The heart is the most important muscle in your body. And just like any other muscle, your biceps for example, you need to work it to keep it strong!

Herein lays the reason to get up, move your body, and exercise for Heart Health benefits!

When your heart beats, it pumps blood around your body, transporting oxygen & energy where it is needed. Pressure from the heart beat is needed to make blood circulate – this pressure of blood flow causes resistance against the walls of your blood vessels and is considered your blood pressure!

A healthy heart pumps blood around easily, at a low pressure against vessel walls. Blood pressure readings at or below 120/80mmHg is considered good low blood pressure. High blood pressure means that your heart must pump harder and there is an increased resistance on the blood vessels. Having a blood pressure reading at or over 140/90mmHg puts you in a high risk category, and should be treated to lower those numbers.

Think of your blood vessels as a garden hose. If you block an end of the garden hose with your finger, the pressure of water inside the hose increases. This is similar to how blood pressure is affected by a blockage or narrowing of the blood vessel. If there is increased stiffness or narrowing of the blood vessel itself, there is a smaller “tube” for the heart to pump the same amount of blood through and an increase in pressure!

We need to be proactive in ways to maintain good heart & blood vessel health. Lifestyle plays a major role in managing your blood pressure. If you can successfully control your blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, you might avoid, delay, or reduce the need for medication!

In this grand spectrum of “Healthy Living”, is exercise. Exercise, more specifically cardiovascular exercise, is known to improve the strength of the heart and decrease the stiffness of the vessels. A stronger heart can pump blood more efficiently! Cardiovascular exercise is considered any form of aerobic activity – walking, running, cycling, fitness classes, etc.

Canadian guidelines suggest at least 150 minutes (equates to 30 minutes 5 times per week) of aerobic exercise accumulated per week!

That being said, resistance training is also known to decrease blood pressure! Stronger postural muscles help in keeping blood flowing throughout the body.

So, what are you waiting for?! Keep it simple – even a 15 minute walk around the block twice in your work day will help decrease your blood pressure & heart disease risk!

Our breath is one of our most powerful tools for mindfulness, as well as for fitness. When you’re at peak exertion during a workout and think you can’t do it anymore, deepen and bring awareness to your breath. It will lessen your perception of work and help get you through. In terms of mindfulness, your breath is something that is always available to you and will always bring you into the present moment. During your workout, keep checking back in with your breath. Use it as a reminder to come back into your body if your mind wanders off.

People often refer to being “in the zone” when they work out. This is a sense of being completely present while slowing down the working of the mind. It’s about synchronizing body and mind and holding an open awareness—an awareness that is natural to us, but often gets clouded over by busy thoughts

Use your workout as a break from the distraction of your phone. Give yourself the time and space to be fully there, dedicated to that workout. You deserve it! Avoid multitasking. Your workout will suffer if you’re answering emails or texts, on social media, or even just giving in to the urge to frequently check your phone.

Practice Posture

Correct posture allows your body to function at its best during any given exercise. During your workout, utilize tools – such as mirrors, a workout partner or a Curtis Health professional – to ensure your body is properly aligned. Every move you makes creates a domino effect through your muscles and joints, this is a concept known as The Kinetic Chain. Performing an exercise with proper posture ensures you are functioning optimally and significantly lowering your chance of injury. This not only furthers your progress, but can also lessen muscle and joint pain during your regular daily activities. It seems like a lot to think about but with practice, this will soon become second nature!

Is Being Mindful and Relaxed the Same Thing?

The short answer is “no”.

Simply put, being mindful is being aware, and being relaxed is to be free of tension.

Being mindful is to become aware of how you are feeling physically, emotionally, mentally, and increasing awareness of your environment. Being mindful is tuning in to how you are experiencing the present moment and reserving judgment. That might mean becoming aware that you are pretty chilled out, or the exact opposite, maybe you’re all revved up!

Relaxation is a whole different thing. Relaxation is the state of being free from tension. This could be physically or mentally.

Why do we the two get confused?

Many people use mindfulness practices to identify areas of tension to help them relax.  For example, if I sit back, and pay attention to my shoulders and neck, I may notice that I’m tensing up my muscles, and that this is giving me a headache. So with this awareness, I decide to roll my shoulders back a few times, take a couple of deep breaths, and purposely allow these muscles to relax. Often too, the product of a mindful practice is to become relaxed. As we focus on the here and now, and accept and acknowledge our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, we can help to capture a mind that might easily wander into anxiety. This may help us relax.

So with this in mind, why not take 2 minutes to become more aware of the present moment. Scan your body for tension, identify the noises around you, or allow your eyes to rest on your favorite color in the room. Maybe you’ll relax, or maybe you’ll become re-energized for the rest of your day!

Nicole Wutschnik

Certified Personal Trainer

Certified Group Fitness Instructor

For more than 30 years I have witnessed bulging Fitness classes full of “New Year’s people”, drizzle by Valentine’s Day to the ” regulars”,  plus two or three keeners who stuck with their resolutions.

This year I was inspired by an article I read on Fitness Trackers to share some tips on successful goal attainment based on my long term experience as a Fitness Leader and Personal Trainer.  Why is it that so many people start January pumped full of enthusiasm to get in shape only to end up watching TV and eating chocolates by Valentine’s Day?

Who doesn’t want to be healthier, but just saying it does not make it so.  You can’t just wake up one day, go to the airport and get on a plane to Hawaii to compete in the Ironman.  This goal takes time and step by step planning to train, qualify, and complete.  There is a step by step process involved.  Stop thinking of getting in shape as a resolution and more of a lifestyle.  Just like a trip, retirement or a wedding; planning can aid in a successful outcome.

Here are 7 tips to help you with your New Year’s Wellness Goals

• Visualizing and thinking BIG is awesome – but be realistic when you write down what you want to accomplish and your time lines in getting there. Think about how long it took you to get this out of shape.
• Make a list of steps to reach your goal, use an APP, a piece of paper or your calendar. One of the repeated steps is evaluation. Once a week, pause, and reflect on how you are doing so you can stay on track.  Reinforce positive behaviours and celebrate milestones.
• How will you know how you are doing if you do not have a starting point?  A lot of people weigh themselves but what about checking your glucose levels, cholesterol, blood pressure, body fat, target and training heart rates.  Pick numbers that are pertinent to your goals and your situation.  Re-measure in appropriate time lines.
• Join a group real or virtual.  Hang out with positive, active, healthy people.
• Get help from a professional. As a Personal Trainer I watch my client’s heart rate monitor so I can give them an excellent exercise session, perfect for their needs.  If you have a heart rate monitor, Fitbit or other device that measures your pulse, book a session with a Personal Trainer to learn how you can use this info to get a great workout.  Make a list of all your questions and get professional advice specific for your health.
• A Registered Dietician or Registered Holistic Nutritionist can help you with your nutrition challenges. Have you tried weekly food preparation?  I have seen much success in improved nutrition and weight loss with simple grocery shopping lists, planned meals and food packaging once or twice a week. Simplify your food to grab & go and pre-prepared options.
• Got a lot to balance? A Life Coach or Psychologist can help you from feeling overwhelmed. The number one excuse I hear preventing people from healthy eating and regular exercise is, “I don’t have time”.  When will you have time?  Make yourself a priority and you will soon be celebrating your success.

Laurie B,

CanFitPro Personal Trainer and BCRPA TFL