.transformation.

If you have read my inventory, you know that my parents divorced after I graduated high school. My dad actually left my mum, sister and I for another woman. It took many years, but now my bond with him is so much stronger than it ever was in those days… Both my mum and dad really blossomed after they split up. When the smoke cleared, it was amazing to say the least.
My father started his new life and for him everything was peachy, he married into a great family and was supported from the onset of his new relationship…
My mother was left a little high and dry. My sister and I were forced to grow up a little faster than planned and my mother had to learn how to support herself (mentally, emotionally and financially)
My mother had a couple relationships since then, but nothing that really made her choose to fall in love. My sister and I were there for her, but as we were dealing with life and everything, we really had our own things going on.
Fast forward a bit.
Last summer, my mother went back east for a friend reunion. She had grown up in Montreal and spent summers at their summer home at the lake. Anyways, she went back last summer some 40years later to visit with some pals who she had kept in touch with. It was then that she saw him – an old boyfriend from her teens. She didn’t think too much about it, he was married with grown up kids and lived on the other side of Canada. Well a conversation was good enough at the time. My mum came back to Vancouver and life moved on. Of course with the world as small as it is, email chains and all that, my mum and this former sweetheart chatted a few times via email…
Now, earlier this year (2009) my mum asked me over to chat. This is big because we have an amazing relationship and talk all the time – what did she want to talk about?
I went over and she told me…Richard, I’m in love…
Whoa, I didn’t know what to say or how to react…she then told me that she had communicating with this fellow and one day he told her, ‘I can’t live without you’
She replied with the same feelings and so it began (The details are not important - but the message is)
My feelings are two fold. I’m so excited for my mum – but very sad because she is moving to Montreal this week!

Now, she is leaving and starting a new life. This is harder the older we are. We must trust ourselves and those around us. We must commit and jump in with 2feet…

The parallel is this - when we have someone walking into our facility for the first time they are nervous, anxious and excited at the same time. They want to trust but may be hesitant…they want to believe in themselves but again, are hesitant. We are in the business of building self esteem, challenging and supporting until victory. So do the right thing, follow the systems and get ready to change a life!

Good luck Mum, I love you the whole world full!

Juno Awards

To see a show live show compared to watching it on TV is a completely different experience, in which there are pro and cons to both.

Previously when watching an award show on TV, you always wonder what happens live when the commercials are running, does the show continue and the viewers miss part of show or does the live show come to a stand still while the audience waits for the commercials to end?

In actual fact the live show comes to stand still and the TV production takes precedence. The big screen becomes dark, there is a lull while the set on stage is being changed for the next performer and the Master of Ceremonies is having a costume change. Occasionally, on some of the commercial breaks there was some interaction with the stars, but the performers and presenters were all getting ready for when the cameras were ready to roll again.

It was interesting being in the live audience for these awards. Seeing the glamour of the stars on the red carpet while being interviewed and photographed, listening to a hilarious James Brown and being able to see numerous performers perform there hit song. The atmosphere was also something that you would not experience at home watching it on the TV, star-stuck fans screaming for there favorite idol, listening to 6 live mini concerts in one 2 hour show and not to mention the fact that you are in the same building as the stars.

There is obviously some pros to seeing it on TV, for example you get to actually see the artists faces instead of just silhouettes on the stage, you are in the comfort of your on home and do not have to spend 8 dollars on a beverage. However that being said, my personal opinion is that everything is better and more exciting being there live, the atmosphere, the fashion, the music and be able to go to the show with a group of awesome people!

Love Doesn't Hurt

“The former light-heavyweight champion Jose Torres once asked Mike Tyson what the best blow he had ever thrown was.’ Man, I'll never forget that punch,' Tyson said. 'It was when I fought with Robin [Givens] in Steve's apartment. She really offended me and I went bam, and she flew backward, hitting every fucking wall in the apartment.'” - David Remnick, writing in The New Yorker

A doormat is an inanimate object. You can wipe your feet on it, step on it, kick it around, or whatever you like. It has no will of its own. It can be your servant but not your lover. When we treat our spouses as objects, we preclude the possibility of love. Manipulation by guilt is not the language of love. Coercion by fear is alien to love. We may allow ourselves to be used, but we are in fact creatures of emotion, thoughts and desires. And we have the ability to make decisions and take actions. Allowing oneself to be used or manipulated by another is not an act of love. It is, in fact an action of treason. You are allowing him or her to develop inhumane habits. Love says, ‘I love you too much to let you treat me this way. It is not good for you or me.’

So, why did Rhianna return to Chris Brown less than a month after his violent assault, especially since she told police the incident wasn’t the first time he had abused her?

Among the many sad elements to this story are the backgrounds of both Rihanna and Chris Brown. Rihanna’s father was a crack addict and alcoholic who was abusive and then out of her life for several years until he got clean. Like Tyson, Brown grew up in chaos. In a 2007 interview with Giant, Brown said that his stepfather regularly beat his mother: “He made me terrified all the time, terrified like I had to pee on myself. I remember one night he made her nose bleed. I was crying and thinking, ‘I’m just gonna go crazy on him one day…’ ‘I hate him to this day.”

‘When you grew up in an environment where there is abuse, it's more acceptable to you,’ Oprah Winfrey said. ‘It's so sad that even when you grow up in an environment and you disdain that environment, you really cannot help yourself until someone helps you.’

‘If you go back with a man who hits you, it's because you don't think you're worthy of being with a man who won't,’ Winfrey said. ‘I've said before love doesn't hurt, and if a man hits you once, he will hit you again.’

Find Your Niche

George Parros, resident tough guy for the Anaheim Ducks, hardly fits the image of your average NHL hockey player. The 28 year old, 6’5’’, 230 pounder has become one of the more popular and recognizable players in Ducks’ history. Partly because of his distinctive mustache and flowing hair but also because he led the league in fighting majors last year as the team’s heavyweight enforcer. He has quickly become a fan favorite and a thorn in the side of all opposing teams. You know you’ve made it when children dress up as you as a Halloween costume (which was apparently very popular in Southern California this past year).

But George hasn’t always been a goon who drops the gloves as often as he touches the puck. Few realize that he has an Ivy League education with a degree in finance from Princeton and that he was a skilled goal scorer in college. He was the team captain in his senior year of university and managed to get drafted. Instead of insisting that he retain the role that he had always known, Parros soon realized that it was very unlikely he could hack it as a goal scoring forward in the pros. He decided that it was time for re-invention:

“It started after the Kings drafted me and I came out to their summer development program. I realized I’m a big body and I like to hit. So, I figured if I was going to play that way professionally, I would have to defend myself. I might as well learn slowly and get my feet wet in the summertime, go out there and fight and feel my way around. Then when I turned pro, I realized that if I had a chance to make the NHL, it would probably be as a fighter. Otherwise, it would be a longer road trying to make it as a scorer or a checking line guy. I figured, as big as I am, that would help me make the team".

We are all on the same path of personal and professional growth. We identify our strengths and weaknesses, understand our tendencies and try to improve upon areas that are deficient. For instance, thorough and analytical types strive to be louder and more dynamic while Mr. / Mrs. Personality try to be more technical and detail oriented. I’m of the opinion that there are situations when there’s no need for a bunch of people who are great at everything. Often your best bet is to embrace your tendencies and what you excel at and run with it.

Group dynamics are incredibly important on any team or at any workplace. The most successful teams often succeed because they have individuals who know their role and do it extremely well. When we try to be something we’re not there’s the risk of spreading ourselves thin and forgetting to execute what we naturally do well at a high level. It may be a great idea to take a lesson from George Parros and find your niche. Analyze your surroundings, identify what is missing from the group dynamic, decide on what you can offer consistently and assume that role. Otherwise, it may be a longer road trying to make it to the next level as someone who is perfect in absolutely all facets.

Seriously...

Okay, let me start this off with the a variation on the caveat that Sideshow Bob used in an episode of Simpsons... I recognize that by doing what I'm about to do, I'm actually ALSO doing precisely what I'm going to rail against - the irony isn't lost on me.

BUT:

Why does Paris Hilton (and there are others, she's just who I've chosen as a focal point) continue to not only get attention... but also get adulation for it? If someone can tell me one, single way that she has helped anyone (besides herself), then I would be happy to hear it. Because from what I see, she's never done anything of note - yet she releases albums (she can't sing), stars in movies (she can't act), and is PAID to attend parties (she can't dance). On top of all of this, she never says anything worth repeating... yet people (especially, and most troubling, teenage girls) continue to idolize her.

Truthfully, I don't fault her for taking advantage of the opportunities she's been so incredibly lucky to have been given... if I could, I would probably release an album, star in a movie and travel the world. My bigger issue is that with all of these experiences and with all of the money - she does absolutely nothing to make the world a better place. No, what bothers me more about this is the fact that there are people who, every day, have more positive impact on this world than she's brought about in her entire life - yet they never get the recognition they deserve. The only consolation is that these same people are the ones who do it not for the reward or accolades, but simply because it's the right thing to do.

To all of those people (and you know who you are) - thank you. And to Paris Hilton (and all others like her) - stop being useless and start doing something that benefits someone other than yourself.

~Guy

Recap…daily…reflect…

I came across this article and found it interesting in regards to the parallels with reflection and writing a journal…a daily recap perhaps?

More and more is seems that people fall into a trap of moving too fast and not taking the time to be grateful…even pay respect to everything around themselves…what do you thnk?

Finding Joy In Gridlock Traffic:
Gratitude is the gentle recognition, rediscovery or "re-remembering" of the simple abundance around you.
It is to be a child again, in awe of a purple crayon.
It is sprinting from your car to the office and stopping your jangled thoughts just long enough to savor the sight of someone holding the elevator door for you, someone you do not even know.
Gratitude is noticing the extraordinary in the ordinary. And then taking the nanosecond to feel it.
But in this adrenaline-driven, multi-tasking frenzy we call Life, how do we have time to stop and smell the roses when we don't even have time to stop for gas?
Easy...
1. Just stop.
To access a sense of wonder, every hour or so, just stop. Just for a moment. Take a breath, wherever you are, and step out of your raging river of thought and look around. Notice the photograph hanging in your cubicle that you put up months ago, but haven't noticed since. Look at each face and recall the one thing about them you couldn't live without. "Re-remember" why you hung the photo in the first place.
2. Freeze-frame it.
"Think about someone, something in your life you loved and freeze-frame the picture," says clinical psychologist Blair Justice, Ph.D., professor-emeritus of psychology at the UT School of Public Health at Houston . "The physical effect on the heart [when overlaid by the emotional heart of loving] is what's called cardiac-coherence."
Everything comes into balance when the physical heart and the emotional heart are, say, beating as one.
"A growing body of research supports the notion that rediscovering a sense of abundance by thinking about those people and things we love lowers the risks of coronary events," Justice offers.
3. Create a gratitude journal.
"The gratitude journal assigns us to look for and record the ordinary wonders that come across our paths," Justice explains.It may take the form of a gratitude list:
· an old friend called you today
· your kids cleared the table without a fight
· a co-worker walked you through a computer snag
At first you may find yourself listing the "at leasts"
· at least my kids aren't starving
· at least I have a roof over my head
· at least I have two legs
Tapping into a sense of abundance doesn't mean that someone else must have it worse for you to feel better about your lot. Nor does it mean that you can't whine when you're stuck in gridlock traffic.
It simply means that since you are stuck in traffic, you might let your mind surrender to the idea of "found time" with yourself, instead of wasted time in traffic. Found time in a gratitude journal might read, "Someone let me into their lane in gridlock traffic. I waved a 'thank you.' They waved back. It felt good."
4. Replace the words 'at least' with 'even if'.
Feeling a sense of emotional wealth comes from a deep, abiding acknowledgement of the present moment. Let's face it: yesterday is gone. Tomorrow, or even tonight isn't here yet. All we have is right now. In a gratitude journal you might write, " Even if I am stuck in traffic, I have a fabulous new CD, a half-tank of gas and a glorious sunset in my rearview mirror."
5. Change your lens.
Justice suggests that life can be viewed through a different lens, to gain a fresh perspective. First, try on the wide-angle lens: before you define a moment as bad, negative, hurtful, or simply boring, view the situation broadly, both literally and figuratively. Then flip it to the micro-lens to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, or "the sacred in the profane," says Justice.
Say you have an important meeting that you've just found out requires you to walk several buildings over because there's no parking. This is a surprise to you. Now you're crunched for time, not dressed for a hike, unsure how to get there on foot and worried how your laptop is going to make your bad back feel six blocks later.. Put on the macro lens: in the grand scheme
· it doesn't really matter if you're five minutes late
· the other attendees are walking, too
· a comfortable amble will lower your heart rate before this big meeting
· and this irritation will be lost to your memory by dinner tonight
· and you'll know just how out of shape you've become
· and this will be your wake-up call to start walking every day
Flip it to the micro lens: if you zoom up closely
· the grounds to the building are stunning
· there's a man feeding a squirrel right out of his hand
· the sun on your face feels good
· your shoes really were a steal, now that you think about it
· You enter the meeting relaxed, refreshed and awake
6. The three questions
Justice practices a gentle daily examination. "At the end of the day, I ask myself three questions."
· What has surprised me?
· What has touched me?
· What has inspired me?
He says that "hard-bitten folks have trouble finding beauty or seeing life anew in a daily way, and their arteries and immune system suffer for it." Answering these three questions inspires us to see the stuff of our days through fresh eyes.
Justice tells the story of a burned-out, jaded heart surgeon who attended a workshop on stress reduction. When asked these three questions, "he rolled his eyes, scoffed at the question and answered, 'Nothing, nothing, nothing, respectively.' "
Justice says that the surgeon was told that he was only seeing the human heart through the eyes of a surgeon, and it was time to see the heart through the eyes of a poet or an artist.
"When he returned to the group, he told how he had tried to change his eyes and for the first time in his career, a patient reached out and hugged him. The physician was floored, and forever changed," Justice recalls.
7. Connect your mind to your body
Studies show that journaling-recalling the day's events-both challenging ones and joyous ones, decreases physical symptoms of pain and illness, "and increases our sense of well being," Justice says.
Research also supports that the frequency of appreciation for the small things and the intensity with which we feel gratitude have an exponential growth potential. It creates a benevolent avalanche: the more often you tap into joy, the more joyous you'll feel, the deeper you'll feel it. The body's immune system and cardiovascular system then reap the benefits.
Sensing gratitude is the simplest possible gift we can give to ourselves that yields the highest possible return on our investment...

Think about it.

Nutrition Challenge

Today, The Nutrition Challenge started in West Vancouver. We have a total of 64 participants taking part, who are ready to take in the challenge to eat healthy for 31days. I believe this challenge has had such a big following because it is doable. The point of the challenge is to not cut off all bad food and drinkS because I believe everyone has different realities and in the end it is their choice. I want people to consciously eat right for a month and cut down on the bad eating habits. It takes 21 days to change a habit, so I hope we can accomplish that with this challenge.

My main personal goal is for the challengers to learn about nutrition through educational emails, holding them accountable for sending in their food logs everyday and to get them outside doing destinations.

Stay tuned for updates from the West Vancouver Nutrition Challenge!

Live Your Life

Natasha Richardson was hospitalized on Monday afternoon in Montreal after suffering a serious head injury, which caused internal bleeding in her brain. The actress, 45, fell during a skiing lesson Monday, before her death Wednesday.

Her death is a not so subtle reminder of how fragile life is and it made me remember a quote I had heard from Brad Pitt after his filming of ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.’ He was quoted as saying, ‘I walked away realising that time is short. I didn’t know if I had a day left or 10 days, 10 years or 40 years. Was I halfway or was I close to the end?’ I don’t know so I have to make sure I don’t waste those moments in any kind of pettiness, bitterness or laziness, and that I surround myself with the people who are most important to me.’

Death is inevitable, but as I once heard someone say, there’s something about death that is comforting. The thought that you could die tomorrow frees you to appreciate your life now.

And as Brad Pitt said in ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, ‘I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things that you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. And if you find you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again. For what it’s worth, it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be.’

A Culture of Winning

Today marks the first day of the NCAA Men’s Division I basketball championship (AKA March Madness). It is arguably the most exciting of all sports tournaments in the world because of the single-elimination format. Powerhouse teams who have had an incredible regular season are at risk of getting knocked out by an underdog after just one poor showing. This really ups the ante and separates the talented and mentally strong teams from the highly skilled yet unprepared. It also produces opportunities for ‘Cinderella’ teams to advance and make a run deep into the tournament. Everyone loves a good underdog story.

But if you’re filling out a bracket and deciding on a team who you think will win this year my advice is to stay away from the compelling underdogs and go with a powerhouse. Universities with strong basketball programs always have and always will be in the upper echelon. Consider teams such as North Carolina, Kansas, Duke, Kentucky and UCLA. These teams are perennially in the Top 25 and have a great shot at winning the national championship. I am going to attempt to explain why these teams are always the best and compare their programs to the institution that is Innovative Fitness.

The Top 3 Reasons why you should pick a powerhouse basketball program / Innovative Fitness to succeed:

1. The Best Systems

College Teams:
Their playbook is better than the rest and their style of play is proven to work. Be it a full court press or zone defence there is something that the team executes that others just can’t handle no matter how familiar they are with it. Great players don’t win championships, great teams do.

Innovative Fitness:
Destinations, little things, personal inventories, partner programs, culture, etc. etc. Nobody else executes these things and that makes all the difference.

2. The Best Leadership

College Teams:
Schools that have success are lead by the greatest minds in the sport. Would UCLA have won 10 championships throughout the 60’s and 70’s without John Wooden as coach? Not a chance. Great coaches find a way to create the best teams even if they aren’t the most talented.

Innovative Fitness:
The leaders at the top have the education, drive and experience to set the tone. This trickles down to facility managers, role players, veterans and training coaches and results in a culture of learning and personal and professional growth.

3. The Best Brand

College Teams:
The schools with storied franchises always get the best recruits and this creates a cyclical process. Duke University will always have a team in the top 25 just because of the name and the fact that the best blue chip prospects want to play there.

Innovative Fitness:
We have the exposure, influence and brand recognition that will bring continual success. Initiatives such as the Fitness Fantasy, Canuck Place Adventure Race and advertisements on the Team 1040 separate us from the rest. The name is known and this will attract the best prospective teammates in the future.

In this year’s tournament there may be a Cinderella story that gains much publicity and fanfare but don’t count on them winning the entire tournament. One of the teams with the established systems, the leadership and the reputation will win. Pick a top seed when filling out your bracket and pick Innovative Fitness when determining which health and fitness company will prevail.

Relate It to Them

In August of 1962, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko introduced one of fiction's most endearing characters to the world of comic books.

In Amazing Fantasy #15, the amazing Spiderman debuted.

What made Spiderman different was that, for the first time, the hero was not an all powerful alien from outer space (Superman), or a millionaire with a seemingly endless amount of time and money with which to train (Batman), but instead it was an outcast, pushed-around, science-loving teenager. Peter Parker had no money, he was adopted by his elderly Uncle Ben and Aunt May, he had no girlfriends, and he was the butt-end of never-ending bullying by all of the high school jocks - particularly Flash Thompson. Then, through a complete accident, he finds himself bestowed with powers beyond anything anyone in high school could imagine - and suddenly, he's the spectacular Spiderman. Except... nobody knows this. Peter Parker is still broke, he still has no girlfriend, and he's still pushed around in high school.

What made Spiderman different is that for the first time, the hero was a character that the average comic book buyer could relate to... here's someone with the same (or worse) problems that they have, but he has all these amazing powers. Through Peter Parker/Spiderman, all of those kids who were getting pushed around in school were given an outlet. Beyond his superhuman strength and ability to cling to walls... this was his real power.

It is actually a common theme in popular children's literature - creating a connection to the audience, and then making the hero out of the everyday person... if you want some other examples, look at Harry Potter (an outcast until he finds his "place" at Hogwarts), or Hatchet (1987) by Gary Paulsen. The success of these stories is in the fact that the main characters all begin with individuals that we can relate to, and then leads them through a journey of development that turns them into heroes... and allows us to put ourselves into the story along the way.

If you want to make a point, or educate, you must relate the story and/or lesson to the audience - if they don't make that connection, then the relevance can be lost even if they understand (at least on a cognitive level) what you're saying.

Personally, I'm still hoping that an owl drops a letter in my lap...

~Guy

The shamrock

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.
It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people.
After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice-which he believed to be God's-spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation-an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish.
Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honouring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish. Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick's life became exaggerated over the centuries-spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of the Irish way of life.
The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.
Music is often associated with St. Patrick's Day—and Irish culture in general. From ancient days of the Celts, music has always been an important part of Irish life. The Celts had an oral culture, where religion, legend, and history were passed from one generation to the next by way of stories and songs.
It has long been recounted that, during his mission in Ireland, St. Patrick once stood on a hilltop (which is now called Croagh Patrick), and with only a wooden staff by his side, banished all the snakes from Ireland.
In fact, the island nation was never home to any snakes. The "banishing of the snakes" was really a metaphor for the eradication of pagan ideology from Ireland and the triumph of Christianity. Within two hundred years of Patrick's arrival, Ireland was completely Christianized.
Each year, thousands of Irish Americans gather with their loved ones on St. Patrick's Day to share a "traditional" meal of corned beef and cabbage.
Though cabbage has long been an Irish food, corned beef only began to be associated with St. Patrick's Day at the turn of the century.
Irish immigrants living on New York City's Lower East Side substituted corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish bacon to save money. They learned about the cheaper alternative from their Jewish neighbours.
The Leprechaun, the original Irish name for these figures of folklore is "lobaircin," meaning "small-bodied fellow."
Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. Though only minor figures in Celtic folklore, leprechauns were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their much-fabled treasure.
Leprechauns had nothing to do with St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, a Catholic holy day. In 1959, Walt Disney released a film called Darby O'Gill & the Little People, which introduced America to a very different sort of leprechaun than the cantankerous little man of Irish folklore. This cheerful, friendly leprechaun is a purely American invention, but has quickly evolved into an easily recognizable symbol of both St. Patrick's Day and Ireland in general.
So let’s get our leprechaun on and sport some shamrock green while we bash some snakes today at work!

Greed in this economic crisis

In the news today, president Obama is outraged at AIG whose executives have collected 165million dollars in bonuses. These traders in the AIG financial product division have gone behind the scenes to create complicating deals allowing them to collect the benefits.

Obama and his supporters are outraged at this company who has shaken “the world’s economic foundations”. A fellow democratic said “This is another outrageous example of executives -- including those decisions were responsible for the problems that caused AIG's collapse -- enriching themselves at the expense of taxpayers,"

These excutives of this finianical company are collecting the benfits of these bonuses while other small business are just trying to stay afloat and in buisness. In the USA since February 2009, there are 12.5million unemployed, 29% of the population are afraid of losing their jobs and 9.4% of the US population is projected to be the unemployment rate at the end of the year.

Our current situation was ultimatey caused by the American financial institutions “lending money to unsafe borrowers for buying houses, thereby breaking with the long-established rule of lending only to those with a steady income and a good credit rating.” This is a prime example of thoses excutives being greedy and looking after only themselves.

Not being a very political person, this situation of the AIG executives benefiting from bonuses is outrageous. All over the world there is a “slow degree of poverty, starvation and lack of health care because one cannot afford it.” Everyone is being cautious and unfortunately those in need will be affected the most. It is important to be cautious, but what aggrievates me the most is when this situation could have perhaps been prevented. If thoses irresponsible banks and lending institutions did not lend to people who could not afford it and not collect the benfits for themseves then are economic situation could be a whole lot differnt.

Are you an 'Adrenaline Junkie'?

The term ‘Adrenaline Junkie’ was popularly used in the 1991 movie Point Break in reference to people who favour dangerous activities for the adrenaline rush that accompanies them. However, you don’t have to be a bank robber, sky diver or other obvious type of danger-seeker to be hooked on the rush that comes from a little stress; adrenaline junkies come in much more subtle forms.

The everyday adrenaline junkie is much more subtle and common than the sensational characters in film—though less subtle and more sensational than the average person. They tend to create drama and crises in their lives--either on a conscious or unconscious level—to trigger the body’s stress response and get the rush that comes with the excitement. These are people who don’t merely survive well under pressure, but work best under stressful circumstances.

Think about this. It’s the day of an event you’re nervous in anticipation and unsure of how the day will go. The only thing that you know for sure is that you have done everything possible to prepare yourself, but that is no guarantee to the outcome. Your heart rate speeds up as you head towards the start. You began; you feel the subtle push of the other racers. You challenge yourself to go farther and faster than before, and you question yourself, will you make it? You dig deep for the final push, you cross the finish line, it’s done, and all that’s left is a sense of euphoria, a high, that makes you ask the question, what’s next?

Ready for Permanent Change?

The White Rock IF team recently concluded a hugely successful nutrition challenge. The majority of participants (40 individuals I believe) did extremely well in that they were consistent and sent in food logs, participated in events and most importantly saw tangible results. Of course it is imperative to celebrate the success of those who had success but we should be more interested in the following:

1. Examining why there were some participants who could not persevere and complete a task as simple as filling out food logs…especially with so much guidance and encouragement

2. Ensuring that the participants who did extremely well do not fall off the deep end and go back to their old ways. Many who had success would be classified as the ‘all or nothing’ type and this puts them at risk of dropping all of the healthy habits that they’ve acquired.

Adherence is the extent to which a person’s behaviour corresponds with agreed recommendations from a health care provider. It is a worldwide issue that will grow as populations age and chronic diseases increase and it is something that we deal with as training coaches on a daily basis. Studies reveal that over 50% of people who begin an exercise program drop-out within the first 6 months (Dishman, 1994). This is a testament to the fact that our systems, culture and teams are tremendous because I know for a fact that the retention at all IF facilities is much higher than that. Furthermore, over 50% of people fail to meet their exercise plans on a weekly basis and almost no one exceeds their exercise plans (Rhodes and Plotnifkoff, 2006). Keep this in mind following the upcoming profile week when customers complain that we haven’t helped them reach their goals.

Why on earth would some customers due so poorly? They pay for the service and tell us exactly what they want from us, yet when it’s time for them to hold up their end of the bargain they drop the ball. Causes of Nonadherence include:

Socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, education and socio-demographic status all play a role. Think of the 5 realities – athlete, rehab, business person, home maker, elderly. Consider the tendencies of each and how the 5 spheres of health impact each.

Susceptibility is an individual’s sense of how likely it is that they will have a health problem. If someone is 50 lbs overweight but they embrace the ‘larger than life’ mentality and have not received a scare from the doctor (ie. high cholesterol, high blood pressure, onset type II diabetes) they may not share the same sense of urgency that we do.

Severity (if applicable) is an individual’s estimation of the severity of the health problem. Someone who has been told that they have a 95% blockage of two arteries will have a different perception than someone who has been told that their blood pressure is a bit high.

Efficacy is an individual’s estimation of how useful the lifestyle change is. If someone has attempted dozens of diets and workout plans over the years with little success it’s possible that they’ve already given up.

Subjective Norms refers to the individual’s support from health care professionals (ie. IF training coaches) and others (ie. friends and family) to adhere to lifestyle change.

So what is our role now following the nutrition challenge? It is crucial that we follow up with all participants regardless of the amount of success that they achieved. Keep in mind that the odds are unfortunately against those who had success because their social network will very likely pressure them to go back to their old ways. After all who is the most fun of two friends: one who exercises every day after work, eats extremely well and goes to bed or the one who socializes at the local restaurant or lounge having drinks? Of course we understand that it's not all or nothing but some struggle to realize this. On the other hand, we cannot give up on those who didn’t fair well. Their lack of success simply means that we need to dig deeper and address the underlying issues that are preventing them from achieving change. Get ready to peel back the layers.

What Would You Do?

Every once in a while, we have moments in our lives where we say "a ha". Where the light goes off - where there's a realization of something that we previously were not aware of. Sometimes big, sometimes small, sometimes it is work related, sometimes it relates to something else...

I had one of those moments tonight. And it came from watching an ABC News presentation called "What Would You Do?".

The concept was simple - hide a bunch of cameras, hire actors to stage scenarios that challenge society's moral and ethical sensibilities, then see what happens.

All of them were poignant, with examples of how uncaring or outright deplorable we are all capable of behaving... but also shining examples of goodness that could move even the most cynical. And one stuck out in particular.

The stage was set by having a well-dressed woman walking along the street suddenly collapse - it took all of about 4 seconds before someone went to see if she was okay, and then call 911. Beautiful, right? Well, then they replaced the well-dressed woman with a homeless man - after his collapse, it took anywhere from 3-4 minutes before anyone stopped, with some people actually stepping over him. Then, to really challenge our sense of moral obligation - they had him holding a beer can when he collapsed... suddenly, everyone had a reason, a justification for ignoring him. Know how many people went past without stopping? Eighty-eight. Eighty-eight individuals veered around a person lying in the middle of the sidewalk without taking a second to see if he was alright.

And then one person, walking with a limp and a cane who, apparently, is sometimes homeless herself, paused. She stopped, asked him if he was okay - and when he did not answer, she started asking people who walked by if they would call an ambulance.

Twenty-six more people walked by, now not only ignoring the man in the street, but ignoring another person actually asking for their help. And twenty-six more went by before one person finally stopped.

It was heartbreaking. And this was my "a ha" moment.

What would you do?

~Guy

Being there when it goes down is the best part.

This past weekend, we went out to UBC for their annual triathlon. West Van had 17customers and 5coaches participate in the event. For many, it was their first multisport event. To be there for someone’s event is great – to be there for someone’s first event of this type is spectacular.

Last year, I was training with a customer who was anti events and anti training for anything specific – besides wanting to look good in her jeans, she didn’t even want to entertain the conversation of events or destinations.
Well, with a couple outside trail runs and a couple stories from yours truly, we managed to get her slightly interested in a trail run. I may have hooked her on some outfit that she needed and since it looked cool, she was then interested.

Around the same time, I was prepping for my triathlon off season training and she began to become interested in the different disciplines. She had a bike, use to swim and was a great runner…hummm.

Fast forward. The Hallows Eve ½ marathon came up and she signed up! A couple days later, she told me that she signed up for the UBC Olympic Tri and then a couple weeks after that she forwarded her registration for the Oliver ½ Ironman…whoa, talk about jumping 2 feet in!

A couple black berry messages later and we met over coffee. We reviewed a training plan and got her on an option 2. Step by step without missing a beat, she followed the program and listened to her body. She bought books and even called friends all over the world for a little wisdom here and there…

I parked my car on Sunday at UBC and walked through some buildings towards this great spot I knew of – right by the transition. I waited with my camera…the sun came out and the wind died down…there she was! Of course she was the only one running from the change tent in a 2 piece tri suit ;) as she made her way through the gates, she turned the corner and ran straight for her bike…well, what do you know, I was standing right on the other side of the fence, right in front of her gear! Her face lit up when she saw me and it was awesome to see her doing so well. She was gone in a heartbeat and within an hour or so she was back. By this time I repositioned myself for another shot (the bike dismount) as I took some pics I was pleasantly surprised to find out her whole family was there to support her!

She took off for her run and the rest of us all walked over to the finish area. Her husband, mum, ex-husband and his new wife and baby were all there. They were excited to meet me and we had a great chat about physical training and they all expressed how proud of her they were and were very impressed by all the IF jackets walking around and how we were all there to support everyone…

A little while later Deb came cruising into the finish line – she brought a huge smile and the sunshine. It was a great moment as her family was there to support her – I got the last hug and was so happy to have been there to watch through her eyes as that challenge, adversity and victory cycle was completed.

An hour later, I received an email which closes the loop and put a major smile on my face, ‘Thank you again for taking the time to train me, all your support all the time and your encouragement today and always. Icing right now and had good snacks with LOTS of water! Next, wine and Tai food.... Yippeeee!!!!’


Being there when it goes down is the best part.

Our Job

Last week in the North Shore News, I came across an article about “Keeping your job by staying fit”. This article was about our current economic uncertainty and how ones job performance and productivity is crucial. It suggested that due to our economic situation, companies have to downsize and cut jobs, so now an employee must stand out from their fellow employees more than ever.

At IF we are lucky that we are going against the gradient by involving ourselves in other areas and creating opportunities for ourselves, but how can we help a customer who finds themselves stressed, worried about their job or getting sick?

The answer?
Staying in shape.

As fitness and health professionals it is important that we are educating our customers to not miss workouts or drop sessions. We must continue to remind them that by being active and having fitness oriented goals, they will automatically feel better and have more energy. They will be able to be productive in their work, do more things during the day and stand out from their competition and/or employees. We have the ability to help our customers get in shape, be happy and be healthy, who then inspire there own companies and families to do what they are doing.

Now more than ever, we must engage our customers in staying healthy and fit. Set them up with a goal big or small, lead them and guide them to that goal and they will truly appreciate your continual support and leadership. They will feel better about themselves and after each session, they will leave the facility mentality fresh to overcome what ever barriers they might come across.

Why do we smile?

We smile, to show our pleasure or amusement in something or with someone. In fact, smiling seems to be an expression with which we are born, for most babies smile during the first weeks of life.

It has been suggested that a baby begins to realise within its first year of life that a smile is a ‘good’ expression because it is greeted with pleasure by its mother. The smile develops, sometime after the twentieth week of life, into laughter but there are great differences between the frequency of laughter and smiles of individuals.

As the child grows up, the action of smiling becomes bound up with a growing awareness of what is socially acceptable in certain situations. In an adult it is difficult to be certain whether the response is truly emotional or not.

Smiling is one of the most expressible things done by humans. Most times it is involuntarily, while many times it is not. In either case, smiling is something that makes us feel good about ourselves and others. Smile!

If It Ain't Broke, Do You Fix It?

The NHL trade deadline has passed and the Vancouver Canucks didn't pull the trigger. They acquired a depth type defenseman off waivers last week and otherwise opted for a static approach heading into the post-season. This begs the question: was it the right decision? Should they have made a deal to improve the team or should they have followed the old adage, 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'. Most would argue that the Canucks are in good shape right now as they sit in 5th place in the highly competitive Western Conference and are riding an impressive wave of 11 wins in their last 13 games. Others would point out that they already made their blockbuster deal by acquiring Mats Sundin a few months ago. But lets be honest, the Canucks aren't exactly the class of the league. They will be very hard pressed to put up a fight against teams such as Detroit and San Jose in the playoffs.

Vancouver's rival, the Calgary Flames, made a bold move to acquire Olli Jokinen. The acquisition came at a cost however, namely a solid player in Matthew Lombardi and a 1st round draft pick. I love this time of the hockey season because we get to see teams roll the dice. General Managers have to decide if they want to sacrifice important draft picks and young talent to take their team to the next level immediately. Will the Flames be better off or will the team dynamic shift, ruining the chemistry in the locker room? Do the Canucks have a strong enough squad to make a run deep into the post-season or did they need to add one more piece to the puzzle? These are questions that are impossible to answer at this time. What would you have done?

The Wealthy Barber

How many of you have read this book? Probably more have than haven't - though, embarrassingly, I'm only getting around to it now. I saw it on my parent's bookcase years ago, and it's been floating around forever, but I've never locked onto it until now.

Now, I'm not going to go too deeply into it - to be honest, I only started a couple of days ago. But the thing is, last night one particular attitude stuck with me.

This all coincides with a number of situations that have come together to make the timing right. On the one hand, I'm spending more time in my day on things to get my own franchise up and running - which, for the time being, means earning less (as it's an investment in the future, not an immediate return). That, coupled with the potential drop in earnings for the first couple of years, means that I have to be far more attentive to my own personal finances. Having worked with a company budget for the last few years, I used that as my starting point - and constructed a similar spreadsheet for home, with fixed expenses, variable expenses, etc. By playing with different projections, I've managed to balance things out... for now.

But here's the thing that stuck out for me from the first few chapters of the book. Many people find it (relatively) easy to balance a business' budget - but struggle with their own. Why? Simple - because for a business, they see things in terms of needs, and if they don't need it, it's eliminated. On the other hand - when dealing with their own personal finances, they begin to see wants as needs, and this is where the problem begins. "I need to have a couple of nights out", "I need the top-end runners"... we've all said things like this. And the truth is - most of it we don't actually need.

So this is my big takeaway. As of today, I have to begin to shift my paradigm, and really break down wants and needs. I'm hoping that this will help as I approach the next couple of years - my goal is to, despite making less... actually save/buy more, because I'm not nickle and diming myself to death.

When was the last time you looked at your own finances as if you were a business unto yourself?

~Guy

100%

What does that mean?
Well, to many of you – a perfect score. And what’s not to like about that?
Now for us, 100% means many things – but recently, we are realizing that being 100% takes dedication, determination and desire. The funny thing is that every morning we all wake up and have the choice whether to be 100% or less. To be totally honest, it’s easy to be less than 100%. I’m not talking 50%, I’m talking about being in it to win it, but at a slightly low level than 100% - But why not choose to be 100% in? What’s stopping us?
Recently, we have acquired some high profile customers. So we were asked to make sure everything was tight (cleanliness, hellos, goodbyes and atmosphere) well, after just 2 sessions us coaches were talking in the back and a couple of us really just admitted to just doing what we normally do…at that exact time, both of these high profile customers had been saying, ‘you guys are amazing!’ – ‘we have been to a high end gyms in New York and they have nothing you guys’
And seriously, we were just following the systems. We were just doing what we are paid to do the way we have been trained to do things…now, we are all very special people and yes, we all have a sparkle in our eyes and we are passionate about our work. But come on – isn’t it interesting that just doing what we love and sharing our passion that we can impact people who have been all over the place and who have experienced many levels of high end service.
Yes we provide a service, but we also provide a challenge. Both of these new customers have already been challenged. Whether that challenge is profiling or by being asked about personal goals and interests…
So really, what’s the difference in being 100% with one to the next? choice.
Being 100% is all about attempting to be better today than you were yesterday. If you can continue that momentum, experience success and chose to rewrite that story (by trying to better yourself) the sky is the limit.

In fact the only limit is the one that you are putting on yourself right now.

Ayurveda – A traditional Indian Medicine

To be honest I have never been into the sole searching, relaxation, mind-body type of exercise. I like to work hard, have my heart beating high and be exhausted once I have finished. However, when watching the Ellen Degeneres show this weekend, a interesting concept about medicine was presented by a yoga instructor who practices in Ayurveda medicine.

Ayurveda medicine can be traced back to as early as 2000-500BC during the Vedic periods in India. A period in which the “oldest sacred text of Indi-Iranians were being composed”. In our modern western world it is recognized as a “form of complementary and alternative medicine”

The word Ayurveda is a combination of the words life (ayus) and science (veda). The unique style of this medicine is its' belief in the “five great elements”, earth, fire, water, air and space which form the universe including the human body. The importance of the Indianan medicine is that it emphasizes balance and having balance in all areas will create a healthy mind and body. If one element is dominant, than those imbalances will cause illness.

In the language of the Ayurveda, doshas – is referred to as the body and gunas is referred to the mind. Other key terms used in this Indian medicine are pitta ­ - fire, kapha – earth, veta – air, sattva – balance, rajas – over stimulates and tamas – lazy.
For example: Fiery energetic people have too much pitta (fire), earthly people are heavy and lazy in mind and body, and airy people move about a lot and find it hard to stay in one place. All these 5 elements change depending on your lifestyle.

On the Ellen Degeneres show, this ayurvedic doctor was able to examine people with his eyes and touch. He believed that your “inner life is written on you outer canvas.” He was able to look at a participant’s tongues, eyes and feel their pulse to determine what possible problems they could have. For example, a ladies tongue had white specks on her middle and back tongue which suggested that she would have digestion problems.

This traditional medicine also suggested that a disease starts as a mental thought first, and will continue to become physical if our thought pattern does not change. It suggests that all disease has a cause root to where it starts from and it can be cured if we treat the cause root – the mind.

Personally this was the biggest take away message from the show and my own research. I do believe that the mind is so powerful and if you think that you are becoming sick, then you will probably become sick. However, if you force you mind to think, that you are not becoming sick and take precautions, you will not get sick. I also enjoyed reading about how we are affected by the 5 different elements and certain imbalances are caused to one of the elements dominating.

Here is a You Tube video of the Ayurveda practitioner and yoga instructor on the Ellen Degeneres Show: http://yogicameron.com/