It was a marvelous Super-Moon last night.  I  watched as it rose, it shone on my face at 0300, and I saw it sink at 0715 or so.  What a beautiful way to start my favorite season.  Looking back,  February was Heart month, and I thought I would share  a success story from a client I have been working with for the past year.

Having had emergency open heart surgery  January 2010, he just completed his first half-marathon on February 13, 2011, has his second planned for May and has built and toned his body to that of a man 20 years his junior.  To his credit, he was a fit individual prior to “the incident”.

Another reason to maintain this fabulous machine we were given to haul our asses around.

We really should respect ourselves a little more and not be so egotistical in thinking we are impenetrable to ill or compromised health at any moment, sometimes due to simple neglect.  Boy, that sounds kind of doom and gloom.

Let’s embrace the outdoors with the blossoms tempting us to walk beneath them and shake off the dust of winter hibernation.  Put on your pedometers and walk your way to cardiovascular fitness by trying to do 10,000 steps a day.

Try to do one to three muscle building exercises and stretch your body faithfully in some fashion every day.

If your body doesn’t work well one day, work on your mental well being, How?  you ask.

There are unlimited resources in the media every day, check my site and all related articles, just google it.    I’ve heard many excuses and they’re wearing thin folks, unlike society.

People say things like, “Oh its easy for you”, or “you don’t have to exercise”. . . . .   Far from the truth my friends, after training clients every day (most of them home visits), teaching fitness classes (4-5/wk) and running a business, living,

I also have to fit in my exercise.  It takes a great deal of energy, motivation, self-talk and time.  Find something you enjoy, an outdoor activity, check out the fitness schedule at your local community center.  But urban workouts in Vancouver are the best bet for Spring!   One of the best parts of my day is walking with a client along Spanish Banks. Now, how hard does that sound?

A real treat for those with four legged friends, not too hard to convince them to come along.  Forget online dating, get a dog!   Enjoy each day, cause it goes away.

It’s the day after an exciting show out at the Abottsford Tradex.  Met a lot of fabulous and interesting people, the Motorcygalz, a dynamic trio (one was missing) from Kelowna, check them out on their website.  Ran into a trainer I used to work with, Josh Dirnfield and bought my Joe Rocket cycle jacket, he has his own business, Rubber Side Down, in Richmond.  Logged an awful lot of steps around that venue for four days.

Had fabulous meals at fine restaurants three nights in a row, but managed to lose four pounds.  So what’s the fitness point of this blog?   Mostly mental.  Last year at the show I decided to take motorcycle lessons and get my license.  I’ve done that, and now have picked out my bike at this show and will  buy it.  I chose a goal and pursued it.  This makes me feel really good.  I didn’t formally exercise for four days.

Periodically I took a full body stretch (a modified down dog with my hands on the counter), a few calf raises once and a while, calf stretch, quad stretch.  Because I was standing and walking 90% of the time, this was a great release for my spine, back  and leg muscles.  And, because I exceeded my 10,000 steps a day, I was active enough without doing formal “cardio”.  This makes me feel good.

Are you doing things that make you feel good?  Your mind sort of sets the stage for you each day.

If you don’t like the setting, change it a bit.

Related articles

• Calf Raises 3 Ways (fitsugar.com)
• The Top 5 Best Calf Exercises (projectswole.com)
• Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis (motorcyclegalactica.wordpress.com)

Tags: Calf raises, fitness, Health, Kelowna, Motorcycle, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Shopping, Sports