MOVE: Jan 2012

SMARTEN UP & GAIN "MOVEMENTUM"!

Each year as the ball drops people tend to take a breath and the new year brings a sigh of relief that we've made it to one year's end, and another's beginning. We often feel a sense of encouragement for new beginnings, maybe a reinvigorated self, and excitement at the potential of things to come. Many of us tend to set big time goals (often called resolutions), but somewhere between writing our plan for achievement and executing it - life get's crazy (as it often does), responsibilities pile up, and statistically the great majority of us fail at what we've set out to do...resorting back to the daily grind...the same daily grind that was with us in the year prior.

Maybe it's time to gain some "MOVEmentum" in the new year? What exactly is "MOVEmentum"? Well, besides Pro-Activity's new brand of health & fitness services, it's simply the strength or force gained by consistent positive action, most commonly in the form of motion (i.e. moving), or positive life-events (i.e. successes). But what does this have to do with you and your goal? Actually....a lot!

What we know (through years of experience and loads of supportive industry research) is that when an individual takes consistent positive action for their health, even small at first, the person begins to build a platform of success (each small action builds on the next), and before we know it, we find ourselves succeeding (continuous and cyclical) rather than successful (at moment in time). Soon enough, resolutions are resolved, goals are achieved, and we're that much closer to the individual we really want to be!

BUT - it always starts with "SMART" goals and a game plan. So as we are close to wrapping up the first month of 2012, if you haven't already, we urge to follow these guidelines when setting your 2012 health & fitness goals, and mapping out your plan.

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1. S - goals must be specific. Most people set goals of "being healthier" in the New Year. But what does this really mean? My definition of "healthy" and your definition of "healthy" may be entirely different. I might think my heath is determined by my nutrition and focus the bulk of my attention there, whereas another may find stress management is their desired area of focus.

2. M - goals should be measurable. There's an old saying, "what gets measured gets done".  We find that when folks do a good job to quantify their goals, it's much easier to determine if the game plan is effective in achieving them. We often find ourselves in conversations with clients stating they "want to lose weight". While that's a good start for many...what does that really mean? Does it mean 1 pound, 10, or 50...or do you really just want some inches off the mid-section? Clearly your game plan will be different depending on your form of measurement.

Take your checking account for example, many people "measure" it's health regularly and change their habits based on how healthy the measurement is (i.e. if your bottom line is poor, you find ways to change your spending).

3. A - goals should be achievable. This is the "take a hard look in the mirror" moment. Goals should make you stretch so you truly improve...but they shouldn't be out of the realm of possibility, leading to failure and discouragement for next time. Remember, "MOVEmentum" is about one success building on another.

4. R - goals should be realistic. Being realistic with our goals makes us look at what sort of resources we have to work with. Make sure whatever you so choose is realistically doable given your available resources....or make sure you have the means to get more resources.

5. T - goals (and people in many cases) need deadlines, they must be time-bound. Without a deadline, it's often easy to "push until tomorrow". We often encourage clients with health & fitness goals to train for a specific event (like a 5k, or triathlon) because it provides us with the necessary date to work back from. Steven Covey, author of "7 Habits of Highly Effective has long been recommending that we all "begin with the end in mind" - meaning start with your desired outcome, and work back from there determining the small day to day actions that when applied consistently gain "MOVEmentum" and ultimately, success.

Here's to you and your health & fitness achievements in 2012!

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FUEL: Jan 2012

FUEL:  Tearing down a BIG barrier in 2012

Long before we decided it was time to venture out on our own in 1998 (Pro-Activity’s first year), we knew that fuel and nutrition was a critical element to our success.  Whether it was that extra bit of energy to finish the game strong or the resilience to get through any number of life’s challenges, it just made sense that you can’t put garbage “in” the tank and expect extraordinary performance to be the resulting “out”; but, after years of baby steps into the area of “FUEL” service (nutrition, food, hydration, etc) and right before we launched the Fuel Good Cafe’ we were cautioned by people that, “healthier fare won’t catch on” and “nobody actually likes healthier food, they just feel like they should”.  

From a business perspective, that’s not exactly something you hope to hear......but for us it was bigger than that.  Sure, we’re a business and therefore only continue to exist if we make enough to pay the bills (and hope to have a little extra leftover), but since our mission is way more to us than financial success; we did what we always do.....we embraced our inner geek, did a bunch of research and then checked it against our principals.  We were reassured with what we found there......hands down, healthier fuel was a critical and undeniable element along life’s journey and so we decided to take the road-less-traveled.....and stick with our mission, to change lives through healthy fuel. 

This gave us the confidence to do what we believed was right, to take another step along our own journey and to bring you an environment devoted to feeling good by fueling good and a menu based on evidence (see sidebar 8 “keys to fuel by”).  

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However, despite the fact that even the fast food chains have begun to realize that consumers are demanding healthier options, several barriers still exist to a life that is properly fueled.  So in 2012, we decided to push it even further and put our money where our mouth is.....literally.  To those who say eating healthier is “just too expensive”, we say: “barrier removed”....so come on in.  Starting January 9th and ending at some point (TBD), we’ve decided to LOWER, that’s right you read it, LOWER our prices, by more than 30% on average.....we’re not sure how long we can afford to do it, but we know that cost can be a barrier, one that we’re willing to help take down.  

We believe that when you’re on to a winner, bet big.....and so we are.  We’re betting that if we can create an environment, menu and pricing that entices you to become a regular, you’ll be so impressed with the way you feel & look, not to mention the changes in your health (if you stick with it) that you’ll pass it on to your friends and family.

Healthy Fuel at a great price? Done.  Bring on the next barrier!

- Lindsay E.

RECOVER: Jan 2012

THE Q: WHEN SHOULD I STRETCH?

Welcome to the RECOVER section of the newsletter. This section will be dedicated to methods and strategies that maximize the natural repair process of the mind and body. This month we will be covering the very common question of the the new exerciser and the aging exerciser, "Should I stretch before or after I work out?".

Stretching, in the traditional sense, is a beneficial part of an athlete's cool down phase of the workout. People who take the extra time to stretch after working out realize its benefit and learn to enjoy the feeling of a deep stretch. Holding the position for 15-20 seconds (the recommended duration) is no longer regarded as a mild form of torture. When completed after a workout, when the muscles are warm and pliable, stretching is a very effective mode of recovery for the tissues worked and promotes faster repair. Stretching before a workout, or to rid the seemingly inevitable morning stiffness is another consideration. Unfortunately, "cold" tissues are less pliable and therefore more susceptible to discomfort and injury; so although aggressive stretching prior to a "warming-up" is not usually recommended, stretching itself when done correctly can be an effective warm-up all by itself.

Is there a way around the risk of injury from stretching a "cold tissue"? Yes. Incorporate a dynamic (i.e. moving) element. Dynamic techniques are an effective warm-up for anyone, from novice to elite athlete. Dynamic techniques are especially good at:


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• pushing blood into your muscles, increasing their temperature and literally "warming" them up.
• reducing joint stiffness by opening up the joints
• increasing the elasticity of the muscles, better preparing them for whatever you may be about to ask them to do.

Whether you spend 5 minutes or 20 minutes, your body will recover better if it's properly prepared.

Got a good question that's been kicking around? Send it to us, we'll put it to our team of professionals for an answer that keeps you moving!

ENDURE: Jan 2012

ENDURE: An Evolution in Coaching

In 2010 we threw out a simple challenge...we told our corporate clients that we would take a handful of people who were really ready AND motivated to make a health transformation; that we would be willing to coach them through the process by assigning them a coach, and put the knowledge of our team behind them to give them whatever they needed to achieve their goals. We stressed that this was NOT for everyone....and that only those who were truly ready and motivated would be likely to succeed. Thus, the "Phoenix" initiative (as in "out of the ashes") was born. A little to our surprise, we had several inquiries that turned into some very serious candidates.

After several months and a lot of hard work on his part, our 2010 Phoenix, who lost +/- 100 lbs. and in the process changed his health drastically was Patrick McNamara from Orange and Rockland Utilities in NY; an amazing transformation!

Based on the success that Patrick and several of his other "competitors" had, we decided to expand the initiative in 2011; to no only include those looking to make a health change, but also for those looking to achieve some personal goals. Not nearly as surprising, the 2011 candidate list was long, but using a very specific methodology we were able to whittle it down to a group of fourteen individuals that were chomping at the bit. We had a little bit of everything, from people trying to lose weight, all the way through a budding triathlete....and although the program was (again) not for everyone, and we did have a few dropouts, the group who made it to the end DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

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At our corporate clients, we are happy to report that after nearly 215 coaching sessions, nearly 3,000 miles traveled and an average weight loss of more than 20 pounds (for the 9 candidates with that goal), we had some impressive results emerge including completion of multiple endurance events from 5k road races and sprint triathlon, all the way up to marathon (including multiple personal records SHATTERED along the way).....and in our private clients, who we opened the challenge up to on an invite-only pilot basis (3 participants), we saw similar impressive results:

• 5 half marathons
• Over 1,100 miles logged
• Average 10 pound weight loss

Although we can't tell you the whole story of 2011, or unveil the "2011 Phoenix Champion" we are excited to tell you this! Due to the success of this intense coaching model, we will continue to bring back (and expand) the Phoenix in 2012, making more slots available to both corporate and private clients alike. We continue to grow our coaching ranks, adding both depth and diversity. We're not yet sure who the 2012 slate of candidates will be, but we're confident that if you're ready AND motivated to make a health transformation or achieve a personal goal that's alluded you thus far, you might be just the person we're looking for. If you or your company is an existing client (and if you are reading this, you likely are) and you're not sure how to sign-up for consideration as a Phoenix 2012 candidate....or you're not yet a client and think this might be a good fit for you...email us, and we'll take the next appropriate steps!

CONNECT: Jan 2012

Doing “Good” is part of Doing “Well”

Remember the last time you went out of your way for another, not because you had to, but because you wanted to? Remember how you great you felt? Why did you do this? Was it really just because you wanted to pay it forward….because you wanted to live the “Golden Rule” and treat others how you wanted to be treated? Maybe….but maybe there’s actually a deeper drive, a subconscious part of each of us that knows “Doing Good” is in fact very much linked to “Doing Well” for ourselves, and one key to personal health and longevity.

Carolyn Schwartz, a research professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, found that when multiple sceloris sufferers offered peer support calls to others with the disease those receiving support did in fact gain some mild benefit, but the real beneficiaries were those providing the support – often with dramatic improvements in their quality of life. Similar to Schwartz, ABC news reported in 2007 that researchers from Duke University found that former cardiac patients who would come in and visit current patients often had better heart health after their heart attack, while Dr. Gail Ironson and a group from the University of Miami followed HIV patients who volunteered, and found that HIV patients who helped others, experienced lower stress levels and higher immune resistance.

But why?

Research published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science suggests there may actually be a biochemical explanation for the positive personal health and wellness responses associated with doing good for others, including activation of a brain area responsible for producing chemicals, like oxytocin, that make us feel good and promote human bonding.

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Have you connected socially and done good for others recently? We have, and if you missed it, we hope you’ll join us next time – or find a way to connect on your own. After all, it’s not just about “doing good” it’s for your health and a way to “do well”!

Check out the video below from Pro-Activity’s first annual Stakeholder’s Holiday Extravaganza! We decided we’d make a fun game out of doing good by seeing which team could make the most perfect sandwiches for a NJ-based food pantry in need!