.

Over the past five years, my body had gotten used to regular movement as a fitness teacher and trainer, and getting back behind a desk scared me.

I didn’t want to lose my fitness and I didn’t want to sit for hours on end (because, as you may have heard, sitting is the new smoking and I don’t want to be a smoker).

I wondered how I could still be active each day despite having to work for 8 hours in a cubicle.

So I decided to look at my returning to full-time office work as an opportunity – a challenge – to figure this out.

And this blog post is about what I’ve done and how how I did it…

Continue reading “How I fit in Fitness at the office”

Posted on

How to get it done, even when you don’t feel like it

Here’s a blog post from a while ago, but it’s worth bringing back.

Oh, and don’t forget… Spring classes start next week!

Enjoy…

This morning I woke up at 5:30.

Last night, before going to bed, I planned to get up this morning, bright and early, to do my work-out.  I knew what I wanted to get done (I wrote it down), why I was doing it (Spartan race this Saturday!), where I was going (the park across the street),  and what I was going to wear (I took out my shorts, tank top, and socks last night).

But despite good planning, the truth was I didn’t “feel like” working out this morning.

Continue reading “How to get it done, even when you don’t feel like it”

Posted on

Your body is telling you the truth

“Your body is telling you the truth.”

I heard this statement in a podcast this week.

And it’s been on my mind ever since.

I realize that I’ve learned to believe whole-heartedly in this principle, and now it’s become the basis of what I teach.

Basically what it means is, when you have a good awareness of your body, you can trust what it says and it will steer you in the right direction.

And this is very contrary to what I believed fifteen or twenty years ago.

I ate according to the clock and all that was on my plate – children are starving in Africa you know.

If I had a headache, I didn’t question why it was there, I just took a Tylenol (or an Aspirin).

If I was training for a swim competition or running event, and felt pain or even felt really tired, I just kept pushing through because I was strong (right?).

And even though I didn’t like milk, and it made me feel yucky, I drank it.  I needed calcium (right?), so I mixed it with some sweetened chocolate flavored powder and just moved on.

Can you relate to any of these things?

In all these cases I just didn’t know to trust my body to tell me what I needed.

I just went with what was normal, or prescribed, or popular, and ignored the fact that my body could have been trying to tell me something.

And then my mother got cancer and died at 57, and life was turned upside down.

It made me question just about everything.

What was true?

I wanted the truth.

Was the truth in books, in the latest info-mercial, in what health professionals said, or in a yoga retreat?

I realized there was no one source of truth.  Ultimately truth is what you believe is true.  And that’s different for everyone.

But I did come to understand that my body, and your body, are finely tuned instruments of truth.

This body you were given, which houses your soul, is your closest ally, your ultimate protector, and it will tell you what is going on, and what to do.

But it can only do this if you stop to listen to what it says, and if you take care for it like the precious gift it is.

Your body is never the enemy, unless you believe it is.

Ok, so this is getting a little deep, but I think you see where I’m coming from.

With this new appreciation of my body, I’ve learned to listen to it more, and treat it more like a privilege than a right.

One of the things I’ve been doing regularly lately, is a full body scan.

I just take about 2 minutes, close my eyes, and mentally scan my body from head to toe.

I notice what’s going on, like tension or pain, but also take note of feelings of well-being and strength.

And thanks in part to this practice, I’ve become aware of many things about myself that I just failed to recognize before.

Now it’s rare that I eat when I’m not truly hungry.

I check in and listen for those tell-tale signals of hunger that my body reveals: grumbling, echoing noises in my belly; a feeling of physical emptiness (don’t know how else to describe it, I just know it feels that way to me); and even slight nausea.

And if I have a headache or I’m overly tired or even sick, I stop for a moment and try to understand why I feel those things.  Am I not sleeping well or not enough?  Am I doing too much? Am I feeling de-hydrated?

It’s rare that I’ll take a pill to resolve my problem (but I’m not opposed to medication when it’s needed).  I’ve learned to look to my body first, and try to understand these things as symptoms of some bigger issue.

And I no longer drink milk and stay away from dairy most of the time.  I feel better.  And no broken bones.

And I’ve also learned that sometimes the best thing you can do for your body is rest.  Exercise is great (and necessary), but if your body is truly exhausted, it can actually hurt more than help.

I now know that strength doesn’t come from pushing through pain or exhaustion, it comes from doing what you know is right for your body at any given moment.

But of course, I’m not perfect.

I do over-indulge in foods I enjoy sometimes, and I do let myself get over-stressed on occasion, and I do skip on sleep when I want to get things done.

But my body screams even louder when I ignore its signals.

And when I hear it, that’s when I try to reel myself in, and come back to the reality and the truth that is my body.

Do you believe your body is telling you the truth?

This may be a new concept for you, or it may be something you’ve been doing all along.  But I’d love to know where you are with trusting your body.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

 

We’re almost one week into the 10-Day Build-Up-to-Spring fitness challenge, and there are now 65 of you following along with me!

It’s awesome to know that so many of you are out there, and working up a sweat with me every day.

And even if you haven’t joined the challenge yet, you can still sign up and do the last few days with us.  You could even start over, at your own pace, starting with the first exercise and adding one each day.

Please sign up here if you’d like to see what we’re up to and even join in the fun:

https://debbieharbec.lpages.co/10-day-build-up-to-spring-challenge-2018

Until next time, keep moving forward!

Debbie

PS Spring Classes are coming!  Boot Camp will start on Monday, April 9th, and Yoga will begin Thursday, April 12th.  Just click on the link to sign up!

And there are still two winter classes left of both if you want to drop in and try them!

 

Posted on

Join me for the 10-Day Build-Up-to-Spring Fitness Challenge!

I feel like it’s been quite a while since I launched a challenge.

But given the winter we’ve survived, I thought that we could all use a little kick in the pants to get moving.

If you’re anything like me, you need to have a goal or a challenge of some sort to make working out happen regularly.

And 10 days is a great start – not too short, not too long – to building a consistent exercise routine.

Now, although this is just a simple challenge, I promise it won’t be super easy.

But as with everything, it will be as challenging as you make it.

So, the challenge is 10 days, 10 exercises.

Each day of the challenge, you’ll get a new exercise, and each day you’ll add that new exercise to the previous ones.  That’s the build-up part.

So on Day 1 –  easy-peasy – you’ll just have one exercise to do.

But on Day 10, the official first day of spring, you’ll have 10 exercises. (And a great full-body workout that you can re-use whenever you want!)

Now, you don’t need any special equipment for this challenge.  Just a little space, some comfortable clothes that you can move in, and a good pair of athletic shoes.

And, as usual, this challenge is free.

But I do have one ask of you.

Once you sign up, please send this email to at least one more person you’d like to do this challenge with.

Not only is it more fun with a friend, it’s also usually a lot more successful when you’ve got accountability buddies.

All you need to do to be part of this challenge, is click on the flower below and sign up.  Go ahead…

Click on me!

Within minutes you’ll get a short email from me, welcoming you and and explaining the challenge.

Then on Monday the 12th of March, you’ll get your first exercise.

So, are you ready to jump start your fitness and get moving?

Then let’s do this together!

See you on the 12th,

Debbie

Posted on

Classes and Coaching for 2018!

Hey there!

You may be overwhelmed right now with holiday gift shopping (online or braving the crowds at the mall), decorating your home, writing cards (if you’re a little old-fashioned like me), baking, attending parties, hosting parties, or just getting the house in order before the craziness hits.

Whatever you’re doing right NOW, in just a month or less things will be calm again and you’ll be able to focus on YOU again.

And that’s when my winter classes will be ready and waiting for you.

Boot Camp is a way to have fun while getting a great workout; Yoga will relax and strengthen your body and mind; Coaching will get you a focused 12-month plan and tailored support to feeling awesome in your body and life in time for the holidays in 2018; and our local Running Group is a way to get out there and hang with people who enjoy being active.

So, here’s the line-up:

Continue reading “Classes and Coaching for 2018!”

Posted on

Cindy’s Story…

A year ago, Cindy became a client and forever changed the way I see my role as a coach.

She lived close by and knew I was a fitness coach.  And from my blog she also knew I was certified with Precision Nutrition (PN), which she was already familiar with.

Like most people that contact me for coaching, she wanted to lose weight.

But of course, there was more to it than just the weight.  A lot more.

Continue reading “Cindy’s Story…”

Posted on

Let those wake up calls wake you up!

A few years ago I was listening to an interview with Pema Chödrön, author and Buddhist nun.

She was talking about paying attention to life because it’s always speaking to us.

She told a story of how she had been appointed director of a Buddhist center in Colorado.

Of course, she was honored to be chosen for such a position, but she wasn’t thrilled about it.

Continue reading “Let those wake up calls wake you up!”