]]>]]>Yesterday I had two different friends/colleagues tell me that my determination to keep going is inspiring. They both commented that they have seen me just get up and keep going when things were really tough and stress levels are high. It was odd to be on the receiving end of these comments and it made me stop and think what makes me so determined. (mum, dad, sister, brother and ex-husband please note loudly - this is very different to being stubborn!!)
I think the key to being determined in life is finding your passion. What lights you up and gets you excited. Some of us would say it’s the reason you are put on this earth. I believe we all have a purpose/s here and its our duty to find out what that is.
Once you have discovered your passion, live your passion.......with passion!
I see a big difference though between "doing" your passion and living it. And when we look at health and wellness, those that are really living their passion have true health and vitality. They have that glow and that ability to live on 5 hours sleep when they have to.
Living your passion means making a yes/no decision. And if the answer is yes for you, then it’s about putting your whole self into it. Make a commitment that you will do what it takes. Not do what you feel like doing and then do something else. So it's not always easy and it's definitely not always comfortable.....and contrary to some people’s beliefs, it doesn’t happen overnight! You can guarantee though that it will ignite your “spirit” and the health benefits of that alone are phenomenal. 
Jac
]]>One of the things I learnt while looking for answers was that patterns are created in our body that are a result of patterns in our brains, or neural networks. And, in very simple terms, these patterns can either create health or illness.
So, in order to change from injury, illness and disease we must break these patterns and create new ones. For example, if your pattern is to sit in front of your computer all day in a slouched position and with your legs crossed, that will create a pattern that some muscles get shortened and tight and this will pull on joints and cause a disruption in the normal movement of that joint. This is not obvious to you until you start to feel pain in your lower back or mid back.
Or, for example, your pattern may be to have a chocolate bar any time you get stressed or bored. This loads your liver and your gut, continuing to weaken these organs and over time, you put on weight, feel bloated and you cannot sustain your energy.
We know now from loads of research in neuroscience that your brain has the ability to change at any time. That means, you have the ability to change those patterns at any time.
RECOGNISE
I believe the first step to changing a pattern is first to recognise it. That means you must tune in to your body. Just like you tune into a radio frequency specific to a station, tune into the channel that is specific to your body. Listen to what it is saying. At first this may take a little extra time and a little extra attention, but like anything, with practice it becomes easier.
IDENTIFY
The second step to changing a pattern to identify exactly what you need to change. Is it the environment, eg change the computer set up, or is it something internal, like you need to stretch and move more regularly. Once you identify exactly what it is you need to change, the solutions will become easy.
In health
Jac
]]>As a tribute to Lisa, I have written a list of things that I know Lisa believed were essential for good health and happiness. Lisa was definitely not a typical doctor and her potions, lotions and notions were not your typical remedies. But everything Lisa did was grounded in science, based on medical evidence and traditional wisdom........and of course, her own life experience.
These are in no order of priority;
In loving memory of a wonderful doctor, healer and friend.
I had a few strange looks when I told people I was doing the full Olympic distance as my first triathlon......that kind of look like “you are a little bit crazy but I’m kind of intrigued”. And don’t worry, I was giving myself the same look.
When I was sitting at the start line, I was surrounded by a group of girls in very schmick triathlon suits who were all part of a club. They were in my age category and they started discussing the swim. Had they done enough training? Why this first part of the swim would be the hardest.....glad we’ve done all those long swims in training. And, while I was listening to them, something really bad started to happen. I started to judge myself against them, and even worse, I started to doubt myself. You see, I knew I hadn’t done enough training. I had only swum about 4 times and the longest being about 300m. What was I thinking. Was I crazy to think that I could do this? What would they think of me if they knew this....they would also think I was crazy!
Now the thing I know about strength is that it is largely determined by your brain. Not the size of your muscles, but your ability to focus and switch on. My plan had always been to just swim slowly, breathe easy and just keep going until the end. I knew I could do this. So why start to doubt and challenge myself now?
Sometimes being stubborn and determined pays off. I took a few big deep breathes and told myself that it does not matter one bit what anyone else has done or what anyone else thinks about me. The only thing that mattered was if I believed I could do it.
1.5km later I got out of the water having swum the whole way and put myself on my bike. It was about 300m into the bike leg when I had a moment of realising that I had completed the swim. Yes! What a buzz.
It didn’t matter one bit what anyone else thought about me and what I could do. It only mattered what I thought about me. I had said yes I was going to do this. And by saying yes, I was saying I believed I could do it.
What would you do if you didn't worry about what people thought? What could you do if you said YES, instead of I'll try?
Do you want to learn hor to maximise your health and get faster results from your training?
Are you sick of working your butt off and not losing any weight?
Are you ready to be cleaner, leaner and meaner?
Congratulations on making it to week 4. The skills you have learnt are setting you up for a life of good health. This week we are focusing on sleep. Yes - that elusive thing that some of us wish we could get more of and some of us wish we didn’t have to have so much. So the key to sleep is the quality, not necessarily the quantity. Most research will tell you that you need about 8 hours of sleep per night, however, I have seen a lot of people who survive and thrive on much less. So, I think it is an individual thing. I do know however, the quality of your sleep is really important. And, if you are waking at night, consistently at a particular time, take note and figure out why.
This week it is time to tune in to your sleeping pattern. Take notice of the quality of your sleep and the how you feel. We spend a third of our life sleeping, the body heals, repairs and detoxifies during sleep and improving sleep quality combats fatigue and many health conditions. Here’s how;
Your challenge this week is to give yourself some extra assistance to get into a deep and restful sleep. In an ideal world we would all have a little “ritual” we could do before going to sleep, and if you think about it, there probably are things you already do, like clean your teeth, shower, cup of tea etc. So your challenge this week is to create a regular sleep ritual including one or more of the following;
Remember - it’s all about the little things that we can do every day that make a big difference to how we feel.
Happy snoozing!
This document has been prepared for the Body Intelligence 30 Health Challenge by Jacqueline Edser and is to be used in this context only. The information provided is not meant to substitute professional assessment or medical diagnostics and treatment.
]]>So now we are getting the hang of tuning into our bodies. It really is just like listening to music. One of the biggest indicators of your health and one of the things that impacts on all other areas of your health is your gut health. Trust me, this is something I have struggled with for years, and hence, have a fairly good grasp on what works and what doesn’t. So this week, we are going to talk about the stuff that no one wants to talk about - poo. What goes in, must come out!
This week it is time to tune in to your digestive system. The digestive system starts with your mouth and hence, digestion starts with your mouth. The next down the line is your stomach, then small intestine and lastly the large intestine. So there are several different parts we need to tune in to. Here’s how;
Your challenge this week is to start to look after your gut. There is no one size fits all, however, there are some things guaranteed to help. So your challenge this week is to;
Cut out sugar - sugar is one of those “foods” that we eat so much of and is really not necessary. Firstly, take out all the added sugar, like in tea and coffee, then move towards choosing foods that have no sugar added.
The best way to do this is to eat foods that have not been processed. Think about how much added sugar is in a chicken and brocoli stir fry compared to a pizza. Think about how much sugar is in a handful of nuts compared to a chocolate bar.
This is a huge challenge, but I know you are all up for it. Don’t be drastic, just cut it out when you can stick to the process. Some people may experience detox like symptoms, so just remember to drink heaps of water.
Remember - tuning in to your body is just like listening to music, and everybody knows how to listen to music.
Have fun!
Jac
This document has been prepared for the Body Intelligence 30 Health Challenge by Jacqueline Edser and is to be used in this context only. The information provided is not meant to substitute professional assessment or medical diagnostics and treatment.
]]>The challenge for this week is to continue focusing on tuning in to how your body feels through out the day and specifically pay attention to how you feel after lunch. A lot of people go for a “quick fix” or “pick me up” in a chocolate bar, soft drink or energy drink in the early afternoon because they feel an energy slump and concentration wanes. My challenge is to not focus on trying to change the behaviour of reaching for the quick fix, but focus on how you are feeling and why? Once you figure that out, then focus on changing things to not feel that way in the first place.
This week it is time to tune in to how your body is feeling after lunch and in the early afternoon.
Your challenge this week is to move in a different way. Just about all of our bodily functions are dependant on movement. And I am not talking about exercise. I am talking about moving all your muscles, joints, fascia through full unrestricted range of movement. This promotes flow and stimulation in your body......flow of blood (important for oxygenation and distribution of nutrients), flow of lymphatics (important for immune system and elimination of toxins), stimulation of healing mechanisms in joints, skin and fascia, and probably most importantly, stimulation of your brain.
In my experience, most injuries and illnesses develop because we have developed a particular pattern that is not functional or good for us. We keep repeating that pattern because that is all we know, and, in a way, our body is neurochemically addicted to it. To change it, there is an uncomfortable period, and then we develop a new pattern that is more functional or better for us and we feel a whole lot better.
Remember, all of these tasks are things we can keep doing for the rest of our lives. Develop a new pattern and stay aware of your body. At some point you might need to change the pattern again.
Happy moving!