We often hear how vital is to have personal and professional goals, that being clear about (and sticking to) our priorities can make the difference between coasting through life and living it to the fullest. But when we’re busy with work, family, relationships and all the other responsibilities we have, it can be hard to step back and get a clear picture of what’s important.
Here are a few tips on goal-setting, and how you can clarify your personal and professional priorities.
Core strength refers to the combined strength of the abdominals and the muscles that support the spine. Building core strength is important for running because it improves our posture and causes less strain on our bodies. If we have weak abdominals our back muscles often compensate in order to maintain an upright running stance. This can lead to aches and pains in the lower back and an imbalance in our running stance. With a strong core we are able to keep our torso stable while we run and avoid unnecessary twisting of the upper body as we move through our stride.
Muscle aches and stiffness can be a natural consequence of running, especially when we’re increasing our mileage or adding things like speedwork or hill running to our training regimen. Our muscles become stronger by rebuilding and repairing themselves as they adapt to more challenging activities. But for any change of routine, it is important to be able to differentiate between the body’s natural response to increased training (adaptation) and pain that is caused by injury or overtraining.
When I first started teaching yoga fourteen years ago, and writing about how it can benefit athletes, my running buddies were skeptical. But in the years since then, yoga has become mainstream, specific classes for runners are on the rise, and yoga and running are no longer mutually exclusive activities. Whether it’s through greater breath control, increased leg strength, better posture, relief of post-run tightness or simply a deeper awareness of the way our bodies move, yoga is a great complement to any type of running training.
My family recently returned from a two-week vacation to London and Wales. My husband and I keep remarking on what an incredible holiday it was and, for the first time since having kids, we came back from our vacation feeling rested.
In their speech at my wedding and at my brother’s wedding, my parents talked about how they had “grown up” with us, how they had learned important lessons with — and through — us. I didn’t truly understand those words until I became a mom. When I got married, I thought I was an adult. I thought I was clear on who I was, that I had a good handle on how to deal with most situations, and that my life experiences so far had prepared me for raising kids.
There’s nothing I love more than summer family vacations. They provide the perfect opportunity to relax and recharge, to get outdoors together, and to enjoy quality family time.
Summer. The word conjures up images of sunshine, water, heat, the outdoors. Most of us spend the better part of our year looking forward to summertime and all that goes along with it.
One of my favourite things about summer is my outdoor yoga practice. Feeling the fresh air on my skin, listening to the sounds of nature, and feeling the ground beneath my feet. I practice in my backyard, on a dock, in a park, by a lake, wherever I can. Sometimes my kids will join me, sometimes they’ll just climb all over me, and sometimes I enjoy the peacefulness of a solo practice.
Summer days as a kid. Memories of lying in the grass. Looking up at the bluest of blue skies and cloud-watching. Daydreaming. Letting my mind wander untethered. Thoughts drifting off on one tangent, then another, only to be brought back to earth by my mom calling me in for dinner.
Nothing prepares you for those extreme moments of motherhood. Like being told that your three-year-old and your eight-month old both have H1N1, or that your son is in respiratory distress, or that your daughter has a tick bite from a tick carrying Lyme disease (yes, all true). You can also never predict what kind of accidents your kids will have. And you have no idea until you’re faced with these crazy situations exactly how you will react.
As a parent of two young kids in Toronto, I feel lucky to have access to a wide variety of family fitness initiatives, parent and tot classes, creative kids programs, daycares, diverse schooling options, and summer camps. Our mailbox gets inundated with flyers for amazing new sessions on a daily basis. I try to manage our family schedule with a mix of: programs for the kids, things we can do as a family, and fitness or creative pursuits that are just for my husband and/or me.
We all know our thoughts are powerful. Each of us has a variety of different messages we tell ourselves on a daily basis. But for many of us, these messages are full of self-criticism and negativity. What if we trained our minds to be on constant default to a positive thought? If we looked a criticism in the eye, acknowledged it, and then followed up with a positive mantra?
We need to take care of our hearts. It’s a no-brainer, right? Do the recommended amount of cardio to get the blood pumping, limit the amount of stress we subject ourselves to, and eat a nutritious diet in order to live an energetic and healthy life. But what about taking care of the heart in a different way?
In yoga, we nurture the heart physically, but we also recognize the power of the heart on an emotional and spiritual level.
It’s day three of back-to-school and my daughter is happy to be back in her Grade One classroom after the holiday break. She loves school and is thrilled to be seeing all of her friends. When I pick her up after school she’s all hugs and smiles.
Pre-kids, the month of December was a time to reflect. I’d think about the year just passed and, throughout Christmas, reflect upon the year to come. But I’ve noticed in the last few years, despite making sure to take downtime throughout our busy holiday season, I don’t have the same kind of thinking time. So, this year I’m trying something new. I’m taking the month of January to reflect, not resolve.
Expectations. Have you ever noticed that if you expect something to go a certain way, it’s almost a guarantee that it won’t? Like when your infant is finally sleeping through the night and you stay up that extra couple of hours because you expect her to sleep the eight-hour stretch she’s been sleeping for the last two weeks? Then bam! She wakes up four times that night. Yeah, that.
Letting go of, or managing, expectations can also ease the potential stress of the holiday season.
Christmas music is playing in the stores, bright white and coloured lights snake through the trees in our neighbourhood, and baubles and bells and wreaths hang everywhere I turn. All of these things tell me it’s time to set an intention for the holidays.
My six-year-old daughter, Lizzie, is curious. About everything. What does that say, mummy? Why? How does that work? Why did they do that? How did they do that? This past Sunday, we were walking back to the car after seeing Pinkalicious, the Musical, in Guelph (lots of fun, by the way) when we passed a memorial for veterans. Lizzie paused. The pinkatastic chatter stopped. “Mummy, there are poppies and wreaths. Is this statue for the soldiers?” “Yes,” I replied. “Can you read the words to me?” she asked.
I admit, growing up I was never into Halloween. For two reasons.
First, I grew up in Bermuda and England. One is an English colony, the other is, well, English. If you’re British, you get it. If not, I’ll try to explain. Halloween is not a holiday in England. Or, at least, it wasn’t when I was young. Growing up, we had Guy Fawkes Day. Guy Fawkes Day (November 5th) celebrates the foiled attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London on November 5, 1605. Guy Fawkes was one of the chief conspirators.
