March 2006 Archives

Bring a loving and desirable partner into your life.

By Chris Lucerne, PCC

"The risk it takes to remain tight inside the bud is more painful than the risk it takes to blossom. We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are." - Anais Nin

If we explored our deepest longings, we would discover that most of us yearn to be in a committed loving relationship with our ideal mate. Is it possible? Inspiring role models to show us how to be in a conscious loving relationship are rare these days, so it is understandable that we might be skeptical that a loving relationship can even exist. However, you can attract genuine love by being willing to transform your internal world.

Remember: You are 100 percent the source of your reality. You have created the life you are now experiencing, so you can change your strategy and attract genuine love. There are several factors involved in making that happen.

Claim your unconscious commitments
You might say that you are committed to being in a loving relationship; yet, based on results, what you seem to do is hop from relationship to relationship. The unconscious commitment is always equal to the result you are producing, so really you're just committed to relationship-hopping and not to being in a loving relationship. Once you claim your unconscious commitment and fully de-energize it, you will then have the power to do something about it. Until you claim it, you cannot change it.

Overcome your fear of being in relationship
Most likely, you have been hurt before or at least seen many examples of dreadful relationships. Of course, you might have some fear about being in relationship yourself. Until you can handle this fear, by claiming it, feeling it, loving it and uncovering all that it means to you, the fear will have control of you and keep you out of a loving relationship.

Embody a healthy definition of love
Do you know what healthy love is? Most people have their definition of love tangled up with the behavior they observed from role models they had early in life. Dr. Barbara De Angelis describes this as the "Going Home Syndrome," and it looks like this: If A = B, and B = C, then A = C. Which means, if Love = Home, and Home = Chaos, then Love = Chaos, or if Love = Home, and Home = Arguing, then Love = Arguing; if Love = Home, and Home = Abuse, then Love = Abuse.
Until you have fully brought forth your equations and beliefs around love and relationships from your subconscious mind, you are likely to recreate exactly what you experienced in your early childhood.

Learn to fully love yourself
People who do not love themselves tend to attract other people who do not love themselves. If you wish to attract a loving mate, it is imperative that you learn to love yourself. Stop all forms of negative self talk: criticism, self-judgment and self-loathing. Learn to honor, respect and appreciate all aspects of you: your mind, body and spirit.

Employ the dynamic law of magnetic attraction
This law is constantly working in your life, attracting to you people and situations that will participate in the reality that you are creating. This reality is a reflection of your internal world of beliefs held at both the conscious and subconscious level. So, you can use this law to create what you really want in life, or you can ignore that it is operating in your life and just take whatever comes.

Design your next relationship with your ideal mate
It is easy to know what you don't want in relationship. It is essential to know what you do want. What are your "absolute yeses and absolute noes" when it comes to what you are looking for in a partner? Are you looking for a mate that is your equal--one who is in alignment with your values and deepest sense of integrity?

There is much to learn and explore about attracting genuine love. If you are serious about being in a conscious loving relationship, then get ready for an awesome adventure. While it is not an overnight journey, it is worth every piece of effort you put into it. I invite you to take this journey and thereby add a kind of richness to your life that cannot be replicated by any other life experience.

If you would like more information on this subject, please visit the events page of my Web site (www.ChrisLucerne.com) to learn about an upcoming free presentation in conjunction with Borders Books and Music. Also, visit the resource page of my Web site for a free tool called "Loving Yourself, The Journey That Matters."

Chris Lucerne is a professional certified coach. Using a body-centered approach, she specializes in two areas:
supporting clients to build relationships that matter, to go beyond loss and embrace life.

Note: This article is inspired by the book Attracting Genuine Love by Drs. Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks, and the book How to Make Love All of the Time, by Dr. Barbara De Angelis

A street guide to running in San Antonio

By Paul Baltutis

Note: Fitness and Health previously published Parts I and II of this feature, which reviews and updates 18 different running courses in San Antonio covered in Dennis M. Keating's book, Running in San Antonio (1983). This article features run/walk courses in the Greater San Antonio area, highlights helpful Internet resources, lists reference books on the subject and describes some San Antonio area parks which were not previously featured.

Run/walk courses
From Joe Sulak of Peak Fitness, Northwest Antonio/Helotes
Start in Old Town Helotes at Soler's Tri Sports. Head north on Old Bandara Rd. for about 1/2 mile, turn right on Scenic Loop. Continue for about 4.5 miles until you reach Babcock at the top of the hill. Turn around at the top, and enjoy the downhill back to the parking lot.

Run distance: 10 miles
Difficulty: 6 (long hill at mile 4.5)
Shoulder: Yes
Scenic: One of the most scenic runs
Shade: 1.5 miles of shade through
Grey Forest
Water: Bring your own
Surface: Road

From Carroll Voss of Fleet Feet, Alamo Heights, Olmos Park and Terrell Hills area
This run is found on map #19 at www.78209.com with their running maps.
Start at the Alamo Heights Fleet Feet store; go west down Alamo Heights Blvd. for a downhill warm up. Mile two puts you on Contour, a nice flat stretch of road. At mile 5.6, stop for water at the Olmos Park Fire Station. Then climb the Olmos Dam, and then there's a long downhill until you reach the hardest uphill yet on Terrell. A flat 2-mile finish makes it 8.2 miles. This run is a strength-builder and calorie-burner.

Run distance: 8.2 miles
Difficulty: 7+ 5 climbs, 4 downhill areas
Shoulder: Half/half with wide streets
Scenic: Tree-lined beauty
Shade: Plenty, except for the part at
Olmos Dam
Water: Three dependable stops; bring
your own as well.
Surface: Asphalt, very smooth

From John Purnell of Runaway Club, Southside
From Mission San José take Mission Road to Napier Road. Go east on Napier until you intersect with Mission Parkway. Follow Mission Parkway south to Espada Park; turn around at the Espada Dam. Return on same route to Mission San Jose. (More miles can be added to this course if you continue on the Mission hike/bike trail.)

Run distance 3.1 miles
Difficulty: 2 (90 percent flat)
Shoulder: Yes
Scenic: Yes. Combines the Missions
with the San Antonio River
Shade: Minimal
Water: Bring your own
Surface: Asphalt road

From Paul Baltutis, Soler's Sports in Alamo Heights
Here's part of my Sunday morning loop in the Westside/SeaWorld area.
Start at the SeaWorld parking lot on Military Dr. Go .3 miles east on Military, then take a left on Ray Ellison. Proceed 1.6 Miles, and make a right on Wiseman. Go north .8 Miles on Wiseman across 151, and make a right on Rogers Rd. Go 1.7 miles south on Rogers, and turn right back onto Military Drive. Travel .8 of a mile back to the SeaWorld parking lot. Use this core loop to branch off for longer runs in the surrounding area.

Run Distance: 5.2 Miles
Difficulty: 6 (several rolling hills)
Shoulder: Two-lane road with median
Scenic: Yes. Nice area.
Water: At Fire Station on Rogers Road
Shade: Early morning and late evening
Surface: Mostly new roads, asphalt

Internet resources
The Internet has literally and figuratively opened up new avenues for San Antonio runners to find new routes or chart out new courses based on some mapping programs. Here are some Web sites that have local run/walk courses or that will help you create your own courses.
www.runtheplanet.com
www.usatf.org/routes
www.maps.sanantonio.gov
www.earth.google.com
www.gmap-pedometer.com

Books
Besides Keating's book, other periodicals that track San Antonio courses are:
• Running Through Texas by Robert M. McCorkle
• San Antonio by Foot by Diane Capito and
Mark Willis.

Parks - Government Canyon
The long awaited opening of Government Canyon State Natural Area occurred in the summer of 2005. The park features a multitude of interconnecting trails. Trails are technical and probably require trail shoes. The park is located at 12861 Galm Road. Phone (210) 688-9055 for park hours.

O.P. Schnabel
This park offers a mix of dirt and paved trails. The 2-3 miles of trails inside the park connect outside the park with additional trails on Leon Creek. Visit www.sanantonio.gov/sapar/schnabelhis.asp

Paul Baltutis is the manager of Soler's Sports in Alamo Heights. He is a certified marathon coach with Team in Training. He can be reached at pbaltutis@satx.rr.com or at (210) 930-3148.

Serious health consequences of sleep deprivation

Are feeling run down, depressed? Having difficulty concentrating, developing more colds or infections or experiencing more joint or muscle pain? You may not think of these as symptoms of sleep deprivation, but sleep loss may just be part of the problem.

Being chronically short-changed on sleep, one of our most basic human needs, can occur because of health issues, cause new health issues and worsen existing health issues. Sleep deprivation can throw your life out of fbalance as you shuffle through the day, sleepy, depressed, achy and irritable.

There is good news though: Treating or controlling any underlying sleep disorders or medical conditions and developing sound sleep habits can help restore your health and balance.

Are you sleep deprived?
Many patients and doctors overlook the vital role sleep plays in disease management. Perhaps patients themselves don't consider sleep loss a medical issue, so they don't bring it up; or perhaps health care providers focus on the pain and underlying condition without assessing sleep. Evaluating sleep habits can be useful in routine examinations. You can be sleep deprived even when you think you are getting enough sleep. How? Four to six times per night, people with normal sleep patterns cycle thorough five phases of sleep, spending more minutes in the final and most restorative phase with each cycle. In general, healthy sleepers spend about 20 percent of their sleep time in that restorative phase, which involves rapid eye movements (REM) and dreams. When a stimulus such as noise, light, caffeine or pain repeatedly disrupts the sleep cycle or diminishes REM time, sleep deprivation can result. So even if you spend eight hours in bed, you may be short on restorative sleep, which can leave you tired the next day. Most adults need slightly more than eight hours of sleep in a 24-hour stretch. About 20 percent require less and about 10 percent require more to feel at their best.

What is keeping you up?
Pain is a very common cause of sleep loss. Studies show that the majority of people with rheumatic conditions experience sleep problems. In conditions such a fibromyalgia, 70 to 80 percent of patients report some type of sleep difficulty. Most people with chronic pain do not sleep well, and those who do not sleep well tend to have more chronic pain. When you are sleep deprived, your brain chemistry becomes unbalanced. When you are well rested, your brain sends inhibitory messages to your body to help modulate pain. When your coping mechanisms are worn down by sleep deprivation, you may perceive pain as more intense. Additionally, when you are in acute pain, the body releases stress hormones such as epinephrine and norepinephrine. These hormones can stimulate the brain and interfere with sleep. It can become a vicious cycle of pain, sleep loss and more pain.

While pain can be a major factor in sleep loss, psychological and emotional issues may rob you of sleep as well. Problems with depression, worry and anxiety can also affect your sleep cycle. Nightly worries about sleeping become a self-fulfilling prophecy, creating enough anxiety to disturb the brain chemistry and make for a sleepless night.

If you are experiencing sleep problems and fatigue, consider visiting a sleep specialist for an evaluation. A specialist can accurately diagnose your problem. Along with insomnia, common sleep problems include the following:

Snoring. According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology, 45 percent of adults snore on occasion and 25 percent snore every night. Snoring can lead to fragmented sleep (for the snorer and his or her partner), headaches and fatigue. Snoring can also be a symptom of sleep apnea, although not all people who snore have apnea.
Sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is characterized by interrupted breathing and frequent waking during sleep. Causes can include chronically infected and inflamed tonsils and obesity, which leads to collapse of the airway when a person lies flat. Apnea can lead to daytime sleepiness, headaches, irritability and depression. Losing weight can help relieve apnea caused by obesity; surgery and medical devices may help other causes. Sleeping pills, sedatives and alcohol can worsen the condition.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS). People with RLS experience disturbed sleep because of a creepy-crawly sensation in the legs that occurs at night and tends to go away only when they get up from bed and move. About 12 million Americans have RLS.

Narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a condition in which people suddenly and involuntarily fall asleep at inappropriate time during the day. People with narcolepsy can experience extreme daytime sleepiness even after having a full night's sleep.

Consider the following questions to uncover where you may be having trouble.
Can't fall asleep? Could be anxiety.
Can't stay asleep? Could be from pain or metabolic conditions such thyroid disease or menopause.
Wake up too early? Could be depression.
Sleepy during the day? Could be sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome or diabetes.
All of the above? Could be narcolepsy.

Treatment
Whether you have a full-blown sleep disorder or chronic sleep loss related to pain, treating the sleep problem can have physical as well as psychological benefits. Depending on your medical history and current health issues, your doctor may prescribe mediation to help. Short-term sleep agents are avoided if longer-term solutions may help.

Reducing pain with appropriate rehabilitation techniques may help. Changing your routine may help. A study including overweight, postmenopausal women who exercised at a moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes every morning and also stretched had less trouble falling asleep. Women who exercised in the evening showed little or no improvement in falling asleep. Researchers theorized that exercising in the morning might adjust the body's circadian rhythms that govern the sleep-wake cycle and affect the sleep quality.

Medications that modulate brain hormonal levels may be prescribed. Low-dose antidepressants in people with chronic pain may improve serotonin levels, sleep, pain and depression. If acute pain is present, analgesics for a limited time may be appropriate. Discuss the options with your physician to determine what is appropriate for you.

Wake up call
Sleep deprivation can affect your quality of life. Talk to your physician if you feel you may be experiencing a problem. Developing sound sleep habits can help restore health and balance. You might even find a good night's sleep is the best pain medication of all.

There is much talk in sports about achieving a "zone" in which the athlete's sense of concentration and focus is at its peak. Much of the sports psychology literature addresses the high degree of concentration that elite athletes are able to achieve when participating in their sport. Tiger Woods, for example, learned to meditate when he was a young boy. The skills involved in meditation entail quieting the mind and allowing one to be truly present in the moment. If an athlete is able to quiet the noise of the outside world and focus only on the movement of the body toward the desired goal, that athlete would be engaged in a powerful state of concentration.

Almost everyone would concede that mental processes play an important part in athletic performance. Sports psychologists are teaching "mental skills" to many professional athletes to help improve their performance and hone their ability to concentrate effectively. There are numerous stories of elite athletes who are able to focus only on what is happening in that very moment of their competition or workout. Joan Benoit Samuelson, winner of the first Olympic women's marathon in 1984, once said, "Running is 80 percent mental."

We are all familiar with the notion that it is important to concentrate in order to perform our best. However, there are many forms of concentration, and many things one could concentrate on, while working out or competing in a race. For example, on a long run, you may try to dissociate or 'zone out.' Your mind may wander, and you may have difficulty describing what you were thinking about if asked later. Long-distance runners often report utilizing specific strategies for disengaging the mind from thinking about any physical discomfort they may be feeling during a long run. Common dissociative techniques include singing songs, making grocery lists, trying to recite the names of your childhood classmates or doing mental arithmetic. In all, these strategies are aimed at helping the athlete to avoid experiencing the temporary pain and discomfort involved in a long run and to distract himself from experiencing monotony over a long distance.
Interestingly, research has demonstrated that elite marathon runners employ a different form of concentration; instead of trying to avoid a focus on their bodies, these runners employ associative concentration techniques (Morgan and Pollock 1977). These athletes pay attention to their running form, running technique or heart rate during long runs. In fact, there is some research to suggest that athletes who use these associative thinking strategies are able to avoid the dreaded "wall," the term that refers to the painful experience at about mile 20 of a marathon (Merrill 1981).

Both dissociating and associating thinking strategies are equally important and may be useful to varying athletes and even to the same athlete and different times in any one workout or race. Try some of each strategy and see if some work better for you than others:

Dissociating strategies:
• These strategies are best used when on long runs, long swims or long repetitive workouts in which you may experience boredom:
• Try to sing all the words to some of your favorite songs;
• Make a shopping list or a list of things you would like to accomplish the next week;
• Count the number of telephone poles, number of red cars, number of dog walkers;
• Solve math problems: choose a number and multiply by eight;
• Think about what you would do if you suddenly won the lottery;
• Write a letter to the editor in your head;
• Enjoy the scenery!

Associating strategies:
• Associating Strategies are best used when trying to achieve a personal best in a particular race or a portion of a race. For example, if you are trying to complete a marathon in 4:00, then you may want to stay focused on your form and pacing.
• Focus on running form, biking technique or swimming skills. Notice when your swim stroke is most efficient or when your pedal stroke feels most powerful.
• Focus on any technical aspect of your workout. Which muscles are you using? This helps you be sure that you are executing the exercises correctly.
• If using a heart rate monitor, focus on heart rate. Change in heart rate can indicate that you are working too hard or not pushing enough.
• Pay attention to your breathing. Notice if you are getting short of breath, and focus on your pacing.
• Concentrate on which muscles are tense and which are relaxed. Make efforts to relax those muscles not needed to perform the particular exercise. Relaxing facial muscles often helps improve efficiency.

By Kelly A. Goff

Unlike the dot-com bubble, the fitness industry's rapid growth shows no signs of bursting. The U.S. Surgeon General reports more than 60 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. An increasing number of adults are spending more time and money on fitness, and companies are recognizing the benefits of keeping employees healthy. Reduced physical education programs in schools have parents spending an extraordinary amount of money on extracurricular sports. Aging baby boomers are flocking to gyms in record numbers.

What does this mean for you? If you're contemplating a career change, the job outlook in the personal fitness field is ripe with opportunity. According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook for 2006-07, employment of fitness workers is expected to increase much faster than the average for all occupations through 2014.

What they do
Fitness workers lead, instruct and motivate individuals or groups in exercise activities, including cardiovascular exercise, strength training and stretching. They work in commercial and nonprofit health clubs, country clubs, hospitals, universities, yoga and Pilates studios, resorts and clients' homes. Increasingly often, fitness workers also are found in workplaces where they organize and direct health and fitness programs for employees of all ages.

Although gyms and health clubs offer a variety of exercise activities such as weightlifting, yoga, cardiovascular training and karate, fitness workers typically specialize in only a few areas, such as personal training or group exercise.

Personal trainers work one-on-one with clients either in a gym or in the client's home. Trainers help clients assess their level of physical fitness and set and reach fitness goals. They also demonstrate various exercises and help clients improve their exercise techniques.

Group exercise instructors conduct group exercise sessions that involve aerobic exercise, stretching and muscle conditioning. Because cardiovascular conditioning classes often involve movement to music, outside of class instructors must choose and mix the music and choreograph a corresponding exercise sequence. Pilates and yoga are two increasingly popular conditioning methods taught in exercise classes. Instructors demonstrate the different moves and positions of the particular method; they also observe students and correct those who are doing the exercises improperly. Group exercise instructors are responsible for ensuring that their classes are motivating, safe and challenging, yet not too difficult for the participants.

Pastry chef to personal fitness princess
After finishing her bachelor's degree and working for a year, Kristen Horler decided to go to culinary school and become a pastry chef. After two years of solitude, whipping up lemon curd and baking hundreds of pounds of banana bread in the fluorescent kitchens of posh hotels, she became a spinning instructor to balance out the social aspect of her life.

"I'm a people person, and being a chef was a bit too isolating," said Horler. While teaching, she met the man of her dreams. "After I got married, it became clear to me that the crazy hours I worked as a chef weren't conducive to a quality family life."

Horler decided then to get serious about a career change and became certified as a personal trainer. The national certification boosted her credibility and success with clients and made her more marketable to health clubs. It wasn't long before she said goodbye to ganache and hello to "give me 20."

It was shortly after the birth of her first child that Baby Boot Camp® was born. Horler searched for a postnatal fitness class to help her lose weight and get back her pre-baby fitness level. After extensive research, she was unable to find a challenging workout that didn't require hiring a personal trainer and a babysitter or the purchasing of a gym membership. Drawing from her experience as a group fitness instructor and personal trainer, she developed Baby Boot Camp to balance the fitness needs of new moms with their desire to spend time with their baby.

What started as Horler and three friends doing cardio drills with their babies in jogging strollers is now a rapidly expanding stroller-fitness franchise program with hundreds of locations across the United States, Australia and Canada (www.babybootcamp.com). Although much of her day is spent running the burgeoning business, Horler still takes personal training clients and instructs Baby Boot Camp classes.
"I love the one-on-one interaction with people," says Horler. "I meet so many interesting individuals, and I really enjoy helping people reach their goals, increase their self confidence and become role models for their children."

Is a career in fitness for you?
Horler says if you're not a people person, you're not going to like this industry.
"One thing that nobody prepares you for with personal training is that you sort of play the role of a therapist. When you're working one-on-one with someone an hour a day, one to three times a week, clients tend to tell you about their lives. I know a lot of people who have left the industry because they couldn't deal with that aspect," shares Horler.

Overall, people planning fitness careers should be outgoing, good at motivating people and sensitive to the needs of others. Excellent health and physical fitness are important because of to the physical nature of the job. Those who wish to be personal trainers in a large commercial fitness center should have strong sales skills as well.

Many positions in the fitness field are part-time, so you may have to supplement your income with personal training clients or teaching classes at a number of locations.

Pay scale
As health clubs strive to provide more personalized service to keep their members motivated, most will continue to offer personal training and a wide variety of group exercise classes. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the middle 50 percent of those in fitness-related fields earned between $17,380 and $40,030. The bottom 10 percent earned less than $14,530, while the top 10 percent earned $55,560 or more. Earnings of successful self-employed personal trainers can be much higher. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) supports this with results from its 2005 salary survey. It revealed personal trainers out-earn group fitness instructors, both when working on an hourly basis and as salaried employees.

Benefits
One of the most common complaints among fitness professionals is the lack of benefits. The ACE survey reported only 2 to 7 percent of part-time employees and consultants received health coverage, and 30 percent of full-time employees don't receive coverage of any kind. However, if you're retired military or covered by your spouse, this may not be an issue. In addition, fitness workers get the unusual benefit of the use of fitness facilities at no cost.

Training & certification
Personal trainers must obtain certification in the fitness field to gain employment, but group fitness instructors do not necessarily need certification to begin working. The most important characteristic that an employer often looks for in a new group fitness instructor is the ability to plan and lead a class that is both motivating and safe. Group fitness instructors often get started by participating in exercise classes, and some become familiar enough to successfully audition and begin teaching class. They also may improve their skills by taking training courses or attending fitness conventions. Most organizations encourage their group instructors to become certified, and many, like Baby Boot Camp, require it.

In the fitness field, there are many organizations such as the American Council on Fitness (www.acefitness.org), National Academy of Sports Medicine (www.nasm.org) and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (www.afaa.com) that offer certification. Becoming certified by one of the top certification organizations is increasingly important, especially for personal trainers. One way to ensure that a certifying organization is reputable is to see whether it's accredited or seeking accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.

Depending on the certification you seek, it can take from six weeks to six months to become certified. Study materials start at $100, and exam fees range from $200 to $800.