Mentalsidewalk

Going to the doctor can be stressful, full of uncertainties and vague possibilities. It’s hard because most of us go to the doctor to find out things we can’t figure out on our own. We have to put our faith completely in the doctor, trusting our very health to his/her expertise and knowledge.

My recent trip to the physiotherapist was no different. I had made an appointment with Greg Smith from Kelowna Physiotherapist Associates As he was working on me, I asked Greg a question regarding an issue with my other leg.

He frowned thoughtfully, giving my leg a quick look. “Well, Fred,” he said with a slow nod. “I actually don’t know.”

For a moment, all I could do was stare. He didn’t know? How could my physiotherapist not know? I trusted him to know, I paid him to know.

He nodded again, collecting a breath before offering me a smile. “I’ll have to give it some thought while we take a closer look at your leg.”

It wasn’t the quick diagnosis I had been looking for, but as Greg conducted the rest of his examination, I realized it was the most reassuring answer he could give me. Sure, I didn’t know right away what was wrong with my leg, but I did know that I could trust my physiotherapist to be honest.

After all, Greg could have lied and could have made up anything. He could have planned five unnecessary tests to get more money out of me.

Instead, my physiotherapist kept his integrity and told me the truth. This honesty showed that he had my best interest at heart and that the answers he gave me were legitimate. When he did find the answer, I had no doubt that I could trust that as much as I could trust his initial uncertainty.

This lesson holds true in all businesses. No matter what you do, it is essential to be honest. Being a leader in the industry doesn’t mean you have all the answers. We’re all human, and as much as clients want to know everything at that moment in time, they also want us to be honest with our answers.

It’s a question we’re all likely to face in our business: what to do when you are unsure of the answer. Fortunately, we don’t have to know the answer. We just have to be honest, and that integrity will offer more to clients than false promises ever could.

Our clients do not expect us to know everything, but they do expect us to have integrity and be willing to take the time to source out the answers to their questions.

Fred Sakrari

How my 10 km run turned into a 42 km marathon.  All I can say is OUCH!

The BMO marathon was last Sunday.  Taking a break from running for a while due to a calf injury, I intended to do the 10 km run last Sunday. The longest distance I have ever ran is 14 km and that is when I was running consistently.  so I figured if I dug deep enough the 10 km should not be too difficult.

8 km into the race I decided that I might be able to pull off the 1/2 marathon if I dug even deeper within.

Next thing I knew I was facing the fork in the road, by this point in time I was already feeling the swelling in my knees and back.  Go right for the 1/2 marathon and go left for the full 42 km marathon.  I have no idea what came over me but at an instant I hid my color coded race bib under my shirt and made a left towards the entire marathon.

As soon as I made the left it seemed like majority of the runners disappeared and the reality of my decision sunk deep into my heart.  Now I was committed and there was no turning back.

I knew I was in for some agony for the next few hours, just did not realize how painful these few hours were going to be.

I made 2 commitments to myself at that moment in time -

I will not give up and I will have fun till the end.

-

Imagine the power of those 2 commitments in anything that you do in life.

The things you are capable of achieving.

-

I was having the time of my life, singing, a little bit of dancing, telling myself some of my favorite jokes and never losing that smile off my face.  To my surprise I was doing better than ever expected, well until I hit that 19 km mark.

Than I felt a sharp nerve pain fire off from my hip to the back of my right knee. If you have ever had a nerve fire as such, you know that you instantly start singing a different kind of a song.  Once I realized that this nerve pain on every step was not going anywhere, my only option was to have fun with it.  So I started talking to it, laughing at it and the next thing I knew I ran 2 more km with (her) as a pain in my side. he he

It seemed like it was at the exact time when I saw the 22 km sign, my right knee started to swell like a balloon.  I still had 1/2 a marathon to run.

My 1o min. run and 1 minute walk intervals turned to a 5 min. run and a 1 minute walk.

It took me a few more km to figure out a perfect movement with my hip in order to be able to run without bending my right knee too much.  One of my happiest moments – I was back on the move again.

You see at this point as far as I was concerned I had already finished the marathon, only thing left was to run over to the finish line and get my metal.

There is a big difference to the psyche from thinking what you want to accomplish and verbally speaking what you have already accomplished, in the near future.

-

Than came km 27 – my left knee decided to play a joke on me and started to swell up.  My first reaction was frustration at this point as I still had 15 km to go.  As soon as I got frustrated I started to realize how badly my body was really hurting, everything that could possibly hurt started to hurt at that point in time. And on top of that everything that should not be hurting also was hurting.

That was the best thing that could have happened to me

as it gave the the awareness how important my state of mind was at that moment in time.

Instantly I started singing again, moving my upper body like I was dancing to the music, put on the biggest smile on my face and visualized every molecule in my body crossing the finish line.  And magically the pain started to disappear, well at least lessen.

-

Well until I hit km 32.  I can’t bend my right knee, I have a nerve firing off from my hip to my right knee on ever step and now my left knee was getting harder to bend.  My feet were swollen and every step made my feet feel like they were being tenderized by a mallet.  That is okay, bring it on I told my self as there is only 10 km left.

Then came the practical joke of the day.  8 km left and I cannot bend either of my knees, and every step was excruciating pain at the top and bottom of my feet as they both were swollen and tender.

The last 8 km truly tested how committed I was to the 2 things I promised myself.  I will never give up and I will have fun.

It took me almost 2 km to figure out that the awkward hip movement run I was trying to do without bending my knees was slower than if I just tried to walk.

So the rest of the way instead of saying ouch with every step, I smiled, I laughed, I stared at the true colors around me, I passionately listened to the birds that were cheering me on with their singing and I took one step at a time.

The last 6 km did take for ever to finish, but crossing that finish line in the end knowing that I can always count on my promise to myself made it all worth while.  To me the greatest satisfaction was not the stupidity of running a marathon without training for it.  The satisfaction is to know I can believe in my commitments to myself.  How can we expect people to reply on our word to them if we cannot even rely on ourself.

I would never recommend the above, as I would be the first to say it was a stupid idea.  That being said, never forget what you are capable of achieving, have the courage to stretch and to fight for what you want.  We are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for.

-

5 Things I Took Away From This Journey

1. Have the courage to jump in and than commit to your actions.

2. The sign of a persons true character is one that will keep their promises to themselves.  When I want to know if I can trust someone, I want to know if they keep their own promises to themself.

3. No matter what your journey, slow down enough to cherish the colors around you, to listen to the sounds, to smile, to laugh and to dance with every step.

4. Never give up.

5. You can have fun in any situation – Never forget that!

-

I say to you, never give up and take every step towards your dreams, cherishing the fun in every moment of that journey.

Few days have passed and now I can ‘kind of’ where my shoes and ‘kind of’ walk again.

Happy Running

Losing weight is easy! The perfect diet is here –The Bucket Diet.

We have created a culture in our environment that consists of quick fixes, lack of delayed gratification and lack of awareness of the long term impact towards our health choices.

I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine that is highly respected in the Health and Nutrition Industry, Andrea Thatcher.  She put the basics on the plate for us “everyday folks.”

THE BUCKET DIET is as simple as:

Merely spit into a bucket until you’ve spat five pounds!  There…you’ve lost five pounds.  But…how do you feel?  You have indeed lost weight.  Is losing WEIGHT the real issue? Or is it losing FAT?

Three components make up your body:

• Water
• Lean Weight
• Fat

——–

Water: is the main ingredient of your body.

Second is lean weight:  Your muscles, bones, organs, and tissues.

Third is fat.

——-

Unfortunately, most diets disregard whether the weight loss is water, muscle, or fat.

Rapid weight loss will undoubtedly be from water that was stored in the body.  Unfortunately, results are short-lived: the body detects dehydration and responds with anti-diuretic hormones.  The result is subsequent water retention and bloating.  You’ll lose one pound for every two cups of water – and gain it all back when you drink again.

Layman’s terms: Absolutely useless and very dangerous for your organs.

————————

Low calorie diets (under 1200 calories per day) does not supply the food energy the body needs for normal function.

These diets can cause loss of muscle tissue – up to 45% of the lost weight, according to Dr. Michael Colgan.  Good muscle tone promotes a higher metabolism (the rate of burning energy) even at rest.

A low calorie diet signals “starvation” and triggers a fat-storing enzyme (YOUR BODY STORES FAT!).  This encourages fat retention (YOU GAIN MORE FAT).   Weight loss becomes unlikely (YOU DO NOT LOSE WEIGHT).  Clearly, a low-calorie, quick weight loss diet that leaves you listless, irritable, dehydrated and bloated, and ultimately fatter is not what you want.  It’s not just about the weight!

———–

Focus on losing fat while maintaining water and increasing muscle!

Decrease food intake calories (by no more than 20%) and increase your activity level to raise your metabolism.  Gradual weight loss of around one pound a week takes longer, but the loss will be FAT and is more likely to stay off permanently.

———-

Your body’s healthy, natural weight is determined by your

genetics and lifestyle.

At this weight you feel fit and able to participate in your chosen activities.  You’ll need between six months to a year of healthy lifestyle before your body settles at its healthy weight.

This means: eat healthy, exercise within healthy guidelines, get adequate rest and maintain a healthy attitude.

Dieting may cause a temporary weight loss,

but you’ll gain extra unwanted “baggage”.

By living a healthy lifestyle, you’ll lose fat weight, improve: energy, productivity, strength, endurance, sleep, SEX DRIVE, stress tolerance, immune system, risk from injury  – to name a few benefits.


Choose Healthy Living. Your Body Will Thank You.

For more information on healthy living visit:  Andrea Thatcher

Fred Sarkari

I can now see why they say the Apple Triathlon is the most respected Olympic Distance triathlon in all of Canada, where even our  world class OLYMPIC Athletes come to race at this event. Simon Whitfield, kyle Jones, Paul Tichelarr, Lauren Groves, Kathy Tremblay.

Karina Clark, 3 time world champion triathlete, said it best “Of the 30+ races I have done, including 3 World Championships, Kelowna remains my absolute favorite.  The volunteers are second to none. They are all helpful, friendly, and just super!”

I have spent the last decade going from one kind of event to another.  This by far was one of the most impressive events I have experienced.

I had the pleasure of experiencing this event from all points of view, as a volunteer, exposure to the amazing organizers and as a competitor.  From the beginning to the end, the joyful experience will stay with me for all time.

From the first time I met Mike Hassard, one of the main volunteers, he was a true example of what it mean to be of service to all those that crosses his path.

Through Mike I had the pleasure of meeting Richard Montgomery, the president of the Apple Triathlon.  With over 846 volunteers, 20+ races, sight of 5000 spectators, 1600 racers, Richard at no point, through the organization of the event or at the event it self, lost his well mannered and relaxed demeanor.  With a million things to keep organized that weekend, he still took the time to give me some guidance on my race at the event.  (Don’t let this grey haired man fool you, he is a true triathlete competitor at heart.)

All that being said, if anyone has raced in the Okanagan then they have heard the name Randy Sparrow.  Randy is the living legend known as the Race Director.  Randy has the ability to keep all the above organized and making the event run like a well oiled machine.

Even Greg Peters from Tri-Canada mentiond a note about Randy: “You continue to do a fantastic job, and I have no idea how you can keep so much information about the event in your head and recall it so quickly.”

Triathletes are a unique group of people, they have tapped into their internal drive to push their limits, to study their bodies peak performance, to commit when others only talk, but what truly makes them special is their desire to help others succeed.

In my last half of the run, I was cramped and had lost too much salt leading to spasms in my legs.  A competitor running beside me not only took the time to guide me from his years of experience but also helped me dig deep within myself and pacing me to the finish line.

The amazing staff from Kelowna Cycle who always take the time to guide me and share little secrets with me for race day preparation, thanks Tannille, and their encouraging words “just go do it and have fun”, thanks Mike.

One of my favorite moments was my first race ever.  I had never set up a transition area before.  As I was obviously fumbling my way through it an amazing girl came over and said “I can help you with this, both my parents are triathletes.”  Yes, she was 11 years old and shared the secrets she had learned from her parents.  I think she even passed me that day at the races.

I would like to take the time to thank all the volunteers, organizers, directors, sponsors and racers for showing me not only the love for this sport but also why the Apple Triathlon is the most respected in all of Canada.

Looking forward to experiencing the Penticton Ironman Canada this weekend.  Good luck to all the racers.

Fred Sarkari

Oh my god! Can it get any more confusing?  Eat this, don’t eat that, carb’s give you energy but they shoot your insulin level up, meat is bad for you, meat is good for you, eat eggs, eggs are bad for you.  What the (*&%^&^*)*(, no wonder people fall off the “eating well” wagon.

This fast paced world we have created along with all the fast foods on every block makes it very easy to indulge in our cravings.  

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults overweight – at least 300 million of them clinically obese.  

Those that have ever started in the path of eating healthy know that we start with enough enthusiasm that can move an army of people around us.  And most, within a week go back to their old habits of eating.  

Main Reason: We are confused with all the clutter of information making it too difficult to follow through. 

A few days ago I ate what I thought was healthy for me.  Next thing I knew the walk from the kitchen to my bedroom felt like I ran a marathon and 1.5 hours later I woke up from my sleep.   The food I ate was healthy but what I did not realize is that my body did not just want healthy food it needed the right combination of foods. 

I called my good friend Andrea Thatcher from BodySenseWelleness.ca, an expert in nutrition and fitness.

—

I asked Andrea, “Why did I feel like I wanted to fall a sleep after a healthy meal?”  Here was her response:

When we eat protien foods, carbohydrate foods and fat foods that are not in the correct ratio for our own body and our activity level, the body will send messages to teach us not to do that again.  We often don’t pay attention to these messages, and disregard them because we are told certain foods are healthy for us. We continue to eat what we are told is healthy for us, and continue to receive these negative messages from the body  These signals will come in the form of food cravings, headaches, anxiety, feeling tired or lethargic, feeling full but still hungry, feeling jittery, or feeling mentally slow to name a few.
 
It is best to pay attention to what your body is telling you as your body simply does not lie, or tell jokes or try to fool you. It is sending these messages to encourage you to stop doing what is causing harm – even if you have been told these foods are healthy.  For example, some will have negative responses to meat, others will have a positive response. It is unrealistic to suggest that all meat is all bad for all people all the time. 
 
When you eat in the right ratio you are left feeling happy, with no cravings, clear mental focus, good energy levels and will last comforatably for 2-4 hours between eating. 

—

Wow! makes so much sense.  At times we do makes things too complicated in our lives.  Most of us know what foods are over all considered good.  

The most important question to ask yourself is:  How does it make you feel?

I suggest everyone to do what Andrea put me through, a metabolic testing.  It tells you what kinds of food your body favors.  Are you more of a Carb or a Protein person.

Keep 2 things in mind as you start this journey.

1. How did it make me feel?

2. Test test test test – see how you respond to different foods and combinations of it. Keep your mind open as you are unique just like your DNA. One of a kind – so the only real way to know is to try it out and refine for the next time.

Stay healthy

Fred Sarkari

I was asked this question the other day by Andrea Thatcher, a fitness and health consultant.  Is your eyeball made out of a McDonald Big Mac or a Certified Organic food?

Andrea went to explain the complexity of our cellular regeneration in the most simplest terms:

When you cut your hand, do you need to do anything to make that cut heal? No, the body will heal that cut for you, and you don’t have to do a thing.
With that in mind, we need to ask why does the cut heal?  Well, it heals because the body is in a constant state of cellular regeneration.

We produce hair, nails, skin etc as the body repairs and rebuilds itself, and we don’t need to do anything to make this happen.

With that in mind, we need to ask what is fueling the body to regenerate all cells?

When you drive your $75000 car through the McDonalds Drive through, remember, that Big Mac could become your eye ball tomorrow…

Wouldn’t you rather a Certified Organic, all natural apple or steak regenerate your eyeball?

Andrea Thatcher
www.bodysensewellness.ca <http://www.bodysensewellness.ca>

—

3 Choices we make on a daily basis that impact who we become from the inside out:

ASSOCIATION: One of parents greatest fears is their children associating with the ‘wrong crowd’ as we know that they are a product of their environment.  Always be aware of who you associate with on a regular basis.

FEED THE MIND: We live in a negative environment.  Just like we take 20 min. a day to shower ourselves clean.  It is as critical to take 20 min. a day to inject positive thoughts into our mind.

REGENERATE YOUR BODY: Make sure your eyeball is not made out of greasy, unhealthy fast food.

Fred Sarkari