Getting Unstuck

Recently I was listening to a Deepak Chopra meditation series called "Getting unstuck: Creating a limitless life". The phrase "getting unstuck" really could be a mantra for any clients working with a WELLNESS AND FITNESS COACH.

This "stuckness" is something we find ourselves in through limiting beliefs, repeating old habits that are barriers to change, living in the past or future rather than the present, and letting our formatted brain dictate to us rather than the other way around.

These  things get us stuck in all facets of our life,  and are particularly important to identify when we want to change our behaviour.

They develop subconsciously in order to protect us from perceived threats or danger. So they might have worked for some things but the problem is that we end up using them in many imagined threatening situations where the worst that can happen is actually… well nothing.

You might find this inner critic being called The Saboteur in some resources as it is a part of ourselves that sabotages our best intentions or goals and leaves us in this place of “stuckness”

To achieve a wellness or fitness goal, you usually know what you  "should" be doing but find yourself reverting back to the same body shape, same habits, same level of fitness, same lack of energy.

It's often hard to identify these roadblocks ourselves. Even harder to keep ourselves  accountable to changing those behaviours.

Is this a familiar statement?:

“I’m stuck- I know what I want to change and even how to change but I just can’t…”

Or maybe it’s less obvious…

• “well I should get out and walk more but…”

• “I’d go to the gym but I have so much on…”

• “I have so many things to change I really don’ know where to start…so I haven’t”

• “I know I shouldn’t eat so much sugar but it’s so hard to reduce. My family all like sweets…”

Procrastination, avoidance, excuses , blame, negativity. All can come to light when our Saboteur is at work.

So how do we get unstuck? How do we deal with our Saboteur?

Well there are lots of ways to get unstuck and it's dependant on the individual: YOU!

Despite the specifics being so variable there are a couple of simple , universal steps that need to be employed in becoming “unstuck”.

Firstly, and the most critical is to actually recognise when our inner critic is at work. If something you have stated as a goal isn’t being realised: is it something you REALLY want to change?

If so, what inside you is stopping you?

What are you afraid of?

Secondly, we then need to find a way of bypassing or dealing with that inner critic or saboteur in the situation.

What is always comforting is to have a co-pilot with you to help you identify the barriers and false trails to challenging your saboteur . To act as a sounding board and hold you to some accountability. To be able to look from the outside in while still working toward your goals in alignment with your ideals.

This is what a WELLNESS AND FITNESS COACH can offer. A partnership in becoming unstuck.

If you think you may benefit from having a health coach to help you become unstuck, reach out via the contact form on this web site or via LinkdIn.

WHAT IS A HEALTH COACH?

You know a sports coach helps an individual or teams excel at their particular sport. A business coach  is there as a mentor and inspirational guide to get the best out of your business goals. What then is a health coach?

A health coach helps  you excel at your health and lifestyle: aiding you attain and maintain your health and wellness goals.

The coaching is client focussed and helps  you  set goals , identify barriers to change and achieve your desired well-being. The process incorporates motivational interviewing and positive psychology  to effect significant habit change . In addition health coaches may specialize in particular areas of health and are able to educate you in alignment with your own  personal values.

Well-Being at Stanford University describes its coaches as " ...experts in the change process and serve as skilled partners to help you make shifts in beliefs and behaviours to improve your overall well-being, or simply offer support when you’re struggling.  With them, you can clarify values, set goals and priorities, talk through challenges, and create your own vision for well-being." 

WHO NEEDS A HEALTH COACH?

There are many situations in which you can benefit from a health coach. Some examples might be:

1. You are struggling with your weight management.

2. You want to lose weight and improve your fitness but you’re not sure where to begin.

3. You suffer a medical condition and  want to manage and optimise lifestyle factors that may influence your  illness.

4. Your busy work life is a challenge for you to follow the path you know you should.

5. You want an individualised approach to exercise and diet .

6. You know how to achieve your ideal well-being goals but just haven't been successful alone.

7. You have specific goals regarding your well being and want someone to keep you accountable to those goals.

8. You need someone who is sympathetic to your well-being needs and will be there for you through the process.

WHAT HEALTH COACHING DO I OFFER?

The Primal Regeneration Program offers you individual coaching to achieve your health goals over a 12 week period.

I specialise in getting men back into the outdoor pursuits they love such as skiing, surfing, and hiking and keeping them there as they get older.

My clients are both men and women, usually over 40 who are trying to make changes after illness , injury or burnout. Circumstances which make you feel like you are unable to do the things you used to do, or set you on a journey looking for other ways to recreate, eat and live which will leave you energized.

I have a background as a physician, and also experienced a health journey that put me in a similar position. I had numerous pro-inflammatory issues, including my exercise regime, and I had to search for a solution to switch from fit to fit AND healthy.

I have for many years coached skiers and ski instructors and personally enjoy backcountry skiing, surfing and speed hiking mountain trails.

The overall philosophy of Primal Regeneration is one of  appropriate moderate exercise, specific training for your outdoor pursuits, eating a nutrient -rich diet without the added toxins with adequate rest,  and recovery. I encourage you to get outside in nature as much as possible. Exercise intensity, diet and managing stress are key factors in living a rewarding life.

There is no diagnosis or medical treatment provided: this is up to your physicians and medical team.

Ultimately , the program is aligned to your needs, abilities and dietary requirements. You are coached and supported to achieve YOUR goals.

If you are over 40 and struggling with your own health and wellness issues despite knowing the facts, you may be in need of some health coaching. Health coaching on an individual level explores your goals, the true obstacles to change and gets you unstuck.

Some gentle outdoor exercise is a great way to start.

Obesapathy

Each and every one of us has unknowingly played a part in the obesity problem.

Indra Nooyi

I recently saw a large advertisement for an Australian clothing company that caters to those wishing to buy low price items. The male model sported a protruding abdomen of fecund proportions. I understand the issues with fashion models and body morphology but this is taking things to the opposite extreme and normalising another illness behaviour.

It astounds me seeing the growth of the average person in Australia, New Zealand and the United States over the last 20 years. And most recently I have witnessed such a change in body morphology in regional Sumatra.

Unfortunately, new normals develop and what visually was an overweight person 10-20 years ago, now seems average. Societally we are being conditioned to accept overweight and obesity as the new normal body appearance: hence the “obesapathy” moniker.

Here are some staggering statistics from the World Health Organization:

• Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975.

• In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 650 million were obese.

• 39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2016, and 13% were obese.

• Most of the world's population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.

• 38 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2019.

• Over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were overweight or obese in 2016.

• Obesity is preventable.

We are obese and getting bigger!

In Australia, from 1989 to 2012, the average body weight of adults increased by 5.4kg for women and 7kg for men. The average waist circumference increased by 10.7cm for women and 7.3cm for men. The finding suggests that our muscle mass is decreasing while our waists are increasing due to increasing sedentary behaviour. And cardiovascular risks remain increased with elevated waist circumference independant of BMI.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data states that 70% of adults living in outer regional and remote areas and 71% in Inner regional areas were overweight or obese, compared with 65% in major cities (after adjusting for age).

Australians aged 18 and over in the lowest socioeconomic areas were more likely to be overweight or obese than those in the highest socioeconomic areas in 2017–18: 72% compared with 62% (after adjusting for age). 

Although in these populations, the problem is worse in lower socioeconomic groups and is also being seen in developing nations it really reflects increasing affluence and sedentary lifestyles.

Diets increasingly contain  energy dense foods high in sugars and fats and there has been  a shift to more sedentary  forms of work, changing modes of transportation, and increasing urbanization.

Australia and New Zealand are seeing even more staggering increases in child and adolescent obesity.

Why does the obesity issue matter?

Increasing body mass and waist circumference are independently linked to heart disease, diabetes,  arthritis and some cancers.

As health coaches , we are focussed on helping the individual overcome barriers to change and discover pathways to their ideal health and wellness. We should also be at the forefront of creative cognitive change among government, food industry and media stakeholders to promote a change in societal understandings and attitudes toward obesity , high energy diets and physical activity.

Lifestyle change ends with the individual, yet requires societal support and understanding. We can only achieve this by advocating evidence based approaches to lifestyle to effect change. A recent Australian study found that myocardial infarction rates were higher in ares with a higher density of fast food restaurants and this was after multivariate adjustment for other cardiovascular risk factors. This is a problem that burdens our health care system and is easily preventable.

Some ideas include:

Social Health and Welfare focus on health coaching to achieve meaningful change rather than government funded "one size fits all " activity programs

Government  and health insurance subsidies for activity trackers: let technology be a cure as well as cause.

Taxes on sugar laden products.

Limits on advertising unhealthy foods , particularly aimed at children and adolescents.

These changes may be too socialised for some but we have such a passive society that change needs to come from some active leadership. So be the client’s and your communities’ advocate and spread the word about what we are doing to ourselves. Get involved and be the solution. It’d be great to hear what you think.

If you are a man over 40 and struggling with your own weight issues despite knowing the facts, you may be in need of some health coaching. Gentle outdoor exercise is a great way to start

IS NATURE MEDICINE? Do you really need to get out more?

“The art of healing comes from nature, not from the from the physician” 16th Century Century physician, Paracelsus 

Getting out into the natural environment is an essential part of human well-being.  I always feel more invigorated outdoors, whether it be in the forest, the mountains or ocean. Preferring to take my exercise in that space rather than a gym or urban pathway.

Should we all be trying to get some nature time each week?

I recently read an article in the Guardian citing a paper in Environmental Research. The authors used modelling and meta analyses to estimate that excess global deaths in 2012 attributable to fine particulate matter from fossil fuel combustion was a staggering 10.2 million(1). 65 % of these were in China.

I had read a more conservative estimate in a Lancet 2019 article reporting an annual 4.2 million deaths due to air pollution.

Either way, these numbers are astounding.

I found myself  reflecting on how our environment affects us on a local level, even if we are not living in the obviously polluted atmosphere of a large Chinese or Indian city. 

I wondered about the evidence supporting that feeling that getting back to nature was healthy. 

How good is exercising in nature compared to walking or running along a busy roadway?

The Japanese have a term Shinrin-Yoku, or forest bathing. This practice of mindful forest visitation has been adopted as a way of reducing the stress of urban life since the 1980's and since then numerous studies have examined its effects. An  extensive 2017 review of the current literature supports what we intuitively know about forests and green spaces: they are good for us (2).

Independent of the effect of exercise, cardiovascular markers of stress improve including resting heart rate, blood pressure and heart rate variability. A small randomised control trial even showed improved cardiac function in patients who had coronary artery disease when they were exposed to a week of 30min daily nature sessions.

Another systematic review and meta analysis of green spaces within urban environments  has demonstrated in these regions a reduced incidence of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, low frequency heart rate variability, salivary cortisol, all cause mortality ,stroke , coronary artery insufficiency, dyslipidaemia and asthma.

Blood glucose levels were reduced in type 2 diabetes patients after multiple Shinrin-Yoku visits.

Psychologically, forest bathing and access to green spaces reduce stress, anxiety and depression scores in urban dwellers.

A single visit to the "forest environment enhanced human natural killer (NK) cell activity, the number of NK cells, and intracellular anti-cancer proteins in lymphocytes, and that the increased NK activity lasted for more than 7 days " (3). It is proposed that these effects may in part be related to volatile plant chemicals known as phytoncides.

Since the first homonids appeared between 5 and 2 million years ago, we have existed in urban environments for less than 0.01% of our time on the planet. We are a species with persistent attachment to and are part of the natural world. It is proposed that we have an innate connection to the natural world and that it is important to our development and well being.

So it seems that the science is slowly catching up with our intuition.

Time in the forest and nature both makes us feel good and is good for us.

My take from the literature is that we should endeavour to get outside to a truly natural environment at least once a week.

If you can, do a short walk in a green space daily. A park in a city is better than the concrete jungle. The intensity of your effort in the natural space may not be as important as you being mindful of being there.

Be open to all the senses: the sounds of the forest, the smell of the leaf litter, the vista of the hills in the distance, the feel of the texture of  bark and stream, the taste of wild berries . Blue space is also independently good for you: open skies, blue oceans .

If you can, make your weekly long slow exercise in the outdoors.  A long hike, bike or paddle. Earn your turns skiing. Learn to surf. And know that nature is medicine.

Yes, you really do need to get out more.

Are you interested in reclaiming the outdoors?

Join the Primal Regeneration Outdoor Community.

1. Karn Vohra, Alina Vodonos, Joel Schwartz, Eloise A. Marais, Melissa P. Sulprizio, Loretta J. Mickley, Global mortality from outdoor fine particle pollution generated by fossil fuel combustion: Results from GEOS-Chem, Environmental Research,2021.

2. Review :Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review . Margaret M. Hansen *, Reo Jones and Kirsten Tocchini . Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 851; doi:10.3390/ijerph14080851

      3. Effect of phytoncide from trees on human natural killer cell    function. Q Li et al. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol Oct-Dec 2009;22(4):951-9.

Fitness is not always a measure of Wellness

“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health”

Hippocrates circa 400BCE

We have heard the terms food is medicine, and exercise is medicine.

We know that the RIGHT kind of food in the RIGHT amount is a critical aspect of wellness- although there is a range of acceptance of what the right food really is. However , we have been a bit slower to acknowledge Hippocrates' statement regarding exercise.

Exercise for sports performance and peak cardiorespiratory fitness is not necessarily equated with health. As Phil Maffetone and Paul Laursen state in their 2016 article: "fitness describes the ability to perform a given exercise task, and health explains a person’s state of well-being, where physiological systems work in harmony" (1).

Numerous studies have shown that there is actually a j curve of exercise intensity and duration when related to health. In particular to cardiovascular health: specifically atrial fibrillation and coronary artery disease (2).

Worldwide there is an epidemic of poor health related to insufficient incidental exercise ;the curse of modern sedentary societies. However , for many years more was also thought to equate with better. If you could run a marathon then you were  deemed  really healthy. So many people go all out at every training session, they train for taxing marathons with huge mileage. They perform regular high intensity workouts for durations well in excess of the described benefit.  But is fit really healthy?

We now know that high training volumes of intense exercise are precursors to atrial fibrillation and increased risk of coronary artery disease when compared to moderate exercise. The risk is less than doing NO exercise but a risk nonetheless.  In addition such training programs have the potential for physical overuse injury and mental fatigue in the form of overtraining syndrome.

The advice of 150min of moderate exercise per week "or 75 min intense exercise per week "is not necessarily a formula for health. We need to rethink the intense exercise.

Again we need to go  back 2000 years and learn from  Hippocrates:

"everything in excess is opposed to nature"

These excesses in exercise result in what has been simplified as a "chronic inflammatory state". It is more complex than this, and the science is still not fully clear.  For example, in the case of atrial fibrillation in athletes, there is alteration in the autonomic nervous system, triggered by prolonged high sympathetic activity (3). Then during times of vagal stimulation: recovery from exercise, large meals, sleep, oesophageal reflux- there is a potential to trigger the abnormal rhythm. The biochemistry of the conduction cells in the heart changes, there are often structural changes to the the heart chambers and muscles and fibrosis at a microscopic level.  Intense exercise is not the only  precursor to atrial fibrillation, and like many things it is likely multifactorial. However, a combination of high intensity lifestyle with inadequate rest/sleep/recovery is a key underlying feature.

This information is not only important for athletes but also when it comes to exercise prescription for those with medical problems such as metabolic syndrome or diabetes. It's important to stress the more is not better message and the understanding that walking ( or equivalent low intensity movement) is an excellent form of exercise for the human body.

After all, our body is designed for long periods of moving at slow pace interspersed with infrequent bursts of running  and occasional  efforts of strength.

So when approaching your exercise regime ask yourself a few questions. What really are your goals? Is it for peak performance in a competitive sport? Is it to lose weight? Is it to have a more satisfying body image? Is it for overall health?

If  the goal is anything but peak sports performance, then the ideal approach to exercising is a moderate one. Busy type A professionals have a tendency to exercise consistently in the red zone.  Every workout squeezed in amid busy life demands. Every workout a competition to go harder, faster.  All supported by a massive health industry marketing machine.

However, with the appropriate diet, appropriate heart rate guided exercise intensity, strength training, and attention to a number of other lifestyle factors  you can find yourself getting healthier.

If you need help achieving these goals and overcoming barriers to change, having a health coach work with you is a real advantage.

RECLAIM THE OUTDOORS

1. Maffetone and Laursen Sports Medicine - Open (2016) 2:24 DOI 10.1186/s40798-016-0048-x

2. Mayo Clin Proc. n September 2014;89(9):1171-1175 n http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2014.07.007 www.mayoclinicproceedings.org

3. Matthias Wilhelm, MD et al Remodeling, Autonomic Tone, and Lifetime Training Hours in Nonelite Athletes

Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation in Middle Aged Athletes

Atrial Fibrillation is an irregular heart beat that can have significant health effects. Not all atrial fibrillation is alike, and it is the end point of multiple factors that have inflamed the heart muscle and caused it to react as it does.

Just like a fever can be caused by multiple things it is the symptomatic expression of other issues. That is what makes it so hard to treat; there is no “one fits all” strategy. Also, much of the treatment has been devoted to older adults with lots of other co-morbidities.

Unfortunately there is an epidemic of young and middle aged , apparently fit people with this problem. So much so that some Italian researchers have come up with a new term for this subgroup: PAFIYAMA syndrome. Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation in Young and Middle Aged Athletes.

We are seeing this large group of patients emerge as baby boomers and generation-x  reach middle age and beyond. The baby boomers are where the weekend warrior "chronic cardio" began and gen-x took it to an exponential degree. Triathlon, Ironman triathlon, marathons, ultra-marathons, mountain running, adventure racing, Crossfit  for strength, “high intensity interval training” for 1 hour a day.

A group of sedentary workers training regularly above their aerobic threshold and punishing themselves in races on the weekends. They were ultra fit. But the sad news is they aren’t all healthy.

And the inflammation caused by what Mark Sissons terms "chronic cardio" is now expressing itself as an arrhythmia which limits exercise tolerance when it presents, can cause breathlessness, chest pain and collapse. At its worst carries with it an increased risk of stroke; the risk albeit increased by other health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and prior vascular problems such as a heart attack. 

What exactly  is Atrial Fibrillation?

The atria are the smaller 2 chambers of the heart which act as superchargers to load the more forcefully contracting ventricles. Normally,  heart electrical rhythm starts from the sinus node and travels through a “gate” the a-v node to the ventricles.  These pacemaker cells set the relatively consistent rhythm of atrial and ventricular contraction.

In atrial fibrillation, there is disorganised electrical firing arising in the inflamed or damaged atria creating uncoordinated, fibrillating upper chamber contractions. This is filtered in the gate to become an irregular contraction of the ventricles, often fast.

What happens then is that the effective output of blood from the heart each contraction is limited when compared to normal “sinus” rhythm. Also , in the fibrillating atria, blood can pool and clot. These clotted areas can lead to stroke risk. 

Why is Atrial Fibrillation such a Problem?

If someone is in fast atrial fibrillation, they may experience light headedness, breathlessness, weakness or chest pain related to the less than effective pump action of the heart. 

For exercising adults , even if the rate of atrial fibrillation is controlled, it can certainly limit exercise tolerance. 

For those with Paroxysmal Atria fibrillation there is always a risk of triggering the arrhythmia at high exercising heat rates. For some the abnormal rhythm may occur as their heart rate drops post-exercise, after a meal, or during sleep.  

As mentioned earlier, having atrial fibrillation increases a person’s risk of having a stroke- the relative risk goes up with other factors such as age, diabetes,  and  hypertension. 

In future posts we will look at the conventional management options for atrial fibrillation and how a primal lifestyle approach can be beneficial in managing this condition.

If you are having troubles getting back to health and fitness with PAF, you can get assistance with my 12 week Primal Regeneration Health Coaching Program. Book a free discovery call to see if it’s right for you.

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