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Inside and Out!
As many of you know (and many have enjoyed)
we regularly hold GoodLife Lunches in support of
worthwhile Charities. Our last lunch (see pages
36-37) was at the Portsea Hotel in aid of The Heart
Foundation's 'Go Red for Women'.
Following is the presentation of one of our guest
speakers, Dr Vanessa Cook, so that all our readers,
not just our 'ladies who lunch' might benefit from her
timely advice.
As a Psychologist and a Personal Trainer,
the most important part of my job,
and coincidentally, the most difficult part,
is to influence people in such a way as to
enable them to make positive changes in their
health behaviour.
The Heart Foundation is a charity organisation that
I have chosen to support since January this year
because I think its important to draw attention to the
impact of heart health and cardiovascular fitness on
our quality of life. So, by training with me, my clients
are not only improving their own health, but are also
giving back to an organisation that is looking out for
the health of others.
In my role as a trainer, I help people get fitter,
stronger and leaner, and I help them stay motivated.
But of course, the number one reason that people
come to see me is because they want to get rid of
their excess body fat.
Our bodies contain three types of fat: subcutaneous
fat is the stuff we all know about – the fat just under
the skin on the outside of our bodies. This is what
we all want to get rid of. Then there’s Intramuscular
fat; the fat that is marbled through our muscle tissue
(mostly in our thighs, right girls?!). Finally, there
is Visceral fat – this is fat that is packed around
and between our organs. As far as your body is
concerned, this is the most important to get rid of,
because this is the fat that is responsible for putting
us at risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and Type
2 diabetes. Thus, fitness is vital for heart health.
Getting down to a healthy weight is essentially just
a matter of having a healthy diet and exercising
regularly. But for most people, this is easier
said than done. This is where my background is
Psychology comes in handy.
One of my favorite quotes that I tell clients is:
“Our greatest limitation in
life is one that exists in the mind”.
Fear of failure; fear of hard work; having a ‘poor
me’ attitude; self-sabotaging beliefs like ‘I can’t lose
weight so why bother’ and ‘I’ll never be a runner’.
LETS SPEND A MINUTE TO DE-BUNK
SOME OF THE COMMON BARRIERS.
‘I don’t have time’ – When people say they don’t
have time to exercise or improve their health, this
is what they are trying to say: “I have a really
busy lifestyle, and although I’d love to have the
luxury of time to spend on my health, I just don’t,
so unfortunately there’s nothing I can do about
it”. When people say that, this is what I hear: “My
health is not a high enough priority to make time for
it”. Why don’t people say that straight up? Because
by using a lack of time as an excuse, they are able to
push the control, and therefore responsibility, away
from themselves.
Now, there will be some people, usually business
owners with young families, who literally do not have
any un-allocated time between 6am & 9pm on most
days. But to them I would ask; are you working to
the detriment of your health? What is the point of
spending so much time at work if your not around
long enough to enjoy the fruits of your labour?
Another barrier I hear from time to time is :
‘I’m genetically challenged. I’ve never been
skinny, and I never will be!’ I know that everyone
is capable of reaching their best physical potential.
Now, that might not be Elle McPherson, but a
lean, athletic fit body will make anyone look pretty
fantastic, and it has nothing to do with being skinny.
This sort of comment, ‘I’ve never been skinny and
I never will be’, warns me that the person tends to
over-generalize and has a negative mindset. They
don’t really believe they can succeed, or that there is
any point trying to pursue fitness. They have given
up before they even start. This attitude must be
changed before exercise is commenced, otherwise
it allows the person to make a half-hearted attempt,
fail, and then say to themselves, “see, I knew I
couldn’t do it”.
These psychological barriers are very common, and
we have all experienced a time when everything
was going wrong and in a moment of depression
we decide we’d rather sloth about at home eating
biscuits and feeling sorry for ourselves than getting
out for a walk and some fresh air. But failure is not
about falling off the wagon from time to time – we
Health and fitness is now very much in the spotlight
in our community, and big businesses have seen it
as an opportunity to make a buck out of us. Have
you noticed the “Achieve more by doing less” theme
being taken to ridiculous extremes?
I think deep down we all know that we can’t get
something for nothing, and if it sounds too good to
be true, it probably is, right?
The physical benefits of fitness are obvious
- we live longer, feel better, have less health
problems, we’re able to do more, etc. Whereas
the psychological benefits of exercise are subtle
but more extensive.
Particularly for women, the degree to which we look
& feel fit has a huge impact on our confidence & self
esteem. Our confidence has a follow on effect to
almost every area of life. It effects our relationships;
our sex drive & ability to enjoy sexual intimacy; the
way we handle criticism at work; & our ability to
make friends and set boundaries.
Women who physically challenge their bodies in
training are also more likely to set goals and be
success focused in their business and personal life.
People who exercise are less stressed and cope
better with challenge. And, probably one of the most
important benefits of all, when we are fit and healthy,
we become happier.
The Go Red for Women campaign aims to
empower women to improve our heart health so
that we live longer and healthier lives. The majority
of my clients are women, & I am constantly inspired
by the way women are empowered by fitness.
I have seen women who have survived terribly
traumatic life events like car accidents, the death of
their life partner, miscarriage & breast cancer. These
women understand that focusing on their own health
and fitness is an important step in their healing
process, & I am awed by their ability to soldier on &
keep fighting even through the hard times; I think we
can all learn a lesson from them.
In any area of life, we can choose to enjoy challenge;
we can choose to grow through hard work and
persistence; and we can choose to make a
commitment to ourselves to be determined, successoriented
and positive.
So I hope that this week, this month, this year,
you make it your choice to do something, and be
someone, extraordinary.
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What do you think stops people from being fit and
leading a healthy lifestyle? More often than not, it’s a
barrier or limitation that exists in the mind.
all have moments like that. No, failure is when we
choose not to get back on the wagon. When we
decide its over, that’s it, we failed, & we stop trying.
- Dr Vanessa Cook
Inner Balance Personal Training
0419 894 621 or 5976 3930
‘The Heart Foundation saved my Pop’s life.
Please help them save others.’ Chloe, 13
Give to the Heart Foundation Doorknock Appeal in September
Chloe’s grandfather Barry heard a Heart Foundation ad that said if you have any heart attack
warning signs, get help immediately. He’d been experiencing some chest pain, so he rushed
to hospital. It was a clot. Easily treated but deadly if left. Thanks to the Heart Foundation,
he’s alive today. That’s why Chloe is asking you to donate to the Heart Foundation
Doorknock Appeal.
For more information or to make a donation, please call 1800 55 22 55
or visit www.heartfoundation.org.au
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