Power of the Mind - the Placebo Effect

Last month I discussed the key to happiness is to write things down, on the second installment of

Improving your life for the better I’m going to get into your mind.

 According to the book "59 Seconds - Think a Little, Change a Lot" from Richard Wiseman, Researchers at Harvard University studied over 80 hotel room cleaning attendants from 7 different hotels.   What they wanted to find out was;  Would telling the participants that their work was great exercise improve their health compared to those that didn't realize their work was in fact "exercise"?

  

Neither group changed their lifestyle.

Remarkably those who had been told how many calories they burned on a daily basis had lost a significant amount of weight, lowered their body mass index and waist-to-hip ration and decreased blood pressure.  The other group showed no similar change.

It was the power of the placebo that caused the health boost.  By reminding the attendants of the amount of exercise that they were getting on a daily basis, the researchers altered the attendant’s beliefs about themselves and their bodies responded to make these beliefs a reality. 

So merely thinking about their normal daily exercise made them healthier. 

That’s why at my classes I emphasis focus and giving effort.  If you are too busy talking to your exercise buddy than concentrating on your workout you drastically reduce your success.  .  I have a wide variety of participants and it’s that mental focus that tells them apart.  

At a recent Fitness Conference, one of the presenters Dr. Dean Kriellaars…. who is involved with the Cirque de Solei in Montreal stated that the Body and Mind are all one.  Working with some of the best conditioned athletes in the world he would know.  He also stated that you cannot get fit without participation.

So, when it comes to improving your health, don’t underestimate the power of your mind.  Visualize.  And remember, you may already be putting in the necessary effort, you just need to realize it…..

Spring Sessions start  soon – on Tuesday April 12 & Thursday April 14^th, 2016.

Register online at  http://www.localcourses.com : DYNABODY
See: St.James Continuing Education: 

Fitness / Aerobics / Challenging   SFT12-16 or SFT12-16
or type in "Dynabody" in the search box

or call: 832-9637 to Register by phone

 

 

** Crum, A.J. & Langer, E.J. (2007) Mind-set maters: Exercise and the placebo effect. Psychological Science, 18, 165-171

 

Are you Exercising or Training?

Ok,

Are you Exercising or Training?

Exercising - is moving without full engagement.

Exercising is physical movement.
Exercising is going through the motions.

Training is goal oriented.
Training is with a purpose, outcome and a result.
Training is pushing yourself to get optimum results.

So what are you doing????

Regrets

Not happy with your body but finding it difficult to motivate yourself to go to the gym? Harness the power of regret and avoid reflection.    According to Richard Wiseman, the author of 59 Seconds: Change your life in under a minute, taking a few moments thinking about how much you will regret NOT going to the gym will help motivate you to get going.

And when you get there, stay away from mirrors.  Researchers believe that the mirrors may encourage people to focus on their less than perfect bodies and do more harm than good.

Better yet, come out to this weeks Dynabody Total Fitness class.  You definitely won’t regret coming and you don’t have to worry about mirrors :0)

This Tuesday March 15 – Bannatyne School 6:30 pm

This Thursday March 17– Strathmillan School  6:30 pm

Can’t make it?  Mark it on your calendar – the spring session starts April 12^th and 14^th and goes until mid June. 

Hope to see you there!

Doug

A KEY TO HAPPINESS - WRITE IT DOWN!

I am reading an interesting book "59 Seconds - Think a Little, Change a Lot" from Richard Wiseman.

What I found was quite interesting is that a Key to Happiness boils down to writing things down.   Many people keep diaries on events but the important thing is to express gratitude for what transpired during the day.

This is even more important if you have been affected by an unfortunate event.  Writing encourages the creation of a story line and structure that help people make sense of what has happened and work toward a solution.

Expressing gratitude by writing down what transpired during the day rather than  on events makes you happier, more optimistic about the future and physically healthier – they even exercised more!

Professor Wiseman also suggested that you think about a perfect future and write about topics that will help create that happier future.  Just spend a couple of moments each day to write something into your "Affectionate Diary" and you will quickly notice a difference in mood and happiness.

Start today!

59 SECONDS – THINK A LITTLE, CHANGE A LOT  (page 20-22)  Richard Wiseman Copyright 2010 RandomHouse Canada

Newest trend? Not for the Dynabods!!

Well I just heard what’s the newest fad of fitness trends.   Can you guess?

Single Dumbbell workouts!

Wow!  I’ve been doing it for years at my fitness classes.  All the Dynabods would agree that doing a multi-functional workout with a single dumbbell not only works your major muscle groups but also activates your core stabilizer muscles.

Single Dumbbell workouts would be considered specialized Functional Training – the meat and potatoes of my classes.    This not only improves your strength and mobility but carries over into better posture and control as you have to isometrically maintain stability while working the other side of the body. 

And for those that do make it to my classes know, you need to use a heavy enough weight to make it worthwhile. I usually only bring 5 or 10 lb dumbbells at my first class of the session and hide them off in the corner – lol.   

Most of the newbies are surprised at what they can do when they take on a “can do” attitude and stop thinking that they “can’t” do that weight.  Of course safety is always number one priority, and when using a heavier weight maintaining the load throughout the motion is much easier on the body.  With a heavier weight there is less jerking and snapping of the joints, and thus, less chance of injury.

Plus you build strength rather than just go through the motions.   I like to use the example of painting a ceiling, you can do it for a long time and your shoulder gets sore.  But you didn’t strengthen the shoulder.  It’s just like going to the gym and seeing someone grab that 10 lb weight and rattle of 20 reps while chatting to their buddy.  A total waste of time!

Use of Single Dumbbells helps your body learn to adapt. This neurological adaptation brings a natural progression of your fitness abilities.  You activate more muscles fibers while concentrating form.  It has been a staple of my workouts for years! 

If you haven’t tried Single Dumbbell training I high recommend it.  It’s a great way to stay motivated, challenged and have fun. So grab that 20, 30 or 40 lb dumbbell and try it - you’ll love it!

Dynabody Fitness Classes for the New Year!

Start your New Year’s the right way!

10 Tuesdays starting  January 12th, 2016 

Class Code:  FFT15-15

 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Location:   Banatynne School,
363 Thompson Drive,
St. James Assiniboia, Winnipeg, MB
$89.00 for 10 classes

10 Thursdays starting January 14, 2016  
Class Code:  FFT20-15 

 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Location:   Strathmillan School,
339 Strathmillan Road,
St. James Assiniboia, Winnipeg MB

$89.00 for 10 classes

Register online at:

http://www.localcourses.com : DYNABODY

See: St.James Continuing Education: 

Fitness / Aerobics / Challenging   FFT15-15 or FFT20-15
or type in "Dynabody" in the search box

go online: http://www.localcourses.com/sjsd

Dynabody Fitness Bootcamp - Tuesdays from January 12th

Dynabody Fitness Bootcamp – Thursdays from January 14th

or call: 832-9637 to Register by phone

To get updated info. regarding the Fitness Bootcamps visit my website:  Dynabody.net or by emailing me at dynabody@gmail.com.

For Corporate/Employee Wellness visit: http://dynabody.ca

" True enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body; the two are ever united.”  Wilhelm von Humboldt

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO DYNABODS EVERYWHERE!

WISHING YOU A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEARS