The Power of Health and Happiness Pilar Gerasimo Editor in Chief, Experience Life Magazine Senior VP, Education, Life Time Fitness Where does personal power come from? Renewable power sources 3 Reasons 1) Without optimal health and vitality, everything else becomes tougher. 2) Day-to-day opportunities for reflection, action, feedback. 3) Whatever is interfering with your health and fitness are the same things holding you back in other areas. Like what? Like …  Weak or unclear boundaries  Accepting status-quo as normal  Making self a low priority  Low self-esteem/self-image  Willingness to face fears/discomfort/ask for help  Fear of achieving full potential  Resistance to leaving comfort zone  Not knowing/acknowledging true desires  Inability to direct focus, pursue goals How do you change THAT stuff? Daily awareness, daily choices … Where my learning path took me … The landscape of personal change … Most of us have changes we’d like to make … Woo hoo! I’m going .to change my life! …and challenges we’d like to overcome. Uh oh! I’m gonna need to do . some work! BIG HILL Assessment What is calling? What next? Follow-Through Adjustments required? How can I get the support or info I need to keep going? Cycle of Personal Change Feedback Have I taken action? Am I running into trouble? Do I need help? Commitment What am I ready and willing to do about it? It starts with a vision … and the goals that will take you there. And it never stops. My story … My (earth) mother … Two friends with a dream… Ah, 1970 … Our hippy commune No help at all … A new breed of healthy-living magazine was born … And then the real work began … My cautionary tale(s)  Taking it on the chin … and the foot My top health tip … Notice and respect your natural rhythms. The Ultradian Performance Rhythm Top Performance Top Performance Stress Activity Level Ultradian Healing Respons e Stress Ultradian Healing Respons e 90 20 90 20 Minutes Minutes Minutes Minutes Adapted from Rossi, E.L.: The 20 Minute Break. Tarcher-Putnam, New York, 1991 p. 12 What happens during “downtime”  Neurological sorting/filing  Restoration of mental focus, thinking capacity  Creative connections and “aha” moments  Energy (ATP) generation and blood-sugar/insulin       balancing Cellular repair, healing, anti-inflammatory action Detoxification of metabolic waste Immune boosting Endocrine rebalancing (stress and sex hormones) Mood regulation Pleasure/receptivity and pro-social triggers … and more What do we value instead?  Unadulterated, constant productivity  Long-suffering endurance  Busier-than-thou relating AM PM Result: Stress  Systemic effects – – – – – – – Biochemical Neurological Genetic Structural/skeletal Mental Emotional Spiritual Signs of excess stress  Disrupted daily patterns (food, sleep, bathroom habits)  Skin, digestive ailments  Irritability, depressed mood  Impaired memory, “scatter-brained” thinking  Weight gain or loss, cravings or loss of appetite  Fatigue, headache, muscle tension  Hormonal imbalance, hair loss, night sweats  Loss of sex drive  Frequent colds or flu  Feeling overwhelmed vs. excited, energized Things we do to cope  Fuel with sugar, carbs, caffeine  Rush meals  Work harder, longer  Skip workouts and yoga classes  Sleep less  Spend less time with family, friends  Watch TV to “tune out”  Self-medicate to relax  Take pharmaceutical drugs to deal with symptoms Scary statistic: 85-90% (percent of doctors’ office visits thought to be at least in part attributable to stress) Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention More scary statistics  More than two-thirds of the U.S. population      overweight Only about 30 percent of Americans report getting any kind of regular exercise One in two adult Americans suffers a chronic illness More than half of U.S. adults on one or more prescription drugs Percentage of U.S. children with chronic health conditions has nearly quadrupled in the past 40 years 1 in 2 men, 1 in 3 women, will be diagnosed with cancer Embracing a better alternative … “101 Revolutionary Ways to Be Healthy”  Mobile app  Interactive Web feature  Poster – Printed – Downloadable