Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Blog

A journey to impermanence and detachment.

2012-03-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

On January 21th 2012 my sister was transferred to ICU in Ottawa with a critical health issue which nearly took her life away.
After spending 8 days in a highly stressed environment, I felt scared, confused and peaceful all at once. It is like my fear of losing my sister has come to reinforce my acceptance and understanding of the laws of impermanence and detachment. During the time I visited her at the hospital, I nervously felt like filling up a gap with answers and reassurance to feed my mind. Because of the overwhelming nature of the situation, I also had to let go of all the scenarios about what could or what would happen to her if...
When pushed outside of our comfort zone, we as human being always try to search for an answer, a lesson to learn, or a meaning. I don't understand? Why me? What is happening? The truth is, life doesn't need to justify itself, nor it needs to give us reasons for creating, maintaining or destroying. Nobody knew exactly what happened to her. Even the most qualified doctors didn't have all the answers.Our ego mind excels at searching, wondering and questioning in an infinite loop until we fall into a maze.We must welcome the reality of our life whatever it is we are facing, like we breathe in and out automatically. It is the fastest way to free ourselves from suffering. Retained feelings and painful memories can be toxic to our mental health . Like our lungs release carbon dioxide, and allow oxygen to nourish our body, the mind has to process the same way what he lets in and out. Most of us have coping mechanisms to deal with personal issues Exercising , communicating, and creating, are some of the possibilities to channel in a positive and a constructive way the negativity generated by a trauma. But what if coping is not sufficient to alleviate the psychological and physical effects of a traumatic experience? When I was waiting at the hospital for my sisters to wake up, I tried to meditate, to talk to people, or to entertain myself, but none of this actually worked at that time. Then I decided to allow the void within, without trying to fill up the blank. My sister inspired me, when I observed her trusting intuitively the process of her serious situation, as she surrendered to life with no attachment to outcome, as she surrendered to the void. How much do we truly know about ourselves until we stop hanging on to our intellect and our certitudes to rule our existence? The void is the infinite solver of all questions, because there are no response to be found, nothing to understand or to grasp. From that space, I found just enough serenity within to help me keeping mental clarity during this time of confusion. It seemed to be the secret path which lead me to stay in the "here and now". It is a short bypass to avoid the trials and tribulations of the ego mind, often on a quest for irrevocably, continuously and compulsively trying to explain what is not always understood.

Going back to the genesis of Zenergie.

2011-09-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

After being a professional in the fitness industry for the past 25 years, I consider myself very fortunate to make a living from my healthy lifestyle. My passion for sport fitness and overall wellness comes from a long way. As far I can remember, I have always been physically active playing soccer and practicing Martial arts. One of my best inspiration was my father, who as a good mentor, and even a better doctor, used to tell me, that the most important thing to be healthy, was to make sure that the body and the mind remain balanced: "men sana in corpore sano". He also talked to me about mental and physical homeostasis.

Since the age of 4 years old , I would spend quite a bit of time following him around, when he was doing his martial arts , and his meditation practice.He would also take me often to his clinic where he would show me anatomical charts of the human body. His motivation to teach me about anatomy was combined with spiritual and metaphysical lectures about the meaning of life. Such as "our time on Earth is short, so we should use it meaningfully to help others". Most of the time I didn't care about his long speech. As a young boy, I just wanted to go play outside with my friends. Much later, I have realized that most of what he has told me, has stayed deep inside my mind, even up to this day.

As a Physician, he was a big advocate of treating his patients using natural medicine, combined with conventional treatment. He used to tell me that the body has its own healing mechanism, and we have all it takes within us to heal without using too many drugs. In the 70's, he opened one of the first clinic in France where patients could be treated with Homeopathy , Acupuncture, Manual therapy and Western medicine.
It was unconventional, and very risky at that time , especially in France. My whole family and I were also treated for years, when needed, with his method of health .Forty years have passed, and nowadays many Physicians commonly integrates alternative treatment into their practice.

At the age of 21 years old, a terrible event rocked my life. The passing of my dad left me empty and lost. What do you do as a young man when suddenly the pillar of your life disappears? This big hole had to be filled up one way or another.Without my father around as my mentor and my educator , I was forced to realize that I was now the creator of my own life.

We cannot control our life's challenges, but we can at least control how we cope with them. I have learnt many great things from my dad , but he never taught me how to live without him. Probably because he thought, that he would be looking after us forever.

Zenergie was born in my mind, the day I felt that I had to use the knowledge he gave me to start reconstructing myself. The timing was perfect to put into action what I was taught. That is what I called later in my self defense program , "Making the best of a bad situation". Each challenge in life is an opportunity to grow.

When the body or the mind is hurt, there is a natural order of healing that we shouldn't try to interfere with.
Acceptance is the key to a better and a faster recovery. Recognizing the damages caused by a trauma is the hardest , most of the time we tend to resist to the fact that we are hurt .But what we resist always persists, so learning acceptance is crucial.

Being in the NOW was another thing that my dad taught me .In order to allow healing within us, one must try not to revive the memory of suffering from the past.
Staying connected to the HERE and NOW concept was a big savior for me. I remembered how my dad used to sit quietly in Meditation, recovering from a long day at work. So I decided to start meditating. Trying to pacify my nervous mind, and to control my shallow breathing, was a big challenge for me.But after few months, I could find more peace and serenity within.

During that difficult time, I met a Chinese doctor who helped me out with Acupuncture and Qi gong. One day, he gave me some Acupuncture needles and prescribed Qi gong exercises, and he told me" I want you to practice on yourself, when you are not feeling well, do these points and you will feel better " So very methodically, I practiced the acu points on my body, and I did the Qi gong .I was able to deal by myself with minor anxiety symptoms. By being in charge of my own health, I felt more and more convinced that I could heal much faster. Fascinated with my Chinese doctor's eastern knowledge of the human body and mind , I decided later to go back to school, and in 1994 I became a Clinical Acupuncturist.

Reconstructing yourself , is called "Pro-active rehabilitation" , which means that you become actively involve with your own health. From an "inactive patient" you become "actively impatient to heal".

The body often feels weak and vulnerable after you have lost a loved one. It's like all my physical energy was sucked in by the grieving process. So I needed to regain my physical strength. I was 23 years old, when I took a membership in one of the local Fitness center of my home town.. Each day, I would show up for my work out , and after few weeks, I begun regaining muscle and cardio strength quite fast. It is amazing how much the body can remember, when it has been trained for a long time.We say that the mind has a memory , but so does the body.

Looking at my great progress, the fitness owners recommended me to apply to the National school of sports and fitness to become a Fitness instructor. In 1987, I registered to take the program, and I graduated in 1989. Three intensive years, where I was able to learn physiology, anatomy, methodology of training for special population. All the students from my class and myself shared the same passion; which was to stay fit and healthy, so we could help others.

Zenergie is more than a business , it has been a way of living for me for over 2 decades. It is has now become a concept which combines various health related services to help people seeking better health. I have applied in my life and in my work, the knowledge I have received from great teachers and mentors.They all said the same thing " Courage, determination and commitment are the 3 treasures of personal growth". That's true, we most often learn and progress physically or psychologically through hard work and dedication.

When my clients come to me with their own personal needs, seeking better health or trying to cope with an illness, I know that I can make a positive difference into their life. Because I was once in their situation, I can understand them better through my own experience.

Over the past 4 years, Zenergie has attracted other professionals who have added quality to the company. Together, we have built a strong connection based on a similar philosophy of wellness, which has created the true spirit of Zenergie.What connect us, is our desire to motivate, inspire and educate everyone who wants to engage in the path of better health.

We are the change

2011-06-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

Hello all;

What happened last night in Vancouver was a pure reflection of individualism. Most young people do not know how to connect collectively with each others anymore, and when they do, they lose control. It is not a recent problem, but it is rising in intensity.Our youth is sad and lonely, and the only way for them to express it, is to create violence.The black blocks, the Skins parties, the raise of suicidal rate among youngsters, are manifestations of this internal violence, who is unheard. 'Without a compass, one cannot find its heart" This old chinese proverb means that without any ideal , any vision or a dream, we are lost.

It is exactly what is happening to our youth . No compass, no path to follow. The proof is, that It took only a hand full of thugs to ignite downtown, but as I was watching TV until 2 am, I realized that the few trouble makers had multiplied into larger groups. Most of these kids who were involved later, didn't even seem to know why they were fighting. No compass.

We live in a modern society where ME tends to be primary and WE secondary. Me me me! Most people don't listen, most people don't communicate from heart to heart, from soul to soul. Cell phones and computers have taken over.Our world of communication has become anti communicative. Our youth needs to be heard from the heart. Hockey like any other mass entertainment activities is a catalyst which concentrates for a short period of time an enormous amount of energy. When trapped for too long, it can be devastating. Alcohol and drugs only help to unlock this energy within each individuals. But don't be fooled, it is not the drugs and the alcohol which is responsible for the chaos we saw last night. There are only suffering masking substances . No compass.

I have a beautiful boy who is now even more scared of the world that he was before, how am I suposed to make him feel more secure, if as a father I do not take action to be the change in my world. We are the compass. I have heard today that 15 .000 people have offered their help to clean downtown. I would like to do that for my boy, and for our kids, to show them that the majority of us walks to the light, and care for each others.

If you resonate with my words, come and join me. Let's get organized and all go together to clean our city. ONE ACTION is better than a 1000 words.

I don't want to appear too cynical, so I apologize in advance to those who think that I am .This is my point of view, and I invite you all to share your opinion with me

I wish you all a great day.

Christian

Improving our health care system

2011-06-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

For the past 20 years I have nurtured the idea that Canada would become a world leader in medical care by making alternative health and fitness services tax deductible or, covered by our medical system. The project to socialize our health care is aimed at not only improving the health of our population, but also to aid in a better economy for this sector of business.

Nowadays, most political debates are about how to pay for health care, and do not address the other problem that is rising, which is the need to redefine the fundamentals of health care. The world has the belief that health requires outside attention only, which it does, when the body or the mind are ill.

For centuries, other cultures have included in their health care system the concept that good health is partly the result of living in harmony with the universal laws. Healing occurred inside the body, and most outside intervention will not make you healthier in the long run if your own self healing mechanism (immune system) is not conditioned to respond, or doesn’t adapt fast enough to an illness.

Conventional treatments do have a positive impact on the body, however they would be more effective if people with special considerations would be given as a complementary service, "customized health prevention programs" geared to reinforce their vitality.

These would include, lifestyle changing habits such as diet- exercises- and stress control methods...

One of the key work of Traditional Chinese medicine is to explore ways to increase internal resistance, so the body could resist harmful influences more effectively. ( Yang shen fa)

By embracing this principle, funding educational programs would be fundamental and essential to our health care system which could emphasis "practical" health prevention.

Canada has already moved forward in this direction and has stated to provide programs based upon this principle. These programs need to be more available to the people who need them the most (our children- our elderly, the sick people and specially the low income population). Re: Social health care system.

My belief is that the role of the integrated health and fitness industry is to search for more health alternatives to insure Canadians a healthier lifestyle.

The most cost effective option would be a health care system that teaches us how to remain in good health until we are elderly and how to prevent illness. Integrated health and fitness services with an emphasis on strengthening our healing system should be a part of the medical care system. This, in the long run will save our population money because in many cases the body can heal itself, or, at the very least, improve its health.

Empowering the people and giving them the tools they need to be in charge of their own health is our ultimate goal. What they know about their own health now, is what will keep them healthier in the future.

About healing...

2011-05-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

We all know how much life's challenges can affect us all. For many years, I have wondered why do we feel so exposed when we are going through life transformation ? After experiencing deep suffering myself few times in my life, I am convinced there is ALWAYS a stable and strong presence within us, when trapped in the middle of chaos and confusion,. Surprisingly, being exposed and feeling vulnerable seem to have the potential to release our inner strength.

It is our higher self steadily waiting for us at the end of the tunnel. At any critical point in our life, and in any circumstances, it is there for us. We shouldn't have any doubt about this. To access it, we need to fully accept the situation we are living, and completely surrender. Some will call it FAITH; I call this recognition of the divine within you. We must look at our life's challenges as a journey, and not a destination, to encounter who we truly are .Which is our sacred part who will guide us through healing process.

Experiencing physical or emotional suffering shouldn't be taken as a life sentence, but only as a conduct. The circumstances and the consequences of our diseases are less important than the attitude we use to approach them. The key is to focus on our inner strength to cope with any challenging situations, and not so much on the outcome of a problem. Our clear intention to heal will ignite our power within, which in fact, is the engine to find better health.

If we pay too much attention to the manifestations of an illness, we lower our vibrations to the level of fear and worries. Sooner or later we will dissociate to the past or to the future. We need to remain in the moment, here and now, in fusion with the present, if we want to regain control of our health.

Before we can allow healing in our body and mind, we must make it very clear that we want to be freed from suffering. Worries and fear act are like toxins, they create a shield between us and what we need to accomplish in order to heal. It is essential to acknowledge that fear and worries are there, but one shouldn't let them leading the way. The question is how do we stop them from interfering with us? Simply by accepting them as they are (nothing really!) without resistance. What we resist always persist. We are not our fear, it is simply an illusion.

Easter, Spring, Renewal

2011-04-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone,

This weekend is Easter. Religious or not, the metaphor is strong: rebirth, renewal. It is a theme that one cannot miss in the bounty of beauty that we see everywhere we go on a fine morning like today.

I am reminded of the "renewal" that I witness daily, year round in my personal training, self-defense and massage clients. Independent of age, gender or capacity, each person in their own way, at their own pace experiences renewal.

As I work with both the body (personal training, yoga, Qi-gong, Tui-na massage) and mind (meditation, breathing, Yang Shen Fa) of my clients at Zenergie, I bear witness to renewal in both of these hemipsheres of our being.

Clients have overcome cancer, depression, loss of capacity and far more than can be listed here. But the thread of continuity that weaves together all stories of recovery is the idea that body and mind are inseparable. To work with one without the other, to pay attention to one without the other - is really not possible. Even if there is no conscious intent to renew the mind, it follows that mental function, for example, improves through regular exercise. Meditation, although a subtle mental practise, weeds out bodily stresses, and often the aches and pains that accompany a stressful life melt away as relaxation infuses the body.

Renewal and rebirth are the result of paying attention to one's physical and mental well-being. It is almost automatic that one follows the other. And the process begins with the first step. It may be as simple as taking a half-hour walk each day where relaxation, mindfulness and breathing are the focus. Try it for yourself for four days in a row. Pressed for time? Start with 15 minutes of a walk in your own neighbourhood in the evening. See how you feel the next day.

I am always grateful to witness the progress of renewal in my clients. It inspires me and confirms my belief that conscious living through healthy choices is the most powerful medicine we have.

Thanks for reading,
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

Zenergie launches revamped web site!

2011-04-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness has been online with a graphically rich web presence for the past 4 years. Being just “pretty” won’t get you found by those people looking for holistic health and fitness services. Zenergie needed to be found. To that end, Zenergie has re-designed our web site. Web standards are constantly changing and evolving, our new web site is fully HTML5 and CSS3 compliant, friendly to search engine optimization and has the built-in flexibility to adapt to new content. So, look for changes and adaptations in zenergie’s web site. If you come in to check out our studio, like what we offer and become a client, expect changes and adaptation with your health and fitness issues and challenges. At Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio, we believe true wealth is your health. Best wishes from our new blog!

Sincerely,
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

Yang Shen Fa: the way of maintaining health and increasing longevity

2011-04-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today I would like to introduce you to a different vision of health and fitness brought to us by the ancient Chinese art of Yang Shen Fa : the way of maintaining health and increasing longevity.

The Taoist monks of China created Yang Shen Fa. Their belief was that all beings on Earth included Human follow “Dharma”, which is the fundamental source of all order and phenomena in the universe. In other words, Dharma is the universal law ruling the creation of life.According to them health issues can come from different horizons, such as the external environment, genetics, emotions, diet and lifestyle, the monks used to help people remain healthy by using:
natural medicine,exercises, meditation, and proper diet. Their focus was to pay more attention to the constitution of their patients rather than treating only the symptoms.

They looked at a patient's profile from the physical, emotional and spiritual perspective to determine the origin of their problems. Their goal was to help them to remain fit by teaching them how to be in charge of their own health. The doctors monk were paid only if they succeeded to keep their patients vigorous .They believe that one must take good care of himself to reach maximum longevity so as to be able to lengthen his/her spiritual development.

This is what they recommended to their patients;

To preserve vitality:

Adapt your diet to your lifestyle
Meals must be taken at regular hours
Sleep at regular hours
Alternate rest and work period evenly
Balance 5 flavors: Acid-bitter-soft-pricking-salted
Avoid strenuous physical activity
Keep moving, life is motion

To find inner peace:

Be responsible for your choices and actions
Live half for yourself half for others
Enjoy your own company
Practice compassion and empathy
Avoid misery

To avoid energy loss:

Find the best solution to your problems from your point of view and move on ASAP
Solve your conflicts and correct your errors ASAP
Live your life fully in the present, neither in the past or in the future
Don’t pay attention to judgment and criticism
Limit your desires to what is necessary and vital for your life.
Avoid competing
70% is perfection

Seven patterns of healing:

Don’t take NO for answer. An illness is not a life sentence.
Actively get knowledgeable and educate yourself about your own health
Establish a network communication with other patients.
Make gradual changes in your lifestyle.
Look back at the progression of your illness to find the meaning of it.
Cultivate an attitude of resistance to impact the body natural healing capacity.
Sometimes it good to look back in the past to see what heritage our ancestors have left behind them for us to use, in order to cope with some of the health challenges that we are dealing with in our modern world. May be we can apply some of that knowledge to our life today, to make a positive difference for ourself.

Have a healthy week end everyone.

Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness

The Importance of Warming-Up

2011-03-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

Let's talk about the importance of warming up in your training program. If done correctly a warm up can have a lots of beneficial effects on your work out and consequently on your health.
What is happening in your body when you warm up?
When you begin to exercise you are stimulating your cardio respiratory, neuromuscular and metabolic system. Your muscles contraction will demand more oxygen. You will notice a change in your heart rate and breathing rate. As your metabolism increases, your blood moves faster through your circulatory system to be directing to your muscles. More heat and oxygene is released into the muscle fibers, allowing them to use glucose and fatty acids in order to burn calories and make energy available for your training. This gradual physiological response gives the body the time to adapt to a higher intensity training phase.
Frequently asked questions about warming up:
How long do I warm up for? Usually 10 minutes.
When is my body ready for work out? Use biofeedback, notice and observe the physical signs during the warm up phase ( see above)
What intensity do I start my warm up? Start slowly ( 20 -30% of your Max capacity) and increase intensity until your heart rate goes up to your training zone( Average 120-130 BPM)
Don't confuse cardio training with warming up. A warm up is included in your cardio training time.
The benefits of a good quality warm up are:
More calorie burning by increasing your core body temperature.
A more forceful contraction of the muscles.
Prevention of injuries by improving the elasticity and the contractibility of your muscles.
Prevention of the buildup of lactic acid in the blood.
Improves joint range of motion.
Lubrification of your joints.

Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

Core Muscles: What Are They?

2011-03-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

Today I would like to talk to you about core muscles. What are they really?
Most people use the word "core" without a proper understanding of the muscles involved, and how should they be used.What we are talking about is a group of muscles which makes the connection between your lower and your upper body. Having a strong core will make your body more resistance to any external forces that are applied to the body. Primarily, your core acts has a belt which wraps your mid section in order to protect and stabilize your spine.
The muscles which makes the core are:
Abdominals; Transverse abdominals- Obliques- Rectus abdominis
Back: Erector spinae
Hips: Gluteus- Ilio psoas
Legs: Hamstrings
Your core muscles are not just stabilisers, they also have motor functions and they should be trained from all directions.That is why we always make sure that we spend some time with you working on them at each sessions, so you body can be more functional.
Have a nice week end, and see you all next week for more core exercises.

Buying Running Shoes

2011-03-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

Tip of the week...buying running shoes
Shoes are the only thing that stands between and the sole of our feet and the ground and the only protection for the feet. They absorb the impact we make when running or walking.
Exercise shoes can be divided into two categories: running and walking shoes. These two can further be divided into "on the road" shoes and "off-road" or "trail" shoes.
Walking shoes are generally heavier, may have less ventilation and less technical features then the running shoe. Trail shoes have better grip, which helps while walking or running on the loose ground. Running, as well as some walking shoes have some features to help correct the bio mechanical imperfections of our feet such as over/under pronation. They may have roll bars to control the foot movement, or may have stiff or soft midsole.
The best time to buy new shoes is late in the afternoon when our feet are a bit swollen from the daily activities as they will swell a bit during long walks or runs. Go to a specialized shoe store with experienced staff, preferably runners, ask questions such as "how many miles a week do you run?" etc. Avoid being taken by flashy colours or certain brand of shoes. There is no the best shoe, only the best shoe for your needs.

Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

More About Heart Rate Monitoring

2011-03-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

A while ago I wrote about heart rate monitors (HRM). Now when you have it, just how do we train with it? HRM show the effort at which we train and there are five zones of training with different intensities.
1. The Moderate Activity Zone
    HR is 50-60% of Max HR. You are not running at full speed, training in this zone will indeed increase your speed and strenght. Your body is going to be getting into shape by burning a higher blend of fat calories than carbohydrate calories for its fuel. You can run "long, slow distances" in this zone.

2.Weight Management Zone
   HR is 60-70% of Max HR. At this level, you will strenghten your heart and give it the opportunity to work at its optimum level. Training at this level will work your heart hard enough for it to get stronger and be ready for a steady, pain-free, moderate pace.

3.The Aerobic Zone
   HR is 70-80% of Max HR. Training your respiratory system is what increases your endurance. If you are able to jog a mile in this zone in 10 min., in few weeks you should be able to jog the same distance in less time in the same zone. If you wan to be fitter, faster and stronger, train in this zone.

4. The Anaerobic Treshold Tone
    HR is 80-90% of Max HR. The discription of the training in this zone would be "hard". The benefits of exercising in the anaerobic treshold zone are primarily for those who are interested in high performance training.

5.The Red Line Zone
    HR is 90-100% of Max HR. You should train in this zone only if you are very fit. It means "puting pedal to the metal" and run at full speed for brief period of time. The description of training in this zone can be quit colourful and full of expletives :). It feels as if you can't breathe enough oxygen and that you heart wants to jump out of your chest. This training increases your speed.

Happy training!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

Heart Rate Monitoring: tech and low tech

2011-02-21T13:35:00.000-08:00

I wanted to say a few words about hear rate monitoring and the valuable information derived from both active and passive heart rate monitoring. Of the two, the low tech ability to feel your heart rate at any time by finding an artery under the skin to palpate with your fingers, is a source of great information about your overall health and well-being at this moment in time. More on this is a minute (no pun intended).

Until about 15 years ago HRM were accessible only to elite athletes. Today, with the advanced technology, HRM are available at almost any sports store. They range from less then $100 with just a few basic features, to a mini wrist computer that can be wirelessly connected to your computer and show you your progress in a coloured graph as well as temperature/humidity compensation for similar runs, GPS measured distance, elevation etc. When choosing the HRM, one should take into account ones needs. Recreational athletes don't need all the features that a competitive athlete may want. The key features are heart rate and stopwatch. Additional features may include upper and lower HR range with alarms, interval timer, GPS for distance,elevation and speed, calories burned based on age and weight, software for analysing your workout and many more.

HRM are an indispensable tool for monitoring your training. If you run/swim/bike the same distance at the same pace as a few months before, but with lower average HR, it means that your training has been effective.

Enough about active heart rate monitoring. Let’s consider the low tech wisdom of paying attention to your heart rate while passive. The information obtained from passive heart rate monitoring relates to recovery and is a good barometer of general health and well-being. A benchmark for this sort of valuable information is your morning heart rate. I am referring to your heart rate upon natural waking, of course, not after the alarm or clock radio has yanked you from a deep sleep to a heart rate of 100 beats per minute!

If you haven’t tried monitoring your morning heart rate it is easy. Gently feel your chest, wrist, ankle, deep abdomen (if you are normal weight) or other areas where an artery can be palpated. Count the number of beats you feel in a ten second period. Start your counting with the word “zero” (at the moment of starting the count) and count the number of beats you feel in that 10 second period.

Try keeping a morning heart rate journal for a period of 30 days. You may want to keep a journal in general once you begin working with the professionals at Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio. As outward training is also an inward journey, you will want to “log the miles” so to speak.

As a general rule, the lower your morning heart rate, the better rested and recovered you are. When your waking pulse is higher than normal, use that information wisely. Rest versus over do it. Avoid stimulants like caffeine, drink plenty of fluids, breath and avoid stress. This is answering the call of your body’s inner wisdom, expressed outward as a natural piece of bio-information presented to you by your attention!

Thank you for reading,
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

How To Start Running

2011-01-21T15:07:00.000-08:00

HOW TO START RUNNING
Running is one of the simplest fitness activities. Just put on a T-shirt, shorts and lace up your shoes and off you go. But what if you have never run before? What do I need to know before I go? Is running that simple? As with many activities, setting a goal, however small, is a good start. Do I want to run 5km, a marathon or just 1km? It is all good, remember, it is your goal, your run.
When setting off for the first time a good way to start is to run for time rather than distance. You can start with 5 min running away from your home and 5 min back. Too short? Run 5 more minutes.
Another good way to start is to do run-walk breaks. Run for 1min-walk 1 min. As you progress increase the running time and decrease the walking time.
Often, a question is by how much to increase the time or distance. A good rule is 10-15%. Sure, 10% of a minute is only 6 seconds and 10% of a kilometer is only 100m but the rule is not set in stone. If the added time/distance is too short, feel free to increase it.
Also, consider inviting a friend to join you or join a running group. These both may help you stay commited and increase the fun factor.

Thanks for reading,
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

Christmas and Hannukah Message 2010

2010-12-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas and Hannukah are here, and we may wonder whether or not we should exercice during the holidays season. In the past years people have told us that they feel guilty about the wonderful pleasure they have had with friends and familly; that they should have eaten less and be more active. Most of the time our motivation to stay fit will pump us up to remain physically active, but sometimes we lose our stamina and keep making excuses for what we really know is important: Like staying healthy all year long. But we can't blaim ourself for this either; Christmas and Hannukah are about joy and pleasure after all..

Nowadays, with the recent apparition of Yoga - Meditation- Qi gong- Pilates as new forms of "soft" fitness training methods, our options are multiples to stay fit and healthy. These body mind methods are a wonderful way to be active around Christmas and Hannukah.

We don't always have to work out hard to be fit, and Zenergie team agrees that we all need to slow down periodically to help our body and our mind to recover. That is why, Yoga and Qi gong, for instance, offer great alternatives to keep our body flexible, functional, and mobile for the holidays season.
Knowing that we have many options available to remain in shape during the Christmas vacation, takes away the guilt of not exercising at all.

If you need some help with your training program , we will gladly spend some time with you to give you free advices to go through the festivities of the holidays.

Best Wishes,
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

More About Overtraining

2010-12-21T15:03:00.000-08:00

Today's tip of the week is about overtraining.
The improvements in our fitness is not happening during the workout. It is happening during the rest time. During the workouts we create muscle damage (the muscle soreness we sometimes feel). and fatigue. When we rest, our body repairs this damage, and clears the lactic acid. If we don't allow enough recovery time, over time a state of overtraining will set in. It manifests itself as an elevated resting heart rate, constant fatigue, difficulties sleeping, lack of motivation to train, irritability...To avoid overtraining we must allow for a rest time and proper nutrition. A good nutritious meal (carbs and protein)should be consumed no longer then an hour after the workout when our body is the most receptive to absorbing the nutrients. Two consecutive rest days are always better then one. A light workout (active recovery) between hard training days is also fine. This could be easy swimming, going for a walk...

Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

Injury Prevention: the Four Golden Rules

2010-11-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

How do you prevent injury while you are training?
The Four golden rules:
Warm up: The muscle groups should be warm before every training session.
Maintain good posture: Incorrect posture can easily lead to injuries. If you start to lose your posture, stop the exercise and reposition yourself.
Listen to your body: If anything hurts while you're training, reduce the intensity of the exercise.
Stretch: It is important to finish your exercises with stretching.

If you need more information about how to implement the knowledge that we provide you, don't hesitate to ask one of our trainer at your next visit to the studio.

Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studi

Awareness of Overtraining

2010-11-21T12:35:00.000-08:00

I hope you have had a positive week. Today I would like to talk to you about tiredness due to overtraining, or a lack of recovery between your training sessions;

FACT:

Too much exercise will often cause micro trauma to muscles, and to the connective tissues. And without good recovery, areas of wear and tears become weak links and are more prone to injuries.

Signs of physical stress due to lack of recovery are:
Physical and mental agitation.
Irritability
Lack of sleep
Cramps
Palpitation
Mood swing
Lack of appetite

Clearly these signs are showing that your body is not recovering enough.You are accumulating stress.

What are the solutions?
Take a break, and get rid of the guilt if you don't train for a week..It is adding more stress to your life.
Don't wait until you feel tired. Skipping rest is the most common causes of overtraining injuries.
Used the periodisation method. Variations in the amount and intensity of exercises. Ask your trainer to help you.
Drink more water. If you are tired, you are probably also dehydrated.
Don't underestimate the power of recovery. In fact, it rejuvenates and consolidates the gains of exercises.
You need to find the right balance between training and recovering time. Listen to your body.
Look at your life. Are you working too much? How is your stress level?
This tips will help you to maximize your training gains while you are reducing the risk of over training.

Enjoy the long week end , have fun and get some rest.

Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

Mental Fitness

2010-08-21T22:41:00.000-07:00

About Mental Fitness;

Taking care of your emotional health is as important as exercising your muscles Think about the stress you are facing everyday and how it is affecting you. Try to recognize that dedicating even a short time every day to your mental fitness will rejuvenate you and bring you more confidence.
Here are few ways to remain fit mentally;
Give yourself permission to take a break from your worries and concerns.
Close your eyes for 5 minutes a day to find a a sensation of peace and tranquility.
Minimize your negative thoughts. Don’t try to block them , but don’t let them take over.
Have humour . Life often gets too serious, so when you hear or see something that makes you smile or laugh, share it with someone .
Pamper yourself:.Take time alone for yourself.
Last but not the least! Eat good food and enjoy life.

Have a relaxing week end

Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

Biorythms and You

2010-04-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

Today I will talk to you about biorythm, which is the cyclic pattern of changes in physiology, and how it can impact your training routine.
Our biology has rhythms that vary according to the time of the day, the seasons, the weather conditions, and any external environmental fluctuation such as the tide for example. During a period of 24 hours your body goes through many changes: Blood pressure; heart rate, urine production and so on.
Your vital functions are set to a very precise internal clock, and any changes in its rythm can disorganise the entire system. For instance when you are fatigue, you are experiencing symptoms in your body which are signs that your clock is not tuned properly to your physiology. Each of us has a different biorythm, that is why it is important to listen to your body.
Ask yourself few questions to assess your biorythm when your are engaged in a regular exercise program: Am I feeling tired today? or do I have lot of energy? At what time of the day does my body can endure a better workout?
If you have experienced recently symptoms such as lack of sleep, cramps, heart palpitation, irritablity. Listen to your body, and take the proper action to reconnect with your biorythm in order to maximize your training program. Remember, your body knows what is good for you. If you need to take a day off, do it because it might be the time necessary that your body will need to reset the clock.

The Lessons of Paralympians

2010-04-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

Soon the Paralympics will take place in our beautiful city. Although not as mediatique and popular as the regular Olympics, these games seem to be underrated.
In my mind the Paralympians overcome their physical challenges in the most impressive ways, and they deserve gold medals just for participating to the games.

I have had the opportunity to talk to an athlete with special needs a while ago, he told me that he never look at his physical disabilities as a life sentence. It seems like the consequences of his illness were less important than the attitude he used to overcome them.

Practicing a sport competitively as Paralympians to achieve remarkable performances is primarily based on inner strength more than on pure physical skills. In other terms, their body mechanics have been formatted to move according to a specific level of mental conditioning to deliver high level performances. Their clear intention to win defies logic and, surprisingly, being physically impaired seems to have the potential to release the best of the human machine.
There are no real boundaries and we are the ones who set up the standards. Being afraid to go beyond comfort zones creates limited space to explore ourselves and to achieve our dreams and visions .Thinking and acting beyond fears has the capacity to unleash potential creativity with no limit.

This is exactly what the Paralympians will demonstrate on March 11th, 2010

I am inviting everyone to watch the Paralympics as a tribute to life itself and its capacity to transform rock in pure gold.

Have an inspiring week end.
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

Lessons of the Olympians and Paralympians

2010-02-21T14:33:00.000-08:00

Hope that you are all enjoying the Olympics! It is so inspiring and motivating to see what human beings can achieve physically. Most of the athletes who are competing have been training very hard for years, at least 4 or 5 hours per day, to be at this level of excellence . Discipline and hard work are not the only factors of success to become an Olympian. Great genetic predispositions combined with a very specific training program can contribute to unleashing the best of the human body.

After training intensely for 17 years as a Martial artist, I can relate to the high level of dedication and the commitment it takes for any of these athletes to reach their Olympic goals and visions. The truth is that we can all find the Olympic champion within us and win our "gold medal", as long as we set realistic goals for ourselves.
The Olympic formula for success is: "Higher - stronger - faster." What it means really, is that we "SHOULD NEVER GIVE UP".

Finding the champion within us is more an act of patience and perseverance than a physical performance. Society has set up very high standards of achievement, and sometimes these standards don't reflect the reality of life, such as PERFECTION for instance. Like an Olympic athlete we must realize that we cannot win our gold medal if we haven't connected with our inner strength first.That is what makes the difference between a TRUE CHAMPION and any other athlete. Our mind has much fewer limitations that our body, and so the power behind any success is: BELIEF.

Have a good weekend everyone. and go World go!

Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

The Olympics through Walking!

2010-02-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

As we all know the Olympics are coming to town. What an exciting venue for our community! Already the traffic has become an issue, and soon it will be more and more difficult to drive around.
At Zenergie we think that this sport event is an excellent opportunity to adopt an “Olympic behavior”. If driving becomes difficult, why not walk everywhere you can! Instead of driving to run your errands, walk to the store. If you have to drive, park far away and walk to the store. Park at the back of the parking lot or if you are parking on the street, park around the corner. Walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator.

Just walk as much as possible. Buy a pedometer, and record how many steps you take each day for the next 2 weeks. You will be surprised how a little change to your lifestyle such as this can make a big difference.

Here are few tips to help you get started:
• Warm up.
• Wear a good pair of shoes.
• Don't overstride. Let your steps fall naturally.
• Stand tall.
• Gently pull in your abdomen to keep your back from arching.
• For more effective walking, bend your elbows at 90 degrees and swing.
Benefits of walking:
• Walking can help you lose weight.
• Walking improves both muscle tone and strength.
• Walking improves your cardiovascular .
• Walking reduces stress.
• Walking improves bone density.

Have a nice week end everyone.

Thanks for reading!

Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

Winter Sunlight Blues

2010-01-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

The Winter Olympic fever is definitely among us, and it brings joy and vitality to our city Such an event enlightens our spirit, but our body is usually lacking natural sunlight during the whole winter season.( What a transition! ). What are the effects of the lack of sun on our metabolism?
The absence of sunlight has now been proven that it can affect brain and body chemistry. Depression and Osteoporosis are illnesses which can be directly related to the lack of exposure to sun.When you don't get enough sunshine, the body suffers from nutritional deficiency. Despite of what we hear about too much sun, we need vitamin D. "30 minutes of sunlight a day in winter" seems to be the minimum to bring back health and well being in our life.
Vitamin D is released in our body through exposure of UV rays. Vit D is vital to us, because:
• it balances the phosphorous and calcium levels in the blood.
• it remodels our bones.
• it enhances the amount of oxygen that is in our blood.
If you want to increase your level of Vit D in your body, drink skim milk products, and step outside more often (specially in winter) to expose your skin to sunlight (even if it rains). The human body was designed to be exposed to sunlight , not to artificial light.

If you make a point to get natural sunlight every day, you might experience a wide range of health benefits, such as:
• Improvement in mood
• Lowering of state of depression
• Increased bone density

Having said that, I also believe that our mind has always the last word. And even during a rainy and cold winter day, it is possible to keep our "sun within" shinning to keep us balanced physically and mentally.

Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio

A Few Words About Stretching

2009-12-21T14:50:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone;

Today I will talk to you about the science of stretching. Too often it is the part of our training that we tend to neglect, but it is in fact the MOST important.
By stretching regurlarly you are:
Increasing and maintaining tissue elasticity and joints mobility. Life is motion.
Allowing the body's natural lubrication (synovial fluid) to protect your joints.
Preventing injuries .
Increasing your fitness performance.

The following key points should be remembered while stretching:
Always warm up the body prior to stretching, to increase blood flow around the body, which makes the muscles more supple.
Never bounce while you stretch, it is called ballistic stretching and it has the negative effect to create micro tears in the muscles tissue.
Hold the stretch at least one minute until you feel the muscle loosen off.
Stop immediately if you feel any pain.
Remember to breathe rhythmically, do not hold your breath.

Thanks for reading!
Christian Heno, Owner
Zenergie Holistic Health and Fitness Studio