A Good Hair Day!

WOW!  I had the most incredible customer service and treatment today.  It made every bone in my body tingle with excitement and made me feel so happy! A very important part to staying healthy by the way- being happy.  It was a simple thing, just getting my hair done, but the treatment, time and attention to detail were so amazing.

I consider myself an advanced client when it comes to my hair.  I love to try new things with color, make it bold, outrageous and pretty much just like to be different than the norm when it comes to this external accessory of mine. Trouble is, I never could seem to find a stylist who was either A: willing to try something a little outside of the box, or B: very good at listening to me and my goals for my hair.

That all changed today!!  Circumstances leading me to meet Tess, my new and most awesomely outrageous stylist, were rather interesting and ironic, too.   I got the lead yesterday after teaching my seminar, stopped off on a whim for a consult and got in today for my amazing experience. She spent, don’t freak out, 5 hours working on my hair….there were issues from my previous stylist that she needed to address to give me what I wanted.

Now that is customer service.  She didn’t judge me, she listened, took my needs into consideration and brought every bit of her technical training to the masterpiece.  She knew my goals were measureable and that with her training and my extra care at home it could work.  Very similar to how I train and educate my clients and participants. 

The whole experience is so similar to the fitness industry and our potpourri of trainers and instructors.  There are some good ones, some OK ones, some that do enough to get the job done and show minimal results with their consumers and then there are the “Shining Stars!”  They listen, learn, apply, educate, motivate and give you the honest, NO BS approach to help you reach your goals.  We love it when our clients do what we advise and see their results. 

We don’t bully, patronize, roll our eyes or act put-off when somebody states unrealistic goals or expectations, like some of my former hair stylists. We kindly educate them and steer them in the right direction with encouragement and compassion. We love our job and we appreciate our client’s business and referrals.  It’s good business and good manners!

I’m here to spread my enthusiam for this quaint, off the wall, little salon in Mill Creek, WA called Celsius Salon.  Vist their site at www.CelsiusSalon.com and check out their services.  If you’re looking for great results, someone who will listen to your needs and give your Rock Star service, ask for Tess.  Honestly, I was impressed with the entire staff…I don’t think you could go wrong with any of them.

Here’s to your good health, good experiences in life and most importantly, good hair days!

Amy

Self Massage your way to stress relief

I just grabbed a great little bit of info from one on my journals that I had to share with all fo you.  Since stress seems to be commonplace nowadays I always try to find ways to incorporate ideas into my clients lives and mine, too.

Here are some great little self-massage techniques put out by the Mayo Clinic Health Letter:

Wash your face- rub hands together until they are warm from friction. Place your palms on the forehead and pressing into your face, pull your hands down until your fingertips touch your chin. Circle your hands around your face a couple of times like you are washing it.

Palm your eyes- rub your hands togehter and cover your eyes with your palms. Hold for 30 seconds with your eyes open to receive the warmth of your hands.

Rub your ears- use the thumb and index finger on each hand to gently rub your outer ears until they are warm. Lightly pinch and press the whole ear.

Massage your shoulders- starting with one side, reach back to your shoulder and neck with one hand and press and knead the muscles in that area. Do both sides.

On a side note, I also add a little massage oil or aromatherapy oil to my temples and wrists to enhance the experience.  We’ve got a whole section of products available at Healthy Gatherings, too!

http://www.healthygatherings.com/Min_Aroma_Therapy.htmt

Stayin chill- Amy

What the Food Industry Doesn’t Tell the Consumer

Every once in awhile I’m surprised by a good, quality story getting mainstream media attention- especially when it has to do with health and fitness.  The Today show hit a home run for me today with their segment on Food Industry Secrets.  I’ve been telling my friends, family and whoever will listen to me these same things for years…..mabye they’ll listen now.

Watch, listen, learn and take accountability for your health and well being. 

To your health-Amy

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/18424824#27319426

More Fall Camps are Coming!

Just to let you all know I will be offering more camps this fall starting the week of November 10th.  I have the full schedule up on my site at:

http://www.fitnessgatherings.com/bootcamp.htm

Check it out and sign up soon.  These camps will fill up fast with the indoor location, but will gaurantee you results if you commit to get fit!

Sounding off- Amy

PS- You can also check out the blog at http://fitnessgatherings.wordpress.com and follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/fitbomar

Holidays Are Among Us

I attended a wedding last night that had the most creative “groomscake” idea I’ve seen in a while.  They had jars of candy, bubble gum balls, candy corn, Mike and Ikes, that you filled into your own personal little bag.  Brilliant!  You don’t have to eat the yucky wedding mints, rather you pick your preference and enjoy your little morsels.  I especially enjoyed the candy corn, one of my all-time favorites for the fall holiday season.

This creative “groomscake” idea (actually it was all the candy corn I ate) also reminded me that the holidays are starting and we all need to take a deep breath, prioritize our health and get ready for all the temptations that spring up on us at these annual festivities.  Halloween usually starts the journey into candyland, while New Year’s Eve wraps up the year and normally brings the start of a fresh New Year, and new goals to lose weight, eat better and start exercising.

How about this?  Let’s make the holiday season a time to start taking care of ourselves, to eat tempting foods in moderation, to exercise more regurlary (to combat seasonal higher calorie food intake) and utilize strategies to decrease stress.  Make it a personal challenge- avoid giving in to the gluttonous behavior that seems to strike us all during this time of the year and take charge of your health. 

H= Healthy, make healthy choices

O= Oxygen, bring it in to your body with regular exercise

L= Less, pick smaller servings of your indulgent/tempting foods and activities

I= Intensity, pick it up within your current workouts to combat extra consumed calories

D= Daily, get daily bouts of some form of cardio/flexiblity exercise

A= Appreciate, everything in your life that is positive, good and supportive to you

Y= You, take time for yourself in the midst of this holiday season (20-30 min a day)

Here’s to lesser cany corn consumption and more fun this holiday season!

Cheers,

Amy

Don’t call me sugar!

I always find it interesting when my friends tell me that they are going on a low-sugar diet, but smother their whole grain waffles in syrup, or squeeze 1/2 of the honey bear into their tea.  Sugar, in all its forms, is a carbohydrate fuel like it or not.  It is necessary fuel that the body is designed to use for energy, and it is essential for the proper functioning of the central nervous system- you know that brain and spinal cord of yours. 

There is still sugar in milk, honey, syrup, fruit, breads, cereals, juices, alcohol and vegetables.  You need grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy to maintain healthy dietary balance, but those other “simple” forms of sugar are often disguised in cute little names and will reek havoc on your waistline and metabolic abilities.

Just in case you’re wondering…..here is a list of some common names used to describe those “simple” sugars.  Look for them on your food labels and ingest them in moderation.

Staying sweet- Amy

Finding Sugar on Food Labels

Dextrose Lactose Fructose Sucrose Glucose (dextrose) Maltose

Corn Syrup Corn Sweetener Syrup Honey Fruit juice concentrate Molasses High-fructose corn syrup

Brown Sugar Granulated Sugar Raw Sugar Table Sugar Inverted Sugar Cane Sugar

Outdoor Fitness Solutions

Even if you don’t belong to a gym or have a home workout room stocked with tons of equipment you can still receive excellent training benefits from the great outdoors.  There are plenty of refreshing ideas and opportunities outdoors that can take a traditional workout off the beaten path, and give any exerciser a chance to work up a sweat without investing money in a club or special equipment.

A complete workout that includes, cardio, muscle conditioning and flexibility training can all be done with just your bodyweight and a few outdoor objects and creativity.  All it takes is a little imagination and the power of observation of your local surroundings to create a fantastic adventure and your own club without walls.  Below is a mini-sample of an outdoor workout session that you can use to get started with your outdoor fitness workouts.

Cardio: walk/jog/run on local trail, beach or sidewalked area around your home.  After a 5 minute warm-up incorporate 30-45 second intervals of harder intensity work (if walking go to a light jog, jogging speed up to a run) with 2 minute recovery at lighter intensity.  Repeat 6-7 times before moving to strength.

Strength: you’ll need a park bench, tree and curb to do the next 8 exercises (aim for 2 sets of 15-20 reps, resting 30 seconds between). 

*Lower Body-step ups to park bench, wall sit against a tree trunk, calf raises using curb

*Upper Body-push-ups using park bench, dips using park bench, plank position using park bench with opposite arm and leg extended

*Core- seated on bench V-sit with knees to chest, seated on bench, feet on ground torso rotations (lean back a little)

Flexibility Training: use the bench for balance and stretch all the muscle groups involved in your workout.

There you have it!  A simple fitness solution for the gym weary and outdoor lover.  You can also check out local fitness pros who offer outdoor fitness boot camps or workouts.  These are generally offered in sessions for a fee, but gives you an organized workout that is supervised by a professional who can modify and challenge you to your next fitness level.  Check out this blog to view the local camp news from my latest boot camp: http://www.fitnessgatherings.wordpress

Get outside and play, and enjoy every moment that the great outdoor adventure brings you.

Amy Bomar, BS, CPT