Living Your Best?

 Are you living your best?  How do you know if you aren’t?

In Jeff Olsen’s book entitled “The Slight Edge”, he states we are moving in a direction of either improving or declining.  There is no static.  If you aren’t making the right choices and creating your best life then you are making poor choices that results in a life on the downward slope.

At first, I didn’t believe his statement to be true.  After several weeks of self-observation and personal research, I’ve discovered it is remarkably true.  I’m not very happy about that.

When I look at my life as it is, there are a few things I’m doing well and getting better at.  I’m pleased with the progress.  There are small things that I do everyday that have resulted in the phenomenal successes I am experiencing.

However, there are a couple things that I haven’t paid much attention to, they seem to be coming along, holding their own.  But I’m not tracking them regularly and I even take advantage of how successful they once were.  I’ve not been deliberate about taking action to keep them on the right path.  I believed some unseen momentum would keep them tracking properly.

When I look more closely and really see them in a different light - the light of TIME, where I am today vs 1 year ago, 5 years ago, etc - they are in fact, declining.

For example, I pride myself on staying fit.  There once was a time when I could do 40+ push-ups in a row, without stopping or being (too) out of breath.  Today, I can do 5, and, with a bit of a struggle.  Ugh.

So, I’ve just gotten down on the floor and done those 5.  That number 5 isn’t very many, a dismal number compared to the prior 40.  But I plan to do another 5 in two hours, and another 5 before brushing my teeth, and another 5 before bed.  That’s 20!  Only half of my previous ability but still 20 more than yesterday.

Keeping up with my new improvements scheme, I’ll do 140 in a week.  I’ll be strong enough after a week to do sets of 10 rather than 5, doubling the weekly number.  By the end of the year, I’ll have probably reached 1400 push-ups total.

I’ll finish out December gazing at my well developed arms and making plans for push-ups in 2013!  One slight change over time equals big improvements...

What small thing can you change today that will add up to Living Your Best?

Share it with me, I'd love to know.
Dawn
dawn@bodywisebodywork.com

If you could do it all over again, would you?

When you think about how young you were, all the things you used to do, and how much you fit into a single day - would you do it again?

If you're saying 'no', then you probably don't have the energy or motivation or ability to.  So, what happened?  I regularly see clients who are beginning to have trouble doing the things that the 'younger' generation take for granted.  Things like standing up or sitting down, going up and down stairs, getting into and out of a car.

There's a simple solution to all if these problems but while it's simple, it's not easy. 

I've used a question in my practice for quite some time to make the point:  How many times do you stand up and sit down in a day?  For most people, it's between 50-75 (or more).  Let's say it's 75 times and you weigh 150lbs - that means that your legs moved about 11,250 a day.  That's a lot of weight!  Say you find yourself sitting and it's the 76th time, do your legs say "Wups, that's your limit!" and refuse to stand you up?  Not at all.  So really, we don't know how much your legs can lift in a single day...

If you're having difficulty standing up and sitting down, that means your legs haven't been getting the practice they used to get (and/or they aren't lined up the way they should be to do it correctly).  Your legs aren't getting the practice and repetitions that the 'young' legs are getting. 

The simple solution is to get those legs moving, and moving more often.  Get back to those things you used to do!

If you experience pain when you begin moving more, book a complimentary 15 minute BODYMAP that will identify the cause of the pain and get you moving again www.bodywisebodywork.com

ROCKETPOPS!

The simplest thing in the world to do is make a rocketpop.  While makeing a rocketpop is easier than pie, why would you need to?  Take the time to really understand their purpose and you'll see why you, your family, friends, and coworkers shouldn't live without them.

1  You never make just one - rocketpops are meant for sharing.
2  You can't eat it immediately, you have to wait for it to melt a little so you can pull off the top.
3  Once opened, you can't dilly dally, you have to eat it or it will melt.
4  You can't eat it too quickly or your brain will freeze.
5  You can't talk while eating your rocketpop or it'll drip all over your clothes - rocketpops are meant to eat in silence.
6  You get a multi-sensory experience:  The cold, the taste, the feel, and the great outdoors (one should never eat a rocketpop indoors).
7  You are bound to the people you share rocketpops with, like participating in a native ritual with only your tribe members.
8  You need a strategy for eating the last bit, it falls off the stick if you don't bite the bottom just right.
9  You just feel a whole let better after eating a rocketpop.
10  You see everything in perspective afterward:  Conflicts are manageable (if they still exist), naptime is easier, the sun doesn't seem so hot, and you just can't imagine how life could get any better than it is already.
 

Same dog, New tricks

In celebration of all things wiser and now a year older (namely me) - I've rolled out a new look on the BODYWISE site... feel free to check it out and give me feedback.  I'd LOVE to hear from you about it:  www.bodywisebodywork.com

This is a transition site that will stay with me until Laura Blaine's schedule becomes available.  Find out about Laura's web design expertise by visiting her site:  http://signaturedesignworks.com/ 

Another wise woman!!

EFFORTLESS ERGONOMICS

I gave a talk today entitled:

EFFORTLESS ERGONOMICS: Three keys to making your workstation work better for you (and a new chair isn't one)

What you should know is that the right equipment helps, but it doesn't replace what your body needs to do on it's own.  Check out this diagram that demonstrates what I'm referring to.  The chair looks pretty good but is useless given the body position:

How many times doe we find ourselves so focused on work that we don't realize that we are doing this very thing?  It doesn't have to be this way, in fact, I can give you the tools to ensure this doesn't happen to you.

If you'd like more information about the remedy, I'm happy to share so contact me!   I'd also love an opportunity to present the facts about ergonomics to your colleagues, give me a shout and I'll contact your business...

NEVER do this on Friday's...

I was told that one should never make an announcement on a Friday.  Maybe because Friday's are reserved for resignations.  They also said never send a newsletter on Friday.  Perhaps in the efforts to wrap up a work week, readers are less likely to see it due to the push to get everything done.

Whatever the reason, I'm bucking the system and not following either recommendation.  I'm SO EXCITED about this news that I couldn't wait another day.  What better way to start the weekend than by sharing great news!

The Big Announcement: 

BODYWISE is Expanding

2012 is a year of growth and I’m pleased to share that I’ve been invited to join a clinic!   That’s right, I’ll be working side by side with a group of professionals in Totem Lake.  This clinic is right beside the Puget Sound Birth Center, where my youngest was born almost 3 years ago, and near the hub of Evergreen Hospital’s Medical complex.  I’m excited to serve more pregnant and post-partum clients. 

My hours will be expanded to include the Clinic - Kirkland and the Studio - Bothell.  Choosing a location will be easy when booking online.

Current clients will continue to receive the benefits of FAST treatments or can choose to split FAST into straight-up, best-in-the-industry massage or focused, therapeutic exercise rehab.  

This marks an important shift for BODYWISE.  It will allow me to grow my knowledge base by treating more and diverse clientele while working alongside other medical professionals.   I love the supportive and collaborative environment that a diverse staff offers.  And the benefits get passed on to you directly.

I’ll announce the Grand Opening event along with special deals when the date is finalized.  You can still reach me at the same phone number, email, and web address as always.
206.898.5327
dawn@bodywisebodywork.com
www.bodywisebodywork.com

Thanks for your continued support!  I look forward to another health filled and prosperous year with you.

The new office information is:
Eastside Natural Medicine
13128 Totem Lake Blvd NE, Ste 104
Kirkland, WA 98034
425-814-2045

You’ve Got an IQ - Know Your PQ, too!!

IQ, or Intelligence-Quotient, is used as a predictor for things like educational achievement, job performance, and income.  While the debate continues about whether IQ is inheritable, it has been proven that those with higher IQs tend to seek out more stimulating environments that further increase their IQ.

In essence, if you’re smart, you are on the look out for environments that support and increase your intelligence.  This is no less obvious to me than watching my kids grow.  There are some toys they used to play with often, and then they stopped because the toy wasn’t challenging or stimulating any longer.  It’s no easy task to keep children occupied  and content when you need it the most, like on long flights or in a waiting room.  

That brings us to the question, what is your PQ? 


One of the world’s foremost motivational speakers and brilliant business minds, Jim Rohn, said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” 

There it is - the People Quotient.  This happens to be a measurement of your People Smarts.  It includes abilities such as understanding others, expressing yourself, and collaboration.

At the end of the day, does PQ really matter anymore?  With all the ways in which we communicate that don’t require us to be face to face - email, voicemail, IM, etc - it may seem that having a high PQ is unnecessary.

However, there are still plenty of service industries.  There are businesses who are thriving because they have nailed the PQ in their service, marketing, and sales.  Restaurants, grocery stores, farmers markets, and fast food are prime examples of how maintaining a high PQ can sustain them through tough times.

PQ is linked to what you value.  When your values match up to the people around you, your PQ score naturally gets higher. 

Who’s big but is getting in your way?

A colleague of mine wrote about her big but getting in the way of her success.

It got me thinking about my big but:  How it snuck up on me, why it’s holding me back, and what the heck I need to do to get rid of it.

I remember clearly when it was my Mother's big but that got in my way - when I left home, I found I had my own big but to maneuver around.  How could this have happened? 

It happened because my BUT was bigger than my WHY.

Growing up, my Mother said things like "Lifting weights is good, but you're a girl", "Traveling is a great idea, but you're not old enough to drive alone".

In these cases, her but's became the why I did certain things and the way I did them:  I lifted weights and I tried lifting more weight each time.  I didn't just fly across the country, I took my two young kids to prove I can take care of me and them, too.

I used my Mother's but's as motivation to accomplish things I may not have otherwise.  It's given me strength, experience, and independence. 

Her but isn't enough anymore, though.  These days, I need to have more value.  I choose based on what is important to me, now.  In doing so, I've found my own why's:  I lift weights to relieve the pain from accidents;  I travel with my kids to spend holidays with grandparents and cousins.

I am grateful for the big but's that were once my Mother's.  If she didn't have them, I wouldn't be aware of the really big but in my life right now.  It's been there for a long long time.  This one, oooh, it's a doozy.  This is the Biggest But and it should have been obvious to me, but wasn't - probably because it's the one I believed the most.   It's been driving my thoughts, my feelings, and my actions every single day.

I've been thinking small.  I've been living small.  It's time to get this big but out of my way!

What big but has gotten in your way?  Create a bigger why and watch your but melt away!

I ate dinosaur tongue!

Over the holidays I stayed with my sister.  She invited a friend over on New Years for hors d’oeuvres.  This friend told me she would never eat shrimp and explained to me that it was 'dirty' and shouldn’t be consumed.

I leaned over to inspect the plate of shrimp between us.  It was deveined, rinsed, and organized in a circle around the horseradish sauce - all in all, it looked pretty clean to me.

I didn’t understand what she was really getting at so she described how shrimp are ground feeders, eating all the ‘garbage’ on the ocean floor.  Because she did not want garbage in her body, she would never eat shrimp.

Taking a big bite of shrimp, I just had to laugh.  That 'trash' tasted pretty good.  If she remembered anything about the most basic and fundamental law of physics,  Conservation of Energy, she would probably starve.

Basically, the Law of Conservation of Energy states that in an isolated system (the earth in this case) energy can neither be created nor destroyed.  Our total energy remains constant, it’s conserved.

It can move within the system and appear in a different form, but the energy itself remains constant over time.  For example, a worm eats the compost from my kitchen scraps.  The compost is turned into worm castings (essentially worm poop) which is the dark, rich soil that I use in the vegetable garden.  The seeds that I plant use the minerals and energy from the castings to produce roots, stems, flowers, and pollen.  The pollen, along with nectar, is taken by a bee back to it’s hive and is turned into honey (essentially bee vomit). 

This honey is harvested by a neighbor who sells it to me at QFC and I mix it in my herbal tea.

So really, we are constantly using energy that has been here all the time.  It is a gift to transform energy into other forms like tears of joy or breast milk for a child.  This is the natural order of things in the world.  The cycling of energy is necessary for our very existence.

When I think about it, I’m quite happy that the shrimp eat all the garbage on the ocean floor - if not, it would get pretty ugly down there.

So where does the dinosaur come into the picture, you ask?  Well, my herbal tea was harvested from special mountains in Japan.  The dirt that the plants grew in came from a decomposed Stegosaurus who was gleefully chewing shrubs just before a volcanic eruption...


www.bodywisebodywork.com
206.898.5327

Who Needs You?

What are you willing to do for someone who needs your help?  What lengths are you willing to go to keep someone from certain tragedy?

I found out I was willing to plunge into freezing water to retrieve my son out of the Snoqualmie River.  And it was an eye opening experience.  I could see the potential danger he was in.  I could see that he felt desperate.  I could clearly see the action steps necessary to bring him to safety.

What would you think if the story were different? 

What if I had stood on the shore while my son struggled in the cold river and coached him:    “Practice your strokes!”  or  “You’re almost there, keep up the good work!” 

I could have reached out my hand, urging him to take it,  waiting for him to get close enough to reach.  I might have called my husband, a better swimmer than I, to help him because I didn’t have the right qualifications.  Hell, I could have told the people standing next to the big rock to get him, they saw him first after all. 

That’s not what happened though... my son needed help - my help - the signs were obvious and I didn’t hesitate, or rationalize, or reconsider.  I just took the action that was necessary.

Which brings my thoughts to you.  Do you know what you're headed for?  Do you see what lies ahead if you stay on the course you've chosen?  If you don’t address that nagging something, what will happen after 1 year?  5 years?  10 years? 

You’ve experienced BODYWISE Bodywork.  You know what your body is doing (or not doing) that will keep you healthy and living well.

It would be wrong for me to stand by and watch you continue a particular body pattern that doesn’t serve you.  It goes against my moral being to give you just one session, or maybe two, or even three, and then say “Good luck with that” when I *know* what you need to do to stay out of pain may mean something more or different. 

It is my gift to see such shifts in your body and to show you how simple (maybe not easy, but simple) it is to rebalance and live fully capable.  It is my life’s purpose to improve the way your body moves so that you, in turn, can fulfill your life’s purpose. 

Let me dive in.  Give me the opportunity to help you.   You’ll be prepared to help the someone who needs your gift, then they’ll be able to use their gift, and that person can better use the gift they’ve been given, and... you get the picture.




www.bodywisebodywork.com
206.898.5327

My Resolution Solution

I've discovered the second secret to keeping my resolutions.  It's so crazy simple that I can't believe I hadn't thought of it before.

Every year I think about what I want to accomplish and what didn't happen the year before.  I often get discouraged looking at the list of possibilities.  I might say to myself "What if I had practiced my violin only 15 minutes a day - I would be so much further along".

Time to stop the 'What Ifs' in my life!

In order for me to practice my violin every day, I've got to take something away.  Rather than add to my already full life, what will make violin practice a reality is taking something out of the schedule.  Then inserting violin is easy.

At this point, it's beneficial to review my values.  I can then find a 15 minute window of time that doesn't map to what's on my important list. 

Resolution Solution at last!

My Resolution Delusion - and what you should do about it

HAPPY NEW YEAR and wow, January is over.  Did you make any resolutions?  Did you think about last year's goals and how well you succeeded at them? 

Make this year different.

How often have you started the year off with lots of enthusiasm for a particular thing, only to discover that by the end of January it was a distant memory?  I'm sure your goal was real.  I'm sure you had every intention of accomplishing it.  So what really happened?  For me, it's the Resolution Delusion.

Resolutions come from great ideas.  Resolutions come from excitement.  Resolutions come from wanting a fresh start or a new perspective on things.  I love resolutions and the promise of accomplishment and achievement.

However, as time passes, something changes.  Maybe like me, you experience a lack of motivation, an emotional letdown, even general overwhelm with all the other things that need to be done.  And really, thats ok - I've even come to expect it.  If keeping resolutions were really so easy, there wouldn't be so many tips for how to keep them. 

The Resolution Delusion happens because of misunderstanding or even a misbelief, about the resolution.  One key to keeping a resolution is to set  goals that directly relate to it.

Most everyone who talks about goals refers to making them SMART.  SMART is an acronym I learned quite a while back, and while it works some of the time, it doesn't work all of the time.  If you don't know about writing SMART goals, go to http://topachievement.com/smart.html and read up on them. 

I have a goal to be physically stronger.  Using the SMART system helps me identify the specifics, like deciding how much stronger and by what date.  It gives me the opportunity to map out action steps like running rather than walking with the dog and adding a specific type of weight lifting routine during the week.

One reason just using the SMART system alone may not work is because it lacks an essential reference.  Anything you decide to do must have a certain degree of importance to you or, eventually, you just stop doing it.  Maybe, you never really get started.

Knowing exactly what is valuable to you will help you be more successful with accomplishing goals.  Before identifying goals, first list your VALUES.  Do you believe time is important?  Perhaps you are more esoteric and value something like Beauty.  Whatever it is, having a clear understanding of what you value creates a strong foundation for turning your Resolutions into Reality.

Write down your life's principles, then write your goals.   Afterward, see whether the goal maps to a specific value from your list.  If not, you're less likely to be committed enough to complete the goal, so go ahead and take it off the list. 

Here is an example:   My goal to be stronger comes from wanting to actively play with my kids, which for me, includes picking them up.  Ever remember asking your dad or mom to swing you around and hearing, "You're too big…"?  I don't want to have to say that to my 6yr old who is 60lbs. 

Because one of my highest values is Health and Wellness, this is a goal that I will  achieve because it is directly related to what is most important to me.

My goal also has other SMART components because it's specific - picking up 60lbs - as well as measurable - I can either do it, or I can't.

What about you?  Take a look at your resolutions again and decide which of your values support it.  If there is a connection, you're on the path toward successfully achieving it!

In an upcoming post, I'll give you THE most important tip for keeping resolutions.

To a resolute you,
Dawn

Must Have Tip for Aging Well

So many of my clients share with me the comments from other medical professionals that sound like this:

"You're not young anymore!" or "This is just what happens at this age..."

I think those statements are true for most people because so many of them are making the same choices as they age.  Think about it for a moment.  You move a lot in your 20s - getting together with friends, going out dancing, playing sports, etc.  In your 30s you're settling into a career and starting a family.  By the time you've reached the 40s, you've had 10 years of a lot less activity on top of a lot more sitting.  When you make it to your 50s, you're wondering what could possibly have happened cause now there is that nagging knee thing, or the shoulder isn't quite right, or you have to 'baby' your back.

At this point, you've said to yourself "I can't _____ like I used to!" far too many times and you begin to believe you can't do much of anything anymore.  While it's totally true that you can't _____ like you used to, it's not because of your age.  That's the excuse.  That's the fallback.  That's the myth.

The truth of the matter is that you haven't done _____ since your 20s when you did it nearly every weekend.  It doesn't help that your mind remembers how wonderful it was but doesn't take into account  1  how long it's been, and, 2  the fact that you didn't maintain the endurance, musculature, or flexibility to do it.

So the tip to aging well is to keep doing.  If its been a long time, go slow and ease back into it.

If you have an ache or pain that is preventing you from even starting, call for a complimentary 15 minute AGE-LESS consultation: I'll show you how to eliminate the problem and you'll be doing again in no time.

www.bodywisebodywork.com/growingyounger
206.898.5327

Aging? Stay Young

In my Growing Younger Program, I work with people from the age of 40 years to 90 years or more.  One of my clients shared with me his finding that the third most common cause of death in the elderly is falling.

When children are learning to walk, they fall over all the time.  My kids fall down by choice, they trip and tumble in the yard just as easily as throwing themselves onto a pile of pillows.  When I trip on a tree root during a hike, I easily catch myself and keep moving.

Our bodies learn bipedal motion by trial and error.  Through the early years of our development, we take advantage of our ability to balance so easily.  Eventually we advance to perfecting complex movement through the pursuit of sports, dance, and even music.

At what point do we go from being mobile to so immobile that falling is our demise?  Falling fits into the category of one those things easy to avoid.  There are handrails, canes, walkers, and wheelchairs.  And these items, while helpful, don't make changes to the primary source of stability.

The Growing Younger Program restores basic movement patterns that combine into better functional mobility.  While it isn't just for the elderly, they are the group that notice the changes quickest.  Growing Younger is also for men and women who recognize that aging can change them but doesn't have to. 

Avoid common difficulties of aging, stop getting older and start Growing Younger immediately.  Call for a complimentary 15 minute AGE-LESS consultation and I'll share with you how to stay young for the rest of your life.

http://bodywisebodywork.com/growingyounger
206.898.5327