Yoga – For The Stress

From the time I was in Junior High I searched for a way to exercise that would be beneficial to my body first and foremost. However I wanted to enjoy myself as well. Truthfully I struggled with weight from about grade 5 until this very day. If I don’t exercise and eat a well balanced diet I will gain weight fast.

My quest for the right type of exercise for my body began with taping a 7am aerobics class on TV and doing the class in my parents’ basement over and over again. I realized it was getting boring and I felt a little trapped being inside. I began to run outside during the warmer months yet still felt as though something was missing. A new gym opened in my area and it was very popular so I figured why not go there. I did a variety of exercises at the gym. I tried every cardio machine and played around with some weights.

I found that I did trim down but by the time I was in University I had reached my plateau. The greatest challenge I kept facing was that I never truly looked forward to going to the gym. I awaited the end of my workout every time and if I didn’t have a friend to go with me I could talk myself out of going. In my mid twenties I decided that I needed to hire a personal trainer. At first having a personal trainer was fun. I had someone catering to my specific needs and I always had someone to workout with. The only problem was I actually started to feel worse about my body. I gain muscle quickly and I was bulking up in areas I didn’t want to. I also did not look forward to the monthly cellulite checks.

So what was next on my quest?

My cousin suggested joining a running program with her. I made her promise to not miss out on any classes because I needed her to motivate me to go. Again it was fun at first to try something new, however I never enjoyed running all those years ago and I realized soon that I didn’t enjoy it today either. I felt amazing once our runs were complete but during the entire run I would wait for the class to end.

So… I went back to the gym.

This brings my journey to last year. I was preparing for my upcoming wedding and quite frankly I was very stressed out. It was approaching fast and I anticipated all the things that could go wrong. Due to many things, stress being one of them, one morning I woke up with a sore back. As the morning progressed my back kept tightening. By the time I arrived at work I couldn’t breathe. My boss took me to the hospital where I was told I put my back out. I began going for physiotherapy and was told to not do any type of
exercise for a few weeks. I began to get antsy and feel as though I needed exercise to balance me especially in the months prior to my wedding. My physiotherapist suggested that I take up yoga as it might help my back. I had heard about hot yoga and I decided to give it a shot. When I first went to Moksha Yoga I was nervous.

I filled out all these forms, I told the instructor about my back and she was very understanding and helpful. The first class I attended was a 90-minute Moksha Yoga and Nena was my teacher. When the class ended I felt as though this whole new world had opened up to me. I loved it! As I went more and more I kept feeling better and better about myself and more importantly my back pain disappeared! As the wedding neared people started asking me how I could be so calm. They said I seemed more relaxed than ever. I just kept saying that at this point in the game, I’ve done what I can do and whatever else happens is out of my
control so I’m just going to enjoy the ride.

Yoga has done so much for me that it is impossible to keep my story to one paragraph! I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet!

The weekend of my wedding arrived. I felt ready, I felt excited, and I was mentally and physically in an amazing place (in fact I’d lost weight from yoga and my dress was a tad big – but still looked amazing!). I swear yoga saved my wedding day! The morning began with a wonderful latté and all my bridal party at the salon getting their hair done.

The only problem was that my hairdresser wasn’t there. He forgot about me! His boss had to go to his house and wake him up! He was over an hour late and in the end did a great job. For some reason, I was completely calm throughout the morning not worried about what would happen if he didn’t show. I guess I figured one of the 4 other hairdressers in the salon could do my hair if they had to. Everyone at the salon
expected me to explode and couldn’t believe that I didn’t even break a sweat. That wasn’t even the worst of it! I was off to do pictures, which we did before the ceremony. My fiancée and I had a great time and loved just being silly during the shoot.

We saw a playground and thought how amazing it would be to get pictures of us all dressed up in the playground. I still can’t believe I pushed my fiancée down a slide in his tux, or that I climbed up a play structure in my dress! Well, what did I expect? I leaned up against the play structure and when I leaned back I noticed blue chalk all over my dress. I just stood there and kept breathing in and out. I looked up and saw my fiancée, the photographer and the videographer all looking at me waiting for me to literally detonate. I didn’t! I just said that we all needed to work together now to get it off my dress.

Long story short, 95% of the chalk came off and no one noticed the other 5% except for those that already knew it was there (and it’s not visible in the pictures or the video).

I swear yoga has made me more rational and calm. I’m able to put things in perspective and focus on the more important things in life. I have finally found a practice that has not only allowed me to reach my physical goals but has been an emotional and spiritual exercise for me as well. I look forward to my yoga practice, I love being in the classes and I feel amazing when I leave! What else could you ask for?

Text by Jodi Kravetsky

Reflexology & The Stress Free Bride

Are you feeling a little grumpy before your wedding?

Do you know what stress actually does to your body…?

1. Stress increases your blood pressure which could compromise your kidney function;

2. In some cases, the human body responds to stress by shutting down the gastro-intestinal tract, preventing it from processing food and providing our body with the daily nutrition it needs to function properly;

3. Stress causes the liver to release an excess of glucose and fatty acids into the blood stream. The body is then forced to produce significant amounts of insulin to deal with the excess. Over time, this will cause unnecessary fluctuations in blood sugar levels, leading to hypoglycemia and diabetes in some cases. The extra glucose turns to fat since no muscular work was performed to burn it off. In addition, the fatty acids can clog your arteries when unused;

4. Stress exhausts your adrenal glands since they are responsible for producing the hormones which enable the body to deal with stress;

How can Reflexology help?

Through application of pressure on the more than 7200 nerve endings found in each of the feet, Reflexology helps one relax, relieves tension, reduces stress, encourages self-healing by re-establishing the natural balance of the body, improves circulation which rids toxins found in the body and helps healing crises pass more quickly.

What’s more, Reflexology boosts the immune system, promoting a healthy functioning, harmonized system.
Regularly practicing Reflexology will help put the body in a relaxed state, balancing one’s energies and encouraging the body to heal itself without any adverse side effects.

Physical and psychological stress can build up over time and make it impossible for the body to find an internal balance. Help your body restore its natural health and vitality holistically and book a Reflexology treatment with us today!

Text By: Cherilyne Robitaille
Zealous MediSpa

Picture Perfect U

I am 32 years old; I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I was chubby in elementary, which was cute, but not so cute going into high school. I was picked on a lot. I managed to keep my weight the same through my early teens. I’ve tried every fad diet there is. I’ve even starved myself.

I reached 300 pounds, the heaviest I had ever been, and that scared me. Something had to be done!! I have nieces and nephews that I want to see grow up. I want to run and play with them. I had seen the commercials for U Weight Loss™ Clinics but never really paid attention. I was scared to go and check it out. Then on May 27 I walked in the U Weight Loss™ Clinic and sat down. We discussed the program, where I wanted to be and how I was going to get there. They made me feel I could do it. I signed on right there.

I started my first week with a bang, I lost 11 pounds. I was hooked. It seemed so easy. I went in everyday that first week; I began to feel really comfortable. The girls were all so supportive, answered all my questions, made sure I was doing well. The meals are great and easy to make. They made it so easy, getting my menu plans ready and a shopping list, explaining everything that I was taking and how important it was. They made me feel comfortable just walking, even if I was having a bad week, I could talk about anything. If I am having a bad week and not losing the way I should, we look at the big picture to see what I can do to fix this. I don’t feel like I am doing it alone.

I have lost 40 pounds to date and I feel great. I am doing the CIBC Run for the Cure, something I never imagined myself doing. When I reach my weight goal in the spring I am planning on running the half Manitoba Marathon. I can see a future where I can look in the mirror and smile.

Adele Prasek

Photography by Mike Rogal Photography
Jewelry by Poco Creations
Hair color, cut and style by e.clips hair

Keeping Fit with Bettianne

Bettianne Jolioeur
Fitness Leader Trainer
Certified Manitoba Fitness Counsel since 1983

Bicep Curl

Sit in the middle of ball. Feet hip width apart. Place arms resting at your sides, palms up. Bend only from elbow to curl up 3/4 pause and lower to start position. Curl 2 count up, hold, lower 2 count down. Always maintain control. Do not hurry through your repetitions.

Tricep Kickback

Sitting in the middle of ball. Feet hip width apart. Bend forward at hip to 45 degree angle. Pull up your elbows and extend out from elbow back to lengthen arm. Be careful not to lock the elbow joint. Extend, hold and bring in to start position.

Forward Lunge with Ball Roll Out

This compound leg exercise uses core of balance, quads, hip flexors, hamstrings, glutes. Begin with hand on ball resting at your side. Leg in split lunge position. Lower down bending knee to floor while rolling ball forward. Held then roll ball back in coming up to upright position. Repeat roll out and lower knee. Maintain an upright position, abs tight, head up. Complete required number of reps then change position with ball and legs.

Chest Press

Sit on ball and walk out until your upper back and head are both supported on the ball. Feet are hip width apart. Lift your glutes until you are in a “table top position.” Start with weight up over chest. Bend elbows and lower weight to parallel with your body. Press back up to start. Bringing feet closer together will increase the balance and stability during movement making it more challenging. Uses chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps, core back and abs as well as the lower body, legs and glutes. Great exercise!

Prone Leg Lifts

Start on knees close to ball. Get up on ball and roll yourself out until your hands are under shoulders and hips are in the middle of the ball, legs extended out. Alternating legs lower on to floow to touch down, lift up and repeat with other leg. Pause between movements and control each repetition. Works shoulders, triceps, glutes and hamstrings.

Ball Tuck

This abdominal exercise uses your core muscles, hips and upper body. Do the movement slowly to maintain balance. Begin in roll out position until ball is on the shins. Pull your knees in to chest, hold position then slowly roll out. To increase intensity roll out until only feet are on the ball to begin.

Photography by Fred Elcheshen Photography

Handling Wedding Stress

The Foot Detox

Planning for the Big Day can be one of the most fulfilling but also the most stressful event of your life. We all need to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. So, with that said, the inevitable sets in. Stress! Stress causes many negatives to the new bride-to-be; break-outs, hair-loss, as well as the development of added toxins to our systems. To help reduce this toxin build-up during the months of planning, try out the simplest form of detoxification for the busy planner – the Foot Detox.

The Foot Detox offers a quick-fix to your detoxification regime. In just a half treatment, you get a 10-day cleanse to your system to benefit your health. It provides you with more energy to complete your long to-do list, makes your feet feel great, keeps the skin in top shape, builds your immune system to keep you healthy and also assits in keeping your liver, gall bladder and joints cleansed.

The process involves simply placing your feet into a bin of water with an ionizer, whereby ions enter your body through the pores of your feet. In turn, the ions attach to the toxins inside the body and pull them back into the water. Ions also act as little endorphins which also help alleviate stress and anxiety to give you more control and balance in your life which all brides-to-be need as much as possible. Try out this very effective and enjoyable treatment today and handle anything that comes your way, stressful or not, with a smile! Happy Cleansing!