Visualize all the important elements in your life in a pie graph: work, family, exercise, social activities, travel, hobbies, etc. Now ask yourself, “Is my life in balance?”. Then, ask yourself, “Does it matter? Do I care?”.

Much is made of ‘so-called’ work/life balance, but achieving balance is not an easy, or even achievable, task. Consider different times in your life and what that entailed in the way of energy, demands, and resources: chances are your experiences as a younger person varied considerably compared to those as you got older, got a job, and bought a car/house/parrot, what have you. Were you more or less happy, satisfied, tired, content given the phase in your life and the circumstances? That depends on what you wanted and needed at the time.

Bottom line: if you’re looking for balance, clearly define your terms and conditions. Otherwise, let go of your expectations and enjoy the ride!

Happiness is a relative term; everybody has their own idea of what it is and how it’s experienced. Problem is, a lot of people strive for happiness strictly as a goal (think: destination versus journey). They say things like, “I’ll be happy when…”, “If only I didn’t have this…I’d be happy”. Now, we’re not about to crush someone’s dreams of wanting to be happy or have a happy life (whatever that means to them), but it’s worth remembering a few things:

1)      All human feelings are fluid and fleeting. To try and grab hold of “happiness” in one shot and hold on to it indefinitely can make for a very frustrating and unsatisfying life.

2)      If your mood is conditional on external factors like losing weight, the weather, or getting a new car, you’ll never be content because your well-being will always be in the hands of someone or something else.

3)      For the most part, we get to choose how we feel: you can choose to feel stressed, or not; you can choose to feel sad, or not; you can choose to feel elated, or not. With that realization, in most circumstances you can be and feel whatever you want, whenever you want!

So, starting today, become your own source of inspiration and let your deepest needs and desires be your guide to wonderfully fulfilling life.

Do you sweat with friends or do you prefer to go it alone when you exercise? Kudos to you if you’re a solo sweater; it takes dedication to keep that up consistently. If you’d rather go the partner or group route, then congrats to you too; not only are you committed to making regular physical activity a part of your life, but you enjoy other benefits as well.

Probably the biggest bonus you get from training in multiples, is the social support. There’s strength in numbers. Think about it: all of a sudden you’re more accountable (you can’t be a no-show with your friends, especially at 6:30 am), you enjoy some healthy competition (really, who doesn’t want bragging rights for doing something no one else could do?), the session might be more energized (the more the merrier), it’s cost-effective (everyone chips in to pay), and it’s a natural form of cross-training (sharing the focus on everybody’s goals makes for a greater variety of activities and training methods).

So keep up your ideal training scenario and give yourself and others a hearty pat on the back (s)!

What’s your summer sport or activity of choice? Maybe you’re an avid golfer? If so, then you’re aware of specific movements that are integral to your best performance. For instance, golfers know that they need good core strength and range of motion throughout their body, but especially through the torso. Many recreational golfers used to shy away from strength training for fear they’d build too much muscle and get too bulky. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Or maybe your summer schedule includes spending long hours in planes, trains, or automobiles, with or without children. Sitting is a more demanding and potentially dangerous activity than most people realize. It’s imperative to have a plan to ensure your circulation is not compromised, plan to walk around frequently to keep your blood flowing properly.

Or maybe all you want to do is rock your best bikini or Speedo? No problem. Just keep up with your current exercise and nutrition plan, maybe adding a few extra elements to get the specific results you want.

Then get busy and do your best to achieve your goals!

Are you faithful to your cardio training? And if so, does it include both aerobic AND anaerobic activity?

Aerobic exercise is defined by lengthier sessions performed at a steady state of intensity (like walking or running at a low to moderate pace for 30-60 minutes). For a long time most people believed this was the best way to lose weight and strengthen their heart (and some still do).

Anaerobic exercise is characterized by quick bursts of intensity alternated with less intense periods (like walking or running for 15-30 minutes, going all out every couple of minutes for 20-60 seconds, until you’re breathless). Current research shows that H.I.T (high intensity training) is the most effective method for improving cardiovascular function and burning fat. If you do it right, it is incredibly demanding. So, make sure you don’t plan for more than one or two HIT workouts a week.

As always, a little bit of everything goes a long way to keeping you interested, focused, and on the path to success.

Do you have a nightly routine that helps you get to sleep? Maybe it’s soaking in a warm bath? Dimming the lights? Having sex? Counting sheep? All of these activities are part of a simple concept called sleep hygiene. Some people practice it instinctively, while others need some guidance and convincing that it’s worth their time, energy and consideration.

Your mind and body need time to wind down from a day full of demands. Consider it foreplay for sleep; it’s the stuff you do during the day that guarantees you the best results at night. You need to ease your system into an alternate state for optimum rest and rejuvenation. Sleep researchers report that people with regular pre- sleep routines fall into deeper periods of REM sleep (the best kind), feel rejuvenated upon waking, are at a healthier weight, are more alert and productive at work, look and feel younger, and are at less risk for heart disease and stroke. Need we go on?

Adequate sleep is critical for health and longevity. Most North Americans are sleep deprived; you know you are if it takes you less than five minutes to fall asleep AND you need an alarm to wake you up in the morning. Ideally it would take you 10-15 minutes to fall asleep, and in keeping with our natural rhythms, you’d be easily waking with the sun in the morning (no alarm required).

So why not start your sleep plan today? Think about how you want to sleep tonight and take measures to ensure the best sleep: reduce or eliminate your caffeine intake in the afternoon, get some exercise, eat well, take time to rest during the day, and ease your mind of the next day’s demands by making a list before bed to essentially free your mind for the night.

Sweet dreams!

Whether you are an employer or an employee, the office can be a very stressful environment. Unhappy workers can negatively impact workplace morale, hinder productivity, as well as cause workplace absenteeism to rise. After all, stress can have a negative impact on our physical health and emotional well being. To combat these issues, more and more business owners are looking into a way to boost workplace morale, as well as employee health.

Many companies have implemented Health and Wellness Programs to benefit their employees. In many cases, employees receive expense accounts for anything health or fitness related. Furthermore, some businesses host health fairs, sponsor lunch and learns, and support other types of informational sessions to educate employees. Another popular way to encourage employees to stay fit is for employers to run incentive programs like weight loss challenges, marathons, or even offer discounted memberships at local fitness facilities.

Although happy, healthy employees mean a more productive company, there are other reasons why managers should invest in employee health and fitness programs.

Firstly, when company morale is high, productivity soars. People look forward to coming to work and seeing their co-workers. They support one another and help each other when problems arise.

Secondly, health and fitness programs are a great tool for retaining current employees and attracting future workers. People want to work in a happy, supportive environment.

Thirdly, happy, healthy employees don’t take as many sick days. People don’t dread entering a healthy and positive work environment on a daily basis. Since the employees aren’t getting sick as often, this also reduces the employee health care costs, cost of company health plans and instances of disability or extended leave.

When it comes to exercise, variety is the spice you need to put a fire under your butt! Keep your body in a positive, constant state of flux. Don’t let yourself get too comfy, that’s just a waste of precious time, space, and energy. Your progress relies on recruiting different muscles or working the same muscles in different ways. Try alternating the intensity, tempo, levers, load, or body position to make what you’re doing more challenging and force new neurons and muscles to fire. Then stand back and experience the emergence of a stronger, healthier, more flexible and balanced version of yourself!

Here’s an easy way to control stress: Be the boss in your life. Plan and schedule what you absolutely need to do (work, family, exercise, meals, doctor appointments, errands, rest), and then build in sufficient breaks so you have time to breathe. When did being completely run off your feet and out of your mind become a badge of honor and success? We North Americans are crazy! If you’re constantly anxious and rushing around, you’re not exerting a proper amount of control over and in your life. If you’re always tired, take a close look at where you’re placing your valuable time and energy. Know this: nobody is going to give you a break, so make it a non-negotiable gift that you give yourself every day.

Are you a regular exerciser? Then you know that motivation is just one of many factors that determine how, when, and for how long you’ll work out. Motivation refers to a group of phenomena that affects the strength and persistence of our individual behavior.

For some of us, the drive to exercise regularly is rooted in the innate pleasure we get from just doing it; no need to bribe us Other people however, need a strong incentive or goal to perform; they are outcome driven to the point they won’t do anything without the guarantee of a reward. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

So, what do YOU need to get going? Be honest with yourself. Tune into whatever turns you on and channel that fantastic energy toward reaching your health and fitness goals. You might just discover you’ve got more drive than you thought!