Team Susan! Meet Suzi from Natures Fare :)

“I nearly fell off my chair laughing reading about Susan’s “brass-band” gym experience caused by her new high-fibre diet. For all of us who have added more fruits, vegetables (especially those cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and onions), beans, and other legumes to our weight-loss diets, an experience similar to Susan’s is almost a certainty while our bodies are adjusting to the increased fibre. Fibre, the indigestible component of plant foods, is particularly important for those wanting to lose weight as foods that are high in fibre take longer to eat and make us feel fuller, thereby decreasing the actual volume of food we need to eat at each meal. They can be more difficult to digest, however, which can lead to bloating and gas while our systems adjust. Don’t worry – your system will learn to love the fibre you’re giving it, and any symptoms that have the potential for embarrassment in social situations can be helped by taking digestive enzymes. A diet rich in fibre has also been attributed to a reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, lowered cholesterol levels, and prevention of certain cancers, so it’s really a no-brainer to up your daily fibre intake regardless of whether or not you’re looking to lose weight.

 

Even if I’m not in the same aisle as Susan, I always know when she’s in the store when I hear her laugh. Susan’s got one of those distinct, memorable laughs and I always look forward to it whenever she comes in to discuss health with me at Nature’s Fare. As you may have read in her blog, Susan is currently taking Slimstyles for breakfast every day. Slimstyles is a meal-replacement product that contains a new and unique form of soluble fibre called “PGX”. This completely natural, plant-based fibre was developed at the Canadian Centre for Functional Medicine in Vancouver specifically for the purpose of regulating insulin levels, reducing appetite, and for promoting weight loss. The clinical trials they’ve conducted have been a resounding success, with all trial participants experiencing up to 10kg of weight loss in a three month time period. Susan’s taking the Vanilla Slimstyles but it’s available in a variety of different flavours or even in a capsule form if, like me, you’re just not that into smoothies for breakfast.  I’ve been back on PGX for two weeks and can already feel a difference. No matter if you decide to try this new fibre product or not, and no matter if you’re trying to lose weight or not, make sure that you’re including a wide variety of colourful organic fruits and veggies in your diet every day to make sure you’re getting enough fibre for optimal health.

 

 

 

 

Suzi Oberkirsch

Store Manager/Vitamin Manager

Nature's Fare Markets

4624 Lakeshore Road

Kelowna, BC

V1W 1X4

(250) 764-9010

Want to do a class at Twist with me next week? It's FREE!

Next week at The Next Level Twist Kelowna we are offering all of our classes for FREE. Please come down and check out what we do and how our unique approach to training can benefit you! Spin, youth conditioning, adult functional fitness, golf performance training and outdoor conditioning classes will all be offered. All you need to do is call us up at 778-753-5545 and sign up or stop by and check out our facility. Our schedule is on www.twistkelowna.com as well so we hope to see you out there and you can try for yourself what Susan has been experiencing for the past few months. I am sure if you ask her she will be more than willing to share her experiences with you. The summer is almost here so let us help you get ready for it.



The Next Level Twist Conditioning Centre offers a wide variety of training service options to meet your needs. Whether you enjoy training on your own, with a large or small group, friend or teammate, staff members or maybe you`re not sure what you prefer, we have the program for you. For more information on each service please check out our website at www.twistkelowna.com or please give us a call at 778-753-5545.



Experience the Twist difference and let us help you reach your sport and lifestyle goals!

Kaalun Chatham, TSCC-BRONZE | Sport Conditioning Coach

| The Next Level Athlete Development and Twist Sport Conditioning Centre

| tel: 778-753-5595 |Kaalun@twistkelowna.com |www.twistkelowna.com|www.thenextlevelathlete.ca

This will put you in the right frame of mind to start a new week!

It will take 16:23 of your time but what a wonderful way to start your week!! I had tears running down my face as it finished.. I'm not sure if it was because of the message or because someone said it reminded them of me! What a compliment!





Rox the owner of Roxi's Salon sent me this.. She is a member of Team Susan for more reason's than just making sure I have amazing hair!

Keep the ball rolling..

It's one thing to get motivated, it's another to STAY motivated! I came across a link for @picsiechick on twitter to a "coach" blog CLICK HERE On that blog was a list of 10 ways to stay motivated.. all of which rang pretty true!

• Condition your mind. Train yourself to think positive thoughts.
• Condition your body. It takes physical energy to take action.
• Avoid negative people. Don’t take anything that they say seriously.
• Always remain flexible. No plan should be cast in concrete.
• Act with a higher purpose. If it doesn’t serve your goal, it’s wasted effort.
• Take responsibility for your own results. Don’t credit luck, good or bad.
• Stretch past your limits on a daily basis. That’s how you grow and evolve.
• Don’t wait for perfection; do it now! Perfection’s the enemy of good enough.
• Be careful of what you eat. It takes physical energy to succeed.
• Hang around motivated people. The positive energy will rub off on you.

I'm going to add one more to the list, it's always more fun to go to 11! Sorry sometimes you just can't help but to go for the Spinal Tap reference! My additional might seem a touch odd...

• Organize one thing every day. Your pen cup at work, your utensil drawer in the kitchen your bedroom closet or sock drawer. Thus everyday you accomplish something, and over time those accomplishments add up, and it feels pretty darn good.
  

Really it's like burping a baby...

I debated if I was going to share this little story with you, but in light of my determination to have open and comfortable communication with you about day to day life, things that we can all relate to even if we don't always discuss it with civilized friends, I must. Chances are good if you haven't had this experience yet, it's coming. You will either do it yourself, or have to deal with someone who has..

Good luck with that.

Yesterday was a lovely day! I was running a titch behind so instead of my usual "SlimStyles" shake for breakfast I had the breakfast wrap at Starbucks (230 calories and yummy!) and a coffee. (Slightly burnt taste or not still better than the station dredge.) We had fun with the show, got my production work done and headed home to make sure I ate something before heading to "Twist" for my work out with Kaalun!

So instead of my "shake" for breakfast I had it for lunch! Seemed like a pretty good plan, the shake has a good mix of everything I need along with the PGX which really does help me feel full and seems to be doing a great job leveling off my blood sugar levels!

This is Kaalun!

I stole the picture from Kaalun's facebook because the smile reminds me of when he is pretending to sympathise with my pain in the gym just before he makes it a whole lot harder! Yesterday was a "core" work out day.

This is what I am thinking of between sweating and wondering how you can breath and keep your "abs" or "ab" in my case tight at the same time...



OK.. Let's leave that fantasy land and explain what happened..

So we are working on a Bosu ball doing something that is supposed to look like this:

Let's just say. I try. Yesterday I was trying hard.. Kaalin is counting and being encouraging and I am doing the best I can.. my tummy is gurgling a bit and I feel slight "discomfort" but don't really think anything of it and keep on going!

Kaalun is called away for a brief moment, and I keep on going.. That funny feeling seems to be returning.. OH NO. Light bulb time! My SlimStyles does have a nice warning, about the fiber, which can make you need to use the bathroom a bit more and make you a touch gaseous.

A TOUCH!

Between the ab work and the SlimStyles I can sense an eruption of unlady like proportions on the way! I look around the gym. Empty! Thank goodness.. no sign of Kaalun. Good! I just might have a little "toot."

Nope.

No little "toot" here, you might as well break out the entire brass section! I did my husband proud as I let go of a good old school fart! As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure it had enough force to move my shorts a little!

Thank goodness no one is in the gym and it is odorless. Wait.. Just as Kaalun is heading back in I realize that odorless it is NOT! While part of me (the inner 5 year old) wants to laugh and lay claim, the very adult Susan is HORRIFIED.

Operation "Stop Kaalun Now" swings into effect.. I leaped up and headed off to the other side of the gym to meet him as he came in.. weaving just in case the smell was following me (see I have learned something from my husband!) Kaalun is looking confused. Here is how I explain it;

Kaalun: Hey! Are you done those crunches!

Susan: ummmmmmmm.. no..

Kaalun: Well let's get..

Susan: Remember how I told you about the shake I had..

Kaalun: (Looking perplexed) Yes..

Susan: Do you know how to burp a baby?

Kaalun: (looking more perplexed) yes...

Susan; Did you ever stop to think that crunches are like burping a baby..

Kaalun: (Looking even more perplexed)

Susan: But for the other end.

Kaalun: (light bulb moment followed by look of mixed horrification and amusement) OK.. Let's work on this side of the gym and move on from crunches..

*sigh*

So my friends, if you have ever experienced this, have worried about experiencing this, or have wondered if the person next to you in the gym just experienced it.. it does happen. Sometimes we need to listen to the inner five year old and just lay claim. Yup.. that belonged to me and I'm leaving it here for you to enjoy... and leave the room with your head held high.. while people pass out around you.

Maybe one day if your lucky I will tell you what happened to me in a hot yoga class!

Who is on your team?

Goooooo Team!

Everyone deserves a team..
I have said it before and I will say it again,
YOU.. deserve a team!

Team Susan has been around for a long time, it's members change but the core stays the same, sometimes it's specific people, sometimes occupations but I have had a team for a longtime. At first I wasn't aware of it, but shortly after my first husband left me it came to my attention that even with a complete melt down I came out the other side OK. Why I wondered? So many friends took years, some have never really recovered and moved on after a break up like I had. What made the difference. There was a couple of things that did, but the big part of my recovery was TEAM SUSAN! I had a support system in place. I was lucky enough to have wonderful friends and family, but most of those had lived far far away for many years so I was more or less on my own. Unbeknown to me, I had developed a team of people without even thinking about it.. so when disaster struck I barely had to think in order to find the help I needed. Of course the first step is always knowing to ask for help but that isn't what I am addressing here, what I am talking about is the team.

(I also have to mention my amazing sister that came out from Ontario to be by my side and my dear friend Karen you dropped her birthday plans to also get to where I was, and Mandy who was by my side the moment the news hit.)


Who is on your team?

Take some time and make a list. Can you put a name and number beside the following?

Banker
Accountant
Tailor/seamstress
Shoe repair (you never know when you have to fix a broken heel on your favorite shoes!)
Doctor (all types)
Spiritual guide
Mechanic
Handy-person
Taxi service
Cleaning service

Can you locate:
Bus Terminal
Hospital
Library
University / Colleges
SPCA
Drug Store
Hardware Store
Recreation Centre
Laundry mat

I also suggest having a list of immediate family and close friends at hand with mailing addresses and phone numbers. You can also recruit for your team! See someone at work that always has fabulous shoes, glasses, clothes or office supplies? Ask then where they shop! Notice someone always has a sense of calm around them or handles certain situations in a way you admire? Ask them how they do it! Growth is a wonderful thing.. but you usually need some help to do it.. so go out and find it!

On occasion you will hear from members of Team Susan! Kaalun from Twist has all ready been posting, I expect to hear from my chiropractor and RMT, the crew at Natures Faire and Roxi's Salon.. who knows what other voices might pop up! Links to Team Susan can also be found down the right hand side of my blog!

If you are searching for an answer to a question, please feel free to leave a comment and maybe a member of my team will be able to guide you to an answer and in turn become a member of your team!

GOOOOOO TEAM!

My trainer from Twist Kelowna talks balance!

This week we are talking about balance. Balance is an important, yet disregarded part of training that should always be integrated into your training routine. Balancing requires concurrent processing of inputs from multiple senses, including: vision and perception of pressure, and proprioception, while the motor system simultaneously controls muscle actions. The senses must detect changes of body position with respect to the base, regardless of whether the body moves, or the base moves. Now I know that may not have made sense to all but let`s say that balance is a crucial part of everyday life and sport.

When Susan first came to us she definitely impressed me with her balance, but obviously there is always room for improvement and in saying that, she was also surprised of how many ways she could be challenged with her balance. With static ( standing still ) or dynamic ( while moving ) balance, both are involved in a day to day basis, we just take it for granted. Susan is now doing exercises on the BOSU or Balance Board that she did not think were possible when she first started, and if I can recall correctly she said ``I feel like I am in the cirque du soleil ``...among a few other things. I am very impressed with Susan`s attitude when she comes here as she is not scared to try new things and that`s what allows her to continuously improve towards her goals.

The Next Level Twist Conditioning Centre offers a wide variety of training service options to meet your needs. Whether you enjoy training on your own, with a large or small group, friend or teammate, staff members or maybe you`re not sure what you prefer, we have the program for you. For more information on each service please check out our website at www.twistkelowna.com or please give us a call at 778-753-5545.

Experience the Twist difference and let us help you reach your sport and lifestyle goals!

Kaalun Chatham, TSCC-BRONZE | Sport Conditioning Coach

| The Next Level Athlete Development and Twist Sport Conditioning Centre

| tel: 778-753-5595 |Kaalun@twistkelowna.com |www.twistkelowna.com|www.thenextlevelathlete.ca

It's a small world after all..

Skype ROCKS!

I have lived far far away from my family for a long time. I LOVE my family and even over the distance my sister and I have grown closer over the years.

I have used Skype over the years, but technology has gotten to a point where it is now just so easy to use. Today I set my computer up and turned on the skype.. It was left on for over 5 hours, I talked to all the kids, listened to songs and homework being done, I gave my sister a tour of our condo and introduced her kids to our dogs. In one afternoon this close family has become closer. Auntie Susie and Uncle Steve now have present day faces, not the ones that hang on the fridge door, but faces with a home and loved dogs, a new teapot and can make funny faces, faces that blew kisses into the computer as they scampered up the stairs to bed.

I truly have a hard time understanding people that must stay close physically to their families. I don't begrudge anyone that choice, it's just not one I understand, especially in a day and age when technology offers so many ways to shorter than distance between good night kisses.

If you are thinking of taking a big step and leaving shared geography with your family, take a chance, take a deep breath and go... remember two things.

#1. You can always go home if you need to

#2. The world is truly getting smaller.

Just for fun.. here is an old school picture of my sister and I.. I'm behind the wheel.. years later I actually taught her how to drive standard in the mountains of Squamish. I have NEVER laughed so hard...