Make your bed every morning...and make it well. If a SEAL can’t make her bed perfectly, is she able to load a gun, map an exit strategy, watch your back? Start your day with integrity. Do the simple things right. Take care of the details. Caring about the little things demonstrates you are committed to the process, committed to excellence, and, in fact, care a lot about the bigger things. Nothing of significance stands the test of time without a sound beginning and carefully built foundation.

Happy Tuesday! This week, we are back with another Healthy View blog and we hope everyone had a great long weekend. It is odd to think of this as a long weekend, since it has been a very long 10 weeks of isolation. We found that it helps to keep a balance between relaxation and productivity. Our team has stayed busy by reading, baking, working out, outdoor walks, and most importantly, staying up-to-date and educated.

We’ve just come off a weird long weekend, and have to cram 5 days worth of work into 4 bizarre, unconventional days. Who better to look to for guidance and inspiration than the unusually courageous, resourceful individuals trained to thrive during unconventional warfare: SEALs.

We know that an ability to live in the present is associated with greater levels of happiness and sense of fulfillment. We also know that people who perceive that have a greater sense of control and are better able to live in the present. A sense of lack of control can be pervasive. And there is so much we cannot control these days.

This means an extra day of weekend people. I know. The days are all running into one another. But I said this last weekend and I will say it again: Make. Your. Weekend. A. Weekend. Completely clean up your home office and shut it down. Don’t you dare treat Monday as a way to get caught up on work or home schooling for your kids.

Goals are often a specific, objective end point. They are all about measurement: Attainment of an ultimate outcome, level of success, or mastery. A process on the other hand is the organization and execution of different strategies, actions, and habits in order to attain said goal.

It takes courage to try something when you are uncertain of the outcome. If you put your head down and commit your best effort, you will grow, learn, and become more resilient and confident. All this irrespective of whether or not you achieve “success”. The skills you acquire help you approach other risks in more effective ways and increase your chances of being successful in the future. This is the stuff that heroes and leaders are made of.

You know what I’d like you to do today: something exercise or activity based that just feels good. We are intrinsically motivated to do something because the work or process itself is rewarding, interesting, enjoyable. We’re more likely to repeat an activity, form a habit if it feels good, it’s fun, and it’s what you want to do. That’s what intrinsic motivation is all about: ensuring what you are doing fosters a sense of fulfillment, competence, and autonomy. Science would tell us, people who are intrinsically motivated to exercise are far more likely to make exercise a life long habit. Good to know.

Ah… to cook or to bake? That is the question. I quite enjoy both. Though they are quite different, and I do in the end prefer one over the other.

Okay. It’s Monday. So, let’s keep things simple and definitive: Yes, measurement matters. I’ve been talking about how meaningful measurement is in my Exercise Fundamental pieces: How measuring intensity through heartrate, RPE, and power helps ensure your training is appropriate and effective.

Last week was Canadian Mental Health Week, so this week, we’ve included some ways that have helped us stay happy, healthy, and informed. Physical distancing can be very isolating, but this is something we are feeling and getting through together. It is important to us that we reach out to our community while we are unable to see each other in the Clinic. Whether through calls, emails, virtual sessions, or this very blog, we want to stay connected with you.

Today, we celebrate the most important women in our lives – our mothers, mother in laws, grandmothers, wives, partners, daughters… But this year, Mother’s Day won’t be celebrated the way it normally is. Maybe you’ll Facetime your loved ones to celebrate the day. Maybe you’ll drop off a present or flowers on the front step. Maybe you’ll make their favourite recipes and share memories with your own kids. However you spend the day, we want to celebrate with you.

Mother’s Day is tough for some of us. Maybe you’re struggling to conceive. Perhaps you recently lost or are losing a parent. Maybe you’re estranged from your mother. Maybe you have lost a child. I promise the entire blog isn’t sad. Besides it’s okay to be sad.

Is there are clear distinction between “The Week” and “The Weekend” in your life? There are so many reasons why having a clear separation, a notable difference is vital. We all have different careers, job stresses, life challenges, and blessings. Still, I bet there are a few things we have in common in terms of what differentiates our week from our weekend.

As many bright young women do, in her mid-20s Elizabeth Blackwell wanted to go to medical school. One of her dearest friends suffered from a terminal illness and confided in Elizabeth that she felt she would have fared much better had she received care from a female physician.

Barclay Hollinger, a long-standing Personal Trainer at the TAC, is treating what he calls a “forced pause” as a positive challenge. He has developed structure and simple goals to create ongoing, meaningful, and sustainable growth and change. For his wife and children – who he adores. And also – for himself.

May 5^th, 1892. The Mexican Army, led by Ignacio Zaragoza was half the size of its opponent. The battle at Puebla against Napoleon III’s French Army began at dawn. The Mexicans lost 100 soldiers – while the French lost almost 500 – and by nightfall, were victorious. 

It’s been another long week of isolation. But we’ve found some really wonderful things to be thankful for. We’re thankful for the frontline workers that continue to keep us safe. We’re thankful for Sunday’s beautiful sunshine. We’re thankful for our friends and loved ones. And our health. Delicious, nutritious food. And all of you.

It’s going to be okay. These are the words of Canadian NFL player Laurent Duvernay-Tardif who has now joined our courageous frontline fighting the coronavirus. The offensive lineman’s key role is to block in order to protect the receivers and the quarterback. It may not be the most glamorous position, but it is arguably one of the most important. How fitting.

To “hijack” is essentially to commandeer something and force it to go in a different direction. Emotional hijacking happens when the part of our brain that processes emotions is bypassed. We don’t get the opportunity to reason and be rational about how we suddenly feel and we are steered sometimes completely off course.