TRY SOMETHING NEW!

by: Mary Nielsen, Health & Fitness Specialist


“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”   Sound familiar?  I hope so, because we used that quote in our first blog and you’ll be seeing it in the months to come.  In this blog we want to challenge you to step outside your comfort zone to try something new; to let go of your preconceived ideas of what you can do or what you should do.  

Change can be hard, and changing our perspective, particularly of ourselves, is really challenging.  Given my career choice many people’s perspective of me is that growing up I was athletic, playing sports on every team in school.  Not a chance; in fact in gym class I was the one that was picked last for teams in every class.  It took a long time before my perspective of myself, being that non-confident, awkward, uncoordinated kid that will instantly fail at athletics, also changed.  Fortunately I didn’t allow a lack of ability or interest in team sports to subject me to a life of inactivity.  I discovered I was good at solo sports like running and cycling and those solo endeavors allowed me to be in an environment where I didn’t feel judged.  I overcame a fear of failing, or looking silly and discovered other things I enjoyed, like resistance training in a gym setting, yoga and Pilates.  My perspective shifted from thinking of myself as a weak, uncoordinated kid to a person confident enough to run 100 mile races, staged multi-day events and mountain ultra runs.  But this shift didn’t happen all at once; it took time and I need to step out of my comfort zone. 

I also had to question my perception of what defined being successful.  Spoiler Alert – not winning doesn’t mean failing.  I was the last place female in my final trail run of this season.  I could let a last place finish be perceived as a negative, that I somehow failed.  Several times I have heard the statement “I just don’t want to be last” from people entering a race, like somehow it erases the accomplishment of completing an event or is equated with failure.  I’m super proud of that final trail run of the season, even if I was last!

If you want to change your perception of what you are capable of accomplishing, perhaps start by asking yourself these questions:

·         Why am I afraid to try?

·         What do I have to lose by trying, and what do I have to lose by not trying?

·         What’s the worst thing that will happen, and is it really that bad?

So why not try something new and form your opinion after instead of predetermining what you are going to be able to do. There's something really rewarding about trying something new even if you fail at it, or don't like it. Being bold and trying will instill you with a sense of self because whatever it is you're trying, you'll feel empowered, like a person who isn't afraid, and who achieves, even in the smallest of victories.

If you aren’t sure where to start, begin with our Sampler Class Pack.  You can challenge yourself with some new classes and hopefully be inspired to add something new into your regular routine.

For those of you who wanting to challenge your creative side, we invite you to submit a design to our PG T-shirt Design Contest!  This contest is open to all members;  you can be as creative as you like in creating a design that conveys a positive message. 
Class & Program Details can be found at www.pulsegenerator.ca

 

Although it can be challenging to step outside the familiar, often that is when we learn the most.  Remember that the Pulse Generator team is here to help.  We hope you take this challenge as we GROW STRONG TOGETHER!

Do you have some thoughts, ideas, comments to share about this blog?  If so, leave us a message in the comment section of this blog.

Welcome To The Pulse Generator's Blog

By Joan Radford, Pulse Generator Manager

Our goal in setting up this blog is create another platform for communication and the sharing of information related to health, fitness and well-being.  I have the very daunting task of writing our first blog and am not shy to admit that it intimidates me greatly to think that more than one or two people, hopefully, will be reading this.

The Pulse Generator Team – Mary, Breanne, Kevin and myself, decided that as we move forward into a new year after our 25 year birthday celebrations we need to initiate some changes as  to how we  motivate and support our membership and our potential membership.  We know that we are doing a good job with those of you who attend the gym regularly, participating in your own training or in our classes and programs.  You are less than 20% of the population.  Where we miss out is the other 80% of the population who are not at the gym regularly or at all.  So now is our time to change, to accept this challenge.   

Hence our new tag line:

” If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”

Nowhere is this truer than in our industry, that is plagued with body image issues, continuous challenges and goal setting to be “better”, “fitter”, “healthier”, and workouts that are too long, too painful, or too difficult.  You know what I mean.   What we also know is that until we can honestly accept our bodies and ourselves for who we are at that moment, we will never successfully initiate healthy change and see results.  We will continuously look for the quick fix, yo-yoing with diets and the newest exercise trends , and  nutrition supplements.  But none of these are sustainable and the results are short lived.   Rather than believing that “I will look better when…” or “I will try this when…”, we want to challenge you to accept yourself  identifying  strengths and  weaknesses and understanding that anything you do within those parameters to get started is great and if you can keep it up then it is amazing.  Let’s celebrate rather than beating ourselves up with negative body images and guilt. 

So our goal this year is to provide health and fitness opportunities that will support the idea of loving and accepting ourselves…changing the way you look at yourself so that you will change what you see.  We want to encourage everyone to walk through our doors, try our services out and ask for assistance and help when needed.  We are here specifically for that reason. 

Our first Initiatives include:

Walking Works – This is an 8 week program self delivered program.  It includes an increase in intensity when you are ready, the integration of strength and core exercises when you are ready and additional information including gear, hydration and nutrition to support this program.   This program is offered free of charge to all Pulse Generator members.  Pulse Generator staff are available to answer questions and have been leading group walks over the summer, for anyone to attend.

Karma Yoga  - This program offers a  yoga class for all levels of  yoga practice including beginners.  Everyone is welcome.  It is a great place to come out and give yoga a try.

Sampler Class – Offer a four week session that will include 4 different types of classes.  The goal of this program is to give you an opportunity to try different types of programs before committing to a full class session.

Try It For Free – These will be short sessions that will offer practical application of specific fitness activities.  These will begin in October. 

If you have ideas that you believe will support our initiative, please don’t hesitate to pass them along to us.  We appreciate your feedback and ideas and look forward to a great year of communication!