Hide

Error message here!

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link to create a new password.

Error message here!

Back to log-in

Close
Mirabai New Year Article

Health Coaching: A New Way To Keep Those New Year’s Resolutions

/29 December 2021/ All MFN blog/

So you go to your annual check-up and your doc says “whoops your blood pressure is up and you’re 15 pounds heavier than last year. I’ll give you some meds, but you’ll have to lose weight and get into shape, OK?

You say OK, you walk out and then what?

Join a gym, hire a personal trainer, go on a diet, take a walk? You might do one or several of these because, after all, it’s a new year and a new you.

Right? Right, and you try something. But how long is it till you throw up your hands and say, “ugh, I got started and now I’m off the track just like last year.”

What went wrong? Maybe nothing, except you might not have been psychologically ready to take those steps.

For any change there is a process. One of the models that are used is the transtheoretical model of behavior change (TTM) developed by James O. Prochaska , Ph.D

There are 5 stages:

Precontemplation – going along not aware of a need for, or not wanting a change.

Contemplation – recognizing a need to do something to improve your situation and considering making some sort of change.

Preparation – doing some research, making small changes, or at least thinking about what you’re going to do to help yourself.

Action – Actively making lifestyle changes,

Maintenance – Having made changes, keeping the healthy lifestyle going.

All too often we jump from contemplation to action without being ready for the change. It can feel like getting off a plane in Antarctica wearing shorts and a T-shirt. You wanted to be there but you weren’t ready for what that change would be like, and what you’d need to do to stay there comfortably.

But there is help, a new kind of help.

The health and fitness industry is rising to the challenge of our increased involvement with our own health care.

Many of us still think of fitness professionals as muscle heads with great bodies and not much else. Those types will always exist, but more educational opportunities including degrees and certifications are spawning a new breed of health & fitness professional, one that’s part of the health as well as the fitness industry.

Enter the Health & Wellness Coach

Not to be confused with a personal trainer, the Health & Wellness Coach is a consultant who helps you go, through, preparation, to action and on to maintenance. The coach helps you determine your health and wellness goals and needs. Once you have a path to your goals the coach continues to work with you to help you find the behavior modifications, activities, facilities and allied health professionals (MDs, Ph.Ds, Nurse Practitioners RDs, PTs, Personal Trainers, Exercise Instructors, etc.) to support your healthy lifestyle. You can do this on your own, but having someone with health industry knowledge who has your back, who is nonjudgmental, who just wants to help you focus and succeed can make all the difference.

Mirabai Holland MFA, EP-C, CHC is one of the foremost authorities is the health and fitness industry. Her customer top rated exercise videos for Age-Onset health issues like Osteoporosis, Arthritis, Heart Disease, Diabetes & more are available at www.mirabaiholland.com. Mirabai also offers one-on-on Health Coaching on Skype or Phone. Contact her at askmirabai@movingfree.com.

Healthy-Lifestyle-Nutrition-Exercise-Medicine

Using a Lifestyle Medicine Approach to Support Health

/17 December 2021/ All MFN blog/

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) defines lifestyle medicine as an approach to prevent, treat, and sometimes reverse chronic diseases to promote optimal health. Individuals are encouraged to follow a healthy eating pattern that is predominantly plant-based, engage in regular physical activity, experience restorative sleep, manage stress with success, avoid risky substances, and engage in positive social connections. There are a variety of tools and strategies that medical, health, and fitness professionals can utilize to have a collaborative conversation with clients and/or patients that can evoke change. It is useful to have a structured framework to facilitate the conversation.

Using the 5 A’s Framework to Structure the Conversation

Many medical providers and personal trainers have not been trained to facilitate a conversation surrounding an individual’s desire and readiness to change. This is a useful tool for structuring the conversation and ultimately setting SMART goals if the client or patient is indeed ready to commit to making a change.1

Assess
To begin the conversation, ask if the patient is currently engaging in the healthy behavior that is being contemplated as well as exploring their feelings about this specific health behavior. This dialogue will give you some insight about current beliefs and behaviors as well as identifying any gaps in their knowledge.

Advise
Here you can put on your expert hat and provide the individual with evidence-based information that highlights the benefits of making a health behavior change. If your client or patient is receptive, now is the time to provide them with specific strategies or a prescription.  For example, if they are looking to lose weight, you could prescribe a combination of cardiovascular and muscle strengthening exercises to support that goal.

Agree
As the conversation continues, collaboratively work to identify goals based on where they are showing interest and energy as well as where they have confidence in their ability to successfully make a sustainable change.  In this part of the conversation, you can help your client and/or patient create a SMART goal that is relevant and aligns with their values to promote self-efficacy.  

Assist
It is now time to discuss potential barriers and explore strategies that could be helpful in overcoming these challenges. This is also an opportunity to discuss social and environmental support structures that have the capacity to promote accountability and ultimately lead to self-monitoring.  

Arrange
As the conversation draws to a close, arrange a follow-up visit to monitor progress and convey that you are there to provide motivation, accountability, and support.  This is also an opportunity to refer your client and/or patient to community resources or to other health, fitness, or nutrition professionals that can support the behavior change process.

Redefine Health with Lifestyle Medicine

Using a lifestyle medicine approach highlights the need to promote optimal health by addressing health behaviors across the dimensions of wellness. This approach has the capacity to prioritize mental health as it is integrally related to our physical health and impacts our relationships with others. Lifestyle medicine is an emerging field that prioritizes our conversations with clients and patients creating rapport and trust that ultimately enables them to experiment with behavior change.  Health coaching and lifestyle medicine are a powerful combination used in delivering evidence-based interventions that have the capacity to help others redefine their health.

Suzanne Stringer, Master of Health Science, CHES, CHC, CPT is a health coach and personal trainer. She collaborates with clients to co-create goals that enable them to experience success as they work through the behavior change process. Additionally, Suzanne is an adjunct faculty member in the Health Sciences Department at AACC.


References

  1. American College of Lifestyle Medicine.  (2021).  Foundations of Lifestyle Medicine Board Review Manual.  American College of Lifestyle Medicine.  

 

ocean-hope-positivity

Living With Purpose: A Challenge Fear Can Sabotage

/9 December 2021/ All MFN blog/

I find the holiday season to be challenging mentally, emotionally and physically. I am sure many of you who are reading these words feel a similar pressure of the current year ending – and the uncertainty of the new one to come. During this time of the year I have found myself being repeatedly burdened by entertaining old, worn out, negative thinking which leaves me exhausted and prone to getting sick, frustrated and fearful of the unknown time ahead.


The mind-body connection

This year it has been no different for me as I seem to be facing a past challenge regarding my belief in myself, my self-worth – and my purpose. For the better part of the last week and a half I have been struggling with a bad case of what I believe is the flu. With this latest (rare) bout of illness I have been blessed with a large dose of coughing, sneezing, general weakness and a very substantial lethargy. I believe in the power of the mind to bring us health and well-being but I also believe our thoughts (and beliefs) can – and do – deliver to us the other side of life which includes illness, unease, a genuine lack of self-confidence, and a sense of what I will call “hopelessness” – a feeling of living without purpose.

This is how I have started to feel in December – that regardless of what I have done, written or spoken about in terms of my passion for healthy aging, that it matters little and that I am wasting my time. This thought has occurred to me many times before and I am sharing it with you now because I am going through this challenge in this moment in time. ALL of us at some point in our life (and in my case it has been more than once) have felt empty inside and afraid – fearful of the unknown, of not being enough, of having chosen our path in life badly – and much more “baggage” that we carry around with us every day! It is a burden we decide to carry. It is up to each of us to decide to stop carrying this extra weight – or it will remain a “drag” on our life well into the future! We don’t need negative thought patterns ruining our lives, do we?

Fighting negative thoughts

The point is that it takes courage and discipline to “fight” this negative “wave” of feelings and thoughts. The first step that we can take to address this important issue is to become AWARE that it is happening – and to STOP and THINK in order to increase the possibility of changing your mind in order to “reassert” your power over your training – but your life as well. I am grateful for these reminders as they spur me to make the choice again that I AM valuable and worthy of success. Even at 70, I am dealing with this very issue as Christmas approaches – again. I had a terrible Thanksgiving because I could not be with my daughter and grandson and tonight had a harsh exchange of words with her over the phone (frustration, anger, fear – whatever it may be.)

What this matter basically comes down to is a FIRM belief in ourselves – and our own unique purpose – that we are alive for a reason. It is incumbent upon each of us to maintain a vigilant and forceful awareness that CAN prevent negative thoughts from derailing our dreams from becoming fully realized. If we allow these negative thought patterns to remain in our subconscious minds over time they WILL harm us emotionally, mentally and physically. ALL life – and reality – begins with thought, so guard your thoughts well! I am sorry to report that we are never done with these challenges of the mind and they can – and DO repeat (sometimes – not always) for a reason: To REMIND us of who we are – and are becoming. The ego wants to regain control of our thought patterns and return us to an earlier status quo that never worked for us – and never will.

The antidote for this negative “cycle of thought” is an examination of what we are doing and how well we are doing it. Can we improve our behavior? Our discipline? Our planning? Our listening? What is it that we are seeing again – and why? My conversation (argument) with my daughter showed me I am still capable of entertaining past negative thinking with poor results showing up again in my life. What a DRAG! Low self-worth and self-esteem can raise doubt and fear in all of us. What I am experiencing right now is a reminder of the road I have travelled – and the miles I have to go. It is always incumbent upon each of us to be “self aware” and allow this awareness to guide us to take personal responsibility for our behavior – and thoughts – (all that any of us can control  and then, and only then, will we make it successfully to our goal and accomplish our mission.

Our fitness programming follows this same logic and if we believe we cannot make it – we won’t. Our thoughts determine our results and our belief systems determine everything else of importance in our lives. DON’T LET FEAR AND SELF DOUBT control your future destiny. DO NOT entertain thoughts that in and of themselves are self destructive. I don’t know how the distance with my daughter will be bridged before Christmas but it will probably include compromise and some serious mutual listening.

Conflict in itself solves NOTHING but it CAN promote growth and understanding so I am not shy about engaging in a good argument – if it leads to greater mutual understanding – and peace. It is in HOW we disagree that matters. I argue with my feelings leading the way sometimes and that CAN be hurtful, but in this hurting we may get the opportunity to expand our definition of ourselves – and expand our consciousness as well. This is what I would call a “win – win”. This potential outcome CAN help us grow into a new definition of ourselves and create new opportunities with those we love – and with those others we value in our lives. It is about taking some risk and exposing ourselves to being uncomfortable for a while. I feel it is worth the effort – just be smart about how you go about implementing this idea!

I am convinced this time of year is challenging for all of us because there is much we need to learn – not only about ourselves – but about each other as well. After 45 years of being a father I am still learning about what that means and tonight I found out I am still NOT as patient or compassionate as I thought I was and so some “soul searching” will be required to bring me back to my best path of growth and understanding with those I love.


Take time today to reflect not only on your relationship with yourself but also with those you love and care about and see what emerges. You might be in for some amazing surprises and only YOU can do this work. Becoming a thoughtful listener is really the key to effective communication so practice that skill a lot! We have TWO ears and ONE mouth for a reason. I really find the holiday season to be about buying “STUFF” and not about appreciating our many blessings. This thought drives me crazy! However, this is the life we are living today so I either learn to live with it creatively or I will continue to hit the same “brick wall” as I have in the past – and I CHOOSE NOT DO THAT. All of this is to say that becoming unsettled, confused – or even angry – is probably a sign that we ARE ready for positive change to enter our lives and I TRULY BELIEVE that is a VERY good thing! Travel well.

Originally printed on HealthyNewAge.com. Reprinted with permission from Nicholas Prukop.

Nicholas Prukop is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer & a Health Coach, a fitness professional with over 25 years of experience whose passion for health and fitness comes from his boyhood in Hawaii where he grew up a swimmer on Maui. He found his calling in writing his first book “Healthy Aging & You: Your Journey to Becoming Happy, Healthy & Fit” and since then he has dedicated himself to empowering, inspiring and enabling people of all ages to reach for the best that is within them and become who they are meant to be – happy, healthy and fit – and be a part of a world where each person can contribute their own unique gifts to life.

senior-couple-walking

Five Ways to Build Immunity

/24 November 2021/ All MFN blog/

A strong and healthy immune response can mitigate the effects of an infection. Boosting your immune system is the key to fending off illness when you get it or maybe avoiding it together. The best approach to maintain your immune system is to adopt a healthy lifestyle. 

While bolstering your immunity is easier said than done, several dietary and lifestyle changes may strengthen your body’s natural defenses and help you fight harmful pathogens or disease-causing organisms. Some of them are below.

Sleep In

Yes! Lack of sleep can make you sick. Sleep deprivation is linked to a higher susceptibility to sickness. During sleep, the immune system releases cytokines, some of which help promote sleep. Cytokines are also needed to fight against infection, inflammation and ward off stress. Sleep deprivation leads to a reduction in antibodies and cells necessary to fight infection. According to Mayo Clinic, adults should aim to get seven or more hours of sleep each night, while teens need 8–10 hours and younger children and infants up to 14 hours. Keeping a stable sleep schedule, making your bedroom comfortable and free of disruptions, following a relaxing pre-bed routine, and building healthy habits during the day can all contribute to excellent sleep hygiene.

Consume Whole Foods

A healthy diet gives your body the essential nutrients to fight off germs. Whole plant foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes are rich in micro-nutrients and antioxidants. There is a wealth of evidence that suggests that what we eat matters. The antioxidants in plants can help decrease inflammation by battling free radicals. The fiber consumed from plant foods increases your gut microbiome. A robust gut microbiome is essential for a stronger immune system.

Don’t Be Afraid of Healthy Fats

It is vital to consume healthy fats to receive positive advantages for our immune health. Healthy fats help reduce inflammation and fight infections.  Many plant-based foods are rich in fatty acids, linoleic, and alpha-linolenic acid, with an optimal omega-3/omega-6 ratio. Some examples include; hemp seeds, walnuts, chia seeds, dark leafy greens, spinach, arugula, and romaine. Eating healthy fats will provide the body with the energy and essential fatty acids to optimize immune function. 

Get in Moderate Exercise

It’s true that exercise increases your immunity to certain illnesses. Research shows that frequent exercise reduces systemic inflammatory activity and improves aspects of immune function, leading to alterations in an aging immune system’s classical biomarkers. Examples of exercise include 30-minutes a day of brisk walking, hiking, a dance class, and cycling. So, wherever you are, get moving now.

Reduce Stress

According to the Mayo Clinic, the stress hormone cortisol can subdue your immune system. While it might be impractical to let go of stress completely, managing stress in a healthy way is possible. Creating some white space in your day and meditating can help with stress. Meditation lowers your heart rate and blood pressure and reduces anxiety. Watching a funny show or just laughing with friends and family is a great way to relieve stress. 

Our bodies are regularly exposed to invaders and toxins like mutated cells, bacteria, and viruses. We can make changes in our lifestyle to toughen our immune system. Including exercise, consuming a healthy diet, meditating, and practicing good sleep hygiene can go a long way to protect us from illnesses and strengthen our immune system. It might seem a lot to do right off the bat but making small changes can go a long way. Keep adding these lifestyle changes to your routine until they become a habit. Soon you will have a robust immune system to guard you against diseases.

Aesha is the founder and head coach at Tone and Strengthen. She holds a Master’s in Exercise Science from Concordia University and has earned multiple credentials from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, Athletics and Fitness Association of America, and other NCCA accredited fitness associations. Aesha is a Master Instructor for MadDogg Athletics, Spinning® program and offers FREE workouts and healthy lifestyle tips on the Tone and Strengthen’s IG page. 

running-bleachers

Kick up the Cardio

/19 November 2021/ All MFN blog/

Currently, health clubs offer a variety of cardio and strength options. They offer a plethora of equipment and classes yet attrition remains high. By combining the science of cardio and strength training with a motivated and energetic instructor new programming combining….

kettlebell-sneakers

The Three R’s: Reset. Reload. Reinforce.

/18 November 2021/ All MFN blog/

Before you can begin checking the boxes off above a baseline needs to be established. What is the best way to set a baseline that isn’t time-consuming? A Physical Therapist can test physical capacity, but will that give them the total picture? What if you are a health care provider such as a Massage Practitioner or a Chiropractor, or a doctor of an individual who wants to start an exercise program? How do you set-up a baseline of indicators to capture dysfunction at the level of the movement pattern, not just muscles/tissues that are weak or injured?

The quickest and easiest way I know of is a Functional Movement Screening and a Movement Assessment Screening. It is a ranking and grading system to measure asymmetries. If there is a pain in any of the movement patterns the activity is stopped and a referral is made. As a Functional Movement Specialist, I can do the movement screening with a printed report and corrective strategy exercises to reinforce quality movement patterns. This establishes a baseline to work from and retesting is done periodically.

The way this effective approach works: Each box needs to be checked off before you move to the next box.

The meaning of the three Rs is…

Reset

When a patient/client goes into a Physical Therapist for treatment, or Massage Practitioner for manual manipulation of muscles/tissues, or Chiropractor for a muscular skeletal adjustment. After the procedure the next step is usually, rest, ice, maybe some stretches and to review or start an exercise program. Ok, if this is the standard procedure followed, what is missing from this picture?

Reinforce

This next step is where I as a Fitness Trainer am highly effective, first with myself and now others. I took my twisted muscular-skeletal frame from a seat belt injury and started retraining the correct movement patterns by reinforcement. It takes about 7,000 repetitions of a movement pattern before it becomes spontaneous. What do I mean by reinforce? Reinforce means you either go back to what you were doing with the same faulty movement pattern and setting yourself up for needing another reset, instead of going in for a maintenance appointment. Keeping the cycle of dysfunction and asymmetries going that lead to dysfunction, pain and injury.

Reload

A combination of corrective exercises and conditioning work, such as using supersets to establish better hip hinging and then doing deadlifts, and then maybe add some kettlebell swings.

Reload the frame with the right resistance that maintains the right movement pattern exercises. I use a wide variety of tools based on the client’s needs and preferences.

Reset, reinforce and reload can be applied to both rehabilitation and exercise. In rehabilitation, Physical Therapist/Health Care Provider is working with pain and dysfunction. Exercise professionals work with dysfunction by setting up a baseline and reinforce correctives and conditioning to help prepare the individuals to return to a full active life.

I have successfully retrained my body after a seat belt injury that caused asymmetry imbalances, and now successfully use these remedial corrective strategies with my clients. I give my clients enough practice to learn how to move efficiently, and believe in open communication, taking after hour calls and making home visits.

Move well, move often, stay fit, live!

The Kettlebell Lady – Leanne Wylet, BA, ACE -NCCA, specializes in Orthopedic Exercise, Functional Movement, Hard Style/High Intensity Kettlebell Fitness, Silver Sneakers FLEX & Tai Chi Instructor works with the aging population. She has come back from a seat built injury that left her disabled and two major illnesses; her body is now restored. Taking the skills she’s developed, plus academic training, she works with individuals in all walks of life from youth to those in their golden years. Visit her website, kettlebelllady.com

wine-glasses

Alcohol and Your Health – Cheers! or Not?

/12 November 2021/ All MFN blog/

Depending with whom you speak, alcohol can be a villain or it can be a hero. We have long known that alcohol can help reduce the stress of everyday life, and even relaxes our most tightly wound friends and associates. Recent data also suggests that fairly regular alcohol ingestion is actually good for your heart.

This is probably one of the reasons that many European countries, where wine is a normal part of everyday life, have significantly lower rates of heart disease despite relatively high-fat diets. The protective effects may come from substances called flavonoids and also antioxidants that are found in alcohol, especially wine. It also can increase HDL levels (the good cholesterol) and lower the risk of blood clots by slightly “thinning” your blood (anti-platelet effect). Red wine also has resveratrol, a compound that has been shown to possibly reduce lung damage in patients with chronic bronchitis and emphysema, by lowering levels of interleukin 8, a chemical that causes lung inflammation. It has also been touted to have life extension (i.e. longevity) and disease-fighting capabilities but more research is needed.

Too bad it’s not that easy, i.e. “drink to your heart’s content.” There is a dark side. Even the American Heart Association cautions people NOT to start drinking if they do not already drink alcohol. For many, alcohol can be deadly. It can be a cellular toxin, with brain cells and liver cells particularly susceptible. Alcoholism is a serious disease, with some predisposed from a genetic standpoint. For them, there is no safe amount. It is also never safe or recommended during pregnancy because of the harm it can cause to the developing baby. Alcohol can be dangerous for those with certain medical conditions such as diabetes and liver ailments and also has been implicated in the development of certain cancers. Also many alcoholic beverages pack a significant amount of calories which contribute to obesity risk and much of the obesity epidemic.

Alcohol also kills when mixed with driving. I believe we will see tighter restrictions regarding the legality of drinking and driving especially in terms of acceptable blood-alcohol content. Recent scientific data suggests that we actually loose coordination as well as other important motor and cognitive skills essential for safe driving, even while we are within the legal limits of blood alcohol levels. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in conjunction with The University of Iowa, is doing research on driving under the influence using a three ton, $81 million DUI simulator. This simulator puts the drunk driver in “real life” road situations using high resolution 3-D images, and monitors reaction times and other motorist behaviors. Hopefully studies like this will help provide safer guidelines for us. I am fairly certain that study will have no trouble finding volunteers. There are even commercially available simulators (drunk driving and texting while driving) for educational purposes.

Being an orthopedic surgeon, who has spent plenty of time in the ER, I can state without hesitation that impaired driving kills, and kills many, dramatically changing lives (even innocent ones), be it alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs. Ditto for cell phone distracted driving. All preventable.

So, what is the right answer for you in terms of alcohol? The key, like so many other things in life, is balance and moderation. Weighing risks with rewards and being responsible, not only to yourself, but to those around you.

Poison or potion? It is up to you. Remember, moderation is the key. Check with your doctor to see if there is a place for alcohol in your path to better health.

Originally published on the Huffington Post. Reprinted with permission from Dr. DiNubile.

Nicholas DiNubile, MD is an Orthopedic Surgeon, Sports Medicine Doc, Team Physician & Best Selling Author. He is dedicated to keeping you healthy in body, mind & spirit. Follow him MD on Twitter: twitter.com/drnickUSA