I've always been an advocate of my personal health through constant exercise, eating right and finding that balance in my life between work and pleasure. However, I first became a strong advocate of health in the community at large when I began working as an independent personal trainer. In dealing with clients with various mental and health stressors in their life and the impact these factors have taken on their life after years of neglect I began to see the real value in presenting fitness as a lifestyle rather than a means to an end. Longevity is everyone's goal in life (everyone wants to live to see their children and grandchildren grow old), but the real key to achieving this is self-reflection and looking at yourself from the outside in. You don't have to be an athlete or make the right health choices every single time to take care of yourself. It's all about making a commitment to a lifestyle change so your health and fitness become a priority and it doesn't get buried beneath all the distractions and pressures you face from outside influences and competing interests.
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Thanks for sharing Pat. You are absolutely right- exercise is therapeutic to any recovery. Your body responds so much better to stress when you stay active because immediately your adrenaline soars and it helps with the chemical balances in your brain which effect your mood. When your spirits are high your body is uplifted as well. It's as much mental as it is physical. You are definitely on the right track and I wish you well in your treatments and in a speedy recovery. I'm sure you are in good hands. =)
Noelle
August 11, 2010 - 6:30pmlink deleted by EmpowHER Moderator
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Noelle - I'm a cancer patient in treatment for leukemia since being diagnosed a year ago. One of the things I asked my oncologist to prescribe was a physical therapy program to help me regain my strength and return to an active lifestyle. This was before the recent study came out showing that exercise is good for cancer patients before, during and after treatment.
August 11, 2010 - 5:20pmGuess I just knew in my gut (so to speak) that it would be important for my return to good health, and I am pleased with the slow but steady progress that we are making. My physical therapy team is incredible.
Thanks for asking.
Pat
EmpowHER Cancer Guide
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Noelle - Thanks for your comments, and welcome to EmpowHER. In the years that you've spent working with people who want to improve their health have you found any common misperceptions that people share? What helps people get over hurdles and move forward into a healthy lifestyle? Look forward to hearing from you.
August 10, 2010 - 5:00pmPat
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Hey Pat thanks for your comment. To answer your question many people who come to me have the misperception that if you don't workout every day there's no point to exercise. Also I meet people who think that they are too old to exercise when in fact your lifestyle has the most influence over the type of exercise you can do. If you live an active lifestyle you can do most of the same exercises at 55 as you can at 25. Overcoming health barriers is a process. Most importantly is building a personal relationship with each client and creating a desire in their life to keep healthy rather than guilt. Also avoiding too much redundancy in the workout program keeps my clients from getting bored and keeps them on track. Do you live an active lifestyle?
Noelle Mckenzie
August 11, 2010 - 1:21pmlink deleted by EmpowHER Moderator
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